Bruce Banner was a respectable man. He had seven PhD's, and was easily one of the ten smartest people on the Earth. He was accustomed to spending his time in high-tech laboratories, working on life-altering materials alongside some of the biggest names in science. He was an Avenger, and both he and his green rage-filled alter ego had helped to save the world numerous times.

He was not a man accustomed to emptying his stomach into a toilet in the early hours of the morning.

He would have been lying if he claimed that it was his first time, however.

Truthfully, Bruce didn't have an exact measure of where he was, but he assumed he was still on Asgard. The lavish toilet could attest to that. But he did not have to kneel on the tiled floor in misery alone, however, as soon enough a knock echoed through his room. Still hunched over the toilet, trying not to smell its new contents, he couldn't muster up the strength to answer the door.

"Yeah..." Bruce called, not as a question, or an invitation to answer, but more as acknowledgement that he was still there. After finally flushing the toilet, he could only think it was some royal servant sent to find out who the hell couldn't hold their drink on a planet filled with alcoholics. Bruce had seen both Thor and Valkyrie's drinking tendencies first-hand, and they were almost frightening.

But a servant wasn't at the door, and instead Bruce heard the now-familiar voice of Naomi call out a sleepy greeting to him. "Hey Bruce."

"Naomi." Bruce croaked, trying not to unclench his stomach for fear of vomiting again. He didn't turn to look at her, but he listened to the sound of her footsteps first crossing through the bedroom, then into the bathroom. He focused on regulating his breathing as her feet entered his peripheral vision, then a white nightgown covering her knees as she kneeled down beside him.

"I see the party has moved in here." Naomi commented, fighting off a small yawn in her voice. Bruce felt guilty for a moment that he had woken her up, but a new bout of nausea distracted him. Subconsciously, his cheeks puffed up with air and his face scrunched, pitching him even further over the toilet. Naomi's hand gently landed on his back, and she rubbed small circles over his shirt until he relaxed his face and titled back from the bowl slightly.

"Not much of a party." He groaned, regretting everything.

"You know," Naomi chuckled, "I'm used to holding someone's hair back in situations like this." Bruce laughed lightly, but cut himself off when it upset his stomach. He could feel the bile rising in his throat, so he was really only putting off the inevitable. Bruce couldn't bring himself to remember why people ever drank.

"Maybe Thor's got his own toilet somewhere." He joked, but he made an effort to stop any laughter from rising. Naomi did all the laughing for him, sounding more awake after a bit of talking.

"I have to hand it to you Bruce, I had no idea you could drink like that." She said, the amusement in her voice evident. He groaned again, wondering what drunken nonsense he had gotten up to while he was hammered. For the life of him, Bruce couldn't remember much after the first bottle.

"It's been a long ti-" The inevitable next vomit session appeared, cutting him off. As Bruce hurled into the bowl- probably ruining whatever Asgardian marble is was made of- Naomi comforted him again by rubbing circles into his back. After nothing had exited Bruce's mouth-or nose- for a few seconds, her hand reached across his vision and flushed the toilet.

"Thanks." He said, wiping off his mouth with disgust.

"Of course." Naomi said, pulling herself off of the floor with a grunt. Still not looking away from the toilet, Bruce heard some vague rustling, and the sink facet running before a clean, wet towel was pressed into his non-vomit covered hand. As he wiped his face and hands off with another 'thanks,' he wondered what kind of life she had led before getting caught up in all their Avengers nonsense. She was clearly used to taking care of someone's hangover, and Bruce dimly remembered her remarking that she had gone to college- which would probably explain it.

"I think I'm done." Bruce sighed, grimacing from the hot taste in his mouth. It was a relief however, now that his stomach felt mostly empty and he could think straight again. He stood up slowly, using the sink counter as support as Naomi searched the room for a toothbrush. She managed to find the necessary supplies in a small cupboard under the sink, and instructed Bruce to brush his teeth thoroughly while she found some new clothes. As he attempted to get the sick taste out of his mouth, he almost chuckled at how motherly Naomi was being. She likely wasn't even aware of it, but Bruce didn't complain. It was kind of like having an older sister, even if he was several years her senior. But thinking about their age difference only soured bruce's thoughts, as he remembered that he was supposed to be a responsible and functioning adult by his age, and not throwing up in other people's toilets.

Nevertheless, he was thankful for her help. After he had alleviated some of the aftertaste, he changed into a fresh pair of clothes Naomi had found in the closet- white shirt and black pants. The shirt hung off him slightly, and the pants were a tad too tight, but after parading around in Tony's outfit all day, he was certainly glad for a change. They joined back together in the hallway- Naomi had insisted that they find some food and water even though it was likely sometime around three in the morning. They walked the hallways together in comfortable silence for a few moments, neither of them actually knowing where they were going.

"Sorry I woke you up." Bruce said after a while, doing his best to ignore his raging headache.

"It's okay." Naomi shrugged. "I wasn't really sleeping well anyway."

"Rough night?"

"You could say that." She sighed, her eyes growing distant for a moment. Bruce frowned, and wondered if anything had happened while he was drunk out of his mind. But it seemed like a private matter, so he changed the subject.

"You certainly know how to deal with a hangover." He smiled, glancing over at her ruefully. She laughed, her eyes still distant as though she was reliving a memory- but she seemed happier now.

"I had some fun in college, don't get me wrong- but my roommate took it to a whole new level."

"I guess I know what that's like." Bruce smiled, reminiscing on his own college days. Sure, it had primarily been filled with the two S's: studying and stressing, but he had been to a few parties in his time. None of them had ever had liquor like the Asgardians had, though.

"I hadn't really pegged you for a partier, you know." Naomi said, the pair of them turning a corner into a hallway that looked the same as the one before. They were trying to get to the dining hall, but they weren't too concerned with their lack of knowledge about the palace. It was serene to be able to appreciate the grand ceilings and statues without the normal hustle of servants and various warriors.

"I thought you knew everything?" Bruce remarked, not too bothered anymore about the woman's seemingly endless knowledge of everyone. Beside him, Naomi looked down and shrugged, making a small 'hm' sound.

"No, but enough hopefully."

Bruce frowned, slightly concerned. "Winning this- whatever this is- isn't all riding on you, you know. Not to be mean or anything- but we've all got a part." He watched her response carefully, she seemed to listen to his words, but he could see in her expression that he hadn't changed her views. It took him aback for a moment, that she seemed to place the responsibility for winning solely on herself. Though he had only known her for one day, it had been quite the eventful time, and he felt he had gotten to know her character well. Naomi was a very sociable person, and formed connections easily. But when it really came down to the gritty details, she tended to keep the majority of the burden on herself while maintaining a cheerful and witty disposition.

"We're all with you, Naomi." Bruce told her, putting a hand on her shoulder as they kept walking. It occurred to him that their roles had reversed just then, that he now gave her the parental comfort she had brought him earlier. It was a nice thought, and it turned the corners of his lips upwards.

"Thanks Bruce." She smiled, a hint of melancholy in her voice. He paused for a moment, trying to think of something to say, some sort of advice to give, but he came up short. Instead, they both spotted a distant servant enter their hallway from an adjacent one, carrying a large basket.

"Excuse me." Naomi called out, smiling politely at the servant as she asked directions to the dining hall. The worker yelled the instructions to them, their voice hesitant and confused. No doubt they looked out of place, clearly Midgardians walking around in their pajamas.But Naomi didn't mind as she shouted a 'thank you' and turned to find the dining hall.

"I'm starving." Bruce mumbled, sensing that the serious atmosphere was gone, and it was due time to return to more pleasant conversation.

"I'll second that." Naomi agreed.

Eventually they would find the hall, and feast on water and bread as they exchanged stories from their school days, jobs, and various life experiences.

"Weirdest party I've ever been to was this Christmas party my office had, right?" Naomi grinned. "And long story short, someone's hair catches on fire, and we have an office-wide intervention for a maybe alcoholic. But the best bit is that at the end, we find one woman is cheating on her fiancé- who also worked with us- with her ex- who- get this- also worked with us."

"There's no way that actually happened." Bruce laughed, shaking his head.

"I swear it- the two guys ended up having a duel in the parking lot. It was probably one of the weirder days in the office." She shrugged, drumming her fingers on the table as she smirked at him across from her. If anything could be said for her old job, it was that things never got boring. Or at least, usually didn't.

"Well, I don't think I have any stories as crazy as that." He chuckled, grabbing another piece of bread for his plate. It was the only food Naomi let him eat, since he was still technically hungover.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that." She giggled deviously, staring at him like she knew a secret. Bruce raised a suspicious eyebrow at her as he tore a chunk of the loaf off with his teeth. "We heard some very interesting stories while you were- ah- intoxicated."

"Oh no." Bruce groaned, sensing where this was going. Naomi laughed at his lackluster response.

"I think we should get you back in Vegas sometime." She remarked slyly, barely containing her laughter.

"Oh God no."