✔𝚮𝐞𝐥𝐥𝛐 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞 ➳ 𝚩𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐲 𝚩𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐬

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 19: 𝐈𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝛐𝐦𝐞𝛐𝐧𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝛐𝐰

𝐃𝐚𝐰𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐰𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 up the night sky like an easel, giving colour to what was once hidden by the stars and moon. The song of the birds came like water in the river that morning was, flowing into the room.

The dawn sky was camouflaged against the almost finished wall painting behind the bed, but as morning rose, the sky became blue and stood out like a sore thumb. Jo's head was throbbing, but worse was how utterly terrible every part of her body felt, except-

Someone was lying behind her, arm wrapped tightly around her waist and cuddled into her hair. Bucky's scent washed over her, and she hurriedly sat up in the bed, glancing around and lifting the sheets.

Her skirt was off, and she was wearing the tank top he had been wearing last night. The door to her room was wide open, but no sound could be heard throughout the house.

"Peggy and Steve don't know." Jo cowered, frightened by how deep and gravelly his voice was in the morning.

What happened last night? They had gone to the party, and she took that pill from Tony in the car. So much alcohol, too – most of it due to Randy and his beer pong. God, she ended up taking acid with him. She let out a groan and put a palm on her forehead, but she remembered exactly what she and Bucky had done.

Bucky sat up in the bed behind her and started gently caressing her back. She ran her tongue along with her teeth and a hand through her hair. Jo remembered what happened in the car, he fixed her up and then... Her heart started ramming in her chest. 

"Honey, do you remember last night?" Bucky softly asked, voice still low and raspy as he gently kissed her shoulder. She swallowed harshly.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, feeling utterly embarrassed with how she had acted. Having that sort of breakdown wasn't something she ever wanted. Much less have someone there to witness it.

"Don't apologise." He wrapped his arms around her waist and tugged her closer, so she was sitting in between his legs with her back against his chest. "You're okay, right?" She swallowed again and quickly nodded.

"Yup," she chirped, popping the p.

"Jodie... can we talk about it?" He sighed deeply, knowing she was probably going to try her best to avoid that exact thing, and she didn't answer him at all. "Please." His forehead rested against her shoulder.

She knew it wouldn't be fair. More than anything after what happened last night, but she had never talked about it, not fully, not to anyone. Pietro and Tony barely knew anything. Wanda knew more because she had been witness to one of her breakdowns as well, but she had been incoherent for the most part.

"Brad-" Her voice broke and Bucky wrapped his arms fully around her. "He wasn't very nice." Jo sounded like a child, but she wasn't sure how else to say it. She had tried so many times and the words would always become stuck in her throat like gum to a shoe.

"He was from here in town, right?" She nodded while her stomach flipped, like she was going to puke. Her breathing was picking up and the drum in her chest was starting to fill up her ears. "It's okay..."

Bucky loosened his grip and turned her around, cupping her face to force their eyes to meet. No matter how hard Jo tried, she couldn't avoid it forever. Not with how he was looking at her. His hair was ruffled after the sleep, his face a little puffier, and his calm expression coupled with a soft smile.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" He asked. The anxiousness was shining from her and after last night, he didn't want to push her more than he had to, but she had terrified him to the core.

Jo nodded.

"He came to visit- and we went to this party- concert." Her gaze was deliberately averting his, but he didn't mind it. Bucky grabbed onto her hand and started caressing her palm. "We were dating, I guess- but- uh, we took some pills and-" her voice was trembling. "He pulled me into this- shit-"