Fair Trade (1/1)
Another Rose ficlet. Don't blame me, blame the fact that I watched Secret Smile and read and discussed Aphra Behn's The Rover all in one day. It reminded me of the reason I so instantly loved Rose -- because, as a beautiful nineteen-year-old girl, she must know what it feels like (at least on some level) to be a sexual victim. I'm not sure Russell intended any of this, but I'm also fairly certain Russell (despite his imagination) hasn't the foggiest idea what it's like to be a nineteen-year-old straight girl in 2005.
Anyway, this is what I saw in Rose. And this is just one of the many reasons I love her, so, so much.
Title: Fair Trade
Author: ninamazing, or Nina
Word Count: 402
Rating: R
Spoilers: Only general ones. You'll be OK.
Characters: Rose, Mickey, Jimmy Stone, Nine/Ten.
I. Jimmy Stone
He never told her she had to leave school. He never said that.
What he did say was that it was sort of dull without her all day, stuck in his flat composing songs while he knew she was outside doing a million things at once, showing off her outfit to other boys before he even got to see it. He said it felt odd and wrong, her sneaking off in the morning before he woke up, leaving her breakfast dishes on the drying rack when she ran to school. He said he'd no idea what she was doing trigonometry homework for, gorgeous girl like her - a blonde, for fuck's sake. He told her she was sexy when she acted independent, in control, daring; when she cut class with Shareen to come see his concerts.
But he never told her to leave.
II. Mickey Smith
Rose liked knowing that if she said "no," Mickey would stop; she liked that if she told him it hurt, he wouldn't laugh her comment away and keep going, tell her she just wasn't used to sex yet. He would never say that.
To see Jackie without a man in the house, you'd think it was the most desperate of situations. There was no one to deal with cockroaches, no one to tinker with plumbing; and for as long as Rose could remember, no one, since Pete, to tell Jackie that their lives were going to be okay.
So it took Rose a fairly long while to realize that just because she wasn't saying "no" didn't mean she was saying "yes."
III. The Doctor
After a month or so (as near as she could guess), Rose knew the Doctor wasn't ever going to tell her that he loved her. He never said that.
But he also never said she was unsatisfying, never said she was boring, never said she was rude or aloof or a tease. He never said he needed her, never said he didn't need her, never said he wanted her or didn't want her or liked her or didn't like her or only loved her some of the time, maybe later, only on good days.
Rose didn't mind.
Rose figured - grabbing his hand, spinning around in a delighted hug, facing down some alien and wondering if this time, just this time, she'd die - when she thought about it, Rose figured, fair trade.
Anyway, this is what I saw in Rose. And this is just one of the many reasons I love her, so, so much.
Title: Fair Trade
Author: ninamazing, or Nina
Word Count: 402
Rating: R
Spoilers: Only general ones. You'll be OK.
Characters: Rose, Mickey, Jimmy Stone, Nine/Ten.
I. Jimmy Stone
He never told her she had to leave school. He never said that.
What he did say was that it was sort of dull without her all day, stuck in his flat composing songs while he knew she was outside doing a million things at once, showing off her outfit to other boys before he even got to see it. He said it felt odd and wrong, her sneaking off in the morning before he woke up, leaving her breakfast dishes on the drying rack when she ran to school. He said he'd no idea what she was doing trigonometry homework for, gorgeous girl like her - a blonde, for fuck's sake. He told her she was sexy when she acted independent, in control, daring; when she cut class with Shareen to come see his concerts.
But he never told her to leave.
II. Mickey Smith
Rose liked knowing that if she said "no," Mickey would stop; she liked that if she told him it hurt, he wouldn't laugh her comment away and keep going, tell her she just wasn't used to sex yet. He would never say that.
To see Jackie without a man in the house, you'd think it was the most desperate of situations. There was no one to deal with cockroaches, no one to tinker with plumbing; and for as long as Rose could remember, no one, since Pete, to tell Jackie that their lives were going to be okay.
So it took Rose a fairly long while to realize that just because she wasn't saying "no" didn't mean she was saying "yes."
III. The Doctor
After a month or so (as near as she could guess), Rose knew the Doctor wasn't ever going to tell her that he loved her. He never said that.
But he also never said she was unsatisfying, never said she was boring, never said she was rude or aloof or a tease. He never said he needed her, never said he didn't need her, never said he wanted her or didn't want her or liked her or didn't like her or only loved her some of the time, maybe later, only on good days.
Rose didn't mind.
Rose figured - grabbing his hand, spinning around in a delighted hug, facing down some alien and wondering if this time, just this time, she'd die - when she thought about it, Rose figured, fair trade.