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

Keep Your Word

He gives you a small smile, leaning down to kiss your lips lightly. He'd improved slightly over the silence, taking things slow with you. It wasn't enough to cure him, but it was helping.

"I suppose, but we need to finish this later," he reminds you.

"Of course," you whisper softly, getting off of his lap and rounding the desk to the three kids, "Well? Lead on."

They nod, determination in their eyes as they dash off to the door. You have to call after them to not run in the halls as you and Erwin take off after them. You don't even have enough time to grab your jacket due to how quickly they leave.

The three of them lead you down the stairs and to the courtyard outside. If you hadn't had training every day, you would be gasping for air, but this was akin to a light jog thanks to your workout routine.

When you reach the courtyard, you see Hange and Mike fussing over something in a wagon, with Levi talking with Nile. As you approach Nile, you can see how his brows are creased together, and how Levi's shoulders are squared, signalling he's tense.

"Nile? Levi? What's going on?" Erwin questions, following you over, "Is Marie okay?"

"Marie's fine. I'm sorry to disturb you guys today, I know you were probably resting. But, this was urgent," Nile says, gesturing to the wagon.

"Urgent? As in what sense?" you prompt, folding your arms across your chest.

"Somehow titans were able to get through the walls again," Nile explains, grimacing at his own words.

"What?! Why aren't we going to deal with it?!" you ask, your eyes darting over to the equipment shed. You should have the Scouts in gear by now, with everyone on horses.

"Because there isn't anything to deal with. I was on patrol with my squad when we were informed. By the time we reached the place, there wasn't a titan insight. Just a few kids left. One of the labour farms from when the wall fell," Nile explains carefully.

You always had a bad taste in your mouth from the labour farms. The fact that they kept the kids who were victims of wall Maria's fall as workers never sat well with you. Kids needed freedom, to be able to be kids. Not to do chores for adults all day.

"How did you know there were titans?" Levi questions him, his back to you.

"The kid who caught our attention told us. I hope you don't mind we brought them here, all the other farms are full and you guys have a reputation to help lost kids," Nile defends, gesturing his head towards the wagon he was standing in front of.

Your heart hangs heavily in your chest as you glance over the side of the wagon. Inside you can see five kids clumped together, with Hange passing them warm blankets. You hadn't noticed how the evening air was starting to nip at your skin until then.

"Aren't those three the kids you were sitting with when we picked up Annie?" Erwin questions, nodding his head to the blond boy, and two raven-haired kids sitting closer together.

"They are. Grisha came for Eren, yet he stumbled back with Keith. No one saw Grisha after that," Nile states, giving the five kids a sympathetic look as your three climbed into the wagon as well.

"It's getting late. We can figure out a plan for what to do after this, but we should get something to eat and then get them to bed. They should stay here, at least for tonight," you propose, looking up at Erwin in hopes he would see the sympathy in your eyes.

Erwin nods his head slowly in agreement.

"We can deal with what to do in the morning. For tonight they deserve a warm bed and a hot meal."

<hr>

By the time you got all eight of the kids to bed, you were exhausted. Slowly you'd learnt all their names during the process of giving them food (which lead to some odd looks from the Scouts), and finding them all spare clothes that would fit. The little blonde girl with a bright smile is called Historia, and the brunette who stayed glued to her side is Ymir. The trio that had been close together are called Armin, Mikasa, and Eren.

When you finally found yourself within your bedroom for the night, you couldn't push down the fact that they had all grown on you within the short time that they'd been in your care. As you sat on the bed, watching Levi rebandaged Erwin's arm, while Hange rested their head on your shoulder, and Mike removed his leg, a wishful smile grew on your lips.

"What's on your mind?" Mike asks, noticing your smile as he leans back on the bed.

"Huh? Oh, I was just thinking about the day," you admit, rubbing the side of your neck that Hange's head wasn't resting on.

"What about it?" Hange mumbled, their breath a comfort against your skin. Reminding you they were still here and real.

"It's stupid, really," you whine, avoiding the question.

"Stupid is how Mike got the kids to call me 'mom' again," Levi points out while he finishes up the bandages on Erwin's arm.

"It's just - what if we kept them? We have the space for them here and who knows what will happen to them if they wind up on the street?"

"Oh, I thought we'd already agreed on that?" Hange pointed out behind you, their arms wrapped around your waist.

"We are the most qualified people to help them. Since we know how to deal with nightmares and have a small bit of experience thanks to Reiner, Annie and Bertolt," Erwin agrees, tilting back until his head was in Mike's lap.

Levi climbs up the bed to rest between the two stacks, an arm thrown across your lap and Erwin's.

"I'm going to be called mom when I'm in my forties," he complains, a huffed sigh leaving his lips.

"Unfortunately so. At least you make a good mom," you chuckle, gently running your fingers through his hair.

"Fuck you," he grumbles quietly, leaning his head into your touch.

"I love you too," you chuckle, a smile crossing your lips peacefully as you lean back into Hange, continuing to run your fingers through his hair.

It had only been a few years since you'd become a Scout, let alone a captain. Yet, you'd somehow managed to become a lover and a parent in the same span of time. Time works in mysterious ways, although you couldn't help but wonder if there was a point to this all.