hello!!! sorry for the delay on this chapter guys ^^' i've been traveling, so i never really got the chance to sit down with my laptop and just write. hope this was worth the wait though!!! please have a wonderful night/day everyone <3

"HE'S GAROU?!" Haruhi and Picho resorted to using their freaky synchronization, their eyes practically popping out of their sockets. I completely ignored them, instead waiting for my answer from the man in question. "Well?"

"My hoodie," I walked up to him, his chin now tilted downward to meet my eyes at the reduced distance. He placed a finger against my forehead, suspiciously raising his eyebrow. "You took it didn't you?" Garou added to his point by poking the spot where his finger with every word. Out of instinct, I flinched, pushing his arm away. "Stop that!"

"Maybe once I get my hoodie back." He smirked teasingly, continuing to poke me, this time attacking my whole body. Giggles escaped my mouth against my will, revealing my ultimate weakness. "Oh," Garou's eyes glinted devilishly, taking a pause on his attacks to raise both of his hands menacingly. "It looks like someone is ticklish..."

"Garou, you better not," I backed away as he slowly crept toward me, my hands out in front of myself as though that would protect me from his merciless evil. Fear got the best of me and I sprinted for the back room, Garou and the two onlookers on my heels. Curling up in a corner, I tried to hide any part of my body that would be especially sensitive to his tickling.

"Y/n~" Garou called my name, not seeing my hiding spot at first. Unfortunately, he quickly found me, towering over me and my quivering body. "Please, Garou... Don't do this..." My begging was futile as he licked his lips, the barest hint of pity crossing his face for not even a total second. "Sorry, Y/n, but we already talked about this. I'm no good guy."

With that he hands came down, attacking me while I tried desperately to defend myself; it didn't work. All of his attacks were completely effective, leaving me victim to every critical hit. Laughter poured out of me, starting off as cute giggles, but soon turning into something that resembled screaming.

Garou, on the other hand, was enjoying himself thoroughly, chuckling just as much as I was. "Guys!" I managed to sputter out some words between my laughter and my squirming. "Help me!"

"And ruin this moment?!" Haruhi gasped with fake horror, placing her hand against her forehead. "That would be sinful!" I glared at her, my attempt at intimidation being ruined by another burst of giggles, triggered by Garou's hands. "Look! If that's what you're worried about, don't be! You're already a sinner!"

"Now I'm definitely not helping you," Haruhi snickered as I turned my attention to Picho, who had his phone out. "Don't look at me, Y/n-chan. I'm much too busy taking wonderful pictures of you two!" My hopes were crushed to dust by their words, Garou still making me laugh so much that my sides were starting to burn.

"Ga... Garou," My voice was weak and breathy as I had no extra air to use for speaking. I gave up on trying to protect myself, instead just grabbing both of his hands and lacing my fingers through his. He paused briefly, caught off guard by my touch and staring into my tear filled eyes. "Please... Please, I can't take anymore."

"Whoa, guys, calm down!" Haruhi waved her hand in front of her nose, her voice dripping with mischief. "What would happen if a customer walked in right now and heard you? This shit sounds so sexual out of context..."

"HARUHI!" My face turned bright pink as lewd thoughts automatically sprouted in my mind. Even Garou turned a little red at the ears, coughing awkwardly. "I guess I'll let you off the hook today, Y/n..." He stretched out a hand, the blush still not completely gone from his cheeks. "Oh, how merciful you are..." I gratefully took it, prepared to be gently pulled up from the ground; that was not the case.

Instead of a smooth transition, the minute that Garou started pulling, I was sent flying into his chest. As though on instinct, I felt his arms loosely wrap around my back, looking down at me with those eyes that I was slowly starting to find beautiful. "Uh... You're really light, Y/n..." Garou's expression softened from shock to something that almost looked like affection.

I didn't even realize that my arms had made their way around his back; I was too caught up trying to understand why my heart was beating so fast. "Maybe you just don't know your own strength..." My tease fell flat, sounding more like awestruck praise than anything. Garou laughed, tightening his grip on my waist. "So, I'm gonna take that as a compliment, 'kay?"

"Just don't let it go to your head." A giggle escaped me, my eyes wandering for only a second before coming back to meet his. We stared at one another, my teeth sinking into my bottom lip while Garou's tongue ran across his. My attention flickered to his mouth and, for a split second, I wondered how it would taste to kiss him.

"Wow, the tension in here is getting pretty high... And you say that you two are just friends? Laughable." Once again, Haruhi's snarky voice completely ruined the moment, making me blush even harder. "Why are you two still here?!" This time Garou was the one shouting, glaring back at the two, Picho still happily holding up his phone.

"What? You two want some alone time or something?" Haruhi fired back, her natural spunk shining through even more than normal. I held up my hands, ready to calm her down before the situation escalated. "No-"

"Yeah, that sounds great actually!" Garou ran over my words, his sharper teeth now fully exposed. She smirked, one eyebrow quirked. "Oh, I see how it is... That's fine! I'll leave you two be then," As she walked out of the backroom, dragging Picho with her, Haruhi winked at me and mouthed "have fun".

Once they had both left, shutting the door behind them, I grabbed his shirt, pulling his face close to mine. "What do you think you're doing?!" I was practically shaking him back and forth, his eyes widening considerably when I started. Garou let me continue for a couple more times before he grabbed my hands, halting my movement completely.

"They we're kinda getting on my nerves. What? You don't want to be alone with me?" He frowned a little, his head dropping just enough for me to notice. My lips curled into a smile as I huffed, patting the top of his head that was now low enough for me to reach. "You know that it's not like that. It's just that those two will never let me hear the end of this. Their teasing is merciless..."

Garou smirked, cracking his knuckles and shoulder, his expression almost qualifying as sexy if I thought about it enough. "I could just take care of them right now if it's they're such an issue-"

"No! No, no, no, that won't be necessary..." I waved my arms wildly, a bead of sweat dripping down my neck. He broke out into hearty chuckles, his eyes narrowing with amusement. "Y/n, you're gonna have to learn how to take a joke."

My arms stopped mid-movement, heat creeping into my ears. A signature pout made its way onto my face, my arms now folded over my chest with averted eyes. "I can never tell with you! You're too scary looking for me not to take you seriously!" Garou's hand rested over his chest, a smile growing on his lips. "Why thank you, Y/n. As the man who'll become the pinnacle of fear for the world, that's quite high praise."

"Well then I take it back." I stubbornly stuck my tongue out, my foot stomping back onto the tile floor. Garou stumbled backwards, his hand still over his heart, but his face now looked pained. "You're heartless, Y/n... Completely heartless." My tough act failed, a giggling escaping me while my eyes crinkled from my smile. "I can't stand you, dammit... If you're gonna be a monster, than act like it!"

After the words left my mouth, the atmosphere around us changed drastically; the air was almost suffocating as Garou turned to look at me, the grin on his face no longer playful, but rather teetering on the edge of psychotic. "You want me to act like a monster? Just you wait, Y/n... I'll become this world's worst nightmare. I'll become the monster than wins."

He stepped toward me, my mouth drier than sand as my knees struggled to support my body. His fingers brushed against my cheek and I shivered at the contact, my heart pounding wildly. Every instinct in my sane mind told me to run; to run far away from him and never look back.

My feet were firmly planted into the ground, though. Even if my life depended on it, I couldn't move. Garou's pure bloodlust was enough to make me freeze, completely terrified of the demon before me. I felt his gaze on me waver for just a moment; the instant he took to blink. In that second, my legs gave out, sending me forward.

Strong arms caught me, but no relief flooded through my body. In fact, my instincts were telling me that it was better to be on the ground; I'd be farther away from him. "Y/n?" His low voice was right against my ear, sending another wave of chills through me. "Y-Yes, Garou?"

"Are you scared of me yet?"

"Y-Yes..."

"Okay. I'll stop now." Garou's tone seemed to soften, the intense ferocity that had coated the room just seconds earlier melted away, taking my will with it. My breaths were slightly labored as I hid myself away into his chest, gripping tightly onto his shirt. I would never let him see the few tears that were slipping down my cheeks and the horrified expression on my face, but I couldn't help feeling like a little girl again, cowering in fear after a nightmare. "G-Garou..." My shaky whispers were barely audible, but his hum in response let me know that he could hear me. "Please... Please never do that again..."

Garou wrapped his arms around me, completely different from the evil that I had just witnessed. "Alright. You won't ever be a target for Garou the Monster again. Now relax, you're kinda tense."

"You think?" I mumbled back, still clinging onto him even though he was the same entity that I was just trying so hard to avoid. It was because of this little voice in the back of my head; one that didn't confine within the rules of normality and sanity. Instead, it chirped little bits of information that kept me longing for him.

"He saved you, didn't he?"

"He seems like a good guy at heart..."

"Would he really ever hurt you?"

"He's holding you like this right now..."

The thoughts swirled around in my head, mixing with the muddled mess of feelings that had began to accumulate in my heart. I couldn't tell what was right or wrong at the moment and it was like being held over a bottomless chasm. The only thing that I knew for certain right now was that I needed to stay here in his embrace for just a bit longer; his scent, his warmth, the way that I felt protected by this beast was practically contradictory to everything I had grown up on, but it didn't matter right now. Not right now.

After a little bit longer of cradling me, Garou dropped his arms and I reluctantly let go. His hand gingerly held my chin, bringing my now timid gaze up to meet his. "Better?" Garou raised an eyebrow, his normal grin back in place. I nodded, a hint of blush tinting my cheeks pink. "Better."

"Good. I guess that means it's time to leave," Garou sighed, walking toward the break room door when I snatched his wrist. "Wait!" Fumbling with my words, I tried to come up with an excuse for him not to leave yet, the icy grip of panic was still clinging to my heart.  "Don't you... Don't you still need your hoodie?" My hold became a little tighter, still feeling like that scared little girl who needed to be protected.

Garou froze momentarily, but after meeting my gaze, he relaxed. "You can keep it. I don't need it anymore." He removed my hand from his wrist, letting it rest in his palm and running his thumb over my knuckles. The small point of contact soothed my lingering unease, but he ended up pulling away, almost reluctant.

His yellow irises stole my attention away from the world again as he took a deep breath. "I'll see you tonight for dinner. If I'm not home by the time you're hungry, go ahead and eat. I may end up coming back late. Don't come looking for me." His last line made a small pit in my stomach form, but I swallowed back any curiosity. "Okay." Garou grinned, his lips curving upward in a thin smile. "Good."

We walked out of the break room and back into the main cafe area. I felt Haruhi and Picho staring at both of us, their eyes burning a hole into my back, but I didn't pay them any attention. Instead, I was focused on how close Garou was walking next to me, our hands almost able to accidentally brush against one another.

"Well, I guess I really should get going." Garou stopped in front of the door, giving me his undivided attention once more before he had to leave. "Alright... I'll see you tonight then." I waved a little, the childish aura surrounding me not completely gone yet. He raised his hand, holding the door open with his foot. "Later Y/n," Garou glanced at my coworkers who were still unabashedly staring. "And others I guess."

With those words, he slipped out of the door. As I watched his grey hair disappear from view, a sense of longing sprouted in me. The moment I noticed its presence, though, I immediately squished it back down. "Stop being ridiculous, Y/n. You're just feeling like this because of what happened earlier. You're just rattled is all."

I took a deep breath as Haruhi and Picho clamored around me, begging to hear about what happened in the back.

********************************************

The night ended with me closing the cafe by myself; I let Picho and Haruhi go home early since I wasn't there for my shift the other day. They only agreed after much convincing, reluctantly leaving with some more teasing and tired goodbyes.

After cleaning the place, I washed my hands and got my stuff together, ready to just go home. Slipping on Garou's hoodie, I instantly felt a little better, remembering that I was going to see him again soon. My backpack hung crooked on my shoulder, only supported by one strap, as I locked up the doors and left, walking down the dark, chilly streets.

I made it home a little faster than normal and I managed to convince myself that it was just due to the cold; well, most of me believed that. The apartment was empty, that small part of me disappointed at the fact that a certain guy wasn't there waiting for my return. Still, it was only a tiny portion of myself, so I shook it off and got cleaned up.

After my shower, I started preparations for dinner. I was too tired from the day to really think of anything creative, so I just grabbed some vegetables out of the fridge, suddenly wishing that I had just bought something from 7 Eleven. Within a few minutes, I already had a pan filled with my vegetables, tofu, and some rice noodles, all sizzling from the soy sauce and sesame oil that I had added.

By the time everything was finished, it was almost nine o'clock and Garou still wasn't back from wherever he had gone off to. That one bit of me was begging me to wait for him to eat, but I spooned my dinner into a bowl anyways. I didn't want it to be cold after all. Still, even as I sat down, I could only really pick at my food, each bite a little hard to swallow. I ended up managing to finish after taking close to an hour and I washed the dishes, storing the leftovers in a tupperware for Garou.

Time ticked away and Garou still wasn't home yet. With each passing minute, that part of me ached a bit more, until I physically couldn't stare at my phone any longer. I brushed my teeth and slide into my bed, leaving almost every light on so that he would be able to see when he got back.

"If he comes back."

"Shut up..." I mumbled to myself, squeezing my eyes shut with the covers up to my chin, subconsciously staying on the right side of my bed. After pretending to sleep for what seemed like hours, I finally drifted off into some form of half consciousness. I stayed like this for an amount of time that I couldn't measure, afraid of the silence that was never interrupted. The fact that Garou wasn't here next to me, it scared me.