I got you ! (Maybe another platonic/romantic request bc i realised im a sucker for those)
Cadet!Reader who brought their own tea from their home and who decided to share with Levi ? Maybe tea that their family cultivated ?
Pure fluff bc im also a sucker for this
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A/N: Oh my god, my lovely Levi requester hello!! <3 Thank you so much for another amazing request :)
Idk why I struggled to write this, I literally love the idea I just couldnβt write it at first lmfao
Hopefully this lives up to your standards though <3
Homemade Tea - Levi Ackerman x Reader
Your family ran a tea shop in Trost. The day it was destroyed, you thought all hope for your familyβs business was, too, but you were hard workers. Even for something as delicate and seemingly purposeless as tea, your family worked to recreate every recipe down to the last measurement.Β
When you graduated from the Training Corps, your parents surprised you with several bags of your own tea so you could βtake a little bit of homeβ with you. Little did you know, you needed home more than anything.
You woke up with a sigh, climbing out of bed treacherously. Your thighs ached and your arms were strainedβputting a shirt on had never been a difficult task, but the Scouts seem to have the ability to make everything difficult. You hissed in pain as you pulled the rest of your clothes on, walking down to the mess hall. It was still a bit dark out, so you decided to take some tea with you. At least Connie and Sasha and Jean wouldnβt beg you for a taste.Β
A kettle was already over the fire and Captain Levi sat at a table by himself, glaring at you when you appeared.Β
βWhy are you up so early, cadet?β He questioned. He wasnβt even in uniform yetβGod. It wasnβt anything magnificent; at least, it usually wouldnβt be. But somehow, the captain could wear a sweater and read a book and you were head over heels. Your stomach twisted as you took another step towards the kettle.
You stood up a little straighter upon seeing him. βI was just going to make some tea.β
His brows tented. βYouβre not using mine. Erwin paid for that.β
βI have my own.β
Leviβs brow rose and he placed a black, leather bookmark in his book. βHow do you have your own?β His tired eyes stared at you, then at the bag you showed him,
βItβs my familyβs.β
Levi stood as the kettle whistled softly and took it off of the fire. He opened a cabinet and took a cup out, then searched for something else. He sighed in defeat, looking back at you. βWhat kind of tea is that?β
βItβs my familyβs recipe; itβs original.β
He frowned and his brows rose in disappointment. βDoes it have a name?β
You thought for a moment, a smile tugging at your lips.βHome.β
He sighed and found an infuser, then handed it to you. βPut some in.β
You tilted your head. βDid you run out of tea?β You grinned sleepily as your brow rose smugly.
βJust do it, brat.βΒ
The sun shone through the trees softly, providing a golden glow to the mess hall. You placed the infuser in the kettle, then turned to Levi. The sun made his baggy, silver eyes shine a little brighter. As you admired his eyes, he found himself trying not to look at you. It was rare for a cadet to get up this early, but that wasnβt what made him antsy. Noβwhat made him question your presence was your tranquility.
Normally, when the cadets came down to the mess hall for breakfast, heβd sigh and go back to his room because of their ruckus. But you looked at him with matching tired eyes and a bag of herbs for your tea in your hands.Β
Unusual, he thought, but once he smelled the tea, his heart melted a bit. The cinnamon made his mouth water and the lavender added to the comfortable silence you shared.
He cleared his throat. βIt smells good. You called it home, right?β
βYes, but it doesnβt really have a name.β
βDoes it smell like home right now?β
Your entire demeanor softened. βA little.β
His eyes flickered at you before he stared out the window. You took the kettle off of the fire as he placed two cups out in front of you. You poured an even amount in both before placing the kettle on the counter.Β
Levi delicately lifted his cup by the rims with his slender fingers, bringing it to his lips. You picked up your cup, too, and drank from it, relishing the taste of your familyβs tea. It was warm and it felt like pure comfort and joy seeped into your tastebuds and warmed your body. When you placed your cup down, you noticed the captain staring at you, as if he was studying you.Β
He looked away and cleared his throat. βThe teaβitβs good.β
You nodded. βThank you; my familyββ
βCan you make more for me tomorrow?β
You tilted your head as a soft smile tugged at your lips. βYou like it that much?β
He struggled to maintain eye contact as he nodded. βI like it,β he replied stiffly. βIt tastes good. It tastes like,β he paused, his brows tented as he searched for a word he couldnβt place. βIt tastes like home.β
You nodded. βGood. Thatβs what it is to me.β
Levi sat at his table, sliding his book out of the way as he stared at you expectantly. βSit,β he mumbled, not as an order, but as an invitation.
You sat across from him, your thighs hurting as you lowered yourself onto a chair. βWhat are we doing for training today?β
His brows furrowed. βAre you sore from training yesterday? All we did was ODM training.β
You sighed. βYeah. Connie and Jean sort of tempted me into racing them through the forest.β
He nodded and his brows rose. βSo thatβs where you went after training.β He wanted to speak to you but couldnβt find you anywhere in the barracks. When he noticed that Connie and Jean were gone, too, he knew you were probably fine. βHange was worried about you.β
You mean you were worried about me? You thought to yourself. Hange was experimenting on their titans all night.Β
βOh, really?β You responded. βHuh. I wonder why.β You stood, wincing in pain. βI guess I should go check in with themβ¦β
He grabbed your hand quickly. βNo!β He exclaimed, his eyes wide. He blinked and his face softened again. βNo. I meant to say that I was.β He paused, staring up at you. βI was worried about you.βΒ
You smirked. βWhy?β
Β βDonβt worry about that right now. Itβs too early for any of that,β he mumbled softly. βJust drink your tea.βΒ
You two continued to drink tea until the rest of the scouts filled up the mess hall. Every day after that, though, you filled up his teacup with your familyβs tea.
It is so fucking funny to me how easily scandalized some people are wym callout post for a cannibalism kink. Grow up. This is the nothingburger leagues and you're throwing up in the stands
i love that we and cats share pareidolia (seeing patterns where they dont exist), but instead of seeing faces in everyday objects like us, they see snakes
that computer cord? snake. string? small snake. cucumber? short fat straight snake
snake pareidolia is one of the strongest things in human minds too! people report freezing mid-stride before being consciously aware of a snake in front of them, and the same happens with coiled rope, etc. in humans and other primates. itβs even been proposed that the need to detect snakes was a factor in the development of primatesβ insanely good color eyesight
