moral orel | clay x reader

oh boy, that guy

About half an hour in the break room passed before Kay called you into the waiting room. You walked up to the front desk, holding a new cup of coffee.

You glanced over to the client standing like a disappointed dad at the front of the desk. You could practically feel your stomach drop at the sight of him.

It was the drunk from the bar. Maybe he wouldn't recognize you?

But luck wasn't in your department today. His eyebrows and entire face seemed to lighten up in... confusion.

"Have I met you before?" He asked, and you couldn't help but feel significantly more astonished. The guy had an iconic voice.

"Uhm, actually, yes. Forghetty's," You replied nervously, sticking your hand out for a handshake.

Realization crossed over his face and he was suddenly much more quiet. "Ah," was all he let out.

You grabbed the clipboard that Kay slipped over to you and quickly skimmed the info sheet. "Clayton Puppington, is it?"

He nodded, refusing to speak. For now.

"Alright, right this way," You said, guiding him back into your little office space. You motioned for him to sit down as you did too, setting the coffee on the table next to you.

"So, Mr. Puppington, why are you here? Other than the court order, of course."

He smiled nervously, sitting up in his chair. "You can call me Clay," He started off with.

You nodded, listening. "And I... went through a divorce with my wife, and I can't meet the kids, at least weekly, until I get therapy."

You continued nodding, raising an eyebrow. That... situation sounded rather familiar.

"Tell me about your wife and kids," You began the real part of the session. Clay thought for a moment.

"Well, my wife, Bloberta, loves cleaning. And... being helpful, I think?"

You made a sound of interest as you wrote it down on his sheet. You really had yet to hear the entire thing.

"My real kid, Orel, is very... bright. Not in the smart way though," He spoke animatedly, bobbing his head side to side.

Wait. Orel's dad was... him?!

Best to keep your focus on the job, right? Aha.

You nodded, cocking an eyebrow at "real kid". He didn't bother to notice your confusion, moving on with his talking.

"The other two, damn, what are their names? Oh, Shapey and Block," He muttered.

"They're not my kids. Bloberta swore up and down Shapey was mine, meanwhile I can barely even remember where Block came from!"

You were, quite obviously confused. Unbeknownst to you, the man was very much drunk, and was doing another one of his rants that he'd usually do at the bar.

But you didn't stop him. It was healthy for him to let his anger out, so you simply watched and pieced together the puzzle pieces.

"Huh, so how's your relationship with Orel?" You asked, jotting down notes furiously. "...Fine..."

You obviously didn't believe him. His family seemed to be drowning in dysfunction.

"Tell me some key memories that you remember spending with him," You tried a different approach. He grumbled and tried to think, as you took a sip of your coffee.

"I used to discipline him a lot. And teach him lessons," He murmured.

"What was your method of discipline?" You asked. He stayed silent for a moment.

Right. Okay.

"Please? If you don't tell me, then I can't help you," You tried to get something out of him.

"Ugh, alright, I beat him! Happy?"

Your lips pressed into a firm, straight line. Don't think, just write it down...

This was brutal, for you, him, and everybody mentioned. You kind of wanted to leave and clear your head.

"Yeah, now you probably think I'm a monster. I keep secrets for a reason!" He yelled, and you stayed silent, raising an eyebrow.

"No no no, it doesn't matter what I think. It's only what you think of yourself," You turned his accusation around, finishing up your notes.

"...What?" Clay questioned, obviously confused. You stood up and held the clipboard under your arm.

"I think that's enough for one session. Do you want to go now?" You asked, finally deciding to pause it.

He muttered a sure and stood up, you leading him back to the front desk. Kay scheduled his next appointment, and you were alone again.

"How was it? I heard yelling," She asked.

"It went okay. He has a Hell of a lot of demons."

She made a puzzled hum, and you were confused as to why it was a mystery. "Well, he's human, isn't he?"

"Yeah, but you know he's the mayor right?" You shook your head, and she snorted.

"His public image was like, super clean. He got a divorce of course, but I didn't realize it was that bad," She said, turning back to see if anybody would walk through the door.

Thankfully, nobody was there. You checked the time on your phone, and you were glad to see you were done for the day.

"Well, I guess I should get going, huh?" You smiled, standing up. "Yep, bye," Kay agreed nonchalantly, to your amusement.

You left the clipboard on the desk as you left, leaving your new boss and job behind for today. It was certainly eventful, and you were pretty glad to meet some of the citizens of Moralton.

You didn't have to worry about attending their town church for a while, since it was only Tuesday. You basically figured they only went on Sunday, since that just... made the most sense, right?

Well, you weren't particularly big on religion, so you could only hope. You got into your car and drove back home, hearing some sinful music on the radio.

Which was a surprise from last time, but you enjoyed it anyway. It's just music.

You pulled into your driveway and got out, it now being around noon. You checked your phone and just looked at a few notifications, dismissing most.

Nothing unusual, so you went into your house and tucked your phone back in your pocket. You sat down on your couch and sighed, you now had the rest of the day off.