Chapter Text
“Don’t go!” Agatha blurted from beside the well, daylight streaming through the trees, casting shadows in the meadow where the women stood.
Rio stopped mid stride on her way back to the forest, surprised to hear those words. She paused in her tracks and waited to hear if the woman would speak again.
“I don’t want you to go!”
It had been about two years since Rio first appeared to Agatha. In all honesty, it was a mistake on the Green Witch’s part. She thought the soul she was coming to guide was alone, but somehow the young witch of just 18 had eluded her. There, Agatha crouched, examining the body. Rio would later learn that the young witch was fascinated with death - good news for Rio! Throughout that first year of visiting Agatha during her regular trips to Salem collecting those accused of witchcraft, Rio would also learn the hurt Agatha’s family was causing her. And when the time came for Agatha to fight back, fight she did. From then on, Rio would visit less regularly, but always coming to collect when Agatha drained yet another witch of their power.
Sometimes their moments were brief - a quip from Agatha before she was on her way - but sometimes they took their time - walking to the river, Rio introducing Agatha to the lesser-seen powers she wielded, blooming gardens in a flattened clearing. There was an unspoken trust between one another, yet Agatha had never made room for vulnerability. Sure, there was crackling energy between them, it was clear, but the Spirit Witch always opted for a joke, an unserious flirt, a challenge.
Until today.
“Please don’t go.” Agatha’s voice was softer this time.
The Green Witch slowly turned, first just her face over her shoulder to catch a glimpse of the woman who had bewitched her. Then, she righted the rest of her body to face Agatha fully.
“Why do you plead with me?”
Agatha stepped forward, closing some distance. “I cannot be alone in these feelings that I have.”
Rio looked down, something akin to shame appearing on her face.
“Rio, please…”
“I do not know…” The raven haired woman paused her sentence, then started anew. “This… “ Rio’s shoulders tensed and her hands clenched around the air as she struggled and failed to find the right words. She vocalized her discomfort with an exasperated grunt, which led Agatha to crack a smile.
Agatha took another step towards Lady Death. “That is a very cute growl, darling. Like a little bear cub.”
Rio glared.
Agatha softened, realizing her wit would not get her what she wanted most in this situation.
“I do not want you to leave because you have made a mark on me. I do not keep company, and yet I find myself wanting you here with me. You see me in ways I do not see myself.”
“Te Veo.” Rio whispered.
Desperation filled Agatha’s voice as her mind flashed back to all the times Rio said just that before disappearing for weeks, “Rio, stay! Please let me finish!”
“I see you.”
“What?”
“Te veo. I see you.” With each reply, Rio’s voice became more confident. More sure.
“Oh.” Unfortunately, the certainty displayed by the Green Witch did not aid Agatha’s confusion.
“I’ve used it as goodbye,” it was Rio who stepped forward this time, “but it means that, too.”
Mere feet stood between the women, now. Agatha’s face was partially darkened by shade due to the late-afternoon sun, while Rio stood fully in it’s glow. Behind both witches lay trails of footprints in the uncut grass. A small breeze tousled the long strands of Rio’s hair, Agatha’s contained in a braid trailing down her back.
Agatha processed the double meaning. How long had it been since someone had truly known her? Cared enough to understand her? Years? Decades? The thought was suddenly terrifying. The vulnerability she had worked so hard to shield herself from ever since her mother, her own mother had tried to kill her. This was too much. Too intimate. She defaulted to humor, to deflection.
“When you choose to speak,” Agatha began, performatively winking at The Green Witch. But Rio’s stoic face called her out on her bullshit. The facade melted as Agatha chose vulnerability over humor, “you speak so beautifully.”
A moment of silence as the two women breathed the air that circled between them.
Hesitantly, a warm hand touched cold, gently grasping the slender fingers between her own.
“ You are beautiful, Rio.”
Rio’s eyes held contact with Agatha’s for a beat, then they dropped to inspect their entwined fingers, her own soaking up the warmth of the brunette’s.
Ordinarily, Agatha would have taken complete control by now, hungry in her pursuit of a beautiful young maiden, but she wanted this to be slower, different. She felt that this was different.
“You may be the only one who has ever felt that way. Death is not beautiful to most.”
Agatha gently tugged on their joined hands, guiding Rio to close the distance between their bodies.
“I see you, too.” Agatha used her unoccupied hand to lift Rio’s chin to make eye contact. Agatha’s palm glided up Rio’s cheek, lightly stroking the soft baby hairs there. Her thumb followed and grazed Rio’s lips.
The Green Witch shivered. Her breath became more erratic. She had seen moments of tender closeness between couples, but feeling it herself was foreign. It wasn’t just butterflies or lightning bugs. Heat spread through her cheeks, and there was an odd sort of tightening in her abdomen, just below her navel. So many new sensations on this day, and yet the eons old being could not help but succumb.
After a moment of indulgence, Agatha’s fingers slid to the back of Rio’s neck. Rio felt the pressure from Agatha’s fingers, the young witch’s intentions clear.
“I don’t know if I can.” Rio pulled her face away from the powerful brunette in front of her.
“What do you mean?”
“I do not know what will happen.”
“Oh… “ The witch’s face turned downward. Shame appeared in a way she never let many see. “Do you not want to…”
“No. Agatha. Not that.” Rio’s hand reached Agatha’s cheek, stroking soothing patterns. “It’s just… death’s kiss? Don’t you think that could… I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Do you think you can control it?” Agatha asked, nervously.
“I have never tried. There has never been a reason to try.” Rio replied, hesitantly.
Agatha processed the weight of Rio’s words, then smirked, pushing her tongue into her cheek.
“Oh, love.” Agatha lifted her chin as she pulled Rio’s forehead towards her lips, gently kissing the cold skin. She returned to make eye contact with Rio, staring intently. “That seemed to be fine.” Agatha lifted their joined hands and laid a kiss upon Death’s fingers. Continuing to test the limits, Agatha leaned in and kissed the corner of Rio’s jaw, just below her ear.
Rio’s breath hitched with every kiss. Her skin flushed each time Agatha’s lips made contact. She released a moan and tilted her head to allow better access as the brunette kissed her neck. The Green Witch felt the younger woman smile into her warming skin. “Perhaps we should not kiss on the lips,” Agatha placed another peck further down Rio’s now elongated column. “As much as I long to taste yours…” Another kiss. “There are other ways to be… together .”
The sound of children playing nearby shattered the spell and broke the women out of their embrace.
Rio took a step back. “I have been here too long. I must go, but I will return.”
“When?” Agatha interrupted. “When do I get to see you again?”
“Cariño, I do not know. I never know when I may be free. But I will try. Soon.”
“I could… I don’t know… summon you?” Agatha stated hopefully.
“That is one way.” Rio smiled. “Your magick is very powerful. But do not endanger yourself to see me sooner. Nor do I need a body to arrive. I will find you.” Rio grasped Agatha’s hand and gently kissed the warm fingers. “I promise.”