"EH!"

Several heads glanced up from their lunch at the cry, though they almost immediately turned their attention to their plates when they saw the source. Cpl. Rivaille's small group were clustered around a table, with their staunch leader at the head. Team Leader Zoe sat to his left, the titan freak to his right, and the rest were seated in random succession. The rest of the Recon Division paid them no heed after the outburst, though hushed whispers were now taking place instead. All eyes were on the corporal, who looked bored as usual. And their newest addition, prisoner sans the manacles, Eren Jaeger. His presence was both a blessing and a curse, and most of the men and women in that dining hall believed him to be the latter. Actually, the only one who does not believe that the young man was a danger was the person himself. At least in that wide table-ridden room, he believes so.

"Some people are trying to eat in peace," Rivaille muttered, his spoon digging through the mashed crap the cook dubbed as edible. It was like he was in the Academy once again, eating the mush they passed out as food. Which team was on cook duty anyway? He'd have to talk to Irvin about this. In the meantime, Zoe was running her mouth off again, though thankfully it wasn't about her titan experiments for once. Though... he couldn't actually call her topic 'safe', as it is.

"Oops, sorry Corporal," was Zoe's chuckled answer. Her mush covered spoon changed directions, flinging goop everywhere to Rivaille's disgust. Despite her somewhat rough manners, she was a great soldier. Though she wasn't really shining brilliantly right about now. "Well, you see Eren. Us Recon are almost always outside the walls in missions. And when we do get back home, we'd be too devastated to do anything else other than train, train, train. So... it's not really surprising that members of a squad would turn to each other for 'comfort'."

Eren, recent graduate and newest member of Rivaille's Special Operations Squad remained silent. Shock and suprise painted across his face like a banner, mouth agape as he tried to process Zoe's words. He had no idea how the conversation changed from titans to this. The other members were talking among themselves as though it was normal for someone to talk about sex during dinner. His blue-green gaze switched from one member to the other to finally rest on their squad leader, a slight blush coloring his cheeks as he met the shorter man's gaze.

"Don't look at me. I'm not into that." was their leader's retort though his words were only greeted by snickers from Zoe herself. And as though she had all plans in the world to continue the topic, she pressed the bridge of her glasses and folded her arms on the table.

"Which is why, I'm advising you now Eren. Give it a few weeks, even days; and someone might go up to you and proposition your ass or shtick. It depends on the person, but with your face you'll most likely receive invitations from the other guys. Though... I wouldn't mind a tumble with you, when you fill out better, of course." As though she hadn't already sent Eren to a coma, Zoe continued to overload the poor boy's head with ideas. Rivaille merely finished his unappetizing dinner and stood up to search for the damn squad who made it.

...

Zoe's prattle continued unheard in the background as Eren zoned out. Thanks to her vivid descriptions, he'd most likely have nightmares in his tiny dungeon room later. Perhaps puberty got to him late, but the 15-year old had no idea what the older female was talking about. Life at the Academy had been all about titans, honestly ever since Wall Maria's fall; there'd been nothing but titans in his mind. So it was no surprise that he'd grown up quiet... naïve. The other cadets most likely knew more about the topic, but who can blame him? Mikasa is like a sister to him, and there'd been no sign of any budding attraction between the two. Their bonds were that of family, and Eren would probably receive a sucker punch if he even hinted something else. Armin is a friend, a best-friend. And though the blonde was somewhat effeminate, Eren did not feel the attraction. Everyone else was secondary... Well, not everyone.

Cpl. Rivaille... now that's a thought worth considering. Eren had heard tales of the young man's accomplishments, idolized him even. And though he can't see himself doing the nasty with his superior, he can imagine Rivaille's touch. The beating he got in the courtroom, though painful, had burned the shorter male's strenght into his bruised body. Perhaps he was being masochistic, but he wouldn't mind being Rivaille's... partner.

"Oi, Eren. Are you listening to me?" Aurou's question suddenly broke through the image forming in the deep recesses of his mind. The blonde looked annoyed, when is he not? And everyone, even Zoe had left the table.

"What? Oh, yes. What did you say?" Eren answered with a cringe. Trust Aurou to go ballistic on him any time soon. The fact that Eren made it into Rivaille's squad without anything to his name did not go too well with the older man. But Rivaille was the one who volunteered to the task of guarding the titan freak, so what can Aurou do?

"The corporal wants you working on your gear. I'm the best in maneuvering so the damn job falls on my ass. Which fool allowed you to graduate anyway?" The jibes and insults continued all the way to the castle's training grounds where several bodies were in the midst of spars or training. Aurou led him to the hang frames, an improved version of the apptitude test wooden frames Eren had to suffer through back in the Academy. The older man was bossy, yes. But the newbie had to admit, Aurou knew his stuff. The afternoon passed in regular bouts of shouted insults and a pained head, both forehead and back. But it was an afternoon spent well. By the time the dinner bell tolled, Eren had several more gear techniques he was itching to try out for real.

"Well, Eren? Did you give any thought to my question earlier?" Zoe's cheerful, if not manic; voice suddenly asked. They were once again seated around Rivaille's table, their dinner a better fare than lunch. One of the other Recon teams was huddled in gloom all the way across the large hall. Every time Rivaille's gaze flicked their way, they'd freeze up and eat their food faster.

Well, this was the sight that had amused Eren until Zoe's question interrupted him. He racked his memory, came up null and said so. The female squad leader merely smirked at him and started pointing with her spoon once again. "About which man or woman would you want to go to bed with?"

Needless to say, a re-enactment of lunch played out during dinner, Eren's sputtering exclamation coupled with Rivaille's stern chastisement was quickly turning into a fad. Zoe merely grinned toothily, noting the way their youngest member's face turned dark with blood, and how the boy's eyes had strayed minutely towards the bored-faced corporal. Since a child, Zoe had been both frank and curious, traits that accompanied her to her current age. And almost always meant trouble for whoever's in her sights.

"Ooooh... I see. You like the Corporal!"

There was no time better than now to change into his titan form. Panicking and flustered, the youth had his hand midway towards his mouth before his brain caught up with him. For a moment there, he'd actually preferred death to meeting Rivaille's studious gaze. But a hand caught his wrist, stilling his ascent. Grey orbs roamed the flaming face before a smirk graced pale thin lips.

"I wouldn't mind."

The low drawl silenced the clamor. All eyes were suddenly on the leader as everyone within earshot dropped whatever they were doing. Zoe had a manic glint in her eyes, her smile resembling a titan with each passing second. Aurou looked as though he'd bitten his tongue clean off, Petra a close second. Erd had a troubled smile. But everyone's face was nothing in comparison to Eren's and Rivaille's. One had a smirk that spelled trouble for the younger male. The other had turned into a tomato with a dark top. Make that a goldfish, with the way his mouth closed and gaped silently, he certainly resembled one.

"Wh-Wha-Wh-"

"I said I won't mind."

He probably heard wrong, or maybe he was in the middle of training with Aurou, knocked out and delirious. There was no way that Corporal Rivaille, élite squad leader of the Special Ops Squad; was saying these words in front of Eren. After all, if the beatings and the harsh commands were to get by, the older male had more reasons to dislike him. There was no way Rivaille was saying that he wouldn't mind fucking Eren Jaeger. Or getting fucked, Now that he noticed it, weren't they both guys? Where is he gonna stick it then? Or are they just gonna jerk each other off? How will Rivaille's rough palms feel anyway? Will it feel the same or will it be different?

Various confusing questions started to pop up in Eren's badly shaken mind. He didn't even notice it when the corporal released his wrist, his hand falling floppily on the table to Zoe's amusement. Everyone continued to eat, treating the quick intervention casually. Eren ate automatically though he couldn't taste anything he brought to his mouth. He stood and headed to his lonely dungeons in silence and promptly locked himself up in his room. His thoughts were in a disarray as he gazed unseeing at the stone walls. It was later that he finally came to the demented realization that a prank was played on him. Stuttered laughter filled his room, his posted guard shivered at the manic quality of the tone.

...

"You're not usually this cruel," the voice belonged to Zoe, her form hidden by shadows as she watched Rivaille work on his gear. The corporal was sitting on a workbench, oiling the fans and joints of his 3D gear. The grey gaze was unreadable as he glanced up at her before continuing with his work. The dinner affair wasn't mentioned but the corporal knew what she was talking about. And frankly, he didn't think the remark deserved an answer. Zoe should know better, he wasn't one for pranks and everything that leaves his mouth was true. Rivaille does not lie, he merely keeps his mouth shut.

"Are you actually serious about this?" she persisted, a smile growing on her shadowed face. His silence did not daunt her, it even made her squeal.

"Can't you shut up for just one minute?" he finally muttered, weary of the woman's antics.

"Nope, no! Not when there's something as juicy like this!" She dropped herself on the seat besides him, and started poking at Rivaille's cheeks without warning. "You like him! Too!"

"Shut up Squad Leader Hanji," it wasn't a verbal threat but the tone was there, low and growling as Rivaille reconstructed his gear.

"But, seriously. I can totally imagine you ordering him to stick his 'titan dick' in you!" You can almost feel the tension in the air now, like the silence before a storm. Pretty sure Zoe felt it too, because she suddenly remembered something random and made her escape. Everyone else in the workroom disappeared as well, the corporal's mood too dark to live through.

Rivaille let out a frustrated huff and finished his work. 3D gear in hand, he climbed the stone steps to his room, aided by the light of the moon through the open glass-less windows. Titan dick, my ass. Sometimes he thinks there was more pros than cons to having Zoe muzzled. Titans don't have genitals in the first place... Was he really having this mental conversation now?

Honestly, he surprised himself back then, during dinner. He'd picked up on the glances of course, tagged it all to admiration and perhaps wariness. After all, he did beat the guy up in front of the ruling body. Certainly not attraction. But at Zoe's revealing words, something snapped. The sight of Eren, blushing and flustered enough to turn titan in a panic was all it took to spur him on. The words left his lips without his say so, a sign that instinct had acted in place of his rationale. And he just had to say it twice, planting the idea deeper. He was glad though when Eren was too frozen to react properly. He wouldn't have taken it gracefully had the younger male laughed at the idea. Silence was good, shock even better.

He had no idea where the attraction came from. In the first place, he wasn't even that attracted to men. With his slight stature, he'd most likely end up on the receiving end anyway. Girls were fine, though they were of the same size, he was still the guy, the one who sticks his cock in. Not the one who gets a bone buried in his backyard. Rivaille was no stranger to the attractions of sex, and he wasn't shy about it. Pleasure was pleasure, and sex is sex. But one had to wonder, why exactly can he just go ahead and say okay to the idea of doing it with Eren. He can't do much now, but damn him if he can't get his answer by tomorrow night.

Vuuuuuuuu~
I'm back with an ErVaille fic.
Shingeki no Kyojin is one of my sincere ships. And though I don't own it and the characters, I sincerely pray for an angel to come down to earth and say it is. Sadly, no such appearance.