"Let me wash your back for you, Homura!"
The next day after work, Madoka invited Homura to take a bath with her. Sitting opposite each other, the two allowed themselves to soak and relax in the bathtub after they got through an awkward moment of adjusting to the sight of each other in the bath. The warm water, calming atmosphere, and the presence of each other allowed the two to enjoy their time washing up.
Thanking Madoka, Homura turned around so that her back could face Madoka. Madoka took a bar of soap and lathered her hands with it while moving closer to Homura. Placing her hands on Homura, she began scrubbing her back while deciding to ask Homura something she had been curious about for a while.
"What have you been up to in the last few years, Homura?"
Homura took a moment to ponder her answer. Needless to say, being a goddess of the universe in addition to being a school student had led Homura to live a very busy and involved life. Homura's life had been a lonely one, since she had struggled to form any new close relationships during her years at school. She had gone to school during the day, allowing her powers to take the souls of magical girls who were on the verge of becoming a witch, while during the evening she had simply focused on homework and periodically using her powers to make sure Madoka was doing alright. Homura decided to tell her of her life in broad strokes, leaving out the part about watching her to ensure her safety.
"Homura, you've been alone all this time? Why didn't you try and reach out to me?"
This question caused Homura to go quiet. She didn't have the courage to tell her that she had been purposefully avoiding her due to her not feeling like she deserved to be her friend. However, Homura's silence had already clued Madoka into the lonely goddess's mindset. Madoka paused scrubbing Homura's back and reached around Homura, pulling her into a tight embrace. Resting her chin lightly on Homura's shoulder, Madoka began softly comforting her.
"I'm sorry you've had to go through all this. Please don't ever think for a moment that you don't belong around me. I know why you did what you did and, while I might not agree with it, I understand how you were feeling at that moment. I don't care what you think about yourself; you are not a bad person, and I'll never think otherwise."
Madoka began nibbling on Homura's ears, causing Homura to yelp in surprise. With her arms still wrapped tightly around her, Madoka continued to try her best to make Homura feel loved and communicate that she wouldn't have to be alone anymore. To her surprise, after a while, Madoka heard Homura softly crying. Madoka turned Homura around to find tears rolling down her face, her eyes slightly red. Homura began to speak with a broken voice.
"Why on earth are you being so nice to me? I've been horrible to you, I betrayed your wish, but you still keep saying you love me. I don't deserve what you've been doing to me! The worst part is that I can't bring myself to leave you again! I know the best thing for you would be to leave you alone, but I couldn't bring myself to leave while you were sleeping last night! I don't understand-"
Homura had stopped spilling out her feelings after realizing that Madoka had begun kissing her forehead. Madoka took Homura's hands and held both of them in her own, using her thumbs to softly stroke Homura's palms. After a moment, Homura began to calm down, while Madoka continued to dote on her. Eventually, Madoka lowered her head and kissed Homura on her lips, causing Homura to bring her own arms around Madoka's waist and place her hands on the small of Madoka's back. Letting Homura continue to embrace her, Madoka broke their kiss and looked Homura in the eyes.
"Homura, I'm not just doing this for you. I'm doing this because out of all the places you could be, I want you right next to me."
After they got out of the bath, Madoka offered to brush Homura's hair. Homura sat on a stool while Madoka ran a brush through her long, black hair. Homura, meanwhile, sat silent, processing what Madoka had told her in the bath. She still couldn't accept that Madoka considered her a good person after all she had done to her, less so that she had come to love her despite what she'd done. When she had finished undoing the tangles in Homura's hair, Madoka sat the brush down and took some of Homura's hair in her hands. With quick, deft movements, Madoka began to entwine Homura's hair.
The realization of what Madoka was doing caused Homura to flashback to another time Madoka had braided her hair; when Homura was at one of her lowest points in her own soul gem, Madoka had braided Homura's hair while giving her words of comfort. The painful memories of turning into a witch came flooding back into Homura's mind, causing her to fight off the urge to start crying again.
"Homura, is everything alright?"
Madoka had paused braiding Homura's hair and looked into her eyes again. Homura gave a weak smile back and tried to reassure Madoka that yes, everything was fine. Sensing something was off with Homura, Madoka gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and proceeded to braid Homura's hair again, all the while worrying that Homura hadn't accepted her love yet.