build me up

"I think maybe it's easier for you," said Nikol, except that he mumbled it.

Valid, however, was well used to years of listening to his brother communicate at different decibel levels than the rest of the world. If someday he'd need hearing aids to adjust to it, then that would be someday's project, but right now it might as well have been loud and clear.

"What's easier, Nikol?"

"Your arm," said Nikol, pointing with his own. "It's big and it's cool and it's futuristic-looking. I feel like my backpack is just too...complicated."

Well, wasn't that to be expected? His backpack had a few more functions than Valdi's golden arm, and pistons for two sides of a body, besides folding action and propeller moves.

"Masterpon didn't make it to look cool," was Valdi's obliging response. "It's whatever it needs to be to help me, just like your backpack is made to help you. And they're both made by Nopon, so I don't really think that's got anything to do with it."

So logical. So measured. So stably set to the task.

It wasn't as if Valdi himself was physically bigger than Nikol - much the opposite, in fact. They were both small, and Valdi was positively shrimpy.

But Nikol had binding to worry about, and poor posture caused by disability really didn't help him to stand straight and bulk up.

When Nikol stayed silent, Valdi added, "You're the best big brother I could ask for. Obviously."

(Nikol didn't question the ignorance of Crys. Crys had been a mysterious accident.)

"You don't think I'm sort of...wimpy?"

Valdi gasped. "Absolutely not! You carry that whole apparatus around all the time, and you're always looking out for me."

It was hard to tell, difficult to discern. But Valdi was right, demonstrably. After all, wasn't being just like Dad a pretty good goal to aspire to? And he was already half there.

"Dunno what I'd do without you."

"Well," Valdi replied brightly, "you'd still be pretty good."