Chapter Text
11pm at the port.
Agatha stuffs her hands in the pockets of her coat and walks past shipping containers to the 23rd terminal.
The metal containers creak from rusted corners as the ocean moves against the port and the wind off the sea blows mildly, smelling like oil and old fish, but the sound of her boots is by far the loudest thing in the area.
Hours of planning and arguing over the last day have lead up to Agatha walking into a meeting with no wires, no tracker, and no agents.
The logistics were fairly easy to plan, marking off exits and entrances on a map of the shipping yard and strategically canvassing the area for any potential threats or areas of concern.
The sticking point with the team had been the elimination of a tracker.
If Agatha is abducted it will be that much harder to find her and they will have lost a witness. However, if a tracker is present and their contact is spooked then the deal is off and Agatha is back to square one.
Agatha takes an active role in planning considering it's her who will be making contact and the argument is settled when Agatha insists they abide by their contact's stipulations. If it's Ralph, Agatha is sure he wouldn't be stupid enough to try and kidnap her or remove her from the area when the FBI would come after him in waves.
She asks for Rio's trust and the alpha gives it, opening the door for other agents to agree.
Agatha knows Rio is worried, it's hard not to be, and the alpha's scent reflects it, wavering between dark wood and campfire at any given moment though she does her best to keep it at bay, choosing to trust the omega.
Agatha in turn tries to ressure Rio, becoming more touchy with the alpha, leaving her citrus blossom scent to linger on Rio's skin and clothes, bathing herself in Rio's scent in turn, like an invisible claim.
Rio tries to maintain her professionalism though her alpha wants to rub its scent over Agatha one more time before she leaves, her alpha possessive and wary as the omega goes to meet with another alpha. One with a previous claim.
Rio's jealousy is unfounded and she knows this, but it doesn't stop her imagining different scenarios with varying endings, some of which end with Agatha back with Ralph for protection Rio can't provide.
Agatha does her best to reassure Rio when she's dropped off, squeezing her hand one last time before she leaves the car and Rio drives off, glancing repeatedly in her mirrors at Agatha's dark and shrinking silhouette.
Agatha finally makes it to the 23rd terminal; spotting the sign with painted white numbers, weather beaten and aged by the salt of the sea. She looks around, noting the silent shipping containers that surround her on three sides with multiple points of possible entry and escape.
Agatha's body thrums with anxiety, ready to run or fight at any given moment, listening for any sound that might be an indication of something coming her way, relying on her ears since the dim yellow direction lighting does little to help illuminate the area.
She smells him before she hears him, hairs standing up on the back of her neck when the wind carries the scent of patchouli and cigars. It's difficult to think now that she once enjoyed his scent and sought it out when it only registers as a dull pull at her omega.
If anything, it makes her long for the smell of pine and earth.
Ralph appears in an aisle between shipping containers but Agatha refuses to move closer, her body and omega on guard, letting him step into the more open loading space closer to the ocean.
Agatha turns her wrist up to herself, checking the time on her watch.
11pm exactly.
Time starts now.
"Agatha," he greets, voice low and rough.
When he steps closer to the light, Agatha notes his appearance; his mustache and beard are longer than they've been in a while, his hair is shaggy and he looks thinner than she remembers. The bags under his eyes make the rest of his face look grey and there's a cagey edge to his movements that makes Agatha wonder if he's on drugs or just not doing well.
Agatha glares at him, "I'm here, where is it?"
Ralph shakes his head and the corner of his mouth lifts though his smirk doesn't reach his eyes.
"Hold out your arms," he demands, eyes darting around as if to spot any agents who might be hiding nearby.
Agatha's lip curls in a snarl, both of them staring at one another in a silent battle of wills until Agatha reluctantly lifts her arms out to the side.
Ralph steps into her space and Agatha resists the urge to step back as his hands start at her shoulders and run over her arms, removing her watch and checking it before patting down her sides and legs and sticking his hands in the pockets of her coat. His hands come back up over her stomach and Agatha growls in warning, nearing the end of her tolerance.
He finishes by lifting the edge of her blouse, finding no wire but the dark bruise Rio left over her scar catches his eye.
His eyes darken and his face contorts with disgust, "Whore."
Agatha grits her teeth and pushes him away with both palms on his chest. He doesn't fight the momentum, backing up a few feet to face her.
"I don't know whether to be impressed you followed directions or disappointed how stupid you are to come here alone," Ralph's grin is menacing and Agatha can feel her legs vibrating with adrenaline.
Agatha nods to the watch he still holds, "You don't think they're nearby? You have forty-five minutes until this place is crawling with agents."
Ralph frowns and glares at her, "Forty-five minutes is more than enough time to deal with you."
Agatha almost wishes he would try. Her fury feels bigger than her body, stoking and building like a furnace glowing red hot and ready to cremate him until nothing remains but dust.
"Go ahead," Agatha snarls and bares her teeth at her former mate.
"If anything happens to me, you won't like what happens next," she threatens.
"What? Your agent will hunt me down?" Ralph scoffs.
"She can join you with a bullet between the eyes."
Ralph draws a gun on her, pointing it directly at her face and she can feel the blood drain from her cheeks and limbs. It takes all of her control not to lift her hands in surrender, looking past the barrel to his crazed blue eyes.
"I don't need her to get revenge," Agatha fights to control the tremble in her voice.
"If I die tonight, by tomorrow morning, every news outlet, social media page, and YouTube channel will be flooded with footage of you, an alpha, experimenting on your wife while she begs you to stop," Agatha cuts herself off when tears well in her eyes.
Agatha had come up with the contingency with Rio outside of their meetings with her team. Agatha is familiar with how Ralph operates. He won't try to kidnap her, but he might try to kill her.
Agatha is a liability and therefore his responsibility to eliminate. He's failed twice now and Agatha knows he's a sore loser, especially if he's being pressured.
Rio didn't want to entertain the idea at first but Agatha insisted it might be one of the few advantages they could hold above Ralph, giving her a chance to ensure her survival.
Rio had reluctantly agreed.
Ralph freezes and Agatha can see the whites of his eyes as he stares and she takes the opening provided.
"Surprised? I always told you not to leave your shit lying around," Agatha huffs.
"I've seen all of them," Agatha continues, "And if you murder me, the world will see them too. You'll be guilty before you ever see a courtroom."
Agatha places emphasis on the word 'murder'. He's never killed anyone, of that she's sure. It's a big line to cross and Ralph still wants to keep his hands clean.
Ralph's gun hand shakes and a sheen of sweat covers his forehead.
"Give me the SD card," he demands.
"You searched me, I don't have it," Agatha shoots back.
Ralph roars with frustration, lowering his gun to gesture with it instead.
"Why do you always have to be so fucking difficult!" He rages.
"Everything has to be a fucking fight with you because you refuse to act like a fucking omega! You run around delusional, acting like an alpha...get it through your thick fucking skull, you were MADE to serve and if you don't like it, too fucking bad!"
"You're an embarrassment," he spits.
"And you were a mistake," she snarls back.
They stand there glaring at one another; lovers turned enemies through the worst kind of betrayal, any affection or fondness long dead and replaced by pure contempt.
"Running out of time," Agatha reminds him and his expression grows panicked.
"Bring me the SD card. Then you get the meds," he attempts to renegotiate.
Agatha shakes her head, "That isn't the deal. Give me the meds first. Then we make a new deal."
Ralph glances at the watch in his hand and grows more agitated, "No, I make the terms. Bring me the SD card then you get the meds. After the trial, you get the second half."
"I want my own insurance, give me the meds or I leak the videos one by one," Agatha replies.
"Then you get nothing," Ralph stares at her in confusion and spite.
Agatha digs deep and gathers her courage, allowing herself to release the darker thoughts she's held at bay, slipping into the liminal place in her mind that straddles madness and rage.
Agatha's grin is toothy and unhinged, a picture of a woman pushed to her limit with nothing left to lose; focus pinpointing toward revenge, even at her own expense.
"And I'm starting to care less and less by the day," Agatha curls her lip in digust.
"You took what you wanted until I had nothing left to give," she continues, fangs glistening in the low light.
"And then had the audacity to be offended when I fought back," The omega turns on it's former mate, unafraid to challenge him as if he's another omega needing to be put in his place.
His scent grows acrid and smoky and Agatha knows she's treading the thin line of his temper but the urge to break him is too tempting.
"All I want, is to be rid of you. To never have to see your face again," she pauses, nearly spitting the words.
"And if you make that difficult, do not underestimate my willingness to burn myself alive if it means taking you with me," she warns.
Agatha steps closer and Ralph raises the firearm again but Agatha continues forward till the barrel is pressed against her collarbone.
Her pulse races beneath cold metal, high on adrenaline and fury, impulsively making her peace with dying while her mind flits to Rio before dedicating all of her focus to running head first into the threat of death.
Agatha grins, "I'll die in peace as I drag you to hell."
Ralph stares at her like he doesn't recognize her.
Good, Agatha thinks.
He never knew her anyway.
"Tick, tock," she taunts.
An unrelated police siren sounds in the distance and Ralph jumps and Agatha bites the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing.
He's nervous and he should be.
Agatha has every intention of following through on her threats.
Ralph fishes around in his pocket and throws a vial toward her that she manages to catch, tucking it away in her coat pocket while she keeps her eyes on Ralph.
"You fuck me over and I'll shoot you on sight, do you hear me bitch?" He presses the gun into her skin, growing more nervous by the minute and Agatha nods, agreeing easily.
She has what she came here for, there's no need for her to continue baiting him.
Ralph seems to wait, expecting a retort but when none comes, he turns and quickly flees, disappearing into the aisles between the shipping containers, his scent growing fainter the further away he gets.
Agatha's breath whooshes from her lungs and she places her hands over her face as she struggles not to hyperventilate, forcing her breaths through her nose and out her mouth until she's no longer dizzy.
Without her watch or her phone, Agatha has no idea how much time is left but it can't be much if Ralph's hasty exit is any indication.
She decides to wait. The agents know where she is; Rio will come.
Agatha sticks her hands in her coat pockets and her right hand finds the glass vial. She doesn't bother reading it, it's too dark for her to try, but she holds on to it to reassure herself it's physically there.
It needs to be run through testing and there's a chance it could still fail but for a quiet moment Agatha hangs on to hope.
"Agatha?"
She can hear the approaching teams and recognizes Rio's voice, holding her hands up in anticipation of them coming upon her. Pools of bright light from flashlights dart along the ground and Agatha squints when they shine in her face for a second before lowering again.
There are multiple scents mixing together as the agents flood the area but she can pick out Rio's scent as it makes a direct line to her.
"Hey," Rio greets her breathlessly and Agatha resists the urge to wrap her arms around the other woman and Rio seems to feel the same, lifting her arms before redirecting her hands to Agatha's shoulders.
"Okay?" Rio scans Agatha's body for anything out of place, but Agatha wraps her fingers around Rio's forearm to bring her attention back to her face.
"I'm okay," she confirms, noding while another agent approaches.
There's no down time, they need to interview Agatha as soon as possible before any details are lost to foggy recall, and shortly after, she's retelling what she can while the rest of the agents canvas the area.
She answers question after question, even when they repeat, knowing consistency needs to be established, and hands off the vial of medicine to another agent to courier it back to Dr. Banner and his team to begin testing.
Agatha purposefully leaves out mention of the videos, knowing Rio's team will want to take it for evidence but Agatha isn't ready to release her strongest asset so she explains the deal has been altered; he wants something else from her. He's nervous and Agatha suspects he's in some kind of trouble.
Agatha cuts Rio off with a look when she opens her mouth to rebut. It's easier for Agatha to take the blame than Rio and now that it's out there it can't be taken back. She'll tell them later or they'll find out when she's dead.
By the time Agatha is allowed to leave, birds are starting to wake and the horizon is fuzzy with dim light.
She has no energy left for talking let alone her usual bed routine and as soon as she changes, Agatha falls into bed, her racing mind reluctantly pulled under by her body's exhaustion.
Brenda.
She recognizes the other omega despite the lack of bubbly personality and rails against her restraints, trying to call to the other women though she does not respond.
"Enough," Ralph hushes her and uses a firm hand on her shoulder to push her back down, moving her IV line out carefully of the way.
"Can't imagine what she's like at home," someone quips, a female voice.
The nurse monitoring her vitals re-adjusts one of the electrodes on her chest, same necklace in her face as the woman bends down.
"Why do you think she's here?" Ralph sighs.
"Must be stressful," the nurse sympathizes and Agatha feels rage blooming silently in her chest.
Ralph chuckles mirthlessly, "You have no idea."
"It was cute at first but after a while it's just disrespectful."
"And embarrassing," the nurse adds and Ralph nods.
'Then divorce me,' Agatha thinks bitterly.
"So why keep her around?" The nurse asks conversationally like they aren't talking about Agatha right in front of her incapacitated body.
"Because other than that she's perfect," Ralph admits.
Agatha can feel the conflicting feelings of old attachment and insult warring in her chest. She can hear the affection in his voice but can't reconcile it with the restraints covering her arms and legs and vile betrayal of his actions.
"You met in college?" The nurse asks and Agatha wonders how much this woman knows about her.
"Mhm," Ralph nods. "You think she's bad now, you should have met her then."
"By the time I got to her, she pissed off half the alphas in her pre-law program and rejected the other half," he huffs a laugh.
"I was the only one she ever let get close," he finishes proudly and Agatha's stomach turns.
"You managed to tame her a bit," the nurse's voice picks up hopefully.
"Yup," Ralph smiles like he's reliving fond memories.
"My college buddies called her the Shrew and told me good luck...cause you know...Taming of the Shrew..." Ralph trails off awkwardly, running his hand through his hair.
The nurse giggles, the sound high and fake, a polite response to a stupid joke.
"I will say, her resistance is almost impressive, almost ten times that of the other subjects," the nurse observes.
"Yeah, that's Agatha," Ralph scoffs.
"Everything is a fight with her."
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Rio's alpha is restless, never truly falling into a deep sleep when traces of Ralph's scent linger. She isn't sure if it's just her imagination or because Agatha's clothes from last night are in the same room but her alpha is definitely agitated and territorial.
Nevermind that he pointed a gun at her though Agatha had of course predicted such an outcome and thus the contingency plan created between them, but it still did nothing to settle Rio's nerves, clinging to the omega as she sleeps, rubbing her cheek against Agatha's hair and shoulders jealously.
It's the next best option aside from re-asserting her claim sexually which Rio wants to avoid simply because of her alpha's aggressive insistence and she worries she'll disregard Agatha's health in favor of satiating an envious urge.
Rio finally gets up when sleep escapes her, slipping out of bed and replacing her spot with her pillow when Agatha complains, feeling a bit better and smiling fondly when the omega immediately wraps herself around it, holding it between her knees and against her chest.
She needs a workout. It's been far too long since she's been able to run and her adrenaline and her alpha's tense pacing have Rio going stir crazy.
Texting Alice, Rio asks if she can stand outside of Agatha's door while she burns off her energy.
-------------
Three hours and one note to Agatha later, Rio is in the hotel gym, sweat covering her skin and soaking into the neckline of her sports bra as she runs on a treadmill.
Her normal preference would be the footpath near her home but since she's known to be associated with Agatha, she doesn't want to take the risk of recognition.
The burn feels good in her legs and lungs, expelling her anger and pent up concern until the stitch in her side and her waning energy force her to slow down.
Lowering the speed on the treadmill, Rio cools down at a walking pace, hands on her hips as her chest moves up and down while she catches her breath.
About two minutes in, the music in her ears cuts off and an incoming call rings through her headphones and she double taps her right ear bud to answer.
"Vidal," she barks.
"Mijita," her mother's voice greets her and Rio is taken aback, looking at her phone for both the time and to confirm it really is her mother.
"Hola, mamí, qué lo que?"
It isn't unusual for her mother to call but it is unusual for it to be this early.
"Mijita," her mother repeats and Rio is immediately alert, hearing strain in her mother's voice she hasn't heard since her abuelita passed.
"Mamí, what's wrong?" Rio stops the treadmill and grabs her towel, wiping her face and finding a corner with a bench to sit and talk.
"Your father called."
Three words and Rio feels like she might shatter.
What the fuck? How dare he force himself back into their lives when she and her mother had written him off long ago. Rio thought she would go the rest of her life without ever seeing or hearing from him again, had laid that part of her life to rest with his exit, barring and locking the door behind him.
Suddenly she's eight years old again and fighting the tighteness in her chest.
"Why? What's wrong? Estás bien?"
She's older now, she can do more than she could as a child and, as far as Rio is concerned, she won't hesitate to shoot just because he's her sperm donor.
"I'm okay, mijita, he had a message for you," her mother says shakily, poorly concealing her worry.
"What is it?" She asks immediately. Why would he want to talk to her after all these years? He barely cared for her; she's surprised he remembers her at all.
"I won't repeat it word for word," her mother says firmly which can only mean it was vile or laden with curse words. Probably both.
"But he said to tell you to back off."
"Back off of what?" Rio asks, trying not to interrogate her mother like a suspect.
"He didn't say, just that your... preferences are..." Her mother hesitates, aware how sensitive the topic is for her daughter.
"Are what?" Rio encourages, "It's okay, mamí, I know it's not true."
Her mother sighs deeply and it sounds like relief. Rio feels her affection swell, knowing her mother wouldn't want to say something that upsets her. Sometimes Rio wonders if it's because she's an alpha or because her mother is trying to make up for her childhood. Either way, Rio doesn't want her mother to worry; determined she have a softer life than what she had before.
"Your preferences are interfering with his life, he said," her mother answers, "and you need to back off."
"Is something going on, mijita?"
There's no way, Rio thinks. But there's only one reason she would need to back off of anything and though she doesn't want to believe it, the resources and the motivation are there.
"Just an intense case," she tells the half-truth. The last thing she wants to do is drag her family into this mess.
"Maybe he read something or someone he knows found out about me," she tries to assuage her mother's worry.
There's a pause and Rio wonders if her mother can see through her explanation but she either accepts it or lets it slide.
"Be careful, mijita," she says finally.
"I will," Rio promises, "te amo."
"Te amo, mi amor."
As soon as her mother hangs up, Rio is on the phone to her team and then the Maryland FBI office, giving them a heads up and asking them to keep an eye out for more potential threats.
Rio heads back up to their room relieving Alice who, by her look, already knows thanks to rapid communication.
"You okay?" Alice asks and Rio nods distractedly.
"Yeah, I'm good, just...weird, you know?"
Alice doesn't really know but she nods along anyway, "Want me to hang around? I can get a cover for surveillance..."
Rio waves her off, "No, go. The less this affects the case the better."
Alice looks torn but Rio insists and Alice leaves for her surveillance shift, leaving Rio to enter the room.
The smell of shampoo and bodywash is the first thing she senses and under that, Agatha's scent, warmed by a shower.
The omega emerges from the bathroom, hair wet and wrapped in a robe and Rio can't help herself and walks to her quickly, wrapping her arms around the other woman, holding her tightly as if she can meld their bodies together by sheer will.
Agatha's initial smile drops to concern and her arms automatically come up, one wrapping around a slim waist and the other laying flat against her spine.
"What's wrong?" Agatha asks, attempting to pull back to look at the other woman but Rio doesn't give an inch so Agatha stops trying and leans into the alpha, releasing a wave of pheromones to calm her distress though her own panic starts to rise.
"It's a lot," Rio sighs and sniffles and Agatha squeezes her in response.
"What is?" Agatha murmurs, carding her fingers through Rio's hair, ignoring the dried sweat along her hairline.
As Agatha's pheromones start to take effect, all of the physical exertion and lack of sleep hits Rio all at once and suddenly, explaining everything feels like a monumental task. All she wants is to sleep next to her chosen omega and hopefully wake up in a better head space to deal with what she's learned in the last 24 hours.
"I need to sleep, I'll tell you after," Rio nearly begs and it sounds more like an apology than anything else so Agatha bites back her curiosity.
"Go shower," Agatha instructs, "I can work on the desk for a few hours."
Rio grunts in disapproval, "Stay? Bring the computer to the bed if you have to."
Agatha can't bring herself to refuse. How often has she been the one to ask Rio the same thing? And now that their roles have reversed, Agatha's omega jumps at the chance to care for her m-
Agatha freezes and violently cuts off her train of thought.
"Go," she urges Rio, "I'll be here."
Rio pouts but does as she's told, knowing she'll feel better after a shower.
The water starts and Agatha turns back to the much too small twin bed, again frustrated at the inability to build a proper nest, and turns down the blankets, crawling into the bed with her phone to wait for the alpha.
Rio emerges in her own robe, skin pink and dewy from the heat and scrubbing, and crawls straight into bed, not bothering with pajamas, making herself the big spoon and molding her body to Agatha's curves.
It isn't too long before Rio falls asleep with her face buried against the back of Agatha's shoulder, snoring softly.
Whatever is bothering the alpha has Rio tightening her hold in her sleep every time Agatha shifts so she forces herself to remain still for a while, ending up on her back with Rio using her like a body pillow.
The flip phone sits charging on the night stand, silent since the previous night. Agatha expects she'll be contacted again as soon as Ralph figures out what to do.
She wonders if Brenda would be in the same position if she weren't in a coma. Selfishly she wishes the other omega were awake, at least then they could compare notes. Ralph must be under pressure to keep Agatha quiet or get rid of her no matter how. His desperation is evidence of that.
Something must have happened in the short time Rio was gone, Agatha surmises. The alpha's scent fluctuates in intensity, shifting with her dreams as Agatha's omega responds accordingly, soothing her in sleep with her pheromones.
Agatha thinks back over the night, feeling a little embarrassed by how rash she was but she brushes it off, she's alive and ultimately they have the vial of medicine in possession.
They were told it would take at least a week to examine, test, and analyze the contents. Until then, Agatha prefers to pretend it doesn't exist, not willing to raise her hopes too high.
Rio in turn, dreams; her mind subconsciously trying to reconcile Agatha's meeting and everything her father's warning drags up from the depths of her past.
She can feel the threat pressing in on her, gunning for the omega she protects with her body, hunched over her like a human shield, flashing between her alpha and human self and growling constantly.
Her dream self knows this isn't sustainable. She tries to run, hiding Agatha away, but they're always found and again Rio is faced with running to protect Agatha from a threat that even Rio isn't sure she can handle.
It isn't until she turns and faces the threat that Rio feels more in control. She isn't sure whether she'll win but it's better than being under the constant stress.
Just as she lunges, Rio is jarred to consciousness, her mind leaving the outcome of the fight a mystery.
It's about mid-day and Rio groans. She hates waking up in the middle of the day. It feels like her whole routine is thrown off, wasting a perfectly good day to the point she wants to go back to sleep and start over again tomorrow.
Unfortunately she's awake and alert enough that Rio knows there's no point in trying to go back to bed.
Besides, she can feel the weight of Agatha's hand in her hair, scratching absently and pausing when Rio stirs. The alpha stretches and Agatha bookmarks the page in her book and sets it aside.
Rio groans, clearly cranky and Agatha is lightly amused. Usually Rio is up before Agatha, much too alert and already sipping on coffee. Seeing the alpha grumpy is a whole new experience; entertaining in how out of character it seems.
"We have to go back to the cabin today," Agatha whispers and Rio frowns, pouting.
"We need the videos," Agatha continues, coaxing her like she might a sleepy toddler.
Rio huffs and whines but tosses off the blanket, robe askew from her tossing and turning while Agatha stares unabashedly, heat rising to her face.
She's never wanted a person so much.
Agatha exhales and masters her self-control, refusing to let herself get distracted by her own libido.
"And I was thinking...in the car," Agatha proposes tentatively, "We could talk."
A single sleepy eye opens and stares at Agatha; depths of brown that go on for ages, shifting as her thoughts flicker and blinking slowly.
"Yeah, I did say I would tell you later didn't I?" Rio sighs.
Agatha frowns and grows prickly, "Well you don't have to if you don't want to."
"No, sorry," Rio places her hand on Agatha's leg, "I'm anticipating."
"Anticipating what?" Agatha huffs, her irritation dissipating.
"How you'll react," Rio rubs her hands over her face, trying to motivate herself to leave the bed.
"Well now I want to know even more," Agatha replies honestly and Rio chuckles.
"I promise I'll tell you in the car," Rio offers.
If she doesn't get out of bed now, she's going to lose the will to be productive and with Agatha in bed and her emotions a little strung out, all her alpha wants to do is sequester both of them in the hotel room to take turns at sleep and sex.
"Fine," Agatha huffs and rises from the bed, displacing the alpha enough that it's easier for her to rip herself away from the blankets to get dressed.
Agatha finds herself admiring the alpha with affection and thinks it odd still to have small moments of happiness within the disaster that is her life, wondering if she's been broken enough to desperately seek what she lacks or if it's normal to vacillate between grief and joy.
Opting for a blouse and a long skirt, Agatha packs up her bag and waits for Rio to get ready, making sure to grab the flip phone and placing it in her coat pocket.
Arms snake around her waist and Rio drops her forehead to Agatha's shoulder.
"Caffeine first," she grumbles, "Then car."
Agatha melts, unable to hold on to her annoyance.
"Fine," she grumbles affectionately.
"Caffeine first."