Golden Hour (GarouxReader lemon)

Part 6

Oh my God...this is turning into such a slow burn XD

xoxo

Edit: I'm not sure if I should continue this story 😅 I'm loving writing it but I'm not sure it's something people want to read.

~*~

It's a few days later and I'm happy to be home early for once. The only thing that pisses me off is I got caught in the after-school traffic and gotta walk home with all these brats running around the streets. I take a detour, a scenic route, staying the fuck away from my former prison. And I ain't too keen on running into anyone from there either. That fuckin' chapter of my life is closed and I ain't ever opening it again.
So I go round and approach the street from the other side. I don't know what I'm doin' or thinking, not much, just kicking the proverbial can when I look up and see that new pudgy kid, Tareo or whatever his name is, just up ahead and two little brats following him. And straight away, straight away I know they ain't up to no good. And something inside me starts to fuckin' anger. I don't even know where it's coming from. I don't even know this kid. But suddenly I feel tense.
The kid keeps walking cautiously, his oversized backpack bouncing on his back. I can see he wants to turn around but doesn't dare to. I recognise that fear-ridden curiosity, the restraint you put yourself through to not give them that satisfaction, to pretend you don't care. But I can tell from the way he hunches over a bit that the fear is getting to him.
It ain't my business, I tell myself. Ain't none of my goddamn business.
The two little bastards begin to snicker and speed up, getting closer to the fat kid.
I try to hang back, not get too close. He hasn't seen me yet. I pretend I don't notice anything. We're still far enough away from his house.
He keeps walking, head down.
Goddamn, kid, keep your head high. Don't let them cow you into submission that fuckin' easy. Come on, kid!
"Hey Tareo!" one of these little bastards suddenly jeers. "You wanna be friends, Tareo?" He says that in the cruelest way possible.
"You don't have any friends, do you?" his little friend joins in. "No one wants to be friends with a loser like you. Haha! Bet you didn't have any friends at your old school either."
Tareo doesn't slow down but his head hangs lower.
Say something! Fuck! Turn around and say something! Even if you can't throw a punch.
Say anything.
But we're still at least a few houses away from his.
"Tareo," they continue to mock. "Hey Tareo! Come on! Don't ignore us! We're friends, right?"
They laugh in that stupid, brainless superior way that I'm so familiar with.
But when Tareo doesn't give them the time of day, they've had enough.
One of them starts throwing small rocks at him. Where the fuck did they even manage to find them? The other runs up and jumps on his back, almost tearing his backpack off.
And before I can tell myself again that this is none of my business, I find myself storming up ahead.
"Oi!" I hear myself say, way more fuckin' enraged than I anticipated. "Knock it off!"
My voice must've done somethin' because they all stop and turn.
Tareo's face breaks into this pathetic smile. I can see the tears starting to run down his fat cheeks and I'm fuckin' embarassed for the both of us.
The other two look frightened out of their little wits.
"Uncle!" Tareo looks up at me, almost blubbering.
"Get the hell out of here," I look from one brat to the other.
They stutter something, their faces gone way too pale and run off.
Shitty little punks.
Now I've gone and frightened the children and I don't know how to feel about that. Proud and at the same time...somewhat annoyed.
"Uncle!" Tareo says again, gathering his backpack up.
"Don't call me that," I can't help but frown.
I don't like getting involved in this shit. I find my fists clenching and shove my hands in my pockets before I keep walkin' past him.
"Uncle!" he races after me. "You're so cool!"
Tch. This kid just won't let up. It's makin' me feel real dark.
I stop.
"You wanna know a secret, how to make them stop bullying you?" I say.
"Yeah!" his fear and humiliation suddenly wiped away.
"Just get stronger," I say.
He's quiet for a moment. Processing that. Good. Let that sink in. I'm pretty pleased with myself. Imparting wisdom and all that.
"Isn't that kinda obvious?" he finally says, looking up at me confused.
Fuck!
Is it?
I gotta regroup quick.
"Of course it is," I say. "So you knew it too, then."
I keep walking, trying to shake him off.
"Uncle! Do you live on this street?"
"No."
For fuck's sake why doesn't he just leave me alone and go home?
"But I've seen you come out of that house," he says pointing up ahead.
"Kid, go home," I say as we pass his own house now.
And then I look up ahead and she's heading in our direction, still a little far away but I can clearly see it's her.
She sees us and waves, smiling, starts to walk towards us.
"Go home kid," I repeat again, my patience wearing thin but he follows me up the street, past his own house.
"Hey," she says as we all meet up on the sidewalk, an awkward little group. "You're home early!"
"Likewise," I say to her, unable to stop grinning now that she's here, even if this goddamn kid won't leave me the fuck alone.
"Yeah, our heating broke down so we all complained and they just sent us home," she sighs happily and I start counting the ways I'd like to keep her warm. "Oh, who's this?" she smiles affectionately down at Tareo.
"I don't-" I start but he cuts me right off. Doesn't even care. Little ill-mannered brat.
"I'm Tareo!" he says.
"Nice to meet you, Tareo," she says, addressing him way too seriously for his age. "So, how do you know this guy?" she nods at me, completely ignoring me. "He's not giving you any trouble is he?" she says as they carry on this conversation about me as if I wasn't standing right fucking there. And it gets to me.
"Nope," Tareo beams. "Uncle just saved me from some bad kids!"
She's taken aback a little and finally looks up at me.
"He's very kind, isn't he?" she says to Tareo but looks straight at me and for once I can't hold her gaze, look away in frustration.
"Yeah, he-" Tareo starts babbling but I've had enough of this crap.
"Go on home, kid," I say firmly. "Skedaddle."
Tareo looks from me to her and back to me, senses something too adult and I can see the boredom set into his eyes.
"Ok!" he says. "See you around, Uncle!" and he turns and races back down the street, turning into his own front yard.
I'm about to say something to her, to change the topic, make her forget this whole conversation but she looks like I'm the last thing on her mind as she keeps staring after Tareo, now long gone, a very unsettled and faraway look in her eyes.
"What-?" I start but she doesn't even hear me.
"If you're uncle," she's suddenly exasperated, "what the hell does that make me?!"
Eh? What does she mean?
"Look at you!" she says, pointing me up and down. "Not a day over twenty one at best and you're Uncle! What am I then? Grandma?!"
Ah.