Thanks to Mako's mum and dad, and the two girls taking on part time jobs, and maybe some of those wallets Mataro managed to pick up from unsuspecting chumps, the full house was able to replace the oil-drum they used to bathe in with an actual tub.
The thing wasn't brand new, and it was still metal, but it was upgrade. At the very least, they didn't have to stand anymore when they were bathing, and could lean back on the higher end of the tub and let hot water melt their soreness away.
Ryuko was too happy to get the first bath in the new tub once the rust at the bottom had been sanded out. The ugly, green paint still needed to be removed, and Missus Mankanshoku definitely wanted to give it a paint job, but it could wait a week (or maybe two).
Mako was allc too happy to join her.
"Well," Ryuko blinked, a towel over her arm, basket of soap, shampoo, and a scrubby in the same hand, "we've been dating for a few weeks after all..."
"That's right!" Mako nodded enthusiastically. "We've been girlfriends for five weeks! It's time to push another boundary!" She cheered, following Ryuko outside to their backyard, towel over her shoulders.
"Even though we haven't see each other naked yet," Ryuko sighed, then grumbled- "or more like I haven't seen you naked yet. I'm pretty sure you've seen my bare ass at least five times now."
"Just three!" Mako corrected, smiling like always.
"Yeah, yeah." Ryuko waved a hand at her, dragging her behind the curtain that hid the tub from curious eyes. The rings of the dark, heavy sheet rattled across the curtain rod as the taller girl yanked it closed. Ryuko placed down the basket of cleaning materials before hanging her and Mako's towels up on the coat stand inside of the curtained area, kicking off her shoes and tucking her socks into them before placing them off to the side.
"We had better get in while the water's hot." She said, beginning to strip out of Senketsu. While she generally didn't feel comfortable lacking clothes in front of others, Ryuko definitely felt more at peace when it was just her and Mako, in or out of clothes. The smaller girl kept her calm in all aspects, after all. Ryuko smiled, carefully hanging the sleeping Senketsu up.
"Mako, are you done yet?"
"N-not yet! Just another second," came the oddly nervous reply. "Okay, I'm all good here!" Ryuko turned around, her face reddening at the sight of her naked girlfriend.
"Wow." She laughed nervously, her cheeks and ears red. "This is a step forward, isn't it?" unconsciously, the taller girl crossed her wiry, toned arms over her chest.
"No need to hide, Ryuko," Mako chided, hands gripping her girlfriend's wrists. "We're both girls, after all! It's nothing I haven't seen before!"
"That's right!" Ryuko agreed, Mako's ever-present sprightliness helping her embarrassment fade away. "Alright. Let's get in before the water gets cold." She took Mako's hands, guiding her. But Mako didn't really move.
Ryuko's brows furrowed lightly. "Ah, it's nothing. I'm just going to sit at the other end, okay?" Mako said. To anyone else, her smile would've been disarming, but it just made Ryuko worry. Mako always had to be beside her, or in some instances, on her. And honestly, Ryuko would've expected Mako to be much more exuberant about sitting in front of her in the bath.
What made Ryuko even more suspicious, is that Mako didn't turn her back to her at all, even while getting into the tub. Not wanting to seem too awkward, and getting self-conscious of her exposed body again although they were completely hidden from the world by the curtain, Ryuko slid into the bath, sighing in relief.
"This is so good," she moaned, leaning back against the higher end of the tub. "It's been so long since I had a good soakin'." She smiled dreamily, her arms resting on the edge of the tub.
"This is a lot nicer than standing," Mako agreed. "Though it wasn't fun, there was something I did enjoy about being a Two-Star. Jacuzzi tubs!" She splashed some water at Ryuko to mimic a water jet.
Ryuko grinned, closing her eyes when the water hit her face. "Not quite a jacuzzi, but maybe one day if we keep our jobs." Ryuko didn't exactly like the idea of lifting heavy boxes of cargo for three hours after school, but the money was much appreciated. She was sure Mako felt the same way about her job as a waitress.
They didn't talk for a bit after that, the two of them just relaxing. The nice thing about a metal tub was that it kept the heat in for a while. When the abundance of steam started to fade, they decided to get clean.
"Mako, pass me the soap?" Ryuko asked. The brunette nodded, leaning her chest against the edge of the tub to grasp the basket. That's when Ryuko saw them.
Scars. Scars upon scars upon scars. They were not deep, but they were long, edges clean and strict and straight. There were smaller ones running parallel with the longer ones, just as cruel.
Ryuko leaned forward, reaching her hand out, eyes wide with horror as her fingertips glanced across the silvery, wounded skin. "Mako..." The girl in question jumped, quickly turning to face Ryuko.
"It's nothing to get worried about!" Mako chirped- no, snapped- "They're all healed up now! See?"
"Mako, who did this to you?" Ryuko's brows were pressed tightly together. She was still leaning close, on her knees, her arms on either side of Mako, hands on the edges of the tub. "Who hurt you?"
"Before you showed up, no one stood up for me when I got in trouble for being late to class, not doing homework, or failing club activities, so Gamagoori-senpai punished me like how he punishes all bad students." Mako replied, hugging herself. "I deserved these. It's fine."
Ryuko sat back onto the balls of her feet, expression still vexed, but much more worried. "Come here." She murmured with a held-out hand, and thankfully, Mako took it.
They got comfortable, Ryuko leaning against the high end of the tub, and Mako against her, between her legs. Ryuko's front to Mako's back, the taller girl wrapped her arms around Mako's stomach. Ryuko pulled Mako up close and leaned down, her nose against Mako's neck.
"No one deserves to get hurt like this over stupid things like that," Ryuko muttered, pressing her lips against one of the pink, silvery scars on the highest reaches of Mako's back. "Especially not you, you stupidly sweet girl."
Mako was tense before the third kiss fell against her skin, fighting away phantom pains and unpleasant memories. After that, she sank into Ryuko's hold, her hands over Ryuko's against her tummy. Ryuko pressed her forehead against the back of Mako's head, holding her girlfriend.
"Never again," Ryuko promised, brushing a dry kiss against the edge of Mako's ear. "He'll never do that to you again." Her hold tightened, the muscles in her arms coiling, becoming tense as she pulled the smaller girl flush to her body. "I'll bash his stupid head in." Mako turned her head to look back at Ryuko, expression mildly surprised. Ryuko smirked back her, confident. "Again."
Mako smiled in return. A genuinely happy smile, not one packed full of energy and excitement. A calm, endearing curl of her lips, the kind that made Ryuko's chest aflutter with a quickened heartbeat.
"C'mere, you." Ryuko mumbled, taking one hand from Mako's stomach to cup her cheek instead. Leaning over the smaller girl a little bit, and Mako leaning back awkwardly in return, they managed to lock lips. They stayed like that for a few seconds, before Mako gently broke contact, just to have Ryuko pepper her face with more quick pecks.
"Listen to me, baby," Ryuko whispered, stroking her thumb over Mako's cheek. "You didn't deserve what happened to you, understand? You're not a bad student. Not everyone learns at the same rate, okay? And that's nothing to be ashamed of. Some people need more time and more help than others." Mako nodded, and Ryuko continued. "I'm sure the principal wouldn't mind helping you figure something out. Even though Honnoji is basically Kiryuin's military base, it's primarily a school, and it's equipped to help its students."
Mako nodded again, lifting her hand out of the water to touch the one on her cheek. Just as her back was marred with scars, Ryuko's knuckles were knobbly and rough, her fingers crooked from the amount of times they had broken from getting into fist fights before her arrival at Honnoji. The difference between their injuries was that Ryuko had gotten hers fighting, and Mako had got hers...
"I know what you're thinking." Ryuko told her, leaning over Mako to grab the basket of soap, shampoo, and the scrubby. "Don't. You endured those. You're just as strong as me in your own right." Ryuko decided, nodding and leaning back against the tub. She dunked the soap and loofah into the water before lathering the soap onto the scrubby. "I'll wash your back for you if you wash my hair."
"Okay."