Vacation, Part 2
Eliot, Izuku, Ochaco, Bakugo and Denki converse with each other and sang along to whatever song that was playing on the radio during their journey to town. This allows Denki an opportunity to learn more about Eliot as well.
Some time has passed and before they knew it, they arrived back at the peaceful town of Oshima. As they drive through the small town, Izuku, Bakugo and Denki look through the windows and see the various buildings around them while Ochaco uses the map on her smartphone to tell Eliot the directions to the nearest supermarket. As they travel deeper into the town however, the smile of Denki's face slowly disappears as his heart sank further.
A few minutes later, they arrived at their destination. Eliot makes a turn into the parking lot located just outside the supermarket, which is a fairly large and wide rectangular-shaped building with bland beige-coloured walls. The entrance is located at the left side of the building and has a simple red signboard with white text placed above the automatic sliding doors.
Eliot parks the car in one of the lots and everybody get out of the vehicle. After stretching his arms, Izuku turns his head to Denki, who has a dull, glazed look on his face as he stares stupidly into space.
"Denki? What's wrong?" Izuku asked his friend concernedly.
"What's wrong?" Denki responded woefully as he turned to Izuku. "This town doesn't seem to have any shopping centres at all! All we ever see here are small diners, grocery stores and second-hand shops!"
"Well, what do you expect? It's supposed to be a small town far away from civilization." Eliot said as he presses a button on the car keys to lock the vehicle. "Now come on. Let's go buy our groceries."
"W-w-what?" Denki said incredulously as he turned to Eliot. "Eliot, you're not bothered by this?"
"What do you mean?" Eliot asked.
"I mean I thought you're the guy who loves to have fun by reading comics and watching sports all day, but when it comes to doing chores, you seem so serious about it." Denki said.
"Well, how do you think I'm able to live and adapt in Tokyo despite being a foreigner?" Eliot replied.
"You know Denki; you could just stay inside the car if you want." Bakugo suggested.
"No! I don't want to spend my time in town just staying inside the car! I'll come with you guys!" Denki cried anxiously as he rushes over to the entrance of the supermarket. Izuku, Ochaco, Bakugo and Eliot sigh as they make their way to the supermarket as well.
Upon entering the supermarket, they go over to the baskets and trolley located at the side of the sliding doors. Izuku and Eliot each pick up a basket while Bakugo grabs a trolley. After passing through the gates and into the supermarket, Bakugo picks up a bag of rice and two packets of curry from the shelves just next to them on the left and place them into the trolley. Eliot inserts his hand into his pocket and takes out the shopping list that Momo had given him beforehand.
"Do you guys each have a copy of the list?" Eliot asked the others. Izuku, Ochaco, Bakugo and Denki nod their heads as they show Eliot a photo of Momo's shopping list in their smartphones. "Good. We'll split into different groups. We already got the rice and curry so we can check those off the list. Ochaco and Bakugo will handle the drinks and charcoal. Denki and Izuku will get the fruits and veggies while I deal with the meat and fish. We'll save the ice for the last." Eliot said. Izuku frowned upon hearing this arrangement.
"Um, Eliot." Izuku said as he raised his hand. "How about I go with Ochaco instead, while Denki go with-"
"No-no-no-no-no-no-no!" Denki cried frantically as he waves his hands at Izuku. He firmly places his hands on his shoulders and whispered into his ear pleadingly while staring at Bakugo in fear. "Izuku, please! I'm totally fine being with you instead!"
"But Denki…" Izuku tried to reason with him.
"It's alright, Izuku." Ochaco chuckled as she gives Izuku a reassuring smile. "I do need someone strong enough to carry the drinks and charcoal for us. So it makes sense for Bakugo to go with me."
"Don't worry, Izuku. You can count on us." Bakugo said as he jabs his thumb at himself. Izuku manages to crack a weak smile at them, but he honestly felt a sense of disappointment.
"Okay then." Izuku simply said to Ochaco and Bakugo.
"Alright! Let's go shopping!" Eliot grins as he pumps his fist up.
"Yeah!" Ochaco, Bakugo, Izuku and Denki responded as they throw their fists into the air as well. The smile on Izuku's face soon faded as they go their separate ways. Bakugo drags the trolley with him as he and Ochaco head to the aisles at the right side of the supermarket. Izuku and Denki make their way over to the back of the building where the fruits and vegetables section is while Eliot goes over to the upper right corner of the supermarket where the meat and fish are located. Izuku briefly watch Bakugo and Ochaco make their way to the aisles before turning his head back to the front. Hopefully, some grocery shopping with Denki will help get his mind off things.
When Izuku and Denki arrive at the fruits and vegetables section, they take out their phones and see their photos of Momo's shopping list.
"Okay, so we'll need to buy at least ten oranges." Izuku said as he places the basket down on the floor. After Denki grabs a plastic bag from the roll placed at the front of the fruit boxes, he simply dumps whatever oranges he took into it.
"Hey! Not like that!" Izuku chided as he grabs Denki's wrist, stopping him from dumping another orange into his bag. He takes the orange from Denki's hand and shows him that there is a small mould on it. "You should always try to pick the freshest oranges from the box."
"What? I have to examine them too?" Denki asked in annoyance.
"Unless you want diarrhoea, yes you must." Izuku said flatly. Denki groans as Izuku takes the bag of oranges from him. He removes the ones that have moulds on their skins and place them back into the box. Izuku later picks up seven fresh and clean oranges from the box, put them into the plastic bag and place it into the shopping basket. "Okay Denki. Next let's buy-"
Izuku cuts himself off as he turned to Denki. He sees him holding up two mushrooms at his ears and rolls his eyes back.
"Look at me…I'm Frankenstein's monster." Denki moaned.
"Denki!" Izuku cried in frustration.
"What else am I supposed to do?!" Denki whined as he lowers the mushrooms and lets his arms hang limply at his sides. "I thought since we are now on an island far away from the city, we're supposed to be having fun already!"
"Well if you keep acting like this, how are you going to survive on your own in the future?! And what will your family think of you?!" Izuku yelled furiously. In an instant, all of Denki's desires of wanting to have fun and excitement were gone as he felt as if Izuku's words had stab through his heart. He stared at Izuku in shock for a moment before he frowned and pursed his lips, as he felt a sense of guilt and regret over the way he behaved earlier.
"Gee Izuku, you actually sound like Uraraka-senpai when she is on duty." Denki said dejectedly.
Izuku widens his eyes when he realized what he had done, as well as the thought of Ochaco coming back into his mind. He frowned and sadly lowers his head as he too felt guilty for his outburst towards his friend. "Yeah…I guess I do." He murmured.
Denki places the mushrooms back into where he took them from and said to Izuku apologetically, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."
Izuku looks back up at him and places his hand on Denki's shoulder. "It's alright." He said softly. Denki gave a quick smirk at Izuku before looking at his photo of the shopping list in his phone.
"Alright so, the next item to buy after oranges is leeks, right?" Denki said.
"Yup, that's right." Izuku said as he looks at his own photo in his phone. He and Denki spent the next few minutes picking the fruits and vegetables that they are assigned to buy and put them into their shopping basket. Using the knowledge he got from all the grocery shopping trips he went with his mother back in Tokyo, Izuku teaches Denki how to examine and pick the right fruits and vegetables as they do so.
When they are done, Izuku picks up the basket from the floor. He and Denki head over to the right side corner of the supermarket to regroup with Eliot. As they approach him, they see the staff member behind the counter of the meat and fish section handing Eliot a raw chicken wrapped with paper.
"Hey guys." Eliot said as he turns his head and sees Izuku and Denki walking over to him. "I see you're done with the fruits and veggies."
"Yup. And we also double check to make sure we didn't miss out a single one on the list." Denki said.
"That's good. I just finished my part of the job too." Eliot said as he places the chicken into his basket filled with some salmon and beef steaks. "Izuku, would you mind calling Ochaco and Bakugo to come over if they are done with the drinks and charcoal?"
"Sure thing, Eliot-san." Izuku replied as he places his basket of fruits and vegetables down on the floor. He turns around, walks through the supermarket and looks up at the signs. He sees the drinks and barbeque supplies are located at aisle 7, so he makes his way over there. When he arrived at the aisle, Izuku turns to his left and spots Ochaco and Bakugo standing beside each other. Behind them is their trolley which contains the bag of rice, packets of curry, several boxes of canned drinks and a bag of charcoal. Izuku quietly backs away and hides behind the side of the shelf as he secretly watched Ochaco and Bakugo happily conversing with each other. As he sees the smiles on their faces and Ochaco laughing to one of Bakugo's stories, it is obvious that the two are enjoying their time together. Izuku sighs inwardly as he glumly turned his head away from the two. Ochaco and Bakugo's conversation became nothing more than background noise to him as he stares down at the floor and contemplate.
Ever since the day they make their way home after cheering Eliot up with Yagi's words of encouragement, Izuku couldn't stop thinking of all the times he and Ochaco spent together, as well as finally accepting the fact that he has feelings for her. But despite staying in the same room and apartment together, Izuku couldn't find the courage to open up to Ochaco how he really feels towards her now. Maybe it is the fact that it is wrong to have a relationship with someone who is temporarily staying in his apartment. His mother definitely wouldn't like it if she finds out about it. Maybe he stands by his opinion that people shouldn't think of romance until they have reached adulthood. Or maybe it is also because he and his mother will be moving out of the apartment and leaving Tokyo by the end of year anyway. So what is the point of confessing his true feelings towards her now?
Whenever he sees Ochaco and Bakugo together, the more he think to himself that maybe it makes more sense for her to be with him. After all, he will eventually leave Tokyo with his mother, and at least Bakugo will be there to replace his role in keeping Ochaco happy. And yet, the thought of it makes him feel sad and dejected that his role in her life would be diminished. He had grown to love her, but he cannot be by her side forever.
Speaking of moving out, Izuku realized that he still hadn't told Shouto, Eliot and all the other friends he had made over the last seven months about it. Despite being able to become more open and social towards others thanks to Ochaco's help, he still doesn't have the bravery to tell them about it. And after what happened between him and Bakugo, as well as the effort they went through to get back together, Izuku still has the fear of making others upset. And yet, it is inevitable that he and his mother would have to move out by the end of the year. He is simply trapped inside a no-win situation, that regardless whether if he tells them or not, they will all have their feelings hurt no matter what.
"Izuku?" Ochaco asked concernedly, causing Izuku to look up and snap out of his thoughts. "What are you doing there?"
"Oh!" Izuku chuckled as he steps out from behind the shelf and rubs the back of his head. "Denki, Eliot and I are wondering if you and Bakugo are done getting the drinks and charcoal for us."
"Yes we are!" Ochaco replied with a smile as Bakugo grabs the handlebar of the trolley. "Sorry that we kept you guys waiting. Bakugo and I were occupied with getting to know more about each other."
"I see." Izuku said with a fake smile.
"If you guys are done too, we should grab the ice and make our way back to the summer house already. I look forward to our barbeque!" Bakugo said with a wide grin as he and Ochaco go over to Izuku.
"Yeah, me too." Izuku laughed half-heartedly in response as the three walk together and regroup with Eliot and Denki.
As they arrive back at Momo's summer home, they spot Melissa and Shouto coming out of the house while carrying a barbeque grill and a folded table. Eliot slows the car down as he drives into the garage. When it came to a complete halt, Eliot, Izuku, Ochaco, Bakugo and Denki step out of the car and walk over to the trunk. As they open the trunk and grab the grocery bags, Shouto had unfolded the table and placed it on the ground.
"You guys came back just in time." Shouto said as he turns his head to them.
"Did you guys finish cleaning the house?" Ochaco asked Shouto and Melissa as she turned around.
"We just did a few minutes ago." Melissa replied after placing down the grill. "Shouto and I are now setting up the tables and chairs. Jirou, Momo and Tsuyu are in the kitchen cleaning the plates and cutlery."
"Great. We'll give you guys a hand in a minute." Ochaco said. After taking every grocery bag out from the car, Eliot closes the trunk and he, Izuku, Ochaco, Bakugo and Denki walk into the summer home through the garage door. Upon entering, they see Tsuyu, Jirou and Momo cleaning the dishes and cutlery at the kitchen sink.
"Welcome back." Momo greeted as she, Tsuyu and Jirou turn their heads to them.
"Did you guys enjoy seeing what the town is like?" Tsuyu asked as Eliot, Izuku, Ochaco, Bakugo and Denki place the grocery bags down on the counter.
"Momo told me that the island has no shopping malls. I bet you must be feeling very disappointed about it, right Denki?" Jirou asked with a smirk.
"Yeah, she's right." Denki said nonchalantly. "But that's okay. We can always think of shopping when we return back to Tokyo."
"That's right. We're supposed to be relaxing and enjoying the great outdoors while we're here." Izuku said as he and Denki smile at each other. Jirou drops her jaw and arches an eyebrow at them.
"Guys, we need to bring out another table and ten chairs." Shouto said to everyone present in the house when he and Melissa step back inside.
"Okay. Bakugo, Eliot, Denki, you three help Shouto and Melissa with the table and chairs." Ochaco instruct them.
"They are all in the basement." Momo added.
"And we can bring out some of the food while we're at it." Eliot said. Bakugo and Denki nod their heads.
"Izuku and I will prepare the chicken." Ochaco said as she turns her head to Izuku. Izuku perked up as he felt a sense of joy and relief upon hearing what she said.
"Of course." Izuku said softly.
"Momo, Jirou and I will help you two out when we are done washing." Tsuyu said.
"Okay. Let's get to work." Denki said before everyone go to perform their assigned duties. Jirou stares dumbfounded as she watches Denki, Bakugo, Shouto, Eliot and Melissa head to the stairway and make their way down to the basement.
"What's wrong, Jirou?" Izuku asked as he and Ochaco enter the kitchen.
Jirou turns her head to them and inquired, "Did Denki got his mind possessed?"
Everyone spent the next few hours helping each other and setting up tonight's barbeque dinner. Eliot, Bakugo and Denki bring the table and chairs out of the house and place them on the field outside. After arranging the tables neatly, they step aside to allow Shouto and Melissa to walk over and place the empty trays, plates and bags of corn, fruits, raw meat and fish on top of them. Shouto inserts some charcoal into the grill and lit them on fire with a kitchen lighter. As they wait for the charcoal to fire up to the right temperature, Eliot uses a wet brush to clean the grill at the meantime. Melissa, Denki, Bakugo and Shouto help cut the corn, apples, watermelon and meat and place them into the trays as they wait.
Back in the house, Tsuyu and Jirou open up the bags of ice and pour them into a freezer box while Momo, Ochaco and Izuku are cutting several carrots and onions into multiple slices on the counter. Izuku stops for a moment to wipe away the tears in his eyes which he gotten while cutting the onions. Ochaco took a tissue paper from the tissue box beside her and gave it to Izuku. Izuku smiled at her as he uses it to clean his eyes.
Tsuyu and Jirou place as much canned drinks into the freezer box as they can before they put the remaining ones into the refrigerator. When they are done, the two girls grab the handles of the freezer box and leave the house to place it outside. Izuku, Ochaco and Momo finished cutting the vegetables and pour all the slices of carrots and onions onto a metal tray. When Tsuyu and Jirou return back into the kitchen, they begin working on their roast chicken.
While holding up a cookbook in front of her, Momo instructs Izuku, Ochaco, Tsuyu and Jirou on how to prepare the roast chicken. Izuku placed the chicken onto the tray of sliced vegetables and he, Ochaco, Tsuyu and Jirou carefully did what Momo told them to put onto it. When they are done, Izuku and Ochaco slowly insert the chicken into the oven and Momo sets it to the right time and temperature. The four sigh in relief and leave the house to regroup with the others. As they step outside, they see Eliot beginning to place the fish and corn onto the grill while Melissa, Bakugo, Denki and Shouto pierce the cubes of meat through the skewers. Izuku, Ochaco, Tsuyu, Jirou and Momo help them out as well and everyone enjoy chatting with each other as they make the meat skewers and wait for their fish and corn to be cooked.
About twenty minutes later, Eliot finished cooking the first batch of fish and sweet corn. Shouto helped Eliot by holding out two plates and allow him to place the food on top of them. After Shouto put the plates of food down onto the tables, he and the others pass some meat skewers to Eliot who places them onto the grill.
Another thirty minutes later, the alarm on Momo's phone rang and she, Izuku, Ochaco, Tsuyu and Jirou hastily run back into the house and head to the kitchen to open the oven. Momo puts on her kitchen gloves and opens the oven. Momo kneels down and slowly pulls the roast chicken out of the oven. She carefully stands up, turns around and places the roast chicken down on the counter. Momo removes her gloves and she, Izuku, Ochaco, Tsuyu and Jirou proceed to add the sauce and parsley onto the chicken. When they finished adding the final touches onto the food, Momo picks up the roast chicken again and they walk their way out of the house to place it onto the table.
After Eliot finished grilling a few more corn, fish and meat skewers, everyone gather around the tables and widen their eyes in awe as they stare at the food that they have made by themselves.
"All of this food looks delicious!" Denki remarked with a grin.
"To think we actually made all of this by ourselves." Jirou said with a satisfied smirk.
"And that's what happens when we all work together." Ochaco said cheerfully.
"Let's chow down!" Bakugo said excitedly as he clasps his hands together, but Shouto stops him by holding up his arm in front of him.
"Wait." Shouto said, gesturing Bakugo to Momo. Everyone turn to Momo who nods her head to Shouto.
"Arigatou, Shouto." Momo said to him before she looked at everyone around the tables. "Everyone, before we eat, I just want to say…thank you all so much for joining me in my summer trip to Oshima, as well as helping to clean up my summer home and prepare this dinner for us."
"You're welcome, Momo." Izuku said, bowing his head to her.
"But now, it is time for me to reveal the real reason why I invited all of you to come here." Momo took a gulp before she continued, "The truth is…every year during this time, my parents and I would come to Oshima to spend our summer vacation. But I'm sure you all know what happened to my father. He committed fraud and is currently serving his time in prison, and my mother and I are still heartbroken over what happened. And that is why I invited all of you to take my parents' place this year…" She paused for a moment as tears began to form in her eyes. "And sadly, this will also be the last time I'll ever spend my summer vacation here as my parents and I have decided to sell this house to make up for the money we have spent to pay for my father's fines."
Izuku, Ochaco and the others stare wordlessly at Momo as she wipes away her tears, but new ones quickly take their place. "I urge my mother to allow me…to have one last trip here on Oshima…because this island…and our summer house…hold so many wonderful memories for me and my family before the incident." Momo tried to continue speaking between her sobs. "And I just wanted…to have one last stay in this house...before I may never set foot here ever again. So thank you…all of you…While my heart still aches over what happened…after all this time…all of you are here…to help make my final vacation here…the most memorable and meaningful day of my life."
As Momo now buries her face into her hands and sob uncontrollably, Izuku, Ochaco, Jirou, Denki, Tsuyu and Melissa felt tears pooled in their eyes as well as they stare at her. Eliot, Bakugo and Shouto frown as they also felt their hearts ache after hearing what Momo said. Ochaco wipes away her tears, walks over to Momo and places her hand on her back.
"You're right, Momo. Happiness doesn't last forever, but memories do." Ochaco said as she rubs Momo's back to comfort her. "And it's not just you, Momo. I'm sure all of us here have also gone through hardships and painful experiences, which makes us long for the days when we were truly happy. Whenever we lost something dear to us, it takes time for us to accept what had happened and try to make our lives go back to normal. That is why it is so important for us to help each other overcome our pain and cherish the bonds and memories we made together." Suddenly, a cheerful grin appears on Ochaco's face as she throws her fist up into the air and shouts enthusiastically, "So let's all work hard and laugh together again!"
The others nod their heads in agreement. Jirou, Denki, Tsuyu, Melissa, Eliot and Bakugo walk over to Momo to cheer the grieving girl up while Izuku and Shouto stood where they are.
"Ochaco is right. Happiness doesn't last forever." Shouto said softly to Izuku, knowing that he would soon have to return back to the tragic reality of his life once their vacation is over.
"Indeed." Izuku replied grimly, knowing that eventually, everyone around him will learn the sad truth that he will be leaving Tokyo by the end of the year. The two friends stare at each other for a few seconds before they join the others in comforting Momo. Momo wails in a mixture of sorrow and joy as Jirou wraps her arms around her and rests her head on her right shoulder.
"It's okay, Momo. We are all here for you." Jirou said to her as tears brim through her closed eyelids.
"Don't be sad anymore, Momo." Tsuyu said as she places her hand on Momo's left shoulder.
"I promise I'll never be immature again." Denki vowed to Momo as he struggles to fight back his tears.
"No matter what happens, you can always rely on us." Melissa said calmly to Momo as her tears freely roll down her cheeks.
"You can count on us." Eliot said as he gently places his hand on Momo's head.
Everyone continue to comfort Momo until she is finally able to bring her sobs to a halt a few minutes later. As everyone back away from her, Momo wipes away her tears and looks back at them with puffy red eyes. Izuku, Ochaco, Bakugo, Shouto, Denki, Jirou, Tsuyu, Eliot and Melissa all smile back at Momo as they stood near her, reassuring her that everything will be alright. Momo's lips curved up into a wide smile and she bows her head to everyone with gratitude.
"Arigatou, minna." Momo said to them with a sniff. Everybody look back at their food and they all clasp their hands together as they cheer in unison.
"Itadakimasu!"
Sovereign: I would like to thank Shonaku, AquaBluey, Axlexington, AshPli, LiannaAila, behjtir. chk, AmiriteMyBoi, action. 1. 9. 1999, NkaujHnub321, Emiya-rd, PrecedingClover and GameQ for reviewing, favoriting and following my story!
By the time I've posted this chapter, it will be the Year of the Rat. So to all of my Asian readers, Happy Lunar New Year!