462/Secrets

Secrets
Date of Scene:	12 March 2020
Location:	Clark Kent's Apartment
Synopsis:	Lois lurks around some secrets Clark might be keeping.
Cast of Characters:	Clark Kent, Lois Lane

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Clark Kent has posed:
Clark's apartment, over the years, hasn't gotten as much use for Lois and Clark time compared to Lois's. It just was easier to use her apartment as more of a base of operations, though he'd often take notes or things home with him to work on.

Clark's apartment is charming, it has a lot of heart to it; there's memories and pictures of his family, Kansas experiences, photos of different events at the Planet. The apartment isn't spartan, it's got an essence of Clark to it, a piece of his country boy background.

Clark's made dinner. It's a simple shepherd's pie, but he did do it himself; it's in baking phase! The door is open for Lois (he'd texted her that it was), so she'll find him in his small kitchen, finishing a salad, the smell of food and recent coffee pleasant. Over his usual attire he has dark blue apron on, to protect his clothes.

On the way in, hung up on the coat rack, is also the garment bag containing the suit Janet had made.

Lois Lane has posed:
Lois' apartment often reminds her of work. Clark's apartment always felt sweet in an adorably cheesy way. So Lois doesn't terribly mind being at his place. She shuts the door behind her as she enters, taking a moment to eye the garment bag. "Hey Smallville," she calls over, though she doesn't head in what she assumes is his direction. "So does this mean you're going to wear this suit for an actual event sometime? You have no idea the amount of dresses for formal and semi-formal events I have because of Janet and I'm dying for excuses to dress up and look pretty."

She makes her way over towards the kitchen, already enjoying the scent of food and the eventual sight of Clark once she's nearby. "You are lucky I'm not the one cooking. I swear I burn everything. Honestly, I'm not sure if my oven runs too hot or something. How do you even test that?"

Clark Kent has posed:
Clark does own oven mitts. He just doesn't /normally/ use them. It's not really a thing: he only has some because Ma Kent came to stay for a week and wanted them. They're out, set to the side. It's not going to be oven mitts that makes Lois realize he's Superman. That would be entirely disappointing.

"I don't know about that; I didn't realize a suit was going to show up here," Clark laughs. "And there's thermometers. You put one in the oven, see what temprature it really is," he says, crossing towards her, brushing fingers on her arm, leaning in, to greet her. He's not quite confident enough to just directly walk up and kiss her, but he does get very close, an offer if she wants to lift her head and meet him for one.

Lois Lane has posed:
"That would be great if I had one of those thermometers, but I don't. Just burnt chicken." Lois moves to bridge the gap between them. She doesn't mind if Clark's still a little shy. It's /Clark/. So once he gets close and doesn't immediately kiss her, she leans in like this was already their routine and kisses him. It feels natural. She's even tempted for a moment to hang on to the kiss, but breaks it in favor of pursuing the suit idea.

"You put that suit on sometime, Clark Kent, and I will put on some kind of dress that'll knock your socks off. You'll have to pick your jaw up off the floor."

Clark Kent has posed:
Clark looks dismayed by her poor burnt chicken, but then warms when she establishes, so easily, this new routine. He followed her just a little as she breaks the kiss, leaning into it, uninterested in it ending.

"I know you have the ability to knock my socks off," Clark chuckles at her. "I remember the.... date that I hijacked," he says, a little timidly. When he took her out, not even a month ago, when she had been stood up. And all of the mix of pain and pleasure that came with taking her out to eat. Even if she hadn't yet /seen/ him, not yet. Another one of those clues of how smitten he has been.

Lois Lane has posed:
"You were a perfect gentleman, offering to take me out instead," Lois smiles at the memory. "You made me look at you a little differently after that. It was touching." She reaches up a hand to play with his hair, just a playful messing with it. "If you think that dress was something, you should see the others I have. I never have excuses to wear them either. It's a shame." She is, however, grinning.

"But that suit of yours should certainly be worn again. I can't talk you into wearing it, can I?" She did remember the difficulty it took getting Clark to even try for it. And she remembers Janet's awkward attempt at convincing and her equally awkward defensive maneuver.

Clark Kent has posed:
"We'll see, if there's an event, and you /really/ want me to," Clark says, with a shy duck and turn of his head, looking at her sideways for a moment, then, unwilling to actually step away, instead draws an arm around her, and kisses her again, with a very real pleasure and relief. He keeps wondering if this thing they're finding is going to collapse or disappear. Trust can be a difficult thing, getting used believing.

"I'm more a comfort clothes guy," Clark chuckles. "Not the penguin suits. But you put forward a good bargain, Lois."

Lois Lane has posed:
Lois kisses him back, lingering within it for a moment before she grins broadly at him. "I'll make an event if I have to," she jokes. "You wear that suit, I'll wear a gorgeous dress and all the trimmings. And if we can't find an event, we'll just go somewhere. A park, watch the stars, dance to no music." She taps her chin. "And then, as reward for humoring me, we can come back, put on pajamas, and fall asleep watching a movie."

She seems pleased with her date idea. It sounds very fun. Very /them/. Too good to be true.

Clark Kent has posed:
Clark's cheeks are on fire; he's embarrassed and anticipatory both at the same time. He's worn suits before, it should be fine anyway. Mot of his pleasure comes from hearing her describe all of the ideas she's had, and wants to do with him. It's been a long time coming to hear her talk like that.

"I love your ideas," Clark says, with a deep genuine honesty, looking into her eyes, his smile subtle but warm. "And you." He draws his hands up to cradle her face gently, then slides them down to brush her neck and settle them to her shoulders.

"Particularly the pajamas," he teases her softly. Although pajamas are possibly more dangerous than a suit.

Lois Lane has posed:
Lois laughs, her smile towards him warm and affectionate. This is /nice/. "I dunno, the pajamas won't seem like the best part when you see the dress." She teases. But she's still thinking about the suit a bit. "You know, it's nice to see you wearing clothes that flatter you a bit more. Janet's right, you probably wouldn't have to do much." She pauses. "/Don't/ take that as me insulting how you look, by the way."

Clark Kent has posed:
"Uh huh," Clark replies, lifting a finger to sort of bap her nose with it, and smiles at her with a small narrowing of eyes. It's unusual out of Clark, to not back down, but she got him to respond with her joke. He's odd: sometimes he'll retreat, but sometimes pressure doesn't work at all. It's irregular, much like he chooses some of it. For whatever reason.

"Help me finish the salad?" Clark asks. "No danger of burning," Clark requests. He moves to the oven to bend down to look inside, studying the progress of the bake.

Lois Lane has posed:
"I don't know what you'd be more worried about there, me burning something or burning myself," Lois has certainly done that a lot too. Clark may be a clutz all over the place, but Lois is not quite so great in the kitchen. Still, she moves over to take command of the salad, though she does take advantage of Clark being busy to steal a long glance at his apron-clad form.

Clark Kent has posed:
It's hard to slouch while bent over, particularly while opening the oven and using a mit to pull the rack forward to look. Also since he's not aware she's staring at him; she's clearly attending to the salad. He's worried about his meal being good, naturally.

He seems relieved that its nearly done, though, and closes the oven again, standing up. A quick untie removes the apron from the back, and he pulls it over his head with a stretch of spine and roll of shoulders, putting it aside, he doesn't really need it anymore, not really.

"Twenty minutes I think," Clark voices, looking to her and pushing his glasses up his nose with a finger. "If you'll be ready to eat it."

Lois Lane has posed:
It's too bad Lois is sneaking looks he doesn't expect. She glances quickly back to the salad, quickly making sure it's prepped--wouldn't want to slack on her job. "I'm sure I can survive twenty minutes." She turns back to face him again. But she's thinking. With the slouching, the ill-fitting clothes when he could so easily change a few simple things and be more confident in his appearance? Even for a shy nerd like Clark Kent, the idea of being more physically appealing should have been there.

She grabs a small piece of lettuce from the bowl, tossing it in her mouth as she glances back at him. "Have you always dressed kind of like this, Clark? I'm trying to picture you as a kid."

Clark Kent has posed:
"Like this?" Clark asks, and glances down at himself as if to take stock of what he's wearing. "Well, jeans. More t-shirts. You don't work a farm or with horses in a dress shirt," Clark chuckles a little. He's taking her words in a different direction.

"I'd like it if you wanted to see the farm someday," Clark ventures, leaning a hand on the counter, and smiling at her. To him, his family is a big piece, a big part of Clark. Including her has a big weight to it, even if his tone is relatively casual. She's met his mother before when she's come to stay, even if it was fairly brief, but his father, no, and with health problems, Pa won't be traveling out.

Lois Lane has posed:
He's good with the distraction. Lois isn't sure if his dodge was intentional or not. She does smile at him, letting him draw her into the conversation a bit. "I'd be happy to see it if you want to show it to me, Clark." Family's a big thing for him, she knows. He left to stay when his dad was sick after all. "I'd like that sometime." Lois isn't letting the clothing thing go, though, even if he'd dropped in a tender conversation about his family.

"Oh, but I didn't really mean about t-shirts and jeans..." She's probing this carefully. Regular Lois couldn't really talk about Clark's appearance without sounding like an ass. Girlfriend Lois might be able to ask... but there's still a big risk of sounding like an ass. "You just don't seem particularly fond of anything form-fitting. Seems to make you uncomfortable. Any reason why?" He may just be self-concious about his body. Who knows.

Clark Kent has posed:
Clark's being shy again, looking at his hand on the counter, and overplaying the shy a little to help stall for a little time to think about where this is coming from, and how he can ease through it.

"I don't like a lot of attention," Clark says, after a pause. He clearly was working to phrase it: and to do it without lying about it. "Tight pants aren't really... me. Is that what you mean?" Clark asks. Easier to just have her explain what she means: the last thing he needs to do is jump to the wrong conclusion, like when he thought she knew his BIG secret!

"I don't mind /your/ attention," Clark clarifies, in a way that could have been a flirt if it wasn't so unsure about how she'll respond to it.

Lois Lane has posed:
Lois smiles a tiny bit. "I'm not suggesting /tight/ pants, Clark, I just meant like... tailored pants. Something a little better fitting. It just seems like you hide a bit. I wasn't sure if you were uncomfortable for some reason." It's a gentle application of pressure. If there is something, she doesn't want him to feel offended or hurt in some way... even though it would be good to know. Communication's important.

She can't resist the flirt, even if he probably didn't think it through. "I wouldn't be asking about your clothes if I wasn't looking at you, Smallville." She laughs a little. "I promise you, it's admiration. You'd /know/ if I was passing judgement."

Clark Kent has posed:
The emotions on his face aren't offended nor hurt. There's an awareness to it, not confusion. She may well pick up that Clark knows what she means, he's not off in the bushes. She's narrowing in on his body type, and there's no real dodging about it. It's more a matter of how he spins it, than denying it's a fact.

Clark's caught, pinned beneath her accurate cat's paw. "I just... I don't know," Clark says, drawing one hand back self consciously to brush down the sleeve on his left bicep, ridding himself of invisible lint there. "I don't know that I like being seen as big and clumsy," Clark sighs.

Lois Lane has posed:
"You're also adorable, so you can throw that adjective in there," Lois reaches over to put a hand on his arm. "You know I don't think you're big and clumsy. But I don't think anyone's gonna judge you any differently about that if you got your shirt a size smaller." She offers a smile. "I know this is... new and all, but if there's something you're worried about, we can just have a talk about it instead of me poking about."

She, of course, is wondering about body conciousness. Some people didn't like their bodies, after all.

Clark Kent has posed:
"Are you... asking me to go change my shirt?" Clark laughs, bashfully, lifting his hand to pass the palm down his cheek, a grin there, trying to slide out of the situation with a joke and relaxed laugh.

He doesn't move away from her hand on his arm, he's entirely caught, and is trying to make the best out of BEING caught. "I'm not going to cook in just an apron," Clark says, really pulling out the big gun of distraction, now.

Lois Lane has posed:
"I didn't mean to go change your shirt, I just mean I feel like you're hiding behind all that clothing and I wanted to know if you had a good reason for it. It's going to be real awkward if I have to come out and /ask/ about it," Lois explains, but she's already raising an eyebrow as she leans on the counter a bit. "I wasn't going to make that suggestion, Smallville. Exposed skin is how you get burnt when you're in the kitchen. But it's good to know what you've got on the brain."

She's just grinning at him.

Clark Kent has posed:
Clark got out of changing his shirt by suggesting he do so. However, he's now got Lois grinning at him due to his tease, and it might not be better! Clark's blush rises in a clear and obvious way, and he laughs uncomfortably, shooing her away from the salad to let him finish cutting up the last tomato. He's quick and precise with the knife, clean accurate little cuts, hiding in a slouched-shoulder focus on the tomato!

Lois Lane has posed:
As she's shoo'd from her place near the salad, Lois glances over at how he's suddenly /super/ distracted and didn't touch the topic anymore. Interesting. "So, I'm guessing that silence means you're completely comfortable about your body and have nothing to tell me... or you're mad at me, in which cause, I'm curious as to why." That's a weird blend of Reporter Lois and Girlfriend Lois right there. She lingers near the oven, still watching him.

Clark Kent has posed:
/Mad/ at her? Clark blinks and looks at her, as the knife comes down. Possibly enough to scare her, but he wasn't close enough to his fingers to cut himself. "I'm not mad, Lois," Clark assures her, putting the tomato into the salad.

"I guess I'm self-conscious," Clark says. His attempt to figure out a way out of this hasn't led anywhere constructive. He's acting like he's worried she'll have a bad reaction.

Couldn't be closer to the truth.

Lois Lane has posed:
"I ask questions, Smallville, it's kind of my thing," Lois points out. He's well aware. She doesn't even need to point it out. "I only worried that you might be mad because I'm asking you questions I wouldn't have felt okay asking you before. I do now because there's more of a measure of trust between us. My intentions are good."

Now she's taking a quick glance at him again. "I get it. Pretty much everyone has something about themselves they don't like or they think someone else might not like. If it makes you feel better, I like how you look. I might not think all the clothing is the most flattering for you, but if you feel like you need to hide away, I'm not going to stop you."

There's a long pause. "Pretty sure you don't need to hide, though. I doubt there's anything under there you should worry about." She pauses for only half a second before speaking again. "... that did not come out right, but I'm sure you get my actual intention and not the unintentional innuendo there." She flashes him a smile.

Clark Kent has posed:
"Okay," Clark says. He does know she asks questions, she seeks answers. Truth. It's a major draw for him about her. It's just hard when it's aimed his way, and he's trying to... what? What is he even trying to do anymore? Delay what could be the end of this relationship, if she feels betrayed? Maybe it's that. Hang onto it a little longer? He finally has something with her, and its threatened: by his own secrets.

Clark washes his hands in the sink, bringing the knife over, to put it there, dries his hands. There's a sense to that he's working up to something, to say something.

Clark weighs it while he dries his hands, and then does a familiar action -- at least to him, which is to loosen the top of his collar, but he doesn't go further than that. Then the timer beeps. Saved by the beep. For the moment. "After dinner, okay?" Clark suggests, gently. "Then I'll... let you in." Maybe to more than one thing. If she figures it out. She may. But they're going to have a dinner first, if Clark gets his way. Clark busies himself, pulling the food out, handing her salad dressing to toss the salad, and general tasks to do.

Lois Lane has posed:
The offer to be 'let in' is an interesting one and Lois wants to see how that plays out. So she's content to let the line of questioning slip in favor of letting Clark do things at his own pace. There is dinner, after all, and it would be nice to have dinner before things get... well, who knows what.

"Dinner it is," she agrees, returning back to the food prep while she lets him fuss with the oven. "Thank you for dinner, by the way. I don't know if I ever asked... did your mom teach you to cook?"

Clark Kent has posed:
"Yes, I was required to help Martha Kent do various kitchen tasks," Clark laughs, trying to adjust and relax into this. She's giving him that space, and he's appreciative: he noticed fully what she's doing. There's few secrets of /that/ kind between them: when she stops hammering for a scoop, there's a reason behind it. In this case? Kindness to him?

Clark dishes up the food, to his small kitchen table. His apartment isn't big, and he doesn't have some grand area to eat: he doesn't have people over generally. Still, things are pleasantly cluttered but neat overall. There's already placemats, salt and pepper shakers out.

The man tried to make it a comfortable, nice meal. It's a date. Not just a fill-in one. A real one.

Lois Lane has posed:
Reporter Lois and Girlfriend Lois don't always see eye to eye, but this is Girlfriend Lois' turf right now. It's a date. Not fancy, not out at some restaurant, it's just the two of them getting to spend some time together in a non-work related sense. Sure, they'd done it a bit before, but it was rare. It was also in a very friend-like context. Falling asleep on him, though...

"I'll have to thank her sometime for teaching you. It's nice to be able to have something home cooked." It's nice to spend time where there's no distractions. Other than each other.

Clark Kent has posed:
"I hope you don't mind a brief subject change-" Clark ventures, while he puts the last of the items on the table and actually crosses to pull her chair out for her. It's not even something super deliberate, he just crossed and did it while he was thinking about his topic change. The gentlemanly behavior is just ingrained, and will have to be curtailed if she doesn't want him to do it.

"I wanted to ask you about work. I mean.... in if you wanted to hide this, between us, at work, or not," Clark clarifies. "Jimmy was already poking around about it and I didn't know what you'd like our story to be."

Lois Lane has posed:
"Oh, right," Lois hadn't been thinking about that. There were logistics that would have to be thought about. Not that they were a bad thing, she just hadn't thought beyond the Clark-Superman side of the situation. People on the outside of that would eventually become important.

She gives him a smile as he gets the chair for her, and she settles in at the table as she looks across at him. "I mean..." She gives it thought for a moment. With Superman, it was all a secret. She couldn't brag to anyone how happy she was, he couldn't do the same. She had been willing to deal with that because she thought it was worth it.

"No," she says after a moment. "We shouldn't hide it. Besides, I'm sure buzz around the office will die down fairly quickly. We were practically in a relationship before, things won't change at work in any dramatic way." She reaches across the table to offer her hand. "I stand by my decision. I'm picking you and whatever that comes with."

Clark Kent has posed:
The shift is apparent with Clark, he lights up about it. Keeping it secret is something he would have done, but he didn't like it. He wanted to share with others about her. "Okay. I'll confirm his rumors," Clark says, with a smile that turns shy some, as he looks down at his food, but meets her hand. He looks at their hands for a minute, then darts his gaze back to her. "I'm excited. And happy, Lois. Thank you."

Once again, that humility, and appreciation: she didn't have to pick this, or him, or to return how he felt. He's thankful she has. And for whatever time they get, before anything blows up, or Doomsday kills him again.

Lois Lane has posed:
He's happy. Lois likes that. A lot of the time she's used to that sad look he gives her when she's suggesting a bad idea, but seeing him genuinely happy in this sort of way is new and it's really growing on her. "You don't need to thank me, I'm happy too." She is. There's no lie there.

Eventually she squeezes his hand and releases it in favor of food. The hand was mostly there for emphasis. She wanted him to know she was there in multiple ways. "On a positive note, I'm pretty sure you're not going to get sick of me. You've dealt with the worst of me for /years/. If that didn't scare you off, I doubt you'll go running any time soon."

Clark Kent has posed:
"Yeah. I've seen you chew while talking," Clark agrees in a gentle nudge back to her. His teases are always very mild, he's never cutting about any of it. How DARE she talk with her mouth full!

The shepherd's pie is not phenomenal. Clark isn't some sort of master cook. He made it, and didn't burn it. He followed a recipe. It's fine, overall. He's able to functionally cook, but shouldn't give up his day job to become a chef. The salad is also decent, but it's hard to mess up a salad!

"Some things are scary. You're not usually one of them," Clark smiles at her.

Lois Lane has posed:
Lois doesn't care if it's good or not. He made it and it's not burnt like her stuff tends to be. So it's plenty good. She eats it like she's enjoying it, though something he says gets a bit of an eyebrow.

"Usually?" She chuckles. "Are you saying there are times I'm scary, Clark Kent?" Maybe right now.

Clark Kent has posed:
Clark lifts his napkin as a shield, giving her a scared look, and then drops it down to his lap again with a softened smile. There's a little slip in it: the way he melts out of fear and into some sort of confident relaxed manner is smooth, and displays his ability to pretend to be afraid. In addition, the relaxed look pulled him out of the slouch for a time, and his vibrancy of character showed through the Clark mask. The potential of the charisma there peeked.

The closer she gets to Clark, the more those little pieces get exposed. "You know that you are," Clark reminds her, without backing down about it.

Lois Lane has posed:
He's got a little too well of a poker face. And then at other times, it feels like he's forgotten he's playing poker and lets it go. It's curious what she's finding the longer she looks at him. Lois looks down to take a bit of her food before gazing back up at him again.

"I hope you know that as scary as I might look, you don't have to be scared." It's a promise, somehow.

Clark Kent has posed:
Those times are times that he stops overdoing it. Clark is supposed to be overly mild, weak, cowardly, and other things, after all. It's when he reigns that quality back in, that things get more natural. The shyness isn't a total lie, it never has been, but the clumsiness, both verbally and physically, is. If he constantly has to continue to overact, that isn't a life he wants, either. It just entrenches the lie deeper and deeper. He has to bridge towards Kal-El. Even if it's scary.

But Clark wants to love her honestly, entirely. And the offering of love is a huge reason to start to pry the vault open.

"No?"

Lois Lane has posed:
Even if he's not aware, she's doing her best to sneak into the vault. "Can I make a confession?" Lois asks. It's not really a question because she jumps right in to what she was going to say. "Even before this was even a thought... I've always tried to protect you. I know you don't need protecting but I swear that every time someone even started to say something I thought would be negative about you I just jump in. Like when Janet was getting all up in your space with the suit thing?"

Well, that last bit was actually jealousy, but that's not something she'd ever bring up. "Point being... I don't want anything to hurt you. Even me. So I won't let it happen."

Clark Kent has posed:
Some men would take that badly, suggestion that they need protecting, that it implies weakness. Clark doesn't generally take things in a way that hits his pride, though. Why would that be? He's so skittish otherwise.

It comes from that Clark's pride isn't fragile. His self-esteem isn't in question. Sure, he worries about things, but there's a core of strength about knowing who he is, what he stands for, who /he/ protects, and why. He doesn't believe he's all powerful, but he doesn't consider himself weak, either. He's balanced.

"I appreciate that... you care so much for me," Clark says. He's truly able to find the intention behind what she's saying, and identify the positive. It's Superman's magical skill: finding the best in people and helping them to see it.

Lois Lane has posed:
Lois offers him a smile. She's pretty sure he'd have been nice about it even if he /had/ been a little offended. That was very Clark. "I do care. I just wanted you to know how much, even if it's in a silly way." She did, of couse, do it all behind his back. She'd have been incredibly embarrassed if he caught on.

She takes a bite of her food, looking at it for a moment. "I'll do my best, with all of this," she says, looking up. "Cause I think you're worth trying for, Smallville."

Clark Kent has posed:
Clark continues to smile at her, a softened look to his gaze. Appreciation for her kind words to him. What they're trying to build: the bricks upon the deep mortar that had been laid for years.

"I know you will. I will, too," Clark replies. He reaches across the table to touch her hand, then smile more, then draws back. For the rest of the meal he engages her in talk about other stories of work, easier things for them to fall into. Bringing 'real life' into a mixture with this date and relationship. Feeling through it all. Seeing how it fits together, the pieces of their lives.

When the dinner's done, Clark cleans up, putting things in the sink and the leftover food away. "How's the new phone working out?"

Lois Lane has posed:
It's a strange mix of things now, their usual balance of things and then the sudden realization of bits being different. Lois is finding it pleasantly suprising how affectionate he is. So she tries to return the favor when it seems appropriate, which she does, trailing a hand lightly across his back as she sweeps past him to bring some of the dishes into the kitchen.

"It's good, thank you. It's times like these that I'm very glad that cloud backups are a thing. I didn't lose anything, just a little bit of time setting things back up the way I like them." She pauses. "Thank you for getting it for me. That was very sweet of you."

Clark Kent has posed:
With how much Clark reacts to her brushing her hand across his wide back, she may as well have brushed her hand over his butt. There's a shift to his spine and upper back as she touches him, and he glances to the side she's moving to quickly. It's a sense of him being self-conscious, maybe: he isn't used to her touching him in that manner. It'll take some getting used to!

"well, it benefits me to not have my partner have any downtime. And no excuses to not text me before chasing a lead," Clark appends. He washes his hands after rinsing down the dishes, and then moves to the coffee, to pour two cups, and offer her one.

Lois Lane has posed:
Seeing his movement, Lois grins a bit sheepishly. "Sorry," she apologizes, not for her action but for the fact she hadn't intended to startle him. "I'll try to be careful." She moves to take the coffee from him, offering him a smile.

"Drat, caught me red-handed. I was gonna sneak off without you again." She takes a long sip from her cup of coffee. "It makes sense for you to do it for work purposes, but I was thanking you because you were being sweet when I needed a little something to keep me together."

Clark Kent has posed:
Clark coughs once, looking down into his coffee. His brows furrow together a little bit as he sorts through what he wants to say. "I..." He taps his fingers against his mug. "Both of those things I said were true," he says, finally. "But I... wanted to help. That your phone wasn't something you needed to worry about. Something that I could do for you." Clark watches his coffee a moment longer, and then looks back up to her eyes. He's trying to open to the real reason he did it. Old habits are excuses and pretending it's just better for him. But he did it for her.

"I want to be here for you. To keep you together whenever you want it."

Lois Lane has posed:
"You've been here for me for a long time, Clark, I'm just now getting to really appreciate it. Appreciate /you/. Might take some getting used to. Not in a bad way. I'm getting to know the Clark Kent that I was blind to before," Lois says, looking into her coffee mug for a moment. "I really do mean thank you. I hope you understand I hope I can do the same for you."

It's strange to get into a new routine, when what they're used to is years old. An extra step to a dance routine changing the timing and forcing everything to change just a little bit. "You being around helps, you know. After all that happened at the bank... I really just wanted to see you afterwards."

Clark Kent has posed:
Clark peeks at her as she talks about the bank, and being around him. There's some kind of odd little injury in there. Or perhaps it is more of just a deeply held /hope/. That she's saying things he's wanted to hear for so long and so badly, he can't quite believe it. It's making his heart feel like it's full. And it registers on his face.

"I... really?" Clark asks her, lamely. He smiles awkwardly, and steps towards her, a sideways sidle to nudge her arm with his elbow. This is a normal friendly move, low impact: an elbow nudging her is well within normal Clark domain - it doesn't bring his physique any attention. So it's comfortable. Safe.

Lois Lane has posed:
Maybe the familiar friendly gesture is offered and received, but it moves from friendly to more affectionate a moment later as Lois leans her weight lightly against him, resting against his side. Not too far off from what she would have done before, but it's certainly a little more intimate. She sips her coffee, then glances at him.

"There was a chance for us. I'd barely gotten a chance to see what we could be and I remember thinking that I just wanted to get out of there and I wanted to see you when I did." There's the tiniest, tiniest hint of an actual blush at the confession. She's always a little embarrassed when she's soft like this.

Clark Kent has posed:
Clark watches her come to softly lean against him. He doesn't stumble or act like he's off-balance: he just doesn't want to. He wants to be strong for her, and it overrules his 'mild reporter' thing. From the emotional weight that she's leaning on him.

Clark puts his coffee aside on the counter, to free his hand up. He puts one hand slowly around her back, fingers passing across her spine to the narrowest point of her waist.

"Lois," Clark says, voice full of her, and whatever he can't quite express.

His other hand comes to her coffee, to sort of half-hold it, direct it out away from her body, and then lean in and down to brush his lips on her forehead. The motion with her coffee? Exclusively to be sure it didn't tip on her by accident.

Lois Lane has posed:
It's hard to dwell in that emotionally soft zone for too long and Lois is never fond of it, she's always worried she comes off as weak. So his gentle way of guiding things around her has her setting her coffee aside so she can just be there with him for a moment.

"Sorry, I..." But she doesn't know where to go with her apology, just that she feels sorry for something. Sorry for going sappy and weak kneed and letting emotions get the better of her? She takes a deep breath in, straightening up to try and sort everything back together in its proper emotional and mental spot.

Clark Kent has posed:
Clark lets go of the coffee as she moves it aside, and instead moves more in front of her, kissing one cheek, then the other, then lips, one hand still at her lower back, the other barely in the side of her hair.

"Come here?" Clark asks quietly, as if it were all his idea. Nothing's weak with her, he's just asking permission to hold her for himself. He'd never want to make her look bad or feel bad.

"Everything's okay. I love you," Clark reminds her. "You're perfect just like you are. Just like this."

Lois Lane has posed:
While the softness hasn't receded, Lois at least has it under better control. She steps forward, meeting her body with his as she leans against him, her own arms moving to wrap around him so she can just hold him there. She does laugh, just slightly.

"I don't know if I'm so perfect, Smallville, but you seem happy, so I guess that's all I can ask of myself."

Clark Kent has posed:
"Clark Kent's words come with integrity you can take to the bank," Clark teases her, using one of the funny quotes about his writing style that's followed him around through his stories about revealing criminal practices. Much like Lois Lane always gets the scoop, Clark has his own fame, for what he's known for.

"I am happy.... to hear you laugh," Clark chuckles, daring to put arms around her and give her a little surprise: a brief little pick-up and half spin before he puts her down. Not a big show of strength, not at all, but a little attempt at a flirt... just to see what she does, and if it too can be 'safe'.

Lois Lane has posed:
"I want to know what kind of bank takes integrity and what kind of return on investment I get for that kind of thing," Lois jokes, looking back at him. And then he does it. The little spin. She clings to him, the way she does when Superman picks her up, but she laughs, clearly /delighted/ by the little move. It's just enough that she believes he can do it, but not too much. It seems he was able to land in the safe zone.

"You certainly do seem very happy, Clark Kent. I'm glad to be a part of that."

Clark Kent has posed:
The sudden cling brings in a rush of the memories of saving Lois, to Clark. Because of course, that felt very similar indeed to how she holds onto him for a rescue.

"You're the cause, Miss Lane," Clark answers her, making her use of his full name turn extremely polite in return of hers. He looks at her, into her eyes, a lingering pause of quiet from him, before leaning in, hesitating a little, and then offering a secure, very real, kiss. An assertiveness Clark is starting to slowly allow into their new relationship. Cautiously and carefully.

Lois Lane has posed:
For a moment, the way he says that reminds her a lot of Superman. But then there's a kiss, a distracting one, and that thought gets pushed aside in favor of Lois being in the moment. Her arms are already tight around him, so she simply leans against him a little as she kisses him back. It's certainly the type of kiss she could get used to.

The assertiveness is new, but a lot of Clark's new actions are ones she can chalk up to them finding their way in a new relationship. Like this kiss. Clark seemed very comfortable with instigating it when she would have guessed he'd be much more shy. He had fallen into a comfort level with her.

Clark Kent has posed:
Knowing Lois loves him has done massive amounts for his comfort, clearly. He wraps her up in his arms as if he'd be loathe to let her go, the kiss gaining strength as he allows himself to relax and love her, and be loved back. It's more than he thought they'd find or have together, and he's starting to believe in it.

Lois Lane has posed:
Every time he let her in just a little bit more, every time she began to understand him, was the tiniest feeling that there was something more she was missing. Never enough to bother her, just a snowball starting ro roll down a hill. Her arms stay around him, she remains resting against him, and she just stays in the kiss for as long as he'd like. She doesn't mind basking in this happy feeling for a long time.