Word count: 766

"Thanks for the cookies," Piers says, accepting the covered plate with a grateful smile. Sometimes the worst part about being an adult and no longer living with his cousin is that he so rarely gets to indulge in the most wonderful baked goods anymore. "Are you sure you don't wanna come in? We're just having a quiet evening, nothing fancy."

Max shakes his head, his dark curls thumping against his face. "Nah, can't," he says. "Liam and I have plans."

Piers raises his brows. "Sounds like you and this bloke are getting pretty serious, eh?"

"Don't be stupid."

"My God! Max, you are literally blushing right now!" Piers teases, delighting in the dark pink that rises in his cousin's cheeks.

"Watch it, Piers," Max growls, though the twitching of his lips tells Piers the warning is an empty one, just his own way teasing right back. "I hold grudges, and I'm not above never bringing you cookies again."

Piers holds his hand over his heart in mock offense. "Ouch."

"Tell Dean hello for me."

And with that and a quick goodbye, Max is gone. Piers shakes his head and closes the door before setting about, fixing everything up. He transfers the cookies onto a platter, adding two glasses of milk. It's such a simple treat, but it's one of his favorites, and Dean always loves Max's cookies.

With a smile, Piers grabs the tray and heads to the living room, pausing whenever he sees Dean hard at work, a sketchbook balanced carefully in his lap. For several moments, Piers just stands in the shadows, not daring to make a sound. Dean looks so calm whenever he busies himself with his art, like it's the best way to relax.

"Are you just going to stand there like a stalker?" Dean snorts. "Bit creepy. Argh! I messed up."

Chuckling, Piers steps out of the shadows once again. "Max brought cookies.I took the liberty of adding some milk." He nods toward the sketchbook. "What are you working on?"

"The Prophet asked me to illustrate an article they're running. Something about giants in negotiation with Ministry officials," Dean says with a yawn, clearly not invested in the strange story. "Never actually seen a giant before. Only a half-giant who worked at Hogwarts."

Piers wonders if he'll ever get used to that, or if Dean talking about his other life and all those strange, fantastic things will always seem so foreign to him. By now, Dean has shown him some amazing things, and Piers can still barely wrap his head around it. He doesn't question it anymore; if Dean says there are giants, who is Piers to argue?

Piers sets the tray down on the table that rests between their chairs before taking a seat and grabbing a cookie. "Giants, huh?"

Dean nods, taking a cookie and dipping it into the milk. "Giants. Massive, I hear. Even Hagrid, the half-giant I mentioned, is huge. I can't imagine what his mum would look like."

"Out of context, that would probably sound rude," Piers laughs.

Dean shrugs, grinning. "Yeah, I reckon. Max didn't want to stick around? Sorry bugger."

"He's too cool for us now that he has Liam." Piers makes a face. "What's he got that we don't?"

Dean snorts and shakes his head, eyes rolling. "Well, for starters, he can actually shag Liam," he says bluntly.

"Oi! That's my cousin you're talking about. I don't want to imagine him shagging someone!"

Dean shrugs and grabs another cookie. "Whatever you say," he laughs, holding the cookie between his teeth and working on shading his drawing.

Piers watches, letting out a content sigh. He loves moments like these. There's nothing else to do but enjoy each other's company, and he wouldn't trade it for all the adventures in the world. Once upon a time, quiet nights would have bored him half to death; it's why he was always happy to tag along with Dudley and the others. Getting into trouble and causing chaos was always better than being stuck inside.

But with Dean, he doesn't mind it. Maybe he really has finally grown up. Or, more likely, maybe he's just found the right person who makes him think peace and quiet is more exciting than anything else in the world.

"You're staring again, you creeper," Dean teases with his mouth full of a bite of chocolate chip cookie. "Why are you always staring?"

Piers laughs. "Maybe because I like you, you weirdo."

"You're the weirdo," Dean says, but he's grinning that grin that makes Piers' heart melt.

"Yeah, well, I'm your weirdo."