Chapter Text
It is the middle of December. The days are short, the nights are long and the weather outside is dark and freezing. Dev is not a fan of the cold. Never was, never will be. That's why he's here.
All huddled and cuddled up in a warm and cozy blanket in front of the fireplace. Sitting in a chair that's a little too big, but thanks to that also a lot more comfortable, while reading one of his comics.
It's a lazy afternoon. He likes those just as much as the action-packed ones. Especially now that he no longer spends them alone. Even if the fairy, who usually likes to sit on his shoulder - in a way smaller form than usual of course - and read with him, does anything but.
"Okay." After ten minutes of Peri throwing him glances across the room -
A stupid smile on his lips, he tries to contain, which he does a comedically bad job at, while his wings flutter obnoxiously loud in something Dev has come to recognize as excitement and/or nervousness, usually a mixture of both.
- Dev has enough. Closing the comic with more force than necessary, he glares at his fairy.
"What the hell is wrong with you?"
"...I don't know what you mean."
Hah, Peri doesn't really think he is buying that innocent look on his face. The purple eyes looking everywhere but at him as he begins to whistle. Whistle.
Dev can only shake his head.
"Uh-uh." Dev says unimpressed. "Yes, you do. Spit it out. Why are you looking at me like Christmas came early?"
Oh! Peri wishes Christmas would come early! Maybe he can get Dev to wish Christmas came early? Ah no, probably against the rules. They shouldn't mess with time anyway, but he's just so excited... !
Oh, wait, Dev's still staring at him. His eyebrows go higher and higher the longer it takes him to answer.
"Uhm... Because you are my godkid..? Aaaaand looking at you makes me happy?"
God damn that stupid fairy.
Dev knows that's not the real reason, and yet he still averts his eyes with a blush on his face, the words hitting him where they were supposed to.
Peri seems to know, judging by the warm but also victorious smile on his face.
Dev doesn't hesitate to throw his comic at him. Peri ducks just in time to avoid being hit.
"Böp! Wrong answer. Try again."
"But I-"
"Böp. Try again."
"I didn't even say anything yet!" Peri complains.
"Wouldn't have given me a straight answer anyway, so I did us both a favor and skipped right over it."
Peri sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose.
"Dev-"
"Böp. Try again."
"I-"
"Böp. Try again."
"Would you just-"
"You know, I can easily wish for you to tell me the truth." Dev talks over Peri again. The fairy blinks at him, a nervous smile tugging at his lips.
"..But you won't because we talked about boundaries and how to respect them?"
...Yeah, they did, didn't they?
Dev blows a raspberry.
"Good, then you better start respecting my boundaries by not looking at me anymore."
"..Like at all?"
"You know what I mean." Dev rolls his eyes, holding out his hand for Peri to poof his comic back into.
As soon as he can feel the smooth pages under his fingers, he settles down again.
His back against the comfortable pillows, and a warm blanket wrapped around his legs, not to forget the weight finally settling on his shoulder, he could almost forget the exchange that had taken place; Ready to be sucked back into the world of Prime Meridian Love, wouldn't he feel eyes upon him... again!
It wasn't even five minutes!
"Peri." He warns.
"Okay, fine!" The fairy throws his hands up in the air, leaving the spot on his shoulder to settle down somewhere else, or so Dev thought.
What he didn't expect was for the fairy to turn around and hover right in front of his face.
"I couldn't have taken it longer anyway!"
Taken what longer?
Dev raises an eyebrow in confusion, while Peri, sporting the biggest grin, so full of excitement that it is hard for Dev himself not to get jittery, twirls his wand around.
A soft poof fills the air, followed by a weight settling in Dev's lap. He looks down to see... a present?
It's a golden package, white snowflakes scattered across the surface, held together by a periwinkle ribbon.
Huh?
"Merry Christmas, Dev!"
What..?
"I know it's not Christmas yet!" The fairy says in a whiny voice. "I should have waited, but I couldn't! I am just so excited to see what you think about it!"
He must really be, even his floaty crowny thing is shining brighter than usually. Dev had no idea it could do that.
"You... got me a gift?"
Peri nods.
"Of course I did. It's Christmas! Aaaaand you are my godkid, if anyone deserves a present on this special day it's you."
Dev can't believe it.
"You got me a gift." He repeats, carefully wrapping his fingers around the flat present. The fact shouldn't make his insides feel all funny, but it does.
Why? It's not like he's never been given a present before. Quite the contrary. His tree is standing on top of presents every year. Maybe that's it. All he ever gets are gifts.
No one who gifts them to him eagerly awaiting his reaction, with a nervous smile and excited eyes.
Just him under a lonely tree, if they even get one at all. Waste of money and space - some days Dev isn't sure if his father is only talking about the tree.
"I... I made it myself." Peri confirms, all nerves once more. The buzzing of his wings shows his growing impatience.
"Like.. with magic?" Dev feels silly for asking. Of course he did, what else could he have used-
"No." Peri denies, raising his hands as if to show them off. "No magic. Just normal manual handwork. I really wanted this to be something I made."
For you. It had to be special. Because I care about you and I wanted to show it to you.
The words remain unspoken. A new wave of emotions rushes through Dev's system.
"Now, come on!" The fairy sits himself down on the armrest, urging Dev to continue by shaking his arm. "Don't leave me hanging! Open it already!"
How could he not with Peri's excitement being so contagious?
Ripping open the parcel, he is greeted by the softest looking garment he has ever seen.
It's a sweater.
Dev immediately reaches for it. He was right. It is soft. He rubs the fabric between his fingers, before releasing it from its prison.
He lifts it up to get a proper look, and what he sees? It makes awe erupt in his face.
"I've never really seen you wear a sweater before? To be honest, I rarely see you wearing anything, but.." Peri mentions down at Dev, who is dressed in his usual white hoodie. "..so I thought it wouldn't hurt to add some color to your wardrobe?"
That's why the sweater is dunked in a bright periwinkle, except for the collar and the sleeves, which are white, a nice and much-needed contrast.
"But a plain old sweater wouldn't have sufficed."
It would have.
"So I thought what could I add to make it as special as the child wearing it?" Peri winks at him. "That's why I added stars-"
It is only now that Dev notices the carefully embroidered stars that fall from the sleeves down to the elbows, scattered everywhere to give the impression of a meteor shower. Dev wonders if they glow in the dark.
Maybe it's a random thought, but he thinks it anyway. Something in him tells him it wouldn't be Peri's doing if they didn't. The fairy can be so extra, which he proves even further.
"-And the owner's name of course."
Stitched in golden letters - Dev wonders if it's Peri's handwriting - into the hem of the sweater, almost invisible to the naked eye, is his name.
Well, it's not really his name.
From Dev to Dev-ine, the embroidery reads. A reminder of their first meeting.
Dev chuckles.
He still remembers Peri introducing himself all cocky and confident, only for Dev to realise a day later that his godparent is anything but. He does has his moments, but seriously, he has never met a more neurotic person.
"Well, sort of your name." Peri joins in the laughter, his nerves disappearing the more he talks.
The reason? Dev may not notice it, but his eyes light up his whole expression the more details he finds.
What a shame that they have already come to the last one: A golden heart, stitched right where it belongs.
Dev's fingers brush over it.
"What's with the heart? Did you sew one on so I finally have one?" Dev teases.
His last defence against the tears welling up in his eyes: Snark.
"Good idea, but no." Peri shakes his head in amusement. "It's to remind you that you do have one. A heart of gold right there."
He points his wand at Dev's chest.
"Even if it's hidden deep, deep, deep-"
Dev throws the giftwrap at him. It hits him in the face. Peri decides that he deserved that.
Once his face is free again, he looks at Dev. The boy strokes over the sweater as if in a trance.
All of a sudden, all the anxiety that had been overridden by his joy and excitement slams back into Peri all at once.
His wings start to flutter faster as his fingers tighten around his wand.
"Do... Do you like it?"
What kind of question is that!? How could he not?!
Dev averts his eyes, wiping the tears out of their corners.
"It's fine."
It's beautiful. I love it. Thank you.
Dev doesn't have to speak it out loud for Peri to understand.
"I want to try it on. Just curious if you got my size right. Would be embarrassing if you didn't."
"Please." Peri makes a dismissive hand gesture while twirling his wand around. "I measured you while you were asleep, it has to fit."
"..You did what now?"
"Nothing! Let's try it on! I want to see how it looks on you!"
The sweater fits - of course it fits. It's warm and comfortable, like being wrapped up in a hug. That's probably why Dev feels so safe and secure wearing it, it's like nothing in the world can hurt him.
He loves it. He expressed it to Peri just like that, well maybe not with that exact phrasing, but he does try his best to show his gratitude.
His fairy went out of his way to make him something special, tried to make him feel dev-ine and to be honest, he does. Wearing his sweater he feels like he can take on the world!
(The compliments that Peri threw his way, circling him in joy while looking him over like he was something to be proud of, may have contributed to that.)
That's probably why he didn't even take it off when he went to sleep, curling up in it while looking at the faint glow of the stars on his sleeves - he was right. Of course he was right.
The stars are glowing. It's a warm glow, enough to be noticeable, but too weak to hurt his eyes or keep him awake. On the contrary, the soft glow makes him drowsy, and yet he can't sleep.
The reason is quite simple. Lying here in bed, feeling all warm and secure, the sweater glowing at him in the dark, reality decides to hit him again.
Peri gave him a present. A Christmas present. Days before the actual holiday, because he was too excited? What kind of reasoning is that?
(One Dev isn't familiar with.)
"I finished it yesterday and I tried really, really hard to play it cool-" He did not succeed for a single second. "-but I had to see if you like it."
When was the last time his father did that? And Dev isn't only talking about the gift-giving part. He means, when was the last time his father got excited about giving him a present? Was he ever?
In the end, he never really picked it out to begin with, did he? Searching the internet for things that are popular, instead of buying things his son likes. It's easier that way. Less trouble.
Time is money, and wasting his thoughts on things his son could enjoy is nothing but a waste of time. That's why his birthdays are spent with party princesses and his Christmases alone.
A feeling of dread washes over him.
Dev shakes his head.
It doesn't matter. This isn't about his dad, it's about Peri.
About Peri taking the time to not only think about getting him a gift, but also making him one.
Why did he make him one? He could have just used magic! Another thing Dev can't wrap his head around. His fairy went way out of his way just to make him happy, and succeeded too!
He.. He wants to do the same.
I care about you, Dev.
He wants to show Peri that he too cares. That he doesn't take his efforts - him, his presence, him trying, even if their stubborn heads still butt against each other more often than not, he tries - for granted.
Which leaves only one option, doesn't it? Dev needs to get him the perfect gift in return.
And here's where the real problems start...
Problem number one:
He can't just wish for something. Well, he could. But it wouldn't really be a surprise anymore if Peri is the one poofing the present up - and yes, it has to be.
He wants his godparent to be as surprised as he was today. Which already destroys the easiest option.
Problem number two:
Christmas is just around the corner, which makes ordering something... not hard because he's a Dimmadome, but he can't really order anything if he doesn't know what to order.
(He would also have to hide his order from Peri, who is too noisy for his own good, so that's a no).
Which brings him to problem number three:
What the hell does Peri like anyway?
Besides the color purple, sleeping on his rules, and engulfing himself in sweets.
Dev doesn't know.
In that moment, he realizes that he really doesn't know much about his godparent. Maybe it's time to change that, but he can't just go up and ask him so.. he has to go to the next best source.
How fortunate that he and Hazel decided to hang out the next day...