Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Gear Station was bustling as soon as the subway began running, faster than half the time it takes to blink an eye. To you, it seemed like a constant, no lull in the people coming and going to-and-fro. Busy, busy, busy. You don’t know how the subway staff can keep up, especially since you’re almost run ragged just serving customers on the way to their destination.

Within the central station were a handful of eateries and tourism shops for the high volume of crowds and their needs; people exiting one subway and having to wait for the next, visitors admiring the station without riding the rails, or trainers itching to ride the Battle Subway at its next departure. You see your fair share of folks at the tiny to-go-style café wedged inbetween bigger, more well-known brands. Despite the constant stream of orders, though, you really did enjoy working there. In-between serving coffee orders and breads or sweets to go along with it, you loved to people-watch. You’d pick up your Appletun and set him on the counter, the two of you looking out at the station together. It was never boring.

Your favorites were those boarding, exiting, or waiting for the Battle Subway. It had different hours than the trains carrying passengers to actual destinations, likely because the Subway Bosses had many other duties besides heading the battle trains. Sometimes those exiting the trains had a defeated look about them, gloomy and disappointed. Other times, they wore enormous grins and were almost jumping for joy from the subway car to the station floor, sometimes with their pokémon doing their own ecstatic little jig. (Appletun loves those people, bouncing in place happily for them.) And then there were the trainers waiting for their turn – anxious but excited, nearly shaking with anticipation. Trainers always snapped to attention when the Subway Bosses called out from their train cars, wishing them safe travels – and then a short time later, “All abooaaaard!”

The Boss of the single-battle train was always louder and more excited. You thought it was cute. That was, of course, aside from the fact that you found the Subway Bosses themselves just plain attractive. When the Battle Subway wasn’t in use, your attention was always drawn to the twin conductors going about their other daily businesses and duties. The black-clad twin, Ingo, walking tall with his hands interlocked behind his back. The white-clad twin, Emmet, marching rigidly, arms swinging to and fro. Frowning yet enthusiastic vs. smiling with clipped tones. The Subway Bosses had a multitude of eccentricities, but they were well-loved by the community.

You knew you were in trouble the first time you caught yourself smiling like an doofus at him. One twin gave you a different feeling in your heart, warm and fuzzy. The twins looked identical, sure, but their personalities – their actions, words, general vibes are what set them apart. (So did their conductor's coats. You weren't counting that.) It was clear which one you favored; even Appletun would nudge your arm when the twin came back to the station, flipping his eyes up at you. You’d playfully flip them back down, not wanting to be obvious, yet you’d look anyway. And by the time another customer came along, you’d still be smiling like a goof.

It was your natural reaction; you couldn’t help it. Trying to stop would be futile. You had to face the facts: you had a crush on Subway Boss Ingo. Nobody but you and Appletun had to know, though, it was your embarrassing little secret. What are you, twelve? you’d think to yourself, even as you felt your cheeks grow warm. This is silly. And yet, you changed nothing and went about your days with silent feelings. It’s not like I’m going to act on them, anyway. Even adults get crushes, right?

Today was no different. The twins walked up to each other, had a brief conversation, saluted, and went on their way. You handed your current customer their order with a big dumb grin. They chuckled; “It's always nice to see you bright and sunny every morning!”

Ah, well. As long as nobody picked up on it.

Emmet picked up on it.

Neither of the brothers were unobservant. Emmet was just a little more over-aware of his surroundings and the people within his environment. There were everyday passengers who didn’t spare him more than a glance. There were passengers who smiled and waved or said hello as they passed him. Those always got a genuine hello response. There were fans who wanted a photograph or a selfie and maybe you could sign this for me, pretty please with a cherry on top? Those bothered him the most. They interrupted his train of thought. Too pushy. Asking too much of him. Or even worse, derailing him by clinging to his coat. Or arm. Or hand. Even after he politely declined and attempted to leave the situation. Then he would get more than just annoyed. He did not like being accosted, nor did he like it when people accosted his brother.

Then, there were passengers who watched from afar. He and his brother were well-known. Lots of people looked when they entered a room or subway car. Mostly, Emmet paid them no mind. But they were always on his radar.

And now the radar included you. The to-go café employee and their little Appletun. You would work, and then watch the brothers when they were in your eyeshot. You probably thought the two had no idea, let alone picked up on the way you smiled. Emmet did not look in your direction and break the façade, so he didn't know if you looked at him the same way. But, the way you looked at Ingo... As far as he could tell there was no obsession in your eyes, like the fans who accost them. No ill intent. The smiles weren't mocking. Yours was different. Yours was...affectionate.

He could tell. He’s verrry good with facial expressions, just like Ingo is verrry good with conversations.

This does not deter Emmet from wanting to find out what you were up to. He might be the younger of the twins, but he's no slouch when it comes to brotherly protective instinct.

One morning, as Gear Station was just turning its gears for the morning commute, you were setting up your routine as the Subway Bosses walked in. The startup for the whole station was early-early morning, and while you had gotten used to your hours long ago, the drowsiness never fully left you. Before you knew it, your equally-drowsy Appletun perked up and all four of your eyes zeroed in on the twins. They were having a discussion, likely about their schedules for the day.

They saluted each other, and you smiled.

Emmet turned his head and locked eyes with you, and you balked.

Emmet made a combeeline for you, and you panicked.

Your customer service persona emerged automatically, except your smile wavered. Why does he look so intense? Why is he coming directly at me like a Terminator? Multiple reasons raced through your mind, and a conclusion was reached pretty quickly.

Oh, beans, you thought. Oh no.

He came to an abrupt stop at your counter and opened his mouth before you could. “Good morning. I am Emmet. I would like to try your house blend. In the size medium, please.”

It was so sudden, your mind did a short reboot. “Oh, yes, of- of course. Coming right up…” You really hope he didn’t catch onto the genuine surprise that slipped into your tone as you began filling his order. It was the easiest kind of order to receive and fill, and after you told him the price, he promptly paid, and...didn’t move an inch. Still at the counter, he took a sip of the piping hot coffee, straight black. Uncomfortably, you waited for him to move on. He did not.

“Can I help you with--”

"May I ask you a question." It was a statement, not a question of his own. He didn't leave you room to answer, either. "So. Do you stare at everyone? Or just my brother and me?"

You froze, a chill going up your spine. Your instinct had hit the mark. Was there even an explanation that didn't sound completely creepy? Your brain ran the calculations: a resounding No.

Unfortunately, the calculations took much longer than you thought. Appletun had his eyes raised, having looked between the two of you a handful of times. Emmet at least had coffee to sip, almost enjoying watching your thought process. Or lack thereof.

"You do. Sometimes I people-watch too. It can be interesting, can't it?" As if in a trance, you nodded. So did Emmet. "Sometimes you stick to interesting people more than others. It is flattering! We walk this station every day. And you work right here, after all. You watch us when we come through. You are a fan."

Again, you nodded. Your cheeks were already burning with embarrassment. Being a fan is one thing, being a creep is another. You weren't sure if you were being scolded or not, but you wish you knew — at least then you might know how to react or what to say. Silently, you tried to telepathically connect with Appletun so he might save your dignity by knocking you unconscious. Appletun does not pick up the psychic telephone.

“This is an Appletun?”

Emmet hijacked the phone line. The sudden left turn in the conversation gave you whiplash, but also at least one saving grace for you to gather your thoughts. Appletun responded for you with a low, “ah ah’pull…”, turning to face Emmet happily. The Subway Boss’s grin changed to a softer smile, his voice following suit.

“Hello. I am Emmet. May I pet you?”

Appletun couldn’t say no, shifting from one foot to another after mumbling in the affirmative. Emmet leaned in and gave your pokémon a couple rubs on his muzzle and then a pat on his hump. You couldn’t help but smile, too. For a moment, you forgot you were being interrogated about your creepy habit. After one last pat, Emmet straightened again and paused to look at the palm of his gloved hand.

“Ah. You are sticky.”

Your pokémon happily shook his head up and down .’Yup! Yup! Sticky, that’s me!’ You gave a little chortle.

“So you admit to watching us every day.”

Your chortle is cut short. Was he intentionally giving you mood whiplash? Most likely, since he was actually expecting an answer this time. You felt very small.

"I've developed a, uhm...habit, I guess. Of people-watching during my job. When I'm not, uhm, not actively doing it? And you, you and your brother are...you know, like you said. Interesting? You're basically the, the focal point of Gear Station, kind of? And it's- it's pretty cool to watch you two, um, like directing the whole station and running the Battle Subway, and all... uh, all that..."

Emmet took another sip of coffee as you ran your mouth. You wished for death.

“I’m sorry,” you eventually broke, “It’s weird, I know, I shouldn’t stare or, or watch like a- a creep and I’m really sorry, sir, I’ll stop.”

“It isn't weird.” Ssssiiiip. “Tons of people watch us. All day, all the time. It comes with the job. Most of the time it doesn't bother us.”

“Most…of the time?” Oh, god, were you the outlier?

As if reading your mind, Emmet continued with, “You don't bother us. You are like everyone else.”

Nervously, you laughed. Just like everyone else... If that's true, then why is he zeroing in on me?

To your surprise, and perhaps psychic ability you developed at exactly this moment, Emmet laughed. Genuinely! When he looked at you again, his eyes weren’t intense; that alone gave you a feeling of relief. You, on the other hand, may have looked more confused than at any previous point of this conversation.

“I did not come here for the coffee, but it was verrry good.” Emmet glanced at the giant clock for all of Gear Station to see, and you did the same. Ten minutes before everything began running again. Both of you still had preparations to make, so you anticipated his departure. You just didn't anticipate what he would say before it. “My brother and I are used to the staring. Like I said, it doesn’t bother us because so many passengers do it. But you work at a fixed place here in the station. Your stare is a fixed constant.”

“I really am so sorry—”

You were cut off by Emmet’s gloved hand raising for a stop. It was the hand he pet Appletun with. You could tell it was still sticky.

“You don’t have to apologize. To either of us. I do not think Ingo knows about you, to be honest. Or that you stare at him more than me, in the most interrresting way.”

Another chill went up your spine. Normally, hearing Ingo's name sent your heart pounding, but definitely not like this. Definitely not with the way Emmet’s grin turned back to mischievous. You said nothing in hopes that there was more to come, perhaps to kill you more quickly. Instead, with one last pat on Appletun, Emmet turned to head for his morning preparations, leaving this whole event seemingly having no real purpose other than thoroughly embarrassing you. And he topped it off with one last remark.

“We drink coffee throughout the day. I think I will come back later with Ingo. Your coffee is verrry good, after all.”

Fully turning, Emmet threw the coffee cup in the proper receptacle and headed for his first post of the day. His words took a minute to strike you, but once they sunk in, you bent forward with your elbows on the counter and shoved your face in your hands. Appletun only nudged your arm, oblivious. You groaned exaggeratedly, giving a noise to match the embarrassment you felt deep down in your chest and bright hot in your face. It coincided with the chime of the clock, indicating the subway’s opening and the clamor of the first crowd rushing in. You buried your hands deeper when the perfect sound to put the cherry on top of the situation filled the station loud and clear:

“All abooaaaard!”

Chapter Text

From that point forward, your day was a nervous mess. You were clumsy, forgetful of customers’ orders, distracted by every little thing. Regulars looked concerned, especially when you were normally on top of things and had their orders ready when they stepped in line. Several people asked if you were alright, but you just waved them off with your best customer service smile. Appletun could sense something was up and would come near when the counter was clear, nuzzling up with his big floppy, worried eyes.

Hugging pokémon almost always helped any troubled situation. Even the ones that transferred sticky, sweet apple nectar all over your hands and apron.

For once, you tried not to people-watch. You played with Appletun, counted the money in your register, organized the dishware, twiddled your thumbs, re-organized the dishware, so on and so forth. But still, your old habits had you glancing quick peeks before you realized what you were doing and re-directed yourself. It was one of the days where the Battle Subway was scheduled, which gave you a reprieve of sorts. But the longer the day went, the more anxious you became; rapping your knuckles on the counter or shaking your knee up and down as you sat on your stool.

If Emmet’s “threat” was true – and you had no reason to think otherwise, with how direct and blunt he had been in the first place – then he was going to bring Ingo for a coffee break at some point during the day. Maybe I could hide underneath the counter, you thought. Maybe Appletun could tell them I died.

After a long stretch of running the anxiety the marathon that was the worst day of your job, you looked at the clock.

12:08 p.m.

You slumped over the counter. The lunch rush had only just started, yet the timestream you occupied was moving as slow as molasses. Turning your tired eyes to Appletun, you mumbled, “If I fake my death, would you agree to be a coconspirator?”

Appletun simply mimicked you, splooting his legs out and laying his chin on the counter. “…Tun.”

“Plausible deniability, huh? I get it.” You reached out a hand to scritch his muzzle. “You’re a good boy.”

“Mrtbph.”

“Me too, bud.”

With your other hand, you pushed yourself back to a standing position for the next cluster of customers. Once the lunch rush took over, you managed to get into the groove of the job again. It occupied your mind without you even noticing. Your required hurriedness was a blessing in disguise.

Sensing your ease of distress, Appletun settled down in the little poké bed you had behind the counter. He snoozed away to the regular sounds of your shoes stepping here and there and the usual “Thank you!” “Good afternoon!” “What can I getcha?” repeats of your voice. The day was finally moving on.

Some time later, you had a tray of small pastries in your hands. This batch was to refill the ready-made section behind your post, as your customers had cleared out all but one that sat in the windowed display at the front. One by one, you wrapped the pastries in squares of wax paper before carefully placing them in the slanted drawer. You hummed a tune to Appletun’s snores, neglecting the fact that your back was to the counter and you were currently in a game of mental warfare not of your own design.

“Pardon us, good barista!”

You shrieked, your heart nearly stopped, your arms spasmed, the tray banged to the floor, Appletun yelped, the last pastry went flying, close patrons gasped, ice filled your veins, your future children’s hearts skipped a beat, a pokémon battle went awry, your life flashed before your eyes—

Silence.

“I think you may have been too loud, Ingo.”

Slowly, as though in a horror film – which this day had turned into, honestly – you turned to face the two men now at your counter. Ingo and Emmet stood tall before you, looking aghast at the reaction you made. Well, in reality, Ingo looked aghast; Emmet had no change about his face nor the calm and collected tone he used to alert his older brother of his grave mistake.

“My deepest apologies! When we came upon your establishment, we didn't want to disturb your work. However, our schedule is running very tightly, and my brother was quite insistent that we visit before our trains departed the station again. I...thought I had only slightly raised my volume..."

For his part, Ingo looked incredibly apologetic; like he wanted to come around the counter to help clean up, but knew better and was restraining himself. And Emmet, for a troublemaker, clearly didn't anticipate this particular fallout.

"It's okay! It's okay, um--" You cleared your throat and wiped your hands on your apron, which was still sticky from both Appletun and the pastry that managed to hit and slide down your front. "I'm sorry I made you wait that long, I should have been more attentive..."

It was Emmet who replied first. "You can't always be watching the counter."

Your mouth pressed into a thin line. Oh. So that's how it's going to be.

It didn't seem like Emmet told his brother anything except wanting to go for coffee... You weren't quite sure how to proceed.

"Indeed," from Ingo broke you out of your reverie, "I apologize again for interrupting you in your quiet moment."

"Really, it's okay, it happens, hah..." Your chuckle was weak. Sure, 'it happens'...only at Gear Station where Ingo can appear at any time... "It's a couple of pastries, no big deal."

"Hm... Still, I must insist that I pay for what was ruined."

"It's your turn to pay for coffee too."

The brothers gave each other their own Look; the battle of a different story. You took the brief pause to turn and grab some paper towels to clean the pastry that had gone rogue and splattered on the floor, only to find that Appletun already had it covered. You let him have it; you only had the energy to deal with one situation right now. But you stayed turned for that moment longer anyway, just to get a grip on yourself. Despite the circumstances, you could feel your face heating up in Ingo's close presence, and you hated not having your mind under control.

With a sharp inhale of breath, you turned back to the siblings. "You mentioned you came for coffee?"

It was a good time to interject; both of them looked like they were about to start on each other. Their attention turned to you and Ingo clapped his hands together in remembrance. "Yes, yes! Emmet seemed very fond of his order from this morning. He mentioned your café by name, but ah...not your name?"

"I forgot."

"You didn't even ask for their name? That's awfully rude, Emmet."

"I forgot."

"Ah...well..." You looked down at the name tag on your apron. The pastry that landed on you had a part of it stuck to the plastic, obscuring your name. You wiped it off.

"[Y/N]," read Ingo, "A pleasure to meet you, [Y/N]! I am sure my brother already introduced himself, but my name is Ingo."

Both of them did their signature pose. You'd never been this close before, and their sudden point in your direction was slightly jarring. But it was cool!! This was so cool!

"The Subway Bosses." You nodded in recognition with an awkward smile. "It's really nice to meet you, too..." Again, you felt heat rising up your face. You quickly redirected the conversation back on track. "Emmet did come by this morning. He said he, um, he liked the house blend?"

You didn't mention that you're pretty sure he just went with the most neutral order.

"Excellent! May we have two cups to go? One black and one with plenty of cream and sugar?"

"Absolutely!" You beamed — surprised at yourself. The way Ingo asked, you could see a smile in his eyes. Unless you were imagining it...but regardless, it sent your heart pounding and your smile was big and bright. Like this whole situation was happening naturally. This was the first time today that you felt warm and fuzzy inside.

You turned your back to them again in order to prepare their order, this time your ears burning. Emmet's was the straight black one, you knew, so Ingo's had to be the sweet one. For some reason, even that was cute to you. You were two seconds from actually, physically slapping yourself out of this schoolkid crush when the man and his brother that knows too much were just a couple feet away. With as much determination as you could muster, you pushed all thoughts except Coffee out of your mind.

"Ah! Hello, little one!"

Ingo's voice surprised you again, making you turn around and realize that Appletun had finished his janitorial duties and wandered around the counter to the brothers. The elder twin was looking down with a hand to his chin, his eyes sparkling. (Maybe. That might just be your crush filter.) Thankfully you were ready to bring the tray with their orders around so you could watch the results.

Emmet was on point. "Careful. He is sticky."

"I see... How about this, then?" Ingo bent down and gave Appletun's muzzle several choice skritches that had the little dragon in heaven. And you too, because it was adorable. Appletun happily cried out, flipping his eyes up and shifting from foot to foot. "Oh! Bravo!!" was Ingo's just-as-excited response to seeing Appletun's surprising eyes — now you were sure Ingo's eyes were sparkling with delight. You made a mental note to give Appletun an extra treat later, pastry notwithstanding.

"He's very excitable," you laugh, setting the tray on the counter. It carried two to-go cups of coffee as well as a little glass bowl of sugar cubes and small pitcher of cream. "Here you go!"

"He is exceptional!" Ingo agreed as he stood to his full height again. (Appletun also nodded sagely in agreement.)

In an incredibly better mood, your smile shone again and you motioned to the tray. Emmet immediately took a cup. You pointed to the cutesy sugar cubes and cream that you most definitely brought out instead of normal sugar packets, just to show off for Ingo. "Here... I didn't know how much you wanted, so..."

For a moment, you thought you might have made a mistake, as Ingo paused. But he ended up giving the warmest chuckle you've ever heard. It had you seeing stars; your smile faded slightly as you look at him, dumbstruck. You heard your heartbeat in your ears. The rest of the station momentarily faded away. Your periphery went soft. And if you weren't dreaming, you could swear you saw his mouth upturned at the sides, smiling for you...

"This is wonderful, [Y/N], thank you. Here, let me fetch your payment first."

You saw Emmet glance to Ingo from the corner of his eye and you just knew that Emmet had won the earlier Look battle over payment. Ingo handed you exact change, which you put in the register as Ingo prepared his additions.

"Ingo. The time."

All three of you glanced at the clock, and Ingo perked up. "You're right." His face turned sheepish when he looked back to you and added his final cube. "Emmet thinks I take too long preparing my coffee with sugar and cream."

"You have no coffee left."

Again, you laugh. "That's alright. You like what you like, after all." (Appletun nodded sagely again where no one could see him.) "It's just extra sweet for an extra sweetie."

Time stood still. The world stopped spinning. You thought you were having a heart attack except the heart was your brain and the attack was an inside job by the rest of your consciousness. This is it. This is how you die.

Ingo's hand bumped the spoon on the glass bowl and Emmet paused mid-sip to send the most amused of looks across the counter at you. At that point you hid your face in your hands in shame without even looking at Ingo; clearly you wanted to save some mortification for later when you develop lifelong insomnia from this event. Just as extra punishment to yourself.

Emmet cleared his throat, likely for the time. The spoon clinked against the glass again, this time deliberately as being set back in place, and you heard Ingo say, "Yes... Right."

You were glad they already paid. This way you didn't have to remove your hands from your face ever again. Muffled, you managed to rush out, "Thank you for coming I hope you enjoy your coffee please have a nice rest of the day and battles and other stuff thank you."

By the end, it had come out as a squeak. Now, you haven't known Emmet long (less than a day, you remind yourself! less than a day!), but you could still imagine exactly what his smug face looked like. Unfortunately, as is the nature of identical twins, it was not a short mind-walk to imagine what Ingo's might look like, either. And with your hands blocking your face, it was all you had to go on.

Awkwardly, Ingo cleared his throat. "We hope you have a nice day as well. Thank you again, [Y/N]. Now, it is time for our departure."

You nodded out of habit, still covering your face. You felt like an extra dumbass.

Their footsteps gradually receded, and once they were indistinguishable from the rest of the bustling station, you peeked through your fingers. The coast was clear. Without hesitation, you put up the sign for the counter that said "Out To Lunch" before sliding down behind and against it. Appletun waddled up, confused at your return to being distraught after what he thought was a good visit. You allowed him into your lap and received another sticky hug. You didn't care. You buried your face in the crook of his neck as he put his head against yours.

"I'm an idiot, buddy. I am the biggest idiot."

"...Do you like the coffee?"

"Something tells me we were not there for the coffee, Emmet."

"I like it. Burned my tongue the first time, though."

"I don't know what you said to them this morning—"

"We had a conversation but I didn't saaayyyy anything."

"—that would cause them to react in such a manner—"

"Their actions were entirely their own."

"—that makes me think I may have misplaced the trust I held in confiding with you about—"

"Never." Emmet's tone was final and serious, unlike his other replies that contained an air of I Am Being Difficult. "I would never betray your trust."

Ingo huffed. "I know. I'm sorry for my paranoia. It's all just a little too convenient."

"I only thought we'd need to refuel for our next trip." The air was back. "I haven't lost a battle. I am on a rrrrroll today."

The two reached the end of the line where they conducted their routine. Ingo sighed, putting everything aside in order to focus on their checks.

"Another win," Emmet cut in before they began, "I cannot be stopped."

Across Gear Station rang the Subway Bosses' audible safety script. Though dwarfed by Ingo, fans could easily pick out Emmet's voice between them before the Battle Subway's departure:

"Check safety! Follow the schedule! Aim for victory! Everrrrryone smile!"

Chapter Text

Eventually, long after the sound of subway cars wheeled away on their tracks, you rose from your lowly state now cramped and miserable. It had been longer than you thought, at least longer than your lunch breaks are supposed to be. You left the sign on the counter as you went in the back room, trailed by Appletun. You replaced your nectar-covered apron and gave your arms, hands, and face a good wash clean. You returned to the counter only after psyching yourself up.

Not even Appletun could completely lift your spirits. This time, keeping yourself from people-watching was easy. Your screw-up conveniently replayed in your head every so often — you'd say every five minutes by the way the rest of the day was moving — and it was a fantastic deterrent. Perfect, you might say. Almost designed for this purpose.

You felt even more stupid by doing so, but you hid again when the Subway Boss's trains came back to the station. Especially since by that time, your café was closed and Gear Station was an hour past when the trains stopped running. The last matches must have been a hell of a battle for both parties. You continued to wait, listening to familiar and hurried footsteps get further away...and then a few minutes after that to make sure. ...And then hoisting Appletun above you so he could use his pop-up eyes like a periscope and report back to you.

That last time did make you laugh a little. Appletun played comically serious very well. You thanked him for his service.

All that was left for the day was to finish closing up shop and head home. Tonight's sleep might come easy, but you guessed you'd probably get a good nightmare or two. The embarrassment flavor, of course. That seemed to be The Theme of the day, after all.

You were just about ready to grab your things and leave when you heard someone walk up to the counter and ring the courtesy bell. Ding! Despite your confusion, you called out, "Sorry, we're closed!" and went back to your business. No one should expect service at this hour, nor should anyone but Gear Station employees even be in the building. But the Battle Subways did come back late, carrying who knows how many trainers.

Well, whatever. You took off your apron and set it on its ha

Ding!

You paused, uncertain you heard correctly. Again? Just in case, you once more called out, "Sorry! We're closed for the night!" and shrugged at Appletun. Some people like to be difficult. A choice conductor came to mind, which you tried to scrub from your current thoughts. Today was enough!! Let yourself have some time in the present when you weren't currently a red-hot mess, self.

Okay. Shutting off the main appliances was nex

Ding!

"Unbelievable," you muttered. Someone was either playing a prank or being a dick (both went hand in hand), and after the day you'd had your tolerance was at zero. You stuck your head out from the back room midway through yelling, "For the last time: we. Are. Closed!"

"Ah..."

Like a Deerling in the headlights was Ingo, hand hovering above the bell. He at least had the sense to look appropriately abashed. As did you, covering your mouth with a hand the moment you saw the perpetrator red-handed.

"It seems I owe you nothing but apologies tonight, [Y/N]. I remembered the scare I gave you earlier today and didn't wish to repeat the scenario. I thought, perhaps, alerting you with the bell might be less intrusive than my voice, but, ah..." he trailed off, clearing his throat. "...Clearly, it was not the best route to take, either..."

Your brain needed a second to reclaim its bearings, which you used to take Ingo in. His coat was off and neatly folded over one arm; his hat was similarly removed and held by the band; and he looked tired. He cleared his throat for a second time, though thankfully it wasn't because you were staring too long — he seemed to be concentrating on his own thoughts.

"I won't be but a minute -- I'm sure you're eager to return home for the night and I don't want to keep you. It occurred to me that my visit to your establishment with my brother was orchestrated with the intent to cause you embarrassment or discomfort. Though I am sure Emmet did not mean any harm, I feel obligated to apologize to you for, at the very least, my part to play."

"W...wait, no...huh?" You stumbled out of the back room even more confused and far less eloquent. "Did Emmet say something...?"

"That was my question to him after we left with our coffee, actually. When he began to give me the runaround, I realized he had likely played a prank or something of the sort and brought me into it without my knowledge."

"No, it's— I mean, it's not really anything, um, I just worded something awkwardly, that's all. I, I overreacted, I think, ha-haaa......" Your laugh was weak and drowned in your throat. Ingo definitely noticed by the way his frown deepened.

"It brought you great distress. Regardless of intent, I must take responsibility for that."

Despite the situation, you felt like smiling. Though you'll never say the phrase again for as long as you live, Ingo really was a sweetheart. You shook your head 'no' without thinking twice.

"No...?" he shakily questioned. He'd started turning the hat in his hands little by little out of worry.

"No," you gently chatoted, "Not your fault. I'll only accept an apology if it's your fault."

"Is that so..." Ingo hummed, thinking for a moment. He looked so serious, you nervously spoke up again.

"Really, it's, it's not a problem! It means a lot that you came by to do it at all." To punctuate your point, you gestured to the clock. "Especially so far past closing."

"Ah, well..." He sheepishly looked down at his hat, still being fiddled with in his fingers. "I'd been thinking about it for most of my day. I was afraid we'd completely ruined yours."

"No!" you exclaimed way louder than intended, scaring you both. "I mean...no, no. You didn't, believe me." You couldn't if you tried, completed your thoughts.

Ingo still looked pensive, but nodded anyway. He knew a futile battle when he saw one. "If you're certain... And I don't suppose you're willing to budge about accepting my apology?"

Somehow, the man got a chuckle out of you. "You'd suppose right."

"I see, I see. Then it appears we're at an impasse, as I'm not particularly willing to revoke it."

"No?"

"No," he very knowingly chatoted right back.

All be damned, the man pulled a smile from you, too. "Well, this is a situation, then, isn't it?"

His demeanor had lightened up, you noticed; almost as though your smile released some of his own troubles. That warm, fuzzy feeling was back in full-force and you had no intention of trying to tamp it back down.

"Quite so, I'm afraid. How about we say that I 'owe you one'?"

"Like a rain check?"

"Precisely."

You weren't sure if you were imagining things at this point, let alone entertaining the thought of having some sort of pseudo-date with Ingo waiting in limbo for a later time, but hell if you didn't smile like it. "I think I can work with that."

"Ah, good!" He seemed so relieved, letting out a sigh and stopping the messing around with his hat. "I appreciate the opportunity, [Y/N]."

With a look to the clock, and then the empty station around you, you both realized it was later than you thought.

"I was just on my way out. Were you as well?"

"Ye-yeah, hold on one sec!"

You dodged into the back room again, nearly tripping over Appletun (who was giving the two of you an obliviously happy look). Everything was ready for you to leave, so you grabbed all of your things and recalled Appletun back into his ball. The last thing was to lock up for the night, which took you three tries because you tried to put the key in two different ways. It was as if you were only allowed one smooth moment a day and you had just used it up on the rain check.

Still, as you and Ingo walked to the exit, it was almost like this made up for everything else that happened today.

Almost.

"Oh, here--" Ingo said, holding open an exit door for you with what looked like a faint smile. "It's truly the least I could do."

Nevermind, you amended to yourself as you thanked Ingo with a heated face and hearts in your eyes. It definitely does.

Chapter Text

“Did you do it?”

…Was what greeted Ingo when he arrived at the apartment he shared with Emmet. The younger twin had been on the other side of the door, so close his nose was almost touching, for who knows how long. When Ingo didn’t immediately answer, Emmet clarified, “I was waiting.”

“And now I’m home. May I come in?”

“Did you do it?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You talked to them,” Emmet said with the kind of grin he could only have if he saw the deed with his own two eyes. “Sooooo…?”

Ingo’s own eyes narrowed. “You didn’t return straight home after you clocked out for the night, did you?”

“Answer meeeee.”

“I don’t know what it is you’re asking me.”

“Did you. Ask them. On. A. Date.”

Each word was punctuated by the widening of Emmet’s eyes. Ingo could tell that his brother was genuinely excited, but he didn’t particularly want to talk about this topic, ever if he could help it. Unfortunately for Ingo, his younger brother had an iron grip on the topic and wouldn’t release it.

“Please let me inside, Emmet.”

“Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm--”

“Emmet—”

“--mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm--“

The fake 'I’m thinking' hum was long and uninterrupted and likely would have continued, immortal, for the rest of eternity, had Ingo not decided to just give in and answer.

“No, I did not ask them on a...date.”

“—mmmmmmmmmmmm-- whaa?”

The surprise created an opening. Ingo took it ruthlessly. He poked a finger in Emmet’s side, activating the ticklish nerves that plagued most of humanity. He then slid by as Emmet pulled back defensively, whining. The goal was reached and a tally was added to Ingo’s side of the mental sibling chalkboard.

“You had the perfect opportunity!”

Emmet recovered fast and closed their front door. When he walked fully inside, he looked petulant.

“Ah!” came Ingo’s loud reply from another room. “So that was your true intent all along!”

“Yes?” Emmet said with an uncharacteristic, disbelieving tone of voice that meant What else did you think it was for??

“And after I asked you not to tell them…” Ingo trailed off as he walked back into their living room sans coat, hat, and tie; but wearing a new shade of natural blush.

Emmet held up a finger. “I didn’t. I did not do what you told me not to do. I followed the rules.”

Ingo only sighed. He sat down on their couch, which Emmet leaned over for a better vantage point. A Joltik scurried out from underneath the cushion Ingo had taken up, incensed, and hid beneath the piece of furniture.

“You knew I would return to the café after-hours and speak with [Y/N] again, but how could you think I would so blatantly ask them for a quite personal outing after what happened during lunch hour? Is that how you really expected it to go?”

“Yes.”

“I’m afraid that’s not how it played out.”

“That is obvious. What did you do?”

“I apologized for what transpired between the three of us that resulted in their distress. Without your input, might I add.”

Emmet hung his head, shoulders slumping and arms loose over the couch. “You apologize for everything.”

“For what should be,” corrected Ingo. “It doesn’t matter in the end, anyway. They didn’t accept my apology.”

“Wait. They didn’t?” That perked Emmet back up. You didn’t seem the type to do that, even burdened with a massive crush. “That was mean.”

“Not quite in the way that you think.” He knit his hands together tightly. “They did not accept the event as a fault of mine and believed the apology as unnecessary. Yet I insisted on……insisting.”

“And?” Emmet was hanging on every word.

“Well, we came to a mutual agreement. A ‘rain check’, of sorts, for a future point in time in which I will be able to make it up to them in a more amenable manner for the both of us.”

Emmet stared at his brother silently, processing this information and decoding Ingo’s unnecessarily long-winded dialogue. When it clicked, the younger twin lifted both of his arms palms up, with the most baffled look Ingo had ever seen on his brother’s face.

“Ingo. That is a date.”

The man in question turned his head away from his brother, the wall suddenly becoming very interesting. “We never specified that it would be anything of the sort.”

Emmet was too quick, though. He popped over to the other side of the couch in the same manner as his Joltik would and began to talk slowly, as though it would help Ingo understand his point better.

“What you just said. Is basically a date. What else would it be? This is the perfect opportunity!”

“That’s exactly what you said before.”

“Well you screwed up before. This is a better chance.”

The older twin didn’t have an answer, or declined to give one. He cast his eyes downward instead, hands clasped tightly in his lap. In response, Emmet let himself fall completely over the couch, ending upside-down and once again directly in Ingo’s field of vision.

“Why won’t you take the chance?” He sounded earnest, at least, despite his completely ridiculous position.

“Why are you trying to force one?” was Ingo’s reply, equally earnest. “Why, all of a sudden, are you attempting to manufacture a relationship instead of letting things take a natural progression?”

“Because there won’t beeeee a natural progression!” Arms went enthusiastically wide in disbelief again; somehow, he didn’t fall off of the couch. “Do you know how long I have seen you look at them. Longingly. And you have never done a thing.”

Ingo huffed at the word “longingly”, but otherwise had no retort.

“You hadn’t gone to the café before today. Not even for their coffee.” His hands went to his hips the same way they would were he standing tall. “So I had to take action.”

“You didn’t have to do anything. And I wear the same professional demeanor for the duration of my job, and then some.”

“Nope. You look like this.”

Emmet chose a fixed spot on their ceiling and mimicked the way Ingo occasionally looked at you from the station platform. Eyes half-lidded with a far-away glaze and a softened gaze unlike his usual intense stare. Frown not entirely gone, of course, but thinned with just a hint of fondly upturned corners. The only thing missing was a dusting of blush, which Emmet could not conjure up. Overall it clearly read as a man with string tied around his heart and a dream wished to be made reality.

Ingo balked.

“You’re exaggerating, Emmet.”

“Am not.” Indignant, his normal expression returned. “Sometimes you don't even know you're doing it. That's how I knew before you told me. It was verrrry obvious.”

He had copied the gaze so perfectly and quickly, without having to think about it for even a moment. Ingo had run out of arguments and risked going around in circles, which Emmet would notice and point out immediately. How long had he been doing this? He couldn’t even remember when it started. Did he really stare that much? Were you in such distress because you had caught him looking and felt appalled, alarmed, sickened when he approached you today?

Emmet saw these never-ending questions running through Ingo’s mind and came to the rescue. “Don’t worry. You don’t look like a stalker.” (Sort of to the rescue.) “It’s glances. But a lot of them. Over a long time.”

Ingo covered his face with one hand. The evidence was overwhelming at this point. Even Emmet wouldn’t take something like this so far if it were one of his pranks or teases.

“This is ridiculous. I act as though I’m a schoolchild.”

“Yup.”

“Asking for a date at this point would be wildly inappropriate.”

“Do not derail yourself, brother,” Emmet said, eerily calm. “It is important to complete your route.”

“If you’re planning to switch my tracks, kindly do not.”

“But—”

Ingo shook his head. “Emmet, I do not wish to embarrass myself — nor them — any more than today’s events. In fact, you owe them an apology. Perhaps that is why they did not take mine.”

“But you haven’t thought why—”

“I think I will go to bed early. We have a long shift again tomorrow.” Before Emmet could get in another word, Ingo stood up, circling the couch and switching their positions. “I sincerely appreciate the effort you have made for my benefit. But…this is something I must figure out on my own.”

Emmet pouted, crossing his arms. Ingo solemnly patted one of Emmet’s legs before taking hold of both and fully tipping him over the couch’s edge. He fell sideways to the couch, and then to the floor like a rag doll.

“Good night, Emmet,” Ingo said, walking into his room.

“Good night, Ingo,” Emmet said, muffled from the ground.

The door to the older twin’s room closed softly while the younger twin pensively lay on the floor, arms still crossed. Two Joltik scampered from beneath the couch and climbed on top of him with familiarity. They rested on his chest and gave him inquisitive gazes.

“This is verrry frustrating,” he thought aloud to the little bugs — in a whisper so Ingo wouldn’t hear. “He has not even thought about why [Y/N] is just as embarrassed as he is. But I can’t even say it! What is my next step if I am not allowed to have a next step?”

One Joltik squeaked, and then the other. Emmet nodded, rapidly drumming his fingers on his arms. “Hmm. Hmm. Take advantage of a technicality, just liiike…”

Emmet nodded vigorously to himself; a thought having struck him. He stood up, determined, each Joltik taking one of his shoulders. His determination would not go quietly into the night. His mission would be completed.

The customers were coming at a steady rate today, and you were grateful for Appletun’s help. He wasn’t fast, but could bring you things on low shelves, and entertain customers when you fell behind.

Aside from when the trains began running and they were performing safety checks, you hadn’t seen hide nor hair of the subway twins. You were fine with this; last night made up for a lot. Just the simple act of coming to apologize, the way he wanted to make it up to you, walking out of the station together, holding the door open for you…

“Excuse me!”

“Oh!” Sheepishly, you greeted the next customer. This wasn’t the first time today you were caught daydreaming.

After the lunch rush, the customer volume died down a bit. You were glad; you needed a break. Once the last customer was taken care of, and you heaved a big sigh. You leaned under the counter to grab the Out to Lunch sign when you heard yet another person line up at the counter with obnoxious speed.

Damn, I wasn’t fast enough. Okay, that’s fine, you told yourself, I’ll put the sign up and take their order and then I’ll be one step ahead of anyone else butting in.

“Welcome! What can I get you today?”

Your cheery customer service voice began before you pulled yourself back up all the way. It disappeared when you saw just who it was.

“No,” came out of your mouth instinctually.

“’No’?” repeated Emmet with a tilt of his head.

“Jus—Don’t.” You pointed at him as though he were going to jump the counter. “No. Nope. We’re closed. Don’t.”

“You have a strong pointing style. But your call is not up to the correct regulations. It is ineffectual.”

“Sure, yes, okay, that’s why you’re the Big Train Boss Man, thank you. Bye.”

Emmet brought a hand to his chin. “Do you think Ingo would let me change our titles from Subway Bosses? I like yours.”

“You’re not going away, are you?”

“Nope.”

You groaned in frustration, sliding one hand exaggeratedly down your face until it pulled at your lower eyelids and stretched your cheeks. “Don’t you have subway things to do? Or is embarrassing Gear Station employees a new duty of yours?”

“No, I do not have that duty scheduled.” Emmet sounded so matter-of-fact, like he was really taking your remark seriously. You didn't know how to tell if he was doing it on purpose or genuinely didn't understand sarcasm and other tones of the sort. You wished you did so you could have discussions that both of you could understand instead of...one? Zero, and he just doesn't show it?

“Haven’t you done enough? If you were out to teach me a lesson, believe me, I got it loud and clear.” you said, far more tired and exasperated than your outburst moments before. “Why don’t I just quit and save you the trouble.”

“Hm, no. Losing your job would make mine harder.”

You furrowed your brow in suspicion. “What does that mean?”

“I would have a tougher time with my job if you quit. Verrrry tough. Not the good kind like with pokémon battles.”

Leaning into the counter, you put your face into your hands. “Trying to piece together what you’re trying to talk to me about is not in my brain capacity right now. It’s been a long day and it’s only two o’clock. Can you just get to the point without being difficult?”

“I couldn’t be a Subway Boss if I wasn’t difficult!” he boasted proudly with his hands on his hips. “In fact, that is why I am here.”

“To…be difficult? Then it is part of your job.”

“Not that part.” He shook his head. “Battle me.”

It caught you so off-guard that you instantly forgot whatever you had lined up to say next. “What?”

He stood tall and struck his signature pose.

“I am Emmet. I am a Subway Boss. I challenge you to a pokémon battle!”

Chapter Text

You were too stunned to move. It was like Emmet was a completely different, more composed person. There was a fire in his eyes and determination radiating from every part of him, and the most was concentrated on the gloved finger pointing directly at you. Despite his fierce grin, you could tell he was serious.

Several people around the two of you immediately looked in your direction after hearing Emmet’s call. Murmurs began to surface all around you, excited for such a rare moment. The Subway Bosses kept their battling to the train cars and only engaged in battle inside Gear Station under unique circumstances, after all.

A small crowd was forming, beyond your control. It all made you want to crawl into a hole even more when you answered.

“……No?”

A pause. Gear Station was a closed-in building, but you could swear you felt a cold breeze blow between the two of you.

“What.” It was flat; even more than his usual near-monotone.

You awkwardly scratched the back of your neck. “Um…no…?”

Honestly, the day you learned that you could just say no and bypass the unspoken rule of “eyes meet = battle time” was a liberating one. Especially when every kid in the region six ways to Sunday wants to jump you just because you glanced at them. They’re always so flabbergasted at the very idea that someone could choose not to engage and keep walking instead. Of course, you were aware that doing so was appalling trainer etiquette – and could never figure out why being accosted by every trainer on a route into town wasn’t.

Speaking of flabbergasted, Emmet’s mind was still buffering. “Why not.”

“Well for one, I only have Appletun here with me…”

“Do you have other pokémon?”

Internally, you grimaced. Your wording had revealed the truth of, indeed, having other pokémon. Appletun, bless his heart, had rounded the counter as soon as Emmet showed up and was currently trying and failing to get him to leave by pulling on one of his pant legs with his mouth.

“I mean, yes, but—”

“Okay. Go get them. I can wait.”

“That isn’t—That’s not the issue.”

He was starting to look impatient.  “What is?”

“I’m not a trainer, okay? I haven’t battled in years.”

Another imaginary cold breeze blew between the two of you. Emmet’s smile thinned and he adopted a blank look, eyes blinking a few times in rapid succession as he tried to process the information. It did not compute. His pose – which he had been impressively maintaining this whole time – drooped, starting with his fingers and ending with his arms.

“I don’t understand.”

“Well that’s the answer. Not everyone on the planet is a practicing trainer.”

“I don’t understand why you don’t want to battle.”

With one hand to your temple, you heaved a great sigh. “I’d say that’s not my problem, but it looks like you’re making it one for me.”

“Do you have a trainer’s license?”

“Yeah. And before you ask – yes, I went through the whole 'trainer journey' thing when I was a kid.” You waved your hand in the air vaguely like you were flipping the pages of a script. “Eventually I got tired of it. So, like I said…I haven’t battled in years.”

“Why not?” (You sighed loudly again, your point having gone through one of Emmet’s ears and straight out the other.) “Battling is the best! You can see many different combinations of pokémon and partners. Their strategies. Figuring out how to beat them is a lot of fun!”

You could see his face light up, his smile become truly  excited. He’d even balled his hands into fists and held them in front of himself, shaking them after every point he made. You had to hold back a small smile at his candid excitement, as annoyed at him as you were.

“That’s what makes you a Subway Boss. Both you and Ingo.”

“Yes, we are verrrry strong. We love to battle. With other people, with each other...” His arms dropped back to his sides as he seemed to remember why the subject was brought up in the first place. “You do not like to battle.”

You held a withered look at him. “I never said that. I just…haven’t in a good while.” There was no reason you could conjure up, even for your own peace of mind. The life of a trainer just sort of drifted away from you at some point, and with it any urge to battle. “I was never on par with people like you and your brother anyway. You’re Champion class at least.”

“That doesn’t matter. If you put your all into a battle, then it's fun!” He nodded to himself. “But I like winning more than anything else.”

Who doesn’t like to win, though? you thought to yourself, crossing your arms. “More than anything, huh? More than your pokémon? More than Ingo?”

You were only half-joking with him, but you managed to hit some sort of target in Emmet’s mind, because he went silent. With one hand to his chin, he stared at the floor without really seeing it. Did this never occur to him before? Does no one ever counter his blunt statements? Did you just find a battle strategy against Emmet, the short-circuited man standing before you, to combat his inexplicable vendetta against you?

Huh. You unintentionally adopted the same pose as Emmet and stared at the counter, lost in your thoughts. The two of you stood still in complete silence like this for far longer than was necessary. It took a customer’s meek “Um…excuse me…?” to  snap you out of it, laughing nervously and apologizing before taking care of her order. You couldn't help but notice a small gathering of people still waiting around to see if anything happened.

By the time you were done, Emmet had returned to normal and finally acknowledged Appletun’s insistence of pulling his pant leg. You had a sinking feeling the man wasn’t finished.

“Does your Appletun battle?”

Nope, not finished, never finished. It didn’t seem like you were going to get out of this. And whatever conclusion about your half-joke that he came to inside the Rubik’s Cube that is Emmet’s brain, it didn’t seem like he was going to share it. You still counted it as a win for yourself. You needed all you could get.

When Emmet voiced his question, Appletun stopped and looked up at him. Peeking over the counter – you had to stifle a laugh, with part of Emmet’s pant leg now sporting an Appletun-mouth-sized blot of drool – you awaited the pokémon’s reaction. It was only fair that he answer himself. Appletun flipped his eyes up, looking first to Emmet and then to you. The way he was shifting from foot to foot and giving you a gaze of sheepishness was all you needed for an answer.

You smiled at him fondly. Your pokémon’s faces – all of them – were ones you had trouble saying No to. And now that Appletun saw your smile, he immediately changed from embarrassed to eager; a 1-hit KO.

“I think he’s answering for himself,” you snort as the little dragon nodded with soft grunts.

“See. Pokémon love to battle, too!” Emmet was back to full-power enthusiasm. “Ingo runs the single-battles train. I prefer double battles. But I will do any kind.”

You sighed and rounded the counter to stand beside Appletun. With a shake of your head, you playfully told him, “The things I do for you…” which elicited an even bouncier reaction.

“Just one of my pokémon versus one of yours.” Emmet nodded. “You don’t even have to win 20 battles to face me! You are lucky.”

“Yes, fine. One match.” You held up one finger to punctuate your point.

“One match,” he agreed.

The crowd, which you had mostly blocked out during your back-and-forth with Emmet, was murmuring and whispering louder as people in the forefront heard your agreement and passed along the news to the rest. You were extremely uncomfortable with the spectators encircling you and Emmet. He’s one of Gear Station’s – and, arguably, Nimbasa City's as a whole – celebrities, and battles outside of the Battle Subways were extremely rare for them. And against you… you were a nobody in comparison. But, you were still a fixed employee inside the station at a very visible storefront; it’s not like you could be on your way and these people would never see you again. A lot of these people would likely see you on a constant basis, and you weren't sure if you were okay being attached to this outcome.

Appletun gently nudged your foot, as if to say, It’s okay. You smiled again and took a deep breath.

The two of you adopted ready stances in the crowded “arena”. Emmet smiled wider and picked one of his pokéballs from inside his coat. You stood awkwardly across from him a good several feet away; memories of battles past came rushing back to you, and with them familiarity. Rusty as you were, Appletun’s set of known moves and his strengths and weaknesses immediately came to mind, buried deep within your brain, having never gone away. It gave you a boost of confidence. At least you knew some of what you were doing.

“Appletun,” you spoke in a quiet voice, “Everything coming back to you too, bud?”

“Snormf!” snormffled your partner in the affirmative.

“It’s just you and me. The others aren’t here for backup. Just do your best, alright?”

“Hmrph. Tun!”

Emmet, too, took a deep breath, before passionately executing his and his brothers’ signature stance. You already did this, you thought and kept to yourself, knowing there would be no use.

With vigor, he announced, “I am Emmet. I am a Subway Boss. I challenge you to a battle!”

The crowd cheered, startling you somewhat. Your attention was brought back as you heard the sound of a pokéball releasing its tenant. Across from you and Appletun was Emmet and his Galvantula. You’d heard here and there that it was one of his signature pokémon, and a tough one to boot. Inwardly, you winced. Bug-type moves will do a number on Appletun, and he didn’t know any moves that would do double the damage in return. You doubted the two of you would come out of this victorious, but at least for Appletun’s sake you’d try your best.

“Thunder Wave.”

Right off the bat, Galvantula crackled with energy, generating an electric static between its mandibles and quickly firing the jolts at Appletun. Your little dragon’s weakest battle stat was speed – it hit him without fail. He shook with the initial impact, inflicted with paralysis on turn one. Visible crackles of static were radiating off of him. You grit your teeth.

“Try to use Apple Acid!”

“Weave an X-Scissor.”

Both pokémon took action. Appletun managed to fight against the paralysis, holding his mouth closed as he readied the acid filling his maw. Emmet’s Galvantula braced and sprung into the air, hopping in a zig-zag style toward its opponent.

“Wait for it…” you muttered, though you knew Appletun could sense what to do.

Galvantula took one more jump, front legs and mandibles wide open with intent to complete the cross-attack smack dab on Appletun’s face. Just as the bug hit its mid-air peak, though, Appletun aimed upward and spat. Acidic green nectar built inside his mouth and formed into a glob, and it hit its mark. Galvantula was stopped mid-air; knocked back and blinded by the acid splattering across its face and all of its eyes. It landed halfway back to Emmet with a hiss. Its mandibles started rapidly cleaning the acid off of its face. You took the opportunity.

“Apple Acid! Cover its face again!”

Alas, it was no use. You heard Appletun make a frustrated noise as he shuddered, the paralysis keeping him in check. Emmet took his own opportunity – and he didn’t even need to give an order. The fuzzy yellow bug finished cleaning its face and charged, hitting Appletun full-force with an uninterrupted X-Scissor. You winced for him – there was that doubled damage, clear as Appletun’s pained groan.

Galvantula then hopped backwards to Emmet and finished cleaning its face of the acid. You knew that the damage Appletun inflicted was minimal at best. Your confidence had all but fully waned. You had the disadvantage insofar as type went, and Emmet did this for a living.

You took a risk. “Recover.”

Appletun gladly began pulling energy from within itself to heal his injury. Emmet made a tsk, ordering, “Wild Charge.”

Galvantula reared back, jolts of electricity building from its fur. It looked like both pokémon were charging themselves like batteries. C’mon, you thought, He has to finish before Galvantula does...

At the same moment Galvantula sprung from its place, Appletun’s recovery made its completion. It’s still too late, you winced again. The bug pokémon charged forward without wavering, making a combeeline for Appletun. You shut your eyes in anticipation and immediately heard a huge SLAM, complete with reverberations, followed by some spectator gasps…and cheers?

When you opened your eyes again, Appletun was flopped over on his side. But it wasn’t because he was hit. He’d moved just enough out of Galvantula’s way by rolling over, and because the attack required reckless abandon, the bug kept going. With a glance behind you, it was clear Galvantula slammed into the wall of Gear Station instead. It was getting to its many feet right next to the dent it made.

You broke out in a smile and turned back to Appletun. “Good one, buddy!”

“Ap!” he replied, though struggled getting back to his feet. Still suffering from paralysis, flopping over was the best he could do – and it worked.

“Get ready for another Apple Acid!” you told him, and he nodded.

Emmet was stoic, despite his smile. “X-Somersault.”

Huh?

Appletun, mid-turn to face Galvantula’s new position, readied another bout of acid while his opponent regained its bearings. It began angrily hopping in another zig-zag motion. This time, though, instead of hopping where you and Appletun expected, Galvantula leaped from further away and directly over Appletun. The acid hit the ground uselessly while Galvantula somersaulted through the air (to spectators’ delight) and hit the apex of the jump upside-down. It struck then, slashing an X-Scissor directly on top of Appletun’s pie-like hump. You could tell he was taking it like a champ, but the look on his face combined with the noise of being hit again tugged at your heartstrings.

Galvantula, the acrobat, hopped and skid back to Emmet’s side. More spectators cheered for the beloved Subway Boss. You were about to ask if Appletun was sure he wanted to continue when he gave a growl toward your opponents. That was all it took to tell you that he wanted to finish this battle, no matter how rusty the two of you were. Now it’s personal, you could imagine him thinking.

“Okay…” you muttered, trying to think fast enough. You didn’t have a lot of options, and trying Recover again would just make him a sitting Ducklett. Watching him, your frown deepened as Appletun shook in place from the paralysis. Shaking and shaking, almost vibrating. As you started to become alarmed, Appletun growled once more, louder – and the jolts of electricity keeping him paralyzed were suddenly expelled outward in a burst, and dissipated.

The crowd gasped as Appletun broke through the paralysis on his own. He looked back to you with a smile, as if to say, I got rid of it so you don’t have to worry!

You smiled widely, pride welling up in your chest.

“Alright, buddy! Way to go!” you cheered – as did several spectators. “Let’s hit ‘em with a Dragon Pulse!”

Opening his mouth, visible energy in blues and purples began to gather inside Appletun’s maw. The energy formed quickly into a shimmering ball of light. On his mark, the energy released with a palpable shockwave; the kind fireworks gave you deep inside your chest. It released in such a wide circumference that didn’t allow Galvantula room to dodge. Emmet only told his pokémon to brace itself as the pulse washed over it. The shockwave rippled its fur until the last bit of energy fizzled out.

As soon as it was over, it clicked its mandibles together in what you’d guess was frustration. The move had definitely done some visible damage.

You told Appletun, “Okay – now slam it with Headbutt!”

Appletun reared back. Speed was his weakness, sure, but he could sprint in short bursts. Which is what he did, head down in a pseudo-gallop, gaining speed. Galvantula turned to face its incoming opponent with an eerily calm disposition, much like the one its trainer sported. That’s when you noticed Galvantula’s front legs and mandibles. They weren’t clicking in frustration; they were gathering and dripping with venom. And right as Appletun was set to Headbutt the bug with all his might, Emmet called out,

“Cross Poison!”

and at the last second, Galvantula snapped up to sink its fangs into Appletun’s muzzle while piercing his sides with its front legs.

“What?” you cried. Galvantula can learn that move?! Needless to say it caught you way off guard and Appletun suffered for it. He fell to the ground with a sickly pallor already spreading across his skin. In trying to get up, he was too wobbly, and ultimately his legs gave out and he flopped over in defeat.

The battle was decided: Subway Boss Emmet won the match!

The crowd cheered and applauded for him, exclaiming that they just knew the Subway Boss would win. Fans ooh'd and ahh'd and shouted and applauded. A good handful of people called out to Appletun, though, praising him and his effort; having earned new fans. Overall, it was just noise to you. Nothing mattered at the moment except Appletun's health. You rushed to his side and put a hand under his head, flipping his eyes up when he didn't have the strength. You most definitely did not have an Antidote on hand, nor any potions for that matter.

His eyes looked so sad. Your heart broke.

“You were awesome, buddy. You did great! I’m so proud of you.” You tried to give him a reassuring smile and rubbed his front paw. “Don’t worry, we’ll get you fixed up, okay?”

At least he tried to match your smile before he gave in to weariness and fully fainted. His glossy eyes had given you the impression he might’ve thought he failed you, tearing into your heart even more. When he recovered you’d just have to prove that thought wrong, and give him more than a measly treat or two.

As you carefully picked him up in your arms, prepared to take him to the Pokémon Center, you heard a loud clapping from somewhere in the crowd, accompanied by a familiar shout cutting through the rest of the noise.

“Bravo! Outstanding!”

Chapter Text

All attention was drawn to the easily recognizable voice belonging to the man carefully making his way through the excitedly murmuring crowd. With Appletun fainted in your arms and your eyes on Ingo, you failed to notice Emmet thoroughly freeze in body and his expression. You were torn between continuing to rush off to the Pokémon Center and sticking around long enough to apologize to Ingo for not sticking around. You were reaching for Appletun's poké ball when he came into your full view exiting the crowd and approached you. Luckily you didn't have to make the choice you were torn over; Ingo addressed you, his voice ringing with genuine delight.

“That was a phenomenal match! [Y/N], please allow me.”

Ingo reached into a pocket in his coat and produced a Max Revive, which you graciously accepted. Slowly, the sickly poisonous pallor of Appletun’s skin receded and his injuries faded away. His consciousness slowly returned, eyes blearily blinking open and going wide after spotting you immediately. His first reaction was to give you a big (sticky) lick on your cheek with his tongue. You laughed with pure joy.

“Tun! Tun! Tun!”

“I’m happy you’re okay, too!”

The crowd was happy, too, his revival earning applause from some of them. Appletun looked their way and smiled as he bounced in your lap, much like the way he bounced for winning trainers who got off the Battle Subway. He didn’t care that he lost, it seemed, and you were glad for that. Your cheerful reply to his revival most likely helped him understand that you weren’t disappointed in him at all. It eased the way your heart had ached.

But what was lost was soon replaced; Ingo showing up gave your heart a much different ache.

“Thank you, Ingo…” you shyly smiled his way, hefting Appletun into a more comfortable arrangement your arms. The green dragon enthusiastically voiced an agreement.

“Oh, no, it was no problem at all; in fact, it is my pleasure to help.”

Both of your hearts ached in the same manner, separated by complete obliviousness that seemed to keep each of you in separate bubbles, stewing in your own feelings. Emmet would have covered his face with one hand, but it would’ve drawn unwanted attention. He opted to keep standing silently, hoping one of you did something to give any kind of clue to each other, here. He did not have much hope. He did have enough sense to keep quiet.

“You two did magnificently,” Ingo continued. "Evading Emmet’s Galvantula is no mean feat! Holding your own against him is very impressive."

You could tell that he wasn't patronizing you – he really meant those praises. Though you weren't sure you agreed with them (or, at the very least, had that much optimism), they visibly made Appletun happy...and made your heart thump even faster because of it.

“Thank you, um, Ingo,” you stumbled over your repeated words, mentally smacking your forehead for sounding like a broken record. You hoped he didn’t notice; and luckily, when you looked back at him, the corners of his mouth were upturned and you could feel that he was beaming at you. You ducked your head, feeling the heat of the sunny disposition you were also sporting.

“Though I must also say that you two did splendidly as well, Emmet."

The brother in question perked up from healing his Galvantula, turning to Ingo as though he were caught with his hand in the cookie jar. If you didn't know any better, you might’ve thought Emmet looked...unusually uneasy. Especially as Ingo's words for his brother just now had a subtle hint of strain in his tone of voice that wasn't in the compliments he'd just given to you.

"Hello, Ingo," he replied flatly, "I thought you were scheduled for the 1:15 train to Castelia City."

There was no emotion in his voice; as robotic as can be. And his smile was as strained as Ingo's tone. Both brothers had suddenly become very weird in each other’s presence. You had the feeling you were missing something important.

“I was, indeed. The train ran right on schedule and returned to the station with time to spare. I do believe it’s later in the day than you might think.”

Both you and Emmet looked at the clock. It was well past two, which was around the time Emmet cartoonishly popped up at your counter. You turned your attention to the younger twin, who was definitely acting off. More than his usual eccentric self. You furrowed your brow as Appletun continued to wiggle happily in your arms.

“I regret that I missed the very beginning of your battle,” Ingo said, addressing you again. It pulled back any brain resources you had working on the puzzle of the twins. “However, from what I did witness, you and your partner were wonderfully in-sync with each other! You should be proud!”

He was beaming at you again, and with your heart thumping madly in your chest, you nodded enthusiastically. “I am proud of my buddy, here, too! He was amazing!”

“♪ App-pull tun! ♪ Tun tun! ♪” your buddy let loose in a sing-song manner. You laughed, and when he raised his head you happily planted a kiss on his muzzle. He hummed cheerfully as a few people in the crowed aww'd.

Ingo watched the two of you with fond eyes. He was similarly trying to tamp down the feeling of blush rising to his face, albeit unsuccessfully. You were just so good with your pokémon, and that contributed a larger portion to how he felt about you since seeing so. With the corners of his mouth still slightly upturned, he acted as though he needed to adjust his hat and pulled the brim down over his eyes.

“You should be proud of yourself, too.” Despite ‘adjusting’ his hat, his voice betrayed the poorly-built barrier trying to block you from noticing the effects of his schoolyard-like crush. “You handled Emmet’s techniques with aplomb for a trainer who has never been a passenger on our Battle Subway. Your track today may not have led to victory, but it carried you uphill to greater heights!”

You almost laughed. Not because you were mocking him – the opposite, in fact; you found his metaphors and train lingo sprinkled throughout his speech greatly endearing. There was genuine belief in every word he uttered. You ended up chuckling anyway in enchantment. “Thank you, Ingo... That…It, it means a lot...”

And it really did. You’d probably remember this forever…at least, this part. It seemed to be a developing running theme for Emmet to appear aiming to ruin your day (supposedly), with Ingo appearing to the rescue. It was very hard to mind in this instant. It’s also only been two days. Did you mention that? It’s been two days and this is what has happened.

Who cares if it led to this, you told yourself.

The two of you shared a brief moment as your actions were almost mirrored; Ingo looking from underneath the brim of his hat, and you looking with your head ducked downwards. Both of you wore shy smiles and your faces felt hot, and your voices conveyed the mutual fondness toward each other that neither of you somehow didn't recognize. (Emmet and his Galvantula sighed.) It likely would've continued to be a happier moment if part of Ingo's last remark hadn't registered with you a little late. Your demeanor changed slightly as you looked at him self-consciously.

"But, uhm...I'm not a trainer, by the way... Not a, a practicing one, anyway..."

You tried to laugh it off as you trailed at the end, but it silently drowned in light of the look on Ingo's face. At first, surprise — then confusion. His frown deepened and brow furrowed. "You aren't?"

"No... I used to be, when I was a kid and in my teens. This was my first battle in, um...well, a long while." You really hoped that you wouldn't have to go through an ordeal explanation like you did with Emmet, but Ingo seemed far more polite and willing to take things as they were.

Unfortunately, it sparked another instance of weirdness between the three of you. For starters, you saw Emmet turn to you in your peripheral vision; his eyes were filled with betrayal. Ingo then turned to Emmet, his eyes filled with exasperation...and something else you couldn't recognize. You looked from one twin to the other with no idea what was happening anymore. Everyone’s emotions were fluctuating in the most bizarre ways.

The crowd was dispersing gradually, but once they caught sight of the looks that the Subway Bosses were sharing, most decided to be on their way out of politeness. Some were snickering behind their hands, though, deducting points from their polite retreat. You just kept where you were, holding a calmer Appletun who was watching everything unfold with enviable obliviousness.

Something occurred to you, though you weren't sure from what. Before either twin could open their mouths, you spoke up. A little too jarringly.

"Emmet-stopped-by-and-wondered-if-Appletun-could-battle--"

It came out way too fast to be anywhere near an organic continuation of the conversation. You grimaced but hoped to play it off, despite the twins each looking at you surprised in different ways. You cleared your throat awkwardly.

"So...uh...I suggested a little...one-versus-one kind of deal..."

Your words were at a reasonable pace this time, but significantly less confident. Letting yourself trail off, you shrugged at the siblings with a now nervous grin. None of what you said was technically a lie. You just didn't want Ingo to get the wrong idea, which was actually the right idea, which included the vendetta that Emmet may or may not have against you, because he knew you were a fan of literally watching them. If Ingo didn't know about that, you really didn't want him to find out now, and he certainly seemed to lack this knowledge.

Of course this is a big lie of omission… It doesn’t feel great, but…I have to try this... Sorry, Ingo...!

Thankfully, neither of the twins were privy to your internal monologue, even if some of it probably showed on your face.

"I see..." Ingo said carefully. He wasn't usually this concise and you hoped it wasn't a bad sign. Thankfully, it appeared that Ingo recovered from whatever thoughts were plaguing him, because he returned to his fond demeanor toward you. It made you both breathe in relief and returned the expression. "Well then, I must give you another bravo! It seems that you never lost the skill you gained in your trainer days past, and you've only built upon the bond between you and your pokémon in the years since! That itself is worth applause."

You couldn't help but widen your smile enough to push your cheeks up and crinkle your eyes with delight. "That’s really sweet of you, Ingo."

This time you didn't freeze after admitting such a thing; Ingo's reaction was far too precious. Once more he wore the look of surprise that was accompanied by a clearing of his throat in an attempt to quell the pink that even you saw spread across his face. He grabbed the brim of his hat again, this time pulling it down so far that it covered his entire face — except you could still see one corner of his mouth from the side, and more than just a corner was upturned. You had to stop yourself from gasping. Ingo was smiling! He tried to hide it, but you could see it, you could see his happiness and you nearly became giddy yourself. It wasn't a big one — it was still his version of a smile — but it was more than enough to see it, let alone see it directed at you. Your cheeks started to hurt from your grin, but you didn’t care. Ingo was adorable and bashful and wonderful and kind, and if you had a diary it'd be filled with hearts by now. As such, only your brain was.

It was also cute to see the highly-professional Subway Boss Ingo covering his entire face with his hat. You loved it.

Ingo subtly turned his head to look at the clock, if only because were it not for the day’s timetables, he had no idea how to extricate himself from this situation without falling all over his own words. He did not want to leave by any means, but his duties went above and beyond just a job.

"Ah— you'll have to excuse me, [Y/N], as I cannot be late for my next departure." His voice was muffled by the hat that he still held in place. The funny was offset by the clear disappointment in his voice.

You completely understood, though felt just as disappointed. "No worries, Ingo... I know you have an important schedule to keep."

He lifted his hat, hand still on the brim. His eyes were wide and eager. "However, if I may ask, perhaps... Well, perhaps we might have our own battle sometime?"

Your answer came out of your mouth before a single thought crossed your mind. "Ye-yeah! Yes, sure! I can even bring my other pokémon! Uh-- even if, y’know, if you just want to meet them..."

Now you wanted to cover your face and disappear, but you were tragically hatless. A little pie-dragon was filling your hands, too, keeping your face in full view for everyone to see. (Appletun was just happy to be here.) Luckily, if Ingo noticed your embarrassment, he didn't show it. In fact, he let go of the brim of his hat to clap his gloved hands together once and nod with vigor.

"Oh! Yes, I would like that very much!" Ingo managed to reign in his demeanor, but you could tell he was thrilled by the sound of his voice, as always. "Excellent! Then I suppose we will see each other soon...?"

You simply nodded and kept smiling that big doofus grin. Ingo tipped his hat politely and turned around; as soon as he did, you shoved your face into Appletun's hump and imagined steam pouring out of your ears. You didn't care that you got all sticky. You wanted to scream, but the good kind, and kick your feet in the air or jump up and down. You did none of those things because there was a blessed part of your brain telling you to keep cool. It was just too late to kick in until after your face was buried in apple nectar.

Appletun kicked his own feet gently. He had your back.

"Emmet," you heard Ingo address before he walked away.

"Yes. I am also here."

Oh, right. Oops...

Ingo must've thought the same thing, because he stumbled over his first words. "R...Right. I'm sorry, Emmet, we did not mean to leave you out of the conversation."

"Okay." His tone was unreadable.

"Our schedules don't reconvene until later tonight, but let us try to leave for home as a two-car train tonight?" The stress he put on the euphemism gave you the impression something had happened that you weren't aware of. It didn't occur to you to think of last night's encounter with Ingo alone.

Though Emmet was obscured in your vision, you assumed he nodded because Ingo did, too, satisfied. The older twin then glanced behind him, to you, one more time and waved goodbye. You waved back, face still stuck in nectar but delighted nonetheless. Appletun also waved a paw. You had such a good pokémon.

Ingo then departed for his next destination. After a moment, when you were sure Ingo was out of sight, you let the little dragon back on the floor and started using your apron to wipe the sticky mess off of your face (mostly; you really had to use soap and water for this stuff). Emmet was watching you with a neutral face. The two of you stood in awkward silence for a moment before Emmet spoke up as you were hoping he'd do.

"Why did you lie?"

"Technically, none of it was a lie." You scraped one cheek with your apron, then the other. “Weren’t you going to do the same thing?”

“You took the blame.”

"I covered for you," you corrected, raising a finger.

"Those are the same."

“The difference is I wasn’t trying to save your butt for yourself.”

"My butt is only valuable to myself."

You really didn't know if he was messing with you or not. Either way, you managed to suppress a snrk and kept faking the confidence you were using to talk.

"Well now it's temporarily being held hostage by me." Pause. "Metaphorically."

Emmet sighed impatiently, but strangely didn't argue. It gave you a glimmer of hope for getting what you wanted out of him before he had to go back to work, too. Which seemed to be what he was thinking as well.

"If you have a point, make it quick. I also have a schedule to keep.”

Your apron was sticking to itself like glue, but you managed to blot your face enough until you could properly wash it. You ended up just slipping it off and using the backside for parts of your arms and hands. Admittedly, you were enjoying seeing Emmet impatient. In the course of two days, your attitude toward one half of the Subway Bosses was irreversibly altered. And honestly, if he had time for an impromptu pokémon battle outside of his work day, then he had a few more minutes to spare at the very least.

But you were a bit impatient as well, especially following the bout of odd tension between the twins during what was otherwise a lovely encounter. It was best to get on with it before anxiety consumed you completely. You were tired of being left out of the loop.

"I saved your butt, Emmet," you began, slowly and calmly, "so you would owe me."

Chapter Text

There was no immediate reply to your claim, just a blank look with an unreadable expression. You kept your own as unreadable as possible, too, and your voice as level as can be. You needed to stay cool, calm, and collected…or fake it as well as you could for as long as you could.

“Don’t you?” You didn’t wait for a reply. “Ingo seemed bothered by something when he was talking with you. And you didn’t seem particularly thrilled to see him, either. I doubt he would’ve liked to hear that you hassled me into a battle, right?”

Emmet had started rapidly tapping one foot on the ground. His grin was tight and you weren’t sure if you even saw him blink in the last few minutes.

With one finger on your chin, you continued. “In fact, you seemed surprised he showed up at all. Like you expected him to be gone for a while…specifically around the time you challenged me… Maybe…so he wouldn’t know?”

While it was a real question, you weren’t expecting any easy answers; instead, he took it rhetorically like you thought he would. Still, you crossed your arms and raised your eyebrows to signal to Emmet that it was his turn to speak.

“That doesn’t mean I owe you. He will question me later regardless.”

You narrowed your eyes. “You owe me at least one answer to your behavior these past couple days and you know it.”

The two of you stood in a stare-down; you with your arms crossed and Emmet tap-tap-tapping his foot away. You received several questioning looks from Gear Station’s many passers-by, but neither of you noticed. The time, however, was something that Emmet could not ignore. Despite his highly mischievous ways, he was a responsible conductor and partial head of the Battle Subway. He broke first.

“What do you want.”

“An honest, no-granbullshit explanation.” You took a few steps forward and pointed accusingly. “Why are you doing this to me?”

“...Huh?” For some reason, your choice of question caught him off-guard, like he was expecting a different one. “Doing what?”

“This! All of this!” You gestured around yourself vaguely. Then you held up one hand and started counting on your fingers as you continued. “Intimidating me at my counter? Pushing for a pokémon battle when I was obviously uncomfortable? Embarrassing me in front of Ingo…! Not even once, but twice!” You huffed. “If this is revenge for my for watching you two like a creep, then you’ve gotten it tenfold already.”

Breaking eye contact, you glanced to Appletun on the ground, who stood next to you in silent support much as Galvantula was doing with Emmet at the same time. The two pokémon looked back and forth between both trainers and occasionally to each other, confused.

Emmet’s tapping foot had stopped abruptly near the end of your rant. “Revenge. You think this is revenge?”

“What else would it be? You weren’t exactly pleased when you told me you caught me staring.” You scoffed, baffled that Emmet sounded genuinely confused and surprised at the concept.

“It isn’t revenge. I was annoyed that you stared so much. But only at first. When I went to your café I was already over it.”

You went silent, brow furrowed. Unfortunately, you were too absorbed in this mystery to fully appreciate the fact that you two were, essentially, staring at each other.

“If you were over it, why do all this, then?”

He paused, eyes briefly glancing aside at nothing in particular. “To be your friend.”

“Yeah you hesitated one second too long for me to believe you didn’t just make that up on the spot, my dude.”

Emmet kept the remark from leaving his lips, but he was tempted to say It’s not technically a lie. “Is it that hard to believe?”

A deep breath was taken before you unintentionally launched into a running-ramble-of-thoughts again. It was becoming harder to control the confusion and frustration boiling over and forcing your hand.

“You were almost menacing the first time you stopped at my café. And you told me that a ton of people stare at you and Ingo every day, constantly, from every angle. You said it doesn’t bother either of you because you’re public figures. So why is it that you zeroed in on me of all people? Especially now that you’ve learned I’m no trainer? And it’s not like you told Ingo, because he doesn’t seem to be in on your…your schemes.”

Admittedly, that last part was a tad over dramatic, especially with your vague hand gesturing. It did not deter you from continuing, though; and not once did Emmet try to interrupt. He let your string of thoughts play out to see where and how it ended.

“You didn’t tell me to stop, either, you just…you came back with Ingo. It’s like you brought him along on purpose, almost to—almost to…to…”

You trailed off for a good few seconds, running the calculations in your brain. Slowly, your anger melted, replaced by an even hotter-burning sensation of utter mortification welling up from the pit of your stomach and drenching you in dread.

“Oh my god, it’s obvious.”

You weren’t talking about Emmet’s reasons anymore. No, this was far more humiliating. Your hands rose in what felt like slow-motion to cup the sides of your face. They were on fire.

“Oh, fuck, it’s obvious, it’s been obvious this whole time and you saw it and you knew, you knew this whole time, and if you know then—then—”

I’m such a fucking idiot!

You turned around immediately, to the surprise of Emmet and the two pokémon still awkwardly standing at their owner’s sides. You sped-walked into the café’s back room. In this moment it felt like everyone on the planet knew about your crush, and you just wanted to crawl into a hole.

Appletun came running in after you, and then Emmet, who had recalled Galvantula into its ball. You intended to have privacy and to get away from the younger twin, but at this point you couldn’t focus enough to close and lock the door behind you. You could, however, shield yourself with the curtain inside the tiny cubicle of a changing room on the back wall. Appletun shuffled in underneath the curtain, worried.

You slid down the wall into an awkward crouch, which Appletun ambled up to and set his head down on one of your legs. You felt feverish, but only from being wholly mortified.

From inside, you heard Emmet walk up to the curtain.

“Go away,” you muttered.

“You have the wrong idea.”

“You have a schedule or whatever, go do that.”

“I am trying to help.”

“Yeah, right! Just stop already!”

Appletun huffed and stuck his head out of the curtain, growling, one draconian lip curled. You didn’t stop him. The only thing you heard from Emmet was a heavy sigh, and then he was silent. Probably thinking up more excuses, you thought.

“Ingo doesn’t know.”

You froze, sneering at the curtain as though it would reach him. “Do you think I’d fall for that? Now you’re just being cruel.”

“There’s nothing to ‘fall’ for. It’s the truth. Ingo does not know about the crush you have on him.”

“Why should I believe you? All you’ve done is try to embarrass me in front of him.”

“Any embarrassment was entirely on your part.”

You didn’t answer with words, just a scoff. That sounded awful to your ears, but it was the truth. Still, he didn’t have to spell it out so bluntly like that – but then again, this was Emmet you were dealing with. It still managed to slip some credence into your brain. With no other reply from you, Emmet continued.

“I only noticed because your face is different when you look at him.” He sounded closer to the curtain and you could see his feet from underneath. “You look at him with affection.”

“So do your fans.”

Emmet paused, and you could imagine him shaking his head. “Not like that. A different kind of affection. You are not like some of our intensely and horribly obsessed fans.”

Keeping this part to himself, Emmet thought, It’s the same kind of look I see Ingo give to you.

You also paused, taking it in. It certainly was believable, considering how wild some fans become around them sometimes. You’d even seen people being escorted from the premises because their fanaticism went above and beyond inappropriate. Thankfully it wasn’t often, but they did exist.

Even still, something still bothered you. “Well if you noticed, then Ingo noticed. He’s probably just been nice to me because he’s such a polite person.” You looked down in your lap, playing with the trim of your apron. “Probably thinks I’m a major creep…”

“Once again your speculations are verrrrry wrong.”

You scoffed for a second time.

“I am not joking. Ingo is completely unaware of your feelings. To an uncanny degree.” To an infuriatingly frustrated degree, he thought again.

There was another pause as you sat in continuing silence, tracing the apron hem with your fingers. The next time you spoke up, it was quieter. You were starting to believe Emmet, little by little. It was embarrassing for anyone to know, let alone his own twin brother; but now you had to work with what you got.

“…But he knows I’ve watched him, right?”

“That is incorrect.”

“…Only you know?”

“That is correct.”

“……And you…you’re the only one who noticed that I…um…”

“Are completely infatuated with him, yes.” A beat. “Well, I can’t speak for anyone else in the station. Just Ingo.”

Slowly, you pulled back the curtain from your position on the floor. You nearly jumped out of your skin when you saw how close Emmet was to the threshold, similarly crouching. It made you take a few deep breaths.

“But…isn’t it obvious?”

“Your giant, massive crush? Yes, it is.”

He knew no mercy. You made a frustrated noise in the back of your throat. “So then how? How could he not notice something so obvious right in front of him? I mean, you see me out there!”

Emmet looked into the camera, across time and space, gazing into the fourth wall abyss as it gazed back at him. Internally screaming for the rest of eternity. His eyes pleading to an unknown entity for help. But only for a millisecond. It was over as quickly as it began.

“I don’t know,” he answered robotically.

You heaved a big sigh and finally turned your head to him, though you were still avoiding eye contact. “So…what, you noticed and decided ‘hey, let me bring Ingo over, this’ll be fun’?”

Emmet looked into your eyes, across atoms and neurons, into your brain. Internally screaming for the rest of eternity. His eyes vacant and his mouth a thin line, his grin quivering and wavering. But only for a millisecond. It was over as quickly as it began.

“You are not this dumb.”

“Hey?!” You recoiled with surprise anger; Appletun growled again in your defense.

“I am not calling you dumb. I know you are not this dumb,” he elaborated slowly, unknowingly saving his life. “Look. If I did not bring Ingo with me to cause you embarrassment. What is the other option?”

“Huh?”

Emmet was growing impatient again; this time with good reason, as his own departure time was rapidly approaching. “Fact: I see you have a crush on Ingo. Action: I bring Ingo to your café. I introduce you and Ingo. Reason: to embarrass you? No. Wrong. So what is the otheerrrrrr option?”

You gave him a look with wide eyes and brow furrowed, frozen with thought. As the realization finally clicked into place, your expression slowly morphed into sheer bewilderment. For a moment, you forgot to breathe. Emmet’s demeanor betrayed nothing – he was as serious as you were speechless. But he saw the moment it all came together for you and slowly nodded his head. The only piece of the puzzle you were missing was Ingo’s own crush on you (Emmet almost looked beyond time and space again at the mere thought, but managed to reign it in). Yet, it was a puzzle piece you didn’t know existed; to you, the puzzle was complete.

Sort of.

“You…want…to set us up…?” came your reply, still reeling in complete bafflement.

Emmet threw his hands into the air as if you had just made a goal in some sort of sportsball game. It startled you, but also gave you a hint of Emmet’s frustration in leading you to this conclusion. It told you that you were correct, but did not preclude your need to question his motives.

“…Really?”

“Yes! Yes, really!” He sounded so exasperated.

“But why? You don’t even know me!”

He slowly stood up and dusted off his lower pant legs. “That's why I challenged you to a battle. It told me a lot.”

You stayed sitting on the floor, both you and Appletun now craning to look up at Emmet.

“Ingo showing up today was not in my plans.”

“No kidding,” you said sarcastically. “That doesn’t answer why you’re playing matchmaker in the first place.”

Emmet paused. He couldn’t – wouldn’t – betray his brother, despite his crush being the entire reason. It was his turn to sigh, albeit short and almost huffy. He turned back to technicalities just like you’d done. It was audibly difficult to give the reason while dancing around Ingo’s secret, his sentences staggered as he tried to collect other reasons from inside his mind.

“You seem…nice.” Off to a great start. “My brother is…domestic. He has not had a partner in a long time. I know he would like one. I can see how much you like him. I hear how you sound when you talk to him. And you are a…good person.”

Your face, having held your brows knit together, relaxed into a pleasantly surprised demeanor at Emmet’s unintentional compliments.

He continued, “I saw the opportunity when I caught you watching. I took it.”

“…Without telling either of us, though?” You got up from the floor, too, still holding your sticky apron.

Another pause, his mouth nearly a thin line again. “I thought it would be better if it was…natural progression.”

“……It hasn’t been.”

“I know.”

You sighed and brought the back of your hand to rub one of your eyes tiredly, and your other hand raised toward the room’s exit.

“Listen, you should go. I think your time’s almost up.”

“Yes. I didn’t think this conversation would be this difficult.”

Ignoring his remark, you followed him as he marched out of the employee-only area of the café. Before he rounded the corner and disappeared, though, you stopped him one more time.

“Are you still…y’know…” Averting your eyes, you waved one of your hands in a rotating fashion; like a gear or conveyor belt continuing to do what they are built to do. “…gonna try and do this…?”

Emmet didn’t have to think. “Yes.”

“…I don’t know if I can tell him how I feel.”

Though annoyed – at the both of you, honestly – Emmet shrugged. “We’ll see.”

He’s awfully determined… you thought. He seems to really want this, too…

“Um…just…” You looked into his eyes again. “…Please don’t tell him? About...y’know…my thing for him?”

Emmet did not have time to look into the camera, across time and space, nor through the abyss that is fourth wall. He simply sighed.

“Fine. I will keep it a secret.”

You finally smiled again, however small. “Thanks, Emmet.”

For the first time tonight – possibly ever, when you think about it – Emmet’s smile toward you was genuine. While you don’t completely trust his seemingly innocent motives just yet, something in the back of your mind told you to trust his secret-keeping skills. Considering how little he says in comparison to Ingo, it’s not that hard of a stretch.

The younger Subway Boss turned on his heel and started to march.

One more thing came to mind, and you called from the employee room doorway. “You know we’re not done talking about this, right?”

The younger Subway Boss turned the counter and started to march faster.

At the end of the day, it was a long walk to your apartment. Exhausted physically, mentally, and emotionally, you opened your front door and shut it behind you. Appletun came out of his pokéball to join the others loose in your apartment.

“All right, guys,” you called out as you hung your coat, bag, and placed your keys on a nearby small table, “everyone gather ‘round.”

You heard shuffling from inside the house. Your apartment wasn’t big by any means, but it was enough to let your pokémon roam as they saw fit. They were all trusted, even with some troublemakers in the midst.

The shuffling continued as you leaned against the now-locked front door, waiting for the last stragglers to amble in front of you. A careful squish; an impish clink; a jolly poof; a timid shuff.

Finally, you heaved a giant sigh and shook your head, your hands on your hips. You looked at all of them with a lopsided grin and drooping eyelids.

“You guys are not going to believe the day I’ve had.”

Chapter Text

You recounted the day’s events to your pokémon much like you had yesterday and the day before. Appletun chimed in here and there, enhancing the tale for his brethren (or so you assumed). Eventually, you migrated through your apartment and ended up on your couch as you told the final lines. The others had gathered around as they listened intently; a couple followed your lead and clambered up on the couch using the makeshift ramp you’d set up so they could do just that.

“And he tells me that Ingo has no idea,” you said incredulously, slumping deeper into the couch. There were murmurs of excitement from your pokémon. “I know, I know, but…I don’t know if I can trust Emmet this point, y’know?”

“Pohl!”

“Exactly.” A sigh escaped you. “He pretty much admitted point blank that he’s trying to set me up with Ingo. It’s just-- …I dunno…”

There was silence as you trailed off, lost in spacey thought. Your pokémon converged upon you in support next to and in some cases on top of, and being covered made you chuckle.

“Tha-hanks, guys… Tha—h-hey, that tickles!”

You laughed, playfully pushing them away. Their dispositions were happier again, as was yours. You were, however, now covered in various sweet and sticky substances. It was something you were very used to, having these pokémon for a long time. Laundry was an entire ordeal but an unfortunate reality.

In your bedroom, you changed into a new shirt and more comfortable clothing in general instead of work clothes. It gave you a minute to think one a decision you’d been waffling over.

“Okay, guys,” you called out to round up any of them that had left the room, continuing when they were all listening to you again. “I think it’s about time…you come back to work with me. What do you think?”

There were cheers from all but one of your pokémon, who looked apprehensive at the thought. You bent down and gave her a little smile. “Don’t worry, pal, there are still plenty of hiding spots. Remember? I know you don’t want to be left alone.”

“Kyuuu…”

She wrapped two tendrils around your leg as she always did when insecure; it always sent a chilly shiver up your spine and the hair on your neck and arms raised, but you've learned to not mind. Thankfully, her closest friend among your pokémon crew floated down and reassuringly communicated with her. You smiled and nodded as if you knew exactly what he was saying.

“Now, you’ve all been to work with me at some point or another… And some of you were banned from coming back until they promised they wouldn’t act up…” You crossed your arms as the main pokémon in question floated up from reassuring his friend, stopping at your eye level. With one brow raised, you leveled your gaze at him. “Did we learn our lesson, lil’ dude?”

Somewhat begrudgingly, he agreed. You held out your pinky for the most sacred of promises; he put one teeny-tiny little hand on it and the two of you shook. The pinky promise was made. To break such a hallowed pact would be a mistake most grave.

Your eyes scanned the other three and you hummed with thought. Pointing at one, you started with, “Aaaaand let’s see… You gotta focus, chief. No wandering off ‘cause you got curious. You know the station is pretty big.”

“Slppbbhhbphbph!”

Slobber was your answer, apparently, but it was an agreement. He jumped up and down a few times with excitement, which you chuckled at. With a few floaty steps, he came up and hugged your unoccupied leg, which once again became sticky despite your clothing change. At this point with your partners you weren’t worried about it, and patted the puff ball on top of his head.

As he hung to your leg, you pointed at the other resident sticky. The only way to get her attention was to interrupt her line of sight, though. Once you did, she automatically gave you a wave with a tiny hand. You waved back. It was always as if she left the room when she was lost in her own head.

“Focusing goes double for you, too, lil’ lady. Why don’t you stick on top of Appletun like usual?”

You knew her “walking” speed was even slower than his – and besides, it was adorable to see her on top of the pie like that. She only nodded quietly, though you could tell she was happy with the decision. Seeing as how she was always riding atop Appletun’s hump around the house, that was no issue, either.

Feeling accomplished, though still nervous, you dropped onto your bed backwards to stare at the ceiling. Using another ramp you “installed” (really for anywhere that you lounged; only two could float after all), the five of your pokémon came to join you, converging gently this time. They all nestled themselves against you and seemed content, which made you content. Another sigh escaped you, but this one full of promise.

“Now…how to start training again…” you whispered to yourself. They were all rusty, but you were no pushover in your trainer days – they definitely still had the skill somewhere in there. It was just a matter of practice, and, you thought, making sure they want to battle again, too.

You dozed off among snoozing pokémon, dreaming of training…your pokémon…the café………and Ingo……

“Emmet.”

“Ingo.”

“What did we talk about yesterday?”

“Inspection dates for the Battle Subway lines.”

“Try again.”

“Our weekly record of wins and losses.”

“You have one more guess.”

“Whether breakfast foods should still be called breakfast foods if you eat them for dinner.”

The older twin pinched the bridge of his nose, eyes squeezed shut. ‘Emmet…”

“We did talk about all those things.”

“You know what conversation to which I am referring, and your roguish need to make things difficult is worse than usual. What I meant was the recollection of asking you not to interfere in matters concerning the…feelings I harbor for [Y/N].”

“You said to let you figure it out on your own.”

“Precisely.”

“I didn’t involve you today. You came and involved yourself.”

“You clearly went to them with intent—”

“Intent to battle.”

“—and I know you did not immediately return to your shift after.”

“I made it on time. I did all the safety checks. I ran my shift normally.”

“There was significant time inbetween. This afternoon, I overheard several patrons mention that they had seen you conversing with [Y/N] in a rather heated manner.” Ingo narrowed his eyes. “What were you doing?”

Emmet sighed internally. Damn gossip on the trains. “They asked why I asked about battling. I told them how much I love pokémon battles.”

Ingo said nothing, his intense eyes boring into Emmet, who decided looking forward as they walked home was the best choice for his personal safety right now.

“And that’s it?”

“I wanted to know how they battled! And you saw it too. That’s just a bonus.”

“Hmm.” Ingo turned his eyes forward again, lost in thought. “They did become rather comfortable with it near the end of the match, despite how long their trainer status has been inert.”

“Promised you a battle, though.” Emmet’s grin turned impish. “And with allllll of their pokémon, too.”

“They did.” His tone became wistful. Emmet knew that tone and that look on his face.

“Maybe it could be—”

“Emmet.”

“—a—”

Ingo swiftly raised a hand to Emmet’s face and pinched his nose closed. Not harshly as to cause pain; only annoyance. The younger twin’s voice twisted into a thick, nasal tone.

“—daaaaayyggggguhh!”

Impressively, Ingo held his position as the twins approached their apartment complex. Emmet grabbed his brother’s hand but had yet to remove the intrusion.

“Aw! Unfair!”

Emmet reached out with his other hand and did the same maneuver to Ingo. The brothers were at an impasse as they stood their ground, arms twisted and nasally voices grunting in irritation.

“Touché,” was all Ingo could get out.

They continued struggling for an embarrassing amount of time until the door to their complex opened. A little old lady came puttering out, noticing only until the Blissey helping the woman notified her of the twin roadblock. They froze in deserved sheepishness, waving their free hands.

“Hello Mrs. Wilbur,” they uttered in their temporary voices at the same time.

“Hello…boys…” the senior in question returned after deciding this was not a situation she wanted to put herself in. The Blissey turned her around and they tottered away.

The twins let go of each other afterwards, rubbing their own noses and shuffling inside and to their apartment door. Ingo retrieved his keys from a pocket and was fiddling with the door when Emmet spoke up in his returned-to-normal voice.

“I didn’t tell them anything.”

 “I know you didn’t, Emmet,” Ingo sighed, unlocking and opening the door. As he held it for Emmet to pass through first, he seemed to shake off the feelings that accompanied the You Situation. More upbeat, he asked, “What do you want for dinner?”

“I was kinda thinking breakfast.”

“Now we’ve been over this—”

The smell of freshly-baked breakfast bagels hit your nose as you pulled them from the oven and prepared them for the morning rush. Your companions bustled around you, all in sync after the years you’ve spent together. While you pay close attention, you don’t need to worry about tripping over or stepping on any of them (provided you are not under the influence of your own embarrassment, in which everything falls apart).

“Okay, guys, get ready to open!”

“Tun!”  “Crèm.”  “Puff!”  “Tea!”  “Kyuu…”

You ducked down under the counter and gave a soft smile to Mimikyu. “Don’t worry, pal. You can stick under here or in the back room, okay? Let me know if it’s too much.”

Mimikyu nodded (or the disguise equivalent) and retreated into the corner of an open area under counter after you gave her a little pat. She was joined by her reassuring friend, who floated down and gave her a little “Geiss!” from underneath his teapot. When he floated back up to you, he returned right-side-up and popped out from under the lid.

You pointed a finger at Polteageist and wagged it a little bit. “No funny stuff, lil’ dude,” you told him; at his whine of protest, you tacked on, “At least none to the customers.”

This was enough for his needs, apparently, as he raised his teapot lid with a joyous look. You felt like you may have some regrets.

Your next check on the list had you put your hands on your knees, bending a little for a closer vantage. “Stick around this counter today, chief. Don’t go too far and don’t go through people’s bags. Deal?”

As jolly and sweet as ever, Slurpuff nodded happily before going back to curiously eyeing Gear Station as it geared up for the day. You decided to keep an eye on him regardless, knowing just how determined his curiosity could be sometimes. You did not want to pay for people's ruined bags and purses because Slurpuff decided he wanted to go through them again.

Putting the bagels in their display, you noticed Appletun amble up in the corner of your eye, toting another vacant-eyed pokémon.

“Hey, lil’ lady. Gonna stick to riding Appletun today, right? You won't get lost in the shuffle this way.” As fast as Appletun can waddle, anyway.

Alcremie turned her head to you and nodded, looking right at home like whipped cream on an apple pie. Albeit rainbow-colored whipped cream with little purple ribbons, but it's the swirled tufts of cream that matter. While lost in her own head most of the time, she enjoyed helping and putting her own touch on special orders.

Your eyes glanced downward to Appletun. “Alright, bud. It’s been a while since everyone’s been here at the same time as us, so let’s do our best.”

“Ah-pull! Tun!”

“You know it."

With a sigh, you leaned forward against the counter with your arms propping yourself up. You hadn't caught sight of the twins yet, but you were already anticipating at least one to show up. It was just a matter of which, and you knew which one you'd rather see.

"You think he'll come by?" you absently asked Appletun. He looked up at you silently; an answer in its own right. "Tell me if you see him approaching, huh?"

An energetic nod paired with a snuff of an exhale. You copied the sound with a sharp exhale of your own, making Appletun smile.

"Thanks, buddy."

Little sounds from your five were like the murmurs of Gear Station's employees as they set up, too. Your pokémon by your side really did give you more confidence, however much it added up to be, and you hoped they would at least get to meet Ingo today. And if not today, then tomorrow or the next day. If you believed Emmet's help to be genuine, that is.

"I have a lucky feeling about today. I think it's all of you guys here with me." With renewed vigor, you clapped your hands together and rubbed them. "Alright! Let's open for business!"

Chapter Text

The café was open for all of five minutes before you felt an ominous presence gather at your counter. The hair on the back of your neck stood up as if Mimikyu had gripped your leg, but she hadn't. You tried not to let the eerie feeling show for your pokémon’s sake. All of it went away, however, when Appletun tugged at your pantleg – the signal. Your attitude completed the 180 when you heard the bell go,

Ding!

Like some sort of Pavlovian response, you instantly perked up and turned around. Both instincts turned out to be correct: both of the twins stood at your counter. The swell of happiness that came from simply seeing Ingo overruled whatever ominous vibe was radiating from Emmet. Your smile was instant and your mood was lifted, and your pokémon definitely picked up on it.

"Oh! I see you've a full house today!"

"Wow. You didn’t waste any time."

Ignoring (not hearing? you had trouble deciding) Emmet, you nervously laughed and stepped up to the counter near Ingo. "They used to work here with me all the time, actually… Not usually all at once! But it, it's been a while, and yesterday’s battle got me thinking…"

"Please don't mind Emmet; I, for one, am delighted to see your crew." Ingo glanced at his brother with A Look before returning his attention to you with a much lighter demeanor. He tracked Polteageist floating over to him with a pleasantly surprised expression. "You're a quite a new face around here! I bet you're right at home in a café, aren't you?"

You were relieved to see Polteageist behave and even positively react to Ingo. You chuckled along with the little ghost pokémon, who danced in the air with his teapot lid held above his head.

"He even helps with the customers who want tea over coffee."

Emmet raised a finger. "Oh, yeah. That's why we're here. We would like our usual, please."

"You've only been here twice," you muttered.

"You still know what we want."

...Damn it, he's right. Two house blends, medium, one black and one with an inordinate amount of cream and sugar.

You were thankful that you were still facing the counter during preparation when Polteageist turned from Ingo to Emmet and gave him an impressively long razzberry before retreating into his teapot. Emmet actually seemed mildly offended, and Ingo brought a hand to his mouth as if he were trying not to laugh. You met his eye while sporting an enormous smile and the two of you stopped for just a moment. As if right now was only between the two of you, free from your own embarrassment and sibling mischief and everything else. It certainly overfilled your heart with warmth and you knew that feeling would last all day.

When Emmet gave a betrayed look to Ingo for almost laughing at his terrible misfortune, you looked at Polteageist and gave him a discreet thumbs up.

"Here you are, gentlemen," you said as you brought the tray with their drinks along with the cream and sugar. "Fresh and ready to go."

"Thanks." Emmet was fast, swiping his to-go coffee cup and taking a sip. You don't know how he does it without burning his tongue. Maybe he couldn't feel it anymore.

(Emmet held back a tear. He has to stop doing that just so he can look Cool™ before the surface of his tongue is burned off.)

Ingo, meanwhile, began prepping his coffee with the required additions after giving you a sincere, "Thank you."

Polteageist had returned to your side of the counter, disappearing underneath to, no doubt, inform the hidden Mimikyu of the current events. Appletun and Alcremie were right beside you, and the twins caught the cream-based pokémon’s attention, if only because they were right in front of her line of sight. You watched as both Ingo and Emmet smiled warmly and tipped the brim of their hats politely just as they do while conducting aboard their trains. Alcremie was instantly charmed, clapping her hands together and making tiny, delighted sounds with a smile. Chuckling, you saw that this in turn charmed the twins right back.

Though, you were focusing specifically on one of the brothers, of course. His clear passion and love for pokémon came through his voice and gestures; and the smile that shone through his eyes no matter the rest of his expression, which was more than simply a frown now that you've had the chance to interact with him personally.

Watching this adorable display did, however, prevent you from watching Slurpuff as he rounded the counter edge and became fascinated with the twin's conductor’s coats. Especially with the way they were made to flare out at the waist, they were unique to Slurpuff’s very limited understanding of human clothing, and thus extremely interesting. And because Ingo was on the same side of the counter’s edge, his was the one that the curious pokémon decided to investigate by poking, and then ducking underneath the flare of the coat next to Ingo’s leg.

“Ah?!” was Ingo’s response to the sudden and strange intrusion. He jolted upright like a reflex and, unfortunately, dropped the small pitcher of creamer that he was pouring.

Several things happened at once:

For one, the small pitcher of creamer dropped onto the tray – without breaking, to your later relief – and spilled its contents.

For two, Slurpuff was squished underneath the side of Ingo’s coat, between it and Ingo’s leg when the latter stood straight. This, of course, meant that both the inside of the coat and that section of pantleg became sticky from Slurpuff’s candy-like and marshmallowey skin.

For three, you frantically shouted, “Slurpuff!!” and immediately followed with, “I am so sorry, I am so, so sorry. Slurpuff, no!”

And four, Emmet started laughing hard enough that he had to brace himself with one hand on the counter.

You wondered if you had angered some sort of vengeful trickster deity and were cursed to suffer whenever you shared a happy moment with Ingo. Maybe it was Emmet.

Your other pokémon were ready to help, though it didn’t ease your embarrassment – which was becoming far too familiar for your liking lately. Polteageist rushed to pick up the pitcher and check its exterior while Appletun began heading for Slurpuff, presumably to guide him back behind the counter. You grabbed paper towels and napkins from storage under the countertop and began cleaning up, leaving some extra in front of Ingo for his contaminated clothing.

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry,” you kept repeating in a panic. It did not help that Emmet was still laughing.

“It’s—it’s alright. Truly, it is!” was Ingo’s attempt to be reassuring as he inspected the situation. Slurpuff had squeezed out from the coat-leg vice and was trying to look above the counter at you (and failing from his vantage point). Ingo looked down at the candy pokémon, catching his attention and speaking in a genuine, kind tone. “Quite an intriguing coat, isn’t it? But it’s not for pokémon to fit inside, I’m afraid.”

“Mmmmmpuff,” replied Slurpuff. No one was quite sure if the reply meant he understood, but at the very least he made eye contact with Ingo and smiled. Thankfully Appletun and Alcremie came to Ingo’s aid and directed the puffy pokémon back behind the counter.

This had given you enough time to clean up most of the mess with Polteageist’s help, all the while distraught as hell. The worried Mimikyu wrapped her ghostly tendrils around one leg during cleanup, adding the resulting chills and ominous pit in your stomach to the whirlwind of emotions you were already experiencing. You grimaced harder, which didn't go unnoticed. Ingo, taking a few napkins to try and clean the sticky from his clothes, took a second to catch your attention and lock eyes with you.

“It really is alright, [Y/N]. There is no harm done; this will clean off just fine.” His voice was quieter, calmer. Your heart skipped a beat. “I can see he’s the inquisitive sort, isn’t he? I think that’s fantastic. Wanting to learn about the world they don’t understand is one of the greatest aspects of a pokémon’s personality.”

You cracked a small smile, despite the circumstances. Ingo seemed to know how to look at the bright side of situations like these. And that was an aspect of his personality that you absolutely loved. He had enough optimism for the two of you, which was good because you had run out of that days ago.

“And I think I’m the one who should be apologizing. I’ve made such a mess of your countertop – is the pitcher okay? I didn’t break it, did I?”

His sudden, pure worry was even endearing to you. Polteageist, who inspected the object in question, shook his head “no” at Ingo and gave him a tiny thumbs up as if to say, Nah, it’s all good.

The most he could say of that, though, was, “Tea.”

“Ah, wonderful,” Ingo sighed in relief. “Still, please allow me to help you clean up.”

“No, no, no!” you rapidly fired, “Focus on the mess Slurpuff made on you – I’m still so sorry – I don’t want you to be late for your work because of this.”

Emmet, who had calmed his laughter but not the goblin grin on his face, looked at the clock. “We need to go in a few minutes.”

Ingo made a disconcerted noise and glanced back to you from wiping off his pant leg. “No need to fret; it won’t be noticeable as I make my rounds aboard the cars. A good wash in the laundry tonight will take care of anything else.”

It was your turn to sigh in relief – again – and managed to keep up the smile that Ingo summoned a moment ago. “Slurpuff can’t control his curiosity sometimes. He’s actually, ah, gone through customer’s bags before, hah… Your coats are really unique, and he’s never seen you before, so…”

“I understand. As I said, wanting to learn is a commendable quality of a pokémon.” Still wiping his coat, Ingo turned his head to look at Slurpuff, who had been corralled back to your side. “If you’d like, perhaps one day you can inspect the rest, hm?”

Slurpuff, with one hand on you, bounced happily and nodded his head yes please!

You hesitantly chuckled, “You have no idea what you’ve just wrought.”

“We both have an extra. Not usually for things like this, though.” Emmet took another sip of coffee; the audience to this shitshow.

Ingo turned his head toward his brother. “You could have helped as well, you know, Emmet.”

“Better you than me.”

Both you and Ingo huffed, especially seeing his knowing gremlin grin grow wider. Appletun, at the counter’s outer edge as a sort of guard, huffed alongside you two and grunted in discontent. And Alcremie – this was her first time witnessing Emmet’s behavior, of course – in a rare moment of aggravation, plopped off of Appletun’s hump and began inching toward Emmet with a pout on her face. All of you silently watched her slow-as-a-Sliggoo shuffling journey across a scant few feet. As she reached her destination, Alcremie craned her head upwards to show her frown to Emmet before she jumped as far as she could go (not…very high) and smeared some of her own cream down Emmet’s pantleg and then walked over his shoe.

She then turned and started inching back from whence she came.

‘Better you than me,’ huh, Emmet? you thought, unable to contain your cackling laughter. You were extraordinarily glad that some of your pokémon could be just as petty as you sometimes.

Ingo, too, could not hold back laughter this time around, as Emmet once again took offense to the consequence of his words. He was temporarily stunned, looking down at his pantleg as if he couldn’t believe your pokémon would do this. Once that moment passed, he reached for a napkin and started cleaning the rainbow cream off.

“Mine are white, you know,” he said in complete monotone, without looking up from his work.

You and Ingo just looked at each other and tried to contain your laughs. It was hard, but through a series of cleared throats, the two of you managed. You still had a smile and you could tell Ingo remained quite amused by the quivering of his mouth. Both of you had turned your eyes downward, but continued to take glances and peeks at each other in solidarity. As if your school teacher had just scolded the two of you, but your snickering couldn’t be contained.

“Sor—ahem,” you coughed, “sorry.”

“No you’re not.”

“I’m kind of sorry. …Did it come out?”

“Kind of,” he repeated. It wasn’t too noticeable, but he was correct. You suddenly felt very bad again.

“Oh, that will come out in the wash too, Emmet,” Ingo told him, saving you the trouble of massive guilt. Emmet replied by making some sort of frustrated noise in the back of his throat, but otherwise stopped complaining.

Ingo finished his preliminary cleaning and put the top onto his to-go coffee cup to finish his original task. He prepared to reach for his wallet when you spoke up.

“No, no. It’s on the house today, after all this.”

“Cool."

“Are you sure? I don’t mind at all, especially since I wasted some of your product!”

“Nah, that’s nothing,” you assured him, “Seriously. I’d like to do this for you.”

The way you phrased it made Ingo’s own heart feel warm. He had to clear his throat once more in order for his voice to cooperate and not betray his emotional state. “Very well. Thank you for your generosity, [Y/N].”

He tipped his hat for you. This man affected you like no one else. Did you almost swoon? Do you have to judge yourself?

“And thank you for being so understanding…” you returned with a sheepish expression, hands tugging at the hem of your apron anxiously all of a sudden.

“There are certainly no hard feelings to be found here. Your pokémon are truly a delight! I’d love to see them again.” Ingo nodded. Your face felt like it was heating up as per usual, and your expression morphed into surprise as you struggled to find the right words. Ingo saw your reaction, misinterpreted it, and stumbled over his own words. “And you, of course! I’d love to see you again, too! …With them! Both you and them!”

Again, your emotions rendered you speechless as your heart thumped against your chest. Ingo’s was doing the same, and he only stopped his fumbling trajectory when Emmet placed a hand on his shoulder.

“We need to begin our schedules,” said Emmet, who really meant Okayyyyy you’ve said enough, dork, we’ll work on this later.

“Right! Right…” Ingo’s volume went up, then down. He looked at you and hoped he hadn’t scared or weirded you out, but it was hard for him to tell. He decided to bow out before he did anything that actually accomplished that. “…Have a wonderful day, [Y/N]. And to each of your pokémon as well.”

You could tell that he seemed bothered, yet you remained speechless; at a loss for how to react. Emmet had started marching away already and all you could manage was a nod of your head at Ingo’s farewell. He, too, turned and began walking away with his coffee.

Say something!! your brain screamed. He thinks you’re mad or don’t want to see him or worse and you’re just letting him walk away while you say nothing! The station hasn’t opened yet, there’s barely anybody around, you can do this just SAY SOMETHING!

“I also like to see you!” (Something intelligent!!!) “Would—would like to see you! As well! When you have free t—free time!”

Without realizing it, you had slammed your hands on the counter, far apart, with elbows bent, as you leaned forward with wide eyes and slightly panicked expression. You could see Emmet in the distance once again trying not to laugh. Ingo had turned around too, surprise evident on his face and sharing your wide eyes.

"If…if you want…” Your confidence (or inner voice urging) plummeted, fearing you looked like a crazed dumbass. Even your pokémon were surprised at your outburst.

“No! I mean, yes! I would… I would enjoy that very much,” Ingo replied, the corners of his mouth upturned; not in mockery but relief that you fumbled through that as awkwardly as he did. “Our schedules are very tight – the Battle Subway is not in service today – but if, if no time can be made, perhaps we could consider this a…rain check?”

Like a switch was flipped, you returned his smile at the familiar words.

“Yeah! Rain check!”

Reassured that you were, in fact, up to spending time with him, Ingo tipped his hat again and resumed walking toward the train he needed to perform safety checks on. Emmet waited for him to catch up and gently elbowed him in the ribs. You watched them walk away until they disappeared behind a gate.

You then hit your forehead with the palm of your hand. Excited about a rain check... With your heart only beginning to calm its intense thumping, you cracked a joking smirk and gestured to your little pokémon.

“Why didn’t any of you stop me?”

Chapter Text

“Yeah! Rain check!”

Internally sighing with great relief, Ingo tipped his hat again and resumed walking toward his destination. They sounded almost excited with the unspoken promise, and that fared well for him, he thought. With his back turned to you, he let himself have but a smile that disappeared as quickly as it came on. He could also tell that his face was quite red.

So could Emmet. His brother waited for Ingo to catch up, only to immediately elbow him in the ribs.

“Date.”

“That word was not used.”

“Date.”

“Anything beyond a new friendship was not discussed, nor was it arranged as anything romantic or of the sort.”

“Date.”

The twins entered the employees-only gate, which clicked and locked behind them. Before Emmet could say the word a fourth time, Ingo elbowed him in the ribs.

“Ow!” the younger twin complained despite no pain being inflicted, “Why can’t you just admit it?”

Ingo picked up a clipboard with an extensive list and began skimming it. “A date is a date only when one participant asks the other directly whether or not they wish to go on a date. Otherwise, there is a risk of misinterpretation as courtship is not implied in simple get-togethers.”

Emmet paused, looking at his brother incredulously. “What are you even talking about?”

“There is an outline that needs to be followed at its basics at the very least, much like the safety checks we are supposed to be performing.”

Grabbing his own clipboard, Emmet shook his head at his brother before he departed to the train he was scheduled for. “It’s never gonna work if you’re so strict about it.”

Ingo said nothing, beginning inspection. Emmet sighed and began walking away, eventually moving out of Ingo’s sight, blocked by train cabs. At that point, Ingo sighed. His brother had planted a worry seed, which Ingo tried to ignore in favor of the actually serious safety checks.

There was silence, other than the milling of the depot agents, until a minute or two later when Emmet echoed down a tunnel, “Daaaaaaaaate.”

The day continued. Customers were enamored with your pokémon; some recognized them, some met for the first time. Appletun and Alcremie were cooed at over their appearance as pie with whipped cream, and Alcremie even added some of her own to her favorite customers’ orders. As always, Appletun allowed behaved children to take picks of sweet and sticky shed flakes off of his hump.

Polteageist behaved himself, remembering some customers and how they liked their tea. He was also entertaining for those in line, popping in and out of his teapot in different ways. Slurpuff behaved himself as well, if only because you instructed him to have one hand on the counter at all times (and had Appletun act as a guard just in case). He followed the directive without issue, waving at customers with his free hand and touching only those who came close enough to allow him.

Mimikyu didn’t make herself known, which you expected, but was checked on frequently. She could hear the happy sounds of humans and pokémon alike, and that appeared to be enough for her to be happy, too. The tension from the morning eased away from both Mimikyu and you.

The subways ran tightly-packed and on strict schedules. During your downtime, you returned to what led you to your predicament in the first place: people-watching. The primary goal was keeping an eye out for either twin, but the opportunity never came. And so you were joined by your pokémon, who watched what you watched and listened to you talk about regulars or make up stories for the patrons with a little more oddity than others (after you made sure that your team understood it was all pretend).

Slurpuff was a natural at it. He pointed at a lot of people and kept you amused.

As the hours wore on, it was clear that Ingo’s schedule was indeed too full for another visit, and thus the rain check manifested itself.

That’s two of them, you thought to yourself. Three strikes and I’m out, I guess.

The time to close down shop eventually came. You and your pokémon were tired; Alcremie had already nodded off, and Polteageist kept doing the same, draped over the side of his teapot. Slurpuff was beginning to snore already. With a fond smile, you recalled each into their pokéballs to rest and restore their energy. All but Appletun, who had become accustomed to waiting until your walk home – as well as Mimikyu, who strangely insisted on observing until the time came to leave as well.

Gear Station’s lights had begun to darken in certain areas; maybe she was more comfortable as the area dimmed. For whatever reason she had, you agreed, and she quite literally shadowed you and Appletun as you cleaned up for the night.

“You know, this could have gone a lot worse,” you said, tempting fate as you removed your work apron. The three of you migrated to the café’s small back room so you could use the locker there. “And hey, pal, you did great, too!”

“Kyuu?”

“You did! You got used to the flow pretty quickly and didn’t get overwhelmed. I think that’s a big step up, don’t you?”

Mimikyu seemed to think on this for a moment; Appletun even chimed in, giving a “Tun!” of agreement. She seemed content with the result, “nodding” her disguise’s head and lightly flailing her tendrils. You couldn’t help but smile.

“There you go. Let’s get that confidence up, huh?” You accompanied your reply by swinging one arm and flexing like a Machamp, faking a fierce expression complete with clenched teeth and a gritty voice. “Confidence!”

“Kyu-kyu!” was Mimikyu’s response, light and with a laughing lilt.

You were still chuckling as you put your apron in your locker and retrieved what you needed; keys, wallet, bag and whatnot. Despite having lived through the pattern that formed over the past couple of days, you were oblivious when you exited the back room and saw someone standing at the counter.

“Holy SHI—” you shouted, alarmed and a little too loud. Appletun rushed to your side, ready to go at it, until he saw what ended your alarm. Or really, who.

Ingo stood at your counter once again, hand hovering over the bell as if he was debating whether or not to ring it when you waltzed out of the back room and nearly had a heart attack. His face had apologetic written all over it.

You held up a hand before he had a chance to speak, your other flat on your chest as your heart calmed itself. “Don’t apologize, there were way too many ‘sorry’s thrown around today.”

He seemed bothered but acquiesced to your request, positioning his hands behind his back. “If you insist…”

“I insist.” You cracked a smile to let him know that everything was good. Your heart went back to normal – almost. It was still thumping, except from Ingo’s presence and not from being scared out of your wits. “You move really quietly.”

“No surprise intended.” Ingo bowed slightly to you and Appletun. “I came to say what is obvious but I felt needed saying aloud to you regardless, as it was my idea... Another rain check appears to have been put into play today.”

“I knew you had back-to-back duties. Figured I wouldn’t see you at all for the rest of the day.” You gestured to him. “I guess I was wrong about that one, though.”

He seemed amused, letting out a laugh in the form of a deep exhale through the nose. You let out a small snicker yourself. Ingo was far too polite, too pure for this world. How could so much kindness and thoughtfulness exist in one man? It was a mystery, and one you preferred to leave alone so he may continue spreading it wherever he went.

Appletun nudged your foot. You’d gone so lovesick in your head for a moment too long, making the space between you and Ingo awkward.

“Uh—sorry, um, spaced out for a sec.” Smooth move. “Long day…”

“Ah, I understand all too well.”

Another moment passed where neither of you knew what the other was going to do; neither of you wanted to speak up and accidentally interrupt the other. Appletun nudged you again, but it didn’t work.

Ingo broke first, thank the stars. “I was just leaving for home…and was wondering if you’d like to...walk with me as we did last night…?”

His normally a-touch-too-loud volume had lowered in exchange for a nervous but hopeful voice. It was cute, goddamnit, and you bit your lip to try and quell letting that thought show on your face. Smiling was irresistible, though, as was accepting immediately.

“I’d love to.”

You could hear the relief in the sigh he’d been holding in, and Ingo pulled his hat down a little over his eyes. “Wonderful,” he almost stammered.

The. man. was. a. dor. a. ble.

While unlatching a pokéball, you held up a finger to Ingo, who understood. Appletun waddled forward and you recalled him. “Thanks, buddy. See you at home.”

Then another pokéball was unlatched, confusing Ingo. He didn’t see hide nor hair of your other pokémon from earlier today. You looked around yourself for a moment as though you didn’t know where the pokéball’s occupant was, either. Then you stuck your head into the back room and chuckled.

“Sorry, pal. You okay?” A pause. Ingo couldn't discern any other noise. “Awesome. Time to go, okaYI-YI-Yi-YYY—”

From your point of view, Mimikyu had slunk into the shadows and watched you and Ingo talk, peeking out of the back room’s door. Except, in an attempt to be reassuring to you as you are to her, she patted you on your leg with a ghostly tendril at almost the exact moment she was recalled into her ball. Your last word became a mismatched stutter while your body went stiff yet shaking with the brief chills it always brings, and thus drawing out the last syllable of “okay”.

From Ingo’s point of view, he assumed one of the others he’d seen today had stayed in the back room while the two of you talked. You checked on whichever they were and recalled them – and then inexplicably shuddered so hard that your last word shook violently with you. He was immediately alarmed, stepping closer but not crossing the invisible threshold of the café’s work zone.

“[Y/N]! Are you alright?!”

You shook your shoulders with a few residual chills and turned to face Ingo. It was just a sudden surprise, one you weren’t prepared for, and your normal reaction turned into exaggeration. Ingo looked so alarmed, and you realized that he couldn’t have seen Mimikyu cause the incident.

“Yeah! Yeah, I’m okay, don’t worry!” You waved your hands dismissively, trying to put a smile back on your face. “One of my pokémon just, uh…gave me the chills?”

It was the truth, but it came out of your mouth with a questioning twist at the end. Ingo, though looking less alarmed, was still worried. It wasn’t important to know which pokémon did so, or why; you still looked uncomfortable.

“Are you still cold? You can use my coat if you'd like, it’s moderately warm.” He held up his conductor’s coat, neatly draped over one arm.

Dilemma:

You are not cold.

But.

You have the chance to walk out of the station with Ingo’s coat on your shoulders.

Decision:

“You, you wouldn’t mind…?” At least the nervous way you held yourself could be mistaken for feeling cold.

“Not in the least! Especially as it’s a bit cooler outside tonight than here in the station.”

He began taking the coat from his arm and opening it for you to use. You hurriedly retrieved your bag – left your light coat where it was – and grabbed your keys. Once again it took several tries to lock up, but at least it was fewer than the first time.

Your face was nearly burning when you turned around and stepped out of the café right next to Ingo. Even your breaths were shorter yet faster (which was, again, easily mistaken for being cold) and your heart was beating so hard that you feared it would pop out of your chest and walk out the door. All of this amplified when you realized Ingo was holding the coat open for him to drape it over your shoulders himself.

Unbeknownst to you, Ingo wasn’t faring much better. He could control his breathing, but his heart was in the same predicament and his face was burning up as well. The blush was more than evident, tinting his cheeks pink. But above all else, he was a gentleman who enjoyed assisting others...and also he really wanted to put the coat on you himself even if he died in the process.

You smiled another nervous smile at him, though the gratitude was clear, and stepped closer near the coat. As you turned around, you gulped as if this was some big event that you could royally screw up instead of merely standing still so he could do his part. Ingo was the one actually worried this was some important that he could royally screw up instead of merely draping a coat over someone’s shoulders.

But it wasn’t any old someone.

It was you.

The feeling of Ingo’s (a-bit-too-long) conductor’s coat weighing on your shoulders sent a warmth spreading to every part of your body. Not just the feeling of actual warmth but one originating from your heart. It felt like nothing else you’d experienced. Maybe like a weighted blanket, but with far less emotional attachment. You wanted to feel like this forever.

You turned around to thank him with such an affectionate smile that Ingo nearly melted on the spot. The image of you wearing his coat made his heart skip a beat and temporarily rendered him speechless.

“Thank you, Ingo…” you said, holding the coat’s edges across your chest. It had such a nice texture to the fabric that you weren’t expecting. The giant flare at the waist threw you off, but otherwise it was…cozy.

Still speechless, Ingo nodded in response; the same warmth that had taken your body over was also spreading through his. You could see the blush so evident on his face now, and his eyes looked glassy.

“Do you want to…to head out?”

It didn’t escape you that you were the one moving things along this time, and with proper words to boot. Maybe the coat was a confidence booster; or maybe it was finally seeing Ingo’s reaction to you up close and personal. The blush was unmistakable. The eyes, full of fondness. The slightly-ajar mouth like a Magikarp out of water, far too familiar.

He was brought back in the moment as you spoke, though, and nodded again. Automatically, he tried adjusting his hat to cover at least part of his face, but it was too late. You’d seen the proof. While wearing his coat, no less.

“Yes! Pardon me; it’s also been…a long day.” He gestured for you to go first; and with everything happening in his currently fragile emotional state, he did it with a small but noticeable smile.

Your breath hitched and you clasped the coat tighter and you smiled right back. Ingo wondered how his heart could still be beating so fast when it melted minutes ago.

Eventually down the line, your directions home were split. You both stopped at the proverbial fork in the road to part ways. Before he could offer to send you home with it or something, you shrugged the coat slowly off your shoulders. It was cheesy, but you really wanted to savor the feeling before it was gone.

"Thank you again," you said quietly, folding the coat just like he does before holding it out for him to take. "You're right, it is pretty warm."

Ingo took it gingerly. "Are you sure you'll be alright the rest of the way?"

"Oh, definitely. But, um... thanks for your concern, too."

You gave him a small, shy smile that seemed to be infectious. Ingo ducked his head, except there was no hat to hide under; he'd respectfully taken it off after the two of you left Gear Station. You were glad for it. Not only did you see his full face for your entire walk, but you thought he looked very handsome without it, too.

But you weren't brave enough to tell him something like that yet.

..."Yet'"..

You liked the sound of that.

"...Well... we should both be getting on home..." Ingo trailed off without really having his heart in his words. Neither of you wanted to go yet, but you'd already wasted more time than not by walking slowly.

"Yeah, it's already pretty dark."

"Will you—”

"I'll be fine, Ingo." You smiled patiently, knowing that he was going to ask about your wellbeing again. "Besides, I've got a whole team of my own to back me up, remember?"

"How could I forget?" he nodded with a chuckle. However, he sighed right after, trying not to frown too deeply. "I do suppose this has used up one of our rain checks, hasn't it?"

It took a moment for you to respond. When you did, it was with a grin and shake of the head. "No."

"No...?" he repeated worriedly.

"Nope. Walking partway home doesn't count." Your voice was teasing, and at the same time you were serious. "You still owe me two."

"Ah! Is that so..." As it registered with Ingo, the corners of his mouth curled back upwards. It was a clear relief to hear you say so. "I'll to work hard to ensure that I can make them up to you sometime soon, then."

You fake-sighed. "That will have to do, I guess."

Thankfully, he chuckled again; you knew there was a good chance that he'd mistakenly take your sigh and remark seriously. It really was time to get going, and as another surprise to yourself, you were the first to end the night.

"Have a good night, Ingo." Your shy smile returned as you slowly waved a hand goodbye.

"Have a good night, [Y/N]," Ingo returned softly.

You backed up several steps still looking his way before finally turning around to set off for home. You'd gone a considerable amount of feet away when you heard his voice again.

"Um—!”

The about-face you made was immediate. Ingo was still standing in the same spot, hands gripping the brim of his hat.

"May I— may I make it up to you in the meantime with these walks after work?"

His voice rang loud and clear in the night, and it was because of that you were able to hear how shaky his voice was. Ingo was nervous down to the bone, not just through blushing deeply and shy side-glances. It was obvious that he was contemplating it since you walked away, without moving an inch. And you genuinely understood that kind of anxiety, which made you appreciate his bravery in fighting through it to voice the question. Shouting back to him across the gap (honestly, how no one yelled out of a window at you two yet was beyond you), you smiled brightly and calmed his nerves for the second time that night.

"You've got a deal!"

You saw his face light up and his shoulders relax; even a hint of a smile.

"And I'll hold you to it!"

Chapter Text

A week passed before you knew it.

Your pokémon were a huge help at the café, though the occasional trouble would arise. It became routine to pick which of your gaggle of sweets would come to work with you; most times it included everyone. Even Mimikyu started to become used to the café and the sounds of Gear Station’s patrons milling to and fro – she started braving little peeks around the counter every so often. You were very proud of all of them.

Each morning, Ingo and Emmet would stop by for coffee, and you were all too happy to see them. Emmet would send a particular grin your way when his brother couldn’t see it. The visits were always short due to their demanding jobs, but it was nice all the same. Not to mention after closing, when Ingo would meet you at your café and the two of you would walk partway home together. You talked about all sorts of things, mostly beginning with pleasantries, sometimes delving into stories about the day’s events. Your tales of mischievous pokémon amongst your customers; his far more exciting tales of pokémon battles. And then, sometimes, each of your likes or dislikes on certain topics.

Your shyness around Ingo was getting better but not gone entirely. Sometimes you still stumbled over your words or embarrassed yourself – but you saw Ingo doing the same. You were glad that he removed his hat when you two walked the city because then you could see the blush form across his face. It became increasingly apparent to you that Ingo suffered the same illness that plagued you: a crush.

Well…you thought. You didn’t want to be wrong and screw up everything you’ve built so far, especially since you considered the twins friends at this point and hoped they felt the same. But assuming a crush? Sure, you had evidence, but…the consequences of getting that wrong were far worse than assuming simple friendship.

One day, you saw the chance to flag down Emmet while you were on break. And by flag down, you meant sending Polteageist across the station to let the Subway Boss know you wanted to talk. And by letting him know, Polteageist meant stealing Emmet’s hat from atop his head and have the conductor chase after the flying teapot to your café.

You really should scold Polteageist for that. But it was too funny, which overruled getting in trouble. And you had to admit it was a crafty solution.

Emmet ran up to your counter as Polteageist hid behind you, the hat now atop his teapot, successfully hiding his ghostly form. You tried very hard to keep your laughter inside. This was supposed to be a serious talk.

“Hello, Emmet.”

“Hat please.”

Polteageist popped out from the underside of his teapot. He slowly floated downwards and hid under the counter.

“I kind of wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Is it about my hat? Because if not: hat please.”

Polteageist slowly floated back up without the hat.

Emmet sighed, knowing a futile battle when he saw one. “What?”

“It’s about Ingo.”

“Ingo? What’s wrong?” That got his attention, erasing some of the exasperation.

“Nothing! Nothing’s wrong, it’s just…”

You leaned forward, arms crossed on the counter, and gestured for Emmet to come closer as well. He obliged, still confused. When you spoke next, your voice was considerably quieter.

“I’ve noticed some…things… that, um…” You glanced away, trying to find the words. “…Things that Ingo does the same way I do…?”

Emmet’s brow furrowed and his smile thinned. “What does that mean?”

You made a frustrated noise. “Look, I don’t want to assume anything, which is why I’m asking you now. It’s just…”

A pause followed; your face felt hot in embarrassment before you even asked Emmet your question. You were really having trouble spitting it out, if only because you feared Emmet’s reaction – and by extension, Ingo’s. But the former was already becoming impatient. Appletun nudged you in silent support; you pushed yourself harder.

“He, um… Well, I mean, I—I want to ask if you’re… if, you know, if, uh…” You squeezed your eyes shut. Enough with the word salad! Just say it! “If Ingo has a crush on me too?”

There. It was out in the open. The words hung between the two of you. Mentally, you hit yourself for phrasing it in such a childish way – as though you were one step away from using the phrase “he likes me but does he like-like me”. You kept your eyes shut and you were unknowingly gritting your teeth. And as you waited, you realized the pause was going on for a little too long. Your panic button was seconds away from being pressed.

You opened your eyes to see Emmet, who had stood up from his leaning position. His eyes avoided you, yet at the same time deep in thought.

“Eh…Emmet?” you questioned with a shaky voice. I shouldn’t have asked I shouldn’t have asked I shouldn’t have asked—

The only response you received was a low hum he was made as he thought. Studying his face closely, you could see that he looked almost…worried?

“Emmet.”

No reply except a glance in another direction; anywhere to look but you.

“Emmet, it’s an easy yes-or-no question.”

He cleared his throat as if he was about to say something…but decided against it. Watching his facial expression, you were more confident about calling him worried, though there was something else. His eyebrows were slowly knitting together as he wordlessly pondered to himself; like he was fighting an internal battle that you were not privy to. Even your pokémon were focused on him, trying to puzzle out his response.

“…Emmet, the more time that goes by, the bigger of an idiot I feel.”

“You’re…not,” he finally spoke, though much slower than normal.

“So why aren’t you answering me?” Suspiciousness began to overtake embarrassment, though unfortunately not completely.

“Uhhhh…” he eloquently answered. “Wellllll…you see…”

Emmet trailed off; hands gestured in the air as if he were going to continue. He still refused to look you in the eye. Now fear started to settle in on top of all your other emotions, packing them neatly into one big anxiety sandwich.

“He doesn’t, does he,” you replied flatly. “I’m imagining things.”

The younger twin grit his teeth and finally looked your way tentatively, his hands held as if to stop you physically instead of vocally. “Nnnnnnnnhhh…”

“Emmet, if I could spit out my question despite feeling like a total ass, you can at least spit out your answer!”

“It’s nnh.. not like that!”

“Then what is it? Because if you’re trying to set us up and Ingo isn’t into it, then there’s no point!”

“I—yes, he is, it’s just—”

“He is?”

Emmet mentally smacked his forehead. There was no way out of this now.

Frankly, you were very close to becoming upset – whether for good or bad, you didn’t know. Your pokémon crowded around you, sensing your emotions in turmoil. Without realizing it, you had leaned even further over the counter, looking at him with your most frustrated expression.

“Hello?”

“It’s just…I made a promise!” he whined.

And just like that, everything clicked.

“Do you mean…like how I made you promise not to…not to tell him…that……?” Your voice lowered from your frustrated volume, now stunned. “Is it…the same with him…? Does he…feel the same…?”

Emmet leaned on the counter again, one hand clutching his hair. Now he was looking increasingly upset.

"I…broke the promise…”

“…Then…it’s true? I haven’t—haven’t been imagining things?”

“I broke the promise…”

“He really does feel the same?”

“I broke the promiiiiiiise…”

Emmet only responded in distressed whines, utterly upset. He sank over the counter like a Grimer, his head resting sideways, one hand still in his hair. To get him to answer you, you leaned sideways and obstructed his line of vision. His grin was gone – something you didn’t think possible – but if Ingo had the ability to smile once in a blue moon then Emmet should be the same. It still looked off, matching his distress.

“Emmet, it’s okay.”

“You don’t understand! I’ve never broken a promise that I made to Ingo! Neither has he with his promises! We’re the best brothers!”

It pulled at your heartstrings a little, seeing Emmet distraught about their brotherly bond. His voice sounded like he was both angry at himself yet on the verge of tears. Even Polteageist patted the top of Emmet’s head in an attempt at comfort. You spoke quickly before Emmet could again.

“You didn’t break your promise.”

His eyes met yours again, giving you an annoyed expression. “I didn’t use the exact phrase. But I still answered you with it.”

“Only after I figured it out, though!” Along the way, this conversation took a sharp turn, you thought. “You confirmed it, yeah, but the other option was to lie about it. And if you lied, then all this would be……over.”

His face relaxed just a smidge. You continued.

“If Ingo found out that I figured it out on my own and forced you to tell me, would he be angry?”

“Ingo wouldn’t get angry no matter what. Just disappointed.” Emmet whined under his breath. “But I don’t know if he would be either of those. If you knew first. I don’t know. I don’t like not knowing.”

“You don’t have to tell him. I mean, I’m sure as hell not.” You stood up normally again and sighed. “I’m sorry I forced you to tell me.”

Emmet stood up straight as well, rubbing his face where his cheek was on the counter. “I guess I should just be happy you finally did figure it out.”

You stared at him, confused. “Huh? …Why?”

“…Why?” Emmet had done a complete 180, seeming as back to normal as he could be, gesturing exaggeratedly at you. “How have you two not figured it out?! You see each other every day now! You both stumble all over yourselves like you’re falling down stairs! The amount of heat I’ve seen my brother produce from blushing could fully power a steam-engine train!”

At first, you were taken aback at his sudden rant. It was probably the most you’ve heard him say in one go, considering how to-the-point he liked to be. You were going to react in kind, but as Emmet went on, even more finally dawned on you.

“So when I found out my crush was really obvious……it’s the same for Ingo, too?”

Emmet paused, wide eyes and nearly-blank face unsettling you. Then he leaned forward on the counter again, hands clutching at either side of his head.

“Why are you two like this…”

Before you could conjure up a response to Emmet’s drama, a familiar voice broke through the bubble you two had been in for the past who-knows-how-long. It made both of you, as well as your pokémon, freeze.

“Is everything alright, here?” Ingo asked, walking up to the café with professional stature and a serious demeanor. “Emmet, [Y/N]?”

You and Emmet glanced at each other. It was an unspoken agreement that Ingo should be left in the dark on this one.

“Hey, Ingo,” you smiled and waved.

“Yes. Why?” Emmet stood tall once more, his tone even.

“Several passengers boarding the train I was overseeing heard some sort of quarrel going on in this section of the station. They expressed their worry that it might be a serious matter, as they mentioned you, Emmet, as appearing at this café.”

“Oh…” Your voice was quiet, as it should have stayed for the entirety of your little chat. You risked making Ingo suspicious if you glanced at Emmet again, but you were at a loss for words. Especially after the contents of your chat not fully hitting you until you saw Ingo in-person again.

Luckily, you could always count on your pokémon. Polteageist swooped between the three of you, grabbing Ingo’s hat before any one of you three knew what was happening. He then took the hat back to the café as he did Emmet’s, laughing a high-pitched giggle before he let it cover the teapot and went back under the counter. Your other pokémon clearly enjoyed this solution, too, judging by the close-to-laughter noises they were making.

This time you didn’t hold back a snicker, either. “Sorry, he’s— he’s been on a particularly annoying mischief streak today… Emmet was his first victim.”

Ingo, trying to stay professional after such an attack on his dignity, looked to his brother and registered the lack of hat upon his head, too. He cleared his throat. “I see… Your Polteageist has a real knack for causing trouble, doesn’t he?”

“He always has. I’m really sorry,” you pled after the little laugh was put away.

“Oh, no, please don’t worry about it. I’m used to such tomfoolery in my life.” A pointed look to Emmet.

A blank look to Ingo. “I don’t know what you mean.”

At least he isn’t bothered, you sighed with relief in your mind. That also takes care of what we’ve been doing over here. I’ll have to reward Polteageist later…

With your hands on your hips, you looked down at the impish haunted teapot. “You know you gotta give ‘em back, right, lil’ dude?”

“Teeeaaaaa,” came the ghostly moan from underneath the counter.

“Come on. The jig’s up.”

A fake-disgruntled Polteageist rose with Ingo’s hat, floating over to the elder twin for him to take. Ingo’s mouth twitched, likely to keep the corners of his mouth from turning up, and took it off of the teapot.

“Thank you,” he told Polteageist, despite the trick played on him.

Polteageist nodded sagely. Thanking him was the right thing to do.

Emmet raised his hand. “Mine?”

From underneath the counter’s edge floated Emmet’s hat; at first on its own, it seemed, until two black tendrils with frayed edges were revealed to be holding it aloft. The twins seemed very confused. Even more so when they slowly elongated, drifting toward Emmet until the hat was within his reach.

Emmet looked at the hat for a solid ten seconds. Then he looked at you.

“Found it,” you helpfully pointed a finger at the hat.

Your pokémon snickered as Emmet glared.

Carefully, Emmet took the hat from its odd perch (avoiding touching the tendrils, to your massive relief). As soon as he did so, they were quickly pulled back under the counter, like a rope let loose from a taught line. Emmet inspected his hat thoroughly until he placed it atop his head verrrry carefully, as though it were some sort of trap.

He waited.

Nothing happened.

Emmet nodded to himself confidently.

Your attention turned to Polteageist. “Don’t you have something you’d like to say to these nice gentlemen?”

The ghost pokémon put its hands together and solemnly looked down, asking for forgiveness.

“Geiss.”

“Don’t worry, little one; we know it was merely a prank you played in jest.”

“Don’t do it again.”

You snorted as Polteageist returned to you, faking remorse. In turn, you feigned sternness. “We’ll talk about this later.”

Like a child grounded by his parents, Polteageist once more floated down under the counter as if it were punishment. You couldn’t help it – more laughter slipped out, even as you gave the twins another apology.

“Again, I’m sorry to bother you. I know you’re on the clock.”

Ingo shook his head. “We could spare a few minutes. However, our trains will be on their way soon, and we must board for their departure.”

With both hats back on their proper places, the twins tipped them by the brim in practiced synchronicity. Emmet took a deep breath, locking eyes with you for just a brief moment – enough to convey the secret you two now shared and his guilt from the promise. You smiled at him as you would normally in this situation, but it also meant that you weren’t going to say a word and everything will be okay in the end. The younger twin then turned on his heel and marched away.

Ingo also locked eyes with you as well, though longer. You smiled at him in a different, softer way, giving a small wave goodbye.

“I shall see you later, then?” he asked with hope in his voice as though it weren’t an established pattern at this point.

“Of course,” was your answer, of course.

Ingo nodded and folded his arms behind his back. “Well, my last train arrives late tonight, despite the tight schedule. If there is any sort of delay past a quarter of an hour, please go on to your home without me. I don’t want you to feel obligated to stay even later in the night on my behalf.”

“It wouldn’t be a problem,” you spoke a little too fast. “I mean, I could wait that long and not mind at all.”

“Well, let us hope the trains run on time.” He did a light bow and nodded to you again, the ends of his mouth curled slightly upwards and a glint in his eye. “Until next we meet, [Y/N].”

You chuckled a little. “See you, Ingo.”

Away he went, back to his assignment for the day. Only a few minutes later, you heard “ALLLL ABOARD!” which automatically made you smile. Polteageist floated by, looking at you expectantly. The two of you shared a gentle hi-5. Mimikyu gazed at you from below, and you knew she wanted the same. This time, when you felt the tendril slap your hand for her hi-5, you were prepared for the consequences.

In a remarkably better mood, you removed the sign that temporarily closed your café and began setting up for the next customers.

Ingo turned out to be correct; the last train of the day had been delayed due to a stubborn pokémon lying on the tracks, you'd later learn. You looked at the clock as you sat in the back room, facing the café front. All of your belongings were ready to go, and your pokémon were milling about until it was time to recall them into their balls.

You yawned (and then Appletun yawned; and then Alcremie yawned; and then Polteageist yawned; and then Slurpuff yawned; and then Mimikyu found a really cool dust bunnelby and sneezed), the time for your walk home rapidly approaching. You decided to follow Ingo’s advice and go home without him. It was disappointing, but you knew there would always be tomorrow.

In a daze, you leaned forward in the chair, elbows on your knees, and smiled at your pokémon. They turned in attention, curious.

“…He really likes me, guys.”

All five of your pokémon happily cheered in their own way. You laughed without restraint; you’d been holding in giddiness ever since Emmet confirmed your suspicions (with a twinge of guilt), and now it could come out freely.

“Lil’ dude, you were the MVP today,” you said, pointing at Polteageist. He raised his teapot lid and danced with it to the tune of more happy sounds from your pokémon. “We have to do that more often.”

“Tea!”

“Sparingly.”

“…Teaaa…”

“Oh, hush.” Both of you were smiling, though; of course, you took the time to reconvene with your others before standing up out of the creaky chair. “All right, guys. I guess it’s time to head on home.”

One by one, your pokémon were recalled; their balls tucked away in your bag as you gathered the rest of your things. You sighed; this would be the first time in a week that you’ve walked home alone.

Ding!

You perked up, smiling wide. Without hesitation, you rushed out of the back room to meet Ingo at the counter…and your heart dropped, seeing a complete stranger there instead. The change in your demeanor must have been so conspicuous that the man laughed.

“Not who you were expectin’, I’m guessin’?”

You struggled to answer him immediately; you were too focused on the eerie, silent atmosphere of a virtually empty Gear Station. Most lights were off; shops lining the wall like yours had their gates and locks in place; not another soul could be found. Something wasn’t right.

“Uhm… no—I mean, yeah,” you began carefully, “I’m sorry, sir, but we’re closed for the night. I’m just about to lock up.”

“Oh? Pretty late to be closin’.” The stranger looked around the area. “No one left, huh? ‘Cept you and me, o’ course.”

The tone of his voice gradually became darker, you noticed, especially by the end of his “observation”. You gripped your bag’s strap tighter.

“I’m waiting for someone.”

“You were waitin’ for someone. Boyfriend didn’t show? Ain’t that a shame.” He made a tsk, tsk, tsk, with his tongue while shaking his head. “Well, if you’re not open, I guess I oughta get goin’.”

“…Yeah.”

But he didn’t. He kept leaning on the counter with one arm, looking right into your eyes and smirking. His other hand on his hip…and, you noticed with a glance, his hand hiding a pokéball. You refused to flinch, but cursed yourself for putting all of your pokéballs inside your bag.

The silence went on for one moment too long. “I thought you were going to get going.”

The stranger laughed and shook his head again, like you’d just told a good joke. When he went back to staring at you, his face hadn’t changed, but the aura he was giving off did. He was trying to be intimidating and, unfortunately, it was working – and the vast emptiness of the station was working to his advantage.

“I said I oughta get goin’,” he slowly spelled out, “I didn’t say I was gonna.”

Chapter Text

Fear crept into your skin and spread across your body. It gave you an icy chill, raising the hair on the back of your neck and along your arms. What kind of visit this man had in mind was alarmingly clear.

You tried to keep your voice even. “What do you want?”

The man shrugged, as if this were a casual conversation between friends.

“Eh, you know. This coffee shop must make pretty good money, don’t it?”

He grinned even wider while your brows furrowed in confusion. This little café? Surely there were far more expensive shops to rob. You didn’t take your eyes off of his face but knew you’d seen a pokéball in his hand. By the time it would take you to swing your bag around and open it, the man would get the drop on you before your hand made to the latch. You had no weapons, though they wouldn’t do you much good for the same reason. Running wasn’t an option, either; the only way out of the employee section was through the opening in the counter, which he was standing right next to.

This isn't good...

The man went on in light of your silence. “Especially if those Subway Bosses spend here, huh? That’s, ehh…every morning, isn’t it?”

He’s been watching...?

“I know this is a small joint, but it’s a busy one. And I’m guessin’ you got a safe in there with you, don’tcha?” He scratched his chin, still playing innocent talk. “I wonder how much it holds…”

Playing compliant was the best option right now, and you tried to offer this to the man. “You can have it. Don’t do anything you might regret.”

It turns out, that wasn't the correct answer. The man stood up to his full height. The pokéball in his hand was brought into view, and he started tossing it up and down in his hand like one would a coin.

“Regret?” He laughed uproariously, holding your gaze with that terrible smirk. “It’s more fun this way.”

With an iron-tight grip on your bag’s strap, you tried to turn your nerves to steel, too. It wasn’t quite working. But your face, your expression, hardened in defiance – enough to tell the man what he needed to know about the resistance he was about to face.

With another toss in the air, his pokéball opened. This was no pokémon battle.

A Loudred materialized on your counter. Before you could even think of reacting, it

(     (    (   (  ( ( ( R O A R E D ) ) )  )   )    )     )

and the resulting shockwaves from its speaker-like ears physically shoved you backwards. Reflexively, your eyes squeezed shut and you shouted, trying to maintain footing and failing. As you were propelled, you slammed into the wall of the back room.

At least, you thought you hit the back wall. Not even a second after slamming into it, four enormous pitch-black hands on the ends of thin, wispy arms slid into your peripheral vision and, in an instant, encircled you completely. Dazed by the Loudred’s sonic boom, you could not hear a thing but a loud ringing in your ears; separately dazed by the physical slam to your backside, your vision swam. It was a moment before you realized you were being held by a Cofagrigus. It must have been lurking in your back room since the stranger hit the bell.

You saw the man walk around the counter; before you could yell or shout, one of the Cofagrigus’s hands clamped around your mouth. The man tossed two more pokéballs, almost like an afterthought, as he started looking at your register.

Is he serious?? All this for some petty cash?!

His pokéballs released two speedsters that moved in a blur; at least, in your still-questionable vision. One immediately hid in the shadows of the back room, which was dark ever since you turned the lights off, thinking you were meeting up with Ingo. The other – a Pawniard – dashed forward, targeting you. You tried to lean back instinctively, but the ghostly sarcophagus didn’t let you. The little soldier slashed just out of your reach, and hit its target – the strap of your bag.

You yelled into the Cofagrigus’s hand. Pawniard stayed in front of you, its sharp features preventing you from kicking forward when the other speedy pokémon made its re-entrance. A Krokorok ran from the darkness and grabbed your bag from the floor. It even looked at you and snickered, carrying it back into the dark area of the back room; the light coming in from the station didn’t allow your eyes to adjust.

The ringing in your ears wasn’t as loud, but still persisted. All other sounds were muffled as if your ears were full of cotton. You could only see the back of the man as he ransacked your register, guarded by his Loudred. Pawniard and Cofagrigus were guarding you, and despite snatching your satchel away, Krokorok retreated further inside…you guessed to look for the safe in the darkness with its specialized eyesight. You were at a total loss. Raiding your business for money was one thing, but grabbing your bag and pokémon – which the man probably assumed were inside the bag – was an entirely different ball park.

It felt like longer than the handful of seconds that it was before a flash of light from inside the dark caught your attention. Your hearing still impaired, you didn’t hear Krokorok foolishly rustling inside your bag, nor Appletun’s furious roar as he left his pokéball of his own volition. The vibration from the Headbutt delivered to Krokorok was palpable, though, which you felt right before the ground-type pokémon was thrown out of the darkness and by Pawniard’s feet.

Appletun was visible not a moment too soon. You smiled under Cofagrigus’s grasp.

The stranger definitely heard the commotion, barking an order to one of his cohorts. Pawniard leapt inbetween Appletun and Krokorok, its blades glinting in the light entering the doorway. Appletun began readying a Dragon Pulse, you knew by the stance he was making; Pawniard was readying its own move as Krokorok finally got to its feet. In its arms was your half-open bag. Sensing your discovery, Cofagrigus tightened its grasp.

Dragon Pulse was unleashed. Pawniard was hit dead-on and actually shielded Krokorok, albeit unintentionally. Appletun knew where to aim – the pulse didn’t graze you in the least.

Krokorok had dropped your bag in surprise at the dragon’s attack, and he took the opportunity provided by his injured teammate and cowardly sprinted for the exit. Pawniard engaged Appletun, preventing him from going after your bag, and you thought this was the end of the line as the two fought. The thief looked annoyed by Krokorok’s retreat, most likely because the ground-type pokémon was supposed to find the safe. The man walked into the back room, avoiding the impromptu scuffle, followed by his Loudred. He bent down for your bag.

An ungodly, unearthly screech erupted. Not from Loudred, but your bag. Even you could hear it, meaning it was even worse for everyone else in the room. Another pokémon broke free of her ball and appeared directly in front of you.

Mimikyu was giving off a palpable, livid aura.

She didn’t hesitate. Her tendrils shot out, grabbing both the man’s leg – who shouted in deserved fear – and Krokorok, dragging the terrified pokémon back into the room. The thief fell backwards onto the floor, trying to pull her tendril off of his ankle and failing.

You were watching all of this go down in an almost dissociated state. One of the attacks gave you a massive headache as well as lightheadedness, and you were struggling with the ringing in your ears and blurry eyesight. The back room was too small to accommodate all of these angry pokémon. It was a crowded clusterfuck.

The man shouted at Loudred, and you knew another sonic blast would knock you out completely. Mimikyu screeched again and Appletun prepared to counter-attack. You tried to brace yourself.

The sound shockwave never came. Instead, another loud shout pierced through your tinnitus and made your heart skip a beat.

“CEASE AND DESIST!”

In the doorway now stood Ingo, silhouetted by the station lights and accompanied by eerie purple wisps. Chandelure manifested in the space before him, a soft purple glow from its flames highlighting his face and infuriated expression. You’d never seen Ingo angry before, you realized, and it was absolutely terrifying in its own right, let alone with help from his ghost pokémon.

It didn’t strike fear in you, however. No…he looked like a hero to you.

The thief, however, was now facing fear from one of the Subway Bosses as well as Mimikyu’s hold on him. Pawniard, distracted by the ruckus, didn’t see Appletun’s Headbutt coming. It knocked the little soldier forward and into its owner’s lap, who recoiled from the sharp points on the dark-type pokémon. Loudred was similarly distracted, though the attack that knocked the uproar pokémon down came from a different source: Ingo’s Excadrill slamming its sharp, steel-spiked hood into Loudred’s backside hard enough to send it hurtling into the wall by your side.

You looked back to Ingo, gratitude welling up in your eyes. He glanced to you for but a second, and you felt the impression that it was not anger he looked at you with, but determination.

The Cofagrigus that was holding you unfurled two of its four arms in anticipation of being attacked. It paid for your capture twofold: Mimikyu and Chandelure targeted the third ghost pokémon with barely-held rage. Letting the thief go, as he was being dealt with, Mimikyu used the freed tendril and grabbed one of Cofagrigus’s free hands so fast it sounded like a whip crack. Chandelure glowed brighter as the other hand tried to grab it, and the perpetrator received spectral burns from bright purple flames all along its arm instead. Behind you, it screamed, and its grip on you loosened. The team-up attack from the other ghosts caused its hold on you to unfurl completely.

Dazed, lightheaded, weak, and cold from everything that occurred in only a handful of minutes, you tried to catch yourself as you dropped, but failed. The last thing you saw before blacking out was Ingo rushing forward, and your last thought was a relieved

Ingo…

“[Y/N]?”

Muffled, your name registered somewhere in your brain. With it came a massive headache; you groaned.

“[Y/N]! Can you hear me?”

The voice was loud and recognizable. It gave you joy…and pain. You flinched visibly and Ingo got the message. His voice lowered to a normal level, but still comforting.

“Ah, I apologize. [Y/N], can you open your eyes?”

It took an effort, but you were able to do what he asked. Ingo was the first thing you saw, bent over you at a polite distance yet close enough to be checking and helping you. He looked worried. No, not just looked – he was worried, and significantly so. When he saw your eyes open, his expression relieved just a touch. The second thing you saw was the ceiling of the café’s back room, and with this you realized that you were lying flat on the ground. You could hear your pokémon, but not see them. When you tried to turn your head, though, Ingo’s hand stopped you.

“Try not to move; when you fell, you hit your head on the floor and I’m afraid you may have a concussion.”

The warmth from his hand felt so nice. You were disappointed when he took it away, before he put it comfortingly on your shoulder. Another sensation was felt on your other cheek, and the bottom of Appletun’s rounded muzzle came into your limited view. He whined.

“Hey, buddy…” You smiled, lifting an arm to pat him. “Are my other pokémon okay?”

Ingo smiled, if only for a second. “Yes, they are all safe and sound.”

Mimikyu trilled and waved a tendril from somewhere behind Ingo. The others, you presumed, were still in their pokéballs and would give you a scolding when next they emerged. On the other side of the coin, you could see part of Chandelure floating above Ingo, keeping watch on something out of your vision.

“I’ve called the authorities as well as the paramedics,” Ingo continued, “and detained the perpetrator. He will be dealt with accordingly; I will make sure of that.”

Everything came back to you as he explained, and you nearly shot upwards had Ingo’s hand not been on your shoulder. Another weight was felt atop the rest of your body – a blanket, perhaps? No… You looked at Ingo’s white sleeves. He wasn’t wearing his coat; he’d laid it atop you.

The realization made your breath hitch for a moment. This, however, pressed Ingo’s worry button even more. “Are you alright? Do you have pain elsewhere? The paramedics will need to know all of your injuries when they arrive to best take care of you.”

“It’s okay,” you croaked out in what was definitely a Not Okay tone. “I’m okay. It’s…it’s mostly just the headache…”

But as you talked and became aware of your breathing, you found that your back was so sore it mightve already started to bruise; and your chest and arms hurt from the restriction of the Cofagrigus. Even the area around your mouth where it had clamped a hand was sore.

“…Okay. Maybe a little more than that.”

Ingo nodded, unmoving, and you explained the sites of pain. His frown worsened with each one you listed. After a moment of acknowledgement, Ingo looked aside – toward the detained thief, you assumed by the intense face he made – before turning back to you.

“[Y/N], may I ask what happened? I didn’t expect you to still be here so late.”

“I, um…” Now came the embarrassment, of course. “…I was waiting to maybe see if your train might not be so late…”

He seemed surprised for a moment, eyes widening, before his demeanor returned to serious and worried. “I see… So, had my train arrived on time…”

“Don’t blame that or yourself or anything! It wasn’t your fault I waited…”

“Nor yours for what happened,” he countered. And damnit, he had a point.

You paused, avoiding his eyes. “He…rang the bell. And, y’know, it’s after hours, barely anyone left in the building, so I figured it was you since you also have…rung the bell to call me…”

Only after it left your mouth did you realize how stupid it sounded, but out it was nonetheless. Ingo, of course, didn’t take it as stupid at all. Seriousness remained on his face, and he nodded to gently prod you to continue.

“I got my things and prepped to lock up and it was…that guy.”

“Do you recognize him?”

“No… Should I?”

Ingo shook his head. “I’ve no idea who he is, either. He isn’t the cooperative sort to explain.”

“He, uh…he threatened me when he saw I was alone. All my pokémon were in their balls, so… I kind of knew it would be bad.”

Ingo thought for a moment. "A robbery?"

"Yeah...I don't know why, either."

"A-Ah, that's not what I--!" Ingo, realizing how his words could be implied as selling your business short, as it were, became frantic in a fashion that would have been comical had the conversation not been so serious.

"I know! I know..." You smiled sincerely and briefly held up your hands to appease him. "I really don't, though. He thought I'd have a lot of cash because it's usually busy...or because you and Emmet stop by every day?"

The confusion from that statement brought him back from the brink of embarrassment. "My brother and I... Do you mean in the mornings? I don't believe Emmet has visited more than once per day this past week."

"The guy implied that he knew you two come by before work..."

"Before Gear Station even opens for passengers..." Ingo brought his free hand to his chin in the classical thinker's pose. "He had to have been watching for quite some time to know that we've been visiting so regularly... Odd that he mentioned us to begin with..."

You took the time that Ingo used to think to appreciate his use of the word "visiting" instead of merely thinking of himself as a customer. At least, that's the way you chose to view it. Ingo most likely used the vocabulary without thinking about the implications, and that made it even better; if he had also been taking the patronage of your business instead as visiting you over all.

"What happened next?" he asked, breaking your reverie.

"Oh... Well, he had been holding a..." You gasped. “His pokémon! Did his pokémon escape?!”

“No, no, it’s fine!” Ingo reassured you with wide eyes, worried you'd hurt yourself if you became too worked up. “His pokémon were recalled and are also being detained.”

“The Loudred? Cofagrigus? Pawniard, Krokorok?”

“All of them, yes. Whether they accompany him to the detention center is not something I can say, however.”

You sighed, just glad they didn’t escape. Pokémon weren’t inherently evil, but they’ve clearly been raised by someone who excelled at misdeeds.

“The Loudred was first. It…might’ve used Uproar, I think? Or Hyper Voice? I don’t know them that well… But it hit me pretty hard…literally.”

“Most likely the culprit of your headache,” he nodded. Then paused. “…Before your fall, at the very least. I am terribly sorry about that; I ran to catch you, but--”

“Not your fault,” you echoed with a small grin. “If I don’t get to blame myself for anything that happened, you don’t either.”

Ingo acquiesced, though deflated a bit. “Using my own words against me.”

“You know it.”

The two of you smiled at each other. You must’ve looked so out-of-sorts, and Ingo was a little disheveled himself. It wasn’t just his coat – he’d taken his hat off and loosened his tie. His hair looked like he’d run his hands through it. And he was still so worried, though now mixed with relief.

You swallowed the lump in your throat. “Thank you...for saving me.”

“Hm?” He was surprised and shook his head. “Oh, no, I merely arrived at the end. Your pokémon certainly had it covered!”

“Ingo, it was a mess. You arrived at the end because you ended it.”

He looked off to the side, conflicted, and face already becoming rosy.

With a quiet voice, you repeated, “Thank you.”

Ingo looked back to you, a softness in his eyes that you’ve never seen before. With a little hesitation, he took his hand off of your shoulder and gently brushed the top of your forehead with his thumb.

“I am only happy that you are safe.”

Another lump formed in your throat; one you couldn’t get past. You were speechless and starstruck from the utter tenderness of his touch. The only thing you could do was return the small smile he was giving you as your heart pounded out of your chest.

The moment was broken by sirens, indicating the paramedics and police. Ingo turned toward the entrance of the door, his hand raising from your forehead unintentionally. You wished it could stay.

“And healthy, I hope,” he continued from before. Then he looked back at you, seriousness hardening his face again. “Will you be alright if I meet with the police first while the paramedics tend to you?”

“Y…Yeah…” you affirmed, since he probably wouldn’t have liked you to nod your head yet.

Ingo stood and began talking with the authorities while the medics came to you with their equipment. As they were asking you questions, you saw Mimikyu worriedly rush over, likely having released the hold she had on the thief. You patted her head, smiled reassuringly, and thanked her before gesturing for her to go back into her pokéball to rest. Appletun, meanwhile, refused to move from his position at your side, watching the medics do their work intently.

You were predictably questioned by the police as well. Having said his piece, Ingo stood off to the side though within your field of vision; still watching over you. It was overwhelming, dealing with questions from both sides and assessment from the EMTs and on top of all that they removed Ingo’s coat that was laid over you! But Appletun laid his head on your leg, which helped a great deal; Ingo gave you a small but noticeable smile, and that was another big help.

The EMTs advised you to let them take you to the hospital as a precaution. You weren’t bleeding nor was your memory affected or any of the serious things on their checklist. But your ears were still ringing, and your vision was hard to keep focused and unblurred. You really, really did not want to go anywhere near a hospital, let alone ride in an ambulance. The EMTs assured you that if everything checked out okay, you would be released later that night – and when asked if you had anyone to help you home, Ingo raised his hand.

“They do.” His eyes went to yours. “If you will accept my assistance.”

“Absolutely,” you said, far too quick on the draw for your liking.

The police finished taking your statement and you could hear them dealing with the thief out of your field of vision. They collected his bag and pokéballs, cuffed him, and led him out of Gear Station. Ingo’s pokémon who had been keeping the man detained, meandered over to him as he retrieved their balls. Excadrill and apparently a Haxorus you hadn’t seen, were recalled; Chandelure was the last. Ingo told each pokémon how good of a job they did and pet them briefly before recalling them. It was adorable and sweet, just as he was with your pokémon.

You made a mental note to remind yourself to thank his pokémon personally at a later point.

Appletun, meanwhile, waddled onto your lap and refused to budge. You chuckled a little, putting a hand on his side as confirmation that no, he wasn’t going anywhere. The EMTs shrugged; this probably happened all the time.

Ingo gathered your things and came over to you after you’d been transferred to a stretcher. Despite knowing you weren’t seriously injured, it frightened you. Hospitals were terrifying. The anxiety must have been perfectly readable on your face – Appletun put his head onto your free hand, and Ingo walked over right before you were going to be wheeled off.

“It will be alright. It’s simply precaution; head injuries are nothing to be trifled with.”

“I know, I’m just…”

You took a deep breath. Your judgment must be impaired, you thought, if you were really about to ask this.

“It’s—it’s super late at night, I know, and you’ve had a long day and you’ve done so much for me already, but… um, but—” You bit your lip. “Would you...ride with me? In the ambulance? And...and stay with me at, at the hospital…?”

Surprised, Ingo’s face became unreadable to you, and you started backpedaling.

“Like—like I said, you’ve been on the job for so long at this point, I really don’t want to inconvenience you even more, this has been a lot, and—”

“[Y/N].”

You stopped abruptly, worriedly looking back at Ingo. The heartwarming softness in his eyes was back.

“Absolutely.”

Chapter Text

You left the hospital that night.

Rather, the same morning, as it was well past midnight. You were treated for the injury to your back as well as your concussion and temporary hearing loss. That’s what they told you, anyway – they explained it as analogous to attending a concert and the muffled hearing that lasts afterwards. Loudred and Exploud incidents were common enough that they weren’t worried about it, and so neither were you.

Before leaving, they gave you a prescription for pain medication that was automatically filled (you wondered what the point of having the physical script even was) and instructions to rest up for several days. That, of course, meant taking off work, and despite not liking the idea you knew it was the best choice for recovery. Especially since your head was pounding, your back and sides of your arms were aching, and your hearing still felt like your ears were full of cotton.

Ingo, bless his heart, stayed with you through the hospital experience. The ambulance ride, arrival, initial exam, treatment… He even listened intently when they gave you your instructions alongside the OK to go home. Despite it being far too late and having a long day of work starting mere hours away, Ingo reassured you multiple times that it was alright and he didn’t mind accompanying you. He received many thanks that night.

As did Appletun, who refused to return to his pokéball (Mimikyu would receive her thanks as well, later on). He sat on your lap for most of the visit and laid his head on one of your arms whenever you were particularly anxious. His slow amble matched your current pace, in no condition to walk your normal speed.

When you were released, Ingo called the two of you a cab and together you rode to your apartment complex. You were so tired, you were half-dozing nearly the entire way – which allowed Ingo to pay the fare without you realizing it, damn him.

He walked with you inside and to the elevator, which is where you parted ways. You expressed remorse once again for inconveniencing him, at the very least for keeping him awake so long on a work night.

“None of this has been an inconvenience to me, [Y/N],” he spoke softly with a shake of his head. “I’m thankful that I pulled into the station when I did, though I do wish the arrival had been much sooner…”

You tilted your head to the side and gave him A Look.

He sighed. “I’m aware the fault does not fall upon my shoulders. Wishful thinking, I suppose.”

“I’m thankful you arrived at all, Ingo.” Your smile was tired but genuine. “And I’m thankful you came with me… I think I would have panicked otherwise.”

“Tun!”

You looked down at Appletun with a laugh in your voice. “You too, buddy, you too.” He received a kiss on his snout, appeasing him.

Ingo chuckled behind one hand before replying. “It was my sincere pleasure. Remember to follow the advice from the hospital and rest long and well. I will be sure to put a sign on your café that will notify passengers of its temporary closure. You have the pain medication they prescribed, too, so please don’t endure the discomfort if it affects you too much.”

Your smile widened as Ingo outlined the care guide they’d given to you for recovery. He stopped short once he realized what he was doing and reeled it back a bit.

“Ah, it’s not my place to be instructing you like this; you are an independent adult. Don’t mind me, I--…”

“Just want to make sure I’m okay,” you finished for him. You felt your face start heating up just hearing it said out loud, and even more when Ingo nodded the affirmative with a dusting of pink across his face.

“I wish for you to make a full recovery, and I know how hard it can be to simply brake and rest…”

For the workaholics he and his brother seem to be, that checks out.

“Thanks, Ingo. I appreciate it,” you reassured him that he was not overstepping any boundaries. “…I appreciate everything.”

With no hat on his head to hide behind, Ingo glanced aside and cleared his throat. “I am happy to help, whenever you need me. Being stuck in your home for several days, I know—or, I would like to—I, I have—”

He began rustling in his coat’s pockets while it was still draped over one arm. You bit back a laugh for how cute it was as he struggled finding what he wanted and had to twist the coat, searching pocket to pocket.

“I, ah… I have… I, well, I put it here somewhere, please excuse me, I’ve almost—”

Finally, he seemed to end his search successfully. But it took him a moment to take it out of the coat pocket. Ingo stared down at it, or at least his hand, with great concentration; as though he was fighting an inner battle deep within his mind. You were seconds away from asking if he was alright when he finally continued by locking eyes with you.

“If—Well, should you need anything – anything at all – I have—I…wrote…”

With enormous hesitation, Ingo removed his hand from the coat pocket and held it out for you to take the mystery item. He watched you with his head still tilted down and with great intensity; his face was nearly entirely red. You looked at what his hand held and you understood.

“I wrote my…my number here, in case—just in case you need anything while you are recovering. Please do not hesitate to call and ask.”

You looked from the small piece of paper in his hand back to his face. Ingo seemed very nervous, bracing himself likely for your rejection. It wasn’t a proposition for a date, but he was still giving you his number! Even though you were embarrassed, it gave you that spread of warmth inside and a giddy smile that you had to reign in. You reached out and took the paper, somewhat relieving Ingo’s nerves.

“Thank you… Um, even if I don’t want to bother you with anything, you’ve already done so much… But I’ll—I’ll keep this in mind, thank you, Ingo, really…”

You also had to reign in your mouth before your inner thoughts decided to bust out from your mind through your vocal chords. Meanwhile, Ingo took a deeper breath and allowed the corners of his frown turn up in the tiniest smile. His face was still very red.

“Oh, um…” You took a pad and pen from your bag and wrote down your own number. This made Ingo blink in surprise, clearly not expecting anything in return. “Here… It’s—well, it’s mine, obviously…”

You held it out to him with a nervous chuckle and the same hopeful eyes as they met with his softened gaze. He carefully took your number, holding it as though it would break if he handled it incorrectly. Then he looked back to you with a rare, real smile on his face.

“Thank you, [Y/N].”

Both of you were as red as tamato berries, standing there stupidly smiling at each other in silence for a moment too long. It was the elevator arriving at the ground floor that broke the moment.

Ingo cleared his throat. “Ahem… Well, I do hope you can have a peaceful rest tonight and a relaxing day tomorrow. Please take it as easy as you can… Appletun, you will make sure of this, won’t you?”

The pokémon in question gave an affirmative snort and nod of his head.

“Believe me, he wouldn’t let me do otherwise,” you said with a smile in your voice. “And, um… I know I’ve done this a lot tonight, but I—I just need to…um……one more time. Thank you, Ingo.”

Your smile, paired with red cheeks and creased eyes, beamed at the elder Subway Boss and hit him like a 1-Hit KO. He nodded just as he’d done the many previous times tonight, but with a significantly redder face.

“You’re more than welcome, [Y/N].”

The two of you exchanged each other’s smiles as you stood in the elevator and the doors closed.

Ingo turned the key quietly, knowing Emmet would be fast asleep by this time of night. The exhaustion he felt was immense, but more than worth it – your exhaustion easily dwarfed his, he would guess. Today would be a hard day, especially since it wasn’t one scheduled to run the Battle Subway. At least pokémon battles could energize him if enough passengers could reach his car, but his normal duty as a conductor and station boss wasn’t as exciting no matter how much he loved it.

In the darkness of the apartment, Ingo re-locked the door just as quietly and slipped off his shoes to pad across the carpet into his room. He made it halfway when a lamp clicked on and startled him. Its light revealed Emmet, sitting in a chair directly facing Ingo with his elbows on the armrests and his fingers steepled.

“Good morning, Ingo,” he began slowly, evenly. “Nice of you to return home.”

“Emmet, I—”

“WheeeEEERRRRRrrrre have you BEEN?”

His cool and calm façade dropped almost immediately with Emmet’s patience thinner than the norm. Positioned under the light, it cast shadows across his face that made him look eerily menacing to anyone but Ingo.

“My last train arrived late--”

“Hours ago.”

“—and there was a situation at the station.”

Emmet narrowed his eyes behind his steepled fingers. “…What situation.”

“One that could have caused far more misfortune had I not intervened when I did.” Ingo sighed, undoing his tie completely as he went to sit in the chair across from Emmet. “There was a robbery in progress at [Y/N]’s café.”

“What?” Emmet dropped the villain act completely, his face changing with genuine worry. “What happened? Are they okay? Elaborate.”

“I’m getting to it, Emmet.” Another sigh escaped Ingo as he sunk into the chair, finally being able to succumb to some sort of comfort. “[Y/N] has minimal injuries. I am late because I accompanied them to the hospital, as they fell at one point and their head…hit the floor hard enough that it caused a concussion. They were also the target of a Loudred’s earsplitting move and were restrained for the duration of the burglary.”

With each piece of information, Emmet’s hands gripped the arms of his chair tighter. Before he could say or ask anything again, Ingo continued with one hand in the air to stop him.

“As I said, the injuries are minimal. The hospital staff released them with pain medication as well as instructions to stay off work and rest for several days to ensure full recovery. They were dropped off at their residence via a taxi we both took, and then I returned here.”

Emmet’s smile was wavering and his fingers tightly dug into the chair’s fabric. “Who,” was his simple reply.

“We don’t know. Thankfully the police are handling the situation and detained him as soon as they arrived. He would not divulge any information to me, though I tried.”

“Wait. Why was [Y/N] still at the station?”

Ingo hesitated, glancing aside. “I informed them earlier in the day that the last train I had scheduled would be returning to the station rather late; I told them it would be prudent to leave for home after a reasonable amount of time had passed if I did not arrive on schedule. They…decided to stay despite this in hopes that my train would arrive sooner than expected.”

“And got robbed? Gear Station should be empty by then.”

“When I came upon the scene, there were several pokémon assisting both sides, and the man was standing over [Y/N], who was thoroughly restrained by a Cofagrigus.” Ingo felt the lingering anger from replaying the memory in his mind. “Suffice to say I did not hesitate to intervene.”

Emmet sat back in his chair, thinking. “…Do we up security?”

“I was thinking along that same track.”

The twins fell silent; one tired, one exhausted, both troubled. They would be worried about any burglary that took place in their station, of course, but the fact that you were targeted increased their emotions tenfold.

Rubbing one eye and yawning, Ingo slowly stood up from his chair. “There is nothing more that can be done right now. Both of us begin work early and I’d like to try and have at least a few hours of sleep on my side.”

“What is that.”

Emmet pointed at Ingo’s hand as it withdrew from his face; it was the hand still gripping your phone number note. He hadn’t let go of it since it was handed to him. But as weary as he was, Ingo replied automatically without really thinking about it.

“[Y/N]'s phone number.”

Ingo walked a few steps toward his room in silence before the bubble was burst.

“What?!” erupted from Emmet, blindsided yet again. When his brother turned back to him, the younger twin’s hands were splayed out in front of him in disbelief, accompanied by wide eyes and a furrowed brow.

“Their number…” was the quiet response as it dawned on Ingo why his brother was in disarray. “It was in return for… well, they are resting at their home for the next few days, so I…gave them my number in case they need any assistance in the meantime.”

Emmet paused only to give his brother an even more staggered expression.

“You WHAT?!”

Ingo took a step back as his seemingly unhinged brother leapt out of his seat and grabbed Ingo’s shoulders.

“You gave them your number.” He seemed happy and proud compared to a minute or two ago. “Do you know how big this is?”

“I didn’t give it to them for romance purposes!” balked Ingo. “It is in case they need help during their recovery period!”

Emmet lightly shook Ingo’s shoulders. “You two have each other’s. It does not matter what they are for.”

“I’m aware!” The older twin was becoming increasingly flustered, not blind to the implications. “I am not going to take advantage of the exchange, that is not what it is for!”

Groaning in annoyance, Emmet grasped Ingo’s shoulders even tighter. “They have it now. It can’t be returned. They’ll still have it to use after they’re better!”

“I refuse to think about that right now. [Y/N] is injured and may need care they do not have access to. That is all.”

“I am going to kill you.”

Ingo broke free of his brother’s grasp – more out of being flustered than anger or annoyance – and resumed his walk to his room. “I am going to bed, Emmet, and I suggest you do the same. Tomorrow will not be an easy day for either of us.”

Leaving his brother to stew in whatever it was he was feeling (shock, pride, annoyance, aggravation, disbelief, sleepiness), Ingo gently closed his bedroom door and collapsed on his bed. He stared at your number, crisp on the paper, for a moment; as if it wasn’t real and would disappear once the illusion wore off.

He took his phone from his pocket and held it next to the scrap of paper.

「Add New Contact」

You stared at Ingo’s number for the entire elevator ride. Appletun had to pull on your pant leg to alert you that the elevator had come to a stop on your floor. It was a careful walk down the hallway to your door, but you ultimately made it without incident.

Unlock door. Cross threshold. Lock door. Shuffle to couch. Sit on couch. Rest bag on floor. Sigh. Retrieve pokéballs. Unleash mob.

And it was a mob. The pokémon that hadn’t been able to release themselves during the fray were ready and raring to go for hugs, snuggles, and worried babbling.

“I know, I know, I know… Hey! Ahaha—”

They were all over you in an instant, though the first time you winced they backed off a bit. You didn’t know if Appletun was filling them in or if they could even communicate in that complex of a way, but when everyone approached for a second time, it was much more gently.

Sloppily, of course. Such is the life of owning food-like pokémon.

You described things that happened here and there; essentially the CliffsNotes of the entire night. All expressed dismay at not being able to help, but you shot that down pretty quickly. Polteageist was the angriest of all, and you had to pull his teapot closer in order to give him some love and tell him everything was alright. Of course, then everyone wanted some love. You happily obliged.

Mimikyu had been silent the entire time, though on one side of your lap. When you’d described her part to play in the rescue, everyone gave her a little cheer. Polteageist even gave her a pat on the back…of the disguise, but it counted all the same. She seemed overwhelmed or possibly embarrassed, so you gently placed a hand on top of her disguise and smiled.

“You. Were. Amazing. The way you grabbed that guy? Priceless. I bet he’s gonna have wicked nightmares.” Mimikyu covered her real eye-holes with two tendrils like they were hands. You laughed. “You really did great, pal. Thank you so much.”

The rest of your pokémon cheered in agreement. Happy but shy, Mimikyu dashed forward and hid her face in your side. It made you laugh again, though it hurt your head a little too much.

“I’m alright, guys,” you told your group as they expressed concern. “I have medication that I’m gonna take in a minute. But I’m gonna be kind of vulnerable for at least a few days, okay? My hearing is kind of messed up from that Loudred, so if you need to get my attention, show, don't tell me. I’m also hurting in a few places, and that’s gonna last for a little bit too. I’ll need some help…will you guys help me out?”

As easily predicted, all of your pokémon agreed wholeheartedly – like they were saying “of course!” You smiled at each of them. And you couldn’t help tearing up.

“Thanks, guys.” You sniffled, wiping the extra moisture from your eyes before it became something more. “All of you…you’re the best. I love you, okay?”

The reality was hitting hard. The thought of never seeing your pokémon again – whether it was because something happened to you or if they were stolen from you… It was too much. You wrapped your arms around everyone and lowered your face into their collective pillowing. They all teared up just like you and hugged like there was no tomorrow. Alcremie and Polteageist leaned their arms and head over the back of yours; Appletun and Slurpuff filled the sides of your vision with a muzzle and fluff, respectively; Mimikyu shoved her face into your front and wrapped her tendrils around you.

After a sufficient amount of time passed, you pulled yourself up straight again, not without some pain. With a sigh, you smiled and nodded.

“Let’s go to bed, huh?”

While your pokémon gathered in your bedroom, you took a glass of water to drink down some medication. When you turned into your bedroom, everyone was waiting instead of piling on top of the bed like usual. They wanted to make sure you were comfortable first, and the thought almost made you tear up again.

Carefully, you crawled into bed and got comfy before your pokémon joined you. Everyone snuggled alongside you and made sure you were still comfortable; Polteageist turned the lights off before floating back into his place. You pat each one on the head with fondness and said a soft goodnight.

Your eyelids were drooping, but there was still something you needed to do. You whispered to Polteageist, who gladly brought you your phone and a small slip of paper. As the snores of your pokémon sounded in every direction, you unlocked your phone and raised it so you could see.

「Add New Contact」

Chapter Text

We regret to inform you that this establishment
has been temporarily closed until the owner is able to return.
We appreciate your cooperation and understanding.

-Gear Station Management

The amount of people disappointed by its closure spoke volumes about you and your café. The placard was positioned on the locked shutter and a steady stream of patrons collected in front of it like Cutiefly to honey. They murmured amongst themselves, sometimes asking each other if they knew anything about your situation; what happened, why did it happen, it was open just yesterday?

It didn’t help that the police had left caution tape across the door into the back room, as well as across the gap in the countertop. Most of the mess had been cleaned up and some items had been collected as evidence. There was also increased security patrolling the station, though nothing extreme. Still, patrons who could put two and two together became worried about your well-being, and a few actually went to some of the security guards and Gear Station’s depot agents to ask whether you were alright or not. Both Ingo and Emmet heard chatter on their scheduled routes, and more than once they had to dispel some growing rumors about the incident that left the café closed.

Ingo had some pretty bad eye-bags, but otherwise was able to hide his exhaustion well. Many cups of coffee helped. Yet each one reminded him of how much he liked your coffee better, disappointing himself unintentionally. He’d just down the remaining cup, take a deep sigh, and continue his duties. Tonight he would crash long and hard and the amount of sleep he would get would be worth it.

Often, he thought about you and if you were doing alright. Pains such as the ones you accumulated usually became worse before they got better. He thought about calling you more than once on the little breaks he had, but ultimately decided not to each time. Last night was a lot crammed into a few hours, and you’d only just exchanged numbers so you probably didn’t want to be bothered by him, right?

The decision was taken out of his hands, however, sometime late in the afternoon. He checked his phone and audibly gasped when he saw an awaiting text from you.

[Y/N]: Hello, this is [Y/N], do I have the right number for Ingo?

His smile could have brightened the entire station, were he standing out in the open. Immediately, he composed and sent a text back to you, exactly the way one would expect from this particular Subway Boss.

>You do! This is Ingo, you have reached the correct number indeed!

From then on, continuing your conversation would be the only thing he could think about during his conductor work. He hoped you were okay with waiting such long times between answers. Even passengers could see his notably brightened disposition behind his default frown.

[Y/N]: Oh good! Hi, Ingo! (:
[Y/N]: Hope I’m not interrupting your work or anything

Ingo wasn’t a man who stayed up-to-date with texting etiquette, if such a thing existed. Worry in the back of his mind couldn’t help but tell him to analyze your replies. Common sense in the front of his mind told him that he was being silly and to just enjoy the interaction.

> Not at all! I am waiting until my scheduled breaks to respond. If there is a long stretch of time without a message from me, do not worry. I will reply as soon as I have a chance to!

[Y/N]: Haha, I figured, no worries
[Y/N]: If I take a while too it’s probably bc I fell asleep

> That is quite understandable. You should take every opportunity you can to sleep and rest. How is your pain? Are you doing alright?

He fretted over your well-being, of course, but to hear that you were taking the appropriate time to nap and recuperate gave him some relief. It was visible enough to Emmet, who met with Ingo when they both returned to Gear Station for their brief evening break. The younger twin slid into the seat across the table from his brother, who was looking intently at his phone.

“Who ya talking to?” Emmet spoke knowing full well the answer, a smug grin on his face.

“[Y/N] has been texting with me throughout today,” Ingo said, not looking up from his phone. His tone was light and hopeful. “I believe they are resting now, as they have not replied in quite some time.”

“Probably.” He locked his fingers together, elbows resting on the table and his chin resting on his fingers. “So who texted first?”

Ingo looked up, saw Emmet’s entire vibe, and gave him an flat expression. “They did, to make sure that they had input my number correctly and did not message a different person in error.”

“Oh?” Emmet did not falter. “And?”

“...And what?”

He waggled his eyebrows. “Aaaaaand?”

The look on Ingo’s face only became more indifferent. “And there has been a total of” —he glanced at the phone— “eight messages in our conversation. We have confirmed our identities and I have asked them for an update on their condition.”

Emmet said nothing, the smug grin still plastered on his face.

“…And that’s all, Emmet.”

He deflated, shoving his chin into one of his hands with an impatient sigh and resting the other on the table, which repeatedly rapped its fingers in a row. He didn’t even need to say anything for Ingo to react by rolling his eyes.

“We are not going to flirt while they are on medical leave after being attacked.”

“I know that!” came Emmet’s petulant tone. “You’re just going so slow.”

“Sometimes that is the speed at which a relationship develops.” Ingo nodded to himself. Then, softly, “Sometimes a relationship does not develop at all.”

“Don’t say that.” Emmet pointed a finger accusingly at his brother. “Don’t think that. At least actually get to the part where you ask them out.”

“You are awfully invested in this hypothetical relationship,” was part of a reply cut off by Ingo checking his phone and immediately lighting up. He prioritized typing a message over finishing his thought, though Emmet didn’t seemed mind.

Said brother leaned into his hand further, studying Ingo’s bright and happy face. His own demeanor relaxed; his smile became softer.

Because I see how happy it makes you.

> I’m doing ok, thank you for asking!
> The meds take the edge off but it’s still pretty hard to move around
> I have some choice helpers tho, they’re making it easier for me! (:

You smile as you send the messages out, touched by Ingo’s immediate worry. He didn’t have to know that you left out just how bad the pain was and just how hard it was to do even the most basic of activities. Waking up was unbearable, as was changing clothes and even washing your face. Back pain was no joke.

You didn’t lie to him, though; taking the medication as prescribed did take the edge off, lessening the sharp pains during movement and leaving the constant ache. And your pokémon were the sweetest, most excellent little helpers you could ask for.

Ingo: I am very happy to hear that! I hope they can ease your daily routine so you may experience the least amount of pain possible.

Chuckling to yourself, you read his reply. It didn’t surprise you in the least to see that he texts in the same manner that he talks: wordy and polite. You thought it was cute.

> Don’t worry, Appletun is def keeping his word to you
> In fact he got everyone else to swear the same fealty
> I have lost control. They are under your command now

Appletun was glued to your hip even stronger now, which you didn’t think possible. He followed and watched your every move – even laying himself on top of you to physically stop you from getting up or moving. It was adorable and sweet; you couldn’t even argue.

Mimikyu and Polteageist were your main helpers for getting items you needed around the house due to their mobility and reach. This included (tentatively your part) things like glasses of water or food from the fridge. That morning, Mimikyu poured you the sloppiest bowl of cereal and milk you’d ever seen. She was so proud of herself. You loved it. There was cereal everywhere.

Thankfully(?) Slurpuff vacuumed up the crunchy morsels on the floor with his mouth. He followed you around and could tell you were in pain, but otherwise you weren’t sure if he knew exactly what was going on. In that respect, he wasn’t really helping with your physical needs; but he was with your mood, earning extra affection for his efforts. There were times where he tried to copy Appletun’s lead, and that was enough for you.

Alcremie couldn’t get around much on her own, either, and so she usually rode atop Appletun. Like Slurpuff, she stayed with you more than traditional “helping”, but she did understand the situation more than he did. Sometimes she would direct the puffball or assist Appletun in putting his foot (and whole body) down; it was a sight to see.

Overall, you were thankful for your silly pokémon. Even if they made brand new messes that you would have to clean when you were better.

Ingo: I see. Please inform Appletun of his excellent work and dedication. As for the others, I say welcome aboard! Please keep [Y/N] comfortable and safe under Appletun’s direction!

> Did Appletun just get a promotion?

Ingo: It seems so, indeed! Congratulations are in order; he has earned it!

A day went by much the same, though you felt better little by little. You and Ingo would text throughout the day again. It never failed to cheer either of you up. Today especially, as it was a day that had the Battle Subway running, and Ingo had more free time to converse with you. And when he didn’t, he always came back with a report on how the last battle went. It was certainly a new source of entertainment for you, and Ingo enjoyed seeing your opinions on an activity he loved so much.

During a pause in the conversation, you stretched and took a walk around your apartment. Your hearing was still a little muffled; the headaches lessened but did not completely subside, though the most pain you were in came from your back. Relieving the stiffness from a long sit-down ultimately relieved some of the pain as well, even if you had to cut the walk a lot shorter than you’d like because of the rest.

You eased back onto the couch, your pokémon flocking to you and settling down. After a moment, you checked your phone again and excitedly unlocked it upon seeing the notification. But it turned out to be not who you were expecting.

UNKNOWN NUMBER: I am Emmet please do not freak out

> …Ingo gave you my number?

UNKNOWN NUMBER: No
UNKNOWN NUMBER: Looked over his shoulder and 👀 it

You sighed in irritation, briefly pinching the bridge of your nose. It’s not that you minded Emmet also having your number, you just wish he acquired it through less underhanded means. You answered after you added his number as another contact.

>😑
> https://www.dictionary.com/browse/privacy
> Food for thought

Little Shit (affectionate): Not hungry
Little Shit (affectionate): Just wanted to know how you were

> I’m sure Ingo has told you all about it

Little Shit (affectionate): Yes
Little Shit (affectionate): He has
Little Shit (affectionate): A lot
Little Shit (affectionate): Can’t I ask without an ulterior motive 😢

> idk sounds like something someone with an ulterior motive would say

Little Shit (affectionate): I swear 🤞🤞

> Hmm

Little Shit (affectionate): I’m allowed to care too!! 😤

Despite yourself, you scoffed with a smile and told him the truth. He seemed to be genuine in his questioning, and it made you feel nice. That you really did gain these two brothers as real friends, even if you knew that deep down already. Emmet’s care pushed your realization over the top.

The two of you chatted for a while as Emmet described the battles he had that day and complained about how few there were. There was a suspicious lack of teasing or pushing toward you and Ingo’s feelings, but an ulterior motive never surfaced.

Little Shit (affectionate): OK g2g have a challenger

> Don’t murder them too bad

And that ended your conversation with Emmet for the day. Ingo still hadn’t responded to your last text, so you put your phone to the side and decided to take a little nap that would hopefully make you feel a little better.

It wasn’t the nap that made you feel rejuvenated, though; at least, not the part when you woke up. Absentmindedly picking up your phone to check on the time, you saw a reply from Ingo that whisked away the residual grogginess.

Ingo: I have a question to ask of you whenever you have awoken, provided my assumption that your pause is due to a nap is correct. Would it be alright if I called you?
Ingo: If you feel well enough to talk, that is. I do not want to bother you if an audible conversation will drain your already-thinned energy. Please do not feel that you have to.

God, he was adorably hopeless.

> I’m awake! And it’s perfectly fine, you do have my number after all (:
> You don’t have to worry about bothering me, ok?

And then it was a waiting game. Would he text back? Would he call as soon as he was able? Would he decline despite asking, because he was far too polite and worried? You’d give him a piece of your mind if that were the case.

Luckily you didn’t have to wait long; about half an hour of playing with your pokémon later, you heard your ringtone. The speed at which you grabbed your phone was a personal new record. Immediately upon seeing Ingo’s number on the caller ID, you answered.

“Hi!” was your far too enthusiastic response, making you mentally slap your forehead. You cleared your throat. “Ah-hm…hello, Ingo, how’s it going?”

Ingo’s voice reflected his immense relief from not only your acceptance of his call, but hearing your voice again. “It is going quite well on my end. How are you feeling?”

“Ah…you know…the same as earlier. I tried walking around a little bit but had to sit back down shortly.”

“Should you be up and about?” His worry was also very obvious in his tone.

“I stretch every now and then. The doctor said as long as I don’t overdo it, which is impossible with a certain five-pokémon nurse team.”

He gave a short chuckle, which brightened your smile. “That is good to hear. I think you have the best in the region looking after you.”

You put your arm around the closest – Mimikyu – and reached your fingers out for the next-nearest – Alcremie – to happily hold. The only reason you didn’t reply to him was because you could tell he was about to speak again, albeit hesitantly.

“Actually, that is…somewhat related to something I wish to ask you.”

When he didn’t follow up immediately, you said, “Ah, sure, what’s up…?”

“If…if it would not be a trouble to you, of course; if it’s not a bother, I— Well, I would like to visit you this evening – with your permission, that is. I apologize for the lateness of this request as well as the time that the visit in question will—would be. I completely understand if you are far too tired or in pain to entertain a visitor—”

“I’d like that,” you replied, cutting him off intentionally. You knew he’d go on and on in a nervous cycle if you hadn’t. “It’s okay – seriously, it’d be fine. I don’t mind at all. It’d…be nice to see you.”

Both of you paused in flushed anxiety, Butterfree in your stomach.

“…Ex…excellent!” Ingo managed to force out.

You chuckled almost breathlessly. “You, um… aren’t you on the Battle Subway line today, though? Can you leave it early like that?”

“We return to the station within a few minutes. Today’s schedule for the battle lines end early evening; tomorrow, they run a bit later. So yes, I can indeed make it without departing the tracks earlier than planned.”

Looking at the clock, you remembered that it was later than you thought because of your nap, as short as it was. The two of you agreed on a time fairly soon before Ingo had to get off the phone in order to properly wrap things up on his end. As soon as you hung up, the anxiety of having someone over settled in. And then the anxiety of seeing Ingo, in your own home, settled on top of that.

You immediately tried to get up, but were stopped by multiple pokémon as you simultaneously groaned in pain and regret. Biting your lip, you explained to them sheepishly.

“I, um…I just want to make sure I don’t look like a mess…”

With their help, you made it to your bedroom and sat on your bed to do just that. It seemed vain to you, but despite how things were at the moment, you didn’t want to look or seem gross to Ingo if he arrived while you were unprepared. You managed to make yourself somewhat decent in your mind, maybe overdoing it by changing clothes, and tread the painful walk back to your couch and into another resting position. Your body protested, but it was worth it.

Even if Ingo could never find you to look a mess, and certainly never find you “gross”. He was on his way from Gear Station to his own apartment to pick up a few things before calling a cab to your home. Feeling like a ball of nerves, his mind split between happiness that you accepted his request and feeling selfish that he requested at all. You would never call him so, yet he worried. On top of worry.

Both of you had layers of nerves, anxiety, and worry going on. Tiers upon tiers. Like a fancy cake.

For you, the waiting was the worst part. Even if there was a specific time in place, the interlude between then and now was filled with so many glances at the clock that time seemed to slow to a crawl. Your pokémon filled some of the gap by themselves, sensing your overwhelming tension without fully understanding why. And Mimikyu, upon hearing there was to be company, slid under the couch bashfully despite your reassurances. You didn’t try to remove her; if she was comfortable coming out and socializing, she would do it on her own.

You knew she’d be watching from underneath the entire time, anyway.

The rest of your pokémon waited patiently. Slurpuff, in his obliviousness, cajoled you into playing with a toy with him, which turned out to be a nice time-sink. Maybe he knows more than he lets on, you thought to yourself. And then watched as he reached for the toy underneath the coffee table and stood up while still under, hitting his puffy noggin with a THUD and then running back to you like nothing happened.

He made you laugh, at least.

But your nerves made a vicious comeback as you froze, suddenly very self-conscious, upon hearing what was dually anticipated yet dreaded in your mind.

{ { KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK } }

You swallowed and took a deep breath.

"...Alright guys..."

There was a seriousness in your voice that they had never heard before.

"...Can one of you get the door?"

Chapter Text

Polteageist took the important task upon himself.

Your anxiety rose to its peak as you waited. Eyes darting around, you realized that while you cleaned yourself up, you didn’t do the same for your apartment. Was it too messy? Would he judge you and rethink his decision? Oh no do you have dirty dishes in the sink NO it's clear okay good okay oH GOD did you leave DIRTY LAUNDRY on the FLOOR again NO you did not okay good, good, cool, good, it's fine and everything's fine—

(Everything really was fine and Ingo would never judge, but this was lost on your full-throttle anxiety.)

As you went through a harried mental checklist of chores, Polteageist disappeared around the corner where the entrance to your apartment lay. Using his tiny little hands and concentrated effort, you heard the deadbolt unlock, and then the handle lock click. On his end, Ingo saw your front door slowly swing open seemingly by itself…before Polteageist saunter-floated from behind the door and hovered in the doorway. The ghost had his hands behind his back as he gazed expectantly at Ingo.

“Oh! Hello, little sir. I, ah… [Y/N] was expecting me?”

Polteageist nodded and held up a hand to signal Ingo to wait where he was. He then casually floated out into what Ingo assumed was the main living room, where you somehow held back a laugh as your haunted-teapot-playing-butler came back to you and gestured to the front door.

“Geist?”

With a (failing) stern look, you tilted your head in a wordless Really?

Polteageist nodded again as though you had played along and returned to Ingo, who was currently both confused but amused. The pokémon pulled the door open wider and held it while bowing his head and holding one hand out to signal Ingo to enter.

Sitting on the couch as casually as you could (oblivious that trying to be casual kind of cancels out the casual), you heard Ingo thank Polteageist sincerely and walk into your apartment. The ghost closed the door and followed behind the man into the room.

Anything casual about you dropped, however, when you saw what Ingo brought with him. It wasn’t much; he stopped himself from going overboard, miraculously. Yet it was still a lot to you. In his hands was a good-sized container of what you guessed was a type of soup…as well as a modest bouquet of flowers. Only a few, nothing ridiculous, with no two flowers the same. It left you speechless long enough that Ingo noticed and began to do damage control.

“Ah—ahem, these are— Well, I wasn’t sure which sort you liked, so I asked for several different ones, including some I’ve seen you keep on your café counter sometimes… Perhaps this was presumptuous of me? I’m not even certain you enjoy receiving flowers, I really should have asked; I merely wanted to express my sentiment for you to recover well—”

“I like them,” you spoke softly, yet still loud enough to cut him off before he talked himself into a corner. “It—it’s just…god, it’s incredibly sweet of you, Ingo, you didn’t have to do this…”

You studied the variety of flowers tied together with a little bow before looking back to his now-quite-worried face. The smile you gave him was genuine and bright, if a bit embarrassed, too.

“I, ah…” He ducked his head, but not before you spotted his cheeks turning red. It wasn’t often that Ingo became speechless. “I wanted to…perhaps cheer you up. While you are stuck in your home for a while.”

You practically melted, thankful that you were supported by the couch. In record time, your face felt burning hot. Still, you smiled gently and tried to coax Ingo into looking up again.

“Thank you. They’re lovely. I think I—I have an empty vase somewhere around here…”

Suddenly, Alcremie turned to Polteageist and pointed in the general direction of your kitchen. “Mie.”

“Tea!” And he was off, floating into the kitchen and opening one of the cupboards you didn’t use very often to reveal a little glass vase.

“Careful!” you called out, then turned to Alcremie. “How'd you remember that, lil’ lady?”

The cream pokémon thought about it for a moment but seemed to come up empty.

Thankfully Polteageist carried it to the nearest kitchen counter without incident. He turned around expectantly to be given another task, but you really didn’t trust him to fill the vase with water. You looked to Ingo with a sheepish expression.

“Would you please…um, if you could—”

“Oh! Yes, of course!” Ingo knew what you meant immediately. Given your permission, he walked into your open kitchen and set his container on the counter before carefully taking the vase over to the sink and filling it with water. He set it out on a section of the counter you could clearly see, and was about to put the flowers in when he stopped himself.

“May I cut them?”

“Um…yeah, sure.”

He could hear the hesitance in your voice. “…Are you certain? I don’t wish to overstep my bounds.”

“I just—I don’t want to make you work while you’re a guest,” you chuckled nervously.

“It's no problem at all! I would not want you to begin moving around in pain on behalf of what I brought.” He nodded decisively.

You pointed out where your scissors were and Ingo almost expertly trimmed the flowers and placed them in the vase. When he was done, you could tell that he was pleased with the turnout. And you thought they looked beautiful.

“Ah, and as well—” Ingo picked up the container and showed the contents to you bashfully. “I brought this for you… It’s a type of dumpling soup that I find quite comforting and usually prepare whenever Emmet or I feel under the weather, and I thought…well…”

You melted all over again. “Ingo, you…you cooked that for me?”

“Perhaps I should have first asked if you enjoy this sort of meal…”

“No, no – it sounds delicious!” The heartwarming feeling had overtaken you seeped into your tone. “I’m touched you went through all this trouble, Ingo.”

“I don’t mind… I wanted to.”

Again, he was rendered speechless, face turning redder with nowhere to hide. When he put the container back down, it was the first time you noticed that Ingo wasn’t in his uniform. No hat, no coat, no tie; just a simple black turtleneck and different slacks. You realized you’d never seen him without his Subway Boss attire at all, let alone something so casual like this. Your face burned. He looked just as, if not more, attractive. And he was here, in your home, bringing you gifts made with the intention of brightening your day and recovery. For you. All on his own time. And it worked! It was enough to make you slightly teary, and you wiped a hand to fix your blurry eyes.

“Are you alright?” he asked, concerned upon seeing the change in your demeanor. It must’ve been more obvious than you thought.

You waved a hand dismissively, still smiling softly at him. “Yeah, no, I’m— like I said, I’m really touched that you…cooked and brought and did all this for me…”

Flowers were one thing, but homemade soup? That he usually makes for himself and his brother when they’re sick; that he finds so comforting, he decided to cook it for you because you’re injured and unwell? To share something so simple yet so close to the heart? It pulled at your own heartstrings in all the right ways and thoroughly warmed you to the core. You hoped he could hear that in your words.

“Thank you.”

Yet you’d said it many times to him, this was the first time where your voice cracked from emotion. You cleared your throat afterwards, but it couldn’t have been missed. And it wasn’t; Ingo could already see how moved you were just by looking in your glossy eyes, and the emotional break in your thanks put him over the edge. His smile, however small, was coupled with a soft gaze and all was covered by a blush nearly at its maximum.

“You’re more than welcome, [Y/N]. I’m incredibly happy to hear that you enjoy them…and to see that you are feeling a bit better. You look in good spirits.”

“I mean…” you chuckled, “…because of you…”

No amount of ducking his head could hide his flustered face, so he turned it to the side as if examining the flowers again. Your mouth had moved before the sentence could be run through your brain’s processors – but it was true. Right now, you were more cheered up than you had been in the last couple days, and it was all thanks to Ingo.

Ingo, you sweetheart, you thought, I don’t know what I did to deserve a friend like you. …Or……maybe………

He made a small gasp as he remembered something, jarring you from your reverie. From his pocket he pulled a small envelope.

“Before I forget…this is from Emmet.”

Instead of having a pokémon act as a courier, he stepped closer to you and handed it over himself. He was close enough now that your heart was nearly beating out of your chest (a feeling you both currently shared). With a quiet thanks, you took the blank envelope and turned it over, finding it unsealed. There was a little card inside.

“Aw, he didn’t have to…” Trailing off, you pulled out the small card. It was nearly bare, save for the front depicting a cartoonish Chansey. When you opened it, you could tell it was one of those blank cards intended for writing your own message. And what a message it was.

get better

-Emmet

You couldn’t help yourself; you laughed. You covered your face with your free hand and laughed. As your other hand relaxed and rested the card in your lap, Ingo couldn’t help but glance at the contents and immediately sighed.

“And here I thought he’d done something nice for you.”

“He—he did,” you managed to croak out between chuckles. “It’s stupid. I like it.”

“Well at least there’s that, I suppose.”

You calmed down and closed the card, setting it on the end table beside the couch. Ingo awkwardly stood where he was, hands clasped behind his back.

“You can sit down, you know…” you suggested. “Unless you don’t want to.”

Ingo seemed almost surprised, at least appearing so to you. “Ah… I did not want to take up much of your time, especially when it is already mid-evening and you need to focus on recuperation.”

“I don’t mind. I mean, I—I’d like it if you stayed…for a little while, at least. Unless you’re uncomfortable with that—”

“Not at all!” he nearly shouted, cutting off what would have been your turn to spiral into a corner. “If you’re sure, then…I would indeed like to visit for a little bit, too.”

Your resulting smile was as bright and warm as the sun to him. He looked around the room and found there was a chair right next to him, on the other side of the end table where you’d put his brother’s poignant sentiment. Carefully – as if he could make some sort of mistake merely sitting – Ingo lowered himself into the chair.

Both of your hearts were pounding overtime. You couldn’t stop smiling, and as a result Ingo was smiling a real smile, himself. Yours was just short of giddy. You couldn't stop thinking about the situation. Ingo came to see you. He is in your home, sitting in one of your chairs, right next to you. He brought you flowers! He personally cooked you one of his favorite meals! He agreed to spend time with you because he also wanted to! Pain? What pain? You’re in the closest to heaven as you’ve ever been. You could do ten cartwheels in a row and still have energy left.

In turns out you weren’t the only one. As Ingo sat down, Slurpuff realized that meant he was staying for a bit and bounded up to him with the toy that you and he were playing with before. He set it on Ingo’s lap without hesitation. From his mouth. Covered in slobber. And then obliviously waited for Ingo to play with him, bouncing in place.

You almost face-palmed. “I’m sorry. I should’ve warned you that this is the capitol of Getting Everything You Own Sticky.”

“It’s alright,” he chuckled softly, “It makes me feel quite welcome.”

Ingo picked up the toy and, after receiving your permission, tossed it in an open direction. Slurpuff bounded after it happily. And with that, the awkward bubble burst, and the two of you began a comfortable conversation. Some of your other pokémon sought out attention from Ingo here and there, such as Appletun and Alcremie, both of which he gave hearty pets without hesitation despite their inherent messiness. Appletun returned to you and laid on your lap, snoozing as you continued to talk. Meanwhile, Polteageist amused himself by interfering in Slurpuff’s fetch quests every so often as Ingo continued to play with the puffball.

And you knew that Mimikyu was, at the very least, comfortable for the moment. She hadn’t discreetly alerted you, which meant that she was watching and listening to everything unfold without issue. Perhaps she was comfortable enough to snooze, too.

Watching your pokémon comfortably interact with Ingo, you were reminded of something you wanted to do.

“Oh, Ingo? I wanted to…at some point, thank your pokémon for their help the…the other night.”

His eyebrows briefly lifted in mild surprise, lowering when his expression softened again. “I think they would greatly appreciate such a gesture. To be honest, after meeting all of your pokémon, I thought it would be nice to have you meet mine as well…” He raised a hand to his chin for a moment. “Though I agree with ‘at some point’; I do not think your apartment will quite fit my team…”

“I understand! My pokémon don’t take up much room, after all.” You watched as the toy was tossed again and intercepted by Polteageist, who tossed it in return to Ingo. “Maybe, um…maybe we can go to the park sometime and, um…they can play, and I can meet them?”

Your questioning tone had a double layer of question; you mentally wondered if asking something like this – of a person who had already gone above and beyond for you – was selfish. You were questioning your own question as it came out of your mouth. Embarrassed, you avoided looking at him and quietly added a weak disclaimer. “If…if you want.”

Ingo, meanwhile, had almost frozen up, causing him to lose the match of tug-of-war with Slurpuff and his toy. The redness in his face, that had started to lessen as the two of you talked, made an immediate comeback.

“I…I think they would like that. And I as well, of course! I think that would…be very nice.”

You both wondered obliviously: Is this a date?

I only said it was to meet his pokémon, was the thought going through your mind. It’s just meeting up as friends…right? It wasn’t like asking him out. …Right? …Maybe I should clarify? Maybe I should have just asked him out. ………Yeah, right. As if I had the courage to do that…

They didn’t say it was a date, was the thought going through Ingo's mind. Was it implied? Would they have specified? Going to the park and socializing with each other’s pokémon isn’t necessarily a date; we are friends, after all…aren’t we? Should I ask if that is what they intended behind the question? No, no, don’t do that! It’d be awfully rude…and embarrassing. Perhaps I should simply see how the meeting will go and determine from there…

Both of you were utterly hopeless.

The lack of conversation in that moment was quiet enough to allow everyone to hear your stomach betray you with a growl. It unsurprisingly caught Ingo’s attention, who broke the pondering silence with concern.

“Have you eaten tonight?”

Your mouth thinned into a straight line as you conspicuously glanced aside, saying nothing. Unfortunately your stomach was not in agreement and growled again.

“…No,” you finally admitted.

“Tuuuh-un!”

You sheepishly looked down at Appletun in your lap. “It was easy to forget, okay?”

“May I get you something? Or…would you like me to leave so you may continue your night—”

“No!” Even you were startled by how emphatic you sounded. Lower, you repeated, “No, please don’t leave on my account. I mean if you need to go then I won’t hold you, but…it, it would be nice if you stayed… For a little while longer?”

Ingo nodded, almost trance-like and flustered once more. “I indeed would like to… But I truly do not mind helping out, if I may bring something to you so you do not have to get up from your seat.”

It was an uphill battle in your mind as part of you fought against having a guest work more, despite their offer or insistence. You got lucky that the battle was won with outside help: you heard a stomach growl that wasn’t your own. Ingo tipped you off by his immediate avoidance of your eyes.

“Have you eaten tonight, Ingo?” You couldn’t help but grin.

“Well…no, I suppose I haven’t.” He had been too caught up in going straight home from the station to change and gather what he was bringing for you, and completely missed the fact that he didn’t eat anything. Then again, that was extremely easy for him to miss to begin with.

You thought for a moment. “We could…have some of the soup you brought over. If you don’t mind, that is…?”

“Oh, I couldn’t, I brought that for you…!”

“Exactly. And I am inviting you to have some with me.” Now your lopsided grin was half-teasing and half-unsure.

It was a moment before Ingo nodded, the smile returning slowly through the corners of his lips. “I imagine it is far more rude to refuse a host’s offering than worry about partaking in what I have gifted you myself.”

“Is it still a gift under your jurisdiction if I’ve already accepted it?”

“Hm. I find it hard to argue against that.” He gestured to your kitchen. “May I handle the preparations?”

You nod. “If you don’t mind. I don’t trust my lil’ dude to use the stove.”

“Geist!”

“You know why,” you told an indignant Polteageist. “You can get the bowls and utensils out, how’s that?”

The ghost immediately perked up and sped toward the kitchen.

“Carefully!!”

“I can watch him,” Ingo chuckled, moving the soup over to your stove. As it warmed up, he did oversee Polteageist’s retrieval of bowls, spoons, and a ladle (he’s a smart one). You were going to call him back over and chide him for bothering Ingo when the ghost remained in the kitchen, hovering near the conductor and his soup; but Ingo looked up at Polteageist with a pleasant demeanor. “Interested, little teapot?”

“Teaaaa.”

You pointed accusingly at the teapot. “Don’t let him trick you; they all already ate.”

Ingo gave a small heh as not only Polteageist whined in disappointment, but as did most of your other pokémon. All eyes were trained unnervingly on you until you acquiesced.

“Alright, alright. You guys can share a dumpling or two. But that’s it.”

A chorus of pokémon cheers sounded across the board. You looked at Ingo, who was barely concealing a little grin.

“They’ve got me wrapped around their little fingers and paws,” you admitted, shaking your head.

“That’s alright; to be completely honest, mine are the same.” He began ladling warm soup into the bowls and set aside a couple of the dumplings. “Though I think in my case, I’m wrapped around their fingers and claws. ……And gears.” A pause. “And candles.”

You laughed, loud and carefreely, for the second time that night. It only made Ingo’s smile grow even more. It had quickly become one of his favorite sounds.

With help from Polteageist, the pokémon’s share of dumplings only were divided and set onto plates. One went solely to Slurpuff because of his penchant for stealing food; one was for the rest of your pokémon who knew how to take only their share. You were fully satisfied when you saw Mimikyu’s tendrils seep from underneath the couch and take her own portion to enjoy. All of your pokémon were making happy, contented noises as they munched away.

Soon, Ingo carefully handed you a bowl and spoon. The scent wafted up from the comfortably warm bowl and hit you right in your hunger. You waited until Ingo was situated back in the chair with his own serving before you did anything else.

“It smells so nice…” you mention in an almost dream-like tone. With your eyes closed, you didn’t see Ingo’s face cross the threshold into tamato berry-red.

Both of you lifted your spoons and began eating. As soon as the first drop of soup hit your tongue, the flavor proved to be just as comforting as you expected, if not more. The taste doubled in intensity when you tried your first bite of a dumpling.

“Damn, this is really good!” you couldn’t help but tell him; your face shining, your eyes sparkling, and your smile as bright as the sun. “You’re an amazing cook, Ingo!”

He was glad you decided to say so inbetween his own spoonfuls, otherwise there would’ve been a very large possibility that he would’ve choked. Instead, as he saw your reaction and heard your praise, he let the spoon full of his next bite lower back into the bowl. For a moment, he stared at you dumbly, taken aback and mouth slightly ajar. When he met your eyes – which were smiling just as the rest of your expression was – his heart skipped a beat and his breath hitched.

You were breathlessly wonderful. Every complimentary adjective in the dictionary wasn’t fitting enough for how you made him feel.

“Thank you,” he finally returned, though his voice was far quieter than his usual boisterous tone. It was almost a whisper. After a clearing of his throat, it became a normal volume, though still with a dream-like quality to it. “Thank you, [Y/N]. I’m very happy that you like it.”

And then it was your turn to have your breath taken away and your heart skip its beat, as your beaming expression seemed contagious as Ingo smiled wider and happier than you’ve ever seen. One to rival Emmet’s yet with an exceptional softness his twin did not possess.

Speechless, you shyly looked down into your delicious bowl of soup.

Oh no. This is way more than just a crush.

Contrary to your mental discovery, you kept smiling through the heat covering your face. You no longer knew if you could separate the comfort resting in your heart from simply eating the soup or from Ingo's palpable sweetness. You did not care.

The two of you ate in a comfortable silence, punch-drunk on a love you were just discovering.

You looked up, and your eyes met again.

“I’m really glad you asked to visit tonight.”

"And I'm very glad you invited me in."

Emmet: 👀

Emmet: Hey 👀

Emmet: U 2 smoochin yet 😙✨️

Emmet: 👀👀👀👀👀👀👀

> Were you hoping I’d read these texts while I was with them and become suitably embarrassed?

Emmet: 👀✨️❔

> I am already on my way home, Emmet.

> A weak play on your part, honestly. I expected worse.

Emmet: 😠😖😩

> Perhaps next time.

Chapter Text

In the bustling, flashy, crowd-ridden city of Nimbasa, there was a little park tucked away from the extravagance and bright lights. Locals tended to gravitate toward areas like this instead of the tourist traps, where they and their pokémon could enjoy this particular small square of nature, whether it be for exercise, play, or relaxation. Pokémon battles were usually taken off to one end of the park or the other, depending on how considerate the trainers were. Otherwise, it was as peaceful as the pokémon running free made it to be.

It was here that you agreed to meet with Ingo and his pokémon. Yours were already out and about, enjoying the park in their own ways. Slurpuff was playing with a Jigglypuff, which you thought was both convenient and cute. The pink and round pokémon sometimes seemed pudding-like, so seeing your equally-wobbly and puff-labeled pokémon with it was a treat. Polteageist was under direct orders from you not to antagonize anyone, but you guessed what seemed to be a prank war with a Sableye was an exception. They both looked to be laughing at each other’s antics. Fitting, as Polteageist was an honorary little goblin, himself.

Alcremie tended to people- or pokémon-watch (which was not lost on you), shuffling from one end of the blanket you’d laid out to the other as she chose who fell under her curious eye. You didn’t know if she was gathering data or if she was zoning out to different activities, but if she was happy spending her time this way then so were you. Mimikyu, meanwhile, did the same as Alcremie, except hidden inside of your bag. You hoped one day she would be brave enough to climb out to play or socialize, yet for now this was what she was most comfortable doing. At least she would sometimes make a small 'kyu' for your attention and affection, which you had no problem obliging.

Last but certainly not least, Appletun was by your side, dozing on the blanket. He was one to go out and play with others or stay and play with you on his whim, but snoozing was his biggest park activity. You could identify with that.

As you waited, you thought back to how you and Ingo discussed this little get-together. Neither of you said the word “date”, and you weren’t going to assume even if you were the one to suggest it in the first place. Ingo had laid out his terms: you had to be healed enough that a visit like this – however peaceful – wouldn’t be a burden on you. It was hard to disagree. Over time, the pain lessened unless your bruises were touched – and you did have bruises. The worst was your back, covered in black and blue. As of now it was still tender, but thankfully alright enough to allow you a normal trip to the park.

Of course, then you had to wait for an opening in Ingo's schedule. You were anxious for the get-together, but the meantime was filled with enough distractions. Both Ingo and Emmet texted you on a daily basis – your relationships felt like real connections now instead of being an outsider looking in…or a fan looking in. Once in a while they would give you a call instead, which made you even happier. Both of them were great friends and could make you smile; both were sweet in their own way. But Ingo still had your heart wrapped up tight and tied to his, however oblivious to your feelings he was.

And boy, was he oblivious.

It hadn't been very long since you knew the twins, but you were pretty sure Emmet had never been this frustrated in his entire life.

(And you had absolutely no room to talk.)

What brought you back to the present was Alcremie, who had moved to your side of the blanket and was currently looking in the direction behind you.

“Mie-mie,” she called while slowly waving one of her tiny hands in the air.

You turned around to see Ingo in the distance, approaching you with a little wave. Next to him was his Chandelure, who floated along with an eerie grace. You joined Alcremie in giving a little wave back, along with a big smile.

“Good afternoon, [Y/N],” he greeted when they reached your spot. “I hope you haven’t been waiting long…”

“Hey, Ingo! Nah, we got here a little early. Most of the gang is out pestering other pokémon.” You gestured to an empty spot on the blanket. “Take a load off, if you’re comfortable with it.”

“Thank you.” Always unflinchingly polite. Ingo took up your offer, sitting on the blanket as his Chandelure hovered closer. “If we are to begin introductions, this is Chandelure. I’m not sure if you remember her…”

“I do,” you nodded with a lopsided smile. “Thank you for your help back then, Chandelure. I remember you busting through the door with Ingo like a true hero.”

“Luuuu-ouuuuu-ouuure,” she replied in a sing-song tone. You assumed that meant it was a positive response.

“I’m not sure ‘hero’ is the right word…”

Ingo was flustered by your words, you could tell. You were good at that. It made you embarrassed and flushed too, of course, but you had been getting better with practice. You enjoyed teasing him, honestly, and you were hoping maybe the flirting would find its way into his head one of these days.

“What, you didn’t come through for me like heroes do?”

“Anyone would have come to your aid had they been around that time of night.”

“So I can’t call you ‘my hero’?”

Red as a berry. He hadn’t even been here for two minutes.

With one hand covering his face, Ingo remained silent. Chandelure actually snickered. It was an echoing ethereal sound that made your hair stand on end……but was still funny.

The sound woke Appletun from his nap and he was happily surprised to find visitors. He got to his feet and ambled over to greet them. Ingo gave him a few under-the-chin scritches and Chandelure soon took up what you interpreted to be a conversation with Appletun. The little dragon bounced in place and the flame-adorned ghost smiled as they chatted; your best guess was that they recognized each other from that night. Alcremie, meanwhile, exchanged her own greeting but was utterly fascinated by Chandelure's mysterious purple flames and lost herself in them.

His flustered blush dying down, Ingo retrieved the rest of his pokéballs and set them to the side. “I don’t want to overwhelm them all at once,” he admitted.

“Oh, I get it.” You waved an understanding hand. “Whenever they’re ready. Slurpuff and Polteageist are still clowning around out there, too.”

Your attention went to picking out your pokémon among the park’s population, except it didn't last long. Chandelure turned one way and the other with a confused expression, which in turn confused you and Ingo.

“What’s the matter, Chandelure?” he asked.

His pokémon continued to look this way and that as if she was searching for something. It turns out, this “something” was hidden in your bag. A flap moved to the side by one of Mimikyu's tendrils as she revealed herself to everyone, timidly waving.

“Luuuu…!” was the happy response from Chandelure, who gave a good twirl in the air and swung side-to-side as though she was hanging like her namesake.

“Kyuu…” Mimikyu stayed in your bag, yet it seemed she was going to socialize after all! You gave her a pat and pet on her (disguise’s) head with a chuckle, proud of her.

“You three are friends already? Did you bond over kicking that guy’s ass with each other?” You turned to Ingo. “What a way to make a first impression.”

“It’s certainly an intense way to make acquaintances.” For a split second, he seemed uncomfortable; then it was gone, certain not to be mentioned. “All of my pokémon helped that night, though your Appletun and Mimikyu (hello there, little one) only met Chandelure and Excadrill. Both assisted in battling the criminal’s remaining pokémon. The rest of my team apprehended and stood guard over him until the authorities arrived.”

“They all deserve my thanks, honestly.”

Turning to your bag, you picked up a container that had been waiting next to it and showed it to Ingo much like he presented you with his soup that one evening. It was filled with different kinds of cake-like treats rolled into little balls.

“These are for your pokémon. I may not be able to return to work yet, but I can still bake… They’re little treats I usually keep stocked at my place. My pokémon go nuts for them, and people seem to like getting them for theirs at my café. There’s, um— there’s different flavors, they’re not all sweets. I don’t know what flavors your pokémon like, of course, so I— I made a few different batches. …I hope this is okay? I probably should have asked first, hah… But I really wanted to thank your pokémon, too, they helped just like you did, and— Well, I like baking and most pokémon who’ve tried them liked them a lot, so I just thought—”

As you rambled on, just as Ingo had done, snowballing wildly out of control, you only became more nervous. Unlike the interruption you made to save him, Ingo did not interrupt your verbal spiral into oblivion. He was too shocked, too touched, yet again mirroring you and your feelings that night and ever since. Staring dumbly at you, utterly speechless, his heart was filled to the brim with warmth and overflowed. He had no idea what to say, which was a huge anomaly for him. All words turned to sand in his mouth before he could use them.

Once again, Chandelure came to the rescue. The haunted lighting fixture almost squealed, twirling around and around high into the air and hovering back down. She hummed with happiness, each note with that ethereal echo. It broke you from your downhill rambling and Ingo from his trance. He began to clear his throat and regain his words, but you spoke again first.

“I know you’re gonna say, ‘you didn’t have to do this’. It’s what I would say. I mean, you’ve heard me say it before. But…I wanted to.” You shrugged with a little smile; head tilted a touch to the side. “Y’know?”

He did know. The soup had been for you and the treats were for his pokémon, but it amounted to the same sentiment. And you had just destroyed his next defense, leaving him without a backup.

“Thank you, [Y/N].” Ingo carefully took the container of treats from you. “I’m…incredibly moved by your gesture. It’s that simple. You’re a very kind and generous person.” Trailing off, even his ears were getting red. By the heat you felt in your cheeks, you supposed you weren’t much better. “…Well, if Chandelure’s reaction is anything to go by, these treats will go over very well with the rest of my team.”

“Good! Great!” you exclaimed maybe slightly too eagerly.

Ingo set the container down off to his side, making his Chandelure moan sadly.

“Be patient, Chandelure; they’re for everyone, remember?”

Chandelure nodded solemnly.

“We can do this at your own pace,” you said, glad the awkward moment had subsided. “The only one of mine I’m worried about is Slurpuff, and that’s just because he has no concept of personal space.”

Ingo chuckled. “Fair enough. I did make sure to describe you and your pokémon to my team in preparation for today."

You briefly wondered what he said about you.

"Ah, let’s see… Since you’ve officially met Chandelure, then I believe Excadrill should come next.”

With a flash of light, Excadrill made his appearance. He looked around at everyone in your group and gave a greeting. You were personally pleased to hear how he rolled his ‘r’s when verbalizing, almost like a deep trill.

“Rrrrill!”

All of your pokémon returned the greeting at once, making you laugh. “Hello, Excadrill. Nice to meet you.”

“Drrrrill!”

“I wanted to thank you for your help the other night… I’m sure Ingo will object again, but you and he and Chandelure came in like heroes.”

In your peripheral vision, you saw Ingo duck his head with one hand covering his face again. Excadrill, to your absolute delight, reacted the same as his trainer – embarrassed, he ducked his head so that his hood-like steel spike atop his head covered his face. It was just like watching Ingo hide his face with his conductor’s hat.

You made a restrained, joyful sound, and whispered, “Oh my god, he’s like a little you.”

Ingo and Excadrill glanced at each other. This only made them more embarrassed.

“I’ll stop, I’ll stop,” you said after your laughter died down. You really didn't want to because their mirroring was so cute, but this wasn't intended to be torture. “But seriously, little mister. Thank you. I made you and your friends a little something that Ingo’s going to give you later.”

This made the pokémon look up, understanding the hint and enticed by the prospect of treats.

“In the meantime, you may go and enjoy yourself in the park if you’d like,” came Ingo’s voice after his redness level decreased significantly. “You too, Chandelure. Don’t let us stop you; we’re idling at this station for the day.”

“My other two pokémon are out there playing, too. Or you can hang with us. We don’t mind, right?”

Appletun, Alcremie, and Mimikyu responded in kind (Alcremie's reply somewhat delayed, as she was still lost in Chandelure’s ghostly flames). They all seemed excited to meet new friends, and you were greatly enjoying their happiness. Ingo seemed like he was feeling the same, with his frown upturning at the corners as your collective pokémon interacted. For now, both Chandelure and Excadrill decided to stay with your group, with the former floating at Ingo’s side and the latter plopping down next to her.

“The next pulling into the station…” Ingo said while picking another pokéball.

Crustle made his appearance. He was much bigger than you expected, having only seen the species from a distance or on TV. In the same vein as Excadrill before him, Crustle's eyes investigated the situation. You all said hello and received an insectoid chittering as his reply. Appletun immediately took a liking to him, waddling over with a bounce in his step.

“Both of you have a lot on your backs, huh?” you chuckled.

“Kindred spirits, perhaps?” Ingo similarly replied. “It seems they’re hitting it off right away.”

And they were. It was cute to see both of them communicating, especially with Appletun's big smile and visible happiness. You and Ingo repeated the option to stay or play and both of them ended up wandering off together. They didn't go too far; you watched as it seemed like they were going to race. You...knew who would win.

Ingo’s Klinklang followed the bug. It was hard to get a read on it, honestly – you could see one face, sure, but wasn’t it technically two in one? Did it have one consciousness? Should you refer to it in the multiple sense? How did the little gear with the face live with constantly rotating vision?

Your thoughts caused you to hesitate and Ingo stepped in. “Klinklang has quite the appearance, hm? It is like any other pokémon, though, don’t become too confused. Right, Klinklang?”

Klinklang responded in the positive, a metallic echo, with its gears turning and whirring. You quickly became sheepish.

“I’m sorry, that was rude of me.” Thankfully, the gear pokémon didn’t seem to have taken offense. “So, you must be the mascot of Gear Station, huh?”

You laughed as it twirled in the air much like Chandelure had been doing. There was so much movement involved and your eyes were moving from one of its parts to the other.

Ingo chuckled as well. “Ah, sort of. Emmet and I like to think so, but it’s never been made official.”

Klinklang solemnly looked down at the ground. You bit back a chuckle – every direction it faced had to be made with its entire body.

“Well! Then I think so, too!” you nodded with vigor. The mess of gears perked back up and clunked happily at you. “It’s nice to meet you, sir. Gear Station must run so smoothly because of you."

Ingo nodded decisively with a little smile. Klinklang seemed brighter and happier, as far as you could tell, and that was good enough for you. The gear pokémon decided to stay with your growing group for now, too. You wondered if it was because they were more comfortable near Ingo and each other when meeting new pokémon. Meanwhile, Alcremie now had trouble deciding which mesmerizing thing to zone out staring into: Chandelure’s flames or Klinklang's perpetual spinning components.

With two left, Ingo picked up a pokéball and paused. “I debated bringing this one out, if only because other visitors to the park might find her presence…repulsive.”

You wracked your brain trying to remember the rest of his team, but came up empty. “Is she a poison type?”

“Indeed she is. Emmet and I have gotten used to her when she roams out and about, but she does have quite an inherent stench to her. It limits her freedom compared to the others and she can become self-conscious outside of battles.”

“I’d like to meet her, at least. If you think she’s comfortable with that for a little bit.”

“You’re very good with pokémon; I’ve no doubt she’ll be comfortable with you.”

You shyly glanced at him with a smile as he released Garbodor from her pokéball. The animate pile of garbage and sludge materialized on the grass next to your spread blanket and carefully looked around. The stench immediately slammed into your senses, as well as Alcremie’s and Mimikyu’s. You fought against the instinct to recoil and pinch your nose; Garbodor looked nervous enough about meeting everyone and you didn’t want to unintentionally alienate her because of something she couldn’t control.

“Hey there,” you managed to say normally, if a bit nasally. You were trying to discreetly breathe through your mouth. “It’s nice to meet you, Garbodor.”

“Garrrrb,” was the guttural yet jovial reply you received. She lit up instantly in response to your acceptance of her, frown turning upside-down and face beaming despite her compost build.

Out of the two of your pokémon still in your group, Alcremie was the most bothered – her mouth was grimacing and she’d been broken from her hypnotized trance from the wonders of fire and gears. Mimikyu, you couldn’t tell, but she at least kept the bag open and even waved at Garbodor. After a round of greetings and promise of special treats later (to which she nearly managed to jump in excitement, which was absolutely adorable), Garbodor turned to Ingo and said, “Bo-dor.” He nodded and recalled her into her pokéball, but not before she managed to wave her gas pump “hand” to say goodbye. You turned quizzically to Ingo.

"Did she ask to go back?"

“That is how she retreats from situations such as this,” he explained without prompting. Briefly looking behind you both, you followed his line of sight and saw several park-goers with scrunched-up noses and disgusted faces. “She most likely saw her effect on others nearby and wanted to prevent any hassle.”

“Ugh,” you scoffed. “She deserves to enjoy the park just like any other pokémon.”

Though you didn’t see it, Ingo glanced at you with a soft expression. He was grateful for your open-mindedness and acceptance; it only added to the feelings he already had for you. “I’ll be sure she gets some of your homemade treats later with the others,” he promised. “Though you’ve surely won her over already. I appreciate your kindness to her, however, I am not surprised by it in the least.”

“Glad I could do that for her, at least. She seemed really happy. And she really is a sweetie. Though knowing her trainer, I'm not surprised by it in the least."

His ears went red again. You tallied another win on your side of the mental score chalkboard.

Both of you turned back to your other pokémon, Ingo needing a distraction to move on. He raised the last pokéball of his. “...Haxorus here might draw some attention as well... Though for different reasons, of course.”

When the almost six-foot dragon was called from his pokéball, he easily overshadowed your blanket and everyone on it. Smartly, and most likely from practice and habit, he “sat down” and leaned lower to your collective sitting heights in an attempt to be less menacing. It did not work for Mimikyu. Scared, she ducked down further into your bag and resorted to nervously peeking out again. Haxorus noticed her retreat and whined apologetically.

“Aw, Mimikyu, it’s okay. I’m sure he’s a big sweetie, too.” You smiled at Haxorus, whose eyes told you that you were correct. “Right, big guy?”

Haxorus whined again and nodded. Mimikyu was silent and continued to be shy; you didn’t want to force the issue. The most you could do for the sharp dragon was give him an apologetic, sideways smile and an unafraid pet on his armored head. Little Alcremie, at least, was unfazed, and even reached up to curiously touch the axe-like horns on Haxorus.

“She is entranced by your pokémon, Ingo,” you laughed.

“We’re very unique teams, aren’t we? I’m happy to see your pokémon and mine are taking to each other so nicely.”

You nodded and hummed in agreement, looking out at the rest of the park to make sure your pokémon were still within eyeshot. Polteageist was still clowning around with that Sableye, the little goofs. Appletun and Crustle were on their way back to your blanket area, having noticed the rest of Ingo’s teammates; Crustle was courteously matching Appletun's slow speed. Slurpuff was just waving goodbye to his Jigglypuff play-partner, who was leaving the park with its trainer; he turned and noticed all the pokémon you were now surrounded with and started bounding back to you as well.

“We’ve got returning company. I should’ve brought a bigger blanket.”

The afternoon flew by. Though sitting next to Ingo as you were, you couldn’t help but feel a certain coziness. Both of you were leaning toward each other like some kind of subconscious response. Your pokémon and his mingled together, playing and chatting and relaxing. Everyone came back to your little spot eventually, and everyone hit it off to an extent. Poor, shy Mimikyu wouldn’t leave your bag, but after urging from Polteageist, she lowered the flap again to come out of hiding. She and Chandelure had the best rapport, and that helped her be introduced to the others on behalf of the chandelier. Polteageist also took a liking to Chandelure – you guessed ghost types had a quirky bond like that (Maybe it's because they're similar to inanimate objects?). But he went from pokémon to pokémon as if he was at a party; still goofing off but following your rule banning antagonizing and button-pushing. Well, if that rule didn’t include setting his teapot down on Klinklang’s outer spinning gear and riding it around and around. The gear pokémon's bewildered but affable reaction was the only thing that prevented you from stopping his antics.

Slurpuff was another social bug and very happy to meet all new friends. He ran around greeting them all with a jolly bounce in his step. When he inevitably became too tired to continue (a rarity), he plopped down next to Excadrill and laid down on his backside. The two shared some dialogue before Excadrill – at first confused and at second curious about Slurpuff's entire vibe – laid on his backside as well. The two turned their eyes on the clouds and eventually dozed off.

Alcremie continued to be entranced. She always had her head in the clouds instead of watching them, but today’s playdate took the cake. Being the last to join in, Haxorus was the last pokémon she had fixated on; specifically Haxorus's unique facial features and shapes. He let her poke around (literally), and she was careful and gentle enough to do so without getting hurt by his sharp edges. Haxorus just seemed to be very happy he was making friends, like Slurpuff’s excitement, without anyone being scared or frightened by him. (Well…almost anyone. Mimikyu was coming around with Polteageist and Chandelure’s help.) And you laughed when Alcremie climbed atop Haxorus’s head and the dragon returned to his full height. Now she had her own personal watchtower.

Appletun mingled, including returning to you and Ingo for a bit for some pets and pats. He was still really hitting it off with Crustle as the two chatted in their own way and played and enjoyed themselves. Appletun had a big smile on the entire time and Crustle’s eyes shone with an almost human-like quality reading as happiness. His chittering sounded happy, too, especially when Appletun revealed how his eyes worked and kept them standing up just like Crustle’s were.

Ah, but you wished Garbodor could join in. You had no doubt that your team would welcome her with open arms. But, just like with Mimikyu, her personal comfort came first. And you understood why she would want to escape the kind of looks and murmurs people such as before gave her.

You glanced behind you when you had that thought and saw no one. Despite this, you had the nagging feeling that your group was being watched. It was unnerving. You tried to shake off the feeling and distracted yourself with the excitement happening around you. After all, Alcremie was practically on a lookout. But the feeling continued to fester in the back of your mind regardless.

Conversation between you and Ingo was nice and chill, and at this point you weren’t afraid to laugh openly or hold back from fear. It wasn’t all gone, of course – but now you felt exhilarated being with Ingo. You still felt like there was a big chance you would say or do something so embarrassing you collapse dead on the spot; it was just becoming eclipsed by a certain confidence and goal in mind. Ingo was still unsure and careful, but you noticed he gave those little smiles every now and then, which used to be rare. As was chuckling or laughing, both of which he would let himself do around you.

You wished you had the guts to just ask him out already. And in his mind, he wished he had the guts to ask you out. Ingo was so much happier around you yet lacked that specific kind of confidence that you were still building. Frustration would set in at times, especially when he was around Emmet. But he was the odd one out of your trifecta; the only one who didn’t know of your true feelings and still thought his own were hidden from you. Every time he tried to prepare to ask the simple question that would lead to a real date, he would hesitate a moment too long and back out.

He didn’t want to lose your friendship. The pair of you had grown close enough for that fear to develop. Was it worth risking?

By the time the park's lights came on and the sun began to set, the two of you had been talking or playing with your pokémon for hours. Your eyes caught the lights illuminating before you realized the sun's trajectory, and you knew the time to head home was fast approaching. A glance at Ingo told you that he was thinking the same.

"Our time today seems to be coming to a close," he said with great hesitation.

Pokémon from both of your teams whined in protest, and you were close to joining in. "I know, guys, but it's not like we can't do this again." You looked shyly at Ingo. "...Right?"

"Of course!" His voice, having kept at a normal level during your time together, boomed greatly in volume. Mimikyu ducked down into the backpack, and both Slurpuff and Excadrill were startled awake. Even you were surprised. Ingo cleared his throat and lowered his intensity. "Of course we can. I'd like to as well. Ah, should both our schedules permit another get-together for a day such as this. I know you are planning to return to work soon as well, and days with so many open hours are a rarity."

"They're rarer for you than they are for me. But we can hang out in other ways, yeah? Now that we know that you guys get along great."

A round of cheers from your pokémon made both of you chuckle, and rounds of goodbyes followed as they began to be recalled into their balls. Mimikyu managed to pop her head out of your bag and say her byes while waving a tendril, which made the others very happy. Haxorus let Alcremie down from the top of his head and gave small, quiet waves to your littles, while Alcremie voiced a similarly quiet send-off (and took one last long look into Chandelure's flames). Crustle and Appletun bounced happily on their feet in lieu of waves; Slurpuff did both very easily, taking one of Excadrill's hands and shaking it as he did so. Polteageist floated above everyone with a giggle, the lid of his teapot clinking closed as he came out from the bottom of it upside-down, both hands waving goodbye to everyone. Klinklang reacted in kind, though its sounds were understandably...clunky.

Soon, the only ones left of your group were Appletun and Chandelure. Ingo helped you pick up and fold the blanket you brought, and you stowed it in your bag now that the treat container was in his possession. He held it as though he would break it, though he had to gently shoo Chandelure away from eyeing it. You only held back from saying goodbye because you noticed that Ingo seemed to be internally debating on something as he stared intently at the treats. He didn't notice you, Appletun, and Chandelure share a particularly knowing look.

“May I walk you home?” came Ingo’s ultimate thought. It was rushed, almost, and before he was able to spit out the words, his whole body straightened stiffly to his full height – just as he and Emmet do when they do their signature pointing poses. Except in this case his hands were full with your container and his face was pink, eyes wide as if in a panic.

You smiled gently. “Sure. I’d like that.”

Ingo relaxed somewhat, relieved to have gotten permission, and his little smile returned. “Ah…alright then! Thank you!”

“Thank you,” was paired with a chuckle. He was too cute for his own good, sometimes. “Especially since…I’ve felt watched for a while now. I thought I was imagining it, but I still have that feeling.”

His smile quickly faded into concern. “I was thinking about that earlier, to be honest. My first thought was that Emmet had possibly followed us, but I know he was across town for the day. That, and…I made him promise not to, as childish as that seems.”

“And you trust him with that?”

“We take our promises very seriously.”

“Hmm.” You trusted Ingo’s intuition, but you would rather it was Emmet. At least then it wasn’t an unknown. “Maybe we’re just imagining it?”

Both of you went silent and discreetly glanced around the area. It was pretty much empty, given the time, save for a few trainers out with their nocturnal pokémon. No one was looking your way, though.

“Perhaps we should move along and not worry too much about it. It’s safer to walk home in the waning daylight than in the darkness of nighttime.”

“Yeah. Good call.”

You shouldered your bag and turned to beckon Appletun, but did not find him at your side where he was just standing a moment ago. Ingo turned and did not see Chandelure, either, where she was hovering by his side before. Both of you turned to each other at the same time to see Chandelure up-close and personal right between you.

Two things happened simultaneously. One: Chandelure giggled and used the moment of surprise to snatch away the container of treats using her ghostly telekinesis. Ingo, of course, reached forward to retrieve it. And two: you, though used to ghost shenanigans, were not used to Chandelure’s large size and flames too close to your face. Predictably, you stepped backwards instinctively, losing your footing despite feeling Appletun tug on your leg to stop your trajectory.

It was but a split second for Ingo to realize you were going to fall. He abandoned the now-floating container and practically dove to catch you before you fell on your bruised back.

As cliché as it was, you found time slowing down. You could only feel your heels touching the ground as your body leaned backwards involuntarily. One of your arms was splayed out to your side as you had tried to regain your balance; the other arm was reaching forward as though that would help. Your stomach felt hollow in the same way it would on a roller-coaster or other sudden drop. And…well, the sky was a nice color.

Ingo leaning over you was a better sight.

The next moment of slow-mo had your heart beating faster than it already was from tripping. He reached for you and managed to make it when you were halfway to the ground. He knew your back was very sensitive and hoped he wouldn’t cause too much pain, but using both of his arms to catch your back was better than trying to grab your arms and tugging harshly on your limbs and shoulders. Ingo reached fully forward and you essentially plopped backwards into his arms.

Your slow-motion trip switched gears from losing your footing to being in your crush’s arms as he looked down at you. Both of you were fully flushed and looked like Deerling in headlights. The back of your mind vaguely registered pain in your back, but it was pushed aside by a mixture of panic, comfort, and what you now recognized as love.

And the urge to straight-up kiss the man. That was a new one. That was a strong one. Such close proximity, being held; the one arm you had uselessly reaching forward had somehow gone to putting your hand on his shoulder. Your eyes never left his. You didn’t make a sound.

Neither did Ingo. His body had moved on its own, almost, and it was only after he caught you – which was a great relief to him – that he realized the positions you two were in. He was trying his hardest to hold you gently across your back, though no pain registered on your face… Actually, barely anything registered on your face, but his wasn’t any better. He knew his face was red. It went along with a thundering heartbeat rapidly increasing. Ingo looked down at you, in his arms, albeit…awkwardly. But he was still holding you. This was the closest either of you had gotten to the other, and…well…

This is where people usually kiss in movies, right? Isn’t that always how it goes?

Ingo was far too polite. Time resumed its normal speed again when he cleared his throat softly. Words didn’t come easy.

“Um…”

“Ah…”

“I’m sorry!” “Thank you!”

Both came out at the same time, overlapping but not going unheard. You furrowed your brow.

“Why are you sorry? You, you caught me…!”

“I—well…” He didn’t have an answer. Not a good one, at least. “Your…back, it’s not fully healed, and—”

“If I hit the ground, it would’ve been way worse!” you argued. “You don’t have to be sorry. I’m…I'm thanking you because you caught me… You’re, um… you can move fast.”

Sheepish and turning redder, Ingo’s eyes came off of yours and glanced to the side. “I did not want you to get hurt any further.”

You had a feeling there was more to it that (okay, less of a “feeling” and more of a “fact”), but you let it go and manage to smile up at him. “My gratitude still stands. Thank you, Ingo.”

His eyes returned to yours, and his demeanor had relaxed a bit. Softer. A hint of a smile. A hidden hint of the same urge plaguing your own thoughts.

“You are very welcome, [Y/N].”

“…So does this mean I can call you ‘my hero’ now?”

He gave you a look usually reserved for Emmet and his antics. Except his face was still red, so it didn’t work at all. You nearly snorted and let out a laugh instead.

“Here, let me help you regain your footing…” Ingo said as if you hadn’t mentioned it at all. “Can you set them on the ground fully? I’m…I'm going to gently lift you, alright?”

You nodded and moved your legs into a sturdier position as Ingo slowly set you upright. The push on your bruises stung, but the whole thing was worth it, if you were being completely honest. His arms and hands still hovered behind you until he was sure that you were balanced again. The simple gesture meant just as much to you.

Appletun, having been in front of you this entire time, looked at you worriedly.

“I’m alright, buddy, really,” you reassured him, giving him a good pat on his apple helmet. Chandelure – still levitating the container of treats – looked incredibly apologetic. Ingo put his hands on his hips and gave her a stern look. “I believe you owe [Y/N] an apology.”

“Luuuuuuu-uuuuuuu-uuuuure…” was what you could only assume was Chandelure telling you she was sorry.

You returned with a lopsided smile. “Don’t worry, it’s okay. But thank you.”

To ease the worried look on her face, you also gave her a few pats on one of the arms of her chandelier body. Ingo held out his hands expectantly. Chandelure levitated the container back into his hands, looking down at the ground like a scolded child.

By now, the sun was nearly fully set, and the streetlights were illuminating stronger.

“We should be on our way,” said Ingo, gesturing forward.

You nodded and looked at Appletun to silently tell him let’s get moving. He was still worried, but began following you as all four of you made for your home. The walk was quiet; awkwardly at first, but eased when Ingo asked about how you made the treats. You described the process, the flavors, and everything inbetween. He thought you adorable as you excitedly explained. It also made the trip seem faster, and before you knew it you were in front of your building.

“Will you be okay getting home in the dark?” you asked, as the sun had fully set during your walk. “Oh, wait… You pretty much do that every day, don’t you? My bad, nevermind…”

He faintly smiled. “Yes, though I appreciate your concern. Don’t worry; Chandelure is an excellent deterrent should anyone even think of approaching with ill intent.”

“Luuuure.”

“And thank you once more for these treats. I’m sure everyone will love them.”

“Thank you again for saving me some real pain, before. And…I mean, thank you in general. For coming out and joining us today. I love all of your pokémon, and I know mine had a blast.”

Ingo was surprised at your second share of gratitude. “I could give thanks for the same, you know. And equally so about our pokémon meet-and-greet.”

You chuckled. “Fair enough.”

The two of you stood for a quiet moment, just smiling dumbly at each other. You could see Ingo prepare to say his goodbye and spoke up before him.

“Hey, um… We can do this again, yeah? Like you said?”

“Of course!”

“Maybe… I mean, the park is nice, but we could always go somewhere else, too.”

Your Deerling-in-the-headlights look was back, morphing your smile into a nervous one. Ingo seemed concerned but answered in kind.

“Yes, we could…”

“Cool! Yeah. We could, um…we could talk about that sometime. At work or something. Or text—I forgot about phones completely, ha-hah…” You nervously laughed, fidgeting in place while you tried to calm yourself down. “Just, um… …I mean, have a good night! Enjoy those treats! Um—”

Now or never. Now or never!! DO it before you lose your nerve!!

You always did love clichés.

Stepping forward, moving as fast as you could, you leaned in and planted a quick kiss on his cheek.

Ingo froze. Nearly dropped the container. All thoughts flew out of his brain and into the night. His head might as well have been filled with TV static. Eyes wider than before, staring straight forward. He’d straightened to his full height again. Completely silent. Completely red and getting redder.

“Okay! Cool! Talk to you tomorrow! Have a good night! Thank you again for everything enjoy the treats okay bye!!”

You ran into the building and slammed the door closed behind you. No one was in the hall near the elevator, which was great for you because you gave yourself a fist pump in the air. Several. While Appletun danced and ran in circles in front of you. Giddily, you nearly skipped to the elevator and made your way to your apartment. A small part of your brain worried that it was the wrong thing to do, maybe he didn’t like it, maybe he wasn’t ready? It was drowned out by another part of your brain yelling YEAH!! I DID IT!! AHHH!!! like a frat party gone right.

That night as you drifted off to sleep, you thought of the day of fun and pokémon; of the feeling of being in his arms and his concerned face above you; and of your sneaky surprise smooch. Sleep took hold of you as you smiled away to dreamland.

Ingo didn’t move for a solid five minutes at least.

Chandelure, with a happy look on her face, drifted in front of him and swung side to side to snap him out of it.

A solid five minutes. At  l e a s t.

When he came to and the TV static in his brain resumed its normal broadcast, he swallowed a lump in his throat and looked at Chandelure, whose face was still plastered with giddiness. She hummed happily to him.

“…I suppose I don’t have to ask if what I thought just happened really happened.”

Chandelure’s humming only got louder.

“Mm. Thought so.” He reached up to touch his cheek, almost blanking out for a moment again had he not seen Chandelure begin floating off in the direction of their home. He walked after her quickly, hand still on his cheek.

“Chandelure,” Ingo said with a questioning lilt. She replied in kind. “Do you think that was thanks for catching their spill before? Or do you think…”

If the ghost pokémon had hands, she would have slapped one onto her face. Instead, she slipped one of her arms around one of Ingo’s and began drifting away from your apartment. Still in a fog, he let himself be led away, and the two went home.

Emmet heard the front door opening and desperately tried to look casual. Unfortunately for him, this included leaning so far across the kitchen counter that his feet were on their tip-toes. Fortunately for him, Ingo was so far lost in his own head that he didn't even notice. In fact, Chandelure seemed to have lured him home, if the look on her face was any indication.

The younger twin slid off of the counter, mildly concerned. "Ingo? You okay?"

Ingo set the container he was carrying onto the counter next to Emmet, all the while deep in thought.

"Emmet..." he began, the introspection he'd been doing on his way home very evident in his voice. "...I think [Y/N] might have feelings for me."

Chapter Text

“Brother…”

“Emmet?”

“Dear brother…”

“…Emmet.”

“Dearest oblivious dumb idiot brother…”

“…”

Two hands reached out to gently grab Ingo’s shoulders as Emmet drew near, head hung low as they made contact. Pulled out of his reverie by annoyance rapidly rising on his internal sibling-o-meter, Ingo waited for Emmet to be done with his antics. He was surprised, however, when the younger twin lifted his head to reveal a genuinely joyous smile and glossy eyes.

“I am so proud of you.”

Ingo was taken aback and furrowed his brow in confusion. “What are you talking about, Emmet?”

“You finally realized,” Emmet nearly whispered in a strained tone.

“Realized—? You can’t mean—”

“YES.” The overly enthusiastic reply came with a shaking of Ingo’s shoulders. Emmet’s eyes had become almost manic.

“I—I said I think they might have— What do you mean by ‘finally’?”

“You two dolts have been pining for each other for so long.”

“Wha—! How could you possibly know?!”

“It is painfully obvious. To anyone with eyes and ears.”

His grip on Ingo’s shoulders tightened. The promises Emmet made to you and his brother remained intact simply because of the sheer obviousness; he didn’t have to lie, even if Ingo refused to believe it.

“I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about. And as I said before, I am not one hundred percent sure of—”

“Uggghh,” Emmet threw his head back with a groan. “Ingo. Tell me. What did they do? What gave you this revelation?”

“Well—”

“Alleged revelation.”

Ingo briefly shot an unamused glare Emmet’s way before allowing himself to answer.

“We said goodnight to each other after I walked them to their apartment building. They…hesitated before entering the door, and…”

“Annnnnnnnnd?” Emmet drew out impatiently.

He glanced aside. “And, they…they gave me a peck on my cheek.”

Both were silent for a moment; Ingo refused to meet Emmet’s eyes, while Emmet had to stop himself from shaking Ingo violently. Deep down, though, he was proud of you, too.

“That’s not proof to you?” came Emmet’s suspiciously quiet and low reply. “A kiss? A kiss on your face?”

“No, it’s— Well, I— It’s just—earlier today before leaving the park, they tripped and nearly fell to the ground – but I was able to catch them in time, and, well, I was thinking it might be gratitude for—”

Ingo stopped his sentence short upon seeing Emmet’s face, eyes wide and frozen in disbelief of his brother’s apparently selective obliviousness. He could feel the frustrated aura emanating from Emmet’s body, and……wait, Chandelure’s, too? The ghost pokémon hovered over to the two men and stopped next to Emmet; though Chandelure’s face was not as detailed as a human’s, Ingo could tell that she was giving him the same look as Emmet was. And not just that – lying on the couch rose Emmet’s Eelektross, specifically to articulate the exact same aura as the others and send it Ingo’s way.

It was a triple dose of frustradiation poisoning. Ingo let out a heavy, defeated sigh and looked down at his entwined and fidgeting hands.

“I do not want to be wrong about this. I do not want to have such clear assurance as the two of you possess and end up being so utterly incorrect in that confidence that it irrevocably fractures the friendship we’ve built and I treasure dearly.”

The intense aura ceased from Emmet, Chandelure, and Eelektross; the human of which dropped his hold of Ingo’s shoulders and looked at him sadly.

“Listen. If it was just gratitude, they could’ve just said ‘thanks.’” Emmet paused, but Ingo said nothing. “They could’ve moved on. They chose to use Peck.”

Ingo didn’t look up, still watching his hands as his fingers twisted and pulled and shuffled. “…I suppose.”

Emmet tried a different tactic. “You know all those Crush Things you do around them? The ones I bug you about?”

At the very least, Ingo raised his head to resurrect his previous unamused look. “If by ‘bug’ you mean ‘tease endlessly and without remorse’.”

“Yes, that.” The younger twin put his arm around his older brother and pointed at him with his free hand. “I’ve been watching them. Around you. And you know what?” He leaned in closer and whispered, “They do the exact same things around you.”

Ingo pressed his lips into a thin line. “…I don’t know whether I should believe you or not. You know of your track record with social cues as well as pranking me, specifically.”

“I’ve been watching you long enough to be on the right track.” Emmet wagged his pointer finger, to which Ingo swiped away from his face. He instead used his hand to visually count his following examples. “Blushing. Hiding your face. Stuttering. Those suuuuper sappy smiles that you make only at them.”

“I don’t—! ……Hrmph.” Ingo stopped himself from objecting to the last example. Emmet had shown him exactly what kind of face he made, he remembered, thus making it irrefutable. “…You’ve made your point. However…my point still stands as well. If I do or say anything with romantic intentions while having misread their cues, and they do not reciprocate…our friendship might become a…a trainwreck.”

Emmet took a moment to squeeze Ingo’s shoulders between them in brotherly comradery. If he continued discussing this right now they’d just go around in circles, so he decided to drop the subject for now. In an effort to switch gears, he craned his neck to look behind Ingo at the container he brought in.

“What’s that?”

“Hm? Oh… They’re treats for my pokémon, though I wouldn’t deny yours a taste, either. [Y/N] made them to thank us for saving them that night. They’re usually stocked at their café, they said, but these were baked by them in their home specially for us, despite not being fully healed…”

“Ingo.”

“Mm?”

“You’re making one of those lovey-dovey faces again.”

Ingo removed Emmet’s arm from his shoulders and let it drop before gently pushing his brother’s face away from his own.

“It’th true!” came from Emmet, muffled underneath Ingo’s hand on his face.

“…I know,” came from Ingo, quietly and without removing his hand.

The two eventually stopped trying to out-sibling one another. Emmet inspected your gift while Ingo went about his nightly routine. With Chandelure and Eelektross out and about, the twins weren’t going to get out of doling at least some of your treats out to their pokémon that night, so both returned to the kitchen before they went to bed.

As they prepared the bedtime snacks, watched over by their excited pokémon, Ingo slowed his motions and then stopped altogether. This elicited a confused and curious sound from his brother.

“Emmet.”

“Yeeeeeeees?”

“……They kissed me.”

And the twins shared the sunniest smiles of that night.

Your return to work was planned for the coming week, but you wanted to scope out the damage to the café beforehand. The weekend seemed appropriate, so you journeyed for Gear Station for the first time since the incident.

You arrived during normal business hours and were spotted by more than one of your regular customers. Some had caught wind of what actually happened (the local news likely covered it, but you really didn’t want to watch the recap), while others were given a short explanation you made sure to mentally prepare beforehand. No matter their level of knowledge, though, they all asked about you and your pokémon’s well-being. Realizing how many of them truly cared about you despite being just a stop on their routine already made the trip worth it in your eyes.

Seeing your café, though, gave you hesitance. The man who attempted to rob you was in custody, you knew, but you couldn’t help the feeling of reliving the experience just by returning to the scene. Appletun by your side was certainly a huge help; an inherent comfort came from your first pokémon. And with gentle nudges from him, the two of you decided to enter the back room to escape prying eyes. They might come from a position of worry, but the patrons of Gear Station did not need to see any thoughtful or emotional fallout you might end up having.

Your heart fell to your stomach; you felt a loss not of monetary or life, but accomplishment. Things outside by the counter were a mess, sure, but to call this a mess would be an understatement. Nearly any object in the room that was on a shelf had fallen to the floor during your scuffle. Some were extra-stored but now-ruined food items or additives or spices for baking and coffee-making. Even more were extra supplies that you would now have to inventory and shell out cash for new.

Then there was structural damage – which Gear Station would pay for, you thought with relief. The impromptu and unfair pokémon battles had marked, crashed, shattered, and cracked the walls, shelving, fridge, storage – you name it. But looking at the wall you were slammed into – no…the wall that the man's Cofagrigus slammed into after you slammed into it… You understood why your back was a sickly rainbow color. Part of the wall had been indented when it was hit, showing a clear point of impact. Cracks radiated outward and paint was chipped away. It was a wonder you didn’t end up with broken bones or organ damage…

You must've been making some sort of face or distressed noise because Appletun nudged your leg and looked up at you with sad eyes.

“…Tun?”

"It's alright, buddy," you half-lied (and he knew it), "I'm just…taking it in."

The noise and bustle of the station behind you faded away as your eyes raked in everything. You were probably at risk of truly losing time in a hugely unhealthy way had you not been suddenly scared out of your wits several minutes later.

"Good morning!"

"OH god jeez-- Ingo!"

In the doorway, the door of which you failed to close all the way, was an aghast Ingo. The look on your face and terror in your voice told him just how badly he just screwed up, and he scrambled to attempt to fix it.

"I-I'm so sorry, [Y/N]! I saw the door slightly ajar and could see Appletun from the counter—”

"It's o— it's okay, Ingo." With a hand on your chest as you tried to calm down, you attempted to smile with heavy breaths and a racing heart. "I’m just…a little jumpy."

"Understandably so. I shouldn't have barged in, let alone so abruptly…!"

"No! No… I'd rather it was you than…" you trailed off, eyes wandering the mess again, "…than anyone else, really."

You didn't notice the adorably surprised look that flashed across Ingo's face. He erased it by the time your eyes came back around to him again, and you were too absorbed in your surroundings to realize what you'd said. The next smile you gave him wasn't as weak, though; you leaned down to pick up Appletun and hold him close in your arms as you kicked around an empty can.

"So…like what I've done with the place?"

Ingo also took a look around the room, though he didn’t really react. “I looked in here the day after all of this occurred. The authorities didn’t want anything to be touched, of course, otherwise I would have tried to tidy up for you.”

You chuckled a bit. “I appreciate the thought, though. Seriously.”

He shook his head. “I didn’t want you coming back to such a mess… The police cleared the area, I assume, since you’re here?”

“Yeah. I’m going to try and start up the place again sometime this week.” You spied some expensive bags of coffee grounds that had spilled and sighed. “Glad I decided to check this out today. At least I can get a head start on replenishing what I need and cleaning up around here…”

“Would you like assistance?” he said somewhat hastily, as though he had the phrase lined up and ready to go from the start. “The lines I am scheduled to conduct today allow me to return for a bit of time later this afternoon.”

“Aw, Ingo, that’s really nice of you, but I don’t want you to spend your only break cleaning my mess. Don’t you use it to catch up on paperwork and eat lunch or something?”

He paused, thinking. “…I could…eat with you. If you’d like. I-I could bring you something to eat as well.”

You paused yourself, though in pleasant surprise. Before you could answer, he added, “I don’t mind. It won’t be an inconvenience at all!”

That made you chuckle even more. “You got me with that one.” Appletun wriggled to get your attention, and during the brief glance to him in your arms, you saw his eyes almost psychically telling you to take this chance. You looked back to Ingo. “…Okay. We can do that.”

“Really!” Wait, no, that wasn’t the correct response. “I mean—yes! Good! I look forward to it!”

For once, despite the heat in your face, you didn’t feel embarrassed. “Me too, Ingo.”

As Ingo returned to his work, the two of you texted so you knew of his scheduled return. The discussion of what he should bring for your lunches eventually turned into you trying to forbid him to help to clean. You used the argument that he had a strict timetable to adhere to and you’d rather spend your shared break eating and talking together than cleaning.

He acquiesced surprisingly easily.

Emmet, too, began texting you that day. Apparently Ingo had told him about the lunch break, and he was excited for the both of you, even if no one said it was a date. The last text from him that you acknowledged was just a long series of the kissy-face emoji. Then it became pretty clear.

And so, you began tidying up. You had brought Polteageist and Mimikyu to help, with their ability to reach where you could not and their proclivity for ghostly telekinesis. On your phone, you kept a list of supplies as you came across ruined or spilled items. Many a time did you sigh at the damage; many a time Appletun had to force you to take a break when you started to feel too much pain.

Unfortunately, the situation was fundamentally a pain in the butt.

Ingo announced his arrival much softer this time, with a gentle knock on the door and waiting until you called him in. He brought sandwiches from a local shop, which looked delicious. You thanked him profusely; you weren’t even aware of how hungry you were until you saw the food.

The two of you sat down at the thankfully intact table and chairs and began to eat.

As the thought that plagued the two of you once before swirled around your head once again ("is THIS a date" nonsense), it occurred to you that Ingo hadn’t commented on how you left him the other night. You didn’t know whether that was a bad thing or not. Pondering, you guessed he was a little more flustered around you; starting out pink in the cheeks as he arrived, a little more stumble in his words. But still he said nothing about the little smooch you bravely gave him.

Did he not get the message? you thought. It didn't occur to you to maybe just use the word “date” and ask him out.

(Elsewhere, walking the cars of a train, Emmet stopped abruptly and felt a wave of sheer exasperation wash over him.)

Your conversation turned to something innocuous, during which Mimikyu poked your shoulder with one of her tendrils.

“Kyuu.”

“Hm? Oh, sorry Ingo—”

“No, please go ahead!”

“What’s up, pal?” you questioned, looking down at Mimikyu to your side.

Mimikyu lifted something from underneath a counter; something out of sight to anyone not on eye-level or digging around during cleaning. She pulled it from its hiding place with two tendrils, carefully reeling them in as you and Ingo stared at the object, dumbfounded.

She placed it on the table.

It was a pokéball.

“…Huh?” was all you could eloquently get out after a long pause.

“A…a pokéball?” came Ingo’s equally observant reaction. He looked to you. “Is it yours?”

“No… no, I only have these three today, I don’t have any others!”

Both of you kept staring at it as though the answer was written on the top. It was a normal pokéball with the red cover and white bottom, but that was it. You wouldn't have just forgotten a pokémon, especially one whose ball seemed to have rolled underneath a reachable area. Authorities wouldn't, either, or at least you'd like to think they wouldn't. Unless someone broke into the back room after it was under surveillance, behind caution tape, locked behind the door… After a moment of racing thoughts, the two of you seemed to come to the same conclusion at the same time. Slowly, you looked from the pokéball to Ingo’s face as he did the same with you.

“Could it be…?”

“Is it…?”

Then, simultaneously,

“…the burglar’s?”

Chapter Text

With great reluctance, you handed the mystery pokéball over to the authorities.

You didn’t want to, knowing that there was a good chance it did belong to the man who assaulted you. People like that shouldn’t have pokémon, you thought. Not people who do what he did to you, to another human being – and it wasn’t a stretch in your mind for things like that to extend to pokémon, too. He seemed like he enjoyed it.

But this pokéball and its inhabitant wasn’t yours. There was a chance of it belonging to someone else entirely, though you couldn’t imagine who. That was enough to temporarily ease your mind.

The Pokémon Center near Gear Station informed you that, as it was possibly involved in a crime, they couldn’t take it; you ended up having to walk into Nimbasa City’s police headquarters and give it to them. The investigators who handled the transfer said they’d arrange a meeting with the criminal. Not only to ask him point-blank, you imagined, but also to gauge the pokémon’s reaction to ensure he didn't try to claim a pokémon that did not belong with him. You hoped that was the reason, at least. You hoped they keep them separated for it.

You wished you could be there.

You left the station feeling terrible.

Over the next week, it was always on your mind. You cleaned up your café as well as you could, taking extensive lists of inventory and damages. Gear Station’s higher management took care of hiring contractors to fix up the damage to the walls, door, counter, and whatever else structurally. And because you had to order so many new supplies, opening the café was delayed until you were restocked and ready to go. It was extremely disappointing and disheartening, despite knowing the fault wasn’t yours. Waiting for your life to continue normally opened the metaphorical door for thoughts of the mystery pokéball to Wurmple their way into your brain.

Ingo and Emmet did what they could to distract you, too. They both could make you laugh in their own ways; Emmet’s texts were entertaining, and Ingo’s conversations were always welcome to you. They stopped by as you were getting your café back together, provided their schedules allowed them to. Both Emmet and Ingo regaled you tales of their latest battles on the Battle Subway, in equally enthusiastic but wildly different ways.

Yet, there was the thought that had taken hold ever since you and Ingo were at the park. He still hasn't said a word about that night; about the chance you took that you were beginning to regret the longer it went without mention. Ingo still acted the same around you, so you hadn't scared him away, but... maybe it was too soon to have done something like that. You didn't know. There was so much going on. You had to take one thing at a time.

(Meanwhile, Ingo similarly had no idea how to proceed or approach such a thing! Emmet kept needling him to "make a move", as he called it, yet Ingo never went through with anything. He felt like a Wimpod. You acted no differently toward him, so he hasn't scared you away. and if course you wouldn't mention your lovely chaste kiss... The longer he went without addressing it, the more he began to regret the procrastination. He needed to think of a way to return the gesture and his feelings, and soon. Otherwise, you might... ... ...)

(Double meanwhile, Emmet was so tired.)

And so, after a week you couldn’t take it anymore. You so badly wanted to know the fate of the pokémon left behind. Something was drawing you to it, and it was hard to tell whether it was because of your innate love of pokémon or because of some sense of obligation since it was left behind during your scuffle.

Earlier you had approached Ingo and asked if he would have time in his schedule to accompany you back to the police department. He lit up, pleased to have been asked, and wouldn't you know it, he had some time available today! It was no surprise that he, too, wanted to know the fate of this mystery – but of course he also wanted to be with you, period. And his presence was already helping. You felt better just knowing he was with you.

Though, as the two of you walked into the department, your anxiety skyrocketed. Your breathing became erratic and you were moments away from beginning to shake. Ingo simply set one hand on your shoulder, stopping these effects in their tracks and causing you to look to him. He gave you a subtle, small smile and nodded his head. Without words, he was giving you encouragement, and it was like the feeling of a warm, weighted blanket over you.

The reception desk was manned by a guy who looked on the brink of falling asleep. His head was resting in one hand, elbow leaning on the desk; and the pencil in his other hand was half-heartedly doodling spirals and scribbles on papers in front of him. At least until he raised his head as you reached the counter.

“Can I help you.” His voice had a slow, low drawl befitting of his extremely bored demeanor, and his sentence sounded more like a statement than a question.

“Uhm…yeah, uh,” you began, words jumbled in your brain and falling out of your mouth at random. “I’m here to check on the…ssssstatus? …I guess ‘status’. Of the—of a pokéball and the…pokémon inside. Um, obviously, heh…”

You chuckled nervously. The man just stared with unblinking dead eyes, unnerving you even more.

“Um…it was found at the scene of a crime? A…break-in? The—the owner might be the same guy as the…burglar. Which is why I brought it here? And now I’d like to see if it’s maybe possible to know what, uh, what ended up happening to it?”

You forced a small smile; the kind you used to make for school picture days where you had to fake it to take a successful photo. The man’s dead face never changed, and with your anxiety so high, you felt as though he was looking at you like he thought were a complete dumbass. Thankfully he soon broke eye contact and looked down at the papers in front of him, shuffled some around, and started jotting something down.

“What is the species of the pokémon you’re looking for?” he droned like he was reciting from a script.

“Oh. Uhh…” …Oh, crap. It suddenly occurred to you that you had no idea what species this pokémon even was. Now you felt like a real dumbass, especially when you had to say, “I…don’t…know……?”

The man stopped writing abruptly and lifted his head to look at you. “You don’t know.”

You shook your head apprehensively, fake smile turned real grimace. The man’s slow drawl went from "bored" to “you’re wasting my time” instantly.

“I can’t help you if you came all the way here without having the slightest thought to what pokémon you’re looking for.”

Ingo lightly squeezed your shoulder. Not only did he want to help you while you were jumbled with anxiety, he did not like the way this man was talking to you. Your companion cleared his throat.

“My good sir; if you were listening to the initial explanation that [Y/N], here, outlined mere seconds ago, you might remember that we wish to learn the status of a specific pokéball left at the scene of a specific robbery that took place inside of Gear Station. About one week ago during cleanup of the aftermath, the pokéball was found hidden and left behind. [Y/N] and I reasoned it might belong to the culprit, as there was quite a scuffle during which it may have fallen out of sight and without the criminal’s knowledge. [Y/N] turned it over to the authorities at this very station due to the perpetrator in question having been apprehended and currently held in your custody.”

The dead-eyed man said nothing, staring awkwardly at Ingo for a few moments too long. He seemed surprised that Ingo was even there. Like he just realized one of the Subway Bosses was giving him a strict talking-to.

“That is the pokéball we are looking for,” he affirmed with a certain kind of severity that usually ended with a condescending spit on the ground. Polite and proper Ingo, of course, did no such thing; his voice was more than enough. “I am sure it can be found in your records with or without knowledge of the species of pokémon that inhabits it.”

Ingo returned the man’s gaze with a stern face turned slightly upwards, causing his eyes to be shadowed and half-hidden underneath the brim of his hat. He stood tall with his hands behind his back and did not falter for even one second, well-practiced.

You loved it.

It didn’t take long before the man hastily scribbled something on his clipboard and stood up.

“One moment,” was all he muttered, quickly going through one of the doors behind the reception area.

You breathed in deep and whispered, “Thanks, Ingo. That was so perfect.”

“You are quite welcome. Honestly, he may be bored at his station, but he is still employed to attend to the needs of those who come seeking help!” Ingo huffed, clearly affronted. “And he should not have been talking to you with such unwarranted rudeness.”

Silently, you turned back toward the reception counter so that Ingo couldn’t spy your smile. He came to your rescue, almost…protectively? But not in an overbearingly weird way? And even with that simple squeeze on your shoulder to let you know that he was here, that he was going to help… Having him here really made all the difference.

“I didn’t want to try and force the pokémon out before we turned it in. That wouldn’t have been fair to it.” You sighed, absentmindedly scuffing one shoe back and forth on the floor.

“The pokémon likely would have either been terribly frightened or as aggressive as your assailant. You did the right thing.”

Like a warm, weighted blanket… You smiled again.

Both of you were expecting to wait for quite a while, so you were surprised when not even ten minutes had passed before the door on your side of the room opened. It was one of the investigators that handled the transfer, you recognized, which was much better than if you still had to deal with that asshole from before.

You were led down a hallway in an office setting, passing some open doorways where you could see desks and other officers. The investigator stopped in front of one doorway and gestured you inside; it was his and his partners’ office, you guessed by the look of it. Kind of cramped with two desks shoved together, but it was probably better than an open room with the majority of the police force milling around.

The investigator gestured again, this time to a couple of chairs perpendicular to the desks. You and Ingo took your seats while the investigator sat at his desk and picked up a manila folder.

“We talked to the culprit of your case,” he began, leaning an arm on his desk. “Showed him the pokéball you gave to us. Called the pokémon out so they could see each other.”

You were on the edge of your seat – literally. “And?”

The man sighed. “They recognized each other, all right. And the guy confirmed it.”

Immediately, it felt like you were dragged down by the weight of overwhelming disappointment. You practically deflated. Ingo put a hand on your shoulder yet again, glad to know the answer yet letdown all the same.

“So…it’ll get put with his other pokémon in board?”

“Wellll, yes and no…”

You scrunched your face in confusion. “……What does that mean?”

“It’ll get put in board, all right, but not in the same place as the pokémon in wait for inmate owners.”

It took you a moment, but you managed to piece it together in your mind. You instantly saw red.

“…He didn’t want it back?”

The man shifted in his seat, uncomfortable. “That’s correct.”

“What do you mean he didn't want it back?!”

“Well, he, ah, acknowledged the pokéball and pokémon as his…but told us right away that he didn’t want it anymore and to…well, to, quote, ‘get rid of it’.”

Your rage built with every word the man spoke; your hands clenching into fists on your lap, your teeth grit and mouth in a snarl. The man shifted in his seat again, having expected something like this, and could feel the tension suddenly suffocating the room.

Before you could utter another word, someone else beat you to the punch.

“What a disgrace of a man,” came Ingo’s voice, eerily level despite the aura of his own infuriation rising from him like steam. “To cast away a pokémon simply because he does not ‘want’ it anymore—that isn’t the decision of a loving owner! That is the selfish choice of someone who views pokémon as tools, not companions, regardless of what inane reasoning he tries to use! It’s sickening!”

You’d only seen Ingo angry once before, and right now he seemed to be restraining himself quite a bit. It was a sort of tranquil fury, which arguably made it scarier. The investigator scooted his chair backwards. You held your own infuriation inside, frankly endeared further to him by the anger you two shared. Both of you had such a love of pokémon and this situation disgusted you to your cores.

“I—I do not disagree, sir, this is—”

“If it’s not being placed with his other pokémon, what'll happen to it?” you interjected.

“In cases such as this, the pokémon is put in a separate daycare and evaluated to see whether or not they're suitable to be adopted out—”

“And if it isn’t?” Ingo immediately asked, while you were stuck on the pokémon being automatically moved to adoption. But the man’s answer was worse.

“The pokémon is…well, it either gets kept at a special facility for the, uh, the rest of its life, or it—it gets, uh, released.”

There was a pause. The nervous man could physically see the intense fire in your eyes’ reflection. Your anger skyrocketed from the height it had already reached.

“Just like that?! You can’t do that a pokémon after they’ve been with a person for so long! That's like putting it in jail themselves, or—or abandoned!"

“I understand your frustration, but understand, this is just protocol—”

“Ohhhh, buddy, this is a lot more than just ‘frustration’.”

“Might I make a suggestion?”

A new voice was heard from the doorway to the tiny office. A woman, dressed similarly as the man and carrying a packet of papers, approached the three of you and gave the man a pat on his shoulder.

“I’ll take care of this.”

The man let out an immense sigh of relief. “Thanks, partner,” he whispered before turning to you and Ingo and giving a polite yet hasty wave goodbye. He then did an impressive speed-walk out of the room. Tally two on the mental chalkboard for “people sent fleeing from your forces of anger.”

“If the pokémon in question is not fit to be adopted into another person’s care, then we have no choice but to keep it separate or set it free.” The woman seemed far less flustered than her partner, with a no-nonsense demeanor. “Pokémon that are too violent against humans and attack unprovoked are not pokémon fit to be put up for adoption.”

You breathed in sharply. She had a point. Ingo knew it, too, as you could see his anger start to dissipate. The woman shuffled through the papers in her hands before turning her attention directly to you.

“You care a great deal for this pokémon in question, yes?” was her first to-the-point question.

“Well…yeah, I guess I do.” To be fair, all pokémon who are so cruelly and callously given up – regardless of criminal activity – made you feel strongly about their well-being. And this one…it was different. Your feelings were personal, but on your own terms; not just because of your connection to its circumstances. For some reason, the brief reflection dissolved much of your fury.

The woman nodded with a raised eyebrow. “And I understand that you have no knowledge of the pokémon itself?”

“Yeah. I didn’t want to try and call it out from its ball, just in case…”

“I see.” She selected a stapled set of papers and separated them from the others she was carrying, studying the front page of its contents. “The adoption agency has already evaluated the pokémon. This is their report.”

You blinked at her for a moment, blindsided.

“Already?”

“Apparently it was not a difficult decision.”

“And what was this decision?” asked Ingo, both curious and concerned.

“The pokémon is already listed as up for adoption.”

Both you and Ingo breathed sighs of relief. It was probably a good thing that the asshole didn’t want to take it back if it could go to a new home with a better, more caring owner. The investigator held out the report for you to take, which you did without thinking twice about it. But before you could begin scanning its contents, she spoke again.

“Should you decide that you want this pokémon after reading the report, I can direct you to the daycare that is currently in charge of its holding.”

It clicked. You would’ve read the report out of curiosity, but it was clear that is not why is was handed to you.

“Wait…really?” was all you could muster, rendered speechless. You certainly weren’t expecting such a decision to be given so readily, especially after the preceding conversation. And after how fast this was all handled, you had to wonder what the pokémon was like…

“I’ll leave you to think about it,” the investigator said after your long pause. She made her way to the door and on her way out, said, “I’ll return shortly.”

You and Ingo looked at each other, if only in a weird sort of disbelief. He noticed how hard you were gripping the report, despite not looking at it yet, and spoke unusually quietly.

“You are not obligated to do this, you know.”

You sighed, fully aware that he was right. “I don’t know… It’s like, it was just…discarded, and I feel like…like it’s my responsibility now.”

“It isn’t. Such a thing was a shameful act, but you are not responsible for what happened to our will happen to the pokémon.”

“I know, but…I can’t help but feel it. And it’s more than that. Like, beyond just the whole attack. Beyond where and why it was found.” You held the report tighter. “I don’t know if that makes sense.”

Ingo nodded; his voice wistful. “I understand. To be entirely honest, I feel as though this pokémon deserves to be transferred into your care.”

You slowly turned to look to him. He was facing the desk, still, and you only saw his profile. Despite the way the conversation started, he now looked…peaceful. You could even see the blush in his cheeks, and for the first time Ingo wasn’t trying to hide it. Then again, he might not even know it was there.

“Though you are not an active trainer,” he continued, “you handle your group of five with an ease that many people do not have. There is a reason designated trainers can have full teams of six, while the everyday person or family owns just one or two. And those are the strongest and most talented of trainers.”

Ingo turned his head with a soft gaze toward you; eyes half-lidded and admiring, cheeks dusted pink, and smiling so gently it nearly stopped your heart.

“You handle all of them with an abundance of love and care. I admire that about you.”

It stopped your heart.

You swallowed, breath hitching. Your mouth opened and closed multiple times as though you were channeling a Magikarp. Somehow, you managed to whisper, “Th…thank you, Ingo…”

Finally, Ingo reached up to the brim of his hat and pulled it over the top half of his face. Most likely because you expected it, you laughed, which only made him pull it down more.

“You know that doesn’t work, right?” you chuckled, bumping your shoulder against his.

“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.” He was attempting to bring seriousness into his voice, but failing. It seemed he understood you weren’t making fun of him and was trying to play along.

Of course, just as you said, you could still spy the smile on his still-reddening face. You bit your lip and made a split-second decision.

“It’s cute.”

You couldn’t look at him, facing forward immediately and feeling hot in your face. Had you looked, you would have seen Ingo unintentionally lose grip of the brim of his hat and nearly freeze in place completely. He kept himself still for the next minute, during which you were the opposite, one leg bouncing rapidly. The report was still held, unread, and boy, now seemed like as good a time as ever!

“Well!” you exclaimed entirely too loud and most certainly in the fakest I’m-definitely-in-complete-control-of-myself tone of voice, “Pokémon report! Should look at this, huh!”

Ingo had unfrozen as soon as you spoke again, slowly turning to the side to take a peek at you. Your eyes were wide and face kept very neutral, seeing him in your peripheral vision and purposefully not reacting. Dramatically clearing your throat, you finally unclenched the report – now slightly wrinkled by your iron grip – and looked at the front page.

“Oh,” you said, back to your non-fake normal voice, “I wasn’t expecting this.”

Not that you were certainly expecting a specific species. The mild surprise had shaken off your nerves, and you moved the report over so Ingo could see it, too. He was still badly blushing, and to see the papers meant he had to lean closer to you, thus making it worse. You were fully distracted at this point, though, so he hoped you didn’t notice.

When he saw the pokémon’s species, he was surprised as well. “Indeed! You certainly don’t see those around here very often.”

“Almost all of his pokémon were native to Unova. I mean, except for the Loudred…”

“Hmm. Come to think of it, none of yours are commonly found in Unova, you know.” Ingo put one hand to his chin in the classic thinking pose. “I wonder why he refused to take it back?”

“Because he’s a piece of shit,” you muttered. Reading further down the page, though, gave you a possible answer. “Says here it’s very skittish…unsure of new people…preferred hiding to interacting directly… Sounds like my Mimikyu.”

“And with being cleared for adoption, they must still feel it to be capable of being re-homed without great worry of continued anxiety.”

The two of you skimmed through the rest of the report. After a certain point, Ingo turned to you fully, remnants of his previous demeanor when talking about how much he admired your love of pokémon beginning to come back. Even though you’d teased him about it, he could not control the feelings influencing his facial expressions. It was returning because he was about to ask you a question that he already had a feeling he knew the answer to.

“Is this a pokémon you’d be willing to take into your care?”

“Yeah,” you replied without hesitation. “Yeah, I think it is.”

Chapter Text

“Heyyy, little guy… How’re you doing in there?”

Sitting on the padded floor of the daycare’s large indoor play room, you cooed toward a little toy tunnel perfect for hiding. You didn’t want to force the skittish pokémon from its hiding place, so you decided to get down closer to its level and patiently wait. Looking around, the room reminded you of kindergarten or preschool classrooms; light foam padding making up the floor with a wide variety of playground essentials and plenty of toys scattered about. The caretaker who led you there – who was still standing by the doorway to watch your interaction – said that the room was used mainly for good-tempered pokémon and those in rehab. It was very large, very spacious, and right now it was completely empty save for you, the pokémon, and the caretaker. And Ingo.

Yes, he, too was sitting on the floor with you; coat and hat off in case they made him intimidating toward the already-wary pokémon. You had tried to tell him to go back to work, surely he didn’t have this much time in his break, you didn’t want to keep him! As stubborn as you, Ingo refused to relent…so long as you were comfortable with his presence, of course! You stopped, sighed, and smiled, knowing a losing battle when you saw one. He was with you in this whole endeavor, it seemed, and you found that you had no problem with this.

(You would later find out that Ingo had taken the rest of his day off right after you asked him to accompany you to the police station. Emmet had been extremely pleased when his brother informed him. Ingo never took time off just like that, even though he’s accumulated a hoard of paid time-off hours. Of course, their jobs were very demanding and schedules usually packed anyway, but that was beside the point. How lucky and amazingly convenient for you to ask on a day when all subway employees were present so that one may take over his stations for today without worry.)

“We will not harm you. We simply wish to visit with you for a little while.” His voice was just as quiet and gentle as yours.

You heard a muffled sound of movement within the tunnel, but otherwise there was nothing. The only thing stopping your temptation to lower your head and look inside the tunnel was the fact that seeing you so close and so suddenly would cause it to flee.

“We have some treats if you want them,” you tried, picking up a bag of generic poké-treats. They were supplied by the adoption agency; you were disappointed when you heard their rule for banning outside food to be given to the pokémon. Understandable, despite how much you wanted to use your own. Unzipping the pouch, you took a handful of the pellets and spread them out in front of you and some closer to the tunnel.

More shuffling against the tunnel and floor; this time, you saw a flash of eyes before it backed further into the tunnel and out of sight once more.

“I’m running out of ideas,” you muttered to Ingo, “We’ve been here for a while, and I don’t think it’ll come out on its own even if we wait.”

“And we cannot take up the agency’s time forever…” he agreed. After a moment of thinking, he suggested, “What if you bring out Mimikyu?”

You hadn’t planned on introducing any of your pokémon to this one yet. That would be too much for this timid pokémon, especially since it wasn’t responding well to people. Or…maybe it’d be more comfortable with pokémon? Its pokéball was found by Mimikyu. And while she hadn’t been abandoned by a person, she was just as timid and hesitant as this one seemed to be. It took the help of another pokémon to give her the confidence to show herself to you; in her case, it was Polteageist. Given the circumstances, maybe this one needed the same kind of push, too.

“She might be the one we need after all.” You reached into your bag and picked out her ball. “Good thinking, Ingo!”

He smiled.

You signaled the caretaker silently by raising your pokéball and pointing at it questioningly. She gave permission with a nod, to your relief.

“Okay. Here goes.”

Mimikyu materialized next to you with a call, and was momentarily overwhelmed by the colorful, pastel room. As she looked around, the nearby tunnel caught her attention. She turned to you and gestured at the tunnel with a black tendril.

“Kyu?”

“Yeah, pal. The pokémon hiding out in there is the one you found when we were cleaning up the café, remember?”

“Mi-mi!”

“We want to meet them but they’re reeeally scared. Kind of like when we met, right, pal?”

She seemed to think for a moment and nodded silently.

“Think you can help them?”

Another silent nod. Taking your words as permission to approach and interact, Mimikyu carefully shuffled over to the tunnel and peeked inside. From your angle, you and Ingo could only watch and listen.

There was a surprised sound from inside the tunnel the moment Mimikyu peeked into it. She waved a tendril in the other pokémon’s sight – a hello, maybe, or a placating gesture to let it know she came in peace? If the pokémon made another sound, you couldn’t hear it. You could keep an eye on the other end of the tunnel a little ways off to know whether or not it flees entirely.

Mimikyu made a series of noises spaced out to seem like a conversation. One you were not privy to, of course, though you've constantly wished you could understand pokémon your entire life. It seemed like she was getting somewhere, though – bit by bit, she inched around the corner of the tunnel until she was in full sight of the pokémon and not just peeking anymore. You and Ingo held back a chuckle as Mimikyu ventured into the tunnel, which was a little too low for her disguise. She tugged until it was forcefully squished into the tunnel along with her.

The two of you waited.

“I wonder what that guy did to make it so afraid of people,” you pondered quietly. The ideas you imagined in your mind incensed you. The thoughts had to be tamped down with conscious effort to prevent you giving off an angry aura.

“Perhaps this is their natural personality.” There was a slight tinge to Ingo’s tone; a hint of disbelief in his own words. You knew he wasn’t stupid in any sense of the word. This was an attempt at optimism, and you could commend him for that, at least. “If that is the case, it might also be why the crook did not want the pokémon returned to him.”

You looked to him after a moment of thought. “Because it isn’t like his other pokémon, you mean? Brazen or aggressive enough to help him in his schemes?”

“And likely during pokémon battles as well.” He shook his head with disdain. “This does not excuse him in the slightest. …Yet, I’d rather that be the case than the alternatives.”

“Yeah. Agreed.”

The two of you went silent again and turned your attention back to the tunnel. Not a moment too soon; the ends of two black tendrils reached out of the tunnel and gripped it. Mimikyu used the leverage to pull herself out of the tunnel that she was otherwise stuck in. You held back another chuckle when the head of the disguise popped back upright instantly.

“Hey, pal. How’d it go?”

“Kyuu-kyuu!”

She seemed in good spirits, nodding her disguise's head enthusiastically. It gave you and Ingo hope, which spiked further when Mimikyu looked back into the tunnel and gestured a tendril as if to say it’s okay to come out.

You held your breath. Slowly but surely, beckoned by Mimikyu, the pokémon came into view.

Yellow eyes appeared first from the shadows while illuminated yellow rings along its underside gave it an underglow. Two orange whiskers, hanging down over its hidden mouth like some kind of mustache. Ten teeny-tiny legs scuttled its long, flat, red body out from hiding…

A little Sizzlipede came forth warily and positioned himself close beside Mimikyu for comfort. You were so excited as you gently waved at the little guy, and Ingo followed suit beside you. The Sizzlipede's whiskers twitched together, but he made no sound; his eyes darted back and forth between you and Ingo.

“We won’t hurt you,” you repeated, this time being able to look him in the eyes. “We wanted to meet you, so I asked Mimikyu to check on you. I see you guys made pretty fast friends, huh?”

Mimikyu nodded her disguise’s head and made a humming sound. Sizzlipede’s whiskers seemed to quiver again while he looked from you to Mimikyu and back again. Then, you heard a little,

“…Sizzz…”

You lit up instantly, smiling widely at the fiery bug.

“Bravo!” Ingo said as he softly clapped his hands, careful to keep his volume regulated through a conscious effort. “You are a very brave pokémon, little Sizzlipede! We are proud of you for venturing out and meeting us!”

Sizzlipede seemed to be bashful, ducking his head. You imagined that if he had hands, they would be hiding his face. Mimikyu turned to him and made a happy chirp in agreement with Ingo to encourage him even more. You were glad to see some trust already forming between them.

“I set out these treats for you, by the way.” You gestured to the pellets you’d laid on the floor. “You and Mimikyu can split them if you want?”

Mimikyu eagerly agreed without Sizzlipede’s input, though he didn’t seem to mind. She grabbed some with one tendril for herself, while she gathered some in the other for the little bug. You and Ingo watched happily as they ate – even seeing a happy facial expression on the munching Sizzlipede’s face!

For the rest of the day, you and Ingo spent time with the bug pokémon. With Mimikyu’s help, he began to trust you two little by little. You wished you could understand the meanings of Mimikyu’s encouragement. Perhaps telling him about you and your team, or the life she’s lived both with and without you? Recent events, even? You didn’t know, but it was certainly working.

And soon enough, Sizzlipede approached you on his own. You held out your hand and he scuttled closer carefully, still watching you warily as he took a sniff of your scent. He then turned to Ingo, who was very pleased to be included and held out his own hand for the same investigation. Mimikyu happily shuffled over to you and plopped into your lap with a hop. Sizzlipede seemed to take note of both of your scents, your gentleness with him, and your relationship to Mimikyu. His whiskers twitched as he paused in thought. He came closer – his slowest scuttle yet – and raised his front end by balancing on his back legs. His front rested on one of your knees as you looked at him with stars in your eyes. Gently, you reached out and gave the top of his head a couple of pats.

Sizzlipede decided he liked that.

Within the span of a day, you gained a new friend.

“Little guy,” you began, gaining attention through his newfound understanding that those two words meant him. “We came to meet you because we found your pokéball in my café after…a fight. With your previous owner. And…we were hoping you might want to…well…”

You paused. Sizzlipede visibly reacted to the mention of his previous owner, suddenly looking worried.

“We were hoping you might want to come with [Y/N], here. They have a lovely troupe of delightful pokémon such as Mimikyu; who, I imagine, would all like to meet you as well.” Ingo glanced at you, hoping he wasn’t meddling too badly, and felt his face flush when he saw the smile on your face and eyes briefly locking with his.

“He’s right,” you continued, looking back down at Sizzlipede. “But that’s only if you want to. I’d love to have you be a part of my family, but I'm not going to force you to do anything.”

Sizzlipede paused for a long moment as his whiskers moved – you were starting to figure out that it was a quirk when he was deep in thought. He looked at Mimikyu in your lap, who still managed to flop her disguise’s head in a yes yes yes motion.

“Mi-mi-mi!”

“……Pede……”

Ingo watched at your side, enraptured by the scene and on the edge of his metaphorical seat. He hoped that Sizzlipede agreed so that he may join your family. The way you put it was wonderfully endearing to Ingo; each pokémon companion undeniably forms a family with their partner. His and Emmet’s own were a large one together; your little gaggle of sweets… He wondered if you considered his team as family, too. He wondered if you considered him…

“Zzzzzz!”

Broken out of his reverie by a buzzing noise, Ingo saw Sizzlipede rear back to stand at the tallest he could muster; tiny little stubs of legs waving in the air and mustache vibrating in time with his buzzing hum. Mimikyu instantly got up from your lap in order to jump, hop, and squeal happily around him. Simultaneously, you gasped in utter delight, having been successfully and adorably Chosen by the little Sizzlipede.

“Really?!” you exclaimed; shaking hands balled into fists in front of you.

“Zzzz!”

You laughed, loud and freely and in absolute joy. Sizzlipede received more gentle pats on his head, and he used the opportunity to climb right into your hand. Your eyes could not possibly be any brighter.

“Look! Ingo, look!”

You turned to present Sizzlipede to him like some sort of prize. He found you unbearably cute, hiding that reaction by chuckling and clapping for your new acceptance.

“Congratulations, Sizzlipede! You have been accepted into a wonderful family, and I know you will be very happy! Bravo!”

“And you’ll get to know Ingo and his, too, little guy!” you laughed. “We’ll take great care of you!”

Though you probably meant “we'll” in the sense of you and your pokémon, he couldn’t help but wonder if you were including himself by saying so after… But he quickly shook the thought off. He wanted this to be about Sizzlipede and the adoption, not selfishly thinking of how you viewed him!

(The thought was shaken off but escaped to hide somewhere back in his brain, ever-present and ever-alert…)

Meanwhile, you were moments away from jumping for joy yourself. The caretaker saw the scene and heard the laughter and took that moment to approach and asked to confirm if you wanted to initiate the adoption.

“Don’t ask me,” you replied. “It’s the little guy’s decision.”

Sizzlipede looked from the caretaker, to you, to Ingo, to Mimikyu, and nodded with eyes that were sparkling just as brightly yours. The caretaker laughed and asked you to follow her in order to sign the required paperwork. You and Ingo stood up (uncomfortably; wow were you in that position way too long), returned Mimikyu into her ball, and followed the woman with Sizzlipede literally in-hand. At the door, though, Ingo retrieved his hat and coat and stopped you briefly.

“I will wait outside, if that is alright with you? I would like to phone Emmet and inquire about the subway’s operations today.”

“Oh…okay. Um…I’ll meet you out there soon, then.”

The caretaker assured you it would not be a long process, and the two of you temporarily parted.

“Emmet, I am trying to ask about how the subway operated today in my absence, not regale you with what you refuse to believe was a flirting-free experience!”

“That is untrue, Ingo. All of your conversations with [Y/N] include flirting. Neither of you know how to turn it off.”

Ingo sighed, switching his cellphone to his other ear. “Did everything run smoothly? The north and north-eastern tracks recently had debris cleaned from their routes – were the train cars able to pass without difficulty?”

“The cars passed more smoothly than your flirting does.”

He could imagine the specific smile Emmet was wearing as clear as day inside his mind.

“As soon as [Y/N] is finished, we will be departing the adoption center. We…”

Ingo trailed off, suddenly having a feeling of being watched wash over him. The evening hours had just as much foot traffic as any time of day in Nimbasa City, and the current time was no exception. Subtly, Ingo looked around him while resuming the light pacing he had been doing as he talked on the phone.

“Hello?”

“Please excuse the sudden brake in my train of thought. Where are you?”

“You know I'm still at Gear Station.”

He swiveled his head around while turning the pace in the opposite direction.

“You didn’t follow us today, did you?”

“There's too much to do when you aren't here. You know that too.” A pause. “Why?”

“I currently feel as though I’m being watched out here.”

“We are the Subway Bosses. People watch us anywhere.”

“I know. This this feels different, for some reason. I felt it that day [Y/N] and I were at the park together, too. I assumed it was you then as well—”

“Hey!”

“—but I believe you when you claim to have been absent. Yet it persists, not just a mere passing look from the crowd. It’s—”

You opened the door to the outside, proudly carrying a new pokéball in one hand. “I can’t wait to introduce him to everyone!” you exclaimed, still looking at it as you hopped down the steps and over to Ingo.

“I’ll talk to you later,” he said, hanging up quickly and turning to you.

You looked up as he pocketed his phone and realized what he was just doing. “Oh, I’m sorry! I didn’t realize you were on the phone!”

“No, no, it’s quite alright. I was just wrapping up my inquiry to Emmet.”

“Everything okay?”

He nodded, deciding not to mention that nagging feeling. “Thankfully, yes; today’s operations were conducted perfectly fine in my absence.”

“That’s good,” you grinned; one of your casual smiles that made his heart melt without you even trying or knowing. You held up the pokéball. “I think our operation today was conducted perfectly, too!”

“I cannot help but agree! The little Sizzlipede has been transferred into the care of the best person possible for the duty!”

You smiled again – the shy kind where he knew your face heated up, too. “Thanks… Honestly, I’m just glad he’s not with that creep anymore.”

“As am I. And I’m sure the little one is, too.”

Ingo’s feeling did not relent, despite his demeanor improving massively when you were back with him. He didn’t want it to ruin your day, should you notice, and so he suggested that he accompany you home. You agreed readily, mentally exhausted after the day’s events yet excited to introduce Sizzlipede to his new home and family. These happy thoughts thankfully blocked out the feeling you would have noticed as well, just as you did at the park. And as Ingo hailed a cab and held the door open for you before entering himself, he felt the feeling disappear after the taxi took its first turn away from the adoption agency.

He sighed with relief, able to focus solely on how grateful he was to be present to share in your happiness.

The cab drove away from your apartment building as Ingo assured you he could walk the rest of the way to his home. You were practically bouncing in place, still clutching the pokéball and never letting your smile drop. Though he wouldn’t recognize it, Ingo was a little jealous of your other pokémon; he wanted to be there when Sizzlipede is introduced, if only to see how ecstatic it made you. Those were special smiles of yours; like pure, warm sunshine. He could feel some warmth now as well, which made parting for the night all the more difficult.

“Thanks again for today,” you said after finishing a good ramble about how you guessed each of your pokémon would react.

“This was all you,” he replied with a shake of his head.

You did the same. “I meant…coming with me in the first place? I know you don’t get many breaks from work, and you could have spent the time doing something else. But you…y’know, went with me to the police station, and then sat with me at the agency…” You glanced away from his eyes. “I appreciate that a lot. I’d rather you have had the experience with me than…um… I, I mean, I’d rather have had the experience with you than, um……alone.”

Mentally, you slapped your forehead. Seems like it was Crush o’ Clock – peak time for stupidity to reign.

Ingo simply adjusted his hat; not covering his face, but holding onto the brim nonetheless. “It is I who should be thanking you. I am also exceptionally happy to have experienced today with you. I- I very much enjoyed it. …I very much enjoy being with you.”

Now he hid behind his hat. Nearly all the way. If it was any lower, it would have been off of the top of his head completely. You, on the other hand, could only hide behind either your other hand or the pokéball, and neither of those were dignified enough to do so. The only thing you could do was hope the extreme heat in your face and ears wasn’t visible enough; nor that the steam you imagined was actually coming out of your ears.

“I…also! Like…being with…you.”

You didn’t know why your cadence was so off saying that, either. And, oop – there went the rest of Ingo’s hat, now off of his head completely and in front of his entire face. Crush o' Clock relented for no one. As embarrassed as you were, you couldn’t help but chuckle at him.

“I told you that doesn’t work, remember?”

“I never give up!” came his humorously muffled reply.

You bit your lip again, gears in your head rotating rapidly to make another of your split-second decisions. After all, the first two seemed to do something. If you kept doing these embarrassing, might-regret-for-the-rest-of-your-life acts at the drop of a hat, eventually the realization might hit him…! …Successfully! For once?

“Well, I never give up, either!” you (maybe) lied, taking a step forward after making that snap decision. You quickly but gently wrapped your arms around Ingo and gave him a little squeeze.

The part of your brain that registers everything you might miss during a split-second decision catalogued a variety of things you would reminisce on later. The side of your face pressed into his chest. His shirt was soft, and his tie was a smooth, silky texture. You could smell some sort of cologne, or perhaps it was just his laundry’s fresh small, since it wasn’t overbearing and suited him in a way you couldn’t express. And he was warm, of course, and felt so, so nice to hug… "Nice" in the way that it was like Ingo was made to be hugged; in the way that were you not suffering from a massive crush on him, the hug would still feel just as nice to you. Just like the warm, weighted blanket feeling that his  encouragement had felt like, but stronger this time. You wondered how strong the feeling would evolve into if Ingo hugged back and wrapped his arms around you…

But, being a chance decision, the hug itself lasted for a second, maybe two. Enough to squeeze, let him feel your arms around him, and cause a shock that made his hat fall out of his frozen hand. Enough that you pulled back just so, locking eyes in that moment as both of you held your breath. Enough that you leaned into his shoulder near his ear and whispered, “Thank you again, Ingo,” and swiftly delivered another peck on his cheek.

It happened in the blink of an eye, but both of you would replay the moment as if it happened in slow motion.

You covered your embarrassment with a big, genuine smile, as you bounced backwards on your feet, turned, and ran into the doors of your apartment building like a schoolkid who just kissed their crush on the playground. Somewhere between the third and fourth obligatory fist-pumps into the air, you realized you didn't even say goodnight. Maybe you could still catch him if you ran--

He was still there, you could see from the doorway. Picking up his hat at the speed of molasses with a thousand-yard stare and face as red as a Sizzlipede.

"Goodnight, Ingo!" you called before immediately disappearing once more.

Too slow to react, the man in question held his hat tightly in his hands and turned toward the closed doors of your building without really seeing it, lost in a haze that clouded his mind to anything but registering your second overt show of affection.

"Goodnight…[Y/N]…"

Chapter Text

Sizzlipede was like a little celebrity.

You went down the line one by one. Letting all of your pokémon out at once to bombard the newest addition would have been disastrous, to say the least. Mimikyu was called out first and acted as a sort of ambassador between Sizzlipede and the others; he seemed less nervous with her presence. You were so proud of Mimikyu for helping in a ready and dedicated way, no trace of timidness. It was like someone seeing their friend in distress and pushing aside their own anxiety about the situation in order to help them.

Appletun was first, gentle and jolly and taking slow but bouncing steps. They exchanged greetings, during which Appletun flipped his eyes up to Sizzlipede’s surprise. The little bug reacted by rearing up and balancing on his back legs as if to imitate the same sort of flip-up the other had done. They were both getting along great – though you knew that would be the case. Appletun was such a sweetheart. The dragon plopped down next to you, between you and Sizzlipede, and you patted him on his head (er, apple helmet) before calling out your next pokémon.

Alcremie was similarly calm and laid-back, as the spacey little lady usually was. She waved at Sizzlipede, who verbalized a reply. As she shuffled to get closer, you realized four of your now six pokémon were native to the Galar region. An unintentional collection, but if that’s what fate decided then you weren’t going to complain. Alcremie and Sizzlipede appeared to be having a conversation while you were lost in thought, and you were glad that she was so soft-spoken…so to speak. Sizzlipede looked like he was comfortable surrounded by the current released pokémon.

Really, it was the next two that you had to worry about.

Polteageist, at least, had an already-established connection that would reign him in – Mimikyu, the true ambassador. Your suspicion was proved correct when she spoke up as soon as he materialized, and you could see and sense a change in demeanor from the usually mischievous teapot immediately.

“No funny business,” you told him with one eyebrow raised. He responded by nodding and giving a thumbs up before floating down to Sizzlipede’s and Mimikyu’s level.

Sizzlipede was hesitant, likely due to hearing your and Mimikyu’s warnings toward Polteageist, but the latter was behaving himself in a genuinely welcoming manner. You watched as he leaned on the front of his teapot – always in a weirdly human way – as he chatted with the bug and other ghost. Polteageist gave a big grin and cheer, holding the teapot’s top above him and swaying back and forth jovially.

They were all very happy, which meant you were very happy. You hoped your last pokémon could behave himself similarly… Slurpuff listened, but he was so easily distracted that it sometimes didn’t matter. Appletun knew who was the last pick and got himself up to lumber over to a spot between Sizzlipede and an open space where you’d been directing your pokéballs. He was creating a cautionary barrier just in case. You smiled and winked at him – he always knew what you were thinking.

Slurpuff was out for less than five seconds before he tried to rush Sizzlipede. You knew it was in an excited and innocent rush, not aggressive in the least, but it still would have overwhelmed the little nervous bug. Thankfully, Appletun’s barrier proved successful. He stopped Slurpuff in his tracks and vocalized something to him. Nearly all of your other pokémon joined in (Alcremie just watched) in order to tell him to tone it down a lot.

“Listen to them, chief,” you said when there was an opening to speak. “Be gentle and quiet, okay? I know you’re excited.”

To his credit, Slurpuff sagely nodded to you and everyone else. And when Appletun stepped aside, the puffball walked over to Sizzlipede calmly, though at that point the bug had backed up a few steps anyway. Slurpuff was never what you’d call subdued, but this was the closest you’ve seen him be such a thing. He bounced up and down in place and waved his arms once or twice, but thankfully with the others’ encouragement, Sizzlipede was brave and was soon happy to be talking to Slurpuff in kind.

You leaned back against your couch, no longer worried and very content with these results. Sizzlipede was the complete opposite of how you’d first met him earlier today – it boggled your mind how fast all of this went. And now you had six happy pokémon making fast friends.

They certainly were all goofballs in their own way, and you spent the rest of your waking night watching their antics. You laughed when Sizzlipede scuttled up onto Appletun’s pie-like hump after he watched Slurpuff pick Alcremie up and plop her down atop it as well. Appletun started plodding around the living room with both passengers in tow, followed by Slurpuff bouncing along. Their march was soon complete with Polteageist – popped out from the teapot’s bottom and holding a black tendril of Mimikyu’s in each hand – floating behind Slurpuff and carrying Mimikyu in mid-air.

You clapped in delight and laughed again as they passed you in their rounds, waving at you like they were in an official parade. They look like a sort of train, you thought fondly. And though you were focused on your pokémon’s ridiculousness, that thought brought to mind a specific person. And that brought to mind something else in the forefront of your subconscious thoughts that you couldn’t help but say as you clapped for this impromptu show.

“Bravo!” you laughed. “Bravo to everyone! And welcome to the family, little guy!”

Little Shit (affectionate): hey ❗👉❗ the next time you send my brother home
Little Shit (affectionate): when he’s too 😳😮😱😍🥰🥴 to function
Little Shit (affectionate): can you at least give me a heads up ☝️

>No❤️

Little Shit (affectionate): Chandelure had to lead him to bed 🛏🕯👻🕯🚶♂️
Little Shit (affectionate): like a child

> Very nice pictogram

Little Shit (affectionate): thanks

> I guess she led him home again too?

Little Shit (affectionate): he’s like a lovesick Lillipup
Little Shit (affectionate): one of you better make a move soon 😤
Little Shit (affectionate): or I’ll do it for you 🤚🤛

> ARE THESE NOT MOVES I AM MAKING

Little Shit (affectionate): INGO DOESN’T ❗ KNOW ❗THEY ARE
Little Shit (affectionate): you can be all 😊🤗😘😉 you want
Little Shit (affectionate): he’ll still be 🤔 Hmm Perhaps They Fancy Me As I Secretly Do For Them But Also Maybe Not After All Perchance Indubitably Better Play It Safe Forsooth And Such Forth Evermore

> Oh my god

Little Shit (affectionate): you have to slap him in the face with it 💥🖐️🤾♂️

> Metaphorically

Little Shit (affectionate): ok sure
Little Shit (affectionate): just say point blank “Ingo 💖 let’s go on a date 💘”
Little Shit (affectionate): “✨💗 romantically 💞✨”

> Is that part not implied

Little Shit (affectionate): good chance he’ll overthink and take it platonically

> Emmet he can’t be THAT dense

Little Shit (affectionate): oh [Y/N]
Little Shit (affectionate): naïve innocent [Y/N]
Little Shit (affectionate): yes he can
Little Shit (affectionate): but ☝️ only when it comes to this kind of thing
Little Shit (affectionate): in everything else he’s really smart and clever!!
Little Shit (affectionate): especially in pokémon battles!!
Little Shit (affectionate): I can always count on him! 😁

> Aw

Little Shit (affectionate): but dating breaks his brain for some reason

> I feel that. Mine too…

Little Shit (affectionate): yes you’re also dense

> Bye Emmet

Little Shit (affectionate): wait❗❗
Little Shit (affectionate): I just got an idea 💡✨
Little Shit (affectionate): I know what we can try

> Why do I feel a sudden and fast-approaching sense of dread

Little Shit (affectionate): [Y/N] ✨

>…yes? 😥

Little Shit (affectionate): let’s make a bet 😃

The sun was just setting on Nimbasa City, and Ingo was only through a third of his paperwork. This was why he doesn’t like to take days off – even one day can back up the influx if he wasn’t on top of it. He was prepared to stay late again tonight; his hat and coat were already hanging on the rack near the doorway and his undone tie was draped over his shoulders. He’d rolled up his sleeves, prepared a cup of tea, and sat down to work.

Normally, Emmet would not stay quite as late as Ingo; he was responsible for his own paperwork and did it on his own time. Tonight was different but not unheard of. Emmet flipped through his stack quietly, pen working in tandem with Ingo’s own. He didn’t pay it much mind and figured that Emmet had accrued too much as well and needed to nip it in the bud before his desk was swallowed.

As Ingo set another paper in his outbox, Emmet walked up to him with another cup of tea. Pleasantly surprised, he reached up to take the mug from his brother.

“Thank you, Emmet. I was just about to get up to stretch and brew another cup, myself.”

Emmet only nodded and sipped on his own mug, filled with coffee instead. Ingo took his own sip – ahhh, just how he likes it – and sighed as he put it down next to him. But after he selected the next paper and brought it in front of him, he noticed Emmet was still in his peripheral vision, having not moved an inch.

“Do you need something?” he asked genuinely, setting his pen down.

“I have an offer for you.”

His brows knit together immediately and he leaned back fully in his chair. Something told him this wasn’t going to be a quick conversation. His Older Brother Sense™ was sounding an alarm.

“An offer for what, exactly?”

Emmet took his chance and grabbed his desk chair. He rolled it over to his brother and sat on it backwards, leaning over the rear of the chair. Ingo sighed again; heavier and filled with lifelong familiarity with Emmet’s antics.

“Really?”

Emmet nodded, grin wide.

Ingo leaned his elbow on the edge of the desk. His face looked so tired, but right now most of the exhaustion was anticipating what his brother was about to say.

“Yes?”

“I have an idea to help you with you and [Y/N].”

He rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Emmet.”

“Listen, listen.”

“No more of this, please.”

“You’re not doing anything about it. So I thought of an idea.”

“I am working toward it on my own, at my own pace, in my own time—”

“They’ve kissed you twice. On your face. You still haven't gotten the message." A beat. "Or maybe you have and refuse to see it?”

Ingo went silent, still pinching the bridge of his nose with his eyes closed. His frown was deeper than usual and his other hand atop on his chair’s armrest was tap, tap, tapping his index finger.

“If this doesn’t help then I’ll stop bugging you about it forever.”

The hand on his face moved to the side, staying in the air as Ingo gave his brother a look that read Yeah, right.

“I am serious. You know that when I am verrrrry serious, I don’t mess around.”

Ingo stared into Emmet’s eyes, squinting as though that would allow him to see into his twin’s brain processors. Instead, Emmet stared back just as intensely; almost like the staring contests they used to have when they were little kids. But Emmet was right – he was very particular about taking matters seriously. Though that usually applied to pokémon battles, Ingo knew it wasn’t mutually exclusive.

“Okay,” he said after a long silence. “What is this plan of yours?”

“It’s very simple, Ingo,” he replied with a bigger grin. “We’re gonna make a bet.”

The next day, a big shipment of supplies that you ordered in bulk was delivered, and you had your hands full restocking. This time you brought all of your pokémon, some of which helped as they could. Sizzlipede didn’t seem to have an issue being around the café or its back room, which was of a great relief to you. If you had to guess, you thought that maybe because he was in his pokéball the entire time – and likely in the shadows for most of the scuffle – he wasn’t aware of a thing that night. And you were more than fine with that.

Sizzlipede was on the table, watching Polteageist and Mimikyu help with restocking and taking in everything as a whole. Alcremie was with him while Slurpuff and Appletun helped carry things for lower shelves.

“When Gear Station opens for the day,” you explained, “it can get pretty crowded and loud. Mimikyu usually sticks back here or under the front counter. You can go where you feel most comfortable – just give me a sign if it’s too much, yeah?”

He sizzled in the affirmative, and a few of your pokémon chimed in. You were glad your pokémon were the helpful type (though their practicality with it varied wildly), and all were good comforters.

“And don’t wander off from the café area, okay? Slurpuff already has trouble with that, and we—hm?”

Alcremie caught your attention by pointing to the doorway. Looking to see what or who it was, you saw Ingo approaching. Immediately, you smiled and wiped your hands on your apron as you walked out to the counter to meet him. There was no bell at the moment – it was temporarily replaced with a little sign that read

Preparing to open for business. Thank you for your patience!

“Good morning, [Y/N]!” he called a few feet away as he kept walking.

“Morning, Ingo. Battle Subway day today, huh?”

“Indeed. My pokémon and I are ready for the inspiring battles that await us!”

You chuckled. “Can’t wait to hear all about them.”

Ingo’s mouth upturned at the corners, already excited to sit down with you later to talk at length.

“I wanted to stop by before my preparations and say hello, as well as ask how little Sizzlipede is faring!”

Stepping aside so he could see into the back room, Sizzlipede was still on the table in plain view, conversing with Alcremie. Again, she helpfully pointed to the doorway, and he turned around to see the both of you.

“Siiiiizzzzz!” was his happy cry, made as he scuttled down off of the table and over to the two of you. He climbed up the counter effortlessly, standing between you and Ingo as he happily chittered with his twitching little mustache.

“Well, hello! It is very nice to see you again, too!” Ingo leaned over a bit in order to gently pat Sizzlipede on the head. “Are you enjoying being in the company of [Y/N] and their other pokémon? They are very welcoming and I imagine you are making fast friends with all of them!”

You smiled wider as Sizzlipede nodded vigorously. The bug turned to you and stood on his back legs – leaving the other stubs waving in the air happily.

“I think that’s a yes,” you laughed. “Everyone’s getting along great. He’s fit right in.”

Sizzlipede, eyes glistening, scuttled from the counter, onto your arm, then onto your shoulder. You could see his whiskers twitching in your peripheral vision. It made you laugh all over again, bringing a hand up to pat him and leaning your head to the side in a sort-of hug. And Ingo, looking on, had that wistful tint to his eyes.

“It seems to be a perfect match, if I do say so myself. I’m glad that I’ll be seeing him alongside your team.” He turned to look at Gear Station’s main clock. “Ah, though I must be going if I want to make the proper preparations on time.”

“Can I get you a cup to go?” you offered, sticking out your thumb and pointing over your shoulder to where a carafe had already been brewed for yourself. “I can make it up real quick, no problem.”

Ingo turned back to you with a gentle smile. “I would love that, [Y/N].”

You nodded and turned around, already blushing by the feel of your face. Thankfully it began to die down as you prepared his to-go cup yourself; you had it memorized after having watched his sweetening process many times. With the click of the lid, you turned on your heel and held it out for him to take.

“On the house,” you said quickly with a sly grin, before he could reach for his pocket. “And before you argue, don’t you have some safety prep to get to?”

He paused for one brief second, demeanor morphing into one usually reserved for Emmet. Then it dropped, almost playfully, and he reached for the cup.

“Much appreciated, [Y/N]. However, you know I will find a way to reimburse you, whenever or wherever you least expect it.”

You were about to reply with another smart remark when Ingo’s hand closed around the cup and overlapped onto your fingers. Both of you froze and (un?)luckily, with Ingo taking his duties far too seriously to neglect them, he had to end the moment as he brought the cup back to him. You caught yourself smiling coyly, tamping down the expression and clearing your throat. He sipped his coffee in a similarly self-distracting manner before beginning to step away.

“…Well then…I will…see you later, perhaps?”

“Yeah! Yeah, I’d like that.” You gave him a small wave.

“Then I shall.” He tipped his hat with a smile just as shy as yours and continued on to his way to the subway cars across the station.

“Enjoy! …Go get ‘em!”

You immediately covered your face with one hand and trudged back into the back room. With a plop in a chair, you groaned.

“’Go get ‘em’? What am I doing?”

“Polt-ee-gei-eist~!”

The sing-song quality to Polteageist's voice, along with knowingly goading you, was reminiscent of children’s taunting songs on the playground. ‘Susie and Bobby sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g…’

You reached out and gently pushed the lid of his teapot down. He re-appeared from underneath, snickering.

Sizzlipede, having seen your interactions with Ingo both before and after he was adopted into your care, seemed confused by your embarrassment. Your other pokémon chimed in towards both you and the newbie, and you were prodded in the leg by Appletun and Mimikyu. Even Alcremie trudged across the table to you, making soft sounds. As for Slurpuff, it was up in the air whether or not he understood the goings-on, but he cheered with the rest in agreement to their contributions.

The hubbub seemed to successfully clue Sizzlipede in to the situation at hand, as he scuttled across to your other shoulder and then down your arm and looked at you with a twinkle in his eye. He nodded up and down with encouraging chitters and flutters of his mustache.

At the very least, everyone gave you a laugh, covering your face again as you leaned into your hand.

“Enablers, all of you,” you joked, smiling at each of them. Then, with a sigh, you hauled yourself up from the chair, allowing Sizzlipede to climb down to the table again. You put your hands on your hips and took a deep breath. “Okay. We gotta re-focus, though. Gotta get this place ready to chug along again as soon as possible. Right, guys?”

A chorus of calls from all six of your pokémon.

“Alright. Back to work we go.”

The day went by fairly normally after that. Some of your favorite customers stopped by to see how you were doing after another week’s worth of healing. It was touching to you that they didn’t even ask about the café; whether it was because of their acknowledgement of the courtesy sign you put out, seeing the boxes all over, or just plain consideration for you and not your business. They clearly cared about you over your coffee, and it gave you a warm feeling in your heart whenever you encountered one of such people.

Then you had the people that came by asking only about when you’d be open again. When they can get coffee again. Asking if you were open yet. If you could just make a quick coffee order for them. You have the equipment to do it, right? Asking, what sign? Yeah, they read it, but you could just make a quick cup for them, couldn’t you?

And so forth ad infinitum.

Maybe you should have made the courtesy sign bigger. In bright neon colors. With an addition at the bottom saying “No, you cannot be The Exception.”

(They still wouldn’t give a shit.)

Around lunchtime, you took a break to eat and feed your pokémon. You were glad Sizzlipede was good with eating and not going for the others’ food (you glance to Slurpuff, in food jail until he and everyone finishes), and scarfed down the treats you baked yourself. It was always wonderful to see any pokémon enjoy them, and it gave you a pang of happiness every time. But seeing your own do the same – especially a new addition – made the same made the feeling even bigger.

Eventually, it was back to work. You let your pokémon nap, though, while you shuffled through boxes. Appletun was already laying on his side, snoring; you smiled at the adorable sight of Sizzlipede curled up beside Mimikyu, who was leaning on Polteageist’s teapot. Slurpuff tried to stay awake to help, but ended up slumped in a chair and snoring as well. Only Alcremie was still awake, and she had moved to the front counter for a prime people-watching spot.

You picked up a box for the front of the café and headed out of the back room. Most of the supplies in this pick went underneath the front counter, so you ended up just sitting on the floor instead of crouching the whole time. Rhythmically reaching into the box and placing supplies on the split-shelves, you could hear the milling of passengers and pokémon and the noises of subway cars as they arrived and departed. You were so in-tune with the flow of your work that you didn’t hear anyone approach the counter until they spoke up.

“Hello, my good lady,” came what was undeniably Ingo’s voice. “Would [Y/N] be in the back room? We wouldn’t want to barge in without asking permission.”

There was a pause; then a, “Mie,” where you guessed she shook her head no.

“Where are they?” That was Emmet’s voice. And if Emmet was here, too…

You braced yourself for whatever was coming your way and popped your head up over the counter. “Hey, guys.”

“Oh! Pardon us, [Y/N], we did not see you down there!”

“That’s okay. Just stocking underneath.” The genuinely surprised look on Ingo’s face made you smile, and it seeped into your voice. “You guys taking a break from kicking everyone’s butts?”

Ingo opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by Emmet.

“Yes.”

You snorted and shook your head. Ingo gave his brother an unimpressed look.

“…Our lines have suspended operations for breaks, yes. Today’s schedule goes past the usual calls for last departing trains, so we’re taking the opportunity to refresh ourselves and our pokémon before the long haul.”

“Like I said. ‘Yes.’”

You leaned against the counter with folded arms and couldn’t help but smile at the twins. “Well, I’m not officially open, buuut you two get special perks for knowing the owner, if you do want anything.”

“Oh, we couldn’t; I don’t want to have to plan to secretly reimburse more than what I owe from this morning.”

“I do.”

Both of you turned to Emmet, surprised. You began to feel nervousness bubble up from your chest and dread along your back. Though you didn’t notice, Ingo similarly felt anxiety in the pit of his stomach. As long as neither of you shared your feelings with each other, Emmet was terrifying.

“Uh… Like, a cup of coffee or something? I can pour you one ri—”

“No thanks.”

All three of you stood there, waiting. Except as you and Ingo were waiting for Emmet to continue, he was waiting for you to ask further. Alcremie was waiting for anything. And after a long, awkward silence, Emmet won out and you spoke up again.

“…Okaaay… …What…do you want…?”

Emmet dramatically slammed one of his hands on your counter, startling you, Ingo, and Alcremie. His eyes held the same dramatic flair, almost as if there was fire burning behind them.

“A battle.”

You almost laughed in confusion. “What? You’re not serious.”

“I am verrrrrry serious. Battle me.”

“We’ve been through this before, and it’s not like I’ve had time to train—”

“I know. That’s why—” His other hand stretched outward in a well-practiced motion, and pointed directly at his brother. “—Ingo will be your partner!”

“Huh?!”

Both of you vocalized at the same time. Your senses of dread made your blood run cold as each of you remembered separate conversations with the younger twin. Emmet grinned widely.

“I am Emmet. I am a Subway Boss. I run the Double Trains. I like winning more than anything else.”

He stepped back from the counter, still pointing at Ingo and raising his other hand to point at you as well.

“And I challenge you both to a Double Battle!”

Chapter Text

This was it, you thought. This had to be it. This was Emmet’s plan.

Internally, you panicked. It was a great relief that Ingo took the initiative and pulled you aside, all the while watched by Emmet and his confident grin.

“Do you want to participate? You do not have to if you are uncomfortable. He sprung this on both of us, I’m afraid, else I would have warned you ahead of time.”

“Yeah, it’s…” You shook your head. “Yeah. No, yeah, I’ll participate. If you think I’d be a good partner?”

Ingo had to get rid of the blush before it reached his face. “Yes…yes, I believe we can take Emmet on as a team."

“You sure?” Said in a weak tone, you looked at Ingo with an unsure expression.

“I am. If we come up with the right strategy, it will not only overcome Emmet, but it will give all of us a good fight.”

You nodded, looking to your pokémon waiting at the forefront of your café. They’d heard the commotion and came to investigate, hearing the declaration of pokémon battle in the process. All of their eyes were on you – save for Sizzlipede and his endless curiosity taking his gaze this way and that – and all were ready for your choice. You looked back to Ingo.

“Do you have any idea which of his pokémon he’ll choose?”

“Well, let’s see…” Ingo put his hand to his chin; the classic thinking pose. “Your team is largely comprised of fairies and ghosts. He has quite a few pokémon that know steel-type moves or otherwise are the type; as well as a handful that know poison-type moves… There are also some know some especially effective moves against ghost-types…”

“That doesn’t leave much on my end,” you nearly muttered, voice low. “Pure fairy-types are out. That leaves… Appletun, Mimikyu, and Polteageist…”

“Appletun held his own very well in your first battle with Emmet.”

“But he might be expecting me to send him out again because of that.”

“Mm. That is a good possibility.”

“And I don’t have anything that will be super effective against any of his, I don’t think…” You sighed dejectedly. “I’m sorry, Ingo, I’m just going to bring you down in this. All of my support moves belong to my fairy-types…”

“Nonsense! You and I will come up with a plan – believe in yourself and your pokémon!” He gave you an encouraging smile, however small it was. “Now, tell me about some of your move-sets…”

As you hastily discussed with Ingo, Emmet was impatiently tapping his foot and stood with his arms crossed. After a few minutes, he put his hands on his hips and called out to the two of you.

“Battling today would be nice.”

Ingo looked over his shoulder. “You sprung this on us. It is only fair we familiarize ourselves with each other’s pokémon!”

Emmet didn’t have a comeback to that. He re-crossed his arms and continued to tap his foot.

A crowd had been forming as soon as Emmet made his declaration, and it grew the longer you waited. They left the “battlefield” as a perfect circle, with Emmet on one side and you and Ingo on the other. The twins didn’t seem too bothered by battling inside Gear Station. As long as it didn’t wreck your café, you were fine with it, too.

Still. You really had to stop Emmet from doing this right next to your café every so often, as it seemed to be.

After a reasonable amount of time, you and Ingo turned back around from your huddle. It was obvious you still weren’t confident in your ability to keep up with the twins’ battle strategies and strengths, despite having agreed to Ingo’s recommendations. There was a loose plan in place, but it depended upon who Emmet chose – Ingo was very sure about one of them, at least, and you trusted his brotherly intuition.

You swallowed thickly and looked to Emmet, who wore a self-assured expression and briefly matched your gaze.

“We are ready for battle!” said Ingo in a louder, confident voice that you imagined he always used on the Battle Subway. To punctuate, he pointed dramatically at his brother. “Challenge accepted!”

Emmet raised both of his arms, pointing at each of you again. You felt like you should be posing alongside them, but you were too nervous about the battle and its unknown conclusion. The crowd’s attention as a whole was on the Subway Bosses, which gave you some relief.

“This time, I am really serious. Really serious. Because if a battle is not serious, it is not fun.”

The crowd cheered. You got the impression that this was one of the stock phrases he used on the Battle Subway. But right now it seemed to be especially true; his eyes were shadowed by his hat as his intense gaze roamed over both you and Ingo. And you just knew what he was thinking with that shit-eating grin plastered on his face. For you, at least, it was a distraction enough to hinder your part in this battle and you needed to shake it off if you truly wanted to give it your all alongside Ingo.

Emmet drew a breath and began calling out.

“Follow the rules. Safe driving! Follow the schedule. Everybody smile!”

The crowd grew louder. More stock phrases, you mused, though some were definitely part of their actual conductor jobs.

“Check safety. Everything’s ready! Aim for victory!”

And in tandem, the twins pointed and shouted,

“All abooooaaaarrrd!”

Everything happened so quickly, you were caught off-guard. The crowd went wild after Emmet’s lines and the brothers’ shared exclamation. With perfect timing, they had both tossed their pokéballs right at the end of their shout. By the time you called over Mimikyu (all of your pokémon were now a captivated audience for the event), you knew you were out of sync.

Ingo released none other than Chandelure. You were glad that Mimikyu and Chandelure were already acquainted and friendly with each other – that would make the teamwork stronger, you hoped. They were definitely happy to see each other and excited to battle together. You hoped Ingo was as excited to battle with you as you were vice-versa.

Emmet’s pokéballs burst open to reveal his Archeops and Durant. You didn’t know which one was the pokémon Ingo was expecting, but you did know right off the bat that the steel-type bug was going to be a problem for Mimikyu. And besides…

"Are you sure doubling up on the ghost-types was a good call?" you muttered to him out of the side of your mouth.

"I believe our choice in pokémon is beneficial, if we strategize correctly," Ingo answered in a similarly lower voice. “We are taking a great risk that I believe will pay off.”

You knew that the big risk was not only for your Mimikyu, but Chandelure as well – something of Archeops' could be hell on her. But you still trusted Ingo and his intuition. Even if Emmet’s face only became more smug upon seeing your choices.

The crowd roared as pokémon readied their starting positions. Ingo nodded reassuringly to you and received a nervous smile in response. Emmet put his hands on his hips and leered. Ingo drew in a breath.

“Chandelure, Will-O-Wisp!”

And it was off to the races.

Chandelure’s ghostly flames puffed off some of their own embers that began whirling around her in a flash. They collected into a ball of what you would call a sort of flame bubble – hollow and thin – which was then fired Durant’s way with pinpoint accuracy. As the “bubble” wasn’t exactly fast, though, Durant easily dodged to the side at the last moment. Yet he still failed; Chandelure made the bubble pop, sending weak but effective embers in several directions. One of them grazed Durant’s antennae and, like an infection, traveled along his body to give him a burn.

Emmet didn’t seem bothered by it, too focused on the new game of chess he and his brother had begun playing. Honestly, you felt like a sort of third wheel, especially considering the twins had been battling each other nearly their entire lives. They knew each other’s moves and strategies, while you were standing there, blank and unprepared and running on hope.

If this is Emmet's plan, though…is it that important that I win…?

“Rock Slide!” was the younger twin’s first command, and it was a double-dose. Both Durant and Archeops cried out in affirmation, which gave you a bad feeling immediately.

Sure enough, both of Emmet’s pokémon looked skyward, conjuring and summoning boulders of all different sizes from above; ready to begin hurling down toward your pokémon. The crowd stepped back, not wanting to be accidentally hit by an errant boulder. Ingo did so as well, pulling gently on your arm to bring you with him. You swallowed. What a simple touch could do to your brain…

Focus, [Y/N]!

“Mimikyu! Sw—um, swing! Swing her out of there!” you stammered as the boulders began to fall.

She knew what you meant. With incredible reflex, Mimikyu sprung backwards and whipped out both of her black tendril "arms", wrapping one each around Chandelure’s arms. She then swung them hard off to the side just as the boulders reached their destination. Mimikyu’s strong grip on the metal arms ensured that Chandelure was swung in a quarter-circle out of the Rock Slide’s attack zone. A few rocks pinged off of the chandelier, ricocheting with some but minimal damage taken. It was nowhere near close to the damage that the massive avalanche would have wrought had she been bombarded directly.

“Excellent! Thank you,” Ingo said to you on the side. “Let me take Durant next; I know what Emmet has up his sleeve.”

“Got it,” you nodded, trying to feign confidence so hard that it might become real. “I’ll keep Archeops busy.”

Unfortunately, dust billowed in the wake of the Rock Slide, obscuring the field of battle. Some of the crowd coughed and waved their hands in front of them to try and clear it. You couldn’t see past the dust cloud, and that made you hesitate. Emmet didn’t. His next command was followed so quickly, you were still processing what you heard when you spotted Archeops.

“Aerial Ace!”

“Ark-keeee!”

Archeops cried as he burst through the settling dust cloud, wings dispersing a large portion. But he didn’t just fly through – he was zipping up and down and side to side in such a blur that you could barely follow him. Mimikyu couldn’t keep up, either, confounded by the amazing speed of the ancient bird…and was clawed by his talons on impact. They suddenly struck the top of Mimikyu’s disguise, slamming it like a punching bag with an audible WHAP! Mimikyu nearly fell over backwards, leaving both of you caught wildly off guard.

The once-fossilized bird then returned to Emmet, flapping his wings with a great force to propel him backwards. It had the useful side effect of clearing the dust enough for everyone to see the field again.

Mimikyu, though ambushed by the attack, was no worse for wear. Her disguise took the brunt, rendering any damage from the attack to nothing. Archeops looked surprised – Emmet didn’t, of course. He was a Subway Boss and elite trainer for a reason, after all, and you knew he’d done his research on the variety of species of your pokémon. Essentially, the attack was to waste that first hit in order to really get at her.

It turned out that the same tactic was on Ingo’s mind as well. As soon as the dust cleared enough, both of you yelled orders at the same time.

You shouted, “Play Rough!”

While he yelled, “Overheat!”

A very powerful move for him to use so early, you thought. Chandelure’s candle flames suddenly tripled in size with a fwoomph, swirling in place like fiery whirlpools – her head became an inferno, burning so brightly you almost had to shield your eyes. She was one angry-looking ball of fire.

“Luuuuu-ouuuh~” she sang, voice simmering.

At her summoned full power, Chandelure charged Durant. The collision was accompanied by an explosion of flames that engulfed the both of them. It was like the aftermath of a bad car accident; or a gas leak in a house full of dynamite; or a virtual bullet shot into a video game room full of highly combustible red barrels that have absolutely no business being there.

Durant had done something right before the inferno hit him, and you caught sight of it. His mandibles were definitely crunching down on a berry that you didn't catch. Emmet must’ve had Durant hold it when he prepared his pokémon long before you and Ingo even chose yours.

“An Occa berry,” Ingo explained with haste. “Durant is highly susceptible to damage from fire-type attacks, so Emmet equips him with a berry that has the special quality of specifically lessening the damage from one.”

Chandelure had recoiled backwards after the hit, candles flickering and entire body giving off smoke. Durant didn’t exactly look good after being slammed by hell incarnate, but he certainly wasn’t in the dire straits he would've been without the berry's help. You realized then that Ingo had used the same technique as his brother; he wanted Durant to waste his berry early in the battle just as Emmet wanted to waste Mimikyu’s one-time full defense.

Chandelure brought her candles back to their usual light. Durant, on the other hand, had survived the impact without severe damage, but still suffered from the burn inflicted at the battle’s start. You could barely hear Emmet’s next order, but when you did, it sent a chill down your spine.

⏸️

⏪

You shouted, “Play Rough!”

While he yelled, “Overheat!”

⏸

▶️

As Chandelure was charging up, Mimikyu made her own move at your behest. The head of the disguise she wore was now flopping around at the neck every time she moved, so when she broke into a high-speed sprint it was rapidly bouncing off of her back. Archeops had just returned to Emmet’s side of the “battlefield” and was not expecting to be immediately rushed by Mimikyu after his aerial attack.

With a gleam in her eye, she chose the perfect moment – before Archeops could swing his wings back upward after they’d made that great push backwards. It was only a split-second timeframe, and it meant that the bird was in no position to get away.

“KyyuuuuuuuuuUUUU!”

Her cry started out high-pitched and cute and gradually became an aggressive, guttural growl. At the same time as Chandelure charged Durant, Mimikyu grabbed onto Archeops like a suction cup, encircling him with her tendrils as though she were giving him a hug. Which was technically correct, given the move she was enacting…

“KEE?!”

Mimikyu flipped Archeops and slammed him to the ground with far more force than should be exerted from a tiny little thing. Archeops flapped and struggled to be released from her grasp while she wrestled with him like a rowdy sibling. Together, the two kicked up some of the settled dust from the earlier Rock Slide, cloaking them like fight clouds in cartoons, with a colorful loose feather floating off here and there. Archeops would definitely be the one making censored curses out of punctuation marks and other symbols that always accompanied them. By the time they were done, the next move had been made beside them.

Chandelure brought her candles back to their usual light. Durant, on the other hand, had survived the impact without severe damage, but still suffered from the burn inflicted at the battle’s start. You could barely hear Emmet’s next order, but when you did, it sent a chill down your spine.

“Shadow Claw.”

It knows a ghost move?! Ah, fuck.

From his own shadow cast on the floor by Gear Station’s lights, Durant summoned a vicious-looking claw that rose in the poise of an Arbok ready to strike. With Mimikyu tied up in her cartoon fight cloud, Ingo did the only thing he could to save Chandelure from the incoming double-damage, hoping it would be in time.

“Protect!”

Durant commanded his shadow-made claw to thrust forward; the jet-black hand’s fingers tipped with the sharpest points that could be manifested. The hand pulled back and curved its fingers for the perfect slash, then swung. But with Ingo’s quick thinking and Chandelure’s quick reflexes, she used her energy to summon a solid, translucent shield that nearly didn’t manifest in time. The claw hit the shield as planned, thankfully, and its sharp nails screeeeeeched against the surface as it scraaaaaped across. Had the shield not been utterly impossible to breach, it would have torn like paper.

“Aaaahhnnt…”

The shadow dispersed after it futilely clawed across, enraging Durant (you thought – Durant looked and sounded perpetually annoyed). It was compounded by more damage afflicted by his burn.

You couldn’t tell what Emmet was thinking; during battle, he was so composed. Ingo was similarly composed, of course, but that was also a big part of his personality and extended beyond battle. It wasn't like your first battle with him at all. Seeing Emmet this serious – as he had promised – was almost…eerie.

Is this how trainers feel when they face him on the subway…?

Momentarily aware of the crowd again, you became self-conscious. Unlike the twins, you were probably telegraphing every feeling for everyone to see.

“Kee! Ar-KEE!”

As the remnants of Durant’s shadow faded away, the play session of Mimikyu and Archeops ended with the latter finally breaking free of Mimikyu’s grip. His talons kicked her off, sending her skidding across the field of battle and back near Chandelure. Both had to catch their breath and get their bearings after their respective attacks, and it was Emmet who called out the next one before you or Ingo could act.

“Earthquake.”

Uh-oh.

Archeops dipped down and kicked off of the ground, before swiftly grabbing Durant in his talons and flapping airborne once again. The simple tap against the ground set the move into motion. The battlefield – and thankfully only the battlefield – began to rumble. You could feel it in your body, despite being off to the side in the safe zone. It rattled your limbs and pounded in your chest with each shake.

The crowd was cheering louder; apparently big fans of the move.

Chandelure was once again overly susceptible…or she would be, if she were not a floating ghost. You weren’t sure what Emmet was trying to accomplish, using a move with such a big area of effect for tiny little Mimikyu. And as another futile effort to boot. With the same idea as Archeops, Chandelure quickly drifted over to Mimikyu, whose tendril arms grabbed hold of the chandelier’s. They slowly drifted upward as the quake rumbled violently below the two teams, affecting no one. But Emmet’s plan soon became apparent.

“Shadow Claw!"

As the two totem pole-like teams hovered across from each other, Durant’s shadow began lifting from the ground and reshaping itself once more. It hit you: Durant didn’t need his physical body to use the move – but Mimikyu relied on her tendrils, both of which were tied up with Chandelure. And Chandelure very well couldn’t ignite herself so long as Mimikyu was holding onto her; nor would Protect be effective twice in a row. In the time it would take to defend themselves, Durant’s attack would have already landed.

“Swing!” came Ingo’s shout from beside you. “Swing her above their reach!”

It was Chandelure’s turn to repay Mimikyu's earlier rescue, rocking back and forth as Durant’s shadow hand took its form. You instantly knew what he was thinking and joined in without reservation.

“Swing it, Mimikyu!” It was little more than courtesy at this point; you knew that she knew what to do, too.

Durant’s claw finished forming once more; its sharp points would be glistening in the light had it not been made of inky black void. Simultaneously, Chandelure was on the upswing forward – and so was Mimikyu.

“Now!” was yelled by all three trainers in perfect synchronicity, earning a huge cheer from the crowd on all sides.

Chandelure came to the peak of her upswing. Durant’s Shadow Claw lunged forward. Mimikyu let go of her hold, momentum of the swing flinging her into the air.

“Shadow Claw!”

Emmet did not call out twice. You shouted the command when Mimikyu released her grip.

Everyone watched as if the moment was in slow motion. One of Mimikyu’s tendrils snapped forward after letting go of Chandelure, imbued with far more ghostly energy and tipped with the sharpest claws. Durant’s own claw was too fast – it swiped as Mimikyu made an arc in the air, tearing a portion of her disguise’s fabric and nicking the bottom of her hidden body.

But Mimikyu was unflappable. Her Shadow Claw made a horizontal swipe against the other, slapping it away with brute force. Durant’s claw was shoved aside before it could do any more damage, and it was hit with enough force that it bent at the point of impact before beginning to disperse. And as Mimikyu reached the peak of her arc into the air, she then swung it in the opposite direction with the same brute force, giving Durant’s face a back-handed slap that was so hard he was wrenched from Archeops's talons, sent flying to the side, and crashed into the ground.

A mere couple of seconds.

The crowd went wild. Even both of the Subway Bosses seemed impressed, with Ingo cheering to you, “Bravo! What a crafty maneuver! Fantastic thinking, [Y/N]!”

You looked at him with the biggest smile you could muster, embarrassed. “Well…it was really Mimikyu’s maneuver.”

“Of course! A stunning bravo to her as well!”

Your heart swelled.

Battle's not over yet. Get your shit together.

Durant looked bad at this point. His antennae were drooping and his eyes looked frustrated and exhausted. It was made worse by the burn still affecting him, and he winced as it flared up to scorch away his health again. Mimikyu was hanging in there, having only scraped by an attack that would have seriously injured her. Chandelure and Archeops were doing better than the rest, and were now facing each other as their respective partners recovered from their falls.

Archeops eyed Mimikyu, clearly eager to finish one of his enemies off for an easier win. Ingo had to act fast.

“Shadow Ball, Chandelure!”

“Aerial Ace!”

Both twins shouted with their signature point at each other, making the crowd louder.

Archeops didn’t hesitate, once again becoming a blur in all directions. Chandelure had already begun channeling her energy into a dark purple orb in front of her. You didn’t know who would strike first – Shadow Ball could hit a good-sized area if it were to be sent forward before Archeops could zip past it, but…

Chandelure released her Shadow Ball as Archeops closed the gap between them. It hit the bird dead-on; but because of his impressive speed, it did little to slow him down. Not nearly enough to prevent the strength of his attack, as Chandelure learned the hard way with Archeops’s talons slamming into her head with an echoing TONG-NG-NG!

Both were knocked backwards to the ground and had to spend a moment to get themselves in the air again. You glanced from Mimikyu's recovery to Chandelure's, then Archeops's; making it to Durant was stopped in your visual tracks by what you spied on the downed bird.

The good was that Archeops was now burned like his fellow teammate. Slamming into Chandelure’s flame-filled body gave him a little souvenir for his trouble. You could see the flares of tiny embers run up his talons and across the cracks in his rocky body, adding to his declining battle health. The bad was that Archeops was now finishing off a berry of his own. This one you recognized as a Sitrus Berry, and you cursed under your breath. It didn't heal in excess, only restoring a little vitality, but that could mean all the difference in battle like this.

“This is actually a good sign,” said Ingo, reading your mind. “If he is consuming it now, it means Archeops feels his health is waning enough to need it.”

You nodded, though it didn’t exactly make you feel any better, especially when Mimikyu was in a worse boat. If you could just finish off Durant, then your chances of winning would skyrocket.

“Iron Head.”

Nevermind! You should’ve known that even thinking such a thing would Jynx you.

Durant stamped his feet up and down in anticipation, facing Mimikyu with a hardened gaze. His head shone more and more from the lights of the station, becoming glossy and sturdier. He wasn’t that far away from where Mimikyu landed, and she wasn’t in any condition to make a quick getaway nor dodge at the last second.

“Shadow Ball, again!” Ingo ordered in hopes that another ball of ghostly energy could stop Durant in his tracks before he made it to Mimikyu.

“Archeops, stall them!”

Yet another chill went down your spine, worriedly looking from one enemy to the other. Archeops screeched and flung himself at Chandelure right as she was in the middle of charging the shadowy orb. It broke her concentration; the ball went flying errantly upward way too early when Archeops grabbed one of her arms with his talons and pulled like a petulant child.

The stalling worked. As Chandelure was intercepted and wrestled with Archeops, Durant sprinted toward Mimikyu with his skull as hard and thick as iron. She tried to brace herself by crossing her arms, to no avail. The Iron Head impact struck Mimikyu perfectly. The feeling of steel leeching through her body was like electricity as it reacted with the very essence of her fairy-type.

Mimikyu flew backwards like a ragdoll, landing face-down on the ground near you. The crowd quieted.

“Mimikyu!” you cried, running and stumbling over to check on her. “Pal, hey—hey, pal, can you get up? Can you hear me?”

She rolled over by herself with an oomph, to your massive relief. The crowd on your side was just as relieved, chanting her name in triumph. But she really didn’t look so good, having sustained a great deal of damage from the type-effective moves. She struggled getting to her “feet,” which you let her do before placing a hand on top of her.

“Pal, you don’t have to keep going if it’s too much,” you said in a low voice. “You’ve already been amazing.”

You knew her answer before she gave it – you could see the determination like a fiery backlight in her eyes.

“Kyuu-kyu!” she shook her head while the head of her disguise flopped back and forth.

“You sure, pal?”

“Kyu!” A nod with zero hesitation.

With a crooked smile, you took a deep breath and shared in some of her own resolute attitude with a nod. “Okay, then… Let’s go get ‘em.”

⏸️

Chapter Text

⏪⏪

Little Shit (affectionate): wait❗❗
Little Shit (affectionate): I just got an idea 💡✨
Little Shit (affectionate): I know what we can try

>Why do I feel a sudden and fast-approaching sense of dread

Little Shit (affectionate): [Y/N] ✨

>…yes? 😥

Little Shit (affectionate): let’s make a bet 😃

⏸️

▶️

>No…?

Little shit (affectionate): cmon 😟

>Make a CASE for this bet
>Go

Little Shit (affectionate): I have a plan
Little Shit (affectionate): I bet that it'll be successful
Little Shit (affectionate): and if it is you have to ask Ingo on a ✨date✨
Little Shit (affectionate): no excuses or getting out of it

>And if it's not successful

Little Shit (affectionate): then you don't have to

>That's it?
>What exactly is my motivation here

Little Shit (affectionate): and I will stop hassling you

>That's it?

Little Shit (affectionate): either it works and you finally go on a date 🥰
Little Shit (affectionate): or it doesn't and you don’t have to do anything 😒

>And you're not going to tell me WHAT this plan is?

Little Shit (affectionate): nope

>I have to bet in good faith alone?

Little Shit (affectionate): yup

>This plan about your plan sucks, Emmet

Little Shit (affectionate): why
Little Shit (affectionate): are you scared? 😏

>🙄 You can’t get me with that

Little Shit (affectionate): afraid my plan will work? 😨😱
Little Shit (affectionate): I didn’t say you couldn’t try and stop me

>How do I stop you when I don’t even know what there is to stop!!

Little Shit (affectionate): you’ll know it when it happens
Little Shit (affectionate): trust me 😉

> /:
>So if whatever it is “works” then you win the bet.
>And I have to ask Ingo on a date for real.

Little Shit (affectionate): for real

>But if it doesn’t “work” then I win the bet
>And you stop hassling me about how badly we’re doing in that department

Little Shit (affectionate): forever

>Dubious

Little Shit (affectionate): I take my promises verrrry seriously
Little Shit (affectionate): I would never go back on it

>See, that makes this scarier

Little Shit (affectionate): so you are scared? 🙂

>I have a lot to lose here, Emmet!

Little Shit (affectionate): what
Little Shit (affectionate): your single status?
Little Shit (affectionate): your everyday longing for my brother??

>PLUS asking someone out because of a *BET* is a pretty shitty thing to do!

Little Shit (affectionate): not if you’ve wanted to
Little Shit (affectionate): and are procrastinating

>hhhghh

Little Shit (affectionate): I’m giving you an easy way in
Little Shit (affectionate): or out 🤷♂️
Little Shit (affectionate): depends on how badly you want this
Little Shit (affectionate): and how much you trust me

>god
>Let me think about it okay

Little Shit (affectionate): okay

⏩

Little Shit (affectionate): it has been 5 hours and 16 minutes
Little Shit (affectionate): will you take my bet

>😔 I’ve convened with my staff

Little Shit (affectionate): 👀

>I
>reluctantly
>take your bet

Little Shit (affectionate): 😀😁‼️
Little Shit (affectionate): you won’t regret it

⏩⏩

▶️

Mimikyu ran back to the field of battle, cheers sounding louder and louder behind her. You went back to stand next to Ingo, wracking your brain to formulate a plan. Similar to your pokémon, he could see the determination in your eyes.

“She wants to finish this,” you said. “And I think I know how we can do it.”

“Do tell,” he replied, proud and on board before you said a word more.

Emmet watched you two talk under your breath, ending your short and secret conversation by looking directly into his eyes with great intensity. His grin widened.

Archeops and a haggard Durant had reconvened during your check on Mimikyu, ready to act. Chandelure was standing by as well, singing a note to her teammate and receiving a squeaky reply. The courtesy pause was over: the end of the battle began.

“X-Scissor.”

“Play Rough!”

You and Emmet went at it again. Mimikyu sprinted for Durant, who merely waited for her. It went fairly simply; she leapt a few feet away from the bug, tendrils outstretched and ready to rough him up as she did his partner. She missed.

Rather, Archeops gave her a swift kick in the middle of her leap, rendering her attack useless while also sending her down into Durant’s waiting mandibles. They snapped shut the instant she fell between them, closing like the move’s namesake. Mimikyu was squished and slashed at the same time, Durant’s mandibles having turned sharp like scissors. He then shook his head violently and sent her flying once again.

Despite her failing health, Mimikyu managed to land in a good position, upright and skidding to a stop beside Chandelure.

“Kyu-h!” she huffed, cutely pouting despite the critical danger she faced.

The upside was that the burns on both of Emmet’s pokémon refused to relent. They winced as it affected them once more; a flare-up here, a flare-up there. Eating and chipping away at their health with no more berries left to help them.

You and Ingo glanced at each other in your peripheral vision and nodded.

“Overheat!”

With the battle heading for its final terminal, Ingo reignited Chandelure’s most powerful move. The whirlpool and raging inferno of flames took over her body once more and through them, you could see her resolute, angry facial features burning the brightest. You could smell the incineration of the air around her.

The second that Chandelure took off to pass that incineration on to Durant, Emmet countered.

“Protect!”

Archeops cried out in the affirmative. Like Chandelure before him, he summoned a translucent shield that spanned both himself and Durant. It seemed like a rookie oversight on Ingo’s part, not to mention a waste of time. Emmet tried to figure out what his endgame was, especially since Chandelure kept rushing forward despite the futility. Her attack was going to fail once she hit their shield at full-speed. There was nothing that could get through Protect's shield once it was up, after all.

Almost. Almost nothing.

“Phantom Force!” you yelled with so much gusto that your voice cracked roughly, straining from excitement little by little.

“Kyuuuuuuu…”

Mimikyu let out a low, eerie whisper as her shadow appeared to bleed into her disguise’s fabric. It crept up her body like she was being consumed; turning her pitch-black save for the menacing glint in her eyes. When it enveloped her completely, she sank into the ground as though melting like liquid. But no; she had become her very shadow, flat on top of the ground as an amorphous black void.

With a speed she could not achieve above-ground, her shadow shot across the battlefield, outrunning even Chandelure despite the latter’s head-start. Both had the same target but only one would make their mark.

Can’t Protect from Phantom Force, you remembered from your trainer days. And it’s Mimikyu’s favorite move.

Mimikyu raced past Chandelure, the impenetrable shield, and Emmet’s duo not unlike the blur Archeops achieved using Aerial Ace. There was no hiding nor dodging for the enemy. Her shadow came to a stop on a dime behind the steel bug. A glint of her eyes could be seen flashing from her shadow for a brief but terrifying second before Mimikyu emerged. Her shadow rose much like Durant’s Shadow Claw did; slow and deliberate – except as a ghostly, ominous presence that consumed Durant in an instant.

“Dura—"

His disappearance into darkness was silenced with a yelp. He was inside no longer than a second or two – moments wherein Archeops’s Protect faded away and Chandelure’s massive inferno extinguished without having hit a thing – before being unceremoniously tossed out like a ragdoll to match how she had been handled. Mimikyu was not fucking around.

Emmet came forward to check on his pokémon, but the results were far obvious before his call. Durant fainted.

Durant fainted!!

Cheers erupted from your side once more, nearly drowning out your happy yells you made to Mimikyu upon her return to normal. Ingo joined in on the cheers with hearty clapping and a couple of patented Bravo!’s, his smile shining your way.

Emmet recalled Durant’s unconscious form without comment. From your distance, you couldn’t tell if Emmet’s facial expression even changed – he was still wearing that shit-eating, smug grin as though he’d already won.

“We haven’t arrived at the station yet,” he said after catching you studying him, both hands palms-up at his sides.

“We’ll see about that!” you returned, having really gotten into this.

Ingo smiled at your side. You had gone from awkward to passionate in no time at all. Battling alongside you was a great deal of fun for him, too; even if Emmet did seem to have an agenda of his own. In terms of the battle, you two were well-off, but only by a small margin. Archeops’s burn gave your team some damage output to work with. Mimikyu was closest to fainting; Chandelure was around the halfway mark, Ingo estimated, with only a smidge more health than Archeops in the current moment.

The first half of your plan had worked (which made Ingo all the prouder) – he just needed to carve a path so the second half could end this once and for all.

“Earthquake.”

Emmet chugged along, intending to take Mimikyu out and finish Chandelure off more easily. It was a smart move, too – your team members weren’t near each other anymore, meaning a repeat of Chandelure’s rescue from the first quake out of the equation. Archeops dove, slamming his talons into the ground once again. The rumbling began to pick up as Mimikyu stood helplessly on the field.

Chandelure can’t help carry her this time…but…!

“Hey, pal!” you called out to her. “There’s no shame in asking a stranger for help!”

More than a few people in the crowd were confused and contemplated what that could possibly mean. Mimikyu knew, though. Your pokémon always knew. After all, she wasn’t alone on the opposite side.

Archeops yelped in confusion upon realizing Mimikyu had wrapped her tendrils around one of his legs and used it to grapple herself off the ground. She didn’t wait for agreement, her grip instantly tight.

“Ar-keEE-eeEE-eeEE…!!” cried Archeops, each exaggerated shake of his afflicted talon punctuated by a sharp rise in the pitch of his cry. Mimikyu didn’t let up despite being waved around by his violent shaking. In fact, she actually seemed like she was having fun.

Archeops’s frantic actions increased when he discovered that Mimikyu was actually bringing him down to ground level. His Earthquake had stopped already; however…

“Chandelure! Another taste of Shadow Ball is in order, I think!”

“Luuu~” Chandelure agreed with her cheery sing-song lilt, already gathering the ghostly energy she needed to form the orb.

Mimikyu continued to hang on for dear life, all the while slowly dragging Archeops down to the ground – making him a sitting Ducklett. Her grip tightened as Chandelure’s Shadow Ball was nearly complete, waiting for the other ghost’s signal. It looked like Chandelure was really putting her all into this one.

She released the attack with gusto; arms thrust forward as far as they would allow, with her candles’ flames leaving residual energy trails as the ball floated away. Archeops tried to flap away in any direction; up, left, right, anywhere at all, nearly touching the ground now. Yet despite Mimikyu’s incredibly minuscule weight, he couldn’t. And with a simple nod from Chandelure head and the traveling Shadow Ball having grown triple its size, Mimikyu took the next shake of Archeops’s leg to release her grip and dodge her partner’s incoming attack.

The bird was not so lucky. It hit him smack-dab in the face.

The Shadow Ball dispersed as if it were smoke, with ghostly trails of purple flowing around Archeops, who had fallen to the ground completely. Some of the trails were briefly lit with blue flame after his burn came back to crawl across his feathers and, in a way, literally haunt him. It was quite pretty, in all honesty – some of the crowd oohed and ahhed and even you loved how it looked.

Emmet and Archeops…not so much. And with both of your pokémon in the same area again, they had the perfect remedy.

“Rock Slide.”

The crowd gasped, knowing what this could spell out for you and Ingo. Being right next to each other like this meant Mimikyu couldn’t pull them out in time and her small amount of health was finished; and Chandelure was seconds away from a battle-ending avalanche. Archeops already looked triumphant as he screeched victoriously, summoning the boulders to send crashing upon your ghosts.

And indeed down they came, creating another huge cloud of dust as the boulders visibly and audibly crumbled to the ground. The entire stage went quiet; there was only the sounds of the last few pebbles bouncing off each other. The crowd was hushed and trying to see through the dust. You and Ingo were craning your necks and waving your hands to try and disperse it. The result would decide the battle’s victors once and for all: either your pokémon were knocked out at the same time, or the final part of your plan would commence.

The dust finally settled enough for the combatants and spectators to see the result. Chandelure’s weak flames were sputtering, nearly out; just waiting for the sight-line to clear. She smiled with a crackling, sing-song chatter to Mimikyu, who returned it with gratitude from between her arms. Chandelure had shielded her tiny friend at the expense of the rest of her health, being hit hard for double the damage. Mimikyu patted her friend on the arm, sitting in-between the metal structures like she was in jail. It left her alone when Ingo confirmed the fainting and recalled his ace pokémon.

Having her as a shield was Ingo’s suggestion, and even though you knew Chandelure was happy to comply with the strategy, you weren’t entirely comfortable with the idea of her sacrifice. But it worked. She had protected Mimikyu successfully, leaving the last part of your plan up to her. And this part you loved.

A second after Chandelure was recalled, you shouted what you hoped was your final command.

“Mimic!”

Emmet balked. Finally, you got a reaction out of him, and you knew it was because he realized that he and Archeops were absolutely done for. And the crowd agreed with aplomb.

There was no fanfare to using Mimic, really; only sheer concentration on the user’s part. Archeops’s Rock Slide was copied into Mimikyu’s moveset without song or dance. The result only began to come around visually when she visibly perked up, glaring her enemy’s way even if her disguise covered the expression. It was felt more than seen, and Archeops worriedly recoiled from the thick, tense air.

Pebbles and dust started to manifest in the air above, sprinkling down and spelling Archeops’s doom. The dropping rocks grew in size as Mimikyu placed all of her concentration into mimicking the move. Then, with one great shudder that made her disguise straighten in the air – ears and tail pulled upwards; the jagged edges of the bottom of her disguise lightly flapping as if in the wind – she let out a guttural cry that made everybody’s hair stand on end.

“Mim…ic…YOU…!”

The last you saw of Archeops before the boulders and dust obscured him was a look that so perfectly captured the essence of Oh, Crap.

Everyone waited. You knew that the move was just as powerful on him as it was on Chandelure, but if he made it through with even a sliver of health left, then the burn would take care of the rest. If it was more than that, well…then you and Mimikyu were the ones done for.

Silence reigned as the billowing dust cloud settled among the boulders scattered on the ground. You spied one colorful feather…then another… Then the crowd spotted some, murmuring amongst themselves… And then, your heart sank; Archeops’s form shifted and shakily lifted, excess rocks rolling off of his back. He took one look at Mimikyu, shaking on his arms – and then dropped.

Emmet stepped forward to check. It was made official when he recalled Archeops into his ball.

The crowd was deafening. Even the people who were on Emmet’s side clapped for your victory, if only because the match was so entertaining. Mimikyu began bouncing and twirling and squealing despite how close to fainting she was. Your side of the crowd chanted her name in time with her little jumps – she definitely had fans now.

You were proud and giddy and smiling so wide it almost hurt. Mimikyu jumped into your arms (giving you a momentary chill), allowing you to tell her how proud you were, how well she did, how amazing she’d been. She played sheepish, but you knew that she loved it alongside an entire crowd of people singing her praises.

Ingo joined in as he walked over to you, having revived Chandelure and prepared to heal up Mimikyu.

“I have said it before yet I will say it again, having lost none of the sentiment behind it: Bravo! You did not accept being railroaded to the sidelines and got yourself back on track with tremendous resolve!”

You set Mimikyu on the ground again so she may meet with Chandelure and share the glory together. The crowd had a second wind when she returned as well, and the two ghost-types were thoroughly enjoying the victory together. Ingo graciously sprayed Mimikyu down with a Max Potion, and being revitalized only intensified her jumps and twirls and squeals of delight.

(But…if you won, why did you feel so disappointed?)

Briefly, you glanced at Emmet across the field, who similarly revived his own pokémon. He was still wearing that smug grin, you noticed, as he calmly walked over to you and Ingo with his team.

(And…if you won, why did Emmet still look so smug?)

“You did it!” were his first words. “Congrats!”

“Thanks!” you returned genuinely as you struggled to identify that hidden tone you were sure he was using. “That was really exciting! I was afraid there at the end!”

Mimikyu made a proud huff, gesturing to Chandelure and herself.

“You two made a good combination of pokémon,” Emmet said to them with a nod. “One of my favorites. And I’ve seen a lot.”

The two ghosts sung and squealed with glee.

“That was quite a fight you put up,” Ingo told his brother. “We haven’t had a thrilling battle such as this in quite some time!”

You laughed, delighted to have shared it with them. Ingo brought a hand to the brim of his hat as though he wanted to cover his face, but stopped himself short and simply adjusted it instead. Emmet’s smile grew a bit more devious.

“Yup. Because you and [Y/N] make a great two-car train!”

Slowly, the realization once again dawned on you. What Emmet’s plan was, what winning meant. You had been so swept up by the excitement of the battle, of having that fire lit beneath you, of being partners with Ingo – you’d completely forgotten the bet you had made with Emmet.

He looked at you as these thoughts crept across your mind, and you just knew that he knew what you were thinking about. That these thoughts only hit you now, as you were basking in the aftermath of your win.

Ingo cleared his throat, startling you from your reverie and drawing your eyes back to him. After Emmet’s comment, he did end up hiding his face a little bit, though you could still see his face was quickly turning pink.

“I am honored to have participated in this battle alongside you, [Y/N],” he spoke, trying to sound more confident. “You have certainly reached new heights as you return to pokémon battling, and the training your pokémon still remember is phenomenal!”

You couldn’t help but smile, worsening his blush. “It really was great battling as a team with you. I had fun, too!”

At least you could say that without letting your other thoughts hinder the true feeling behind the words. He nodded, the corners of his mouth lifting just a touch.

“We should get back,” Emmet interrupted.

“Oh! Yes, of course! I hope we—” Ingo, in a slight panic, looked at the clock and sighed with relief. “Good. We aren’t late. But we must go if we wish to keep it that way!”

“Yeah, of course!” you nodded, bright smile hiding disappointment. “Your shifts run late tonight, you said? Maybe I’ll see you later if I’m still around?”

“Probably not,” said Emmet.

With a little more tact, Ingo replied, “You should go home before the night gets too late. The Battle Subway is scheduled to close after the main subways cease operation; you would be…staying past closing.”

There was audible worry in his voice when speaking that last part, and all three of you knew why. You rubbed one arm, trying to keep looking upbeat.

“Ah…good point. Then, um…see you tomorrow.”

“Absolutely!” Ingo nodded again, recalling Chandelure after she and Mimikyu said brief goodbyes.

Emmet did the same with Archeops and Durant, nodding silently in agreement. You and he shared a look between you that left you feeling more uncomfortable; more…sad?

He did say “forever,” you thought. No more…annoying prodding… That’s my prize…

The twins saluted to you, and then the crowd that had begun to disperse. A good chunk of them followed the Subway Bosses as they went to continue their other battles for the rest of the day. Another group stayed, giving more praise to Mimikyu and congratulating you on your joint win. You hid your feelings behind a mask of a smile and kept your replies modest and down-to-earth.

When you were finally able to return to your café, your other pokémon swarmed Mimikyu with enthusiasm, chattering away with obvious delight and their own pride in their friend. In particular, you noticed, Sizzlipede practically had stars in his eyes. While the others bombarded Mimikyu, he stood in front of her in awe. It was enough to distract you from your other predicament, smiling at how adorable he was; how much he looked up to her, despite knowing her less than a couple of days. How you might have another battler on your hands…

Alas, the terrible feeling persisted through the day. The handling of your pokémon, the return to restocking; the latter was particularly hard to get back to after the adrenaline and excitement from the battle. But it had to be done, no matter how conflicted you were feeling – you returned to sitting behind the counter where you’d been when the twins first showed up.

He just won’t…bother me anymore. He won’t mention anything. He won’t…help.

Your hand wavered putting the next item on the shelf as your thoughts overcame you, staring into your lap just like Alcremie blankly staring into the distance. Appletun nudged you and put his head on your leg. You pet him idly, never really coming out of your detachment.

I don’t have to ask Ingo out… Emmet won’t push me to… He won’t push me to do anything anymore. That’s good…right? I should be relieved……right?

I won at Ingo’s side. I should be happy…right?

Why am I sad about this?

The hand petting Appletun came to a rest, and the hand holding the item you were stocking lowered next to you.

Why did Emmet look like he still won?

You left early that night, too nervous about a repeat event to stay past sundown. At home, you made celebratory pokésnacks for Mimikyu’s win and enjoyed everyone’s delighted faces – especially Sizzlipede’s newfound appreciation for your variety of treats so far. You went to bed early as well, telling yourself it was because of the pokémon battle wearing you out and not because you were still fighting conflicted emotions. Everyone snuggled up beside you in bed and were soon snoring away while you stared at the ceiling until exhaustion took you to dreamland, too.

“Emmet, if you challenge me to another battle, I will climb over this counter and strangle you.”

Tired eyes met bright ones early the next morning, with you still in preparations and Emmet chipper and ready for the day. Morning People.

“I have to leave too soon for one,” was his response, said through another shit-eating grin. “How is it going?”

You decided to humor him, though the look on your face made sure he knew that you weren’t up for shenanigans today.

“I’m almost done. At least another day, I think.”

Floating around the shelves, Polteageist hovered beside you and nodded his head in agreement. You glanced to him, then back to Emmet.

“My supervisor agrees.”

He actually chuckled a little – though you weren’t sure why that surprised you. Maybe because he had been up to Ultra Bullshit lately and you had forgotten what he was like when down to his normal level (Minor Bullshit).

“That’s good. Both Ingo and I miss your coffee.”

“Really?” You rubbed the back of your neck, a little surprised. “I mean, like I said yesterday, I can make you a cup now before work if you want?”

He shook his head. “No, but thanks. I already had one this morning.”

“Oh. Okay…” you trailed off awkwardly.

“I just wanted to stop by and see how you were doing.”

You narrowed your eyes. “In relation to what?”

“So suspicious!” He shook his head again, this time putting his hands on his hips as he did so. “I can’t do anything.”

“You know why that is,” you shot back, pointing a finger.

It was clear that Emmet was taking everything in good humor, at least. He wasn’t getting annoyed or angry; nor was he offended. Of course, that made it more annoying for you.

“Actually…” you continued before he made a retort, “…you’re a little too cheerful for someone who lost a bet.”

“What do you mean?” He was definitely playing dumb.

“It wasn’t some low-stakes bet, either. You should be disappointed.”

“Dunno what you’re talking about.” He shrugged exaggeratedly, elbows bent and hands palms-up. “I think I made out pretty neutral.”

“Wh— You lost!”

“Oh, did I~?” he replied with a tone implying as though he were about to reveal some hidden loophole that meant he really did win.

But…he didn’t. He simply tipped his hat and marched away to work, leaving you leaning over the counter with your hands on your head. Alcremie shuffled over and patted your face in reassurance.

“Did you get what he was saying?” you asked her in exasperation.

She took way too long a time to think for the answer “no”.

“Neither did I.”

With a sigh, you pushed yourself back up, ran a hand down your face, and went back to work. It didn’t last long.

"Good morning!"

You jumped, dropping the box in your hands and biting down a yelp.

“Ah— I’m so sorry for startling you, [Y/N]!” Ingo, having appeared at your counter after his brother like clockwork, looked ready to rush forward in case you needed help. “It seems to happen quite a bit…”

Turning around, you smiled at him, embarrassed. “No, it’s okay! Just a little jumpy today…”

He didn’t look like he believed you.

“Let me just put these in the back, okay?”

“Oh! Of course!”

You picked up the box and brought it into the back room, even though you had just brought it out from there in the first place. It let you take a moment to take a deep breath and prepare to face him like a normal person. Appletun followed you back out to the front counter, where Ingo was waiting.

“Now I can say good morning,” you forced yourself to chuckle, dusting your hands off.

Ingo cleared his throat. “Yes! Hello! Good morning!”

Now, Ingo was normally enthusiastic with his greetings, but this one seemed…off. Forced, almost, like “over-acting” his part. And come to think of it, when you had come back outside, it seemed like he waited like a statue. He stood far too rigid and unmoving – and for Ingo, that was saying a lot – posture as tall as can be, holding his hat in his hands for some reason. Or rather, his fingers minutely worked their way around its brim bit by tiny bit. Everything about Ingo right now practically screamed "nervous".

"Uh…yeah. Morning, Ingo." You raised an eyebrow in a combination of confusion and mild worry. "You…okay?"

"Oh-- yes, I am fine, thank you!" In no way was his reply comforting. "And are you well?"

"Yeah, I'm…" At this point, you recognized a few beads of sweat on his brow. "I'm fine-- Ingo, seriously, what's wrong?"

"Nothing! Nothing is…" he trailed off, uncomfortable lying to you. "I am, ah… I'm-- I wanted to ask you a question."

Silence. You nodded for him to continue when he didn’t offer up more than that.

"Okay… What is it?"

You would look back on this moment sometime in the future and ask yourself how you possibly could have missed this. How you didn’t put the pieces together sooner. And you would use the excuse of being too rattled yourself in regards to your conflicting emotions; of being so lost in your own thick skull that nothing else could work its way in. Ingo’s nervousness should have been a clue. All it did in the present was cause you worry.

He cleared his throat again, fingers working his hat’s brim around and around. His eyes glanced to the side and back to yours several times in a row as his breathing quickened. His mouth opened and closed a couple times like a Goldeen's with no words passing through his lips. And when this lasted a moment too long, you spoke up again.

“Ingo, you’re kind of scaring me.”

The Subway Boss seemed to partially snap out of it, immediately looking back at you with his own worried expression. “My apologies, [Y/N]! That is not my intention!”

“…What is…?”

A heavy sigh came from him as he closed his eyes momentarily, followed by a deep breath in and out. It didn’t calm him down any, but was a valiant effort nonetheless.

“My question…to you, [Y/N]…is… Will…you… That is—would you, ah… N-No, wait…”

Ingo paused, brows furrowed, almost arguing with himself in trying to remember something in frustration. His eyes wandered off to the side and he mouthed something a few times. For a third time, he cleared his throat, and looked back at you with his formal posture back in place.

He gulped almost audibly.

“Would you…do me the…honor…of……joining me for—on!…on a……date?”

Chapter Text

⏪⏪

But Emmet was right – he was very particular about taking matters seriously. Though that usually applied to pokémon battles, Ingo knew it wasn’t mutually exclusive.

“Okay,” he said after a long silence. “What is this plan of yours?”

“It’s very simple, Ingo,” he replied with a bigger grin. “We’re gonna make a bet.”

▶️

“A bet? You know I’m not one to participate in gambling.”

“It’s barely gambling.”

“A gamble, nonetheless. What is your proposal?”

“I have a plan.”

"…Yes, so you mentioned. What—"

"The bet is part of my plan. But it is about the plan."

Ingo briefly closed his eyes and heaved a deep sigh through his nose, as though asking some deity to give him the strength and patience to get through this.

“It’s not that bad,” Emmet huffed. “I’m going to bet you my plan will work.”

“Are you going to elaborate on this scheme of yours?”

“It’s not a scheme. And no, I’m not.”

“…And why not?”

“It’s a secret.”

“That hardly gives me confidence I would need to take your bet, if I can’t know what it is I am betting on.”

Emmet paused, thinking with his eyes briefly cast aside. “What if I say…you’ll know it when it happens?”

“Yet the bet is being agreed upon beforehand, prior to its initiation, I assume; therefore leaving me no less apprehensive.”

“Do you trust me?”

Ingo flattened his mouth and looked at him in silence. Emmet began to look offended.

“…Hey.”

“I trust you implicitly in the majority of the aspects of our lives, yes. I am unsure if I trust you with this particular, secret plan of yours.”

“Let me tell you the outcomes.”

“Alright. What happens if I lose this bet?”

“You don’t have to do anything.”

Ingo immediately looked significantly worried with a side of confusion. “Dare I ask what it is I have to do if I win the bet…?”

“Yooooouuuuu,” Emmet began, adding to the elongation by raising his pointer finger and tracing a couple curly-Q’s toward Ingo, “have to ask [Y/N] out. On a date. Romantically.”

Needless to say, Ingo’s discomfort rose dramatically, and he uttered the first word that came to mind.

“No.”

“C’monnnnnn.”

“It’s absurd! Not to mention how cruel it would be to offer a date to someone because of an obligation to a bet!”

Emmet threw his head back and groaned.

“Not if you want to in the first place!”

“The two of us are doing just fine, thank you very much.”

Raising his head again, Emmet pointed accusingly at his brother. “You two have been burning slower than a Litwick.”

“……I don't even understand that analogy, Emmet.”

“You two have stalled on the tracks. One of you needs to do something or the engine will never get started!”

Ingo declined to comment, picking up his pen and turning back to his paperwork.

“Listen. It’s a two-sided bet,” Emmet punctuated by raising two fingers, scooting his chair closer in light of Ingo turning his attention away. “If I win, then I’ll stop bothering you about [Y/N]. Forever.”

The pen paused scribbling. After a moment, Ingo swung around to face Emmet again, his expression screaming That is an impossibility and you know it.

“I promise.”

With a quick breath, Ingo sighed. “Promises aside, isn’t your bet a bit backwards? Why would you place the outcome you want on my part instead of your own, and vice-versa?”

“Maybe I think you’ll win.” Emmet shrugged, though still grinning. “You’ll have to see when it happens.”

Ingo sighed, leaning back in his chair while crossing his arms, fingers now rapping on his upper arm. The two brothers stared at each other; one waiting and one deep in thought. When those thoughts went on a touch too long, Emmet spoke in a quiet voice while leaning his chair further toward his brother.

“Don’t you want to get anywhere with them?” It was a genuine question. For once, he wasn’t trying to push his brother’s buttons. “Don’t you want to date them? Instead of torturing yourself?”

That called for another round of silent thinking, this time accompanied by a troubled expression on the elder twin’s face. He leaned an elbow on his desk and put his chin on it; fingers covering his mouth so only furrowed brows and conflicted eyes could be seen. Of course he wanted to be with you. The fear of rejection, however, was so massive that it overpowered him completely. With a bet, though…Ingo’s personality wouldn’t let him go without following through with a bet’s consequences once he gave his word.

“Again. If you lose, I stop bugging you. Win-win.”

Eyes glanced to Emmet. His grin had stopped looking so mischievous, instead turning into a comforting smile for his brother. Or trying to. It was kind of hard to come back from being a goblin in such short time.

“They’ll say yes,” he continued, “if you ask them.”

“You don’t know that for certain,” was Ingo’s slightly-muffled reply.

“I can promise it.”

Ingo raised his eyebrows.

“I am Emmet. I take promises verrrrrrry seriously,” he repeated.

“Yes, you do,” Ingo agreed, trailing off in further thought. “But even a promise of yours can’t ensure the actions of others.”

“They kissed you twice.”

That was kind of too good of a point to justify arguing against.

“And I promise to be good on my end. You wouldn’t worry about me doing stuff like this anymore.”

A pause. “Allow me to summarize. You want me to trust you, on blind faith alone, with a plan I know nothing about; on which lies a bet with backwards results for reasons I also know nothing about; which would culminate in an obligation to do something I have been purposefully avoiding due to feeling unprepared to do so. …Have I got this correct?”

Emmet silently nodded his head in affirmation with enthusiasm and a wide smile.

Ingo ran his hand over his face. “…Say it once more.”

“Huh?”

“The bet. Offer it in full again.”

“Okay.” Emmet straightened in his chair, put his fists on his hips and his most confident smile onto his face. “I have a plan. I bet you that it will work. If it doesn’t, you have to ask [Y/N] out on a date. A real date.” The latter was said sternly and semi-accusingly. “If it does work, then I leave you alone about you two. Forever. Promise.”

Ingo tapped his fingers on his desk for a moment, re-thinking the entire deal. The entire backwards deal, where he was actually supposed to be wanting Emmet to win? Or…did he really want that…? Or… What did he want?

Ultimately, Ingo did trust his brother and knew that he would come through on promises made. And, though he wouldn’t admit it to himself, he…needed this. This weird but obligatory push. Ingo himself took promises very seriously as well.

He held out a hand.

“Emmet. I…take your bet.”

The younger twin visibly lit up and heartily returned the handshake. He was still smiling with excitement, but Ingo knew mischief was mixed in there, too. Immediately after the handshake ended, he felt a sense of dread wash over him. And he knew that it would stay with him, unwavering, until Emmet’s mystery plan came to fruition.

Ingo tried to finish his paperwork after their talk and found he couldn’t focus on it anymore. He couldn’t focus on anything. The journey home came earlier than he’d planned and left far too much time for him to stew in his own head, thoughts never-ending and tied into knots of worry.

⏩⏩

▶️

Winning the pokémon battle against Emmet alongside you left him with conflicting thoughts just like yours. Seeing you so happy to have won – to have your strategy work without fail – was priceless to him. Ingo knew everything was worth it just by your radiant smile alone. He couldn’t take his eyes off of you; stealing glance after glance as he revived Chandelure, then offering to heal Mimikyu as well. Being so close near you in this state gave him a wonderfully warm, cozy feeling deep in his heart. He wanted you to be this happy forever.

He wasn’t even bothered by Emmet’s smug grin as the younger twin approached you two. At least, not at first.

Breaking away to return to the Battle Subway was hard, but it had to be done. Compartmentalizing was something he’d learned to do in order to give his best against the trainers who reached his car, and so there was a blessed chunk of the day where he wasn’t wracked with worry. No, that came rushing back as soon as he stepped off of the Single-Line subway car into Gear Station. It slammed him like a ton of bricks.

Emmet jumped off of the Double-Line and sauntered over to Ingo, humming without tune loudly enough for Ingo to hear in an exaggeratedly “innocent” act. He came to a stop next to Ingo and the two began walking together as usual. But today had been anything but usual.

“How’d you do?” Emmet asked, thankfully about his battles on the line today.

“There were quite a few trainers with impressive strength. Though, unfortunately for them, I managed to pull through each time.”

“Yeah. Same.”

Silence. The walk became increasingly awkward for Ingo.

“If you have something you wish to say, then please say it, Emmet,” Ingo finally told him, hoping he would relent.

“I don’t,” he returned through a grin that never faltered.

Ingo sighed heavily.

Being very late at night – or very early in the morning, depending on how one looked at it – their routine was quickened to go home as soon as possible. And even at home, there was no dilly-dallying about getting ready for bed, leaving the twins to part for their rooms.

“Goodnight, Emmet,” Ingo said through a yawn, already walking to his door.

“Night, Ingo.” Then, right before Ingo opened his bedroom door, Emmet added, “Do you want us to go over your lines?”

“Goodnight, Emmet.”

And his door closed.

Emmet simply deepened his gremlin grin, hardly able to contain the worst of it all day. Now alone in his room he was able to fully express his giddy glee among his pokémon and a handful of Joltik that crawled out from under his bed to join him. Though he didn’t speak aloud, there was a running thought going around and around in his mind, lasting into sleepy unconsciousness.

It worked it worked it worked it worked it worked – went the repetition around his head like a chugging train powered by joy. It worked it worked it worked it worked…!!

“Hh………Will…………goh………day…? ……I…………no………argh………”

The next morning, Emmet was awoken not by his alarm as usual, but by a muffled string of words he couldn’t fully make out being spoken somewhere in the apartment. After shoving his still-snoozing Eelektross off of him and gently moving a Joltik from on top of his clock, Emmet turned off the unneeded alarm and went to investigate.

Of course he knew who it was, but what Ingo was doing and why this early needed to be answered. Ingo was not a morning person by any stretch of the imagination. Emmet could jump out of bed and be ready to go within minutes, while Ingo took the same amount of time to merely sit up in bed and blink wearily while staring at the wall with glazed-over eyes. Being awake before their alarm clocks even went off like this was extremely unusual.

The sounds were coming from the bathroom, where a half-opened door revealed Ingo in his pajamas, staring intensely at and talking into the mirror.

“[Y/N], will you—? No, no, no… I would like t—no. Mmngh…”

The imaginary lightbulb imaginarily clicked on above Emmet’s head. He slowly approached the door, watching as Ingo paused again and again to think to himself and mouth different words to find which he wanted to use. Emmet recognized one of Ingo’s anxiety tics as the elder twin held his arms staunchly at his sides and repeatedly opened and closed his fists every time he spoke aloud.

“…Would…you……ahem… …[Y/N], would you--… ah…hm… Would you…go…with me…? No, no that’s childish. …Hmm………”

“Purrloin got your tongue?”

“Agh! Emmet!” Ingo nearly jumped, turning around immediately and giving Emmet an intense frown. “How long have you been standing there?!”

“Just a minute at the door. I could hear a little from my room, though.”

His anger dissipated and Ingo looked apologetic. “I’m sorry, did I wake you? I was trying to be as quiet as possible so as to avoid doing just that.”

“Kind of. It’s fine.” Emmet entered the room and stood next to Ingo, looking into the mirror side-by-side. “How early did you wake up to do this?”

“An hour, at least…” he grimaced. “I could barely sleep.”

“Sorry.”

Ingo shook his head and looked into the mirror with his brother.

“I—I need to have an idea of…of what to say. I cannot approach them without preparing beforehand – I’d never be able to string a coherent question together, and look even more the fool.”

“Okay. Which part are you having trouble with?”

“…All of it.”

“That is hard to fix.”

“Yes…”

“Just go simple.” Emmet shrugged; after all, he kept everything as to-the-point as possible. It’s just what he preferred. But just because Ingo was the opposite didn't mean he couldn't do the same, especially for just one sentence.

Ingo’s stare became intense again, concentrating hard on the concept while his hands gripped the counter between him and the mirror. “Simple. …Simple…… Ahem… ‘I would like to ask you on a date.’”

“Good.”

“'[Y/N], I would like to ask you on a date.'”

“There you go!” Emmet clapped with an encouraging smile. “Just remember: simple. Short and sweet.”

“My question…to you, [Y/N]…is… Will…you… That is—would you, ah… N-No, wait…”

You were stunned, to say the least. It was obvious what the question Ingo was trying to spit out was, and it left you as frozen as a blizzard. Your eyes were wide and you were holding your breath. When Ingo audibly gulped, so did you.

“Would you…do me the honor…of……joining me…for—on!…on a…date?”

The already microscopic amount of confidence he was holding onto could be heard slipping away more and more by the end of the sentence. It left two frozen statues staring at each other, eyes as big as dinner plates and hearts pounding wildly out of control.

“…Date?” was all you could squeak out at first – which was good, considering it forced you to take a breath else you risked passing out.

“…Yes?” Ingo’s unsure reply did the same for him. When you didn’t respond in the next few seconds, he began backpedaling into overdrive as the perceived sense of rejection overtook him like a man possessed. “You don’t—you, ah…it isn’t— You don’t have to, you see, it was really a very silly question of me to ask and jeopardize our friendship with such a- an awkward request—”

“…Yes.”

“—and it was selfish of me to ask, really, what was I thinking? Our relationship is perfect as it is, why change it over feelings as trivial as these—”

“Y…Yes?”

“—Ah, yes, indeed – why don’t we erase this from the record and shift the tracks back to where they were—”

“Ingo!”

You didn’t shout, but it was loud enough to startle him into silence and grab his attention.

“I’m not agreeing with you. I’m saying yes. Yes, I’ll—I’ll go on a date. With you.”

Ingo snapped from his trance-like state of words spilling forth from his mouth like a waterfall to patch up what he thought he broke. He really looked at you for the first time since he approached your café. You were blushing madly like him, that much was clear, and you had tensed up similarly; like you were waiting for a joke’s punchline to land. But it was no joke, nor was your answer. His sense of rejection slowly seeped away, leaving a gob-smacked man who didn’t know what to do with acceptance.

“You…you will?”

“Y…Yes.”

“Are you sure?”

“…Yes?”

“You don’t have to, you know—”

“Ingo!” you said again, louder and with a little exasperation.

His face, already red, deepened with worry. “My apologies, [Y/N], I… You—you honestly want to…accompany me for a d…ate…? …A romantic date?”

He looked too fragile, waiting for the other shoe to drop. As embarrassed as you felt, too, you managed to break free from your frozen status and put your hands on your hips.

“You don’t believe I do?”

“No! Of course not! I-I mean, of course…! I…” He seemed to deflate. “…In hindsight, I suppose I was so ready in case of your refusal that I…I was extraordinarily underprepared for…approval.”

You were about to mention how you, too, had that same fear of rejection; however, he took the look on your face as confusion, and began to elaborate.

“You see, I’ve been… It’s been quite a while since…ah…” He began wringing his hat the other way around. “I’ve… It’s, it’s quite embarrassing to admit, but, you see, I’ve…been… I’ve been—ah, what is the word that sums it up best…?”

It was clear he was struggling, but you didn’t interject. You knew what was coming and you wanted him to figure out how to say it on his own.

“You have—you have c…caught my…fancy…” he finally forced out with a tinge of confusion for his own words, “…for…a good amount of time, now… And…I…”

As he stumbled over his words, you swallowed thickly.

“I…I have not been truthful to you during our time together, through a lie of omission of my feelings. They—they began before our first meeting and I have been an absolute coward by hiding them!”

Ingo stopped all movement as he admitted the last part; standing even straighter and pulling his hat closer to his body mid-wring. He was holding his breath as if you were about to unleash anger upon him. Instead, you let your instincts take over.

“So have I!”

Both of you recoiled; even you weren’t expecting to shout. Even then, Ingo looked at you utterly flabbergasted, expectations inverted.

“I’ve had a crush on you for a really long time!” You continued to speak without allowing yourself to pause or stammer. It was like a faucet was turned on, letting all of your pent-up feelings for him at once. “I watched you in Gear Station a lot because I knew nothing would ever happen but Emmet caught me and has been trying to help me ever since and he introduced us so we could become friends and—” (deep breath) “—and I was still too much of a coward to come right out and say it so I’ve been trying to let you know in other ways but it wasn’t working and Emmet came to me the other day and—” (deep breath) “—and he made a…a suggestion…for a……bet…………”

Emmet, you sly fuck.

Making opposite bets with you two ensured one of you would have to ask the other on a date no matter who won. He had finally gotten fed up with this entire deal and found a way to end the pining once and for all. No wonder he looked so goddamn smug!

Ingo had been trying to think of a way to snap you out of your long-running confession until you began to slow down and trail off. The realization hit both of you at the same time.

“…Your brother…is a Sneasel,” you almost whispered, after the two of you looked each other in the eye and knew you weren’t alone in your epiphanies.

“I concur,” Ingo replied with no hesitation whatsoever. “However, after speaking with you now, I… I don’t think I have any anger to give him.”

“Yeah… As wily as it was…I kind of have to respect him for it.” You snorted, shaking your head. “Mostly because he managed to get both of us to agree to the bet.”

“Ah. I had wondered why the bet he offered me had backwards consequences. He left no room for error.”

You gave a breathless chuckle, but looked to Ingo with a hesitant sort of curiosity. “So, did you… did you take the bet, hoping we would…lose?” Your voice had gotten quieter and quieter. “So you wouldn’t have to…you know…”

Ingo shook his head and glanced aside, redness of the face never fading. 

“Well, I, ah… No, I took Emmet’s bet…knowing we could win.”

“You did?”

“I fretted over…well, this part,” he gestured with his hands to the two of you. “But as I said before, it has been…quite a while…since you, ah…caught my eye…and…”

“…And Emmet wouldn’t get off your back about it, right?”

“He has been attempting to goad me into this for nearly the entire duration he's known, yes.” Ingo sighed, relenting on his poor hat a little bit. “I saw this as an opportunity for a…'swift kick in the butt,' as it goes to say.”

You laughed. Combined with your smile, Ingo could die. His worry was alleviated every time you spoke, revealing more and more that the two of you were alike in your secrecy and fear of telling the other. He began to upturn the corners of his mouth without realizing it, taking in everything about the moment.

“Honestly? I was worried at first, but then I kind of got sucked into the excitement of the battle. I forgot all about the bet and just wanted to win.”

“I noticed,” he chuckled, “and you did extraordinarily well! I was incredibly happy to battle alongside you no matter the outcome.”

Your smile widened, striking his heart once more. Though you weren’t without strikes of your own, the way this was going and how Ingo was lightening up more and more. However, the commotion of a nearby depot agent rushing along alerted the both of you to the time. Ingo took one look at Gear Station’s clock and swiftly put his hat back on.

“My apologies, [Y/N], but I must attend to my duties before the station opens!”

“Oh, I understand!” You weren’t nearly as disappointed as you could be. Now that your feelings were out in the open, you knew you would see him later.

And had a date to plan. A date! A real date!!

He smiled again – that kind of dreamy, lost-in-his-own-head smile where his eyes looked wistful and he didn’t notice anything else around him. You suspected for a long time that you had a similar expression when looking at him. Right now, it made you happier than it usually did.

Neither of you had to hide anymore.

“Well then, ah…” he began, adjusting his hat and making one step toward the subway lines.

“Wait!”

You didn’t give him a chance to answer before you acted on impulse, wrapping your arms around him and leaning your head in his shoulder. Now that both of your feelings were out in the open, Ingo would at least understand such gestures (you hoped) – and besides, you were just so happy! You had to let it out in some way. Let him feel how you felt.

Miraculously, Ingo didn’t freeze up or go catatonic. He was still unused to affections being given to him; not counting family or his very few close friends, and even then they were sparse. You seemed to enjoy them, though, or at least giving them, and he didn’t particularly mind.

Ingo slowly, carefully, wrapped his arms around you, too.

Your happiness spiked and you gave him a squeeze of your arms. He was awkward in following through…but that could always be remedied with practice. You smiled into his coat.

“See you later?” you asked more than stated, partially muffled by your position.

“Y…Yes. Most definitely,” he replied, not letting go. Quietly, he added, “Thank you.”

You removed your face from his coat and looked at him quizzically. “For what?”

He hesitated, eyes avoiding yours for a moment. “…This.”

“…The hug?”

“The…everything.”

There was more to it than he was admitting, you could tell; but right before his shift began was not the appropriate time nor was Gear Station the right place. You smiled softly and landed another surprise peck on his cheek.

“Thank you, too.”

It was then that you finally let go, and he moved his arms to allow you to extricate yourself. You already missed the feeling of his arms around you, and he was thinking the same about yours.

“Think about our date…okay?” you smiled wider, stepping back toward the café.

Rebooting, Ingo paused. “Yes. …Yes! I will. We’ll…”

“Talk about it later?” you finished for him.

“Yes. Exactly.” Ingo nodded, cleared his throat, smoothed out his tie, and gave you a salute. “Until then, [Y/N].”

You waved goodbye as he turned and marched toward his duties. It took a minute to stop watching him, after which you nearly ran into the back room and closed it behind you.

“Yes!” you whispered, wanting to shout but knowing that would cause an intrusion. You settled for repeating it a handful of more times, accompanied by a barrage of fist-pumps and a round of hi-5’s for your entire team. Soon, your giddiness reached its peak, and you had to cover your face despite no one else but your pokémon being in the room. It was to compose yourself for continued work on the café without prying eyes trying to discern the reason for your massive blush and dumb grin.

“A date, a date, a date,” you semi-sang, getting in a couple more fist pumps into the air before you officially went back out. Slurpuff danced and Polteageist twirled and Alcremie clapped and Sizzlipede reared up as Mimikyu sang. Appletun trotted close behind you while everyone celebrated with as much enthusiasm as you were letting out. On impulse, you picked Appletun up and held him in the air, eye-level with you.

"Appletun!"

"Tun-tun!"

“Ingo and I are going on a date!!”

Chapter Text

FWOOOOOOOOOOEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

A flurry of handmade confetti erupted in Ingo’s face when he walked inside Gear Station’s main office, accompanied by what sounded like a miniature train whistle. Of course, the culprit was none other than Emmet: he stood in the center of the otherwise empty room with his arms outstretched and a party noisemaker dangling from his grinning mouth. Ingo blinked away the sudden shock as it turned into resigned exasperation.

“Congraths on fhhinilly ashthking then ow-t!” the younger twin said around the noisemaker. He blew through it again lightly, punctuating his congratulations with another, softer fwuuuuuuueeeeeeee.

Needless to say, Ingo was not impressed. He began dusting off the brim of his hat that bravely saved his hair and face, as well as his coat, shirt, tie, pants, shoes…

“Thank you, Emmet.” His tone was between begrudging gratitude and strong sarcasm. “This is a bit much, don’t you think?”

“Nopthe.” Emmet took the noisemaker out of his mouth and put his arms down. “It could be worse. I could’ve had balloons.”

“A wise choice to decline that particular impulse.”

“Why aren’t you happy? You’re supposed to be happy.”

“I am! I am…” he trailed off, taking what confetti he had gathered and trashing it. “I am…also nervous.”

The younger twin watched as Ingo needlessly fiddled with his coat, straightening it out several times and pulling on the sleeves. His tie came next, and then his hat.

“They did say yes, right?” Emmet paused for Ingo to nod his head in the affirmative. “Then the hard part’s done.”

“There are many more stops on this route before the destination is reached, Emmet.” With a sigh, Ingo stopped fidgeting with his clothes and checked the time. “I’ll have to think of a plan inbetween my scheduled trains today…”

“Plan?”

Ingo headed for his desk, checked on the stacks of paperwork for a minute, and then headed for the door prepared to conduct his safety checks before departure. As he passed Emmet, he briefly elaborated, “What to do and where to go on the…date.”

Even the word sounded foreign coming from him. It was getting easier, but the word definitely contained all of his nerves bundled in one neat, neurotic ball.

“This is Nimbasa City. There are a lot of things to do.” Emmet marched for the door himself, which Ingo held open for him. “We can figure it out.”

He ended his assurance with a big smile and a nod of his head. Ingo let out another big sigh, nodding back to his brother somewhat unconfidently.

“Thank you, Emmet. But our duties as conductors come first! I will see you later. Safe driving!”

A salute followed, which Emmet returned.

“Yep! Safety check. Follow the rules. Safe driving!”

It was impossible to get anything substantial done that first day after Ingo asked you out. Every other thing you tried to do was interrupted by your imagination or a little flashback to his confession. And you’d grow hot in the face and become a furnace and smile like a dope at nothing but the shelving in front of you. Appletun would sway happily in place or Polteageist would snicker and you’d huff like you were annoyed, but it was never believable.

Your week only got better with the re-opening of your café. People flocked back and you were slammed, but had help with your pokémon by your side. Patrons who spotted Sizzlipede peeking his head out of the back room were very excited for a new addition, although he was still too shy to fully come out and reveal himself. Mimikyu stayed with him while the others helped you out and greeted customers as normal. It felt so good to get back into the groove of things, never mind the cash flow for bills. And not even those could get you down from the clouds. You felt like Slurpuff in his infinite yet simple joviality that broke for nothing.

The twins continued to stop by, of course, and you would occasionally walk home with Ingo should the end of his day be timely. You never stayed long after Gear Station closed anymore, finishing your routine early enough to leave before your anxiety got the best of you. One or more of your pokémon served as sort of bodyguards, keeping watch as you got ready and walking with you to Gear Station’s main doors if Ingo wasn’t there. And a lot of times when he was, too.

Despite the lingering fear associated with the station after dark, you stayed giddy and excited. It was just a matter of Ingo’s schedule opening up in a convenient way for the both of you.

You’d wait as long as it took, though. Seeing him almost daily and enjoying his company on the way home was more than enough to sustain you in the meantime. It definitely felt like the two of you were becoming closer, at least on your end. And you didn’t miss the looks that Emmet gave behind coffee cups, only the side of his grin visible as you and Ingo talked on their breaks. Once in a while Emmet would waggle his eyebrows at you. He learned to stop doing that when Alcremie purposefully smeared a dollop of rainbow-colored cream across his clean white slacks as punishment.

On one evening walk home, Ingo went uncharacteristically silent after a conversation topic ended. Curious, you looked to him only to find an unsure expression on his face as he was seemingly deep in thought. You were about to ask if he was okay when he spoke again.

“My weekly schedule has left this coming Saturday open for, ah…” He struggled with word choice until he settled on, “…our date.”

“Really!” you said, suppressing your voice so as not to shout into the night air. “That’s great!”

Ingo, though clearly bothered by nerves, shared in your contagious excitement. “Yes. Er—from late afternoon on, at least; I do have to clock in to finish some essential paperwork. But that can hopefully be completed by afternoon’s end.”

You nodded, speechless but still visibly, incredibly excited. Ingo hesitated only to look at you for a moment longer.

“…Perhaps I may…make a stop at your station? To…to pick you up?”

He sounded like he was not just asking you, but wondering whether that was the correct protocol to begin with. Luckily (or obviously, as it were) you knew he was on the right track and constructed your answers in a way to reassure him that he was doing just fine.

“Okay! Yeah, definitely! What time?”

Ingo internally sighed with relief. It was like he was passing checkpoints, and each answer you provided allowed him to continue.

“Well, I thought—I thought we might go to dinner? It might be a bit earlier than what is normally considered suppertime, although we could push it back if that is what you’re more comfortable with—”

“It’s fine!” you interjected, giving this checkpoint its go-ahead signal. “You said late afternoon, so, um…like four or—or maybe five, just to be safe for you to finish your work? Five o’ clock?”

“Yes! Yes, that would be amenable, yes…” Ingo grasped for the next signal that you had given a go before he even made it there. “We can have dinner and…and spend some time together afterwards as well, if you’d like—the fairgrounds are quite lovely when the sun goes down and their lights illuminate the attractions… Ah, though I'm sure you've seen it, since you live here, of course! We—we might just enjoy it together!”

You beamed again, sunshine to his senses. “I think that sounds great, Ingo.”

“Excellent! Fantastic! I—I was worried it might be somewhat boring, but…”

“No, not at all!” You shook your head and gave him another reassuring smile. “It’s nice and easy for a first date. And I’m never bored when I’m with you.”

Ingo’s blush turned redder. “Yes… Our…first…”

It took a moment to register with you – what you implied – and when it did, you immediately averted your eyes and cleared your throat.

“I mean, I hope it’s a first date—as a, as a first of many—er, multiple, or, or, um…” Your hands made circles in the air as you tried to find the words to explain what was already fairly obvious. “Just, y’know, I hope there are more! After this one? I’ll, um… Sorry, I…”

“I hope so as well!”

Though just as flustered, Ingo agreed loudly, understanding how you stumbled over your words like he did. Nothing followed from him, though. He admitted agreement and embarrassed himself into momentary silence, leaving both of you standing in silence and looking at the other with anxiety. The realization of what you were doing managed to crack your forcefield of mortification, though, and you began to laugh.

“We are a mess, Ingo,” you said through the laughter, partially covering your face with one hand.

“I would have to regretfully agree…”

“Oh, no, not in a bad way!” You shrugged, laughter dying down as you looked back to him with a calmer and more mellow grin. “I kind of like it this way. Yeah, it’s a little…awkward, but that means we’re not faking it, right? You’re you and I’m me,” you chuckled, heat settling into and bashfulness creeping up your face. “That sounds stupid, heh, but um… That's why we want to, uh…go on a date in the first place…right?”

Ingo managed to calm himself upon hearing your words. You were right; both of you would continue to be nervous about such a thing like dating each other (“multiple” dates, you chided yourself, the stupidest thing I’ve ever said), and though embarrassing when words fail either of you or stuttering and stumbling took over, at least you were being real.

You were you. Ingo was Ingo. That’s all either of you wanted from each other.

“Right,” he agreed, soothed. “Let us navigate this together as we are.”

Again you laughed, light and happy, as the two of you came to your apartment building. You parted ways with a hug that had definitely become better with the latest practice; feeling more relaxed from Ingo’s end. He was a natural at it, honestly – it was warm and cozy and sweet and you couldn’t help but end it with a squeeze every time. Both of you said your goodbyes and you bounded up to the apartment door and waved as it closed.

Ingo took a deep breath, nodded to himself and completed his route home with determination.

You found that the trope of picking the very best outfit to wear for a date was not, in fact, tied to a gender; nor, as in a lot of media cases, being an exaggeratedly-dramatic teenage girl. No, anyone could be worried about how they looked for a date, as it was a date. You also found, in hindsight, that you should have prepared earlier than the day of, and that morning was spent frantically trying to pick something casual to wear despite knowing that Ingo would likely be fine with whatever you chose.

Simply not good enough, your brain decided. What would he like most?

Your pokémon had been scattered around your room as you waffled over a decision and asked for their input. They were loveable little darlings who enthusiastically liked anything you showed them, which ultimately made them useless in your decision-making process, but loveable little darlings all the same.

And after all the hemming and hawing and borderline panic, you ended up deciding on what had been your first choice all along. It was a casual first date. You didn’t need to go fancy or anything different from your normal wardrobe, really.

The trope had afflicted you nonetheless. And you weren’t the only one.

Emmet was also a loveable little darling, in his friendly yet mischievous sort of way, but he did not respond to Ingo as well as your pokémon had with you. He quickly became bored and annoyed and considered regretting the instigation of this whole mess.

“Literally anything is fine.” […] “Yes that is okay.” […] “Yes that too.” […] “What? No. Don’t go formal, this isn’t a black tie event.” […] “Ingo. Ingo I am dying. Ingo I am going to die here.”

Saturday as a whole slogged on for both of you. Nothing was able to keep you busy long enough to be a real distraction. Ingo’s paperwork was never enjoyable, but today it was downright painful. It was like everything before five o’ clock was designed to slow down the timestream you lived in. You were jittery. Your hands shook, your legs restless, your mind a mess.

Noon chimed across the clocks; the true start of the countdown.

One o’ clock.

Two o’ clock.

Three o’ clock.

Four o’ clock…

Four-fifteen…

Four-thirty…

Four-forty-five…

{    {{   {{ {  KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK  } }}   }}    }

You ran to the door and slammed your face to the peephole.

Ingo stood as still as a statue, looking like a Deerling in headlights. You could see him gulp and take a long breath in. You stepped back from the door and did the same, then readied yourself and opened the door.

“Good evening, [Y/N]!” he began, rehearsed. “These are for you!”

You hadn’t noticed the flowers in his hands, which were now extended to you. They were a variety bunch all in your favorite color. A smile spread across your warm face as you took them from him.

“Thank you, Ingo,” you said, looking over them. “I didn’t even have to get injured this time.”

You were able to chuckle, but it seemed like Ingo was too nervous to reply with anything but a nod.

“I’m going to go set these in a vase before we go, is that okay?”

“Of course!”

Taking two steps toward the kitchen, you turned to see him still in the doorway.

“…You can come in, you know.”

“O-Of course!”

At least he entered your apartment, you thought, as he stood by the door that he’d closed behind him. Thankfully your pokémon approached and greeted him, which got him to loosen up a little bit. You watched while you cut the flowers to set them in the same vase that had held the modest bouquet that came before them. It gave you a chance to really look over Ingo before the two of you left.

He was wearing what looked to be a very comfy, burgundy long-sleeved squirtleneck, along with neutral beige slacks and his usual work shoes. He wasn’t wearing a hat, which you didn’t mind in the least, but you didn’t know what his hands would fidget with as a replacement. And he would be fidgeting.

Maybe that’s why he stayed so still, you thought. He can’t have his hat in his hands so he goes immobile.

You finished putting the flowers in the vase as Ingo was half-kneeling to reach your small pokémon. Sizzlipede was excited to see him again as always, scuttling halfway up his forearm and back. Ingo pet Appletun and Slurpuff as they waddled up to him, and by now Mimikyu was comfortable enough with him that she didn't stay hidden under the furniture. Polteageist moved from teasing you to teasing him, which was luckily received in good fun. They were all being very careful not to get any of their stickiness on his clothing, which you appreciated. When you started walking back over to him, though, he noticed and quickly stood up, resuming his unyielding posture.

“The flowers are really nice,” you offered, hoping talking would break the ice that had seemed to freeze him over.

“I’m glad you like them! You—you look very nice tonight!” Ingo sounded genuine, of course – he’d never give a compliment he didn’t thoroughly mean – but it was still accompanied by the nearly motionless stature and said with the same impression of rehearsal as his initial greeting.

You gave him a worried smile. “You know, if you’re uncomfortable, we don’t…we don’t have to do this.”

“Ah?”

The utterly astonished expression he made was one you didn’t see often, if at all, and it gave you another little chuckle at the very least.

“Is that…is that how I am coming across?”

“Well…kinda.”

Finally, Ingo relaxed a bit from his posture, although he was still visibly tense. His hands came together in front of him, answering your thoughts from before as he loosely fiddled with one of his fingers.

“I am terribly sorry, [Y/N], that is not appropriate behavior for a night such as this at all.” His eyes met yours, glancing off to the side every now and then. “I confess that I…have not been on a date in a very long time…and I do not want to ruin things, especially not with someone I care for very deeply.”

His last comment gave you a small surprise, leaving you momentarily speechless. Ingo didn’t seem to realize exactly what he’d confessed, though – too focused on his worry that he’d messed things up.

“Yet I seem to have already done so, haven’t I?”

“No, you haven’t.” With as much of a reassuring expression and tone as you could muster, you stepped closer to him while holding his eye contact. “I’m nervous, too. Really nervous. I don’t want to mess this up, either. But…remember what we said the other day? About being awkward but real?”

Ingo nodded and didn’t dare break the gaze between the two of you.

“I just don’t want you to worry that you have to be a certain way or—or that the date has to go a certain way.”

You bit your lip with indecision before making one, bringing up your hands and placing them on top of his. Ingo gulped.

“We’re both nervous, and this is gonna sound really, really cliché, but…let’s just be us?” you finished with your head cocked slightly to the side, smiling at him expectantly.

Ingo looked down at your hands and broke his anxious fretting to – very gently, as if you were made of glass – take your hands in his and hold them there. When he looked back up to you, he nodded though not without shame.

“Yes. You are right.”

With a deep breath, his expression became determined; not quite confident, nor was he relaxed, but at the very least no longer letting himself become stuck in a frozen state. You happily returned his nod with one of your own, hoping you inspired him enough to last the evening.

When you two broke away from each other’s hands, you gathered your pokémon into their balls and was ready to go.

"Shall we had four the next stop?" Ingo said as he opened the door for you, gesturing and bowing almost like a butler.

“Let's! Thank you, sir,” you jokingly said as you passed him, slightly bowing in return to his theatrics.

“My pleasure,” he returned. And then, almost apologetically, “You know, I…I was serious when I said that you look remarkably wonderful tonight.”

“I know. Thank you,” you replied softly, hanging your head with shyness as you locked the door behind you.

“And, um…you look remarkably handsome tonight, too.”

Chapter Text

“Hmm. Maybe I should have picked a restaurant for us that wasn’t a café or bistro…”

“Nah, it’s okay. I call my place a café, but I don’t exactly do lunch and dinner services.”

You and Ingo sat inside a little bistro tucked a few blocks away from Nimbasa City’s fairgrounds. It was laid-back enough to avoid being formal, but also not quite diner quality of being overly-casual. You knew that it probably took a long time for Ingo to decide on a place to go and likely overthought the entire process. Now that you were here and sitting together at a table, though, his nerves seemed to have receded a bit.

There was also a prominent feeling that the two of you were going to have to fight over the check. But you were taking it as it comes.

The menu looked delicious and the two of you ordered without incident, returning to your conversation as easily as it had been suspended. It wasn’t that much different from the talks you two had when he would walk you home, you realized. And that was…reassuring. Being on a date wasn’t changing the flow of discussion that came easily when you two were used to being together. It put a little more warmth into the smile you were giving him.

“By the by, I’ve been curious about something…” Ingo trailed off, wordlessly asking permission.

“What’s up?”

“Your team of pokémon has a very noticeable theme, sans little Mimikyu – and now Sizzlipede, of course! I’ve wondered whether or not their overall acquisition was simply coincidence over time or if their dessert theming was purposeful, perhaps even being the root of owning your café?”

You wiped your mouth with a napkin after finishing another bite of your food, listening to his inquiry. “Honestly, I’m surprised I don’t get that question more often, considering. Umm…I think the easiest answer is to say…all of the above?”

Ingo’s eyebrows raised in surprise, clearly not expecting that answer. You laughed, having the time to elaborate as Ingo, the ultimate gentleman that he is, would never dream of talking with food in his mouth.

“What I mean is…I didn’t really go looking for any of them? Appletun was one of—he was my first, I mean, when I found him as a little Applin. The others, we came across over time, and I caught them kind of knowing there was a theme starting to run. But not having tracked them down on purpose, if that makes sense.”

Ingo nodded.

“Polteageist and Mimikyu were kind of a packaged deal when I found them. Maybe that’s why Mimikyu was so good at getting Sizzlipede to open up, now that I think about it.” You tapped a finger on your chin in thought and shrugged. “Also, I really like sweets. So it all kind of worked out.”

That got a little chuckle from Ingo. He dabbed his mouth with a napkin as well, setting down his utensils.

“I’d love to hear their individual stories of joining your group someday.”

You were momentarily surprised, but it quickly turned into more fuel for your big smile. “Yeah, definitely! And yours, too, maybe? I’d love to know how you chose your team.”

“Absolutely!” he eagerly agreed (although neither of you could tell if this was an unspoken promise of a future date or not). “Emmet and I share some of our pokémon between us for the Battle Subway, occasionally, though it’s most noticeable when we run the Multi Line.”

“Really? His listen to you and vice-versa?”

“They do. We raised them side-by-side, after all.”

You laughed. “Of course you two went on your trainer journey together.”

“That’s right!” Ingo nodded proudly. “Though our bonds with our own as individuals are the strongest, as one would expect. Years of training have solidified trust between each of ours, making battling as a two-car train run extraordinarily smoothly. While we have our own preferences in our separate choices of pokémon, many don’t realize, however, that we do indeed have two different Klinklang!”

Mentally, you counted the pokémon you knew were owned between the two brothers. You’ve met all of Ingo’s, of course, more than once. You know his Klinklang. Emmet’s pokémon, though, you weren’t entirely sure of, despite meeting several of his on occasion.

“I vaguely remember Emmet having a Klinklang with him while stopping by one time… It didn’t register then, but I guess trainers who are only able to battle you two once or twice on the subway wouldn’t realize it, either.”

He nodded again, still wearing a proud expression that you found very cute. “Yes, they’re each different with their own quirks and personalities– and even fewer know that they, as little Klink, were actually our very first pokémon!”

You lightly gasped with delight. “That’s adorable…”

Ingo suddenly blushed, embarrassed. “I-It is?”

“Twins who start out their journey together with twin Klink? I can just imagine how cute you guys were as little kids, and— …Aren’t Klink self-contained twins themselves?” You paused, mouth still open as your brain buffered. When it finished without results, you glanced to Ingo with a slightly confused expression. “…That’s how they work, right?”

He couldn't help it: Ingo laughed. You were embarrassed now, though at the same time you were enjoying his joy. He so rarely let himself laugh like that; loudly at its fullest, instead of holding back for volume control. You didn’t care about how loud he was. His joyful face was one of the best things you’ve ever seen and his laugh one of the best things you’ve ever heard.

Even if it was at your expense.

“…That’s not how they work,” you answered for yourself as soon as he started laughing.

“You’re not quite on the wrong track,” he said, reigning himself in. “I think you and our two Klinklang should spend some time together so you might learn about them.”

You stuck your tongue out at him. He tried to cover his little smile with holding his hand to his mouth and clearing his throat, but you had already seen it. So you stuck it out a second time.

The person who was waiting on you soon approached with the check, and it was then – when you turned your head to look at them – that you realized a lot of the other patrons in your line of sight were…watching at you. Both of you, really, though it amounted to the same feeling…which you weren’t sure of either, exactly. You weren’t sure if you were bothered by being looked at this way, or if you didn’t care what anyone else did. Maybe you just wanted to feel the latter more. It was unnerving.

Is this how Emmet felt when I'd watch Ingo and him...?

When you turned your attention back to your table and Ingo, you realized that focusing on those anonymous eyes even for one moment was a grave mistake.

“Wh— Hey, no fair!”

Ingo held the bill in his hands, out of your reach from the other end of the table. He seemed like he knew there would be a tussle over it, just as you speculated early on, and seized the moment you were in thought to claim it.

“It was set on the table at equal distance from both of us. I believe that’s as fair as it can be.”

“You didn’t— I— You didn’t wait for me to realize it was there!”

“Mm. I thought you saw it being delivered to us.”

“…Put it back, make this a fair fight.”

“A fight? You want to have a pokémon battle with me for it?”

“No. Fisticuffs.”

Ingo started laughing once more as he handed payment off to be processed. Again, the sound and sight was too much for you, and your façade of serious business melted into… Well, just melted. The same way he was melting your heart. You couldn’t help but join in, resting one elbow on the table and putting your face in that hand.

“How could you do this to me.”

“My sincerest apologies; I’m not very proficient with pugilism.”

You lifted your head from your hand and gave him a genuine, grateful expression. “…Thank you for dinner, Ingo.”

How quickly his face returned to red. “You’re more than welcome, [Y/N].”

The two of you left the eatery still feeling bashful, but happy. You gladly accepted Ingo's invitation to walk around a bit, not wanting to end the date at all. While neither of you seemed interested in the fairgrounds themselves that night (though you eyed the Rondez-View, having daydreamed more than once about riding it with Ingo), there was plenty of room to walk around the perimeter along roads designed for foot traffic instead of cars. Of course, there were plenty of people out to fill those roads, being a Saturday evening at a common date spot. The two of you tried to find roads less traveled, passing by couples holding hands or leaning in close. Both of you couldn't help but briefly look at them with the same thoughts in mind.

The evening gradually turned to night as the light of day receded. Ingo pointed out the sunset while you were walking along the bank of the river on the fairgrounds' outskirts. You leaned against the fencing and watched it go down like all good clichéd dates you could think of. And now you knew why; it was a lot more picturesque when standing next to someone you were attracted to. You couldn't explain it. Like an unspoken rule, there the feeling was. Ingo stood close by your side, admiring more than one view.

As you looked at the end of the sunset stealing glances at each other, you leaned your shoulders closer and closer together, nearly touching... and then there was a sudden and intense chill on your neck that shivered all the way down your spine. You hunched your shoulders and grit your teeth on instinct, involuntarily whining an elegant HHHhggggggeeeeughhh from your throat that you were instantly embarrassed by.

"Oh!” Ingo exclaimed to something behind you, having investigated immediately. “Please be sure to conduct a safety check before using your Powder Snow around others!"

"Nil-liiite~!"

You turned around to find a Vanillite hovering right behind you, looking not at all apologetic about dropping snowflakes down your back. It gave you a big smile and twirled around, frost coming off of the bottom like mist. The mannerisms and mischief it was dispensing reminded you of Polteageist. But at least he wouldn't ruin such an important part of your date!

"Have I wronged you in some way?" you asked though your teeth wryly, rubbing your arms to smooth down the hairs standing on end.

"Are you alright? I should have brought a jacket."

"I mean, don't think we could have expected a northern wind tonight."

"'Ey!" came a gruff voice, "I told ya to bring in customers, not freeze 'em to death!"

You, Ingo, and the Vanillite turned to the source of the voice - an rough-looking, crotchety old man running a cute little ice cream cart. The Vanillite giggled and floated over to its presumable owner, who had his hands on his hips as he continued to grumble admonishments. You couldn't help but snort at the scene as Ingo similarly looked on with humor.

"I'm real sorry 'bout that, folks," the old man continued, beckoning the both of you over to his cart. "How 'bout I give youse two a couple a' Castelia Cones, on the house?"

"Oh, you really don't have to—" you began, cut off by a wave of the old man's hand.

"Least I can do since my partner Mr. Ha-Ha Funny-man here interrupted yer date."

Not taking "no" for an answer, the old man opened his cart without realizing he'd practically made steam pour from each of your ears. Since the sun had nearly finished setting, he likely wouldn't have been able to see the color change on each of your faces, either.

The Vanillite did, though. He knew exactly what he'd done.

The two of you found a bench facing the lit-up ferris wheel after strolling away from the old man's cart, each holding a small ice cream cone in your hand. Not even the combined force of your pleading and Ingo's staunch insistence on paying could break the old man's resolve, embarrassing both of you further by waving you off with, "Youse kids enjoy the rest of your night, ya hear?"

Not that you were complaining about the ice cream, especially after your first taste. You must have made a pretty satisfied expression, as Ingo looked at you fondly and smiled.

"That's right; you said you enjoy sweets a great deal."

"Hey, just like you do."

"Mm," he hummed after a taste of his own cone. "A work of fate, I think…"

You furrowed your brow. "Hm?"

“Well…your pack of sweets-style pokémon flocked to you instead of being sought out: even that little Vanillite came to you as though you had a target on your back. Perhaps…perhaps they are attracted to you due to the very sweetness you impart.” He paused with a gulp, preparing to take another taste of his ice cream immediately after adding, “Mm—much like I am.”

He was trying so hard. He was trying so hard to be smooth, but his somewhat shaky voice and incredibly worried expression betrayed him. That didn’t matter, though, because it worked. You stopped yourself as you held your cone and turned your head to him a little too fast to be inconspicuous. His face was lit up by the ferris wheel’s colored lights, shifting from one color to the next and giving him a rainbow of a reverse silhouette from your perspective. You barely felt your ice cream begin to drip onto your hand.

It was hard to think of a reply; you’d already called him sweet before, most notably the first time you ever met him. And such a coincidence as it was about your gaggle of saccharine desserts having found you as this Vanillite seemed to, plus Ingo’s inherent sweetness of a personality, you couldn’t argue. And to hear him call you sweet…

You shivered involuntarily, some ice apparently still melting down your back. It allowed Ingo to come back from his wide-eyed but unseeing stare into the distance.

“Are you still cold?”

Also managing to break out of your trance, you wiped the melted ice cream from your hand. “Uh…yeah, I think I am a little bit…”

Without further comment, Ingo stretched his arm out behind you with a silent question in his eyes. You didn’t hesitate and scooted closer to him; he brought his arm around your shoulders with his warm hand on your arm. The following warmth you felt wasn’t just the temperature change.

“…Thank you,” you said quietly; adding, “…and thank you for…um. Saying so. About the sw—uhm. …You’re really sweet too.”

The two of you continued to watch the Rondez-View as you finished your treats in silence. A fond silence where you two understood each other and were – dare you say – comfortable? Worried, still, that at any point either of you may ruin it (which was, in reality, impossible), but comfortable together nonetheless. Ingo tightened his arm around you a bit and you leaned further into his shoulder; unsurely at first, then relaxing into his warm hold and even daringly resting your head on him. And upon finishing your cones, the two of you still sat there, contented in each other’s presence and hold.

It was the best you’d felt in a long, long time.

Eventually, both of you had to end the wonderful night, as time is wont to ruin. Rising from the bench and looking to each other revealed the same sort of fond smile on each of your faces, which only grew fonder upon seeing the other. You were about to start walking with him toward the exit when you noticed that he wasn’t moving. Ingo stood with his hands in front of him, tugging and pulling at his fingers in sudden anxiety.

“What’s wrong?” you asked immediately, concerned now that the past while hadn’t been as lovely for him as it was for you.

Ingo seemed to force himself to look you in the eye, unknowingly displaying a fierce expression from the battle of his inner thoughts. With another big gulp, he stood up straight and tall and asked a question.

“May I kiss you?”

If you’d still been holding an ice cream cone, you would’ve dropped it. Without much hesitation, you found yourself nodding your head slowly, in a trance. This did not appease his anxiety in the least, and yet nor did it deter him.

He stepped closer, leaning in slightly, but very obviously did not know what to do with his hands. They awkwardly stayed in a sort of mid-air state near yours as he leaned in closer and closer; your blushing faces radiating heat to each other. It looked like he wanted to go for a real kiss but rethought it at the last moment; his nerves rerouting his track to a safer option. Instead, his cheek brushed yours before turning in slightly, giving you a chaste but full-of-affection kiss on the cheek. It wasn’t like the pecks you’ve given him before – this lasted a few seconds, Ingo not wanting to pull away – and even after the physical touch ended he hovered there for a moment; his nervous, quick breaths hitting the side of your face and increasing your blush level to maximum.

Ingo retreated, though neither of you took any actual steps away from each other. He looked even more nervous, as if he was waiting for an approval of some kind. It came in the form of your affectionate smile full of pride in Ingo for accomplishing a great feat for himself, as well as the kiss itself and its effect on you. The warmth it gave you. The affection that was translated through being so close and somewhat awkward, yeah, but—that’s what made it Ingo’s.

He appeared relieved beyond relief that you were happy just from this simple action of his. And you saw that relief and you saw him still so close and your mind whirled with indecision marked by the biting of your lip until you swallowed thickly and said,

“Um… You have some ice cream…on your lip, still.”

“Oh! Do I? I’ll—”

You went for it.

Just a small thank you that you could share with him. Small, yet for a moment that lasted a bit longer than you originally intended, making it far more than just small. Neither of you, in the end, would mind.

His lips were soft. You weren’t sure what you were expecting, but it was a pleasant surprise that felt nice meshing with your own. You didn’t dare ask for anything more – not when you neglected to be as polite as Ingo and ask for permission beforehand. It was slow, questioning, and then most definitely returned after his initial near heart-attack subsided. You’d put your arms around him and his came around you and, again, it was just a moment that felt like it was over far too quickly despite simultaneously feeling like it lasted a lifetime.

You kissed him. Really, honestly, finally kissed him.

The lifetime-lasting too-quick moment was over in a flash. Both of you went still, inches apart and arms around each other, eyes wide and nervous. Like you weren't sure if what just happened was real, or unsure if the other would accept it. But you both did. And you were the one to break the long trance you shared that, in reality, was maybe only a second or two.

"…Sorry, uhm…" You cleared your throat, smile starting to emerge again. "…You just… You had some, y'know… You had some on your lip still, so…"

"Did I?" Ingo answered almost breathlessly. It was unclear whether he actually believed you or was just playing along, as he had a sort of dreamlike quality to the tone of his voice that matched dreamy the look on his face.

"…Yeah," was all you could utter before you had to laugh, ruining the flimsy illusion you weren't trying all that hard to keep up. It ended up being contagious, infecting Ingo with a couple of chuckles – and then his full-blown laugh, which only made you laugh even more. You rested your head on one of his shoulders, and his on yours while you laughed together, still bound by each others' arms.

Just two laughing idiots at sundown, feeling joy in finally being comfortable with each other and letting your feelings flow.

And that's where you stayed while you rode out the giggles, eventually parting and wiping your laugh-induced tears away and catching your breath. For as sweet as the date was, this was the cherry on top of the whole thing.

When the two of you fully calmed down and caught your breath, you agreed to walk a little more together before ending the night. It was amazing to realize how natural it felt, losing the awkward edge of the evening in an instant and really, truly relaxing.

You slipped your arm between his and it only took one step of surprise before Ingo seamlessly locked elbows with you. You two stayed linked for the rest of the night.

"So…do you think we're on the right track for a second date, without having to bet on it?" you asked as the pair of you exited the cab you took to your apartment building.

Ingo chuckled, admiring your silhouette against the streetlamps' illumination.

"Only if we don't have to eat ice cream every time one of us wants to kiss the other."

You decided to seal the pact with a final, long kiss of the night.

"Deal."

Chapter Text

The door to the apartment housing the Subway Boss brothers unlocked and opened quietly, the eldest of the two somehow having the forethought to be stealthy despite the dreamy state he still found himself in. However, as he shut and re-locked the door without a sound, the entire careful process proved to be futile when the lights clicked on from behind him.

Emmet sat in an armchair facing the door, fingers steepled. Archeops was perched atop the chair like a gargoyle.

“Hello, Ingo,” he said through a barely contained grin.

“I believe you’ve already done this bit before, Emmet.”

He didn’t falter nor address the entirely correct comment. “How was your evening?”

The would-be exasperation for his younger brother’s antics evaporated near instantly. Instead, Ingo’s dreamy air took over completely once more, and he heaved a big but contented sigh.

“Wonderful.”

Emmet could no longer contain himself and maintain his villain-esque serenity. He braced his hands on the arms of the chair and leaned forward as though he was prepared to leap.

“Really?!”

“Yes.”

As Ingo made his way to the couch, where Galvantula kindly made room for him to sit, Emmet spun the armchair back to its original position to keep facing him. Seeing his brother so delighted like this was making him ecstatic, too. If his grin grew any bigger, it would reach his ears.

“Tell me,” Emmet demanded, not asked. “Tell me tell me tell me tell me.”

Ingo’s various pokémon – the ones that could comfortably fit in the house, at least – let themselves free of their pokéballs and joined Emmet’s as everyone made themselves comfy around the living room.

“Luu~uu~uuure~” sang the chandelier ghost in a teasing manner as she situated herself nearby.

Emmet pointed at her. “I know that tone. That’s your ‘[Y/N]’ tone.” He then pointed at Ingo. “Tell me.”

“All right, all right,” Ingo put up his hands to signal patience.

He began to describe the night in a manner that Emmet hadn’t heard from his brother before. Wistful, yes, but with such a softness to it accompanied by a smile that didn’t stop at just the corners of his mouth. Silent, Emmet smiled so hard his cheeks started to ache; his hands, balled into fists, tensed with every word. By his brother’s expressions alone he knew the date was better than he hoped it would be.

By the time Ingo reached the point of describing how the two of you watched the sunset, Emmet was rapidly losing control of his excitement. Ingo’s demeanor grew more and more sentimental, and his smile – well, his smile just plain grew. Emmet held his breath with quivering arms, hoping for a conclusion that seemed to be the obvious resolution of the night. At least what was obvious to him with Ingo’s flowery language and descriptions and pauses to chuckle fondly here and there.

“And we sat looking at the ferris wheel and other amusements lit up against the night sky… By the time we finished dessert, the night was clearly coming to a close, and so we stood, and… Well, we decided to take a leisurely walk back to the fairground’s exit to elongate our time together, and I… Ah, I mean—I…”

Emmet leaned in closer, eyes wide and grin positively gleeful.

“Well, you know, I’d thought the date had gone very well, and so I… I thought to, ah…”

Emmet was on the literal edge of his seat.

“I wanted to…I wanted to end the night just as nicely as it had been lovely, and I… I somehow found the courage to…”

Emmet’s arms started trembling.

“…I somehow found the courage to ask them if…if I may end the night with a…a kiss.”

Ingo was startled from his reverie by Emmet, who jumped from his chair and WHOOP!ed at an extremely rare volume that nearly matched his brother. Archeops squawked in offense to the sudden disturbance, flapping his wings to change perches. It went unnoticed by his owner, who kept his arms waving in a similar manner as his bird while he leaned toward Ingo again.

The elder brother huffed, but the annoyance was obviously a front. “I haven’t even told you the outcome of the question I’d asked them!”

“I already know!” Emmet threw his hands up above him, no longer tense fists but open wide to further emphasize the excited gesture. “I’m very, verrrrrry proud of you, Ingo!”

Instantly, Ingo went red and turned his head away. “It was the next logical step in the date—”

“Yoooouuu weren’t thinking that,” Emmet interrupted with a teasing tone. “You wanted to smooch.”

“Emmet!”

“Am I wrong?”

“…” Ingo slightly turned his head to side-eye Emmet, still pink on the cheeks. “…No.”

“Did you?!”

The eldest twin smiled despite himself. “…Yes.”

Everyone in the room was once again startled by Emmet letting out another WHOOP!, his arms and hands shaking and going wild in the air. Ingo couldn’t even muster a tiny fraction of annoyance at his brother, because he was feeling the exact same emotions on the inside, too. He still couldn’t believe you wanted to kiss him like that, even with the evidence that piled up before the date itself. And as he watched his twin, so happy for him and so proud – as well as their pokémon who cheerfully supported Ingo in their own ways – he found himself laughing alongside them and sharing in their joy.

Emmet threw himself on the couch and hugged his brother tight. “I told you.”

“You did, indeed,” he replied, happily returning the gesture. “Thank you, Emmet.”

Your evening was largely spent celebrating with your pokémon, giddily retelling the events and remembering them fondly even though they just occurred in the last few hours. You couldn’t sit still, needing to pace and let all of your adrenaline out before you could calm down for bed.

Slurpuff danced alongside you, though you weren’t sure how much he was aware of or understood. But he could see your joy and was equally happy for you, that much you could tell. He held onto one of your hands while you moved around aimlessly. Polteageist, predictably, went straight to teasing by imitating an exaggerated kissy-face and giggling. You stuck your tongue out at him with little defiance that ended with the both of you laughing together.

Appletun strode behind you wherever you went and did his little back-and-forth sway when you stopped to let out another bout of energy. Alcremie rode atop him, as it was the only way she could keep up, clapping her hands the entire way with the tiniest sing-song cheers she could muster. Mimikyu was jumping up and down, following Appletun and Alcremie in a parade-like fashion. She danced with her tendrils waving in the air and used them to clap in time with Alcremie whenever you stopped for a few moments. Lastly, Sizzlipede followed for a while, too, before he scuttled up your side to sit on your shoulder. You could hear little cheers from underneath his pseudo-mustache as he balanced on his back legs and waved the rest.

You were nearly exhausted by the time you calmed yourself enough to plop backwards into bed. Your pokémon followed suit and situated themselves comfortably around you. They all fell asleep, snoozing and snoring, far more quickly than you could (a trait you always envied), which gave you time to see your phone light up with a text message.

Little shit (affectionate): 😭 so proud of you two ‼️‼️

>Thank you 😭
>Emmet, it was so fantastic 

Little shit (affectionate): ingo told me‼️
Little shit (affectionate): reenactment 🤔☺️😚😘😱🤯🥴

> EMMET

Little shit (affectionate): 😚😚😘😘

> I’m blocking you

Setting your phone on your bedside table (upside-down so as to ignore any incoming texts) you still couldn’t help but smile and cover your warm face with your hands. Emmet was a little shit, but he was right.

Your thoughts drifted, and you abruptly picked your phone back up. Disregarding Emmet’s replies, you switched to another person.

>Thank you again for a great time tonight
>❤️

Quickly, you set your phone down in the same manner as before and returned to covering your face. Though difficult, you successfully stopped yourself from excitedly kicking your feet like you so badly wanted to, sparing your pokémon the disturbance. Eventually you did manage to drift off to sleep to dream of bigger and better things to come.

The next morning, you still felt…happy. No longer giddy nor high off adrenaline, the result was a satisfied feeling that started your day. You’d never had a morning like that.

You went through your morning routine and left your apartment for work, all the while your brain was running the memory of last night over and over in your head. It didn’t bother you. The memories made that satisfied feeling grow.

Settling in for another day at the café, you tried to push aside some feelings in order to successfully work. Though there was still some stock that needed to be put away, pretty much everything was in its place and you were ready to open for business. Sunday wasn’t the busiest but you still expected many returning customers.

As you prepared for the day, you spotted Ingo and Emmet enter Gear Station. Without discussion they headed for your café before anywhere else. That alone would’ve made you smile, but since yesterday your smile had become near-permanent. You waved to both of them as they approached and took in both twins; Ingo wore that soft expression that you loved so much, his mouth upturned at the corners already. Emmet was grinning from ear-to-ear and waved with his fingers teasingly. At this point, though, you no longer cared.

“Hey, guys!” you said, not even trying to be low-key. After yesterday you felt that you no longer had to hold back the demeanor stemming from your feelings.

(Embarrassment because of them still cropped up, of course – but practice would wipe that out eventually.)

“Good morning, [Y/N]!” was the reply from Ingo in a similar tone to yours, still blushing at the cheeks.

Emmet stayed silent. Staring. You sighed.

 “Go ahead, get it out of your system.”

With this permission, he threw his hands into the air like he did for Ingo the night before. “I’m verrrrrry proud of you two!”

You covered your face with one hand, regretting your decision immediately. “Oh my god, Emmet.”

“I’m afraid he did this to me last night as well.”

“Yeah, I got mine in text form.”

“Well it took you two long enough!” Emmet huffed and put his hands on his hips. “I’m celebrating. It was painful to watch.”

“We wouldn’t be together without him,” Ingo admitted, a thoughtful hand on his chin.

“Yeah, but don’t say it out loud,” you stage whispered only half-jokingly.

“Fine! You know what. I’m proud of me, too!” Up went his arms again, feigning anger on top of genuine pride in himself. “I am going to work! Goodbye!”

Emmet turned on his heels and began marching for the subway trains.

“Don’t you want coffee?” you called after him.

Emmet turned on his heels and began marching for your café.

You rolled your eyes with a grin and began moving to the carafe with freshly brewed coffee, stopping only to face Ingo with a tilt of your head.

“You too?”

“Yes…please,” he replied with a smile in his eyes to match yours.

Without prompting, you set the tray of sugar and cream on the counter before grabbing the to-go cups for their coffee. It took only a minute to fill both and set them on the counter, too. Ingo was already taking out his wallet to pay you.

“Ah-ah-ah,” you began. “You paid for dinner last night. After an unfair contest, I might add.”

He was undeterred. “It was, as they say, ‘fair and square.’ In addition, this is your business; not a leisurely outing.”

You frowned and took his payment begrudgingly. Emmet paid you alongside his brother, already sipping on his steaming hot coffee.

“Boyfriend discounts are unfair,” he said after a long sip.

Ingo dropped the spoon for the sugar with a clatter as he heard his brother say the word “boyfriend”, and you felt déjà vu from the first time you met. Not that the word didn’t make your face flush, too.

“We’ve only been on one date, Emmet,” Ingo managed to reply after recovering.

“So?”

You stopped to think, now cursed to be vexed by this for the rest of the day. “I…don’t think there are hard and fast rules…”

“I don’t think we have time to debate this,” Ingo said, not unkindly; merely hurriedly. Finishing the sugarfication of his coffee, he put the top back on his to-go cup and looked at the station’s large clock. “We’ve schedules to keep.”

Emmet gave you a little salute and, apparently not having learned his previous lesson, waggled his eyebrows in your direction before turning around and resuming his march. It was easy to ignore him while Ingo was nearby, if only for a moment before he followed his brother.

“Have a good day,” you said, demeanor changing instantly. “See you later, maybe?”

“You as well,” he returned. “Maybe… I’ll see what I can do.”

Ingo lingered just to hold your gaze for a second longer before he tipped his hat to you and followed Emmet. You leaned on the counter and let that big, dumb smile spread across your face as you held it in your hands. When the doors opened for the day, though, you quickly scrubbed your face free of the warmth it was feeling in order to shift into professional mode and serve some guests.

Boyfriend, you thought while collecting your first patron’s order. If we’re planning on more dates…then…why not?

“[Y/N]!”

A loud, familiar voice called across Gear Station, reverberating from its nightly emptiness.

“Oh! Hey!”

You called with delight when you recognized the voice and turned around to see Ingo waving from the door leading to the offices in the back of the station. He had his coat draped over his arm and walked at a sped-up pace to reach you quickly. Your bodyguards for the night, Slurpuff and Polteageist, waved back at him and his Chandelure and Crustle who followed his suit. Chandelure’s ghostly tune echoed eerily across Gear Station, accompanied by a(n only) slightly less creepy giggle of Polteageist’s and the clackity-clack-clack of Crustle’s legs on the floor.

“I didn’t think you would be free by closing,” you said when Ingo came within normal conversation range. Your hellos to his pokémon were given in pets and pats when they approached you mid-sentence.

“Neither did I. One of our trains had some unfortunate mechanical trouble due to some wild pokémon activity in its tunnel, forcing the line to be closed early. This left me with some extra time to finish some paperwork, and when I looked at the clock only a few minutes ago…”

“But the paperwork,” you joked, “What will the paperwork do without you?”

Ingo chuckled and held the door open for you and the pokémon. “I think it can handle another night of partial completion.”

“Well, I’m flattered that you’d rather walk with me than finish it.”

“Anytime I have the chance,” he admitted.

With Gear Station shut down and locked up for the night, you two made the all-too familiar route to your apartment building with pokémon astride. Polteageist set his teapot down atop Crustle’s shell-serving sediment, leaning out of the top with one hand on a “hip” and the other kept flat above his eyes as he revolved from side-to-side like a soldier scanning a perimeter. Crustle didn’t seem to mind and scuttled forward at the same pace you and Ingo strode. Chandelure hovered behind Ingo’s shoulder, sometimes switching between his and yours. She seemed more pleased by you two being together than anything, if her smiling face backlit by ghostly fire was any indication. And Slurpuff… Slurpuff was Slurpuff. Carefree and enjoying the walk, spending time with Ingo and his pokémon… He just happily bounded along with you as always.

You and Ingo, having done so on your first date, had unlocked another move in your arsenal – hand-holding. (Somehow kissing came before holding hands, you mused.) The two of you linked your arms together at the end of the date, but this was different. Your arm wrapped around his was nice, but clasping your hands together for the first time felt more…intimate, if you could arguably call it that. And tonight seemed to be a rare occasion where Ingo had taken his gloves off, leaving his hands bare. Probably to do paperwork easier, you thought; in reality, he’d done it on purpose just for this.

Your hands clasped together and hung between the two of you.

It felt so nice.

And to himself, Ingo made a mental note to take his gloves off for every walk you shared together from then on.

Waiting for another opening for a date proved…difficult.

Ingo’s job as a Subway Boss filled his schedule to the brim with pokémon battles, conductor duties, managing employees, and – of course – paperwork. It was a miracle that you had a date at all when his calendar provided very little openings. His free time off was something he always wanted to savor, and now he wanted you to savor it with him, too.

He was lamenting this one day, when a break in train departures allowed him to take his own and he stopped by your café. You fixed him up a refresher cup of coffee and little snack in your back room after you set your own on break sign on your front counter.

“It might just be the tourist season,” you continued your conversation as you entered the back room and closed the door behind you. “I noticed the other day that there are way more people challenging the Battle Subway this month.”

“Yes, there have been. It’s exciting to see new trainers and pokémon alike, and especially their skills in battle! But a problem arises when these battles endure far longer than the Battle Subway is scheduled to run.”

You nodded, taking a seat across from Ingo at your little back room table. The times he’s had to go home later than usual – which was already pretty late – was a ridiculous number. Both he and Emmet were tired but had to mask it very well for the public.

Ingo shook his head. “I still must apologize for the absence of free time on my part, and the trouble it is causing insofar as finding availability for another…date.”

He was getting better with these dating terms, you thought. Now only his cheeks became red instead of his entire face.

“Seriously, there’s no need to apologize. It’s your job! I get that.” You gave him a lopsided smile. “We’re still technically seeing each other. Just not in the manner that we want…”

With a small sigh, Ingo sipped the last of his coffee and set the cup carefully on the saucer with a little clink. “I thoroughly enjoy my job and proudly consider it to be an honor to hold this profession as a two-car train with Emmet. Everything, for the most part, runs as smoothly as we can offer our passengers. Nevertheless, when you and I form a two-car train together—” (you smiled and your heart pounded fast and fiercely upon hearing those words) “—there seems to be no end of obstacles obstructing our track.”

You ducked your head to look at the table when Ingo looked up from his coffee cup, if only to hide the redness stemming from his metaphor that may or may not be visible. Appletun was at your feet and looked up at you with an encouraging smile, tail wagging a bit. You felt better just looking at your beloved pokémon, calming you enough to think of something to try with Ingo.

“Oh, wait – I have an idea!” you looked up at him with a rejuvenated smile. “Mini-dates!”

“M…Mini-dates?”

“Yeah! You know, like…” You motioned between yourself and Ingo with one of your hands. “Like this!”

If you looked hard enough, you could almost see the lightbulb click on above his head. “Ah! During breaks that occur within my schedule, you mean!”

You nodded. “I mean, not every time, of course, and I’d have to see with my own breaks… But if we’re going to see each other for a little bit anyway…?”

“I think it’s a marvelous idea! Bravo!” Ingo seemed to return to his normal self, commending you with that genuine uplifting, can-do spirit. Then, innocently, “Hm. Would this time retroactively count as the first?”

“Um…sure!” you laughed, not expecting that question. “Why not.”

“Well…it appears as if I’ve only complained for most of our time here today. That’s hardly proper date etiquette, let alone coinciding with my wish for our… our dates to be joyous times.”

“Oh…” was a noise you hadn’t meant to make. It came reflexively, along with bringing a hand to your face. Ingo had said it so genuinely, it not only made your heart swell but was so damn cute, too. He didn’t seem to realize how truly sweet and adorable the sentiment was.

You shook your head. “That’s needed, sometimes, though. Everyone needs to vent or try and sort out their problems by talking through them. And besides…” you smiled, “…it wasn’t all bad. Just seeing and…I don’t know, chilling together, is more than enough for me.”

It was Ingo’s turn to flush red again – you really ought to start keeping score, you two tamato berries went back and forth so much – and you could tell that his fingers were itching to take hold of his hat and hide himself. It was impressive that he wasn’t at this stage, honestly.

“Merely seeing you is enough for me, too,” he replied, valiantly keeping eye contact instead of looking down at his own coffee cup.

“…Thank you,” you began, then instantly realized how dumb that sounded (Thanking him, are you kidding me? Why am I allowed to SPEAK?) and went into a mild panic. “I-I mean, not that, um… I’m…I’m glad that you – that we… …Ugh…”

Up went both of your hands to cover your face in equal parts embarrassment and frustration.

“No, no! I understand! I, I’m also very glad you enjoy seeing—and being together!” Ingo, trying to fix the situation, likewise jumbled his own words and ended up in the same fate as yourself.

You peeked through your hands. “Cool! We’re both happy!”

“Indeed we are!”

The two of you looked at each other silently for a few moments before bursting into laughter at your combined fluster. Ingo’s was held back for volume, you could tell; but the look on his face was a level of contentment that you had also seen on your date.

Alas, there wasn’t much time left to dillydally before Ingo’s next train departed the station. Both of you stood up from the table after discussing a bit – short lunch dates or little coffee breaks were the shared consensus. You pulled both coffee cups on their saucers together to stack them for bringing to the dishwasher while Ingo, whose coat had been hanging from his seat, pulled it back on in preparation to leave. Before he could say his goodbyes, though, you stopped him.

“Oh, Ingo?”

“Yes?”

You hesitated. But, like all split-second decisions you’ve made over the course of these several months, you went ahead and did what you were thinking.

“Have a nice time at work, okay?” you said with a smile as you leaned in to plant a little kiss on his cheek.

Score another red flush for Ingo, which covered his entire face and spread to his ears. His eyes went comically big and you still couldn’t help but imagine steam coming from his ears like a train whistle. He grabbed his hat by the lid and slipped it down to mask a good portion of his face while he held the rest of himself still.

“Th—Thank you!” he half-yelled. “I will! You too! Thank you! See you later!”

He quickly and impressively walked backwards toward the door and opened it, haphazardly waving to you without looking while trying to maintain his composure for his next duty. Appletun nudged your leg, bringing your attention to him and leading to the both of you wearing the same big, sloppy grins on your faces.

Recharged for what was left of the day, you made your way back to the front counter, hoisted Appletun on top of it, and went back to work. You heard that all-too familiar ALL ABOOOAARD! and smiled wider, catching sight of Ingo signaling the train for departure and watching it trundle off to its destination.

You sighed contently. “Bud, is this a dream? Have I been dreaming all of this?”

“Tun!” was your answer along with the shaking of his head for no.

“See, that’s exactly what I’d expect my dream buddy to say, though.”

Appletun flipped his eyes up and gave you the most withering look.

“No, you’re right. I’m sorry for doubting you.”

He huffed and nodded. “App-app!”

“Alright,” you said, clapping your hands together. “No more daydreaming. Time to get back to work.”

"…Tun?"

“…Okay. Maybe a little daydreaming.”

Chapter Text

With at least five different fragments each moving in unison, it was easy to become mesmerized and lose your focus. Your hand could easily become caught and pinned in the perpetual motion, or even badly cut on the sharp outer ring. Eyes darting from one piece to another, your brow furrowed with confusion and your hesitation extended too long. You had to look to your source of guidance.

“How…do I pet it…?”

Ingo chuckled, taking a sip of coffee as the two of you enjoyed a dual-break mini-date. His Klinklang hovered next to you, its gears spinning endlessly.

“I’m afraid it’s very tricky to try and give it affection in that way.” He paused as Klinklang made a series of metallic sounds. “Ah! It greatly appreciates the thought, however! Most people who have a chance to meet it outside of battle do not even consider the possibility.”

“It deserves to be pet just like every other pokémon,” you spoke with a decisive nod. “Oh—hey, hey, watch yourself, little guy.”

Sizzlipede – in either curiosity, mischief, or both – reached up with his front legs and grabbed hold of Klinklang’s bottom spiked rotating ring. He started revolving with it like someone hanging onto a ceiling fan, and luckily Klinklang was magnanimous enough to slow down the speed. Regardless, it seemed like Sizzlipede was enjoying himself.

“My pokémon treat yours as playgrounds,” you commented to Ingo with an amused snort. “Polteageist is the worst offender. He must be giving tips to the little guy.”

“I assure you that they do not mind, nor do I. In fact, they enjoy your team’s company and welcome their interactions! And I believe a good portion of my own enable the mischievous behavior of yours to begin with.”

Sizzlipede continued to try his luck, desperately grasping upwards with his back end but failing due to the lack of leverage. He hung on the rotating ring for a few moments more before letting go and plopping to the ground, visibly dizzy.

You laughed. “Who could have foreseen such an outcome?”

A small string of chirps came from behind Sizzlipede’s mustache, but alas his sassiness was overridden by comical wobbliness. Klinklang made a whirring noise, lowering itself closer to ground level and its new insect pal.

“It’s checking to make sure little Sizzlipede is alright.”

“Aww. So sweet, like its owner,” you teased entirely on purpose. Ingo merely took another sip of coffee to help cover his face. You grinned and turned your attention back to Klinklang. “That was very kind of you.”

You reached out with your hand and remembered the original dilemma just in time. With an annoyed noise, you pulled your hand back in.

“Does it… Do you eat?”

Klinklang made another series of metallic noises, which a recovered Ingo graciously translated. “It can absorb certain forms of energy that act as fuel, though unfortunately food such as the treats you bake cannot be ingested.”

You raised your flattened hands to either side of your face and gestured them forward to punctuate your every word. “How do I spoil you.”

This gave Ingo another chuckle, loving your tenacity as well as wanting to care for his pokémon as you do your own. Klinklang “spoke” again, this time in recognizable clinks and clangs while its spiked outer ring and the small gear with a face spun faster several times in a row. Sizzlipede, underneath, was watching with Alcremie-like fascination.

“That means you’re happy, right…?” you guessed.

It repeated the same noises and sped-up rotations. You saw Ingo nod his head in your peripheral vision.

“It does indeed! Bravo! You’re becoming more cognizant of how Klinklang expresses itself, and in such a short time!”

You laughed. Today’s mini-date was essentially getting to know the complicated steel-type pokémon at your behest, which Ingo thought was an excellent idea. It was still confusing for you, honestly, but you were glad that Klinklang appeared to like you and found your attempts at affection touching…as well as found Sizzlipede’s antics friendly as opposed to irritating.

“Hmm. I’ll think of something,” you promised the collection of gears.

Sadly, the clock signaled the end of your collective break, and the two of you began your usual clean-up routine. Klinklang was recalled after its goodbyes and Ingo grabbed his coat from the back of his chair; you cleared the table and set aside the dishware. As he was securing his hat upon his head, you turned to face him again. He held the brim and seemed to hesitate, looking in your direction with an almost anxiously hopeful stare. You smiled.

This wasn’t your first or second or even third mini-date, having had several sprinkled throughout the past week and a half or so. At the end of every one, just as you did next, you would give him a kiss on the cheek. And Ingo was getting better at receiving them; no longer hiding behind his hat…but still turning as red as cheri berry.

He lingered afterwards this time, though, and you paused with a confused look.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yes,” he nodded slowly, speaking in a manner that was the opposite of reassuring to you. “Everything is alright. I just, ah…”

You tilted your head to the side slightly without realizing it, waiting for him to answer. It was especially unusual for Ingo to risk going off-schedule. You were worried you’d done something wrong or he was about to give you some sort of bad news.

Ingo opened his mouth, prepared to say something, but you would never know what it would’ve been. He stepped forward instead and planted a kiss on your forehead; soft and gentle. You flushed, cheeks burning as he pulled away – and he looked thoroughly flustered as though he couldn’t believe what he’d done.

“Have a great rest of your day!” he called out at an awkward, inordinate volume.

“Y…You too…” you trailed off quietly.

The small but dreamy smile left on your face was the main factor that prevented Ingo from losing his mind in worry. With surprising ease, he walked backwards to the door and felt for the doorknob. Still red, he tipped his hat and left the room.

You brought your hands to your cheeks again – still so hot they warmed your palms – and let your smile spread from ear-to-ear. He was trying, he was really trying. He wanted to give you the same affection as you did with him, and he did it probably despite himself! He kissed your forehead and it was so gentle and it was all so domestic that you practically melted. You never thought you’d be struck down by of the mere concept of domesticity, but here you were! It reminded you of TV shows or movies where a couple gets ready for the day and they kiss each other goodbye and say have a nice day, hon, or stay safe, with a tender smooch to the forehead and GOD when did you get this sappy?

It didn’t matter. You bounced in place a few times and shook out your hands to get some of the excitedness out of your system before you had to return to minding your café. Sizzlipede climbed up your side happily, just enjoying your good mood alongside you, and stayed perched on your shoulder for the next shift. You reached up to pet him a few times, both of you wiggling in place a little bit when no one was looking.

“You’re as sunny as a Sunflora!” one of your regulars commented as they paid. “What’s got you so cheerful?”

“Oh, you know…” you said vaguely, smile never faltering. “Just one of those days, I guess.”

“Do mini-dates count toward a full date? Do the effects stack?”

You weren’t sure if Emmet was joking or not, and he probably wanted it that way. The twins had invited you into Gear Station’s office section one night as they prepared to leave so the three of you could depart together. Ingo was flipping through a handful documents and setting some pages of the packet on each of the few desks in the room. Emmet sat backwards in an office chair, waiting, with Eelektross floating idly beside him. You were situated in one of the desk chairs as well, watching Slurpuff and Excadrill follow Ingo throughout the room. Slurpuff was inspecting as many different facets of the room as he could while following your No Touching rule.

“Yes, Emmet,” you replied in a sarcastic monotone. “They’re buffs for dating life.”

“Knew it.” He yawned, followed by Eelektross as if on cue, before folding his arms on top of his chair’s backing and laying his head on them. “How about a buff to make Ingo go faster?”

“Energy drinks? Coffee? X-Speed?” you offered, amused.

Emmet shook his head. “Fast-forward button.”

Ingo ignored his brother completely, likely having had to do so in this fashion for years. Luckily, neither of you noticed his brief misstep when he heard the word "dating" from you (and liked it). It was good that he was almost done with his current objective, and soon walked over to the two of you after double-checking each desk.

“Good news! It still must be put on our communal bulletin board, but next week’s schedule has been determined. This Sunday is—oh! Pardon! Let me do this correctly.”

You suppressed a smile as Ingo cleared his throat and straightened his posture.

“[Y/N]! Would you do me the honor of going on a—a, another date?” He paused for a mere one second before looking mildly panicked, adding, “On—on Sunday! This coming Sunday! The day that leaves me free for another outing!”

(Behind Ingo, Emmet buried his face into one arm while the other made a fist that repeatedly thudded against the chair in hilarity-induced frustration.)

“Of course!” you replied immediately and visibly eagerly. “I’d love to.”

Relieved, Ingo let himself relax a bit, a smile beginning to form. “Fantastic! I cannot wait!”

You chuckled at his adorable enthusiasm. “Me either.”

“I am Emmet. I am happy for you. I am leeeaavvviiinggg.”

Having already opened the exit to the rest of the station, Emmet walked backwards out of the office with Eelektross in tow. You rolled your eyes while Ingo sighed. His mood couldn’t be dampened, though, especially when you reached out and took his hand in yours like it was the most natural thing in the world.

(It was becoming that way. Both of you were perfectly fine with this.)

“It is pretty late,” you said, still smiling at him. Then you turned for the door, prepared for Ingo to follow with your linked hands.

“Wait a moment, please!”

You turned around again and was surprised when he gently pulled his hand away from yours. Confusion colored your face and thankfully the hurt you would’ve soon felt never had a chance to develop; you watched as Ingo took one each of his gloves off. He folded them neatly and stuck them in one of his coat’s pockets – draped across his other arm of course – and reached out for your hand again.

“I, ah… I prefer to feel your hand against mine,” he admitted sheepishly.

Stunned for just a second, your smile returned in full-force and you gave his hand a squeeze.

“I prefer that, too.”

After a moment of languidly gazing at each other, you felt Slurpuff’s sticky hand take hold of your unoccupied one. Both of you looked to see him also holding one of Excadrill’s, who looked mildly confused but decided to just go with it.

“Let’s gooooooooooooooo!” Emmet’s voice rang  and echoed into the room from the far end of the station.

Ingo shook his head, still grinning at the ends of his mouth, and gestured to the door. “Shall we?”

“We shall.”

Emmet, impatiently tapping one foot, saw the four of you combined exit the office door (interrupted only by the need to lock it) and start in his direction. With Slurpuff and Excadrill, all of you formed an adorable four-car train. It wiped his remaining irritated nerves clean and replaced them with a warm, fuzzy feeling in his chest. You two looked so content together.

Of course, he couldn’t let you know that his impatience had dissipated, and so he continued to tap his foot until your abstract train made it to the door and departed Gear Station alongside him.

Your entourage of bodyguards dropped you off at your apartment building, breaking up the night’s chain-train. Slurpuff said goodbye to both twins as well as their pokémon, and you gave their pokémon each a pat, too. Emmet received a wave and “See you tomorrow!”, which was returned with a silent but friendly wave back. Ingo received a kiss, of course; more than a quick peck on the cheek, but not overly long nor involved. When you broke away, you shared the same soft yet beaming expression. It was definitely becoming easier to give each other the next level of affection, even if the two of you remained stubbornly shy about it.

You prepared to reluctantly let go of his hand in order to return home, but his soft grasp held you for a moment more. To your second surprise of the night, he leaned forward and planted a lovingly gentle kiss on your forehead, this time accompanied by a fond, “Goodnight, [Y/N].”

“…Good……goodnight…Ingo…” you nodded haltingly, lost in dreamland.

He stepped back and the two of you separated your hands slowly. Before his brother could turn around and see him, Emmet gave you a quick wink and two thumbs up. As soon as Ingo joined him to walk home, the younger twin didn’t give you the satisfaction of seeing any taunting reply you could make and immediately turned and caught up with his brother.

The twins made their way home with pokémon in tow and Ingo uncharacteristically silent. Emmet nudged him with his elbow wearing that trouble-making grin of his.

“It was on purpose, wasn’t it.”

Ingo furrowed his brow and looked toward Emmet. “What are you talking about?”

“The schedule. You made it so Sunday was free.”

A spoken answer wasn’t needed. Ingo faced forward again with a flat expression, confirming the answer as "yes."

“You and I have not had time to ourselves in a long while, now. The shifts available for this coming week are flexible enough with the depot agents, allowing us a day off.”

“That’s not why you did it.”

“…No… But you must agree that a break is something we severely need. This season is terribly busy, not to mention the Battle Subway lines on constant rotation…”

“I do agree.”

With a sigh, Ingo clutched his keys as they approached their apartment building. Something was bothering him, Emmet could tell. He waited until they were inside their home before digging any further.

“What’s wrong.”

Ingo stopped after taking his shoes off and hung his head with the acceptance that he wasn’t going to get out of this discussion after Emmet spotted his unease.

“As Subway Bosses, we are constantly busy. You and I are a two-car train on a non-stop rail regardless of our duties…”

“……Yeah?” Emmet said with a so what? tone.

“[Y/N] has their own schedule and their hands are certainly full. However…they may still have free time now and then while we do not have such a luxury more often than not."

Again, Emmet just stared. “………Yeah??”

Ingo looked at him incredulously. “That is the issue, Emmet!”

“…You’re jealous they get more time off than us?”

“Wh— No!” He nearly facepalmed. “No, not at all! I am trying to say that they… that our – er, mine, I suppose, in the context of courting them – that my time is very limited, and theirs…theirs is not so restrictive. What if…”

Emmet saw his face change from incredulous to worried to defeated in but a split-second.

“…What if…they tire of having so little time together? Of having to wait, or cut time short? Of…of my absence?”

Ingo sank into their armchair with Excadrill at his feet. Emmet was already on the couch with Eelektross draped over him like a blanket. He could see real worry in his older brother’s face, and hear it loud and clear in his words. And he understood that fear—sort of. But he also thought that by now, the twins understood you well enough, too.

“They know what they’re getting into.”

“That does not mean they won’t become fed up with it in the future.”

“You really think [Y/N] would get fed up?”

Silence answered Emmet. Ingo simply leaned forward in the chair, looking at Excadrill next to him.

“You are a Subway Boss. You have many responsibilities. [Y/N] knew this even before I set you up.”

There was another silence, this time accompanied by an exasperated expression.

“So they know this,” Emmet continued. “And came up with mini-dates. And waits to walk home with you.”

Ingo sighed, inspecting his hands for nothing in particular. “Yes…” was all he could muster, pondering Emmet’s entirely correct points.

“They’re happy. You’re happy. I’m happy that you're happy.” He shrugged. “You’re looking too far down the tracks. Pay attention to what is in front of you now. Safety first!”

At last, he got Ingo to chuckle. It was better than nothing, and it still stemmed from the truth.

“You’re right. I just can’t help myself sometimes…”

“I know.”

Though still somewhat troubled, he tried to take his brother’s words to heart. There was absolutely no evidence pertaining to Ingo’s scenarios, of course; but his anxiety was like a run-away train that he had to pull the emergency break on every now and then. Except since the time you’ve gotten together, it’s been more than just that. Sometimes the emergency break doesn't work.

But what he put to the forefront of his mind was Emmet’s words: “They’re happy. You’re happy.” His younger brother instilled a confidence in him with them, even if he knew it deep down in his heart already.

“Besides,” Emmet’s voice broke Ingo’s introspection, “you can just manipulate the schedule.”

“Absolutely not!” was the reply his brother was hoping for. “This instance was only doable because of the availability of our depot agents and the shifts they were willing to take, as well as having a redundancy at the ready if one falls ill and cannot make their Sunday shift – which was chosen due to the Battle Subway’s pre-existing schedule—”

Ingo went on, mildly irritated that Emmet would suggest such a thing of importance. The younger twin put his arms behind his head on the couch, satisfied with distracting his brother as well as pushing one of his buttons. He knew that Ingo’s fear was not unfounded, but he also knew how much the two of you liked each other and could easily bet on how tremendously massive an issue would have to be in order to put a real wedge between you. Apocalyptic in nature at the very least.

Emmet just leaned back and smiled, enjoying his brother’s rant and the warmth of a snoozing Eelektross blanketed atop him.

The next day was particularly windy in Nimbasa City, making the twins' coats dramatically billow behind them as they made their way to Gear Station. Passers-by who were fans, and weren't in a rush for their own jobs, smiled and waved at them to which they returned polite tips of their hats and the occasional "good morning." This wasn't unusual in the least for the mini-celebrities, though they never saw themselves as such and would never let it go to their heads. Regardless, both noticed a slight increase in fans on this particular day. The kind that giggled but didn't say anything, or the kind that just stared as they walked by.

Neither mentioned it, coming to the same conclusion – tourist season, of course. They didn't pay it much attention in an effort to reach their destination on time, anyway.

It was an otherwise normal, everyday morning.

A very windy morning.

After another polite tip of the hat, a gust of wind blew in just the right way to catch Ingo's and send it flying. Emmet bit back a laugh as he watched his brother go sprinting down the sidewalk to chase after it. A good hundred feet away, after failing to grab the hat from the air, it landed by several citizens mulling over a street vendor's goods. Ingo apologized for the intrusion and snatched the disobedient headwear from the ground, smacking it with the back of his hand a few times to get the grit and dirt off the surface.

With a sigh, Ingo started straightening out from bending over and…stopped. Froze. His eyes went wide, mouth slightly ajar, a chill down his spine.

Emmet caught up and saw his brother's reaction, or lack thereof. He approached, not believing Ingo would leave the job of reminding them not to be late to his brother.

"Hellooo?" Emmet asked, bending to the side and waving a hand in front of Ingo's face. "Are you seriously out of breath?"

Silently, Ingo shook his head no, but didn't elaborate. Confused more than impatient, Emmet turned to look at what Ingo was unblinkingly staring at and felt the same icy chill go down his own spine. And the people who had already congregated nearby heard just one thing from Emmet, summing up the twins' thoughts very succinctly.

"Uh-oh."

Chapter Text

It was a normal day.

An awfully windy, normal day. You didn’t feel like dealing with that kind of inconvenience, so you and Appletun hopped into a cab to ride to work.

Digging through your wallet to have the fare ready before you reached the station, you noticed Appletun’s eyes flipped up and looking not out the window as usual, but at the cab driver in the rearview mirror. You glanced at the mirror yourself to catch him watching you while stopped at a red light, then again when he glanced while driving to see if you were still looking. An uneasy feeling developed in the pit of your stomach and you were never so relieved to reach Gear Station.

“Thank you,” was something you always said as you paid your fare. This time there was an unsure tone to the words that you couldn’t help. You quickly scooped up Appletun and your bag.

“Anytime,” was the reply that came coupled with what you interpreted as a smirk, followed by a little chuckle.

You got out of the taxi thinking you were the butt of a joke you weren’t aware of.

At least Gear Station was empty of non-personnel and you could start setting up in peace. These days it was a 50-50 toss-up between sweet, sweet silence and alone time versus a sweet, sweet visit from Ingo before both of you began your days. Both options were always welcome, giving you a reason to enjoy heading to work so early in the morning. Today you just had to shake off the feeling from the creepy cabbie.

What you didn’t expect was a wild deviation from the norm, though you probably should’ve guessed that it would be the running theme of the day. And that deviation crossed the station floor swiftly to your café while you were just putting on your apron. You could hear the fast footsteps echo in the near-empty building.

“[Y/N]!”

It was Emmet’s voice and it sounded frantic. You instantly left the back room to see him standing on the other side of the counter, both hands firmly planted on top of it. His eyes were wide, smile barely present, and if you didn’t know any better you could’ve sworn he looked like he was expecting you to be frantic, too.

At the very least, you were extremely concerned with whatever had him in such a frenzy.

“Emmet? What’s wrong? What’s going on?”

He paused and looked at you oddly, confirming your suspicion. “…What do you mean ‘what’s wrong’?”

“What do I—dude, I heard you practically run across the station and now you’re looking like a spooked Deerling ready to bolt. What’s wrong?”

“You haven’t seen??” The last word was strained; incredulous.

You paused, staring into his eyes with both frustration and trepidation. “…Seen what?”

Emmet didn’t wait, dashing around the corner of the counter and taking hold of your wrist. He then started fast-marching toward the offices at a pace you could barely keep up with, let alone little Appletun trailing far behind you.

“What are you doing?! Emmet!” You managed to wrench yourself from his grasp, shaking out your hand. This gave Appletun a moment more to catch up to the two of you. He waddled valiantly across the station, you mused as you took pity on your little, near-out-of-breath apple pie by picking him up.

Meanwhile, Emmet pointed to the office impatiently. “Come with me.”

“See, you could have just said that in the first place, without grabbing me.”

“I am sorry! It’s important! Come on,” he said haltingly and very not apologetically, now motioning widely with both hands.

You begrudgingly did as he so desperately wanted you to, Appletun in your arms and worry rapidly building from Emmet’s erratic and cryptic behavior. Could there be something wrong with Ingo? Did something happen last night, or this morning? Was there something or someone in trouble that they needed your help for? Out of all these choices running around your mind, it was the first that worried you the most.

The two of you went straight to the office you’d been in just the night before, which seemed to hold the desks of the various depot agents assigned to Battle Subway shifts. No one else was there at the moment, though, and you most likely just missed their dispersal. At the far end was an open door into another, smaller office that you easily deduced was the twins’.

Inside stood Ingo, whose back was turned to you. It looked like he was reading something, or studying something in his hands – his head was tilted down and mostly hidden by the ridiculously high collar of his uniform. You couldn’t tell what he was doing and he didn’t speak up right away, even when Emmet sped over to him.

“They don’t know,” he quickly said.

“Know what? Seriously, guys, what the hell is going on?!”

You deliberately poised your question toward Ingo, despite his position facing away from you, in hopes that the chattier brother would come through. Worryingly, he did not. The most you caught was Ingo looking up and going completely still when Emmet shared your current state of affairs.

“You didn’t see any newsstands on the way in?” Emmet asked.

“No? I took a cab today. I don’t really pay attention to newsstands, anyway.” It wasn’t much, but you were finally getting somewhere. Yet after a moment went by with zero elaboration, you hesitantly but emphatically added, “Why?”

At last, Ingo turned around to face you. While he was already hard to read to begin with, the expression on his face was near-indecipherable. It wasn’t quite miserable, not fully infuriated… If you had to take a guess, the word you would use would be disturbed.

In his hands he clutched some sort of magazine – which struck you as odd, since he wasn’t a fan unless they were train- or pokémon battling-themed. He’d been closing the magazine as he turned to you, leaving the cover fully visible for you to see. You were surprised again to recognize it as one of those shitty tabloid ‘zines just by the ridiculous composition of the cover alone. Ingo would never read those, and if Emmet did, it would be for a laugh. Why they had one in their possession was a mystery solved immediately when you actually inspected the cover past its design.

SUBWAY BOSS INGO
IN A HOT NEW ROMANCE?!

ENJOYING A PASSIONATE DATE
BEHIND THE RONDEZ-VIEW!

SEEN WITH A PARTNER FOR THE FIRST TIME!
A FELLOW GEAR STATION EMPLOYEE!

WHAT KIND OF POKÉMON
DOES THIS MYSTERY DATE TRAIN?

CAUGHT MAKING OUT ON THE JOB!
WHAT ELSE COULD THEY BE DOING?

To say you were stunned was an understatement. “Stunned” was too light a word for the emotional cocktail you were swimming in, and you suddenly understood Ingo’s unreadable expression. You were horrified to see photographs of you and Ingo on several of your outing occasions. They were taken from afar as per the underhanded side of paparazzi snapshots before they upgraded to flat-out mobbing.

He held it out to you. Like you were hypnotized, you slowly put a very worried Appletun down in order to take the magazine.

You two were the main story. The centerfold. The cover of a tabloid sold by countless vendors across Nimbasa City. And the star photo used as the backdrop was that of the first real kiss you shared with Ingo. It didn’t matter if you were in a public setting; it was a private moment now memorable for the wrong reason.

“ENJOYING A PASSIONATE DATE
BEHIND THE RONDEZ-VIEW!”

You were l i v i d.

Accompanying the main cover photo were smaller teasers for the “article” inside. The two of you holding hands on the way home ("SEEN WITH A PARTNER FOR THE FIRST TIME!"). You merely working at your café counter ("A FELLOW GEAR STATION EMPLOYEE!"). The outing at the park – before you two were officially together – where you two had been contentedly watching your pokémon while sitting on a blanket ("WHAT KIND OF POKÉMON DOES THIS MYSTERY DATE TRAIN?"). And you felt your stomach drop when you saw the two of you sharing a kiss next to your café counter, having clearly just exited your back room.

“CAUGHT MAKING OUT ON THE JOB!
WHAT ELSE COULD THEY BE DOING?"

On every occasion you could recall some point where you had the feeling of being watched, all starting with the outing at the park. Now you knew why.

You wondered if this was some sort of karmic punishment.

Flipping to the page that the cover so graciously provided a number for, you saw several more photos of the same dates; different angles, different activities. The only mercy afforded to you was a lack of photos in front of your apartment building. But you wouldn’t put it past these paparazzi to have snapped some shots there, too.

JUST A FLING… OR SOMETHING MORE?

The master of the Battle Subway Single-Line could be coupling up! Subway Boss Ingo has been spotted out and about the city with a special someone by his side…and then some! Our sources have snapped some crucial evidence to support our spicy speculation about these two Luvdisc leveling up their love affair! Here’s what we know about Ingo’s new paramour…

The “article” went on to describe you and your café, providing a solo pic of you at the counter underneath the sign that spelled out the name of the place. Of course they had to mention the robbery and assault you’d suffered, though Ingo’s daring rescue dominated that part. There wasn’t much dialogue about you as a person, focusing more on your looks, to your further disgust.

Another shot of you two at the park was next, accompanied by smaller pictures of each of your pokémon enjoying themselves – and one of Sizzlipede where the background was clearly your café instead since he wasn’t present for the former get-together. Underneath that section was a summary of the battles you had fought with Emmet, without photographic evidence. Your pokémon’s blurbs were detailed enough, though, that you suspected the tabloid spoke to one or more of your customers.

Speaking of; there was a large portion devoted to your café’s position inside Gear Station and how that related to Ingo. As you feared, a couple more photos were taken on a mini-date day where the two of you emerged from the café’s back room together and shared a little kiss. The tabloid ran with it.

HOT HIDDEN HANG-OUTS!

Our sources have caught these two Swoobat emerging from the concealed room of the café! What could our beloved Single-Battle Subway Boss and his new partner be doing behind closed doors? Would it be appropriate to call them a lover instead…?

Appletun nudged your leg, confused and concerned about what was going on. You finally closed the magazine in embarrassment and anger, shutting your eyes for a minute as if that would make everything go back to normal. It didn’t.

“[Y/N]… I cannot deeply, deeply apologize enough,” were Ingo’s first words to you, full of his own embarrassment and shame.

You opened your eyes to see his gazing at you so wide and glossy and…fearful? Though you were infuriated, that didn’t color your words to him; the last thing you wanted was for him to feel responsible, even if that was going to be the result regardless.

“You have nothing to apologize for,” you told him with a shake of your head. “You didn’t invite…this. No one did except the bastards themselves.”

Ingo remained unchanged, predictably. You hoped that he at least understood you weren’t in any way blaming him for this. It was hard to tell given his solemn disposition.

“Mandibuzz, all of them!” Emmet seemed just as angry as you, if not outwardly more. “Unacceptable. Pathetic.”

“Emmet, we can’t do anything about this now that it’s published,” Ingo said patiently. You got the impression that they already had a conversation of this fashion.

The younger twin was rapidly tapping his foot and kept his crossed arms incredibly tight. “If I ever find them…”

“You’ll be second in line,” you finished for him, still seething.

Ingo sighed. “[Y/N], I…”

He and his brother shared a look with a meaning you weren’t privy to, but you could see Emmet return it with a glare.

“…Emmet, may I speak to [Y/N] in private?”

He didn’t sound sure of himself, and as a result you felt a sinking in your stomach. Emmet said nothing but maintained the intense glare for a moment long enough for you to feel the tension thicken the air around you. He knew what Ingo was going to talk about and did not like it one bit.

“Fine,” Emmet huffed reproachfully, angrily marching for the door and closing it a little too hard behind him.

Another sigh escaped Ingo as you churned with worry. He wouldn’t meet your eyes, though he glanced at the magazine a few times as he readied what he wanted to say. You turned it over to conceal the cover and set it on the desk nearest you. For good measure, and to lessen some of the pokémon's anxiety, you picked Appletun up to hold him closely; the little dragon was unavoidably out of the loop and could do nothing but try to comfort you.

You braced yourself.

“Ingo…” you said slowly.

He took a large breath and finally looked you in the eyes again; his were remarkably saddened, even compared to moments ago.

“[Y/N]… I suppose I’ll get right to the point to save you any trepidation,” Ingo began as you thought, too late for that. “I understand if you…if you would rather put an end to our relationship in light of this disastrous happening.”

You didn’t hear the latter half of his sentence. You went cold as soon as you heard end to our relationship. Ingo must have mistaken your initial dumbfounded silence as some sort of quiet, hesitant agreement, because he looked to the floor, downcast, and pensively closed his eyes.

“Despite your earlier assurance, I really must give my deepest, most sincere apologies. It was a dreadful oversight on my part to think we would be safe from the rumor mill, and I have been proven horribly wrong. Even if we might take control of this situation, more always have the probability of cropping up in the same vein as this as long as you and I are together. Cutting off this relationship now will save you the headaches and embarrassment of any future problems such as this, and I sympathize with your decision in order to escape the scrutin—”

“No?!”

Ingo nearly jumped at your outburst, clearly unexpecting you to shout; Appletun recoiled as well (something you would have to apologize for much later). If this were a different situation, you would have been surprised at yourself, too – but this was far too important to lose your train of thought.

“Absolutely not. This doesn’t scare me off, and this sure as hell doesn’t make me want to leave you! That’s the last thing I want!” Your voice was becoming hoarse, likely because you were on the verge of becoming truly upset. “…Unless that’s…what you want…?”

“No!” he shouted, matching your volume. “No, I— it’s the last thing I want as well!”

“Then…why did you think…?”

He was grimacing. “I knew how disturbed you would be to see our private moments on display for the city to see. Emmet and I…we do not have this sort of issue often. Not like this. They are latching onto our relationship as a new source for entertainment, and we…we haven’t been together for long. If we continue, then…there will assuredly be more of these difficulties.”

Your anger slowly retreated in the face of Ingo’s distraught tone becoming worse and worse. You put it on the backburner of your mind to boil for a while in order to help solve the current crisis between you and Ingo.

After patting Appletun, who was no closer to understanding or being reassured, and giving him a kiss on his muzzle, you set him down. Then you stepped closer to Ingo and gently reached out to lift his chin so his eyes met yours again.

“I will not be scared off by Sharpedo like these,” you said quietly and seriously. “None of this is your fault, and none of it makes me want to leave what we have.”

“[Y/N]…”

“So unless you want to end our relationship—”

“I don’t!” he interrupted – unusual for him unless it was important enough to cut through his politeness. “I don’t…”

You managed to give him a small, soft smile. “Then we’re agreed we’re still together?”

“Yes,” he seemed to deflate, some anxiety replaced with relief and a surge of feelings for you. “I agree wholeheartedly…”

“Good.”

You nodded and, still smiling, leaned in to kiss him like the signing of a pact. He reciprocated like he never expected to be able to do so again. It certainly gave you a pang in your heart. When you two parted, you immediately threw your arms around him and hugged him tightly, face buried in his shoulder. And you were happy to feel Ingo do the same to you, one arm snug around your middle and one lightly cupping the back of your head.

It was silent. The desperate hug lasted for a few minutes without sound nor words exchanged. The action was enough to get across what you two were feeling.

The door opened and both of you jumped. Emmet peeked his head around the corner, and upon seeing your embrace fully swung the door open and stood in the doorway triumphantly.

“I told you!” he said, pointing accusingly at Ingo.

“I know…” the older twin said sheepishly, turning his head to the side. Neither of you had fully pulled yourselves away from each other. “I find myself easily fearful about matters like these…”

“Well, you can’t get rid of me that easily,” you half-joked with a grin.

You two let your arms fall and stepped back only a little bit, linking one of your hands with the other’s. Appletun gazed up at you with still-worried eyes – you really had to make this up to him later – to which you returned a smile. He seemed to like that you and Ingo reconciled from the shouting before, and weakly wagged his tail when you smiled at him.

Solving one issue, however, meant that what was set on the backburner was in focus yet again, and the heat had made it boil over. You looked to the magazine grimly.

“…What can we do?” you asked rhetorically, not expecting a real answer nor thinking there was one. “You two are basically Nimbasa celebrities, whether you believe it or not. Of course one of you starting to date is going to make the tabloid headlines.” You suddenly realized something and put your other hand on your face. “Oh god, my café might be mobbed…”

Ingo cast his eyes downward again and you quickly squeezed his hand to dispel the thoughts you knew he was having. At least he could look you in the eyes now. You’d reassure him as many times as it takes without hesitation.

“We called in help,” came an unexpected reply from Emmet, arms still crossed and leaning on the door frame. “Should be here any minute.”

“Wait, really? From where? Who?”

“An old friend.” For the first time this morning, you saw Emmet’s smile return. “Who has experience with shit-shows like this.”

“Emmet!”

Barely holding back, you snorted, then full-on laughed while covering your mouth with your free hand. It wasn’t just Emmet’s rare use of the word “shit-show”, it was Ingo’s absolutely scandalized response. It was silly, it was hilarious, and it broke the very thick barrier of Gloom-and-doom that had been looming over all of you.

“[Y/N]!”

You looked to see Ingo with an appalled expression matching his tone, although you could see the mask slipping. Especially since Emmet joined in on the laughter and it was clear that it was helping you recover. Which, in turn, made Ingo recover a little bit, too.

Appletun had no idea what the fuck was going on at any point in time today. But now there was laughter, and laughter was good, and smiles were good, and you were good. The little pie wagged his tail with more zeal than before, flipped-up eyes looking from one person to the next as if to say, this is good, yes? Good? Things are good??

The stupidity died down and you gently leaned your shoulder against Ingo’s, wiping your hand down your face. It caused you to miss Ingo’s little smile at the casual affection, but Emmet noticed. All of you were getting a little boost after being wiped out, it seemed.

“What joke did I miss?”

All four of you came to attention as someone rounded the corner into the little office. You felt your jaw involuntarily drop open a little and stay that way as your eyes were drawn to the tall, stunning woman in the doorway. The light from behind gave her a striking silhouette, though you could still see her face clear as day. You knew who she was. How could you not?

“So. I heard you were having a problem with the paparazzi.”

Elesa tilted one hip to the side and put her hand on it, looking to each of you in the room; Emmet, Ingo, Appletun, and then you. She raised her head high and smiled.

“Allow me to give you a hand.”

Chapter Text

The gym leader of Nimbasa City was commonly called electrifying, and not just because she specialized in electric-type pokémon. The professional model was tall, stunning, and beautiful; easily becoming the center of attention of any public space simply by the way she held herself. This kind of attention gave her a leg-up in regards to techniques to avoid the public eye and the lenses of the paparazzi that were always chasing her.

You knew that the twins were friends with Elesa, but you’d never met her before. Hell, you’d never seen her before, not in-person. You were a little bit starstruck…though admittedly not at the same level you had been when you first met Ingo and Emmet.

“Elesa!” greeted Emmet with a big grin. A Joltik hidden within one of his conductor coat’s mystery pockets leapt to Elesa, scuttling onto her shoulder. Judging by her lack of reaction beyond giving it a gentle pet on its head, this was a common happenstance.

“Good morning, Elesa,” joined Ingo, despite exasperation already lining every word he spoke.

“Hello, boys,” she returned with a friendly smile, which was then turned toward you. “And let me guess… [Y/N], right?”

“Um, yeah.” You were still staring dumbly and scrambled to fix yourself. “Yes. It’s…really cool to meet you.”

There I go being twelve again.

Elesa wasn’t bothered in the least by your lack of eloquence, and held out a hand to shake yours. You obliged with a lopsided grin. Noticeably, she purposefully offered the hand opposite yours that wasn’t tied up with Ingo’s.

“It’s very cool to finally meet you, too!” she laughed without mockery. “Emphasis on ‘finally.’ I have no idea why either of these two haven’t introduced us yet.”

She gave a sly, accusatory glare to each of the twins.

“You’ve been out of town!” Emmet shot back, hands on his hips. He had just finished closing the door, leaving all of you within close proximity to each other. The extra privacy was welcome.

“No excuses.” Elesa dramatically turned her head away and held up a hand in front of Emmet’s face.

“I honestly would have sooner, Elesa. However, you departed for your latest modeling excursion right around the time [Y/N] and I…” Ingo trailed off, glancing at you. “…officially decided to…begin a relationship together?”

It almost seemed like he was asking your permission to say such a thing. You squeezed his hand and gave him a reassuring smile and nod. He let out a sigh of relief. Though he wasn’t smiling, it was clear that being able to put those words together “officially” gave him a bit of a lift in spirits.

When you looked back to Elesa, she had both hands raised to her face, pressing her cheeks. Her eyes seemed to sparkle like glitter in the office lights.

“You two are so cute.” Her smile widened beneath her hands while Emmet made sure you saw his trademarked smug grin™️ from behind her. “No wonder everyone wants a piece of you!”

Both of you went red.

“Aww, look at you!”

“Elesa, please…” Ingo uttered not without difficulty, pulling his hat down over his face.

Emmet said nothing aloud, but his gaze upon you screamed There Is No Escape.

The model laughed and waved one hand inbetween you, as if trying to physically wipe away her comments and your embarrassment. “Oh, I’m sorry. I’m just happy for the two of you!”

You could almost feel the heat coming off of Ingo’s face – or was that from yours? Somehow the both of you muttered, “Thank you…” like you had to force the words from behind your teeth. Thankfully, unlike Emmet, Elesa knew when to stop. She dropped it immediately, for which you both were grateful. Neither of you were used to this sort of attention, making the paparazzi situation ten times worse. If one person caused this much embarrassment, then…

Don’t think about how many people are going to read the magazine, you thought, thus rendering the demand of yourself inert as it, in and of itself, was thinking about how many people are going to read the magazine.

“Tun,” came from below. Appletun broke your trance, recognizing your discomfort. His flipped-up eyes were staring at you worriedly and one leg was pawing at your feet. The poor pie still had no idea what was happening.

“Oh!” was Elesa's immediate response to Appletun’s declaration. “How could I forget a cutie like you was with us?”

Appletun turned his attention to her, apparently feeling left out in more ways than one. He was the only one in the room that she hadn’t greeted, after all, and the only reason he hadn’t acted affronted was because your discomfort came first. Elesa lowered herself enough to hold one hand out to Appletun, who ambled over to her and sniffed her scent. She shared a glance with you to confirm silent permission to interact with him.

“It’s very nice to meet you, cutie.” To Appletun’s delight, she gave him scritches underneath his chin that made one of his back legs wiggle.

You laughed. “Well, he loves you now.”

“I’m flattered,” she giggled back. When they were done, Elesa stood back up to her impressive height and set a hand on one of her hips again, expression abruptly serious. “Alright. Down to business.”

“Please,” Ingo sighed.

The four of you pulled chairs from each of the twins’ desks to talk about the issue at hand. Trusted depot agents were currently covering for the Subway Bosses and the safety checks they were otherwise missing, while your café was still designated as closed. When the clock struck opening time, neither you nor Ingo were in sight for anyone trying to pry. Given the story, you expected your regulars might know the reason behind your absence; they needn’t even read the tabloid, considering the cover revealed more than enough. You had no idea what kind of crowd awaited you when you finally emerged.

“They’ll most likely lie in wait for you to return to your posts,” Elesa explained. “They’re experts in waiting. The entire day, if they really want their mark.”

“And that is why you always enter and exit through the back hallway behind our offices,” Ingo added for your sake. “The paparazzi cannot extend their reach through here, nor can they camp around Gear Station’s back outlets.”

“Is that…just what we’re going to have to do from now on?” you asked with a grimace. “If I’m being followed to work every day, they’ll catch on to the back route and ruin it for all of us.”

“True,” Elesa mused. She was resting one elbow in the opposite hand, curling her other underneath her chin as she thought. One immaculately manicured finger tapped against her elbow. “Hm. This might sound counter-productive, but hear me out. It could be in everyone’s best interests if you faced the paparazzi head-on.”

You and Ingo balked.

“Just let them take pictures?” asked a similarly skeptical Emmet, imagining you and Ingo posing and vogueing like Elesa on a stage. He did not share this aloud for his own safety.

“…No. I don’t intend to imply that you let them do whatever they want. You’d be swallowed whole.”

Ingo didn’t seem convinced. “If I am understanding correctly, then, you actually mean to say that we should face them directly with the intent to drive them off somehow?”

“Yes. Sort of.” Looking up at the ceiling in thought, she started pointing and circling her finger in the air aimlessly as she talked it out. “You and Emmet carry a lot more authority and battle prowess, so chasing off the boldest of them wouldn’t be much of an issue if they try to cross your yellow line. As you might say.” She suddenly froze, realizing that there was a hidden insult implied by her words, and looked at you with an apologetic frown. “Sorry, no offense!”

“It’s okay,” you said and shook your head. “Some café barista who doesn’t even train isn’t going to shoo off anyone that determined.”

“You aren’t a trainer?” She was surprised, clearly not having been told this beforehand.

At the same time, Emmet said, “You won against me.”

You gave him a flat look. “With Ingo’s help.”

“Don’t discount your part to play in that double battle; you performed admirably alongside Mimikyu, Chandelure, and I. The ideas you came up with on the spot were superb!” Ingo nodded matter-of-factually. “You have plenty of skill, even if it has remained untapped since your trainer years.”

Your cheeks felt hot again.

“This was the battle you placed bets on, right?” Elesa wasn’t looking at any of you; she had grabbed the tabloid and was flipping through it as if searching for something.

“Yup.” Emmet turned to you and Ingo. “You’re welcome.”

Elesa missed the specially-tailored looks Emmet received from you and Ingo as she skimmed through the magazine’s centerfold. The two of you really were so damn cute. While massive invasions of privacy, the photos that showed the both of you together were almost tooth-rottingly adorable. It was even more powerful in person, she found.

“They wrote about your battles a little in here,” she said, closing the magazine and tossing it back on the nearest desk. “Odd that there are no photos of them, though.”

“There was a sizeable crowd for both of the battles [Y/N] had with Emmet. Those in attendance would have had more than enough opportunities to snap several photographs if they wished.”

“Okay, but, I definitely don’t have…I don’t know, the strength to be able to intimidate or drive-off anyone like you guys can,” you explained, wanting to get back on track. “And I can’t exactly close down the café. Again.”

“Up security?” Emmet offered.

“Seems like favoritism, doesn’t it?”

He shrugged. “So?”

“Increasing security for Gear Station overall wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing,” Ingo pondered.

“Even the strongest of guards can be evaded by a determined reporter.” Elesa sat back in her chair, arms and legs crossed. “Paparazzi are especially ruthless Sharpedo.”

The thought of bodyguards or escorts crossed her mind, though they didn’t stick for a variety of reasons. Although…

Her eyes drifted towards you and Appletun, half-asleep in your lap.

“If you don’t mind my asking, what pokémon do you have?” (Appletun snapped to attention, his sleepy eyes flipping upward groggily. Elesa smiled.) “Besides your scrumptious little pie over there.”

Appletun wagged his tail and you chuckled, patting him on his apple helmet a few times.

“Well, speaking of, uh…’scrumptious’… I also have an Alcremie and a Slurpuff…a Polteageist, a Mimikyu…and a new addition – a Sizzlipede.” You saw Elesa’s eyes begin to show that sparkle again and quickly added, “No, the food theme wasn’t deliberate. It just sort of happened.”

“Still! It makes for a charming café atmosphere.” She put a finger on her chin and tapped it during another pause for thought. “There’s a couple of ghosts in the mix, then, hm?”

Ingo instantly caught onto her developing scheme. “Ah! They would be able to run kind of interference unlike any in our ability!”

“Polteageist is already a little menace… and that’s following the rules I have to set for him. If I just set them loose on those dirt-bags…” You started to grin again, knowing what kind of trouble he and Mimikyu could wreak upon these Mandibuzz if they worked together.

“Paparazzi are still tricky,” Elesa pointed out in a serious tone. “But at the very least, it’s a distraction.”

“Oh, they’ll do more than that.”

“Don’t forget your other pokémon,” Emmet said with an accusatory point in your direction. “Alcremie is cunning. Relentless. Merciless.”

Elesa looked at you, baffled.

“Emmet likes to tease me. Alcremie doesn’t like that. She’s rainbow cream, he wears all white…” you trailed off, easy to see where that led.

Emmet was appalled when Elesa didn’t even bother to stop or hide her laughter.

“Perhaps you could try toning down the teasing you give [Y/N],” offered Ingo casually.

“Everyone in this room is an enemy.”

“Sizzlipede are flat little fiery bugs, right?” Elesa continued, ignoring Emmet. “I bet it could really light a fire under the paparazzi’s behinds.”

“He can be really fast,” you agreed with a smirk.

“And Slurpuff?”

“Honestly, he can be a distraction without even realizing it. He is…a simple creature.”

“But if he’s given direction, could he carry it out properly?”

“…Maybe?” It was the most truthful answer. You’d never tried to give Slurpuff a clear plan of action outside of pokémon battles. “I do know that he can be defensive of me if I’m nervous. I mean, they all can—” (you looked down at Appletun and skritched behind his eyes) “—but that might be the best part for him to play.”

“And while your pokémon are running interference, it’ll annoy most enough that they might give up. For the tougher ones, it gives you time to escape. At least until security or Ingo or Emmet can diffuse the situation.”

“Only if it gets really bad,” you reply, conjuring various situations in your mind. With a sneer, you crossed your arms. “I don’t want to run from this like they’ve succeeded in scaring me off.”

Elesa’s grin morphed into a smirk. “I like you.” She looked to Ingo. “You picked a good one.”

Both of you went red. Again.

She returned her attention in your direction. “So did you. Ingo’s a sweetheart.”

Despite your embarrassment, you smiled and said, “I know.”

With one gloved hand, Ingo’s hat was held over his eyes yet again. Sitting directly next to him, though, you could see from the side that he was holding his eyes shut, too. Both of you had stopped holding hands when everyone grabbed chairs to sit and discuss, so you reached over and put your palm into his. Eyes jolted open, he glanced aside and met yours, giving him a relaxed feeling (yet still with an increased heart rate). He slowly put his hat back into place – but of course, the red flush stayed.

Elesa was smiling wide with that gleam in her eyes, looking between the two of you. “So cute. They’ll have a field day with you.”

“That’s not supposed to be a good thing!”

“So our plan is ‘[Y/N]’s pokémon’?” Emmet asked with disbelief written all over his face. “We could’ve thought of that on our own!”

“Who said there had to be only one plan?” Elesa shot back with a grin. She pulled out her cellphone and began swiping through her contacts. “This is being proactive. I can do my thing behind-the-scenes, but you need to know how to shoo the stubborn ones off directly. It’s more than being sneaky at this point.”

She briefly looked up, locking apologetic eyes with Ingo, then you.

“Sorry.”

“I mean, it kind of blew up overnight, yeah…” you sighed, running your free hand down your face.

Ingo similarly gave a sigh and closed his eyes for a moment. “We understand, Elesa. I hope you know how greatly appreciated your help truly is, especially given your extremely busy schedule.”

“Pffft,” she scoffed, waving one hand in his direction. “Friends help friends. We are friends, right, Ingo?”

“Of course!”

“I was joking, Ingo.”

“…Of course.”

“Besides, it gives me another reason to have my people harass those tabloid ‘reporters.’ Can’t have too many of those.” With a click of her nails against her phone, Elesa stood up and returned it to its pocket. “Time to face the music? I know you boys have your own strict schedules.”

“’Your people’,” Emmet echoed flatly.

“It is probably for the best that we don’t dwell further, as foreboding as the thought is…”

Appletun jumped to the floor as you and Ingo stood together, hands refusing to part. You took a deep breath in anticipation.

Elesa nodded with satisfaction. “I’ll go out first – from the front. If some paparazzi peel off to follow me, that’s less than you'll have to worry about right now.”

“You don’t have to do that—” you began, stopping mid-sentence when Elesa copied the same hand-wave as a moment ago.

“Friends help friends. Right, [Y/N]?”

Surprised, but very happily so, you smiled and nodded. “…Right.”

“I’ll go with you,” Emmet declared, jumping up from his seat. “I can try to clear out non-passengers.” A beat. “Safely.”

Elesa said goodbye for now, and as she left the room, she looked over her shoulder. “I’ll keep touching base, now that I’m back in the city. [Y/N]? That includes you.”

You nodded silently, smiling.

“Alright! Let’s go disrupt some idiots.”

Emmet's smile looked a bit forced-cheerful as he cracked his knuckles. Ingo shot him a Look, but it was too late. He waved to both of you and followed Elesa out the door.

(“I’ll act as a Chande-lure to attract some away.”

“No.”

“They’ll be in the Magne-zone a Magne-ton and give those two a break.”

“Stop.”)

Despite being in a room down a hallway and surrounded by the office, you and Ingo could hear the immediate commotion inside the station. You hoped Elesa could take away a big chunk of however many photographers and journalists showed up. Neither of you could move, immobile with apprehension.

“I worry you will be accosted far worse than I,” Ingo spoke up after what felt like minutes. He was already drained by everything that was happening. Work hadn’t even started for him yet. “You have only one station with no tracks to travel upon, while I am almost constantly riding to and fro.”

“It won’t be great,” you admitted just above a mutter. But, you patted your bag and gestured to Appletun. “I have my bodyguards, though. We’ll do okay.”

“I can check in with you whenever my train pulls back into this station, however brief the moment may be.”

“I’d appreciate that.” You went silent for a minute, staring at your intertwined hands. “Hey, Ingo?”

“Hm?”

“Look, um… You know how earlier you’d said that…you’d understand if I wanted to…end this?” Even the words gave you a bad taste in your mouth when you spoke them. “Because now that they’ve targeted us, it…it won’t stop?”

Ingo had frozen over as if ice were in his veins. He barely managed to nod and answer with, “…Yes…”

“I just wanted to say…that goes both ways, you know.” Your eyes glanced down at your hands again, which you’d begun lightly swinging side to side. “I know this is exhausting, and it’s only the start. If it gets to be too much, then… Well, you also have every right to—”

“Absolutely not!” he interjected. The fear in his expression had receded, leaving only determination. “There is not one thing they could do that would take away the feelings I have for you, nor uncouple our two-car train!”

It was obvious how resolute he was, much like you had been when he mentioned the same thing earlier. He stood tall, head raised slightly and eyes filled with confidence; the very same look in his eyes that intimidated some but sparked warmth in you.

“I will not be scared off by Sharpedo like these!” he echoed.

You smiled softly.

“…Then remember that if you ever feel like bringing it up with me again,” you said with a tilt of your head to the side. “Because I feel the same. And I don’t plan on that changing.”

Ingo tried to keep that determined expression, but you could see it wavering. In a good way, though, you knew.

He nodded. “I will. …Thank you.”

You leaned up to give him a kiss on the cheek, rolling back on your heels afterwards and still idly swinging your locked hands. Unsurprisingly, he flushed, but only a bit. He was getting better at receiving them, though you secretly wished he would always blush just a little.

With a clearing of his throat, Ingo switched tracks to the situation at hand. “I suppose exiting together will provide them with more fodder to use. This time they’re not hiding in the shadows while we enjoy ourselves.”

“You know what? I don’t care.”

He looked back at you with an adorably surprised expression. You laughed and gave him a simple shrug.

“I think talking it out like this helped. Yeah, they got us, and our privacy was and will be violated and I’m sure as hell still mad about that.” You shook your head. “But having our relationship out there was going to happen sooner or later, right? So what if they get some close-ups? We’re not hiding it.”

Ingo, as you spoke, relaxed his face into a soft, fond gaze at you. He agreed with every word you said, and hearing them from you was strangely validating. Sometimes, your relationship – even in the early stage that it was – didn’t feel real. Now, it did. For all the wrong reasons…at least, before you eased his mind. Before you took and refused to let go of his hand. Before you said everything that filled in the outline in his mind’s eye of being together, with one broad stroke of a metaphorical paint brush.

You paused your impromptu speech when you saw the dopey look on his face. It made you smile, too, and shortened whatever was left of your fuck you, paparazzi, thoughts.

“No, we’re certainly not,” he agreed with a small but noticeable smile.

Flashes of light from your pokéballs releasing their charges felt like a rehearsal for cameras that might be shoved in your face. But these were welcome, as were the pokémon who would help put some space between anyone trying to get close. Chandelure, of course, was joined by Klinklang – the two of Ingo’s team that could keep up with a faster walking pace. While Appletun would help you when you arrived at your café, he would most definitely not keep up with a fast pace, and so you recalled him; Polteageist, Mimikyu, and Sizzlipede joined the group instead. The haunted tea was especially excited to finally unleash some real rabble-rousing.

As Ingo instructed his pokémon, your gaze wandered to the door and the commotion you could slightly hear outside of it. Gear Station’s normal traffic, you knew, but how much of that noise was trouble? How many actually followed Elesa out of the station? How many were successfully kept back by Emmet? How many were waiting at your café?

Despite the determination, the planning, the reassurances to each other – you were uneasy.

“—so that we will be able to follow a track straight to the café without obstacles,” Ingo finished, the rest of his words lost while your mind wandered. He turned to you, ready to say something, but stopped when he noticed your stupor.

Taking a cue from you, he squeezed your hand tightly. Immediately, you were rescued from your worst-case scenarios playing through your mind; your attention was quickly drawn to him. This time it was his turn to appreciate an adorably surprised look on your face.

“I am nervous, too,” he admitted, straight-to-the-point.

Somewhat sheepish, you attempted another bright smile, only to display one that still conveyed your anxiety. “We can do this, right?”

Ingo nodded. “We can. It will not be an easy ride, however…” he trailed off before summoning all of his resolve. His authority as a Subway Boss as well as a conductor; his confidence in his pokémon and battling ability; his truly everlasting, infinite optimism that has stayed strong deep inside himself despite all of the worries he’s expressed over the past months…

With a deep breath, he nodded confidently. And, infectious, his confidence brought out your own. The two of you stood tall, accompanied by your pokémon, and hands intertwined.

Both of you squeezed each other’s at the same time.

Ingo reached for the doorknob.

“Shall we?”

You no longer hesitated.

“Let's go.”

Chapter Text

ka-chck

A line was quickly forming at the café counter. You had gotten up early this morning to prepare and stock, finding a sort of stress relief in baking. It had been several days since the first media fiasco regarding you and Ingo, but your nerves were still frayed. The bravery that was instilled in you that day had gradually worn off. You chugged along nonetheless.

ss-chck

Ding!

Your timing was impeccable – today’s pastries and other goods were hot and fresh as the time to open the café approached by mere minutes. It was a satisfying feeling to have something fall into place for once, as small a victory as it was.

ka-chck  ka-chck

“Kyuu-kyuu-kyuu~”

Behind the counter, coffee was already brewing. The smell wafted into the back room, mixing with the scent of fresh bread and sugar. After carefully stocking the front display, there was only one more thing to do before you could begin serving customers.

ka-chck  ss-chck

You could hear a few laughs from the line of patrons awaiting your opening, which gave you a private smirk. Slowly and gracefully, you finished writing and capped the large marker in your hand. The sign looked okay – it had taken a few tries to write it neatly and legibly in your most professional handwriting. Until you could get a specialized sign made, it would have to do.

You made a tsk when you discovered a small smear from the permanent black marker on your arm.

ka-chck  ka-chck  ss-chck  ka-chck

Humming a made-up tune under your breath, you removed your dirty, flour-covered apron and washed your hands. The ghostly giggle that seemed to echo went unheard until you turned the faucet off. You smiled wider and tied another apron on in preparation to work at the front counter.

ss-chck  ka-chck  ss-chck  ss-chck ka-chck-chck-k-chck-chck-ch-chk ka-chck kchckchckckhshkhckhckcckhk

“Augh! Enough!”

ka-chck

With the new sign in hand, you exited the back room and calmly shut the door behind you. The line wasn’t long, for which you were pleased – the last thing you wanted to do was make someone late for their train because you took an extra few minutes too long. After setting the new sign at the end of the counter, you removed the other denoting the café’s closed status to officially open for business.

ATTENTION

🚫 No cameras
🚫 No photography
🚫 No video or audio recording devices
👻 You will be haunted 👻
We take no responsibility for damages incurred to prohibited items.

Thank you for your cooperation! ☺️☕

The first customer in line was a regular; he already had money on the counter and you knew his order before he said a word. You greeted him with a hello and a smile before automatically preparing his coffee and pastry.

ka-chck  ka-chck  ka-chck

“Tea-hee-heh!” Polteageist giggled, hovering above Mimikyu with his teeny-tiny little hands holding onto the top of a camera. Each push of the button made another click or a snap with a bright white flash.

“Kyu-uu~!” was Mimikyu’s sing-song accompaniment. Her two stark black tendrils held the camera steady while her partner in crime directed the photo-shoot.

The true owner of the camera made frustrated grunts and cut-off curses as he tried again and again to snatch his property back. His grabs failed every time. Mimikyu and Polteageist knew how to dodge, especially taking Mimikyu’s tendrils into account – they swerved and curved this way and that as Polteageist held onto the camera and went with the sway, taking blurry pictures all the while.

It was a shame that this camera was digital. You would’ve liked to waste an entire roll of real, expensive film with nothing but two ghosts’ nonsense.

You continued to serve customers while the skirmish played out just a few feet away. The ones who were laughing, it turns out, were your regulars. It had been heartwarming when they first told you that they, too, thought what the tabloid did was horrible, and expressed the sentiment of being on your side. It certainly bolstered the confidence you were forcing yourself to portray as you worked, especially when your relationship was brought up by others in line who had no idea who you were otherwise.

Yes, I am [Y/N]. Yes, I am dating Ingo. No, I didn’t “do anything special” to “get him.” Ma’am, if you don’t order something, I’m going to have to ask you to step aside so real customers can order. (sigh) Yes, I have decaf.

And, of course, any paparazzi. You were already thankful for the defensive plans panning out.

Polteageist and Mimikyu were running interference, and boy were they good at it. Having known each other before you caught them, the two were in sync from the start of making paparazzi’s lives miserable. What they were doing right now was their favorite type of meddling – snatching the camera and turning the tables by playing keep-away and snapping pictures, setting off the flash in their face. You’d described it to Ingo and Emmet as a “let’s see how you like it” approach.

Of course, stealing the camera and immediately booking it across the entire station was fantastic to watch, too.

Your other pokémon were not as blatantly intrusive, so long as they didn’t need to be. Alcremie was the official lookout, putting her finely-honed people-watching skills to the test. Since the counter wasn’t nearly high enough, one of your ghosts carried her up and set her atop the highest shelf on the wall behind you. The vantage point was perfect for scanning the crowd and finding anyone with “journalistic intent.” She would alert Polteageist and/or Mimikyu so that they could intercept.

Appletun and Slurpuff stayed atop and beside the counter, respectively. The latter seemed to have somewhat of a grasp on the situation; at the very least, he knew that something was deeply troubling you and it was tied to people with cameras. It was so hard for him to look serious because of how goofy a Slurpuff’s face is to begin with, but he was trying with every single brain cell he owned and for that you were proud.

Your scrumptious little pie (honestly, you loved Elesa) was on guard whenever you were at the counter and adjusted his demeanor toward various people accordingly. He’d growl at anyone with a camera, and once jumped from the countertop to the floor and bit the pants of a particularly stubborn and elusive columnist. They weren’t torn, but the person certainly walked away sticky with a sweet apple glaze after she tried to remove him by hand.

Sizzlipede was of a similar mindset despite still being shy and reserved in public. He would watch the others and seemed to learn from them; you told him many times that he didn’t have to do a thing out of his comfort zone, but it was obvious that he wanted to help.

You really had a good pack of pokémon.

“Come again!” you waved to the last customer that had been in line for the morning rush. Without missing a beat, you turned to the exasperated journalist, taking no pity on his out-of-breath and aggravated stance. “Are you going to leave now?”

“Give me my goddamn camera back and I will!” he nearly growled, voice hoarse from shouting at your troublemakers.

You prepared to give the OK to your ghosts, only to find that they’d disappeared from sight. It took only a cursory glance around to find that both were behind the counter with you, holding the camera high, high above to Alcremie. She’d plastered cream all over the lens.

Wordlessly, and badly holding back laughter, you nodded to Polteageist and Mimikyu, both of whom were disappointed their fun had to end. They blithely tossed the now-smeared camera in the man’s direction. He caught it, just barely. You glared at him until he went through with his word, grumbling obscenities under his breath as he turned and left the area.

You smiled with satisfaction and held both hands out, palms up. “Good work, guys, that was a fantastic show.”

Mimikyu and Polteageist each gave you a slap on the hand, hi-5 style, giggling with glee.

“Good work up there, too! Are we good for now, lil’ lady?” you called, craning your neck to check on Alcremie. She returned a small smile as well and silently gave you a thumbs-up. “Awesome. Let me know when you want to get down.”

You leaned your elbows on the counter, slouching a bit, and heaved a big sigh. Appletun nudged you with his muzzle and you returned the affection.

“We’re getting through this, bud. They’ve already started hassling us less and less.” You paused. “…Unless I just Jynxed it.”

“Tun,” he sighed.

“It just came out, okay?”

He stared.

“Don’t look at me in that tone of voice.”

Your good-natured ribbing was soon cut short by a call from Alcremie. It wasn’t the same kind as when she spotted a target – you followed her point to see Ingo making his way through the crowd. Instantly, your smile brightened. He saw your reaction as he neared, walking with his hands behind his back, and his eyes visibly softened.

“Hey, Ingo,” you said once he was within range. “On break already?”

“Good morning, [Y/N]! Not quite; my train is set to depart in about half an hour. However, I’d be remiss if I conducted my safety checks and pre-departure duties so early before schedule. They wouldn’t suffice after thirty-some minutes have passed.” He shook his head. “Therefore, I wanted to check in with you while I had some spare minutes of time.”

Ingo had been doing pretty well with the paparazzi, owing to the same points Elesa noted about him. His work constantly took him away from the station, or on the Battle Subway where only the strongest trainers could reach his car. His pokémon were excellent at spotting problem-people whenever he was out in the open, and assisted yours whenever the two of you met up during the day. This morning was no different, as he was accompanied by Excadrill (who received his own smile and wave, of course).

“I appreciate it,” you replied, leaning further over the counter. “Stay for a few?”

“Of course!” he returned with a nod.

Without much hesitation, Ingo, too, leaned a bit over the counter, where the two of you met halfway with a quick but meaningful kiss. Both of you were wearing the same dopey, dreamy look when you parted.

Ingo ahem’d, which did nothing to cover the pink in his face. “Have you been faring well thus far today? I did just see a man fleeing for the doors with a camera in-hand, fuming all the way…”

Polteageist smiled and took a mid-air bow for his performance. Mimikyu similarly giggled and waved a tendril in Ingo’s point of view. You needn’t say anything, really – he got the gist.

“I see. Bravo, you two! Good work!” he proclaimed as though they were employees. He then looked up at Alcremie and delivered another commendation. “And you as well! Excellent job keeping a vigilant watch over Gear Station!”

If Alcremie could blush, she would’ve. Instead she just shyly waved a thank-you.

Of course, Appletun and Slurpuff couldn’t be left out. The former waited patiently, being the closest to Ingo; the latter had actually rounded the corner to interact with Excadrill.  Those two really seemed to click, despite Excadrill’s constant bafflement of Slurpuff’s behavior.

“And I see you two make fantastic bodyguards! I rest easy knowing you’re more than capable of protecting [Y/N] from those fiends! Bravo!”

Slurpuff made a happy-sounding cry and jumped in place a little – holding Excadrill’s hand and thus humorously wiggling him a bit. Appletun didn’t move from his station at the counter, but flipped both eyes up toward Ingo happily and wagged his tail vigorously. He received a rub on his muzzle in return.

Suddenly, you shuddered with alarm as you felt several pairs of legs climbing up your backside and coming to a rest on your shoulder. Sizzlipede gladly came out of hiding whenever Ingo visited, but sometimes he gave you a good dose of the heebie-jeebies by climbing on you.

“You gotta warn me first, lil’ guy,” you muttered, resting your shoulders.

Ingo tried not to chuckle, but you knew it was there. “Not to worry, Sizzlipede; I haven’t forgotten you. Are you keeping [Y/N] company behind the counter?”

Sizzlipede gave a vague “sssss” sound, little fiery mustache twitching. It was an affirmative reply, yet he seemed disappointed.

“You’re providing just as valuable help as the others,” Ingo continued, pinpointing the exact reason why the bug pokémon was down. “You deserve a ‘bravo’ as well!”

Your other pokémon agreed, and Sizzlipede took the praise, though while still feeling a bit useless. Nonetheless, he skittered down your front and onto the counter to climb Appletun instead. At least he enjoyed himself as the pie’s new topping.

It was all too much not to smile at your pokémon’s happiness. You laughed as you leaned your head on one of your hands; elbows still on the counter.

“I think they’d like you to praise them all day,” you said as your laughter petered out.

“Alas, I don’t have the time…” He shook his head solemnly. It was very hard to tell whether he was serious or not.

“How’s it going for you? Anyone try to pin you while riding the subway?”

Ingo straightened himself, just a hint of a smile on his face. “Just one, actually. I’m certainly not complaining, but I did expect more to try.”

“Oh?” You raised an eyebrow to prompt him, curious.

“I told him that photography was temporarily not permitted on the subway, and there would be an extra penalty for photographing a member of staff without securing explicit prior permission.”

You watched as his expression turned into that which he used during the encounter. For Ingo, it was even more stern than his resting demeanor, especially with the brim of his hat casting a shadow over his eyes.

“Let me guess… He apologized and sat right back down?”

A flash of mild surprise. “Yes, he excused himself and provided his ticket before I had a chance to request it. How did you know?”

Your expression turned fond. “Just had a feeling. …Is that even a real rule?”

“Well, I never said it was a rule officially set by Gear Station’s safety directors.” His hum was playfully serious, nearly eliciting more laughter from you. Ingo couldn’t help but chuckle, too. “I’m not nearly as harsh as Emmet has been, to be fair.”

“Oh, god, what’s he done now?” Your tone gave off a tired edge, but you were always excited to hear any sort of trouble either of the twins got rid of.

“Booted two passengers from the last subway train he conducted due to their inappropriate behavior.”

“Seriously?” you asked, grinning. “And I missed this?”

“We both did, I’m afraid. It was at the train’s scheduled stop in Anville Town. According to Emmet, they were trying to elicit answers from him, thinking that his close relationship relative to us might be a better route for information extraction than coming to us directly.”

“…Emmet.”

“Yes.”

“Give answers?”

“Indeed. I do not wish to speak ill of any passenger that comes through our station; however it is safe to assume they had very little knowledge in regards to our personalities beyond our public image.”

You pictured Emmet going about his business followed by two jerks shooting question after question until, eventually, he abruptly stops and faces them with frustration behind his usual smile. You then thought of the subway arriving at its next stop and opening its doors, revealing Emmet holding the two pests by the necks of their clothes and dropping them unceremoniously out of the cab like sacks of potatoes.

Ingo watched your expression during your imaginary scenario. “Whatever it is you are visualizing, it is most likely safe to say that it is not too far off the mark.”

“I miss all the good stuff,” you half-whined after deliberation. “…But I’m glad it hasn’t been as bad as we thought it would be.”

“Mm, I’d have to agree. Elesa’s efforts have certainly done us a great favor in regards to thinning out the herd, so to speak.”

“We really ought to find a way to thank her…”

“I think we could come up with something. However, whether she accepts it or not is another matter entirely.”

The clock struck a certain time, causing Ingo to suddenly turn toward the subway terminals. When he faced you again, you knew it was time for him to depart.

“Have a good day, hey?” you spoke before he could, leaning forward on the counter once more. “Hope the train’s pest-free today.”

With a half-hidden and minuscule smile, Ingo stepped forward against the counter as well and chuckled. “And I hope your day is as good in return, with your only nuisance long gone from the station.”

You raised crossed fingers silently before both of you leaned in for another smooch. It was hard not to melt every time, even with the short and small ones like these. They certainly brightened your day – as they did with Ingo, too. And the last kisses before separating for the day would always linger just a bit longer…

Ingo straightened himself once more and tipped his hat politely as his lips curled ever-so-slightly upwards. You gave him a little wave in return before he crossed his arms behind his back and turned to advance toward the subway terminals; you watched until he disappeared from your sight.

“Tea-ea-ea~” you heard over your shoulder. Polteageist was leaning forward out of his teapot, mimicking your body posture and facial expression with a teasing twist. His tone of voice was reminiscent of children on a playground teasing another: “you like-like him, don’t you~”.

With one finger, you gently pushed down on Polteageist’s head until he was one with the ghostly goop tea inside his pot, lid closed. You heard him giggle from within.

It seemed luck was on your side, for the rest of the day went by relatively smoothly. Some customers lingered; staring, recognizing. All it took was a stern look from you and your pokémon to move them along. The most annoying thing about it was the complete lack of any manners. Didn’t anyone teach them not to stare?

For the most part, though, you were relieved. The man from the morning was the only person to try and snap some photos, so if your only annoyances afterwards were people who simply stared, you were pretty much golden. Plus, your café was busier than ever. You weren’t sure how to feel about that—but hey, money was money and rent had to be paid. As did stocking the café. And spoiling your pokémon. That one was on the list twice.

Your pokémon also kept a lookout while you closed down the café for the night. That fear and paranoia from the…incident still remained, and it didn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. Gear Station did increase its security detail, which helped a bit. But it would never be enough, you thought.

What really eased your mind was seeing Ingo exit his office and walk towards the café after locking up. He shrugged his coat off and draped it over one arm, then took his hat off as well. Excadrill followed him again today, waddling alongside. You were just finishing up, letting your pokémon entertain him while you made sure everything was set. And after locking your own business, you finally greeted Ingo properly with a gentle kiss and a warm hug.

The look on Ingo’s face after such affection was your favorite of his, you thought. At least in the top running alongside his smiles and laughter and hugs and—oh, who were you kidding, you couldn’t pick one favorite.

“Are you ready to depart?” he asked as you rounded up most of your pokémon into their pokéballs.

“Yup!” you said with a nod, slinging your bag over one shoulder. Today’s escorts were Sizzlipede and Slurpuff, the latter of which eagerly bounded over to Excadrill and held his hand. (You weren’t sure if the behavior was mimicked from you and Ingo, or if he genuinely enjoyed holding the ground-type’s sharp hand. Excadrill seemed to go along with it, though – and regardless, it was adorable.)

And, much like your pokémon, you and Ingo held hands and left the station together.

At night, the two of you walked home together without being accosted – at least directly. Both of you knew that there had to be somebody in the shadows, following your path and snapping some nighttime photos. You didn’t know what was more unnerving; someone trying to shove a camera in your face, or someone sneaking around and making you paranoid.

You were also worried about what could happen with your address most likely sussed out by now. Elesa had told you not to worry about that: she “had it covered”. You didn’t know exactly what she did or was doing, but it was clear she had sway when it came to matters like these. There was no doubt in your mind that the paparazzi would be a much larger, much more aggressive kind if she wasn’t doing her thing. She was definitely getting something specially-baked for her, alongside homemade treats for her pokémon.

Ingo squeezed your hand, sensing the inner turmoil you were currently having. You squeezed back to assure him that you were alright.

After some conversation about each other’s days – where you learned that Ingo’s was similarly uneventful for the better – he made a thoughtful hum.

“I was thinking of what we might be able to do together away from the prying eyes of the media…” Ingo began. “At least until this ‘news’ dies down and something else takes its place, as it always goes.”

This perked you up. “You have something in mind?”

“Indeed! I wanted to ask if you might like to…join me for dinner one night this week? At—ah, in my home? With me?”

Involuntarily, your pace slowed, thus forcing Ingo’s pace to slow as well. You were looking at him with such an eagerly surprised expression, almost in wonder; as if he’d asked you to visit a place only attainable through a dream. He didn’t think it would have such an effect. Then again, neither did you.

“Um—” you closed your eyes and blinked several times, embarrassed by your automatic reaction. “Yes—yes, I’d love to! That sounds great!”

“Fantastic!” Ingo exclaimed, not without a great deal of relief. “I’ll cook us up something special for dinner, just the two of us!”

“Aw,” you almost pouted, “it isn’t fair to you if you do all the work.”

He shook his head, already decided. “No, no, I’ve—well, to be quite honest, I’ve been thinking about doing this for quite some time. I would really love to cook for you, and now seemed like the perfect chance for some privacy instead of risking being harassed at a public venue. Emmet has already agreed to leave us for the night so we may have the apartment truly to ourselves—he offered quite readily on his own, actually, when I told him what I’d like to do… Our pokémon are exempt, of course!”

Whenever Ingo talked at length – about anything, really – you couldn’t help but smile as you listened and watched. It was clear to you that he was excited about the prospect he’d been thinking about for a while – especially since his brother would give you two some space. And after he’d been going on for a moment, he looked at you with a poorly-hidden nervous expression.

“…Okay,” you nodded. “But only if I get to bring dessert.”

One of Ingo’s Purrloin-like smiles appeared as he nodded his head with little hesitation. “I believe that is a fair compromise! I agree whole-heartedly!” To seal the deal, he leaned over and kissed your temple, causing you to laugh with delight. “We’ll have a lovely meal and top it off with one of your irresistible desserts.”

“Irresistible to you.” With another laugh, you tightened your grip on his arm and leaned against it affectionately.

“Well…” you heard him say softer, almost to himself, “…I find most things about you the same, I’m afraid.”

You stopped and he almost stumbled. He looked at you in alarm – was someone nearby, did you hurt yourself somehow? But no, it was neither, and he quickly deduced the reason laid in his words. You were speechless, again with that look of wonder on your face yet mixed with a kind of shock you’ve come to associate with the twins. Ingo hadn’t meant to say it out loud, truthfully, and as a result he went into Emergency Repair Mode.

“Ah—ahem, I- I meant to say—”

The change was instant. Your bright smile tore the rest of his sentence to shreds in his mouth, leaving him to express surprise.

“[Y/N]…?”

You smiled wider, cheeks creasing your eyes. “Listen to you!”

Ingo was dumbfounded. “…Huh?”

“Listen to you!” you repeated with the same emphasis. Your hands were still clasped together, and you began to swing your arm lightly from side to side with excitement that Ingo still didn’t understand.

“I—I don’t follow…”

“You’re, like…becoming bolder when we’re together!” There was laughter in your words. “You used to get flustered just holding hands, and now you’re—you’re kissing me in public and we hold hands all the time and now you’re admitting stuff out loud that you would never have before!”

Ingo blinked, processing. He was certainly flustered now. “I…I suppose I am.” With a pause, his eyes darted to your held hands, then back to you. “Though I think that also applies to you, doesn’t it?”

Touché, you thought. Now you were both flustered. “Y-Yeah. It does.”

“I think, as with any relationship, time has proven that this is…”

“…Real?”

He smiled ever-so-slightly. “Yes. Real.”

You were still swinging your arms back and forth. Behind you, Slurpuff and Excadrill were similarly linked, and your pokémon mimicked it; while, baffled as ever, Excadrill let Slurpuff do what he wanted. Both you and Ingo saw this and couldn’t help but laugh. And while Ingo’s attention turned his head, you gave him a sneak peck on the cheek.

“Ahh, but you still turn a little red, huh?”

Ingo swiftly used Payback. A gentle kiss to the forehead.

“Ahh,” he copied, “but you do the same, hm?”

With a good-natured scoff, you turned away. “I’m weak to those, alright?”

“Good to know,” he chuckled.

The four of you found your rhythm again as you resumed your trip home. You held tight to Ingo’s arm, leaning affectionately against it. There was little talk this time, but that was okay – the two of you wore smiles when you walked away from that conversation, and they stuck. You two were…comfortable. Happy.

Despite all of the road bumps so far, you were happy.

Your apartment building came into sight, and you sighed.

“…Irresistible, eh?”

“……I hadn’t meant to say it out loud.”

“So you would’ve thought it anyway.”

“…”

You laughed.

“That’s okay. I find you pretty irresistible, too.”

Chapter Text

“Try this one.”

“Oh my god.”

“Please, Emmet, just one more test.”

“You said that last time.”

Begrudgingly, Emmet took the spoon being aggressively offered to him and tasted the sample of pasta sauce on the end. There was no pause for thought or hesitation before his answer.

“It tastes good. Just like the last one. And the one before that.” Emmet put a hand on his brother’s shoulder, gripping it a tad too hard, and looked deep into his eyes. “It’s. Fine.”

With a sigh that lowered his shoulders in a brief moment of defeat, Ingo took the spoon back and set it in the sink on the way back to the stove, where a pot of the sauce in question was bubbling. Crustle and Durant lingered near Ingo’s feet, hoping for a drop of sauce or two to fall to the floor in their reach. Alas, the trainer was far too neat for such a careless thing to happen. Ingo paid them no mind at the moment and used the wooden spoon already in the pot to stir the contents a couple times as he spoke.

“I just want to make several taste checks before declaring it ready for tonight’s dinner. Perfection, I realize, cannot truly be obtained, yet I wish to strive to be as close as I can.”

“It’s food. It’s good. It’s made by you. They’ll like it.” Already annoyed after a day of Ingo’s fretting, Emmet’s words were even more clipped than usual. His arms were crossed and he was leaning against a nearby counter with one hip; his expression screamed exasperation.

“It’s not like a pokémon battle,” said Elesa, walking in from the next room. She had joined Emmet and Ingo for the day, working together with the younger twin to make sure the older twin didn’t worry himself into a coma. “Your strategy doesn’t have to be as perfect as possible. You’ve prepared enough – just go where the current takes you.”

Ingo stopped stirring and hung his head for a moment (in which Emmet was jealous that Elesa managed to bypass an ambush taste-testing). He looked at the clock, calculating the time left before you would arrive. There was enough to finish, but…

“You did this before your first date, too,” Emmet pointed out, speaking again before Ingo had a chance to voice another worry.

“This date is tremendously different.” (Well, Emmet tried.) “The entire evening is balanced upon the tracks I lay down, and preventing derailment is the number one priority!”

“The time you two spend together is the number one priority,” countered Elesa.

“And that time is what is balanced upon the tracks, Elesa; I cannot neglect to carefully secure them to the best of my ability!”

“They’re secure.” Emmet spoke in a tone that implied they’d already had this conversation today. “There’s no ‘neglect.’ If anything, you’re overthinking it.”

Ingo froze. Was that possible?

“I think what Emmet means—” Elesa elbowed Emmet in the ribs and rushed to intercept Ingo’s frame of mind before he overthought the concept overthinking, “—is that the tracks have been put into place just fine the way they are. …Or…something like that. The first safety check already passed with flying colors. You don’t have to do more.”

Emmet, hunched and holding his hand over his now very sore ribs, nodded with a strained, “Yup…”

Leaving the pot on the stove to keep its temperature, Ingo turned to face them as well as grab the ingredients for his next dish. Everything had to be hot and fresh by the time you arrived. He was clearly still in the “precariously worried” zone, but seemed to agree with Elesa and Emmet just by virtue of moving on from that fixation. For now.

“It’s as though I am aching from afar again, before we met. This is our first serious date in quite a while, whether it be due to scheduling restraints or…the current state of affairs we find ourselves in.”

Both Elesa and Emmet scoffed at the implication of the media frenzy, having plenty of thoughts they would not dare voice.

“I understand you’re nervous, but – you’ve already caught them.” As she spoke, Elesa stepped closer to Ingo, who had turned toward the stove again. She gently put a hand on one of his shoulders. “You know they’re not going anywhere, right? This date isn’t going to change things for the worse if it’s not perfect.”

With another pot on the stove, filled with water and waiting to boil, Ingo sighed shallowly. “I do realize that. Yet…I cannot help myself from worrying over what they might think if something is amiss. They’ve never been here, after all, making the entire visit on new territory for them in every aspect.”

“Not every aspect. They know you,” Emmet pointed out, having recovered from his temporary injury.

Ingo didn’t reply verbally – but he did make a vaguely frustrated sort of hum, like he was thinking, I hate it when you make more sense than I do. Emmet counted it as a victory.

Though he didn’t say it aloud, Ingo did take what the two said to heart. It did nothing to ease his level of anxiety, truthfully, but it stayed in the back of his mind on repeat to remind himself throughout the night. For now, however, he must finish dinner in time and shoo Emmet and Elesa from the apartment before you arrived – and get ready, himself. What better way would there be to spend the time it took waiting for water to boil than stressing out, really?

“Think of it like this,” Emmet once again broke Ingo’s self-reflection. “You’ll rise higher in your relationship rank! And reach a new destination!”

With the appropriate gestures, Emmet mimicked Ingo and his inspiring speeches that he loved to give, right down to imitating his voice and volume. Elesa smiled and copied Emmet, humorously lowering her voice to imitate Ingo’s, too.

“From which you’ll depart on an even greater journey! One that will take you to new heights as a two-car train with [Y/N]!”

Stunned by the sudden shouts that weren’t coming from him, Ingo looked back and forth between his brother and his friend; he couldn’t help but show the beginnings of a smile, truly touched by their encouragement. That feeling only grew as he saw Crustle and Durant scuttle over to the posing trainers and mimic them to the best of their abilities.

“Rustle-rus!”

“Du-ra-ra!”

They were right, of course. While he couldn’t (and shouldn’t) treat this as if it were a pokémon battle, much like Elesa said earlier, he could still strive for the same values and use the same kind of determination. After all, isn’t that what he tells challengers he faces on the Battle Subway?

That inspirational optimism never left him, really. It was just hidden by the overwhelming fear of ruining what he now had with you, swept aside by fret and worry. He had to reach in for and drag it out from where it was lodged to set it front and center.

Without missing a beat, Ingo clicked his feet together and straightened to his full height, taking a deep breath…

“All aboard!”

(They would apologize to the neighbors later.)

You were pacing.

You got dressed and ready way too early. It eased some of your anxiety while creating more to fill its gap. You couldn’t sit down and distract yourself, even with your pokémon’s help. You would be like this whether you got ready early or not, you knew, but at least this meant that you could bolt out the door at any point instead of rushing to prepare. Which you really felt like doing. But thankfully your brain was cognizant enough to recognize that sprinting across the city to the twins’ apartment was not the best of ideas.

The clock was so slow. It was like waiting for water to boil.

The only other thing you could do was check on the dessert and pokémon treats you had baked today. …And, yup, they were still there. You suddenly weren’t sure why you felt the need to check on them.

After being on several dates, and having long talks while walking home – and, admittedly, a secret question to Emmet – you deduced that the sweet tooth Ingo had was partial to chocolate. An excellent choice, you’d thought. So, for tonight’s dessert, you decided to make something easy to eat; little pastries that you could pop into your mouth not unlike the way you portioned out pokémon treats. Taking a cue from the Kalos region, you made petite pain au chocolat – puff pastries with a chocolate filling. You then cut strawberries into thin, heart-shaped slices that were put on top of a light chocolate drizzle on each.

They were very good and you were very hungry but you had to control yourself. You had no idea what Ingo was cooking, but you wanted to enjoy it to the fullest.

The pokémon treats were similar, but made with pastry designed for pokémon consumption and filled with various berry fillings. There were all sorts of flavors for pokémon with discerning tastes; your team loved them, but they might just be biased.

At any rate, they were all ready to go. And so were you.

Rounding your apartment again, you came upon most of your pokémon lounging in the living room. Mimikyu and Sizzlipede were sharing a small poké-bed, relaxed but not asleep. Polteageist had set his teapot down on the coffee table and was drooping down the side like tea ready to spill; his arms were stretched out along the side in front of him. He looked bored and ready to go as well. Alcremie was in a special poké-bed that was easy to rinse off but no less comfortable – she was watching you pace the apartment. Appletun was a bit worried about you, but rested on a blanket on the couch as he watched you pace as well. Slurpuff was asleep.

“I don’t know if all of you will be able to come out, but I’ll bring everyone. Is that alright with you guys?”

Five various pokémon calls rang out in the affirmative, and one snore. That was fine. Slurpuff went with the flow of things.

Appletun stood and nudged the blanket to the side with his muzzle and attempted to straighten it out with his foot to the best of his ability. Then he looked at you expectantly – he wanted you to sit with him on the couch.

You smiled. “I guess I can take a load off for a while…”

“App-pull.”

Doing as you were told, you set yourself on the couch and leaned back. “I really hope tonight will go alright,” you sighed, running a hand down your face. Feeling him before seeing, Appletun laid next to you and set his head on the closest leg to him. Instinctually, you set a hand on his side, below the invisible line where the stickiness starts. “Thanks, bud.”

“Teaa-eaa-eaa,” came a lackadaisical call from Polteageist. He was still drooped down the side and was making a brushing-off motion with one hand. You knew he was trying to say, Nah, it’ll be fine.

“Is that a fact?” you returned, amused.

“Geisss-t.”

“Well, I can’t argue with that.”

Next to you, Slurpuff snored; laying on his stomach and head precariously close to the couch’s edge with his tongue, of course, sticking out of one side of his mouth. Though he didn’t use Yawn, you felt the effect nonetheless, and leaned your head back on the couch cushion.

“Guys, if I fall asleep… One of you please wake me up in time. I want to be there by six.”

Cries from five of your pokémon sounded again, and you knew they had your back. Which was a very good thing, as the exhaustion from worrying and rushing around closed in, keeping your eyes shut longer and longer with each blink, until you reached the brink of unconsciousness and fell into it.

“Forgive my rudeness, but out!”

“Mean.”

“Something tells me he wants us to leave, Emmet.”

Ingo put a hand on each of their backs, gently pushing Elesa and Emmet toward the front door. They resisted only a little in jest, looking to the side at each other with trouble-making grins. When they were finished being “guided” to the door, Ingo walked around them and opened it. He gestured into the hallway.

“Out you go.” A pause, where he looked guilty. “…Please.”

“Alright, alright,” Elesa said, holding out her hands in an appeasing gesture. “C’mon, Emmet.”

She grabbed one of his wrists to ensure that he followed her out the door. As she passed Ingo, she stopped briefly and winked at him with her other hand giving a thumbs-up. “You got this.”

Continuing, Emmet came to a stop in the same place as well as mimicking Elesa’s wink and thumbs-up. His smile, this time, was genuine and encouraging. He didn’t say anything to go along with it, though, and was still giving those gestures as Elesa pulled on his wrist and out the door.

Ingo sighed, moving to shut it. He was interrupted by Emmet suddenly popping his head into the doorway with that mischievous grin back in place.

“No hanky-panky.”

Ingo went one-hundred-percent red and shut the door in his brother’s face. Great. Now he had to normalize himself before you arrived and manage to not think about the short but devastating comment for the rest of the night.

Chandelure, Excadrill, Klinklang, and Crustle watched their red-faced trainer speed-walk to the bathroom to wash his face in an effort to clear the heat. All four pokémon – as Garbodor and Haxorus each had their own unique problems with staying out of their pokéballs in the apartment – were worried over Ingo’s own fretting. They all knew that tonight was meant to be a special night with you and wanted to do their best to help with that.

So, of course, when there was a hesitant knock at the front door that went unheard by Ingo, splashing his face next to the sink’s running water, they each eagerly jumped at the chance to help their beloved trainer.

The entire taxi ride was spent gripping at your clothing with anxiety running through your veins. You held Appletun in your lap, arms crisscrossed around him much like his lattice top, with your hands on either side of yourself. They clenched and unclenched – a poor substitute for jogging your knee up and down. You were so intense, the taxi driver didn’t dare look at you for the duration of the ride.

You had enough mind to hurry inside the apartment building in order to hide from any prying cameras from afar, though you waited for Appletun to catch up as your hands were full with the containers of your pastries. They probably still caught you going in – what a “scoop” that’ll make. Still, you hesitated, standing in front of the elevator without pressing the button. Appletun nudged your leg at the same time the elevator made a ding! as it stopped on the ground floor. You stepped back to leave whoever was inside enough space to exit, though that didn’t end up mattering when you saw who they were.

Two smiling faces greeted you as the doors opened, and very familiar ones at that. Emmet and Elesa’s dispositions seemed to brighten when they saw you awaiting entry, almost excited in their own right. Appletun greeted them with a wag of his tail and you managed to briefly wave a hand at them as well. They were a little too synchronized when they returned the waves.

“Oh, [Y/N], fancy meeting you here! Emmet and I were just on our way out.”

Elesa’s dazzling smile didn’t fool you. Nor did Emmet’s very poor attempt at innocence.

“Are you here to see Ingo?”

“You know I am, Emmet.” With a flat look as they exited the elevator and passed by, you realized that the teasing they had surely given Ingo was now focused upon you. “Is he still alive up there? Did you leave him in one piece or should I call an ambulance?”

“If you do, it'll be because of his own worry,” the younger twin replied honestly.

You grimaced. “That bad?”

“Don’t worry – I imagine it’s the same level as your anxiousness.” Elesa didn’t exactly have to investigate when you were standing directly in front of her, clutching your containers with an iron grip as your ace pokémon worried at your feet. “Like two peas in a pod.”

“Gee, thanks,” you replied sardonically, though not without recognition of the fact.

“You two will have a wonderful time,” was the first non-tease Elesa said to you; instead softly and encouragingly. “Go on before Ingo really has a malfunction.”

Wordlessly, you nodded and switched places with them as you and Appletun stepped into the elevator.

“Aw, we don’t get any?” Emmet managed to quip about your desserts before you selected the floor number.

Elesa shook her head. “You’re not even fond of sweets, Em.”

You stood facing the open doorway and replied only by sticking your tongue out.

The doors closed on Emmet’s betrayed and appalled expression and Elesa’s laughter. You privately smiled as the elevator made its way up to your destination. Unfortunately, it faded quickly as you watched the numbers light up closer and closer to the twins’ floor. And when the correct floor was reached, the doors opened with another ding!

After rushing out of the elevator so that it wasn’t stuck for others to use, you were once again slowed and spellbound by the hallway in front of you. The closer you came, the more intimate this felt. And having never visited the twins’ home before, this was especially nerve-wracking. Each step toward their door felt heavier and heavier, like lead was in your shoes. Your mind was full of thoughts yet indecipherable; everything jumbling together like static on a TV. Near the end, you were as slow as Appletun and your hands were shaking.

I can do this. I can do this. Dinner with my boyfriend. Dinner with my boyfriend at his place. That’s all. It’s just like dinner anywhere else, except it’s his private home where he lives.

You were really bad at psyching yourself up.

With a gulp, a glance at Appletun, and a shift of your containers to one arm; you raised your hand…and knocked on his door.

There was an odd shuffling noise behind the door, though you were in too deep in a layer of nerves that it didn’t register with you – but Appletun tilted his head in near-recognition. Then there was a clatter, which did gain your attention; followed by several thumps including one on the door, and then a rattling that you realized was the doorknob.

You and Appletun exchanged confused glances.

“Um…Ingo?” you called, only loud enough to be heard from behind the door. “Everything okay?”

Murmurs behind the door, then a hushed silence.

“Ing—”

Your call was cut off in surprise by a ghostly purple glow that surrounded the doorknob and raised the hairs of your arms and neck on end. The doorknob twisted under the spell and opened inward. A mix of four pokémon cries sounded at the same time to greet you indoors. You couldn’t help but look on with wide eyes as you pieced together the strange noises you heard only moments ago.

Excadrill was standing atop Crustle’s sediment shell, arms gesturing outward in welcome. You suspect that the other side of the door might be marked by scuffs from Crustle’s rocky abode and Excadrill’s steel hands; the latter probably tried to get a grip on the doorknob but failed. The bug pokémon looked up at you with smiling eyes.

Klinklang and Chandelure hovered behind them. Gears spun faster on Klinklang’s body; which, by now, you knew that it meant happiness or excitedness. It clearly couldn’t help with the doorknob – but Chandelure could, the obvious source of the already-dissipated purple glow. Her face was cheerful with a big smile as her sing-song voice stuck out in the chorus of greetings. You imagine she most likely came to the rescue after her teammates’ failed attempts and decided to just open the door herself.

Appletun gave his own little greeting, tail wagging wild. You said hello, but it was peppered with snickers and snorts until you couldn’t hold it back anymore and burst out laughing.

In the bathroom of said home, Ingo froze while toweling off his face. He knew that laugh well, as it was a sound he loved dearly. You were here? Already? You wouldn’t burst into his home uninvited – no, that wasn’t you at all. So how did you get in?

He hurriedly straightened himself out, checked to make sure his clothing didn’t get wet, fixed his hair, stared into his own wide, terrified eyes for a single moment that was both over in a flash yet as long as a century’s time – and bolted out into the living room.

You stood in the doorway with two containers stacked atop each other in one arm and your other hand partially covering your mouth as your laughter died down. Ingo saw his pokémon, two similarly stacked, and the state of his front door. Just like you, it did not take long at all to piece together what had happened.

He caught your eye, which stifled your laughter further. You shifted your containers into both hands again and smiled; the worry in which was apparent.

“Um…sorry. Your, ah—your doormen let me in.”

Crustle turned around in place to face Ingo, causing Excadrill to turn not unlike a product on display in a shop or on television. Klinklang and Chandelure also turned; the latter gave him a look that let him know she had valiantly tried to salvage the situation he saw before them.

There was a brief pause filled with silence as Ingo processed this deluge of information. A tumbleweed could have passed by. You were about to say something, worried he really did malfunction, but stopped when he shook his head as if clearing the contents like an Etch-A-Sketch.

He looked mortified. “I am so sorry, I—”

“It’s okay,” you chuckled. “It was cute.”

Ingo went a little pink but was happier than anything that the evening didn’t start off on the wrong foot. He sighed, though fond, and walked toward you as Excadrill jumped off of Crustle’s shell. It was then that he could see Appletun, to whom he waved and received a big, dopey smile in return.

“I still must express my apologies. The one moment I was not out here to answer the door…”

“They did an alright job, I think,” you said, stepping into the twins’ home after being silently beckoned by Ingo. Then you turned to see what the front door looked like from the inside. “Oh. …Well. Nevermind.”

Shutting the door fully closed, Ingo still looked fairly sheepish and apologetic. “Here, why don’t I take these for you? I’ll put them in the kitchen.”

“Uh, yeah, sure!” You held out the containers for Ingo, choosing to pick your battles, especially when he was embarrassed. “The smaller one is for the pokémon.”

“Thank you for your hard work, [Y/N]! These look absolutely delicious!” you heard him call as he entered the kitchen.

“Thank you for yours, too! Smells really good…”

Just walking into the apartment, you could smell the aroma of everything Ingo had cooked, even if you couldn’t name them yet. Something tomato-based, you thought? Was that garlic or onion you smelled? It didn’t matter. It made your mouth water and stomach growl.

The pokémon in the room fought for your attention, and you gladly gave pets and pats to everyone as a proper greeting. Appletun was happily walking around them in circles, eyes alert and happy. When Ingo came back from the kitchen, he looked upon the scene far less panicked than he’d been feeling before.

“We can eat any time you’re ready. I certainly don’t want to rush this evening, I’ve…been looking forward to it so very much.”

You smiled. “Me, too.”

Ingo’s formal greeting had been skipped, and you were glad your hands weren’t full anymore. You moved to correct this slight by putting your arms around him and giving him a long, soft kiss. It didn’t take long for him to comply (0.006 seconds), greeting you properly as you both clung to one another. When you finally parted, you beamed up at him with such strength that made his knees weak.

“See? Off to a good start,” you spoke quietly, referring to Ingo’s apologetic guilt over being absent for your arrival. You knew it went deeper than that, but still aimed to let him forget formalities for your time together tonight.

“Ah, thank goodness,” he replied, amused but still holding some truth. “I was afraid that my pokémon had upstaged me before our night even began.”

You laughed.

“Don’t worry. You have all night to be cute.”

Chapter Text

At Ingo’s insistence, you hung your jacket and bag on a wall-mounted coat rack the twins had beside the front door. He also encouraged your pokémon to join his, to which you gave a verbal disclaimer that you were not liable for anything rendered sticky by the half of your pokémon capable of doing so. You received a nod in reply, irrevocably sealing the verbal contract. Appletun and Ingo’s four pokémon eagerly awaited as you plucked your other pokéballs one by one and released each inhabitant.

Both Polteageist and Slurpuff had been given stern warnings before you left your own apartment – though, a different one for each. Polteageist was forbidden from troublemaking, mischief, naughtiness, or otherwise tomfoolery. Surprisingly, he agreed without acting like it was the end of the world or he’d die from malnourishment, as he usually did when you banned his antics. You smiled when you realized that he wanted tonight to go very well for you, too, despite the huffing and puffing when he tried to play it off as a cool guy™.

Slurpuff, on the other hand, was given instructions much simpler: stay with the other pokémon, don’t go off exploring on your own, don’t lick anything, etc. You knew the rest of your little gang would keep an eye out for him, too – but you also thought that, in this instance, he understood fairly well. He’d even given a little salute with such a determined expression for a silly face, which you recognized with absolute adoration as a gesture he copied from watching the twins. You wish you had your phone out when he did it. Maybe you could get him to do it again…

Ingo’s pokémon were delighted to see their friends. As they congregated, you took the opportunity to look around the apartment a little bit. You could tell that the Subway Bosses’ schedules didn’t allow for a ton of at-home time to look as lived-in as other places might. Still, it was unexpectedly cozy – definitely Ingo’s sense of style, in your opinion; it wouldn’t surprise you if Emmet just went along with his brother’s interior design choices for most of the house. You wondered if it ever had the chance to get messy or if it was only so tidy because of your date. Surely they left clutter around as normal people do.

Emmet had been careful for the entire week leading up to the date, lest he incur another lecture from his dear brother. His usual level of cleanliness would not cut it: he had to match Ingo’s. There was finally a breaking point when Emmet asked Ingo if the latter wanted the apartment to be clean or to look like no one had ever lived there at all. This was sufficient evidence to lower Ingo’s standards a modicum of a percentage.

Your eyes were first drawn to a fairly tall bookshelf that stood directly across from the front door, and it was packed; not just with books, of which there were many, but various memorabilia. Several displays of what looked to be awards relating to pokémon battling and/or the Battle Subway itself. Photos of the twins that you assumed to relate to the awards, though you’d have to get closer to fully investigate. Some photos hanging on the walls were of family, or at least their parents, you could guess. There was one displayed prominently of the twins standing proud in their uniforms flanked by Chandelure, Eelektross, and each of their Klinklang. If you had to make an assumption, it was of their first day as Gear Station’s Subway Bosses. That one really made you smile.

But of course, most of the odds-and-ends were train- or subway-related – this extended to other shelving displays in the house, too. Models were everywhere at varying sizes and types that you could visually see the differences of but had no knowledge beyond. The ones inside glass displays looked to be the most detailed and, you assumed, the most expensive – or maybe they were put together by the brothers through kits and were protected to maintain them? Either way, they had quite the collection.

Pokémon memorabilia had their places, too. Some in particular caught your eye; Litwick candles, noticeably previously unused to maintain their appearance, were lit near the little dining table you could see near the kitchen. A wall adornment in the shape of a Klinklang, which even looked like it could rotate if set into motion. There were only a handful of poké-beds compared to the number on the twins’ combined teams, you noticed. After running through your internal database of their pokémon, though, you guessed it made sense. A lot of theirs were odd shapes or hovered instead of settling down, or couldn’t be released in the apartment at all most of the time. Excadrill, Crustle, Galvantula, Durant… there were enough beds for them, and they looked like the heavy-duty kind made for steel and rock-types. You also spied a perch for Archeops, though you had no doubt he stole a poké-bed for himself from time to time.

Of course, when your eyes glanced over the hallway, you wondered which rooms were for whom and what they looked like on the inside…

Well. A cursory look around their main living room was very telling. It was…comfortable here. Welcoming. Due in no small part to Ingo being warm and accommodating as well.

“They get along marvelously,” he mused during your brief look-around. “From their first meeting, they’ve meshed impressively well together. I’ve never seen some of my own make such fast friends with another's pokémon!”

You watched as Appletun and Crustle raced each other across the room with Alcremie, sitting atop the bug’s shell, as acting referee. Polteageist hung onto Klinklang’s lower spinner like a piece of playground equipment as the latter spun faster and faster. Slurpuff and Excadrill were examining the contents of a toy chest in the far corner of the living room together. Chandelure, Mimikyu, and Sizzlipede were having some sort of lively conversation as they relaxed giggled.

“Kind of like how we meshed so nicely, too,” you half-joked, lightly bumping your shoulder against his.

You heard him chuckle softly. “I suppose so. We’re lucky our teams came as a package deal alongside us.”

The pokémon enjoyed themselves in the living room, and for a few moments more, the two of you watched them fondly. Leaning against Ingo’s shoulder, you were content – until your stomach growled.

“Hungry, are we?” Ingo said almost immediately, amusement evident in his voice.

“I, uh… I haven’t eaten in a while,” you sheepishly replied. “Y’know, in preparation for the date…”

He didn’t hesitate. “Then we should eat dinner right away. It isn’t good to skip meals!”

“Uh-huh,” you dead-panned, “and how many times have you ‘forgotten’ to eat while working late on the subway?”

Ingo turned and began walking toward the dining area. “Well, I should prepare…”

“Uh-huh,” you emphasized again, smiling both in your expression and in your voice. You very graciously left off ‘that’s what I thought.‘

As you followed him, Ingo stopped at the table and picked up something to show to you. To your surprise, it was a bottle of wine. It didn’t strike you as something the twins would indulge in, but looking at how Ingo was setting up the dinner, the candles… You could tell he wanted this to be special.

“I…” he began, losing steam as a thought hit him. He tried again. “I should have asked first instead of assuming this would be alright – I don’t know if you drink or enjoy wine, even. Asking you in advance would have been the correct call, but, ah…”

You tilted your head slightly to the side, an amused smile beginning to curl your lips. “I don’t mind. I think it’s sweet.”

He was quiet for a moment more, and then nodded with a slightly less anxious expression. “I’ll… I’ll pour us some, then, if that is alright with you? I thought it would accompany our meal nicely… Provided you already have food in your stomach when you have a sip.”

“You’re the boss,” you said with a wink and salute.

It got a soft chuckle out of him, which you took for a minor win. You were nervous beyond belief, too, but seeing him so worried about the night he planned overrode your own. If the situation was reversed (which might very well happen someday soon, you thought), it would be just as nerve-wracking for you.

You approached as Ingo poured only a modest amount of wine into two glasses and set them at each place on either end of the table, then quickly came around to pull your chair out from underneath. You thanked him with a mock-bow of your head and sat down. He then excused himself to the kitchen, allowing you a moment to look at what was on the table to start. Silverware and cloth napkins, of course; glasses with cold water for each of you; two small bowls, off to the side of your respective places, filled with a little portion of fresh salad – complete with chopped tomatoes and olives and a carrot rose. The selection was made whole as Ingo emerged from the kitchen and set down a dish of spaghetti in front of you, with a delectable-smelling sauce poured in a circle on top.

Not only did it all look and smell delicious, but the presentation was beautiful. There was no doubt in your mind of how hard Ingo worked to complete this meal to have it perfected by the time you arrived and sat down for dinner.

“Ingo, this—this is amazing,” you said softly with a smile, turning to look up at him after surveying the table with mouth slightly agape. “It looks so good – you must’ve been setting up for hours.”

At the initial compliment, Ingo ducked his head, one hand on the back of his chair to pull it out and the other balled into a fist to hide his mouth behind. It kind of backfired since you were sitting and he was standing, leaving you a good view of his pink face despite him holding his head low.

“Thank you, [Y/N]. I am…very happy to hear you say that.” Ingo sat in his chair and scooted forward, the two of you close enough now that your legs were inches away from his under the table. “I’ve been working on the right combination of ingredients for the sauce so it would taste just right… Emmet and Elesa seemed to enjoy the final mix, so I’m hoping you do as well.”

He was nervous about the food the most, you could tell. You gave him a reassuring smile.

“If it tastes as good as it looks and smells, it’ll be perfect.” You chuckled as another spread of pink dusted across his face. “Seriously!”

Both of you picked up your silverware and began eating – your first bite of the spaghetti with a smattering of sauce had Ingo subtly watching you for your reaction. And he wasn’t disappointed. Your face lit up as the slightly-sweet tomato sauce hit your tongue, only getting better as it mixed with the spaghetti noodles.

“Ingo!” you exclaimed, startling him, “You could be a chef!”

“Oh, no, no, no, no, no!” He waved a hand back and forth as if to erase the idea from the air between you. “I simply dabble at home for Emmet and myself; this is hardly up to any professional standards!”

You pointed at him with your fork. “This is better than any tomato sauce I’ve ever had in a restaurant.”

Tonight was a compliment barrage from you, and you were scoring every time despite Ingo having the home-court advantage.

“Accept defeat,” you said aloofly before twirling your fork to have another serving of deliciousness.

“Thank you,” he said, voice relieved of any sarcasm or dryness from your taunt. “It means a great deal to me that you’re enjoying what I’ve prepared as much as you are.”

You saw the tiniest of smiles appear on his face, and his eyes were smiling just as well. When your wait to be clear of any food in your mouth, lest you be rude in this touching moment, you smiled wider and replied, “And thank you for making it for me to enjoy. I know how meticulous you are…so it also means a lot.”

The court was now balanced, for the moment; the two of you soothed with a warmth in your chest given by the other. It lasted well through the meal and the night itself.

Worries faded away for the time being, melted by that warmth. There was no awkwardness as you two enjoyed dinner, and any teases made were swiftly countered. The food, as you’d remarked, was wonderful, and Ingo had filled your dishes with just the right amount. Laughter and conversation carried through the meal, pausing only to continue eating or having a light drink. There was no worry of paparazzi – Ingo had wisely drawn the curtains over the windows – nor any uncomfortable feelings associated with being in a public space or restaurant packed with people. No, the only other noises came from your pokémon enjoying each other’s company just several feet away, and the muffled sounds of the streets outside and below.

It was the best date you’d had since the very first, you thought. And the night was still young.

Opting to wait for your desserts after a filling meal, the two of you agreed to end dinner and move into the living room with your pokémon. Of course, this created a problem.

“Please let me help clean up.”

“No, no, you’re the guest! I’ll have everything cleared in a jiffy.”

Ingo stacked his own dishes in preparation to carry to the kitchen, then set his sights on yours. They were being firmly withheld. He sighed.

“Is this truly the hill you wish to die on?”

You stared at him, unblinking. “Yes.”

He hung his head, leaning on the table. Then, he raised a hand and balled it into a fist.

“Rock-paper-scissors.”

You could hardly stop the laugh from escaping, turning it into a combination of a snort and a sputter. “Really?”

Ingo looked comically serious. “Neither of us will acquiesce without good cause, will we?”

“And rock-paper-scissors is a noble cause.”

“You are exactly right.”

Narrowing your eyes suspiciously, you stood to match his stance. “…Okay.”

Letting go of the dishes, like a fool, you balled one hand into a fist to match his. Which was precisely what he expected you to do, of course. Swiftly and with a superhuman speed you swore he demonstrated, Ingo leaned forward, grasped the dishes by one side, and pulled them toward himself, counting on the lack of concentration that you had just allotted from your hold to the trap.

You stood still with your mouth hanging open before your brain fully buffered. A scandalized look was sent his way to accompany your automatic, “…Hey!”

“Terribly sorry,” he said, looking absolutely nothing at all like terribly sorry, “but I was forced to switch tracks and come up with a new strategy.”

“Cheater.”

“I would never.” At least that sounded genuine. “You accepted the game and released your hold on the dishes. They were free for the taking. But please, relax in the living room; I won’t be long at all.”

Ingo turned to make for the kitchen, both sets of dishes in his hands. As he crossed the threshold into the other room, you called out, “You know I have to get you back for this, right?”

“I expect nothing less from someone with such talent as yours!” was the amused reply given from beyond your sight.

With a fake huff and a smile he couldn’t see, you turned on your heel after politely pushing your chair under the table and joined the pokémon in the living room. There were many cries of greetings from the gaggle of monsters, which made you chuckle and wave as you sat on the couch facing most of them. You sank into the comfortable cushions and surveyed what the pokémon had gotten up to while dinner was held.

Appletun had dozed off, as you expected he would at some point during the night. You hoped he asked to use the poké-bed he was drooling in, or else he was liable for theft. Alcremie was still atop Crustle, who seemed to be taking her on a tour of the room; she was looking up at various knickknacks and photographs, pointing to them while Crustle chittered in response. Slurpuff and Excadrill had set up camp by the toy chest they were rummaging around in earlier. Several toys were strewn about at their feet, but currently they were playing with a set of colorful blocks that were being stacked and re-stacked to their liking.

The rest – Chandelure and Klinklang, and Polteageist, Mimikyu, and Sizzlipede – were sitting (or hovering) in a circle, listening to Polteageist tell a tall tale of some kind. Mimikyu made comments here and there, leading you to guess that the tale occurred at a time before you’d caught them years ago. Sizzlipede was enraptured more than any of the other listeners; his eyes were practically sparkling with wonder.

They were interacting so naturally. It just felt right.

Ingo emerged from the kitchen, sleeves rolled up and finished with his tidying. Seeing the scene of your pokémon together as well, he felt the same feeling of being natural and  right – but especially since he caught a glimpse of you watching them.

“Everything’s squared away,” he announced as he came around and sat next to you on the couch. Some pokémon greeted him the same as you had been as he put his arm around your shoulders. “Have I missed anything good?”

“The climax of Polteageist’s story…apparently? He’d be really skilled at charades.”

Klinklang had recoiled as Chandelure leaned in further in their little group. It was a shame you couldn’t understand a thing any of them were saying.

“Ah, well. Perhaps I’ll catch the next one,” he chuckled.

You hummed a vague agreement as you leaned into him, his arm closing further around your shoulders. From the angle you were resting (or more accurately, “using him as a pillow”), you could take his hand on the arm encircling you and bring it closer for inspection. It was cold from the water he presumably used to clean up dinner but otherwise presented no anomalies.

“Is there something wrong…?” Ingo asked with a baffled inflection as you continued to study his hand.

“Checking for filth,” you replied casually.

“I’ve just finished washing them alongside the dishes. I would even say that they weren’t filthy to begin with.”

“Well, you played dirty. That’s something your hands will never be washed of.”

He was silent for a beat. “I stand by the strategy I developed to counter yours.”

You laughed, not letting his hand free of your custody just yet. Turning it over and back forth, you admired his long, thin fingers usually hidden by gloves. Loving the aesthetic someone’s fingers is an odd thing to feel, you thought, but his were always on show; not only performing his signature battle pose, but performing his duty as a conductor with the point-and-call method. There was something nice about them.

Ingo let you play with his hand, amused, his playful smile beginning to emerge. But soon, your little moment would be interrupted by a suspicious, sinking, creeping feeling you felt shiver along your spine.

Literally. Something was literally creeping and crawling along the side of your upper body.

With a yelp, you instinctively swiped at the unexpected and intrusive feeling while your legs pushed you backwards in a literal knee-jerk reaction. Your hands brushed fuzz and a flash of yellow frantically leapt from your side; first to the top of the couch, then to the coffee table. Static electricity gave you a minuscule zap when you brushed your shirt to rid your skin of the feeling. You didn’t need to wrack your brain for identification when you looked to the offender and saw its adorable little blue eyes.

A Joltik. It was just a Joltik. I let out an embarrassing squeal over a Joltik. ……WHEN did they get a Joltik?

You shared a stare-off with the tiny bug, not yet realizing the severity of the position you had unwittingly put yourself in. As you were leaning into Ingo, you faced the rest of the couch during your inspection of his hand. Consequently, your legs had pushed you backwards…right into Ingo’s lap. And this wasn’t the only consequence. Ingo was alarmed at your sudden panic and acted on instinct in the split-second moment as well; which led to a protective hold around you, bringing you close to him…

He noticed. A burn status inflicted across his very red face in contrast to the frozen status of the rest of his body.

Meanwhile, Ingo’s pokémon tellingly didn’t react, but yours did. They rose to the defense, including a groggy Appletun. When they saw you weren’t in danger and no one else in the room was up in arms, they relaxed, especially when they saw you were literally in Ingo’s arms. Which left you as the sole oblivious individual in the room.

“Joltik… When did you guys get a Joltik?” Your heart was pounding. So was Ingo’s, for a vastly different reason. “I know Emmet has a Galvantula but—”

Another ball of yellow fuzz dislodged itself from underneath the cushion of the separate chair adjacent to the couch, curious about the hubbub. It shook itself not unlike a Herdier or Growlithe, puffing its fur even more. Seeing the other Joltik, it joined the staring contest with curiosity.

“Okay. Sure. My bad. Two Joltik. Ingo, when did you and Emmet…get…uh……get two, um…two……”

Slowly, it dawned on you. Where you were. How you got there. You were sitting directly in Ingo’s lap. One of arms of his caught you during your backwards lunge, and remained securely around your back and shoulders as it half-held you upright. His other arm went across your middle, with the hand you’d been studying firmly on your hip. And apparently during your embarrassing outburst, your hand – opposite of the one frantically swiping at your side – had gripped the arm that Ingo circled around your waist.

That grip loosened as you directed your gaze to Ingo, whose face was inches from yours and had gone as red as the pasta sauce he’d cooked. You swallowed awkwardly, expression very neutral. It was hard – you were torn between massive embarrassment and laughing like an idiot. And since your face was already burning akin to Ingo’s, you figured your embarrassment was clearly expressed.

You stifled a laugh. “…Hi.”

“Hello…” Ingo cleared his throat. “[Y/N], please excuse—”

“I’m sorry, I—”

Both of you started and cut off at the same time, giving a sort of comic relief to the situation. For you, that was the last straw; you covered your face and laughed.

“It’s your Joltik’s fault!” you blamed, muffled. Then as quickly as you had covered, you took your hands away to give Ingo a confused expression. “When did you get Joltik?”

There was a hesitancy as Ingo’s brain reconfigured attention for everything else happening that wasn’t him holding you in his lap. “…Well, there are a couple more of them somewhere around the house…”

You stared up at him expectantly for a minute, silent. When no further explanation was provided, you flatly said, “You realize that raises more questions than an answer, right.”

Ingo chuckled, barely a breath left in him by now. His brain was still divided, but you were obviously distracted from your current position, and your question provided one for him to focus on, too.

“Emmet’s Galvantula was specifically bred to participate in competitive battling, you see. He bred the little Joltik all on his own, in fact! It was quite the program! And when the  time came, the Joltik that were not chosen for his team were given to loving homes – hand-picked by us, of course. However, he could not bear to let go of all of them.” He sighed. “And now, several haunt our apartment far more than Chandelure does. I’m truly sorry about the rude disturbance, I should have warned you in the first place – it didn’t occur to me that Emmet might not have told you about them. He’s quite proud!”

You shook your head. “No, he didn’t. It does sound impressive, though.”

“It is! I’m very proud of him just as well!”

The pride was evident in his excitable voice alone. It made you smile as you looked up at him briefly before turning your attention to the first Joltik that surprised you.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you, either.”

“Tik-tik,” it chirped, seemingly unbothered.

“Yes, please be more mindful of others! Especially when we have guests,” Ingo lectured, Though he then tacked on, “Which is…not very often, admittedly.”

A spot of red caught your eye. Sizzlipede climbed up the side of the coffee table and chittered at the Joltik cautiously. He then looked to you with a questioning gaze – is it safe? Is it a good pokémon? You gave him a nod and a thumbs-up, leading to more insect chit-chat that gradually moved from atop the table and down where they could play, followed by the second Joltik on the chair. The other pokémon went back to their playdate as though nothing had happened.

Though, you made a mental note to thoroughly check Slurpuff’s “hair” before you left. You thought you might’ve seen a yellow fuzzball stuck in there.

The end of this distraction, of course, brought about the original problem that the two of you casually pushed aside for the pokémon. Both of you had been talking while you were still in his lap and Ingo was still holding onto you.

“So, um…” Awkwardly, your gaze returned to Ingo, still just inches away. “Sorry I invaded your space like this… Really, really invaded your space… I’ll just, uh—”

“No. no!” he replied immediately. “You were shocked and did what you felt necessary! I, ah… I suppose I did the same when I saw your distress…”

Your hands rested on his arm laying around your waist, and you shyly looked down as you tapped random fingers on it in a rhythm-less manner.

“I, um… I don’t mind it,” you said quietly. “If that’s what you’re worried about.”

He released some tension in his shoulders as the frozen status of his body began to thaw. The burn remained in effect.

“Nor do I mind that you…well, jumped into my lap…”

Even Ingo knew how it sounded, if his berry-red ears were any indication. You snorted another laugh as you covered your face with your hands again.

“Oh my god. Okay. I think I’m gonna—”

Without finishing your sentence, you shimmied yourself so your tailbone wasn’t smack dab in the middle of his lap anymore. That would end up being uncomfortable for both of you somewhere down the line. Not knowing what to do with himself (and, frankly, disappointed that you were moving), Ingo released his arms from his hold to allow you to make yourself comfortable. That was more important, after all.

Lucky for him, you weren’t removing yourself entirely from his grasp. Your head rested on the arm of the couch, your back across his legs, and your hands innocently clasped and resting on your stomach. Still in his lap, technically; he just had to look down a bit more.

"Too much?" you asked, afraid that you were getting a little too comfortable on your first visit to the twins' home.

Ingo paused, during which you were preparing another apology, before his eyes softened and that serene smile you always loved to see came through.

"Not at all." Though his face showed no signs of lowering the saturation of redness, he was very glad that you felt so comfortable and trusting to put yourself in this position. He rested one arm behind your head, on the couch edge, and his opposite hand on your clasped ones. "On the contrary; I think this is just right."

You smiled - the kind you'd usually do while hiding behind your hands. That wasn't an option, of course. Besides…if you could see him resisting the urge to hide, it was only fair for him to see you. This was, by far, the most domestically intimate the two of you have been, including the kisses you'd steal from each other every so often. You saw the fondness clear on his face and just wanted to reach up and cup it in one of your hands; take it in with every sense you could. But that would mean losing the warmth of his hand on yours…so you made do by simply looking, now adding the graze of his hand on the top of your head to your sensory experience.

"Thanks for, um…catching me, by the way. When I jolted," you coughed out after a few moments of enjoying the silence together. Your grin was slanted and half-embarrassed.

"You were very shaken! I wanted to make sure I could—” (protect you) “—ease your distress in any way that I possess. Which meant…well, it was automatic, to tell you the truth. I hadn’t realized what I’d done until moments afterward.”

There was a teasing smile waiting for him after he finished shyly averting his eyes, though there was a great deal of warmth in it, too. He might think taking you into his arms amounted to nothing but awkwardness, but you thought it was sweet. Even if you did launch yourself into that position with what you felt was the same amount of awkwardness.

"You're good at that," you admitted, opening your clasped hands to once again play with his. "Um, 'easing my distress.' Reflex or otherwise… I'm not as anxious about certain things when you're around. Especially after...that night."

Ingo nodded solemnly, a flashback playing through his mind for only a second. Stepping from the employees-only section and into the rest of the station, seeing a man in the doorway of your café… The way his legs began carrying him without thinking, as quickly as he could run. Yelling at nearly the top of his lungs. Seeing you and your struggle—watching you fall to the ground, unconscious, while he yelled something he can’t remember in his panic—

"The night you were my hero."

Instantly, Ingo grimaced. You weren't joking, of course; it was just that your shit-eating grin told Ingo everything he needed to know about the specific reaction you were expecting from those words.

And maybe it was to dispel the replaying memory from both of your minds, too.

“Ah. I'd truly hoped that you had forgotten to use that term by now.”

“Absolutely never. Besides, you’re my boyfriend now, so I get to call you that.” Playfully, you stuck your tongue out at him. “It’s in the rules.”

“And what rulebook, pray tell, could you possibly be referencing?”

“The same one where there’s no penalty for tricking your date out of an honest contest.”

“……I concede defeat.”

Ingo thought the sound of your laughter in his home was one of the best things he's ever heard. In his arms, it sounded even better. His hand brushed lightly above your forehead; his other, shaking in time with your laughter as your own hands held it aloft. You likely wouldn't be in the position that you were if not for one of the house Joltik, but Emmet didn't need to know that. Later, his brother would only hear about how perfect Ingo thought this moment was and how long he wanted it to last. How much he'd like to experience it again in the future. How often.

"Wow! Subway Boss Ingo admits defeat, and I didn't even have to battle!"

"Mm," he hummed, still lost in the moment. "You still owe me one of those, as I recall."

"I do," you nodded. The smile from your laughter was still on your face. "I haven't forgotten. I just…need to train. …A lot."

"There is no rush. We have plenty of time together to ride to that destination in the future."

He watched your grin widen, though your eyes conveyed such mirth on their own. "Promise?"

There was no hesitation. "I promise."

You closed his hand into a fist, save for his pinky finger.

"Pinky promise?"

"Yes," he chuckled with surprise. "I pinky promise."

It reminded him of childhood; Emmet made him commit to a variety of things with the same gesture. Without prompting, he took his pinky and locked it with one of your own. The pact was sealed with the most sacred of bonds. There was no going back for either of you. Exactly as you both wished.

"Well!" you announced with a sigh, releasing his hand and stretching your arms. "I believe my triumph over your surrender warrants celebration."

"Already! You certainly don't waste any time."

"Of course! I would never dally when it comes to my desserts." You feigned nonchalance as you continued, "And I suppose you can have a consolation prize or two."

"How thoughtful!" he laughed. "Though I didn't realize you needed to win for such a chance. I would have conceded long ago."

In a way, that struck you as sweet. With your hands free, you covered your mouth - and smile - with one of them. "Yeah, well... These aren't hard and fast rules..."

"This rulebook of yours sounds awfully complicated."

You stifled a laugh. "It requires meticulous study, yeah."

As Ingo teased you over your one-hundred-percent certified bullshit, both of you noticed movement in the corners of your eyes, congregating beside the coffee table in front of the couch. When the two of you turned to look, you found every single pokémon in the room staring at you with hopeful eyes. You even counted another two Joltik. It would have been unnerving if you didn't know the reason behind their sudden advancement.

"...Oh. I mentioned 'dessert.'"

"Perhaps it's time to indulge, then, before we are caught in a protest." He looked back down to you, a tinge of sadness felt over the two of you having to move out of your positions. "They are expecting the treats you baked for them as well, I assume?"

You chuckled.

"Bingo. Alright, you little monsters, don't worry. You'll get your dessert."

Chapter Text

You didn’t want to brag, but your desserts were a hit.

For starters, the pokémon munched and crunched and spontaneously learned the Baby-Doll Eyes move just to beg for seconds. The tiny Joltik – of which there were now four – shared a couple with each other. You were glad you brought extra to leave for Emmet’s pokémon, with the way everyone was devouring their helpings.

Polteageist tried to help feed Klinklang to no avail. He did his best to squish some onto its face as it perpetually turned; the steel-type was graciously patient. They both looked down as the mush slowly slid down its face and fell to the floor. A few metallic clicks from the gears must’ve informed Polteageist of its material-eating disability, as the ghost shrugged and picked up the mush to eat for himself.

All the pokémon’s happiness and antics brought laughter to you and Ingo. The two of you had agreed to give out their treats first before delving into the ones you made specifically for the dinner. When their third usage of Baby-Doll Eyes failed, the pokémon left the dining area to resume their activities in the living room.

“It never ceases to amaze me how you can create little delicacies that incite happiness in all sorts of pokémon,” Ingo remarked as you removed the top from a second container. “You’ve certainly made their night!”

Embarrassed from the compliment, you ducked your head a bit when you carefully lifted a couple of your pastries and set them on a plate provided by Ingo.

“Thank you…” was your quiet reply, smiling as you slid the plate over to him. “I like making people and pokémon happy. And it’s fun to make the little treats for the pokémon, experiment with the flavors… Mine love being little taste-testers.”

“I imagine it is a job they serve well,” he chuckled before thanking you for the plate. When he turned his attention to the dessert, a brief look of surprise flashed across his face. Bite-sized pastries filled with chocolate and drizzled on top, with thin slices of strawberries in the shape of hearts. Which made his heart swell, his expression falling into utter fondness for you. His eyes creased wistfully and a ghost of a smile began to visibly form.

Ingo studied the pastries for a moment too long for you, though, and your anxiety spiked.

“I-It’s, um…” you began, nervous despite the expression on his face. “It’s a kind of…of puff pastry, um – like, like eclairs? With chocolate, because I know you love chocolate, and I like it too, and I put the- the strawberries on top because…um, because it’s…because I wanted them to look c…cute. For our date. The little…you know, they’re little hearts, and we’re…”

You were speaking so quickly, there was no time for Ingo to interrupt your snowballing explanation. Instead, he slowly reached for one of your hands across the table, covering it with his and causing you to wind down. Sheepishly, you closed your mouth.

“They look positively superb,” he assured you. “It is quite obvious just how much love and care you put into making these; it shines through before I’ve even had a taste! And the strawberry hearts are, ah…” There was a pause, during which he looked just as sheepish as you in the moment. “They’re wonderful. A very cute touch from my very charming date.”

That broke you, evident by your free hand covering as much of your face as it could.

“You’re charming,” was your retaliation sick burn. “How’d you get so good at this!”

Ingo laughed, “The same way you did, I think.” He then pulled his hand away from yours, letting coldness seep in its wake. “Please, join me. I refuse to try such lovely pastries without your participation as well.”

That you could do, mouth still wavering from Ingo’s compliments; but the tasting was the real test. As you plated some for yourself and sat across from him, you wondered if he felt just as terrified before you tasted the dinner he cooked.

You finished setting yourself up and put your hands on the table without touching the dessert. You were too busy staring at him like a Hoothoot in the night. Waiting. Watching. Understanding that you would not do a thing until he tried it, Ingo bowed his head in thanks once more and picked up a delightfully soft pastry and popped the literal bite-sized dessert into his mouth. Involuntarily, his eyes closed in ecstasy. The pastry seemed to melt once it hit his tongue, mixing with the chocolate inside and atop, interrupted only by the slightly tart strawberry, sliced so thin it mixed with the flavors pooling in his mouth perfectly. His sweet tooth was more than satisfied – it would give a standing ovation if it could. And the delectable chocolate taste lingered on his tongue once he finished with the little dessert.

Ingo sighed with overflowing happiness.

From your perspective, once he put the dessert in his mouth and his eyes closed, out came your favorite of his smiles. It crept from the corners of his mouth, followed by a satisfied sigh. You bit the bottom of your lip despite all signs pointing rather glaringly toward his enjoyment of your baking, and gave him a hopeful and questioning look once he opened his eyes again.

“If I may repeat a sentiment I shared earlier,” he began, “you never cease to amaze me with your culinary skill in the art of baking! Bravo!”

A hesitant smile appeared on your face despite yourself. “You…you like it…?”

“Of course!” he exclaimed, nodding with vigor and clapping his hands a few times. “It’s one of the best desserts I’ve ever had; easily making your way onto my list of favorites!”

You briefly glanced aside, twisting your mouth sideways to hide the extremely flattered grin that had appeared. “You’re biased.”

“I am. Extremely so! I don’t believe that matters, however, do you?”

That took you aback, bringing your eyes to his again. His combination of delighted and seriousness reminded you of the expressions he’d make while recounting particularly good pokémon battles.

“My sense of taste is certainly not affected by my relationship with you. Whether or not we are together, your creations deserve a bravo all the same!”

You half-snorted, half-chuckled, burying one side of your face into one of your hands. “Then I’d like to second that sentiment, but for your cooking today.”

His mouth flattened into a line, and you could see the gears turning in his head to find a way out of the compliment. They failed him, not wanting to diminish your opinion based on his. You could see it in his eyes when they stopped having that far-away look of contemplation.

“Bravo,” you mimicked, punctuating the word with your tongue stuck out.

“Bravo…” he repeated for you with a fake-sigh. The laugh it roused from you caused the façade to drop instantly, however, as his rare smile of true contentment resurfaced. In the next moment, he happily went to devour another pastry when he saw you eat one of your own.

“The rest are yours, by the way,” you noted after finishing.

“Oh no, I couldn’t!”

“I made them for you!” With a wave of your hand, you silenced his next protest before it began. “Seriously, they’re all yours. Free to share with Emmet or secretly hoard in your room. Or eat them all in one sitting. So long as Emmet doesn’t blame me for any repercussions from that one.”

Ingo folded without complaint, knowing it was a battle he was not equipped to win. “Thank you.”

“Always,” you smiled.

Neither of you wanted the date to end, of course. And with one look at the clock telling you it wasn’t even that late, your wishes were temporarily granted.

Most of your pokémon had fallen asleep after their treats, sharing the beds scattered among the room. The exceptions – Klinklang, Chandelure, Mimikyu, and Sizzlipede – were having some sort of chill conversation while rolling a couple of toy balls around. They greeted the two of you as you returned to the living room.

You gently took one of Ingo’s wrists and led him toward the couch. Confused, he watched as you sat down where he had been earlier, then tugged on his wrist before he could take the spot next to you.

“Nope! It’s your turn,” you said with another tug.

“My…turn?”

“To lay down on the couch.”

He paused to furrow his brows, glancing across the couch cushions as if they held the answer to your behavior. They didn’t.

“On…” he trailed off pitifully, gesturing in the air along the couch and ending with his open-palm hand pointed at you.

Closing your eyes was the only way you could confidently get through this; you tried to make your expression look resolute while nodding in reply. “Yup. You deserve a restful break, too.”

Silence as Ingo stood frozen and you sat blind.

You tugged on his wrist again.

“Surely you’ll be uncomfortable…?”

“Were you?”

Strike one!

“You’re the guest, I couldn’t impose…”

“This would be the best accommodation for my comfort right now.”

Strike two!

Ingo’s mind frantically searched for another excuse. As the pause lingered a bit too long, you dealt the final blow.

“Please?”

He immediately looked down at you upon hearing the sincerity in your voice and saw your imploring eyes, clearly having taken a lesson from the pokémon.

Strike three! You’rrrrrrrre out!

It was awkward to set up, sure, and neither of you were fully sure what was happening at the moment – you were full of panic, yourself, kept under wraps so Ingo didn’t know – but you made it work. Ingo had to admit it was nice. You let one arm drape across his middle while the other hesitantly began playing with his hair. He was liable to fall asleep if the two of you didn’t start a conversation. Was this what you felt like, laying across his lap while he absentmindedly brushed the top of your head and played with your fingers as they rested on your middle? Becoming more and more comfortable as the awkwardness slipped away, leaving you sinking deeper into contact?

Ingo wondered if your insistence was to give him the chance to experience such comfort and warmth as you had felt.

You wondered if Ingo was having the chance to experience the comfort and warmth as you had felt.

One topic led to another, and at some point you asked about the model trains on display scattered throughout the twins’ home. You pointed at one in particular, launching Ingo into regaling its every detail. Type, year, history, scale; intricacies of its assembly, how comprehensive its features were made to be compared to the real thing or errors in manufacturing (of which Ingo described with veritable frustration). He barely took a breath, too enthusiastic and embroiled in talking about one of the highest-held and favorite subjects in his life. You listened and watched at the same time; his voice full of vigor that changed ever-so-slightly with every category, his hands animated just as much as his tongue. The gestures were outmatched only by the look in his eyes – so clearly in his own element, they shone with light that actually seemed to twinkle, as the saying goes. Bright. Sparkling. A vibrant passion.

“—and this particular model is extremely rare – hence why it is one out of our collection that we stationed inside of a display case! Emmet and I found the kit while combing through an eclectic thrift shop during a visit to Striaton City, hunting for rarities yet certainly not expecting to find such a gem! In its original kit, unopened, no less! We were so impassioned that day, we took the first train straight home and couldn’t help but clear the table and begin its construction immediately!”

Ingo was in the process of describing another model you asked about – the most prominently displayed in the room, and now you knew why. You were leaning back, still softly playing with his hair and thoroughly enjoying each explanation for whichever model train you asked about, and this was easily the best one yet.

“Somehow we were able to contain our eagerness in order to begin work on the model itself. I’m sure you know how delicate models of any kind can be, not only to prepare but to handle! Though we had been shaking with excitement from head to toe from the moment we laid eyes on the kit, all of it promptly disappeared when we began work in earnest. Steady hands are a must alongside solid concentration on the task. Everything around you must come to a stop… Metaphorically, of course!”

“Your jobs must be pretty helpful with that, huh?”

He thought about it for a moment before a recognition came to his eyes. “I suppose it does! While conducting, everything but concentration on the guidelines, safety, and procedures must come to a stop in our minds. A fantastic observation, [Y/N]!”

You chuckled. “Well, I know you two are sticklers for following the subway rules. For good reason.”

“Even during battle, safety is our number one priority! That is why the Battle Subway railcars are of a far sturdier class of construction than the standard transit cars.” With another bright look of recognition, he brought one of his hands to his chin. “Your profession also requires an adherence to procedures, as well as steady hands, doesn’t it?”

“At a waayyyy lower danger level than yours. Erm, job that is – I don’t think there’s much danger in building model trains.” You paused. “…Except ruining the model by not being careful, I guess.”

Ingo nodded sagely. “Precisely. I would argue that comparably to the task, ruining a model due to careless measures is as ‘dangerous’ as ruining a recipe during preparation – or even decorating the final product.” He looked at you fondly when he added, “Such as your desserts tonight. I thought the strawberries sliced into hearts were done magnificently.”

Once again, you tried to hide a grin to no avail. “It wasn’t that hard. I just wanted to add…a little something. For us.”

Sighing, Ingo closed his eyes and let the soft ghost of a smile spread a little bit as he felt the way you played with his hair. It had instantly become one of his favorite sensations in the world, especially when combined with your hand over his, which had come to rest across his stomach after he finished gesturing about the last model train. You slipped your fingers between his and began lightly playing with them as well.

In the best mood he’d been feeling in a long while, he didn’t hesitate to let slip his next thought.

“Perhaps we could try baking something together sometime.”

You stopped your motions temporarily, though they resumed quickly enough for Ingo to remain relaxed with his eyes closed. On the other end, you were smiling like a dope; the heat was rising to your face without embarrassment for once.

“I…I would love that. I really would.” Your voice was quiet, almost a whisper. “Maybe…at my place. Sometime.”

Ingo opened his eyes and looked up at you, already looking down at him. You’d been studying his contented face to commit to your memory forever. His expression gained a surprised element that thankfully didn’t affect his soothed smile.

“…I would very much love that as well. A chance to learn from a master of coffee and pastry alike.”

You snort-laughed. “Hardly. At most I just mess around with grounds and dough.”

“And yet the finished product is always as delicious as can be… Hmm. My mind remains unchanged.”

Chuckling, you took the hand that was playing with his and gave him a light play-slap on the arm. He responded by taking hold of it again, bringing it to his lips to press a gentle kiss against it before intertwining his fingers with yours and letting them rest across his stomach. You didn’t know how he did it so accurately with his eyes closed again.

The two of you resumed your quiet contentedness. You watched as the remaining pokémon that hadn’t already fallen asleep were looking fairly drowsy, and you knew that time was running short. Your eyes drifted to all of the model trains Ingo had told you about, and then down to him again. If you didn’t know any better, it looked as though he was peacefully asleep. Thinking back to his excited explanations, it was your turn to let slip a thought as you were once more perusing his face.

“Maybe…we could do a model kit together sometime, too.”

This, for some reason, seemed to cause him to go still – as if an icy wind had frozen him under your hands. His eyes, however, opened and met yours with eyebrows raised.

“…Really?”

He asked it so carefully, to your confusion. You began to feel a coldness in your chest stemming from the belief that you had just done something wrong to ruin everything.

“Y-Yeah—I mean only if you want to! We don’t have to or anything!” you stammered. “I just thought maybe since we were gonna try baking together, and that’s kind of one of my things, you know, then—then we could try something that you really like to do, too, and you were just telling me about how much fun you have working on the ones around your house, so I—”

Your run-on sentence was interrupted by Ingo; using his mouth but not his words. He sat up and reached for your face, cupping it and gently bringing it a little lower so your lips could meet. The kiss he gave you wasn’t what you’d call aggressive, but it held more fervor than one he’d give any normal day of the week. You immediately reciprocated, causing him to give a little more oomph in response. The part of your brain that remained confused temporarily shut down due to a brain-wide power shortage.

When he pulled away, he kept his hand cupping one side of your face, which was mere inches away from his. The separation caused power to return to your brain, and your bafflement was quickly made known through your expression.

“Ingo…?” was all the brainpower you could spare to say.

“Please excuse my forwardness, I—I felt a…a sudden…” he trailed off, seemingly just as surprised by himself as you were, though he was still lovingly looking into your eyes. Of course, his apology wasn’t necessary in the least, but you elected to keep quiet so he might continue. “You would take part in such a thing with me?”

“Wh— If you mean ‘take part in one of my boyfriend’s favorite things in the whole wide world with him’—of course!” A questioning tone seeped into your voice. “That…surprises you?”

Ingo sat up fully, taking himself from your lap and sitting next to you on the couch instead. You both instantly missed the feeling of each other and the warmth you received in turn, but it was far too awkward for Ingo to keep himself upright. When he settled, you still faced each other closely. Gingerly, you reached across the small space between you and took one of his hands in yours as a comforting gesture.

“I am not surprised in the sense of doubting your words; I know them to be sincere.” He spoke with a confidence in the process of renewing itself while his gaze never strayed from your eyes. “No one has asked before.”

“No one?” you repeated involuntarily, going through the files of Ingo’s friends in your mind.

“In the same sense that there are not many who would listen to me talk at length about train-related focuses… I have Emmet, of course! We could discuss our passions day and night! And have! Elesa has humored us, but she is simply far too busy. And there are depot agents who have listened at times, for short minutia that I’ve trouble keeping short, I admit…”

You smiled.

“I’ve been told many a time that I run long-winded. But when a topic I find beloved comes into play, I…”

“You get excited, you get to talking… I heard the way you spoke when I asked about all the models you have on display. And I loved hearing all about them.” You squeezed his hand. “Don’t hold back with me, okay? I really do love the way you just…launch into your full-blown passion. And if people have a problem with that, it’s their problem. I’ll discuss anything day and night with you, too.”

The little speech was punctuated by another kiss, this time initiated by you. It was slow and soft, just enough to really tell Ingo you meant every word. He squeezed your hand and you pulled away. But not too much.

You honestly hadn’t expected Ingo to be self-conscious in such a way – discounting the careful way he let himself act around you. It bothered you. Though you didn’t know him intimately, Emmet didn’t seem to care how others viewed him. There was a stark contrast you were suddenly aware of, hiding beneath the exuberant confidence Ingo displayed while conducting and battling. He owned that confidence, but when it came to relationships…

Another kiss from Ingo brought you out of your thoughts, quick yet gentle. This time, after pulling away, he kept his face mere inches apart from yours.

“It would be wonderful to hear what you have to say about matters or activities you hold dear, too.”

“When you come over for a baking day,” you agreed with a wider smile. “We’ll have to think of what to make.”

Ingo’s smile was making a comeback, however small. “And we will have to find a model kit for the two of us to assemble.”

“Sure Emmet won’t get jealous?” you teased.

“I’ll have to let him down gently.” 

Laughing, you ducked your head down and leaned forward, the top of your head resting against Ingo’s chest. You could tell he was holding back a chuckle, himself, as he wrapped his arms around you and rested his own forehead on your shoulder. The hug lasted for a minute until both of you picked your heads up and, as anyone would surely do in that moment, shared another warm kiss – one devoid of uncertainty.

Putting on your coat was one of the final steps nearing the end of your night together.

Your pokémon were gently awoken, first, of course. Normally, you'd have no qualms with recalling them to their pokéballs as they slept, but you and Ingo agreed that they should be given the chance to say their goodnights just as you two would. Lazily, they arose, some making frustrated groans from either the waking or being told they were about to part. The whining was most pronounced from Slurpuff. All calmed down properly and without trouble, though, and their goodbyes were completed. You knew they'd all rest in their balls until returning home and take up every inch of your bed as retribution.

Ingo's pokémon received some pats and pets and see-you-later's from you as well before they retreated back to their dreamlands. Only Chandelure lazily levitated alongside the both of you as the trip went across the room to your coat and bag. At least until a Joltik popped out of your coat as you picked it from the coat-rack, surprising you once again – the ghost-type chased after it with what was very clearly not a one-time annoyance.

"Had to get one more in tonight, didn't you?" was your sigh-infused reply to the Joltik populace in general as you shook out your coat just in case. "Oh, shoot, I forgot to comb Slurpuff for interlopers."

"They can always be handed off at the station," Ingo chuckled. "It wouldn't be the first time one has been caught a stowaway."

"Yeah, but I don't want to be zapped in my sleep."

"Ah, fair enough." He shook his head, remembering the times he fell victim to the same fate. "I still cannot believe that Emmet has never spoke about his Joltik with you before! It’s one of his favorite conversation topics.”

“Honestly, knowing him, he probably did it on purpose so they would have a chance to scare me.” You paused. “…Please don’t tell Emmet I was spooked by his Joltik.”

“No worries, my dearest, your secret is safe with me.”

You froze halfway through putting on one arm of your jacket, your heart skipping a beat.

‘My dearest’…

“Is something the matter?” Ingo asked from behind you, seemingly oblivious to what he’d just said. It was so casual, so readily on the tip of his tongue as though he’d called you that a thousand times before; no hesitation in the sentence whatsoever.

Does he…call me that in his thoughts? you pondered, still frozen. ‘My dearest’…

The term repeated in your mind until Ingo put a hand on your shoulder, making you jump.

“I’m sorry, [Y/N], but you didn’t respond to me at all. Are you alright? Do you need to sit down?”

Swallowing, you half-heartedly threaded your arm through the rest of your coat as you turned around to face him. You felt a tinge of guilt when you saw the worry clear as day on his face.

“Um, no…” you began quietly. It took a minute to gather the proper words to continue as your brain continued to be occupied with one of the cutest relationship nicknames he could’ve picked. During the wait, he only looked more worried, and so you tried to put on a smile for him. Coy was the best you could do. Your fingers played with the ends of your coat, twisting them this way and that.

“[Y/N]…?”

“Sorry, I’m—I’m fine. Seriously, I am!” you attempted to reassure him. “You, um. You just—heh…”

Confusion furrowed Ingo’s brow as he watched you fiddle with your coat in an anxious manner yet wear a smile on your face that reached your eyes. Hadn’t the two of you enjoyed the night together? Had he done something wrong?

Looking at him, you half-shrugged one shoulder. “You called me ‘your dearest’…”

Now Ingo froze, eyes wide. He let that slip? He thought he’d been so careful, and he let that slip now? Of all nights?

(It was the perfect night to, of course – you two had gotten closer than ever – but he didn’t see it that way, not enough to ease his growing panic.)

“Don’t apologize,” you added, blocking off that track before he even made it there. “It’s…it’s so sweet…”

You reached out and grabbed each of his hands with yours.

“…You think of me like that?”

With a gulp, Ingo reflexively held onto your hands; the simple touch lessened his panic just as the look in your eyes did. You didn’t have a problem with the slip-up – in fact, it seemed as though you liked it. He took a deep breath, another gulp, and opened his mouth…and lost his steam. A squeeze of his hands that you provided gave him a little surplus to answer with something.

“…I…I’ve kept myself from referring to you with such terms out loud,” he confessed. “I look at you and think to myself…that you are truly ‘my dearest’…”

Face growing hotter by the second, matching his own, you smiled through it. Tonight was full of discoveries, but you loved this one greatly. Another squeeze of his hands was almost involuntary as a surge of warmth, protectiveness, and love spread across your chest.

“I need to think of something for you,” was all you could say, nearly laughing through it.

Ingo raised his eyebrows. “You…you don’t mind?”

You shook your head no. “Should I?”

That wasn’t a question he knew how to answer. Thankfully, you meant it rhetorically.

“We’ve been…together…for…a while now, right?” Your eyes briefly glanced around his home as you spoke, looking at all of the knickknacks and photographs that held a great deal of meaning. “I mean, I know it hasn’t been long-long, but, I mean… I’d like it to go on for…long?”

You chuckled, knowing what you wanted to say while simultaneously not knowing. Feelings were hard to put into words. You were fairly sure both of you felt The Big L Word, while also feeling that it was way too early to say so to each other. Aloud, at least. Your minds had ways of expressing that heart-clenching feeling through other means, and it seems that one of Ingo’s was relationship monikers.

“Remember what we talked about? Not holding back?” Finally, your brain churned out some comprehensible words. Your eyes met his again, which were thankfully dialing down the fear and instead replacing it with what you could only call wonderment. A wonder that you were okay with this. A wonder that you liked this. Just like before with the model trains. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to suppress this, too.”

“Admittedly, it is a reflex I have been subduing for some time. In all of my honesty, I, too, would like what we have between us to last a…‘long-long’ time.”

Your smile cracked wider; happier. His expression held a small bit of apprehension from his confession, but it was nearly wiped clean by the returning fondness he felt spreading through his chest. Almost laughing from giddiness, you used the leverage you had with holding his hands and pulled yourself closer.

“Then I’m glad we’re on the same page, hon.”

There was a slight hesitation at the end that absolutely murdered the casual flow of the sentence, but you managed to spit it out, nonetheless. You were sounding it out, getting a feel for it. Hon, you thought, because he’s so sweet? …Oh that’s so stupid, don’t say that out loud.

Ingo momentarily displayed surprise again before he managed to crack your favorite smile of his; eyes sparkling despite your failure at being smooth.

He unhooked one of his hands from yours and cupped your face – something you were beginning to notice he started to do a lot – and closed the space between you. Returning it was a no-brainer, and you were doing so before a coherent thought could cross your mind. Your arms wrapped around him as his free hand curled around your waist and rested on the small of your back.

Long, slow, and methodical; another favorite of yours. There was no gap between you two, yet you wanted to close the nonexistent rift. Dinner was delicious, but this was a different kind of hunger. Both of you just wanted to be close and you didn’t part until you needed to, catching your breaths.

You didn’t let go just yet, moving your hands to his chest and burying your face in his shoulder.

“Promise I don’t sound like some weird, cartoonish, chain-smoking old woman who’s taking your order at a roadside diner?”

Ingo reciprocated with a warm, tight hug; his cheek resting on the side of your head, and laughed – the big one you loved, let out without restraint.

“I promise you sound nothing of the sort,” he managed after another chuckle. “…Do you promise that I don’t sound…stiff and old-fashioned?”

You heard it in his voice again; insecurity. It was brief, but matched the same that had come through when discussing making a model kit together. This time, though, he actually put labels to the hesitant words. You circled your arms around him, too, and lightly squeezed.

“I promise you sound gentlemanly and cute.” With one more squeeze, you buried your face further into the nape of his neck.

"You sound like my dearest boyfriend.”

Chapter Text

After a night that you would remember for the rest of your life, little things changed here and there. Ingo became a bit more comfortable with displaying affection in public that wasn’t just holding hands or a quick peck on the cheek. Nothing too bold, of course. Simply…more natural. Less hesitant. Befitting of someone you called your boyfriend.

The back room at the café provided privacy during the times when Ingo could spend lunch hour with you. It was a unanimous decision between yourselves to just say “screw it” and keep on living – the paparazzi and tabloids and all that garbage would talk regardless. There was nothing more to do about that situation after Elesa had graciously helped cull the worst from the herd. The public that passed through each day gave their own share of stares and whispers meant nothing to you if you could spend more alone time with Ingo.

Some brave citizens occasionally came up to one of you to ask if “the rumors” were true. Customer service masks were integral to both of your skills in answering them appropriately.

Still, you looked on the bright side: more customers. Many folks would stop by to see you (whether they said anything or not) and find your selection delicious, leading to new repeat customers. You couldn’t say you weren’t pleased with that.

The pet names between you and Ingo were still new, though, and the pair of you were getting used to them. In public, they were avoided, exempt the occasional slip-up. Your “practice” wasn’t just while you and Ingo were alone, though – Emmet and Elesa were like guinea Morpeko.

Elesa gasped the first time she heard Ingo call you ‘his dearest’, eyes alight with what you could swear were little hearts. She clasped her hands together as she glanced back and forth between you with a big smile.

“Oh my god. You two are so cute!”

Ingo pulled his hat down over his eyes, red in the face. “Elesa, please…”

With heat rising to your own face, you weren’t faring much better. You scuffed the ground with your shoe abashedly yet still accompanied by a little grin. At least you could still make eye contact with her.

“This is getting serious, isn’t it?” she continued with another little gasp. When Ingo pulled the brim down further and you innocently turned your head away lest you laugh, Elesa did laugh. “I’m sorry, Ingo, [Y/N] – I’m just really happy for the two of you.”

Both you and Ingo mumbled “thank you”, one more muffled than the other.

But Elesa couldn’t help herself. She leaned over in Ingo’s direction to say, “I guess they’re the Applin of your eye, aren’t they?”

That broke your very thin façade as a snicker turned into full-on laughter. Ingo groaned and stood as tall as he could, about to turn in the direction of his next passenger train with his face still covered.

“I believe I must depart now—!” His loud voice was still stifled by his hat.

Elesa laughed again. You gently grabbed his free arm before he had a chance to escape.

“Hold up! Not before this.” You handed him a small bag holding a little pastry along with coffee-to-go. “I know you start losing fuel this time of the afternoon.”

He pushed his hat back up to its proper fitted place, revealing a loving look to you. “…Thank you, darling.”

“You’re welcome, hon.”

Your reply didn’t miss a beat as you smiled wide, Elesa’s presence momentarily forgotten. Leaning into him with a light hold on his arm, you gave him a quick kiss. It was very warmly returned in kind. When you parted, Elesa looked as though she’d just won the lottery; both of her hands were on her cheeks, squishing her big smile. Her perpetually sparkling eyes were almost blinding.

Neither of you looked. Ingo quickly gave you another kiss – on your forehead – tipped his hat politely to Elesa with his eyes closed, and sped off to his next destination. You watched him go as far as you could before taking a deep breath and turning back to the electric-type gym leader. Thankfully she looked far less fervent. You got the impression she acted the former way partially to push Ingo’s buttons. And Emmet’s, if he was around.

“I really am happy for you two,” she began in her normal voice. Though she chuckled behind her hand when she continued with, “And you are adorable together. Like little Tandemaus.”

You began walking back to your café with Elesa by your side, ignoring the onlookers she waved to after they called her name.

“Yeah, well. I guess you could say he’s the Appletun of my eye, too.”

(You felt a pleased aura coming from your pokéballs.)

Elesa giggled and clapped while you chuckled with a grin.

“Soooo…” came a suspicious-sounding starter, “…’hon’, huh?”

You groaned.

“Is it because he’s actually just a big Teddiursa?”

“I prefer ‘a big softie’,” you corrected, weirded out by the image she had forced you to create in your head. “And I don’t know. It was the first thing that came out of my mouth.”

The model hummed to herself as you reached the café. You knew she wouldn’t stay long, likely attracting unwanted attention. As you picked your apron back up from underneath the front counter, Elesa seemed lost in thought. That ended when Appletun and Alcremie appeared from their pokéballs to begin their helping shift, forming swirled cream atop an apple pie.

“Maybe it’s because you’re surrounded by sweets all day,” she finally said, looking to you as you fastened your apron. “Emmet’s told me you’ve called Ingo a sweetie before.”

“Did he,” you replied flatly.

“He tells me all the juicy gossip that I miss out on,” Elesa laughed with a wink to you. “Only between the three of us. Or—I guess the four of us, now.”

Suddenly taken aback, a warm feeling overtook your senses. You felt flattered. Wanted. Approved. You hadn’t noticed that your closeness with Ingo also caused you to merge into his inner circle. He and Emmet spoke freely around you; and now, as you were becoming more acquainted with Elesa, the both of you were becoming comfortable speaking as well. It struck you as literally and figuratively heartwarming.

“Oh, but I have to run,” she said after your silence, with an expression that told you she knew what you were just hung up on. “See you soon, [Y/N]!”

And with a wave, Elesa bustled off to her next destination, trailed by onlookers and snaps of cellphone flashes. You leaned forward on the counter after removing your “away” sign, head resting in one of your propped-up hands.

“…’Like Tandemaus’, huh…”

Meanwhile, Emmet had a much different reaction to the pet name that Ingo used for you. Not the one you used, you noticed. Strictly Ingo’s.

When he heard you call his brother hon, Emmet snickered without hesitation – his expression was one that someone else might call mocking, though you knew better by now. So snicker away he did, laying on the couch with a snoozing Eelektross as a pillow. The twins had finished their shifts for the day, inviting you over as Ingo cooked a meal, refusing help.

“That sounds ridiculous.”

“That’s not nice, Emmet,” came Ingo’s automatic response from the kitchen.

Emmet continued on as if his brother hadn’t said a word. “I was afraid of this stage. Now I have to hear this all the time.”

“I mean, now you do,” you said, smirking a little and leaning back further into the chair.

“…A mistake was made.”

His response made you laugh. You then turned your head briefly in Ingo’s direction and said in a stage-voice, “Now we can up the ante, can’t we, hon?”

Ingo, amused, nodded his head and returned with his own. “Absolutely, my dearest.”

You were still grinning as you turned back to Emmet, but it slowly fell when you saw his expression. He wasn’t frowning, nor did he look angry nor annoyed – it was hard to describe. Any trace of the joking smile he wore just a moment ago was gone. His eyes were on an oblivious Ingo, somewhat squinting like he was trying to figure something out in his mind.

“Uh… Em?” you asked quietly, leaning forward with a semi-worried expression.

He snapped back to you, causing you to recoil a little.

“Did we go too far…?”

“No,” was all he said, removing any trace of the unidentifiable expression from his face.

You knew it was forced, but you didn’t want to push it. There wouldn’t have been any time regardless – Ingo soon called everyone to the table for dinner.

Conversation resumed normally and the food was delicious, of course. Pokémon like Durant and Crustle and Slurpuff sat under or next to the table, hoping for someone to spill something. Chandelure hovered like the real chandelier above the dinner table, and Polteageist terrorized Emmet by feigning a pour of “tea” into his cup whenever he least expected it. A Joltik eventually saved him by balancing across the top of Emmet’s glass for the rest of the meal. The food and laughter was enough to get your mind off of the earlier weirdness, which remained in the back of your thoughts.

And sure enough, during the meal Ingo used the expression again, and you couldn’t help but glance to Emmet to see if and how he reacted. You weren’t yet one-hundred-percent skilled at knowing all of the brothers' minute, finely-tuned facial shifts, but you could swear you saw his eyes narrow again for just a split second.

Later, as you said goodbye to Ingo with a goodnight kiss, you were determined to get to the bottom of this new mystery.

Sizzlipede scuttled by in a hurry, coffee cup plates clanking stacked atop his back. Mimikyu took them, perched on the sink in the café’s back room, and set them in fresh, soapy water before grabbing a sponge to scrub them clean. Polteageist drifted out of the room with bunches of wax paper slips in his hands to refill the front counter’s little case of goods. Alcremie topped a customer’s order with a dollop of her rainbow whipped swirl – for a few cents extra, of course. Appletun and Slurpuff entertained the customers in what was now a long line; some tried a thin strip of Appletun’s hump that shed like biscuit layers, while others laughed at Slurpuff’s goofy antics.

It was a busy, busy day, and it was only noon.

You were so grateful for your hard-working pokémon, who wanted to help of their own accord despite the rush it demanded. While you were struggling today especially – they were most definitely getting extra treats and cuddles tonight no matter how tired you were.

“Thank you, come again!” you called to a leaving customer. The line was thankfully decreasing as time passed and the lunch rush ceased.

The next person in line wasn’t amused by your pokémon in the least, going out of his way to side-step an oblivious Slurpuff with barely-restrained disdain. You didn’t recognize the man, but hell, a lot of people come and go through Gear Station every day.

With an already waning smile, you began, “Welcome! What can I—”

“About damn time,” he interrupted. “Do you know how long I’ve been waiting?”

Oh, you thought. One of these guys.

“I’m sorry, sir,” you apologized in your best patient, customer-service voice, “the lunch rush is the busies—”

“No, of course you don’t,” he interrupted again, answering his previous rhetorical question while simultaneously ignoring the nine and a half words you said to him.

You suppressed a sigh. “Again, I’m very sorry, sir. What can I get for y—”

“Dead eye coffee. Medium. To go.”

Ooh, this man was designed to get on your nerves.

Your pokémon sensed the tension and you gave them a subtle look that they knew as a sort of “leave it alone” command. The sooner you gave this man his insomniac coffee, the sooner he could go away.

“Croissant. Toasted.”

He added to his order while you were preparing his first request, equally devoid of respect. You turned around from the espresso machine to find that he was intensely texting on his phone with no attention on you. A glance to the goods display – that he could have easily seen by looking down – gave you a brief moment of satisfaction.

“My apologies, sir, but we’ve run out of croissants for the day.”

His texting stopped on a dime and his gaze snapped to yours. Slowly, as if talking to a toddler, he said, “Then make another.”

You almost burst out laughing. Yes, I’m going to prepare, bake, and serve a SINGLE pastry for a SINGLE customer within the next five minutes.

“I’m afraid that the time it takes to bake these goods is far too long for the very short time you have. If you’ll look down at the display case, I would be happy to get you one of the other options still in stock—”

“Forget it,” he said calmly but forcefully, as if it was your fault that the laws of baking did not meet his demands. “Just give me the coffee. I’m late.”

That seems like a you problem, buddy! you thought without letting your expression change. You put his order in a to-go cup and capped it. When you turned around a second time, exact change was on the counter, as well as the man’s free hand that was tapping fingers all in a row impatiently.

“Here y—”

The man swiped it from your hand and glared at you. “Learn how to do your job.”

He immediately turned on his heel and began walking toward the boarding subway trains. You rolled your eyes, just glad he was dealt with and paid exact change. Now you finally had a chance to take that deep, frustrated sigh that had built up as he became more and more of an asshole.

“Whew, that guy was a doozy. You alright?” asked the much kinder woman next in line.

“Yeah, he’s gone,” you said with a wry smile. “Thanks for asking, though. I really do apologize for the wait.”

“Oh, no, no problem at all! Your little lovelies helped pass the time away.”

The two helpers she was referencing gave her happy cries; Slurpuff bouncing in place and Appletun’s tail wagging. It helped you smile properly, too; as did Polteageist wiggling his fingers and giving the retreating man a raspberry while Alcremie stuck her tongue out as well. You laughed, finally, leaving the rest of your pokémon smiling, too.

Mimikyu joined the group while you took the woman’s order. Though the little ghost seemed confused, as she used one of her tendrils to tug on your apron for attention.

“What’s up? Out of soap?” you guessed.

Mimikyu shook her head(s), pointing with a second tendril to the back room.

“Umm…” You glanced at Polteageist, who shrugged, just as clueless as you were. The coffee filled the cup as you said, “You gotta give me more than that, pal.”

Huffing, Mimikyu brought her tendrils back to her body. After just a couple seconds of thought, she revealed them again – this time in deliberate shapes. One tendril was flat all the way up to the end, which curled in a small “s”. The opposite tendril curled into a much more recognizable shape – a question mark.

Eyebrows knit together in bafflement, you wondered what was so important that Mimikyu wanted to play charades in order to get it across?

You plated a pastry for the woman while thinking, though Mimikyu was clearly impatient.

“Kyuu kyu mimi-mizzi.”

That was a new sound you’d never heard her make. Polteageist came to attention right next to you with a start, apparently understanding Mimikyu. He snapped his arm out to point at Alcremie. 

“Geisss-st? Polt-gea?”

“Cremie…”

You stood baffled while Alcremie turned around to scan the crowds of Gear Station. Your eyes went to the flatter shape Mimikyu was making, studying it with eyes narrowed. The “s” bend at the end kind of reminded you of…

“Mimi-zz! Mimi-zzz!”

With a gasp, you almost yelled. “Sizzlipede!”

“Kyuu-kyuuuu!”

You had guessed correctly. “Okay, Sizzlipede! What about him? Where— …Where is Sizzlipede?”

“Mimi-kyu-mii!!”

“Tea!”

“Crem-cremie!”

"Wha—"

“YYEEEOOWWWGGHHH!!!”

Everyone’s attention was drawn to the center of the station in an instant. It was that jerkwad, who was now in the aftermath of some sort of fall; his phone on the floor, his espresso tragically splattered on the ground with nary a sip taken, and his rear end…was smoking? And not in the good way?

“WHOSE POKÉMON ASSAULTED ME?” he yelled in a rage. Sitting up after a collapse on the floor, he looked not unlike a toddler in the midst of a tantrum.

It was funny to you, yes, of course, but if he saw the pokémon who did it then you’d have hell to pay, because he was definitely yours. In the commotion you saw Sizzlipede hiding behind a decorative column, miraculously going unseen by everyone else since their attention was on the man. Before you could react, Sizzlipede’s shadow rippled like a puddle and gained an eerie purple glow. Two black tendrils reached upwards and plucked him from his hiding spot before quickly retreating from whence they came.

You immediately turned around to see Mimikyu pulling Sizzlipede out of her extended shadow and setting him down on the floor.

“Good thinking,” you said in a low voice.

Behind you, the man was in an outrage, looking through the crowd for evidence of the pokémon that wronged him. None in the crowd could calm him down, and a couple depot agents and a security guard were soon in the mix.

“This is a NEW suit!” you heard him yell at one of the depot agents.

Sizzlipede could not look prouder of himself if he tried. Polteageist gave him the equivalent of a hi-5, just as proud. Mimikyu sighed.

“Little guy,” you began in a low voice, hiding your giant grin only by making it smaller. “As fantastic as that was, we are going to have a group meeting later about when and where you may ruin someone’s day.”

The same seminar you give Polteageist now and then. This time, though… this time would be a fine exemption.

When you redirected your gaze back to the hubbub, it looked like the depot agents were preventing and explaining why he could not interrogate every single person in the vicinity to obtain retribution. Security was keeping people moving to prevent a crowd from forming. At the same time, the Battle Subway’s Multi-Line pulled into Gear Station to let its participants disembark the train. This included the twins; Ingo was facing away from you, looking like he was listening to something an irritated Emmet was saying, the latter with his hands on his hips. Their conversation broke once they heard the commotion and they quickly found their way toward the man.

You could only hear the man’s and Ingo’s voices from how far away you were, though the man was the only person who wasn’t calm. With a seat on the stool you used for long periods of no customers, you set your arms on the counter and continued to watch the show. In fact, all of your pokémon were watching – Sizzlipede getting the prime lookout spot atop Mimikyu, who was now standing on the counter as well. Alcremie was fascinated, Appletun’s eyes were flipped up and set, and even Slurpuff knew what was going on by the look of things.

Polteageist was l i v i n g.

“SOMEone,” continued the clown, “lit an actual fire under my ass, and I DEMAND to know WHO!”

Ingo stood unflappable, hands held behind his back. “I understand you are greatly aggravated and in pain, sir, but I must ask that you refrain from cursing as there are children present in the station.”

Emmet said something next. You wished you could read lips.

“Someone had their pokémon assault me on purpose, and I want to press charges!”

You snorted. While pokémon mishaps happened every single day on every single continent on earth, rarely did a victim of a small prank actually press charges. The rear end on his suit was mildly singed at best and charred at worst – types of clothing accidents that were common and easily fixed. He fell without injury. And you guessed his phone wasn’t cracked by the drop just by the fact that he wasn’t yelling about it.

R.I.P. coffee with three-shot espresso, though. Your heart really went out. To the spilled contents.

“While you are more than free to go through the process of filing a police report, we have no feasible way of locating the person responsible for their pokémon’s action—”

“The station has cameras, doesn’t it?! I want the footage!”

Emmet spoke again and a depot agent nodded in agreement. Ingo looked ready to add more to the conversation, but the man interrupted once again.

“I’m already late as it is! Goddamnit—”

You saw Ingo’s expression tighten for a moment at the swear. He had nothing against cursing in general, except when children were around. And there were always children with their parents somewhere in the station, more than a few passing by while rubbernecking at the scene.

The security guard piped in with their two cents, to which the man curtly replied; in the meantime, Emmet said something else to Ingo. You were left in the dark, watching as a custodian arrived to mop up the poor, poor spilled drink. Everyone seemed to be quieting down until someone said something that the man didn’t like – firing him back up.

“No, I can’t ‘make up the time,’” he sneered in a tone that might as well have said what are you, a dumbass? “I’ve missed an important meeting and now I have to deal with the aftermath!”

Mr. Better-Than-These-Peons had been fiddling with his phone this whole time, likely answering emails and messages about his delay. You actually started to feel slightly bad for him until he opened his mouth again.

“If that imbecile of a barista knew how to do their simpleton job, I wouldn’t BE here right now!”

With a scoff, you rolled your eyes. Sick burn, idiot. You were almost flattered that he made you responsible for his predicament. …Which, okay, you absolutely knew you really were, but in a different way that he didn’t know of? And in all honestly, that made this better.

In your peripheral vision, you saw Sizzlipede skitter underneath the counter just in time, to your great relief. The man remained unaware that you had a fire-type pokémon at all.

Though you remained unwounded by the man’s insult, it seems the twin Subway Bosses weren’t too keen on the comment. Especially, as you could plainly see on his face, your boyfriend.

Emmet said something. You assumed he asked ‘what barista?’ because the man turned and pointed accusingly at you.

“That one. For god's sake, an Aipom missing its tail could do their job better!”

The entire group turned to look at you.

You smiled and waved back.

Emmet grinned, but there was an ominous shadow cast over his face. Ingo made eye contact with you and you saw the same ominous aura descend upon him as well. When he looked at the man again, it was scathing all on its own. Not that the jerk noticed. The depot agents and security guard took a step back, though.

"Sir, if I may," Ingo began in a deceptively calm manner, "there is no way to reliably track down the perpetrator that—”

"Ruined—”

"That lightly singed your backside," he continued completely undeterred, loud voice rolling right over the man's intended interruption like it was a train. "Costing your precious time, invaluable work hours, and incomparable words best suited to having been kept to yourself."

You leaned forward, entranced by this new and endearingly petty side of Ingo you likely wouldn't see otherwise.

"Ex—”

"So I am afraid the most we can do for you, sir, is offer a bit of friendly advice."

"Advice?! Advice won't help me with a goddamn thing!"

"Someone like you can't be helped," Emmet flatly added, to your surprise. He said it just loud enough for you to catch, nearly causing you to laugh yourself off of the counter entirely.

Normally, Ingo would lightly chastise his brother for such a comment, but not this time. While the man looked aghast and scandalized, Ingo kept silent with a steady, unimpressed and half-lidded gaze.

"My advice to you is this: the subway can be a dangerous place if you're not careful! Please take care to follow the safety guidelines we have set, as they are not only applicable while riding the trains but walking amongst their stations! Keep yourself informed of your surroundings and secure your valuables, lest you risk walking the station with empty pockets and shouting amongst the lobby like a lost child."

You clamped a hand over your mouth to help keep the laughter in. You recognized the speech about safety that he partially modified. Even Emmet couldn't keep it together entirely, turning his head to the side and lifting his fist to rest on his lips; you could see his smirk from a mile away. The two of you briefly shared a meaningful glance.

The man, meanwhile, was fuming. Temporarily speechless, for which everyone was likely grateful. By now, the spilled drink was mopped up, leaving just a to-go cup lying pitifully on the ground. Ingo stepped over to it and picked it up, handing it to the man, who took it without much prompting while in a furious daze.

The elder twin then returned to his original position. "I hope the next time you ride our subways, your trip through the station will be a much more comfortable one! And if I were you, I would try and keep my temper under control for your own safety as well as the safety of everyone around you. Now, if you continue to cause a scene, I will have to kindly but firmly ask you to leave; or, should you deny that option, have security escort you from the premises. Or you may go about your business, for which you are already terribly late, and try to forget about a silly prank that left no one truly injured."

Emmet would later tell you that you were staring at Ingo just like you used to, before he met you; dumb smile on your face and hearts in your eyes. You would go on to tell him ‘that sounds about right.’

"Well then, I believe it is time my brother and I took our sanctioned breaks! Do you agree, Emmet?"

A wordless nod.

"Excellent. I could use some coffee, myself!" He motioned to the cup still in the stunned man's hand. "If you would like, sir, I would not mind buying you a replacement beverage for the serving you spilled."

Ingo turned on his heel and began walking directly for your café and your smiling face.

"My significant other makes excellent coffee."

Emmet snickered on his way to follow his brother as the man's eyes widened in recognition and appeared to go through the five stages of grief in ten seconds.

In the end, all he did was crumple the cup and throw it to the ground.

"Littering," said Emmet without turning around.

The man swore under his breath and picked his trash back up, threw it in the nearest trash bin, and stomped off. Where? You didn't know. Your boyfriend was at your counter and you were cheering.

"Ingo that was amazing!" you gleefully laughed, rounding the counter and throwing your arms around his neck.

He caught you by the waist and gave a hesitant chuckle in return. "I wasn't too mean, was I?"

"You were the perfect amount of 'mean,'" you reassured him.

"Not mean enough," Emmet contradicted when he finished walking towards the two of you. "He deserved worse."

You paused. "Okay, the perfect amount of 'mean' for you, Ingo."

"I'm not sure whether to take that amendment as a good thing or not."

"Just take this." A kiss punctuated your words; long enough to matter, short enough to keep Emmet from commenting. "Thank you. That guy was a piece of work."

"Indeed he was," Ingo replied flatly. "Was he too much trouble while he was here at your establishment?"

"Nah. Just irritating. I was just going to forget about it until... Well..."

"Ssssizzzzz..."

The perpetrator skittered onto the countertop from hiding, seeming somewhat embarrassed that Ingo found out. Before the latter could speak on the matter, however, Polteageist floated over and took one of Sizzlipede's teeny-tiny front feet and held it up by his side as if the bug had just won a boxing or wrestling match. The rest of your pokémon cheered, leaving you and Emmet laughing and Ingo visibly surprised.

"Sizzlipede? You were the mystery perpetrator who burned that man's rear end?"

You snorted, slumping your head over in some sort of defeat from Ingo's phrasing, and resting your forehead on his chest.

"...Pede..." came an abashed reply, in direct contrast to the victory pose that Polteageist still held him in.

"I'm surprised at you!" Ingo began, leading you to think he was about to scold the bug. "You knew the exact temperature it would take to keep his suit from becoming ruined yet scald him enough to hurt his rump! That takes skill!"

At this point, all you could do was wheeze. Even Emmet covered his face after another good peal of laughter.

"Please, Ingo, stop, no more…" you begged. "There's only enough I can take for one day."

"It's true!" he argued in the same surprised-but-not-angry tone. "…Hm. Though we do have to return to the Multi-Line very soon. Darling, may I ask…?"

You kissed his cheek before he finished, leaving him with a smile as you pulled away to whip up some fresh coffee.

"Coming right up. Emmet, you too?"

The brother in question was trying in vain to keep Slurpuff from hugging his pant-leg and making it sticky. "YYYYYup."

"You got it. Celebratory coffee-to-go for my wonderful boyfriend and his brother."

"I don't get a title?" Emmet whined, offended, while Ingo looked at you with hearts in his own eyes.

"Celebratory coffee-to-go for my wonderful boyfriend and his sidekick."

"Hey."

“Celebratory coffee-to-go for my wonderful boyfriend and a guy who looks exactly like him.”

Emmet gave up, staring into the middle distance. Ingo chuckled, and you caught a glimpse of that lovely smile of his when you turned around to set two piping hot coffee cups to go on the counter.

“Pay up.”

“Pay for celebratory coffee?”

“Ah – don’t worry, Emmet; I’m happy to get it this time.”

Ingo leaned over the counter, meeting you halfway, cupping your cheek as you two shared another kiss. A bit longer. Neither of you wanted to stop.

“The prices here are ridiculous.”

You parted with a snort, looking to Emmet, who had taken his coffee already and was sipping on the incredibly hot beverage. He was still looking into the middle distance; like one might stare through a computer screen, wondering if anyone could see from the outside.

Ingo shook his head as if fed up with his brother, though jokingly. He prepared his coffee to be as sweet as he liked, and before he returned the lid atop the to-go cup, he saw that Alcremie had trudged across the counter to offer a dollop of rainbow cream. You smiled wide, happy that she wanted to do that all her own.

“Why, I would love some, little lady,” Ingo said with a tip of his hat and that smile you loved on his face. “Thank you very much!”

“Al-cree,” she cooed, expression happy.

“Train’s prepped,” Emmet said, glancing behind him. “We should go.”

“Right you are. Thank you again, darling.”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome, both of you. Go kick some butt,”

“We will,” Emmet said so matter-of-factly you almost laughed.

Ingo nodded and, lest he stay forever, tore his gaze from you and began making for the Multi-Line subway awaiting the Bosses. You kept smiling, but knew you were still on duty for your job no matter how dead the lulls were. It wasn’t much of a mess in the front; you began stacking cups with help from your beloved pokémon when you heard someone call for you.

“Hey.”

You looked behind you to see Emmet a few feet from the counter as Ingo kept walking for the Multi-Line.

“Uh. Yeah?” you replied, confused.

With his free hand, Emmet pointed a gloved finger at Sizzlipede with a smile.

“That pokémon is battle worthy.”

Chapter Text

You watched as the Double-Line pulled into Gear Station, hesitating only a moment to settle before opening its doors. Several people filed out and not one looked happy. It was a fair bet to say that Emmet had swept the floor with his challengers so far today.

The Singles-Line, though, was still on its route, and most likely would be for the duration of Emmet’s break. You would say about ninety-percent of the time, the two lines synced fairly well – at least overlapping enough for the brothers to take their breaks together. Today was in that ten-percent and it was something you’d been waiting for. When Emmet stepped off and dusted his coat, you waited for him to turn before hurriedly waving him over.

Ever since the almost-fiasco with that awful man and Sizzlipede’s heroic butt-scorch, you had been thinking of Emmet’s comment to you as he followed his brother back to the Multi-Line. You weren’t the only one – Sizzlipede was proud to hear that Emmet considered him “battle worthy” despite not having been trained properly. And alongside the rest of your team, who for the most part had been trained together, he wasn’t exactly up to par. He needed help, and you already wanted to ask Emmet for help with training in general to keep your promise to Ingo…

The younger twin caught sight of your wave and began the trek across part of the station. He looked like he knew what was up already – the two of you had been texting a bit about the subject.

“You look like we’re planning something illegal,” were the first words Emmet said to you.

“Uh,” you replied elegantly, unaware of your facial expression or nature of your movements. “I mean. I just kind of…don’t want Ingo to know…”

“Why?”

It was an innocent question without a tease behind it; Emmet seemed genuinely confused that you’d want to keep anything a secret from Ingo.

“…I…dunno? Honestly?” Grace poured from your words as you gripped the back of your neck awkwardly. “Like, he knows that promise for us to battle someday is still in effect, I just want to…y'know…refresh my team.”

Emmet gave you a gesture meaning yeah, AND? when the pause between you took too long.

“Okay, now Sizzlipede’s in the mix, and if he wants to battle—” (an insect cry was alerted by those keywords, leading to the little guy skittering from the back room and onto the counter between you) “—which he clearly does, then we need some one-on-one training other than my own team. And I’m not gonna go out to the nearest route and have him start beating up every pokémon we see…”

“I still don’t get why you don’t want Ingo to know,” he returned impatiently.

“…I don’t…know? I don’t know! I guess I want it to be a sort-of…surprise for him? That I trained specifically to take him on? I don’t know.”

“That works.”

You paused, surprised. “…It…'works'?”

“Ingo would love finding out you prepared just for him.” Emmet nodded with a semi-serious expression. “Are you looking to trounce him?”

With a laugh, you slumped forward on the counter next to Sizzlipede. “It’d be nice. But I don’t expect to. I just want to be able to hold my own and give him a challenge, at least.”

Emmet nodded again, looking at the fiery centipede with a contemplative face. Curious, Sizzlipede turned to face him and “sat” back on his back legs to rear his front upwards.

“He’ll especially love that.”

The comment came as a sort of after-thought while Emmet looked closer at Sizzlipede. You weren’t really sure what he was inspecting for, and neither did the little guy. He just copied Emmet’s movements curiously as his mustachioed-mandibles twitched.

“Sizzzzz!” the little guy declared, flaring up a little as if to show you he was ready and raring to go right this very second.

“He wants to battle.”

“Yeah. He’s been energized ever since you said he was battle-worthy.”

"Sizz-izz!"

“Well!” Emmet began, setting his hands on his hips decisively. “We’ll get him in tip-top shape in no time.”

“You’ll help?” you asked hopefully as Sizzlipede simultaneously flared up with excitement.

“Yup! Of course!”

You were doing this for his brother, not to mention to have fun yourself. He knew how Ingo would react when he learned how much you prepared for your battle together – and how much you cared about preparing. You didn’t have to do anything as far as Ingo was concerned. He asked after seeing you go one-on-one with Emmet with no prior training prep, after all. Ingo loved a challenge, and you knew that. Of course his brother would help.

Plus it gave him an excuse to test your mettle all on his own with your full team backing you. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't excited about that.

The two of you set up some loose ideas before Emmet’s break was up, discussing when and where and with which pokémon and so forth. He mentioned adding Elesa to the mix should her own schedule permit, and you agreed. Sizzlipede was excitedly chittering alongside the both of you, inserting himself into the conversation, ready to learn and test himself on something other than a rude man’s pants. 

“Promise you won’t let Ingo know?” you asked Emmet before he headed back to the Double-Line. “I know how good you are with promises.”

The look on your face was all he needed to see to acknowledge that you knew exactly what you were doing to manipulate the question. You held your pinky finger out as the cherry on top. Emmet narrowed his eyes at you and you mirrored him. He reached out with his own pinky finger and locked it with yours.

“I promise.”

Sizzlipede added one of his tiny feet by reaching out and touching your combined fingers, giving his own vow.

“Sizz-i-pede.”

It was set. You were going to start training your team again. A sense of nostalgia blossomed in your brain, including memories of your team throughout your past training years. Smiling, you picked up Sizzlipede and carried him into the back room as Emmet hurried back to his line.

“Well, little guy,” you said, giving him some good pets and pats along his long, flat backside. “Ingo and Emmet are two of the strongest trainers in Unova. Probably the world. And I’m not just saying that because one of them is my boyfriend.”

“Pede.”

"Seriously!"

"Ziih-pede!"

“It’ll be tough, but this training will get you in top form in no time. Just like Emmet said, right?”

“Sizz-zz-sizzle.”

“Right.”

You smiled, thinking on how far the little bug had come from your first meeting with him, meek and lonely. He still hid with Mimikyu from the public eye more often than not, but he had come out of his shell with you and the twins, some every-day regulars, he was now warming up to Elesa. The prospect of battling excited instead of scared him, and you had an inkling as to why he was in the possession of that thief in the first place.

That was shaken from your mind, though, as you gave Sizzlipede some one-on-one time, thinking of training and strategies and moves and Ingo; how thrilled Ingo would hopefully be. Winning was only an afterthought.

It turned out that training would have to wait for a while. A long while. As did any plans you had with Ingo.

The Battle Subway had been in need of some upgrades for a bit now, mostly in the form of renewed safety measures. You didn't know how any of it worked and you didn't pretend to, but Gear Station's upper brass negotiated agreement from whatever benefactors provided what they needed; contracts were signed, deals were made, et cetera, et cetera. The twins were excited about everything finally being put into motion, and that made you happy. Ingo couldn't stop raving about the schematics and quality of upgrades and…well, a ton of stuff that you continued to not fully understand but supported with all your heart.

What it cost Gear Station, you did not know. But it cost quite a lot of quality time with your boyfriend, as far as you were concerned.

You already knew that dating one of the Subway Bosses would include long stretches of time that you'd be unable to spend together, long days where you'd be lucky if you got in a wave hello from afar, and long nights when you'd find your way home without an escort. Ingo had no shortage of apologies that you didn't need, and told him so on every occasion he tried to give you one. It was hard, of course, but never once made you rethink your relationship together.

Not even when the subway's safety upgrades started being implemented, demanding the Subway Bosses' attention in every way you could think of. Paperwork kept them in the mornings and nights while battles or normal conductor duties kept them during normal work hours. You got around some of it by making lunches and dinners for them when you could, though even then a lot of the time you had to leave them in their office when they weren't around. Sometimes you'd even have a little time to kiss Ingo goodnight or good morning or good afternoon or good whenever-you-could-take-the-chance.

You just hoped they'd get a break soon. The bags under their eyes were too pronounced for your liking.

"Hmmm… Ah, it's been far too long. Even if the destination is merely the park, I wonder; shall I choose casual clothing or something a little more…"

"Ugghhh."

Emmet sat in a living room chair, head thrown back with an exaggerated groan. Galvantula's many eyes looked up from the lap of his owner to Ingo across the room, who was pondering his current dilemma with a slow pace behind their couch and a hand to his chin. The older brother stopped and turned his attention to the over-dramatics with a completely unimpressed expression. Their first break in who knows when, and already they were starting a little pettiness.

"You do this every. Time," the younger brother continued with the same level of theatrics.

"My apologies, should I not value your opinion?"

Emmet rolled his eyes. "I know it's been a while. But, jeez. Haven't you been together long enough?"

"Pardon?"

"Not to worry about what you wear?"

Ingo scoffed. "The length of time that we have been dating does not mean I should neglect my personal preparations for our outings together."

"There's a difference between 'neglect' and 'over-prep.'"

"I don't see the issue with over-preparations. Especially when our last date has been…" He paused, calculating, and ended up with a deeper frown. "…Ohh, my. Far, far too long."

"Exactly. Just! Get dressed! And go!"

"While I appreciate your insistence, I'd rather think about what I'm dressing myself in before I leave the house."

"You really haven't lessened up. Even when you're--" He stopped to wave his hand in the air as he tried to think of the term he was trying to imply. "--committed?"

With a bit of a start, Ingo paused for a moment, blinking a few times in succession as he looked at his brother with surprise at the word. "…I'm sorry?"

"You’d call it ‘going steady’ or something. Probably." Emmet scratched Galvantula's head in the interim, giving Ingo an indignantly confused look when the pause stretched on. "What?"

"…I'm…I'm not sure."

There was more than enough disbelief in the sigh that Emmet replied with, not realizing that Ingo wasn't putting on for the sake of being difficult. It was most evident in his words, though, when he pointed to his twin and replied, "Hey. Why do you call them 'my dearest,' again?"

Ingo's eyes narrowed. "Emmet."

"Oh, and 'darrrrrrrling.'"

"Emmet." A warning tone.

"Do they know why you picked that? Specifically?"

The younger brother's smug aura launched a silent battle with the older brother's sinister intensity.

"I did not…pick it," was Ingo's eventual reply. "…It appeared in my vernacular completely without intentioned use. I hadn't thought about it specifically beforehand."

"Oh, even better! Why do you think that is?"

Another Battle of the Gazes rocked their living room, interrupted only by an oblivious Crustle scuttling the length inbetween them, chittering happily to himself. He was followed by Archeops chasing after, walking on his own two talons. Meanwhile, Ingo refused to comment and his ominous aura was failing to intimidate Emmet, who knew that both of them had the answer to the question.

"They're gonna find out some-tiiiime," he continued, adding a sing-song lilt to the end.

"I know they will find out sometime," Ingo began a half-second after Emmet, overlapping his defensive tone over the other. It did not help his case.

"Mm-hmmmm." Emmet smiled wider, leaning back in the chair and petting Galvantula like a cartoon villain. "You should get ready. Just go casual. It's the park."

A deep breath from Ingo dispersed the ominous waves rolling off of him, terminating the match and rendering Emmet the victor by way of forfeit. He silently walked to his bedroom to prepare, closing the door behind with another sigh. Despite the obnoxious way he put it, Emmet had a point that was entirely correct and his original comment about "going steady" gave Ingo pause as well. Neither of you had really talked about the technicalities of your mutual dating life as of late, discounting the lack of quality time from the subway's upgrades; and both of you had expressed prior sentiments about needing some sort of solid reassurance as to your "status"…

But maybe that was only in the beginning of your relationship? Had it really been long enough to call it "going steady"? Was there a set amount of time? Ingo didn't have the crucial answers he needed nor the time to think deeply on them.

However, he wouldn't let it ruin today's date - not after the amount of time it had been. You reassured Ingo that you understood nearly every time you two had seen each other lately, but he still felt awful about the time spent apart essentially being his fault. You disagreed. Yet it certainly bothered him, at least.

That reminded him – he had to hurry and get ready so he could make a stop along the way.

r/relationships • Posted by u/I_Am_Emmet 5 minutes ago

Brother And His Partner Can't Be This Clueless ?

[new]

 

I do not need advice. I crave validation.

You set a few anchors down on the picnic blanket so it wouldn't blow away, though the wind was pretty light today. Just perfect. To your side was an old-fashioned picnic basket that you and Ingo had picked out months ago for excursions just like this, both of you charmed by the aesthetic. Today it was packed with enough food for both of you and your pokémon to enjoy, made with love and excitement.

As soon as Ingo and his brother got the first significant break from their responsibilities they could, he called you in pure, adorable excitement. You had laughed as he pretty much yelled into the receiver, and together you agreed on the park - a nice, relaxing day where both you and your pokémon could just sit back and take it slow. A stark contrast to the rapid speed your heart was racing while you waited for him to arrive.

Reaching into your bag for your pokéballs, you automatically scanned the perimeter of the park out of instinct, looking for suspicious persons and cameras. You had to tell yourself to knock it off.

Out all of your close companions came, reacting to the park with glee. With permission, (honestly, you were surprised Slurpuff waited at all) a couple of them bounded off with an additional warning to keep nearby. As usual, Alcremie stayed back, along with Appletun. He flipped his eyes up at you, wiggling with his own happiness in knowing how filled with joy you were. With a giggle you'd be otherwise embarrassed by, you pat your little buddy on top of his apple helmet before taking up a watch for someone far more important than any jerk with a camera.

Thankfully, you didn't have to wait long for your other party. The second you spotted him, your smile grew far wider that it had been in a long time to the point where your cheeks nearly hurt. You could tell he was smiling, too, even from afar and with his subdued expression. As he crossed the final steps to the blanket, you stood up as fast as you could and threw your arms around him, instantly feeling giddy. His arms wrapped around you as well - you both went in for a hug first, just wanting to hold each other for a moment.

Besides, you two were going to go in for an extra-long kiss regardless of what type of affection came first.

"Ingo, you didn't have to get flowers."

Pulling away, you noticed that he'd brought a bundle for you. It wasn't a bouquet, to your relief, but there was a cluster of your absolute favorites wrapped in one of his hands. He passed them to you as he sat next to you on the blanket, followed by another kiss.

"Of course not," he said upon breaking. "I wanted to. I still feel strongly about how my schedule has kept us apart."

You scoffed good-naturedly, looking through the petals. "And you know that I knew what I was getting into when we started dating, remember?" Leaning over to give him a peck on his cheek, you propped up one half of the picnic basket's lid and set the flowers carefully inside, adding, "Thank you, hon."

"You're quite welcome, my dear," he replied somewhat softly.

Even just sitting next to each other like this was a breath of fresh air. A gulp. A desperate inhale.

Ingo retrieved his pokéballs and released his team as well, sans Garbodor (you told yourself to give her some one-on-one attention someday soon), who scattered to meet up with your own. Sizzlipede had scuttled over to the blanket to say hello to Ingo, chittering happily when he was greeted just as warmly. When Crustle was released, the smaller bug jumped atop the others' sediment and rode away while Appletun joined his fellow hump-carrying friend. Chandelure, Klinklang, Polteageist, and Mimikyu met up for shenanigans no doubt; Alcremie climbed aboard Haxorus and the two stayed on the blanket, allowing you to give the dragon some scritches 'n scratches. Meanwhile, Slurpuff bounded over and grabbed Excadrill’s hand, leading him out to play.

"I think we should let them have some fun a bit before we eat. They probably won't leave us alone once they detect food. And they've missed each other a lot, too…"

"Mm, I think that's an excellent idea. After all, I would like to spend as much time with you as I can possibly fit in the day, so putting off the main event is quite alright with me."

"Oh, spending time together isn't the main event?"

"Ah, touché!"

You laughed, scooting closer and leaning your shoulder on Ingo's. "I actually had to stop myself from looking for people with cameras, you know."

"Understandably. I still find myself doing the same at times, no matter where we might be. Though I thankfully agree with Elesa when she says we are, as they say, 'old news.'"

"Never thought I'd be so relieved to be mildly insulted."

Ingo chuckled. "Well, we're bound to be photographed every now and then for some entertainment media outlet, if that's any consolation to you."

"The life of a Subway Boss.." you said with a faux-fanciful air, one hand held over your heart. Then, flatly, "Yeah, it isn't."

Both of you laughed, agreed, and moved onto the next subject – your date didn't have to be bogged down by negative bullshit. It wasn't hard. The two of you transitioned from topic to topic with perfect flow, excited to be back together and talking and being able to just chill. And you were especially happy that Ingo was finally getting some damn time off, finding a good night's sleep excellent for those eye bags of his – and Emmet was no doubt just as rested too, of course!

But you only wanted to be in one of the brothers' arms.

After talking a bit and catching up on many things unrelated to the subway - Ingo decided to keep from mentioning the work, as it was, well…work - the two of you went quiet simultaneously and watched your collective pokémon out and about the park. They really did miss each other after having gotten used to seeing each other nearly as frequently as their owners got together, and it showed in each pokémon's happy-go-lucky behaviors with each other. And you loved watching them, even if the only interaction was sleeping in a pile on one edge of the blanket as Haxorus, Alcremie, and Sizzlipede decided to do.

"You know, this is a great way to scope out your pokémon," you mentioned, leaning further into Ingo. In the near distance, Slurpuff hung onto two of Chandelure's arms as she hoisted him into the air and Excadrill worried underneath.

Ingo gave you a quizzical look. "In what way? You're always more than welcome to see them when we're together."

"Like when they're free to run around on their own like this…" With a wave of your hand, you gestured broadly across the park. "…scoping out anything I can use in battle against them."

This was the first time you had talked about battling him directly, however jokingly you had put it. Certainly not in the interim between your last and current date. He was only taken aback for a moment, though, and played along by acting as though you'd said something very serious.

"Is that so? I do not think you will find the strategy you're looking for, though you're welcome to scrutinize them all you like." He turned his attention to Klinklang and Polteageist off to the side. "Perhaps I'll do the same with yours…"

Polteageist was gripping Klinklang's outer ring, which was beginning to spin faster and faster as they were unknowingly scoped. At the apex of the steel-type's spin, Polteageist let go and was promptly yeeted halfway across the park like a baseball. He clipped Slurpuff, who was slipping from Chandelure's arms anyway, causing him to crash onto the sloped part of Excadrill’s helmet with a marshmallowey bounce.

Two pokémon lay on prone on the ground and one was a dizzy mess on the horizon.

You and Ingo were silent for a minute.

"…I think maybe they should unlearn some things instead," you said quietly.

“I am…inclined to agree.”

Safety checks. Slurpuff was unharmed and back on his feet in seconds, shaking at Excadrill, who was likewise stunned but unharmed. Polteageist…was en route back to your time zone. He ultimately seemed fine and definitely wanted to do it again, to which you and Ingo had to be the party-poopers and tell him no.

Luckily you avoided his sulking by introducing their lunch.

Both you and Ingo made sure that all of your pokémon were set up with their food first before partaking in your own. The picnic blanket was littered with crumbs from their messy eating and crunching and munching. Klinklang received some attention in the meantime so it didn’t feel left out – Ingo showed you how he polished the pokémon’s gears during mealtimes and let you shine him up a little yourself. It made a series of metallic clicks, visibly happy. You knew it would just get dirty again when it went back out to play, but that was besides the point.

Once they finished, only a few pokémon went back out to play while the nap pile grew bigger. Sizzlipede scuttled off and was replaced by Appletun, who flopped down on his side and started snoring almost immediately. Crustle similarly set himself down near Haxorus and Alcremie, too, and they all snoozed together.

Finally, lunch time came for the two of you.

From the basket you pulled a couple of homemade sandwiches, some fresh fruit, and a couple of other small sides that the both of you enjoyed. Hungry, you two dug in and continued conversation, laughing and having a wonderful time together. You wanted to make sure everything you made was perfect and included a variety of Ingo's favorite flavors. By the way he complimented you on the deliciousness with a sparkle in his eyes, you knew that you were successful.

“Thank you, hon, but they’re just sandwiches.”

“They’re very well put-together sandwiches with remarkable garnish and care,” he corrected, eyes closed and pointer finger held in the air.

You leaned over and took a bite of his sandwich while he wasn't looking.

He opened his eyes, assessed the situation, and calmly leaned over to take a retaliatory bite from yours.

That was fair. You let him.

Cleanup was designed to be as easy as possible; you combined dishes and dumped everything in the basket at once. Minimum time with dirty containers, maximum time with boyfriend. Ingo got the gist as soon as you pushed aside the picnic basket with one hand and crossed the distance it made between you in one fell swoop.

Neither of you would be able to keep from being utterly embarrassed if you started making out in a public park. But by god, it was hard to restrain yourself. Later, your mind reasoned, we’ll go somewhere private, indoors, where it’ll be worth the wait. You settled for leaning against him, his arms encircling you, the food coma kicking in. He seemed so content in this moment alongside you, and you once again thanked the scheduling gods for giving the twins a chance to relax.

Though Ingo had gone quiet, and you assumed he was deep in his thoughts. You settled in, playing with his fingers as you held his hands in your lap, free from his gloves as you both liked. You didn’t ask anything, despite it seeming like he wanted to say something. He’d spill it when he was ready… Even as it went on a tad too long and you were on the edge of your nerves, on the boundary where concern was parallel to privacy. He ended up gaining the courage before you couldn’t help but cross it.

“[Y/N]. …May I ask you something?”

You almost sighed with relief. “Of course. What’s up?”

“Emmet brought something to my attention this morning that I wanted to discuss with you. Ah…”

He cleared his throat, suddenly looking worried, which made you worried. On one hand, Emmet had to point out a lot of obvious things when it came to relationship advice; on the other hand, it came from Emmet.

“…Well, I realize this might sound silly to ask, but…” Ingo adjusted himself in order to look you in the eyes, his face already turning pink. “…Are we going steady?”

You froze, unsure of the appropriate answer, aside from definitely not laughing as was your first instinct. It was such an old-fashioned phrase that, as far as you knew, no one really used anymore? In sitcoms or dramas from years ago, maybe? Ingo was, in many ways, old-fashioned and used such terms often, but still; it represented a shift in a relationship that wasn’t always said aloud, and despite it being obvious to you, the fact that he needed verbal communication on the matter was understandable.

“…As—as the phrase goes, I believe, if I remember correctly; or in other words, ah… ‘exclusive’ or—or…… ‘committed’?”

He sounded like the word was made of glass, hanging precariously between you where one wrong move would shake it loose and shatter into a million pieces, rendering it irreparable. With a reassuring smile, you squeezed his hand in yours.

“Ingo…” you couldn’t help but chuckle a little. “I kind of thought we’ve been exclusive for a while now?”

It was his turn to freeze, a chill going down his spine as if he’d made a grave mistake. Your chuckle, while not malicious or mocking in any sense of the words, did nothing to help his nerves.

Completely clueless! he thought to himself. How long must I have been so oblivious! It is no wonder why Emmet chose to bring it up… And after we’ve been apart for so long to boot…

“…Ingo?” you worriedly asked when he did not answer.

He cleared his throat again, glancing aside and then down at his hand in yours. “I’m terribly sorry, [Y/N]; I wanted to think such was the case but did not want to assume, especially about an important step in a relationship like this!”

You sat up and turned to face him, putting a hand on his shoulder. The way you answered must have embarrassed him, and immediately you felt crushing guilt.

“Oh, no, please – it’s okay, I understand!” You tried to get him to look you in the eye again. “We both have difficulty with this sort of thing.”

Ingo shook his head, red as a cheri berry. He spoke quickly, as if he were on fast-forward. “Asking it of you was quite ridiculous of me. I should have naturally known after our long time together just as you reasoned, and I deeply apologize if this lack of realization on my part has come across as neglecting our relationship—especially in light of the extended absence I’ve had to take—”

“Wh— Aw, no, Ingo, no, no, no,” you cut him off, becoming a little upset for him. “C’mere, c’mon…”

With a little prompting and a gentle tug, you guided him to lean backwards and lay on the picnic blanket; Ingo on his back and you at his side. You rested your head on his chest and tightly hugged him with one arm around his waist, pulling him to you as much as possible. He hesitated but automatically put his arm around you, closing the gap just as tightly, and laid his other hand on the arm encircling him.

For a few moments, you were both quiet. Ingo looked up at the sky, sparse with clouds lazily floating by. You maintained your grip around him and buried the side of your face in his chest. When he felt that, his head tilted slightly so that his chin was resting on top of yours.

“You haven’t neglected anything,” you began sincerely as you felt. “Not one thing, you hear me? You’re…you’re the best boyfriend I could ever want.”

Ingo swallowed.

“And asking wasn’t silly at all. We had to talk some things out when we started dating, too, remember?”

“Yet this…all of this should be obvious, shouldn’t it? I know how I feel about you, and I know I want to be with you for…for…a long time. And I…” He sighed. If he had a hand free, it probably would have covered his face. “…I suppose I did know all along.”

“Hah… Yeah… I knew you did, deep down.” Even though he couldn’t see your face, you hid your smile in his side. “And I…I also want to be with you for a long time…”

Ingo kissed the top of your head, feeling a sense that relieved some of his guilt mixed in with his current feelings. However, what you spoke next eliminated almost the entirety of negative feelings in his entire mind in less than ten words.

“I’m happy with you. I don’t want anyone else.”

You felt good saying it aloud, finally out in the open. Both of you may have known deep down, but putting it into words for the other to hear…?

“Hearing it out loud is different, isn’t it?” you said quietly as though you’d read his mind.

“It is,” he agreed just as quietly; an uncharacteristic whisper that nonetheless came from a smile.

“Talking out feelings is part of dating, isn’t it? And we’re both the type of person who needs things spelled out as obviously as possible, I think.” You gave him another squeeze. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.”

He paused before replying, his lips resting atop your head and his arm around yours and his hand on your arm and how it felt so natural now compared to the beginning and of course it was obvious and to be expected from the natural progression of time, and he—… You—…

Both of you really, really needed things hit over the side of your head, sometimes.

His embarrassment and guilt faded into barely a Blipbug on his radar, replaced with a great warmth inside and out.

“Emmet most likely sensed that we needed another push to think about…where our relationship has gone and…is going.”

You began to wonder if Emmet was secretly omniscient. “Let me guess: he did it in the most exasperating way possible.”

“You would be quite right in that assumption,” Ingo chuckled.

You laughed, too, and the sound was as wonderful as always to his ears. His thumb had been absent-mindedly caressing back and forth on your arm as his head remained tilted in a way where he could deliver kisses to the top of your head without moving an inch. You were more than comfortable leaning into him, wrapped around him, listening to his heartbeat; honestly, you could fall asleep in a blink if you wanted, public eyes be damned.

“I’m happy to continue to be a two-car train with you for as long as our tracks may lead,” he added, to your delight. “…And I hope they lead long and far, my dearest.”

The heat rising to your face made you bury it in his chest again, the feeling of which was just as good as seeing it, to him. He couldn’t help but squeeze his half-hug around you and hold it – gently, as though you would float away with the wind if he didn’t. The combination of talking out your relationship and holding each other while you lay in the park on a picnic blanket… Neither of you made a move, content in your positions together.

Though there was one thing nagging the back of your mind, and in this atmosphere you couldn’t help but finally ask.

“Ingo… I love when you call me that, but…can I ask why Emmet looks at you funny when he hears it?”

Ingo went still again, which threw you into a mental panic. Was it – whatever it was – that weird? Something you weren’t supposed to notice or find out or ask about it? Backpedaling came instantly.

“You don’t have to say, if it’s even anything! I could just be seeing things, you know how Emmet is with teasing, it’s probably nothing!”

Ingo calmed you with a light squeeze of your arm; a silent way to say it’s okay to stop your runaway train of thought. He wasn't reacting badly, you could tell, but you didn’t know if it was any of your business or not. Then again, why wouldn’t it be if Ingo calls you that all the time? And wouldn’t Ingo straight-up tell you if Emmet was fucking with you? You stayed silent, waiting for his answer, still holding onto him as if for dear life.

“You’ve caught that then, have you… Emmet is far too unsubtle for his own good, sometimes.” He sighed; you felt the light exhalation on your head. “He’s already given me trouble for it, however, so it most likely has been intentional for your awareness in order to orchestrate something like this.”

“I sense a Talk in his near future,” you half-joked, feeling a sense of relief when Ingo chuckled in response, too. “He made fun of me when I called you ‘hon’ for the first time. Is it like that…? Does he just not like pet names?”

“No…not quite.”

A pause. “Seriously, you don’t have to tell me. I can try needling it out of Emmet if—”

“No!” he started, making you jump a little. His grip tightened in silent apology. “No, no, I’d rather tell you than have him tease you mercilessly as well. And we’ve…well, we’ve made a sort of progress together today, haven’t we?”

“I think so,” you replied. At this point you were just thoroughly confused. Even more so when Ingo went silent again, whereupon you squeezed him playfully to jostle some sort of coherent answer from him. “Hey… Two-car train, remember? Wherever our tracks lead us… I’ll find out sometime, won’t I?”

"They're gonna find out some-tiiiime," he continued, adding a sing-song lilt to the end.

"I know they will find out sometime," Ingo began a half-second after Emmet, overlapping his defensive tone over the other.

Ingo laughed and also began to worry if Emmet was omniscient.

“Emmet does not give me funny looks because he finds my term of endearment ‘stupid’ or ‘silly’… At least, as far as I am aware. He asked me about it too, you know. I told him the truth; it slipped into my vernacular without any thought behind it, and I felt…I felt that it felt right.”

You nodded, understanding that part. Sometimes the feelings you have slip out of your mouth aloud if you’re not vetting your thoughts carefully.

“It's just extra sweet for an extra sweetie.”

A shudder was suppressed, embarrassment from that statement so long ago still lingering.

“…But we both knew the reason why I seemingly had it so ready to call you. The real meaning behind it, if you will…”

Despite not being able to see each other’s faces, he turned his head slightly as he felt it burn as hot as the sun.

“We – Emmet and I – we commonly heard the term of endearment over the years as children – as we grew up, you see. It seems as if I, ah…‘picked it up,’ so to speak, without realizing it, and my subconscious knew when to use it, I think…” His lips brushed the top of your head again. “When my feelings for you grew to the great length that it has.”

You felt so loved in that moment, even if that Big L Word hadn’t been properly used by either of you yet. The soft way he was speaking, the gentle kisses, the firm hold… It was enough to keep you anchored to him; two Lego™ blocks fitting perfectly together, a puzzle piece being slid into place. A question answered.

“Even now…it has always been the way our father adoringly refers to our mother.”

Chapter Text

Ingo waited.

Slowly and carefully, you pushed yourself partly upright, woefully causing both of you to immediately miss the tight closeness you’d been sharing. Ingo’s hand slid down your back while your arms held you up, allowing you to make direct eye contact with your boyfriend. The look on your face might be best described yet not entirely fitting as awe – maybe dumbfounded, or astonished, or amazed, or most anything that can be found in a thesaurus under surprised.

It was a soft sort of surprise, however, that didn’t alarm Ingo when he saw it on your face. It didn’t eliminate his worries, of course, but it alleviated some of them. He wasn’t aware that the rest of his worries escaped into his facial expression; leaving his face bright pink, his mouth tight, and his eyes wide. The anticipation of your answer was killing him in just a handful of seconds.

“Your…parents?” you began, voice hoarse without a reason to be. “Your mom and dad…?”

Clearing his throat twice, as the first time didn’t take, Ingo nodded in a failed attempt to keep casual. “Ah, yes…yes. They, ah—” A third throat clear. He didn’t make it farther than that.

Though you weren’t trying to make him sweat, it didn’t help that you kept silent. Your mind had been wiped clean, all thoughts replaced with processing his words. If he’d grown so attached to you that he was imitating his father’s affection for his mother – regardless of the conscious decision – then…

Does that mean……he……?

“I-Ingo, um…” Your mouth opened and closed a few times like a Goldeen’s. But your eyes never left his, and vice-versa. “…You—you feel…that m—”

F W O M P

Slurpuff rapidly cartwheeled across the picnic blanket as if he’d been skipped like a stone and crashed into Haxorus’s sharp, sleeping face. The confection pokémon’s momentum caused him to bounce off of the dragon’s head at an angle pinball-style and slam straight into your face. The whole thing took just one second, maybe one and a half, and would undoubtedly be a hilarious story to tell at some time in the future. Right now, though, in the middle of an extremely delicate but important discussion as you were trying to find the right words to say potentially the most life-changing words of your life? Not so much.

Your face was beaned with a good-sized pokémon that was thankfully soft and bouncy instead of solid weight. Ingo, to his credit (as if he needed any more than you already gave him), reacts like lightning. He reflexively tightened the grip of his arm around your back as his other arm snapped forward to steady your opposite shoulder, preventing you from falling over. Slurpuff had bounced from your face, landed, and rolled to a stop face-down at about halfway between the napping pokémon pile and you and Ingo. And of course, the sleepers were all crankily roused by the incident as well.

It took a minute for you to process. Your face was sticky due to the almost elastic-like way Slurpuff’s side covered it – like a water balloon that didn’t break. Every time you blinked, you felt your eyelids sticking together. All you could smell was sugar.

Ingo had a better view of the fairy’s trajectory after he sat up, still holding onto you. A deep, resigned sigh sounded from beside you, and when you looked at him, all he did was nod his head in the direction behind you.

There the other culprits were: Klinklang and Polteageist. While the steel pokémon was still hard for you to read, your ghost was an open book. Chandelure angrily hovered behind them, and Excadrill – who was now running towards the picnic blanket – seemed mortified. Polteageist wore a grimace and slowly retreated into his pot, securing the lid on top.

Your turn to sigh heavily. Still held firmly by Ingo, your posture slumped tiredly.

“I think my pokémon are a bad influence on yours.”

His grip around you loosened only slightly. “No, no, Klinklang’s always been prone to join in others’ troublemaking. Teaming up with Polteageist seems to amplify both of their rather…creative impulses.”

Klinklang at least had the decency to look abashed, at least to Ingo’s trained eyes. With an unintelligible mutter, Chandelure pushed it and Polteageist forward in a walk (float) of shame back to you, looking as though she had valiantly tried to stop the stupidity but had been too late. Excadrill made it to the blanket and was worriedly rolling Slurpuff onto his back – the pokémon in question was dizzy, dazed, and probably seeing stars, but otherwise fine.

Both of you noted this with some relief. Ingo then turned his attention back to you; after sitting up, you two were still very close together.

“Are you alright?” he asked. “Is your face injured?”

You shook your head. “No…unless you count sticky with sugar as injured.”

“Hmm.” Without a word, Ingo leaned in and gave you a long, stress-relieving kiss. As he pulled away, he test-tasted his lips. “Not an injury, no, though it’s quite delicious.”

To his delight, that got a smile out of you. It certainly helped your mood as the perpetrators of disturbing the peace arrived at the picnic blanket. The rest of your pokémon, however – particularly the ones who had been in a deep sleep – weren’t uplifted in the least, and made it known by grumbling at the offenders.

Excadrill pulled Slurpuff to his feet as the latter briefly emulated a Spinda. Opposite the cranky monsters, Polteageist and Klinklang hovered with guilty postures (though you could only assume on the metallic pokémon’s part), and Chandelure huffed her way to Ingo’s side.

“I thought we were clear that you were not to attempt that stunt again,” Ingo began. It was the first time you’d ever heard him be stern with his pokémon. Like a firm but fair parent, questioning before jumping to conclusions.

“Kl-ink-kle-kling,” came the metallic tangs of the steel-type. Even you could recognize chagrin when you heard it.

Polteageist remained silent, though he cracked the lid of his teapot a touch in order to peek out at the two of you.

“We weren’t specific enough,” you surmised; and were proved correct when Polteageist immediately shut his lid again. “Mister 'I'll Find A Loophole' here took it as forbidding him from doing it again since he was the only one who tried. Am I right?”

There was a moment of silence before you heard a muffled and tinny, “……Teaaaa……”

You heaved a sigh.

Excadrill carefully guided Slurpuff over to the disappointment zone. The latter recognized that he was in trouble compared to his usual obliviousness. Though looking at his face, you could tell he was feeling the ill effects enough that it’d be pointless to scold him.

“Do you need a potion, chief?” you asked.

Slurpuff shook his head, tongue flopping with each movement. His eyes looked sad and you gave in, reaching over to give him some gentle pets on top of his head.

“Do you want to go in your ball?”

He nodded with his head tilted downwards – still silently repentant. As you retrieved his pokéball, Excadrill mimicked you and pat him on the arm a few times. The two made some unsure noises between them before you readied the ball, and you were glad to see that they were such good friends.

“It’s okay; we were leaving soon anyway, right?” You turned to Ingo with your brows raised. It seemed like a good time to, despite the intense conversation you were just having.

Ingo looked back to you from watching the scene and caught your drift. “Yes, we were. You won’t be missing any extra time to play together here, if that’s what you are worried over.”

Slurpuff seemed somewhat relieved. He still looked at you with those sad, glossy eyes, and you made a mental note to have a calm sit-down with him later. For now, though, he was recalled – into a Heal Ball – where you hoped the ache of his landing would fade.

That left the other two.

You raised a hand and motioned with your pointer finger for them to come over. They hovered like guilty children shuffling to their parents after doing something they knew they shouldn’t have. It actually took a conscious effort not to smile at the ridiculousness of their plight.

“Klinklang, I am very disappointed in you. Though I know it was not your intent, your actions in tandem with Polteageist resulted in the thankfully minor injury of another. Do you understand why we are let down?”

The metallic pokémon’s gears whirred at several different consecutive speeds; you could only go by Ingo’s reaction to know what it meant, though it was an easy guess even without the somber tone the clangs took.

“This is not something I want you to do again. Am I clear?”

Another series of whirs, stopping and starting only seemingly at random. But Ingo nodded his head in satisfaction.

On the other hand, you had to take off the teapot’s lid to force Polteageist to show his face. He looked petulant, but you could see the regret behind his expression.

“Did you hear all of that?”

You dipped your head a little to get on eye-level with the ghost. The question you asked was rhetorical, but he nodded his head anyway. In a futile act to appear aloof, Polteageist had crossed his arms, and once again you had to keep from smiling or snorting.

“Same goes for you, too. There’s ‘playing’ and there’s ‘treating Klinklang like a carnival ride.’” You shifted to keep eye contact when he looked aside. “Don’t do that one. Capiche?”

Another nod of his head and he dropped the Cool Guy™ act, resigned to being chided. He did let out a huff, though.

“Lu-uu-ure!”

Chandelure’s sudden voice made the troublemakers jolt. It seemed she had to throw her two cents in as well, still looking pretty peeved at the two. Klinklang acknowledged her by turning around sullenly, but Polteageist just groaned and slithered back into his teapot with his returned lid on top.

At that point, you and Ingo figured you should collect all of your pokémon and pack up. A couple of them had just gone back to sleep after the initial interruption – Appletun and Crustle – while the others watched the scene unfold. They understood that the time at the park was finished, though, and put up no fight when it came time to return to their balls.

“Thank you for attempting to stop them,” Ingo told both Chandelure and Excadrill before they were retrieved. “I know you did your best, and for that, I am proud of you.”

Chandelure gave a happy tune in reply while Excadrill adorably dipped his head at the compliment. He acted so much like Ingo, it was adorable every time you saw him.

“Yes, thank you,” you joined in. “And thank you for comforting Slurpuff after his…spill. I appreciate that.”

Excadrill was surprised for a moment, but nodded and ducked his head again. At least now you could finally let yourself smile.

Once all of your little monsters were safely tucked away, you cleaned up what little was left over from the picnic while Ingo helped. You took a cloth napkin from the basket and used a dab from a water bottle to dampen it before wiping down your face. Sticky residue was nothing new to you, but it was still a horrible texture to feel; on your eyelids most of all.

You let out a little sigh after you were finished, allowing yourself to briefly revel in the way clean eyelashes didn’t stick together every time you blinked. As you were about to put the cloth back in the basket, though, Ingo spoke up.

“Ah, one moment… You have some residue on your face, still.”

“Oh, do I? I can—”

Ingo went for it – a second time! – and connected his lips with yours, leaning further into the kiss by moving his arm across to your side and establishing a support on the blanket. You were momentarily caught by surprise but returned the gesture nonetheless, and raised your arms to lazily drape them around his neck. If he wasn’t holding your back with his other hand, the both of you would have surely toppled over by now. You really didn’t think it would have made a difference.

The thought of those few people among the park that had been looking your way more than once throughout your little picnic date melted in your mind completely. People? What people? It’s just you and your boyfriend enjoying long-awaited time together. As if anyone else mattered.

As all good things must eventually do, the kiss came to an end far too quickly. You guessed you both needed to breathe, if the deep breaths you and Ingo were taking were any indication. Foreheads touching, you could see his little smile up close and personal, which only widened your own. His eyes softened upon seeing so and hearing the breathless chuckle that came from your abundance of happiness. You both loved seeing each other like this, intimately close or not.

He moved in again, this time to dab tiny smooches around your mouth and on your cheeks, each one causing you to laugh more and more.

“You missed quite a lot, actually!” he said inbetween the short kisses.

When he stopped, you snorted playfully. “You dork! Have you been waiting all this time for a chance to get back at me for the kiss on our first date?!”

If you stopped to really think about it, you could still taste the ice cream from that night.

“I wouldn’t use the phrase ‘get back at you’… It would be more prudent to say…‘return the favor.’”

As he spoke, Ingo picked up the cloth you had dropped during your kiss and gently wiped one of your cheeks, and then your chin. His tenderness always stopped you in your tracks, causing you to go silent and turn even the slightest bit more red.

“There. I think you’re sufficiently free of sugar,” he said with a still-present smile, neatly folding the cloth and putting it inside the picnic basket for you. “On the outside, at least.”

You unsuccessfully pretended to huff and crossed your arms. “Well, it’s hard to be free when my boyfriend’s made of it.”

He wasn’t expecting a comeback like that and you could see the red bloom on his face in real-time. Your laugh rang out again, half-hidden by one of your hands.

“You started it.”

Ingo closed his eyes and shook his head. “And I should have expected as much, you are right. Bravo!”

You kept on laughing right up until Ingo stood and offered a hand to pull you upright as well. He gave an extra bit of pull so that you’d end up leaning right up against him. All he did was give you a kiss on the forehead, soft and gentle as they always were, but you felt your cheeks grow warm above your surprised smile.

“Apologies for any sugar I might have left,” he said afterwards, brushing your forehead of imaginary granules.

With a snort, you pushed yourself away and stuck out your tongue at him – a gesture he’s grown to become fond of, since you did it almost regularly – as you grabbed the handle of the picnic basket. He helped to fold up the blanket you’d all been sitting on, and you tucked it away in the basket. Turning to him, you thought how much you didn’t want the date to end and how much time you wanted to cram in with him while you had the chance. You knew he felt the same way just by reading his expression.

“Do you want to…take a walk?” he suggested with uncertainty.

The park wasn’t too crowded, nor were the sidewalks that lined the park’s block. A nice, slow walk around the area sounded like the perfect way to add extra time to your outing. Your answer was immediate, nearly cutting him off.

“Yes!”

Ingo chuckled at your enthusiasm, happy to oblige. Hands intertwined, the pair of you made the short walk through the grass to the sidewalk, picked a direction, and began a slow and steady pace.

Conversation continued to be plentiful. Even if you removed your time spent apart from the equation, there was always something to talk about. Though he had avoided any topics about his recent work at the subway, you asked him directly and assured him that you were showing genuine interest. This allowed him to launch into specifics of the upgrades and remodels that you, honestly, only marginally understood – but he was so animated and passionate about them, which meant you were happy simply because he was.

“—of course, with extensive modifications comes extensive paperwork, some of which Emmet and I take care of. Gear Station’s executives cover most of the business contracts and such, alleviating us of those responsibilities; however, we must ensure that our current safety regulations are up-to-date with the remodels. If not, we must alter or add to them in order to meet the required specifications.”

You nodded, glad to understand some of what kept the twins inside their offices late at night sometimes. “There’s a lot to be done.”

“Indeed. It will be worth it once everything is complete! And we are nearing that goal, just not as quickly as we would like…”

He sighed and looked at you; in return, you gave a sympathetic smile.

“That’s alright… You’ll get there when you get there. You know I’ll be here regardless.”

For a moment, his expression turned soft with fondness – and, you noted, a bit of relief.

“…I am lucky to have a partner like you,” he said somewhat quietly, in contrast to his usual volume. “I do not think there are many who would be able to put up with my standard work hours at the subway, let alone through a project such as this that limits my free time further.”

You frowned a little. “I guess I can understand why some people are…needier? I don’t know how to put it. But, y’know…I stick by what I’ve said before. You’re more than worth any waiting.”

A squeeze of his hand followed, accompanied by your frown turning upside-down; you beamed at him with just as much fondness as he was showing you. It was easy to see that itch he had to cover his face with his hat, if he had one. Without a hat, he was forced to look at your peaceful expression with his own. Up the corners of his lips went.

“Thank you.” His voice was raspy and still quiet in volume. A clearing of his throat solved both. “I am very lucky.”

You playfully bumped your shoulder against his. “So am I. Do you know how many people would jump at the chance to date you?”

His absolutely flabbergasted face made you laugh.

“…No…?” His eyebrows knit together in genuine bafflement. “Why would…”

“You’re adorable,” you began, sliding the handle of the picnic basket down to hang on your elbow while you started to count on the fingers of your free hand. “Handsome. Kind. Well-spoken. Optimistic. Thoughtful. Smart. Charismatic. Considerate. Attractive—”

“Alright, alright,” he waved his free hand and managed to keep from chuckling, but only because of his confusion. “You realize that most of those words are synonyms, yes?”

“I don’t see the problem.” You paused. “Get me a thesaurus.”

He kept talking as though you hadn’t requested. “And that aside, surely I am not so—appealing as you are describing. Might I remind you that you are quite biased.”

“You don’t think you’re hot?”

Ingo almost choked on his own breath.

“Seriously,” you laughed. “You have to be aware of your fan-clubs.”

“Both Emmet and I know of them, yes, but…” He just couldn’t comprehend the attraction. Not that he wanted to call himself or his brother ugly, but the way you were going on, it was as if he’d placed in a contest or something. At least Emmet had the gift of smiles. “You’re implying the same for Emmet, aren’t you? As twins, we look exactly alike!”

“Yeah, him too.”

The incredibly casual way you said it would have been funny if he didn’t continue to be perplexed.

“You have fan-clubs that are more than just for the railway part of your jobs, Ingo,” you continued. “And more than just your pokémon battle expertise.”

He stared into your eyes. You could nearly see the math equations floating to and fro around his head. Biting your lip to keep from laughing again, your smile was stuck just as wide. To free him of his self-inflicted torment, you began to swing your intertwined hands between you enough for him to notice.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll fight anyone off if I have to.”

“Hopefully it won’t come to that…” he almost muttered, shaking off the thoughts that plagued him. With a cough and a throat clear, he added, “Why don’t we change the subject.”

You laughed, but obliged, and silently wondered if Emmet was as unaware as Ingo – or if he even cared. It seemed like you unlocked Pandora’s box inside of your boyfriend’s brain and it was pouring forth new concepts that wouldn’t have occurred to him otherwise.

Ingo silently decided to stick to acknowledging just the train and battle-related groups.

The walk was slow and comfortable and uninterrupted by anyone who could have been walking the opposite way on the sidewalk. The slight breeze was nice, and the trees that lined the park provided adequate shade for the two of you. Topics changed to pokémon, for which Ingo was grateful.

“Hey, please don’t be too hard on Klinklang later,” you mentioned. “I know the stunt was all Polteageist’s idea.”

“I was planning on talking to them without consequences attached. The remorse is crystal clear, and I believe that’s enough.”

“Agreed. The little dude will crack once he’s face-to-face with Slurpuff, otherwise he’d rather faint before showing it.”

Ingo chuckled. “You have quite the mischievous and inventive ghost. I’m glad my Chandelure is as resourceful without as much of the roguish nature.”

“Luck of the draw.” You shrugged; none of your pokémon’s wildly varying personalities truly bothered you. You just wished that Polteageist would maybe turn it down sometimes. “Lobbed a Dusk Ball at ‘im and didn’t look back.”

He was suddenly quiet for a moment. When you looked to him, he’d put a hand to his chin and there was serious thought on his face.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh! No, nothing is the matter, I was just trying to remember… As we recalled our pokémon into their balls, I could have sworn your Polteageist was housed in an Ultra Ball, not Dusk.”

“No, you saw correctly. He was registered to a new pokéball.”

Ingo almost cocked his head to the side like a confused Lillipup, and his eyebrows knit together. “Was his original ball broken in some way?”

“Nah,” you shook your head, confusing him further. That seemed to be the theme for the walk today. “When my team was really put together and everyone was comfortable, I offered them a chance to pick their own pokéballs.”

You smiled at the memory; going to your local mart and asking to see the full pokéball display. The cash you’d saved in your pocket and your pokémon looking at the choices. The mart employee not sure why this was happening but eager to help.

“The mart I went to had a bunch of those special pokéballs in stock – you know, the ones designed in super specific ways for catching different groups of pokémon. I let the guy behind the counter know that I wanted to register everyone in new balls and let them look at their choices.” Smiling, you added, “With, uh, budget constraints. Polteageist probably would’ve picked a Luxury Ball if he could.”

Ingo listened with piqued interest, though he would have regardless of what new fact or memory he had the chance to learn about you. It wasn’t unheard of to move pokémon to new balls – the most common reason being their original ball breaking or malfunctioning in some way, which he unsuccessfully guessed a moment ago. Other times it was vanity, when the pokémon could only be caught in a different ball than the trainer wanted for their personal aesthetic. But that wasn’t you, nor did any of your pokémon’s balls match together. Curiosity spurred him.

“Now that you mention it, I distinctly remember noticing that no two pokéballs of yours were of the same kind… But I never saw closely enough, and it never came up in conversation. Was there a reason in particular that led you to have them moved?”

“Well, when you’re younger, you catch your pokémon in anything you can get, right?” (It was rhetorical, but Ingo nodded anyway.) “Poké Balls, Great Balls, Ultra Balls, Quick Balls… Personally, I didn’t care which way they were caught, but…”

You paused to think, as if this was the first time you really examined the thought process behind the decision.

“I guess I wanted them to have a chance to…choose where they were housed? Pokémon really don’t have the option to pick what they’re caught in. I don’t know if that makes sense.”

“It does,” he nodded again. “I think that's perfectly good reasoning.”

You smiled at him fondly, eyes soft.

“They didn’t realize how many choices they had. It took a while… But, um… Polteageist chose an Ultra Ball, obviously. I think he thinks it makes him look like…cool and competitive and strong. Like yours,” you laughed. “Slurpuff picked a Heal Ball. He liked the pastel colors on it. Alcremie went the opposite way and picked a Premier Ball. I don’t really know why, she was still a Milcery at the time, but it contrasts nicely with her rainbow cream now. And Mimikyu zeroed in on a Love Ball. Which…really made me happy.”

Your pokémon didn’t know what the specifics of each pokéball were for, aside from slightly obvious ones such as the Heal and Dusk Balls. Mimikyu was the first of your team to choose, and so quickly at that. She had been so skittish, slow to trust; so when she picked up the Love Ball, decorated with a heart, she pressed it to her (fake) head, and then pressed it to your chest. You nearly started blubbering on the spot.

Ingo could tell this memory was a happy one for you, even if it wasn’t written all over your face. He was glad he asked, if only because it sent you down this track of thought. With a gentle squeeze of his hand, you looked back up at him with dreamlike eyes.

“And Appletun?”

Again, your smile widened. “He didn’t pick any.”

“Oh. Was he dissatisfied with the presented options?”

“No.” You shook your head. “He didn’t want a new ball. He picked up the plain Poké Ball he’d always been in and set it down at my feet, nudging it with his snout.”

There was a pause where you were once again lost in the memory. Ingo thought about it for a moment and spoke again when you hasn’t resumed. “He wanted to remain in the pokéball you chose to catch him with.”

Sentimental, your eyes were somewhat glassy as you nodded. “My first, y’know?”

Ingo couldn’t help but turn the corners of his mouth upward slightly when you beamed up at him. He nodded as both of you squeezed your hands together.

“Most of the pokémon Emmet and I own were captured with Ultra Balls due to their strength and rarity. But our respective Klinklang are still in their original Poké Balls that came to us as small children. I’d like to think they would choose similarly to Appletun.”

"I think you're right! You're all incredibly close with each other."

"As are you and yours. It's inspiring to see!" He chuckled as you scoffed in embarrassment. "It's the truth, I'm afraid. Trainers take plenty of inspiration from watching you work together with your pokémon to serve the finest goods in your café! Even the nicknames you've given them are very endearing."

You traded an embarrassed look for a confused one. "I…I never really nicknamed them, though?"

"Oh—you haven't? Hm…"

With a lopsided smile, you cocked your head to the side to see his face better. "What gave you that idea?"

"Well, I've noticed you refer to each of them with different epithets when you don’t use their species designation. Out of all of them, I believe Appletun’s is used the most, whom you lovingly refer to as 'Buddy', or shortened to 'Bud'.”

He wasn't wrong. You'd just never thought of that as an official nickname.

Ingo continued, eyes cast to the sky but seeing only his mind’s images. "Slurpuff is – rather exasperatedly at times – referred to as 'Chief'. Alcremie is crowned 'Little Lady', while Polteageist is likewise 'Little Dude'. Mimikyu is affectionately looked after as 'Pal', and I believe you’ve taken to calling Sizzlipede “Little Guy’."