137/Warning: May contain an awkward snuggle

Warning: May contain an awkward snuggle
Date of Scene:	26 February 2020
Location:	Clark Kent's Apartment
Synopsis:	Lois has a sleepy chat with Clark.
Cast of Characters:	Clark Kent, Lois Lane

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Clark Kent has posed:
At some point it seems Lois fell asleep.

This isn't the first time Lois has decided to take a nap in Clark's company. It's not really an unusual thing, with all of the various adventures they've had over the years chasing stories. From strange undercover situations to exhausting stakeouts, or frustrating life events or parties, it's hardly strange. He's helped her when she's horribly sick and needed food brought to her, or a time when there was a lot of drinking and some hair needed to be held, or a time of supreme sadness and a tissue box was needed. It varies.

This is a first for being quite this cozy, though. He's helped her to nap, sure, but it meant tucking her in under a blanket!

Having his arm around a Lois that settled in against him doesn't necessarily /mean/ anything, and he's careful not to attach too much meaning. She was totally exhausted from crazy news (mostly due to HIM, indirectly; had she even slept the previous night?), it was natural.

Clark hasn't slept, but he also hasn't moved. The movie ended, and he changed it to another one, another favorite. ET, in this case. Charming, and little personal. He does finally rest his head back into the cushions more, though, his breathing deep and full through his overly broad chest, watching the movie but also not really watching it, though semi-closed, comfortable eyes.

Lois Lane has posed:
When Lois wakes, she's already confused. She's not exactly the most alert when she wakes up--there's a reason she relies so heavily on coffee. So her first bit of confusion is a questioning of where she is. She figures that out after a second. Clark's place. Then she see's Clark. Oh, of course. She must have fallen asleep.

"Hi," she murmurs, her hand half held up in sleepy greeting. The thoughts don't really process when she's this sleepy. She yawns, turning a bit and just flattening her face against him. "Did I wake you?" The words are muffled--her face is in his sweatshirt. Why did she even...?

Clark Kent has posed:
"Hi," Clark echoes quietly, voice soft, due to not really wanting to wake her fully if she needs the sleep. She probably really needed it - by his estimation she's gotten maybe just under an hour. He glances down at the top of her head as she mushes her face into his mid-chest. The sweatshirt is new and soft, but he's been wearing it a while, so it does have a scent of Clark to it.

"No," he answers her groggy question. "You can sleep," he tells her gently, arm moving as she turns, but still loosely about her, hand relaxed on the side of her rib cage.

Lois Lane has posed:
"Sorry for falling asleep," comes the muffled sound of Lois' voice. She pulls her head back a bit so she can look at him, bleary eyed. She's awake, but only just barely. "You can nap on me next time," she promises. There's another yawn. "I'm really sleepy." As evidenced by her utterings, she's likely more half-asleep than she is half-awake.

"I think I was having a dream. It was a good dream. I remember being happy..."

Clark Kent has posed:
"Yes, you are. I wasn't going to tell you, but your bed-head would terrify the unwary," Clark tells her, tone both tender and playful, moving his free hand up to tug at part of her errant hair. Mashing one's face into a Clark for an hour does cause hair to be askew!

"A good dream? Tell me about it," Clark invites, thoughtul, encouraging.

Lois Lane has posed:
"Good thing you're not unwary," Lois mutters, turning so she can look up at him, then just shutting her eyes to rest them anyway. "It was something about... um... clouds? I think there were clouds or I was in the sky or something. I wasn't really flying around, I was just there and the sun was rising and all the clouds were slowly turning colors, pink and orange and red. And I was there with someone that I knew but I don't know who it was."

She opens her eyes blearily. "It felt like it was forever but I only really remember the one moment." There's a sudden laugh as she looks up at him, reaching her hand up to rub her eyes. "I thought you were someone else for a second there."

Clark Kent has posed:
Well, Clark's heart just leapt into his throat. For multiple reasons of panic. Either someone else like /Superman/, or someone else like someone /else/ that she might prefer to be with instead. Both are breeds of disaster: he sees no positive direction from what she just said. But she's rubbing her eyes at least so she probably didn't see him blanche. Also, she was dreaming. She might say she thought he was Abe Lincoln or Tarzan. He soothes himself internally.

"Somebody you like, I hope; not being stalked by a murderer in your dream, right?" Clark forces himself to say with a slightly nervous laugh.

Lois Lane has posed:
Whoever she thought she saw for a second, Lois seems to have forgotten once her eyes have been scrubbed once with her hand. She moves a tiny bit, just enough to sit up /just/ a touch more, but not enough to disturb the position. If Clark even looks like he's moving, he gets a sleepy-angry glare for it too. "It wasn't someone bad. It was someone good. Someone I liked having there, someone familiar. I didn't see them, though, they were just there with me. I didn't really see /me/ either, it was all kind of... just a feeling more than anything."

She smiles at him a bit. "Thanks for letting me overstay my welcome a bit. I feel a lot better." There's the nagging feeling that she should feel guilty for being overly affectionate on poor innocent Clark though.

Clark Kent has posed:
"Hm. /Sounds/ a lot like me, then," Clark chuckles, but he's leaving it as just a joke. But also not really a joke. Since, of course, he's right there with her outside of her dream, so it's not entirely irrational. He does lift his free hand to push his glasses up a little bit to orient to look back down at her as she gives him that tiny smile.

"Thanks for saving me from being a loser that watches movies by himself," Clark replies. "That would be embarrassing."

Lois Lane has posed:
"I mean, it could've been you. How do you feel about watching the sunrise, Clark Kent?" Lois chuckles lightly as she looks at him. "I'll tell you a secret. I'm usually the loser that watches movies alone. You know, come home from work and then /pretend/ I work all evening while I watch Gone With The Wind and get annoyed at just how terrible those characters are as people. They're deeply flawed and it's like watching a train wreck..."

Another big yawn. "Okay I'm probably awake again now I think. Were you watching another movie? The other one must have finished by now." There's a long pause. "... should I go?" She sounds uncertain.

Clark Kent has posed:
"I've seen my share of sunrises," Clark says with a warmed smile. No lie there at all: he has seen a large number; sitting out on a roof, or out in a field in Kansas, or at the fortress of Solitude... or even from Space. Sunrise is incredible from outside the atmosphere, coming around the planet...

"It's many hours from now, though, if you were looking forward to one." He's still being quiet, as if louder voices would break through into their comfortable time. Whatever this is, he doesn't really want it to end.

Clark hedges just a little when she asks him that larger question. "No....?" Clark did say what he wanted to say, but the shyness came in at the end to make it a bit more of a question than a firm statement.

Lois Lane has posed:
She hadn't planned on a sunrise, but there was the appeal. It /was/ a good dream, after all. "Yeah, okay," Lois says after a moment. "We're gonna watch the sun rise." Which, of course, would take some time anyway, which left them with an excuse to sit around together without something making things feel pressured.

"I'll stay and we'll watch it together, okay? We don't get much time lately to just hang out." And certainly, they didn't hang out like this. Never this.

Clark Kent has posed:
"To be honest, I'm not certain I can stay up all the way to sunrise, my eyelids are pretty heavy over here," Clark sighs, with a deep, long breath, that fills the thick barrel of his chest in an even way, for a slow, gentle exhale. Clark is so measured, all the time, conscious of his own movement, even his breath. It's required when you can knock a wall out by sneezing too hard. Always on, always.

But there's also a self trust in it: knowing his body and his strengths and weaknesses. He doesn't have accidents, not anymore. And he can trust himself. Whether he can allow himself to show that is another question. "No, I guess we don't. Always something." Some superhero identity in crisis.

Lois Lane has posed:
While there's some measure of disappointment, Lois does offer him a smile. "I guess you make a very valid point. Maybe you should be the one sleeping on me now." A joke, but also serious enough. "But if you want actual sleep I can find my way back to my place. It's not as if she doesn't see him almost every day as it stands--just not usually in this context.

And never this close.

Clark Kent has posed:
He'd already said she didn't have to leave; she's testing his resolve with that now. Does she want him to give her an excuse to go? Clark tries to pierce what she wants from him, to seek that out. It's difficult. She's smiling at him, and close. Unusually close. The last time he had her so close was .... ....

Clark has to reach back into his memory more deeply. The memories from before he died. A rescue, by Superman, defending her head with his shoulder... It draws a little unconscious protectiveness, and the heavy musculature in his arm and shoulder flex a little bit, his hold more secure. Subtly.

"I have a bit longer in me yet."

Lois Lane has posed:
Lois didn't want an excuse to go, she was giving him the option to gracefully bow out if he wanted, and when he confirms that the situation was fine the way it standed, she sinks against him once more, as if she had been gathering herself to get up and then changed direction.

"Only if you're sure," she insists, though it's less to change his mind and more to assure her good intentions. "We should at some point." She pauses, realizing there's no context. "We should watch the sunrise together sometime. It'd be fun."

Clark Kent has posed:
"Does that mean staying up all night for it? I feel like I'd get clocked with a pillow if I attempted to rouse you before daylight when you didn't /have/ to get up for some reason," Clark teases her, with a slight lift of his shoulder just to wiggle her a little bit, since she's resting against it. She wants to avoid being lifted, she'll have to move away or more to his chest.

The movie is still on - the second movie Clark had put on, and there's a bunch of sounds and action, which prompts Clark to pick up the remote and turn the volume down a little more. He can hear it /just/ fine, even on really low levels.

Lois Lane has posed:
"I get up for work and for deadlines all the time," Lois gives him a mock glare. "But I don't have to like it." WIth his movement, it prompts a shift in position, but she doesn't move away. Instead she settles more against his chest. "I can stay up just fine. I was only tired tonight because..." She doesn't have to explain to him that there's a lot going on, he knows. Probably better than she realizes.

"Besides, you're too nice. You're more likely to find some way to make waking up enjoyable if you had to wake me. Like coffee, right there, ready for me."

Clark Kent has posed:
"Does that make me too nice? I could drop cold water on you, /then/ give you the coffee?" Clark suggests quietly, a smile on his lips and in his voice. He's relaxing some, less fear now. It's also dropped his voice a little lower automatically. He doesn't think now is a time to be hyper vigiliant: she's barely awake. If she were awake he doubts she'd be laying her head against his chest. This isn't 'aware' Lois he's dealing with, this is a groggy Lois. But that's okay; Clark likes all the Loises.

"Rest if you need it," Clark adds, with no pressure, just comforting.

Lois Lane has posed:
Awake Lois would certainly feel a bit more awkward about her current positioning were she aware of it. But that's Awake Lois. This is Sleepy Lois, and Sleepy Lois is awake but just tired enough to lack full awareness. She's harmless. Harmless and starting to sprawl on him at this rate.

"Clark, if you value your life you'll never drop cold water on me while I'm sleeping. /Ever/." She covers her face with her hands like she's expecting it to happen now. "You're supposed to be the nice one, Smallville." Her tone is muffled behind her hands. "The comfortable and nice one."

Clark Kent has posed:
"All right, we're agreed. I'll be the nice one. Only cold water will be if you're on fire," Clark promises her, his tone a little strange, a little strangled. He's charmed by her, very charmed, and it's hard to choke down having to just be mild and friendly, nothing else. Hurts a little bit. But he's well accustomed to this particular hurt.

"Literally on fire," Clark appends, lamely. "This does work best when you're the 'bad cop', anyway." Not like Clark could hurt a fly.

Lois Lane has posed:
"Good thing you specified literal fire, because I'm always on fire," Lois seems amused, shutting her eyes for a brief moment. "Getting stuff done, always on the go..." There's a tiny yawn, but she's not sleeping. Nope. She peeks open her eyes to look at him with a small smile. It's almost fond. "You're adorable sometimes, Kent. Awkward and adorable. Funny combo."

There's a pause. "I don't mean that in a mean way." She waves a hand. "Just tired enough to have trouble with phrasing things well."

Clark Kent has posed:
Annnnnd there's the blush that cements said adorable quality. For an actor with so much control over so many things, the blushing has always defeated him. It's always honest, always something that happens beneath anything else he's trying to push forward. Even Superman blushes in some situations; he's just rarely IN those situations while in the cape.

"I know you don't," Clark assures her. He knows she didn't mean it to insult him. Even her insults aren't meant to insult him, really. It's just their dynamic. He goes quiet, but pets her shoulder a little, just a quiet time: if he's keeping her awake by talking to her, he's going to give her a little time to relax again or even sleep.

Lois Lane has posed:
But Lois is stubbornly refusing to go back to sleep. Not yet. Or at least she's trying not to go back to sleep. It's an attempt in progress. And as she gets sleepier, the conversation just seems to make a little less coherant sense. "Don't worry, I won't be really mean. You're always going to have me looking out for you, got it? It's my job. Best friend, partner, probably a really good blanket."

Clark Kent has posed:
"I do remember being accused of being a wet blanket more than once," Clark chuckles softly, allowing the silence to stretch out more and more, and continuing to try to soothe her into resting with his palm, warm and slow on her back. He rests his head on the upper edge of the couch, eyes moving over the darkened living room of his apartment, but doesn't look 'out'. No, he'll stay right inside this apartment, for a little longer.

Lois Lane has posed:
"You aren't a wet blanket, just a soft one," Lois murmurs. His efforts are winning, though, as her eyes are shut now. "You're a soft, warm, reliable blanket. Or was I the blanket?" She's losing track of her metaphors. And her conciousness. For a moment, it seems like she's finally drifted off. She's quiet for a good period of time, and very still. She does, however, mumble something as she's drifting that would probably be lost on anyone's hearing other than Clark.

It's simply: "Don't go."

Clark Kent has posed:
"I won't," Clark answers back. It's loud enough for her to hear, though, most certainly, if she has enough awareness to take in the words. Maybe they'll enter into the dream. That might be a nice cream, of gentle promises and sunrises.

"I came back for you," Clark says, more quietly, looking down at her sleeping form, and just settles his arm that's around her, to let her sleep unimpeded. He releases a deep breath. Maybe sometime he'll say it to her when she's awake.

Lois Lane has posed:
There's only the slightest movement from Lois, just a shift of weight to be more comfortable. Did she hear any of that? If she had, it's not enough to bring her back from her sleep. Either that or she's got a really good poker face. It's likely the former in this case. She seems to be fully at rest. He's free to tell her anything and she'll never realize it.

Clark Kent has posed:
"And you brought back Superman," Clark tells her gently, honestly. He watches her a little longer, before lapsing into silence himself, thoughts private, but not distant. He has some choices to make: big choices.