2012-06-29 Message Delivered, Mostly...

There's a short Q&A session that Superman attends about the state of superheroes in today's world. It's put together by a host of government officials, politicians, and university professors, and there's a meet and greet and there's cookies and lots of smiling and handshaking and as it begins to die down, Superman smiles as he sees Lois. "Hi there. Didn't know you were coming up to the Expo. Are you enjoying yourself, Miss Lane?"

Lois is, of course, in attendance. How could she miss anything Superman does, I mean really now? She spends much of the Q&A trying really hard not to fidget, hoping to catch his eye and somehow give hima sign or a signal or something saying she wants him over HERE with her.

Resigning herself that she may have to go to plan c - fall off building - Lois is collecting her purse, back to the panel, when she hears Kal's voice behind her. She jumps, giving a little squeek of surprise, before turning to face him. Her cheeks redden immediately.

"Yeah..." she breathes, backbone seeming to melt. It lasts a second or two before she gasps and straightens up again. "I mean... Hi. Yes, I'm here covering the Expo with my coworker. I'm... actually really I ran into you... Um... Do you have a minute?" Her voice is soft, brows knitting, and her teeth bite at her lower lip. Her violet eyes track side to side.

"Yeah...can we talk out on the balcony? If it's just the same to you I'd really prefer that our voices not carry." Superman looks over his shoulder at the gobs and gobs of important people in the room before leading Lois out towards the balcony which gives a beautiful view of the New York skyline. "What's up?" he asks as he shuts the door behind himself.

Oh thank heavens! Lois nods to his suggestion, and follows him out to the balcony. She had all these wonderful scripts in her head, and had been going over them and over them to find the least lame sounding. But now that she's here, and he's here, and she's standing facing him with her back to a balcony railing, and he's just shut the door behind hi to give him some privacy...

Her heartrate quickens, her cheeks going rosy, and her mind goes completley blank, so what tumbles out of her mouth is, "I met another alien the other night." Because that's completely smooth.

Superman's eyebrows raise, "Really..." Kara? Lor? Superman starts to get a bit worried on his insides that all of his secrets are unraveling without his ability to stop them. "Who was it?"

Lois nods. "A martian. John Johns or something. I can't really pronounce it right, but he said that was close enough. Tall, green skin, red eyes, flies. He said that he's here to try to protect Earth also, and that he's also worried about what people might think of him, being an alien. What with all our stupid movies like Mars Attacks and Independence Day..." She pauses, realizing that she's babbling a bit, and so covers it by stepping toward Superman.

"You two have the same worries. He wants to meet you, thinks that you two could be friends and he asked me to try to set up a meeting. He said he'd find me here, somewhere, during the Expo. I was thinking... I know you're not ready to tell the world yet, but... you both have the same goals, the same fears, and need - frankly - the same thing: A voice in the press that's going to spin this story so that the world sees you for what you are...."

Lois peers up at Kal's face, violet eyes meeting blue. Her heart flutters at the sight but she stubbornly presses on, "...an amazing person, who cares about us as people and wants to do what any honest cop, fireman, or soldier does: sacrifice yourself for the rest of us." She pauses a bit, eyes trying to will him to let her in, let her DO this. She knows she can bring these things together. She just needs the info and the time.

"You're angel, Superman. I want everyone to see that." What the hell did she just say? "You're not going public, Lois. I'm sorry." Superman smiles faintly at Lois and shakes his head. "It's my secret, and it's going to stay that way until I'm ready."

"I would very much like to meet this John. If you trust him, that tells me a lot," Superman nods. "Can you facilitate a meeting?"

"Oh don't be a moron, Superman. Of course I'm not going public," Lois snaps back quickly, mouth getting the better of her and gifting the quip with a flavor of the tone she normally takes with Clark. Only what follows is definitely NOT how she'd act around his mild mannered self.

She blushes deeply, averting her gaze girlishly and looking away. "I mean... Sorry. I just.. I know this is really important to you and I don't want to do anything to damage the trust between us. I didn't tell him you were not from Earth. He said he wanted to meet you and well..." She pauses, looking up at Superman.

"I don't know," she lament, eyes begging for forgiveness. "I don't have any way to get ahold of him. He just said he'd be here. I don't know when, or where, or... Oh God I did this all wrong, didn't?" Lois bites her lip and turns away, kicking herself.

"It's okay," Superman says as he reaches up to rest his hands softly on her shoulders. "Don't worry about it. I'll be able to find him. Or he'll find me. I wasn't planning on being at the EXPO that much. It's kind of Tony's thing, and I don't want to steal any limelight from him. He's a good hero, and a good person deep down. And I'd prefer not to rival him in any way." Superman smiles, "But this really gives me a good reason to stick around."

He's touching her... Lois' nerves fry and leave her turn toward him and stare up at him with a soft sigh and all but hearts for eyes. She's nodding, not realzing it, murmuring, "I'm really glad to hear that... You sticking around that is. Because, I... I've been wanting to see you and..." Her voice trails away, realizing that her face is twingling with a full on blush. She chuckles nervously up at him, hand reaching up to tuck a lock of hair behind an ear even as she openly bites her lower lip.

Superman smiles, "I've been wanting to see you too. It's always nice to see you, Lois." While Lois seems really on edge, Superman meanwhile is the picture of calm. Almost unassuming.

The admission makes Lois weak in the knees, and she giggles. It does nothing to keep the blush from fleeing her face. "You have," she asks, hoping.. what? That he's crushing on you too? please! You prolly wouldn't LIKE him so much if he was crushing on you! It's high school all over again! Always wanting the boys that seem calm in control and utterly uninterested. "I mean.. yeah. I like seeing you.. umm.. It's nice to see you..." Oh god. Someone shoot me!

"Right," Superman smiles and his hands lower off her shoulders. "I should really be going. Thanks for the udpate, Lois. I really appreciate it and everything you've done for me. Have a nice time at the EXPO. I'm sure we'll run into each other again when you get back to Metropolis.

What? Lois blinks back to herself as his hand - OMG! His hand is so like warm and gentle and why can't she just have him keep his hand on her all the time again?! - falls from her shoulder.

"Ah, right. You're welcome. I'm... I... Right. I'm sure you can hear... a car crash or something that needs your attention," she stammers about, not able to force herself to take that step back she knows he needs in order to lift off and fly away. Maybe, if she stands here, he'll stand there, and she can keep peering into his eyes and day dreaming about moonlight walks on a cloud...

Superman smiles faintly and takes the step she's dreading. "And stay away from those hotdogs. They're murder on your arteries." He almost winks and floats up, up, and away.

Hotdogs? Lois blinks, looking a bit confused as he floats away from her. That wink destroys any hope of logic she could have applied to that moment. As he pulls up and away, she takes a step back to watch him, lips pulling up at the corners. A heartbeat later than she should have, Lois lifts a hand up toward him... She'd meant it as a wave goodbye, but seeing how late it was... it could be read as her reaching out to try to silently call him back, that hand-out-in-longing motion from every Shakespear love play ever. Left alone, Lois slumps against the balcony railing, blushing still, and just day dreaming of Superman. Inside, her inner teenager is sinking against the lockers, books hugged against her chest protectively. Outwardly, Lois is hugging her purse the exact same way. Fifteen years since she graduated high school, and yet with a wink, Superman can send her right back to freshman year.