IC Inbox/ Interactions 2.0

[runs_on_batteries]

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[callmegladio]

Gladio had started to cross his arms over his chest when Tony laughed, his smile widened and he was about to say more when his friend decided to up the ante. His brows rose as he watched the older man scurry up the stairs like he was on fire.

He'd thought he was just being a good friend honestly. But he supposed he could see how his actions would look like something more if he wasn't used to it. Maybe Gladio needed to hold back some... It was just that he'd been out and remembered that Tony had asked about clothes. So he'd grabbed some. He needed a room so he'd set something up. It was all reasonable stuff to him...

Though that parting shot was something of a surprise.

Just for tonight, he'd said. Just this once. Was it just an offhand comment or did he actually...

No. No way. Gladio frowned and after a minute of being lost in thought, he shook his head and pushed away from the counter. There's no way that's what Tony wanted. Why would he? It was just this world, wasn't it? Just Tony feeling lonely. Just that idle flirtation that he'd always dabbled in. Gladio dismissed the thoughts and decided it was time to lay down and just try not to think.

And that would have gone amazingly well if, when he got to the top of the stairs he hadn't had to walk passed the bathroom. And if Tony hadn't forgotten to close the door. And if he hadn't have glanced that way...

Without meaning to, Gladio had stopped walking. His body had just frozen on the spot, his eyes on the shape beyond the crack in the door. It wasn't open much. The figure moved in and out of his line of sight. But what he saw... There was absolutely no doubt that Tony was an amazing looking man. Clothed or not, apparently. He remembered how that body had felt against his own. Warm, solid, soft in all the right places, not nearly as hard as he would have liked him to be.

... Gladio's eyes widened a bit and he made himself reach out and quietly close the door before he hurried his ass to his bedroom. That door was closed behind him before he dropped onto his bed and covered his face with his hands. No. No thoughts like that were bad. So bad. It couldn't happen, right? It was impossible. It was... not the first time thoughts like that had popped into his head. Idle thoughts, nothing he would ever have acted on. Gladio was sure he wasn't alone in that either. He'd wager that almost everyone Tony encountered wondered what it would be like to spend the night with the man. Was he all talk? Or did he have the skills to back up his flirtations? Maybe Gladio had a passing interest to find out, but with Tony engaged to Ignis and his own relationships, he would never have muddied the waters. They had been harmless thoughts. 'Look but don't touch'.

Only now he could touch. But did he dare? Could he...?

Tony had just gotten here. If they did do anything it would make things awkward. Gladio wasn't someone who liked to sleep around. Generally he slept with people he cared about. And he did care about Tony. Gladio just wasn't sure what that actually meant...

[runs_on_batteries]

Tony was unaware anything had happened. If he'd known, he most likely would've given the younger man a better show. He no longer had that ugly scar on his chest thanks to healing he'd gotten on the train, so he had nothing to be self-conscious about.

He used the products Gladio had in the shower, pleased it was something better than the crap he'd been using. If he'd been told he'd get this kind of treatment to go be a porn star for a god, he might have come here willingly.

After drying off and borrowing a few other things without asking, he picked up his clothes and left the bathroom with a towel around his waist. He paused as he saw Gladio's door was closed. He was tempted to stop and actually thank him for the clothes, but he decided what he'd already done was good enough. Besides, he was going to find a way to treat his friend before the end of the week. He didn't know how yet, but he was sure he would figure it out.

Getting fresh underwear on and crawling into bed, he laid there in the silence. It was deafening. He strained to hear Gladio snore, but couldn't. At least not yet. He wished he could return to where he'd slept last night, but he couldn't- wouldn't- no couldn't was right.