His Armored Heart

Chapter Nine

Tony made a couple quick alterations to his suit's program down in the lab, then he made his way upstairs to the kitchen to find Bree. He smiled when he saw her cooking at the stove.

"Tony? Is that you?" Bree called as she checked on her noodles.

"Yes." Tony quickly answered as he walked over to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. After opening the bottle and taking a drink, he walked over and wrapped an arm around Bree's waist from behind. "Smells good."

"It's alfredo sauce," she said as she leaned back against him. "Do you want it plain or should I add chicken or broccoli?"

"Is chicken and broccoli an option? I can help make it." Tony offered.

Bree laughed. "Yes, it's an option. Do you want both?"

"If it isn't too much trouble." Tony answered.

"It's not. I think we have both in the fridge too," Bree said. "Do you wanna cook the chicken?"

"Sure." Tony walked over to the fridge and took out a small pack of chicken. "Do you want the broccoli right now?"

"It needs to be boiled and softened, so you can get it out and rinse it if you want," Bree answered.

"Alright, I will get the broccoli started as well. I cheat though." Tony chuckled and pulled steamer bags from the freezer.

Bree laughed. "That works just as good."

"I'm not as much of a cook as you are. I like to take a simpler approach to food." Tony shrugged. He brought the bags over and set them on the counter, so he could get the chicken ready.

"There's nothing wrong with that. But frozen is better than getting takeout all the time." Bree turned back to the stove and stirred the pasta, checking to see if it was tender yet.

"True. It is also quicker, easier, and it stores longer than fresh produce." Tony agreed. Once he had the chicken going, he put the steamer bags into the microwave.

Once the pasta was tender, Bree put the noodles into a strainer. "That is true."

"The chicken is almost finished. Do you want it cut up?" Tony asked Bree.

"Yes please," Bree said happily.

Tony took out a cutting board, then put the chicken on it. Taking out a knife, he started cutting it into strips, then into squares. "I haven't cooked this much in a very long time."

"Are you enjoying it?" Bree asked curiously.

"I'm enjoying it because of you." Tony said truthfully.

Bree smiled as she put the pasta in a bowl, then grabbed the alfredo sauce and began to mix it up. "That's sweet Tony."

"It's the truth. I'm not much for cooking when I'm on my own." Tony admitted. When he was finished with the chicken, he took the steamer bags out of the microwave and opened them.

"I'm not either, to be honest. Although it's hard to cook for a single person." Bree took the chicken from the cutting board and added it to the pasta and sauce before she began to mix it up.

"I guess it's good you aren't single then." Tony said playfully. He leaned against the counter and watched Bree mix the food in the pot.

Bree blushed and glanced at Tony when she grabbed the first bag of broccoli and slowly mixed it into the pot with the pasta. "I love not being single... as long as it's with you."

Tony stepped closer and wrapped his arms around Bree's waist from behind, just holding her while she finished preparing the food. "Are you using the new strawberry shampoo you found last week?" He asked suddenly, catching a whiff of it from her hair.