Quitting [Guzma x Reader]

Worthy

Lightening cracked across the sky, jolting ________ awake rather violently. They threw the sheets off in mild panic, before coming to their senses and settling back into the bed. They wiped at the thin sheen of cold sweat on their forehead, panting softly and trying to calm themselves. Another nightmare, it would seem, and the 4th one in the last few days to be exact.

________ wasn't sure why they started, but reliving the awful memories of their past coupled with a few subconscious fears, well it wouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that eventually, ________ would start to lose sleep.

"It'll probably stop in a week or so..." ________ had tried to reassure themselves, but when the dark circles persisted for about a month, Guzma had started to worry for ________'s health.

"Are you sure you're getting enough sleep? You've been looking real run down these past couple of weeks, and ya boy is a lil worried now." Guzma had asked, catching ________ nodding off for the 2nd time during that blunt.

"Yeah, I'm good. Just been a lil stressed is all..." ________ had waved off his concerns, but Guzma knew a liar when he heard one. He decided not to press the issue, though, he knew he'd find out soon enough.

He paid an impromptu visit to them late one evening, asking if he could crash there after having one too many cold ones at a local bar. While it was true that he'd rather sleep off the drinks, he wasn't so far gone as to not be coherent. 

________ had agreed, too tired to debate about it and let him in with a yawn, tossing him a pillow and some blankets before shuffling back to their bedroom  for some sleep. ________ wished Guzma, who was settling into the couch, a good night, telling him to make himself at home in case he woke up before they did. Guzma agreed with a sleepy smile, curling up onto the couch as he heard the door to their bedroom click shut.

Hours later, Guzma awoke to a soft, strange sound. Sitting up, he glanced around to see that the room was just the same as it was when he had fallen asleep, sparking him to stand and find the source of the noise. Upon listening more closely, he found himself hearing the sound from ________'s room. The soft, whiny noise was coming from the other side of their door, and Guzma hesitated for a second before he knocked.

The sound quieted for a moment, before shuffling could be heard and the door finally opened. Red, tired eyes peered up at him, and his heart sank deep in his chest.

"Hey...you alright?" he pried, hoping they would be honest with him.

"Yeah...yeah, I'm good! Uh..why? Did you need anything?" ________ chuckled, though Guzma knew it was fake, as they tried to conceal their emotions.

"You sure? Because I'm pretty sure that before I knocked on your door, you were whining or something..." He asked, pointedly, hoping they would take the hint that he knew something was up.

"What? No! Why would I be-"

"Your eyes and cheeks are real red and puffy, and so's your nose. I ain't asking. You've been crying, and by the looks of it, you've been crying a lot. You gonna tell ya boy what's going on, or are you gonna shut me out?" Guzma cut them off, making it finally clear that he wasn't having any of their bullshit.

With a sniffle, and a heavy sigh, ________ nodded, not trusting words at the risk of sobbing profusely.

"You can't fool me, I've seen enough of my own tear-streaked face to know what crying looks like. Let me in, we can talk about whatever's got you like this, alright? I'm guessing this is why you've been losing sleep too, ain't it?" Guzma asked, his voice soft and gentle as he waited to be let in the room.

Arms suddenly wrapped themselves around his torso, and he looked down to find ________ crying into his shirt. He placed a hand on their head in an attempt to comfort them, sighing softly as he let them cry for a moment.