Olivia had to admit, working at a coffee shop was interesting, mostly because of the strange people that came in. There was Virion, who flirted with most of the people who worked there, only for Cherche to come in and apologize for his actions, Chrom and his sister Lissa, who always came in with Frederick, who demanded to test for poison only to be met with rolling eyes, Gaius, who could swipe his drink before it hit the counter, Maribelle, who's parasol met many an unfortunate man bold enough to hit on her, Robin, who always came around five, and, Olivia's favorite, Tharja, who came quickly on Robin's heels if she hadn't arrived before him. Olivia had admired the girl for a long time, she openly admitted her love for Robin, determined to get their attention. Olivia wished she could be that brave.
Today, however, Tharja seemed different. Instead of her usual baggy sweatshirt and black leggings, she had on an outfit that left nothing to the imagination. She was also smiling. Not that slightly creepy smile that freaked Olivia out, but a genuine smile that looked almost blissful. Olivia found herself smiling in return, although the shy barista wasn't sure why. Tharja quickly ordered for herself and Robin, muttering about a hex. At this point, Olivia didn't seem to care. The other girl seemed so happy and Olivia found herself being pretty happy, too. They said emotions were contagious, but she didn't think it was like this. She saw Robin enter, and Tharja quickly bringing their drinks, sitting beside Robin on the couch that inhabited the corner of the shop. Robin looked uncomfortable, and Olivia frowned, didn't they realize how much it meant to Tharja? She saw Robin say something, and although she wasn't sure what, Tharja's expression gave it away. She looked crushed, and Olivia thought it was safe to assume she was dumped. Or rejected, Olivia wasn't sure about the status of their relationship. Robin got up awkwardly and left, leaving Tharja, who at this point had tears in her eyes.
Olivia knew she had to do something, the girl she had admired for a long time was broken-hearted. Olivia hesitated, there was so much that could go wrong. She wasn't good at talking and she had never gone through the situation herself. But she couldn't just leave Tharja there. That was when she thought of it. She could do the one thing she was good at.
She could dance.
"I-I'm taking my break, now," Olivia quickly told the manager. But could she really do this? The doubts muddled her mind and she didn't know if she actually /could/ do it. She saw Tharja sitting, tears dripping down her face. In a fit of bravery, Olivia tapped her shoulder, and before saying anything she began to dance. Her lithe form twirled gracefully, easily moving around the space without bumping into anything. The moves flowed together naturally and before she knew it, the dance was over. Olivia held her final position as people applauded, panting all the while. She gave a quick bow after the applause, scurrying to the shadows waiting for the crowd to disperse. After that, she went over to Tharja, whose eyes had not left her the whole time.
Olivia awkwardly sat beside her, waiting to see if the other would speak first. When it became apparent that she wouldn't Olivia muttered, "Are you feeling better?" Before silently chastising herself for not being able to say it louder.
Tharja chuckled, "You don't know who I am, do you?"
Olivia frowned, her already red cheeks darkening, "N-no."
Tharja smiled her creepy smile, "I'm a dark mage, I put a little hex on Robin to tell the truth, and they like you." Olivia was beet red at this point, before Tharja continued, "Now, I know you won't be any trouble," Tharja chuckled, getting up and sauntering out of the coffee shop.
That wasn't the last time Olivia saw Tharja. Tharja came to the shop almost daily, earlier than Robin ever came, and right before Olivia's lunch break. The first few times, Olivia though it was a coincidence, but she figured out Tharja had intentionally done that. Olivia blushed whenever she saw the pretty girl, not used to the attention. A few weeks after this pattern started, Tharja grabbed Olivia as she was leaving, still sipping the iced coffee she ordered, "Let me join you."
"W-what?" Olivia stuttered. Seeing how serious Tharja was, she quickly agreed, "uh, sure. But, um, why?"
Tharja smiled, "I need to find out why Robin likes you."
The pair walked to a nearby café, Olivia ordering her usual lunch and treating Tharja to what she wanted, much to her annoyance. They sat with their food, sitting in silence, Olivia squirming in her seat. Finally, Tharja broke the silence, "What do you like to do?"
Olivia blinked, "Um, I like to dance and I like storytelling."
Tharja raised an eyebrow, "Storytelling… isn't that childish?"
Olivia blushed, "I like telling stories, horror stories are especially fun." She smiled, recalling some of the stories Basilio would tell her.
Tharja chuckled, "Maybe you'll tell me one sometime."
"I have to go, my break is over," Olivia abruptly said, trying to hide her excitement at the thought of spending time with the other woman.
Tharja smiled as the other girl left, "Oh, Robin, I see why you like her so much. Don't worry, I'll make sure she gets what she deserves."
For the next few days, Olivia was really happy. She and Tharja went out to lunch almost daily, making small talk, but one day Olivia made the mistake of bringing up Robin.
Tharja sighed, dreamily, "Robin, I wish they would understand how much I love them. Their beautiful face and handsome features just make me want them more. They're so intelligent, and so kind…"
Olivia frowned, she didn't like how Tharja went on about Robin. It's not like they deserved it, making Tharja cry the way they did. Honestly, Olivia thought - no, she knew - that Tharja deserved better than Robin. And, for the first time, she wished she could be that. Olivia paled, she wanted Tharja. She wanted what the woman could give her, the praise she got for her dancing, the wonderful stories the other told. That… That was impossible. Tharja loved Robin, and there was no way Olivia could compete with her devotion for them. She got up slamming her hands on the table, leaving while trying not to cry.
Tharja watched Olivia leave, frowning. What had she done? She did nothing wrong… did she? Something was wrong and she didn't want Olivia to hate her. The very thought made want to cry. Wait, that wasn't right. Tharja loved Robin. Didn't she? Well, she had been spending a lot of time with Olivia and she loved spending time with her. It was some the best time she had had in a long time. Maybe… Maybe she really did like Olivia. Maybe she wanted to kiss her. Now that Tharja thought about it, she really wanted to. Tharja bet Olivia's lips were as soft as they seemed and maybe the rest of her was soft, too… She shook the thought out of her head, there would be time for that later, first she had to find Olivia.
It wasn't very hard, Olivia had simply gone home to her small apartment, which wasn't far from where she worked. Tharja had seen the dancer go home before, and although she didn't know the room where Olivia stayed, she could easily find out. A simple hex would work wonders, and she found Olivia's room, which was unlocked. Tharja frowned, she would need to fix that. "Olivia?" She beckoned, sitting near her on the bed.
"Go away," Olivia said, her voice muffled by the pillow she was crying into.
Tharja sighed, "What did I do?"
Olivia's eyes peeled from above the pillow, "You - it's not your fault."
"Isn't it?" Tharja said, bluntly, "I was the one who didn't take your feelings into consideration when talking about Robin."
Olivia sat silently for a moment, "You don't choose who you fall in love with," she said, although the pillow muffled it so much Tharja couldn't understand what she said./p
Tharja raised an eyebrow, "I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault."
"But it is."
"It's not. It's not like you know how I feel," Olivia snapped, before blushing and refusing to look at Tharja, "sorry."
Tharja slid towards her, "How do you feel?"
"I-I," Olivia stammered, no, she wouldn't back down now, "I love you," she blurted, her face quickly turning red.
Tharja kissed her, much to Olivia's surprise, "I love you, too."
Q: well, here you go. My first time writing Olivia and Tharja. First time writing this pairing, too, hope I did it justice. Also, this is kind of a precursor to the new chapter of my FE:A fic that don't want to write the full name of. Enjoy!