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"Sam…Sam?"
GERTYs voice finally broke through the mental haze fogging over Sam's brain, eyes staring distantly at the sight in front of him, this other him this clone bouncing so gracefully on his feet in the fitness center. He hadn't even been aware of how long he was watching the other until the voice had snapped him out of whatever mind freeze he had trapped himself in.
Three long years of being stuck up here, alone. Isolated…. He was sure this was his mental break that had to be it. He had finally gone insane, but that fight they had the other night was so real it had to be real right he still had a bruise around his wrist from where the other had grabbed him.
Sam cleared his throat, eyes darting away from the clones sweating form as he focused on the boxy droid that put itself between Sam and his line of view.
"What… what? I'm fine, great… all aces here just thinking." Sam stumbled over his words, flashing an all too fake smile that he knew the Droid was more than likely going to pick up on. He was sure he was a horrible liar yet GERTY always let him get away with it. Not as if a little white lie between old friends would hurt anyone.
"You seem distracted Sam, are you sure you are feeling alright?" The bot questioned in its emotionless smooth tone.
Sam grabbed his mug lazily, a distant gaze returning to the man in the gym as he stumbled his way out of his seat, his free hand patting the screen on GERTYs front as he passed by it.
"Great, as I said all aces just… yeah." He muttered, clearing his throat as he shyly made his way closer to the other Sam the nail of his pinky finger tapping idly at the bottom of the ceramic mug as he stilled in the entryway of the gym, eyes trying to look anywhere but the close as he worked over the punching bag.
Blue eyes cast a side glance to the movement near the entryway, a hardened look crossing the clone's features as the more battered looking double watched him almost transfixed with his movements. The guy was loopy to say the least, then again if he was right in saying he's been up here alone for three years… Maybe he'd be the same.
Fuck if he didn't think the lingering eye contact was a little…. Suggestive.
"Hey uh…. Sorry uh just kinda weird having uh…."
Sam's words were drumming together with the impact of the punching bag, the sound of the metal bits clinking together during out his tired tone. Fuck this was awkward, he always thought he'd be ready to have an actual conversation with a living being when the time came… couldn't even talk to himself.
"HEY CAN WE TALK-talk maybe…."
His voice pitched down as the clone grabbed at the bag to stop it swinging, creating a tense silence between them.
"What?"
A beat of silence as Sam took a moment to actually think about what the hell he wanted to say. Why did he want to talk? Just to drone on and feel good that there was finally someone listening?
"T-talk, can we… talk. Shoot the shit, chinwag…" He cringed at the last word, shaking his head. "That was weird… don't know why I said that the last one ignore that." He rambled on, waving a hand off at his own comment.
"Just want to talk, it's been… I don't know how long since I've actually had someone talk about… not like GERTY… he sucks at small talk." He mused offering a spastic sounding laugh that caught and hitched in the back of his throat.
The clone stood silently, lips parted slightly as the overworked man huffed trying to steady his heart back to a normal rate. Watching this guy talk was like watching a nervous school boy try to confess to some bullshit he had no right messing around with. Was it wrong to say there was a certain amount of charm there?
"I just… this is weird, and I know it's weird it's just… really great to have someone you know and I've just been real lonely." Sam stammered out, two hands now clutching at his mug as if it were a life line, fingers rapping against it with growing nerves.
The clone backed off from the bag to grab a towel, patting the sweat from his forehead before looking the man over. "You mentioned that already." He started simply remembering back to the day after he got out of the lab and paced around the space like a caged animal wanting to trust a new hand that feeds.
"Yeah… just, extra true. It's just real nice to hear someone say something back, to-to look me in the eyes and respond. It's just crazy man.."
It was clear in the others stance he wanted more than just talking, hips turned out almost as an invitation to instigate any form of physical touch. Guy must really be striving for it if he was willing to dish himself out to, well…. Himself. That shouldn't be as exciting of a thought as the clone was seeing it right now.
"And what exactly are you wanting to talk about?" The clone questioned, tossing the towel down on his bag as he turned with his hands on his hips to face the other.
"Well you know uh… not sure actually. Fuck this is embarrassing. Tess used to say I could never shut up, we could never uh… you?" Sam tilted his head, brain wracking around the idea of how the hell this all worked. How much like him was this clone? He looked younger, was he just imagining that? He for damn sure didn't look as rough and worn down as he did.
"So you wanna talk, but you have no clue what you wanna talk about? I don't think we have ever been too big of a fan of mindless chatting." He stated simply, stepping around the other to pull him out of the way of the entryway, typing a code into the keypad to lower the emergency doors to the room, the lights flickering as the power switched to a backup source.
"Uh… hey, why are you closing the door?" Sam scoffed a laugh, standing in the center of the room almost looking like a lost child all wide eyed and confused but with a spark of awareness behind his eyes.
"Tell me, mister 'I know this station better than I do', can GERTY hear us when a room is locked down and running off of backup power?"
A wave of confusion washed over Sam, looking about the now dimly lit room as if he was trying to find an answer for the question. Of course he knew the answer but something about this felt… off.
"Backup powder wouldn't deter him, the pressurized door though, it's like red tape for him, hands off and all that… but you know why are you interested in that?" He muttered, flinching a bit as the mug was taken from his hands, the other stepping up into his space, backing him up against the far wall.
"I'm going to give you what you really want, and I don't want to be interrupted." The clone stated simply as his double seemed to shrink in on himself.
"I…"
The clone shook his head, placing a hand on Sam's hip to pull him forward. "You aren't exactly subtle."