"I'm not going to tell you again." Pepper scolded Tony quietly as she wrapped the red tie around his neck and under the collar of his black dress shirt. He looked down at her with a small smile, silently admiring her small petite hands as they knotted the silk tie. "Stick to the cards."

"This isn't the first time I have." He beamed at her.

She finished knotting his tie and smoothed it out with her hand. Even with the tie there, he could still feel her small hand stroking his chest in the process. "If you do actually stick to the cards, then yes, it'll be the first time."

"What's the point of having the media write reports on lies?" The edge of his mouth went crooked.

"Do you really want me to answer that?" She raised and eyebrow at him.

"Please do." He grinned down at her and leaned forwards to give her a light kiss.

That's when Natalie walked in wearing a white blouse and black skirt. Her red auburn hair was let down. Pepper quickly turned her head from Tony's lips in efforts to avoid PDA. Tony stopped at the last minute and pressed his lips together in annoyance. He faked a smile and quickly faced Natalie.

"Ms. Rushman." Pepper grinned.

"Hello, Miss Potts, Mr. Stark. They're ready for you. You have one minute." She informed them before walking away.

Tony's hands immediately flew to her hip once Natalie was out of their sight. She squeaked ever so slightly and was turned around. He pulled her against his chest; their faces were only a couple centimeters apart. "I hate it when people interrupt us."

"Tony." She breathed, grinning up at him. "We shouldn't—"

"Why not?" He asked her with a pout. "No one's in here. It's just us two."

"Someone could walk in—someone other than Rhodey, Happy, or Natalie."

"You mean someone that doesn't know about us?" He sighed.

"I love you, Tony." She beamed at him. Her smile thoroughly made his stomach flipping like pancakes. "But, I'm still not ready."

"I understand." He nodded, trying not to close the gap between them. "I did say that it was your decision."

"And my decision is that I'm not ready yet." She told him again, making sure that he heard her.

"I love you too, Pepper." He grinned down at her. "I respect your decision."

Pepper widened her grin at him and planted a soft kiss against his lips. He grinned against her lips and sighed contently. He tightened his hold on her while Pepper wrapped her arms around his neck to intensify the kiss. When they eventually pulled away to catch their breath, Pepper breathed, "Go get them."

"Tease." He breathed back, and gave her another soft kiss.

Tony walked out onto the stage where only a single podium stood. He walked across the plastic wooden platform and noticed tons and tons of reports from all of the different news stations and channels. They were all sitting down on pull-out chairs, and their hands held microphones, recorders, or a combination of both. Some of them even had camcorders.

Pepper stood next to Natalie in the very back of the room, right behind the last row of chairs. Tony stood in front of the podium and set his note cards down on it. He looked at the vast amount of reports before casting his gaze on his (secret) girlfriend. He grinned at her and immediately got started on his speech.

"I know that most of you, if not all of you, are wondering about Wyoming." He looked up from the podium and saw all of the reports shift in their seats, waiting to ask questions. "At first, it started with Cheyenne, and then it spread. Terrorists had attacked Cheyenne. Iron Man was thus asked to save its citizens. You may think I'm lying, and I'm sure there are bunch of other rumors out there pertaining to the attack, but that's the truth."

He looked up at the rest of the reporters before his gaze ended up on Pepper. She grinned back at him in response to his unintentional stare.

His gaze stayed on her for the rest of his speech. "You know, I'm not much for lying. There's something else that's been bugging me, and unfortunately, it's not on these stupid note cards." He tore them up with his hands and threw them behind his back. He braced his hands against the sides of the podium and saw Pepper's shocked expression.

"Pepper Potts and I are romantically, and sexually, involved."

More than half of the reporters in the back turned and inched towards Pepper with their microphones, asking dozens of questions. Natalie widened her eyes at Tony before turning her attention to Pepper. Peppers eyes were still wide with shock, and even Tony saw the fiery rage beneath all that distress. The rest of the reporters that were closer to the podium rushed forward, barraging Tony with questions.

"Love you, babe!" Tony spoke into the podium one last time, and grinned at her.

Pepper's gapped mouth suddenly turned into a small smile. She shook her head at him and sighed. Deep down, she knew he'd pull a stunt like that. It was just a matter of time until he cracked.

The End

A/N: Thanks for coming along for the ride! Remember, there is no sequel :)

Special thanks to those that reviewed along the way. I'm truly sorry for the long gaps between chapters. Time to move on to the next fanfic, whatever it may be!

With love, Alexa.