07-10-2025, 02:49 PM
Nasenprinz started his day as usual, grabbing breakfast on the go after showering and, like every morning, almost too late to catch the bus to work. A short sprint around the corner, which the bus was turning into at the same time, and he just made it. Panting, leaning on his arms, he hung his head with closed eyes to catch his breath. A small commotion behind him made him jump. The bus had stopped a little abruptly at the next stop, causing a young man who had been holding on for support while reading to lose his balance, and he had stepped on a corpulent woman's foot in the process. She loudly protested about this carelessness, causing the young blonde man to blush with shame, as the sudden attention of the other passengers was more than unpleasant for him.
Nose Prince bowed his head again and continued on to his final stop, where he got off and ran to his office. On the way, he greeted several colleagues, quickly grabbed a cup of coffee from the staff kitchen and disappeared into his office. The sight of his large desk, which he had recently had made by one of his suppliers, still took his breath away. The highly polished dark wood, his matching leather desk pad, the cream-coloured telephone and the white documents offered a stylish sight, with which he was more than satisfied. In general, he could only thank his supplier for this beautiful, large office. The view from the floor-to-ceiling window on the top floor of the tall building, overlooking the city with the meandering river, was an incredible sight, especially at sunset. More than once, he had made himself comfortable in his office with a glass of wine after a hard day at work and enjoyed the view.
He walked around his desk, sat down and reached for his mail. A ritual he performed every morning. As soon as he opened the first letter, a cheerful hello tore him from his thoughts. He didn't need to think whose voice it was, he had known it since he was at school, and when he looked up from the mail, he saw the radiant face of his best friend Kate, framed by her curls. She had a smile that was contagious and elicited a cheerful good morning greeting from him as well.
‘Well, are you here already?’ Kate said. “Of course, what do you think? Right on time as always,” Nasenprinz replied with a mischievous smile. Of course he knew that she knew that he had almost missed the bus again. ’When are you finally going to buy a car? Your suppliers would certainly be happy to get an order and put something good together for you.’ ‘I know, but somehow I find riding the bus more pleasant – besides, my way isn't that far.’ With an open mind, Nose Prince looked at his friend. They had been having this discussion for a long time, but slowly he was getting used to the idea. She had been teasing him for years that he still preferred to take the bus rather than buy a car.
‘What's up, why are you here so early today?’ asked Nose Prince expectantly. Kate's grin grew wider and she came around his desk. She slowly stroked her finger over the dark wood. “I don't know, I just felt like it.” Nose Prince laughed. ’You're not just feeling like it, come on, spill the beans and tell me what's going on.’ They both knew this game and enjoyed it. As close as they were to each other, there were no secrets between them. Kate knew that too, and she sat down on the edge of his desk and looked Prince of the Nose attentively in the eye. ‘Oh no, not again,’ he exclaimed, laughing, and shaking his head in disbelief. Kate bit her lower lip and blushed slightly. ‘Yes,’ she replied. She lowered her eyes. She quietly said, “I really did it, I bought it.” Prince Noses stared at his girlfriend in disbelief. “You're kidding!” “No, it was so cheap and I couldn't walk past it.” Now Prince Noses slapped his hand on his legs with laughter and couldn't stop for quite a while. They had been talking about the tapestry for so long, but so far it had been almost unaffordable. Apparently, Kate had now managed to elicit a price from a seller. ‘Was it very expensive?’ asked Nasenprinz, frowning, when he had calmed down again. ‘It's okay,’ said Kate. ‘Come with me, it's already hanging in my office.’ Again amazed, Nasal Prince allowed himself to be led by the hand into Kate's office. It was incredible. The new rug was already hanging there in all its beauty. Nasal Prince approached it cautiously and reached out for it. The sparkle of the colours in the sunlight was fantastic; he had rarely seen anything like it. He gently stroked the colourfully patterned fabric and felt the soft yet robust material. Completely overwhelmed, he looked back at Kate, who was looking at the tapestry with equal fascination. ‘This is incredible, you're really crazy. ‘ ‘I know, but this time it just had to be.’ They hugged briefly and Nasenprinz took another look at the tapestry and still shook his head in disbelief as he left his girlfriend's office. In his office, he sat down at his desk again and dealt with his mail. The rest of the day went by without any major incidents. He was already used to the vast number of phone calls with customers and suppliers. He made his usual rounds through production and sales to check that everything was in order. He even popped into the mailroom every now and then, asked about the current status here and there, and was very pleased with his employees. He was a very popular and well-liked boss. He always had an open ear for his employees and tried to help wherever he could. After most of them had left the office, he went to see Kate again, as he had seen far too little of her today.
‘Hey, still here?’ He greeted her. “Of course, you know me. Just as much of a workhorse as you are. Who needs a private life?” She grinned cheekily at him. “Well, somehow it's not that easy when you've been here so long – it's not going to work out with you and men,” he replied cheekily to her. ‘If there is no other man around, how about dinner tonight? Maybe that will increase our chances?’ “Sure, I'm in,” said Nose Prince. “I'll quickly get my bag and then we can go, are you ready?” Kate nodded and so they set off.
Chapter 2
- The New in the Company
The evening with Kate had been very nice. Both loved their Italian restaurant on the corner, as they affectionately called it. Kate had discovered it by chance a few years ago and Prince of the Nose had immediately urged her to accompany her there, because the pasta had been absolutely amazing. A coercion that Prince Charming has not regretted to this day. So yesterday's meal had also been a delight, and the good bottle of red wine, professionally recommended by their favourite waiter, rounded off the evening perfectly.
Now Nasenprinz was lying in his bed again, trying to wake up and rolling from one side to the other. Today would be an exciting day, because his new assistant would start his first day of work. He hadn't seen him yet, because the human resources department had advertised the position and filled it for him. So far, he had always been able to rely on the selection of his department, and so his assistant would be perfectly suited to the position. He had hesitated for a long time, but since business was going well, he couldn't do without it anymore. He needed support in his daily work. But what would it be like to work so closely with an employee? He couldn't get this question out of his head. Still unable to find an answer, he got up and let the cool water of his shower rush over him. As the water flowed down the drain, his thoughts also left him.
As always, almost too late, he arrived back at his company. He was just taking a seat at his desk when there was a knock at the door.
‘Come in,’ he called. ‘Hello, Mr. Nose Prince. We are from the shipping company that delivers the furniture for your new assistant's office.’
Nose Prince looked at the man in puzzlement. He had never had anything like this happen to him before. ‘Isn't Gustav, our caretaker, there?’ Nose Prince asked, somewhat confused, since he didn't usually take care of the office furniture. As the boss, he had nothing to do with it, and anyway, why was the man standing in his office and not being taken care of by his secretary?
‘Unfortunately, I don't know, but apparently no one is present except for you.’ Nasenprinz got up from his desk, walked around the man, who was still standing in his doorway, and looked into the adjacent room. Indeed, no one was there. That was strange. Nose Prince, scratching his head, went back to his phone, pressed the speed-dial button with the number of the caretaker. After several unsuccessful rings, he hung up.
‘Well sir, then I'll have to ask you to move the furniture into the office next to mine. I'll accompany you and show you where the furniture can be placed.’
The shipping agent followed Prince of the Nose into the new office. He looked around curiously in the empty room and briefly admired the breathtaking view from the window. The office was very similar to that of Prince of the Nose, but only about half the size, but more than enough for his assistant. In the meantime, Prince of the Nose had a spontaneous idea.
‘Set up the furniture exactly as it is in my office, as far as possible. I think my new assistant will like it,’ said Prince Charming, completely absorbed in his thoughts. The employee nodded and immediately disappeared to get the furniture with his colleague; after all, they had already lost enough time due to the apparent lack of organisation in this house.
Nose Prince turned around and made his way back to his office. He was still wondering why he hadn't seen any of his employees. So lost in thought, he didn't notice the young man standing uncertainly at his secretary's desk, looking at him.
Nose Prince walked straight through his still-open office door and into his office. At the threshold, he realised that he hadn't greeted Kate this morning yet. He turned on his heel and ran, completely amazed, into the young man who had followed him without being asked and was now standing in front of him. PrinceNose was so unprepared for this collision that he looked perplexedly into the eyes of his counterpart. The young man was also startled and stared back, equally irritated. Slowly, the surprise subsided and the young man found his voice again.
‘Excuse me,’ he said with slightly reddened cheeks. Nose Prince was still staring at the young man. “I'm looking for Mr Nose Prince. Is that you?” Nose Prince shook his head briefly to get a clear thought again, which in turn irritated the young man.
‘Can you possibly tell me where I can find him?’ Was the next thing Nose Prince heard. At last he found his voice again and said, “Um, here. I am Mr Nose Prince.”
Now the young man looked incredulous, but then a radiant smile came over his face.
‘Very good, then I have found you. I am your new assistant and am pleased to meet you. My name is Noel, Noel Meister."
Chapter 3
- The Idea
Nasenprinz sat in his office and rubbed his eyes. He had never experienced anything like it. His new assistant had settled in splendidly in the short time and completed all the tasks to his complete satisfaction. In fact, he didn't know how he had managed his work without him before. Noel, it occurred to him at that moment. That was the name of his new assistant.
In the meantime, he had even found out where he had seemed so familiar to him. At a joint lunch, Noel reported that he had travelled the same route by bus the day before starting his new job and that the bus driver had braked unexpectedly, causing him to step on a woman's foot, who had made an incredible fuss about it. Nose Prince remembered only too well that morning, when he had watched the young man, who had blushed because of the unwanted attention.
So absorbed in his thoughts, Nose Prince did not notice how Kate had appeared in his office. When she spoke to him, he jumped and looked at her with wide-open eyes. Kate couldn't help but laugh.
‘What's the matter with you? So lost in thought?‘ she asked him, still laughing. Now it was Prince's turn to blush and mumble, “I was just thinking, nothing important.” He quickly recovered and asked in turn.
’What can I do for you?"
Kate, alerted by the quick change of subject, probed.
‘What was so nice? You seemed so relaxed and happy just now, and the colour in your cheeks...what did I catch you doing?’
Nose Prince grinned, no, that would be going too far. Surely Kate knew him better than any other person in the world and they had no secrets from each other, but he couldn't share these thoughts with her, especially since he himself could hardly categorise them. He realised that he was confused himself and preferred to leave the matter alone.
‘Not so bad, just a nice thought and a little daydreaming at work,‘ he tried to escape.
’Well, don't let that bother you. By the way, we haven't been out to eat in a while. How about the Italian place around the corner again?’
‘Sure, that's right, we haven't been there in a long time, let's do that,’ agreed Nose Prince happily, glad not to have to follow up on his thoughts and, above all, explain them.
After Kate left the office, Nose Prince continued to work. Every now and then, Noel came into his office, brought him a letter, key figures, reports and, ready for the end of the day, settled down on the large sofa.
Nose Prince already knew the ritual, although Noel hadn't been with him for long. On their very first day at work, combined with Noel's uncoordinated move into the office, it had turned out that they were finishing work together and that they were ringing in the evening on that sofa in Nose Prince's office.
Nose Prince asked at the time how Noel had managed his first day at work and how he had done. A lively conversation quickly developed and both felt the pleasant familiarity that quickly set in. From then on, they repeated the procedure every evening.
Nose Prince finished his work and sat down on the sofa with Noel.
‘So, how was your day today?’ he asked Noel.
"Quite good, I think we've done quite a bit. The new contracts from the two suppliers have arrived, I just put them on your desk. So far, everything looks fine. The quality and quantity are good, so you can just accept them.’
‘Very good, I've been waiting for those. What about the contract with the carpentry workshop? Have you heard anything yet?’ asked Nose Prince.
‘No, not yet. It's a bit surprising, since we've already finished the negotiations, but it's probably because of the notary. If you want, I'll go and see tomorrow if the factory is ready for the expansion and the handover.‘
’Good idea, do that.’
A moment of silence fell between them. Nothing unusual, as they both loved the view from the large windows over the river, which meandered through the evening glow.
Suddenly Noel asked: ‘Nose Prince, a stupid question.’
Nose Prince grinned. ‘There are no stupid questions,’ he winked.
‘No, seriously, what is it?‘ Noel shifted uneasily. He began to speak slowly.
’You know, I mean... well... how many employees do you actually have?‘ Nose Prince looked at Noel irritated.
’What makes you ask that? Well, roughly estimated, I think it's about 18,000 worldwide.’
Noel was taken aback; he hadn't reckoned on that. That was definitely more than he had expected.
‘Then my idea is going to be difficult,’ he began. ‘I had thought about whether we couldn't organise a company party for all the employees to celebrate our success together.’ Before Nose Prince could say anything, he quickly added: ‘Well, with about a tenth of the staff, that would have been possible, but we can't get them anywhere... so... bad idea,’ he added with a smile.
Nose Prince grinned and, as if by itself, reached for Noel's arm. ‘No, not a bad thought. Basically, I've been thinking about a similar action, but I didn't have the right implementation either. There are just so many of them.’
Noel looked at Nose Prince, who looked him openly in the eye as he answered. ‘Do you already have an idea for that?’
Slowly, Nose Prince withdrew his hand, curious to see what Noel would answer. He liked him for his creative ideas and was seriously curious to see if he could suggest a possibility.
‘How about,’ Noel began thoughtfully, ‘...how about...yes, that's it! How about we throw a huge party, but not with everyone in one place, but worldwide?’
Now it was Nose Prince who didn't understand. Noel suddenly became very excited, sat up straight and, with his legs drawn up, turned around on the sofa to face Nose Prince. His eyes were shining with excitement. ‘We have everything here, that is, we still have to order a few things, but I'm sure we can manufacture screens and beamers in the electronics factories, so that we can network everyone with a video conference and thus everyone can be connected live, right?’
Nose Prince had never thought of this idea before, but it seemed so simple. ‘That's ingenious, you're ingenious!’ Nose Prince was completely thrilled and let Noel take him into his thoughts.
That evening, they sat together for a long time discussing the first concrete ideas. At some point, Noel even got a piece of paper and a pen and wrote everything down.
Not far from the company, a young woman was sitting in an Italian restaurant, greeted as usual by her waiter, and waiting for her dining partner, who seemed to be taking his time today. This was not like him and when he didn't come after half an hour, she began to worry. She took her phone and dialled his number. Nothing, just the voicemail. After an hour of waiting, she ordered a small pizza to go, paid for it and drove home, disappointed and visibly worried.
Chapter 4
- The Final
When Nasenprinz entered his office the next morning, Kate was already waiting for him. She was sitting on his sofa, on which he had only a few hours earlier made plans with Noel for the company party. However, the sight of Kate bore no resemblance to the exuberant mood of the previous evening. All at once, he remembered their appointment at the Italian restaurant, which he had completely forgotten.
‘I'm so incredibly sorry,’ Prince Nose opened the conversation after he realised what had happened.
‘You should be!’ Kate said and tried to look angry. However, since she had seen Nose Prince coming through the door so cheerfully and unsuspectingly, she couldn't keep up this act for long. Nose Prince sat down next to her and held her tight. “I'm so sorry, that's never happened to me before,” he meekly admitted.
‘No problem, I'm incredibly relieved that you're okay! You didn't even answer your mobile phone, what was going on?‘ “Actually, not much, to be honest. Noel and I came up with the idea of organising a company party yesterday and got a little carried away with it.”
’A company party?’ Kate asked incredulously. ’How is that going to work? After all, we are active worldwide and have more than 18,000 employees!’ ’That's the joke. Noel suggested that we could all celebrate together with the help of projectors and screens, without being in one place. I was so enthusiastic about the idea that we already had half the planning done yesterday. To be honest, I hardly slept and neither did he.’
Kate looked at Nose Prince in amazement. She had rarely seen him so hyper and euphoric.
‘That's interesting news, but if the planned project works out, I'll forgive you for standing me up last night.’ ‘I'm sure we'll make it work. You should have seen Noel, he was bubbling over with ideas and inspiration.’
As if it had been his cue, Noel entered the office beaming. ‘Top of the morning to you.’ Prince Charming and Kate turned to him and returned the greeting. ‘I was just telling Kate about your great ideas,’ Prince Charming continued. ‘I just heard that, I hope you like the ideas?’ ‘What I've heard so far sounds good and I'm looking forward to the rest!’
Nose Prince and Noel informed Kate about the planning of yesterday evening and added some interesting points that Kate brought up. Slowly the project company celebration really took shape.
The planning and execution took a lot of time, which Noel and Nasenprinz enjoyed spending together. Nasenprinz felt incredibly comfortable around Noel and one evening, while sitting on the sofa in his office after work, he found himself thinking that he was missing Noel. It wasn't the first time he had noticed this, but the thought was beginning to irritate him. He had sent him home two hours ago. Noel had already worked more than enough overtime and Nose Prince feared he would be in hot water with the works council if this didn't change soon. Noel had reluctantly gone home that afternoon, knowing how much work still lay ahead of them, even though they were on the right track.
Kate came into the office as usual and pulled PrinceCharmington out of his thoughts. ‘Hey, what are you up to?’ she asked him. Startled, he turned around, caught in his thoughts. ‘Good heavens, where have you been?’ Kate asked, following his reaction. Prince of the Nose blushed, but said nothing. ‘Oh dear, what did I catch you doing?’ Prince of the Nose turned even darker, but couldn't do anything about it. ‘Nothing,’ he tried to save himself.
Kate sat down on the sofa next to him. ‘Come on, spit it out, what were you thinking?’ ‘To be honest, I'm not really sure myself,’ he tried to explain. ‘I was just thinking about the planning and…’
‘And what?’ Kate asked. ‘Are we going to start keeping secrets from each other now? We've never had that before, so come on.’
‘Oh, I don't know. I was just thinking about Noel and missing him tonight."
Kate looked at Nose Prince seriously, but didn't say anything. “I don't know, I... well...” Nose Prince took a deep breath, ’I'm not sure what to think about that.’
Kate took his hand and looked him in the eye. ‘I can't tell you that, you have to know that. I can only confirm that you've been seeing each other a lot since the planning started, that you complement each other incredibly and seem to like each other very much.’
Nose Prince lowered his eyes. ‘Yes, I know that too. I mean, he's amazing, he makes me laugh, has brilliant ideas and we complement each other incredibly. How did I ever stand here without him?’ No sooner had he spoken the words than another feeling took hold of him, which Nose Prince could identify even less.
‘Could it be,’ Kate wondered in amazement, “that you feel more than friendship for Noel?” Nasal Prince looked at her with wide eyes, because he hadn't had the courage to even entertain these thoughts. ‘I mean,’ Kate continued, “you haven't had a girlfriend yet, and no one else either. We've known each other for so long, and if I'm honest, I've wondered from time to time if it's possible that you...” “are gay?” Prince completed the sentence.
Slowly, but only very slowly, the thought sank into his consciousness. Could that really be possible? He had never thought about this possibility, the thought had never occurred to him. He just got along well with Noel, could it really be that there was more than just friendship between them?
Kate watched Nose Prince very closely. ‘I think I'll leave you alone to think about everything. Sleep on it and we'll talk again tomorrow if you want. You know you can call me anytime, I'm here for you, okay?’ ‘Yes, I know that, thank you,’ said Nose Prince and hugged Kate goodbye. That evening, he sat in his office for a very long time, letting his gaze drift out of the window over the landscape and his thoughts further into the distance.
Noel appeared in the office in high spirits, as he did every morning, and was unaware of the thoughts that occupied Prince Nose. It was only in the evening, when they were sitting together on the sofa, that he noticed that Prince Nose was not quite with it.
‘What's wrong?’ he wanted to know. “Nothing,” he tried to escape as usual. However, Noel also knew Snout-face so well over time that he didn't get very far with that.
‘Come on, something's bothering you.’ “Yes. No. Well...” Nasenprinz sighed, “...it's not that simple.” ’Why, is something wrong with the party? Did something go wrong? I don't suppose you want to cancel it now, it's a little late for that. After all, the date is getting closer and everyone knows the party is supposed to take place.’ ‘No, that's not it. It's... oh, shoot... it's..."
Nose Prince suddenly became very different. He had hardly slept the previous night, repeatedly asking himself the question of whether it could be or not. If he wanted to find out, he had to be brave.
‘I don't know if I'm gay or not,’ he said so quietly that Noel almost didn't understand him. There was a pause in the silence. Nose Prince felt increasingly uncomfortable and almost regretted his decision to have told Noel. He couldn't look at him and was still waiting for a reaction.
‘Why do you ask that? What makes you think that?’ Noel wanted to know. Nose Prince looked at him irritated. He had expected a lot, but not that. “What do you mean, how I come to that?” “Well, apparently there must be a reason why you are asking yourself that?” Noel followed up.
Another pause occurred. Nose Prince was unsure how to proceed. Could he be so open with Noel and just show him his feelings like that? Shyly, he raised his eyes and sought Noel's. He looked into Noel's eyes with a smile, but also with a large portion of uncertainty on his part. Nose Prince gathered all his courage.
‘I think... well... I...’ he began, stuttering, “I think I like you very much,” he said, looking back at the sofa.
He was more than just afraid of Noel's reaction. After all, he was also his employee and this revelation could have unforeseen consequences. As he was still lost in thought, he felt a finger under his chin. Slowly, his head moved up and he looked Noel in the eye. Slowly, he came closer to him. Their eyes went back and forth uncertainly between them. They moved closer to each other. Nasenprinz closed his eyes. The touch of their lips was only very brief, but the reaction of his body was incredible. As if fireworks had exploded inside him, all doubts were swept away and an incomprehensible feeling of warmth and joy spread within him.
The evening continued with a long conversation and the realisation that Noel had also discovered his feelings for Nose Prince. Like Nose Prince, he had been unsure the whole time whether he could reveal them to him and didn't know whether the other would return the feelings. Every now and then they kissed, took each other's hands and enjoyed the new level of their friendship.
Kate was visited in her office the next morning and the happy news was delivered. She hugged them both and was extremely happy about the happy development.
The company party also took place and was a huge success. Employees from around the world gathered and celebrated. In his speech, Nasenprinz thanked everyone for the great success that had been achieved together so far and called on everyone to continue working on the common future. Finally, he took Noel's hand, introduced him as the source of the idea and the main person responsible for the company party. After thunderous applause, Nasenprinz pulled Noel to him and kissed him in front of the cameras
Nose Prince bowed his head again and continued on to his final stop, where he got off and ran to his office. On the way, he greeted several colleagues, quickly grabbed a cup of coffee from the staff kitchen and disappeared into his office. The sight of his large desk, which he had recently had made by one of his suppliers, still took his breath away. The highly polished dark wood, his matching leather desk pad, the cream-coloured telephone and the white documents offered a stylish sight, with which he was more than satisfied. In general, he could only thank his supplier for this beautiful, large office. The view from the floor-to-ceiling window on the top floor of the tall building, overlooking the city with the meandering river, was an incredible sight, especially at sunset. More than once, he had made himself comfortable in his office with a glass of wine after a hard day at work and enjoyed the view.
He walked around his desk, sat down and reached for his mail. A ritual he performed every morning. As soon as he opened the first letter, a cheerful hello tore him from his thoughts. He didn't need to think whose voice it was, he had known it since he was at school, and when he looked up from the mail, he saw the radiant face of his best friend Kate, framed by her curls. She had a smile that was contagious and elicited a cheerful good morning greeting from him as well.
‘Well, are you here already?’ Kate said. “Of course, what do you think? Right on time as always,” Nasenprinz replied with a mischievous smile. Of course he knew that she knew that he had almost missed the bus again. ’When are you finally going to buy a car? Your suppliers would certainly be happy to get an order and put something good together for you.’ ‘I know, but somehow I find riding the bus more pleasant – besides, my way isn't that far.’ With an open mind, Nose Prince looked at his friend. They had been having this discussion for a long time, but slowly he was getting used to the idea. She had been teasing him for years that he still preferred to take the bus rather than buy a car.
‘What's up, why are you here so early today?’ asked Nose Prince expectantly. Kate's grin grew wider and she came around his desk. She slowly stroked her finger over the dark wood. “I don't know, I just felt like it.” Nose Prince laughed. ’You're not just feeling like it, come on, spill the beans and tell me what's going on.’ They both knew this game and enjoyed it. As close as they were to each other, there were no secrets between them. Kate knew that too, and she sat down on the edge of his desk and looked Prince of the Nose attentively in the eye. ‘Oh no, not again,’ he exclaimed, laughing, and shaking his head in disbelief. Kate bit her lower lip and blushed slightly. ‘Yes,’ she replied. She lowered her eyes. She quietly said, “I really did it, I bought it.” Prince Noses stared at his girlfriend in disbelief. “You're kidding!” “No, it was so cheap and I couldn't walk past it.” Now Prince Noses slapped his hand on his legs with laughter and couldn't stop for quite a while. They had been talking about the tapestry for so long, but so far it had been almost unaffordable. Apparently, Kate had now managed to elicit a price from a seller. ‘Was it very expensive?’ asked Nasenprinz, frowning, when he had calmed down again. ‘It's okay,’ said Kate. ‘Come with me, it's already hanging in my office.’ Again amazed, Nasal Prince allowed himself to be led by the hand into Kate's office. It was incredible. The new rug was already hanging there in all its beauty. Nasal Prince approached it cautiously and reached out for it. The sparkle of the colours in the sunlight was fantastic; he had rarely seen anything like it. He gently stroked the colourfully patterned fabric and felt the soft yet robust material. Completely overwhelmed, he looked back at Kate, who was looking at the tapestry with equal fascination. ‘This is incredible, you're really crazy. ‘ ‘I know, but this time it just had to be.’ They hugged briefly and Nasenprinz took another look at the tapestry and still shook his head in disbelief as he left his girlfriend's office. In his office, he sat down at his desk again and dealt with his mail. The rest of the day went by without any major incidents. He was already used to the vast number of phone calls with customers and suppliers. He made his usual rounds through production and sales to check that everything was in order. He even popped into the mailroom every now and then, asked about the current status here and there, and was very pleased with his employees. He was a very popular and well-liked boss. He always had an open ear for his employees and tried to help wherever he could. After most of them had left the office, he went to see Kate again, as he had seen far too little of her today.
‘Hey, still here?’ He greeted her. “Of course, you know me. Just as much of a workhorse as you are. Who needs a private life?” She grinned cheekily at him. “Well, somehow it's not that easy when you've been here so long – it's not going to work out with you and men,” he replied cheekily to her. ‘If there is no other man around, how about dinner tonight? Maybe that will increase our chances?’ “Sure, I'm in,” said Nose Prince. “I'll quickly get my bag and then we can go, are you ready?” Kate nodded and so they set off.
Chapter 2
- The New in the Company
The evening with Kate had been very nice. Both loved their Italian restaurant on the corner, as they affectionately called it. Kate had discovered it by chance a few years ago and Prince of the Nose had immediately urged her to accompany her there, because the pasta had been absolutely amazing. A coercion that Prince Charming has not regretted to this day. So yesterday's meal had also been a delight, and the good bottle of red wine, professionally recommended by their favourite waiter, rounded off the evening perfectly.
Now Nasenprinz was lying in his bed again, trying to wake up and rolling from one side to the other. Today would be an exciting day, because his new assistant would start his first day of work. He hadn't seen him yet, because the human resources department had advertised the position and filled it for him. So far, he had always been able to rely on the selection of his department, and so his assistant would be perfectly suited to the position. He had hesitated for a long time, but since business was going well, he couldn't do without it anymore. He needed support in his daily work. But what would it be like to work so closely with an employee? He couldn't get this question out of his head. Still unable to find an answer, he got up and let the cool water of his shower rush over him. As the water flowed down the drain, his thoughts also left him.
As always, almost too late, he arrived back at his company. He was just taking a seat at his desk when there was a knock at the door.
‘Come in,’ he called. ‘Hello, Mr. Nose Prince. We are from the shipping company that delivers the furniture for your new assistant's office.’
Nose Prince looked at the man in puzzlement. He had never had anything like this happen to him before. ‘Isn't Gustav, our caretaker, there?’ Nose Prince asked, somewhat confused, since he didn't usually take care of the office furniture. As the boss, he had nothing to do with it, and anyway, why was the man standing in his office and not being taken care of by his secretary?
‘Unfortunately, I don't know, but apparently no one is present except for you.’ Nasenprinz got up from his desk, walked around the man, who was still standing in his doorway, and looked into the adjacent room. Indeed, no one was there. That was strange. Nose Prince, scratching his head, went back to his phone, pressed the speed-dial button with the number of the caretaker. After several unsuccessful rings, he hung up.
‘Well sir, then I'll have to ask you to move the furniture into the office next to mine. I'll accompany you and show you where the furniture can be placed.’
The shipping agent followed Prince of the Nose into the new office. He looked around curiously in the empty room and briefly admired the breathtaking view from the window. The office was very similar to that of Prince of the Nose, but only about half the size, but more than enough for his assistant. In the meantime, Prince of the Nose had a spontaneous idea.
‘Set up the furniture exactly as it is in my office, as far as possible. I think my new assistant will like it,’ said Prince Charming, completely absorbed in his thoughts. The employee nodded and immediately disappeared to get the furniture with his colleague; after all, they had already lost enough time due to the apparent lack of organisation in this house.
Nose Prince turned around and made his way back to his office. He was still wondering why he hadn't seen any of his employees. So lost in thought, he didn't notice the young man standing uncertainly at his secretary's desk, looking at him.
Nose Prince walked straight through his still-open office door and into his office. At the threshold, he realised that he hadn't greeted Kate this morning yet. He turned on his heel and ran, completely amazed, into the young man who had followed him without being asked and was now standing in front of him. PrinceNose was so unprepared for this collision that he looked perplexedly into the eyes of his counterpart. The young man was also startled and stared back, equally irritated. Slowly, the surprise subsided and the young man found his voice again.
‘Excuse me,’ he said with slightly reddened cheeks. Nose Prince was still staring at the young man. “I'm looking for Mr Nose Prince. Is that you?” Nose Prince shook his head briefly to get a clear thought again, which in turn irritated the young man.
‘Can you possibly tell me where I can find him?’ Was the next thing Nose Prince heard. At last he found his voice again and said, “Um, here. I am Mr Nose Prince.”
Now the young man looked incredulous, but then a radiant smile came over his face.
‘Very good, then I have found you. I am your new assistant and am pleased to meet you. My name is Noel, Noel Meister."
Chapter 3
- The Idea
Nasenprinz sat in his office and rubbed his eyes. He had never experienced anything like it. His new assistant had settled in splendidly in the short time and completed all the tasks to his complete satisfaction. In fact, he didn't know how he had managed his work without him before. Noel, it occurred to him at that moment. That was the name of his new assistant.
In the meantime, he had even found out where he had seemed so familiar to him. At a joint lunch, Noel reported that he had travelled the same route by bus the day before starting his new job and that the bus driver had braked unexpectedly, causing him to step on a woman's foot, who had made an incredible fuss about it. Nose Prince remembered only too well that morning, when he had watched the young man, who had blushed because of the unwanted attention.
So absorbed in his thoughts, Nose Prince did not notice how Kate had appeared in his office. When she spoke to him, he jumped and looked at her with wide-open eyes. Kate couldn't help but laugh.
‘What's the matter with you? So lost in thought?‘ she asked him, still laughing. Now it was Prince's turn to blush and mumble, “I was just thinking, nothing important.” He quickly recovered and asked in turn.
’What can I do for you?"
Kate, alerted by the quick change of subject, probed.
‘What was so nice? You seemed so relaxed and happy just now, and the colour in your cheeks...what did I catch you doing?’
Nose Prince grinned, no, that would be going too far. Surely Kate knew him better than any other person in the world and they had no secrets from each other, but he couldn't share these thoughts with her, especially since he himself could hardly categorise them. He realised that he was confused himself and preferred to leave the matter alone.
‘Not so bad, just a nice thought and a little daydreaming at work,‘ he tried to escape.
’Well, don't let that bother you. By the way, we haven't been out to eat in a while. How about the Italian place around the corner again?’
‘Sure, that's right, we haven't been there in a long time, let's do that,’ agreed Nose Prince happily, glad not to have to follow up on his thoughts and, above all, explain them.
After Kate left the office, Nose Prince continued to work. Every now and then, Noel came into his office, brought him a letter, key figures, reports and, ready for the end of the day, settled down on the large sofa.
Nose Prince already knew the ritual, although Noel hadn't been with him for long. On their very first day at work, combined with Noel's uncoordinated move into the office, it had turned out that they were finishing work together and that they were ringing in the evening on that sofa in Nose Prince's office.
Nose Prince asked at the time how Noel had managed his first day at work and how he had done. A lively conversation quickly developed and both felt the pleasant familiarity that quickly set in. From then on, they repeated the procedure every evening.
Nose Prince finished his work and sat down on the sofa with Noel.
‘So, how was your day today?’ he asked Noel.
"Quite good, I think we've done quite a bit. The new contracts from the two suppliers have arrived, I just put them on your desk. So far, everything looks fine. The quality and quantity are good, so you can just accept them.’
‘Very good, I've been waiting for those. What about the contract with the carpentry workshop? Have you heard anything yet?’ asked Nose Prince.
‘No, not yet. It's a bit surprising, since we've already finished the negotiations, but it's probably because of the notary. If you want, I'll go and see tomorrow if the factory is ready for the expansion and the handover.‘
’Good idea, do that.’
A moment of silence fell between them. Nothing unusual, as they both loved the view from the large windows over the river, which meandered through the evening glow.
Suddenly Noel asked: ‘Nose Prince, a stupid question.’
Nose Prince grinned. ‘There are no stupid questions,’ he winked.
‘No, seriously, what is it?‘ Noel shifted uneasily. He began to speak slowly.
’You know, I mean... well... how many employees do you actually have?‘ Nose Prince looked at Noel irritated.
’What makes you ask that? Well, roughly estimated, I think it's about 18,000 worldwide.’
Noel was taken aback; he hadn't reckoned on that. That was definitely more than he had expected.
‘Then my idea is going to be difficult,’ he began. ‘I had thought about whether we couldn't organise a company party for all the employees to celebrate our success together.’ Before Nose Prince could say anything, he quickly added: ‘Well, with about a tenth of the staff, that would have been possible, but we can't get them anywhere... so... bad idea,’ he added with a smile.
Nose Prince grinned and, as if by itself, reached for Noel's arm. ‘No, not a bad thought. Basically, I've been thinking about a similar action, but I didn't have the right implementation either. There are just so many of them.’
Noel looked at Nose Prince, who looked him openly in the eye as he answered. ‘Do you already have an idea for that?’
Slowly, Nose Prince withdrew his hand, curious to see what Noel would answer. He liked him for his creative ideas and was seriously curious to see if he could suggest a possibility.
‘How about,’ Noel began thoughtfully, ‘...how about...yes, that's it! How about we throw a huge party, but not with everyone in one place, but worldwide?’
Now it was Nose Prince who didn't understand. Noel suddenly became very excited, sat up straight and, with his legs drawn up, turned around on the sofa to face Nose Prince. His eyes were shining with excitement. ‘We have everything here, that is, we still have to order a few things, but I'm sure we can manufacture screens and beamers in the electronics factories, so that we can network everyone with a video conference and thus everyone can be connected live, right?’
Nose Prince had never thought of this idea before, but it seemed so simple. ‘That's ingenious, you're ingenious!’ Nose Prince was completely thrilled and let Noel take him into his thoughts.
That evening, they sat together for a long time discussing the first concrete ideas. At some point, Noel even got a piece of paper and a pen and wrote everything down.
Not far from the company, a young woman was sitting in an Italian restaurant, greeted as usual by her waiter, and waiting for her dining partner, who seemed to be taking his time today. This was not like him and when he didn't come after half an hour, she began to worry. She took her phone and dialled his number. Nothing, just the voicemail. After an hour of waiting, she ordered a small pizza to go, paid for it and drove home, disappointed and visibly worried.
Chapter 4
- The Final
When Nasenprinz entered his office the next morning, Kate was already waiting for him. She was sitting on his sofa, on which he had only a few hours earlier made plans with Noel for the company party. However, the sight of Kate bore no resemblance to the exuberant mood of the previous evening. All at once, he remembered their appointment at the Italian restaurant, which he had completely forgotten.
‘I'm so incredibly sorry,’ Prince Nose opened the conversation after he realised what had happened.
‘You should be!’ Kate said and tried to look angry. However, since she had seen Nose Prince coming through the door so cheerfully and unsuspectingly, she couldn't keep up this act for long. Nose Prince sat down next to her and held her tight. “I'm so sorry, that's never happened to me before,” he meekly admitted.
‘No problem, I'm incredibly relieved that you're okay! You didn't even answer your mobile phone, what was going on?‘ “Actually, not much, to be honest. Noel and I came up with the idea of organising a company party yesterday and got a little carried away with it.”
’A company party?’ Kate asked incredulously. ’How is that going to work? After all, we are active worldwide and have more than 18,000 employees!’ ’That's the joke. Noel suggested that we could all celebrate together with the help of projectors and screens, without being in one place. I was so enthusiastic about the idea that we already had half the planning done yesterday. To be honest, I hardly slept and neither did he.’
Kate looked at Nose Prince in amazement. She had rarely seen him so hyper and euphoric.
‘That's interesting news, but if the planned project works out, I'll forgive you for standing me up last night.’ ‘I'm sure we'll make it work. You should have seen Noel, he was bubbling over with ideas and inspiration.’
As if it had been his cue, Noel entered the office beaming. ‘Top of the morning to you.’ Prince Charming and Kate turned to him and returned the greeting. ‘I was just telling Kate about your great ideas,’ Prince Charming continued. ‘I just heard that, I hope you like the ideas?’ ‘What I've heard so far sounds good and I'm looking forward to the rest!’
Nose Prince and Noel informed Kate about the planning of yesterday evening and added some interesting points that Kate brought up. Slowly the project company celebration really took shape.
The planning and execution took a lot of time, which Noel and Nasenprinz enjoyed spending together. Nasenprinz felt incredibly comfortable around Noel and one evening, while sitting on the sofa in his office after work, he found himself thinking that he was missing Noel. It wasn't the first time he had noticed this, but the thought was beginning to irritate him. He had sent him home two hours ago. Noel had already worked more than enough overtime and Nose Prince feared he would be in hot water with the works council if this didn't change soon. Noel had reluctantly gone home that afternoon, knowing how much work still lay ahead of them, even though they were on the right track.
Kate came into the office as usual and pulled PrinceCharmington out of his thoughts. ‘Hey, what are you up to?’ she asked him. Startled, he turned around, caught in his thoughts. ‘Good heavens, where have you been?’ Kate asked, following his reaction. Prince of the Nose blushed, but said nothing. ‘Oh dear, what did I catch you doing?’ Prince of the Nose turned even darker, but couldn't do anything about it. ‘Nothing,’ he tried to save himself.
Kate sat down on the sofa next to him. ‘Come on, spit it out, what were you thinking?’ ‘To be honest, I'm not really sure myself,’ he tried to explain. ‘I was just thinking about the planning and…’
‘And what?’ Kate asked. ‘Are we going to start keeping secrets from each other now? We've never had that before, so come on.’
‘Oh, I don't know. I was just thinking about Noel and missing him tonight."
Kate looked at Nose Prince seriously, but didn't say anything. “I don't know, I... well...” Nose Prince took a deep breath, ’I'm not sure what to think about that.’
Kate took his hand and looked him in the eye. ‘I can't tell you that, you have to know that. I can only confirm that you've been seeing each other a lot since the planning started, that you complement each other incredibly and seem to like each other very much.’
Nose Prince lowered his eyes. ‘Yes, I know that too. I mean, he's amazing, he makes me laugh, has brilliant ideas and we complement each other incredibly. How did I ever stand here without him?’ No sooner had he spoken the words than another feeling took hold of him, which Nose Prince could identify even less.
‘Could it be,’ Kate wondered in amazement, “that you feel more than friendship for Noel?” Nasal Prince looked at her with wide eyes, because he hadn't had the courage to even entertain these thoughts. ‘I mean,’ Kate continued, “you haven't had a girlfriend yet, and no one else either. We've known each other for so long, and if I'm honest, I've wondered from time to time if it's possible that you...” “are gay?” Prince completed the sentence.
Slowly, but only very slowly, the thought sank into his consciousness. Could that really be possible? He had never thought about this possibility, the thought had never occurred to him. He just got along well with Noel, could it really be that there was more than just friendship between them?
Kate watched Nose Prince very closely. ‘I think I'll leave you alone to think about everything. Sleep on it and we'll talk again tomorrow if you want. You know you can call me anytime, I'm here for you, okay?’ ‘Yes, I know that, thank you,’ said Nose Prince and hugged Kate goodbye. That evening, he sat in his office for a very long time, letting his gaze drift out of the window over the landscape and his thoughts further into the distance.
Noel appeared in the office in high spirits, as he did every morning, and was unaware of the thoughts that occupied Prince Nose. It was only in the evening, when they were sitting together on the sofa, that he noticed that Prince Nose was not quite with it.
‘What's wrong?’ he wanted to know. “Nothing,” he tried to escape as usual. However, Noel also knew Snout-face so well over time that he didn't get very far with that.
‘Come on, something's bothering you.’ “Yes. No. Well...” Nasenprinz sighed, “...it's not that simple.” ’Why, is something wrong with the party? Did something go wrong? I don't suppose you want to cancel it now, it's a little late for that. After all, the date is getting closer and everyone knows the party is supposed to take place.’ ‘No, that's not it. It's... oh, shoot... it's..."
Nose Prince suddenly became very different. He had hardly slept the previous night, repeatedly asking himself the question of whether it could be or not. If he wanted to find out, he had to be brave.
‘I don't know if I'm gay or not,’ he said so quietly that Noel almost didn't understand him. There was a pause in the silence. Nose Prince felt increasingly uncomfortable and almost regretted his decision to have told Noel. He couldn't look at him and was still waiting for a reaction.
‘Why do you ask that? What makes you think that?’ Noel wanted to know. Nose Prince looked at him irritated. He had expected a lot, but not that. “What do you mean, how I come to that?” “Well, apparently there must be a reason why you are asking yourself that?” Noel followed up.
Another pause occurred. Nose Prince was unsure how to proceed. Could he be so open with Noel and just show him his feelings like that? Shyly, he raised his eyes and sought Noel's. He looked into Noel's eyes with a smile, but also with a large portion of uncertainty on his part. Nose Prince gathered all his courage.
‘I think... well... I...’ he began, stuttering, “I think I like you very much,” he said, looking back at the sofa.
He was more than just afraid of Noel's reaction. After all, he was also his employee and this revelation could have unforeseen consequences. As he was still lost in thought, he felt a finger under his chin. Slowly, his head moved up and he looked Noel in the eye. Slowly, he came closer to him. Their eyes went back and forth uncertainly between them. They moved closer to each other. Nasenprinz closed his eyes. The touch of their lips was only very brief, but the reaction of his body was incredible. As if fireworks had exploded inside him, all doubts were swept away and an incomprehensible feeling of warmth and joy spread within him.
The evening continued with a long conversation and the realisation that Noel had also discovered his feelings for Nose Prince. Like Nose Prince, he had been unsure the whole time whether he could reveal them to him and didn't know whether the other would return the feelings. Every now and then they kissed, took each other's hands and enjoyed the new level of their friendship.
Kate was visited in her office the next morning and the happy news was delivered. She hugged them both and was extremely happy about the happy development.
The company party also took place and was a huge success. Employees from around the world gathered and celebrated. In his speech, Nasenprinz thanked everyone for the great success that had been achieved together so far and called on everyone to continue working on the common future. Finally, he took Noel's hand, introduced him as the source of the idea and the main person responsible for the company party. After thunderous applause, Nasenprinz pulled Noel to him and kissed him in front of the cameras