#charmedau

Emeraude Toubia as Prue

Danielle Campbell as Piper

Abigail Cowen as Paige

Eva Green as Penelope/Grams

set in this au:

Michael’s never been so nervous about an assignment before. But that’s probably because he’s never been given such an important assignment before. Usually he takes care of future White Lighters or low level witches just learning to use their powers.

But these were not only the children of a Charmed One, but also the children of Jesse Manes, one of the most notoriously evil warlocks, who even the Source was rumoured to fear.

So yeah, he was nervous, but he knew what his strengths were, and he knew that he was chosen because he was the best at blending in and staying in character and the Elders really wanted to keep an eye on the Manes Brothers, without them actually knowing that they were being watched.

Michael takes a look at his reflection in the rearview mirror, and he looks just as terrified as he feels.

He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath trying to find his center, and calming himself down just like Max had taught him back when Michael had first become a White Lighter.

Once he feels more calm and less nervous, he gets out of his truck, making sure to grab his tool box.

Michael closes the door behind himself and looks up at the Manes Manor.

The architecture put it firmly somewhere in the early eighteen hundreds, and the mauve color of the wooden boards made it stand out even more in the neighborhood full of monotone colors.

Michael’s story was pretty easy to remember and to input. The Manes had several nosy neighbors, and Mrs. Karen Johnson, their next door neighbor had been heard complaining loudly about the fact that the boarded up windows at the Manes Manor hadn’t been fixed since they’d been broken almost a full week ago.

So Michael had decided that the best way to infiltrate was to pose as a handyman, after all, old Victorian Manors sometimes did need a lot of work done, if no one kept up with the upkeep, and something told Michael that the Manes were more concerned with other matters than their home falling around them.

Something which is proven when Michael gets closer and realizes that the door wasn’t left open, but was actually leaning against the door jamb, on it’s side.

Michael is trying really hard not to be judgemental here, but he’s surprised that they’re still alive at this point.

As he stops right by the edge of the welcome mat, covered in wood chips and what he’s pretty sure is green demon goo, and sets his tool box down, he can almost perfectly hear the argument going on inside.

“-should just admit that you have no idea what you’re actually doing,” one voice says, sounding very much on the edge of condescending.

“Just because you can’t do it, doesn’t mean that my patch job is bad,” another voice says sounding on edge.

There is silence for two seconds and then the sounds of wooden boards hitting the ground, along with the small metal sounds of nails falling.

“You were saying?” the first voice says.

Someone else scoffs, and then Michael hears footsteps.

Michael doesn’t bother hiding as the first brother appears, Flint, the middle one, walking out from where he thinks the living room is located and into the short hall that leads towards the front door, heading towards the stairs that lead up to the bedrooms.

But no one seems to notice him as his two brothers follow after him.

Gregory, the eldest and the tallest one of the three of them, is the one to speak next, “I agree with Alex. We should consider hiring someone.”

Michael clears his throat and takes a step closer to the entrance, but no one pays attention to him.

Flint stops right at the bottom of the stairs and gives Gregory a truly vicious look, “Of course you agree with Alex.”

Alex, who is the youngest brother, shares a look with Gregory and then obviously rolls his eyes, almost with his whole entire body, leaning back against the small table where an empty vase is located.

He’s the only one with his back to Michael, and yet, no one else notices that he’s standing right there.

“I’m just saying that your way didn’t work, maybe we should consider-”

“Dad always said that real men fix their own messes,” Flint interrupts.

Alex makes a truly impressive disgusted noise with his mouth, “Dad is also an evil bastard warlock who keeps sending demons to steal our powers, do you really want to keep listening to his advice?”

"Excuse-" Michael tries trying to interrupt them, but they keep talking over him.

Flint rolls his eyes with his whole body just like Alex did, “Just because you think he’s evil-”

“He’s sending demons after us to steal our powers,” Alex repeats.

Flint gives him an annoyed look, “Powers that we only have because of you.”

Alex pushes off the table then, making the vase rock alarmingly. "You're really still blaming me after the last demon confirmed that dad would've sent them after us anyway?"

Flint opens his mouth, but Alex cuts him off, before he can say a word.

"Do you want to be dead? Because that's what you'd be right now. Dead."

"I can't believe that you're willing to take a demon's word for it, when it's our dad-"

Alex scoffs, "Dad has wanted me dead our whole lives-"

Michael moves forward and knocks on the door, and he sees Alex twitch towards the sound, but at the same time Gregory speaks up, loudly.

"I think that maybe we should table this conversation for some other time," Gregory says speaking over his two brothers, who turn to face him. "And I also think that we should put it to a vote."

Flint and Alex just look at him expectantly.

"Should we call someone to look at the damage and give us an estimate so that we at least know how much money before deciding it costs too much and do it ourselves?" Gregory asks.

Flint scoffs, but doesn't move.

Alex raises his hand immediately, "I say we should."

"So do I," Gregory says, raising his own hand.

"Fine," Flint says, and turns around and stomps up the stairs.

Michael winces as the slamming of his bedroom door echoes loudly downstairs.

Alex and Gregory just look at each other.

"You make the call, I'll make the coffee," Gregory says, and turns around, heading towards the dining room and to the kitchen.

Alex just sighs and turns around and makes direct eye contact with Michael.

Michael feels very much like someone just punched him in the stomach and forced all of the air out of his lungs.

Michael had seen pictures of the three brothers to be able to tell who each one was and who had what power, but pictures really didn't do Alex Manes justice.

There was something magnetizing in his kohl lined gaze, and even though he was looking at Michael with suspicion, his gaze was so intense that Michael didn’t think he could look away, even if he wanted to.

Alex takes several steps forward which snaps Michael’s attention away from his face and down the rest of his body. The way his shoulders stretch out the thin fabric of his black t-shirt, and how thick his biceps look and down to how his black skinny jeans stretch across his thighs, and the flash of pale skin in the strategically placed rips.

Michael feels a stab of attraction low and hot in his belly and he thinks, oh, oh no.

“Can I help you?” Alex asks, sounding hostile, and Michael stares at him for a second longer, at the way he’s moved so that he’s right in the middle of the hall, but close enough to duck into the living room if Michael were inclined to attack.

Michael pulls himself out of the daze he’d fallen in, and lifts a hand and waves, "Hi. I've been trying to get your attention."

Alex gives him an expectant look like he expects Michael to explain why, so Michael does.

“I was fixing the back door for your neighbor, and she mentioned something about your windows, and I figured I might as well take a look since I don’t have any other jobs lined up for the next couple of hours.”

Alex looks him up and down for a second, taking in the toolbelt and the tool box that Michael had set down earlier.

“Which neighbor?” He acts like he’s testing Michael.

“Mrs. Johnson?” Michael responds, more like a question

Alex deflates at the answer, face losing all of it’s tension as he steps even closer, sending Michael a small, sheepish smile that almost sends Michael into a daze.

“Karen needs to mind her own business,” he says, sounding amused. “But since she has been dropping by with food and hints about knowing someone that would help, I’m not surprised she got tired of being ‘subtle’ and actually sent someone over.”

He does finger quotes around the word subtle, and Michael thinks that he maybe falls in love with him a little.

Michael shakes his head, and looks away from Alex. He hopes that this attraction thing is short lived, since he has a job to do, but a small part of him already knows that it’s not going to be as easy as that.

The only thing that he’s pinning his hopes on right now is that Alex is not interested and straight.

“Yeah,” Michael says weakly. “I heard the last bit of your conversation there, and I can give you an estimate right now if you want?”

He looks back to Alex, who looks up and then turns to look behind himself, the move making his shirt lift up, and showing off the rainbow studded belt he’s wearing.

Michael’s heart jumps in his chest, and he tells himself that that belt could mean anything, but that combined with the eyeliner and the cuffs around his ears are a blatant sign in a language that Michael is fully fluent in.

“That would be great,” he says turning back to face Michael, and the small smile on his face gets a little wider as he realizes that Michael had been staring at his belt.

Michael looks away from him then, and he leans down and reaches for his tool box, telling himself firmly that he has a job to do, that that’s all this is, a job, and that there are rules against this sort of thing. Rules that clearly state that relationships between witches and White Lighters are strictly prohibited.

He walks into the house, and signals to the door, “Should I add the door into my estimate as well?”

Alex looks over to the door, and makes a face, probably at the mess that’s on the welcome mat.

“Yes,” he says looking back at Michael, and then he takes a step closer, so that he’s within reaching distance.

“I’m Alex, by the way,” he says as he puts out one hand.

Michael swallows hard, but he reaches out with his free hand.

“Michael,” he says just as their hands make contact.

Alex inhales sharply, eyes falling shut as his hand squeezes Michael’s hand lightly.

Michael can feel the wave of magic that pours out of him momentarily, and he already knows that Alex is the one who can see the future, which means that he probably just got a premonition.

Michael needs to act like this isn’t something that he would know about, but before he can make an appropriately worried face, Alex is opening his eyes.

He licks his lips and looks at Michael with too wide eyes, pupils blown wide, and his eyes drop down to Michael’s mouth, and then even lower, before he looks back up to Michael’s eyes.

“It’s going to be so nice knowing you,” Alex says, in a low and breathy voice.

Michael’s eyes go wide and he feels heat flooding his cheeks as Alex’s voice hits him right in the middle of his stomach.

Fuck, he thinks. He is utterly fucked.

He wonders what the hell that could mean, what kind of premonition Alex had that would make him say that, but then Alex’s face goes a little panicked as he realizes what he just said, and he lets go of Michael’s hand, taking a step back and clearing his throat.

“I mean, nice to meet you,” he tells him in a completely unconvincing tone. “Let me show you the windows.”

He turns then and walks into the living room, and Michael watches him go, still feeling a little warm.

Potterian

Lily Collins as Phoebe - Griffindor

Emeraude Toubia as Prue - Ravenclaw

Danielle Campbell as Piper - Hufflepuff

Matthew Daddario as Piers/Prue

Jason Ralph as Percy/Piper

Gavin Leatherwood as Phill/Phoebe

K.J. Apa as Paul/Paige

~~~~

Megan Fox as Zenna/Zankou

Lily James as Leah Wyatt/Leo Wyatt

Morena Baccarin as Cora Turner/Cole Turner