Love/Hate (Lemon GarouxReader 🍋)

Playing With Fire (Part 1)

The autumn evening softly settles in, the sky a wistful orange hue as the sun sets over your familiar town as you file off the train with your classmates. You step away from a coughing Tsukiko for a moment and approach Garou.
"Hey," you start before noticing how weary he suddenly looks, "are you ok?" You go to reach your hand towards his face but quickly pull back, wondering whether that would be ok to do with so many people around.
"Yeah, why?" He looks at you, tired and puzzled. All he wants to do is feel you against him, in his arms, but there's so many people around that he thinks twice, doesn't reckon that would fly.
"You need to get some sleep, ok?" You glance up at him, suddenly feeling exhausted yourself. "Tsukiko's pretty sick so I'm going to wait for her mum with her and go back with them ok? You're usually...out...now anyway aren't you?" You say tucking some loose strands of hair behind your ear before the sharp breeze can get to them.
He shrugs noncommittally.
"Ok, well, I'll see you tomorrow morning then? Usual time?" you confirm, thinking of Ryo and Tareo, their weekly excitement for the trip to Bang's dojo.
There's a silent pause. A pause you find a little unsettling.
"Yeah," he finally says, casual as ever but you can see something distant and a little painful in his eyes, set ablaze by the dying sun.
You just want to throw your arms around his neck, kiss him but...you look around all the people.
Your own shining eyes look concerned, worried. And that's the last thing he wants to do, give you any more reasons to stress. Right now he just wants to press you close, reassure you, and maybe himself, that...that what? That everything's just fine and dandy? Even if it feels like it's not? Like there's something tight in his chest? Like he's trying to pull two things together, things that don't want to be near each other but he's forcing them to be. Or maybe instead of him pulling two opposite things together it's him who's being pulled apart?
Either way...look at all these people around.
It's not the right time. But...
You leave each other on the crowded platform wanting so much more, an unfortunate case of miscommunication.

You get into the backseat of the compact little car with Tsukiko and are faced with a cheerful barrage of questions, Tsukiko's mother being as outgoing as her chatty daughter. You watch and listen to them banter affectionately, wondering what it's like as Tsukiko rolls her smiling eyes at her mother's clucky concern over her stuffy nose and general sickly demeanour.
"I'm fiiine," Tsukiko sighs.
"What about you, dear?" The attractive woman twists her neck to give you a quick smile before turning back to the road. "Did you enjoy the trip? This one," she nods backwards at Tsukiko, "didn't give you too much trouble?"
"No, not at all," you can't help but laugh at the playfulness which seems to come so naturally in this family. "She was a model student," you wink secretly at Tsukiko.
"Ha!" Her mum shakes her head, grinning a fuschia pink smile, mischievous as her daughter as she comes to a stop at yet another red traffic light. "Good one," she says as she turns to look at you properly while the car is stationary. "And what about you? I feel like I haven't seen you in an age! Are you going ok? Is there anything you need?"
"Yes, yes!" You say quickly, her motherly concern always a little too overwhelming. "I'm fine, very good. Nothing particular to report here."
"Great!" she beams as the light turns green. "You'll have dinner with us tonight then won't you?"
"Yes, she will!" Tsukiko grabs your arm. "What are we having?"
"Taco rice! I went to the store today and they were having a special on..."
You smile and let yourself be carried away on this wave of family affection as the familiar streets rush by outside.

By the time you make it home later that night, the stars bright above you, you feel beat. More so than you expected. You take a quick lazy shower and climb into bed, sensing a headache coming on but too tired to worry about it as you drift off, your last thought only being how much you miss Garou in your bed right now as you pull the covers tighter over you.

Even later Garou makes it back to his own place. His subconscious had taken him down a winding path of alleys and dimly lit side streets, like a wild, untamed part of his mind suddenly unmuzzled, unbound and unleashed, just looking for trouble but tonight it was a little too early, a little too quiet. A wild animal left disappointed, pacing back and forth, growling in the cage of his thoughts.