The two oldest team members of Team Prime bonds with a free-spirited teenager by letting her make this desolated and depressing base into a more homey atmosphere for the Autobots, all while learning more about her and the reasoning behind her unique soul.

Miko-Centric

T-rated for little Vulgar language.

I do not own Transformers.

It started with Miko.

Everyone had left the base. Bulkhead was out on a routine mission. Arcee was out with Jack, probably driving around. Raf and Bumblebee were playing games and Optimus...well Primus knows where the Prime was.

Because everyone had vacated the common room, besides Ratchet, who downright ignored her prodding of eager questions or make small talk, she opted to lay upright on the couch, her legs up in the air and head dangling off the couch as she used her chocolate brown eyes to scan the barren walls of the base.

There was cracks along the rusted walls and it trails from the roof and down. She huffed and pursed her lips afterwards. The base was dull...so devoid of color and many other things. Their base lacked anything colorful, that is if you call rust and metal colorful.

The children have only known of the 'bots' existence for quite some time and the most significant thing that happened was Buckethead coming back from the dead, MECH bombarding the two factions, stuff with history and Cybertronian relics, and generally...Decepticons.

Surprisingly, things have been calm.

Well, apparently too calm for Miko.

The Japanese girl groaned out loud and ran a hand over her face. "This is so boring!"

"If you want, I can send you home," Ratchet suggested, a hopeful tone in the medic's voice. Miko rolled her eyes and shifted to sit upright, her back straightening as she crossed her legs.

"I'm not meaning myself or what I'm doing, its your walls that are boring!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands towards the rusted walls. Ratchet turned his helm to face the wall with a quirk of his optic ridges.

"What's so 'boring' about it?" the CMO asked with a grumble as he returned his optics directly to the screen.

"There's nothing on it!" Miko exasperated. "Like, where's the vibrant colors or the multiple pictures for every accomplishment you guys made? There's gotta be something!"

"Pictures and colors are very vague to my processor," Ratchet murmured. In hindsight, Cybertron didn't have many vibrant colors in their homeland. But at least it had some form of color to it. But, as much as the CMO wanted to deny it, the little human girl was right about how boring the walls around the base was.

Miko sighed tiredly, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You Autobots are exhausting," she muttered. Ratchet snorted out loud, and shook his helm. "I can return the sentiments," the medic said under his vents.

"I heard that!" Miko yelled.

"Good!"

Miko scowled and unraveled her crossed legs and tapped foot against the hard metal, producing a small tap tap tap, much to Ratchet's annoyance. The tapping continued and Ratchet growled and averted his helm away from the station and towards the Japanese teenager.

Before he could even reprimand her, Miko emitted an excited gasp.

"What if I can decorate your walls?!" she questioned eagerly as she stood to her full height. Ratchet blinked optics before narrowing it.

"No."

Miko's face fell. "And why not?" she inquired indignantly, a frown gracing her thin lips. Ratchet crossed his arms to his chassis, his glare intensifying. "Because you will make a mess of it, just like your so-called Science Fairs."

"Are you serious? You legit took over our projects and we barely scraped by with passing grades," Miko returned hotly. "And besides, we cleaned up afterwards!"

"Not well enough," Ratchet grumbled, rolling his optics.

Miko leaned closer to Ratchet, her eyes giving him the biggest puppy eyes and lips puckering out. "Please? What about just pictures?"

"No." And that firm tone was the end of it, Miko knew.

The Japanese girl deflated her shoulders in defeat and looked down at the floor.

So much for trying to convince a grumpy, old medic like Ratchet. Japan was never this barren like Jasper, Nevada. There was color everywhere in Japan and she grew up in that color.

Being in a desolated desert and having seen nothing but tumbleweeds, and every different shades of sand color, it takes away all the excitement away.

"Miko?" Optimus' voice entered her ears and she whipped her head up with widened eyes. She saw the Autobot leader's optic ridges knitted together in worry as he looked down towards the teenager. "Is something wrong?"

The girl grinned reassuringly, and walked up to Optimus, to which the Prime responded by outreaching his servo and flattening it out for her to climb on. Miko hurried on and wrapping her arms around his fore-digit.

When Optimus pulled her up to talk face to faceplate, he saw a small smile on her lips.

"Now, is there something bothering you Miko?" he inquired gently. Ever since the human children came to base, he couldn't help but feel...paternally protective of them. He even allowed the children to nickname him with: Big guy, or even Oppi. And much to everyone's shock, Optimus approved of it.

"It's nothing, big guy, just asked if I could do something and was denied-" she coughed and shrugged. "of it, so here I am."

Optimus hummed and straightened. "What is it that you wanted, Miko?" he asked genuinely.

"Oh, I wanted to do something with your walls, preferably paint or maybe add pictures, but Ratchet didn't want me to."

Ratchet whirled his frame around with an incredulous and intense glares from the medic. "It was for a good reason!" he disgruntled. Optimus craned his neck cables and lifted an optic ridge. "Such as?"

Ratchet spluttered. "Are actually going to let her do these stuff?" he questioned resentfully.

Optimus trailed his electric blue optics down towards the hopeful looking child. He then looked up with a firm facial expression. "If your reasons are logical, then I will not consent to her request, but I do not see why she or the other human children cannot decorate the base's walls," the Prime reasoned softly.

"It will cause a mess," Rachet stated irritably.

Miko poked her head between one of the Prime's digits. "We'll clean it up, promise!"

Ratchet growled, but continued on. "What about the pictures. It could well get lost easily and be shown to your earthlings."

"All the pictures of you guys are safe in my phone. I have my own printer, I could print here and make sure that everything will be tucked away in Raf's hard drive afterwards," she explained automatically, smiling victoriously as Ratchet's optics squinted before waving his servo in the air. "Fine..." he uttered out.

Miko snapped her gaze to the Autobot leader, looking for the other approval. His kind and warm smile was her answer and she smiled widely before hugging his digit tightly.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" Miko exclaimed excitedly, her face pressed against the warm metal. Optimus' chassis rumbled gently and gently brushed her tiny pom pom hairdos with his thumb.

"You are welcome, little one."

"Alright you uncultured swines, listen up!" Miko announced, holding a medium-sized paintbrush in her hands. She stood in front of five Autobots and two human teenagers, who wore an unimpressed expressions when she called them 'uncultured swines.'

The human children were dressed differently, the Autobots noticed. Miko wore a worn out black T-shirt on with paints splattered on it and black ankle-leggings. Her hair was no longer in those pom pom hairstyle but in a normal high ponytail.

Her sidebangs were the only ones that she couldn't hold back and it framed her pretty face, the large pink streak adding more depth to the black hair.

Jack actually had a short-sleeved shirt that wasn't grey or black, but dark red with what looked like oil splatters on the fabric. Raf wore a white over-sized T-shirt that barely covered his thighs and his basketball shorts.

"Today, we have a mission!" she declared passionately, earning for Jack and Raf to roll their eyes together.

Unfortunately for the boys, she saw that out of the corner of her eyes and threw the paintbrush directly towards the black-ravened teenager, hitting Jack straight in the frontal lobe.

A loud thump echoed throughout the base, followed by a pained yelp. The Autobots' optics had doubled in size by the human girl's action, but didn't comment on it as they watched the oldest teen groan afterwards.

If anything, Miko had good aim like Ratchet did when he threw a wrench.

"Oh my God!" Jack exclaimed, rubbing his fingers against his hairline. "Could you not?"

"Not unless you stop rolling your eyes," Miko retorted. Raf thinned his lips and straightened while Jack narrowed his eyes but didn't budge on saying anything.

She grinned and then continued on with her speech.

"Today is the day that we make this depressing base into something more cheerful. I mean...who wants to wake up and look at this rusted wall sadly staring at them?"

"And who wants to wake up with a headache and have a huge bruise on their forehead the next day?" Jack called out annoyingly.

Miko rolled her eyes and ignored the oldest teenager's comment. "Any who, we'll working on two things today. First, cleaning the walls. Second, we'll use the paints that Fowler so graciously gifted us to paint our own creation onto the walls. Because the base has a curving dimension, we will have to be careful on not stumbling on each other's paintings. Got that?" Everyone nodded in reply, except for Ratchet who grumbled under his breath and crossed his arms to his chassis.

"I also would love to make a picture wall. So we'll have it on the left side of the Groundbridge and go on from there another day." Miko took a breath. "Any questions?"

The green and round mech raised a servo. "What is an 'uncultured swine'?" Bulkhead asked his charge, furrowing his optic ridges together.

Miko pointed at him. "You, you uncultured swine," she repeated before pacing back and forth in front of them. He frowned and rubbed the back of his helm, bemused.

"Raf?" he asked, looking over to the intelligent child.

The spiky-haired boy held up a finger and brought out his phone before swiftly typing something onto the screen. He waited for a few seconds and then a robotic voice echoed throughout the base.

"A member of society which is seen as an outcast, knows nothing, and lives under a rock. Often this person is seen as stupid and is almost always ignorant as to what goes on in the world. They have little to no knowledge of how to interact with others," it explained.

"I mean...you guys do live under a rock," Jack pointed out, nonchalantly shrugging and then wincing when Arcee used her spindly digit to smack the back of his head. Oh yeah, Jack was definitely going to get a headache the next day.

Ratchet groaned and rolled his optics to the back of his processor. "This is ridiculous!" he growled. "Are we actually going to let a child tell us what to do?"

When no one answered, not even Bumblebee or Optimus, or even Arcee made a move to reply, the medic simply gaped at them.

"Are you fragging serious?!"

Optimus shot him a stern look. "Language, Ratchet," he scolded. "While we are much older than them, we ought to remember that we lack the knowledge of what humans know. The best way to learn is from someone who is and knows humans. And seeing as we are doing nothing and Megatron is not doing anything as of right now, we might as well take advantage."

"From a 15 year old human girl?" the CMO deadpanned.

"Would you prefer agent Fowler?" Optimus asked dryly, arching an optic ridge.

Ratchet blinked and sighed in defeat. "No..."

"Good, then we shall do as Miko asks," he said firmly. "Despite our shortage of understanding of humans, we must learn all that we can. If not for ourselves, then for the sake of our human allies."

Ratchet pursed his lipplates and contemplated. Optimus was indeed correct about their absence of learning about earth and its large populations of fleshy creatures, and as much as he wished he could go back and clean his tools he knew that he couldn't stride away too easily.

"Fine," Ratchet consented with a huff. "But this better be the last time!"

The Prime grinned slightly and patted Ratchet's shouderplate. "Thank you, old friend. Now, let us see what Miko is assigning us." He gestured his servo to the young Japanese teenager.

"Now, as shocked as I am about this, Fowler found large sponges for you guys to reach where we can't." Miko hauled a thick, rectangular soft thing in front of the medic's optics. Slowly, he looked at Optimus with a dirty look. "Do not even thank me yet," he whispered harshly into the Prime's audio receptors.

Optimus merely shrugged and grasped the sponge, observing it with interest. Each of the Autobots had a sponge in their servos, awaiting orders from Miko. Even the children had small sponges in their hands

"Its already soaked in water to make it easier to clean the walls. Once your done, just go down the halls and use that hose near you guys' wash racks and clean it off and repeat," she explained.

"Very well," Optimus murmured, striding to the wall and scrubbing a certain spot. Almost instantly, the sponge collected rust and left over dirt from walls. Ratchet blanched disgustingly.

"I was not expecting that," the Prime concluded with a grimacing facial expression. He scrubbed more, grime soaking the sponge, and already he could see that the spots he cleaned was getting cleaner and cleaner. Before he knew it he was in a routine. Cleaning a spot vigorously and then going into the wash racks to clean the sponge and returning to where he was cleaning.

Arcee, Bulkhead and Bumblebee were at their spots cleaning, content on what they were doing.

"Come on doc bot, get on in the action," Miko encouraged, patting the large sponge beside her. Ratchet huffed and marched over to a wall and pressed the sponge against the wall, swiping it and made a face when looking at the black sludge on the surface of the sponge.

"Seriously," Miko exasperated. "You're a medic, I thought you do dirty stuff everyday!"

"First of all," Ratchet began. "Medic bays are usually pristine and clean. Second, I did not realize that I've been living around filth since we arrived in this abandoned base."

Jack looked up from where he was cleaning and lifted an eyebrow. "You made us clean the floors before," he mentioned.

"That is because we walk on it everyday! I do not walk on walls, Jackson Darby," the CMO emphasized.

/We could always gravitize our way up there,/ Bumblebee beeped.

Raf snorted without bothering to look at anyone but the spot he was cleaning. "Wouldn't that be fun," he said sarcastically.

"How did Agent Fowler even get these large sponges?" Arcee questioned abruptly, optics concentrating on a specific mark. Miko blew out a raspberry and shrugged. "Honestly, you're asking someone who manages to work with highly intelligent Bio-engineers and draftsmen from the Military. I'm pretty sure Agent Fowler asked them to create other weirder things," Miko speculated.

Arcee scrunched up her faceplate and inclined her helm. "Yeah...she's right."

"You do realize that he also went into my home and asked to go to the bathroom while the Decepticons were targeting us, right?" Raf inquired flatly.

Jack's lips curled into one of a grimace. "How could we forget, we literally tricked your mom into thinking we were in a book club," he replied dryly.

Miko returned the same gesture. "I'm even more surprised that your mom fell for it," she muttered.

It was well over an hour when a soft hum broke everyone out of their state of concentration. Their helms and optics all led them to the great and stoic Prime, who was humming quietly, a look of serene on his faceplates.

He froze when he felt optics and eyeballs on him and turned around with a sheepish grin.

"I apologize, I must've not notice my humming."

"I know that song," Miko stated simply. The Prime blinked and he tilted his helm to the side. "You do?"

Miko's eyes bulged out. "Of course I do!" she exclaimed and motioned her hand towards the two boys. "Even these dunderheads know this song! Its my favorite, soft song!"

"Oh."

"Its called Rescue, by Lauren Diagle? Right?" The Japanese girl inquired. Optimus nodded. "Yes, it is a song by a Christian artist- but I find these lyrics oddly comforting."

"Lauren Diagle is amazing!" Miko exclaimed. "I went to one of her concerts and Omigosh, I loved it! I even have their T-Shirt and so does Jack and Raf!"

"True that," they chorused together.

Jack grinned at their guardians. "We went there before we even knew each other, and when we did find out, it was kind of fun to talk about it."

"I actually have her autograph," Raf added with a smile. "She was really kind and just an amazing and humble person."

Jack cocked his head to the side. "Didn't she did a charity for her late grand-father that died?"

"Yeah, the charity was called Represent."

Miko tutted. "Bummer." She craned her head and grinned towards the Prime. "Who knew you that you know human songs," she wondered.

Optimus' chassis rumbled quietly, his optics averting to the young children. "Do you suppose that I spend all my time planning strategies on war and such?" he reproached lightly, an amusing optic ridge rising.

Jack put a sponge in a bucket full of dirty water and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Actually...I did."

Optimus blinked in surprise and then turned the direction of Raf and Miko, who shrugged helplessly in reply.

"Oh believe me," Ratchet drawled, not bothering to look at the Prime or the children, but there was a mischievous gleam in his optics. "Optimus is more than just an amazing war strategist. He's also great in turning into his Vehicular-mode and ignore everyone and anyone when he's sulking."

"Ratchet!" Optimus exclaimed, his optics wide and bashful.

The children burst out laughing, wrapping their arms around their stomach as they hunched over their forms. Optimus grimaced and watched as the children were giggling their tiny little lungs out.

Ratchet smirked at Optimus and returned to his scrubbing, though he did catch a glimpse of the Prime's hard glare averting to him.

The Autobots didn't say a word, but there was a hint of entertainment on their faceplates.

"Oh, that golden!" Miko hiccuped, wiping a tear away from her eyes.

Ratchet chuckled. "You should see him when you try to disturb him while he's sulking."

"What does he do?" Raf questioned innocently, not noticing how the Prime glowered his helm towards the Ratchet in warning. A teasing smile wormed up on the medic's lipplates. This was definitely payback.

"He honks repeatedly until they leave him alone."

Optimus whipped his helm down to the three children, their lips thinning and curling as if they are trying not to laugh. Soon enough, Miko looked down to her feet and her shoulders start shaking.

Raf was taking deep breaths, but every time he tried to compose himself, the corners of his mouth would lift up all on its own. Jack was smiling widely, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

The Prime's hardened expression suddenly softened and he let out a vent of defeat. "I suppose we all have our flaws," he said in a low voice. As if a dam was broken and gushing out pressured water, Miko started laughing out loud again and Raf began giggling.

Jack snorted and shook his head, clearly delighted.

The Prime sighed, glancing at his comrades who had smirks aligning their lipplates. How the great Prime was revealed in such an embarrassment but entertaining way.

"Oh, I love how we share our flaws," Miko said afterwards, sighing.

It was well over 3 hours later when they finished cleaning the walls. The walls still had stains that would forever stay there, but luckily with a bit of layered paint and a large paintbrush, it shouldn't be that hard to conceal it.

"Wow! These walls are sparkling!" Miko exclaimed, waving her hands in the air as if to emphasis on the walls.

"I must say that it was quite satisfying to clean these dirty walls," the CMO admitted, looking pleased as he crossed his arms to his chassis.

The Prime's chassis rumbled happily and he nodded. "Indeed, Ratchet. The base is already becoming like home," he said.

"Its not over yet, its not over yet-et," Miko sang out, her chocolate brown eyes excited.

Jack quirked an eyebrow up. "Its not over yet by: for King and COUNTRY?" he asked.

"Duh!" she replied as if it was obvious.

"Why do I question you?"

Miko smiled wryly. "Because you know me."

"Obviously." He rolled his eyes and watched as the Japanese teenager swayed her hips and threw multiple paintbrushes on the floor. Jack and Raf picked one of the biggest and examined it.

"Unfortunately, Agent Fowler wasn't able to get the huge paintbrushes like I asked for, but no worries!" Miko exclaimed. We'll take care of it."

Raf and Jack blanched, their eyes widening in realization. "Miko! This is going to take almost all night!" Jack articulated.

Miko huffed and crossed her arms to her chest. "We have tomorrow off, we'll be fine," she reasoned.

"I have a job!"

"I need to finish my A.P. Calculus homework..."

Bulkhead down at his charge with a suspicious look. "Don't you have homework too, Miko?"

Miko scoffed. "Bold of you to assume that I actually did my homework," she grumbled out.

"Miko." Bulkhead groaned and pinched the bridge of his Olfactory sensors.

"Hey! I'm joking." she held up her hands in reassurance. "I finished as soon as I came to the base yesterday."

Bulkhead's facial expression changed into one of surprise. "You did?"

Her eye twitched, obviously irritated and annoyed by their shock. Its not she couldn't blame them. They don't know much about her accelerated days back in Japan for the most part. Miko did do her homework but in a very Miko way. And by that, it means that she finishes it close to the deadline.

Or maybe it was procrastination.

Optimus inclined helm to the little girl. "If you have finished your homework and your parents gives you permission, you may stay at the base to paint," he proposed, earning for Ratchet to snap his neck cables towards the Autobot leader and for Miko to gasp out loud excitedly.

"Really?!" The CMO and girl cried out, both of them having different tones in their voices.

Optimus gave the teenager a warm smile. "Yes, you may."

"Sweet!" Miko exclaimed. "I'll go let my host parents that I'll be staying over Jack's home to study." With that, the Japanese girl bounced away eagerly.

Jack grimaced. "I severely hope that they acknowledge its just a study and nothing more."

"Ohhh." Arcee regarded the oldest teen with a smirk look. "Did you want something more?" she drawled out teasingly.

As soon as those words spewed out from the blue femme, Jack's whole face turned a deep scarlet. "Arcee!" Jack exclaimed, hiding his red face behind his hands. Arcee's thin lipplates curled into a large grin as the boy continued to shy himself from everyone.

Bulkhead and Bumblebee winced inwardly while the Prime was merely amused by the boy's initial reaction.

Raf patted his shoulder comfortingly.

"Ah, such young love," Ratchet droned out wittily. Meanwhile, Miko came back with her phone in the hand and a large grin crossing her features. "Great news! I'll be able to stay, I just need to pick up some clothes-why is Jack so red?" she asked abruptly.

Jack nearly whirled around to the Autobots, his eyes sending everyone warning glares, all while Arcee and Ratchet shrugged and the rest of them giving the raven-haired teenager a reassuring and sly smiles.

Miko cocked her head to the side, confused. "What?" she asked again.

"Nothing, nothing!" Jack inputted quickly, his cheeks still a faint color of pink.

Miko's facial expression mirrored evident confusion, but she didn't say anything and nodded skeptically. "Okay...?"

Jack sighed and shook his head. "Just don't ask..."

"Wasn't planning it."

I see many fics out there that make Miko seem too stupid and reckless for her own good (the last part maybe true) and they never seem to explain why. So imma do my best and delve deeper into her characteristics and the reasoning for her lively spirit. :)

Please review and let me know what you think! Please stay safe!