• It’s been at least a month and Guzma hasn’t returned from his “trip”• Nobody knows where he is actually• Not Nanu, Kukui, Burnet, Plumeria• You brushed off the first week as him trying to find himself, the second that he got lost, the third that he was having too much fun and became the king of wild bug pokemon• You’ve been staying at the mansion, hoping that he’ll come in and hug you• You should have never yelled at him• You tried cleaning up the room, cleaning the mess you both made• You couldn’t, you cried too much when you tried to pick up a bottle• Plumeria tried to console you, telling you that every grunt was out there looking for him• You have a lot of bad nights• On those night, you can’t sleep• Sometimes it feels like everything is closing in and you feel like the fight was always one-sided, like it was always someone else’s fault entirely• The blankets are starting to lose their scent of him and you can hardly remember what he smells like• You wonder if he still thinks of you• You wonder if he even loves you anymore• That one month feels like an eternity• You hold the pillow close to your chest and cry yourself to sleep, your last thought is of Guzma and wondering if he’s too cold• Guzma is in the desert• Battling wild pokemon and staying in the Ruins of Abundance• He sure is glad that you were strong enough to battle a Tapu and capture it• He misses you so much• He wants to go back and slip into bed with you and whisper how sorry he was• But he can’t• He thinks you hate him and he can’t stand going to a mansion and having it feel so heavy• He wonders if you ever went back to look for him• He’s running low on cash and knows he can’t stay here for longer or he might die out here, starved and dehydrated• So he stays here for one more night and looks up at the sky, glad that there isn’t a sandstorm or Diglett running around for once• If he ever sees you again he’ll get on his knees and apologize• He’ll cry into your stomach and hold you close, he’ll beg for forgiveness, something he hasn’t done since he was a child• The sun is rising when he finally feels tired• He calls his pokemon to him and he walks to the closest motel• He must look like absolute shit given the startled yelp the receptionist gave him• He hasn’t really given a crap about his appearance but now he feels self-conscious, wondering how you’ll react to him• He pulls out a few of his personal items and fixes himself up• Once he’s shaved and smells like cinnamon and apples, a combination that you love on him, he sleeps• He sleeps for about a whole day and a half• He gives the lady back the room key and makes his way for Po Town• For once it’s not raining and he considers that a good omen• Yet when he goes inside, surprisingly no grunts or Plumeria around, his heart drops• You aren’t there and the room is still a mess• The price sticker on the stock photo is still there• He can feel tears burning his eyes and lets out a pathetic sob and grabs new clothes from the drawers and goes to take a shower in his bathroom• While in the shower, you come back, bags full of groceries• You take one bag that has cleaning supplies up to the main room and begin to clean • You decided that you can’t spend the whole time crying, that you have to be productive in some way and you might as well start by cleaning the room• You notice a duffle bag by the drawer and you can hear the shower running• You can feel your heart jump up to your throat and your palms feel sweaty • You can’t move and you let the bag slip out of your hand and make a loud thump on the floor• You hear the shower knobs squeak and the suddenly you can’t hear the water anymore• It has to be him, it just has to be• Tears are starting to brim your eyes and suddenly you feel self-conscious • There’s a lump in your throat and you try to rapidly smooth your hair• The door opens and suddenly Guzma is a few feet in front of you• His hair is soaked, a towel is around his shoulders, catching most of the water but a few droplets land on his chest• He’s wearing basketball shorts and socks• You can see some new scrapes and bruises along his body• The red cuts and purple bruises are covering his body, making his old scars pop in some way• You can see his jaw drop ever so slightly and see the gears in his head start to turn• You feel the tears slip and you think you make a noise• Something between a whimper and a sob, whatever it was, it caused him to move towards you• Guzma can’t believe you’re here• He makes his way towards you, the towel around his shoulders slipping and falling onto the carpeted floor and engulfs you in his arms, he’s holding you so tight he’s afraid he’s going to break you• He can feel you shaking and feel hot tears burn into his skin as you grip onto him, like you’re afraid this is some sort of illusion or like he might leave you again• “Shh, it’s okay baby. I’m here. I’m here.” He whispers, while you cry• Suddenly, you push him away• “Where the hell were you?!” you scream• He’s taken aback and he’s ready to get into a defensive stance but then he notices how you look• Your hair has lost its shine and looks so dull, you don’t have that spark in your eyes that you had even when you two did get into a fight. You have dark circles underneath your eyes and tears are streaming down your face with no indication that they might stop anytime soon• You look so tired• “In the desert” His voice cracks and he tries to give a small smile but that breaks immediately and suddenly he’s crying and he pulled you back into his chest• He’s weeping into the crook of your neck and you can feel him shaking and you can’t help but hold him and let a few tears fall• You’re mad that he left you but he’s back and talking about it can wait until you both are in the right state of mind• You both move to sit on the unmade bed and you just hold each other until his sobs die down and he’s just sniveling and hiccupping • “Why were you gone for so long?”• “I couldn’t come back knowing that you probably wouldn’t be here. I had to really clear my head and try to be strong enough that I could try to handle you not being here.”• It’s quiet for a bit. You can’t tell him that you’d never leave because, truth be told, you thought about it• “Did you miss me?” His voice is so small, he sounds like a scared kid• “Everyday.” And that was the truth because even if you did think about leaving, you missed him so much• You take his hand in yours• His is rough and you can feel a few new scrapes against the knuckles• He feels secure with your hand on top of his, holding him and squeezing his hand every now and then• “Did you miss me?” Your voice cracks and your staring at the carpet trying not to cry• “So much. I thought about you every night before I feel asleep.” He whispers, looking at you and removing the hand, making a soft fist and touching your chin, moving it gently so you’re facing him• “I’m sorry I reacted the way I did.” He looks so sad. “I should’ve never done that.”• “I shouldn’t have said what I said.”• You both stare at each other and you feel his hand place itself on your cheek, wiping a few stray tears away• “I think we should go to couple’s therapy.” You whisper out• “Why?”• “I can’t stand you running off whenever we get into a fight. And when we do get into a fight it just turns into a yelling contest. We both try to hurt each other.”• He doesn’t want other people involved in his love life but when he thinks back on the few fights that you’ve two shared, they’re always bad.• “Okay.” He nods and presses his chapped lips against your forehead and leaves there, moving his hand down to grab yours.• It’s silent for a few minutes• “We should clean the room.” He proposes this to you and looks at you, the spark in his eyes there. Barely, but it’s there• You give him a half smile and nod• He stands up and goes over to inspect the bag that’s on the floor, with a third of its contents spilled and scatted on the floor• “Hey Guzma?”• “Yeah babe?” He stands tall and looks at you• “I love you.”• He smiles so wide that you’re sure it hurts, but he looks so happy and giddy• “I love you too.”• He makes his way to you and picks you up, you squeal out of surprise and you can feel his lips on yours• You smile into the kiss and wrap your arms around him, your lips melting into his and suddenly everything feels like it’s going to be okay