Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2006 08:50:40 -0400
From: Miss Meehan <lilliluthor@hotmail.com>
Subject: Playing for Keeps - Chapter 3

Disclaimer: One Tree Hill is owned and copyrighted by Warner Bros.
Television and Tollin Robbins Productions. No copyright infringement is
intended.

Warning: Nathan/Lucas incestuous relationship.

A/N: This story continues to be a collaborative effort between myself and
Ryan E. Feedback is always welcomed. Contact me at lilliluthor@hotmail.com.


Nathan received a call while he was in the hospital cafeteria getting
coffee.  Dan was making a surprise visit to the school and wanted to meet
with him for dinner. Nathan sighed. His father's timing was impeccable as
always. Not wanting another lecture on the importance of family and his
college career, Nathan hesitated. He wanted to tell his dad that a friend
he'd just met was sick and in the hospital but knowing his dad, he'd
probably be angry at him for befriending someone in poor health and want to
delve into the person's background to make sure the person hadn't
contaminated his son. To avoid all that, Nathan simply agreed to meet with
his dad.  That meant he'd have to go back to the dorm, straighten it up,
shower and change before his father got there.

After hanging up from his dad, Nathan explained the situation as best as he
could to Haley.

"Look, just tell Lucas I'll be here tomorrow and if they release him, I'll
pick him up.  Are you gonna be okay here?"

Haley smiled. She could see how frustrated Nathan was about having to go.
She thought it must really suck to have to hide your feelings for someone
just because of other people's ignorance.

"Not a problem," she said. "I'll wait here for Lucas' mom and probably help
her get situated in a hotel. You go make nice with your dad and I'll stop
by your room later to update you on how he's doing."

"Thanks Haley, I appreciate it."

He leaned over and gave the girl an unexpected peck on the cheek before
rushing out the door. The dinner with his father seemed long and Dan was
obviously annoyed by his son's lack of focus.

"What's her name?" Dan asked cryptically.

"What?" Nathan shook his head, not following the conversation.

"What's the name of the girl who has you so distracted already?" Dan
smirked.

Nathan wondered how is dad would take it, knowing the girl who had him
distracted was really a guy.

##### Karen arrived after being dropped off by Dan. She was actually
relieved he didn't join her at the hospital. Even though Dan wanted nothing
to do with their son, it wouldn't be above him to drop hints at the boy's
hospital bed as to who he really was. That's just how twisted the man was.
In hindsight, Karen couldn't believe she had ever fallen for a jerk like
Dan Scott.

Her son was awake and Haley was by his side.  Lucas actually looked well
and happy for a boy who nearly died. The smile faded slightly when both
teens realized she was there.  Karen assumed she'd interrupted the
lovebirds reunion after such a terrible ordeal.  She decided to spend an
hour or so with her son and leave the two alone while she grabbed something
from the vending machines.

"Mrs. Roe," Haley, said, leaving Lucas' side and throwing her arms around
his mom.

"Hi sweetie, how's our patient doing?" Karen returned the hug before going
over to her son.

"What happened Luke? You weren't playing basketball again?" She smoothed
his forehead with the palm of her hand.

"No mom. I walked up five flights of stairs without taking my
medication. It was dumb," he added, when he saw his mom about to scold
him. "but don't worry, Haley has reprimanded me already. I think she was
channeling you."

Karen couldn't help but laugh. Her son was in good spirits and that was all
that mattered to her.

"I want to talk to the doctor attending to him," Karen said.

Haley spotted the man as he rushed by the curtained area.  Karen
disappeared after him and Lucas and Haley resumed the conversation that had
been interrupted.

"So where were we?" Haley smiled wickedly.

"The kiss," Lucas blushed.

"He actually kissed you in front of the staff here?"

"Yeah," Lucas smiled blissfully. "He was so...unNathanllike, he was
adorable. And he questioned everything the nurses did.  He was so
protective."

"Why Lucas Roe," Haley began in her best southern belle accent, " I do
believe your gushing."

Lucas sighed. "Is it possible to fall in love with someone you barely
know?"

"You tell me," she smiled. "Anyway, he asked me to tell you that he'll be
back tomorrow. His dad showed up unexpectedly and he'll pick you up if they
release you tomorrow."

Lucas leaned his head back against the bed, tucking on arm behind it.

"Haley?"

"Yes Luke?"

"I think I'm going to like it here."

#####

It was two days later before Lucas was released. Haley, at Lucas' request
kept Karen occupied while Nathan visited. He was afraid the boy might lose
control like he did in the emergency room. He still wasn't ready to come
out to his mom. Nathan brought candy and flowers and stayed with him during
the early afternoon.  Lucas learned a lot about the teen and the troubled
relationship he had with his father.  From the sound of it, Lucas coming
out to his mom would be mild stuff compared to what might happen if Nathan
told his dad.

It turned out that Nathan's father, Dan Scott, was a powerful man with
connections that reached everywhere, including their college. Nathan
confided over the two days that he had lost interest in basketball since
high school, but his father was reliving his glory days through him.
Nathan was a song writer.  He posted his songs on the Internet and in his
spare time created music videos.

Lucas told Nathan that Haley was into music as well.  The two decided that
when he was well enough, they'd all go to one of those talent nights at one
of the local clubs and try their music out on a live audience.

"I can't wait for you to get out of here," Nathan said, before leaning down
to kiss the blond. "I want to make love to you the right way."

"So you made love to me the wrong way before?" Lucas teased.

"You know what I mean. I want to be sober. I want soft music in the
background and flowers filling the room with the sweet scent of Jasmine and
a warm cozy fire going."

"I think our dorm room is a little small for that," Lucas smiled, amazed at
how the boy he once thought was a neanderthal could turn out to be such a
romantic.

"Keep that up Luke and I'll withhold sexual favors from you."

"God, you sound like a wife."

Nathan swatted the man on his arm before leaning in. "I'm a horny wife that
misses her man terribly."

"Uh...the pronoun thing is a little creepy dude."

"Is this creepy?" Nathan whispered, pressing his mouth against Lucas' and
running his tongue across his lips until they parted.

He slipped a hand beneath the sheets and under the hospital gown. Lucas
groaned and shifted his legs open slightly. If it wasn't for all the tubes
and paraphernalia attached to his arm, he would have returned the favor.
The sound of voices approaching separated the men.

"Mom, Haley," Lucas greeted. "Mom, this is Nathan, Nathan my mom."

"Pleased to meet you," he said shaking her hand. "Look, I gotta go meet my
dad for an early dinner.  I'll catch up with you later." Nathan made a
speedy exit.

"Mom? What is it?" Lucas asked, watching his mother stare at the door.

Haley leaned down and kissed Lucas, adjusting his sheets to hide the slight
tent in them.

"I don't know.," his mom answered, "but that boy looks familiar."

#####

Dan visited Nathan's dorm his second day in town. Naturally he had
questions about his son's roommate. What sort of fellow he was, where his
people came from, that sort of thing. Nathan remained vague. He knew his
dad was a snob and frowned upon rubbing elbows with the wrong crowd. For
that reason, Nathan lied about Lucas, claiming he hadn't met his roommate
yet because he hadn't arrived at the school. Dan's next stop on his second
day was a visit with Dean Whitey Durham.

Dean Durham worked his way through the ranks at Fullerton. His humble
beginnings as a professor of English Literature to his current position of
Dean were not without hardship and mistakes along the way. Dan knew all
about the Dean's sordid past and if it wasn't for his influence and power,
the elder man might not have even maintained his tenure in the school.
Durham always suspected the incident Dan held over his head was carefully
plotted and carried out by the man who now sat across from his desk. He
knew Dan would make a formidable adversary and opted to maintain their
friendship.

"What can I do for you Dan?" The dean asked warily, hoping his plastered on
smile didn't falter.

"It's what I can do for you," Dan answered smugly. "You've got a bad seed
at Fullerton just waiting to tear down the reputation of this fine school."
Dan leaned forward in the expensive leather arm chair. "And as you know
Whitey, reputation is everything around here."

Dan watched the older man squirm in his chair, pleased that his meaning was
understood.

"What do you want Dan?"

"Lucas Roe. He's a student here. He doesn't deserve to be. Find a reason to
get him out."

"What has this Lucas Roe done to you?" Dean Durham knew reasoning with the
man would make no difference, but expelling a student without cause might
raise more then a few eyebrows.

"I think your real question should be what will I do to you if my request
isn't granted?" Dan studied his manicured nails while the beleaguered dean
called for Lucas Roe's file.

##### Nathan was glad his dad was catching up with Dean Durham. He also
knew that catching up was a euphemism for strong arming the man into
letting one his cronies' offspring into the school. God knows it was such
tactics that landed him the scholarship to this school in the first place.

His senior year had been less then stellar. An ill-fated romance with a boy
from school had ended tragically. No one knew about the relationship and it
nearly destroyed Nathan, pretending nothing happened. He never talked about
it or the aftermath of clinics and tests and the final word that he was not
infected.  His game and his school work suffered.  So did his already
strained relationship with his father. Nathan knew whatever his dad had on
Dean Durham must be a doozy for it to have gotten him a scholarship and a
spot as a starting player.

Whatever his dad was up to, It gave him the chance to go visit Lucas. He
was disappointed to learn that his mom was taking him back to the hotel
where she was staying for the duration of the week until school
started. Once again, Haley proved to be an ally and arranged to get a hotel
key and keep Karen out for a full afternoon of pampering. Nathan grilled
Haley for a list of Lucas' favorites in everything from snack foods to
authors. After securing several items, he swung back by the dorm to grab
the blond's laptop.  Haley sent him a text message when she and Karen were
on their way out.

#####

Within half an hour, Nathan was pulling up to the hotel parking lot. He
quickly gathered all the treats he'd purchased for Lucas and headed up to
the room. His heart was racing. He'd never been more excited or nervous in
his whole life. Lucas' room was just two doors in from the elevator. Nathan
juggled the bags and the laptop while he struggled to open the door with
his key. As he entered, he gently closed the door behind him in case his
roommate was still asleep. He peeked around from the short corridor but was
instantly distracted by the sound of running water.

'He's in the shower,' Nathan realized.

He entered the room fully and arranged the laptop on the desk across from
the bed. He set the basket he'd created on the bed and stripped out of his
clothes. He slipped into the bathroom and pulled back the curtain. Lucas
let out a startled shriek and Nathan panicked realizing at that moment how
foolish it was to try to surprise a man with a heart condition.

"Honey, I'm so sorry. I just wanted to..." he stepped in and grabbed the
blond pulling him into his arms, showering him with kisses. "Are you
okay. I'm so sorry."

The truth was Lucas' heart was racing but not just from the shock of not
being alone in the bathroom. Feeling his body crushed against Nathan's and
the strong hands rubbing his bare back was making his heart do back
flips. Nathan was still apologizing and caressing him.

"Pretty stupid, to surprise a guy with a bad heart."

Luke looked up into the brunette's eyes. "It definitely wasn't one of your
brightest ideas," he smiled.

Nathan relaxed just a little. "You're probably not even ready for sex yet."
It was more a question than a statement.

"That doesn't mean the trip has to be a total waste," Lucas smiled, pushing
Nathan back against wall.  He slid down the taller man's body and took his
length into his hand.

"Are you sure about this?" Nathan heard himself asking. That's when he knew
he was in love. Had it been anyone else, he would have gone for it without
thinking twice.

Lucas looked up, the look of concern he saw in the brown eyes staring back
at him made him shiver. A few nights ago, the same man practically mauled
him. Now he could see worry in his eyes. Lucas pulled himself up and stood
face to face with his roommate.

"I'm fine. I got careless and didn't take my medicine." He place a hand on
the side of Nathan's face, caressing it. "Maybe we can't have a session
like the other night but I can still show you how glad I am you came back
to the room and found me that day."

"Lucas," Nathan murmured, leaning into the palm that caressed his cheek,
"you don't owe me anything. I nearly killed you."

"Stop that. It wasn't your fault."

"If I hadn't been so scared about what happened between us..." Nathan
lowered his head, his body was trembling.

"Nathan," Lucas began, lifting the man's chin so he could see his eyes,
"Everything that happened, brought us together. But I don't want you here
out of guilt or pity. You don't owe me anything either," the blond said
sternly.

"I'm not here out of pity. I came back to the room that day to apologize
and tell you ..."

Lucas smiled. He couldn't believe how emotional Nathan was becoming. He'd
had the boy figured out all wrong. Standing there in the shower with the
cooling water running down his back, with Nathan on the verge of tears, he
knew that he had found what he'd been looking for.

"I love you too," Lucas answered.

The two kissed again, deeply and passionately. Nathan's hands caressed
Lucas' back, roaming up and down until the settled on the small of his
back. The two men could feel their hardened flesh pressed together, trapped
between their bellies Lucas pressed forward rotating his hips
slightly. Nathan groaned into his mouth. When the kiss was finally broken,
Lucas looked into the smoldering eyes of his roommate and for a moment
wondered if his heart would stand the strain of being on the receiving end
of that look.

"I believe you were about to show me how grateful you are," Nathan said.

"I thought I didn't owe you anything," Lucas replied, letting his hand slip
between them.

"Well," Nathan grunted, " I did...ah...save your life."

He was about to add something else but his ability to form coherent
sentences went out the window when Lucas slid back down his body and took
his length into his mouth.