"I beg your pardon?"
"We were looking for someone younger."
"Your secretary told me that she wasn't sure if I was too young."
"Oh. I meant we were looking for someone with more experience."
"In shelving??"
"It is more than shelving, listen Mr. Giles, you have to understand that-"
"I understand. Believe me I understand *exactly* what you're trying to say.
Good-bye."
He stood up and left, trying half-heartedly not to slam the door.

This just wasn't his day.
 

Earlier

When he woke up he was alone. Even though Xander hadn't moved in with him
yet, most of the time he woke up next to him. He had gotten used to waking
up to his sweet kisses and touches (sometimes more like groping, but he
loved that, too). But it wasn't like that today.
He got out of bed and went downstairs, carrying the clothes he had prepared
for the job interviews he had today. He was showering, when the water turned
cold suddenly. He jumped away and slipped. He reached out and grabbed the
shower curtain, which prevented his fall, but unfortunately moved the
curtain far enough to allow the water to drench all of his clothes and his
shoes.
He quickly finished showering in the cold water, then got out and went
upstairs to look for a suitable replacement for his clothes. Only that
wasn't as easy as it sounded. Xander had packed away all his Tweed two weeks
ago. The only other white shirt he had, needed to be washed (along with his
favorite jacket) after a rather messy demise of a demon. He grabbed a
striped shirt, dark grey trousers and a random tie that didn't look too
bright. After he had put them on he rushed downstairs to look for his
jacket. He couldn't find it anywhere, which probably meant that Xander had
taken it when he left. He ran back upstairs. He had either his tuxedo or a
subtly striped jacket, both of which didn't really fit the rest of his
attire. He finally took the striped jacket.
He took a look at himself in the mirror. Not even half as good as the
"I'm-so-perfect-you-won't-ever-let-me-go" clothes he had chosen the day
before, but he hoped he wouldn't be rejected simply because of what he wore.
He rushed downstairs and gulped down a glass of orange juice.
He arrived for his first interview in time. He ignored the speculative
glance of the young woman at the desk and went in. The interview went well
and he got the impression that he had the job, when the manager suddenly
became hesitant, staring at his chest once in a while. Rupert looked down at
himself, but there was no spot anywhere. The manager thanked him and
promised to call him back.
He left still a little confused about what had happened. The woman at the
desk smiled and winked at him on his way out.
For his next interview the secretary asked him to wait. After about ten
minutes she came back to tell him, that the manager unfortunately had an
important appointment and that he would be called back. The she looked down
and raised her eyebrows before showing him the way out. He looked down at
himself again. Not a single spot. He checked if his tie was bound correctly
when he noticed which tie he had chosen. It was a gift from Xander showing
two naked men displaying their affection. He closed his eyes and sighed. He
ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath. Then he took off the
tie and went to his next interview.
On his way he bought some take-away as a late breakfast. It was so spicy
that he immediately took a gulp of the coffee he had bought along with it.
The coffee was so hot that he burned his tongue.
The next company had already given the job away and the one after that,
preferred a student. While he ate lunch a small kid made faces at him the
entire time and on his way out someone bumped into him.
He had two more interviews, one of which ended in rejection, the other one
in "Don't call us, we'll call you".
 

And now that the last interview had ended, he only wished he had never
gotten out of bed. He decided to cook something special for dinner, so that
this day at least ended amiably. While he was getting ready to pay he
noticed that his money was gone. He searched everywhere, then realized that
it had to have happened when he was bumped earlier that day. He brought back
the food under the glare of the customers behind him.
He made his way home. The car that nearly crashed into him couldn't have
really made his mood any worse. He opened the door, wanting only to grab a
little food and go to bed.
He closed the door and heard a crash coming from the kitchenette.
"Rupert!"
Xander rushed out, throwing the apron he had just worn on the counter. He
kissed him.
"How did it go?" Rupert just looked at him. "So bad?"
"Worse. I just want a bite and go to bed."
"That's not a good idea."
Rupert raised his eyebrows. "Why?"
"Uhm, you don't want to go into the kitchen now."
Rupert stepped aside to look at the kitchenette, but Xander stepped in his
way.
"Xander."
"Just give me a minute. Well, perhaps half an hour."
Rupert pushed past him and took a look at the disaster area that once was
his kitchen. Xander came up behind him and went inside.
"I just wanted to make this for you."
He picked up a large chocolate cake that he hadn't seen in the mess.
'Job or not
I love you'
Rupert looked from the white letters on the cake to big brown eyes full of
hope and a little apprehension. After a second he grabbed Xander's face and
kissed him passionately. Xander managed to place the cake safely on the
counter and returned the kiss, still somewhat surprised by this outburst.
Not that Rupert was never passionate (quite the contrary), but he wasn't
usually passionate in the kitchen after Xander had made a mess of it. So
when Rupert finally pulled away, Xander looked at him with a little
confusion.
Rupert bent forward until their foreheads were touching.
"You just made my day."

The END