Author's Note: Sorry for short updates lately.

Takano

I never thought a time would come where I would start to give up on Onodera. Lately I'd been feeling more and more useless. I piled more work in front of myself to lose myself in something else. I hadn't slept or ate anything in awhile, but it was fine. If Onodera wasn't going to pay attention there was really no reason. I sat on the subway looking through his corrections. He was across from me but it seemed like a world away. "These are fine. You can send them."

I got off at my stop and walked quickly inside, shutting my door and then sliding down it. Now I was avoiding him. It was something I'd never really thought of. Now I was afraid of serious rejection. I knew I wouldn't be able to handle it. I re-lived the moment when Onodera broke up with me everyday at some point. I regretted laughing like that with all my heart. It was something Onodera would never understand. He was to upset with me. "I'm such an idiot." I ran a bath and forced myself to get in.

I was almost asleep when I heard the door open. I wasn't in the mood for Yokozawa today. "Takano-san? Is everything okay?" It was Onodera. I could tell by his soft footsteps. He pushed open the bathroom door.

"I almost fell asleep." Now that everything was drained out of me, I could feel how weak I was. My stomach hurt, I needed sleep, my eyes ached. "I haven't eaten or slept in days."

"Takano-san! Take care of yourself." Onodera sighed. "I'll stay with you tonight. Hurry out and I'll make you some food." Onodera walked into the kitchen where I could hear pans clattering about. He'd figured out where everything was without me telling him.

"You know where everything is?" I sat at the table. I was too lazy to dry my hair. A towel sat on top of my head while my hair dripped onto the table, forming a small puddle.

"When you were sick that one time I figured it out. I can't make anything special." It was fine as long as he was here. "Takano-san you're going to ruin the table." Onodera walked over and started to dry my hair.

"Ritsu...I miss you. I miss how things were. I'm at my limit." He kept his hand on my head.

"The water is boiling." He walked back into the kitchen and started on the only thing he knew how to make. It was a bland, but delicious soup. I never knew how something so simple, was always good. Maybe because it was so familiar. Maybe it was because I loved Onodera. He set it in front of me and sat on the floor by my feet. Onodera always did weird things like that.

"You don't have to sit on the floor." He looked up.

"It's a habit." He slept on the floor too. His table was probably piled high with books. He must do everything on the floor. Sleep, eat, and whatever else Onodera did, reading I guess.

I was falling asleep before I even finished. Onodera took the bowl. "You can eat it tomorrow. You can have the whole pot." He wrapped it up and stuck it in the fridge. "Come on, Takano-san. You can barely hold your head up." Onodera walked me to my room and helped me to the bed.

"You should stay. At least on the couch. Then you won't have to sleep on the floor." Onodera sat on the edge of the bed.

"I'll stay until you fall asleep." I wanted to stay awake so he wouldn't leave.

"That's not enough." Onodera patted my leg, but didn't say anything else. "Onodera I can't take anymore of this."

"What do you want from me Takano-san?" He sounded tired, defeated. I didn't like it.

"I want you!" I sat up.

"You think it'll fix anything. Fine." Onodera unbuttoned his shirt, not in his usual clumsy way but quickly and precisely. "You can have me. Do what you want. Will that make you happy?" He was crying.

"No! I want you to want me to..." He stood up.

"It won't happen." He walked out. I heard the front door shut. I lay back and stared at the ceiling until morning came. And when it was time to go to work I shut off my alarm and ignored everyone's calls.

Onodera

Takano never showed up to work. I knew it was my fault. He was ahead in work. He needed a day off, that's what Yokozawa said. That's the lie he told. I sat on the train hugging my bag close. I had to go see him. I needed to, even if I was scared. The door was open just like last night. I walked through the house quietly. It was dark. I could barely see anything. "Takano-san? It's Onodera."

I made my way to the bed. He was lying there wide awake. I slid under the covers next to him. How easy it would be if we could forget everything, but I was the heir to a company. I had my life planned out ahead of me. Things would never be as easy as Takano wanted them to be. They would never be the way I hoped for. Tonight...I didn't care. My hands found Takano's face in the darkness. "Takano-san...it'll never work."

"Does that really matter?" Yes. No. I didn't know.

"I don't know." I could feel his weight on top of me now.

"We have some time right?" I didn't know that either.

"We have now." I could feel Takano's eyes staring.

"That'll have to be good enough for now." I just wanted to stop running. I was running from something I didn't want to be running from. "I just want to sleep like this. Just stay tonight. Don't leave when I fall asleep."

"Okay." I let Takano sleep on me. I looked out the window at the moon. Tomorrow would come and I would regain my senses, unfortunately.