I don't own One Tree Hill, I don't own the characters, places, music etc.
I started the story sometime last year, it's still not finished but I think I'll end it soon.
It would be wasted time if I keep it for myself, right? I hope you'll have some fun.
See ya
„It's time to crush the big bastard brother of yours" Nathan smiled they were right it was time to get rid of Lucas once and for all. But he was slightly surprised too. He thought Lucas and Skills could be friends when they wanted to. They got along well at first but something changed and they stopped being friendly.
"Do you have an idea?" he smirked.
"Let's make a bet" Skills said in a conspiratorial tone.
"Sounds interesting" Nathan watched his teammates nod
"Let's play, who's more successful of getting rid of Lucas. You!" he pointed at Nathan "his little brother who wants to make things right or we" he spread his arms "the bad, baaad basketball team"
"What do I get when I win?" Nathan liked the idea. "Your triumph… and the approval of your father. He hates Lucas more than you"
"And what do you get?" he liked the idea even more; he wanted to please his old man.
"We earn the approval and we get rid of the strain you and Lucas create within the team" Skills answered.
"I like the idea" Nathan sealed their bet with a handshake "Time to crush Lucas"
The week after the school shooting was the perfect opportunity to get close to his brother, he decided to play the role of the worried little brother who realized how much he liked his older brother. But a little part of his mind, he would never accept, whispered that he actually was scared for a short moment.
He waited for Lucas in the locker room and thought about a good conversation to initiate a bonding.
Ten minutes passed as Lucas finally entered the room, he glanced at his younger brother before he started to change. He was scared that his baby brother could have been hurt during the shooting but after the police cleared the situation he saw him. He looked shocked but healthy and above all alive. He knew Nathan hated him, he wasn't sure if it was Dan's fault alone or if he did something to disgust him.
Lucas gave him a weary look as Nathan approached him. He was tired of fighting and had no interest to get into another fight.
"Lucas" he said smoothly but Lucas could swear there was an insecure undertone in it.
The blond looked at him but said nothing "How are you?" Nathan tried again to get his brother's full attention.
"Why do you ask?" Lucas looked guarded, he didn't trust his brother. First a friendly words and a punch after that, that was the way it was.
"You got caught in the middle of the shooting and I want to know if you're alright"
"Why? Sad I didn't get shot?" Lucas continued to change his shirt.
That hurt, Nathan didn't know why but the accusation and the sad look in his brother's eyes had hit him "Believe it or not but I was worried" he held his anger in check.
Lucas looked surprised "I'm fine" was the short reply.
"I thought we could … grab something to eat after practice" Nathan wasn't so full of himself anymore.
"I don't think it's a good idea. I'm not in the mood for your games" Lucas loved his brother more than was socially allowed and he drank in the sight in front of him. How the hell did he fall in love with his little brother who hated him more than the plague?
"I think it's time to end these games" Nathan sounded honest "I'm tired of hating you so I decided to get to know you"
"What did you feel guilty for hating me the moment I could have died?" Lucas mocked. The strange look in Nathan's eyes surprised him but he couldn't figure out the meaning.
"Maybe" he was astonished about his own feelings, what the hell was Lucas thinking about him? He made it sound as if he was a heartless monster
~ I shouldn't be surprised I hate him and he knows that but I thought it would be easier to gain his trust. Looks like I did a good job at harassing the bastard ~
He chuckled inwardly.
"No" Lucas closed the locker "Is it an, impossible for you to be worried no or I don't have time today no" Nathan asked slightly confused.
"Both" the blond said and left. It was hard not to give in but he knew better as to trust him.
Lucas waited for his teammates to leave the locker room. It was a rough training and it seemed that he offended the team again. It was no surprise they hated him, they were on Nathan's side but what shocked him most was Nathan's behavior. He wasn't mean and he didn't join the others as they harassed him "Strange" he sighed. The blond felt tired again, he tired easily for a few months now.
Lucas hissed in pain as he tried to get out of his shirt "Lucas?"
~ Damn it, where does he come from? ~
He let go of his shirt and it slid back in place, he hoped Nathan wasn't aware of the bruise on his left side.
"Did you forget something?" he asked nonchalantly.
"No" Nathan eyed him before he came closer "Let me take a look"
"No" Lucas was ready to defend himself; he wouldn't let Nathan touch him. He was afraid his body could betray him.
"I want to make sure Skills did not break your bones" the brunette came closer and reached out for his shirt.
"It's bruised nothing more" Skills hit his elbow in his ribs in midair and he landed hard on his side. Whitey yelled at Skills but he only gave him a sardonic grin and ignored Whitey's sermon about fairness and friendship on the court.
Nathan was unimpressed and lifted Lucas shirt "Ow" he winced "looks painful"
Lucas bit his lip as Nathan traced his finger, very gently, over his ribs "Stop that"
Nathan pulled away like burned, he didn't know why he did this but he couldn't help himself as he reached out for his brother and felt the silky skin under his fingers "Maybe we should pay the emergency room a visit"
"Not necessary" he pulled his shirt down and hoped Nathan wouldn't notice his arousal "I have to go" he rushed out of the room.
"Didn't go well right buddy" Skills left his hiding place "I think one point for us"
"That may be true but once I gain his trust I will make sure to shatter him with one strike" the brunet grinned self-confident.
"We will see" Skills left and left a brooding Nathan behind.
"Hey Lucas I heard training wasn't a cakewalk" Payton placed her tray on the table and sat down next to him. She was one of his best friends and sometimes he wondered if she was the only friend he had left. Haley and his friendship changed after they fell in love with the same guy. He wanted their old relationship back but it seemed they already drifted too far apart.
"Sounds like the rumor mill is busy" was his sarcastic reply.
"Skills is proud of himself and they say your crash landing was a funny view" she chuckled "Sorry, I know it is mean but it must have been funny"
"Yeah" he joined her laughing. It was a hurtful landing but most falls actually are funny, when you're not the one who lands like a skydiving elephant.
"Hey guys" Haley joined them "I heard you had a little accident yesterday"
Lucas rolled his eyes and grunted "Yeah, it is true and yeah it is funny"
"It is not" a deep voice interrupted Haley's apology "Nathan sat down on the chair in front of Lucas.
"You were lucky he didn't break your bones with the stunt he pulled" Nathan shoved a piece of his sandwich in his mouth. Haley and Payton stared at him with open mouths and Lucas looked annoyed "What do you want?"
"You know what I want, the question is will you let me?" was Nathan's cryptic reply.
The girls waited for Lucas's reply, it was an unexpected situation "Don't think so"
"One time" Nathan tried again "when you don't like it I'll stop"
"NO" he hissed. It was too dangerous to get close to him, it must be one of his games besides he already had a crush on his brother it couldn't be wise to build a relationship with him.
Lucas could feel the stares of the team and all the others in the room; he took a deep breath and left "What was that?" Payton glared at Nathan.
"My attempt to make things right" he bit into his sandwich, "Why now?" Haley blushed as she talked to him. Lucas and Payton knew she loved the beautiful brunette and she hoped he would notice her attraction too.
"He could have died" he sipped on his drink and tried to keep up his worried little brother façade.
"You mean the shooting" Payton interfered; he nodded "so you decided to be nice to him because he could have died?"
"Yes" what else could he say?
"I realized life is too short to always do what others expect from you" it wasn't completely a lie he realized.
"You did what you did because of Dan and not on your own account?" Haley wasn't sure why but she believed him. Her heart beat faster while he talked, his voice was beautiful and he was so honest. It was time for them to be brothers.
Payton was unconvinced, she wanted to believe him for Lucas's sake but his change of mind was so sudden "Give him time to adjust" she stated.
"I think it's the best option" he smiled at Haley; he noticed that she was on his side and it was an advantage he would use.
"I try to track him down" Payton stood up and left, their shameless flirting made her sick. Payton and Haley knew how Lucas felt about his brother. They stumbled over his secret by accident and after a long, long talk they accepted his unholy feelings. Love is love no one has the right to judge. We can't chose with who we fall in love with.
"We'll talk with him, okay?" Haley gave him her brightest smile and laid a hand on top of his, after a gentle squeeze she left, too.
Nathan grinned at Skills from afar his plan was working, slower as he liked but it worked just fine.
"Hey" Payton found him on the steps of the school entrance "Are you okay?"
"I don't know" he sighed "What does he want?"
He looked so lost and it tore on her heart "I don't know if I believe him or not"
"Me neither" he stared at his hands "Do you think it could be possible?"
"That he likes you?" he nodded "He looked honest, maybe he never was angry at you. Maybe Dan made him act like an ass"
"I'm scared" he looked at her and she could see a slight shimmer in his eyes, unshed tears she realized "What are you afraid of?"
"You know how I feel about him. What if we get close and he really played with me or we get close and … you know are brothers forever, without a chance to be together as something else than brothers"
"I can't say what will happen but I think you should try. Don't let your guard down while you bond but I think you will regret it when you don't use the chance"
"I think you're right" the bell rang "I'll think about it" he promised before they attended class.
"Lucas" Haley waved "why are you so mean to Nathan, he really tries hard to get to know you" she chided.
Nathan spent his time with them during lunch, again. It was the fifth day in a row and Lucas felt more and more uncomfortable. It looked like he really was honest but he was too scared of the outcome to act on his feelings. So he kept his façade in place and tried to push him away but Nathan ignored his tries and never yelled back.
"I'm not sure I trust him" he said. She was flirting with Nathan the whole week and he was jealous. She knew how he felt, how could she do that to him?
~ It's not fair of her to flirt with him so shamelessly when I'm around. It hurt. I know I'm not a potential boyfriend but it would be nice not to see them flirt. Why am I so fucked up? I'm a sick bastard. Maybe Dan was right all along ~
"Oh, come on" she beamed "He's nice and honest. He would never hurt you intentionally"
"But he did" Lucas gave her a meaningful look.
"He changed his mind" she went on "He wants to be your brother. Give him a chance"
"I'll think about it" was the standard answer they got.
It was time for practice and Lucas was everything but happy about the fact. He liked basketball but they made his life hard. It wasn't much fun anymore but he would not give up. The time would come when he loved the sport again.
Nathan watched him while he changed "Does it still hurt?" he asked after the rest of the team left.
"No" he lied and closed his locker.
"Lucas" he grabbed the blonds arm "please"
The blond pulled his arm away and vanished "Shit" Nathan cursed.
They ignored Lucas as much as possible and did as if he wasn't even present but after a lecture from Whitey they changed their tactic again.
Lucas got the ball for the first time in an hour and jumped to engulf the ball in the basket as Skills and one of his buddies tried to crush him between their strong bodies. His mind raced as they slammed into him, by accident of course, it hurt but as he saw the ground coming closer by every second he felt strong arms around him. Nathan caught him before he hit the ground. He held his big brother in his arms and tightened his grip possessively "Are you alright?"
Lucas was confused and ashamed about his body's betrayal "Yeah" he blushed.
He wasn't sure how he ended in Nathan's arms and especially why Nathan stopped his fall.
Nathan's scent was intoxicating and the warmth of his strong arms around his chest created the best but saddest feeling he ever had, true love so out of reach it tore his heart in two. He closed his eyes while he fought for his breath and composure.
"I don't think you're alright" Nathan frowned, Lucas heart beat fast and his slim body was so warm in his arms.
Lucas got nervous "I'm fine" he struggled. Nathan released him and watched him closely "When you say so"
"Yeah" Lucas sighed as Whitey checked him for injuries before he started to preach again.
Lucas waited again for the team to leave, who knew what they would do to him when Whitey wasn't there for him. He entered the locker room after a while and went to the shower. Nathan watched him go in and decided to wait a little longer; he didn't want to give him the chance to flee. After ten minutes he slipped into the locker room and heard the shower, he grinned and peeked into the room. There stood his big brother in all his glory. The bruise was fading but there were new bruises around his torso.
~ I grabbed him too hard, they look like my fingerprints. Strange I didn't let him fall but automatically reached for him as I saw his distressed expression.
It's not the time to dwell on it; I can use the incident for my advantage.
He really has a lithe build; no wonder the girls love him. Slender waist, well defined muscles … woooow what the hell… where came that thought from?
Okay I always had the suspicion I'm bi and I think that's the proof but he's my brother for god's sake.
Well he's a worthless creature, no one loves him, no one wants him … almost sad.
Okay bastard let's start the game ~
"Why are you still here?" Lucas asked as he saw Nathan sitting on a bench.
"I want to make sure you're alright" he answered and noticed a sad look in his brother's eyes. He often looks like a kicked puppy, Nathan mused.
"I don't understand your change of heart" Lucas started to dress.
"I can't tell you why. It's the way I feel … I really can't explain" and the Oscar goes to Nathan, he smirked as Lucas turned around to grab his shoes.
"Okay" Lucas answered so low he almost missed it "Really?" the brunette asked confused. That was almost too easy but it was time for a success after all the time he invested.
"My apartment. Tomorrow after school?" Lucas frowned at this, suspicion written all over his face.
"I thought it's better to start without too much attention" Nathan winced, that was not a good way to convince him.
"Okay" Lucas said simply but there was something in his tone Nathan didn't like. It sounded hurt and resigned but conveyed the impression of normality, as if it was normal for him to be hidden away like useless goods.
"Be on time" Nathan gave him a blinding smile and left.
Lucas stared at Nathan's retreating back 'till he vanished behind the closing door "What the hell am I doing?" he sighed. He was sure it was a failure but he was so nice while he held him and after that "It's still a failure" he shut his locker and rushed out of the building.
The blond wasn't ready to go home so decided to go running so he could get his thoughts clear. He didn't want to think about tomorrow. He had to stop a few hundred meters before he reached his house. He wasn't running fast but he felt out of breath and his chest felt heavy.
"Damn it" he slowed down until he stopped and took deep breaths "I should train more and get a grip on myself"
He thought it was one of the many attendant symptoms of stress, but the future would show how wrong he was.
