Who: Grant Rogers and his annoying little sister Josie Where: The Brownstone What: PANCAKES When: Saturday 24th August breakfast time Rating: TBD, likely low Open: No Status: Google doc / incomplete
Grant stretched and yawned as he woke up from his bed in the brownstone that they had always called home for as long as he could remember. He wanted his Dad to remember who Grant was but he guessed that there was nothing he could do about that until the island decided what it wanted to do. He was a little happy that his brother and sister were there, seeing Steve and Peggy’s daughter without her two brothers was strange and weird, and he knew Sarah didn’t like being without some of her family. Grant padded to the kitchen, ravenously hungry at 6am and decided to make pancakes for everybody.
Meanwhile, Josephine had already been up. She’d been tossing and turning in the night, her cough keeping her awake. She had read through some of the books laying around, yawning, coughing, yawning, trying to sleep, coughing...not sleeping. When she heard Grant getting up, she took a drink of water to try and continue to quiet the dry, angry sound that was her throat revolting against her. Some days weren’t so bad, some days were pretty awful. Climbing out of bed, she tip-toed down and watched Grant quietly from the door, sizing him up, judging him. Ugh, boys. So gross. But he was making breakfast so she supposed he was alright.
“Catching the worm, I take it?” she teased in a quiet voice, not wanting to wake the rest of the house.
Grant mixed the batter in the bowl, having heard the unmistakable sound of Josie coughing from her room. It was a usual sound from his time, from their time, and it made him worry when it happened. Grant stirred the pancake batter he had mixed up, arching an eyebrow at the mousy little voice. “Yes, but the second mouse is the one who gets the cheese, Josie.” he chuckled and poured batter in the pan. “You want some?”
“Oooh, cheeeese~” she sang with a white-toothed grin as she walked over and stood next to the elder sibling. “Not uncooked batter, but I will definitely take a pancake or seven.” Josie grinned, fingers drawing through her blond hair and pulling it back, tying it up with a bright pink elastic that was one of many on her wrist. Hair ties were a fashion statement, even if in the future they weren’t nearly as hip as in the 80s and 90s.
“What’s got you up so early?” The girl paused, and frowned. “I didn’t wake you up, did I?” She sounded guilty.
He shook his head, flipping over the bacon sizzling in the second pan, “No, no, I just couldn’t sleep all that much. It’s different here. Even the air smells different.” he muttered wearily and flipped the pancakes, “Mom, Dad, Peggy and Uncle Steve... they’re not like I remember.” Grant smiled, pinging Josie’s wristbands. At least she hadn’t changed, though he wasn’t sure if it was for the better or not, since she was sick a lot. “Grab a plate, brat.” he teased.
“Well, duuuuuh,” chimed Josephine as she yanked her hand away as the snap cracked over her skin lightly. She went to pick up a plate, taking it from the cabinet. “We’re, like, way in the past. Of course they’re not gonna be like you remember them! The stuff that they were supposed to do to lead up to who they were hasn’t happened yet! That’s why we’re as we are and they’re...not as we knew them! They don’t even know how to be moms and dads. They haven’t had any of us yet. But I’m gonna tell mom to have me first. I was reading about ways to make sure you can have a girl.” She stuck out her tongue. Of course she was teasing. Josie loved Grant; that’s why she made fun of him.
“I know.” he said vehemently, loading up her plate with a couple of pancakes and some bacon before he repoured out some batter for new pancakes. “You know those don’t work, right? It’s pot luck, Josie. And besides, if they have you first, you might not be you. You might be six feet tall and have dark hair and like climbing trees in bare feet.” he teased, sticking his own tongue out at her.
“I’d be okay with that if I wasn’t sick,” she said quite frankly, eating with her fingers and forgoing syrup or any sort of sauce or flavoring. Josie munched at the bacon, considering, pondering.
“Maybe I should get a pixie cut. I was reading some of these magazines and they’re all the rage right now. Do you think I’d look cute with short hair? Ah, maybe I’ll ask Richie about it.”
“Josie!” he frowned, cringing, “No wonder Peggy never tried teaching you some manners, you obviously have none.” He grabbed a knife and fork and handed them to her instead, flipping over his pancakes.
“I have no idea what a pixie cut is, Josie, I’m a man.” he laughed, “Don’t you think you should ask Mom instead of Richie Stark?”
Josie gave a loud groan and took the utencils, but set them under the plate, held with two of her fingers. “It’s just dry pancake and a piece of bacon, gosh,” she replied with a laugh. “I have plenty of manners, thank you, Gross Brother Grant. It’s you. I don’t need to be a lady in front of you. That is a waste of effort!” She stuck out her tongue again, laughter in her eyes.
“You’re not a man, you’re a boy. Richie, he’s a man. You’re not. And what does mom know about hair? Nothing!” Ignorance was bliss.
He laughed, “You missed the syrup on the table then, kiddo?” he nodded to the jug he’d set out next to the pile of plates. His little sister always missed the obvious things. “I know what you’re like, though. Don’t hog it all.”
“Lady.” he chuckled to himself. “And pigs fly.” He tipped out the pancakes and poured out some more. “Oh my god, do you have a crush on Richie Stark?!”
“I didn’t want any!” replied Josie with a huff as she sat with a plop on a chair, using her fork to eat. Boo, Grant. Boo. She would cave--but just this once. When his back was turned, she poured the syrup all over the pancakes. Maybe if she ate them fast enough he wouldn’t notice her lie.
“Pigs can fly. You put them in a plane,” she said sarcastically. “I am a lady, Grant! You’re just--whaaaat?” Josephine gasped and it seemed like she had all of the wind knocked out of her. It would have been right comical had she not gone into a coughing fit half way through the dramatic air intake. When she finished coughing, she stood up, outraged.
“I do not!”
She did.
Nothing slipped by him and Grant saw out of the corner of his eye that she reached for the syrup and liberally coated her pancakes with it, scoffing them down quickly. Girls. He chuckled and shook his head, “You might want to save some or Dad’ll be pissed.”
“Yes you do, I know when you’re lying. You go completely pink around the ears, little piggy.”
“Daddy loves me most, he would never be mad at me,” Josie chimed with a wave of her fork at Grant as if it were some kind of magic wand. She giggled, and cut up another piece of pancake, swallowing as she sulked.
“I’m not a pig!” she replied. “And...I don’t have a crush on him, okay?! He’s just...........cool, okay I do!” Josie sighed and leaned on her elbow. “He’s back, and he’s so cool.”