"How would you feel about me getting a tattoo?"

The question was out of the blue, Miko swinging her legs as she perched on Bulkhead's shoulder. He gave her a questioning look, being unfamiliar with the term, and she paused before giving him a quick explanation. "It's a mark that humans get on their skin. They pay artists a lot of money to draw it on them."

"Like when you draw in your sketchbook?"

"Yeah, but on a person."

"Huh." He thought for a moment before continuing. "Why would you pay someone lots of money for something that'll wash off in a few days?"

"Well..." Miko hesitated, carefully planning her words, before she finally told him. "Tattoos don't wash off. They're there permanently."

"Oh. How?"

"The artists use needles to, uh, carve it into your skin."

Bulkhead didn't see why Miko thought he would have a problem with it. A needle wasn't a big deal, maybe it would scratch her paintjob a little, but-

Oh. Right.

"Miko, wouldn't that hurt you? A lot? You could..." Suddenly, tattoos were very bad, evil things, and he understood why Miko was worried about his thoughts on it."What if they started carving it, and you started leaking, and you didn't stop?"

"Whoa, Bulk-"

"Is the art on the skin made with blood? Like when you use pencils to draw, but with needles?"

"Bulkhead, hold on-"

"Miko, you could die!"

"Bulkhead! I didn't die!"

She was standing on his shoulder now, digging her fingers into a crevice to hold herself steady. "It's not dangerous, unless you go somewhere shady, but I didn't."

"Miko, you mean you...?"

"I'm okay, see? I'm not dead or broken or anything. Sometimes people get tattoos because they look cool, or because they want to remember someone or something, or because they have meaning." She rolled up her shirt sleeve, exposing the marked skin on her left shoulder. Red, delicate skin surrounded a perfectly lined Autobot insignia. "I'm fine, see? I'm thinking about getting it colored, but I don't know if I should do silver or red."

Bulkhead just looked at it. He had seen Miko's shoulders when she wore tanktops, and this mark was so different. He felt like he should be mad at her for doing something that would hurt, but instead he felt proud. "You said some people got tattoos because they had meaning?"

"Yeah," she adjusted her sleeve so it would stay rolled up, tucking it underneath the strap of her camisole, "Like how you guys have the insignia on your shoulders or chestplates. I'm going back after I get used to this one, I'm gonna get a Wrecker insignia on my other shoulder."

"Did it hurt?"

She stopped and looked at him. "Yeah. But it was worth it, because I'm an Autobot." She looked nervous, worried that he would be upset with her, but a look of relief crossed her face when he lifted his right servo up for her to climb onto.

Slowly, he moved her over so she was standing next to his left shoulder, right in front of his own insignia. "Yeah," he agreed, "an Autobot."