Archive of Our Own

"I am going to die."

Emmet took another sip of his coffee, not even bothering to look up. "You are being dramatic."

His usually verbose brother just grumbled incoherently in response, lying flat on his back on the couch in front of a fan. Even with the heat index stopping just shy of one hundred degrees, the inside of their apartment felt like an icebox. It felt like that all summer long, but today it was especially so. The air conditioning in their apartment was already on full blast, but it was apparently not enough to restore his brother to a functioning state, nor was the ice pack he'd placed on his brother's forehead before making coffee.

It was, however, enough to make Emmet long for the sweltering temperatures outside. He'd had to sleep in his winter pajamas with a blanket, but he'd never dream of complaining. At least he'd slept. He was all but certain his brother had spent most of the night staring at the ceiling, too warm to even consider falling asleep.

It would be like this, Emmet thought grimly, for another week. A record breaking heat wave was sweeping through Unova, and Nimbasa City was no exception. It had been warm enough yesterday, but today was when the truly unpleasant temperatures began.

Ingo, predictably, was suffering. He'd always been terrible with the heat, ever since they were children. If it got bad enough, he would simply shut down service- refusing to depart from his home station. In this instance, it was specifically the living room couch. If people could see Ingo like this, sprawled over the couch in a tank top and a novelty pair of Litwick boxers, Emmet was confident that no one would be intimidated by him again.

But no. This was a sight for family and friends only. No one else.

"I am going to move to Snowpoint City," Ingo declared, "-in Sinnoh."

"You are not." Emmet took a bite of toast. "There are no trains there."

Ingo muttered something that was likely meant to be comprehensible, but was not. Chandelure made a worried chime, hovering closer to her trainer in an attempt to comfort him. Ingo gave her glass body a reassuring pat- and then simply left his hand there for a long moment, presumably because the ghostly flames that powered her were cool as opposed to hot.

There was a knock at the door, followed by a jingle of keys and moments later, Elesa swept into the room. She took one look at Ingo collapsed on the couch and sighed.

"This is why I told you to take yesterday off too," she scolded.

"Couldn't," Ingo said, "-was already going to be absent from my station for too long."

Elesa just sighed again. "Sometimes I don't know which of you is the worst workaholic. Anyways, I brought you some iced coffee. Give me a sec and I'll put it in a glass."

"None for me?" Emmet asked.

"You are not currently a lump on the couch." Elesa breezily countered, brushing past him to grab a glass. "You can buy your own."

Emmet just laughed, consuming the last of his breakfast as Elesa set the glass down in front of Ingo. The transfer was necessary- his brother's teeth were verrry sharp, easily puncturing plastic cups and straws without meaning to. His brother propped himself up, shoving sticky bangs out of his face before gratefully taking the glass. He guzzled down nearly half of it, before letting out a sigh of relief.

"Bravo, Elesa," Ingo said, "-I do not know what I would do without you."

"I'm not sure what you'd do without me either!" Elesa chirped. "Anything else I can get you? Have you eaten anything?"

Ingo squinted like he had to think about the answer. "...yogurt?"

"Do you want some, or did you eat some?" Elesa asked.

"I would like some." Ingo clarified.

"Got it~." Elesa waved, ducking into their kitchen again to retrieve the aforementioned yogurt, and grabbing a spoon while she was at it. "I have a shoot this morning, but I should be able to swing by around lunch time. You want me to bring you some cold soup from that one place you like?"

"I would be most grateful, thank you." Ingo remarked.

"What about-"

"No soup for you, Emmet." Elesa finished before he could even start. "Buy your own."

"I am Emmet," Emmet placed a hand over his chest, "-and I am deeply hurt."

"Now who is being dramatic?" Ingo teased.

Emmet just laughed, putting away his dishes as Elesa brushed past him again to give Ingo the yogurt. He set the glass of iced coffee down, gratefully accepting it. Chandelure positioned herself next to Ingo, as if she was helping to prop him up, but really she was likely only trying to get cuddles. Ingo didn't deny them, balancing the yogurt cup on one knee and holding the spoon in his mouth while he repositioned himself to a more optimal Chandelure cuddling position.

"Just Chandelure today?" Elesa asked, searching the apartment for Ingo's other Pokemon. Unlike his own, Ingo's were always out of their pokeballs when at home. His brother had only begun regularly using them when they had gotten their jobs on the Battle Subway, and circumstances had essentially forced him to.

"Haxorus as well, but he is still resting." Emmet provided. "Ingo left Garbodor with the Gear Station janitorial staff yesterday so they do not require as many people to work in this heat. They promised to look after him verrry well for the next few days. Excadrill and Klinklang will be coming with me!"

"Yeah?" Elesa smiled, giving Chandelure's glass dome a light pat. "Make sure to look after him, then. Tell Haxorus I said the same thing."

Chandelure chimed agreeably, prompting the edges of Ingo's mouth to curl up in the closest thing his brother could do to a smile. He would verrry much like to stay and look after Ingo, but the subway would not run itself. He imagined Elesa felt a similar sentiment, but at least Ingo's Pokemon would look after him well in their absence.

It was not as if this was the first time they had gone through this scenario.

When Elesa swung by during her lunch break, Ingo was asleep.

She thankfully hadn't woken him with her entrance- Haxorus had stopped her at the door. Through gestures, it communicated that Ingo was asleep, and in turn, she solemnly nodded her head, putting a finger to her lips. Message gotten across, it quietly plodded towards the living room where his trainer was passed out on the couch, fast asleep. The lights were off, so there was only Chandelure's flames to illuminate the space, but she wouldn't dream of switching them on.

Elesa smiled, quietly creeping into the kitchen to put the promised cold soup away in the fridge. Ingo could eat it when he woke up. She knew from experience how fitful sleep could be for him on days like this- even if none of them were entirely sure why the heat impacted him this way.

"...Elesa?"

Elesa winced, slowly turning to face Ingo. He was easy to pinpoint even in the dark, his silver eyes glowing like two pinpricks of light. When they'd first met all those years ago, she'd thought it was strange- but now she was just used to it. Just another quirk, like his inability to handle heat.

"Sorry," she said, "-didn't mean to wake you."

Ingo yawned. "Think nothing of it. Is it your lunch break already?"

"Yep!" Elesa said. "I just put your soup in the fridge. You want it?"

"Later, I think." Ingo said. "My appetite seems to have come uncoupled for the time being."

"Promise?" Elesa asked. Ingo was usually on top of things, not the type to forget to eat, but all bets were off on days like today. She didn't want to leave and have to find out later from Emmet that his brother hadn't eaten anything since that morning.

"I swear," Ingo said in his most solemn voice- which was very convincing.

"Alright," Elesa said, "-but if I find out otherwise..."

She made a threatening gesture that she knew Ingo would easily be able to see in the dark. He just laughed, which made her laugh too.

"Anything else you need, while I'm still here?" Elesa asked.

"...a snowstorm?" Ingo ventured.

"You'll have to find someone from Team Plasma for that one." Elesa said. "The most I can do is refill your ice pack."

"That would be an acceptable alternative." Ingo agreed. "Haxorus, the lights."

"You don't need to-" Elesa protested, but Haxorus had already flipped the switch.

She blinked at the abrupt change in lighting, but quickly adjusted. With the lights on, Ingo's eyes no longer glowed. Despite his nap, he definitely looked worse than earlier- both his bangs and sideburns alike were stuck to his face with sweat, prompting her to frown. She knew it was just likely warmer than it was this morning, but...

"I am fine," Ingo said, as if reading her mind, "-Haxorus is ensuring I stay properly hydrated. I will take a cold shower later."

Behind him, Haxorus nodded as if to confirm. No offense to Ingo, but she trusted it a little more than she trusted him right now.

"I just worry." Elesa said. "It's kind of like my job, if you haven't noticed. Now toss me that ice pack."

"Funny, I don't remember hiring you." Ingo retorted, before throwing her his ice pack- or at least attempting to. It landed on the opposite end of the couch, far away from where she was standing, and for a long moment, all they could do was just stare at it.

Elesa broke the silence first, snorting in a manner some would find unbecoming of a model. "What was that? That was pathetic!"

Ingo's face reddened, the odd markings around his eyes almost blending into his flushed face. "Please just take it."

"Sorry, sorry," Elesa let out one last giggle, before retrieving the pack, "-I'll fill it right up."

She refilled it quickly, setting it back on Ingo's head. "Better?"

"Much," Ingo said, "-thank you."

"Of course!" Elesa chirped. "I'll be back with ice cream tonight, so try to reconnect that appetite car before then."

"I will make an effort." Ingo promised.

"Glad to hear it." Elesa said. "I have to get back to work, but you know my number if you need me. Or Emmet's."

Ingo gave her a weak wave in acknowledgment. She smiled, her gaze briefly flicking towards Haxorus and Chandelure. She didn't understand Ingo's Pokemon as well as he could- sometimes she swore he could literally understand them- but both met her gaze, and she sensed that they were promising to make sure Ingo did everything he told her he would. There was a glint in Haxorus' eyes that promised he'd do it by force, if necessary.

Good. Worked for her!

(Haxorus bullied Ingo off the couch and into the shower about an hour later, then made him eat the soup when he was done. Emmet just laughed when he complained about it when his brother called.

He didn't know why he'd expected anything different.)

"Ingo, are you alive?"

"No," Emmet heard his brother groan from the living room, "-I'm a ghost."

"When will you retire that joke?" Emmet asked. "You are as bad as Elesa."

He took off his hat, hanging it where it belonged. He'd already taken off his jacket- he might not be as weak to the heat as his brother, but even he had his limits. Their jackets may be stylish, but they were not necessarily suited for heat waves. He hung it up, before making his way to the living room. His brother was exactly where he'd left him this morning, not that he'd expected anything different.

"It is not our fault that you do not have a sense of humor." Ingo countered. "How was the Subway?"

"It was verrry boring without you." Emmet admitted. "Verrry few challengers came."

"I think that has more to do with the heat than with my absence." Ingo remarked.

"Possibly!" Emmet chirped. "We cannot know for sure."

Ingo just hummed, and when Emmet glanced back at him, he'd closed his eyes. Now that it was evening, it was starting to cool off somewhat, though it was still verrry warm. Elesa had said that Ingo had been napping when she'd checked on him at lunch, but it was unclear how long he'd slept. He hoped his brother could get some rest tonight, but he suspected that it was more likely he'd simply pass out from exhaustion on day three or four. He wasn't sure! They'd never had a heat wave linger for this long.

"Do not sleep yet." Emmet told his brother, setting a bag down on the table next to him. "I am Emmet. I have brought you sushi."

Ingo cracked one eye open. "You hate sushi."

"I do! That is why I am not eating it." Emmet said. "But you like it! You have weird taste buds! So I bought some for you at your favorite place!"

"My taste buds are functioning normally." Ingo protested.

"Doubtful!" Emmet chirped. "But that is okay. I love you even if your taste buds are strange. Please hand me your ice pack!"

Ingo mumbled something incoherent in response, pushing himself up into a sitting position. He handed Emmet the ice pack, the contents of which had nearly turned to water at this point. His brother must have not refilled it recently, this being the one task Haxorus and Chandelure could not fulfill for him. He eyed his brother, who pointedly chose to look at the wall instead.

"And you always lecture me to take care of myself." Emmet said.

Ingo said nothing in his defense, likely because he knew he couldn't. Emmet did not even attempt to hide his smug expression, even as he tasked himself with refilling Ingo's ice pack. He dropped it on his brother's head, before flopping down on the couch next to him. He had already eaten at the station, the commuter rails running late even after the battle portions had closed. Usually he would have stayed longer, but for once he'd let the Depot Agents herd him out of the office early, wanting to get back to Ingo.

Ingo cracked open the plastic sushi container, his usual frown tugging even further downwards. "No wasabi?"

"You are dying of heat." Emmet said. "You do not need spicy food."

Ingo huffed, but let it go. Emmet sat next to him as he ate, chatting about his day as his brother dutifully listened, occasionally chiming in with a question of his own.

"Oh, right," Emmet said, "-Uncle Drayden and Iris are coming."

Ingo nearly choked on a piece of sushi. Oops.

"When?" Ingo asked, after gratefully gulping down the glass of water Haxorus had hastily brought him.

"Tomorrow!" Emmet helpfully informed him. "Did they not contact you?"

Ingo squinted, like he was trying to recall, before grabbing his Xtransceiver off the table. Hastily looking through the messages, he made a face that told Emmet all he needed to know.

"You turned the volume off." Emmet said. "You missed his call."

"...it's a distinct possibility." Ingo admitted. "I'll listen to the message later."

Emmet grinned, but a knock on the door and a jingle of keys stopped him from saying anything further. Elesa breezed into the room, carrying a bag from the local supermarket. She was dressed incognito- or as incognito as she could get, which was to say, not very! Especially not in this weather, when wearing one of her large hoodies would be akin to asking for heat stroke.

"Hey, boys!" Elesa declared, thrusting the bag forward. "I brought ice cream!"

"Bravo!" Ingo exclaimed at a louder volume than he'd heard him use all day.

"Chocolate for Ingo, vanilla for Emmet," she said as she handed them both a small carton, before collapsing in the chair across from the couch, "-and strawberry for me!"

They each took their small carton gratefully, Ingo finishing off the last of his sushi first before opening his. Before he could even ask, Haxorus offered his trainer a metal spoon, for which he was thanked with a hearty bravo. Having perfectly normal teeth, Emmet simply used the provided plastic one.

They'd been identical in that regard too, until sometime after they'd both turned eighteen. Ingo's teeth had just turned sharp then. No one was quite sure why, nor why his nails had darkened until they were black, but it was fine! Uncle Drayden had brought Ingo to a doctor, and they had said everything was fine! People started spreading rumors again, but it was fine!

(They called Ingo a Zoroark this time, instead of a Zorua. It was not an improvement.

His brother was not a Zoroark.)

"Emmet?"

Emmet blinked, jerked from his thoughts. "I am Emmet!"

"Are you alright?" Ingo's frown was genuine. "You derailed for a moment."

"Merely thinking!" Emmet said. "Nothing to worry about!"

Ingo gave him a long look, but seemed to let it go. Sometimes he wished he wouldn't. It felt as if Ingo had a second sense for when Emmet worried over the rumors- less persistent now that they were adults, but still semi-present- and yet he never wanted to talk about it. On the surface they did not seem to affect him, but he'd had Elesa teach him how to hide the red around his eyes with makeup, and even outside of uniform, he wore gloves to hide his nails. He filed them religiously, as if he were afraid of them getting long.

"Oh yeah," Elesa began, "-something really funny happened at my shoot today-"

Emmet took to the subject change like a train switching tracks. Anything to stop thinking about Zoroarks, even if he had put himself on that track.

(If Ingo's red-marked gaze lingered on him, he pretended not to notice.)

Drayden and Iris showed up bright and early the next morning. To Emmet and Ingo's mutual delight, they brought breakfast with them- although he was certain his brother was more excited about the iced coffee than he was about the donuts. His brother's night had been miserable, the heat of the day not fading enough for him to get any real rest. He must have given up at some point, because he'd been watching a documentary on the history of the Galar railways when Emmet had woken up around three to get a glass of water, the volume low enough so that he wouldn't rose him. Emmet had sat and watched with him for awhile, before his brother shooed him off to bed. No need for them both to be sleep deprived.

"You look like a wreck." Iris told Ingo.

"Thank you," Ingo said, "-I hadn't noticed."

Iris just grinned, chomping down on a donut. Ingo huffed, but he could see the way the very edges of his brother's lips were curving upwards. They both got along well with their little cousin, despite the years between them. No doubt this was her own form of expressing concern.

"How are you doing?" Drayden asked.

"As well as can be expected." Ingo said.

"You were saying you wanted to move to Snowpoint." Emmet countered. "There are no trains in Snowpoint."

"Alright, perhaps a bit worse." Ingo admitted.

Drayden looked as if that were more the answer he'd expected. Their uncle could read them well. They could never fool him, even if they wanted to!

"That's fine, because dad's gonna be here to take care of you allll day!" Iris said.

"We can't stay much longer than that, unfortunately." Drayden said. "If it weren't the height of league season..."

Ingo's frown deepened into something more genuine. "You do not have to stay to look after me. I am perfectly capable of maintaining my own tracks."

"That is funny!" Emmet grinned. "That is not what I have seen!"

Ingo shot him a dirty look, but Emmet ignored him. His brother would do the same- had done the same to him in the past! What better time to throw your brother under the bus than to make sure it resulted in him being well taken care of?

"I suspected as much." Drayden said. "There will be no arguments here."

Iris just snickered. "In the meantime, I'll be whipping your sorry but on your own train, Emmet, so get ready!"

"Oh?" Emmet arched his brows. "I would verrry much like to see you try, dear cousin."

"Is that a challenge?" Iris asked.

"I am Emmet," Emmet said, "-it very much is."

"As much as I would love to see that battle," Ingo cut in, "-your passion has increased the temperature in here by five degrees. Please stop."

"This place is an icebox!" Iris complained. "It could use a little warming up."

"That would kill Ingo, I'm afraid!" Emmet teased. "We must simply bear it in the meantime. It is actually quite refreshing to come back to after a long day in the heat!"

"It would not kill me," Ingo rolled his eyes, "-but it would be unpleasant. Well. More unpleasant."

"Have some mercy on your cousin, Iris." Drayden said, ruffling her hair. "And make sure to mind your manners for your other today."

"Okay~!" Iris said. "I'm still gonna beat him, though."

"We will see about that." Emmet countered.

Ingo let out a long sigh, but he knew his brother- it was one of contentment. There was nothing he loved more than being surrounded by family- even trains and Pokemon battles took a back seat to it. Not that he wasn't the same way! He was verrry happy to have Drayden and Iris visit, even if they couldn't stay long. At least he would be able to fully concentrate on his duties, knowing that Ingo would be well looked after. He trusted Ingo's Pokemon, but they could only do so much.

(Better than their parents, he grimly thought, who'd never tried at all.)

The apartment took on a comfortable silence once Emmet and Iris had left, broken only by the soft sound of Ingo flipping through television channels, searching for something to watch. Typically his nephew was not much of one for watching TV, but he supposed there was only so much one could do when they were regulated to the couch. Chandelure hovered near her trainer, Emmet having taken Ingo's Haxorus with him in preparation for facing Iris.

Speaking of his younger nephew...

"Have you talked to Emmet yet?"

Ah. Drayden did not even need a reply. He could tell from the way Ingo's hands stilled, the television settling on a nature documentary about Sinnoh's Lake Acuity. The camera was focused on a pair of young Sneasels at play, a mother Weavile watching from a short distance away. The host was saying something, but neither he nor Ingo were paying much attention to it.

"You haven't," Drayden said simply, not looking up from the dishes, "-you said you would."

"...there hasn't been a good time." Ingo said, his voice as quiet as it could get.

"There never seems to be." Drayden observed.

There was no judgment in his tone, but Ingo bristled anyways. It didn't show on his face- it was not his nephew's face that one needed to be watched- but in the way his grip on the remote tightened, the way Chandelure chimed in response. The twins rarely kept things from the other- save for this looming specter that had followed them all their lives.

"You should talk to him," Drayden's words were ones he'd repeated many times before, as much as they always seemed to fall on deaf ears, "-he would understand."

Ingo didn't say anything, but Drayden didn't expect a response. He only sighed, setting the last dish aside to dry, before looking up at his nephew. The longer things went unsaid between them, the higher the risk of it coming out in a way Ingo would not want increased. He had told him this many times, but his nephew seemed dead set on taking this secret to his grave.

Emmet, for his part, had constructed his own walls. He didn't see the truth, despite being closer to Ingo than anyone else. It was not that he didn't want to- the wall was built to defend his brother, ironically enough. To protect him from harsh words and rumors that Ingo never denied, so Emmet did instead.

(Ingo was too honest. He could not deny the truth.)

"You won't tell him, will you?"

In that moment, Ingo looked so small that Drayden found himself abruptly flung back to that night years ago, when he'd found his nephew huddled in the a corner in the bathroom well past midnight, clutching bleeding fingers. There was a mangled nail file by his feet, torn up by something harder and sharper than it was designed to handle. Drayden hadn't asked any questions, simply treated his wounds in silence.

The next day, he bought him a stronger nail file.

"No," Drayden shook off the past, "-that's your job."

Ingo said nothing. By his side, Chandelure chimed, floating closer to her trainer- all while glaring at him in a somewhat threatening manner, her cold flames burning brighter. Drayden merely huffed. He had spent a better part of the last few years raising a half ghost type of his own- he knew he had nothing to fear. Chandelure would no more harm him than his nephew would... especially since the latter was now well out of his biting phase.

"I won't force you to," Drayden said, "-but think about it."

Ingo said nothing, because that was the only way he could lie.

"We're back~~!"

Iris marched in with all the tact that could be expected of a girl her age- which was to say, not a lot. Emmet was thankful to find his brother hadn't been sleeping, but was instead reading a battle magazine. He'd also acquired another fan from somewhere, even though Emmet was certain they only had the one. Their uncle was sitting across from him, looking up from one of the unwieldy novels he was so fond of in his downtime.

"I suppose I don't have to ask how it went," Uncle Drayden observed, his gaze dropping to Iris' T-shirt. It was one of the novelty goods that were sold at Gear Station- white with black letters that simply read I lost to Subway Boss Emmet.

"She lost, yup!" Emmet crowed. "She also lost the bet!"

"If I won, he was going to get a t-shirt made that said he'd lost to me." Iris informed them grumpily. "Next time, though. Next time, I'm winning."

Emmet just laughed. "I doubt it! But I would not wear it anyways!"

Iris just folded her arms, looking awfully smug for someone wearing a novelty t-shirt declaring her status as a loser. "Yes, you would. Ingo would make you."

"She's right." Ingo agreed. "I would. Elesa would take pictures."

Emmet shot his brother a look of betrayal. Ingo did not even look up from his magazine.

"It's okay though, Emmet still lost today!" Iris cheerfully informed them.

"There was a trainer with a verrry strong Gliscor." Emmet admitted, releasing Haxorus from its Pokeball. It made a beeline for Ingo, his brother laughing as it made a show of checking on him.

"Yes, yes, I'm alright." Ingo assured it, patting its head as it growled something at his brother. "I'm aware there's another fan now. I promise I did not collapse again."

"If you did, you would never hear the end of it from Elesa." Emmet remarked. "She scolded you a lot that time, yup!"

Ingo grimaced. "Do not remind me."

"I am Emmet," he cheerfully said, "-and I will always remind you."

Drayden cleared his throat, interrupting them before their sibling bickering could go any further. "Dinner is ready, by the way."

Emmet's stomach growled almost on cue. There had been no eating at the station today- his employees had essentially forced him to leave early. He did not fight them. It had been awhile since they'd last ate together as a family. Even Ingo dragged himself from the couch to sit at the table, although he also had Haxorus unplug one of the fans and place it next to the dining table. It ruffled his hair slightly as they ate, but Emmet didn't let it bother him.

The only sad thing was that their uncle and Iris left shortly after dinner. They saw them off at the door, even though Ingo looked as if he was about to melt the longer he spent outside. He promptly collapsed face down on the couch as soon as they went back inside, Haxorus having relocated the second fan again in their absence.

"That was verrry fun," Emmet said, collapsing on what little free space there was left on the couch, "-we should have them over more often."

"You just want a chance to battle Iris again." Ingo said, voice loud enough that it wasn't remotely muffled by the pillow.

"Maybe!" Emmet said. "She said she will come battle you on the Singles Line next time she is here. When you are not so useless."

Ingo did not look up, but he did make a verrry rude gesture.

The following day's high was 105.

Ingo was unconscious when Emmet woke. For a second he panicked, before Chandelure motioned that her trainer was only sleeping, passed out from two days of almost no rest. It still spooked him enough that he called out of work for the day, using one of his many piled up vacation days.

Ingo slept most of the day, though Emmet periodically woke him up to get him to drink some water. He never stayed awake long, usually drifting off shortly afterwards. He didn't wake up at all when Elesa came to visit during her lunch break. He only roused himself after the sun had set, like some kind of nocturnal Pokemon.

"...Emmet?"

"Ingo!" Emmet smiled, a little relieved. "You are awake! You slept all day!"

Yawning, Ingo sat up. "Ah. That explains why I'm starving."

"No worries, I have ordered dinner." Emmet said. "It should arrive shortly."

"Bravo." Ingo remarked, before glancing at the clock. "You stayed home?"

"I was worried." Emmet admitted. "It is fine. I have many vacation days."

"Apologies for worrying you," Ingo yawned again, even as Chandelure shoved herself into his personal space, begging for attention, "-and thanks. For staying at the station with me."

"Of course!" Emmet smiled. "We are brothers. It is only natural!"

The very edges of Ingo's lips curled upwards in a faint smile. Emmet's own smile grew.

"But," Emmet continued, "-now that you are awake, please take a shower. You stink verrry badly."

Ingo laughed, and then immediately threw a pillow at his face.

He missed.

"Elesa," Emmet frowned, staring at the Glaceon cradled in the gym leader's arms, "-I do not believe that Pokemon belongs to you."

"It doesn't." Elesa breezily admitted. "She's on loan from the Pokemon Center. I asked Nurse Joy if she had any ice types that were small enough to carry around. I thought Ingo might be sick of staying on the couch by now. Or did you think I'd just steal a Pokemon, Emmet?"

"That makes much more sense, yup!" Emmet said. "Is it for Ingo?"

"Mm-hm," Elesa hummed, "-I just thought after yesterday..."

"A fine idea!" Emmet said, scratching the little Glaceon underneath the chin. It leaned into the touch, making a show of it. "But will it take to him?"

"It should!" Elesa said. "I asked her for one that was very brave."

Emmet rubbed his chin in thought, before shrugging. "Only one way to find out! All aboard!"

He marched straight to the living room, with Elesa close behind. She stopped just shy of entering, catching Ingo's gaze. He had likely already heard everything- they hadn't been particularly quiet, and Ingo had sharp ears! He shoved himself up into a sitting position, pointedly avoiding direct eye contact with the little Glaceon. They did not understand why, but new Pokemon could be skittish around Ingo. Long ago they had learned the best way to introduce them to him was to treat him as if he were a wild Pokemon, with all the caution that suggested.

Ingo's own beloved Excadrill had taken weeks to warm up to him, back when it was still a small Drilbur, and Elesa's Emolgas had been extremely skittish around him those first few weeks of traveling together. Others were bolder- or at least, used to his presence from so early on that it simply was never an issue. Only ghost types seemed to love his brother without exception- he and Chandelure had been glued at the hip from the start!

"Okay, I'm bringing her to you." Elesa warned.

Ingo nodded, staying very still as Elesa approached. As she drew closer, the Glaceon's ears perked up, its little nose twitching. It peered curiously in Ingo's direction, but its fur didn't raise, nor did it begin to growl. Very slowly, Elesa lowered it into Ingo's lap, his brother allowing the ice Pokemon to sniff him thoroughly before it let out a slightly confused yip and sat down, and they all breathed a sigh of relief.

"Seems like this little one is very brave." Ingo observed, idly scratching it underneath the chin. It leaned into the action, pressing its head against Ingo's hand. "Maybe Uncle Drayden is right. Maybe I should acquire an ice type."

"Verrry brave, indeed!" Emmet agreed, his brain already spinning with all the new possible combinations an ice type could bring. Maybe a Froslass? A ghost type would be the easiest to introduce to his brother!

"Thank you, Elesa." Ingo's lips twitched faintly upwards. "This was very kind."

"But of course~." Elesa said, puffing out her chest before immediately dropping the act. "Anyways, I have her on loan for three days. You'll need to take her back to the Pokemon Center after that. Should have thought about doing it sooner, honestly."

"Do not worry, I will ensure our little passenger returns to her station safely." Ingo promised.

The Glaceon yipped, climbing up the couch and draping itself around Ingo's shoulders like a little scarf. Elesa could not resist snapping a picture- Ingo might not outwardly emote much, but the look on his face right now was one of pure bliss.

"Bravo," Ingo muttered, "-very good."

The little Glaceon was a rousing success! Elesa was right, they really should have thought of it sooner. Ingo was off the couch! He'd been worried for a moment after he returned home during his lunch break to find Ingo missing from it, but a quick check of their apartment revealed that he had returned to his room, perusing his bookshelf for something to read. The little Glaceon was still draped over his shoulders, yipping in greeting when she spotted Emmet.

"Ingo! You are up!" Emmet exclaimed.

"Yes, Snowdrop is helping keep me very cool." Ingo remarked.

"Snowdrop?" Emmet questioned.

"That is the little one's name." Ingo said, reaching to scratch the Glaceon's chin.

Emmet frowned, trying to recall if Elesa had mentioned that. She must have, though! It did not surprise him that he'd forgotten. He was not always good at remembering names.

"That is a verrry good name for a Glaceon." Emmet said.

Ingo hummed in agreement, finally picking a book. Chandelure, clearly a little jealous, bumped one of her metal arms against Ingo's head. Ingo simply produced a treat, pacifying her for the moment- at least until he also gave the Glaceon a treat, and the jealousy resumed.

(From its personal pokebed, Haxorus merely rolled its eyes.)

"Will you be functional enough to return to work tomorrow?" Emmet inquired, following Ingo back into the living room... where he plopped back down on the couch again.

Ingo considered it, before shaking his head. "I do not think I will be fully functional tomorrow. This unrelenting heat should break on Saturday, so I am certain I will be restored to at least partial function then."

"Excellent!" Emmet said. "I will notify the staff when I return. In the meantime, I have brought lunch!"

"Bravo!" Ingo exclaimed. "Elesa stopped by earlier with smoothies. There is one in the fridge for you. Strawberry-banana."

That was verrry good, Emmet thought. It would make the walk back to Gear Station that much more bearable. He could endure it, though! It was verrry hard to complain about the heat when it did not destroy him the way it did his brother.

But he was Emmet. He would do it anyways.

The relentless heat wave did finally break on Saturday, as predicted.

For the first time in the past five days, Ingo woke with a clear head. That he'd slept through the night at all was already a positive sign- though he supposed the Glaceon curled up on his chest had something to do with that. Yawning, he gave her a small nudge, not wanting to startle her awake when he moved.

Chandelure chimed lowly, nudging his head with her own as the little Glaceon yawned, doing a big stretch before sitting up. He made sure to pay attention to Chandelure first, lightly patting her glass dome, scratching the Glaceon underneath the chin with his other hand. It yipped, clambering up onto his shoulders as he sat up. A quick glance at the clock informed him that Emmet was likely still asleep- he had about an hour before his brother's alarm went off.

Yawning, Ingo kept his steps quiet as he made towards the bathroom. The lights were off, but there was no need to turn them on- he could function perfectly in the dark, and even if he could not, Chandelure's flames would have been more than enough light.

"If you could depart for a moment," he said to the Glaceon once inside the bathroom.

Okay! She replied. Stay nearby?

"That would be satisfactory." Ingo remarked.

The Glaceon jumped off his shoulders and onto the laundry bin. She sat there, watching him as he washed his face, the splash of cold water invigorating him. Chandelure was looming close, but she backed away when he gestured for her too, so that no water got on her as he shook his head, stray droplets splattering around him. It was a habit he should get out of, but it was difficult when it was so deeply ingrained.

(Plus it annoyed Emmet and Elesa alike, satisfying the same instinct that prompted him to teach Haxorus Earthquake.)

Drying his face off with a washcloth, he paused to peer at his reflection in the mirror. Unnaturally glowing silver eyes were lined with red like a warning- a hint that what lay underneath his skin was not human.

(Not of dark, but of ghost. Not gone, simply hiding.)

You are thinking about what he said again.

Ingo did not look at Chandelure, instead busying himself with filing his nails. He had neglected his routine maintenance these past few days, and they were already starting to get sharp again. That would not do- he could not will their color back to the normal translucent white of true humans, but he could at least keep them short. He was even more careful about it since they had been promoted to Subway Boss, not willing to risk drawing unwanted attention to himself and potentially ruining Emmet's dream.

(His dream too, but that was less important.)

Do not ignore me, Chandelure huffed.

"I am not ignoring you," Ingo said, "-and I am thinking about what he said. But it will pass."

It always did. Drayden would always bring up the subject whenever he visited, and Ingo would think about it for a few days and then promptly forget about it. It was easier to keep things they way they had been. He saw the way that Emmet bristled at the rumors even now, the way he vehemently defended him against them even though he had not asked him to. His first words, spoken long after most had begun to speak, had been in his defense.

("My brother is not a Zorua!")

What was he to say to that? That he was? That he was a spectral parasite that had stolen his true brother- his true twin- from him in the cradle? No. No matter what Drayden said, Emmet did not need to know the truth. Emmet did not want to know the truth.

Better to let him keep believing the lie, like everyone else. Kinder. It would only hurt him.

He did not want to hurt him.

Heaving a sigh, Ingo returned his nail file to its place on the counter. He would shower after Emmet woke, not wanting to wake him. In the meantime he could begin breakfast- waffles, one of Emmet's favorites, as a way of thanks for looking after him the past few days. It would seem that his ancestral roots in the Icelands were alive and well, even though his kind had long since left them behind as more and more humans began encroaching on their territory.

On the laundry basket, the Glaceon perked up. Need me again?

"That would be a help. Thank you." Ingo replied. The little Glaceon wasted no time in jumping back on his shoulders, curling itself around them. The ice type was proving to be a great relief, helping to banish any of the lethargy that still clung to him. He almost felt like a person again.

Well. As much as he ever did.

I could cool you down too, Chandelure huffed.

Ingo just chuckled. "I have no doubt you would try, but we both know your method of cooling me down would not pass this vessel's safety checks."

Chandelure said nothing, but it was clear to him she agreed. His lips twitched in the closest thing he'd ever been able to get to a smile, patting her glass body before heading to the kitchen. Waffle preparation was well underway and coffee preparation was already complete by the time Emmet dragged himself out of bed, looking very much like he'd felt these past few days.

In fact, he looked almost exactly like he'd felt these past few days.

"I am Emmet," he groggily announced, "-and I think I have come down with a summer cold. Is the couch now free?"

"The couch is yours." Ingo said. "Would you still like some waffles?"

"Yes please." Emmet said, collapsing on the couch the second he could. "I am Emmet. I am going to die."

"Now who is being dramatic?"