A/N: This is my first Levi x Reader fan fiction, so please review and tell me your thoughts. I'm so sorry it's this short, I plan on writing more one shots with more romance. I might also write a whole Levi x Reader book, based on the manga, but i'm not sure. All characters belong to Hajime Isayama! Anyway, enjoy~

"Most of it is okay, but it's still dusty. You'll have to redo it." Captain Levi said, feeling the dust on the stable walls.

(Y/N) sighed, and for a split second, she felt as if the life was drained out of her. She had been cleaning the stables nonstop for the past few hours, and the captain had come by to check on her work. Seeing as the temperature outside kept dropping, she figured she would freeze to death before finishing the chore. Even her huge winter jacket couldn't keep her warm enough. This is never going to end, is it?

"You should take a break first. You have five minutes, then report back here immediately."

She smiled weakly, thankful for the ounce of mercy. "Thank you, sir," she said, running off to inside. He only nodded.

Inside the common room was better, but she was still shivering. She held herself because of the cold winter air. How the captain didn't mind it at all was beyond her. Suddenly, her stomach rumbled. She hadn't eaten since morning, when she had a couple of field rations. Instantly, her mind went to making a cup of tea. Maybe it'll stop the cold for a bit... Five minutes is surely enough time! She thought, already grabbing tea leaves from the jar on the mantle. She started preparing it as fast as she could, then grabbed a cup from the cabinets.

She hastily poured herself a cup and began chugging it down. It burned her tongue, but she didn't care, and she continued to drink it as fast as she could.

"What are you doing?"

She heard the captain's voice behind her and jumped. She dropped the cup, causing it to shatter upon hitting the ground and the remaining tea to spill across the floor.

"Captain! I-I'm sorry sir, you startled me! I wasn't expecting you!"

"(Y/N)—"

"I promise it won't happen again. I'll clean it up immediately!"

"(Y/N)—"

"And I won't be late ever again! You can put me on stable cleaning duty for a month, I won't complain." She rambled on, gathering the pieces of the broken tea cup in her hand. Without paying attention to what she was doing, the sharp edge of a piece pierced her skin, and she felt a sharp pain in her finger.

"Idiot, that's what happens when you're not paying attention."

(Y/N) winced in pain, clutching her finger as it began to bleed. Captain Levi bent down in front of her.

"Disgusting..." He muttered. "You'll have to get it bandaged. Come with me," he said, pulling her up to her feet.

"Y-yes, sir," she said quietly. He grabbed her arm and started taking her to a room across the hall, which she noticed was away from the other dorms. He opened the door and led her inside. It was bigger than her room, with a desk, a chair, a bookshelf and a table. The air smelled like a mixture of cleaning products and tea. Everything was nearly organized, and she noticed a large pile of papers on the desk. There was a door in the corner of the room, which she assumed led to the bedroom.

"Is this your office, sir?" She shyly asked.

"Yes, now sit down." She did as she was told. He opened a drawer on his desk and took out a roll of bandage tape. He began wrapping it around her finger, then cut off the end and secured it on. He then took a towel and wiped off the blood on the rest of her finger.

"There. Be more careful, will you? And clean up the mess you made. Without getting injured."

She quickly nodded. "Thank you, captain." She stood up and placed her hand on the doorknob, about to leave, before stopping.

"Captain?"

"What is it?"

"Isn't it going to be your birthday tomorrow?"

"Yes, so what?"

"So...I don't think anyone has prepared a present for you yet."

"That doesn't matter. It's just another day."

"Not to me!" She suddenly said, then realized what she said and blushed. "I mean...not to me..." The Captain raised an eyebrow.

"It's going to be a busy day, and we have to work twice as hard since most people are leaving to visit their families. I don't want anything done for me."

"I understand, captain, I really do, but... Well, I may have already gotten you something..." she said, looking down at her feet.

He sighed. "And you're going to give me it now, aren't you?" She nodded.

"Tomorrow I'm assigned to help load some things to a supply base, so I'm not sure I'll see you... I thought it would be better to give it to you now." As she spoke, (Y/N) unzipped her large winter jacket and pulled out a small red bag, with the words For Captain Levi. She hesitated for a second, feeling awfully nervous, before handing the bag over to the captain.

Levi took the bag and peered inside, seeing two items. He took one out, staring at it for a moment. It was a small white tin with no label in sight, but he instantly knew what it was. Upon further inspection, he found that it was, in fact, black tea. Not only that, but the rare, expensive black tea, only sold in the interior of Wall Sina. From the looks of it, he guessed it must've cost a great deal of money. How in the world did this brat manage to buy this? Did she steal it, perhaps? Levi looked to Alice, who was visibly shaking and fidgeting with her hands.

"(Y/N)," he said firmly.

"Sir?"

"Did you steal this?"

She quickly shook her head. "N-no, sir! I've been working odd jobs for a few months now during my spare time, a-and I sold a few items to afford it."

"Now why would you do something like that?"

"A-ah, well, I knew how much you enjoyed Earl Grey, I see you drink it nearly every night! So when I saw such a rare kind in a store, I couldn't help but want you to have it...Sir." She smiled sweetly for a moment, and Levi's cold expression softened just a bit. He didn't know what to say, always feeling awkward in these sorts of situations.

"Y-you should see the other thing, Captain."

Wordlessly, he reached in the bad and pulled out a single piece of paper, with the words Happy Birthday! On the other side of the page was a very cute drawing of the captain, holding a birthday cake and smiling with Hanji and Erwin. (Y/N) was blushing extremely hard now. So much so, in fact, that her entire face was bright red.

"Good job," he simply stated.

"Y-you mean you like it?"

"Yes, and I mean it. I see you've put great effort into this."

Her eyes seemed to light up, something Levi hadn't witnessed in a long time, due to the depressing circumstances in the Survey Corps. He was slightly glad he was able to make her so happy.

"Thank you, sir! This is— I mean it— you don't know how glad that makes me feel. I was incredibly scared you wouldn't like it, o-or that you would just give it back to me!" She fumbled with her words. Her words confused the captain, who had never fully understood the value of gift giving.

"I still don't understand why you would do this for me."

(Y/N) laughed a little, something that warmed his heart a little. "After all you've done for us, I really don't think it's a big deal to give you something for your birthday!" She shrugged. "And... I want to see you smile like in that drawing." She said the last part nearly quiet enough to be unheard.

Levi was taken aback by her words. He wasn't expecting anyone to remember his birthday when it was Christmas, let alone for anyone to do something like this for him.

"In any case… Thank you," he managed to say, "I'm grateful." She was visibly relieved, and after he managed to calm her nerves, she was dismissed to clean up the mess that she made. Captain Levi was left alone in his office, still in slight shock over her words. After a moment, however, he finally allowed himself to relax. He set his presents down on the table and smiled for the first time in a long while.