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[livingsymbol]

This is Steve Rogers. Leave a message and I'll contact you when I can.

Comments

[livingsymbol]

I don't think we're that alike.

[ It's a knee-jerk answer, followed by Steve lowering his gaze as he realizes what he's doing. ]

Sorry. You don't have any reason to want to know me. It must be hard enough trying to figure him out without an intruder taking up the space.

[ To Bucky, he's the copy. The fake Cap that shouldn't be there. Steve looks to his wrist, to the spot for the brace that powers his energy shield, wondering how true that sentiment really is. Maybe a lot of the old heroes felt that way when he came back. He never did ask. ]

For what it's worth, I wasn't trying to replace him. He's important to you. Memories like that can't be exchanged with substitutes.

[advanced]

[This is just a mess of a situation all round.

He's not actually trying to offend Steve, and he doesn't mean that they're interchangeable, he's just uncomfortable enough trying to get to know his own Steve without another one muscling in too.

It's not fair on either of them.

He backs up a step, eyes sad.]

I know you weren't. Just do yourself a favour, find someone less-- find someone else to be friends with.

[livingsymbol]

[ It's talking to that other Tony all over again. You just don't get it, Steve. You don't know them. There's a heavy voice in his mind that keeps telling him that. Riverview might be a place for change, but what is that for a man that only represents the past? An old relic everyone would be happy to move past?

He knows that Bucky is still searching for his friend. In the broken pieces of memories, he's trying to find something important, more important than anything else. Steve raises his hands, palms facing out, as Bucky backs away. ]

It doesn't work that way. You know that. But I don't want to hurt you any more than you want to hurt me. Honestly, I don't know how much of the past we might share. But I do know that even if we have the same name, he's gonna be a lot closer to you than anyone else. You'll feel it. The memories, they're important. I get that. But even without them, you'd find your way back. And you'll get past all the substitutes in the world to do it.

[advanced]

Shut up.

[He's pressing too hard on the wrong buttons now. Because Steve is that important to him, but he doesn't feel like he should be, not yet. It's just a tangled mess of identity issues and he isn't nearly close to working through them all yet.

This time, when he turns away, he does stalk off with his back rigidly straight even if Steve calls for him to stay.]