Tea Leaves (Levi x reader)

Chapter 1- Black Tea

Y/N stared at the blank page in their sketchbook, wondering what to do with the empty space. It had been six months since the fall of Wall Maria, the loss of their mother and the mysterious disappearance of their father. Y/N had lost all their artistic inspiration but still had the motivation to keep their shop running, it was something to take their mind off of all the recent events.

Y/N sighed as they walked down the stairs to the small kitchen in their cafe, where they started to boil the water for their first customers of the day. As they were setting up the chairs outside, Y/N noticed a group of children playing on the street, if nothing in the world mattered to them. Y/N smiled as they watched, the scene bringing back memories of them running around with their brother. Walking back into the shop, Y/N turned the sign that was up against the window to open.

Late morning rolled around, and the shop was slightly bust, but that didn't worry Y/N. They sat at the counter and waited for their next customer to order some tea. Just as Y/N started to boil some water, a new customer, around their age, walked into the shop. Y/N had never seen anyone like this customer, his deep grey eyes scanned the shop before locking with Y/N's, who quickly looked away. It took Y/N a moment to realise that the man was standing in front of them, obviously ready to order.

"Hello, my name is Y/N. How can I help you today?" Y/N asked the customer.

"This is my first time in this shop, its beautiful," he smiled as Y/N slightly blushed "is there any tea that you would recommend?" he asked, Y/N smiled at the question before answering.

"Of course, I'll have it ready soon, feel free to sit down."

Five minutes passed, and the customer noticed Y/N walking over to his table with the tea."It's just a simple black tea, with different flowers to add a floral taste," she explained as he reached for the mug. "don't worry," they assured, "I haven't done anything to it. It's just a customer favourite." They added in response to the man's curious face.

The man sipped his tea and sat, contemplating for a second, before looking at Y/N. "This is beautiful, what flowers did you add to the blend?" he asked.

"Just hibiscus, lavender and rose," the shop owner replied. The man smiled and continued to quietly drink his tea while Y/N worked around the shop.

Y/N was waiting at the counter when the man walked up to pay. He grabbed enough money to pay for the drink, placed it softly on the table, before thanking the shop owner.

"I didn't get your name earlier," Y/N stated. "I would love to get your name, I like to make my customers feel welcome and knowing their names is the first step."

The man was shocked, they were the first person he had ever met that didn't know who he was. "My name is Levi."

Y/N stood there for a second, trying to remember where they heard his name. Before they could ask, Levi, stated, "I work for the Survey Corps."

Y/N froze. They didn't realise that he was humanities strongest. The casual clothes and a closer view of him confused them. It was odd to see him so close up, his hair wasn't as neat as it was when they paraded through the town before expeditions. He wasn't wearing his uniform or cape, which usually covered up his build and posture. It was kinda... nice, seeing him so casual.

"I'm so sorry," Y/N apologised quickly, "I didn't realise," they continued to apologise until Levi told them to stop worrying.

"Thank you for the tea today, it was delicious. I'm sure I'll be back more often." With that, he was out of the shop, leaving a bewildered Y/N behind the counter.

As soon as Y/N finished closing up the shop, they grabbed their sketchbook out and began drawing for the first time in months. A simple teacup with three flowers around it, a simple sketch but enough to raise their motivation to start drawing again.