dandelions || Levi x Reader

4. life's four terrors: mosquitoes, poverty, terrorism, and flowers

Alternatively: daisies

.

Levi can't get you out of his head, which is why he's convinced he's hallucinating you in the grocery store.

Because he already sees you everywhere. He walked past a woman in a floral dress on his way home from the gym yesterday and he thought of you. He made himself tea, and all he could think about was the damn flower you gave him that you said could be made into tea. He saw a bunch of damn dandelions in the grass on his way here and he thought of you.

So, yeah, it's weird. Unhealthy. Levi's seriously considering this astrology bullshit. 

But now, he's in the grocery store at 7:11am, ready to get his chore list over with so that he can go visit his mother, and here you are. 

Or maybe it's not you. You're not in a dress, for once; you're wearing black slacks, black boots, and a light blue blouse. Again, you've got a bow in your hair that matches your shirt. If it's even you. Is it you? No, maybe he's just hallucinating again...

But then you turn slightly as you're reading a label so that you're facing him and Levi realizes he's not hallucinating. He just has the worst (best?) luck in the world.

Shit. "Flowers," Levi says out loud.

You look up, and fuck, the way your eyes light up as you smile at him does something weird to his stomach. "Hi," you say, straightening up. "Fancy seeing you here."

"Yeah. Didn't realize anyone else actually shopped at this hour."

"Me neither. Early start?"

Something like that. "You?" Levi asks.

You shrug. "I open at eight. Had to run some errands, and this is the only time I had. You usually an early bird?"

Yes. "You think I am?"

"You seem like the type."

The way you talk to him, like you've known him for years rather than a few conversations over the course of a few weeks- Levi can't decide if he likes it or hates it. "Busy day?"

"Going to be, yes," you agree. You start walking down the aisle and Levi falls into step with you. "I close early on Sundays, but I've got plenty to do. Some maintenance, some orders."

"How early is early?" Levi asks, eyes skimming the shelves as he looks for the tea he likes.

"At one. I'll likely be there until late, though. Hence..." you show off the microwave dinner tucked into your basket. "Ta da."

He frowns at your meal, then grabs a box of black tea from the shelf. "Have you never heard of ordering food? It's crap, but it's useful."

You smile. "You're not wrong."

That's not an answer. Levi watches as you take a cannister of coffee and set it in your bin. "Too healthy to order out?" he asks.

"Too cheap," you admit. "A lot of unexpected costs since I opened up. Need to save where I can."

With that kind of logic and level-headedness, Levi would put you as the head of their finance department in an instant. Anything's better than Nanaba. "How long you been open now?"

"About a month." You look to him, and there's a hint of a smile on your lips, and Levi's not really sure why. "How long have you worked for Eldian?"

"Few years." He doesn't keep track. The two of you have reached the end of the aisle; you turn and Levi follows, and together, you wander down the next one. "Coworkers are batshit, but the work's not bad," he admits, because he realizes you're waiting for him to elaborate. "Normally, we're not good at keeping up good relationships with local businesses."