“Ah, you’re still open!” You hear a voice from the doorway just as you go to lock the cash register, and then Vesper Noir enters your vision.

It has been three years since you opened your little tea shop in Elysium, and it’s been three years since the scholar of the Tempus guild has become your patron. He was the first, actually. You had spent a day without any clientele, and just as the throes of despair were beginning to seep into the edges of your mind, he came through the door with a look of wonder on his face.

When you think about it, it could have been love at first sight, even if you’d never tell him that.

You give the man a smile as he strides across the room, coming to a stop at the counter with a friendly glint in his eye. Whenever you’ve seen him in public, there’s a stoic look on his face that seems to never leave – here, in this world shared by only the two of you, his grin is wide as he animatedly asks you about how you’ve been doing. He’s always interested in what new teas you’ve ordered, or how business is going, or even about the books you’ve read. Halfway through, he points at a strong tea that you ordered from Xenokuni just three days ago, and you disappear into the back room.

Usually, you just sell the loose-leaf tea to your customers. Vesper is the only one who you’ll make a pot right there and then for.

It’s already been poured into a cup by the time he follows you into the small kitchenette, and you turn and press it into his hands with a sly grin. He takes a sip, and you can see the delight in his eyes before they close, his face relaxing as soon as he swallows.

“I swear, you’re the only one in Elysium with taste. Also, the only one with a decent selection…”

It’s damn true, and you take pride in that. The two of you continue to talk out of view of the rest of the store, leaning against the counter and gesturing animatedly as you begin to swap tales of the last two weeks. He tells you about how he and the guild leader went to a crypt that had been reduced to a crater, and you tell him about how you almost died fetching a shipment of tea that had been stolen.

He chides you for that, and you fight the flush that comes to your face as he brushes his fingers against the back of your hand.

“The next time that happens, I want you to submit a request to the guild. I’ll handle it personally, Anon.”

Your heart sings at that, and he smiles at you like he knows what effect he just had on you. You remove your hand from the counter and place it over his, joking that he’d only do that so he’s not missing out on good tea.

The man’s pale face turns beet red, and you feel satisfaction with just how quickly you made his cool façade crumble. He coughs into his free hand.

“That’s not entirely true…I’d miss your company, too.”

Fuck. You really do love him.