Hey everyone! This is my first attempt at something that's gonna be multi-chapter, and I'm going to try to get it updated weekly.
I got the idea reading Secret Takoyaki Boyfriend by Azkas19, where (SPOILERS) Theo mentions an alternate timeline where he could be a waiter at a café. The image of Theo serving coffee stuck to my mind, and here we are.
So, without further ado, I present to you Like Velvet, Or Coffee.
oxo
Prologue - Sea of Souls
oxo
It was no small volume, this Persona Compendium. Theodore lightly slid a gloved finger along a crisp page, listening to the brush of fabric on paper.
"The Persona Compendium has grown heavy, has it not?"
Theodore raised his head, meeting the knowing eyes of his elder sister for a moment. He lowered his gaze back down to the book in his hands and feebly shook his head.
"It has always been the same—"
"But it is you who has changed." Margaret regarded him with an even gaze. "It is now heavier in your hands even though the pages have been emptied."
He slowly turned, took two deliberate steps towards the nearby table, and set the book down. Unwilling to drop his perfect attendant façade even in front of his sister, he remained with his back turned to her as he spoke softly.
"Dare I say it? Dare I even think it?" His low voice shook and his broad shoulders trembled. "Sister, I...I miss her terribly."
"Hush, dear brother." Margaret took three steps to him and placed a warm hand on his shoulder.
"A heart's a heavy burden, is it not?"
Margaret's eyes were soft and knowing.
"Yes, yes it is," she breathed. "Theo, my dear brother, allow me to—"
She caught herself just in time, and closed her mouth. She had seen it, known it for a while, and she wondered if what she was about to do would ease her brother's suffering, or aggravate it. But she knew, she understood him perfectly, and it was what she would have wanted had she been in his position.
"Yes, sister?"
"Allow me to provide you with...some thing that may lighten your load." She smiled at how formal she sounded.
"What do you mean?" Theo finally turned to look at her, and it saddened her to see his eyes, dry but darkened by agony. She forced herself to meet his pained gaze without flinching.
"But remember, whatever you see, whatever you hear, whatever you choose, I am not to be held accountable."
"I..." There was a moment of bewilderment, and then Theo's eyes cleared and his back straightened as understanding dawned on him.
"I chooseth this fate of mine own free will."
Margaret nodded, lifted her gloved hand off his shoulder, and began to walk towards a covered door. Theodore followed.
oxo
It's short, but Chap 1 is done, just polishing needed, so it should be up next week. :3
Thanks in advance for your reviews!