Dick woke up the next day earlier than he would have liked, especially since Mac had roped him into a gaming session that lasted into the early morning hours. It sort of wasn't her fault—Dick liked to end a series with a win, and that took a while when he played Mac. Girl had skills.

He lay in bed, debating whether he wanted to get up. After a few minutes his stomach growled.

"Good point," he said to his midsection. He sat up in bed and stretched his arms over his head, groaning as the muscles in his back loosened. He ran his hands through his hair and then wandered downstairs to find Mac reading on the couch.

"What's for breakfast, woman?" he asked, scratching his stomach.

Mac spared him a glance. "The kid from next door brought over some muffins his mom made. And could you please try to put a shirt on before you leave your room?"

Dick shuffled into the kitchen to grab a muffin from the countertop. "I like not wearing a shirt," he called. "It's comfortable. I really encourage you to try it. Speaking of scanty clothing," he said as he rejoined Mac, "what are you wearing tonight?"

"I don't know, I'll find something," Mac said. "Halloween's not really my thing."

"Yeah, well, remember what I said."

"I'm not going as a belly dancer, Dick."

"Why not? You totally have the sweet hips for it."

Mac put a finger in her book to hold her page and looked over at him. "I think you should go tell Logan about the house today," she said.

"But it's Saturday," Dick said.

"So?"

"Saturday is a fun day. I figured I'd tell him on a crappy day, like a Tuesday or something. Plus I don't want to ruin his mood for the party tonight."

"Look, I'm sure he's not even going to care, but he should hear it from you. And it's not going to matter to him what day you tell him."

Dick narrowed his eyes at her. "Fine," he said, standing up and heading back to his room. "But when he gets mad, I'm telling him it was all your idea, Cindy."

"Sounds like a plan, Richard."

"Shut up," he said.

"You shut up," he heard her call after him. As he climbed the stairs he tried to stay annoyed with her, but found he couldn't fight off the small smile that twisted his mouth to one side.

An hour later, he walked in the door of Logan's suite. He saw his friend sitting on the couch, doing something on his computer.

"Hey," Logan said. "I was wondering when I'd be seeing you."

"What are you talking about?" Dick said nonchalantly, edging toward his old room as he quickly lost his resolve. "I just went out for a while…"

"Dude, I know you moved out," Logan said.

"What? How? Did Ronnie tell you?"

"No. How would she know?"

"Mac had her over yesterday to see the place."

Logan swung his legs off the couch and stood up. "Why am I suddenly getting the feeling that I'm missing a vital piece of information?"

Dick looked at his friend appraisingly. "What do you know?"

Logan crossed his arms over his chest. "I know you don't live here anymore," he said. "It wasn't that hard to figure out. All your stuff is gone." Dick nodded, silently conceding that his move-out hadn't been the height of stealth. "I thought that you had just moved into the Pi Sig house, but now I'm starting to rethink that assumption."

Dick shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged his shoulders sheepishly. "Actually, uh…I bought a house over on Shoreview, and me and Mac live there now."

Logan's face remained blank for a second or two, and then he started laughing. Logan's laugh for the past few months had been a short, sarcastic bark, but this laugh was long and loud, and it was a relief to Dick's ears, even though he felt a little affronted.

"What, you don't believe me?" he asked.

"No, I do, that's what's funny," Logan said. "You and I have both been domesticated by little girls."

"Domesticated?" Dick repeated.

"De-clawed, housebroken, tamed, whatever. Mac and Veronica should start a business, they're like the Jackass Whisperers."

"Dude, I don't know what you're talking about. I do what I want, when I want."

"Like move out of here to live with the little missus?"

"She's not my little anything, and she doesn't control what I do," Dick said. "I'm a wild stallion, baby," he told Logan, his arms spread out on either side. He let them drop lamely when he realized that he was there at that moment because Mac had sent him.

"Don't worry about it, dude, it was bound to happen sooner or later," Logan said, going back to his computer. "Hey, you're coming tonight, right?"

Dick just looked at his friend for a minute with a frown on his face. "Whatever, man. Maybe you're whipped, but I'm still a free agent." With that he turned and walked out of his former home, even though he didn't really feel like going to his new one. Instead he stopped by the Pi Sig house, but he left when some of the brothers started asking him where he'd been and how many points he'd racked up that semester so far. He drove then to the stretch of beach where he'd told Mac about the house. He sat in the truck bed and this time he did have a beer.

A few hours later he stomped back into the house and up to his room. He pulled on his stripper costume without ceremony. He heard a noise and looked up to see Mac leaning against the doorframe. She took in his undone bowtie and his black pants and white shirt, both with gaps on the sides that made it obvious they were tear-aways.

"I thought you were going to wear a costume," she said with a smirk.

He just grunted and grabbed his wallet off the dresser. The smile left her face.

"Dick?" she said. "You okay?"

He just mumbled something and brushed past her and down the stairs.

"Roomie?" he heard her say as he walked out the front door. He immediately felt guilty, but he didn't turn back. When he got in his truck, he put his head down on the steering wheel. Logan was right. He was practically a soccer mom, and it was all because of Mac.

He couldn't help it. Ever since he got her back from those creepo prostitute peddlers, his new mission in life had been to get her to smile. Without meaning to he had rigged a point system in his head. Smirk: 10 points. Grin: 20 points. Genuine, delighted, 1,000-watt smile: 50 points. The last was the hardest to come by, but the payoff was so worth the effort. When she smiled like that, she looked exactly like she had in the kindergarten picture that sat on the desk in her room. When she smiled like that, he felt like he could do no wrong.

Next Chapter: Knight in Shining Stripper Pants