Agatha All Along Week 2025

An ache begins to form in Agatha’s heart.

It’s subtle at first: the constant need to keep Rio close, to hold her, to provide for her becoming stronger than ever.

She understands it when she finds Rio in the kitchen one day, singing along to the music she was listening to while making bread for the station's barbecue in the evening. It’s a hot day and Rio is wearing the prettiest summer dress, her hair up in a messy bun and no shoes on her feet.

Agatha loved the way Rio shifted so fluidly between her feminine and masculine side, simply taking each day as it was without overthinking it. Thanks to Rio Agatha had become kinder with herself as well. She wasn’t close to something she would call self-love but she respected herself and felt comfortable in her own skin more often than not these days – and how couldn’t she when Rio always loved her so fiercely, so complete with everything she was.

Her hands she often found too rough, had been kissed tenderly, held protectively and were often Rio’s way to ground herself during bad days.

Her shoulders that had been called too broad had carried Rio after long nights out, worked to build her raised beds for all the herbs she liked to grow and flexed beneath Rio’s nails digging into her skin as she unraveled her again and again.

Her breasts she sometimes tried to hide because she thought she had to in order to fit the way she presented herself were kissed and touched lovingly after days of binding and complimented on when she spent especially hot summer days at home shirtless.

Rio loved all of her and she loved all of Rio. Unconditional love. Something they both dreamed of in their youth but never imagined to be actually possible. Both had grown up with families that took and pushed without stopping to think about what their children needed. Boundaries were unheard of and acting up was punished or shrugged off. They were luckily past these people now – a lone sign of their existence being at most an unread Christmas card in the mail.

They had each other. They were a family.

And now Agatha was still standing in the doorway of the kitchen and her heart keeps on growing. Her feet carry her over to Rio and she doesn’t hesitate to wrap her arms around her from behind. She kisses her neck and breathes in the fresh scent of her shampoo.

“You’ve been standing there for a while,” Rio notes, a playful undertone in her voice. Ever the observant FBI agent. “Did you like what you see?”

“Very much so.” She rests her chin on Rio’s shoulder; her own boots and Rio being barefoot granting her a height advantage she usually didn’t have. “You’re breathtakingly beautiful, my love.”

Rio laughs in delight. “Want to try some of the sample bread? I’ve kept it in the oven to keep it warm.”

“A sample bread. You really won’t leave anything to chance.” Agatha kisses her shoulder then and let’s go of her before moving to the oven. “The whole house smells delicious,” she says as she pulls out the tray.

“It’s the rosemary. Gives it a little kick.”

When Agatha had tried the bread and moaned a little bit exaggerated at the taste, she hops onto a part of the kitchen counter Rio wasn’t using and watches her working for a while.

“Something on your mind, handsome?” Rio asks her eventually, probably noticing Agatha’s somewhat restless energy.

“I’ve been daydreaming a little. About us.”

“Nice things I hope?”

“It’s about what we’ve talked about a while ago. When I wasn’t sure yet. I… I think I am now.”

Rio tilts her head a little, obviously doing some mind gymnastics in search of needed context, before it clicks and her eyes widen, head turning to her girlfriend.

“You want to have a child?”

Agatha nods carefully, with both happiness and fear. “Yes. I think we would do a great job at being parents and…” she has to smile a little as she thinks about it. “Honestly I think that’s it. We would love our child and do our best for them. It doesn’t need more reason. I just want a child with you. Share our love.”

Rio pulls her in for a kiss so fast that she almost falls forward.

Agatha can’t keep her hands to herself for the rest of the day. She spends the entirety of the barbecue hovering around Rio and fussing over her, so much so that Rio eventually snaps at her and bans her from coming near her for at least twenty minutes.

Figurative tail between her legs Agatha trails off to the small circle of her colleagues surrounding the grill and the chief hands her a beer while another detective looks at her with sympathy.

“Feeling some extra TLC today, Harkness?” she asks and laughs when Agatha glares at her. “What? You’re the definition of ‘look at my wife, I love my wife’.”

“She’s not even my wife,” Agatha grumbles.

“Yet,” the chief chimes in.

“Will you mind your own business?”

“I’m just saying.”

Agatha sighs and throws Rio the saddest look she can muster. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work and somehow she manages the entire terrible twenty minutes of separation.

A few days later Agatha corners Rio the second they get home from work. They have a long weekend ahead, courtesy of Agatha bullying the chief, and she has every intention of making each hour count.

She’s holding Rio from behind and kisses her neck a few times before asking the question that had been burning on her mind since the day of the barbecue.

“Should we start trying?”

“Someone’s eager,” Rio says amused but she sighs when Agatha’s lip find one of her favorite spots.

“We didn’t have time all week,” Agatha notes and pulls Rio’s hips against her crotch, the bulge of her packer pressing against her ass. “I’ve become impatient.”

Rio gasps softly. “Agatha…”

“Do you feel me, babe?”

Rio nods, grinding back on her own accord now. Agatha groans and tightens her hold on her.

“I want to take my time with you. I want to undress you, I want to eat you out,” she mumbles into her ear, her hands moving up Rio’s waist. “And when I made you come so good that you’re shaking and begging for me I want to take my cock and fuck you. Slow and deep.” She moves her lips slightly, giving Rio the smallest idea of what was to come. “I am going to breed you tonight. I am going to fill you up until my cum leaks out of you. And when that happens I am going to fuck it right back into you where it belongs to make sure that it sticks.”

Agatha works absurdly fast as they get to the bedroom, grabbing a harness and the brand-new squirting dildo she had bought before digging further into the drawer to find the bottle with the cum-colored lube.

Rio watches her, equally turned on and enamored with her girlfriend, but before she can comment something Agatha kisses her in a way that almost makes her knees buckle and asks her to wait for a moment.

She goes into the bathroom, takes all clothes except her boxers off and fumbles the packer out of its pouch before stepping into the harness and fastening it. Her hands shake a little in excitement as she fills the syringe connected to the toy but once everything is in the right place she feels the weight of what the evening would entail settle right back into her mind. This wasn’t just one of their little games, it was the pledge to a step they would be taking together in the future.

The day before they made the decision to wait until next summer, when Rio would find out if the FBI would finally make her position at the Westview police station a permanent one after four years and then they would look into both adoption and IVF. It was exciting – it made Agatha lightheaded.

Now however she rushes back to Rio.

Agatha undresses her slowly, kisses and touches every inch of skin exposed, tells her how beautiful she is and that she can never get enough of her. When she sinks between her thighs Rio is wet and aching for her. She sighs Agatha’s name in the prettiest way when she comes and they spend minutes with making out after before Agatha pulls away again.

“Bend over. I want to see you.”

She’s kneeling behind Rio, teasing her folds with the tip of her strap before sliding the tip into her – just enough to stretch her a little.

“Agatha… fuck me

“Try again.”

“Please. Please fuck me. I need you. Need your cock.”

Now pleased Agatha proceeds, setting a slow pace to help Rio with adjusting to her.

It’s minutes of this until Rio whines for her to go faster, to go harder.

“You should see how pretty your pussy looks when you take me,” Agatha says with a gasp, her eyes fixed on the silicon shaft – shiny with Rio. “So fucking tight, clenching around my cock. I am going to cum in you soon, fill you up.”

“You’re going to make me a mommy, aren’t you, daddy?”

Something inside of Agatha’s brain detonates and she grunts through gritted teeth as she switches to a brutal pace with her thrusts. “Fuck – yes baby. You’re going to be growing our child in no time. I’ll keep you bred properly until we know for sure. Daddy can’t wait to see your belly swell, the way your pretty tits will grow. Everyone will know that you are mine.”

Rio topples over, followed by Agatha who slides a hand between Rio’s legs so she could touch her clit.

“Fuck, daddy-“ Rio whines beneath her. Agatha can see her white knuckles as she clings to the sheets.

“You’re taking me so well, baby, do you think you’re ready for my cum?”

“Yes, I want it – need you…to breed me.”

Agatha, almost beside herself from lust, reaches for the syringe snuck between the waistband of her boxers and her skin and pushes her thumb down while thrusting hard into Rio one more time – staying still as the cum spills into her.

It takes only a few more fast circles rubbed against her clit for Rio to come with a cry of Agatha’s name, her body trying to thrash around but Agatha presses her down with her own weight, keeping her pinned in place between herself and the mattress.

“Stop moving and take it,” she growls into her ear. “Take. My. Cum.” She accentuates each word with a sharp snap of her hips.

“It’s too much, daddy…” Rio mewls but presses her ass back against Agatha to keep her right where she was as she rides out her orgasm.

“Oh, is it?” Agatha tuts and pulls almost completely out of Rio’s stretched out cunt which has her whine even louder. “Do you want me to stop?”

Rio shakes her head. “No.”

“Good girl. Now, get on your back.”

When Rio doesn’t move on her own Agatha turns her around, a little concerned about her until she sees the wide and blissful smile on her face.

“Are you too fucked out to move?” She asks and laughs when Rio nods. “Speaking is also not possible?”

“I am perfectly content right now, shh. Don’t disrupt the vibe.”

“Gods, you are so adorable,” Agatha sighs and leans down to kiss her deep and slow. “I love you.”

“And I love you.”

The tension builds again slowly, their hands moving lazy while their mouths meet in loving kisses. When Rio reaches between them and grabs the toy Agatha smiles against her lips.

“Back inside,” she orders and Agatha follows suit. She slides into her with no resistance; the lube and Rio’s cum making it perfectly smooth. “you wanted to fuck your cum back into me.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Agatha jokes and stills for a moment when she’s fully buried inside of Rio again. They hold eye contact as Rio begins to move her hips, fucking herself with Agatha’s cock.

“So greedy,” Agatha groans. “Making sure not to waste a single drop of my cum. What a good girl you are for me.”

Rio’s movements soon falter until she stops with a pitiful whine. Agatha feels her thighs shaking – sees the way her chest rises and falls fast. She’s sweaty, she’s flushed – a beautiful mess just for Agatha to enjoy.

“Exhausted from coming twice already, hm?” Agatha leans forward, supporting herself with her hands positioned next to Rio’s arms. “Do you want daddy to help you, pretty girl? I can feel you clenching around my cock.” She pulls out slowly, before harshly thrusting back into her.

“Yes, please please, fuck me, daddy,” Rio sobs and grabs Agatha’s wrists.

She lasts barely a minute this time – overstimulated and still so hungry for more that it doesn’t take much from Agatha. A few thrusts, a little twist of her hips and Rio is seeing stars.

“Shit,” Agatha curses and lies down next to Rio, still half draped over her body.

“Yup, I’d be definitely knocked up now if this was legit cum.” Rio nods in thought as she looks down between her legs where a rather impressive puddle had built up.

Agatha laughs and kisses Rio’s neck. “A little bit of practice can’t hurt, right? Wanna go take a bath?”

“If you carry me.”

“Aw. Pretty princess needs to be carried.” She teases but Rio doesn’t let it get to her.

“Yes, she does.”

Rio gets into the water first and sighs pleased when the warm water surrounds her slightly aching limbs. She smacks Agatha’s ass when she steps into the bathtub as well and giggles at the offended look she gets in return.

“You are such a little shit,” she remarks before settling between Rio’s legs and leaning back against her chest.

“You love me.”

“I do.”

“That was really fun,” Rio hums after they’ve been enjoying the warm water and the skin-on-skin contact in silence for a while. “And really hot. Next time it’s your turn though.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, you’re not the only one with mad breeding skills.”

Agatha sighs. “Has this become a competition now?”

“If I actually do get you pregnant I win.”

“If you get me pregnant I won’t even ask questions and just roll with it.”

“Because it would be some sort of miracle?”

“Because I love you and want your child.”

Agatha hears Rio’s sharp intake of air and just when she’s about to ask what’s wrong Rio wraps her arms and legs around her and pulls her in with such a force that Agatha shrieks in surprise – embarrassingly high-pitched.

“What the hell?”

“We are going to have a kid. You and me.” Rio says, completely in awe and Agatha hears her voice tremble a little which in turn drives some tears into her own eyes.

“Yes.”

“We are going to be great parents. I’ll be the cool dad and you’ll be the lame dad.”

“Excuse me? Why am I lame?”

“The Birkenstocks with the white socks…”

“Oh, you little shit.”

Agatha frees herself from Rio’s grip and stands up. She glares down at her but Rio seems to be more occupied with Agatha’s wet and naked body in front of her than her faux anger.

It’s silent for a moment until Agatha decides that Rio had done enough staring. She climbs out of the bathtub and wraps a towel around her waist after drying herself off haphazardly.

“Come back in here and let me fumble you.”

“I have a better idea. You apologize on your knees for calling me lame and I’ll let you eat me out.

With that Agatha turns around and marches back into the bedroom.

Agatha watches her for a long moment. There’s a softness in her gaze, laced with a quiet ache. Rio’s hair is piled in a messy bun, loose strands curling damply at her nape. Her jaw is clenched in that stubborn, silent way Agatha knows all too well, like she’s holding herself together one keystroke at a time.

Without a word, Agatha sets her mug down. Pads barefoot across the wood floor. She brushes a hand over Rio’s shoulder in passing - not enough to interrupt, just enough to be felt - then disappears down the hall.

The tap runs for a few minutes. The sound of water filling the tub is muffled under the rainfall outside. Then silence again.

Rio doesn’t look up when Agatha returns. But she feels it. The shift in the air. The quiet presence behind her.

Agatha crouches beside the chair, one hand resting lightly on Rio’s thigh. She tilts her head, catches Rio’s eyes even as she resists.

“Come,” Agatha says simply. Her voice is low, coaxing.

Rio lets out a breath, more of a sigh than a protest. “I just need to finish this draft…”

“You need a break,” Agatha replies. “And I’ve already run the bath.”

There’s a moment of silence between them. A breathless pause where the world narrows to the space between their knees. Then, without speaking, Rio closes her laptop.

The bathroom is warm when they step inside, the air fragrant with lavender and cedarwood. A few candles flicker along the edge of the counter, their light casting honeyed shadows across the tiled walls. The tub is nearly full, steam curling lazily toward the ceiling. It’s nothing fancy, just the two of them and a bit of warmth, but Rio’s breath catches a little anyway.

She hadn’t realized how cold she felt until now.

Agatha waits, silent and steady, as Rio undresses. There’s nothing performative in the way she moves, just tired motions, sleeves shrugged off, jeans pooled at her ankles. Agatha’s eyes follow her, not in hunger, but adoration. There’s something sacred in this kind of seeing.

Once Rio is bare, Agatha reaches out and draws her close. Her hands, cool from the air, slide over Rio’s hips. A kiss lands just above her heart.

“Go on,” she murmurs. “Get in.”

Rio obeys without a word.

The water hugs her limbs like it’s missed her. She sinks down slowly, releasing a breath as she goes, head tipping back against the rim of the tub. Her muscles unwind in stages, like her body’s only just remembered how to let go. Her eyes drift closed.

Then Agatha steps in behind her.

The water rises as she settles, pulling Rio into the cradle of her legs. It takes some gentle shifting, but soon Rio is tucked between her thighs, back resting against Agatha’s chest. Agatha loops her arms loosely around her waist, one hand idly tracing circles along her stomach, the other combing slowly through the loose strands of hair at the nape of her neck.

“This okay?” she asks softly.

Rio nods, almost imperceptibly. “Yeah,” she breathes. “This is perfect.”

For a long while, neither of them speaks.

The rain continues its quiet song outside. Inside, there’s only the occasional drip of water against porcelain, the subtle splash as a foot shifts, a deep inhale followed by an even deeper exhale. Agatha’s fingers never stop moving - soothing, absent-minded, protective.

Rio leans further into her. “I’ve missed this,” she says eventually, voice low and almost shy.

Agatha presses a kiss to her temple. “I know.”

Agatha shifts, just slightly, and Rio grumbles in protest when the warm press of her arms leaves her stomach.

“Easy,” Agatha soothes. “I’m still here.”

She reaches for the small ceramic dish resting on the tub’s edge - a bar of solid shampoo, worn smooth from use. Lifting it, she works it between her hands until it lathers, thick and soft and smelling faintly of mint and neroli. She sets the soap aside and leans in.

“Tilt your head back for me.”

Rio obeys, eyes closed, lashes damp against her cheeks.

Agatha cups water in her hands, letting it run gently through Rio’s hair. She takes her time. There’s no rush here, no urgency. Just fingers threading slowly through soft curls and waves, undoing knots as if they’re fragile things - delicate, undeserving of tug or haste. She massages the soap into Rio’s scalp with the reverence of someone handling gold leaf, pressing slow circles behind her ears, along her temples, down to the base of her neck.

Rio melts. It’s not dramatic, no gasp or tremble. Just a subtle exhale, the soft slackening of her shoulders, the tilt of her head against Agatha’s chest.

“You always do this,” Rio murmurs, voice thick.

“Do what?”

“Know what I need before I do.”

Agatha lets out a soft hum. “That’s my job, isn’t it?”

Rio snorts, but it’s faint. Her hand lifts to touch Agatha’s knee beneath the waterline, fingers curling there like an anchor.

“I think I forgot how to breathe today,” she whispers.

Agatha’s hands still for a moment. Her voice, when it comes, is barely above the candlelight. “Then I’ll help you remember.”

She tilts Rio’s head again, carefully pouring clean water through her hair. Suds disappear down her back. Agatha gathers the strands in both hands, smoothing them gently down, fingers catching just slightly at the ends.

“You don’t have to push so hard,” she adds. “Even when you think no one’s watching, I am.”

Rio’s lips part as if to speak, then close again.

Agatha doesn't press. She just runs her hands through Rio’s hair again, this time in silence, as if coaxing the tension out through every soft stroke.

When Rio finally speaks, it’s barely more than a breath. “I get scared that if I stop, I won’t know how to start again.”

Agatha presses her lips to the top of her head. “Then don’t stop. Just rest. Let me move the world for a little while.”

Rio’s throat works, but she doesn’t cry. Not quite. The tears stay soft and invisible, disappearing into the steam.

And Agatha holds her like that, fingers still carding gently through wet hair, whispering nothing at all.

The water has gone lukewarm by the time they move.

Agatha is the first to rise, careful not to slosh too much as she steps out. She grabs a towel - fluffy, warm from the radiator - and holds it open without speaking. Rio comes to her, dripping and pliant, and folds into her arms like she belongs there. Agatha wraps the towel around her shoulders, rubbing slow circles into her back, then guides her to sit on the closed lid of the toilet seat.

“Don’t move,” Agatha says softly. “I’ll get the other one.”

When she returns, she crouches in front of Rio and begins blotting water from her legs, then her arms, then up to her shoulders and neck. She takes her time, not because she needs to, but because she wants to. There’s something precious in the act of tending to someone this way. Intimate, yes, but also deeply grounding. She’s not trying to fix anything. Just be there. Bear witness.

Once Rio’s body is dry, Agatha grabs the second towel and begins gently working it through her damp hair.

Rio leans forward, chin resting against her knees, eyes closed.

Agatha can feel her heartbeat through the curve of her spine.

“You used to do this for me,” Rio murmurs, voice muffled.

“Mm?”

“Back when I got caught in that storm. Our third date.”

Agatha smiles, unseen. “You showed up on my porch looking like a drowned cat.”

“You still kissed me.”

“You looked like you needed it.”

Rio lifts her head just slightly, just enough to meet Agatha’s eyes.

“I think I still do.”

Agatha brushes a lock of wet hair from her cheek. “Then come here.”

She sits on the closed lid beside her and opens her arms again. Rio leans in without hesitation, curling into her chest. Her skin smells like soap and something warmer, something like surrender.

“You’re too good to me,” Rio whispers.

Agatha presses a kiss to her damp temple. “You’re mine,” she says. “That’s all.”

**********

Later, they’re on the couch.

The lights are low, the candles have followed them from the bathroom to the living room, and the rain is still falling. Not enough to be dramatic - just a soft percussion, like the world breathing alongside them.

Agatha sits with her legs stretched out, and Rio is curled into her side, her head tucked beneath Agatha’s chin. They’re both wrapped in a blanket that smells faintly of vanilla and clean laundry. One of Rio’s legs is draped over Agatha’s, holding them together. Her fingers trace idle patterns along Agatha’s wrist.

Neither of them says much. The kind of quiet they’re in now doesn’t need words.

Eventually, Rio stirs.

“You think this is what we’ll be like in ten years?” she asks softly.

Agatha doesn’t answer right away. Her hand drifts lazily up Rio’s spine, then down again. “You mean soft and wet and half-asleep on my lap?”

Rio lets out a small laugh. “You know what I mean.”

Agatha smiles into her hair. “I think,” she says slowly, “we’ll be like this and more. We’ll argue about groceries. You’ll reorganize my books by colour again and I’ll pretend to hate it. We’ll forget what day it is, and remember together. I’ll wash your hair after long days, and you’ll still insist you’re fine even when you’re not.”

Rio lets out a breath that isn’t quite a laugh, but not a sob either. “You make it sound like love’s the quietest thing in the world.”

“It can be,” Agatha says. “Especially when you let it.”

There’s a long, still moment between them.

Then Rio lifts her head, just enough to look Agatha in the eyes. Her hand slides up to rest over Agatha’s heart.

“Thank you,” she says.

Agatha tilts her head. “For what?”

“For knowing what kind of softness I need,” Rio whispers. “For giving it without asking for anything back.”

Agatha catches her face in both hands, brushing her thumbs along her cheeks. “I ask for one thing.”

Rio’s eyes search hers. “What?”

“Stay.”

The word hangs between them. Not as a command. Not even a plea. Just a hope.

Even Rio Vidal, the first green witch and reaper of souls, wasn’t spared the joy and anguish of falling in love.

Throughout the centuries she felt a pull that grew stronger with every winter passing. She asked Fate about it and tried begging the norns to change the threads of her existence.

She was Death but she was also a woman – a witch.

And a witch would always meet their soul’s companion at some point.

When the day comes Rio approaches her destination cautiously.

There were at least ten souls waiting for her to guide them and everything pointed to her soulmate being the one to cause this mass murder. She was curious to see them, but wondered why it had to be a mortal.

When she caught the first sight of bright purple magic it didn’t matter anymore that they were a mortal. Her own magic reacted before she could control it and green shot towards the purple, where both colors entwined in a joyous dance – like long lost friends finally meeting again.

Equally purple eyes meet hers and suddenly everything was laid out open.

Knowledge that she didn’t possess before was now hers – Agatha Harkness no longer a stranger but someone whose entire history was engraved into her own heart.

Then the magic retreats, leaving the two witches in eerie silence and the weak light of a few torches burning. They look at each other – equally curious and equally fascinated.

“Isn’t it quite the irony that Death is mine?” Agatha then asks and laughs, her arms stretching out as she stands above her dead attackers – her coven. Her own coven who had tried to murder her.

From this day on Agatha Harkness would be called a covenless witch. Rio found that it suited her.

“With this wonderful welcome present, I wouldn’t call it irony but simply fate, my dear.”

Agatha closes in on her then, the air around her still crackling with the remnants of the magic she had siphoned. They reach out at the same time, hands now entangling in a similar way to their magic earlier.

They step away from the scene, vanishing into the dark woods.

Rio shakes her head. "You'd do anything to get a taste." Her knee presses harder into Agatha's clit. "Big bad vampire on her knees for me."

"Fuck, Rio."

"Would you do anything for me?"

"Anything," Agatha breathes.

"Well then—." A phone buzzes and they freeze. "Uber's here," Rio chirps. She gets off the couch and grabs her bag, and Agatha can only stare slack jawed as she walks away, like they weren't just rutting like teenagers on the couch.

"Hurry up," Rio tosses a teasing smile. "Don't want to be late."

"Yeah, yeah," Agatha grumbles. She winces as she stands, finishing her drink and leaving the empty bottle on the table. 

Her pants are sticky.

~~~

"Chicken tenders?" Agatha raises an eye at the large basket that sat in the middle of the table. "What are you five?"

Rio sticks out her tongue and grabs the drinks from Agatha's hands. "Sorry that not all of us can survive on alcohol and cigarettes."

Agatha flashes her fangs. "Tonight I'm surviving off of the alcoholic blood of virgins tonight." 

A chorus of jeers and a french fry are thrown her way. "Oh my god that's disgusting." "You suck." "I can't believe you're such a fucking loser."

"You didn't even dress up," Jen says. She takes a sip of her drink, some fruity cocktail that Agatha knows from experience contains more alcohol than juice, and waves a hand at Agatha's costume. "You're wearing your normal clothes."

"And my normal clothes make me an incredibly hot vampire," Agatha brags. "You're just jealous because you're stuck going home with miss terminator over here." She jerks her thumb over at Alice who grins and pulls Jen onto her lap. "And why am I getting singled out for not trying. She's literally wearing her police uniform."

"Hey first of all, I'm T-1000. And second, don't discount my bullet holes. I worked hard on those." Alice fingers the crumpled foil she pinned to the front of her uniform. "And please. We all know you're going to go home with Rio anyways."

"You two should just grow up and start dating each other."It's the same conversation, same song and dance that always comes up when their schedules manage to align. Agatha knows what to say, what she should say, but for some reason her brain short circuits. "I– I don't.. We're not–," she stutters. 

"We're just friends." Rio cuts her off. 

She looks over at Rio. There's a slight frown on her face as she picks at her food dipping fries halfheartedly in mustard. Agatha opens her mouth to say something, anything, but the moment passes and the conversation moves on.  

~~~

Agatha doesn't quite recall how she got onto the dance floor. Hours had passed. The bar had turned into a club and the party was in full swing. Lights pulsed, sweaty bodies pressed in around her, and the bass from the music reverberated through her bones. 

The songs playing were older. She remembered them from her time she'd spent at clubs when she was younger. Recession pop they call it now. She's got a drink in her hand, Jen's probably, on the account of it tasting like straight vodka. 

She's got a girl in front of her. She's pretty, from what she can tell. The girl has short brown hair and is wearing an even shorter mini skirt. Agatha holds on to her hip as they dance. She thinks that if she plays her cards right she could probably go home with this girl. She presses up against the other woman, formulating a plan. She's got a couple of foolproof pickup lines in her repertoire. 

She leans forward to say something when the collar of her shirt grows tight. An embarrassingly high squeak comes from her mouth before her back collides with a body and an arm wraps around her chest. 

The girl she was dancing with turns around, anger sparking in her eyes. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" she shouts. Her eyes are focused above Agatha's head.

"I could ask you the same thing."

Agatha looks up and has to suppress a smile. Rio is not happy. Her brow is pinched and her lips are pursed and she stares the woman down. Agatha sinks into Rio's hold.

"Find your own girl to dance with." She reaches out and her fingers brush Agatha's sleeve, but Rio steps back.

She tightens her hold. "You should leave."

The woman falters before shifting to address Agatha. "Are you really going to let her do this?" 

Agatha shrugs, a guilty look on her face. She would.

"What a bitch," Rio mutters when she walks away.

"Ya know," Agatha says, maneuvering them so that she's the one behind Rio. "You could've just asked."

"I know."

~~~

Agatha holds Rio close. It's taking all of her effort not to as the other grinds against her. Instead she sways to the beat letting the music do what her buzzed mind can't. 

Sweat is glistening on both their bodies, and Agatha rests her chin on Rio's shoulder. "Would you let me?" she whispers. "If I were actually a vampire." 

Rio leans back. "Let you do what?"

"Bite you." Agatha grazes Rio's neck with her teeth, tasting the salt on her skin. A quiet whimper falls from Rio's mouth. Her hand snakes around Rio's waist and she pulls her close. "I bet you'd taste really good."

Agatha thrusts her hips into Rio to make a point, and she wishes, not for the first time, that she had worn her packer tonight. She rolls her palm into Rio, pressing the fabric of her dress in between her legs. Rio would feel it, she's sure, if she positioned it right. And she'd feel it too. Feel how it would rub against her clit when Rio grinds back on it.

Rio grabs her arm, nails digging into the skin. "Stop."

Agatha freezes. A rush of heat floods through her body and she realizes she was practically dry humping Rio in the middle of the dance floor. Not practically. She was.

"Fuck. Rio I'm sorry. I–." She stumbles as Rio pulls her away.

"Let's go." 

 ~~~

They bypass their original booth and end up in a corner at the back of the bar. The lights are broken, some flickering, others off entirely. It's the publicly known, but also publicly ignored section of the bar.

 Rio slides in a miraculously empty booth. Agatha makes to go in after but is stopped by Rio's hand pressing into her chest. She raises an eyebrow questioningly.

Rio points at the floor. "Down."

Agatha glances around. It doesn't look like anyone is paying attention to them, but still. She's no stranger to kinky stuff, and her and Rio have had their fair share of risky trysts over the years, but this wasn't a bathroom stall or river by the woods. This was public.

Rio steps up and pulls her into a kiss, and Agatha melts into it. It's  sloppy. It's their first kiss all night. They're both drunk, and horny and Agatha had never been the neatest kisser to begin with. Rio breaks their kiss, and Agatha chases, nipping at her skin, trying to get more.

She feels Rio's hands thread through her hair, holding her back. Rio stares at her, and Agatha knows that her want and desperation is probably written all over her face. But Rio's isn't unaffected either. Rio's face is flushed, lips plump, and her eyes are full of desire as she looks down at her. "You'll be under the table. No one will see." Rio whispers against her mouth. "You wanted to taste me right?"

Agatha nods numbly.

"Then be a good girl and go down."

Rio reaches out and places her hand on Agatha's shoulder, and she sinks to her knees. The floor isn't clean. Dirt, crumbs, and spilled alcohol litter the ground, but she ignores it, eyes focused only on Rio. She crawls forward, as Rio backs into the booth, and she keeps crawling until she's fully under the table.

Agatha crawls until she's right in front of Rio, and then she sits, resting her head on the other woman's thigh. She'd be fired, or at least written up, if anyone caught her like this, and that thought alone is enough to make her realize the risk of the situation, but before she can do anything a hand shoots out and grabs her hair.

Rio spreads her legs, hiking her dress up. She tugs on Agatha's hair, and Agatha moans, eyes fluttering as Rio guides her head up and closer to her goal. Rio is turned on. She can already tell. The musky scent of Rio's arousal invades her senses and Agatha surges forward nuzzling at the thin barrier of fabric that separates her from Rio.

Agatha mouths at Rio's cunt drawing a moan from the other woman. She can taste the salt and sweat from Rio's skin mixed in with the slight tang of Rio's slick. She presses in further, nose rubbing against Rio's clit.  

Rio moans. It's loud, louder than the music playing in the club and Agatha's cunt clenches at the sound. It's not enough. She wants… no she needs more. She reaches up, nails scratching against Rio's thighs but Rio slaps them away. "No hands."

Agatha places her hands on either side of Rio and grabs the edge of Rio's underwear with her teeth. They're soaked, a lot from Rio's arousal, but Agatha knows that most is from her own spit.

Rio lifts her hips. "Take them off."

Agatha pulls. She drags them over Rio's thighs and down her legs until they drop and pool at her ankles. She licks a line up Rio's leg, chasing the taste of her juices until she arrives at the source. 

Her mouth waters. Normally she'd wait, take her time to fully admire and appreciate the body before her, but she's impatient. She dives back in tongue immediately sinking into Rio's pussy. She laps like a dog starved, gathering up all Rio's accumulated arousal on her tongue. 

"How do I taste baby?" Rio pants. Agatha moans and digs in with more fervor. 

She tastes like heaven. 

Agatha continues to lick, dipping her tongue into the other woman. Rio's moans are soft, barely audible over the music, but her hips buck and with each pass of her tongue more wetness spills out. 

Agatha can feel herself getting wet, and she resists the urge to reach down and touch herself. Instead she focuses her attention upward. She takes Rio's clit in her mouth and sucks. 

Rio's nails scratch her scalp, and Agatha knows that Rio's close. She redoubles her efforts alternating between sucking her clit and tonguing her cunt until finally Rio comes with a shout. Agatha tries to push away, because there is no way nobody heard that but Rio holds her close. She grinds her hips into Agatha's face, slick gushing out with each hump as she rides out her orgasm. "You're mine," she grunts. "You understand?" 

Agatha nods as much as she's able to.

She's hers. 

~~~

"Oh there you are."

Agatha stiffens. Alice. She tries to get up but a hand on her head shoves her back down.

"Where's Agatha?"

She never did actually move after getting Rio off, even though she was desperately horny herself. She stayed on the floor, face sticky with Rio's juices, leaning against her leg. Rio herself had been content to sit there, hand absentmindedly stroking her hair.

"Don't know," Rio says. The grip on her hair tightens. A warning. "Think she went out back for a smoke."

"Oh." She moves closer, and Agatha can see her boots come into view. 

"You want to sit down?" Rio asks. Agatha eyes the area warily. The booth isn't large, and while it may fit Alice if she decides to sit down, there isn't enough space under the table if Jen decides to join. 

She tries to move, push herself close to the wall, but Rio holds on tight. Agatha grabs onto her arm and works at prying her fingers off, cuz fuck her if she gets caught like this.

"I'm pretty sure our other table has already been claimed." She shifts and Agatha freezes. Rio's foot presses into her cunt, and she moves it slowly.

"Nah Jen and I were gonna head out. Figured I let you know."

"Where is Jen?" Rio asks. Her foot moves in the same circular motion, providing steady pressure. Agatha bites her lip, trying to suppress the whine coming out of her throat.

"Bathroom," Alice leans against the table. "Or the bar. She said two drinks ago she was done for the night."

Agatha drops her head down and clutches Rio's leg. Her hips are moving now, pressing her core on the top of Rio's foot. She wants to stop, she should stop, but she can't. The conversation continues on above her, Rio and Alice talking about something. She doesn't care.

A tendril of guilt curls in her chest with each rush of slick that spills into her underwear. She's on the floor of a seedy bar rutting like a dog onto her friend's shoe after eating her out. It's fucking embarrassing, demeaning, and yet…

It comes as a surprise. Her hips stutter, and she bites, her fake canines pinching into Rio's leg. The pain in her head is sharp as Rio yanks her up by her hair.

A face comes into view. "Did you just fucking come?"

Agatha flushes and pushes away, falling back when Rio lets go of her hair. "Fuck off." It sounds much less dignified when her hips are still rocking, riding out the rest of her orgasm.

Rio laughs. "I barely even touched you."

"I said shut up," she growls. She crawls out from under the table. She pulls at her crotch, wincing at the feeling of the wet fabric. She jumps and swats at Rio's hand as the other reaches out to feel.

"Holy shit you're soaked." Rio says, then with a grin. "Did that turn you on that much?"

"No." Yes. She's not going to think about it.

"Which part?" Rio hums. "Was it rutting against my foot like a puppy in heat or the fact Alice was right there and could find you anytime."

Agatha clenches the hem of her shirt. "None of it."

Agatha was startled as her cell door was suddenly thrown open. She looked up from her bed to see Gulliver unlocking the handcuffs of another woman. Agatha's eyes widened, to see none other, than Rio, her wife.

"Rio!" She exclaimed, standing up, before Alice put her hand up, signalling her to stay back. She scoffed, crossing her arms as she waited for her to finish up and leave. As soon as the door closed again, Agatha slammed her body against Rio's pulling her into a hug.

Agatha had been arrested for scamming people, and Rio had helped her. She honestly thought that they either didn't charge Rio, or she had been sent to another prison. It had been a whole week since Agatha was sentenced, and she was starting to lose hope until that very moment.

The cell that they would share had two beds, each having a nightstand, one desk, and a crappy toilet that was also a sink.

"I thought I lost you." Rio sighed, holding Agatha's face in her hands, looking into her eyes. Agatha let out a breath that she didn't know she had been holding, and ran her thumb over Rio's knuckles.

"Does this mean we get to share? What the hell were the chances of that even happening?" Agatha laughed, but it was clear that there was still some worry hidden behind her voice. The two were startled by a sudden buzz, signalling lunch time.

"Wait till you get a load of the shit they call food." Agatha sighed, pulling away from Rio as she guided her to the cafeteria.

On duty was Sargent Alice Wu Gulliver, accompanied by Jennifer Kale. Jen hadn't been in the industry for long, a couple months at most, so Alice made sure to keep an eye on her and always stayed nearby, as she still had a lot to learn.

"That one was being so unbearable during the pictures," Alice whispered to her girlfriend, pointing towards Rio, "I had to be on standby in case she attacked anyone, but it took them ages to get her to stay still."

Jennifer chuckled, adjusting the collar of her uniform, "What was she doing? Just trying to make their jobs more difficult?"

"I don't know," Alice sighed, "She kept pulling faces a few nanoseconds before the camera clicked. They had to keep retaking them until she got the timing wrong." 

Jennifer shook her head, smirking as she observed Agatha and Rio take a seat at one of the tables, and it was obvious that Rio was completely disgusted by the abomination on her tray. It looked like what seemed to be mashed potato with peas, and sausages?

"I'm a vegetarian!" She heard Rio cry out as she poked at the meat with her fork, "I'm not eating this."

"More for me then." Agatha grinned, taking the three sausages off of her plate.

"Hey! You said you'd go vegetarian with me!" Rio frowned, looking up at Agatha with betrayal.

Agatha snickered, "I know and I was, until we came in here. I would've starved to death by now if I only ate the rest of the food since I came in. This alone doesn't fill me up."

Rio sighed and shrugged, "I wonder how long I'll last..."

Alice and Jennifer looked away from the two. They had seen so many different women come in and complain about the food, whether it be dietary or religious preferences, and a lot of them ended up just eating whatever was given to them after a few weeks. It was true, the food that was served was the bare minimum to survive, so they could pass the legal requirements and be able to spend as less money as possible. Not only that, the process of getting approved for a different meal could take up to a year, God help anyone with allergies.

"Why don't we go to that new place that opened in the plaza after our shifts? My treat." Alice offered, and Jennifer beamed.

"I'd love to! I've been eyeing it for a couple days, it looks great!"

The intercoms buzzed again, signalling that all prisoners should be back in their cells. Rio groaned, and joined Agatha as they dropped off their trays. They walked together back to their cell. 

"Now what?" Rio sighed, making herself comfy on the hard mattress.

Agatha smirked, shaking her head, "We sit here. Until dinner."

Rio groaned, throwing her head back, "Imagine if I was here with some total stranger. We'd have to sit awkwardly for hours!"

"Yeah, I think I'm starting to prefer it before you moved in." Agatha said jokingly.

Rio glared at her, then began looking around the cell. "What did you do here?"

"Well..." She paused, glancing at the walls, "I had a couple books and some pencils. I drew on the walls sometimes and wrote down notches for different activities I did. It got boring after a while, though."

Rio sighed, following Agatha's gazes around the room. There were still two books on the desk with three pencils and a few papers scattered around, but that was it. "How are we supposed to get commissary items if without money?"

Agatha bit her lip, looking over to her wife, "Well, I guess we could always do favors for people, who in return could buy us something from there." She explained, "Or I could even tell Billy to call up and put some credit on. Can't expect him to pay for it, so I'll tell him where our money stash is."

Rio raised an eyebrow, "Don't you need to pay to use the phone?"

"Damn it."

The two conversed for a few hours, coming up with solutions. Surely Billy would come and visit at least once, right? He's the only person who might be willing, as there was zero chance Lilia would step foot in the building. Even with each other, they couldn't survive that long with nothing to do all day, they had to buy more things to entertain themselves.

The buzzer finally went off again, and Rio sprinted out of bed, making Agatha laugh. She discreetly took Rio's hand, and they made their way back to the run down cafeteria.

For dinner, they were serving what looked like spinach pie and beans with orange juice. The combination made Rio gagged, and Agatha shoved her shoulder, "Don't let the chef see you making faces. She'll starve you."

"The prisoners make the food here?"

Agatha nodded with a smirk, and Rio rolled her eyes. They took their trays and sat down at the same table as before. Agatha took a mouthful of the pie, and hummed. "It's actually not so bad."

Rio grimaced and took a bite herself, before somewhat agreeing. "I guess not. I hope the food isn't crappy for the whole nine months I'm in here though."

Agatha gasped, "You got nine? I got a whole year." She sighed, "But I guess you were just the accomplice."

Meanwhile, Alice and Jennifer were eyeing down the prisoners, looking at their details to pass the time. "Her braids are cool." Alice whispered, and Jennifer nodded.

"Hang on... Is that a piercing in her tongue?" Jen pointed in horror, and Alice quickly moved to pull her hand down.

"Shh, could be. I pretend not to notice. Healing piercings suck and I don't want to take away someone's hard work so I just... Turn a blind eye, if I see anything shiny." She winked, and Jennifer gasped in mock offense.

"Breaking the rules, Gulliver?"

"Guilty."

It turned out that surprisingly, Rio was eating Agatha's leftovers. Despite the different food not looking appealing together, it tasted alright if eating one part at a time. "What other stuff do they server here?" Rio mumbled, a piece of spinach falling out of her mouth.

"Well I've only been here a week, but so far breakfast normally has bread, cheese, ham, milk and sometimes cereal with a fruit." She spoke, "Lunch has peas, broccoli or carrots with sausages or chicken that takes ages to chew, and potatoes or rice with juice." She sighed, "Dinner has beans or a vegetable again with hashbrowns or, as of today it seems, pie, and more juice. Don't know if there's any more variety or not, we'll be discovering that together next week."

Rio sighed, wiping her mouth off with a tissue, "At least the juice is nice. Hashbrowns sound awesome though!"

Agatha laughed again and nodded. The buzz rang out through the building again. They got up, left their trays, and headed back to their cell. It was nearly lights out, which meant they had to sleep and make no noise, something that Agatha knew Rio would find difficult.

Agatha helped Rio set up her bed so she could get the most comfort out of it, helping her position the pillow in the perfect way and tucking the blanket in the right corners. Rio got into bed, and groaned loudly at how stiff everything was. 

The lights in the block dimmed, and Agatha pressed her finger to her lips. The guards came by with their flashlights and Alice came into their cell, shining the light in both of their faces while pressing her clicker, and left.

"What was that?" Rio mouthed.

"Making sure everyone's here. The device is the counter, one click equals to one person." Agatha whispered back.

They heard the main door slam, and everything went silent. Rio shifted in her bed, and not even a few minutes later, she quietly got up. Agatha turned her head to see what she was doing, only to feel another weight press onto her.

"She did what?!" Agatha yelled at the nurse who had just called her in the middle of the night to inform her that her ex-wife had been injured in a bar fight. "You better make sure that she is conscious when I get there because I want her to feel it when I am killing her."

"Ms. Harkness, please, your wife is lucky that she didn't need to have surgery. I understand that you are angry but…"

"Oh, she is my ex-wife. I guess she didn't bother changing her emergency contact."

"We can call someone else."

"No, don't bother. I am already awake now, aren't I? I'll be there."

With that Agatha ends the call and for a moment she considers throwing her phone against the wall. Two months since their divorce and Rio had nothing better to do than to fuck with her life even further? Screw her.

She makes a point of pushing one of Rio's potted plants to the ground as she enters her apartment before stomping over to her bedroom. Mountains of clothes scattered all over the floor greet her. Apparently, she hadn't been able to decide on an outfit for the evening or she just stopped caring about keeping things tidy after Agatha moved out.

Agatha throws the doors of Rio's closet open and grabs a few pairs of sweatpants and shirts to toss into the suitcase she had brought with her. Knowing Rio, she hadn't bothered with buying her own set yet.

In the drawers she finds some underwear, socks, and unfortunately also her collection of sex toys. She slams the drawer shut again immediately, not wanting to be reminded of the times they were making very thoroughly use of them together.

The next annoyance of the night jumps into her eye as she looks at Rio's desk. Next to her two computer screens is a framed photo of Agatha grinning into the camera. A horrible picture in her opinion, but Rio had insisted on keeping it on her desk as she worked from home most of the time.

She takes the frame into her hands, torn between taking it with her or just tearing the picture in it apart. Agatha does neither of these things. Instead, she puts it back into its spot and leaves the room.

In the kitchen she finds Rio's phone charger and a picture of them both hanging on the fridge.

For someone who hadn’t even bothered with saying a word to her when they left the courthouse after finalizing their divorce she sure had an awful lot of reminders of their time together in the apartment. 

At the hospital she waltzes to the front desk, flicks her hair over her shoulder and glares at the young man occupying it.

"I am looking for Rio Vidal."

"Are you a rela-"

"I am her wife for god's sake. Just tell me where I can find her and you might get to live to see the end of your shift."

"Or I call the security because you just threatened me."

"Do you think this is your lucky day…" she takes a look at his name tag. "Billy? Really? Do your parents hate you?"

"Why are you so bitchy?" He asks, just as snappy.

"Because I was woken up in the middle of the night with the information that my wife was injured and I would like to go and see her now before I will grab your skinny ass and wipe the floor with it," she explains with a wide and predatory smile. Why was this boy trying to make her life harder than it already was?

"Fine! Jeez." He types something into the computer in front of him and almost takes a little too long for Agatha's liking. "Third floor, room 243. Please never talk to me again."

"I won't try to make it a habit, Bucky."

"It's Billy!" He calls after her.

"I don't care, Bobby!"

She hesitates a moment before softly knocking at the door. There's no reply but she enters anyway.

Rio looks terrible. Her left eye is basically swollen shut, there’s a stitched up wound on her cheek-bone and Agatha can tell there’s more blemishes on her body by the way she winces as she sits up in her bed.

“Agatha?”

"What happened?"

"I was out with Alice and Jen. Some dude didn't like it when they kissed."

"And you picked a fight."

"Damn right I did. He was bigger and meaner but I got him better.” She grins. Agatha wants to wipe it off her face. "Thank you for coming."

"Didn't have much of a choice, did I?"

"Changing my emergency contact wasn't really my first priority after everything.”

"True, your first priority was getting drunk and then sending me tons of messages with insults of varying degrees.”

"Agatha, come on. The divorce wasn't really a fair process.”

“If you wanted a fair divorce you should have considered talking to me first before handing me the papers."

"I thought it was for the best."

"You sure did." She regards Rio for a moment. Their relationship always had their highs and lows but the day Rio gave her both her engagement and wedding ring back would forever be one of the worst ones in her life. "I am leaving. There is everything you will need for a few days in the suitcase. Keep the damn thing and change your emergency contact. Best delete my number while you are at it.” She puts the key to Rio’s apartment on the small table next to her bed.

"Agatha."

"Bye."

"Agatha, please wait."

She reaches for the door.

"I love you."

"You forced me away by insisting on divorcing me without giving us the chance to work it out. I have a very hard time to see how this is supposedly love.

"I was scared after almost losing you.”

“So you sent me through hell to actually lose me but on your terms?” Agatha has a hard time keeping her voice down. “Do you know how fucked up that is?!”

“Yes. I am sorry. I am so fucking sorry.”

She looks at her, sees the woman she had vowed to love and protect long before they had even considered getting married, sees that same woman literally beaten down and crying.

Agatha knows better than to return to someone out of pity. She doesn’t pity Rio. She had gotten herself into all these messes.

“I’m glad you’re sorry. You should be.”

She knows Rio is broken down now - miserable and in pain. She’s looking past Agatha.

“Do you want me to get a nurse?”

Rio shakes her head. “Can you just sit with me?”

Agatha wordlessly takes off her coat, exposing the shirt she had been wearing to sleep.

One of Rio’s. Some way for her to stay connected to the woman she loved – despite it all.

If Rio notices she doesn’t comment on it. She mumbles a thank you when Agatha is settled into a chair a few steps away from the bed.

Agatha watches over her in silence. She’s watching over her when she drifts to sleep and she’s watching over her when a nurse comes to check in on her. They don’t try to send her away.

Only when the sun begins to rise and she can barely keep her eyes open anymore Agatha shifts. She gets up and moves the chair to the side of the bed before sitting down again.

Rio remains asleep when Agatha slips a hand into hers.

It took one look into the smug face of Rio Vidal for Agatha to drop into the foulest mood. She was annoying, pushy and possibly the worst case of inflated ego she had to witness in her fifty years on this planet.

That wasn’t half of it though.

For whatever wretched reason Rio had made it her mission to flirt with Agatha every single time she tried to mind her own business. There was barely a day where she left her alone and it was irritating her.

“You are standing in my way,” Agatha said as she tried to get to the copier. Rio was standing there like she was glued to the spot, reading over whatever she was holding in her hands.

“Make me move then,” Rio rasped back when she turned her head to look at her.

“You are aware that your behavior is bordering on sexual harassment, right?”

With a gasp Rio put a hand on her chest and stepped aside. “Shame on you for thinking like that.”

They were elementary school teachers, both responsible for a third grade. This meant, much to Agatha’s dismay, that she had to work closer with Rio than she did with other colleagues. The school wasn’t big either so there were only two third grades.

In front of the children Agatha remained mostly polite but they had understood long ago that their teacher wasn’t happy when they would sing praises about Ms. Vidal who was, undoubtedly, the superstar of the school. She was always bringing in fun new activities into the sometimes-dull routine of school, taught a lot of practical things and was the only teacher allowed to tend to the school garden where her and her students grew flowers, vegetables and herbs.

“If she wanted to be a gardener she could have done that instead,” Agatha often hissed through gritted teeth, mostly when anyone said a kind word about Rio.

Yes, she was actually impressed by her set of skills and yes, she admired her creativity and the way she connected work and play for the children. Their grades were at a good level and when one of them stepped out of line Rio would reel them back in with a firm kindness.

She was all in all the perfect teacher and Rio knew that perfectly well.

Lately their students had started to snicker and exchanged hushed words whenever Agatha and Rio were in the same room or just out watching over them during recess, like today. Agatha always kept a decisive distance between herself and the other teacher, moving three steps away when Rio took one step closer.

“Ms. Vidal looks really pretty today,” one of the girls says after approaching Agatha. “Isn’t that right Ms. Harkness?” She points at the woman in question who was playing soccer with a few children and apparently having the time of her life. If Agatha focused she could hear her laughter – light and authentic, but Agatha didn’t focus on it. Not at all.

“I… I guess? Why are you asking me this?”

“Because you always look at her the way my dad looks at my mom before he tells her that she’s pretty.”

Agatha barely manages to keep her jaw from dropping. “Go play with your friends,” is all she says and the girl shrugs and skips away, making her way towards the playground.

The next day Agatha sits in the shade of one of the large trees in the school yard, paying only half-hearted attention to the playing children. From the corner of her eyes, she sees one of the boys from Rio’s class advancing, holding a small bouquet of beautiful yellow flowers in his hands.

“These are for you, Ms. Harkness,” he says and hands them to Agatha who can’t help but smile wide.

“Oh, they are really pretty. Thank you, Dean!”

Dean however shakes his head. “They are not from me.”

“They’re not?”

He shakes his head again and for a moment he seems to consider telling her more but then Rio Vidal of all people shows up out of nowhere and sits down next to Agatha.

He looks at Rio and turns before running away.

“Aw, you got a little admirer, hm?” Rio teases.

“He said the flowers aren’t from him,” Agatha replies.

“Huh? That’s interesting.” Rio looks at the flowers in thought for a moment before she shrugs. “Put them into some water with a bit sugar and lemon juice. Helps with keeping them fresh.”

When she walks away Agatha notices the yellow flower tucked behind Rio’s ear. Her eyebrows furrow in thought before realization hits her. She blushes and not from anger.

When Rio drops by her classroom later that day to give her some books for class the flowers sit neatly arranged on her desk. Neither of them comments on it.

A few days later Rio and Agatha have a reading hour with both of their classes. They let the kids take a break in between and Agatha is busying herself with writing down some notes for a different class when one of her best students comes up to her.

“Need anything?” She asks the girl.

“Ms. Harkness, do you have a boyfriend?”

Agatha was used to these questions. Children were curious about their teachers and she didn’t mind. “No, Dina.”

“A girlfriend?”

“Also no.”

Dina nods in thought. “Ms. Vidal doesn’t have a girlfriend or boyfriend either.”

“Well, sometimes people don’t want to have a girlfriend or boyfriend or they didn’t meet someone they like enough yet.”

“And sometimes,” an unwelcomed voice says suddenly and then Rio grabs a chair next to Agatha. “people already met that person but are too scared to tell them.”

Agatha wants to strangle her.

“Scared of the person you like?” Dina asks, confusion on her face. “That makes no sense.”

“I know, right?” Rio says with a sigh. “Sometimes people even act mean towards the person they actually like.”

“Adults are weird,” the girl concludes to herself before returning to her seat.

Rio doesn’t say anything but Agatha can basically hear the smug smile on her face.

“Anything I can do for you, Ms. Vidal? If not you can leave me alone again. Break is almost over anyway.”

Rio, brazen as always leans back in her chair. “Go out with me, Agatha.”

Agatha scoffs. “I wouldn’t even walk to the trash bin with you.”

“I know you probably have your reasons to act like this. I respect that. But I also like you a lot.”

“Have I not been mean enough to you?”

“You aren’t only mean to me. I know you’re the one who keeps buying new soy milk for the fridge in the teacher’s lounge even though I am the only one who uses it. I know you gave Dottie shit until she approved the new budget for my gardening class.” She moves a little closer to Agatha. “I know you stay longer on Fridays to watch me haul the soil bags across the schoolyard.”

“Now that last part is just a made-up accusation.”

“Is it though?” Rio pushes up the sleeves of her shirt, exposing part of her toned arms. Agatha’s breath hitches a little, much to her delight. “I look even better in a sleeveless shirt, you know.”

She nudges Agatha’s arm then. “You like me and I like you. Easiest thing in the world.”

Agatha is saved by some of the children starting a fight and she calls them out a little harsher than necessary before rushing over to them.

The sheer audacity of this woman.

On Friday evening Agatha’s doorbell rings and with a yawn she trails down the hallway. Once she opens the door she considers throwing it shut immediately, perhaps even moving somewhere else.

“No.” Agatha says to Rio who looks simply gorgeous, much to her dismay. “Absolutely not.”

“Come on, let me at least talk.”

“How the hell do you even know where I live?”

“Agatha,” Rio says and looks at her like she’s gone mad. “I live right across the street. We are neighbors.”

“You are messing with me.”

“You would have known that if you had bothered coming to the barbecue I held when I moved here three years ago. I invited you.”

“Three years?! How did I not notice you for three years?”

“How would I know?” She looks aside for a moment before focusing on Agatha again. “Can you please stop looking at me like you are about to use pepper spray on me?”

“What do you want?”

“I want you to have coffee with me. Either somewhere you want to go or even in school if you feel better like that. As a date.”

Agatha opens her mouth, but Rio cuts her off immediately. She couldn’t say if she had ever seen her this serious before.

“This is the last time I am going to ask you out. If you say no then I am giving up and you get your beloved peace of mind back. Because to be honest? I don’t want to keep running after you. I only did so because I know you like me too and it’s obvious we could have something really good. Even the kids at school know it. You are scared of something, Agatha, but you won’t even tell me about it and I think that’s unfair.”

Agatha is completely stunned. She couldn’t even come up with something dismissive to say as she stared at Rio, beautiful and kind Rio who only wanted to get to know her.

“I…” Agatha begins, but she can’t finish her sentence. The silence stretches along – uncomfortable – but then some fight comes back to her. “Why do you think you are entitled to any explanation?”

Rio huffs a joyless laugh. “You know what? Fair point. You win. Congratulations.”

When she turns Agatha panics and she calls out for her before she can stop herself.

“Rio! Please wait.”

She freezes before turning around. Agatha had never bothered calling her by her first name even if she never complained about Rio doing so with her.

Until now.

“Don’t give up on me, please. I know I am messed up, but…” she blinks several times, trying to find the right words. “Will you let me explain?”

The other woman nods. “Okay."

Agatha invites her in and makes tea for them as they settle down at the kitchen table.

Rio is silent but curious. Agatha sees her throwing little glances around the kitchen.

“I used to be married,” she begins. “My wife died almost eight years ago after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. There was no time to consider treatment, she simply declined that fast. One day she was still dragging me through store after store to find the perfect tableware set and basically the next she couldn’t even get up on her own anymore. She died only days later at home, in my arms.”

“I am sorry. That’s a terrible way to lose the person you love.”

Rio is looking at her with empathy but not pity which Agatha notes fondly.

“Yes, it is. I got better over the years but I never bothered with seeing someone. I didn’t even develop any feelings… until now.” She ends her sentence quietly, afraid of saying these words out loud. “I am scared of letting someone new in and I am especially scared of how much I already like you.”

“You know, there is no problem with taking things slow. We can just talk and get to know each other at a pace you are comfortable with.”

Agatha reaches across the table and puts her hand on Rio’s. She is met with a warm smile that she returns. “Sounds good.”

“So will you stop being mean to me at work from now on?”