The relationship between Clark Kent and Lois Lane has developed slowly over the years from bickering friends, dynamic partners and ultimately romantic lovers. Their relationship is also called "Clois" by fans.[1]
Their destined relationship began when they met at the beginning of his senior year of high school when Lois found Clark lying naked in the middle of Miller's Field.[2] They often bickered but despite these disputes, Lois and Clark have been shown to care a lot about each other.[3] They gradually fell in love over the course of the series.[4]
Even while the two were just friends, more than one person has commented on their chemistry over the course of their friendship. When Clark first met Lois, Lana pointed out their chemistry. Clark remarked that he couldn't stand her, and Lana replied that the "best ones always start out that way." When Oliver Queen began a romantic relationship with Lois, he half-jokingly commented that Clark masked his feelings for Lois with sarcasm due to the two of them living under the same roof for so long. Jimmy Olsen set them up for a date on Valentine's Day on the grounds that they had chemistry, yet Lois remained unconvinced, describing their potential relationship as hot fudge and halibut. A mystic named Star later cryptically told Jimmy that she had a feeling that Lois and Clark's destinies were more intertwined than anyone realized. Then there was Maxima who had come to Earth to pursue a relationship with Clark, but her attempts failed when Lois caught her and Clark together, breaking her hold on him. Maxima told Lois that Clark would have never been able to break through her hold had it not been for his feelings for Lois. Lois also demonstrated a certain attraction for Clark on the three occasions where she witnessed him openly using his powers, although she always forgot what she saw in the aftermath[5], but came to appreciate him as a person after they started working together in the Daily Planet, until Clark felt ready to tell her his secret himself.
Lois's role in Clark's life is crucial, as she provides him with an "anchor" to his humanity, allowing him to forge and sustain bonds with people and keep him human at heart so that she is able to "ground" him. It is also Lois's fierce belief and determination in Clark that helps him to embrace his destiny to become a hero.
After Chloe's alleged death, her cousin, Lois Lane, went to Smallville to investigate. Knowing that Chloe had a close relationship with Clark Kent, Lois went in search of Clark for answers. Coincidentally, Lois encountered Clark when he was returned as Kal-El, after being reprogrammed by Jor-El. Clark was disoriented, naked, as well as suffering from amnesia, so Lois came to his aid and took him to the Smallville Medical Center. As there was no known family to look after Clark, the receptionist assigned Lois to watch over Clark until he could be identified. Lois clearly found this responsibility a nuisance but reluctantly obliged.
Once Lois discovered that he was in fact Clark Kent, she was keen to get to know him better to help with her investigation. However, Martha Kent was keen to keep them apart while he was under the influence of his Kryptonian persona. After Clark returned to normal, Clark offered to help Lois uncover Chloe's death and suggested she stay at his house while she was in town. Lois and Clark's personalities wildly clashed during her stay, as she had little respect for his privacy and even barged in on him in the shower, much to his shock. As soon as they began their investigation and even after finding Chloe alive, they continued to argue and trade insults. However, when Lois revealed that her mother had died when she was little, Clark sympathized with Lois.
Clark was less than thrilled when he discovered that Lois would be staying in Smallville for a while longer, as she had failed her last semester of high school and had to finish at Smallville High. Lois was also desperate to leave and helped Clark and Chloe write articles for the Smallville Torch for extra credit. Early in the year, she dunked Clark in the school dunk tank. Eventually, Clark asked Lex for a favor and he got Lois enrolled in Metropolis University and out of Clark's hair.
Lois was kicked out of the University shortly after and relied on Clark to let her stay at the Kent Farm again. Lois wound up staying in Clark's bedroom for the remainder of the school year while Clark slept on the couch. Although they usually fought, they sometimes had moments of friendship as Lois tried to adjust to small town life and the strange goings-on in Smallville. Lois threw a party for Chloe's eighteenth birthday in Clark's barn. Although Clark warned Lois that he had someone coming from Princeton University to interview him, Lois showed no concern and went ahead with the party plans anyway. Lois also showed that she was not impressed with Clark's choice of girlfriend, when he started a relationship with ex-mental patient, Alicia Baker.
Clark and Lois' relationship gradually turned to friendship when they needed each other for support. When Alicia died, Lois offered Clark her condolences and felt sorry for Clark. Having discovered that the murderer was Tim Westcott, she confided in Clark but he was so consumed with grief and rage that Clark almost killed him. Lois was able to reach out to Clark and calm him down. When Lois's little sister Lucy ran away, Lois confided in Clark that she felt guilty about how Lucy had turned out and Clark tried to reassure her that she was a good big sister. Lois then thanked Clark for his help and gave him a compliment saying "you're amazing smallville..you still find the best in people even when they walk all over you" and Clark smiled and said "I guess that explains why we're friends"..This drew Clark and Lois closer as they admitted to being secret friends, at that moment two stars collided, foreshadowing their relationship.
Despite getting closer, their bickering continued. Lois hit a dog and brought him to the Kent farm. Even though Lois was highly allergic, Clark decided to keep him. In retaliation, Lois suggested they name the dog 'Clarkie' on the grounds that he was annoying and she couldn't come within ten feet of him without feeling sick. Clark was surprised when Lois teased that she accompany him to the Senior Prom. Seeing how beautiful she looked in her prom dress, Clark agreed. However, he later discovered that Lois was possessed by the spirit of Dawn Stiles and once Lois was exorcised of her, Lois was not impressed that she was Clark's date. Clark attempted to have a dance with Lois but she politely declined saying "thanks but I'm not the one you wanna dance with, she is" pointing at Lana Lang arriving at the dance.
The day Clark graduated from high school, Clark didn't even try to conceal his delight when Lois announced that she and her father were leaving town to locate her sister. She started to give him a compliment about graduating high school but couldn't resist the opportunity to tease him one last time.
The second meteor shower interrupted Lois' plans to leave and instead, she met up with Clark again at the hospital. Clark thanked Lois for being there for his parents while he was trying to save Smallville. Lois was nearly drowned, but Arthur Curry manage to saved her. Lois quickly developed feelings for him. However, Clark remained suspicious of AC, as he exhibited metahuman powers in the water. Lois thought that Clark was jealous and got angry with Clark. After the confusion was set straight, Arthur left and Lois and Clark reconciled. Clark comforted Lois as she began to wonder if she would ever find the right guy.
Acting independently of each other, Clark and Lois went undercover to investigate the murder of a stripper that was connected with Jonathan's friend, Senator Jack Jennings. Clark was surprised to see Lois posing as a stripper to infiltrate the club. He was clearly embarrassed and uncomfortable to see Lois like this, although Clark's eyes seemed drawn to the scantily-clad Lois. The investigation led to Lois being kidnapped by Mr. Lyon, but Clark super-sped to the rescue. Lois appreciated Clark's help, although she found it difficult to thank him. On that occasion, she described him as "a really good friend." Clark saved Lois again when Michael Westmore almost stabbed her.
When Graham Garrett asked Lois if she was Clark's girlfriend, she casually dismissed it saying that it's not going to happen. She then started a relationship with Graham, but when Clark discovered that he was a serial killer, Clark warned Lois away from him. Suspecting that Clark was jealous again, Lois got angry with Clark until Chloe revealed the truth about Graham. Lois then realized that Clark only had her best interests at heart and helped save him from Graham, who had discovered Clark's weakness to kryptonite.
After Lois moved out and got an apartment of her own, Clark and Lois became better friends, as they had more space between each other. They had thoughtful conversations about their shared uncertainty of their own futures. Lois believed that Clark kept his feelings bottled up, so she gave him a diary for his nineteenth birthday. She even gave him advice after he broke up with Lana, suggesting that maybe Lana wasn't everything Clark had been hoping for in a relationship after all. She offered him further advice, which made Clark realize that perhaps Lois understands him better than anyone.
Following Lois' injury in a plane crash, Clark visited her at the hospital where Lois confided in him about her experience. After he told her that he was glad she was all right and affectionately touching her hand, both of them noticed that they were becoming closer. This moment was then abruptly interrupted, becoming awkward and reverting them to their usual banter.
After Oliver Queen came to Smallville and he and Lois started a relationship, Oliver suggested that Clark was a bit jealous and possibly had feelings for Lois that he himself wasn't aware of. When Oliver turned out to be a good guy, Clark tells him that if he continues to keep his identity as Green Arrow a secret from Lois, their relationship was doomed to fail, having learned this the hard way from his relationship with Lana Lang. Soon, Lois began to rightly suspect that Oliver was the Green Arrow and enlisted Clark's help to prove it. Instead, Clark dressed up as the Green Arrow to help Oliver keep his identity secret. Believing that it was Oliver, Lois kissed the Green Arrow, unaware that it was actually Clark. After Oliver appeared next to the costumed Clark, Lois slapped Clark and he sped away. When he took off his disguise, he was surprised at Lois' actions, but also visibly pleased. Lois later declared the Green Arrow (Clark) a fabulous kisser, even better than Oliver.
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