❉ 139 Dreams (Murai Kunio) Explain
📑 Table of Contents
Genre: Fluff, Slice of Life, StudentxTeacher
Word Count: 4,941
Pairing: Teacher Reader x Murai
World: Great Teacher Onizuka Live Action (2012)
Notes: This fic features a relationship between a 19-year-old teacher's assistant and their student. If you are uncomfortable with this, then please don't read.
☾ ⋆･ﾟ:⋆･ﾟ: ⋆.:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: . ☁
You leaned against one of the trees lining the path toward the school, a cigarette dangling from your lips as you scrolled through your phone to pass the time. School had ended already but Onizuka was held back to get yelled at by Uchiyamada for some small thing he did wrong. This was nothing new, really, but you knew Onizuka would wiggle his way out of it as he always did. Plus, he owed you twenty bucks and you had no intention of leaving him behind until he paid you back.
"Y/N-sensei."
You glanced up, tugging the cigarette from your lips and exhaling. "What's up, Murai?"
He scowled at you. "Tell that damn Onizuka to stop seeing my mom!"
"Do I look like his keeper?" you quirked a brow, returning your attention to your phone. "Tell 'em yourself."
"I have! He won't listen."
"And you think he'll listen to me?"
"Your his friend, aren't you?"
You sent him a smirk. "Aren't you, Murai-kun?"
He seemed taken off guard by that. "O-Of course, I'm not, idiot!"
"Hai, hai~"
"Just… tell him to stop!" He sent you a scowl before continuing on his way, muttering under his breath.
You watched him go, humming softly as a thought formed in your mind. You took a long drag of the cigarette before putting it against the tree and sticking it into your pocket - you may be a delinquent like Onizuka, but you were no litterer. That's just wrong. Sticking your phone into your pocket, you jogged to catch up to him, slinging your arm around his neck.
"O-Oi!"
"I'll make you a deal," you told him simply.
"What?" he scowled at you, folding his arms over his chest.
"I'll take to Onizuka and tell him to leave your mom alone." Your eyes met his and you smirked, making him shift warily beneath your hold. "And in return, you're going to go out with me."
Murai's cheeks darkened at the proposition. Were you being serious or just teasing him? Had you noticed the way he would often stare at you during class? He didn't trust this situation, not one bit, but all he could manage was a simple, "What?"
You clicked your tongue, poking his cheek. "Try to keep up, yeah? If you accept my deal, meet me outside the arcade at ten PM." You patted his shoulder and started to walk away only to pause and glance back at him. "And don't wear your uniform, yeah?"
Murai could only watch as you stepped through the school gate, hands stuffed into your pockets. As a general rule, he wasn't one to trust adults in any capacity, but Onizuka had gone out of his way to help not only the other students of class 2-4, but himself as well. And you had been there every step of the way even though you were only a teacher's assistant, brought in to assist Onizuka since he was a fairly new teacher. While you were closer to him in age than Onizuka, you were still an adult and he didn't want to trust you, he didn't want to believe that you weren't trying to play him for a fool, but… there was a small part of him somewhere deep inside that wanted to trust you. He would never admit it aloud, but he had developed a crush on you after you saved him from being beaten up by a gang of bored college kids. You had fought without fear, anger burning in your eyes for touching your precious student.
Even so, there would always be a small part of him that was anxious about everything involving adults. He wanted to trust you but just couldn't. What did you have to gain by going out with him, though? Surely if the school found out, you'd be fired or, at the very least, heavily reprimanded. On the other hand… what if you had found out about his growing feelings and you just wanted to toy with him? To show the class that he wasn't the big strong guy that the class believed him to be? There were just too many variables on the field.
He bit his lip, his hand tightening around the handles of his bag. 'There's no way I'm going to fall for whatever they're planning!'
☾ ⋆･ﾟ:⋆･ﾟ: ⋆.:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: . ☁
You stifled a yawn as you leaned against the wall of the arcade, watching people come and go. The night was surprisingly chilly, easily penetrating the thin cloth of your overshirt, but the cold didn't really bother you as much as the guy across the street that kept looking at the arcade before quickly pretending to read his newspaper. Seriously, who reads newspapers these days? He was being way too suspicious.
You glanced at your watch with a scowl. It was five minutes 'til ten and there was no sign of Murai which did not bode well for you. You could just see the greasy smirk on Saejima's face when you showed up at the restaurant without a guy at your side. Maybe you should just run away while you could. Then again, Saejima wasn't the type of guy to let you forget your promise so easily and you weren't the type to go back on your word. Honestly, you never should have agreed in the first place, but he wouldn't stop begging you and it was honestly annoying as all hell. How tempted you had been to just throw him across the room, but when you did that the last time, Ryuuji had been pissed and made you clean up the mess along with helping him with customers for three hours as penance for your crimes.
You glanced at your watch again. 'Ten o'clock on the dot. Damn.' With a sigh, you pushed away from the building and started to walk away when something caught your eye. Or rather some one. "You're late," you smirked, earning a huff in reply.
"It's ten o'clock, I'm on time," Murai closed the distance, stopping a foot away from you. "You better talk to Onizuka."
"I will, I promise," you held your hand up. "Scouts honor."
"I doubt you were a scout."
"You would be correct. Now, let's go." You motioned for him to follow you as you started down the sidewalk, not bothering to wait for him. Saejima was probably already calling one of his sleazeball friends and you were not about to put up with that.
Murai hesitated a moment, his heart hammering in his chest before he started after you, picking up his speed to close the distance. You led him to Fumioji Street, a popular dive bar that had recently expanded to be part restaurant, though the clientele hadn't changed that much. You held the door open for him and he hesitantly stepped inside, his hands in his pockets and his shoulders tense since he wasn't sure what to expect. He hadn't been on many dates in his life and he wasn't sure how to act or what to talk about. Murai was completely out of his element and he didn't like it one bit.
You stepped around him, easily finding Saejima and his group because of how loud they were being. They sat in the corner of the room where a long couch sat, a half-circle around a low table that was full of drinks and snacks. When Saejima noticed you, he jumped up with his finger in your face which you quickly slapped away.
"You're late!"
You clicked your tongue, sending him a scowl. "You're lucky I'm even here. Can we get this over with?"
He was just about to scold you when he noticed Murai standing behind you, looking nervous and out of place. "Ah!" In the blink of an eye, he had grabbed you around the neck and pulled you off to the side, lowering his voice. "Isn't he one of your students? I never knew you had it in you, Y/N!" He tried to slap your stomach but you grabbed his hand and shoved him off you.
"I'm two seconds from leaving, Sae."
"Alright, alright." He turned toward the table and grinned, throwing his arms up. "Let's get this party started!"
Murai scowled as he approached you, his fingers curling around your arm. "Would you like to explain what's going on here?"
You held back a sigh, ruffling the back of your hair. "Saejima has been after these girls for months and he finally got them to agree to a group date, but he had to bring four friends along to fill out the group. I didn't want to join this bullshit excuse for him to fail at getting laid, but he's persistent as all hell." You gave Murai an exasperated look. "I didn't even think about it at the time, but that meant he would be choosing one of his sleazy friends to pair up with me and there was no hell I was gonna have that. You really saved me here, Murai."
He bit his lip, multiple things swirling inside of him. He felt disappointed in a way upon realizing that it wasn't a one-on-one date like he had been hoping. Had you chosen him out of sheer convenience?
"It was a godsend that you walked by when you did," you commented, not noticing the deep frown on his face.
So, it was just convenience. If he hadn't walked by when he did, you would have -
"I definitely couldn't ask any of the other students. I mean maybe Noboru, but he seems a bit too innocent to be near these idiots, you know?"
His brow furrowed in confusion. "Why?"
"Why?" you repeated, sending him a weird look. "Have you met Noboru? His innocence is honestly precious and also kind of annoying, but I want to protect him as much as I can from this world."
"Not that!" Murai scowled, folding his arms over his chest, looking away as his cheeks heated up and he mumbled, "Why couldn't you ask any of the others?"
"Wait, isn't it obvious?"
"Obviously not or I wouldn't be asking!"
"Heh~" A grin tugged at your lips, your eyes glinting mischievously under the low lighting. "I'll let you figure that out on your own, then."
"Oi -"
But you ignored him, heading over to the table and taking a seat on the boy's side at the end. Murai's scowl remained in place as he slid past you, settling down between you and one of the other men that had been invited to the gathering. This guy was wearing a great suit and looked to be about in his mid-thirties, early forties while the other guy was late twenties with a beer gut and hair that stuck up in all directions, clearly not caring about the laws of gravity. On the other hand, the women were all young, early to late twenties, wearing tight dresses that rode up every time they shifted in their seats to laugh at whatever joke the men told.
You honestly felt out of place and felt bad about bringing Murai into this with you, but as they say, misery loves company and you were only just beginning to feel your misery for that night.
"Here we are!" one of the employees walked over with a tray filled with beer bottles, the caps already removed as he handed them out, one to each person.
Murai took the bottle hesitantly, waiting for the man to turn his back before he handed it over to you, which you took and downed fairly quick, needing the liquid boost to help you survive this ordeal. He watched you curiously as you worked on the second bottle slower, his shoulder brushing yours when he crossed his arms. "Why didn't you just say no?"
You snorted, looking at Saejima as said male showed off his police-issued handcuffs. "That is not a man that takes no for an answer. If I hadn't agreed, I'd be hearing about it for the next ten years, at least." You brought the bottle to your lips, taking a gulp before muttering, "He holds a grudge longer than a damn housewife."
He chuckled in reply. "You have strange friends."
"He's Onizuka's friend, not mine. I'm just guilty by association."
He wasn't too convinced about that, but he didn't press the issue. He felt eyes on him and he glanced up, locking eyes with the oldest of the three women - a 29-year-old with big breasts and a leopard print dress that went out of style ten years ago. He smiled politely, but that just seemed to spur the woman on as she licked her lips and folded her arms beneath her breasts, lifting them up until they nearly spilled from her top. The other men stared without shame, mouths hung open, but Murai wasn't like them. Sure, he was a hormonal teenager, but he didn't lose his mind at the sight of a strange woman's breasts, especially not when he got such a weird feeling from said woman. He felt uncomfortable, not unlike a lamb confronted by a lion and he hated that feeling of weakness.
You also noticed the way she was looking at him with hunger in her eyes and you glared at her, throwing your arm around Murai's shoulders and tugging him closer to your side, your body tense and ready for action if the situation called for it. The woman met your eyes and the air grew thicker. Murai could practically feel the electricity sparking between the two of you as you had a staredown, willing the other to back down.
Saejima looked between the two of you and started to get a bad feeling, knowing how you were, especially when it came to someone you care about, so he stood up so suddenly that the man beside him spilled his beer onto the youngest of the girls, making her squeak in surprise. This distraction was enough to make the other woman back down and you scoffed, knowing you had won the small match but you had a feeling the battle was only just beginning. You sure as hell weren't going to let her or any of these trampy women anywhere near Murai.
Murai looked up at you in surprise, something akin to admiration in his eyes. You had always been protective over him, but that was just you doing your job as teacher's aide… wasn't it? You were also quite protective over the other kids, as well, but something felt different about the way you looked after him and he couldn't put his finger on why. He didn't hate it, though he would never admit it. He actually enjoyed the extra attention you paid to him despite going out of his way to convince you that he actually hated it.
"I-I-I'm so sorry!" the man stuttered, hands held out as if he wanted to help but didn't have a clue as to how he could.
"Don't just stand there, you dolt!" cried the third girl, her hand on her friend's shoulder. "Go get some napkins!"
The men scrambled to do as she ordered, knocking over bottles in the process as they tried to jump over the table, thus making a bigger mess. You released a strangled sigh, pinching the bridge of your nose. Why do men always turn into idiots with brains the size of peas when women show off a little skin? It really made no sense to you.
You tapped on Murai's shoulder to get his attention, leaning closer to be heard over the panicked yells of the group. "I'm going to the bathroom. Try not to let these idiots corrupt you, yeah?"
"Sure." His eyes followed you to the other side of the room before you disappeared around the corner. He tugged his phone from his pocket, reading the messages from his friends while he waited for you to return, but then the sensation of being watched returned. While the rest of the group fussed over the young girl whose dress had been ruined, the eldest of the woman had stepped away from the group, her attention focused solely on him. He tried to ignore her heated gaze, shifting in his seat, but she was making him feel very uncomfortable. After a minute of this, he had enough and stood up to get some air, but she intercepted him.
"You're just so cute~" she cooed, reaching up to rest her knuckles against his cheek but he stepped back, avoiding her hand.
"Thanks… excuse me," he muttered, trying to step around her but she barred his way again, a smirk on her red lips.
"Come now, no need to be shy, my darling~"
"I'm not your darling," Murai scowled at her.
"But you could be." Her eyes darkened as she reached out to him, faster than before but her wrist was caught before she could touch him, a cry escaping her lips.
You glared at her, increasing the pressure on her wrist. "Didn't your mother ever teach you to keep your fucking hands to yourself?"
She scoffed, wrenching her hand from you. "This is a group date, or did you not get that memo? He's free game for all of us!"
"Free game?" you repeated in disbelief, your expression turning dangerous. "He's not free game because he's mine." To drive home your point, you put your arm around his waist and tugged him closer, your eyes never leaving hers. "And if you touch him again, I'll gut you like a goddamn fish and feed it to your fucking family."
Her eyes widened and she took a step back. "Y-You're crazy!"
"Yeah, and?" You quirked a brow, daring her to challenge you but she refused, turning on her heel and rushing over to the rest of the group.
Murai's face heated up as he stared at you, very aware of the fact that your fingers were pressing into his side. His heart was hammering against his ribs and he couldn't fight back the smile tugging at his lips. You had stood up for him multiple times since meeting him, but you had never declared that he belonged to you. He should have been annoyed or upset about this, but he wasn't. It made him happier than he would have thought possible.
You were seething, wanting nothing more than to grab the woman by the hair and punch her right in the face, but you wanted to avoid being unnecessarily violent in front of Murai, despite having already done so several times in the past. He had become someone that was very precious to you and you refused to let anyone fuck with him. "We're leaving. Let's go." You removed your arm from his waist, choosing instead to slip your hand into his own.
He swallowed hard, hoping his hands weren't as clammy as he thought they were.
When Saejima noticed you trying to leave, he frowned and rushed over, blocking your path with his body. "Where are you going? The night has just started!"
You narrowed your eyes at him, no longer in the mood for his shit. "If I stay, I'm going to commit murder and then your night really will be ruined. Now move."
For a moment, you just looked at each other, seeming to have a silent conversation until he finally sighed, stepping to the side. "Fine, but you owe me!"
"Don't bet on it," you scoffed, brushing past him and tugging Murai from the restaurant. It felt nice to be outside, the cool night air helping to calm you down. Honestly, you had known from the moment he asked that this night would end this way in some form or another, so you weren't too surprised. Maybe bringing Murai was a bad idea. You glanced at him but he was looking at the ground, a frown on his lips. You realized you were still holding his hand, as well, so you gave it a gentle squeeze before releasing it, making him lift his gaze to you. "Sorry… I shouldn't have forced you into this."
"You didn't force me. I chose to come here."
"Because I didn't explain the situation," you replied, stuffing your hands into your pockets as you continued down the sidewalk with him at your side. "And I should have done so."
"I probably still would have come," he muttered, more to himself than to you but you heard it clear as day and it brought a smile to your lips.
"I appreciate you suffering with me."
"Just don't tell anyone," he sent you a stern look but it was half-hearted at best.
"Of course, don't worry."
☾ ⋆･ﾟ:⋆･ﾟ: ⋆.:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: . ☁
You fell onto the chair with a heavy sigh. "Ryuuji, can I get a -"
But he had already prepared your drink, setting it in front of you with a gentle smile. "You seem tense today."
Your finger lightly wiped at the condensation on the glass, a frown on your lips. "Ne, Ryuuji. What does love feel like?"
He sat down on the other side of the counter, his arms folded over his chest. "It feels painful when you're separated from them, hopeful when you think about seeing them again, and happiness when you do finally see them. You can look at them and think, 'This is the one. I don't want to lose them.'"
"Ah, is that so?"
"Are you in love, Y/N?"
"What?" Your eyes snapped to his. "Of course not!"
He chuckled at your hurried response, prompting you to scowl.
"Now listen here, Danma-san, I am not in -"
The door swung open, the bell chiming loudly as Onizuka and Saejima entered the cafe, looking as if they had just woken up. You sent Ryuuji a look, silently telling him not to mention the conversation in front of those two and he sent you a soft nod before getting up to grab the two some drinks.
"Oi, Onizuka," you called out, motioning for him to settle down beside you. "We need to talk."
"Oh, right." He fell onto the stool, digging into his pocket. "Here's the money I owe you."
You took it from his hand. "Thanks, but I kind of forgot about that."
"Then give it back." He tried to snatch it but you were quicker, shoving it into your own pocket.
"Nah."
He clicked his tongue. "What'd you want, then?"
Before answering, you reached up to smack him on the back of the head, making him nearly spill the drink Ryuuji was handing him and earning a warning glare from said male. "Sorry, Ryuuji~"
"Say sorry to me!" Onizuka demanded, rubbing the spot you had hit. "The hell was that for?"
"Leave Murai Tsubasa alone."
"What? Why?"
"She can do so much better than you."
He playfully shoved your shoulder. "What's it to you? Why are you suddenly interested in my love life?"
Saejima appeared on your right, slinging his arm around your shoulder. "Don't tell me you fell for Eikichi-san's charms, Y/N!"
"As if! I'd willingly go to hell before dating this fool." You paused, glancing at him. "No offense."
"Y/N," Ryuuji scolded lightly. "You can't say something offensive and then say no offense. It doesn't cancel it out."
"Right, right. Seriously, though, stay away from her."
"Why?" Onizuka met your gaze head-on.
"I promised Murai I'd get you to leave her alone."
Saejima snorted, spitting his drink everywhere and earning a murderous look from Ryuuji. "That's why he was there, isn't it?!" You sent him a warning look but he completely ignored you. "Ne, Eikichi-san, did you know that Y/N brought Murai to our group date last night?"
The two men stared at you for a moment, one with confusion and the other with realization, before Onizuka spoke up. "You went out with Murai?"
"He was a placeholder," you waved your hand at him, focusing on your drink. "I convinced him to go with me to avoid Saejima's sleazy friends and he agreed if I could get you off his mom. So stay away, yeah?"
Saejima snickered. "It certainly didn't look like he was a placeholder. You were getting pretty clos -"
You punched him in the gut as you stood up. "I'm heading to the school. Don't be late again, I don't wanna listen to Uchiyamada bitch for twenty minutes about how it's my responsibility to ensure you're not late!" You were out the door before they could respond, tugging your jacket tighter around yourself, Ryuuji's words playing in your head like taunts. You didn't like the path your heart was heading down but you were pretty sure it was far too late to change tracks. You could only hope it didn't crash into a fiery explosion.
☾ ⋆･ﾟ:⋆･ﾟ: ⋆.:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: . ☁
You were on edge all day, unable to sit still or pay much attention to anything that was happening around you. Murai, who had developed a habit of watching you, picked up on this before anyone else and he found himself frowning as he tried to work out what was bothering you. His first thought was that someone had seen the two of you at the group date and reported it to the school, but surely he would have heard about it. Every time Onizuka got into trouble, the information was spread like wildfire through the school. If wasn't that, then what was it? He glanced at the clock. Maybe he would ask you at lunch.
But when lunch finally rolled around, you disappeared. He spent the entire period trying to find you and even came up with an excuse in his head for why he was looking for you - he would say he had forgotten his wallet and needed money to hit up the school store. When lunch ended, you didn't return to the classroom which only worried him more. It was making him restless as he kept glancing at the clock. Why was time going by so slowly? He refused to believe that it had only been two minutes since he last checked the time.
By the time school came to an end, he still hadn't seen you which left him feeling equal parts worried and frustrated. Were you avoiding him? He was just beginning to think you liked him back, but now he was having his doubts. Had he misunderstood everything? He ran his hand through his hair in frustration as he left the school, trying to forget about you but you had invaded every single thought inside his head. Not like it was the first time you had done so, but that didn't make it any less frustrating. Without even realizing it, he found himself approaching the arcade, and part of him had been hoping to see you there.
"Ow, ow, ow! I'm sorry! I won't ever do it again, I swear!!"
He looked across the street at a small alleyway, standing up straighter when he realized that it was you that was pinning an older man to the wall. The man looked terrified, his body trembling beneath your hand.
"If I see you anywhere near here again, I'll cut your dick off. Understand?" you growled, shoving him harder against the wall.
He nodded frantically, his eyes watering behind his glasses. "Y-Yes! I understand!"
Clicking your tongue, you shoved him to the side and he wasted no time in running away, tripping in his haste to get away. "Fucking idiot." You turned toward the entrance of the alley and paused, your heart fluttering when you saw Murai there. "Shouldn't you be at school?"
"It ended twenty minutes ago," he commented. "You left early."
You shrugged, leaning against the wall. "Had to take care of some stuff. I talked to Onizuka, by the way. He'll leave your mom alone."
"Really?"
"Probably?" you rubbed the back of your neck, nose wrinkling. "I mean, he didn't actually agree but I wouldn't worry. He likes someone else, he just hasn't realized it yet."
"Oh." Murai nodded, moving to lean against the wall across from you as an awkward silence settled over you. Both of you were lost in your thoughts, trying to figure out your feelings for one another.
Ryuuji's words echoed in your mind again and you looked over at Murai, feeling your heart flutter again. Everything he had described was how you felt about Murai and you knew that you had fallen in love with him at some point, but you realized it too late to nip it in the bud before it bloomed.
"Ne, Murai."
"Hm?" He looked up at you as you closed the distance until you were right on him, caging him between yourself and the wall.
Your eyes flickered to his lips. "Go out with me."
"Another group date?" he frowned.
"No. This time it'll be just you and me." Your hand fell to his waist, your thumb rubbing at his skin through his shirt. "You can order whatever you want, I'll pay for it."
Murai's heart pounded in his chest and he wondered if he was dreaming or imagining this in his head. His voice was breathy when he finally answered. "Alright. When?"
"Right now," you said softly, your lips ghosting over his own.
Instead of replying, he leaned into you, his lips claiming yours as his hands found their place at the collar of your shirt, bringing you closer to him. Your lips curved into a smile as you kissed him back, your heart feeling like it was going to explode from sheer joy. It was a disgusting feeling that you never wanted to lose.
☾ ⋆･ﾟ:⋆･ﾟ: ⋆.:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: . ☁
