Chapter Text
You'd told her that this was a horrible idea, but Agatha, ever stubborn, refused to listen, and now you were going to lose her, and you were too frightened to even cry about it.
"It'll be fine," she'd assured you, and, like a fool, you'd believed her.
Or rather indulged her for the bad feeling you'd had about this had never waned, no matter how hard you tried to suppress it, or pretended to do so.
The Avenger, Wanda Maximoff, had created a hex of some sort that was insanely powerful. More powerful than anything you'd ever witnessed, and you've been dating Agatha Harkness for two centuries. More powerful than her.
It had, of course, gotten Agatha's attention.
She wanted this power.
And what she wanted, she got. She took.
She was going to do this with or without you, so you decided to come along, just in case. The entire plan reeked of danger, of tragedy; you weren't going to leave her alone if something were to go wrong. You were nowhere near her power level — no one was, or so you'd thought until now — but two witches were better than one.
Taking over some poor guy's house and mind-controlling him wasn't your idea of fun, even if he did have a hilarious name, but what was even less fun was the role Agatha had chosen for you as the two of you had blended into Wanda's weird sitcom universe.
The bratty, mouthy daughter.
"Absolutely not," was the first thing that had come out of your mouth, but she was adamant that that was how things had to be. Since she was fulfilling the nosy neighbor archetype, there wasn't much else to work with. Your choices were to either be her fake daughter or to not leave the house until this whole charade was over.
So, fake daughter, you were.
It took some time for you to pick up on the era-appropriate slang (so many years had passed since; you barely even remembered what you ate for dinner last night, let alone terminology from decades ago), but Agatha was a good teacher. She made sure your act was almost as perfect as hers.
You hated every moment of it, but getting to insult her while you were in character made up for it. You'd found Agnes telling you, in retort to your rudeness, that you're not too old to bend across her knee particularly amusing. That was the highlight of every day here, actually.
Though, usually, it was Agatha bent across your knee instead of the other way around. A barking dog who liked to get bit.
She ended up getting bit for real.
You'd tried to change her mind, tried to convince her it wasn't worth it, hell, had even offered sex in exchange for getting the hell out of here, but she was dead set on getting whatever power it was that Wanda Maximoff had.
Chaos magic, it had turned out.
Wanda Maximoff was the Scarlet Witch.
Agatha was so fucked.
You'd stayed out of the fight. Agatha had assured you she could handle it. All you had ro do was watch and admire her handiwork.
Instead, you almost ended up weeping.
Almost for you didn't dare let any tears fall lest you crumble to pieces right then and there.
Agatha was close to victory, but Wanda had outsmarted her. She had gotten the upper hand and had turned the tables, sucking Agatha dry of all the power she'd amassed over the centuries.
"Good girl," Agatha said as Wanda lowered her to the ground, near where you were standing.
On her knees, she looked pitiful, like a wounded puppy. All you wanted to do was scoop her up and hold her and never let her go. Never let anyone lay a hand on her again.
Yes, she had started the fight, and yes, she hadn't listened to you, but you couldn't be mad at her. Not for long. Not when she was so vulnerable, barely a step above a normal human.
It wasn't right.
It wasn't fair.
You supposed something like this was bound to happen eventually. She was bound to come across one who would wipe the floor with her and make her their bitch. You just didn't think it would happen now.
"So, what now?" Agatha asked, feigning nonchalance. Trying — and failing, desperately so — to put on as brave a face as she could, when you knew for a fact she was a mess on the inside. A mess you'd already started making plans to take care of. "You just gonna lock me up somewhere?"
Over your dead body.
"No. Not somewhere," Wanda said, disgustingly pleased with herself. "Here."
Agatha was confused, as were you. "Here?"
"Mmhmm. I'll give you the role you chose. The nosy neighbor."
Blood ran cold in your veins. She couldn't possibly be saying what you thought she was saying. She wouldn't do that. She couldn't.
She was a hero.
Heroes didn't kick people while they were down.
Heroes weren't cruel.
Agatha was mortified. "No. Please."
Your heart broke at how small, how utterly helpless she was. The Agatha you knew didn't beg. She didn't plead. She wasn't terrified to the bone.
She wasn't powerless.
"I'm sorry," Wanda said, even though she was clearly not.
Agatha called her out on it. "No, you're not. You're cruel."
Wanda ignored her, smirk proudly plastered over her mouth.
And people thought Agatha was a monster.
Unable to watch any further, swallowing the fear, the utmost despair that coiled inside you, you stepped in front of Agatha before Wanda could reach her. Your arms spread wide, covering her. Shielding her. Protecting her, if only momentarily.
"Wanda, please," you said, voice cracking.
Wanda didn't care. "Get out of my way."
A brave tear escaped down your cheek. "Please, don't do this. She's all I have."
"She should have thought of that before she tried to kill me," Wanda said coldly.
"Yes, she should have. She shouldn't have attacked you." She should have fucking listened to you. "That doesn't make doing this to her right."
As an alleged hero, she should know that.
There was defeating an enemy, and then there was torture.
Heroes didn't do that.
Not even you and Agatha did that.
Wanda scowled. "Doesn't it?"
So much for the esteemed hero.
Your eyes pricked with newly blooming tears. Your heart quickened. "Please. I promise you, she won't bother you again. I'll make sure of it."
"What makes you think your promises mean anything to me?"
"They may mean nothing to you, but…" They meant everything to you. To Agatha. "I love her too much to lose her. She knows that. And she knows what's at stake now."
Wanda pondered on it for a moment. "Am I supposed to forget what she did to me?"
You did worse, you thought, but didn't dare say it out loud. She'd enslaved an entire town. Made them live through her nightmares. Stole their children away from them.
Nothing Agatha did to her could compare to the trauma she's inflicted on these people.
"No. You have every right to hate her," you said. "Please, just… don't take her from me. Please."
"You could keep her company here, if you want," Wanda said, threat clear in her voice.
She could brainwash you and Agatha together.
A chill shot through you, straight to the bone. "I've done nothing to you."
"You came here with her." Okay. Fair point. "If you want to stay with her," Wanda continued, "I can arrange that. It's your choice."
"Is that something you want your kids to see? Their mother torturing people?" you asked. Two could play this game.
"Leave my children out of this!" Wanda snapped.
You'd hit a nerve.
"You're involving them by doing this in front of them."
She looked back at her boys, huddled at their father's side.
"You tortured this entire town, and now you want to torture Agatha," you kept on, having gathered your last remnants of courage. Of hope that the woman you loved could still be saved. "With the town, at least it wasn't on purpose." Not from the beginning, anyway. "But doing it to her? That is on purpose."
Wanda turned back to you. Red rimmed her eyes, the same shade as her outfit. Tears threatening to break free.
"No child should see their mother do that," you told her.
Silence befell you as Wanda stared, first at you and then at the ground, lost in thought. Going through your words one by one. Trying to think back a suitable retort, but none were coming to mind.
She knew you were right.
God, you hoped she knew you were right.
You'd promised Agatha, a long time ago, that you would always have her back, and you intended to make good on it. You wouldn't let the Scarlet Witch lay another finger on her — not without a fight.
If she killed you, so be it.
At the very least, Agatha would know you were telling the truth. She would know that you weren't one of the people who would stab her in the back while promising her loyalty.
She would know that she was right to trust you.
Finally, without meeting your gaze, after what seemed like forever, Wanda said, "Get her out of my face."
You gasped. "You mean…?"
"Get her out of here." She looked at Agatha cowering behind you, face contorted with venom. "I better not see you again. You know what's coming if I do."
A relief like you'd never felt before lifted off your shoulders. You were weightless, lighter than a feather.
Wanda was letting Agatha go. The woman you loved was going to be okay.
You'd managed to keep your word.
You didn't let her down.
Not wanting to waste another second, worried that Wanda was going to change her mind, you reached out for Agatha's hand and pulled her to her feet. Your arms were around her before she managed to steady herself, your magic sparkling, blooming from your fingertips. With a swift thought of, Up, you leapt up into the air.
Agatha held on to you like she never had before. For safety. For dear life. Her heart running marathons against your chest.
"It's okay," you told her as you flew higher, higher, higher, as far away as you could from this awful place. From the woman who'd almost taken her from you. "I got you. You're safe."
A circle opened up in the hex, a farewell gift from Wanda for the two of you. The final get-the-fuck-out.
You happily obliged. No hesitation, no looking back.
You never wanted to see her or Westview again.
"Y/N…" Agatha said weakly. Meekly. So unlike her.
A wordless thank you.
It broke your heart.
"I love you. I hope you know that." You nuzzled the crook of her neck. Kissed her hair. "I'd do anything for you."
Even confront an unhinged witch with power alike that of a deity.
Agatha's grip on you tightened. I know, the gesture said. Me, too.
Though, going forwards, it was going to be up to you to make sure the two of you were safe. Until she got at least a tiny fraction of her power back.
You hoped you were up to the challenge.