You Can Leave Your Hat On

by Moony Rabbit

Lucas and Nathan are having financial troubles, their friend Tim finds them an unlikely job. Lathan Slash

Lucas needed money. He used one of the fake I.D.'s Brooke had gotten for him and got a job at a local strip club. Tim had told him about it before he left for reform school. It was the only good thing Tim had ever done. Of course when Lucas got there, he realized just why Tim had been so enthusiastic about the place. It was a male strip club just about an hour's drive away from Tree Hill.

"Damn it Tim." Lucas muttered, going in anyway. His job was to wait tables so he figured he'd be so busy it didn't matter.

After a brief interview with the manager, who Lucas was pretty sure was flirtingwith him, he filled out the paperwork and was told to report for work Friday at six in the evening. Lucas nodded and stood, shaking Maurice's hand. He was almost out the door when the slightly effeminate manager called after him.

"Oh, there's one more thing darling, what size are you?" Maurice's eyes trailed down his body and then back up to Lucas's face.

"Excuse me?"

"Pant size darling, what size pants do you wear?"

"Why?" Lucas asked, fighting off the bad feeling the man was giving him.

"Our wait staff wears uniforms. The cost will be deducted from your first weeks pay."

Lucas gave the man his measurements and left quickly. The pay was lousy enough without having to pay for a costume but Tim had assured him he could make it all up in tips. He only hoped Tim was right. On his way out he ran into Nathan, his brother and on again, off again friend. At present they were on the outs. Nate had fallen in with loan sharks and nearly cost Lucas and his best friend Haley their lives. The man, Dante and a companion had done a drive by, spraying bullets all over the street where Karen's café was.

Haley had taken a bullet in the leg, shattering her tibia and leaving her in a cast for weeks. Lucas had suffered a heart attack from the excitement. Nathan had been unharmed. The men responsible were quickly apprehended and awaiting trial. With news of his point shaving hitting the airwaves, Duke immediately withdrew their offer for a scholarship and Nathan's dreams of turning pro one day were shattered.

Lucas felt sorry for Nate but he was still angry for all the lies. It was more than that. Lucas was beginning to feel a real bond between them. He wished that Nathan had trusted him like a brother and come to him first with his financial problems. It really bothered Lucas that Tim was a regular fixture in Nathan's apartment and paid no rent, yet Nathan never thought of asking him to move in and share in the expenses.

Lucas could tell Nathan was uncomfortable seeing him there in the club.

"Um, you came for a job too I guess," Nathan muttered, barely making eye contact with his older brother.

"Yeah, Tim told me about this place," Lucas answered.

"Me too."

"It's a male strip club but money is money right?"

"Yeah, right."

"Well, I've got to get going," Lucas said.

"I've got an interview," Nathan replied.

"Good luck," Lucas offered, heading for the door. He heard Maurice's voice greeting his brother.

"Well, well, well," the owner purred, "what do we have here?"

Lucas headed to his mom's café. It wasn't that he minded working for her but when cash was tight, he felt guilty taking a salary from her. This way, he could help out voluntarily if needed during the week after school and get paid guilt free on the weekends. Of course he'd have to lie to his mom about what he was doing. There was a movie theatre not far from the club, so Lucas decided to say he was working there instead. Karen had no problem with her son taking a second job as long as it didn't interfere with his school work. It was his last year of high school and she didn't want him to ruin his chances of graduation over a need for cash.

The rest of the week flew by quickly. Lucas watched everyday at lunch as his once popular brother ate alone. He'd become the school pariah for what he'd done, even though the Ravens won the state championship. Lucas wanted to push aside his anger and stick by his brother's side, but the feelings of betrayal and hurt ate at him daily. It scared him that the boy he once could barely stand had come to mean so much to him. They'd been through so much together, school shootings, forced strippings, fights, stalkers, Nathan's near drowning and taking a stand against their father, that Lucas just couldn't understand why Nathan refused to let him in when his back was against the wall.

Haley, who was naturally ready to forgive and forget, told him he was acting like a jilted lover. Lucas tried to laugh it off but he was seriously beginning to feel like a wife who found out her husband had secrets. He spent Friday's lunch hour watching his dejected brother sit miserably by himself. He study his blue eyes as he looked up at passersby hopefully and then avert his eyes downward as he received more disapproving glares and was subjected to whispers and laughter.

Lucas decided that if Nathan got the job at the club, he would use the opportunity to talk to him and try to reconnect. If things went well, maybe there would still be a chance that they could regain the closeness they'd just began to develop and be brothers again.

When he got to Le Cage, it was just minutes before six. The doors of the club didn't officially open until eight. Lucas felt instantly intimidated when he saw the array of muscle bound men mulling around, waiting for final instructions from Maurice before getting ready for work. Coach Durham always teased him about being scrawny and now among all the well toned bodies clad in tees and jeans, he felt just that.

Lucas saw when his brother walked in. By the look in his Nathan's eye, he could tell his brother was feeling somewhat intimidated himself. Despite their recent differences, when Nathan latched eyes with him, he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and hurried over to the table where Lucas was sitting.

"Is it me, or did we just walk into steroid heaven?" Nathan smirked.

Lucas let out a nervous laugh. "I probably won't get good tips if this is the competition."

The way Nathan looked at him before speaking made Lucas squirm. "You'll do all right," he said, letting his eyes take Lucas in. "Are you nervous?"

"Yeah, a little. I mean, I've waited tables before at my mom's café, but never in a strip club. I hear the women can get really wild in these places."

"Uh, yeah. I heard that too. "

Lucas didn't quite get the strange look Nathan was giving him. Before he could ask what was up, Maurice appeared and began to give instructions. The waiters were sent to one of the back rooms to change into their uniforms. Lucas looked to Nathan who remained seated in the club.

"Changed your mind?" Lucas asked.

"Uh, no…I got a different job," Nathan hesitated.

"Oh…okay, see you around."

Lucas was disappointed that they wouldn't be waiting tables together. He wanted a chance to talk to Nathan and hoped they might get their break together. He wondered what other job Nathan got. 'Most likely busboy,' Lucas assumed, since his brother had no experience serving customers. He joined the other well toned men in the closet turned dressing room and grabbed the plastic bag that had his name on it. Some of the other men started stripping and pulling the garments out their bags. Lucas felt uncomfortable changing in the cramped room even though he was accustomed to undressing in front of his teammates. He swallowed hard and began taking off his things, feeling even more self-conscious about getting naked as he saw strapping biceps and triceps flexing all around him.

The uniform amounted to a pair of black pants that were little more than the form fitting spandex and a thin gold bow tie to match. Lucas folded his arms in front of his chest and followed the others out of the room. When they got back into the main seating area, Nathan and the other men that stayed behind were gone. They were given further orders about placing orders and assigned sections to wait on. Maurice inspected them, making Lucas feel even more jittery and told them to man their stations.

At eight that evening, the doors opened and music played in the background as a mostly male crowd flocked through the doors. Even then, Lucas was totally oblivious to the type of club he was in. That was until he took orders from his first set of guests and a hand wandered up his calf and squeezed his butt cheek. He nearly let out high pitched squeal but managed to extricate the hand off his ass and finish taking orders.

The order part was easy. It wasn't much different than working with his mom, the only difference being having to hear over blaring technotronic music as opposed to soft rock. Lucas quickly learned that he had something working in his favor that the other waiters didn't; the innocent waif thing.

His tables filled up quickly and he was soon working his shy smile and modest frame to his advantage. When he returned to the bar for yet another round of drinks for his first set of guests, Maurice smiled, pleased at his performance. He already had more than a few tips placed in the waistband of his pants.

The music died down and Maurice took the stage, announcing theatrically that the floor show was about to begin. The predominantly male crowd went wild as Maurice announced a new addition to their lineup, Dark Raven.

An old Tom Jones tune that Lucas recognized from a movie he'd watched with Nathan, Tim and Haley one night started up.

Baby, take off your coat, real slow.

Lucas didn't pay attention to the stage at first. It was all he could do to manage his orders while keeping groping hands at bay. When Maurice told him to take a break, Lucas ordered a coke and sat on an empty bar stool, looking through the bar mirror behind the bar at the stage. He wanted to wander back into the kitchen and see how Nathan was doing but he was a bit embarrassed for his brother to see him dressed the way he was. He counted his tips as the music played and the figure on stage, dressed in a baseball hat and black sweats gyrated on the stage, his back to the crowd.

Baby, take off your shoes. I'll help you take off your shoes.

Lucas remembered Nathan looking at him and telling him he'd do all right. He hadn't been wrong. He wanted to share that with his brother but he wondered how Nathan would feel if he knew that he'd earned his tips by letting men fondle him as he served drinks. When the crowd roared louder, Lucas's attention was drawn from his money to the figure on stage. He folded his stash and stuffed it down the waistband of his boxer briefs. Between the briefs and his form fitting pants, he was sure not to lose any cash.

Baby, take off your dress. Yes, yes, yes.

The dancer had his black sweat jacket partially off, his arms still inside and pulled tight across his rear. Lucas licked his lips watching the muscles ripple across the man's back. The dancer wasn't overly pumped like the other waiters he worked with but he was definitely in good shape. 'Probably an athlete,' Lucas speculated. Lucas found himself spinning around on the bar stool to face the stage and watching the seductive dancer who hadn't shown his face yet, whip the crowd into a frenzy.

You can leave your hat on.
You can leave your hat on.
You can leave your hat on.

The man faced forward. His chest was just as well toned as his back. It was also hairless. His skin was milky white and he gyrated his body in a fluid motion that seemed to start from his neck and ripple down to his pelvis. Lucas prayed his break wouldn't end before the dancer finished.

The cap the performer wore had a large bill and it was pulled low over his eyes. Lucas wondered if the man could even see anything from beneath the obstruction. The song continued to pulsate and the dancer had tossed his jacket into the crowd and was now hooking his thumbs into the corners of his black sweats. For a brief moment, Lucas smiled, remembering the Boy Toy auction and his brother's goofy performance in it. He mused about Nathan being on stage trying to compete with the likes of professionals such as the current performer.

The dancer's back turned again as the waistband of the jersey fabric was slowly lowered to reveal the golden straps of a thong. Lucas checked his watch. His time was almost up. He was positive after this performer was through, his tables would definitely be thirsty and even more horny than when they came in.

The crowd moaned in frustration when the pants were pulled up again, but it was short lived when the stripper faced forward, firmly grabbed the fabric at the waist and pulled. Lucas decided then and there, gold was his favorite color. The guy was well endowed and his thighs were firm and strong. Lucas suddenly wanted to approach the stage like the other patrons and stuff all his earnings into the golden band the housed those undulating hips.

When the dancer hooked his thong with one thumb and pulled, Lucas was sure a riot would ensue. The frenzied crowd was border lining on pandemonium. The chorus of the song repeated over and over. The crowd knew what was coming. The stripper firmly grabbed the front of the cloth as Lucas made his way back to one of his tables close to the stage. A guest was frantically asking for change. Lucas held the bill in his hand and glanced up towards the stage. In a split second, the thong was yanked off and the hat came down to cover the dancer's privates. Lucas stared blankly up at the brunette with the deep blue eyes and quirky lopsided smile. Their eyes locked for a moment and both teens blushed and looked away. Lucas felt the bill snatched out of his hand and before he knew it the man simply tossed it on the stage. Someone grabbed his ass again and the stage lights went dim. Wild applause followed and it took some time for Maurice to calm the crowd so that the next act could go on.

Lucas didn't see Nathan the rest of the evening. He figured, he'd slipped out the back door or left when his back was turned. The rest of the show had been a blur of bodies and undulating hips. Lucas couldn't shake the image of his brother dancing so seductively in front of such a large and unruly crowd. A thought occurred to him, concerning Tim and his brother. Lucas shook that thought away. He changed back into his street clothes, said goodnight to Maurice and promised to be on time for Saturday.

With his money securely in his jeans and his jacket firmly zipped up, he headed out into the cool night air. Some of the customers were lingering outside. He assumed they were waiting for friends or maybe even some of the dancers. A few called out to him and one guy even threw an arm around him, boldly propositioning him.

"He's with me," Nathan's voice stated firmly, before pulling his brother by the hand towards him and throwing an arm around him. "Just keep walking," Nathan whispered in his ear, pulling him closer.

"Where's your car?" Nathan asked.

"I took the bus."

"It's two in the morning? How were you planning to get home? You know the buses have stopped running by now?" Nathan sounded not only angry but actually concerned.

"I…I guess I didn't think about it."

Despite the night air, Lucas felt very warm in his brother's embrace.

"Lucas, what if someone hassled you? You have a heart condition. You have to be more careful."

Nathan stopped by a beat up black Pontiac. It was a far cry from the luxury cars Lucas was accustomed to seeing his brother in.

"Get in. I'll drive you home."

Lucas climbed in. On the drive home, neither boy talked about what they'd experienced at their new job. Nathan seemed extremely pissed off and as they pulled up to Lucas's house, Lucas heard himself apologizing.

"I'm sorry Nathan…for worrying you."

Nathan let out a long slow breath and looked at his brother. "I'm sorry for going off on you like that. It's just that…I care about you…a lot."

Nathan looked away as if embarrassed by his words.

"I care about you too," Lucas all but whispered.

"Are you going back tomorrow?" Nathan didn't look at his brother as he asked.

"Yeah, are you?"

"The pay is lousy but the tips are good," Nathan laughed.

"Same here." Lucas reached for the handle of the door. "Umm…you were good tonight."

"Really?" Nathan blushed.

"Really."

"I should kill Tim for getting me into this."

"So, is Tim…were you and Tim…"

When Nathan realized what Lucas was trying to ask, he shook his head furiously. "No," he insisted. "No..not at all," he said softer.

"Oh." Lucas wondered why he felt so relieved to hear it.

"Are you? I mean…well…"

"I don't know," Lucas answered honestly.

He'd had the opportunity to be with two of the prettiest girls in Tree Hill High and yet each time he was with Brooke or Peyton, his heart wasn't in it. He didn't feel like… He almost bolted from the car when he realized where his thoughts were taking him. He didn't feel the way he felt when he was hanging out with Nathan.

"Um…I'll see you tomorrow," Lucas spoke hastily, realizing his semi confession might be freaking his younger brother out. Try as he might to flee from the close confines of the car, the door just would not budge.

"The doors locked. This old car…hold on..," Nathan reached across Lucas and fumbled with the lock. The blond closed his eyes and held his breath as he brother's body heat passed in waves over him. When he opened his eyes, Nathan was almost face to face with him.

"Are you okay?"

Lucas nodded dumbly.

"You won't tell anybody about tonight?'

Lucas shook his head no, praying for Nathan to move back into his seat.

"I'll pick you up tomorrow. Okay?"

"Yes," Lucas squeaked out, before practically falling out the car.

He rushed inside and headed straight to his room. Thankfully his mom was sound asleep. He stripped off his clothes and flopped down on his bed trying to unwind from the evening. He was a little achy from all the pinching but the money really was good. His mind wandered back to Nathan dancing on the stage and how he made him feel before he realized it was his own brother up there. The funny thing was, those feelings didn't change when he did know.

"God, I'm sick," Lucas muttered under his breath. He lowered his hand down his belly and stopped just shy of the waistband of his boxer briefs. "Don't even think about it." Naturally, he did.

When he came, he felt shame for having indulged in such a sick deluded fantasy. 'He's your brother,' his conscience reminded him over and over again. His mind replayed every second from when he'd left the club; Nathan throwing his arm around him and claiming him as his own, the concern in his brother's voice when he realized he hadn't planned how he was getting home and the words he'd whispered after he'd calmed down. "I care about you…a lot," Nathan had said.

'Don't read more into it,' Lucas admonished himself. "I care about you too," he whispered to the still of his room.

Tree Hill was a safe quiet town. People rarely locked their doors and because of that, Lucas got an eyeful when he showed up at Nathan's apartment on Saturday morning, wanting to clear the air about his almost gay confession last night. It was a little after ten and Lucas could hear music playing as he approached his brother's apartment. He knocked once, but when Nathan didn't answer, he just assumed his brother couldn't hear him over the music.

He turned the knob and entered the untidy apartment. Lucas looked around and smiled. He decided if things went well, he'd stick around and help his messy brother clean up. Nathan wasn't in the living room. The music was coming from somewhere else. Lucas walked down the short corridor to the bedroom and nearly came close to being hospitalized again. Nathan was standing in front of his full length mirror, in his birthday suit, gyrating to Shakira's The Hips Don't Lie.

Lucas knew he should back away, head for the front door, do a full out run back to his home. He knew he should do anything but what he was currently doing, which was staring at his brother's lean frame as he wiggled to the beat. Nathan was so busy watching himself in the mirror that he didn't notice Lucas standing there with his tongue dragging the floor.

Nathan did a little spin and came face to face with his older sibling. Startled he let out a shriek and then instinctively covered his dick. His face was beet red. Lucas was pretty sure his own face was equally flushed, having witnessed moves that would put Shakira herself to shame.

"Sorry," Lucas held his hands up and backed away. He headed down the hall humiliated.

"Luke," Nathan called after him.

Lucas stopped in his tracks but didn't dare turn around. He was pretty sure Nathan hadn't had enough time to actually put clothes on.

"Nate, I'm sorry. I should have knocked."

"How long have you been standing there?"

Lucas couldn't tell if his brother was angry by the tone of his voice but he figured he'd go for the honesty approach anyway.

"A few minutes," he answered, still afraid to turn around.

"What did you think?"

Of all the things Lucas was expecting to come out of his brother's mouth, this was not even close to being one of them.

"Um…you were…the dance was…it was hot." Lucas hung his head down, groaning internally. He prayed to floor would open up and swallow him whole.

There was silence and Lucas thought it best to face his pummeling head on. He turned around slowly and was overjoyed to see that Nathan had managed to pull on a pair of boxers and he was smiling.

"Hot huh," he smirked.

"I mean…if you're into that sort of thing," Lucas shrugged.

"Are you?"

Lucas was momentarily lost. "Am I what?" He asked squinting.

"Into that sort of thing?"

"Look Nate, about last night…"

"You know, whenever someone tells me those words, it usually means I'm about to get dumped."

"I'm not dumping you," Lucas insisted before really thinking about what he'd just said. "I mean, if we were…what I'm trying to say is…"

"It's cool Luke. I mean if you're into guys, it's cool." Nathan said seriously.

"I'm not," Lucas defended. "I mean, I never really thought about it."

"Tim thought about it." Nathan blurted out.

"Are you trying to put me back in the hospital?" Lucas joked, clutching his heart.

Nathan grinned. "I just mean it didn't bother me. You know his parents sent him to one of those gay reeducation schools. They're trying to scare him straight I think."

"And it doesn't bother you that people might find out your best friend is gay?" Lucas couldn't believe they were having this conversation.

"Actually, you should be the one concerned." Nathan flashed a mischievous smile but Lucas took the bait and asked why anyway,

"I'll bite. Why would Tim being gay concern me?"

Nathan slithered past Lucas whispering in his ear as he passed. "Because he was so into you."

Lucas wasn't sure what his body was responding to; the fact that Tim was gay and liked him or the sexy way Nathan had delivered the news.

"So you two spent your evenings sipping tea and discussing how hot I am," Lucas joked nervously.

"It was beer actually," Nathan said, putting on water for coffee. "Did you eat yet?"

Lucas furrowed his brow. He wanted to ask a dozen questions, but each one he thought of lead down a path he didn't dare tread.

"No," he said, moving to the other side of the counter and sitting on one of the stools.

"Bacon, eggs and toast?" Nathan asked, as if he hadn't just practically admitted he and Tim were gay.

"Sounds great," Lucas said hurriedly, not wanting true confessions time to end.

"So were you and Tim…"

"Just friends Luke," Nathan said firmly.

"Oh.."

"He talked about you all the time. Sometimes I wanted to smack him."

"To protect my virtue?"

Nathan blushed and Lucas saw a flash of something in his brother's eyes.

"Something like that." Nathan conceded.

"Like you did last night," Lucas added. His brother bristled a second before stopping what he was doing and giving Lucas his undivided attention.

"We're brothers," Nathan said firmly. "It's only natural I'd try to protect you."

"I can take care of myself. I don't need your protection; I need your trust."

"I do trust you," Nathan insisted.

"Then why didn't you come to me about Dante," Lucas demanded.

"I…I was trying to protect you. Look Lucas," Nathan said, moving closer to his brother, "Dante threatened to hurt you, I couldn't let that happen."

When his hands reached up and clutched Lucas's shoulders, the blond teen willed himself not to shiver from the touch.

"I'm the older brother, remember? I'm supposed to look after you. I mean, if you were having trouble with money and bills, I would have…"

"What? Robbed a bank for me?"

"Moved in with you, shared expenses."

"You'd live with me?"

Lucas resisted the urge to tell him other things he'd do with him and simply nodded.

"What about Karen?"

"I think she's happy living where she is," Lucas said straight faced before cracking a smile.

"Cute," Nathan smirked.

"I get that a lot," Lucas shot back cheekily.

"I bet you do."

Nathan's face flushed and he dropped his hands instantly. "What I meant…"

"It's okay Nate. Now I don't feel so bad for calling your dance hot."

Both boys smiled at each other awkwardly before trying to find a way to change the subject quickly. Nathan spoke first.

"I better get cracking on this breakfast."

Lucas watched contentedly as Nathan moved around the small kitchenette. He imagined what it would be like to wake up every morning and find his brother preparing their morning meal. He imagined what it would be like to wake up every morning next to Nathan.

They hung out most of the day and managed to avoid any further talk of sexual preferences. Lucas left to give his mother a hand at the café before getting ready for work that night. Nathan spent the remaining hours ironing out the kinks in his new dance and catching an hour of sleep before heading out to pick up his brother.

The Saturday night crowd was more lively and Lucas was wishing he'd purchased on of those fanny pads women wore to accentuate their derrières. He knew his ass was in for some major pinching before the night was over.

He quickly changed into his costume, briefly joining in with the other wait staff about what a rough night it was going to be. Tonight, Maurice had reassigned Lucas to table closer to the stage. There was a large party of ten or so sitting at two tables pushed together. Maurice had been impressed with Lucas's skills at taking orders and delivering then accurately. Plus he was no dummy. He knew cute waiters meant more orders.

Nathan peaked out from behind the curtain. The club was already packed and he saw his brother dodging hands while making nice with the patrons. His blood was already boiling but Lucas seemed to be holding his own. Nathan had thought a lot about what Lucas said. As he changed into his costume, he thought about he and Lucas living together. Spending the morning with his brother had been nice. Lucas seemed to be the only one who saw him as something more than a jock or a screw up. He appreciated Lucas for that; for seeing beyond the façade he showed to his school mates. It was just that lately, he'd been masking something else from his brother.

When Dante threatened to hurt Lucas, feelings bottled up bubbled to the surface. He hadn't realized just how much he cared for his older brother. Then earlier in the day, when Lucas had watched him dancing, he began to understand just what those feelings were and how deep they ran. So while Lucas moving in would be an answer to his financial woes, it would also be the beginning of a whole other set of problems.

Nathan tried not to think about it as he adjusted his costume. He'd never identified why Tim's infatuation with Lucas bothered him so much. As it suddenly became clearer and clearer to him, it also became more apparent why Lucas and he under one roof was not a good idea.

Nathan was set to go on first. He got the opening spot because he was new. The more experienced acts went after, with the featured stripper going on last. Even as he waited for showtime, Nathan weighed his options. He definitely didn't want a lifetime of stripping for a living no matter how good the money was, but he didn't want to jeopardize the friendship he and Lucas were mending by inviting the blond to live with him and then messing up and somehow making his feelings known.

Nathan wondered how he could even feel the way he felt. He wanted to blame Tim for putting those crazy thoughts in his head but the truth was, maybe he'd always known how he felt and had managed to lie to himself all this time. Whatever the explanation, Nathan knew one thing for sure; he would not under any circumstances act on his feelings.

It all happened so fast, that Lucas still didn't know what exactly had happened. One minute Nathan was dancing. The crowd was eating up his sexy Latin dance. The next thing Lucas knew, a hand was shoved down the waistband of his spandex pants and then Nathan was there, twisting that very hand until the man actually called for his mommy.

When the dust settled, Nathan and he were being escorted out. Lucas did manage to plead for their belongings. Now they were headed for Nathan's car, Nathan wearing his sweatshirt and a speedo and Lucas still in his shirtless waiter's uniform. He had both his and his brother's bags on one shoulder. Both boys ignored the looks they were getting as Lucas fumbled through pants pockets and zipped bag compartments for the car keys.

Nathan shivered, keeping his head down while Lucas struggled with the key. He slid in the driver's side and popped the latch for the passenger side. With the bags between them, Lucas dumped a tee shirt and running pants into Nathan's lap and tossed the bags into the back seat.

"Thanks," Nate mumbled, slipping awkwardly into the top and then bottoms.

Lucas started the car and drove silently to Nathan's place. He wasn't exactly mad at Nathan; he just wished his brother would think before acting for once in his life. Nathan seemed surprised to find Lucas following him up the stairs to his apartment, bags in tow. He raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Can go home like this," the blond explained.

"Oh," Nathan answered, somewhat disappointed.

Nathan opened the door, stepping aside to let his brother in first. Instead of taking his bag and changing, Lucas dropped them on the floor by the door and headed straight for the sofa and collapsed. Nathan closed and locked the door behind them and joined his brother on the sofa, leaning forward, his elbows on his knees, head buried in his hands.

He nearly jumped out his skin when he felt his brother's warm hand on his back.

"Thanks," Lucas said wearily.

"For what? Getting us fired?" Nathan ran his hands through his hair before sitting back, capturing Lucas's hand between his body and the sofa. He relaxed against the short strokes the hand continued up and down his spine.

"For helping me out. Nate, I'm not happy about losing the job but I understand why you did it."

"No," Nathan sighed miserably, "you don't." Nate moved to stand up but his brother pulled him back down next to him.

"I do," Lucas said softly, slipping his hand under the fabric of Nathan's tee.

"Lucas," was all Nathan managed, turning his head to face his brother and coming face to face with ice blue eyes watching him. "I can't do this."

Nathan tried to move again but Lucas tugged him back down.

"Do what?"

"Be here with you like this," Nathan answered, He shut his eyes, humiliated that he'd said as much as he did.

"Nate," Lucas soothed, using his free and to caress his brother's face.

"Don't."

"When that guy grabbed me," Lucas rested his head against Nathan's, "it was awful. I'm glad you stepped in. I'm glad you cared enough to…"

"I wanted to kill him," Nathan growled. "No one hurts you again…ever."

Lucas used his thumb to wipe the tear the trickled down his brother's face. "Well, I guess if you're going to watch over me, I'd better move in. It will make things easier."

"Luke," Nathan shook his head, "you don't have to,"

"I want to. I've always wanted to. I used to be so angry at Tim for getting all your attention."

"I used to be angry at Tim for giving you all his attention, even if you didn't know it."

"Why don't we make a deal?" Lucas smiled, still caressing his brother's face. "Why don't we pay attention to each other."

"Deal," Nathan smiled sadly.

"Good. Let me call my mom and tell her that I'm staying over here tonight."

"Lucas, are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Besides, your act got interrupted and I want to see you dance."

Nathan felt his face flush. His brother made a quick call to his mom and then turned his attention back to his brother.

"Is your cd player still in your bedroom?"

Nathan nodded, afraid if he spoke his voice might squeak.

"Okay, go put on your gold thong and sweatshirt," Lucas teased.

"Anything else?"

Lucas remembered something Peyton had shared about she and Nate and his strange sex habits. She'd even gone so far as to include it in one of her drawings she'd submitted to thud.

"Oh yeah, " Lucas smiled, waggling an eyebrow, "you can leave your hat on."