Author's note: FIRST OF ALL, I have had this little drabble idea in my head for like days BUT I NEEDED A PICTURE TO GO WITH IT. AND I HAVE FOUND IT. YOU GUYS DON'T KNOW HOW LONG I'VE PERUSED PINTEREST TO FIND THIS EXACT PICTURE I KNEW I SAW IT ONCE BEFORE A WHILE AGO A;SDKFJ ASDKLFJSDKF

okay done screaming now. This was an unplanned one shot and I guess Levi is kind of OOC but I don't care. But it's pretty short and doesn't have any huge plot to it. Also, guess what...it's in 3rd person POV. yeah, because I want it that way so suuuuck on that. lol jk love you guys xoxo thanks for all the love and support. stay fresh, my loves. Also, not edited btw. Too lazy.

***

Tuesday, 10:30am.

Without fail for the last eight months, she would come in to the local café to buy her morning cup of coffee. The young woman came in about three times a week, on average, but no other day was as consistent as Tuesdays were. The store had regulars of course, but no one ever kept to the same schedule like she did.

By the middle of the second month, Levi had already remembered her drink order; he would always prepare it moments before she would arrive and write her name on it. It never changed on Tuesdays, but if he was working when she would come in on other days, the woman would sometimes order something different.

This rarely happened though.

And just like every Tuesday before this, and even during the summer when the college kids went home, she would sit at the most secluded seat in the shop. It was in a corner, in the shadows and away from the windows and other coffee shop goers, and she would study. The woman would pull out her laptop, her university textbooks from the nearby college, and begin to work away quietly. She'd slip on her headphones and hover over her books with an intense stare, shutting out the world around her. Like clockwork, she would do her homework or the like until about 12:15pm before she would pack up her things and leave.

Every single Tuesday.

Despite her diligence and studious air, she appeared to be a relatively pleasant woman. She was always polite to others around her and always had a smile when she ordered her drink. After so many times of coming in, she began to greet Levi personally, though he had little to say to her other than his required business questions of "Good morning, how can I help you?" or "Hello, what can I get you today?"

However, by the third month, Levi had secretly become fond of (F/n)'s Tuesday appearances, or any others in between. He was not sure what had prompted him to, but he began to write small notes on her coffee cup as a way of acknowledging her. He remembered how bright her smile became when she read the very first message.

At first, he kept it rather generic. He'd write her name and pair it with things similar to 'have a nice day.' A few weeks went by and it turned into 'study hard,' 'good luck with studying,' or 'see you next week.' Gradually, the messages became more personal, but Levi never crossed a line with her. On the rare occasions he was in a decent mood, he would write 'this one is on me. Enjoy.' There was even a time where she missed two weeks of her Tuesday study session, much to his disappointment, so when she showed up the week, after he wrote 'welcome back. Tuesdays aren't Tuesdays if you don't show up."

She had laughed at that one.

Despite the small notes he wrote her, they never shared an actual conversation, nor did they ever attempt to. It was an unsaid thing that their "relationship" was merely through these messages on her coffee cup. Every once in a while, she would buy him a cup of coffee and would write something like 'thank you for always cheering me up,' 'to my favorite barista,' or 'smile for once! ^_^'

Eight months of this back and forth with notes but they never interacted outside of it. Levi did not particularly care and he hardly ever thought about her outside his workplace. Still, as stone cold as he appeared, he quite liked the strange relationship that he had with (F/n).

Today was the first day since he met her where she did not come in with her usual glowing smile. In fact, something about (f/n) was off. When Levi saw her approach the counter, he immediately noticed the lack of vibrancy in her eyes and dark circles beneath them. She looked as though she had not slept in days. Even her attire looked thrown together and lazy in comparison to how she normally dressed.

Levi hesitated. "Go take a seat," he said. Her eyes were glazed over, as if she were not present for the conversation. "This one's on me today."

(F/n) didn't meet his gaze but nodded feebly. "Thanks, Levi."

She left the counter and Levi went to write on her to-go cup. He hesitated, wondering what would be bothering her this much. She looked both lifeless and drained; she hadn't even taken out her books yet. With a sigh, he wrote 'be strong.'

His co-worker, Eren, raised an eyebrow, always having been interested in the messages Levi wrote to their regular customer. Eren turned his gaze to (F/n) in the corner; she was staring out into the expanse before her unblinkingly.

"Something happen?" Eren asked, preparing the drink. "She looks...sad."

Levi grunted in response, already moving on to the next customer. Despite fulfilling his job duties, he glanced over at the young woman who had just read the message on her cup. From this angle, he could only see her profile but he was almost positive she was fighting back tears.

After the line had diminished ten minutes later, Levi turned to Eren who was finishing up the last of the drinks. "I'm going to take a ten."

"Wait what?" asked Eren in surprise; Levi never took his ten minute break, not in the entire year he had been working at the coffee shop. After a second, Eren realized the motivation behind the change in behavior.

Levi didn't give him time to protest and already was moving around the bar. Without so much as asking, he sat himself down in front of his regular customer. Her eyes had widened, taken aback as much as Eren was.

"Hi," said Levi flatly. "I've made your damn caramel macchiato with extra caramel drip for the last eight months but never had the chance to formally meet you."

(F/n) blinked, at a loss for words for a moment. "...that's true," she replied quietly, attempting to smile. "Even though we know each other's names already.... Hi."

The barista allowed himself to smile very slightly, further catching her off guard. It was very rare to see him do so, much less so closely.

"I guess it's none of my business and I've only got ten minutes to talk but," he paused, "what's wrong?"

Again, she just stared at him before speaking. "N-nothing's wrong," lied (F/n). "I'm just tired today."

Levi shook his head before giving her a stern gaze. "I'd like to think of you as a friend, or whatever, so no need for the front. Just tell me."

The young woman before him bit her lip, her eyes already beginning to brim with tears. Levi continued to hold her gaze until she broke it by averting her eyes to the table. Whatever it was, it obviously was devastating to her and for some reason, it irked Levi to see her so distraught.

"Did your boyfriend break up with you or something?" It came out before he could stop himself and he wished he had thought it through before saying something so tactlessly.

She laughed, albeit humorously. "Oh, no. God no. I don't even have one," she replied, dabbing the corner of her eye with her sleeve. "Although, I'd take that over...what it actually is...."

"Then...?" Levi leaned back into the seat, glancing at the clock on the wall and checked to see if a line had grown.

There was a long, strained silence that passed between the pair but Levi remained patient with his usual stony gaze. (F/n) appeared to be fighting the urge to break down into a fit of tears, as she kept glancing around the shop at the other patrons.

"...I...I haven't told anyone yet," she choked out, her tears finally streaking her cheeks. "I-I didn't want my family to worry...but I have to tell them eventually. It's not like I can hide it from them forever."

Levi had no idea what she was going on about but did not respond.

She sniffled and bit her lip again. "It's been really hard keeping it to myself, actually. I haven't been able to sleep or really eat," she said, sort of chuckling in her unease. "It's just was so...surprising and devastating. God...I don't... why am I telling you this?"

Levi shrugged. "Because I asked you to tell me."

(F/n) smiled slightly, her eyes glassy and her nose beginning to turn red. "Yeah, I guess..."

"Except you've told me nothing and now I only have three minutes to spare," he said with a drawn out sigh. "Just let it out. You'll feel better."

She hesitated and ran a hand through her hair, as if that would help her calm down. "I...I have breast cancer..."

This time, it was Levi who blinked in shock. He had certainly not been expecting that to come forth from her lips; if anything, he thought she was going to say something about how overwhelmed she was with school or similar to. Hearing her drop this truth caused him to lose his ability to speak, as the shock made it impossible for him to find something comforting to say.

"I-It's totally fine though," she hastily added. She noticed the concern in his gaze and though she appreciated it, it was a little uncomfortable because she hardly knew him.

"I fail to see how that is 'fine,'" Levi replied, eyebrow rising up. "You are definitely not 'fine' by any means."

She waved her hands in front of her frantically. "No, no. Really..." she said, trying to smooth over the situation. "They caught it really early on...and the treatment option I was given has ninety-seven percent chance of success. I won't need any surgery or anything. It just was...a lot to take in without anyone there with me."

"I'm sorry," he said, an awkward tone setting in.

"It's okay," (F/n) said with a sheepish smile. "I just threw my personal problem onto you. Word vomited or whatever. I'm sorry. I just needed to get it off my chest."

Levi inhaled deeply, unsure of what he should say. What was there to even say? Any apology or empathy he had for her would not change anything about her situation. Even if she had a high chance of success with treatment, she had been carrying a burden all on her own of being diagnosed with breast cancer. He wondered why she did not share this with her family or even her close friends.

"How long have you known?" he asked.

Her tears had subsided but she continued to sniffle. "Five days."

Levi saw Eren waving from behind the bar at him, tapping his wrist watch because the line was beginning to grow again. Levi shot him a glare before rising to a stand in irritation. "I'm off work at one. Do you go to class after this?"

(F/n) stared up at him from her seat, heat beginning to rush to her cheeks. "Uh, no. I usually go home..." She averted her eyes away again and Levi noticed her blush growing more prominent. "I only come every Tuesday because...you're here."

There was the slightest swooping sensation that happened in the pit of Levi's stomach but he ignored it and kept his stoic expression intact. That was her second statement in the last ten minutes that he never expected to hear.

"Flattering," he replied, a smirk beginning to form at his lips. "Let's grab lunch then..."

A look of great confusion spread over her visage. "Why?" she blurted out. "I-I mean that's totally fine with me...but ...why all of a sudden...?"

Levi let his own face soften. "No one should have to carry a burden like that alone."

He turned away to hurry back towards the counter and logged back into the computer to begin taking orders. Eren was grumbling away next to him but he ignored the teenager's griping. Levi snuck another glance at the girl he just left and found her smiling to herself. He was pleased to see her a little more cheerful, especially after what she was going through now. 

With a self-satisfied snort, he resumed his work and impatiently waited for his shift to end.