Levi tries. He tries again and again. He tries over and over, but can't seem to get it right. He throws the fresh batch of coffee out and sighs. All the materials needed to make coffee are still out, so he decides to try again. He adds different measurements this time. He waits for the squeal of the coffee pot and takes it off the heat. He sits down and prepares to taste his creation. He can't help but frown when he smells it, though. But, he feels like he has to try anyway. When he sips the coffee, he is hoping to see golden eyes and strawberry blonde hair in his mind. Instead, he grimaces. The coffee isn't what he wanted. He pours the coffee out and decides to make another batch. This seems to be the only thing keeping him from losing his mind and completely breaking down.
He repeats the process over again the next day. He takes out the water, milk, sugar, nutmeg, anything else he remembers her pulling out from the cabinets to make coffee. He takes the pot away from the heat and begins doing random measurements and putting it in his black coffee. He sips once, twice, and sighs in defeat. It still doesn't compare to how her coffee tasted.
He can't go back to regular black coffee anymore. Regular black coffee was all he would drink at first. It was fast, easy, something he can get his hands on right away. It was all he could manage to make for himself before she joined his squad.
He never liked the taste of sweet things being put into his drink. It ruined the flavor of coffee. But one sip of hers and he was hooked. She converted him to the realm of sweet, rich, creamy coffee. Coffee with hints of caramel, nutmeg, or sweet, sweet cinnamon sugar. Coffee made by her.
He gives up making coffee for the day. Instead, he retreats back to his room to try to do paperwork. It has been exactly two weeks since the 57th expedition. The neglected paperwork from that expedition is still lying on his desk, waiting to be read over, marked with pen, and sent back to Erwin. He heaves and reaches over to the stack. It's heavy when he picks it up. He thinks that it's better to get this over with. Without hesitation, he flips the folder open and the first thing he sees is her name. Petra Ral.
He immediately closes the folder again and quickly stands up from his chair, getting a loud squeak from the chairs legs skidding against the wooden floor. He tells himself that he'll go and finish that paperwork another day and goes back into the kitchen to try to make coffee that tastes just like how hers used to.