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"Ratchet?" Her voice drifted across the silence.

The medic wheeled around from his work table to see Miko standing awkwardly behind him, sketchpad and marker in hand as she looked up to him with sad eyes.

"Could you help me real quick?" her voice lacked any joyful or perky tone, making Ratchet's spark constrict painfully.

"Of course," he turned fully to her, kneeling down close to her, "What do you need help with, Miko?"

The girl looked like she hadn't expected that answer and looked down at her pad, looking uneasy. Ratchet looked her over sadly; this was the first time he had heard her speak since…

Since Bulkhead had died.

"Could you-…I-I wanted to…" Miko looked back up into his optics, "I want to get a tattoo, Ratchet."

The medic hadn't expected that. A number of reasons against it flew into his vocalizer, "Miko, I hardly think that is a wise decision. Tattoos are permanent and painful and-"

"I want to get Bulkhead's name."

Oh. Ratchet sighed, trying to keep going with reasons why she shouldn't, but his spark wouldn't let him. Miko had been horrified when she stepped through the groundbridge with Jack, Bumblebee, and Arcee to see her dying guardian covered in his own blood on a medical berth. The damage to his systems were too great despite Ratchet's best efforts to save him; he bled out, his systems failed, and his spark flickered for a brief moment before it extinguished.

Miko's scream of anguish still echoed in his processor.

After Bulkhead was gone, Miko had avoided the Autobot base for two weeks, having returned only for his 'funeral'. On Cybertron, Bulkhead's body would have been melted down and cast into a spherical shape. It would then be put in a mausoleum behind a plaque with his designation and lifespan, much like a human's tombstone. Having no access to a facility that could do such a thing, Optimus had taken up Fowler's offer to place Bulkhead's body in a metal container, then sink it in a part of the ocean where no human submarines could ever find it.

Miko had come with them onto the ship as they mourned, though she stayed silent the entire time. She had brought her guitar with her, and Ratchet had believed she would play it in his memory, instead, she put it under his hands on his chest and kissed his face plate; letting a part of her be with him as he sank into the black waters.

Tentatively, she had returned, still grieving, as he suspected she would for the foreseeable future.

"I understand you wish to memorialize him, Miko, but I think your parents would not like to see you with his name on your skin, especially with what it means on earth." Ratchet said calmly, trying not to rile her emotions.

Miko looked at him with a determination in her eye, and an attitude in her voice, "I know that! That's why I'm putting it in a secret place. And-" her grip on the drawing pad tightened, "I want to write it in Cybertronian letters."

Ratchet balked, biting his glossa. He wanted to continue, to convince her it was a foolish idea, but he couldn't. Had Miko died and Bulkhead lived, there was no doubt in his mind that the former Wrecker would have carved his charge's name into his armor somewhere. The bond the two had shared was probably the deepest of the three partnerships in their team; he couldn't bring himself to destroy Miko's attempt to keep it strong, not when she was already so fragile from the trauma of losing him…

"Very well," he stood and grabbed a datapad from his work table, summoning a new page on it and grabbing a stylus. He sat down on the floor and motioned for Miko to climb into his lap to get a view of the screen, "The first glyph is the hardest; make a long stoke like this…"

Description
"Ratchet?" Her voice drifted across the silence.

The medic wheeled around from his work table to see Miko standing awkwardly behind him, sketchpad and marker in hand as she looked up to him with sad eyes.

"Could you help me real quick?" her voice lacked any joyful or perky tone, making Ratchet's spark constrict painfully.

"Of course," he turned fully to her, kneeling down close to her, "What do you need help with, Miko?"

The girl looked like she hadn't expected that answer and looked down at her pad, looking uneasy. Ratchet looked her over sadly; this was the first time he had heard her speak since…

Since Bulkhead had died.

"Could you-…I-I wanted to…" Miko looked back up into his optics, "I want to get a tattoo, Ratchet."

The medic hadn't expected that. A number of reasons against it flew into his vocalizer, "Miko, I hardly think that is a wise decision. Tattoos are permanent and painful and-"

"I want to get Bulkhead's name."

Oh. Ratchet sighed, trying to keep going with reasons why she shouldn't, but his spark wouldn't let him. Miko had been horrified when she stepped through the groundbridge with Jack, Bumblebee, and Arcee to see her dying guardian covered in his own blood on a medical berth. The damage to his systems were too great despite Ratchet's best efforts to save him; he bled out, his systems failed, and his spark flickered for a brief moment before it extinguished.

Miko's scream of anguish still echoed in his processor.

After Bulkhead was gone, Miko had avoided the Autobot base for two weeks, having returned only for his 'funeral'. On Cybertron, Bulkhead's body would have been melted down and cast into a spherical shape. It would then be put in a mausoleum behind a plaque with his designation and lifespan, much like a human's tombstone. Having no access to a facility that could do such a thing, Optimus had taken up Fowler's offer to place Bulkhead's body in a metal container, then sink it in a part of the ocean where no human submarines could ever find it.

Miko had come with them onto the ship as they mourned, though she stayed silent the entire time. She had brought her guitar with her, and Ratchet had believed she would play it in his memory, instead, she put it under his hands on his chest and kissed his face plate; letting a part of her be with him as he sank into the black waters.

Tentatively, she had returned, still grieving, as he suspected she would for the foreseeable future.

"I understand you wish to memorialize him, Miko, but I think your parents would not like to see you with his name on your skin, especially with what it means on earth." Ratchet said calmly, trying not to rile her emotions.

Miko looked at him with a determination in her eye, and an attitude in her voice, "I know that! That's why I'm putting it in a secret place. And-" her grip on the drawing pad tightened, "I want to write it in Cybertronian letters."

Ratchet balked, biting his glossa. He wanted to continue, to convince her it was a foolish idea, but he couldn't. Had Miko died and Bulkhead lived, there was no doubt in his mind that the former Wrecker would have carved his charge's name into his armor somewhere. The bond the two had shared was probably the deepest of the three partnerships in their team; he couldn't bring himself to destroy Miko's attempt to keep it strong, not when she was already so fragile from the trauma of losing him…

"Very well," he stood and grabbed a datapad from his work table, summoning a new page on it and grabbing a stylus. He sat down on the floor and motioned for Miko to climb into his lap to get a view of the screen, "The first glyph is the hardest; make a long stoke like this…"