The coffee tasted like crap. No. Really. It was absolutely disgusting, but they were some of the few people who had the privilege of caffeine, so Rivialle was really not allowed to complain. Petra was humming at the dented counter as she slowly mixed more of the powder with hot water from the kettle, a simple rag against her palm to prevent any scalding or burning. Five empty, fingerprint smudged cups were in a small semi-circle close to her, a similar cup in his hands, warming them.
It was a day to look over Hanji's research rather than a day out in the field. Irvin was out at some meeting and would be returning only in about 3 or so more days, so for the time being, there wasn't much to do but read over the piles and piles of paper Hanji methodically wrote. Most of the time, he left it to Erd, who seemed to have an infinite amount of patience when it came to reading the information.
But he? He would rather just drink the sludge in his cup and relax while he had the chance. There had been news sent to him about trouble occurring with the titans, more so than usual, at Wall Rose. He had a feeling that the instant Irvin came back, there would be something new to occupy their time. But, at that moment, it was only about an hour past day break, and Petra was cheerily filling the cups up and her humming filled the room. It was almost like a ritual, really. Every time they had a day like this, Petra would be awake before anyone else, and then, he would come to the kitchen to find a hot cup of coffee at his spot along with any mail or paperwork he was expected to have.
He lifted his eyes from the grain of the wood to Petra. She was in a plain white tunic, and it seemed as if the cloth she used to bind her chest when she went into combat had been loosened, giving her a more womanly shape. She had filled all the cups save for one, and she took care to fill it before she picked it up and turned, meeting his eyes.
She only smiled, used to his obsessive observations and made her way to sit across from him at the table.
"No new paperwork today, corporal?" she asked, her voice sweet and lilting.
He nodded. "Seems as though Hanji finally collapsed after those all night research sessions."
Petra giggled. "She's like a machine sometimes." she said, taking a small sip of the hot drink and making a face when the bitter taste hit her tongue. She sighed. "It's such a shame there's almost no sugar."
He nodded again, sneering into his cup but taking another gulp. Petra did the same until she came upon the realization that his cup was empty. She simply slid her own to him instinctively and waited for him to accept the mostly full cup. He looked down into the second mug almost blankly before he looked back to her in faint amusement.
She blushed lightly and looked away from his gaze. "I'm…not in the mood for coffee." she said simply.
He raised a single sleek brow, but wrapped his hands around the offering regardless. "Thank you."
He knew Petra loved coffee, despite how bitter it was. They were only allowed one cup a day due to the rationing, and it really took its toll on a lot of people, like Hanji, who needed it to conduct her research well into the night. But it wasn't the first time Petra had given him things when he knew that she wanted them herself. Her selflessness would get her killed one day and it was no wonder that almost all of the encounters she had with titans were survived due to her efficiency with others.
He decided not to focus on that and simply continued drinking his cup, waiting for the others to arrive at the table, bleary eyed and looking for the cups Petra always prepared without fail. They were always the first two at the table, perhaps for an hour before the others began to wake.
"Petra?" he asked.
"Yes, corporal?" she replied, tilting her head to the side.
"Why do you wake so early?"
At his question, she looked down and began to inspect the wood of the table, her eyes hooding slightly as her pupils grew somewhat blank, her voice losing vibrancy. He watched as she dug her fingernail into her palm as she loosely folded her hands. "I like to see the morning, Rivialle. To reassure myself." She said, not looking up for fear of his reaction. She always tried to be strong for her corporal, but in the world she resided in, it was almost impossible to remain so always.
He said nothing, despite the rare use of his name. He swished the coffee around his mouth before he swallowed it, allowing a pause of sobriety to settle between them. He understood. Morning was a thing of new hope for her, for she let herself open to the world, allowing in all the kindness it had, and yet, also the cruelty. He hooded his eyes for another moment before he glanced back at his cup, still half full and carefully placed it in front of her gaze, next to her loosely folded hands, letting his own brush against them gently as he handed it off in reassurance. She looked up, her cheeks glowing a faint, petal pink and question in her eyes, inspecting the face of the handsomely stoic man in front of her for any hints he would choose to reveal.
"I'm not in the mood for coffee anymore." he said simply, allowing the ghost of a smile to push against the corners of his lips. She grinned at him warmly and fondly, the gloom of the past conversation fading into smoke as she raised the cup to her mouth to take a well appreciated sip. Such a small thing was so rare, and so precious to her. To see even the wisp of happiness on his face made her want to bounce out of her chair to embrace him. Shyly, she cut the direct gaze she held with him to look down, then glance up through her eyelashes. He seemed amused, making her cheeks slightly warmer and she turned away from his (dare she say it?) affectionate expression to look out of the small window to the rising sun. He held off a slight chuckle at her transparency and allowed the appreciative quiet to settle over them like a warm blanket. He took a moment to study the glow the sun cast upon her before he looked out to the world as well.
Days like this were always his favorite. But moments like this, with her, in the silence of the new day, could never be topped.
Soooooo...I posted this on my Tumblr account, but Tumblr was being mean and hasn't yet posted it since I created said Tumblr account but yesterday. Oh well! However, if you would like to see little drabbles (I know I've only written Rivetra so far, but there will be others, I promise!) you can go ahead and pop over there. It has the exact same username. :) In any case, I hope you enjoyed this!