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mythandmagic (mythandmagic) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2016-07-18 17:47:00

Who: Merlin and Tony
When: Late June
Where: Stark Tower
What: Consulting on a project
Rating/Warnings: Low/None
Status: Complete



It was later in the afternoon, and Tony and Merlin had just finished up in the lab. Tony was working on about eight projects at once, and he wanted to double-check some specs with Merlin about data usage and internet security. It wasn’t a lot of work, and when they were finished, Tony poured them each a glass of scotch. Then he settled in his office chair and motioned for Merlin to join him.

“Take a load off,” Tony said, leaning back a little in the chair. “I’m sure you need a little rest.” Merlin had a full work load, a toddler, and another baby on the way. Tony couldn’t imagine.

It was still strange to hang out with his boss but Merlin was slowly getting used to it. He was a good guy, far more down to earth than most people would expect. And Tony actually listened to Merlin’s suggestions even though he was an actual genius and didn’t have to.

“Thanks, I appreciate it” Merlin said taking a seat and letting himself relax, “I’m preparing myself for no sleep when the little bit arrives” he half joked.

Tony was an actual genius, that was sure. But he couldn’t be in a hundred places at once. And he had to prioritize things, so… hiring smart people was the way he did things.

“You could just set a timer to go off every hour on the hour all night long,” Tony teased. “That’d help you prepare.”

It was a good way, Merlin was glad he did since it gave him a job and he enjoyed it at Stark Industries.

“Oh it definitely would but I’m hanging onto my 7 hours for as long as possible” he smiled, “Early nights are also great practice. Being able to sleep from six in the evening is a skill in itself”

“Sometimes my day doesn’t even start until six pm, so I admire your dedication,” Tony said. Babies were absolutely not in the cards for Tony Stark. He’d have to start thinking about his line of succession, though. It wasn’t like he was getting any younger. He still had a long time before anything serious had to be decided, but it was a good thing to keep in mind. “So, is it a boy or a girl? The one on the way?”

Merlin chuckled, it was strange how the other half lived but then even before Ben he’d never been a late night person. Being with Audrey who got up at stupid o’clock to get to the bakery you got used to being a morning person. “Girl” he said, “So we’ll have one of each which is pretty nice” He wouldn’t have minded another boy but it felt right to have a boy and a girl.

“That sounds like it’ll even things out,” Tony said, though he really had no idea. The man was about as close to having kids as he was to investing in real estate on Jupiter. (Though, actually, owning a bit of another planet would be pretty amazing.) “We’ve put quite a bit into the child care here at Stark. I hope it’s meeting your needs appropriately?”

“Hopefully yeah” Merlin said with a smile, it kind of felt like the perfect family scenario. He just hoped their little girl would be as laid back as Ben was, nothing seemed to phase the kid. “It’s perfect” he nodded, “Audrey was very impressed too. They’re doing some kind of scheme thing she was pleased with, I can’t remember what it was called now but it’s great. And Ben loves it”

“I got a request for… some sort of training. It came up through the grapevine, and I did a little research. Apparently, they’re following Maria Montessori’s teaching method.” Tony explained. He’d never heard of the woman until he’d read the request. But it seemed interesting. “I’m glad Ben’s enjoying it. I hope Baby Number Two joins our Stark Day Care family, too.”

“That's the one, it's not something I'd heard of before but Audrey had” Merlin wasn't convinced it existed in the UK which would explain why he'd not heard of it. “Of course, Ben needs to show his little sister how great it is”

“Moms all sort of… know this stuff.” Tony said, waving it off a bit, then he lifted his glass for another sip. It was the good stuff. Tony didn’t drink anything less. So he appreciated every sip. “It must be in the handbook. And I’m sure Ben will show off every toy in the nursery to the new arrival. Is he excited to be a big brother? Does he have any idea what it all means?”

“Indeed they do” he agreed, taking another sip to agree with that. Of course it was much better quality than Merlin usually drank and he took his time appreciating it too. “He’s very excited, we’ve tried to make him a part of it all. Told him how the baby is his as well as ours and he’ll need to show her how to do things as they grow up” They wanted him to love his sister as much as possible.

“It’s good to give them ownership, so I hear.” Tony said, giving the other man a smile. Not that he’d know. Tony wasn’t in that world. He wasn’t planning on it anytime soon, either, though men had fathered children when they were a hell of a lot older than Tony was. “Do you have any siblings, Merlin?” Tony asked after finishing his drink.

“Yeah that’s what Audrey found out too” he said with a smile. He tended to follow Audrey’s lead on most things, she looked into it a lot more. “No, I’m an only child, I think that’s why I didn’t want Ben to be one. My childhood was good don’t get me wrong but I used to really want a sibling to play with”

“It’s understandable. Most kids do better when they’re in pairs. They entertain one another.” Tony said. He stood to put his empty cup back over on the dry bar, and then turned back around to face Merlin. “Feel free to finish your drink, but I should be getting back into the lab.”

“I should be getting back too. Make sure my team aren’t slacking off” he joked as he finished his drink and put it down next to Tony’s, “Thanks for the drink boss and the chat” he smiled.

Tony gave Merlin a smile. The man was one of his employees, but was also a friend. “Anytime.”