Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Rio shuffled through the folders that contained information on her patients. It wasn’t much, though. Dr. Faustus also informed her that some of the files had flown out of the window when there was a nasty storm and he had left the window open. Men. Rio huffed.

Honestly, she had no idea how this place could work. The staff wasn’t capable of making informed decisions and she was sure the prison would be overrun if the prisoners weren’t in chains. The boys in training were sweet, but not very efficient. It was fine here where nothing could really harm them, but she couldn’t imagine how they would survive in the field. They also didn’t really care about this place. They just wanted to do their time and be gone.

Wade was a nice enough guy and she could see he wanted to ask her out, but didn’t have the guts to do it. Not yet anyway. His eyes lingered when he thought she wasn’t watching and when she looked at him, he averted his gaze and even blushed. At least he tried to have her back. Not that she needed it. It looked like she was more skilled with her dagger than they were with the weapons strapped to their belts.

Of course, Rio knew she was no better than any of them because she was a trainee herself, but unlike them she wanted to stick around even after she finished her course. Salem was supposed to be her place of work even after training.

She tucked her suit jacket closer, the chill air of this place seeping to her bones. She was always cold. Anytime she touched someone they jerked away from her cold fingers, asking if she was dead. She usually laughed and brushed it off, but from time to time it got to her. It wasn’t her fault that her blood circulation just didn’t work properly.

Putting the papers aside she finished her cup of coffee and waited for the guard to bring her the first patient of the day. Sessions in her office were so informal. She hated it. There was supposed to be a separate room! But of course, who was she kidding. Nothing would ever change here. At least she filed a request for a sofa. She also made a mental note to bring some pictures and paintings from home to make it a little warmer. And plants. She would be spending most of her time here so Rio wanted to make it as cozy as possible.

There was a knock on the door and Alice walked in with Agatha in tow. She was the only senior guard, but her shifts were sporadic. She greeted Rio and then secured the prisoner to her chair. When she was sure the chains were securely locked, she gave Rio a small nod and left the office.

“So, how are you today, Madame Harkness?” Rio asked, trying to swallow the lump in her throat that appeared whenever she looked at Agatha. Maybe it was the woman’s smirk, maybe it was her blue eyes… Either way, she really shouldn’t be affected by someone’s persona this much.

“I am well, Miss Vidal. Thank you for asking.”

“That’s good to hear,” she replied and reached for her pen to scribble something in her notepad. As she moved in her chair, the jacket opened up.

Agatha’s eyes flashed. The presence of the dagger didn’t disturb her; something else caught her attention. “Are you cold, darling?” She asked and tilted her head slightly, eyes not leaving the hardened peaks. They taunted her.

Rio flushed, trying to cover herself better. She knew what Agatha was referring to. She could feel her nipples straining against her lacy bra. “I - ehm,” she cleared her throat, “Yes. I’m always cold. Sorry, it won’t happen again.”

“The only thing I object to are the layers of clothes covering it,” Agatha winked and watched with amusement as Rio’s cheeks turned a lovely shade of pink. The therapist averted her eyes, studying the empty pages in her notebook. “Give me your hands,” she prompted.

“My hands?” Rio repeated, looking like a deer caught in the headlights.

“I am exceptionally warm, I only wish to share it.” She could see the girl was thinking about it. She chewed on her lower lip and her brow furrowed. “Come on, little bird. What could I possibly do? I am chained.” She stressed her point by moving her hands across the table, the chain rattling. She could only reach the middle of it, the metal not letting her go any further.

Rio lost this battle. She saw how the cuffs bit into Agatha’s wrists, breaking the already marred skin. There was no padding on the inside to make the cuffs more comfortable. Nothing but metal. How barbaric. She placed her hands in Agatha’s and sucked in a breath. She waited for the hiss that always came before the person retreated from her coldness.

“Oh my poor dear, I’ll make it better,” she cooed and embraced her palms.

“I was told I have a touch of Death…” Rio murmured quietly, not looking at the serial killer. She melted at the warmth in Agatha’s hands.

“Nonsense,” she said steadily in a voice that left no room for argument.

“You don’t mind?” She asked in a small voice, not quite believing there was someone that wouldn’t comment on it.

“I don’t,” Agatha replied without missing a beat. “A cooling touch is rather nice against my unusually heated skin. You see, I have the opposite problem. I’m always way too hot.”

Yeah, you are, Rio thought and was incredibly proud of herself for not letting it slip past her lips. “So that’s how you’re able to survive in this place. It’s too cold for me here.”

“Is it? I never noticed,” she shrugged, stroking the skin on Rio’s palm with her thumb now that her fingers were significantly warmer.

Rio was watching the movement, mesmerized. It felt so good. She shifted her weight and announced, “We will do something different today. I’d like to get to know you.”

“Are we on a date?” Agatha grinned and batted her eyelashes.

“What?” Rio choked, eyes shooting up.

“I’m only teasing, my sweet,” she chuckled. “If we were on a date you would end up in my bed and we both know that’s not happening here, is it?”

“Ehm, I …” she swallowed and tried to calm her racing heart. This couldn’t happen every damn time. The touch was also distracting to say the least. Agatha was drawing nonsense patterns on her skin and it was not helping Rio focus. Actually, her sole focus was on the touch and how it felt.

“Shhh, don’t stress yourself, little bird. Why won’t you question me today?” She smirked and leaned back in her chair, letting go of Rio’s hands. She knew the younger woman would miss her touch immediately and unfortunately for her, riling her up was Agatha’s new favorite sport.

Rio cleared her throat before answering as she pulled her hands back. The remains of Agatha’s touch still pricking at her skin. She missed the warmth. She missed how it felt. “Because I’m here to work with the prisoners and help them if needed. I need to diagnose you in order to heal you.”

“And what makes you think I want or need your help?” Agatha narrowed her eyes. She was locked up more willingly than anything else really. She was here because she wanted to be.

“I didn’t say that, Miss Harkness,” Rio replied steadily despite her still racing heart. “I think you’re perfectly capable of functioning on your own. However, I need to specify your diagnosis and then treat you accordingly.”

“I’m barking mad,” she cackled. “That’s my diagnosis.”

“I don’t think you are,” Rio replied, grabbing the pen and notebook to give her hands a purpose. “I’ve spoken with patients that are ‘barking mad’ as you put it,” she emphasized the words with air quotes, “And you don’t really show the signs. You don’t have the symptoms. You are way too logical for that.”

“Is that so?” Agatha smiled, impressed.

“Mmmh,” she nodded absentmindedly.

“Everyone says I am a madwoman, pet.”

“Because you’ve made them believe it, not because you actually are.”

Agatha smiled at that, revealing a set of perfect white teeth. “Well, it’s served me well,” she shrugged. “I have a single cell in a hidden area where no one really bothers me. I am in a prison in the middle of nowhere with minimal security because I’m not stable enough to come up with anything…” She trailed off, realizing she was oversharing. Next she could tell the sweet thing that she pretty much ran this prison, no? Get a grip, Agatha.

“See? Way too logical. And you’re actually very aware of your actions,” Rio quipped with a small smile. “So you figured Dr. Faustus would just give up if you didn’t talk to him, didn’t you,” she said when she connected the dots. Also, he was a man. Rio wasn’t just goading Faustus and Fisk when she said it. Agatha didn’t do well with men. “I guess I’m glad he left you alone.”

“Doctor my ass,” Agatha scoffed. “I’ve had my fair share of him. Faustus liked to perform electroshock so he could listen to my screams when it was made clear I wouldn’t talk to him and study them,” the woman said with fire in her eyes. “He’s the one I’ll kill first when I’m out of here.”

“What?!” Rio gasped, eyes widening. “Surely he…” she started to refute, but then thought better of it. “I mean, I believe you, Agatha. I do. It’s just hard for me to grasp the concept…” She paused, brow furrowing. “How could anyone put another soul through something like that?”

Agatha smiled at the use of her first name. She liked it. She wanted to hear Rio say it many times over, preferably a little breathless or in a whine, a small moan… and then downright screaming it in pleasure. She liked how it sounded leaving those plush lips.

She was also pleased when Rio didn’t accuse her of lying. It was what they all did if they didn’t straight up ignore her. She noted how Rio’s arm had pressed tighter to her body on the dagger’s side, probably pressing the weapon to her ribs. Interesting. “Well, mankind is the worst species, my dear. No other known species has come up with so many ways to destroy each other. For fun, I might add.”

“Not fun, power.”

“Sometimes power, sometimes fun,” Agatha shrugged, letting the defiance slide this time. “For when I kill the precious little ‘doctor’, I will have enormous fun with it.”

“I can only imagine,” Rio murmured and wrote a note in her notepad to revisit this potential murder later. “Your crime scenes were rather,” she paused to search for the right word, “gruesome.”

“I think you meant artistic,” she grinned widely.

“I haven’t seen them,” the girl replied. “I only know what I’ve heard. Or read in the local newspapers.”

“Really? You’ve never seen my art? Well then I’ll save you a seat next time,” Agatha winked.

“No need, Madame Harkness, thank you,” Rio wrinkled her nose. Only now was she truly reminded of exactly who sat opposite of her. Agatha wasn’t just a sexy woman she had met in a bar, she was dangerous and unpredictable.

“Aw, back to surnames, are we? You wound me, darling,” she said with feigned hurt, her lower lip trembling to put a cherry on top of her display.

Rio looked at her, eyes slightly widening, but she didn’t comment on it. “I do remember one particular detail from one of your murders actually,” she said thoughtfully after a moment, rolling the pen between her fingers.

“Enlighten me.” Agatha leaned over and propped her elbows on the table. She placed her chin on the back of her palms and looked expectantly at Rio.

The sound of chains rattling when Agatha adjusted her forearms had startled the young woman again. Rio could also see the bruised wrists from where the metal bit into Agatha’s skin. She let that one slide for now, though. She would deal with it later. Somehow.

“You cut off the man’s penis,” Rio said, trying to keep her voice steady, “and shoved it in his mouth before slitting his throat. Why?”

“I think this one is quite obvious,” Agatha breathed out and cocked her head to the side. “Make an educated guess.”

“Something along the line ‘you are what you eat’?”

“Ha!” The woman cackled loudly. “I didn’t actually think of that,” she said and then added, “Well, maybe I did, but the main reason was that he tried to rape me.”

Rio tried to keep her composure after the revelation, but she failed. The anger was hot and burning. She pressed Lady Death into her ribs with her arm and said very seriously through gritted teeth, “I guess I would have done the same.”

“Cut his dick off and shove it down his throat?” Agatha chuckled.

“Well, not quite,” she blushed. “But I’d murder him too.”

Agatha narrowed her eyes and leaned back in her chair, assessing the woman. She didn’t miss the flinch as the chains rattled again. Rio did not like that. The therapist tried to hold Agatha’s intense gaze, but she averted her eyes after a few seconds, chewing on her lip. The blush coloring her cheeks was making her even sexier than usual and Agatha desperately wanted to get her on her knees. Or bend her over the table. She hadn’t decided yet.

She knew Rio would go willingly. She didn’t have a complete bottom energy, but she showed enough signs. Agatha could work with that and it was a delicious thought. She moved her hand deliberately to get the chain to make a sound again. As anticipated, Rio’s eyes shot to the center of the sound and then to her face. Agatha slowly licked her lips and said, “Perhaps you should be locked up here with me then.”

Rio chuckled dryly. “Perhaps.”

It had been a long week of getting to know her patients and preparing a treatment. She had met most of the prisoners and come up with diagnoses for each and every one of them. She only had to meet with two more today and then she would have met all of them.

Wade tried to keep her company when he had a shift and she found him oddly sweet. He stopped by to greet her this morning too and if she was being truthful she appreciated it. She was about to see the boy, one of the two remaining patients, that she tried to postpone for as long as possible. She dreaded this session. Wade’s easy smile and boyish energy helped to take her mind off it.

“Can I call you ‘Ri’?” Wade asked when they were finishing their morning coffee. She always made one cup for him when she knew he would be working.

“No,” she deadpanned. Rio was enough of a short name, thank you very much. But even if it wasn’t, pet names were not in the cards for him.

“Oh,” his smile dropped, but he recovered quickly. “What’s on your agenda today? Do you have a session with Agatha?”

“Yes, I do. Right after lunch.”

“Nasty, that one,” Wade furrowed his brow.

“She’s quite cooperative actually. Laufeyson’s worse.”

“Really? How can he be any worse than her?”

“I can’t really discuss that with you, Wade,” she replied with a small smile. He meant no harm.

“Right,” he smiled. “I guess we better get going, huh,” he said when he checked the clock. “Hope there will be no drama today.”

“There rarely is,” she replied more to herself than to him. Today could get dramatic, though. Very soon actually.

“Thankfully. Well, I’d better go fetch William. He’s your first today, right?”

“Indeed. Thank you,” she sighed and rubbed her temples. Here goes nothing.

When William Kaplan entered her office he smiled widely upon seeing her. “Rio!” He cheered and went to hug her.

She stopped him before he could pass the table. “William, please, have a seat,” she motioned towards the vacant chair opposite of her desk.

“Oh, okay,” he slumped, but sat down. “I’m just so happy to see you! You need to get me out of here!”

“I don’t have the authority to do that,” she explained calmly.

“Why not? I am innocent! You know I am innocent,” he shrieked.

“I want you to go back to the day it happened. What do you see? Truly.”

“A dead woman lying on the floor. In her kitchen probably?” Rio nodded, writing it down.

“How did she die? It wasn’t a natural death, was it?” He just shook his head, drawing his thick eyebrows together.  “So who killed her?”

“It was the Scarlet Witch,” he replied with so much conviction that she would have believed him if she didn’t know better.

“Try to recall where you were standing. Try to get back a little further from when you found her.”

“I –” he trailed off. “The woman was having tea with Billy.” Yes, a tea laced with a heavy dose of poison.

“Who’s Billy?” She asked calmly, writing down the name.

“He protects. He’s –” It looked like he wanted to give her an answer, but his fists clenched, his jaw tightened. It was like he couldn’t piece it together. Then his whole demeanor changed. Darkened. “Listen Rio, you need to let me out of here. Tommy is still missing.”

“Who’s Tommy?” She asked, tone even and steady.

“My brother,” he replied without missing a beat and Rio knew she wasn’t speaking with William anymore.

“William doesn’t have a brother,” she pointed out.

“But I do,” he said with determination. “And you really need to get me out of here because he’s out there!” He stood up and looked desperately at her. She almost felt bad that he didn’t have the chains as Agatha did to keep him down. But just almost. She didn’t want even Agatha to have them so she wouldn’t start putting more prisoners in them.

“Please, sit down. I’m here to help you.”

“The only way you can help me is by letting me out! I need to find him before the Scarlet Witch does!”

“In your pursuit of finding Tommy, you killed this woman, Billy.”

“You’re lying!” He shouted and that was when Wade barged into the office and pacified him.

“Can you escort him back please?” She asked, trying to keep her cool in front of him. The way William was thrashing against Wade, trying to free himself, was not helping. This whole ordeal shook her more than she was willing to admit.

“Sure, Rio,” he nodded and dragged him out of her office back to his cell.

Only when they were both gone did she let the tear roll down from her eye. William Kaplan was her friend. They met at school they had both attended, William a few grades lower than Rio. He was a generous and kind kid with an uneasy past. He was faced with traumatizing events when he was just an infant. He was forced to grow up way too fast, protecting himself from the world. It made sense he developed a second persona… his protector. However, what she didn’t understand was how Tommy came into the picture. Not yet, at least.

William poisoned their teacher in his seventh year, claiming the Scarlet Witch did it. They locked him up in Salem right away. No one cared about his mental state, no one cared about his age. But even if they cared, there was simply no other place to send the minors and mentally unstable. The current system did not take it into account and there were no institutions for it.

It was horrific to see her friend being taken away from the school in chains, him screaming it was the Scarlet Witch and that Rio needed to help him.

Their session ended prematurely so she had some time to get a grip on herself before meeting the last remaining patient – Erik Killmonger.

She had to take care of the whole prison now because Faustus just threw everything at her. He resigned yesterday because she managed to get Agatha to talk. Something about a man’s pride and ego, she guessed.

No one was here to guide her, no one would really help. But she was used to it, she could do it.

“What’s on your mind, my sweet?” Agatha questioned just as the door closed behind Wade, leaving them alone for the session. She was studying the woman on the other side of the table. She could see something was bothering Rio. It was clear as day right after she entered the office. The fact Rio sheathed her dagger before Agatha sat down wasn’t lost on her either.

“It’s nothing,” Rio replied and tried to focus on her current patient. So much for being professional. She just couldn’t get William out of her mind. He was in such a bad shape. Agatha always seemed radiant, beautiful, somehow taken care of. It was such a huge contrast to William’s dirty striped cloth, disheveled appearance and true desperation in his eyes.

“Hmm, try again,” Agatha narrowed her eyes.

“We’re here to talk about you, not me,” Rio smiled softly.

“You want to get to know me and I want to get to know you,” she deadpanned. “You can play with Lady Death if you want,” she offered with a glint in her eyes. That caught Rio off guard. She thought she had managed to hide her dagger before Agatha noticed. She also didn’t think the older woman would understand the comfort it gave her. But apparently Agatha knew more than she anticipated. She could read her like an open book. “Go on, dear. I know you want to.”

“I shouldn’t,” Rio murmured, averting her eyes in quiet submission.

“Take her out, Rio,” Agatha commanded, her voice firm. She was testing the therapist, curious to see what the woman would do. To her enormous pleasure Rio’s right hand reached under her jacket and pulled the dagger out. “Good girl,” she purred and didn’t miss the sharp intake of Rio’s breath. “Now tell me what’s got you in this mood.”

Rio placed Lady Death in her left palm and rested it on her thigh. That alone already soothed her mind. She started stroking the blade absentmindedly with her thumb and all her worries seemed to quiet down.  “I don’t want to eat away of your time. It’s nothing, really.”

“If it’s nothing then you can tell me,” she said with a wink. Not that Rio could see it because she was still eyeing the table.

“I shouldn’t. Everything is confidential, you know.”

“Well I’m counting on that,” Agatha chuckled.

“Right,” the woman sighed, bicep flexing under the thin layer of her jacket as she gripped her dagger even tighter. “It’s just… I have a schoolmate here. A friend. And he’s very persistent I let him out. Which first of all, I can’t do and second of all, he did commit the murder.”

“Persistent? Did he hurt you?” She hissed, eyes boring into Rio, trying to notice any damage. If even one hair was out of place, she would …

“No, he’s more talk than action,” Rio interrupted her train of thoughts. “But I can’t do what he wants me to do. I agree he shouldn’t be here because he suffers from dissociative identity disorder - he should be in a facility that deals with the mentally ill, but unfortunately we don’t have such a place,” she said through gritted teeth.

“He suffers what now?” The older woman raised her eyebrows in mild confusion.

“It’s not important,” Rio dismissed it. “Let’s say his mind conjures a different reality…”

Agatha hummed, not completely pleased with the answer, but letting it slide. “So, this troubled kid… why can’t you release him?”

“Besides the obvious, he’s obsessed with the idea that he has a brother somewhere and he will stop at nothing to find him,” she slumped in her chair. “But said brother doesn’t exist,” she huffed, stroking the blade with renewed vigor. “And on top of that, he’s convinced that the Scarlet Witch is after this non-existing brother.”

“Let’s say the brother exists,” Agatha prompted. “Do you think the ‘Scarlet Witch’ is after him?” She asked even though she knew the answer.

“I truly doubt that.”

“We’re on the same page then. I’m pretty sure Wanda has nothing to do with him,” Agatha said her thought aloud.

Rio scribbled ‘Wanda’ in her notepad and was pleased that even though they were not talking about Agatha, she got some new information to explore later. “Well, the Scarlet Witch did most likely kill his parents when he was just an infant. And William saw it. He saw everything. It was such a traumatizing experience for him that his mind just … well, the coping mechanisms are very strange sometimes. I believe it triggered his mental illness.”

“I say let him out,” the criminal grinned, trying to have a look at what the young woman wrote down.

“First of all, I really don’t have the authority. And second of all, he wants to find his brother. He might try to pursue the Scarlet Witch! I don’t know what’s going on inside of his head.”

“I gathered that. It might be fun to watch him try, though,” she cackled.

“Very funny, Agatha.”

She said her name again… as if it was normal. As if it didn’t eat away at Agatha’s sanity. The things she wanted to do to her little darling upon hearing her utter it so carefree. She licked her lips. Agatha doubted Rio even noticed she used it. “It is quite strange that Wanda went after his parents, though. She usually keeps a low profile. Doesn’t get her hands dirty… and doesn’t bother with peasants.”

“I think they knew who she was. They wanted to expose her. She probably felt her control over the situation slipping and she reacted.”

“Well that’s not nice! They got what they asked for. Snitches get stitches.” Rio chuckled, but otherwise didn’t comment on it and so Agatha had time to let her mind wander. This time she wondered, not for the first time, if Rio was into knife play considering how attached she was to her dagger. She was pretty certain she knew the answer though and it made wetness pool between her legs. The things she could do with that dagger on Rio’s soft skin…

Rio lifted her gaze after a moment and her breath hitched upon seeing the hungry, downright predatory look on Agatha. She gripped Lady Death again after softening her hold before and averted her eyes because it was too much. The look alone was doing things to her insides she preferred not to name. She also wanted to run her hand through Agatha’s unruly locks and … nope. No. Focus, Rio.

“So, how’s Billy? Not doing well I gather?” Agatha asked with a smirk when she was done with her bloody fantasy.

Rio’s eyes widened comically and she sat straighter in her chair. Unnaturally. “How do you know whom I was talking about?”

“Well, you just told me,” she winked. “Wanda really doesn’t get her hands dirty herself. There was only one infant boy with his parents killed… I didn’t live under a rock, dear.”

“You can’t say anything, I –“

“Would you relax, pet?” Agatha said gently. “You didn’t tell me, I came to my own conclusion. Plus I know he’s here so it only makes sense. And I don’t kiss and tell.”

“I could get in trouble.”

“With whom exactly? Fisk? That set foot here only because you joined when we hadn’t seen him in months before? Or maybe Faustus that just chickened out? I’m quite aware you’re alone here, little bird.”

“How do you know all of that?” Rio swallowed.

“I have my ways,” the criminal winked. “You’re safe, I promise.”

Rio tried not to tremble under the gaze and information Agatha just shared. She looked at the clock and almost apologetically said, “Ehm, our time is up. I’m sorry that I rambled throughout our whole session.”

“No need to apologize, pet,” the older woman smiled. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she blew her a kiss before shouting to Wade, “Kid, I’m ready!”