Love/Hate (Lemon GarouxReader 🍋)

Prized Possession

And just like that summer break comes to its inevitable end. No one has notified the weather, however, and you find yourself under the heat of what promises to be a scorching sun as you and Tsukiko stroll to school on Monday morning.
Half the school year is already gone and all the implications of this weigh heavy on you. Before you know it, everyone will be busy with university applications or job hunting. There's so much riding on these last six months. But you don't let your deep apprehension show, not wanting to be a downer. Your friend senses your uneasiness but doesn't know what to say herself, not wanting to bring up a topic that will only stress you out even more and feels a little angry with herself for being so useless.
'"Hey," you say, as if suddenly remembering. "Can you paint me something for my room?"
"Again?" she says, a little incredulous. Not because she minds doing it but because her self-consciousness when it comes to her own talent won't let her believe how much you like her art. The fact that you already have four of her artworks hanging in your room is almost too much for her to handle.
"Yeah," you nod brightly. "I really want a nice landscape. I'm envisioning like summer and mountains and dramatic clouds. Or whatever you want really. You're the expert. I want to hang it in that space above my dresser."
Despite her embarrassment Tsukiko can't help but beam back, giving you a little salute.
"Understood! I already know exactly what I'm gonna do...!" she gets carried away excitedly, the colours and shapes swirling together in her mind, coming to form a solid idea.

Garou casually slips into his seat a moment before Mr. Yukimura enters the room and you all make your way back to your assigned desks.
He pauses in the middle of the room on the way back to his desk, his 'World's Best Teacher' mug in one hand and a bunch of papers in the other, casts his tired eye over you all.
"Sir!" Tsukiko pipes up, her hand in the air but she doesn't wait for permission to speak. "Aren't you happy to see us?"
"Ecstatic," he says, his face remaining a stony mask of indifference. "So children, what exciting things did you do over the summer?" he asks, the question delivered in a complete monotone as he opens up his laptop.
The class breaks out into an overly enthusiastic, happy buzz.
"Well, my boyfriend and I went..." Tsukiko crosses one leg over the other and twirls her ponytail.
"I went camping with my family! We always go to..." Yumi chatters away with her dazzling smile.
"Me and my brother went to watch the game at..." Ichirou almost jumps out of his seat, one of the loudest.
"My brother and I," Kimi corrects him gloomily but he doesn't hear her.
"I worked in my uncle's shop. He's a mechanic so..." Ryoma booms.
"What about you?" Garou suddenly turns around and gives you his most confident, lewdest grin. "Who- I mean, what," he corrects himself innocently, the obscene smirk still plastered on his face, "did you do?"
Your first instinct is to slap that confidence right out of him but you pause. If it's smut he wants, then fine, smut he'll get. You glance around the room for a moment, watching the excitement of your classmates, too enthralled by their own stories.
"Garou!" you say with breathless, feigned shock. "I'm not that kind of girl," you pull your hair softly across your face, covering your blushing cheeks. "I don't kiss and tell."
"Oh, come on," he coaxes with a charming wink. "You can tell me. I know how to keep a secret."
"Ok..." you say nervously, letting go of your hair. "There's this guy..." you lean over your desk, closer to him and drop your voice to a whisper. "And he..." you time your hesitation perfectly.
"I'm listenin'" he gives you a sly, wolfish grin.
"He's really handsome," you bite your lip. "And..."
"And..." see he urges you on.
"...he's really strong. So amazing," you gush as you watch Garou's chest practically swell with arrogant pride. "And..."
"And fuckin' smart I bet," he nods.
"Meh," you shrug, twisting your hand in the air, indicating average mediocrity at which his eyes narrow and his gaze darkens for a moment. But you ignore that, already well on your risqué trajectory. "But you know what I really can't get enough of?"
"What's that?" you pique his interest once more.
You beckon him closer, looking around furtively, making sure everyone's still too busy recounting their holiday shenanigans. He leans in, and with your lips right at his ear in a racy whisper: "His big, hard cock. Oh God I love it so much. Especially when he fucks my brains out. I love feeling him pound into my wet, wet pussy. Just talking about it is making me so horny. I can already feel my panties getting soaked just thinking about sucking that cock of his..."
"Alright, alright. Calm down. It was a rhetorical question," Mr. Yukimura holds up his hand when the noise level gets too much, never looking up from his laptop screen. Christ. He could use a smoke right about now he thinks as he reflexively pats his shirt pocket, forgetting that his cigarette packet's in the desk drawer.
Ichirou looks genuinely confused. Was it? Was it a rhetorical question? He thought a rhetorical question was when you didn't need an answer. But he's not so sure now. Is Mr. Yukimura joking?
Ryoma wonders what rhetorical means.
"I don't think that's how rhetorical questions work," Yumi says with a little nervous laugh.
"...when his cock is in my mouth I just-" you continue, paying no heed to what's going on around you, wrapping Garou tighter right around your little finger with every word.
"'Your Name'-chan!" Ichirou mutters furtively from across the isle, a little further back, not wanting to draw attention to himself, completely oblivious to your covert conversation with Garou. "'Your Name'-chan!" He hisses.
"Yes?" you pull away from Garou and turn around and smile at him politely.
Garou looks like he's about to murder Ichirou in a very slow and very painful way.
"Was that really a rhetorical question?" he says, still terribly puzzled and trying to work it out in his head. You can see the gears of his brain really cranking there.
You're about to answer when Garou snaps, barking at Ichirou.
"How fuckin' stupid can you-!!"
"No!" you quickly cut Garou off. "No, it wasn't a rhetorical question. He's just being his usual sarcastic self," you smile at your hapless classmate before getting back to Garou. "Be nice!" you say, smacking him across the shoulder while Ichirou looks utterly relieved to have his confusion resolved.
With Ichirou quickly forgotten, Garou gestures for you to keep whispering sweetly into his ear.
"Continue," he orders.
"Continue what?" you ask, terribly clueless, batting your eyelashes at him.
Oh you sly little minx! Alright. Have it your way. You've already done what you set out to do. You definitely got him. Good thing there's still a solid fifteen minutes of homeroom left because he couldn't possibly stand up now. The sight would be positively indecent.
Garou lazes back in his chair, ego thoroughly stroked, putty in your hands really. You just have a magical way with words. He's just replaying them in his mind, complete with visuals, when Mr. Yukimura looks up from his admin work.
"Listen up," he clicks his fingers. "Important notice," he says, though his tone of voice completely fails to capture the urgency. "Your Friday option class that's before lunch has been swapped to last period. I'm not reminding you again. Physics before lunch, option last period," and then he disappears back into his emails, taking a sip of his instant coffee a little too aggressively, muttering obscenities under his breath, the emails having really piled up.
There's a general cheer from the class. For the most part, everyone likes their elective class. They chose it after all. But not many people enjoy physics, and especially not on Friday last period, and especially not with Mr. Takase who never stops being such a hardass, always making you work right up until the last minute. Because the bell doesn't dismiss you. Mr. Takase does. Period.
You're pretty happy about the change and so is Tsukiko. French class will be a nice way to end the week. And suddenly you realise. You have no idea what option Garou does. He started the year late and you were too focused on getting him caught up in all the core subjects that you didn't even think about what he signed up for.
"Hey," you say as he looks like he's in some far away and very happy dream.
"Yeah?" he refocuses on you again.
"What elective do you do?" you ask.
"Home ec," he replies, not missing a beat.
You stare at him for a few moments.
Home ec? Yeah, right.
"Oh come on," you roll your eyes. "What class are you really in?"
"What are you implying?" he looks at you suspiciously.
"I'm not implying anything," you say, suddenly defensive.
"That's pretty sexist," he starts, awfully offended. "In this day and age..." he shakes his head sadly and now you really want to slap him. "It's my favourite fuckin' subject too," he says.
"Alright, fine," you sigh. "What do you do in home ec?"
"Make cupcakes and shit," he says.
"Oh yeah? And I bet you're the best in your class," you say, quickly trying to remember who here does home ec so you can double check this, just in case. You know he's bullshitting you but you just want to be vindicated in your suspicions.
"You bet I fuckin' am," he says.
"There's nothing more attractive than a man who can cook," you murmur, your eyes full of lustful desire. "And your cupcakes are beautiful, I'm sure. I'd love to see them next time," you say, full of eagerness, making a mental note that Ichirou does home ec.
He's about to give you a smart ass reply but is cut off by Mr. Yukimura.
"Hope you all haven't forgotten you have your mid-year exams in a few weeks," he says, having had enough of his emails. "Yumi and Sho are handing out the exam schedule. Just like last year, the exams will cover all the topics you've done so far. Your teachers will set aside time for revision. I'd start studying now if I were you."
Of course, you think. It will be just like last year. Calc: fail. History: fail. Literature: fail. Chemistry: fail... And the list goes on. You always make a point of remaining optimistic and persevering no matter what. Otherwise, what kind of example will you be setting for Ryo? But you can't escape the seriousness, the importance of these exams and the real, final ones at the end of the year anymore. There's too much at stake. You feel something heavy and unpleasant inside, almost suffocating.
Yumi walks down the isle, handing a white sheet to Garou and then to you. Garou barely glances at it as he shoves it in his bag, already forgotten, but you scan the information carefully. You have three and a bit weeks from today.
He watches you looking at the paper, cute cheeks scrunched up in apprehension. He can tell that inside you're starting to worry. And he wishes he could take it all away from you. Everything that makes you feel worried, makes you stress. You already have enough to deal with.
"Guess I'll just have to make more time for studying," you look up at him, the small forced smile on your pretty lips killing him a little inside.
"Are you-"
"I'm fine!" you say, artificially bright as you fold the piece of paper carefully and slip it into a hardcover book in your bag. "I've got to get going," you stand up and sling your backpack over your shoulder, readying yourself for PE. "You know how it is...we girls take forever to get changed," you try to joke but he can see the subtle tension in your eyes, knowing all your expressions so well. "See you out there!" you smile at him as you hook your arm through Tsukiko's and make your way towards the classroom door.
Fuck. All this strength, all this power and yet right now he can't give you what you need, can't make it better. He stays in his seat a little too long, wondering, lost in thought. A mix of anger at himself and sadness for you. That painful look in your eyes... He'd do anything to make sure you never have to wear that expression again.
And at the same time he can't help but admire your persistence, your determination. Despite setback after setback, you've never given up. And at the end of day, he doesn't care what you end up doing after you leave school, doing with your life. No matter what happens, you will always, always, be amazing to him.