Hello everyone! I'm filling another prompt from xryuchan27 on tumblr! AU, Eren as a patisserie and Rivaille actually has a sweet tooth. Hope you enjoy this rendition! LIME to come! :D

"Are you going home, Rivaille?" Turning to her partner, Hanji watched as the man stripped his uniform off, hanging it in the locker. He turned around, giving her a sharp glare.

"Yeah. Might stop by to grabs some sweets." Hanji blinked. "I saw this new place downtown." The woman's eyes lit up.

"You don't mean Maria's, do you?" The man blinked, nodding slowly. Was everything about his life not private anymore? "Oh, great! I hope you find what you're looking for there." She chimed before twirling her away out of the lockers and out the door, sending her partner a cheery goodbye.

Rivaille cursed under his breath. Every since five years ago, the woman was always pestering him about the best foods in town. She seemed to know anything and everything about the best local places to go in the city that "were sure to make your taste buds soar!" but the man knew better. Hanji was just being considerate, in her own way.

No matter what she did, it was all futile. Packing up his things, making sure he was decent to walk in public, he left the police station where he worked. Rivaille took the train downtown, searching the streets mindlessly. He was in no rush; it was still only 7 and he had no family waiting for him to come back in the small, slightly cramped apartment.

After a half hour of walking through the streets, he found the place he was looking for. They claimed to have "the sweetest stuff in town" and the male was willing to put that to the test. Although part of him already knew the outcome and was trying to tell him that it was futile, he still clung to hope like a newborn baby onto his mother's breast.

The door chimed as he walked inside, the smell of fresh-baked goods filling his nose. The place was very clean and white. Rivaille smiled. The bakery case held various sweet cakes and desserts, and he was dying to see if any of them could spark his mood. No one was in sight, so he walked over to the counter and tapped the bell.

Withing seconds, a cheery voice called from the back of the shop. Then when the door opened, he was a met with a face he didn't think he would ever, in a million years, meet in a place like this. "You're…"

Green eyes widened in surprise, his smile as bright as the crisp clean walls. "Rivaille! I haven't seen you in a while!" The young man cheered happily, cheeks tinted pink with happiness. The man groaned a little.

"But we saw each other this morning. Like usual. Every single day." The boy nodded, happily.

"I know! That was such a long time ago!" The brunette whined, leaning over the counter with a new found happiness. "But even so, I'm surprised to see you here! I always thought you were into spicy foods." The young man smiled. "Who knew you had a sweet tooth?"

Cursing lightly, the man glanced over at the cakes, carefully deciding which one would be the sweetest. Then his eyes roamed over one in particular. That's unique…sounds sweet enough. "Are you going to sell me a cake or not, Eren?" The young man didn't even notice his anger and urgency, only happy that his name was called.

"Of course! What kind of dessert would you like? Our special today is a oatmeal-crusted pie with a strawberry and rhubarb filling, topped with a light lemon meringue and crushed praline." Eren smiled.

Rivaille thought for a moment. "I'll have that. As well as…" His eyes glanced at the glass case one more time. "The marshmallow cake." Eren nodded, grabbing some decorated boxes before scurrying over to the glass case. He pulled the two desserts out, placing them in their boxes. He wrapped them with a bow and placed them in a bag.

"Alright, is that all?" Eren asked, eyes shining a bit. Rivaille stared.

"I thought you were a grad student…do you work here part time?" Eren blinked again.

"No, I'm the head baker." Rivaille blinked.

"Eh? You made all of these?" Eren nodded happily.

"Yes! I come here early in the morning, do most of the cakes and let my assistants finish everything." He began, his eyes drifting to the ceiling. "Then I go to school and come back here when I'm done." To be honest, the schedule sounded exhausting, but with a young kid like him, he couldn't put it past him. Rivaille always found it strange that they would always leave their houses at the same time. He assumed the student had early classes or liked to study in the morning. But to think he was essentially running his own bakery? He was…slightly impressed. Only slightly.

"That sounds exhausting." He remarked, fishing out a bill to pay for his cakes. Eren shook his head.

"Not nearly as much as your job! I mean, you're always on call in case something bad happens, right?" The older male nodded. "That's got to be tiring! For me, baking is something I love. It brings me joy to see customers enjoy the cakes that I put all of my effort in to. It just makes me want to make every single dessert in the world, and make some of my own!" The young man said sincerely. He looked up at the older man. "Does being a police officer bring joy to you, Rivaille?"

It took a second for the man to respond as he took the paper bag in his hands, trying to give a good answer. "If it means I get to save lives and bring justice to those who deserve it, then yes. It…does give me joy." Eren's eyes lit up.

"I never knew you had a soft side, Rivaille! The other neighbors always say you're rude and harsh, but…" A small hint of red spread across his cheeks. "I knew there was something special about you."

Badump.

They stood there, albeit a little awkwardly, in silence. Rivaille took a deep breath, and tried his best to smile. "See you tomorrow morning, Eren?" The baker nodded. Before Eren respond, he left the bakery, walking a bit quickly to the train station.

Badump.

Who knew his neighbor had such a passion that he didn't even know about? They've lived next to each other for years, but they didn't talk much. Rivaille was always busy with police work and Eren was busy with not only school, but managing his own bakery at the same time.

But maybe, just maybe, things were changing for the better.

Rivaille clung onto his bag of cakes tightly.