Peachy connections

You had been friends with Mina Sharon Myoui for some time — to be precise, since your penultimate year of college and her last. You met in a hip hop dance class you took as an elective and she had as part of her double major in dance and chemical engineering — a combination that still impressed you every time you thought about it. You played football and were working through a geography and philosophy degree. Friendship came easily the day she caught you wearing a Kingdom Hearts II t-shirt mid-routine and nearly lost her footing laughing.

Years later the two of you had fallen into a solid rhythm — gaming sessions on weekends, usually after some random activity or lunch that one of you would choose. During one of these sessions you were at Mina’s place, a small modest two-bedroom apartment that managed to feel cozy despite its size. You knew she had a roommate but hadn’t met her yet.

After finishing a round of Kirby Air Ride, Mina glanced at her phone and muttered, "Shit." She was on her feet before you could ask, scurrying around you in a way that made you sit up straighter.

"What's up, Mina?"

"I left my computer on at work." She was already grabbing her keys.

"Have to go shut it off before it fries itself again."

"What time will you be back?"

"Twenty minutes, tops."

You nodded, and as she swung the door open it nearly collided with her roommate, who stumbled back a step with a startled noise.

"Oh, Momo — great, keep Fujin company," Mina called over her shoulder, and then she was gone.

The name landed in the air behind her. You turned toward the door.

The woman stepping inside was pretty in the way that took a moment to fully register — not a first-glance kind of pretty, but the kind that assembled itself as she moved, as she looked around. Short wolf cut. Soft, almost unhurried expression that didn't match the worn leather jacket or the set of her shoulders, the way she carried herself like someone who'd been in a few situations and come out the other side just fine. Full lips that looked like they knew what they were doing.

She looked you over with an easy confidence, and then her gaze snagged on the gold and red dragon curling along your left collarbone, just visible above your collar. A smirk crept across her face.

"Oh," she said. "You're Golden Boy."

You nodded, letting the sting of Mina's nickname pass through you the way you'd learned to.

"Is it true you ate an entire carousel of sushi?"

"The owner had a rule," you said. "Too much on the carousel, and anyone who could finish a whole round ate for free. I'd skipped lunch, just come off practice. Mina had invited me for dinner." You shrugged. "I saw an opportunity. Broke college student. You do the math."

She laughed — bright, genuine, a little surprised by herself. You liked that about a laugh.

"That's hilarious."

"You're welcome," you said.

She laughed again and dropped onto the cushion beside you, close enough that you caught the faint smell of exhaust and something floral underneath it, like she'd been somewhere that smelled good before she'd been somewhere that didn't. "Okay, so I know you played football in college — Mina told me — but what do you actually do now?"

"Work. Fencing. Photography. Hanging out with Mina."

She nodded slowly, like she was measuring something. "What camera do you use?" Her voice had a low edge to it, though you genuinely couldn't tell if it was intentional. Either way you were doing your level best not to make it obvious that you'd noticed.

"Panasonic S5II."

She raised an eyebrow. "Sounds pretty serious — can I see it?"

You thought about it, then stood. "Sure."