Chapter Text
Agatha is leaving one of the many required school events she has to attend for her degree; guess it doesn't help that she is the vice president of the club. She's studying to become a lawyer. Fitting considering she loves to argue.
She’s dressed nicely for this event, and as she is walking home to her apartment, it starts to downpour.
Great.
Just great.
She runs, but she is still soaked and freezing when she arrives home.
It reminds her of when she used to walk to school when she was little. When her mom made walking to school a punishment for her being “bad.” She would walk to and from school no matter the weather outside when it was snowing in the middle of December and thunderstorming mid-April.
Her roommate is Rio Vidal. She’s 23, has long black hair, and is a criminal justice student.
Now Agatha wouldn't say this to anyone, but she has a massive crush on her.
Like Rio is soo..
She’s in her year, and they met through mutual friends. She needed a roommate, and so did Rio, so they decided, Why the fuck not?
Their whole friend group was out on the town one late night in July, and Rio was stressing about finding a good roommate in time for the semester starting. Alice suggested that she and Agatha be roomies since they both needed one, and bonus was that they already knew one another.
Agatha was drunk and didn't actually know what they were talking about, but she said yes to whatever it was. Couldn't be that important, could it?
Well, it was, but Agatha already said yes and couldn't back out now. Yes, it may be a little awkward living with her crush, but she needed a roommate desperately.
She walks in defeated, therefore doesn’t want to talk.
She goes straight to her room, just lays down in bed and breaks down.
She sees all her things in her bag are soaked or ruined to an extent. At least all her important work is backed up on her laptop. Still a pain though. She sighs and decides to just take a nap for a few hours.
Rio is sitting on the couch relaxing after a long day of classes, working on the never-ending pile of homework. When Agatha, her roommate, whom she may have a small crush on, comes bursting into the apartment.
She is drenched from head to toe.
Agatha’s wearing a Cadbury purple skin tight dress, and it stops mid-thigh. Her mascara is running down her cheeks, and her messy, long brown hair is stuck to her face.
She looks like she’s been crying, which is completely understandable for anyone if they were having a rough day, but not for Agatha. Her roommate is about as emotionally available as a distant father. She never cries and honestly doesn’t really show much of herself to others. She’s a very quiet and reserved person; unless you piss her off, then you can't get her to stop talking. She’s got that sassy dry humor to her, very sarcastic. She’s living with her; she definitely can see through Agatha and all her fronts she puts up.
She’s seen things but never brings it up to not make it awkward or come off as rude. Like this one time when their friend group were all hanging out and Agatha was having what seemed like a hard time, and someone said something to try and cheer her up, but Agatha wasn't having any of it and got pissed and left for the night. The rest of the time, the group was kind of being awkward. She wants her to know she can just relax around her and she’s there if she ever needs anything.
Another thing she knows about Agatha is that she is very stubborn.
So when she walks in looking like a mess. (A hot mess, if she can add.) She says nothing and goes back to what she was doing as if she didn’t want to go check on her roommate. She doesn't want to rile Agatha up and make a big deal over something that isn't worth it. She knows Agatha doesn't want help and to just leave her alone unless she asks. They got into an argument that one time.
Agatha wakes up feeling as shitty as she did when she went to sleep, but she refuses to pay any attention to her deteriorating health.
She gets up to grab some water and a snack. Then she goes back to her room to watch something while eating. Afterwards, she studies a bit and goes to sleep. Agatha wakes up the next morning feeling like she’s been hit by a truck. She’s definitely got a cold. But she pretends she doesn’t and is big and tough. She will never be as distraught as she was when she was a child, just begging to be loved. Cared for. Her mother isolating/punishing her for asking for help and showing vulnerability.
She will not be seen as weak and vulnerable.
She gets up, scrambles to get ready for class, and doesn’t have time to eat. Not that she would’ve felt up to it anyway, even if she had. Thank goodness Rio is already gone. She doesn't have the energy to deal with that right now.
After a long day of classes and trying to act like nothing's wrong, trying to muffle her coughs and sniffles, Agatha is exhausted and drained. She goes back to the apartment and decides to make some food; she’s not particularly hungry, but she knows she should probably eat.
Rios is at home and sees the state Agatha is in but knows better than to push when Agatha is like this unless it gets bad. She leaves Agatha be but continues watching her like a hawk.
The whole time she’s in the kitchen, she is trying super hard to not cough or sneeze, but it doesn’t always work out for her. Rio is getting a drink when Agatha sneezes super loudly. “Bless you.” Agatha thanks her quietly.
Shame on her body and its feeble immune system.
Finally, after Agatha is done eating, she goes to do her dishes. Rio comes up to her and says softly, “Hey, wait... Let me help you. You should probably lay down. " Agatha is hesitant but accepts Rio’s offer begrudgingly.
Agatha takes it into her room while she studies. She can’t let a simple cold be the reason for her to fall behind in her classes; there’s just too much to do. She can’t afford to do nothing all afternoon. The soup she had was soothing, but now she can feel the raw burn in her throat return slowly. She studies for another hour or so before she can’t handle how raw her throat feels.
She grabs some water before returning to her room. Agatha tries to relax and unwind by watching something on TV but falls asleep instead.
Rio is worried but not pushy. Agatha only sleeps for about an hour. After that, she struggles to relax; she can feel her sinuses swelling shut. She can’t breathe.
She's forced to lie awake, caught in this hellish cycle of trying to breathe through her nose—which obviously doesn’t work—before going back to breathing through her mouth until the burn becomes too much.
She’s utterly exhausted, but through sheer stubbornness, she refuses to let a single hint of it show. Agatha Harkness will not give in to a mere cold. She’s not weak. She knows it's laundry night, and sadly, her lack of clean clothes means she can't afford to miss it. So, she gathers her clothes in a hurry, and she and Rio head out together to do the laundry. And if she sees Rio glancing at her brows furrowed with worry, she pretends she doesn’t notice.
Rio says she can do both of theirs, and she can stay home, but she is stubborn, plus she isn’t that sick she can do it. They are walking down the stairs and Agatha starts to feel very dizzy and lightheaded, So she leans on the wall for support and to catch her breath. Even though Rio knows she will reject her help, she offers.
She decides to sit for a minute when they get there, and she’ll just say she’s waiting on a machine. Even if there are open ones. Rio can see through the wall Agatha is trying to put up, and she wants to help, but she’s trying her best in ways that aren’t too pushy.
Otherwise, Agatha won’t let her help at all. She goes to put her laundry in, and damn, does Agatha look rough. Like she’s going to pass out at any moment. Agatha is honestly pissing her off; why won't she just stop being fucking stubborn and let her help her for once?
Like, does she not trust her enough to do her laundry and make food for her?
Agatha gets up and grabs her laundry but stumbles a bit in the process. Agatha slowly puts all her laundry into the washer and puts her money into the machine. Phew, the hard part is done; she’s good. She grabs her basket and goes to hold the door open for Agatha. She decides to walk behind Agatha the whole time in case she gets dizzy or something.
Agatha walks out, and damn, it feels like the temp dropped 25 degrees within the time they were in there, and suddenly the clothes she had on were way too thin, and the cold breeze chilled her to the bone. Rio notices Agatha shivering and takes off her hoodie to give to Agatha. They are roughly the same size.
Agatha tries hard to decline the offer, but she craves the warmth so badly she finally caves after a minute.
She puts the hoodie on, and suddenly she’s engulfed. In a uniquely earth scent, that is just so Rio. And Agatha loves the way Rio smells. She longs to savor the scent more fully, but her clogged sinuses keep making her life difficult.
But the hoodie is super warm, so soft, so comforting, and she is loving every moment. She shakes her shivers away. She tries to play it off as cool as possible and thanks Rio. That's it.
But she’s not fooling anyone. Rio has a content smirk on her face.
They finally make it back to the apartment, and Agatha goes to take the hoodie off (very unwillingly) and returns it to Rio, but Rio insists on her keeping it for now. So she does. After changing into her only clean pair of PJs (long purple T-shirt and gray PJ pants.), she returns to the shared living room.
Agatha sits down on the couch.
“Hey, do you want to watch this really good movie I've been wanting to see together?
“I’m so down, of course.” Rio quickly responds.
Agatha can’t stay awake any longer; she’s trying hard to, but they are only about an hour into the movie when she starts dozing off. She jolts awake immediately after and tries to play it off, but Rio notices regardless. If anything, she wants Agatha to fall asleep. After about another 15 minutes of that, Agatha finally falls asleep and doesn’t wake back up. Rio listens to her congested snores. She sighs, feeling so relieved she's finally sleeping and getting some well-deserved rest.
Once she’s sure Agatha is fast asleep, she glances over and immediately feels a pang of discomfort on behalf of the other girl. Agatha’s sitting up, her neck tilted awkwardly to the left, and she knows that if she doesn’t do something soon, it’s going to hurt later. Quietly, she gathers some pillows while trying to be as gentle as possible and carefully adjusts Agatha into a more comfortable position.
She then gets a blanket off the couch and puts it on Agatha. She turns the TV down and lets the movie play. She knows the laundry is done by now and goes to grab her keys. She locks the door and heads to get the laundry moved to the dryer. She’ll be right back, and hopefully Agatha is still asleep by the time she’s back.
She really needs it.
Rio walks through the empty campus to the laundromat; she goes to move her clothes to the dryer and then move Agatha’s. She’s thinking about Agatha and everything that's going on. God, how did she get stuck with such a stubborn but cute roommate?
She begins the laundry, knowing it’ll be another hour before it's done. Deciding to use the time wisely, she heads home to prepare some food—enough for herself and perhaps for Agatha if she’s awake and in the mood to eat.
Meanwhile, Agatha wakes up from her quick nap and sees the blanket she has been covered up with. God, this woman is going to be the death of me, she thinks. She could at least fix herself something to eat, no matter how much her stomach queased at the thought. Agatha refuses to be beaten by a cold. She needs to get a grip. She made her way out of the living room, her vision a tinge blurry.
Rio gets back to the apartment, and she sees a very disgruntled and sleepy Agatha with a blanket wrapped loosely around her. She’s trying to cook something, but it’s obviously not working out in her favor. Rio sighs and joins her roommate in the kitchen.
This woman.
Agatha looks over at her and lets out a sigh.
She tries to speak, but her voice is raspy and faint. With a frustrated huff, she looks at Rio, who, without a word, takes over the cooking and quietly tells Agatha to lie down. Agatha doesn’t budge; instead, she stands there, silently watching Rio as she prepares their food.
After Rio is done, she plates the food, and they go back to the couch. They eat quietly together. Agatha suddenly remembers she has laundry still and gets up to go leave and do it. Maybe a little too quickly, because she wobbles, and Rio is instantly by her side and helping stabilize her.
Agatha looks panicked, so Rio tries to comfort her by rubbing circles into her back.
"Hey, I moved them both to the dryer, and they aren't done yet. Sit back down, please.”
Agatha looks at her and says quietly, "Um, thanks. I can give you a few bucks for mine.”
Rio shakes her head. "No, it's alright, Agatha. I don't mind.”
Of course it’s alright; she doesn’t care at all. It’s Agatha; of course she’s her roommate, and she’s sick.
It’s the least she can do.
They relax on their phones, passing the time, until Rio gets up to grab the laundry. Agatha immediately follows, but Rio quickly blocks her, refusing to let her go.
"Agatha, you are too sick to be going down there and doing all of that.”
She pauses, waiting for Agatha to quip back at her but doesn't. So she continues speaking.
"I'm fine. I got it. I’ll be right back.”
"No, yeah, you're right, Rio; it'll be quick, and I'm not even that sick.” She wobbles and almost falls trying to put her shoes on.
“Just a dry throat is all.”
She's stubborn after all, even if she really does feel like shit.
By the time they walk to the laundromat, it’s dark, and the air is growing colder with each passing minute. Agatha forces herself to put up a front, pretending she’s not sick, not cold, and definitely not suffering—though she’s 100% doing all of those things. All she wants is to crawl into her warm bed and rest, but she’s determined to finish this herself and bring the laundry back.
Rio had already done enough by putting it in the dryer