Nikolia was a bit surprised when Virtue thanked him again. He felt he really didn't deserve it. But before he got the chance to respond to the other, Virtue had run off. Sighing, he went after him.

When he caught up to him, he reached out and grabbed his arm. "I'm the one who should thank you. If it wasn't for you, my work wouldn't have gotten done." he said. He was still happy that his homework was done when he woke up. He had been sure he'd get in trouble.

Virtue blinked, startled, turning around to stare at Niko when he walked up. He flashed the boy a small smile. It was such a ridiculous thing to thank him for. He did the work to repay him, so it wasn't such a big thing.

"You're welcome, but it was the least I could do to repay you for your kindness. It was hardly anything."

He turned to his locker, fumbling with the lock and once it was open, putting his bag inside, taking his books from it.

"I really didn't mind doing it."

Virtue continued on to his first class afterward, only stopping to look back at Niko for a second.

"I'll see you in science." With that, he was gone.

Hardly anything? This meant a lot to him. But Nikolia didn't really get the chance to say anything. Virtue had run off again before he had the chance to speak.

"Bye...." he muttered.

Niko went to his own locker and got his stuff. He went through the day, completely confused about Virtue. He had been a complete jerk yesterday. And today he was nice. It didn't make any sense to him.

Virtue found trying to make new friends a hard thing to do, especially those who seperate from one half of his life. His coworkers, those were his friends. And he supposed, now, Niko fell into that category. He could at least try to be his friend. He wanted to try.

When he saw the boy in science class, he turned toward him, offering him a smile and a small wave, since they were on opposite ends of the class.

In english, they were close enough that Virtue could lean over on his desk and actually talk to him.

"Hey Niko. What's up?" He offered another smile. He was really trying his hardest to make a good impression, after he'd failed so badly the night before.

Nikolia smiled slightly when he saw Virtue wave to him in science. That was better than being ignored like he normally was. It was the first time he had seen the other boy all day.

"Nothing really. Just trying to figure out why you're being so nice to me all of a sudden." Niko admitted. He kept his voice quiet so that the teacher wouldn't hear them speaking during class.

Virtue faltered slightly at this, hesitant, because he wasn't really sure what to say about this. He didn't know the answer himself. Normally he was fine without friends at school, but it just felt like the right thing to do. There was no reason to be mean to him anyways. He'd never intended to be at all.

"I.. don't know." He admitted.

"I just thought.. maybe we could be friends. I know we weren't before, and that we've never really talked before, but after last night I just thought..." The boy sighed, stopping himself, looking away now unsure.

"I'm sorry, if you'd rather I leave you alone, I will."

Nikolia couldn't stop the smile that formed on his face at what Virtue said. He wanted to be friends?! That would be great! Though he didn't know why he would want that. He wasn't the best person in the world, he knew that.

"I would really like to be your friend." he told him.

Virtue was surprised by this, lifting his head suddenly to stare at Niko for a long moment before he smiled brightly.

"Really?" He found this hard to believe, but he wasn't about to complain, only nodding quickly.

"Great! That'll be.. that's really great." The teacher shushed him, and he immediately turned back in his seat to pay attention for the rest of the class. It was a surprisingly hard task to accomplish. He wanted to watch Nikolia, to talk to him, to get to know his new friend.

But, he supposed, there was always later. If not before school was over, there was still work tonight.

Nikolia smiled at Virtue. But the smile dropped when the teacher had shushed them. Guess they were to loud. He would try to be quieter from now on. It wasn't like that was hard to do.

The class ended not to long later. Niko stood and waited for Virtue to stand as well so that they could walk together. Though it really wasn't something he was used to doing. He probably should have worked harder on making friends.

Virtue was pleasantly surprised to see that Niko had decided to wait for him, and he quickly gathered his things, getting to his feet. He fell into step beside the boy as they walked to their next class. It was kind of nice having a friend at school. He made small talk as they walked, although it was awkward, not something he was used to.

It seemed they did share gym together, and Virtue was pleased to discover this. It gave him more of a chance to talk with his new friend, like an over excited little kid now. As it was, he hardly stopped talking at all, though the gym teacher only shushed him once.

When school was over, Virtue found Niko outside, running up to catch him and nearly tackled the boy in a tight hug.

"I'll see you at work tonight, right?"

Nikolia was pleased that Virtue was talking to him. It felt good to finally have a friend. It made him stop feeling like an outcast. So that was good.

He was happy to talk to him all day, each time he saw him at least. That was more than enough though. And even though he himself didn't say much, it didn't seem to matter.

Niko winced slightly when he was suddenly hugged.

"Yeah. I'll be there." he said.

Virtue was a little confused when his friend winced, but he only released him, stepping back to flash a brilliant smile.

"Great! I'll see you later then." Unable to resist, he leaned in to hug him again, pressing a kiss to his cheek before he ran off. He needed to get home and begin his homework. It had to be finished by 5, so he could eat and get ready for work. Running late was something he did often, but was avoiding trouble, so he was trying to keep on schedule.

Besides, if he made it on time, he'd be able to talk to his friend before he had to dance. That was more than enough incentive.

All the work he had kept him working until about 5:30, but it was finished, precise and perfect without a single flaw. His work was always in surprisingly good condition, even if he rushed through it. Keeping at the top of his class was very important to the boy. Because of this, he rushed his shower, and getting dressed, and in the end settled on just grabbing poptarts from the cupboard. He practically lived off the things anyways.

By the time he was ready, it was 6:20, and he had to run all the way to the club. Even so, he made bad timing, it still taking him twenty minutes. Because he had to be on stage at 7, he had to skip looking for Niko, going back stage to get ready for his act instead.

Nikolia couldn't help but blush lightly when Virtue hugged him again and kissed his cheek. His mom picked him up and he went home in a bit of a daze.

Niko did part of his homework, but he wasn't sure if he was even doing it right. He would have to ask the teacher about it tomorrow. Instead, he took a shower, changed, grabbed something to eat, and his mom drove him to work.

He got out and headed inside. He was hoping to see Virtue, but since he couldn't he figured he was already backstage. So, he just went behind the bar to be ready for when the drinks were ordered.

Virtue got out only a few minutes before he had to be on stage, but he took the time to peek around the room from the backstage entrance, and seeing Niko there made him smile. A quick little hello couldn't hurt, right? He knew he should really be trying to keep to schedule, but the urge to say hi to his new friend was one had to ignore. After a moments deliberation, he walked over to the bar, squishing his way inbetween a couple of customers, who did not look at all bothered by the distraction, or that the boy was so close.

"Hello Niko! How has your night been so far?" The boy seemed genuinly happy to see him, unlike he had been the night before. Everything had changed so quickly, and it was a little weird, but not awkward. At least, not for Virtue, and he hoped it wasn't too strange for Nikolia either. He jumped suddenly, letting out a slightly startled yelp when one of the man seated at the bar purpously grabbed his ass, and didn't even blush at the move. He sighed simply to himself, and leaned over to whisper in the patrons ear.

"Save it for later, sexy." The man seemed pleased enough with this answer, and left to go about his business with a promise that he'd see Virtue later. Virtue only turned back to Niko and offered him a small smile, clearly more on edge about it than he let others see.

"I don't suppose I can get you to make me that drink now?" While he was hopeful, he wasn't expecting anything. He only pulled himself up over the counter so he could hug Niko, pressed very close against him. A couple of patrons seemed to enjoy that in a rather sickening way, making rather obscene comments. Virtue on the other hand simply kissed his cheek and walked back around, heading for the backstage entrance.

"I'll see you later. Goodluck tonight Niko."

Nikolia had been busy making drinks almost as soon as he got behind the bar. But he wasn't going to complain about it. He just smiled at every customer and made what they wanted.

He instantly brightened when he heard Virtue's voice. "My night has been fine so far." he told him, his smile growing when he saw him.It was a relief to see him, even if they really couldn't talk right now.

Niko shook his head at his request. "Nope. No can do." he told him. His face turned red when Virtue suddenly hugged him and kissed his cheek.

"You too." he managed to say, watching him go.

Virtue was in a very good mood that night, falling into routine after routine with ease, and actually more than happy to entertain customers, dealing with them with perfected grace, as always. The club really was Virtue's favorite place, and he fit in perfectly, at home there. It only made sense, the staff was like his family. He'd known most of them for a few years, and Jersey acted like his mother, fussing over him. She was good like that, and Virtue appreciated the attention. The woman had been his best friend since the day he met her. The few short breaks he had were spent talking to her, changing, or at the bar talking with Niko, enjoying his company. Plus, he was able to actually convince Gemini to make him drinks where Nikolia wouldn't, his flirting more than enough incentive.

When the night was over, he was exhausted again, only walking up to the bar to join Niko while he finished up. It was like him to be random and silly and childish, his actions amusing people more than annoying him. So it was perfectly normal for him to crawl up onto the bar and lay down on it, watching Niko. He stretched long and yawned.

"When do you get off?" It was already 2am, but the club didn't close until dawn.

Nikolia continued making drinks for the customers, his eyes going to watch Virtue every couple of minutes. It was hard not to. Though his eyes dropped every time Virtue looked at him.

He was glad when the night was over. He was getting exhausted. He smiled at the other when he laid on the bar. Sure, he wasn't expecting him to do that. But then he figured he was tired.

"I should be getting off soon." He told him, yawning.

Virtue flashed Niko a playful grin at this, only moving to prod the boy playfully in the ribs. He was tired and too lazy to move from the bar, deciding he would simply stay there until his friend got off. He yawned and stretched again, the movement causing his shirt to ride up, exposing his thin stomach and sparkly bellybutton ring. The tattoed words "Chastity. Dilligence. Patience. Charity." could be seen aswell, his jeans too low to cover them. The other three virtues were hidden by his shirt still though.

"I'm going to wait for you." He decided, and bent in a really suggestive way, very very flexible to prod the boy in his ribs again, with his foot this time.

"If you'd like, you can walk me home. I'd like that." He wanted to spend more time with his friend, and was of course feeling a little suggestive at the moment, not entirely sober since Gemini had been giving him drinks all night, although Niko wouldn't.

"You could come over for just a little while. Your mom could pick you up there, or.. you could spend the night if you'd like. I don't mind sharing my bed." Virtue may have been flirting, just a little, but he let his legs fall back to the counter, and pushed himself up to sit on it, facing in Niko's direction.

"Please?"

Nikolia glared briefly at Virtue when he kept prodding him in the ribs. He really didn't like that. But the glare almost instantly dropped. He couldn't stay mad at him. He couldn't stop his eyes from roaming over Virtue's body when his shirt rode up. But he instantly dropped his eyes.

He was surprised when the other offered to wait for him. And even more surprised when he offered for him to stay over.

"I don't know... My mom is going to come pick me up. But I guess I could ask if I could stay the night with you." Niko told him.

Virtue smiled at this, instantly brightening. He moved to slide off the counter, wrapping his arms tightly around Niko. He was very excited at the prospect of spending more time together. Of course, he had noticed as the others eyes roamed. It pleased him greatly that he drew the boys attention.

"Yay! Great, hopefully she'll say yes." Virtue kissed Niko's cheek and pulled himself back up on the counter, deciding to entertain himself for a while with the happenings of the club. People were still there, lots of them. The place was usually packed, so he wasn't surprised. Though he only very rarely worked full nights, or such late shifts. Some of his friends were still there, but he didn't really know much of the night crowd.

It seemed everything worked in a very similar way at night. The same situations, different people.

Nikolia smiled as Virtue smiled. Though his face turned red when he was hugged again.

"I'm sure she will. Or offer for you to stay with us." Niko told him. The last thing was more likely. Virtue lived in a neighborhood that Laurali wouldn't want him to be in. But he could still ask.

It wasn't to long later for his shift to end. But the time it did, he was so exhausted. He just wanted to get to sleep.

Virtue had actually fallen asleep there are some point, completely worn out from the long day events. He didnt want to go home yet though, wanting to wait for his friend to be finished. Surely, his mother would say yes. He knew honestly that it was unlikely, but he was hopeful at any rate. He didnt want to go home alone again tonight, he wanted company. Preferably Niko's. The boys mother seemed nice and respectable enough, even if she let Nikolia work there. She wouldn't want him in such an awful neighborhood. Virtue sighed at the spot, already resigned to a night home alone.

When he woke up, Niko's shift was finished, and he was pleased to see this. He grinned, lazily sliding off the bar to cling to his friend, tempted to go back to sleep, on him. But he was good, simply hugging him and letting go, following his lead outside. Virtue easily spotted his mothers car, and stayed back to wait while Niko asked. Being polite, he smiled and waved though, not wanting to make a bad impression. He would have walked over too, but he didnt take well to disappointment and knew inevitably she'd say no. Plus, the day before had been awkward enough, he didnt feel like reliving it.

Nikolia didn't mind when Virtue had suddenly hugged him. He lead the way outside and over to his mom's car. He asked her if he could stay the night with Virtue and she said she would rather he wasn't in that neighborhood. Maybe his friend could stay with them?

Niko went back over to Virtue to see if he could do that. "She said that you could stay with us. But she doesn't want me in that neighborhood." he told him. He didn't want Virtue to have to go back to that place, so he was hoping he would say yes to staying with him.

Virtue waited patiently for Nikolia to come back, looking up a little hopeful when the boy did. The expression left quickly, and he couldnt keep the look of hurt and disappointment from his features. He simply shook his head, gently nudging past Niko. He'd expected this to happen, but it still upset him. There really was no way they could be friends, they were too different. He wasn't good enough to be Niko's friend, and the knowledge stung.

It shouldnt have mattered. Normally he didn't want anyone to ever see his place, but this was different. Now that he wanted him there, he was hurt that he'd never be there.

"No thank you, I'll be fine by myself. I guess I'll see you tomorrow or something. Or not, you know, whatever. Goodnight." He leaned in to kiss the boys cheek, hesitant, and ran away immediately after. Literally ran, turning down one of the back alleys, wanting to be home as quickly as possible.

Nikolia watched Virtue run off, feeling hurt that he wouldn't take his offer. He was hoping that he would stay at least another night. It made him feel bad about not being more persistent.

Niko thought about going after Virtue, but he had no idea which way he went. So he just went to his mom's car, got in and went home. He went straight to bed, not even caring that his homework wasn't done. He was feeling to depressed.