in my steb era

Never eat a furry beet and other valuable life lessons

Chapter 4 of Le Coeur

Series Masterlist | Read on AO3 | Next chapter (coming soon!) | Previous chapter

Chapter summary: When Nea invites Steb over to her apartment for the first time, a quiet movie night results in both Nea and Blu getting tipsy.

Tags/warnings: Steb x Original Female Character, other OCs are in the fic as well. Canon divergence, flirting, pining, crushes, teasing, fluff, alcohol consumption and mild drunkenness.

Word count: 7.2k

Music: how many times, le coeur

A/N: Happy new year 2025, everyone! Sorry for taking longer with this chapter. I would have written this quicker, but I got a gigantic cold and only had so much brain space. Anyways, thank you to everyone who reads this and to the lovely people who comment. You all give me so much life 💖

To be the pastry chef of the Coffeewick meant being up considerably earlier than most of the people in Piltover. Blu was so used to it that she would often be awake that early even if it was a day off, and while most would whine about an early schedule, Blu cherished the opportunity to see the sky getting brighter with the sunrise. Her fuzzy, mouse-like ears would twitch in the direction of bird song, and her feet would carry her around in little dances in front of the oven while the pastries baked, oftentimes without her even realizing her acts. She could tell what time it was by the amount of people walking outside the coffee shop and the sounds that came from the street as well as from the Coffeewick's second story; Blu was all too familiar with the sound of water running through the pipes within the walls letting her know that Nea was already awake.

Party like a Yordle's hosting The Party

Chapter 3 of Le Coeur

Series Masterlist | Read on AO3 | Next chapter | Previous chapter

Chapter summary: Blu helps throw an impromptu party to make an excuse for Nea to spend time with Steb. What could possibly go wrong?

Tags/warnings: Steb x Original Female Character, other OCs are in the fic as well. Canon divergence, flirting, pining, crushes, teasing, fluff, brief alcohol mentions, light angst.

Word count: 7.5k

Music: remembered by the dawn, le coeur

The days since Steb had gone into the Coffeewick went by in one large blur for Nea. Between her duties and regular chores at the coffee shop, there were flashes of him brightening her moments, not unlike moonglade on a clear night over the river Pilt. In the span of about a week, Steb had been on duty near the Coffeewick twice, and each time, his vigilance stoic as he focused entirely on his assignment to watch over the surroundings. Nea would have loved to have more interaction with him, but she followed his example and immersed herself in her job too, fulfilling every one of her customers' orders and keeping the Coffeewick name as high as it ever was.

Isn't it just so pretty to think...?

Chapter 2 of Le Coeur

Series Masterlist | Read on AO3 | Next chapter (coming soon!) | Previous chapter

Chapter summary: Thoughts of the striking Vastayan enforcer keep Nea distracted during another day of work.

Tags/warnings: Steb x Original Female Character, other OCs are in the fic as well. Canon divergence, flirting, pining, crushes, teasing, fluff.

Word count: 4.9k

Music: dorothea, invisible string, since you came around

Of all the coffee brewing techniques known to her—and that was, by definition, all of them—the one known as Moka Pot brewing was the most challenging to Nea. It had taken her over a year to brew a single pot where the ground coffee hadn't been burned or the liquid coffee hadn't sputtered or splashed, or even a pot that had yielded the full portion of water she used. But after a lot of practice, Nea had reached a point where nearly all her Moka brews were of the highest quality and the flavor was smoothly robust, and she had come to realize that the key to a Moka coffee of this profile was simply patience. Yet another metaphor coffee brought to her life was the value of taking things slow, enjoying the process of brewing the cup as much as the cup itself; it was not about the caffeine or the rush, but the opportunity to take a step away from the rush to enjoy the little things that often mattered more.

All good things start with coffee

Chapter 1 of Le Coeur

Series Masterlist | Read on AO3 | Next chapter

Chapter summary: On an otherwise typical day, the owners of the Coffeewick can't help but notice an enforcer standing guard outside their coffee shop.

Tags/warnings: Steb x Original Female Character, other OCs are in the fic as well. Canon divergence, flirting, pining, crushes, teasing. Just a cute intro chapter.

Word count: 4.4k

On the corner of Alpine Road and Reverie Lane, on the northwestern quadrant of the intersection, there was a lovely building called The Coffeewick. It had been named by its owner long before she had even laid eyes on it, long before she—and her trusted business partner—turned it into the staple it became. Before them, the building that would go on to become the Coffeewick was already a catch. With its front facing south, it overlooked Bonan Plaza, one of Piltover city’s most renowned parks filled with trees bursting with life, benches to sit and enjoy life, fountains, even monuments to some of the City of Progress’ brightest minds. Shops, boutiques, even some apartment complexes were in the area, and before it became filled with life, the Coffeewick didn’t really fit into any of these categories. It was a little building that stood there, right on the corner, that could amount to anything.

Le Coeur - Steb x Female OC Series Masterlist

Series summary: The owner of a lovely and coveted coffee shop in Piltover falls in love with the Vastayan enforcer who keeps watch in her shop's surroundings.

Series tags: Mature and possibly Explicit for smut and suggestiveness. AU where the events of Arcane don't happen and people are happy. Eventual conflict, eventual smut, romance, fluff, pining, flirting, meet cute, suggestiveness. Please read each of the chapters' tags too.

Chapter list

Cross-posted to AO3 | My Masterlist