Tony found a mop and took care of the little present his son had left him on the kitchen floor. Bohr was looking a little less great in his eyes at the moment, but he couldn't be too angry. He was a cute puppy and he had helped bring Martha back into Tony's life, albeit by way of eviction. But that, unfortunately, was all on Tony.

He thought about having J.A.R.V.I.S. run a search on potential listings that fit Martha's needs and price range. A place in a safe neighborhood. Pet friendly. Close to UNIT headquarters but also not too far from the Tower. Lots of food options in the area. Tony didn't make a move just yet though.

It was mostly because he didn't want to be accused of overstepping his boundaries, but there was also a not so tiny part of him that selfishly wanted her to stay with him for as long as possible. Forever might suit his needs. But it wasn't just about him. There were two people involved here.

Well…two people and an accident prone Great Dane.

Tony was broken from his thoughts by the sound of Bohr knocking his bowl of water over. He sighed with all the melancholy one might expected from an overwhelmed new father. "We're gonna have a serious conversation about discipline as soon as your mother gets home, young man. Just you wait." Bohr tilted his head in response. "Don't give me that innocent look," Tony retorted. "I invented that look."

After he cleaned up the water and refilled the bowl, Tony lifted Bohr into his arms and dried off his paws while mentally constructing a list of puppy proofing tasks he'd have to undertake sooner rather than later. Once his son's feet were dry, Tony carried him off to the guest room to get it ready for Martha's return.

Tony sat on the edge of the bed with a wistful sigh. The memories of the nights he shared with Martha in that room during their week together came flooding back to him. "What do you think?" he asked Bohr. "Can I make her happy without screwing this up again?" Bohr licked his hand. "I'm gonna take that as a yes." He scratched him between the ears. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, buddy."

Tony put Bohr down on the ground with a stern warning against peeing on the wool carpeting and then set to work removing all of the personal items from the room. He wanted Martha to have a blank canvas to start from so she could really make the space her own. Once he was done, he placed an order for some takeout and returned downstairs to wait for Martha and their dinner.

Martha arrived just after the food did. She said she didn't have much that she wanted to take away from her apartment, but Tony was still surprised by how little she had brought back with her. The only luggage she had was her overnight bag, a military issued tactical backpack and one large suitcase.

"Is that everything?" Tony asked.

"Yep." Martha glanced down at her things. "That's it."

Tony frowned. "How long have you been living in New York again?"

Martha paused to think. "Going on five years now."

Tony blinked away his shock. "Five years and that's all you've got?" he marveled. "I need more than that for a three hour tour."

Martha shrugged and lugged her stuff further inside. "I don't know. I reckon a bit of it is military inspired. Working with UNIT for so long has conditioned me to taking only what I can carry."

Tony understood the logic. He supposed people like Rhodey and Steve were probably the same way, but it still seemed like a strange way to live. Then again, his whole life had been big houses and boarding schools. He'd be hard pressed to fit his entire t-shirt collection into three bags let alone his whole life.

"I cleared the crap out of the guest room so you can make it your own. I left the bed linens though. They're 1500 count Egyptian cotton so you should sleep well," he informed her as his thoughts drifted back to the nights they shared in that bed. "We can go shopping if you're missing anything though. Do you need a satin pillowcase? That's good for your hair right?" Martha lifted a brow. "What? You told me read about black haircare on my own. Anyway, if you want to change the paint or whatever, we can call my decorator in the morning."

"I'm sure the room is fine as it is," Martha replied.

"I'm not aiming for fine. This is your home too, Martha," Tony reminded her.

"For now."

"It could be forever, if you want," Tony offered.

Martha met his eyes and Tony instantly felt something pass between them. She glanced away while tucking her hair behind her ear. "I should go unpack."

"Later," Tony insisted. He took her bags from her and set them aside. "First, we eat." He reached for her hand. Martha hesitated for a moment before slipping her hand into his and allowing him to lead her off towards the kitchen. "I hope you like Korean," Tony said as they sat at the table to eat. "Try the spicy rice cakes with cheese. I know it sounds weird but it's actually amazing. I've been on a tteokbokki kick lately. I practically lived off the stuff in Seoul."

"You were in Korea?" Martha questioned, sounding slightly wounded as she picked up a rice cake with her chopsticks. "So much for going together."

"I still think we should take that trip," Tony replied apologetically. "You'll love it there and Helen is excited to meet you."

"You told her about me?"

"Is that so surprising?"

"One would assume that the whole purpose of fleeing the country was so that you could avoid thoughts of me," Martha reasoned.

"Well that would be impossible because you're always in my thoughts," Tony said before popping a rice cake into his mouth.

His words seemed to catch her off guard, but unless it was just wishful thinking on his part, she did look a bit please by his revelation. "You've been on my mind as well," she admitted. "Usually at the worst possible times."

"I have?" Tony leaned forward in his seat. "What are we talking about here? Late at night? In the shower?" he joked.

"I would have thought you'd consider those the most opportune times," she countered brazenly. "Handy even."

Tony lifted a brow at her sudden boldness. "I don't know if you're being perverted on purpose or if that was just an accident." Martha sucked on the tips of her chopsticks and shrugged. "Well I guess the moratorium on flirting is officially dead," he said.

"Don't look at me. You're the one who started it with your sordid dreams."

"Hey!" Tony began defensively. "There was nothing sordid about my dream." Martha pursed her lips in disbelief. "Scout's honor." He switched his chopsticks to his left hand and gave a three-finger salute with his right. "I mean it may have been slightly…steamy…but it wasn't at all dirty."

"If you say so," Martha retorted, still sounding less than convinced.

"I do say," he insisted. "We didn't even have sex."

"So what did we do?" she challenged.

"Do you really wanna know?"

Martha set her chopsticks aside and listened attentively.

"Alright." Tony stood up and retrieved a chilled bottle of soju and two glasses. Returning to the table, he filled a glass for each of them and then proceeded to relay his dream to Martha in graphic detail. By the time he was done, the bottle was empty and Martha looked a bit flustered, to Tony's satisfaction.

"So every hand touch was like a kiss?" Martha questioned and Tony nodded his confirmation. "We would have had like a thousand kisses by now." She glanced down at their hands, just inches apart on the table. "Even that first day at the bar."

"Probably never look at high fives the same way again, huh?" Tony joked.

Martha drained the last bit of soju from her glass. "Low fives either."

"If that's what you're in the mood for then…'I'll make my heaven in a lady's lap,'" he quoted with a smirk.

Martha rolled her eyes and resumed eating. "Are you trying to seduce me using Shakespeare outside your dreams now as well?"

"Maybe." He drummed his fingertips against the tabletop while subtly moving his hand a bit closer to hers. "Is it working?"

"You do realize that the man himself couldn't seduce me with his words, yea?"

"I figure I have better odds," Tony reasoned.

Martha lifted a brow. "Is that so?"

"Yea." He nodded. "I mean for starters, I'm not secretly married."

"Are you even the marrying sort?" she challenged.

"I could be…if the right person came along," he answered with a fleeting glance in her direction before continuing. "And I don't have any hidden kids."

"That you know of."

"Hey! I practice safe sex."

Martha shrugged. "Accidents happen."

Tony pointed his chopsticks at her. "First off, bite your tongue. Secondly, stop getting me off topic." She gestured for him to proceed. "Where was I?"

"No wives and, presumably, no kids."

"Thanks. I also have excellent dental hygiene."

"You do have a winning smile," Martha acknowledged while flashing her own.

"But the main thing is…I'm not just paying lip service," Tony added as he stared her in the eyes. "I'm not saying a bunch of pretty words because they sound nice or because I think you'd like them." He covered her hand with his. "Everything I've said is because I meant it."

Martha quickly looked away. "I should go unpack," she said quietly, pulling her hand away from his and rising from the table.

"Save it until morning," Tony suggested as he stood up as well.

Martha sighed. "I won't be able to sleep in there with things out of order."

"You can stay with me, you know. The bed is too big without you." He reached for her hand again. "Will you stay?"

Martha raised her hand, but she froze with it in midair. Her fingers curled inward towards her palm in hesitation. Her gaze swept downward over him and she exhaled slowly. "I can't." She lifted her eyes to meet his while shaking her head slowly. "As much as I want to be close with you again…it's too soon for us to go there."

"We said no sex," he reminded her. "That rule can still apply. We don't have to do anything you don't want to do. We can just talk like old times."

"We did say that," she acknowledged with a nod. "But the rules have changed, Tony. Surely you see that."

Tony sighed softly. He missed having Martha in his bed and in his arms. Still, he understood her hesitance. Things between them had definitely changed. In his mind, it was all for the better, but that didn't remove the fact that being that close physically would never be the same again. "Yea," he admitted in defeat, dropping his hand to his side. "You're right. It's too soon."

"I'll see you in morning, yea?"

Tony nodded and Martha smiled warmly at him. "If you need anything, I'll be in my lab," he informed her before moving to walk away. Suddenly, Martha grabbed his sleeve and Tony stopped walking to watch as she slowly slipped her hand into his. Her fingertips caressed his palm before their fingers laced together and she pressed her palm against his. He glanced up and she was staring at him while nibbling on her bottom lip. 'A goodnight kiss,' he mused silently as he squeezed her hand back. "Parting is such sweet sorrow," he told her with a voice full of longing.

"That I shall say goodnight til it be morrow," Martha said, finishing the line as she pulled her hand away and headed off towards her room with Bohr following at her heels.