Mack spent the rest of the day with Clark, watching movies he'd missed and occasionally missing important plot points when he found her mouth more interesting. She couldn't complain; he was a superb kisser. Her phone ringing was an unwelcome interruption, and she grumbled as she answered without looking.
"Mackenzie Jennings." Clark raised an eyebrow at her polished, professional voice, and she realized he'd never actually seen her 'at work.'
Miss Jennings, it's Lois Lane." As effective as a bucket of ice water, Mack lost her happy mood. Bruce had asked her to coordinate with Lois for when they brought Clark back; now, as he sat on her couch showering her in affection, Mack couldn't help the knot of guilt in her chest.
"Miss Lane, I was just about to call you." Clark's face turned serious, and he leaned away. "I can assume you're calling about Superman."
"I was hoping you knew where he was. I haven't seen him since…" Since he had bypassed her to fly off with Mack. Squeezing her eyes shut and pinching the bridge of her nose, Mack tried to work through a thousand solutions in her head.
"Last he had mentioned to us, he was going to his mother's house." Something she would have to make him do sometime soon, now that Martha knew the truth.
"I tried there first, she said she hadn't seen him yet." There was worry in Lois' tone, but underneath Mack could make out suspicion. It would be fairly bad if Lois started sniffing too much around her.
"I see. In that case, I'll need to coordinate with the team to see if any of them have seen him. Do you know anywhere else he would go?" It wasn't exactly lying, but close enough to leave a burning feeling in Mack's throat. Catching Clark's eye, she gave him a grim look.
"I...I don't know. I really thought he would come right here." There was a pause on the other end. "Let me know what you all find." Lois hung up and Mack blew out a deep breath, gripping her phone a bit tightly as she called Bruce. Clark waited patiently as she tried to work out how to avoid a catastrophe.
"Bruce Wayne." His voice was all business, but she could hear him building something in the background.
"We may have a...small problem." The sound of building stopped.
"What's wrong? Is it Clark?" Bruce sounded concerned, and considering how beat up Clark had left them the other day, she supposed she couldn't blame him.
"Kind of? It's Lois Lane. Clark hasn't visited her yet and she's getting...antsy." Mack looked over to see Clark deep in thought, brow furrowed.
"Ah. Is he still with you?" Mack hummed the affirmative. "Well, this sounds like something he may have to deal with."
"Yeah, you're right. I guess this was more of a heads up? If she starts digging into me, it could lead to trouble." There was a beat of silence on the other side.
"Yeah, hadn't considered that part. I'll handle that. You get Clark to handle his end."
"I will." Mack looked up in surprise as Clark spoke up, a shadow of sadness in his eyes. Mack never would have wanted to put him in this position, but it seemed unavoidable now. Bruce chuckled, muttering something about owing Diana $1000, and hung up. "I'm sorry Mack. I'll take care of this, I promise."
"You don't have to apologize. I doubt there's a 'For Dummies' book on how to handle dying with one girlfriend and coming back for another." She blushed. "You know, if that's...I mean…"
"Yes. I think that works perfectly." Clark gave a small smile before kissing her forehead and standing. "I'll go now, get this over with. Then I'm coming back and taking you out on a proper date." Mack gave a smile and nodded. Clark left with one last kiss, and Mack was left to her own devices. She felt a luxurious bath was in order, and set off to get the process started. Moving to choose some comfortable clothes for the night, Mack hesitated at the lingerie she had let Diana convince her into buying. Her face heated as her fingertips brushed against the lace, before shaking her head and grabbing her favorite shorts and tank top.
The bath bomb she'd thrown in had left the water a greenish blue and it smelled heavenly as she climbed in, relaxing as the hot water worked to soothe sore muscles she hadn't noticed. Closing her eyes, she sunk as low as she dared, sighing as she relaxed and lost herself in the warmth. She lost track of time as she rested, mind swirling with all the new developments in her life.
"That tub looks big enough for two." Mack jumped, opening her eyes to see Clark in the doorway. There was a tiredness about him, and she realized his talk with Lois must have been harder than even she expected.
"It is, actually, if you don't mind having no personal space." She made the invitation clear in heer voice, and thrilled to see his start on the buttons on his shirt. She scooted up so he could climb in behind her, dropping her gaze as he removed his jeans and keeping them down until she felt him climb in behind her. Very suddenly, she felt immensely self-conscious, hoping he wouldn't find her disappointing. He climbed in slowly, careful not to dump out any of the water, before pulling her back against his chest. A heavy sigh escaped him, and she took one of his hands in hers, rubbing it gently to try and comfort him.
"It's done. A bit hard, but she took it well." Mack nodded, twisting slightly to look up at him. He had his head tipped back, his eyes closed, and she shifted to stretch up, brushing her lips against his neck. A shiver ran through him, and he looked down at her with darkened eyes.
"You wanna talk about it?" Mack's voice was quiet, and Clark shook his head before pulling her into a hard kiss. She reciprocated, bringing a hand up to his shoulder. She was happy to be whatever Clark needed her to be tonight. They didn't stay in the bath too long before Clark easily picked her up and gently set her on the floor. With sure movements, they dried off before they headed to Mack's bed. Where the king sized mattress had always felt empty, now Mack was grateful to have the space. Clark let her climb in first before following after, sliding in next to her and settling in. Mack turned to face him, snuggling into his side and brushing her fingertips over his chest.
"The first time I ever wanted to kiss you was that first dinner you took me to." His voice was quiet in the dark, and Mack thought back. The fancy one, when he'd been grumpy. It had been fun until- "I mean, until you almost got mugged."
"Well, lucky for me, I was out with the most eligible bachelor hero in Metropolis." That drew a chuckle from him and she glanced up at him.
"You had been so kind that night. It was just a quick thought. 'Kiss her, idiot.' And boy do I wish I had listened." Shifting, he met her gaze. "And then it kept happening. Little perfect moments where my mind just screamed at me to kiss you. It was a little scary at first." Mack blushed, grateful for the dim lighting to hide it. "But then we flew for the first time, and I just...I couldn't stop myself." Mack had no idea what had prompted him to tell her this, but she listened quietly. "You were there, and I was holding you, and suddenly nothing mattered…" He shifted again, looking up at the ceiling. "That kiss was when I knew. I wanted to tell you that night, but you seemed so upset by it."
"I was worried about you, actually." Mack chuckled quietly. "I thought you would be upset with me or yourself or-well, maybe both of us." Clark seemed to consider this for a bit.
"See, that sort of selflessness. How could anyone not love you?" Mack shifted uncomfortably. "I spent some time away from you to see if those feelings would go away. Instead, the next time I saw you after, it felt so much stronger." They lay in the quiet for a bit before Mack spoke up.
"I think I really started to fall for you when you came to save me after I'd been shot." Her own voice had grown quiet. "Seeing that you hadn't left me while I was unconscious, waiting to make sure I was okay. Hell, you even had your mom come take care of me. It was easily the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for me." Even in the dark, she could feel Clark's gaze on her. "It wasn't even obvious to me, but then you kissed me and suddenly I couldn't stop noticing how good you looked in your button ups and ties, and you would brush against me or hang out on my couch and it took everything in me not to beg you to kiss me again." Now her face felt like it was on fire.
"Well, I feel like an idiot." There was humor in his voice, and she peeked up at him. "I could have acted on this way sooner. Like after that awful charity ball with Luthor and Wayne." Mack gave a small smile at the memory.
"Not going to lie to you, that was probably a better opportunity than in the middle of a battle." His laugh rumbled through her. "I mean, I had my prettiest dress on."
"You were beautiful. A pleasant surprise on a crappy work night." His answer was automatic and she smiled.
"Who knew Superman had a crush on me this entire time? Probably the only thing Luthor got right." Mack yawned, snuggling closer to her hero. "Thank you for telling me. It's weirdly nice to know." Clark pressed a kiss to her head before settling fully in bed. Mack wondered over the new perspective he'd given to her memories, turning them over and over and catching the little hints she hadn't seen or had ignored. So many little things; she hoped she never missed one again.