This started off as an rp with my friend and turned out so well, we both voted that it be posted as a fanfic. I wrote Miko and Ratchet and she wrote Bulkhead. Hope you enjoy!

Miko sat silently as she watched the base move around her. She had recently found out that Bulkhead had been exposed to Tox-En and that he was probably not going to be the same. But he had woke up and she kept her promise about not leaving him. She didn't want to think about what could possibly happen if she left him again. Now she waited for Ratchet to allow Bulkhead to train with her.

"C'mon Ratch, I feel fine. I can't let Team Prime down just because I've got a bad leg." he said, attempting to sit up for the 17th time.

He wanted to show them all that he wasn't going to let a Tox-En encounter bring him down, and he especially wanted to show Miko that he wouldn't be leaving her anytime soon.

"Sit back down," the medic demanded of him as he wached Bulkhead try to sit up again. "You are in no way ready to be getting up. You need to rest and then build your strength, before you can even think about joining Team Prime on the field again. We are not going to put you in dangers way of yet another close call or anyone as a matter of fact."

Miko sighed as she heard Ratchet's voice carry through-out the base. She knew that she wouldn't be able to train with Bulkhead at this rate due to Ratchet thinking that Bulkhead needed rest before strength building.

Bulkhead groaned. "Can you at least let Miko in here? She needs to know that I'm still fine, I know she worries." he said, rolling his optics at the CMO.

He wasn't going to start complaining again because he could still feel the dent from the wrench from the last time he started complaining about how bored he was. He looked around, trying to find his partner.

Ratchet groaned as he left the tiny medical bay area where Bulkhead was lying and moved to find Miko sitting where the kids usually played silly video games.

"Bulkhead is up," he announced to her as he watched her head pick up slightly. "But he is in no way ready to do any strength building. He has requested for you to come see him, if you are ready."

Miko gave a small nod as she made her way down the the main floor and over to the small medical area to see Bulkhead.

"Hey Bulks," she said softly.

Bulkhead turned his head to smile down at her.

"Heard from Jack that you failed another math test." he said, chuckling softly. "You've never been one for school work, let alone good grades."

Miko smiled at him.

"Does he tell you everything?" she said hoping that their little revenge mission didn't get back around to him.

She knew that if there was one thing that would make him mad, it would be that. Not only had she gone out on the field without anyone knowing, she had also convinced Wheeljack to let her stay and also helped in the mission to kill the Insecticon that called himself Hardshell.

Bulkhead laughed softly again.

"He doesnt tell me everything." he said. "You pulling through alright?" he asked.

He knew that this would hit her hard, but he wanted more than anything to re-assure her that he would pull through and live to fight another day.

Miko sighed softly, relieved that he hadn't found out.

"I am doing as alright as I can for the situation," she told him. "But as soon as Ratchet will let me, you need to start building your strength back up. You need to get better and then Team Prime will be whole again."

Even with her trying to act tough, she could feel herself on the edge of breaking down. She didn't want him to see her weak when all she ever showed him was the tough Wrecker that she wanted to be. She wanted to be just like him and that included his strength.

Bulkhead focused closely on her. He knew she wanted to be strong, but he could see right into her, and he knew that deep down, she was still devastated. He could tell that she was trying to cover it up. He sighed.

"Miko, I know what you're feeling right now... Believe me, I've gone through it plenty of times. I just want you to know that I am going to be fine. Ratchet's a good medic. He may be stubborn, but he knows what he is doing. Trust me, I'm not leaving you anytime soon." he said.

"What do you mean you have gone through this before?" Miko asked shocked.

She didn't think that he would know what she was feeling let alone been through it before.

"And I don't think you will leave me. At least not anymore."

"Miko, we're in the middle of a war... A war that destroyed our entire planet... I lost a lot of friends. War is brutal. You see things that will scar you for life. Believe me, I've gone through a lot more than what I show... I lost comrades, friends, family, and my home in that war. I know what grief feels like. I'm not about to force you to go through the same thing as I did."

Miko nodded as she moved towards Bulkhead and looked up at him from the floor.

"I see where you are coming from. I forgot that this war started on your own planet and moved here. I just want you to understand that I want you to get better and I will push you to build your strength. I don't want you to only do what you need and be the weakest link on the battle field."

Bulkhead went to look down at her, but he would have to sit up at this point, which he knew Ratchet would not approve of, so he held out a hand for her.

"I know you will Miko. Trust me, I'm not the weakest link just yet. I'm just a little banged up right now." he said, smirking proudly.

Miko stepped onto his hand as she smiled at him.

"You are banged up and can't fight right now. That needs to change," she told him while crossing her arms and looking him in the face the best she could.

Bulkhead chuckled again and lifted her, placing her on his chest so he could see her easier.

"Yeah, it does. I'm tired of just lying here." he said. "I need to help Optimus as soon as possible. The Decepticons aren't getting any weaker."

"True, but at the moment, there isn't much going on. Optimus is trying to decode more of the relic locations and the Decepticons haven't attacked anywhere. But that is not my way of saying that you can lay around. As soon as Ratchet says so, I am going to train with you and build your strength. We need you..." she said sternly before dropping her voice to almost a whisper. "I need you."

He nodded. "I know Miko, I know." he said, sighing. "I missed you," he said after a moment of silence.

Miko nodded and looked at him before hugging him the best she could. "I missed you too and I am never leaving you again," she said as tears finally fell from her eyes. She had kept them in for so long, but after hearing his words, she couldn't hold them in any longer.

Bulkhead looked at her, his optics soft as he watched her. As gently as he could muster, he brought up a hand and laid it over her, holding her close. He knew she needed the comfort, and he was there to give it to her.

"Being strong is important, but so are your emotions. I'm not here to ridicule you for showing emotion. I know you want to stay strong, but your here and times are hard. It's okay to cry." he said.

Miko nodded as she held onto his hand as she wiped her tears.

"Thank you," she sniffled as she looked at him with tears falling down her face. "Hearing that from you means a lot." She wiped her tears again as she leaned into his hand taking comfort in him.

"It means a lot to me with you just being here with me." he said. He closed his optics, just wanting to spend time with her. He owed her this much after he'd been exposed to Tox-En and shot.

"I am happy I can be here then," she smiled and curled up as close as she could to him. "I really don't know what I would do without you, Bulk." She said watching his optics close. "I have never lost anyone... Well, other than a classmate that I really didn't know and my Great-Grandmother when I was really little. If I were to loose someone like you, someone I was close to, someone who means so much to me, I don't know what I would do."

Bulkhead smiled as he took in what she said.

"I don't know what I'd do without you either, Miko. You mean so much to me... You are what keeps me going Miko. So much of what I do is for you, to keep you safe." he said.

Miko looked at him slightly shocked but also happy.

"ME?" She asked. "Why me?" She asked as she wiped some of the almost dry tears from her face. "I am just a human."

"You may be just a human Miko, but you're one of the best friends I've had in a long time." he said, slowly beginning to stroke her back gently. "You were one of the first friends I had when we first came to Earth. You're a human, but you're my charge, and my best friend." he said.

Miko smiled as she heard this.

"I came across the ocean and came to this small city without knowing anyone. The first friends I made here were you, Raf, and Jack. I knew there was a reason for leaving the life that my Mom wanted for me and coming to the middle of nowhere. I just didn't know what it was till I came to the base. Back in Japan, I could do anything I wanted. Everything was there. Here, there isn't much unless we travel or if we come here. I am happy I left the life that my mother wanted for me behind. I have met some of the best people and mechs ever. And that includes you."

"With us, life is anything but dull. At first, I didn't understand why we were wasting our time protecting humans, but when I met you and as we became friends, I began to understand." he said chuckling.

"Yes, but not all of us are cool people. There are humans like Silas and MECH," she told him. "There are normal humans in the world who aren't much better than them and will attack their own kind."

"Always reminds me that we aren't much different from humans... Trust me, we had plenty of our own problems back on Cybertron, even in the Golden Age..." he said. "We all have our issues, and while yours are what make you human, ours are why we're even here. If I had a chance to change the way the war ended, I wouldn't change it for our world..."

"Why wouldn't you? If you changed the way the war ended, Cybertron wouldn't be in ruins today and you..." Miko paused when she understood that if their world wasn't in ruins, they wouldn't be with them today. "You would give up Cybertron to be here on Earth?"

"To be here on earth and to be with you, yes." he said, nodding. "As much as it hurts, I would."

Miko smiled and hugged his hand that was near her. "Thank you Bulk," she said as she felt a few fresh tears fall down her face. "I didn't know that you would give up your home for me."

"Like I said, at first I never imagined giving up Cybertron, but now I can't imagine my life without you back on Cybertron." he said, chuckling as he tried to do so. "All I see myself doing is breaking more stuff."

Miko laughed softly at the thought of Bulkhead breaking more stuff.

"Ratchet wouldn't be too pleased with you," she said softly. "Plus if you ever did go back, what would you do?"

"I don't really know other than breaking stuff." he said honestly. "I don't really think about it too much anymore. I miss Cybertron, but if I had the chance, I wouldn't go back." he said.

"You wouldn't even go and bring me?" she asked hopefully, but not getting her hopes up in case he said no.

"You'd want to go to Cybertron?" he asked, shocked that she even brought that up.

"I would love to see it at least once," she told him. "But I understand if you don't want to go. I am just... a little jealous that Jack got to go and I didn't even get to see it."

Bulkhead nodded.

"If you want to go see it, we will. I doubt Optimus would let us go without giving you all a chance to see it." he said. "It really was an amazing place during the Golden Age." he said.

"I wish I could have seen it then," Miko told him. "I bet it was better and much nicer than any place I have seen on Earth." She smiled hoping that would cheer him up a little.

"I wouldn't say that, this planet has some pretty incredible places that we need to go to sometime." he said.

"And would those places be?" Miko asked interested in knowing where he was talking about.

"There are quite a few of them.." he said. "But there are a few places on Cybertron that were untouched by the war." he added.

Miko's eyes widened at the thought of that. "Really? Were they major places or small areas?"

"Both actually. There were some large parts of cybertron that were never touched by Decepticons because they weren't important like the halls of Iacon were." he said.

"The Halls of Iacon? Are those like the City halls here?" Miko asked as she sat interested in hearing about Cybertron.

"You could say that, only it wasnt a City Hall, it was a place where most of the information on Cybertron was kept. It's also where Optimus worked as a clerk when he was Orion Pax. That place was ravaged by Decepticons when the war broke out though." he said, looking away as he tried not to remember what the place looked like when the Decepticons got to it.

"Oh," Miko said softly. "I am sorry that it got destroyed. I guess that's where the records came from that Optimus is trying to decode."

He nodded.

"The devastation there was pretty bad, but nowhere near as bad compared to the whole planet." he said. "That's why we want to keep the same from happening to yours."

Miko nodded.

"I understand that. Thank you for helping us," she smiled and re-positioned herself so that she was sitting comfortably with Bulkhead's hand.

Bulkhead smiled again, chuckling softly as he watched her change positions.

"I'd risk my life for you, and I have before, I probably wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. That mission with the Tox-En was brutal, but I thought of you, so I kept going." he said.

"You thought of me?" she asked. "Why me? Does this go back to me being your friend?"

"Thinking back to that, you're more than my best friend. you, like the other kids, have become a part of this family. we're dysfunctional, especially with Ratchet, but we're still a family, all of us."

"Wheeljack isn't your best friend?" Miko asked slightly confused. She knew that they had been friends for probably longer than she had been alive.

"We're practically brothers." he said. "He may not always be with us, but he is part of this family too."

Miko nodded. "Thank you Bulkhead. And just so you know, I would risk my life for you too."

He smiled, his optics closing again as he held her close, still relieved that he had survived and lived another day to be with her.

Miko smiled at the sight of him smiling. She was happy that he was alive and that he was here with her. As long as he was happy, she knew that she would be happy. But there was one thing that she knew that she could never tell him, no matter what. Closing her eyes, she leaned her head back and against his hand as she felt sleep calling her.

He felt her relax, knowing that she was probably tired. He sighed in content as he too allowed himself to fall into stasis, his hand resting over Miko protectively.