Work Text:
It’s always been that way.
No matter how long I think back in my life. Ok, maybe not in the first few years but since I have more solid memories about my life he’s always been the one people gave more attention than me.
Even now with my job at the FBI. I’ve been called by the LAPD to assist them on a case. So far so good. Nothing too unusual to be honest.
The thing is, they only called me to get in contact with Charlie.
I’m the fucking FBI agent in this family and get called to a crime scene only to give the LAPD the phone number of my little genius brother?!?
Yes, he developed a program or whatever to help with video footage but still, I’m the agent, not him.
But in all honesty, it comes as no surprise for me at this stage in my life. As long as I can remember, everyone admires Charlie simply for his existence. No matter what easy thing he does everyone cheered for him. I’ve set a record in Little League - no one cared - but Charlie, our precious little mastermind learned how to not fall from his bike, big round of applause. Not that it didn’t take him that long to learn it.
I can do whatever I want in my life, I’m always in his shadow. And the worst part, I’ve accepted it.
I used to be always compared to him in school. The only thing I’ve been better than him besides sports and spelling. Ever read something written by him? If you think my grammar, spelling, and English in general are bad - you should not read a thing he wrote.
No matter how much I stretched myself. No matter how much I’ve pushed myself academically, it was never good enough to be equal to the one and only Charlie Eppes.
I’ve got a baseball scholarship to cover all of my costs at uni. Who else got that? But my parents were so happy about Charlie starting uni. Of course, they were happy about my scholarship as well, but Charlie, you know he’s a genius, right?
I’ve been really good in my classes. Double major in sports sciences and history. Graduated at the top of my class while completing a training as nutritionist and getting qualified to work as a trainer. Charlie only studied maths but was still seen as working way harder than me.
I joined the FBI and was one of the best in my class. Guess who cared about that? My best friend Daniel from uni did but that’s all. Charlie hasn’t even been there for my graduation.
But that’s all alright. I came to accept that no matter what I do, I’ll always look like the dumb one compared to him and can work my ass off and people will praise him for entering the room. That’s how it is.
As soon as I find something new to master, it won’t take long and he’ll bargain into this thing as well. Took him a few years until he did calculations for my high school baseball team and a few more years to help the FBI.
Don’t get me wrong, I value his help. We’ve saved people with his help and were able to solve cases we’d otherwise couldn’t have but why does every fucking person have to put him on a freaking pedestal?
I love my little brother. It might not look that way after this rant but I’d do everything for him. It’s just at some point I’m getting sick of everyone putting him first and me second.
„Don’s old enough to do things more on his own“ is something my dad used to say.
Yes, I’m older, but still - why does it always have to be this way?