'Cause I love to wash in your old bathwater

Kim lounged back against the rocks, feeling the soothing water warm up her aching muscles. She gazed up at the ceiling, still feeling a little put-off by the artificial night sky painted over her head. Something like that, when it was still the morning, just seemed weird.

“Ah, this is the life,” Dani sighed, sinking down to her neck. She enjoyed the hot springs just as much as Kim, even if her body wasn’t sore in the slightest. “After this, we’ll need to get some food into you, Kim! You skipped breakfast so you must be starving!”

After the intense workout she’d done today, Kim had nearly forgotten that about skipping her meals. Her stomach started to rumble, showing it had finally recovered from all the **** she’d done to her core.

But as eager as Kim was to get some food in her, she had her concerns.

“Are you sure about that?” She asked cautiously. “I mean, after everything we did today, wouldn’t eating a big meal be kind of a bad thing?”

“Not at all!” Dani said, scooting over to her. “You’ve seen how much I eat, right? A big appetite is actually crucial to building up a good physique!”

“Really?” Kim was intrigued by that. “I always thought that people went on diets and stuff to lose weight though.”

Dani shook her head. “It’s not that simple! See, ‘getting in shape’ isn’t about losing weight. Have you ever heard the saying ‘muscles weigh more than fat’?”

Kim nodded, that did sound familiar.

“Well, it’s true!” She said. “Bodybuilders and stuff, they have to eat a lot of food in order to build up muscle mass! But you can’t just swallow down anything! You need to eat healthy foods that build protein! Trust me, Kim, leave me in charge of your diet and I’ll get you bulked up no problem-o!” She winked.

That sounded nice and all, but there was one problem with that.

“So, Dani…” Kim said, her voice filled with hesitation, “all this stuff you’re talking about, that’s for like, bodybuilders and stuff, right? People will really intense and strenuous daily workouts?”

Dani nodded. “Basically, yeah.”

“Okay, but I’m only doing core exercises,” Kim pointed out. “And it might be high intensity interval-whatever, but it’s still only ten minutes a day. That doesn’t seem like it would take all that much food… wouldn’t stuffing my face with high protein stuff just backfire if I’m not matching it with a strenuous workout? I’d still be putting on weight if I’m not burning enough calories, right?”

Dani gave her a blank stare. That thought had completely slipped her mind.

“…Well, there’s always the option of increasing your workout routine, to better help your-”

“NOPE, stop right there!” Kim held up her hand to cut Dani off before she made her commit to something even more ludicrous. “Listen, Dani, let’s just handle this stuff as it comes, alright? I’ll just try to eat healthy foods and not binge out on anything.”

Dani nodded. “Works for me! Now, back to the bath…”

She leaned back in the water until only her face was above the surface. Her blue hair pooled around her, turning the greenish-blue hue an even darker shade.

Kim was enjoying her soak immensely as well, when some movement in the changing room caught her attention. She turned to see the door slide open and she gasped, sitting upright in the water and covering her chest out of reflex, thinking it could have been Nick.

“Hey there Kim! You getting a nice soak after your workout?” Rose greeted her with a smile. Her curvy figure was wrapped in a white towel and she had a twinkle in her eye as she approached the water.

Kim sighed in relief. Nothing to worry about, it was just Rose being Rose. But why was she here? “You come for a dip?”

“Well, the hot spring is free now, after all,” Rose tittered, dipping her toes in the water. “And who could resist a good deal like that?”

Valid point.

“And that’s not all, I’m also going to be getting quite a reward from this, too,” she giggled, which caught Kim’s attention.

“Reward? Oh, you mean your bounty sheet, right, I almost forgot,” Kim said, rolling her eyes. “Well, that’s good I guess.”

“That’s right,” Rose nodded. “If I’m naked with a minimum of three other contestants, then I get 300 BP! Quite a bargain!” And with that, she threw her towel to the side, displaying her banging body for everyone to see.

Kim blushed and averted her eyes, covering her own modest chest. She felt a little inferior with the other woman being right there. Not that Rose was the type to make a big deal out of something like that, of course. Not anymore.

The blonde slipped into the water beside Kim and stretched, leaning back against the rocks as well. Kim had a question though.

“You said three contestants, right?” She asked, confused. “But it’s just me and Dani in here.”

“Yup, I know,” Rose said, a mischievous smile crossing her face. At that moment, the door slid open a second time.

“Wow, Rose was right! There really is a hot spring in here!”

“Yeah, wow… do you think it’s okay if I go in? I mean, I’m not a contestant anymore, so…”

“Yeah, sure, it’ll be fine! Just make sure to stay close, so you don’t end up sliming the water!”

Kim gasped. Carly and Marley walked out of the changing room, stark naked. If she’d felt inferior about Rose’s sexy body, then the two bombshells in front of her had just blown up her self-esteem harder than the payloads from the Enola Gay and the Bockscar.

Rose: 2500 BP + 300 BP = 2800 BP

“…And that’s a nice payday for me,” Rose chirped as the two girls approached the water. Then they both rose when they saw who was in it.

Hearing noises from the surface, Dani cracked an eye opened and leaned up slightly, bringing her ears out of the water. Then she saw Carly and Marley and she nearly fell back in, her hands scrambling against the smooth floor of the pool.

“C-Carly!? Wh-wh-what are you doing here?!” She stammered.

Carly tensed, shocked that Dani was here. Rose hadn’t said anything about that. She quickly moved to cover her body and Dani did the same, neither girl knowing what to make of the naked woman in front of them.

Rose glanced at Marley and nodded, and Marley nodded back. She grabbed her sister by the shoulders and shoved her forward, practically throwing her in the hot spring. That would be rather dangerous, given how shallow it was.

“Okay, Kim, I think that’s enough,” Rose said, dragging the other girl out of the tub.

“What?! But I’ve only been here for like twenty minutes!” Kim protested. “I still have over half an hour left of my free soak!”

“That’s nice, but we’re in the way. Let’s have these two talk it out, shall we?”

Kim couldn’t argue and she didn’t have the strength to fight back after taxing her muscles this morning. She hung her head and let Rose drag her away from the hot spring and back into the changing room, while Carly and Dani sat in the water, staring at each other.

Marley scooched away, giving them as much privacy as she could while remaining within her ten foot leash. She sank down into the water and let it flow over her, relaxing in the warm heat. It almost felt like she was a slime again. The soothing nature of the water made her feel all warm and tingly, especially between her legs. The pain from last night’s sex had faded away, and now she didn’t feel nearly as sore down there.

This is nice. Kim and Dani sure are smart, coming here after a workout, Marley thought, enjoying the pool to her leisure.

She was the only one who really was. Carly didn’t have much of an opportunity to take pleasure in the hot spring, and Dani’s soak had been unfortunately interrupted by her presence. Now the two women were staring at each other, neither quite knowing what to say.

It was a rather awkward position to be in, and Dani looked for the nearest exit she could.

“Hey, sorry about this,” she muttered, getting up out of the water and covering herself as best she could. It was hard to do, given the fact that there was a lot to cover. “I didn’t know you were coming. Don’t worry, I’ll get out of your hair.”

Carly winced. Dani was running again. But that… that was fine, right? If Dani didn’t want to talk to her, then there was nothing she could do about it.

She felt a kick under the water. Marley surfaced to give her a scathing look.

“You’re running out of time! Just talk to her already!” Her sister’s glare seemed to say, and Carly’s heart ached.

“Dani-!” Carly turned around and grabbed the other girl by the ankle before she could get out of the water.

Big mistake there. Carly had completely forgotten about Dani’s monstrous strength, and the other girl was still walking out of the water. Only this time, she yanked Carly along with her. This threw both girls off their balance and Carly was practically catapulted at her, landing on top of the tomboy in a heap of femininity.

Carly opened her eyes to find out that her face was underwater, and pressed up against a soft wall of tan. She was lying on Dani like a flotation mattress, and her nose was buried deep in the curvaceous woman’s cleavage.

“Yeek!” Carly pulled back, her face red. Marley watched on in surprise. It was very rare that she got to see her sister that embarrassed.

“I-I’m sorry!” Carly stammered, face heating up from far more than just the warm water. “I didn’t mean to trip you like that!”

“N-no, it’s fine,” Dani mumbled, sitting up properly. She felt a little ashamed herself. While Carly had her face buried in Dani’s cleavage, Dani’s hands had been pressed up against her huge rack, and she’d gotten a squeeze or two in before she knew what was happening.

The two women returned to an awkward silence.

Finally, Dani had enough. If Carly didn’t want her to leave, then she wouldn’t. She’d take whatever **** the other girl had to fling at her for what she did.

“It’s okay,” she muttered, bracing for the worst. “Just say what you’re going to say.”

Carly opened her mouth, but nothing came out. What WAS she going to say? She looked to Marley for advice, but only received a shrug.

Marley wasn’t the people person out of this duo, that was her sister. What was she supposed to do? No, this was up to Carly.

“I… I…” Carly thought back to the last few days, remembering how upset she’d been at Dani for the other girl’s choice. Her anger had passed considerably since then, however, but she still felt the sting of betrayal from the other girl’s actions.

If not for Dani, Mimi wouldn’t have had to go through that transformation. But… I also wouldn’t have gotten my sister, either. She had a lot of happy memories that never would have happened had it not been for Dani’s decision, or Kim’s decision.

Then she realized something. She wasn’t upset with Kim. She should have been, but she wasn’t. When Marley forgave Kim, that had been the end of it. So why wasn’t it that simple with Dani? Why did seeing her always make her feel so… painful?

Taking a long look at herself for the first time, rather than running from her feelings, Carly finally found the answer.”

“…I miss you,” she said at last.

Dani’s eyes widened. “Wh-what?”

“I miss you,” Carly said, louder this time. Her words had a heavier weight to them than before. “Not being your buddy anymore… I miss it. Dawn’s great and all, and I really like her, but… she’s not you, Dani.”

Dani shook her head incredulously. “What are you saying? Carly, come on, you don’t mean that. After what I did, picking you over Mimi, it was like I spat in your face! What do you mean you miss me?”

“I don’t care about that anymore!” Carly exclaimed. “I mean, yeah, when it happened, I was really upset. I wanted you to pick Mimi, but you chose me, instead! And that just… it hurt, okay? It felt like you’d betrayed me!”

“I did,” Dani mumbled, clutching her legs to her chest. “I’m so sorry… but I couldn’t let you get eliminated, Carly. Kim hardly knows you, and she would have definitely chosen Mary or Mimi over you. I had to give you a rose, or else you would have been kicked out for sure!”

Tears began to fill Carly’s eyes. “But… I didn’t ask you to do that.”

Dani nodded glumly. “I know, and that’s why I didn’t say anything. Because you have every right to be upset with me. I know it sounds like I did it for you, but… I didn’t. I made that choice for me, because I didn’t want you to be eliminated. Even though I knew it wasn’t what you wanted, I was selfish and I did it anyway, because I didn’t want to lose you.”

Dani felt like the worst person in the world. She’d chosen her own desires over Carly’s, and Mimi had ended up paying the price.

Carly was silent for a while. “You know… it was Marley who told me I should talk with you. To try and work things out with you.”

“Marley? Really?” Dani asked.

“She’s so much like Mimi… she cares about people, she wants to be close to people, and she wants that for me, as well. But me… I’m not good with that sort of thing, you know. I can make friends, but I always keep them at a distance.”

Carly sank into the water, feeling embarrassed by the fact that her boobs continued to float on the surface. They were trying to have a serious conversation, and it felt like she was slutting it up somehow. Self-consciousness wasn’t something she was used to.

Dani sighed. “Carly, I know I did a bad thing. If you want to hate me-”

“But I don’t want to hate you!” Carly protested. “I just told you, I’m not even angry anymore! I just want things to go back to the way they used to be!”

“They can’t though,” Dani said firmly. “Not after I betrayed Mimi like that. I’m no good as a friend to you, Carly, I’m too selfish. It’s like… I want you for myself! Because of these feelings I have, I just can’t deal! I can’t be your buddy or make you happy if I’m being selfish!”

“Well… maybe we were both selfish,” Carly mumbled, staring at her reflection in the steamy water.

“…What are you talking about?” Dani asked, confused by the other girl’s meaning.

“When I got mad at you, for choosing me over Mimi… maybe that was my own selfishness talking. I mean… I put you into an impossible position. I basically **** you to make a horrible choice, to choose between making me happy… or keeping me me. If you’d done that… if you’d chosen Mimi over me… then the same way you blame yourself for what happened to Mimi, you’d be blaming yourself for whatever it was that would have happened to me.”

Dani winced. She didn’t like thinking that way. But Carly wasn’t wrong, either.

“I **** you into that position… or, well… the game **** you into it, I guess, but I didn’t make it any easier on you, begging and pleading with you like that. Basically throwing the impossible choice you had to make into your face… and then, when you didn’t make the choice I wanted, I blamed you for it. How awful is that?”

“It’s not awful at all!” Dani protested. “It’s natural to feel that way, to have wants like that! And it’s normal to get upset if something like that happens!”

“Normal to get upset, sure,” Carly nodded. “But it’s not normal to stay upset. Resenting you over something you didn’t have control of would make no sense. I should be mad because you chose me over Mimi? When either choice was awful for you? That, maybe to someone that makes sense, but at the same time, it’s not my place to be mad. Mimi was the one who would have been hurt by your decision… and she doesn’t even blame Kim for not picking her.”

Her eyes began to water, and not just because of her earlier face-plant.

“Dani… I’m not mad at you anymore, I promise. I still care about you, you’re still my friend. You believe that, don’t you?”

Dani wanted to believe it so bad she could taste it. But she still hesitated.

“Even after everything?” She asked, her voice cracking.

Carly nodded in the affirmative. “I was upset. But what hurt me more is the fact that I blew up at you so badly and nearly ruined our friendship. I-I don’t know why, but not being able to talk to you… even Marley, she wasn’t enough to make up for that.”

She moved closer to Dani and looked her in the eyes.

“Can we please go back to being friends?” She begged. “Marley and I, we both forgive you for what happened, because we both know it wasn’t your fault. You were in a horrible position and you made an impossible choice. And I shouldn’t have been upset about it.”

She hugged Dani tightly, startling the other woman. Dani felt her head overheating, not sure how to process this.

“This is what I should have done back then,” Carly said, holding her close. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry too,” Dani whispered, hugging her back.

“And I’m sorry too!” Marley threw herself onto the two of them in a giant glomp, sending the trio into the water.

Meanwhile, Rose watched them from the changing room with a smile on her face.

“There, that’s better,” she said, turning to Kim. “All’s well that ends well, right?”

“I guess so,” Kim sighed, rubbing her stomach. She was glad that Carly and Dani were friends again, but she wished she hadn’t had to get out of the water to make it happen. “Anyway, I’m hungry. I’m gonna go get something to-”

She popped out of existence. Time for work. She managed to get out a “oh, come ON!” before she vanished though.

Rose blinked and laughed ruefully. “Whelp, I can fix a lot of things, but I can’t fix that.”

She turned back to watch the trio splashing themselves in the water, and smiled in contentment.