Zemo woke up with a start, blinking in his blurry vision. Someone drugged him. Zemo pulled at his wrists unsurprised but still annoyed by the restraints he found donning there. He looked around himself trying to recognise his current location, last he remembered he was at his summer house in Prague with James and Wilson. If something had happened to him something had probably happened to them too. Hang on. Based on the popcorn ceiling (he had been meaning to remove) he was still in the summer house in Prague. Why was he cuffed then? To his own bedframe? Zemo forced himself into a brutal replication of calm, outward appearance first, increasing heart rate can be addressed later.
Without a second's delay, Zemo's mind was made up and he had readily dislocated his thumb with a dull crack, biting his lip to muffle the sound of his pain he snapped the other one out of place too. Both hands should have slipped easily out of the cuffs after that but these were tight. Too tight. He ended up bluntly tearing the majority of the skin over his thumbs before he could be free of them. He then put his hands palm down on the bed and used the contact force to snap them back into place. Flashing his fists like headlights to ensure he had regained full motion in his fingers. The drugs used had unfortunately not aided in pain relief in the slightest.
When Zemo went to stand up the world spun on its axis and he found himself leaning heavily on the wall, he swallowed hard attempting to reorient himself, he tore the bedsheet wrapping his fists in the cloth, not eager to gain more damage to his hands with the already present lacerations from the too tight handcuffs. As zemo blinked once more he found the dizziness absent and turned the door handle silently. Slowly opening the door he reared back ready to flee if needs be, he could always return for James and Samuel, even if he may not wish to.
He suddenly heard voices.
"Im sorry you what?" James. Zemo exhaled gently, sagging gently against the doorframe as he let relief flood over him for a second at his lovers sheer aliveness.
"You said he hasn't slept in four days buck. Its not healthy. Do not go and wake him, it defeats the whole object, its only been an hour Bucky. cmon man." Samuel?
"Lemme get this straight, you drugged and cuffed my boyfriend and left him upstairs in chains?" Sam must have made some noise to the affirmative but the dizziness had returned and zemo was now struggling to hear. "You didnt think he might have some trauma in that area? Or even that it was just generally stupid?"
"Listen, I'm sorry man. But there's no point going in there and waking him up, the drugs wont even have even worn off yet."
"Im not going in to wake him up, I'm going in because I think he's already awake." Bucky's voice was louder now, that was about all zemo could recognise, sound was garbled at this point and he was barely standing.
"Z?," James asked somewhat gently, clearly trying to be cautious at the eventuality of zemo being asleep.
"James? James, i- i dont. I was cuffed to the bed. We- we are not safe." Zemo could barely navigate his own scrambled speech. James turned to see him partially hidden behind the door. His face split with a smile.
"Its ok doll, you're ok. We're ok." Bucky's gentle voice advised placing his hands carefully on the Baron's skin.(... Oh. Hes speaking Sokovian, was Zemo speaking Sokovian too?) Zemo relaxed into the hands seeing Bucky's face got from concerned, to relived to comforting and concerned, though Zemo could barely tell at this point. Then saw Sam and his brain processed the information he had in the only way it knew how.
Zemo had this nifty skill of being able to analyse a situation in a second while working out the best, most efficient and effective techniques that would lead to success. This was of course when he was at full operation and right now he was far from it. But hardwired in his head were years of motivation, torture, suffering, love, abuse, tenderness, caring. This was far from the first time Zemo had been drugged, meaning that right now though he had one thought and that was safety, however temporary it simply had to be safer than now. With zemo's last shred of power over his own limbs and energy, he took Bucky's gentle hand placed oh so caringly on his cheek ensuring to sway in the correct direction, he pulled the taller man with him. Towards the en suit. The only door within reach with a lock.
"Woah, where are we going doll? Z?" Bucky asked following unflinchingly, Zemo however had, at this point lost the ability to answer him and just relied on the non verbal communication to carry him through any uncertainty, he quickened slightly when he noticed, from the corner of his eye, sam following. He pushed Bucky through the cerulean door gesturing to the lock but bucky was either not understanding or was choosing not to understand so Zemo forced himself in the room too locking the door, swiftly and clumsily turning the polished metal lock before his vision began to tunnel.
"Ja- james." Zemo mumbled unable to communicate his circumstances. Unable to understand his circumstances.
"Z..." Bucky began gently. Walking towards the baron he layed his hands Zemo's shoulders before running down to his elbows.
"Im sorry." The baron mumbled illegibly before going boneless in Bucky's arms. And that was it fot the Baron that night.
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It was safe to say Bucky was thoroughly (worried) confused. He had popped out briefly to go shopping for the house, a three day mission, super simple! Easy! Or so he was fucking told. He comes back having left his once best friend and current lover in a house together for an hour and zemo is pulling him into the bathroom (for the lock on the door bucky assumes) and has now passed out in his arms.
"Woah, ok, youre ok, Z." Bucky said reflexively, having expected the inevitable fall but not just yet. They were alone, he noted. But Zemo wasn't relaxed, that much was clear, bucky had seen him relaxed, he had also seen him on the verge of causing an international incident if it would allow him alleviate his discomfort. We were leaning heavily toward the latter.
Bucky gently lowered Zemo to the floor and sees his jaw clenched and hands still curled into fists. bucky pulled his fingers out again, interlocking his own between them before kissing his forehead gently. He took Zemo's pulse, as was involuntary when seeing his lover unconscious on the floor. Fast fast fast. Too fast. Ah yes, the brutalism approach to calmness. bucky, now not so focused on the tenuous life force of Zemo, relaxed enough to hear Sam banging at the door.
Bucky had half a mind to keep it closed out of spite.
"Man if you don't open this door I'm gonna break it down!"
Bucky sighed.
"Alright, alright." Bucky relented leaning over zemo to unlock it.
"Why the hell did he bring you in here?" Sam asked. Very loudly.
"Because he heard us, established that you drugged and cuffed him and so his mind registered you as a threat instead of the ally you had so far been. He took me into the only room with a lock on the door that he could access in his drug addled state. Thanks. And then he almost immediately gave up registering that we had better odds than before and that that was all be could do!" Bucky whisper shouted at Sam.
"I said im sorry man." Sam said back, no hint of regret in his voice.
"Do you see this?" Bucky asked raising Zemo's bloodied hands, showing the cloth wrapped around his knuckles rather than either set of wounds. The silk tarnished by the blood that had inadvertently absorbed into the fabric. "This is your fault. You cant force him into doing things, you can't assume you know what's best for him. You dont know him." Bucky growled stroking strands of hair away from delicate skin.
"Im not gonna apologise again for trying to help!" Sam shouted again, Zemo twitching either at volume or at the speaker.
"Lower your damn voice." Bucky spat darkly. "I dont see 'help' sam. I see that you already, for no reason i can think of other than non consensually drugging my boyfriend. Under a different claim than this time but still. Because you haven't left the house Sam. The house? Zemo's house, that he is letting you live in, and cooking for you in. What did he? Ask you to pour him three fingers? And you used the drugs that you had always planned to use on the man i love. How helpful. Thank you Sam." Bucky spat out each word like hot tar burning the inside of his mouth. Each syllable seeming to disgust him more than the last.
"Get out." Bucky demanded.
"What?" Sam asked shocked for some unidentifiable reason.
"Leave. The room. The floor. The house. I dont care, just dont be here." Bucky argued bluntly.
Sam hesitated before leaving(shaking his head like he had any sort of superiority at all), and thank god for it. Zemo seemed to relax on the spot, releasing a heavy breath and melting further into the floor. Bucky bit back a chuckle before setting himself, ready to lift zemo. He crouched down before drawing the Sokovian into his arms and standing somewhat steadily. He walked farther into the room laying Zemo back down onto the soft mattress.
"'s'ok Z. You're ok." He said gently, swiping delicate flesh fingers across zemo's temple. Bucky tapped the panel in the bathroom skirting board hearing a hollow spot and snapping it off with a metal arm. He pulled out the metal box, opening it, against the will of much built up rust, revealing several first aid supplies that Bucky guessed Zemo could risk letting Carl get his hands on. It was antibiotics, morphine, needles, glass ampules, bandages, gauze pads, silver bandages and scissors. Along with a few tubes of antiseptic and a few sheets of painkillers, antipyretics, antiemetics and an ungodly amount of military grade stimulants. Jesus Z. Alot of trauma they have to go through huh.
Bucky found a jug which he filled with water and pulled a clean cloth out of the drawer under the sink. He took his haul into the room zemo was unconscious in and set it all down on the bed. If anything spilled, well Zemo already tore it so he would probably have to replace it anyway.
Bucky gently unraveled the cloth protection around his knuckles before he wiped the bloody wounds on the outside of his hands, the large scuffs having bled profusely but briefly however the majority of evidence of that remained on the hardwood which he would have to get to later. He placed gauze pads on the large wounds wrapping it in place with the clean bandages.
He also addressed the lacerations around his wrists, the reddened skin clearly tender and fragile, he put the antiseptic cream on them and losely wrapping more bandages around his wrist not wanting to cut off the circulation to his hands.
With the blood now gone it was clear for bucky to see the bruising on the Baron's hands around his thumb,
"dislocated and still the scuffs?" Bucky thought out loud before looking at the cuffs, still attached to the bedframe. Too tight. Too small. Too damn small by a mile. God, its a miracle that zemo still has his hands at all. There's nothing he can do for the bruises, Bucky notes, just wait. So he decides to begin cleaning the floor, the solid hardwood making the job a quick one as opposed to working with carpet. Fucking hated carpet. Once finished, he put the reddened cloth in the sink, jug of pink water now emptied stands next to it. He could clean them properly later. He took off his jeans and laid next to zemo, the man immediately turning and nuzzling his head in the space between Bucky's neck and shoulder, most of Zemo's face buried in Bucky's chest. And Bucky, happy with the makeshift lock he had fashioned on the bedroom door, and comfortable in his lover's arms fell into a peaceful and restful, but not necessarily deep sleep.
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Zemo woke up slowly, fuzzy. Hours had passed, he could tell, feel it in his bones. But james was there, he could feel that too, so things must be ok. James and he take care of each other. He smiled gently remembering the the chestnut hair, firm chest covered in solid yet ever so soft skin, hard jaw with such a round smile, hand sculpted by Lada herself. *
"What are you thinking about?" Bucky asked half asleep, craning himself for the chance at yet more contact with zemo, a feat that was currently impossible.
"You." Zemo said simply, he could hear bucky smile his little half smile as he exhaled through his nose, tired laughter.
"How do you feel?" Bucky asked moving his head to be opposite Zemo's on their shared pillow. Zemo gazed into the steel blue eyes.
"Headache, thirsty. Fine." Bucky rolled his eyes at him.
"Sam drugged you, cuffed you to the bed while i was out. You woke up and within a minute had dis and relocated both thumbs royally screwing your hands by the way, and passed out in the bathroom." Bucky was shouting half the story from the bathroom as he went to get Zemo water. "I'll get you proper tea later. Drink this now." Bucky politely demanded. Zemo did so excitedly, throat parched enough for him to to whine about tap water.
"I was fucking worried about you Z. I kicked sam out basically asap. Took care of you and all that. But you were so worried about you too. And me of course but you didnt know what the hell was happening." Bucky explained.
"I apologise for your concern James. i am ok. I never reacted well to being drugged, was my only true failing of being EKO scorpion i suppose." Zemo comforted, going to hold Bucky's hand in his own only to find swathes of bandage in the place of skin. Ah, yes.
"You handled it with relative grace, pulled us into the bathroom, locked the door to keep sam out and then passed out. Your pulse was racing." Bucky started.
"Brutal calm." Zemo said. Bucky straddled zemo's hips before bending over and kissing zemo affectionately. Zemo hummed in the affirmative before passionately kissing back looping his hand on the back of his lover's neck. Bucky pulled away first setting his weight to his locked elbows and his knees. He looked down and around before making eye contact with Zemo again.
"I'm glad you're ok."
Zemo smiled widely at that. "I could say the same to you. I remember my panic regarding your safety James."
"Im fine, i told sam off and told him to scram but hes probably still around here somewhere if you wanna go off and... tear him a new one." Bucky shrugged suggestively, smiling cheekily at zemo, a corner of the baron's lips curled into a smile. "Well then, his first punishment shall be a test in patience." Zemo chuckled pulling bucky back down by the back of his neck towards himself.