▵ Monochrome Introspection ▾ | Submas Oneshot

▵ Monochrome Introspection ▾

Ever since they were born, they had always looked the same. Even their interests had followed the same straight line, from trains to pokemon battles, and they had never once felt the need to split up. In reality, they could be one and the same. It was clear that others had difficulty telling one from the other, despite their differences in emotional expression. To them, they were just two parts functioning as one, not individual human beings. And with him being the oldest, Emmet was reduced to 'Not Ingo'

He could not bear the thought that Emmet would forever be nothing but his shadow.

This is why he had felt the need to become more different, to create a distinction between them that surpassed the expressions on their faces, since he could not bear his brother being reduced to merely his copy. Emmet had been the first to suggest it, the monochromatic inversion, at 11 years of age.

"Maybe if we colourcode ourselves, like train lines do so passengers will not get lost on their journey, they'll remember us!"

"That is a great idea, Emmet, bravo!" He had clapped his hands together gleefully, and Emmet only smiled at his enthusiasm. Now came the question of who got which colour assigned to them. To Ingo the answer had been clear. "I'll be the black one." Because if he blended in the darkness, it meant Emmet could shine and never be just his shadow, so he would gladly take the impurity associated with the black. And so he had been bestowed his first black coat, and the rift between them had been formed.

Over the years, more and more differences had snuck their way into their dynamic and the rift between them grew wider and wider. They still looked the same, physically, but it seemed the colour association had worked to separate them in their eyes. The constant dark and gloomy clothing had done no good for Ingo, as he already had an unapproachable face on its own, and people tended to keep their distance from him. 

Emmet, on the other hand, only had his colour and permanent smile work in his favour, and people actually struck conversation with him on the rare occurrences Ingo was not right by his side. Sometimes Ingo would make an excuse to leave for a bit, to give his brother a chance to get to know others besides him. He would not wish for his intimidating appearance to hinder Emmet in making friends. Whenever he returned, Emmet was in conversation with someone he had not seen before, but the other never seemed too content and took Ingo's return as an invitation to leave. Emmet would then relay their conversation to him, talking about how he had challenged the other to a pokemon battle and absolutely crushed them. What he did, what he said, always the same.

"They weren't taking it seriously, so it was no fun.", he would say "I am Emmet, and I like battling with Ingo more, because he is a verrrrry strong trainer and my dearest brother." It was a touching notion, really, but sometimes Ingo wished he was not between his brother and him making friends.
Emmet stayed by his side, scaring away near everyone that tried to befriend him. Despite their differences, that always stayed the same, so it remained Ingo and Emmet against the world.

Monochrome against the colour of the outside world, perhaps outdated but just as charming.

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Ever since they were born, they had always been so different.

Sure, their appearances were almost exactly the same, but even from birth they were different. Differences created rifts, rifts created separation and that tore people apart. He did not want to be torn from his brother's side. So from the moment he was conscious of these facts, he tried to cover up their differences like they were ugly scars. He tried to avoid his left handedness by exclusively using his right, if only to be more like his brother, but that eventually got him more trouble than it was worth. He had to give up on it.

He tried frowning more, but he found himself unable to keep that expression for long, and Ingo would only look at him with confusion and ask him what was wrong. Nothing was wrong! Couldn't he understand that he was doing it for the two of them? But it was another failure, because he could not be Ingo and Ingo could not be him. They could not be the same.

His next best option was making them a set of opposites instead of the carbon copies they could not be, like a distorted mirror image. That way they were still connected, despite their differences. He had found them coats in black and white, and Ingo had gone along with his plan almost immediately, stating he'd like the black one. That was fine, Emmet preferred the light colour anyway, because if he could shine then Ingo would never lose his way to him when he blended into his darkness, and others would never think to steal him away. And so he had been bestowed his first white coat, and the bond between them had been tightened again.

Whenever he was alone because Ingo had forgotten something, people would approach him to make conversation and befriend him. He had seen the way they all looked at Ingo like he was some intimidating monster, so he was not interested in their company. They were a package deal, Ingo and Emmet, and he would not have it any other way. He quickly shot those poor attempts down, challenging them to a battle instead. They were always so pathetically weak, the battle ending before it truly began, and they would flee with their tail between their legs when Ingo returned. What they did, what they said, always the same. How verrrrry boring.

When Ingo then asked what had passed, he would retell the tale, making sure to mention how he loved battling Ingo just so much more. Ingo never gave him more than a blank stare in return, but Emmet could see that he was touched, if not slightly judgemental at his aggressive approach. He did not care, because as long as he never scared Ingo away, it would all be fine.

He was Emmet and he did not need other friends, as long as he had Ingo he'd be alright. He didn't know what he'd do if the two of them ever grew apart, and he hoped he'd never had to find out.

A two-car train should not be separated, lest they lose their way on the track.

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They were Ingo and Emmet, and despite being so very similar, they were different too. Two sides of the same coin, incomplete without each other. Yin and Yang, perfect balance, unstable without their counterpart. Whenever you saw one, the other was never far behind.

They were most in their element on the Multi Train, mirroring each other's moves and completing each other's commands. The way they battled, synchronised as if reading each other's minds, almost always resulting in victory. They worked together, and while they were individually challenging to beat, together they were unstoppable.

They were Ingo and Emmet, and while they were both their own person, there was an inseparable bond between them that no distance could ever break. They would always find their way back to each other, because they were Ingo and Emmet, and they were a two-car train.