A/N: Happy holidays to those of you that celebrate. Eat lots, drink lots and be merry! For those that don't celebrate, enjoy a well-deserved break!


"-And then he just stormed out! And I was sure they'd toss me out right after him, and he'd kill me in the streets," Tristan said breathlessly, a little flushed from the retelling.

"And then when Chase called me in as well, I was sure I was fired, too!" Kurt added. They were sitting on the subway, having picked Tristan up from his hotel for a night of celebration. Sebastian had already heard the short version when Kurt came to pick him up at NYU, but it was a story worth retelling in detail.

Sebastian was smiling, listening raptly and looking between the two of them, one more excited than the other, and for now, it was enough to calm his nerves.

[3 hours earlier]

"You know, this is probably the first night in months that Tristan doesn't have to work," Kurt commented conversationally as they put down the Chinese take-out on the table. They'd stopped for food on the way home. "And Chase made sure not to set a meeting in the early morning...he doesn't say much, but he notices a lot, that man." Kurt smiled at the thought. Tristan had immediately agreed to go to Satire later that night.

They had used their free afternoon to finally go to Macy's. At one point Tristan had almost lost himself over the latest Versace coats, before Kurt dragged him off to look at shoes.

When they were finally shopped out ("surely there's no such thing Kurt?"), Kurt had dropped Tristan off at his hotel before making his way to pick up Sebastian.

"I bet he's not gonna know what hit him," Sebastian said, slipping his shoes and coat off and sinking into the couch, one leg crossed under himself. "I'm proud of you for helping him...I hope you have fun tonight."

Kurt smiled and picked up two boxes and two pairs of chopsticks. "You know, I was thinking," he said, walking over to the couch and handing Sebastian his food before sitting down next to him.

"We'd have a lot more fun if…you came along with us." He paused and bit his lip. "Tristan would really like to meet you, and I just know once we're at Satire he'll probably have charmed half the club by the time I get my jacket off, and then he'll leave me all by myself for sure…"

Sebastian paused in opening his box and looked at Kurt, a hint of fear creeping up his spine.

He'd not been back to Satire since the attack.

"You'll hardly be on your own babe, you know everyone there," he said with a fake air of ease.

"I know," Kurt said softly. "And if it makes you uncomfortable, I won't push it. I just thought...it might be nice. And I won't be working so I we can stay together at all times. We can dance, maybe have a drink - or not! I can stay sober if that makes you feel safer! And I know Joe and Danny and the others would love to see you too…"

Kurt had given it quite some thought over the afternoon and had decided to try and ask. He had promised Sebastian to tell him things that were on his mind, and this was one of these things.

Sebastian bit his lip and looked at Kurt. He knew he'd have to go back at some point...after all, he still worked there and he did enjoy his job...though he wasn't sure if he could get back up on the bar again.

Though, there was also the added hurdle of the subway. He'd still not braved taking it yet.

He held Kurt's gaze for a moment, weighing it up in his head. "I'll try," he said quietly.

Kurt smiled excitedly. "As soon as you want to leave, we're out of there. I promise."


"I think I spent about an entire pay check at Macy's but it was so worth it," Kurt sighed as he finished his story of their epic day, leaning his head against Sebastian's shoulder.

"So Tristan's a better shopping buddy than me, is he?" Sebastian teased.

"Oh yes," Kurt agreed. "It definitely helped that he gave his honest opinion on my choices and didn't just say I 'look better without it on' at every single item I showed him." Kurt stuck out his tongue.

Tristan chuckled.

"I am just being honest, babe," Sebastian replied, grinning. "I'm glad you two had fun."

"We did," Tristan said happily. "And it felt amazing to not be constantly checking my watch!" He shook his head. "I can't believe it honestly, it feels so surreal."

"I know, right? Not being interrupted by your phone all the time was a big plus, too. It was the first time since you arrived that I heard you get to finish your sentences!" Kurt chipped in.

A man with a phone in his hand came to sit opposite them, and Kurt put his arm around Sebastian. The man glanced at them, then continued looking at his phone.

Sebastian leant into Kurt's touch a little, thankful that he was there. While Kurt had been in the shower earlier, Sebastian had sent out an SOS text to Elliott. His new friend had talked him through how to deal with the subway and the club, but when it came to reality, Sebastian knew he couldn't do this without Kurt.

While Sebastian had been apprehensive about sharing his problems and darker thoughts at first, having Elliott to talk to had been a blessing. As much as he loved Kurt, his dads and his friends, having someone who knew how he was feeling and had been there himself, was paramount to how much progress he'd made in such a short space of time.

Unaware of Sebastian's thoughts, Tristan watched them together and smiled. "Kurt told me you grew up in France, Sebastian. How did you two meet?"

Sebastian and Kurt grinned at each other. "The first time? Or the second time?" Sebastian asked.

Tristan looked a bit confused, so Kurt helped him out. "We first met when we were both in high school," he started. "But it was not to be. Rival school choirs and everything."

"Very star-crossed," Tristan commented fondly.

"Very, " Kurt agreed, glancing at Sebastian. "But then we both grew up and moved to New York, and one fine Tuesday, I decided to check out this bar...which happened to be the one where Sebastian worked."

Sebastian smiled at Kurt and held his gaze. "And the rest as they say...is history."

Tristan watched them and sighed a little, a small smile on his lips. "And the bar we're going tonight…?"

"Is the same place," Sebastian finished. "Though I'm not currently working." He bit his lip and looked away, focusing on an advert running above the window on the opposite wall.

"Me neither," Kurt added, glossing it over. Sebastian did not owe everyone his story. "Tonight, we're just there to party!"

"Hear, hear," Tristan said.

"One of Sebastian's dads might have a shift tonight, though," Kurt mused.

"Oh, is it a family business?" Tristan asked.

"Sort of," Kurt replied. "It's very tight-knit."


Ten minutes later they climbed the steps from the subway up to the main street and joined the crowds. It still amazed Sebastian a little that no matter the time of day, the streets of New York were always busy - it really was the city that never sleeps.

They turned down the side road that would take them to Satire and they felt the bass of the music through the pavement. As they drew nearer, they saw a small queue to get in and Sebastian stopped in his tracks, staring up at the pink and turquoise neon sign that displayed the club's name.

Tristan and Kurt followed behind Sebastian. Tristan was talking to Kurt about the upcoming spring fashion weeks, but broke off when he noticed Sebastian stop in his tracks.

"Is something wrong?" Tristan asked quietly.

Kurt felt his heart sink. He knew he couldn't just tell Tristan nothing, and it was better if he stopped Tristan from asking Sebastian directly. He put a hand on Tristan's arm to make him lean in a little closer.

"Sebastian has PTSD. Some situations are hard on him, though it isn't always easy to say what will trigger it," Kurt said quietly. "It's possible he may want to leave early."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Tristan offered. He quickly connected the dots. "Is that why he has trouble sleeping?"

Kurt nodded.

"Is there anything we can do?" Tristan asked.

"I'll talk to him. Maybe you could hold our place in the queue."

Tristan nodded, and Kurt walked up to Sebastian. He didn't say anything just yet, simply slipping his hand into Sebastian's.

Sebastian started a little when he felt Kurt's touch but didn't pull away. He looked down at their joint hands and then let his gaze travel up to Kurt's face, his eyes wide.

"It's our home, remember?" Kurt said softly. "Let's reclaim it."

Sebastian closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Don't let go of my hand?" he said in a shaky voice.

"I won't," Kurt promised, raising it to his lips and kissing the back of Sebastian's hand.

They re-joined Tristan, and waited for their turn. There was a new bouncer; a broad-shouldered, serious looking man. Marc had told them he was a retired wrestler, and he looked the part. He was, however, friendly enough, especially after Kurt showed his employee card. The new bouncer introduced himself as Charlie and let them in free of charge.

As usual on a Tuesday, it wasn't very crowded. Danny and Marc were on bar one, and bar two was closed.

"This is why I liked coming on Tuesday," Kurt said loudly over the music. "Not much going on...plenty of time to flirt with the bartender…" He squeezed Sebastian's hand.

"I see..." Tristan said, looking at the bar - and more specifically, at Danny mixing drinks. "Wow. What does a boy have to do to get his attention?"

Sebastian looked towards Danny and grinned. "Have a pulse?" he said jokingly.

His heart rate settled a little as he realised it really was a typical Tuesday. The sight of Marc reassured him as well.

They approached the bar and both Danny and Marc looked up.

"Seb!" Danny cried happily. "God, it's so good to see you! How are you?"

Sebastian smiled and hopped up onto a stool.

"I'm getting there, thanks," he said warmly. "How are you? You've not burnt the place down in my absence?"

"Ha ha," Danny said dryly before shaking his head and grinning. "I'm doing good, thanks man. We really miss you around here. Place isn't the same."

Sebastian felt warmth blossom inside him and he smiled.

Danny returned his smile and extended it to Kurt. "Who's your new friend?" he asked nodding his head towards Tristan.

"I'm Tristan," Tristan said, leaning over the bar a little and batting his eyes.

Danny smiled at him. "What can I get you, Tristan?"

Tristan leered and let his eyes drag over Danny's torso. "I don't know," he said flirtatiously. "What's good here?"

"The Hanky-Panky," Danny said without batting an eyelash.

"Sounds delicious," Tristan replied.

Kurt snorted and exchanged a look with Sebastian. He had predicted this would happen. He hadn't considered Tristan would actually try to hook up with someone they knew, but Kurt was pretty sure Danny would not be heartbroken if Tristan left for San Francisco in a few days, so if they were both in agreement, he saw no problem with it.

"Do you want to dance?" Kurt asked Sebastian, "or shall we go say hi to Marc?" He nodded at the other end of the bar.

Sebastian looked out at the dance floor. It was fairly empty by Satire standards, but he wasn't feeling quite brave enough yet.

"Let's go say hi."

Kurt offered Sebastian his hand, and together, they made their way around the other patrons.

"Hey boys," Marc greeted them. He took away a few empty glasses and used napkins to clear some space for them at the bar and wiped it down. "Would you like to see a menu?" he added playfully.

Sebastian laughed. "Why yes, actually I would!"

Marc winked and placed a menu in front of them. "I highly recommend the Anal Blast," he said with a straight face.

"Oh god!" Sebastian said, his face going a little red. "I think I'll just stick to a Pornstar Martini, thanks."

Kurt watched the exchange with a fond smile. He still hadn't changed Sebastian's display name in his phone. "I'll have a Shirley Temple please, Marc." Sebastian hadn't said anything about his offer to stay sober, but Kurt had never needed a drink to have a good time.

"Is that your colleague?" Marc asked, nodding at Tristan, who was leaning over the bar to talk into Danny's ear. He had one hand on Danny's bicep.

Kurt nodded. "He's like that with everyone," he said. "Ineffectively in my case, of course." He winked at Sebastian.

Sebastian smiled at Kurt. "He seems like a nice guy, but even if he wasn't, you know what Danny's like...if it's got a pulse and a cock he'll go there."

Sebastian shook his head a little bit smirked.

"Now come on, Seb, you know that's not true," Marc argued. "He's more of an ass man." He winked at them both and started mixing their drinks.

"Tristan got promoted today, so we're celebrating," Kurt explained. "Well, actually I got his boss fired and he is now the interim on that post- but same thing, really."

Marc looked up with raised eyebrows.

"Hey, his boss deserved it!" Kurt said, and peeked over the bar at his drink. "More cherries, please."

"Remind me to never piss you off, Kurt," Marc said with a chuckle, adding extra cherries to the top of Kurt's drink.

He finished mixing Sebastian's and strained it into a glass, topping it off with a passion fruit half and a shot of Prosecco.

"Thanks," Sebastian said, handing over the money. "Put the change in the jar." He picked up the shot and poured it into his drink. "Cheers," he said holding his drink up to Kurt.

"Cheers." Kurt clinked his glass to Sebastian's and took a small sip. Then, he fished out a cherry with his fingers and popped it into his mouth. "I'd eat these all day if Satire offered better dental," he joked.

"That's probably why we don't," Marc replied, holding out the bowl to Sebastian to offer him one too.

Sebastian smiled at Kurt but shook his head at the bowl. "No, thanks."

Marc nodded and looked at him searchingly. "You okay?"

Sebastian sipped his drink and nodded. "Yeah, just...not in the mood for a cherry."

Just then Tristan came sauntering over. "Oh my god, that man is delicious," he said sipping his drink. "I need to come to New York more often."

"Only the best for you," Kurt said. He introduced Tristan to Marc and they exchanged a few words. Then, a tall, dark skinned man with high cheekbones and tight-fitting shirt and jeans walked up to them. "How about a dance?" he asked.

Kurt did a double-take. He knew that voice.

" Gabrielle? " he asked, a little uncertainly. They looked radically different from their usual attire at the fabric store.

"Yes, Kurt, it's me," Gabrielle said, grinning and jutting out one hip to strike a pose. "Call me Gabe. "

"Wow," Kurt whispered. "I'm… I didn't know-"

"Get you someone who can do both, honey," Gabe teased, winking at Tristan.

Kurt wondered if Gabe had been at Satire before, and he had just not recognised them.

"I'd love to dance," Tristan said. "Lead the way."

"I always do," Gabe said with a flirty smile, and lead him away by the hand.

Marc watched them go. "Danny's got competition," he mused.

Sebastian glanced down the bar at their colleague, who was busy putting on a show for a group of regulars. He caught him wink at one of them. "I think he'll be okay," Sebastian chuckled, sipping his drink.

"So, you boys on for Thanksgiving?" Marc asked. "Kurt, I spoke to Carole yesterday and confirmed with her. I think they're looking forward to it."

"Oh yes, so are we, right?" Kurt said, looking at Sebastian. He couldn't wait to get a few days off. Sure, he looked forward to seeing his parents and eating excellent food (Paul had promised to cook) but what Kurt really needed was R&R with Sebastian. And what better place to get that than at Marc & Paul's luxurious place?

"It's very nice of you to have Carole and my dad stay over," he said.

Marc smiled at him. "We're both looking forward to it. You know Paul, he loves entertaining, and this way, everyone gets to be together."

Sebastian smiled. After everything that Marc and Paul had done for him over the last few months, he couldn't imagine spending the holidays without them. He also wanted to be with Kurt and so he was more than happy with this arrangement.

He knew Kurt hadn't been able to spend last Thanksgiving with his parents and his Christmas and New Year were both busts. Sebastian was determined to make this year's holiday season special for Kurt.

"It'll be great!" Sebastian said. "I miss cuddles with the girls!"

"Now there's a sentence that doesn't get uttered in this place every day," Marc joked, and winked at them before directing his attention to another order.

Kurt chuckled. "I miss the dogs too," he agreed. "And the pool. And the sheet thread count…" He sighed. "I'm glad we came here tonight. It feels good to be back here with you."

Sebastian wrapped his arm around Kurt and pulled him close, pressing a kiss to his temple. "I'm glad we came too...I wasn't sure if I could, but I'm happy to know that I can."

He finished his drink and gathered his courage. "Do you still want to dance?"

Kurt beamed at him. "With you, always."

They went to the dance floor, and for the next few hours, it was just the two of them and the music. Every now and then, they'd be joined by Tristan and Gabe, who seemed to be getting on very well, though Tristan was also drawn back to the bar (and Danny) now and then.

"I wonder if he'll make up his mind before closing time," Kurt mumbled, and yawned, stifling it against the side of Sebastian's neck. They were slow-dancing, though by now they didn't so much move as softly sway while embracing. "I think I'm ready to go home soon, though. I'm sure Tristan'll find his way back to the hotel. Shall we go say goodbye?"

"Yes," Sebastian said and pressed a kiss to Kurt's forehead.

As they reached the bar, Tristan and Gabe were there, watching Danny mix them a drink.

"Hey, we're gonna go home," Kurt said.

"So soon?" Gabe asked.

"Well, it's-" Kurt started, but Tristan interrupted him.

"One dance? Please, Kurt? Is that alright?" He looked from Kurt to Sebastian.

Kurt hesitated. He had promised Sebastian he'd be with him all night, and so far he had.

"I can stay at the bar," Sebastian said.

Kurt looked into his eyes to make sure he was okay, then nodded. "Just one, and then we'll go," he promised, and followed Tristan to the dance floor.

A slow song had just started, and with a shy smile, Tristan stepped closer, wrapping his arms around Kurt's neck. Kurt could feel his heart pound in his chest. This close, Tristan was even more attractive, and he smelled amazing. He hesitantly put his hands on Tristan's waist.

"I haven't had the chance to thank you yet," Tristan said, his voice low in Kurt's ear. "In the course of two days, you've changed my whole life around."

Kurt swallowed. "I just couldn't sit by and let you get fired because of Roy. It wasn't right."

"No," Tristan agreed. "But it really means a lot that you stood up for me. Fashion is usually an everyone-for-themselves industry."

"So is NYADA," Kurt replied, "but I still won't rejoice when someone in my dance class breaks an ankle, even if it means I get a solo."

"Because you're you."

Kurt shrugged. "I'm probably not cut out for this business."

"Maybe not, but this business needs you," Tristan said. "I'm glad I met you."

Not quite know what to do with his praise, Kurt remained silent and they danced a bit more.

"I hope he gets better," Tristan offered quietly.

Kurt stopped moving for a moment and looked at Tristan. He could tell his words were genuine and his eyes were filled with understanding. "Thank you," he whispered. "We're...working on it."

"Well, he's got the best man at his side," Tristan said. The song drew to an end and he stepped away. "How do I look?" he asked, raising his chin in an attempt to lighten the mood. "Think I might get lucky tonight?"

Kurt broke out in a grin. "I have absolutely no doubts about that."