So, I know I said I wasn't going to do more OTH fics, but I've been rewatching the HCM plotline and it got me thinking how it'd work in this universe. In canon, Nathan took the test because of Haley. But if he were younger and looking up to his big brother, would he follow in Luke's footsteps to refuse? I think so.

This will be 2 parts. The second will deal with the aftermath of everything.

Nathan is 12 here and Lucas is 16!

Let me know what you think! As always, feel free to leave prompts or ask me questions! I am on Tumblr and love communicating on there, as well as in the comments

"Can I talk to you guys?" Lucas asks.

Keith looks up from the bills on the table. Karen pushes back her cup of tea. Their eldest has his hands stuffed in his pockets and is biting his lip. Keith narrows his eyes, trying to think about what he can possibly say. It's not going to be anything good.

"Depends," Karen says. "Am I going to end this conversation mad?"

Lucas rubs the back of his neck and squints. "Probably."

Karen exhales. Keith rubs her back. "Go on, son," he says.

"I've been giving it a lot of thought," Lucas says slowly. "I've done a lot of research on this whole HCM test."

Keith frowns. This has consumed their lives the past couple of weeks. Out of nowhere, Royal decided to announce his genetic heart condition. Given Dan's sudden death, they concluded he likely had it as well. The odds are 1 in 2 family members will have it. Royal has it, but his brother doesn't. So, if Dan did, likely Keith doesn't. Still, he's taking the test to be safe. The boys are going with him to get it done in a couple of weeks. Given the odds, they know at least one of them will have it. As much as Keith wants to be healthy, he hopes it's him and not the boys.

They've tried to hide their fears about all this and really downplay how serious it is. Nathan took their word. Of course Lucas was too smart for that.

"If I have it…"

"You might not," Karen interrupts. "There's a chance you're perfectly healthy. And you have no preexisting conditions."

"But I might," Lucas presses on. "And I've looked into it. If I have this disease, my basketball days are over."

"Likely," Karen's voice grows soft. "But we're going to keep a good frame of mind, right?"

She flashes him a brave smile that doesn't quite meet the eyes. Keith squeezes her hand. He hates that they have to put her through this. The anxiety and fear that at least one, or worst case all three, of her boys having a heart condition that could be life threatening if not treated properly.

"I've been trying," Lucas says. "But the more I look into it, the more I've realized I don't want to know."

Keith blinks a couple of times. The words take a moment to register.

"Luke…"

"I'm not taking the test."

Karen huffs. "Oh, yes, you are."

"Ma…"

"I don't want to hear another word," Karen swiftly interrupts. She pushes herself up out of the chair and rises to her feet. Lucas straightens. Keith sits there, still trying to process it all. "You are taking that test."

"No, I'm not!"

"Don't raise your voice to your mother," Keith says, gaining his bearings a bit as he stands up. "She is absolutely right."

"It's my life!"

"Hey, attitude!" Keith reminds him, firmer this time. "I understand you love basketball, but that is no reason to walk around in ignorance. This disease is dangerous. You need to religiously take your medication."

"Yeah, and that medicine means I can't do what I love!"

"There are more important things in life than basketball!" Karen snaps. "You're so worried about your future as an athlete, what about your future as a living, breathing human?"

"Nothing's going to happen!"

"Damn right, because you're taking that test."

Lucas simply shakes his head. Keith looks between his wife and eldest son. Karen doesn't get angry often. She's soft, yet firm. Rarely does she yell at the boys. Lucas' cavalier attitude isn't helping.

"I'm sorry, Mom," the 16-year-old says softly. "I'm not getting the test and you can't make me."

Karen locks her jaw. Keith puts a hand on her back but she quickly pulls away.

"We'll see about that," she declares before storming out of the kitchen.

Keith takes a deep breath as he turns to look at his son. Lucas frowns, rubbing his fresh buzz cut.

"Dad, you need to talk some sense into her."

Keith can't hold back his laugh. "I'm sorry. What part of that conversation means I'm on your side?"

"You weren't yelling."

"Your mother had that handled. She's right, Luke. You're getting the test."

"No, I'm not. I'm 16."

"And we are still your parents," Keith reminds him. "You're not an adult yet."

"Well, unless you plan to drag me there kicking and screaming, there's not much you can do."

Just like that, Keith is left in the kitchen alone. He shuts his eyes and counts back from 10. Nathan's rebellious streak has been hard enough. He can't take Lucas' on top of it. Especially with something as dumb as this.

He needs to find a way to talk some sense into that boy before it's too late.

Lucas has been grounded a handful of times in his life. It's always the same: no TV, phone, video games or going out with friends.

This is worse.

His room has been stripped of everything but his bed, dresser, desk and some clothes. Karen's rationalization is she can't force him to get the test, but she won't let him be comfortable otherwise. His CDs, stereo, Walkman, video games, decor, hell, even his alarm clock and most of his books have been moved to the garage.

Lucas can outlast her. Especially as his dad has voiced his disagreement with this punishment. Eventually, he'll get his stuff back.

The one thing he doesn't see either relenting on is him being banned from basketball. He needs parental consent to play. Both parents told Whitey he's benched. Karen went as far as to tell Skills, Junk, Mouth and Fergie that he's not allowed to play at the River Court. Given their pseudo-fear of their best friend's mom, they've complied.

He'll find a way to play. He always has. They can't keep him from his passion forever.

Lucas walks in after school one afternoon, a little sweaty from the walk home. Another part of his punishment, he's not allowed to borrow his dad's truck anymore. Spring is coming to Tree Hill, which means warmer weather. Oh well, he can manage. He's used to walking everywhere anyway from before he got his license.

He's surprised to find his mom walking into the kitchen holding some boxes. Lucas arches a brow. What more of his could she be taking away?

Karen doesn't acknowledge him as she walks outside. Keith appears a moment later. He's had that same stressed look on his face ever since the argument last week. Lucas does feel a little bad there. Got forbid his dad has this thing. He's only adding to the stress. Still, maybe if they stopped insisting on it, all of them can move on.

"What'd she take now?" Lucas asks. "My bedding?"

Keith shakes his head. "That's your brother's stuff." His voice is tired, teetering on annoyed.

Lucas squints. "What? What'd Mama's precious angel do to get on her bad side?"

"He's decided he's not taking the test either."

Lucas tightens his grip on his keys. "What?"

Keith nods. "He's heard you saying that HCM means no more basketball and now he doesn't want to do it either."

"But he's 12," Lucas argues lamely. "Surely you can do more about him than me."

"The rest requires being hooked up to some machines. If Nathan puts up a fuss, they're not going to force him."

Lucas lets out a soft "oh". Keith purses his lips.

"Nice going, Luke."

"Me?!" Lucas groans. "Dad, this isn't my fault. Nate deserves to know what this diagnosis means."

"Yes, but I think he would've relented had you not taken this stand. You know how much he looks up to you."

Lucas sighs. It isn't fair. He didn't ask to be born first. Not to have Nathan worship his every move. It's annoying having to constantly watch what he's doing, lest Nathan decide he wants to do it too. It's bad enough that when Lucas got the buzz cut, Nathan copied.

"Well, I guess he's not going to get it," Lucas declares.

Even though that doesn't feel right. His brother is only 12. He's so little. Growing like a weed and in no doubt ready for JV. But still, so much like a kid in many ways. He needs to look out for his health.

How could he be so stupid to follow his brother?

"What do you want me to do?" Lucas asks.

His father shakes his head. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing," Keith mutters. He rips his keys from the peg. "I have to get back to work. Your mother is probably heading back to the cafe once she rearranges the garage. We're running out of room. You'll have to watch your brother. Remember, no TV or anything fun."

Keith barely squeezes his shoulder before walking out the door. Lucas stalks to the fridge and grabs a Sunkist. He downs it in 4 gulps and crushes the can.

After a few minutes of letting it fester, Lucas storms down the hall to his brother's room. He pauses once he pushes his way inside. It looks nearly identical to his now. Just the bare bones furniture. There's a faded outline of the small hoop that once hung on the wall. The only difference is there's still one toy left behind. Nathan's teddy bear.

Lucas picked it out for him when they got word that Nathan was coming to live with them. Karen and Keith were in a tizzy getting ready for the newest addition. While they argued about what hand-me -downs they could use from their eldest and what new stuff they needed, Lucas lingered in the toys. He found a fuzzy brown bear with an orange bow tie and the widest brown eyes he'd ever seen on a stuffed animal. Lucas snuck it in the cart. It took Keith and Karen a good 10 minutes to notice. They smiled when he explained he wanted to give his brother a gift. He used up a good chunk of the pocket money he earned from helping his dad at the auto shop, insisting he buy it on his own.

Nathan cuddled the bear the moment Lucas handed it to him. For the first few weeks, all he did was suck his thumb and cuddle the stuffed animal.

Lucas has long outgrown the need for stuffed animals. Even before he was Nathan's age. A part of him is glad his brother still sleeps with that. And a larger part is happy that even in her tirade, Karen knows better than to remove her youngest's comfort item.

Nathan sits on the floor of his room, looking around. Lucas leans against the wall.

"Mom went nuclear on you too?"

"She didn't even yell at me like she did you," Nathan says. Lucas holds back a snort. Of course she didn't. "She just started taking all my stuff. Daddy looked like he was about to explode. But he didn't say anything either."

"I think I've exhausted them a bit, kiddo."

"Whatever." Nathan shrugs. "Doesn't matter. I'm not taking the stupid test."

"Because I'm not?"

"Because I'm not going to lose basketball." Nathan draws his knees to his chest. "I'm going to play in the NBA one day, Luke. The Bobcats. Just like we always talked about."

Lucas isn't totally sure if basketball is his entire future. He thinks he'd like to play throughout high school and college at least. The NBA has never been on his radar like it has Nathan's. His brother decided he'd play for that specific team after Keith brought the boys to a game when they were 7 and 11.

"You really want to lose all your stuff?" Lucas asks. "I mean, Mom seems pretty serious. I don't think you can bank on being the baby to get out of this one."

"I don't expect to. I know she's mad. But she'll get over herself."

"Hey," Lucas finds himself getting firm without meaning to. "Don't talk about Mom like that."

"Why?"

"Because…she's still your mom."

"Our mom," Nathan points out. "And you two have been fighting a lot."

"Yeah, but…that's different. You know you're mom's precious angel." Lucas smirks. "This anyway to repay her for that?"

"You're her sunshine," Nathan points out. Lucas' cheeks warm. "And you're doing the same thing."

"You don't have to follow everything I do."

"Yeah I do. You're the oldest. You always said that means you're in charge."

Lucas smacks his palm into his face. Nathan frowns.

"Are you okay?"

"No," Lucas mutters into his hand. "I'm not. I'm really dumb."

Lucas exhales and looks at his brother better. Confusion is written in big blue puppy dog eyes.

"You know when I said that, I just meant that you had to give up the controller when I wanted to. Not follow in my footsteps to get grounded."

"I don't want to lose basketball either," Nathan argues. "I just said…"

"The Bobcats. I know. But that's not enough of a reason."

"You don't even want to play pro," Nathan points out.

"There are other things HCM can prevent us from doing. That medication, it's no joke."

"So, we won't find out."

"You have to."

"Why?"

"Because, you're different."

"How?"

"Because I said so!"

Nathan huffs. "You're not Mama and Daddy! If I won't listen to them, why would I listen to you?"

"You just said I'm in charge."

"Not now! You're being stupid!"

"Hey!"

"Well, you are!"

"No, you're the dumb one!"

Hurt flashes across Nathan's eyes. Lucas ducks his head. He tries to be careful with the "d" word around Nathan. He was bullied in the past due to his dyslexia and dyscalculia. Keith and Karen make a big deal about not using dumb or stupid when referring to anything Nathan does. Even when he's being so.

"I didn't mean it like that," Lucas says with an exasperated sigh. "Just that you need to know. I don't want anything happening to you."

"I don't want you to die either!"

Nathan's lip quivers. Lucas' demeanor softens. He scoots closer to his brother and wraps an arm around him. Nathan tries to weasel his way out, but Lucas keeps a firm grip.

"I'm not going to die, buddy," he whispers.

"You could." Nathan folds his arms over his chest. "If you have it and don't take the medicine, you could have a heart attack. Just like Dan. And then I'll lose you. I don't want you to die!"

A couple of tears fall down Nathan's cheeks. Lucas shuts his eyes for a moment and gulps. When he looks back at his brother, guilt settles in.

"That's why you did this," he whispers. "You thought if you refused to take it, I'd change my mind."

Nathan shrugs. "Mama and Daddy yelling at you didn't work."

"God." Lucas laughs in spite of himself. "You just may be the smart one."

Nathan smiles a little but it quickly fades. Lucas rubs between his shoulder blades.

"You risked Mama yelling at you for me?"

"I knew she wouldn't yell. She never does."

"You know that won't last, right?"

"I'll take what I can get."

"I'm sure you will."

Nathan chews on his lip.

"Is Daddy going to die?" Lucas' mouth drops open. "I already lost one dad. Daddy…I don't want him to die."

"Dad isn't going to die." Lucas shouldn't make that promise. The hard reality is, their parents aren't going to live forever. "For one, he's taking the test. Even if he has it, which he probably doesn't because Dan did, he's going to take the medicine and be fine."

"He could still have a heart attack."

"He could," Lucas concedes. "But it's Dad. He's like Superman." Nathan bites his lip. "I know this whole thing is scary, Nate. It's scary for me too."

"Really?"

Lucas nods. "But maybe…if we did it together it wouldn't be as scary, huh?"

Nathan tilts his head. "You mean it?"

Lucas takes a deep breath. He knows what's at stake here. He also knows what could be if he doesn't go through with it.

Worse, he isn't sure he could live with himself knowing he's the reason why his baby brother doesn't get his done.

"Yeah," Lucas whispers, pushing back some of Nathan's hair. His baby brother grins. "I mean it."

Nathan throws his arms around his neck. Lucas chuckles and pulls him onto his lap, cuddling him close.

"Aren't I a little big?" Nathan asks.

"Nah. As long as I'm the older brother, you're never going to outgrow my lap."

Lucas walks into the café, flowers in hand. Nathan has the box of chocolates. The café is packed for dinner, but everyone is eating. Karen stands behind the counter, shutting the register. Lucas nudges Nathan first. His little brother walks forward.

"Mama?"

Karen looks up. She narrows her eyes and purses her lips. "I thought you two were supposed to stay home."

"We wanted to say we were sorry," Nathan says, holding out the box. "And that we're going to get the tests done."

Karen's face softens a bit, but the wall is still there as she glances at Lucas. "We?"

Lucas nods and steps beside Nathan. "We."

Karen looks between the two of them. "This isn't some ploy to get your stuff back is it?"

"No, Mom. I called the testing center and booked appointments the same day as Dad's. We're both going to get it done. I can show you the e-mail confirmation if you want."

Karen continues to flicker her eyes back and forth. Nathan is pouting and showing his puppy dog eyes. Lucas extends the flowers.

"I'm sorry I didn't take it seriously," he whispers. "And I'm sorry for scaring you."

A quiet sob escapes Karen's lips. She takes the gifts from the boys and sets them on the counter before walking around. Both brothers are enveloped in a big hug by their mom. Lucas doesn't miss a few tears that fall down her face. Karen bends up to kiss his cheek and then bends down to do the same to Nathan.

"I love you, my boys," she whispers.

"Love you too, Mom," Lucas says as he pulls away.

Nathan doesn't argue when Karen keeps a tight grip on him. "So, can we get our stuff back, Mama?"

Lucas smacks his palm against his face. Karen chuckles, shaking her head.

"Yes, Angel. You can have your stuff back. But the two of you are doing that yourselves. It was hard enough lugging it to the garage."

"Of course," Lucas agrees.

"And I didn't really organize it well, so you two will have to sort out whose is whose."

Nathan's eyes light up. "I'm going to steal Lucas' sweatshirts!"

Lucas scoffs. "Nice try, brat."

Karen shakes her head again. "Alright, no fighting. Sit down at the counter and I'll make you something to eat."

She walks back around. Lucas and Nathan nudge one another as they settle into the stools.