TOXICITY [☠] SKULLSHIPPING

PART 4 [☠]

HAU'OLI CITY, MELEMELE ISLAND, ALOLA

There really is nothing a hot shower and a fresh change of clothes can't fix. Plumeria felt more relaxed and refreshed than she had in a long, long time. And after she finished touching up her makeup, she was ready to go out and face Guzma again.

It had only been about an hour since their fight on his parent's porch. She figured that was more than enough time for them to cool down and talk things out fairly. He said that he'd be down at the beachfront waiting for her. After readjusting her bandana and double-checking her eyeliner, she headed back out onto the streets.

She saw him there sitting on the sand by himself. He held a bottle that was wrapped up in a brown paper sack, undoubtedly alcohol of some sort. She frowned. He can't have a serious conversation unless he's wasted. And even then, she just knew this would all boil down to him screaming at her and breaking the bottle on any surface he could find. It always did.

The sand was hot to the touch, but once she had sat down, the temperature became more bearable. Guzma didn't acknowledge her at first. He took another swig from his bottle and stared out at the ocean. He had that same empty look in his eyes, the one that she hated so fucking much.

"You're dressin' different," he finally muttered.

"Yeah," she replied. Real riveting way to start the conversation, Guzma.

"And your makeup, too," he continued.

"You only notice my appearance when you're drunk," she stated, glaring at him. "I'd be damned if you could point any of this out while you're sober."

"I just did," he replied. He removed the bottle from the bag to show her its contents. The amber liquid inside gave it away as whiskey, and the label said that this was the cheapest he could get. Only a fourth of the liquor had been consumed. Plumeria was surprised at this. He likely wasn't even drunk yet; she hoped and prayed it would stay that way.

They sat there in silence for a moment. The beach was mostly empty, save for the occasional Wingull and a couple sunbathing down at the other end. It was just them, the sun, and the ocean waves.

Plumeria was the one to break the silence first. "Where did it all go wrong?" she questioned with concern, looking over at Guzma.

He sighed. "When you went to the Aether House, I went to the Aether Foundation. And from there, I went to Ultra Space."

"Ultra Space?!" she exclaimed.

"And one of the beasts there..." he started. "It possessed me. I didn't know fear until all that shit went down. It was fuckin' awful. I felt like Lusamine had just dragged me along for the ride, like she was usin' me the entire time. Stupid bitch..."

"I hope you left her there to rot," she hissed. How dare she take advantage of him like that! And after everyone thought they could trust her...

"Elio saved me and her, but it doesn't matter, I was already fucked up from the start. All of that was just one more bump in the road," he replied. He took a long swig from the bottle then sat it back in the sand. "What about you, princess? What drove you out of the Shady House?"

"You were wasted one night..." she said. "You were throwing bottles and acting very violent. We all thought that you were going to hurt us. One of the grunts said that her mom was living out in a camper on Route 13, and she had enough space to take me in if we were gonna run for it. I accepted the offer, and—"

She choked back a sob. Leaving Team Skull was the last thing that she wanted to do. But that night, she was given a choice: either lose your life, or lose Team Skull. And unfortunately, Plumeria decided that she'd rather live.

Guzma smirked. How did he find this funny?! It wasn't fucking funny at all. She lost everything that day. She lost all of her friends, the team that she helped build from the ground. And she lost Guzma. She lost the person most dear to her. And here he was, sipping whiskey and laughing at her misfortune.

She hated him. She fucking hated him. But she still sat there beside him, wiping away the tears as they fell down. Why does she do this? Why does she let him do it?

"Guzma, I loved you," Plumeria said, her voice cracking. "And everything I've done up to this point, I did for you and Team Skull. Why can't you see that?"

He didn't reply. Instead, he continued to drink from his bottle.

"We both made bad decisions. I ran away from Team Skull, but so did you! How can you act like I'm the only one in the wrong?!" she cried.

"You gave up first, that's why," he said. "Y-You were the first to run away, Plum. Why s-should I forgive that?" And, he's finally drunk. He's starting to stutter and slur like he always does after drinking too much.

"That was the hardest decision I've ever had to make," she said. "I had to choose between my friends, the people who loved and cared about me, or keeping my own life and sanity. Do you know how fucking hard that was?!"

"And d-do you know how f-fuckin' hard it was going on without y-you?!" he screamed back. "Y-You didn't just keep th-the grunts in line! Y-You kept me in l-line, too, P-Plumeria!"

She wiped a stray tear off of her cheek. "You wouldn't let me keep you in line," she retorted. "Every time I tried to take a bottle out of your hands, you would scream at me!"

"I-It was enough to b-bring me d-down," he said, stumbling over his words. "I c-couldn't come d-down without y-you."

He clenched the bottle in his hands, his knuckles turning white from the force. They were as white as his hair, the eyeshadow that he loved seeing her wear, the ocean foam that gathered on the shore.

And with all of his strength, he threw the bottle out towards the ocean. A trail of whiskey followed it through the air, drops of liquor falling down and soaking into the sand. It hit the water with a big 'splash,' and he watched as it drifted away.

Plumeria broke down sobbing. The simple act of throwing away his liquor was all he needed to do to bring her back. She ran at him and crashed into his chest, almost causing him to topple over. She inhaled his familiar but cleaner scent, the aroma of smoke and mold exchanged for soap and aftershave.

"Let's leave all of this toxic shit behind," she said, her voice muffled by her tears and his shirt.

"Yeah..." Guzma sputtered as he stared out in space, absent-minded as he patted Plumeria's back again and again.

"Let's forget about all of the shitty, poisonous people who fucked us over."

"Yeah..."

"Let's just start it all over. A fresh page for us, Team Skull, everything. How's that sound?"

Guzma looked down at Plumeria. Mascara was smeared on her cheeks and his white t-shirt. And yet, her makeup looked more beautiful than ever. "Y-Yeah," he said as he gave her a drunken smile and chuckle.

She smiled back at him. "Come on then. Po Town's a hell of a trip from here. And if we're going to get anywhere, we had better start now."