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It was well known that the twins loved their jobs as Subway Masters. They were fearsome battlers, yes, and they took their jobs very seriously, but they loved it all the same.
They loved the trains, and the battling, encouraging trainers on their journeys and providing a service to the city. They enjoyed the strict schedule. They enjoyed their uniforms. They even enjoyed their safety checks!
So yes, if you asked anyone in Nimbasa city, they would tell you in no uncertain terms how enthusiastic the Subway Masters were about anything and everything to do with their positions.
Ingo loved his job. Truly, he did! But some days, Gear Station was simply too much . Stepping off the Super Single line left him feeling off balance, and the shrill whistle, normally a comforting sound, made him cringe. He dreaded stepping into the undoubtedly crowded atrium.
It shouldn't matter. He must follow the rules. Always arrive and depart on schedule, check safety, aim for victory. If he pulled the brakes now, he may risk missing his next train, and that wouldn't do.
Most of the passengers wouldn't notice. They couldn't tell the difference between Ingo on a good day and Ingo on a bad day. It hardly showed on his face, after all. Rather, his discomfort was hidden in the tenseness of his shoulders, his loud voice just a touch too quiet, his hat pulled just a little lower over his eyes.
No, no one would notice the way he hid behind the high collar of his coat, letting it block out some of the louder parts of the world. Or the way he struggled to breathe with this many people this close to him.
No one but Emmet. Emmet, his brother. His twin. His lifeline. Emmet, who had already spotted him from across the atrium and was hurrying closer. Right on schedule.
Emmet, who could read him like a book, who glanced over him with worried eyes and took his arm with just the right amount of pressure and knew to speak softly.
"Brother. Safety check."
Ingo pressed closer to his twin, teary-eyed and dangerously close to teetering over the yellow line. His voice had fled sometime within the last five minutes, and he desperately did not want to let go of Emmie's hand just to sign, so he shook his head instead. Emmie would understand.
Ooooooooh , Emmet knew what that meant. He took great pride in being able to read his brother like a book, and Ingo had been off all day.
Humming, he pulled Ingo's hat further down over his eyes before leading him out of the atrium. Final destination: their office. He'd have to radio one of the depot agents to take over the next train for them at some point, but that could wait.
It was verrrrrrry rare for Ingo's voice to leave him like this. Normally, it was Emmet's voice that left the station without him. No matter, if anyone came knocking then Emmet would speak for both of them! Not that anyone would come knocking. Their depot agents were good at leaving them alone when either of them were indisposed. They knew better. They were verrry smart.
Ingo practically slumped against him in relief as they entered a staff-only area, and Emmet squeezed his hand reassuringly. "Almost there, yup yup! Just a little bit longer."
As they entered their shared office space, Emmet caught a glimpse of white from the corner of his eye, and barely managed to pull Ingo's hand away from his mouth in time to save his glove. He tsked. If Ingo was already wanting to bite his knuckles-
"Germs, Gogo." He chided, and was immediately hit with the saddest Baby-Doll Eyes he'd ever seen. He huffed fondly. "You know that move doesn't work on me. Come on, let's get you comfy."
-then that meant Emmet was the big brother now.
(Yes, he was still technically the younger sibling. No, it didn't matter.)
They had always had moments like these, where one or both of them fell into a kind of in-between, fuzzy space in their heads. Something that made the world seem a lot bigger and scarier than normal. They hadn't known what it was for a long time, but they always took care of each other when it happened.
Yes, Emmet took his role of big brother verrrrrrry seriously. Which was why he was already prepared for this, and had snagged a couple important items before leaving that morning. They had supplies in their desks, of course, just in case, but there was one thing Ingo could never settle down properly without.
"Hey Gogoooooo~" Emmet singsonged, once his brother was free from his coat and gloves. "Look what I haaaaaaaave!"
His tone made Ingo look over to him, curiosity momentarily winning over hanging up his coat. A coat which was immediately abandoned on the ground with a gasp of delight as he ran over.
Ingo nearly rammed into him in his rush to get to his favorite blankie, but Emmet was used to that. The happy little noises his brother made, rubbing his face against the soft fabric, made it more than worth it.
If Ingo had still had his words in that moment, he probably would have been babbling over his beloved blankie (lovingly named Engie for the trains on it), but as it was, he just did a sort of happy, wiggling little dance that made Emmet's heart melt.
While his brother was preoccupied, Emmet took a moment to hang up their coats and get some things set up on his desk. Let's see... Ingo had clearly had an overwhelming sort of day, so noisemakers were out of the question. He had his blankie already, so they probably wouldn't need the texture toys.
Aha! After a moment of rummaging through their desk, Emmet pulled out a couple swirly glitter bottles. Making them had been a fun, if messy activity. Both of them had been small at the time, and they had both been verrry sparkly afterwards.
These were exactly what Ingo needed today, he decided. Silent, mesmerizing, they were sure to help his baby brother relax. Pair that with a teether or chew pendant, a weighted lap pad, and maybe a few coloring pages, and they should be set until closing! Or until Ingo admitted they should go home early, but that was about as likely as one of them losing a battle.
It didn't take long for Ingo to get most of his excitement out, and he soon wandered over with grasping hands, wanting to be close to his brother. Well, a grasping hand. Of course, Emmet looks away for two seconds and Ingo's already chewing on his fingers.
(One minute and twenty-six seconds actually, but he thought two seconds sounded better.)
Well, at least his gloves were safely tucked away in Emmet's pockets. They wouldn't be getting spit stains any time soon, no siree!
Once again, he pulled his brother's hand from his mouth with a warning about germs, and once again he was met with a betrayed pout. He might have found that amusing, but that pout was quickly slipping into more tearful territory, and nothing made Emmet feel worse than seeing Ingo cry.
"Shh, hey, it's okay Gogo, you're alright," he said gently, carefully drying off Ingo's hand with a soft towel meant for this exact purpose. He gave the hand a little squeeze.
"I know, you had such an icky day, huh?" Ingo gave a miserable little nod, and Emmet's heart just about broke. Reaching back into the open drawer, he pulled out a purple chew pendant. Durable, but not as harsh on the teeth as a teether ring.
"I bet you still feel a bit icky after all that, too. But we're gonna make it aaaaaaall better, see?" Emmet held up the pendant to show him, before looping the string over his head. When Inigo hesitated, Emmet patiently held the pendant part up for him until he took it.
It took a few moments of uncertainty, but Ingo eventually decided that he was alright with this, and went back to holding his brother's hand with one last sniffle. Maybe it did help a teensy bit... but he still wasn't all better.
His bubba was right, he did feel icky still. All the people and stuff earlier made it feel like he was gonna rattle apart! The noise was like a big monster that was gonna get him. It was scary, and it made him wanna curl up and hide away with his blankie and his bubba, 'cause Emmie always made everything better. Always! He would protect him from the monsters, just like Chandie did at night!
Gogo felt super duper extra small today, he thought. Or maybe he just felt extra needy. Either way, he hugged Emmie's arm closer, cuddling into him.
"Oh, someone's extra clingy today." See? His big brother was so smart. He always knew what Gogo needed, even better than him sometimes!
Peeking out from under his hat earned him a head pat and a proud smile, and that helped Gogo remember they were alone. No monsters or people to be mean or too loud or too close. Emmie would keep him safe from all the meanies, 'cause he was super duper brave like that!
Maybe.... Maybe he could be brave too? But not too brave, he still wanted his bubba, the world still felt big and scary without his Emmie. But... maybe a little brave.
He cuddled his blankie extra close before pulling back. Not far, he was still holding Emmie's hand, but far enough to tilt his hat back and let in a bit more of the world.
Almost immediately, he cringed back. Bad idea bad idea bad bad bad! The lights were too bright and it made his head hurt and now everything was icky and bad again!
It was so hard to think after that. There was a bright flash of light that made him whine and jerk back, even with his eyes squeezed shut, but then Emmie was shushing him and humming and the lights were off and they were sitting on the floor.
Emmie said something about doing that earlier, but Gogo was too busy hiding against his bubba's neck to care. He didn't wanna be brave no more! He was gonna stay hiding forever and ever, this time. For realsies!
Something was making a noise that hurt his ears, and it was only after it stuttered in time with his hiccup that Gogo realized it was him . A low, keening cry that petered out as the worst of it passed.
Emmie was still humming, practically holding him in his lap at this point, running a slow, warm hand up and down his back. It was a soothing, repetitive motion, meant to ground him. It helped a lot more than he wanted to admit.
They spent a few minutes like that, cuddling and sitting in the dark while Gogo tried to stop sniffling. He knew he was being a crybaby, but he didn't care. He still shook his head when Emmie tried to coax him out.
It wasn't too bright anymore, but that meant it was dark now, and there would be monsters. Gogo was done being brave today, he didn't wanna deal with the scary monsters too. Emmie was the only safe spot! He was gonna stay hiding and nothing could bring him out. Nuh-uh!
"Gogo-" Emmie started, but the little immediately shook his head. He didn't wanna come out! Didn't he understand?
There was a short huff of laughter. "No? You don't wanna see Chandie then? She's verrrrrrry worried, you know."
That made Gogo perk up. Chandie was out? She would protect them from the monsters! She always protected them from the monsters, even back when she was a teeny little Litwick. Gogo had been afraid of the dark his whole life long, even after he grew up, but Chandie and Emmie always helped him! Even though he was a crybaby about it sometimes.
Slowly, just in case the lights decided to be mean and icky again, he peeked out from his hiding place. There was some light, but it was soft and purple and dim and it wasn't icky at all! It was perfect.
"Luuuurrrrre, lu-luuuure~!"
Chandie!!! She did a happy little spin when he noticed her, and it made him giggle just a tiny bit, even though he was still teary. Chandie always knew how to make him happy, just like Emmie did.
With a coo, Gogo reached out to her, and she pressed up under his hand. He normally loved watching her pretty flames, but looking directly at them felt a bit icky today, so he ran his hands over her warm glass instead.
"Not to worry!" Emmie said, making Gogo wonder if he was a mind reader. With a stretch (Gogo still didn't wanna let go), his bubba reached up to the desk and pulled down a water bottle.
At first, Gogo made a face. He wasn't thirsty! But then Emmie brought it closer to Chandie's light, and he gasped.
The water bottle was filled with stars! They were all swirly and sparkly, and they danced as Emmie passed it to him. Gogo took it carefully with both hands, slowly turning it over. It even seemed to flicker in the soft purple light, just like Chandie's flames!
Finally, cuddled up on the floor with his Emmie and his Chandie, his brain stopped yelling at him about everything being bad and icky. Things couldn't be that icky, not when he had lots and lots of good stuff right there!
Emmet let out a soft, relieved sigh as his baby brother finally relaxed against him. It had been verrrrrrry touch-and-go for a moment, and Emmet had felt horrible for the flash that releasing Chandelure from her pokeball had caused, but they had finally guided Ingo into a safer, calmer headspace.
It was easy to tell how much better Ingo felt now that his brain had something good to focus on. When it came to the two of them, every day was different. Some days, quiet time like this was the only thing that could calm them down. Other days, Ingo would need to shake out his limbs every five minutes, or Emmet would get stuck repeating single-syllable sounds under his breath.
Some days, they needed different things, or the things they needed actively conflicted with each other. Those days were harder, but they always found a way to help each other through it. They had their compromises. Every time, they would manage.
Because no matter what, they always took care of each other. Good days, bad days, and especially small days, they would look out for each other.
If you asked the people of Nimbasa City what Subway Master Emmet loved, they'd talk about how much he loved his job. If you asked the trainers who challenged Gear Station, they would tell you how he loved winning more than anything else.
Both of those were technically true. But if you asked Emmet?
He'd tell you that he loved his brother most of all.