Work Text:
The Eden Island was not much different from any other tropical paradise. White sandy beaches stretched to the horizon, the turquoise ocean glistened invitingly, and the air was filled with the scent of hundreds of exotic flowers. Time flowed slower here, people were happier, more open and carefree. It was like a picture from those most popular shampoo and chocolate bars commercials. Mina, however, didn't really share everyone's relaxed state. Her thoughts kept returning to the upcoming final exams at school, to the university entrance and the final acquaintance with adult life. There were many difficult decisions ahead, so she didn't understand her parents' enthusiasm to go to what had already become their family island during such a period. Especially...
“Mitang!”
Mina took a deep breath. Especially in Momo's company.
Don't get her wrong, she had nothing against Momo's family. After all, she had grown up with these people side by side for the past eight years. But Momo herself... It was complicated. They had been best friends since the end of junior high school, when Mina and her family had moved to Japan from the United States. Both girls seemed pretty awkward in social interactions, and well, it had brought them closer together. Then there were countless sleepovers, hundreds of secrets told, dozens of sweaters stolen and never returned (mostly stolen from Momo by Mina), and their first confessions. It happened on the same day, first Momo, happily chewing ramen, told her that Nishimura asked her to date, and she agreed. And then Mina, nervously biting the inside of her cheek, mumbled that she seemed to like girls. Silent, of course, about the fact that this was the one and only girl who looked at her with such bright eyes and questioned what it was like to like her own gender.
It was complicated. Like everything about Momo, though.
“We flew to such a beautiful place, and all you do is sit here and sulk like an adolescent in puberty,” it sounded very close by.
“I am an adolescent in puberty,” Mina grumbled, getting up from the sand and shaking off her shorts.
Momo instantly stopped the girl by the shoulders, turning her back to her and helping to clear the sand grains from her clothes.
“Everyone says you look older, but you're still just a kid,” Momo continued, taking Mina by the hand and guiding them towards the bungalow.
At this point, the “brain_Mina.exe” program always stopped working for the simplest and stupidest reason. She liked her best friend. Yes, Mina herself did not like this very cliché scenario, but when she realized what was happening to her feelings, it was too late. Whether this was due to unhappy puberty or the fact that Momo is around people close to her, it is not known. But one thing Mina knows for sure - she has no chance.
The girl said something inaudible, carefully releasing her hand from her grip and moving faster. Momo only had to keep up a bewildered pace.
The situation was painfully simple, because Momo had a boyfriend. Nishimura was a good guy, Mina knew him even before he started dating her best friend. She and Momo often went to his volleyball matches to gawk at the athletic boys. Well, that was Momo's excuse for coming, and Mina was just there for company, even though she was fiercely pretending to watch those sweaty teenagers too. And of course, what kind of best friend would she be if she decided to ruin Momo's first serious relationship? Mina wasn't that kind of person. Besides, Momo obviously likes boys. A silly confession of completely mistaken feelings would only ruin their friendship.
Upon entering the bungalow, Mina immediately headed to the part where her and Momo's room was located and locked herself in the bathroom. She used to enjoy family trips like this because she enjoyed Momo's company. She knew when it was okay to fool around with Mina a bit, and when she should leave her alone and give her space. Knew her daily routine, favorite foods, favorite music, and other things that allowed Mina to exist comfortably in her introverted bubble.
And now it was very difficult for the girl to try to make excuses for not being around Momo. And if in Japan it was easier to do it, referring to other plans, poor condition (although after Momo almost broke her leg falling off her bike while riding to the pharmacy because Mina lied about being sick, the latter no longer uses this excuse), workload at school and a few other reasons from the site “How to avoid the best friend I fell in love with”. Then here on the island, surrounded by water on all sides, when they all live under one roof, it was almost impossible to hide from Momo.
There was a light knock at the door.
“Is everything all right?” Mina caught the worried tone in her best friend's voice.
She sighed, shaking her head slightly and looking at herself in the mirror. She didn't want to hurt Momo, because she was such a wonderful, sincere and kind person who deserved the best. After rinsing her hands and slapping her cheeks a few times, Mina pulled herself together and opened the bathroom door, immediately bumping into Momo's slightly sad face.
“What?” asked Mina, trying to get around the girl and into the room.
“You know, you can't run away forever,” Momo struggled a bit more, blocking the way, but finally let Mina pass, crossing her arms over her chest. “I can see something's up. Why don't you tell me?”
“It's nothing,” Mina brushed it off.
She quickly gathered the necessary things into her bag and headed to the living room, where the adults were preparing to go on a picnic in a beautiful part of the island. Behind her back, Momo only shook her head dejectedly.
Eden was famous for its leisurely life. There were many cafes and restaurants serving fresh seafood and fine alcoholic beverages. There were plenty of places for singles and families alike, but Momo's family, being the most active people Mina knew, initiated a nice get-together in the small cove next to the settlement with their bungalows. In the afternoon, the high cliff hid it from the scorching rays of the sun, but as the sun set, the light appeared in front of the cove, creating a mesmerizing view. Mina felt a little better because the longer they were on the island, the more the feeling of vacation, rest, serenity and peace crept into her. Though Momo's strong arm and their intertwined fingers still made her heart pound a little faster than it should for their walking pace.
Mina could try to get away from Momo again and join in on the fascinating conversation between Hirai and Myoui's dad about the spinal benefits of yet another strange plant, but they'd been on Eden for a few days now, and if Mina continued to avoid Momo so blatantly, it could become a big problem. So the girl only had to endure, swallowing every time Momo's thumb passed over the back of her hand.
While the adults laid out a large towel and various goodies, Momo decided to try out the water, already shedding her flip flops and pulling her tank top over her head. Mina grumbled to herself a few times. The weather was beautiful, the water had long since warmed up, and a soft breeze was just lightly passing over the smooth surface of the water, making it vibrate. Maybe Mina should go for a swim too. Of course not to get a closer look at Momo's abs in her swimsuit, it was just that the weather was really beautiful.
“I thought you were going to sit under some palm tree again,” Momo said, already in the water up to her shoulders and looking directly at Mina.
“It would be stupid to miss the opportunity and not swim here,” Mina's cheeks flushed, and she tried to swim a little farther away to justify her excitement with physical activity.
“How about a race to that rock?” Momo nodded her head and pointed to a large rock protruding from the water, which was a little farther from the shore and almost in line with the edges of the cove.
Mina's eyes immediately sparkled, bringing out a flicker of competitive spirit. In fact, of the two of them, it was Mina who was the better swimmer, because she had often been to different islands as a vacation with her parents. But Momo was much more athletic and enduring. This race seemed quite fair. As soon as Momo counted to three, both girls immediately rushed towards the rock, splitting the water vigorously. As expected, Mina took the lead, being literally ten meters away from the rock. But her own heart, as always, would surely not let her win, because Momo who celebrated victory, whether it was Mario Kart, a silly barbie knowledge test, or swimming, was always something special to Mina. And that was the case even before she realized her feelings. It's just Momo.
“You're losing your grip, Myoui,” Momo slowly regained her breath, sitting down on the rock and wringing her hair out. She tapped her hand on the spot next to her, motioning for Mina to take it. She obediently pulled herself up on her arms and settled on the sun-heated surface, pulling her knees to her chest.
Momo put her hands behind her back and leaned on them, closing her eyes and exposing her face to the warm rays with a lazy smile. More than anything, Mina liked Momo like this. Relaxed, slightly tired, calm. She could stare at that face forever.
“I know you're staring at me,” Momo said without opening her eyes.
Mina immediately widened her eyes nervously and instantly looked away, beginning to worry. How did she know?
“What's wrong, Mitang? Talk to me, please,” when Mina turned her head, Momo was already looking at her, also pulling her knees up to her chest and holding them with her hands. “You haven't been yourself for months now. Are you that worried about our graduation?”
“It's a big deal, we're going to be adults.”
“We don't have to become adults as soon as we get out of school, that's silly. We can be kids until we're seventy.”
The younger girl burst out laughing, covering her mouth with her hand.
''Don't do this,'' Momo took her hand gently, pulling it away from her face. “I like it when you smile openly. You have a beautiful smile.”
Once again, for the millionth time that day, Mina's poor heart hammered harder, catching some specks of strange hope. She shook it off quickly, pulling herself together and muttering something about needing to respond to a message right away. Back Mina swam at such a speed that Momo, who was still on the rock, only smiled slightly, well aware of the true winner of their mini-competition.
The picnic was going nicely, the sun was slowly sinking towards the horizon, revealing a view of an incredible sunset. The temperature was slowly dropping, but was still at a comfortable level for lazing on the beach. Mina's and Momo's parents were pretty wasted (probably due to the Takamaka rum), so they were just quietly talking about their plans for the vacation. Momo, too, seemed to be lounging nonchalantly in the sun's residual rays, flashing the exposed areas of her tanned skin.
“I'm going to go to the bungalow, I don't want to get burned,” Mina said quietly to her mom, seeing the typical nod afterward.
She folded her things carefully and tried to leave very quietly, so as not to disturb Momo, who seemed to be dozing off. She just needed a couple minutes in silence. A little time to think about everything, because the beginning of this vacation had been too stressful for her. Even though it couldn't be blamed on anyone, it didn't stop Mina from introspecting again and again and trying to solve the problem, because the split in her behavior towards Momo was obvious even to their parents.
Mina walked into the bungalow, throwing her bag on the living room couch and heading straight to her room. Dumping all her clothes on the bathroom floor, she stood under the slightly warm shower, trying to wash away her own heavy thoughts along with the grains of sand. A year ago, she wouldn't have thought that she would be in a situation where her heart and friendship with a wonderful person would be on the line. The girl lifted her head, exposing her face to the jets of water.
A refreshing shower after such a stuffy (in every sense) day was a great help. A message from her mom popped up on the display screen of Mina's phone, telling her that the adults had decided to continue their evening at some local establishment. Oh no, that meant that....
“You know, this is getting hurtful.”
Mina jerked her head up sharply, immediately noticing a figure in the doorway. Momo was standing with her arms crossed over her chest, leaning lightly against the doorjamb, looking up at her with a small frown on her face. The younger girl literally felt like she had been caught off guard with some inappropriate thoughts, though there were none.
“I'm waiting for you in front of the chaise lounges, and if you make plans to run away and hide again, I'll have to drag you in my arms,” Momo moved towards the exit of the bungalow after saying that, shouting in follow: “And you know that won't be a problem for me!”
‘Apparently this is it,’ Mina thought to herself, and she lowered her head. She could have thought of something, she could have referred to her father's forgotten wallet that needed to be carried away, to the octopus ink that needed to be cleaned off her foot, to the ongoing jetlag, anything. But Momo's threat was serious, Mina realized it from the older girl's tone, so she exhaled deeply once more and pulled on the first shorts and tank top she could find, cautiously leaving the space of their house.
Momo was sitting not far from the shore, she ignored the chaise lounge and settled on the sand in front of it. On the chaise lounge itself, however, was something standing. The younger girl quietly moved closer, stomping on the spot for a bit. Without hearing a word from her friend, Mina sat down at arm's length with a muffled thud and looked out into the distance at the light receding more and more beyond the horizon. Momo leaned back and wordlessly handed Mina a glass of red-orange drink.
“It's non-alcoholic, I don't remember the name, but it's something with watermelon,” she said, still not looking at Mina.
“You don't like watermelon,” Mina said thoughtfully, looking at the glare from the drink on the sand.
“Yes. You like it,” Momo said simply, shrugging her shoulders. “Will you tell me what happened?”
“Momoring…”
“Mina,” Momo stopped Mina firmly.
The younger girl looked at her friend and met with an almost belligerent gaze. It was as if Momo was ready to fight every thought, every circumstance that stopped Mina from even a simple attempt to share her problems. But the problem was related to Momo. Mina wouldn't let her fight with herself. So the girl simply took a sip, noting the pleasantly sour aftertaste from some unknown fruit.
“You know, yesterday, when we went to the cave where you didn't want to go, the guide told us a strange story,” Momo began, sitting closer to Mina and shaking her hands off the sand.
Mina could only hum to continue, already taking a second glass of cocktail.
“This island is artificial, but there used to be a real huge island on this place, which sank after an underwater earthquake. A whole tribe with a headman lived on it,” Momo leaned her head on Mina's shoulder, trying to do it discreetly. The latter shuddered, but did not move away. “There was a curse on the tribe because of a crime committed by an ancestor. Anyone who told the truth would soon die in terrible agony. And all the natives suffered because they had to lie all the time. But one day, when the moon was red in the sky, an old headman brewed a potion, drinking three cups of which gave any member of the tribe the ability to tell the truth for ten minutes. And from then on, the tribe lived without a worry until the old headman died. His son was a greedy man and, having obtained the recipe for the potion, sold it to everyone only for meat, skin and other valuables. During the next red moon, the Gods decided to punish him. They sent a little boy to warn the tribe of an impending cataclysm, and under the cover of night they sailed to the neighboring islands. An earthquake struck, and the island went down with the headman's greedy son and the recipe for the magic potion. However, the natives in the new place got rid of the curse.”
There was silence between the girls for a while. Mina wondered why Momo had told her this story, and why she hadn't heard it from her father, who had recounted their adventures that day in detail.
“And what is the moral of the story?” she finally spoke up.
“There is none. I made it up.”
Mina was speechless for a second, and then turned her head and body toward Momo, watching her sit up straighter.
“Why did you make her up?” The younger girl asked perplexed.
“You're drinking the third cocktail,” Momo nodded at the glass in her hand. “It activates the truth. So now you have to tell me honestly about what's happening to you.”
“Please, Momoring…”
“Mina, my heart hurts,” Momo interrupted her, lowering her eyes into the sand. “I think I've done something wrong because you're avoiding me. I think that I hurt you, that I was sloppy in what I said about something and it hurt you. And I'm willing to admit my mistake and apologize, just tell me what happened.”
And Mina hadn't often seen Momo's face so...guilty. Despair literally oozed from her eyes, unconcealed and frank. At that moment, a whole bunch of thoughts ran through the younger girl's mind, because how could she let Momo think that way about herself? Someone as beautiful as her couldn't do anything wrong, it was all about Mina and only her.
“I didn't... You didn't do anything, Momoring,” Mina stammered, but moved a little closer, placing her hand over Momo's palm. “It's just something I'm dealing with right now, and it's not easy, but I'm sorry I made you feel this way. It was stupid of me to avoid you, I'm sorry.”
Momo looked up, pouting her lips. Mina didn't even notice as the older girl turned her palm over, intertwining their fingers.
“I'll only forgive you if you tell me what's wrong. I want to help,” Momo tried to look into her friend's eyes as she strenuously averted her gaze, focusing on the horizon or the seagull that was dipping into the water. “Just don't hide again. Our vacation on that island lasts two weeks. By the end of it, there won't be a single place left where I can't find you.”
And at that moment, something clicked inside Mina. It was as if something had risen from the depths, from the very bowels of her spiky heart. Maybe Momo's made up story about the truth potion wasn't so made up, because Mina felt herself unable to contain the words inside her. As if they had been imprisoned enough, and were ready to make their own way to their cherished freedom.
“I think I've fallen in love with you,” Mina exhaled, immediately pulling back her hand and turning to face the horizon.
There was an awkward (in Mina's opinion) silence. This wasn't exactly how she had envisioned this conversation, in fact she hadn't even envisioned it, because this scenario seemed like the worst possible outcome. But here she was. And right now, her friendship would shatter, leaving behind a lifeless ash heap. However, after a couple seconds, she heard a light giggle beside her. With disbelief, the girl slowly turned her head, noticing Momo smiling broadly.
“I was expecting something more serious,” she added with a chuckle.
“I'm sorry?” Mina immediately became visibly indignant.
“I don't know, like ‘I'm pregnant’ or ‘I killed someone,’ you know?” The older girl bowed her head, squinting her eyes slightly.
“Momoring, that's not funny,” Mina immediately frowned.
What happened next left Mina truly horrified. To be more precise, first it was shock, then there was a stage of realization, and then there was horror. Momo abruptly moved from her spot in a second and kissed Mina on the lips, then returned just as quickly and now watched her reaction with a strange interest. Mina had no words. She just continued to sit in her place with her mouth slightly ajar. Was this real or had her over-excited brain decided to hallucinate?
“Hmm, I thought it would work,” Momo murmured softly and leaned in again, kissing Mina again.
After that kiss, her mouth opened harder and her eyes opened wider. At least Mina realized it was real.
“Maybe I should try again,” Momo said quietly to herself again, preparing to lean in for another kiss.
“Wait!” Mina interrupted her with a hitch in her breath. “I got it, you don't have to do that again.”
“Finally, some kind of reaction! I was getting ready to make a revenge plan for Sana with her overly abrupt steps towards.”
The soft waves continued to roll onto the shore, foaming and murmuring pleasantly somewhere in the background. The gulls were still circling around in search of prey, and the sun had finally set behind the horizon, taking its last rays with it. And maybe these vacations didn't solve Mina's problems, with studies, with enrollment, with her future life, but they definitely solved the problem with her heart.
***
“Wait, what about Nishimura?”
“Hmm?”
“I mean, you guys are dating, and now you...or we...uh…”
“He just needed a cover, he's gay.”
“Oh.”
“Please, Mitang, let's get some sleep. I couldn't sleep well because you slept in the living room.”
Momo hugged Mina tighter, leaving a weightless kiss on her forehead. After a little confusion, Mina turned around more comfortably, hiding her head in the curve of Momo's neck and inhaling a nice citrus scent.