Tonight had been a complete disaster, but Justin wasn't really all that disappointed. He wasn't happy that his sister's night had been so thoroughly ruined, but he had to admit that watching the award show fall to pieces felt oddly satisfying, like he was somehow being vindicated.
How could she be Wizard of the Year? How could she be back in the competition? How could she do this without him? He had spent his entire life looking after her, protecting her, and now she was everybody's hero. It just wasn't fair.
He was supposed to be the family wizard. He studied and worked himself to the bone, learning every spell he possibly could; but then he'd heard his father say something about doing the most with the least and he knew he was screwed. His magic was honed and trained, while hers was rough and unpolished, but she still won. She was nothing if not creative, and using that nearby flower to transport herself had been nothing short of genius; but it should've been him. He had trained his whole life for it, and dammit it should've been him. Now she was back in the competition, in perfect position to beat him again.
He was supposed to be the famous one. Monster hunters saved lives everyday, but all anyone wanted to talk about was Alex saving the world. She hadn't even really done anything but show up. He had turned the moral compass back to good, and Rosie had been the one to convince him, but no one wanted a picture with either of them.
So when he sees her in the lair with her head in her hands, having the nerve to look frustrated, something inside him snaps. Usually he would say something comforting, but now he spun on his heel towards the door, attempting to stop himself from exploding at her.
She must have heard him, because her head snaps up.
"Justin? What are you doing up?"
He considers just continuing with his exit strategy, but he doesn't. There's a part of him that wants this confrontation, to scream at her and let her know how angry he is. So he turns around to face her, knowing it's a mistake but doing it anyway.
He shrugs. "Couldn't sleep."
He doesn't bother too ask her why she's up, or move to sit beside her.
She notices his standoffishness. "Are you okay? You've been weird all day."
"Since when do you care if I'm okay?"
She looks taken aback and it just pisses him off even more.
Her shock morphs into a fury that can only be unlocked by a night like hers before he can continue with what was supposed to be his long awaited righteous anger riff.
She stands, her back rigid and her jaw set.
"Since when are you such an ass? Not only did your little video show all the maturity of a disappointed three year old, you acted like the idea of me winning the award was the craziest thing you'd ever heard, like I'd never done anything important in my entire life! I saved the world and you, Justin."
He scoffs. "Really, Alex? What did you really do? You tried and failed to convince me to leave with you, and then Rosie told me she loved me, making me turn the compass back to good. You didn't save anyone!"
Her voice took on an eerie quality as she spoke. "What about Tina, huh? What about that little girl you were getting ready to kill? You think you could've come back from that? I still have nightmares about what happened to Stevie, and that was an accident. Maybe I didn't save the world, but I sure as hell saved you."
Not wanting to deal with that part of her argument, he clings to what she said about Stevie. "Yes, because you were so broken up about that."
She shook her head in disbelief. "What was I supposed to do Justin? I wasn't even the one who did it, Max was. The only thing freaking out would've accomplished was make him realize what he'd done. I acted like it was no big deal because I didn't know what else to do."
He has a hard time shaking that off, because isn't that just so classically Alex? Pretending she didn't care was kind of her default.
They just stand there for a minute in silence, watching each other.
He's not ready to let this fight slip through his fingers yet. He can see her eyes starting to soften and her shoulders slowly relax. She thinks the fight's over, but it's not, it can't be.
He starts in again, knowing the moment has passed and not caring. "You didn't deserve it. You do one good thing and your Wizard of the Year? You didn't work for it, you didn't want it, and you didn't deserve it."
His voice was calm, but he hit the mark. Her eyes flash dangerously.
"And you did? Let's talk about just how easily you went to the dark side, shall we? You had not one but two chances to snap out of it and you just kept going. You stole the moral compass, you were about to kill Tina, and for what? To be with Rosie? I was under the same influence as you were, and I stayed good. It would've been just as easy for me to go evil but I didn't."
He's not sure when it happened, but they've moved across the room and his back is pressed tightly against the wall. She just keeps talking.
"Now let's look at the good things you've done. You teach the delinquent class, to get back in the competition. You help around the house, to get credit from mom and dad. You see where I'm going with this? Most of the good things you do, you do for yourself, because it looks good."
He doesn't know what to say, because she's right, but it doesn't matter because she's still not done.
"I've spent my whole life with people telling me to be more like you. Do you know how much that hurts? To know your own parents wish you were someone else? Now I'm finally getting by on my own and you can't handle it."
Her shoulders slump and her anger fades.
"I never thought I'd have to put you on the list of people that let me down."
And for a second he feels like he can't breathe, because those few little sad words hurt more than the screaming match they just had. They hurt more than anything ever has.
Without conscious thought, they're hugging, clinging to each other for comfort. It doesn't make much sense, after all they're the one's that just tore each other to pieces, but it's always been this way with them.
She's sobbing, and he's mumbling into her hair that he's so, so sorry over and over again, because he was wrong and she's perfect and did he mention he's really fucking sorry?
She just tightens her hold on him, feeling like it's the only way she'll be able to breathe again. It's not all better but it's getting there, and maybe it's okay to be a little broken as long as they have each other.