Disclaimer: Legendarily Quiet does not own Fullmetal Alchemist.

"Oh, come on."

His voice is laced with irritation, and I hiccup as I try to stop my tears. He's standing over me, arms crossed and eyes hard. It doesn't take a genius to know that he's less than proud of my behaviour right now.

"Oh, for the love of – you're such a big baby!" He throws his hands up, exasperated. "I didn't even hit you that hard!"

I rub at my arm pathetically. "It still hurts," I mumble through my tears. "I didn't even do anything to you . . ."

He sighs loudly and runs a hand down his face, then plops down onto the grass beside me. "I didn't do it to hurt you," he says, voice strained as if he's explaining a joke that I should've gotten. "It wasn't supposed to hurt. Guys do it all the time, you know?"

I sniff loudly and swipe at my eyes with my sleeve. "But why?" I ask. "Why would you do it to me?"

He turns slightly and gives me a look, and even though he's the one in the wrong, I flush with embarrassment and look down at my feet in shame. I wiggle my bare toes in the grass and see him shake his head out of the corner of my eye.

In a resigned voice, he says, "You don't really expect me to answer that, do you?"

I don't, and neither do I want him to. I shrug my shoulders half-heartedly and he sighs again.

"I was trying to – you know, include you. You're always going on about how I never treat you like a big kid, but the one time I do, you go and cry like a baby."

"You can include me in different ways," I say defensively, yet a sinking feeling appears in my gut as the realization hits me.

He voices it for me. "If you can't even handle one little punch, how can you expect to do big kid things with me and my friends?"

A wave of fresh tears comes forth, and I wail as I bury my face in my bent knees.

My brother strikes the final blow. "You're still a big baby," he says, and there's a tone of finality in his voice that lets me know that he will never let me come with him again. I'll have to stay home and help Mom pick tomatoes while he goes off with his friends and has all sorts of adventures. They'll laugh at me behind my back and my brother will never play with me again–

"But that's not such a bad thing."

A warm hand comes to rest on my head, and fingers thread through my hair. I lift up my head and turn to see him smiling softly at me. "After all," he says, "what's the point of being a big brother if I don't have a baby brother to protect?"

His tone is slightly teasing, but he's smiling in that way he does when he's about to give me chocolate, or teach me something that 'all big brothers teach their little brothers,' and it makes me feel all warm inside.

"I'm not a baby," I say automatically, and he laughs softly.

"Yes, you are," he says.

He gives my head a final pat and stands up, brushing off his clothes. His eyes are shining in that way they do when he's really proud about something, and they still keep that shine when he looks towards me. I wipe my eyes for the last time and grab the hand that he extends. My arm barely hurts anymore, and I tell him so as we set off down the hill together.

"That's good," he says, face thoughtful. "Very good." We're almost to the bottom of the hill when he turns towards me and says, "You won't tell Mom, right?"

I almost smile at the leverage I have over him, but I'm a good little brother, so I keep my face straight. "Only if you promise to let me come with you when you go out with your friends," I say.

"Tch. I let you come with me today, didn't I?" He reaches over to rub my head and I duck away, laughing. He smiles back at me and my heart soars with his next words. "We're going down to the river after school tomorrow. Are you in?"

It's not a promise, but I'm more than happy with it and I nod quickly, moving to latch onto his arm. "Yes! Thank you so much, Big Brother!"

"Ah, don't mention it." He tries to shake me off, but his attempts are half-hearted and I hold his hand all the way home.

Even though it makes me look like a big baby.

L.Q: This is based off a true story, you know.

Lest: Huh? But didn't you just walk away and let your sister cry–

L.Q: Shh! She was crying for no reason. I didn't even push her that hard . . .