Primus what was Prowl doing?

He'd read every file there was on sparklings, could recite it backwards, and yet he still felt so completely lost with her sat watching him. It wasn't even like he could ask her either, she didn't have any grasp of speech yet.

"I should talk to you. So that you grow accustomed to my voice and to speech." He stated, and they watched each other like they were caught in limbo.

She seemed happy enough just to watch him, but if she was anything like Bumblebee had been in his youth then she would soon grow bored. He had already tried imitating Ratchet and wiggling his fingers at her, but she had been less than impressed by the actions, stubbornly refusing to be amused by it.

"I confess I am unqualified for this job. Perhaps it would be better if Ratchet found someone more suitable."

The door swished open and he recognised Jazz's light footsteps as he attempted to startle Prowl, he knew as always that it would end in failure but Prowl turned before he had even made it halfway across the room.

Jazz looked almost comical halfway across the room ready to pounce with his body curled backwards ready, and with such a disappointed look on his face.

"Aw! Prowler, you ruined mah game!"

Prowl rolled his eyes and beckoned his closest friends over with his hand, stepping aside so that he could see the femme on his desk. Jazz moved forwards without hesitation and made noises at her.

"Here she is, I wondered where she would end up after we found her…wait wasn't there two sparklings?"

"Three, another was found later in the same quadrant, their parental units had all hidden them and been offlined for it." Prowl explained, watching as the little femme seemed even less impressed by Jazz than he had by Prowl.

She took a few moments to arrange her five digits and then extend them at Jazz, all but her centre digits were curled up, so that the middle finger was stood upright.

"Ha, I think she likes me." Jazz smirked triumphantly.

Something told Prowl that she wasn't doing it out of friendship, he almost told himself that a sparkling her age could not possibly know what respect was but then he remembered that she and the others were mentally advanced.

Perhaps that single finger had a meaning, and perhaps the other two sparklings would understand it whereas he would not.

"Ratchet has another, Optimus the third." Prowl explained curtly, feeling a sudden pang of jealously that maybe she did like Jazz more.

This pang vanished when Jazz went to lift her, and she bit one of his digits. Jazz wrenched away and almost pulled her with him, but Prowl was there to keep her from being flung across the room and hurt.

"Fragging thing!" Jazz cursed and Prowl scowled at him.

"Refrain from that kind of language around her, I don't want her to pick up those kinds of habits." He scolded, holding her against his chest and watching her curl into the warmth as she seemed want to do.

Prowl could not deny the swell of warmth he felt when he realised she did indeed like him more than she liked Jazz. Prowl decided then that Ratchet did not need to find her a new home, she would be very happy here with him.

"So, she gotta name?" Jazz asked, holding his finger gingerly, as if she could hurt him with her dentures at this current point in her development.

"Not yet, I am still thinking but…" He watched her with soft optics "perhaps…Nightwire, seems suitable for her."

Jazz nodded, Nightwire did sound good, rolled off of his tongue easily too.

"Nightwire, try to help ya daddy loosen a few gaskets will ya?"

XXX

Optimus watched the little sparkling as curiously as she watched him, she had scrunched up her face in what he gathered was concentration as she stared at him. Then she relaxed her face and started reaching out towards him, opening and closing her little hands in what even Optimus knew what the universal sign for 'lift me up'.

So Optimus reached forwards and lifted her up, keeping her held tight against his chassis where she clung to the corners of his armour happily enough.

He still hadn't thought of a name.

He'd considered naming her after his femme parental unit, Spiral, but after rolling the name around a few times it just didn't seem to fit.

"You are a complicated little femme, perhaps Ratchet may help shed some light on a name." He mumbled to himself, carrying her absentmindedly to the medical bay where he, Prowl and Ratchet had decided to meet a mere three cycles after collecting the sparklings.

Prowl was stood inside scowling at Jazz as he tried to coerce the little femme from Prowls arms, and Ratchet was watching with caution as…was that the twins?

"Prime!" Sunstreaker greeted as Sideswipe swayed gently, holding the little femme in his arms with adoration.

"Optimus sir, how has she been?" Prowl asked turning away from Jazz who still was waving at the little femme in Prowls arms.

"She has been strangely well behaved for someone her age, she did not cry out nor become irritated though I did not know what I was doing." He told them and Prowl nodded.

"Nightwire has been much the same."

Ah, so he had named her Nightwire, a pretty little name for a young femme and one that seemed right for Prowl to pick.

"As has Spitfire."

Nightwire and Spitfire.

Sunstreaker looked curiously at Optimus.

"Have you named her yet?"

Optimus' reply was cut off when the sparklings themselves engaged in a conversation.