230/Picking up Lois

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Picking up Lois
Date of Scene: 02 March 2020
Location: Warehouses, Shipping District, New York
Synopsis: Superman responds to a call to help, and comforts a shaken Lois.
Cast of Characters: Lois Lane, Clark Kent




Lois Lane has posed:
By the time Lois was escorted outside by the Shadow, the text message she has prepared hadn't sent. It wasn't until she was beginning the trek back to her car that she remembered it. Pulling out her phone, she quickly sent another message to Clark's phone simply reading, "Ignore previous message". Hopefully that one would go through quick this time.

She'd parked a good number of blocks away, so that she'd at least have a quick way to get out if she needed to. Which, of course, was good as she could hear sirens in the distance. She moves towards her car at a brisk pace, the kind of pace someone would, in fact, move if they wanted to get to their car in the bad part of town.

Clark Kent has posed:
"Lois," greets a familiar, low voice. Probably no surprise: she indirectly called for him. She may have texted Clark, but the person sent? Superman. He drops out of the air as if materializing in front of her on the sidewalk, not intending to startle her. He's not in his superhero outfit, but a snug-fitted black sweatshirt and black jeans. The hood on the sweatshirt is back, leaving his head and face entirely visible to her: he has his hands up on the collar of it, having just put it back, so that she could see that it was clearly Kal-El's visage. He clearly looks serious, eyes steady on her, then scanning towards the warehouses, in a way that appears that he's listening or looking for dangers.

Lois Lane has posed:
Lois nearly jumps even when she sees him coming. She's still a bit shaken. Her eyes move back towards the warehouse she'd come from before they focus on Kal-El. "Did Clark send you? I tried to get a message to him afterwards so he wouldn't panic." She shrugs, then winces at the movement to her shoulder. That injury was her own fault, trying to wrench her way out of ropes.

She looks a block down the street. "My car's over there. We might want to be off the street when the police show up."

Clark Kent has posed:
"I think he did panic." A brief smile there. "I came to help," Kal-El agrees, gaze now coming to rest on her more completely, as he closes the distance to stand closer to her, with a protectiveness that she's seen before in other situations when she's been at gunpoint, or similar problems.

"The police? What happened?" he asks. He's never the type to encourage anyone running from the police, particularly if she saw something or would have evidence. "Are you hurt?" he asks, with a more penetrating stare at her wince, one hand moving out towards her, but not touching, as he's unsure what happened to her.

Lois Lane has posed:
Lois frowns. "Shit, I'll have to apologize to him later." She does feel guilty about that. Maybe she'll send him a present or something. She does look over at Kal-El for a long moment, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Of course he came to help. As he questions if she's hurt, she moves the injured shoulder as if to test it. It does, indeed, still hurt. "Just going to be sore tomorrow, it'll heal alright."

She looks towards the warehouse. "Truth be told, I can only tell you half of what went on in there. The other half that went on there... I honestly don't know what happened. It was in the dark, literally."

Clark Kent has posed:
"Can you tell me enough to help me judge if I need to go into the warehouse?" Kal-El asks, looking over her head towards the warehouse, listening, quite certainly. But he prioritizes her safety. Still -- he's there, and he can do a lot by way of defense if anything so much as peeked as being remotely dangerous. He keeps a wary eye out, but begins to escort her towards her car, coming in next to her, but not attempting to grab or pick her up. Sometimes manhandling people is not the answer, and he doesn't default to that if it isn't necessary, or if she doesn't ask.

Lois Lane has posed:
Lois is more than happy to move back towards the car. "There's nothing you could do in there at this point. The... thing? Person? There was something else in the dark. Whatever thugs were in there are certainly dealt with. No one's in danger, not anymore." She clears her throat a bit. "I was going to call you." She reaches into her purse to fumble for her keys as they near the car. "I, uh, just thought it was risky."

Clark Kent has posed:
Kal-El nods once, watching her with the keys. He makes a judgement call. "Get in the car. I'm going to quickly take a look. I won't be long," he assures her, one broad hand moving to the shoulder he has identified as not the injured one to gently squeeze there, and then he's bolting off, at super-speed, towards the warehouse, disappearing into the dark as he angles to one side and searches using his penetrative vision.

Kal-El really does not take long, he does his survey in about 45 seconds, before he's back, coming to the outside of her car door, looking around the street, his expression firm. It's from worry for her, and also a frustration that he's not really able to help.

Lois Lane has posed:
Lois has at least managed to get her keys out to unlock the car as he disappears. She doesn't wait for him to get back before she climbs inside, leaving it unlocked so he can get in. She sets the whole handful of keys down into the cupholder, leaving them there. She's not driving, not yet. Mostly because it's hitting her a bit. It's not easy to just shake these things off, regardless of how many times you face it.

Clark Kent has posed:
No, Superman doesn't intend to get into the car, though. He stays at the window, looking back towards the warehouse, then at her. He can escort the car, and be a lot more free to do what is needed, without being in the car. ...And he has a feeling sitting in it with her may scream of Clark.

"Move to somewhere safer. I'll be right with you," Kal-El assures her with a firm concern. He'll follow to wherever she ends up going. Home, or to another place. He doesn't leave right off, he'll wait to be sure she's safely underway.

Lois Lane has posed:
Right, somewhere safer would be good. Lois nods her approval of the plan. If she's going anywhere, it's home. It's probably safer for both of them to be there. She starts up the car, carefully turns the corner, and continues towards home. It's certainly an impossibly long drive home, what with her being extra careful to compensate for her nerves. When she finally arives, she climbs out of the car and locks it, looking around to see if he was, indeed, right there.

Clark Kent has posed:
Kal-El was; he was above the whole time, pacing her, but also keeping close watch. When he lands by her as she locks her car, he looks a little windblown, slightly damp from the cool night's moisture, and he has his hood up this time: mostly just to help with his identity. He gives her a nod, inclining his head towards her apartment.

"I saw a car accident on the way over, a flipped car. I'm going to assist, and I'll be on your balcony shortly," he promises her, with a gentle touch offered to her forearm from his palm.

Lois Lane has posed:
Lois doesn't hide the smile when he mentions going to help someone. "Yeah, okay, be careful," she offers, though she chuckles slightly at her own concern. Car accidents are a lot scarier for someone like her than someone like him. Still, she figures the sentiment means something. "I'll be up there. I'll leave the door open for you."

And with that, she turns to move in towards the elevators. By the time she's inside of her apartment, she lets out a breath she didn't feel like she was holding. She does open the balcony doors before sinking down on the couch and tugging the throw blanket haphazardly over part of her.

Clark Kent has posed:
Kal-El nods once, as she turns away, he moves rapidly back into the air - only with a slight glance around him to be sure he's not immediately observed, and is gone in a dark blur of motion.

It will be about ten minutes before there's first a sound from her phone (Clark texted her asking if she's okay), then, barely twenty seconds after that, the sound of the rush of air on her balcony, and Kal-El returns. He politely raps on one balcony door to announce himself -- it felt odd to just walk in without that-- before closing the balcony doors quietly behind him, and seeking her out on the couch, expression concerned.

Lois Lane has posed:
"I'm sorry if I made you worry," Lois says, shifting so there's room for him on the couch. There's plenty of space there, she's just making a spot close to her. "The reception in the warehouse didn't let the message get to Clark until after. I'm sure he probably didn't do much to make you worry less." Speaking of, she procees to pull out her phone to leave a message for Clark.

'Thank you,' it reads. 'Safe. Lois Lane always gets the scoop.'
Her attention goes back up to Kal-El. "I didn't know what to yell that wouldn't give you away to a warehouse full of people who would certainly take advantage of that knowledge. So... when I wasn't sure if I could find an escape, I figured if Clark could get the message to you, that would be fine."

Clark Kent has posed:
"I'll just need to make it safe for you to yell for Superman again," Kal-El says, slowly, but with a smile that suggests that he's not upset about it. He' accepting. He watches her move, and comes over, unzipping his sweatshirt, pushing the hood back fully with a brief rake of fingers through his hair. He'd started to be sure it was in 'Clark' mode but then had to adjust. This is getting confusing! He does sit down on the couch next to her - comfortable in that he was there as Clark not long ago, and uncomfortable for the same reason.

"Call for me if you really do need me. A few people seeing me won't change much: and your safety is far more important than anything that could cause."

Lois Lane has posed:
"I didn't want to risk it, I though I might be able to work my way out of danger with some convincing arguments," Lois offers him a small smile. "I just wasn't sure how trigger happy the guy was. Usually if you take the safety off you plan on using the weapon." That was the moment she had sent the text. That was the moment she was entirely unsure if she could get out.

"But, you know, sometimes people are reasonable. I convinced them it would be much harder and much more of a mess to hide a body than to simply tie me up in the office and get off with their goods." She actually laughs for a moment, but it's that laugh when something seems funny now that it's over but you're still uncomfortable about it.

"That would have been fine in the long run, if it had ended there. There was something that came to investigate too. I guess this was all part of some kind of drug ring. The... being that was there took out the entire crew of them in the dark. I think they can see in it. Knocked down the office door for me and led me out. That's why I couldn't tell you what happened in there. All I heard was gunfire, maybe someone being punched."

She lets out a deep breath. "I... know I'm in this sort of situation often. I'm aware it's a consequence of the way I pursue things but... it doesn't always feel easy."

Clark Kent has posed:
It appears that Superman is having a similar reaction to what Clark does when she explains her travels into these super dangerous areas: both men, it appears, care about her safety. And there's only so much acting about this situation.

Clark has wanted to offer comfort in the past, or to hold her hand, and finally -- finally -- he has an opportunity to actually act on how he feels. To sink next to her on the couch, surveying her injured shoulder, and offer both hands out to hers, and to encourage her to lean into him if she wants to.

"I saw the mess that was left; there was nothing left for me to do. The police can best take it from there," he supplies. "I'd feel better if you didn't do these things alone. Take Clark with you, maybe?" he suggests.

Lois Lane has posed:
It's nice to have the opportunity to /be/ comforted by someone. Lois always felt like it was intrusive on Clark until recently. She takes his hands and leans in against him, grateful that there are no shakes anymore. Besides, there was only the one dangerous moment, and she had talked her way out of it. Shouldn't be a big deal.

"Clark... Clark's sweet. He'd try and talk me out of it, or if he did come along his self-preservation skills seem to be on point. I feel bad taking him into danger when he doesn't seem very comfortable with it. I think he only does it because I ask and it's terrible of me to take advantage of that."

She lets out a breath and shuts her eyes. "I'll try a little less aggressive of a tactic next time. I shouldn't have gone in there, I should have found another way."

Clark Kent has posed:
"If we're starting something, I need you around to be able to continue it," Kal-El teases her, though his bright blue eyes reflect the concern that is still definitely there, even if he's downplaying it. He's empathetic, and picks up on her nerves and how she's feeling about all of it. But he also knows better than to suggest she's anything other than strong.

"I think he might try to talk you out of it, yes," Kal-El agrees. That's one of the reasons he suggested it, of course. The other being, well. He can know about it, and be more prepared to react. "You were tied up?" He asks, fingers moving to brush her wrists, checking for bruises there, brows dropping. Still he draws one hand back to put it around her instead, an offer to partake of curling to his broad chest if she chooses. No need to hide his build. It's ... a relief. Not hiding under a secret identity is freeing.

Lois Lane has posed:
Lois leans in to kiss his cheek. "I'm not going anywhere, don't worry about that." It's an attempt to reassure him, even though she's pretty sure it won't help too much. "I basically got to choose between getting shot or being tied up. It was my suggestion. Especially because I knew I'd be able to get out."

The marks are there, on her wrists, especially where it rubbed as she worked it out and overextended her shoulder in the process. "It's how I hurt my shoulder. It's fine, really, just a little sore. I can deal with it, but Clark is going to give me a /look/ about this tomorrow.

The shift of positions he presents and offers is happily taken, and Lois moves to rest herself up against his chest. It feels /safe/ there. That's one thing she likes about it. He's safe and she spends so much of her time where she isn't that it's like a breath of fresh air, just being there with him.

Clark Kent has posed:
"I'll have a talk with Batman; we'll get you a panic button," Kal-El teases, not entirely serious about it. As if he needed Batman knowing every time there was a problem and where she was at all times? Nope. "Though we've done all right with just the call, I think." Her calling out for help has, in fact, worked well. While he's alive, anyway. Not so much during the period of being dead.

Kal-El finishes inspecting her wrists, and instead lets her hands be, opting to settle arms around her as she accepts to rest against him. His heart is strong, a steady beat. "Did you get what you needed for your story?" he asks, one hand lifting from the embrace to touch her hair gently, brushing fingers against it at her nape.

Lois Lane has posed:
"I got some paperwork that I stowed in my jacket, and that person, the Shadow, gave me a flash drive, said that there was some information on it that would give me everything I needed." Lois would probably elaborate a bit, but for a moment, she's distracted. Her eyes shut. The fingers at the nape of her neck are soothing, a gentle touch amidst a day not affording much in the way of gentle.

She continues, eyes shut. "Something about it being drugs and Falcone? I thought that was more Gotham's direction. I've got more addresses to look up, if there's one in Metropolis it sounds like they're running drugs all over." Her eyes stay shut.

Clark Kent has posed:
"Sounds like you have a lot of leads," Kal-El says, with a manner that suggests that he's fine to listen to her think through her concepts, biting back the investigator questions he might normally follow with. Stay in Superman-lane, Kal-El. He lets his heavy shoulders relax back. She's safe, the villains were dealt with. Those are the things that count.

However, despite what she has going forward, he's going to try to help her slow down for now, to relax out of the nervous tension of the ordeal. And her leaning to him, her eyes closed - all the message he needs to know he's on the right path, trusting his instincts: to continue to stroke her hair, to draw out the clip from holding her hair back and set it aside.

Lois Lane has posed:
The touches are small, simple, but their impact is certainly stronger than might be expected. "I'll have to read what's on the drive, but it could be good. It might be enough to send the cops right in to bust them before they've even got wind someone's on to them. Hopefully if we act quickly..." She seems to forget, for a moment, that she's talking.

Instead, she sits there, breathing deeply, resting against his chest. "You know," she says after a long while. "I've always appreciated it, how it felt when there was danger and you scooped me up and flew me off somewhere safe. Just that excuse to be close, and it felt nice. But this... this is just all I've ever wanted."

Clark Kent has posed:
"Life with me won't ever be.... normal," Kal-El admits, as if normal were some kind of thing to strive for and desire. Superman, who has the power to fly anywhere in the world, literally move mountains likes normal. Who would have thought it?

"But you don't need an excuse, anymore." There's a pause, and he moves just a little, drawing one arm lower under her and 'scooping' her. He can do some strange things because he doesn't need leverage, and scooping her up into his arms one-handed across the couch is one of those things. It will place her face into his neck more, though he's still very able to rub his fingers comfortingly up against her nape. "I want to be here."

Lois Lane has posed:
"Kal-El, do you really think I'm the kind of woman who would settle for something normal? Normal gets boring. Normal gets financial news on the fourth page. Normal gets the same thing every day," Lois says, laughing as she's suddenly scooped. It's a familiar position, being held like that. She rests her head in close, even though it means she can't see him. She knows he'll hear her just fine from where she's at anyways.

"It's nice to not have to have an excuse to call. It's nice to be able to say that I want you here too." She smiles, though she's not sure if he can see it. "You seemed a little sad about the normal thing. The trick is, you can make your own normal. Your own routines, things you do regularly, you just make it your own. You give yourself the freedom to have habits and things you do because you enjoy them. Just because life looks different for you doesn't mean you don't have your particular way of living."

Clark Kent has posed:
"You've made sure I'm not fourth page news," Kal-El laughs, adjusting his hold around her to allow him to look down, though not far: she's still quite close, and he turns his head in and down, his breathing warm against her forehead. He gives in to the urge to rest his head against hers, to allow his own eyes to close.

"All right, I'll trust that you'll help us make our own normal," he chuckles softly. As Clark, he tends to also lean to what she wants, but there's no cowed quality here: more of an agreement. Since this is what /he/ wants. "I did wonder if after you had slept on it... you still did want to go ahead with us."

Lois Lane has posed:
"If you aren't front page news every time, I'm doing you a disservice," Lois rests there, enjoying the embrace, simply being close in a situation where they were /allowed/ to be close with no excuses needed. She spares a little peek at him when he mentions wondering if she'd change her mind. "Kal-El," she says, while her tone is slightly scolding, it's soft. "You think I didn't think about this beforehand? I've mulled the possibilities, what would work, what wouldn't, if it was even possible."

She leans in and presses the tiniest of kisses to his jaw before retreating to rest her head against him again. "This is where I want to be. With you. If this is you looking for an excuse to get out of this..." There a small pause before she continues. "... you're going to have to convince me that's really what you want because I wouldn't believe you."

Clark Kent has posed:
Lois isn't staring at him, and some of his inner 'Clark' surfaces on his face: the mild anxiety, and worry, and uncertainty. The fears of devoting to something to lose it, or harm it, because of who or what he is. Strange irrational fears of rejection. Parts he amplifies for the 'mild-mannered' and 'cowardly' secret identity. They still stem from somewhere, not from nothing. And he knows that if he shows those things, they may not appeal to her. Clark hasn't appealed to her, after all.

"Convince you? Hmmm. I don't want to lie about anything," Kal-El says. Urgh. "The only time I'd do that... would be to protect you. And I hope... this isn't something I need to protect you from," he replies.

Lois Lane has posed:
Lois' eyes open for a moment. "Kal-El, I know you're trying to protect me from things, I appreciate the thought. And I know I'm not..." She's unsure how to phrase it, so she just stumbles out with whatever words come to mind. "I'm not gifted the way that you are, but I'm not weak, and I'm not scared."

Now she's pulling her head back to peek at him a bit. "I don't want you to have to lie to me at all. About anything. I won't lie to you, you can ask me anything and I'll tell you the truth." That's a dangerous statement to make.

Clark Kent has posed:
Kal-El pulled himself back together well before she pulled away to peek at him. He's /good/ at this: but usually in reverse. She'll close her eyes or look away and Clark will lapse into Superman: he'll straighten his back or uncurl his shoulders - because he does not like slouching all the time-- and then go back into slouch before she catches him. It's pretty constant. So she'll find warm, confident blue eyes to meet hers when she peeks to his face.

"I don't think you're weak, or scared," Kal-El answers, with no trace of lie. He takes her in as she offers him the opportunity to ask him something. What does he really want to know? What would be appropriate to ask? "Even though you are not those things... would you like me to stay?" he asks. His gaze does not suggest anything other than caring.

Lois Lane has posed:
Lois watches him, searching for any sign of distress or trouble. He seems to be focused on the lying for some reason. Was it guilt? Was he hiding more from her? Aside from the obvious of course. She didn't know how he spent his day to day life. She does offer him a smile when he acknowledges that he's aware she is prepared for this. She brings one hand up to rest on his cheek as she looks into those blue eyes.

"You're asking me something you already know the answer to." It's a teasing, chiding tone. "You should ask me something you don't know the answer to." She pauses. "But on the off-chance I haven't made it clear this entire time... the answer is yes."

Clark Kent has posed:
Kal-El doesn't turn his gaze away from hers, there's no retreat, he looks back at her steadily, into her own blues. He's so familiar with her, so many years. He didn't expect to ever get here, not really: to see her looking at /him/ this way. "Maybe that's the question I wanted to hear the answer to right now." It was, really. He wanted that small little piece. That permission to linger.

Kal-El turns his head towards the palm on his cheek, kissing the soft skin in the center of her palm, and then leaves his lips there, eyes closed for a moment: an expression of trust, maybe. Emotional trust, from the invulnerable man of steel.

Lois Lane has posed:
If the question was important to him, it was important to her. Lois watches as he seems to open up. Had this been what he needed? His eyes shut, but hers stay open, her hand still cradling his face. She doesn't move it, save for the light shift of her fingertips against his skin. A hint of a caress, just to remind him that she's there, and that /he/ is safe with /her/. She can't protect him physically, but she'll do her best to emotionally.

"Stay," she murmurs. "Stay with me, Kal-El." She doesn't elaborate, embellish the words, she leaves them the way she felt impacted him. Those were the words he needed to know, he needed to hear from her.

Clark Kent has posed:
And he always has, in some form, ever since he's known her. Nearly every day, through Clark. From her view, though, he knows that Superman is this enigmatic thing that shows up to save the day and then fly away. Those brief visits on balcony.

Yet it's more than that, it has to do with his own death. That he left her alone. The impact he sensed so deeply on her, even while struggling with it himself as Clark. He kisses her hand again, then turns his head down, adjusting position to kiss her on the lips instead. He does't feel comfortable telling her he loves her, but he'll let it show a little bit in action.

Lois Lane has posed:
Superman is the one hard to pin down. So the fact that Lois has managed to keep him for much longer astounds and confuses her. Would he just fly away again? At some point just leave because he suddenly decided, just like that, that she wasn't safe. It's a little much. But moments like these keep her from thinking about this too often.

When he turns his head to kiss her, her hand begins to move so she can wrap her arm around him until she changes her mind, her fingers coming up to touch his hair instead. She kisses him back, not hesitating, a determined act to make sure he understands she wants him here.

Clark Kent has posed:
Lois can't harm him physically, but she certainly can do a number on his heart. So far, it has been positive, though: he's inched out of his shell cautiously. The kiss is genuine and lasting. For a time from his perception it's even in slow-motion to him, until he relaxes out of that. Better to naturally be in the moment.

When the kiss parts, he stays as he is, close, comfortable, and trying to trust. To trust that even if he opened the last of those secrets, this could still be something. But he's not there yet. But he can smile at her. "Then I will," Kal-El says with finality, settling back, comfortable with where they are in that moment.