Bloodline

Chapter 15: That one time Tony and Bucky got drunk and talked about Howard

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This entire chapter (except my introduction with the poor hungover people) is an RPG with Volpe. I did Bucky and she did Tony although we helped each other along. It was the most awesome teamwork I have ever experienced when it comes to fanfics and writing. At times I just stared at the screen and thought: Oh my god. That would have never come to my mind, not in a million years! XD And since we're both no natives we aided one another when the words were on the tip of our tongues with chat discussion directly inside the text while we could peek into what the other wrote in real time (since I write in google docs).

And it is so wonderful and also challenging to have someone who is capable of writing long paragraphs in the RPG instead of giving 2-liners with nothing to respond to.

Thank you so much for this great evening. ^^ I hope whenever I need an in-character Tony, I can come to you. You kinda gave him the finishing touch I never could.

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"Stark, I get. He's always been an idiot," Steve's voice sounded like thunder in Bucky's ears although he spoke in a normal tone.

"Hey," someone countered in mock anger, properly Tony.

"But I thought you were old enough to know better," Steve finished and put the emphasis on the word 'old' as he sat down next to his friend, handing him a glass of water and an Aspirin.

Like a reflex the Soldier took the medicine and swallowed it with a gulp of water. "What the hell happened?"

"You got drunk, Bucky." Steve scolded him with a hint of disbelief in his voice. Tony must have given him something from the very good stuff.

"More than drunk. You got shitfaced," Tony laughed when he had a quick moment of clarity but instantly regretted his retort, because his own voice was too much for him. Well, that was a first.

"I haven't felt this sick since Coney Island." Bucky admitted ruefully and hoped the Aspirin would stay down long enough to have any effect.

"So you finally admit it." Steve cheered as if this was the revelation of the century.

"What the hell have you done to this place anyway? It looks like were had been fighting your own private war." Pepper asked while she started cleaning up, trying to ignore the battle wounds on the two men. She would have a word with Tony once he was well enough to actually listen to it.

The two drinking buddies looked at each other, various emotions playing over their faces, until in the end, they both smiled.

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6 hours earlier:

"Told ya, there's nothing that can get me drunk," Bucky said with a wide grin, overplaying his frustration. He had hoped Stark's fancy stuff had a special kick, after all, half of it was illegal in the States.

Hurt in his pride, Stark pulled out a small flask with 'the good stuff'- the Asgardian ambrosia as he called it, which was potent enough to kick even Rogers' superhero socks off "There is always plan A- Plan Asgard. This beauty here was given to me by our demigod friend, it should get even you drunk in no time" the bearded man slurred, already way past his usual alcohol tolerance, but he kept on fighting for his ego.

"The freak who thinks he's a god from another realm? I heard Steve talk about him once or twice. And I saw the news. If his power comes from that liquor, I'll give it a go." Bucky grinned and moved his glass over to Tony for a shot of Plan A. By the way the inventor talked and moved he was already far from sober. But James knew the man could go on for quite some time longer, even save the world in his current condition.

"Exactly. And to be quite honest, someone who dresses and talks like him should better be a god from another world. Their fashion sense was somehow left behind in the dark middle ages." Tony transformed into such woman when he was drunk, with all the slandering he did in this state. He handed Bucky just enough of the amber liquid to fill a shot glass, that should've been enough; at least that's what Tony hoped for because he loved that stuff hotter than he loved his inventions, not wanting to give all of it away like this. A drop was enough to kill him for two days straight but the trips he had were just fantastic.

James should have known. But that realization was still a few hours away. He should have seen it in the careful way Tony measured the amount, not wanting to waste a single molecule as if this was the most valuable liquid on earth. Well, from what Bucky had heard right now, it might be. The Soldier nodded in thanks and lifted the glass, sniffing. It was strong. That much he could already tell. He swirled the alcohol around in the glass with an appraising look. James didn't want Tony to think he was merely a punk with no knowledge about what tastes good or bad. Steve was, terribly so, but Bucky had always enjoyed the taste of something precious when he had the money for it. So he knew this was good. Beneath the strength, he could smell something spicy and something else, like the sweetness of honey, but altered, as if it had aged for a very long time. "How old is this?" He asked, lifting it up to eye level, checking the color.

"Probably older than all of us combined. If I had more of that divine fluid I'd do carbon dating, but it's too precious. As my friend Thor told us" he took a deep breath to try imitating the god's mighty and deep voice "This was aged for a thousand years, no mortal man should ever lay lips on a beverage like thi-" his voice, not used to these deep and husky tones cracked, causing violent coughing and laughing at the same time "I'm officially not even worthy of quoting him. Oh how am I supposed to live on like this?" with an over-dramatic sigh he rested his back against the couch, he was fighting the urge to go to sleep. To be fair he was going to be shitfaced the next day but talking to a drunk but approachable James was an opportunity he didn't want to let pass.

"Older than me," he said with a grin, clearly starting to enjoy the atmosphere. "That's already an accomplishment." He waited until he had Tony's full attention before lifting it to his lips. As he saw the inventor tense up, Bucky decided for a different approach. Deeply inhaling, because he already feared it might take his breath away, the Soldier centered himself, and downed the entire glass in one big swallow. He could see Tony's eyes widen in shock and grinned and he smashed the glass onto the counter almost hard enough to break it. James waited for a few seconds, feeling the warmth spread across his stomach, his torso, his… "Holy fucking Jesus Christ!" He coughed and almost doubled over. His senses instantly loosing their sharpness until there was nothing but a blur of colors before the serum inside him tried to adapt, and failed.

As James lifted the glass and flushed the whole shot down in one go, he knew there would be instant regret. And there was. A laugh escaped his dry lips, seeing one of the enhanced humans suffer lifted up his spirits quickly. "Looks like someone is also not worthy" Stark joked and gently patted his metal shoulder. Somehow, it was a small ego boost for him. At least the superhumans also had problems with this godawful stuff. "You know, surrounded by you, Rogers and all the other superheroes, I feel old. Thinking about it a second time, you met my father Howard when he was approximately half my current age, and still I have nothing more than my intellect to help me, no super powers like anyone else, apart from Legolas." he sounded so annoyingly philosophical in this moment, the thought of his never proud father dropping his mood, making him stare at the empty scotch bottle he already killed in this session.

His intoxicated mind tried to understand the words Tony just said but seemed to be an impossible task. He did sound sad, that much Bucky could tell, but anything apart from that… The Soldier steadied himself, gripping the counter with both hands, the metal one slightly compressing the expensive hardwood. Tony's speech echoed in his mind as if it was a foreign language, yet one word pierced the veil of inebriation. Howard. Born August 15, 1917, the founding member of SHIELD, participated in the development of the Supersoldier Serum and the A-bomb. Died December 16, 1991.

"I killed him." he mumbled, barely audible.

It took a moment until Tony grasped what Bucky tried to tell him. At first, he thought: Maybe he means the alcohol, poor guy is wasted already. Quite the contrary to what he was really saying. "You what?" he asked, still not sure if he heard right. Then the shock took over him, tears forming in the dark brown eyes which soon enough burned with anger "You WHAT?!" he repeated and clenched his fists, a mere second later swinging his right one, going straight for his jawline. The impact was hard, probably spraining his own hand, thank god the alcohol covered most of the pain. "You dirty son of a bitch, you killed my father?"

Prepared or not. Drunken or not. That one hurt. It took James a second to understand what just happened. Oh no, he had just told a tormented son that the Winter Soldier had killed his father. Winter Soldier, him, James. All the same. "I did. Oh my god, I did." It felt to him as if this was another life, just a story he heard a long time ago. Everything blurred once more and he tried to swallow, tasting something metallic. Dark memories surrounded him. Of smashing a head against a surface hard enough to break the skull. Pleading, begging, crying. "Sergeant Barnes?" He was a monster. And just told the man next to him about one of his biggest mistakes. He knew he had no right to defend himself, so he didn't even try to dodge the next attack.

The bitter confession only fuelling his rage, Tony swung another time, his bones cracking violently under the brute force he used "Why would you do this, you fucking bastard?!" he roared, his vocal cords on the verge of breaking. "You dirty labrats never gave me anything good. I thought Rogers taking away any chance of receiving admiration from my own father was bad enough, traumatizing even, and now I learn his best friend killed him. Just give me one fucking reason not to call one of my suits and tear your HYDRA ass apart!" he growled, in between cursing and swinging for a third time, a quiet, almost mute sob left his throat. He felt helpless, like he was a child all over again, trying his best to get any proud reaction out of his father. All the bottled up frustration suddenly bubbling out of him.

James saw how the billionaire lost his edge, the anger turning into helplessness. No, take your hatred out on me. I deserve this. "He wasn't even your true biological father!" The Winter Soldier shouted at him. Somehow deep in his mind, he knew he had to give Tony the opportunity to take revenge. So he tried to give the son enough reasons to finally let himself go. The man couldn't harm him, even less in his current drunken state, or with his suit. But JARVIS would not power up the armor once Tony had reached a certain alcohol level in his system. James looked at the already bloody fists of his opponent. Whose was it? He didn't know. Bucky remembered the times he brawled in his youth, and then how he could tear men apart with his arm. He felt sick.

The sudden outburst of his usually so quiet opponent made Tony stop for a second. Bucky was clearly too drunk to keep his thoughts straight, how on earth was Howard not his father? This was the last straw. Tony reached his wristwatch to quickly transform it into small, arc-powered brass knuckles. His next blow, again hitting the same, already bloody and bruised spot on the soldier's jaw. Suddenly, JARVIS's calm voice filled the room "Mr. Stark, your vitals are rising, you might consider calming down. He could break you like a twig after all.", the AI insisted. "JARVIS, go fuck yourself, that motherfucker deserves a good beating!" He hit again and again, a fourth, fifth, and a sixth time, until his already old and sore muscles refused. No, he wouldn't dare giving up that easy. Luckily his left hand was intact and even though he was right-handed, it would accomplish its purpose.

The punches might not have been as serious to him as they might have been to others but Stark was definitely able to smash his body against the counter with each hit. When the next connected with his side James tumbled into the room, clearly showing that the alcohol was making it difficult for him as well. He hit a plant and tore it down with him, hydroponics spreading all over the floor as the pot shattered on the stone tiles. The loud noise took him off guard so before Bucky could even steady his drunken body he already saw Tony practically flying at him for the next round. Knowing what was to come the Soldier braced himself for the punch but didn't expect the inventor to slip and fall over the tiny little balls that had nourished the plant. Stark crashed into him and both of them stumbled over the couch.

Stark's senses were too foggy to catch himself from falling, so he collided with the soldier, smashing his brow open against the metal shoulder. With a deep grunt, Tony fell on top of Bucky's chest, grinning like an idiot "I swear it was an accident" he jokingly murmured after a short chuckle. Slowly but steadily he got up and reached his right hand out to help Bucky rise himself. It was painful, but in the moment the soldier stood, another blow hit him, this time right on the nose, probably sending the poor guy straight through the glass table standing in front of the couch. "Howard was an uncaring bastard but my mother didn't deserve this" he growled once again, his rage slowly draining from his body. Acceptance filled his mind and he sat down in front of the couch, blood and dirt covering his clothes. He wiped away the drips running down his cheek. "Bastard" he huffed.

James had been too baffled to see Stark's true intentions so he took his hand, careful not to bruise the bones even further, before the next blow made him see stars. While his vision cleared he felt sharp glass cutting into his back, warm blood making his shirt sticky, adding that to the uncomfortable experience of actually losing a brawl for once in his life. Then he heard Tony's next words. He had killed the mother too… The memory of the helpless woman begging her husband to respond made his own eyes fill with tears. He thought about Natasha. Saw her face with the same expression. He wanted to throw up. No, no, no, please. He felt as helpless as the man he killed that night. "I'm so sorry," he cried and inhaled, coughing up the blood that was running up his nose in this position. "So sorry," he sobbed as he thought about what legacy he would lay upon his son with all these actions. And even more than that. What would happen if he and Natasha somehow shared the same fate and left behind a young man with grief and anger… The spiral never stopping. "I never wanted that." He whispered at last before accepting the past as well.

Maybe this last hit was a bit too much, making James cough up blood, he seriously injured Natasha's mate. Stark seemed to sober up quite fast, with all the anger burning the alcohol inside of him. He nodded, his head lowered and voice cracking. "No. I'm sorry, James. It's just… against you and Steve, I'm just a smart kid. Clearly, that was less than enough for Howard. It still hurts knowing you killed him" A wince left his throat as the pain radiated from his hand through his body, it was probably broken. Poor Bucky started sobbing, making Tony feel remorse for attacking him. "You… you had your orders, buddy" he said a lot quieter, his voice barely louder than a whisper. "I forgive you. Just… try and make Natasha do most of the upbringing. No offense.", a small snicker already left his lips again.

"None taken," James groaned as he sat up, his voice hoarse but the sobbing had finally ebbed. He stretched his limbs and tried to get as many glass shards out of his back as possible. It would heal quickly. Meanwhile the Soldier thought about the last few minutes with a much more sober mind himself. What had he been thinking? The phrase 'throwing someone in at the deep end' came to his mind, but what he had just done was the peak of cruelty. Yet right now, after all was said and done he felt… lighter. And Bucky suddenly realized that this had been the only working way of telling him. At last the truth was out and they accepted it, both of them. And moved on. "Howard would have been proud of you, pal." He spit out some blood before finally getting on his feet again.

"Would've been nicer to hear that from him personally.", Tony joked and wiped his face once again, he might consider getting at least his brow stitched up. His head was leaned against the armrest of the couch, he was too drained to get up and sit anywhere else than the dirty floor. "I'll be dead by tomorrow. Having a drunk fight is usual for me but fuck, you didn't even flinch and I'm done.", he groaned. He watched Bucky rising from the glass shards that used to be a table "At least you ruined the furniture I wanted to throw out anyway. Or I did, whatever. Are you alright?"

"The design was impractical anyway. Bad to fuck upon." After dusting off his clothes James answered "Yeah, nothing that won't heal." Checking his jaw by opening his mouth and moving it while hearing an awkward pop, he had a look at Tony. The man's face was in more need of attention than his own. To not hurt his ego any more James decided not to wipe away the blood from his nose just yet. In a few minutes whatever vessels had been torn would have finished healing already, leaving nothing but a numb pain for maybe a few more hours of which the intoxication would take care of. But he wouldn't reveal that to the inventor, giving him at least the make-believe of actually having done some damage. "Need stitching?" Before Tony could give him any snide remark he added. "I am good at it. Had to patch up Steve more than once when we fought together and it never left a scar when I did it." He offered with a brotherly smile.

"Bad to fuck upon? Sonny, you might need the right technique for glass tables. Ask Pepper.", he burst out laughing, the comment Bucky made lifting his spirits by miles. Another touch at his cheek revealed that the blood was still flowing "S'pose that's a good idea. I have a first aid kit somewhere behind the counter. And use some vodka to wipe that shit off my face. Just… don't use the pricey stuff for it.", a smile formed on his lips as the two men seemed to get on neutral ground again. "You gave Rogers a bad time when you were younger, eh?", he asked, his intact brow rising.

Bucky collected the items and also included some ice that would help Tony keeping the soon coming headache at bay. "You are nothing if not prepared," he said after opening the kit and pulling out what he needed. Tony was too smashed to be of any help so he put everything within a easy reach and started by soaking some of the gauze with the vodka and carefully wiping Stark's face clean with it. "The girls wanted him instead of me. I had to cope." he started telling to make sure the billionaire stayed awake. This looked pretty much like a concussion. "You know how terrible it was when Peggy totally ignored my sweet-talking while she was with me and Steve. She actually started to flirt with him by using my words against me on him. I felt this small compared to him." He had put the gauze aside and his hands showed a length that significantly decreased once Tony got the meaning of it.

Sitting still he tried to endure the pain that would surely rush through his veins soon enough once the vodka touched the exposed flesh. "Don't worry. Howard had a hard time with Peggy, too. As far as I've been told, Rogers has always been her one and only interest", he mumbled while Bucky cleaned his face, "Thank you, by the way. Pepper would rip my head off if she saw these wounds. Also, my hand hurts." He lifted his gaze to look for the omnipresent AI "JARVIS, check my hand, is it bad?" he asked; the monotone, calm voice answering "You seriously sprained your hand, one bone is broken but it will heal without a cast just perfectly, sir" A relieved sigh left his throat, at least he didn't need any more medical attention than for just the face.

"Tony, how many women did you have in your life?" He had heard the man was a real playboy but newspapers wrote what earned them money, not what was the truth. By now James had finished cleaning the wound and spread a sterile cloth on the ground where he put needle and thread to work with.

"I stopped counting after about the 300th. And I was about 25 at that time. Thank god I didn't catch anything, or worse, had children. What about you? Being a soldier must've been such a tease for women in the good old times", he answered truthfully.

"Actually, I have been a lot more upright than most people would have expected. There weren't that many before… I fell, but I knew how to make them not regret giving me their innocence," he had expected Stark to scoff at that and so the first stitch had been the instant revenge. "Hey, I was good, a natural talent. But since Steve, there had been a shortage of girls for me. And after that…" He stopped and tried to remember. "Well, they wanted us to use our pent up energy in fights, not during fucks." Even though his voice appeared easy and light-hearted there was a second layer beneath it, preparing Tony for what was to come. "We only ever got the chance when we were… rewarded for good service." Quickly he added a sentence to numb the cruelty of this. "I am sure Pepper rewards you too when you have been a well-behaved boy."

"Pepper is much more than just the rigorous lady you know. With her… it's different. I think she could be the first woman I met who is equal to me. She doesn't need my money, and how I love it when she talks back.", his mind cleared up slowly, a wide grin formed on his lips "You're free now. And you have a pretty, intelligent, and skilled lady by your side.", he meant Nat, of course. He got to know her as Natalie, though, yet still, she had left a positive impression.

He cut off the remaining thread and covered the wound with a band-aid to keep infections at bay. "That I do…" James sighed at the thought of her but almost instantly remembered why he wanted to get smashed in the first place. "I am not sure if she can ever accept me. I don't want her to feel forced to be with me because of the child we have. I know society is different this millennium and a single-mother is not frowned upon, or an unwed one for that matter. But… she is so perfect with Alexei while still not giving up on her career. From what I know about her and how she grew up to be the Black Widow doesn't need a mate." His voice sounded much more bitter than he wanted.

"She will when the time is right.", he reassured the soldier, slowly rising once his wound was treated, "You know, a mother loves her child no matter what, she has no choice. You are a good guy and you will be a good father. You came for help, after all, your fatherly instincts were stronger than HYDRA's orders. She will acknowledge the efforts you made to keep her alive." A yawn escaped his mouth, his urge to go to sleep rising with every second the alcohol left his system more and more. "God dammit, I'm getting old"

I hope you are right… he thought but countered with "I'm older," Bucky sprawled out on the carpet below him and fell asleep before his head touched the ground.

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Well, Zemo, take that! I was already dreading to that scene because I wasn't sure how to make Tony react and treat Bucky afterward but it all worked out fine and weirdly in-character enough. Zemo got his job done for him before the time. XD or how Volpe said: "Helmuty, darling, du bist damit ein halbes Jahr zu spät. Den Kampf haben wir schon im Suff ausgefochten" "Helmut, sorry, but you're half a year too late. We've been through that brawl already when we got shitfaced."

Also for the Germans who get that joke (since it's called slightly different in English and the real joke is partly lost), I didn't want to use soil in the flower pot, I wanted something Bucky and Tony could slide and fall over. Couldn't remember the name of those tiny balls, but I knew it was something similar to HYDRA. After a while I remembered "Hydro-Kultur" was the word. And then when I also mentioned quotes of sorts, I thought about "He killed my mom."

And it turned into (partly translated, but not as funny):

"That's for my plant, you ass."

"I just tried to free the HYDRA-Culture, eh Hydro-Kultur (hydroponics)."

Also for those interested, something Volpe told me I didn't know: Tony in the comics is actually adopted since Howard and Maria couldn't have a child of their own. Well they tried with him using his smart ideas but it didn't work out.

Not sure if I'll mention it again in the story, so I just tell you why Bucky responded with that revelation. I might mention and explain it more when I find a proper place to put it.

Thanks for reading and please review ^^