Disclaimer: Shingeki no Kyojin belongs to Hajime Isayama.

Bitter Coffee

Piles of papers stacked like tall forts before him, covering his drooping head from view of others in the room. Tired blue eyes were skimming through endless reports and his fingers turned numb from holding the pen for too long. Levi has been signing and pushing papers for hours and now, he could even do his signage in his sleep.

Erwin, Hanji, Eren, Armin and Mikasa were in the hall room with him, each busy with their own task at hand but they still managed to have a little chatter here and there. Occasionally, Hanji would shriek excitedly and her eyes would sparkle enthusiastically when Eren questions her about her new discovery on those mysterious yet loathsome titans and Erwin would let out a tiny sigh seeing how devoted Hanji was to her research. Eren, sometimes being blunt would ask for Mikasa's and Armin's help completing his reports. The three childhood friends would also slip in a joke or two into their conversation and short laughter ensues in that area.

The room never fell in silence.

Everyone was there as they felt it right to be with him. As his comrades, it was their basic duty. It was clearly fathomable that this man who so often got mistaken by others as a cold and heartless bastard was trying his best to drown all feelings by working. Nobody could convince him to take a break, sort his thoughts.

"Levi, perhaps you should take a breather." Erwin suggested in an authoritative manner.

"I don't need it." He affirmed.

"Levi, go for a walk or something! You've been in this room for too long. Clear your head a little." Hanji managed in a sweeter tone- something she never did before.

His hand paused for a moment and eyes looked up to the tall spectacled woman. Armin let out a very low gasp- thinking that they may have finally convinced the captain to rest, "There's nothing to clear in my head." He dropped his gaze back to the papers strewn before him.

Hanji's shoulders slouched as she turned back to her research papers. Everyone's subtle pleas fell on the deaf ears of Captain Levi.

They thought it would be best to not let him work in silence. It was Eren's idea. As much of a man with few words as Levi is, Eren knows he enjoyed the company of his late squad while working. Feeling guilty for their deaths, Eren tries hard to cope with it and also help the captain too.

The room was warm with everyone's voices. So much so that it felt just like old times.

Levi's free hand reach out to his coffee cup and just as he was putting it to his lips, he noticed it was empty. Putting it back down, two fingers tapped the desk- an indication for a fill up- an indication that only a certain strawberry blonde subordinate understood.

He tapped again.

The captain clucked his tongue once, "Petra, coffee," Fingers tapped on the wooden desk yet again, eyes still glued to his papers.

The room went quiet.

Five minutes went by. Nothing was heard save the sound of Levi's pen smoothed across white papers.

"Petra, it's unlike you to be slow. Coffee," Levi was still concentrating on his work.

A slight sound of a chair being pushed was magnified ten times in the silent room as Eren rose.

"Petra, you know I hate repeating myself," His fingers tapped a little harder this time.

"Levi-heichou..." Eren managed, trying to not make his voice quiver.

"What-"

He looked up for the first time. Cyan eyes glanced at all the faces in the room and clenched his pen tighter. The warm murmur of conversation produced in the background all along were never his Special Ops Squad's. It was theirs. And he inwardly cursed for letting his thoughts drift, for forgetting his team members are no longer warm bodies, for wanting them to return so bad that he nearly erased their tragic ends.

"Petra-" Hanji tried to tell him in the softest way manageable but was cut off.

"Oh, I forgot," With hands shoved into pockets, Levi got up and stalked to the kitchen.

"Levi-heichou, let me brew a fresh pot for you," Eren offered.

"No."

"But-" Eren shut up when Mikasa's hand laid gently upon his shoulders, a tiny gesture telling the titan shifter to not interfere with the captain.

"Oi, Eren," The ink-haired man faced his subordinate, "I appreciate the offer but you see, your coffee will be very bitter."

Eren merely nodded.

Steady hands opened the jar of coffee labeled "Levi Heichou's" in Petra's twirly handwriting. The coffee jar was singled out form the others because the petite soldier knew Levi always preferred the coffee beans produced from her village and not the rich premium ones the whole team were addicted to.

He poured the aromatic liquid and added a cube of sugar into his empty cup and took a sip.

The coffee was piping hot and that makes its temperature all wrong.

One cube of sugar wasn't enough to take away the bitterness of the coffee. So he added another one and blew on it.

It tasted wrong.

Another brown cube plopped into the steaming dark liquid.

Still very wrong.

Frustrated, Levi threw away the whole pot of coffee into the sink. Eren looked at his actions in mute.

"It was too bitter," Levi tried to justify his actions to Eren although he doesn't need to.

"That was three cubes of sugar..." Armin gave Eren a look that told him to not comment on the matter anymore.

Captain Levi stepped out of the room, leaving everyone behind.

When the doorknob clicked behind him, only did Levi let out a sigh.

"The coffee will forever be bitter now." He whispered to himself.

A/N: Hey guys! This is my very first Rivetra fanfic! I know the idea around this story isn't new but please do leave me a review to tell me what you think of it!

This ship is slowly creeping up to be my OTP! Hurts so much!

Again, don't forget to review! Thank you for spending some time to read!