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JamesRhodes: This might get super weird, seeing as we have the same name.
IAmJamesBuchanan: haha oh really? what’s your name?
JamesRhodes: …I’m sure you can guess.
IAmJamesBuchanan: really? hmm
IAmJamesBuchanan: wait
IAmJamesBuchanan: fuck
IAmJamesBuchanan: i’m sorry. long day
IAmJamesBuchanan: i’m not actually that dumb i promise
IAmJamesBuchanan: and I don’t really go by james that often
JamesRhodes: Haha all good, Man.
JamesRhodes: my best friend is a certified genius and he still acts like an idiot.
JamesRhodes: So I get it.
IAmJamesBuchanan: hmm. i’m pretty sure my best friend is just an idiot
IAmJamesBuchanan: he’s a real dumbass
JamesRhodes: Maybe our best friends can meet.
JamesRhodes: Then they can achieve peak dumbassery.
JamesRhodes: I don’t really go by James either.
IAmJamesBuchanan: no? more of a jimmy?
JamesRhodes: Ha. I get Jim fairly often. Usually Rhodey, though, because that’s what my best friend calls me.
JamesRhodes: What about you?
IAmJamesBuchanan: bucky
IAmJamesBuchanan: comes from my middle name
IAmJamesBuchanan: and my dumbass best friend
IAmJamesBuchanan: if your best friend were single and queer we could hook them up
JamesRhodes: Haha he would like that. Your friend would probably not.
IAmJamesBuchanan: hahaha so he’s trouble?
JamesRhodes: He has good intentions.
JamesRhodes: He can just be a lot sometimes. Especially for people who aren’t used to him.
IAmJamesBuchanan: i’ve heard that line before
IAmJamesBuchanan: mostly from my boyfriend. he thinks it’s funny when i glare at people
JamesRhodes: Is it?
IAmJamesBuchanan: a little bit, yeah
IAmJamesBuchanan: he thinks it scares people because I used to be a sergeant
IAmJamesBuchanan: even though sergeant isn’t all that impressive.
JamesRhodes: Used to be?
JamesRhodes: It’s not unimpressive.
IAmJamesBuchanan: thanks
IAmJamesBuchanan: yeah. i was in the army for a bit
IAmJamesBuchanan: longer than i wanted to be, shorter than i should have been. but then i got discharged anyways so it’s not like i really had to make the decision to leave, since i was forced to
IAmJamesBuchanan: even if it was honorable. didn’t really feel like it was, though
JamesRhodes: Why did you want to leave?
IAmJamesBuchanan: i just never really felt safe
IAmJamesBuchanan: to be myself i mean.
IAmJamesBuchanan: not that wars and fighting and shit aren’t scary as fuck. but it’s kind of expected that youre not going to feel that safe while youre in the military. the point is to keep everyone else safe, not yourself
IAmJamesBuchanan: i just felt like I was always on such high alert. especially with dadt and before then. i was always worried that they were going to find me out
IAmJamesBuchanan: and it’s kind of hard to feel safe as a queer man in the army when everyone there is 100% capable of taking you down if they wanted to. so i had to be careful
IAmJamesBuchanan: it just sucks because i just wanted to change the world and i feel like they just wanted to change me
IAmJamesBuchanan: i’m working on it though
IAmJamesBuchanan: feeling safe with being who i am i mean
JamesRhodes: That’s good.
JamesRhodes: You should. I’m proud of you.
IAmJamesBuchanan: thanks
IAmJamesBuchanan: what about you?
JamesRhodes: I’m in airforce.
JamesRhodes: I was also with a guy during DADT. It was scary as hell, so your fear is definitely valid.
IAmJamesBuchanan: did anyone find out? i assume not if you’re still serving
IAmJamesBuchanan: my boyfriend was in airforce. maybe you know him
JamesRhodes: No, only my best friend knew. And only because I told him.
JamesRhodes: Oh? I might. What’s his name?
IAmJamesBuchanan: sam
JamesRhodes: Shit. Wilson?
IAmJamesBuchanan: yeah. you know him then?
JamesRhodes: Shit.
JamesRhodes: James.
JamesRhodes: I DATED him.
IAmJamesBuchanan: Shit.
IAmJamesBuchanan: you’re saying you’re my boyfriend’s ex
JamesRhodes: It does seem that way.
IAmJamesBuchanan: guess he has a type
JamesRhodes: You mean people named James?
IAmJamesBuchanan: yes
IAmJamesBuchanan: so why’d you break up? sammy wasn’t pretty enough for you?
JamesRhodes: No.
JamesRhodes: Sam is gorgeous.
JamesRhodes: And you can tell him I said that.
JamesRhodes: He was just in love with someone else.
IAmJamesBuchanan: ah
IAmJamesBuchanan: riley?
JamesRhodes: Yeah. No hard feelings, though.
IAmJamesBuchanan: he said “damn right i am.” and ‘how do you know jim?’
IAmJamesBuchanan: so i guess some people do call you jim
JamesRhodes: Ha. Always loved the self confidence.
JamesRhodes: I never said that they didn’t.
IAmJamesBuchanan: hmm. true.
IAmJamesBuchanan: so it’s kind of like we’ve been together by association.
IAmJamesBuchanan: i mean if i’ve kissed sam and he’s kissed you
JamesRhodes: If you wanted to kiss me, you could’ve said so.
IAmJamesBuchanan: ha
IAmJamesBuchanan: temping, but no. i’ve already got my gorgeous airforce vet
IAmJamesBuchanan: i’m down for setting up our best friends, though. sam said it would be fun, and he knows both our best friends i guess
JamesRhodes: Amazing. Let’s do it.