A/N: Wow, it's been forever since I posted anything. This was sort of requested by Kohagura. The request was essentially more Rune Factory yaoi, and I'm unable to disagree with that. Hopefully enjoy all and have a nice day!
Sweat formed on Vishnal's brow as he walked the halls of the Earthmate Co. building. His pulse raced as he tried to keep his breathing in check. His fears had been stewing since he walked through the doors, had been amplifying since he took the elevator to the top floor, and were quickly running wildly out of control as he approached the office of the boss. He had recently applied to the company, looking to take on the job of a secretary. What he didn't expect was to be called the day after he dropped off his résumé, only to be told he'd been considered to work directly as the boss's secretary. Lest, the head of the company.
Little was known about this mysterious man, as most of his public appearances were handled by his PR team. His company had the reputation of being absurdly environmentally friendly, but as far as Vishnal was concerned, that said nothing about the boss. The company was doing quite well, almost too well for an establishment without much history. There had to be a reason why this particular was doing so well despite being relatively new.
The panic increased. Vishnal's mind formulated the image of a large, ruthless man. One who would have no problem crushing the weak to achieve his goals. Maybe he was over six feet tall, and covered in muscles. Maybe he had a big club that he would whack all insubordinate employees with mercilessly.
Or a trained streak of tigers at his side to maul dissenters.
Or a cyborg arm with laser guns built in to vaporize his enemies.
He shook his head to get rid of those images. Clearly he was being ridiculous, and yet he couldn't help it. Once he made it to the middle of the hall, he paused, deadlocked. The boss's name was displayed on the door, not gold plated, just a cheap looking wooden plaque. Vishnal wondered if he should knock, or if doing so would bother the boss and get him fired before he was even hired. So he stood, panicking and fretting with little direction.
It was unclear how much time had passed. Eventually Vishnal's presence was acknowledged by another employee, who never missed a chance to mess with someone. The other approached, and very casually waved his hand in front of Vishnal's face, causing him to jolt up and almost fall over.
The employee chuckled. "I take it you're the guy looking for the secretary job?"
"Ah, um, yes!" Vishnal stammered, trying to keep an air of professionalism about him. The man before him had a smug grin on his face and was well built. He didn't seem like the ruthless boss stereotype he had concocted in his head, and he hoped that this wasn't the mysterious boss or else he'd already have made a terrible first impression.
"Well, why are you waiting around out here?"
"Um, err, well, I didn't know if Mr. Lest was busy or not, so I wondered if I should wait until he called me in or not." Vishnal wished with every ounce of his soul that the man before him wasn't Lest. He'd feel like such an idiot if he was.
"Is that so?" At that, the employee turned the knob and threw the door open. "Hey boss-man, the new recruit is here." With a sly grin, he gave Vishnal a pat on the back and was off.
Vishnal was nearly paralysed with terror, but with the door opened he couldn't just idle. He swallowed hard and entered the room, and was soon in the direct line of sight of his potential future boss. It took a second to take in the sight of him.
The boss was the most doe eyed, baby faced adult male he'd ever seen in his life. This guy couldn't possibly be the man who ran the company. Yet, that other guy referred to him as such, so he'd treat this man as such until he got information to the contrary.
"You must be Vishnal. Come in, take a seat." Vishnal did what he was told, trying to hold eye contact while simultaneously suppressing his nervousness. "You have quite the impressive résumé, I've spoken with your references. Mr. Volkanon was particularly impressed with you, by the end of our phone call he was in tears."
"Ahaha, that sounds like him."
"I see you've worked for some of my customers too, they've given you glowing reviews as well. Do you mind if I ask you some questions about your time with them?"
"Oh no, not at all." VIshnal said attentively. Very quickly his tension was fading.
As the interview continued, Vishnal relaxed and assumed his own voice. He had convinced himself to remain staunch and strictly professional in the presence of his boss. Somewhere during the flurry of casual questions and the occasional joking around, he forgot all about that and chatted as he would to an old friend. Only once Lest stood and approached him. Vishnal held his breath as the boss held out his hand. "Welcome aboard Vishnal. Can I expect you in my office on Monday?"
"Oh, yes, of course sir!" He replied humbly, taking and shaking that hand.
"Great, I'll see you then. I'll show you to your office and your work station then." Lest grinned then. "Do be careful on your way out. I have a lot of quirky employees, don't let them get to you. I'm sure they mean well."
"I see, thanks for the warning." At that Vishnal stood, and made his way to the door. "Thank you sir." With that, he left his new boss's office.
While he made his way to the elevator, he could feel a mess of emotions storming inside him. The reality of actually getting the job had not yet set in, but already he was starting to feel elated. Some of the nervousness from before came back, as he didn't yet know how his job would go. The mention of the quirky coworkers had him feeling curious, and yet it didn't worry him. Lest seemed to be a laid back guy too, though Vishnal couldn't tell if he had that demeanor all of the time. Sure he didn't seem like the type who'd have a temper, but Vishnal had yet to work with him. Only time would tell if Lest was a good boss. He couldn't keep the smile off his face as he speculated about the future, and allowed hope to take up the most space in his mind.
