find me

9. the party

A/N: alright! I was very excited to get this one out so I'm posting it a bit earlier <3

There's a Trigger Warning for this chapter babes, we've got some heavy drinking and manhandling/physical force used in a sexual context SO beware if that stuff triggers you!!

Also, this is a long one so, grab a cuppa or a coffee... there's a real rollercoaster of emotions about to come your way.

Mary xx

~

The party was exactly what she expected, full of people she didn't know packed in a small loft with underground music and a countertop full of booze.
Maria wasn't at all phased by the uninvited guests and was instead very happy to see Bucky mingle at a social event.

They all hung out together for a while and had a couple of drinks. Natalie wasn't one for drinking usually but she enjoyed the company and the feeling of relaxation coming from the alcohol entering her body.

Sam and Bucky started a competition on who could down a beer quicker and Steve stood on the side cheering for both teams. Maria, Bruce and Natalie were chatting in the kitchen when a few of Maria's friends started playing drinking games in the living room and screamed her name demanding that she'd join them.

Once Sam beat Bucky in their competition, much to Steve's surprise, they moved to the living room and started playing with Maria and her friends, being way louder than everyone else in the room. Natalie occasionally watched them play, and drink shot after shot, while talking to Bruce and sipping on her gin and tonic.

The whole time they were playing, Bucky's eyes stayed fixed on Natalie and the man next to her.

Bruce was flirting, he could tell that much, Natalie however wasn't really matching his energy. She wasn't uncomfortable, just not flirty.

He smirked, unable to help himself. She wasn't flirting back, that must have meant something, right?

They all got pretty drunk by the end of the night. Bruce and Natalie were still talking in the kitchen, when Sam started singing loudly in the living room, standing on the couch, followed by Maria and a couple of her friends.
Natalie didn't know the song but it sounded like one of those cheesy ballads from the 80's. She laughed and clapped her hands in encouragement. As her gaze went over the room full of people, her eyes naturally looked for Bucky.

She squinted her eyes when she couldn't find him in the crowd, moving her head slightly to make sure he wasn't standing behind someone.

He wasn't there.

"You okay?" Bruce looked at her with a lost expression, his intoxication showing from his low and clouded eyes.

"Yeah, yeah." She replied raising her voice a little to make herself audible over the music. "I'm just gonna go upstairs to get some fresh air, 'sthat alright?"
Bruce nodded and let her get through, he watched her get upstairs and then joined the rest of the group who in the meantime had improvised a small karaoke.

As she got on the roof, Natalie took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

She actually did need the fresh air.

She moved past a couple of girls chatting and sharing what smelled like a joint and leaned on the railing, facing towards the city in front of her. The city lights glimmered in the dark night.

New York City looked so beautiful from up there.

She closed her eyes and let the cool breeze caress her hot skin. She felt her head and body lean backwards, like pulled by gravity, and quickly grabbed the railing, regaining her balance. She giggled, feeling the intoxication in her body.