A Promise (An Attack on Titan Fanfic: Erwin Smith)

Forgiveness

"How are you so good with the gear? I feel like a waddling duckling every time I wear it."

"To start with, you need to focus on your core and leg strength to stay upright. You also need to have a sufficient level of spatial recognition, as it helps you determine your position in the air more efficiently with regards to your surroundings. Don't think about how you should utilize the gear. Instead, think about how you and the equipment can become one."

".. Wow. Can you, like.. dumb it down for me?"

A low chuckle left Erwin's lips as he watched the confusion painted in bolded letters across Isanna's features. A few months had already passed since their enlistment to the Training Corps, and she was having difficulty in mastering the vertical maneuvering equipment, which had often led to the usual rounds of insults from their head instructor right to the face every time she fell down during their maneuvering training in the forest.

"You're doing fine," he encouraged. "Just continue to practice."

"Uh, I don't know about that.. Commandant Koch keeps on yelling at my face that I can already guess what she had for breakfast."

Erwin merely laughed while Isanna huffed and crossed her hands behind her head, falling on her back as she returned her gaze above them. A ginormous expanse of constellations were laid high up in the sky, along with a bright full moon that was glowing and staring back at them; a sight she would never get tired of looking at. 

This was her and Erwin's way of relieving all the stress—just small random talks under the stars after all the rigorous training. They'd usually sneak out past curfew, meeting at the rooftop of the mess hall cabin. 

There was just something about breaking rules that intrigued their young, teenage minds, and as a pair that was never separated ever since they were kids, they were always quick to read the other's thought pattern. Erwin, the responsible boy who seemed to be the type to always follow orders, would show subtle hints of rebelliousness at times thanks to her; Isanna, the one who tended to act compulsively, had slowly developed a more grounded personality because of spending too much time with him. 

Together, they were like the symbol of the yin and yang that balanced each other. 

"Just you watch." Isanna glanced at him from the corner of her eyes. "I'm going to practice like hell and overtake you."

He simply smiled at her. "I wouldn't mind that."

She slowly sat up, using her elbows to prop her. She was expecting for him to put up a fight to defend his pride, at least. "Geez, you're so boring. If it weren't for me, you'd have an even more boring life."

Erwin reached out and gently patted her head. "I'd have to agree with you on that."

Shaking her head, Isanna laid back down with her hands clasped behind her head, returning her attention at the starry night. A puff of wind coursed by, and she had to hold back a rush of shiver.

A flutter of a cloth unfurled over her torso, and she glanced down to see Erwin's coat now over her own person. She stole a glimpse to her side to see the blond staring at the sky without a word.

"Aren't you cold?" she asked him. 

"No. I'm alright."

Isanna should've known. Erwin could be freezing to death and still lend his jacket over to her; a gentleman down to his very bones, indeed.

No wonder all the female cadets were head over heels with him. He was literally built with boyfriend (husband) material from the tip of his hair strands down to his toes—if it weren't for the fact that he was so hellbent for his dream.