A Second Chance (Marco x Fem Reader)

Chapter 52

As on cue, Mikasa showed up from behind him, sending her spears striking right at his neck, but before they could hit, thick, hot steam gushed out of him. The spears were sent flying right back towards her, luckily not detonating before they were a safe distance behind her.

Just like Sasha had mentioned, once he let's out his steam, the hooks of the ODM gear becomes ineffective against his flesh, the group not able to hang onto him anymore. The steam pushed them away from him a considerable distance, and they had no choice but to retreat back to the safety of the rooftops below.

Slight, tiny burn marks covered their faces as they coughed violently as a result of the hot steam burning their lungs.

"Mikasa, you're bleeding!", Armin said with wide eyes.

"I'm fine.. A splinter from one of the thunder spears got me.. Have you thought of anything yet?", She asked him while putting pressure on the wound on her arm.

"H-huh?"

"Have any clues for a counterattack?". They all looked at him intently, waiting for any sort of direction. Anything.

"Not one...", he answered with his head low, but a vast crash had them turning their gazes away from him in an instant.

Behind a newly demolished house, the Armoured Titan came rising up from the dust, walking towards the wall with heavy steps... They couldn't believe what they were seeing. His head was blown up! How could he have healed from an injury like that?!

"That bastard! Why can't he just stay dead!?", Jean spit out frustrated. "What the hell do we do... against something like that?!". They all stood like frozen, watching the Armoured and Colossal Titan pass.

"Hey Armin... I think having Eren escape is the best we can do-"

"He's thinner", Armin interrupted them, his voice low. Marco, who had walked up to examine the Colossal titan together with Armin, gasped slightly.

"Like Hange said...", he said as the two looked at each other while exchanging looks of realisation.

"Guys, we don't follow...", Jean said with furrowed brows.

"The Colossal Titan is weak in battle of attrition!", Marco reminded them of Hange's words.

"Remember Eren's experiments? He could only transform up to three times. If that's the case for a 15-meter titan, a 60-meter might be less efficient! And there's his steam attack too! I bet it's consuming everything except his skeleton to produce that steam..."

"In that case, his teeth might be a good spot to anchor our hooks if we need to get close to him", Marco pondered to himself, Armin the only one able to hear him.

"So what are you saying?", Jean asked him.

"I have a plan", Armin stated confidently. "You all need to draw Reiner away. Eren and I will defeat Bertholdt ourselves. The two of us can win and I'm going to prove it". The others couldn't even imagine what Armin had planned that would only require him and Eren alone, but what other choice did they have but to trust him?

"All right. Leave Reiner to the rest of us", Mikasa said and gave him a supportive, proud smile, which Armin returned.

"Took you long enough, dummy. I really thought we were goners", Jean teased relieved with a smug smile.

"I know you can do it Armin. Make him pay for everything he's ever taken from us!", Marco said while grabbing a firm hold of Armin's shoulder. Armin looked down at the pin he had noticed the two of you wear lately and gave Marco a sad smile.