Kendis squeezed Tony’s hand and tried her best not to give in to her nerves. It was hard to do when she felt the heavy weight of eyes on her back as they stepped through the doors of Stark Industries.

Happy and a phalanx of security was surrounding them, but it stopped people from stopping to stare or the whispers that seemed to follow them as they walked.

“You okay, Glinda?” Tony leaned into whisper in her ears.

“I’m fine,” Kendis reassured him.

Tony lifted a dubious eyebrow, “Uh-huh,”

Kendis barely kept from rolling their eyes at him.

“We can still call this off,” Tony asked, his voice uncharacteristically serious. “We don’t have to do this.”

Kendis was reminded of the time at the Apogee Awards and how Tony promised her that Happy could turn the limo right around. She would never have to step back into public life, and they would figure things out. In hindsight, it might have been the better idea.

Chester would have never crashed the ceremony and kidnapped Tony.

However, with Chester well and truly dead, Kendis shouldn’t have to worry about magical party crashers anymore. It was just her luck that now all she worried half-blood and muggleborn reporters crashing this press conference.

“Kendis?”

Kendis turned to Tony, “We discussed this. The kneazle is out of the bag, and we can’t run from this. Besides, I’m not ashamed to be married to you.”

Tony’s fingers brushed over her engagement ring, and Kendis felt her nerves disappear and be replaced with a brilliant warmth in her chest.

‘By merlin, I love this man,’ Kendis shot him a small, affectionate smile as she allowed Tony to lead her to the press room. Her gaze traveled around the cavernous lobby. It was a cathedral that worshipped tech instead of God. The place was made of glass and steel, all sharp lines that made her wary of even breathing on the furniture.

It was all Tony’s postmodern style with none of his charm. It was cold in a way that Kendis hated. The receptionist desk was a steel circular table, the receptionist sitting and behind it was a holoscreen saver of the Stark Industries logo.

Her eyes traveled to the large floor to ceiling windows that at least three stories tall looking out on the sprawling industrial complex that Kendis knew only represented a fraction of the Stark empire.

Kendis felt unconscious as she heard the sound of her combat boots echo off the white Italian marble. Samantha Jones, Tony’s pitbull of a publicist, had wanted Marco and Faiza to do a whole look for her.

But Kendis was adamant that she wanted the press to see Kendis not as the made-up dream she had been on the carpet, but as she was in her daily life. A black motorcycle jacket over a white ‘Protect the dolls’ t-shirt, ripped jeans, and combat boots.

“Holy hell… that’s her.”

“I thought the marriage thing was a rumor.”

“Nope. TMZ posted the certificate.”

“You’re telling me Tony Stark married the motorcycle mechanic?”

“Apparently, the motorcycle mechanic is also English nobility.”

Kendis did her best ignore the whispers as much as she could and was thankful even though the lobby felt like it took forever to cross, they were shortly turning down a short hallway. They stopped in front of a pair of double doors, and even through it was closed she could hear the rumblings of reporters inside.

“Ready?” Tony said, squeezing her hand again. Kendis took another deep breath and sighed. They eyes met and a silent conversation passed between them and the context of everything was the deep well of love and care for her.

He picked her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. And God the way that made her stomach flutter. It had been two and half months since they got married but every day with Tony made her love him even more.

There was a cough and Kendis turned to see Happy shooting them an embarrassed look.

“They are waiting for you, boss.”

Kendis took another deep breath and smiled. “Let’s do this.” Happy opened the door and together the couple stepped inside the immediate chaos of the press room.

The noise rose to a deafening roar as they were combated with questions and flashing lights. Kendis thanks god that she decided to wear the noise cancelling earbuds Tony had made for her. It was only thing that was keeping her from this situation being a complete sensory nightmare.

Security lead them through the chaos and up to dais where a small rectangle table sat. Tony pulled out of the chair for her and she shot him a grateful look. Then Tony circled around to plop himself non-chantly into his chair. He sprawled across it like it was a throne and not a steel folding chair.

Kendis looked at the big microphone in front of her and sighed. She much preferred sonorus spell this big bulky equipment.

She winced as Tony tapped his microphone and she threw him a look. Tony smiled sheepishly at her before he turned back to the crowd.

“Alright folks, welcome and thanks for coming on short notice.” The level of the shouting got even louder and Kendis winced.

Tony stood up and threw a glare at the crowd of reporters so cold that it startled even Kendis. Tony was usually charming and jovial but now his glare was enough to make a quiet hush fall on the massive group of journalists.

But as quickly as if he hit a switch, Tony’s glare was suddenly replaced with his usual cocky grin. And Kendis was both a little impressed and bemused at how quickly Tony could turn it off and on.

“Normally, I am all about embracing chaos,” Tony shrugged. “But things have changed. My assistant Pepper gave you a list of questions Kendis and I will not be answering under any circumstances. And if you choose ignore that? If you choose to be disrespectful, especially to Kendis? I will kick you out of this press conference and ban you from the premise. Do I make myself clear?”

There murmurs of agreement from the crowd and Tony sat back down and clapped his hands together as if he was a teacher addressing rowdy students. “Now, let’s get started.” Hands shoot immediately.

Tony pointed to a pretty East Asian woman in a red dress, “How about you?”

“Rachel Kim, ABC News. Mr. Stark, Lady Black, the marriage certificate shows three months. Why reveal the relationship publicly now?”

“We didn’t reveal it,” Tony shrugged. “It was leaked against us our will. Our marriage records were sealed for both Kendis and I’s protection and someone violated not only our privacy but the law to leak it. And when I find out who did it (and it’s only a matter a time until I do) I will make sure they are prosecute with the full power of the law.”

There was a hush and then a skinny white man stood to his feet.

“Jason Miller, Forbes. Mr. Stark, does this marriage affect Stark Industries in any way? Is Lady Black involved in the company financially or operationally?”

“Nope,” Tony shot Kendis a proud look. “Kendis is a successful business owner in her own right. She has been running one of the best custom bike shops in Los Angeles years before she met me and funny enough? Kendis did it without my billions.”

An older white man who looked around Obadiah’s age stood up.

“Jonathan Price, BBC News. Lady Black, many people were surprised to learn you hold a title in the British gentry. Do you plan to take on any public role connected to that?”

“No,” Kendis shook her head. “The title of Lady Black was inherited from my late godfather because he died without an heir. I will of course, continue to do the duties that is required by my title. But at the end of the day? I am a mechanic and I love my job. Lady Black is something that was passed down to me, but being a mechanic is the life I choose.”

“Claire Donovan, People Magazine. Tony, when exactly did your relationship become romantic? Were you already married when you debuted Kendis at the Apogee Awards?”

“We have been dating off and on for a year.” Tony answered with another shrug. “We decided three months that we should stop playing it safe and be exclusive.”

“But why marriage? Isn’t that a bit sudden?”

“When you know, you know.” Tony shot Kendis a soppy look that did all types of things to her. “Besides, I have always been an all or nothing type of guy.”

“Christine Everhart, Vanity Fair.”

The air shifted as Christine stepped up, notebook hand, but Kendis did not like the hard determined glint in the woman’s eyes as she stared at Kendis.

“So, Kendis Black,” she began sweetly, “Wait, I’m sorry, Lady Black. Tells us did you marry Tony Stark because you knew that you would never be accepted in noble circles. Where you that desperate for some clout?”

A sudden hush fell over the room.

Kendis’s lips parted but she was legitimately speechless. Christine’s claim that she married for Tony for fame was utterly ridiculous. Kendis was hardly Glideroy Lockhart and the last thing she needed was more even more fame.

“Christine, Christine, Christine,” Tony tisked her. “That is such a tired and predictable question. I expected better out of you.”

The audience tittered nervously, but Christine did not flinch. She leaned forward, voice carrying clearly over the murmurs.

“Let’s be honest here. People do not know who Kendis Black really is. One week you are a grease-stained mechanic. The next you are suddenly Lady Black, rubbing shoulders with royals. And then this—” she flipped her notebook and held up a printed photo, grainy but recognizable, a Black masculine presenting child in dirty oversized clothing and cheap round spectacles.

“Funny how you never mentioned you were man when you decided to play the perfect society bride.”

The flashes went wild. A wave of whispering cut through the press corps.

“Happy, get her out of here! ” Tony shot to his feet, his face a mask of rage. Happy cut through the rabid crowd over to Christine.

Kendis stood up and took a deep breath. She knew that this was going to happen. Hell Samantha had tried to warn her in usual caring but abrasive way. Kendis knew the moment she decided to step into the spotlight with Tony that someone who would out her.

When she imagined this moment, Kendis had expected to feel that sharp pull of depression, anxiety and sharp feeling of disconnection that signaled the all too familiar feeling of her gender dysphoria.

Kendis didn’t feel it often, had thought something was wrong with her because she didn’t struggle with it as often other trans people did.

Yet, in that moment she only felt a brief stint as she was slapped in the little boy she had been forced to be.

But Kendis was used to being slapped, used to being kicked when they were down, and they were able to push that aside.

Kendis reached out to stop Tony. He shot her a worried look and she shook her head. She turned back to the microphone, “Happy, stop!”

Happy paused in the middle of escorting a struggling Christine out of the room.

Kendis stood out of her chair and to everyone’s surprise gave Christine a slow clap. The smile on Kendis’s face was sharp as a cutting curse as she met the other woman’s eyes. The crowd quieted as they stared at Kendis in both shock and amazement.

“Congratulations, Ms. Everhart, you dug up a very old photo of me in order to out me.”

“So, you don’t deny it,” Christine smugly shot back.

Kendis smirked as she pulled opened her jacket open a little more so people can see what her t-shirt said. She stood like that for a little bit so the cameras can get a few good photos before she dropped her hands beside her.

Kendis stood there, her eyes not moving from Christine’s for not one moment. Her back ramrod straight, and every bit of the General she had once been on the battlefield. “As you can see,” Kendis’s gestured to her t-shirt. “I don’t deny it. But let me absolutely clear? I have never denied that I am transgender. Let me clarify something for you? I am a trans feminine non-binary person with she/they pronouns. And Tony has known that about me from the very beginning.”

There was a questioning murmur in the crowd. Kendis turned away to roll her eyes at the reporters’ shocked expressions.

“You might like to ignore that Tony is bisexual but Tony has done everything short of wearing a neon bi-pride flag on his back. It’s on you if you kept your heads in your cisheternormative sand. By the way, so I can make sure to get all the cards on the table? I am also bisexual, and before you start? I am a trans non-binary bisexual person that is a committed relationship with Tony Stark. Please leave your biphobic assumptions at the door.”

Kendis turned back to Christine was staring at her pale and with wide shocked eyes.

“You thought outing me in public would break me, but it takes more than you being a transphobic prat to do that. If I didn’t have the privilege and the power to be safely out you could have destroyed my life. But in the end, all you did was showed the world how much of a narrowed minded person you are. I stand proudly in my truth for the trans people who safely can’t. And I refuse to be ashamed of that.”

“Happy, take her away,” Kendis ordered with a wave, and she watched in satisfaction as Christine was dragged out the room.