Chapter 1
Summary:
"So.." He began nervously. Levi glanced up from his notebook inattentively. He feels his entire body heat up when under Levi's gaze and couldn't decide whether he liked it or not. "What are you writing?"
"Never mind what I'm writing," he waved a hand dismissively.
"Why won't you tell me?"
"Why do you need to know?"
"I'm intrigued now; I have to know.."
"A poem,"
Eren gasped slightly. How . . . interesting and . . . romantic..!
Eren meets a mysterious raven haired guy who is about to turn his world upside down...
Coffee Shop AU, turned College AU, turned Meta-Human AU
It was days like these that made Eren wish he didn't work here. A vicious gale painted the skies deep charcoal and lit the streets with electricity, each pavement gleaming a steely silver and all there was to do was watch the storm have its way with the world outside for there were no people attempting to leave the safety of the indoors and enter the desolate cafe. He was the only one of all the staff here who needed the money enough to go into work that day. This was not the day he thought he would meet him either.
Eren put his head down, looking at his phone as he slumped uncomfortably on the counter. Suddenly the bell jangled and the storm screamed. The whole room brightened dramatically and the lighting made each object seem like artwork, shadows no longer faded but chiselled like a statue of marble. The cold instantly rushed in, licking fiercely at Eren's tan skin like a cool pond and the light flickered like a bulb
He wasn't attractive; he was beautiful. The storm set his porcelain skin aglow like a cold and distant moon with its jolting flashes of electricity. His eyes, glinting silver were small and slanted surveying the room in judging fashion before he began to stride confidently towards the counter. Time slowed down. But Eren still didn't have enough to take him all in.. He was short, at least five inches smaller than Eren was and in no way bulky, but lean and sculpted. His hair was parted slightly off centre,flowing over a military-like undercut, tresses so dark brown they were almost black, not one hair out of place.
Eren suddenly flew into action, frames moving faster as he snapped back to reality. "W-welcome to the Maria C-café can I take your order?" he felt the sweat condense around his nape, and his cheek adorn a soft tint. The man scoffed.
"Charmed," he muttered sarcastically. "I'll have a black tea,"
Eren stared, still taking in his face. "Quickly." The man added sardonically before taking a seat in a seat by the counter. His voice was dark and slow, but smooth and made Eren feel like With the tinkling of the bell another customer came through the doors and a smile lit up Eren's face.
"May I ask your name?" He queried, lips quirking upward slightly in a failed attempt to suppress his excitement.
"Levi," he said simply and Eren nodded, dazed; he loved the way it rolled off his tongue; it was so like him; short; simple. He could imagine whispering it silkily into a dark and violet night, and simultaneously could just as easily envision shouting it into an endless blue sky.
"Eren," he replied politely, but the mysterious man was no longer paying attention. Eren rushed to make his tea, thoughts rushing around his head like a whirlwind. It wasn't hard to make, but it took all his concentration not to turn back to him and swoon against the bubbling kettle despite its fierce heat.
...Wait! What was he doing? This was not the Eren Jaeger he knew..! He was, by nature, rash and aggressive, overly emotional and strong in his beliefs. How easily could he be swayed by the hard, straight face of a man he barely knew?
He took the order of the next customer absentmindedly, lost almost completely in reverie, before his distraction faltered, sliced in two by the shrill beeping of the kettle timer. Levi's tea!
He felt the sweat creep back in again, settling uncomfortably on his forehead. His hand clutched at the drawer handle, ripping open the wooden container and grasping for a tea bag which he then submerged in the steaming water. Gripping the mug, he placed it on the counter hurriedly before it could slip from his damp hands. He breathed a sigh of relief; it was over. After he finished his tea, he would probably never come back in here again. Plus he didn't seem all that talkative-just staring down at a plain, lined, A4 notebook with a spiral spine occasionally writing notes in a slanted handwriting at aggressive pace. His demeanour seemed straight and rigid; he wasn't comfortable. Hopefully he wouldn't feel comfortable enough to ask questions or make conversa-
"When does this place close?" He questioned. Eren froze like a deer in the headlights. No, no, no.. Maybe it was the lack of expression on his face, maybe the way he could allegedly feel nothing when Eren felt so very much, or maybe even the open door coating his tan skin in goose flesh as the autumnal gusts wrapped around his arms that made him feel so exposed. Maybe it was the judging glint in his silver blue eyes.
It had been a full minute of staring before Eren could finally compose himself to speak . . . and that minute was easily the longest of his life..
"W-we close at ten," he stuttered, the words tumbling out of his mouth like an unstoppable stream. Levi rolled his eyes and muttered something that sounded like, 'Cupid bat..' But Eren had already turned away, feeling his skin become consumed by a fierce blush consuming his entire face and he knew that if he turned around, he would be as red as a cherry. This was ridiculous- that this guy could have such an effect on him whilst being completely and totally unaffected himself!
It had been another ten minutes and due to excessive overthinking, the blush in Eren's face had yet to dissipate. He felt exposed yet again. All it took was one customer, one refill, one errand and he would have to turn and face the mysterious man. He just hoped that no one would enter the shop whilst he was still this col-
The bell jangled in the harsh, October wind.
Eren took a deep breath and turned to face the customer. A college student perhaps, with black skinny jeans, a loose light turquoise jumper and large black rimmed glasses. Her phone was her main focus and her eyes scanned it regularly, long, black and lustrous locks pooling at her shoulders and beginning to fall into her view. As he watched the pattern of her gaze, he could tell she was reading.
"Welcome to the Maria Cafe," he said uneasily. Although society had aided him with more information about girls, it was always weird to think that guys were the uncharted territory. He was a guy! But the thought of asking one out made him feel a little light-headed .. He gripped the counter uneasily; he was getting ahead of himself; he was thinking too much ; he needed to calm down; stop thinking so many thoughts at a time before he started blushing as well and made a fool of himself-
"Are you . . . okay?" the girl inquired timidly.
"Yeah," he chuckled nervously, "I'm fine,"
Levi scoffed to the side of him and Eren flushed in embarrassment; could he be read that easily?
"Well I am!" he huffed indignantly and Levi rolled his eyes, not even looking up.
You could see the electricity burning in Eren's eyes in that moment, and he began to roll his sleeve in an attempt to appear more menacing when the girl interrupted quietly.
"I'll have a caramel frappe,"
"Oh, uh- sorry.." he muttered, but his tone was still slightly metallic as his anger faded. He made the caffeinated beverage quickly, muttering irately through its preparation and set the cup down harshly. Either she wasn't used to the coffee or he could taste the bitterness of his emotion because her face slightly scrunched up upon the first sip. But she was gone before he could comment.
Replacing his anger was now anxiety: that guy was still here! But, maybe he was overreacting. [You think?] What if he, say, tried to make conversation?
"So.." He began nervously. Levi glanced up from his notebook inattentively. He feels his entire body heat up when under Levi's gaze and couldn't decide whether he liked it or not. "What are you writing?"
"Never mind what I'm writing," he waved a hand dismissively.
"Why won't you tell me?"
"Why do you need to know?"
"I'm intrigued now; I have to know.."
"A poem,"
Eren gasped slightly. How . . . interesting and . . . romantic..! He blushed deep red. "What about?" he asked intrigued, confidence accumulating.
"What makes you think it's any of your business?" He questioned bluntly.
Eren stuttered, stupefied by embarrassment and scarlet in colour.. Levi, on the other, laughed darkly went back to his notebook, but Eren wasn't satisfied. He slowly began to edge his way over the counter, trying to spy the title at least.
"The Boy With Bright Eyes," he murmured as he read the title of the neatly written series of stanzas.
Noticing their close proximity, the raven-haired man cleared his throat and Eren leapt back like a startled kitten.
"Sorry," Eren muttered unapologetically, but he had read the first line! "Eyes like the ocean," he recited from memory, hearing the familiarity in the description.
The poem progressed:
"Smile, the sun upon its shore,
and tresses hazel,
a sun blazed palm leaf
How many more,
A minute more might I endure
In the uneasy electricity
of his anxiety...
Levi's eyes widened considerably when he realised the first line of his poem had been not only read, but remembered.
He shut the notebook abruptly.
There was a short and tense silence in which the cogs in Eren's mind began to turn..
"You wrote a poem about me!" he had the decency to blush, but couldn't help but shine a grin at him so big it seemed to break his face in half.
Levi said nothing and raised a hand to tiredly cover his mouth as he let out a soft yawn. But if it was Eren you were asking, he did it on purpose. "Oh, come on," Eren taunted devilishly, "Aren't you going to deny it?"
"Why should I? It doesn't mean anything." He commented, face straight, and seemingly unperturbed. "I'm a student. It's a project."
"To write poems about random baristas in coffee shops?" Eren laughed.
Levi's expression darkened. "To write about the world around me, brat; don't flatter yourself." Eren looked dejected at his statement but continued wiping the counter, watching his translucent reflection stare solemnly back at him. He barely even noticed the man beginning to pack his things.
"Hey, wait," he called without thinking. Preoccupied, Eren barely recalled the storm's existence. The storm had set his silver eyes ablaze with fire, but the rain was suddenly soft and hushed as another silence accumulated.
"What?" he demanded harshly.
"You... d-didn't pay for your tea," Eren stuttered, blushing, shifting nervously on his feet. Neither could tell if the whipping wind or his own discomfort. Levi glanced down at the counter where the exact change for his beverage was neatly stacked. If it was possible his face could darken even further it must have in that moment. Levi walked towards him slowly, tension building at furious rate and lifted a long finger to the underside of his chin abruptly pulling it downwards to face him.
"Tch," he pulled his hand away and then chuckled quietly, "Cute,"
And with that he swivelled round and burst into the storm, disappearing into the slanted grey rain with a silver glint in his eye.
Eren was dumbstruck, his mind completely empty. He truly had a crush now; it was unavoidable. His skin tingled where Levi's hand had been and his own fingers stroked longingly there, achingly reminiscent of his touch. His ears burned with his last words.
He couldn't stop smiling. And then he couldn't stop laughing. He felt lighter than a feather, and light-headed at that. What if he had really meant it?
So Levi really thought he was cute...