[Third Person's PoV]
Tony pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling sharply through gritted teeth. His patience had clearly reached its limit. Without another word, he turned toward the horizon, his eyes locking onto the faint silhouettes of Uraraka and Asui in hot pursuit of Melissa across the wide beach.
"Momo," Tony said, his voice low and cold like a brewing storm.
"Y-Yeah?" Momo responded weakly, her voice muffled. She was crouched on the ground, burying her flushed face in her hands, shoulders trembling from embarrassment.
"Take cover," Tony warned, lowering his stance like a predator preparing to strike.
"Wha—?"
Before Momo could finish her sentence, an explosion of sand erupted around her as Tony launched forward. His form blurred, sprinting at superhuman speed. His torso remained upright and composed, arms pumping with razor-sharp precision, and his legs were little more than fleeting shadows, kicking up waves of sand behind him.
Uraraka and Asui, still chasing Melissa through the surf and sand, suddenly felt a chill—like an instinctual warning of danger approaching. The sound of rhythmic thudding mixed with aggressive grunts signaled something fast—and furious—was closing in.
They turned in unison, their expressions morphing from confusion to sheer panic.
"AAAAAHH!" both screamed as Tony zipped past them like a rocket, his stoic expression never changing. The sheer speed and presence of him stunned them, causing both girls to stop in their tracks, eyes wide.
Melissa, hearing the screams, dared to glance back with a playful grin—expecting perhaps a silly prank. But what she saw caused her smirk to vanish.
Her eyes nearly popped out of her skull as she saw Tony barreling toward her with the fury of a titan.
"MELISSA!!" Tony roared, his voice deep and echoing, face twisted into an exaggerated mask of wrath.
"Sugar Honey Iced Tea!" Melissa yelped, spinning back around in an instant. With renewed terror, she kicked into overdrive, her legs pumping like pistons. Arms flailing side to side, she matched Tony's speed, becoming a blur on the beach herself.
Spectators dotted around the beach began to take notice. Sand sprayed in all directions as the two bolted across the shoreline like characters out of an anime chase sequence. Jaws dropped. Eyes followed. None of them had ever seen Tony or Melissa run like this before.
"I'M SORRY!!" Melissa cried out between gasps, her voice cracking with a mix of regret and terror.
Onlookers watched, heads swiveling left to right as the two became small figures in the distance. Then Tony's voice came booming from afar:
"An apology isn't going to save you this time, young lady!!"
The crowd froze.
Moments later, a distant shout echoed back.
"TONY NO WAIT—!"
SMACK!!
The sound carried over the breeze like a firecracker.
Everyone flinched. A beat of silence followed.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
A wail like that of a tortured spirit reached them. Mouths dropped. Eyebrows lifted. Some exchanged horrified glances. Others stifled laughter behind their hands.
Then, the sight hit them.
Tony emerged from the distance, marching back across the sand with Melissa slung over his shoulder like an overgrown sack of potatoes. Her face was scrunched in exaggerated sorrow, tears streaking down her cheeks as she rubbed her backside.
"You monster!" she sobbed dramatically. "Woman beater!"
Gasps and awkward chuckles rippled through the crowd as they tried to make sense of what they were seeing. The most comical detail? Her poor butt was visibly red, with faint steam rising from it like freshly cooked dumplings.
In front of them, Uraraka and Asui reappeared from the opposite direction, huffing and puffing, their faces red—not from running, but from sheer disbelief. They stared at the scene before them, utterly dumbfounded.
Tony didn't slow. He shifted Melissa from his shoulder to his hip without breaking stride, then with a smooth motion, reached out and grabbed Uraraka. Before she could speak, she was hoisted over his other shoulder.
"Wha—hey!"
"It's not right—" Asui began, but her words were cut off as Tony grabbed and lifted her too, placing her across his remaining shoulder.
Now with one girl slung across each shoulder and Melissa carried under his arm like a bag of groceries, Tony turned toward the still-gawking crowd.
His face darkened.
"The hell are you all looking at!?! Mind your own goddamn business!!" he barked, channeling a fury that eerily resembled Bakugo.
The crowd recoiled in synchronized fear, heads turning in every direction except toward Tony.
Meanwhile, Uraraka and Asui blinked in disbelief, their bodies limp as their brains struggled to process what had just happened.
Back by the rock formation, Momo stared, her expression frozen in stunned silence. Her eyes locked on the ridiculous sight of Tony approaching with three pairs of legs dangling from his body—one pair kicking weakly, one pair limp, and the last pair revealing a bright red backside still steaming.
Tony set Melissa down first with little ceremony of her, followed by Uraraka and Asui, who stumbled slightly as they were released. All three girls sat in a dazed row in the sand, exchanging confused glances and while Melissa was rubbing sore spots.
Momo swiftly yanked her hoodie over her head and ducked behind Tony as he stopped beside her. She tried to make herself small, hiding behind his frame like a turtle pulling into its shell.
Tony folded his arms, standing tall and unwavering beside Momo like a silent sentinel. His glare still fierce.
Momo peeked out from behind his arm, face glowing red beneath her hoodie, blinking rapidly in shame.
"Just what is going on?" Uraraka asked, her voice thick with confusion as her eyes darted between the group. "First, we see you and Momo... k-k-kissing," she stammered, a rosy hue rushing to her cheeks at the memory. "Then Melissa storms off crying, but now that I'm actually looking at her… she doesn't seem all that upset?"
Asui blinked slowly, her tongue flicking the corner of her mouth in thought. She turned her attention toward Melissa, noticing how the girl seemed more focused on rubbing her sore backside than any emotional turmoil. "Are we perhaps missing something important here?" she asked with a quiet ribbit.
Tony exhaled deeply and gave Melissa a sidelong glare. "You started this mess. You explain it."
Melissa let out a dramatic sigh before turning to face the two girls. Without hesitation, she stepped beside Tony and looped her arm through his, planting a smug grin on her face. "Very well. The truth is…" she began theatrically, "Tony is currently building a harem! And you two lucky ladies have been selected as the newest recruits!"
Tony's head snapped toward her with an expression of pure disbelief, eyes wide as if he couldn't believe she had just said that. Uraraka and Asui both recoiled, faces scrunching in unison as they took a few steps back in utter horror. Even Momo, who had been hiding behind Tony in embarrassment, peeked out with a look of stunned betrayal.
"MELISSA," Tony said warningly through gritted teeth.
Momo sighed and finally pulled her hood down, her expression soft but serious. "Ignore her. That was just Melissa being, well… Melissa," she said before stepping forward to speak clearly and directly. "The truth is, Melissa and I are both dating Tony. It's something we entered into together. I was afraid of how others might react, so I asked that we keep our relationship a secret for now."
She glanced briefly at Tony. "He actually didn't want to hide it. It was my idea. Tony agreed only to this relationship because Melissa and I insisted."
Momo turned to face the girls fully, her tone sincere. "So what you saw earlier was just a moment between Tony and me — a private moment, not meant for anyone else. Melissa's dramatic outburst was just a poor attempt at humor. I'm telling you this now so you don't judge Tony harshly. He's innocent in all of this and doesn't deserve any negative assumptions."
With a graceful bow of her head, she finished quietly, "I'm sorry for any confusion or discomfort we may have caused."
There was a pause as Uraraka and Asui processed everything, their expressions softening.
"I see…" Uraraka muttered, stepping closer. She and Asui exchanged a look before moving toward Momo with understanding in their eyes.
"You don't have to bow, Yaoyorozu," Asui said gently, helping Momo straighten back up. "We're your friends. You shouldn't feel afraid of how we'd react. If you'd explained it like this from the start, we would've understood."
Uraraka nodded in agreement. "It's true. Your relationship is your own. We have no right to judge what works for you, Tony, and Melissa."
Then she glanced down apologetically. "I'm sorry I glared at you two earlier. I should have trusted you more."
Tony gave a short, amused scoff. "Come on, considering what you saw, anyone would've reacted the same way. You've got nothing to apologize for."
Momo let out a deep sigh of relief and placed a hand on her chest. "Honestly… it feels good to finally say it out loud. Like a weight's been lifted."
Uraraka's eyes twinkled with curiosity. "Can you tell us more? Like… how this relationship started and became what it is?"
"Sure," Momo said with a smile, her voice more confident now. She stepped forward, and Uraraka and Asui each hooked an arm through hers as they walked together toward the shoreline.
Behind them, Tony and Melissa strolled at a slower pace, their steps relaxed.
"This was your plan all along, wasn't it?" Tony muttered, giving her a side glance.
Melissa walked with her hands folded behind her back, blinking innocently. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she said in a sing-song voice.
Then she wrapped her arm around his and smiled up at him. "All I knew was that my boyfriend wanted to go public with his relationship… but his girlfriend was just a teensy bit shy. So, naturally, I acted accordingly."
Tony rolled his eyes but smiled despite himself. He leaned over and kissed the top of her head, making Melissa giggle and flush like a schoolgirl.
Still pouting playfully, she looked up at him. "Although… did you have to slap my butt that hard? It was steaming. That's not normal."
Tony leaned closer, his voice low and teasing. "I'll kiss it better later."
Melissa's cheeks exploded into crimson as she gripped his hand tighter. "You certainly know how to give a girl something to look forward to."
They both laughed as they continued walking side-by-side.
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