Pairings: Eruri
Ratings: T
Genre: Fluff, Romance.
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters in this story: living (or passed) human beings or fictional characters. These events never happened, according to history or as the original author intended them. This is a work of fiction and is not intended to offend. For entertainment purposes only. Thanks.
Author's Note: Repost.
Candy Versus Chocolate
Erwin Smith was usually a calm, confident man who was renown for having a plan, no matter how difficult the situation was. He wasn't known to second-guess himself or question what he knew to be true, until the day he met Levi. In just their first interaction, Erwin had become lost for words and questioned his very judgement, mentally beating himself up as he walked away from the conversation.
Levi remained on his mind for days, with Erwin trying to find a way to engage the smaller man in another conversation. He hoped to prove Levi wrong in their original debate, that coffee was a better beverage than black tea, but he hadn't been able to form any kind of rational rebuttal. In the weeks that followed his chance encounter with Levi, Erwin found himself actually switching his coffee for black tea on occasion, and truth be told he actually enjoyed it.
When he successfully was able to talk to Levi again, he became tongue-tied and found himself once more on the losing end of their friendly debate, this time on the idea that potatoes made better French fries than potato chips, or 'crisps' as Levi had referred to them.
While Erwin had found himself trading his favourite bagged-snack in for a drive-thru package, he had begun to feel an odd, inexplainable excitement about Levi whenever he thought of him. When he realized he had bought a bag of frozen French fries instead of his favourite brand of 'crisps,' Erwin decided it was time to do the impossible: ask Levi for his phone number.
Enlisting the help of his friends, Mike and Hanji, Erwin approached Levi the next day at work and struck up a seemingly innocent conversation. What he had anticipated to be asking Levi for his phone number quickly turned into asking Levi out for dinner, and before he knew it, Erwin had gotten himself into a rather sticky situation. Levi had agreed to dinner, but he would only give Erwin his phone number on one condition: Erwin had to bring Levi's favourite kind of sweet to the date. The problem was... no one Erwin knew seemed to know what Levi's favourite sweet was.
Furlan, Levi's departmental co-worker, claimed he hadn't seen Levi ever eat sweets. Flagon, Levi's supervisor, had laughed at Erwin's question and then began to name all of his own, which only served to confuse Erwin even more. Only Isabella, Levi's close friend and new recruit to the firm, claimed to know what Levi's favourite sweet was, but that she wasn't sure if she should help, and so Hanji decided to tail her in hopes to find out.
However, that had been almost week ago and the trio of friends was no closer to finding out Levi's favourite sweet than they had been when Erwin had asked him out on Monday evening. Levi had been careful not to accidentally provide Erwin with any hints, and Isabella had continued to buy random sweets whenever to keep Hange thoroughly confused. The redhead had even gone so far as to purchase some sweets and give them away immediately just to throw Hange, and therefore Erwin, off.
It was now Friday, the day of the date, and all their research and pseudo-stalking had done was boil Erwin's choice down to two things: candy or chocolate.
"Why not take both?" Mike finally asked, "I smelt both of them on him."
"Because both means I couldn't figure it out." Erwin sighed. The small group had hold themselves up in the staff kitchen, hoping to make the right choice before their final shift of the week was over and Erwin ran out of time to decide. "Both means I failed and I don't deserve his number. He'll definitely judge me for taking both."
"You two have a very weird way of flirting." Nile commented, having become interested in the whole situation on Wednesday. He had caught Mike snooping through Levi's desk when the smaller man had gone to the bathroom and had found the entire situation intriguing, hilarious, and potentially dangerous.
"Ha ha." Erwin replied, giving Nile a serious look. "Thanks for that, captain obvious."
"We just have to approach this rationally." Hanji replied, waving a hand. "What other flavours does Levi like?"
"We know black tea is kinda his thing." Mike began, "So maybe... chocolate? Like dark chocolate?"
"But what about something like a tea-flavoured candy?" Nile offered, "Or cotton candy?"
"Cotton candy is too far from tea," Mike disagreed, shaking his head. "Besides, I doubt he would be a fan of the fair."
They all fell silent as Levi entered, heading over to the electric kettle to boil himself more water. He glanced at them, noticing Mike sitting on the countertop further down from the kettle and Erwin and Nile seated at the table. Hanji had been pacing in the space between the table and countertop.
He raised a thin eyebrow at them, then turned to open the cabinet door and reach up for the small box of black tea bags. Someone else had made a cup earlier, most likely Flagon, and replaced the box on a higher shelf. Levi made a soft grunt of frustration as his fingertips touched the box, but made no real contact with it. Instead, he seemed to just push it further into the cabinet.
Erwin sighed and stood up, silently heading over to Levi. He reached out from behind him and grabbed the box, then handed it to the smaller man.
Levi frowned but blushed as Erwin handed him the box. "Thanks," he murmured, clearly embarrassed for having been assisted in front of so many of his colleagues.
"No problem," Erwin replied, then pulled down a cup from the cabinet as well. "I... was just going to make a cup myself, before you entered."
Levi have Erwin a calculative look, as if to let him know he knew Erwin was just making that up so that he wasn't seen to be singling Levi out. "I thought you would make yourself some coffee." He replied, his voice low in hopes not to carry to the others. "Something... bitter and thick. Like dark chocolate."
Erwin stilled, intent on absorbing any hint Levi could give him about how he viewed sweets.
"Bitter and thick, huh?" Erwin repeated, hoping to try his luck at getting more information out of Levi. "Is that why you don't like coffee?"
"No," Levi shook his head, then smirked. "That's what I like about coffee."
Erwin's thick eyebrows knit together and he glanced over his shoulder to share a look of confusion with his friends as Levi turned his attention to the kettle that clicked off. It had finished boiling their water, so Erwin was almost out of time to pry whatever information he could out of Levi.
"So what is it that you don't like about coffee?" He asked, hoping it would give him some hints as to what tastes Levi preferred.
Levi paused, thinking for a moment. He then reached out and picked up the kettle, filling both of their cups with hot water as he spoke. "I guess... because you have to add so much to it for it to taste better than mud." Levi shrugged, placing the kettle down. "Black tea is bitter, but there is a sweetness to it. It's light. And when you add things to it, like honey, it doesn't overpower them or become weak."
"So it's quality." Erwin asked, testing the words out loud.
Levi had been dunking his tea bag into his cup. He turned to face Erwin with bright eyes. "Yes," he agreed in a surprised tone. "Exactly. It's a drink of quality. Not some cheaply pressed, condensed bean that starts off flavourful and ends with a shitty aftertaste." He raised his cup as if to silently cheers Erwin, then added. "See you at Golden Coral at 8," then left the room.
"Golden Coral?" Hanji repeated. "That's where you're going to dinner?!"
Erwin turned to face Hanji. "Yeah," he blushed. "It was hard to get a table so short notice, but-"
"Isn't that a little much for a first date?" Nile asked, surprise in his voice as well.
"It's sounds fine to me." Mike interjected.
"It's got great reviews." Erwin replied, "Besides, we both like food. If this goes bad, at least we share a good meal together."
Hanji chuckled. "It won't go bad-"
"If you figure out what you're going to bring him." Nile cut her off.
Erwin frowned. He tapped his fingertips against the side of his mug, thinking about what Levi had just said. 'It's of quality. Not cheaply pressed, condensed, that starts off flavourful and ends with a shitty aftertaste.'
"Not cheaply pressed and ends with a shitty aftertaste. I got it!" Erwin turned away from his friends and put his unsipped cup of tea down on the counter. "I know what I'm going to bring him!"
Hanji, Mike, and Nile all leaned towards Erwin, hanging onto his every word.
"Yes, and?!"
"Go on!"
"It is?!"
"I have to go!" Erwin replied, grabbing his jacket. "I have no time to explain!"
Leaving his friends in frustration and astonishment, Erwin raced out of the office and towards his car. He drove out of the heart of the city, towards the more industrial suburb, passing many small store fronts until he came to the perfect place to shop for all things sweet: the local chocolatier.
"Levi hadn't mentioned cheap aftertastes when we first discussed coffee." Erwin mumbled to himself, climbing out of his Mazda and heading towards the chocolatier's. He entered the expensive chocolate shop and headed to the front counter, noting the large glass cases full of finely crafted chocolate truffles. "God, I hope I am making the right choice."
"Can I help you?" A middle-aged man asked from behind the counter. He wore round, wire-rim glasses and had his long brunette hair tied back in a loose ponytail.
"Yes, sir." Erwin replied, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I want to impress my date tonight and I'm not sure what chocolate they like best."
The chocolatier gave a raspy laugh. "Then you came to the right place." He replied. "Are you sure they like chocolate?"
"Well, it's between that and candy." Erwin replied. "But they like sweets, and tea, and they dislike things that give cheap aftertastes."
"Ahh," the man replied. "What kind of tea?"
"Black, with no cream or sugar. Maybe honey at times." Erwin replied, recalling the time he saw Levi squeeze a large spoonful of honey into his tea. "Or lemon."
"And are they a fan of alcohol?" The chocolatier asked.
Erwin paused. "I... yes." He recalled that Hanji had overheard Isabella making plans to share a bottle of red wine with Levi after work on Wednesday. "Red wine, possibly something a little stronger."
The chocolatier chuckled. "Well, we have quite a selection. I recommend you choice your own truffles and give them an assortment. This way, you can at least have some chance of getting them something they like."
Erwin nodded, finding the proposal quite logical. "Alright. What kind of combinations can I do?"
"Just about anything you see in this here glass case." The man replied. "You can get 15 in this square box, or 20 in this rectangle-"
"Do you have anything a little more... romantic?" Erwin asked, blushing slightly. "I want to make it... special." He explained.
"Well," the man hesitated, then moved to retrieve a red, heart-shaped box with black velvet filigree. "You could fit 30 in this box." He began.
"I'll take it!" Erwin replied. He began to read the small cards for the truffles and began to point them out. "Five of the black tea chocolate hearts, five of the ice wine, five of the rum barrels, that brings me up to fifteen. Hm, give me three of the strawberry, two of the cherry, three of the green tea, three of the dark chocolate, three of the... let's go with the mocha, I think he'll like the coffee. And uh, one left, let's go with the... white chocolate brandy."
Erwin grew bolder in his choices as he chose, and he grinned as he watched the chocolatier place each truffle with care into the box. He headed to the counter to pay when he decided to grab several chocolate bars and prepackaged truffles from the shelf in front of the cash register and add them to his order.
The chocolatier chuckled softly, ringing everything up. "Would you like a gift bag?" He asked, then began to place all the chocolate into one anyways. "I'll throw it in for free." He laughed.
Erwin blushed. "Well, if I am going with chocolate over candy, I am going to go in confident." He replied.
The man smiled, handing Erwin the debit machine. "I think that is a wise move." He praised him, then handed Erwin the gift bag once he had paid. "I do hope that your date agrees - chocolate is, after all, love's language of food."
Erwin chuckled and nodded, taking the gift bag. "I agree." He replied, then left the store. He headed home and showered, then got dressed in a pair of dark wash jeans, a fitted white t-shirt, and a casual grey blazer. He combed his hair into place and grabbed his chocolates, then headed to meet Levi at the restaurant.
Erwin was glad to find Levi already seated at their reserved table when he arrived. He was surprised to find Levi had traded his usual black tea for a glass of red wine, and the image made him smile. "I see you upgraded," he motioned to the wine as he sat down.
"I took the liberty to order a bottle," Levi replied, his voice a smooth tone despite his teasing. He raised a hand and flagged the waiter over to pour Erwin a glass.
Once the waiter poured him some, Erwin swirled the wine around the glass and took a sip. "Ah, you made a good choice," he told Levi, then nodded his approval at the waiter.
"A moment with your menus, sirs?" The waiter asked, and Levi nodded, not taking his eyes off Erwin.
"Please." Erwin replied, not taking his gaze off Levi as well.
The waiter nodded and left, leaving them with their bread basket and wine.
"So," Levi began as soon as they were left alone again. "What sweet did you gamble on?" He asked. "Because I swear if you picked the wrong one, we won't be ordering anything at all."
Despite his date's words of ultimatum, Erwin felt confident. He handed Levi the gift bag with a look of pride on his face. "If I got it wrong, which I admit I may have, I ask of you one thing, Levi."
Levi took the gift bag but paused before opening it to meet Erwin's gaze instead. "Alright," He stated, "I gave you a condition for our date, so what's your?"
Erwin couldn't help but smile at Levi from across the table. "I was wrong about the coffee, and the French fries, before. So I am not sure if I got this wrong too." He chuckled softly, then reached out to touch Levi's hand. "But if I did, then I ask that you at least try it. Because... I found out I was wrong about the coffee and the French fries after I tried them. And... so it wouldn't be fair if you didn't."
Levi bit his lower lip for a moment, then he nodded. "That's fair for you to ask," he replied. "I consent."
He turned his attention back to the gift bag and opened it, then began to chuckle. He looked surprisingly youthful when he smiled. Erwin could already tell from the amusement on Levi's face that he had picked the wrong choice.
"You certainly were confident," Levi commented, noticing the large box. "And you... you customized me a box?" He asked, surprise now crossing his face.
Erwin grinned. "I suggest you try that one, out of all of them. At least... try a chocolate heart."
Levi made a soft sound of disbelief, then pulled out the heart shaped chocolate box and took off the lid. He gazed at the various assortment of expensive truffles and then, gently picked up a heart-shaped truffle between his slender forefinger and thumb. He rotated his hand to observe the truffle at all angles, then took a bite of one of rounded top halves.
Levi's silver eyes widened with surprise and made a soft moan of delight. "Black tea," he murmured as he recognized the flavour immediately. It melted onto his tongue in a silky smooth coating of dark chocolate. "Not bad."
He smiled at Erwin, his dark eyelashes fluttering slightly as he took a moment to silently indulge in the bitter-sweet concoction. He took a second, small bite of the truffle, then held out the remaining half of the heart to Erwin, who hesitated to accept it.
Levi leaned closer to reach across the table and Erwin gave in and leaned forwards as well, opening his mouth. Levi placed the truffle in his mouth, then lifted his jaw with his fingertips, teasing Erwin by touching his fingertips to his lips.
Erwin made a soft hum of approval, but Levi's gaze stunned him into silence. He noticed how Levi now looked at him with respect, and somehow, admiration. He waited, silently wondering if this meant that he finally won one of their debates and - more importantly - a first date with Levi.
Levi closed the lid on the box of truffles and put it back into the gift bag at his feet. He took a sip of his red wine, enjoying drawing out the moment for his decision.
Erwin held his breath in suspense, waiting for Levi's response.
Levi smiled at Erwin, then opened his menu. "So," He asked in a casual voice of challenge, "what are you going to order for me?"
Erwin looked down at the menu, then at Levi's face. He noticed Levi was watching him with amusement, already having decided to challenge the blonde with yet another playful choice.
Erwin gave a weak laugh, amused by Levi's response to having been beat at his own game. "I should have known you wouldn't let me off so easily," he replied, opening his own menu as well. "But let's make this equally challenging, Levi. What are you going to order for me?"
Levi chuckled, already scanning the pages of the menu. "Oh, I'm going to make sure dinner is quite satisfying. After all, we are gambling on dessert."
Erwin chuckled, suddenly feeling much more confident. "Well, I already convinced you to change your mind on your preferred sweet." He teased. "Though, I admit, I never would have pegged you as a candy guy."
Levi blushed softly and gave Erwin a coy look. "How could I argue with chocolate?" He asked in a voice as smooth as honey. "It is, after all, love's language of food."