The Second

The week went by fast while Sasuke was completely absorbed in his work. That wasn't anything out of the ordinary, unlike the fact that he was tired by Wednesday—and by Friday he was utterly exhausted.

Sasuke knew that he looked somewhat murderous when he started the day by marching to the vending machine at the end of the corridor. It wasn't something that he would usually resort to, but he was running out of options.

He stuffed a few coins into the machine and pressed the button with unnecessary force, choosing an energy drink with the most outrageously colourful label. Normally, he would never subject his body to anything so foul, but under the circumstances he had no choice—coffee just wasn't enough.

He took a tentative sip, the artificial making him grimace. It was too sweet, but he took another swig, regretting his decision more and more. Double espresso would have been so much better, but it was too late for regrets.

"Yo, Sasuke!"

Of-fucking-course. Sasuke could practically feel an irritated scowl settling on his face. He took a deep breath before replying.

"Naruto", Sasuke noted with a grim tone. He turned to glance at Naruto, who had sauntered over from somewhere, and was currently casually leaning against the vending machine. Naruto had rolled up his sleeves all the way to his elbows, revealing his tattooed arms. Sasuke wanted to point out how unprofessional he looked, but his mouth was suddenly dry. Besides, it was way too early to start another pointless quarrel.

"You look terrible", Naruto commented and stretched his arms drowsily, then focusing his gaze back on Sasuke. "What's going on?"

"Nothing", Sasuke said, glancing angrily at the blond.

"Uh-huh, sure", Naruto scoffed, only then noticing the bottle Sasuke was holding. "Wait—is that an energy drink? An actual energy drink? Am I hallucinating right now?"

Sasuke glanced at the beverage in his hand as if it had just magically appeared there. He grimaced. "I suppose it is."

"Weird", Naruto mused. "I thought you only ever drink coffee. Just when you think you know someone..."

Sasuke shot another irritated look at the younger man, but Naruto didn't seem to notice—he had shifted his focus back to the vending machine and was currently fishing out a candy bar. The blond opened the wrapper with a dramatic gesture and stuffed half of the candy bar in his mouth, chewing it a couple times before swallowing.

"Since you're trying out new things or whatever", Naruto winked, and then continued, "you should try chocolate. The sweetness could work wonders on that ever-present bitterness of yours." And with that he turned around to head back to his office.

Sasuke could feel his murderous glare return tenfold. He was counting the hours till he could go home and just sleep.

xxx

Sasuke had just logged on to his computer when Mr. Sowenger barged in.

"Sasuke", Mr. Sowenger quaked. "Emergency meeting in Naruto's office. Immediately."

Sasuke raised his eyebrows curiously, but Mr. Sowenger had already rushed away. With no other option, Sasuke got up. Naruto's office was the last place he wanted to be right now, but he didn't really have a choice in the matter. He locked his computer and followed Mr. Sowenger.

Naruto's office was a mess, as always. Stacks of folders were lying around on top of the table, and the drawers of the filing cabinet were wide open. Something that looked like a pair of muddy sneakers had been thrown in the corner of the room. All the chairs were buried more or less under an avalanche of papers, and Sasuke decided that he didn't really need to sit anyway.

Mr. Sowenger looked worried when he seated himself a bit awkwardly on one of the less cluttered chairs. He let his gaze travel back and forth between Sasuke and Naruto. "As you both know", Mr. Sowenger then stated, "I'll be celebrating my anniversary this weekend."

Sasuke stared at his employer in disbelief—was this really the reason for their emergency meeting? Not that it was all that unusual, since Mr. Sowenger was somewhat prone to weirdness at times, but this was unusual even for him.

Sasuke took a deep breath and tried to keep his expression blank despite the irritation gnawing at the back of his skull. The man was their boss after all—if he wanted to have an emergency meeting concerning his anniversary, then so be it.

"I'm taking my wife to Vermont for a quick getaway", Mr. Sowenger continued, tapping the armrest with his fingers. "But that isn't the only reason for this meeting. I need to talk to you about some urgent changes concerning Mr. Igleheart's willingness to finance our research and development."

That, apparently, was enough to catch even Naruto's attention. Alfred Igleheart was a very wealthy elderly gentleman, who happened to be very interested in information technology. The man himself was an urban legend. He had an reputation as an eccentric billionaire, who would splurge on new inventions if—and only if—he deemed his potential business partners worthy. A deal with Mr. Igleheart was something that many dreamed of, and Sowenger IT Plc. had been working hard to secure the funding.

"Has he made his decision?" Sasuke asked.

Mr. Sowenger shrugged. "He's willing to negotiate. I just got off the phone with his assistant. As it turns out, Mr. Igleheart can only fit a meeting into his schedule this weekend. But, as I told you, I already have plans—and my wife would not be happy if I cancelled our romantic weekend."

Naruto let out a weird high-pitched sound. "You mean, you want us to–?"

"Exactly", Mr. Sowenger nodded. "I managed to book him a luxury suite at The Cowlstock Resort. You two will meet him there and convince him to seal the deal. I have already made the necessary arrangements concerning the schedule and your rooms."

Mr. Sowenger was quiet for a moment and then smiled. "So, pack your bags, boys. You two will be staying at the resort with him the whole weekend, making sure that nothing goes wrong."

"The whole weekend?" Sasuke swallowed.

"Until Monday, yes. You will leave in the morning." Mr. Sowenger nodded enthusiastically. "You will represent the whole company, so be sure to keep him entertained. You will be having dinner with him on Sunday, and I am counting on you to seal the deal, so to speak. It's important to show him that we are just as laid-back and lit as he is."

Naruto made a strange sound that was partly a cough and partly a strangled laugh. Sasuke only managed a rigid nod. He was suddenly feeling quite queasy.

Mr. Sowenger reached over to pat Sasuke on the shoulder. "I know I can trust you two with this. I will mail you the schedules later. Get ready to start your Saturday morning on a scenic cruise!"

Sasuke swallowed again. His tie suddenly felt way too tight.