Owner	Pose
Clark Kent	It's midday; some time ago, Lois Lane went out to run errands. Clark checks both the wall clock and his watch, and frowns. Maybe she decided to do some other things, but they're supposed to have an all-hands meeting in the bullpen soon. Then his phone rings at his desk, and he picks it up. "Daily Planet, Clark Kent," he greets.
Lois Lane	"Clark, it's Lois," she sounds... tired? "Don't worry." She /always/ says that when she knows he's going to anyway. "I got caught up with something at the bank, so I'm... running a little late."
Clark Kent	"If I promise not to worry too much, will you tell me what's actually going on?" Clark asks, not entirely worried yet. There's a sound of him switching the phone to his other ear; he much prefers his mobile, but the filter of the desk phone is still useful a lot of the time. For times when a mobile phone is busted and Lois had to call the Planet itself. Who knows people's actual numbers anymore? "Please tell me you were not /inside/ this bank that's hitting the news right now," Clark requests. An intern brings him some papers, he points at his inbox. Why did he even ask? "Are you okay? I'll come get you."
Lois Lane	"I was definitely inside the bank that's hitting the news right now," Lois informs him. "But I'm relatively okay. EMTs checked to make sure I don't have concussion and the lip's definitely not as bad as it probably looks." She might ordinarily tell him she's fine and doesn't need him to get her, but circumstances are a bit different now. "Okay, I'll wait for you."
Clark Kent	"/Concussion/?" Clark repeats. "Why didn't you call my cell?" he asks, gathering up his belongings from the desk, pulling on his coat as he juggles the phone a bit, finally just putting it down so he can use both hands. It isn't like he can't hear her reply or something.
Lois Lane	"I don't have your number memorized! My phone's kind of got a bullet hole." She sounds like she's scowling. "I gotta buy a new one."
Clark Kent	"Stay put, I'll be right there; I'll find you," Clark assures her. He always does, somehow. A magical homing beacon: or just knowing where she is, in this case. The bank isn't far from the Planet anyway, so this won't be difficult; he'll just jog. On arrival, Clark confers quickly with one of the police officers he recognizes, and is sent in Lois's direction. He has a plastic bag with him: a few things from the way over, something blocky in it. When he spots her his worry mounts, and he jogs over to her quickly. His clear intent is that he'd like to scoop her up and hug her, but there's a little anxious 'am I allowed to PDA' pause to it.
Lois Lane	Lois answers the question by hurrying over to meet him once he gets in close, and she's hugging him in an instant. Looks like PDA is on the table, or at least she certainly doesn't care about it right now. She looks alright, maybe a bit frazzled, a split lip, some redness to her cheek, though it's difficult to tell at this point if it'll bruise. "I'm okay, I'm okay," she assures him. "I just have /really/ bad timing."
Clark Kent	"You tripped and stubbed your face during a bank robbery?" Clark teases her, hugging her close with a rush of worry and relief. She seems like herself, at least. He lifts one hand to gently attempt to angle her chin up just a hair so he can see better, eyes critical. He lowers his head to kiss her forehead. He doesn't have trouble with PDA, clearly. "I brought gifts," he says, shaking the arm that has the baggie over it. He expects her to snare it and go through it immediately without further prompting. It contains Ibuprofen, a 'cold pack' for her face, and a new phone.
Lois Lane	"Stubbing your face during a bank robbery is /your/ thing, Smallville. I'd hate to take that from you," Lois says, her sense of humor is still just fine. "I got backhanded for talking. Couldn't see straight for like a full minute." That part doesn't sound quite as humorous. "It wasn't really a bank robbery either, well, not entirely." He's correct that she's after it as soon as it's waved in front of her. "I didn't know that unwittingly stumbling into trouble nets you a goodie bag." She looks at the contents, then flashes him a smile. "/Thank you/." She does sound honestly grateful.
Clark Kent	"Did you drive or walk?" Clark asks, still examining her head visually, concerned but downplaying it a little bit. She'll lead his fussing over her like a billboard, though. He's more worried about her than the robbery itself, though he has cast a penetrating look towards the bank as if suspicious of it. Maybe listening, watching. As if he could see or hear anything! "/Unwittingly/ does. Intentional, well." Less goodie bags maybe. ---Maybe.
Lois Lane	"I walked. I wasn't expecting to have to do much, just pick up and drop off a few things. I thought the bank would only take a minute," Lois chuckles slightly at the thought. By now, the culprits have been carted off and they're clearing out the body of the one civilian casualty. "Yeah, well, I don't appreciate the unwitting stumbling into trouble. I'm less prepared for that."
Clark Kent	"Okay," Clark says, still watching her carefully, but not being quite as clingy about it. His gaze contains the concern, though he's trying not to crowd. She does seem okay, and he's relaxing out of his anxiety over her being in danger. "We'll walk back to the planet when you're ready?" Clark suggests.
Lois Lane	She might not be in danger now, but she certainly was before. "They wanted a body count," Lois offers the information after a moment. "They were trying to make some kind of example." She frowns after a moment. "Once they were taken care of, one of the guys made some comment about how they could do what they wanted because Superman was dead. That they were just going to take over." She pauses, just for half a second. "So I punched him." That actually gets a little laugh out of her. "Didn't help much, but I felt better about it." There's a slow nod. Getting out of the whole mess of things would probably make things easier. "Yeah, we should go..."
Clark Kent	"Lois," Clark says, with caring dismay, at her explanation about punching the murdering bank-robber spectacle-makers. He wrinkles his nose at her, but then attempts to hug her to him one-armed. "What stopped them? The Police arriving?" Clark asks. With her agreement about getting out of there, he begins to draw her with him, as if he somehow could physically block more punches that might go her way. How laughable, Clark taking any punches!
Lois Lane	"Someone in there, don't know where he came from, some kind of creature. His body sort of... moved?" Lois is trying to think of anyone she's seen with a similar ability. "I don't know, like cthulu or something. At first I thought he was just going for everyone, but I could hear him talking and he asked me to go hit the alarm. So he was definitely there to get people out." She briefly leans against Clark before allowing him to guide her away from the mess that was there. She's letting details slip, one by one, but it's the fear that she doesn't let go of. "The thing left before the cops came. We had to guard the guys by ourselves for a good thirty seconds or so before the cops came in. That manager is gonna need therapy."
Clark Kent	"Some kind of shadowy vigilante?" Clark asks, picking up on the situation quickly. "You guarded the guys? I can see that." He certainly can see that, although he hopes that wasn't a massive stressor. She's a powerful woman, but that's an ordeal for anybody, bank mangers included. "I'm just glad you're okay," Clark says again, seeking to hold her hand, securely; something he would not have ventured before the previous night, from opening up about feelings. "I'd rather take you home and put ice cream in front of you, than deal with the Planet," Clark ventures. "I can get an intern to take notes on that meeting."
Lois Lane	"That sounds like a very good idea," Lois agrees. "I don't know that I could handle a lot of people right now." She's at least aware of her own limitations right now. "I kind of would like to be somewhere I feel safe." There's some kind of meekness asking that. She doesn't /want/ this all to get to her. It still does, though. Little bits of it break through the cracks and remind her, sometimes, that life is fragile. "I bet you're glad I'm getting you out of that meeting, huh?" It's an attempt at a joke, though it's a bit forced.
Clark Kent	Clark's just happy to get his way in is goal of taking care of her. That she's not arguing about needing to go screaming off somewhere and proving she's a warrior is a relief. And a slight flutter of butterflies, too: she seems to be letting him in, letting him see the softer Lois on purpose. Not just when she's barely conscious or suffering a concussion. "Yes, you're my ticket out of it," Clark agrees, fine with the forced joke, and going along with it, as they walk back to the Planet's parking.
Lois Lane	She can trust him. He's safe. It's easier with someone to count on. Not that she couldn't count on him before, but there's sort of an emotional level Lois keeps locked up most of the time. But he's not out of the woods, because Lois is still in reporter mode. "I'm hoping the police will get some good info out of the lead one. He blabbed a little before but didn't really give us a clear idea of who he was working for or what person or group his example message was supposed to be to." She's holding it together now, but the cracks are there. The same cracks he saw as Superman when she'd narrowly escaped danger before.
Clark Kent	"Can you give me a run-down of what happened?" Clark asks, following her desire to be in reporter mode. Going over the experience and the facts may focus and steady her. Besides, he'd like to have the full story instead of a scattering of pieces about what went down. "Where were you when it started?" This is a common tactic, she'll smell gentle reporter leading, no doubt.
Lois Lane	It's good insight. If she's working, she's not thinking about her personal feelings, only the facts. "I was in the line for the teller," Lois says slowly. "They came in and looked more like a SWAT team than just a bunch of guys robbing a bank. It was excessive, I've seen the typical bank robbers. They come in, they want the money, they get out. They don't /want/ to shoot anyone. Minimal violence. So that made me start wondering if there was something else going on, coming in with assault rifles and body armor." Someone else might not have thought of it, but she noticed. She fishes through her purse and pulls out the car keys, passing them over to him as they approach.
Clark Kent	Clark accepts the keys, trading the keys for the plastic bag of goodies, the unlock the car and get into the driver's seat. He didn't drive today, he took public transit, so there's no difficulty with his own car. The man often uses public transit when able (or flies, shh). "I would have thought maybe it was an intimidation factor at first, to have all that. Really intimidating. These guys wanted to kill someone, though?" Clark asks.
Lois Lane	Lois almost never lets Clark drive, but she's letting him do a lot of things right now. It's the vulnerable side. She holds the plastic bag, fishing out the bottle of ibuprofen. She opens it and swallows two without even bothering with water. "Sure, they were intimidating. Found out from the police when we came out they rolled up in /armored cars/. They were expecting a fight." She leans her head back against the headrest of the seat. "One of them recognized me. That's why my phone got shot. They were checking for anything I could record or take photos with. Just tossed the thing and shot it.
Clark Kent	Clark did look around his immediate seat for any water or liquid for her, and came up with an empty water bottle from the door. No help. He puts it back, and instead directs his attention to driving: as in, putting the seat back, because he's a lot taller than she is - fixing the mirror, and then pulling out of the Planet's parking. "Did they push on anyone else? What made them focus on the person that was killed?" Clark inquires, tone containing his frown.
Lois Lane	"By then that shadow creature thing had been lurking around, taking out some of the goons up on the second floor. They figured it out, lined everyone up, said that they'd execute someone every ten seconds until he came out," Lois breathes out slowly. "I was standing there next to an elderly gentleman. Before he even started counting he just turned and shot him, right in the head." That's the part she was avoiding saying, because it's the part that makes her the most uncomfortable. "The shadow creature stepped in when they were counting down on me." She clears her throat a little, trying to focus on something to distance her from the intensity.
Clark Kent	Clark blinks and looks at her sharply. Fortunately, there was a stoplight, so that his staring at her isn't a hazard. He doesn't say anything, though, just a stare, at how close that danger really was, and then the light changes, so he keeps going. He does reach his hand across to the zone between them, palm up. It's there if she wants it.
Lois Lane	Lois glances back over at him, then at the offered hand, and she takes it. "I'm okay," she says afterwards. "I just don't like feeling helpless." Usually she can try talking her way out. This wasn't a situation she could. It had made it worse to start, and she was sporting a sore face as proof of that. "I'm okay," she repeats, but it's not really for him this time.
Clark Kent	"/Nobody/ does," Clark answers, weaving fingers and squeezing her hand. Even if he were Superman, there isn't anything he can do for her other than to support her getting through it. Life's dangerous; there's bad with all of the good. Soon enough he's made it to her apartment parking, and parks. He fixes the seat back to her height setting as he gets out: always mindful, and comes around to meet her by the back of the car. "How's the cheek?" Concern can only be bottled up so long before he has to fuss over her again.
Lois Lane	Lois comes around the back of the car with the plastic bag in hand, moving to take his hand with her other. "It hurts but not as bad. I really hope it doesn't bruise, I don't know that any amount of makeup is gonna cover that up." She's certain people will /ask/ if it's obvious that she's been injured. She leads the way in this instance... either falling back into her usual habits or perhaps needing to exert some agency in the situation. She steals the keys back from him so she can open the door, letting out a sigh of relief once they're inside. She can finally /breathe/.
Clark Kent	Even though he literally had JUST been holding her hand in the car he reacts to her taking his hand. It's still shiny and new and causes a little surge of emotion. Partially since she chose to do it and he didn't necessarily expect it. He follows up to her apartment, closing the door after they're inside. He may be listening to the change in her heart rate, the flutter of her heart and her brave face. Clark wants to gather her up and hold her close, something he usually doesn't get to act on. Usually he just sort of looks at his feet awkwardly. There IS a pause, but then he moves to her while she's putting down the keys, with a hug from behind, drawing his forearms around her middle, nose against her hair.
Lois Lane	If it's Clark finally acting on his feelings or Clark simply being supportive in one of the rare moments she's letting herself be vulnerable in front of him, Lois doesn't care. What she cares about is that he's there. He hugs her from behind, holding her while she leans back against him. It's relative safety, to her. It feels good, safe, that he's there. "Thanks for coming with me. I didn't expect to be so shaken up afterwards. I thought I'd just be able to move forward right away."
Clark Kent	It's a /little/ bit Superman, but if Clark policed every single thing that reminded anyone of Superman he'd be a shell of a secret identity hiding in a cabinet under the stairs. "I've had a gun to my head, too. It's not a small thing." He breathes deeply and evenly, hoping his steady presence can somehow transmit through to her from his broad chest.
Lois Lane	Even if it is Superman-like, it doesn't even occur to her. To Lois, it's the man that she loves. It's natural. She doesn't think about who it is. She relaxes, her eyes shutting as she tries to focus on just calming everything down. "You were scared too." It's not a question. It's just a matter of her being able to connect with a moment with him. So she's not alone in it.
Clark Kent	Clark would like to pick her up and carry her someplace. But he's not going to push his luck. "I've been threatened with my life on the line. Yes." DOOMSDAY. "Scared is normal. It's our bodies trying to save us," Clark answers. He's muffled a little by his face in her hair, but still coherent. He gently begins to release her, uncrossing his arms from her midsection. "Surviving's important," says the man that often gets the hell out of the way of trouble. Clark's got a very good sense of when things are going to go pear-shaped, he's generally nowhere to be found, until afterward. His cowardice hasn't been as large of an issue lately, though.
Lois Lane	Lois hugs the arms holding her before she lets him release her. Her purse is abandoned, but the plastic bag of helpful items is carried with her. She does, once more, take his hand to lead him to sit with her on the couch... even though he is more than capable of walking to it himself. He's a regular visitor to that couch, but she seems to want the contact. Once she's seated, she offers him a smile. "You're good at surviving. You're here." Regardless of what has happened to him in life... he is, in fact, there with her now. He's survived, somehow.
Clark Kent	"I'll teach you all my tricks. Often involves being under a table," Clark teases her, blushing. He comes around her to the couch, more to one end. He bends to hook his thumb into the back of one shoe, then the other, quickly pulling them off. He sits back, facing her, but the hand out invites her to get close. Not just allowing a snuggle, but offering it if that's what she'd like now. He's feeling his way through the new adjustment to their relationship. Which, so far, has just amounted to doing the things he's stopped himself from offering her before.
Lois Lane	"Clark Kent, master of defense," Lois murmurs. Kicking her own shoes off haphazardly, she sinks onto the couch and moves to settle in against him as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Because, in a way, it is. It's their same relationship, just a little more affectionate. More feelings involved. It's not a complicated thing, it's a familiar addition. So, when he offers, it's accepted without a second thought once she's upon the couch. "You've got a good sense of when to run. I've been in a lot of scrapes before, but usually I come in knowing what I'm doing. I like to face danger on my own terms if I have to face it." She gives him a smile. "I did say I'd start bringing you along, though." She's uncertain if Clark would like the idea of a date night involving dinner followed up by sneaking into a conveniently unlocked door to go get a scoop.
Clark Kent	"Yes, for your next /planned/ danger-venture," Clark agrees. "At least that way we'll cut out the part of you needing to detail out everything that happened, since I'll see it." Clark pauses. "From under the table." He's kidding. Sort of. He wouldn't ditch her if she were in direct trouble. Not unless Superman would be a lot better in a given situation, anyway. "Do you have like danger-venture Tuesdays you schedule?" he asks, while helping her settle against him, arms coming around her protectively. Nobody'll get at her while she's there.
Lois Lane	Lois leans in close, planting a kiss on his cheek, in spite of the split lip. "Sure, as long as you stay under there and don't get hurt," she teases, then grins at him. "Gotta protect you." It's cute, the way she's talking protecting him... and really, she /does/ feel protective of him. Resting herself against him, she smiles. "I should make a schedule of it. You should help me find a disguise though... I'm getting to be too popular. I'm a celebrity in the criminal underworld."
Clark Kent	"Your hospital disguise was pretty good," Clark reminds her encouragingly. "I was convinced by it," Clark chuckles softly, returning her grin with his more reserved, calm smile. "We need to get you some plaid, and nobody will ever suspect the fashion-forward Lois Lane could ever be caught dead in it. People see what they want to see, I think. We all do. That's why when you ask someone what color a white getaway car was, you get silver, gray, and white."
Lois Lane	"You're a pretty good kisser, Clark Kent, I never would have expected it from you. Glad no one else gets to discover that secret." That's a secret Lois is certainly keeping to herself. "I just need to wear something not designed by Janet." The plaid is honestly to the worst idea in the world. "Because, let's be serious, I /am/ going to go somewhere dangerous and if I don't do something I'm gonna be getting 'Hey isn't that Lois Lane' when I'm trying to talk my way through something." Getting spotted is how you end up disappearing and she's got too much to come back to now.
Clark Kent	"No, I'd rather just trust you with my secrets," Clark says, with a softened humility. Perhaps something about her comment about his secrets touched him, there's a bashful quality to his response. "Steve Rogers says a baseball cap is the best disguise ever," he says, with some amusement. "Seemed to work okay when we have coffee."
Lois Lane	"I'll keep your secrets any day, Clark Kent." Lois replies, thinking nothing of it. Instead, she nuzzles in against him, enjoying the new sensation of being able to do that. "Steve Rogers is a really good guy," she says, focusing on the Steve and not the hat part of the conversation. "Pretty sure he'd be there for you if you ever needed anything." He did, after all, promise to look out for Clark.
Clark Kent	"Friend /and/ story source, what more could I ask for?" Clark asks, with a quick smile, eyes dropping to watch her nuzzle her face into his shirt and collar. Her hair is fluffed from it, and he loves seeing it. He lifts a hand to muss her hair a little more to the side, a reflection of caring in his gaze if she checks for it. "I'm not sure about Janet. I know you are friends but she can sometimes be ..." Clark weighs his words. "a little pushy."
Lois Lane	"I know, that's why I didn't ask Janet for ad--" Lois realizes what she's saying almost too late. "--advice about anything except clothing." Lois gives him a warm smile, though she makes a face as he messes up her hair a bit. It's more of a faux angry look than anything. "Steve's a good one, though. I know he'd have your back."
Clark Kent	The fake angry look gets a fake apologetic one, but he does brush his fingers into her hair, smoothing It back. He made his own excuse to put his hand in her hair, it appears: mess it up to fix it! Sneaky man. "Good timing, meeting him. Barely a month ago, now, and on a fluke. We both just happened to be out by Superman's memorial."
Lois Lane	As if he needed an excuse to touch her hair now. Lois reaches up a hand to causally ruffle his hair from where she's comfortably settled, intent on a whole lot of not moving. "Still weird to go there and see that, to be honest, knowing what I know now."
Clark Kent	Clark catches her hand gently as she draws down from his hair, puts a soft kiss to her wrist. It's meant as a comfort. There's a sadness in his gaze, too. She's not the only one impacted by the original loss of Superman, obviously. Though of course in a very different way. "I know what you mean," Clark sighs. "It's still a memorial. Until he does return. If he does. He /should/ though. He's Superman, he can't just abandon us."
Lois Lane	"You forget, I've gotten to talk to him up close," Lois teases lightly. "He's a good man. He'll come back. He wants to help. He just needs his time. He'll get around to it. He's still a person behind everything. I don't think dying is something you just get over." Lois tips her head up a bit so she can plant a kiss, this one on his jawline. "Superman would never abandon us. You just have to believe in him."
Clark Kent	"I didn't forget," Superman -errrr, Clark - laughs. He smiles, blush present, at her kiss to his jaw. Those kisses are still so new and so welcome. His heart rate responds in kind. "Have you tried to talked to him since--- since?" Clark asks. He doesn't entirely know that answer: the answer to how she's handling that particular ball of drama. He does know there haven't been any flowers, or any visits. He's kept Superman the entirely away. He hasn't even flown anywhere, not since Lois wanted /Clark/, just like he is. Maybe there's some side of himself that wants to be what she thinks he is.
Lois Lane	"I haven't talked to him because I don't know what to say," Lois admits, hiding her face against his shirt. "I care about him. And he cares about me. I don't... I don't want him to be alone. I've seen how hard things can be for him and I know he'll understand, I just... I'm worried he'll just pull away entirely. No one deserves to be alone like that without someone to connect with." She sighs. "People always try the 'lets be friends' thing and somehow it doesn't ever work. Superman is still a /man/. It's not gonna feel great."
Clark Kent	This already does not feel great. The level of personal responsibility and guilt is massive. What can Clark even say? He just doesn't say anything, he instead hugs her tightly, offers a gentle but lingering kiss, and just listens to her work through it verbally. "I'd offer to be there but I don't think that'll work." There's reasons for that.
Lois Lane	If only she knew what a job her words were doing. Lois heaves a sigh. "Worse case scenario he cuts me out of his life entirely and wants nothing to do with me and I get pushed off a building and that's the end of that," Lois is joking, but the idea of Superman cutting her out is a possibility that she doesn't like but doesn't want to ignore. "Best case scenario? He's hurt but he understands you got to my heart before he did but he's willing to let me be his friend and someone to talk to. He needs someone, not necessarily in a romantic sense, but he needs someone and I feel like he's wanted it to be me."
Clark Kent	"Well, let's think through it," Clark suggests, in the same way he'd approach a case. This one's just personal and slightly dangerous. But also it's better to talk about it, not get caught /avoiding/ talking about it. Logic. "Say you died, and when you returned, everyone had mourned you and moved on," Clark says, thoughtful, with an edge of empathetic pain. "Or maybe the world blames you for things that happened while you were gone? Like Genosha. Where /was/ he?" Clark pauses, then continues, "Maybe your other heroes. Your super-team. They'd be good, right?"
Lois Lane	"I imagine it would be rough with everyone moving on," Lois murmurs. "But that's just it. Think about it, Clark. We're all individuals. Say... I die. What if some reporter steps up, does all the stuff I do, fits right in the shoes. Is that going to be the same? It's not. It's about the person, not the cape. Superman needs to show that he's vulnerable, that he's a person like other people, but he's picking himself up from his lowest point and finding a way for the world to heal alongside him." She's sorting it through like she would a story. "If people try to blame Genosha on him, I'd like to sock them in the face myself. /Especially/ if it's Lex Luther. What happened on Genosha was horrific. I don't know if there was a reason for him not to be there. Superman /died/. Coming back from something like that isn't easy. Maybe we need to remind people of his humanity..." She shrugs. "He eats breakfast cereal. He /sits on couches/. He's not perfect, expecting him to be is... just wrong." She sits up a bit, just so she can look at him. She's in writer mode. "Lex's speech... he was talking about how governments expected Superman to fix things. That we were hiding behind Superman. That now that Superman's gone, everyone needs to step up and be super." She grins. "So do the opposite. Superman comes back, you have him embrace humanity. You don't have to be just like him. It was there, all along, because he's /just like you/. You blow Luther's argument out of the water, you leave people connecting with Superman..."
Clark Kent	"No, you're right. We're all individuals. People can step up, but not replace Superman," Clark says, though what his mood is around that may be hard to fathom: if he's for or against the replacement of Superman fully. "Lex could spin his return the other way, though. That he didn't help," Clark answers. "We know Lex's team will go into spin control very wildly about it, to protect his canidacy. Would Superman's return possibly /help/ him?"
Lois Lane	"Honestly, I don't think so. Here's the thing, regardless of the fact that Superman was dead, the public doesn't hold that against him. I was in the crowd at Lex's rally, he gave his little tirade against Superman and there was an audible difference in the number of people who had clapped before and the number of people who were clapping after." Lois jabs her finger into his chest. "If /you/ had been there you would've seen it." That's a tease, as is the way she pokes his chest again. "You don't secretly work out or something, do you?" Still, she's talking about /Superman/, so the muscular chest doesn't have her full attention. "I can tell you that there are a lot of people who are homesick for feeling like Superman is there for them. So many people /inspired/. So many of those people are people who could inspire others in turn. I can't honestly see Lex spinning it in any direction."
Clark Kent	Clark draws one hand back to rub the poor jabbed spot, and gives her a pouty-grump look, not dignifying her strange comment about his chest with a response. Besides, there's Superman to talk about! He draws her hand up towards his hair again -- still not ideal but safer to play in. "I'm not saying we shouldn't write this article. I'm almost wondering if we need something to go /really wrong/ so that he comes back with something to carry that narrative. Which... is not a great thing to wish for, I know. But it would block Lex from gaining any ground, wouldn't it?"
Lois Lane	"Part of me agrees with that. I feel like we need the article to be ready for whenever it happens, and then if something big happens, Superman can save the day, we can go report on it, and then publish the article immediately after that," Lois nods a little bit. "Superman doesn't just walk down the street. He saves the day. So... we just let him do what he's good at, what he's always done. Not like we can /stage/ it, but this city's good at causing trouble. I mean, look at the bank." That would have been a great example of where Superman could have made an impact. Unfortunately, it was also something that would have been very hard to call for Superman in. Unless he'd just been nearby and heard, it would have been hard for that to really work. "In a way, we're the spin doctors for Superman's political campaign. He's just not running for office."
Clark Kent	"No, though with the odd choices this year? I wouldn't even be shocked if he somehow decided to do it," Clark laughs teasingly with a roll of his eyes. He would be /extremely/ shocked, in fact; politics isn't an area that Clark would ever want to be in at all. He's not the type for it. Clark examines her visually, clearly looking at her cheek. "How are you doing? did the medicine kick in?" Clark asks, diverting to one of his most common topics: being concerned for Lois's wellbeing.
Lois Lane	"I'm starting to want it to be just anyone but Luthor. I feel like if he's president I'm gonna have a tail on me wherever I go to make sure I'm not snooping into his business," Lois laments, then looks back at him. "I'm okay, Smallville. I was shaken up, yes, face is feeling better... I bounce back. That's one of my strengths. Can't keep Lois Lane down for long," she states, giving him a broad smile.
Clark Kent	Clark makes a face as well, displeased, but he's generally not an extremely negative person, about the Luthor situation. "Maybe he'll have other things to do, finally. I hear the job actually is /work/," Clark chuckles somewhat. "Keep him busy." Clark lets that topic slide, focusing back on her. He inspects her cheek, but doesn't push more. He moves his head in to kiss her nose. "No, you're made of very strong stuff. You impress me daily."
Lois Lane	"I don't trust that he'll not find some way to ruin things somehow," Lois always finds Lex untrustworthy, /expecially/ when he's smiling and playing nice. The idea of keeping him busy, though, is an appealing one. Distracting Lex. She, too, is more than happy to move on to other topics. "You might be biased," she points out. "Because you love me and so you're contractually obligated to think I'm impressive."
Clark Kent	"Maybe that's so," Clark gives her, smiling at her further. Her passionate words, her spark of fire to her eyes, even the bruise forming on her cheek. How did he get so lucky to earn the love of this incredible woman? "I haven't really loved someone like this before, I don't have a good comparison. But that does't mean you aren't impressive."
Lois Lane	"It's a little bit of a different experience," Lois agrees as well. "I didn't know you were my type. Or that I /have/ a type. Kind of sounds like I'm into guys who are kind, sweet, caring, and very very good at wanting to do their part in the world." That seems like an appropriate description in her eyes. "But... this is us now." Her fingers play along the front of his shirt. "Lois and Clark." She remembers when she begrudgingly started adding him to the byline. Now, Lois and Clark was pretty much a given. It felt strange publishing her Death of Superman article without him. No Clark Kent there for that. That was a very dark and lonely time. "Right, so, what were we talking about? You distracted me with flattery."
Clark Kent	Clark deftly borrows her fingers again, this time to kiss them. Maybe he just likes to kiss her fingers. Or he's trying to evade where she jabbed a little bit. Maybe it can be both. "Lois and Clark," Clark confirms, his lips moving in a quirk of slightly suppressed smile before he lets it emerge. "I'm okay talking about us. And flattering you. I thought it might be a little..." he considers. "strange. But it's not. Is it." He searches her eyes.
Lois Lane	Lois smiles, both at the way he goes for her fingers and the way he talks. "It's kind of a little strange for this to not just be about work all the time. I can look at you and tell you what I admire about you without feeling like it's out of line or strange. I... admit that I kind of dove in feet first with all of this but it was like a ball rolling that I couldn't stop." There's a grin. "But this is so worth it. I feel really good about this." She pauses. "I still can't believe you didn't make a move on me, though..." There's /another/ pause. "Oh god, or did you and I never noticed."
Clark Kent	"I just.... I didn't think you felt something towards me," Clark says, his eyes dropping, the years of doing just that, of drawing back instead of making something awkward between them coming in. She's seen him do that thousands of times by now, this sort of little sidestep instead of meeting her eyes. So she doesn't read his emotions in them, maybe. Which may make some sense, since he ventures to peek at her again over his glasses, and there's an emotion there that's difficult to miss.
Lois Lane	"Fortune favors the bold, Clark Kent," Lois says, leaning in to nuzzle her face up in against his neck for a moment. "You're lucky I'm bold. I just kept kissing until I knew your secret." She laughs a bit. It very well could have gone differently, had he not been distracted. He might have been able to fake the kiss.
Clark Kent	Able? Maybe. Want to? Another thing. Clark gives her a fond, steady look, and catches her cheek with his fingers softly, to guide her up. "Maybe you'll learn all you need, that same way," he says. There's a gentleness to it, a longing, a loneliness, somehow, conveyed in the words, before he leans in and kisses her tenderly.
Lois Lane	There's a contentment that comes from the idea of kissing out his secrets. If she could kiss him a couple of times and find out hidden feelings for years, who knows what else she could find out. It was a way to the heart. Lois snuggles in close, kissing him back. Perhaps she could get secrets, but she'd take a stab at getting rid of that loneliness first.