Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Admittedly, there were many factors of the situation that could be labeled as hypocritical, on his behalf and yours.

So maybe he did kick you out of his house after your first night with him. Maybe he ignored your messages for weeks and once he finally responded, it was just for more sex. Perhaps he did treat you like utter and complete trash and only viewed you as an object. But surely, he thought, that gave you no right to be going on dates with other dads.

At least he wasn’t making a show of his other hookups. You, on the other hand, had been seen hanging out with all the dads at some point. That was all the dads, except for him.

He had seen you exercising with Craig but that was explainable; you had known him for a while and were close. It was just guys being dudes. 
When you helped Hugo with some field trips, it made sense; he’s your kid’s teacher.
Fishing is a normal dad activity so Brian and you going together wasn't too difficult to dismiss either.
Going to concerts with Mat was less easy to excuse but so you and he had similar music tastes. Friends go to concerts together. Fine.
Walking around in Damien’s flower garden seemed suspicious but maybe you really liked flowers. Robert wouldn’t know because he never bothered to ask. But at least all those activities were exclusive to you and whatever dad you decided to charm that day.
Now here you were, helping Joseph with his umpteenth bake sale of the year, laughing and staring at him with nothing but adoration in front of the entire neighborhood.

Robert watched you ogle at the pastor for a solid minute before he got fed up with the spectacle.

“How many bake sales does this guy need?” He muttered to himself before he walked up to his door, unlocked it, and slammed it behind him.

You had felt Robert's glare but by the time you got the courage to look up, all you saw was the door slamming shut. You KNEW you didn't do anything wrong but the guilt relentlessly ate at you.

Joseph was talking to Brian about his fishing tactics when he noticed you staring at Robert’s house. Although he didn’t explicitly know your situation with Robert, it wasn’t difficult to figure it out. It was as simple as putting two and two together; your face slumped with sadness and Robert’s tantrum? Something was going on between the two of you. Not to mention, Joseph knew the type of person Robert was so he understood your predicament more than you might have thought.

A slight but sudden pressure on your left shoulder made you flinch back out of fear, causing Joseph to quickly retract his hand and raise it to his chest, his palms towards you as he apologized, “Whoa! Sorry about that, didn’t mean to startle you.”

Upon the realization that you were not in any danger, your face heated up and felt like it was burning. Your eyes, then widened with the initial shock, glued themselves to the plate of cookies in front of you. Yeah, there was no way you could look at Joseph now. Not only had you been caught staring at Robert but you also flinched away from a simple hand on your shoulder. Good job.

Even without sparing a glance, you already knew he was giving you The Look. Somehow, this sympathetic look managed to be specific to Joseph. He was the only one who could pull it off and surprisingly, it worked.  It got you to open up once before. Then again maybe that was the alcohol. All you knew, or all you could remember, was that you may have accidentally drank too much at your makeshift Margaritaville and ended up drunkenly crying. Being that emotionally vulnerable with someone wasn’t something you commonly did and you did not plan on making it a habit of yours either. Though the memory was hazy, the embarrassment was deep-rooted and everlasting.

Still, you felt like he hadn’t judged you at all. Although most of the night was lost on you, you could still remember The Look he had when you finally mustered up the courage to look up at him while you were crying. He looked at you with the most sincere and empathetic gaze; his blue eyes, his bright smile, his genuinity, his concern for your well being, everything. He didn’t mind that you had spilled the rest of your drink or that you were a sniveling boogery mess of a man in that moment. It all exuded warm and safe energy. The way he looked at you highlighted how he is the exact opposite of Robert.

And you knew if you looked up again right now, you’d see that familiar gaze and it would just make you fall for him more. You really did not need to develop a crush on two dads. You already fucked up when you picked the emotionally unavailable one. The last thing you needed was to fall for one that was married.

You were already kicking yourself for feeling butterflies in your stomach whenever he’d laugh, or feeling your heart stammer when his gaze lingered on you for a bit longer than normal. Obviously, you could never mention some of the other thoughts you'd had about him. In fact, you were fairly sure you were going to hell for some of those thoughts.

“Are you okay?”

Shit. Of course, he couldn’t just let you dissociate for a second. That would be way too simple and way too easy to suppress. Of course, being the compassionate person he is, he was going to interrupt your inner rambling and make sure you were alright.

It was fine, at least that’s what you tried to tell yourself. Surely all you needed was a few deep breaths to steady your nerves and a quick moment to mentally plead with your eyes to please for the love of God, just stop watering.

After getting some semblance of control over your emotions, you forced out a small laugh and grinned, “I’m fine.”
 

Though he didn't say anything, he didn’t need to. The look he gave you spoke for him, silently asking, Do you think I’m blind or just stupid?

Admittedly, you had probably wasted everyone’s time with that pathetic first attempt. Determined to prove that you could actually hide your emotions incredibly well, you looked him in his eyes and tried again.

“Joseph, really…I’m okay. I promise.” You smiled widely, partially because you knew this time around was much more convincing.

Joseph sighed in defeat, not wanting to force you to talk to him if you weren’t comfortable. Knowing you weren’t one who was easily swayed, he lifted his pinky up to you, “Don’t think I believe you just yet but fine. You have to pinky promise though.”

There was no way he could have been serious…

You waited for a second, waited for him to drop his hand to his side and start laughing. Waiting for any sign of this being a joke.

With his pinky finger still in the air after a moment, it was confirmed that this grown man was absolutely 100% serious about making you, another grown man, pinky promise that you are okay. It was such a dad thing to do but better yet, it was such a Joseph thing to do. He definitely made his kids do this before too.

Through the giggling, you lifted your pinky as well and curled it around his, making the pink promise official. He smiled, clearly content with ending that conversation there for now. He reached his hand out above your head before hesitating, “May I?”

A moment of confusion passed before you realized he was asking for permission to touch you after you flinched away the first time. Somehow stifling your embarrassment long enough, you only gave one affirmative nod. Even as he ruffled your hair a little bit, his touch was so gentle. You wondered if he was always this light-handed or if he was just this gentle with you? Your heart stammered with glee as your gut wrenched with guilt at the possibility of the latter.

Once again, this was the absolute last thing you needed.

Joseph was your friend and only your friend. A great loving friend who made you question your previously established morals but also a friend with a wife and quite a few children.

With that in mind, you tried to realign your focus on the bake sale. Somehow that situation hadn’t escalated further. Suffice to say, you were extremely grateful to whatever higher power that kept him from asking if you were okay again because you weren’t sure if you could have kept your composure. A bake sale isn't the most opportune place to have a mental breakdown. The thought of that much vulnerability in public was enough to make you shudder. But you couldn’t help it. Someone who wasn’t your daughter genuinely caring about you was something you hadn't experienced in years. Not since before you became a single dad.

His voice brought you back to the here and now as he spoke just low enough for only you to hear, “Get ready! Here comes Craig. You got him last time but do you have any new tactics? I’m afraid he’s growing wise and learning your mind tricks.”

“No way, I’ve known Craig for years. I’ve still got this.”

Craig’s twins ran up to the table, eyes wide with excitement as they scoured the table of treats. He effortlessly jogs to catch up to them and laughs at their excitement before greeting you as well.

Joseph beams back at him, “So nice to see you and the kids again! It’s a wonderful thing you’re doing; supporting the church when we have these bake sales.”

“Glad we could help but I don’t think we’ll be buying anything today.”

His daughters immediately turn to him and whined, “But daaaaaaaaaad!”

“Don’t ‘ but daaaad’ me, you already had Fruity Pebbles for breakfast this morning.”

It seemed as if he had a valid point because instead of retorting, Hazel and Briar glared up at him in silent defeat. They were giving up way too easily and there was no way that glaring would have ever worked. It looked like they needed some help from the wise master himself.

“Hey!” You whispered loudly to the girls, "A little pro tip: Don’t glare. Puppy dog eyes always work on him, trust me.”

At first, they didn’t even turn to acknowledge you and for a moment you were wondering if they had heard you at all. That was until their expression switched simultaneously and you became quite impressed with his kids. They really knew how to lay on those puppy dog eyes. They even had that pouting lower lip thing going on. They were really milking this act and just as expected, Craig absolutely melted. Just like he would in college when you pulled the same trick on him.

He sighed and told the girls to choose what they wanted before placing the money in your hand, “That was cold-hearted, bro. Now they’re going to use that against me constantly .”

He looked genuinely distressed for a moment and your heart dropped. Understanding that being a single parent was already hard enough and realizing you gave his kids a way to make it more difficult, you frantically apologized, “Craig I didn’t mean to. I just- I'm sorry I-”

Thankfully, your pathetic attempt at an apology was interrupted by Craig’s laughter,
“I’m 100% joking but wow, you should have seen your face, dude!! I didn’t know you were a sucker for the sad puppy dog face too!!”

Damn, he got you. He got you good. Really weren’t sure how you fell for that one but you still had his money and had succeeded in getting him to buy sugary treats again so you accepted this loss. You rolled your eyes at him, but still smiled, “Y'know, it’s too bad you didn’t milk that bit longer. I was ready to throw in a free cookie for River. I guess we can call it even now, dude. I told your kids your weakness and you discovered mine.”

He shook his head, smirking at you as he declared, “This isn’t over. This means war, bro.”

After discussing how you’d battle this out and ultimately not being able to decide between your many options, Craig realized he was running late for some fitness thing and promised he’d message you on DadBook to hash out all the details.

You turned to Joseph and handed him the cash you just earned from the healthiest guy you know.

“My gosh…You actually did it! Again!”

“Hey, don’t so surprised! Wait, Joseph, did you doubt me?” You feigned being offended as best as you could and you succeeded. He totally believed it.

“Goodness no! I didn’t doubt you, Craig used to be so difficult to convince so it’s surprising. It had nothing to do with your ability. It’s more to do with Craig’s ability to say no which-”

“Joseph,” He hadn’t stopped to breathe during his little rant and you had a feeling if you didn’t stop him soon, he would have talked forever.  “Please calm down. I was joking.”

It occurred to you that maybe you shouldn't mess around with Joseph like that but you couldn't help it; being around Craig for just a few minutes really put you into such a mischievous mood.

“O-Oh, ha.” His face flushed red as laughed nervously before he handed the money to someone else helping at the sale.

Before you could censor your own thoughts, you caught yourself silently acknowledging that even when Joseph was flustered and red, he still managed to look unbearably handsome.

This bake sale was gonna feel a lot longer than you thought.

Chapter Text

Almost all the dads in the cul-de-sac came to the bake sale and had bought something so far, though it wasn’t over yet. Not to mention, the fact that the cookies that you’d made with Joseph were the most popular item. If you weren’t preoccupied with more stressful thoughts, you might have allowed yourself to feel a swell of pride for a moment.

After you made yet another sale, you turned your back on the table of cookies to check your phone. No texts from Amanda. She had been out with friends for hours now and still hadn't said anything to you. You worried about her a lot, she knew that, but you didn’t want to smother her by being a helicopter parent.

She would be fine. Probably. Hopefully.
But on the off chance that she wasn’t?

Fueled by paranoia and fatherly instinct, you shot a quick text her way to remind her that if she needs anything, no matter what it is, she could call you. Truthfully, you weren’t sure who you were reassuring: her or yourself? Regardless, you felt a tiny bit better after hitting send. You almost an actual decent father, being concerned about her and all. Often times it seemed like you were more her friend than her father which could be a positive or negative thing, depending on the circumstances. At least now, you can say that first and foremost, you are really trying to be her dad.

Having checked for any sign of distress from your daughter, you had no reason to be on your phone any longer.

But your curiosity got the better of you. Although you never originally intended to check your DadBook messages, you figured you already had your phone out. Plus, Amanda did show you how to use the app recently. Obviously, you were only checking it to see if you could actually work with the app's features, which she so patiently explained to you. You had to make her proud. Her pain, blood, sweat, and tears would not be in vain!

Luckily, checking messages was extremely easy and quick when you had no new ones. None from Mat, Damien, Craig, Hugo, or Brian. And of course, nothing from Robert. Why you had naively hoped for anything different was beyond you.

Feeling the emotions welling up again, you quickly exited out of the app. Checking your messages had been a terrible idea.

Still, the phone remained in your hands as a means of looking busy, to make sure no one would bother you for a minute, just to collect yourself yet again. After Joseph showed so much concern for you earlier, you’d be damned if you let him see your eyes water TWICE in one day. Being upset over something so juvenile was embarrassing enough and you really didn’t want to drag Joseph into it. He was too good to be involved in something so pathetic.

And the more you thought about it, so were you.

You weren’t a saint by any means but you didn’t deserve to be on the verge of tears thinking about someone who clearly wasn’t thinking about you. In fact, why focus on Robert at all? It was clear you meant little to nothing to him. You really wanted to believe that maybe you could get through to him eventually, and maybe it could become more than just some needed attention when one or both of you got lonely. You wanted to think that maybe one day, you’d go to his house and instead of pushing you up against the wall and grinding his hips against yours, he’d offer you a drink, maybe some food. Maybe he’d ask you how your day went and if you’d want to stay and watch Long Haul Paranormal Ice Road Truckers with him. Maybe he would actually treat you like an equal human being for once instead of a glorified sex toy.

But that was all just a mass of maybes, pathetic dreams you had to convince yourself that you mattered to him. It was an excuse you made to justify seeing him. It was a delusion.

The reality of the situation couldn’t be ignored forever. The most gentlemanly thing Robert had ever done was make sure he had your consent and that you at least came (even if it was after him sometimes). Yeah, some gentleman he was.

In your moment of profound self-respect, you were almost ashamed of yourself for having ever wasted time on him when you had a sweet and caring friend right next to you. Even if Robert wasn’t much competition, Joseph was a much better friend by far. If he somehow didn’t care about you, he at least hid it extremely well. Robert could never pretend to love you, even if his life depended on it.

You always knew this which is why you took some extensive precautions to avoid him, but it was difficult considering you lived in the same cul-de-sac. Every time you saw him, you looked away and acted as if you hadn’t seen a thing. When his name came up in conversations between the rest of the dads, you’d keep quiet and passively nod your head in response to anything they said about him. You’d even stopped going to Jim and Kim’s to watch The Game.

Even if you did see him, he became impossibly colder and ruder towards you. You figured it was because you had stopped replying to his messages weeks ago, which was a great step for you and your mental health but it didn’t seem like he agreed. It was clear you were making progress and had taken many physical steps to move on but mentally you were still strung-up on him.

But not anymore. This was it. This was the liberating empowering moment you decided you were finally and completely done with-

“Robert!”

Joseph’s usual demeanor was as cheery as usual but his voice seemed to shake as he spoke. You weren’t sure if Joseph was truly that shocked by the other’s appearance or if he just exclaimed his name as a warning for your sake. Both were entirely possible considering Robert never supported the bake sales and Joseph was at least vaguely aware of your situation with him.

It was also possible that this was kinda your fault; speak of the devil and he shall appear. Rather, in this case, think of the devil and he shall saunter out of his house during the day for once, just to antagonize you.

If you hadn’t just had an empowering self-pep talk about you deserving better, you might have actually been the least bit flattered. He chose you to bother out of all people- out of all his booty calls. How sweet.

Your patience for him was running scarce and operating on only anger, impulse, and the realization that you couldn’t keep your back turned on him forever, you shoved your phone in your back pocket and turned around with the cheesiest (and fakest) smile to greet him. Despite usually having a strong poker face, Robert actually seemed to be slightly off-put by how happy you were. As stupid as Robert could be, he wasn’t dumb enough to think that you were genuinely this happy to see him.

He grunted in response -just as charming as ever- and eyed the cookies on the tables. He was clearly looking for some type of weakness within them, something to critique and be an asshole about. Maybe they’re too crumbly. Maybe there isn’t enough chocolate in the chocolate chip cookies. Maybe the sugar cookies were too sugary or the gingerbread too gingery. Maybe they just looked ugly and tasted gross.
To his dismay, he came up with nothing. Of course, he didn’t. They’re Joseph’s cookies; there is no way he’d let them be anything less than delicious and adorable. Every chocolate chip was in just the right position. Everything, even down to every single sugar grain in every type of cookie, was perfect. Robert swore this table looked like the cover of a Betty Crocker cookbook. Everything was perfect and it pissed him off.

After standing in uncomfortable silence as Robert gave all the cookies the stink eye, you got impatient.

“So are you going to buy any of them or are you just going to stare at them and do nothing?”

Joseph went wide-eyed, partly because of how bitter you sounded but also because this clearly wasn’t about the cookies. Still, he leaned over and tried to quietly remind you,
“Being aggressive towards customers is typically something we avoid, similar to lying to them. It’d be best to set aside any interpersonal relationships when you’re-”

“Isn’t whispering if I can hear it too, Christiansen.”

The tension in the air suddenly felt unbearably heavy as you as you looked to Joseph, who wasn't smiling for once. You were pretty sure there was even a trace of a scowl. A glance at Robert revealed him mirroring a similar look of disdain but much stronger. That was expected from him but you’d never seen Joseph break his cheery fatherly image, especially at a bake sale. It was actually kind of frightening to see his composure break, even just the tiniest bit. You felt the need to do something before this escalated further. After all, Joseph’s public image was important.

“So!” the sudden interjection of your voice demanded Robert’s attention, giving you the chance to ask, “What cookies do you want?”

Joseph’s attention also returned to you as he said your name in a warning tone you had never heard him use before. Robert must have really gotten to him and it seemed like some of that anger was going towards you; Normally that would have bothered you a lot more. However, at that moment, your spite towards Robert was stronger than your respect for Joseph’s rules. Still, you sighed and adjusted your phrasing just the tiniest bit.

“What cookies do you want, sir ?”

Sure your tone was still as condescending and bitter as ever but at least you put minimal effort and added a little bit of polite flare into your question this time.

“Six ginger snaps. To go.”

Clearly not having much more patience for Robert, Joseph turned and looked to see if you had any more of the cute decorated bags to put the cookies in. With his attention off of you, you thought you could slip in another jab at Robert.

“They’re all ‘to go.’ You can’t loiter in front of the sale and eat them. You’d be in the way.”

Turns out you were only slightly wrong. Joseph heard you but he really didn’t have enough energy to correct your demeanor towards customers again . That and he figured if there was any customer he was okay with losing, it would be Robert. Deciding to say nothing more, both of you and Joseph turned to reach for a paper bag to put the cookies in. Your hand found the bag only a moment before his did, causing his hand to rest on top of yours. Shy hushed laughter was shared between you but stopped as your gaze met his. If you weren’t mistaken, you were pretty sure Joseph was actually blushing. You knew you were. Without meaning to, both of you got lost in your own world for a second. Joseph was the first to snap out of it and he sheepishly apologized, switching right back into work mode.

The tension between you and Robert was broken thanks to that little exchange but so was your composure. The very little bit of it you had managed to fortify was knocked back down. Your pulse could be felt pounding throughout your body; your mind reeling so much you hadn’t even realized you let go of the bag; it had fluttered down to rest idly next to your feet. Before you could apologize for your own mistake, Joseph had grabbed another bag and was about to use the tongs to place the cookies into the bag but stopped when he saw the plate was already missing quite a few.

A glance up at Robert cleared his confusion. He grasped five cookies in his bare hands and one in his mouth, the crumbs falling from his palm and chin onto the table.

To say Joseph visibly cringed would be an understatement. As composed as he normally is, he would be lying if he said no self-control was required to remain quiet and not deck Robert in the throat. You sure as hell would not be able to restrain yourself from hurting Robert if he kept this up.

Regardless, there was nothing either of you could do about it now. You and Joseph were well aware he wanted a reaction out of you but this was a business transaction. Nothing more. All that was left to do was take the money and Robert could finally leave.

You wordlessly extended your hand towards him, waiting for him to place the money in your palm. He began digging into his jacket, looking for his wallet but the longer he dug around for it, the less patient you became. You were ready to leave this bake sale altogether and go home until he finally removed his hand from inside his jacket.

No amount of life experience or therapy could have prepared you for the handful of change Robert dumped on the table in between the two of you. You were upset but not entirely shocked. If this was going to happen, of course, it would be him. To add insult to injury, he had completely ignored your hand and placed the coins on the table instead, further contaminating the area. He smiled at you as you stared at him with the typical are-you-fucking-kidding-me look

“It’s all there. Waste your time and count it if you don’t believe me.”

As much as you really did not want to, you realized it was an obligation. You absolutely had to count it because you wouldn’t put it past Robert to try and give you the wrong amount. Suppressing an exasperated sigh as you reached over the other cookies, you began pushing the nickels, dimes, pennies, and quarters to the side as you counted them.

It was obvious he was basking in your annoyance. His shit-eating smirk said it all but he didn’t have much time to revel in it before he noticed the bright pink Hello Kitty band-aid on your forearm. Curiosity ate away at him so much so that apparently he couldn't wait till you were done counting to pester you further.

“What’s with the band-aid?” He pointed at your arm using the hand that was holding his cookies, causing more crumbs to tumble down.

Not bothering to answer the question, you swipe away the crumbs to the best of your ability and push over a stack of coins towards Joseph, “25, 30, 40, 65,....okay that’s two dollars so far.”

As you passed off the change to Joseph, your hands lightly graze his as the two of you try not to drop any of the change. Maybe it was because Robert was there or maybe it was because you genuinely felt something towards Joseph; either way, you felt yourself getting red again and quickly turned to continue counting.

“I never pinned you for a Hello Kitty kind of guy.”

“50, 60, 75…Three dollars.” You pushed another stack of coins to the side, letting Joseph grab them on his own this time. Despite your better judgment, you replied, “Of course you didn’t. You barely know me.”

You stopped counting and looked Robert in the eyes as you leaned in so only he could hear, “The only pinning you’ve done is my hands above my head when we fucked because you get lonely and can’t deal with yourself, which is pathetically often.” 

Despite having aired your dirty laundry out in public (specifically in front of Joseph), you failed to feel an ounce of remorse as you leaned back and proceeded to count the money, not bothering to look at Robert’s face. Joseph was watching the whole interaction intently and hadn’t heard all of what you said but heard enough to know it was not bake sale appropriate. Once he saw Robert actually speechless for once in his life, he decided to let this one slide.

Robert was dying to say so many things but any comebacks he had would never be as hard-hitting as yours. He knew you were right and your words cut him deep. If he had half a brain, he would have accepted his loss and gone home. Unfortunately for everyone, he was an idiot sometimes and persisted.

He tried to recover quickly and changed the subject, “What happened to your arm?” 

Letting out a large sigh, you realize he really was not going to make this easy for you. Why would he? But you were fine with that. You could play the same game.

“So now you want to talk?”

Once it was clear this situation wasn’t going to defuse and simmer down, Joseph fully accepted it. He couldn’t tell you to calm down; he knew it didn’t work like that. Due to the suspicion that his presence was worsening the situation, all he could do was try to give you some privacy. He placed a hand on your shoulder again and although you didn’t flinch this time, you turned and glared at Joseph for a moment before realizing it. Thanks to Robert, you were irritated beyond belief and it was being directed towards someone who wasn’t at fault. Your glare was quickly replaced with a softer but still confused expression, waiting for Joseph to explain.

Joseph cleared his throat, “I’m going to see how the others are doing with their sales. I’ll be over there if you need me-...anything.”

You didn’t have enough time to contemplate Joseph’s slip-up before he went to check in with the others. Now it was just you and Robert who was staring at you, still somewhat shocked at your sour attitude.

“I already told you I’m not going to keep doing this, Robert.”

“All I’m asking is what the hell happened to your arm.”

“Since when do you care?!”

Although you weren’t quite yelling yet, the volume of your voice was getting a bit too loud garnering the attention of a few people nearby. Robert looked around, noticing everyone’s stares. You noticed Joseph specifically, who was no longer invested in his conversation with his volunteers. Instead, his focus was on you. Like it always was, at least in Robert's mind. It was really beginning to piss him off. He turned back to you, eyes darkened with frustration.

“I don’t! And you wanna know why? Because every time I try to give a shit, this is what I get.”

That was the most Robert had ever said to you. Usually, when he talked to you it was asking you to come over or kicking you out of his house. But of course, the first time he really talks to you, it’s him throwing a tantrum.

Robert’s response wasn’t nearly as loud as yours but it still managed to keep the attention of the few people who had turned to watch earlier. You were slowly becoming painfully aware of all the eyes on you. Knowing this, you continue to talk to him in a harsh whisper, hoping he would have the decency to match your volume.

“Maybe they wouldn’t act like this if you didn’t decide to try when it’s already too late.”

“So that’s what this is. It’s onto the next for you, isn’t it? Found yourself a new guy, one you think cares about you.”

“He cares a lot more than you do-”

“You really think he’s going to give up his entire life, abandon his wife and kids for you?” He whispers the last part so only you can hear it. Seemed like he cared about Joseph’s public image too. He scoffed, returning to the normal whisper volume, “He’s just going to use you and you know it.”

“Perfect, then it’s nothing I’m not already used to. At least he has the decency to talk to me. Y’know, like how humans treat humans as equals! Sometimes I doubt you even remember my name.”

This conversation barely started and you already wanted it to be over. When you wished Robert would actually talk to you, this is not what you meant.

Scooping up the rest of the coins, you placed them out of the way as Robert remained insistent.

“Of course I know your name. It’s on DadBook.”

The audacity of that response truly baffled you and you needed to seriously ponder if he was being serious or just trying to piss you off more. Regardless, you had had enough.

“Why did you come out here? Just to corner me in public, make me talk to you again because you want to know why I stopped being your fuck buddy? You want some answers?”

You felt your body stiffen as soon as the cuss word left your mouth. There was no need for Joseph to be there to scold you, you already felt guilty about it on your own. You supposed you had been around him so much and had learned how to behave at these functions. To slip up and cuss at a church event felt terrible. But there was no time to dwell, you had to continue before Robert could interject,

“I’ve wanted answers for as long as I’ve known you and so far I’ve gotten nothing!”

“I can’t give you answers to questions you never ask.”

“I can’t ask if I’m never given the chance to. But that’s obviously my fault too, right? Should I have asked when you messaged me at midnight or better yet when I was getting dressed in the morning? Which would have been more convenient for you? Because you’re right. I am the one who’s the problem because Robert Small can do no wrong.”

“I never said that!” It was the first time he had really raised his voice during this entire altercation. He immediately recoiled a bit and had the decency to lower his voice when he continued, “Look, all I asked was what happened to your arm.”

For the first time during this entire conversation, you could breathe. In all honesty, you hadn’t even realized you had been holding your breath until that moment. Arguing was anxiety-inducing; arguing with Robert was anxiety and anger-inducing. But as reluctant as you were to admit it, he was right. He really did only ask about your arm. The sooner you answered him, the sooner this could be over. Really over this time.

“It’s just a burn.”

“When did it happen?”

“Earlier.”

Earlier? That could have meant anything. Earlier that day, earlier that week, earlier that month? Could it even have been earlier this year? Would he have missed something like that this entire time?
The answers he was getting were lacking the minimum amount of detail he wanted and he knew it was all on purpose. It was your attempt to get this conversation over with. Unfortunately, you knew him well enough to know he was a stubborn son of a bitch. But if he bothered to know you at all, he’d know you were too.

“How bad is it?”

“It’s fine.”

“How’d it happen?”

“I said it’s fine .”

The continued reluctance to give him any further details fueled this unknown protectiveness he had over you, making his mind reel with theories as to what happened. The first idea that popped into mind had him seething.

You were hanging out with Joseph an awful lot lately and Robert had his own opinions on him. He was convinced Joseph wasn’t as good of a person as people thought he was. Still, Robert was hoping his suspicions weren’t correct. It was less of a question of if  Joseph was really capable of hurting you. Robert was sure he was more than capable, despite not having any proof. It was more a question of whether or not this was the first time he’d done it. And regardless if it was or wasn’t, if Joseph was the son of a bitch who hurt you, why were you still so infatuated with him?

Robert’s jaw clenched at the thought and before he could stop himself, his hand was around your wrist.

“What did he do to you?” He asked, his voice lower than before.

Baffled by the sudden forceful pull along with the wild accusation, you shot Robert a look of disbelief, “Let go of me! Just because you don't like him-”

You stopped yourself as you felt people staring. You averted your gaze from Robert and saw some families had gone quiet with anticipation. Robert was making an overly dramatic scene over a burn on your arm. You tried to pull your arm out of Robert’s grasp to no avail. Accepting that, you simply put your hand down on the table, out of most people’s view, before you smiled at the family’s around you as you spoke.

“Ok folks! The bake sale will be ending soon so grab your last goodies! Thank you so much for coming out and supporting the church. May God be with you!”

After you recited what Joseph would normally say, people reluctantly started to slowly head towards the exit but their eyes lingered on the two of you. You scanned the faces of those still trying to watch until your gaze fell upon Joseph.

His eyes were already on you long before you looked at him. The volunteers he was speaking to, a bunch of doting teenage girls, hadn’t noticed his shifted focus until he decided to approach you. As he approached from across the cul-de-sac, his expression wasn't difficult to read. Even from just the force behind his walk, it was obvious he was pissed. The sight terrified you, sending shivers throughout your body.

His long strides would have him over here at any moment but you feared the altercation that may occur when he finally made it to you. Somehow, you’d have to make Robert let go before Joseph got to you.

Robert had noticed your focus was elsewhere but hadn’t turned to see on what or who. He already knew and that knowledge only fueled his anger more. If he wasn’t so fixated on hearing what you had to say, he might have cared about his surroundings.

Before he got the chance to work up his temper more, you answered him, “He didn’t do anything, ok?! I accidentally burnt myself while baking!”

With his question answered, you figured he’d be satisfied now and would let you pull your wrist out of his grasp this time. It didn’t work. It only made him grab tighter, making you wince at the sudden sting of pain.

“Robert, let me go! You’re hurting me!”
You tried to speak in a whisper only he could hear but it was useless. The last couple families leaving hesitated as they passed you, definitely noticing something was really wrong. Robert looked pissed and despite your best efforts, you were sure you looked at least a little annoyed, if not scared. Of course, it attracted attention. People loved public displays of disfunction. It didn’t need to be loud or overly melodramatic. Any conflict was entertainment to the public.

Joseph would get to the cookie table any second now and although you did fear for Joseph’s public image and safety, you wondered if a part of you was scared for Robert as well. Both of them were fairly tall, strong men. If they fought, it wouldn’t be a simple high school fight. It would be a full-on brawl.

“Who were you with?”

He knew it was a stupid question he already knew to the answer to but he wanted to hear you say it. He wanted to hear you admit you were with Joseph when you got hurt. At least then his accusation would have some substance to it.

Before you could answer, another voice intervened, “Us!”

Mary stood next to Joseph, placing her hand over Robert’s as she spoke again, “He was baking with us. How else would he have known to make your favorite?”

She motioned towards the cookies in Robert’s other hand. His attention was on Mary now, most likely because he was surprised she came to your rescue. Seeing this as your chance, you pulled your hand away again and this time he let you.

“Joseph, honey, get him a bag.”

Joseph, despite still visibly seething, turned to grab a bag before placing it on the table in front of Robert.

Maybe this wasn’t completely out of character for Robert but Joseph was only like this around him. And it must be pretty serious if even Mary has to come and calm down the situation, just like she had done now and she would have to do it yet again.
The few people who had stopped to watch earlier were getting bored with the lack of violence and were finally leaving, allowing you to breathe out a small sigh of relief. The feeling of a stranger’s eyes burning into you was only fueling your anxiety. At least that was one less thing to worry about.

Now your new concern was the two dads ready to kill each other right in front of you.

Mary spoke to Robert again, “Jim and Kim’s tonight?”

She was met with silence for a few moments as the stare down only continued. Joseph had his fists balled up at his sides, clearly using a lot of self restraint. Unsure if your next action was appropriate, you figured it was better than doing nothing to defuse the tension.  Part of you was scared Joseph might snap at you, another part of you was scared Robert would. Regardless, you placed your hand over one of Joseph’s, similarly to how Mary had done with Robert.

He tensed for a moment before looking down at you, his expression still stone cold with anger. You smiled a small but sincere smile back at him and his expression softened for a moment. With one calm nod as a sort of unspoken answer, he reassured you that he was okay. 'Okay' as in managing the frustration as best as he could.

Robert, however, could not say the same. His eyes flicked down to where your hand rested on Joseph’s and he huffed outwards, finally replying to Mary.

“No, not tonight. I have plans.”

His eyes focused on you as he muttered the last part; making sure you knew he was probably going to get laid tonight. It hurt you and he knew it.
Mary just shrugged and took another sip of an unidentified dark liquid out of tumbler cup. You had to hand to her, at least she disguised it and wasn’t drinking it from a wine glass like always.

As you felt the tension dying down, you let your hand fall from Joseph’s.

Once again, Robert watched your exchange and scoffed before he decided to get the last word in,
“I want my shirt back.”

You wanted to say everything on your mind. You wanted to call him an inconsiderate asshole who only pushes people away because he’s scared of getting hurt, call him a coward for not letting you at least try to help him. You wanted to call him a manipulative son of a bitch who had no right to play with other's emotions just because he couldn’t handle his own. You wanted to punch him for being so jealous of you getting close to others and for throwing a tantrum!
But mostly, you wished you had the words to explain to him that you never were going to hurt him. That you really did want to try and help him, whether it was as a friend or a boyfriend.

Inside of your head, a million different retorts and insults flooded your thoughts. The audacity he had to say that in front of others. Luckily the families were long gone. If he had said that in front of everyone, you don’t know what you would have done to him. Your mouth opened to spit back a bitter response but your body physically rejected any of the clever comebacks you had in mind. Your voice hitched, stuck in your throat, refusing to escape because as much of a prick as he was, you still cared about him alot and couldn’t bring yourself to do any more damage than you already had done.

There was so much you wanted to say. So much you needed to say but once you finally forced your voice out of your throat, the only words that came out were
“Goodnight, Robert.”

Your voice was weak and meager, cracking with emotion as tears brimmed your eyes. He finally turned and started walking towards his house. Even if it was only you, Joseph, and Mary, you would be damned if you started crying right now. Robert was not worth your tears at this point. You weren’t a high school girl crying over her shitty boyfriend. You are a grown man with a daughter and mortgage. You’ve faced much worse trials in your life. This was nothing in comparison.

The light reflected in the tears clinging to your lower lashes and caught Mary's attention.

“I’m sorry about him. He just- He’s going through- He can be a real prick sometimes. How’s that wrist?” Although still said with a slightly humorous tone, she actually sounded genuinly concerned.

She motioned towards your wrist with her drink. You glanced down to see red spots where his hand was. You’d probably have a few bruises later because of him. A wave of emotion coursed through you at the thought. Robert had emotionally hurt you and you could defend him to some degree for that but now? He had physically hurt you and you couldn’t deny that under all your anger, you were kind of scared of him.

“I’ll be fine. He really is an idiot,” You replied as you forced out a laugh and rubbed your wrist lightly.

Feeling the remaining tension still lingering in the air, your eyes flicked over to Joseph, who had remained quiet this whole time. He was just staring at the marks on your wrist. Uncomfortable with his stern expression and with everything that had happened, you cleared your throat and suggested beginning the cleanup process. The sun was slowly setting and you wanted to go home as soon as you could.

At some point during clean up, you wondered if  Joseph was angry at you now. The only sign to say otherwise was the nod you received from him earlier but otherwise, the two of you hadn’t interacted since. You’d understand if he was angry- after all, it was your fault. Robert wouldn’t have been angry if you had just answered his question in the first place. You ended the sale a bit too earlier too so there was more leftover than there usually is. And above all else, Joseph was in an uncharacteristically shitty mood and you couldn’t help but feel directly responsible.

As to not disappoint him further, you decided you’d be most useful focusing on cleaning everything up. Helping take down the decorations and put them back in storage for next time, taking down easy-ups, putting treats into Tupperware containers, folding the tables and chairs and stacking those together. Helping with these tasks was the least you could do for him at this point.

For the remainder of the time spent cleaning, you tried not to think about the lack of interaction between you two. You had realized he hadn’t said a word since he had first left you alone with Robert. It had been hours.

Unreasonable worries continued to flood your thoughts but by some miracle, you were able to be productive and finish in a timely manner. By then, the skies were dark blue, only illuminated by the moon and the stars.

The volunteers (including Mary and yourself) all met back with Joseph since he is the event coordinator for the church. As he thanked us all for our help, he seemed to be in higher spirits than before. At least now, he could force a smile at least and somehow convinced the others this was a perfect bake sale regardless of the scene you felt you caused.

Still, he still hadn’t looked at you or spoken directly to you during this little speech either but you were trying to be okay with that. Again, you felt responsible for what happened so maybe this was your punishment.

Joseph was saying his last thank yous, and reminders for the next events; the teenage volunteers, still all doting over him as they had been earlier, reluctantly dispersed after he finished his little speech. Mary walked back into the house and the other volunteers got into their respective cars. You yourself sighed as you started heading towards your own house. It had been quite a day and-

Joseph’s voice immediately stopped in your tracks. You almost felt like maybe your mind imagined it. You began to walk again but then you heard it again, a little closer now.

You turned and to your genuine surprise; he was walking towards you with a small bag in hand. More importantly, he was acknowledging your existence again. He seemed gloomy still but he didn’t seem angry at you. So far, it wasn’t as bad as you thought it might be.

You walked towards him too, happy to have any direct interaction with him at this point.

He looked down, seemingly hesitant to face you. He took a moment to breathe before he looked up at you and handed you the little brown bag in his hand. A bag of various sweets you had at the sale. You couldn’t contain your smile at the sight of it! Amidst the chaos, you had forgotten all about your craving for some of the snacks you saw today and were happy he had remembered. You reached into your back pocket to pay him for the treats but he stopped you.

“No, no. It’s for you. A gift. An apology gift? Are those a thing? I guess they sort of are. Hold on, let’s redo that. It was weird.”
He takes the bag from you, takes a few steps back, and takes a deep breath in before he speaks again. 

“Here you go! A thank you for your help today and a sorry for some complications.”

“W-Why would you be sorry?”

“I lost my temper today and I was rude to you. I didn’t mean to take it out on you. I shouldn’t have left you alone with him in the first place. I feel like the whole situation was my fault and I could have easily prevented it.”

If you were taken back by his initial apology, his reasoning REALLY threw you for a loop.

“Joseph, what are you- This was all my fault. It’s my own drama with him and I shouldn’t have allowed it to interfere with the bake sale, let alone get you involved. I didn’t know he’d be so...so him. I shouldn’t have been so unprofessional and provoked such a stupid argument.”

“No! Absolutely not! He’s the one at fault and I saw him getting agitated but I didn’t do anything to stop him. And because I didn’t, you were physically assaulted and I couldn’t even stop that. I left you alone with him despite knowing how he is. I can never make it up to you. Thank the heavens Mary was there...Hey, your wrist looks pretty bad actually. Are you sure it's okay?"

He reached for your hand, gently lifting it and trying his best to assess the damage in the moonlight.

“I’m fine really! It’s nothing really. I can handle a lot more than that!”

You weren't sure how to reassure him of that. You could not mention that this wasn’t the first time he has left bruises on you and that the only difference was you had wanted the other ones so you just left it at that.

Thankfully he hadn't really noticed you struggling to find something else to say. He kept inspecting your wrist before he asked again, “Are you absolutely positive you are okay? If you need anything-"

“No! I mean yes, I am ok. Well, I will be but you don’t have to do anything! You checking on me is more than enough. Thank you, Joseph. You’re a great…”

Suddenly, your train of thought hit a roadblock as you struggled to find the right word. You were hesitant to say “friend” but that wasn’t wrong technically. It bothered you how hesitant you were to say it. What else could possibly be said? Still, the silence became more and more awkward with the moments that passed until you finally found it.

“You’re a great person.”

Upon hearing that, his eyes lit up and he smiled at you, his usual smile. So warm and full of life.

“Thank you, that means a lot to me, especially coming from you…Listen, about today- Regardless of what you said or did, I think you and I know he would have found some reason to get upset.  You handled the situation as best as you could and you handled it well. I am proud of you.”

He pat your head a couple times before he nodded towards your door, “Off you go. You’ve had a long day. Get some rest.”

Hearing him say he was proud of you ignited something inside of you, making your heart swell. On top of that, he was back to his usual playful self and that alone would have been enough.

He offered a smirk and a quick wink before he turned on his heel and started walking to his house. He had only taken a few steps when you called out,
“Hey! Message me when you get home safe!”

Without turning around or missing a beat, he responded, “Will do!”

You laughed to yourself again before you took it upon yourself to go home as well. You’d been dreaming of this moment all day and it was finally here. Being able to walk to your bedroom, kick off your shoes, and plop down on your bed had never felt so good. You didn’t bother changing out of your clothes into pajamas. As soon as your head hit the pillow, the exhaustion was too strong to fight any longer.

You could actually get a good night’s sleeping knowing you and Joseph were on great terms with each other. And as for Robert? You really meant what you had thought earlier; you were too good for this. His actions today only pushed you further from him and while you were happy about that, he couldn’t say the same.

He stood awake all night, his mind fixated on you and what he had said.