Last Edited June 16, 2019

Miko

"OMG! I love, love, love this shirt!" I held up the Deadpool shirt that I had just found, wasting away in the half-off isle. Bulkhead rolled his eyes. He stood next to me in his holoform, just as Wheeljack did with Hope a few feet away in a different aisle.

"Aren't you supposed to be shopping for Hope?" Bulkhead crossed his muscular arms, and I rolled my eyes while huffing.

"I would be if she would pick anything out. She is so picky."

"You tried to give her a walking dead shirt." Bulkhead snorted. I often watched the show with him on Saturday nights with my bowl of popcorn sitting neatly in my lap, only to get it tossed away as Bulkhead jumped in fear every few seconds, sending the buttery food flying every which direction.

I sighed again before chuckling and walking over to Hope, who stood, one hand rubbing her opposite arm in embarrassment. I looked at the clothes she was staring intensely at and immediately picked out a white lacy summer dress that stopped just below the knees.

"Here. Try this. It looks your size. Oh-" I grabbed a few pairs of booty shorts that were light blue along with a few tank tops. "Take these as well." Wheeljack cocked his head to one side.

"Whoever knew you'd be the one giving fashion advice." He chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. His holoform was just as tall as Bulkheads; nearly six foot four. But Bulkhead was more...well, bulkier.

"Jack, would you mind waiting for me to try this on?" Hope asked, turning towards Wheeljack. He nodded, and she walked off towards a dressing room not too far away. Bulkhead poked me on the shoulder. A huge grin on spread across his face.

"Why don't you try this on?" he asked while pushing a short, bright pink dress in my face. I gagged, pushing it away. No way was I wearing a dress.

"Come on! If you don't try it, then I won't take you to the smash-athon next week!" he threatened, though there was a hint of amusement in his eyes. I groaned.

He knew how much I was looking forward to that.

So, with a grumpy pout on my face, I yanked the dress away and stomped off to the dressing room where Hope was. "Make sure you come out when you have it on!" Bulkhead called out to me.

"Lug head." I grumbled as I opened the first changing room door and slipped inside.

Hope

I scratched my arm and bit the inside of my lip. It was a nervous habit I couldn't seem to get rid of. Wheeljack was the first to turn and look at me. He smiled, making me even more uncomfortable.

When I lived with Macen, I was told what to wear. He had always put me in clothes he knew I would look ugly in. So for anyone to look at me and actually think I looked nice was making me a nervous wreck.

"You look nice." Wheeljack complimented me. I blushed red, a little nervous of the attention and eyes that were looking my way. One teenager in particular blew some bangs out of his face and winked at me, causing Wheeljack to glare at him. Bulkhead did the same before turning to me again.

"You r-really like it?" I questioned weakly. Wheeljack noticed my discomfort. He gave a genuine smile before nodding. Happiness flooded my senses, and a smile crossed my features as I quietly thanked him and turned back towards the dressing room.

In the corner of my eye, I spotted a man holding a T-shirt staring intently at me. His eyes never left me as I stood there, while Wheeljack and Bulkhead stared at me. I tasted blood in my mouth as I bit harder into my gums. I recognized this man, but couldn't quite put my finger on it.

I turned my attention back towards the others. "Thank you. I'm n-not really used to clothes like this, but I like them, thanks to Miko." I paused, glancing around. "Where is Miko?" She was nowhere in sight.

Had she gone off to buy a comic book or a CD? She had been eyeing them earlier.

"I'm right here." Miko snapped. I jumped, startled by her grumpy voice and turned to find her in a short, pink dress. She sighed, chomping on her gum before blowing a bubble and popping it.

The dress looked cute on her thin figure, but you could tell at a glance that she was a punk. Her black hair had colorful highlights dyed in it and she still wore her combat boots.

Wheeljack snorted. "Looks good on you." he lied. Miko grumbled something angrily at him before turning to Bulkhead.

"Are you happy now? Can I take this trash off?" she asked, pulling at the bottom of the dress. She probably felt like it was too short. I couldn't help but smile. Miko threw me a dirty look, not waiting for Bulkheads reply, before stomping back into the changing room.

I smiled at Wheeljack and Bulkhead before following her into the changing room. "Well at least you look nice in your outfit." Miko blew a strand of hair out of her face and smiled. I looked at myself in the mirror and simply shrugged. I had never thought I looked that pretty. Of course, every time I ever thought about it or looked better than usual, Macen would-

"Stop it," I muttered to myself. Macen didn't matter anymore. I was with the Autobots now, and they would keep me safe. Wheeljack would keep me safe. So stop thinking about the past. I thought to myself.

"You should try the rest of your stuff on before we leave," Miko instructed me. So I did. An hour later, I was trying to balance four heavy bags stuffed with clothes onto my arms. Miko had simply given all ten of her bags to Bulkhead, who had no trouble carrying everything. Wheeljack had insisted he help me, but I refused.

I sighed and blew the hair out of my face, which had blinded me for a short second. Wheeljack sighed as he walked beside me. "Are you sure you don't need help?" he huffed. I sighed again.

"I-I got it. I just need to..." I huffed in agitation at my hair as golden strands got in the way once again. My foot hit against the curb of the sidewalk.

Wheeljack grabbed my arm to steady me and I smiled shyly. "I guess I could use some help," I admitted.

"Finally." Wheeljack breathed as he took the heavy load from me. I rubbed my arm nervously. I wasn't used to people helping me yet. Well, Hope, I thought to myself as I followed Wheeljack to his alt form, you're going to have to get used to it.

Suddenly, I slammed into a hard surface. I made an oof and bounced off, landing on my bottom. The brick wall in front of me grunted, making me freeze.

I silently looked up to find a tall man staring down at me.

"I-I'm sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going." I mumbled quietly. The man above me didn't say anything as I stood up and brushed myself off. He was probably as tall as Wheeljack's holoform with dark, thick hair and even darker eyes. As I stared up into the man's face, I tried not to gasp. Okay, he was actually a lot taller than Wheeljack. Almost seven foot. I recognized him immediately.

It was the same guy who had stared at me inside the store. I knew I recognized him from somewhere but I just couldn't put my finger on it. His eyes held no emotion. He just stared. I felt my hands tremble as I nervously watched his gaze roam over my body, then back to my eyes. He cocked his head to one side, as I heard my name being called.

"Hope!" Wheeljack hurried to my side. "You okay?" he asked.

I nodded as he took me by the arm and hurried me away, not even giving the man I'd run into a second glance. But I took a peek behind me and found the man still staring at me as we made our way to Wheeljack's alt mode.

With the seatbelt fastened safely around me, Wheeljack's holoform disappeared and the symbol on the steering wheel glowed as he asked, "I don't like the way that guy looked."

I nodded. "He was watching me in the mall." I whispered.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Wheeljack demanded.

"Didn't think it was important. I feel like I knew him though. From a long time ago." It was probably one of Macen's 'friends' that had come over all the time. Wheeljack grunted as he screeched to a halt.

"Ratchet, I need a groundbridge." With that, he sped off into the blue and green swirling vortex.