Work Text:
When Peri entered the bedroom that night, dressed in satin pajamas, scrubbing at his wet hair with a towel, and basking in the lingering heat of a wonderfully peaceful bath, the first thing he spotted was the large thin box laid neatly in the middle of the bed. Peri glanced around, expecting to see Dale somewhere, but the room was empty. He approached the bed, curious, noting the bright golden ribbon tied into a neat bow on top: a present.
On closer inspection, Peri spied a thin piece of cardstock tucked into the folds of the ribbon. He plucked it free, thumb tracing along the edge and noting the quality of the stationary as he read its simple message: his name written in a looping gold script.
Peri looked over his shoulder again, hoping that Dale finally showed up to offer an explanation, but found no one. He frowned, setting the card back down, and carefully tugged the ribbon loose. It fell apart with little resistance, some of its glitter shaking onto the bed sheets, but Peri paid it no mind as he pulled the top of the box off.
His confusion only deepened when he saw the contents inside.
Folded neatly on a bed of tissue paper was a dress. It was a deep plum color with a high collar and long, sleek sleeves. But the most eye-catching part was the sheer seam that cut down the entire length of the dress – from shoulder to hem. Like a geode split open to reveal the crystal formation inside, an array of golden beading and rhinestones followed the path of the slit, forcing the eye to follow the line of the body of whoever wore it.
“Is this for me?” Peri muttered to himself. According to the card it was but Peri wasn’t sure what the gift was for. It wasn’t like his birthday was close and as far as he could recall it wasn’t any kind of holiday.
Carefully, he maneuvered the dress over to Dale’s walk-in closet and stood in front of his full length mirror, holding the dress up to his body. Out of the box he could see it was floor length and Peri brushed a hand along the beading, tracking the way the dress followed the line of his figure.
“Absolutely lovely.”
Peri shrieked, jumping in his skin from the voice and warm breath in his ear. He whipped around to find Dale, who looked up at him with a suggestive grin and hooded eyes.
Dale drew closer, gaze raking down Peri’s body. He softly dragged a hand from Peri’s shoulder down the length of the dress’ sleeve, humming appreciatively.
“It came out even better than I thought it would,” Dale said. Peri pulled away, just enough distance to get Dale’s attention back to his face.
“You bought this?” Peri asked, glancing back at the mirror, struck again by the elegance of the gown. “What’s it for?”
“It’s for you,” Dale answered. He wrapped an arm around Peri’s waist, putting them hip-to-hip as they stared at each other in the reflection. “Custom made just for you. Don’t ask how we got your measurements.”
The question hadn’t even crossed his mind but the image of a drone silently and sneakily measuring him while he slept popped into his head. Peri shook his head, exasperated.
“But why?” Peri bit his lip, suddenly feeling bad. “I didn’t get you a gift.”
“Starlight, I don’t need you to get me anything,” Dale snorted. He hooked a finger under Peri’s chin, leaning up to brush a kiss to his lips, before whispering, “But if you really want to do something for me, there is this gala tomorrow night…”
Peri drew back, laughing incredulously, “Is that what this is for? Dale, you could have just asked me!”
For a moment, an uncharacteristic flash of uncertainty crossed Dale’s face. It just as quickly disappeared behind a wide, golden smile and Dale waved a hand in the air carelessly.
“Well, it would be our first public appearance as…well,” Dale cocked his head, gesturing between them. “People will be curious about my first plus one in a decade. That’s not Devin, at least.”
Peri blinked, processing. Was Dale…nervous? Although what exactly he was nervous about was lost on Peri. Nervous about the event itself? Unlikely considering Dale attended such events with some frequency. Nervous on Peri’s behalf? That was a little more plausible but he’d seen Peri socialize in public before, he had to know Peri didn’t mind entertaining a crowd of people. Was he then nervous that…Peri would have said no? Did he think Peri wouldn’t want to be seen with him?
Peri gave the gown another look, its extravagance taking on a new light. He took great care to hang the dress properly, smoothing it out with one last brush before turning back to cradle Dale’s face in his hands. The man’s brows furrowed but Peri only smiled softly.
“I’d love to go to this gala with you. With you.” Peri emphasized just to make sure his point got across. His chest fluttered when Dale’s mood brightened. “But thank you for the gift.”
Dale spun them around and Peri yelped from suddenly being dipped low. He could feel the arm beneath his back shake from the strain of holding his weight, but Dale kept his thrilled expression.
“Have I told you recently you’re a doll?”
“Mm,” Peri smirked, wrapping his arms around Dale’s neck. “Remind me?”
“Always.”
The ballroom Peri found himself in was three things: large, crowded, and loud.
The first he expected; when Dale showed him the invitation of Dimmasonian Museum’s annual charity gala, the refined style and posh language of the card spoke to the prestige of the event. On the car ride over, Peri couldn’t help but imagine a magnificent ballroom, a grand staircase, marble pillars, and imposing chandeliers that made the room glitter and glow like gold. The actual reception paled in comparison to Peri’s fantasies – there was no grand staircase, the pillars outside were chipped and faded with old age, and there was one chandelier in the center of the room with most of the other lighting coming from the fluorescent bulbs around it. But the size of the ballroom was at least large and magnificent.
He also expected it to be crowded. Between the museum staff, the museum board members, sponsors, wait staff, and food vendors – with almost every guest having a plus one – it wasn’t surprising that the event felt full. To the museum’s credit, they offered enough offerings to encourage guests to explore other rooms and control the size of the crowds but with all the refreshments, as well as the pleasing lull of live music, being located in the ballroom it wasn’t surprising that most people lingered around.
But with the crowd came noise. Dozens upon dozens of groups of people used the time to find familiar faces to play catch up and just as many roamed the room to network and shake hands with the most impressive figures they could get close to. The live music, although lovely and enchanting, only served to encourage guests to speak louder to be heard, and the volume increased until the entire room was a constant buzz of chatter.
Peri didn’t necessarily mind it all. The setting just meant he had to stick close to Dale to hear him over the noise and that was fine by him.
Speaking of Dale.
“ – and that’s assuming Aaron’s even fit to take point on the Evertt account. Which,” Dale snorted, tugging at the sleeve of his white suit. “If I know anything about him, that’s not likely to happen.”
Peri hummed and leaned in closer to respond when he caught movement in his periphery. He turned to look, his gaze falling to a young couple a few feet away who stared at the pair of them with wide eyes. The young woman muttered something to her partner who nodded absently. They both noticed Peri looking, their faces paling in embarrassment as they turned away, whispering fervently to each other. Peri cocked a brow, curious.
He tried to dismiss the odd moment and focus on Dale but he kept catching stray looks from others, glances from strangers who just as quickly looked away as soon as they saw they’d been caught. Peri moved to tuck a piece of hair behind his ear, an unnecessary action as his hair was already meticulously styled and put together so that it wasn’t possible for a strand to come loose. But he felt the need to do something. People looking came with the unnerving feeling that he was being scrutinized and judged, and with a crowd of people who were likely as particular as Dale himself, it wasn’t much of a leap to worry that he had done something wrong.
Could they tell that he was a new face? That he wasn’t frequently invited to such events? Peri didn’t know how they would. He nervously smoothed a hand down his gown, eyeing as discreetly as he could what everyone else was wearing. Was the dress too much? The invitation said black tie and Dale had bought the dress specifically for the event; surely he knew what was appropriate to wear. And looking at everyone else, it didn’t seem like what he was wearing was that much different from others. There were a wide variety of gowns – from the more simple to the more revealing – and no one seemed to bat an eye at anyone else.
Was it just the fact that he was with Dale? The man had mentioned the possibility of people being curious about whomever he brought to the event but was it really that big of a deal? Surely people had better things to talk about.
“Hello there.”
Peri fought the jolt that ran through him from the deep rumbling in his ear. Acutely aware of where he was, Peri carefully spun on his heel, forcing his muscles to relax from the sudden shock of being caught off guard.
Behind him stood a man with what was probably the friendliest face Peri had ever seen, which was impressive considering fairies were well-known for the friendly features. The man’s grin was wide and open, seemingly effortless with the way it spread so naturally across his face, and flashing impressively white teeth. His eyes were bright, emphasized by the gently crinkling at their corners. Peri wasn’t the best at estimating ages for humans, especially once they were no longer children, but the shock of silver hair combed neatly back made him think the man must have been older than Dale, although he carried such an energetic air around him. Like everyone else, he was dressed in a finely tailored suit that showed off his larger frame. A handsome man, if Peri had ever seen one.
Peri smiled politely, “Hello.”
“Sorry for coming up so suddenly but I saw you across the room and got curious!” The man laughed good naturedly. It was infectious enough that Peri felt his shoulders begin to relax. “You looked familiar but I couldn’t place your face.” Somehow, his smile turned even warmer with his sheepishness. “Help a man out?”
He held a hand out between them to shake, which Peri did so with a firm grip. “Call me Peri, as in Periwinkle.”
“Periwinkle, Periwinkle,” The man’s face scrunched up in thought. His hand lingered on Peri’s a touch longer than the handshake lasted. “Why does that sound so familiar?”
Peri laughed softly just to keep the air light, “I’m not sure. I’m tagging along with someone tonight so I don’t have much connection to the museum –”
A snap of fingers cut Peri off, and the man beamed in recognition, “Mr. Periwinkle! That’s right, you’re the wonderful magician I hired last year!”
Peri’s laughter turned nervous, suddenly feeling caught. His stint as the museum’s entertainer had been confined to the stage, a means to the end of catching Dale’s eye. He simply waved his wand and his name was on the director’s desk to be hired, he never even met the man before. But Peri chastised himself for not being more careful. Of course, the director of the Dimmasonian Museum was going to be at their annual gala.
Apparently he made more of an impression than he thought if both Hannah and the director remembered him from that night.
“Ohhhh, thank you,” As tactfully as he could, Peri glanced over his shoulder to get Dale’s attention but found that at some point the man had wandered a few feet away, deep in a conversation with another person. “I’m glad you enjoyed the show.”
“Enjoyed? Oh, it was amazing!” The director chuckled again, hitting Peri’s shoulder with a light tap. “I’ve been trying to recommend your services to some colleagues of mine but weirdly enough they haven’t been able to find you! Are you still performing?”
Peri wanted the floor to open up beneath him. He rubbed away the heat on the back of his neck. “Ah, well, you know…” His mind raced to find something to say. “I’m on a break?”
“That’s a shame,” The director frowned, his disappointment genuine. He bounced back quickly though, his grin returning so fast it gave Peri whiplash. “Well then, what brings you to the museum? You said you were here with someone, is this a friend? A close friend?”
Before Peri could even answer, another person siddled up to the director’s side, throwing an arm around his shoulders like they were lifelong friends.
“Andrew!” The newcomer greeted. On closer inspection, there was something faintly familiar about their new addition, an itch that scratched at some part of Peri’s brain. “Finally caught you!”
“Oh, Charlie,” For the first time since he approached Peri, Andrew’s face took on a strained quality. It was small but Peri caught it before it disappeared in a flash. “Good to see you as always.”
But Charlie was already turning toward Peri, pulling away from Andrew.
“Nice to see you again,” Charlie said, enveloping Peri’s hand between both of his and shaking enthusiastically. “It’s Peri, right?”
Peri’s head spun. Another person knew him?
He forced himself to keep his polite expression in place, although he took as subtle of a step back as he could when his hand was finally released. “Sorry, I’m really bad with faces. Were you also at the show?”
Charlie’s face dropped, “Show?”
“Again?” Andrew crowded in close, lightly pushing Charlie aside. “You two are acquainted with each other?”
“Peri and I were introduced at a DimmaFit conference a few months back,” Charlie explained, although his gaze stayed on Peri.
The fairy tried to recall as much as he could about the conference and the group of people he’d spoken to. There was Hannah, who easily stood out, but everyone else had turned into a blur in his memories. An indistinct mob of men and suits. The only thing he could even vaguely remember about the man specifically was that he had to have been the youngest of the group, barring Peri himself.
Peri reeled at the coincidence. How was it that Dale’s world felt so big yet so small at the same time?
“I didn’t expect for us to cross paths again,” Charlie continued. He leered, leaning closer. “but I’m glad we did. Stunning dress, by the way.”
Peri couldn’t help it; a small burst of glee ran through him from the compliment. It was a gorgeous dress and he did look good in it. There wasn’t anything wrong in being flattered if it was just a fact.
His smile grew from politeness to genuine delight, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.
“Thank you,” he said, swaying lightly to show the gown off. He clocked the way both men followed the movement. “It was a gift.”
“Ah,” Andrew cleared his throat. “From your friend for tonight? Quite the gift.”
“Friend?” Charlie’s mouth twisted. He gestured at the empty space at Peri’s side. “Not a very courteous friend for just leaving you alone like that. Who were you accompanying tonight? I’m sure I would be –”
Charlie stopped short, his attention locked on something past Peri’s shoulder. Peri didn’t turn around, he already knew what he was looking at. It was clear from the widening of his eyes and the small twitch of his jaw.
Charlie’s upper lip curled, gaze snapping back to Peri. “Don’t tell me you’re here with Dale.”
“Dale Dimmadome gifted you that?” Andrew choked, his shock contrasted with Charlie’s own sneer of distaste.
Peri opened his mouth to retort when the dots connected in his head. The stares, the whispers, the overly warm welcome from Andrew and Charlie topped off with the almost blatantly unsubtle flirtatious glances. Peri stood out, not because he was a new face, but apparently because he was an attractive new face – an attractive new face next to one Dale Dimmadome.
His gaze swept back over the crowd and caught sight of a woman brazenly looking his way. As a test, he softened his expression and waved. The woman startled, her cheeks turning a bright red, before she dashed off to hide amongst the crowd.
Peri grinned sharply, a wicked idea forming in his head.
“Yes!” Peri sighed dreamily, placing a hand on his heart. “Oh, he’s been taking such good care of me ever since I moved into the tower with him and Dev.”
“You’re living together?”
Charlie’s jaw worked as he took everything in. He looked more annoyed by the second.
“Dale got…? How did that man —?” Charlie stumbled. He gave Peri another once over. “Why would you –?”
“Are you alright?” Peri feigned ignorance, blinking at both men innocently. “It sounds like you have a little something in your throat. Hold on, I might have something for that.”
With a wave of his hand, a plastic water bottle appeared. He lightly tapped his head with the other hand before opening his palm to reveal a pair of lozenges inside. He took an enormous amount of glee at the shocked awe on both of their faces.
He was cheating with his magic, of course. No amount of skill with close up magic could accomplish such feats without some preparation beforehand, but Peri thought it was worth it for their reactions alone.
Andrew at least seemed to get over the surprise in better faith, laughing in sincere enjoyment as he plucked the cough drop from Peri. Charlie reluctantly took the other and the water bottle when Peri pushed it toward him. He glared at the objects.
“There you are.” An arm wrapped around Peri’s waist and tugged him flush against a solid body.
Peri leaned toward the warmth to an almost exaggerated degree, enough that Dale stumbled from the added weight, catching both of them before they tipped over. Peri pretended not to notice, resting a hand at the nape of Dale’s neck and gazing at him with the biggest pout his face could physically pull off.
“There you are,” Peri playfully chastised and Dale raised a brow at his sickly sweet tone of voice. Both brows climbed higher when Peri leaned their faces closer. “I missed you.”
Peri ignored the burning of his face when he pressed a kiss to Dale’s cheek, hyper aware of all the people who were likely watching them. When he pulled away, he took a certain amount of pleasure from the stunned look on not only Dale but Andrew and Charlie as well.
He laced their fingers together, tugging Dale in a random direction. Peri gave their audience one last charming smile.
“Well, it was nice to see both of you. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have some people to talk to about our work with Evertt." He rolled his eyes. “Business, am I right?”
Peri managed to drag Dale away before anyone could say anything else, not stopping until they made it out to the much less crowded hall. Alone, Peri cackled loudly, resting his forehead against Dale’s shoulder as his body shook uncontrollably.
“Not that I’m complaining,” Dale said above him, his voice tinged with confusion. “But what was that?”
Peri snorted, another giggle escaping him. He glanced up at Dale and batted his eyelashes dramatically.
“When you tell people about me,” Peri started, caressing the side of Dale’s face. “I want you to brag. You have my permission to tell everyone that I’m beautiful, amazing, out of this world. You have free reign to be as obnoxious about it as you want.” He snickered again when Dale’s eyes darkened. “And I’ll happily come in every time to prove you right.”
Dale’s mouth split into a wide grin, eyes gleaming.
“God, you’re incredible.”
Peri laughed, giving him a kiss. “That’s the spirit.”