Garou x Reader (Grey)

Chapter 10: Show and Tell

haha, wow it's been a while lovelies... i know it's super annoying how long it takes for me to update this story, but i promise, i'm really trying. this chapter was hard to write, no gonna lie, but it turned out really well i think! hope it was worth it ^^ i also wanted to thank all of you guys for reading, commenting, and voting; it means so much to me. i can't believe we're at 7k!!! that's insane!!! i still remember getting excited over 1k uwu anyways, you guys are literally so amazing for sticking with me and this story, i hope you all have a safe and wonderful new year!!!

I didn't know why I was in the bathroom. I didn't know why I had run. I didn't know why it was so hard for me to keep back tears. An eyelash shouldn't hurt this much.

There were a lot of things that I couldn't figure out at the moment, but one thing that I knew for sure was that someone was on the outside, jiggling the handle furiously. "Y/n?" The rough, gravelly voice could only belong to one man. I didn't say anything, instead staring at myself in the mirror, furiously rubbing my eyes to get that pesky eyelash out. The door knob jiggled again followed by more knocking. "Y/n, open the door... Please..."

I had finally gotten the eyelash out, but, when I looked in the mirror, tears were still coming down. Mumbling over how stupid my eyes were, I pressed my sleeves against my eyes until they were mostly dry. Then, when my damp sleeve, I opened the door just enough to catch a sliver of his face. "Can I not use the bathroom in peace?"

Garou grinned softly, somehow managing to set my heart beating wildly even after what just happened. "C'mon Y/n, let me in." He began to push on the door and I fought wildly to keep it closed. "Stop! This is harassment!" Garou chuckled, but didn't let up at all. Instead, he seemed to push even harder. Struggling to close the door, I began to panic as my feet slipped across the floor, quickly losing ground.

I heard a small shuffle, along with a bump against the door, when all the resistance was released. I was sent flying backwards into a pair of strong arms while the door swung shut. The door locked, Garou cautiously bringing his hand back to wrap around my waist, moving as though I would run away at any second. He hugged me from behind and I couldn't help but melt at his touch, leaning into his chest. "Why are you here?" My voice was barely audible, almost as if I was talking to myself.

There was a pause between us; a small beat of silence just long enough to be noticeable. "Because..." He cleared his throat and I could practically feel the glowing warmth of his face. "Because, you were crying and all... I just, well, you know..." His fingers fiddled around with themselves as he searched for his words. "Ah, don't make me explain obvious things!" I giggled softly, trying to hold back the sadness in my voice. "Well, with you, nothing's obvious."

"I like you."

I froze completely at his words, my pulse escalating. "What?" Again, a soft breathiness clung to my speech. Garou's grip on my tightened, bringing me even closer toward his body. His head hung low, stray pieces of his grey hair tickling my own. Something warm grazed my ear, making contact ever so briefly with each passing word.

"I like you."

And here, in the small, cramped bathroom of a restaurant I had never heard of, hidden away in the alleys of the city, these words changed everything. It was nothing more than a thin beginning of a promise, uttered by a gravelly voice which had lulled me to sleep every night since I first heard it. "Garou..." My heart couldn't take such teasing; it was cruel and unusual punishment for my mind. I turned around, my eyes watering as I tried to find his through my warped sight. "Do you even know what you're saying?"

His rough fingertips touched my face with surprising care, rubbing away the tears that had started to fall already. "I think so."

"Thinking isn't good enough! Not when-" I was cut off by a sharp jolt to my chin. Garou's once gentle touch had quickly shifted to a rough hold, his whole hand gripping my jaw. He smirked, his eyes narrowing affectionately. "Y/n, I've never been very good with words. Whatever I say will just make things worse. So, let me show you instead..."