It's Tuesday morning in Trost when you open the door to the cafe, the bells above the door ringing, alerting everyone inside that someone has walked into the small shop. “Hi! Welcome to Maria-Rose Cafe!” You smile and nod in acknowledgement, pulling your jacket a little tighter over yourself, still feeling a little chilly from the brisk morning air outside. I’ve only been able to come here on the weekends, but now I can finally come here before work! You giggle softly to yourself as you look up at the menu, pretending you won’t get the same drink you get every time you come here.
You walk up to the barista, smiling. “Good morning, Petra!” You’ve been here often enough on the weekends to recognize her, the two of you becoming friendly with each other.
“Morning, Y/N!” she chirps. “You’re never here on weekdays! Did you take the day off?” she asks, tilting her head.
You scoff softly. “I wish. I actually just got placed on the hybrid team at work! So I’ll work from home two days a week, and work in the office the other three.”
“Oh, that must be nice! You can be cozy all day,” she giggles.
You nod in agreement and smile. “It’ll be nice, and I’m glad my budget allows me to come here as often as I do. Though, I don’t know if I’ll come in every day, y’know?”
Petra nods in understanding. “Yeah, that makes sense. Now, Miss Comfy Cozy, what can I get ya?”
“The usual, babes,” you say, offering her a smile, “an Iced Caramel Macchiato and a blueberry scone.”
“Coming up!” She smiles. As she prepares your order, you pay and leave a nice tip (because of course).
You look around the shop, the weekday crowd filled with different people than the normal weekend crowd you were used to. You spot a man in the corner of the cafe, leaning against the bar: short, probably around your height, wearing a simple suit and black tie, black hair that’s nicely parted, but with an undercut surrounding the back of his head; grey eyes that look like storm clouds, and brows that look like they’re furrowed almost constantly, due to the small wrinkles gathered between his eyebrows. He lifts his head and the two of you make eye contact for a moment, and you smile, sending him a small wave. He tilts his head, eyeing you up and down, as if trying to remember if he’s seen you before or not. After hearing his name called, he looks to the order counter and moves to grab his drink. On his way out the door, he catches your eye once more as he passes you, the bells jingling as he leaves.
Levi. That’s a good name for a dog.
You’re pulled from your thoughts as Petra calls your name, holding your order in her hands. You take your order and wave goodbye, the bells ringing as you leave the shop and start heading home, ready to work, powered by the sugar you hold in your hands.
☕︎᭡.ೃ࿔*:･
The morning air wasn’t as cold when you walked into the cafe on Thursday. The bells ring as you walk inside and get in line behind the other patrons. You look around the cafe again, vaguely recognizing the faces you saw on Tuesday. You see the same man from last time, scrolling on his phone instead of on a call. It’s as if he knows you’re looking at him, because he looks up and once again eyes you, while you just wave and smile at him. He raises an eyebrow and looks away, gaze shifting back to his phone, as if surprised by your audacity. It makes you pause, but you don’t let it get to your head. Maybe he’s just having a bad morning.
Petra is once again behind the register, but the shop is busier today, leaving little time for conversation outside of ordering. You quickly move out of the way, scrolling on your phone as that same name is called, making you look up. The man, or Levi, walks up to grab his order and then briskly walks past you, out the door and turning right. Your name is called shortly after and you grab your order and leave, turning left to walk back home.
–
It’s Tuesday again, and you walk into the cafe, feeling a little flustered; you woke up a little later than usual. You still had time to get your coffee and scone, but had to rush a bit to get there. While walking in–maybe a little too quickly–you almost bump into that man again. “Sorry!” you whisper, cheeks flushed from almost making him spill his drink. Being this close allows you to get a bit of a better look at him, but only for a second, before looking away from being too flustered.
“Tch.” The man tuts and walks around you and out the door.
You blink a few times and shake your head, walking up to the register. “Hey, Petra.” You smile.
“You good?” she chuckles softly. “You almost ran into Levi; that would have been a hot mess. Literally.”
“Levi? Oh, the guy that’s always looking grumpy?” you ask, tilting your head.
“Yeah,” she muses, punching in your order. “Only seen him smile I think…one time? And I don’t even remember what it was for,”
After a few minutes, you get your order and wave goodbye as you walk out, the bells jingling as the door swings open.
☕︎᭡.ೃ࿔*:･
This routine continues for the next four months: you get to the cafe, give Levi a little smile and wave, he usually just barely acknowledges your presence–maybe gives a little “tch” or makes eye contact– then gets his name called and leaves before you even get to order.
But not today. You woke up early for some reason and couldn’t fall back to sleep, so you decided to get a head start on your day, heading to the cafe early. When you walk inside, you look around, surprised to not see Levi here yet. You shrug and walk up to the counter. “Good morning,” you smile, a sing-song tone in your voice.
“Well, look who’s here early!” She beams.
“My body said I can’t go back to sleep, so might as well come here and then get some stuff done before work.” You shrug.
She nods and smiles, punching in your order. “This one’s on the house today, babes.”
“What? Why?” you ask, eyes widening.
Petra simply smiles. “Because you’re my favorite customer!”
You smile. “I’ll treat you to lunch next time we can hang out,” you promise. She nods in agreement and you walk near the pick-up counter.
You hear the bells of the cafe door, and you turn your head to see Levi walking in, looking a little more tired than usual. His eyes find you, and he stops, looking surprised to see you here a little earlier. He looks at you like you disrupted his whole schedule by being here early. But still, you wave and smile at him.
“Y/N!” Your name is called by the other barista, Oluo, and you walk up and grab your order. You can feel his eyes on you as you walk up, not fading even as you turn and walk past him, as if he’s satisfied to finally put a name to the face he’s been seeing twice a week for months. You wave goodbye to Petra as you walk out, not noticing the tiny little smile on the corner of Levi’s mouth.
☕︎᭡.ೃ࿔*:･
When walking into the cafe a few weeks later, you see Levi sitting in his normal spot, which, for some reason, makes you smile. Seeing Petra isn’t the one at the register today, you order rather quickly, and walk over to stand by him.
“Good morning,” you smile.
He looks taken aback by the fact that you’re actually talking to him, not just smiling.
“Er–good morning,” he murmurs, quickly looking away.
You can’t help but notice the tips of his ears turning red, and the small pout that appears on his lips as he suddenly turns away after replying to you. Why does he look so cute doing that?
“Levi!” Oluo calls from the pick-up counter.
Levi shoots up and rushes to the counter and back, and hesitates just for a second as he passes you before walking to the door.
“Have a good day!” you call out as he leaves.
The mere action of talking to him makes you nervous? What is happening to you?
Unbeknownst to you, Levi’s heart is pounding as he speeds past the window of the shop, and he has to stop once he’s out of sight.
He clutches his chest and leans back against a wall, looking up.
The quick flash of your smile towards him, the way your voice sounded…he’s not going to forget that. He’s actually going to be replaying those moments all day. Sure, he’s thought you were quite pretty the whole time he’s been seeing you at the shop, but he didn’t think that you just telling him to have a good day would affect him like this.
What was happening to him? What were you doing to him?
☕︎᭡.ೃ࿔*:･
After seven months of working hybrid now, you and the rest of your team are suddenly called to work in-office every day for two weeks to work on a large job for a client. This means no coffee, no talks with Petra, and no seeing Levi, which sucks a little bit more than it should; you had just barely gotten him to finally start acknowledging you, giving you a small nod every time you smile and wave at him.
When you do finally show up at the cafe again, his eyes instantly find you, and he tilts his head. “Thought you were avoiding this place,” he scoffs. You’re taken aback; in the seven months you've been coming to the cafe, he’s never actually said anything more than ‘good morning’ and ‘how are you’.
You blink and clear your throat, an involuntary smile gracing your lips. “Nah, just had to go into the office; the client was super picky and my manager wanted to keep a close eye on our team.”
He nods, cocking an eyebrow. “What do you do for work?” he asks.
“Software engineer; I work for Sina Systems. You?” you smile, tilting your head curiously.
“Manager at Paradis accounting firm; I’m over the new hires.”
You smile. “Awww, you train all the greenies?”
He snorts, the corner of his mouth twitching up into a tiny smile. “Yeah; glorified babysitting and making sure those brats can actually do their jobs.”
You’re about to answer when his name is called, finally forcing him to tear his gaze away from you. He walks up to the counter and grabs his drink, then stops in front of you.
“You’ll be here Thursday?” he asks, his voice quiet.
The intimate tone of his voice makes your cheeks flush. “U-uh, yeah. I will be.”
He nods, giving a satisfied huff. “See you then.”
He walks past you, and before you can stop yourself, you say, “Bye, Levi.”
He turns around and looks at you, his gaze softening just enough for you to catch it. “Goodbye, Y/N.”
The moment your name leaves his lips, you know you’re done for; your heart skips a beat, and you know that you’ll never forget the way your name sounds coming from him. You also remember that he’s only heard your name maybe once or twice, from the time that you ordered before him, and the time that Petra called your name as you walked in. He remembered.
“Wow…” Petra murmurs, breaking you out of your daze. “You’re down bad already, huh?”
You let out a choked sound, head whipping around to her. “Petra! Y-You can’t just stay stuff like that! And c’mon, i-it’s not like that-”
“Ha! You’re a terrible liar. Your red cheeks and shaky ‘lil voice totally don’t give you away,” she smirks.
“It was our first time actually talking! Don’t be like this,” you whine.
“But he noticed when you were gone! That’s something!”
You shake your head, trying to get rid of the delusional thoughts filling your brain. “I’m not listening to you anymore. You’re crazy.”
Petra giggles, loving the reactions you’re giving her. “Just saying…he’s been coming here damn near every day for years…and he’s never talked to anyone that’s here at the same time as him,” she smiles, giving you a coy look.
You gulp. “I’m ignoring you! You have nothing sensible to say, you delusional woman,” you chuckle nervously, grabbing your order that was placed on the pick-up counter a while ago.
You hear her giggles, and her teasing, “Bye, Y/N~!” as you rush out the door.
As you walk back to your apartment, you can’t stop replaying the way your name sounded coming from him. “Maybe I really am crazy,” you murmur to yourself.
☕︎᭡.ೃ࿔*:･
You wake up early again on Thursday morning, deciding to put a little bit of makeup on before you go to the cafe since you were up earlier than normal. Why? No reason. Tooootally no reason at all. You end up getting to the cafe at the same time as Levi. That? Actually a coincidence. “O-oh, good morning,” you murmur, both of you getting to the door at the same time.
Levi snorts in amusement. “Morning.” He opens the door and gestures for you to go in first, and you nod in acknowledgement as you slip inside past him.
You stand awkwardly in front of him in line, trying to ignore Petra’s teasing gaze and praying that Levi doesn’t see it. You quickly order and pay, stepping to the side, subconsciously waiting for him. He orders and pays, and stands beside you. You turn to look at him. He’s short, maybe only an inch taller than you, but he gives off tall guy vibes. Handsome face, sharp jawline, grey eyes that remind you of storm clouds…
Levi clears his throat, and your attention snaps away from him, your face heating up. He definitely clocked you staring at him. “You normally get the same thing every morning, yes?” he asks softly, trying to break the tension.
“Normally, yeah, but since it’s winter now, I changed my iced drink to hot.” You smile. “Caramel macchiato and a scone this time. What do you usually get?”
“Black tea,” He nods.
“You a milk and sugar type of guy?”
He scoffs. “Absolutely not. Why would I ruin my tea with that?”
You blink a few times and huff softly, a small smile on your lips. “We have very different tastes, it seems; I can’t stand tea. Not enough flavor, too bitter.”
He looks at you as if you just offended his ancestors. “And to think I had started to look forward to seeing you–” He stops himself and he looks away slightly, the tips of his ears turning red.
The comment makes you blush as well, and you look away, heart deciding to freak out and go much faster than it needed to.
“Levi?” a barista calls. He looks up and exhales, grateful for the sudden interruption. He grabs his drink and turns back to you.
“…Tuesday?” he asks softly.
Your lips curl up into a small smile. “Tuesday.”
He nods and walks out briskly, as if trying to escape the embarrassment he still might feel.
Petra looks at you again, giving you a sly grin. “Oooooh,” she coos.
“From barely acknowledging me to finally talking, huh? Absence really does make the heart grow fonder,” you snicker.
☕︎᭡.ೃ࿔*:･
On Tuesday, you arrive at the same time Levi does, and you can’t help but give him a small smile as you see him.
“Hey,” you smile, your voice soft and almost fond.
“Morning, Y/N,” Levi grunts as he opens the door to the shop. “Why don’t you go sit? I’ll get your drink today,”
You furrow your brows and shake your head. “What? No you don’t need to do that!”
He huffs and flicks his chin towards a table. “Sit, brat. I said I’m getting your drink,”
You sit down, not missing the triumphant smirk that creeps onto his lips as he walks to the register. Seeing his reaction made your stomach flip, and your body heat up.
Calm down, girl. you think to yourself. A man getting your coffee should not be getting you worked up.
Meanwhile, out of earshot, Petra eyes him as he walks up to the register. “Finally showing interest, Levi?” she asks, a smirk on her lips.
Levi’s face heats up, and he scoffs. “Tch, you think you’re so smart, don’t you?”
“You think she’s pretty. Admit it.”
“Leave it, Petra. Just put the damn order in,” he hisses, voice low so you can’t hear him.
“You gonna ask her out?”
Levi’s cheeks go red. “T-that’s none of your business, Petra!”
“You should do it, though. I think you two would be good for each other.” she smiles, as she finishes putting in the order.
“Petra–”
“I’m just saying, I think you should.”
Levi turns to look back at you. You’re sitting at the booth, scrolling on your phone.
“Maybe,” he murmurs.
“Maybe?” she teases, tilting her head.
“I just don’t know her yet, is all.” Levi could almost hear the eye-roll Petra gave him.
“Well, dates are for getting to know people.”
Levi looks at the pickup counter and sees his order is ready. “I suppose you’re right.” he murmurs.
He grabs the tray with your drinks and heads back to the table to sit across from you.
“Welcome back; you were up there a while,” you smile.
“Tch.” He rolls his eyes and sets down the drink tray in front of you.
“Thanks again for getting the drinks,” you smile, taking your sugary overload of a drink out of the tray.
“It’s really no problem,” he mutters.
He looks down at his watch. He doesn’t have as much time to talk with you as he’d like, making him frown slightly.
“You okay, Levi?” you ask, voice soft.
“I gotta head to work soon,” he murmurs, looking up at you. “Um…are you free–?”
Just then, your phone starts ringing. You shoot him an apologetic look and quickly answer it, humming in response a few times, and finally grunting as you end the call. “I have to go,” you say quickly. “Work emergency. Thank you again for the drink. Thursday?”
Levi sighs softly, trying to hide his disappointment. “Yeah. Thursday.”
“Bye, Levi!” you smile, grabbing your drink and rushing out the door.
Levi looks at his hands, shyly playing with his fingers, feeling alone at the table now that you left so suddenly. “Dammit…” he whispers to himself.
He looks up to Petra, who has a reassuring look in her eyes.
He stands up and grabs his drink, and walks out the door, trying to not let himself get down from the experience. He can always try again on Thursday.
☕︎᭡.ೃ࿔*:･
You can’t stop the smile on your face that appears the moment you see Levi outside the coffee shop. “Good morning!” you muse.
He rolls his eyes, unable to hide his smile as he opens the door for you. “Morning, brat.”
“Is that your new nickname for me?” you smile, walking up to the register with him.
“It can be, if you want it,” he purrs softly, a small smirk on his lips.
The teasing, yet sultry tone of his voice catches you off guard, making your cheeks heat up rather quickly. You laugh nervously, shoving him lightly. “You tease.”
He cocks an eyebrow, amused as you push him. The smirk on his lips grows a bit more as he sees how much his comment affected you. “You liked it, then?”
Your eyes widen as you realize how bold he’s truly being. “What the–shut up!” you murmur, trying to calm your racing heart.
“It’s a simple yes or no question,” he muses, gently pushing you back.
“And you will not be getting an answer from me,” you huff, jutting out your bottom lip in a pout as you walk up to the register together.
He lets out an amused hum, as if saying, ‘We’ll see about that.’
“Good morning,” Petra giggles, eyeing the two of you suspiciously. “You came together today?”
“No–we just ran into each other at the–”
“We did,” Levi finishes. He’s not gonna let you take this from him.
He went from not even acknowledging you to suddenly and boldly flirting with you? Not that you minded that he was flirting with you, it just caught you off guard.
“The usual for you both, then?” Petra hums, unable to keep that stupid, sly grin off her face.
“Mhm, I got it this time–” you reach for your wallet when Levi grabs your wrist, stopping you from even attempting to actually try and pay.
“You don’t pay–I do.” Levi rubs his thumb on the inside of your wrist, not letting go, even as he hands his card to Petra.
Your heart stops as he rubs your wrist, the action feeling so intimate, you don’t even know what to do. “Y-yeah…okay.” You nod.
He smirks again, pulling you over to wait for your order with him. He keeps you close, as if he doesn’t want to let you go.
The two of you stay in silence for a few minutes, Levi never letting go of your wrist.
“Listen, I need to ask you something,” he says suddenly.
“What is it?” you ask, tilting your head.
“I was wondering if you’re free this–”
Your phone starts ringing, and you answer it, letting out a few huffs. “I have to go, it’s another emergency at work–”
It’s then that Levi’s name is called, and you rush up to grab your drink.
“I’m so sorry! I’ll see you on Thursday!” You wave goodbye, shooting him an apologetic glare as you rush out the door.
Levi sighs, letting his head fall back.
“Well…there’s a few days until Tuesday, just make sure that it happens then.” Petra says softly, handing Levi his drink.
“Yeah,” he murmurs, looking down at the ground.
Two times in a row? Were you actually having work emergencies or did you just want to get away from him?
He looked up at Petra, eyes full of determination. “Tuesday, it’ll happen. Work emergency be damned. I will ask her out or give her my number.”
☕︎᭡.ೃ࿔*:･
On Tuesday, Levi is standing outside the cafe, waiting for you. He looks around, almost as if he’s looking for you.
The moment he sees you, he opens the door for you. “Y/N,” he nods.
“Good morning, Levi.” You smile.
The two of you walk into the cafe, and he ushers you to a booth, making sure you’re sat as he goes to order. If he’s going to ask you out, he needs to do it quickly, in case another ‘work emergency’ happens again.
He orders your drinks, and Petra doesn’t even try to make conversation since she knows he’s a man on a mission.
“Y/N,” Levi says as he sits down across from you.
“Levi,” you smile, mocking his serious tone.
He rolls his eyes and huffs. “Brat. I have something to ask you, but you keep getting called away by those damned work emergencies.”
“And what would that be?”
He clears his throat and takes a breath. You can’t help but notice the tips of his ears turning red.
“Friday. Six-thirty. Are you free?” he asks, looking into your eyes.
You swear your heart stops for a moment. “W-what?”
He takes a deep breath, his eyes never leaving yours. “I’d like to take you out on Friday evening. Are you free?”
You can feel your cheeks heating up, and your heart speeding up, too. “L-let me check my schedule.”
You shakily take your phone out, checking your schedule.
“Levi!” Petra calls his name, holding the tray with your orders.
“Don’t move,” he murmurs, as if afraid you’ll leave while he goes to grab the drinks.
You nod, watching him as he walks up, your eyes tracing his body. This fine-ass man just asked you out! You can’t say no!
He sits back down, handing you your drink.
“I’m free on Friday,” you murmur, trying to keep your voice steady.
You can see him visibly relax, his shoulders slumping slightly.
“Perfect. I can’t come here on Thursday, I have an early morning meeting, so let’s exchange numbers.” he murmurs, his tone fond.
You exchange phones with him, putting in your contact information, leaving your contact name as ‘Y/N☕’.
When he gives you back your phone, you can’t help but smile, seeing his contact name left as ‘Levi A. 🫖 .’
“Aww, we used the drinks we normally get,” you smile, kicking your feet happily under the table.
“Yeah, yeah.” Levi doesn’t even stop himself from smiling as he looks at your contact info.
After getting your drinks, the two of you talk for a bit longer, about nothing in particular, before you both realize you’re late and sprint to work.
☕︎᭡.ೃ࿔*:･
On Friday evening, you’re fussing with your hair and makeup, whining softly. “The one day I have something to do, and you don’t wanna work with me?”
It’s six twenty-seven; Levi will be here any minute. You take a step back and look in the mirror.
You’re wearing a black square neck dress with puff sleeves that goes a little past your knees, and black velvet pumps with ankle straps. Your hair is curled in a little half updo, held together with a cute black bow. Simple makeup, some eyeshadow, mascara, and a nice little lip.
He told you to dress nice, so you did.
You grab your purse and hear him knock, the sound making your heart jump into your throat. Smoothing out your dress one more time, walk to the door and open it.
Levi is standing in the doorway, wearing a black button-up shirt, the top two buttons undone, sleeves rolled halfway up his arms, with black dress pants and shoes. He’s holding a bouquet of sunflowers and roses.
“Y/N…you look beautiful.” His voice is soft as he looks at you.
“Ah! Thank you, Levi. Um…here!” you say, opening the door a bit wider, “Come in for a second while I put these in a vase.”
You gingerly take the flowers from him, and go to put them away, feeling his eyes on you the entire time.
“Cute place you got here. It suits you,” he murmurs, finally tearing his gaze away from you to look around your apartment, while you grab your purse.
“Thanks, I really love it.” You smile, walking up to him.
“Ready to go?” Levi asks, holding out his hand to you with a small smile.
“Yeah,” you smile back, taking his hand.
His hand is warm, softer than you expected, but still a little rough with the calluses on his fingertips. He pauses while you lock your door, and leads you to his car.
“Whoa, what a beauty,” you murmur, looking at the car in front of you.
“1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429. We’re not gonna talk about how much money I spent to get her. I call her ‘Noir’. She’s my baby.” Levi smiles, opening the car door for you.
As you get inside the car, you can tell how much he cares for the vehicle: every inch of the car is sparkling, looking good enough to be in a museum or on display at a car show. You carefully buckle up and look over at him.
“Levi…you look really nice, too,” you murmur shyly, finally working up the nerve to compliment him back.
He smiles, looking down at you, before shutting the car door, and walking around to the driver’s side, and sliding in.
He starts the car and pulls out of your apartment’s parking lot.
Driving through Trost, you can’t help but notice the scenery around you. Skyscrapers and houses light up every foot of the streets, neon lights blazing around you as you drive through the city.
Soft music plays through the radio as you drive, and with a quick glance at Levi’s phone, you see that he’s playing an alternative indie rock playlist. Not what you expected, but it somehow suits him. The two of you don’t talk, but Levi quietly hums along to the music playing.
You keep looking out the window, eyes glued to the lights zipping past you. Partly because you’re too nervous to look at Levi, and also because you just like looking at everything outside.
Levi breaks the silence, keeping his eyes on the road, “I had meant to tell you, but I’m taking you to the Ivory Candle.”
“The what!? Like the Ivory Candle, the fanciest restaurant in Trost?” Your mouth falls open in awe.
Levi just chuckles, turning to you for a moment. “Yes, that Ivory Candle.”
“Wow…that’s sweet of you, thank you, Levi,” you say sincerely.
“It’s no problem. A pretty girl like you deserves to be taken to somewhere nice,” he says confidently.
“You…really are bold,” you murmur, your cheeks flushing.
He rests his hand on your knee and squeezes it gently. “Only when it comes to things that really interest me.”
You look up at him, his touch making your body heat up. He notices your flushed look, and mistaking it for panic, pulls his hand away.
“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable–”
“No! You didn’t!” you say, pulling his hand back and looping your fingers through his, resting your intertwined hands on your thigh. “I just got flustered is all,” you murmur.
You look back at Levi and see his cheeks are just as red, the tips of his ears even darker.
“Okay,” he whispers, as if unable to get his voice any louder.
The two of you sit quietly, the only sound around you being the soft music coming from his car radio.
Levi never lets go of your hand, his thumb gently rubbing on your knuckles, a soothing gesture.
After driving for what seems to be hours, but was only about thirty minutes, Levi pulls up to a valet booth in front of the restaurant, getting out of the car and helping you out, his hand finding the small of your back.
He tosses his keys to the valet and leads you to the door, where he opens it and lets you in first, before walking with you to the hostess stand in front, giving the girl a polite smile.
“Reservation for Ackerman,” Levi says, his hand finding your waist and pulling you closer.
“Ah! Perfect! Welcome, Mr. Ackerman, right this way,” the hostess smiles, leading you both to the back, outside onto a small deck, surrounded by no more than five other decorated tables. “Enjoy your night!” she smiles before she disappears back into the restaurant.
Levi pulls out your chair, and pushes it in as you sit down. He walks around the table and sits across from you, moving the candle on the table to the side so he can see you.
“Do you drink, Y/N?” Levi asks.
“Personally, no. I don’t mind if you do, though.” You smile.
“Well, I’ll be driving us home, and I wouldn’t want anything to happen to my baby.” He pauses. “Or you, of course,” he snickers.
You roll your eyes and snicker, unable to hide a smile. “Yeah, we wouldn’t want anything to happen to your precious Noir,” you tease.
A waiter then walks up to you, a boy with dark hair and freckles. “Good evening, Mr. Ackerman. Can I get anything for you to drink?”
Levi glances at the boy’s name tag and then back up to his face. “Two non-alcoholic Moscow Mules, if you will, Marco.”
The boy nods happily. “Of course! Here is the menu for you to look at in the meantime!”
He sets a menu in front of each of you, and walks back into the restaurant.
“Get whatever you want,” Levi says, a lazy smile on his face.
You gulp. It’s one of those restaurants that doesn’t even have prices on the menu. You read it carefully, trying to pick out which one looks the cheapest. “Uh…okay.”
Levi glances up at you, seeing the anxiety in your eyes. “Hey,” he says softly, grabbing your hand, “don’t worry about it. I wouldn’t bring you here if I couldn’t afford it. Besides, you’re insane if you think I’m gonna even let you pay for a single cent of this, including the tip.”
You watch him repeat the soothing gesture he did in the car, rubbing his thumb across your knuckles. “Okay,” you smile, not letting go of his hand.
“Atta girl,” he smiles.
The praise added to the teasing tone of his voice makes you gulp, and you end up squeezing his hand a bit tighter. “D-don’t say things like that,” you murmur. It's a lie, really. You do want him to keep saying things like that, but it’s just making you extremely flustered.
Noticing how shy it made you, Levi’s gaze softens. He’s not even bothering to look at his menu anymore, his gaze is just on you.
“Do you want me to stop with the nicknames?” he asks softly, gently squeezing your hand.
You shake your head silently, glancing up at him through your eyelashes.
“Okay,” he smiles. “Just let me know if it’s too much.”
He’s considerate too?! Making sure you don’t explode from how perfect he’s being? Heaven help you, you might not make it through this date.
“Your drinks, Mr. Ackerman!” Marco chirps as he walks back to your table, setting down two small bronze cups. “Have you had a chance to look at the menu?”
Levi looks up at you, eyebrow cocked. “Have you decided on an appetizer that you want?”
You look back down at the menu to glance down at it one more time, and look back up between Marco and Levi.
“I was thinking about the charcuterie board–what about you?”
“As long as you plan on sharing.” Levi winks, making you blush.
Marco clears his throat, and with a little squeak, says, “Okay!” Before running back into the restaurant.
Levi chuckles and looks back at you. “Seems like you’re not the only one who’s flustered.”
You huff and roll your eyes, ready to change the subject.
“So…Levi, what are some of your hobbies? Or just…what do you like in general?” you ask.
“I like tea, any aspect of it, really. Recently, I’ve been going to tea classes that teach you what teas pair well with what foods, how to host tea parties, and going to antique stores to look for tea sets.” He hums, trying to think. “Oh! Axe throwing is something I also started doing a few months ago…and going outside occasionally. Other than that, I’ve been told I’m quite boring,”
You can’t help but giggle at the differences in his likes. “Tea and axe throwing? Are you sure you’re boring?’
Levi shrugs. “You like what you like. What about you? What are your interests?”
“Hm…I’ve been told I’m quite the homebody. I like reading, watching movies, and playing video games every now and then. I also really love going to the beach, when I actually do end up leaving my house,” you muse.
Levi’s eyebrows shoot up, and he smirks. “I’ll have to take you sometime then,”
“Oh? Is that a promise?”
“Most definitely.”
While the appetizers and entrees come, the two of you talk more in depth about what you do for work; Levi explaining how he’s been at his job for almost ten years, starting right after he graduated college.
You tell him you only moved to Trost two years ago, moving here from Shiganshina specifically to start this job. You started out at the entry level, but moved up through the ranks pretty quickly after your managers saw how proficient you were, moving you up to Full-Stack engineering. From there, conversation flowed easily- moving seamlessly across topics as if you had known each other for years.
“Did you see how Oluo was flirting with Petra the other day?” you ask Levi, eyes wide.
Levi nods, chuckling. “I think he should ask her out, he seems to really like her.”
“Right! He flirts with her all the time! If he asks her out, then we can go on a double date!”
“A double date? That could be fun. Sounds like you’re planning on continuing this endeavor in the future, too,” Levi teases.
The tiramisu Levi ordered for dessert gets neglected as the two of you continue talking; you find he’s actually really funny, despite thinking him to be a grumpy man. You learn that he likes cats, that he’s very fond of the trainees he oversees, whom he calls his ‘scouts’, almost seeing them like his own children.
You end up divulging your love of cosplay to him, already promising to drag him to a convention next year. You tell him of the hundreds, maybe thousands of dollars you’ve spent on the cosplays themselves, and the trinkets sold at conventions, all the while assuring him that you are indeed financially responsible; however, you allow yourself to splurge just once a year.
When the bill finally arrives, Levi doesn’t even let you get to glance at it before handing it to Marco confidently. When Marco comes back, Levi helps you out of your chair and hands Marco a crisp one hundred dollar bill, which makes the freckled boy beam and spew repeated thanks to Levi.
Driving back from the restaurant, your heart feels light. You haven't been on a date in a while, much less a date where the man taking you out made you feel like a princess. His hand is on your knee, rubbing small circles into the fabric of your dress with his thumb.
When you arrive back at your apartment, he takes your hand and leads you up to your front door, his grip on your hand gentle but firm.
“I had a really good time tonight, Levi.” You smile, fidgeting with your keys.
“I did, too, Y/N,” Levi says softly, taking a step closer.
You can feel your heart rate spike; is he about to move in to kiss you?!
“I’d love to see you again, if you’d like.”
“I…I would really like that, Levi,” you whisper, finally looking up into his eyes.
He smiles softly and lifts his hand, cupping your right cheek. He leans in and presses his lips to your left cheek, close to the corner of your mouth. His lips are soft, and warm, and just the touch of his lips on your cheek makes your eyes flutter closed.
“I find it improper to kiss a lady on the first date,” he whispers, sliding his hand from your cheek, down your arm, and to your hand, taking hold of it. “But I had to do something. I hope you didn’t mind,”
You feel like you’re in a haze, and you have to shake your head to focus. “No…I didn’t mind at all, Levi,” you smile, knowing full well your cheeks are bright red.
His gaze softens, and he raises your hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to your knuckles. “I’ll text you when I’m home.”
His kiss on your hand makes you almost let out a squeak. “Y-yeah! Please do.”
He chuckles softly and finally lets go of your hand. “I’ll let you get inside; I don’t want to keep a beautiful lady out all night.”
Your face falls for a split second as he lets go of your hand, your hand feeling empty. You nod, putting your keys in the door. “Get home safe, Levi. Goodnight,” you smile.
“Goodnight, Y/N, sleep well.”
The last thing you see before you fully shut the door is Levi standing there, a soft smile on his face.
Locking the door behind you, you let out a shaky breath. It was only one date!! Why are you feeling like this already?
You slump down onto the couch, staring at the wall, unable to think about anything but him, your mind replaying every moment of the date over and over again.
Fifteen minutes later you get a text from Levi:
Levi A. 🫖: I made it home safely. I truly had a wonderful night with you. I look forward to seeing you again on Tuesday.
You giggle like a schoolgirl as you read his text, and you text him back almost immediately, not caring if you look desperate:
You: I really enjoyed tonight too, Levi. Sleep well, I’ll see you on Tuesday. 😊
Levi A. 🫖: Goodnight, sleep well, Y/N. ☺️
Your neighbors must think you’re crazy as you squeal over his text.
You get ready for bed, the goofy grin that came onto your lips threatening to never leave. You flop onto your bed, looking at his texts again. “I’m so screwed.”
not the proudest of marcos color scheme here, but i really like how i rendered ymirs hair. so thats a win. happy pride month. bleagh. i was gonna post this alongside more doodles but i am tired bro. snorkkkk mimimimimi. levi art coming soon, or vinland saga. somethin somethin.
includes; eren, mikasa, armin, jean, connie, sasha, marco and porco
note; not proofread, this was a rough one ngl but i feel like it captured how i see them pretty closely
masterlist
Eren ⋆˚꩜｡
eren would love pizza, especially the shitty ones. they hold this kind of nostalgia where carla would buy him pizza as a reward after his soccer tournaments as kid. he’s emotionally attached to that pizza.
Mikasa ⋆˚꩜｡
mikasa loves strawberry shortcake. she loved the character so much as a kid and was ecstatic when she found out about the actual dessert ! her mom made it for her once and she’s been hooked since, she has long learned the recipe and prepares it for her friends if they’re feeling down.
Armin ⋆˚꩜｡
salt and vinegar chips. he loves eating those as he games, they’re just too good. a great light snack, tastes good, easy accessibility while he’s destroying everyone his opponents, it’s perfect. i also headcanon armin a very picky eater, the kind that only eats fires and chicken strips.
Jean ⋆˚꩜｡
jean is a man of eloquence, a man of taste. he doesn’t just love food, he adores it and can be very picky about where he eats and how certain dishes are made. his favorite dish ? tiramisu. it’s so easy to mess up this very simple recipe and so difficult to perfect it. jean can get very peculiar about it, he’s tried countless restaurants and yet no one does it quite like he does. he takes it upon himself to provide the dish for both himself and those he cares about when they so as much crave it, he definitely delivers. chef jean is real to me, okay ?
Connie ⋆˚꩜｡
chilli dogs. they’re so goodddd, he has this special stand that he passes on his way back from uni. he frequents it a lot obviously, especially after particularly rough days, they always cheer him up !
Sasha ⋆˚꩜｡
it’s no secret that sasha loves food, all kinds of it, but i’m inclined to say that her favorite food would be a seafood boil. sasha loves to use most of, if not all, her senses to enjoy food, it just turns it into an experience. she doesn’t mind the mess, and actually doesn’t like eating with gloves on, she needs to touch the food to properly taste it.
Marco ⋆˚꩜｡
my lovely boy here LOVES almond croissants. i feel like marco would generally love breakfast with its meal options as opposed to lunch or dinner. he finds eating breakfast with the fresh breeze blowing on his hair and the bird chirping in the background is peak human experience. he loves relaxing in the morning, taking it slow, have his beloved almond croissant with a cup of coffee (with milk/creamer ofc) maybe even hot chocolate every now and then as he observes the street below him from his balcony right after sunrise.
Porco ⋆˚꩜｡
burgers and italian sandwiches. porco loves sandwiches, they’re so versatile; you can eat them for breakfast, lunch, dinner, as a snack literally anytime anywhere they’re always a great option. his favorite way to eat them would probably be with a cold redbull can (the white one) or iced tea (peach flavored but if it’s too sweet he’s not drinking it) with a side of salt and balsamic vinegar kettle cooked chips.
