No smacking from him. Pierce had regularly had something snappy to say in his presence. It's nothing new to him. Bucky isn't really the laughing or smiling sort either so Tony just gets a blank look from him. He's welcome to say whatever he wants really.

The comment confuses him. He doesn't understand what that means. Bucky wets his lips as he looks at Tony and presses them together, before he says, "I don't know how to be anything but a weapon."

He's not sure what being 'set out to stud' means but once people had outlived their usefulness in Pierce's eyes they had died horribly, usually by his hand. It's not a fate he's fond of but what else is there?