Knew it from the beginning...

14- What we smile for.

Hey!
Know how I said I, "might" update...
Well, here you go! It might be a little bit short, but.... I have a feeling you want to know what will happen...
Just a little heads up, you probably wont hear from Y/N fro a while, as in things wont be in her POV... Well, read on...

Armin's POV

I knocked on Squad Leader Hanji's door.
"Yes~?" she called from inside the room.
"I-Its Armin Arlert, you requested me?" I said, I heard footsteps and then the door opened, revealing Hanji. Her hair was messy and her grin was even creepier than usual, it made me somewhat nervous.
"Armin! I know who you are, and you don't need to be so formal, I'm not captain Shorty, or Erwin Eyebrows.  I'm Hanji!!" She exclaimed, draping her arm around me rather excitedly.
"I know that, Squad Leader Ha-" Hanji shot me a disappointed, galre, and I rephrased my sentence "Uhh~ I mean, I know, H-Hanji" She smiled her 'signature' grin at me, and then walked towards a large table in the middle of the room. It was covered in papers, more than likely information about tonights miniature expedition for Y/N, and titans.  She dug through some of the papers and then, looked at me with a rather serious face.
"now, down to business. I called you in here because, I need your help." She explained.
"Y-you need my help? but Sqa- umm.. I mean, Hanji. Why, and what would you need my help for? I'm rather useless.." I ask.
"Oh! come now Armin!! You're brain is amazing! If I had the chance.... ehehehehe..." she began to drool "I would love to pick at your brain... and when I say pick, I mean it... I would love to dissect that amazing brain of yours.... Who knows what you have in there?" She exclaimed looking at my head, she walked up to me and touched my hair, causing me to get nervous and pull away from her. She pouted and reached for me again. By now she was practically chasing me around her office.
"Jesus Christ! Hanji! What the hell are you doing in here!?" Corporal Levi suddenly burst through the door.

Levi's POV
(A/N: sorry about all of the POV changes)

I was walking past Hanji's room when I heard a rather large noise.
"What the actual fuck is she doing in there?"  I question myself, I sigh and burst through the door. I look around and my eyes stop on Armin who is being pressed against the wall by Hanji.
"C-corporal... h-help me...." Armin cried, tears in his eyes from the fear he was experiencing.
"Yo! Shitty-glasses, what the fuck are you doing?" I said rather bluntly. Hanji turned her head to face me.
"oh! hey Shorty! When did you get here?" Hanji exclaimed, releasing her grip on Armin, giving him a chance to run to the other side of the room.
"T-T-Thank you... Corporal...." Armin said quietly, still in some shock from his encounter with Hanji.
"Mind telling me, why you're terrorising the blonde brat?" I asked her, my patience wearing thin.
"oh! I was just explaining to Armin that I needed his help!" she smiled cheerfully, then looked over at the blonde, " Right Armin? and I guess I got a little carried away, talking about his brain and all..." she said. I sighed at hit her over the back of the head.
"OW! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR ASSHOLE!??!" she asked angrily.
"Whatever, just don't go harassing and more brats. okay?" I said walking out of the office, I heard hanji say an enthusiastic 'okay' and then, she closed the door.
I continued on my previous course, to the training grounds. I began to walk into the forest, and crossed the barbed wire boundary. ( A/N, the same one that Armin, Eren, Bertohlt, and Reiner crossed when Eren wanted help with the ODMG) I walked up to the cliff and looked out onto the lake, sighing I leaned back, allowing myself to lay on the grass. I closed my eyes, and let my thoughts wander for a while. 
"wow. the captain, laying on the grass?" I heard a female voice say, I grunted not opening my eyes, I could hear her sit on the grass beside me.
"Petra." I said, she hummed in response.
"Do you ever regret it? Regret joining the survey corpse?" I ask her, opening my eyes and turning my head slightly to look at her. her face was towards the sky, she had a faint smile. I looked up at the sky to see what she was so interested in. My eyes widened at the sight, two doves one black and the other white, flew in the sky. As free as we all wish to be, the same sight that I had seen with Isabelle and Furlan, long ago. I pushed the thought out of my mind.  There was a long silence between us, but it wasn't an awkward silence, it was a nice, and settling silence. I continued to look up at the sky and watch the birds fly freely.
"No." was all that Petra said.
"What do you mean no?" I asked her.
"I don't regret it, and to be honest, I don't think I could ever regret joining the survey corpes. Despite what I've seen, and the friends I've made and lost, I wouldn't ever regret it. I'm actually rather grateful, because if I had listened to my father, I wouldn't have made any of the memories I have." she said.
"But, don't you regret not being able to find someone. Not being able to have a normal, being made to go through... well, hell." I asked, a little confused by her answer.
"no. If I was to redo my life, I wouldn't change a single thing. I would still ignore my father's requests to marry a man he had chosen, I would have still run away and joined the survey corpse and, I'd still have this conversation with you." she said, turning herself to look at me, giving me a smile.
"you should do that more often." I stated simply. I saw a faint blush rise onto her cheeks, and her smile fade, back to her usual expression.
"do what?" she asked, she sounded confused and a little offended, I had no idea why though.
"smile like that. You seem much more alive when you smile like you did before." I said, returning my gaze from her to the sky once more.
"c-captain! uhh~ sure. You know something?" she said, laying back onto the grass herself.
"what? Why are you blushing?" I ask her.
"Ahh~ never mind that. Come to think of it, I've never actually seen you smile before. You make me smile so, I'm gonna make you smile. and I refuse to die until I see you smile" she said, I turned my head to look at her. I was surprised by her statement, she was already looking at me, smiling. I close my eyes and give out a long sigh, reopening my eyes, I said.
"why would you want to do that? It seems pointless, I have nothing to smile about."
"That's complete bull." she stated, "you have plenty to smile for."
"oh yeah? like what?" I asked rather cockily.
"You have your team, life, the fact that you are around people that love you, and that would be lost without you." she said, I watched as the blush darkened on her face as we continued to look at each other, our faces just inches apart.
"Alright. I get it, you're right." I looked at her.
"then, what are you waiting for?" she asked me. I sighed and looked her right in the eyes, sitting up I looked back at her, she followed my lead and sat up too. I smiled at her, and blush overtook her face, making her go bright red. I looked her up and down and then, did something I didn't think I was capable of doing...

I laughed... like I did, with Isabelle and Furlan.

"CAPTAIN! ARE YOU ALRIGHT!" Petra asked worried. I couldn't stop laughing, the way that Petra looked, a large twig was sticking out of her head, making her look ridiculous. I had never seen anything so hilarious in my life. I nodded my head and calmed down, returning my face back to my usual expression.
"You, captain are the one who needs to smile more. Your smile is, unexplainable. The smile of someone who has been through many hardships is, always the most beautiful and reassuring." Petra said, smiling a reassuring close eyed, smile.
I stood up and brushed myself off, I extended my hand to Petra who took it and stood up. I pulled the twig out of her hair, and threw it to the ground. She brushed herself off, and looked out onto the lake.
"We should get back, we only have a little while before, the expedition to find Y/N." Petra said, I nodded and we both walked back to the training grounds.

Thank you Petra. You really have opened my eyes, I know what I have to do know.

->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->

( back at Hanji's office )
Armin's POV

I walked out of Hanji's office, after about 5 hours of planning for tonight's expedition.
"Armin! You were gone for a long time? What did Hanji need to talk to you about?" I turned around to see Eren jogging towards me.
"crap! Eren, isn't supposed to know about tonight's expedition! Think, Armin! Think!"
"oh, yeah. hey, Eren. Hanji just wanted help filing her titan information." I lied. Eren looked at me, a little confused.
"Hanji? Filing? Organsied? That's funny Armin, if you did spend all that time doing that then, it probably wont last long. Okay, well Connie wanted to see you, I think he's in the mess hall. I have to talk to Hanji, see you later." Eren said,
"uhh~ yeah, sure... b-bye..." i said walking to the mess hall to see Connie.
"This, no doubt, will be about tonight."

Eren's POV
( I know, another POV change.)

I watch Armin walk away and sigh.
"Armin, you are the worst at lying. Hanji has a system amoungst her chaos. Armin, what are you hiding?" I ask myself.
I knocked on Hanji's door.
"Yes?" I heard her call,
"Its Eren, I want to ask you something." I say, opening the door and walking into her office.
"sure. what is it, Eren?" Hanji asked.
"what were you talking to Armin about?" I asked her.
"oh! not much- just planning tonight's expedition to go find Y/N. oh shit-" she babbled
"What?"
"nothing~ don't worry about it, it was nothing..."
"I know what you said, I'm just confused. When do they leave, and why wasn't I told?"
"Eren. Erwin is the one you need to talk to about that, I wasn't even supposed to tell you so, I'm in some shit anyways, all I know is that they leave tonight at 8:00pm" She explained.
"thanks Hanji. oh, here. Don't tell the captain" I said handing her the chocolate chip cookie that I stole from the captain's cookie jar. I pressed my finger against my lips, and walked out of the door.
"now that I know what is really happening, I wont let myself get left behind, I'm not going to lose her again. I will protect her, even if it costs me my life"

I Updated for you!!
This is a very fluffy chapter between Petra and Levi.
I DO NOT SHIP THEM!!! ERERI FOR LIFE!!!
I have a backstory for them, and why they talk together like they did in this chapter.
In the next chapter will be the expedition, but, just think of this as a kind of relaxation chapter. Calm before the storm, if you will.
Ill update again tomorrow maybe (My timezone)
Please let me know what you think of this chapter in the comments and vote!
Good Morning/ Afternoon/ Night
~Koniko