Some things were fun when they were simple. Yet, some things were entertaining when they were complicated and secretive.
Flirting was one of those things Hanji found and managed to complicate.
It had all started with a simple little book, and it was all Hanji's fault to begin with. Well, technically, it was Petra's and Nanaba's fault for encouraging and agreeing to her little plan in the first place. But still, it had all started with Hanji and a book in the first place. Hanji did not explain where and how she had found the documentary on 'Coded Flirting,' but that did not matter to anyone at the moment. All they saw was an opportunity to have fun and stir up some mischief.
Apparently, the book explained the series of codes women back in the day would use with hats, gloves, umbrellas and handkerchiefs. Whether or not any of the coded messages had been used did not matter at the moment. What did matter was that Hanji had found a new code to crack, and she was eager to try it out on her test subjects.
The test subjects, meaning, the unprepared men.
Nanaba, Petra and Hanji would meet up in private to go over the different subtle signs of flirting involving handkerchiefs, and they all decided to stick with the simple basics to confuse their victims.
To say they were up to mischief was an understatement.
They were going to have some fun.
They did not expect an immediate reaction during the first few days. It was understandable to them that it would take time for the men to notice their subtle flirting and seek out answers. But Hanji was confident that the men would take notice soon enough. She knew Erwin would be left in a state of confusion, and Levi would be left flustered and short tempered. She was uncertain how Mike would react though, but Nanaba had just waved a hand with a simple "Leave it to me," statement before flouncing off in search for her victim with her new handkerchief in hand.
It had been agreed that Patra, Nanaba and Hanji would branch out to any man who approached them. They would always have their handkerchiefs in hand, displaying their silent coded messages with a simple white cloth.
But as for Hanji, Petra and Nanaba, they were targeting three particular men at the end of the day.
It took about a week of relentless handkerchief twirling, dropping and signals, but before long, they got results.
It was actually Hanji who got the first reaction, and it had taken all of her willpower to resist smiling gleefully.
Erwin had been listening quite intently to Nile's speech. What the speech was about, Hanji had no clue, as she had lost all interest in what he was speaking about the minute the man droned on about the need to recruit more troops.
In her boredom, she had pulled out her handkerchief and had started dabbing at her lips. Erwin's eyes flickered over to her, but he looked back at what Nile was speaking about just as quickly.
Hanji just sighed loudly, causing Erwin's eyes to flicker back to her. She continued to dab at her lips, also hiding her smirk with the white cloth.
Yes, she would often do this whenever Erwin was around, yet he was only now taking notice. Especially when she was dabbing her lips.
"I desire an acquaintance."
Hanji watched with faint amusement as Erwin's eyes kept flickering to her, and he looked like he wanted to say something, but refrained from doing so.
This was not the first time Hanji had performed such an act. But it was the first time Erwin had finally taken notice of it. Thrilled with the results, she decided to take it a step further.
She placed the handkerchief on opposite corners of her hand, watching as Erwin glanced at her in confusion. She winked at him playfully, causing him to blink once more.
"Do wait for me."
Erwin's face turned a light shade of pink as she continued to dab at her lips before putting the handkerchief back. She then focused on Nile's speech as if it was the most interesting thing in the world while Erwin was successfully distracted and confused.
At the end of the meeting, Hanji calmly walked out of the room, aware that Erwin was heading toward her. She did her best to conceal her grin, trying to look natural.
"Hanji," he started, reaching her. He looked at a loss of what to properly say, which was unusual for him. But she decided she liked that vulnerable, uncertain look. It meant only she was able to make him look so flustered.
He cleared his throat. "Are you-?"
"Shh," Hanji said, a twinkle in her eye, feeling bold as she pressed a finger to his lips. "Don't speak of it here." She pulled back and flicked the handkerchief over her shoulder, giving him a very saucy grin.
"Follow me."
He blinked. "What?" he demanded. "Speak of what?" But Hanji was already walking away, handkerchief still over her shoulder. Erwin was left to feel as if he had missed out on something very important as he watched her walk away.
Petra Ral, however, had branched out on her victims. When speaking with Oulo, she always had her handkerchief in hand, twisting it in the right of her hand.
"I'm in love with another."
She did it often enough, especially when Oulo acted out to try and get her attention. By the time she was on her third day of mischievousness, Oulo had ended up asking if she was nervous or feeling alright. In response, she would just smile at him and shake her head 'no.'
"What's going on here?" Levi asked as he entered the room to find Eld with his head in his hands while Gunther was moaning in despair.
"There he is," Petra said with a small grin as she glanced at Levi. She twisted the handkerchief in her right hand, smiling.
"I am thinking of you."
"Make her stop, captain!" Eld moaned.
"The poor thing is being twisted to death!" Gunther said, pointing accusingly at Petra.
Levi blinked. "What is being twisted to death?" He glanced at Petra with narrowed eyes, as if she had something to do with the mens despair.
Which, in reality, she did. But he did not know how involved she was in all the trouble.
She just smiled, drawing the handkerchief across her eyes.
"I am sorry."
"There she goes again!" Eld shrieked.
"I'm out," Gunther said, getting up and leaving. "There's some creepy unknown women stuff going on here that mankind was never meant to know!"
Petra drew the handkerchief over her forehead once more as Gunther and Eld scurried out of the room while Oulo stayed, blinking in confusion.
Levi narrowed his eyes at his retreating men before turning to Petra as he folded his arms.
"Talk," he said simply.
She just smiled, ducking her head and peering at him beneath her lashes. "Captian, I do not know what I have done to send them in such a tizzy." She drew the handkerchief across her lips.
"Let's flirt with each other."
Hanji had insisted that there was a major difference between dabbing your lips and drawing a handkerchief across your lips. Petra and the others had practiced until they got the movements just right, and she was quite pleased with herself that it came naturally.
Levi blinked. "Tizzy?" he repeated. "Who uses the word 'tizzy' anymore?"
"I must confess," she continued. "It bothers me that I can not get a clear message across." She drew the handkerchief across her cheek, finally looking up at him with an innocent smile.
"I love you."
Levi blinked before looking away. "A pity," he mumbled. "I could have used whatever technique you were using on them."
Her smile grew as she put the handkerchief in her pocket, turning away.
"No more love at present."
"Believe me, captain, I think you would succeed in making them miserable," she said.
Like Hanji, Nanaba restricted her torment to just one man as well.
She spent most of her time dropping her handkerchief in front of Mike, smiling bashfully as she did so.
"We will be friends."
It came to a point where Mike dove after the handkerchief, snatching it away from the ground before she could grab it. She let out a yelp when he did so, his movements catching her by surprise. He straightened up, dusting the handkerchief off before handing it back to her.
"Here," he said simply, staring at her.
She blinked, before a slow, small smile spread across her face. She accepted the handkerchief back. "Thank you, my good sir," she said.
He gave her a small smile. "Might need a new one. It's dirty from all the dropping."
She grinned back, touching her right cheek with the handkerchief.
"Yes."
With that, she turned on her heel, still grinning as a new idea formed in her head.
It was time to turn up the heat.
The next time she was with Mike, it was on the training grounds. A recruit had gotten rather rash, earning Mike's chastising. She had never seen him so visibly upset, and it surprised her. Yet when he turned to address her, she had taken note of how his whole demeanor had changed. He became relaxed, subdued even.
That earned a coded message that only she understood.
She placed her handkerchief over her right ear when Mike was speaking with her, the move natural casual.
"How you have changed."
She took note of how Mike had frowned in confusion. "Are you alright?" he asked, looking around uncertainly.
That had caused her to laugh, increasing his confusion.
She had also used it on a very rude and pompous MP, who did not take a simple 'no' for an answer. His pickup lines and attempts at romance were enough to make anyone groan, yet Nanaba just simply twirled the handkerchief in both hands.
"I am not interested. Get lost."
This movement was followed by a quick, sharp smack when the MP got too close, and Nanaba twirled on her heel and stalked away, handkerchief in hand while the MP stared at her in shock. Gelgar had simply grinned at her actions while Mike smirked.
But Hanji branched out in her victims as well, and Levi was so much easier to poke fun at than Erwin.
She had of course been hounding him about Eren's Titan shifting abilities, her excitement causing her to speak rapidly. Normally, Hanji would notice when Levi was in a bad mood and worn out from the day. But today, she was way too excited about her topic, her volume increasing as her words became jumbled.
Her dirty hand on his shoulder also added fuel to the fire.
"Listen to me, Four-Eyes," he snapped, ducking out of the way of her dirty hand as his eyes narrowed. His mouth was open, ready to let her have it, but he was cut off by Hanji's sudden cry as she collapsed to the ground in a dramatic heap.
In reality, her reaction was instant, as if she was wired for it. The handkerchief was in her hand and out of her pocket before Levi had time to blink.
"Oh!" she wailed, placing the handkerchief over her eyes as she moaned in despair. "How could you?"
"You are so cruel."
Levi could only blink at the moaning woman on the ground in a heap at his feet. Not to mention, the strange display with handkerchief that was covering her face added to his bewilderment.
He narrowed his eyes. "Something is up," he growled.
"What did you do?" Moblit demanded, rushing to the scene that was displayed in front of him.
Levi was still standing over a moaning Hanji who had a handkerchief over her face. He stepped over her with a huff, muttering something unintelligible under his breath.
The fun for Hanji only grew as Erwin strove for answers. After much handkerchief flickering, Erwin finally stood in front of Hanji, his face impassive.
"Hanji," he said, watching her rub the handkerchief in her hands. But he said nothing else, as if he did not know what to say.
Yes, this was bothering him. These weird movements seemed directed at him, and he saw the look in Hanji's face, as if she was waiting for something. But he did not know how else to ask her what was going on.
"How much more of a personal invitation do you need?" Hanji demanded suddenly, flickering the handkerchief over her shoulder with impatience.
"Follow me."
Erwin was not the only one who was confused. Nanaba was not stopping her handkerchief messages, and she enjoyed seeing Mike's increased confusion.
Mike watched helplessly as Nanaba folded the handkerchief, then stared at him with an expression that made him feel like she was expecting him to understand something.
"I wish to speak with you."
He swallowed uncomfortably, looking away as he wondered what to do.
Levi was also caught in this web of confusion as well. He had watched as Pixis, in his drunk state, spoke with Petra, his words slurred. Petra was just standing there, winding the handkerchief around her forefinger.
"I am engaged."
He had noticed that she would do that often enough with the other men, and he decided that he wanted to know what was going on. Though he vocally demanded answers, finally asking Petra in his blunt manner what she was doing with the worn out rag in her hands.
Instead of receiving a straight, verbal answer, Petra just drew the handkerchief across her brow.
"Look, we are being watched."
"Fine," he grumbled, retreating. No, wait, he was not retreating, but regrouping. He refused to use that cowardly word when it came to this situation. "Keep your secrets."
"Ladies," Hanji said with a grin when they were alone in the room. "I do believe it is time for us to branch out in our codes."
Nanaba grinned, running a hand through her short hair. "What do you have in mind?"
Hanji's response was to pull out three pairs of red gloves, her smile widening as they all looked at each other in understanding.
"Oh boy," Petra said with glee as she snatched at her pair. "I am going to have so much fun with these!"
And fun she did have.
The compliments on her nice new gloves died on her squadmates lips as she pulled out her nice gloves and zeroed in on Levi, her expression determined.
Petra put the tips of her gloves at her lips, ever the picture of sweet innocence. Her victim was on the immediate alert at her actions, visibly stiffening up.
"Do you love me?"
Levi blinked as he stopped drinking his tea, eyeing her with narrowed eyes. He shook a finger at her. "Whatever you want to say, just say it!"
She grinned. "But that's no fun," she whispered.
Levi narrowed his eyes at her before setting his cup down and leaning in. There was a challenge in his eyes, and she knew that once Levi dedicated himself to a challenge, there was no stopping him.
And right now, he was dedicated to finding her hidden messages.
She sucked in a breath as she stared at those grey eyes of his, feeling her heart pound a bit faster than usual. Her shaking hands found their way into her pocket before drawing out her handkerchief, yet they grew steady as she touched her cheek with it.
"I love you."
Levi grabbed her hand, stopping her, his eyes never leaving her face. "Whatever you are hiding, Petra Ral," he murmured softly. "I will find out."
She shivered as he pulled away, and she looked down, a small smirk growing on her face.
Hanji had also used her gloves on everyone as well. When inside the church with Moblit to speak with Pastor Nick, it had almost become instinct to pull out her gloves and twist them around in her hands.
Finally, she grew annoyed with Pastor Nick's dodging, cryptic answers, and she bit the tips of her gloves.
"I wish to be rid of you very soon."
To anyone, they would not think twice about it, but Pastor Nick had stopped speaking and abruptly smacked her hands, eyes wide as if scandalized.
"Do not use this improper coded language in the church," he hissed. "There are rules! You can use that code at balls, parties or outside in the training halls. But never in the church!"
Hanji's eyes widened as she stared at the man in shock while Moblit blinked in confusion. Slowly, she smiled as she regarded the older man before her. "So you know this language?" she asked.
He huffed, turning away. "I had to. It was a sinful requirement."
"Why?" she called out with a smirk, twirling the gloves in her hand. "Because you never got the chance to use it?"
Hanji was not the only one to encounter an outsider who was aware of the coded message. A senior officer had suddenly stopped and laughed, gesturing to Nanaba who was using her gloves as a fan.
"Introduce me to your company."
"Now that lady knows how to flirt," the officer said, nudging a confused Mike with a wink. "You lucky boy! You've got yourself a woman right there!"
Nanaba just grinned in amusement as Mike turned to stare at Nanaba as the officer sauntered away. "Are you flirting?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Nanaba just reached for her handkerchief, touching her right cheek.
"Yes."
Mike just blinked, turning to look away as he tried to understand the hidden meaning.
"Ban the handkerchiefs," Mike growled as he stormed into the office, his stare intense.
Erwin looked up at him with a frown. "You too?"
"Oh yeah," Mike said, collapsing in a chair, head in his hands. "At first it was the simple things. She would drop the handkerchief on the ground in front of me before picking it back up. I thought it was a silent question, like how those noble ladies drop their handkerchief for their lovers to pick up. But then Nanaba started doing these…" He trailed off, waving his hands around wildly.
"Wringing it, touching her face, lips and shoulders with it?" Erwin clarified.
"Yes!" Mike exclaimed.
Erwin folded his hands. "And she would look to you as if expecting a reaction or some understanding?"
"Exactly," Mike agreed. He sniffed, folding his arms. "I smell mischief, something at work." He looked at Erwin. "Do you feel like we're missing out on something? That they are laughing about us behind our backs?"
"I do believe there is something going on," Erwin confessed. "Though it must not be dreadfully important. Let the ladies have their fun."
Though, even as the words left his mouth, he realized that he could not let it go. Hanji was getting the best of him, and he wanted to know how. It irked him to no end that there was some hidden meaning to her actions, and he had yet to figure it out. He had thought about it deeply, yet he refused to outright ask her what was going on, as he had not yet figured out how to ask her in the first place.
He threw his pen on his desk, swearing as he found himself at a mental crossroads.
Mike humphed. "You want to know too, don't you?"
"What are they up to?" Erwin grumbled in response.
His office door slammed open to reveal Levi, his expression impassive. "The answers are in here," Levi said gruffly, dropping the book on Erwin's desk. "We are being toyed with." His expression was one of displeasure as he stood before Erwin.
Erwin frowned as he examined the book before opening it. He flipped through its pages before coming to a marked section. His eyes narrowed at what he read. He looked back up at Levi, who remained still. "Where did you find this?" he asked.
"Four-Eyes's laboratory," he answered. "In a locked drawer."
Erwin frowned. "You snooped through her stuff?"
"Let me rephrase that; the drawer was opened and unlocked, so it was inviting me in," he answered, shrugging. "I had to find out what she and the others were doing."
Mike ran a hand through his hair as he read over Erwin's shoulder, taking in the hidden meanings behind the handkerchiefs and gloves. "No way," he muttered, groaning. "That old man was right. She was flirting."
Levi nodded. "Oh yes."
"And here I thought I already knew how to flirt," Mike grumbled. He looked at Erwin, eyes narrowed. "This calls for retaliation."
Erwin frowned, flipping through the pages of the book. "Yes, it does."
"So what do we do?" Levi asked, watching as Erwin tore out a page of the book before closing it.
"Take the book back and place it where you found it," Erwin instructed, handing it back to Levi before folding the piece of paper he had torn out. "It is time for us to strike back."
