Gladio could be so damn frustrating. Tony wished he could just shake him sometimes. They could be dealing with cultural differences, generation differences, dialect, etc etc and the younger man seemed so stubborn about not giving Tony some words he actually approved of. Were there any he was okay with or would Tony try this again in a week and find out Gladio found the word he chose then equally stupid? Would he just cringe inwardly hearing it and not tell Tony or would he shoot him down like he had today?

Tony also missed what the problem with his questions because Gladio didn't vocalize his issue with it. Tony was smart, but he couldn't read minds. In fact, with emotions he was pretty stupid. Just ask Pepper about her twelve foot bunny plushie.

He had thought maybe there'd be some fun exchange over preferences in bed, but something in how Gladio answered made him feel like that wasn't welcome. He didn't know what that meant but he was hesitant to ask. His confidence had taken a beating this morning. "I'll remember that," he promised, though he doubted he'd be saying those if there was a next time. It was a shame. He couldn't remember the last time the sex had been that good.

"I think I might go down to Affurgato's. Can I pick you up anything while I'm out?"