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[From the feed, it's clear Tony's not the one holding the camera and as a dramatic contrast to his first message, he was smiling brightly with an excitement only a new project can bring. Aaah, spring.

Anyway, he's standing in the entertainment district with one of the old abandoned businesses behind him with a sledgehammer in his hands.]

Good morning Havenwall! For those who don't know me, I'm Tony Stark and that...., is Mr. Petunia.

[He points and the camera moves to include Gladio standing a few feet behind him with his trademark easy-going grin and a large industrial broom resting over one shoulder. He rolls his eyes and gives the camera a friendly wave and, when Tony isn't looking, flips the idiot off playfully.]

Just kidding, you dandelion, that's Gladio Amicitia!

We're here in front of what will be the new Insomnia 2.0 bar!

[Brief pause for effect.]

We're looking for some volunteers for helping us remodel this place and possibly, if you're hot and we actually can stand you, working here once it opens. Just think, the faster this bad boy gets ready, the faster we can drink and eat greasy bar food!

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There was still plenty of doubt on his face until Gladio was in front of him and not smacking him in the head for being insensitive.

He breathed a sigh of relief to learn it was a joke and felt the heat blossom on his cheeks. There was no two ways about it, he'd been had. "You got me," he agreed, laughing and thinking he just might kill his roommate tonight in his sleep. "That.. that was the funniest thing you've ever done," he admitted, very begrudgingly.

"You Eosians are freaks.." he muttered, with a playful tone. "You know I'm going to get you back for that right?"

A brow rose. "I'm a freak for making a joke?" Now Tony got the smack upside the head. "Rude."

Gladio dropped his hands and returned to his shovel, laughing the whole way. Tony could get back at him if he wanted. But to Gladio, teasing someone like this was a form of affection for him. It was his way of showing he cared. He cared enough and felt relaxed enough to let his guard down, to want to make an effort to get a smile and a laugh from someone else.

Tony laughed and took the punishment with only mild protest. "Hey, you knew that going in," he teased back. Gladio barely got turned around before his ass was smacked and Tony was dusting himself off.

He glanced back and smirked. "It's disappointing really. I think you'd be real cute in one of those maternity gowns and going to your Lamaze class." He chuckled at it. "With your name and Iris would we have to name it like.. tulip."

Tony was very lucky he didn't just turn and smack him again for that hit to his ass. He just looked at him with narrowed eyes before he turned back around to listen to how disappointed his friend was he wasn't actually pregnant. Now he was almost amused.

"Who says I'd wear a gown?" He hesitated, then smiled. "And Dahlia. Not Tulip."

Tony continued to just watch Gladio a few moments. It was a very amusing topic, but.. it was also hiding something painful underneath. He couldn't help but wonder..

"Is that what you would want to name your daughter?" He asked gently. Dahlia Amicitia. Beautiful and strong, just like her dad. He could see it.

"That's right." He smiled a bit wider and nodded. Thinking about kids and such wasn't something he typically did. It wasn't a fantasy he entertained on the regular. "Read the name in a book and always liked it. So if I ever have kids, the girl gets named that."

And one day he would. Naturally or adopted, he didn't care. One day when he was older and he was settled and things in his life, his world, where at peace... he'd have that family.

If only Tony knew what he was thinking. He would've begged him. Don't wait. Don't wait or it might be too late. Fortunately he had no part in this. This story, this tale was Gladio's and it was a beautiful one, assuming the younger man would get the chance.

"What about if you had a son? Do you have a name picked out for him too?" He leaned against his shovel, smiling softly at his friend. Why they'd never talked about this, he didn't know. "You'd make a really good father, Gladdy. You're lightyears ahead of me when I was your age."

Probably even now.

"Helio or Luka." He replied without hesitation. Then he grinned, realising he wasn't doing himself any favours with the 'not something he typically thought about' thing. But he supposed it was always an idea to be prepared. And if it never happened... he'd get dogs and name them after the kids he would have had.

"I think I would be, yeah. One day. In the future I hope it'll happen. But if not..." Gladio's own smile softened. "Adoption and fostering kids is a good direction to go in. Or just bein a kickass uncle. I can live with that too."

“Are those family names or ones that are important in your culture?” He asked. “I always liked the name Exton, personally.”

It would never happen, but that wasn’t the point of the conversation. “Are you like the king and have to marry for political gain or do you get to marry whomever you choose?

"Just names I liked the sound of." Gladio, tired of just standing in the middle of a ruined room, turned and went back to the wall from earlier and sat himself down on it. They really needed to get some chairs or something.

"Pretty sure I can marry who I want. Political marriages aren't unheard of. But... with my dad gone, it's just me and Iris now. I get to call the shots. So I marry who I want." Or not. Marriage wasn't a dealbreaker. A family wasn't a dealbreaker... mostly. It was desired, but who knew what the future held? From what he knew it would be a bleak future for everyone from Eos. Maybe a family really wasn't something he could attain? Maybe all it was was hopes and dreams with no real substance? Gladio just shrugged. "But who knows?"

Tony smiled and tossed the bits of wire in the trash. He liked that Gladio would get to marry who he wanted and name his children what he wanted. It felt better than being expected to use family names or those of the kingdom. He liked the flower theme. How sweet would it be to see Gladio with two little daughters, Dahlia and Marigold?

"If it's a dream, don't give up hope. We've seen weirder things happen," he remarked, trying to sound encouraging. He had only a little more to go in this corner, so he kept up the work. Was there a small part of him that was doing it so Gladio would watch him move? No. There was a big part and Tony was a gigantic fool.

"So.. think if we bribed the gods enough and promised kinky preggo sex, they'd let me knock you up?" He asked, playfully blowing Gladio a kiss.

Gladio was definitely watching. His eyes followed Tony's every movement. There was no doubt the man as good looking. Drop dead gorgeous would be more accurate. The problem was Tony knew he was. And while confidence was an attractive trait to Gladio, the fact Tony has a habit of relying on his looks so much brought down some of the sex appeal.

Did that stop him from wanting the man though? Hell no. Even now he just wanted to take Tony in his arms and kiss him senseless. He just wished he'd drop the bravado, the stupid comments when things got serious and bringing everything back around to sex.

"Thought were were supposed to stop bringin sex up? Heh, but I doubt it. And I'd be a high maintenance pregnancy. You really don't want that, Stark."

If only he knew Tony hated this also.

It was like the only time he could fully and truly be free was during sex. It was then that he could stop pretending he wasn't crazy for Gladio and could let a word or two slip in passion that he wouldn't be allowed with anywhere else. It'd be just like the first time they'd slept together when he'd felt the strength of their connection and Gladio hadn't thought it had meant anything at all. It had broken his heart to know he'd gotten that good at hiding it.

He was white knuckling it, like watching someone you were madly in love with marry a best friend. You might be super happy for them, but a part of your heart would be dying. All the while, he also had to believe Gladio either didn't know or was being kind to not shoot him down.

The bar. That was where he could put all his energy and created something positive that had nothing to do with their drama. At least, unless they were in a room together trying not to talk about sex.

He flashed Gladio an apologetic smile. "Right." He knew what he really did want though. "Guess, I just have you on the brain today. Sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry for. I'm kinda irresistible." He joked, grinning widely at his friend. But then, before Tony could say anything, he pushed himself to his feet and dusted his hands off on his pant legs.

"How bout we call it quits today? Send the guys home. I'll make dinner. Or we can stop by Affurgato's if you wanna be lazy." Gladio was still smiling, a little hope in his voice, because he felt like a lazy rest of the day was exactly what they needed. Maybe he'd even persuade Tony to join him for a soak in the tub?

Tony laughed, nodding his agreement. He would never deny the man that title. Glancing around the room, he had the impulse he always did that if they held out a little longer they could get another chunk of the work done, but.. that was just the workaholic's siren's call.

"Alright." He pulled off his dusty work gloves and unhooked his heavy tool belt. He groaned as he stretched, setting it down. He wondered if he had the energy to go over to the hot springs tonight. He did have some hot oil. Would Gladio feel up to that tonight? Hmm.

"Too bad there's not a nice steak house here or seafood.." Meat. Basically any good, fresh, real meat. With a sigh, he came over and tucked his arm around Gladio's waist. "Did you know sometimes the gods around here just give people gifts? I heard they give people baskets with food from home- like we used to have to order back on the train."

There was no real need to put anything away, no one was likely to steal anything at all. He started moving toward Tony, then stopped when his friend joined him instead. Gladio smiled at the arm around him and would have lifted his own to drop around Tony's shoulders if he wasn't filthy.

"I'd heard they do that. Guess if we pray really hard maybe they'll give us something to?" And probably touch each other up. The gods liked that, right?

Tony was protective of his tools. So after, he set them down and turned his attention to Gladio, Friday finished packing them up. For them, the instant that belt was off, it was out of Tony's mind. He was fully focused on the large man standing in front of him instead.

"Is praying and scrubbing the same thing? I feel like I have at least three inches of grime on me," he joked, looking down at his arms. "And.. we can grab just any dinner at Affurgato that you'd like or we could pick up the ingredients I ordered for a special dinner I was already planning to make for you. My ingredients will keep till tomorrow if you want to cook, darling."

"You were plannin on cooking? Well don't let me stop you." He'd only offered because he hadn't realised there were plans. But if Tony wanted to cook then he was more than happy to let him.

"Is it somethin that needs attention? Or something we can shove in and get clean while it cooks?" Because, like Tony, he was covered in a layer of filth that he wanted to get off. A quick shower would be just as good as a soak in the tub if food was on the line.

Tony smiled at him. He hadn't said anything because he had been wanting to treat his roommate. "There's a baking time, so we'll make it work," he promised. "It won't be quite long enough though, so maybe we could compromise and do a quick shower to get the dirt and then soak this hard work off of us afterward."

He really loved the memory of the bath they'd shared and was eager for a repeat. In fact, there were a number of things they did that he'd like to keep repeating. "I didn't plan dessert though, so if you want that we'll have to get one of Affurgato's cakes."

Gladio got them walking after slipping an arm around Tony's waist as well, his hand resting lazily on the man's hip.

"I think, if I'm gettin a shower, I'll skip the bath. Maybe just chill on the couch?" Tomorrow he could get a bath. But tonight he wanted whatever meal Tony had wanted to prepare. By the sound of it it was something he'd given some thought to. And as for dessert... "Yeah, we'll stop by and pick something up."

And that's exactly what they did. They swung by Affurgato's and grabbed two slices of cake to go and headed on home, picking Tony's things up on the way. Gladio was good, he didn't ask any questions even though he was dying to know what Tony was planning on cooking. But he'd be surprised when it was done and he was sure to love it.

Once they got home, Gladio left Tony to his prep work and took his shower first. He didn't take long, just long enough to scrub himself clean and wash his hair. When he was out, he called down to Tony that the shower was free and headed to his room to dry and get changed.

Tony might have insisted more on that bath, but something about Gladio's arm going around him simply had the older man looking up at him with a warm smile. "Whatever you'd like." See? He didn't have to have it his way all the time. With how tired they often were after a full day at the work zone, they didn't need too much variety in the evening. Wherever they could hangout together and relax was the main criteria.

As they picked up his ingredients and the cake from Affurgato, Tony managed not to ruin the pleasant mood with jokes about making Gladio his dessert with a can of whipped cream. Really the only pseudo-naughty thing he did was kiss him breathless before letting his roommate go shower.

When Gladio came downstairs, Tony had peeled off his outer layer of clothes and given himself a very quick wipe down with a towel before getting into cooking. It was perfectly normal to cook in your briefs right?

There was a sauce pan simmering, kicking up the most delicious soy-garlic-mirin aroma. Something in the oven was also adding other meaty notes. Tony flashed Gladio a grin. "The chicken has twelve minutes left and this sauce needs stirred every few minutes. Will you have that covered while I clean up a bit more?"

Once Gladio left his room he found Tony hadn't yet come up. Curious, he headed downstairs to find his roommate in the kitchen in not much at all. Gladio probably should have been surprised, but he'd realised quite early on that nothing really surprised him about Tony. He just shook his head and wandered on over.

He'd opted for pyjama's. Dark green pants and a lighter green shirt, unopened, as was his way. His feet were bare and his hair pulled back in a damp ponytail. Strands of damp hair hung around his face that couldn't be contained by the hairtie. His clothes should have been black and dark gray. Just like his hair should have been brown. But even that was shades of green still. He really would be happy when these messed up colours went away.

"Twelve minutes. Go now and get washed up." Gladio reached passed Tony and took the spoon to take over starring the sauce.

Edited 2021-03-30 23:38 (UTC)

Tony had planned on coming up when he'd been called, but he'd gotten carried away. He was enjoying Gladio's rendition of the Green Man. After he quit getting migraines from the brightness of the white buildings, he'd enjoyed the spring weirdness a lot more. He didn't have much in the way of hair, but Gladio did and.. well, the man looked pretty!

He was as quick as he could be, given how filthy he was. It put him coming downstairs in vibrant purple sweatpants, pink socks, and yellow sleeveless shirt. He had no idea what this outfit's original color was but he hoped Gladio would be amused with it.

"Hey thanks, Gladdy," he said, giving the other man a quick kiss as he checked on everything. The chicken was done so he pulled that out and slowly started assembling their bowls. "I figured if I couldn't get you cup noodles then I owed you the next best thing."

While Tony was gone, Gladio dutifully remained where he was stirring the sauce. He did have a little taste, he couldn't help it, and it was pretty damn good. When Tony came back to take over, he grinned both at the kiss and his friends outfit. At least his own clothes where just green. A lot of people seemed to have gotten the rainbow treatment.

Gladio stepped back and pulled out one of the kitchen chairs to drop himself down into. "You don't owe me anything, Tony. But this is a nice surprise. And it smells amazing."

There was one common spice to this kind of dish that was notably left out, just because Tony's awesome like that.

He flashed Gladio a playful grin at the correction. "Hmm, well then you owe me now. How convenient." He chuckled and poured two glasses of rice wine. "We'll have to thank Wei tonight for this. He's the one who introduced me to this particular type of rice wine. Fortunately Affurgato had a couple extra that needed a good home now that he'd left the city."

He joined his roommate after serving them and turning off the stove. He raised his glass in a quick cheers for Wei before digging in.

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