Chapter Text
You were sitting in the middle of your campus library scrolling through job listings.
Fast food, sales, more sales, retail….
The same jobs just circulated as you scrolled. You sipped on an overpriced coffee as you sighed to yourself. That coffee was probably the last one for a good while, your were flat broke. And you knew it. As you scrolled further down you saw an open babysitter/nanny position.
You clicked on the listing,
“hiring a part time nanny/babysitter for two 7 year olds. A girl and a boy, both are low maintenance.
Requirements: know how to cook, housekeeping, experience with children, have a car, be available on short notice”
Not bad, you enjoyed entertaining children, you grew up with younger siblings so you were used to caring for kids. You fulfilled all of the requirements, but the short notice thing could become a problem with school and such, but hey, it was your last year, most of your classes were pretty mellow this semester too. You continued to examine the ad,
“paying $65 an hour”
Are you shitting me?! you thought as you saw the pay.
How is this position still even open? The kids must be insane or something. Against your better judgment you sent in your application… you really needed the money. And the employer was willing to pay.
After closing the job search, you turned to your bulky anatomy textbook, pages full of long words and detailed diagrams. Your notebook was already filling up quickly, but you needed to know this stuff for what you wanted to do.
Since high school you showed an interest in the sciences and medicine specifically. You wanted to become a nurse, physical therapist, or something similar. Helping people was really important to you, as well as making meaningful connections with your patients. Since you declared your major so early on you had been able to enroll in specified courses early on. You already had your EMT certification and you were working on an assisted living license as well. You wanted to collect every certification you could.
You picked up your worn down yellow highlighter and began to highlight some vocabulary when your computer dinged, rather loudly. Blushing, embarrassed you turned off your ringer and offered apologies to the peers around you. You opened the email to see a response from the babysitting job. Wow, that was fast.
“Hello Y/N,
Thank you for showing interest in the nanny/babysitter position. If you are still interested, would you be able to meet to discuss further matters concerning the job? My schedule is open Tomorrow at 1:30 pm-3:30 pm or Next Monday 8:00 am-10:00 am. Please respond as soon as possible. My address is in the pdf linked below.
Thank you,
Anakin Skywalker”
Ok, you did not expect to get an answer so soon. Maybe the kids were little terrors, maybe he was desperate for a nanny….
You ignored the tiny voice in your head and replied,
“Hello Mr. Skywalker,
Tomorrow at 1:30 pm should be just fine! See you then!
Thank you,
F/N L/N”
Your classes got out at 12 so you would have enough time to drive over to the address he provided. You looked up the place on maps and were astonished at what you found. The house was located in one of the richest parts of the city, it looked like a mansion. You soon grew nervous, what if the kids were entitled brats that pushed around the help? What had you gotten yourself into?__________________________________________The lecture hall was pretty chilly today, but it might have just been what you were wearing. You decided to dress business casual based upon the type of person you were expecting to meet. You chose a fitting black pencil skirt and a white blouse, simple but chic. You tapped your feet as you watched the minute hand slowly inch towards twelve. You had been stressed all morning. What if you were turned down? You had this weird fear of not being enough, so being turned down by a person of such status would most definitely crush your self esteem.
Finally the clock struck and the professor dismissed you. You hurried through the crowd of students, down the long halls , and finally reached your car. It wasn’t much, but it worked.
You tossed your bookbag in the back and fixed your hair before driving off campus. As you neared the high class neighborhood the scenery became increasingly extravagant. Marble statues of old Greek gods, topiaries shaped in magnificent forms, even little water fountains. Was this even the same city your college was in?
The GPS announced robotically that you “reached your destination” once you reached a large house at the end of the road. It was a flattering alabaster color with a beautiful stone path leading to the house. You parked near, but not too close, to some cars that most definitely cost more than your whole four year tuition. Before exiting the car you looked in the rearview mirror and assured yourself you could do this. You spritzed some perfume and stepped out of the vehicle.
Nervously, you approached the large door and took a deep breath. You reluctantly pressed the high tech doorbell, you hoped it wasn’t one of those ones that made you look like a funhouse mirror reflection. After waiting a moment the door opened to reveal a tall man.
He was rather handsome, but seemed to be a bit caught off guard. His hair was a pretty auburish tint, it was slightly longer in the back and began to curl further down. The second thing you noticed were his stunning cerulean blue, they are absolutely beautiful. You almost forgot to introduce why you were at his door.
“Hello, I’m F/-”
“You’re early” he said coldly as he finished buttoning his dress shirt.
A bit taken aback you glanced at your phone, it was 1:27, you were only three minutes early, but apparently that made a big difference.
“My apologies sir, I-”
“Just come in” he seemed to huff. You gingerly followed the man as he led you into an expansive kitchen. Marble countertops, stainless steel appliances, a very advanced espresso machine, where were you? He motioned for you to sit before he disappeared into another room. You waited patiently, just taking in the beautiful interior of the house, the kids definitely had to be the problem, because you could stay in this house all day.
Soon the man returned with a tie, suit coat, and some papers. He slid the papers in front of you as he began to tie the tie around his neck.
“Those are some rules and requirements for the position, if you decide they are not acceptable then you can leave” he said, almost angrily.
“However if you decide to stay, sign the contract at the back and leave your phone number, the rest of the papers you can keep.” He was now slipping the coat on and fixing his hair, he was very handsome, but his attitude was off putting. You nodded and began to examine the handout.
He left the room once more. What was his problem? You were going over the epaper when you heard two giggles from behind you. You looked around and saw two heads pop back behind the corner followed by more giggles. You smiled and shook your head, placing your focus once more on the paper in front of you. Soon you felt a small tug at the hem of your skirt. You looked down to see a set of blue eyes looking back at you. This must be one of the man’s kids because he had the exact same eyes that you had previously stared into. The little boy had a head of shiny blonde hair and a cute smile. You looked up at you and grinned.
“Hi, buddy, what’s your name?” you asked kindly.
“Hi! I’m Luke and that’s my sister, Leia '' he said quickly pointing to the corner he came from. The small girl peeked her head around and scowled at her brother.
“Luke! Why did you point at me?!” she demanded, angrily stomping towards the two of you.
“Cause you were too shy to come on over here!” he protested.
“I was not scared, I thought we were playing spies!” she protested.
The small girl rolled her eyes before stepping in front of her brother and offering her hand. You took the small palm in yours and she began to speak, replacing her scowl with a lovely smile.
“Hello, I’m Leia. I enjoy school, animals, and I'm older than my brother” she stated proudly, to which the boy sloped up.
“Only by a couple minutes!” he scowled. She stuck her tongue out at him before turning to you once more, “Don’t mind him, you deserve to talk to someone civilized, like me!”.
You laughed at her spunkiness which earned a wide smile from the girl. “Well thank you so much sweetheart! By the way I’m really loving your hair-do” you said, complimenting the double braided buns she sported.
“Thank you! Do you know how to do hair and make up? Ooh! And do you like the news?”
Goodness, this was a very curious girl indeed. And the news? Start them young I guess? You thought.
“I watch the news every morning and yes I do like make-up and doing hair. If you want I could do some styling on your hair!” You offered innocently.
She smiled and nodded furiously before asking, “Are you gonna be our new nanny?” .
“That’s what we were going to discuss, Princess. Why don’t you and your brother go back to the playroom?” the man , now fully dressed, said as he turned the corner into the kitchen. He spoke with such a fondness that was absent before.
Leia smiled and dragged Luke back upstairs. But not before whispering to you “I hope you get the job”.
You smiled at her encouragement before looking back at their father. He still wore a small smile as he waved his kids off, but once it was only you and him, his smile dropped. He became increasingly intimidating, the way he watched you across the kitchen island, the way he rested his hands on the smoothe marble counter, the way he stood so much taller than you. And his eyes, his piercing eyes just grabbed your attention.
“I see you have met my children”he said blankly.
“Yes, sir. They are lovely” you offered, hoping to at least break some of the tension in the room. No luck.
“Since you’re still in my kitchen after reading the agreement, I take it you are going to fill the position?” he said, scraping at something on the counter.
“Yes sir, I signed here” you slid the papers to him.
He picked them up and reviewed them as he nodded his head. “Ok, I have to leave for a business meeting at 4, today can be your trial. Seeing that you're already here I’ll head out soon so I can get some extra work done.” he said gathering his things.
That happened so quickly, “Oh, Ok. Yes sir”
“Stop that,” he said.
“Sir?” you aske, not knowing why he was upset.
“That. You are an adult, are you not?” he questioned sternly.
You wore a puzzled look as you confirmed.
“Then don’t call me sir, We’re both adults here, don't be a child” he scoffed as he grabbed his keys. He stepped in front of the large staircase and called his children down.
His demeanor shifted once more as they came into view. He bent down to kiss each child on the head and took a moment to explain that you would be watching them tonight. Before turning on his heel and promptly walking out the elegant door.
Once you heard his expensive engine revving and finally driving off you turned your attention to the kids once more.
“Heey! So, guess I’m going to be watching you guys tonight!” you smiled, still a little confused as to what just happened.
Leia smiled and ran up to you, “I’m so glad! Daddy has been turning down nannies left and right all week”.
Peculiar.
“No, they just keep quitting” Luke chimed in.
“Noo… Daddy has been rude to the nice nannies and then they quit '' Leia said matter of factly. She turned back to you and smiled once more, “But you’re still here!”.
Was that supposed to be reassuring?
She grabbed your hand and pulled you towards the playroom. The room was a rather large space, it was almost double the size of your dorm. There was a play kitchen set up in one of the corners, as well as a huge pile of stuffed animals. On either side there were bins of legos and other mechanical toys. There was also a table in the middle of the room with a globe and puzzles spread out. That's where Leia was heading towards.
“Look! This is my globe! It has all the continents and the countries! We learned about Japan in class yesterday” she said, spinning the circular model.
Luke interrupted by bringing over an rc car, “That's nothin’, look at this!”. He drove the small car in circles and then even made it flip.
“Wow! Luke, that's pretty cool!” you offered, honestly surprised at the flip.
“Yeah, Dad helped me make it flip! But I used the screwdriver all by myself” he stated proudly, to which you giggled.
These kids really weren't bad, you wondered why no one had taken the position. I mean they did mention their father’s rudeness, but it wasn’t too bad.
“Do you guys play house?” you asked, pointing to the kitchen set.
“Yeah!” Luke shouted enthusiastically.
“Wait, let's play right now! I’ll be the daddy and you can be the mommy! And Leia can be the weird neighbor”, Luke proposed.
“Eww, no!” Leia protested standing up from the floor.
“Luke, you know you're always the dog and I'm the independent woman who has to go to work to pay for your doggy food, '' she said, her little hands placed on her hips.
To your surprise he actually complied. “Only if F/N can be the cool neighbor who likes dogs,” he said. Leia agreed, begrudgingly and the three of you began to play.
__________________________________________
You fed the kids and you were all on the couch watching some Disney movie about dogs they picked out. You excused yourself to put the popcorn bowl away. Once you were in the kitchen you felt a buzz in your pocket. You opened your phone to see a short text.
“Be back around 9:30, you can put them to bed at 8”
You checked the clock, 7:25, the movie should be over intime to get them ready for bed at 8.
Once the movie was over you could see the sleepiness in their eyes. You brought them to the bathroom and ran a bath for them. While they bathed you ran out to your car to grab your textbooks, might as well do some homework while they go to sleep.
You helped them dry off and get into bed. Leia’s side of the room was very tidy and had a bunch of small ceramic animal figurines. While Luke’s side was messier and filled with little robotic parts and legos. You tucked Luke in first, because he insisted.
Once you got Leia in she motioned you to come closer, so you did.
She cupped a small hand up to your ear, “I hope you get to come back to be our nanny”.
To that you smiled and patted her head, “me too”.
You smiled once more before turning off their lights and closing the door.
You made your way to the kitchen island, put your earbuds in, and began to do your work.
__________________________________________
You were working on a particularly tricky problem when you felt someone staring at you. You turned your head, only to be startled by the tall man leaning against the doorframe.
You jumped, you didn’t think he’d be back so soon.
He looked more casual than before, his suit jacket was in his arm and his tie was loosened. His hair was not as neat as it was before and his sleeves were rolled up to reveal his muscular forearms.
“Did I startle you?” he asked casually.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t think you’d be back so soon” you said, pausing your music.
He glanced at the clock before flatly saying, “I’m pretty sure I'm on time”, accompanied by a small huff.
Damn it was 9:30, you must have really gotten into your work.
“Oh”
He walked further into the kitchen, examining the room.
“Smells like popcorn. Let me guess, 101 Dalmatians?” he offered coldly.
“Yeah, how did you know?” you asked.
“They always want to watch that one.”
“Oh, they said they don’t get to watch it often”
“It was their mother’s favorite Disney movie too.” he said solemnly, looking away from you.
Oh.
‘I’m sorry-” you began, not knowing what else to say.
“Don’t. It's just some kids movie, it's not a big deal” he cut you off.
Obviously it was a tender topic if he got so defensive. You decided you’d better switch the topic and fast.
“How was your meeting? It got out pretty late”.
He paused for a moment, almost as if he was surprised you remembered. “It was.. Decent. We grabbed dinner afterwards, hence the text” he motioned to your phone.
Ok.
“That’s nice” you offered, gathering your books.
“I see you’ve made yourself at home” he scoffed as you quickly placed your things in your bookbag.
“Oh! My apologies I was just-”
“I dont care.”
He looked at the clock and then to you once more, “I will text you this week’s schedule tonight or tomorrow morning. I’ll also text you if I need you to come over on short notice.”
Apparently it was time for you to leave.
You approached you as you put on your backpack. Once you looked up he was standing right infront of you. You could smell his cologne, it was strong but calming. It was nice.
He reached into his wallet and handed you six one hundred dollar bills.
$600? That was more than the rate he presented, “Sir this is more t-”.
“Do you want it or not?” he said blankly.
You didn’t really know what to say so you instead just stood there.
“And I told you not to call me that”.
You nodded and apologized, “Ok, I’ll be going now, thank you…Anakin.” you said as you left the alabaster mansion.
The drive back to your dorm was surreal… that was the easiest money you had ever made. But your employer was quite intimidation, hopefully he would soften, you didn;’t want to end up like one of the other nannies Leia spoke about.
Either way, today was a good day. You got to spend time with some wonderful kids, you did your homework, you made $600, and your employer turned out to be easy on the eyes.
You could do this.