16107/Been a While, Hasn't It

Been a While, Hasn't It
Date of Scene:	08 March 2024
Location:	Paris, France
Synopsis:	Lois and Clark reconnect a little bit in Paris.
Cast of Characters:	Superman, Lois Lane

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Superman has posed:
Seven-thirty PM, Metropolis. It's time for Lois to get out of work. Finally. Thankfully. A long day. Superman sightings plague the TV here, and there. It explains why Clark is out of the office and isn't answering his phone. By Seven Forty-five home is almost in sight for Lois as she walks. Step. Step. WHOOOSH.

Everything hits her like a rollercoaster when it takes the first big rush. The sensation comes with familiarity. An action done in the past, countless times, but hadn't really happened lately. And then there's the security of Clark's arms.

"You've had a long day. Let me worry about dinner, okay?" He gives her a soft smile. Although, Lois's heels may be casualties of this act. They're not the first pair to go missing.

It takes a good thirty minutes, but Lois can see where they're going eventually. The Eiffel Tower is coming into view.

Taking them to a nice spot very high up, there is already some blankets waiting, a few artificial lights waiting that look like part of the tower. Once Lois is down, he smiles, "Wait." And this time he can go faster so the wait is only five minutes. Clark sets down four hot dogs. Two with Ketchup, extra mustard, Relish, and Cheese. The other two extra ketchup, chili, cheese, and onion.

"You've been doing a lot to show you've changed. That you're trying hard, maybe it's time I try, too." Clark says softly and Lois can see Clark there in just a pair of jeans, some shoes and a simple shirt. No glasses, so there's no sleuthing. And no giant 'S' so pending an alien invasion, no Superman either. Just them.

"It's over two-am here. We just have the place to ourselves," the view is gorgeous, but is is late hence the blankets. To them it feels like fall. "I figured anyone can do a picnic. And you're not just anyone. So, this is me trying."

Lois Lane has posed:
    Lois is lucky she hadn't pulled her phone out in that moment. She was about to look at her messages. And then she's swept away. It's always a mystery where that lovely mind of Clark's will sweep her off to. It has been a while, though.

    "I would like that," she replies softly. Her heels are lost almost immediately. She doesn't complain. Instead she closes her eyes and snuggles into his arms. "This is nice," she says gently.

    It is new for her to actually sleep in his arms, but it was a long day, and the feeling of wind and the warmth of his embrace gets her to relax. She does open her eyes from time to time, and wakes up fully before they reach land. This way she can see Paris come into view.

    While Clark gets food, she is investigating. She recalls being here once before. She recalls the elevator cable breaking and all the emergency brakes failing. She much prefers where she stands now. By the time Clark returns, she is settled and curled up in some of the blankets as she stretches her legs out.

    "Oh wow," is her reaction to the hot dogs. She is smiling and looking strangely shy when Clark mentions how she's been working. But when he mentions it is his turn she looks at him intently. "Come sit with me, Smallville."

    She has said that nickname so many times and in so many ways. Never has she said it this tenderly. Her violet eyes remain locked on Clark's face.

Superman has posed:
Clark sits next to her. A smile pulls at his lips as he listens to her. "I'm sitting, Metropolis. How are you?" he asks looking at her. His sky blue eyes looking back at Lois.

"How are you?" he asks letting her catch up. Although the tenderness to Lois's words is not lost. Still, he will nuzzle close. "I figured dinner and a night on the town. I just didn't say which town," Clark grins and he is happy she felt comfortable enough to sleep here. And to trust him so high up. "What are you thinking?"

Some lights twinkle in the sky. The lights of city spreading across the area. But there's a little silent for Paris. Not quite the city that never sleeps, but it's sleeping with one eye open.

Lois Lane has posed:
    "I'm doing much better, now," Lois replies quietly. "It has been a long week. It's not so unusual, though. A lot of the normal. Perry seems to be getting accustomed to me setting boundaries." She laughs softly.

    "Thankfully I'm still doing well enough at the job."

    She pauses at the question about what is going on in her mind though! Lois grins at Clark, "I'm thinking about family, I suppose. And for a chance, I'm not thinking about work assignments. You know it is actually a relief, Clark. I feel free and everything is better because of it. Who knew that working fewer hours would actually make me better at my job?"

    Her gaze studies the city around them, then tips up to study the stars. "It's so beautiful here. More lovely at night than it is during the day."

Superman has posed:
"Why family?" he asks her. His gaze goin gto her and then he grabs a hot dog. "This is why everyone has been telling you to take a vacation. You're amazing, we were all worried you'd work yourself into the ground," he takes the first bit of his meal. then looking back up at the sky, "It is. You make it better, but it is still pretty beautiful," he says after swalloing said bite.

"I'm just happy we're talking. I hated when we didn't," Clark begins to open up a little. "And this isn't me chiding. I'm just saying, I like where we are now compared to months ago."

Lois Lane has posed:
    "Oh, just that I feel healthier, I suppose." She looks at him, then takes a bite. She does not speak with her mouth full, thankfully. That /was/ a habit of hers from the early days. Not her most attractive trait. "We feel healthier. I feel as ready as I will ever be, Clark. You know, I almost got caught looking at baby clothes! Could you imagine the rumors?" She laughs softly at herself.

    "I'm happy we are talking, too. I wonder, now. Was I just too scared? What I do was starting to become all I was. It was quite close to swallowing me whole. And now I realize I can be whatever I want to be."

    She leans over to kiss Clark on the cheek. "Including a wife and a mother." There's a laugh and she sighs, "It's hard to imagine sometimes. I mean just the idea of me pushing a stroller around is hard to quite picture."

Superman has posed:
"You seem mentally healthier," and then he takes a bite of his own hot dog. And Clark just listens to her go on about baby clothing. "Yes. They would wonder a lot about me," he says knowing Clark and Lois do not keep their wedding a secret really. They may not flash it every day, every second, but they're far from secretive. Clark likes to them of them as selectively reserved. They won't always gloat, and they'll try not to, but they're only human (relatively speaking).

"I think you just needed to figure out a few htings and now you have," Clark says softly offering his two sents. He's not sure the "what" of those questions. All he knows is that Lois seems to have found it.

A small blush comes to his face as she kisses his cheek.

"You'd be a Mama Bear and one of those coaching Soccer Moms yelling about bad calls," he could see her taking an interest in child activities. "I think you would tell them when they need improving, but on the flip side call out the bad stuff against refs, too."

Lois Lane has posed:
    Lois nods at the mention of mental health. "I feel that way." She looks at the sky and continues eating. She has a lot to think about, really, but whatever it is, it seems that she's happy about it.

    "It's funny how I can now actually be at home all day Saturday. Never leave. And just.. be okay with that," she says suddenly. "Me, Clark. At home. Not going out. Even if you are off stopping trains, catching planes, all of it. I can't imagine how that can be the case."

    She is laughing at herself more fully, now. "Oh, no! I don't want to be that mom! Everyone will say how horrible I am!" When has that ever stopped her? "I'd probably investigate the refs and find out they are taking cookie bribes."

Superman has posed:
Taking another bite of the hot dog of his own, he nods a bit. Clark has extra ketchup on a lot of his things. A trait gained from Martha Kent due to how she loves Beef Stroganav. His sky blue eyes slip back to Lois here and there. "You can go out on a Saturday and be a person. The story doesn't always have to follow you home," Clark pictures this may have been -kind of- like how Alfred talks to Bruce about actually enjoying life.

"Those girl scouts have their ways, Metropolis," Clark goes with the joke and he flashes a grin. "You may even become a dealer one day. Living to see yourself become what you hate," he chuckles and takes another bite.

Lois Lane has posed:
    Lois grins. "And so can you! Well, sometimes. When the world isn't about to end, anyway," she replies. There is a little difference between stories and what Clark gets up to with that cape on, after all.

    "Oh yeah, they sure do. And if I'm selling those things I'll make everyone in the office buy at least five boxes. Especially everyone who has weaseled me with the siren's call of those thin mints." She keeps up a good pace of eating. One dog down.

    "And you are right. I'll probably be that mom. I'm way too prone to being a pain in the butt. I can't help myself sometimes." A pause. "Okay almost all the time. But I have not gotten into a serious problem in the past two weeks." She hesitates. "That.. that mugger last weekend doesn't count. That wasn't my fault."

Superman has posed:
"I've been living lately. Well, trying to. I know it's harder for both of us more than others," but Clark has been trying. Part of the reason he went out to places like Big Belly Burger is to enjoy life. Well, try to enjoy life.

"And don't forget about the other fundraisers," Clark is almost afraid of how Lois will be in the office. He can see it now, her practically cornering people. Although, that could work against her, too.

Taking the last bite of the first he smiles to Lois's admittance. A look goes toward her as she talks about problems, "We both know that's a lie, Lane," Lois often tries to poke trouble with a stick. Sometimes literally! "I'm sure you went into troubles that I didn't see," that's doubtful. Still, Clark knows Lois will always be a little bit of a daredevil. That's in her blood.

Lois Lane has posed:
    "Fundraisers..." She is staring off and her eyes narrow. "Oh I'm going to get them all to donate, Clark. Especially Patty down in accounting who only comes up when she wants me to buy something for her daughter's cheerleading."

    Lois shakes her head and smiles. "I... really have a lot of animus about that, don't I?" She turns her attention more fully to Clark. "And what about you? Are you going to be the football coach for the kid if it happens to work out that way? Always having to sneak off for one reason or another, of course." She has a cheshire cat's grin.

    "And hey! That's not fair. The mugger part, I mean. He didn't have to pull out a gun just because I hit him with that brick. And if he didn't want that he shouldn't have tried mugging those young girls."

Superman has posed:
Oh. Clark thinks he touched a nerve. Oh, that's not his intention for tongiht. Takning a big bite of the hot dog, Clark tries to think. of a good way to back out. "You do," he says softly looking back to Lois for a moment. "You do have a bit of a bone to pick with that," Clark admits. Yes, he knows most people hate it when Patty visits. Still, he doesn't expect Lois to harbor feelings-that- strong. So, he really thinks about it.

A second later Lois throws a curveblal question. "I hadn't thought of it. I wasn't allowed to do that stuff growing up. I could have really hurt someone. So, I stuck to the sidelines," he admits. Clark knows that a bad situation could have brought a lot of unwanted attention real quick.

Clark just gives Lois a look when she talks about the mugger. It just reads, "Really?" without saying the word. The gaze just stays on her for a few more moments before his attention turns to his hot dog.

Lois Lane has posed:
    Lois laughs softly. "I am good at hiding frustration, Clark," she explains. Re: Patty, that is. But she moves on fast enough. "Oh well, her kid is really sweet. I actually met her last week." Add that to the confusing formula!

    She knows Clark is giving her that look. She knows he is. Still, she doesn't crack under this silent interrogation. Instead, she pauses in her eat, waits for him to not have his mouth full, and crawls into his lap. This is how Lois wins. By cheating.

    "Sorry, just getting a bit chilly." She is lying and since it is obvious as can be, she's clearly not trying very hard.

Superman has posed:
Clark just watches as Lois cheats by snuggling. He holds her close and just nods. "Mmmmhmmm," he says. His sky blue eyes watch her as she is snuggling against him. He holds her close. "I hope you enjoyed dinner," he whispers softly just letting go of that arguement for nwo. He holds her close to him, just savoring the moment.

Lois Lane has posed:
    Lois knows she was going to lose that argument, anyway! Rather than have that sour the mood, she is cuddling up. But she will at least say, "You are right. And I did enjoy it very much. It is just what I needed."

    Clark is almost always right, so it isn't a terribly shocking admission. She's just not interesting in dwelling on it. What she is interested in is having those arms of his wrapped around her. And once she gets that, she's content.

    "Thank you so much for this, Clark." She waits just a moment, "I love you, you know. Truly. I don't want to say the words and just... let them be. That you took the time to set this up for us, to sweep me away like this, it all means so much to me. I'm the luckiest woman in the world, because I get to come home to you."

Superman has posed:
Clark just holds Lois closer to him. He rubs at her back slowly and then whispers back, "You've been showing me that. I wanted to show you that in return. That's why we're here," he gives a soft smile and he will stroke at her back just enjoying the moment with her. "I'm just as lucky, Lois. Trust me, I am," he says softly just happy to be content int his moment.