Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.
Mickey Smith narrowed his eyes at nothing. Well, not exactly nothing. He was mentally narrowing his eyes at himself, but all an outsider could see was a good looking dark skin man scowling at the air in the park. He was on his lunch break and was seriously contemplating how much of a coward he was.
Granted, he wasn't the same coward of a boy he was when he got eaten by a trashcan. That was the moment his life got turned upside down, he knew. And he wasn't the same idiot of a man that he was before he decided to go with Rose and the Doctor. But he was still a coward. A worn soldier who had helped save the universe, multiple times, but still a coward.
There was a time that he would have found it easy to talk to a girl. A time that the thought of aliens made him scared to death. But somewhere along the way, aliens became easy. They were predictable. They were dangerous even if they weren't. He could handle dangerous. He'd been handling danger for years now. He lived off danger. He was Major Mickey Smith, London's most wanted, Captain of the Preachers, the Right Hand of the Defender of the Earth, Torchwood's best in two universes. So why was it so hard to talk to her? Martha Jones.
It wasn't hard at first. She was a fellow soldier, she had his back and he had hers. They were friends connected by the people that they both knew. She was engaged to Tom. And that was fine. Until she wasn't. She and Tom had broken it off a month ago. Mickey didn't know the exact particulars, but he didn't care. Except that he did, and that's why he was a coward. He hadn't realized before that the reason that he had never liked Tom was because he was jealous of him. Before, he had decided his dislike was because he wasn't right for the kind of woman that Martha was. But what made Mickey think he was any better?
He didn't think he was good enough and maybe that was the problem. He'd killed before. Of course she had been in the same situation before. The day he met her she had been prepared to blow up the Earth and destroy humanity. They both had issues. But still he was a coward. Martha was smart and funny, a doctor, and a peace keeper. Why risk it?
So Mickey sat on the bench, having finished his lunch twenty minutes ago and realized that he needed to get back to work, saving the world. And while walking back to HQ he decided that he didn't want to be a coward. What was the worst she could say? No. It was just coffee, or lunch. Not a promise. Not a proposal. Just one date. One chance to see if it might be something. He could face an army of Cybermen and Daleks, why not Martha Jones?
So when he makes it back, he makes a beeline for Martha. Shoulders squared, and butterflies in his stomach but he won't show fear. Women can smell fear. But then she looks at him and smiles. Half his mind tells him to run for it, but the other half is telling him to dive in headfirst. Part of him is giddy at her smile and the other part is terrified.
"Hey Mickey."
"Hey. So, Martha...I was wondering if…"
"Yeah."
He takes a deep breath as she looks at him expectantly. The worst she can say is no, just spit it out already.
"I was wondering if you'd like to maybe go out with me sometime. Just for like a coffee or lunch or…"
Her smile grows wider. Is that a good sign? Is she laughing at him? Does she think it's a joke?
"It took you long enough Mr. Smith."
Mickey smiles in relief and gives a small laugh. But he still needs to clarify.
"So... is that a yes then?"
She laughs and it's the most beautiful thing he's ever heard.
"Yeah. It's a yes."
"Great! So, tomorrow maybe?"
She nods.
"Why don't you pick me up before work? We can do coffee with breakfast."
"Perfect. Seven?"
"Seven."
"Right, well, I got get to work but I'll see ya later."
She smiles cheekily at him and he walks away grinning like a loon. She said yes! Martha Jones agreed to go out with him. He asked and she said yes. And he managed to do it without peeing in his pants. Maybe he wasn't so much a coward after all.