Monachopsis Tea 《Levi x Reader AU》

I Don't Want To Be A Burden

It had been a few days since the deal, and of tireless packing up my bookstore and moving it to the tea shop, I was starting to have some doubts.

"What's wrong?" Levi asked noticing I was just standing in an aisle starring off into space.

"What?" I broke from my daze and turned to face him. "Oh, I was just thinking." I answered truthfully.

"If you're having second thoughts stop, we already agreed you'd go into business with me. Plus the papers are already in." He sighed putting the boxes he was carrying down.

"It's just- I don't want to intrude on your livelihood and be a burden." My voice was soft as I stared down at my feet, my hands fiddling with the hem of my skirt.

"I'm the one who accepted the deal, so your not intruding, so get back to work, I'm only staying closed for another few days and we have a lot more work to do." Levi picked up his boxes again and walked off leaving me to think about his words.

I took a deep breath and started packing once more. We had been packing and moving for two days now and my store was almost completely empty. We should have it all moved over by tonight, then we will have the next few days to unpack and organize everything in Levi's tea shop. Not to mention some redecorating.

"Hey y/n, how are you doing in this aisle?" Hange asked popping her head around the bookshelves. She had taken a few days off of her work to help me pack everything.

"I'm just about finished, if you want to take these boxes out to the car." I gestured to the boxes at my feet. "I have the feeling if they stay much longer I'm going to trip on them." I joked.

"That definitely sounds like you!" Hange laughed and picked them up. "We should take a break and get some food soon."

"I agree!" My spirits raised thinking of a lunch break.

"Perfect, once you and Armin are done with your aisles I'll treat us all to some lunch!" Hange called out to the whole store which earned some excitement.

Armin and I were doing the packing, while Levi, Hange and Armins two friends that he brought to come help did the heavy lifting.

"Thanks Hange, you're the best roommate ever!" I thanked her as she walked away, finding some new found energy to pack faster.

Once Armin and I had finished our aisles, Hange took us to lunch as promised. "What am I allowed to get?" I whispered to Hange not wanting to get anything too expensive.

"Whatever you want!" She answered happily. "Nothing here is that expensive, considering it's a fast food restaurant." She leaned in closer to me. "Besides I have scientist money."

Her words made me giggle, she definitely had a large salary working as a bioscientist. "Alright, I'll have some chicken nuggets and a drink then."

We all ordered and sat down. "So Levi, how have you been lately? It sure has been a while since I've seen you!" Hange threw her arm around Levi's shoulders.

"You two know each other?" I asked confused.

"Yes, we share a mutual friend." Levi answered looking at Hange. "I've been fine. How about you?"

"I've been great! I have an amazing roommate that puts up with my bullshit, and work keeps me busy." I was shocked at Hange's complement.

"I'm the one with the best roommate." I mumbled elbowing her in the side.

"Perhaps!" Hange laughed, getting up to grab the groups food that was now ready and sitting on the counter waiting to be picked up.

"She can be insufferable sometimes." I laughed at Levi's words.

"She's just enthusiastic." I stood from my seat deciding that I would help Hange bring over all the food for everyone because it looked like her hands were full.

"Thanks y/n!" I nodded placing down the many trays on the table we were at.

After sorting through the food figuring out who's was what, I sat down to enjoy my nuggets and drink.

*+••+*

After our much needed lunch break and talking for a bit, we got back to work packing the rest of the aisles. "So are you excited?" Armin asked joining me in the last aisle for us to pack.

"For?" I asked not sparing him a glance as I continued putting the books in boxes.

"Staying in business, and having a partner." Armin taped closed a box that was now full and stacked it on the others for the heavy lifters to take out to the truck.

"Of course!" I looked at him smiling. "Why wouldn't I be? Levi seems nice enough, and I don't think I'll ever have a boring day working with him!"

"I would just feel really bad if it was my idea that put you in business with someone you can't stand, I don't want you to be miserable everyday you work is all." Armin came clean looking down at his feet.

"Hey, you don't need to worry. Everything always has a way of figuring itself out in the end, so, even if I hate working with him I think fate will lead me to another option. Besides, if you thought it was a good idea for us to go into business together, then I know you thought about everything, so I'm not worried." I tapped his shoulder comfortingly, he looked up to me and smiled, letting me know he understood. "Besides we might get along really well, you never know."

"Are you guys done with this aisle yet, or are you just talking? We still need to move the shelves." The girl I came to know as Mikasa asked as she walked into the aisle, I would have thought she was glaring if I didn't know that was just her face.

"Just about!" I smiled at her giving her a thumbs up. She nodded picked up the finished boxes and left the aisle.

They had started on moving the bookshelves that we had finished, because we didn't have any boxes of things left. They were just waiting for us to finish our aisle, so that they could take the shelf and boxes.

We finally finished the shelf and they took it away hastily. I guess they're tired of being here, and wanting to just get it done and over with. I giggled to myself watching them all carry the heavy bookshelf as if it was nothing.

"What's so funny?" Levi asked, noticing I was watching them take it awkwardly through the doorway.

"Nothing really, just thinking." I walked over to them, helping them angle it through the doorway and into the moving truck.

"Is that everything?" Levi asked looking at the store from outside.

"It should be, I'm just going to walk through one last time, I spent a lot of time here after all" Stepping inside looking around the now empty store, it reminded me of when I had first bought it.

The smell of books was still very present in the store, the counter still had the same chips as it did when I moved in. I could see the past several years of my life in the store pass by my eyes, as I stood there looking at it for the last time taking it all in.

I wished to stay, but I knew I couldn't.

With one last deep inhale, I exited the store and got into the truck. "I'm ready." I gave Levi a meek smile as he started the moving truck. The others had gone ahead without us in Hange's car to the tea shop.

"Then let's go, partner." Levi put the truck in drive, pulling out into the street.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Word count 1300