A/N: Sequel to Shark Attack, probably will make more sense if you read that one first ;)

Close the Beaches

Tim breathed a sigh of relief. It was always good to be home at the end of a long day, but today he was extra grateful to have escaped relatively unscathed from Tony's clutches.

Even though he was alone, he couldn't help the way he flushed a little at the thought. Tony really was way too good at kissing. And while Tim was fairly sure Tony had just been playing a role, and the 'maybe later' was just Tony screwing with his head, he still couldn't quite get past how good it had been.

It wasn't as if this were the first time Tim'd ever been kissed really well, it was just...

He shook the feeling off. Get over it already. The last thing he needed was to start dwelling on a fake kiss with Tony, of all people.

They were good friends these days, for the most part, and in fairness Tony hadn't ribbed him about his sexuality all evening (Tim had been reluctantly impressed), but Tony could sense weakness like sharks could sense blood, and if he realised how freaked out Tim was... he probably wouldn't be able to resist.

He shoved the memories aside and started to get ready for bed. All he needed was a good night's sleep (well, okay, and maybe to relieve the pressure in his underwear, since his body had so keenly overreacted to the aforementioned kissing) and things would all go back to normal, and he could forget how much he'd enjoyed the making out.

He was down to boxers and t-shirt, had just started to relax, when he heard banging on his front door. His heart rate spiked. Oh God. There were only a few people who'd think to disturb him at this hour, and he recognised the obnoxious knock.

It'd be tempting just to ignore it, but he knew from experience Tony wasn't so easily put off. His persistence wasn't confined to chasing criminals, and it was late, and Tim didn't want his neighbours to get pissed with him if Tony got loud.

He closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head, then the knocking came again and he told himself to man up and just go open the door.

"Well hello, McBoner." Tony barrelled past him the first second he could, talking fast and frenetic. "You disappeared before I could request your assistance with a small problem I have."

"A small problem?" he asked, trailing after Tony into his living room. Tony in this mood could be exhausting, like he thought he might die if he stopped moving or talking.

Tony was surveilling the room like it was a potential crime scene, and then he nodded. "You finally got a couch. I approve." He draped an arm around Tim like he had earlier, and pulled them both down onto the couch. "Prime making out estate, a good couch." He wriggled his butt down into it, bounced a little. "Usually I'd say you should've consulted me, but this is pretty comfy. I think you made a decent choice for once, Probie-wan."

"Thanks?" Tim wasn't quite sure how to deal with being in his underwear and squeezed into Tony's side like this. And wait - "Making out?"

Tony grinned. "Isn't that what couches are for? I presume you've been using it for its stated purpose?"

Tim flushed. "I, uh."

Tony tsk'd. "Oh, McLoner. That's bad, that's very bad. The couch is gonna think you don't love her."

"Since when is my couch a she?"

"All couches are shes, Tim, keep up." He tightened his arm around Tim's shoulders. "I think we should christen her, whaddya say?"

"Christen her?" Good God, he had multiple degrees. How was it possible Tony was managing to confuse him so much?

Tony studied his face for a second, then he ducked his head towards Tim's and Tim didn't have time to do anything but react as Tony captured his lips for a kiss. Damn. It was good. Again. Tim was sure it was just because it'd been a while for him.

Well. Mostly sure.

"A couch should have a couple making out on it on a regular basis," Tony said when they surfaced. Apparently it was supposed to be some kind of explanation. "Otherwise they get sad. You don't want a sad couch do you, Timmy?" He grinned again. "Plus, it was good. It'd be a shame to waste a talent like that."

"That was just - we were under cover. It didn't mean anything."

Tony cocked an eyebrow. "Who said it meant anything? I'm just saying it was surprisingly good."

All things considered, it was quite a compliment from Tony, about anything. Tim usually expected something more along the lines of 'surprisingly not terrible'. If he was lucky.

"Thanks?"

Tony grinned again, and this time when he leaned in he took it slower, and Tim could've stopped him, but for some reason he just... didn't.

It was slow and savouring. Tim's common sense was having a conniption fit, and Tim just ignored it. If this was Tony not meaning it, Tim didn't dare imagine what Tony meaning it would be like.

When Tony pulled away and Tim's eyes blinked open, he was startled to find Tony's were still closed. In fact, Tony looked like he was having an internal debate about something.

Eventually he looked up. "Shit."

Tim frowned. "I - what?"

"No, no, not that! That was. Good. Excellent, to be honest," he admitted quietly. "I just... there's something I need to say. Um. And I should've said it sooner. It's, you know, about this little problem I have." Tony searched his face. "It, ah... involves you."

Tim raised his eyebrows. "Me?"

Tony looked kind of bashful as he nodded. It was an exceptionally weird expression to see on him.

He took a deep breath. "Okay. I've a confession to make." His voice was much softer and less brash than it'd been all day.

He reached up and trailed a line over Tim's cheek with one finger, and Tim shivered. In the good way. Which was decidedly perplexing.

"This, uh... may have meant something, actually. To me. And been a whole lot better than 'surprisingly good'."

Tim really wasn't following. He couldn't decide if it was all the kissing or if Tony was being more complicated than usual. He knew the kissing had something to do with how his brain was dripping out of his ears, but he wasn't convinced it was the whole story.

"I- I really like you, Tim."

Tim frowned. "You have a funny way of showing it, Tony," he grumbled.

Tony's finger reached his lips, and Tim gulped.

"I- see, it's confusing and stuff. And I didn't want..."

Tim hoped the gaps were going to get filled in at some point, because he was also very confused.

Though at least it was now Tony who'd gone bright red. It wasn't like him to get embarrassed. And he looked nervous. He cleared his throat before continuing. "I mean I like you. Like... like you like you."

For a few seconds, Tim frowned, still confused, and then he just stared.

Tony shrugged helplessly. "Why d'you think I didn't tell you we were going as a couple till after it was too late to back out, McGenius?"

Tim blinked rapidly, his mind working in overdrive to process all the new information. "I thought you just wanted to, you know, torment me and make me squirm."

Tony grinned. "Well, yeah, it was a side benefit, I admit. And making you squirm sure sounds like fun."

As if on cue, Tim squirmed. Mostly from the affectionate and also blatantly covetous expression on Tony's face. "I- I'm confused."

"Which bit in particular fried your motherboard?"

It suddenly occurred to Tim to wonder how come Tony had got up on the technical vocab recently. He wasn't about to read too much into it, but it was... interesting. "If you like me so much, why didn't you just tell me?"

Tony sighed. "Well for starters, despite the rumours regarding your sexuality-" Tim opened his mouth to point out it was Tony who'd started most of those rumours, but Tony shushed him with an impatient wave of his hand "-I know you're not gay. And I didn't know if you liked guys at all, never mind me."

"Okay."

"And I know I rag on you and I'm kind of a pain in the ass-" ("Ya think?" muttered Tim, but Tony shushed him again) "-but you're one of my best friends. Maybe my best friend. And I was scared."

Tim blinked a few more times and swallowed hard, surprised by his own reaction. Yes, Tony was definitely a pain in the ass, but he was at heart a good guy, and Tim had, quietly, long considered him a close friend, albeit also a really, really annoying one. He hadn't realised how much he needed to hear out loud that Tony felt the same way. Granted, the circumstance was unusual, but still. It was good to know. "So you decided to torture me instead?" he asked.

Tony pulled a face. "Something like that."

Tim shook his head. In a weird, Tony type way it almost made sense. "You realise you're an idiot, right?"

"Yeah, I realise." Tony gave him a wry grin. "Look, I'm not proud of this, all right, but... you know in, like middle school and junior high, there were always a few boys who'd pull on girls' pigtails and weren't very good at admitting it was because they liked the girls?"

Tim nodded.

"Well, I was one of those boys."

Tim blinked again. "I don't get it."

"I maybe, um, haven't grown out of it yet."

"Oh."

"I'm... sorry. It was stupid. I should've handled it better."

In the context of this conversation, it didn't seem all that weird. "It's okay."

Tony beamed.

Tim felt like he'd won a prize he didn't even know he wanted.

"I still don't... you like me?"

"You're an exceptionally sweet guy, McTimTam. I've always been a sucker for sweet brunettes, you know that."

"But-" He goggled. "Brown haired women, sure..."

Tony shrugged and nodded. "Sure. Often women."

"So you're..."

"I like... people. Like Captain Jack."

Tim frowned. "Sparrow?"

"Geez Louise, McGee, why would I mean Captain Jack Sparrow? Though - Johnny Depp in eyeliner? I wouldn't say no. He's a good looking guy..."

Tim shook his head as Tony babbled. This was all too weird. Tony fancied Johnny Depp? Tim could sort of see the appeal, maybe, but... "Wait, so which Captain Jack did you mean?"

"Harkness, of course," said Tony, in a 'well, duh' tone of voice.

Tony was making a Doctor Who reference? "You watch Doctor Who?"

He looked self-conscious again. "And Torchwood. You mentioned it one time. I... wantedtowatchsomethingIknewyouliked."

It took Tim a second to decipher, but when he did it made him... happy.

"And then it turned out to be really good. So I kept watching. And also David Tennant and John Barrowman, Tim? They're really hot. And some of the women aren't bad either."

Tim laughed, suddenly feeling lightheaded but also strangely lighthearted. "You started watching for me?"

Tony nodded sheepishly. "And, um, I gave that elf game you play a shot. I didn't really get it, though, didn't see the appeal. Sorry."

Tim grinned. "That's okay." He couldn't quite believe Tony had even tried the TV show, never mind the game. For him. It was... surprisingly sweet. Tim was a big fan of sweet brunettes, too.

They looked at each other for a moment. And then, for the first time all evening, Tim pushed his misgivings aside and initiated a kiss.

For a moment, Tony froze in surprise, then he leaned into it, and his hand slid up under Tim's t-shirt, splayed over his back. Tim shivered despite himself, and suddenly Tony was wearing way too many clothes. Which was a strange thought but one Tim felt oddly inclined to roll with.

He tugged Tony's shirt out of his pants and tentatively returned the favour, then smiled against Tony's mouth when he felt an answering shudder and Tony let out a needy moan.

When they came up for air, they were both grinning. Tim still couldn't quite fathom making out with Tony, but was rapidly coming around to the idea.

"So, this problem of mine..." Tony glanced down at Tim's crotch and raised his eyebrows. "It seems like we both have the same issue. I was wondering if we could, uh, help each other out."

Tim could feel his ears turning red as he stumbled through a response. "Um. Yeah, we could... maybe do that." He swallowed. His common sense threw up its hands in disgust, and his hormones cheered. "I've never... I mean, I don't usually... with guys."

Tony leered. "Oh, I can teach you, McWorrywart."

"Okay. Um. What about, you know... rule twelve and - look, Tony, are you sure you're not just having a midlife crisis, because I swear-"

Tony's mouth landed on his again, and Tony's hands were on his face and in his hair, and he was being gently but firmly pushed back into the couch cushions, and okay, Tony was not this good of an actor.

This time when they surfaced Tim was breathing heavily, and the little problem in his underwear was now a very big, hard, distracting problem he needed to solve very, very soon. Tony's eyes were dark and hooded - also very distracting.

"All right. Good point." He licked his lips nervously, and now it was Tony watching him, watching him like he was... lunch. Tim swallowed. He was surprisingly okay with it.

He was still kind of confused, though. Maybe- "Maybe we should talk about this first?" He wasn't sure he wanted to, and his body most definitely didn't want them to, but- "I mean, it's not that I'm saying no- but I..."

Tony smiled fondly. "Tim, we have all the time in the world to talk. Now, will you just shut up and let me kiss you?"

Tim shut up and let Tony kiss him.

~ fin ~