— Ok, now inhale... and exhale... — Pepper obeyed the order, doing everything calmly. — Very well... Keep doing this, and the delivery will be just fine... Michael, don't be afraid to approach your wife; she won't bite you! — lamaze's instructor went to meet the new couple, and the others continued the exercise.

— I'm going to miss these classes... — Tony stroked Pepper's belly, while she leaned on him.

— We'll have enough practice in a few weeks... — she laid her head on the man's shoulder, and he kissed her on the forehead.

— Can't wait.

— Don't forget to keep your partners calm! — the instructor said, and all the companions started to say nice words.

— You're doing great... — Tony stroked her belly. — And it's too calm for someone who's figuratively pushing someone out of the vagina. — He made the woman laugh. — I love you so much.

— I love you too... and I love when you do that. See how calm she is? Pepper stroked her own belly. — She was kicking as fuck before we got here.

— I think that proves I'm the favorite.

— Shut up... — the woman smiled, elbowing him lightly.

…

After the lamaze class, the couple decided to take a walk to a natural snacks store, where they asked for green juice. On the way out, they found Happy reading a gossip magazine, whose cover was composed of photos of the couple at the opening of the monument in New York. The story was about the big news that the Starks would have a child, which until then had not been revealed.

— Seriously? You're reading this crap? — Tony asked, handing him a cup of juice.

— I have to know what they say about you. It's part of my job! — he accepted the cup.

— I thought your job was to protect us.

— This too. And believe me, I'm doing it right now. I CAN SEE YOU, KEVIN! — he shouted at the paparazzo, who ran away. So Happy regained his posture and continued. — And you wouldn't be on the cover of all the gossip magazines if you had let me do my job.

— Stop it, drama queen. You had to take a vacation.

— Seven months. And no news was leaked. So I stay away for a few weeks, and when I get back, everyone is talking about the baby!

— Happy, calm down. — Pepper asked calmly. — We couldn't hide it forever.

— So, what are we gonna do now?

— We're going home. And you will relax, before you have a heart attack.

— Right. — The head of security said, before drinking his juice.

…

The couple's solution was quite simple: confirm the pregnancy (as if the photos of Pepper's huge belly in the gossip magazines no longer confirmed). Then days later, a serious magazine took to the newsstands an exclusive with the couple, as well as on its website. In both there was a sequence of home photos made available by the family, which were taken throughout the pregnancy. Among them, one of Pepper wearing a long green dress and bare feet, in the huge garden of the Starks' lake house. Her hands rested below her belly, and her loose hair shone with the sunset light.

Another favorite was one of Tony crouching and kissing the volume on Pepper's denim overalls. That photo had been taken days before the interview.

No photo showed much of the family's privacy or the difficult side of pregnancy; so there were no pictures of Pepper with messy hair and lying on the couch, with a huge jar of ice cream on her lap; nor with a green face from being so sick at the beginning of pregnancy. Tony wanted to release a photo of his wife desperate for desire, with a huge hamburger in her hands, and was stopped by her. But that photo would definitely make it into the baby's private album.

The magazine team asked that the interview be held at the Stark residence, which they did not grant. So the meeting was set up in a studio.

Cameras filmed the entire interview, to make excerpts available online. All the questions asked were focused on the baby and the pregnancy, since the ones about Thanos' snap were not allowed to be asked.

The news received all the attention of the public, who started to forget the gossip magazine, whose content was extremely inferior. The images made available by the Starks were in better quality and the interview was the key point to win over fans, who were able to learn a little about the family's privacy. In the rare video they could see the exchanges of glances and frequent smiles between the two and how they never let go of each other's hands at any time. Tony and Pepper had a connection that was fascinating to watch, and it was impossible not to notice the enormous love they felt for each other.

The Stark news served as great entertainment. People managed to disconnect from reality for a moment, and most were even happy for the couple. Journalists and representatives from other magazines and websites made endless calls, and Stark Industries' partners sent dozens of gifts to the company, bogging down Pepper's assistant.

— No, Miss Potts cannot speak at the moment. Neither did Mr. Stark. No, they don't want to talk about the baby. Have a good night. — she hung up the phone — This is from Kenjiro Fujikawa. — informed her chief, when she picked up the box on the floor and opened it.

— Own, how adorable... — Pepper smiled when she saw the little wooden horse with a small wheel attached to it. Wooden blocks in pastel tones came together, so that the child could stack or put them inside the trailer. — Tony, look at that ...

— It's not cuter than this. — the man lifted a teddy bear wearing an Iron Man costume and the woman smiled, taking the toy.

— I'll send a message of thanks to everyone. Do you have a list of all the names, in case I forget any?

— Absolutely. And related to the gifts that each one delivered, in case you want to send personalized messages. It's in your email and... here.

— I love you so much... — Pepper took the spreadsheet that the assistant handed it to her. — Thank you, Bambi. And thank you so much for helping me with the interview calls.

— It's my job. — the woman smiled. — Do you need anything else?

— What time is it... Oh! — she was surprised to look at her smart watch. — No, definitely not. You can go home. Tony can do the rest.

— I'm sorry, what? — he looked at her incredulously.

— You need to get used to the routine, since you'll be here during my maternity leave.

— If that'll be all, I'm gonna go... — Bambi warned, before the man replied. — Good night, Miss Potts. Mr Stark.

— Good night, Bambi. — they said in unison, and watched the assistant leave the CEO's office.

— I can't remember having this conversation. — Tony said, as soon as the door closed. But in spite of everything, he was willing to do whatever was necessary so that his wife could enjoy maternity leave in peace.

— Oh, we will have this conversation later... — the woman stroked the inside of the man's thigh, who immediately understood the message. Then she got up and started to pack her things.

— Now that everyone knows the big news, can we go back to our peaceful lives? Our series starts in two hours. — Tony said, following her.

— Peaceful lives... — the woman laughed.

— Exactly. With quiet problems, such as: Whose turn is it to make the popcorn?

— Mine. — she admitted. — And it's your turn to do the dishes.

— It's always my turn to do the dishes... — he pretended to complain, and received a deadly look. — ... Which is fair, since you always cook. Need anything?

— Yeah... — she looked at him seriously for a while. — Call someone to take these things home, please.

— Sure. — he immediately took out his phone and started typing.

Minutes later, a pilotless jet landed at Stark Industries. And after being carried with the baby's gifts, it took the family straight home; just in time for one of the couple's favorite series to start.