Mack woke in her bed, still fully dressed and confused. Looking around, she tried to remember the night before, only piecing together that Clark must have carried her to bed. Looking around, she saw his uniform draped over her dresser and her cheeks warmed. Getting up, she changed out of her old clothes, jumping in the shower quickly before pulling on a pair of leggings and a baggy t-shirt before heading out. Clark was in the kitchen, no shirt and a pair of her more oversized sweatpants that still seemed to be struggling to stay together. He had his back to her, working on something on the stove that smelled wonderful.
"Morning." Mack's voice was a bit hoarse and she cleared her throat as he turned to give her a smile.
"Good morning. You're just in time for breakfast." He turned, plating her up some french toast and setting them at the table for her. Mack worked to keep her focus away from his bare chest, clearing her throat as she sat down.
"Thanks. It smells amazing." He set a bottle of syrup and a perfectly made cup of coffee next to her, and she looked up at him in surprise. With a smile, he moved to finish what she assumed was his serving of breakfast. "You stayed."
"I said I would." He didn't look at her until his french toast was plated, moving to sit next to her with the softest smile she'd seen. Feeling her cheeks turn red, Mack poured some syrup and redirected the conversation.
"You know, I actually have some clothes here that would have fit you...properly." She chanced a glance at his bare chest before focusing on her food. It was delicious, and she quickly became distracted by the emptiness of her stomach. He gave her a curious look, and she quickly swallowed the bite she had in her mouth. "Bruce figured you would probably move in with Lois once you...came back. But, you know me, I planned a million contingencies. You have clothes here, at the base, at Bruce's penthouse, and at Diana's apartment." He gave a sharp laugh, and she chuckled.
"Leave it to you, Mack." He shook his head. "Well, thank you. The uniform is comfortable but a bit conspicuous." He started in on his food and they fell into an easy silence as they ate. Mack's phone buzzed once, and she already knew it would be Bruce checking in on them. She waited until they finished to grab her phone, send a quick text to let him know they were both alive and well. By the time she finished, Clark was already clearing the table.
"Hey, you're good. I can grab all of that since you cooked." She moved to take the stack of dishes from his hand, giving him an easy smile.
"I figured you deserved a day off, after how stressful yesterday was." Mack did her best not to think about it, instead waving him off and moving to rinse the dishes.
"It was no biggie. Just saving the world." She infused her voice with a humor she didn't necessarily feel; yesterday they had come so close to failing, and she still had so much to process. Clark moved up behind her, placing one hand gently on her hip and pressing a gentle kiss to the back of her head. The displays of affection were constantly catching her off-guard, and she finished her task quickly to face him. "Are we sure we brought the right Clark back? I don't remember you being this," she struggled to find an appropriate word, "affectionate." His brow furrowed as he looked down at her, still closer than she was used to him being.
"I know I was dead two years, but I'm fairly certain I told you exactly how I felt before-" He stopped himself, and she was grateful. She gave an awkward chuckle, ducking her gaze.
"I guess I just kind of assumed that was a 'I'm going to die' sort of confession. The kind you don't really mean, but feel you have to say so that there are no regrets." Her voice was quiet. There was a couple of beats of silence before he reached for her, cupping her cheek gently and redirecting her gaze to his. He had the softest smile, looking down at her.
"I meant it. I think knowing I was going to die made me realize exactly what I was going to miss." His other hand found her hip, pulling her as close as he could slowly. "Who I was going to miss." His gaze dropped to her lips and she felt her eyes flutter closed just as his lips brushed against hers. This kiss was different from the first one he'd given her; this one was slow, unhurried, deep. Mack fell into it easily, pressing against his chest as her knees went a bit weak. She wasn't sure how long it was before she pulled away for air, breathless. She kept her eyes closed, worried for the briefest of moments it was a dream. It wouldn't have been the first time; that first year she'd dreamed of having Clark back every night. His thumb brushed over her lips gently and she opened her eyes.
"Well, that's," she cleared her throat a bit, unable to stop a goofy grin from stretching across her face, "unexpected." Clark gave a small laugh, leaning down to give her another, shorter kiss.
"I have to say, it was well worth the wait." Now that he was here, real, in her arms, she couldn't imagine letting him go. A thought occurred to her then and she laughed, pressing her forehead to his chest. "What?"
"Your mom called it, didn't she?" Peeking up at him, Mack watched as he realized what she meant and gave his own laugh.
"Oh, she's gonna have a field day with this one. We'll never live it down." They laughed together for a bit and Mack wondered if she had finally found home. "Now, not that I don't appreciate your sweatpants, but I think if I don't change soon they may just burst off of me." Mack nodded, pulling away from his warmth and taking his hand, leading him to her guest room. In truth, she never had anyone over long enough to really have it qualify; the only person who had stayed at her new place had been Barry, and he'd stayed up all night on her couch watching anime. Moving to the walk-in closet, she opened it up and turned on the lights, revealing a full wardrobe. Clark looked around with a look of shock, and Mack bit her lip.
"So, I may have gone a little overboard when I went shopping." He turned to give her a smirk as he pulled down a flannel shirt.
"A little?" Mack felt a little sad to see him pull it on. When he reached for the sweatpants, she turned quickly, giving him a bit of privacy.
"My boss showed up one day and told me he was going to bring my best friend back from the dead. I admit, I got a little excited." She could hear him moving around as he got dressed.
"Best friend, huh?" She nodded. "You can turn now, I'm decent." Peeking before turning fully, she found she rather liked how the flannel and jeans he'd chosen fit his frame.
"Of course you're my best friend. Who else would I choose?" He shrugged as they exited the closet. Gesturing to the rest of the room, she nodded. "You can stay here, if you want, until we can find you an apartment. Or, Bruce could find you one in about," she checked the bedside clock with a chuckle, "oh, twenty minutes?" Clark shook his head, moving to wrap his arms around her middle.
"If it's alright with you, I think I want to stay here for a while." There was a genuine hope in his eyes, and she realized that a small part of him thought she wouldn't want to keep him around. Pretending to think for a moment, she shook her head, trying not to ruin the ruse as his face fell. Taking his hand, she led him from the room.
"I think I know a better place for you to stay." Now he looked confused, and she gave a small laugh as she pulled him to her room. It only took a moment for him to realize, and then that wonderful smile was back. He leaned down to press a kiss to her lips and she did her best to hold him in place for longer. Clark was back, he was hers. Mack wasn't sure how much more she could ask for.