Baby executive

Chapter 20

-3 days later-

The paper in front of Dazai had writing on it. Neat writing that was in Kunikida's familiar penmanship blurred in and out of his vision until the inky lines were but mere splotches.

He was trying to do his paperwork for once. To chase away the icy feeling coiling around his insides like a viper. To drown out nothing but the sound of his own heartbeat. It wasn't doing a very good job at it, and apparently, it didn't appear that way either because a soft touch landed on the hard lines of his tense shoulder.

"-azai? Dazai?" Some more shakes until Dazai was jostled completely out of his stupor. Now that he was present reality felt scorching.

"Dazai," Yosano repeated in a low tone for what must have been the fifteenth time. "Are you with me?"

Dazai tilted his head slightly, giving her a nod.

Yosano smiled in a clipped way, and suddenly the documents on his desk were moving, sliding off of the desk and into Atsushi's grip who took them with a smile.

"Dazai-San, I can do these, they're no big deal." Considering that Atsushi did a good portion of Dazai's paperwork anyways, it probably wasn't a big deal. But something festered in the pit of his stomach.

The report was one of utmost importance that Kunikida had assigned him- a mission report on the current job he had taken. It was something to give the Port Mafia to ease their nerves about an executive being out of commission.

He didn't even know how he would start to fill it out. Dazai was smart and everyone knew, but he simply couldn't bring his fingers to reach for the pen.

He would need to fill it out. To get it over with-

"Dazai," Yosano said, using her warning tone this time. She snapped in his face and his vision returned from where it had been doubling. "When's the last time you slept?"

Dazai's tongue was heavy so he shrugged once again.

Atsushi distantly made a worried noise. And suddenly Kunikida's stomps could be heard. Except they weren't stomps time around, but rather soft footfalls. Another hand on his shoulder, another twitch in surprise. Not that Dazai was too surprised, but it was a natural recoil his body had become accustomed to over time.

Kunikida didn't yell at him, taking the workload from Atsushi with a resigned look of confidence on his face. "I'll do it, no need."

And if Kunikida was offering to do his work then Dazai must have really looked like shit.

He lifted a bandaged hand to pinch at the skin of his palm where there were already red crescent shapes collecting. His skin felt rubbery.

"Dazai, answer my question," Yosano had an edge to her voice and if Dazai didn't answer then it only spelled more trouble for him. He wondered when his cracking mask had fallen to pieces before his feet.

"Three days."

"...Dazai."

"Four."

Yosano nodded, eyebrows pinched, but she kept her hand on his shoulder as if it was an anchor. "Alright, can't say I wasn't expecting it Dazai, you look like shit. Truly."

Dazai pulled a smirk, but it felt wrong on his face."Thanks."

Yosano snorted, "Yeah, come on. Up, we're taking a trip to the couch." Her tone left no room for argument as she grabbed him by the crook of the elbow, practically hauling him out of his chair.

Dazai duly noted how the setting had changed, how the insultingly blue-skied day had morphed to reds, oranges, and yellow hazes. If he had been dissociating then it must have been for a while. Maybe during that lost time was when he had dropped his face.