Tony woke up feeling cold, but it didn't have anything to do with the temperature in his bedroom. No, he was missing the warmth of Martha's body pressed against his back. He sighed softly as he rolled over only to discover that he was in bed alone. Taking a moment to wipe the sleep from his eyes, he pushed himself up into a sitting position to observe his surroundings.
Martha's mug was gone from the nightstand and there was no note in sight, but thankfully her overnight bag was still in the corner of the room. So she hadn't abandoned him after all. Armed with the knowledge that she hadn't left yet, Tony had a good idea of where she was. He climbed out of bed and padded downstairs barefooted to search for her.
When he found Martha, she was in his kitchen hard at work getting their breakfast together. Tony hung back for a moment and watched her. From the look of it, she was deep in concentration, chewing on her bottom lip as she artfully arranged their food onto a plate. The mug he got her was right. She was cute. Nevertheless, he had to admit he preferred the look of her in one of his t-shirts more than in her tank top and yoga pants. The headscarf could stay though.
"Are you gonna frame that or serve it?" he called to her from his position in the doorway.
Martha was slightly startled by his sudden appearance, but she recovered with a bright smile. "What are you doing up?"
He was up because he missed her. After only knowing each other for about a month and having just three sleepovers, Tony had inadvertently gotten attached to a point where he craved her companionship. Of course he wasn't going to say that. "Just making sure you weren't in my lab stealing my secrets. I've been known to let the wrong people get too close."
"The only thing I've stolen was your groceries," Martha insisted with a smirk. "If you recall, I did promise that I was going to cook this time."
"I remember," Tony assured her.
"I wasn't expecting you to be up so soon though," she confessed. "I wanted to surprise you in bed."
"Well you can still do that, but we should probably eat first so the food doesn't get cold," Tony retorted as he moved further into the kitchen and made a beeline towards the coffeemaker.
Right on cue, Martha huffed. "Seriously? First thing in the morning and you're already at it?"
"Nothing like an early morning workout," he quipped as he reached for a mug to put his coffee in.
"For the record, my opinion about working out is on par with your stance on magic," Martha informed him.
Tony nodded while he gulped down a mouthful of black coffee. "Noted, but by the logic you applied last night, maybe you just haven't found the right workout regime yet," he quipped. "Or maybe you just need a new exercise partner."
"I'd sooner work out alone," Martha replied, lifting her own cup of coffee to her lips.
Tony smiled to see her using the mug he got her again. "That works too," he insisted with a shrug. "I mean it's definitely a fun mental image for me. And as a doctor, I'm sure you realize that it's a healthy impulse." He carried his mug over to the kitchen island, where Martha and their food were waiting, and pulled up a stool. "Just be careful you don't go blind."
Martha snatched up a fork from the counter and aimed at him. "Don't make me stab you in the eye," she threatened playfully.
"So you do want to fork me, huh?" Tony added as one final tease while reaching for the utensil in her hand.
Martha rolled her eyes as she relinquished the fork. "Shut up and eat your bloody breakfast."
"Doctor's orders." Tony pulled the plate closer to him. "This looks good, by the way."
Martha took the stool next to his and nursed her coffee. "There wasn't much to work with, but I made do. I hope you like French toast."
"Love it." Tony cut a corner off with his fork and took a bite.
"It's just too bad you didn't have any fresh fruit in," Martha added a moment later as she watched him eat. "Some strawberries would have really made it perfect." She paused, lowering her mug half an inch. "You're not allergic or anything, are you?"
"Nope," Tony replied. 'Pepper is though,' he remembered silently, but he pushed those thoughts away as quickly as they surfaced and shoved another bite into his mouth. "Next time there will be strawberries," he promised once he was done chewing.
Martha still held her mug close to her mouth with both hands, but she wasn't drinking. She was chewing her bottom lip again. It was a nervous habit of hers, he noticed. "So how is it?" she asked.
Tony looked up from the plate. "It's good."
Martha beamed. "Is it really?"
"Yea." He dutifully offered up a bite for her to taste as proof.
Martha lowered her mug as she leaned forward to eat it. "Hmm," she appraised, lifting her hand to cover her mouth as she chewed. "Not bad."
Tony reached for his coffee. "Told you so."
"Generally speaking, I avoid kitchens like the plague."
"So this isn't your usual?" Tony asked, gesturing to the French toast with his fork.
"No," she answered with a laugh. "I mean I love eating and Food Network is one of my most watched channels, but actual cooking is not really my forte."
"You're better than you think," Tony insisted. "Between my eggs and your French toast, we might have future in the breakfast game."
Martha's smile got brighter, if that was even possible. "From Iron man to Iron Chef," she joked.
Tony speared another piece of French toast and presented the fork to her in a zigzag pattern. "Airplane coming in for a landing."
Martha huffed quietly. "Dork," she commented before allowing him to feed her a second morsel.
There was another fork on the counter by the plate, but the two of them continued to share the one in alternate bites like plucking petals off a flower. When they got to the last piece, it was Tony's turn but he fed it to Martha anyway. "For a job well done."
"Cheers." Martha reached for her coffee and took a quick sip to wash down her food. As she lowered her mug, she stretched her other arm across the counter towards Tony's face. Her fingertips brushed his cheek and her thumb glided across his bottom lip in three quick strokes. "Sorry," she said as she pulled her hand back and sucked the tip of her thumb. "You had a little something just there on your lip," she informed him just before she hopped off her stool and carried the empty plate over to the sink to wash the dishes.
Tony watched her in silence while trying not to fixate on what had just happened. It was an innocent gesture. At least Tony chose to believe it was. Their banter may have bordered on suggestive from time to time, but otherwise she had made her boundaries pretty clear. He was reading too far into it. Wasn't he? Tony drowned his uncertainties with another gulp of coffee and suppressed the urge to ask the question that was suddenly plaguing him.
"Sir," J.A.R.V.I.S. cut in, saving Tony from his thoughts and probably himself. "Colonel Rhodes is here."
Tony sat up straight. "Rhodey?" He enjoyed a visit from his best friend as much as the next person, but the timing wasn't exactly ideal.
Martha dried her hands on a towel and turned to face Tony quickly. "You didn't tell me you were expecting company."
"That's because I wasn't," Tony informed her.
"I'll make myself scarce," Martha told him quickly and moved to head back to the bedroom.
"Hey…" Tony reached for her, hand landing at the small of her back and stopping her from leaving. "You don't have to go."
"Don't leave on my account," Rhodey insisted. He stood on the opposite end of the kitchen dressed in his Air Force uniform with his hands tucked in his pockets. He pulled his right hand out and gestured to the one Tony had on Martha. "Am I interrupting something?"
"Kinda," Tony replied, not bothering to mask his annoyance.
"It's no bother at all," Martha countered with poise as she put a bit of space between Tony and herself. "You must be James." She offered a hand to him.
"Rhodey," Tony and Rhodey said in unison as the latter shook Martha's hand.
"Rhodey." Martha took her hand back and conceded a nod. "I've heard a lot about you. Tony's always spoken so highly of you."
"I wish I could say the same," Rhodey replied, but his eyes were on Tony instead of Martha. "In fact, I had to hear about you from Bruce."
Tony exhaled sharply. He thought it was rather convenient for Rhodey to suddenly drop in unannounced while Martha was there, but suddenly it all made sense. He had gotten a tip from the not so jolly green snitch.
"He said that you were a doctor?" Rhodey continued.
"I am," Martha confirmed.
"Are you sick?" he asked Tony. "Is it your heart?"
"I'm not sick," Tony assured him. "Martha and I have just been trying out a new therapy technique," Tony added.
Rhodey raised a brow. "So she's your therapist?"
Tony gave a noncommittal shrug in response. "In a manner of speaking."
"A therapist that makes house calls?" Rhodey pressed. "Overnight house calls?"
"Get your head out of the gutter. All we do is talk," Tony said.
Rhodey wore a look of skepticism not unlike the one Bruce had the night before. "About what?"
"Different things at random," Martha answered before Tony could. "Physics. Shakespeare. Magic. It all depends on what comes up at the time." She glanced at Tony. "For instance, cutlery seems to be a reoccurring theme."
"Cutlery?" Rhodey questioned with a frown, but Tony couldn't help but smile at the mention of their inside joke.
"Mmhmm," Martha continued innocently. "We both agree that spoons have universal benefits, but Tony seems quite obsessed with forks."
Tony met her eyes and his smile grew into a full blown grin. "I do love a good fork," he admitted, turning his gaze back to Rhodey. "Martha is allegedly really good with knives though."
"Let's hope you never find out how good," she retorted as she moved towards the exit. "Anyway, you two seem like you have some things that you need to get sorted and I have somewhere I need to be."
Tony followed her with his eyes. "Where?" he asked with a frown.
"Not here," Martha replied, heading towards the bedroom to presumably get dressed.
"I plan on calling you later," Tony yelled after her.
"I plan on answering," she called back.
Tony watched her disappear before grabbing his coffee mug and moving to refill it. Something told him that there was going to be a lecture in his future and wanted to be fully caffeinated in preparation for it.
