Disclaimer: I don't own Little Witch Academia or any of its characters. They belong to Trigger.
A/N: Hello my lovelies! It's been a while, hasn't it? 2020 has been CRA-ZY! With everything going on in the world while trying to stay healthy at home is just hectic, but what can you do?
Anyways~, I finally managed to write something for the coffee shop au prompt I've written for Dianakko week last year! Out of my seven days, day three was the most popular one of them all, and so I can finally deliver something good for the LWA fandom since it's been a while since I've uploaded anything -Of Trials and Magic included- (still a work-in-progress, ugh!)
ONE MORE THING: The prologue is mostly a re-cap of day three, mostly for those who have yet to read it, but if you have, then you can skip to my author's note at the end and/or re-read the prologue to re-familiarize yourself with what I wrote for it! Otherwise, please enjoy and I'll explain everything at the end! :D
Prologue: When They Fell In Love
It was an ordinary day like any other in the rural suburban town of Wedinburgh. In this modest city everybody knew each other friends, neighbors, co-workers, and of course people knew about the Cavendish family. How could they not?
The Cavendishes are a very well-known family of doctors that own a small, but reputable polyclinic that's practically open on all hours of the day. The place itself operated seven times a week, not counting on holidays, to dedicate themselves to the well-being of the people. The establishment might have been tiny in size when the family first opened up for business a long time ago, but thanks to the many years of hard work, the clinic grew in not only in proportion but also in profession.
The most notable members of the Cavendish family that Wedinburgh residents would often talk about were: Beatrix Cavendish, who not only was the founder of the Cavendish family but also the founder and first owner of the polyclinic many years ago. Her accomplishments and dedication in this line of work helped a lot of people recover from many kinds of injuries as well as illnesses throughout the years.
Many generations later, the other noticeable member of the family was Bernadette Cavendish, who not only inherited the family business but also seemed to have gained her ancestors' passion for the medical field and showered people with a kind smile as she helped her patients during their time of need. However, Bernadette's time was cut short because she had a heart defect. Despite her condition, Bernadette was still determined to continue working and taking care of others until eventually... she passed away.
Being the next successor for the family business, Diana Cavendish stepped up to take the reigns. Though this step in particular was delayed for a few years since she was about ten years old when her mother passed away. Because of this, her aunt, Daryl Cavendish, had to act as the main proprietor for the clinic until Diana was officially an adult. However, regardless of this setback, Diana worked hard to meet everyone's expectations. From her education, to getting hands-on training by helping out at the clinic whenever her aunt and cousins needed assistance, and more, she continued doing her best for the following years.
Most people would often complain about having their life be planned out by their family they were involved in some kind of trade. Whether it was a shop, a restaurant, a corporate business, etc. They would think that their life was decided from start to finish, and even if they did have some freedom, most of the time it would be restricted. Diana would disagree, for she felt that she wasn't restrained at all, though it wouldn't surprise her in the slightest if people were to think otherwise.
The young Cavendish felt nothing but pride, satisfaction, and determination to inherit the clinic someday and continue where her beloved mother left off in order to make the clinic more successful. Pursuing the medical field and becoming a doctor was more than just a profession for Diana, in some ways she felt close to her mother. Her mother was her role model, and Diana felt like she would honor her mother's memory by continuing to help others in any way she could. Diana would even go as far to say that her mother's dream was her dream, or so she thought at first...
Throughout her teenage years, Diana never felt the need to experience romance. She just wasn't interested, and even if she was, Diana would be extremely busy keeping up with her studies and helping out at the clinic. She honestly didn't have time, even more so when she started going to college and med school later on down the line. It just didn't feel right to date someone and not have time for them, it just wouldn't be fair for the other person and Diana didn't want anybody to feel neglected.
Now that she has finished with her education and started working the clinic full-time, Diana just felt a bit lost on what to do next. She'd accomplished everything she set out to do to get where she is today, and yet she felt like she was missing something, or perhaps someone in her life.
The blonde would be lying if she said that she didn't feel lonely every now and then. Even living in her own flat felt small and empty, despite the fact that the place itself was moderate in size and was very well furnished. She could put herself out there and try to meet someone she could share the rest of her life with, but Diana didn't feel confident nor comfortable enough to go through with it.
After all, who would want to date a thirty year old woman?
Who would want to commit themselves to spend time with someone who will be busy most of the time?
Would someone be willing, be genuine enough to go through with that commitment?
Diana knew that relationships in general took a lot of time and effort. She knew that there could be lots of ups and downs, and she was willing to try but admittedly... she was scared. She was afraid that she wouldn't be good enough to be a suitable partner, she was fearful at the fact that the other person would immediately lose interest in her for not being able to spend time with them. Of not being wanted, of not being loved, but most of all she was absolutely frightened about being used for personal gain...
That terrifying thought had crossed her mind on more than one occasion when she thought about romance in general. This scenario wouldn't be too surprising. Diana was a beautiful woman, who was showered with both admiration and infatuation while growing up. People would constantly flock to her just because she's a Cavendish and for her financial standing as a successful doctor. I mean, who wouldn't want to try to get close to her because of that? Humans were very capable of being cruel and greedy in order to achieve the things that they wanted.
Diana didn't want that. At all. She just wanted someone to love her, for her, and not for her last name nor for her occupation.
Alas, in the end, the young Cavendish ultimately decided to put those thoughts aside and went about her day with her usual routine. It wasn't all that much. She would mostly work at the clinic for eight hours, sometimes more depending on the flow of patients. But whenever she truly did have spare time, Diana would just go for a stroll and stop by her favorite coffee shop sometime during the day before, eventually, walking back to the clinic, working about three more hours before closing the establishment for the night. She would go to her flat and just collapse on her bed, and the same cycle would just repeat again.
Until one day that dull, day-to-day basis was broken by something remarkable that had happened to Diana.
She could remember it like it was just yesterday. (Because it probably was.)
It was a surprisingly warm, sunny winter day. Around noon, Diana was on her way towards her favorite coffee shop. Despite being small, the café was rather popular among the Wedinburgh residents. The shop had a soothing and inviting atmosphere, and the place would sometimes be full to the brim with families, couples, and teenagers. Everyone just felt welcomed there.
The young Cavendish always liked to open the door to the café. Every time she did it her nose would be invaded with the rich, strong smell of warm coffee, and it wouldn't be long for the scent to be toned down as her nose also picked up the smell of pastries and other delicacies the place had to offer. She would usually wait in line, and once it was finally her turn to place an order at the register Diana would usually be tended by a short-haired blond with glasses, but today she was tended by someone else.
At the time, Diana honestly hadn't payed attention to the clerk. Her body just moved on auto-pilot and ordered her usual latte from the menu, but she did remember three key factors on that day...
Long, brown hair.
Deep, red eyes.
And finally, as she walked towards the exit of her favorite coffee shop, she glanced down at her cup.
"You're beautiful" was written in place of her name. She glanced back and their eyes met.
A/N2: Obviously, that is it for the prologue! Again, for those of you that already read it before... I apologize for getting your hopes up, but it felt appropriate for me to re-upload my day three as a proper prologue for this story. It felt weird for me not to do so. And as for the newcomers, welcome aboard! I'm glad to have all of you on this little journey with me! XD
Kind Reminder: The last two sentences for this chapter were from a romance writing prompt I stumbled upon for inspiration last year for when I wrote day three. Surprising, I know, but those two sentences were enough for me to come up with an entire character background for Diana.
And, I can happily say that Love at First Brew is FINALLY in motion! Not by much, mind you, considering I more or less started writing for it recently, but don't fret! Chapter 1 is officially finished and you guys can expect an update within the week, mostly to make sure that it's properly edited and whatnot. Otherwise, I'll probably start the process of typing chapter 2 pretty soon, if my muse cooperates with me anyway...
Please, please, please let me know what you guys think on your reviews! I would love to know what you guys think! Faves and follows are awesome too, and please spread the word to any of your friends that like the Dianakko pairing if they don't have anything else to read to pass the time!
This will honestly be my own take on the Dianakko pairing in slice of life/romance in a modern/coffee shop verse and I would appreciate any kind of support and constructive criticism for this project to be the best it can be! That's all I wanted to say, and I hope that most of you will stay tuned for chapter 1 for when I update. Stay safe and healthy at home folks, I'll see ya later! X3
