"Bad mistake...", Martha gave a small laugh. "You're lucky that nothing really happened to end up getting you in the papers.". Thomas flushed a bit more, "Oh, yeah, probably flirted with disaster though, that was for damn sure.". He shook his head before he downed the concoction, "Gah... that still tastes terrible...".
Martha glanced at him, "I'd like some water then.", seeing the expression on Thomas' face, and then took a deep breath, and then threw back the concoction in her glass, and then grimaced, "Oh, you were right...That was terrible...", barely noticing Thomas grabbing a water bottle from the cabinet, pouring half into his glass, and then pouring the last half into Martha's glass.
"There you go. Wash that out...There will be a bit of lingering there, but I can't help you there...Give it some minutes...", Thomas replied as Martha smiled appreciatively, "Thank you...and I must thank Alfred as well.", sipping the water.
Thomas chuckled softly, "I think he knows.", with a glance as Martha looked his way, and saw Alfred tipping his cap in the rearview mirror through the open limo window with a smile. "I think he's keeping us safe by being the chaperone as well, especially when we are technically alone back here.", Thomas commented as he blushed, blaming his mouth there, but relieved for Alfred's precautions, even if a tiny part of him, thanks to the remaining alcohol in his body, wants that window to be closed.
"Dr. Wayne, are you coming on to me?", Martha gave him a sly look as Thomas suddenly went red in the face. If he still had any sort of alcohol in his system, it might as well have drained out instantly when she said that as he felt he was instantly sober again.
Thomas stammered, "I...I don't...", as Martha giggled, smirking, as he replied, "Wait, are you having me on, woman?", with a half-hearted glare at her.
Martha laughed merrily as Thomas' heart skipped a beat, at the sound of her laugh as it's beautiful and musical, and he replied softly, "I never heard you laugh like that before in those brief times I saw you in the parties over the years...".
Martha smiled, calming down as she blushed softly, "Never found a real reason to laugh like this...It feels pretty good...", a bit surprised that she actually laughed in front of a man, an attractive one at that, but still...
Thomas gave her a warm smile, "You should do it more often...I...I like it...Makes you look less uppity, not that you don't look amazing all dressed up!", blushing again as his mouth got away again.
Martha blushed a bit more as she put her glass of empty water down, and twirled her finger around one of her pinned back curls, "Thank you...And before you worry, my friend at the soup kitchen once we get in the back alley without too much notice, she always has a couple of casual clothes, one outfit for me, and one outfit usually for my personal driver if he helps out occasionally...We won't stand out...And good thing too as those high heels are torturing my feet out, and those pins in my hair are too sparkly...", with a huff.
"Surprised you're still wearing those in here.", Thomas admitted as Martha nodded before kicking them off as if her life depended on getting them off as soon as possible.
"Oh, that feels so much better...", Martha gave a small sigh of relief. "Always hated tight heels... would feel so much better in a pair of tennis shoes or just walking around in my bare feet.".
"Well, hopefully, not outside since there's usually a lot of tiny sharp rocks or some broken bottles on the ground.", Thomas teased.
Martha shook her head, "Oh, no, not inside the boundaries of Gotham or even the parks...But the gardens and the backyard around the pool are perfect for bare walking. Heck, even the maintained meadows are wonderful too...".
Thomas asked curiously, "That's Kane Manor outside Gotham, right, over on the catacombs cliffs, right?", and Martha nodded, "Yes, through my father would give the manor to my future husband, renaming it in their surname if they wish it as I am the sole heiress, yet he's sticking to the tradition that women shouldn't own property in the will of my great-grandfather which is absolutely ridiculous...My great-grandfather had built the manor.", with a light exasperated sigh.
"Ah...I see...So, let me guess, you wouldn't want to go with Cobblepot or Galavan, eh?", Thomas teased, seeing how it would sound to her. Martha grimaced, "Cobblepot Manor sounds horrible, and Galavan Manor doesn't even make sense!".
"Yeah... though the Cobblepots I think are on their last legs if I heard right.", Thomas said before he then thought back to a second before. "By the way, I've only been there once or twice, but it's a nice place.".
"My place's better than those penthouses your folks live in these days?", Martha teased. Thomas gave a smile, "Oh, yes...I admit I am jealous of you, especially the pool and the game room...Wayne Manor sounds better than Cobblepot Manor or Galavan Manor, especially with Cobblepot being widowed with a spare heir with the eldest one passing away in that unfortunate accident...I hear the spare heir isn't even desirable enough with unfortunate looks, especially with being named Oswald... And for Galavan, the rumors are mixed around, I hear, as I can't tell truth from lies with that family as of late, if you ask me...", thoughtfully musing out loud.
Martha raised an eyebrow, "Wayne Manor?", with a smirk, and Thomas nodded, "Yeah...", before widening his eyes, "I mean, drat, I swear I am sober, but you are somehow making me loose lipped!", blushing and stammering, "Damn my folks! They've been hammering into me all night...That I'm getting older, and you know what...what I would mean by that...", looking away in a pale look of shame and embarrassment, sighing deeply as he glanced through his window on his side.
What is it with him tonight?! He's somehow having an easy comradeship with one of the most desirable and most beautiful women of high society of his age, and somehow, Miss Martha Kane is melting the ice more than any other single and viable young women he knew in high society ...He was hoping for a quiet Christmas without his parents badgering him and all, but he knew that he wouldn't keep his hopes up, especially when he's the sole heir of the Wayne family.
Martha looked at him in sympathy and such, knowing what he meant by that, and replied gently as she passed boundaries by touching him, her hand on his arm, "Dr. Wayne...Thomas, there's still more life to you than they think...And you're not that old...you're only 27...I'm sorry that I am making this hard...You can tell Afred to drop me off at home if you don't want me to bring you into the soup kitchen tonight... I can always do this another night my usual way...".
Thomas shook his head, "No, no, I'm sorry about all this, please, let us not change our plans. I just.. I guess tonight's just making me a bit looser lipped or just being with someone who's disarming as opposed to be surrounded by the other folks at the party who honestly would look at me with distrust and disgust for even having an ounce of humanity for the needy."
"Isn't that the truth... Last person I was talking with before we met was Felicia Elliott who swore that my nanny was some sort of socialist just because I wasn't thinking as greedily as she was.", Martha scowled.
"Ah, that woman...She's a shark, I say...Thank god that my parents said that I don't have to marry that much older woman...She must be at least what 20 years older than you, at least, right?", Thomas commented.
Martha nodded, "I'm 21, so, yeah, I couldn't even imagine you marrying a 41-year-old woman, especially with her reputation...And I think she prefers her husband better than you, anyway.", with a smirk.
"Oh, yeah, forgot, she remarried...", Thomas rolled his eyes. "Third time's the charm, right?", Martha chuckled at the thought that marriage probably wasn't going to last the rest of their lives like the previous two.
"We're near the address, sir!", Alfred called out as Thomas nodded, "Thanks, Alfred. So... still have second doubts? We can easily just take you home if you're still for what you said before...".
"No, no...", Martha shook her head. "It... it actually was so refreshing to hear you say some of those things... compared to so much we normally hear from folks in our circles behind closed doors.".
Thomas smiled curiously, "Yeah?", and Martha nodded, smiling, and Thomas replied, "You know, you used my personal name earlier...".
Martha widened her eyes, "Sorry, I am sorry if I was being very personal there an-", before her hand was held by Thomas' hand gently, "Don't be...After all, we're getting acquainted rather well...I don't mind...Please call me Thomas...", as he smiled gently yet charmingly.
Surprised as she was slightly breathless by his admission, Martha blushed warmly, exhaled shortly, and gave a shy smile, "Then please call me Martha...Thomas...", and Thomas nodded as his heart skipped a beat, enjoying the sound of his name off her tongue, smiling.
"Of course.", Thomas spoke warmly as the limo turned into the back alley behind the soup kitchen, parking, and smiled, "Let's make some people smile and be happy to have some warm soup, shall we, Martha?".
Martha nodded with a wide smile, "Let's...", temporarily shoeing back into her high heels as Thomas helped her out as Alfred opened the door, and so, their simple yet meaningful volunteer job began with Martha's friend giving them the spare casual clothes and ushered them into the sanctioned bathroom to change before heading further into the soup kitchen and the tight dining quarters, with Alfred watching the limo and such.
It was two hours of happy satisfied smiles and relieved sighs before they noticed the time, and with plastic cups of warm, rustic, delicious soup for themselves and Alfred, the couple went back into the limo, and Alfred then took off from the back alley.
Martha sighed contentedly as she sipped the soup in her casual clothes, "This feels way better than that dress and being contained like a fragile doll at that party even if dressed up really nice...And you look even less uppity too, Thomas.", with a slight teasing smile, glancing at Thomas in his casual clothes, as their fancy clothes are tucked away in respectable bags, with their warm accessories to the side to be used when ready to leave the limo.
"Never could truly stand being restricted in suits. They just don't give you the freedom as much as you would want to move in them.", Thomas said as she giggled.
"And that big one David Byrne had in that Talking Heads concert movie, you'd look a bit silly in too.", Martha chuckled. "Oh, you saw that in theaters? I saw them live.", Thomas smirked as she pouted.
"Oh, forgive me, Doctor, I'm not exactly as independent as you are when it comes to where I can go and what I could spend.", Martha countered before sighing. "Sorry, I wasn't being that serious there... sometimes, despite my age, I sometimes still haven't fully grown up.".
"You're not the only one. Sometimes the rows between me and my father... it's like I'm still a boy at times with how they seem to start.", Thomas scoffed with a shake of his head.
Martha looked at him as he sipped his cup of warm soup, and replied softly, "How long has he been badgering you to get married?", and Thomas sighed, "Counting this Christmas, three years now...I'm starting to get afraid of his deadline since I still have two years to go in John Hopkins, and I fear that he'd force me sooner or later by his own means of finding a woman for myself before I actually do...".
"He's that upset?", Martha asked in surprise, and Thomas nodded, "Yep...Even my own mother told me that she can't help me much further beyond the summer...".
Martha frowned, "I'm sorry, Thomas...When is the deadline?", and Thomas sighed deeply, "Before I turn 30...", and Martha's eyes widened, "What?! But that's three years, and you have two years left to focus on your medical degree, even with the shortcut to use the fast lane as an emergency! A year left is not even long enough for courting and engagement and marriage as people would think that's too fast!".
"Yeah...", Thomas sighed. "Honestly, it's not too difficult, I'll be honest... but we both know being fairly quick will probably mean things aren't lasting.", with a frown.
"And especially say if it's a girl that's more just wanting your money?", Martha suggested as he nodded, "And that makes things much more difficult.".
Martha's heart skipped a beat at what he had intuited about, and whispered softly, "You...you never interacted romantically with a woman, knowing love?", and Thomas looked at her gently, "Martha...Even if it's the 80s now, or previously the 70s, I never had a meaningful time with any woman...until you...And no, I never dared to be a playboy...unlike some of those boys in our circles...My mother would have killed me there, and my father...he was very serious on exiling me, disowning me if I ever made any woman pregnant, no matter the status...All those people in the clinic...Those wives comforting their husbands, or vice versa...I saw love, dedication, adoration, comfort...I...I wish I know love that way...I just knew I wanted love that way, but it seems like business and parental pressure and even my desire to be a doctor is going to squash that for me...", with a sigh, looking down.
Martha stared at him in stunned astonishment, trying to think of something to cheer him up before an idea came to her, a frighteningly bold yet hopeful idea, and she replied cautiously, "Thomas...I know you're a doctor, and doctors do tests...What if you do a test experiment of...of courting me for a year and a day?", seeing Thomas startle, looking straight at her in shock, as she continued, "I...I never knew love either, but I wanted it too...Yet how could I when the other boys my age look at me like a trove of money or fame? I always wanted to make a difference, and if helping the unfortunate is it as it makes me feel good and validated, I could do something there...but I'm scared that any future husband my father approves, that man would squash my spirit down...only saying that I'm allowed to stand there, look pretty, socialize, unable to travel much beyond the world of Gotham after finishing university, and make heirs...not children who deserves to see both parents every day, not every weekend or so...", with a sigh.
"Sounds almost like we're perfect for each other already...", Thomas gave a small snort while smiling as Martha nodded, "Seems like it... but... hey, why not at least try? Honestly, might actually be a case our folks would be willing to back off considering we'd both be on paper, perfect for each other in their eyes.".
Thomas exhaled, taking a deep breath as he thought over Martha's speech-admission, and just now, and it was true that their parents would see it as a match on paper and all, and they would back off very considerably.
He hesitated slightly before shuffling closer, holding her hand, gently kissing the top of her knuckles before looking up at her, "Martha Kane, would you accept the honor of being courted by me for a year and a day?", shocked internally that he's actually doing this...and for the first time he would remember in his life too...
Somehow, right now, Martha looks even more beautiful, no matter if she's in casual clothes or her hair is not pinned back anymore, but free around her shoulders and his heart skipped a beat at her blushing smile.
Martha replied clearly, "I accept, Thomas Wayne, on the condition of the courtship lasting for a year and a day.", as her heart raced at the romantic gesture. Thomas smiled warmly and widely as he gazed at her while he then grabbed her other hand, "I think this is going to be a good Christmas for us...", caressing her hands in his warm, gentle grip, happy that he's doing this in private.
Martha smiled shyly yet excitedly, "I think so too...", before the sound of a window closing was heard, and they glanced to see the limo window between Alfred and them is closing halfway, yet with the top open with the rearview mirror of Alfred giving them a little wink and a warm smile.
"I think he's happy for us...and he's giving us a little privacy while keeping us chaperoned...", Thomas smiled, and Martha blushed, smiling, "I like him even more...You better give him a Christmas raise, Thomas...".
Thomas chuckled, "I already planned to...", as he gently let go of her hands, and then rested back with his arm out, and Martha giggled before resting back, feeling Thomas's arm embrace her gently, but not too closely, smiling as she never thought she'd feel comfortable in a man's embrace like this, yet she is...