Chapter Text
Emmet stepped off the train that day, the same as ever. He greeted his employees and checked the control room. He looked over footage, all with a smile on his face. He acted as if nothing was wrong, as if there wasn’t an odd space to his right that was not being filled when usually there was a body in it. A body strikingly similar to his own. He acted as if he did not notice, as if he were eating regularly, as if he had slept in the last two years at all, as if he were nothing but a normal, functioning adult. Even with the talk of the funeral coming up, he put on a brave face and simply let it slide, not conversing about it with anyone. But people could tell, he knew. As the days wore on, his composure was slipping, slowly trickling away like the electricity out of a faulty control box. And soon, it would explode.
And explode it did. He hadn’t meant for it to happen, really. He had been cornered. There had been people everywhere, swarming and swimming in his vision, the heat had been too much, was his coat always this stifling? He had watched the news like a hawk this morning, as he did every morning, looking for any sign of him. They announced a new rumor, that he was dead now, that the police were officially closing the case. Emmet had simply put on a brave face, squashed down the maelstrom of feelings, and gone to work as usual. And upon opening the subway, there were cameras and microphones and flash everywhere. Questions were thrown. He couldn’t understand them.
He had just stood there, silently smiling as they bombarded him. He didn’t know what to do, so he clammed up. The bugs were crawling under his skin, they were getting into his hair, they needed to stop staring, please just stop staring stop asking me questions I don’t know either-
He had squeezed his eyes shut and collapsed, his smile never fading, super-glued on with poor adhesive, tears leaking from his eyes. He rocked himself back and forth as tears silently rolled down his face. He couldn’t say anything. He couldn’t do anything. He don’t know how long he was there, trying to get rid of the lights, the noise, all of it, its too much please I just want him back just go away leave me alone please-
And then it was gone. Someone was holding him, talking to him in a calm voice. He felt himself being moved but didn’t dare look. He was still crying, he knew it. Was he making noises? He didn’t know. He couldn’t hear, he couldn’t see, he couldn’t do anything, he couldn’t breathe, oh Arceus, he couldn’t breathe. The voice returned, familiar as it slowly wormed its way into its head. It was repeating one word. Emmet took a while to realize it was its own name.
“Emmet, can you hear me? You don’t have to do anything, okay? Just breathe, you’re not breathing. I got rid of them, it’s okay now. Just breathe. Tap your fingers if you can hear me.” Sluggishly, Emmet tapped two fingers against the side of his head. He took a bit of the pressure off his ears, now realizing how hard he had been squeezing his head. “Oh, thank Arceus. I got rid of them, we’re alone now, Emmet. You’re okay. I’m going to rip them all a new one for doing this to you, I swear it. You’ve had so much already, they need to learn some compassion.” Emmet squeezed his eyes shut again, leaking more tears as he remembered the reasoning for all this. Elesa had her hands on his shoulders, gently rocking with him. “We’re just going to stay in here until you feel better, then I’m taking you home. We can just lay around with your Pokemon, okay? Take some time off. You look like hell.” Emmet shook his head. He couldn’t take time off, he would think about Ingo too much and it wouldn’t be okay anymore and he had to be okay. “I’m sure that when he comes back, he wants to find you healthy, Emmet,” she said gently. “You need to take care of yourself, too. He would hate to see you work yourself into the ground for his sake.” Emmet hated to admit it, but she was right.
They had looked all over Unova for him and had even sent out search parties in other regions. Emmet had devoted every single weekend to scouring every last corner of Unova, not finding hide nor hair of his brother. Nothing turned up in other regions, either. But Emmet knew Ingo wasn’t dead. He wasn’t. Emmet would know. Right?
Emmet had an idea forming in his exhausted head. He knew he was tipping Elesa off by his face, as her eyebrows furrowed. “Emmet? What are you thinking?” It was unfortunate that unlike his brother, Elesa still couldn’t just tell exactly what he was thinking by looking at him. They had been friends for as long as Emmet could remember, but Elesa still had a hard time reading him. Especially since the disappearance. Emmet sat for a moment, considering.
“I am Emmet,” he murmured dully. “I will take a vacation. I will look for Ingo myself.”
“Emmet, you already looked everywhere in Unova. I don’t think-”
“Not in Unova,” Emmet said. He stood up, a new rush of energy falling into his veins. He knocked Elesa off in the process as he looked around the station car they resided in. She must have brought him here during his meltdown. “I will travel. I will find Ingo. I will bring him home.” Elesa looked up at him with concern. He knew that she was worried about him and the fact that he was so caught up in Ingo’s disappearance. Then again, she also knew how the twins operated. Emmet simply was not Emmet without Ingo. Which is why she had never stopped him on his wanderings, only asking that he kept his location on and he checked in with her so she knew if he needed anything. There was not a doubt in Emmet’s mind that if something did happen to him, she would drop everything and come running in search of him.
She didn’t press, but she did stand. She hovered her hand over his, asking permission for a moment. Emmet touched her hand with a finger, allowing her to grab it. It didn’t feel like Joltik crawling under his dermis anymore, which was a bonus. “Emmet,” she spoke softly, “I understand you are driven. And I support you. I miss him, too, but I can’t imagine the things you are feeling right now. I won’t pretend I do. Just promise me, promise me that you won’t disappear on me, too. I don’t want to lose you, too.” She looked at him with tears in her eyes. Emmet paused before nodding, careful not to make eye contact, but instead stared at the bridge of her nose. “And keep your location on. Update me as you go. I want to see what adventures you get up to,” she added, a small smile lighting her face.
Emmet nodded again, his own smile softening. “I promise,” he breathed. Elesa came in for a hug, not holding too tightly in case Emmet decided that he needed space.
“Thank you. I wish you luck. I can take you to the station before you head out. Want me to help you home so I can scare the rest of the reporters away?” Emmet nodded, tears still leaking a little from his eyes. He would greatly appreciate it.