Summary: Mikel Dayan reflects on her advantages as a woman hitter. Written for comment-fic at LJ. Prompt: any female in a male-dominated field, her femininity is a strength rather than a weakness.
Title from the film starring America Ferrera.
Real Women Have Curves
Most people would think that a woman would be at a disadvantage as a hitter. Weak, soft, fragile, sensitive -
Most people would be wrong about that. It's all a pile of crap.
Mikel knows how to use what she's got...and win.
She's strong. Not as physically strong as a well-trained man (and they'd have to be, to be at the top of their field, as she is), but she has endurance, knows where to hit to get the maximum effect, and she's quick.
She's determined. She works harder to hone her skills and keep in shape than most male hitters do. Some of them are lazy. These are the ones who die quickly. Mikel can use a variety of weapons and fighting techniques. As a result, she has met only a handful of men who can beat her in a hand-to-hand fight.
She's smart. When she feels herself flagging under the onslaught of sheer masculine force, she uses her cunning to dodge, to predict her opponent's moves, and she gets out of the way. Then, while they sneer and laugh at how weak she is ("little girl in a man's world") and gloat in their own vigor, she plunges in and strikes. The coppery taste of their blood is sweet victory.
She's beautiful. She knows this. She knew it when- well, that's all in the past, but she has known this since she was a young girl. When she was a child, she couldn't fight, couldn't do anything but struggle against the larger weight of him. But now, she knows that when she's stuck, she can always use her curves, her breasts, her eyes and lips to take her opponent off-guard, and make him give in to his desires all the more enhanced by the adrenaline produced in their fight. Then, while he gazes at her womanly curves, eyes dark with desire, or when he leans down to kiss her, why then, that's when she hits.
Mikel doesn't mind being a woman. She loves it. She revels in it. A ruthless woman always seems more terrifying to a man than the most bloodthirsty of men, simply because of her sex.
Men are weak. Men are soft. Men are fragile and sensitive.
Besides, most men won't hit a girl...unless she hits them first.
That's when the real fun begins.