Chapter Text
The words reverberated in her head over and over, her head spinning as the blood blurred her vision.
"Why don't you want me?"
Venomous words spat at her by the only one who had ever made her feel loved, who had ever made her feel seen.
Te veo.
Centuries of destruction and chaos, only to die at the hands of Death herself, completely powerless. Weak. What was it all for?
Vines lashed at her feet, knocking her to the ground as she screams out in pain. Rio snarled, despite her expression faltering at the sharp cries that escaped her wife's mouth. No, she’s not her wife anymore. They weren’t together anymore. Agatha had made sure of that.
She realised, as her tears burnt the deep cuts on her face, why Rio was inflicting so much pain on her, but she shook the thoughts of the cosmic punishment she must have endured for her out of her head as she poured water into her cupped hands. Blood oozed out of the gashes on the backs of her feet rapidly as she shakily recited the spell she had learnt from Jen in an attempt to heal herself; to no avail.
Rio stared at the witch as she eloquently landed on the yard, and Agatha couldn’t help but look up ahead of her as she approached her, dagger in hand. The fury etched on her face said nothing compared to the hurt in her eternal eyes.
Agatha knows now, what she’s known all along: Rio went against her own nature for her, for Nicky. And in return, Agatha - fuelled with resentment - spat in her face for it. She wonders what their son would think of them now, fighting like this. Her son, with Rio’s eyes and Rio’s smile. Her son, so kind he cried when he got stung by a bee, solely because the bee had died. Agatha remembered his little face, begging to bury the fuzzy insect.
“Mama, will she take care of him, even though he is so small?” He asked, in his curious little voice, and his mother nodded silently, holding her small boy close to her.
More vines snaked around her limbs, binding her - her heart thudded, remembering fonder moments like this at her mercy. Before she could make a remark, a sharp vine wrapped around her neck, choking her. She ceased her struggle against them in defeat.
Her eyes bored into Rio’s, and Agatha could’ve pinpointed every single emotion running through them: Lady Death was fuelled by rage, by passion, by violence. But she still had the glint of pure love there that had not been worn away by the centuries of pain she had endured. There was so much pain. So much frustration. But still no hate. Never hate. Agatha knew this because no matter how hard she tried, she, likewise, could never hate Rio.
The whole revelation sparked a heavy guilt inside her, and she wept; no longer only for herself, but for Rio. No longer only for their son, but for their love. This was the end, and Rio would never know how much Agatha loved her. That fact erupted a frenzied panic through her bones.
“Te veo,” Agatha managed to choke out, a sad, knowing smile of acceptance on her face as she squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself. “My love..”
Rio stopped dead in her tracks, her hand, gripping the dagger, shaking profusely. Her eyes widened, glistening with a millennia of unshed tears. She knew better than to show this vulnerability - especially in front of Agatha, who was likely pretending to suddenly love her in an attempt to break free. But Rio gave in nonetheless. All she’s ever wanted was Agatha, and she would corrupt the cosmic balance for her love.
She knew, deep down, that killing the witch was the last thing she wanted, and if she knew her wife at all she knew that if she did, Agatha would become a ghost out of spite, and that would be a nightmare.
So she said nothing, only strode closer to the woman tied up on the ground, weak and hurt. Against her better judgment, she sheathed the knife and crouched down to her, expression unreadable. She loosened the vines and Agatha gasps out, coughing, choking on her own tears.
“You.. gave me more time,” she whispered hoarsely. “You gave us time, even though it wasn’t yours to give..”
Rio swallowed. Hard.
“Agatha…” She warned softly.
“No. I see it now. You did everything you could..” Agatha smiles weakly, in an attempt to comfort her former lover, then her eyes shut tightly as she takes a deep breath. “I- I’m sorry.” She whimpered out, clearly struggling to form the words of an apology- something the witch had never done before in her long, long, lifetime.
Bewildered, Rio can’t do anything but stare at her. She thought the world would collapse on itself before Agatha Harkness apologised - and to her, of all people? Rio wanted to break down right there and then, to sink into the arms of her witch and run her fingers through her hair like she used to all those centuries ago.
She pulled the vines off her wife, fighting the tears as she accepted the loss of the soul that escaped her. Oh, how she wished it could have been Nicky’s. She waited patiently for Agatha to attack her, but it never happens.
The other woman curled up, her pain so heavy it brought her to tears. Her skin was almost completely coated in the thick red liquid that spilled from her wounds. It made Rio uncharacteristically sick with guilt.
She knelt closer fighting to find the right words to say. As twigs snapped under her feet, Agatha scrambled back her eyes wild.
“My love,” Rio whispered, and her wife’s expression softened.
“Rio,” she responded gently. it was the first time she had heard her name from the witch’s mouth for three centuries and the sound was music to her ears.
Agatha watched as Rio sat beside her. Lady death herself knelt for her. Where she should’ve felt powerful, she felt a sense of longing. She couldn’t break her gaze with the other woman.
She tried to ignore the sting all over her body as she stared at her wife. Shakily, she reached up for her, caressing her face gently. Her shivering thumb swiped a strand of hair off of her face, tucking it behind her ear.
Rio melted, as she usually did when Agatha touched her. Like muscle memory, her hand gently wrapped itself around her witch’s wrist, and she held it preciously as she guided the hand to her mouth. She pressed a soft kiss to her wife’s hand before meeting her gorgeous blue eyes, silently asking for permission to continue. Agatha nodded as she let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. She felt her cells knit together as her wife kissed each one of her cuts, taking her time in healing her hand with affection. Her tongue darts out, taking in the sweet metallic taste. Giddy with desire, she licked a stripe up her arm, then peppered more gentle kisses around it.
Agatha sighed as she felt Lady Death’s magic heal her. All of her pain ceased, replaced with pure love for the being in front of her. The sky above them cleared, while her soothing kisses calmed her yearning soul.
Rio took no time in devouring the other arm in kisses, smiling into her skin. She looked up at her wife, her dark eyes sparkling, smiling with a hint of mischief, and Agatha grinned. She pulled Rio into her arms with a tiny chuckle and her wife giggled in response, immediately diving into the crook of her neck, covering her in messy desperate kisses. Agatha shivered, holding her tight, afraid of letting her go.
Rio cupped her face and tenderly gazed into her lover’s eyes. Agatha whispered her name like a prayer.
“Rio, I-“
“Shh.”
Agatha frowned for a moment, before Rio began to slowly press her lips against her forehead. Despite the fact that most of her skin had mended itself, Rio didn’t stop littering her face with affectionate kisses until she hesitated inches away from her lips. Agatha couldn’t remember when she had closed her eyes, but they flung open the second Rio pulled away, and she whined softly in protest.
But Rio wasn’t looking at her anymore. She was lost in her own thoughts, and Agatha swallowed, centuries of guilt piercing through her heart. Rio’s eyebrows furrowed as she stood up, away from the witch.
“Why don’t you want me?” She repeated quietly. All the desire on her face was washed away, replaced with a wave of pain and regret. Agatha closed her eyes again, trying to burn the image of Lady Death’s heartbroken expression out of her mind. She took a deep breath before opening her eyes again.
“Rio..”
But Rio was gone, taking Agatha’s heart with her.