[Third Person's PoV]
Tony descended from the sky with practiced grace, the thrusters on his suit humming softly as he landed just a few steps behind Melissa. She was already leaning over the frozen figure of the Titanium Man, her fingers gripping the edge of the metallic helmet. With a sharp tug, she removed the mask — only to reveal a hollow interior. There was no one inside.
Her eyes narrowed in irritation. "Well, gosh darn it," she muttered with a sigh. "If I'd known it was empty the whole time, I wouldn't have bothered holding back. I would've finished this fight in ten seconds flat."
Tony let out a short laugh as he strolled forward to stand beside her, surveying the empty armor. "Heh, I had the exact same reaction when I figured it out," he said, the corners of his mouth tugging upward in amusement.
Melissa tilted her head slightly as she looked down at the now-lifeless shell. "So… what do we do with it now?" she asked, genuinely curious.
Tony crossed his arms and tapped a finger thoughtfully against his chin. "Hmm… We're going to have to fake the scene. Make it look like this one self-destructed like the others."
Melissa turned to him, raising a brow in confusion. "What? Why go through the trouble?"
"I want to take it back with me and analyze it," Tony explained, his voice lowering slightly in seriousness. "That core in its chest? It's dangerous. The radiation levels in that thing are off the charts — it's basically a mini-nuke. If it went off, it could wipe out this entire city block. There's no way the government will let me keep it, much less study it. They'd confiscate it in a heartbeat."
He stepped forward and knelt beside the armor, his voice growing more intense. "Besides, I don't trust anyone else with this kind of tech. Who knows what they'd do? Mass-produce these suits and create an army? No thanks. I can already tell what would happen when power like this falls into the wrong hands."
There were more reasons, of course. Strategic ones. But for now, Tony had said enough.
Melissa gave a firm nod. "Alright, I'm in. I'll help you stage it. We'll make the explosion look convincing."
"Perfect," Tony said, his tone now all business. His faceplate dissolved seamlessly into his skin, revealing a determined expression underneath. "Let's get to work."
---
Later…
Inside a stark interrogation room, Tony sat casually in a chair with one arm thrown over the backrest like he owned the place. A pair of detectives sat across from him, eyeing him with equal parts suspicion and fatigue. His suit was gone, and in its place were a pair of dark sunglasses resting on his nose. He blew a lazy bubble with his gum, the pop loud in the silence of the room.
Detective Naomasa Tsukauchi leaned forward slightly, his fingers steepled. "Alright, Mr. Stark. So you're telling us you have absolutely no idea why these individuals targeted you specifically and chose to confront you in the middle of a crowded mall today?"
"That's exactly what I said," Tony replied, not missing a beat. "Look, there could be a thousand reasons. I've made plenty of enemies on my climb to the top — business rivals, jealous inventors, evil robots, you name it. But when I asked them directly, they said they didn't have a vendetta. They just… didn't like me."
He paused, then flashed a cocky grin. "Which is clearly a lie. I mean, come on — who doesn't like me? I'm the most likeable person around. If there were a global competition for most likeable individual and I came in second, the judges would declare it a mistake and award me first place anyway, just because of how ridiculously charming I am."
Detective Naomasa's eye twitched. For a brief moment, he wasn't sure what was worse — having to question someone like Tony Stark, or knowing with painful certainty that the man was actually telling the truth.
With a sigh, the detective pressed on. "Alright. Maybe you didn't know why they targeted you. That still doesn't change the fact that you broke the law. You engaged in combat without a hero license. That's a clear violation of public safety regulations. You acted independently, without any legal authorization—"
Tony cut him off with an exaggerated groan and threw his head back. "The only thing being violated right now are my ears. Do you people ever get tired of repeating the same script? I was attacked. They came after me — in public, no less. I defended myself. That's not vigilantism, that's common sense. You'd think saving innocent lives would buy me some slack."
He leaned forward, his expression sharpening. "My life was in danger. Everyone in that mall was at risk. I didn't act out of ego, I acted because no one else could respond fast enough. So, unless you wanted headlines reading 'Hundreds Dead in Mall Explosion,' I suggest you be a little more grateful."
"As true as that may be," Detective Naomasa said, his voice level but firm, "you still didn't disengage when the pro heroes arrived and attempted to take control of the situation. You continued to act independently—"
Tony rolled his head back dramatically and let out an exasperated groan, his mouth wide open. "Oh, come on. You seriously can't expect me to have just stepped aside and left things to that overgrown bimbo, can you? If I had followed your idea of protocol, the casualties would've been catastrophic. She got tossed like a ragdoll the second she made contact with that armored robot."
He leaned forward, eyes gleaming with defiant confidence. "Sure, there was a bit of collateral damage — but you know what the body count was? Zero. Not a single innocent got hurt. You know why? Because of me. You're welcome, by the way."
Tony glanced at the detectives and saw them exchange skeptical glances, as if silently debating how much longer they could put up with him. He let out a scoff and rolled his eyes.
"Ugh, enough of this," Tony muttered, yanking his arms apart. The metal cuffs binding him snapped like twigs under pressure, clattering onto the floor. The two detectives jumped in their seats, clearly startled.
Tony stood up smoothly, brushing imaginary dust from his sleeve as he stepped toward the door. "Now then, gentlemen, I believe we've reached the part where you stop wasting my time. Yours might be expendable, but mine certainly isn't. So unless you have a warrant or something more interesting to offer, I'll be on my way."
He paused as he grabbed the doorknob, flashing them a smug grin. "Oh, and if you're really dead set on arresting me, just send the bail amount directly to me. I'll cover it before you finish typing the first line of the paperwork."
He blew a bubble with his gum, the pop echoing in the room, and turned the knob.
"Wait just a second — we're not finished questioning you!" Naomasa's partner shot up from his chair, voice rising with urgency.
Tony, however, didn't even flinch. "But I'm done answering you," he said coolly, not bothering to look back. "Talk to my lawyer if you need to."
And with that, he exited the interrogation room, the door shutting behind him with a definitive click.
Naomasa's partner moved as if to go after him, but the detective reached out and placed a steady hand on his shoulder. He gave a slow shake of his head, letting out a long, resigned sigh. "Don't bother," he muttered.
---
Outside…
Tony and Melissa exited the precinct side by side, both wearing expressions of utter irritation. Melissa rubbed the back of her neck, cracking it from side to side in frustration.
"That was god-awful," she muttered. "They're so damn annoying."
"Tell me about it," Tony grumbled, stuffing his hands into his pockets as they made their way to the sleek black limo waiting by the curb. "Felt like I was being interrogated by parrots who learned to say 'illegal' and just wouldn't shut up."
He stepped ahead and opened the limo door for her with a bit of flair. Inside, Momo Yaoyorozu was seated elegantly, surrounded by a small mountain of shopping bags. She looked up at them, her brows lifting slightly.
"About time," she said with a sigh, clearly displeased. "We were worried."
As Tony and Melissa settled in and the limo began to drive off, Melissa leaned forward. "How was everyone?" she asked.
Momo sighed and leaned her cheek against her palm. "They were both upset and concerned. Worried about your safety, of course. And more than a little upset that we had to cut the trip short. It really put a damper on things."
She shook her head softly. "And we were actually having a great time."
Tony and Melissa exchanged a smiled at Momo's disappointment.
"Well," Tony said with a smirk, "just because the shopping trip got cut short doesn't mean the whole day's ruined. There's still time to salvage it."
Melissa turned toward him with an intrigued look. "Oh? And what did you have in mind?"
Tony leaned back, lacing his fingers behind his head with that signature Stark charm. "I was thinking… a nice lunch date. Just the three of us. I mean, it'd be a crime to let you both look this good and not take you somewhere classy. You'd be turning heads either way."
Both Momo and Melissa couldn't help but smile, their cheeks gaining a soft, pink hue at his words. His flirtatious tone was so unabashed it was almost funny.
"I am so down for that," Melissa said with a grin and an expectant nod.
"It doesn't sound too bad," Momo agreed, a soft laugh escaping her lips. "You can count me in as well."
Tony grinned, victorious. "Then it's settled. Lunch first, then we'll see where the day takes us."
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