I had this idea and wrote it during my Italian class. It's very short.
Alphonse loves his older brother. Truly. Without him he would be long dead. Even a half-life in a shell of armour is better than being dead. Away from his brother. He is used to people paying more attention to Edward han to him, because he is so brilliant. And Alphonse thinks his brother deserves every bit of it, and is sometimes not given his due. Because Alphonse admires his older brother.
But sometimes, there is, in Alphonse's heart, a tiny streak of jealousy.
Edward was always the best. Mum's favourite, because he looked like Dad. Alphonse looked more like her. She didn't need a mirror. She needed someone to remind her of her lost husband. And it was Ed, with his golden hair and alchemy. Even Teacher had a soft spot for him. Her eyes would soften when she looked at him.
He was the most clever, too. After all, he learnt to read on his own at three, then taught Al. It was he who calculated the formulae for their human transmutation. It was he who performed alchemy first.
He was even the most beautiful child. Huge golden eyes and pure gold hair. Al's was more yellow than gold, and his eyes were a duller sand color.
The Gate only took his leg, whereas it took all of Al's body. Even though Alphonse knows the Gate is not human, he still finds it disproportioned.
Edward is a genius. Alphonse is very talented, but he is nothing next to Edward. He can transmute without a circle, he passed the State Alchemsit exam at twelve. For all his brilliance, Alphonse is only an amateur next to Edward.
And that's why Alphonse is sometimes jealous of his brother.
But everytime he sits next to a hospital bed, next to Edward's limp form, and looks at his brother, battered and bruised from fights, automail connections, a wave of shame rolls over him. It's for him Edward does all this. And then Edward opens his eyes, and the first word he utters is his name, and Alphonse forgets to be jealous.
I know Al has gold hair in the manga, but I wanted to make him slightly different from Ed.