Work Text:
A matter of turning evil
"I'm home!" Wyatt shouted and dropped his coat over the couch. Silence only answered him. The apartment he shared with his brother wasn’t that big, so he called again: “Hey Chris!”
“In the bedroom!” the reply finally came.
Wyatt headed straight there. Chris was standing in front of a miror, dressed up in a nice sweater and jeans. He had even arranged his hair, though hadn't shaved, leaving his six o’clock chin add to his rugged charm.
"Going out tonight?" Wyatt asked. Chris gave himself one last look and glanced at his brother.
"Yeah."
"Who is the lucky girl? Do I know her?"
Chris shrugged.
"Don't think so."
He left it at that. Wyatt wasn't surprised per say -his brother could be very secretive when he wanted to -but he usually shared details about his dates, even the minimum (like, a name, the degree of hotness, where they met, her age...). His silence meant two things: either he really liked that girl, or she was not someone the family would approve of.
He edged on the latter.
"Where are you going?"
"Some club downtown.”
“Do you have a fake ID?”
His brother shot him a glare.
“I’m twenty-two, Wy. Don't worry; I'll let you know if I spend the night out."
He raised an eyebrow. Chris didn't even blush.
"That serious eh?" His brother shrugged again, but there was definitively an uncharacteristic softness in his eyes.
"Early days," he replied nonchalantly, although it felt nothing like an 'early days' situation. "See you later."
And upon these words, he left the room, the apartment, and Wyatt behind.
"I think Chris is in love."
Since there was no-one to keep him company tonight, Wyatt had elected to invite himself at his parents' manor. His mother was always happy to add an extra plate for him, especially since Leo and Melinda had left for some father-daughter bonding time. She was stirring the pot over the heater when he spoke up. He hadn't intended to, at first, but Chris' mystery girl weighted on his mind. Piper raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised.
"Really?"
"He won't talk about her though. I think she's a demon."
Piper's frown deepened.
"He said nothing at all? That's not good."
Wyatt blinked at her.
"I just said I thought she might be a demon."
"So? He dated demons before."
...that was true. Laetha had been a low-rank half-human half-demon he had met at a bar. They had only stayed together for a few months before parting in good terms, but Wyatt had glanced over his shoulder for a while, in case she decided to embrace her demonic side and attack. She hadn’t in the end and moved to Europe.
"Aren't you even a little bit worried?" he asked next, a little irritated by his mother's apparent laid-back attitude.
"Of course I am, but I raised you both to defend yourself, and Chris isn't stupid."
True and true, but a small voice taunted Wyatt that if he had been the one dating a demon, his mother wouldn't have reacted the same. His parents never played favorite, always tried to be equal in treatment and favors and always showered them with true, genuine love. But as they grew up, Wyatt began to notice that they tended to be a little more permissive towards his younger brother. Chris was a history nerd, interested in every aspect of it -the beginning, the light part, the dark part...and when his interest had led him to sneak into the Underworld...his parents hadn't put up a fuss. Or rather, they hadn't grounded him as badly as Wyatt expected them to. A slap on the wrist at worse, and the promise that he would tell whenever he decided to pay a visit to the demon realm. Wyatt was even given permission to accompany him, to keep an eye out. But if Wyatt had been the one to sneak out...it wouldn't have ended the same.
They treated them differently, even though they tried not to. For some reason, Chris was always considered to be the reliable one, given more leeway, given more trust. And it bothered him, because hadn't he proven to be trustworthy too? Chris was the younger brother, and yet-
"You're not worried he will turn evil?"
His mother gave him a startled look, as if the thought never occurred to her. And it seriously annoyed him. They both had the Talk about responsibilities and the importance of managing their powers. However, he always had that feeling that those talks were meant for him. Yes, he was powerful -far more than Chris, who had developed an inferiority complex from it- but Chris was powerful too compared to most witches.
"Look," he said, the urge to express himself topping the need to consider his mother's feelings. "I get it. You trust Chris. He's responsible, he's smart, yadda yadda -but he's not invincible. What makes you think nothing will happen? I mean, you all turned evil at some point in your life, why aren't you more worried that his fascination for demons and the underworld will push him to make an unhappy decision? You always let him get away with it. Unless I've missed a memo saying 'Chris will never turn evil', I'd like to know why."
He thought his words would irritate her. He thought he was setting himself up for an evening of arguments and rows with his beloved mother.
He did not expect the guilty look on her face.
"I'm sorry Wyatt," she replied softly. "I didn't realize we were- that you felt it this way. Does Chris feel the same?" Wyatt shrugged. He thought Chris had noted the difference in behavior, though he never took advantage of it. That was one of the reasons the situation remained bearable. "I see." Her voice trailed off. "I guess we do trust that Chris won't turn anytime soon because of that event. It's a long story," she added before he could inquire. "One that I should -we should, your father and I -have told you a long time ago. But not tonight, alright?"
He considered her words, considered her genially trouble expression. Whatever she was thinking of weighted on her mind. He was annoyed yes, but not annoyed enough to make her pay for it.
"You don't look surprised that he might date a demon," he eventually said. "Might enlightening me about this?"
This time, a normal grimace grew on her face.
"Well that's one of the things I was hoping would change," she said somehow enigmatically. "But if it happens, well I only want him to be happy."
And Wyatt had to be content with that.
It’s not that late when he returned to his apartment, and he wasn’t really tired. Instead, he got more intrigued throughout the evening. He picked up a crystal and began scrying. The crystal landed on a club downtown, and he decided to just go and try to catch a glimpse of that elusive girl of his.
It took him a few moments, but eventually, he managed to spot him. Or rather them. Chris was on the floor, standing behind a woman, his hands on her hips and swinging with her in rhythm with the beat. Said woman was leaning back against him, looking entirely relaxed -trusting -and because of that trusting expression, it took him a few moments to recognize her. Their one and only meeting had occurred a few months back, when they had mistakenly assumed she was being attacked by demons. He remembered attempting to step in, but before having the time to actually do anything, the demon was vanquished and she had stared at them for a good ten seconds in silence before shimmering away. And he also remembered the look on Chris' face -like someone had just slapped him.
'No wonder why he wouldn't tell me,' Wyatt thought, and suddenly his brother's latest more-than-secretive behavior made a lot more sense. He had been sneaking out for hours, had been doing research, building 'demonic connections' as he called it. Bullshit, he was just running after that girl.
The assassin stepped out of Chris' arms, turned around and told him something. Chris barely reacted with more than a nod, but she took his hand and guided him off the dance floor. A brief second later, Wyatt had lost them in the crowd.
Oh well, he thought. He had come and seen what he wanted to see. As his mother said, he could trust his brother to care for himself. True enough, the moment he orbed back to his apartment, his phone binged with the incoming arrival of a text.
"Spending the night out," Wyatt read out loud, and barked a laugh. "Least she's hot, lucky bastard."
Chris didn't turn up all morning. It wasn't until lunchtime that he finally showed his face -looking exhausted but very content.
"Rough night?" Wyatt asked while serving him coffee. His brother grunted, took a sip, but the smile on his face told him everything. "Spill.”
"Her name is Bianca."
Chris spoke her name softly, with a kind a reverence. He looked so genuinely taken that Wyatt would have been happy for him, had she not been, well, a freaking demon. He wondered if his brother would bring the matter up on his own.
"She a witch?" he hazarded.
"Half-witch, half-demon, but you already knew that."
Wyatt froze. His brother was now staring at him, not accusingly for a bit, but rather amused.
"I sensed you at the club last night," he admitted. "Bianca and I bailed out, although I suppose you left soon after."
"Sorry," he said, halfway meaning it. "I was just worried about...you know, being caught up in evil schemes and all."
"It's alright. I've been exploring the Underground far longer than you have. I'm not tempted in the least to become a demon."
"Not even for your girlfriend?"
Chris shrugged.
"It's different. She's half-witch too, and mostly neutral or gray. She hasn't been a hired assassin for the past year -took a few jobs but stopped after they tried to make her kill a child. I like her."
And that was when Wyatt realized he was actually really serious about her.
"You're inviting her to the next family diner?"
"Oh please,” Chris rolled his eyes. “I don't need mom and dad freaking out about this."
"When I talked to mom about it, I had the feeling she was expecting you to bring back a demon girlfriend."
Chris stared at him.
"You're shitting me. When?”
"Last night. Since you ditched me, I went over to the parents'." Wyatt took great pleasure at the startled look on his face. It wasn't often that he caught his brother off-guard. "I think she'd be alright with it. Not particularly thrilled, but as long as you are happy...same with me, by the way."
Chris stared down at his cup, looking suddenly pensive.
"I see," he merely said.
"Oh and mom and dad want to talk to us about something. We're invited for dinner tonight."
This time, he couldn't hold back a laugh at the positively disgruntled expression on his brother's face.
He wasn't laughing later that night. The tale of an alternative timeline, where he had taken over the world, killed half of his family, and tried to turn -and when failing, kill -his brother multiple times, made him feel sick. Chris had taken it in very stoically, his eyes barely blinking as their parents reluctantly narrated his tragic death at age twenty three. His only response to the tale was merely:
"That explains the nightmares."
And that sentence triggered another bunch of questions -this time coming from the parents (why didn't you tell us? since when?) and Wyatt didn't want to know, didn't want to hear more about the thousands of people he might have killed in another life in his quest for power. And thankfully, Chris managed to shift the subject with his unique master manipulation skills, until they were no longer talking about time-travelling but Piper’s new recipe for her lasagna.
And it wasn't until far later, when they returned to their shared apartment, that Wyatt had a revelation. Yes, his parents had indeed been watching him more closely than his brother and yes, they had given Chris more leeway and unconsciously trusted him more. Not because of blind faith, but because the worse scenario had already happened. Wyatt had already turned once, and Chris had been the one to travel through time to clean up his mess. Chris had never been tempted to turn from the beginning, so they wouldn't suspect him to turn evil now. Whereas Wyatt-
"I need to go," he said, and orbed away.
Chris found him an hour later at the top of the golden gate bridge, staring at the glimmering lights of the city. His head was pounding, as he contemplated the reasons why he could have turned. He knew he had been attacked many times as a baby. And now that he knew an Elder had been amongst the threats-
“I don’t want to talk,” Wyatt declared, deliberately ignoring him. Chris ignored him as well and sat right next to him.
“I came here for the view, asshole. Very scenic up there.”
Silence fell and for a long time, none of them spoke. In spite of his initial protest, Wyatt was glad his brother had joined him. He was a year older, barely, and yet he seemed so…older. Pah, he thought, if even he thought his brother to be the reliable one, his parents might be right to trust him more. Perhaps those nightmares he mentioned had made him grow faster. He hoped not. He had done enough damage as it was.
"Don't sweat it Wy. It wasn’t you."
He glanced sideways. Chris was staring straight ahead, a pensive look on his face, as he contemplated San Francisco.
“It wasn’t you. Not this you. What you’re thinking of, it won’t happen again. Alternative me stopped it.”
Wyatt snorted and shook his head.
“Alternative you, eh? How long have you been calling ‘you’ that?”
“Since I dreamt of mom’s death when I was fourteen.” He lost his smile. Chris glanced at him in turn. “You weren’t responsible by the way.” It didn’t really make him feel better. “If anything, it’s what stirred everything up. You acted to protect your family first. Then as you grew power, power corrupted you and you became…you changed.” He sighed. “It’s no use to think about it anymore, you’re not going to turn evil.”
“You don’t know that.”
Chris sighed again, rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.
“I think you’re a goof and a dick. I also think you’re the last person in this timeline who would want to hurt a fly if he can help it. Seriously Wyatt, don’t overthink it. You’re not him. But if it makes you feel better, I’ll just stop you with the power of love if it ever happens again.”
This time Wyatt barked a laugh, and realized something-
"And you kept to yourself this whole time since you were fourteen?" he asked incredulously.
But Chris merely shrugged.
“It sucked, but once I got the difference between dream and reality, I just ignored it. It helped that you weren’t a murderous psychopath and a pretty good brother this time around.”
His brother was usually quiet and reserved. He was also a manipulator and a skilled liar who could talk his way out of almost any situation. But when he spoke like this, in this soft tone and with that kind look on his face, Wyatt knew he was telling the truth. And he had to look away before he started crying.
"I'm home early!" Wyatt shouted and dropped his coat over the couch. Silence only answered him. The apartment he shared with his brother wasn’t that big, so he called again: “Hey Chr-”
He halted half-shout. There was a pair of women’s shoes mixed up with theirs, and a very lady-like coat on the hanger. And if he wasn’t mistaken-
Chris peeked out from his bedroom door. His hair was a mess, as if someone had ran their hands in them over and over. And he had no shirt on. Wyatt stared at his bare-chested brother, then at the shoes, and back at him.
“Oh, I didn’t realize you would bring back company in my absence.”
His brother flushed red. Wyatt grinned. He and Bianca had been going steady the past few months. Wyatt had met her a few times, and since she did too remember the past timeline -Chris theorized that only those who had travelled through time remembered -he had apologized for killing her. And things had gotten better since then.
He ducked Chris’s telekinetically thrown cushion, laughing at his brother's embarrassed face.
“I’m telling mom Bianca will be joining us for dinner tonight!” he announced proudly. Finally, she would get to meet this elusive demon that had caught her youngest son's heart. They still talked about her when they were alone, although Wyatt wasn't sure whom of Piper or Bianca was the most anxious to meet the other. Some matter about Bianca holding Piper at knife point some twenty odd years ago, letf unsolved. Dinner was promising to be very interesting.
“Fuck you!” Chris shouted, but there was no true heat in his words.
“Love you too little brother!” Wyatt replied, and orbed away.