Chapter Text
When Rio's best friend Alice first proposed that they try rock climbing, Rio told her she was crazy.
When she found out that it would be at a queer event, Rio was still sceptical but more open to being persuaded.
When Alice said she'd pay the entrance fee, Rio was in.
The experience turned out to be much more fun than she’d expected. Alice had hyped it up for weeks prior: how great the vibe would be, how the climbing community was super chill, and that Rio would love the environment. She was pleased to discover that the hype was warranted. While it was indeed a queer event, most of the people there appeared to be regular climbers who just happened to be queer.
Aside from a couple of rainbow flag stickers being passed around and a DJ blasting Chappell Roan and Charli XCX, it seemed like business as usual at the gym.
Rio quickly realised that Alice had ulterior motives for attending the event when a tall, bald woman dressed in a pristine, pink Lululemon set approached them. “Alice! You came,” she shouted, enveloping the shorter woman in a tight hug.
Alice was a blubbering, heart-eyed mess straight away, and Rio knew – she was the third wheel. Quickly after being introduced to Jen, the couple became engrossed in each other with zero intention of actually climbing, and Rio was left to her own devices.
Though it hadn’t gone how she’d anticipated, one thing was clear that day: Rio really enjoyed rock climbing. After the event, she’d gone again with Alice a few more times, trying top rope as well. Eventually, Alice got busier as her relationship with Jen grew more serious, but Rio couldn’t drop the new hobby.
Initially, she’d been nervous to go alone, but soon, she found the sport naturally integrated into her routine. Over the last 2 months, she replaced her usual gym days with bouldering sessions.
Rio always loved working out, but climbing scratched that itch in an even better way. In the past, she'd enjoyed seeing the amount of weight she could lift slowly increase over time. However, there was something so satisfying about finally sending a problem she’d been working on for hours, sometimes days. She relished the pump in her forearms after an intense session. So much so that even when she didn’t top any problems, she still had fun.
The people were also an improvement from the typical gym bros she was used to tolerating. Everyone was kind and accepting, yelling words of encouragement when someone was struggling on a wall.
Even so, Rio kept to herself for the most part. Alice insisted she use the new hobby as a dating opportunity, but Rio was an introvert at heart. She went there to climb, not to socialise.
Whenever she got on a wall, her mind went wonderfully blank, solely focused on getting to the next hold.
Although she didn’t go out of her way to interact with anyone, she did like watching other climbers. It taught her a lot about technique and body position, especially when she watched people who were much better than her.
There was one patron in particular who always seemed to draw Rio’s attention. Not because she was stunningly beautiful (though she was, Rio had eyes — sue her), but because she was an incredible climber.
Rio could be fully zoned in on a problem, and then, in the corner of her eye, she’d catch a glimpse of wavy chestnut brown hair bouncing across the gym and all concentration was lost.
It wasn’t intentional, but Rio began to recognise the woman’s routine. She’d come in, greet the workers at the entrance like she owned the place, and head straight into her warm-up. Said warm-up consisted of some hangboarding; the length of time she could hold onto the thinnest edges was always impressive. It also entailed multiple stretches that Rio felt ashamed to watch, so she quickly averted her gaze (most of the time).
Then the stranger would move to the walls and start flashing V-6s and 7s like they were nothing before moving on to her real projects. Her coordination was incredible, and she made the tiniest holds seem massive with how easily she utilised them. She had practised grace, and her technique was flawless. That level of skill was something Rio could only aspire to. She never approached the woman, opting to admire the strength and beauty from afar.
Today, Rio was alone as usual. Music bumped in her headphones as she stared at the wall in front of her. She’d been struggling on a V-3 for the last half hour. It was a slab, not her style at all, and she felt the frustration of not making any progress start to sink in.
Just as she was about to give up and move on to another problem, she felt a tap on her shoulder. It startled her, and when she whipped her head around, her nostrils were flooded with the scent of lavender and something spicy as the stranger she’d watched countless times stood beside her.
In that moment, Rio realised the image she’d observed from a distance was only the tip of the iceberg. Devastatingly blue eyes stared at her curiously; she’d never been able to make out their colour before, and Rio didn’t know if she’d survive it now that she had.
A surprisingly raspy voice snapped her out of her trance. “Hey.” The word hit Rio like a bucket of ice water to the face. As if making Rio feel like a shivering puppy wasn’t enough, the woman cruelly had more to say. “I've seen you around. What's your name?”
When Rio didn’t answer, her limited social skills seemingly evicted from her cranium, the corner of the gorgeous stranger’s mouth ticked up. Of course, this only worsened Rio’s flustered state.
“R-Rio,” she eventually stuttered. She barely managed her own name but felt like she deserved a medal for it.
The brunette finally smiled fully, something amused crossing her face. “I'm Agatha.” The name burned itself into Rio’s memory, never to be forgotten. She considered whether she should shake her hand. Was that too formal? Not to mention that her own hands were covered in chalk…
As she spiralled, Agatha didn’t hesitate to slink into the seat beside her, still watching closely. “I've only seen you here alone. Your boyfriend doesn't like climbing?”
Reflexively, Rio’s face scrunched in disgust at the idea of dating a man.
It seemed to convey the message, making Agatha snicker. “Okay. So, your girlfriend then?” She asked, one eyebrow now raised.
Hearing Agatha’s laugh made Rio feel a bit more at ease, her motor functions deciding to cooperate enough to string a sentence together. “If I had one, she might. I, uh… actually, the idea was to try climbing to meet people. But that hasn't really worked out,” Rio rambled. Why was she telling her this?
Agatha bit her lip to suppress another laugh. Rio couldn't stop her eyes from locking onto the movement. Perhaps her motor functions weren’t totally back under control yet. They worked on instinct alone, and her instincts were apparently screaming to absorb every possible detail about the woman sitting beside her.
“It doesn't help that you're always wearing earphones,” Agatha suggested. “People probably think you don't want to be bothered.”
Rio rubbed her hands on her grey sweatpants, leftover chalk now mixing with the sweat that this conversation and Agatha’s proximity were generating. “Oh, yeah. I guess that makes sense…” She thought about it for a moment before realising a flaw in the logic. “But… then why did you talk to me?”
Agatha shrugged, “I was bored, and you looked like you were in a slump.”
She was very observant, it would seem, at least when it came to Rio. But before Rio could think more of it, Agatha elaborated.
“Plus, I do what I want,” she smirked.
Rio laughed, wholeheartedly believing her. The blue-eyed climber didn’t seem like the type to care if she was bothering anyone. Rio wished she’d be so lucky as to have Agatha try to annoy her. But she was getting ahead of herself.
“How about you? Boyfriend couldn’t join you today?” Rio failed to sound nonchalant when she asked, clearly invested in the answer. She had seen Agatha a few times with a curly-haired, lanky guy, but he looked barely legal and also seemed very gay. She couldn’t imagine him being her type, but wasn’t one to judge.
Agatha snorted. “Fuck no. I’m gold star, baby,” she said with a wink.
“Oh,” Rio squeaked out, coming to terms with the fact that Agatha had just confirmed she was a lesbian.
After a few seconds of Rio’s stupified blinking, Agatha leaned in. “And before you ask, no girlfriend either,” she purred.
A lesbian and single? Fuck.
Agatha looked to the walls after dropping that bomb of information, coolly scanning the problems before her. Rio felt a weight lift off her chest when those pale blue eyes finally moved away. But she missed them far too quickly.
“You should try that one,” Agatha pointed to a route with yellow holds. “I think it plays to your strengths.”
Rio followed Agatha’s perfectly clipped nail to where she was gesturing. They were painted a deep maroon. How was her nail polish not even chipped? Then Rio saw the grade. “That's a V-5, are you insane?”
This made the brunette roll her eyes. “Yeah, but it's all about power, and you've got plenty of that.”
“I'm alright…” Rio mumbled. Sure, she preferred powerful moves over precision or balance-oriented ones. However, this seemed totally out of her range.
“Don't be humble,” Agatha sneered, nudging Rio's shoulder with her own. “I've seen you campus like it's nothing. You hide under these baggy shirts, but you’ve got guns.” She emphasised her point by pinching the baggy sleeve of Rio’s dark green T-shirt, uncovering the defined deltoid underneath.
Rio was certain her face was beet red at this point. “Y-You've seen me climb?” She asked, completely missing the compliment she’d just been given as well as the shorter woman ogling her muscles.
Agatha disregarded her question; instead, she insisted. “Trust me. You can do it.”
Rio couldn’t find it in her to say no. She stood up on shaky legs and assessed the wall, cobbling together a semblance of a plan. It was difficult to think when she was so hyperaware of Agatha’s eyes on her. Nevertheless, she approached the problem and got into the starting position.
The first move was okay; the holds were good. Next was indeed a campus-y move that Rio found hard, but was able to stick quite steadily. However, when she reached the crux, she didn’t understand how to land it. The next hold was so far away. She planted her foot and took a deep breath, then threw herself toward it, barely grazing the hold with her fingertips before crashing onto the mat below.
The embarrassment of having eaten shit in front of Agatha quickly crept up. Rio usually wasn’t that affected by failing an attempt, but with the accumulation of not sending any of her projects this session and now falling in front of a pretty girl… She was upset.
A cloud of anger formed above her head, and she was about to call it quits when a soft voice broke through the haze.
“Can I give you a suggestion?” Agatha asked.
Rio was surprised by how considerate the question was. One of the reasons she started wearing headphones in the first place was that other climbers, most of whom were far worse than Agatha, would sometimes spray beta at her as soon as she fell from a wall. Although it was likely not done maliciously, it was very frustrating not to even get the chance to try and work out the moves herself. How was she expected to get better if she didn’t fail and try again?
Agatha asking if she actually wanted help was very refreshing since she could have easily told Rio what to do from the start. Instead, she was giving her a chance to figure it out on her own. However, at that point, Rio was completely lost and open to an outside perspective, so she nodded.
Agatha got up from the bench and stood next to her, one hand on her hip, the other pointing. “You’re putting your foot flat on that ledge and trying to jump for the next hold. It’s definitely possible, but it takes a lot more energy, and you won’t land the move as consistently. If you put your heel on it first and rock yourself up, I think you’ll be much closer.”
Rio looked at the wall, brows furrowed in concentration, making sure she understood. She was happy that with her limited experience and research, she had caught on to climbing terms pretty quickly. Knowing the names of the different kinds of holds and moves was finally coming in handy. Not that she’d ever really taken the time to talk about climbing in that much detail with anyone, and she found she was enjoying it.
She tried to imagine getting into the position Agatha had suggested. “Huh, okay. So I only press on my toe after rocking up? But won’t my knee be in the way?”
Agatha’s eyes lit up at the question. “Not if you keep your hip open. Your knee should be facing outward like this,” she demonstrated by getting into a semi-side lunge and turning her knee out. She leaned onto her toe so the heel of her socked foot was pointing toward the ceiling.
“Wow, umm. I don’t think I’m that uh… flexible,” Rio muttered, taking a sip of water as her mouth felt suddenly dry. Agatha stood back up, basically doing a pistol squat with no sign of strain.
“You don’t have to go that deep,” Agatha smirked, pulling the waist of her navy blue cargo pants back up over her hips. Rio had to stop herself from whining as the Calvin Klein laced waistband of her underwear was hidden from view.
However, Rio was likely not very subtle in her disappointment with how smug Agatha looked. “If you just open up, you’ll be right there. Try it,” Agatha whispered.
Rio could have sworn there was something suggestive in her tone, but chose to ignore it for fear of her limbs turning to mush. Instead, she nodded and focused back on the V-5 problem rather than the 5’5” problem standing in front of her.
She repeated the first moves with relative ease, quickly arriving back at the crux. Knowing what she had to do, executing was always easier said than done. Rio positioned her heel on the ledge she’d used before.
Now, it was just about rocking up. Her other foot pushed off the wall, and she pulled up onto the hold, locking her arms before switching her foot position onto her toe. It was an intense move, but the hold that previously seemed miles away was suddenly within reach. She went for it, and to her relief, it was excellent.
Rio was so focused, her teeth clenched with the strain. She had one move left, but it was a dyno requiring a small leap up to the last hold. There were a few voices of encouragement, but Rio only heard one.
“Come on! It’s a jug, go for it!” Agatha yelled.
With her energy suddenly renewed, Rio took a deep breath and launched herself toward the final hold, managing to get a single hand on it. Her legs swung out against the wall before she matched her other hand over the first, officially topping the boulder.
For a moment, she didn't register what she’d just done, holding on as her body hung loose beneath her. Then she heard some clapping from below.
She dropped to the mat and looked down at her calloused hands, skin rough and chalky. When she turned around, Agatha was beaming at her.
Rio walked back over, feeling her cheeks start to hurt from how hard she was smiling. She was about to admit that Agatha had been right, but before she could, strong arms wrapped around her shoulders.
“I told you you could do it!” Agatha exclaimed as she pulled away. Rio immediately mourned the warmth of the embrace. “Y–yeah. Um, you were right. I still can't believe it. You’re a great coach.”
“Please,” Agatha scoffed, “That was all you. Congrats, you're a V-5 climber, baby!”
That term of endearment again. It sent Rio's already racing heart into overdrive. She could get used to hearing it coming from Agatha.
“Sure, I’ll take it,” Rio shrugged, trying to maintain some semblance of composure. She’d never been one to be comfortable in the spotlight, especially when the spotlight came in the form of perfect alabaster skin and sharp cheekbones.
Half her hair had escaped her low ponytail. When she lifted her arms to re-tie it, exposing her arms slightly as her sleeve fell away, blue eyes watched intently. Were they… darker than before?
“Alright Agatha, your turn.” Rio deflected, pulling her sleeves back down. The name tasted good on her tongue. “Got any projects you’re working on?”
Agatha's gaze finally tore away from Rio's biceps. The brunette huffed but nodded, leading Rio to the other end of the gym. This section of wall was at a steep overhang, and there were no routes below a V-5, which was why Rio rarely hung around there.
Agatha stopped in front of one of the routes, arms crossed, basically jeering at it. She pointed accusatorily to the green holds. “This bitch has been the bane of my existence.”
It was a V9, and Rio stared at it, knowing it was completely out of her depth. She wouldn’t even know how to start it. “Damn, it looks hard as hell.”
“It’s not that bad for the grade, but I fucking hate big pinches. They’re my kryptonite,” the brunette hissed.
Although she couldn’t even begin to approach this particular climb, Rio had done some lower-grade ones that used the same holds. “Really? I don't mind them. Obviously not at this level but…”
“I mean, yeah. Have you seen your hands?!” Agatha blurted out, grabbing Rio by the wrists so that her palms were facing up. “They're massive!”
“Um, thanks?” Rio chuckled.
“No, no, it's a good thing. I just meant, like, you have more surface area to…” Agatha looked up, thought trailing off as she came face-to-face with doe-like hazel eyes. Rio was utterly stunned. Agatha had leaned in closer than she’d realised, so when she raised her head, their faces were only a couple of inches apart. Furthermore, her thumbs had started unconsciously tracing circles in Rio's palms.
Agatha quickly dropped her hold, running her hands through her own unruly locks instead. “Never mind. Forget I said anything,” she mumbled, turning back toward the wall to try and hide the blush that was travelling up her chest.
Once the contact was broken and Rio could form thoughts again, she registered Agatha’s uncharacteristic shyness. Rio felt herself become more comfortable sharing space with her climbing crush, and so she decided to tease the vixen a little. “No, go on. Please continue to describe the surface area of my giant hands. It's a real turn on.”
“Freak,” Agatha bit back without missing a beat. There was no cruelty in it, and she flashed a mischievous grin as she tied her hair up into a messy bun. It was like she was daring Rio not to look. Rio stood no chance, drinking in Agatha's toned muscles, her soft hair, and her elegant neck.
It should be noted that Rio did not look at Agatha's ass when she walked towards the wall. That was honestly a more difficult feat than the V-5 she'd done earlier.
After a few attempts on her project, Agatha reached the second-to-last move before she fell again. “God damn it! I’ll get you motherfucker!” She growled up at the inanimate object. Rio tried not to laugh too hard at the adorable display of rage.
Agatha flopped down on the bench next to her with the same level of dramatics as her outburst. She placed her palms on the bench behind her, leaning on her arms. When she reached back, her pinky grazed the side of Rio’s thigh ever so slightly, but the taller woman almost jolted out of her seat from it.
Agatha smirked at the reaction, taking advantage of her position to rake her eyes up and down Rio’s body. “So, do you ever do top rope?” She asked innocently.
Rio swallowed the massive lump in her throat for the umpteenth time that evening. “Uh, no.” Agatha moved to fix the strap of her white sports bra that had fallen when she climbed. As Rio’s eyes tracked her fingers, it took a conscious effort for her not to lose her train of thought.
“Uh, I– I don’t really have any climbing friends, so no one to belay me. I do have my certification, though.”
“Okay. Give me your phone,” Agatha demanded, holding out her hand.
Rio’s eyebrows shot up to her hairline. “Why?”
Agatha just kept her hand out and made an impatient grabby motion. Rio finally relented, unlocking her phone and handing it over.
“There.” Agatha passed it back, open to a new contact: Agatha (Hot Climber 😈)
“We can organise a day to go together. My old partner had the audacity to get a girlfriend and never has time anymore.”
Rio tried to hide how absolutely elated she was to have the chance to climb with Agatha again. “Oh, yeah. That would be awesome.” Luckily, she managed not to sound too pathetic.
“Great, then it’s a date,” Agatha said far too nonchalantly, untying her hair and letting the messy waves cascade down her back.
Rio’s mouth was agape at the simple idea of a date with this goddess, even if the brunette likely didn’t mean it in that way. So much for not seeming pathetic.
Rio instinctively looked back at her phone to have something to do besides gawk when she noticed the time.
“Holy shit!” Rio gasped. “I didn’t realise it was so late.”
Agatha leaned in closer than necessary to look at the phone screen, her hair tickling Rio’s arm as she did. “Oh, yeah, I usually stay here until close.”
“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” Rio chuckled. “I should head out, though.” She cursed her past self for taking the early morning Organic Chem class. Rio would have loved to stay there all night and pick Agatha’s brain about climbing and maybe other things, but she knew she’d regret it the next morning.
She gathered her water bottle, chalk bag and shoes and then looked back to the brunette, mouth feeling suddenly dry. “So um… I’ll text you about top rope? I’m pretty free next week.”
“Same,” Agatha smiled.
“Alright, well, see you next week then,” Rio said, trying again to contain how excited she was to hang out with her.
Apparently, she wasn’t as good at hiding it as she thought when she heard Agatha call out behind. “Don’t get too excited by the thought of having me tied up.”
Well fuck. If she wasn’t before, she definitely was picturing it now… The grin Agatha was sporting was anything but innocent. Even someone as socially inept as Rio couldn’t ignore the implication of the innuendo.
“I’ll try not to,” she said with an attempt at a laugh, picking up her stock and heading toward the exit. However, a few steps in, a hint of courage sparked in Rio’s chest. Perhaps it was Agatha’s instigation finally getting to her, or maybe it was her own need to try and leave a lasting impression. Whatever it was, she said exactly what was on her mind for once.
“I’m sure you look good in a harness, though,” Rio shot back over her shoulder.
An uninhibited cackle rang through the gym, and all eyes fell to Agatha, who didn’t look the least bit shaken by the attention. “Oh, honey, I look good in everything.”
Rio couldn’t argue with the truth of that statement, having yet to see Agatha look anything less than stunning. When Rio went home that night, though her muscles were sore, the ache paled in comparison to the nervous excitement she felt for her upcoming ‘date.’
