It's not his first time at a club like this— some queer club tucked away in the heart of a busy city like LA— but it is the first time Patrick's gone and actually been himself.

No keeping to himself, no brushing off the attention when a group of guys walk by his table— none of that. Tonight, Patrick's promised himself that he'd finally get over the memories of sharp brown eyes and blond curls haunting him and forget them for good. Art and Tashi have clearly forgotten about him with how their wedding's been circulating every major news outlet for months, but that's neither here nor there.

They're not here. Just him.

Sipping from the glass in his hand, Patrick glances out into the crowd of dancing people. He's only in town for another day or so before he heads back on the road for another challenger; might as well make the most of the night and hope whatever (or whoever) he gets into's worth his while.

Only then does he spot you amongst the crowd, and Patrick's immediately drawn in. His drink becomes an afterthought while he stands, and soon he's pushing through groups on the dance floor on a mission to figure you out the best he can.

If he was cold before, he's certainly warm now. The heat of flushed bodies underneath the club lights burn against his skin, but nothing like how he feels alight when you finally spot him.

And almost in an instant— he's reborn. He's not Art's former friend, nor Tashi's ex-boyfriend, but Patrick, reborn from the ashes of who he'd been before. He's just Patrick.

"Hey," he calls once he's near enough to be heard, the music thrumming from the speakers shifting to something equally bass-boosted, "mind if I join you?"

He steps closer when you allow him to, and before Patrick knows it his hands are on your hips and your head's laying back on his shoulder. If he could bottle up a moment in time, it'd be this one; the freedom and pride pumping through him like a second heartbeat.

And hey, if you want to sing him like a choir later, he won't say no to that.