In the Oven's Warm Glow, PG, complete
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Spoilers: Not really.
A/N: This would be AU since Lex, Chloe, Clark and Lana are baked goods. And Lionel was, but assume he's been eaten by the time of the story. He was someone's post-lunch burp. It's weird. Fair warning given.
In the Oven's Warm Glow
Chloe's first memory was the crowded cooling rack; feeling warm and drowsy. As she cooled off, she looked around at her brothers and sisters. They looked boring and none of them wanted to explore with her. There was a large, chocolate cupcake off to one side and she studied him.
She knew she was lemon flavoured, and he couldn't be her brother, so she was comfortable with her attraction to him. She wanted to roll over to him and ask him what he remembered. She rolled timidly over, stopping a short way before she ran into him.
"Hi," she said softly.
He turned a big smile on her and said, "Hi, I'm Clark."
He was a super chocolate chunk cupcake, he told her, from a recipe the bakery was trying out. If he sold there would be more of him, but if not he would be the only one. Chloe thought that was sad, and tried to think of things they had in common.
"We'll both get frosted," she said. "And we have really nice conversations. We were baked in the same oven by the same baker."
They were inseparable. While Clark was being frosted, Chloe stood by and cringed as the knife came threateningly close, but he only laughed at her. "It's not hurting me, Chloe," he called. "I'm glad I'm all ready for the customers."
Getting frosted was unpleasant and painful. The knife scratched on her top and made her very nervous. At one point she trembled so hard she fell down, and the baker picked her up to put her roughly upright. It was all worth it when she was finished. Clark's icing was plain chocolate, warm and familiar. Her's was white and topped with a lovely, green-stemmed orange tulip. Chloe thought it suited her very well, and Clark told her she was beautiful.
She nearly made her icing run when he moved very close to her and let their wrappers touch.
They were the best of friends, but they talked several times about how it would be when they were separated. Chloe had seen the cupcakes taken out front on their trays with paper doilies, and she wanted to be among them, but she also didn't want to leave Clark all alone.
"I'll stay with you if I can," she told him. "You can't just have your whole tray to yourself. I heard they sometimes put out a mixed tray, and we can both try to wait and get put on that one."
Clark chuckled at her scheme, but she saw hope in his eyes, and they moved to the very back when the baker returned.
She let out a little squeal of glee as they were picked up at the same time and put side by side. Pushing against him, Chloe whispered to Clark, "I knew we'd stay together." He smiled broadly, but she could tell he was concentrating on being super chocolaty.
The bright display case was a whole new world, and Chloe looked around eagerly. Next to them were a tray of cream puffs, and on the right a tray of biscotti. Chloe moved next to a big biscotti with red flecks to ask what they were, and he grumpily replied, "Cinnamon, I'm a cinnamon biscotti."
He turned his back rudely. "Leave me alone, cupcake."
She huffed. "My name is Chloe, and I'm not just any cupcake."
But when she turned back to Clark to tell him about their mean neighbour, she saw him practically rolling on top of one of the dainty cream puffs. Chloe went over to introduce herself.
"Oh, hi, Lana, this is my friend Chloe," Clark said cheerfully. "Lana is a cream puff." At his proud tone, Chloe realized he was more interested in the light, nearly formless pastry than he was in her. She had abandoned her peers to be alone.
She retreated all the way to the back of the tray and met the rude biscotti doing the same. He looked at her oddly and held up the edge of the doily so she could dry her tears.
"I didn't mean to make you cry," he said contritely. "I'm Lex, and if you haven't noticed I'm a little sensitive about being cinnamon."
She smiled shyly. "You didn't make me cry. I came here with a friend, and he just found a new friend, so I think he doesn't really have any interest in my anymore. That's okay, but I left my own kind of cupcakes and now I'm really regretting it. I thought he knew I'm special. I feel like I see more things and pay more attention to the world. My tulip is hand decorated," she finished lamely.
"I like it," Lex said politely. "And you're much nosier than most cupcakes I've met, so that definitely makes you special."
She nodded gratefully, looking back at Clark.
"I used to wish I could be chocolate, too, to be with him," she said wistfully.
He shook his head. "Don't wish to be something you're not. My father was an onion bagel, and he was always telling me I'm nothing compared to him, but being myself is all I can do. Some days I might wish I wasn't cinnamon, but it's baked in, and I have to accept it. I don't see anything wrong with what you are, Chloe, and if Clark prefers that cream puff he's not smart enough for you. Have you ever talked to a cream puff? They have to pause between words."
Smiling shyly, Chloe hopped over to his tray to talk more, not even noticing when the bakery closed and the lights in the display case were turned off. She cuddled next to him as it got cooler, sending only one sad glance at where Clark and cream puff Lana were doing the same.
"Chloe, I've been here longer than you have, and they'll probably sell me today," Lex said gently. "I don't want you to do anything crazy, and if the last thing I see is you icing side down on the floor I'll be right behind you. You're only half a day old, and there's plenty of time for you to sell for full price. I'm sorry it took so long for us to meet, but I'm not sorry I met you."
"I knew I should have spent the night trying to glue us together with my frosting," she sniffled. "What will I do without you?"
He nodded toward Clark and Lana. "I think you'll handle it a lot better than that."
Lana, who was actually a two day old cream puff, was being taken away, and Clark's icing was running down his sides. Chloe felt bad for him, but he had turned his back on her, and she didn't want to miss a moment with Lex.
Clark approached slowly, his every movement mopey and dragging. He didn't look good, and Chloe wondered if it wouldn't be better to throw him out with Lana. At least they could have more time together.
She smiled gently. "Hi Clark, I'm really sorry. How are you?”
He shook. "I'm so lonely, Chloe, and I realized that I missed you all along. Please, can we go somewhere and talk?"
She glanced at Lex and said, "No, I only have a few more hours with Lex. I'm sorry, Clark. He's the one I want to be with more than anyone else."
She and Lex sat even closer as Clark went back to his tray. Lex whispered comfort to her and secretly thanked the universe he would have this loyalty and love. He wasn't afraid to be eaten, but the idea of rotting in the dumpster made him feel empty and lost. He didn't want Chloe have to see him taken away like that.
The display case lights came on, and the older pastries stood up straighter. They knew their chances were dwindling. Chloe stood bravely at Lex's side. He memorized her icing tulip and thought how lucky he was to have met his tart, blond cupcake.
They tensed as customers came and went without ordering either of them, but finally there was a woman with a little girl, who tapped loudly on the case above Chloe. "I want that one, Mommy," she said.
"A cup of coffee, a glass of milk, that pretty cupcake, and the cinnamon biscotti next to it. It looks like they're friends, doesn't it Lindy?"
Chloe and Lex were placed on the same plate, terrified and unwilling to admit it. She crushed herself to his side and he hoped she had been as happy as he was with her. "I love you, Chloe," he told her softly, and she whispered it back.
The little girl picked up both of them as her mother paused to answer the phone. She dunked them in her milk and Lex lost consciousness to the sight of his beautiful Chloe, her icing ruined but looking at him with such devotion.
Lindy brought them up and took a bite of cupcake first, then of biscotti. "Look Mommy, Cup-cotti!" She opened her full mouth for her mother.
Chloe reeled back in pretend disgust and anger. "You ATE my biscotti," she yelped. "What am I going to dunk in my coffee?!"
"I had to mommy, they would have missed each other," the little blond said peacefully. "I made sure they didn't feel a thing."
Chloe rolled her eyes. "You and Daddy have too many conversations without my supervision," she mused. "Chew up that big mouthful before you choke."
They finished their food and went back to the counter to pick out a treat for Lindy to bring to her father's office.
"That big brown cupcake looks like mud," she said, grimacing. "Let's get him one of the cupcakes with flowers."
Chloe gave her daughter some money and boosted her up so she could pay. “Good choice. Tulips are Daddy's favourite.”
She lowered her daughter to her feet, took her hand and carried the light blue bakery box in the other. Life wasn't always cupcakes and playdates with Lindy, but it was never loneliness.
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very very sweet.
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