The AU Where Alan Mentors Ed
So in my headcanons, it is because of Alan that Ed landed the internship at Encom, not that Ed knows it. Alan was the one who recommended him for an interview, and had Ed's mentor not offered him the internship, Alan would have.
But. There's an AU where Alan did become Ed's mentor.
Ed had flown in from Pittsburgh on a red-eye flight for the interview, and planned to take a late-night flight back. He can't afford to miss classes, and he doesn't want his father to know he's in town for this interview.
His father had already offered him an internship at fCon, but Ed would rather keep his job at the tea shop and deal with the worst, insufferable, self-entitled customers there than work for his father. Not that his father knows about his tea shop job, either.
Ed steps into the interview room, dressed in a suit, and prepared with his laptop to either demo a program he'd written, or to write one then and there if asked to do so.
What he isn't prepared for, is coming face to face with the man who was famously the business partner and best friend of the man his father stole from.
Ed's stomach sinks with dread. There's no way Alan would give him a fair chance. Regardless, Ed slips into the character he'd rehearsed for the interview, and does his absolute best. He's desperate for the internship, and Ed has never been known to half-ass anything. If he does not land the internship, it won't be for a lack of effort on his end. He answers all the questions professionally and thoroughly. He shows them the enigma emulator he wrote, and when they ask him to write a program to their specifications, what he writes is clean, efficient, and everything is well commented.
Alan had been uncertain about sitting in on Ed's interview. He worries he wouldn't be able to judge him fairly, because of his history with Ed's father. He'd nearly recuses himself from it. But one look, and Alan knows Ed knows. He sees the dread and fear on the kid's face. He also sees Ed's desperation. He says nothing, determined not to say anything unless it is obvious Ed is clearly incompetent for the job.
Alan listens. Ed is still giving the interview his best effort, and he's doing everything he can to impress them anyway. And Alan is impressed with the kid's work, but he's even more impressed with his effort despite the fact that he thinks it is hopeless.
It's clear Ed knows his stuff, and is competent to a level that Alan would expect from someone a few steps up the career ladder.
Alan told himself he would only ask the questions he's asked the previous interviewees, but Alan is curious what Ed knows. After they ask the standard questions, Alan asks Ed more. He asks harder questions, and Ed answers beautifully. It takes all of Alan's will not to smile. He keeps asking harder and harder questions until—
"I'm sorry, I don't know the answer," Ed admits.
"That's alright," Alan reassures.
He is very tempted to give the internship to Ed, except for the fact it was painfully obvious Ed was terrified of him, and Alan worries that accepting Ed as an intern will only be setting him up for failure. He hopes one of the others will take him.
They thank him, and Ed leaves the room. Alan swears Ed's hands are shaking as he gathers up his laptop.
As it turns out, Alan is the only one willing to give the kid fair consideration. Ed is perhaps one of the most qualified candidates they've interviewed, and Alan wants him to have a chance.
"If you don't give him an offer, I will," Alan tells Pilar Aguilar. They have a friendly rivalry, and Alan hopes that will be enough to motivate her to offer Ed the internship. They would work well together.
She's still concerned about his ties to their biggest competitor.
Alan settles the paperwork with HR that afternoon, and writes Ed an email offering him the internship the next morning.
When Ed receives the email informing him he got the internship, he is elated, until he realizes he'll be working with Alan Bradley. And then he panics. He nearly declines, but the money he earns from the internship is one step closer to financial independence, and his desperation to not work for fCon wins out.
Alan reaches out to him in email, and over the next few weeks, they go back and forth on project ideas, coming up with something within Ed's interests that is still part of Alan's work.
The internship motivates Ed to do well in his courses, to study harder, and pick up more books on computer science so he'll be well prepared.
By the time the end of the semester came around, Ed was elated for the first time since he left for college to come home to SoCal.
It still takes Ed everything to muster up the courage to knock on Alan's office door the first day. He was dressed in business formal, slacks and button down shirt pressed.
Alan opens the door, and gives Ed a gentle smile. "Hey Ed, " he says warmly. "Welcome to Encom. How about I show you around and where you'll be working, then we can get started?"
