Brewed to Perfection: Quiet Tea | LeviHan | Levi Ackerman x Hange Zoe | FalBi

Chapter 13: Birthday Surprise

The tea shop had settled into its usual rhythm, a quiet hum of activity punctuated by the occasional clink of teacups and low conversations. Levi leaned against the counter, his crutch within reach, flipping through a stack of receipts. Gabi and Falco were busy organizing shelves, bickering quietly about the best way to arrange the tins.

The bell above the door jingled, and Gabi immediately perked up. "Sorry, we're closed for-"

"Surprise!" Hange's unmistakable voice rang through the shop, stopping everyone in their tracks.

Levi's head snapped up, his hand freezing mid-motion. There she was, standing in the doorway with her usual unkempt hair and a wide grin that instantly set him on edge.

"You-" Levi started, his tone sharp with surprise. "You didn't say you were coming back."

"Exactly!" Hange declared, striding inside with an air of triumph. "What kind of surprise would it be if I told you?"

Before Levi could respond, the kitchen door burst open, and Onyankopon appeared with a tray of food, followed by Yelena carrying a modest cake. Gabi and Falco darted past Levi to help set up, Gabi practically bouncing with excitement.

"You knew about this?" Levi asked, narrowing his eyes at Gabi.

"Uh, maybe?" Gabi said, looking sheepish but not at all sorry.

"It was Hange's idea," Onyankopon said, setting the tray down on one of the tables. "We just helped."

Levi exhaled slowly, his expression unreadable as he leaned on his crutch and watched the chaos unfold. A banner reading Happy Birthday, Levi! was hastily hung across the back wall, its letters uneven but bold.

"Come on, Captain, don't just stand there!" Hange said, grabbing his arm to pull him toward the table.

"I didn't ask for this," Levi muttered, though he allowed himself to be dragged along.

"Just sit down and enjoy it, or I'll start singing." Hange replied, plopping him into a chair.

The celebration was as chaotic as Levi had expected. Gabi and Falco presented him with an oddly lopsided cake, proudly announcing that they had made it themselves.

"It's edible," Falco said quickly when Levi raised an eyebrow.

"Barely," Gabi added with a grin.

Levi glanced at the cake, then at them, and finally muttered, "It's not the worst thing you've made."

"That's practically a compliment!" Gabi exclaimed, clapping her hands.

As the group dug into the food, the conversation turned to the tea shop, with Hange peppering Levi with questions.

"So, I heard you've got regulars now," Hange said, leaning forward with an eager grin. "Didn't think you'd have the patience for it."

"I don't," Levi replied, sipping his tea. "Most of them are annoying."

"And yet, here you are," Hange teased. "Surviving. Thriving, even! Alright, Shorty. Spill it. From the start."

Levi sighed but obliged, recounting the shop's opening day with Gabi's overenthusiasm and Falco's nerves. Gabi jumped in to share her favorite moments, including her ill-fated experiment with the wild herbs.

Hange nearly choked on her tea from laughing. "You really tried to create miracle tea?"

"It worked for a while!" Gabi said defensively.

"And almost ruined the shop's reputation," Levi added dryly.

Falco winced. "We apologized."

"Still funny, though," Hange said, wiping tears from her eyes. "What about this rival tea guy I heard about? Oliver, right?"

Levi's expression darkened slightly. "He's all talk."

"He tried to sabotage us once," Gabi chimed in. "But we showed him during the tea-off!"

"Tea-off?" Hange's grin widened at Levi's direction. "You let them rope you into a competition?"

Gabi's eyes lit up. "It was amazing! We totally beat that Oliver guy. Jean and Connie helped us-they were so funny! Jean kept arguing with Connie about presentation while Levi just glared at everyone."

Hange turned to Levi, raising an eyebrow. "You let Jean and Connie help? You must've been desperate."

"Tch. They showed up uninvited," Levi muttered. "I didn't have a choice."

"And they were surprisingly useful," Onyankopon added with a chuckle. "Jean handled the crowd like a pro, and Connie kept the energy up."

Hange burst out laughing. "I wish I'd been here to see that. Bet Oliver's face was priceless."

"It was," Gabi said, beaming. "Especially when Levi's tea beat his fancy mocktail in the freestyle round. Totally nailed it!"

As the evening wore on, the others gradually began to leave. Gabi and Falco cleaned up the mess they'd made, chatting excitedly about their next tea experiments. Onyankopon and Yelena said their goodbyes, leaving Levi and Hange alone in the now-quiet shop. Hange wandered over to a shelf, picking up one of the porcelain teacups displayed prominently.

"This is beautiful," she said, turning the cup in her hands. "Where'd you get it?"

"Armin brought it before he left for Paradis," Levi replied. "Said it was for the shop."

Hange studied the cup, a soft smile on her face. "He's really got good taste."

Levi nodded, leaning back in his chair, the faint ache in his leg reminding him of the long day. Hange sat across from him, sipping a cup of tea with an easy, satisfied expression.

"Oh!" Hange suddenly exclaimed, pulling a bundle from the bag she'd left near the counter. "Almost forgot. Your gift."

Levi narrowed his eyes. "If it's another one of your weird teapots, I'm throwing it out."

"Relax, Levi," Hange said, unwrapping the bundle to reveal a sleek, dark coat. "I thought you could use this."

Levi blinked, taking the coat from her hands. The material was sturdy but soft, perfectly tailored for practicality-just the kind of thing he preferred.

"It's better than a turtle-shaped teapot, right?" Hange teased, her grin widening.

Levi examined the coat, running his fingers over the fabric. "It'll do," he said quietly, his voice neutral, though the faintest glint of appreciation flickered in his eye.

"High praise from you," Hange said, leaning back with a laugh. "Happy birthday, Levi. Another year older, huh? You're practically ancient now."

Levi shot her a glare. "You're not exactly young yourself, Four Eyes."

"Fair point," Hange said, smirking. "But you wear 'old man' well."

As the night stretched on, Levi and Hange caught up on everything-from her travels to the shop's chaos, from Gabi's endless antics to the stubborn rivalry with Oliver. Levi listened more than he spoke, his sharp gaze fixed on her as if committing every detail to his memory.

The shop was quiet now, the tea warm and soothing in his hands. Hange was here-that was enough.

"Best birthday ever?" Hange asked, breaking the silence with a playful smirk.

"Keep dreaming, Four Eyes," Levi muttered, but his voice held no real bite.

Hange laughed, the sound filling the empty shop. "You're impossible."

"And you're loud," Levi shot back, though a faint, rare smile tugged at his lips.

The conversation drifted into the night, the quiet companionship settling around them like a familiar warmth. Levi felt like he could let the world wait-just for a little while.