honey, we have guests
“I enjoyed that,” Rio said as they packed up.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“So… you’d wanna do it again?”
Rio smiled. “I’d like that.”
They locked eyes, and Rio just stared into her sapphire-blue eyes.
“I–”
Suddenly, a jet of yellow light hit Agatha in the chest. Rio immediately pulled out her dagger, turning to the coven of witches across the river. Then she saw Agatha on the ground, a tree branch sticking out her side.
“Agatha!” Rio exclaimed, running to her as the coven traversed the river. “Oh, Ancients. That branch—“
“Ah, shit.” Agatha wiped a drop of blood from the corner of her mouth and pulled the branch out of her side. “So, uh, remember when I told you I had a–“ she grunted, “–bad reputation?”
Rio put her hands on Agatha’s wound, trying to heal it as fast as she could. “I feel like that might’ve been an understatement.”
She whimpered softly. “Maybe.”
“Agatha Harkness!” The witch at the front yelled, her blonde hair flowing behind her as she walked up, her coven behind her.
“Stay back!” Rio yelled, holding up her dagger.
“Move, green witch.”
“The Green Witch.” Rio corrected before commanding the vines to wrap the witches’ ankles, dragging them back.
“Rio,” Agatha sat up, holding her side and spitting out blood. “You don’t have to. I can handle this.”
“But-“
“No buts. I got this. Don’t worry. I have a few knives up my sleeve.”
“You mean cards.”
She pulled up her sleeves, revealing her daggers. “No, I do not.”
She got up, throwing the daggers, and jets of purple light shot from her hands, hitting the witches. “Leave, before something we all regret happens!”
Rio paused at how quickly Agatha’s voice changed to how it was when they first met.
The witches came at her again, but Rio flicked her hand, throwing them back.
“I’m not allowed to kill them.” She admitted.
“It’s fine. If they know my reputation, they know they should leave soon.”
“What do you mea—“
A jet of light hit Rio, throwing her back.
So that’s what pain feels like, Rio thought to herself. It kinda tickles.
Before she could do anything, the witches hit Agatha, but they didn’t hurt her.
They couldn’t.
The yellow jets slowly turned purple, and the witches started collapsing one by one.
Rio stood up, slowly approaching them. “Agatha?”
“Please, stop!” Agatha begged, a tear streaming down her cheek.
“What are you doing?” One of the remaining witches screamed.
“Just stop, please!”
Rio watched in horror as every single witch fell to the ground, their skin turning gray. Agatha cupped her hands over her mouth, sinking to the floor.
Rio ran over to Agatha, holding her as a tear streamed down her face.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know— I can’t—“
“Shh, it’s okay. It’s okay.”
The souls didn’t take long to leave their bodies, and Rio didn’t hesitate before expelling them to the afterlife. She moved one of her hands to Agatha’s ribs, trying to heal the wound.
Rio could see Agatha trying to hide her feelings, though her lip kept twitching. “It’s okay if you cry.”
“No, I shouldn’t be crying anyway.”
“Agatha?”
Agatha met Rio’s eyes.
Rio smiled, then whispered, “It’s okay. No one is going to see.”
Agatha paused for a second, then let herself sob as the tears streamed down her face.
Rio put her other hand on Agatha’s back, stroking it.
They just stayed like that for a while.
Rio didn’t know how long.
But she didn’t care.
She just held Agatha.
“Thank you,” Agatha said as she wiped her tears. “I’m sorry.”
“I know you didn’t mean to.”
“But they’re—- they’re dead. And it’s my fault.”
“Not at all. They chose to attack you. You were just defending yourself.”
She sniffled. “Yeah, but…”
“Then that’s that. Sometimes, people die.”
“Sometimes, people die.” She repeated as Rio finished stitching up the wound.
“There. All better. But I can only do so much. You’ll still have to take time to recover.”
“Thank you.” Agatha put her head on Rio’s chest. “Huh.”
“What?”
“You don’t have a pulse.”
“A what?”
“A pulse. A heartbeat.”
“That’s because I don’t have a heart.”
“Hmm, I disagree. I think you do.”
“I’m pretty sure I don’t.”
“Well, maybe not a heart heart, but you have a heart. I know you do.”
Rio considered that– A heart.
“Would you like to try to get up?”
Agatha wiped away her tears and nodded, and Rio put her arm around her shoulder. They sat up and stumbled back to the cottage, vines carrying their things.
When they arrived, Rio gently lowered Agatha onto her bed.
“I really do have to go, but stay here, okay? I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Agatha smiled. “Thank you.”
“You already thanked me. Twice.”
“I’m thanking you again.”
“Oh. Uh, you’re welcome.”
Agatha gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Go put the universe in order. I’ll be here.”
“You better.” Rio forced a smile before entering her void. “Te veo.”