Chapter Text
Time seemed to freeze.
Eren stood still, gaping at the gorgeous, pale man before him.
Loud conversations were shared, door bells rang and noisy machines were put to use making coffee. None of it reached Eren's ears. The only thing that he could focus on was Levi.
"W-wait... Um ... H-huh?" Eren stammered.
Levi look slightly concerned about Eren's shocked expression, but repeated himself, nonetheless. "I asked if I could take you out sometime?"
Eren couldn't believe the words he was hearing. Of all the things he expected to hear, it wasn't that.
Panic flooded his eyes. What should he do? What should he say? How would he say it? Could he trust himself to speak at all?
"I ... I, well... ehh. I-"
'How could this get any worse?' he thought.
~~one hour ago~~
Eren made his way to his car, anxious before he got in it, anxious before he was even close to his destination.
He was 24 years old and currently working with his mother at a flower shop. He finally (after many arguments with his mother) got his own apartment and lived alone.
Eren didn't have a dream job or house in mind, so he was quite content staying close to family, living a simple life and for the most part, have no money issues. He spent most of his free time painting. Eren was a very talented artist but never fancied becoming famous for it. He just did it because it made him happy, it always had. And his mother always praised him for his skills, so he knew he wasn't horrible (not that he needed someone else to tell him how good he was.)
Today was his day off and he decided he would use today to pick up some art supplies. He also wanted to stop by his favorite coffee shop, Maria's Café, before he went shopping.
Going into that café was something that terrified Eren to the point where he would shake like a leaf. This might sound silly at first, but he had a good reason to be scared. Two good reasons actually.
The first reason was that there was a certain barista with an undercut, steely blue eyes, and was short, dark and handsome rather than tall, dark and handsome,
His name was Levi and Eren was absolutely head over heels for him. Just the sight of him made Eren's knees go weak. Levi spoke so gently to Eren, was always patient and could make a damn good cup of coffee.
The second reason that shook Eren was his speech. Eren had a stutter that was incomprehensible at best. He didn't stutter often, but if he had a reason to be nervous, speaking normally was out of the question. And boy, did Levi make him nervous. Some times it was less of a stutter and more of him just saying different words than he had intended. Either way, it embarrassed Eren to no end.
He left his apartment and went on his way. As he drove, he repeated his order, time after time, in his head and out loud. He got something different every time, which didn't help his case much.
He pulled into the parking lot with his hands fumbling with his car keys and he slowly opened his door. He took a deep, yet shaky breath to prepare himself for what was to come.
The bell chimed as Eren stepped inside the welcoming building. It felt so familiar and inviting. The scent of roasting coffee beans filled the air. There was a small line and not many of the tables were occupied. Unusual for a Friday.
Eren took his place in line, trying his hardest to be brave. Jealousy took over him as the people in front of him placed their orders with ease. He stepped to the side to see who was taking orders and sure enough, his favorite barista that gave him chills stood behind the cash register.
Anxiety settled in once again as the line got smaller and smaller. Soon, it was his turn. All the worry that he had had caused him to forget his order and he started sweating (in his brand new jacket too) and Levi looked at him with a friendly smile which only made him more nervous and god he just couldn't win today, could he?
"Welcome to Maria's Café, may I take your order?" Levi asked.
'Stop it. Stop being perfect right now.' Eren thought. He wished he could've screamed that to Levi despite his possible reaction. At least Levi would've been able to understand it.
"... Hello? Are you gonna order?" Levi asked as he raised a perfect brow in question.
Eren hadn't realized he was staring, or that he had missed Levi's question and a considerable amount of time went by.
He still didn't trust his words. So, instead he nodded.
"Okay, what would you like?"
"Um ..." Eren started. 'Come on, you just had it!' He thought. 'You got this.'
"I'd like ..." He began hesitantly. "I'd like a... uhh."
Levi stared back, waiting patiently. This was normal. He never rushed Eren, no matter how busy they were.
And like that, he remembered. Just not how he planned to say it. "A tai chi!" He exclaimed confidently.
Levi stifled his laughter and typed in his order.
Eren looked at him proudly, smiling widely and with good posture. He had never been so sure of himself.
That all faded when he realized what he had asked for.
Horror took over his features. His smile disappeared when his mouth hung open, his eyes were blown wide.
"N-no! I'm so- I mean- I mean, I meant... Wait!" He tried, he really did.
The barista only let out a soft chuckle. "Don't worry, it's okay. I knew what you meant. What size?"
Eren gulped. He decided to just point at the display medium cup rather than risk worsening his mistake.
Levi continued to smile when he punched it in. "Will that be it today?"
Eren avoided his gaze and nodded. He was sure his entire face was beet red at this point.
"Alright, one medium chai tea, coming up." He turned to go prepare Eren's drink as Eren wallowed in his self pity by the counter.
'I need help for this, I can't take it anymore.' He thought.
When Levi came back, Eren payed for his drink, nodded as a 'thanks' and sat alone at the table furthest from the counter, facing away from it.
He slumped his shoulders and nursed his tea. He knew he shouldn't pity himself so much over something so minuscule, but that didn't make it any less embarrassing. Eren knew this kind if thing happens to everyone, but that too was no consolation.
The tea was terrific, as expected. He never had a bad drink here. He sat in silence and enjoyed the warmth his drink brought to his cold hands.
Eren was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard the screech of the chair across from him being pulled out. He looked up to find none other than Levi sitting down in front of him.
"Hey." He greeted Eren simply.
'No, please don't. I can't do this.' Eren chanted in his head. He could barley ask for a drink, let alone carry on a conversation with this man.
"You come in here a lot... Eren, right?" Levi said, never letting that friendly smile of his disappear.
Eren only nodded... Again. For a moment he pondered if sign language would be an easier form of communication.
"You know, you don't have to be embarrassed. A lot of people say tai chi instead of chai tea." He assured Eren.
Eren internally groaned. In all honesty, he just wanted to forget the whole thing.
"Is it good?" Levi asked at the lack of response Eren was giving him, gesturing to his tea.
"Y-yeah..." Eren dared to say, quirking up the corners of his lips a bit.
"That's good." Levi held an expression that was almost endearing. He leaned on his elbows on the table. "You're really cute."
Eren almost fell out of his chair. 'He thinks I'm cute?! No way, I think he's cute too! ... Not that I'd ever admit that to him. Okay, I MUST be dreaming.' His breath picked up its pace and if he was blushing before, his face had definitely transformed into a tomato now.
Levi's smile was now more of a smirk. He was getting to Eren and he knew it.
"Say... Could I take you out sometime?"
This was met with silence. Eren's face changed to complete and utter disbelief. Seconds passed by. The seconds turned into a full minute without a response. Even now, Levi was being patient with Eren. He'd always be patient with him.
"W-wait... Um ... H-huh?" Eren stammered.
Levi noticed how Eren's breathing became irregular. He was a bit worried now but still repeated his question. "I asked if I could take you out sometime?"
"I ... I, well... ehh. I-" Eren's eyes couldn't meet Levi's. He was looking for an answer, any answer. Anything intelligible would work right now.
"Take your time." Levi cooed. He placed his hand on top of Eren's as a form of comfort. He slid his thumb along Eren's knuckles, reassuring him.
Miraculously, Eren's breath steadied and he laid his eyes on Levi at last. Levi had only ever made him anxious but now he soothed him, like he was an old friend.
Eren swallowed. "I..." He tried his best to reply. "Ye- sure... Yes" he said slowly.
Levi's smirk widened into a toothy grin. "That's good to hear." This made Eren giggle. "We could exchange numbers and I'll text you details later? My break's almost over."
Eren clumsily pulled out his phone and allowed Levi to punch in his number. He did the same on Levi's phone.
"Great. I guess I'll talk to you later. Bye, Eren." Levi stood up to leave and as he walked past Eren, his hand lingered on his shoulder, which made Eren shiver.
A few minutes later, Eren left. He sat in his car, thinking 'What just happened? When did I get so lucky?'
He then set out to the craft store, with a new found confidence.