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Yesterday, Dev had successfully taken over Fairy World alongside the Anti-Fairies. And that had nearly gotten the entire species of fairy killed, including his own now-former fairy godparent, Peri. That wasn’t supposed to be the plan. Irep hadn’t told him about magical back-up. Cosmo and Wanda had explained it to him while simultaneously begging him to save Peri, allowing him to realize how dire the consequences were. Sure, his father Dale had said he was proud of him- only to immediately ditch him for Irep when Dev had protested against locking up all fairies.
And of course Peri, despite being practically in his death throes, insisted that he cared about Dev, a phrase that Dev couldn’t really recall ever being said by Dale. He’d given up then, tossing them the key, discarding that obnoxious crown, and standing idly by while Hazel and all her real friends saved Fairy World. As expected, Jorgen removed Peri from his role as Dev’s godparent and scrubbed magic from his memories.
Except… it hadn’t worked. Not how it should’ve anyway. Dev found himself back in his bedroom with a headache, oddly fuzzy memories, and a dreadful sense of guilt that he’d done something terrible to Hazel. The emotions had been torturous, but lasted only a few minutes before the real memories were suddenly dumped back into his brain with no explanation.
Now it was Saturday morning. Despite the guilt over his actions, Dev Dimmadome had slept rather blissfully. Maybe he didn’t know why he’d been re-granted access to these memories, but it didn’t matter to him, not yet at least. Right now, he didn’t need to concern himself too much with his memories, neither the real ones or the altered ones that swam quietly in the background, ready to be pulled up so he could avoid any suspicion. What he needed to concern himself with now was dealing with his dad.
Dale’s dynamic with Dev had finally been thrown into sharp focus for the boy. He didn’t care about him, he was always, always going to choose work and business over Dev’s true wants and feelings. Dale lived under the delusion that because he was ultra-wealthy and provided Dev with a high-end lifestyle, that his son had nothing to complain about, needed nothing else from him, and also had the expectation that Dev must conform to what he wanted.
Like wearing the same dark pants, blindingly white clothing tops, and gold-only accents as his father, the signature Dimmadome look. Or the thick black sunglasses that hid his eyes. Eyes that were far too expressive and honest according to Dale. They ‘held Dev back’ because they displayed his true emotions, no matter how well-practiced his body language and tone of voice.
Dev smirked, scrolling the information he’d organized in just a few hours of being awake. He might only be 10 years old, but he was good at negotiating and research. It was one of the few skills picked up from this lifestyle that had actually proved itself useful. Dale was going to regret that today.
Making the Au-Pairs bring him to the cereal bar, Dev gleefully selected his favourite and was even more delighted to find there were still some almond milk stocked in the fridge. He was pretty sure Peri had gotten this carton. Either he hadn’t conjured it with magic or his memory retention meant it hadn’t disappeared. He made a mental note to check his room later for any other wish-created items. He’d need to hide any particularly memorable objects just in case Hazel ever came over again.
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Under careful consideration, Dev had opted to gel his hair as normal after finishing his breakfast alone. He needed his father to pay attention to his words, not his appearance. Breaking free of his wardrobe choices could come later. With a quick elevator ride, he breezed into the main kitchen on the drones, finding Dale seated at the breakfast bar with his eyes on a tablet per usual.
He looked bored- Excellent. That meant he didn’t have any gigantic business thing on his plate so it’d be more difficult for him to brush Dev off. Stabilizing his carefully polished sunglasses, Dev drifted to hover in front of Dale.
“Hello Devin,” the man said flatly, glancing upward, “I presume you want something.” “I need to speak with you,” Dev responded in a chilled voice, keeping his stance relaxed as he stood on the drone. Dale blinked, a bit more focused. This was not the tone of voice Dev typically used with his father. It was much more serious, which seemed to actually confuse Dale. Good. Pay attention.
Even so, Dale was trying to not show it. “Very well, Devin. Is there a problem?” “Do you remember the party princess you hired for my birthday?” The man sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m aware that she was less-than-favourable entertainment- are you really going to complain about this now? That was months ago.”
Dev outstretched his hand, a second Au-Pair obediently bringing forth his own tablet. “Allow me to clarify-” He swiped the screen, activating the projection function and displaying multiple holographic screens in his father’s face. “Do you remember how this woman, Vicky, is the same person who kidnapped and held you captive for several years and that you allowed her access to your home, providing her opportunity to steal from you and abduct your own son, because you couldn’t be bothered to check who you were even hiring?”
Dale immediately turned several shades paler, his pupils shrinking back with fear. “Wha- how do you know she’s the same person, I’ve hardly told you about that!”
Dev tapped the edges of the tablet with a smug grin. “Oh, you know, research- and she basically told me herself.” He selected one of the screens, playing a recording taken by a drone of when Vicky had asked Dev what his last name was, showing her ranting about how she ‘made’ Dale, that he was a lazy worker (prisoner/slave), and how she wanted a cut of his wealth. The recording caused Dale to grind his golden teeth.
The boy crossed his arms, radiating disappointment. It was not something he ever expressed openly toward his father, despite it often being the main emotion he triggered for Dev. He kept going, not allowing Dale a chance to defend himself just yet.
“It’s unacceptable that someone so monstrous is running free, still harming children because they’re too terrified to tell their parents. If I hadn’t had my friends there, who actually care about me, Vicky would’ve robbed you and taken me away, and it would’ve been all your fault.”
The man stood up sharply, but his gritted teeth and shaking hands betrayed any sense of control he was trying to exert. Dale was easy to read, maybe that’s why he had tried so hard to make Dev hide his emotions. Because Dale was bad at it- at least once you broke him. Vicky was a genuine source of trauma, the ideal subject for beating down his defenses.
Dev dropped his next move, an intentional opening to pull his father into the negotiation stage. “I won’t stand for this sort of threat running amuck, especially after her disrespect to the Dimmadome name. I’m going to take all of this to the authorities myself and see her dealt with!”
Dale took the bait. “You absolutely will not, Development! I’ll not have-” Dev nudged the drone a bit closer, startling his father out of the shouting. Less than 24 hours ago, even a raising of the voice would’ve been enough to make Dev cringe and shrink away.
Now he didn’t so much as flinch, his voice completely level. “Give me one good reason. Vicky stole your childhood, tormented you for years, and still mocks you and our family name to this day. Grandfather wouldn’t seek justice for you, so you’re just going to let her go free instead of doing it for yourself? I thought Dimmadomes were meant to be respected.”
Dale stammered, struggling to formulate a rebuttal. Keep him off-balance. Make a threat and spin it as an offer. Make him think it’s his idea and…
His father took a deep breath, mulling over the sentences. “You… my god, Devin, you’re right. That wretched woman took years of my life and Doug refused to do anything about it. As if I’d hadn’t gone through hell- He acted like I was just miraculously reunited with him and let her walk, said he didn’t want to create a media circus. Like he was doing me a favour… and now she’s been in my home and near my son, threatening us…” He finally looked back at Dev, almost as though he was re-assessing the child before him.
From behind his sunglasses, Dev assessed him right back. That’s right, it’s about respecting our family’s name, all I had to do was remind you of that. Now for the real negotiations. “Then we agree, I’ll bring this to the relevant authorities.”
Dale reached forward, apparently so frazzled he forgot that the screens in front of him were holograms. Dev shut off the projections and held the tablet behind his back. Dale straightened up, trying to collect himself. “No, Devin, you’re a child. I’m your father, so I will handle the legal matters, I don’t want you involved.”
“How can I trust you to actually follow through?”
The man inhaled a shallow breath. Dev knew he wouldn’t have a proper comeback. How many times had Dale flaked on something that he had promised to Dev? Dev didn’t know, he’d stopped counting past a certain point. But it’d been a hell of a lot and Dale knew it too.
After a tense silence, Dev casually sat down on the drone, deliberately letting his shades slip. His father studied him intensely as the boy repeated the key points: “Vicky must be dealt justice for what she did. To both of us. I already organized a bunch of evidence. I’ll hand it over and stay out of the case- however. She ruined my 10th birthday. I expect a lot to make up for what a disaster it was, otherwise I’ll tell everyone that you let her into our home and put me in danger.”
Dale broke eye contact first, sitting down with a stunned expression. Dev expected he would take a minute to gather himself. The young heir had done the best he could, hopefully exposing his eyes had worked as the final blow.
With how practiced Dev was with lying and false confidence, his father had assumed he was bluffing and thought the shades dropping was an error. A chance to call Dev out and intimidate him into backing down. But he’d been wrong. Dev’s every action in the conversation was precisely planned and most importantly, he had been honest. Successfully leaving Dale incapable of disbelieving him.
.
..
...
2 minutes. That’s how long it took for Dale to finally say something. His expression was strange when he looked at Dev, who had set his shades back in place. The lenses were extra clean, an intentional play to reflect Dale’s defeated expression back at him. The man leaned back, frazzled but perhaps impressed by Dev.
Dev didn’t care. He was only doing this to get what he wanted- maybe this was the sort of thing that made Dale Dimmadome proud, but it was always temporary. He had learned that lesson.
“Name your terms, Devin.” Dev held himself back from grinning. Perfect. “Aside from you following through on actually getting Vicky held accountable for her crimes, hmm… well, obviously my next birthday needs to be MUCH better. No using A.I. to hire entertainment- in fact, I want full control of the entire thing. Decor, food, drinks, games, and no vetoing my choices. And I want the option open to do a sleepover.”
Dale perked up, immediately nodding. “Certainly, son, certainly. You can have whatever you like for it, no budget of course. Sounds great.”
Dale reached his hand out as if to shake and Dev actually laughed, causing Dale’s hand and expression to crash down. “I’m not done,” Dev snapped, “And I’m not stupid enough to take a handshake deal, we’re doing this in writing.” His father had that weird look again- ashamed of being so outmaneuvered by a child but proud because he considered himself to be responsible for that skill.
Dev continued, turning slightly aside just to demonstrate how unimpressed he was with Dale. Honestly, although he was happy this was working, it was almost pathetic how easy it had been. He almost felt bad for Dale. Heh- yeah. Almost.
“I hate my room, it’s bland and way too open. I want a proper ceiling and to decorate how I want. Since you didn’t get me anything for my 10th birthday, I’ll be generous and consider the redesign as a belated gift. I want it sound-proofed too, so I can listen to my games and movies without having to wear headphones constantly.”
Dale readily agreed to the second term, offering up an unlimited budget just like the future party. Obviously, because what my room looks like doesn’t actually affect you at all, you just like controlling everything I do. He can’t argue the soundproofing either since he doesn’t like hearing any noise from me in the first place. Easier to pretend I don’t exist that way.
“One more thing, for now. I reserve the right to add more terms if you don’t hold up your end of the deal.” Dale looked relieved at that. This should’ve been the easiest ask, it was such a small thing, but it was the one that Dev was most nervous about. Because it was something his father could try to spin into affecting the Dimmadome name. A departure from the brand.
“I want to add some colour to my wardrobe, I’m bored of the same thing every day.” Dale leaned forward from his resigned stance, of course he had something to say about this. “Now, Devin… the way we both look is very important. It’s a part of being a Dimmadome, highly recognizable branding. Not to mention your clothing is very expensive…”
Dale trailed off, likely realizing that he sounded idiotic mentioning the cost when he just offered Dev an unlimited budget on the previous two terms without hesitation. Fortunately Dev did have a detailed counterpoint prepared.
He held up a single index finger. “One colour, that’s all I want to incorporate. Any shade of it, but just the one colour.” Dale waved a hand around. “Well, which colour then?”
“Purple.”
Dale looked skeptical but Dev stopped him first. “Ah-ah, before you dismiss it- purple is the complementary colour to yellow on the colour wheel, so it not only won’t clash with the gold, it will actually enhance it.” Dev showed his father an image of the colour wheel for emphasis and Dale nodded hesitantly. “I see what you mean… I didn’t realize you liked purple.”
Dev rolled his eyes, they were hidden anyway. News flash, you literally know nothing about me. “I’d really prefer if you kept wearing the white, Devin… how about- would you be willing to keep the purple to accessories?”
Dev tapped his foot as he thought. “Mmm… 75% in accessories.” “No, 100% of it.” “Maybe 85%?”
Dale pressed on his temples, he was going to have to concede something here. “Devin… okay, 95%. Now listen, anything you wear must be high-quality, which you know means we get it custom-made. I don’t want to be getting you a bunch of purple clothes only for you to change your mind. You can start with mostly accessories and we’ll discuss it again if you’re certain you like it.”
Dev sighed. It was true, everything he and his father wore was created and tailored specifically for them. That was how Dev could get away with wearing a full long sleeve hoodie in the dead heat of summer. Despite each one looking identical to an outsider, they were designed for each season. He supposed it was a fair enough concession. “Fine, that’s acceptable. I wanted new sunglasses and boots anyway.”
The man promptly stood up from his seat. “Excellent. We have an agreement then?” “In. Writing.” Dev repeated firmly, he wasn’t going to budge on that, he needed to have something to wave in Dale’s face if he tried to go against the terms.
The Au-Pairs whipped up paperwork in a few minutes, thoroughly reviewed by both parties. Dev made sure it was purposely simple- complicated terminology is what created loopholes. Plain and simple could make it impossible to weasel out of a contract. Dev and Dale each signed a copy of it so they both could hold onto one.
Once the deal was official, Dev transferred all of his Vicky evidence to his father, who intended to get to work on building their case immediately. He also suggested to Dev that he start making decisions on both his room’s revamping and what he wanted to add to his wardrobe. “It could take a few days to get anything customized to you and I won’t have you going around in uncoordinated outfits, so you better get moving on that.”
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Dev didn’t need to be told twice. He swiftly departed from the kitchen, diving into his two new projects headfirst. In truth, he’d had concepts in mind for over a year for how he wanted his room to look. It took hardly any time for him to have the larger basic changes decided. While he waited on some things to be delivered from the Dimma-zon warehouse (and sent a ceiling construction design to Dale for approval), Dev remembered that he should look for any lingering wished-for objects.
He doubted there would be much left. Peri may have granted a lot of wishes, but Dev had also un-wished the majority of the things he created, being unsatisfied with them. It wasn’t like he had many places where things could be hidden, so it was a pretty short investigation. Dev couldn’t find anything that he had personally wished for. That made sense to him- if his memories were meant to be wiped, then he wouldn’t remember how he’d gotten those objects. So naturally they’d been un-wished alongside the memory spell.
But something itched at his mind. Those were his wishes. What about somebody else’s?
Dev slid into his closet- god, he couldn’t wait until this got changed. It was filled with nothing but blinding white tops, dark pants, and white boots. Even a tiny splash of colour would help it feel less painfully uniform. He certainly had the room for it, the closet was absurdly opulent and oversized, like everything else in the house.
Scouring through the lower sections, Dev pushed aside storage bins until he found the right box. It didn’t look any different from the others but he knew what was supposed to be inside. Shakily raising the lid, he had to gather himself before peering at the contents.
No way…
He had actually figured that the Prime Meridian Love issue would still be there, since he’d been able to recall the gift even in the altered memories. It might’ve been acquired through wishing, but it wasn’t a direct creation of magic. But these- Dev stared in fascination at the gleaming boots. He carefully pulled them out, just holding the objects as he sat on the floor, almost expecting them to vanish.
Hazel wished for these, to try to make me happy. Assuming they’re still functional, I would’ve thought that Jorgen would want them erased. I guess he doesn’t know I have them.
He put the boots back in the box, knowing better than to try to activate the rocket function. The manga might’ve been acceptable to have out, but Dev was concerned it might incite questions from Hazel if she saw it, so it too remained in the box. Dev shoved the container to the back row of boxes.
In a way, it was good that he didn’t have a ton of wish-made objects left, that might cause suspicion. Yet at the same time, he would’ve liked a few more, if only as physical reminders of his friendship with Hazel. After all, he wasn’t sure they would still be able to be friends with everything he’d done, even if Hazel was under the belief that Dev couldn’t remember anything magical.
Three new projects then. I need to figure out what I’m going to say to her when we’re at school. I’ll use the altered memories to determine the extent of what I can actually apologize for. Hazel’s… forgiving. Probably more than she should be. But maybe she’ll be willing to give me another chance, if I’m lucky. Really, really lucky… I should start working on that, I’d rather do it as soon as I see her on Monday.
The remainder of the day, Dev bounced between room design, choosing wardrobe samples, and writing, reviewing, and re-writing again how he was going to apologize to Hazel. The Au-Pairs kept having to remind him to eat something- a bad habit picked up from Dale, getting way too focused on a project.
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Sunday was a blur of activity. Dev had to stay out of his room for the majority of the day due to the ceiling being installed. He hadn’t bothered to gel his hair that morning- Dale either didn’t notice and or was too busy to comment on it. His father seemed to be taking the case against Vicky quite seriously. It wasn’t easy to get lawyers working on the weekend, but when you had Dimmadome money, well, suddenly they had all the time in the world.
Lounging in the same room as his disastrous 10th birthday party, he took some time to do a bit of very early planning for next year. He was going to have lemonade, an ice cream sundae station full of lactose-free options- Dev tried not to get into the weeds of it. He had several months to plan the event, he needed to stay focused. Back to sorting out his new wardrobe pieces.
Late that night, Dev was working on calibrating some of the new tech in his room when Dale wandered in. Glancing at the clock, Dev set his tablet down. “Oh, I guess I should go to bed- school night.” To Dev’s surprise, Dale actually shook his head. “I told you before, I’ll not have you out in uncoordinated clothing. Your wardrobe isn’t sorted yet so you’ll stay home.”
Dev blinked slowly. Not what he expected… it would give him more time to figure out what he needed to say to Hazel though. He didn’t feel remotely prepared for that. “Um, alright? You’ll have to call the school and give them a reason though.”
Dale waved a hand dismissively. “I’m aware, Devin. I’ll tell them you’re accompanying me on a business trip or something. All of this is business after all.” His father looked at the contract that Dev had set up rather cheekily in a frame atop his headboard. He didn’t intend to keep it there, it was just funny for the time being. “Yes, it is business.”
With that, Dale left the room. He hadn’t told Dev to go to bed, but he did so anyway. He wanted to at least attempt to keep his usual sleep patterns intact. The last thing Dev needed was to mess with that and wind up sleep-deprived when he did get the chance to talk to Hazel. He had all day tomorrow now to calibrate things anyway.
Dale did leave the house to go work for what ended up being the next 3 days, leaving Dev to his own devices (and the Au-Pairs) during daytime hours. His room was essentially completed by Monday’s end. He’d settled on how he would (hopefully) apologize to Hazel whenever he got to see her by Tuesday, deciding he had done enough overthinking to come up with a decent statement. It wasn’t until Wednesday that the last new wardrobe additions arrived, meaning he would officially return to school tomorrow.
It also took until dinnertime on Wednesday for Dale to notice Dev’s curls flying free. “You didn’t gel your hair today?” Dev lowered his fork, deadpanning, “I haven’t had gel in since Sunday.” “Oh… not even for trying on your new things? To get a proper sense of how you’ll look?”
Dev swung his legs under the table, averting his gaze and putting the fork down so he wouldn’t start anxiously tapping it. “It didn’t seem necessary. I thought everything looked fine with my hair like this.”
When his father didn’t immediately respond, he relented to focus on him. He wouldn’t describe his expression as angry… maybe uncomprehending was the right word. The tone of voice seemed to match that. “You like your hair this way?”
The boy shrugged, carefully tamping down any strong emotions. “I don’t hate it, I wouldn’t mind trying it out more.” Dale looked like he didn’t know how to feel about that. When he finally spoke, Dev wasn’t especially surprised by his ‘concerns.’
“But our image, Devin- it creates a stronger brand by looking so similar.” Dev rolled his eyes, unshielded by any sunglasses. Dale made an offended sort of noise but Dev quickly spoke first. “It’ll still be the same, it’s not like I’m asking to dye it. What’s wrong with curly hair anyway?”
Dale’s fork tapped against his plate a few times before he realized and set the utensil down. Dev suddenly wondered how much of ‘Project H’ still existed or if his father remembered who Hazel was- if he remembered that Hazel was supposed to be a friend of Dev’s, who also happened to have curly hair. “Well, I suppose there’s nothing wrong with it but… the gel is easier than all the maintenance work, Devin. Surely it’s preferable.”
“...I’d like to try it anyway.” Dale pushed the half-eaten dinner aside, giving Dev a resigned look. “Fine, but I won’t be, so you can figure out the care yourself. And we need a reason for why you suddenly stopped using gel, the media will ask about it.”
Dev sat up eagerly, he had actually thought of something earlier for this! “I did think about that- We can say I developed a sudden allergy to the gel. And that we couldn’t find a replacement I didn’t react to so now I’m keeping my hair like this.” Dale tilted his head, considering it. “A reasonable explanation I suppose. It’ll do.”
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Dev had been surprised by how easily his father accepted the request to keep his hair in its natural state. Well, maybe accepted wasn’t quite right- more like begrudgingly allowed it because it had become too much hassle to debate it. Dev had proven himself a challenge to negotiate with, so Dale was giving in rather than using his time and energy to fight a battle that he had a good chance of losing in the end.
Speaking of battles that Dev had won, now he needed to decide how much risk he wanted to take with his outfit tomorrow. If he was committed to going with his hair curly, he probably shouldn’t change too much more.
Dev’s cultivated appearance had been fundamentally the same since age 6, never mind the fact that it was only the way Hazel had ever known him to look. Maybe he was wildly overthinking this, but he was worried that too many changes might distract her so much that he wouldn’t get the chance to say what he needed to say.
He examined the finalized items. His multiple pairs of boots had all been modified in the same way, given the addition of a star outline etched into the small gold plate that was on each one. It was a very small detail, only noticeable up close. He also acquired one pair of brand-new boots that were functionally identical to the rest, save for the extremely pale lavender colour. He couldn’t wear those tomorrow, too different.
His two new pairs of sunglasses were sneaky. One looked almost the same as his usual pairs, but in the right light, the iridescent blue-purple flakes flashed on the arms. The other was such a dark purple that it could be mistaken for black at a distance. There was a black t-shirt with a deep violet pattern of an ammonite shell- Dev had successfully convinced Dale that it should count as an accessory because of how subtle the pattern was. He had toyed with the idea of bracelets or watches but ultimately decided he didn’t care much to wear those things.
The only larger items he’d gotten were two purple shirts and a hoodie. One darker shirt, one lighter shirt. The hoodie had the same style and golden zip as the many white hoodies, just coloured purple. Specifically a few shades lighter than Peri’s hair colour.
The altered memories told Dev that he was supposed to like purple, even find it to be comforting. How horrendously sappy. I blame you for that, Hazel. But he figured it’d be suspicious if he got the exact shades right. So his selection was careful, avoiding any of the precise tones that were part of Peri’s appearance.
He settled on the sunglasses with the iridescence as the one new item he’d risk wearing. Technically all his boots were ‘new’ with the star engraving but he doubted anyone would immediately clock it. And his hair of course- he expected questions but those would be easy to handle. Everything else would be the same. Now all he had to do was get a decent night’s sleep and hope he didn’t act like a complete fool in front of Hazel the next day.
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Dale had asked him about 5 times that morning if he was absolutely certain about his hairstyle choice. Dev had affirmed that, yes, he was in fact certain, but the insistent questioning had made him feel a bit jittery. Did it look bad? He didn’t think so, but he also didn’t really know what it was supposed to look like. The Au-Pairs had been researching how to care for it, surely it was in reasonable condition, right?
Dev firmly shook his head, pausing before exiting the town car parked in front of the school. Too late to worry about it right now. It’s just different, I’m sure it’s fine. Au-Pair 1 opened the door and the boy climbed out, door promptly shut behind him as the car cruised away. Au-Pair 2 joined his other side.
Adjusting the bag on his shoulder, he decided to just walk with the drones following. Dev may have accidentally memorized Hazel’s typical arrival time, so he’d purposely shown up about 10 minutes earlier than that. He wanted to get to his locker and gather himself before they spoke.
The Au-Pairs held the door for Dev, who took a last calming breath and then strode in like he owned the place. Within seconds, he was hearing small gasps and the startled fumbling of objects being dropped to the floor. There was something oddly satisfying about that.
He stayed steady, not acknowledging any reactions by glancing in their direction. Behind the sunglasses, he scanned the area, relieved that it seemed like he had beaten Hazel here. Just to be sure though…
Thank goodness Winn was a bit taller and so easy to spot in the crowded hallway. They hadn’t noticed Dev yet and as he got closer, he saw Jasmine, who was also too engrossed in the conversation to clock his approach. The two of them were friends with Hazel- if she was already here and just not in the hall, they would be able to tell him.
“Hey, you two.” Dev called out as he walked up. Jasmine jumped (not a surprise, he’d been pretty rude to her a lot in the past) while Winn turned to him more calmly. “Oh, hi Dev. You’re back… at school. Uh, why the absence?” The kid had lost their train of thought for a moment.
Dev caught the eye movement towards his hair. Yeah, people are definitely noticing, for better or worse… Jasmine was less subtle, full-blown staring. He decided it was best to ignore her reaction and just ask Winn.
“Business things. You know if Hazel is here yet?” Winn’s eyes grew wide and Jasmine blurted out, “You’re looking for Hazel?” Dev couldn’t help his slight head tilt- was it that strange for him to ask?
Ah wait, I called her the right name. Oh well, I am here to try to fix our friendship, so I would be saying her name properly. Dev huffed, holding his emotions down. “Have you seen her or not?” Winn shook their head in the negative. “Um, not yet. Did you- sorry, is your hair different?
Dev turned on his heel, waving a hand dismissively as he stalked toward his locker. “Yeah yeah, I didn’t put gel in, whatever.” He didn’t vocalize for them to let him know when she got in or anything. If their expressions when Dev said her name correctly were any indication, he felt pretty confident that they’d tell Hazel the instant she arrived that he had very specifically asked about her.
He paused for the briefest of moments to wave in at Mr. Guzman. The teacher hardly blinked at Dev’s appearance, instead just waving back before returning to preparing for the morning lesson. Dev then busied himself with the locker, absently reorganizing its contents. The Au-Pairs passed things over- he’d purposely planned to add and remove some stuff from here this morning, giving himself an excuse to linger in the hallway.
Nobody came up to ask where he’d been or why his hair was suddenly curly. Probably for the best. His hope was that everyone would be mostly too busy rushing to class or socializing pre-class to pay him too much attention. If he was lucky, he’d catch Hazel in the hallway right before class and try to get his apology done without an audience.
5 minutes to first bell now. Dev didn’t want to look too obvious, so he used his locker’s internal door-mounted mirror to inspect the hallway behind him. He didn’t see Hazel anywhere yet. I swear, if she was here while I was absent for 3 days and now she’s gone when I’m finally back… He shook his head- no, no, surely his luck wasn’t that awful. She was just a bit later than usual, nothing to panic about.
What he did see was that Winn and Jasmine had relocated, standing right near the front entrance. Dev was delighted he’d actually read their behaviours correctly- they were in fact preparing to inform Hazel as soon as she arrived and he didn’t even have to ask them to do it!
That was good, well, as long as they didn’t decide to tell her to stay away from him instead. But he doubted such an outcome. Were their memory wipes similar to his or more of a blank state protocol he wondered. Regardless, they would be aware of the general tense state of his and Hazel’s friendship and Dev assumed (hoped) their current memories would be in favour of encouraging a reconciliation.
Dev continued adjusting stuff in the locker, only to delay his heading into class at this point. He could afford to wait a few more minutes for her. Despite his best efforts, the boy was a bundle of nerves. At least he could do a decent job of suppressing it from showing outwardly, he could handle acting cool and collected, even if things went poorly with Hazel.
You absolutely have to keep yourself under control, no matter what. Getting overwhelmed and letting slip that he remembered anything about fairies was not an option. He started reviewing the apology again, focusing on the altered memories to ground his perspective there.
Someone was moving toward him. It took a moment for his conscious mind to register the instinctual flash of thought- Dev had known it was Hazel without looking, because he recognized her footfalls.
Nope, no time to analyze why you know that- focus up, Dev, you have an apology to make!
The girl called his name and he spun to face her. She understood him more than anybody else in the entire world, even if she didn’t know it for herself. Dev’s only hope now was that Hazel would understand that he meant it when he asked for a second chance.