It took everything Clark had to step into Lex’s study as though there was nothing wrong, but he did it. His stomach felt like he was being attacked by kryptonite on all sides, instead of just going to ask a favor from his best friend. A huge favor, granted, but it wasn’t as though Lex would disown him for asking. He would probably say no, that’s what Clark was betting on, but just the asking wouldn’t damage their friendship. Lex had certainly offered more to him over the last year and a half of their friendship.

Lex sat at his desk, fingers typing furiously on the laptop and some kind of classical music playing while he worked. Clark was just about to clear his throat when Lex looked up and smiled at him. “Clark! I didn’t expect to see you until the weekend. Everything okay?”

Clark opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He moved abruptly to the sofa, sitting before he could fall. So much for being in control of himself. He dropped his backpack to the floor and put a hand to his unruly stomach, willing it to stay put.

Lex stood immediately and walked over to him with a concerned, “Clark? What’s wrong?”

“The bank called in the mortgage!” Clark blurted out. “Dad has to pay it in full by the end of next month or…”

Lex’s face hardened as he finished, “Debtors’ program.”

Miserable, Clark nodded and said, “I don’t understand what’s happened, Lex. Why would the bank do that? It’s a normal, thirty-year mortgage. And Dad was careful to get the fixed rate so he didn’t have to worry about the fluctuation. Farming is hard enough without that kind of worry. And we can’t even sell the farm because of how the economy is right now, no one would pay what’s it’s worth, let alone enough to pay off the mortgage.”

Lex sat beside him and gripped his shoulder, squeezing in a comforting gesture before saying, “Don’t worry about it, Clark. I will find out what’s going on and we’ll fix this. I’m sure there’s just some new manager trying to make an impression on the higher-ups.”

“Do you think so?” Clark asked hopefully. He hadn’t even thought about there being another way out of it.

Smiling, Lex promised, “I’m sure that’s it. Leave it to me, I’ll sort it out for you, Clark.”

Relieved, Clark said, “Thank you, Lex. I didn’t know what to do. I was sure we’d all end up in some work program.”

“That will never happen,” Lex stated flatly.

There was nothing to say to that, so Clark just smiled and repeated simply, “Thanks.”

Lex stood and offered, “You want to play some pool? It’ll probably help you calm down before you have to head home.”

Rueful, Clark said, “Getting beaten by you does that for some reason.”

Lex coughed at that, running a hand over his head before he grinned and replied, “Happy to help out. C’mon. Let’s play.”

Lex was right, as usual. By the time Clark had been beaten soundly three times at pool, he was a lot calmer and had a much better outlook on things. He was almost cheerful as he said goodbye and started the walk home. Lex would take care of it because he always did. Clark didn’t know why, given how much of a nobody he was, but Lex was the best friend he’d ever had and that included Pete.

Clark got home just before dinner, whistling cheerfully as he entered the living room and called out, “I’m home!”

There was no answer, which made him frown since he knew they were both home from the truck in the driveway and the lights all being on. Walking into the kitchen, Clark found his mother in his father’s arms, the two of them holding each other tightly.

Jonathan cleared his throat and murmured something into Martha’s ear before she stepped back and offered a smile that was barely one.

Hating to see them so upset, Clark announced, “I talked to Lex about the mortgage and he’s going to fix this.”

Both his parents gaped at him in shock and then anger crossed Jonathan’s face as he snapped, “That’s family business, Clark! You had no right to go to Lex about this!”

“It’s my business too, Dad! Especially since I’d end up in the same place as you and so would Mom!” Clark exclaimed.

Jonathan look struck by his words and turned stiffly, walking out of the kitchen and brushing passed Clark without another word.

Martha sighed and said, “You’re father’s a proud man, Clark. We would have found another way out of it without involving the Luthors.”

Irritated, Clark pointed out, “I didn’t involve ‘the Luthors,’ Mom, I involved Lex. He’s been nothing but good to us, to me. I don’t know why you keep painting him with the same brush as his father!”

Walking over to him, she rubbed a hand over his shoulder and said, “We know Lionel better than you do, Clark.”

“Lex isn’t Lionel,” Clark insisted.

She smiled faintly and asked, “What did he say?”

“That he thinks it’s probably some new guy trying to impress the big bosses,” Clark relayed. “He’s going to look into it and see what’s going on.”

“Well, let’s hope that’s the case.”

Clark could tell that she didn’t expect it to be nearly that simple and he started wondering if maybe he should think the same.

* * * *

It didn’t take more than a half-hour of digging after Clark left to find out that his father was behind the whole thing. Not that Lex had expected any less as soon as Clark had told him what was going on. What his father hoped to gain by throwing the entire Kent family in a debtors’ program was a little more nebulous.

Picking up his cell, he called the one number that he hated to use but, in this case, had no choice.

“Why Lex, I didn’t expect to hear from you until you had no choice but to speak to me at the board meeting next week,” Lionel greeted.

Lex made a face that no one was around to see and questioned, “Why did you call in the Kents’ mortgage?”

Sounding smug, Lionel countered, “What, no hello or how are you?”

Lex grit out, “Hello, Father. How are you?”

“Just fine, Lex, thank you for asking,” Lionel replied, definitely smug. “And how are you, son?”

“I’d be better if you would just answer the question.”

“Patience, Lex. Haven’t I taught you anything by now?”

Lex answered darkly, “Oh, you’ve taught me plenty, Dad. How about enlightening me some more, this time in regards to the Kents?”

“No, I think not. I’ve found it best not to gloat before a plan comes to fruition.”

“Since when?”

“Don’t be snide, Lex, it doesn’t become you.”

Knowing he would get nothing else from his father, Lex hung up on him. There was little he could do at this point except give the money to Jonathan Kent and have the man pay off the mortgage with it. Maybe he could make it a private loan with the rate of the current mortgage so the man wouldn’t think the worst.

He will anyhow, Lex thought with a sigh.

There was nothing to do but draw up the papers and hope the man had enough sense to take his offer. It wasn’t just his life at stake, after all, but Martha’s and Clark’s as well. If Lex could make Jonathan see that, then hopefully he would take the money.

Picking up the phone again, he called his lawyer and set things in motion for the amount of the mortgage plus a little extra. Might as well get Clark a college education while he was at it. The likelihood of the Kents getting approved for a loan to send Clark to school was slim to none without help.

That done, he sighed and poured himself a drink. The next few days would be difficult, to say the least. Getting the money wouldn’t be a problem, he had it and then some in reserve, but had planned to use it to start LexCorp in the spring. He grimaced and consigned himself to working for Daddy Dearest until the fall. It wasn’t the worst job in the world, but it certainly wasn’t what he wanted to be doing.

The thought of any of the Kents in one of those hellholes, however, was much worse.

It was, and wasn’t, a good system. All systems had their flaws, of course. Communism stifled the economy. Rampant Capitalism eventually suffered under the greed of its perpetuators. Fascism, well, there was nothing good about that either fiscally or morally. He’d suffered under his father’s personal tyranny most of his life and could vouch for that.

Democracy at its best was good, but the corruption currently damning the US government kept it from reaching full potential. The debtors’ prisons of old Europe had come to these shores with the colonist and mingled with indentured servitude until it was basically a legalized slavery. Not that that had ever gone away, either, it just wasn’t nearly as prevalent. It was damn hard to find anyone born into slavery these days, which was some kind of progress, if not much.

Of course, working in the state run debtors’ programs amounted to slavery since those who were working off their debts never got there. There was always something more added to their ‘sentence,’ whether it was fees for clothing, food, and shelter, or fines for not paying off their debts fast enough. The worst part about it was that generally only honest people who got caught in the debtors’ nets. Thieves and their ilk knew how to keep out of the way of official finances.

Shaking himself out of the mental history lesson, Lex tossed back the rest of the liquor and set down the glass. Time to get some rest whether he felt like it or not.

* * * *

Lex took a breath before turning off the car’s engine and picking up his briefcase. It held the loan agreement papers that would bequeath an even million dollars into the Kents’ bank account to be used however they saw fit. Technically, Jonathan could blow it on gambling or drugs if he really wanted to, but of course it would be used to buy back the farm and keep his family safe.

That didn’t mean Lex wasn’t expecting a shotgun reception.

Clark had already come out onto the porch, a welcoming smile on his far too open face. That helped Lex get out of the car and walk towards the house that had so far not been at all receptive to him. Jonathan barely tolerated him and Martha was only just a little better, though far more polite, than her husband. If not for Clark, Lex knew he wouldn’t be there at all, let alone offering money and an escape plan.

“Lex!” Clark exclaimed. “It’s great to see you! Where’ve you been?”

Lex smiled and answered, “Metropolis, unfortunately. Lionel decided that I needed to be on hand for a couple of deals, which was a load of hello, Mrs. Kent. I hope I’m not interrupting?”

Martha offered a brief smile as she replied, “Not at all, Lex. We finished dinner a few minutes ago and were just cleaning up.”

Which he knew since the Kents were nothing, if not predictable. The only time their routine changed was when Clark was in danger from some bizarrely mutated local with a grudge. For a teenager, Clark had somehow managed to make an unusual amount of enemies.

“Is Mr. Kent at home as well?” Lex asked unnecessarily.

Martha tensed visibly, her gaze flickering to his briefcase, but nodded. “Won’t you come in?”

Lex gave Clark a reassuring smile and walked by him into the house. Jonathan stood defensively in the center of the living room and Lex bit back a sigh, knowing that he had his work cut out for him. He allowed himself a short moment of bitterness and then breathed it out. A look at Clark made him smile and when he glanced back at Jonathan, it was in the right frame of mind.

Jonathan asked, “What do you want, Lex?”

“Dad!” Clark rebuked.

Jonathan gave his son a sour look, but motioned towards the sofa as he offered, “Have a seat. You want anything to drink?”

“No, I’m fine, thanks,” Lex said, sitting.

Clark sat beside him, which was nice, and gave Lex a grin as he promised, “It won’t be poisoned. I’ll even make it for you.”

Lex snorted and allowed, “A cup of coffee would be great, thanks. I’ve been on the road coming back from Metropolis.”

Clark nodded and got up, vanishing into the kitchen while Lex and the elder Kents stared at each other. No one made small talk, the Kents seeming too wound up and Lex too tired to put them at ease. It had been a hellish week, kept on his father’s schedule with his fingers snapping at all hours. He’d even had to entertain an annoyingly clingy daughter of a potential client.

Clark finally came back, but holding four mugs. He set two in front of his parents and the other two in front of himself and Lex. It felt strangely like Clark was declaring sides in a war that Lex hadn’t known was going on.

“First of all, let me apologize for not getting back to you sooner, but my father has been keeping me very busy,” Lex began. He put cold hands around the mug and breathed in the strong, rich scent of coffee. “That was on purpose, of course, because he knew that I would try and help you out of this mess.”

“Look, Lex, we appreciate the thought, but…”

Lex shook his head and interrupted, “You don’t have the luxury of pride, Mr. Kent. I’m sorry to be so blunt, but you’re going to receive a summons for immediate payment by the end of this month, not next. I’m sorry to say, but my father…he’s the one behind all this, though I don’t know why. I can only assume it’s because of my friendship with Clark and do my best to make amends for my unwitting part in this travesty.”

Jonathan gave him a wary look, questioning, “Amends, how?”

Putting his briefcase on the table, Lex opened it and took out the loan agreements. He set them on the coffee table and explained, “I will lend you the money, at your current rate and terms, to pay off the bank. You can have your own lawyer look over the paperwork, but everything’s there.”

There was a brief silence as everyone looked at the papers and then Jonathan snarled, “You son of a bitch!”

Startled, Lex replied, “Excuse me?”

Jonathan jumped to his feet and shouted, “You Luthors think you can just buy everyone! You’re in this with Lionel, aren’t you? The two of you, you’re trying to screw us out of our home and take our futures while you’re at it!”

Clark instantly exclaimed angrily, “Dad, stop it! Lex is trying to help!”

“Help you into a workcamp, maybe, but that’s about it,” Jonathan snapped. “Get out of my house, you bastard!”

Martha stood, taking a good grip on her husband and saying, “You should leave, Lex.”

While Lex hadn’t expected a warm reaction, he also hadn’t expected this level of venom from the man. Then again, maybe he should have given that his father was involved. It was perfectly logical for Jonathan to assume it was a combined Luthor effort.

He stood, picking up his briefcase as he said, “I can assure you that I had nothing to do with what’s happening to your farm, Mr. Kent. My only concern, frankly, is that Clark doesn’t get caught in the wake of my father’s insanity and your pride. I’ll leave the paperwork here, in case you change your mind.”

Clark walked him to the door and then outside, practically wringing his hands as he said, “I am so sorry, Lex. I know you’re only trying to help. I’ll get him to see reason.”

Lex tossed his briefcase into the car and faced his friend to tell him bluntly, “It better be soon, Clark. If he doesn’t send the bank their money by next Wednesday, you’re all in a debtors’ program and there’s nothing I can do about that. Once the state steps in…”

Clark nodded grimly, looking older than his years, which Lex regretted. Clark should be able to stay a kid for as long as possible, but circumstances were not permitting it. Clark gripped his shoulder and repeated, “I’ll get him to sign the papers. And thanks, Lex, truly. This is…above and beyond.”

Lex half-smiled at him as he said, “What price a life, Clark? You’ve saved mine how many times now?”

Clark silently squeezed his shoulder and then headed back inside.

Lex watched him go and then sighed, getting into his car to go home. The ugly confrontation had combined with the long week to take what little energy he’d had left and yet he felt wired, too. He wanted to go straight to bed when he got home and collapse, but that was definitely not happening.

* * * *

Clark was so angry that he could barely see straight as he walked back into the house. Not only had his father thrown Lex’s offer back in his face, but he’d accused him of conspiring with Lionel. He was all set to start yelling at his dad for being such a suspicious jerk when he turned the corner into the kitchen and stopped short. Clark found him standing at the sink, shoulders drooped in defeat with his hands gripping the counter edge hard enough that his knuckles stood out.

Sighing, Clark said, “He didn’t conspire to take the farm, Dad. Lex only wants to help.”

Jonathan faced him and stated firmly, “We’ll figure this out without Lex’s help, son. We have friends who will help us out.”

“To the tune of almost a million dollars? Dad, be real! They can barely pay their own mortgages!” Clark exclaimed. “Lex is…”

“Enough! No more talk about Lex or Lionel or the mortgage!” Jonathan shouted. “I will take care of this!”

Clark glared at his father and then walked away, afraid he would say something they’d both regret. He stalked out of the house altogether to the barn, using his speed to get away as fast as possible. He flopped down on the old sofa and glared up at the rafters, wanting nothing more than to make his father see reason.

It was a good while later that soft steps climbed up the stairs to his loft and his mother crossed to sit on the sofa. Smiling down at him, she said, “It’s good of you to try and help, Clark, but this is something your father needs to do himself.”

Meeting her gaze, Clark sat up and questioned bleakly, “And when he can’t? When you’re locked up in a women’s facility and worked to the bone? Mom, we need help and Lex is the only one who can provide it!”

She sighed and said, “We’ll think of something, Clark, we always do. Try not to worry, honey. Come on inside and I’ll make you some hot chocolate before bed.”

Clark shook his head. “I’m going to stay out here tonight.”

Standing, Martha bent and kissed the top of his head. “He loves you, Clark, we both do. Let us fix this.”

But as she walked away, Clark knew that they couldn’t do anything. His father wouldn’t sign those documents, he knew that, too. He stood and moved to the telescope that waited at the barn opening. It was bitterly cold, even for January, but there was still no snow on the ground. That meant there would probably be drought the coming year, maybe even water rationing, which would only add to the farm’s burden.

Not that any of us will be around to worry about it, Clark thought angrily. And there’s nothing I can do about it!

But that wasn’t entirely true. Clark paused as his thoughts took a new direction that hadn’t occurred to him before. If he indentured himself to Lex, the money could be used however he saw fit. His father had put his name on the deed when he’d turned sixteen earlier that year, which made both the profit and the responsibility his, as well as going to him in the event of his parents’ deaths. Not that his father had ever meant this outcome to happen, Clark knew, but it did give him an option that wouldn’t have been there otherwise.

Lex had said yes to the favor that he’d never had a chance to ask for the week before. He’d come through with a loan without a single word from Clark. Lex had just known what Clark had been going to ask and come through for him, just like he always had. Clark didn’t doubt that Lex would agree to this, but he had no idea what being indentured to Lex would encompass. Technically, the ‘master’ could use the servant however they saw fit and while Clark knew that Lex wouldn’t abuse that, many did.

Would he want Clark sexually? It wasn’t something he’d given serious thought to despite his late night and shower masturbation sessions. Everyone knew that Lex had had a wild time growing up and had pursued lovers in both sexes. He didn’t think Lex would want him, no one had so far anyhow, but what if he did?

“God, Dad’s really never going to speak to me again,” Clark sighed.

If he sold himself to Lex to bail out the farm, his life would change completely. He probably wouldn’t go to school, but work at something around the mansion. Maybe…maybe he would just be some kind of personal…sex toy…for Lex and even the thought made him blush all over. Blush and get hard in a disturbing way, because the thought of Lex keeping him just for sex had to be wrong.

Crunching metal and breaking glass brought Clark back to himself and he stared in dismay at the wrecked telescope. Shaking out his hands, not that they hurt, he took a deep breath and said, “I don’t have a choice. Dad’s not going to sign the loan agreement and I won’t let them end up in a workcamp to save his pride.”

The decision didn’t make his stomach feel any better.

* * * *

Lex looked up from his laptop in surprise at the sound of familiar footsteps. It had only been a couple of hours since his offer to the Kents, far too early for there to be a change. Clark offered an awkward wave from the doorway and Lex stood, motioning for him to come in. “Are you okay? What happened?”

Clark stopped a couple feet away and answered, “Dad’s not going to sign the loan papers and Mom’s not even going to try and get him to do it.”

“I can’t say I’m surprised, but I am sorry to hear that,” Lex replied softly.

Meeting his gaze, Clark said, “He’s not going to find the money in less than a week, is he?”

Lex shook his head. “No, Clark, he’s not.”

Clark nodded and then told him, “That’s what I thought. And I can’t let them get put in a state facility, it will kill them.”

Lex pointed out, “It wouldn’t be a picnic for you, either, Clark.”

But Clark waved that off as he said, “I could get through it okay, I’m…a lot stronger than I look.”

Another of those evasions that had started to make an all-too-frequent appearance lately. It was one of the most frustrating things about his friendship with Clark. He could only get so far into the younger man’s confidence and no further.

“If…if I offered myself to you as an indentured servant, would you buy me?”

Lex gaped at Clark’s words, completely thrown for the second time in one night. “Excuse me?”

“If you bought me, the money would go to the farm automatically because I’m on the deed,” Clark replied. “I know I’m not worth that much and I’d never be able to pay you back probably, but…”

“No, Clark, stop,” Lex interrupted, wishing he’d gone to bed. He was too punchy to be having such a serious conversation.

But Clark continued, “It would save my parents from the state, Lex. And, I could, um, you know. I would be open to whatever, um, well as my m-master, you could…you know. And I would…it would be…okay, you know, with me.”

Holding up a hand, Lex ordered firmly, “Stop, Clark. Just, wait. You’ve thrown me a serious curve ball here and I need to think about this. Sit.”

Clark sat on the sofa, watching him with those big, trusting eyes of his.

“Okay, first? Just because your name’s on the deed doesn’t mean your money would automatically go towards the debt since the debt’s in your parents’ names,” Lex finally said.

Clark frowned. “But I thought the whole family was on the hook for the debt?”

Lex snorted and sat beside him, explaining, “It is, but that doesn’t mean any of you can just pay it off. Likely it will still have to come directly from your father which renders this act of yours rather moot. He didn’t accept a loan so he sure as hell won’t accept any money that comes from my, ah, purchase of your services.”

Clark asked earnestly, “Can’t you find a way to make him take it? Please, Lex, this is the only way I know that will save them. I have to save them.”

Such a selfless act, he thought, stunned by the depth of familial loyalty.

It wasn’t something to which he’d been exposed, not since his mother’s death. And he didn’t miss the fact that Clark was essentially trusting Lex with his life. Once they signed the contract in the amount that would be needed, Clark would be his de facto slave for the rest of his life. There were no laws guarding the welfare of indentured servants. It was assumed that they’d gone into the arrangement with their eyes wide open. Lex could do anything he wanted to Clark and no one would be able to gainsay him, Clark least of all.

Mind racing, Lex finally said, “There might be a loophole…Clark, I will look into this seriously but I want something from you in return.”

Clark nodded seriously.

Lex stated, “I want the truth. I want to know everything about you. No lies, no evasions, no half-truths. I want the unadulterated version of your life’s history.”

Clark’s eyes widened at the demand and he swallowed visibly.

“Think about that for a few minutes,” Lex told him. “And if I do buy you, I will want you in my bed, Clark. That’s a definite. I would expect you to continue going to school and interacting with your friends just as you always have, and I would expect your very best. When you get back to the mansion every day, though, you would be at my beck and call, just like any other servant. And while you must remain faithful to me, I wouldn’t do the same. I would date just the same as I always have. Think about all of that and I’ll look into the loophole.”

Lex suspected that his already sparse social life would dwindle to nothing with Clark in his life and, eventually, his bed in such a capacity, but he wanted to give Clark the worst case scenario. Lex was already inordinately fond of him; if they were to spend even more time together, it wasn’t outside the realm of possibility that something more would develop.

He left Clark on the sofa and walked back to his desk where he picked up his cell phone and dialed his best lawyer and explained the situation to him. After several minutes of going back and forth while delving into greater detail, a more than acceptable solution was found. Hanging up, he looked over to find Clark watching him intently. Eyebrows lifting, he asked, “Yes?”

Clark let out a short, sharp breath and echoed, “Yes. If you can make my father take the money and save my parents with it, I’ll tell you everything, Lex. I’ll…be yours, however you want me.”

Lex wondered if he’d somehow managed to fall through the rabbit hole at long last. God knew Smallville had the quality of a black hole often enough. While he’d expected Clark to accede to his other demands, that one for information had become a bone of contention between them and he hadn’t thought to get such an easy agreement.

“You’re probably going to want to kill me after, but at least my folks will be safe,” Clark finished.

Lex immediately stood and walked over to him. Putting a hand on Clark’s shoulder, he said firmly, “Nothing could make me want to do that, Clark.”

“You might change your mind when you hear this. I’m…”

Putting a hand over Clark’s mouth to stop the explanation, Lex said, “We’ll get the contract drawn up in the morning first and the money transferred. Once we’ve saved your parents and the shit has officially hit the fan from my father, your parents, and the general public, then you can tell me the whole story.”

Clark nodded, but didn’t look all that happy about it.

Lex smiled and said, “Cheer up, Clark. By this time tomorrow, your parents will be in the clear.”

“You think it’ll only take a day?” Clark asked, looking astonished.

Nodding, Lex promised, “My best lawyer’s already working on the paperwork and we’ll get started early in the morning. To that end, we should both go to sleep.”

Clark stood when he did and followed him upstairs, trailing silently behind until Lex stopped in front of a guest room. Unable to resist, Lex cupped the back of Clark’s neck and pulled him in close, kissing him slow and easy. He didn’t even use any tongue, but it was one of the sweetest kisses he’d had in a long, long time. When Lex pulled back, Clark’s eyes were closed and he smiled at the sight.

“Good night, Clark,” Lex said softly.

Clark’s eyes opened and he blushed rapidly. “Um, night, Lex.”

Chuckling, Lex tweaked his nose and moved on to his bedroom to get some sleep.