Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

“Hey.”

Agatha turned toward the voice and found herself looking at a woman with shoulder-length black hair and a casual smile. They were in the middle of a welcoming event for WestCare, a nonprofit social organization they had just joined. Participation in the event was mandatory to officially be recognized as members.

“Oh, hi,” Agatha replied, curious but guarded.

“How’s it going?” the woman asked, her tone light.

“Not bad. My team’s trying, at least,” Agatha said with a hint of a smirk, glancing back at the chaos behind her.

“Lucky you. I wish I had someone from the design communication visual major on my team. They suck at this,” the woman replied with a dry chuckle.

“Same here,” Agatha agreed. “What’s your name?”

“Vidal. Rio Vidal. First year psychology student.”

“Miss Vidal,” Agatha quipped, her smirk growing mischievous.

Rio raised an eyebrow, amused. “Miss what-ever-your-name-is, you can call me Rio.”

“Agatha Harkness, I’m majoring in communication science” she introduced herself, extending a hand.

Before Rio could respond, a sharp whistle cut through the air.

“No chatting with the opposing team!” One of the committee members barked, arms crossed as they surveyed the participants.

Agatha rolled her eyes as she retracted her hand. “Fine. Back to war it is.”

Rio laughed, a warm, easy sound. “I’ll hold you to it.”

Their moment was cut short as one of the committee members shouted, “Next round, get ready!”

Both Agatha and Rio turned back to their respective teams.

The game’s premise was simple but chaotic: each team took turns sending someone to the front, where they faced away from the whiteboard. The team behind them had five seconds to add lines to a drawing that only they knew the answer to. The person in front would then turn around and guess what it was.

“Alright, it’s your turn!” Agatha’s team urged her forward.

She sighed, taking her position. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Rio stepping up for her team as well, the same easy grin still on her face.

“You’re up!” another committee called.

Agatha and Rio turned toward their respective whiteboards. Agatha caught Rio’s sidelong glance, her lips twitching as if holding back a comment.

“Ready?” the moderator called.

Agatha planted her hands on her hips, determination flashing in her eyes. “Always.”

Rio chuckled again, shaking her head. “Let’s see if you can guess what chaos your team comes up with.”

The game began, and Agatha quickly found herself scowling at the crude series of lines that were meant to represent… something. Behind her, her team burst into frustrated whispers as they tried to figure out how to guide her without giving anything away.

“Rabbit?” she guessed.

“Wrong!”

From the corner of her eye, she caught Rio's smirk at her as she faced her team’s masterpiece. She tilted her head, considering it for a moment before throwing out a guess. “A bird in a nest?”

“Correct!”

Agatha groaned.

Rio turned back toward her, her grin laced with playful arrogance. “Not bad, huh?”

She narrowed her eyes on her. “Beginner’s luck.”

“We’ll see,” Rio replied, her tone light but challenging.

After what felt like forever, the final whistle finally blew, the committee announcing Agatha's team as the winners.

“Team 4 wins, 3-2!”

Agatha turned, a victorious grin lighting up her face as her team celebrated. Her eyes instinctively found Rio, standing with her team, hands on her hips. Rio’s expression was a mix of mock annoyance and grudging admiration.

Agatha raised both hands in mock celebration, eyebrows arched as if to say, What can I say?

Rio caught Agatha’s look, rolled her eyes playfully, and mouthed, "Show-off". And just like that, the moment was over. The teams were shuffled, sent off to participate in other activities. The hours melted away in a flurry of challenges, awkward icebreakers, and spirited presentations.

By the end of the day, the committee gathered everyone in the main hall for the final event: team presentations. Each team had been assigned a project days before the event, and now it was time to present their work. When it was Agatha’s team’s turn, she took the lead, her confidence shining through. With the skill of someone far more experienced, she commanded the room, weaving her words effortlessly to make their project seem like a masterpiece.

By the time she was done, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that she was a natural. The applause was loud and approving, but Agatha took it in stride, her smile calm and composed as she stepped down.

The rest of the event passed in a blur. Agatha didn’t see Rio again, and she didn’t think much of it either.

University life swept Agatha back into its demanding current for months—lectures, group assignments, and late nights poring over readings. She hardly had time to think about much else, let alone fleeting encounters at a team event.

Rio never crossed her mind after that day.

Until…

“If you could choose your partner for this division, who would it be—Alice Wu-Gulliver or Rio Vidal?” the current Public Relations officer asked, leaning forward slightly on the Zoom call.

Agatha’s mind blanked for a moment.

Shit. Who’s Rio Vidal again? Think, Agatha, think. She quickly composed herself, reminding herself of the perks of an online interview. No one could see her mild panic as long as her expression remained calm. She racked her brain, but no image came to mind. The name felt vaguely familiar, but nothing concrete surfaced.. She straightened her posture and smiled faintly.

“I’d go with Alice,” she replied confidently, deciding to stick with the safer option.

“And why is that?”

“Well,” Agatha began, glancing at her notes for a second to gather her thoughts. “I’ve spoken with Alice before and I found her to be approachable and easy to talk to. I think we’d work well together because she’s collaborative and open to discussing ideas. We’ve also run into each other a few times on campus, so there’s already a sense of familiarity there. Can’t say the same for the other one”

She let her words hang for a moment before adding, “In a role that relies so heavily on teamwork, I think having that foundation of trust and communication is important.”

The interviewer nodded, scribbling notes on her pad. Agatha allowed herself a small, internal sigh of relief, confident that her response had landed well. Still, the name Rio Vidal lingered at the back of her mind, stubborn and elusive, like a forgotten dream. She couldn’t quite place it, but she pushed the thought aside—no time to dwell on it now.

What Agatha didn’t know was that the girl she’d forgotten entirely—Rio Vidal—was preparing for her own interview. And while Agatha had let that fleeting interaction slip from her memory, Rio would never forget her.

"Alright, you may leave the Zoom meeting, but stay online. We’ll contact you soon"

Agatha sat there for a moment, watching the Zoom meeting window shrink as she waited for the next prompt. Her fingers drummed anxiously on the desk. Then, the message appeared: time to join the meeting again. She clicked the link and entered.

When the screen loaded, Alice’s face appeared first. Agatha offered a smile, which Alice caught instantly and returned with one of her own.

She was confident that both of them would pass the line and secure the position. After all, she’d been eyeing the Public Relations division for a while now. As a Communication Science major with aspirations to become a PR professional, this was the perfect opportunity to gain real-world experience—not just the theory she was learning in class.

The moment of comfort, however, didn’t last long.

“Making sure one last time—who are you picking to be your partner if you manage to get this position?” The interviewer’s voice was steady.

“Agatha,” Alice replied confidently.

“Next, Agatha Harkness, what’s your answer?”

“Still the same, Alice.”

“Last, Rio Vidal. Who’s your pick?”

“Agatha Harkness. Because I know her.”

That caught Agatha off guard. She leaned forward slightly, her eyes scanning the screen as her mind scrambled to place the name. Then, it hit her.

Oh no... it’s HER.

The realization hit Agatha like a ton of bricks. The girl she couldn’t remember—was the one who had interacted with her months ago in the competition. She had completely forgotten about her. Agatha suddenly felt a wave of shame wash over her. The very thing she had said during her interview about not being familiar with Rio seemed to contradict the reality of the situation now. Did Rio pick me because we were familiar?

But more importantly—what did Rio say in her interview? Agatha’s stomach churned. What if Rio had told them that she picked Agatha because they were familiar with each other, because of that one conversation during the game? That would be the complete opposite of Agatha’s answer. She had told them she barely knew Rio, and now Rio was making it look like they had some kind of bond.

Her thoughts spiraled. What if they think I’m lying? She had been so careful with her words in the interview. She couldn’t afford to come off as disingenuous, not when this was the only division she cared about. She couldn’t risk being perceived as someone who wasn’t taking the opportunity seriously.

But Agatha forced herself to take a deep breath, focus, and stay composed. She couldn’t afford to let this little blip unravel everything she’d worked for. So, she did what she had to do—she concentrated on the rest of the questions, pushing Rio’s unexpected choice to the back of her mind for the moment.

When the meeting finally ended and the group left the Zoom call, Agatha closed her laptop with a soft snap, her heart still racing. Her mind, though, was far from calm. The thoughts kept circling back to Rio. What had Rio told them during her interview? What if they think I’m just making stuff up? Agatha wasn’t sure if she’d be able to shake off the uncertainty. And there was the lingering thought: Why had they interviewed me the longest? Over an hour—no wonder my lips felt so dry.

With everything swirling in her mind, one thing was clear: Rio Vidal was not someone Agatha would be forgetting anytime soon.