Morty laughed behind the bar, finding that he had no patrons to serve and plenty of time to catch up with an old friend. 
       "There's nothing like it! Mispronounce any Mexican food name and you're set." Jo leaned against the bar, shaking his head as he laughed. "You wouldn't believe how amazing an ice-breaker that is." Morty nodded in agreement, polishing one final glass with a laugh. "I wouldn't believe it until you proved it," he stated, spinning and leaning against the bar. 
       "Ah, shit, I gotta get going soon," Jo grumbled. "I just... I can not believe we been workin' here, what, two, three weeks together? And neither one of us knew! How crazy is that?" 
       "Absolutely insane." Morty gave a short laugh at the end of his statement, glancing over the bar. "I just can't believe how much you've changed." Jo leaned back in his seat, dramatically going over Morty's frame with a friendly growl. "You hit your glow-up mark. I wouldn't believe you if you said you were older than eighteen. What's your secret?"
       "Haven't got one," the brunet replied with a shrug. "Actually, the only 'healthy' thing I do is run on occasion."
       Jo hopped down from his bar stool with a laugh. "I suppose we should get together on one of those runs of yours. I gotta lose some of this chub." Morty watched as he pinched his stomach, dramatically shaking the small bit of chub he had. "Jesus," Morty laughed. "You should have seen me when I first got here. I hated it, being all pudgy. I finally got the frame I want." Morty grinned almost triumphantly, knowing he lost his 'thick' frame. In his mind, he upgraded. He traded for a thinner form, more slender and lanky than thick. 
       "I'll see you around, Mo-Jo." Morty watched the dark-haired man walk off, calling after him, "Later, Jo-Jo!" 
       It was great, being able to reconnect with really the only friend he'd ever had before he'd worked at the bar, the only person that had ever stood up for him in school before his parents made him move away entirely. And now, the brunet saw him again, reconnecting and learning more about his friend. Jo was twenty-seven now, same as Morty. He was a very attractive, dark haired man, with almost equally dark eyes. He had nearly the same frame Morty'd had, with long, wavy locks. He could almost be Morty, the version he had been when he'd begun working. It was almost scary how close it was. 
       And Morty was the complete opposite of what he'd been. His hair was shorter, his frame thinner. Sure, his hair was slowly growing back out, but it was still almost too short even for his own liking. He didn't have the same glow about himself either, though that could easily be due to the time spent finding himself, the time he'd spent forgetting to take care of himself. He just wasn't the same. He wasn't the brown-haired, pudgy little daddy's boy he'd been. He was more of a serious man than the playful kid he'd been once upon a time. He was more careful than anything he'd ever been, and he was going to realize that this would be his downfall.

       When Jo's hour was up, Morty watched as he approached the back door to the changing room. He was stopped by Gary at the door, nodding with a look of confusion before he wandered in. The bouncer waited by the door, looking almost worried on his own, while Morty worked at mixing a round of drinks for a group of well-paying individuals. To his utter surprise, he found Gary gathering Jo at the door and leading the man to the back room, opening the door and disappearing down the hall with him. 
       Good for him, Morty thought, placing the drinks on napkins and sliding them gently to those that ordered them. His friend was catching a nice break, though perhaps this wasn't the best thing that could happen to him. Sure, Morty thought it had been alright for a second, but he grew more pissed as he thought about it.
        Jo was going to get into things he didn't want. Morty knew it, too. Jo was more kind than he was. He still cried over ants being stepped on. He wouldn't be able to handle seeing people piss Rick off in meetings. He wouldn't know how to handle the man if he was pissed, wouldn't know that all he had to do was pour him a glass of whiskey and sit in his lap, listening to him talk until he was calmed down. He was going to fall down the same pit Morty had landed in, and the brunet was conflicted. 
       Perhaps this had been what Gary had felt like, the first day he'd taken Morty to the back room. Of course, the brunet'd had the displeasure of meeting Rick beforehand, but still. Was he supposed to pull Jo away before he was destroyed, or was he supposed to let the man figure it out for himself, like Morty had?

       Morty made his way to the changing room after the last dancer, wondering why Jo hadn't come back out yet. Perhaps he had left through the back door, heading to his truck in the lot after a brief discussion with Rick. He must have left and hadn't wanted to be seen by the others, made fun of as Morty had been after the first time he'd gone into the back room. 
       Morty thought throughout his entire dance, his body moving of its own accord. Sure, he still had a dance unique and different entirely from the rest, but he had a body matching everybody else's now. Everybody's but Jo's. He couldn't be mad at the man for being who he was. It's not like he could have known Rick prefers thicker dancers, more boyish, child-like, obedient, and playful. Eventually, it would sort itself out.

       When Morty finally exited the changing room, he was very surprised to find Jo sitting on the edge of the stage patiently. "Hi, Morty!" he chirped, swinging his feet with a lazy smile. The brunet would know that look anywhere. The lazy smile, puffy lips, hazy eyes. He'd know that anywhere, because that had been him countless nights for an entire year once upon a time. 
       "Hi," Morty mumbled, giving a halfhearted smile as he wandered to the time clock. "Kid!" Morty stopped halfway across the room to find Gary exiting the backroom, Rick currently locking the door and apparently not caring if Morty still saw him. He already knew most things about the man, outside of most of his childhood. 
       "Yea?" Morty questioned, ignoring the scene playing out behind him, Rick very obviously teasing Jo in a playful manner. He heard Jo laugh, waiting for Gary to hurry up already. "Just wanted to remind you that tomorrow the club's closed for maintenance." Morty nodded, having forgotten already. There was a fault in the stage that only Morty had managed to avoid, but apparently that wouldn't matter anyway. "Thanks, Gary," Morty mumbled, punching out quickly as the other two were advancing towards he and Gary. "Goodnight, kid!" 
       "Night," Morty mumbled in response, hurrying out the door. He made his way to his car while the other three exited the club, unsure as to how he should feel about the entire situation. Either Rick was trying to piss him off by pulling his best friend into the worst lifestyle ever, or he was actually drawn to him. And it sure as hell would never be the last one, especially not with the grimace the man wore as Jo very obviously told a joke in poor taste.
       Morty hopped into his vehicle before he could be pulled into any more conversations, buckling in as the group crossed the lot. He sped out of the lot, turning the corner quickly just to get away from the damned club and everybody still there as he hurried home. He had big plans for tomorrow, and he was not going to be in a sour mood for them.