promise.
Rio stared at the little box she had crafted out of leaves that she now held in her hands. She knew how upset Agatha had been, and this was either going to make it better or so much worse.
But it’s okay.
Agatha said it all the time.
She loved Rio.
Rio didn’t think anyone ever would.
And since Agatha reassured her every chance she got, this was surely going to make her happy.
Right?
The doubts clouded Rio’s mind, her vision narrowing. Rio didn’t know how long she had been standing in the kitchen, but that’s where Agatha found her.
“Hey.”
Rio jumped, having not seen her.
Agatha put her hand on her shoulder, inspecting her face. “You look tired. Long day?”
Rio nodded. It had been a long day, and she wanted almost nothing more than to go to sleep, Agatha by her side.
Almost .
Agatha clicked her tongue before stroking her face. “How long have you been home?”
“Uh, I— a bit.” Her hands clutched the box in an attempt to hide it.
“What’s that?”
Rio hesitated, then sighed. There was never going to be a right time anyway. “You know how I got into those romance novels recently?”
Agatha nodded.
“I— they— you’ve been— there was this… thing and, um… I thought we could...”
Agatha furrowed her brows in confusion.
“Just— here.” Rio held out the box, her hands slightly trembling.
Agatha took the small green box, carefully lifting the top to find two vines in the shape of rings, a small flower on each: a light purple lilac and a green carnation. Around them were even smaller versions of the other flower decorating the rings. Agatha’s jaw dropped as she stared at them. She instinctively put them down, backing away and cupping her hands over her mouth.
“They’re called promise rings. They’re a symbol of love and commitment and—“ Rio watched her, convinced, for whatever reason, that Agatha despised her gift. She sighed, taking a shaky breath. “I’m sorry, this wasn’t the right time—“
Her words got cut as Agatha’s lips met hers, and Agatha threw her arms around her. After a few seconds, Agatha pulled away, her face barely apart from Rio’s.
“I love it.” Rio could feel her warm breath on her skin. “I love you.”
A soft smile grew on Rio’s face. “I love you, too.”
They kissed again before Agatha pulled apart properly, grabbing the rings. Rio pulled out the one with the carnation on it, putting it on Agatha’s left ring finger. Agatha smiled as she put the other one on Rio’s, and they intertwined their fingers.
“I love you to the moon and to saturn.” Agatha breathed the words as their foreheads lay against each other.
“I love you to the ends of the universe.”
“Aw, how am I supposed to top that?”
Rio chuckled, her lips meeting Agatha’s again.
Agatha pulled away, caressing her face. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m tired, that’s all.” Rio put her hand reassuringly on Agatha’s.
“Come here.” Agatha pulled her in, making her head rest on her chest as she stroked her hair.