Midshipman Mei-Lin Harada wiped a bead of sweat off her forehead, cheeks flushed from sparring. She, too, had gotten her orders, and Fly wasn’t surprised she’d earned a prestigious billet, USS Ardent, Littoral Combat Ship, Engineering Division, Surface Warfare Officer, already pre-selected for EDO school after her two-year SWO qualification. Typical Mei. She and Fly were neck-and-neck for valedictorian.
Mei might be diminutive, but she filled a room the moment she walked into it. Petite and elegant in a way she owned, she carried herself with a calm focus that made her stand out more than volume ever could.
Fly bumped her shoulder lightly. “Remind me never to piss you off. You’ve got a wicked right cross.”
Mei giggled. “You left your whole side open.”
She wore her hair in a regulation braid, tight at the start of the day, always coming loose by afternoon. Dark, inky strands slipped free no matter how neatly she pinned them, brushing her cheeks like they had a mind of their own. It softened even the sharp lines of her uniform.
“Yeah, well,” Fly said, rubbing his ribs, “you’re always looking for that opening.”
“And finding it,” Than murmured, touching his jaw with a quiet wince. “My jaw is a case in point.”
Mei’s eyes widened. “I barely tapped you!”
Than huffed a soft, amused sound. “Barely. Sure.”
Fly grinned, watching color rise in Mei’s cheeks. The three fell into step together along a brick walkway cut between white-trimmed buildings, laid out with a precision that bordered on militaristic beauty. They headed toward Tide & Bean, their unofficial second home, a little off-Yard shop tucked between a bookstore and an old brick tailor shop. Their unspoken ritual after classes.
Bancroft Hall rose behind them like a cathedral to order, windows gleaming, stone immaculate, every line sharp enough to slice excuses off a Mid. Masts from the sailing fleet speared the sky, halyards snapping like impatient fingers in the wind.
Halfway there, a girl from their company waved at Mei. “Hey, still on for studying later? I didn’t want to interrupt you and—” She nodded at Fly and Than. “—the brain trust.”
Fly smiled. Everyone knew them as that now. Maribel at Tide & Bean had coined it years ago. It had stuck.
After getting drinks and sliding into their usual corner booth, Fly sprawling, Than settling in quiet and solid across from them, they took a moment to breathe.
Then Mei exhaled softly, something shifting in her face. “This,” she whispered, “is what I’m going to miss most about you guys.”
Fly’s grin softened. Than’s head lifted immediately, attention narrowing on her like she was gravity itself.
“These moments when we’re not cadets or officers or…future something,” she said, hands wrapped around her tea, scent of jasmine filling the air. “Not training, not performing, not being watched. Just…people. Young people who like each other.”
Fly felt something catch behind his sternum. Than went very still.
“We’re graduating soon,” Mei whispered, eyes shimmering, “and putting everything we learned out there into the real world. It’s terrifying and amazing. But I know we’ll be okay. I know we’re not alone out there.” Her voice wavered. “I’ll always have you guys with me. But I’m still going to miss this. So much.”
Fly cleared his throat. “Not Silverman’s class.”
Mei let out a wet laugh. “God, no. I won’t miss that.”
Than exhaled a half groan, half prayer. “If I never see another Systems Analysis pop quiz again, it’ll be too soon.”
Fly leaned back. “I still have nightmares of her materializing out of nowhere, asking for the derivative of something none of us had ever seen before.”
Mei wiped her cheeks. “The woman didn’t walk. She appeared.”
Fly nodded solemnly. “A true apex predator.”
Than murmured, “Every time she did that, I wanted to whisper, ‘Clever girl.’”
Mei laughed, really laughed, and the sound loosened something in all of them.
Than’s big, gentle hand covered hers, steady, grounding. Mei’s breath hitched, the laughter softening as she looked up at him, something warm and delicate passing between them. Mei’s emotional confession hit him square in the chest. Fly blinked hard, feeling the shift of change. Even though he was eager to move forward, it was so damn hard not to look back.
Mei sniffed and smiled. “So…since we’ve been working like maniacs for four years, I’ve got a plan for some fun.”
Fly groaned. “Oh no. Never good.”
