A Fresh Start (Joe x Orel Moral Orel Fanfic)

Chapter 8

3rd POV

"So, that's pretty much it. Did you enjoy the tour, Puppington?" Joe asked and crossed his hands over his chest. "Heh, yea, that was nice. Thank you, Joe, but I should get going now,"

He nodded in agreement. "I get it, I appreciate the company. I'll see you later?"

Orel slipped his shoes on by the front door. "Sure...Bye, Joe,"

-

"Mister Latchkey! I'm hungry!" Lucy whined, holding onto the older man's leg.

Doughy bent down and patted her head. "What are you hungry for, sweetheart? Do you want me to make you a sandwich?" She giggled and tapped her toes excitedly. "Mhm!! Yes pleaaase,"

Lucy trotted behind Doughy as they walked to the kitchen, and he noticed Todd sitting on the couch with a book.

"What about you, Todd? Are you hungry?" The boy looked up from his novel and formed a shy smile. "No thanks, I'm okay,"

He nodded and set all the ingredients on the table as Lucy crawled up on one of the dining room chairs. "Peanut butter an jelly!" she exclaimed, patting her hands on the table in anticipation. "Sounds yummy!"

-

Once Doughy finished making Lucy's sandwich, he walked back to Orels bedroom to watch TV. The room was predictably tidy; the bed was perfectly made, all stray clothes were put away, and there were no signs of dust or ware.

Before getting comfortable, he looked through the nightstand for the remote control. It was surprisingly full, as it was difficult to pull the drawer all the way out. When he did manage to pull out the drawer, he saw many photos and picture frames that were stuffed into the small compartment.

They were mostly of Orel and Christina. One was of them on their wedding day, another was the duo with a baby Todd. Although these brought feelings of sadness to Doughy, he felt it nice to look at Orel once again.

In fact, the photos made him blush; Orel did look handsome. He sighed, going to put the picture back, yet paused. With a giggle, he took a polaroid of Orel in a blue argyle vest and snuck it in his pocket. Surely he wouldn't notice, it seemed like an insignificant capture to Doughy.

A few moments later, he heard the sound of the garage opening. By the time Doughy got to the living room, Orel was already through the garage door, and he was kneeling down to greet Lucy.

"Hey, Orel! How was your meeting?" Doughy chirped.

Orel turned his head and stood up straight. "Uhm, it was nice. They always make me sleepy, though, heh," He took a few steps towards the redhead. "How were the kids? I hope they weren't too rowdy," he said, his voice akin to sarcasm.

"Oh, they were amazing! You have such great kiddos, I always enjoy watching them," Orel nodded in agreement, expecting such a response. "Thank you! They're both sweethearts," he looked back to glance at Lucy, who was standing with her arms behind her back. She giggled, revealing a toothy grin.

"Well, I'd better start making dinner. Thank you again, Doughy," Orel said, facing Doughy again.

"Aww, hey, let me help! Two hands are better than one," Doughy pleaded while putting his hands together in a praying position.

He thought for a couple long seconds, but then let out a sigh and reluctantly nodded. "You don't have to do this for me, Dough, but it would be nice to have your company..." Orel looked down at the floor, blushing. "You can help if you'd like,"

"Mister Latchkey gonna stay?!" Lucy's ears pricked up and she wiggled her fists in excitement.

Doughy answered, "Mhmm! I'm gonna help make dinner!" This caught the attention of Todd as well, and he smiled at both adults while Lucy happily danced.

"I was thinking of cooking some salmon I have in the fridge with a side of green beans," Orel said while walking into the kitchen. "I know I can handle the salmon, so could you just heat up some green beans for me? They're canned and in the last drawer of the cabinet,"

He nodded. "Yep, thats easy enough!" As Orel began to cook the raw fish, Doughy pulled out a fresh can of green beans from the cabinet he was pointed to and dumped them into a bowl. He placed a paper towel over the top and carefully placed it into the microwave for 2 minutes.

Doughy confidently sat on the kitchen stool when he saw mini flashes of light coming from the microwave. Soon, the flashes turned into a small flame that engulfed the green beans.

"Holy toledo! Orel, Orel the beans is on fire!" Both men ran over to the microwave and Orel hastily took out a  pair of oven mits that were hanging on a hook.

"Open it up!" Orel called, quickly putting on the mits. Doughy did as he was told and opened the door for his companion. "Go open the backyard door, I'm gonna put this out,"

When the sliding door was open, Orel threw the bowl of beans out onto the deck where small piles of snow still lay from a small sprinkle a few days earlier.

A fork slid across the wood along with many stray green beans, and Orel couldn't help but sigh in disappointment. He turned to Doughy, saying "Why in the world did you put a fork in the microwave?"

"Orel, I'm sorry! I just forgot, and, and I wanted to be quick for you,"

"I know, but you would have had plenty of time, since the salmon-" There was a hard knock at the door. "Papa, there's someone here!" Lucy yelled to her father. Orel set down the bowl and took off his mits. "I'll go get it, watch the salmon for me, please,"

When he got to the front door, he peered through the peephole and saw Joe, hands in his jean pockets. He opened the door, catching Joe by surprise. "Heh, heya, Orel. You forgot your wallet. I was on my way to the store anyway, so I thought to give it back," Joe held out a cream colored wallet and put on a flirty smile. "Dont worry, I didn't steal anything,"

"I sure hope not. Uhm, thank you, that was very sweet of you," Orel took back his wallet and bowed his head. "Hmm, what's that smell? You guys having dinner already?"

"Oh! Well, not yet, we're in the process of making dinner," As he spoke, Doughy peeked his head out to see who was at the door. His eyes widened, and he felt a hint of anger. "Whos that?" Joe tilted his head to the side to get a better view of Doughy.

Orel followed his gaze. "Doughy! I told you to watch the salmon for me!" He put a hand to his forehead while Joe began to recognize the nervous redhead. "Wait, Doughy? Like...Moralton Doughy?" Joe peered his eyes and validated his guess. Doughy did the same.

"Joe? Oh my gosh..." He shook his head in disbelief. "What are you doing here?" Before Orel could speak, Joe answered him with confidence. "We went out for coffee earlier today and when he left my house, I found his wallet in my garage,"

Orel went to his house?!, Doughy thought. It certainly left him with some weird implications. "Oh, that's nice,"

"Thanks for the warm welcome, Dough. I haven't see you since 12th grade!" Joe chuckled, yet Doughy was not as amused. "Yea, I know. I didn't know you moved here,"

"Orel, do you mind if I stay and continue this conversation with your friend over at the dinner table? I am feeling pr-"

"Sorry, we only made enough for the four of us, Joe," He scowled at him, not afraid to hide his distain for the man. Both Joe and Orel were a bit surprised by Doughys forwardness, yet Joe soon laughed it off. "Well, alright then. I'll be on my way now," Joe took a step outside and waved goodbye. "Seeya Orel!"