Dick hummed to himself and drummed a beat with no rhythm on the steering wheel of his truck as he turned onto the long ocean-lined avenue where he and Mac lived.

Mac had found out he hadn't been to the doctor in a way long time—"How could they let you start college?" she'd demanded, to which he responded, "How could they let me into college?"—and had immediately set up an appointment for him. Now he was on his way home with an ache in the crook of his arm and a lollipop that he didn't believe was going to soothe it.

As he made his way closer to the end of the street, he saw his neighbors pulling into their driveways as they returned home from work. Then he saw his own house, unforgivingly blue against the neutrals that ran down the rest of the street. He glimpsed some bright yellow, too, so he guessed that Mac had gone out and bought those flowers she'd been wanting to plant.

He didn't bother pulling into the garage, because he had a strong feeling Mac would want to go out for ice cream later. He could have parked in the driveway, but it was currently occupied by his roommate-girlfriend. She was an island of pretty in the middle of a concrete lake, and he didn't want to disturb the picture she made.

He parked his truck and flung the door open with such vigor that it bounced back and whacked him on his side. He heard Mac snort, which he took to mean she was in a sassy mood, and he walked around the hood to get a better look at her. She was barefoot, as she always seemed to be when they were at home. She stood with one hip jutted out, wearing a pair of blue cotton shorts and a baggy old t-shirt with a picture of Einstein on it.

"Honey, I'm home," he said, sauntering toward her and admiring the way the fading sunlight framed her from behind. She tilted her head and smiled at him, and Dick thought to himself that Veronica, self-proclaimed master of the head-tilt, should really take lessons from his girlfriend.

"Hello, dear," she said playfully, then winced as she heard herself. He reached her and leaned down for a kiss. "Hey, do me a favor and reassure me that we're not like all the other robo-families in the 09er zip," she said.

He inspected her thoroughly, picking up a hank of her hair and playing his fingers over it. "Well, I don't see any pearls, fresh-baked pie, or deep-seated resentment, so I'd say we're safe," he said.

Mac smiled up at him sweetly. "The day you see me in pearls, you'll know you're living with a gynoid."

"I'll have to take your word on that one," he said with an answering smirk. He mostly didn't even pretend to understand her fancy words anymore—what did it matter, he figured, as long as he understood her? "So, what have you been up to?"

"Getting the neighbor kids all hopped up on pixy sticks," she said.

Dick looked up and down the street and saw more than one harried mother trying to pull her screaming, resistant children inside for dinner.

He turned back to Mac and, with a growl, snatched her up in his arms, making her shriek and lock her ankles behind his back.

"You're so minxy," he said with a huge grin.

"I don't think that's a word," she said, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck as she leaned in for another kiss. "And whatever, their moms have made it pretty clear they don't approve of me," she said as he walked toward the house with her still wrapped around him.

"Well, then they're just stupid ginas."

"Gynoids," Mac corrected.

"I know what I said."

Mac laughed out loud and rested her head on his shoulder. Dick congratulated himself: from sassy to deeply content in 60 seconds flat. He rubbed his fingers over the small of her back (one of his very favorite places) and she hummed in pleasure.

"Hey, know what I was thinking?" he said.

"What?" she said, as he jogged up the front steps and made her laugh delightedly in his arms.

"We should get a fireman's pole for going from upstairs to downstairs with the greatest of ease."

"What is with this strange aversion you have to stairs?" Mac asked.

Dick shrugged. "Don't know. But hey, bonus, it could double as a stripper pole."

"I'm not stripping for you, Dick."

"Who says it would be you stripping?"

Her soft laugh echoed off the walls of their house as the door shut with a soft click behind them.

A/N: I cannot believe this story is over; it seems like it's been lifetimes since I started it. I'm not sure what else to say, except thank you to everyone who read and reviewed, it made the whole thing worthwhile. Keep an eye out for the Oddtakes, and thanks again!