Chapter 3
His nipples were sore and his back ached and this was the tenth time today that Helmut Zemo cursed James Barnes’ super soldier cock for knocking him up. He was also craving apple pie, which made him grit his teeth hard because he used to dislike the dessert so much. He’d always have this discussion with his spouse over dinner; about how boring apple pie was when there was such a wide variety of pies to choose that were actually paladar-exploding, why settle for the simplest? To his dismay, his son loved it though he had abhorred the thing when he was carrying him. But apparently, now this little one did like it too. Heike would agree with him but still would eat it with Carl; he couldn’t help but think that perhaps James liked this type of baked goods too. He probably did, he’d seen the man eat, the soldier was like a vacuum cleaner when it came to food, he could be served rocks and still find it good. Zemo resented his super enhanced metabolism, he would burn all those carbs in hours, perhaps even minutes.
Zemo sighed.
The witch’s visit left him feeling weary and without his appetite for an entire day. He knew it had been real and not a dream or a hallucination. Firstly because it did not make any sense to him as to why he would dream of that woman. Zemo didn’t know her personally, he couldn’t remember ever having crossed paths with her, not even in Sokovia. She was a stranger. But he had heard of her, and what happened to her family. The royal family had acknowledged the tragedy, and paid their respects for all the families affected.
On day two and the clock that flashed on the small radio on his table was becoming a burden. He’s tried, miserably, to check his options once more and nothing came close to the woman’s offer. He was close to the end of his first trimester, which made him around three months pregnant. His stomach was slightly starting to grow more accentuated around his hips. And his nerves were skyrocketing each day that his preheat check up came closer. He needed to get out of here. Fast. At this point he needed a miracle and as much as it pained him to admit, Maximoff and whatever twisted plan she had was his only salvation. For now.
Zemo knew that once they learned he was pregnant they wouldn’t hesitate to use it against him. He knew he was a valuable asset thanks to his knowledge of not only HYDRA, but his network as well. EKO Scorpion had valuable information about many important people all around Europe. The corrupt American government would have a field day if they knew they finally had something to threaten him with. A weakness.
They had tried in the past, but Zemo had just laughed like a maniac in their faces, encouraging them to please go ahead and kill him. A favour they would be making him. He had had nothing left back then, nothing to fight for or care for. His life? He could care less wether he lived or died. They learned that fast enough though, and gave up just as quickly.
But now Zemo carried the baby of James Barnes in his womb, and if that didn’t make him the easiest, juiciest and most wanted prey in the world. If he’d end up in the wrong hands it was over. He didn’t know if James’ super soldier abilities were running through his baby’s blood. He didn’t know if the baby was gonna be inheriting them. God, how he hoped they wouldn’t. This whole thing was already bad enough. Sadly, he knew better than that, and it didn’t do him any good to fool himself. Hope could be a dangerous thing.
The rattling sound of the small compartment where his meals were handed to him opening pulled him out of the train of thoughts that he often wandered off. He stood up from the bed and went to grab the food that was being offered to him by a tall, attractive, alpha. Zemo held his breath and took the food tray as rapidly as he could manage without attracting unwanted attention. To his misfortune, the alpha still squinted his eyes at him through the thick glass, looking at him suspiciously, and Zemo took several steps back. It would only take one sniff at him from this alpha guard for him to become fried fish in this prison. The alpha guard frowned, and Zemo could see that the man was trying to place the strangeness of what he was gonna assume was the omega’s smell. Now, Zemo was never a religious man, but he prayed that this wasn’t the moment where his pregnancy was exposed, because he wasn’t ready for anything, not a fucking thing, but he needed more time and decisions to make.
Thankfully, Zemo made his best attempt to play it cool and sat down on his bed, crossing his legs and placing the food tray on his lap. Ignoring the alpha that was still watching him closely, and without stopping to analyse what his meal was, to see whether he could stomach it or not, he grabbed the spoon and started shoving food to his mouth with feigned starving gusto. After a few more seconds, Zemo saw from his peripheral sight how the alpha huffed, shaking his head, and then closed the small window compartment, turning around and leaving.
The omega grabbed a napkin from the tray and spat the chewed food in it, gagging slightly. It was meatloaf, very badly cooked meatloaf. It was drenched in vinegar for some despicable reason and now Zemo was green. He took a deep breath from his nose and tried to calm himself down. God, that was a close one, too close. This food was disgusting, not even the mashed potatoes looked edible today, it was kind of watery. Zemo was kinda hungry but apparently his baby wasn’t. He couldn’t play it off this time. He was well aware of the cameras pointing on his cell, he knew he was being watched, he could only hope that they weren’t interested in this particular display from right now. He felt bile rising up his throat, he quickly stood up and ran for the small toilet basin on the other corner of his cell. After he was done puking the last of his gut acids, he washed his face and rinsed his mouth. He was dehydrated at this point.
He walked up to his nest and crawled in it. He felt feverish, his throat ached. If only he’d had something in his possession that smelled like James, that would help tremendously his situation. But he had nothing, only memories that made his heart break and his body ache.
“You’re all I’ve got left, little one.”
In his stomach he swore something fluttered. Maybe it was gas, maybe it was the small life that grew inside him. Either way, at least he wouldn’t be alone in this burnt out world for long.
-
It was sunny, trees took different shades of green wherever he looked. Was this a meadow? No, Zemo walked a bit further and blinked a couple of times, adjusting his eyes to the brightness of the sublime day. It was a valley, among the mountains. There was a beautiful black lake too, that extended a few acres. This was Sokovia, this was home.
The sound of a soft chuckle made him spin around and search with his gaze, interrupting his amazement and capturing his curiosity. Sitting on the grass on a pale blue blanket, there was a teenage boy. He had his back to Zemo, but he could see his brown unruly hair being all over the place thanks to the windy air. The man squinted in the boy’s direction. The boy was rocking something on his arms as he hummed softly. It sounded like a lullaby and it was oddly familiar.
Soon enough Zemo realised that the small bundle that the boy was holding was in fact a baby. The child made a cooing sound at the boy, and the boy laughed again. But this time it made Zemo freeze in place. He recognised that laugh, though it sounded a little more raspier now, he still knew who it belonged to. He swallowed as the boy got up, the omega’s heart beat increasing as the not-so-stranger turned around slowly. He then locked eyes with the boy and the man felt his surroundings dissipate.
“Carl?” He croaked out. The boy gave him the most beautiful and brightest smile Zemo had seen in years.
“Papá.” He greeted back, his eyes darting down to the child he cradled. couldn’t see the baby very well, he had them wrapped in a green blanket. “Aren’t you a perfect little king, huh?” His son whispered to the well-behaved baby in his arms. “Or little princess…” He added, looking directly at Zemo, and that’s when it finally clicked.
This was his baby, the baby that currently grew inside his belly. Those before him were his children, both of them, alive and well, and happy. Everything Helmut could ever wish for. The truest desire of his heart stood before him. He approached his children cautiously, he was so close, so close to hold his boy for the first time in years. His first born, grown, exactly how he should look right now at age fourteen, not how he had seen him last, right before he’d been forced to lower him to the ground in a casket at age six. He reached out and wrapped his arms around them, and all of a sudden a soothing warmth embraced him. He felt alive again, like a burst of healing energy bloomed on his core. He was holding his world, his son and his baby.
Zemo didn’t realise he was crying until he started shaking with the force of it. Carl was saying something but he couldn’t make out what it was.
“Shh, calm now.” He heard his boy whisper, though Helmut couldn’t be sure if it was at him or the infant between them. He then stood back, cradling his eldest son's face with both of his hands.
He opened his mouth to say something, there was so much he wanted to say, that he needed so desperately to speak. To alivianate the pressure and guilt and pain he’d carried all those years around with him. He needed to let his son know one more time how much he loved him, and how sorry he was for failing him so many times. This was his chance, but just like everything in his life, it was meant to be taken away from him. Because in a blink, in a sudden twist, everything turned to ash…
And then he awoke with a jolt, gasping for air like a fish out of water.
No.
No. No. No.
He squeezed his eyes shut.
It had been a dream. All of it, a cruel, twisted and beautiful dream.
He was drenched in sweat and his heart was beating so hard against his ribcage that it was almost painful.
Carl. His baby boy, his son. Oh, how he wished it had been real. It certainly felt so. He inhaled a choking breath and let his actual tears fall once more. He didn’t know, he truly didn’t know, how much longer he could keep doing this. Surviving like this, with all this loneliness and all this pain he carried deep inside his chest. He felt sorry for the baby that was growing inside him, because they didn’t deserve to be forced to share all of his burdens like this. This innocent creature that had suddenly given his life so much meaning, whilst at the same time felt like it was draining it out of him.
He didn’t know how long he stayed there, in his nest, panting and crying, and thrashing in his grief and the misfortunes of his existence, but it must’ve been a few hours. He’d only noticed that when fogginess started surrounding him. His cell capturing an unmistakable red hue. The difference this time was that he actually saw it all happen, the change in the atmosphere and the sudden and strange tug in his mind.
In front of him stood the ruby-eyed witch once more, in silence for what it felt like a few minutes. He wiped his nose with the sleeve of his prison uniform and stood up. With shaky legs and tear-stained rosy cheeks, but still confronting.
“Do you have an answer for me now, Baron?”
Zemo sniffed and, clearing his throat, he spoke back. “I also happen to have terms and conditions.”
The Scarlet Witch gave him a pleased smile.
“Let’s hear it, then.”
~~~
A/N:
Here’s some wonderful art made by the talented ParanoidPandora, which inspired the greater part of this chapter! I have so many more made by this beautiful person that I CANNOT wait to show you! <3
