[Third Person's PoV]
Momo stared down at the bed, her feet crossed, voice soft and hesitant. "Why are you doing this to me?"
Melissa froze, guilt clawing at her chest. "Ah... I'm sorry, Momo…" she murmured, sighing deeply.
She pulled back from where she had been lying, sitting upright.
Momo's lips curled into a small, sad frown, and the sight of it made Melissa's heart ache. She opened her mouth, ready to say something—anything—to fix this, but Momo spoke first.
"You're cruel, Melissa…" Momo's voice wavered, her hair falling forward to shield her face. "I had moved on from Tony... or at least, I thought I had. I kept my distance from the two of you so I wouldn't interfere, so I wouldn't become a problem. I suppressed my feelings out of respect for both of you. It wasn't easy, you know… moving on."
She exhaled shakily.
"I loved Tony. Maybe I still do—I don't know anymore. You're confusing me."
Melissa bit her lip, guilt deepening.
Momo continued, voice raw with emotion. "I loved him because, without him, I wouldn't be who I am today. I sometimes imagine what my life would've been like if I'd never met him… and I know, without a doubt, there would be a stark difference."
A pause.
"...No pun intended." She winced slightly at the unintentional wordplay with Tony's last name but pushed forward before Melissa could speak.
"It hurt, at first," Momo admitted. "Letting go of someone you love. Watching him be happy with someone else. But… it wasn't just anyone. It was you. And that made it hurt a little less."
Melissa's eyes widened slightly.
"You were like the sister I always wanted, my other best friend. Just like Tony, I know I wouldn't be the person I am today without you."
Melissa's throat tightened, but she stayed silent, listening.
"So I thought, 'It's okay. I'm happy for them. The two most important people in my life are together. It was never meant to be. I can move on.' And that's what I did.
"There were moments where I could've ignored everything, let my feelings take over, but I didn't. I couldn't. Out of respect for you."
Momo's face flushed at a memory. "Like when he asked me to put his contacts in for him… It was such an intimate moment. And for just a second, I wanted to forget everything. But I didn't. I forced myself to push through."
Her voice trembled now, and when she lifted her head, her eyes glistened with unshed tears. Her lips quivered, her body trembling as she tried to keep it all in.
But she couldn't. A single tear slipped down her cheek.
"So I have to know… Why are you doing this to me?" Momo whispered. "Why do you want me to keep suffering like this? Do you enjoy seeing me in pain? Is this punishment… for loving him in the first place?"
Melissa felt her own tears spill over. She rubbed at her eyes, shaking her head frantically.
"T-That wasn't what I wanted," Melissa sobbed. "I never wanted to hurt you. That has never been my intention."
She hiccuped between words, voice cracking. "I just… I just wanted you to be honest with yourself. I don't even know what that would've accomplished, but I never wanted to hurt you. I swear, I only did it because I care about you."
Without thinking, Melissa threw her arms around Momo, hugging her tightly as tears continued to fall.
"I thought that if you admitted it, we'd grow closer," she whispered. "That there wouldn't be any secrets between us. Hurting you was never my goal."
Momo sighed, leaning into the embrace. She knew Melissa wasn't malicious—she simply wasn't that kind of person. If she were, Momo wouldn't have been friends with her to begin with.
After a moment, Momo spoke again, voice quieter now. "Melissa… just how close were you planning for our relationship to be? Because, honestly, the way you went about this has me a little concerned."
Breaking away, she wiped her tears, trying to regain her composure.
Melissa did the same, her pale cheeks turning red at the question. She looked away, too embarrassed to answer.
Momo arched a brow. "I thought we weren't supposed to have secrets? Honesty, remember?"
Melissa mumbled something under her breath.
Momo frowned. "What? I didn't catch that."
Melissa's face went even redder. Then, with a sudden burst of desperation, she practically shouted:
"I wanted you to join us in a threesome!! Maybe the two of you would have developed some sort of friends-with-benefits situation!"
Momo stared at Melissa in disbelief, her mind struggling to process what she had just heard. "You—You—You pervert! Ecchi! Hentai!" she exclaimed, turning an entirely new shade of red.
"What is wrong with you?!" Momo almost shouted, utterly stunned. "Tony was right! You are a perv!"
Melissa waved her fists up and down in frustration. "That's not true! It's only because it was you, Momo! If it were anyone else, I would've shut the idea down without a second thought. But the idea of the three of us together was just… too alluring!"
Momo took a deep breath, her voice turning cold despite herself. "So you forced me to confront feelings I buried just so you could entertain some fantasy?"
Melissa flinched, looking down. She bit her lip before lifting her gaze, sincerity and guilt evident in her eyes.
"If I'm being honest… I hate it," Melissa muttered.
Momo gave a wary smile, assuming she understood. "Yeah, I can see why you'd hate it if someone had—"
"No, it's not that," Melissa interrupted, shaking her head. She hesitated for a moment before continuing, her voice softer but firm. "I hate that you just gave up. You loved Tony too. You shouldn't have put my feelings above your own without even trying. You didn't even fight for him, Momo. If you had, I wouldn't have been mad. I would have accepted the challenge, and we could have competed fairly—with no hard feelings."
"There was no point, Melissa." Momo sighed, shaking her head. "I wouldn't have won. And worse, I could have lost both of you in the process."
Melissa clenched her fists, frustration flickering in her eyes. "That's what pisses me off, Momo! You don't know that! You're gorgeous—even before you took the serum, you were beautiful. Who's to say what would have happened between us? You never even gave yourself the chance!"
Momo's expression softened. "Melissa, I appreciate the compliment, but—"
"No buts!" Melissa interrupted, standing up abruptly. "Come with me."
"Huh? Where?" Momo asked, wary of the sudden shift in energy.
"We're going to Tony. Right now. We're going to ask him directly—if he would've had a hard time choosing between us or if he would've just picked me without hesitation."
Momo groaned, rubbing her temples. "Can we not do that, please?"
Melissa crossed her arms stubbornly. "Either we go to his room, or he comes to yours—which, with all the attendants here, wouldn't look great."
Momo let out a long, heavy sigh. "And what exactly do you hope to accomplish with this?"
"Everything," Melissa said, her eyes locked onto Momo's.
For a few seconds, Momo just stared at her. Finally, her shoulders slumped in resignation. "You're not letting this go anytime soon, are you?"
"Nope."
Grumbling under her breath, Momo reluctantly conjured a pair of slippers beneath her feet.
—
Meanwhile, in his room, Tony sat on his bed, surrounded by floating hard-light holograms. His fingers moved rapidly, restructuring the virtual model of U.A. with precision.
A knock at the door pulled him from his work. His irises glowed faintly red as his X-ray vision activated. Through the door, he saw Melissa standing in front, Momo behind her with her head slightly down, wearing a wary smile.
"Come in," Tony called.
The door swung open, and before Tony could react, Melissa blurted out, "Tony, would you have sex with Momo!?"
Momo's head snapped toward Melissa, eyes wide in horror. "What?!"
Tony choked on his own saliva, coughing violently as he banged on his chest to catch his breath. "What the hell, Melissa?!"
********************************************
+31 advance Chapters on: patreon.com/Shadow_D_Monarch3