Work Text:
„The answer, who the murderer is, is simple. Taking into consideration every small clue I must say that the culprit is-”
“Excuse me!” somebody yelled just the moment I was about to read the last page of the book. During one second my face showed just one expression – anger. Although I was working, so technically I shouldn’t be reading. Still – I was angry.
“How can I help you?”
“I want to buy tea.”
My awareness that people could be that obvious and stupid wasn’t big and I even checked the surroundings and mentally the sign above the store - the big name “UnderTea”. It was supposed won a bet and was allowed to name the shop. After all these months working here I didn’t learn the reason for such a stupid pun but the bet is the bet – there was no way to back off.
But the word “tea” was still there so the brat shouldn’t have had a problem with figuring out that yes, indeed I was selling tea. I looked at him briefly: tall, brawn hair, tanned skin. He wore shorts with edges just above the knees an t-shirt with some cartoonish looking guy – nothing more, nothing less than an average teenage boy. And… the green eyes. Such a specific colour that I wasn’t sure if I have ever seen it before. And I saw a lot of green and greenish things in my life – working with tea every day allows you to notice the minimal differences between leaves.
“What kind of tea?” the polite side of me won.
“I don’t really know about teas… It’s for a present for my mom. Could you recommend me something?” The smile he gave me was radiating but shy.
“I see. Firstly, I have to learn about the tastes your mother like,…” I made a meaningful pause.
“Eren.” Good thing he understood.
“Eren, so what kind of tea your mom usually drink?”
“Black tea with lemon.”
I tried very hard not to punch him or anything. I was aware that people usually drink that kind of tea – or green – but since Eren decided to buy it as a gift than I expected that his mom might have a more specific taste.
“It doesn’t help a lot.”
“Sorry…” his ears and cheeks turned red at my comment and he averted his gaze. It was always funny to make people blush but I wanted him to look me in the eyes. I desired to see more of the special green of his irises.
“Tell me what your mom eats usually. Based on this I will choose the type of the tea or make a mix myself.” I offered him a seat in front of the counter and took a pen in my hand. As I wrote down the meals the mother ate and what things she disliked I noticed she had a very similar taste to my mother… Making a mix would be easier now.
Eren probably didn’t notice that I observed him all the time. Working in somebody’s shop years ago as a teenager developed in me a quality that I could observe people without them noticing. I did it for my own entertainment. But nowadays I didn’t have a chance. Tea shop was prospering well although most people prefer to send the product to their houses than to go to the shop themselves.
Sometimes I thought that there was no point in taking care of the shop. That the dark curtains, cushions and wood furniture were the things I liked and people didn’t care about them. I created the space in the shop as to resemble the old herbal shop and home. I even had the cups so people could buy and drink the tea in the same moment, books on the wall shelves were also for customers and the sofas to have a place to read comfortably.
And when I wanted to give up on the shop and make it only online shop, somebody as hopeless as Eren came with sincere feelings for his mother and asked for tea, for an advice. I became sentimental but hell. I appreciated the effort he made to come here and buy something personal for her and not the first thing he saw.
“Your name is Levi.”
“Yes.”
He must have read it on the name plaque.
“It’s a unique name.”
“Is it?”
“I’ve never met a person with that name. Actually, I’ve never even heard about anybody having that name. No. One. I know one person with that name. Still, it’s very unique.”
“Just like your eyes.”
“Yeah… Wait, what?”
“I think I have the herbs in the back. Wait a moment.”
I turned around as fast as I could to still look natural. Why the hell did I tell him about his eyes? What the fuck did I do this for? I breathe in and out to calm myself and regain the posture of cool guy. Not that I was cool. But people often said that to me so maybe. I didn’t know. I had to do something to distract him from that topic.
I focused for a few minutes on making the herbs and packing them in small packs. One bulb above me was enough to illuminate the whole room although sometimes I felt like a surgeon, operating on the remains of the plants… I liked the silence of the shop but I didn’t mind the pounding of my heart. No! I did mind now but I did not mind them in general… Fuck. I had no idea what to think when Eren was in the shop.
“Can I help you?” He appeared in the doorframe to the back of the shop.
“I’m almost done. Sorry for the wait… Hey! You can’t come in!”
I clanged to the table the packs were waiting as I didn’t have room to escape from Eren’s intense gaze. The boy stopped about fifteen centimeters from me. He was taller and I couldn’t force myself to lift my head to look at him although I wanted. I was scared. I wasn’t sure about what but I became more and more aware of that feeling. No, it wasn’t fear. One could feel fear towards the unknown but I recognized this feeling.
“Captain.” With that simple word I straightened myself, directed my gaze forward and the new power awakened in me. Eren stumbled startled by my sudden movement.
“What… Who? What is it?” I asked as I regained my previous self.
“You don’t remember?”
“Remember what?”
“Your previous life.”
“I don’t believe in reincarnation.”
“You don’t believe but you are experiencing it now. I can tell you about your previous and present life. But… I want you to remember me.”
“No way! Get out, you freak.” I shouted and pushed him a bit.
“Do you…” he grabbed me by the wrists and steadied in one place, dominating me “seriously don’t remember me?”
“No!”
“Then maybe this will help you.”
He kissed me. My lips parted under the pressure and his demanding mouths. I didn’t scream or tried to free myself. I couldn’t. I didn’t want to? I didn’t know. Slowly the grasp on the wrist became lighter and then I was free although my mouth was still occupied with his. The resistance was long gone. I kissed the hell out of him and broke it.
“You shitty brat” I said while catching my breath.
“Levi…” He started but I stopped him with the movement of my hand. I knew what he was going to say. Beg for remembering him or for inviting him into my life and try to make things work out. I didn’t want to try. I licked my upper lip and looked at him with a smirk.
“It’s Captain for you, shitty brat.”