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

World's Together

Carefully, you rinse your hands off under the water that Mike had turned on. You didn't care if you got your own clothes wet, you were focused on cleaning Erwin.

"I'm going to wash your hair, okay?" you alert him, filling up a bucket with water.

"Okay," he replies weakly, tipping his head back to help you.

You smile gently, pouring the water across his hair to douse it, careful to not catch his bandages. Blood pours out at your feet as you scrub shampoo through his hair, turning it from dusty blond to the colour of gold.

Once you're satisfied with how clean it is, you rinse it out and grab a nearby towel, soaking it in water. You return back to him, gently wiping the blood from his face and torso. Your mind is so focused on him, that you barely realize the hand that reaches up to cup your cheek, dragging your gaze to meet his.

"I love... you," he fumbles out, staring into your eyes with an expression you'd only ever seen twice. Way back when you were still kids, once when Mike had his accident and he'd jumped into the moving wagon to hold him down. The pain in his expression, the knowledge that his eyes held. The second time had been even earlier, on the steps of the street, staring up at the stars when you nearly kissed him. Nearly spilled yourself to him, until you got scared.

This time, you're not scared. You know the man you fell in love with. You trust him with all your heart that his words are real. That he's real. That he won't leave you. So you lean forwards, pressing your lips against his as you steal a kiss from his lips.
"I love you too, Erwin," you whisper in reply, pulling back just enough so that your foreheads remain touching.

He smiles up at you, and pain strikes through your heart. You can't recall how many nights that you'd longed to see him smile at you this way. Long nights spent alone as a cadet, or training to become a scout. Long nights that only made you treasure these precious moments more.

"How'd I end... up with you. I should be rotting in hell... for the lives, I've sacrificed... yet, I find myself in heaven... with angels," he muses, rubbing his thumb back and forth on your cheek gently.

"Because you gave me a chance. To prove that I'm worth more than - to prove I'm worth more than I chose to believe. To prove to myself and the world that - that I was worthy of something more," you stumble out, tears forming in the corners of your eyes. "Thank you, for never giving up on me, despite how stubborn I was. Despite how much I snapped at you. Thank you for -"

He silences you by gently guiding you down to press his lips against yours. He pulls back just as quickly, yet, despite all the years, you find yourself stunned to silence by his kiss.

"I love... you. Never doubt... that," he assures you, offering you a bigger smile by mustering the energy he has left.

"I love you too. You're my guiding light. Never leave my side," you state, staring into his eyes.

"I won't," he promises, confirming it with a nod.

You smile happily at his words, picking the rag back up and continuing to clean him off. The air is less tense as you wash away the rest of the blood, surfacing up from your little world as Mike walks over to you, placing a hand on your back. He's in boxers, his prosthetic fitted around his leg. He's clean and bandaged, Hange's handiwork.

"I'll take him to the room, can you help Levi?" Mike asks, motioning Levi, who's currently sitting with his back against the shower wall, head in his hands.

You nod your head to him, standing up with one last kiss on Erwin's forehead. Mike helps him to stand, you stay there, watching as the two of them walk off to the room, a towel around Erwin's waist.

When he's left the room, you turn your attention to Levi, quickly crossing the room to crouch down in front of him.

"Hey, what's the matter? Levi?" you whisper, lowering to your knees and placing your hands on top of his wrists, carefully removing his hands from clutching his head.

He whimpers quietly, a massive red-flag of his condition. Levi never whimpered unless he was in severe pain or having a flash-back.

Knowing this, you sit down in the shower across from him, urging his arms down so that you can wrap your hands around his wrists, holding them.

"It's okay, I'm here. You're home. You're safe. No one's going to hurt you," you murmur quietly, repeating your words over and over again.

You're unsure how long you sit there with him. You don't care how long it takes to calm him down, you'd spend eternity to calm him down if you had to. You breathe a sigh of relief when his breathing evens out and he stops crying, steadying his composure.

He meets your gaze, a tear-soaked face with a sullen expression.
"You're covered in blood," he points out, "And you're still dressed."

"So are you. Want to get cleaned up?" you offer, smiling softly at him. Cleaning helped to relax him, one of the many quirks of your partners.

"Please," he squeaks quietly.

You stand up in the shower, pulling him up with yourself. He stands steady on his feet, allowing you to help him out of his clothes. They fall to the ground, soaked in blood, letting the water wash them off.

You grab the shampoo silently, washing his hair and letting him wash yours. It's a quiet ritual, getting clean under the shower. There are few words exchanged apart from the request of a different product. You don't pick on his habit, or press him for words, respecting his need for silence.

Even as he collapses in your arms again, sobbing on your shoulder, you only let out quiet murmurs of reassurance. The water runs down his back as he clutches you tightly, head buried in your neck as he refuses to let you go.

When he straightens up again, trying to rub away the tear tracks, you kiss his cheek gently. He startles, staring back at you with confusion alight in his eyes.

"I love you, Levi. You don't have to hide your emotions from me," you assure him, offering him the soap bar again.

"I- I love you too, (Y/N)," he stutters out, stumbling over his words in a manner you'd never seen him do. Unable to collect himself or compose what he wants to say, acting at the moment instead.

With a soft smile, you kiss his cheek again. He takes the soap bar from you and your silence continues. Yet, this time, it's comfortable. A welcome embrace with a mutual understanding of one another.

He doesn't make a fuss as you step out of the shower, shutting off the water to hand him a towel. The two of you dry off carefully, leaving your wet towels and clothes drying on the rack at the edge of the bathroom.

Peering into the hall first, you check for a clear coast before darting over to the master bedroom (Commander's quarters) where your partners were. Stepping inside, the air felt lighter than in the bathroom.

Erwin was propped up at the front of the bed, Hange at his side, as Mike sat behind him. You and Levi were quick to join after you got dressed, shuffling to in his lap, with Levi at his side. Erwin idly reaches a hand up, running it through your hair quietly.

You aren't sure when, but eventually, you're prompted by Hange to explain Reiner's nightmare. You take your time to go over everything you can, your explanation ending with a long stretched silence. No one speaks for a long time afterwards, everyone sharing the same thought.

Which division is corrupt?

You had your own personal theories, but you decided not to voice them as Erwin's hand combing through your hair lulled you back into sleep's sweet embrace. You could worry about the world later, for now, you were safe. Safe in your partners' arms. No longer world's apart from each other.