#looking down teh barrel of a 50k word fic if i don't stop myself

[allaboardsubmas]

Part II

A/N: It turns out it was not allergies, but instead some sort of flu that knocked me down hard. Luckily, I am starting to mostly get over it! Unluckily, that means Emmet is about to get into it. Rip to the poor Subway Boy he's having A Time.

[Part I] [Part II] [Part III]

Summary: Ingo is tired. Emmet frets.

***

‘I love you as well. I will be home soon.’ 

‘Promise?’

‘Promise.’

Emmet stared at the text exchange for the fifth time since he had woken up from yet another one of his naps. They were probably naps, at least. If Ingo were here he would have called them his bouts of lost consciousness. Which would have been rude. Hypothetical Ingo was verrry rude. 

“Mm. I think I am derailing,” Emmet said softly, earning chirps and coos from where Nugget and Archie had made a nest out of him. Galvantula fur and Archeops feathers were going to be in these blankets for months, no doubt. “Hypothetical Ingo was being very mean to me.” 

Luxa chimed softly, Emmet tilting his head to the side to see the tea that was floating beside him. Emmet made a face, but he took it and managed to down some of it, at least. He then entered a coughing fit that had him doubled over with frantic pokemon fretting around him. 

Once he downed the rest of the tea and used a half dozen more tissues (saved for later because Ingo had taken their darling trash baby in with them), Emmet collapsed on the couch and glared up at the ceiling. “I should have made Ingo stay home to suffer with me.” 

Plus he missed his brother. Ah, but then, Ingo was already worried enough with how he was. Emmet proving he was fine to be left on his own would be a weight off Ingo’s mind. One of them really did need to be there today, as well, considering the tunnel inspections. 

Still. His sneezing had turned into coughing which had then turned into blowing his nose and while Emmet wasn’t precisely a germaphobe, being surrounded by snot-filled tissues was not his idea of a good time.

‘You are verrry mean.’ Emmet didn’t bother fighting autocorrect this time, instead sending a slew of angry emojis. ‘There are too many tissues! You should have left me Baby today!’ Their Garbordor would be a blessing right now. 

Ingo didn’t respond, which was a little upsetting until he realized that he was probably in the middle of a battle and couldn’t respond. Emmet sent a few more emojis to make sure his xtrans kept buzzing and possibly irritating him. It was a little petty, but if he was confronted he could blame his fever. 

Sadly, that seemed to be his schedule for the next few hours. He would drift off, wake up and drink some tea or water, maybe try to eat something, create more disgusting tissues, and then text his brother. 

It was right around the time Ingo should be in their office with lunch that Emmet got fed up with the silence and called. Something in him that he hadn’t even realized was coiled up and tense immediately relaxed once the call was answered, “My deepest apologies for not responding to you sooner!”

“I can’t believe you would abandon your twin brother like this! Verrry mean, Ingo,” Emmet pouted, trying to hide his smile and knowing he was failing. Going by Ingo’s own little quirked up smile, he knew Emmet was being dramatic.

“As I said, my deepest apologies. I had wrongly assumed my twin was an adult and no longer needed his big brother to baby him-”

“You are seventeen minutes older!” The booming laugh he could hear echo around the tunnels even over the call had Emmet huffing and- Wait. Tunnels. “You are not in our office.”

He watched as Ingo looked confused, surprised, and then absolutely exhausted. “Ah. Well. It seems you are not the only one who was unable to reach their station today. Quite a few of our agents — and backup agents — called out sick. I can only assume the virus you obtained has been circling Gear Station.”

“No chance some of them were just busy and will be in late?” Emmet asked, moving to sit up and then doubling over into a coughing fit that had at least three of their pokemon crowded around him and fretting. “I- I am Emmet. I am fine.”

Twisting to adjust and focus back in on his xtrans, Emmet saw Ingo’s worried look and cut him off the second he opened his mouth, “No. I am Emmet. You are Ingo. One of us must be there. Especially if people are calling out. How many?” Oh. That was not a good look. “How bad?”

“Isadore called out.” Ah. Isadore was one of their hardest workers and in his world calling out sick was unacceptable and grounds to be hung without trial. “We are working at a severely reduced capacity and all of the battle lines have been shut down for the day.”

Ah. That was not pleasant. “Maybe I should come in. If it is this bad you will need help. Evening commuters will not be pleased with closed or reduced lines.” 

Ingo stared at him before raising his voice. It was not needed, in Emmet’s opinion. “Luxa, darling?” Ah. He was going to be betrayed. “Has Emmet’s fever gone down?” Luxa, the absolute traitor, floated into view of the camera and made it to where her flames grew brighter and taller and that traitor- “Your fever has gone up?! I am coming home. We are taking you to the doctor-”

“I’m fine! We do not need to go to the doctor and you do not need to come home!” Emmet did not feel his best, certainly, and he was absolutely certain if he left his blanket nest he would die, but it was a fever. He would recover. Gear Station was much more delicate. “Ingo. I am okay.”

“Emmet… I don’t- I don’t want this to be- Not again.” Ahh… that was why Ingo had been so worried, today.

“Ingo,” Emmet said firmly, making sure to meet his brother’s gaze. “I am Emmet. I am okay. I know my limits.” Emmet didn’t often think back to when they were children and he had gotten verrry sick. “If I get worse, then I will go. Luxa knows where my limits are. She will alert you.”

Luxa chimed in agreement. She had been the first to alert their parents in the middle of the night, after all, when Emmet had gained a fever that had reached 108 by the time they arrived at the hospital. Emmet’s immune system had not been good when they were children. But that was then. This was now. He was okay.

“Just… please tell me if it gets worse.” Ah, what a worrier. “I am not a worrier!”

“You are. Truth is important, Ingo,” Emmet teased, relaxing at hearing Ingo’s snort. “Why are you in the tunnels?” Actually… “How are you talking to me in the tunnels?”

“I have stationed myself at the entrance to the Blue Line tunnels until our conversation has concluded so we do not lose connection. Unfortunately, with our lack of staff today, we are having to split up to cover the inspections.” 

Oh, Emmet did not like that. “You are getting dangerously close to failing your safety checks, brother.” As a rule, tunnel inspections were done in pairs for safety reasons. One person would always be back in the control room, as well, to keep in contact with the pair and make certain that the lines were closed and the third rail in that area shut down. “Someone is monitoring?” 

“The only thing we managed,” Ingo sighed, Emmet hating more than anything that today of all days he had to get sick. “We are… severely understaffed. Tomorrow should be better as we have sent in aid requests to City Hall, who will find us some more engineers and conductors to run the trains tomorrow. Still. We cannot leave these tunnel inspections until then. Especially the Blue Line.”

Especially? Emmet tilted his head in confusion, his xtrans no doubt picking up the motion since Ingo gave another tired sigh. “There have been reports of erratic blue lights within the tunnel. Those who witnessed it said it did not look like any sort of ghost or illusion pokemon, but it is still prudent to check.”

“You will be careful.” Emmet made sure to not let it be a question. Even as scrambled and tired and sweaty as he felt, Emmet tried to make himself seem as firm as possible. He was not about to let either of them slack on their safety checks. “Radio?” 

“Check.”

“Pokemon?”

“Check.”

“Flashlight?”

“Check.”

“Charging status?”

“Complete and replaced.”

“Monitor?” 

“On standby and waiting.” 

Emmet stared Ingo down for a moment before nodding, relaxing back and then pausing as he heard a quiet laugh followed by, “Water?”

“Wha- Ah.” Emmet looked around him. “Check.”

“Medicine?”

“Next dose in twenty-seven minutes and on standby.”

“Food?”

“Soup one hour and thirty-two minutes ago.” 

“Temperature?”

“Increase of two degrees, but holding steady.”

“Pokemon?”

Emmet opened his mouth and then paused as Luxa and Nugget crowded into screen, Emmet laughing at the same time as he heard Ingo. “Check. Satisfied?”

“Much. I will now be heading into the tunnels — and yes, I will eat something upon returning as well as call you. Please follow all your safety checks and rest well.”

“As long as you follow your safety checks as well,” Emmet said promptly, going to end the call before he paused. His thoughts were swimming from his fever, but something felt- Hm. He wasn’t sure. “Ingo?” Waiting until it seemed like Ingo was focused back on him, Emmet squirmed before saying a soft, “I love you.”

Ingo looked surprised for a moment before that quirked smile of his showed up, Emmet relaxing at the sight. “I love you, too, Emmet. I will see you soon.” 

The text exchange from earlier floated through his mind and Emmet echoed it without even thinking, “Promise?”

“Promise.” The call ended and Emmet stared at the blank screen before Nugget started fussing and trying to get him wrapped up even more in his blankets. Archie didn’t help when he moved to fuss and preen at his hair.

The ridiculous actions of their pokemon at least had him smiling again, shaking off his worries. He was sick and Ingo was miserable at work. Things would be better once Ingo was home.

…right?