That should have been a convincing argument, and Tony took it with him into the pool to sit under the water where he drew his legs up close and could stare through the churn from his dive into the dark windows of the franchised Deep End as he reluctantly floated back up. He had wanted the kids to have a chance, too--one that some of them hadn't even been given back home. It just presumed a future that Tony couldn't build for them. The most it would do was let Tony play hero again, convince everyone that he was doing some good that he never actually had to pay out on.

When he surfaced, it was slowly like he didn't want to disturb the water and draw Gladio's attention, watching him at the edge of the pool defensively. "They already trust you," he pointed out.