freightcars | ic contact; duplicity

[ You love it. ]

If it's the birthmark thing I already know about it.
Same genetics, apparently. Right down to the damn fingerprints.

No, it's not that.

❰ how could you all have the same fingerprints, bucky, that has nothing to do with genetics — not important. or, important, but not for right now. ❱

I met him in Autonomy. He hit on me.

❰ FUNNY, BUCKY. SO FUNNY. ❱

He hit you?

[ So maybe the fingerprints thing was a slight exaggeration, they didn't actually check that.

But.

So unexpected is it that he completely misses the word 'on'. ]

Didn't your mother teach you to read?

❰ he's not repeating himself, bucky. ❱

[ Scrolls up.
Rereads.
Twice.
Oh. ]

Wait
Why?
Wait
Seriously?

You saying I'm not attractive, Buck?

[ There is a long moment of no response because Bucky isn't quite sure how to spell the sound of tires screeching when you hammer the breaks going 50 miles per hour.

Easier to just dodge the question with one of his own. ]

How'd you react? You hit on him back?

I was pretty thrown by being hit on by my best friend's face, Buck.

❰ which isn't technically a no. ❱

I also thought he was Jack. They need to do their hair differently.

❰ wrangle your clones, james. ❱

That's not technically a no.

[ Because he sees that loophole too pal and fuck you.

But also

?????

And secondly, firing that shit right back at you: ]

What, you don't think your best friend's face is attractive?

It isn't, huh?

❰ look steve is not ready to talk about what he did or did not do with tj, leave him alone. ❱

I think my best friend's face is a real weird one to look at and think "This guy's hitting on me". 'Cause of that thing where I've known you for 90 years and you've never done that before.

❰ ...which also isn't a no. ❱

If you dodged fights half as well as you dodged straight answers we'd have skipped home after the war.

[ ...That being said, he won't press.
He'll just think about it.
Too hard, and on repeat.
And never admit to it. ]

You gotta give him credit, though, he doesn't beat around the bush.

Who's dodging?

❰ steve is. steve is dodging. but if you call him out on it then he has to pretend he isn't, buck, why would you do that. ❱

No, he doesn't.

I like him.

❰ don't read anything into that, he can hear you reading into that. ❱

When you say you like him, do you mean you're IN LIKE with him?
I'm gonna need a 2 week head start on wedding arrangements, I gotta find a new plus one

[ Don't... read to heavily into any of that.
He is, as soon as he says it he's banging his phone against his forehead and rereading it 6 different ways that vary from dry and teasing (intentional) to transparent and creepy (oh god).

And he's abruptly reminded that Steve doesn't even really know him anymore, not yet.

Jesus Christ. ]

❰ what did he say about reading into it, goddamnit ❱

I mean he doesn't look like he wants to kill everyone around him and he reminds me of you when we were 20.

❰ now will you stop metaphorically pissing in a circle around steve, jesus, he still likes you best. ❱

Dream come true.

[ The thing is... that's what gets him.

He's just saying if he were Steve and he got to choose between the damaged asshole who just beat his face in, or someone who looks like Steve remembers minus all the baggage?

Nope, we're not going down this rabbit hole, Barnes. Get your shit together and stop being the way you are.

He's happy for you. One hundred percent. TJ's a sweet guy. ]

I like him too. Jack grows on you after a while.

Did you know Jack's Jonathan?

❰ can we talk about literally anything but tj, he wouldn't have brought him up if he knew you'd get all WEIRD about it. you get hit on by one clone and suddenly your friend's an asshole. ❱

Biblical Jonathan, or a version of him. He knows David, except the goliath his David slew was a tank.

[ You're right pal, how dare he feel weird about a gay clone of himself hitting on his best friend and his best friend being dodgy on how he feels about it, or the tangential ramifications. Really, shame on him for not being more adaptable about this whole thing 5 minutes in. ]

I think I actively slept through that part of Sunday school.
You think they'll add the part about Jonathan dominating a bunch of submissives in the King James?

❰ glad you see the error of your ways, now shape up. ❱

Yeah, it'll be right next to the part where Jonathan pulls a knife on David in a dark alley.

❰ his and jack's first meeting went great and it was everyone's fault but steve's. ❱

If we had a Bible here I'd make you read Samuels 1 and 2 so you'd have context but even then you wouldn't read it, you heathen.

[ He too snatched Jack up and smashed him into a wall on their first meetings. See, this is why they're friends. So much in common. ]

If it makes you feel any better I'm sure I can find someone to flog the sin outta me, I've seen like 6 guys doing it since breakfast.
One was AT breakfast.
Really must've pissed off those eggs I guess

Pal, if Sister Mary Catherine couldn't smack the sin outta you in 1933, sure as shit no one's gonna do it now.

❰ which is why you're his favourite, jerk. ❱

Christ Almighty, she sure tried didn't she? Should've made her the damn Winter Soldier, wouldn't have even had to give her a metal arm. Just a ruler.

[ Might have given him a few less than appropriate thoughts about nuns too, but he'll spare Steve's delicate catholic sensibilities. ]

❰ hrgh joking about the winter soldier. this is fine. steve's fine with this. it's a very funny topic that we can definitely make light of. ❱

Who needs to assassinate people when you can guilt them instead.

❰ hah ha... ha? ❱

[ NOW who's being weird?

If anyone's allowed to joke about it, after all... ]

She made me feel a lot of things, but guilty wasn't one of them.
Speaking of which.
Three times a month. You gonna be able to pull that off?

❰ no one's allowed to joke about it because it's not funny. ❱

I'm not about to break a hip, if that's what you're asking.

❰ he knows it isn't. ❱

[ On the contrary, Stevie, it's a god damn riot. Total bundle of laughs. Watch him laugh himself to the grave over it, bitterly and surrounded by ghosts. ]

I'm just saying, whatever it takes to keep you outta that center.
If you need a wingman or something, just.

Whatever it takes.

[ His one true unfaltering goal here. ]

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