Don had never really considered himself to have a certain "type" of woman he mostly pursued. To be completely honest, it wasn't something he had thought about too much. He'd dated all kinds of different women. Some were short, some were tall. Some were passionate about politics, and some didn't care all that much. Some were silly, other more serious.
He realizes, though, as he's watching Sloan break her scumbag ex-boyfriend's nose, that he's always tended to end up with tough women. Women who could take care of themselves, who didn't back down from a fight. Women who, if fucked with, would fuck with you right back.
There's a part of Don, the part of himself that still doesn't believe what Sloan said all those months ago, the part that still thinks he's not a very good guy, that says he dates women like that because they don't take so much work and commitment.
But watching Sloan, he realizes that's not true. As he watches her snap a picture of her ex's humiliation, he feels something swell inside of him. It's a little like he's proud of her, but it's something warmer than that. Like admiration mixed with affection.
And, yeah, okay, probably a little lust, too. But that's beside the point. He recognizes that these are traits he appreciates in a woman.
Which is why it was so strange that he was with Maggie for as long as he was.
It wasn't like Maggie was some kind of frightened little girl. She could snark with the best of them, and she got very passionate about certain issues. But she also liked to avoid conflict, and Don knew there were a lot of times when she acted like she was okay with something when she really wasn't. She would back down even when she knew she was right just to stay out of an argument, and she let him do things that he knew drove her crazy, like leaving his socks on the floor or drinking out of the milk carton.
Really, he'd never been more attracted to her than he had been watching that video of her screaming at a bus full of Sex and the City fans, even though she admitted to being in love with another guy in it.
Sloan is so very much not Maggie. She never backs down from a fight, she doesn't pull her punches, and she doesn't let people just get away with things. He supposes some might argue that all of that is just because she's so socially awkward and doesn't understand social niceties. But Don knows that it's just she's smart. She's fucking brilliant, and because of that she's not going to take anybody's shit.
In all honesty, the whole situation has his head swimming a little bit, because he's feeling all kinds of things. He'd be a huge liar if he said he hadn't thought about what Sloan would look like naked more than once, so he had of course had the urge to look at the pictures. But he knows he can't do that to her. He cares about her way more than he wants to see her naked. He's a little miffed, though, to find out she's been dating someone. Really, he thought they had a sort of silent understanding. He though she knew he wanted her. He just wanted to wait an appropriate amount of time after breaking up with Maggie. He was trying to be the good guy that Sloan thought he was. So he hadn't pursued Sloan immediately out of consideration of Maggie's feeling, consideration of Sloan's feelings and not wanting her to feel like the rebound, and an actual desire for Sloan not to be the rebound. When they went into this thing, he wanted it to be with the understanding that he planned on this being something that was going to last.
Okay, sure, it had been a few months. A number of months, really. But he was new to this actively being a good guy thing, so he really had no idea what the appropriate amount of time was. He had kind of been hoping Sloan would give him a hint about that, but as far as he knows, she hasn't yet.
So, yes, he was a little upset to discover she had been dating someone else. He had been upset to discover she had posed like that for someone else.
But then he sees her face, and realizes that none of this is about him. He wants to do something, knows there isn't much he can do, and figures that he can, at the very least, make sure Neil blocks the site in the building.
It's both startling and comforting to find her on his office floor, practically in tears. He's never seen her like this, and in all honesty, it initially freaks him out a little. It was almost like the first time he had seen his dad cry. Sloan had always seemed so completely unflappable to him, like nothing could hurt her. But soon he finds the idea that she could cry just like everybody else made him feel even closer to her than he already was. She truly thinks she's broken, and she's letting him see it.
He doesn't think he's ever felt this close to anybody.
When he tells her she's impressive, he's pretty sure he's never said anything more honest. There are a lot of other things swirling around in his head about her. Brave. Funny. Brilliant. Beautiful. Incredible. Amazing. He doesn't say any of them, though, because when he looks at her he realizes that he's never wanted to kiss anybody as badly as he wants to kiss Sloan.
He doesn't, though, because he knows that it would be very bad timing. And if he wants to prove to her that he's the man she thinks he is, that's an instinct he knows he needs to listen to.
Sloan doesn't need him to go with her to confront her ex. Don knows this.
He goes anyway. Because not needing someone doesn't mean you don't want them, and if Sloan didn't want him to go with her, she'd tell him so. Really, whether the cut down she gives the guy ends up being verbal or physical, he knows it's going to be spectacular and it's something he wants to see. Besides, it's always good to have someone to celebrate a victory with.
Her hand slides into his as the walk the short distance and he looks down at in surprise for a moment, before squeezing it gently.
"I'm so pumped with adrenaline," Sloan says, eyes forward. "He's gonna get what's coming to him."
Smiling, Don asks her what exactly she's planning to do. "I'm not sure," she responds. "I figure I'll wait until I see his face, and then just do what feels right."
They stop briefly before entering the building and she turns to him, her face a mix of excitement and exhilaration. "Do you know a good lawyer? It's possible I might end up facing an assault charge after this."
"I know a few good one, yeah," he laughs.
Taking a deep breath, Sloan squares her shoulders. She enters the building, and Don follows a few steps behind. He knows he probably looks ridiculous, but he can't stop smiling at her.
Afterwards they drink in celebration. He only has one, and he lets her get a little drunk because she deserves it. And he likes tipsy Sloan. She lets her guard down a little more and becomes a little more carefree. It's a look that Don thinks suits her.
When he drops her off at her place, she actually hugs him. After the initial surprise wears off, he tightens his arms around her, holding her as close as he can without crushing her. Dropping a kiss on a cheek, he pulls away and smiles at her. She smiles back, cheeks pink. "I don't think I've ever felt this good about myself.
Laughing for what feels like the millionth time that night, Don responds, "Well, then I'm pretty sure his little revenge plan backfired."
Sloan joins in on his laughter. "Thanks again, pal." Don only has a moment to feel the disappointment at being called pal again before Sloan leans in and kisses him. It's a quick, friendly peck on the lips from a tipsy friend. But it's a tipsy friend that he thinks he might be a little bit in love with, and his heart starts to hammer in his chest.
Sloan, however, is completely unaware of what she's done to him. Still smiling, she says, "I'll see you in tomorrow."
He's so flustered that he's barely able to stammer out, "Yeah, see you in the morning" before the door closes.
By the time he gets home, he decides he's done waiting. Naturally, he'll give her a bit of time to get some distance from this, but not months and months. He'll give her a little bit of time before he starts to actively pursue her.
But the first thing he's going to do when he sees her in the morning is make sure that she knows he's not just her pal.