NOTE: This is major AU, including but not limited to Modern and DemonHunter verse.

"You're not going to steal my drink again, are you?" Eren asks, skeptical as he watches the other man kick the vending machine once, twice, before punching it lightly in the side. A can rolls into the slot and Eren grabs it before Rivaille can snatch it.

"No," Rivaille says, placing his own money into the vending machine, "you have shitty taste."

Eren scoffs, but thanks the man for getting his drink. The vending machine here is prone to stealing people's money and malfunctioning. Luckily, Eren only gets it when he knows Rivaille is around, who somehow knows how to tweak the vending machine to comply. The first time the man had just grabbed the can and sipped from it like Eren wasn't standing right there, watching.

The boy glances back briefly to see Rivaille pull a disgusted face as he flicks open his can and edge into the opening train doors. He looks grossed out by the close proximity of everyone but resigned. Dark eyes glance up, notice Eren looking. Eren looks away, coughing as the train leaves.

The boy finds a place to sit, glances around and notices the stragglers who didn't catch the train in time, all looking dejected and annoyed. No, they aren't it. He checks his phone, grimaces as he checks the one message.

It's a male. Light colored hair and a scar that I left on the shell of his left ear. His hair is long enough to cover though, so watch out. Don't die. -Mikasa.

Eren places the phone back in his pocket, rubs his hands together. Waits.

He ends up waiting until the sun can't be seen. Which is what he's expecting anyways. Demons aren't susceptible to the old mythological weaknesses, but they still seem to prefer darkness to anything light. It's the last train for this section until early morning, and Eren keeps his head down but scrutinizes each passenger as they pile out. He catches Rivaille's eyes.

Eren blinks, and the other man regards him from a distance before turning away. Probably for the best. Still, Eren finds himself watching the business man walk away, back home presumably. Someone else is too. Eren notices the demon as soon it as it moves out of the train, stumbling after Rivaille, almost in a drunken manner.

No one else seems to notice, hurrying off and ignoring drunkards and danger.

"Wait," the demon mutters, blond hair now a limpish clot around his head. His arm stretches outward towards Rivaille. "I said wait, damn it!" The arm shifts, a roar extended as the beast flashes after Rivaille, a dark abominable creature. Eren rushes forward, adrenaline and fear bleeding in his veins, bites down on his hand harshly. A blade extends out of his hand, snatching through the palm of his hand like bone, and the flesh tears.

Rivaille is just turning around to stare back at the demon that called out his name, expression pinched in annoyance. "What-" He falters when he sees Eren flying past him, sharp and jagged with a murderous look. The blade cuts him lightly on the cheek.

Eren doesn't notice, forgets that there is another around, and stabs the blade through the thing's lungs, or where the lungs should be. It coughs underneath him, shifting, moving, and Eren stabs it again.

"Die you fucking scum," Eren says, too loud and burning in his ears, slams the sword into the thing's face over and over, slashes its neck for good measure until the thing isn't even recognizable as anything resembling human (not that it ever did). Eren hisses as the sword heats up in his hand, steam rolling off, and throws it away. He presses his fingers into the wound from where his blade had protruded, feeling the flash of pain as the blood starts spilling again. He lets it drop onto the thrashing beast underneath him and it howls in pain as the blood burns off his flesh, spreading too quickly for it to heal.

Eventually, there is nothing left but blood, both his and the demon's and some mangled leftovers. Eren rips off a piece of his shirt to wrap around his hand, turns around to call up Mikasa to come help him clean when he remembers. Rivaille hasn't run away.

The blade has burned off, but left an indent in the concrete right near Rivaille's feet. He almost hit him. Eren steps forward to apologize but the other man flinches back slightly, eyes appraising him with something new, something foreign that Eren doesn't associate with Rivaille at all. Suspicion, doubt, worry, fear.

Eren raises his hand in a placating manner but it only served to make Rivaille more reserved, seeing the blood drip from his arm. Damn it, he wasn't supposed to get caught! The whole team would have to go through the effort to make sure the witness forgot, permanently, or was at least written off as delusional.

"Wait," Eren says, even though Rivaille makes no move to leave. The man stares at him, measuring his options before staring at the carcass behind Eren. He stares for a while before looking away.

"I need a drink," the man states, voice drawn blank and Eren sighs, relieved. No chasing, then. Rivaille shows no discomfort when Eren moves to follow him to the vending machine, hands shoved deep in his pockets. Shock, Eren realizes.

"Mind telling me what happened back there?" Rivaille starts as he leans over to grab his drink, not looking back to see Eren's response.

Eren chuckles weakly, rubbing the back of his head as he looks away. "It's kinda complicated, and you wouldn't believe me anyways."

Something cold presses into his hand and Eren blinks at the can. It's not even the flavor he likes. He looks up and Rivaille is regarding him carefully, almost searching. Eren wraps both fingers around the soda can, offers a reluctant smile. A warm feeling stains his heart. Even through all that, Rivaille still offers him a drink. A tasteless flavor that Eren doesn't like, but still. (Shock, someone argues in his head, the mind struggling to comprehend the traumatic events and place it in order has to do something familiar to regain that sense of ground again). Rivaille probably doesn't even realize what he's doing or what he just saw. Eren ignores that.

"Ah, thanks, but I don't think we'll have time for my long boring story."

The other man only grunts, leans over to flick open the can and when he retracts his hand it brushes against Eren's slightly. They're colder than the soda. Eren narrows his eyes briefly, and in one, two, three seconds he can see it, like a curtain parting. He freezes, fingers tightening around the can, but it's one, two, three seconds too late.

Rivaille smiles for the first time, and the hunter wants to shoot himself for his stupidity, too trusting, too naïve, too everything that Jean denounces him for, because he was right. The man watches Eren struggle with sunken eyes that lack sleep (but not for the reasons Eren wants), and the curve of his lips is like a fresh cut.

Rivaille smiles with teeth that are too sharp, and says.

"Try me."