REVAMPED!

Mark V: Breaking News!

After the proposal, Tony and Pepper returned back home to Stark Towers. Their smiles remained as bright as ever and their bodies connected in some way, whether that be by linking arms or holding hands. They simply could not let each other go, not after the happy miracle that happened earlier.

So that's what they decided to do: they went to their bedroom, changed into their comfiest clothes, and got right into bed. They just lied beside each other, basking in each other's warmth that radiated from their joy.

The best part about this was that even if they weren't engaged, they still would've done this.

All they wanted was a moment of peace and privacy in their new engagement, especially because they already know that every media outlet to ever exist just erupted with the news. That's the price Tony paid for having proposed in the most public setting he could think of.

On their ride home, Tony and Pepper's phones not only exploded from several congratulatory messages from loads of people but also from the upcoming media outlets who just so happened to write entire articles and have such in-depth analyses in such short time. It seemed admirable at a glance, but up close, was it really?

So, the newly-engaged couple decided to venture deep into the hole of the internet to see what they could possibly learn about their own proposal story.

-o-

Tony and Pepper sit propped up against their bedframes with pillows, partially-empty takeout containers surrounding them (mostly dumplings at Pepper's request), and champagne (at Tony's request). After eating and drinking a little, the couple felt sustained and loopy enough to go through all these articles. They already know not to take these seriously, hence the alcohol, but only for their own amusement.

After a few taps on his phone, holographic projections appear above them, displaying different headlines with bright and bold text and possibly fabricated photos. Most of these were clearly clickbait, but like they were intended to be, they were intriguing.

Pepper downs her champagne glass and lies back, ready to just dive right into this. Tony watches her do that and has never been more impressed by her in his entire life. He's so proud of himself for putting a ring on her.

'YES!' is all one webpage says in the top, in a giant fancy cursive font. It's followed by a slightly blurry photo of their proposal and then a pixelated photo of the ring.

"You know," Pepper says, making herself sound like an expert in journalism. "I like how this one gets straight to the point and uses real photos. They're not good quality, but they're real."

Pepper shuffles through the projections and taps on one that catches her eye. Using her thumb and pointer finger, she zooms into it.

'This Longtime Couple is Finally Ready to Tie the Knot Amid Their Whirlwind of a Romance' is presented normally. There is no photo of their engagement but a cute collage of photos where they have been seen together in public.

"It makes us sound like a fairytale," Tony comments.

"Kind of wordy, in my opinion," Pepper says.

"Like a fairytale!"

Pepper chuckles a little as Tony kisses the side of her head. Despite the unnecessary amount of words, it does seem the most accurate. Tony and Pepper didn't have the typical fairytale romance because of all the chaos they went through together, but they survived and can now start this new chapter of their intertwined life.

'A PLAYBOY NO MORE!' is accompanied by old pictures of Tony where he would spend his nights in casinos where he would hang with many questionable women who may or may not have looked the same and wore the same skimpy dress.

That whole article is a paradox which is why Tony cringes and Pepper laughs. He doesn't understand why that headline would be with photos of him being a playboy. It makes no sense.

"I forgot all about that Tony," is all he comments as he starts drinking more champagne straight from the bottle. Anything to get rid of those specific memories because even though they were fun, he's much happier now.

"I remember all that trash..." Pepper says nostalgically.

"We've been together for a long time and they're only saying that now?!" He exclaims, still salty about that article which is only one out of many similar ones.

"You have built not only Iron Man suits but a reputation."

Tony turns his head and narrows his eyes at her. She turns to face him with a grin on her face as she gives him a quick peck. Tony scrunches that webpage into a crumpled ball of paper and shoots it into a holographic trash can that appears right where it lands. When Tony looks back at Pepper, she already has another article in the spotlight for them to look at.

'Will Stark Wed in His Iron Man Suit?' includes that flashy headline and a fan-made photoshop photo of Tony's Iron Man suit made to look like a tuxedo. Tony looks fascinated by the idea whereas Pepper is appalled.

"Well - " Tony starts.

"No," Pepper states, cancelling that idea before it could even be a thought.

The couple then breezes through a lot of articles and for some reason (even though they sort of expected this but just not at this volume), there are a lot of articles speculating pregnancy rumours. In hindsight, it makes sense for those to exist because to the public eye, the proposal just came out of nowhere so there had to be a bigger reason behind it.

"I think they heard my dream," Tony mutters.

"What dream?" Pepper asks.

"I had a dream we had a baby."

Pepper is speechless before smiling a little. "Sounds like a dream come true to me."

Tony perks up a little. "Are you - ?"

Pepper immediately shakes her head. "I'm not. I'm on my third glass of champagne. I'm just saying that it sounds like a dream I would love to come true."