Chapter Text
When the bell rang to signal lunchtime, Dev Dimmadome waited for the deluge of students to depart before bothering to get up. Hazel shot him a glance as she exited, a slightly anxious look in her eyes. He hopped onto the Au-Pairs quickly once everyone cleared the doorway, zipping into the hallway over their heads. It was nice to be able to avoid crowds like this. Only climbing down to snag the lunch box from his locker, Dev then decided to take a moment to dart outside instead of straight to the cafeteria.
He desperately needed some fresh air, just to clear his head. So much was happening today and Dev was uncertain of exactly how well it was going so far. Hidden in the shadows, he leaned against the walls of the school building. The cool bricks helped to pull away some of the uncomfortable heat flickering around his stressed body.
The first step had seemed to have gone well- shockingly well, one might even argue it was perfect. Dev had apologized to Hazel for his behaviour over the last several weeks. She had not only happily accepted the apology, but was immediately in favour of staying friends, even asking him to join her at lunch like they often did prior to their falling-out.
Dev assumed that would include Winn and Jasmine as well. He didn’t mind that, he really should have more friends than just Hazel. They wouldn’t remember it, but those two had helped her save Fairy World and any friends willing to get involved in that mess (which Dev had caused) seemed like friends worth having. Hazel hadn’t given any indication that she suspected Dev of remembering anything either, which was pretty important too.
The success had made Dev giddy- dangerously happy in fact. He hadn’t lost Hazel yet, now he had to do his best to keep it that way. He’d swept into the classroom, hiding his amusement at the other students’ surprise at seeing his curly hair, and settled himself at the back of the room. Hazel had looked back at him early on and he indicated to her that he had understood her invitation to lunch, since he had kinda cut her off in the hallway so she wouldn’t be late to class.
That was when he slipped up. He should’ve just mirrored her confirming thumbs-up and left it there, that was all that was necessary. Instead, high on the pure joy of retaining their friendship and momentarily forgetting they were no longer at the same goofing-around level of closeness, Dev had looked Hazel right in the eyes and winked at her before hiding behind his sunglasses again.
Dev raked his fingers through his hair. Why oh why did he do that?
Stupid, stupid. You’re not at playful teasing and friendly taunts with her anymore, remember? And a wink, seriously?! Hazel probably thinks I was teasing her about calling my hair cute, I wasn’t trying to make fun of her! I mean… I really liked when she said that- but she doesn’t need to know that and she seemed embarrassed about it.
He tapped his fingers against the bricks, trying to calm down. It was a momentary lapse in judgment, one that he couldn’t allow to happen again. If he wasn’t careful, he might reveal that his memory wipe hadn’t taken and then everything would come crashing down. Even if it turned out that Hazel would be willing to keep that secret for him, her fairies would likely be required to report the incident to Jorgen Von Strangle regardless. Dev would lose his actual memories for real. He could not make another mistake.
“Stop being a baby, you need to get to the cafeteria.” Dev clambered back on the Au-Pairs, a little voice in the back of his mind telling him that Hazel would hate the way he thought about himself. It didn’t take long to make it there. He scooted into the line (rather than cutting in front of everyone) to get whatever the school was serving today. Though he had his own food, it often wasn’t enough so he’d take the cafeteria food, even if it was lower quality than what he was used to.
Once he had his tray, Dev scanned the room for his friends- well, one friend. He couldn’t say where Winn or Jasmine fell yet. He didn’t really need to look, Hazel tended to sit at the same place each day. The table where Dev had first introduced himself to her directly and ‘helpfully’ pointed out all their classmates before capping it off by telling her she was sitting in wet paint.
He remembered asking her about it once, after they’d become friends, why she decided to make her standard lunch spot a place that must’ve had upsetting memories attached to it. He also remembered he’d finally bothered to apologize for calling her a ‘no-brain’ at the time. Hazel had laughed a bit uncomfortably, brushing off the question, which only served to make Dev more persistent. He was fascinated when she admitted almost apologetically that she’d done it to spite him, to try to show Dev that she wasn’t embarrassed about what happened, despite very much being embarrassed.
It had given Dev a bizarre sensation of relief. Hazel was unrelentingly nice, to a degree that it unnerved him sometimes. Not that he didn’t appreciate it, that insistent kindness was the whole reason he was about to go sit with her again despite everything going against him. No, what bothered him was that it made Hazel seem like a bit of a doormat and he worried that her inability to be rude or say ‘no’ would get her hurt. Knowing she had the capacity to be ‘spiteful’, even if it had been just a secret she had with herself- that had helped Dev let go of some of that weird overprotective feeling he kept getting.
Sure enough, there she was. She looked so engaged in her conversation that Dev hesitated to get closer and interrupt it. Lucky for him, Winn clocked him standing awkwardly gazing at their table and gestured for him to approach, even specifically pointing that he should sit on Hazel’s side. Dev smiled- who was he to deny the school’s resident cool kid after all? He walked over, trying to act as casual as possible.
The girls slowed their chatter at his approach, Dev stopping just short of placing his lunch tray on the table. “Hey guys, um- is it still okay if I-” “Of course!” The three kids chorused, Hazel reaching over and practically dragging Dev next to her. Okay, geez! Maybe I am worrying too much, they all seem pretty eager. Even Winn and Jas.
“Thanks. I… really appreciate it.” He looked sheepishly at each kid, hoping they understood why he said that. It seemed like they did. Winn leaned forward with a calm smile. “It’s all good, dude. Fights happen, you know? Hazel told us you gave her a great apology so you’re going in the right direction!”
Dev glanced at Hazel with a raised eyebrow, who had suddenly become very focused on her meal. A “great” apology huh? Interesting. I can work with this. He lifted his sunglasses to the top of his head. Hazel had always seemed to appreciate when she could see his eyes, so he figured it was the right move. “I mean, I was thinking about it basically since the weekend, so I sure hope it was pretty good.”
Jasmine giggled at that, “Aww, that’s nice, Dev.” Winn nodded in agreement and Hazel finally lifted her gaze back to him, looking genuinely touched. The boy only held eye contact for a second, the moment he winked at her flashing obnoxiously through his mind. He flitted his eyes away to the others to stop that stupid warm feeling from flooding in again. “Yeah, yeah, anyway- you do anything interesting on the weekend?”
He detected Hazel shifting closer to him as Winn and Jasmine exchanged a brief strange look. “Not especially,” Winn answered, “We all hung out but we didn’t do like, anything super unusual. Went to the park, watched a movie at Hazel’s.” Jasmine bobbed her head, seeming to not have anything to add.
Dev tried not to make a face- these two shouldn’t have had a reason to lie about their weekend yet he was getting the sense that something was being omitted. They had been with Hazel apparently, hmm…
“My brother is visiting from his college, so we sorta just showed him around Dimmadelphia, that’s all.” Dev turned to focus on Hazel, happy to not concern himself with unwarranted suspicions about Winn and Jas. “Oh, that’s cool. You’re close with him, right?” Hazel blinked a few times, like she was confused about Dev knowing that.
Crap, am I not supposed to know that?! He reviewed his altered memories at lightning speed- they told Dev that he had never met Hazel’s big brother. Truthfully, he could hardly say he’d met him even in reality. But between those and his pre-magic memories, he did in fact know that Hazel had a good relationship with him and that his name was Antony. So it wasn’t weird for him to know that then.
Dev tried to clarify his comment, “Your first day, you mentioned him right when you introduced yourself to the class? You told me a bit about him, Antony, I think? He hasn’t met me though.” Hazel’s confused expression resolved and her shoulders relaxed. “That’s right. I’m kinda surprised you remembered that. Hmm, I guess I should introduce you two, since he’s met Winn and Jas now.”
The other two kids seemed enthusiastic about that idea. Dev wasn’t so sure. Obviously her brother wouldn’t recall the Fairy World incident but if the siblings were close, the odds were high that Hazel had relayed some information about Dev to Antony. Like about him fighting with and bullying her. Dev didn’t know their particular dynamic of course, but if the manga he’d read were anything to go by, older siblings tended to be protective of the younger ones- especially older brothers with younger sisters.
He nibbled at his packed lunch, hoping to downplay any nervousness by multi-tasking in the conversation. “Antony’s visiting for another week, so there’s time for it. Oh, only if you wanted to though, Dev.”
Hazel looked to him for a reaction and he made hesitant eye contact again. “That depends… what exactly does he know about me and our, um, friendship.”
The girl tilted her head in a bafflement that didn’t last long. Her big brown eyes got even wider and she inhaled sharply. Her hand suddenly grabbed on top of his and Dev had to make a conscious effort not to jump away, forcing himself to keep looking at her.
He knew she was just trying to be reassuring, since Dev had already made it obvious to her that he ‘remembered’ enough about the past several months to know that he would seem like a terrible person to Antony if she had accurately described their interactions to him.
“Well, he knows a little,” Hazel said, utterly failing at keeping the anxiety out of her voice. “Like he knows how we became friends initially. But I guess he is aware that our friendship has been, um…” She squeezed his hand, an action Dev felt was more to calm herself rather than him.
Jasmine and Winn looked sympathetically at him and tried to fill in the words Hazel was blanking on. “Turbulent?” Jasmine suggested. “On-again, off-again?” Winn chimed.
Heat sparked on Dev’s face and he tried not to glare at Winn. He knew that phrase was often used to describe romantic relationships and he didn’t appreciate it being said, especially when Hazel was damn-near holding his hand. He did not need to be thinking about that.
Hazel sighed. “Chaotic? I dunno…” She looked helplessly at Dev. He nodded like he understood, just to put her out of her misery. “It hasn’t been the smoothest,” he murmured. “So in other words, he might not feel… the best about me, or me hanging around you again.”
The girl gasped, blessedly releasing his increasingly-sweaty hand, only to immediately thud her entire arm around his shoulders. Worse, so much worse- curse your insistence on physical expressions of comfort, Hazel…
“No, no, he wouldn’t think like that! Maybe a little surprised we’re being friends again so quickly- er, I mean- He’s not going to judge you or whatever, Dev. If that’s what you’re worried about.”
Dev kept his face as neutral as he could manage. That time, Hazel had nearly slipped up. ‘So quickly-’ meaning so quickly after I almost destroyed an entire magical species by being a selfish baby desperate for his crap father’s attention. Not that Antony should remember the specifics. He probably thinks of that just as some huge personal conflict I had with Hazel, which isn’t much better. Damnit, she doesn’t understand how him being her older brother gives him way more reason to hate me.
“He’s your brother so… if you really think he won’t be upset with me?” Hazel patted his shoulder reassuringly, then finally seemed to realize how in his personal space she was and scooted back. “It’ll be fine! I want him to meet my friends and that includes you.” Dev smiled. It was astonishing how freely she spoke those words. Like it was so easy to call him a friend. Forgiving as always.
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Jasmine idly tapped her utensils on the table. Maybe it was a tune but Dev couldn’t tell- it seemed too jittery to his ears. She really needed to work on her sense of rhythm. Winn used their spoon as a pointer instead, waving it at Dev. “Alright, Dimmadome, what about you then? Surely you did more stuff over the last five days than look for alternative hair gel.”
Dev snorted. Oh boy, they had no idea how much he’d been up to. He didn’t want to show his hand outright though. Fortunately, Winn had just given him a good opening to start dropping hints. He took a few casual bites of his meal, not answering right away. Cracked open the small bottle of almond milk he’d brought with him- because of course the school didn’t provide a lactose-free option and he was always given a carton of milk at lunch even with his known allergy. Took a sip of it. Assessed the situation. Now seemed like the right moment.
“Sure, some other stuff. I got in a fight with my dad.” There was a squeaking from the table’s benches as his friends simultaneously leaned forward. Hazel almost knocked him over at the speed she moved into his side, one hand gripping his hoodie sleeve. By some miracle, he kept his nonchalant attitude intact.
“A fight???” They all parroted, a blend of shock, confusion, and concern. Dev ran a hand through his curls- it was surprising how much he was already enjoying them. It was also nice to be able to actually touch his hair without coating his hands in gel.
“Well… maybe ‘fight’ is too harsh a description. More of a… disagreement. An intense discussion? A negotiation perhaps.” He paused and examined the group’s expressions, stopping at Hazel. “We have a better understanding now- it’s a good thing, promise.”
Hazel squinted at him, leaning dangerously close as though she might be able to read his mind if she just focused enough. “An understanding… like, positive changes?” Dev kicked his feet, a smug grin spreading across his face. “You could call it that,” he said pleasantly, not going into any further detail. Much to the frustrated curiosity of the group it seemed.
Jasmine lightly thumped an open palm on the table in protest. “What does that meeean, Dev?? Did you get cool stuff or something?” Winn didn’t make a comment but it was clear they were intrigued. Considering they kept shifting their gaze onto Hazel, they probably figured she’d be able to get more information out of him. Dev kept going to block that opportunity, since he could tell she was about to speak.
“Well, it’s sort of a complicated thing to explain. I could try, but it’d be a lot easier if I could just show you instead.” There was a pause, then Hazel reached out and decisively tapped Dev right on the nose. He wasn’t sure how he managed to not leap away from her. Probably because she’d had a death grip on his sleeve ever since he spoke the word ‘fight.’ “Is this just a roundabout way of inviting us to hang out at your place- because you don’t need to do that, you can just ask.”
Dev’s grin wavered. “That’s not- it really is complicated to explain! I’m not asking ‘in a roundabout way’ or whatever you said!” “Uh-huh,” Hazel narrowed her eyes and Dev had to remind himself not to turn any further towards her on account of the closeness. He had to settle for side-eyeing her in response.
It took a few seconds, but it did eventually occur to her that maybe she was too close (for what, the 3rd time today?) and she very slowly backed up this time- rather than scrambling away in a panic. Probably because Winn and Jas were there. Dev figured that she was trying very hard to not look embarrassed about her overenthusiasm.
Dev cleared his throat, trying to act casual. “Look, the point is, there are some new things going on and it’d be much easier to show you rather than sit here and describe it. So if you’re that curious, then sure, I’m inviting all of you to come hang out, alright?”
The group exchanged glances before affirming that they were all definitely interested in whatever these ‘new things’ were, suggesting a time as soon as tomorrow after school to come over. Dev claimed he’d have to ask his dad first- a complete lie of course, Dale didn’t pay attention to when he brought friends over, he so rarely did after all, but the readiness of the other kids to integrate back into his life was a bit overwhelming. Enough so that Dev was almost scared to agree to such an immediate visit. Thankfully nobody called his bluff on it.
The remainder of the lunch period was spent alternating between finishing their meals and badgering Dev for hints. He was happy to tauntingly refuse them. At the end of it all, Dev was feeling pretty pleased with himself. Hazel, Winn, and Jasmine all appeared willing to be his friends again- or maybe it was more like the first time for Winn and Jasmine. He wasn’t sure either of them considered him a friend in any capacity before.
Dev didn’t quite understand why they wanted to include him. Well, he assumed that he kind of understood Hazel’s reasons. She knew all his baggage, the true sequence of events leading up to the memory wipe, plus she’d been awfully empathetic right after he’d given up on the Fairy World takeover. He’d ‘done the right thing,’ at least in the end. It felt in-character for her to try to reconnect with him in spite of the harm he’d inflicted because she knew what had led him there.
She probably also feels bad that I don’t have Peri anymore and that I’m back to just having my dad as a ‘parental figure.’ I wonder how Peri’s doing… we didn’t really talk afterward, I didn’t even apologize to him. No, don’t think about that, it can’t be changed.
Winn and Jas, yeah he had no explanation for them. Were they just going along with it for Hazel’s sake? They had seemed genuine but Dev had to admit he didn’t know them well enough to say that with certainty. He was maybe on better terms with Winn? At the very least he never really directly bullied them, he couldn’t say the same for Jasmine. Which is what made the offering of friendship feel so strange to Dev.
A ridiculous thing to be worried about- wow, people want to be friends with you, how stressful. Have you considered that other people are nicer than you and willing to give you a chance just because somebody they trust did too? Stop overanalyzing it and be grateful instead of jeopardizing everything.
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Dale had bothered to ask Dev how school went that day- well, if you counted a single question about how people reacted to his hair as asking about his whole day.
Dev smugly looked him in the eye, twisting a curl around one finger as he informed him: “I can report that I was given multiple highly-positive compliments and that some people even think it looks better on me than the gelled style.” His father blinked slowly. “Oh… I mean, uh- good. That’s good, Devin, I suppose it won’t be a problem then.”
Dev did go on to actually ask his father about his friends coming over. He had pushed pretty hard to get where he was in such a short span of time, so he figured the smart move was to be diplomatic by keeping Dale in the loop. Of course it ended up feeling largely unnecessary. Dale honestly seemed confused why he’d bothered to ask.
“Yes, that’s fine, just ensure none of you are underfoot or wandering into places you shouldn’t be. I trust you mentioned nothing of the Vicky situation to these children?”
Dev was careful not to huff or make a face, not wanting to push his luck. Still, couldn’t Dale just say ‘friends,’ was it so difficult to acknowledge that his son had real connections with people? “Obviously not, that would be breaking our contract.” Dale nodded, already being pulled back into work on his tablet. “Good, keep it that way.”
The boy retreated to his much-improved room, scrambling around to make sure it looked presentable. Dev was never one to have a messy room, something that was drilled into him early. Things are best when organized and tidy. He had to admit he didn’t function well in a messy environment, so it was perfectly alright with him to make the effort to keep it neat. The Au-Pairs did a lot of the work anyway. Speaking of organization, now Dev needed to decide where to begin explaining all of the new things.