Chapter Text
Rio figured the party had mostly died down at last, and so she slipped out of the pool house, intent on picking up the promised "whatever's left" of the night's refreshments. Unfortunately, the party was not entirely dead. A few guests were still milling about up on the deck and by the pool proper, and therefore probably in the house as well. Swallowing as much of her anxiety as she could, Rio decided to go in by the side door. That would lead her through the laundry room and into the kitchen, so then...
Then a cater waiter somehow tumbled headlong into the pool, and instinct kicked in.
Rio stepped right off the edge into the water and swam toward the guy. He was the epitome of how movies always portray drowning, the full shouting, flailing mess. Sure, sometimes that was what a drowning looked like, but in Rio's experience at least this was more simple panic. Still, the guy clearly needed to be gotten out of there.
As she approached, the guy got a few good smacks in at her head and face with his flailing. One of his colleagues had grabbed a skimmer net left leaning up against the pool house and was extending the pole out over the water.
"C'mon, Tommy! Grab on!"
But Tommy did not grab on. He flailed and splashed even as Rio got an arm around his chest and dragged him over to the edge where a couple of other waiters grabbed him up and out.
Turning in the water, Rio noted that the incident did not seem to have distracted most of the guests from their conversations, though one woman who had already been sitting on the side of the pool, feet dangling in the water, was watching, mouth about a quarter of the way to agape. She was sitting near the deep end ladder, and so Rio swam that way to get out.
The woman looked a little familiar, but Rio did not think they had been introduced. Maybe it was someone she had seen around Alice's house before, or their paths had crossed on the street at random, or...
Wait.
Wait.
Rio knew who that was. She knew who that was and HOLY SHIT.
Rio just froze. She froze and let herself dip under the water, knees to her chest so she was like a stone sinking.
That was Agatha Harkness. THE Agatha Harkness. The hot, sensational, talented young actress that, in Rio's frank opinion, no one appreciated enough. She was the one thing that made House of M worth watching! That was not even just Rio's opinion; she had seen that in a couple of reviews as well.
After a moment's underwater contemplation that was also panic, Rio realized that she needed to breath soon. Straightening out, she kicked up to the surface and, the moment her face was fully clear, gasped.
"Are you okay?" Agatha asked.
"Uhh, yeah. Yeah. I'm... Yeah."
Clearing the rest of the distance, Rio clung to the ladder, panting softly.
"You were really great out there, helping that guy get out."
"Oh, yeah, I... He wasn't drowning, I think."
"Still, he was clearly in a bad way."
"Uh-huh."
Finally, Rio hauled herself up out of the water, slumping down at the side of this goddess of a woman that, okay, she might actually have a tiny crush on.
"You're Agatha Harkness," she said.
"Last I checked, yeah. You..."
"Oh, I'm Rio. Rio Vidal."
"Well, Rio Vidal, I'm surprised you recognize me."
"I mean, why wouldn't I? You're on a major network show."
"Only recurring..."
"Trust me, you're recognizable."
It was a compliment, of course, or at least Rio meant it that way, but Agatha made a face that sort of implied upset, then turned away. Her hair—even more gorgeous in person than Rio had imagined—was down, and it fell like a curtain around her face.
"I... I just meant... I mean, I've watched the show a lot and... And I'm always really happy to see you on it."
"You are?"
Agatha looked back at her now and those eyes... Rio at last truly understood what people meant when they called eyes "piercing."
"Yeah. You're really great. Like, probably the best on the whole show."
Agatha smiled a little, but those piercing blue eyes suddenly looked a little watery, as if in a moment tears would fall.
"Are you... Okay?" Rio asked.
"Yeah. Sorry, I just... I don't get recognized a lot, and you're really sweet to say I'm good on the show..."
"Probably the best," Rio repeated.
Agatha turned away again for a moment, hand over her face. When she looked back she was smiling, but it was clear some of the tears had fallen.
"So, Rio Vidal, what is it you do besides randomly appear to make a girl's whole night better?"
"Uh, well, for now, not a lot. I... Alice... You know the person whose house this is?"
"I do."
"Alice is an old friend from college. I'm staying in the pool house a while."
"Why not the main house?"
Rio shrugged, absently scratching at the scars around her knee.
"Don't wanna be a bother. The pool house has a guest suite, so it's cool."
"Oh. Well, what brings you to... To this? To living in Alice's pool house?"
"Burnout. I... Things got to be a lot back home, so..."
"And where's home?"
"Massachusetts."
"No shit! Me too."
"I know."
Agatha let out a huffy laugh.
"Oh, right. You're a fan."
"Sorry," Rio said.
She figured from the tone she had upset Agatha, and so she pulled herself up to her feet.
"Wait, where are you..."
"You're mad at me."
"I'm not mad," Agatha said, and when Rio turned she saw the actress standing, looking at her in a way she could not decipher.
"You sounded mad."
"I'm not, I swear. Here, c'mere and sit. Let's talk a while."
There were a couple of lounge chairs a bit more back from the edge of the pool, and Agatha went and sat on one, all stretched out. She was wearing a really simple dress, more a sundress than anything, and it fit her in a way that made Rio feel nervously aroused.
Padding over, Rio sat not on the nearest available chair, but the tile-paved pool edging. Agatha looked at her with a funny little smile.
"More trying not to be a bother?"
Rio shrugged.
"I just... Figured... I dunno. Anyway, why are you down over here? Shouldn't you get back to the party?"
"Oh honey, it's a dead party and I hardly know anyone."
"But didn't you come with a date or anyone?"
"Nope."
"How come? I would think someone like you would have a ton of options for dates and stuff."
"You'd think. I'm just really... I haven't found anyone I click with, I guess."
"Oh. Well. That's too bad."
"Mmm. It is."
Rio hummed nervously, staring at the tiles—there was a bad crack through two of them—and then looked up at Agatha. Agatha, in turn, was looking from Rio up to the rapidly depopulating deck and then back to Rio. The few other guests milling around nearer the pool had mostly filtered off after the cater waiters, so it really was just Agatha and Rio down here.
"C'mere," Agatha said softly.
Nodding, Rio rose to her knees and shuffled closer to the chair. Agatha sat up and looked at her, really looked. The eye contact was a lot, and Rio wondered if Agatha had as hard a time knowing how to handle that stuff as she did.
Probably not.
"You have very nice eyes," Agatha said.
"So do you."
Rio's gaze flicked away to Agatha's mouth. She had beautiful, full lips that looked like they would be great to kiss. It was almost a shame that Rio would not get to test that out.
"So, Rio. You seeing anyone?"
"Uhm, I mean, I see you right here..."
"No, no. Are you dating anyone?"
"No."
"Well then, while you're here, and I'm here, and there's nothing much else to do, how'd you like to kiss me?"
Rio met Agatha's gaze again, eyes wide.
"Is that a joke?"
"Not in the slightest."
"Oh, then... Well, I think I'd like to kiss you. I'd like it a lot."
"Then," Agatha said, leaning forward and gripping the front of Rio's soaked shirt, "go ahead."
It had been ages since Rio kissed anyone, and she was worried that she had never been good at it, but since it was being asked of her, she leaned in and let it happen.
Her guess had been right. Agatha's lips were soft, warm, perfect. It was, in Rio's frank opinion, the best kiss ever. It was so good, in fact, that when Rio felt Agatha's tongue slip out and brush her lips, she easily gave way, at the same time allowing the insistent tug at her shirt to guide her up onto the lounger.
Onto Agatha, really.
"Is... Is this okay?" Rio asked.
"It's great," Agatha smiled.
"Good. Can I... Can we kiss again?"
"Please."
Okay, this one was even better, probably because the last one had warmed things up. This time it was Rio who moved to deepen things, and she was pleased at the soft whimper she felt more than heard Agatha release. That this was even happening was absolutely wild, and Rio was glad she was apparently doing a good job.
She had relaxed a bit, and found that her hips slotted easily between Agatha's spread legs. Without really being aware, she started to thrust and push roughly down, and that got even more whimpers out of Agatha, and then a moan as Rio moved from kissing her to trying to mark the smooth, soft skin of her neck.
"Fuck," Agatha whispered.
"Okay?"
"Fuck, yes. Oh, you are... Wow."
"You're... You're really soft," Rio muttered.
"That a good thing?"
"Oh, yeah. And you smell really nice. Like I... I'd kinda... If you want, maybe..."
"You wanna fuck?" Agatha asked.
"If you want to."
"Mmm. I do. But not here."
Rio pushed up and looked as best she could into Agatha's eyes.
"My room's really close," she smirked.
"I like the sound of that."
For a moment, Rio froze, then leaned down and kissed Agatha again.
"Well then, come on."