“Fix it!”
“Words to live by. You know how dad is, don’t you? He’s tough, he’s adamant, and he always thinks that with the right tools and right amount of time, you can fix anything.”
“And, honestly, I think he’s right. Mostly, anyway.”
“Our actions always had consequences, even as children. Do you remember when we broke one of mom’s favorite plates? We were playing inside, we weren’t supposed to, but we made our decisions at the door without thinking about ramifications. I can’t remember who did it, I don’t think I care to.”
“But we shattered that ceramic right there on the kitchen floor.”
“I was terrified, she loved that plate, Joey. We tried to hide what we did at first but, of course, mom and dad noticed something was amiss.”
“And when they found the plate, well, dad didn’t beat us.”
“He told us to fix it.”
“With a little glue and some time, we pieced mom’s plate back together. We fixed it.”
“Almost.”
“Because even though the plate was back in one piece, there were still the hairline cracks all along its surface. We fixed it, but it would never truly be the same.”
“It was scarred up, a permanent reminder of the consequences of our actions across it’s face. Sound familiar, Joey?”
“At dinner dad let us know he knew everything, didn’t he? He watched us slam each other halfway across the dining room because you and I needed to not try and hide what we’ve been through. All the bitterness, the resentment, he made us reveal it to the world and once we admitted what we did?”
“Well, he told us to fix it.”
“And I think we can.”
“But just like that plate, we’ll never truly be the same as we were, will we?”
“Look at us. Covered in scars, bruises, our flesh an everlasting reminder of the hell we’d been through. No matter what you and I do to one another to try and settle this, we’ll never be able to go back to what we once were. No amount of tears or glue could mend the hairline fractures that will always be there between us.”
“You’re my brother, I love you, and I know that dad’s right. If we have the time and the tools, we can fix our rift. We’ll never be the same, but sometimes those little reminders? The leftover remembrance of our actions? It makes the thing you fixed that much more special.”
“So, let’s fix it. Only, we don’t have the usual tools for this, do it? As far as I can see, we only have our fists and our rage.”
“And if that’s all we have to use, then let’s use them?”
“At Invasion I’m going to beat you bloody, Joey. All that anger and frustration leaving my body in a flurry as I drop you to the mat over and over again.”
“Nobody’s above the Law, bro.”
“And since we’re not under dad’s roof?”
“I am the Law.”