This started off a one-shot only it ended up a lot longer than I thought and I've been itching to post it, so I've split it into two parts and the second should be posted soon. I'm hoping that I can build off feedback from this first part to improve the second. Thanks for reading :)

Ricky couldn't believe where he had ended up. He wanted to turn round, leave and scream, only he didn't because he needed to go in that horrible place, he needed to be sure.

The club was not a respectable one. It was teeming with older men, probably closet cases that had managed to get away from their wives for a night, looking for a nice young shag.

Ricky waited impatiently in the queue to get in and the bouncer spent his time checking him out before he let him pass. The place stunk of sweat and strong booze, filled with smoke and very dimly lit. Ricky didn't trust anyone here.

A while of manoeuvring through the grinding crowd let him settle at one of the many small tables littering the area that gave him a perfect view of the bar. The bar was the reason he had been lead here tonight. The bar was where the lookers were – as sick as it was, no successful club was going to hire just anyone to serve the customers was it? There were four of them serving now. Three of them were girls, white shirts cut too low and finishing too high, too tight showing their too skinny waists and colourful bras.

Ricky however, was staring at the boy in-between them. He was receiving far more attention than he knew of, or wanted and Ricky was fuming.

The boy had soft black hair that he had to constantly swipe off of his face, his blue eyes were narrowed in concentration and lined in a dark black. It was smudged slightly because he was sweating from the heat, it made him look even sexier, and Ricky hated it

And his fucking clothes! A deep red shirt clung to him tightly, drawing attention and showing his figure off to every single one of the drunk fucks gawping at him. His jeans were just as tight. Ricky was glad that the bar covered people's view of that area.

He watched, sickened as the boy leant seductively low over the bar to take a drinks order from some creepy pervert twice his age, he watched the boy fetch the drink, sort the money and brush hands with the man whilst giving him his change, accepting, with a cheeky smile, a tip for himself.

Ricky turned and left, avoiding the drunk wandering hands of those around him as he went.

He couldn't watch this anymore. He had seen enough.

Scott was exhausted.

He trailed slowly up the stairs to his tiny apartment, he wanted to get straight in and go to bed for a couple of days but he had to wash the shit off his face, the smell from his body and get up for school in the morning.

Opening his door, he turned the light on and almost cried out in shock – someone was sitting in his apartment. His heartbeat returning to normal he realised it was just Ricky – his best friend to who he had given a key for emergencies.

Fuck.

"Ricky…what're you doing here so late?"

"Yeah it is late. So what the fuck have you been doing until three in the morning? Dressed like that."

"Like, like what?" Scott knew though, he looked down ashamed and crossed his arms in front of his body.

"Like a whore!" Scott was too tired to mask how hurt he was by this, instead he went to his bathroom and washed his makeup off, and when he got back Ricky was fuming. "I know where you work! I followed you there tonight! There's no wonder you didn't want me to know!"

"I can't believe you followed me."

"I had too."

"No you didn't! I didn't want you know! Respect that!" Scott was trying not to panic, Ricky was surely so disgusted that he was going to have a go at him and then leave. "Its not like I'm a whore, a stripper or selling pictures of myself naked…"

"You might as well be! I was there! Shitloads of old men lusting after my best friend – excuse me for fucking caring! You're going to get raped! How can you do it? You don't need to work in a place like that! Fuck I thought you respected yourself!"

"I have to make rent! Find me a job where I can work three nights a week, get tips as good as these, keep a roof over my head, buy food, pay bills and still go to fucking school and I'll quit in an instant! I don't like it Ricky – it makes me feel sick because I know just as well as you do what they're thinking when I'm dressed like this, but I don't have a choice! So get off your high horse because this whore knows what he's doing. Thanks. It's really nice to know that I've such a low opinion of myself for this for good reason."

Ricky looked downright ashamed at his choice of words but he didn't want to back down either. He more than cared for Scott and he knew he was right.

"Its not safe."

"It's been fine so far. Look bitch at me for this tomorrow if you want but I'm going to bed. You know where the blankets are for the settee."

"I want to finish this now."

"I don't have anything else to say."

"It's such a horrible job – are you trying to find a new one?"

"Oh for fucks sake, since you're treating me like a whore, maybe that's what ill do. Then I'll only have to work two nights a week and I'll have some money spare. In fact, what if I start now? C'mon twenty quid and ill suck your cock" he dropped to his knees and pulled Ricky forward by his hips.

"Don't be ridiculous" Ricky snarled pushing the other back

"You called me a whore"

"I only said you looked like one…I was angry!"

Scott stood up defiantly. "So am I. treat me like a whore and I'll act like one."

"I'm not -, I don't…Stop…Urgh! I know you're not a whore okay? I'm just worried about you! I was after just twenty minutes of being in there! I'm sorry for being a dick but I was waiting for you to come home and had to worry about the fact that you might have been attacked on the way or something."

"Are you shitting me?"

"I'm serious, pushing aside the fact that we're best mates for a second, if I'd had the guts then the first time we met, I'd have asked you out and you'd have been rejecting me within minutes. You're hot Scott. And you're going to get raped."

"I'm sorry I'm what?"

"Hot. Fit. Gorgeous. Sexy. And you don't even know it! Which makes you hotter! Seriously, you need to take better care of yourself…. wait what the fuck are you doing?! Stop laughing you twat, I'm serious!"

"Look," Scott breathed heavily and sat down on his settee willing his eyes open, "I'm sorry I didn't trust you and tell you where I worked but I knew you'd hate it and I was scared you'd hate me. If I had have told you about it, it probably would have made things safer. So I promise that even though I finish this early in a morning I'll drop you a text or ring you the instant I'm back here safe. I get what you're saying about the club, I really do, but I need the job and I'm keeping it until I find better. You can either understand that or you can bitch some more and leave, I wouldn't blame you – even I'm embarrassed of myself right now." Without wanting an answer he went to bed, exhausted, ashamed and upset at himself.

When he woke up, he felt no better. Until he stumbled into his living room and found he wasn't as alone as he'd thought.

"You stayed!" It was too early to keep the surprise out of his voice.

Ricky grumbled from his blankets, "Of course I fucking stayed you moron. What's the time?" Scott was used to having little sleep, Ricky however was a whiney little bitch when he was tired.

"Fuck. Its quarter to eight. I must have snoozed my alarm and not realised. We're gonna be late for school."

They got to their first class five minutes late, "Sorry," Ricky grumbled "We didn't get much sleep last night." He glared at Scott who just looked at him pointedly and smirked as the rest of the class sniggered at the innuendo. Even the teacher raised an eyebrow.

"I'm glad you think this is a joke," Ricky hissed. Scott just rolled his eyes and blew him a kiss. Whilst punching him in the arm.

Ricky pushed his way through the drunken crowd and sat at the bar, he had got to the club half an hour early just to be safe, and sure enough there was Scott strutting his fucking stuff. He sat down in front of the bar, money in hand and waited his turn. Scott turned to him and flashed a brilliant smile. Everyone fell for it minus him, Scott was shattered and they both knew it. He had told him to act as though they didn't know each other, something about the boss not wanting their mates hanging around when new people could be attracted. Arse.

Ricky hadn't actually meant for Scott to be the one to serve him, he didn't want to throw him off or have him think he was trying to undermine him or something, but he was serving smack in front of the only spare seat at the bar and he was not fucking standing for thirty minutes.

"Can I just get a small coke please?"

"Sure thing, what's a good looking thing like you doing just ordering a coke?"

He wanted to fling something back along of lines of 'oh so you think I'm good looking' whilst fluttering his eyelashes only he was too busy not being sick. Ricky has insisted on staying at Scott's with him the two nights a week he was at work and insisted that he would drive him there and pick him up again.

"I'm driving."

"Bummer." He slid Ricky a large coke, and he noted his hand shake slightly. He knitted his eyes closely together and he flashed a great big fake smile once more, "Just this once, because you're cute." He slid the money out my palm and returned with my change which I gave back.

"Take it."

"Come back another time and get it," he winked and then moved on. I feel sick.

Ricky felt worse upon hearing him serve the next customer. This one, though probably equally perverted was not an old man, he was a teenager, the same age as them by the looks of him, though his confidence was sickening.

"I've been waiting for you to serve me for fucking weeks."

"I'm sure that's an over exaggeration, though I'm here to please - what drink did you want?"

"I didn't mean serve me my drinks."

"That's all I'm selling tonight."

"I'll keep checking in then. Here, your money..." he extended his arm far over the bar and Scott took the bait, leaning forward to claim the drinks money and his own tip, the boy whispered something into his ear and infuriatingly, Ricky couldn't hear what. They were far too close to each other. There was a boiling feeling in the pit of his stomach, he was angry, shocked, upset and oddly jealous. His best friend went pink, and as he crossed to the till, he avoided Ricky's eyes, knowing full well that both him and the pervert were watching his every move.

Finally Ricky sighed in relief as they were in his car heading back, "thank fuck were out of there. the way they were treating you was disgusting, like you're some kind of piece of meat!"

"It's worse at the end of the night, that's all you saw, it was fine before that."

"What did that jerk say to you that I couldn't hear?"

"Nothing important, just something rude. Oh here, here's your tip back by the way." He put it in the cup holder.

"Keep it. What about that creepy old guy that spoke to you at the end?"

"That was my boss saying good work for tonight," In spite of himself he grinned, it was quickly wiped off his face.

"Yes well done on all your hard work." Sarcasm rolled off his tongue. He couldn't bite back his feelings any longer.

"Do you know I actually felt bad about not telling you what my job was? Do you know how upset it's made me? But you know what? I was absolutely right, you're too judgmental and narrow-minded to see that I need this and to even be a tiny bit supportive. I don't like it anymore than you do. Only I have to do to it. I get nervous too sometimes, but reminding me constantly that I'm right too makes you far from a supportive best friend. It's not a nice bar no. But if I can deal with it you can. I just end up feeling guilty for making you worried! You're the one that should feel guilty, not me! We fight all the time now and you wonder why I didn't tell you? I know that you hate this, so do I, but for fucks sakes Ricky just be a friend and let it go."

Scott turned in his seat so he was leaning toward the window, leant his head on it and closed his eyes. he was exhausted and upset. He hated arguing with Ricky.

Ricky was feeling as guilty as Scott said he should be. He parked the car and still looking straight in front of him announced softly that they were here. Scott grunted and got out the car, Ricky stayed buckled into his seat.

"Come on then, don't think about driving back home after you've gone out your way to pick me up. Just because I've called you out on being a dick doesn't mean we've fallen out." He turned and left, letting Ricky find his own way up to the apartment. When he entered and locked up Scott had already gone to bed.

"I thought that we'd made up after I stopped being a dick to you. Have I done something else?" After their last fight in the car Ricky had groveled to Scott who accepted on the condition that he didn't get snide about anything again, they had put it behind them. Scott had been right when he said they fought all the time now and Ricky was eager to get their friendship back. He could not lose Scott. Because maybe, he wanted something more than friendship. They were in school, it was dinnertime and Scott had been in a bad mood all day.

"No. Look I'm sorry."

"Good. Well – what's up?"

"He mumbled. Rents gone up. They offered me a rise at work but I had to turn it down."

"Why?"

"Watering. They pay you a bit more because you're going through the crowd and actually mixing with the customers. Taking drinks to them, you know. It wasn't worth it. I wouldn't feel safe." Ricky opened his mouth but he didn't know what to say. Scott however wasn't finished. "Oh and one of the girls on the bar had to leave because she got pregnant, so they hired someone new - a guy and he's gorgeous and new which means I wont earn enough, being the only guy there before gave me the edge, no one would want me over him. Even I'd pick him."

"I wouldn't."

"You haven't seen him."

Ricky dismissed him instantly. "I don't believe you."

This quiet, beaten and insecure boy was not his best friend. He had to do something.

Ricky noisily let himself into Scott's apartment, only to feel sort of bad when he saw his friend jump up in shock at having being rudely awoken from his nap on the settee.

"Whoops."

"Asshat." Scott yawned. "I was trying to get some kip in before work."

"I know. Now, get up." he rattled the bag he had been holding in Scott's face whose curiosity overruled his annoyance and urge to go back to sleep.

"What's in the bag fag?" he grinned and managed to hop over the back of the settee before he could get smacked.

"Stuff for you actually. You've been making me feel guilty about being such a twat, so if old men lusting over you for money is what you really want, I'm prepared to help."

"Huh?"

"I don't want to do this but I know that you'll appreciate it. Try this on." he threw a bright blue shirt at Scott who caught it effortlessly and put it on without bothering to leave the room first.

"Are you kidding? I can barely breathe." it was way more than just snug.

"I know, it was tight when I tried it on and you're bigger than me. Here - " he threw a pair of jeans at him and he put those on too.

"Well at least these aren't tight."

"Nope, nice and baggy, but black which looks better than those shitty blue ones you like to wear. Urgh what the fuck am I doing, this is disgusting. I feel like a pimp."

Scott snorted, "nah I've got one. What else you got?"

"Something I borrowed from Kelsy."

"Kelsy...your sister?"

"Yup."

This could not be good.

"Sit down." Scott obeyed but shot straight back up again when he saw that a pair of hair straighteners produced from the bag.

"No way."

"Yes way. Sit the fuck down, this is me being supportive, I'll go back to moaning if you don't."

Ten minutes later his hair was straight, but it wasn't fashioned in any particular way, it was straight but didn't fall down, it more stuck up everyway, like he'd not brushed it in a month.

Ricky was admiring his good work - Scott looked better than usual. Which was saying something.

"Go look in the mirror then, Jesus." Scott stared at himself and did a double take. "I take it you approve. Listen, I know that you appreciate this which is the only reason I did it, you needed a confidence boost, though I don't know why. I don't think you need this and doing it so that creepy guys can scam on you is just a bad side effect I'd rather not have to have you deal with but –" He was cut off by tight hug.

" - Thank you, I know you think this is sick and wrong but I swear, in two months, when schools over it wont matter if I get a worse job and have to work full time, and I'm looking, I promise, and I'm sorry for saying all that shit to you."

Ricky's stomach flooded with warmth. "You were right, but not anymore. Yeah?"

Scott felt so happy to have such a supportive best friend. He should have known it was all about to go to shit.