Nathan Ball - Crazy

Maybe it was just human to want to be wanted.

That was part of the only reason Mac could reason with herself why she had woken up very very naked this morning next to Dick 'human billboard for condoms' Casablancas.

The guy was the reason half the kids in her graduating class learned in middle school that doggy style didn't mean spaghetti and meatballs... and this morning she had woken up soooo naked beside him, day old stubble on his jaw rubbing at her shoulder, his long hard-muscled body pressing against hers, his thighs brushing the backs of her knees, hands holding her close while he slept. His lips touching her body had cut off all circulation to her brain.

All morning she'd felt shaky, a little hungover and a lot off her axis.

Unused to the feeling, her body was deliciously sore, her limbs felt at once, heavy yet stretched.

Satisfied?

Drawing a deep breath she made the long walk across campus towards the computer suites and as far from her lovely adoring new boyfriend Bronson who had shown up at her room mere minutes after she had arrived back herself to deliver the coffee she was now clutching. The one with almond milk he'd taken extra care to get for her from the oceanside bistro on the further side of her dorm. Mac had blinked like a startled owl, fixed her smile in place and given him a polite nod, then made her excuses, hurrying off blaming lateness for non-existent classes and promised to meet some of his friends later for Ultimate-Frisbee and feeding foster kittens. Bronnson Pope was exactly the kind of good hearted nice guy who wouldn't resent the morning sex brush off it was going to impede academic achievement, which just made her feel worse. A quick detour into the ladies bathroom and putting on the t-shirt Piz had gifted her last night made her appearance look less like the walk of shame by the time she passed by Wallace and the basketball team having breakfast in the canteen.

Perhaps the ladies tennis squad wouldn't mind her crashing their changing session to shower last night from her skin?

She had always wondered what could possess any relatively smart, sane women who spent any length of time around the older Casablancas brother, especially after witnessing his Hearst Quad debut singing Tyler Cassidy - Calories to the latest crop of sorority pledges, to willingly get naked with him, now she knew.

Because she had lost her mind, that was why.

No, it had been deeper than that.

They'd found solace together.

"I need caffiene, you with me?" Veronica asked as her short friend fell into step beside Mac.

Mac raised her lukewarm cup. "Maybe if I use my feminine wiles they can spike me with aspirin?"

Her blonde companion stiffening a little, making Mac instantly regretful of her unfortunate choice of quip given her history with her boyfriends best friend.

"Rough night with Dick?" Veronica asked grabbing something from her bag.

Had Logan told her about catching her mid-sneak out?

Mac made a sort of strangled sound and began to perspire. Veronica was one of the most observant people she knew, would she recognise something awkward in her body language?

Or the thoroughly fucked look in her posture?

She tried to think up an answer but was saved when the blonde craned her neck over her shoulder as someone approached them. Veronica reached into her bag and pulled out a small white container and Mac felt her body relax with the reprieve. There was a world of crossover she just wasnt ready for just now. The questions about why and how last night could have happened, as though Mac's existence needed to weave itself any further around the double helix that was her swapped at birth disaster with the human Malware that was Madison Sinclair. The tenacious PI was one of the few people in her life that knew that part of her story, and Mac fought every day to avoid that Worm nibbling at all the things in her life. Like having a little sister... all the questions that came with what her life would have been had she not been mixed up at the hospital.

Was last night just part of some inevitable fate? Would he have ended up in an acid affair with her hell-harpy doppleganger or would Dick been her boyfriend had they met first?

How could she have cheated on poor sweet Bronson?

Maybe she should just adopt her new lovers Shark Philosophy of living.

If you want to survive, you have to keep moving forwards. Always in motion.

Dick had accused her of playing it safe after she had compared Cassidys nice guy persona to a Trojan Horse of evil he had eventually become.

"El amor entra por el estomágo." Weevil declared holding out his hands for the lunchbox she was holding. "¿Le tenías miedo, acaso?"

"If you had any other single cousins and wasn't dating Logan, I'd have been married off." Veronica quipped folding her arms across her chest while he lifted off the lid, closed his brown eyes and smelled the Chilaquiles she'd collected that morning from Letitia Navarro. When she'd asked Weevil why the favor in exchange for the information she'd requested. Weevil had only mumbled something about La temida chancla materna and that the last time they'd spoken 'Estaba más salao que trapo e' barco.'

"I'd marry you myself if it meant Tamales next time. Tengo hambre" Weevil replied, clicking it shut and tucking the box under his arm. Relations between the former PCHer and his grandmother had been strained after the older woman wisited his cousin Chardo and wrote to the parole board on his behalf.

"Fuego. Cuéntame." Veronica reminded him.

Confused Mac's attention volleyed between them as he handed over a piece of paper in mock obedience.

"Just a little side project." the blonde smiled, as she snapped a picture of Havier Perez's work address into her phone.

"Bueno, espero que esto tenga un final feliz amigo." he sighed before walking off.

Mac looked over at Veronica as she watched Weevil reach into his pocket for the Janiter's office keys. Sipping her coffee she scrunched up her face, the lukewarm contents tasted about as good as her decisions last night.

"Parker asked if I'd seen you this morning." Veronica mentioned as Mac tossed the cup into the garbage can.

"Yeah?" she croaked loftily. ""W-Wheres Logan?"

Her friend didn't seem to notice the hasty re-direction in subject and began to fill her in on the trip out to visit Weevil's grandmother that morning and how she was still waiting on a call from Zoe Galen to confirm details about this project. Content to let her do all the talking.

Let someone talk enough and they expose themselves.

"Oh," she startled when handed her a fresh cup of coffee. "Thanks."

Piz continued his lengthy analysis of th e film screening for Veronica and his failed debate with Trish to save his solo radio spot, Mac relaxed marginally. She did her best to shake off the sudden heat creeping into her cheeks at the vivid memory of Dick sucking her nipple into his mouth.

It was both Heaven and Hell.

The moment she'd seen his eyes blazing with panty ripping thoughts, she should have taken Wallace up on that offer to leave her back at the dorms. Instead Mac had stayed, enjoying the blatant desire radiating between them like some attention neglected sex-starved housewife. She wasn't inexperienced by any means, but last night... last night had been different.

The hungry way her body had arched up into him.

Dick had craved her, pursued her touch, he hadn't flinched and made her feel like a deviant because of that desire to get intimate with him. The thrill that had coursed through her veins hearing him say he needed her. while he palmed her bare ass.

Not just wanted. Needed. Bound together by that sense of mortal fragility.

Cassidy had made her feel like wanting to touch and be held was the gravest of sins, and she felt awful for the anger she felt at him for those insecurities after all she learned about Cassidy, and Lucky and those other boys hurt by Woody Goodman. The boy she had loved was caught someplace between the pure and the damned. Somewhere in that chaos, he'd become the monster beneath his own bed.

"Thank you for being the peace I didn't know he needed."

Piz shoved up his sleeves and reached for his notes, mumbling something about needing to get ready for his meeting with his new co-host.

"Poor guy, its not his fault Desmond Fellows got arrested by Sheriff Lamb." Mac said collecting the revision notes he'd left.

Veronica lifted one shoulder. "Consequences for stripping on a public beach."

"Hey!" Parker greeted brightly, taking up space Piz vacated across from them, her butt had barely grazed the seat before Mac couldn't contain it any longer.

"I slept with Dick!"