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Levi waited by the restaurant doors, leaning on the wall. He was neatly and impeccably dressed in a crisp white-collar shirt. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and we wore a black clean vest over it. He wore pressed slacks and shiny black shoes.
Several people slowed and looked at him as they went by and in the restaurant. The dark haired and charcoal-eyed man was impressive despite his short stature. However, that probably wasn't why they were staring. In his right hand was a ridiculous bouquet of red blooming roses that almost was the size as bush. He glanced at his watch impatiently.
Foggy breath filled the air as Armin walked along he busy city sidewalk. He didn't have a car on his own and didn't mind settling to use the public bus for transportation. The hustle and bustle of the crowd kept him moving, faster on his part because he was late for a special occasion. Being shorter had its advantages when it came to crowds. With numerous "Excuse me’s" and apologizing for stepping on feet, he pressed onward.
Armin gave a relieved sigh as the crowd began to disperse; many of the larger groups going to events while couples went their own separate ways. Underneath his jacket was a knitted pale blue sweater vest and a simple white button up T-shirt with the sleeves rolled up into short cuffs. He wore new pair of khaki pants that he had bought the day before and the closest thing to dress shoes he could manage.
"I hope I'm not too later." he murmured to himself, often stopping to stand on his tiptoes to try to looks over the smaller crowd in front of him. Once he caught a small glimpse of Levi his eyes briefly lit up as he lifted his hand up to wave as he called out.
"Levi! I'm over here!"
Levi looked where the boy was calling him and felt a smile try to tug at his lips. He pulled away from the wall to meet his date.
"Glad you made it," Levi said, looking the boy up and down, appreciating the neat and tidy appearance. He also appreciated the pink tinge on his cheeks and the genuine smile on his face.
The sun was just starting to set, pink sunlight peeking over buildings and trees. It was starting to get chillier and Levi was glad he had his coat.
He put an arm on Armin's shoulder, a light touch, just in case it was unwanted, as he steered him to the entrance. It was their first real date after all.
"Have you been here very long?" The blonde quickly asked, beginning to feel a little anxious at the thought of Levi having to wait longer than expected.
Armin didn't flinch as Levi placed his arm on his shoulder and began to guide him inside. If anything he felt a little embarrassed, though it was nice feeling of additional warmth.
"They say it's going to snow soon, Y'know?" It might not have been the best topic of dating conversation, but it was a way of keeping himself calm as they walked alongside each other.
"I didn't wait long," he said, hand now placed firmer on his shoulder. Levi was proud that he could deflect much of the crowd despite both their short stature. Something about Levi made him... More commanding in a crowd.
"There is a chance of snow," he commented opening the door for Armin. "First snow of the year I would think."
He approached the front where he gave his name and the host quickly grabbed two menus and showed them to their table.
The table was located next to a glowing fireplace, low flame so as not to choke or blind people. All the tables had a simple candle on it and from here there was a view of a beautiful outdoor patio with lights strung up above.
Armin was slightly aware of the amount of stares they received as they entered, brows furrowed but retaining his smile as their conversation continued.
"I'm actually looking forward to the snow.,” he stated in a low voice as a couple of women murmured their admiration toward the man that was leading him to their assigned table. "M-Mostly for the warm drinks. Ah-?"
Once he noticed the decor he stopped, slowly releasing a breath. Along with the candle, the polished mahogany table was adorned with a small rack of seasonings; two neatly folded cloth napkins and wrapped bundles of silverware. It looked inviting, romantic even. To the point where Armin found himself stammering as he turned his attention to the one who organized it.
"L-Levi you didn't have to go so far..."
Levi made a mental note of Armin's wish for snow. He noted the boy's stammer and smirked.
"This is the kind of place you go on a date to isn't it?" He said. "I thought it would be nice. And speaking of..." He presented the red roses to the boy. "I saw these on the way here and thought you might like them."
A waiter appeared to take their order, eyeing the massive bouquet. Levi simply ordered water for now.
The size of the bouquet caused the blue eyes boy to gasp. Individually, each flower varied from bright red buds to full burgundy blooms. Armin figured there would have been at least twenty, possibly more as Levi held the gently tied bundle. He wasn't aware that one of his hands had lightly covered his mouth until he slowly lowered it down to his lap.
"Levi," he breathed, cheeks warming once more as his smile softened. "They're beautiful, thank you!"
Armin slowly reached over the small table to wrap his fingers around the base of the bouquet, closer to the trimmed area of the stems. He quietly placed an order for a ginger ale, still smiling as he the waiter announced that he would return shortly with their drinks.
"I hope the vase in my apartment is big enough." he remarked with a soft chuckle. A blonde brow then rose as he noticed an unusual color peeking out from under the taller roses. "What is- ow!"
Levi sat up at the boy's little cry of pain.
"What is it?" He asked, quickly gripping the boy's hand. There on the pad of his finger was a small oozing drop of red, on his pale skin.
"I thought I told them to trim all the thorns," he scowled and as he gently inspected his hand for any other punctures.
"I-It's okay, it was just a prick." Armin stammered as his hand was held for inspection. "It was just my finger, really."
Levi paid no attention to his words as he looked at it. It was minor but it was unacceptable that it even happened.
"It's not fine," he said, and with his other hand, literally snagged a waiter passing by.
"Hey, you have first aid kits here right?" He asked, flatly.
"Y-yes!" The waiter stammered.
"Then go get me one."
The waiter ran off and came back with surprising speed, small white plastic kit with him. Levi popped open the kit and brought out a disinfectant to clean the tiny puncture, smearing blood.
"Rose thorns can have a lot of bacteria," Levi explained calmly, gently holding Armin's hand at he worked.
Armin felt bad for the waiter as he looked over his shoulder to watch him leave, casting a grateful smile and a quick "Thank you." as he returned with the box in hand. A small area of skin surrounding the puncture was beginning to turn a light pink as Levi cleaned his finger.
Compared to his own, Levi's hands were slightly larger and slightly calloused. It always made Armin curious to see that Levi's nails were in better condition than his own, but I only reminded him of how much Levi despised dirt.
"It should heal soon though." The blonde added as a reassuring note. "The thorn didn't go in too deep, thankfully." He then took a moment to lightly laugh at the situation. He didn't have any intention of injuring himself on a date. "Guess I got careless."
"Roses are beautiful but they can bite if you're not careful," Levi commented, reaching for a Band-Aid. "But there should have been no thorns there..."
He stuck the Band-Aid to his finger and gently wrapped it around. He took the finger and gently pressed his lips against the Band-Aid.
"I wouldn't want these soft hands to be injured..."
Armin felt his breath being hitched as Levi kissed his finger. It was a common gesture to kiss an injury once it was covered, but Armin couldn't help but look away in slight embarrassment. He opened his mouth to come up with a response but closed it as soon as another voice approached the table.
"I'm terribly sorry for the wait," the waiter announced while carefully placing both of their glasses onto the table. He offered a warm, only to blink as if realizing he interrupted a private moment. "O-Oh! Forgive me. I- should I give you some more time to order?"
"I know what I want," Levi said nonchalantly, letting go of Armin's hand slowly. He looked back to the blonde, smirking and satisfied with himself. He would find the surprise soon enough...
"Do you need more time to decide?" He asked with a smirk.
Armin couldn't help by raise his brow at the question, only to blink and quickly sit up in his chair. "O-Oh! Sorry, I haven't even looked at the menu yet."
His hair lightly swished against his shoulders, as he seemed to look for something. His hands then started to pat all of his pockets before slowly pulling out a pair of reading glasses from his coat. They were a slender plastic pair with the same shade of blue as his sweater vest.
"U-Um, just give me a moment?" The blonde asked as he fidgeted while putting them on.
"Take your time..." He said.
Levi was surprised to see a pair of reading glasses but he smirked all the same. He liked the way they looked on him, outlining his blue eyes with the blue frames.
"Reading glasses?" Levi questioned.
The waiter quietly nodded before walking away to check on another table, promising a quick return while the couple finished deciding. Armin adjusted the glasses by wiggling the sides a bit and answering hesitantly.
"M-Mostly for reading the smaller fonts in textbooks."
"I didn't know you needed readers," Levi commented, with a smirk. "They're very cute."
He watched as Armin scanned the menu with a small smirk. It seemed he was enjoying the date so far. He was very satisfied with it all so far.
"For smaller fonts," he quietly reminded him. Although Armin wasn't too fond of being called 'cute' he figured he would make an exception coming from Levi.
After a few moments be found something that caught his eyes, but became disheartened by the price of it. "Oh.. Maybe I should pick something else." he murmured, primarily spoken to himself.
Levi heard what he said and frowned.
"If I wanted to be cheap on this date I would have taken you somewhere cheaper. But I did not. Pick whatever you like." He said it firmly, but was not angry and gave his tone a softer edge.
Armin found himself flinching and nervously peeked over the menu. His fingers tightened a little against the laminated menu as he dipped his head a bit, as if hiding the blush that had formed on his face.
"Ah, s-sorry! I didn't mean to, well," he dragged off, returning his attention to the options once more. He felt bad for wanting to order something so expensive, but Levi insisted. He then released a small sigh as he closed the menu and gently placed in on the table with a quiet smile.
"Sorry about that, I've made up my mind."
"Excellent," Levi said, satisfied, tempted to smile back at that small smile. He flagged down their waiter who hurried over.
"I will have the grilled scallops with a side of vegetables," he said, handing the menu back to the waiter. "And a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon."
The waiter nodded with an eager smile as he wrote down the order quickly, yet legibly. "Oh, certainly!" He then turned his attention to the blonde who was taking off his glasses. "What could I get for you this evening?"
"U-Um, could I get," he paused as awkwardly returned his menu. "The shrimp pasta with tomatoes, lemon and spinach?"
"Excellent," the waiter said, scribbling down the order. "Please let me know if you need anything else." He smiled and bowed before heading off to the kitchen.
Levi took a sip of water. He took a slice of bread from the breadbasket in the middle of the table and took the bottle of olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette from the table and poured it into his plate together, a perfect, practiced amount. He proceeded to dip his bread into it.
"So how are you, Armin?" He asked.
"Thank you!" Armin quickly called out to the waiter.
As he watched the man leaving he found himself distracted by the other couples that were dining that evening. The mood around them seemed light-hearted and carefree. So much that one woman made what seemed like a mischievous face as she made suggestive movements with her foot under the table. Armin then averted his gaze, believing that he wasn't meant to see that and jumped a bit at the sound of the question.
"I'm okay," he honestly replied as he shifted to sit up and take a calming drink of his ginger ale. "I didn't have much to study for this week, so it's been pretty relaxing. How are you?"
"It's been somewhat busy since working on my thesis," he said. He glanced at where Armin was looking with a small frown until he realized what it was he was looking at. He smirked.
"So I'm glad I could use this night to relax... With you."
As he spoke his wine arrived, a wineglass of dark ruby colored liquid.
"Your graduation thesis?" Armin asked in response.
He recalled a few other seniors from campus who were working on their own thesis, but they seemed to be more frazzled than Levi. He then figured that Levi had prepared for this ahead of time when compared to his classmates. Armin opened his mouth to ask how the paper was going until he heard the other's statement, causing him to quickly close his mouth and look off to the side with a hint of blush.
"W-Well, you invited me a-and we are on a date. So, isn't it... supposed to be relaxing?" He asked while reaching for his ginger ale and taking another drink.
Levi sipped at his wine. "That is why I called you..." He said, putting the glass down and smirking again at the blonde's red face. "If anyone can help me relax... It is you..."
This was true, that Levi felt a strange sense of calm around the blonde, like a balm to his normally stressed and admittedly angry personality. He couldn't explain it but there was something about the blonde that made him feel peaceful... Something like that was rare and he didn't want to let go of that for anything.
"Is that…" Armin stopped, reaching up and tucking a strand of hair behind his ear. "…s-so, Levi..?" Although he noticed Levi's smirk he couldn't help the smile that appeared on his lips. "I guess that makes me pretty special, huh?"
After dinner had arrived and they started eating, Armin found himself becoming more relaxed and engaged in conversation. He didn't feel as anxious or jittery and smiled with every laugh. Once he was done watching he gave a content sigh while setting his silverware down.
"That was better than I expected."
It did make him pretty special but Levi wouldn't tell him that. Not yet anyway.
"I'm glad you enjoyed it," he said, finishing the last of his wine. The waiter came back with the check, which Levi quickly looked over before paying and handing it back. The waiter hurried off to get it finished.
He was glad Armin enjoyed the meal and that he was enjoying himself. He could tell the blonde had loosened up and was less nervous.
The waiter handed back his debit card and thanked them for dinning there.
"Shall we go?" Levi asked.
Armin quietly nodded as he removed his jacket from the chair and slowly put it on. "This was really nice, Levi," he smiled while finally replacing his glasses in the pocket. It was then that a passing waitress briefly stopped by.
"If you two are leaving, I hope you'll be warm enough." She explained before turning to point to the patio window with a warm expression. "It's starting to snow, and it should get heavier later on."
Levi blinked and looked out the window. Sure enough, soft fluffy white flakes drifted down, sticking to the street and collecting on windows.
"What do you know..." Levi said and then looked at Armin. "Do you have any plans for after this?"
"I- well," As the waitress left the blonde was at a loss for words after watching the snow falling for a moment. "Well," his attention returned to Levi, brow curiously rose. "I had planned on returning to my dorm after this."
"Then scratch that plan," he said, heading for the door, putting his coat on. "My apartment is closer and I'm not having you go back at this time of night in the cold anyway." He paused and looked at Armin.
"You said you enjoyed drinking hot cocoa and watching the snow right?" He hoped he recalled that correctly. "There is a big window in my living room..."
Armin's eyes widened in surprised as Levi recalled what he had told him once they reached the door. He wasn't expecting him to remember that and wasn't sure if he should confess that he often wondered what Levi's apartment looked like.
"That's right, I do." He nodded, breath lightly fogging from the change in temperature as he stepped outside the restaurant doors. The chill caused his cheeks to redden, smiling as he looked over at the older male.
"I'm fine with that," he paused to hold a hand out to him. "as long as you are offering, Levi."
Levi smirked slightly as he laced his fingers between Armin's pale ones, pleased that Armin was comfortable enough to initiate holding hands. He squeezed lightly and tugged him closer.
"Then let's go then," he said, heading to his apartment, Armin at his side.