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

To Save the World

You must've been asleep for quite some time, because when you finally opened your eyes again, you were wrapped in a large blanket, curled up between Erwin and Mike, as the stars twinkled in the sky outside. Rubbing your eyes, you turned your head to press a kiss to the top of Erwin's head as he laid on your chest.

A creak caught your attention, your head quickly turning to the office door to see Reiner creep into the room towards the couch. He notices you watching him, running over and wrapping his arms around you from next to the couch.

"Hey there little one, you okay?" you whisper quietly, trying to stay quiet so you didn't wake up the others.

"N-no, I had a nightmare," he sniffles, clutching your shirt tightly.

"Oh honey, it's okay. You're safe. I'm right here," you assure him, wrapping your arms around him and pulling him up so that he could lay on the couch next to you.

"B-but I'm not. I've done bad things. Things that would make you hate me," he argues, his voice wavering as tears streak down his cheeks.

"Nothing you can do would make us hate you," Mike's gruff, sleep-laced voice joins in as he wakes up behind you.

"Yes it would," Reiner maintains, his head buried in your shirt as Mike shifts behind you so that he could hold the two of you. In front of you, Erwin wakes up, shifting his arm to hold Reiner close as well.

"You're our little boy. We could never hate you," you reassure him, gently petting his hair in an attempt to get him to calm down.

"I've killed people. I've done bad things," he sobs, holding onto you as if you'd pull back at a moment's notice.

The words shock you, you couldn't deny that. But you had no time to be shocked, you needed to take care of your kid.

"Reiner, you're a kid. You haven't killed anyone," Erwin hums softly, keeping his voice low and steady.

"Yes, I have! I broke the wall with Bert!"

You stare at him, your eyebrows creased together as you glance from Erwin to Mike. The wall was broken by titans, not humans. Had someone put him up to this?

"Titans broke the wall. You were just caught up in the chaos," Mike explains, resting his head on top of yours. It was still very late at night, you all were very tired, and you weren't entirely sure that Reiner was fully awake.

"No! I can turn into a titan!" he protests, "I didn't want to do it! They made us!"

It's as if someone had dropped a stone into your stomach. Sure, you'd heard the reports and accounts of the colossal titan and armoured titan. Everyone had. They were abnormals - or so you assumed.

"Who made you do it?" you asked quietly, holding the side of Reiner's face gently in your palm. You masked the fear in your eyes - not of him, but for him - with a soft smile.

"Uncle - he did. Marley did. They said we had - that we had to kill the devils in the walls. But I don't want to! You're not devils! You're my family!" Reiner sobs, his ramblings making no sense to you, yet as you swallowed your fear, you realized just what this meant.

"There are people outside the walls?" Erwin asks quietly as if he hadn't meant to ask at all.

"Bad people! Don't make me go back! They'll hurt me!" Reiner replies all too quickly, staring Erwin in the eyes. Fear swam behind his tears, terror of what might happen.

"No one is making you go back. You're safe here," Erwin states, gently stroking his thumb back and forth on Reiner's back to help calm down the sobbing boy.