Theme 42 – We are equals on this ground

They're both idiots, really.

I've called Brother a dummy to his face and he doesn't really seem to mind, but I think part of that is that we're brothers and he knows I love him anyway. I wouldn't dare tell Winry that to her face. Armor is pretty convenient sometimes, but still, I don't want to experiment with what a wrench could do to it.

It's true, though. Look at some of the scrapes Winry has gotten into. Look at any of the scrapes Brother has gotten into. Neither of them thinks first, you know? They just go for it, which is what makes them special, I suppose. Except it's also what makes them hard to live with sometimes. And hard not to laugh at, other times.

And look at the way they bicker. Every time we visit for maintenance, it's the same old thing. Granny and I have thought about writing it down on cue cards to flash at them sometime when they start fighting, just to tease.

He broke her spectacular new automail, which she just installed last month.

She's too attached to the automail anyway.

He's the one literally attached to it, so he should take better care of it.

She's the mechanic, not him.

He should pay better attention to her warnings, then.

She's going to be up a financial creek someday when he gets his body back and doesn't need automail anymore.

He's going to take a lot longer to find a way if he keeps transmuting his automail all out of shape.

It's called a field repair.

It's called warping her precious babies into scrap metal.

Automail geek.

Alchemy geek.

And that's the point where the argument always stops, when they look at each other and realize that it's a case of pot calling the kettle black. They're both geeks. Completely obsessive over the things they love, whatever those things might be. Equals on this ground.

Usually they make disgruntled noises then, and look pointedly away from each other, and she goes back to fixing his arm, and they're kind of civil for a while. It's a nice break from the usual squabbling. I can get some peace and quiet, maybe go outside to play with Den, without worrying about keeping Brother's skull in one piece.

They really are hopeless, but you can't help loving them in spite of it.

Or even for it. You know?