Chapter Text
“Amuro!”
The door swung open with barely any resistance at all. Blinded by light, a young man, no more than twenty years of age, shielded his eyes and groaned.
“Fraw, what the fuck do you want? It’s like 6 in the morning!” he said, turning away and continuing to tinker away at the various stripped-down engines in front of him.
“Amuro, you’ve got work to go to! I thought the least I could do was bring you along my commute considering your dad’s office is right next to where I work. So, get some goddamn clothes on!” Fraw shouted, now looking decidedly angry. Amuro, still in his boxers and vest, groaned once more, and dived into the nearest pile of clean-looking clothing, picking out a crumpled shirt and wholly mismatched pair of trousers.
“Erm, some privacy please?”
“As if I’ve not seen your tackle before- but fine! Just hurry the hell up, we’ll miss the train at this rate!”
The door receded once more, and Amuro was plunged into relative darkness, the slow thrumming beat of various lights illuminating the room. As he reached for a new pair of underpants, and began the laborious process of changing them, he sighed. Two years as a NEET out of high school had suited him just fine; he made plenty of money selling his services as he tinkered on the locals’ cars and had worked on some fairly high-end goods for all sorts of clients - but this was not to last. According to his father, this sort of thing was a side-hustle, what Amuro needed was a job, something structured, somewhere with a salary, a place with like-minded people, somewhere he could meet someone, I mean just look at Fraw Bow, why can’t you be more like her! It was not the first time Amuro had heard these lines. But his father had drawn a line in the sand as of late. This most recent time would be the last before some serious repercussions. I pulled some strings, his father said, you’ve got a job with my tech firm with no interview, yes, I know that looks bad, but as long as you pull your weight, you’ll be fine. I mean, his father continued, you’re talented! Just apply yourself, okay Amuro? Amuro remembered the look on his father’s face as he replayed the scene in his mind. Pleading, half-ashamed, Tem Ray was a proud man whose ego had never recovered from his wife leaving him. Amuro had to be a success- or at the very least, normal. The deal was sweetened with the promise of a flat in the city if Amuro could make a name for himself in his time there as a good and efficient worker, and with that, he agreed. Some privacy, at last, thought Amuro. There was another knock at the door, the usual one, two, a pause, then a rapid three and four.
“Amuro, come on! Are you ready yet?! I’ll come inside and get you dressed myself you know, I’m just sick and tired of-“
Before Fraw could finish her sentence, the door swung open, and out stepped Amuro Ray, wearing a mismatched suit clearly tailored for a man a size larger than his own. His chestnut hair curled in a myriad of directions, shaggily framing his small, round face. Two piercing brown eyes met Fraw’s own, and she smiled.
“Sorry for taking so long Fraw. Shall we get going?”
She slapped his back and grinned.
“Sure thing Amuro- don’t forget your keys!” she yelled as she skipped down the stairs, turning her back to gesture towards him. A quick pat-down revealed them to be in another pair of pants, and with that, a stumble down the stairs, and a yelp from Amuro, the pair of childhood friends left, leaving a single electrical light still on, slowly beating its delicate rhythm in the darkness, its pale blue light sketching the curves of the roof above it.
“So, what exactly is it that you do Fraw?” Amuro sheepishly asked as they sat in an empty train compartment. Not many people got on around their local station, and the train was near-silent until a few miles out of the city. If anything, it was relaxing. The scenery moved past them, melding into a collage of places and people. Faces barely perceptible, the trees a mass of living green, it was surreal staring out into it. Fraw sighed again.
“Amuro, I’ve worked there for a whole fucking year. I tell you about my work every time I visit you and your dad. And you’re telling me you don’t know what I do?”
She smirked. She always knew Amuro lived in his own head, and always had done, ever since they were children. Every single time someone told him about something he wasn’t interested in, he would nod, meet their stare blankly, and forget about it almost immediately. Since they had left school, Amuro had never really been ‘with it’ in any sort of way, much more than he was like during their time together. It was fun for her to make him feel bad about it, to see his panicked look as he realised he really ought to have paid attention, that maybe, just maybe, he should start paying attention, though he knew he never would. Poking and prodding at him had been a joy for Fraw for years immemorial; even as a child she would berate and coddle the boy, a second mother to him. If she could enact some form of payback, it was this.
“I-I-I’m sorry Fraw! It’s just slipped my mind, I’m forgetful you know, I am really sorry honestly…’ he said as he trailed off slowly, muttering incessant apologies, one after another. Fraw gave it a second before she gave her reply, smiling cruelly as he stared at the floor.
“I work as a day-care assistant Amuro- for all the young kids of the folk around there. Now if you forget that one more time, I swear to God, Amuro Ray-“
“I get it, I get it Fraw! I’m sorry! I knew it had to do with children though,” he replied, beaming, clearly proud that he had genuinely remembered something about someone that he had no interest in. “I don’t know how you do it, truth be told though. Aren’t they, I don’t know, messy?”
Fraw was slightly taken aback. It was rare for Amuro to ask anyone questions about anything unless it was about the condition of some piece of technology, and so Amuro asking about her job, and about the kids at that, was near unheard of. Maybe he is growing up, Fraw thought, her expression softening.
“Yeah, I guess they are. I don’t mind too much though these days, it’s pretty worth it all things considered. There are these three absolutely adorable tykes that come along from the local orphanage: Katz, Letz and Kikka! They’re inseparable you know, it’s…’
Amuro could feel his grip on the conversation slipping away. Fraw meant so well, he knew that, but he just couldn’t focus. He watched the floor of the train gently sway. Every mechanical whirr, every click and snap, every hum and beep of the rolling LEDs echoed in his head instead. The pulsing orange of the letters that flashed across the display separated into an infinite set of pixels, shuddering in unison. The gentle sway of the train belied the slightest hint that the tracks here really ought to be looked at, that there may be some slight imperfection, that would improve things wouldn’t it? Amuro smiled. This was a pleasant train ride into the city, for once. Fraw was still animatedly talking, and he was genially nodding, all the while looking at the crumpled and yellowing sheet of paper his father had given him. On it, he had left both directions and a set of instructions on what to do at the business once he got there. One of the sets of information given was rather useless, Amuro thought. Everyone knew where the office was, partly because it was by the far the flashiest business in town. Rising like a spiral of brilliant white in the grey skyscape, the curious building, more like a ship’s mast than anything else, was affectionately referred to as White Base. A recent addition to the financial sector of the city's skyline, it was the talk of the town; all sorts of new businesses had set themselves up there, and its promise of new wealth and rejuvenation had been rapidly fulfilled. The big names were of course the Zabi’s, the heads of one of the biggest law firms in the country, Zeon & Zeon. Why they had decided to relocate was anybody’s guess, but even Amuro knew it was a big deal to be even in the vicinity of them. They had presided over some of the biggest trials of the century; scarce anyone hadn’t heard of their work in representing the prosecution over the unlawful death of the politician Zeon Zum Deikun. In honour of him, they took on the name as ‘sons’ of his philosophy and continued to grow from there, winning high profile case after high profile case. Amuro realised that in truth, he hadn’t heard of this, but that someone was talking about it, and as he tuned back into the conversation, he realised Fraw had changed topics entirely.
“They’re incredible! Sometimes Degwin’s granddaughter stays with us. Mineva is just the sweetest thing, and her parents are just the loveliest! I wish she was there more often. God, if only I had gone and done law, I would have loved to work for them… Amuro? Amuro are you listening to me?”
“Yes, Fraw! I spaced out for a moment, but yes, I was listening.”
She eyed him suspiciously. Amuro shrunk under her gaze.
“Mostly listening…”
Fraw straightened up again and smiled. She often forgot how small Amuro looked, still so young. His suit continued to crumple up and stretch over his thin arms, and his shoes looked even more worn in broad daylight. I will have to get him new ones, she thought, looking down on a man who was still mostly a boy. His round, innocent eyes were looking up at her, and she nodded sagely.
“Better than usual I suppose- just be sure to pay attention at work! I know your dad’s away but for the love of God, Amuro, don’t make me have to answer to him if you fuck up today. Do you have his instructions for you? He told me he left them somewhere you would have found them, so I assume that means the fridge.”
“Yeah, it was the fridge… But yes! I have it. I’ve been reading it, and it seems easy enough.”
“What does it sa- oh, just pass it over to me won’t you? God, it’s disgusting Amuro, what have you done to this sheet of paper…”
Fraw ran over the instructions on the sheet. It was broadly pretty simple stuff- get to White Base, set up in his cubicle, do whatever this manager told him, try very hard not to be a nuisance. There were a few phone numbers listed at the bottom, with hastily scrawled names next to them.
“Mr… Bright? I think it says?”
“Yeah. That’s the guy in charge of this office. He’s really young, my dad was saying. Got a real chip on his shoulder.”
“I suppose that’s fair enough. Surprised you know that much about him, in all honesty!” Fraw remarked, realising that they were pulling closer and closer into the city.
“I’ve met him. Twice. Briefly. Nice enough I suppose, but I’d hate to be around him for longer than I have to. Seemed older than I thought he was too.” Amuro mused, as he too realised that they ought to gather their things up in preparation for the oncoming crush. The doors opened not long after, and the throng of commuters, eager to work, to rush, to earn, all came spilling in, one after another.
“Alright, are you sure you have everything Amuro?” Fraw asked as they stepped out of the train at long last, her voice almost lost in the cavernous hall of the central train station.
“I think so! It was just my backpack I brought with me after all.”
“Good! Okay, I’ll head on first, I’ve got to go in the opposite direction to pick up some school supplies. If you need me for anything, give me a call on that dinky phone of yours. Next time we’ll drive in- thank you again for agreeing to fix the old thing!” she said, moving in to hug the dishevelled figure in front of her.
“Oh, it’s no worries Fraw. You know I enjoy it. I’ll be seeing you!” he said, as she pulled away and smiled. With a wave she was gone, running into the swelling crowd ahead of her. Alone, at last, Amuro thought. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Fraw, because he most certainly did, but it was a little grating living with an older sister your entire life. However, the prospect of a lift was not one he was throwing away lightly, and so he determinedly decided to make sure he never came across as ungrateful for her help. She was his oldest friend after all. He pulled out the tattered sheet of paper- or at least he attempted to before realising that Fraw still had it.