[it's like a physical kick to the gut. steve clenches his hand into a white-knuckled fist.]
The world thought that I had. I put a plane into the ocean, you might've read about it at the museum. [steve watches him for a moment.] I read about you too.
[steve takes a breath to tell him that it wasn't there, that he'd read things in a manila folder that picked up where the museum wall left off. but that also doesn't feel right. the situation is unbalanced. bucky doesn't know enough about him yet, so he focuses on his question instead.]
Plane full of weapons of mass destruction headed for New York City. What else could I do?
[The reply is almost accusing, angry that Steve had thrown his life away. Why couldn't he have set the plane on course to go into the ocean and then bailed out himself?]
[the crash and bail plan probably would have worked, but there was only one way where steve wouldn't have any doubts of doing everything that he could. he had to stick with it until the very last second.]
I haven't told a lot of people this, but I'm not a huge fan of the ocean now.
[He doesn't really get why the idea of Steve throwing his life away makes him so damn angry, but it does. He doesn't shout at him, but his glower does get more intense for a while.]
Good, maybe you won't do something so stupid again.
[He doesn't, he's going to go out of the window and slip away. He's got a few answers and spent as much social time as he thinks he can handle with Steve for now, and he needs to leave in a way that means he can't be followed.]
[it's not a terribly unusual request - maybe he wants to wash up. steve gives him a bit of a smile as he slides from the booth, back firmly turned to bucky as he orders the pie.
he returns with just one slice. steve stares idly out the window as he eats and then places payment on the table. all in all, it hasn't been a bad night. it's a start, and that's all he said he would ask for.]
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[He doesn't think about how much that might hurt Steve to know, it's just another fact to him.]
A few months later, they told me you died.
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The world thought that I had. I put a plane into the ocean, you might've read about it at the museum. [steve watches him for a moment.] I read about you too.
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[They had made James Barnes out to be some sort of hero, resisting torture and then following his best friend until he died, but that felt wrong.]
Why did you do it?
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Plane full of weapons of mass destruction headed for New York City. What else could I do?
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[The reply is almost accusing, angry that Steve had thrown his life away. Why couldn't he have set the plane on course to go into the ocean and then bailed out himself?]
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[the crash and bail plan probably would have worked, but there was only one way where steve wouldn't have any doubts of doing everything that he could. he had to stick with it until the very last second.]
I haven't told a lot of people this, but I'm not a huge fan of the ocean now.
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Good, maybe you won't do something so stupid again.
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[it's a joke. sort of. but steve's getting a headache himself from how tight bucky's forehead looks.]
Where are you staying?
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Nowhere.
[At least he can answer that honestly.]
They assigned me a bed, I gave it to someone else.
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[when steve does sleep, it's more likely to be in some common room or sitting at the kitchen counter.]
I'm thinking about having a slice of that pie. [steve tips his head in the direction of the counter.] Care to join me?
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[He doesn't, he's going to go out of the window and slip away. He's got a few answers and spent as much social time as he thinks he can handle with Steve for now, and he needs to leave in a way that means he can't be followed.]
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he returns with just one slice. steve stares idly out the window as he eats and then places payment on the table. all in all, it hasn't been a bad night. it's a start, and that's all he said he would ask for.]