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

Perfect

"Did we do good?" you whisper, watching as they disappear behind a building.

"Hm?" Mike hums, looking down at you.

"Was it the right choice? To adopt them, to bring the outside Eldian's here?"

"I'm not sure. We can never really know. But at least it worked out, that we managed to save a few people," Mike muses, shrugging his shoulders.

"I wonder what would've happened if they'd gone back to Marley," you admit, the nightmare you had all those years ago resurfaced in the back of your mind. You shake your head, brushing it off. "I'm glad we didn't though."

"Agreed. I can't imagine us not seeing them grow up," Erwin comments, walking across from Levi.

"They're really brilliant! You should see the inventions Pieck and Bertolt help me make, they're ground-breaking!" Hange says, beaming brightly.

"Zeke and Armin are truly brilliant strategists," Erwin agrees.

"Eren, Annie, Porco, Reiner and Mikasa still have a bit to learn - but they would've made excellent titan slayers," Levi grumbles, adding the second part after Erwin arches an eyebrow at him.

"Connie, Marco, Jean, and Sasha are some of the best captains that the Military Police and Scouts have seen so far. They all are," Mike states, bending down to kiss the top of your head.

"We did well."

"Does that mean we can rest now?" you ask quietly, your voice only audible for your partners to hear.

"I think they have this handled enough for us to finally relax," Erwin agrees, wrapping an arm around Levi's waist.

"Fine, but only for a bit. We can't be gone for too long," Levi conceded from Hange's puppy-dog eyes.

<hr>

The seawater washes over your feet as you stare out at the sea, a mug in your hand as you take small sips. The sun is setting on the horizon, slowly disappearing behind the vast expanse of water. Someone wraps their arms around your waist, resting their head in the crook of your neck. The cold metal against your skin, the sensation creeping through your shirt.

"Am I finally good enough for you, captain?" Erwin whispers, his breath hot against your skin.

"You were always perfect, Erwin. I didn't deserve you, didn't deserve you sticking with me for so long... but thank you, for keeping your promise," you admit to the sea, staring at the tide as it rolls in.

"You're far too perfect for me. If anything, I didn't deserve you."

"Yet, here we are. Too perfect for each other, yet, the happiest we've ever been," you hum, tilting your head to kiss the side of his forehead.

"I wouldn't have it any other way!" he declares, a sudden burst of energy filling him as he scoops you up bridal style. For a moment you're scared he'll drop you thanks to his prosthetic, but he manages to hold you steady.

"ERWIN!" you scream, wrapping your arm around his neck, having left your prosthetic inside the house.

"Relax, I got ya," he murmurs, turning around and walking back up the beach.

"Don't let me go," you plead, holding him tightly as your heartbeat starts to slow.

"I would never let you go," he promises, kissing you on the top of your head as he walks towards the bungalow.

Mike and Levi sit on the deck, watching in amusement as they enjoy a drink together. Hange's digging through the sand to find shells and ocean creatures, holding up a crayfish triumphantly. There's a small fire in the fireplace inside the house, lighting up the welcoming interior behind the glass panes. You can see up into the loft where the large bed sits, still made from this morning.

It's not a big house, you didn't want a big house. This had everything you needed. A kitchen, a living room, a bedroom, an office, and a bathroom. Just enough space for the five of you to live comfortably together.

Erwin sets you down on one of the lounge chair's near Mike and Levi, stretching out his back as he goes inside to put away his prosthetic. He's quick to do so, returning to curl up behind you and let you rest your head on his chest to watch the sky as it turns to the sparkling stars of the galaxy far out of reach.

"What do you think the kids are doing right now?" Erwin hums as he settles down.

"Probably celebrating still," you chuckle.

"It's our retirement and they're the ones throwing the party. Isn't that a little backwards?" Levi comments, leaning back in his chair.

"We could've gone."

"Nah, this is better," Mike says, resting his foot on the edge of your lounge chair.

It had been two years since Historia's coronation. In that time you'd slowly built the bungalow at the beach, spending more and more time there. It started as summer vacation, then it was every summer and winter, then it was once a month until eventually, you found yourselves moving out here. You'd been to Ymir and Historia's wedding, as well as Jean and Marco's. You'd given Sasha your blessing to marry Niccolo, as well as the birth of their daughter, and you'd walked Reiner down the isle to Bertolt.

You'd been at their promotions too when Jean was appointed Commander of the Military police, and Nile's retirement. You'd helped Erwin set up the next chain of command for the Scouts before your retirement. Your own retirement medal sitting on your nightstand. You'd never forget the smile on Armin's face as he was appointed the next Commander of the Survey Corps, with Reiner, Zeke, Mikasa, Eren, and Annie as his Section Leaders.

They'd come to visit occasionally, staying in the nearby town and playing in the sand. As you were leaving the retirement party, Ymir and Historia told you they were planning to adopt one of the orphans from the orphanages that Historia was making sure were being built and well-managed. You'd given them your blessing, letting them know you were only a phone call away (some new technology that came from the end of the war).

"I'd rather spend my first night of retirement on the beach, rather than getting drunk with our kiddos. They're good kids, but they'd drink me under the table given the chance," Mike chuckles as Hange runs up and shows off the crayfish they'd found.

"Guys!! Look!"

"Hange! That's unsanitary! Get it off the deck!" Levi protests, recoiling in disgust.

You burst out laughing, Erwin and Mike joining you as Hange continues to force the crayfish towards Levi. Never in a million years did you think you'd been in a bungalow on the beach, watching Hange piss off Levi. Yet here you were. Happy, and finally at peace.