Work Text:
"Harold," Nathan said with a sigh when Harold entered the room, "Your Machine is throwing another temper tantrum."
Harold sat down in his chair and raised an eyebrow at his partner. "Temper tantrum?" he echoed.
Nathan gestured at the screen of his laptop. "The terrible twos start when they learn the meaning of the word 'no.'"
"The Machine isn't in its... terrible twos," Harold replied, rolling his eyes. Squinting, he read the transcription of Nathan's conversation. He was trying to teach the Machine to retrieve files from an external library, but clearly the Machine was not having any of it.
Pursing his lips, Harold looked at the computer's webcam. "We talked about this," he said sternly, "Nathan has just as much administrative access as I do."
The response popped up in neon green text. YES.
"So when he asks you to retrieve the files for him, you retrieve them."
... NO.
Nathan leaned back in his chair, his arms folded behind his head. "Told ya."
Harold pinched the bridge of his nose. "What did you do when Will became... defiant?" he asked Nathan.
Chuckling, Nate replied, "Honestly?" Harold looked up at him hopefully until he said, "Listened to him. You know Will- stubborn as all hell. Remind you of anyone?"
"I'm not sure I appreciate what you're implying," Harold grumbled.
"What, that your baby's gonna grow up to be just like you?" Nathan teased. He stretched before he stood and moved to leave the room. "For some parents that might be a nightmare. But for you... well." He shrugged as he reached for his coat. "I don't think that would be such a bad thing."