Escapism, Chapter 1: Spawn Point [Snippet]

[hypermoyashi]

Fandom: Bungou Stray Dogs
Relationship(s): Dazai Osamu/Nakahara Chuuya, Dazai Osamu & Oda Sakunosuke
Warnings: Swearing, Depression, Past Drug Use, Dazai-typical Suicide Mentions, Hospitals, Questionable Medical Accuracy, Alcohol, Implied/Reference Sex
Summary: When Chuuya started overworking himself at Kouyou’s tattoo parlor, she seemed to think the solution was to give him two weeks off to dip his toes into VR gaming for the first time. And it might have been, if an annoying bard in a fantasy MMO would stop pestering him every time he went online.

-/-/-

Never in Chuuya’s life had he ever been interested in video games. As a child, it had been the furthest thing from his mind, something that every other child had been able to enjoy but left barred from him. As a teenager, he’d tasted enough violence firsthand that virtual simulations of it simply lacked appeal. As an adult? He was too busy to even consider it.

So why, exactly, Kouyou was sitting across from him in his living room, with a slightly used VR gaming system set between them, was currently a bit of a mystery to Chuuya.

“You’ve been working too much,” she finally said.

He frowned at that, finger drumming against one knee. “And? You need the extra help in the shop.”

“I needed extra help at the shop,” she corrected. “Now, we have a steady client base, acceptable profit margins, and a suitably sized staff. You, however, have continued to work as though we’re about to go under.”

“I…” Chuuya opened his mouth to argue, but the severe look Kouyou gave him had him closing it again.

She sighed, her features softening, almost imperceptibly. “I appreciate it, I really do. But recently, I think you’ve forgotten how to relax. You’re running yourself ragged when you don’t really need to. When was the last time you spoke with either Tachihara or Akutagawa?”

“It’s been a while,” he admitted.

“I’m giving you two weeks off.”

He almost choked on air. With the direction the conversation had been heading, he’d expected a few days, but weeks? “You can’t let me off for that long,” he started, the words heavy with futility on his tongue. Arguing with Kouyou never went well. “I’m still your second best artist.”

“You don’t think I can handle your clients while you’re gone?” she asked, her tone practically daring Chuuya to see what would happen if he questioned her competence.

He groaned, knowing full well that he was fighting a losing battle. “Fine, fine, I hear you. I’ll take that break. But, I have to ask…” He eyed the machine sitting on the table. “Why video games, of all the things you could’ve gotten me?”

“It was on sale,” Kouyou explained, then added, “I’ve heard Tachihara likes them, as well, and it’s not as though you’ve taken up any hobbies that aren’t work related.”

[ Read it on Ao3 ]