It Started With Cadet Training (Reader/Levi/Erwin/Hange/Mike)

Hush

"You get nightmares too?" Reiner asks quietly, peering over at her from behind tear-soaked cheeks.

"Mhm, we all do. Sometimes there are scary events in life, that are scary for even adults. And that's okay, it's okay to be scared sometimes," Hange explains as you nod in confirmation when Reiner looks up at you.

"Is that how you lost your leg, dad?" Annie asks, pointing out Mike's amputated leg. Your gaze drops to the sheets, guilt still haunting the corners of your mind.

"Yup. Baba saved me from a titan, so I have the biggest battle scar and badge of honour to prove it," he explains, tilting his head to look over at you, "And I couldn't be more thankful for them to be alive today."

You look up, swallowing your pride and giving him a shaky smile as Reiner stares up at you with stars in his eyes.

"You're a hero, baba! I knew it! You'll keep us safe for sure!" he declares, holding you tighter as he buries his head into your shirt.

You chuckle weakly, patting his head lightly as a wobbly smile forms across your lips.
"I'm only as good as those I work with. That's why we train - speaking of which, we do need to get breakfast so we can go train. You want to be strong to protect yourselves too, right?"

All three kids nod vicariously as they scramble out of bed and down to the floor.

"Hey, are you three going to get up today or-" Levi asks, walking into the room, his scout uniform covered in dirt as he walks awkwardly. Levi was never one for germs, you knew this, so his rigid posture and the stiff walk were to be expected while covered in dirt.

"Mommy!" the three kids cheer, running up to him only to be caught by Hange at the last second.

They'd started calling Levi 'mom' because of a joke Hange and Mike had made at dinner last week, saying Levi was the 'mom' of the group because he was the most responsible and cleanest. Now they actually called him mom. Thankfully, he'd yet to protest or complain.

"Come on, let's get you three dressed first. Then you can hug mom, okay?" they offer, giving Levi a chance to step around them and grab a towel before darting out to the showers.

"Fine," they grumble as Hange chuckles, walking them out of the room to theirs so that they could get dressed.

Leaving you alone with Mike as guilt continued to creep up on you as you watched him sit on the side of the bed and fidget with his prosthetic.

"Mike, do you want help?" you offer quietly, unsure if your help was even wanted.

"Hm?" he mumbles, looking over his shoulder, "Oh! Yeah if you could get that third buckle for me please, it's hard to reach," he confesses, chuckling to himself slightly.

You nod your head, slipping off the bed to sit at his feet as you finish the buckles on his prosthetic. You avoid eye contact, staring at his leg instead with a solemn look on your face.

You're dragged from your subconscious by a hand tilting your head upwards. Mike's hands always engulfed anything he put them on that was your body, due to his size and bulk. It made you feel small and safe, even on your worst days.

"Hey, (Y/N), it's okay. I'm alive, which is much better than the alternative," he reassures you, stroking his thumb back and forth against your cheek.

"I know, but-"

"But nothing. There wasn't anything you could've done to save more than what you did. You were too far away, and I was stupid enough to get caught. Plus, my thrashing around in the cart probably didn't help much," he rambles, bending down to get as close to eye-level as he could with you.
"It changes nothing. In fact, it brought us closer together as a group and a squad. I don't think any less of you for what you did that day, and neither should you."

You manage to give him a weak smile as tears perked the corners of your eyes. You weren't sure you could respond without turning into a blubbering mess of tears. With a deep breath, grounding yourself to his touch, you whispered your heart out.

"I-I love you," you choke out from behind your tears. In the chaos that your life had turned into, you didn't realize that you'd never really said those three words to his face.

"I love you too, (Y/N)," he whispers back, pressing his lips gently against yours for a brief moment before pulling away, "Now, let's go grab some breakfast. I'm personally starving."

"Alright, breakfast sounds good," you confirm, standing up from the floor as he stands up from the bed.

He hovers near you, a hand on your back as he gives you one of his shirts for the day. You're comforted by his scent as you bury your nose in the collar while lacing up your belts around your legs.

He leads you out into the hall and down to the mess hall, where Hange was eating with the kids, as Levi walks into the bedroom after scrubbing his skin raw to get the mud off.

The kids cheer when they see you, showing you the breakfast bowl they'd made for you as you and Mike sit down at the table across from them, next to Hange.

"This looks delicious. Thank you very much," you praise them as you dig into the indeed, delicious breakfast bowl.

As they beam back from across the table, you cherish every moment of their smiles.