(Originally written as a request on Tumblr)
It was getting to be too much. The subway needed her master. The agents needed their boss.
Ingo needed his brother.
Piles of paper work sat in his home office, neglected in favor of news clippings and articles on other people that had seemingly disappeared into thin air. Empty paper cups sat in select place, mainly around his computer where he spent most of his free time.
It had been a month. Emmet had left to get coffee for the both of them and never returned. He didn’t answer any of the calls from Ingo. His phone was later found on the street, the screen shattered and flickering an image of the twins as children. Both sported smiles with crooked teeth and telltale gaps. No one had seen where it’s owner had gone.
Police investigations turned up nothing. Elesa’s social network kept an eye out but had seen nothing so far. Ingo spent his days off putting missing posters and asking every passerby who would listen if they had seen his baby brother. No one had.
Ingo reached for a cup and brought it to his lips. His eyes were glued to the to the words that scrolled up the screen. He paused realizing the cup had long been empty.
A deep sigh left him as he looked around the office. He had once been so meticulous about it’s upkeep. It needed to be tidy and everything had to be in it’s proper place. He had no time for that now. Not when his brother was probably out there alone and fighting for his life.
A hand reached down and opened the lower most drawer of his desk. A bottle of amber liquid was retrieved. The previously empty cup was filled with the strong smelling substance. Ingo winced from the burn that traveled down his throat as he took the first swig of liquor.
He looked back to the screen. As he read the words, Ingo’s mind began to drift. He couldn’t find his brother. His baby brother was probably in danger and all he could do was surf the web.
Ingo’s jaw tensed. A proper elder brother would not have let this happen. He was supposed to look after Emmet. He was the oldest. He was the responsible one. The reliable one.
Then why the hell wasn’t he reliable enough to find Emmet?
Ingo’s head fell to the desk. His arms draped over his head as he sobbed into the papers. Guilt and doubt dug their claws into his soul.
He just wanted his brother back.
–
“Hey!” Emmet wrestled his hat from the sneasel kit that had seen fit to use it for teething. It cheeped and yowled at him as the beloved hat was taken away.
“That is not a safe chew toy.” Emmet held the hat in one hand while scooping the kit up with the other. “Back to bed. Little kits need their rest.”
The kit was deposited gently back into its nest with it’s siblings. The lost treasure was quickly forgotten in favor of the warm nap pile that had been formed.
Emmet watched the kits cuddle for a moment with a soft smile before turning his attention to his hat. There was now a new hole to compliment the ones that were already there. His eyes settled on the strange badge on the front. It’s visage always made him feel strange. While he was aware that he did not remember much, the blue and white badge always made him feel like there was one verrry important thing escaping him.
Emmet’s thoughts dispersed at the sound of footsteps. Lady Sneasler crept in with the results of her recent hunting trip. Emmet placed the hat on his head and adjusted it. His thoughts could be entertained later.
He had Warden duties to attend to.