Santana plowed a path through the bodies meandering around the entrance and made a bee-line for the bar. The rest of the group passed through the path she made and followed her, but with a little less gusto than she had. The club itself was huge and dark, lit only by the flashing and swirling colored lights spinning around the room from the ceiling. The DJ was at the back and out of the way, and along the walls on either side of the dance floor were long stages where scantily clad men and women were dancing for dollar bills. The bar was set off to the right of the room in a railed off section of space and was lit with dancing lights that slowly shifted from one color to another. The floor vibrated with the base blaring from the speakers under the feet of dimly lit swaying bodies on the dance floor.

By the time Kurt, Rachel, Mercedes, Lauren, Tina, and Blaine made it to the bar, Santana had pushed her way through and was yelling directions to the bartender over the boom of the music.

They stopped in front of her at the counter of the bar, "I started a tab, all drinks are on me!" she yelled over the music, "get whatever you want and as much of it as you want!" She turned to the bartender, "five kamikaze shots for us and a double for the man of the hour!" she winked at Kurt. He rolled his eyes at her and smiled. The bartender quickly put together the order and handed out shots to each of them, giving Kurt the taller double shot which he took with a laugh. "To Kurt!" Santana declared, thrusting her glass in the air.

"To Kurt," everyone in the group chanted together, clinking their glasses with hers in the air. They all raised their glasses to their lips and snapped them back, drinking them all in one swift gulp. They all slammed their glasses down on the bar counter and hissed in unison at the sting and the burn of alcohol in their mouths and throats.

Kurt coughed and sputtered, the double amount of alcohol searing his throat, he swallowed hard, "Santana you'll be the death of me," he sputtered.

"Probably," she shrugged. She turned back to the bar tender, "another round, but this time make it seven butterballs." The bartender nodded again and quickly put together their shots, making Kurt's only a regular single shot instead of a double. Santana rose her glass and clinked it with everybody's and again and they slammed back their drinks.

"And now we dance!" Rachel shouted slamming her empty shot glass down on the bar counter. She grabbed Kurt's sleeve in one hand and Mercedes wrist in her other hand and plowed through people to get to the crowded dance floor. Santana grabbed Blaine and the rest of the group followed behind Rachel as she began practically bulldozing people out of the way to get to the dance floor. She cleared them a small bubble in the crowd and began dancing without inhibition with Kurt and Mercedes. They rest of the group showed up and began dancing along as well, each picking up the beat and swaying along.

Everyone danced for a few songs together, the alcohol really kicking in and flowing through their veins. After a while though, they began peeling off and heading back to the bar for more drinks as the night wore on, always going in groups. They were all buzzed, some buzzes tip-toeing on the edge of drunkenness, and laughed often, each doing ridiculous dance moves to elicit laughter from their friends. After two hours of dancing together, they began to branch off in groups of two or three, some staying on the dance floor, some going back to the bar.

On the cab ride to the club, Blaine made the conscious decision to remain as sober as he could get away with and keep an eye on his friends, especially Kurt. He had three shots in him already, thanks to Santana, so he went over to the bar and ordered an alcohol free diet soda. He found himself a tall barstool and used his perch to survey the club scene. Santana was occupied sliding a dollar bill across the stage to a blonde, glitter encrusted pole dancer. Lauren was standing off to the side, sipping on what looked like a glass of water but Blaine couldn't be sure if the clear liquid was actually such an innocent beverage. Rachel was dancing ostentatiously with a tall dark haired man in the center of the dance floor.

Blaine scanned the rest of the dancers for Mercedes, Tina, and Kurt but could not find their familiar faces amongst throng of strangers. He glanced left and right, hoping they were all at the bar near him, but again he found none of them. He was about to get off his seat and check the restroom when he caught a glint off the metal chains and studs of Kurt's shirt in the darkness of the club. His face paled and glowed white in the colored lights of the bar.

Kurt was sitting in a chair near the stripper stage and was receiving a very vulgar lap dance from a muscular man wearing nothing but skin tight metallic booty-shorts. Kurt's cheeks were flushed from laughter and looked like he was really enjoying himself. Mercedes and Tina were standing a few feet away from the chair watching Kurt's show and laughing harder and harder as the dancer's moves got more and more suggestive. Kurt was smiling from ear to ear and clapping his hands together every now and then at a move he liked. Blaine shook his head and forced himself to smile, seriously contemplating ordering a hard drink to beat back the jealousy that was flaring through his chest. He turned around on his barstool so he was facing the bar and not the lap dance Kurt was receiving.

"Looks like you need something a little stronger than a Coke," Santana observed plopping down on the stool next to him. "Come on! Drink! Me merry! This is a celebration!" she slurred waving her arms around and nearly knocking over his soda. Blaine shook his head and moved his drink farther away from Santana and her boisterous gestures. She looked over her shoulder at what Blaine assumed was Kurt's private show and smiled, "that got your panties in a bunch?" she asked pointing her thumb over her shoulder. "If you're that sexually frustrated, I can get you one," she said pulling a few dollars out of her tiny clutch handbag.

"No, I'm all set," Blaine replied, waving off the cash.

"What's your deal? Is it because Kurt's getting frisky with a stripper?" Blaine didn't reply. "Oh! You're jealous!" she snickered drunkenly. "Blaine, you gotta just go out there and get him!"

Blaine looked at her incredulously, "Santana, he's almost married."

She bit her lip, "oh right," she paused and looked around, "well I was right then, you do need a strong drink. What do you want? I'll do a shot with you."

"San, I think you have had plenty to drink for one night."

"No, I'm not even drunk!" she asserted, teetering on the bar stool.

"How much have you had to drink?" Blaine asked crossing his arms.

She thought a moment, eyes drifting to the ceiling, "ummm… six… no, no…eight? Maybe?"

"Point proven, you should probably stop or you are going to be stupidly hung-over tomorrow."

"Okay, so I'm drunk," she admitted waving her arms again, "one more shot isn't going to do anything."

"No."

"What do you want?"

"We aren't doing any more shots."

"Pick now or I will."

"No."

"Bartender!" Santana shouted down the length of the bar. The man who had first served them came over to her, "two shots of tequila, and bring over some salt and lime," she demanded and the man set about filling her order.

"When you have your head in the toilet all day tomorrow, I'm going to say I told you so," Blaine smiled, shaking his head at her.

She shrugged the warning off, "when you're drunk you'll thank me." The bartender came back over to them with a tray holding two shot glasses filled with tequila, two wedges of lime, and a salt shaker. "Alright, here's how it's gon' be," Santana began, slurring her words together. "You're gonna lick the salt off my hand," she said licking the back of her hand and sprinkling salt on the wet spot, "then you're going to do the tequila shot, and finish by sucking on the lime wedge. Got it?"

"Yeah," Blaine said dragging a shot glass and a lime wedge toward him.

"Ready, set—"

"Hey, what're you two up to?" came Mercedes voice from behind them. They both spun around and found Mercedes, Tina and Kurt standing there, Kurt's face still flushed from his lap dance and the alcohol.

"Blaine and I are doing tequila shots," she said pressing the shot glass into Blaine's hand. "Go!" she shouted at him.

He grabbed her hand and licked the salt off in one swoop getting it all off. In the same movement he knocked back the shot of tequila and hissed at the burn of the drink.

"The lime! The lime!" Santana ordered. He snatched the lime from the tray and bit down on it, the sour juices squirting into his mouth. His face screwed up at the sour taste of the lime and he quickly spit it out.

"That was terrible!" he shouted taking a big gulp of his diet soda.

"You did it totally wrong!" Kurt declared, laughing at the sour expression on Blaine's face.

"You should show him how it's done!" Santana laughed.

"Alright," Kurt shrugged.

"Kurt you're drunk," Blaine said in an attempt to stop him.

"That's the point," he giggled taking up the salt shaker, "you just need to relax."

He smirked down at Blaine and dipped two long fingers into Blaine's soda, swirling them around the ice cubes in his glass. Blaine rose a confused eyebrow at Kurt who only lifted his hand from the class and grinned wider. He raised his hand and slowly and deliberately, rubbed a small circle of the moisture from the drink on the side of Blaine's neck. The cold touch of Kurt's fingers on such a sensitive part of his neck made his muscles tighten and goose bumps raise over his arms even though heat was flooding to his face. His expression must have been funny because by the time Kurt started shaking salt over the wet spot on his neck, the girls were giggling and Santana was practically falling out of her chair.

The smirk never left Kurt's lips as he coaxed more salt onto the spot over the tight muscles of Blaine's neck. Satisfied with his work, he set the salt shaker down and took the tequila-filled shot glass into one hand and the lime in the other. Blaine followed Kurt with his eyes as the man leaned down over him, the smirk never leaving his lips, "watch and learn, Anderson," Kurt growled in his ear, his breath warm against Blaine's cheek and smelling of alcohol. He brought his mouth to Blaine's neck and Blaine could feel the grin on his lips as they connected with his skin. His tongue trailed up the salty patch he made moments ago, and he sucked gently over the flesh while Blaine was blushing from to toe and completely frozen in his seat. He could feel Kurt's lips twist into a grin again as he nipped the hot flesh at Blaine's neck before he pulled away and gulped his shot down, cramming the lime wedge into his mouth. He grinned triumphantly down at Blaine and spit the lime rind out onto the tray.

"And that's how it's done!" Santana shrieked. She pulled out her cell phone and squinted at the time, "it's only 12:45! The night is young and we still have time to dance our asses off. Let's go!"

They all turned towards the dance floor and began staggering over to it. Blaine hung back and let them all go, fully intending to order some cold water and watch them while waiting for the deep blush in his cheeks to drain. Kurt glanced back at him as he was walking away and stopped in his tracks. He staggered over to Blaine at the bar and grabbed him by the wrist, "come on!"

Blaine opened his mouth to protest but a glare from Kurt stopped the words before they left his lips. Kurt grinned and headed back towards the dance floor, Blaine allowing himself to be dragged along behind him. Once they got to the dance floor they joined the rest of the girls in their group, dancing together to the beat. The dark haired man Rachel had been dancing with came by and tried to dance with her again but she gave him the cold shoulder, laughing with the girls as he dejectedly left the dance floor when it was clear his advances were not working. Blaine was dancing, feeling the new alcohol work its way through his system, but not too worried about it. He swayed his hips and laughed with his friends who were all dancing a little more loosely than they had when they first came to the bar, the alcohol was to blame for that.

Blaine danced along with the base of the song, getting lost in the music. He felt a hand trail along the back his shoulders as someone from behind him came around to face him. A short blonde woman in a tiny hot pink mini dress flipped her hair and grinned at Blaine. He nervously smiled back as the woman ran her hand through his curls, tousling them with her fingers. She spun around and backed up to Blaine and started grinding against him. She grabbed his hands and placed them on the sides of her hips as they danced. Blaine felt a tad bit awkward, but didn't have the heart to push the woman away, he rested his hands gently on her waist and moved his hips with hers, trying not to be as awkward as he felt. The woman was really into the dancing, trying to seduce Blaine by swaying and swiveling her hips against his, too bad she was barking up the wrong tree.

Kurt glanced over his shoulder and found Blaine dancing with the woman; Blaine's eyes were wandering awkwardly around the room, looking everywhere except at the slutty blonde he was dancing with. Kurt giggled and moved over to the dancing pair extending his arm as he went. He reached over and grabbed one of Blaine's wrists and spun him away from the girl in one swift movement. He swung Blaine around behind him and grabbed Blaine's other hand, firmly placing them both on either side of his waist. He began swaying his hips in very exaggerated movements and it took Blaine a minute to realize what was going on. He clutched Kurt's hips tighter, pulling closer to him, and started dancing on him, moving his hips in time with Kurt's. The woman in the mini dress glared at Kurt and over Kurt's shoulder at Blaine and stormed off, swinging her fake blonde hair in frustration.

Blaine chuckled against the back of Kurt's neck, "thanks," he murmured into Kurt's ear over his shoulder.

"You looked like you needed help," Kurt replied over his shoulder at Blaine. They danced together, watching the rejected woman disappear through the crowd. Once the woman was out of sight Blaine reluctantly released Kurt's waist and stepped away from the taller man. Kurt turned around and both men rejoined the girls who were dancing and laughing at Blaine's awkward moment. Santana eyed Blaine, she had obviously picked up on his deep blush from dancing with Kurt. He rolled his eyes at her and continued moving to the beat.

They danced together for a handful of songs before finally meandering off the dance floor, which was still crowded with dozens of people. They made their way to the bar but only so Santana could pay the drink tab. She handed the bartender her debit card, which he swiped, and she signed her name sloppily on the receipt, too drunk to hold the pen steady or to sign on the correct line. The bar tender didn't comment on her scribble, he just took the receipt and went back to work fixing drinks for the other club-goers. The group headed for the exit together and everyone stepped out into the wee morning hours of New York, the clocks declaring 1:30 AM.

There was a decent sized group of people waiting for cabs on the sidewalk, so it was apparent that they were going to have to wait for their taxis. Like the other people waiting for cabs, Blaine's group of friends was drunk. He noted that Lauren appeared to be the most sober, followed by Tina, Rachel, Mercedes, Kurt, and Santana who was definitely going to be hugely hung over the next day. He himself could still feel the alcohol in his system, rising his body temperature a few degrees higher than normal, though he was probably one of the more sober members of the group.

"Alright," Lauren said to Blaine, "looks like we're babysitting. The girls are all going to Rachel's to crash. I'll take the cab with them and make sure they make it through the doorway of her place."

"I can make sure Kurt gets back safe," Blaine offered.

"I can make it back fine," Kurt objected spinning to face him and teetering precariously on his feet. Blaine reached out and caught his arm, preventing a possible fall onto the pavement.

"I'm sure you can," Blaine replied humoring him, "I just want to be sure you do, alright?"

"Fine, but I don't need a babysitter," Kurt mumbled crossing his arms over his chest, only swaying slightly with the action.

"No you don't," Blaine agreed to appease him. He slowly released Kurt's arm, making sure he was steady on his feet before heading over to the curb with Lauren, hailing two cabs together. They funneled all the women into the two cabs and gave each cab driver the address to Rachel's apartment complex. Blaine waved at them as they drove away from him and Kurt. Blaine looked up and down the street, searching for another yellow cab to hail. It took a while longer before he caught sight of one and he almost had to jump out in the street to get it to stop. When it finally did, he gently ushered Kurt inside and scooted in next to him, giving the cabbie Kurt's address as he closed the door behind him.

"Did you enjoy your bachelor party?" Blaine asked once they were underway.

Kurt grinned, "it was fantastic," he gushed. For the remainder of the ride, Kurt gabbed all about his night, not leaving any detail out, not even the lap dance he received. He laughed a lot, making it clear he had a good time and he was still feeling the effects of the alcohol, no matter how much he denied it.

When they pulled up to Kurt's apartment, Blaine paid the cab driver and carefully helped Kurt out of the car, ignoring the taller man's protests. He wrapped one arm around his slender waist and walked up the steps with him, taking his time so Kurt wouldn't struggle to keep his balance. Instead of taking the stairs up to Kurt's apartment, Blaine walked him over to the elevator and punched the button with his thumb, opening the doors. He pushed the button to Kurt's floor and held the man steady as the elevator jolted to life. They rode to the top in silence, the short ride taking only seconds. The elevator reached the floor and the doors slid open again, Blaine carefully stepping out and heading for the door to Kurt's apartment.

"You still have your key right?" Blaine asked coming to a stop in front of the door.

Kurt dug his hand into the tight pocket of his jeans and grabbed the key, struggling to get it out of his tight pocket. He lined up the key with the lock and attempted to insert it, but he missed several times before Blaine took the key out of his hand and unlocked the door himself. They stumbled through the door, the interior of apartment was pitch black. Blaine led Kurt around by the waist, helping him keep his balance as he searched for the light, relying on his foggy memory of the last time he was here. He hit his knee on the table he was looking for and his hand fumbled with the lamp switch. The light flared to life, dimly lighting the living room and the kitchen and dining room off to the right.

Blaine walked Kurt over to the couch and gently set him down on the soft cushions, "I'm going to get you some water," he told Kurt.

He used the dim light of the lamp in the next room to navigate his way around the dining table and into the kitchen. He began opening the cabinets above the granite counter top, searching for glasses. He stumbled upon the medicine cabinet and pulled out a bottle of aspirin, carefully pouring two pills out into the palm of his hand before putting the bottle back where he found it. He found the glasses shortly after and filled one with cold water from the sink faucet. He slowly made his way back to Kurt on the couch, being careful not to trip over the dark shapes of furniture in the soft light in the dining room. He stopped in front of Kurt and handed him the glass of water, which he took gratefully. He gulped down a few mouthfuls and sighed contentedly. Blaine extended his open palm, holding out the two aspirin tablets to Kurt.

He frowned at the pills, "I don't need those," Kurt objected leaning away from the medicine.

"Kurt you're going to be hung-over tomorrow, these will help take the edge off when you first get up," he urged, extending his hand. Kurt glared at the two pills before picking them up and popping them into his mouth, swallowing them with a mouthful of water.

"Happy?" Kurt muttered sipping more of his water.

"You'll thank me tomorrow," Blaine replied crossing his arms over his chest. "I'd better go, it's late. Don't do anything too stupid okay? No more drinking for tonight, no baths, no cooking—"

"Calm down Nervous Nancy," Kurt giggled reaching up and poking Blaine in the stomach, "I'm going to head to bed right now." Kurt rose the glass to his lips and finished drinking the remainder of the water Blaine had given him.

"Alright," Blaine nodded, taking a step back. Kurt gripped the arm of the couch and tried to stand up but only got a foot off the cushion before losing his grip and flopping back down again. Blaine held out both of his hands, "let me help you," he laughed. Kurt gratefully took Blaine's extended hands and slowly eased himself up off the couch cushion. "Take it easy," Blaine breathed as Kurt got his footing stable under him. Kurt took a steady step forward and smiled smugly at Blaine who laughed and stepped away, dropping Kurt's hands.

Kurt gave a cocky smile and took another step forward, this time not as smooth without Blaine's help. The toe of his boot caught the floor and he pitched forward, thrusting his arms forward to stop himself. Blaine moved fast, lurching in front of Kurt's falling body and catching his upper arms. He tried to steady them both but the momentum of Kurt's fall paired with the unbalanced grab attempt made by Blaine, threw them both to the floor, Blaine falling backwards and Kurt falling forwards.

They landed together, Blaine's back making contact first, followed by Kurt's body crashing down on Blaine's chest, knocking the wind out of the shorter man. He gasped for air when their bodies came to a stop, "are you alright?" Blaine laughed, releasing Kurt's arms and resting his hands on his shoulder blades.

Kurt nodded slightly, his nose bobbing up and down a few inches above Blaine's. He remained still, resting on Blaine's chest, staring into his hazel eyes as he lay on the floor of the dimly lit living room. Kurt moved his arms from Blaine's chest where they had been pinned between their bodies when they fell, and planted his hands on either side of Blaine's face. It didn't take much, the space between them only a few inches. Kurt closed the gap and crushed his lips against Blaine's.