Ficlet: Shades of Red

[lirazel]

I need a better title.

For angearia who wanted Mad Men, Roger, and Joan. I'm unsure about my Roger-voice. Also, I wanted this to be 100 words, but I found I had more than that to say. So. Sorry.

Title: Shades of Red
Fandom: Mad Men
Characters: Roger/Joan, Roger/Jane
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 211
Written for: angearia
Summary: Joan's the best damn ad-man he's ever met.

Roger picks Jane because she’s sweet (accommodating) and young (tractable) and lovely (a great piece of ass).

But not as great as Joan. Because she’s not Joan (and maybe he picked the one person who was as far from Joan as he could find, in some weak attempt to forget her. Roger’s always loathed weakness in himself, in men, even if that’s what he always looked for in women.

Until Joan).

--

He didn’t call her Red for her hair, but for her feistiness. Joan’s everything he always hated in a woman: stubborn (strong), ambitious (independent), brainy (smart).

More than that, he always knew she was biding her time: she wasn’t for him. He’d never thought he could want something he couldn’t own.

He picks Jane because she doesn’t make him want things he can never have. Joan’s the best damn ad-man he’s ever met (and he’s been in this business a long, long time). Everything is wantwantwant with her, a tease and a taste and “keep ‘em coming back for more.”

He kept coming back. He’d have kept coming back forever if she let him.

--

With Jane, he’s firmly in the driver’s seat, and always will be. And that’s the way it should be.

So why can’t he forget?

Comments

[angearia.livejournal.com]

You wrote me Mad Men fic!

I loved this Joan’s everything he always hated in a woman: stubborn (strong), ambitious (independent), brainy (smart). - because it so captures the duality of his feelings, his ingrained chauvinism and his instinctual respect for her strength. I think Roger thinks being a man means you have to keep women down, but in his heart, he loves strong women most of all. That and he feels he has to protect himself because of his past affair with Anna.

Love! Thank you so much for writing this!

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

I did indeed! I'm super pleased that you liked it!

I think Roger thinks being a man means you have to keep women down, but in his heart, he loves strong women most of all. YES! I think so!

And you're so welcome!