Chapter Text
Honestly, Poof should’ve seen this coming.
It had started with that sting of jealousy he had felt when they were still babies. Foop rejecting his offer of friendship in favor of Sammy Sweetsparkle - someone Foop had made abundantly clear he’d hated, even after the Crocker incident - had cut Poof deeper than he’d ever admit, and he never understood why . Why he was so upset when he should be glad to spend less time around his anti, why his stomach had twisted painfully, why he had gone to bed with angry tears in his eyes that night, why he cared so much about being Foop’s favorite, even if it was “favorite to annoy.”
The only other time he’d experienced such an emotion was when Foop had tried to woo Goldie. A burning envy that sparked competitiveness had ignited inside him, but this time, it was envy over being his opposite’s friend. He wanted to be the one Foop hung out with outside of class. He wanted to be the one he chose as a partner for projects. He wanted to sit with him at lunch.
The more he thought about it, the more he came to realize it had actually started before the Sammy incident. While, yes, Goldie Goldenglow was a very pretty and sweet girl, she wasn’t who Poof had been jealous over. It wasn’t her attention he had been so desperate to win. At best, she had been aesthetically pleasing to the purple fairy, and his emotions had already been heightened by a freshly blossoming friendship with the anti-fairy when she had walked in. His vortex of emotions had been confused for a crush on the girl.
At fifteen, he now realized he had fought with Foop…for Foop’s attention. Jealousy only coiled around his heart when he realized the anti-fairy’s intentions to pursue Goldie, when Foop had started uncharacteristically acting like a gentleman to earn her favor, and the actions were genuine . Poof didn’t understand it at the time, but he had wanted to be the subject of those affections. He wanted Foop to treat him so delicately, so different from his usual behavior toward others. His rivalry with his opposite was rooted in an anger that this new girl was stealing Foop’s attention, and he needed to put a stop to it.
Children truly were the worst at comprehending their own emotions.
All of these revelations were hitting him as the two teens watched some random action film on FairyFlix. Foop’s father had relocated the castle again , so Poof’s anti was stuck staying at his place for the time being. Poof was sitting on the edge of his bed and leaning back on his hands, Foop on the floor between his legs, elbow resting on Poof’s knee and hand supporting his head. The anti was fully engrossed in the movie, unaware of the yearning purple eyes locked onto the back of his head. It was such a simple, casual moment, and yet, to Poof, it felt incredibly intimate . They were mortal enemies, designed to hate each other for simply existing, and despite that, this sort of scene wasn’t all that uncommon for them. They still bickered and fought, but they were comfortable enough in each other’s presence that they could simply relax and drown out the outside world. There had been more than one occasion where they’d be in the middle of a nasty spat only to drop it when one realized their counterpart was having a bad day, instead doing something fun to help get the other’s mind off of whatever was tormenting them.
The fairy swallowed. His fingers twitched with an impulse to run them through the navy hair of his opposite, to see if the strands were as soft as they looked. He could come up with some ridiculous excuse when Foop would undoubtedly question him, but at least his curiosity would be satisfied. Lifting his hand off the bed, he slowly reached out toward his friend, his fingertips mere centimeters from-
“The plotholes in this movie are absurd!”
Poof retracted his hand as though he had been burned just as Foop threw his own up in frustration, going off on a long rant about… something. The purple fairy hadn’t been paying any attention to the film; he had no idea what the anti was on about, but he went along with and agreed with what he was saying.
Eventually, Foop calmed down, switching to that cat and mouse show both of them liked as children. Unsurprisingly, the anti found great delight in the violence and cunning of the mouse character, and he had been shocked that sweet, innocent Poof had enjoyed the same show. It had been great bonding fuel for them in the early stages of their friendship, and to this day, it was their go-to when neither of them could decide what to watch.
Poof wished he could focus on the show. He tried, he really did, but that was near impossible with the position Foop had settled into. There was no way it wasn’t intentional, the anti-fairy had to be messing with him. Why else would he have leaned all the way back to rest his head on Poof’s stomach, arms extended as far behind him as they could reach to loosely envelop Poof? The blue one showed absolutely no emotion, no indication he was doing anything outside the norm, his own violet gaze honed in on the TV.
Meanwhile, Poof could feel his cheeks beginning to burn as his breathing became manual. He could only hope Foop couldn’t hear his accelerating heartrate. There would be no lame excuse he could give to justify why the organ had become a jackhammer.
Luckily, he was saved by a rapping on the door. “Boys! Dinner’s ready!”
“Coming, Mom!”
—
Foop snored. Loudly. But that wasn’t what kept Poof awake, watching the ceiling fan’s blades spin in the dark, trying hard not to glance at his anti’s sleeping form currently turned with his back towards him.
He couldn’t be falling for his enemy, could he? The very person he had been fighting with since Foop’s literal first day of existence? They could be on-and-off friends, sure, but… was he actually so twisted he could develop a crush on him?
What would his parents think? What would the Fairy Council think? What would Foop think? Would he reject him flat out? Return his feelings? Pretend to return his feelings just long enough to know all of his weaknesses and use them against him?
He tried not to think about that last one. It certainly wouldn’t be out of character for Foop.
Sighing, Poof rolled onto his side, away from Foop and facing the wall. Maybe the feelings would pass if he just went to sleep. Perhaps he was just really tired and at the mercy of his fairymones. Mom had warned him a couple years ago he was approaching the age he’d experience confusing feelings, afterall. She didn’t elaborate, so maybe this was what she meant. Closing his eyes, he forced his thoughts away from the warm body mere inches from his, and instead focused on the pleasant caresses of air the fan cast upon his skin.
—
Poof couldn’t have been asleep longer than an hour when he was coaxed out of his slumber by heat pressing against his back. His sensitive wings tingled under the pressure, and as awareness slowly spread throughout his brain, he registered a weight on his side, something wrapping around him from behind and holding him close. Once fully awake, it finally clicked that the weight was an arm, the claws of the hand attached to it digging into his shirt as they clutched at him. Warm breaths tickled the skin on the back of Poof’s neck, fluttering his curls with every slow exhale. The languidness of the inhales and exhales made clear that the person holding him was, in fact, asleep, and had only reached out in search of warmth.
Somehow, that was worse than Foop randomly embracing him.
The very idea that he had felt and sought out his body heat despite being asleep, had grabbed him while being completely vulnerable… could the anti-fairy also be harboring forbidden emotions?
No, that was too wishful of thinking, even for Poof. Chances were it was an instinct present in all living things to find comfort in warmth, and Foop would’ve latched onto anyone.
…
Haha. Good one, Poof . He scolded himself bitterly.
Foop didn’t latch onto anyone. Ever. It was kind of his thing to be totally independent.
So… why would-
A deafening snore right in his ear ruined the tenderness of the moment, Poof’s stomach churning with annoyance.
He’d just have to unpack all of this in the morning. For now, he had to try his hardest to sleep, even with the lawn mower strapped to his back.
—
Soft light seeping through his eyelids gently welcomed Poof to consciousness. For the first time in months, he actually felt rested upon waking up. Rested, calm, safe… truly, he had a wonderful night’s sleep.
A ripple of air against the nape of his neck made his hair bristle. He wasn’t alone . Foop was still here. In his bed. Cuddled up against him.
Yet… Poof only felt comfort in that once the shock had faded away. He could easily drift back into peaceful slumber if he so chose, but rather than that, he decided to bask in his enemy’s hold, the rare vulnerability he was displaying. Poof kept his eyes closed, allowing himself to simply feel . The even breaths ghosting over his skin, the warmth bearing down on his smaller frame. Every so often, one or two of Foop’s fingers would twitch. The occasional hum would vibrate in his throat as he exhaled. Everything felt so serene, as though there was nothing in the world that mattered. All that existed was them, this moment.
But that moment was short-lived. Just as Poof found himself falling victim to sleep’s siren call, Foop inhaled sharply and his arm flexed. The fairy stilled, controlling his breaths in an attempt to mask the fact he was awake, both to spare his opposite any embarrassment ( why did he care so much?) and to, maybe, preserve the domestic air if the anti slipped right back into slumber.
No such luck. He could feel Foop’s heart racing in those two seconds between his awakening and his withdrawal. He removed his arm from Poof and shifted away from him, and then there was stillness, as though Foop was waiting for any sign the purple one had been aware of his subconscious transgression.
With what the fairy could only assume was a relieved sigh, the bed shifted as Foop moved further away and rolled over, grumbling something incoherent to himself. The blanket moved as the anti readjusted it, and then it was back to nothing as he settled back into sleep. Poof slowly exhaled through his nose and allowed his lungs to resume their usual tempo. Thank goodness, he had been convincing enough of an actor that there would be no awkward conversation.
He wouldn’t dwell on the sadness, the loneliness, that sprouted in the absence of Foop’s warmth.
—
They were eighteen now, and Poof had fully accepted his infatuation with his anti. Unfortunately for him, it had grown so intense that he found himself unable to feign interest in the many girls who approached him. In his early teens, it had been easy entertaining their requests to eat lunch together or go see a movie and then never speaking to them again. He only bothered to protect his image and to throw anyone watching his every move off the scent. He couldn’t have someone figuring out he only had eyes for one, and only one, magical being, and that one was none other than his chaotic counterpart. Besides, it was the polite thing to do, especially if the girl had seemed nervous to ask. But now he was older, and he just couldn’t do it anymore. Not only was he tired of breaking hearts, tired of wasting his and the girls’ time, and tired of playing a part for others who never gave two darns about him, but he was tired of lying to himself, of spending time with the elf-of-the-day and pretending it was Foop just to bear it. Why did the universe hate him so? Why did he have to fall for the one person he couldn’t have?
A heavy backpack slamming on the table in front of him had Poof jolting back into the present.
“Someone’s lost in their own head. Again.”
Violet eyes glanced up to meet identical irises. “I was just thinking.” The words came out so pathetic and weak sounding.
“Don’t hurt yourself, now.” Foop threw his bag back over his shoulder. “What’s the matter this time, darling ? Date go wrong?”
An annoyed sigh fell from Poof’s lips as he floated off the bench seat, hooking his own bag over both arms. “You know I stopped going out with anyone six months ago.”
“Mm. Why was that again? Couldn’t handle all that attention?” There was a spitefulness in Foop’s tone Poof couldn’t figure out. He was also a magnet, it couldn’t be jealousy.
“They never meant anything to me, so why waste anyone’s time?”
“You’ve got a point, Round One.” He wasn’t round anymore, but whatever. The nickname had stuck. Foop continued as they began their trek home. “Guess that’s one more tally for our Things in Common chart.”
“For being so-called polar opposites, we sure aren’t very opposite, huh?”
“Eh. At least not entirely. You’re still an eyesore.”
“And you’re still an annoying pain in the behind.”
“What a compliment! I’m blushing!”
Poof scoffed and gently smacked Foop’s arm. “So. You’re really telling me Mr. Harbinger of Doom couldn’t find one person he liked?”
“Nah. All the girls here are horrendously boring . I couldn’t sit through more than five minutes of their incessant chatter without falling asleep.”
“You’re so rude.”
“Am I wrong, though?”
“No.”
“Aha!”
“No boys either, hm?”
“It’s quite disappointing how many ’bad boys’ only sport the look, not the personality.”
“Maybe we just need to broaden our horizons.”
“Speak for yourself, Puffer Fish. I’m perfectly content being alone and causing misery everywhere I go!”
Poof saw that coming, but it still stung. “Oh? So you don’t want someone to keep you warm in the middle of the night?” Just to annoy his anti, he wrapped his arms around him and leaned all of his weight against his side, earning a growl. Poof batted his eyelashes dramatically as he continued. “Someone to love and hold and make kissy faces with?”
Foop shook him off roughly. “Blech! What a revolting concept!” Once Poof was dislodged, the anti shuddered vigorously. “That reminds me. The last girl got pretty… handsy .” The fairy didn’t miss the blush that tinged blue cheeks. “She wouldn’t stop poking my wings and chest no matter how much I promised harrowing doom would befall her.” Fury flared in the purple fairy’s gut as he listened, only fanned by the sadness that had found its way behind the blue one’s eyes. If he ever found out who disrespected Foop’s boundaries… “She seemed to think it was funny and moved her provocation lower.” A twisted smirk revealed sharp fangs as lavender eyes darkened. “She didn’t think it was so funny once I snapped her arm like a twig for venturing past my navel.”
Poof’s lips pulled back into their own, almost sadistic, grin. “Good.”
A loud gasp startled the fairy, though Foop’s expression only conveyed excitement. “Did I hear that right?! ‘Good’?! Little Poofy actually condoning violence?!”
Heat brushed over Poof’s cheeks as he resumed floating towards home. “Only in self-defense or to enforce boundaries. She got what she deserved for touching you without consent.”
Foop followed close behind, a hand on Poof’s shoulder as he leaned forward to taunt him. “Never thought I’d see the day! There’s hope for you yet, Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes!”
“ONLY to defend yourself, Foop! I’m not saying violence is the answer to anything! I’m just glad to know you could stop her before things got… worse for you.”
Weight bore down on him as Foop practically laid against his back, forcing Poof to all but carry him as his arms wrapped around to his front. “Awww, you do care about me!”
Poof would’ve been extremely irritated had the ‘hug’ not felt so nice. “Of course I do, you idiot. Now float on your own, you’re heavy.”
The two spent the flight to Poof’s home trading horror stories from their ‘dates.’ Turned out, several of the girls had actually approached both of them, some asking Poof first and others asking Foop. Foop relished in the irrefutable blow to their egos. To be completely rejected by both of them and, for a large percentage of them, two days in a row! Oh, their poor, terribly misguided hearts!
An ounce of guilt tried to settle within Poof’s gut, but he had told each and every one of them he wasn’t interested in a romantic relationship. He would hang out with them as friends , and yet, at least seven of them had leaned in for a kiss by the end of the evening, only for him to completely dodge it, hastily bid them a good night, and poof himself away.
“On a less grating note,” Foop changed the subject. “Were you still planning to study to be a, eugh , godparent?” The disdain in his tone was not at all subtle.
“Yeah. Gotta make the parents proud, ya know?”
“Surely you could use that impressive- impressively irritating brain for something less yawn inducing.”
Poof quirked a brow at him just as they made it to his parents’ home. “Why do you care? I thought you couldn’t wait to be as far away from me as possible.” Foop had repeatedly told him as such throughout their life.
“Yes, well, it’s rather mortifying to know my other half is doing something so completely unimaginative and,” he cringed, “altruistic.”
The purple fairy suppressed the butterflies that stirred upon being called Foop’s “other half,” reminding himself it was simply that they were each other’s counterpart, nothing more. Placing his hands upon his hips, he put on his best sneer. “‘Other half’, huh? I don’t recall agreeing to this partnership.”
Violet eyes widened and brows narrowed as royal skin darkened to navy. “You know what I meant! Why, of all the macabre, grotesque tortures I’ve envisioned for my enemies, I’ve never once imagined something as utterly repulsive as being your partner!”
“Suuuuuure.~” Poof winked at him only to further aggravate him. “Thank you for walking me home, handsome .”
“Ugh! You’re impossible!”
The periwinkle-haired one laughed, resting a hand on Foop’s shoulder. “I’m just messing with you, man. You’re too easy.”
A deep growl rumbled in the anti’s throat. His fingers pinched at the bridge of his nose. “I really hate you. I hope you know that.”
“Indeed, I do.”
“Fantastic.” A blue hand combed through midnight hair as Foop inhaled deeply. “Well.” He let the air out as he reopened his eyes. “I best be off before Father moves castles. I’ll unfortunately see your sorry behind in class on Monday.”
With a small nod, Poof smiled. “Yeah. See you next week, Foop.” He turned toward the door, fully expecting the anti-fairy to disappear in a cloud of black smoke, and was shocked when a hand grabbed his.
“Wait.”
The fairy faced him, not making a move to either grab or shake off Foop’s hand, unsure of what the anti was after.
“Before I go, there’s something you should know.” Foop’s tone was unusually serious and monotone. “Something you would’ve figured out on your own had you actually paid attention.” A somberness ghosted over his facial features, his eyes far away as though he was bracing himself for something. His pointed ears were angled lower than normal.
“Foop?” Poof was concerned. He had never seen his opposite so… earnest. Unguarded.
Clawed hands slid along Poof’s arms to curl over his shoulders, lilac eyes finally meeting his own. The fairy’s heart hammered in his chest. That amethyst stare was so, dare he say, welcoming. He worried he would get lost in it, drown in those deep pools of swirling emotions gazing at him like he held all the answers in the universe. Foop had leaned in so close Poof could feel his every breath on his skin, the heat radiating off of him threatening to singe the fairy if he dared touch the chaos enjoyer. Those lovely violet orbs flicked down to Poof’s lips, and in an instant, his mouth felt incredibly dry. His cheeks burned as a scandalous thought crossed his mind.
Was Foop going to… kiss him?
Sweat formed on his temple as his lungs quickened. Had he been right in his long dismissed suspicions that Foop felt something for him in return? He tried not to get too excited, too ahead of himself, but… with this close proximity, what else was he supposed to feel?
Foop was going to steal his first kiss. He could have it. It had been his to take for years now. Poof wanted nothing more than to close the space between-
The anti-fairy whispered, his breath hot on Poof’s face, “You’ve had a piece of lettuce stuck in your teeth since lunch.”
Glass shattered inside of Poof. No, wait, that was his heart.
He shoved his counterpart off of him. “Ugh! You’re the literal worst!”
A booming cackle erupted from the self-proclaimed Harbinger of Doom. “Oh, the look on your face, Puff! I’ve never seen you so flustered!”
Poof mumbled some swears under his breath as he smoothed out his hair and adjusted his crown.
The laughter died down. “Honestly, Poof, I expected you to shake me off wayyyyy sooner. Why didn’t you?”
The fairy opened his mouth to reply, but no words came out, so instead, he just shrugged and crossed his arms, looking off to the side.
Foop squinted, a devious smile pulling at his lips. “Does my presence intimidate you that much?”
Good, an out. “I guess it does.”
A low chuckle escaped his opposite, Foop reaching out with a hand to ruffle Poof’s newly preened curls, the fairy growling in annoyance. “After nearly two decades, I still inspire paralyzing fear in you! How adorable!”
Poof huffed and less than gently removed the anti’s hand from his head. He was just about to retort when Foop continued.
“See ya later, Spherical Twat! Try not to miss me too much.~“ With a poof of dark magic, he was gone, leaving Poof to suffocate on his overwhelming, conflicting emotions.
—
What had gotten into that cotton candy wisp lately? Poof was acting remarkably strange around him. Avoiding Foop’s eyes, stuttering more in a day than he had in the last eighteen and a half years, turning pink any time the anti would pester him with some sarcastic tease, heck, even staring at him when he thought Foop wasn’t paying attention.
What was that pain in the pants scheming? Was this some ploy to get Foop to lower his guard? No, Poof wasn’t mean-spirited enough to do such a thing, though if he was …
Hmm.
Foop didn’t hate that thought. In fact, he found himself wishing that was the case. Something about Sir Goody-Goody being so conniving as to manipulate him filled the anti with a thrill he couldn’t comprehend. He had been excited when they were going through their Terrible/Terrific Twos and Poof had been alarmingly good at torturing innocents, but this was an entirely different emotion, one he’d never once experienced in his life.
…
Oh.
There it was.
He knew the name of this…feeling, but he refused to admit that’s what he was enduring. Especially not for his nemesis . His body choosing now of all times to be a nuisance was entirely a coincidence. Not that it mattered; Poof was not manipulative, so he had no reason to even entertain the possibility.
But that only further begged the question of what the purple one’s true motives were. Why else would he be acting like a schoolboy around his crush? Unless-
He was a schoolboy around his crush.
Foop audibly gasped, pulling himself out of his trance, though he wasn’t sure if it was the noise or the shock of acid-infused toothpaste hitting the back of his throat that successfully drew him back to reality. He coughed a couple times, shook his head, and set back to what he was doing: brushing his teeth, the last step in his nightly routine.
The only reason Poof would be acting like a lovestruck idiot was if he was a lovestruck idiot.
What an interesting development.