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Body Of Years

Summary:

Captain America doesn't find out about The Winter Soldier being James "Bucky" Barnes before Zemo publicly exposes mission report of Dec 16 1991. The race to whoever will find The Asset first, either to take revenge or save him, is enough to split the Avengers appart. Then the Blip happens and Thanos is defeated. But cut off one head and two more will grow. When Hydra re-emerges, they take advantage of Captain America's retirement to eliminate all potential threat to their new arising, and that means killing Baron Helmut Zemo, the man who knows more about Hydra's Winter Soldier program than anyone else.

Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Chapter Text

The re-emergence of Hydra isn’t a surprise to Zemo. Cut one head off and two more will grow. People are easily corrupted and so Zemo never expected to actually grow old in a cell. He knows too much to stay alive, and even though he never actually found the Winter Soldier, he did destroy all of his kins along with important operators of Hydra’s Super Soldier program.

Solitary treats him well enough, probably because even though his attempt on Iron Man’s life had put him on the Super Hero bench for a long time, the man had felt bad enough about the whole Ultron shit show to pay for some of Zemo’s luxuries. That included books, daily walks in the yard, cigarettes, a TV and other items from the outside world that Zemo indulges almost everyday. His anger has dulled over the years, and even though his failure in finding Sergeant James Barnes, or what remains in the empty shell Hydra has made of him, he is grateful that the disagreement over the signature of the treaty alongside the fracture between Iron Man and Captain America had been enough to break the Avengers up. He is responsible for it, of course, with him exposing The Winter Soldier’s real identity and his involvement in Howard and Maria Stark’s deaths, which then triggered a wild hunt for who was to save or kill him first.

People are easy when motivated by revenge or by love. He isn’t an exception. But now that his desire to get back at the « heroes » who indirectly killed his family is sated, he doesn’t have much to look forward to. He simply wants to be allowed one last trip to the Sokovian Memorial before some Hydra goon puts a bullet in his head.

What he does not expect though, is for Hydra to be stupid enough to send the actual Winter Soldier after him. They probably thought it would be a witty move to have him shot by the man he spent so many months hunting down, but all it takes for Zemo to disable their precious weapon is for him to recite a list of words in Russian and the Asset falls back behind him like a puppet changing hands.

He is surprised that the Soldier has never been found by Steve Rogers considering how much time and energy he spent looking for him. But again, the Soldier is still a living being despite everything, and he might have been wiped alongside half the population in the Blip. Now, with Stark being dead and Steve Rogers being an old man, there’s nobody looking for him anymore. The new Hydra has dusted off their ancient armory and resorted to the good old methods. What a bunch of imbeciles.

Now the alarm is blaring and he has the burden of a Super Soldier awaiting his next order and not moving until he tells him to. Which is fine, now that the man has broken the prison’s bars like you snap a stick in half, he is free to escape in his own fashion. He does order the Soldier to flee before he steals a previously knocked off guard’s uniform and uses the chaos caused by the Winter Soldier break in and sneaks out.

It’s not difficult in any way, he just walks out while the guards look for the mysterious visitor who triggered the alarms. He breaks in the window of one of the cars parked outside. It’s a grey Volskwagen like many others, which makes it easy to blend in within Berlin’s busy traffic.

It’s difficult for him to realize he is finally free after 8 years of solitary, and a little overwhelming too, but he manages to find his way back to one of his family’s many holiday houses in Berlin’s surrounding countryside, and only then can he rejoice in breathing in the fresh air and being able to look at the night sky.

The moon is full tonight, and Berlin is far enough he can make out the stars without the pollution obstructing the sight. It reminds him of his time in Sokovia, when he used to take his son Carl out in the mountains with nothing but a telescope and a few snacks. He finds in these memories a cathartic effect, like balm on a sore wound. He is still grieving, and he knows the pain will never go away, but at least he still has those quiet moments to cling to. Now that the anger has been replaced with longing, he has nothing but death to look forward to.
He parks the car in his garage and opens the backdoor using the key hidden under one of the empty flower pots. The adrenaline is starting to wear off, but he still has to call Oeznik and inform him of his impromptu escape. He will start planning as soon as he is in his right state of mind, which soon leads him to the unmade bed he immediately crashes into. The mattress is dusty and the pillows smell stale, but it is already much better than the prison’s bunks. He falls asleep still wearing the stolen uniform.

When he wakes up, it’s to a silhouette standing by the bed. Judging by the stillness of the scene, he guesses the man has been here for a while and he curses himself for not waking up immediately after feeling his presence. He makes a move to grab the pistol he knows is in the bed-stand and point the loaded barrel at the shadow bleeding out on his expensive carpet. Prison has made him soft.

The presence doesn’t move, even after being threatened by Zemo’s gun. It’s not difficult to guess who it is, judging by the unnatural stance and the lack of reaction. Fuck. He had not expected The Winter Soldier to be so loyal to whoever speaks the words, especially after such a confused first approach.

« How did you find me? » He asks, annoyed by the unexpected turn of events and moreso by his lack of carefulness in his sloppy escape maneuver.

« Я следил за машиной. » (I followed the car.)

The words are muffled by the mask and Zemo’s Russian is rusty, but he still manages to understand the rough words coming out of Hydra’s Fist.

« Does anyone else know about my current location? »

« нет, сэр. » (No, sir.)

« Did you make sure of it? » He knows if the Winter Soldier assures him he has not been followed, then he has not, but he still asks.

« Я избавился от автомобиля и любого потенциального свидетеля. » (I got rid of the car and of any potential witnesses.)

Zemo can’t say he is relieved with the implication that innocent people might have been involved with this rushed cover-up, but he feels somehow thankful towards the Asset for fixing his own mistakes without being prompted to.

There’s a long uncomfortable silence hanging in the room, at least on his part since The Winter Soldier doesn’t seem bothered by any social standards. Only then is he reminded that the man is still bleeding and does not seem inclined to doing anything about it. He sighs and sits up on the mattress, trying to determine where all that blood is coming from. « Вы ранены. » (You’re hurt.) He switches to the little Russian he knows and gestures to the soldier to come closer. « Make a report on your physical health, солдат. In english. »

Hydra’s soldier tenses at the order, like he expects to be punished for letting himself get hurt. Zemo knows he has been before.

« Bullet wound to the left leg. Right wrist is most likely broken. My thirst levels are unsatisfactory. My hunger levels are unsatisfactory. My hygiene levels are unsatisfactory. »

It is like expecting a malware report from a computer with a heavy Russian accent, and Zemo can’t help but feel sick at what the Soldier had to endure to be dehumanized to this point. He already knows from the files that the Winter Soldier has never been more than a weapon to Hydra, but witnessing it is even more troubling.

« Okay. Okay, let’s go take care of that then. »

He gets up and gestures to the soldat to sit on the bed while he goes and searches for the first aid kit that’s been sitting in his bathroom for god knows how long.

« Undress. » he orders again.

The soldier does. Even though the man is beautiful, there’s nothing erotic in the way he takes his tack and clothes off and folds them carefully on the bed, only keeping his underwear on. He hesitates before he takes the mask off, but Zemo nods encouragingly and he does. The mask has left a slight indent in the man’s sweaty skin, which makes Zemo guess that he hasn’t taken it off for a while now.

There’s a slight flinch when he kneels in front of the man and carefully encourages him to splay his legs so he can inspect the wound more closely. He immediately takes his hand off. Like he said, he has read the files. He knows how uncomfortable it must be for the Soldier to be in that position.

« I’m not going to touch you without your consent, I just want to take care of that bullet wound. Is that okay? »

The Soldier doesn’t answer, probably not expecting his approbation to have any effect on what is about to happen. Disgusting, Zemo thinks.

« I will need an answer, солдат. »

The Soldier looks right through him, empty eyes and a disconnected mind.

« Yes, sir. »

That will do for now, so Zemo gets to work. He has to take the bullet off before the Serum starts rebuilding tissue around it. He expects the man to have a reaction to the messy operation, but he stays painfully still and quiet. It’s easy to sew him back up with how easy the Soldier is to work on, but that only serves in making Zemo more uncomfortable. He takes care of bandaging that wrist as well, and as soon as he is finished, he gets back up and takes a step back, giving the Soldier some space and making sure not to touch him unnecessarily.

« Alright. You can go wash yourself while I salvage whatever is in the kitchen. Don’t wet the bandages. »

The Soldier seems confused at the order, like he doesn’t exactly know where to go from there, so Zemo just points at the bathroom doors.

« Shower is this way. »

The Soldier obeys silently and Zemo has to take a deep breath before he heads to the kitchen to rummage through the kitchen in search of anything still edible. He finds an unopened pack of spaghettis and a can of peeled tomatoes and is set on cooking those when he hears some noise coming from the bathroom. He swears and heads directly there, only to be surprised by how much vapor is coming out when he opens the door. The Soldier is in the bathtub, using only the shower head and standing under burning water because he only bothered to open one of the taps, looking confused as to which soap to use. In his struggle, he has made the few bottles of shampoo fall to his feet and now he can’t keep his eyes off of Zemo, looking like a child caught with a hand in the cookie jar.

When Zemo takes a step towards him to turn off the water, he flinches and almost hugs the tile wall, closing his eyes as if to expecting a hit.

« Sit down. Here, let me help you. »

The Soldier hesitates for only a second, and sits in the bathtub instead of simply standing under the shower head. Zemo is careful when he turns on the taps, and fills the tub with warm water and some slightly scented soap. He uses a different bottle when he pours shampoo in the Soldier’s already wet hair and carefully washes them. It’s nothing but efficient, but the slight massage is enough for the man to relax under his fingers. He then uses the shower head to rinse it all and makes sure no more soap remains in the long strands.

« Stay in here as long as you want. Food will be ready in the kitchen. I will leave clothes for you on the bed. »

The Soldier nods and stays awkwardly seated in the tub, confused and careful not to wet his right arm. Before Zemo leaves, he hears a quiet « Thank you, sir. » and that’s enough for Zemo to offer a tight smile and close the door behind him.

Fact is, the man might be one of the 20th century’s deadliest killing machines, he is completely useless without anyone to take care of him. Which makes Zemo’s plans to leave the man to his own devices now obsolete. He can not allow the Soldier to go back to Hydra in need of some sort of guidance, and he clearly identifies Zemo as his new handler. He might as well use this to his own benefit and point Hydra’s own weapon back at them. He is being hunted down anyway, a bodyguard will do no harm and he is certain the Soldier is better off staying with him until he feels independent enough to leave than back in the chair or on ice.

By the time the Soldier is finally out of the shower, food is ready and waiting for him on the table. He stands awkwardly in the kitchen, wearing clothes that are too small for him, and Zemo has to entice him to eat for the man to devour the entire saucepan of pasta and down two large glasses of tap water.

« Do you feel better ? »

The Soldier nods, looking like he wants to speak out but knowing better.

« What is it, солдат? » Zemo encourages.

« Permission to speak, sir ? »

« Of course. You don’t have to ask permission for that. »

The Soldier looks even more confused at that, and frowns, not daring to look at Zemo in the eyes.

« Are you my new handler? »

Zemo doesn’t actually know what to answer to that. In a sense, he has taken upon the role of the Soldier’s handler by using the trigger words. But that doesn’t seem right, and so he carefully chooses the next words to try and explain that to the Soldier.

« I am colonel Helmut Zemo. I am not part of Hydra. Actually, Hydra sent you after me because I know a lot about you and your programming. I used the trigger words to save my life and escape from prison. Do you remember? » He asks carefully.

« I … I don’t remember wanting to kill you. »

It probably goes against his programming to think of his handler as a target, so it makes sense he doesn’t remember, Zemo thinks.

« I am not part of Hydra so I do not wish for you to see me as one of your handlers. You are free to leave whenever you want and do as you please here. As much as you are free to stay if you do not feel ready to go your own way. »

The offer seems to distress the Soldier. His eyes are wild and fearful, like he doesn’t know what to do with being given an actual choice. Zemo puts a hand on his shoulder and tries to smile as warmly as he can. He feels like he is trying to soothe a wounded animal.

« I understand it might be a little overwhelming at first, but as I said, you are welcome to stay here with me. As long as you need guidance, I can give it to you. »
He has no doubt the surface programming will eventually fade away. He has read reports about the Soldier starting to remember bits of his past life and showing signs of « instability » after being left out of ice for a long time.

At this, the Soldier seems to relax just a bit and Zemo takes his hand off his shoulder and goes to the living room to improvise a bed on the couch for the Soldier to sleep on for the rest of the night. He provides a thick blanket and the less dusty pillow he owns which seems to be more than underwhelming when he notices the Soldier staring at the couch like it has offended him.

« Do you prefer the bed ? »

« I prefer the floor. » The Soldier blurts out. Then he seems to realize his mistake and bashfully adds a quiet « sir » to his protest. It’s not abnormal for soldiers to have trouble sleeping on beds after coming back from war. Zemo himself had suffered from the overwhelming comfort the marital bed had provided, often preferring the couch over his wife’s welcoming arms. He simply nods and sets the blankets on the floor, making sure it’s still comfortable enough for the Soldier to have a decent few hours of sleep, despite everything.

His new companion quietly thanks him and settles in the makeshift nest that’s been set for him. He doesn’t close his eyes before Zemo leaves the room, and even then, Zemo doesn’t know if the man will actually rest, but tiredness is catching up to him and contrary to the other man, he is not a super soldier and needs his beauty sleep. He takes off the uniform he is still wearing, takes a quick shower and settles in his own bed, ready to sleep through the rest of the night.

If he notices the soldier moving his blanket and pillow into Zemo’s room to settle next to his bed a few hours later, he doesn’t say a word about it.