Notes: A thank-you and a hug each to Edgecity and Sugarrush for the beta and the audiencing. Thanks and hugs also to Autumnyte for additional beta duties, and for always knowing how to make it better.

Written for Alax's "A Moment In Time: The Smallville FanArt-FanFic Challenge". http://gothamunderground.net/mitchallenge/amomentintime.html

The challenge artwork for which I wrote this fic is the Warrior Angel manip created by the talented and inspired (and inspiring) Goss. http://gothamunderground.net/mitchallenge/actionfigure2goss.html

He happened to be looking right at Lex when it suddenly dawned on him: He owed all his happiness to a formidable rival. All of it.

The incongruity of this-- the irony, actually-- made a big smile cross his lips before he could stifle it. Lex looked up and, catching the smile, narrowed his eyes at Clark.

"What's so funny?"

More than ten years had passed since that day on the bridge, and yet he still experienced random moments of shyness under his lover's scrutiny. Choosing to not reveal his inner thoughts for now, he moved his face close to Lex's. "Nothing," he muttered and planted a kiss on Lex's forehead.

"Okay." Lex shrugged and, playing it cool, almost raised an eyebrow at Clark before returning to his book.

But then Clark changed his mind and blurted out the answer anyway: "I was just thinking about Warrior Angel."

"You were?" Lex shut the book and placed it on the nightstand. "So why the smile? You've always disliked him."

"Nah. I'm over that. I've realized he's my friend. " He watched with amusement as, this time, Lex didn't even bother to dissemble; both eyebrows arched and Lex's eyes focused directly on him. "One of my best friends, actually."

"Warrior Angel. Your best friend." Lex was using his oh-this-had-better-be-good voice. "You're telling me you have an imaginary best friend?"

"He's not imaginary, Lex, he's a comic-book hero. There's a difference." As a diversionary tactic, he plucked at the top button of Lex's pajama shirt. "Do you really need pajamas?" He smirked. "It's so Doris Day. I look at you and I feel like I'm in one of her movies."

"A Doris Day movie!" Lex's expression combined disbelief, umbrage, and suspicion. "Have you been hanging out with Whitney and Pete again? Good grief." Lex rolled his eyes. "You're calling me Doris Day. And that would make you . . . Rock Hudson?"

"Well, maybe not a Doris Day movie. I mean, you're not a blonde. And certainly not chaste and bubbly . . ." He bit the inside of his cheek at the comical sight of Lex yanking his pajama shirt off so fast that that a button popped off and rattled across the floor.

"There." Lex huffed and fell back on his pillow. "I doubt Doris Day ever went topless."

"The pants, too," Clark said absent-mindedly as he stroked Lex's shoulder. He slid a hand downward across Lex's chest.

"Whoa." Lex stopped the hand. "First, tell me more about your buddy, Warrior Angel."

"Lex, is this a new kink? Foreplay involving talk about comic-book heroes?" He slid a finger down to Lex's belly button and tugged at the waistband before moving his hand to Lex's ribs.

"You tell me. You're the one who brought it up. And for the record, I am willing to explore new things to, you know, add some spice to our marriage. Even if-- ah!--" Lex eased out of Clark's tickling touch, "it involves comic-book heroes. So about Warrior Angel . . . ?"

"He made me kiss you. The first time we kissed." He frowned at Lex. "Wait a sec. Our marriage needs spicing up?"

"Did he indeed?" Lex now had an oh-this-is-going-to-be-interesting expression on his face as, underneath the sheets and blankets, he wriggled out of his pajama pants. "What? Our marriage?" He squinted. "Why? Do you think we need to spice things up?"

"No! Not if it means another fiasco involving edible blueberry-flavored crotchless undies." Clark slid a hand again down Lex's navel. "So, do you remember our first kiss?"

"I agree. No more edible underwear. I don't want to have to cancel any more board meetings on account of blue-tongue syndrome." He paused. "Actually, I remember two first kisses, Clark." Lex peeked under the covers. "Hey, when did you take off your pajamas?"

"I never even put them on. You didn't notice because you were too busy with your book when I got into bed." He pointed to a magazine on the other nightstand. "I wanted to skim through Chloe's article, anyway." He furrowed his brow. "And the blue-tongue thing? I distinctly recall telling you to get the organic edible undies. The ones without all the carcinogenic artificial food dyes and flavorings. But of course you didn't listen." He waved a hand to dismiss the subject. "Anyway, so when was our first first kiss?"

"On the bank of that river, of course." It pleased him that Lex didn't even hesitate a fraction of a second. "At least, in retrospect, I now understand that was the first time we kissed." He tilted his head. "God, Clark. You don't think I'll get cancer of the tongue from that damn food dye, do you?"

"Cancer of the tongue? You probably have a better chance of being abducted by aliens." He snickered at his own joke and patted Lex's shoulder. "But then, after the riverbank, we didn't kiss again for more than two years."

"It was worth the wait." Lex flashed a grin. "And that was a great first kiss, too. So, you were saying that Warrior Angel told you to kiss me the second first time?"

"He didn't tell me. Jeez, you make it sound like it was little voices in my head. I'm not Lucas, you know." He exhaled loudly. "Warrior Angel forced me to kiss you. When he made me jealous."

"You were jealous." Lex looked at him in a way that made him wonder if earthlings also had X-ray vision. "Of Warrior Angel."

"Yes. Because you were fondling him. In front of me."

"What are you talking about? You're accusing me of fondling an imaginary friend of yours?"

Clark didn't answer right away because he was imagining himself on that day, in the mansion. In Lex's study, where he and Lex were always talking or shooting pool or watching movies--

"Clark?"

"Hm? Oh." He shook his head. "It wasn't imaginary at all. I can see it now, just as clearly as the day it happened. You and that Warrior Angel doll."

"Action figure," Lex snapped. He eyed Clark suspiciously. "I can't believe you still insist on referring to it as a doll. You're doing that on purpose."

"I can't believe you still get worked up over your Warrior Angel doll."

"Worked up? At least I don't think of him as my imaginary friend."

"Whatever. Anyway, what I meant was that thanks to him . . . well, to the way he had such a hold on you, I got jealous. And then I acted on that jealousy."

"Ah."

"'Ah'? Is that all--" He saw that Lex was thinking back to those days, too; his gaze was fixed on the ceiling. Clark cleared his throat and took the opportunity to re-visit the scene in his mind. After a few seconds, he gave Lex's shoulder a gentle shake. "That day? I caught you playing with your Warrior Angel doll-- action figure-- and I asked you about it."

"I wasn't playing with the doll-- damn it! action figure--"

"Lex, you were going 'vroom, vroom' and making him fly."

"I was not."

"You were too. And you were talking in a funny, cartoon-character voice--"

"I was not!"

"You were too. And can we please not have a conversation between six-year-olds?" Clark took a breath and tried to recall the rest. He remembered how he had pretended that a painful bolt had not just knifed through his chest as he was meeting Warrior Angel for the first time. "Oh, yeah." He turned to Lex. "I asked you what was so great about Warrior Angel. And your eyes were shining when you told me he was--"

"A strange visitor from another planet who protects the weak. And when I was young, he was my idol."

"Yeah. And also because he was bald." Clark reached out. "Which never stops being sexy, by the way."

"Why, thank you, mister, uh, 'Hudson,' is it?" With a mischievous smile, Lex slid away from Clark's grasp. "So, what else?"

"I guess I wanted you to look at me the way you looked at Warrior Angel. To see me in that light." He stopped and sighed. "I was only seventeen and in love with my best friend. And I didn't understand that completely. I didn't know what to say." He reached for Lex's hand. "Or what to do about it. Except give you goofy looks."

"And I was falling in love with my best friend. And I wasn't sure what to say either. And I loved the goofy expressions, but I also wanted you to look at me the way I thought you always looked at Lana," Lex's expression turned almost malicious, "who, by the way, often showed less life than my Warrior Angel action figure."

"Lex." Clark was suddenly laughing against his lips. "Be nice."

"Mmkay."

"What I wouldn't have given to be idolized like that . . . " He sighed, but didn't move away from Lex's mouth. ". . . by Lex Luthor."

"What makes you think I don't idolize you now? Or that I never did?" Lex frowned at him. "Don't you remember that chamber I used to have. With the weird blue light?" Lex poked a playful finger in Clark's ribs. "Now, that is idolization. In fact, I still have all the photos of you and those displays."

"Really?" He pulled back and studied Lex's face for a few seconds. Apparently Lex meant it.

"Of course, Clark." Lex's hands were suddenly on his waist. "What's with you, anyway?" The hands moved downward in a way that made him want to reciprocate, to start worshipping Lex's skin and mouth and collarbone.

"I'm just being needy." He grinned. "It's how we strange visitors from other planets are."

"Then we should probably address your needs-- and desires-- oh strange visitor." Lex thought for a second or two. "And I do mean strange."

"Okay," he said as Lex's hands started to find their way home, "so will you do something for me?"

"Sure," Lex whispered just before he licked the side of Clark's neck. "Anything you want. Anything." Lex, smiling like that, was just as beautiful as ever. "Unless, we're talking about, say, blueberry-flavored undies. I just wouldn't be able to--" Lex stopped short when he noticed the translucent orange-pink briefs Clark was holding out to him.

"No problem, Lex. This time I got us the peach-flavored ones. Organic, too."

~End