A/N: Hey y'all!
Word Count: 2628
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Those rights go to JK Rowling.
For the lovely Amber, via Gift-Tag (DeanPiers singleparent!AU)
Enjoy!
As Piers Polkiss stared down at the sleeping figure in the crib, he thought he'd never been more disgusted with himself.
He didn't know what had possessed him to take in his cousin's daughter, but he couldn't turn back now. He ran his hands through his dark hair and sighed, trying not to think of things like clothes and food, and everything else that would drain his suffering wallet.
He stumbled out of the bedroom, suddenly exhausted, and collapsed at the kitchen table. He dropped his head into his hands and groaned. The accident had been so sudden. A gas leak, they'd said, but that didn't explain why baby Livia had survived. When Piers heard what had happened, he was overcome with an unexplainable need to know where the little girl would go. He agreed to take Livy in, despite the extra hours he'd have to work and the amount of sleep he'd lose.
Why? He wasn't sure. Maybe because he remembered when a man hadn't loved his son well enough, when a woman hadn't paid enough attention, and a cousin uprooted his whole life just to take care of a kid he barely knew… Maybe because he couldn't stand the thought of anyone hurting Livy ever again. Or maybe he'd just lost his mind.
He laughed cynically to himself. Nineteen, he thought, was too young to go mad.
A shrill scream tore through the dreadful silence hanging over the run-down apartment, and Piers got shakily to his feet. Everything seemed hopeless since Dudley left Privet Drive at the beginning of the summer without so much as a goodbye, and though Piers was well over that little crush, he couldn't deny that he'd put up new walls. Maybe he should give this baby a shot.
As he hurried to soothe her, Piers tried to shake the memories of a better family from his mind.
The sun had set an hour ago, and Piers was only now getting his coffee. This wouldn't have been a big deal three years ago, before Livy had come into his life, but now that he had a toddler hanging off of him… well, he didn't like having to wait longer than necessary.
"Piers?"
The twenty-two year old looked down at his little cousin, smiling gently when he caught a glimpse of her messy black curls. "Yes, Livy?"
"Are we going home soon?"
Piers sighed, knowing he should have seen the complaint coming. "Yes, I just need to grab my coffee."
Livia's eyes lit up. "Can I have some?"
"No."
She pouted and dragged her feet all the way up to the counter when his name was called, but Piers refused to budge. He hadn't been a parent long, but he was fairly sure a three-year-old wasn't supposed to be drinking coffee.
Livia didn't see it that way, though. She glared up at him with big, blue eyes and balled her little hands into fists. Piers' internal alarm was going off; he knew that look. Things were about to get ugly.
Before she could cause a scene, he scooped the girl up in one arm and high-tailed it out of the cafe, walking swiftly towards his car. He'd nearly made it when a shoulder slammed into his own, knocking him off balance.
Piers barely refrained from letting loose a string of curses as his coffee fell to the ground, but he fixed a glare on the man who was responsible.
Black eyes widened in surprise at Piers' hostility, and dark hands hurriedly scooped the cup off the ground.
"Oh, er…" The man faltered when he realized that yes, it was empty, and yes, Piers was still glaring at him like he was the devil. Handsome though the stranger was, he'd been dying for that caffeine. "Sorry about that, mate. I'll pay for the next one?"
Piers huffed, but his annoyance was quickly fading into exhaustion. "Too late for that, I have to get to work. Throw it away for me, will you?"
He turned around without waiting for an answer, trying not to slip on the icy road. The last thing he needed was to fall on top of Livy. Luckily, the little girl had gotten over her anger with him and was allowing him to strap her into her car seat without complaint. Piers thanked the heavens for small miracles.
"I'm sorry it fell," she said sincerely, surprising him.
He smiled tiredly at her. "That's all right. Maybe next time, yeah?"
He closed the door and then went around to the front of the car, sliding into the front seat. He fished around for his keys, hands slightly numb from the cold. He'd need to rush to get Livy to the sitter's on time, and then he'd have to speed along to work—
The car wasn't starting.
Piers tried again, thrusting the key inside and jerking it, listening to the engine awaken half-heartedly and then sputter out.
"Ah, no," he muttered desperately. "Not tonight. Bloody hell, not tonight."
He hit his palm against the dashboard in frustration, his forehead dropping against the steering wheel. Livia was trying to get his attention, but he couldn't face her right then. This was the third time his car had broken down in as many weeks, and he couldn't scrape enough money together for a serious repair.
It was times like these when he wondered why he'd taken Livia in. Surely living like this could only hurt her. Maybe he should have let a family come to adopt her, someone whose car would always run smoothly, who could always spare a minute to play with her. What had made him think that he was the best guardian for her? She deserved more than him.
He dug his nails into the palms of his hands, a habit he'd never quite been able to shake. Buying the coffee was such a stupid idea. His hands began stinging, but he didn't let up the pressure. He'd have to cancel the sitter now, ask his boss if he could have the night off—
A knock on the window interrupted his thoughts. He looked up miserably and felt his face heat up when he realized it was the man from before. He opened the door a crack, looking up at the taller man. "Yeah?"
He stuck out a hand, and Piers could have cursed his heart for fluttering right then. "Dean Thomas. I thought you might like some help with your car? For, you know. The coffee."
Piers frowned. "I don't think that's a fair trade. A coffee is a lot cheaper than the repair this hunk of junk will need." He hit the dashboard for emphasis.
Dean waved his words aside. "I bet it isn't as bad as you think. Can I take a look?"
As much as he wanted to get out of the parking lot, Piers had learned from a young age that people were rarely as kind as they appeared. His eyes narrowed.
"I don't think—"
"You've got a little one," Dean pressed. "Bet she wants to get home."
Piers crossed his arms. "Why the hell are you trying to be so helpful?"
Dean laughed, to Piers' shock. "Merlin, you really don't like to accept a hand, do you? When people need help, it's only right to step in."
"Did you say Merlin?" Piers asked, a smile threatening to break free.
Dean looked momentarily alarmed before he smiled sheepishly. "Guess I did. Sorry about that. It's, er… a long story."
He snorted, amused by the answer. It struck him suddenly that it had been a long time since he'd laughed so carefreely, but as soon as the thought came he mentally smothered it. This wasn't the time to be thinking like that.
Piers looked at Dean for a long moment, debating the best course of action. On one hand, the man could sabotage his car and run off—Piers had been a bit rude, after all. On the other hand, Dean could be sincere about his intentions—and Piers wasn't idiotic enough to chase away an attractive man, no matter how unavailable he was. Finally he sighed, hoping that he wasn't making a mistake.
"Go on, then. Work your magic."
There it was again—that odd, startled look on Dean's face. Just as quickly as it had appeared, however, it was gone.
"Ha, yeah. My magic. I'll just get to that, then."
Piers raised an eyebrow. "That's what I said."
Dean laughed a bit embarrassedly, and Piers felt a bit bad. He didn't say anything when Dean set to work on the engine, but he was listening carefully. A quickly whispered word, a soft tap—
"Start it now—see if that worked!"
Piers settled back into his seat, then revved the engine. It sprang to life, and he sat staring at where the key sat in the ignition.
He twisted around to face Dean, who was coming back around to the front of the car.
"It hasn't started that easily in weeks!" he exclaimed. "What the hell did you do?"
Those dark eyes twinkled mischievously. "Just a bit of magic."
Piers rolled his eyes. "Ha. Funny. But really—" He shot Dean a weak grin. "Thank you."
The other man beamed, tipping an imaginary hat Piers' way. "My pleasure. Hope you and your daughter have a good night."
"My daughter?" Piers glanced back at Livia, who had fallen asleep. "Oh, no, I'm just her guardian," he said bluntly. "She's my cousin."
"Oh." It was Dean's turn to look surprised. "Blimey, how long have you had her? I can't imagine having that much responsibility right now."
Piers shrugged uncomfortably. "About three years, I guess." He shook his head and reached for his seat belt. "I'd better get going. Thanks again."
He reached out to close the door, but Dean stopped him. "Wait—can I, erm. What's your name?"
Piers blinked owlishly, feeling incredibly stupid. "Oh. Sorry. Piers Polkiss. Nice to meet you, Thomas."
Dean offered him a smile, and Piers wanted to strangle his leaping heart. "Dean is fine.
"Right," Piers said slowly. "I've got to go now. See you around."
He began to back out of the parking space, and Dean leapt out of the way. Piers waved apologetically, but he didn't hesitate as he drove away from the cafe. He glanced in the rearview mirror at Livy and tried to slow his breathing. He didn't have time for this. He had work to get to, a kid to raise… romance, however fleeting, did not fit into the equation.
But no matter how many times he insisted that to himself, Dean's face refused to leave his mind.
It was a week before the universe broke its own laws and let Piers run into Dean again.
Livy was tugging on Pier's hand when it happened.
"I wanna go to the park!" she told him impatiently. "Hurry!"
Piers rolled his eyes fondly. He sometimes wondered what he had been like at Livia's age—he definitely hadn't been confident enough to drag his father out of the house—but he rather thought that as long as Livy was comfortable to be upset around him, he was doing something right.
She was a spritely little thing, and Piers could pretend for just a moment that they were a normal family. That he was a guardian who didn't have to work ungodly hours every week, who could buy her more than three gifts on her birthday and Christmas, who never had to skip meals so they could have electricity the next month…
The pretending was nice, but it never lasted long.
Livy raced ahead of him, heading towards the swingset. Piers laughed and jogged after her, amused by her antics. He had nearly reached her when someone behind him shouted out his name.
"Piers Polkiss? Is that you?"
Piers whipped around, his eyes finally landing on the man who had spoken. Dean.
The taller man ran over, a wide grin on his face. "Fancy seeing you here! Remember me?"
Piers cleared his throat, uncomfortably aware that he'd been unable to stop thinking about Dean since they had met. "Yeah. Magic car guy. I remember."
Dean laughed out loud. "That's right. How's… er, how are you?"
Piers wondered why he cared. No one ever really did, but he couldn't imagine what Dean expected to get from these interactions. He tried to ignore the voice in his head telling him that Dean was being sincere, but he wanted to believe it. He was so tired of being invisible.
"I've been all right," he said, shrugging. "You?"
"Tired," Dean said candidly, which prompted Piers to tilt his head. "It's been a rough few years, if I'm being honest. Ever since…"
Dean got a faraway look in his eye, and Piers recalled all the freak accidents that had occurred all over the country three years back. Those had been dark times.
"Did you know anyone who… was affected by all that?" Piers asked cautiously.
Dean laughed humorlessly, the sound sending a chill down Piers' spine. "Yeah. I was right in the thick of things."
Piers nodded, his heart heavy. "That's what happened to Livy's mum and dad," he admitted quietly. "A gas leak, they said… It never made much sense to me, since Livy seemed fine, but it had to be something, hadn't it?"
"Right—yes, it had to be something." Dean looked a little spooked as he glanced back at Livy, who was glaring at Piers as she waited for him to push her on the swings.
Piers shrugged. "Bloody miserable, that year was. I'll admit, sometimes I wonder if she wouldn't be better off…" He trailed off, his face heating when he thought about what he'd revealed to the other man—a near stranger—and he hoped Dean would let the subject drop.
He didn't.
"Hey, she—Livy?—seems so happy with you. And it was bloody great of you to take her in. It can't have been easy, but you're doing a great job."
Piers snorted, taking a step backwards even as his heart longed for him to move closer. "You don't know me. How could you possibly mean that?"
Dean ran a hand over the back of his neck. "I know what it's like to be… alone," he admitted softly. The conversation had taken a far more serious turn than Piers could have anticipated, but something made him stay. "Livy needed someone to take care of her, and you stepped in. How is that anything but good?"
Piers turned to look at his cousin's daughter, his heart softening. "I've done… things I regret," he said slowly. "I don't want her to ever go down the path that I…" He swallowed thickly, suddenly unable to go on.
Amazingly, Dean seemed to understand him. "She won't. Not if you keep doing what you're doing."
Piers shook his head. "Thanks. I… thanks."
Dean smiled. "Sure thing. Hey, Piers?"
Piers glanced back at him, brow raised. "Huh?"
Dean looked awkward, glancing between his feet and Piers' nose. "Want to grab a drink sometime? I promise I won't spill it again," he added quickly, his lips quirking into a smile.
Before he could let his head talk him out of it, he said, "Sure. I'd like that."
Somehow, it didn't seem to matter that they knew next to nothing about each other. What Piers had discovered seemed promising—a talent with cars, supportive, almost scarily honest—and he had hopes that whatever Dean saw in him, he could live up to. And maybe, just maybe, things could get better from here.
This was a new beginning, Piers told himself as he walked over to join Livy at last. And maybe the key to giving Livia a happy life was to lead one himself. And who knew? Maybe Dean would be worth it.
