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

After the War

Panic swarmed around you. People screaming as an army of titans marched across the land beyond the sea. You screamed for Hange until your throat turned raw, clutching tightly to the back of an unfamiliar titan. Levi's grip on your wrist kept you from jumping down after them, leaving you to watch as they became nothing more than another casualty to the titans.

Your fingers fumbled on your ODM gear as you stared at the massive titan. The mournful expressions on your remaining comrades echoed yours as you stared out at the sea of massive titans, lead by one made from bones. What had gone so wrong? How did you let this happen?

You were helpless, watching as a titan stole Armin, and your friends being overpowered by reincarnations of past titan shifters. Tears stung the corners of your eyes as you tried to save them, only to be caught by one of the shifters.

As it lifted you to its mouth, you let out a choked sob. You weren't ready to go. You had so much left to do. The world around you, in all its cruelty, turns black as the titan's jaws close around you.

"NO!" you shout, bolting up in bed. There's no light in the room, a comfort that night still carried on outside.

Tears streamed down your face as you sobbed, unable to stop the tears from rolling down your cheeks. Your head rested in your hand, knees pulled up to your chest as you tried to process the nightmare you'd witnessed.

Someone shifted next to you, wrapping their arms around you and pulling you back down to the bed.
"Ssh... it's okay... it's only a dream," Mike murmurs, running his hands through your hair.

You cling to him, arm wrapped around his chest, his heartbeat steady against your ear, letting you know he was there. He was alive.

"I thought I lost you... lost everyone..." you admit through a choked sob as he held you close.

"I'm right here. We all are," he assures you, gently pressing a kiss to the top of your head.

You rub your eyes, sniffling slightly as you attempt to calm yourself back down. Sleep still tugging at your mind.

"You promise?" you mumble into his chest.

"I promise," he hums in response, his chest rumbling from his sleepy voice.

It takes a while for you to give in to sleep once again. Mike drifts off before you, soft snores echoing throughout the room as he drifts off. It grounds you, letting you know he was there, and so were the others.

Eventually, sleep overtakes you once again.

It takes three weeks to finally rid Paradis of the titans. During that time many patrols are sent out past the walls, with thankfully most Scouts coming back. A handful of casualties were acceptable, and the Scouts got better at protecting each other and themselves with each one. Not to say that the deaths didn't weigh heavily on you and the others, there were moments where the three of you would come back from missions and seek out comfort in each other or find the kids.

Though you couldn't go on take-down missions due to the loss of your arm, there was still a certain domestic air about being able to come back to the kids. Their smiling faces as they rushed up to greet the person returning, making whoever was currently watching them rush after them.

Most of the squads had "adopted" their favourites. You knew if you wanted Eren, Mikasa, or Armin, to find Levi's squad, Mike's squad was always watching over Historia and Ymir, Hange's squad had brought Marco, Sasha, and Connie in their ranks as "honorary" members, but you knew if you wanted to see the Marleyan immigrants, you'd seek out your own squad or your partners. Zeke, Pieck and Porco frequented Erwin's office more than the Scout squads, and Reiner, Bertolt, and Annie were usually with your own squad or Hange's.