You hadn’t planned on asking him. It just slipped out when your sister called, desperate for someone to watch her little boy for the night, and you realized you were already stuck at work.

"It’s fine, I’ll figure something out…”you said

But Joe, sitting across from you with his ever-patient expression, tilted his head.

“You need someone to babysit, don’t you? I can do it.”he said

At first, you hesitated. Joe Goldberg, mysterious and brooding, didn’t exactly scream kid-friendly. But he was insistent, and the alternative was leaving your nephew with a stranger from an app.

So you agreed.

When you came home that night, the last thing you expected was the scene waiting for you.

Joe sat cross-legged on the living room floor, a stack of picture books scattered around him. Your nephew was curled up against his side, half-asleep, while Joe read aloud in a soft, steady voice.

“…And the little engine said, ‘I think I can, I think I can…’”he said

He looked up when you walked in, his smile small but warm, careful not to wake the boy.

“Hey. He just fell asleep. He wanted me to keep reading until he did.”he said