Last Time I Checked, You Were In a Hurry
The social worker showed up on the sixth day of the boy's stay. It was Friday, and since the day was unusually sunny and bright, they were spending the day outside on Zemo's estate's garden, playing various games. That was until the baron noticed a woman observing them from behind a fence with a pen and a folder. Overprotective as he had gotten, Zemo instantly called her out with polite rudeness.
"Baron Zemo. My name is Theodora Steele, and it should be in your own interest to let me in and behave accordingly to my person," she scolded him with the same mixture of politeness and rudeness.
It was clear right from the beginning that the two had much in common, and it didn't bode well. Zemo instantly labeled her as dangerous because, in his eyes, this woman represented a threat to his 'new family', and for the first time, Bucky saw it as a bad thing.
"Of course. I wouldn't ever dream of insulting you, Miss... Ah, I think I might have misheard your surname. It has something to do with metals, yes?" That face with a thin-lipped smile and eyes slightly narrow, the head tilt, and Zemo's hands picking at imaginary dust behind his neatly filed nails spelled out mischief.
"Steele," she repeated, unimpressed with Zemo's obvious attempts to rile her up.
Zemo clapped his hands in a fake triumph. "In that case, I've heard it right the first time you introduced yourself! Isn't it ironic?"
Theodora wrote something down, then her eyes briefly flicked up to look at Bucky. At his vibranium arm, to be precise. "Yes. Looking at your partner, one would have thought you're well acquainted with metals."
"Tha- That's not- We're not what you think we are."
Bucky had to laugh at the baron's embarrassed reaction, and so did Sebastian, seeing that the situation couldn't have been that serious, because otherwise uncle Bucky wouldn't be so cheerful. "Do come in, Miss. Do you prefer tea or coffee?"
The atmosphere got a little better once they got inside. Although the baron was still wary of the social worker, he focused on Sebastian's needs rather than insults aimed at the woman. While Zemo was in the kitchen, cutting apples for the boy, Bucky got friendly with Theodora, apologizing for his partner's behavior. He could tell that her sarcastic demeanor was only a pose and that she was very kind and pure-hearted in her nature.
It was obvious that Zemo didn't like it when he came back with Sebastian munching on the pieces of peeled apples and saw them smiling at each other. Without a doubt, he took it as a betrayal. Seeing the flaming look he was giving him, Bucky was glad that the man left the knife in the kitchen.
"I will need to talk to Sebastian. Alone."
"No." Zemo instantly refused the idea, pulling the boy closer to himself. Ever since he proclaimed himself Sebastian's guardian, he was reluctant to leave his side for more than just a few seconds. What Theodora asked of him was thus impossible for him to agree to. "I can't allow it."
"Mr. Zemo. The point of my visit is to measure Sebastian's well-being in your care by asking him several questions about his stay here. Your presence, or the presence of Mr. Barnes, would manipulate the results. I need to be sure that his answers aren't influenced by fear." The last implication made the baron gasp. “Don't jump into conclus-“
"What kind of a monster do you think I am that would hurt innocent children?" he interrupted her, his voice deeper and raspier than usual.
Seeing how confused Sebastian was by the conversation, Bucky decided to step in - literally. He stood between Zemo and Theodora, addressing the baron by name when he tried to look at the woman over the soldier's shoulder. "Hey, look at me. She's just doing her job, that's all. No one is trying to put Sebastian, or you, in harm's way. It's gonna be okay. The sooner you let it happen, the sooner it will be over." He could only imagine how difficult it must have been for the baron.
The man sighed, tired of fruitless fighting. "Okay. You may go." He let go of Sebastian. "Show Miss Theo your room, darling. We will wait for you here." Despite using the pet name, his voice lacked a certain warmth that always crept in when he spoke to him, and the little boy must have noticed because the next thing he did was hug Zemo for several seconds until the man stopped being so tense and hugged back. After that, he politely motioned for Theodora to follow him, which she did.
Once they were out of sight, Zemo started nervously pacing the living room back and forth like a lunatic. There was a bowl full of 'Turkish delights' and the baron took one whenever he passed around it. It looked rather comical, so Bucky couldn't help but chuckle. Hearing it, Zemo glanced at him with his piercing eyes. "How can you be so calm?!" He asked, shoving another candy in his mouth. With his mouth full, he added: "She's a menace!" while pointing towards Seb's room.
Zemo was stressed out, so Bucky decided to show him that he took the matter rather seriously. The first thing he did was to take away the bowl not so full of sweets anymore and put it on one of the higher shelves. The baron's glare got even more fierce. They both pretended that it was there for the boy while knowing that in reality, it was for Zemo to keep him from drinking wine. Stress-eating, however, wasn't much healthier than getting drunk. Secondly, he stood up to stop the other man in his frantic movements by placing his right hand on his shoulder.
"I am calm, because I was here for the past few days, and am convinced that Seb couldn't have fallen into better hands. Anyone who'd have the chance to witness you being so domestic would be." The word domestic made Zemo flinch. For him, it was the same as being called soft, which he refused. "I'm just trying to say that you don't need to worry. Sebastian doesn't have any bad things to say about you, I'm sure."
"Do you think he likes me?"
The question came seemingly out of nowhere. "Of course he does! Why are you even asking that?"
"I... It always seems like everyone is sick of me, hates me, and it's understandable because I deserve nothing better after everything, but at the same time... I wish I could go back to the times when I felt... like a better person... like a better father..."
Bucky was unsure how to respond to that. He had never seen the baron to be like this. Maybe, if they spent more time outside work, he would have known this side of him better by now and would have known what is the best way to react. When this is over, they could start seeing each other more.
Since when did Bucky wish to get to know the baron better?
"I'm making everything about me, again," Zemo sighed, resigned. "You were right. I am a selfish bastard. Reckless, careless... worthless."
"Hey, that's not-" Before he could finish the thought, they heard a clapping of high heels against the floor.
"Where is Sebastian?!" Zemo growled when it was clear that only Miss Steele was returning to the living room. His mind kept on generating unpleasant scenarios, for example, that Theodora found him too dangerous, and so she told the boy to stay hidden in the room until the social services came to rescue him.
"He's in his room, unharmed, playing with the toys that, as he informed me, you provided. Who did they belong to? I noticed they are not new ones."
"No one," he was quick to say.
It caught Theodora's attention.
"That's a lie, isn't it? Or do you mean to deny that there once had been an heir to the Sokovian Zemo dynasty? Carl, was his name?"
"That is n-not relevant here." The baron gritted his teeth. He didn't want to talk about it. Wasn't ready to think about it. Why did she have to bring it up? He'd much rather talk about his army days than about them.
"I think it is. Do you see any similarities between your son and Sebastian?"
"Why?"
"Just answer the question, it's simple."
"Is this an interrogation?"
"Are you trying to substitute your son with Sebastian by putting him in Carl's clothes and giving him his toys?"
"N-no..."
"It seems to me that you are. Did you think of adoption?"
There were subtle changes in Zemo's stance throughout the conversation. His shoulders gradually sagged lower and lower, his fingers searched for something to lightly lean onto to ground himself in reality, until they found a backrest of a couch. The soldier could hear his wild heart pounding against the ribcage that had been fractured too many times to count. He noticed the subtle jerks that his chest and throat made as a consequence of suppressed breathing. Zemo was purposefully holding his breath.
Not liking where this was going, Bucky intruded on their conversation. "Don't you think that's enough?" he asked her calmly, not to unnecessarily escalate the situation.
She ignored him. Instead, her eyes bore into Zemo.
"Miss Steele-" He was about to try again, but a small voice interrupted him. "Come again?!" What he heard couldn't possibly be right.
"I did..."
Bucky shook his head in disbelief. Fuck.
"When was the last time you thought about it?"
"This morning."
"Did you not read my letter?"
"Wait, wait, wait. I'm getting lost in this convo. Zemo, what is she talking about? What letter?" He turned to look at the baron. It was a pitiful sight. "Come on, what are you not telling me?" His hand moved up instinctively to squeeze the smaller man's shoulder assuringly. At that very moment, it felt right. The other didn't pull away.
"Two days ago, I received a message from Miss Steele, informing me that the social services were contacted by a woman who claims to be Sebastian's aunt... The process to confirm it usually takes days. I didn't consider the matter pressing enough to tell you just yet, but I would eventually when it was verified."
Intentional withholding of key information. You shouldn't have done that, Bucky thought, but for the sake of everyone present, he decided not to say it aloud. "I understand that. What's up with the adoption thing, though? Sebastian's in your custody only temporarily, you know that."
"Of course, I know. I know! But, James, what if she isn't his aunt? She could be a liar! He lived only with his mother, a teacher, who unfortunately died because of- I am Sebastian's only family. I know how to take care of him properly, you said it yourself. I am even more careful than I was with Carl, I- I could adopt him."
"He's not yours to keep, doll," Bucky said softly as his hand slowly reached up to cup that troubled cheek, but he flinched away when the baron yelled out: "YOU REALLY THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT!" The smaller man's eyes darted towards the hand that refrained from the caress it was about to initiate before he lost control over his emotions. When he spoke up again, his voice was much quieter, softer, and sadder. "If I didn't know that I would already be on the run with him. I didn't lose my mind completely." He turned to Theodora. "You have to believe me."
For a few moments, the woman's face was a blank canvas, but then an invisible hand painted a smile on it. "I have never had a reason to doubt you, Mr. Zemo." The two men looked at her surprised. "Sebastian was on cloud nine when I asked him about you and Mr. Barnes. He absolutely adores and respects you. You may not realize how rare that is nowadays."
She closed the folder and took off her elegant red reading glasses. Their absence caused her face to look more inviting and kinder. "Please, take this piece of advice that I'm going to give you not as a social worker, but as your friend. Don't get too attached. I've seen how badly it may end."
Zemo nodded in understanding, making a silent promise that he would try not to cling to the lad so much. Then he reached out his hand in peace offering. "I would be the happiest if you could forgive me for the initial hostility, Miss Steele."
Theodora gladly accepted the handshake. "Of course. And, please, call me Theo. Both of you." She winked at him and laughed when his cheeks warmed up at her invitation to get more personal. At the same time, Bucky awkwardly shuffled on his feet.
"Could I invite you to dine with us, Theo? We're having Filet Mignon. No need to fret, I wasn't the one preparing it." According to my wife, I'm more arsonist than a cook when in the kitchen, he added in his head.
"Unfortunately, I can't. My time here is up, and I have two more families to check on today. Maybe some other time," she refused politely.
"Let me walk you out to your car then. Oh, James? Be so kind and call young master Sebastian for dinner. And, please, see to it that he will wash up before eating." Bucky nodded, said goodbye to Theodora, and then headed toward Sebastian's room.
"I feel like I can't thank you enough," the baron confessed when they stopped in front of Theodora's Chevrolet.
Her response was a burst of wholehearted laughter and then: "You amuse me, Mr. Zemo. Were I not such a professional, and you were not taken, I'd already slip my phone number into your pocket."
Once again, the noble's embarrassment was apparent on his face. "James and I are only colleagues. It may not seem like it from such a short visit, but the reality is that he resents me."
"Are you sure?" She looked at him with one eyebrow raised.
"I did horrible things to him once. Used him like no fellow human being ever should. Hurt him. I'm lucky he's even able to stand being around me."
Theodora looked around as if she were afraid that something confidential could leak out into public, then took a step closer to Zemo. She kept her voice down as she said: "Can I have one more question? It's a bit personal if you don't mind."
He prompted her to go on with a swift gesture of his hand. "I'll try to answer it as best as I can. I owe you that."
"You used to be an EKO Scorpion commander, is that right?" The baron confirmed it with a curt nod. "Does the name 'Frederick Steele' ring a bell?" Zemo closed his eyes, preparing himself for the worst. "He was my father. According to what I've heard, dad didn't survive your intense torture." The aloofness apparent in her voice sent shivers down Zemo's spine.
"Yes, I remember him." What else can he possibly say? That he didn't know any better at that time other than cruelty? That if he had been a father at that time, no other man would get harmed by his hand? None of it was true. He was following orders. It was the thing he was good at, and he missed the times he was honored by the higher-ups for his work well done. He hated himself for how much he loved it... It was messed up.
She saved his mind from spiraling into the realm of PTSD where the irrational part of his brain dwelled - nostalgic about the past rather than disgusted by it as it should. "I've always wanted to see the man who broke my family apart. That's why I signed up to be your social worker specifically. You used to be the main figure in all my nightmares, so I wanted to stand in front of you, limitless and fearless, to overcome my fears. To make my dad proud."
Shame and guilt hit him like a train at full speed.
"I'm not mad anymore."
He looked up. Hope was written all over his face.
"I didn't know the Zemo who killed him, but I know the Zemo who is with me now, and he's not the monster from my dreams. I am certain that Mr. Barnes sees it the same way. So, if you have some more profound feelings for him, don't be afraid to show it."
"Last time I checked, you were in a hurry," he pointed out to avoid further discussion about his sick and frustrated heart. Theodora didn't pry.