Love/Hate (Lemon GarouxReader 🍋)

Deliverance - Part 2

Author's note: Samuel Barber - Adagio for Strings

~*~

As King and his charges approach ever closer, there is a disquieting silence which bothers the world's strongest man more than the violent sounds of battle that had just reverberated throughout the night.
Tatsumaki's green supernatural haze has dissipated and it feels like everything hangs in the balance.
From their vantage point, their view blocked by large chunks of debris and broken stone, they do not see Garou in the distance.
But it's Tareo who is the first to spot Fubuki ahead of them to the right.
"Look!" He points urgently at Fubuki's cowering body in the shadows. "There's someone!"
King peers into the darkness but cannot yet make out who exactly it is as they hunch over low to the ground.
"Is it a hero?" Ryo wonders out loud. "Hey!" He yells and waves as he speeds up as much as his tired legs will allow. "Hey!" But his words are carried away by the wind and Fubuki does not hear him.
The three attempt to run but their feet, blistered and fatigued won't let them as they put one in front of the other as best they can.
King recognises the hero first.
"Fubuki?" His eyes widen in surprise, the word like sandpaper in his throat as he crouches down next to the black-haired woman. "Fubuki?" He gently puts his hand on her shoulder as she rocks a little back and forth, as if in her own world.
Ryo and Tareo stand a little back, suddenly apprehensive, unsure of what to do, not used to seeing an adult in such a deep state of fright.
"Fubuki," King tries again, his voice kind with concern. "Fubuki, what happened? What did you see?"
Finally, she looks up at him with glassy eyes, as if not seeing him for a moment before opening her mouth. She manages one word, an all encompassing word:
"Fear."
Ryo and Tareo are torn. This lady looks like she needs help. But they're so close.
Over those rocks, over that obstacle that blocks their view, less than half a mile away, and yet so far, they may find what they're looking for.
"We need to go," Ryo informs King with Tareo by his side as the man sits carefully next to Fubuki, his arm lightly around her shoulders.
And for once, for the first time in his life, King taps into his authority.
"No," he says loudly, firmly.
There is something terrible in the air. Even he can feel it. And he will not let these children out of his sight now.
"But-" Tareo grips the edges of his t-shirt in his hands, twisting it restlessly.
"No!" King repeats, standing up, towering over the boys, not so much menacing as he is worried, panicked. "We're staying here. You've come far enough."
"We need to-" Ryo tries to explain as he turns away but King catches him by the back of his shirt.
"No," King says, voice gentler now. "I'm not going to lose the two of you now." Not after everything they have been through.
This is the first time he has felt responsible for someone other than himself. Someone else's safety, their life. The weight of this responsibility, it almost crushes him, reduces him to an anxious mess. But he will not give up now.
The boys are safe. And he isn't going to take a single chance having come this far.
He has done his job. He will stay here and protect them till the last.
He will go down with this ship if he has to.
But inside, he hopes, prays, that someone, something will still save the day.
Somehow, save them all.

Garou looks the newcomer up and down.
Who is this bald fool in this clownish outfit?
It doesn't matter. He has no time for grunt workers now.
"Die."
His punch never reaches Saitama as he tilts his head casually, Garou's fist whistling by.
"What the hell was that for? Don't drag me into your petty squabble," the low-ranked hero brushes dust off his bright yellow sleeve.
Petty squabble?
For a moment Garou is perplexed.
Did this imbecile not just witness Garou killing off these heroes one by one? And how did he manage to dodge that attack? Even Flashy Flash was not capable... Was it sheer dumb luck?
Either way, this is...unexpected.
"I have no idea who you are or what your deal is but you beat up some people and as a hero I can't pretend I didn't see that," Saitama scratches his head. It's just one bothersome thing after another today.
"A hero?" Garou sneers. "All I see is a cheap costume."
"Huh?" Saitama glances down at himself. "I was about to say the same thing," he grins back up at Garou. "What's with your getup?"
This man has a death wish.
Did the Hero Association send him or did he stumble here by chance?
Garou walks slowly right up to Saitama, his face inches from the hero's.
He stares at him silently for a moment.
Saitama remains oblivious.
"Boo!" Followed by maniacal laughter. "Consider it an honour to be killed by the Hero Hunter's hand."
Suddenly, a spark of excitement flashes across Saitama's eyes.
"Oh! So you're the Hero Hunter!"
Bless this man's heart. He is either extremely stupid or extremely naive or both.
"You're a hero," Garou continues to taunt. "What will you do?"
"About what?" Saitama stares back at him, confused.
"I am going to kill that boy over there," he points to where he last saw Child Emperor. "What will you do to stop me? Or will you run?" He challenges the last hero standing, feeling his teeth ever sharper, muscles ever stronger, brimming with overconfident fury.
Saitama doesn't get it.
"What's with you?" He raises an eyebrow at Garou. What a pain. Ah well. He's had enough adventure for one day and it's about time to end it. "Never mind," he says as he glances around. "For now, I'm just going to kick your ass."
Garou is incredulous as he watches Saitama take a step towards him.
"Are you chicken?" He asks Garou who observes him, motionless.
That word, that tone...
Something inside Garou begins to snap. Warped memories from long ago. From a time he had fought so hard to forget begin to float up and bubble on the surface of his mind. The searing sting of humiliation remembered.
But he is not that boy anymore.
He unleashes a volley of attacks, powerful and explosive, breaking each and every bone of Saitama's body.
They are so overwhelming the impact of his fist against the hero's body shatters the earth, flings up masses of rock around them.
And it is over in nothing more than a second.
He will never run his mouth aga-
As the cloud of dust dissolves, the bright yellow bodysuit stares back at Garou. Saitama's eyes almost bored.
He says nothing. Simply reaches out his own fist and before Garou grasps at what is going on he finds himself speeding on his back, carving out a deep path in the cold ground, head flung back from that single punch.
"You're pretty strong," Saitama calls out from where Garou just was a moment ago. "But I'm not sure," he begins to walk towards the monster and away from the bodies of the heroes, putting distance between them and the fight he is gearing up for. "It's not really clear," he rubs his chin. "This is the first time a monster has gone a bit easy on me. I think you're just a human who wants to be a monster, right? And you're pretty nice too."
Each of Saitama's words opens up a festering scar inside Garou. Scars he had tried all his life to hide. Pretend weren't there. Wrap and bandage them in defiance, cockiness, violence, brutality and finally death.
How was this bald idiot doing this? Twisting a knife in so deep and so secret with just a few words?
This is the schoolyard all over again. But this time, there is so much more at stake. So, so much more.
His life, his purpose is on the line.
There is no more time for talk.
This man must die.
He must be destroyed, obliterated until there is not a single atom left.
He lunges at Saitama quickly, precisely.
Despite the splitting open of his mind, overtaken by a red hot insanity, this new body is a wonder. Each joint, muscle fibre, cell completely synchronized, aware of his killing intent and doing everything to make it happen. This body, like a well-oiled demonic machine, knows what to do despite the storm brewing in his head.
But even this isn't enough.
Saitama slips out of his reach and grabs a tight hold of Garou's armoured arm instead, slamming him into the ground, pulverising the already crushed rock.
Garou stares up at the sky. The stars almost mournful for him.
Just as he thought things were finally over. Just as he was about to crown himself the victor.
Where did this monster of a man come from?