AN: (Sorry about the months delay, I unexpectedly had to move house at the same time of starting a course so things have been hectic, I'm still on my course, so we'll have to go to weekly updates until that finishes because I'm just too busy and write and edit 3 chapters a week, but I promise not to fall behind anymore, and plus there's new art on my tumblr, can't say fairer than that, can I?)

Chapter Eighteen

Goddamn Bruce.

Never send a coward to do another cowards job. Tony had expected some sort of commentary, a lecture, something, because he did not doubt that Shadow would have spilled the beans about Tony's little indiscretion but Bruce had said nothing and Tony had been too much of a coward to ask Bruce how it had gone down.

Eventually he'd caved after a few days and decided to review the security footage from the corridor, he watched Bruce knock on the door, he watched him wait, then lent the new metal staff against the door frame and left.

Tony brought it forward to live feed, the staff was leaning against the door in the exact place that Bruce had left it.

"Jarvis?" said Tony, "has Shadow left him room at all since the other night?"

"According to my records, sir," said Jarvis, "Shadow has only left his assigned room via the window, he has not ventured into the rest of the tower."

Tony groaned, fucking brilliant.

He had two choices, hobble down there on his crutches, swallow his pride and apologise, or go get shit-faced at a bar somewhere.

Then he spotted Bruce, entering the workshop, looking worn out, shirt crumpled, the same one he'd been wearing the day before, he'd pulled an all-nighter at the free clinic and then come straight to the work shop to help Tony on their problem with the bots. Goddamn Bruce, why did he have to be such a saint?

Tony got up from his stool and grabbed his crutches, "Hey, Bruce," he said, "I'm just popping out for a little bit, ok, Buddy?"

"Sure," said Bruce rubbing the heal of his hand across tired eyes, "I'll be here."

"I know you will," said Tony.

He hobbled on his crutches to the elevator and hit the button for floor 47. Tony swallowed a hard knot inside his throat as he stood outside of Shadow's door, the staff still leaning where Bruce had left it, he raised his hand and wrapped his knuckles on the wood.

Fifty agonising seconds of silence, then, "Who is it?"

"It's Tony," he said, "can I come in?"

More silence. "The door is not locked."

Tony tried, but couldn't quite manage to gain proper purchase on the handle and keep himself balanced on the crutches.

"Er," he said, "I can't open the door."

"It's not locked," said Shadow.

"Yes, but, I still can't open it," said Tony.

He heard some shuffling and a burst of colourful British swear words, then the door opened. Shadow stood in the door frame, his face in a deep frown, then his lips parted slightly.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Had a fight with a coffee table and lost," said Tony, then indicated his head at the staff, "that's for you."

Shadow picked up the staff and turned his back on Tony and walked inside his room, Tony hobbled in and then suddenly Shadow swirled the staff between his hands, first using both, then switching to just his right, then his left, then swiftly bringing it to rest an inch from Tony's neck.

He flinched.

Shadow shrugged his shoulders, "It's evenly balanced," he said, "is it a bribe?"

Tony smiled, "More of a peace offering. See there's a ring in the middle there? Twist it."

He did and then Tony noted a satisfied smirk play across his mouth, as the ends of the staff retracted, turning it into a short baton. Shadow twisted it back and the ends shot out and he tapped the end on the floor.

"Impressive," he said, "my brother will be jealous that I have a new toy."

Tony smirked, "Is it ok if I sit? My foot's killing me."

"Do as you please," said Shadow, twisting the ring again and then laying the baton down on his desk.

Tony seated himself on the bed, sticking his leg out and rubbing the calf to ease it, "So, I'm sorry about the other night," he said, "I was actually having a good time, drinking beer and watching movies, then I had to go and be a jerk."

Shadow sat on the bed, a good space between them, Tony noted, "I'm just confused as to why you would do that."

"Just because I'm a genius, doesn't mean I'm not a moron," said Tony, "I do stupid shit, it's kinda my thing, it's why I'm always in the paper."

"Well I have to say," said Shadow, "of all the ways you could have attempted to remove my mask, it was certainly not the first way I would have guessed you'd try."

"What?" said Tony, shaking his head, "that's what you thought I was trying to do?"

"Well, yes," said Shadow, "what else would you be trying to do?"

"Well didn't sex cross your mind?" said Tony.

And he immediately regretted saying it as an incredibly awkward silence fell between them.

Being able to stand it no longer after two minutes, Tony spoke again, "What I meant was, that I tried to kiss you because I wanted to kiss you, I wasn't trying covertly de-mask you or anything."

"Oh," said Shadow, eventually. "So, you wanted to kiss me?"

"I-" Tony looked down at his hands, thumbs twiddling in his lap, "yeah. Yeah I did."

"Do you still want to kiss me?" asked Shadow, without missing a beat.

Tony looked up, he could see that Shadow's lips were glistened with a thin layer of spit, and they were parted just slightly and without even realising it, Tony had swept his tongue across his own.

"Yes, I think I do," said Tony.

Shadow lent towards him, Tony lent at the same time, and simultaneously they shifted to help close the gap between them, and their lips met. Tony sucked in a breath through his nose as a set of long fingers dug themselves into his hair, lips parted, tongues touched and Tony realised he was in free fall, he just hoped someone was there to catch him.

x-x-x

"Would you quit it," said Bruce as Tony threw another wad of paper at his head. "We're supposed to be figuring this stuff out and all you're doing is messing around."

"I'm bored of it," said Tony, sitting on a stool by his work bench in order to rest his foot. Actually the more they worked on the bots, the more they drove him crazy, but in truth, he wanted to annoy Bruce enough so that he'd leave early and go to one of the places he volunteered at.

Unconsciously Tony patted the pads of his fingers against his lips, they were still tingling from the hour long make out session he'd had with Shadow, or Puck as he'd started calling him more in his head. There'd been a lot of exploration, tasting, a little nibbling, and Puck had called time on events before they'd both gotten too drawn into it and before his brother was due to arrive.

Now all Tony could think about was going back to his room and tasting his mouth again, but he couldn't just swan off again. Bruce had wondered what had taken him so long the previous day, as he'd thought Tony wouldn't be long. Tony had actually had to stop off at a bathroom on the way and wash his face so he didn't look as flushed and his lips didn't look as kiss-swollen.

"So, are you going to see your girlfriend tonight?" asked Tony, balling up another wad of paper.

"I don't have a girlfriend," said Bruce, grimacing as the wad connected with the side of his head, knocking his glasses.

"Well you must be interested in someone," said Tony, "or you wouldn't keep swanning off to that trauma centre."

"I'm not seeing anybody," said Bruce.

"Ah, ah, ah," said Tony, "that wasn't what I said. So who is she? Is she pretty? Some young, buxom nurse, some twenty five year old who flicks her hair and brings you cups of coffee just the way you like it with three spoons of sugar? Or is she some homely lady in her mid forties, still pretty but soft around the edges? Do you talk about work? Have you gone for coffee? Does she know you speak five languages if you are counting Klingon?"

"TONY!" said Bruce, glaring at him, "I am a medical professional and if I started seeing someone who worked at the trauma centre, it would be decidedly unprofessional and…"

Bruce trailed off as he realised he'd just let far too much slip and his cheeks began turning red.

"I knew it," said Tony, "I knew you had to fancy someone. So come on, you haven't asked her out?"

Bruce lowered his face, trying to absorb himself in his work, "We haven't even spoken," he said quietly, "I just… admire… from afar."

"Bruce Banner, I'm completely ashamed of you," said Tony, "you're a catch, dude! You're a doctor, you're a genius, you do all this volunteer work because you're such a softie pie, you half own Avengers Tower, you're actually quite a handsome guy when you comb your hair and put an unrumpled shirt on, what are you afraid of?"

"Are these reasons I should ask someone out, or reasons you want to ask me out?" said Bruce.

"What is it?" said Tony, "What is it that's stopping you? Want me to get reservations at Masa? I'll book it for you, I'll even put it on my credit card, hell I'll give you one of my credit cards, come on, Bruce."

"Tony, just, just, stay out of my love life," said Bruce, glaring at him again and then taking off his glasses and laying them on the work bench. "It's got nothing to do with you."

And with that, Bruce stormed out of the work shop, if he could have slammed the elevator doors, Tony was fairly sure that he would have.

"Thank god," said Tony, tossing his last wad of paper over his shoulder, "thought he'd never leave."

Once Jarvis informed Tony that Bruce had left the building he hobbled to the elevator on his crutches and went to floor 47. He knocked on Pucks door and grinned at him when he opened the door for him, allowing Tony to hobble inside where he plonked himself on the bed.

"Social call is it?" said Puck, and Tony was sure he could see him smirking.

"Just thought I'd be neighbourly," said Tony, "see how the new staff was working out for ya, and all that."

"Quite delightfully," said Puck, "my brother was quite jealous, I must say."

"As long as that's all he was jealous about," said Tony, tossing his crutches to one side and scooting back on the bed.

"Don't be lewd, he's 17," said Puck, "and I think I told him about our little tryst, he'd have a stroke."

"Because I'm a guy," said Tony, quirking his eyebrow.

"Because we're old," said Puck with a smirk.

"Charming fellow your brother," said Tony.

"You have no idea," said Puck.

Tony cocked his head to the side and gave him a cheeky grin, "You gonna come over here and kiss me, or what?"

"You sure I wouldn't be taking advantage of someone in a fragile state?" he said.

"Just get over here," said Tony.

Puck did.

He climbed onto the bed, putting his knees either side of Tony's legs so he was astride him, but kneeling up, not putting any of his weight down on Tony's lap. He took his face in his hands and bent his head, pressing their lips together. Tony parted his lips eagerly, welcoming Puck's tongue as it slid across the inside of his lip.

The major problem he had was finding something to do with his hands, he wanted to cup Puck's face, or wrap his arms around his neck, but the last time Tony's hands had gone to close to his mask, Puck had admonished him, so he put his hands on his back instead, fisting the material of his hoodie between his fingers.

They wrapped around each other, a certain amount of eagerness on both sides. When Puck came up for air, Tony grinned up at him, "You know you're not going to break me if you actually sit on my lap," he said.

"I just don't want things to get too… enthusiastic," said Puck, "as it is, I have no idea what you're trying to do back there with your hands, I'm not wearing a bra for you to unfasten, you know."

Tony laughed, "I just wasn't sure what to do with my hands," he said honestly, "normally I'd be closer to the face region, but the hoodie kinda makes that difficult."

Puck shook his head and then pressed his lips to Tony's in a soft peck, "Don't get excited, this is about as naked as you're getting me."

Tony wondered what he meant, but Puck put his fingers on the edge of his hoodie and pulled it up over his head, as his arms stretched upwards Tony saw he was wearing a t-shirt beneath and it rose up slightly, showing Tony a brief glimpse of a pale, toned, stomach before the t-shirt dropped again. Tony looked up, this was the most he'd ever really seen of Puck, Bruce was right, the hoodie did hide how thin his frame was.

He was slender, the way his shoulders moved as he threw the hoodie to one side had a certain elegance. Tony could finally see the cowl properly now, and Pucks sharp, green eyes, surrounded by blackout make up, it appeared. Though his hair was hidden and tucked beneath, Tony could see a few stray wisps of black hair, which only added to his inner turmoil as now he desperately wanted to run his fingers through it.

Then he noticed the t-shirt, and he pressed a finger against it, and grinned up at Puck.

"Good man," he said.

"What?" said Puck looking down. "Oh, erm, yeah, I… well it's his, my brothers, one of his old ones… I don't… I don't really know who Han is, or why he shot first."

"Seriously?" said Tony, "you really were a deprived child weren't you?"

Puck shrugged, "Some little boys watch movies and play games, and some little boys learn capoeira and wu-shu."

Tony shook his head with a smile, "Tomorrow, I am going to begin your movie-cation, but tonight, I have other plans."

Their mouths connected again, and eventually their making out worked its way to them laying side by side and continuing kissing as it was a more comfortable position for both of them, but as Tony started grinding his hips against Puck a little, he called an end to it, as his brother would be arriving soon, and tossed Tony out of his room.

The best part for Tony as he hobbled to the elevator was that Puck could no more wipe the grin from his face, than Tony could.