"are you still doing prompts? If you are, Percy and Nico apply for the same job and both get it, but don't know that the other has got it." – diangelonnico
Requested by my lovely friend diangelonnico on Tumblr!
Nico sighed, tapping his foot repeatedly on the floor, folding and unfolding his arms repeatedly and glancing around every now and then. He fidgeted on the straight-backed, wooden chair as he attempted to get comfortable, sparing glances at the clock every few seconds.
10:30am… okay, I'm early.
10:31am… surely they should've called me in by now?
He huffed in apprehension and forced himself to look away from the clock. 'No good getting yourself wound up. It's just an interview.' He thought, 'It would still be nice to be put out of my misery, though.'
At that moment, the secretary with wavy, brown hair chose to lift her head up and look over at him.
"She's ready for you now." Nico swallowed and stood up, his hands clenching into fists. He nodded at the secretary and walked towards the suddenly foreboding door and pushed it open, taking a deep breath as he did so. He attempted confidence, walking in with a slight bravado to his step and a shaky smile on his face. He kept his head held high as he shook the interviewer's hand and sat down, remembering to not fold his arms. He kept them loosely at his side and kept a smile on his face. She seemed nice enough, though her attire was slightly surprising: comprised of loose black pants, a t-shirt and a small jacket – hardly befitting of a CEO of a fairly large company. The employer noticed him looking and smiled again, letting out a small laugh.
"A suit is hardly practical when you're walking around all day interviewing and running to meetings." She said, dismissing her outfit with a further smile. She gestured at Nico, who tensed in sudden self-awareness. "You on the other hand have met the dress code perfectly. Business formal, and not too shabby, either." Her eyes flicked over his suit, a simple black one with a red tie. "No need to be so nervous, you know? You look like you've just seen a ghost." Nico smirked, laughing at the irony. "My name is Helen, by the way."
"My apologies, this is my first interview and I'm not quite sure what to expect." Helen sat forward, leaning on her desk and folding her arms.
"Very polite language, level tone of voice and perfect posture. Are you sure this is your first interview? You're ticking every box so far." She smiled and gestured to him. "Tell me a little about yourself, Nico."
Later that day, Percy sat in the same chair with a cool smile on his face. His hair was messy, strewn across his face slightly, but he didn't dare attempt to tame it for fear of provoking it. He wore simple attire, a white shirt, black tie and black pants. He glanced over at the desk tucked neatly into a corner of the room just as the secretary raised her head.
"She's ready for you now." Percy nodded, flashing a pearly white smile at her and glancing at the clock. 'Right on time.' He walked towards the door, pausing to look back at the secretary.
"I like your hair by the way." He smirked as the secretary blushed red and lowered her head, forcibly engrossing herself in her work. He walked in to the interview room as he normally would; a natural grace in his walk, tinged with natural bravado, his head held high and a confident smile on his face. The interviewer behind the desk raised an eyebrow at his walk, a smirk forming on her face.
"Well now, look at you. Not only do you reduce my secretary to a blushing mess but you've perfected the 'walk of business.'" She stood up, shaking his hand and sat down again. Percy mirrored the gesture, scratching the back of his neck and blushing slightly. "Five minutes in the building and you've already impressed both me, Helen, by the way, and Ismene out there. I've got to say, I'm impressed. So tell me, Perseus – Percy, if you prefer – why do you want to work here?"
He smiled, the words flowing naturally, "I've heard a lot about this company, especially with its relationship with the customers it serves. The reputation of this place is irrefutable and the workforce – from what I've experienced so far – is friendly and welcoming. In other words, the perfect place to work."
"Textbook answer," she leaned forward, a smile on her face and a glimmer in her eyes. "But there wasn't anything wooden to that answer. It didn't sound like four hours of meticulous repetition at home in preparation for this interview."
"I don't like faking things when it comes to people or work." Percy crossed his legs and smiled naturally, the whites of his teeth showing and his eyes sincere. Helen paid particular attention to his body language. "If you have to fake how you are to get a job then what's the point? You would have to continue that acting for the entire span of your career. Companies like this don't gain the reputations they have through acting."
Helen smiled. "Flawless response. I like you, Percy, but I'd like to know a bit more about you." She glanced down at the papers in front of her and raised an eyebrow. "You're honest. I can see that much by looking at your application… perhaps a little too honest. More than six expulsions from various schools, woah."
Percy had the decency to blush, scratching the back of his head, before he dove in to the not-entirely-true story. Helen kept her eyes on him throughout the story, noting every change in body language and every change in tone, nodding along the way. When he had finished, she smiled and asked further questions before concluding, "It's been a pleasure talking to you, Percy. You should receive a call in the next few days informing you whether you've got the job or not."
"Thanks Helen, it was a pleasure meeting you and Ismene too." Percy said, smiling again as he stood up and shook Helen's hand. He walked out the door and winked in Ismene's direction, laughing at the reaction he got.
Even truer to her word, Percy received the call the next day – from Helen herself – asking him to come in to the office by 10:00am. He shrugged on his coat and smiled, walking out the door.
He arrived outside Helen's office with two minutes to spare and had just sat down when Helen's door opened and she walked out, dressed still in casual clothing, with a smile on her face.
"Ah, Percy. Perfect. Right on time. I was just talking to your colleague here." She gestured to her side at the boy Percy hadn't noticed before. His eyes widened in surprise.
"Nico?!" Nico looked up, his eyes wide, and choked.
"Percy?!" He spluttered out between coughs. Helen glanced, amused, between the two with a smile on her face.
"You're both previously acquainted? That's good. I love it when my employees have a decent relationship with one another." Nico blushed, muttering under his breath.
"That's one way of putting it…" He glanced to the side, hoping Helen hadn't heard, but she had. She looked between the two, her voice increasing by an octave in suggestion, a devious smirk on her face.
"Oh? Now this you two neglected to mention to me."
Percy blushed too, looking away. "It's kind of a long story…" Ismene looked up from behind her desk and laughed.
"Well, you'll have plenty of time to tell us now that you'll both be working together." Helen looked over, laughing at her secretary's comment.
"Too true, Ismene. Too true."