Work Text:
Levi opened a small teahouse in the port after he physically recovered from that shitshow. It was more like a group effort really since he didn’t feel like doing anything for months and it was that teahouse project that actually got him out of his letargy. Connie, Jean, Reiner, Pieck, Annie and Armin more or less pushed him into it and helped him set it up.
Levi got a small property in the port which was nothing much in the beginning, just an old ugly house reaking of old cabbage and dirt. But one day the younglings showed up and helped him clean it up - and it was A LOT of work.
Jean coated the walls with the perfect shade of dark green. Connie brought the furniture couple of weeks later since he got into woodwork as a hobby after the war. Than Reiner showed up and provided Levi with a bunch of crooked teapots since he decided to try a pottery class as a part of his therapy. Levi was suspicious that they all ganged up on him with the teahouse project as a part of HIS therapy but they were all so casual about it that he decided to be chill about it.
Reiner later opened a small pottery business close to Levi’s teahouse and brought him more cups and pots - each of them better than the one before, with the most delicate floral paintings made by his mum. Pieck stopped by one day and brought with her the most adorable tea warmers she knitted. Levi would never admit that to her but he admired her pattern since he was not able to knit himself now with his two fingers missing.
One day a cart stopped by, bringing bunch of carpets, books and other treasured possesions from the previous Survey Corps headquarters. Apparently, Armin pulled some strings to had it delivered there. Armin came with Annie a couple days later to help Levi unpack only to find the captain sleeping in his wheelchair burried under a pile of Hange’s notes, Erwin’s reports and Moblit’s doodles. They left the captain sleep and unpacked it without him. Levi later woke up and instructed them to put some of the books into shelves on the walls - that way any visitor who comes into the teahouse would have access to it, he said.
Not long after that, Connie stopped by and brought Levi an empty wooden sign with a chain. At that time Levi KNEW they all plotted this teahouse diversion for him to stop being depressed and alone but he had to admit that their plan had worked. He was really kinda glad he had something to work on. And so Levi spent days by painting all the letters to his liking and asked Onyankopon to help him hang it in the street above the newly coated door.
He named the place ‘Teas of freedom’. Occasionally Levi calls it a shithole since it’s in the port and sometimes the smell from the streets gets in. Secretly he doesn’t mind though because it reminds of Hange’s lab.
He was really touched by all that effort everybody put into it, especially after Nicolo got to the port with the news of a great deal for tea delivery. Levi decided that any of them can have tea on the house any time they show up and any time they need a place to crash, to calm down or to contemplate, his teahouse would be always opened for them.
On the opening day everybody came and Levi got the best fruit pastries in the town and gave each of them a slice - a gesture that none of them understood but all of them appreciated. The pastries brought back the memories of the Survey Corps and Levi thought of all his fallen comarades when he saw all the remaining folks he fought with on that day sitting around tables, drinking tea and jokingly talk about their lives. It would seem that Reiner was still pinning for Historia and Armin asked Annie to marry him. Jean was really popular among the local ladies but everybody kept teasing him about his horse face. Well, everybody but Pieck. It was strange that she was the only one who did not join on the joke. Levi made a mental note to himself to keep an eye on those two. Hange would surely enjoy that piece of gossip.
In the teahouse, there are pictures of all the veterans on the walls. Some of them are Moblit’s paintings that Levi got framed, some of them he commisioned by a local artist who was firstly very excited to work with a war hero. That was before he discovered Levi’s perfecionalism. He than got really stressed out whenever Levi stopped by and commisioned a new painting. Nevertheless, the paintings are spot on and they make the teahouse look very homey. Above the counter there is a beautiful picture of Erwin, Hange, Mike, Nanaba and the whole Levi squad and Levi is extremelly proud of that one because the likeness of everybody is just perfect. Also, Connie made great frames for it. Armin once jokinly said that it’s too bad that there is no picture of 104th trainees squad as well. Little does he know that such a painting is already in the making and Levi intends it as a wedding gift for him and Annie next month.
On the wall above the door hangs Levi’s green coat and his blades crossed as a sign that the war is over for him. He likes looking at that from time to time since it reminds him of the good old days. He reads the paper every morning so he knows that the times are turbulant again but he hopes that it will not escalate this time. He wouldn’t admit it but he’s tired of fighting.
Levi lives in a small room behind the teahouse but spends most of his time outside. There is quite a large garden in the back of the house. Part of is accesible for guests with an old bench and a large log that Connie brought as a table, but part of it is private. There he grows flowers and stuff for his tea and he’s very proud of the selection of the herbs he has there. He used Hange’s notes to purchase some of them and she was right - they taste excellent when blended with the tea leaves.
It was surprisingly Mikasa who helped him set up the garden. She showed up one day in his backyard, digging in the dirt, saying nothing at all. He joined her and neither of them did speak. They planted seeds he bought previously on the market and the next day she showed up again, this time with some new flowers. They continued to work on the garden until it was all done. The last thing they did was planting a tree. Levi brought the seed from a forrest where he once wished he could stay with a women he loved and it brings him both sorrow and joy to see the tree grow. There is a seagul that often sits in the branches and Levi thinks it’s a bit weird but whatever, the place is close to the sea and there are seaguls everywhere. Some time ago he found a strand of red fiber under the tree - it looked suspiciously like from the Mikasa’s scarf which is weird because Mikasa hasn’t visited much since he opened the teahouse.
Gabi and Falco are both working in the teahouse since Levi is not much fond of interactions with people and he likes to prepare and brew the tea more than serving it. He has a wide selection of teas and the mysterious names are often a headscratcher for the new guests. When in a good mood, Levi is keen to explain the meaning behind the names. Lately, he’s been in a good mood more often than not which is a progress.
There is a peculiar tea which has a weird dirty color and smells like crap but tastes the most sweet. It’s called Four-eyes. There is also a tea served in a very tall cup that has a rich floral aroma that changes nicely in time. That one is called Mike’s selection. You can also get Erwin’s choice, which is the finest green tea you can get served with a breakfast. There is also Eyebrows, which is a blend of lovely golden color and Levi sometimes says that it’s against constipation. Noone knows if he’s joking or not. There is also one tea called Monke which reaks of shit and probably is made of shit as well. Noone knows because this tea is so notoriously known that noone orders it, ever. If you ask nicely and catch Levi on a good day he will serve you with his speciality called No regrets. Its smell will strike you with a sudden melancholy and when you drink it, it leaves you with a bittwersweet taste in your mouth.
The younglings don’t know that Levi secretly prepares some new flavors that he wants to name after them. Colossal tea is hot and spicy chilly drink with steam coming out of it and there is also a new blend that smells like stables - a special tea dedicated to Jean. There is one that smells like smoked meat and Levi thinks it would be suitable to name it the Braus special. There is also one special tea blend which is so strong that it almost blows your head off. Levi plays with a thought of naming it suicidal blockhead or a little brat. He thinks Hange would appreciate that joke. He plans to announce those new flavors next time he sees all of the kids again.
Since Reiner’s pottery business started booming, Levi asked him to make him two variations of teasets. You can now get a tea size human or titan. It’s a silly pun but everybody seems to like it.
Overall, the teahouse is a good place to be in and all the survivors visit everytime they get a chance. Armin and Annie promised to get there more one they finnish the wedding preparations. Reiner visits basically everyday after his work along with Onyankopon and they just sit there with Levi, drink tea and silently listen to Gabi and Falco who are always there with the newest town gossip. Also, Jean secretly plans to ask Pieck on a date there.
As for Levi, he likes the place enough. Yeah, it smells like shithole somethimes. But it’s a new home for him and it provides him with purpose and peace he never knew. In the room behind the teahouse he has a small bed and above it one more painting he commisioned. It’s a picture of a forrest cabbin with a women sitting in front of it. Levi insisted the artist painted her exactly like on Moblit’s sketches and he made the artist remake it several times until it was perfect. Everytime Levi looks at it it’s like a path to a different life, the one he could have taken but didn’t because the choice wasn’t really his. He doesn’t regret it though. He knows he will get there in time. But for now he has his teahouse. And with it finally, his new-found family and peace.