A Fresh Start (Joe x Orel Moral Orel Fanfic)

Chapter 7

3rd POV

"Well yea, I know that, but its cute," Joe snickered as he observed the impact of his comment, which was a flustered Orel. "Joe, please. I have work to do today,"

"I know you like it, that smirk of yours tells it all, puppy. Can I call you puppy?" Orel tapped his fingertips together rhythmically. "..Your Trevor takes after you quite a bit, I've seen. Have you talked to him yet? I'm also afraid that he may be influencing some of the other boys in my class,"

Joe's attention was fixated on the birds pecking at the grass outside. "Uh, I'm sure. I can tell him to cut it out if you'd like," Orel nodded with intent and bit the inside of his cheek.

"Is mom in the picture?" Their eyes met at that moment. "Nope. Does it matter?"

He suddenly felt bad for asking such a question, even though it was relevant to their conversation. Orel could almost sympathize with Joe, but he quickly pushed that thought away, as he probably only has Trevor because of some accident that led to his birth.

"A bit, yes. It is proven that a child with two parents has more health benefits than one without," Orel paused to take a sip from his drink, feeling Joe's knowing gaze resting upon him. "Anyway, I remember you mentioning that you were busy. Does your occupation take up a lot of your time?"

"Yeah. A lot. Thats just cause I'm passionate, though. I like to work on cars at my shop, which isn't a short process," he replied. "Heyy, you should swing by sometime! It would be nice for someone other than Trevor to look at my work,"

Orels eyebrows were slightly angled upward, as if he was having a silent debate with himself. "Come onnn, Orel! It'd be fun! I'd be easier if we just went now," Joe said, leaning in to close the gap between the two of them.

"Alright, fine. I guess I can spare another 20 minutes or so, aheh," he stammered. Joe grinned from ear to ear, yet kept his composure. "Great! Are you ready?"

Orel scratched his left cheek. "Yea, sure. Should I just...follow your car? I'm not sure that I know exactly where your shop is,"

Joe nodded in response, saying "Yup, just follow the red truck all the way to the fire station, its around that area," The chair scooted back an inch when he got out, and he walked behind Orel and pulled his seat out so he had room to leave.

"Sorry you can't ride with me, babe. Maybe next time?" Joe said, walking over to the trashcan to dispose of his drink cup.

"When did you become such a gentleman?" He took his unfinished hot chocolate and pushed the seat back in, looking at Joe with an eyebrow raised. "Am I allowed to treat a prince with respect?" His teeth showed through his smug smile, and he began to make his way outside, the door making a quiet jingle sound when he left.

-

Orel's car beeped when he used his keys to lock the doors and he paced towards Joe who did the same. It was a curious house; one half looked to be a giant garage, and the other a space for living quarters. There was a field nearby that a lone coop stood encased in a fence with two young hens picking at the few grass clippings that remained.

"Follow me, kay?" Joe spoke while he unlocked the door to the smaller part of the building. Orel stepped a couple feet inside after closing the door behind him, but was stopped when he saw a fluffy ball rub up against him accompanied with a small, 'mew'.

"Awwwe, kitty!" He kneeled down to pet the cat. She had a black pelt with a white belly, and she purred deeply as Orel scratched under her chin. Joe laughed to himself, saying "You like my Clarabelle? I know she likes you, she's very friendly,"

Orel looked up from Clarabelle, tilting his head slightly to the left. "I thought you didn't like animals? Especially not cats..." The brunette looked down, gently rubbing the top of the felines head. "You seem more of a pit bull guy to me,"

"Nah, dogs are too loud. I don't have to work very hard to take care of a cat, and they don't stink," This made both of them giggle. "I see, I like kitties too. They're just sooooo cute!" Orel said his last statement in a high baby voice, squishing Clarabelles furry cheeks.

Trevor peeked out from around the corner with a copy of Diary of a Minecraft Creeper in one hand, and a bag of kettle cooked chips in the other. His face scrunched up when his eyes fell onto Orel. "Ugh, is this who you met up with, dad? Weirdo," Out of habit, he rolled his eyes and turned around to go to his room.

"Clean your room, its a mess!" Joe called out to his son, yet his request was predictably ignored. "Heh, sorry. He gets it from me,"

Orel got to his feet and wore an empathetic look. "I see that. Its sweet that he takes after you so much, except it can be bothersome at times,"

Both men chuckled for a moment, finding humor in the many struggles of parenting. When the laughter died down a bit, Joe said "Hey, why don't we go to the garage? Thats why you came here,"

Orel cleared his throat. "Right, yes. Lead the way,"