Title: The Interview
Author: WickedGame
Genre: fluff
Pairing: 1+2
Rating: G
Warnings: none
Notes: not beta read.
Heero's head hit the desk with a thud, and he exhaled loudly.
"I know, I know," his partner, Quatre, said as he straightened out the stack of resumes for what seemed the umpteenth time. "She was wearing a sequined top."
Heero lifted his head and ran his fingers through his dark hair. "You don't wear a sequined top to a job interview. Not unless you're interviewing for a job on a cruise ship."
Quatre laughed and picked up the next resume on the stack. "Well, she also just wasn't qualified for the position. A little more knowledge of the law is what we want in a front desk receptionist, right?"
Heero nodded. "Who's next?"
"A Duo Maxwell. He's pre-law it seems. Goes to that night school in midtown."
"Would you bring him in?"
Quatre exited the room and came back a few moments later with the most gorgeous guy Heero had ever seen in tow.
"Duo Maxwell?" Heero stood and offered his hand in greeting.
Duo took it and shook it. "That would be me. Thanks for granting me an interview."
Heero noted the confidence and firmness of that handshake. There was nothing worse than a man with a sloppy handshake. "Thank you for coming on such short notice. We really need to hire someone this week."
Duo smiled and took the seat opposite Heero. Quatre sat on the corner of the desk and smiled indulgently. He knew the look on Heero's face too well. He wore it himself whenever he looked at his own boyfriend; Heero was smitten by this applicant. He couldn't decide if this spelt disaster or miracle.
"So, Duo. You are pre-law? Tell me about that."
And so the interview began.
Fifteen minutes later, Duo Maxwell was on his way out the door.
"I liked him," Heero said as he took the next resume from Quatre.
"Of course you did," Quatre said smugly.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Heero asked defensively.
"That means that I saw the way you were looking at him. You might as well have been salivating," Quatre teased.
Heero glared at his partner and then looked down at Duo's resume again. "He's got the law knowledge we want," he pointed out.
"But he's never been a receptionist before," Quatre pointed out.
"I still think he deserves a second interview," Heero insisted.
"You're biased," Quatre remarked.
"Put him on the list," Heero tapped the notepad Quatre was keeping notes on and then prepared for the next applicant.
Over the next two days they interviewed over thirty people, all qualified applicants. They brought back five of them, including Duo Maxwell, for a second interview.
Heero didn't know why the thought of seeing Duo again made him nervous. He was the one who was in charge of hiring a receptionist, not the one applying to be one. But his palms were sweating and he changed his shirt twice that morning, finally settling on a light blue one and a simply patterned tie to go with his navy blue slacks. He almost blushed when Quatre looked at him knowingly, as if to tell him that he knew he was dressing for Duo.
"Maybe you should stay out of the interview this time, Heero. It's obvious you've already decided whom you are going to hire," Quatre said softly as he worked at his desk.
Heero nodded absently, thinking that maybe Quatre was right. After all, he had to work with whomever they hired. How was he supposed to work effectively when all he could think of was getting a date with his employee? He thought about dipping his pen in the company ink and told Quatre that maybe he was right.
Heero stayed in the other room while Quatre conducted the second interviews. He didn't even peek his head in while Duo interviewed, even though it nearly killed him. Quatre had his shirt sleeves rolled up by the time the day was over and he plunked down the list in front of Heero.
"The first girl's laugh really annoys me. I don't think I could work with her," Quatre said with a sigh.
"Okay, so cross her off the list," Heero said grumpily.
"The second girl, well, she really needs more experience," Quatre pointed out.
"Another one bites the dust," Heero replied.
"It's down to Duo and Karina," Quatre said as he plunked down their resumes in front of Heero. "Duo has the personality and charisma, but Karina has the edge in experience. They're both law students, but Karina's further along in her schooling and has done a bit of law clerking before. What do you think?"
Heero rubbed his eyes and stared at the resumes. Then he sighed. "I guess we'll take Karina."
"I think so too," Quatre said. "I'll send the rest an email telling them thank you for applying but that we've decided on someone else."
Heero's head hit the desk for the umpteenth time that day. It was just his luck that the best looking guy to come along in months was also the one he couldn't hire.
Heero's cell phone rang the next day, and he picked it up gruffly. Quatre was currently in the other room, filling out paperwork with Karina. "Heero Yuy."
"Hello, Mr. Yuy? This is Duo Maxwell calling."
Heero sat up straight in his chair, puzzled as to how Duo got his personal number. "Hello, Duo. What can I do for you?"
There was a low, sexy laugh on the other end of the line. "I was calling to see if you might consider me for the other open position."
Heero was confused. "What other open position? I'm sorry, but I don't know about another open position with our firm."
"Oh, it's not with your firm," Duo said, a smile in his voice. "I wouldn't have even known about the opening if it weren't for your partner mentioning it in his email to me."
Heero saw Quatre in the doorway to his office, hands shoved in the pockets of his slacks. He shrugged and winked at Heero before continuing down the hall. Heero's heart skipped a beat. "I'll ask you again: what opening?"
"Why, I was under the impression that you were accepting applications for a boyfriend."
Heero silently cursed and yet thanked Quatre before leaning back in his chair. "I don't know. Tell me, what makes you think you're qualified for the position?"
And so the interview began.
-The End-