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She extended her hand, looking up at him with a nervous but warm smile on her face.
"Fine. Let's do it." He shook it reluctantly, "But I'm not giving a shit about the Titan portion."
She sucked in a breath. The 'Titan Portion' was what drew her in. Part of what inspired her to want to become a Pilot. It was good to know that her husband would follow her through training, but unfortunate that he didn't feel the same as she did.
The two had been together for nearly seven years. Married for three. She'd proposed to him after a mission. In the hangar actually. The two riflemen-class sweethearts separated themselves from the crowd that day, and she had pulled out a small ring fashioned from what he was told was an ejected shell casing. Their rings were the same. No fancy jewels. No ceremony. Just paperwork, a magical night, and the agreement to make it out of the war in one piece.
As such, she suggested they become Pilots. Lower rate of death, higher status. Better living quarters.
"And a cool helmet!" She had added. He rolled his eyes but smiled.
The two excelled at their Pilot Certification courses. He was agile and accurate, while she was patient and efficient. Both to-be-Pilots were excellent sharpshooters and deadly assets to their squad as grunts, and it was readily apparent that they would both make fine Pilots.
Both solo and in tandem, they worked like clockwork, utilizing efficient communication skills and that very special feeling you get when you've worked with someone for so long. The one where you know what they're doing and how they're doing it. That special bond that you get when you've truly met the person you want to spend the rest of your life with. That.
Not to say there weren't rough patches. With their relationship or with their certification.
But working through it just strengthened that aforementioned special feeling.
One such rough patch came alongside the simulated Titan portion of their certification. While she was eager to clear this hurdle and make it to the real thing, he was reluctant. Stubborn.
In a simulated arena, the Pilots in training had to take down enemy Titans in a timely manner. She did fantastically, not wasting one single bullet or missile, and without as much as a scratch on her simulated Titan's hull.
His Titan died nearly immediately in an explosion of fiery metal and scrap. With his jumpkit and Anti-Titan weaponry, he was still a devastating force. Much to everyones' surprise, he finished off the opposition in record time, with or without a Titan. A pass.
"They're just machines. Tools."
"They don't have to be."
While the two didn't see eye-to-eye, they realized they didn't have to. They were a fantastic team regardless, and nothing could change that. After completing and earning their Pilot certifications, they were awarded their Titans.
She was simultaneously excited and nervous to meet their new mechanical partners. Excited because of the prospect of befriending such a powerful force, nervous because she knew her husband wouldn't take to his Titan.
A Legion-Class Titan stepped forward from the hangar, motioning for her to embark. Behind it, an Ion waited patiently for the other Pilot. Reluctantly, he stepped inside the Ion's cockpit.
Even though the two had successfully Linked to their Titans, it was obvious that the Ion was having trouble bonding with her new Pilot. The couple trained, sparred, and were deployed on several missions.
The Legion always returned from the fights with a spring in his step. The Titan and Pilot happily bonded, idly chatting on the dropship to and from the LZ.
The Ion did not. She returned limping, or otherwise heavily damaged. As per request, an Assault Chip had been installed, and for each fight, sent into battle alone. Her Pilot refused to work with her, claiming that he was more efficient on his own rather than being trapped inside a giant tank.
As much as their Commander (and the engineers who constantly fixed up the Ion) had wanted to protest against his choices, the Pilot's results weren't debatable.
Indeed he was better off without his Titan.
"Meet Taz." She motioned toward her Legion, who dipped in response to his new name. "I'm gonna spend the rest of the day detailing him, if you'd like to hang around." She had already climbed up alongside her mech, a rag and a paintbrush in hand.
Her husband stood close, leaning on a large pillar in the hangar. His own Titan was in for repairs. He smiled up at her.
"I don't have a name for mine."
"I know." She paused, stepping back from her Titan, "Have you considered maybe trying another model? Perhaps the Ion isn't the best class for you."
"No. It's fine. No need to go changing things."
She looked down at Taz. While they hadn't been linked for long, she felt like she could trust this Titan. Her heart felt warm when she looked down at his optics, and understood that he trusted her as well.
Not everyone treated their Titans as friends, but it was heartbreaking to see that her husband regarded his Titan as useless.
"One of these days, things will change," she pointed a dirty rag at her husband, "and you're gonna be surprised."
And change things did.
Later that week, they were deployed on a planet on the fringe of the Outlands. The planet was warm and tropical, and contained what was considered 'megafauna'. Leviathan-like creatures prowled the surface, digging deep into its oceans in search of food. The land, and their particular zone, was riddled with what looked to be spines from these large creatures, and while they offered a strange sort of cover from enemy fire, they also made fighting with Titans difficult.
That didn't stop an enemy Tone's Salvo Core from deftly navigating its way to him however. The missiles screamed toward him, but just before what would've been one of the most gruesome Pilot deaths ever recorded, the missiles stopped.
He hasn't even heard her footsteps.
Standing above him was his Ion. Vortex shield deployed, and what was the enemy's Salvo now swam lazily around the center. With a gentle hand, the Ion scooped him up and placed him inside her cockpit. Moments later, the vortex released the missiles, sending them back toward the Tone. Together they finished off the enemy Titan. Albeit clumsily.
But it was together.
His wife had only heard about the incident later on over dinner. She was floored, but didn't show her excitement too outwardly. He claimed it wasn't a big deal, but added that he was pleasantly surprised by how quickly his Titan had disposed of the enemy Tone.
"Normally it would take a decent amount of shots to finish the job," he said, swallowing his mouthful of food, "but with the Ion, it only took a few moves." He smiled at his wife, who was trying to contain her excitement at this development. He added, "And we even fucked up pretty badly."
"You gonna give her a shot?"
"I'd like to see if I can work the Titan into my strategy. Maybe it isn't so bad."
His wife looked down at her food, hiding her grin. She was proud of him.
As they were deployed for more and more missions, she noticed that her husband actually willingly embarked a few times. Sometimes, she noticed, his Ion returned from battle with minimal damage. She even thought she caught the two of them talking on the dropship.
Even though her husband's outward attitude didn't change, she noticed his demeanor with his Ion did. He still complained about the things that bothered him about their missions- the enemy Titans being in poor positions, enemy Pilots catching him off-guard. She could still feel his reluctance to respecting Titans however, just in how he talked.
Back at the hangar, she tended to Taz. Her husband watched as she did her detailing on the nose of his hull with a small brush. His own Ion was mulling about in the hangar somewhere, likely getting ready to power down for the night. The two Pilots talked about today's mission.
Despite both sides taking heavy casualties, they had won, though it didn't feel like it. The two discussed strategies as well as instances where they felt their organization could've been better. Taz even joined in the conversation, offering up his point of view. She sat on the top of Taz's hull and watched her husband's expression as her Titan talked- it still seemed like he didn't favor Titans.
Her husband's Ion plodded up from behind. The mech was quiet, but stood by and listened to the conversation. The relationship between the Ion and her Pilot seemed cold. They didn't even look at eachother.
"I know I mentioned this before," the Pilot looked down at her husband, "but maybe you should consider a different model of Titan." It would be simple. He didn't seem to be particularly partial to the Ion's loadout, and often talked about how infuriating it was to face against other Titan classes. If he just found the right class, maybe he'd-
"Nah." He interrupted her thoughts, smiling.
To her shock, he looked up at his Ion and patted her on the knee.
He held his gaze on his Titan, who let out a small high pitched chirp. "I'm not abandoning my girl."