"I plan on telling you all of my stories and hearing all of your stories eventually," Tony assured him. As long as the gods of this world let him stay, he was going to be at Gladio's side faithfully. He couldn't foresee any reason that would be enough to break this bond between them- and he prayed he never would.

Tony found himself smiling again hearing about Gladio mother. He wondered how his life would've been different if Maria had been more like her. "What was her name?" He asked, admiring her already.

He sighed and shrugged. "I suppose. I think now looking back, they both did the best they knew how to do. She was kind and affectionate, but she wasn't the type to stand up for herself or for me. I was raised, though, by nannies, the boarding schools, and my family's butler named Edwin Jarvis. He was a good man, but he passed away shortly after my parents did. He was the one who had any time or patience for me. I wasn't an easy child to deal with."

Tony sighed again, but the story kept going. Now that he felt safe and had a captive audience, he couldn't stop. He didn't understand this impulse but then again, he wasn't trying to either. It was Gladio and Tony trusted that he'd be responsible with both the information and the vulnerability he was displaying. If that wasn't trust and love from Tony Stark, nothing was.

"My dad was cold, calculating, and never around. The happiest I'd ever seen him was when he sent me away to boarding school at seven. The son of a bitch was a genius though, both in technology and with industry. It was his brilliance that built Stark Industries that we've earned our fame and fortune from. It's by far the best and worst thing he ever did."