20. Scars
Ryu sighed as he took off his white shirt. He looked over his body in the bathroom mirror, and he then turned his back on it.
What was reflected in the mirror were small and large scars on his back. Shaking his head, he was about to put his shirt back on when the bathroom door opened, and Little Mac walked in.
"Ryu—whoa," Little Mac gasped, stopping in his tracks upon seeing the scars on Ryu's back.
"Ah! Mac…" Ryu gasped, his face flushing from embarrassment.
Little Mac's face also turned red, and he whispered, "S-sorry…didn't mean to walk in on you undressing."
Ryu shrugged. "It's fine, Mac. Next time, knock."
Little Mac let out a nervous chuckle, and his expression changed into a frown, which deepened the more he stared at Ryu's scars. "What happened?" he asked in a quiet voice.
"What do you mean?" Ryu asked in clarification.
"Those scars," Little Mac pointed out. "Was someone harming you?"
"What?! No!" Ryu cried, shaking his head. "No one was hurting me. They're just scars from my…past."
Little Mac tilted his head. "From your past?"
Ryu nodded. "Yeah…" He pointed at one scar, which was shaped like an x. "This was from my training. A branch ended up scratching me hard."
He pointed at another scar, which was a large gash that moved up from his right pec to his right shoulder. "This was from the fight against Ken when he was brainwashed by Bison."
Little Mac nodded. "I see."
Ryu put his shirt back on. "But…" he sighed. "I look ugly as hell with them."
Little Mac stared at him, wondering why he would say such a thing. "Ryu, you're not ugly."
Ryu shook his head. "I kept all of them away from you, Mac. I just felt that you shouldn't see such ugliness from me."
"Ryu…" Little Mac gripped Ryu's hand, squeezing it gently. "You're not ugly at all. You're still the same Ryu, just with a rough past. In fact, those scars show that you're a strong man, and you know how much I respect that."
Ryu stared down at their joined hands and smiled. "Mac…that's sweet of you to say that."
Little Mac returned the gesture, and he hugged the martial artist. "I'll always love you, Ryu, no matter how many scars you bear."
Ryu held his lover close, his smile growing wider. "Thank you, Mac. I love you too."
So sorry for no theme for a week. I've been sleeping my life away, ha ha ha. But I'm back!
Constructive criticism is welcomed!
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