Miko found hair brushing a lot easier when it was this short. She had combed through it first, breaking up any major knots and making it easier for her to brush her hair. She set down the brush, she checked her hair. She smiled as she grabbed her earrings, she slid them into the holes in her earlobe. She was admiring herself. The earrings hung a little lower than the piercing holes. They were small pink skulls, in a chibi style. She adored them. Something cute and soft on the eyes to balance out the usually harsh and dark style she wore. The little bits and pieces of colours popped out so much. She pulled away from the vanity and stretched. There hadn't been many events for the past few weeks. Though her birthday was now only a week away. She was finally going to be 16, a young adult, not a teenager. She had fairy lights now, they were a soft white not harsh to the eyes but it lit the room up enough. The room had become more and more her own. She had extended the platform her bed was on every so slightly. She had extended it lengthways and now she had a TV, a TV table and a stack of DVDs. Though right now she was far from all the stuff. Right now she was beside the vanity, under her new stairs. The ladder was getting tedious and it tired her. So now she had stairs with an open back, no stair rails though. She had slid her vanity under it, that and some shelves for her bracelets and other trinkets. Right now she had pulled her box for her earrings forward and moved her bracelet rack back. She wondered if she should bother with a bracelet. She still had the rope her energon pendant was once on. Mindlessly she placed a hand on the rope and sighed in sadness. She missed her energon necklace dearly. But what happened happened.
Miko stumbled as she felt a pulse. An overpowering pulse of curiosity. Not her own, never her own. The feeling belonged to another. He was behind her. He was curious about her upset. She turned to him, seeing the mech sitting on the couch. He had an energon cube in his servo, his optics were trained on her. She waved over to him. The curiosity subsided, into a settled feeling of company came over her. She smiled, hugging herself. She enjoyed the warm fuzzy feeling. She had other stuff to do though. She needed to make her smoothie for the day. She had been having one almost every day, it made her feel good. Her skin had started to clear up too. She walked over to the counter, opening the mini-fridge that sat on top of the counter. She had strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries for her berries. She also had mangos, bananas, watermelon, peach, pineapple and… A few jars of energon. She had started to consume the Cybertronian energy source more and more regularly. It strayed away the sickness that came upon her after she was released from the spark chamber. She put down the cutting board, a knife and then grabbed a sive. The fruit and berries had been taken from big shop's warehouses. So they needed to be washed. Miko grabbed two handfuls of blueberries and raspberries each, she then put the berries in the sive and put them in the sink. She poured water over the berries and shaked sive. She then turned off the tap and let the water leaked through. She then grabbed a mango and chopped it up. She put what she couldn't use in the compost chute. She wanted to start to grow her own plants so they didn't have to keep stealing things. She then grabbed a jar of her energon. It was highly watered down, a special mix Knockout said was healthy for her. Why she could suddenly eat it, no one knew, but she didn't mind.
Miko poured in the energon, then the berries and then the mango, all of it went into the blender. She switched the blender on, the lid was sealed tight anyway so she needn't worry about anything spilling. Miko turned away from the blender and took her bread out, three slices. She popped them into her toaster and then grabbed her jam jar and the knife. She stretched, leaning against the table as she watched her breakfast being made. The only noise was the blender and the T.V. Megatron was watching the news, he always flicked through at least ten news channels. They were all from different countries and from different perspectives.
The blender stopped, Miko walked over, she grabbed her smoothie bottle. She transferred the smoothie from the blender container to the bottle. Her toast popped, she took out the bread, placed all slices on the plate, and spread her jam on the slices. She was quick to clean up her mess and then she went over to eat. She had made rules for herself, to keep herself clean and orderly. No eating till she had tidied. Otherwise her food prep area would be piled and piled and piled up. Miko sat down, facing the TV. She frowned as she watched the people on the T.V debate about something pointless. It was an American news channel. She looked up to Megatron and frowned, "Do we have to watch this?" She gestured. Megatron snorted as he turned to look at her.
"It is entertaining, no? Watching them get so upset over something so utterly arbitrary?" He turned off the T.V, he stood with an empty energon cube and walked to her small area. She just smiled at him innocently. She ate and drank, only stopping mid-bite when Megatron sat on the floor to be eye-level with her. She put down the toast, picked up her bottle, stood and walked over to the edge of the desk.
"You doing okay? Got something you wanna talk about?" She sat on the edge, her legs dangling over the side. If she jumped she would have landed on Megatron's shoulder. He chuckled as he watched her. She sipped her smoothie and waved. This caused his laughter to become more thunderous. He calmed himself and then lowered his helm, he tilted it back to be closer to her. She patted the top of his helm.
"Your birthday is coming up soon. Do you have any ideas of how you'd like to spend it?" He tilted his helm sideways ever so slightly. He took up most of her vision. She leaned back. She was going to spend it with the 'Cons, that was obvious. Then again, she didn't just want to lie in bed all day. Megatron could ditch his duties one day, she was sure of it. She would have loved to go to a carnival for her birthday. But the machines that make them human… They were out of commission. She wondered how Breakdown even managed to use it without being driven insane. She still worried for Knockout, his servos now had a permanent shake. She frowned, she wanted to include those two in her birthday. She frowned, they were cars, it was easy to sneak them some places. Megatron was a completely different story. She still had some time to decide.
"Yeah, erm… I dunno. I want Knockout and Breakdown to celebrate with us." She liked that idea, of a big family celebrating together. It was a wonderful idea. Her family was not one for celebrating, especially her parents. Well that was a lie, her mother liked celebrating just with alcohol. She paused. Her family… She remembered her grandparents. Miko turned to Megatron with a determined look.
"I want to bring my grandparents!"
"... Here?"
"Yeah, they're super cool! Trust me. But we should probably introduce them… Before the birthday."
"So they can get used to us?" Megatron guessed.
"Yeah, don't want them to freak out on my birthday."
"Understandable." Megatron nodded as he took in the information. He had heard a lot about Miko's grandparents. From her and from the information Soundwave had gathered for him. With what Miko had been through, he figured seeing her elder family was not a bad idea. Miko stood and walked back to her toast. She finished her own breakfast, cleaned up and then went back to Megatron. Said mech had been cleaning up his energon cube and whatever mess he made while consuming it. Miko patted down her shirt, she had her jacket under her arm though she doubted she'd need it. The climate they were currently in was warm and the ship had been quite nice compared to when they were in the arctic a few weeks ago. She smiled up at Megatron, he scooped her up and placed her on his shoulder. Miko stretched and yawned. She rubbed at her eyes, she watched as the lights were shut off and then they left the apartment.
The Nemesis had no windows, it barely had vents. Cybertronians were used to this staleness, Cybertron had no air. Miko however, gasped for breath sometimes. She had to get a hand-fan for herself when they were flying over Spain. Well 'get', she stole one and then ran into the Groundbridge. She had become desensitised to petty theft, all her supplies were taken and stolen. She couldn't decide if that was moral or immoral. She looked at Megatron. That question came up in her head a lot. Moral or immoral? She frowned as she thought about it.
It was to survive, there was no farm or any way to grow food. How was she supposed to get meat? She didn't have an income and couldn't buy any food. How were they supposed to get the bed stuff? The T.V?
They entered the Bridge. Airachnid stood to the side of Starscream, the two were bickering at the main console. Miko was sure it was Megatron's but perhaps it was just one for commanders in general. She tilted her head as she listened to the two commanders bicker. They seemed to be arguing about… Her? Her birthday gifts. Who was getting 'the big one', the one they were going to get with Soundwave's assistance. They both noticed Megtaron and Miko coming towards them. They stood up straight, glaring at each other, Airachnid snarled. She marched past the two of them without much care. Then Starscream with a smirk and a flutter of wings, he marched past and left with a small nod of the helm. Miko sat there, utterly and terrifically confused. She had a feeling, his feeling, that Megatron felt the same. Megatron stood at the console, he scooped Miko up and placed her down on the console. She stretched and paced her small space a few times. She needed to stretch her legs. Megatron gestured for Soundwave to join them and the silent mech complied. He made no noise as he walked, and he stopped so softly beside them. Miko waved and he nodded back to her. He turned to Megatron who seemed to be thinking. Megatron turned his helm to Soundwave.
"Soundwave, dear friend… How practical would it be to introduce ourselves to more humans?" Miko stopped her pacing to watch them. Soundwave tilted his helm. Miko watched symbols and graphs appear on Soundwave's face. Miko couldn't read a lot of them. But she could understand a few words. 'Lifespan', 'bonds', 'loyalties'... 'Hostage'? Something about it did not sit right with her. She hugged herself and looked at them both. Megatron finally turned back to Miko. He noticed her distress. He tilted his helm and just smiled at her. He looked like a shark when he smiled. It was where he got his nickname. It was why she named the shark teddy after him. Bucket-Shark. Baketsu-Same!
"The introductions will be made, Miko, can you contact your grandparents?" He tilted his helm back and forth. He turned his body to her completely. Miko paused. Their number was on her phone. Her phone… Her phone. Where was it? She had completely forgotten about it since Soundwave gave her that datapad. She frowned, looking around and spotted a dust-covered small rectangle. She walked over to it, wiping the dust away… She frowned as the dust didn't come off. She tried to pop open the flip phone only to find the joints had rusted. She forced the flip phone to flip. She turned it on and with some flickering, it did come on. They all watched the small little device stutter and flicker. Miko went to her contacts, she flicked through it and landed on her grandparents house number. She finally nodded.
"Got it, want me to call them now?" She looked at Megatron. He had sent Soundwave out of the room. He gestured to her like he was welcoming her too. She smiled. She grabbed her datapad from her pocket. She would get better reception with it. She typed the number into it. She switched it onto the speaker option. Megatron stayed quiet as she did so.
Miko pressed call.
The beeping as they waited for an answer was agonising for Miko. She had not talked to her grandparents since she left for America. She had not realised how much she missed them till now. A great fear filled her, what if? What if they didn't answer? What if they said no? Her hands were shaking as she waited. Megatron placed a claw behind her, she leaned against it. She needed the solidness of him. Beep, beep, beep… She set the datapad on her lap. Beep, beep, beep. She glanced back at Megatron. He stood tall. He was so confident, so sure of himself. She wished she was the same. Instead she watched herself become an anxious mess. She watched her self destruction like watching the ship you're on sink.
"Moshi-Moshi! Kore wa darena ndarou?" A warm elderly voice called out of the device. Miko felt hot tears drip down her cheek. She beamed as in a shaky voice she answered the question, she was more than happy to introduce herself.
"Moshi-Moshi… O bāchan, watashi yo! Watashi yo!"She called. It was her indeed. She heard her grandmother break out in laughter. That crow like rasp. Miko had missed it so much. She looked at Megatron and smiled.
"Sore wa watashi no o bāchandesu- I mean er… That's my grandma!" She pointed to the phone. Megatron nodded. He muttered 'I know' and was about to say more but her Grandmother's voice broke the silence. She was laughing and clapping her hands. They could hear the soft claps from the other side, "Watashi no dārin! ? Watashi no itoshī hito! Dōshiteta? Ā... Watashi wa eigo o hanasubeki… How are you? We missed you much!" Her grandmother called. Her accent was thick, it was much thicker than Miko's had ever been. Miko giggled as she looked back at Megatron. He nodded silently and let them speak. Miko sighed as she spoke.
"Good Sobo, I'm good. How are you and Jiji?" Miko seemed giddy and ecstatic. Her grandmother sighed and laughed. It was raspy. Miko giggled as she glanced at Megataron. Her grandmother cleared her throat.
"We're good! We miss you- Er- Akira, wait!" A struggle was heard over the phone. Then an old man's smoker's voice shouted down the phone, "Is America good!? Have you been to New York yet!?" The man had a slight New York accent when he spoke English. Miko sighed as she shook her head.
"I'm in Nevada Jiji, West side. Nowhere near New York. But erm, I called to ask you something!" She sighed as she calmed herself. She needed to be calm about what she was going to say.
"Oh, darling, what is it?"
"Tell us! Tell us!"
They encouraged her to speak. Miko looked at Megatron who silently encouraged her. She nodded back to him.
"I'm planning to head… Back. I'm going to come back! But without my parents knowing, I'm going to come directly to you." She began. She heard a massive, loud cheer. She winced as she moved the device away from the noise. Megatron snorted. Miko sighed as she continued, "I'll be bringing some friends…. But you have to promise Jiji, Sobo… Please…" Miko sighed. The two went quiet.
"... Give us a moment." And with that Miko was on hold. She groaned. She placed down the device. She rubbed at her face and looked at Megatron. He chuckled as he shook his helm. She brushed hair away from her face. She laid back, staring at the ceiling. This was an amazing event. Her grandparents learned about the Cybertronians. If Jack had his mum, why not?
"Your grandfather has an odd accent, did he live in America?" Megatron turned to Miko. She perked up. She hadn't talked about how she got the love of America she had. She sighed as she tilted her head. She tapped her fingers. She had to explain this in a way that the Cybertronian could understand. They had limited time. Finally she spoke, "My grandad was born in the forties… Just after Imperial Japan was falling and so when he could he and his brother left for America. My grandad stayed there, he fell in love with American subculture, like 'love not war' and the punk movement. He still has his Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin records and memorabilia. And erm…" Miko frowned. Megatron stood up slightly as she talked. He knew the bands she spoke of, it became clear where her love for alternate and punk movements came from. Miko was cursing herself for not listening to her grandad better. She patted her leg as she thought.
"His brother, my great Uncle, died in the Korean war and th- Oh. Tell you after." Miko watched as the call came off hold. Her grandparents had soft mutters between them before it was her grandmother who tried to speak. But then she started to cough, the coughing got distant, and instead her grandfather apple. He sighed sadly as they listened to her cough.
"Come! Come home to us dear. Just make sure your friends will behave properly. And remember your grandmother still has that old conservatism… So if she says something a little tone deaf forgive her."
"Of course Jiji, of course. They'll be fine. But you should meet us first before we go to the house."
"I will. Do text when you arrive. This Sunday will be fine."
"See you then." Miko pulled her device away. Her hand hovered over the 'end call' button. But a soft hum from her Jiji stopped her. She listened as he huffed.
"I love you Miko, we both do. Never forget that." She smiled. Sniffling as her eyes started to go red.
"I love you too Jiji! Sobo!" Miko smiled as kisses were heard until her grandparents hung up. She giggled as she set down her communicator and turned back to Megatron. The Warlord tilted his helm as he looked at her. He lowered his servo, palm facing the ground. Miko sat on his knuckle, her usual perch. He lifted her up to be eye level with him. She waved and began, "So those were my mother's parents, my grandparents." He laughed and nodded. He tilted his head back and a large exhale came from his vents.
"They seem lovely. Your Grandfather seems like an eccentric man. He reminds me of you." Megatron admitted. It was true. This love for punk bands and America. He wondered if Miko looked like her grandad. They had similar accents when talking in Japanese. Then again… There was Miko's Jiji, her grandmother. The woman did not sound well. He knew coughing was a sign of illness for humans. Miko shrugged as she rubbed at the back of her head.
"Yeah. They're great. Grandad will love this though, he always believed in aliens." She sighed as she let herself relax after that. She had come up with hundreds of way for her to fuck that up. Luckily she didn't, somehow. Miko stretched and yawned.
"Soundwave! Inform Breakdown and Knockout of the upcoming event. I'll need them to know the strategy." Soundwave nodded and left. Miko was set back down on the desk. She'd have to prepare an outfit. Did she have any formal outfits? Breakdown would differently need a clean up, they all had to be tidy to meet her grandparents. How would they react to her hair? She had shaved almost all of it off. She ran a hand along those shaved sides. That may be a problem.
"You'll do great, I can see it already. Now, you have some homework, no?" She cursed silently, she had hoped he didn't realise. He set her down, "Language studies no?" He guessed. She nodded. Muttering 'yes' as she opened up the 'schoolwork' app she had. Soundwave wanted her to practise her handwriting in Cybertronian. She checked to see her new assignment, it was a page with light dots to show her how to write. She popped the new upgrade to the datapad. A small pen popped out the side. She leaned against the screen and started her homework. It wasn't too different from Japanese. She glanced over to see Megatron was also working. She chewed her inner cheek. She was not going anywhere it seemed. Miko began to work and write. She kept her head down and worked. There was no point in arguing.
After what seemed to be an hour or two Miko finally concluded her writing studies. She didn't mind the last few minutes of it. It was 'free writing', forming her own sentences with what she had learned. She liked the sentence she had constructed, 'My name is Miko and I am a Decepticon. My partner is Lord Megatron, we watch movies together.'It was simple but it worked. Her handwriting in Cybertronian was a little messy. She tilted her head left and right. She admired her handy work. She saved her work and then it was submitted to Soundwave for review. She changed the apps to her drawing app. She selected a blank canvas, then the thin pencil, she made the colour black. She started her sketch. She wanted to draw Megatron beating up… What did he beat up in the arena? Monsters she supposed. She decided to draw Megatron beating up Monsters. He seemed like the type to do so. He liked to try to fight her monsters. Miko leaned in close to the datapad and started to sketch. Her legs tucked up close to her chest. Megatron glanced down at her every so often. She seemed to be enjoying whatever she was doing. He wasn't sure what that was. Neither interrupted the content silence they shared. This time not out of anxiousness and a want to not upset the other. No, they had a greater form of communication now. They knew from the other that no words were needed. The door opened, Miko leaned over to see and Megatron only slightly turned his helm. Breakdown and Knockout marched in. Breakdown had a hop in his step, he looked ready to explode with joy. Knockout was a lot more calm, he walked with usual snobbish, self-obsessed flair.
"So!? We're going vistin'? Why did no one warn us sooner?" Knockout held out his arms. Chuckling. Miko set down her datapad and ran to the edge of the platform. Megatron slightly lifted his servo to catch her in case she fell. She skidded to a stop before she did anyway. Breakdown smiled. He and Knockout stood at attention, Knockout had his arms crossed and Breakdown had his arms tucked behind his back.
Megatron turned to them, examining them before speaking, "Miko has decided she wishes to introduce her Grandparents to us… You two, by Miko's choice, will be the first to make contact." He gestured to Miko who smiled and nodded.
"I want you guys especially to meet my family! We're going there this Sunday, so like two days… So like, any questions?" She watched Knockout stand up straighter/ The flattery was clear on his face. Breakdown's face went blue. His smile became shaky and he looked ready to cry from glee. Miko stretched. She tilted her head. Knockout noticed his conjunx endura, a huff escaped him as he patted Breakdown's back.
"Right, what are your old people like?" Knockout stepped forward. Miko needed to summarise her grandparents in a way for them to understand. She crossed her arms as she lifted herself up and down off the balls of her feet. She didn't notice Megatron watching her, his optics tracking the way she bounced. Miko was just so excited. When she got so excited that she couldn't contain it in your body, she just had to bounce. She had to get it out physically. It was getting more and more frequent. She got more excited more frequently. She was just happier in general. Knockout cleared his throat, taking her out of her thoughts. He seemed to know this, he smiled and tilted his helm.
"Well… My grandad immigrated to America for a while, and he was really into punk and free movement, Pink Floyd and all that. My grandmother… I don't think she's even left the Island. She is a Kyūdō practitioner…" Miko began. She noticed the arched eyebrows. It was only then she remembered the Cybertronians wouldn't have any clue. It was a shame. She wanted, once upon a time, to practise Kyūdō… Her father didn't see it as a practical use of time. She practised piano instead. Miko realised before she spoke that it didn't need to be a whole rant. She slowly condensed it in her head and then she spoke, "Japanese kind of archery, people use it like meditation… Anyway, my grandma and her English is a little rougher. My grandad, he's always believed in aliens. He is… Fluent in English, so it shouldn't be too hard for him." Knockout nodded. Breakdown just seemed to be barely able to take it all in. Megatron just nodded as he listened. He was quiet, even his fans, but she felt the soft draft that came from them. Soundwave walked through the door behind them, he was silent as he watched the four person crowd. He just went to his terminal and continued his work. The Cybertronians barely looked at him, barely acknowledged him. Miko however, maybe it was because she was human, watched him with interest.
She had too. It was an instinct. It was like she expected him to make a sudden lunge for her, like a cat stalking a bird.
"What do we do if your parents are there?" Breakdown tilted his helm. Miko froze. It had not occurred to her that her parents could be there anyway. By accident, definitely not on purpose. Her grandparents would never do that to her. Miko's hands started to shake. She didn't want to run into her parents, her father, she didn't want to interact with him. The idea of existing in the same room as him was terrifying. She had gone quiet, she didn't want to answer the question. If she did, she may give the wrong answer. She didn't want to give the wrong answer.
"Then we protect Miko and rid them from her life. But Miko is our first priority." Megatron had moved, or had she? In any sense, he was closer. She could have hidden behind him if she wanted too. She reached out, and she touched his back. The metal was warm and upon contact the endura connection pulsed through her in a violent manner. This shaking, tremble-causing wave of unadulterated protectiveness… It was almost controlling. She was not to be taken, not to go with her parents. She would stay with Megatron, she'd be at his side wherever and whenever he deemed fit. Always, that was when he saw fit, always at his side. She shuddered, she couldn't stop herself from shaking. There was violent intent behind this protectiveness. Violent things would happen to people who went against this. He was a Warlord, a tyrant, she could not forget this. It was evident right now.
"Understood Lord Megatron." Both mechs said together. They glanced at each other but stayed civil and polite to their master. Miko pulled her hand away and looked down at it. The skin felt fuzzy, like static. She pressed her hand against her shirt. Megatron grunted with satisfaction. Miko pulled her hand away and spoke up, "Just make sure to be polite, and don't step on any plants or anything that isn't the pathways." She felt it necessary to add it. Her grandmother adored her garden and worked hard for it. She didn't want Breakdown to accidentally step on the tulips and destroy all that work. That would end in tragedy for all of them.
"Understood Miko." Both mechs said together. She nodded and gave a thumbs up. Breakdown snorted. Knockout tilted his helm, confused by his enduras reaction. Breakdown gestured to the small girl.
"She's sounding more and more like Megatron by the day." He explained. Megatron had an unimpressed expression on his faceplate. Miko snorted. She walked over the keypad, being mindful not to directly step on any keys. She reached the other side and walked the closest she could to Soundwave. She wanted to see if he was reviewing her work. The others were still talking, she didn't listen to the conversation. She was about to call out, but Soundwave turned before she did. It was like he knew she was going to speak. He nodded to her and then began his slow approach. She tensed up, her arms crossed over her chest. She could not stop herself. He scared her. He scared her in a way she could not explain.
"How was my work?" Miko smiled the best she could. Soundwave's screen lit up, showing her results. It was in kanji. She had done… Exemplary. She frowned at that word. It was one she was not used to hearing to describe her. The word made butterflies in her stomach. She smiled as she tilted her head, "Exemplary? Huh. What was so good about it?" She could get used to this, to this praise. Soundwave showed her examples of a Cybertron-born person's writing and then hers. There was not much difference. She smiled, clapping her hands together in glee.
"Oh cool! Cool! Cool!" She was stoked. Her writing was as good as a Cybertron-born. She clapped her hands together. Soundwave nodded. His screen turned off, a smiley-face emoji appeared and then his screen turned off again. He turned and walked back to his work without waiting for something else. Miko just enjoyed the feeling. She had started to love the almost-constant praise that she received from the Cons. It was a feeling she could get use too, it was a feeling that she would get use too. She looked back at the others. Knockout and Breakdown were nodding to Megatron's commands. He was warning them about behaviour. They were to be on their best behaviour. When he finished the lecture, he looked down at Miko. He huffed and scooped her up. She giggled, holding her datapad close.
"Here, my dear, why don't you spend some time with the two medics? I need to do some private work." He explained. Miko sat up. It was an unusual request for Megatron. It was one he had never asked before. Miko couldn't protest. Despite her best efforts to find her voice too. She couldn't because he had never asked for this before. Yet he had been so good to her, so open. She understood the gravity of what it could be. She nodded as Knockout took her from Megatron's palm.
"Okay… I hope you're okay with whatever you're doing." She waved to Megatron. He nodded, leaning down to her. He tapped her head, petting the top of it gentle. She waved him away, he snorted, "I will be. It'll be over soon, don't worry." He nodded to the other two mechs and went to his console. Miko was put on Knockout's shoulder and they walked away. She smiled up at Breakdown who nodded back to her.
.
.
.
.
.
"The t-cog is a pivotal organ for our transformation. All major gears connect to it, the naval gear, the back strut cog and the pec-gear." Breakdown gestured to the diagrams before Miko. She should have known better. Of course this would turn into a lesson.
She had language and writing skill lessons with Soundwave, biology and Cybertronian biology with Knockout, basic maths and history had no tutor, Miko was considered too intelligent to need one and her combat training was all Megatron's to teach. She would teach herself to cook, she had stolen a few books. Miko sighed as she wrote down her notes. She had gotten into the habit of writing some notes in Japanese and some in Cybertronian. It kept her language skills sharp and ready. She was able to translate easier and easier as she worked. She frowned as she drew the diagram. Breakdown was covering for Knockout as the main medic was fixing a drone's arm. Miko watched as the Vehicon groaned and cried as his arm was burnt back on. Her intrigue was disturbing to Breakdown, but he didn't say anything. Miko glanced back at the lesson.
Breakdown grunted as he tried to change the slide, he couldn't figure out the buttons. They were meant for Knockout's more slender digits. Miko tilted her head as she saw a new slide she didn't recognize
It looked like three pelvises, one had wiring going outwards, one going inwards and one both. Her eyes widened quickly as she realised what it was. Breakdown looked up and a short shout echoed throughout the room. He turned off the screen. His faceplate was really blue. Really, really blue. Breakdown shook his helm, Knockout had seen everything and was snickering. Breakdown walked to Miko, he couldn't make eye/optic contact. He just kept glancing around, at the ceiling, at the left wall and the right. He stuttered out an apology, except it never became a sentence. It was just noise, stuttering noise. Miko glanced over at Knockout who stopped snickering and walked over. He patted Breakdown on the back, whispered something into his audio receptor and with that, Breakdown almost ran to take over the limb reattachment. Knockout leaned down, both arms crossed and acting as a support. She tilted her head, he sighed and tilted his helm back. Deciding on how to proceed.
"What you just saw is the Cybertronian mating system- Or what once was. You know how humans have a tail bone, even though you don't need that? Well, that system is the same. But some still use it, so it was kept." Knockout explained. Miko frowned as she looked at the black screen, Nodding slowly, she frowned, "Why did one of the diagrams have both?" Knockout paused. He turned the screen on and looked at the slides. He then frowned, he types something in. A human diagram appeared, he made an 'Oh' noise.
"Oh right… You humans usually only come in one or the other. Cybertronians do not work like that. We call ourselves male, call ourselves male pronouns… But we had a range of bodies. Cybertronians are private, shy creatures. Even our weddings are private, just the two people."
"But isn't that really sad? Being so alone?" Miko tilted her head back and forth. Knockout shrugged.
"We know no other way."
She nodded. Knockout sighed. He stood up straight, he placed his servos on his hips. Miko set down her work. She walked to the edge. Knockout paused, he outstretched his servo and scooped her up. She smiled up at him. The Vehicon left and Breakdown came back over.
"Are you excited for your birthday?" Breakdown leaned against the table. Knockout turned off the screen before he noticed. Miko tilted her head back and forth.
"Yeah! Are you guys!?" She was bouncing. Breakdown and Knockout smiled down at her. Like the way two birds look at their hatchling. Proud, their wings or well sparks, fluttering. Knockout glanced at Breakdown. He saw the adoration on the white faceplate. The soft look that came from the optics, the even softer glow. Knockout did not notice his partner looking at him. Breakdown just smiled. It had been a while since he had seen Knockout so content and so happy. It made him feel warm and soft. Breakdown stepped a metre or so a little closer. The side of his pede, the side of both of their pedes touched. Knockout's engine purred ever so slightly.
"We're so excited to celebrate with you Miko!" Knockout snorted.
"We really are." Breakdown repeated the sentiment. He groaned and stretched. He looked around at the quiet med-bay. Miko smiled up at Knockout who hummed. He started to move around. He brought Miko over to the door that she had never seen someone enter or exit. Breakdown perked up. He ran in front of the two, he seemed to be excited. The door hissed open. He stepped inside and turned on the light. Miko leaned forward, looking around excited. They entered a small living room. There was a large couch, with one seat longer than the others on the end. Ahead of it was a TV mounted to the wall, under that there was a cute coffee table that had pictures of the two mechs adorning it. It was a sitting room, close to a human sitting room. Behind the couch was a 'food' prep area and what reminded Miko of a cocktail bar. Indeed, there was pink energon that Miko did not recognize. There was also a dinner table, two stools on either side. There were two other doors, a bedroom and a washroom.
Miko was set down on the prep area. She smiled as she looked at the shiny countertop. Breakdown went behind Knockout and kissed him on the back of the neck. Knockout laughed, his wheels spinning in delight. He looked back at Breakdown who just acted like nothing happened. Miko laughed as she watched Knockout try to get back at him. But the height difference was not in the medics favour. He jumped but failed and failed. Breakdown placed a servo on his shoulder and that stopped Knockout. He then kissed Knockout on top of the helm. The shorter mech pouted, stomped and then looked back at Miko. She was just enthralled by the romance of the two. It was admirable, she wished she had something like it. It was idyllic, it was lovely.
"Come on kid- Wanna watch a movie with ya Uncles?" Breakdown leaned down. Miko perked up as she was picked up. She was placed on the back of the couch. She sat herself down.
"Yeah! Whatcha got?" She asked. Breakdown sat down beside her. He leaned back, her to his left, almost hidden by his shoulder. She inched a few metres away from him to get a better view of the T.V. Knockout was pouring some energon for the two mechs. Breakdown grunted as a response, he turned on the TV and started to flick through the channels they had. They had several movies illegally downloaded, some human TV shows, some alien shows and some alien movies. Miko perked up as she noticed Jaws, Scream, Halloween, Friday the 13, Night of the living dead, Chicago, The breakfast club and The notebook were all in a section that was named 'K.O' in Cybertronian. She quickly released all the films were what Knockout liked. She looked at the other section, under 'B.D'. Die Hard, Fight Club, Inception, Rocky, Inglorious Bastards, Gladiator, Cars, 300, and Brokeback Mountain. She hadn't seen the last film. It seemed to be a cowboy film, she shrugged, she never liked cowboy films.
Knockout handed Breakdown his energon cube and then sat on the other side of Miko. He was very aware not to block Miko's view. He pointed to his section, to The breakfast club.
"That is very, very good." He tilted his helm back to smile at the two. Miko nodded. She leaned forward and pointed to Scream, she was giggling as she spoke, "How about a horror movie!?" Knockout's engine purred at the idea.
"Oh I haven't watched that in months. Will you be alright with horror films, my dear sweetspark?" He looked at Breakdown. The mech seemed to have lost colour in his faceplate. He blinked nervously and he looked at the two others. He could see their keenness and their excitement. Breakdown did not have the spark to say no. He just grinned and nodded. He knew his voice would crack if he did it in any other way, he couldn't speak. Miko whooped and the movie was turned on. Breakdown melted into the seat, staring at the T.V like he could die. But Miko and Knockout looked thrilled.
As the movie went on and on, Breakdown just became enthralled in terror. He hated this, he hated the movie. But Miko seemed to be enthralled while Knockout just laughed. It was strange, watching movies all together. It felt like the human perception of a family unit. As the credits rolled, Knockout sat back. Relaxed and unfazed by the violence they just witnessed. Miko yawned and Breakdown felt his tank become a knot. Miko was the first to move, she stretched and slid down the couch somewhat.
"Such a good movie! Kinda hungry after it…" She patted her lower abdomen. Breakdown was startled by the idea of still feeling hungry after watching so many people her own age being stabbed and killed. Knockout sighed, he sat up and nodded. He frowned as he looked around, they had no human food with them. He wasn't too sure of feeding her pure energon, especially since most of their private stash was high grade. He remembered her energon feeding, the staggered diet. He sent a message to Soundwave to bring some food when he could, after that was done he spoke, "How is the energon that you've been fed?" He smiled down at her. Miko shrugged as she laid back. She looked at the light, so bright that its purple turned white. She winced as it stung her eyes. She turned her head away.
"It's fine, I use it as a smoothie mix, so my bottle which is… Still at the console- Nevermind, but yeah… I kinda forgot the taste of it because I just covered it up with bananas." She explained. He nodded, taking a mental note of it. He was still unsure about feeding energon to a human. Organics should be poisoned by it. But after Miko had been exposed to Megatron's spark… She had safely been consuming it, in fact she felt sick if she did not consume it on a bi-regular basis. Miko was mostly human, bar a small but steady infection of dark energon. It connected to her collagen in some cases, rapidly healing smaller cuts, and boosting the clotting of blood and things such as that. It helped her stamina. Miko yawned as she lazily stretched.
"Mh, and you still feel sick if you do not consume any energon?"
"... Yeah. Nausea, a lot of nausea."
Knockout nodded, he went to a datapad, his own and typed it in. He had a file for her now, he would just list it under Megatron's because he never realised Miko would be there for a long time. He never realised she'd become a permanent resident in the Nemesis. How could he? How could he ever guess? How could anyone? Breakdown turned to them both. He adored them equally.
"So, you think your grandparents will like us?" He turned to Miko. She paused, sitting up. She would assume her grandparents would. She did! Why wouldn't her grandparents? Then again, her grandparents may be freaked out by it all. They may try to take her away from it all.
"Erm, I think so, as long as you are polite. Bow and all that. It'll be easy, I'll show you." She sat up. Knockout smiled as he watched them. He would not argue against just a little bit more of bonding.
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The carving was going well. He set down the knife and stared at the small crystal. He had been switching between making the leather thong and carving the crystal to the perfect size. He watched its dull glow, he picked it up with the prongs and dipped it into the liquid version. Giving it time to absorb the bright, glowing liquid, he then put it back on the work counter. He grabbed his cloth, he dried his claws. With a huff, he threw it to his side. He leaned back and stared at the crystal. He needed something to replace the teddy. He had to have the best birthday present. He would not be outdone by his own soldiers. He lifted up the crystal, frowning as he examined it. It was looking well, harsh corners but none that could cut. Good, he didn't want to cut her. She was his pet, his human charge. He had to take good care of her, such was his duty. He had been protecting her, she had not been off the Nemesis in a few weeks, only to accompany him to mines or on flights. He did this for a few reasons, one being their new-found connection. Another reason was that the Autobots had gone searching for her. Always outside her old foster home, always outside the Darby residence, always outside her old school, always outside shops Miko used to frequent. These were useless attempts to stalk her, to steal her away from him.
But she would not be taken. She would never leave his side. She was his forever. She was learning his tongue, learning his skills. She slept in the area he had made for her and she ate the food he bought for her. In return she brought him entertainment, she brought him contentment, she would listen to his stories with glee and he now had a chance to…
He had a second chance, to begin again where he and Orion failed. Where Orion failed. Where he failed to teach Orion. Miko was a promising young warrior, a pity such a strong soul was stuck in such a weak, mortal body. In a body that has been hit and abused by the ones that were supposed to nurture it. Miko deserved to walk amongst the titanic metal giants that had graced her homeworld. How much more powerful they were compared to humans, it was what the humans would describe as god-like. They were Gods, world-ending and powerful Gods. Miko deserved to walk amongst the Gods, at his side. In a way, he had slightly succeeded in that. She had dark energon, his dark energon and his spark energy coursing through her. He would work hard and train her to rise to godhood. He smirked. He remembered why she had originally come to him. They had compared her to Megatron. So he supposed he could go along with that. She had the feistiness and eagerness to become a great warrior like him. He just needed to work on her head for a while, sharpen her wit. With patience it would be easy. With her not being distracted by other humans or the outside world, it would be even easier. But until she rose to that godhood… She was his pet.
His pet, his little songbird. He purred as he remembered her beautiful voice. She would sing for him every so often, especially if his work got long and tiresome. She made the work bearable. He would pamper her like his pet deserved. He reached for the magnifying glass, it was attached to an arm that was attached to the wall. He pulled it close to the crystal. He grabbed tweezers, using them to pick up the crystal. He placed it on a stand. He grabbed a second pair of tweezers. He picked up the leather thong, with one set he gently pushed the leather rope through the hole. Once he had threaded it, he grabbed a hot metal prong. He placed the two ends of the leather thong on each other and then burnt them together. He leaned back and admired his handy work. He picked the leather thong up with the tweezers and placed it in a black box with a velvet cushion inside. He then put the lid on. He cleaned the counter. His pet deserved nice things and he would be happy to supply. He put the jewellery box on the tray and then began on his next project. He wanted to equip her with weaponry to continue her training. She had shown great potential with axes. So he had some of the machines that built cannons or weapons, and used them to make axes her size. He hummed as he wondered what was going through Prime's processor currently. Was he thinking about how Miko was currently in the Warlords clutches? Was he wondering if Miko was being tortured? Or did it pain the Prime because he knew that Miko was being treated like she deserved. Did it pain the Prime to know that Miko was being given affection, gifts and comfort. He enjoyed it either way. He frowned. He leaned back and typed into his console. He did something that was usually dangerous, activating the cameras in Knockout and Breakdown's sitting room. He smiled as he saw what he wanted to see.
Miko was on the back of the couch that had been pulled closer to the table. Knockout and Breakdown were sitting on the stools, they were eating. He tilted the back of his helm as he watched. Miko was eating a pizza out of a cardboard box while Knockout and Breakdown were eating energon chunks. Knockout had a small, long handled fork with the smallest head anyone had ever seen. He watched them silently laugh and shout, they had taken out the mic of that camera for… Reasons he had blocked from his memory banks. But he could see Miko laugh and smile and talk. She was so happy, it warmed his spark. He placed a digit on the screen, just below Miko. He couldn't connect to her from this distance, but he didn't need to. Her smile and her laugh were more than enough. He looked at her presents, her birthday presents. He knew of her hardships and he had decided that they would be distant memories, buried in the sands of time. His pet would live a lavish life now. She would have properly celebrated birthday, he knew they were important to humans. He knew it was important to Miko. He frowned as he remembered the story she told him… He could imagine her laying there, with a broken body after falling down stairs. The idea of her being so hurt enraged him. His pet deserved more. He would give her more.
Her enjoyment, her comfort and her safety would be as it is now. She would be forever safe in the Nemesis, that smile and that comfort would be a repeating event. A common event. He snarled. He turned off the camera and returned to work. He had more gifts to craft and conceive. His little pet would be okay. She'd be more than okay.
Megatron snarled, he would guarantee it. A god rewarded his followers and his pets, and who would he be to not continue that tradition.