Chapter Text
Earth 2015
New Macross City was destroyed by the attack of the Malcontent Warlord Khyron, leading to Lena and Max fleeing to the now burgeoning Monument City alongside their now 12 year old child, Jason. Since then, for the past few years, the Lynn residence has been… Quiet. The restaurant Lena and Max ran, the White Dragon was seeing business as usual but even Jason knew there was a luster lost. They still enjoyed the business, after all seeing the people they bring smiles to was enough to make up for the hard times they were facing. Yet, Jason knew they were hurting, and he had a good idea why. His older brother, Kyle, he’d been missing ever since New Macross City was destroyed. Maybe he was dead, but… He had a better idea.
On the roof of a building still under construction, Jason sat with a pocket tailor’s kit working on a vest and some patches whilst he thought. Much of the city was expanding rapidly, even had a few Macronized Zentraedi working practically all hours to make sure the city could meet the demands of becoming the new capital of the world, essentially. “Ack-” Jason yelps as he accidentally pokes his finger, pulling away with a little sigh, setting it aside briefly to look down the few stories to the street. A few of the flexi-drive cars that survived from Macross Island all that time back were parked in front of the restaurant, the storefront at this point having had to be changed up. He kind of missed the tacky dragon decorations now that they’d had to rebuild from nothing twice now. His fists ball up a little as he takes a breath. His cousin, Minmei, was a popular singer. She almost certainly made more than they did. Never once did they consider sending money here though. It was for charity, sure, but surely they were still making money for private use.
He then unclenches his fists and lets out another sigh, frown creeping back over him as he looks back down at the vest. A simple thing, really. Brown leather with a few years of use on it at this point. A family had come in and they hadn’t eaten in days. His parents didn’t want them to pay, but after they had had more than their fill and his parents were cleaning the table, they found this vest with a thank you note on it. A few weeks went by, unsure what to do before finally they gave it to Jason. It was a few sizes larger than him, but he was bound to grow into it. So, now Jason was taking this as a chance to practice his sewing skills. One patch symbolizing the pre-war United Earth Defense Force on the left breast, another below featuring the letters M C for Macross City, and the one he had paused on the right as he waited to see if his finger was going to bleed or not… A commemorative patch that his cousin had given him before she started her worldwide charity tour. It featured her in a flashy getup, blue yellow and white flowing dress with pink ribbons on a star-filled background and with the text ‘Our Idol’ in cursive underlining it all. It even shimmered a little in the light, even with four years of not the best storage conditions.
“...I should…” He mutters, looking at the patch. “I should try and call.” He finally finishes, picking his needle back up, making sure the thread was still in before he works on finishing it as the sounds of the city picked up as the sun hit its highest point, the quiet contemplation of the rooftop soon to be interrupted when the crews get back to work, but until then. A vest to finish.
Hours later, Jason was back home, vest set carefully atop a dresser, while he dug through his possessions, looking for something in particular. It’d been a disheartening journey, years of items that’d been slowly winnowed as they’d moved around after Macross Island. “Goddamn, where is it.” He mutters, voice lowered just in case his parents were outside the room. Finally, with a wide smile he found it.
His older brother’s business card. He’d had them since he became Minmei’s manager and whilst Jason initially had collected the various ‘editions’ as it were, clearly the years of design changes were lost in all this. But here he was, looking at one from 2013. One year before New Macross City was destroyed. One year before Kyle disappeared. It was a plain purple with a silhouette of him and MInmei from Small White Dragon. More importantly though, it had a number to contact him. Luckily he had one from after the… Rain of Death, as people were calling it. Otherwise it’d be useless to him.
With a little stretch, Jason stood up, grabbed a wallet lying next to the vest, put the business card inside and slipped it into his pocket as he practically bolted downstairs. His mother was serving tables in a purple qipao, looking over from a table of soldiers -a common sight these days- to see Jason just about to leave the restaurant. “Jason?” She calls. “Apologies- One moment.” She says, the soldiers nodding as she steps over. “Where are you going?”
“I…” Jason pauses. He hadn’t thought this far. Thinking on his feet, he smiles. “I’m heading out to see the Zentraedi actors. I think they’re in the park today?”
His mother looks at him with that look. He knew she didn’t believe him, but with a sigh she nods. “Just… Be back before dark, alright?” She takes a careful knee and gives Jason a quick hug and gentle kiss on the forehead.
Jason returns the hug as he nods. “Of course.” When the hug is broken he turns and runs out, his mother letting out a little sigh and a short laugh as she returns to the table with notepad in hand.
One hand holding the business card, the other dialing on the number pad Jason found himself in a phone booth a bit away from the restaurant, partially paranoid that if he went to the one outside the restaurant he’d be unable to contact him. Holding the receiver close to his ear he takes a few steady breaths, the dial-tone matching his heartbeat almost. Was it really this simple? It went on longer than he would’ve thought before it went to an answering machine, until-
“Ughhh… Hhhello, this… This is the…” The voice was a bit distant and wavering, but Jason would recognize it anywhere.
“...Kyle?” Jason says, eyes wide. No video call, but he didn’t care. “I…”
“Jason…?” He hears, as if the wind was knocked out of him. The call is cut. Jason’s heart sinks, and he quickly dials the number again. It rings and rings and rings, then it cuts. He tries another time, another set of coins down the drain. Finally Kyle picks back up. “Jason, please, you… You really can’t see me like this…” Kyle says, voice slurring a bit. Clearly he’d been drinking, but… He was alive.
“Kyle, you’re alive, mom and dad, they’re worried and-”
“I can’t… I can’t go back.”
“Please, Kyle, I… We want to see you again. We thought you died in the attack.”
“...Maybe it’s best they think I did, but…”
“Let me see you then.”
There’s a long pause, Kyle takes a deep breath. “...I’m staying in Monument City.” Jason smiles.
“Me too, the White Dragon it’s-”
“Reopened. I-I know…” Another long pause. “...There’s a park a few blocks away.” Jason nods, even if Kyle couldn’t see it. “Tomorrow morning, I’ll… I’ll do my best to be over there, alright?”
“Alright.” Jason nods again. “I’ll be there.”
“...See you there.” Kyle says softly.
“...I-” The phone hangs up just before Jason finishes speaking. “...miss you.” He finishes, to no one.
The next morning, Jason slips out before his parents are up with a note left on the coffee table that he was at the park and he’d be back by lunch. He knew he’d get in trouble for doing this, but frankly if it meant he could see Kyle again he’d take it. Just as the sun crept over the landscape, as he sat under a large tree on a small hill that had a good view of much of the park, he sat. He had that vest on over a yellow shirt. Maybe he’d find an issue with the military patch, but Jason wasn’t thinking of that. As the time drags on, Jason’s mood drifts downwards. Kyle wasn’t going to show. Must’ve just told him whatever he wanted to hear to get rid of him. Maybe he’s out with Minmei on some tour, avoiding the family.
“Hey.” He’d hear from behind. Jason jumps up, expecting some belligerent or something only to spot him. Long black hair and a light dusting of facial hair that showed he was growing something out… Kyle. He was wearing something nondescript, clearly keeping a low profile. “I’m taking a big risk, Jason… Please. Let them think I’m gone, alright?” He says, walking past him and taking a seat next to where Jason had been. After a moment of contemplation, Jason nods, sitting right back down, the two looking across the field at a trio of performing Zentraedi to a small crowd.
“...Why?” Jason asks after a good bit of contemplation, not sure the perfect way to start this, so, this was the best shot he had. “Why disappear, why… Why abandon us with her?”
“With…” Kyle looks over, eyes landing on the Minmei patch on his vest.
Jason nods, keeping it together for the moment. “You took off on that charity tour and that’s the last we heard of you, from Minmei… We went through so much, and you just ran away.”
Kyle would sigh, shutting his eyes and leaning back into the tree, looking to the sky despite the shut eyes. “I was running from a lot of things, Jason.”
“They were so happy to finally see you again, Kyle, and…”
“...Jason.” He sighs, holding his head, like he had a headache already. “I was and still am a wreck, alright? The anti-unification league, the protests on the SDF-1… Minmei.” He looks to Jason, eyes bagged and tired and with a familiar fire in him, but it was clear from the rest of it he was remorseful. Ironically something he didn’t think Kyle could truly be. “I ran away from you, I ran away from them…”
“Kyle, I just… Don’t understand.”
“Jason, I… I just want you to know, I’ve been fighting for Earth, for the people for years. When it all crashed down, when the Zentraedi…” His voice trails off.
“...I missed you, Kyle.”
That broke through the facade. “...Jason.” He mutters. “I’ve been trying to make myself better than I was then.” He says, clearly not sure he’s ready to reveal something. “I did things I shouldn’t have. To you, to mom and dad, to Minmei. To myself.”
“I’m sure mom and dad could forgive you.”
“I’m sure, but… No.” Kyle stands up and dusts himself off, taking a step away and looking back. “I’m sorry Jason, I can’t I…”
Jason stands up as well. He couldn’t hide it anymore, tears were falling down his face, fists clenched as he looked up at his brother. “You can’t just leave again, Kyle!”
Kyle looks down at Jason, the two sharing a stare for an interminable time, the two running through dozens of ways to keep this going only for Kyle to sigh and keep walking. “Goodbye.” He says plainly, not looking back this time. “...Don’t call me again…”
Jason watches as Kyle leaves. Part of him wanted to chase after him, in fact the only thing keeping him from doing that is he knew Kyle’s martial arts training meant any resistance he could put up against him would be far outmatched even with just the defensive techniques. The small part of him that wanted to just stay here hopes that if they didn’t leave off on a sour note…