Welcome to the Little Titan Caf '!

Today's special: Caff ' Mocha

There was an unspoken law that dictated as soon as you were alone at work ' Eren had gone out to take out the trash ' customers would suddenly appear; appearing thirty minutes after absolute boredom and Marco goofing off with Eren. It was only two customers, thankfully, so Marco Bodt thought he 'd be fine taking care of them on his own. He smiled politely at the young woman, probably around his age, dimples crinkling at the corners of either of his eyes, 'Welcome to the Little Titan Caf '. How can I help you? '

The bell chimed and another customer entered the shop. The woman opened her mouth to order, but was rudely interrupted when the newest patron suddenly forced his way to the front of the line, 'I am in a rush, so I need to order. '

Marco stared in shock at the man, smile faltering. There was an air of importance about him that Marco caught in the tone of his voice and the impatient look in his eyes. 'Um, excuse me, sir, but there 's a line ' '

'Does it look like I care? I 'll take a colossal decaf. '

'I 'm sorry, sir, but you 're going to have to get in line. '

'I have somewhere to be. Or did you not hear when I said that I am in a rush? '

Marco smiled patiently. 'It 's past ten-o 'clock at night, sir. I 'm sure wherever you have to be can wait. Now if you could please step to the back of the line? '

'Now listen here you ignorant punk, I work for a big company, you got that? I don 't have some dead end job, ' Marco let out a gentle sigh. So this man was one of

those

types, 'and I have a conference call with some big people from different parts of the world in a little bit. And if I am late for that meeting because you refuse to do your job, I promise you I will get you fired. I 'll see to it that you 're never hired anywhere else. '

'I apologize, sir, that you decided to get coffee so close to your meeting, rather than being prepared for it ahead of time, but you 're going to have to get to the back of the line. ' Marco 's smile widened as he tilted his head, 'You

will

be late for your meeting if we continue to argue over this. '

'That 's why I 'm saying just make me my damn coff ' '

'What 's going on here? ' Eren finally returned from taking out the trash. The two other customers looked uncomfortable over the encounter. The businessman 's voice raised with every word he spluttered at Marco, cheeks tinged an angry red.

'This punk refuses to make my coffee, ' the businessman pointed out.

'This customer cut in front of this woman, ' Marco corrected, 'and refuses to get in line. '

'Get in the back of the line, ' Eren said with less patience than Marco.

'

Excuse

me? ' the man scowled. 'This is an outrage. Where is your manager? '

'Oh, let me get him. ' Eren disappeared in the back, only to come back out two seconds later, an all-too pleased smirk on his face. 'What seems to be the problem? '

The customer slammed the side of his fist onto the register counter. 'I will not stand for this. Do you know who I am? '

Eren 's face fell flat. 'Listen, asshat. Even if you were baby-fucking-Jesus I

still

wouldn 't give a rat 's ass. Now,if you 're not going to get in the back of the line, then get the hell out of my store. '

'Give me the store owner 's number. I will see you

both

fired. '

'Good luck with that, ' Eren snorted. 'I 'm kind of her son. ' He received far too much satisfaction in the way the man 's face turned a bright furry of red. By now, the other patrons sitting in the shop had taken off any earphones they were using to hear what all the commotion was about. 'I 'm only going to ask nicely one last time: remove your fucking presence from my store. You 're disturbing the other customers. '

The businessman glanced from Marco to Eren, debating whether he could push his luck any further. Marco looked like a pushover with his pleasant attitude and all Eren had going for him were his scowls which '

let 's be honest

' weren 't that intimidating. But he caught the look that passed over the freckled-barista 's face, a look that wasn 't kind at all, something that halted any further thoughts of harassing them further; a look that reflected hell. He swallowed thickly. 'F-fine. But I 'm never coming back again. You just lost

my

business. '

Eren sniffed haughtily as the businessman stormed out of the shop. 'That 's right, you better leave. ' He turned to Marco, whose expression had returned to its usual softness, and patted him on the shoulder. 'There we go. Got it all handled. '

'Thanks, Eren, ' Marco chirped. He turned to the female customer who stared up at him in awe, 'Sorry about that, ma 'am. Now what can I get you? '

'Your number, ' she squeaked, instantly turning red. 'I mean. Um. I 'll have an armored caramel latte. '

As Marco went about taking their orders with Eren making them, Eren couldn 't help but be impressed with the new hire. Even with that businessman practically yelling at him, Marco had remained calm through the whole exchange. He remembered when Sasha had her first terrible costumer; she 'd been ready to burst into tears and wouldn 't calm down until she had food to nibble on. Connie flipped the bird at his first ' thankfully it was only Eren there, and not many other customers around, so word hadn 't gotten back to his mother. Other employees hadn 't handled their first terrible customers well, either. Eren nearly punched his and would have done so had his mother not held him back.

He still remembered that day rather fondly. Some idiot thought he could get away with claiming that Eren short-changed him.

That

happened way too much with customers.

'I don 't know how you can be so patient, ' Eren commented after they were done with the patrons.

Marco shrugged. 'I worked as a waiter before this. I think it toughened me up a bit. '

Something told Eren that it had more to do with his nature than working at a restaurant. 'You should have gotten that girl 's number. She was cute. '

'Ah, ' a hint of a blush made his freckles stand out a little more, 'nah. I don 't ' uh ' '

Eren nodded in understanding. 'Oh, no, I get it. You 're taken. '

'No, no, ' Marco waved his hands. 'Nothing like that. It 's just that, I 'm ' '

'You 're '? '

'You

know

' '

'I don 't know '? '

'I swing the other way. '

'Huh? '

'I

bat for the other team

. '

'What? I don 't really know anything about baseball. '

Marco sighed. He took a step in front of Eren and set a hand on his shoulder just as the shop door opened and the bell jingled, 'Eren, I 'm gay. '

'Oh, okay. ' Eren turned his head towards the entrance, beaming at Levi who was halted in place. The frown on the man 's face was profound, an unreadable emotion flickering in his eyes as he stared at Marco and Eren. 'Hey, Le ' ' He gulped the name down, wondering how he ever said it the first time, 'er, welcome back! '

Marco removed his hand, a cold chill coursing through his body as Levi 's gaze passed over him. He glanced at his wristwatch, 'You got this, Eren? It 's time for me to clock out. '

'Yeah, yeah. Don 't worry 'bout me. '

Marco nodded and hurried to the back, desperate to remove himself from the man 's line of sight. Was it him or had the customer looked

murderous

? An inkling as to why had him smiling.

'So what 's it gonna be tonight, oh short and mysterious one? ' Eren asked with a grin.

Levi approached the bar with a

tch

. He dumped his messenger bag on the counter, 'Triple shot colossal mocha. '

'Whoa. Long day at the office? '

Levi removed his coat. 'I don 't have an office. '

Eren fiddled with the espresso machine, 'So you

don 't

work at a company or anything? Do you work from home? '

'Yes. '

Double

whoa

. That was the most honest thing Levi had ever said about himself. After not having an office, that is. Eren tried to think of jobs that people could do from home, 'Are you a web designer or something? '

'No. '

Darn. 'Computer software engineer? '

'No. '

'Are you one of those teachers that teach online? '

'I already said no to 'teacher ' and 'professor. ' '

'Are you

sure

you 're not a writer? '

'I am sure. '

'See you, Marco, ' Eren waved as Marco headed out, his steps quickening when catching Levi 's gaze. 'He sure left in a hurry. Can 't really blame him, I guess. ' He set Levi 's drink down.

'You two seem close, ' Levi said, bringing the large cup closer to him.

'Marco 's a nice guy. '

'Do you like nice guys? '

'Eh? I guess. ' Eren furrowed his brows at the question. He couldn 't shake the feeling that there was an underlying meaning that he wasn 't getting.

Levi raised the cup to his lips and blew into it. 'So you like guys. '

'W-well, yeah, ' Eren mumbled, wondering how the conversation went from Levi 's career to Eren 's sexuality.

Levi took a careful sip. 'And you like ' him. '

'

What

? No! I mean, yeah he 's a nice guy, but he 's just a friend. '

'I see. '

'You 're being really weird, you know that? Not that you 're

not

weird. Just weirder. '

Levi set his drink down, unperturbed by Eren 's remark. His posture was relaxed, and as far as the rest of the world was concerned, appeared tranquil if not for the shadow in his eyes. There was always a shadow in his eyes, but tonight it was darker. More menacing. 'I suppose you 're right. '

'You normally don 't agree with me, either. Did something happen at work? '

'Is that any of your business? '

It was a sting to Eren 's heart; a reminder that he was an employee and Levi was a customer, and that was all that their relationship entailed. And for once since Eren met Levi, he felt bitter towards his vague and cryptic nature. Sometimes he felt close. Other times, like now, he felt distant and unapproachable. 'No. I guess not. '

'Do you want to know why I won 't tell you what I do? '

Eren blinked. 'Yes? '

'Technically I have two jobs. '

'Well

that 's

not fair. Now I 'm going to have to guess both things. ' Levi really was being weird and strangely forthcoming, but despite that, Eren doubted he 'd come clean about either of his jobs. 'But that still doesn 't explain why you won 't just tell me. It 's not like I 'm going to go blab to anyone that you 're an undercover cop. I promise we 're not cooking meth in the back. It just looks like it. '

' ' '

Eren set a comforting hand over Levi 's. 'Unless you 're into that. Do you sell pot or something? Are you a drug dealer? Is that it? I can get you into a support group for that addiction. '

The deadpan stare Levi gave him was worth it because the shadow in his eyes lessened. 'Do I

look

like a drug addict

or

a dealer? '

'A fancy drug dealer, sure. '

The fist Levi 's hand was curled in loosened, the graze of fingers against Eren 's inner wrist startling him into realization that he

had touched Levi

. He was about to pull away, but those fingers wound around his arm in a tight grip. Eren 's heart hammered loudly in his ribcage and he was sure Levi could hear it. 'Do you normally touch people so freely, Eren? '

The way Levi said his name made Eren think that he was completely aware of Eren 's reactions; he enunciated each syllable, dragged out his name with a roll of his tongue, lowered his voice to a husky timber. It didn 't help that he brushed his thumb along Eren 's vein in a caress, purposeful or not it drew a shiver from Eren in the process. 'No. '

He tried to look at anything else, anywhere that wasn 't Levi. There were only two customers left in the caf ' but neither was aware of Eren 's inner turmoil. One was preoccupied with their laptop, while the other was packing up to leave.

'Do you normally let people touch you? '

It took Eren a moment to process that the question wasn 't the same as the first. 'Um. No. So can you let go? '

'You didn 't protest when your coworker touched you. '

Eren furrowed his brows. 'Marco? What are you talking about? All he did was ' 'That was when a thought struck him. A beautiful, glorious thought that had his heart beating faster in a different way. He met Levi 's gaze this time, so bright and hopeful it knocked the man off kilter. 'Are you ' are you

jealous

? '

Levi dropped his arm, his guarded fa 'ade up full force. 'What is there to be jealous of? I am simply making a point that you are too open, too easy to take advantage of. '

The whiplash Eren felt hurt like a bitch. It was amazing how quickly Levi could go from hot to cold, to burning Eren 's insides only to dump a bucket of ice cold water. 'That 's ' the stupidest thing I 've ever heard. That 's not the kind of thing you say to a guy. '

Levi gave a small shrug. He retrieved his laptop from the bag, indicating the end of their conversation.

Eren was cleaning the tables around the shop, which was all well and good for Levi because he wasn 't actually doing work. He couldn 't even

think

about work right now, not when he 'd come close to getting himself a first class ticket to hell. If he didn 't have one already. Which he probably did.

What the hell had possessed him to grab Eren like that? No, he knew exactly

what

. Levi wasn 't good at playing stupid, nor was he a stupid man, and all he could think about was coming into the shop and seeing that freckled brat touching Eren and how it snapped something inside of him. His sanity, maybe. Probably his patience as well. His morals, even.

God. Eren was

at the least

ten years younger than him and Levi had wanted nothing more than to kiss the stupid brat because he had to go and look hopeful at the prospect that Levi was jealous.

He ran a hand over his face, pausing midway to shield himself from the reality of his own perverseness. Was he having a midlife crisis? Was this what it was? But damn it, Levi was only thirty-two. It was too early for him to have one of those. Then again, he 'd always been mature for his age. Maybe he was getting to that part of his life early, too.

Levi was pretty sure Eren had a crush on him if that hopeful look was anything to go by, or the way he always blushed around Levi, or those little glances Eren thought were discreet.

And all he wanted to do was take advantage of that innocent crush.

Yeah, Levi was

definitely

going to hell.

It didn 't help that he talked to Hanji earlier in the day about his book and what Eren had pointed out ' how something had changed. He could hear Hanji 's smile over the phone and wanted nothing more than to strangle her because of her teasing responses.

I get what you 're saying, Levi~ why don 't you tell me what 's up? Something good? If you ask me, it sounds like you 're in

lo-.

He hung up before she could finish.

Erwin had been no help, either.

You 'll figure it out

.

Well fuck you both very much.

Why the hell did he come to this caf ' again? It seemed as if every night he came, he was questioning his morals and testing his patience. It was like a game: let 's see how long he could go without jumping the bright-eyed barista.

He would welcome it

, the old pervert in him whispered.

And fuck if Levi didn 't know it to be true.

And why,

why

, why had he told Eren he had

two

jobs? He was slipping up big time. He was getting too comfortable, too easy going, too

open

. And Levi couldn 't have that. His mind, his heart, his

life

felt a mess and it was no thanks to Eren and to think all he had to do was smile.

That was why his book infuriated him. He needed control in his life, and writing had always been that one thing he had absolute control over. But apparently

that

went topsy-turvy as well.

But no more. Levi was going to regain control of his life and his writing. Inspiration had struck him for a continuation of

Attack on Eoten

that went something along the lines of a boy saving mankind from the giants. And yeah, maybe Levi envisioned him with blue-green eyes.

Just as he was ready to crack down and get working, his cellphone rumbled over the counter. Once. Twice. Three times. A text message. Levi picked it up and frowned at the screen.

Auruo: We have a problem, boss.

Oh whoopty-fucking-doo. That could only mean one thing.

It was barely 23:00 and Levi had to leave. Someone was going to pay for this. Most likely with their life. He shut his laptop and slid it back into his bag, quickly finishing the rest of his drink that had turned cold during his inner crisis.

'You 're leaving already? '

Damn it. Did the brat have to sound so dejected? Levi set his cup down and pulled his coat on. 'Something came up with work. '

'Oh, okay. I hope it 's nothing too bad. '

Levi grabbed his bag and turned to face Eren. It was obvious the barista was wondering if

he

had done something wrong, thinking Levi was simply trying to be nice and tell him a lie.

No. Wipe that stupid look off of your face

. Before he could stop himself ' his hand had acted without permission ' Levi was placing said hand over Eren 's head. His hair felt as soft as it looked. 'Don 't get into any trouble getting to your car later. '

'I-I won 't, ' Eren stammered, clearly taken aback. His ears were red, and it only spread to his face when Levi suddenly gripped his hair and tugged him a little closer.

'And don 't let anyone touch you again. Do you understand me? '

He was done caring about morals and age and being a responsible adult. He 'd do whatever he could to not hear that dejected voice or see it on his face. This brat was his to mess with and no one was getting in the way of that.

'I ' yeah, ' Eren said in bewilderment. 'Wouldn 't that include you? '

'I 'm an exception, brat. '

Levi released him and made his way out of the shop, pocketing his phone after sending Auruo a text message.

Levi: This better be fucking important.