Stranger Who Knows All My Secrets [A Marvel FanFic]

Chapter 13: Bitter Baking Powder Biscuit

Bucky learned pretty quickly that Tony Stark was a terrible influence. 

How did he learn this? 

Well, after that night at the burger place on Long Island, Bucky apologized to Steve and made the ultimate deal with himself to get out of his comfort zone more often. After so many assignments with Elena, eating, and trying to let his walls down at the insistence of Raynor, Bucky thought it was about time he finally started doing the same with everyone else so whenever the team decided to go out and he got a text pleading with him to join them, Bucky would drag himself out of the apartment to do just that. 

He was socializing, opening himself up, or at least trying harder than he was before, and on one of the rare instances Stark actually went out with them he managed to talk Thor and Bucky into a drinking contest because the idiot still didn't believe that super soldiers couldn't get drunk. Steve declined the chance to prove the God of Thunder wrong, but Bucky was never one to back down from a bet, especially a safe one. Perhaps he should have because, after about twenty or so drinks, Bucky began to feel a little warm and fuzzy only to come to the shocking realization that he was actually just a tad bit tipsy. 

The revelation fascinated Banner who was drunk after only three drinks and he encouraged Bucky to keep going because he wanted to see exactly how many drinks it would take to send the super-soldier over the edge. For science, the doctor said to Steve who thought it was a terrible idea and suggested Bucky stop but Thor was still standing and there were a hundred dollars and several gold Asgardian coins on the line, so he kept drinking with Steve walking away in an attempt to not ruin his fun. The competition finally ended forty minutes later with Thor laid out across several chairs while Banner took notes on a small pad he kept in his back pocket, the blonde rambling away about failing his ancestors. 

Bucky meanwhile sat victoriously at the bar though he was admittedly very hot, sweaty, and feeling incredibly dizzy from the damn near thirty beers he had packed away leading him to finally get up so he could splash some water on his face. It took a lot of concentration for him to walk straight, his eyes glued to the floor so he could focus on putting one foot in front of the other and not bumping into anyone or anything.

"You alright there Fullmetal?" Elena asked as she walked away from her conversation with Sam and Nat to Bucky who was moving very stiffly towards the bathroom.

He hadn't seen her since they walked into the joint and their large group dispersed into their own little cliques, she had a beer in hand though, smelled like tequila shots, and looked a little concerned.

"I don't understand that reference..." Bucky groaned as he took a very deep breath and leaned against the wall for support, exhaustion washing over him.

"Uh-huh... Are you drunk?" She asked with a wide curious smile.

Bucky suddenly felt his stomach drop and a wave of nausea course threw him.

"Mhm, and imma go throw up now." He announced, pushing past her quickly and practically kicking open the bathroom door as the contents of his stomach worked their way up his throat.

Honestly, he'd had never been more thankful to have Elena as a partner than he was that night because he barely made it all the way into the bathroom before throwing up in the sink and she reacted just as quickly. Elena hapahazardously tossed her beer on a nearby table and ran in after him, grabbing the door before it slammed shut so she could squeeze into the small space alongside him even though he asked her several times to leave him alone. 

She of course didn't listen and for he was very glad she didn't. Elena shut the door behind her and locked it before directing him away from the sink to the actual toilet during a lull in his purging, cleaning up after him with a quick turn of the faucet so that the hot water and a lot of hand soap went down the drain with his puke. Bucky had never felt so sick in his life and without thinking braced himself with gloved hands on the rim of the toilet while he threw up some more.