Actions

Work Header

The Better Half of Me

Summary:

Foop finally has a band that he founded with his arch nemesis, his rival, but most importantly maybe his only true friend.
There are school dances, steamy scenes, heartbreaks and scheming Jorgen.
Will the magical creatures survive the last year of school without any drama? Will Foop finally accept that his relationship with Poof can't last forever? Or will they kick the system in the ass and find a way to overcome any obstacles life - more like Jorgen and the Fairy Council - gives them.

Notes:

If you haven't, please read Pilot, the previous post in this series. It basically sets the scene of the story.
Also, really important note: I don't know if I will finish this. If you check my page, you can see I hardly have finished stories here. The last time I finished a fanfiction, it was in 2020 (if I remember well) and it was an Eddsworld fanfic on WattPad. So I might be a bit rusty with writing a whole ass story.
With that in mind, have a great time reading.

Chapter 1: ch 2 - I'm not in love

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

It was like any other. Foop got up with a grumpy face and in an almost pitch-black room – something with bats – and yawned. He hated mornings; he was more of a night owl fairy. For most fairies’ mornings were a delight, because that meant another day of joy and happiness, but Foop was not feeling that since the day he was born. Everything is miserable and doomed. Okay, maybe not everything. Today was the first one he had a band. They did not had a try out or any practice yet, but this would change soon. He poofed his mace wand in his right hand and made himself representable for breakfast. He magiced away his smudged make-up and magiced on some proper clothes that would show the school that he was not the one to fuck with. That mainly meant spikes and skulls. After that he checked himself in the rococo mirror that was in front of his double bed, that he was looking okay-ish. When he stated in his mind that he will be more than presentable he opened his door and flew downstairs. No one was seen there, his mom was probably still sleeping and his father was probably making up schemes against the Fairies.

Foop searched the fridge and the cupboards for anything edible, but nothing. Luckily he could always magic himself any kind of meal, so he did that. He poofed himself some apple juice and a ham sandwich and sat down on the top of the counter. As he was eating, he was thinking of many things, more correctly about one fairy in many ways: Poof. They were supposed to be polar opposites, but as the years went by and they both started to be more mature slowly, it turned out they had more in common than they first thought. They were both ambitious, liked music and the most weird probably of them all is that they both liked to hang out with one another. It was something with magnets, or some stupid thing that made them draw them together.
As he bit down onto the sandwich, Foop was thinking about more stuff. What was that feeling that he sometimes felt with the Fairy? It was warm and comforting, sometimes even sickening, but not in the way when he saw Sammy. Sammy made him feel itchy and angry most times. But Poof was different. He wanted to prove that he was good enough for him. Maybe even more than good. Not in a gay way though! Just as… a companion. Right. Because Anti-Fairies did not feel love or loved. It could not be…

Fuck.

Foop almost choked on his food as he realized he might be gay for Poof and might have been for a while now.

“No, no, no, no. I can't be good. Only good fairies love! And I have been skipping classes, terrorizing classmates when Poof does not look, taking away Poof’s apple juice, playing video games till dawn with Poof…” Why did everything have to do with that Fairy?! Foop was not in love and he would prove himself that today at school.

“I heard a little bitch moaning.” Anti-Cosmo was in the doorway of the kitchen. He was wearing his usual outfit, but he seemed a bit roughed up. Probably he was staying up all night. Like father, like son.

“Father. How delightful it is to present yourself this dreadful morning.”

Anti-Cosmo straightened his tie when he realized he let himself go a bit, his lip curling into a sinister smirk. "Dreadful? Is that what you call this? Come now, Foop , I expected more originality from the son of mine." He moved toward the counter, fiddling with the stone on his tie. "Or is that what you’ve been reduced to? Dull platitudes and long sighs? What, may I ask, has got you so... bothered? Perchance you got into a fight with your little boyfriend .”

Again, with this. That was why Foop tried to speak less with his father. Anti-Cosmo liked to tease his son with Poof and how the Anti-Fairy became less and less likely to kill him as the years passed by.
Wait! Was it his father that planted that stupid “love” idea into Foop’s head without the boy noticing it?
Foop clenched his right fist on his lap, his square frame rigid. "My relationship with Poof is none of your concern, Father." He said coldly, barely glancing up. His voice sounded controlled, but the irritation was palpable. His violet eyes flicked briefly toward his father before returning to the juice box in his left hand. “And besides that, I’m not bothered. I'm thinking. There's a difference, I deeply hope you still know that.” He was distant with his father and did not want to talk about his feelings with him. If it would ever come to that, to Foop really falling for someone, he would rather ask his mom about it. She seemed more reasonable in those topics.

Anti-Cosmo’s grip on his tie tightened ever so slightly, his smirk faltering for a fraction of a second before returning in full force. "Thinking? Ah yes, the ever-diligent brooding I’ve come to expect from you.” He walked toward the counter, but not for Foop, but for the coffee machine. He filled it with powdered coffee beans and water and then turned it on and waited for it to start and finish
But even if he was occupied with the machine, his original question remained the same. “You’ve grown... attached.” His voice was cold, almost cutting.

Without saying who his father meant, Foop knew they were still talking about Poof. So it came to that? His father finally had enough of his son’s relationship with that Fairy and was going to tell him to stop. If yes, maybe he could even convince his parents to pull him out of school. It did not matter if he finished it or not. He would become the leader of the Anti-Fairies either way. And maybe the distance from all the fairies, and especially his rival would clear up his mind and deprive him of stupid feelings.
"Poof is... nothing to me. A rival, a nuisance, a relic of the ridiculous conflict between your generation and Cosmo's. We’ve fought for years, and we’ll keep being rivals, no matter how long it'll last." His voice was sharp, but even as he said it, a flicker of doubt wormed its way through his resolve. He felt almost bad for speaking about his rival that way. Of course, they would bicker at school and sometimes call eachother names, but not behind each other's back. They had a mutual respect.
Foop was ill of messed up feelings.

The coffee machine was brewing and only its sound filled the kitchen for seconds. They both were probably very tired because of different reasons, but neither would admit that.

As the silence grew, Foop could less and less keep his thoughts and feelings intact and he bursted out. “You know what Father? Maybe I should date Poof, so you two will finally pull me out of school and let me take over the army of Anti-Fairies!”

Anti-Cosmo kept still, his back still turned to Foop, the words hanging in the air like a thick fog. He had expected many reactions from his stupid theatrical son, but this one caught him off guard. He turned slowly, his expression a blend of disbelief and amusement, his eyes narrowing as he looked in the eyes of his son. “Do it, you pussy.”

The machine dinged, signaling that it finished its task. Anti-Cosmo turned back to it and poured some black coffee for himself. Never sugar, never creme.

Foop had enough of this, so he decided to leave the kitchen and flew back to his dark and welcoming room.
He got the bathroom key from under his pillows, unlocked the bathroom, took his pill, put on some eyeliner and other make-up and locked the bathroom again when he finished. He already wasted enough time with his father, so he should be going to school.
Everything was going to be fine. He could not let himself be distracted today, they were forming a band with friends and he was going to be the bassist. He is the father of the idea. He was worth something.

He was a complete mess. From his window he checked if the weather was nice enough and he saw Poof was outside, talking with his father! With that crazy man! If he was going to tell anything about Foop’s feelings, the boy was going to explode on sight. They seemed happy while talking and Poof even laughed at something Anti-Cosmo said.

.

…Poof’s smile faltered slightly. “But school can be fun, too! It’s important for us to enjoy learning, and besides that, Foop really needs friends.” Poof sounded concerned and even looked at the ground for a minute before looking back up at the Anti-Fairy.

Anti-Cosmo looked less and less impressed by each second. “Friends? Us, Anti-Fairies don't mingle with other magical creatures. We do not care about friendships. And I am sure my son feels the same way.” He was of course lying, but Poof did not know that.

The Fairy got a bit sad for a moment just because of thinking that Foop might not like him, not even the slightest. But he straightened his back and tried to be confident. “Well, Foop might not need me, but I need him.” What was he saying? If he was going to keep saying stupid stuff like that, the father might get more mad at him. Of course, the Anti-Fairy kept his distance, since the repellant had a stronger effect on him, but still. He was the strongest Anti-Fairy, and Poof was not stupid to play games. “As a friend.”

“Whatever you say. But just you know: Foop has his own path of life and you two will have a terrible downfall. And when my son would need someone to help him, you won't be the one.” He pushed the last words, every one of them. He was intimidating and serious.

However Poof was not a baby nor a kid anymore. He could not let anyone step over him. He was bad boy number 3, even if in secret, but that meant something. “Yeah? We'll see about that.” He flew closer to the Anti-Fairy who tried to back up - because of the spray and its smell - but he could not, there was a wall behind him.

That was when Foop stepped out the door with a cold expression, not even bothered that his father was grinding up against the castle’s wall. “Poof?”

“Hi!” His earlier bratty behaviour vanished and smiled cheerfully at his rival. He had his usual appearance: the uniform slightly worn, but still considered neat by the school’s rules, his hair in his face - he really should consider going to a barber or styling it differently - and his light blue backpack.

“Are you really serious about this? We going to school together? What will the others think?” Meanwhile he was going towards the fairy, not caring about the strong smell that most Anti-Fairies could not stand and smiling at him with mischief. His voice was more daring than hurtful. 

Poof waited for his classmate to catch up to him, turned around and they both left the premises of the castle.

“I don't give a damn what others think. You are my friend.” Maybe he said the last bit out loud, to reassure himself, that Foop in reality did not mind being his friend.

Foop did not give too much thought to the last bit, rare occasion, and only giggled a bit. “What is it about? We hardly ever state the status of our relationship.” That was true. They kept it vague, even among themself. The label rivals was one that they used mostly, but you don't have to hate each other necessarily to be rivals. Okay, maybe sometimes Foop liked to be dramatic, and use the term ‘arch nemesis’ but it was more than that. They grew up together, attended the same school, had the same childhood crushes and shared interests in various topics. They were something, that was for sure, but what was that thing, was kept hidden for now.

“Yeah, but…” Poof could not admit that he was insecure about foolish stuff as relationships, but he was a terrible liar too. “It just feels nicer to call you my friend, than my enemy. I thought the past few years we had more of a positive relationship. That must mean something!” He looked at Foop and smiled slightly, almost unsure.

Foop just hummed in agreement and nudged the fairy on the side with his side and they continued their way to the school.

All of that anger, confusion and disbelief that Foop had in the morning seemed to vanish minute by minute with Poof and he started to get used to it and accept the state of calmness. What could he do? Resist the nice feelings? Resist that warmth that he felt near the fairy? As an Anti-Fairy he should, but not as a teenage boy. He was an emotional wreck most times, he should let himself have some sane moments, and if it was beside his nicer counterpart, then he was his happy place. And maybe, just maybe Foop was Poof’s happy place.

.

Foop decided to join his classmates at the morning lessons. Today's lectures were about magic and magical creatures’ history, so for a change he would not have to listen to the rules constantly. If someone would ask him which class was his favourite, he would probably reply with this. Deep down he was a nerd for history, let it be mythical or moral.

“... And so the first magical creatures were living with humans in harmony. That's why it is possible for us to also have different ethnicities and races, just like humans, because some of us decided to marry into human families.”

Foop wondered why they could not live in the Human World anymore. They could change forms, and even disguise themselves as humans if needed - of course that was one of the harder spells, even he had problems with sometimes - so what was the problem? Surely something to do with the Fairy Council, they were such party poopers. Making stupid rules, make the Anti-Fairies the most feared species of fairies… speciest motherfuckers. And these are in charge of everything? Life is not fair. Fairy World and the whole Mythical Dimension needed a re-shape from an ambitious being like Foop.

“...of course we fairies don't really care about culture or religion, but some of us still prefer to this day to talk about their human heritage.”

With that, Foop agreed. His mother's side of the family is strongly attached to their culture, and were dismissive when Anti-Wanda decided to marry a man who had a different culture, but when they realized that Anti-Cosmo respects his wife and would never deny her to keep her heritage, the Anti-Fairywinkle family finally accepted Anti-Cosmo.
But this might all be possible, because as the teacher said, some fairies don't give a damn about that stuff, and Foop’s father was one of those fairies. He never kept in touch with his culture, only the funny words stayed. Foop mainly learnt speaking from his mother, but he could mimic his father's speech behavior to make fun of him.

“And the reason we learn about this is because when you visit the Human World, and would like to disguise yourselves as humans, you should always keep in mind that you would get a form that resembles your race. And humans can be pretty nasty about that stuff.” The teacher said the last sentence with a breath and smiled awkwardly.

Look who's the one speaking! One of the many teachers who fear Foop just because he was born blue. Hypocrite bitch. She looks pretty white, so that checks out. She must think that salt is enough seasoning. Foop was laughing under his mustache and decided to write his thoughts down onto a paper torn out of his sketchbook and when he was finished, he used his wand to poof the note to Poof who was sitting in the front row, without any distractions.
Foop waited for a reaction and answer. When he saw Poof slightly shaking because of laughter, he knew he reached out to the right fairy with that. And only a few moments passed by when he got the note back. He read the following: “Don't be too harsh. She probs also puts pepper on it on holidays and calls it a special flavour :D “

Foop knew the fairy too well. And they loved talking shit about hypocrite people. So he continued listening to the Miss, probably she will say something else to make fun of.

She was drawing or writing something on the whiteboard with a marker. When she finished Foop still needed a few seconds to see it.
Damn, he should really reconsider wearing glasses, atleast at classes.
The teacher wrote up the following: True - lined under two times - difference between us and Humans. What a stupid question! Humans are mortal and cannot use magic. Was she high or something? That reminded Foop…

“No matter which human we talk about, they share a mutual feeling of loving something. Meanwhile it's known to fairies that some species and subspecies can't share that feeling.”

Some fuck ass dared to say something like that, which made Foop self-conscious for a moment. Some students even turned around to look at him, even Poof, but he was looking concerned, as if he knew that his rival would feel shit about that. And the teacher could not help but agree on that one too, but corrected the students, reclaiming their attention, that she actually meant morality and life without magic.
Nice, that's how you spread false news and make people hate themselves even more. Of course it did not help the situation that Foop never saw his parents loving each other normally. Or hear them mention loving anything other than chaos and destruction.

Don't worry, you know me, I will destroy this class asap . Foop wrote down onto the passed note and poofed it to the Fairy again waiting for an answer. While he was waiting, he was doodling skulls and pentagrams in his sketchbook and sprinkling an anarchist logo there. He swore as soon as he finishes school, he would decorate some of his jackets with bleach, pins and other diy crafts. The school did not let any student or faculty member have any sort of distracting logo, accessory or jewelry. It was a miracle no one told Foop to get rid of the spikes and steeled boots.

The note came back with the following lines: “What if instead of that, we'd skip the afternoon classes?” And as if it was some sort of sign the bell rang, the teacher said some important last words and dismissed the class.
Foop smirked as he read the note from Poof for a last time just to be sure, the idea of skipping classes already made him happier. He quickly shoved the paper into his pocket, grabbing his sketchbook and throwing it into his bag. The teacher’s voice droned on with final instructions, but Foop was not listening. His mind was elsewhere, already thinking of the afternoon spent with Poof.

As the class was dismissed, Poof floated over to Foop, a mischievous grin on his face. “So, what do you say?” Poof asked, already looking around the room to see if anyone was listening to them, but everyone had left the classroom already. It was just the two of them.

Foop shrugged nonchalantly, though the sparkle in his eyes betrayed his excitement. “Sure, let’s hang out. I’m getting sick of these fucking speciest lessons anyway.” He put his hands into his pockets and started to walk out of the room, while Poof preferred flying.

The two went down the hall toward the canteen, Foop cutting in front of students who were already crowding the space, the fairy following him. Foop’s boots clunked heavily on the floor, drawing some attention as usual, but no one dared tell him to tone it down. Even the teachers were too afraid to say anything about it.

They made their way to the food counter, grabbing a couple of sandwiches and cartons of apple juice, one for each of them. Foop looked at the mildly disgusting sandwiches with mild disgust but tossed one onto his tray anyway. Poof, in contrast, seemed hungry and ready to eat something tasty, grabbing the same as his rival and hovering alongside him.

As they found a table near the back, Foop slumped down, tossing his tray onto the table with a loud clatter. He also kicked his feet on the seat of the chair in front of him. Poof settled in next to him, sipping from his apple juice. Today he would not let Foop take it.

The Anti-Fairy barely touched his food, and he was already complaining. “Can you believe that lecture?” Foop muttered, glaring at his sandwich. “All that garbage about how Anti-Fairies are inherently un-feeling.” He was making quotation marks with his fingers. “Like we're some sort of wild animals.” He threw himself back in his chair and grabbed the juice box with more force than planned. He sipped into it and let his anger melt away as soon as the sweet taste hit his taste buds. He loved apple juice and the school cafeteria had the perfect type. If he would be just a bit more of an asshole, he would literally beat up other fairies for this.

Poof was happily munching on his own sandwich, his feet dangling off the edge of the chair. “Yeah, it’s stupid. They act like you're some kind of ticking time bomb. I mean, sure, you were a menace as a kid, but you’ve come far. And I think that the monthly therapy and meds are helping you.” He bit into his sandwich, swallowed without chewing and continued his thought. “But… most important of all, it was all you. You are the one healing yourself.” Poof took a sip from the juice and looked at Foop with bread crumbs on the edge of his lips. “But hey, forget about them. I was thinking—why don’t we meet up with the band tomorrow? I’ve got some new lyrics I’ve been working on, and Goldie said she’s got a wicked rhythm line she wants to show us.”

The Anti-Fairy could not help, but look at the crumbs. His head went completely silent and the world seemed to fade away. Only Poof was there, who was speaking about something, but Foop could not care about it. He felt his bat wings flutter a bit before he slowly reached out to the fairy.

“...and we only need a place to practice at, and I thought- What are you doing?” He was not scared, just curious about his friend’s intentions and he backed up a little bit and smiled awkwardly.

That did not stop the other one. Foop, being careful with his claws, touched Poof’s lips with his thumb and gently got the crumbs from them. But even when he finished with what was his original plan, he kept his finger or the soft lips and wondered if Poof’s whole skin was this soft, or just his lips. He needed to find that out. 

Poof blinked up at him, wide-eyed and curious, completely unaware of the intensity of the moment. For him it just seemed that the fairy completely zoned out and just did something by accident. “Foop?” He asked softly, his voice cutting through the strange, silent atmosphere that had suddenly descended between them. It was not fear in his voice - more like confusion. Poof did not pull away, though. He just smiled awkwardly, waiting for some kind of explanation from the other fairy. But none came and the situation was starting to get real awkward, even for Poof. Lucky them, they chose the most hidden table in the canteen and no one would see this scene, but if that happened, they sure would have some questions for the two.

With a slight twitch of his jaw, Foop quickly pulled his hand away after he got back into reality, stuffing it into his pocket like nothing had happened. His expression did not waver, he was a better liar and actor than his Fairy counterpart, though a faint heat crept into his cheeks that he hoped Poof would not notice. “You had crumbs.” Foop muttered under his breath, his tone coming out a little too gruff, a little too defensive. “You should pay more attention. It’s annoying. You are annoying, you mess. What am I? Your mother that I have to keep you presentable?” He tried to play it off as annoyance, but he sure would have loved to touch those lips again. Just to test the boundaries Poof had with him. But from the very awkward interaction it seemed that he had very few regarding some touchiness.

Poof blinked, rubbing at his lips with the back of his hand, completely missing the shift in Foop’s mood or the tone he was talking in. “Oh! Ummm, thanks!” He chuckled awkwardly, his typical sunny smile returning. “I guess I got carried away with the sandwich. It tastes too good.” He went back to biting down his sandwich and adding more attention to keep himself and his face clean.

Foop rolled his eyes, more at himself than Poof. He would curse out loud, but that would just be spit on the wound. “Yeah, whatever.” He said, voice laced with forced indifference. He turned his focus to his juice box, fiddling with the straw to avoid looking at Poof. “Anyway, about the band-” He added, desperate to steer the conversation back into safe territory. “-You said we need a place to practice? What were your thoughts?”

“Oh!” Poof quickly swallowed and washed the taste away with the juice. “I thought about your place?” He quickly put down everything from his hands and turned to face the fae. “Before you say anything! I know it would be weird, and your father had some concerns regarding your friendlier relationships this morning, but! And this is very important-” He took a deep breath and put his hands on Foop’s shoulders. “-Your place is so cool.” Poof sounded defeated and exposed. He even leaned down to hide his face.

"My place?" Foop muttered, right eyebrow raised. “You’re serious?” He also dared to look at Poof’s fingernails, and damn, they were manicured! And also had some transparent nail polish on them with small stars twinkling in the artificial light.

Poof looked back and backed away from his friend and also put his hands on his thighs. “It's so cool, Foop. I mean... the dark, Victorian furniture, the endless staircases to nowhere. You’ve got, like, the perfect anti-vibe for a band. It’s... uh... aesthetic?” He was not so sure about that last part, but he tried his best at convincing the Anti-Fairy to have their session in the castle, that Foop had to give a mental gold star to him.

“You really are a Fairy. Gushing about ‘aesthetics’...” Foop could not help, but snort while laughing and he rarely laughed, let alone snorted while doing so. He was very cautious about his fangs and sharper teeth and how those could look scary to some folks.
His laughter died off and he continued. “Fine, fine. We’ll do it at my place, but if my father decides to start a lecture on how you're a good influence on me, I’ll leave you to defend for yourself.” Foop said, picking up his tray and crumpling the juice box with one hand. He leaned in just slightly as he added: “I can’t promise I won’t laugh on you either.”

Poof quickly stuffed his things into his bag, his wings fluttering slightly with excitement. “Lead the way, partner-in-crime.” He thought he was so smooth for that.

With a nonchalant shrug, Foop swung his bag over his shoulder and led Poof out of the canteen, even Foop preferring flying this time to not to draw any attention to themselves. They weaved through the students still lingering in the halls, ignoring the occasional glare or whisper. Everyone knew better than to mess with either of them, anyway.

Foop again had some time to think.
What he did was crossing a line, but the fairy was not concerned or disgusted by that. It was calming but just gave Foop more questions: Was he really in love with his rival? And was that mutual? Or was the fae just too naive to give any mind to it? Nah, that seemed very unlikely - Poof was more of a nice person, until you messed with him, he was not necessarily naive just because he was a Fairy. He was friendly and selfless, looking out for his friends and others, unlike Foop who always needed more and better and bigger and was too disdainful to share anything.

They reached the music room, where the air felt lighter, quieter - perfect for some time away from everyone else. Foop opened the door and peeked inside, confirming it was empty before stepping in and motioning Poof to follow. “Alright, we’ve got the place to ourselves.” As a true binger of chaos, Foop let himself in first and let the door open for Poof to come in. He reached his nice limit for today.

The silence in the music room settled around them like a comforting blanket, a stark contrast to the chaotic energy of the rest of the school. It was just the two of them now—no teachers, no judgmental stares from other students, just the quiet space to breathe and think.

Poof floated over and settled into a chair across from Foop, looking around the room as if waiting for something to happen. He did not pick up an instrument either, just leaned back, his wings twitching lightly behind him. “Man, it feels good to finally be away from all that noise.” he said, breaking the silence. His voice was soft, almost relieved.
“So-” Poof continued. “-You never answered my question earlier. Or rather you gave a vague answer.”

Foop blinked and had to stand up behind the piano to see the other fairy for a moment. “What question?” He was looking at him with big eyes and lowered ears.

“You know, about the band practice at your place?” Poof smirked, leaning forward slightly. “You were in your head, completely lost, so I want to hear a straight yes or no.”

Foop rolled his eyes, but could not help the slight smile tugging at his lips. “Yeah, I got it. We can try, I guess. I mean my father won’t be thrilled, tho my mom on the other hand…” He had to stop his sentence for a minute to think of something he could say and would be appropriate behaviour from his mom. “She would probably want to show baby pictures or some shit. I dunno. She’s been weird lately.” He laughed it off but immediately dove back into his feelings. He wondered if anyone else had done that to Poof - caressing his lips - , would the Fairy react the same or it was a thing only Foop could do to him without getting into trouble? Or what if Poof somewhere deep down thought the same as that brainiac at class; that Anti-Fairies cannot feel love therefore cannot show affection.

Man, Foop hated to overthink everything. And it seemed like the medicine started to get weaker on him. Or was it ever working?

Meanwhile Poof was sitting still, humming a melody to himself and checking his nails out.

“Hey, Poof…” Foop started, his voice lower and quieter than usual. “You ever think we’re… I don’t know, too friendly? For rivals?” He picked up the chair of the piano and put it down at a place where he could face the Fairy without any problems. He sat down and the other was still thinking about the answer. This made Foop want to tear down his own skin and bury himself 6 feet under. The question was not that hard! A simple yes or no!

Poof blinked, sitting up straighter at the question. “Too friendly?” He scratched his head, clearly not understanding where this was going. “I mean, I guess? But isn’t that a good thing? We don’t have to be mortal enemies just because we’re from opposite worlds, right? We can still hang out, do stuff, you know?” He was making a good point, but Foop was not so sure about it.

He was a terrible creature who did not deserve such kind words and feelings. He narrowed his eyes, not quite satisfied with the answer. “Yeah, but… it doesn’t bother you? That I’m an Anti-Fairy? That I’ve, you know, done stuff?” He sounded like a kicked up puppy.

Poof shrugged and smiled as honest and kind as he could and gave it all to his friend. “You mean all the times you tried to kill me as a baby? Nah, man.” The answer was something that Anti-Cosmo would roll his eyes at, but Foop was not his father, and he enjoyed how the fairy formatted his sentences. They were easy on the mind, but were meaningful. Sometimes some folks could use such big words and not mean any of them.

Foop could not help but snort at that, though he still felt like there was something left unsaid. He was not just talking about old grudges, and part of him wondered if Poof was straight up avoiding the deeper meaning of the question or was really that oblivious.

Foop had to cut his bleeding wound deeper, so he grabbed the knife and put it deep. “What if...” Foop hesitated, his voice quieter now. “We weren’t just rivals?” Now this! This was a question that was worth answering. Foop was half sure that he outed himself, but who cared? If he had to go down, he did with style, in the most dramatic way he could imagine it.

Poof tilted his head, clearly not getting the obvious hint that Foop had some kind of feelings for him. “Like what? Partners in crime? We already are, dude.” He had that shit eating grin on his face.

Fool could crawl up a wall, but he just sighed. Poof was a lost case. The Anti-Fairy clenched his jaw, unsure how to push the conversation forward without making himself too vulnerable. The last thing he wanted was to lay everything bare and risk ruining whatever dynamic they had. But at the same time, this confusion - this mess of emotions - was eating him up and swallowing him whole. He finally leaned back against the piano, staring up at the ceiling as if it had the answers or written ‘moron’ on it. “Never mind. Just forget I said anything.” He snarled, but this was a tired one.

The silence returned, not uncomfortable but heavy with the unspoken words Foop had swallowed down. Poof, still completely unaware of what was really going on in his rival's head, stretched his arms behind his head and decided to get up from the chair to stretch his muscles and skin a bit. As he did so, the hem of the coat and shirt went up his side and showed a bit of skin.

Foop saw that whole scene and the way his rival moaned low and long made him feel a kind of way, and currently he wanted anything but feel. He would even much rather sit through another shitty lecture about rules and basic magic spells, but he would be strong and keep himself together. He would not break just because he saw some skin and heard a moan. He was nearly an adult for fuck’s sake!

“Man, I wish we had something fun to do.”

Poof did not have to say anything more and it made the Anti-Fairy remember a terrible idea he had during history.

“Okay, I have a bad idea.” Finally, he was back to his usual self and even got up from the chair and poofed his wand into his hands. He seemed excited for some reason.

Poof stopped stretching his body and feeling refreshed he was ready for any shenanigans his Anti counterpart thought of. “You and your bad ideas. Those are actually just pure evil most times.” He had a point with that concern. There was a time when Foop had the idea of feeling the Teacher's lounge with spiders of all sorts. The next day the first teacher got bitten by one and it turned out he was extremely allergic to spiders and he also freaked out cause he has arachnophobia and he passed out. The next teacher was just in time to call a doctor for the man. Of course, Foop did not know this would have happened, but he would have done it either way. Possibly putting more of that kind of spider in the room.

“No, this one’s actually just bad.” He magiced a white paper bag into his other hand and shook it. He realized that the Fairy would not find out his big plan, he grinned and stepped a few inches closer. “What if we smoked weed, right here, right now?”

“You can’t be serious!” Poof flew as fast as he could to Foop and snatched the bag away. He seemed scared and suddenly anxious. But who would not be both if their friend would show up with drugs at school? “We'll get caught and get expelled.”

“What are you, a ch- ch- ch- chicken?” He even morphed his head into a hen’s head and started to mimic a chicken’s movement.

“And you are a moron.” The fairy crossed his arms and had a satisfied smile on his face. He would rather much be scared than to be expelled.

The blue one morphed his head back and mimicked the same pose as Poof did. “No.” He said it with a higher voice and even fluttered his eyelashes. Damn, was he a drama queen.

“I double down: you are a bigger moron than my dad.” Of course, he loved Cosmo with all his heart, but was in a phase when he was embarrassed by both of his parents. Mainly because they were madly in love again after attending couple’s therapy, and they spent every time with each other. They were inseparable, like if they were super glued together! It was crazy embarrassing for a teenage boy.

Foop gasped and touched his chest and leaned back. “You take that back!” Then immediately stepped again a bit closer to his rival and snatched back the white bag. “And I am taking these back!” He checked if everything was in it and stepped back to give both of them some private space. “You are no fun, and I was thinking maybe you could be bad boy number 2…” This was one of his weakest attempts at manipulating the Fairy, but it seemed to work.

“Argg, okay, fine. What can you do, if we get caught?”

“We won't. We'll be very subtle about it and if anyone would find us, I could also poof us back into sober.”

Poof started to agree to the idea, but had one small problem with it. “You know magic can be wild if and when a fairy is under some sorta substance. We learnt that in the first year of highschool.”

Foop raised an eyebrow, leaning back against the piano with a smirk tugging at his lips. “You worried you’ll lose control or something, Cotton Puff ? Can’t handle a little fun?” He teased, pulling a small, rolled joint from the white bag and twirling it between his fingers. He was good with his fingers.

Poof eyed the joint warily, a bit of hesitation crossing his face. “It’s not about control, it’s about… I dunno, not disappointing my parents? It's optional tho.”

Foop chuckled, lighting the joint and taking a slow, deliberate drag. The faint scent of weed quickly filled the room as the Anti-Fairy held the smoke in his lungs for a moment before exhaling smoothly. “Relax, and don't act like we haven't done it before.” He said, his voice slightly more relaxed, the edge of his usual sharpness dulled.

“Duh, but we were at my place, and my parents were out for a few days, so I was relaxed. You too know weed is no good when you are too nervous and can't relax.” He was trying to convince himself that this was a bad idea, but the longer that joint was in Foop’s hand, the more he wanted to have just a few puffs. 

Foop took another drag, letting the smoke sit for a moment before slowly exhaling through his nose, his eyes half-lidded in relaxation and they already started to get redder. “Sure, but we’re not in any danger here either, Poof.” He said, holding the joint between two fingers like it was the most casual thing in the world. “Besides, you’re with me. What’s the worst that could happen? Magic slips? Maybe we change the color of the walls. Big deal. Grow up and be a man.” He was holding out the joint to Poof and smiled at him like he was already high.

Poof hovered there, the nerves still gnawing at him, but Foop’s chilled-out attitude was starting to wear him down. “Yeah, but last time was different. No school, no people around… you know, it was controlled.”

“You are a control freak, no wonder, since Jorgen is your relative, but still, just… chill for a second?” He was considering taking another puff but he did not want to get too high too quickly. So he still was holding out his hand with the burning weed between his fingers and his smile started to get uncoordinated.

Poof bit his lip, glancing at the joint for a second longer before finally grabbing it. “You make it sound so simple.” He muttered, bringing the joint to his lips. He hesitated, then took a small puff, holding the smoke in like Foop did. As soon as he exhaled, he coughed a little, his wings fluttering nervously. But he started to feel relaxed slowly. He took another drag and coughed a little up, but tried to hold it in as long as he could.
Poof ran a hand through his hair, his wings settling down as his whole body relaxed. “Yeah, I guess... maybe I just needed to take the edge off.” He paused, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “Honestly, though, this kinda makes the whole skipping class thing more fun.”

Foop hummed and realized something. “Cotton Puff, I think we should lay down on the ground before it starts to take too much effect on us.”

Poof nodded and they both decided to lay down next to each other, head to head, looking at the ceiling and taking slow puffs until the whole joint burnt down.

They started to talk about the casual stuff; how school was sometimes actually oppressing talent and skills, just because of the rules, or how girls were only aesthetically pleasing to them and even mentioned the upcoming ball that the principal thought would be a great opportunity to bring students together, but was actually a stupid idea, because everyone had their own little group of friends, and would stay that way everything after the ball.

As the weed started to give them higher effects of total calmness and dullness they talked less and less.

For a long moment, neither said a word. There was nothing that needed to be said, really. Not when the air felt this still, this peaceful. Foop let out a contented sigh, glancing sideways at Poof. His rival - no, friend? - looked so calm, so unbothered by the usual nonsense of their day-to-day lives. There was no tension here, no school, no parents breathing down their necks. Just this perfect, quiet moment.

”Man-” Poof’s voice broke through the silence, his tone slow as if it took effort to speak. He blinked lazily, staring up at the ceiling with half-lidded eyes. “-these are the times I am glad that I can keep it in, cause I am a fucking fairy.”

Foop turned his head toward the purple haired fae, blinking slowly as he tried to process what he had just said. His mind was swimming through molasses, every thought taking its time to form before it reached the surface. He squinted a little, the relaxed smile still tugging at his lips. “What… what are you talking about?” He asked, voice low and a bit amused, though not fully understanding why. Guess he was just happy that his friend was feeling the same ass he did at the moment.

Poof rolled his head lazily to the side to meet Foop’s gaze, his own eyes half-lidded and distant. “Peeing.” He said after a moment, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. His brow furrowed as he thought harder. “Sorry, not peeing.” It was important to make that small detail clear. He was not the type of fairy to think about bodily fluids, especially about piss. He was just happy that his bladder was strong enough, because of magic. He drank that apple juice before smoking weed, and he did not go to the toilet.

Foop stared at him for a second, trying to wrap his foggy mind around what the other high teenager was getting at. He let out a soft snort, finding the absurdity of the conversation kind of hilarious in his current state. “Ah, yeah. Me too.” He muttered, his voice drowsy. “It’s truly… awesome.” He might have said that, but did not fully understand the thought process of peeing and playing tennis. Or was he just imagining talking about tennis earlier? Well, it did not matter to be honest.

.

Poof let out a soft sigh, his body melting further into the ground as he spoke, almost as if his words were a breeze slipping out. "This is so... peaceful." His head was mainly empty, only hummed some random songs he thought of.

Foop, still sprawled on his back beside him, turned his head with a lazy grin. “Yeah, me too. I love weed. It really… does… calm the nerves.” He liked to listen to Poof humm, it was like a bee buzzing. He liked bees, they were cool. They dance to communicate. Imagine if fairies were more like bees. Funny shit.

A pause hung between them, the room so still that Foop was not even sure if time was moving at the same pace. Poof blinked slowly, his attention drifting for a moment before his mind caught up. “What did you say? I lost focus again.”

They were both stuck on a loop, which meant they could focus on reality and themself for a few seconds and then it all went blurry for some time, and cycle repeated.

Foop laughed, a low, drawn-out chuckle. “Me too. I love weed. It really does… magic to a fairy.” He was not even realizing that he was repeating himself with only a slight change it thought. He was thinking that time was unmoving and with it himself too was becoming slower. But in reality time moved at the same pace and they were just doing and saying stuff in a normal rhythm.

Poof gave a soft hum of agreement, his head turning slightly to look at the ceiling once more. “Yeah…”

Another stretch of silence settled, but before long, Foop’s attention had drifted again. His thoughts were floating just beneath the surface, like bubbles that would not quite pop. “What did you say? I lost focus.” He muttered under his mustache trying to make sense of what was happening.

Poof, too relaxed to care, just shushed him gently with his hand trying to find the Anti-Fairy’s mouth to put his palm there.
Foop did not need anything more, he pushed out his tongue and licked the palm of Poof’s hand, the warmth of his tongue brushing over the cool skin. It was a strange, impulsive move, but Foop did not care.

“That’s wet,” Poof said with a small laugh, shaking his hand slightly. “Did you know that we can’t actually feel wet, just cold? Our nervous system is the same as a human’s.” And he was starting infodumping. He tried to mask sober, but high, it was harder to keep in information that might be slightly interesting.

Foop blinked slowly, processing the sentence for longer than necessary before he replied. “Wow, that was a long sentence.” He massaged his forehead with his fingers and tried to think of something to do, something to try to make himself a bit sober, he could not go on like that any longer. He was starting to get nervous.
The blue one shifted, sitting up abruptly like something had sparked inside him. His wings gave a faint flutter, sending a small gust of air over the floor as he moved. He wandered aimlessly around the room, almost as if the floor was moving beneath him instead. After a moment, he found a guitar leaning against the wall. Without thinking, he picked it up and started to strum, the tune uncoordinated and wandering. But after a while he started to play an actual song that he was listening to sometimes in his room alone. It was melancholic but pretty danceable at the same time.

If Poof would be able to get up from the welcoming floor, he would totally dance to Foop’s performance.

Midway through his half-hearted playing, Foop’s eyes blinked open with clarity for a moment. He stared down at the guitar in his hands, the sudden awareness of the room hitting him like a light switch had been flipped. "Wait..." He looked over at the fairy, confusion spreading across his face. "Why am I here and not next to you? I feel cold." His voice wavered slightly, his earlier calm shattered by a random surge of anxiety. “Can we cuddle? Damn, I’m freaking out!”

Poof just chuckled again, his voice lazy and low. “Don’t know, man, but you played some fire tune.” He teased, rolling onto his side to look at the other fairy.

Foop sighed, his wings drooping as he put the guitar down and quickly shuffled back over to the purple haired one. He lay down beside him again, curling up close for warmth and comfort. Poof, despite everything, let him, wrapping an arm loosely around Foop’s shoulders. It was odd, given how their usual interactions went, but right now, it felt easy. Natural, even.

The room fell into a calm silence again, their breathing syncing up as the haze of weed washed over them, the world blurring once more.

They both dozed off and woke up to a knocking sound. No, it was louder than that. It was someone slamming at something wooden.

They both were still pretty tired and would have liked to sleep just a bit more, but when they started to hear fairy voices shouting from behind the door, they both got to their senses and slowly started to put together what happened. They were in a closed classroom, and the smell lingered on still, they forgot to open a window before they both fell asleep. And most importantly they were in each other's arms. It was too late for them to pull away from one another, someone knocked down the door and none other than the Morph Magic teacher and the Fairywinkles were standing there both freaked out, surprised and mad.

“What…? What are you two doing in here?! Do you know what time it is?” The teacher stepped in, the two parents following in her steps. She started to get suspicious and the smell hit her after a few seconds. “Is that?! You can't be serious! Smoking weed in school ?! Are you two insane?” She immediately locked eyes with Foop and gave the next thoughts to him. “That’s why your type is not allowed here! Look what did you do to our best student!”

Foop was getting up slowly, still dazed by the weed, but he understood every and each word. There were no funny loops anymore, so he would not forget this all.

“Skipping classes is one thing, but bringing and then using weed? And also force it on Poof?! You are in much trouble young man!” She was keeping her distance, but her tone was enough to Foop to know this was possibly it. They would expel him and he would never have to see any annoying fairies ever again if he would be lucky enough. Of course, his parents would not be necessarily pleased with the news, but this was the only school in the Fairy World that taught proper magic use.

Without anyone noticing, Poof got in between his friend and the angry adult and said the following. “Mrs. Windywink, it was my idea! Both the skipping and the weed. Please, don't punish Foop, he just got dragged into it!”

What was that idiot doing? At most he would get a verbal warning about the dangers of weed, but with this… Poof was trying to prove that he can take a bullet? Or he just wanted the attention of the teacher? That would make no sense! This was not an accomplishment, there were no rewards for taking a bullet! Why was he doing that? Foop did not deserve to be protected. It was his idea!

But no sound came from his throat, he could only stare blankly at the Fairy, who was still trying to talk the teacher off of any kind of punishment she was thinking of and planting other ideas in her head. Like community service hours, or cleaning the school yard for a week. Anything, but Foop could not be expelled.

After a while even the Fairywinkles joined the arguing and Foop felt annoyed. Annoyed, because he was used to being the black sheep. He was used to people looking down at him or with fear in their eyes. He was used to being the one to blame. So this time, when that annoying little Fairy decided to step up, he moved something in the Anti-Fairy. Foop looked up from the ground, walked with heavy steps next to Poof - no one else was on their feet - and pushed him away gently.

“You don't have to do this. Mrs. Windywink! I am ready for any kind of punishment, but please, don't drag my friend into it. He is… just trying to take a bullet while I dodge one. It's not fair.”

Everyone became silent for a few moments, before Ms Fairywinkle spoke up. “Mrs., I think the boys learnt that there are times and places for everything, but school is not the one for such foolish behaviour. Please, consider my insight, from a parent, a mother , that kids will be kids, and teens are especially hard cases.” She glanced at Foop for a second and it seemed like her expression softened then.

“Yeah, what my wife says! Foop is, of course, a big trouble maker, but look at him. Years before he would never admit to any kind of mistake he made.” Even Cosmo joined his wife with more concern in his voice than anger.

This couple made Foop wonder if his parents would also notice the same about him, and if yes, what would they say?

“Everyone, I understand the concern, but I must also state that our school has strict policies about substances being used, so I came to a conclusion…”

Everyone was waiting impatiently and had their toes curled up in the tension.

“Both Foop and Poof should attend an Anonym Circle for drug addicts to learn a real lesson. But you see, since we don't have such events, you two should go to the Human Realm and find a place that accepts younger people . If you attend at least 3 meetings in 3 months, I will forgive you and not tell the principal about this… situation.”

The air outside the school felt heavier and colder than usual though it was stupid to think that, there was no weather in Fairy World, and the silence between Foop and Poof was suffocating, choking the two faes. They both stood in front of the entrance, hands shoved deep into their pockets, neither one able to muster the courage to look at the other. The weight of Mrs. Windywink’s words still hung in the air. Sent to the Human Realm to deal with this? Anonym Circle for drug addicts? The afternoon was so fun and neither thought it would come to this.

Poof shifted uncomfortably, eyes darting to the side, and then back at his shoes. His wings twitched slightly while he was hovering over the ground, betraying the tension he felt. He opened his mouth to speak but quickly closed it again, unable to find the right words. And Foop sensed that. 

Foop, however, had his mind spinning, and as usual, it was more than just about the weed. The anxious, twisting feeling in his stomach from earlier was still there, stronger even. But it was not just nerves - it was Poof. Every time the Fairy was close, every time they hung out, it was like Foop’s insides knotted up, and he could not figure out why. Or rather he did not want to admit to the “l” letter word. That was too much for his dark little heart. Finally he clenched his fists, biting the inside of his cheek before finally blurting out. “You make me feel sick to my stomach.” It was true. Well, close to that. He was not feeling like throwing up, but was feeling all gooey and nice, and it was getting stronger day by day, and only now it was starting to get annoying.

Poof swallowed hard, glancing at his shoes again. “I… I didn’t know it bothered you that much.” He mumbled, keeping his tone soft. “I’ll stop using it. The repellent, I mean.” He said the last part quickly, not wanting to dwell on it.

Foop blinked in confusion. "What?" He almost shouted, caught off guard. The repellent? That wasn't even remotely close to what he meant. But as Poof continued to shuffle awkwardly, avoiding his gaze, Foop realized he completely misunderstood. Still, it was not worth correcting him. Not now, at least. Poof probably had enough on his mind, just like the Anti-Fairy, and even if he had slowly enough that the Fairy misunderstood him all day, he knew this was not the right time to confess his not so hidden feelings.
A small smirk tugged at Foop’s lips despite the mess in his head. "Yeah... sure." He said, pretending like it was exactly what he’d meant. “Whatever. Just don’t get attacked by others.” Foop could wait. After all, tomorrow was another day .

The silence returned, but this time it was less oppressive, almost like a silent understanding had passed between them, even if they weren’t on the same page. Foop shoved his hands deeper into his pockets, leaning against the railing of the school’s steps. His eyes flicked briefly toward Poof, who was still fidgeting uncomfortably.

Foop thought to himself and wanted to shift the mood. “Your parents seemed chill with the weed. So if they’ll let you go tomorrow, we’ll meet at the castle.” He was forcing a reassuring smile on his face, though it seemed rather disturbing.

That made the other fairy laugh a little. “I know you don’t like to smile, don’t force yourself!” He punched the Anti-Fairy slightly on the shoulder and finally could look at him. “Sure, have a nice night. You live further away and it’s getting dark. I know you are a tough one, so I won’t wish you safe flights.”

“Yeah, thanks. Bye, Cotton Puff.” With that Foop smirked the last time during the day at his rival and headed home with the thought that maybe he had a small chance at being more than just an Anti-fairy causing havoc amongst living things.

Notes:

Man, was it funny to write down the part, when I was bashing white people, meanwhile I am one too. But at least I am Eastern European and know how to use seasoning. My mother loved me enough to teach me that. Some people prob drink a 0,5 liter beer and say "uuu, that was a lot" lol. Some peeps prob put marshmallows into hot chocy and say it's flavoured. Some peeps prob lick asphalt and say "that tastes like my mom's lasagne". Some peeps prob say the excuse "but I have a friend of x so I can't be racist/sexist/transphobic/homophobic". Some peeps... Okay, I'll stop, you get the point.
While writing some scenes I listened to "Rock Me Amadeus" and you should also listen to it, it scretches the mind just right.

Also, why was this chapter so long? Don't think that you'll get this long chapters each time. This must be just a mistake.