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See, that’s what the app is perfect for.

Sounds perfect Wahhhh, I don’t wanna
The young mister Fenton Brenton from the “A Desk Job” story that I’ve been writing and posting on tumblr today. The picture came out absolutely perfect.
I know they’re hipster glasses - fuck you. They look adorable on him XD
Also, he’s supposed to be...

The young mister Fenton Brenton from the “A Desk Job” story that I’ve been writing and posting on tumblr today. The picture came out absolutely perfect.

I know they’re hipster glasses - fuck you. They look adorable on him XD

Also, he’s supposed to be wearing a tie, but the bow-tie was demanded by my muse. So I’ll just retcon that and pretend like it was intentional. Bow-tie plus two-tone shirt and vest equals win for me.

I’d give him a job ;)

a desk job misterxart redhead

A Desk Job - Chapter 1, Part 3

A good start? Well, if he said so. Fenton was confused, but pleased to have received such a positive response already. Maybe the man thought he was joking?

The man was lean and clean cut, his hair neatly gelled to his head. His face was youthful but masculine. He was in his mid thirties at least. The clothes he wore and the demeanor he put on made Fenton wonder if the man was really the office manager or actually one of the partners of the studio.

“Your full name?”

“Fenton Brenton.”

There was a pause and the youth was sure he caught the slight origins of a smile tease at the corner of the man’s mouth. It wasn't uncommon  Fenton’s parents thought themselves clever giving him a rhyming name, in reality all they had given him was a persistent source of mirth for others at his own expense.

“You have worked in an office before?”

“N-no. I’m still looking for the perfect starting place for my career after high school.” They were memorized words that he’d repeated before. Nobody wanted to hear that he had no experience and Fenton didn’t want to sound desperate.

The economy was bad. No question there. Jobs were a scarcity. He’d interviewed at over thirty different places over the last two months. Money was getting tight at home. His parents couldn’t help him through college and with Dad out of work, the family finances were getting grim.

“Stand in the center of the room.”

Fenton took a few nervous steps onto the large patterned rug. He despised being the center of attention. The teen was far more comfortable in the background. Let him file paperwork, he didn’t have glamorous intentions of being a CEO.

“Do you workout? Keep yourself fit?”

a desk job story misterx story

A Desk Job - Chapter 1, Part 2

Terrified of being late, Fenton arrived 10 minutes early. His buffer had been spent timidly checking his tie and his hair over and over again through the camera of his phone. Mom was right, he should have pulled his hair back. Or had it cut. Or something.

The turning of the door knob made him jump from his reverie. Fenton expected to see the secretary who’d brought him into this small waiting room. Instead his eyes were greeted by a tall man in a very expensive suit.

Greeted was not the word Fenton would use personally. The man eyed him  over dispassionately, like a butcher or a diamond vendor. When he spoke it was with the authority of a man accustomed to having his way.

“Stand up.”

Fenton practically jumped from the cushioned chair. Standing upright and fighting to keep his knees from knocking. This was not off to a good start. He knew he was going to blow it. The first question and he’d respond by fainting.

“Are you flexible?”

“I did gymnastics for two years in junior high.” Came the response.

Yea. He blew it. What the hell kind of response was that? Obviously the man was asking about hours and pay. Would he work around their scheduling? Would he accept less pay.

Fenton’s face flushed red and he looked down at his shoes, wishing he could creep down inside them like a turtle and hide from the burning on his cheeks.

“Really?” Came the surprised response. “That’s a good start.”

a desk job story misterx story

A Desk Job - Chapter 1, Part 1

Fenton adjusted his tie again, easily the fourth such fiddling in as many minutes. Only a half-windsor knot, the best he could muster. It hung loosely at an odd angle and he knew everyone was staring at it. It wasn’t his fault the YouTube video for full-windsor knots was so damn hard to follow.

Sweat beaded under his white dress shirt, making visible stains around his collar and under arms. He didn’t interview well. The youth knew everyone said that, but he also knew he had to be a special exception. The words never came to him: he’d answer wrong, he’d stare blankly at the interviewers, once he even got up and excused him self for being so humiliated by the process.

He was uncertain why he’d even applied and then arrived at this interview. Didn’t most secretarial positions go to pretty young women? With a narrow, effeminate face, large lips, and a lithe frame he was pretty, but the young woman part was a stretch. Fenton’s thick, black rimmed glasses only furthered the image of a spinster librarian - shy but still worth a look.

What did he have to lose? He needed a job - any job - and the listing had not listed any requirements he did not have. In fact, it didn’t really list any requirements at all:

Opening for front desk at busy interior design firm. Apply in person for permanent position.

So here he sat in the design offices of Appearances by X, waiting nervously for the door to swing open and the interview to begin. A part of him said just to leave, that he would not get this job either. Another vainly optimistic part said this was it, this would be the job.

a desk job story misterx story
Harry heard about the Dog Show online. In fact, were it not for the web he would not have made it - the distance and exorbitant entry fee were too staggering. But a little contest victory online ensured his arrival - whether he agreed to go on not....

Harry heard about the Dog Show online. In fact, were it not for the web he would not have made it - the distance and exorbitant entry fee were too staggering. But a little contest victory online ensured his arrival - whether he agreed to go on not. Handlers arrived one day and snatched him up from work, stuffed him in the back of a van, and delivered him to the Dog Show stadium. What did he get himself into?!

***

Quickie sketch for a patient fan ;) I still think he needed stubble but who am I to argue.

puppy boy puppy play pet boy misterxart portrait