So this is an idea that had been festering in my mind for almost two months now? Well, I finally decided to write it and I hope it sates your Riren/Ereri needs. Its the first chapter though, so nothing really happens between the two...yet, of course. If you squint though I'm sure you'll find they have very small moments.

It's rated T and thats very unlikely to change, just saying:)

Another thing, in this fic I use Rivaille more often than Levi, the later being his nickname. Same goes with Eren, in which I use Jeager instead of Yeager. I just like it better that way.

I don't own Shingeki no Kyojin/Attack on Titan, Hajime Isayama-san does.

Enjoy~!

Fate has a strange yet resolute way of laying forth a path for one to follow, engraved with bumps and hills and even cliffs where one could fall into the depths of despair. Fate was relentless, and expected one to follow the path it had set out for them regardless of the dangers that lay ahead, threatening to break apart the soul of the person traversing it. What happiness it offered it could rip away before one even had the chance to relish in it.

"Eren! Over here!"

The young man turned from his friends and situated in between the rows of cars nestled in front of the school, waved his mother with a smile from inside their black Mercedes, his father sitting besides her at the wheel, his eyes expectantly watching him. Eren waved back weakly, cheeks warming at the onset of stares he was receiving from his fellow students. He turned back to his friends, smiling impishly and saying his goodbyes.

"Don't forget about this Saturday." reminded his raven-haired companion, Mikasa. She was known for often doting on him, acting more like a sister towards him than a friend, and it was often misunderstood by others as affection. "Movies, pick you up at seven?"

"Yeah, sure." Eren responded breezily giving her and their blond friend, Armin, a hesitant glance before swiftly enveloping them both in a hug and pulling away just as fast. Some stunned looks and amused chuckles later, Eren bid his friends an official goodbye and ran towards his transportation home. "Hey mom, dad." he greeted as opened the car door and tossed his pack, then himself into the back seat. His mother turned around in her seat and ruffled his hair affectionately. "Hey dear, remember what today is?"

Eren shook his head, shooting her a curious glance. "What's today?"

"It's that time again. You have an appointment with Doctor Morrison remember?"

Eren grimaced, his eyes darting towards the car window anxiously, watching as the car slowly but steadily made its way forward. Thank god there was traffic ahead.

Knowing the imminent refusal Eren nevertheless inquired, "Mom, could we not? I'm healthy mom. Pretty sure I am so there's no need to see the doctor. He says I'm fine every time."

"Eren, we've discussed this." warned his father, his eyes steadfast on the road ahead yet his voice was as admonishing as when he gave Eren a lecture. The boy sighed loudly in response. "Seriously though! I don't want to go, I know better than anyone that I'm healthy! Why don't you guys just trust me on this?"

His father and mother exchanged a brief and knowing look, not answering the boy's inquiry.

The tumultuous spins and sharp turns, the unprecedented fall into a bottomless abyss; all these challenges were, by Fate's hand, interwoven into a person's path in order to test their resolve, their perseverance and their mettle in the face of a seemingly hopeless situation. It was cruel in that way; sadistic in the manner it tore and picked people apart only to see if what was on the inside was worth any interest. Some were left at the brink of despair, while others...threw themselves off the precipice in their misery. The soul is resilient, but its vessel as adaptable as it was, had its limitations, and fate took sadistic delight in stretching the rubber band that was peoples' emotions until it snapped.

Rivaille was calmly scanning the contents of his computer's screen when he found that his mind was steadily flowing adrift. It was long since work hours had ended and he had volunteered himself for another few hours of overtime in the company of his ever faithful stack of papers. It wasn't often that he stayed behind to work, however, next week he had an appointment made with an important friend, the same appointment they had every year where they would meet and Rivaille would tell him of his life as of yet and then would reminisce of older times better left forgotten. He would always listen quietly, without saying a word, a trait Rivaille had always found annoying. He would always leave him in a sour mood (more than usual anyways), and head straight for the nearest bar to drink until he couldn't tell up from down.

His boss had understood of course, he was a benevolent man, and even allowed him a few days off due to him being the ever diligent employee. "Take care of yourself Levi." he'd said. "If you need anything, you can always call me." he had reminded sternly. Rivaille had nodded at the time but they both knew he wasn't going to call for shit. Anyways, as a result of those few days off, Rivaille took it upon himself to get ahead in the paperwork, lest it pile up in a miserable corner during his absence. And so here he was, forcing himself to finish, and counting the days until their meeting. He constantly had to blink rapidly to regain his focus. No, he couldn't let his head wander too far from what was presently happening as he had no desire to traverse through the depths of his mind and accidentally recall the past he so dreaded. With a deep sigh he refocused his view on the computer screen and began typing furiously, eager to get home and sleep. When he was sleeping at least, he didn't have to worry about the present or the past. He was often blessed with dream-less slumbering.

"Eren...it's not that we don't trust you...its just that, we want to make sure-"

"That I'm not sick? Do I look even remotely sick to you mom? I feel great. Normal. And I've been like this for years." Eren almost whined, his forest green eyes harsh and heavy with resolution stared deep into his mother's hazel orbs, imploring her to reconsider. He could see her resolve crumbling, her expression sorrowful as she began to speak, "Eren, I-"

"Carla." Eren's father said solemnly, his hand gently coming to rest on her shoulder. His gaze shifted from his wife, to Eren, and to his wife again. "I know how you feel about the doctor Eren, your mother and I would love nothing more than to just drive on past the place, go home together and forget any of this ever happened. But we can't Eren, we won't take any chances. We need to know you're alright and not just because you say so. Now please stop begging your mother, can't you see how difficult you are making this for her?"

Eren despised the thought of putting his mother through any pain but he really didn't want to go! He didn't like Doctor Morrison, all he had to offer was forced smiles and horribly painful injections of strangely colorful fluids. Whenever he examined him, he asked strange questions and treated him without care, like he was an animal. "Lately, have you felt any strange urges boy? Like, let say, you feel angry, really angry and you feel like you cant control yourself, you feel like...you want to rip everything apart perhaps?" he had said once. Eren had looked at him like he was crazy (perhaps he was, given how his father looked highly concerned around him) and answered in the negative. He had never in his life been that angry. What the hell was he talking about, rip everything apart?

"Sorry mom but I'm not going back there. That place is strange and that doctor is crazy! I'm tired of seeing him, I'm tired of the examinations every freaking month and I'm tired of you doting on me like I'm some weak, injured little bird that cant fly! I'm not sick, and the only reason I would be is because you cage me from the outside world so much!"

"Not this again...listen Eren, we only want to protect-"

"Don't say that! I stopped believing that crap a long time ago!"

"Please Eren, listen-"

"No you listen!" Eren yelled, suddenly annoyed. "You are such control freaks! Never letting me out of the house except for school, always watching me, it's a miracle I have any friends! But no, its all to protect me! Don't give me that bullshit!"

"Eren!"his mother gasped, her eyes wide. "Please son, stop..."

Eren knew he should stop, the look on his mother's face had made his chest hurt and even his father was looking at him funny. Maybe it was because this was his first time speaking out so adamantly. Even so, he was tired of obeying quietly just to please them. They were happy with him because he cooperated but he wasn't happy with himself! They held him back so many times and he was damn tired of it. He couldn't allow them to keep him in his room on a Saturday night while everyone else was out with their friends, he couldn't let them place bars on his window so that he wouldn't sneak out for the hundredth time that month. They couldn't call him the second school ended and demand that he go to their car immediately and not linger in the building for even a minute more. He was tired of them putting a wall between him and the rest of society and he had tried again and again to climb this formidable obstacle, he tried reasoning with them countless times, argued and yelled over and over again but he was always silenced, his pleas ignored, and the wall seemed to grow farther and farther from the ground, it's impending form casting a disparaging shadow over him as he saw his freedom slipping from his grasp.

But no more. He would break through that damned wall if need be, but he would not let himself be pushed down again. Not by the people he trusted the most. "I'm tired, so fucking tired like you wouldn't believe." he hissed. "I'm fine, I've been fine and I will always be fine, so stop babying me, stop telling me to shut up, and let me do what I want to do cause its my fucking life, not yours!"

He looked down at his lap, his hands were clenched into fists and trembling with all his pent up anger and frustration. It couldn't have been a more inconvenient time to let out his frustrations; normally after he'd talk back to his parents he would storm into his room and lock himself up for hours, however this time around there was no escape, his harsh words hung in the air for everyone to hear and neither he nor his parents could ignore it withing the confined space of the car. How he felt at this moment, how he had felt over the years, there were simply no words to describe the pain and sorrow that it had brought upon him without his parents noticing. But now they knew, no, they'd simply had a taste of his inner struggle and he was far from done. "I'm not going to put up with it anymore! I hate how my life's been for the past years and its all your fucking faults for doing that shit to me! Do you even fucking realize just how much you've taken from me!?"

There was a silence. His head whipped up to gauge their reaction to his words.

But all his eyes focused on were the piercing white headlights of an oncoming truck.

Rivaille had finally finished his load of paperwork and was grabbing his coat when he heard his cellphone ring from within one of its wool pockets. He rummaged through both only to pick up his old beat up flip-phone from the right pocket. It was a gift, he had recalled, from an old friend. Never gotten rid of it despite how "un-modern" it was.

He hadn't had a clue on who could call him so late in the afternoon though, and for some reason as soon as he took the call he had an ominous premonition of the worst.

"Hello?" he said, lacking the usual undertone of sarcasm in his uncertainty.

"Hey Levi! Its me Hanji!" cried a loud and animated female voice from the other line. Rivaille groaned internally and momentarily contemplated hanging up but decided on humoring the boisterous woman for once. "I know who it is calling me Hanji, theres this thing called 'Caller ID'." he said with no small amount of renewed derision. Hanji made a small 'ohhh' sound as if she was fascinated by the fact. "Really? I couldn't tell what with your phone being from medieval times."

"Did you have some other purpose in calling me besides complaining over something that is none of your business?"

"Ah! Yeah, I did. I was wondering if we were still up for Friday next week?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Visiting him of course! You're going that day aren't you? I was gonna come with..."

"Absolutely not. Who the hell gave you permission to tag along? It isn't a field trip."

"I know that." Hanji mumbled. "Still, I want to join you. I have a right to see him as much as you do." she said seriously.

Rivaille bit his lip.

"Besides!" she said with renewed vigor. "He'd rather see us together than apart! You wouldn't want him to worry yeah?"

"...fine. Meet me at my place that day. You know at what time?"

"Same time as every year!"

"Don't make me wait."

He hung up, not bothering to hear her reply and was about to shove the phone in his pocket when suddenly, it rang again loudly. He growled impatiently and flipped it open to take the call, his voice laced with irritation. "What is it now?"

"H-hello? Is this Rivaille-san?" Inquired a unfamiliar shrill female voice through his cellphone speaker. Rivaille cringed inwardly but collected himself and answered in a professional voice natural of him."Yes this is he speaking."

"Ah well...Rivaille-san...how do I say this? Uhmm...I mean..." Rivaille raised a brow, his patience thinning as the bad feeling in his gut flared up once more. Obviously, this woman was lacking in communication skills or she had a valid reason for stuttering like an idiot. "What is it. I'm a very busy man." he quipped.

"Ah well...it seems you're acquainted with Grisha Jeager-san, correct?" Rivaille hummed in confirmation, wondering where this woman was going with the conversation. Why the hell would she be calling about him?

"Well you are listed in his emergency contacts in our hospital records-"

"Hospital records? Why the hell am I listed there and why am I getting called in the first place, did something happen to Jeager?" He interrupted, losing his composure for the slightest of moments.

"Well, there isn't any way to say this but uhmm...Mr. Jeager and his wife have passed away. I'm terribly sorry."

"..."

The woman took his silence as a sign to continue. "T-They were in a car accident. Three passengers in total, including their son. Uhh...Mr. Jeager suffered severe trauma to the cerebral area and died of a hemorrhage before we could get to him. Mrs. Jeager suffered from a punctured lung and a few bruises but died of blunt force trauma to the cervical spine, breaking her neck. And their child..."

The woman stopped as if she was wondering whether Rivaille was still listening. The man himself was speechless. He had known Jeager of course, and the man had always seemed pleasant yet stern about his work, an intelligent man who understood very well what his purpose was in life. A bright man like him, to suddenly disappear from the world like a flame being extinguished, leaving the world in darkness, he couldn't fathom the thought. But besides all that...why him? Why would they tell him of all people? Shouldn't they be contacting his family instead?

"And the kid?" He found himself saying. He honestly didn't know if he wanted to find out the fate of the child. Jeager had always talked about his family like they were god-sent. He knew how grave the whole incident was but despite that he, who considered himself a very able man; one quick to think, ready for anything, just could not for the life of him wrap his damned mind around what he had been told. He felt his fists clench around the phone tightly as he exhaled.

The woman cleared her throat, clearly uncomfortable. "Well sir, that is why I'm calling. We can find no other reliable contact information besides you sir. The child is alive, just...we need a guardian and we have no one else to contact."

"No relatives at all." Rivaille ground out, clenching his hands into fists.

"No sir, nothing. I'm sorry sir, but can you-"

"I'll be there. What hospital?"

The woman had barely any time to respond before Rivaille hung up, donned his coat and stormed out of his office in a furious haze. It was one of the few times the poor janitor working nearby saw the man without the strict self control he usually presented himself with; his eyebrows scrunched, his scowl prominent, his fists clenched tightly and his eyes set ablaze with fury and impatience. The people that remained in the building stepped out of his path in fear as he made his way to the origin of all his troubles. That child.

By the time Rivaille had made it to the lobby of the hospital his mind was no less frazzled than before but at least he had better control of his disposition. As calmly as possible, he approached a nurse at the lobby and asked for Jeager -because the damned name of the kid had just evaded his mind- but all that mattered was that he was alive. The nurse gave him a kind smile as she directed him towards the room; it did nothing to quell his rampaging thoughts but he silently acknowledged it never the less. When they finally reached the room, he realized he was not prepared to see what kind of mangled form the kid might have. No matter what he had seen in his past, a kid getting hurt is many times worse than an adult getting hurt. He didn't know why but it just is. Especially if this kid was the one getting hurt.

When he blindly followed the nurse into the room it was because he decided that he had no other choice and whatever he was faced with he would have to deal with it, just like all his other problems. However, deep in his gut, he could feel the unease spreading, and it warned him that this was unlike anything he had faced before.

His gut feeling was always right.

His second surprise of the day came shortly after he looked at the occupant of the room, a young teen, not a child, resting quietly on the rather uncomfortable-looking hospital bed. He briefly recalled that when Jeager had talked about his only son, he had said that he was the most noble yet stubborn child he had ever met. He however, failed to mention that his little boy, wasn't so little anymore.

He warily approached the sleeping form with a look of utter monotony, he simply didn't know what kind of face to make anymore. The boy with chocolate brown locks framing his pale face looked worse for wear. He was sweating slightly and looked like he was in a fitful rest from his uneven breathing. His face was scrunched slightly in pain and it made Rivaille almost pity the boy.

Looking back, he had found that the nurse was staring at him quietly. He turned to her and asked, his voice betraying nothing, "What's wrong with him?"

She glanced down at the clipboard she held in her arms and read the diagnosis to him. "Some bruises and lacerations but mainly a broken rib and a slight concussion."

"What did he forget to put on his seatbelt or something?" Rivaille humored, his expression not contorting in the slightest and his eyes grim. "Fuck." He grumbled. "He's gonna be fine right?"

"Yes, he's actually extremely lucky to have taken such little damage. I heard a truck crashed directly into their car. Its nothing short of a miracle that he survived all of that with so minor injuries. Lucky for him that means he doesn't have to spend that long here. Just a week, maybe less depending on how he's feeling. We'll just keep him a while for observation. The only problem at the moment is of course, finding someone to take custody of him after his discharge now that...well, you know..." she said, her hazel eyes downcast as she gripped the clipboard tightly.

"And you weren't able to contact any relatives at all? Not even a cousin or-"

"No sir." The woman quipped. "That is why we contacted you. You were the only emergency contact listed in his and his family's hospital records."

Rivaille sighed deeply, rubbing his face with his hands in frustration. "Why the fuck-" he paused, and for a long moment he was silent, his eyes attached to the limp form underneath stark white sheets. Finally he looked up, understanding clear in his stormy eyes. "So he's an orphan and I'm assuming he's underage."

"Yes. Sixteen to be exact."

"And what, you expect me to take custody of him?" Rivaille guessed, his voice laced with disbelief. Calm as he may have looked, hell, he wasn't even sure what expression he was making, Rivaille was not absorbing all of the information well. How could he? How could he just accept that not only Jeager and his wife had died, but that their kid had survived and now he was expected to take him in? It was slowly piling up in his mind, a new burden on his shoulders. No, that was unfair, its not like the kid asked for this either but still, it was far too much. How could anybody expect him to handle all of this shit? No wait, this shit didn't even happen to anybody except him of course, that was just his fucking luck but that didn't mean he was going to sit on his ass and let the dead spite him with a new, irritating responsibility.

The nurse looked deathly serious as she nodded, but so was Rivaille. "Are you kidding me? Do you even know what you're asking of me? You can't seriously expect me to take custody this kid." He growled, jerking his thumb towards the boy for emphasis.

The nurse looked saddened. "Its optional of course. If you won't take custody of him then the only other option is to place him in a orphanage where he'll hopefully find a foster home."

Rivaille narrowed his eyes. "So just do that, I have no business with this kid anymore. Orphanages aren't that bad." He responded, crossing his arms defiantly. The nurse shook her head. "Even so, I believe every child deserves to be given a chance at a true family. You may not be his blood relative, but you're a friend of the family and he knows you. I believe he'll be more comfortable with you than having to start over with complete strangers."

Rivaille scoffed, his eyes glinting with some dark emotion. "Don't think so. This is my first time meeting the teenager. We don't know each other at all."

"Look." The nurse said, her voice hiding an undertone of anger. "I'm sorry but this poor kid just lost his parents, and we can't find any other person at the moment to take care of him after he is discharged. Now, I'm not sure if you care, but imagine how psychologically traumatized he will be when he wakes up and realizes what's happened to him. He needs someone who he knows and can trust and if you hold a shred of dignity or sympathy, you'll be that someone."

Rivaille didn't respond. The nurse breathed deeply, wrinkles appearing on her youthful skin. "As I said you are under no obligation to help him but I think that you should sit down and really think it through. I know its a lot to ask of you but this child needs you. If it's the paperwork and process that bothers you then the doctor himself can help you work it out...you can give this child a home when he leaves...don't you think he deserves that?"

"What...makes you think he'll even want me to care for him?" Rivaille questioned, his eyes closed and brows scrunched in deep thought.

"Because he's been staring at you and holding the back of your jacket for some time now."

Rivaille flinched visibly and turned around only to find a hand dropping it's loose grip on the hem of his suit jacket. He looked down at the boy and noticed droopy emerald eyes regarding him tiredly. He looked dead, like he just wanted to close his heavy lids and sleep forever. There were bags under his eyes and his lips were dry and chapped, he was pale and yet Rivaille's gaze were solely interlocked with the boy's. Deep green orbs flecked with blue streaks stared back, looking as lifeless as their owner yet still managing to keep their hold on Rivaille's. They exchanged no words and Rivaille wasn't going to pretend like he could see some deeper emotion in his eyes when he couldn't. Still, they made something swell uncomfortably in his chest and he found himself unable to look away.

Suddenly, it was like he was staring at the deep green pools of a young child of nine. His body frail and weak yet his eyes always so determined, always following him, staring up at him longingly as their owner walked alongside him, his tiny hand clenched around the fabric of his pants. He'd stared back at those eyes with his own tortured ones and he saw many things in the boy and his smile. He saw the deep admiration, the blind trust and the willingness to accept everything that had overshadowed what had brought them together in the first place; the abandonment, the fear, the spiral into the depths of despair. He saw what he could have been and what he truly was, but what mattered was that he saw himself in that child and he didn't like it. Maybe that's why he found himself unable to think anymore as he spoke again after a long time of thoughtful silence.

"Fine."he muttered. "As long as he can take care of himself...and he wants to stay with me then...there's not a huge problem."

The nurse seemed overjoyed. "Did you hear that honey? You're gonna be just fine." She told the child gleefully. The boy merely glanced at her for a moment before closing his eyes again and falling asleep. Rivaille watched him carefully, feeling like he had committed a huge mistake. Well, its not like that pushy nurse will let him take it back anyways.

"Come with me, I'll lead you to the doctor's office so you can discuss the specifics."

"Shit." Rivaille grumbled before reluctantly following her out the door.

When the boy opened his eyes for the second time, Rivaille was there to greet him with a frown.

"Real pain in the ass you are." hissed Rivaille grumpily, his eyes scanning the clipboard in his hands before setting it down on the bedside table. "Eren Jaeger."

Eren turned his empty gaze to him and stared quietly. Rivaille stared back not really expecting a response. "Not gonna answer me-"

"H-heichou?" came out the raspy voice of the boy, his forest green eyes glimmering with hope the minute he'd said the word. Slowly, he held out his frail hand to Rivaille, who sat in a chair besides him, eyes wide and full of surprise. A wave of nostalgia crashed unto him from the single word. It had been a long time, too long, since he was called that name. A stupid title he had thought, and very few people called him that back then and even less so now. Only this boy, he mused, only he would call him such a thing. Gingerly, the hand slipped closer to his own until it rested atop his own. Rivaille's senses snapped to life, his mind reeling at the contact yet he didn't pull away. "Eren you..." he muttered, his voice fading as he was left speechless for once in his life.

The boy stared back, and blinked once. As soon as it had come, the recognition left his eyes and was replaced with confusion. "A-ah? I mean...I-I'm sorry! Umm, I don't even know you and I called you something weird, yeah? S-sorry. I just...I dunno, I looked at you and that's the first thing that came to mind. Sorry if I creeped you out or something...uhm..."

Rivaille hand twitched under the boy's and Eren sputtered and blushed, realizing what he had done as he quickly pulled away. "S-sorry." he apologized. Rivaille stared at him like he had grown two heads. What the fuck had happened just now? He sighed deeply, rubbing his face with his hands before he looked up at the flushed teenager before him. "It's fine. Don't apologize."

Eren was silent but nodded and the two were yet again enveloped in an almost stifling silence. The boy fidgeted and Rivaille too felt like he needed to say something, he just wasn't sure what.

"Well, aren't you gonna thank me? I went through a whole shitload of paperwork just to take custody of you." the older man grumbled. "Still am." he continued, gesturing to the clipboard he was previously holding. Eren simply stared back at him, no signs of remorse or embarrassment at the fact. Rivaille felt slightly irked at his silence, what the hell was wrong with him now?

Before he could ask just that however, a familiar nurse walked in, a small smile on her face as she regarded Eren. "Hey sweetie. I see you're awake, how are you feeling? Do you want anything? Food, drink-"

Eren nodded.

"Ah, of course, your throat must be dry." She said, turning to a small table at the other end of the room and grabbing a glass pitcher full of water before pouring some in a cup and handing it over to Eren. The boy slowly raised his hands and took the cup, making Rivaille take notice of the needle and tube injected into his arm. Ugh. He really didn't like hospitals he realized. All the beeping machines, anesthetics and bleariness of it all. It reminded him of things he'd rather not think about.

The boy drank greedily and gestured for more water until he had easily drank over five cups. Finally he cleared his throat and turned to Rivaille. "You...you're...Rivaille...right?" He said, his eyes glazing over with some unknown emotion.

"How do you know who I am?" Rivaille questioned carefully, his eyes dubious.

"My father...talked about you a lot..." Eren said then froze, his eyes clearing over with realization and...anger? That didn't look good. Rivaille watched as the boy released the glass, letting it fall to the floor and shatter into thousands of sharp shards.

The boy turned a ferocious glare to the nurse, then to Rivaille. "They're dead." he mumbled quietly, but Rivaille heard the ire in his voice. The nurse gasped softly and moved to comfort him but Rivaille held up a hand to stop her. He looked to Eren and eyed him carefully as he said, "Yeah. They're dead." he didn't see the point in hiding the truth. Eren stared at Rivaille, but the older man could tell that he was not really looking at him. He was lost in his own thoughts, the light disappearing from his eyes with each passing second.

Then he was back, trying to get up and yelling at the nurse at the top of his lungs. "How!? How could they be dead!? They're not really dead right!? Right!? You couldn't have let them die!"

The nurse begged him to lie back down but Eren wasn't having any of it. He tore off the needle from his wrist and stood from the bed, oblivious to his wounds. "No...no! It's all your goddamn fault! You couldn't save them you fucking piece of shit! Not even my mother dammit!" He grabbed the nurse by the collar of her shirt and tugged her back and forth harshly, spitting obscenities in her face. "Why'd you let them die!? You should've died instead!" He faltered, hot tears poring from his tormented eyes as he shook her some more. "I should have died too!"

The nurse trembled visibly in his grasp, trying desperately to regain her composure. "I'm sorry! They were dead before we-!"

"NO! Don't fucking apologize! Its all your fault!" Eren roared, fury burning like scorching flames in his eyes as he clenched his hand into a fist and pulled it back, ready to strike the startled nurse when-

"Enough of this shit."

The next thing Eren knew, his head was being pressed against the ground with both hands restrained behind his back by an irritable Rivaille who was straddling him from behind. The nurse was strewn across the floor nearby, pushed back by Levi in order to dodge the fist that just narrowly missed her face. Her expression was a compilation of confusion and horror as she gazed at the scene before her. "H-his wounds!" she stuttered.

Rivaille ignored her and opted to stare back at the tear filled emerald eyes of the affronted teen pinned beneath him. They held pure and unadulterated fury, wild and intense like that of an hungry animal, and for some reason, it made a shiver run through his spine. "Stupid brat." he spat. The boy responded by struggling and trying to push him off, shards pricking his skin due to the action. His grip tightened painfully. "Fuck you! Get off of me!" the boy barked. Rivaille scoffed, "Are you really Eren? The kid Jaeger always talked about with so much fucking love and admiration that I wanted to puke?" The boy stiffened, his eyes widened in surprise and for a moment Rivaille thought he would try to struggle again but the boy merely clenched his eyes closed in silence. Surely enough, Rivaille felt him shaking as he strained his ears to hear the soft, almost inaudible sniffles originating from the teen. "Oh god, you've got to be kidding..." He sighed. Eren quivered. "Shut...up. You don't know shit... It's...It's all my fault!" he whispered. Rivaille rolled his eyes. "So you're an orphan, welcome to the fucking club you dipshit. You'll get over it." he said, releasing him and standing up. The boy steadily sat up, his back facing him and his hands trembling. Rivaille turned to the nurse who was still in shock as she stared at the boy. Rivaille huffed and nudged the boy in the back with his foot...hard.

"Ugh! W-what!" the teen asked, anger seeping through his sob filled voice.

"Apologize to the lady you rude brat." He ordered, watching as the boy slowly stood up and turned to the nurse. His cheeks were streaked with tear trails and his face contorted into a pained expression. He paced over to the nurse and offered her his hand. "...sorry." he mumbled. The nurse looked at him quietly before standing up on her own and smiling shakily. "Don't worry about it. Your wounds though! Are you okay!?" she exclaimed. Eren flinched, suddenly remembering. "Shit..." he said before nearly collapsing. Rivaille caught him by the arms and clicked his tongue in distaste. "Fucking brat, how dense can you be?" he reprimanded.

"Who's fault do you think this is!" Eren bit back. "You're the one who attacked me!"

"You almost punched the nurse." Rivaille deadpanned. Eren couldn't argue with that. The nurse chuckled nervously. "Really, its no big deal. What's important is that we get you back to bed." She said as she and Rivaille helped the injured boy back to his bed. The nurse injected the needle to his wrist again and left the room with the excuse of calling the doctor and updating him on the boy's condition. Eren and Rivaille were left alone in the stark white room once again with nothing but the beeping of the monitors to fill the silence. Rivaille plopped down on the cushioned seat besides the bed and grabbed the clipboard again, scribbling down more information on it. Eren watched him carefully as he wiped his eyes. His breath was ragged, Rivaille quietly noted, but the color had returned to his face and his eyes were as vivid as ever. He was alive. Nothing less than a miracle.

"What...do I do now...?" Eren mumbled to himself, so quietly that Rivaille almost didn't catch it. "Didn't you hear me before? You're coming with me." Rivaille answered nonchalantly, his gaze never leaving the papers at his hands. Eren swung his head in his direction, his breath catching. "Though I don't know if I really want to deal with your shit after seeing you throw that temper tantrum." he added, gauging Eren's reaction. The boy was silent, looking down at his hands which were white from clenching the sheets so hard. Rivaille sighed, tapping the boys head with the clipboard. "Kidding. I wouldn't be filling these goddamn papers if I wasn't would I?" He said. Eren turned to him again, his eyes filled with conflict. Rivaille tried to at least smirk at him but all that came out was a grimace. "No 'thank you' huh? Fine then." he said sarcastically, pulling away.

"No!" Eren exclaimed, grabbing Rivaille's wrist. The older man flinched in surprise. The boy blushed and looked down at the floor in shame. "I-I mean...thank...you..."

And perhaps, in some form of a challenge to the hearts of its prey, Fate chose to bring two of the most unlikely people together for better,

and for worse.

So if you're feeling benevolent and would like to leave a review then it would be greatly appreciated! If you liked it and would like to leave a review but have no idea what to say, (I'm not the only one like that am I?) then I would ask of you to tell me this in your review; have I portrayed Rivaille and Eren correctly, considering the situation? Its super important that I know, since I especially focus on keeping everyone in character as much as possible (particularly Eren, Levi and Hanji) So do tell whether I did good or bad so that I can improve!

Cant really tell when the next chapter will be written since I'm lazy in nature but reviews tend to goad me into action and I'm pretty exited about this story so that usually prompts me. Still, don't be expecting much just in case.

Anyways, I just really hope you've enjoyed it and look forward to the next chapter. Regardless of whether you leave a review or not I'm still very happy that you even took the time to read this~! So thank you.