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

In My Arms

"That ice cream place with the pretzels?" a familiar voice cuts in, turning your head you see Erwin and Mike walking up to your group outside the shop.
"See? Even Erwin's on board. Admit it Levi, you want some too," you say as Erwin wraps his arms around your waist, resting his chin on your head.

"Fine, maybe I do, but don't bribe kids. They'll start asking for a reward for everything," Levi scolds, tensing before deflating slightly as Mike wraps his hand around his side.

"Just this one time- speaking of which, are you getting the clothes delivered to the barracks?" you ask, tilting your head up to meet Erwin's gaze.

"Assuming the clerk is true to her word," Erwin hums, kissing the top of your forehead.

"You were always the trusting type," you chuckle, sticking your tongue out at him, "Come on, let's go get the rest of this done before I starve," you announce, reaching down and taking Annie and Bertolt's hands.

"(Y/N), we just ate," Mike chuckles, taking Annie's hand as well. Much to the dismay of the grumpy girl, yet she didn't pull away.

"And I'm hungry, what's your point?" you question him, starting to walk again as Hange take's Bertolt's hand.

Erwin and Levi follow behind you as they hold Reiner's hands. You had to admit to yourself, seeing your partners with the kids was an oddly touching domestic scene you never wanted to let go of. Even Levi was putting effort into being gentle around them.

"Erwin! Look!" Reiner calls out behind you, letting go of Levi's hand to point out a quaint toyshop on the corner of the street.

"Good eye!" Erwin praises with a chuckle as Levi grumbles about 'not letting go of his hand or he'd get lost'.

"I take it we're heading there?" you hum, looking over your shoulder at the two behind you.

Erwin nods his head in confirmation, a gentle smile on his lips.

"There it is!" you announce, as Hange beams next to you. They bounce on their heels as you cross the street towards the shop.

"You three ready? You can pick out any toy you want," Hange blabbers as Mike holds the door open for everyone.

"Really?" the three of them ask, looking up at Hange with sparkling eyes and huge grins.

"Yup. Now get going, you don't want to waste the daylight," Erwin chuckles, urging them in the door.

They cheer, running into the shop - Annie following behind them quietly as Bertolt and Reiner run around the shop. They drag Mike along, pointing out all the different toys and using him as a ladder to see the top shelves and pull toys off the shelves.

You stand at the door with Levi as Erwin follows Hange around the room, enamoured in their joy as they show him every toy titan they can.

"Children," Levi grumbles next to you, earning your gaze to turn to him instead. He's leaning against the wall, arms crossed as he waits for the others to finish.

"Oh be quiet, you haven't stopped smiling since you opened the door for us yesterday," you huff, crossing your arms across your chest.

Levi rolls his eyes, tilting his head away from you. You catch a small hint of pink on his cheeks and let him turn away, satisfied, as Reiner runs up to you.

"(Y/N)! Look what I found!" he says proudly, showing a plush pomeranian dog. The material it was made of was so dense and fluffy that his hands were lost in it.

"That's an adorable stuffy, do you want to take him home?" you ask, crouching down to his level.

He nods frantically, clutching it to his chest.
"Yes please!"

"Alright, I'll hold onto it while you finish looking around. Okay?" you offer, reaching out for him to pass it to you.

"Keep him safe, please," he whispers, handing the plush out to you.

"Of course," you reply, ruffling his hair a little as you straight back up.

He beams at you before running off, leaving you standing there next to Levi. You put your arms under it's belly, letting the head rest against your chest.

"You know, you don't have to hold it like a real dog," Levi points out, a smile curling the edges of his lips.

"I know," you say, leaning against the wall next to him.

He shakes his head, tilting it slightly until it rests on your shoulder as you wait for everyone to finish their shopping.

Reiner comes back to collect the plush when Erwin says it's time to pay, leaving you to wait with Annie and Bertolt in your care, Mike looking rather drained from being dragged around by the three kids. You reach down, intertwining your fingers with his as Hange and Erwin return with Reiner. Erwin's carrying two large bags of toys, and Reiner is clutching the plushy as if his life depends on it.
The grins on everyone's faces were unmatched, even after you grabbed ice cream on your way back to the barracks. You'd never seen them this happy since cadet training, since before having to stare death in the face. If you were being honest, seeing them smile made everything worth it.