Author Note: originally written for a comment_fic prompt.
Just A Date
"Do you have any plans for tonight?" Martha asks her, folding her arms and perching gracefully on the edge of Tosh's desk without touching anything or knocking anything over.
"Um, no?" Tosh replies, unable to be dishonest, but really hoping that Martha isn't about to ask her to switch with Owen to be on Rift Watch tonight and not just because she doesn't need to know when Owen is off with other women. She's tired and her neck aches. A soak in the bath with a good book sounds like heaven right now and an all-nighter on Rift Watch a lot like hell.
"Well," says Martha, "I haven't been to Cardiff in ages and I was wondering if you'd be able to show me someplace good a couple of girls could go to unwind, you know?"
"What?" Tosh saves the coding that she's working on and takes her fingers off her keyboard as her brain derails, not wanting to make any mistakes. "You mean, like, a date?"
Martha beams at her.
"Sure."
Martha is beautiful and everyone likes her. She's caught Owen's eye not only because of her looks but also because she's a brilliant doctor. Ianto admires her efficiency and her quips. Gwen looks buoyed by having another competent, confident woman around (and Tosh knows that she herself is a disappointment to Gwen in that respect). Jack treats her like an equal and says that she saved the world.
"Oh." Tosh keeps her eyes down, away from Martha's warm, bright smile, and clasps her hands together in her lap to prevent herself from fidgeting. "That's probably not a good idea. I'm good if you need you computer fixed, but not the kind of girl you'd want to date."
"I doubt that," says Martha.
She has a way of talking that's poised, but kind and slightly daring. It makes Tosh want to grin up at her and take whatever challenges are tossed her way, but she doesn't.
"I'm not a good person," Tosh tells her, memories of a UNIT cell, a telepathic necklace, and all the times that she's hesitated, all the mistakes that she's made, threatening to choke her. "The last people I dated died in the sun and in the First World War."
"Yeah? Well the last guy I even wantedto date doesn't remember me and before that there was this Doctor that you may have heard of and, trust me, that's not a road that you ever want to go down."
Warm fingers gently brush Tosh's hair back from where it hides her lowered face and tuck it behind her ear. It's been a long time since anyone touched her like that and even then it was never for long enough.
"Maybe not dating," says Martha. "Maybe just a date, hey? Two girls, night out on the town. It'll be fun."
Tosh takes a deep breath and slowly releases it, without making any noise, and then does it again.
"Okay."
"Okay?"
Martha sounds delighted and Tosh chances glancing up to see that her face looks as thrilled and excited as her voice sounds.
"Yes, okay," she says.
She can't tear her eyes away and they're wide open, watching, when Martha reaches out again and glides her fingers across her cheek, tracing the same path that they took before even though now Tosh's hair is out of the way and there's no real reason for her to.
"Brilliant. First drink's on me."
She straightens, still with that amazing look on her face, and walks away, her hips swaying like she's fully aware that Tosh is still watching.
Tosh is still watching, yes, and she plans to keep watching for as long as she can.
