Archive of Our Own

When he was six years old, Poof no longer felt safe in public.

It all began when Sammy Sweetsparkle had amazing news to share. With a smile so bright that sparkles were surrounding his face, Sammy announced, “My parents are sending me to an elf only school!”

Poof’s shoulders dropped, and the grin on his face vanished.

“Finally!” Foop groaned. He was also smiling, but it wasn’t as sweet as Sammy’s was, not with his fangs on display and his brows furrowed.

Since Foop was triumphant over the news, it was expected that Poof felt the opposite. It’s always been that way, whatever emotion Poof felt, Foop shouldn’t feel the same.

Obviously, this rule doesn’t always apply, the duo shared identical sentiments from time to time. Poof wished this was one of those times. He supposed that Foop must’ve been really happy about Sammy’s departure, because he was devastated. Pocketing his hands, he offered a smile that couldn’t reach his eyes. “Good for you, Sammy.”

Whatever they said next was translated into unintelligible mumblings that entered one ear and left through the other. Poof stared at the ground, at the trail of tiny stars falling as he fluttered his wings and disappearing before they could make contact with the floor. Because of his luminescence, his shadow was barely visible compared to Foop and Sammy’s, and he suddenly felt like he was intruding on their conversation.

He couldn’t understand why he was upset. He knew Sammy as a friend of Foop, and he only trusted him enough to speak in short, clipped answers. Still, Poof had known him since he was a baby. He and Foop began Spellementary School before they were even a year old. It was intimidating to be surrounded by kids three years older, especially when none of them were fairies like he and Foop were. But Sammy looked after them, even if Foop used him as a scapegoat for his schemes. He was the protection they needed. In some ways, he was like their guardian.

Now, Poof was saying goodbye to the only magical being in school who respected them.

After Sammy had left, it was just Foop and Poof in the hallway. Foop bid farewell, but Poof had been silent for the whole ordeal.

“Aren’t you sad about that?”

Foop startled at his voice. He must have forgotten Poof was ever there.

“Why should I be sad?” He scoffed. “Sammy’s a loser, I’m glad he’s finally taken care of.”

When he was met with silence, Foop rolled his eyes.

“Come on, cotton puff. I know it’s pathetic that we only have each other, but we don’t need anyone else.”

After a beat, Poof nodded, and the two returned to their classroom.

It was the last time they ever saw Sammy.

Poof and Foop stood side by side in the empty classroom. Everyone else had left, but they were too busy examining the papers laid out before them to go home. A list of “F”s were printed on Foop’s report card, contrasting the “A”s on that of Poof’s. 

Poof frowned. “You studied.”

“Yeah,” said Foop. “You didn’t.”

Spellementary School offered subjects that weren’t in any way suitable for fairies, mainly because their births were unexpected. But Poof excelled in them, he had Wanda’s smarts and he used it to navigate through his classes, leaving Foop to fail every single one.

He was a prodigy, that much was true. Cosmo and Wanda praised him for every academic certificate he brought home. Everyone did. His peers, his teachers, even the school board took pride in having a fairy (not just any fairy, the first one born in a thousand years!) to represent their success.

They stopped celebrating after a few years. Now, it was expected of him to be the best.

Sometimes the attention was too much, but Poof always tried not to let it get to him. Any time he had the urge to stand up for himself, he recalled when his teacher, Mrs. Powers, had offhandedly joked about how his gifted abilities saved his reputation from crumbling.

“Oh Poof,” she had said. “You’re in fourth grade now, you ought to start being friendly! You were cute when you were a baby, but now, everybody only likes you because you’re a topper!”

Then she laughed that shrieking laugh of hers. Poof never understood what was funny about it.

Soon, the teachers had a massive shift in their opinions of him. No longer was he a pleasure to have in class, now he was a misanthropic freak whose only friend is his own anti-fairy counterpart. Everyone else liked him for his power, his intelligence, and his adorable charm. Meanwhile, Foop hated him from the start, and Poof had come to realize that it meant his rare acts of kindness were sincere.

In spite of that, Foop was always brushed aside and ignored, no matter how skilled he was. For their music exam, Foop performed a lovely melody on the organ while Poof refused to sing in front of the whole classroom. He still got an A, Foop got an F.

It felt like the universe was watching them, making sure they were correctly playing their roles as the fairy and the anti-fairy. One a force of good, and the other of evil.

Poof never liked theatre. Neither did Foop. That was one of the traits they shared.

Stuffing the report card in his backpack, Foop pushed his chair in.

“I guess I’ll be going now,” he sighed. He took one final glance at Poof, noting the way his lip quivered. There was an angry curve in his brow, and his eyes were scarily red.

“It’s not fair.” Poof wiped his eyes. “The prizes aren’t good anymore.”

“Poof?” Foop began to panic. “It’s okay! I think they can give you trophies if you want—”

“You deserve it more than me,” Poof clarified, stunning Foop into silence. With the wave of his wand, Poof’s report card disappeared into his backpack. “You tried, Foop. I never had to. They should be yours.”

The quiet of the room was deafening. Neither knew how to react. Foop offered a hand on his back for comfort, only to retreat when Poof flinched.

Soon, Poof sighed and slung his bag around his shoulder, magicking the tear streaks away from his face.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Poof said.

He missed the school bus that day. An apologetic Wanda arrived to pick him up 2 hours later.

By the time he was seven, Poof had snuck to Anti-Fairy World enough times to be unfazed by its gloomy environment. It was a nice change from the pastel scenery of his homeworld. The broken, irregular architecture and dark landscapes were beautiful because they were new. Poof memorized the road to Anti-Cosmo’s castle, the only place where he no longer needed to tiptoe around.

Being Foop’s only friend had its perks, Anti-Wanda liked him immediately. She had been so proud of Foop for making a friend that she convinced her husband to ignore Poof’s presence whenever he visited. She was known for her stupidity, but she made the smart decision. Poof was still a kid. They knew what Cosmo was capable of, they didn’t know what he would do if anything happened to his son.

She reminded him a lot of his own mother. Not just because she was Wanda’s dense and mean counterpart, but also because she adored Foop like Wanda adored him. Foop and his father were similar, though Poof supposed that Anti-Wanda was the source of Foop’s secret compassionate side.

Speaking of which.

It was strangely chilly in Anti-Fairy World. Poof hadn’t prepared for the weather, and he shivered in Foop’s evil lair and/or bedroom. Foop noticed, and with his wand upraised, Poof was quickly swaddled in a dark blue sweater. Anti-Wanda knitted it for Foop, but it couldn’t fit him at all. It was way too large, almost like a knee-length dress. It was so oversized that Poof immediately stopped trembling once he wore it.

A rush of warmth washed over Poof alongside the realization that there was no one in the world he could trust more than the evil extension of himself.

“Foop?”

“Hm?”

Poof deliberately stared at the ceiling. “I’m thinking about changing my name.”

Slowly, Foop rose up from where he was just laying in bed.

“I figured.”

Poof looked at him. “You did.”

“Well,” said Foop. “Something’s clearly been bothering you.”

Either Foop was very clever, or he had been feeling the strange, shared emotion that was the opposite of Poof’s misery. “Do you want to change your name?”

“It certainly isn’t my taste, but the thought never crossed my mind.” Foop shuffled closer. “Why do you want to?”

Poof sighed, rolling the sweater sleeves up from where it dangled several inches past his hands. “It’s hard to explain.”

For a long time, Poof wondered if he was meant to be playing a character for his whole life. He was the youngest fairy in the world, the most powerful being in the magical universe, and the top of his class. He was the perfect little brother of the worst godkid in the world, who named him after the sound he constantly made as a baby.

It was also because of Timmy that Poof had to live up to the standards of an average boy, too.

Despite spending his whole life raised in the shoes of one, Poof felt out of place. He didn’t mind his long lashes, his squeaky voice, or how scrawny and small he was compared to everybody in school. Though, sometimes he wanted to get rid of such traits.

But Poof liked to wear dresses sometimes. He liked his long hair and how it tickled his neck. Occasionally, Wanda would put makeup on him, and he loved feeling pretty when she did.

He had other interests too—like playing with water squirters. They were Poof’s favorite toy, nothing could compare to the joy of shooting water at his family as he chased them around. Once, under the guise of a human child, Timmy brought him to the beach. In there, Poof caught a group of rowdy dudes chasing each other with water squirters larger than himself. Theirs were more defined and meticulous, a great contrast to the shabby gun Poof had. He stopped playing with them ever since.

“Poof is an odd name.” Foop interrupted his thoughts. “But it doesn’t sound bad.”

“It’s weird,” said Poof, boring holes onto the ceiling. “Don’t you think so? Don’t you think everything about you is weird?”

Foop glared at him. “How dare you? You’re the one being weird here, Poof. I may be strange, but unlike you, I don’t care about my reputation.”

Poof shrugged. “Maybe it’s because I’m a girl.”

When he didn’t receive an immediate retort, Poof turned to face him. He suppressed a giggle at the look of genuine surprise.

“You’re a girl?” Foop repeated, shifting closer to him. “But you were—I thought that you—you’re not being serious, are you?”

Poof burrowed himself deeper into the mattress and looked up again. At this point, he could memorize all the spots and stains on the ceiling. If he examined hard enough, he could almost make out the vague shape of Timmy’s head.

“...I don’t know,” he said at last. “I’ve been living like a boy ever since I was born. I like it, but it feels like playing pretend.”

Once Poof was finished with his answer, the only sound in the whole room was the distant whirring of background noise. Poof wasn’t claustrophobic, he was hardly afraid of anything. But at the moment, he felt trapped.

“If I am a boy,” Foop started. “And we’re supposed to be like each other, then that means… you were a boy from the very beginning.”

Foop only meant it as a matter of fact, but it helped a lot. Relief flooded his systems so hard Poof could’ve drowned. He never learned to swim.

“Have you chosen a name yet?”

“No, but I like Keanu… and Tallulah.” After a beat, Poof rolled to his side. “Maybe not Tallulah.”

Foop gagged. “That’s disgusting.”

Tallulah snickered. “Yeah. I like Periwinkle. Oh. But that’s a color.”

“Periwinkle doesn’t sound that bad,” Foop admitted. “Actually, it’s kind of nice. You could call yourself Peri.”

“Really?”

“Yes. It’s simple, four letters and it starts with ‘P’. Are you going to tell your parents?”

Peri thought about it. He wasn’t quite ready to break the news to them, but he knew very well that they would embrace him with open arms when he eventually did. It can wait.

Peri shook his head.

With a smile so bright that he could’ve turned all of Anti-Fairy World into a land of sunshine and rainbows, Peri scooted closer to lay beside Foop. Hesitantly, Foop returned a smile of his own.

Peri gasped. “If I’m Peri, then you would be Irep!”

“What?” Irep grimaced. “No way, that sounds awful!”

It wasn’t until Peri had returned to Fairy World did he realize he was still dressed in Irep’s sweater. Oh well. He was more worried about how he could ever break the news to Timmy.

As the last of their races, Peri and Irep were still stuck in a school full of magical beings unlike their own. It was easier to get along with them in Spellementary, when everyone else was older but still young enough to be nice. But now, Peri and Irep were children trapped in a room full of tweens.

In short, their first year of middle school was a nightmare.

Adjusting was difficult. Things were better when the kids were afraid of approaching Irep. Here, they actively rallied against him. Which is to say that it was usually Irep who got picked on, because everybody liked Peri.

They eventually learned to back off after Peri intervened, shouting at them and threatening to hurt them in unimaginable ways. It couldn’t save him from the bullying, but most of them stopped messing with him.

Meanwhile, Peri was treated like a celebrity. The more people ogled him in the corridors, the more self-conscious he got. They often went up to him for small talk, they prying into his life as a fairy and treating him like a toy. Therefore, he stayed by Irep most of the time, as everyone was repelled by him.

They could always rely on each other when no one else had their backs. Unfortunately, this meant that they were vulnerable when they were separated.

Normally, Peri took the school bus, but he also liked to wait for Irep so they could go home together. It was a far flight from here to Fairy World and Peri took comfort in the distance.

Irep must’ve gotten himself into detention again, because Peri had been waiting outside the school gates for 20 minutes now and he still wasn’t here. No matter, his bus was already gone, Peri could wait.

Seemingly out of nowhere, he was hit by something hard. In the wings no less, the few most sensitive parts of his body. As pain erupted and he fell to the ground, Peri was distantly relieved that it dodged his head.

His body found a home on the blue grass. Using his arms as leverage, he managed to free his face from the dirt and kneel on the ground.

He patted the leather on his side and relaxed when he could feel the tightness of the buckle. His satchel was still closed, so nothing in there had fallen out. At least he was spared the humiliation of searching for scattered books and pens.

“Dammit, Jack,” he heard a raspy voice say. “You were supposed to get the crown!”

“I knocked it out, didn’t I?” said someone with an Irish accent. Peri assumed he was Jack. “You didn’t do nothing, so ya better stop yelling, Nelly!”

“Can you two shut up?” A third voice interjected. “Hurry up and take it before he gets up!”

His heart seized as their words settled. Urgently, he scanned the area around him until he caught the golden glow of his crown. Bracing his arms, a knee dug into the ground, and he lifted himself up. He managed to stand upright for a short moment before promptly falling back down when he stumbled.

“Great job,” said someone new, a voice Peri recognized. Callahan was the unlucky elf who faced the receiving end of Peri’s wrath after he terrorized Irep for a day. “Why bother having legs if you’ll just fly around with your little bee wings?”

Peri never learned to walk, let alone stand up. He was never taught to. His wings were his only means of travelling, but now it hurt to move them.

“Can it,” Peri snapped. He reached for the wand in his pocket and panicked when he felt the absence of it.

“Looking for this?” Callahan taunted. Peri looked up to see him dangling the scepter with a hand. He hastily shoved his body up from the floor, balancing himself on his hands and knees, and stretched an arm out to reach for it. Callahan turned away before he could. From this angle, he could see his own crown atop Callahan’s head.

“No way you snagged his wand!” The raspy voice, Nelly, spoke up again. Peri looked behind Callahan to find the source of it. Another elf, standing between a leprechaun and a troll. All four of them were taller, bigger, and standing on two feet. All of them surrounded him.

“Hey Bones,” Callahan called, and the troll came forward. “What do you know about fairy magic?”

“Their wands are their magic.” Bones smirked. “They’re nothing without them.”

While that was the case for everyone in Fairy World, it wasn’t for Peri. His wand served to contain his magic, and he was much more powerful without it. That’s why his wand looked different from everyone else’s, it had an orange sphere around the iconic star shape. Shamefully, he never got the chance to train his abilities without the help of his wand. He could accidentally start an apocalypse with the snap of his fingers, but he couldn’t save himself if his life depended on it. It was like gambling. Bones was technically right.

“At least I can fly,” Peri grunted.

They all shared glances at each other before bursting into laughter.

“Not now you can’t!” Jack said between his giggles.

“You think you’re so special,” Callahan spat, moving closer. “You think you could come in here and rule the school just because you’re a fairy?”

“Leave me alone.” Peri tried to get up again, but something hard crushed his wings, forcing him into the grass. Callahan’s boot, he realized, was planted firmly on his back. It twisted above him, and Peri bit his tongue against a pained whine. “Let me go—! ”

“Your legs, Poof.” Callahan briefly released his foot to stomp on him. “Why don’t you put them to good use and we’ll talk, huh?”

Peri remembered the time he found a helpless butterfly on the road, unable to travel because of its damaged wings. He remembered when Timmy picked it up to wish it back to health. “Butterfly wings are pretty thin,” he told Peri. “That’s why they have to take care of it.”

Fairy wings were also thin. They were durable, but delicate, as they possessed a great number of nerve endings needed to sense magic energy. Peri knew it was impossible, but he’d do anything for Timmy to come and wish his wings back to normal. That way, he could spare a visit to the doctor’s.

The pressure dissipated right as the thought crossed his mind. Peri freed his head to breathe, relishing the lovely scent of air after being suffocated in dirt. He was suddenly aware of how quiet it was, especially with his ears tortured with never ending laughter mere seconds ago. Looking up, he found all four of them floating above him, trapped within a dark-colored, warbling aura.

Timmy didn’t come, he couldn’t, no matter how much Peri wanted him to.

But Irep could.

“I thought elves were supposed to have sensitive ears.” Irep snarled. “He said to leave him alone. ”

Irep raised his wand, and the group began flying upwards. Then, he swiftly yanked them down, sending them crashing on the ground as dirt and rocks flew from the impact. Peri’s crown and wand were released, Irep retrieved them while the group struggled to recover.

“Come on.” There was an odd strain in his voice as he pulled Peri up from the ground. “I’m here, Peri, come on.”

Tears pricked at the corners of Peri’s eyes as the pain from his wings became more intense. He allowed himself to be carried, and he leaned against Irep, wrapping an arm around his shoulders as he gripped his bag with the other.

“I’m here, Peri. I’m here.”

When Cosmo and Wanda rushed to the hospital, the first thing they noticed was Irep sitting in the armchair beside Peri’s bed, asleep and snoring. Their hands were glued together even in their slumber.

By the time they were in high school, lunchtime behind the building became a regular thing. They ate between vending machines and piles of trash bags, but the view wasn’t bad. The sky, adorned with glittering blue stars, was a daring violet color. It was much more vibrant than the pastel pinks and purples of Fairy World.

Aside from keeping them safe from the staring and occasional harassment, it was also quiet. They began packing their own food instead of buying from the cafeteria so they wouldn’t have to deal with the overwhelmingly noisy canteen. Today he was having a peanut butter and jam sandwich. Grape jam, with tiny peanut bits in the peanut butter, just the way Peri liked it. Stuck to the paper bag was a post it note from Cosmo, a gentle reminder that he loved him.

As Irep munched away on his food, Peri let his mind wander, like it always did whenever it was too quiet. He hadn’t touched his lunch at all. He wasn’t in the mood to eat, and not because of the garbage six feet away.

Peri realized, very early on, that he wasn’t normal. No amount of magic will ever change that about him. After learning to make peace with this fact, everything became much easier for him—except when it came to building connections.

Once the hype of a new fairy baby died down, everyone yanked their rose-tinted glasses off to see Peri for who he really is—weird. And Peri cared about his reputation, sure, but he never wanted to fit in with everybody else. That didn’t stop him from trying to be perfect. He wanted to make up for it, but nothing seemed to work. He was too withdrawn for the teachers and too nerdy for his classmates.

Peri was still famous, of course he was. It was a little off-putting how different people can view him. For some, he was a freak of nature. For others, his strangeness was idolized and his struggles were ignored for the sole purpose of cooing at him.

It’s times like these that Peri truly felt alone.

“You’re thinking about something,” Irep pointed out. “What’s wrong?”

Peri considered brushing him off. “Do you remember Goldie?”

“Yeah? What, you miss her?”

Peri stared at the sky.

“Seriously?” Irep scoffed. “She kissed you once . On the cheek. We were babies —” He leaned closer to Peri and pointed at him. “You couldn’t even talk yet.”

“It’s not about that.”

Irep took a bite of his food—a sandwich, with lots of cheese. “If you don’t like her that way, why bother thinking about her? Just get over it.”

Frustrated, Peri took a deep breath. “Because if she were here, I would have one more person to talk to. You said it yourself. It’s pathetic that we only have each other.”

Peri often thought about what Irep said the day Sammy left. Irep was always mean, so he didn’t know why that line in particular haunted the back of his mind.

“Goldie was part of our generation,” Peri continued. “She’d understand us, but she’s not here.”

Last he heard, she was being homeschooled now. Good for her.

“And Sammy’s gone too, that leaves the both of us.”

He slouched on the pavement and cracked his knuckles, ignoring the growl in his stomach.

“I mean…” Irep was flush against him now, nudging his arm with his elbow. Peri could hear regret in his voice. “There’s nothing wrong with us not having anyone else!”

“We’re eating lunch behind the school, next to a broken vending machine and garbage.”

It was almost laughable how jaded Peri had become within the span of a few years. He didn’t know why, though he suspected that it had to do with him studying 11th grade material at thirteen years old. Polynomials had that power.

He didn’t know how long it had been since they fell into silence, but by the time he snapped out of his thoughts, Irep was looking at him with concern. “This is about your brother, isn’t it?”

Peri bristled. “What?”

“It is!” Irep shouted, matching Peri’s volume. “That’s why you’re being so weird!”

“It is not!”

“He’s the reason why you changed your name, wasn’t he?” Irep accused. “That’s why you kept thinking about Sammy and Goldie, that’s why you’ve been so clingy!”

“No! I didn’t change my name because of him!”

Timmy was gone the week after their little talk in Irep’s bedroom. Peri never told him, he never told anyone other than Irep. That was six years ago.

As for everything else, he wasn’t sure.

“You so did! I was in a wonderful mood when he left, you know. But you haven’t been the same since then. You’re hardly the same person as you were when we were kids.”

“Stop talking about him!” Peri shrieked, covering his ears. “Just stop it! I know I’m miserable!”

“Peri?”

“You’re right, okay? I miss him. I do.” His voice shook and he curled into a ball. “I miss him, I miss him so much.”

He wept into his arms, steadily rocking in place to calm down. The way he acted now was so much more passive than he was the day Timmy had to go. Peri had always been mature for his age, but it was hard to see that when he screamed and cried until his throat was hoarse. All of Fairy World suffered from serious flooding until he stopped. At that time, it was hard to imagine that good, perfect little Poofie was capable of throwing tantrums like that.

“...I’m sorry,” Irep said. And it was so unexpected that Peri lifted his head up to look at him.

Irep cleared his throat and produced a chocolate bar with magic.

“It was insensitive of me to say that, and I truly am sorry. Please, take this as a peace offering.”

It wasn’t often that an anti-fairy apologized. In fact, most anti-fairies never apologize, not unless their fairy counterpart was impolite. It wasn’t the first time Irep had ever said those words to him—when Peri spoke for the first time, and saved him from having his magic drained, Irep was sorry. The two didn’t become friends after that, but they did get along eventually.

This felt different, Peri couldn’t figure out why. He seemed twice as remorseful than he was last time, he even offered one of Peri’s favorite snacks. Peri sniffled and wiped his eyes with his sleeve. Other fairies would see Irep’s new empathetic side as a good thing, but Peri was smarter than other fairies.

He was unnerved by it.

“It’s okay,” Peri finally said, meekly taking the food from his hands. “I’m sorry for overreacting.”

“Oh, don’t be.” Irep shrugged. “If I were you, I’d be a lot worse. You haven’t eaten your lunch, right Peri?”

He nodded.

Irep gave him a gentle smile. “Well then. You better finish it before the bell rings, or your parents are going to freak.”

He listened, a little bit pleased that he found a soft spot in the most ruthless magical race to ever exist.

With them sitting so close to each other, Peri took advantage of their proximity to rest his head on Irep’s shoulder. He stayed like that until the bell rang, and they flew to their classroom side by side.

Peri originally wanted to go to college immediately after high school, but he abandoned his plans so he could enjoy being a teenager. He already reserved a spot in one of the most prestigious universities of Fairy World in three years’ time; it was only fair since he began his education three years earlier than he was supposed to. As a baby, he was so dangerously powerful that he needed to control his magic as soon as possible.

As it turned out, being a teenager involved—well, doing teenager things. Like sneaking out into the human world. Peri snuck out many times in his life, mostly to visit Irep. And after losing Timmy, he liked to watch him, too. He followed him around in the human world as a butterfly or as a cat. Maybe a fly if he wanted to get closer. It’s been a while since he’s done any of that, having been so caught up on studying and all. Now, he wanted to make the most of his years before furthering his education.

This was new, different from what he was used to. He was never undercover as a human unless his parents were with him.

“I’m going to go faster now,” Irep yelled over his shoulder.

“Are you insane? ” Peri shouted, wrapping his arms tighter around Irep. He was well over the speed limit already, Peri didn’t want to crash into anyone.

Irep’s formal persona was forgotten in favor of the bad boy look, his spikey leather jacket and slicked hair would have made him a proud member of the T-Birds. Peri, on the other hand, resembled a masculine version of Sandy Olsson with his white blouse and dark purple slacks. Somehow, their opposite styles made them more compatible with each other.

Peri didn’t hesitate to say yes when Irep asked to sneak into the human world together. It had been a while since they hung out. He didn’t expect to be backpacking Irep, desperately holding onto dear life as they rode on the motorcycle without helmets. It was hazardous for several reasons, but that was just how things were with Irep. Peri grew to tolerate the risks.

They were going somewhere far, Peri didn’t know where. Judging by the curvy road, he guessed that they were on a mountain.

As the first few drops of rain hit him, Peri pressed his face against Irep’s back. Like that would do anything to keep him dry. Irep must’ve felt the rain too, because a large, dark bomber jacket suddenly magicked its way around Peri’s shoulders. Nimble fingers held onto the jacket from where they were positioned around Irep’s middle. It couldn’t do much to save his hair, but it kept the chill at bay and spared him from a night in wet clothes. Soon, the light shower grew heavier. Despite his initial complaints, Peri wasn’t at all irritated, even when his curls sagged under the water.

Ever since he was a child, Peri sought solace in the storm. It gave him an excuse to hide in the arms of his older brother, and his parents would stop working so they could spend time together. Not only did it remind him of his happiest memories with his family, it also made him think about his best friend. The flashes of light followed by rumblings of thunder was often associated with the gloomy, terrifying image of anti-fairies. Everyone said it was a bad thing, which meant there must be something wrong with Peri.

“You can let go now,” Irep groused. Peri realized, bashfully, that the motorcycle had stopped moving. The rain stopped too, perhaps they travelled far enough to escape the clouds.

Stumbling out of the bike, Peri looked around to find trees surrounding them and found that he was right, they were on a mountain. He took the jacket off his shoulders to wear it properly, only to overwhelm himself with the vague scent of Irep’s perfume. He let himself be picked up and carried to the edge of the mountain.

They settled by the cliff. Irep dangled his feet over the edge while Peri sat with his knees to his chest. Besides the chirping of crickets and the rustling of leaves, it was almost quiet. Peri admired the mountains below them, where the forest spread towards the horizon and civilization was nowhere near. It was unlike anything he’d ever seen before.

Irep pointed upwards, and Peri followed the direction of his finger.

They’ve gone to space countless times, that’s where their schools were. It was always the same old stars and planets around them, but Peri had never looked at them from the perspective of a human. The great distance made everything much smaller. Each star decorated the dark sky with their light, and the crescent moon glowed brighter than his own crown and wings.

“It’s beautiful,” Peri breathed, studying the view. 

“Yeah,” said Irep.

He couldn’t have been admiring the sky because they immediately made eye contact when Peri turned to look at him.

They had their first kiss after they graduated high school, on a night full of promises and worries about leaving each other. They hadn’t done anything more after that. It was partially the reason why Peri chose to take a gap year, so they could spend more time together before they parted ways.

“Irep,” he whispered. “Why did you bring me here?”

The anti-fairy’s face soured. Nervously, Peri rolled the sleeves of the jacket up to reveal his hands, resting them on the grass. The jacket was very large on his scrawny frame, and he suddenly remembered that he still hadn’t returned that knitted blue sweater.

“Irep?” he tried again.

“They’re going to separate us.” Irep sighed. “The Fairy Council and the Anti-Fairy Council. I found some of their documents about it. They didn’t like how close we are.”

Peri frowned. “We will be apart when I start college. But after that, we’ll meet again.”

As Irep turned to watch the stars, he idly placed his hand beside Peri’s. Peri resisted the urge to lace their fingers. “I’ll be working in my homeworld while you’re studying. I know that we’ll be together again, but I’m not sure if they’ll allow us.”

Perhaps it was the glow of the moonlight, but there was a strange kind of sadness in Irep’s eyes. Melancholic, like he was still searching for hope even when everything seemed desolate.

Peri thought back to the time when he finally accepted that Timmy wasn’t ever coming back. Most people blamed him for the disasters they faced during his meltdown. Others were offering meaningless apologies, pitying him. Poor little Poof just lost his dear godbrother.

He expected the angry crowd, but he never asked for anyone’s sympathy. There wasn’t anything that anyone could do to fix the situation.

Apart from giving him chocolate, Irep didn’t do much when he was at his lowest. It didn’t help, but it provided some kind of… clarity, he supposed. Peri wasn’t sure. It’s always been hard for him to decipher what everyone was thinking.

But he understood that he never felt alone with Irep. Even as they ate beside garbage and were isolated from everyone else. Funny how his mortal enemy was kinder to him than anyone else could ever be.

“Whether they win or not,” Peri tried, hating the way his voice sounded, “They’ll never take away what we have.”

After all, it’s always been them against the world.

“…no,” Irep agreed. “They wouldn’t.”

He got up from the ground, offering his hands for Peri to take, and Peri leaned against him as he stood to avoid falling. When the duo looked at the scenery in front of them again, Peri really took in everything, from the dark of the night sky to the unending expanse of trees below.

“We can stay here,” Irep said. Peri tore his eyes away from the view to look at him. “As humans, you and I. Enough with the magic stuff, Peri, we could be free from everything.”

Peri stared at him, brows furrowed.

“Or forget it,” Irep laughed uncomfortably. “We could wish our worries away, remove ourselves from all of history. Explore other dimensions together, or escape through space and time! We’ll live above, below, and beyond everyone in the world.”

He gave Peri’s hands a small squeeze. Gentle and soft, despite his frenzied speech.

“It’ll be worth it, Peri. You and I—getting out here…”

The more he spoke, the more Peri was persuaded. He closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath. “What are you saying?”

Irep gave his hands another squeeze. When Peri looked at him again, he could feel the manic energy buzzing around them, it was so strong that he almost didn’t catch the desperation in Irep’s pupils. They were so close. If Peri moved a little closer, he could steal a kiss. He stayed where he was.

“I want you to run away with me.”

Peri opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn’t find the right words. Irep was still holding him, and Peri was suddenly afraid of falling, especially this close to the edge.

What was he supposed to say?

He didn’t have much time to think of an answer because, by some miracle, or perhaps a curse, his doltish Chip Skylark ringtone ruined the uneasy air. Peri felt his blood run cold as he came face to face with the screen, where a happy photo of his mother was.

Irep listened to the short answers he gave Wanda and spoke when he hung up. “She needs you home?”

“Yeah,” Peri sighed.

He was surprised that Irep was nice enough to send him home, even without Peri’s confirmation for his little proposal.

Although Peri supposed, as he tossed the wet jacket into the laundry, that he didn’t really need to answer. Just the simple fact that his mother called for him to return was enough of a rejection. Irep’s offer was tempting, but Peri wasn’t ready to give up what he had. And he had—quite a lot, actually. He had his parents, a reputation, and the promise of a bright future.

At that moment, he had Irep too.

Three years later, when he was all set for college and sitting at the back of a near-empty bus, he buried his nose into the blue sweater, which was still in good condition after all this time.

Peri liked to watch the change of scenery outside as the bus moved. But as he watched the trees stray further away, he realized that nothing could ever compare to the world around him when he held onto Irep that night.

He wondered if he had made the right choice.

Peri thought they couldn’t see each other after he began his studies. But if there was one thing the anti-fairy liked to do, it was proving him wrong. All it took was one unexpected visit, and they lived together as a couple ever since.

At the time Cosmo and Wanda began their 10,000 year vacation, Peri had just finished his junior year of university. His godparenting degree will finally be earned a year from then. He would’ve been joyous if he weren’t under so much stress. Not just from studying, but also between him and Irep.

On top of his schoolwork, he had to hide his secret life with the anti-fairy. Such a bond was frowned upon in the magical society, and Peri wasn’t ready to face the consequences that came with it. Things weren’t getting easier.

At least he didn’t have to worry for a long time. Once their naive perspectives of the world had completely withered away, they resorted to fighting. They’ve fought over several different issues, so it was hard to remember what it was they were arguing about in the first place.

Peri couldn’t remember the exact details, but he remembered the pain of it all. From the heated disagreements to the exchange of insults, right to the fury in Irep’s eyes when he couldn’t take it anymore and left the house.

In retrospect, Peri should’ve seen it coming.

The two were bound by circumstances beyond their control. They never asked to be born. They never wanted to be the face of a new generation, of which they were the only ones a part of. It wasn’t their fault that there wasn’t a single soul in the whole universe who could understand them the way they understood each other. Peri and Irep were alone, stuck in a world that was nothing but cruel. It was only natural that they grew attached.

But it didn’t matter how close they were. They could kiss and dream and confide in each other all they want. At the end of the day, they were still mortal enemies. And it was their sickening fate to always hate each other, in spite of how much they wanted everything to change.

Oh. He remembered now.

They had been arguing about his godparenting degree, that’s what this was about. Peri had asked Irep to join him, however, Irep wasn’t keen on the idea.

Godparenting would discredit Irep’s role as an anti-fairy. He wasn’t qualified to be one. Just because he treated Peri differently compared to everyone else didn’t mean he was becoming nice.

One thing led to another, until it became a shouting match in the dingy living room.

Then, the door clicked shut, leaving Peri alone in the house. He stayed where he was, floating idly beneath flickering lights until his wings gave out.

He waited for Irep to call.

First, he took Dev. Then, he almost killed Cosmo and Wanda. Now, he had Peri in shackles, bound in chains that no amount of magic can destroy.

Hypothetically, Peri could break free from them. His wand had been confiscated, giving his natural abilities some time to shine. But Peri didn’t dare risk it. For all he knew, he might’ve sent a tornado to terrorize Fairy World in his attempts to free himself. He didn’t want any more counselors to come and fix him like they did sixteen years ago.

The army tore the implants away from his damaged wings, rendering them imbalanced and useless. Therefore, Peri was reduced to the ground. With his hands cuffed behind him, he was forced to kneel below the throne.

“There you are, Peri!” Dev yelled.

“Dev,” Peri smiled. He could cry from relief alone. “You’re okay.”

Despite everything Dev put him through, Peri still relaxed at the sight of his godkid. He cared, of course he did. The last thing he wanted was for Dev to get hurt.

“Periwinkle!” said a familiar bold voice. “What a pleasant surprise!”

Any bit of warmth he had immediately vanished.

“Irep.”

With a nasty grin, he dipped down to Peri’s level, all the while remaining high enough that Peri had to angle his head slightly upwards. “I hope you had a lovely walk here.”

His words were like a slap to the face. It was hard to believe that the same anti-fairy who walked at a slow pace when Peri was still adapting to his cane was now proudly mocking him in front of his godkid.

Irep laughed. “My apologies, darling. We haven’t had a proper chat since…” He clicked his tongue. “Well, it must’ve been a while.”

It was only last Spring, but Peri didn’t correct him. Forgetting was difficult after living happily with him for a few years.

Tilting his head up with a finger, Irep forced their eyes to meet. A wide Cheshire grin spread on his face, and he tsked at the tears that threatened to leak from Peri’s eyes.

“I’m giving you another chance,” he whispered. “Join us, and we can rule Fairy World together. It’ll be just like old times.”

“Hey, wait a second!” Dev shouted. “Why do you want him on our side? He’s useless!”

Irep rolled his eyes. “Because, my child, we could use the extra help. Who else has better navigation skills in Fairy World than a fairy himself?”

“Good point,” Dev nodded. “Okay, keep going.”

Peri thought back to being a kid, when he used to interrupt playtime with his family because of a plot hole or a complaint. Dev and Irep’s little exchange reminded him of that, and he was suddenly overwhelmed with a horrible want for a future with the two of them.

“We could work together,” Irep continued, seemingly oblivious, or taking pleasure, to Peri’s despair. “No pressure, no rules.”

His finger traced along Peri’s jaw, and he inched closer, offering just enough proximity for Peri to think about all the affection they once shared.

“We’ll be free from everything,” he promised.

This close, Peri ached for Irep’s hands, to cradle his head like they always did when they kissed. They were the same hands Peri would hold when he needed someone to trust, the same ones that held Peri when he needed it.

“What do you say?”

Peri shifted on the ground. The pain in his knees was unbearable.

“I would’ve ran away with you.”

Irep’s demeanor faltered. “Excuse me?”

“That night, when you drove me to the mountains.” Peri took a shaky breath and tried his best to maintain eye contact. “I wanted nothing more, Irep. I would’ve said yes.”

For a moment, Irep’s villainous persona was broken, and the bewildered look on his face melted into guilt. Peri gave him a demure smile, as soft and filled with as much longing as many of the older ones he used to share with him. And only for him.

Even after all this time, Peri still wasn’t used to the quietness that befell whenever either of them made an unexpected confession. Luckily, they weren’t alone this time. Their little godchild was kind enough to clear his throat, interrupting the tense air between them.

Remembering his role, Irep dropped all pretense of ever missing Peri like Peri missed him. Any ounce of care he had was gone with the blink of an eye.

The fury on Irep’s face was the last thing Peri saw before he was thrown into a dungeon.

A week after Fairy World was saved, Peri went to Abacatraz. He was told that was where Irep was sent to after taking over his homeworld.

Peri, himself, was enough of a light source to see through the shadows. Rows of prison cells surrounded the room, but it was completely barren. He held up his wand as a precaution, just in case he was lied to about his whereabouts. The past couple of months had been incredibly rough, he did not want to deal with another kidnapping.

“Irep?” Peri said too loudly, cringing as his voice echoed throughout the vast hall.

Bright purple eyes slowly came to view, immediately noticeable in the dark. “Peri?”

The fairy in question couldn’t help the affection that swarmed in his chest. Rolling up the sleeves of his shirt, Peri flew to the metal bars of the prison. The natural glow of his wings and his crown illuminated Irep’s features.

“Hi,” he breathed, sitting down beside the cage that separated them. Before Irep could let another word out—and possibly start berating him—Peri pulled out a familiar jacket and slipped it through the prison bars. “I, um, I wanted to return this.”

Irep accepted the cloth with both hands. “Alright,” he said, quietly. “And what about…?”

“Ah.” Peri’s cheeks reddened in embarrassment as he tugged the collar of the sweater. “Give me a moment—”

“You can keep it,” Irep interrupted. Then, he handed the jacket back. “You can take this too. They’re yours now.”

Peri didn’t argue. It had been incredibly hard for him to give it up in the first place.

“I’m surprised you kept the name,” he said, intending to lighten the mood. It came out resentful.

Irep shrugged. “You changed it, so I also had to.”

“I know. It really means a lot.”

Irep didn’t respond. Not immediately, at least.

“Why did you come here?” he demanded. His voice sounded angry, but Peri found his face devoid of any emotion.

Peri looked at the ground. “I lost my godchild.”

A hand made its way through the metal bars to rest atop his shoulder.

“I meant everything I said that day, when you captured me. I wanted to run away with you, I just wasn’t ready.”

Irep laughed. “It doesn’t matter, Periwinkle. We aren’t meant to be.”

“But I want us to be,” said Peri. “There’s no one else, Irep. It was always going to be you.”

“You don’t mean that, I almost killed you.” Irep shuffled closer. “And I’m sorry I’ll never be good enough for you. I can’t change that about myself.”

“I don’t want you to change,” Peri huffed. “Even after everything you did, I just can’t find it in myself to hate you.”

Silence filled the air, like it always did whenever they spoke about something heavy. Peri wasn’t going to take his words back, he meant everything he said.

He found himself engulfed in warmth and relaxed as Irep’s hands cradled him through the metal bars. They wiped his tears away (he’d been crying?) before pulling him into a kiss. It was a little awkward, not as passionate or sweet as it had been before. Peri melted into it anyway.

They stayed like that, with their foreheads against each other’s, even after they pulled away.

“Do you think we’re enemies in other universes?” asked Irep.

Peri thought hard about it.

He thought about their school days together, how they adjusted when Sammy left. He thought about all the times he cheered for Irep when no else did, how they defended each other from bullies and hung out in secluded places. He thought about going out to see Irep even when both of their families were wary of the arrangement. He thought about all the times they spent together and realized that it was easier to count the days they were separated. He thought about them living together, sharing a bed, about everything he said in the form of affection because he couldn’t find the right words to say them out loud.

He thought about loving Irep, then about hating him, and how he couldn’t tell the difference.

“We’re not enemies,” Peri said.