Title: Omiai
Fandom: Smallville
Pairing: Clark/Lex
Categories: Harlequin AU
Length: epic (*really* epic)
Warnings: the odd beta comment seems to have slipped through into the final draft

Author on LJ: toomuchplor
Author Website: earth boys are easy 

Review:
So the premise is a cliche: Lex needs to get married for a year to get access to his inheritance from his mother and Clark agrees to go along with the subterfuge in exchange for a college scholarship. The backstory is also different from canon: Lex never lived in Smallville, so he and Clark had never met before; Clark and Chloe dated for a couple of years in high school; Lucas has replaced Lex as Lionel's favorite son; and Lana Lang's role is reducted to a single line wherein she thinks Clark's name is Cliff (heh). Still, the story itself is well written, and I'll forgive a lot when it results in 600 K of marriage-of-convenience goodness. Plus, the altered backstory really works well with the plot and, frankly, makes a hell of a lot more sense than canon (not that that is saying much -- who else thinks the first two seasons of Smallville were the only ones worth watching?)

The best part of this story is the characterization of Lex: rose_emily nailed his arrogance, his uncertainty, his mercurial moods, and his desperate desire to do good while holding back the darkness in his soul. Clark is also well done: goofy, dorky, earnest and yet not at all stupid (hello, canon? You should be taking notes) and his relationships with Pete and Chloe are excellent, especially as they change as the characters grow up in their first year of college. The attraction between Lex and Clark develops in a beautifully organic and understated manner, and all of the conflicts thrown in their way never seem forced. Actually, considering the strange Clark/Superman/Lex/Luthor dynamic, these issues (mostly centered around trust) are inevitable. Thus, the glory of Smallville fanfic. Enjoy!

Omiai