Tony searched for the first flight that was headed back to New York. Thankfully, there was a nonstop one from Incheon to JFK. The bad news was that it didn't leave until the next morning. So he returned to his hotel suite and settled into bed with thoughts of what he'd say to Martha once they were reunited. The next morning, he made a few more calls as he made his way to the airport. One to Rhodey and one to Bruce as well as a quick thank you call to Pepper. He briefly entertained the idea of calling Martha, but he decided he needed to say everything face to face.

One fourteen hour flight later, Tony was back in Manhattan. He knew he probably should have returned to the Tower first, but he went directly to Martha's building instead. When he reached her door, he knocked gently before letting himself in with the key she had given him.

"Martha?" Tony called out. He crossed the threshold and moved past the tiny hallway between the front door and kitchenette that led to her bathroom. "Martha?" he repeated. He seemed like she wasn't home, but the lights and the TV were still on. So if she did leave, she must have been planning to come back soon.

Tony was in the middle of debating whether he should stay or go when he suddenly heard a feral screech coming from the direction of the front door followed by a burst of pain at the back of his head. He stumbled forward, but somehow managed to remain on his feet.

"Ah shit!" He grunted through the pain as he clutched his back of his head with both hands and turned to face his attacker. His vision was a little blurry due to the involuntary tears, but there was no question in his mind of the identity of the woman wielding the electric kettle. "Tish?"

"Who the bloody hell are you? Why do you know my name? And why the hell do you have a key to my sister's flat?" Martha's older sister demanded in rapid succession.

"Tony Stark. Martha told me. And she made me a copy," Tony answered, still rubbing where she had hit him.

"She gave it to you?" Tish asked in disbelief with the kettle still held high defensively. "What the hell for?"

"It made things easier when I slept over," he explained.

Tish scoffed. "Now I know you're lying. As if my baby sister would be caught dead shagging some low budget Tony Stark wannabe," she protested.

"Low budget?" Tony stroked his cheek. His beard had gotten a bit out of control while he was in Seoul and he probably could stand to get a haircut as well. "I acknowledge that I've let myself go a little bit recently, but that's just hurtful." He moved over to the kitchenette and opened the freezer. The only thing of use he found inside was a bag of frozen berries so he held them up to the back of his head. "I thought you were supposed to be my fan," he grumbled as he took a seat on the couch. "I know it's called a crush but it doesn't mean you should literally try to bash my skull in."

Tish lowered the kettle a touch. "Are you really him?" she questioned skeptically. "Anthony Edward Stark born May 29, 1970?"

"So I'm gonna try not to be freaked out about how quickly you threw those stats out," Tony said. "And I'd offer to let you see my passport, but I'm reluctant to make any sudden movements while you're armed."

Tish took a few steps forward and stared at him with narrow eyes. She continued to inch towards him little by little until finally her eyes went wide and she dropped the kettle with a loud gasp. "Holy shit! You're Tony Stark!"

"Are you sure?" he asked sarcastically.

"Well it still doesn't explain what you're doing in Martha's flat," Tish challenged. She picked up the kettle from the floor and returned it to the kitchen counter before reaching beneath the sink and retrieving the first-aid kit. "What was that bit about sleeping over? I know you're not shagging her because she's not the casual sex type and I would've known if she was seeing someone new," she added as she pulling out an instant cold compress.

Tony already knew that Martha had never mentioned their arrangement to her mother, but now he knew she hadn't said anything to her sister as well. That was either a good thing or a bad thing. However, the fact that she hadn't ranted to Tish about his disappearing act in London gave him some hope. "She's been helping me with some problems," Tony told Tish vaguely, hoping she wouldn't press for too many details. "Some of which require long hours."

"Yea, she's good at that. Taking care of people," Tish commented as she walked over to the couch, shaking and crushing the cold compress before passing it to him. "But aren't you a bit old to need a minder?"

He pulled the bag of frozen berries away from his head and replaced it with the cold pack. "Probably, but in my defense I had a crappy childhood."

"Not a valid excuse, but whatever." Tish picked up her phone from the coffee table and sat down next to him. "Can I get a photo? I mean no one will ever believe I actually met Tony Stark."

Tony smiled bitterly. "Not so low budget now, am I?"

"No, you still look bloody awful, but I look cute so I think that combined with your celebrity status will balance things out," Tish reasoned while lifting her phone into position to take a selfie.

"Reasonable assessment." Tony lowered the compress and leaned in close. "Rude…but reasonable."

"Say concussion!" Tish teased with a bright smile as she snapped the photo. She quickly checked the results. "Not bad," she assessed as she showed him. He knew he should have swung by the Tower to clean himself up. "The full beard is a bit Clooney, innit?"

Tony balked at the comparison. "He wishes."

Tish took a moment to post the photo to her social media account before putting her phone aside. "Sorry about the kettle."

"I'm just glad it was plastic and not stainless steel," he insisted while reapplying the cold pack.

Tish bit her bottom lip in a way that wasn't unlike Martha. "You're not going to sue, are you?"

"Nah. Nothing good would come from me making a big deal about this." Tony leaned back against the couch. "You work in public relations. You know how it is."

"How did you know I…" Tish paused midsentence. "Martha?"

Tony nodded. "She talks about you a lot."

Tish laughed softly. "Did she tell you that I hate my boss and would love a new job as well?"

"No, but I'll tell you what. You send me your resume. And I'll personally endorse you for a position in our PR department at Stark Industries."

Tish stared at him with wide eyes. "Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"Oh my God that's amazing! Thank you!"

"I have my moments," he replied with a shrug. Tish pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. "What was that for?" he asked.

"You're my celebrity crush," Tish reminded him. "If all else fails with the job, then at least I can say that I've snogged Tony Stark."

"That was more of a peck than a kiss, but I suppose…"

"Alright," Tish retorted before cutting his words off by initiating a searing kiss to the lips.

Tony's first reaction was shock. He knew Tish was bold. He had gathered that much from listening to Martha's stories. Meeting the woman had only cemented that point, but he hadn't been prepared for just how audacious she could be. His second thought was purely observational. Her lips were full, soft, and flavored with tea. Not just any tea. Earl grey like Martha always drank.

Martha.

This was wrong. It wasn't Tish he wanted to kiss. He should push her away. And he would but…damn those lips were soft. It could have been that it had been far too long since he had been kissed. Or maybe it was that if he focused hard enough he could pretend her accent sounded like someone else's. Pretend that she was someone else. It was terrible and depraved and more like some shadow of himself that he hadn't been in a long, long time. But he wasn't that man anymore.

Tish let out a satisfied murmur against his lips. Tony responded by moving his hand, which he was surprised to realize had ended up on her ass, to her hip and nudging her away gently. She blinked away a dazed expression before breaking into wide grin. "Wow."

"Yea…" Tony glanced down as he wiped her lip gloss away from his mouth. "That's what I'd call a kiss."

"I'd say," a third voice contributed.

Tish jumped at the sound of her younger sister's voice. "Martha! You're back."

Tony momentarily closed his eyes with a tiny groan. Way to make a good impression, you jackass.

"Look who came to see you," Tish continued. "You never told me you knew Tony blooming Stark."

Tony opened his eyes in time to see Martha's shocked expression shifting into something unreadable. "It turns out I don't know him all that well. Not nearly as well I thought I did, at least."

"Well enough," Tish retorted. "He had a bloody key."

"Yea, I'll explain that later, but can we have a minute alone, Tish?" Martha requested calmly.

Tish glanced back and forth between the two of them. "Yea, alright." She looked at Tony once more as she reached for her phone. "I was serious about that job."

Tony nodded, but kept his eyes on Martha. "I'll give Pepper your resume. Top of the pile."

"Brilliant!" Tish laughed to herself as she moved to the front door. "Tony blooming Stark! Leo is going to piss himself," he heard her say just before she disappeared out the door.

"So…" Tony began awkwardly. "I met your sister. Nice girl. We had a lovely chat."

"Did you now?" Martha bent over and picked up the frozen berries. "I wasn't aware you were fluent in tongues."

Tony winced. "Yea…I walked into that one. And I know this is bad, but I swear it's not what it looks like."

Martha paused with her hand on the freezer door. "So you didn't just have your tongue down my sister's throat and your hand on her arse?"

Tony stood up. "Okay, I'll give you the hand, but technically her tongue was down my throat."

"That's your argument?"

"Not sure yet. Is it working?"

Martha exhaled sharply through her nose and tossed the berries back into the freezer. "What are you even doing here, Tony? Did you need something?"

"No, I just wanted to see you," Tony insisted as he slowly approached her. "I was hoping we could hangout and catch up. I have a lot I need to tell you."

"Yea? Well tonight is not a good night," she said in a voice that was uncharacteristically, yet understandably, bitter. "Tish is here until the weekend and my bed isn't big enough for three."

"You could always come to the Tower," he suggested.

"It really isn't a good time," Martha insisted.

"Is that the only reason?" Tony questioned. "I mean it has nothing to do with what you walked in on, right?"

"Contrary to what you seem to believe, my world doesn't actually revolve around you. I just want to spend some time alone with my sister."

Tony arched a brow. "You're being surprisingly calm about this."

Martha shrugged. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"So you're not mad?" Tony asked skeptically.

"I don't really have a right to be, do I?"

"You say that, but you kinda sound like you're doing that thing where people pretend not to be mad, but then they make you pay for it in subtle ways. Or not so subtle ways."

"We're not a couple, Tony. You can stick your tongue or any other parts wherever you like."

"What if I want to be?" Tony countered.

"What?"

"A couple."

Martha stared at him in disbelief. "You're serious, aren't you?"

"I know it's hard to tell with me sometimes. I have a tendency to deflect things with humor. It's an ongoing issue that I'm working on. Sort of. Not really."

Martha huffed, but it lacked the usual note of amusement. "You are absolutely unbelievable," she replied in a seething tone.

"Okay…the anger is less subtle now."

"I can't believe actually thought I was f…" She began to chastise herself, but broke off with a sharp breath and switched her focus to him. "First, you abandoned me in London…"

"Abandoning is a bit much. Granted, I should have communicated better, but I mean I paid the hotel bill and I did leave my plane behind to fly you back to New York. Do you know how long it's been since I've flown commercial?" He paused. "Actually…I'm not sure I've ever flown commercial before now."

Martha wouldn't be deterred and she continued her tirade. "You didn't answer any of my calls…"

"I haven't been answering anyone's calls."

"And if all that isn't bad enough…you come into my home, snog my sister, and then…THEN have the audacity to say you want to bloody date me?"

"In my defense, the kissing wasn't part of the original plan." He paused again. "Well maybe it was, but with a different sister."

"Get out!" Martha demanded, shoving him towards the door and opening it for him.

"So…" Tony halted on the other side of the doorway. "Will I see you later then?"

"Don't bloody bother," Martha said before slamming the door in his face.

Tony stood on the other side of the door with the cold compress still in his hand. "Strike two," he muttered to himself as he turned towards the elevator. "Get your head in the game, Stark." He slammed the button with his free hand. "We gotta knock this next one out of the park."