Ficlet: Lex Luthor, Baker's Apprentice (Clex, G)
Not that anyone cares, but I have now mastered the nested if function in Excel. What this translates into is on my WiP spreadsheet, I have a column that will return different messages depending on where my word count is in comparison to my goal. For example, if I have more that 75 words to write to reach whatever goal I'm aiming for, it says, "Keep Going!". If I've reached or exceeded it by a certain amount, it says, "Success!" and "Exceeded."
Also at work, I spent a good chunk of my day helping a coworker use vlookups and various other Excel tools to make her future easier and brighter. >D Twas a good day. *is proud*
* * *
Title: Lex Luthor, Baker's Apprentice
Category: ficlet
Rating: G
Word Count: 662 words
Spoilers: None
Notes: A prequel to a fic from last yearearlier this year. Link at the bottom since the other part would chronologically come after this one. Inspired by my good day at work and the realization that I already had a baking!Lex fic universe (of a sort).
Summary: Martha and Lex make cookies.
Then
Teaching Lex is nothing like teaching Clark as he was growing up. Beyond the differences in their ages at the time of lessons (Clark pre-teen, Lex an adult), the two of them take in information very differently at any age. It makes it doubly hard to let Lex find his own way; he won't whine at her as Clark used to when she'd stop him to guide him and she knows he'd listen with rapt attention and apply her tips.
She also knows that every correction causes his shoulders to dip little by little; a lifetime of being Lionel's son would make it hard for any man to take criticism gracefully. In the end, it's worth his glowing smile of accomplishment to keep to herself the fact that he's working harder than he could, to hold her tongue and point out that the cookies dropped onto the cookie sheet don't have to be perfectly sized or uniformly sugar-coated and pressed.
He's guarded against failure as they take out the first batch and Martha wants to hug him as he uses the spatula to lift a cookie and show the blackened bottom. His expression gives away little, but Martha watches the minute slouch that infuses his spine. He wouldn't appreciate a hug at the current moment, so instead she reaches up with her floury hand and pinches his cheek gently, calling his attention to her.
"We'll try the next batch at a lower temperature."
His shoulders straighten with determination as he nods
* * *
Later
Presentation matters. Martha knows this is very true in regards to both Lionel and Lex, so when she returns to the kitchen after washing upstairs, she's not surprised to find that Lex has arranged the cookies in an aesthetically pleasing way. He's in a better mood after the successful batches that have come out of the oven since the first.
Clark and Jonathan are making a racket as they take their boots off on the porch. She moves into Lex's space to wrap an arm around his back and he opens his arms and embraces her back. They stand that way as their men come in and sniff at the air and head unerringly to the beautifully ordered plate of cookies.
Snickerdoodles are Clark's favorite. He shoves one whole into his mouth, much to Martha's chagrin, and picks up another two. With his cheeks full of cookies, he says, "Thanks!"
Jonathan has a bit more control, though after the first bite, he bites and chews a little quicker and reaches for another before the first is gone. Very much like father like son, her men. At least when it comes to baked goods.
Lex fairly vibrates with pleasure at their obvious enjoyment and Martha barely resists the temptation to squeeze him harder. She wishes, not for the first time, that there was a way to infuse him with the affection they have for him, so that he'd never lose the certainty of it. Sadly, she knows it's a battle that can't be won quickly.
Still, she knows she's not alone in it. Between cookies, her husband pauses to compliment them both before he heads off to clean up more thoroughly before dinner. He drops a kiss on Martha's cheek, hesitates, then reaches up with slow deliberation to brush Lex's collar and lay a hand on his shoulder. "You got a bit of flour on you, son."
Lex swallows hard and stands still, but manages a graceful, "Thank you."
Then Jonathan is heading up the stairs and Clark is swooping in, kissing Lex's (still floury) cheek and then Martha's. "Great cookies. We should leave you alone together more often."
There's something about Clark that always reaches under Lex's skin and though she can tell he's fighting it, he can't stop his smile from spreading and his cheeks from pinking. He gives Martha a sidelong look and tightens his own arm in an affectionate squeeze. "That sounds like a good plan."
*
The above is a prequel to: Lex Luthor, Master Baker (Clex, Rated G), which is then followed by a bit of a side-story comment!fic And That's Terrible.
Also at work, I spent a good chunk of my day helping a coworker use vlookups and various other Excel tools to make her future easier and brighter. >D Twas a good day. *is proud*
* * *
Title: Lex Luthor, Baker's Apprentice
Category: ficlet
Rating: G
Word Count: 662 words
Spoilers: None
Notes: A prequel to a fic from last yearearlier this year. Link at the bottom since the other part would chronologically come after this one. Inspired by my good day at work and the realization that I already had a baking!Lex fic universe (of a sort).
Summary: Martha and Lex make cookies.
Then
Teaching Lex is nothing like teaching Clark as he was growing up. Beyond the differences in their ages at the time of lessons (Clark pre-teen, Lex an adult), the two of them take in information very differently at any age. It makes it doubly hard to let Lex find his own way; he won't whine at her as Clark used to when she'd stop him to guide him and she knows he'd listen with rapt attention and apply her tips.
She also knows that every correction causes his shoulders to dip little by little; a lifetime of being Lionel's son would make it hard for any man to take criticism gracefully. In the end, it's worth his glowing smile of accomplishment to keep to herself the fact that he's working harder than he could, to hold her tongue and point out that the cookies dropped onto the cookie sheet don't have to be perfectly sized or uniformly sugar-coated and pressed.
He's guarded against failure as they take out the first batch and Martha wants to hug him as he uses the spatula to lift a cookie and show the blackened bottom. His expression gives away little, but Martha watches the minute slouch that infuses his spine. He wouldn't appreciate a hug at the current moment, so instead she reaches up with her floury hand and pinches his cheek gently, calling his attention to her.
"We'll try the next batch at a lower temperature."
His shoulders straighten with determination as he nods
* * *
Later
Presentation matters. Martha knows this is very true in regards to both Lionel and Lex, so when she returns to the kitchen after washing upstairs, she's not surprised to find that Lex has arranged the cookies in an aesthetically pleasing way. He's in a better mood after the successful batches that have come out of the oven since the first.
Clark and Jonathan are making a racket as they take their boots off on the porch. She moves into Lex's space to wrap an arm around his back and he opens his arms and embraces her back. They stand that way as their men come in and sniff at the air and head unerringly to the beautifully ordered plate of cookies.
Snickerdoodles are Clark's favorite. He shoves one whole into his mouth, much to Martha's chagrin, and picks up another two. With his cheeks full of cookies, he says, "Thanks!"
Jonathan has a bit more control, though after the first bite, he bites and chews a little quicker and reaches for another before the first is gone. Very much like father like son, her men. At least when it comes to baked goods.
Lex fairly vibrates with pleasure at their obvious enjoyment and Martha barely resists the temptation to squeeze him harder. She wishes, not for the first time, that there was a way to infuse him with the affection they have for him, so that he'd never lose the certainty of it. Sadly, she knows it's a battle that can't be won quickly.
Still, she knows she's not alone in it. Between cookies, her husband pauses to compliment them both before he heads off to clean up more thoroughly before dinner. He drops a kiss on Martha's cheek, hesitates, then reaches up with slow deliberation to brush Lex's collar and lay a hand on his shoulder. "You got a bit of flour on you, son."
Lex swallows hard and stands still, but manages a graceful, "Thank you."
Then Jonathan is heading up the stairs and Clark is swooping in, kissing Lex's (still floury) cheek and then Martha's. "Great cookies. We should leave you alone together more often."
There's something about Clark that always reaches under Lex's skin and though she can tell he's fighting it, he can't stop his smile from spreading and his cheeks from pinking. He gives Martha a sidelong look and tightens his own arm in an affectionate squeeze. "That sounds like a good plan."
*
The above is a prequel to: Lex Luthor, Master Baker (Clex, Rated G), which is then followed by a bit of a side-story comment!fic And That's Terrible.