Love/Hate (Lemon GarouxReader 🍋)

Fear and Loathing

A week later it becomes apparent that your and Tsukiko's quick escape wasn't the last you would see of the monsters. Every city begins reporting sudden attacks and the news becomes a depressing, frightful watch every night. Eventually you just turn it off for good.
You start walking Ryo to school every morning with Tsukiko and the tension in the city is palpable, even on the outskirts where you live which is usually spared the worst of it.
There's so much speculation, rumours and conspiracy theories about why all these monster attacks are suddenly happening that no one knows what to believe anymore.
Even Mr. Yukimura seems much more on edge than usual and there is no celebration or the usual cheerful mood among your classmates as the school year comes to a close. Usually, people would be planning trips and parties and other typical teenage outings for the short break before you begin your third year in April but everyone is unusually quiet on this front. The only thing anyone is interested in talking about is the current monster situation.
"No, I heard," Ichirou proclaims in homeroom to his usual group, "that the monsters are actually mutant experiments by the government gone wrong and they're trying to take revenge!"
"That's the dumbest thing I ever heard," Tsukiko rolls her eyes and her gum in her mouth as she turns towards Ichirou.
"Where did you even get that idea?" you ask, turning around as well. It seems unusually too crackpot, even for Ichirou.
"My uncle works with this guy whose friend-"
"Yeah, ok," Tsukiko cuts him off. " Got it. So basically tinfoil hat," she says and turns back away from him.
Ichirou looks a bit hurt but it doesn't stop him from dropping his voice and plunging right back into his tale to his immediate group at the back who are listening, enthralled.
All the monsters so far have been defeated but you worry how long that might last. What if one appears that even an S Class hero wouldn't be able to take on? They do seem to be getting stronger and stronger.
"Do you think the Hero Association will have to get more members?" you ask your friend as you prop your head up in your hand and stare gloomily out the window, wondering what bad news today will bring.
"They'll have to, won't they? It can't go on like this," she says. "Can it...?"
You both fall silent, too overwhelmed by the possibility.

Second year ends on a particularly low and quiet note.

You spend the break uneventfully, looking after Ryo and your cousins, too apprehensive to leave them alone during the day, and Tsukiko comes and keeps you company as much as she can. Your days fall into a predictable rhythm, sitting on the couch, watching terrible daytime TV while your cousins play and Tsukiko lounges on the floor sketching this and that while you collect her sketches at the end, saving them from the bin.
Only one particularly exciting thing happens and it occurs on an unexpectedly warm late March day.
You sit on the bench outside, supervising your cousins on the playground, Ryo playing some particularly energetic game with Tareo as they dart across the yard, hiding behind trees and playground equipment.
"Stay where I can see you!" You call out to them, crossing one leg over the other, wearing shorts for the first time this year, enjoying the warmth of the early spring sun. You're about to open a book you've been meaning to read when Tsukiko comes rushing through the courtyard. You weren't expecting her for another half an hour.
"Look!" she exclaims, panting from her run. "Look!" she exclaims again thrusting her phone close to your face.
"Wait..wait..." you tease calmly, putting your book to the side. "Slow down...gather your thoughts."
"I got this from an unknown number!" she says, quickly taking a seat next to you. "Look!" she holds out her phone again.
You take the brightly cased smartphone and peer down, shielding the screen from the sunlight to see better.
"Well!" you also now exclaim. "Well, well, well..."
"I know right!" she buzzes with excitement.
You look closer gain at the photo of a very fine looking, shirtless but unrecognizable male specimen, cropped just below the chin and just above the hips.
"And you have no idea who this is?" you confirm
"Nuh-uh," Tsukiko shakes her head sadly.
"Did you reply?" you ask.
"Sure did," she beams.
"What did you say?"
"Say?"
"What?"
"What?"
And you can see by the mischievous, smutty look on Tsukiko's face she definitely went with the 'a picture is worth a thousand words' approach.
"And did he reply to that?" you ask, raising a cocky eyebrow.
"...no," she says, looking around a little suspiciously.
"Are you lying?" you ask like a parent questioning a naughty but adorable child.
"Yes."
"So he did reply."
"Maybe," she says, biting her lip.
"I'd ask to see it," you laugh, "but I can guess."
"It's uh...a little R rated..." she says, almost blushing, which is unheard of for Tsukiko.
"Alright, alright, keep your secrets," you grin. You have too many of your own and so you can't really talk here.
"Onee-chan!" Ryo runs up to you. "Oh! Hi Tsukiko onee-chan!" he suddenly notices her presence.
"Hey little guy!" she pats his ruffled hair making him laugh.
"Onee-chan!" he turns back to you. "Can we go play inside?"
"Sure," you say, picking up your book and calling your cousins over to head back in.
Ryo and Tareo go on ahead of you, your cousins trailing behind, and you're too engrossed in your conversation with Tsukiko to notice the arrival of a small group of boys on the edge of the playground.