Life of the Party

You doing okay there, pal?

Steve awoke to the sun glaring into his eyes along with a pounding headache that carried with it flashes of memories from the night before. He remembered alcohol. A lot of it... dancing, loud music...Bucky...

Oh shit, Bucky!

The last thing he remembered from last night was getting into a cab just as the sun was rising, while he drunkenly leaned against a warm body beside him. Was this Bucky's hotel room? He looked around, taking in the sight of what appeared to be a suite. It was fairly large, containing a short hallway that led to a bathroom at one end and a closed door that must open up to the rest of the suite.

All at once everything came back to him and he shot up, nearly doubling over from the feeling of nausea and vertigo. His first instinct was to clutch his stomach, praying that everything he consumed from the night before would stay at bay, rather then making it's way back up his throat as he spewed his guts.

"You doing okay there, pal?"

Steve glanced up to see Bucky entering into the room, a glass of water held in one hand and what appeared to be a couple of aspirin held in the other. Instead of replying, he groaned, eyes shut tightly as he focused on steadying his breathing.

Don't throw up, don't throw up, don't throw up...

"Here, take these." Bucky offered him a sympathetic smile and handed the water and pills over before sitting down beside him on the bed, leg tucking gracefully beneath him while he bit his lip, something he often did when he was deep in thought. That hadn't changed in the twelve years they'd been apart. Finally the brunette let out a sigh, turning to meet Steve's gaze. "How much do you remember from last night?"

And oh boy, Steve was not in the mood to answer this question.

"At the end of the party you aske-"

Steve cut him off with a wave of his hand, taking a long swig of water as he swallowed down the pills. The vertigo and nausea had slowly begun to subside for the most part, though he was still left with a pounding headache. "I remember." And God he honestly wished he didn't. Whatever had possessed him to ask Bucky Barnes, of all people, to be his fake boyfriend was beyond him. With a soft groan Steve leaned back against the headboard, nails drumming against his thighs.

Bucky was silent for the longest time, and Steve would give anything to know what was going on inside his head. "You want to pretend it never happened?" Something flashed across the brunettes face. A brief look of hurt, though it could easily be mistaken for annoyance. Steve honestly couldn't blame Bucky. The previous night must have been a roller coaster for him. So many new faces and seeing Steve again after all this time couldn't have been anything but a shock. So much had changed...

The question wasn't unexpected, though Steve still found himself blinking in surprise. Not because Bucky had asked it, but because he realized that it wasn't what he wanted. Whether it be Bucky or someone else, he still needed a fake boyfriend, and... "No," He murmured simply, a small smile making it's way onto is face. "If you're up for it, there isn't anyone else I'd want to pick."

Bucky smirked. "Oh, really?"

Steve rolled his eyes, nodding once. "Bit of a blessing in disguise..." he explained tiredly, wanting nothing more then to curl back up and fall asleep again. He could never sleep while it was light out though, so that was out of the question. "No way could I be able to afford this wedding on my own, so this bet may just be my saving grace."

"So, do you have rules you have to follow? Instructions?"

Steve was silent for several long moments, eyes closed as he tried to remember what Stark had told him. "Check my phone," he suggested, about to reach for the nightstand to grab it because whenever he was hungover, Bucky always took it out of his pocket and put it somewhere he knew Steve would find it. At this realization Steve's eyes shot open, gaze landing on the table beside the bed to see his phone set right where he had expected. "...Did I put that there?"

A small smile appeared on Bucky's face, and that was all the answer that Steve needed. His head fell back against the pillow with a soft 'thump' while Bucky reached over to the nightstand to pick up his phone.

After all this time, it really was like nothing had changed...

"Password?"

"031087." It was an automatic reply, something he didn't even have to think about. It had been his password for so long he couldn't even remember how he'd come up with it.

He heard Bucky suck in a quick breath and the room lapsed into an odd silence . He almost thought he'd imagined it, though it was only moment's later when Bucky finally spoke.

"Steve?"

He heard Bucky let out a heavy breath and he blinked open his eyes to meet the other man's confusion filled gaze. "What's wrong?"

Bucky swallowed, turning to stare down at the phone as he slowly typed in the passcode. He didn't move after that, gaze still trained on the bright screen.

"Buck? You okay?"

"It's...It's my birthday," Bucky murmured. "Your passcode is my birthday."

And dammit, of course it was. How could he have forgotten? March 10, 1987. That had been the date Bucky was born. "Ah, so the mystery is finally solved." Steve chuckled, praying that Bucky wouldn't be completely creeped out about it. "I've been trying to figure out where that came from for years now.''

"You mean you've never changed it?"

Steve only shrugged. "It felt too special to change," he defended, a note of sarcasm in his tone and earning a laugh from Bucky.

"I feel honored Stevie, really, I do."

And there was that nickname. For the first time it sent chills running down his back though he was quick to blame it on the hangover.

"Don't get ahead of yourself there, Buck." Steve smirked, taking pride in seeing Bucky's reaction: A laugh that always brought him back to the time when they were kids, without a worry in the world. "C'mon, we're getting off task. Any word from Stark?"

Bucky hummed, locating the messages app on Steve's phone. "Oh boy, is there ever," he murmured before proceeding to read it aloud:

"Morning, Steve, or afternoon, or night. Depending on whenever you wake up. Had quite a party last night! Anyway, glad to hear you've chosen your counterpart. I have high hopes that Barnes will be the best bet in getting you to realize how truly gay you are.  Either way, here are your guidelines for the following week:

          For the next seven days starting on Monday, you and Bucky will be officially dating. This will include going on dates, holding hands, kissing, and do feel free to make love if you feel the need arises."

Bucky gave an awkward cough as he quickly read through that part.

"All jokes aside now, please do put everything you have into this and don't try to cheat your way through it. I need full commitment from you that you'll fully participate in your part as Bucky's boyfriend. You've dated before, so you know the drill. Make each other dinner, share the same bed at night, compliments, pet names...do nice things for each other. Welp, that about covers it, and let me know if you have any questions. See you at the end of the week, Rogers. "

Steve let out a heavy breath, looking up to meet Bucky's gaze.

"Let's start slow," The brunette murmured, getting up and walking over to take Steve's hand. It was Monday morning, the first day of the bet. "I know someplace we can eat."

Steve nodded, forcing his pounding heart to steady as Bucky leaned forward, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek. He felt a rush of dizziness following the feeling of Bucky's lips against his skin as he was led out the door, and he would just blame that on the hangover, too.

Day one of the bet had officially begun.