Chapter Text
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Chapter 1
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He woke up with a twisted sensation down his gut. The apprehension grew steadily with every minute that brought Steve closer to the compound. A remnant of his old life was about to barge into his current attempt at a new beginning.
Sergeant James Barnes felt much more at ease in his own skin with everything that had happened in the past weeks. Remembering part of his past had helped, obviously, so had bonding with the other tenants and finding his own place amongst them.
A small doubt emerged in his mind. He wondered if having Steve around would pull him back toward that old version of himself. James couldn’t refute the impact the punk had had on his life. His memories, not so distant anymore, told the sergeant how much Steven Rogers had done for him, how much they had shared, how much they had achieved as brothers in arms, how much they had cared for each other. Steve’s recent actions had been guided by his desire to protect his old childhood friend. James could not pretend it hadn’t been the case. And despite how long it had been, he knew he cared, too, about the captain. James remembered caring for the man back when they were younger and Steve hadn’t been injected with the serum.
Their bond was not something that could easily be forgotten. Maybe hanging around Steve again would change things.
James chased the thought with a shake of his head, confident about who he was now and who he wanted to be. How to get there was still unsure. One step after the other would have to do.
On the other hand, James had been showed recent events from different angles. Things were never as simple as matching one individual’s truth. Every party involved had its own version of the events, whether the UN Council, Agent Everett Ross, the Avengers, Tony or Steve. None of their versions matched with exactitude. Even James had his own tale of what had happened.
His decision to stop the fight in that bunker had led him to this point. Today James was a free man starting a new life, the life he wanted without anyone interfering in any way.
A great part of James knew he owed this incredible gift to Tony Stark, though he tried hard not to let this fact influence his decisions. The genius had said repeatedly that James didn’t owe him anything. So, instead he focused on his feelings and followed his instincts in order to decide what to do and where to go. Hydra sure hadn’t given him the luxury of making his own decisions. It was merely a coincidence that his choices led James to stick around Tony Stark.
After his workout session, James hurried to shower. In the process of dressing himself, his thoughts went back to last night and pulled a victorious grin out of the super soldier.
The previous night…
James joined Tony in the workshop after Rhodey had turned in. The mechanic was already hard at work and James settled to finish the cleaning maintenance of Tony’s first born. He had found out previously that DUM-E had actually saved the man’s life which explained why he was so reluctant to change any part of the little guy. Aside from the music and occasional beeps from DUM-E, the workshop was quiet. Both men remained silent, focusing on their own task.
James wanted to talk about the ‘collaborative project’ he had in mind for Tony and himself but he wasnʼt sure he should. He sincerely doubted Tony had thought of his parentsʼ killer that way for more than a few moments. Granted, he had let slip little things that had James believe something could happen. Discrete words and admissions, a few glances and smiles.
That didn’t seem enough to ignore the elephant from the past always present in the room.
Could James ever make it up to Tony? Doubtful. Did he want to be with Tony for that reason? Hell, no. The last thing he wanted was for his past to meddle with his second chance at a normal life. Would Tony think James only wanted to make amends, sort of? The veteran truly hoped not.
As his thoughts kept turning over the pros and cons of a potential relationship with the genius, James found himself eyeing the brunet once again. The view was pretty enjoyable, in particular when Tony moved around, showing his lean body and his muscled well defined forearms. How could forearms be sexy?! The man was not even trying to turn him on, oblivious to how he affected James.
Maybe that was what annoyed James the most.
Maybe that was why he attempted to break the man’s concentration in return. A tit for tat kinda thing. Childish, some would say, but damn gratifying when it worked.
For about an hour, James did his best to distract the engineer from his work. He teased and nudged, joked and taunted, hummed and groaned, leaned and stretched, all in the hope to have the same response from his TinkerMan. He even used his super strength, showing off a little as he lent a hand to Tony when he called the bots to get some heavy supply from a crate further against the wall.
“Where do you need this, doll?” James asked casually as he lifted about two hundred fifty pounds of raw material with only one hand. James was rewarded with a gawking doe-eyed gorgeous brunet who motioned toward the unoccupied working station. James walked there, taking his time, and the bots by his side beeped agitatedly in response.
“Don’t worry, boys,” Tony told them as he reached the station. “Super Hottie here is not replacing you. I promise.” James hid his smirk. Sounded like his effort had paid despite the billionaire displaying a blank face on.
“Is that my new nickname?” he asked once the bots had been reassured and waved away.
“You earned it given your recent behavior” Tony quipped. He asked James to angle the material the other way. James did so and took advantage of the situation to lean and show his butt to the engineer. Behind him, Tony groaned and then grumbled something that sounded very much like ‘Thor, help me’.
“Whatʼs that, sugar?”
“I said it’s way too late to start on that” the man replied as he took a few steps back toward his main desk. His eyes fled, refusing to meet the sergeant’s gaze. “We should call it a night.”
“Are you sure? I have no doubt you can find some use for me. I am very pliant.” This time, James didn’t even try to hide his grin as Tony stumbled backward, almost tripping on the chair as he nearly fled the area.
“That’s okay, Snowflake. You’ve been a great help already. See you tomorrow.”
“Sweet dreams, TinkerMan.”
The next morning…
Now James couldn’t stop grinning as he left his bedroom, fully dressed in tight jeans and a long sleeve tee-shirt that outlined his chest. Not his fault if the clothes perfectly fitted his body. FRIDAY had picked them. James merely put them on. And if it allowed him to further seduce the sexy mechanic, then that was fine, too.
Putting on a headband to keep his hair out of the way, James brewed a large pot of coffee just like the genius loved it. He then started preparing breakfast with help from Vision who showed up just in time. Soon, both Rhodey and Tony joined them in the kitchen.
Aware of their surroundings, James had a hard time not to grin like a lunatic when Tony sat at the table on his left as per their daily routine. The chit chat was low and unimportant until everybody had a chance to fully wake up. James, for his part, felt wide awake as Tony’s knee regularly touched his thigh under the table. The buzzing thrill down his stomach made itself much more noticeable whenever it happened. Whether Tony did it on purpose or not remained unknown. James hoped so and basked in the small yet intimate contact with his TinkerMan.
All the pining had to be put aside as time came for Steve’s arrival to the Avengers compound.
Two dark SUVs parked right upfront the main entrance just outside the security perimeter. Every person living at the compound was present at the request of the FBI agents who would be tasked to conduct any investigation during the house arrest. As soon as an uncuffed Steve got out of the car, FRIDAY whispered to Tony’s earbud that she had acquired the target and would lock on Steve as soon as he set foot inside the perimeter.
“Wonderful” Tony murmured back. “Sixty days without losing him for more than fifteen seconds. Make me proud, Friday.”
“I will do my very best, boss.”
“I know you will.”
The exchange between Agent Ross and Stark was straightforward. Tension was palpable just as the fact the current situation has been enforced on the billionaire. One of the agents, the oldest one by the look of his graying hair, asked how this would work. Tony started to explain and James moved forward a couple feet inside the perimeter. He gestured for Steve to come forth who did so with an eager grin.
“Bucky!” Steve went for a hug to what the sergeant answered with a pat on the back, a small smile on his lips.
James then turned his head enough to see Stark’s nod of confirmation. He turned back to his still grinning friend and pushed him away strongly enough so Steve took a couple of steps back. Instantly, a loud alarm rang. FRIDAY’s voice arose just as loudly. “Steve Rogers, you have breached the house arrest confinement perimeter. You have five seconds to step back inside before the authorities are notified.”
“What?” Steve looked completely stunned.
“Three seconds” James warned.
The blond soldier looked around the ground, spotted the line of reflective paint and quickly stepped on the other side. The alarm stopped. Steve sighed and threw a disappointed look at Stark who plainly ignored him.
“This functionality can be removed if you deem it unnecessary” the genius explained to the agent in charge. “Since only Rogers is in confinement, we decided not to make the line so obvious in order not to affect the life of other tenants. So we thought it would be a good addition to give him a warning first.”
“Only if you stop moving right after crossing the line” James added without missing a beat.
“The accidental breach is conceivable” Tony continued immediately. “But if the intention to leave is stated clearly…”
James grabbed Steve by the arm and led him out of the perimeter without stopping at all. The alarm went on immediately when they crossed the line and barely five seconds later Tony’s phone buzzed aggressively.
“And you’re up the creek” James joyfully told the displeased captain.
“All I need is your phone number” Tony said to the FBI agent. “You’ll be notified immediately by FRIDAY no matter the reason for the breach.”
“No matter if you come back inside the perimeter after a few steps” James warned Steve. “All it will do is stop the alarm. Not the breach notification.” Without letting go of his arm, James led the home prisoner inside the security perimeter.
“Looks like you’ve thought this through.”
“Tony and I worked on it together. We had a gas trying - and failing entirely - to beat FRIDAY.” James smirked as his surprised friend. “You’re not going anywhere, punk.”
Everyone seemed rather impressed with the efficiency of the security perimeter set in place. They got a free tour of the facility, testing the AI’s response here and there, both verifying everything was ready for the house arrest and allowing Steve to identify the authorized space for him to move around.
“I can’t go running though.”
“You can always run around the building two hundred times.”
“Not the same” Steve pouted.
“The price of being a convicted criminal, Rogers” Tony reminded him unsubtly. “Now if running in circles doesn’t satisfy Your Highness, gym’s also available. You’re welcome to exert yourself there. Or even better. Cross the perimeter and have those gentlemen bring you behind real bars. I’m sure any US prison yard would meet your needs to perfection.”
James winced as Tony turned his back on the super soldier and guided Everett and the lead agent to his office. It was a clear statement that the current situation had never been the manʼs choice, nor that anything had been forgotten.
Captain America, on the other hand, didn’t seem bothered by anything. He actually looked happy to be back at the compound. His good humor was somewhat dampened when he found himself facing one pissed Colonel James Rhodes who seemed to have gained authority since he had lost the ability to walk. James hid his smirk as Steve unconsciously straightened himself while the colonel tore him a new one. Indeed the man didn’t lose time refreshing the good captain’s memory about the implosion of the team. Rhodey didn’t entirely put the blame on Steve, gladly, but he certainly didn’t go easy on the blond either.
“You’re no longer in charge of a team, Rogers. Drop the self righteous act.”
“My situation is only temporary, Rhodes. Besides, the team will be back in no time.”
“That’s Colonel Rhodes to you. And there’s no longer a team to lead, you moron. Without Thor or Bruce around, IronMan and Vision are the only two Avengers currently allowed and able to act in case of an attack.” This got the two super soldiers’ attention. Vision who stood close by turned to focus on the paralyzed man. “You didn’t think about the consequences when you took half the team with you, did ya? Until this whole fucking mess is resolved, which will take most likely months between working with the UN Committee, amending the Accords and rebuilding a reliable team back on the roster, Tony and Viz are alone on the front line.” Rhodey rolled forward, invading the blond’s personal space, and glared up at him coldly. “Know that if anything happens to either of them on the field, especially to my best friend, I’ll hold you sole responsible, Rogers.”
Steve couldn’t hide the uneasy feeling that arose with that new piece of information. He nodded once to the colonel who wheeled away.
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Eventually the FBI team left with Agent Ross. Steve went to his- quarters to take a shower and change his clothes, Vision disappeared somewhere along with Rhodey, and Tony joined James in the kitchen.
“What are you cooking for us, Chef Winter?”
“This is a recipe FRIDAY suggested to satisfy my desire for exotic horizons. Beef tortillas and rice with spicy tomato sauce.”
Tony hummed in obvious appreciation. “Onions and red beans?”
“Already simmering. I’ll add the beef at the end.”
Licking his lips, Tony grabbed a spoon and went for the sauce, only to have his hand slapped away. “Hey!”
“Nuh-uh. No tasting the meal before it’s ready” James scolded him. He took the spoon from Tony’s deft fingers and got himself a taste, under the amused glare of the other man. “What? I’m the chef. If anyone is allowed to get a taste, it’s me.”
“You’ve certainly taken control of the kitchen area with ease and dedication, Snowflake. I don’t think you’ve done twice the same dish so far. That certainly proves both your technical skills and culinary ardor.”
“Flattery will get you nowhere, doll.”
“And here I thought I was making headway. Too bad.”
Blue eyes fixed themselves straight down on the brunette’s pouting lips. James had the sudden envy to bite those lips. The bottom one in particular was extremely enticing. He forced his eyes up on Tony’s face and gave in. He didn’t think he could resist the gorgeous man for long anyway.
“Here. Have a taste.” James picked up a bit of tomato sauce and brought it to Tony’s mouth who flashed a winning smile. “Careful, it’s hot.”
“Mmm… Tastes good. But, uh… maybe go easy on spices.” Tony exhaled loudly. “Wow. Yeah, I think you’re set. No more hot pepper.”
“Too much?”
The genius coughed and then waved dismissively while trying to hide the heat inside his mouth. “Just a bit. If you could sweeten the sauce a little, that’d be great. Only two of you have super resilient taste buds around here.” With that, he aimed for the fridge and pulled out the carton of milk.
James frowned in confusion, looking down at the pan. “Any advice for me, Fri?”
“You need either sour or sweet to cut the heat of the sauce,” the AI indicated a moment later. “Adding cream would be a good start.” James did just that, trusting the Irish girl without hesitation.
“You alright?” He asked once Tony had drunk a full glass of milk, brown eyes still watery.
“Sure. Why wouldn’t I be?” He coughed again and came back next to James, leaning his hip on the counter. “While we’re alone, I should tell you Judge Williams’s office finally sent the name of your therapist. FRIDAY has everything you need to set a first appointment.”
Eyes back on the stove, the sergeant rolled his lower lip between his teeth. “Do they know everything?”
“Everything they need to know to do their job. The judge informed them of your situation, who you are and the kind of things you’ve been through. I don’t think he went into details if that’s what you worry about. Apart from psychological support, breaking the conditioning is the first and most important goal of this therapy. Williams will have asked them to work on it asap.”
James hesitated before asking quietly. “You still have the triggers?”
“I do.”
“And… they are secure?”
A gentle hand landed on his shoulder. “The most secure I can provide. I told you before, James. No one will ever use you like that.” Tony squeezed his fingers in support. “Fri did a bit of research on de-conditioning methods for me and it looks like trigger words will be required in order to undo their effect. You let me know when you reach that point and we’ll see how to proceed then. Remember theyʼll know what the judge knows. So it’s possible he didn’t explicitly mention a known list of ten triggers because officially itʼs been destroyed.”
James nodded in understanding.
“I might be a little paranoid here but I got an idea on how to use them without risking any leak. Just in case. Also I’ve developed something to help revisit traumatic memories. Didn’t help me much but it might be useful to work on your deprogramming. Just let me know if the therapist wants to give it a go. Fri will provide you with a full description of the device.”
The sergeant threw him a grateful smile. “You think of everything, donʼt ya?”
“Didn’t they tell you? I’m a certified genius. Get used to it. I’m awesome.”
The urge to pull out the charm and flirt was just too strong just then. “Really you are. Tell me, sweet thing. You got other talents you’d like to show me while we’re alone?”
Tony’s gaze darkened and lowered onto the veteran’s mouth. “I can think of a few, yeah.”
Boldly, James took a step closer to Tony and grabbed the man’s fingers with his. “What are you waiting for then? I’m all yours.”
As he leaned in, hoping to steal a kiss from those plump lips, Tony froze in surprise. His eyes widened and then he stepped away from James. Fingers still interlocked, their gazes met. While James searched for an explanation on why he was being rejected, Tony searched for a way not to screw everything up.
“Sorry, I don’t want to-wait, no, that’s not what I mean cause I do. Want to. I really really do.” The words rushed out of the engineer’s mouth. He grabbed James’s hand tightly. “I don’t want to ruin this. That’s what I usually do. I ruin things. Ask Pepper, she’ll tell you. Ask anyone. And you really don’t need that cause you’re you, you know? Of course you do. You know better than anyone else who you are and where you are now. So you know why I shouldn’t. It wouldn’t be right, you know? Maybe you don’t but I do.”
James stared into Tony’s face, trying to make sense of the flow of words he had just heard. That Stark was doubting himself more than anything else was odd. James wasnʼt sure why really. If anyone should have doubts about themself, it was Hydra’s brainwashed puppet. The silver line was that Tony definitely sounded interested. But for some unknown reason, he was denying James.
“Tony, what-”
They got interrupted as a clean and freshly clothed blond super soldier entered the room. James noticed immediately the tension that spread through the mechanic’s body. Sure enough, Tony made his escape two seconds later.
“I’ll go tinker a bit before lunch. Don’t wanna be late on any deadlines or Pepper will have my balls. Again.”
“Isnʼt Stark Industries supposed to be your company?”
“It is. The fearsome Miss Potts still owns my ass.”
With that, he hurried out of the room leaving behind him a confused and not at all jealous former assassin.
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Steve’s presence requested all of the sergeant’s attention. The two men chatted together about this and that. It was easy and comfortable. Little things triggered James’ memory about his previous life, such as Steve’s tone of voice, a face, a laugh or a silly joke. Being called Buck or Bucky didn’t grate on him so much right now. James discovered he enjoyed reminiscing with his childhood friend, especially about events before the war.
No later than lunchtime, James was reminded how easy to judge Steven Grant Rogers could be. It had been part of his personality back in the days and nothing had changed on that. Steve was a real mother hen, too, though this was new information. It went from critics on the smaller communal living room, the still ongoing repairs around the compound, to hints about how Bucky cooked for them single handedly - pun very much intended - and over-the-top attempts to cut the one-arm man’s food. Surprisingly, neither Tony nor James were the ones snapping first at the blond. Rhodey was. He didn’t hold back much and ended up telling Steve to shove his wrongful assumptions and critics up his ass.
The sergeant once again reminded himself how the fearsome Colonel Rhodes didn’t know the full story about what had happened in Siberia. James apprehended the kind of thrashing Rhodey would deliver upon finding out the truth.
James shook the idea off and glanced at Tony in time to catch the shadow of a grin quickly replaced by the blank mask he had put on since entering the room.
“Give me a hand with dessert?”
“I’ll help-” “Sit down, Rogers! He didn’t ask you.”
As if there had been no interruption, Tony nodded and followed James to the kitchen area where he did whatever he was told to the letter without complaint.
“You like giving me orders, don’t you, Snowflake?” the genius asked quietly.
James held back a grin because hell yes he did. “Whatever makes you say that, TinkerMan.”
Tony scoffed, not buying his casual act. “Tell me, is this a Bucky or a Winter thing?”
The sergeant had to think about the answer. He didnʼt recall ever trying to order anyone around before or during the war. “Huh. I’d say the latter.” He glanced at Tony who put the finishing touch on the pies. “Does it bother you?”
“I live to serve as everybody knows.” James snorted in disbelief which made the genius flash a grin. “No. I was just curious. You seem to enjoy being in charge.”
James didn’t have to think long before he agreed. “I do. Not always or for everything but yeah, itʼs a nice change of pace from… you know. What Iʼve been used to.”
“I get it.” Tony served him with a rare genuine reassuring smile. He then gestured toward the four homemade individual pies on the counter. “Whatʼs next, Chef Winter?”
James reached for the homemade whipped cream bag, invading Tony’s personal space. “The best part, doll.” He deeply enjoyed seeing the man’s brown eyes darkened with lust. “Press the end for me, would’ya?” He leaned in close to spread the cream on a first plate while his helper pressed on the bag, pushing down on the cream stock. James could feel the warmth emanating from Tony’s body and wanted to get even closer. For now he focused on his task.
“Et voilà!”
James pushed the plate toward Tony, revealing the cream pattern that suspiciously looked like a heart with ‘TM’ written in the center. The mechanic couldn’t help the small blush spreading on his cheek. He looked almost bashful.
“Cute. Let me do yours.” He grabbed the bag of whipped cream from the chefʼs hand and pulled another plate toward him. He leaned over it and showed the result half a minute later.
“Huh. Is that… a star?”
“Try again, Sherlock.”
James scrutinized the cream, looking confused. “A spider maybe?”
Tony huffed, annoyed. “Where do you see a spider on that pie? Tell me because Iʼm clueless.”
“So am I, doll. It sure looks like nothing from planet Earth to me. Oh! Is it the sun?”
“You have to be shitting me cause otherwise it’s just painful.” Tony pointed at the pie. “That’s a snowflake, genius.”
James had a tough time keeping a straight face because arguing with Tony was pretty fun. “Okay. First, that is not a snowflake. I am Chef Winter as you keep reminding me. I damn well know my snowflakes and that isn’t one. Second, you’re supposed to be a genius and yet, you made that shitty splash on my pie. And here I thought you could do anything.”
The billionaire dramatically raised a hand over his wounded heart. “For your information, I can do anything and everything I damn want. I am Tony fucking awesome Stark. Sorry I don’t get free time to practice drawing whipped cream on stuff, unlike others. And you didn’t even draw anything. You wrote two tiny letters.”
“Give me a break here. I got only one hand” James countered, enjoying himself way too much. “Surely that gives me bonus points for effort.”
“As excuses go, that one’s passable.”
James chuckled. “All right. Give me that.” He reached for a third plate and then grabbed the whipped cream. “There you go.” The pie was covered with a W and its symmetrical M.
“And what are those exactly?”
“Your bestie would know.”
Tony watched the pie, his gaze showing understanding instantly. “My turn.” He grabbed the bag that James held out and then adorned the last pie with three parallel vertical lines enclosed by two perpendicular lines.
“Stripes.”
“And where your bestie belongs” Tony quipped, licking a bit of cream off his finger.
Understanding what he meant, James had a tough time not laughing at Steve’s expense. “I guess it’s a tie.”
Tony scoffed as he put all the plates on a tray. “No way. I win.” He grabbed the tray and turned toward the table where Rhodey and Steve were busy in a staring contest. James stopped in his path and took the tray from him.
“Thanks for my snowflake, doll” James whispered with a wink. “I love it.” He didn’t stay to enjoy the stun look on Stark’s face.
“Rogers,” Tony called as he joined the table moments later. “Your bestie’s a little shit.” James looked rather smug as he set the tray down. He had no intention to refute Tonyʼs words.
“Yeah? Well, yours isn’t that fun either” Steve replied with a glare at Rhodey who responded with another challenging raised eyebrow. Steve pursed his lips and looked away.
“Don’t know what’s going on here. Don’t care. But keep at it, Rhodey-bear. I like the results so far.”
“Tony” Steve called out with his patented disappointed stare. “Do you think it smart to enable him?”
“Rhodey doesn’t need my encouragement to be a pain in your ass or anyone elseʼs. Heʼll do that on his own. Do you think it smart to start a staring contest with a decorated US Air Force Colonel?”
James decided to intervene before things would escalate. He dispatched the four plates. “Desserts, people! Homemade pies with a touch of creamy sweetness on top. Enjoy!”
Rhodey was first to spot the patterns on each plate. “Did you get a trademark on yours, Tones?”
James exchanged an accomplice look with the mechanic. “Well spotted, buddy” Tony said as he dug into his pie, not revealing his new nickname. “A trademark arc reactor to be precise. What did you get?”
“War Machine.”
“And an easy one at that.”
“I got stripes” Steve chipped in, all proud.
“That or bars. Whichever you prefer.”
The blond super soldier looked down at his pie and then threw another hard stare at Tony. “What did you get, Buck?”
“You tell me.” James pushed his plate forward for everybody to see. Both Steve and Rhodey leaned closer with searching looks on their faces.
“Looks like a flower, maybe a dandelion?” Steve offered, uncertain.
“No, itʼs more like the crosswords puzzle Tony had around his chest and up his neck when he got poisoned with palladium.”
Tony stared at his best friend, completely stunned by his words. “Are you fucking serious? Thatʼs what you see?!”
“You got poisoned with palladium?!” James blurted out in shock. “How did that happen?”
“He did it to himself and never told us, even when he was about to die” Rhodey explained, obviously upset.
“Is that how you tell people I became IronMan?!”
“That's it” James spoke with determination, looking straight at Stark. “As soon as I get my new arm, Iʼll be on your ass 24/7 so you can never pull another stunt like that again.”
Ignoring the surprised reaction from the two other men, Tony turned toward the former assassin. “That's sweet, darling, but save some for the honeymoon.”
“I'm serious, Tony. Why did you poison yourself?”
“It was either that or keep being tortured and eventually killed in an Afghani cave.” Tony swiftly pulled James's plate back in front of him. “There. Eat your poisonous flower.” Then he turned back and faced Rhodey. “How can you still be mad at me about that? It was years ago.”
At the same time, Steve attacked his own best friend. “What do you mean, Bucky? You’re getting a new arm? And you wanna watch over Tony? How come?”
An unimpressed and still determined James answered. “Didn't you hear? Somebody has to. The guy gets into more trouble than you did when you were a scrawny kid.”
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