Cherry On Top

Child Labor is Not Okay

"So, do you think we could have him stay? He could maybe have one of the back rooms at work, we could put a paper on the door telling people not to go in there and lock it and stuff?" Simon shook his head as he listened to Brandon go on, he'd never seen the guy so shaken up. Brandon never stopped smiling but right now, as he was holding this kid, he looked about to pop from anxiety.

"Brandon, think about that. You just basically kidnapped a kid and now you're saying we should take him in? He shouldn't be in a place like this, and the police searching for him could cause lots of trouble for our less legal way of doing things."

"I DIDN'T KIDNAP HIM!" Brandon shouted, interrupting Simon's next thought. As much as he knew he didn't take the right course of action, Brandon knew he was doing the right thing. The police wouldn't help, they'd just put him right back with his father- or whoever the hell that was!

Simon put a hand on Brandon's shoulder, leaning down a little to look at him face to face.

"Come on, let's put the kid in a bed, then we can sit and talk, okay? We'll figure something out to do." Simon had a good way of being reassuring, he always seemed to know exactly what to do in a situation.
Even if he felt really unsure right now, he knew that preconception could help him calm his friend down.

Brandon nodded, letting Simon take the kid before sitting down on the couch.

Maybe they really should take the kid to the police? This was gonna turn into a huge issue otherwise. Well, it was probably gonna turn into a big issue anyway, seeing as he just took the kid. He just couldn't help it.
The poor thing was destroyed, he was thankfully not bleeding out but his bruises were enough to make a serial killer cry of guilt.

"Alright." Simon punctuated his word with a sigh, sitting across from Brandon in a chair and looking rather serious, "Let's figure out how we'll take care of him."

Brandon stared at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Wait really? You're okay with taking him in?" Simon rubbed his temples, clearly irritated by the mere idea of it.

"Absolutely not. It's a horrendous idea. But from what it sounds like it's the best option to help the kid. So unless you're going to go back on this whole impulsive, moral decision, we need to make some type of plan. We can't just afford another person, especially having just hired Theodore."

"Well.." Brandon ran a hand through his hair, thinking, "Maybe he could work at Cherry on Top? Obviously not like..you know, he's a kid!"

"I understand." Simon huffed, "I wouldn't think you were insinuating that, move on."

"Maybe he could wait tables? Or like cook. We used to earn a lot more when we had more food on the menu."

The two sat in silence, attempting to think of any other ideas.

"We'll have to teach him to cook." Simon sighed again, taking out his phone. This seemed like the better time of any to call in a favor.