"Seventeen Fucking Flights"
Rio was on her way into town, blasting some shitty rock music through her headphones and nodding her head along with the beat. She’d impulsively put a couple more streaks of color into her hair the night before. It looked a total mess, seeing as she’d had no time to brush it that morning, but she didn't really care; her headphones hid most of it anyway. It was probably the first time in her life she’d ever been excited for work. Maybe excitement was pushing it, but she was about as happy as she could be, sat in an overcrowded, overheated tin can of a bus. A group of school kids had stolen her spot at the front, tapping away on their phones, not even looking up.
'Wasting the view.' Rio scoffed to herself. She sat near the back, her portfolio taking up the seat next to her in the hopes it would deter any unwanted company from joining her. She was wearing a navy blue cropped shirt she’d thrifted and embroidered constellations onto in golden thread, as well as a short, dark skirt. She’d put on the spider necklace Agatha had given her, and it glistened in the fluorescent lights of the bus. She shivered. All of her tights were full of holes or lost somewhere in her mess of an apartment, so she was freezing, her bruised legs exposed to the biting draught. Rio groaned. Who the hell opens the bus windows?
She reached the cafe right on time, that sweet spot where there was no queue and Jen wasn’t seething with one of her colleagues. Rio smiled as she approached the counter; it had been days since she'd been in to buy Agatha's coffee, and she'd sort of missed to spunky barista. Jen was sorting the fridge, humming to herself. She was wearing a plush pink scarf over her apron, which sort of reminded Rio of the ones Alice made. It looked nice.
“Hey Jenny" Rio called, leaning on the counter.
Jen turned, her eyes drifting to Rio’s side, as if expecting someone else to be there with her. She tried to hide her disappointment when she saw Rio was alone.
“Hey girl, I thought you weren’t back from Her Majesty’s house until next week?” Jen said, already making Agatha’s usual coffee order.
“Nope, change of plans” Rio smiled, clicking Agatha’s black credit card against the reader. “Nice scarf” she added, swaying on her feet as she waited for the drink.
“Huh. Someone looks pleased with themselves” Jen smirked, passing the steaming cup of coffee over the counter.
“About Alice-” Rio started, raising eyebrows at the taller woman before she was abruptly cut off.
“No way. Later” Jen laughed, waving her away “You’ll be late for work if I tell you everything”
“Sounds titillating, I'll be back for the tale. See ya Jen” Rio said, dashing down the street to the office.
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'Out Of Order' screamed the sign on the elevator in threatening, bold red text. She groaned. Rio had never liked taking the stairs; it made her feel all sweaty and gross and out of breath, especially in the heavy platform boots she favored. As if the endless steps up to her flat weren't enough, here were seventeen fucking flights. just her luck.
And to think she’d been looking forward to work today. She took a deep breath, adjusted her bag strap, and began the trek. She'd only gotten about halfway up when she was nearly thrown off her feet by a familiar gangly teenager. His arms were full of paperwork, and Rio just about grabbed the sheets before they ended up at the bottom of the staircase
“Watch where you’re going Maximoff” Rio hissed as Billy nearly sent her flying. She tried to sound blasé and cool, but it just came out as an exhausted whine.
“Sorry, sorry! Wasn’t paying attention” he grinned sheepishly. Rio handed him the papers back.
“Yeah, well, try not to make a habit of it” she said with a light smirk. She turned to continue the endless ascent, but Billy had other ideas.
“Hey, wait.. I, uh, I heard about Agatha wanting to use some of your designs. Congrats” he said awkwardly, blushing a little. “Maybe put in a good word for me, yeah? I’ve been starting out some of my own stuff-”
“Sure Maximoff. Sure” Rio laughed, continuing her climb.
Billy sighed, reorganizing the mess of sheets in his hand and continuing down the staircase.
He could have sworn he heard the buzz of the elevator whizzing past.
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By the time she reached the top of the building, Rio was ready to vomit. She was pretty sure she’d sweated her makeup off completely and was seconds away from collapsing. It was a miracle she hadn't spilled any of Agatha’s coffee. Speaking of, the woman was nowhere to be seen in her office; it felt oddly quiet. She lingered in the hallway awkwardly, until the silence was broken by the sharp ping of the elevator. The Broken Elevator.
The doors slid open, revealing Agatha, who was practically posing with one hand on her hip. Her gaze was as sharp as ever, sending a slight shiver down Rio’s spine. She looked so dramatic in her tailored designer suit, which hugged her body perfectly and accentuated her curvy figure. The dark fabric was complemented by a white button-up shirt, with the top few buttons undone to reveal just a hint of skin. She smirked, her lips painted a dark red, and pulled up her sleeve to consult her watch, shaking her head slightly.
“Late again, Vidal,” she chided, her heels clicking sharply against the floor as she strutted toward Rio, swiftly snatching the coffee from her limp grasp. Instinctively, Rio straightened, squaring her shoulders as Agatha closed in on her.
“The- the elevator was working? It said before-” She painted, dumbstruck. There was no way she had just ascended an endless flight of stairs for absolutely nothing.
“Oh, I know! It’s hilarious watching everyone hike up all the stairs to come see me. I’m surprised you fell for it Vidal” Agatha laughed sadistically, sipping her coffee. She savored the taste as she relished the moment, taking in Rio's exhaustion.
"The top is cute honey" Agatha purred
Rio was too stunned to speak, torn between her bubbling anger and growing desire as her gaze focused on the woman’s loosened top buttons...
"You might want to touch up your makeup," Agatha suggested, pulling Rio out of her daydreams. "Then we can have some fun, hm?" With a casual gesture toward the bathroom down the hall, Agatha turned on her heel and strode into her office, the door shutting loudly behind her.
Rio huffed, walking down the long corridor and into the plush bathroom. She looked a total state, her hair somehow even messier than it was when she left the house, and her mascara running down her face. She splashed a bit of water on herself, taken aback by how cold it was before patting herself dry with a fancy purple hand towel. The coolness was quite refreshing, and a fraction of her earlier invigoration returned.
She couldn't believe Agatha would lie about the lift being broken. In fact, she probably could believe it. It was such an Agatha thing to do—after all, the woman was a total psycho. Still, Rio couldn't help but feel a little grateful that Agatha had given her such a big opportunity.
After giving herself a quick once-over in the mirror and trying in vain to flatten her flyaway hairs, she headed back toward the office. Just as she was about to knock, she heard Agatha’s booming voice from inside. Her boss was clearly on the phone; maybe it was best if Rio waited outside, not wanting to face the wrath of Agatha’s inevitable fury if she disturbed something important. As Rio lingered by the door, some of what Agatha was bragging about over the phone drifted through the gap in
“You should see the girl I was telling you about now Wanda, she’s an absolute gem. A real eye for fashion. Once again darling, I’m onto a winner. What did I tell you about that potential, hm? I’m going to blow you’re shitty dress patterns out of the water.” Agatha laughed.
Rio couldn’t help but feel flattered that the Agatha Harkness was bragging to her friends about her, but there was something in Agatha’s tone that set her on edge. Something felt wrong.
“Oh, I know!” Agatha’s voice continued to drift out of the room “I’ll have her designing my new line in no time, all for the pay of a lowly assistant. Oh, you won’t believe it, she’s so desperate for a chance she’ll do anything I ask. It’s like taking candy from a baby!” Agatha's harsh laughter rang in Rio's ears. How could she have been so stupid?
Rio felt the heat rise in her cheeks, a wave of embarrassment washing over her. The realization she was a mere tool, a fucking puppet, sunk in. She grabbed her portfolio and took the clearly working elevator back down to the ground floor. Of course she was nothing to Agatha. Well, screw her. Screw it all. She shoved her way through the crowded reception and through the glass double doors, out into the bustling car park and the London streets.
She dug through her crummy jacket pockets for her phone.
“Ali, we need to meet. Now. Can I come to yours?” Rio typed, her fingers shaking slightly as she did so. She never got super emotional, preferring to turn to sarcasm and deflection, but now she felt oddly betrayed. Even that goddamn necklace she was wearing was a fucking bribe. And she’d fallen for it. She’d fallen for Agatha. She thought someone had actually seen something in her for once. How naive she was.
“Sure, I’m at home. Are you okay luv?” Alice replied after a couple of seconds.
“Yeah, fine, we just need to talk. I’m gonna kill Harkness. I’ll be at yours in half an hour”
“See you, don’t do anything stupid x”
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“Oh, Agatha, really, that’s truly amazing” Wanda laughed through the phone, her voice warped and robotic. “You know, I really thought you were past it, but from what you’ve shown me of Rio’s work, perhaps you really are back on track. Who would have thought?”
Agatha laughed along, a sense of dread building deep in her stomach. She’d heard the door slam. She knew Rio had left, she knew she’d fucked up and lost her chance just because she wanted to impress Wanda. She muttered some excuse about a meeting and rose from her desk, looking through the walls of glass window down onto the streets below. The cars seemed like ants, tiny and insignificant, yet Rio stood out with her green highlights and messy hair, stalking across the car park, phone in hand.
Agatha slammed her fist against the glass, recoiling as the pain shot up through her arm. She stumbled to the cabinet in the corner of her office, taking out the first bottle she could grab. She needed something to numb the pain, yet as she popped the lid, she was filled with self-doubt.
She couldn't go back to that self-destruction. She was past that, she was better. She’d simply go back to the drawing board, try again with her designs and push through it like she always did. She was Agatha Fucking Harkness. An unruly PA wasn’t going to bring her down.
‘You’ve already destroyed yourself. Everyone hates you, your reputation is ruined, and your last chance at success is running in the opposite direction ’ that voice echoed in her mind. She could hear her mother’s mocking laughter. ‘You drive everyone away Agatha, you were born evil. ’
She took a sip from the bottle
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Rio had reached Alice’s house. It was a Victorian cottage building near Hyde Park, a cream facade with pearly white windows and grey roof tiles. The neat front garden was lined with perfectly kept flowers and a little fountain. She'd been visiting here ever since the pair were kids, and it had become a sort of second home to Rio, despite Alice's mother's endless complaints that she was a bad influence.
Alice had left the front unlocked, and Rio slipped up the stairs into the attic, where Alice was reclined on a beanbag. Rio sat down at the cobbled-together drumkit that was shoved into one corner, picking up the single drumstick they'd managed to keep.
“I’m going to kill her” Rio said, each work punctuated by a bang on the snare drum. Alice winced at the noise, smiling a little at Rio’s annoyance.
“What’s she done now? I thought she was actually wanting to work with you this time around”
“Yeah, well that was all bullshit, unsurprisingly. She just wanted my good ideas and my work so she could profit. She wasn’t even gonna pay me. And! She made me go up seventeen flights of stairs! The elevator wasn’t even broken."
Alice laughed from where she was lying on a beanbag, strumming a beaten-up guitar that only had three strings left. “Seventeen? Damn, the epitome of evil”
“It’s serious!” Rio said, hitting a symbol "She's the devil reincarnate"
"Awh, I thought you found her hot" Alice smirked, before catching sight of Rio's serious expression. “Okay, chill, damn. Are you sure you heard her right about the whole work thing?”
“Yes! She’s using me. Like everyone does, every fucking time” Rio sighed “I’m going to just quit. I’ll find another way into the industry, and my stuff will do heaps better than whatever AI-generated bullshit she comes up with”
Alice paused, looking up Rio in disbelief “No way are you quitting. You worked your ass off for this position, you’d be crazy to quit now. Surely there’s another way...” she said, humming.
Rio sighed, hitting a couple more drums for good measure before chucking the stick into a pile of blankets.
“Stop doing your little thinking face Ali, it’s hopeless. There’s no way I’m going back there to hand her my designs for free.”
Alice nodded, still idly strumming her guitar as Rio continued to ramble. They went on like that for a few minutes, Rio yapping about all her grievances, and Alice half-listening as she tried to come up with a solution
“You have all her passwords” Alice said suddenly, sitting up.
“What?” Rio stopped banging the drums, leaning forward “What’s that gotta do with anything?”
“You do all her emails, you know all the shit that's going on behind the scenes right?”
“Oh, don’t get me started, it’s a mess, that woman has never read an email in her life. And the debt she’s piling up-” Rio paused, Alice’s suggestion clicking in her mind. “Oh my god Ali, I forget how evilly clever you are under all that cuteness”
“I’m not suggesting you blackmail her into paying you properly for you’re designs, but you do sort of have access to all the dirt on her business-”
“Holy shit. You’re a freakin' genius Wu." Rio smirked, her gaze drifting to the laptop protruding from her backpack, which was already logged into Agatha's countless work accounts.
The perfect ammunition.
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A few painfully long days dragged by. Agatha had half expected a dramatic ‘I quit’ email from Rio, or a press interview about how awful she was, but everything remained as it was before; Rio simply didn’t come to work. The office was deadly silent, and Agatha had snapped at pretty much anyone who dared set foot in her office. Poor Billy Maximoff had been on the receiving end of her scathing remarks all week now she didn’t have Vidal to tease. It felt so empty, so wrong.
And so, seeing as the stress was eating her alive, Agatha had turned to the one person she could trust through it all.
“Ah, Harkness! It’s been far too long. You look absolutely dreadful,” Lilia said with a teasing smile. They had chosen a charming bakery for their reunion, where the air was rich with the aroma of fresh pastries and overpriced coffee beans.
Lilia Calderu was a straightforward, no-nonsense type, the perfect person to bring Agatha back down to earth whenever she was feeling the pressure of work or getting too big for her boots. She’d known Agatha for years, and in that time had gotten to know the woman’s plethora of flaws as well as her great successes. She was very skeptical of the fashion business, having made her fortunes in fancy restaurants and cafes, and so served as a voice of reason in the midst of Agatha’s frequent work-related crises.
“Lilia. Hi” Agatha smiled, taking a seat opposite. “Sorry about this, I just really needed someone to vent to. How are you getting on darling? She asked, taking in the other woman’s appearance. Her long, grey curls were tied back with a patterned bandana, and she was wearing the same designer patchwork statement jacket as usual
“Not bad, not bad. You know, suffering a little in the financial department seeing as you seem to be happily abusing my offer of free coffee at my cafe”
“Abuse? Never. I just have one a day, mostly. It’s so convenient and i can send Vidal there every morning. Its great, she thinks I’m mega rich too.” Agatha smiled.
“Vidal? This is the new assistant you were telling me about the other week, no?” Lilia asked, sipping her drink. “The pretty one with an eye for design?”
“Yeah, her. I thought her work would be a good opportunity for the business, but I totally fucked it up”
“Of course you did. Let me guess, it either involved wanting to piss off Ralph or wanting to impress Wanda”
“The latter” Agatha concurred, sighing “I was sort of telling her how I was gonna use Rio’s work and pass it off as my own.”
“And I assume the kid heard you?”
“Correct.”
“Jesus Agatha, you need to quit trying to impress this blasted woman. I know you have a thing for redheads, but for one she’s married, and she’s a horrible person anyway. She’ s always trying to belittle you because she knows it’ll get a rise.”
Agatha blushed, shaking her head.
“She’s not horrible-”
“Agatha darling, I’ve heard that she was the one that spoke to the press about your ah, early departure from fashion week.” Lilia confided, lowering her voice slightly so as to not attract unwanted eavesdroppers in the cafe.
Agatha groaned, motioning for the waitress to bring more coffee. “I guessed as such. But fuck Wanda, I’m more concerned about the fact that Rio has up and left without saying a word”
“Can you blame her? By the sounds of it you laughed in her face about stealing her work”
Agatha turned an even deeper shade of red, clicking her nails against her coffee cup anxiously.
“Jeez Lil, I only wanted a bit of comfort”
“You should reach out the her. Apologize. Offer to pay her, whatever you see fit” Lilia suggests, her grey eyes meeting Agatha’s blue. “No offense darling, but reviews aren’t looking good. You need her.”
“I’m not groveling. Agatha Harkness does not grovel.” she huffed.
“Ha. You’ll be groveling like hell if she goes to the press about all your bullshit, or if she quits and leaves you in the lurch.”
Agatha sighs, fidgeting with her jacket. “I know you’re right. It’s just hopeless”
“Don’t dwell on it hon, you know what happens when you dwell.”
She knew what Lilia was implying. When she got stressed, she drank, and when she drank she did stupid, stupid things. And she had to be there for Nicky now, so there was no way in hell she’d let herself go off the deep end over work.
Never again.