Broken Bodies, Severed Feelings (Erwin x OC)

|1| Addiction 🟥

Six Years Later

She was nervous on her graduation day. She could not deny it. But she knew where she was supposed to go. It hadn't been a piece of cake. After getting her degree, Nathalie joined the Cadet Corps with Hange and Moblit. And now here she was, only a year of being in the Survey Corps, and already having survived three Expeditions, and already being considered a veteran. Only twenty-four years old and still a veteran. Whoah. She could see why.

She had watched so many people die. Three Expeditions and she knew she was never going to be the same. It was night now. Usually at this hour she would be studying something – some clever theory about titan biology, or working on some experiment with Hange and Moblit. But, no, she was in the training grounds. She preferred training and pushing her limits at the nights where nobody was watching.

Or so she thought.

Nathalie was a member of Section Commander Erwin's Squad. That one squad whose members were never dying. She was in it with Hange, Moblit, Miche, Nanaba and Gelgar. But it wasn't just talent and hard work that kept them alive. It was Erwin's leadership. Erwin had jumped too many times to their rescue. And Nathalie wasn't about to wind up in titan vomit. She had things to do. She had a life to live.

So, she trained. Mostly alone in the nights, and in the mornings, she'd work on her research with Hange and Moblit. And here she was now, punching that poor punching bag, and bruising her hands her fingers, her legs with every single hit. She didn't know whether she was doing this to work out, or kick out some of her frustration. She wasn't quite sure why she was frustrated about. She just knew she was. And she kept kicking and punching. She had learned how to fight in a skirt quite well. She couldn't be wasting her time changing clothes all the time.

Erwin was returning from the kitchen. It wasn't long ago when she showed up in his office with a tray of food. Erwin had made it a habit to not show up at the Mess Hall for dinner. He was too absorbed in his plans, his strategies, his paperwork, but she wasn't about to let him starve to death. So, in turn, Nathalie had made it a habit of showing up in his office every night, with a tray of food that she had reserved for him. Sometimes, he just found himself not showing up for dinner just so that she could come a few minutes later and visit him in his office.

And here she was now, training hard. Sweat ran down her temples as she beat the shit out of that kicking bag using all the moves that he himself had shown her. She was in a brown skirt, and a light blue, buttoned up shirt. Two of her buttons, loose, exposing some of her white skin beneath. Her shirt clung on her body from all that working out, and her hair were brown and messy. Her glasses rested on the floor. She was beautiful. He could tell she hadn't even noticed him being there. It wasn't the first time he was seeing her like this in the nights. Most times he'd just let her in her peace. But maybe this time, he should make his presence known.

Nathalie took a small break. She panted hard and leaned down, pressing her hands on her slightly bent knees as she caught her breath. She had worked herself off. He could say that much. She always did. Always tried to do everything perfect. Always trying to succeed. It was no coincidence for her to be in his squad – the best squad of the Scout Regiment. The squad with the soldiers that survived every Expedition so far.

"Water?" Erwin offered and she let out a yelp and jumped in her position.

She groaned in frustration. "How long have you been standing there?!" She exclaimed irritably as she stood straight, and her hands fisted on her sides. For all she knew, he could have caught her every night whilst she trained, and he was just staring without saying anything. Creep.

He chuckled. He knew she hated audiences, but he thought that after all those years of being together, she would've grown used to his presence by now. Though he shouldn't be surprised. He knew she was trying her best. He knew she was a perfectionist just like himself.