Rules of Engagement [locked to Han Solo]

[red_room]

It's just getting on to dark in the Nexus when a familiar whine cuts through the muggy evening air. The noise from the open ramp of the Millenium Falcon grows until the underlying rumble of a motorcycle engine cuts through the thick air as Natasha pulls up just outside the ship.

Nat hops off the bike quickly, but takes her time removing all the gear she'd worn. The suit hadn't been cheap to get and getting it dirty before the onset was unheard of. She carefully removes the helmet, the track suit she'd worn over the nice clothes, and pulls the dress shoes she'd bought out of the bag of gear she'd carried along and carefully slips them on before making her way up the ramp and onto the ship.

Everything about the outfit Nat selected had been carefully considered all the way down to the cuff links. Granted, this getup is designed to impress her target and not so much a space pilot like Han is, but he should still be able to help judge the way she carries herself. Walks. Talks. She'd even taken a leaf out of the good captain's book when it came to styling her hair. Giving it a bit of the windswept wave instead of slicking it back or the like.

"Knock, knock."

It's still so weird hearing a mans voice when she talks. Wrong. But if this stays for a day or so, she'll be one more thread complete on her web.

Comments

[red_room]

"Figured you might like it."

A lazy smile spreads across Nat's face like a drop of ink in a glass of water. How does Han usually relax? Elbows up against the back of the chair, posture open. Sure of himself. A man unbothered by his surroundings no matter where he finds himself.

Though her eyebrows raise when he stiffens. She makes no move to sit up straight just yet though she nods only once. Slowly. Eyes locked onto his. The smile is gone, replaced by her own cold stare.

"Yes. Forced labor. Prostitution. Soldiers. Test subjects. I've shut down three of their bases of operation but never been able to remove the snake's head. This may be my chance. My only chance."

[twelve_not_fourteen]

She's right about Han. He's careful about projecting nonchalance. Sometimes it's because he feels it, but there's a lot of times where it's to disguise the fact that he cares. Han just doesn't want people to realize he does. Most of the time.

And speaking of not caring ... he shouldn't care that 'Tasha is involved in a slavery ring. He doesn't for a second think that she could be supportive of it on principle. It's just that the whole thing is leaving a hell of a bad taste in his mouth. She's taking on a dangerous op while putting up with a Nexus curse and she'll be rubbing elbows with the scum of the underworld while doing it.

Perhaps he shouldn't be so sour about it - he'd ruined the days of a few slavers, after all - but he doesn't think he should be especially encouraging either.

He shrugs and looks away.

"Is this happening on earth?" He says forcing impassivity into his voice. "Aren't you concerned the magic might not hold or might not wear off if you leave the Nexus?"

[red_room]

"It is."

Nat nods again. "If it's permanent because I left the Nexus then I'm already screwed. I left to get this suit after we split up earlier."

A thought she doesn't want to focus too hard on, at the moment. Losing her body for good is a frightening thought, not least of which because she'd need to train this one all over again. What use is she if she can't be an Avenger anymore?

"I'm no one's hero, Han. But at the very least I can get rid of the person behind the whole thing. That alone will save a lot of lives. That's why I'm here. I need you to help me refine my plan. Make sure I've got the part down."

[twelve_not_fourteen]

Han winces at the response that she's already left the nexus.

It shouldn't have surprised him all that much. Somehow Natasa - despite coming from a mysterious and unstable a background as his own - never did develop that healthy sense of self-preservation that he had. Or she was just used to completely ignoring it, which, makes sense considering what she does.

Chiding her about it won't make a difference now. Hell, for all he knows, maybe she did consider she might mess up the curse and left for earth anyway.

He sighs. Dramatically. So Natasha is very acutely aware that he doesn't like any of this.

"How can I help ..."

[red_room]

Natasha has taken a lot of instruction from her more morally upright team members over the years. Some thigns are bigger than any one person, and if spending the rest of her life as a man will put an end to one of the biggest human trafficking rings in the last century?

It's a price worth paying.

The sigh makes her smile. Her expression losing the sharpness it had held before. She leans forward again, resting her elbows on her knees and looking up at Han.

"What I need from you is help perfecting my act. You're a charismatic guy. Pretty good at talking a lady to bed or at least to your point of view when your mind's on it. Being good at pretending is one thing, but you're the real deal. I need to learn your body language inside and out. Speech mannerisms. What makes you so damn good at making a lady smile."

[twelve_not_fourteen]

There's a fallicy in play here that he's debating on addressing - the notion that you could teach someone how to be interesting, funny and charming - much less that you could pull it off as a crash course. Han is pretty positive that you can't teach that sort of thing to somebody else. You have it or you don't.

The thing of it is ... she doesn't have to be as funny or charming or interesting as him, she just has to be charasimatic enough to complete the mission. Plus it ain't like 'tasha isn't all of those things herself. She just has to adapt what she's already got for the task at hand. So. He swallows back the urge to set her straight and thinks about what advice he can give to actually help.

"I'd say that the biggest thing to keep in mind is that being coy and demure isn't as fetching in a man." He says leaning forward slightly and propping his elbows on the table. It's body language that reinforces the words. "Most places, even in my galaxy, male humans get preferential treatment. So act like you're used to getting you way, for the most part. If you're gonna flirt with someone - don't waste time being subtle."

[red_room]

"I felt a lot more confident pretending to be a man when I wasn't one."

It's an admittedly contradictory statement to make, but Natasha feels like it's a truth all the same.

"I knew how to adjust my posture, my voice, my mannerisms. I knew exactly how to dress and where to stand. But like this...I feel like a baby giraffe. All ungainly limbs and balances. Unsure if I'm over or under speaking. Acting. It's all so awkward. Which is where you come in. There's a good possibility I'm overthinking this. The talking I can do. It's the body language I feel out of sorts with."

The spy gestures to herself while she talks. And there's something more she's overlooking, though truthfully it's that she hasn't even considered it would be a problem.

"As for why it has to be you, well. If I'm going to practice flirting with someone it might as well be a someone I don't mind between my legs, right?"

[twelve_not_fourteen]

"Okay, fine." He says with a shrug. "I think the advice still applies, though. People used to being accepted and getting what they want tend to carry themselves a certain way."

If she doesn't want to be coached up on what to say, that's fine. The gist is don't tread lightly and that applies to body language too.

Han takes a thoughtful sip from his drink again, sputtering slightly into the glass when the decidedly masculine Natasha starts to flirt with him. He forces a cough when he replaces the glass back onto the table.

"Get up. Show me how you've been walking."

[red_room]

Nat's grin only turns more wicked when Han begins choking on his drink. She taps her finger against the table in clear amusement until the pilot tries to regain some control of the situation and starts barking orders at her.

"Yeah, yeah." She runs a hand through her hair the way she's watched Han do dozens of times before and gets to her feet. Squares her shoulders and loses the edge to her grin. Something more cooly confident. Channel some Tony Stark into her routine. Squared shoulders and completely at home in this suit that costs more than some peoples' cars. She moves around the table and goes to pour herself a drink, uncaring about the way her steps echo on the grate flooring.

Gestures with her glass when she half turns around to address Han again.

"You do realize I'm a spy by trade, right? This is hardly my first undercover mission as man. Just the first time I happen to actually be one."

[twelve_not_fourteen]

He expected to see more of the real Natasha showing through in the way that she moved. Maybe it's because she seemed so unsure of herself leading up to now, but it's a pretty convincing act that she's put on for him. Nothing about her act jumped out at him like a sore thumb so far.

"Sounds like there's nothing to be nervous about, then."

Han slowly pushes himself up to standing. He takes another shallow sip of his bright blue drink and he walks over to Nat, positioning himself close to her so he can get that up close look at her.

"Here. Go again. I want to see from here this time."

[red_room]

"Nervous, no. But when you only get one shot, you need it to be as close to perfect as you can get."

She watches the way he approaches. The slink to his step. So much different than her own. Where she sways he stalks. She hadn't expected to see him actually get into it considering her body being the way it was. It's a good look on him. One that makes her own pulse quicken. Focus, Natasha.

Deep breath. And out. You good? Damn right you're good. You're the best at what you do.

"Alright." She sets the glass back down and walks back to the doorway. Think like Han. Think like Tony. Never ever let Tony Stark know he's helped you do your job unintentionally.

"Because while I know I can talk the talk--" Natasha lets one hand stay in the pocket of her slacks this time as she circles round the table again, gesturing with the other. "I have to be able to walk the walk. Sell it."

She picks the glass up again and takes a sip from it before finally removing her hand and gesturing with that one while her right holds onto the drink.

"Own it." He's watching so closely now. She finds her own eyes meeting his more than she means to. Back off the looks, he knows you're talking to him. Someone of this stature doesn't care what another person thinks.

[twelve_not_fourteen]

To be fair, Han has more of a swagger in his walk than almost anybody. It's not something that everyone happens to pick up on right away, because it seems to be so genuinely him that it never looks out of place ...

Anyway, when she walks, his gaze is on her hips. He's looking for even the barest hint of a feminine sway to them. This task puts the hazel of his eyes around her groin and her ass while she's practicing her walk. He's pursing his lips and watching carefully.

Till he's abruptly taking his eyes off her and shaking his head.

"I think you're moving your hips too much." He says, getting right up behind his recently masculinized girlfriend. When he's so close that she can feel him breathing down her neck, the weight of his hands settle heavily on those distorted pelvic bones.

[red_room]

It takes Natasha a moment to realize where it is he's looking. The thought makes her grin internally, pleased that she's still able to hold his attention regardless of her looks. But there's that same warmth from before and the same sound of her heartbeat thudding in her ears. She can enjoy this as much as she wants, so long as she keeps it to herself.

There legitimately is a lot of work at stake here. not to mention a risk of her own life.

She makes no pretense of looking him up and down in bemused interest when he gets up again. She expects him to get close--lean right over her and tell her what he thinks. But he doesn't move around to her front. Just hovers nearly touching against her back. The heat of his breath on the back of her neck. The low rumble his voice gets when he's taken an interest in something. And--

The hands on her much less noticeable hips makes Natasha acutely aware of two things. No. Three.

First, regardless of what he likes, Han is putting an incredible effort into helping Natasha sell this new look. Which in turn...

Second, she should have listened a bit more cautiously to Dia's words of warning earlier. Because arousal in a man is much harder to hide than it is in a woman. Or maybe it isn't, but Natasha has exactly zero experience in talking down something like this and she rather likes the attention being paid to her. The intensity of his scrutiny.

She knows what's happening here. It's just that there doesn't seem to be any stopping it. What's most alarming is that she's not entirely sure she wants to. Her breathing's gone ever so slightly harsher. eyes focused at the wall in front of her vehemently even as a faint tinge of red starts to spread across her cheeks. Her shoulders tense as she tries to hold her posture correctly.

If there's any mercy in the world, Han will stay right where he is and not notice a damn thing while he continues talking his pointers to her.

[twelve_not_fourteen]

Han is a little bit busy with his own feelings and observations to pick up upon the subtle signs of Natasha's newly arising situation. He's never been all that attracted to angles and musculature of the male form, but in such close quarters ... with someone he's so deeply fond of ...

It's a confusing situation at best and Solo is mentally working though all of that. He doesn't feel turned on in the classic sense, but he feels concerned for 'Tasha - even in this body that feels alien around him. Hell, he's got pangs of affection when he catches a glimpse of those green eyes meeting his. Anyway, It's a good way through him spouting off pointers 'you can't walk like a droid, but you can't waggle your hips like a dancer' and 'keep you chin slightly aloft' that he notices.

An obvious bulge.

Then he sees the more subtle things like the flushed look on her face. The way she's changed her stance. Frankly ... a part of him wants very much to playfully tease. It's almost always been the shoe on the other foot, after all. With Han wanting while Nat is patiently amused or however it is she feels when he's all worked up.

"If you shift your weight a little more on one foot and put your hands into your pockets ... you can shift the fabric around to make it less overt." He offers. "Thinking mundane thoughts will make it eventually go away, but sometimes it's better to do that before you get to this point."

[red_room]

She's been hitting on him and teasing him left front and center since she caught sight of him in the Nexus earlier that day. Just like she always does. Because regardless of any urges or wants in her normal body, she's at least able to not let it show.

"Сукин сын.." Han's been around 'Tasha long enough to know 'son of a bitch' when he hears it. Every time he's beaten her at a hand of cards. Or anything, at that matter. This time it comes out a lot more breathlessly and frustrated than it usually does. She ducks her head and dutifully moves to try and adjust her clothing and posture accordingly.

She's expecting a laugh, or some kind of annoyance. That he's being helpful is almost a surprise. A pleasant one, mind. But that's also not helping matters clear up any quicker.

The spy stays right were she is, furiously red in the face and taking deep breaths.

"I was wrong." She finally says, voice rougher than she'd like to admit. "I didn't think this could get any more awkward. And then it did." Should she apologize? He's not getting mad about it.

"You can laugh. It's...I deserve that much."

[twelve_not_fourteen]

Han clears his throat and lifts his hands up off of Natasha's hips. Noticing that he's still got the weight of those roughly calloused hands on top of her, which, probably isn't helping matters any.

"Laugh at you?" He says with a shrug. "I feel like this is a compliment."

The truth of the matter is that people who have dicks for far longer than one day sometimes have trouble keeping them tame all the time. All those hormones that she hasn't had to deal with all of a sudden overwhelming her. It can't be easy.

[red_room]

"Yeah, my opinion of you hasn't changed with the rest of my body."

Natasha pulls a hand out of her pocket to drag it down her face with a sigh. She's definitely not used to having a body that refuses to lie for her and her beginner's level driving skills of it. It's not as though she'd had any different thoughts about the captain than she usually gets.

She just got a hell of a lot worse at lying about them.

"My opinions on you touching me aside,it's not something I'm worried about happening out there. You're more than enough for me and I've got nothing but hatred for those I"m about to put in the dirt or behind bars." She shifts her posture to one hip, arms folded across her chest. It's a very 'Tasha look, now that she's done acting for the time being.

Someone's eager to change the subject, clearly.

[twelve_not_fourteen]

Han levels a skeptical eye at Natasha. Not that he doesn't believe that she finds slavers repulsive, but sometimes male parts don't behave the way you expect them too. In her defense, she probably hasn't had them long enough to realize as much.

"It might be a little less predictable than you think, sweetheart. Even for us guys with experience."

The familiar posture makes him smile slightly, despite the awkwardness of the moments leading up to this and the situation in general.

"When is this operation taking place?"

[red_room]

"If I had it my way I'd already be on a Quinjet to Istanbul."

She frowns at her dull and flat fingernails while she's talking. Her hands are too big. Actually most all of her is too big, if she's going to get into griping. But it's the little things that are bothering her most of all. Feeling clunky and awkward (though some of that has been beaten out of her at least).

"Since I don't know how long this is going to last. My contact insisted he needed time to work though, so as long as I'm still packing this body I'll be heading out sometime in the next thirty-six hours. My aim's still good but my reflexes are off trying to compensate for...all of this."

Natasha heaves a sigh before shaking her head.

"It's a risky operation. I just...I can't let an opportunity like this go. If I can take these people down then a lot of lives are going to be better off for it." She has to be able to be useful even without the Avengers. If she's not then she's just another merc with a gun. It's not a life she wants to go back to.

"If anyone told me they were going to do something like this, I'd either write them off as dead or go with to make sure it didn't go tits-up. So believe me, I know this is a remarkably bad idea." Of all the days to channel a little Steve Rogers, today is that day? Or maybe she just doesn't like to be beaten. A chance to get back at the prey that's eluded her for so long is definitely a factor in her motivations.

[twelve_not_fourteen]

Han nods.

He's got no interest in trying to talk her out of something so important to her ... but it's not like it's an easy thing for someone in his position to accept, considering all the risk. There's some part of this that reminds him of coming up second behind his exes' priorities too, though.

That part is a little harder for him to take.

"Yeah, I get it darlin'. This is something you gotta do." He purses his lips and runs his fingers through his hair. "I'm just at a loss for how else I can help."

[red_room]

Natasha watches Han's expression cloud over. If she ever needed a thought to kill any troublesome dick-related troubles, she thinks that hurt expression on his face is probably all she'd ever need.

It twists something in her that Nat's not too sure she likes. Having someone close enough to cause that reaction is a dangerous thing. But when the alternative is walking out of Han Solo's life flipping the bird, she thinks she'll live with it for a while longer.

"Hey."

She can't soften her voice as much as she'd like to in this body, but she's making an effort.

"Would...you feel better if I brought you with? I could teach you how to fly the Quinjet. You could stay in my safe house. Monitor the situation. Be an extra pair of eyes on the ground for me." Maybe it's the wrong thing to say. It's certainly not the best idea she's ever had. But it's also not a bad idea either.

Han's a capable guy, and there's not exactly much danger for him if he stays in her safe house. He still wouldn't be in the field with her, but well. She has a feeling neither of them would want him there.

[twelve_not_fourteen]

Admittedly, the scoundrel has a hard time with the notion of 'some things are bigger than me'. It's not that he can't understand the value of coming up with a solution that helps out the most number of people. He does. It's just that he spent way too many years of his life getting the short end of the stick to not want to protect his own interests now.

Underneath it all, he doesn't want to see anybody suffering, though. In spite of his instances that he only cares about one person the choices he makes says otherwise. At his core, he wants to protect people - especially the ones he's fond of.

"I can fly your jet."

He insists. The urge to prove that he's not just an average freighter bum burns in his chest when she offers the opportunity. That and ... the chance to look out for her while she's vulnerable. It's far more at the forefront of his mind than the fact it's a slaver in her sights.

"Ain't like I wasn't planning to spend a good chunk of my time back here with you anyway ..."

[red_room]

"Good. It'll leave me more time to get myself sorted."

She takes a slow step forward and reaches up to brush her fingers through his hair gently. It's all Wrong like this. Her hands. The height between them. But it means a lot that Han's still here and offering to lend her a hand.

"And don't think you're getting out of my sight for a while once this wears off."

She doesn't lean up to kiss the other. Not like this. But the tone of her voice and the distance between them says she would if things were the way they should be.

[twelve_not_fourteen]

It's the eyes that make it so confusing. Everything else reads differently enough - in terms of looks, heights and proportions - that it's hard not to be aware that this is abnormal. Yet, when he focuses on the jade of her eyes he can almost forget that she's not herself. Her usual self, anyway.

The spell lasts for a moment or two while her fingers card through his hair. A tenderness that says 'thank you' without saying the words themselves. Which is fine with him. He doesn't know how to respond to praise gently.

"I'm gonna hold you to that, darling." He says with a wry smile touching his lips. "To that and maybe some other things ..."

[red_room]

"I'm taking you back with me then. We'll get you a decent disguise and you'll be with me when I get the call....or this wears off."

Natasha steps back away from Han then, her own smile small but still somehow just as fitting on her masculine face as it would normally be. Her emotions are still subtle but all the tells are still there once you get over the fact that her body has changed.

"There's a spare sofa in the safe house so...I'll stay there if you don't want to share the bed platonically."