𝐉𝛐 𝐛𝛐𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝛐𝐰𝐧 the stairs with a newfound spring in her step, larger than the bounce that had been there after she visited Semmel and got her letter. The words felt right, even if it was early for both of them to say them. Peggy was almost done with dinner when Bucky, Wanda, and Jo reached the kitchen. The three of them sat down around the kitchen island.
"Still happy?" Peggy asked while she continued stirring in the pot.
"Definitely," Jo said, glancing into the dining room and the living room, but she couldn't spot Steve. "James, would you mind tagging along with me tomorrow? Gotta get a present for the Patriot."
"Sure," he said, sending her a smaller smile than the one he wanted to send her. Even sitting this far from her was torturous.
"What are you planning to buy him?" Peggy asked, and Jo narrowed her eyes at her sister.
"I don't think I'm going to tell you."
"Oh, how secretive," Wanda chuckled.
"Secrets can be important," she knowingly replied. Bucky smirked widely but tried to hide it with his hand.
Dinner was ready not long after, and they all sat down around the dinner table. Steve made sure she was the first to get a bowl. While the talk around the table surrounded old stories and what everyone was expecting of college, Jo stayed oddly quiet.
Underneath the table, Bucky was holding onto her hand, fingers interlaced, and he caressed the back of her hand. It would be better if their hands could be on the table, but it had to do, for now. Her little hint about secrecy hadn't been a little hint to him.
"Is the food alright?" Peggy asked from the opposite end of the table, and Jo smiled with her mouth full.
"Is so gud," she replied.
"Good," Peggy said, chuckling slightly and then turning her conversation back to Steve. Bucky squeezed her hand underneath the table, and they shared a sly smile.
Peggy insisted that Steve and Bucky clean up after dinner, and in the meantime, the rest of them retreated to the living room. Pietro insisted on getting the fireplace going, even if Wanda was better at it. Jo had gotten her sketchbook out as she really needed a chill night. Sure, she had a bit of Wanda's weed earlier and a few drinks, but nothing serious. There were some puffs after dinner, but she barely felt high. Barely.
"What're you drawing?" Peggy mindlessly asked while watching M*A*S*H on the TV.
"You, actually," Jo chuckled. She needed some practice before sketching on the canvas, but she couldn't tell her sister that. She handed it over.
"What?" Peggy asked. A smile spread on her face, and she turned the page. "Jo, this is really good!"
"Yeah, thanks, still needs some shading, though."
"Lemme see," Pietro mumbled, chewing on an apple. "Dude, you've improved."
"Not everything can stay the same," Jo shrugged, not really sure how to act with everyone looking at her sketch.
She could feel herself crumbling in the crouch. Drawing or painting was the only place the Carter's perfectionist ways shone through. There were always mistakes or things she could pinpoint as bad, and since this was only a sketch, there were a lot of those.
"Steve, look at this," Peggy said and took the sketchbook back. She held it up as Steve and Bucky came into the living room as well.
"Oh wow," Steve said, eyes wide while his brows got lower on his forehead. "That's really good!"
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✔𝚮𝐞𝐥𝐥𝛐 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞 ➳ 𝚩𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐲 𝚩𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐬
Fanfiction"Her body was already dazed, and her mind was already underwater so she might as well let him set the rest of her on fire." Jodie Carter always spent her summers at the Ivory House with her friends. For the past three years, it had been without the...
