X Reader Oneshot Book

[BF:U|Shane Madej x Child Reader] Job Opening

Written: Saturday, 24 November 2018

A tentative knock on the hard wooden door had Ricky looking up from his newspaper, not much interested in answering the door at 8am. Luckily, the former mayor, Shane Madej, now Ricky's - probably not that faithful - servant, heard it from his quarters and went to get it. He sighed, fixing his white button-down before opening the door, to find a little girl, not much older than 8, looking up at him with wide eyes. He knelt down to the little girl, knees cracking. "Hey there, what's your name?" She fiddled with the hem of her dress as she mumbled, "Y/n L/n, sir. I'm here to ask Mr Goldsworth for a job, sir." Shock pierced his chest. "W-Why would you wanna work here?" She explained it was the only place that would hire someone under 13 and he sighed. "Please, why do you need this job." That's when the little girl broke down, sobbing. Shane panicked slightly, pulling the child in for a hug, stroking her hair comfortingly. When she gathered herself enough to speak, she whimpered, "Mama won't wake up. And if Mama won't wake up, they'll take our house away." Those few sentences were enough to send a pang of sadness shooting through the taller man's heart. "Ok, little one. Come inside and we'll see if Mr Goldsworth can find you something to do."

Shane strolled into the kitchen, the girl tiptoeing behind him, her steps almost silent. "Who was that at the door?" Ricky asked, barely looking up from his paper and taking a sip of coffee. Shane steeled himself. "A child, Mr Goldsworth. She wishes to work for you." He almost rolled his eyes at the way he spoke, but if he wanted to keep an eye on the little girl behind him he'd have to be on his best behaviour. For the first time all morning, Ricky looked up. "Step forward." The little girl stepped from behind Shane's legs and walked closer to the jaws of death. "Is this true?" To the girl's credit, she didn't shed a single tear when faced with the man looming over her small form. "Yes, sir, Mr Goldsworth." He clicked his tongue slightly as he asked, "And why, might I ask, do you want to work here?" She didn't balk from his piercing stare as she explained why she was standing in front of him. By the end of it, Shane was surprised to see that something in Ricky's expression had softened, just the slightest bit.

"Fine...?" She curtsied carefully. "Y/n L/n, sir." He waved a hand to Shane. "You may go with her to collect her belongings and bring them here. If I find that either of you have run, I will find you. And god help you when I do." Shane nodded, no longer fazed by the threats, but Y/n shook slightly as she stuttered out, "Y-Yes, sir." Goldsworth waved them off and they left, Shane placing his hand on the small of the little girl's back to guide her out.

Once they reached the porch, Shane let loose a breath he didn't know he was holding, his chest shuddering as he gulped in the still frigid morning air. Y/n seemed to do the same, releasing her hands from where they were tightly knit behind her back. "How are you confident around him, sir?" He shrugged. "Been hanging around him for a while now, darlin'. And, just call me Shane. None of that sir crap, save that for Goldsworth." This sent her giggling slightly. "Ok, Shane. I'll take you to my house!" She took a hold of his hand and began leading him through the sparsely populated town. They greeted a few locals before reaching a small shack on the other side of town. It was broken down and decrepit but still somehow cosy looking? Shane had to duck, avoiding the incredibly low door frame as Y/n led him inside.

Her bedroom wasn't great, to say the least. The floor was bare, save for a few worn toys, no bed in sight. Until she opened her closet, revealing a nest of blankets that she'd made for herself, a small toy bunny lying in it, just as worn as the others. "Where'd you get that nice dress you've got on?" Shane asked as he looked around in silent horror. "Oh! Mama made it for me. She used some of our leftover money and gave it to me for Christmas." "W-Where is your mother?" She grabbed the bunny, closing the closet and taking his hand once more, leading him in through a closed door he'd spotted before.