Nest & Wings (Annie Leonhardt x Male Reader)

Chapter 29: Patching the Walls

Three days later,

Annie had recovered her stamina and was ready to patch the walls. That morning, the two of you head off out to patch the outer wall first.

Initially, you thought it'd be a good idea to do it at night as titans would fall asleep after sunset. This was because they used the energy from the sun to function. However, Annie points out that some titans can retain a bit of energy even hours after nightfall.

Of course, they would be slower and much weaker, as they wouldn't have enough energy to put up much of a fight. The problem however, was that they could seem asleep like the others, but could suddenly wake up and take you by surprise if disturbed.

The fact that you couldn't distinguish between a titan that was fully drained and one that was dormant put you at a disadvantage, as the unpredictability posed more of a risk than taking them head on when they were active during the day.

The other reason was the fact that you could barely see at all at night which put you at an even greater disadvantage. Piloting ODM gear and fighting titans at the same time was difficult as it is, so adding the additional task of carrying torches wasn't an option. All things considered, you decide to carry out operations during the day.

As Annie transforms into the Female Titan and starts patching the outer wall, a fifteen meter class starts making its way towards her. You had to watch her back as she couldn't defend herself while she was focused on sealing the wall using her titan hardening.

The last time you took a fifteen meter class down was in Trost with Mikasa, so it was the first time you've fought one by yourself. You anchor yourself to the wall and reel yourself in to try going behind it, but the titan was quick to react and turns around to attack you.

As it reached out its hand to grab you, you quickly retract your cable and use a quick burst of pressure to dodge the titan's arm just in time. You quickly latch onto its head and let the momentum take you around back and slice its nape in one swift movement.

It would've been less of a risk if you had cut off the titan's arms first, but you tried to stick to Mikasa's strategy and always go straight for the nape. While it would normally impose a needless risk on most people, you were confident in your agility and knew you'd be able to dodge as long as you weren't significantly outnumbered.

Speaking of out numbered, you see two more titans making their way towards you from the north. A ten meter class and a twelve meter class. You latch onto the twelve meter class's hip and reel in. As you swing up, you let out a quick burst of air to accelerate yourself upwards to reach its nape.

As you take it out, the ten meter class reaches to grab you. Having learned your lesson from the last time you were grabbed, you ready your blades early and cut through its fingers to escape. You latch onto a building behind it and quickly reel in past its head faster than it could react.

As your feet make contact with the side of the building, you kick back with a burst of pressure to accelerate you as you go for the titan's nape and take it out. That was number three for the day.

You check on your gas and notice how you've gotten slightly better at using it efficiently. It was thanks to overhearing Jean explain to Marco how to save gas back in camp. It was a long time ago, but this was the first time you put it into practice.

The trick was to use quick bursts of gas instead of letting out a continuous stream. By doing so, you can conserve and manipulate your inertia which allows you to accelerate while using a significantly less amount of gas. The results were definitely worth the extra concentration as you figure you'd get used to doing it naturally over time.

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As you wondered off in thought, Annie finishes patching the wall and calls you over.

"There, that's one down. I could've probably done it faster if I didn't focus much on its shape, but it'll probably be there for a while, so I figured I might as well try to make it look decent while I was at it." Annie says.

You were confused, "Huh? What was that about shape?"

She explains, "Most titan shifters can use hardening in one form or another, but only the Warhammer Titan can shape it to its will."

"I see... but what does that have to do with you?" You ask.

"When I inherited the Female Titan, Marley conducted some experiments on me. They had me consume small doses of some of the other shifters' spinal fluid to see if I could gain their abilities. I got a bit of the Warhammer's so I can manipulate the shape to an extent. It takes me longer though since it's not a native skill." Annie elaborates.

"Gotta say, I'm impressed! But I never really took you for a perfectionist though." You respond.

"I'm not, it's probably something you rubbed off on me." Annie answers. She seemed just a bit more lively than usual. You figure it was probably because she didn't have to hide anything from you anymore.

You ask out of curiosity, "By the way, what abilities did you get by ingesting the others' spinal fluid?"

She explains, "Hmm... I got selective hardening from the Armored Titan. I got some of the Colossal's as well, but I'm not really sure what it did. I didn't get any from the Beast, Cart or the Jaw for different reasons. That aside, the scream is the only native ability of the female titan... oh that, and having breasts."

"Huh?" Your face turns red as she said that out of nowhere.

"Titan's usually have masculine bodies, even when the users are female. Mine's the only one that's got a feminine figure, hence the 'Female Titan.' I bet it'll still have them if a man inherits it." Annie explains.

"Wait so you mean... if Eren ate you in Stohess, his titan would've gotten tits? I can't stop thinking about it now. I mean... imagine his reaction the next time he transforms." You respond.

While the conversation took a weired turn towards the end, it helps both of you to ease up a bit. After all... you were halfway through recapturing Shiganshina by yourselves which was no small task by any means.

After a short break, the two of you move onto patch the inner wall. Annie once again transforms and starts using her hardening while you took out the titans nearby. This time around, there were a lot more.

With your newfound confidence and skill, you manage to take out around seven titans by yourself with relative ease before Annie finished patching the wall and joins you. She still had some stamina left, so she remained in her titan form and fought beside you. It felt kinda cool to fight alongside a titan. It was your first time, as you missed out when the others got to fight beside Eren.

When you mention it to Annie she asks, "You really think that?"

You answer, "Yeah, I know this isn't a time to focus on having fun, but at the same time I can't deny how satisfying it is to have a titan as an ally. Although I don't know how I'd feel if it was someone else."

"What do you mean?" Annie asks.

"I mean... I'm not sure I'd want to fight alongside Eren for instance. His titan looked kinda terrifying and out of control in Stohess. Compared to that, your titan looks a lot more approachable." You comment.

"Thanks... I guess." Annie responds.

You ask, "What's with the 'I guess' part? Still don't like compliments?"

She explains, "No, but it's the first time someone's complimented my titan form, so I don't really know how to react."

You respond, "I see... Remind me to properly introduce you to Captain Hange when we get back. I bet she'll swoon all over it."

With that, both walls were patched, and Shiganshina was isolated. It was pure luck that Reiner and Bertolt came before that. If they had seen the patched walls, they would've easily figured out that Annie was working with you. All that's left is to take out the remaining titans inside before moving onto search for Eren's basement.