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How you ended up in this situation is complicated, but in the end it doesn't really matter-all that matters is that you are, indeed, in this situation. Traveling alongside Sam and Bucky with Zemo, who has been released from the Raft on the contingency of helping on missions and wearing a tracker (and not the cheap ones you can dig out, they’re from Wakanda). You were trained inside of a Black Widow-esk program under captivity with HYDRA. That’s why Bucky knew he could rely on you in this mission, because you were a new face to the game (as the expression goes), but for all intents and purposes there was little to no danger in putting you in a difficult situation. After all, Bucky trained you himself (though you never told him that, too scared of what the truth may conjure in his broken mind), and one of the best weapons-women in the country.But when Bucky approached you, asking for his help, he was vague- the location you met at wasn’t secure after all. So you had gone with him back to his shitty one-room apartment, where you had promptly met his two other colleagues. As Bucky explained the mission, you couldn’t help acknowledging the red spreading through his face, and you noticed how neither of the other men wanted to meet your eye. Zemo, to his credit, did not blush.“We, essentially, need someone who can gain us access to his home, and to distract Troy long enough for us to creep in and take what we need. And, well, we were thinking that-” Bucky cut himself off, licking his lips and staring into your eyes, almost pleading for you not to make him say it.“You need me as either a prostitute or an escort, probably the latter considering he’s rich. Is that what you are trying to say, Bucky?” Your eyes stayed on his face, but in your periphery you could see Sam’s wide-eyed expression and a slight smirk from the Sokovian royal.“Y-Yes.” He stuttered, and you gave him a slow smile and patted his shoulder.“Okay. When do we start?” There was no hesitance in your answer, no question of what is the reason for this? Bucky had asked you, and that was enough.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Throughout the month, you had built a name for yourself in the upper elite rings of an escort service that Troy Ubel favored, and you were meeting him for the first time tomorrow. And, as the month crept through, all four of your mismatched team had migrated to one of Zemo’s elaborate properties. At first you all tried to sleep in your respective places, but one late evening slipped into the next and all of a sudden everyone had their own room.
It was now that you were cursing, fussing through the elaborate bathroom’s cabinets that you realized how ill-prepared you truly were. You could have sworn that you had restocked your razors the last time they ran out, but here you were stooping to the level of looking through your period products before admitting defeat and moving towards where the three men were located.“I need to use someone’s razor.” You’d disturbed their drunken-stupor, and for a few seconds you envied their ability to drink tonight.
“Why would you need a razor?” Bucky’s eyebrows were tilted towards confusion, and you had to sigh.
“Buck, I’m a female going undercover as an escort- why do you think I need a razor?” Your tone was harsh, but then you had to reconsider your words and tone. After all, Bucky was a man out of time. Situating yourself next to him, pointedly ignoring the Baron who was situated on your right, you continued. “Listen, hon, when was the last time you went out with a woman?”
“I- It’s been a while.” His answer was clipped, and a blush rose to his face. That was answer enough for you.“Let’s just say that beauty standards have changed, and I need to fit into those views for the mission tomorrow. After all, what professional escort doesn’t shave nowadays, right boys?” For the first time you acknowledged the others in the room, and Sam sputtered, denying knowing anything. Zemo simply took a sip of scotch and raised an eyebrow.“Wait- shave? Why?” You could tell Bucky was a bit tipsy, with how the questions slipped through his mouth.You sighed, stealing the half-empty bottle from the cold metal of his hands, you took a swig. If you were about to have this conversation with your 106-year-old friend, you needed at least a buzz.
“Women today are expected to be hairless, excluding the hair atop their head. The removal of arm hair is negotiable, but commonly accepted. But not anywhere else,” Pausing, taking a swig and letting that all sink in, you continued. “Shaving their legs became common practice for women around the early 1940s, but considering you were off at war during that time you probably didn’t get to actually see that. From there it was a short leap to the removal of hair from under the arms, and a bit later from the…lower extremities.”
You hoped that the two other males in the room didn’t find this weird, but in truth you didn’t care. After all, Bucky was a curious man, and you had the answers. So why wouldn’t you give them to him?
“...lower extremities?” Bucky’s face scrunched, and you couldn’t tell if it was out of distaste or not knowing what you were insinuating, so you sighed and clarified.
“The genitals and the area surrounding it.”Sam choked on his drink, Zemo pointedly looked into his glass of scotch, and Bucky gave you an owlish expression.
“ What?!
Why would that- why-” A heavy sigh came out of his lips, and he rubbed his eyes, tilting his head back. “And it’s just.. expected that a woman does this for intercourse?”“Well, yes.” You gave a small smile, patting his knee.
“At least this is common practice in the United States. It’s not a universal practice, of that I can assure you.” Zemo piped up for the first time since you entered the room, and you couldn’t help but send him a pointed look like shut up you’ll just confuse the old man .
“Anyways, since I’m meeting with Ubel and haven’t shaved my legs in a solid two weeks I’m in need of a few razors.” You didn’t mention how for other areas, it had been longer than that.
When you had first broken free from the Red-Room-esk program, the first liberty you had taken was to stop shaving unless you wanted to. It was ingrained in you to maintain your body, so that at any given moment you could slip into the necessary role with minimal confusion. Having body hair meant them looking at you a second time, leaving more room for recognition. So, when you got to a point where you didn’t feel the want to shave and had no spike of fear at the possible repercussions of not doing so, you didn’t shave. Not your armpits, not your legs, and definitely not your lower extremities. Of course, when you wanted to, you did, but it wasn’t like you planned on going swimming in the middle of winter; so you had shoved your razors into the back of the drawer and promptly forgot about it. But now, you needed them, and you were a solid two hours away from home.
“So, any of you boys have a razor I can borrow? And before you say no, don’t think I haven’t noticed the beard trimming.” You vaguely motioned to Zemo’s 5 o’clock shadow and the other boy’s maintained stubble.
“I regret to inform you, Hase, but I use a straight razor. I do not believe you would want to use that on…” The Baron vaguely motioned towards all of you, and you sighed. He was correct.
“I use electric.” Sam didn’t elaborate, but you didn’t completely dismiss it. In a last-ditch resource you could use it, though you’d feel bad about destroying the expensive equipment, especially after essentially laying out that you were going to use it to shave your coochie.
Bucky was still looking at the ceiling, perplexed by the why when you gently prodded his side.
“What type of razors do you use, Buck?”“Um, I have some disposable ones, but they’re men’s razors.”You rolled your eyes. “That’ll work for me. Would one of you boys be a dear and explain to Bucky what the pink tax is? I need to start getting ready.”Starting down the hall towards Bucky’s room, you grabbed three razors- just to be safe- and made your way back to your in-suite bathroom.The first time Zemo had shown you the room (you were loath to call it your room, because this was temporary , or at least you kept saying that), you were baffled. How did a man have a four-poster canopy bed with a full-sized vanity just laying about, and that was before you saw the bathroom. In the bathroom was a glorious clawed bathtub, with a huge walk-in shower next to it. Zemo had taken in your expression and praise with a deep satisfaction, lips pointed upwards at your disbelief.
You had protested having the room, stammering that you didn’t need all this stuff, Zemo ; and the worst part? This isn't even the master suite . You’d never intruded into his room, respecting his space as he had yours, but the thought of what laid inside made your skin itch, not even wanting to imagine the expense.
Before you could start to disrobe, you heard a polite knocking on your door, and you sighed. Preparing yourself for the apology Bucky no doubt wanted to give you on behalf of all the male sex, you were surprised to find Zemo. Opening the door slightly, the Baron made his way into the room.Reaching into his pocket, Zemo took out a black credit card and held it out to you. When you looked at him perplexed, wary of taking anything from this ‘former terrorist,’ he sighed and set it on your bedside table. “You are probably going to need some attire for this mission,” he stated, as if that explained everything. In reality, it did, because what other attire would an escort need, right? And you still didn’t have a steady source of income, and really you didn’t have time to drive two hours away just to grab your cheap lingerie set, and since the mission was going to be a series of encounters…well, your one cheap lingerie set wasn’t really going to work. Still, you didn’t like how Zemo was literally handing over one of his bank accounts to you.You must have paused too long, because he sighed again and muttered something under his breath that you didn’t catch. “Y/N, we need this mission to work, and in order for it to work you need to dress and act the part. I may not know all about your situation, but I know that the type of garb expected out of an escort in this circle costs, and, well. I have more than enough money. After all, I am a Baron.” He searched your face, and when you didn’t reply he started again. “The limit on this card is large, and I doubt you would ever reach it. Be sure to order overnight, because this mission starts tomorrow.” With that he left your room, leaving only the card and the expensive scent of his cologne.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
You had prepared yourself as best as you could in the shower (and then a nice, long bath with some peppermint oils), dressing yourself in an oversized t-shirt and a pair of shorts before settling on your bed, looking back and forth between the black card and your laptop.
Prior to this, whoever had hired you were the ones to choose what you wore, though you were taught how to choose what to wear on missions. When it came to ones like this, what you wore depended on three things: did your target tell you to wear something specific (he didn’t), what meeting is it (first; as time went on you could buy cheaper sets, though re-wearing them with the target outside of their request was not an option), and what type of person the target was.
Over the course of the month, you had learned that Troy Ubel preferred to mark up his escorts (often by regular means, though a few girls had warned you about his use of not-so-safe tools, like a filet knife for one girl and another a pair of brass knuckles with extensions that came to a sharp point), that he preferred full sets, corsets, or bodysuits and to expect to be tied up. All that this meant is that you needed to leave enough room between pieces to appease his need for marking, and to be prepared for weapon play (much to your dismay). You also knew that Ubel came from a place of semi-royalty, though his power was known only to those in his political realm.
So, what do you wear for royalty? You gnawed on your bottom lip, sighing when you took in the time. It was by no means late (barely 9:30), though you had hoped to be in bed before 11 if you could. Contemplating on what style to wear, you brushed your hair. Often, it was better to think through these types of choices before looking online, because that left room for doubts. For your first meeting, you came to the decision of wearing some sort of bodysuit with a matching pair of underwear, and as you completed your hairstyle for the night, you relaxed back into your bed. Opening the laptop and searching through a safe program, you opened up some of the store names you had worn before, because at least you’d know the size. Fingers hovering over the keyboard, you abruptly shut the computer.
Putting on a pair of crochet slippers, you placed the black card into your pocket before making your way out of your room. When it came to missions, it was easy to taint a certain place for the rest of your life, and for as long as possible you wanted your room to remain a neutral and safe place. So, you didn’t want to be looking up lingerie to wear for a decidedly bad man in your-not-your own bed. One who would probably hurt you, and who you would definitely have to have sex with for the sake of the mission.
Making your way to the kitchen, you poured a generous amount of some cheap wine (you refused to drink the stuff Zemo had, considering your only purpose was to get buzzed and not to appreciate it) into an expensive glass and made your way to the living room, where you could hear the trio still talking.
Zemo was the first to notice you, and the surprise at seeing you was evident. Nodding your head, you made your way to a chair a bit further from them; partly because you didn’t want to interrupt their destress time with work, and partly because you didn’t want them seeing what you were doing.
Pulling up the safe program once again, you went to a website that you’ve had mild success with before, and looked in their bodysuit collection. Deciding to go with the color black, which was more suitable for a first meeting (especially considering there’s a chance he won’t even see your underthings this time around). Clicking the color filter along with your size, you spent a bit of time perusing the options, sipping on your wine until you found one that could work. The cups were solid black, with a few pieces of boning going through the rest of the faintly floral lace of the body. It zipped up the front, and the back was made of the same material. There were two thin, adjustable black straps that connected the front to the back, and you let out a sigh when seeing the thin strap of fabric that counted as the underwear for the piece that was sewn in. You fucking hated thongs, but you were used to wearing them for missions. Looking at a few reviews, you started to idly fill in the information, including the number off the back of the black card.
You were engrossed in ensuring yourself that this would work, that this was convincing enough when you felt someone staring at you. Looking up, you saw that all three males were looking at you, and you realized that they probably had asked a question.
“Pardon, what did you ask?”
Bucky’s face heated up, and you realized it was him who had asked the question. You smiled at him, encouraging him to repeat the question despite his embarrassment over what he had asked being apparent.
“Was wonderin’ if I could touch your legs.”
Yup, Bucky was drunk for sure. The Brooklyn accent was appearing, and you found it so heartwarming that he had asked permission first. Silently, you set the laptop down onto the coffee table before making your way over to him. Smiling, you patted his head before all but shoving yourself in his lap.
“You realize that there’s no way you haven’t felt someone's leg without hair on it before, right? I know for a fact that you’ve been at clubs
en masse
for missions before.”
“Well, I don’t exactly remember touchin’ someone at the clubs considerin’ I was lookin’ at my target the whole time.” Bucky's hands couldn’t stop themselves from moving up and down your legs, and you giggled at his antics.
In many ways Bucky was akin to an abused dog, but when he was drunk (which he rarely was) he became more like a great dane who had no sense of personal space if he was granted permission.
When you had escaped HYDRA, you had severe touch aversion, because you had
years
of unwanted touching, yet you often didn’t want to be alone. And Bucky understood that. There were many nights when you spent hours sitting in silence, not wanting to talk, not wanting to touch, but still be in the presence of another. After starting to talk with a therapist, which Bucky had convinced you to do, you flung to the other side of the snuggling spectrum: you couldn’t get enough of the gentle touches; and Bucky had been there for that, too. It had never turned sexual, and it probably never will, the type of touching Bucky and you did. Hell, the pair of you’d only ever snuggled in pants and a t-shirt, which was by design though neither of you mentioned it.
So you weren’t exactly phased by the way Bucky touched you, but you could see the other two males were.
Zemo cleared his throat, and before he could say anything Sam had your laptop in his hands.
“Woah, there, Y/N, didn’t expect you to be into this sort of thing.” You rolled your eyes, meeting Sams' in a steady glare before answering.
“I’m about to go undercover as a high-end prostitute; of course I’m looking at fucking lingerie, dipshit. Now, be a dear and give me that.” You weren’t asking, and Sam easily passed the technology over. Finalizing the order, you clicked the 24-hour delivery option. There, the easy part was over.
“Jesus, Y/N, lookin’ at porn while situated in my lap, Hon?”
You giggle. “No, Buck, and besides, porn these days moves. This is just for the mission, that’s all.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The lingerie set arrived at some point overnight, and you were in it no later than 8:30. Moving in a bodysuit was difficult when it was worn from use, so you had to use all the time you could to become accustomed to it before the mission. Slipping on a plain t-shirt and pair of jeans, you made your way to the kitchen.
Getting out ingredients, you started the kettle on the stove before gathering the ingredients to make french toast. You hadn’t heard movement from the boys yet- Bucky hadn’t even gone on his morning run- but as you continued to cook you heard the soft padding of feet coming down the stairs. To your surprise, the three of them were already chatting, and you listened to their conversation as you stacked the second batch of french toast on a spare plate. Like you, Bucky had found french toast to be one of his favorite foods post-HYDRA, and boy could that man eat.
When Zemo passed you to get to the percolating kettle, he placed one of his hands onto your waist before muttering a thank you . You blinked, not used to him touching you aside from missions. Nodding towards him, you heard Sam and Bucky start to divide the french toast, and soon they were moving to the adjourning room where you had placed the butter and syrup to eat.
“You ready for the day, Hase?” Zemos voice was always a bit gruffer in the mornings, thicker in his accent. The pair of you stood silently in the kitchen, and when the next batch of four was done Zemo motioned for you to take your fill first.
“Zemo I’m going to eat all four of these so if you want some you might as well take them first.”“You can have this batch. Besides, I must wait until my tea is done steeping anyways.” He was insistent, and shrugging you washed your hands before grabbing the plate to eat with Sam and Bucky.
Bucky flushed, pointedly looking anywhere but your shaved armpits, stuttering out an apology for his behavior.
“Please, Bucky, you have nothing to be sorry for. As far as I’m concerned, you should drink more. At least you asked permission first.” Matter dismissed, the three of you started to discuss the mission before Zemo joined you.
“I take it your…outfit for the night has arrived?” Zemo motioned towards the box you had left on the counter, and despite your best efforts, you blushed.
So, Zemo was kinda hot, who would blame you? Sam. The answer was probably Sam.
“Yes, Zemo, it has. Here’s the card,” you placed the black material onto the table, but he simply made a noise in disapproval. “Surely you’ll need more than one outfit, Hase.” Starting in on his breakfast, you turned to Bucky, who was trying not to choke on his own food.
“James, come now. You had no issue with me calling her that last night.” Zemo had a grin on his face, and you rolled your eyes.
“ Hase is the German word for bunny, Sam. That’s why these two are in a staring contest.” You filled in the fourth member of your team. “You looked confused.”With the clear dismissal, the four of you started to discuss the mission, running over the possible scenarios and long-term plan. Sam was hesitant when you mentioned being tied up, but with a pointed look he knew better than to interfere. After all, this was far from your first mission where your part was the honeytrap, and you knew more than a few ways on how to get out of a… tied-up situation.Despite your air of confidence, when it came time to go back to your room to prepare, a seed of doubt was planted. Before, you could have pulled off this mission without thought. Now, though, now you were aware that this was a choice . That it wasn’t correlated directly to your survival. After redrawing your eyeliner for the third time, you huffed and started to change into the dress you’d be wearing. You slipped into heels as you spoke towards your reflection.“You can do this. This is nothing. Play your part, and wash your hands of this later.”You smiled as the eyeliner went on with one swoop of your wrist.
Your introduction with Troy Ubel went surprisingly well, and he had taken you back to his house. After he had his way with you, he shoved a luxury bag into your hands, and before he closed the door on you, you counted the cash.
It’s not surprising that he didn’t want to pay for you with a credit card or online transaction, because that’s traceable. And, at least this way you wouldn't have to pay taxes.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
You had the Uber drop you off at a house ten blocks from Zemo’s, and after checking the bag for trackers you made the rest of the trip on foot. By the time you made it through the door, you closed your eyes and rested your head against the solid oak.
“You okay, Hase?”Zemo’s voice startled you, and you jumped. You’d expected for the boys to wait up for you, but not for one of them to be in the corner chair with a gun trained at the door.“I’m okay Zemo, thanks for asking. Are Sam and Bucky still up?”The Sokovian nodded, and his gun found home in the leather harness around his body. After taking off your heels, you met his eyes again. Motioning towards the living room, you leaned your front against the top of the chair, not meeting Bucky’s questioning gaze. Before he could question you, you started to give the report.“The best place to put a camera would be on the stairs; it gives a good view of the doorway and the main hallway upstairs. I didn’t plant any bugs, because I figured that he’d scan after I left the first few times. Didn’t want to risk the mission for the sake of hurrying it along,” shifting your weight to your right side, you continued. “He seems to have at least two guards with him at all times, and he has two pitbulls. The one I met at the restaurant was a big softie, but not towards any of the men. So, aside from what he’s doing to earn himself a place on your radar, he’s also impersonating having a service dog and is definitely abusive towards them. When this is all over, I’m taking them with me.”“How long before you think you are able to safely place a camera or bug?” Sam was the one to speak, though it was clear everyone was thinking the same thing.
Taking into account the way Ubel behaved, you did a few calculations in your head. Before you spoke, you shifted back to your left leg. “I’d say after the fourth meeting I can start leaving bugs behind, though it’ll take some time for me to gain access to that golden viewpoint. Cameras are going to be risky, but I may be able to manage on the fifth meeting.”You knew this is not the answer that they wanted, especially Zemo, but what you said was true. The bodyguards had watched you travel from one of Ubel’s master bedrooms to the bathroom like a hawk, and you knew it had nothing to do with your state of being. One of them had almost a sympathetic look in his eye at your state, so he may be a lead in the future; but you could hear them scanning for bugs anywhere you had to pause to breathe during your time using the facilities.
“We trust your judgment, Hon. If you say it’s going to take time, then we’re fine with running the long shot.” Bucky spoke, and you could see Sam nod along with him. You didn’t look at Zemo for approval.Matter dismissed, Sam raised an eyebrow. “So, what’s in the bag?”“Payment. One thing is for sure, boys: even if we split this, I won’t have to eat instant ramen for the next few months.” At your pleased expression, you walked towards the table and overturned the contents. “Don’t worry, I already checked for trackers and bugs. It’s clean.”
“God damn, girl, what exactly did you let him do to you?”Your expression fell, and Sam must have realized what he said.
“I didn’t mean to-”“Hey, Sam, it’s okay. But unless he reveals something, what happens while I’m there is not going to be discussed. Now, you guys can split this-I need out of this dress.”When you walked back to your room, you heard Sam and Bucky starting to talk in hushed voices, and soon Bucky was knocking on your door.
“Hon? Can I come in?”Sighing, you slipped on some shorts and a sweater before opening the door. “Come on in, Buck. What’s up?”“Listen, I don’t know what happened but- you need to talk to one of us, okay? We need to know what he did. It may not seem relevant to you, but…” he trailed off, licking his lips before brushing the hair out from your face. “We don’t like the idea of you being hurt, even for the sake of this mission, so you need to show us what he did. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t think it was necessary- I hate the idea of forcing you to do something and I told Sam we shouldn't have involved someone else in this-”You cut Bucky off by hugging him.
“Hey, Buck, it’s okay. I’m okay. And just to be clear, you aren’t forcing me to do anything- this dude is bad news, Buck, and he needs to be taken down.” You let the words sink in, watching as his crystalline eyes turned from worried to his normal expression. Humming, you continued. “But what do you mean by show? I like you, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t think you should be the one to see this.”You saw a blush take over his expression, and then the deeper sadness appeared. There were quite a few times during his and your captivity under Hydra that he’d injure you, and while he may not know the responsibility lies with him, he did know that he'd hurt others in the past. You didn’t want him to be shoved into an unwanted or unknown memory in the middle of a mission; and slowly you saw his understanding click into place.
“Who’re you more comfortable with? Sam or Zemo?”Who are you more comfortable with? When push comes to shove, you know that both have seen worse shit than what will probably be seen on your body. But, thinking about it, you knew Sam had some form of PTSD- and so did Zemo. He did what he did willingly, whereas Sam was under the guise of another government. Plus, you know Sam would respect you, but never be able to look into your eyes- and you didn’t want Bucky to have to constantly prove to him that you were okay.
Zemo would be respectful, and he’d treat you as an equal. He’d used Honey Pots in the past, with his own teams, and no doubt had he helped care for them.
Bucky watched as a look came over your face and he swore under his breath, knowing the answer and probably coming to the same conclusion as you.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Surprisingly, Zemo came to your room about 30 minutes later. You half-expected him to force you to come to him- just to stroke his ego; but you felt bad the second the thought came to you. Despite his terrorist-status, Zemo was a good guy. Bucky had told you what he had done, and why; about how he tried to kill him and instead the Sokovian had simply nodded, holding no malice. Helmut Zemo was many things, but you did not consider him an asshole.
That didn’t mean he wouldn’t take thirty minutes to be persuaded to actually care about you, though.
When you opened the door to the room, you were quick to close the door and go off towards his room. At his raised eyebrow, you simply shrugged and offered the truth.“I don’t want to do this in my space.”Humming, a gentle hand on your elbow guided you away from your path.
“Let’s find a neutral ground, then.”Allowing yourself to be guided, you found yourself in a bathroom you had found in your initial scope of the place. It was made of mostly marble and porcelain, the whole space white-washed with gold accents and another large, claw-footed tub.
Hovering by the doorway, you watched as Zemo took out a plastic bag from inside his coat pocket, and placed some supplies on the counter. There was the expected- sterile thread and needle, some superglue and tweezers- and the not-quite-expected: lotion and ointment. From a small refrigerator under the sink (which you did not expect), he pulled out some ice. Blushing, you meet his eyes briefly after he laid everything out.
“How’d you know?” Your voice was a whisper, and you hated how small you sounded.
“You kept shifting your weight and have refused to sit down, Hase,” he tilted his head before continuing. “And, your…shorts may have ridden up a bit.”Nodding, you sighed. “How do you want to do this? I don’t know what Bucky told you, exactly.”“James kindly told me that I was to take care of you after your sessions with that piece-of-shit Ubel; and that should any of my… findings be relevant I should speak up. Aside from that, as he so kindly put it, if I ‘were to ever disrespect you by going behind his back or use the information against you, he would make my previous cell at the Raft look like a luxury.’”
Snorting, you nodded. “This won’t be weird between us?”Despite not being as close to him as you are to Sam and Bucky, you didn’t want whatever had been growing between you to take a step backwards. You weren’t close to Zemo, but you’d hate it if suddenly it became awkward. Just because you could deal with it doesn't mean you wanted an already taxing mission to become worse outside of your sessions with Ubel.
“I assure you nothing of the such will happen. Now, when you are ready, if you could… show me what he did, we can go get some rest.”Biting your lip, you approached the area on the vanity that didn’t have a mirror, leaned slightly against the porcelain, and shoved your shorts down. You hadn’t bothered with underwear.You heard Zemo’s sharp intake of breath, and you dropped your head to look at your toes under the countertop.
“What did he use, Hase?”“His hand and then a cane.” Spreading your legs, you motioned to the inside of your left thigh. “The fucker bit me, too.”A mumble, and then the shelf to your left was being shoved open and a curse was falling from Zemos lips. “Am I okay to touch you? I don’t have to, but I know this may hurt.” He showed you a bottle of hydrocortisone cream, and you faintly smiled at him getting clear consent from you.
Nodding, you startled when the sink turned on next to you, but let Zemo work in private. The bite wound made you hiss, but when he applied ointment to your bruised ass you had to sink your teeth into your fist to prevent the sob from escaping.
You’d been spanked before, even with a cane thinner than the one Ubel had used, so you weren’t sure why you wanted to cry. The little voice inside your head that sounded suspiciously like your therapist said maybe it’s because this is the first time you got care afterwards . Shaking your head, you hadn’t noticed that Zemo was done until the material of your shorts was around your hips, and the sink turned on again.
The two of you awkwardly made your way to the door, and you motioned for Zemo to go through first. You go separate ways, and you sleep.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
It was two weeks after you met with Ubel, and it was long enough to make you worried. Had you done something that caused him to leave you? Sure, you didn’t like the man-but the rejection still stung. You’d never been rejected while you were under HYDRA, and you couldn’t help but wonder if that’s why it hadn’t worked: you weren’t enthusiastic enough or you didn’t analyze him enough or-“Get out of your head, Girlie. I don’t know where you went, but come back to us.” Bucky’s hand was warm where you had absently ran your thumb across his knuckles. “We knew that it’d take time between meeting with you, so there’s no reason to fret.”“He hasn’t taken anyone from the clubs since you, so he’s probably just waiting for you to heal up.” Zemo’s voice caused you to snap and look at him, but you saw no malice, no planning inside his eyes. Sure, the other boys didn’t exactly know what happened, so they wouldn’t really know what the Sokovian Royal meant, but you couldn't help the glare you fixed his way.
“Yeah, well, it’d be nice if the asshole could get moving. I’m ready for this mission to be over.” You didn’t miss the way Sam looked at Bucky, but your turned down smile must have told him to dismiss it. Before you could change the topic, your phone buzzed.
USPS || There is a package ready for pickup at… The message went on, but you stopped reading it. You had a hunch that Troy may be the type to give gifts-after all, he was rich–and after scanning the message you were glad to have set up a P.O. box in your cover’s name.
“Well, boys, looks like the time for waiting is up. I’ve got a package to pick up, am I good to go by myself? I’ll scan it for bugs and trackers before I bring it here.”“The post office is almost five miles from here, I can drive you there,” You weren’t exactly surprised by Zemo’s offer to drive you, and instead of commenting you grabbed your purse and P.O. box key.
By the time you had grabbed it from your- the, this is not your - dresser and snagged a pair of tennis shoes from the closet, Zemo was adorned in his fur-collared coat. The pair of you made your way to the vehicle, Zemo opening the backdoor for you before sitting in the vehicle himself. The surprise must have shown on your face, as Zemo was quick to introduce you to Oeznik, an elderly man who you had only heard about in passing.
You knew better than to fall for his persona, though. You’d heard about what happened to the Flagsmashers, and Bucky had later filled you in on who, exactly, was responsible for that bomb.Still, the way Zemo had introduced you- This is my acquaintance, please do be kind to her - sent a red flag up for you. Silently, you made a note to talk about this later- to and with who you hadn’t decided yet, but you did.
You’d gone into the Post Office and collected the package, subtly taking out the scanner Zemo had handed to you. When it came back clean, you smiled towards the window clerk and made your way back to the vehicle. You were dropped off at the same house you were the first time Ubel’s driver dropped you off, and after thirty minutes the car came around back and you were quick to slip inside the car before Zemo could get outside and open the door.
Quietly, the pair of you were dropped off, and Oeznik went back to doing whatever he did when Zemo wasn’t pulling him one way or the other.Zemo had opened up the door, and you tried to escape to your -the room before anyone could corner you. Your efforts were in vain.
“So, what did he send?” Sam’s voice startled you, and you almost dropped the soft package.
Giving up on not being embarrassed, you went to the kitchen island where the two other men were standing.
“Are you sure you want to see this?” Before you could explain that you recognized the label, Bucky had ripped it open.
The individual packs burst over the countertop, and despite your best efforts you blushed. Grabbing a piece of paper that had fallen off the counter, you read the scrawling script. A part of you blushed anew when you realized that Troy had probably asked one of the packagers from the brand to write it.
Can’t wait to see you again. My place, 10 o’clock this Thursday. Wear this for me, and a pair of heels.
-Troy
“Well, looks like I’m on for Thursday,” you trailed off, not really speaking to the boys as much as making a comment to yourself outloud. As you took in the sound of the boys being silent, you placed the heavy cardstock on the counter and motioned to grab the lingerie that was spewed across the counter. “Well, I better hope to the gods that Ubel knows more about sizing than he does about pleasing women, because if not I may be in trouble.”You finally looked towards the boys, seeing them in various states of shock and anger. In Bucky’s hands was a thick black leather bondage collar with spikes going inwards, with a D-ring on what you assumed to be the front. In Sam’s hands was a matching pair of cuffs, and Zemo’s another pair. You didn’t know which were intended for your wrists and for your ankles, but you did recognize the anger slowly burning inside the trio’s eyes.
“Well, I told you guys you probably didn’t want to see what was inside,” you huffed, turning defensive. It was clear that Bucky was uncomfortable with the thought of you wearing these, and Sam was right beside him. Logically, they both should have prepared for this- you told them about the knifeplay that one of the workers had warned you about. A few spikes were nothing, yet they were fretting over it.Getting one of Zemo’s many teapots out of the cabinet, you started the process of heating water. Scouring the rest of the space, you found what you had been looking for: some hot chocolate mix. It’s one of the things that you had brought from home, despite Zemo claiming he could get any commodities needed. One of the moments you remember from before- before living between places, before the Huntress program- is a woman teaching you how to make the mix from scratch, and while you didn’t know if she was your mother or just a kind woman, it gave you comfort to drink it nonetheless.
“Would anyone like some?” You weren’t truly asking, taking down glasses that were probably too expensive to waste on hot chocolate, but that’s all you could find. Pouring the mix in and starting to stir it, you startled when Sam’s hand accidentally made contact.
“Okay, boys, we are going to sit down and have a conversation, aren’t we?” There was no room for argument, and as you motioned towards the kitchen island seats, they sat. “You all have concerns, so we’re going to do this once and then I don’t want to hear about it. Sam, do you know of the…arrangement I have with Bucky and Zemo?” He nodded, and you continued. “Unless I say otherwise, I can take it. So, what are your worries and questions? I’m only doing this once.”Bucky licked his lips, but to your surprise Sam answered first.
“Listen, I don’t want to say I know what you can and can’t handle, but there has to be a line. You’ve got to be careful what situation you get into-never know when a shutdown may occur. I don’t need to tell you that you have trauma.” His words held no room for argument, and you agreed.
“You are correct, Sam- I do know what I can and cannot handle, and I also know of my trauma. But I also know that I don’t go rag-doll when I have episodes- do I, Buck?”“Nah, she managed to get out of a full suspension while under before.”That opened up a whole other conversation, and instead of handling onslaught after onslaught you divulged that Bucky and you had been using suspension to calm down your anxiety and try to reclaim your body. It was nothing sexual, and neither of you were wearing less clothing than what was comfortable and safe.
“What are you doing about comedown? I know after sceneing, those involved can slip into…spaces, and if neglected it can lead to a drop.” Zemo’s voice was calculating, and you should have known that he’d be a kinky fucker and know about subspace and domspace.
“I can handle myself, Zemo. And I truly do appreciate you…agreeing to the arrangement between us. I’m sorry I didn’t give you much of a choice, but I appreciate it.”The four of you talked until you’d come to an agreement that you were, in fact, okay and could handle your own. You all went separate ways for the night.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
As much as you hated the leather bits, the piece Ubel had sent was gorgeous. And, surprisingly, the gods listened to you– the man knew more about sizing than trying to please a woman. Granted, it wasn’t about him pleasing you, it was about you pleasing him. He was just much more happy to please you with money in an expensive bag as you were stumbling out of his house.In the end, he had taken the cuffs off your ankles, though he sent you out to the car with the cuffs and collar still on. Knowing by now that the “Uber” was really just one of his men, you kept the leather on and ‘scrolled’ through your phone until you were dropped off at the same house as last time. Getting out of the car, you walked to the back entrance. Here, you paused, deciding to dig the keys to the tiny house out of your actual bag and took pause.
You needed a second to breathe, and you did so against the table of the little rental. Digging into your coat pocket, you fished out your true phone and typed up a message. Before you could hit send, you thought better of it and sent it to another contact.
You || Can you send Oeznik? I need a better car than an Uber. At the rental house. Please don’t tell the boys. Zemo || He’s headed your way. Is there anything else you need? You || Nope.
You || Thank You. The car rode up, and before Oeznik could get out, you slipped into the back. Slipping out the towel from the wine chiller, you sat down on it. You knew that the water couldn’t be good for the leather, but…well, you figured it was better than blood.
“How are you tonight, Oeznik?” The normalcy of a conversation was sorely needed, and to your delight the pair of you held a conversation until you were at Zemo’s home. This time you indulged the older man, letting him open your door so you could discreetly shove the bloodied towel into your purse.
“Thank you for coming to get me. I really appreciate it,” you gave him a quick kiss by his ear (as you had seen Zemo do in passing), and there was a softness in his eyes that you felt proud to have put there.Waving the Chauffeur off, you turned around and walked through the door. This time, when Zemo saw you, he gripped the gun handle tighter and ushered you out of Sam and Bucky’s line of sight. Steering you towards the same bathroom as before, Zemo motioned you to kneel on a chair while he went and got better supplies.
He was gone for about twenty minutes, and faintly you wondered how he had run to the store in that short amount of time.
You took off the coat you were wearing, clad in only a see-through crop top. Shortly after leaving his house, the pair of spandex shorts you were wearing had been cut off. The piece had been ruined, and the lace and mesh stuck to your skin in an uncomfortable way.
Zemo did a good job controlling his reaction, but not quick enough. Before his expression settled on sad, there was an unmistakable glimpse of rage in his eyes.
Moving to be over the counter, you turned so he couldn’t see your face as he started washing his hands. “It’s not as bad as it looks, promise. Most of the cuts are topical.”You hoped that some glimpse of truth was shown in your tone, but you knew it fell flat. By the time Ubel had finished, most of the cuts had stopped bleeding. Silence enveloped the pair of you, and there was a gentleness to Zemo’s hands as he wrapped the cuts that had stopped bleeding. You’d fallen almost into a trance, but when Zemo’s hands moved to your lower back you stiffened.
“Is this still okay? I don’t have to touch you, I can guide you through this.” His accent was strong, and you faintly recognized he was already in his pajamas for the evening.
“No, you’re good. It’s just going to sting like a bitch. What did you guys do while I was gone?” You didn’t want the silence anymore, so a conversation was struck up.
“Samuel and James went out for a supply run. I took a nap. They got some takeout for themselves, though I made some pasta. Are you hungry, Hase?” Zemo spoke slow and calm as he addressed the bruised and bloodied skin of your ass, and you breathed through your nose so no noise escaped from you.
“Pasta sounds great, Zemo.” Making sure your voice was level, you subtly wiped the tears from your eyes. When the sink turned on, you turned to find something to cover yourself with. Not seeing anything, you noticed a soft, cream-colored knitted sweater and loose boxers.
Noticing your line of sight, Zemo hummed. “I can go get you another change of clothing if you’d prefer; this is just what I could grab before either of the boys noticed your entrance.”You could cry because of how nice Zemo was towards you, such a strong difference from Ubel’s treatment, and you just shook your head. If you answered verbally, you knew the tears would escape.
“I’ll leave you to change, Hase.” Zemo took his exit, and as you slipped into the clothing you couldn’t help but notice that it smelled faintly of the Baron himself and Bucky.Despite the sting, you sat down on a pack of ice as Bucky warmed up a healthy serving of Zemo’s pasta. The three men were hovering around the island, watching you eat. “I put a wire in each of the cuffs, so we should have a line on Ubel once it’s activated. Figured we should wait a few days before doing it, so if they scan they won’t turn up.”“But you said that it’d be way down the line until it was safe to do so?”“Sam, that was before I got a package from Shuri. These won’t be detected and can be turned on and off to help save battery and remain undetected. There’s also no noticeable mark for where it is.” The pasta was good, and you thanked the Baron for making it. “You guys are free to activate it, I wrote it all down in my pack that’s in the living room. I need some sleep, and we can talk more in the morning.”Washing your plate and fork, you went to your- not your- room. Seeing the ruined lingerie, you shoved it into the garbage before laying down on your front and sleeping deep.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Ubel was quick to schedule another ‘meeting’ with you, and once again he sent you a pricey set of lingerie with the date and time. He wanted you to wear the collar again, and when you put it on before leaving Zemo’s residence you caught a look of anger from him in the mirror.
What could he be angry about? Hadn’t you explained the mission well enough? Proven that you could handle more?
When you left you couldn’t help the tiny bit of dread that was creeping in. Arriving at Ubel’s residence, you greeted the pitbulls abandoned outside briefly before walking up to and knocking on the door.
He wasn’t in a mood to wait, and no sooner had you stepped inside were you dragged to the playroom by the D-ring on the collar. The spines didn’t necessarily hurt , but they irritated your skin something terrible.
“You green?” There was whiskey on his breath, and briefly you considered walking away–no good escort would allow her client to go into a scene while intoxicated; but then again, you weren’t an escort and Ubel was not a good man.“Green, Daddy.”
That’s all the ‘coercion’ that he needed before stripping you to the lingerie and strapping you down to a breeding bench. Distantly, you realized that if you needed to get out, you could do so by targeting the left-side arm strap. You knew from previous sessions that he liked using a spider gag. Most likely because of the embarrassment and ability to hear your sounds.
It was easy to profile him, and you played your part for the night well. When you came back, a dress and Florentine handbag with the cash inside was shoved into your hands, and you were put into an Uber.
Once again, Ozenik retrieved you from the decoy house, and when you arrived back at Zemo's residence, you gave his cheek a kiss. “Have a good night, Miss.”“Please, Ozenik, use my first name.”The older man gave you a grin and returned to the driver's seat.
As he drove away, you tried to hide the grimace from your weight being placed on your feet.
This time, when you entered the house, it was not Zemo who had the gun trained at the door, it was Bucky.
“Hey Buck, what’s up?” You walked past the chair and made way into the living room, where you once again upended the bag. The money was well over what you’d normally make in a year, but the joy from the first time didn’t come. You went to the closet and hung the no doubt, expensive, dress from a hanger. Turning around, you looked at your mission partners.
Sam didn’t make eye contact with you, and alarmingly you realized that they had probably listened in. You didn’t know where Ubel had taken the cuffs- you had spotted one in the playroom, but wasn’t sure if it was the one from your set or not.
“Have a seat, won’t you? We should talk.” Bucky’s voice behind you made you jump, though you followed the suggestion. Sitting down barely stung, though you were clearly uncomfortable.“You guys listened, didn’t you?” You couldn’t keep the blush from forming across your face, and rested your head into your hands.
“Only me, Hase. We all kind of decided that this was an extended form of our…agreement. I was monitoring the cuff inside the… room , while they listened through the other one.” Zemo’s voice was kind, and soon a cup of hot chocolate was placed in front of you. Thanking him, you turned to the other two.
“What’s up, then?”“Y/N, they are talking about how much you’d be worth at an auction. Not only are they in on foreign weapons sales, they’re also heading a human trafficking ring. We’ve got more than enough to pin them, so we can just go in and arrest them.” Sam’s voice was not pleased, so you knew it wasn’t the end of the conversation. The image came to you clearly, and you butted in before Bucky or Zemo could.
“But if we go in there and arrest them, we have no idea where the auction is. Right?”“Yeah.” Bucky confirmed your suspicions, despite there being no question to begin with.The air was heavy, and despite yourself a full-on laugh overtook your chest. By the time you were done, there were honest tears in your eyes, and you cut yourself off before you could truly bawl.
“Well, I’ve always wanted to go undercover to catch human trafficking. Hell, I’ll probably be able to play the part better than most, considering I’ve done it before.” The casual mention of your past perked Zemo’s curiosity, and you could see Bucky’s frown turn deeper.“I think maybe we should table any ideas for now, allow you to…recover before making any rash decisions.” Sam, always the voice of reason, spoke up, and you hummed.
“You know, Sam, sometimes you have the wisdom that Bucky lacks, despite him having more years on you,” looking over towards Zemo, you patted his shoulder. “I’m going to go get a change of clothes, then I’ll head to you.”
Not giving him a chance to say anything, you headed towards your room (and, yeah, at this point you aren’t even going to try and tell yourself you’ve been thinking of it as anything else) to grab your pajamas.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
To your surprise, when you opened the door Zemo was running a bath. An honest-to-gods bath with unscented bubbles floating inside and an array of products along the side. The man himself was by the sink, slowly cataloging all of your reactions. Gone was his gun holster (which you’ve always suspected he slept with), and his button up was rolled to his elbows. Faintly, you realized that his belt was gone too.
You walked up to the sink that was void of a mirror, tugging on the bottom of your sweatshirt. Despite you all seeing each other in different states of dress, for some reason you were hesitant to let him treat your back.
“Would you like the bath before or after, Süße?”Debating the options, you decided on before. While you didn’t exactly want Zemo to see anything, you didn’t want to be alone. Maybe it was an aftereffect of being told that you were probably going to be bait for another human trafficking operation, maybe it was because you’d had an intense session with Ubel, or maybe it was just because of how kind the Sokovian was being.
“Promise you won’t peek?”Zemo’s body went rigid, and you realized the mistake as soon as the words left your mouth. He hadn’t meant to help you through the bath. Before you could apologize, Zemo had placed a bare hand against your cheek.“Promise. You can call me in once you are ready for me,” the man closed the door behind him, and you spent a few minutes getting comfortable before moving towards the bath.
Stripping from the oversized hoodie, you took in your reflection in the full-length mirror opposite the bath. There was a heavy imprint of the collar, and it was faintly bruised. Aside from that, there was nothing noticeably wrong. But when you turned to look at your back, you had to take in a breath. You’d known from the first drip of wax that it wasn’t skin-safe, and now you could see the raised red splotches from where it came in contact with skin. Your ass was still faintly bruised from the last time, but you’ve gone numb to the feeling. There was a new bite mark on the inside of your thigh. Not wanting to look at the rest of the damage, you slowly slipped into the tub.Moving your body so that it was mostly covered in the bubbles, you called for Zemo to come back in.
The man slowly approached you, his hands always in your direct line of sight, though you laughed: he was looking at the ceiling.“Zemo, all of my more intimate places are covered by the bubbles. It’s okay to look.”“Apologies, I did not mean to offend,” His accent was thicker than usual. “Would you like assistance or rather have me sit beside the tub?”“Would you-” cutting yourself off, you internally cringed. You’re already taking up so much of his time, you didn’t have a right to ask. Looking up to make eye contact, you saw an expression that you’ve never seen.“What is it, Süße? Ask anything and it’s yours.”Not wanting to unpack all of that , you asked the rest of your question from before. “Would you wash my hair? If not I can do it myself, no problem.”
Zemo simply hummed, and motioned you to lay back. Wincing, you moved your hair and showed him the skin irritation from the wax. Understanding, he made a noise of unhappiness.“Every time you leave to go there, I feel helpless. I know it’s for the mission, but I hate knowing that you are hurting.” He spoke under his breath, clearly not intending for you to hear it.
Before you could comment, the back of your head was guided by calloused hands to wet it. For a few moments you let his quiet confession sink through the air, and then you gathered a washcloth and some unscented body wash from the side of the tub.
“Do you want to talk about it, Hase?”“Can we talk about something else? Anything else?”Zemo was sure in his movements, gently washing your hair and hesitantly moving on to your back. He was careful of the puffy red marks, and was able to accommodate his touch to the responses your body was giving back.
You had no idea what Zemo was talking about, feeling floaty and leaning into his touches. Is this what subspace was supposed to feel like? Or is this just how touch is supposed to feel and I’ve been so long without? It took a few moments before you realized Zemo was in front of you, and a few more after that to realize he was speaking your name.“It’s time to get out now, Süße,” faintly, you nodded your head in acknowledgement, and a small smile crept onto the Baron’s face. “The towel is right in front of you, I’m going to leave the room until you are dressed again. Is that okay?”A whine escaped into the air around you, though it took a second to realize that it was you who it had come from. Shaking your head, you nodded. As you got dressed, you decided to sit against the tile, and called him back into the room.
“Alright, where else did he-”Your eyes were wet, though you didn’t know why or when it had happened. Clearing your throat, you spoke.
“Along with my back and throat there’s another bite on my thigh. And- he, um, he caned my feet. It hurts,” you didn’t elaborate more than that, and didn’t need to.
Zemo washed his hands again, and then started the process of bandaging your thigh. The antiseptic hurt, as did the lotion that was rubbed into your raw skin, but you didn’t really begin to cry until he reached your feet.
“I’m so sorry- I don’t know why, why I’m- I’m cry-ing like this. I can do this my-myself. You’ve already do-one so much for m-me.” You couldn’t meet those chestnut brown eyes, and in response Zemo held your head and kissed your hair.
“Would you rather James or Sam be here? I can go get them, but I won’t let you be alone. It was a heavy scene with- it was a heavy scene, and you shouldn’t be alone.” His words were final, and you could tell how much he meant them.
Sniffling, you shook your head. “We sho-shouldn’t bo-other them. Ca-can I just go to be-bed?”“Sure, Hase. I can take you there.” In a moment that you couldn’t comprehend, Zemo motioned to carry you and once again you pinked.
“I can walk, Zemo.”“Just because you can walk doesn’t mean you have to put yourself through that pain. Not when there’s a sensible alternative.”Not knowing how to reply, you sighed and let him carry you there. As he laid you down into bed, you tugged on his arm.
“Thank you, Zemo. Really. You don’t know how much this means to me.” There were tears in your eyes, though you hoped he couldn’t see them through the barely-there light.
“Anything for you, Süße. Sleep Sweet.”And you did.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
It was an awkward three weeks since you couldn’t walk without the sensitive skin on your feet hurting. Bucky had taken to carrying you everywhere; and while you were glad he did it, there was a small part of you that was comparing it to Zemo.Despite your slight breakdown, you tried your best to pretend that nothing had happened between Zemo and you, that you hadn’t broken down , and were glad when he didn’t mention it again.
Client #3 || Can u send me some pictures Client #3 || I can $$ for them You’d had to tell Ubel that the next session was canceled, because not only was that a normal response from an escort, but also because he’d hurt you. You could barely walk , let alone do gods-knows-what he was going to put you through.
So, now you were awkwardly sitting on the marble counter wondering how the fuck you were going to take some tasteful nudes. Logically, you knew they were probably for whatever site that Ubel had the human trafficking ring going through, but you still wanted it to count.
Despite breaking out of the program you were in, you’d never really gotten into the online dating arena. And while this certainly wasn’t that, if there was going to be documentation of your body on the Internet, you wanted to make it worth it. But what were you going to do?
Yes just say, hey, Bucky, I know that you’ve never seen me completely naked, but would you mind taking some probably close-up pictures of my genitals for the head of a human trafficking ring? No? What about you, Sam?
You didn’t entertain the idea of asking Zemo. Sure, it would be logical- he’s seen your bits up-close and personal while tending to you-but some part of you was almost shy about it.
Realizing you’d left Ubel on read for too long, you replied in a way that would give you more time.You || How much? Client #3 || Whats ur rate You || $400 for two full body shots in an outfit of my choice, one position of your choice (extras cost more), one completely nude, and one close-up picture of a body part of your choice. $400 seemed like a bit much, but you knew he could afford it. The three dots appeared and disappeared a few times before he replied
Client #3 || Done. I can mail money thru ur P.O. box? You || I’ll send them once the payment goes through And now, you are back to the prior train of thought. Who to ask?“Hey Buck, where’s Nat at these days?”“She’s running a mission somewhere with Yelena. Why?”You waited until both he and Sam had taken a drink before answering them.
“Ubel is asking and then paying me for nude photographs and I do not have any ready to go.”The cheap beer sputtered out of Sam’s mouth and his voice was high and screechy with his reply, “ Jesus Christ, warn a guy!”Bucky was much slower to reply. “Nude…photographs. That’s still a thing in this day and age?”“Yeah, Buck. Though, I mean full-on nudies, not just in lingerie.”“And you can’t take them yourself?”You arched an eyebrow. “Buck, I’m supposed to be a high-end escort. If I take these pictures myself, he’s going to know that I’m not legit. Having good nudies is pretty much a staple of high-end prostitution, isn’t it, boys?”Sam was very quick to look at a wall.
“I myself have never partaken with an escort, but my wife had indulged me before,” at the mention of Heike you turned your head downwards. You understood where his need for revenge had stemmed from, and as such you had never blamed him. But hearing him talk about her hurt somewhere deep inside of you.“Well, I’m going to need someone to help me do this, for the mission. So unless any of you have a better idea…one of you is going to have to do it.” Your hands were laid out on the marble underneath you, your red-soled feet slightly swaying off the edge.
“I am not having any part of this. Nope. Nada. You know what? I think I need to go out on a supply run….yeah, we’re definitely low on beer,” Sam was a bad liar when his life wasn’t on the line, and he was very abrupt to ‘hide’ the twelve-pack of beer from your line of
sight. “Buck, want to help me pick out some? Yeah, we can go out and get some beer, maybe go get some take-out way later in the day. What d'ya say?”And then Bucky and him were running out of the building quicker than you could spell obvious .
Turning sheepishly back to Zemo, you could barely meet his eyes.
“I can ask someone else-” you were interrupted by a series of pings coming through the cell phone you’d bought specifically for use with Ubel.
Client #3 || The mail should be thru.
Client #3 || how much 4 extras? Client #3 || want u to be plugged 4 me ;) Client #3 || want close up of ur throat Client #3 || I’ll $$ more if its in the collar Client #3 || want u tied up in one At some point in his onslaught of texts, Zemo had come over and was looking at the string of increasingly obscene texts. His brown eyes met yours, and you couldn’t help but blush.“So, you up for this? Or am I finding someone from one of the clubs for help?”“Oh, Süße, as if I’d let you. You’d never be comfortable with anyone else, and you need to be…relaxed for this. Do you want my help? I said anything, did I not?”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
I said anything, did I not? Those words kept repeating in your head, accent thick and heady as it wormed its way inside the fog of your brain. Logically you knew that the sentiment Zemo had expressed was limited only to the mission, but you couldn’t help but wonder if it meant more.
When the boys had come back much later in the night, they were met with you and Zemo huddled around your computer. They were surprised to hear that you hadn’t done the shoot, and you’d rolled your eyes.
“You boys do realize what goes into a photoshoot, right? For fucks sake, I don’t even have a set of lingerie that hasn’t been destroyed by Ubel. You’ll have to leave at some point tomorrow.”And here you were, drinking hot chocolate as you ripped your way through the packages that were delivered at some point. It was a bit of a surprise on what you got, considering you hardly remembered much of last night past the first talk with Zemo.
You vaguely remember asking the boys for their opinions, and they were happy to supply them. They must have felt how uncomfortable you were with the situation, and took over. Aside from giving an input on what kinds of things Ubel had suggested, you let them take the reigns. Instead, you drank some cheap whiskey that burned the first time it went down, and subsequently went to bed.
So, looking through the packaging your blush returned. There were two beautiful pieces, one black and one chestnut brown. Humming as the boys came back inside from their run, you motioned to the eggs, bacon, and toast that sat at the counter for them.
“How was your run today?”“Good, Girlie. What’re you doing up this early?”At your eyebrow raise, Sam stepped in to save his friends’ ass. “We only ask because you were pretty inebriated last night. Never knew you liked whiskey that much.”You grimaced. “Well, I didn’t truly know either. Thank you for setting out the ibuprofen and pedialyte before your run.”When they shared a look, it wasn’t hard to conclude that neither of them were responsible for the hangover remedy appearing on your bedside table. Instead of bringing it up, you turned back to the pieces on the table. Looking over it now, you realized that the receipts had disappeared, and maybe that wasn’t a coincidence either. Shaking your head, not wanting to read into the situation any more, you returned to the last conversation you remember having with the men in front of you.
“Unless you want to help with the photoshoot, I’m suggesting you make yourself scarce for the rest of the day. It’ll probably take around,” looking at the complexity of one of the pieces, you calculated how long it’ll take. “An hour and a half for me to get ready for the shoot. So, there’s no need for you to book it out faster than you did last night.”Taking the boxes with you, you returned to the room you were temporarily calling home. Getting into the shower, you grabbed a few razors from under your sink and began the process of getting ready for the shoot. Once you were done with that, you wrapped a towel around your figure before rubbing non-scented lotion into the smooth skin. Fingering through your hair, you decide to dry it using a hair dryer and get it under control. Looking towards the packaging sprawled over your bed, you took the time to truly appreciate the pieces.
The chestnut brown piece had two parts to it, a wire-free bra and a pair of high-waisted underwear. Picking up the bra, you realized it was mostly see-through and had a strap that went underneath the bust that connected in the back. Putting it on, you noticed that the underbust strap didn’t connect to the cups in the front at all; as such, it sat about an inch below your bust, and it appeared not to be connected at all. The panties were made of the same see-through material, and went into a subtle V starting at the top of your pelvic bones. The material for both pieces has a subtle pattern that didn’t really remind you of anything; faintly, you were impressed that it wasn’t floral. To bring the piece together subtly, you applied a natural-looking face of makeup.
Shrugging on a sweatshirt and shorts, careful not to disturb your makeup or hair, you went looking for Zemo. Surprisingly, as you want to open the door to your room, Bucky was readying himself to knock.
“Hey, Buck, what’s up?”“Can I come in?”“Of course,” moving the other piece to the dresser, you sat down across from your friend. It was obvious that Bucky was struggling to decide what to say, and you weren’t surprised when he cut straight to the point.
“Do I need to be worried about you? I know that you said that you’re okay with the mission in regards to Ubel, but I never really asked about Zemo, nor about the H.T. ring.”Grabbing a hold of his hands- not flinching when you felt his left hand’s innards working to adjust to the pressure, you took time to think through how to best explain your feelings.
“Bucky, do you trust me?” at his nod of affirmation you continued. “Good. Because I trust you too. I trust you to look out for me, and to have my back when I’m not in your line of sight. So trust me to decide when I have had too much,” taking another direction with your explanation, you paused.
“Do you remember the first time you used the shibari rope? Remember how far down I got, and how I didn’t panic afterwards because you were there for me. Well, Ubel isn’t really getting me to that space, because he’s mostly interested in pain, but…” Looking at Bucky’s crystalline eyes, you took a deep breath. This was either going to go well or horrible, and there’s no in-between. “Well, Zemo’s getting me to come down despite me not having gotten there. And he’s not the only one–Oeznik has silently started to stockpile bandages and ice in whatever vehicle he collects me in.
“I may not know Zemo in the same way that you and Sam do, but I know him in this way. And that matters to me. While he did something awful to you and the rest of the Avengers, I don’t see him that way. I see him as a man who has done everything he could to protect his family; and when that failed, he had the patience and resources to do right by them. And now, I’m seeing him do right by me .
“Now, by no means am I comparing him to family- but he’s doing good by me. He’s helping me after the stressful sessions with Ubel, and I…well, I don’t want to give that up.”Bucky’s eyes had gotten harder at the casual mention of the turmoil that took over between his friends and him, but by the end of your half-declaration, his eyes were back to open and happy. Before he answered, Bucky stood up and held your hands, placing a soft kiss to your forehead.
“You’re right–the history between him, Sam, and I is not comparable to what’s between you two. And he is doing right by you–even when you don’t need defending or anything. When something comes up and he divulges about your sessions, I can see the hatred in his eyes for Ubel. And when you come in, hurting and sore, I can see how he tries to shield you from us. I can see how good he is for you. I’m just worried about what happens after this mission is done.”
Bucky ran a hand through his short hair, debating whether to say more or not. You waited patiently, not wanting to influence what he’s saying. “I haven’t told anyone this yet, but Zemo’s not going back to the Raft. The Wakandans have decided that so long as he keeps wearing the chip, he’s free. He can do anything he wants, travel freely so long as it’s lawfully done. And the government agrees with their viewpoint, funnily enough.” Petting your hair, and making sure you are comprehending what he’s saying, he continues. “It’ll be up to him what he does, and I’d hate to see you get hurt. You mean too much to me, Girlie.”“I promise, no matter what happens, you’ll always have me, Buck. You mean too much to me for you to get hurt. But if Zemo decides he’s interested in me being a part of his life outside prison, I may go with him. I’ll never leave you, though. I’ll always be here for you, simply a call away.”The air was weighted between the two of you, and you pulled him in for a hug as there was a polite knock against the door. Moving towards it, knife pulled from a shelf nearby, you opened the door to see Sam.
“Hey, is Bucky in here? I think we should probably get going before- well, no offense, but I don’t want to see you in this light.”Nose scrunched up, you glared at the other male.
“Buck, Sam’s being mean to me,” you played irritation towards your friend, and he was quick to come and hug you from behind.
“Now, now, Sammy, I can’t have you gettin’ fresh with my girl here.” There was mirth in his tone, and despite knowing that there was nothing of that nature going on between you two, Sam flew into apologies.
“It’s all good, Sam. I know you didn’t mean anything by it. But yeah, you two should leave soon. Very soon. You know what, I’ll see the pair of you out.” Herding them towards the door, grabbing a hat for Bucky and both of their keys and phones, you slid the deadbolt in place before they could protest.
Turning around, you yelped seeing the Sokovian royal standing there.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Morning, Zemo. Have you had breakfast yet?” Instinctively you went to pull the edge of your sweatshirt down, and you tried not to rationalize how useless the motion was.
“I have, Hase. Have you eaten yet today?”You debated telling him the truth or not. “Um. Well, I…don’t think I should until the pictures have been taken.” It was silly to worry about bloating in the pictures, but you were.
Zemo’s lips barely turned downwards, but to you it felt like miles. “I can’t say I agree with that, but it’s not my place to tell you otherwise. Shall we get ready?”“I’m already ready, I was going to come and get you before Bucky turned up in my room, though I may have gotten sidetracked. Do you need help setting up? I have to admit I have no idea what the process is for this type of thing. The last time I was in front of a camera was when they took pictures of us girls in holiday garbs for fake photo books.” You hadn’t meant for that to come out.
“It’s all set up.” An almost sheepish look took over the royal’s face, but he was quick to talk while leading you to a room. “In my youth, I actually took up photography. My parents may not have known it, but I’m not exactly…new to this type of photography. Growing up, I couldn’t be seen anywhere close to explicit imagery, but I was able to see it under the guise of professionalism.”You could almost see it: a young-faced, fairly innocent (at least in respect to murder) royal son who bent the rules to look at naked people in the flesh. You wondered how he reflected on those times in his life, whether he sees it as naive or holds it precious.
Entering the room, you had to do a double take. There was a long coil of plain shibari rope hanging from a wooden hook, and a sturdy plank hanging horizontally from the ceiling. For some reason, you did not expect that. Distantly, you registered the fact that Zemo was still standing outside of the space, leaving the door open for you to turn around.
“We do not have to do a suspension, I wasn’t sure what you were doing to fulfill his request, but I figured since I had the means to, I’d offer.” You could clearly hear the disapproval and distaste that Zemo held for Ubel, and it made something deep in your gut weaken.
Thinking over what you wanted to say, you licked your lips. “Well, maybe it’d be better for us to take…more than needed. Just in case, you know?”A nod from Zemo and you blushed anew.
“Before we start, I wanted to make sure that this is okay with you. Like I’ve said before, I don’t want this to turn things awkward between us for the sake of the mission.” You didn’t mention that he could’ve easily hired someone else to do it; and that the fact he didn’t even suggest it made something that felt too close to hope settle in your stomach.
“Nothing will change, Hase. I promise. I need to run some test shots, feel free to look around and get familiar with the space.” Zemo started to fiddle with lighting equipment and camera lenses, and you took his suggestion to become familiar with the space.
Surprisingly, the space was larger than what you took in upon first glance, and you wondered how you had missed it in your stakeout of the place. There was a circular bed, covered with rich, purple sheets and pillows. Upon closer inspection you noticed there was a tulle curtain that could be lowered with a skillfully placed tug. In another corner there was a folded privacy shield, and peeking behind you saw an entrance to the ensuite bathroom, which was spacious and beautiful.
Surrounding the space was a gracious amount of dressers and vanities. You didn’t go through them-didn’t feel it was appropriate nor was it needed for this photo session-but one doesn’t need to be trained in observation to conclude that that’s where most of the toys and implements were held.
Thinking it through, you wanted to ask if the session could occur on the bed, but were afraid of overstepping. Once again, you were reminded that this wasn’t just Zemo’s space- he had a wife that was ripped from his arms, and who was invited into this room for its intended purpose.Biting back the nausea rolling in your stomach, you double-checked your makeup in the mirror, and managed to catch a glimpse of Zemo watching in the reflection.
“I’m ready when you are, Hase.”Biting the proverbial bullet, you stripped off the sweatshirt and shorts, and took a breath.
“Okay, we need to take at least two pictures in both this outfit and my other. It’s my choice in the position, but I don’t really know how to do this. I’ve never done anything like this before, so…”Surprisingly, Zemo took on an almost warm, professional position, and soon you
were ready to get the rope out. After stretching, warming up your muscles, it was time to move on. Up until this point, Zemo had kept his distance from you, but now there was no way to avoid it.“I think we should start with basic floor bondage and work towards the full suspension, if it's necessary. I don’t know what your level of comfort is in this, but I can always do a majority myself and walk you through the hands. Or, we can hide them depending on the position.”A smirk came over Zemo’s face, and before you could tell yourself better-remind yourself that this wasn’t real, he wasn’t your anything - your stomach scooped.
“You tell me what you’re thinking, and I’ll help maneuver you. If I may suggest, some orange rope would complement your piece rather well.”
Blinking, you watched as Zemo moved towards a dresser, and watched as he contemplated before grabbing a burnt orange jute rope. As he held it out for you to test against your skin, you nodded in approval.
Thinking through a few of the basic bondage positions you knew, you settled on the Double V position and the box-tie variant chest harness. Starting with the box-tie variant, you did your legs quickly. Slowing as the knot was tied in the leg wrap, you looked up towards Zemo.
“Do you know how to do a boxtie chest harness?” The question was asked as an afterthought, and you fully expected the answer to be no. What you didn’t expect was–“Yes, I do. Is it alright for me to touch you?”At his question, you snorted. “Yeah, Zemo. How else would this work?” Despite knowing there was no way around it, your breath still hitched as his hands started by wrapping the rope diagonally across your chest. It was only then- with the smooth slide of his hands against your lingerie-clad chest– that you realized that his gloves had disappeared. Where, you didn’t know, but you were grateful to feel the flesh upon your own.As he looped the rope into itself and slowly pulled, you nodded when the tension was right. Setting an anchor down, he weaved the rope underneath your bust, going through the rope already there. For a few moments, you barely recognized the steps he was doing, lost in the pressure of the harness and the growing-laborious breaths of the Sokovian.It was only when the first flash occurred that you realized he was done with the tie and had moved away. Blinking your eyes open, you tried to make an alluring face, though from the slight look of disappointment from Zemo, you could tell he preferred the first shot.“If you could tilt your head up slightly and look into the camera lens…” It seemed like his directions took a bit longer than necessary, and you tried your best not to blush at the idea of how he’d done this before, simply to be able to look at others.
Was he doing the same to you? Coaching you through expression after expression simply to view you longer? The thought went as soon as it came, because that couldn’t be right. Yet you couldn’t help asking–“Should we change sets or do the other tie in this one as well?”“If you are looking for options, I would suggest trying the double-v pose in this…set…as well.” Zemo’s eyes raked down your frame as he spoke, and, yeah, okay. After the Sokovian released your arms from the harness, you undid your legs.
“Should I walk you through this tie?”“That is not necessary. Do you prefer a relaxed- half- or full-lotus position?”Your eyebrows raised. Despite the evidence that Zemo did, in fact, know what he was doing–he had a fucking suspension bar, for gods sake– this proved he knew what he was talking about.
Thinking over what Ubel would want, you settled for a relaxed position. That’s what you decided a regular escort would do.
Moving your elbows down to position, left hand laying over right bicep, and right vise versa, you watched as the Sokovian maneuvered the jute. Your breath hitched, realizing how close he was getting to you, and you were thankful that he didn’t mention it. He is far too observant to not have noticed it.Once again, he slipped into a professional role, and directed you on where and how to look. For the most part you were in a soft space, relaxing against the steady pressure from the rope.
“If I may, I believe this would be a good position for a more…direct photograph pointed from your shoulders to your knees. Is that acceptable?” Nodding, you listened to Zemo’s breath hitch as the lens was looking down your bust right before the schnick-schnick-schnick of rapid-fire bursts of pictures being taken.
As Zemo released you, his hands gently worked blood circulation back into your ankles, and you smiled at him when he made eye contact.
Thinking over Ubel’s requests, you remembered what his pose was and almost visibly rolled your eyes.
“Okay, so, U- he wanted a photo in a bend over kneeling strappado–” you gave Zemo a pointed look as he chuckled, “--I know, how original ; but should I bother to do that in this piece or should we just do it with the black set?”“If my opinion mattered, I suggest the black set. It will look lovely in that full set.”You blushed and nodded. “Okay, I’m going to go get changed. I was thinking that after the next batch with the rope, we should take a break. It’ll give time for the rope marks to fade.” The brunette nodded, and you stumbled from the current room to yours to get changed.
As you entered your room, you put your back against it. You needed a moment. While you’ve seen-and even felt- Zemo’s bare hands in passing and when he was applying lotion or ointment and such, you’d never actually felt them and it was getting to you.
The black lingerie set was almost mocking you laid out on the dresser, and you had to remind yourself that this was just for the mission. That Zemo, despite his friendly demeanor and gentle touches, was only doing this for the mission. He wasn’t scening with you . You repeated the phrase as you slipped into the four-piece set.It was gorgeous, and the first touch against the fabric told you it was more than a pretty penny. The bra had a black, silk band that spanned over the outline of the piece, and there was a tasteful patch of floral lace that spanned from the inside of the cup to over the nipple and extended into the straps. Of course, the garter belt and panties matched the same smooth mesh with the lace tentatively expanding from the top silk strap to fade into simple black mesh. The matching set of stockings were thigh-high, and there was a thick band of black silk before the seamless transition into tinted black nylons.
Walking back into the room Zemo had led you into, the same positions were repeated, this time with a deep purple rope that looked familiar but you didn’t recognize the association made. You were sure that the aforementioned royal was giving you directions, and you were following them, but up until he took you out of the strappado with box leg variation, you were floating.
It felt different from when you floated around Bucky, though you couldn’t pinpoint the reason why. Maybe it was because of the reason behind doing it, maybe it had to do with the handsome-sweet man manuvering you, maybe it was because of the fucking purple rope that matched his family’s royal color– You startled as the connection was made inside your head, and once again when Zemo’s calloused hand was gently rubbing unscented lotion into the barely-there marks covering your body.“Zemo, you really don’t have to do this, I can take care of it.” You motioned to take the lotion away from him, but his frown downturned and he gently guided you to stand.
“I do not wish to presume you can’t, but I would like to .” The air was heavy as he finished his task, and he held his hands out gently to guide you to stand.You let him do so, and didn't hesitate when he asked you if you’d like some cherry blossom tea.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
During the time it had taken for the rope marks to fade, the pair of you were holding a steady stream of conversation. Most of the conversation was light-hearted, though everything said between you was sincere. You were almost reluctant to go back to the task at hand.“Well, I should probably go get ready. We’ve only got about three more needed shots to take,” a blush began anew on your face, and you avoided eye contact as you asked, “do you remember seeing what Ubel asked for?”“He wanted a photograph of you in the bondage collar and I believed he wanted you plugged.” Zemo didn’t hesitate to answer, and no shred of embarrassment could be heard in his tone. He said it as a fact.“And are you-okay with seeing me like that? I don’t want to make this uncomfortable–”Zemo breathed out your name, and you made eye contact with him. “Nothing is going to be awkward or make me uncomfortable. You are a beautiful person, and frankly even if this little session is for that piece of scum, I am not ashamed to admit that I am honored to be the one to capture your beauty.”Your mouth gaped between open and closed, and you flushed. “Well, um, I wouldn’t mind returning the favor, except that I, um. Have little to no skill with a camera. Y'know, outside of surveillance.”
That earned you a snort from the Royal, and as you made your way to your room you sashayed your hips slightly.
Opening the remaining box, you took the medium-sized vibrating plug and obscenely large bottle of water-based lubricant to the ensuite bathroom. Turning the sink to the hottest setting, you start by wetting a washcloth and then applying soap directly to it and vigorously cleaning the toy.
Drizzling some of the lubricant on your fingers, you played with your clit slightly before moving down to your vaginal entrance, slowly inserting one finger. It felt a bit odd, doing this in a place outside your home, but without thinking about it, you waited until the mild discomfort faded and inserted another finger. Moving your thumb against your clit, you unhurriedly began opening yourself up. After you had three fingers fitting comfortably inside, you opened the drawer under the sink and sought out a female condom. Sure, you weren’t about to get laid-but you weren’t planning on transmitting any bacteria into you. After inserting the plug, you maneuvered the condom’s ring to not be visible around the flared base of the plug.
Standing up, you groaned at the weight of the plug before moving into your bedroom. Getting back into the black lingerie set, you started down the hall to where Zemo would be waiting for you.You tried not to think too much into that statement before opening the door.
The camera wasn’t in the same place at the last time, and as you panned the space, your breath was stolen from your lungs.
Zemo had moved the camera and its stand to be positioned near the bed, and the man himself was currently fixing the tulle into a gentle drape in the presumed background of the shot. You must have stood still for too long, because when he turned around to go behind the camera, he jumped.
“Ah, I didn’t hear you come in. I didn’t mean to presume, but I thought this may be more comfortable given the situation,” the smirk that barely crossed Zemo’s lips told you that he knew what he was doing. Alright, two can play at that game .“And what situation is that?” Your tone was purposely breathy, and as you cataloged Zemo’s hitched breath you blatantly smirked. Eyes twinkling, you approached the bed, thinking over what was left to do and all the options to complete them.
“Do you have any suggestions for some regular poses?” Turning around, you didn’t anticipate the schlick-schlick-schlick of rapid-fire photographs. Cheeks coloring, you fixed a glare towards the royal.
“Oh, Süße, I have more than a few suggestions. If you want to start laying on your stomach, we can move from there to your front and…” He let the sentence trail off, because you knew what he meant. From there you’d move onto your full-on nudes, and probably the up-close view of the plug that you tried not to clench down on in the Sokovian’s presence.
The first pose was simple enough, one of the pillows was under your hips, and the other you were barely hanging onto. Looking at the camera, you slightly arched your back at Zemo’s suggestion, and you knew that the perfect arch had been reached when the rapid-fire flash of the camera went off.
Zemo guided you through several more poses on your stomach, and before long you were rolling onto your back.
As he guided you to the last pose, one hand gently on your hip and the other gliding over your crossed thigh, you remembered the other request Ubel had made.
“Oh! Wait a second- I think this would be a good pose for the collar shot,” you were up on the bed and out of the room lightning quick, and once you were pulling the now-familiar leather from the back of the closet, you paused. Though you only briefly noticed it between the guiding words of the Sokovian, the lube on your plug had gone dry and was starting to verge past uncomfortable. Sighing, you went into your bathroom to reapply the lube and put on another condom–pointedly not thinking about the royal waiting in the other room, washing your hands of the ordeal before making your way back to the hallway. Before you could think about it, you had returned and snatched the bottle of lube off of the marble and were walking back into the playroom.“Sorry about that, I should’ve had it ready to go before we started.” Walking into the room, you noticed the sharp movement from one of the royal’s ungloved hands between his thigh to the safe space of the camera, though you didn’t say anything. It was a natural reaction, for a man to become aroused when seeing someone they find attractive, and you didn't put any thought past that into it.“It’s all good. We’ve still got plenty of time before our guests return, after all.”Humming, you tried to subtly place the lube out of Zemo’s line of sight, and clasped the collar onto your neck. The response your body gave was almost instantaneous; your muscles locked up, your posture becoming unnatural, any hint of arousal fled from your system and your mind went on high-alert.
Zemo didn’t comment on it, staying silent as you maneuvered your body into the previous pose. Tears pooled in your eyes, though you were careful not to let them fall.“Maybe just…take the shot from my nose down? Does that work?” Your voice was weak, and you prayed your teammate wouldn’t say anything about it nor the tears.“Of course it works, Hase,” the camera went off again, and there was an awkward pause between camera clicks that prompted you to meet his eyes. “If I may-you need to relax your posture. I’m aware that it’s not a conscious decision, but is there anything I could do to assist you?”
You smiled at the kindness and honesty in his words, and you took a second to think. “Maybe…do something nice? Say something nice? I know you have listened to what– you should know how he talks so just..don’t mimic his speech patterns or actions?” You grimaced, knowing that it’s vague, but that’s all you could think. The tears in your eyes pooled again, and you took slow breaths so they wouldn’t fall.There was a hand on your ankle, sure and warm and Zemo’s thumb made slow motions as he started talking.
“Do you remember the night before? There have only been a few cases where I’ve seen James blush, even given his inebriated state. He was so perplexed with the idea of women in this supposably progressive country being expected to do something as invasive as shave before intercourse; and after you had left-raiding his bathroom, no doubt- Samuel proceeded to try and explain it to him. Do you know what I said?” Zemo’s voice was slow and deep, and he had your complete attention now, your breathing pattern slowing.
“I told him that women in this country, for as progressive it claims to be, have spent far too much time being forced to be subordinate and walked on. Now, Süße, look into the camera, let me take one more series of insufferable photos, and then rip that fucking collar off like you imagined it was someone who is far less worthy of you’s balls.”Getting into the prior position, you dared to move the hand on your thigh closer to your center, and as soon as the rapid-fire sound of the camera went off, you all but ripped the collar off and flung it across the room.
Grinning, you jumped off of the bed and, after carefully setting the no-doubt expensive camera on the bed, wrapped your arms around Zemo.
The male was a bit pensive, unsure about where to place his hands given the fact that you were only dressed in the barest of clothing, but as time progressed and you didn’t budge, he slowly wrapped one around your waist and the other almost cradled your neck. The action caused him to brush your hair to the side, and you positively melted into him. His head turned towards your pulsepoint, and a slow kiss was placed there.
“As much as I’d enjoy staying like this, Süße, we should–”Pulling back from him, you slipped your hands underneath the gun holster around his torso, using it to get the leverage to place a gentle kiss against his cheek.
“I know, Zemo. I know,” looking into his eyes, you took in the slight coloration of his face and attempted to put as much truth and dedication into your following statement. “Thank you, Zemo. Just…Thank you.”After starting to turn towards the bed, you abruptly turned back.
“So, um, it’s time for the plug pic and then the full-on nudie. I know you are probably irritated with how often I ask this, but consent goes both ways. Are you okay with seeing me like this? I don’t want anything between us to change.”“With how often you ask, I should be the one asking,” holding up a hand, he didn’t let you start in on your own rebuttal. “You’ll have to excuse me for the impolite behavior. Süße, the only reason I’m not completely okay with seeing you like this is because it's for some low-life piece of shit and for a mission. I’d be more than happy to see you like this, only under much, much different circumstances. But, I will take what I can get, which is this. And to answer your question, Süße, the only reason anything will change between us is if you want it to.”
Taking in the monologue, your cheeks blushed earnestly for the first time in a long time. Uncertain about how to reply, you relied on humor.
“With a declaration like that, I’d expect dinner before slipping out of my clothes. But, well…” you trailed off, fiddling with the suspender belts that connected the garter belt, you snapped them off. Keeping eye contact, you slid down the sheer material of your stockings, trying your best to look tempting.
From the way Zemo bit his bottom lip and raised the camera to document your (frankly pathetic) attempt at stripping, you knew that you probably looked better than you felt. Soon after the stockings came the garter belt itself, the clink of the metal making a dull thud on the carpeting. Laying there in only the bra and panties, you paused, debating which would be the first to go. This would be your first time truly bare in front of Zemo, and you struggled to get out of your head.
Pulling yourself out of the moment and glancing at how those carmel eyes were focused on your chest, you snapped the clasps in the back. The sounds of the camera continued, though you saw one hand move from the camera to the front of his pants. He barely brushed himself, and let out a gods-honest moan when the lace was dangling from your fingers. Giving him your best devious smile, you shimmied out of the sheer lace panties.
Laying down on your back, you made your way to the center of the bed. To your surprise, Zemo shimmied out of his shoes before…standing above you?“Just like that, Süße, you look so good for me. I just want to capture this moment. You are looking so beautiful, Süße.” The schnick-schnick-schnick of the camera, followed by another grope of the man’s erection, emboldened you.
Right now, in this moment, you were not doing this for the mission.Right now, in this moment, you were not doing this solely for Zemo.No, right now, you were doing this for yourself.
Your hand snaked down to your thighs, opening them wider and (hopefully) into a more enticing position. Slowly, you moved your hand to your clit and a high-pitched whine came from your mouth before you could stifle it.
Zemo, for his part, was still taking photographs, and was much more vocal about his sounds. Even though you couldn’t focus on what he was saying, you knew a stream of never-ending praise was spilling from his mouth. His cheeks were red, and you let out an ugly snort as you spotted the swatch of lipstick from where you had placed it earlier. Quicker than you thought possible, his eyes were meeting your own, and he let out a “What-” before getting back down.
“You’ve already got my lipstick on your cheek, yet the emotion that placed it there is a complete 180 for my intentions now.”“And what, pray tell me, are your intentions, Süße?”“My intention is to get you to take a close-up of this insufferable plug so I can take it out and you and I can have some real fun, Schatz.”You’d never experienced a man move with the cold, calculated preciseness of Zemo in this moment.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
After the shot had been taken, Zemo had grabbed the lube from the side of the bed, made a disapproving sound, and snatched another from the dresser behind you before you could blink. Even quicker, the plug and condom had been removed and the man wiped the remnants of the lube from his hand onto the sheets with the disregard that came from a man who owned as much money as he did.That’s where the roughness ended, though. Before you could blink, he had moved off the bed and led you to the attached bathroom. At your confused stare, the man chuckled.
“You think that I’d allow our first time to be attached to a mission?” As you went to open your mouth, the man placed a hand on the side of your hip, the warmth a sharp contrast to the chilled air. “No, Süße. I’m going to give you a bath, a proper pampering, and then I’m going to earn you. Properly. The way a woman like you deserves .”Zemo’s voice was low, the dangerous tint telling you there was no room for argument. So, much like you did before, you turned to humor.“So you’re going to get to see me all laid out while I don’t get to see anything of you until you deem it time?” It seemed frivolous, but the slightly defensive tone was earnest. After all, you had just been more exposed than you’ve felt in therapy for years , and here this man was, clothed as the days prior while you were bare.
His carmel eyes fixed onto yours, and you could see the moment realization came to his face. “Oh, Süße,” His tone sounded as broken as you felt, but then he guided your hands to his gun holster and showed you how to take it off. From there, it was a slow process to getting Zemo bare (because he wore a fucking wife beater under his button up- who even does that? ), but as the water slowly filled you couldn’t help but appreciate the man for who he was.
Scars littered his body, as did yours, and you paused when he motioned for you to get in.
“Um, actually- do you have makeup wipes? I don’t want to ruin the bath before it begins.”
And for a second it hurt when you opened the drawer he’d told you they’d be in. Because you knew he hadn’t placed them there on the off-chance this would happen. They’d belonged to his wife, and the air of acknowledgement hung heavy.
But before you could make an ass of yourself, Zemo started talking while you took the makeup off of your body, first your face and then the splotches covering your scars. He talked about how he had met her, and what her pregnancy was like. He spoke of what it was like to witness his son being born, and then what it was like to dig them from the rubble.
He explained all of this, and by the time you were in the tub, water slightly splashing against the far-too-high porcelain walls, there was no air for grief. You got into the tub on the side opposite of him, yet he was quick to extend his arms towards you.And Zemo had looked so soft, his hair still styled and dry, his eyes wide with vulnerability, that you couldn’t resist. Moving towards him, you turned so his chest was to your back, and faintly the Sokovian told you that he preferred seeing you in the bathtub from this angle rather than the previous.
When he hesitantly began to map your body with his bare hands, you spoke of your experiences. You spoke of them more honestly than with your therapist, and held little to nothing back.“I don’t remember what life was like before the program. It wasn’t like Natashas, it wasn’t exactly like the red room. We were called hunters while young, and if you made it through training you were deemed a huntress . The people at the head were involved with HYDRA only briefly, and during that time-,” you hesitated, biting your lip before you spoke. Zemo deserved to know about every part of your past, and that included telling him about Bucky. But when you spoke, the volume was hushed, and you knew that Zemo’s eyes were trained on you like a hawk. “During that time the Winter Soldier was lent to Sandra, the equivalent of our handlers. He, um, doesn’t know about that.”“I won’t tell anyone, Süße.” And you believed him. Inspired by his confidence, you continued.
“Our training consisted mainly in weaponry, which included hand-to-hand contact. Though, we were taught multiple methods of seduction and were essentially made to be used in honeypot infiltrations. You’d be surprised by some of the stuff I’ve learned while playing a pretty birdie clinging to some scumbag's side. Anyways, after I was labeled as a Huntress, one of the honeypot infiltrations landed me with the attention of Bucky and Nat. He never knew where he recognized me from, and later on I told him it was a brief spat over the same target that ended with a confirmed kill.
“But seeing him like that–no longer the puppet of HYDRA– it did something to me. Planted a seed of doubt. And at first nobody noticed, I was able to keep it under control. But, over time, Sandra and her goons noticed that I was acting differently. That I was becoming increasingly resistant during missions and going out of my way to gain some kind of autonomy. It didn’t bode well, and they tried to take my uterus as punishment,” placing his hand over the scar, so similar to the start of a hysterectomy or cesarean section that a sense of pride washed over you.
“See, we were trained to do long-term honeypot infiltrations, so they would only take the uterus if you really messed up. When the time came, they were stupid enough not to knock me out completely, and after acting like I was weary from the sedation, they drastically cut down their security. All of a sudden it was only a surgeon and her nurse there, and they were ill-prepared when I sliced their jugular. They didn’t get a chance to scream, and it was hours before anyone realized I had escaped through the air ducts. From there I was quick to find Bucky, and after a formal introduction to Nat the three of us wiped out everyone.
“Unlike when Natasha freed her fellow Widows from the Red Room, there was no sense of chemical bonds holding the Huntress program in place. Some were quick to abandon the ‘cause’ after Sandra and her reign were demolished; but it hurt something awful to have killed the others who were dedicated.”
Zemo made a hum of acknowledgement, mentioning how he’d had similar pains when he was a Colonel for the EKO Scorpions.Then you told him about your story with Bucky: how he’d offered you a space all your own, only suggesting that you speak to a therapist when four months had passed and you hadn’t been outside the makeshift nest that was your depression room. How you’d morphed from not wanting touch to craving it. It wasn’t much later that your therapist kindly suggested trying shibari as a grounding practice.“If I may- has James ever…” Zemo was hesitant to ask, though there was no judgment in his words, and you knew what he was asking despite him trailing off.
“Buck’s never seen me in anything less than a bralette and spandex shorts. That is, if you don’t count the times I couldn’t make it out of the shower when my depression reared its head something awful.”You didn’t have to turn your head so much as feel Zemo’s possessive smile.
A hum passed his lips, and you felt his hands slip from your shoulders to your hips, his warm hands splayed across your stomach.
“You’re so beautiful, Süße,” You could feel the breath from his words against your neck, and you let out a hum. It’s not that you didn’t believe him–the man had great taste, after all–but you couldn’t bring yourself to entirely agree. Not wanting to sour the mood, you turned to the little cart that was parked by the side of the tub, grabbing some unscented hair products.
Turning around, your breath was stolen from your lungs. He was so beautiful . In this moment, he looked every bit like the royal he was, perfectly put together and unfazed by his own nudity.
Despite wanting to see him, you knew it wasn’t the right time nor situation. Taking a cup from the cart, you wet his hair and started to work in the hair product. The bath passed with Zemo offering the same warm, efficient touches that you did. For the most part it was silent, the two of you thinking over each other's words and confessions, taking the time to process the truths spoken.When the pair of you got out, Zemo wrapped an obscenely fluffy towel around you before exiting the bathroom, making a motion that could only be interpreted as wait here . Drying yourself off, you looked at the small pile of clothing near the sink, and picked up the button-up that Zemo had been wearing for the session. Feeling it over, you deemed it good enough and shrugged it on.As you finished buttoning it, Zemo entered the bathroom with a beautiful silk bathrobe in hand, pausing as he took in your form.“Well, this is awkward. Guess I should’ve waited, huh?” You were poking fun, and fiddled with the top button, debating taking it off. Zemo didn’t chuckle or make any sound of acknowledgement, and you started unbuttoning the material, admonishing yourself. You crossed a boundary without really knowing it was there, and the sharp sting of tears appeared. You’d humiliated yourself, and suddenly the idea of taking off the shirt felt like it meant much more than the simple movements.
Before you could undo the third button, a pair of lithe hands stopped your motion, buttoning the material back up.He spoke your name like a prayer, underneath his breath before turning your chin upwards, making you meet his eyes. Zemo’s eyes darkened, a heat spreading into his tone as he spoke. “Careful, Süße. If you do this again, I may not be able to stand you wearing anything else.”Your breath hitched in acknowledgement, and Zemo placed a soft kiss to your forehead before patting himself down and putting on the robe. Despite the almost-feminine color, Zemo wore it with no care, and led you from the bathroom into the bedroom.
“Shall I make us some tea? The boys will be returning shortly, and soon it will be time for supper.”Humming, you reluctantly picked up the pile of lace at the base of the bed. “I’ll call Bucky and see if they were planning on bringing takeout or not. But tea does sound lovely.”Zemo placed a warm hand onto your lower back, guiding you outside of the room. Making your way to the kitchen, you grabbed your cell phone from the table and started towards your room.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Sam had given you a high eyebrow-raise when the pair of them walked into the safehouse, but there was no intervention like you expected. Bucky simply smirked, winking at you when Zemo’s back was turned, and you blushed.
Life moved on.
The sessions with Ubel had started up a week after that, and soon after you’d managed to get the golden shot for the camera. The four of you took turns monitoring the camera feed, and slowly the four of you established as close to a routine as a man as sleezy as Ubel had.
At some point throughout your sessions, you’d gained the trust of Ubel and you could almost snicker at the thought. After all, what true professional would trust a sex worker, even a high-end one? Not to say that sex workers couldn’t be trusted- just that Ubel was stupid enough to fall for a honeytrap despite being smart enough to avoid being detected for years prior.
And now here you were, post-session and thinking over what he’d propositioned you for. Based on the audio in his room, the four of you knew that the HT ring meeting was going to occur in four week’s time; so Ubel had probably gotten too comfortable in his role and felt like he could ask you for what he truly wanted.
Because, oh gods, could you sense that he wanted it.
Pulling your three teammates into the living room, you started to discuss the changes. Despite not wanting to have Sam and Bucky know what truly went on during the sessions you held, the change he wanted may affect what went down.
“What’s going on, Girlie? You’re normally asleep by now.” Bucky’s voice startled you out of your train of thought, and you grimaced.
“There’s been a few changes that I felt needed to be shared with all of you, considering the situation. So, Ubel has requested that I stay with him for a two-day session, which hasn’t occurred yet. I’m not telling you guys this because I can’t handle it, but because with the HT meeting being put into the works, I wanted to make sure that you guys were informed.”Bucky and Zemo’s expression turned downwards, though neither tried to interrupt.“He also requested the meeting take place at a different location, which raised a few red flags for me. From what I can tell about the space– Oeznik and I did a quick drive-by–the place seems legit. It’s in a regular neighborhood, so there’s no worry about isolation. But we all know that there’s no parameters when it comes to an HT ring. I’ll do a bit more researching tomorrow into schematics and such, but I’m not suspecting anything but the usual.
“The other change is that Ubel hasn’t requested anything. I’ve gotten to the point with him now that he normally tells me what he’s planning for a session, and he hasn’t yet told me,” Sucking in your breath, you continued. “But I think I know what he’s going to ask, and it won’t be me on the receiving end.” You paused, seeing as the look of recognition crossed each of their faces. “It’s not that I’m not equipped for that situation, I’ve dealt with a fair share of powerful men who enjoy handing over the reins, but more so that it’s an opportunity .”Sam interjected, sensing where your train of thought was going. “We haven’t even scoped out the place, and we don’t have any idea of what the security is there. Do you really want to take that chance?”“We’ve got five days before he expects me there, which is why I’m telling you guys. I’m out for the night, because…” you trailed off, and Zemo gave you a look , because he’d applied the bandages to the topical knife marks Ubel had made not three hours earlier on your skin. “Well, I’m out. So I’m going to sleep, but you guys can start researching. It’s not that I’m suggesting we do something drastic, but I’m saying maybe we can look into Wakandan tech and see if there’s a way to subtly track the guy or get a wire-free tap onto him.”Writing down the address, you saw the three of them kick into high-gear. You’d join them tomorrow, but for now you needed sleep.
The next few days were filled with recon and intel gathering, and surprisingly, by the third day the four of you had dug up every bit of information on the building and property. It’s surprising how much people are willing to lend their help when it could be linked to taking down an international weapons dealer and human trafficking ring all in one.On the third night, after you’d relayed back every piece of information without having to even think about it, you’d been unofficially dismissed by Sam and Bucky.
It’d been a long three days, and you wanted nothing more than to take a shower and go to bed. The shower was quick, and you knew there would be more you had to do tomorrow to prepare yourself for the session, but gods above you didn’t have an ounce of energy left.But when you went to nose-dive into the sheets, sleep didn’t come. Something deep inside you was telling you something wasn’t right but you couldn’t think what it was. Your clothes felt itchy, and you reluctantly got out of bed.
Quietly opening the dresser drawer, looking at the contents, you couldn’t help but admonish yourself. You hadn’t washed, or returned, Zemo’s shirt, and as you silently changed into it–along with a pair of underwear–you felt the battle from underneath peak through.
Because Zemo’s scent shouldn’t calm you this much, it shouldn't feel like safety , but it did. And it was likely that this whole thing between the pair of you was for the sake of the mission. Not on your end-but on his.
There’s no doubt in your mind that your attraction for Zemo didn’t stem from the aftercare he gave you; because you’d been looking towards him since you were introduced. It wasn’t a twisted case of saviorism–you weren’t largely attracted because he was helping you come down after shitty scenes with Ubel. Granted, the soft way he’s always touched you remained a large bonus, especially after being welcomed into his play room, but it wasn’t the deciding factor. The very way Zemo lived, the meticulous movements and quirky mannerisms, is what appealed to you. His underspoken but overt thoughts and careful precision in all aspects of his life appealed to you.
But that didn’t mean he was interested in you, too. For all you know, he could believe that this was a case of savorism, or that if he didn’t work into the persona you “expected” him to be, he could be seriously reprimanded. Not to mention the not-so-subtle threat that Bucky had told him- if he hurt or violated you, he’d end Zemo’s way of life. Even though he didn’t yet know he wouldn’t be returning to the Raft, you (and no doubt he) knew that Bucky wouldn’t hesitate to throw him back in should you mention any mistreatment.
Glancing at your phone, you saw the time and sighed. It was by no means late, but you knew that unless a hold was put in place on these thoughts, you wouldn’t be able to get adequate sleep.
Placing a mental pin on the thoughts with Zemo, you straightened the button-ups collar and inhaled deeply, starting the process of falling asleep.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The next few days passed in gentle quiet, the four of you going over your part, talking about what you’d do if it didn’t seem to be going the way you anticipated. Shuri had sent a pack of fifteen wireless camera/microphone devices, which could only be detected using a specific sequence of codewords spread across a multitude of devices. The devices were like nothing you’d seen before. They attached like a sticker, and after being applied, it would camouflage into the skin color of the wearer. The device would start and run for an unspecified amount of time, though Shuri had assured you and Bucky that it’d run for at least nine months before running low.
And now, here you are, packing away items in a go-bag and debating with Buck where exactly the devices should go.
“Well, Buck, I can’t exactly just slap it on anywhere!” You groaned through the door, unsure where you could apply it so that Ubel wouldn’t accidentally destroy it. The pair of you continued to argue, and soon you heard the door outside of your bathroom was opened. A few minutes later it opened, and then you heard a soft knock on the door.
“Süße, it’s me. May I come in? James said you were having difficulty placing the wires.” The accent was smooth and buttery, and you sighed. At least you wouldn’t have to skirt around the idea of your back being cut open anymore.
“Oh, thank the gods, Zemo. Yeah, you can come in. Buck kept saying to do my back but-”“But Ubel has cut you there before.” Zemo hummed, looking over your body before continuing to talk. It was only then that you remembered you were already dressed up and ready to go to the alternate location Ubel had requested for the two-day stay.
“Perhaps one could be attached to your head? On the left side, barely past your hair line.”
You smiled. “Thank the gods that you know what you're talking about, Zemo. Unlike somebody .” You didn’t mean to dig at Bucky, after all he didn’t have all the information, but you were tired of arguing.
Before you could apply the device, your hair was carefully moved out of the way by Zemo, and you held your breath as he attached the circular device. You saw in the mirror how, quick as a flash, the clear bandage changed to your skin tone.
The man behind you patted the spot down, making sure it wasn’t going to move, and muttered underneath his breath something like the things they can come up with today . Biting your lip to keep from giggling, you faced the room’s other occupant and patted his shoulders.
“Thanks, Zemo. I put one on the top of my foot already, so we should be good. Are you going to be the one monitoring me again?”“Yes. No need for James or Sam to be privy to what happens behind the curtain, huh?”Humming, you fixed your hair and the smudges of your makeup before walking out the door, the Sokovian following behind you. You grumbled, finding the dress that Ubel had given you as payment a few sessions ago, sliding it up your body.
“Would you mind zipping me up, Zemo?”“Not at all.” The brush of bare hands surprised you, because less than a minute ago there had been leather covering them when he placed the sticker. His hands lingered a moment longer than necessary, and you didn’t deny him the touch until there was a knock at the door.
“It’s go time, Girl.” Sam’s voice was a rumble, and you leaned back into Zemo only slightly before grabbing the two bags at the base of your bed.
Walking into the workspace the four of you had created, you held eye contact with Bucky.
You started the phrase the pair of you spoke at the beginning of any mission that could go balls-up at any moment.
“Not today.”“Not tomorrow.” He nodded to you, and then you were out the door, Oeznik dropping you off at the home that Ubel believed to be your own. From there, one of Ubel’s lackeys picked you up and drove you to the house whose schematics you knew by heart now, including the additional basement space that had been created.
Taking a deep breath, you breathed deep before knocking.
Nothing will take me away, not today. And not tomorrow.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
At first, the session had started as all the others had- he had strapped you down to a breeding bench and spanked you with a multitude of implements. Surprisingly, he tried not to break skin, and for the first time you were thankful towards him.
Unsurprisingly, you were correct in your original thinking: he’d wanted a role reversal, and it was only after you had dug out the candle and engaged in some mild wax play ( skin safe for him, that bastard ) you had managed to place the first of the devices you’d planned on placing on him.
In total, you managed to place three devices on Ubel: one on his back, one on his ankle (above the ankle socks he seemed to always wear), and the final one on the front of his hairline. You’d placed seven throughout the house, and one on the briefcase he always kept in the same room as him.
~You greeted Oeznik when you entered the vehicle, and were surprised when instead of simply opening the door at Zemo’s safehouse, he led you to the front door.
The pair of you exchanged pleasantries, doing the traditional cheek-kisses to say goodbye. You watched as he drove off, and entered the house.Here, you were greeted by Zemo, who ushered you off to the same bathroom as before, despite you not having any visible issues. There was no doubt in your mind that Zemo had realized this–he was far too observant to not notice the absence of pain on your face and in your body, yet he led you there anyway.
A bath was already drawn, and as you gave Zemo the hushed re-telling of what you had found, which he no doubt knew from the audio and visual device still attached to your body.
Nevertheless, the pair of you continued as if you had been injured by Ubel. You didn't want to break the spell and ask what this meant, so you laid back and let Zemo do your hair and quietly run a washcloth across your body. Zemo presented you with a fluffy robe, and you slipped in as he held it.
You relayed what had happened with the boys, talking in-depth about the placement of the devices and what you’d learned from Ubel as he was vulnerable.
When you made it back to your room, you were surprised to find not one, but three button-up shirts hidden under your pajamas.
Two days prior there had only been one, and as you slipped one of them on, you smelled Zemo’s expensive cologne, with that slight scent that came from sweat that could only smell of him.~Life went on, and soon it was the day before the HT meeting. You were preparing yourself to go to Ubels, and anticipate being taken to where the other victims were being held. Applying two more trackers onto your body, you barely looked in the mirror as you prepared yourself. To no surprise, Ubel had asked you to arrive plugged, and you couldn’t look at yourself in the mirror as you slowly entered it. You were sure to apply liberal amounts of lube, anticipating it to be all you got.
As you grabbed the container, a blush passed across your face with a fierce display. It was not the same bottle you had used last time, and that meant that someone (Zemo) had replaced the original bottle with a more high-end brand.
You’d never felt so bare while on a mission. The only gear that managed to stay with you as you were ‘processed’ at the human trafficking ring was a metal bracelet. Unknown to your captors, the inside of one end of the bracelet was abrasive and could be used to cut through metal, rope, and plastic.
Recounting the moments it had taken for them to drug you and then process you, you estimated it’d be about three hours before the boys could get to you; and probably two more after that until the auction started.
~
You’d approached Sam’s door, uncomfortable. Up until now, or well, when he would let you into his room, you’d never really been alone with Sam before. Out of the three boys, he is who you were the most distant from. He was who held the most objectivity when it came to the mission as it pertained to you.
“Hey, Sam. Can we talk for a minute?” Your smile was open and tired, and he was quick to open the door for you. Leaning against one of the dressers, you waited until he had sat down before starting the conversation.
“What’s up?” It was clear that Sam was suspicious, probably knowing somewhere deep down what you were about to ask. Could he rise to it?
“As you know, tomorrow is when the HT ring is going to meet. Tonight is more than likely when he’ll drug me and start to transport me to the auction.”
Sam confirmed that he did, indeed, know that. You tried not to fidget, looking him dead in the eye as you talked.
“I need you to promise me something.”
“Let me hear the request first, and then I’ll decide.”
“I need you to wait until the auction is taking place before you guys storm it. Right now, I know that the plan is to come in as soon as I can be located and to arrest Ubel and get the other victims safe. We should wait until the auction is already taking place before you guys come to shut it down. That way, we can arrest more people who are participating, and get a bigger lead on the HT network.”
Sam blinked, thought about it, and then shook his head. “I don’t think–”
“Sam. Shut up for a second and think about it. If we go in there at the beginning of the auction, we don’t have any sustainable evidence that’s what's going on–it’s just abduction and transportation. Wait, say, two hours into the auction. At that point, we get Shuri’s device off of Ubel, get the actual auction on tape. We arrest those who are there when you storm the room, and the rest we run through INTERPOL software to identify and find. Think about all those people we could get.”
You could see Sam processing what you were saying, and reaching a conclusion. Which one, you weren’t sure, but if it happened to be against you, you’re ready to prove how this was the right thing to do.
“Why come to me and not Bucky or Zemo? No offense, but we don’t really know each other that well, and we both know if I suggest this at the last moment I’m going to end up with a beaten ass from Buck.”
“Because we don’t know each other that well. As soon as I leave the door, you’re going to sit them both down and plug this into any computer in the vicinity. It’s going to take a while before Ubel actually drugs me and starts to transport me, so you’ll have plenty of time to… persuade …them before I even leave the view of the hallway camera.” As you slid a USB drive into his hand, he tried to hand it back.
“Sam, think about all of those who are at that auction to bid. We both know that for most of them, it’s not their first time bidding at an HT ring. They probably have others tied up in their basement–think about them. If we go in and shut it down before the auction takes place, we are damning those. If we go in and shut it down before the auction takes place, there’s a strong likelihood that the charges won’t stick. You and I both know they have the money to be there, and money makes charges like abduction fall off the recipient. But if we get the testimonies from the rooms where men and women are already being held, get the no-doubt trophies of their prior conquests and kills, those charges have to stick. We need to do this, Sam. And I think we both know that, we’re just scared of what those outside the room will think about it.”
Sam sighed, rubbing his hands down his face. Addressing you, he asked the question that no-doubt held him up from even mentioning the idea in the first place. “How the fuck am I going to tell Buck.”
Motioning towards the USB drive, you pat him on the shoulder.
“You show him that. Him and Zemo both. Now, what papers do I need to sign to say this was willfully done if the shit hits the fan?”
And that’s how the last hour before you were at Ubels house was spent: signing paperwork and coaching Sam on how to tell two fiercely protective people that they were going to wait until you were possibly sold off, definitely hurt, before coming to your aid.
~Now, as you tested the weak-tied knots and found you couldn’t quite manage your way out of them, you wondered if you bit off more than you could chew. Whatever drug they had used, they had used a lot of it. Assessing the situation, you saw several other girls in similar garb (lingerie) in a room the size of a horse stable.
The air smelled of urine and sweat, and carefully you stuck your nose into the shoulder of the woman next to you, seeking out the scent. It was Rohpnol, and you sighed. They must have macro-dosed you and the others in the room, because you were still a bit loopy. As a graduate of the Huntress program, you’d been exposed to all types of drugs that caused blackouts and held a strong immunity to some of the most common.
They must have used a lot of Rohypnol.
You must have said that part aloud, because the girl you were leaning against giggled.
“Yeah, they always do.” Always? Wait- the cogs turned in your slowed-down mind, and the conclusions came to you semi-quickly. Always implied that they’ve been here before, that this wasn’t the first. It’s possible that the person next to you was a double agent, you’ve seen–hell, been – that before.
Humming, you propped yourself against the wall and took stock of those around you. You could see a guard standing watch outside the small plexi-glass window in the metal door, holding a beautiful AK that was probably a part of Ubel’s foreign weapon sale operation.
Subtly, you kept an eye on the guard outside the window, cataloging their every move. You kept track of the time as best as you could, and when the first heavy metal door was opened with a clang followed by the sound of screams and pleads, you knew two things. One: the auction had officially started. Two: you are close to the beginning of those to be auctioned, if they went down the row rather than across it.
Silently, you prayed they went down the row.
Paying close attention to the sounds of the traffickers and how the victims were moved, you timed it until it was your turn. Those around you had begun to talk; some whispered to their god that the door never opened, others about what they wanted and how to last, to be compliant if you wanted to live. Slowly, you had moved towards the door, at least as close as you could get without it being obvious. The correct response here was to try and get the furthest away from the door, and you were able to act significantly more drugged than you were, causing you to be shoved to the front when the others in the cell moved backwards.
It’s okay, you don’t blame them. It’s a survival instinct: put as much space, and prey, as possible between you and the predator. This instinct had long ago been trained out of you, so it was easy to maneuver yourself to where you wanted to be: about three girls from the front. By that point, the traffickers would have scared the others into obedience, and your acting would be significantly more easy.
You were grabbed harshly by the knot of your wrists, led towards another door. Keeping a keen eye, you spied what appeared to be badge numbers on the uniform of the traffickers, committing it to memory as you took in every aspect of the space you were being led from. The traffickers used a badge to open the door that divided the auction room from the holding rooms, and you were quick to prioritize that after getting out of the rope cuffs you were in. When you were placed on the auction block, you silently prayed that Bucky and Sam were on their way. If your estimation had been right, they would be arriving any minute.
Just then, a commotion started to break out in the back of the room, and you began to cut the rope restraining you before swiping the foot out of the trafficker who was closest, grabbing their badge. Clipping it into place on your lingerie strap, you whistled at the blur of purple and black around you.
Someone called out your name, and turning towards it you were quick to catch the rope and blade that had been tossed to you.
“Buck! Need you out back, now!” You were quick to call your friend, and in the heat of the moment you barely noticed the Russian slipping from your lips. The commotion was starting to die down around you, the S.W.A.T. team cuffing everybody in sight and keeping guns trained on those who were causing trouble.
“They use a key-card to get back here,” you explained, grappling with the plastic card now smudged with blood. “Blind spots on both sides, eighteen open doors to rooms approximately twelve feet by ten feet on either side, and an open hallway leading to one exit in the far rear.”
Waiting for him to acknowledge he heard you, he was quick to hold out a Steyr M9-A1 with ammo. Opening the door, he covered the left while you covered the right. A bullet barely passed your right torso, and you were quick to shoot the man responsible for it in his dominant arm.
“This is the Avengers Task force, we are not here to harm anyone! If you are here against your will, stand against the back wall of the stable and do not engage!” Bucky began to talk, and despite him not being quite right (the only Avengers here were Sam and himself), you didn’t correct him. Instead, you spoke it in English, and the two of you continued to repeat the message in several languages while disarming those involved in the trafficking ring. Before long, the pair of you were standing in a room with mostly men in handcuffs on the ground.“Buck, I’ll start to help the girls out, can you cover me?”“Covering you.”The pair of you worked as one, quickly knocking the guards out before leading the victims outside. For some, it had been months since they were last able to see the moon, and they thanked you liberally before being carted to a private hospital that was under the authority of Tony.
You could hardly believe it, after months of recon and work and pain , the four of you had done it. The victims were quickly being cared for, and you’d managed to capture over seventy human traffic operators and bidders, in addition to the ringleader of the entire operation.
The look in Ubel’s face after you slapped the cuffs on him and led him to the back of a squad car gave you immense satisfaction. Before you could do much else, a heavy coat was being placed over your shoulders, and you tried your best not to melt at the feel and smell.
You know that Zemo gave it to you because there were press cars beginning to show up; but a part of you wondered if it wasn’t him being jealous at others seeing your skin.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
When you’d managed to get back to Zemo’s property, you were all but dead on your feet.The adrenaline that had you antsy at the debriefing had long since made its way through your system. Buck and Zemo had been trying to get you to eat, since the medical examiner suggested it, and it was starting to piss you off. Was it too much to ask for a bed and a good night's rest? You’d begrudgingly sipped off of the piping hot thermos of hot chocolate that had been placed in front of you, and were slowly making your way through the granola bars that had been presented to you.
“Buck, stop shoving more food at me. I just want to sleep it off. I’m fine . Not the first time I’ve been drugged, you know.”The brunette flinched, and it was only when Sam and Zemo stopped their conversation to look at you that you realized this wasn’t public knowledge. Oops.
“I’m sorry, what? ” Sam’s voice held no room for evasion, and you sighed.
“I’m an ex-Huntress. We were used primarily for honeypot missions, and as such had to build a great immunity towards both the popular and more elusive ‘forget-me-quickly’ drugs. That includes Rohypnol, which is what the medical examiner confirmed is in my system,” Bucky had placed his flesh-hand on your shoulder, and you sighed. “And yes, I did mean to tell you all this. Sam’s the only one who didn’t know. And, seeing as how we may be in contact in the future, he should.”The look in Bucky’s eyes tells you that he was more alarmed by the idea that Zemo knew than the fact you were slightly opening yourself up for danger in the future. Finishing your thermos and granola bar, you washed the dish before drying it.
You didn’t know how long it would be until it would be used again. And for some reason, that hurt .
At the clear dismissal, Sam and Zemo went back to their discussion, and you pulled Bucky into a hug.“Do you remember what I mentioned before?” His voice was deep in your ear, and you nodded. “Good. Be careful, girlie. I don’t know if Sam is going to do it or if he expects me to tell him, but he’ll know by the end of the night. Are you going to stay here or head home?”“It’s not really up to me, is it?” Before Bucky could ask what you meant outloud, you made your way towards the talking pair.
“Hey, Zemo. Um, am I okay to stay here tonight? I don’t want to presume…” Your voice trailed off, and the Sokovian’s eyes gentled at your tone.
“Of course you can, Süße.” At Bucky’s sharp inhale, he added that the two men were also welcome to stay until he had been collected.
So Sam hasn’t told him yet. Smiling, you wandered back to your room.Debating on whether to take a shower or a bath, you bit your lip and decided on a bath. You were close to being dead on your feet, and besides, it’d be a shame not to use the beautiful claw-foot tub. Hesitating, you decided to sneak out of your room, heading to the bathroom where Zemo had taken care of you after all the months at Ubel’s hands. You were sure that the royal wouldn’t mind, would probably not even notice, but the thought of spending your final night in a bathtub where Zemo had always been absent made a funny feeling sink into your stomach. Not wanting to think of the hurt that accompanied the thought of Zemo leaving, not wanting to taint the air of the beautiful space, you poured more than enough bubbles into the water. Sighing, you started by wiping off the makeup you had put on far too long ago for it to still be adorning your features, and then moved on to gently undo the knots in your hair as best as possible before it got wet.
You were hesitant to take off the fur-adorned trench coat that had been presented to you at the scene, but knew better than to get it wet. Placing it on the counter where you could see it, you slowly sink into the tub, letting the warm water ease the ache in your body from the fight and rough treatment that occurred before. There’s no telling how long you sat there, relaxing, before you began your abolishions.
Stepping out of the tub, you pulled the plug before heading towards the shower head that you hadn’t ventured to before. Don’t get it wrong, you appreciated a bath as much as the next person, but it always left you feeling a bit grimey. Normally, after your baths where Zemo gently washed you, you had sprayed yourself down in your room. But, now, there was no reason not to move towards the space now.
Fiddling with the various knobs, it took a solid two minutes to get the settings to something close to what you were used to, and stood under the spray. Toweling off, you thought about whether to slunk into the thick bathrobe you had found or to simply make your way to your room as you were. Shrugging your shoulders to nobody, you slipped into the thick bathrobe and carefully grabbed Zemo’s signature coat, padding back to your room.The room that in less than 24-hours would no longer be yours.
The room that in less than 24-hours would be empty, condemned to wait until Zemo had another guest to stay with him. You wondered, for a few moments, who it would be? Thinking through it, you knew the answer: it’d be another agent, another partner for some sort of trouble that he’s bound to get into. Or, well, help would be a better expression. He’s not a stupid man, and he wouldn’t make the same mistake twice–he wouldn’t piss off someone important that could put himself back in another cell. He’d get rid of his more murderous feelings by seeking out a way to help out an authority, if only to get on their good side. He’d do it legally, or find another way to accomplish his goals.
Loopholes could always be found, and if they couldn’t be found, it wasn’t necessarily hard to make one.
Coming up to your door, you were surprised to see the Sokovian waiting there, presumably for you to answer the door.
“Hello, Zemo. To what do I owe this pleasure?” You let the smile that came to mind when thinking of the man appear on your face, and he let a similar one peek through.
“I came to see if we can talk.” His accented voice was hoarse, and you wondered if he presumed this to be a one-last-memory situation before going to the Raft or just to see you off. You didn’t settle on an answer before responding.
“Of course we can talk. Let me get dressed first,” you moved into the room, shutting the door before the Sokovian could reply, and grabbed the closest t-shirt and shorts combo. It was nothing special, but you made a pointed decision to not wear one of the button-ups that had ‘mysteriously’ appeared in your room. You already were planning on taking them with you, possible civil suit be damned. The man had money, and you knew he wouldn’t miss them. Placing your phone on the charger, you opened the door.
Zemo was leaning against the wall, arms crossed.
“Please, come in.” You had to bite your lip to not let a giggle escape, because how weird is it to be allowing a man into the room that he owned?The Sokovian seemed to hesitate, and you kept up with his cue to follow him. Not sure where he was leading you at first, you were pleasantly surprised when he opened up an alternate door that led to the master bedroom. Careful to keep your face neutral, you entered the space and hovered, unsure about where you should move to.
“I,” Zemo paused, licking his lips and clearing his throat before continuing. “I wanted to be sure you are okay. Is anything hurting, anything you want me to help you with?”You shook your head, “No, Zemo. I’m okay. The drugs are wearing off, and the soak I took in the bath eased most of my aches. Are you okay?”The man’s breath hitched, and in that moment you knew he didn’t know yet. He very much was a man who believed tonight would be his last free until the next time he was pulled from the Raft to help on yet another life-or-death mission. He was looking at you like hunger, and you moved to hug him.
The Royal took to the embrace immediately, moving you until the oak door was a steady force on your back, his nose driven into the crease where your shoulder and neck met. Letting him have a moment, you shushed him as the tears began to fall from his face. And for a second, only the briefest of seconds, you hated Sam and Bucky for not telling him.
“Hey, hey, Zemo, look at me. It’s okay, you and I are okay, but we need to talk first, okay?” Burnt caramel eyes with tears at the edges met yours, and you swore you could feel his heart drop.
“Please, just let me-I know this isn’t the proper way of doing this, but we do not have the time to do this properly. I-” His eyes were glued onto yours, and you knew what he was asking, what he was hoping for.
“Shh, Schatzi, shh. Just a talk, okay? Just a talk, and if you want to do this we can-I want to, and we can, but we need to talk first.” A nod, and you took a moment to let him compose himself while you thought of how to phrase this, the best way to break the news. Moving to the bed, you motioned him to sit beside you. Once he was there, you started to talk.
“Zemo, you know I wouldn’t hurt you, right? It may hurt, but I always tell the truth. I wouldn’t lie to you, wouldn’t do something to get your hopes up before smashing them.”“I know.”“Good. Helmut Zemo, you are not going back to the Raft. The Wakandans have released you, as long as their tracker stays on and you come to them for it to be reinserted as necessary, you are free to do as you please. The government, both the U.S. and those where you’ve been involved , have agreed on these terms. You’re free, Zemo. You can go where you want, when you want, so long as it’s done lawfully.”By the end, Zemo was looking at you, an expression as wide-eyed as a royal would be conditioned to be proper on his face. He called your name like a prayer, the disbelief on his face. The silence that followed was needed, and you let him come to the conclusions he needed to before continuing to speak.“I don’t know all of the legalities, you’ll have to ask Buck, but he told me that much. You’re not going back, Zemo.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The Royal sat there for five minutes (you watched the clock behind him) with his mouth agape, feelings flashing across his eyes. Cogs turning, doors opening that had been closed for years prior.
While he was having his revelations, you tried not to think too much about how many times he’s gone through this in the past. How many times he had taken whatever he could, done the best he could in an attempt to not be escorted back to the Raft. You tried your best not to think about how often you had done the same thing, but with much less surety than him. How you’d push yourself to extreme lengths while on a mission as a Huntress, in the hope you’d be killed to not have to report back within 24-hours.
Zemo moved quicker than you could follow, and before your instincts could kick in, he was positively covering you. One hand was wrapped around your waist, coaxing you into his lap, and the other was caressing your neck, keeping you close inside his space. In turn, you wrapped your hands around his shoulders, enabling him to keep his face on your shoulder.
There were gentle kisses being pressed to the skin there, and you kept murmuring renditions of you’re okay and it’s true over and over until a calm went through him.
His grip on you loosened, and Zemo looked at you as if you were his god, incarnated.
“I’m not going back.” It wasn’t a question, but you assured him the phrase was true. “Okay. Will you…will you stay with me, tonight. We won’t do anything-not while the rohypnol is still your system. I just…” He trailed off, yet held eye contact like a cat does a laser. Believing that if he didn’t let you out of his sight, then it would remain concrete. That the gift of freedom wouldn’t be ripped from his hands come the sunrise.
You nodded, tracing down his face. The slight stubble made you smile, and you gently removed yourself from his grasp, going to his ensuite to pee before slipping under the covers with him.
He held you tight, and as you felt yourself drifting off, Zemo mumbled something in Sokovian you couldn’t translate. Smiling, you hummed, and fell into a blissful sleep.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The first thing you noticed as you were waking was the feel of soft air moving against your neck as someone breathed. It was odd, considering you hardly ever shared a bed with someone outside a mission, and when you did Bucky was up before you. Every now and again you would wake to Alpine breathing in your face, but based on the hefty weight of an arm around you knew that wasn’t what was happening.
The next thing you noticed was the sheer warmth making its way to your skin. Bucky was many things, but a cuddler was one of the titles that he couldn’t claim. It seems that it was, however, a title that could be attributed to Baron Zemo. One of his arms was wrapped around your waist, hand laying on the bare skin of your stomach where the shirt had ridden up; the other was above your head, twitching as the royal slept. Zemo’s left leg was pushed up between your own, with the right not making contact. His chest was pressed against yours, hence how you could feel his breath on your neck.
Basking in the sensation for a few minutes, you debated going back to sleep before noticing the sun’s rays peeking through the curtains. It must be late morning, which meant you needed to think about what to do.
Despite the royal asking you to stay the night, you knew better than to plan on staying with him. He was now a free man, and while you knew he’d eventually drift towards helping out whatever authority best fits his needs, you knew it would be a while. And you knew better than to presume that you had a place in that in-between, or in Zemo’s future. The thought stung a bit, but you steeled yourself to remain neutral.
So, you needed to pack and then see when Bucky was going to head home. You and him had started driving to Zemo’s residence together, and your vehicle was parked at his residence right now. So, you needed to hitch a ride from him to go home. Admittintly, you weren’t going back to much, but there was enough for you to sort out that you wanted to talk to him as soon as convenient. There wasn’t much to pack, only a few pairs of clothing along with your tac gear and weapons, in addition to the hot chocolate mix from the kitchen. You knew it wouldn’t take long. You also wanted to coordinate with whoever had taken Ubel’s pitbulls, making sure they met your expectations. Despite the probably impulsive decision all those months ago, you were serious–if the dogs weren’t going to be taken care of properly, you were going to adopt them.
Surely something could be arranged with your landlady, whose abusive ex-husband had mysteriously gone missing a few months after you moved in. And when the next few months of rent was conveniently not asked for, you and her knew what had occurred. The space you rented wasn’t much, but it was your home.The form moving behind you is what broke you out of your thoughts, and you listened as his breath hitched, how he took a minute to stabilize himself, before slowly detaching from you.
“Morning, Zemo.”He greeted you in his native dialect, and his accent was thicker than what you’ve heard previously. You tried not to shiver. The Sokovian sat up, and you mirrored his movements.
As you made to stand up, to start your venture for food, he caught your wrist. Turning towards him, you took in the burnt caramel eyes and the disheveled hair, the slight imprint of where his cheek was smushed against the pillow during sleep.
“Is what you said last night true? Am I honestly not returning to the Raft?”Hand caressing your cheek, you maintained eye contact. You don’t blame him, knew how having the past way of life being turned over could cause more than a little doubt. Especially when the change was for the better.“Zemo, you are honestly not returning to the Raft. No Wakandan security besides having the chip maintenance as needed. No prison cell is prepared for you in any recognized government’s country. You may do as you please now.” The wording was similar enough to last night, and you made a mental note to repeat the reassurance like this in the future. If he wanted you to be beside him, that is.
“I’ll write my personal on a slip of paper in the kitchen, so whenever the doubt comes to you, I can say it again. You call me, and I’ll tell you again, and one day, one day the need for reassurance won’t be necessary. Until that point, you call me, whenever you need. I don’t care about the hour, I don’t care about the day–you call me, Helmut Zemo, and I’ll tell you.”The royal’s face had flushed underneath you, and you could feel the gentle weight as he nuzzled into your palm, which was still on his face. The two of you held eye contact for a few moments, and when you could see something solidify inside his gaze, you slowly withdrew contact.
“Now, let me get out of here before Buck decides I’ve been abducted. I’ll make some french toast, would you like me to start the kettle?”He nodded, and you trekked to the kitchen, starting the stove and the kettle. Then, you made your way to Bucky’s room. Knocking on the door, you opened it before he could answer, and were surprised to not see him inside. Thinking nothing of it (maybe he had yet to return from his run?) you walked towards Sam’s door.
Maybe–?Knocking on his door, you heard a muffled expletive, and then Sam opened the door suspiciously narrow. “What’s going on?”“Sorry to wake you up. I was wondering if you knew where Bucky was? He’s not in his room, nor the kitchen.”The male’s gaze flashed to the wall behind you before he spoke. “He’s around here somewhere.” A snort came from behind the door, and he sighed. “C’mon, man, you were the one who–”He was gently shoved aside by a metal shoulder, and then Bucky was leaning against the door hinge in all his boxer-clad glory.
“I’m fine, girlie. What’re you wanting?”Not missing a beat, you shrugged. “Was wondering if we could discuss travel plans, but I figure it can wait until after breakfast.” You worried your lip. “I told him last night and again this morning. He probably has some more questions about the legalities, but he knows. Don’t think he believes it, but Zemo knows.”Bucky hummed. “Okay. It can wait until after breakfast.”You patted his shoulder, gave Sam a you-hurt-him-I’ll-kill-you gaze, and trekked back to the kitchen. The pan was warm, and you started by breaking the eggs, adding a bit of milk, and sprinkling cinnamon into a little saucer. Washing your hands again after the eggs, you grabbed the block of lard– honest-to-gods lard, not even Crisco, and spread it on the pan. Placing the first four pieces of bread in the mixture and on the pan, you rooted around in the cabinet. Taking out the hot chocolate mix, you grabbed a mug for yourself and Sam before getting out two teacups.
As the teakettle whistled, you removed it from the heat, pouring an ample amount into the mugs before stirring in the cocoa mix, leaving it off the heatsource to simmer. It was one of the things you noticed about Zemo–he always waited until the water was no longer boiling before putting in a tea bag or the actual cherry blossom for his signature drink. As if on cue, the Sokovian royal walked into the kitchen.He placed a hand on your lower back as he passed, and before you could think better of it, you were leaning into the weight. Blinking, you continued to add more french toast to the pile you had started.
“Please, Zemo, help yourself. It…it may be a while until Buck and Sam join us.”Zemo leveled you with a look , and an amused smile graced his features. “Yes, indeed it may be. Please, help yourself first. My tea is almost done.”Shrugging, you grabbed your mug and four pieces of french toast, heading to the dinning table to eat. It wasn’t too soon after that Zemo joined you, slathering whip cream and strawberries onto the french toast. You, personally, thought that was a bit of a sin, but you weren’t in the position to judge. The silence was comfortable, though you’d rather not have it be silent enough to hear what was (or wasn’t) going on in Sam’s room. It seems that Zemo felt the same, as both of you started talking at the same time. You shook your head, motioning for him to continue.
“I was wondering what your plans were, Süße?” Zemo’s words were carefully level, giving an air of indifference.
“Well, I was going to talk to Buck, see what happened to Ubel’s pitbulls, then eventually make my way back to the apartment.”“Eventually…?” He keyed into the one word you didn’t mean to let out.
“Well, I don’t really have a reason to get back. Buck only pulled me in for this mission, and aside from doing some independent work, there’s nothing waiting for me. May as well take the long way back, right? I hear the drive back is beautiful.”
“Indeed it is.” You had to take a second, trying your best to keep Zemo’s gaze.
“What about you, Zemo?” Unlike the royal, you let your interest show. His defenses were up, and you didn’t blame him.Zemo hummed, taking a long sip from his tea. “I must admit, I don’t really have anything planned. This did come on rather suddenly, and any plans I may have will take ample time to prepare for. That being said, Oeznik did suggest I visit some other residences my family owns.”You smiled, not surprised by Zemo’s slight admittance to having some plan running in his mind. Not only had he had ample time to think about those who have slighted him, but his memory and determination have only been rivaled by a few in your experience.
“That sounds like a wonderful plan.”The Sokovian smiled, and the two of you held eye contact for an uncomfortable amount of time. The two of you ate the rest of your meal in silence, and as you started washing your plate (and Zemos), the royal batted your hands away.
“You should still be resting, Hase. It’s been a long couple of days. If you wanted to, Oeznik and I would be more than happy if you wished to stay here a few days longer. Of course, James and Sam are welcome, but they’ve both already declined. Off to go save the day elsewhere, I assume.”“Yeah, that sounds like them. And I may take you up on that offer, though you’ll have to tell me when I've overstayed my welcome.” You winked at him with the last expression, and the plate he was drying fell into the sink. Hiding your smirk, you turned around to place the hot chocolate mix back into the cabinet that had been its home for the past few months.
“I don’t think it’d be possible to overstay, Süße.”“Careful, Zemo, you haven’t seen me go stir-crazy yet. I’ve been too busy with the case.” As soon as the words had come off your lips, you felt Zemo’s arms cage you against the cabinet and his voice was directly in your ear as he spoke.“We’ll have to keep you busy then, hm?”
You were surprised by the direct contact, but you took the opportunity to pull your back flush against his front, snaking your hands around the top of his neck to guide him to lean into you. A sound escaped him that you’d only heard a few times before–during your photoshoot–and you smirked, glad he couldn’t see your pleased expression.
“The things you say, Schatzi. We’ll see how occupied you can keep me, then.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Despite the heavy words that had been shared in the kitchen the first day of his release, Zemo had been frustratingly slow in his advances. At first, you’d chalked it up to being hesitant due to his late wife; but as time wore on you realized that wasn’t it. See, you and he had been doing this sort of…slow dance, each circling closer to each other, but before anyone (normally you) could make any sort of satisfactory contact, he’d pull away.Outside of those moments, which became more and more frequent, the pair of you also enjoyed one another’s company. The pair of you had spent about two weeks on the same property as the case. Zemo had been ever the gentleman, showing you the parts of the town you hadn’t been able to see while practically undercover. There were the big sights, the attractions that garnered respect; but what you lived for was the smaller ones, the ones that showed the Sokovian royal truly knew the city. A breakfast nook that had the best muffins and coffee you’d ever tasted, an orchard that looked stunning despite it being the off-season.
During that time, you’d also grown to understand the relationship between Zemo and Oeznik. The old man had been hired long ago to be one of the many staff that kept the Baron Zemo residence in order when Helmut was growing up in Sokovia. You’d hesitate to call the man Zemo’s servant or even butler, as the relationship was much more personal than that. Helmut had told you that he’d looked up to Oeznik like he once did his father, before the man had become calloused to his and Heike’s marriage. Oeznik had lost his family in the fall of Sokovia, much like Helmut had. Helmut gave him more than one opportunity to leave, but had stopped after the older man all but demanded it. Despite not having voiced it, and probably never will, you were happy that Zemo had someone left after the fall.You tried to convey this into a smile as you passed the older male onto the plane. And wasn’t that a slap in the face. Zemo owned a private jet. An actual jet .
“Truly, Süße, did you expect us to fly commercial? I’d never put us into danger like that.” Zemo was sitting in his preferred seat, sipping on a flute of champagne, smiling kitten-like as he watched you take in the space.
“Well, excuse me for being in shock a bit. Gods, I knew you had money but it’s different to experience it.” You sat across from him, trying your best not to mind the scrunching of the skirt you were wearing. It had been hidden in the bottom of your suitcase, and you had planned on doing laundry later today, but Zemo had simply told you over breakfast that the jet was ready when you were, and he ‘advised’ (read: planned) on leaving soon.
So you had to gather up your dirty laundry, delicately folding it into your suitcase, and decided on the skirt and plain shirt. It was either that or a dress, and you didn’t feel like having to strip every time you peed today.Zemo hummed, drawing you back into the present. “Indeed it is.”Taking the champagne flute he extended, you subtly pulled the skirt down. Helmut’s eyes followed the movement, and you couldn’t help but think he was envious of the cloth; though that could just be wishful thinking on your part.Watching the clouds shift outside the window, the pair of you engaged in flirty remarks and quiet conversations, and when the trip was done you helped Oeznik load the combined suitcases into the vast trunk of a ‘90 Cadillac Brougham. Zemo did his part as well, calling the various people he was required to everytime his private jet landed anywhere in the world.
Much to your surprise, Oeznik did not join the two of you in the Cadillac, instead getting into an Oldsmobile and taking off after the jet had been secured.
Settling into the plush, velvet seats of the Cadillac, your expression must have spoke your confusion, because Zemo’s lips molded into that kittenish grin and one eyebrow raised. Obviously, Zemo had been the one to send Oeznik away, and that made your lower body flush with excitement. Face flushed red, you turned your head towards the window, watching as the scenery turned from a dilapidated town to miles of corn and bean fields; occasionally coming across a hog or cattle farm. Must be somewhere in the Midwest, you thought deftly . Just as you were starting to get bored of the miles and miles of vast nothingness, a clothed hand rested itself on your knee, and the first response you had was to jump. When Zemo went to remove his hand, you resisted the motion.“It’s okay, I just wasn’t that…prepared.”
He hummed in confirmation, and as the pair of you approached what seemed to be a mansion in the middle of nowhere, you threw caution to the wind. The closer the pair of you got to the driveway, the higher you dragged his hand on your thigh, and before long his hands were skimming the waistband of your panties.
Breath hitching, you splayed your legs while the buttery softness of the leather covering Zemo’s hands tugged on the material, and before you could think too much about it, you were twisting in your seat, seeking out friction. His hand snaked away from your waistband, and you were readying to whine until the buttery-soft leather of his gloves’ fingertips were moving up the inside of your thighs.Legs spread, you let out a hum of satisfaction as his fingertips breached the inside of your waistband, head jutting into the headrest. Before you could say about time, the flat of Zemo’s hand was cupping your sex, moving in lazy circles around your clit and smearing the wetness of your slit into the skin of your inner thighs.
It had been so long since you’d achieved any sense of personal pleasure, and you were almost ashamed at how quickly you were nearing that peak. Finding it unfair that he was being left out, and feeling desperately like he needed to be in the same boat as you, your hand closed around his inner thigh, and the tires squeaked as he slammed on the breaks.The pair of you were barely through the mantle of the mansion before your body found its home against the back of the front door. Wet, open-mouthed kisses were pressed against your neck, and before long you were rutting against the leg that had been pushed between your own.
“Zemo, please–” You whined, tugging at his product-free hair, tears collecting in the corners of your eyes.
“That’s it, Süße, so pretty for me, let me hear you…” Zemo’s voice was husky, accent thick as he spoke.Rutting against his leg, you did as he requested and let your noises loose. There weren’t many, as you tended to be pretty quiet during intimate moments, and you wouldn’t do Zemo the dishonor of faking noises like you had with so many in the past.
His hands found their purchase on your hips, and he increased the friction against your core. Tugging on his hair, you forced his lips to meet your own as you spilled over that edge; and as your crest waned, you allowed your head to thud against the solid oak. Once both of you had caught your breath, you slowly set your legs down on either side.
“That’s not how I planned to christen the house, I’ll admit…”Before you could help it, you full-body laughed. “Well, I kinda did.” His eyes searched yours, and you continued. “I’ve been on edge since that fucking photoshoot, and you didn’t anticipate this?”“Oh, no, I anticipated…this, just, not like this . Wanted to make it special, pamper you like I promised.” His breath was gentle puffs against your face, and as he delicately pushed a strand of hair out of your eyes, your breath hitched again.
“There’s still plenty of time, Shatzi. I’m not going anywhere.” Before you could do anything, Zemo was picking you up by the waist and moving you up the stairs.
Soon your back was against silky sheets, head cushioned by a calloused hand and the softest pillows you’ve ever felt.
Zemo was hovering over you, looking into your eyes for permission before kissing you. His lips were slim but plush, and you opened your mouth when his tongue pressed against your closed lips. A slick slide of tongues, and he gave a quiet moan when one of your hands drifted to the bulge in his jeans.
“Not now, Süße. I wanna make you feel good first. Get you ready for me.” His hands skimmed your shirt, and you were thankful as he bypassed the hem and instead focused on peeling off your skirt and underwear.
He followed the articles of clothing’s path down your ankles, and kissed his way from your shin to the crease of your thighs. It was here that he paused, and it wasn’t until you looked down that the realization struck you: he’s asking permission to eat you out. A slow, kind smile drifted across your features; a juxtaposition to the tug you gave his hair to express your willingness.
Taking it for the permission it is, Zemo didn’t waste time before pressing a soft kiss to your clit, instead focusing on the downy hair of your mound. The kisses were sweet, but with another tug to his locks, and a moan in reply, he turned his attention to where you truly wanted it. The pleasure was growing, and after a while you peaked for the second time in the day. Zemo retreated for a bit, giving you a second to recover before diving back in.Crying out, the tears gathered at the corners of your eyes as his tongue and one finger gently prodded and breached your entrance. The vibration of his moans made the tears fall from the corner they were collecting in, and you made a fevered attempt to push him from your sex. Immediately he retreated, a look of fear in his eyes that he had pushed too far.
“Oh sweetheart, I just need a second. Why don’t you let me take care of you now, huh?”“ Nein , this is about you. I want to make you cum every way under the sun until you’re so sensitive you’re screaming at me to stop. But you know what, Süße? I’m not going to stop until you’ve reached your limit. And you aren’t there yet.” Every word he spoke caused a puff of his breath to creep over your sex, and as your eyes widened, he went back to eating you out, determined to finish his mission.
And oh, how absolutely blissfully sinful it felt to be the target of his mission.