Sorry this took so long!

it's a shorter chapter but i hope you like it! :)

Ondera stood by the door, staring it at, feeling his heart pound in his chest. He hadn't stepped outside Takano's apartment since he'd arrived, every time he thought of going outside this fear would overwhelm him and he wouldn't even be able to be by the door, he'd retreat back into the apartment and into the comfort of the bed. This time though, the brunette was determined not to let this fear get the better of him. He reached a shaky hand out to the door and placed his hand on the handle, his whole body trembled with fear and it became hard to swallow. He squeezed his eyes shut and forced his hand to open the door, as it swung open his vision began to blur, he couldn't even take a step towards the hallway outside Takano's apartment.

"Ritsu?"

Takano came up behind him and covered Onodera's cold hand that was gripping the door handle so hard his knuckles were going white. "It's okay. No one can hurt you. I'm here." Takano repeated comforting words in his ear until he felt the brunette's body begin to relax. "Shall we go out into the hallway?" Onodera's body tensed up but he managed a slight nod. "If you're not ready we can wait. I'll wait as long as you need."

The brunette turned so their torsos were flush against each other, resting his forehead on Takano's chest. "I…I have to do this." Takano placed a kiss on the top of the brunette's head and took hold of his shoulders. "One step at a time."

"Thank you, Takano-san." Onodera gripped onto his shirt and took a deep breath before tentatively sliding his left foot back towards the door.

"You can do this, Ritsu." Takano lifted Onodera's face to look up at him, their eyes met and Takano held the beautiful green eyes with his, gently encouraging him back towards the door. "Takano-san…I c-can't…I…" The brunette stopped moving, his back right in the archway of the door. "Please…I want to go b-back." Takano wrapped Onodera in his arms and lifted a hand to stroke the back of his hair.

"You're almost there, Ritsu. Just a little more."

Onodera shook his head and started to push back against Takano's chest. "Let m-me ba-back in."

Takano gave in and Onodera stumbled back inside, he fell to his knees and clutched at his stomach, finding it hard to breathe. Takano knelt down in front of the brunette and ruffled his soft hair. "You did well, Ritsu. You were almost out the door." The brunette looked up and searched Takano's eyes.

"I'm a coward."

The raven-haired man shook his head with a gentle smile, allowing Onodera to calm down before speaking again. "You are not a coward. You are as far from a coward as you can get, Ritsu. After everything that happened to you, just the fact that you're still here and still fighting-"

Takano was interrupted by a knock on the door, Onodera jumped and the fear in his eyes spilled out in tears. "Ritsu go to the bedroom and don't come out unless I come and get you." The brunette nodded and ran to hide in the bedroom, diving under the covers like a small child trying to hide from the monster in the closet. Only this monster was currently stood at the front door.

Takano waited until the bedroom door had shut before getting to his feet and looking through the peep hole and feeling anger and hatred swirling in his stomach. He yanked the door open but blocked the entrance. "What do you want?"
Takafumi smiled and peered over Takano's shoulder. "I'm here to pick up something I left behind last time."

"Stay away from my apartment."

"Not until you've returned what's mine."

Takano leaned on the doorframe and hid the left part of his body behind the door, reaching into his pocket to get his phone and called the detective, his number saved on speed dial for situations like this. "Oh go ahead, Masamune. Call the police. Let them know the evil Yokozowa Takafumi is here. They can't do anything to me."

Takano stepped back and opened the door a little wider, playing a dangerous game but one that might just work. "Fine. Come in."

Takafumi smiled and stepped into the apartment, not bothering to take off his shoes. This wasn't what bothered Takano, it was the smug smile stuck on his face that annoyed him. He shut the door a little too hard and turned to follow Takafumi inside. "He's not here at the moment."

Takafumi sat down on the couch, crossing his legs and stretching his arms out either side of him. "Then we'll wait until he gets back."

Silence filled the apartment and Takano saw on his phone that the detective was listening to the whole conversation, he needed to get Takafumi to say something incriminating. "Ritsu is not a possession, nor is he a pet. You can't own people."

Takafumi smiled, aware of what Takano was doing but played along. "Money is power, Masamune. Some people just use it in better ways than others."

The brunette pulled the sheets closer around him as he heard another person enter the apartment, he knew who it was and he wondered why Takano would let that man in. Did he plan on handing him over? Was Takano tired of him already? These questions weighed heavily on his heart and he sat up slowly, staring at the door, thinking that if he handed himself back to Takafumi this would all be over. Takano could go back to work, he wouldn't have the burden of looking after him anymore. The brunette got off of the bed and walked in a daze over to the door, his heart breaking at the thought of leaving Takano but he couldn't bring himself to stay with the man anymore, not if it brought the monster to his door. He gripped the handle, the fear the same as if he was going outside. He turned the handle slowly, imagining Takano's warm body pressed against his, his long, muscled arms around his waist. His hot breath by his ear as he whispered encouragement and loving words. Onodera took a deep breath and pulled the door open, the voices in the living room going silent as he stepped out.

apologies for any mistakes!

what did you think?

i know it's not my best but this is leading up to the ending of this story!

yes, it is that time...the story will be ending soon

please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you think will happen next!

till next time!