The bear wo— Hanji, stayed by the entrance, talking on her phone, while Levi walked straight to the counter. Eren decided it was his chance. He put on his best smile and greeted the raven :
"Welcome to Cafe Maria, what wo—"
"One Earl Grey, large, no sugar, and a lemon muffin " cut him Levi.
"O-okay " stuttered Eren, " hum, to go or —"
" No ".
Eren was a little taken aback by Levi's bossy tone but he decided to go with it for now. Regarding their first encounter, Levi being awkward was understandable. Eren decided to stay cheerful :
" Okay, that would be 7,30 $ " said the college student with a smile before starting to prepare the drink.
Levi put the exact amount on the counter and crossed his arms on his chest.
Eren put the drink on a plate and leaned to grab a lemon muffin.
" So ", started Eren, " you come here often ? "
Levi sighed loudly then looked at him :
" Okay perverted brat, I'm gonna make it clear for you : I don't want to be your friend, I dont' want to talk to you or to learn things about you so shut your shitty mouth and make my order already ! "
Eren's eyes widened and he replied angrily :
" Then why the hell are you here ? I have been working here for several month and I never saw you coming here before, then you come here two days in a row ! What is your problem ?! ".
The raven stared at him silently, then dead-panned :
" I just discovered this place yesterday and the tea was not bad. Also, it is true that I came here today hopping you would be here, but I didn't come for you "
" What the fuck ? Then why —"
" This morning, the shitty glasses fucking broke into my apartment and dragged me out because she fucking wanted to have breakfast outside " said Levi while pointing rather angrily at the woman who was still talking excitedly on her phone, oblivious of her surroundings.
Eren was more and more confused : " So ? "
" So ", smirked Levi, " I would rather have her on your back than on mine ! Now shut your trap and give me my fucking muffin you shitty perv' ! "
Okay, circonstances of their first encounter be damned, nothing could justifie that !
It took all of Eren self control to drop the muffin on the plate rather than Levi's face.
The raven snorted, then, without a look at the angry college student, took his plate and got to sit on a table near the window.
Eren stood still, his furious glare pointed at the asshole, which, for some mysterious unfair reasons, he continued to find really sexy. Fuck ! Why the attractives ones are always —
His thoughts were interrupted by a scream which probably pierces both his eardrums :
" Oh my god ! Eren, my little love of a stalker ! You work here ? That's wonderful, I'm so happy to meet you again, cutie pie ! "
Hanji rushed to the counter and almost jumped over to grab Eren in one of her bones crasher hug. Eren opened his mouth to ask her to let him go but the air remained blocked in his lungs. He turned his face to Levi, in a silent attempt to ask for help, but was met instead with a disappointing vision. Legs crossed, the older man was casually lending on his chair, looking at them with genuine interest, like they were some sorts of new specie of exotic insects. When his gaze met with the younger's, his mouth turned in a smirk and he rose his drink on the air, silently toasting at Eren's despair.
Since he wasn't obviously getting any help from the king of assholery, Eren began to turn his head everywhere, looking for a good soul to help him. He then realized the coffee shop was abnormally silent, dozen of eyes pointed at him, some looking amused, and others slightly embarrassed.
Great, just what he needed !
Finally, the crazy woman let him go and he could breath normally again. Hello again, oxygen, my friend.
He cleared his throat and looked in the woman' eyes :
" He-hello Hanji ! Hum, just so you know, I'm not really a hug person so, could you, hum, not do that please ? "
" Ooooh, don't be shy my little pie ! Everybody says the same but eventually, they just let me cuddle them, you will get used to it sweetie ! " replied the brown bear with a deranged grin.
OMG, they all abandoned, did they ? Are some of them still alive ?
" Anyway " continued the young man, " what can I get you ? "
" I would like a large latte macchiato with fudge topping and a chocolate muffin please ! "
" Okay, that will be 8,60$, please. "
As Eren rung her order, he added "please, go sit, I will bring your order to your table ".
But his hopes were crushed when Hanji leaned her elbows on the counter, looking at him enthusiastically : " Nah, that's okay, I would rather stay with you, my little cinamon roll ! We couldn't chat for long the other night and I have a lot of questions for you " she said with a large grin.
" B-but " stuttered the student, " your friend will get impatient ! I'm sure he's waiting for you ! "
Hanji giggled and moved playfully her eyebrows : " Nah ! Actually, I'm sure he would rather have you to join him ".
" That's impossible, he just explained to me really clearly that he doesn't want to have anything to do with me " replied darkly Eren.
The woman's eyes widened comically behind her glasses, making her look even crazier.
" OMG, Levi talk to you ? Like, with several sentences ? " she squeaked.
" Well, yeah, but to tell me he doesn't want to know me and —"
" Awww, he likes you ! Good for you, sweetie stalker ! "
Hanji was positively beaming, while Eren looked at her with confusion. Hanji had to notice it because she continued " Levi is really shy and twice as awkward, trust me, I know him since high school, if he wasn't interested, you wouldn't get even one sentence out of him ! "
What ? Eren was not totally convinced but it certainly was an interesting news.
At this moment, he promised himself he would get Levi's number, not matter what. Game on !
" I see " replied the young man, "so, since you seem to know him well, how could I get his number ? "
Hanji smiled even wider, literally jumping on her feet : " I knew it, that's love ! Okay, sweetie pie, I will help you but on one condition : I get to pick the song of your first dance at your wedding! "
What the hell ? Well, on second thought, there wasn't much risk since he didn't plan on ever getting married.
" Deal " said Eren, smiling. " So ? "
" Okay, so I think the better way is to make yourself interesting in a non predictable way … like, you want him to think 'what is Eren going to invent today ?', you see ? Get him entertained ! "
" Hum, that's seems rather complicated but I like challenges … any idea how I can do that ? "
" Well, it's better if you find your own way, but I can tell you he secretly is a big fan of sci-fi and fantasy movies … that could be a good start ! " replied Hanji with a wink.
" Okay, operation seducing the nerd it is ! " said cheerfully Eren.
Hanji threw her head back and laughed out loud.
" You can start now, brown sugar of mine ! I will take your offer and go sat so you can bring my order to our table ".
She winked a last time at him and get to the raven's table.
Eren could hear a very loud " Sorry for the wait, did you miss me, my little tiramisu ?! " and smiled to himself.
He went to prepare Hanji's order and thought about something that could win the sexy raven's attention when he heard Connie and Sasha's voices speaking at the same time behind him :
" Hey dude, are you okay ? "
" OMG, aren't they the crazy woman and the midget you tried to kiss the other night ?! "
Eren turned around and saw his two friends, Sasha looking at him excitedly, Connie looking at Levi and Hanji with confusion. Then, something seemed to click in the last one face and he looked at Eren with amusement : " OMG, your right Sash ! It's them ! That's so fucking good ! What were the odds ? What do we do ? "
Eren put the drink he just finished pouring on a plate, along with a chocolate muffin, then asked his friends : " Guys, what's the better sci-fi movie of all times ? "
" Star Wars ! " replied the idiot couple at the same time.
That was one of the reasons he liked them. They always played along, without bothering to look for an explanation. They were just up for fun !
" Thanks guys ! I'm going now, take care of the counter for me, please ? " smiled Eren.
" Got you ! " said Connie while Sasha waved at him.
Eren grabbed the plate and headed to Levi's table. He dropped it in front of Hanji :
" Thank you for the wait, here is your order, I hope you like it ! "
" Thank you, dear ! " replied Hanji with a smile.
Eren then looked at Levi and asked : " How was you tea, woke you up Levi ? "
The raven looked back with a slightly intrigued look. Behind him, he could hear Hanji chuckle.
" What ? " said Levi, monotoned.
" Just wanted to ask if it suited your taste, you know, cause I made your tea stronger than usual since you seemed to prefer it on the dark side " added the college student with a grin.
Levi remained silent, fixing the younger man with an indescribable emotion on his face.
Well, now that I have your attention …
" Nothing ? I'm sorry this isn't the tea you're looking for. I must admit I'm quite disappointed here, thought if I did it right, I could perhaps get your phone number as a token of your appreciation … too bad ! Well, I will try harder next time ! For now I will leave you guys alone, may the taste be with you ! "
Hanji was cackling like a maniac while Levi looked at him with a blank face. Eren winked at the raven then went back behind the counter.
He was welcomed by two hilarious friends. It was good to know some people could appreciate the fine humor of movie puns. Before he could satisfy their curiosity, the entrance door opened on a group of seemingly all-nighter-still-a-little-drunk-and-hangover-students.
The three of them ended quite occupied for the next hour.
Eren was on his couch, his laptop on his knees. He got back home one hour earlier and was looking on some movie puns for the hopefully next time he will see Levi. For a Sunday, the day had been more exhausting than usual. Around noon, the weather had suddenly decide they had had enough sunshine and started to pour heavy rains on the many people walking around in the nearby parc. The coffee shop ended so full people kept standing against the walls, sipping on their hot drinks while waiting for the rain to falter.
Sunday was the most tiresome since he worked all day, his others shifts being mostly on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings. Sure, 25 hours a week weren't much but it helped getting food in the fridge while keeping his studies on. For now, most of the house expenses were charged on his father's account, as were his student fees. As a doctor's son, he didn't really need to work if it wasn't for the occasional times his father decided to drop home. Once or twice a month weren't nearly enough to fill the fridge. Besides, Eren preferred by far working than asking anything to the bastard. He had no idea where his father could be sleeping all these nights and stoped caring since high school days. He couldn't wait for the day he would get a job and finally get his own place.
For now, all he could do was studying and try to not think of all the memories coming with his family house.
That was the reason he was glad he met Levi. There was something about the man he couldn't quite understand. Sure, the man was really attractive, but Eren being the patient man he was, no attractiveness would be enough to overpower so much rudeness. But that was the thing. Be it any other man, Eren would have been put off, hell he even would have kick their ass but Levi ? No, Levi just seemed even more interesting. There was definitely something about the sexy midget, and Eren would find out.
The sound of Smarty Pants by First Choice started echoing on the living room and Eren grabbed his cellphone : " Hey Armin ! "
" Hello, Eren ! I'm glad to hear from you, how are you ? " said his best friend.
" I'm good, dude, just a little tired from work, you ? "
" I'm okay, I just finished working on an assignment and though I would check on you … "
Armin's voice was a little concerned and Eren knew that was his best friend's subtle way of asking why he didn't give news earlier. That was one of many things Eren loved about him. He smiled and answered the silent question : " Sorry I didn't reply to your messages, work was really tiring ".
" Hum " said Armin. Translation : I don't believe you one bit but I will not push further for now.
" Anyway, " hurried Eren " you won't believe who walked on the shop, two days in a row ! "
" Who ? " sighed his friends. Translation : I'm letting you change the subject but I would rather had you open to me, I'm worried about you.
" Levi ! " beamed Eren. The following blank surprised him until he realized Armin probably didn't know the older man's name. " The man you dared me to kiss ! " he added quickly.
" What ?! Oh my god, Eren ! ". This time, the tone was a mixture of amusement and concern. " Are you okay ? " continued his friend.
" Yeah ! I mean, at the beginning I was a little stressed but I took the chance to apologize to him, and I feel much better now, you know, doing the mature thing. "
He heard Amin chuckled.
" What ? "
" Nothing ! Just, hum, would Levi happened to be nice to look at ? " replied his best friend.
Eren could picture Armin's smile without seeing him.
" What does it have to do with the subject ? "
" Well, it's just that you're not usually preoccupied about being responsible or taking the blame, Eren. Make me thing that perhaps, the angry guy of the other night might be good on the eyes on sunlight " giggled his friend.
And Armin would asked Eren why he assigned him Smarty Pants as a ringtone.
Well, he could get upset, or he could make the best of this situation : " Let's just say he's not bad "
Armin snorted on the phone. Eren continued : " by the way Ar, could you help me think about sci-fi movie puns related to tea or coffee ? "
" Why ? ", asked playfully Armin.
" No reason, just thought it would be fun " replied innocently Eren.
" Sure, no reason " repeated Armin, laughing.
They ended making a contest about who could think of the stupidest pun.
Monday passed quickly. Eren attended morning classes, ate with his friends, laughed with them, fought with Jean, attended afternoon classes, made up with Jean, called Mikasa, went to the supermarket, then got back in his silent home. A rather normal day in the young man's life.
Tuesday was more unnerving. He woke up for his early shift at the coffee shop, eager to see if Levi would come. He arrived fifteen minutes earlier than usual and was greeted by surprised twins.
" Fell out of the bed, Eren ? " grinned Ymir, while Marco wave gently at him.
" Nah, just figured I would come sooner to enjoy your lovely company a little more " grinned back Eren.
" Oh, that's nice, and here I was thinking it could have something to do with this Levi guy ! How silly of me. " beamed Ymir.
Even Marco smiled a little at his sister's remark.
" Who sold me ? " sighed Eren. No need to deny anymore.
" The idiot couple " answered Ymir, " apparently you're just as discreet as ever " she winked.
That had Eren laughing, promptly joined by the twins.
" Do you like him ? " asked Marco.
" I don't know, but the guy sure seems interesting " replied Eren.
" Interesting and quite good looking, hum ? " said Ymir.
Both Eren and Marco looked surprised.
" What ", continued the woman, " just because I like girls doesn't mean I'm blind. Doesn't mean either that I'm unfaithful, you know Christa is the only one for me ! " she added with passion.
" We know " sighed both men at the same time.
Hell if there was a single soul in twenty miles around who didn't know about Ymir's passionate love for Christa !
Then the door opened on their firsts customers and the three friends got to work.
One hour later, the door was pushed opened by Levi. The raven entered and waited at the end of the line. When he arrived at the counter, he was greeted by sparkling blue-green eyes and a bright smile : " Welcome to cafe Maria, what can I get you Captain Levi ? " asked Eren.
The raven kept silent for a moment, staring at the younger man, then answered : " Large earl grey to go, no sugar ".
" The usual, I see. We shall make a hobbit out of it " winked Eren before writing the raven's name on an empty cup. " That would be 4$ please ".
As usual, Levi put the exact amount on the counter and waited silently for the college student to prepare his drink.
" So, not feeling like tolkien much today ? " asked Eren while pouring hot water inside the cup.
" Wow, is this the best you can do, brat ? " dead-panned Levi.
" Well, I would love to do better but all the goods ones Aragorn " grinned Eren, handing Levi his drink. Levi took it carefully and sighed : " Whatever ".
" So ? " asked Eren before the raven could go.
" So ? " replied Levi, raising an eyebrow.
" Are you going to give me your phone number ? " continued hopefully Eren.
" …. fuck off " was the flat monotonous answer, before Levi turned back and walked straight to the door.
" Have a good day " waved cheerfully Eren.
The raven looked back at him, blank face, for five seconds before getting out.
Eren went back to greet customers, taking there order with a stupid smile on. When the flow of customers finally decreased, Ymir leaned on her elbows next to him.
" Didn't worked as you hoped, Eren-boy ? " she grinned.
" Sure it did ! " answered Eren.
Ymir rose her eyebrows.
" He turned back to look at me " smirked proudly Eren.
Ymir chuckled and Marco smiled sweetly at him.