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justinewt · 2 years

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One World, One People - MARVEL REWRITE Chapter Nineteen

[MARVEL REWRITE-MASTERLIST] - [THE MULTIVERSE SAGA]

Previous Chapter / Next Chapter (??/??)

Summary: TBA

Words: 5.7k

Warnings: TFAWS spoilers (episode 6 specifically), Marvel phase 4 spoilers, angst, some violence, fighting, injuries, deaths, inspirational speech, FLUFF

“I’m almost there.” Sam told them over the radio as Bucky and Frainn walked towards the building, all geared up with their suits on.

“What’s the plan?” Bucky inquired, looking around them as if he was scanning the area and the people there. Frainn was really just staring ahead with a straight face, glancing over at Bucky every now and then.

“Karli’s gotta be close. Keep your eyes open.”

“Well, it could be anybody.” He retorted.

“Sergeant Barnes. Staff sergeant Lokadottir.” Soldiers positioned at a checkpoint in front of the building greeted the two former soldiers as they let them through. She almost never used her military title, so she wasn’t very used to it still, but she didn’t react at all, showing no emotions on her porcelain face while Bucky didn’t reply or say anything either, frowning as he kept observing their surroundings.

“And by the way, I called in some backups.” Sam added. Frainn felt movement behind them and looked from the corner of her eyes, not turning around until the person spoke up and she stopped in her tracks suddenly, leading to the man almost running into her.

“Excuse me, sir, ma’am—"

“You can address me as sir too.” She gave a tight smile, feeling something was off with the guy. The man held up his hand to his face and kind of tapped on his temple before taking off his beanie and pulling something from his face, revealing Sharon underneath.

“Relax. It’s just me.��

“Sharon, what the hell are you doing here?” Bucky asked, surprised to see her away from Madripoor.

“No one’s looking for me here.” She reassured, even though Frainn wasn’t really thinking of the agent’s safety. The goddess didn’t care much. Sharon led the two towards the building, so they wouldn’t just stand there.

“Is that Sharon?” Sam wondered.

“Unfortunately.” Frainn replied keeping a light tone of voice so as not to make it awkward if she came off as suddenly bitter and hateful towards Sharon. She just didn’t like the blonde woman, for some reason.

“Hey, Sal. I thought I’d get the band back together.”

“Thank you. You’re risking a lot coming here.” He said, expressing his gratitude to her over the radio.

“I hear pardons aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.”

“Depends on the therapist.” Bucky retorted with a straight face, looking around as Sam continued talking.

“They’ll move on the building soon. Be ready.” Frainn nodded, listening to their friend’s words, crossing her arms over her chest in a sigh. It was going to be a long night and she didn’t exactly look forward to it, but neither did Bucky, Sam, or even Sharon for that matter. Bucky and Sharon eventually entered the building and Frainn followed suit, sticking with her long-time partner while the former SHIELD agent went another way, to cover more grounds in finding where Karli was at the moment. “Sharon, Bucky, Frainn, what’s going on on your end?”

“Nothing. All quiet.” Bucky informed him.

“No one’s moving towards the building.” Sharon added.

“Karli’s not coming in. She’s trying to force everyone out.” Sam said and Frainn frowned a bit, watching their surroundings as they marched. “You guys are gonna have to do something. Don’t let ‘em out of the building.” They walked through a metal detector upon entering the building and Bucky and Frainn stopped in surprise when the latter beeped at Sharon’s passage. Bucky’s arm was made of vibranium, which wasn’t a metal that could be detected by those machines and Frainn’s spear was something that wasn’t even of this earth, so of course it was Sharon and the possible gun she had on her that made the machine go off.

“Oops.” She muttered. Bucky and Frainn were quick to change their focus and brush off this minor incident, as they had something more preoccupating and urgent to think about.

“Here’s one of them.” Bucky noted. “I’ll get the evac.”

“I can take them out.”

“I know. But be careful.” He sighed, seemingly not wanting to argue with her about engaging with the enemy right now. She was a bit surprised that he was willing to let her go after them without trying to make her change her mind and just stay with him as he tried to locate Karli but maybe he felt that she needed some action right now and in any case, she was clever and cunning, she wouldn’t cause a mess if there was no need and even if she did, she could cover it up with her magic and no one would notice until she lifted the trickery. Frainn nodded at Bucky, and they parted ways. She disguised herself as the man Bucky pointed at a second ago and walked to the area where they had seen him, because it meant there would be more nearby. She eventually found the man and came up to him from behind before before landing a powerful kick to his back, knocking him into a beam of the building. He hit his head hard and fell to the ground heavily as a crack appeared in the concrete or whatever the building was made off and she shrugged, recovering her original appearance. It was fun playing around with her powers, but it was even more entertaining to use her surhuman strength on mundane people.

She wasn’t pleased to inflict pain, suffering or humiliation on anyone she went after, she was only satisfied to see her power and maybe it was because of her father, but she sometimes liked to show off a little. Not necessarily to impress anyone because she didn’t care about people’s praises, not random people’s at least, and really just wanted to challenge herself whenever she had the opportunity to fight. Frainn sighed and in the blink of an eye, a green sparkling light passed over her tall body and she was wearing an outfit similar to her father’s, which she often favored over her own suit, to commemorate him and his memory she would say and it was partially true. But it was mainly because it made her feel greatly closer to him, since it was his signature clothes, and she liked his style a lot so it was with pleasure that she was doing so. It made her think of what Sam told her and Bucky, a few days ago when they left his home in Louisiana. She had to face her demons if she wanted things to get better for her and facing her demons surely meant working on her grief and the tragic and unfair death of her father and entire people. She couldn’t continue to hallucinate her father anytime she would be in front of a mirror and on her own, it was just not viable on the long term and she started to see that. She remembered her uncle, Thor, after he lost Loki and then her in the snap. He was in bad shape, burying himself in his self-loathing and drinking. She didn’t want to do that. For her own sake, but also for Bucky, and Sam.

She advanced in a hallway. The red lights all over the place gave a strange vibe to the building as she walked, which she didn’t like very much. She looked to her side as she passed a corner and a man jumped towards her. It wasn’t like fighting Thanos. She didn’t need the entirety of the Avengers and heroes from all over the galaxy to defeat one man, whether or not he was a supersoldier. She was stronger and more powerful, and those bad guys were no match for her godly self. She grunted as he kicked her chest and she went through a window, breaking the glass and falling on the floor. She stood up like nothing happened, frowning angrily and just tensed her fingers and used her power of telekinesis, throwing him away with force, letting out a growl. She heard the man’s spine crack as it broke while she shook her hair to take the pieces of glass out, annoyed. The glass cracked under her boots as she resumed her walk through the building, thinking of joining Bucky if she couldn't find anything here except uninteresting Flag Smashers jumping from behind the corners. They were maybe super soldiers but in front of her, they were as fragile as any human.

Frainn walked by a fully glazed wall and saw Bucky in the center of the building, a phone to his ear, speaking to someone. She figured it was Karli and teleported herself to him, obviously taking him by surprise as the conversation ended. He looked down at the phone in his hand and gritted his teeth.

“Damn it!” He groaned before he started running and without a question, Frainn followed him. She would ask him later about the call. They rushed down to the parking lot of the building and immediately got on motorbikes parked there.

“Seriously guys, you had one job.” Sharon sneered as she stood nearby, hidden behind a beam.

“You worry about your guy.” Bucky retorted, the two-wheeled engines whirring, and they drove off, exiting the scene. Gradually accelerating their course, the two drove through an alley and passed a guarded barricade, ignoring the calls of the people there. They had to be quick and catch up with wherever the senators were being evacuated to.

“Bucky! Frainn!” Sam called in, grunting loudly.

“We don’t fly, man. That’s your thing.” He replied, taking a turn and stopping the bike for a second, reving the engine before driving off again. Frainn could many things, among which was the ability to teleport herself but without knowing where to, this was a bit useless. This wasn’t a power she had really worked on in her life so she couldn’t use it to its full potential. She had prioritized powers like her godly ones and telekinesis rather than this one. After a minute, they reached another barricaded zone but this time they couldn’t pass through. Bucky leaned forward on his bike, throwing himself off of it and rolled on the ground while Frainn crouched on the seat of her bike and jumped, landing on her feet when Bucky dragged someone in his fall. It was a Flag Smasher. Around them were the two police trucks in which were trapped all the senators. Bucky and the Flag Smasher started throwing punches and kicks at each other and the goddess analized the surroundings at gods’ speed, figuring out what to do first in that moment. She tensed her fingers, slightly stretching her arms to her sides, bending and cracking the metal of the trucks’ doors so the senators could get out until a fire suddenly blew in her face and she fell and rolled on her side, gasping for air. This was her only weakness and somehow, the Flag Smasher figured that out. The senators screamed inside the vehicules while Frainn was leaning on the palm of her hand, she was suddenly helped up by Bucky who apparently managed to put an end to the fight he was in. When he turned her to face him, he widened his eyes and she didn’t understand but she pushed him away, urging him to help these people. She wasn’t feeling her best, and quite uncomfortable at that but it wasn’t time to worry about her. She would get over whatever seemed to worry the former soldier.

Bucky approached one vehicle and pulled on the damaged doors, forcing them open. Frainn swallowed harshly as a warm sensation starting rose around her face, but she ignored it and helped Bucky as he pulled on the door’s handle. A couple of seconds later, the door gave way and hti the concrete in a metal sound. Frainn generated a clone of herself and took a step back when she saw the fresh burn that ate half her porcelain face. She never saw an injury like this on herself because usually, it would be gone in a matter of seconds, but this was different. It was like a lick from Surtr himself, a burning stain to a Jotun.

“Thank you for saving us.” Frainn looked to Bucky and a man that was inside the truck shook his hand feverishly, thanking him as the others nodded at Frainn, running through the illusion of herself she casted and causing it to fade away and disappear. She was still a little set aback by this sight but regained her composure and let her body take the appearance of her ancestors, her skin going blue and eyes as red as blood, hoping that the burn would go away faster in this form.

“You’re welcome.” Bucky mumbled as the politicians fled the scene and he turned to Frainn, the same worry she saw on his face returning as he looked at her.

“I’ll be fine. Let’s go.” She declared and turning around, running down the road along with him. She was done playing now, and the Flag Smashers would wish they had never done this, but she saw it as somehow of a punishment for maybe going soft and not going full force against them, as they deserved. She wouldn’t let her guard down again. Bucky rushed at a Flag Smasher pulling a pole from the ground over Walker who was on the ground, holding up a shield and Frainn frowned and narrowed her eyes. The shield was a really shitty makeshift version of Steve’s, and she shook her head and watched the old soldier throw a punch at the Flag Smasher, sending him against a wire netting wall behind him. The man fell to the ground on his side and while Bucky walked towards him as he got back on his feet, Frainn approached, judging that he was fine, so she stayed put until she saw Karli join in on the fight with the pole her peer had pulled from the concrete. Karli repeatly tried to hit Bucky with the pole but the goddess made it fly from her hands, making lose her balance and Bucky grabbed some chains lying on a low wall nearby and hit her in the face. She grunts as she fell. The other Flag Smasher went to kick Bucky and sent him off the construction building. She ran after him as he jumped off in turn, holding a beam in his hands.

She pinned him down, holding the beam against his throat as he struggled against her. He hit her in the jaw with the beam and she groaned, spitting the blood that filled her mouth onto his mask. She cooled down her body, her skin turning blue and her eyes red as it they were completely bloodshot, right up to her pupil, her jaw clenched and frowned eyebrows. She tensed up her hands and got rid of the beam, sending it crashing into a wall, in a thud, raising a cloud of dust. She brought her hand to his neck and held him up in front of her as she got on her feet. His screams piercing through the night. She didn’t have to squeeze much to inflict such pain and when she saw his head tilt to the side, his eyes closed, she just threw him away like he was garbage. She sighed as her body came back to normal when suddenly they heard metal beams creak over them and looked up, only to see a vehicle dangerously hanging over the edge. They exchanged a look and Frainn channeled her telekinesis and wind control and kept the car from falling over until they saw it being very lightly pulled away from the edge for a few seconds so she let go but when Walker fell along with some Flag Smasher, she saw the car gradually plunge into the void when she let out a chuckle of relied upon seeing Sam arriving and helping the car not go down. With her powers, she brought him a little assistance to bring the car back to the top.

She only realized there were people watching when she heard cheering afterwards and she looked around and saw people gathered on the street, some of them holding up their phones and filming the moments, smile stretching their lips. The goddess finally took a second to look at Sam and who she saw wasn’t just their dear friend, it was Captain America. But the relief was quick to fade away when she turned around suddenly after Bucky caught something in his vibranium hand and the two looked at Karli. The moment the girl thought of making another move, the shield came flying around, knocking out the Flag Smasher, all in the blink of an eye. Karli faced Sam, taking off her mask to a disappointed face.

“You of all people bought into that bullshit.”

“I’m trying something different. Maybe you should do the same.” He retorted. Suddenly, a series of sounds of explosions echoed around them, releasing a thick cloud of grey smoke obstructing their vision. People started screaming as a gun was being fired from an upper floor of the worksite. Frainn looked around, unsettled until she, Bucky and Walker heard Sam voice. “This way.” With a clanking sound, Sam put the shield on his back, and the four of them ran in the said direction.

“Hey, Sharon. We’re underground.” Bucky told her over the comms. “We entered the tunnel on William. Heading South.”

“Looks like they’ve split up. Here.” Sam pointed to an adjacent corridor and Walker didn’t even stop in his tracks and just went that way.

“We got it.” Bucky said as he and Frainn followed the jerk with the blonde hair and the hero syndrome. They ran outside and found a few Flag Smashers, masks off, trying to sneak away.

“Mercy bears richer fruit than strict justice.” Walker declared as they walked in front of them. Frainn glanced at him, frowning in confusion. She had no clue if he was quoting someone, in which case she had no idea who it was, or if he had been cooking that one up just waiting to say it to look wise or something.

“It’s a great app.” Bucky added, showing them the phone screen in his hand, hinting as to how the three soldiers got to them. There was a second of silence before police officers arrived from the side and behind them, surrounding them. “Thank you.” He then said, leaving them in the hands of the police before walking away. For some reason, Walker thought it be a good idea to give a friendly pat in Frainn’s back and she just shot him a pissed gaze, pushing his arm away. “Lincoln, really?”

“Great man. Great quote.”

“Not when you say it.”

“Who the fuck is Lincoln?” Frainn asked, out of the blue. Only Walker seemed surprised to hear her ask such a question.

“How can you not know who Lincoln is?”

“I’m not from your realm, dumbass. I didn’t study Midgard’s history, all right?” She groaned.

“Midgard?”

“Ugh, Midgard is how my people named this fucking planet.”

“Lincoln was our 16th President.” Bucky informed her.

“Thank you.” She said in relief, shoting up her eyebrows.

The lights of ambulances and police cars flashed around them with a crowd gathering behind barriers, holding their phones in front of them, filming as Sam descended from the sky, carrying Karli's body in his arms. The rescued Senators watched as well, in silence. It was like no one dared to make a sound until their new Captain America landed softly on the ground and walked forward as a couple of firefighters in dark uniforms brought a stretcher on which he lied the late leader of the Flag Smasher. Bucky, Frainn and Walker took a few steps and Sam walked, ignoring the reporters suddenly trying to get his attention, asking questions after questions in hope of an answer. Bucky leaned against an ambulance and Frainn crossed her arms over her chest, watching Sam talk with a few Senators.

“Sam, thank you so much, from all of us.”

“Sincerely.” One of the senators added. “You did your part in dealing with those terrorists, now we’ll do ours.”

“Are you still going forward with resetting borders?” Sam inquired.

“Our peacekeeping troops will begin relocating people soon. The terrorists only set us back a bit."

"You have to stop calling them terrorists." He said, shaking his head.

“What else would we call them?”

“Your peacekeeping troops carrying weapons are forcing millions into settlements around the world, right?” The man nodded and Sam continued. “What do you think those people are gonna call you? These labels, “terrorists”, “refugee”, “thug”, they’re often used to get around the question, why?”

“Those settlements that happened five years ago, do you think it is fair for governments to have to support them?”

“Yes.”

“And the people who reappeared only to find someone else living in their family home, they just end up homeless?” The senator wondered. “Look, I get it. But you have no idea how complicated this situation is.”

“You know what? You’re right. And that’s a good thing.” He turned to the politician as the latter walked past him. “We finally have a common struggle now. Think about that. For once, all the people who’ve been begging, and I mean, literally begging for you to feel how hard any given day is… now you know. How did it feel to be helpless? Now if you could remember what it was like to be helpless and face a force so powerful it could erase half the planet, you would know that you’re about to have the exact same impact. This isn’t about easy decisions, Senator.”

“You just don’t understand.” He insisted, dismissing the whole speech Sam was giving. He only scoffed and smirked at his reply.

“I’m a Black man carrying the stars and stripes. What don’t I understand? Every time I pick this thing up, I know there are millions of people who are gonna hate me for it. Even now, here… I feel it. The stares, the judgment.” He looked at the people standing around him. “And there’s nothin’ I can do to change it. Yet, I’m still here. No super serum, no blond hari, or blue eyes. The only power I have is that I believe we can do better. We can’t demand that people step up if we don’t meed them halfway. Look, you control the banks. Shit, you can move borders! You can knock down a forest with an email, you can feed a million people with a phone call. But the question is, who’s in the room when you’re making those decisions? Hmm? Is it the people you’re gonna impact? Or is it just more people like you?” There was a heavy silence, as the senators had no answer to give to this. Frainn let out a silent sigh, squeezing her arms slightly. “I mean, this girl died trying to stop you, and no one has stopped for one second to ask why.” He rose his voice a bit and pointed at the senator to his side; just a bald old man that really needed to be knocked some sense into to get it, and Sam was brilliantly doing so. “You’ve gotta do better, Senator. You’ve gotta step up. Because if you don’t, the next Karli will. And you don’t wanna see 2.0. People believed in her cause so much that they helped her defy the strongest governments in the world. Why do you think that is? Look, you people have just as much power as an insane god,” Frainn felt some people glance over at her, but she knew better. She wasn’t targeted by Sam’s words. “or a misguided teenager. The question you have to ask yourself is, “How are you going to use it?” On these words, Sam walked past the Senators, giving a formal nod at Walker on his way and he came to meet with his two pals. Bucky straightened up.

“Sorry, I was, uh, I was texting and so, all I heard was, um, “a Black guy in stars and stripes”.” He shrugged and the three of them chuckled as they walked away from the crowd behind them. “Nice job, Cap.” He then added softly.

“Thanks.” Frainn let her arms hanging to her side, a smile stretching her lips as they approached Sharon, leaning against a car, pressing gauze against her wound.

“Blocking my light.”

“We gotta get you to a hospital.” Sam exclaimed.

“She’s not gonna listen.” Bucky figured. Sharon glanced at him, panting, before looking down at her stomach.

“It’s not the worst thing that’s happened to me all week.”

“Told you.”

“Uh, Cap?” A man called.

“I think he’s talking to you.” Sharon said, breathing heavily and Sam silently chortled. “Look, I’m sorry for how things ended down there. For what it’s worth, suit looks good on you.”

“Thanks.” He chuckled at the compliment.

“All right, look, can we get out of here, please?” Bucky asked, giving looks to Frainn and Sharon. Frainn put a hand on Bucky’s shoulder, and they nodded at Sam as they walked away with Sharon, living the new Captain America to do Captain America’s things.

“I didn’t forget my promise.” Sam reminded Sharon before they got too far.

“I really need to do this.” Bucky said heavily, as he put on his coat, standing near the door of their apartment. Frainn was slumped on the couch, her head resting on the back, face turned to the old super soldier.

“I know.” She nodded and he stared at her with an anxious and concerned gaze and he bent over to press a soft kiss on her lips and walked out of the apartment. She swallowed harshly, staring at the ceiling as she heard the lock clicks and his steps becoming more faded and muffled as he stepped away. She eventually stood up and picked up a golden rod sticking out of a bag lying on the floor. In the blink of an eye, it stretched to its full size, hitting the floor suddenly and she froze in silence, thinking the noise must have echoed in the apartment below. She put her spear against the wall and sighed. “Sucks you can’t summon the Bifrost. I wonder how Thor’s doing.”

She pursed her lips, thinking for a second and walked to the bedroom to take her phone lying on the nightstand. She sat on the mattress, facing the window and unlocked it. She looked up “Thor” and “New Asgard” on the search bar and read dozens of articles about this Midgardian Asgard where her people sought refuge after Asgard was no more than a memory. She learned that this New Asgard had become quite the sensation, with lots of tourists going there. She was a bit taken aback, not really knowing what to make of that, having trouble to think that this place was anything like Asgard. She would have to see it for herself someday but it would probably not feel like home. Yes, Asgard isn’t a place, it’s a people, thank you Heimdall, but she found her real home and it’s not among Asgardians or Jotuns. Her home was wherever Bucky was. Her longtime love. Frainn scrolled down the results when she typed “Thor” in the search bar and she found things talking about Jane Foster, and her death. She had been suffering from a cancer and found help in Mjolnir’s power and Frainn’s first thought was literally that it’s power should be too draining for a mortal to channel it and use it, and it was exactly what had happened. It accelerated her condition and she died, sooner than she would have. She looked at the dates of the articles and they all had been written in late 2023, less than 6 months ago.

She felt guilty, like she had let her uncle down, never even checking on him after the last battle against Thanos. She stood up, letting her phone fall and jump on the mattress and opened the windows. The buzzing sound of the cars passing by, honking and their tires screeching on the asphalt and the loud and indistinct chatter of the people walking down the street; it all came flooding in the apartment the moment she opened the window. New York was definitely a restless city and she had seen places more beautiful than this but this place, Brooklyn, was so meaningful to Bucky and her. It was the first sight she ever had of Midgard, where she met Steve and Bucky in the early 40s and where so much had happened. She had more memories of this city on Midgard than of the realm she spent hundreds of years in. She stepped away from the window and stared at her phone, resting on his screen, and bit the inside of her cheek. If Asgard had become such an attractive tourist destination, there must be a number to contact.

She had heard Valkyrie had become king of this place, but Frainn shook her head and walked out of the bedroom, deciding not to try and call anyone, at least for now. She was worried they despised her for ghosting them for so long, after everything that happened but she honestly had so much here already, she was with her family. She sighed at this thought. Thor was her family. He was her uncle, adoptive but her uncle in any case and she didn’t think of trying to reach out to him. She went to the kitchen and opened a drawer to get a bottle opened and she bent over to get a beer in the fridge. She must have been the worst family member to have, and she felt awful for it, but she knew her uncle, and how much he loved Loki, and her. He was probably sad and surely thinking of calling her or going where she was to see her but never did so, for whatever reasons -which were probably the same reasons why she never did so either. It was as if, as long as he wasn’t dead, she didn’t think much about it. It wasn’t that she didn’t care, she was just not worried about him, not like she was worried for Bucky’s wellbeing… or even hers. The ghost of her father still wouldn’t leave her alone and she was running out of ideas as to what to do about it. Maybe a little stay in New Asgard would help her slay her demons.

The warmth and friendliness of the people in Lousiana, was second to none. Sam's home had a beauty that was very different to anything Frainn had ever encountered. She had seen many palaces, covered in gold or made out of ice but nothing so welcoming and genuine. And the colorful and appetizing smells of barbecued sea food where something she had never experienced either; it was an absolute first. In this place, with these people, there was this feeling that she couldn’t do anything but fully enjoy the experience and it was somewhat of a relief after all this tension build-up of the past weeks. Frainn laughed as she watched Bucky try to dodge the blows thrown in the air by Sarah’s kids as he held the cake, they brought with them.

He took off his sunglasses and put the cake on a table he came across when Sam came to meet them. He gave a friendly hug to each of them before going back to taking pictures with his fellow neighbours. Frainn and Sarah chatted, amused by Bucky effortlessly lifting up kids with his metal arm while talking, standing one foot on the table and another on the bench along it in some heroic pose. As the day passed, the energy didn’t seem to tarnish and was just as lively and dashing as when Bucky and Frainn got there but now, they were watching the sun set over the ocean that stretched as far as the eye could see, in Sam’s company and Frainn’s smile couldn’t fade and she wondered what it was about this place but she figured that it was just this way, and it felt really nice. She shot a smile at Bucky and Sam as they went to see some people back at the party.

Frainn couldn’t take her eyes off the pretty colors of the sunset and looked up to the sky. She closed her eyes, breathing in softly and deeply, as she wished she had Heimdall’s vision, just to see the colors of the universe again, and to see how Thor was doing right now. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t realize Bucky had returned. She glanced to her side when she felt movement nearby and when she turned around, she found him, one knee to the ground.

“Why are you kneeling?” She asked, chuckling as she was genuinely confused and not understanding what he was doing, even when he held up a little box in his hand. Bucky was apparently having a lot of fun in this. It was when she saw the ring that it started hitting her, but she didn’t realize until he spoke.

“Will you marry me, darling?” His soft blue eyes twinkled as they looked up at her face, now very much surprised and speechless.

“Y-yes.” The moment this small and seemingly unsignificant word crossed her lips, everyone on the docks starting cheering, cheered, applauding them as Bucky stook back up and slipped the ring on her left hand. It was only then that her attention focused a little more on the ring; a golden ring with a flower shaped assortments of fine old mine cut diamonds shining to her eyes.

“It was my mother’s. I had a hard time getting my hands on it.” He confessed and she looked up at him.

“It’s absolutely beautiful. I love you, Bucky.” She then went in for a passionate kiss, Bucky wrapping his arms around the love of his life and everyone around them, cheering louder and louder to the bride and groom to be. Frainn had never felt so happy then in the moments she spent with Bucky throughout her life, and she never actually expected this to happen, but she welcomed it with an open heart and a huge smile. He made her full and she was over the moon, and he made it clear to her that he felt the same way. Now, next time she would see Thor, she would have some good news to bring to him, and not just apologies.

[To be continued…]

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Published (07/27/2022) by Andrea

Taglist: @cathrin2405 @kika64

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betbiem · 2 years

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Queue - Apr 2021

I was enjoying The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and then this scene fucking got me! That batch of Marvel shows was *chefs kiss*

#go queue yourself #marvel #falcon and the winter soldier #falcon and the winter soldier spoilers #I guess spoilers #captain america #bucky barnes #falcon #sam wilson #captain america's shield #fanart #old art queue

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crowley-anthony · 7 months

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#oops i've accidently landed on you #i've straddled and rolled around with you #and i'm still touching you #oops

#marveledit #lokiedit #loki spoilers #sambucky #marvel #lokius #mcuedit #lokiusedit #sambuckyedit #tfatwsedit #the falcon and the winter soldier #mine*

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therealcalrissian · 26 days

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remember that one scene in tfatws where bucky helps out sam on that boat??

i knew crosshair reminded me of another corrupted soldier turned loving sassy brother who needs serious therapy because of his ignored trauma here

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haflacky · 1 year

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Happy birthday to Bucky Barnes 🥳💕

Full on my patreon

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minitonies · 10 months

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MCU top 6 ways to make you cry

Today's topic: Pain

#WandaVision #The Falcon and the Winter Soldier #Loki Series #Hawkeye Series #Moon Knight #Secret Invasion #secret invasion spoilers #Wanda Maximof #Bucky Barnes #Loki Laufeyson #Yelena Belova #Marc Spector #Maria Hill

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loki-quinn · 10 months

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I present to you all!

Grumpy Bucky Bear!

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abbatoirablaze · 9 months

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Locked Up Master List

This series is complete! ✔️

Working in a prison is hard. The only thing that could possibly be any harder would be to be a woman working in the prison. But that's the reality for the new prison shrink, the junior doctor in the medical ward, and one of the correctional officers.

They're surrounded by some of the worst men in the country, working in the federal prison.

There are the mafioso heads, James Buchanan Barnes and Steve Rogers. Former military who turned back to the family business once they got through their contracts. Only to get a reputation of disposing of bodies as long as their rap sheets. And while these two one-time best friends manage to be civil enough inside the walls, Barnes has already promised to repay Rogers for taking his arm before their trial.

But they're just the tip of the iceberg. There are far more dangerous men in the prison. Like Robert Pronge a paranoid schizophrenic who was a hitman for nearly ten years.

Or the suave, cannibalistic serial killer, Doctor Brendan Steven Kemp.

Or the eccentric billionaire playboy who murdered his grandfather for the fortune, Ransom Drysdale.

But sometimes it's not the ones who appear the most dangerous that have the most pull in the prison. It might just be the quiet and calm Curtis Everett.

Or even the warden, a certain sheriff that managed to campaign his way all the way up to the coveted chair.

There are far too many dangerous things lurking around the corridors of the prison. And unfortunately these women are Locked Up with them every single day.

This is going to be a dark series. Chapters will have individual tags, but this will include: noncon relationships, rape, blackmail, murder, violence, and more.

The Shrink

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4 -The Riot

Chapter 11-The Riot

Chapter 14-Two Weeks Later

Chapter 18-Starting Over Part 2

The Junior Doctor

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7 -The Riot

Chapter 12-The Riot

Chapter 15-Starting Over

The Correctional Officer

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10-The Riot

Chapter 13-The Riot

Chapter 16-After The Riots

Chapter 17-A Lasting Legacy

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acrushedrosestillwins · 7 months

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___excerpt____

Doc: Look, you've gotta nurture friendships. I am the only person you have called all week. That is so sad

- (THUDS)

You're alone

You're a hundred years old.

You have no history, no family...

Bucky: Are you lasshing out at me, Doc? Because that's really unprofessional, you know.

____End excerpt___

This scene!!!

Don't know if someone else already wrote about this...but...

Really? And people are still okay with Steve leaving, with the end of Endgame. This makes what Steve did, so much worse…. I know it’s not Steve’s responsibility to heal Bucky or to be part of his therapy but that piece right there, says everything.

“You’re alone”

Thanks for reminding him. He is alone…. His family is dead, his friend left him, and he has no one. Everyone still sees him as the Soviet Assassin, as the unstable man who killed people in cold blood. The killer. No one sees the Brooklyn boy who followed the scrawny blonde. No one sees the man that was drafted, which was called into a war he didn’t want to do in the first place. No one sees the broken man, the man desperate for some kind of peace. The only person, the only link he had was Steve and he decided to leave him, in a time, the world was still in turmoil, the world was stilly trying to pick up the broken pieces.

“You're a hundred years old.”

He is not only the man out of time, but the man who is trying to figure out who he is. To come to terms with what he has done, what he was made to do.

"You have no history."

He has, he had. He was a man who took care of his family, who took care of Steve, a man who was drafted. He was a good soldier who took care of his men before Steve showed up. He was a man, tied to a table in Azzano, experimented on and turned into something, and someone he had no control over. He had a history that wasn’t fighting and murder.

He also has the history of the Winter Soldier. It’s not a history he wanted or would have chosen. It was one that was forced upon him.

He has a history, but he didn’t choose it.

Then from what we know, this happened a few weeks after Endgame. He made no attempt to contact anyone, and no one attempted to contact him, except Sam. He has 10 numbers… one is Same, one is the doctor. That leaves 8. Who is that 8? Is one of them Steve? Did no one tried to contact him? Not even Steve? He didn’t even try to contact Steve! He ignores Sam….

Eugh… I hate this scene.

#bucky barnes #bucky barnes deserves better #the falcon and the winter soldier #the winter soldier #captain america #sebastian stan #why steve #stevebucky #the avengers #after endgame #avengers endgame spoilers #still hate endgame #tfatws #stucky

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justinewt · 2 years

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Power Broker - MARVEL REWRITE Chapter Sixteen

[MARVEL REWRITE-MASTERLIST] - [THE MULTIVERSE SAGA]

Previous Chapter / Next Chapter

Summary: Things were speeding up in their search for Karli Morgenthau. The trio was off to Germany to see an old enemy of the Avengers in a high-security prison... allegedly high-security. But as always, the reunion wasn’t going to go as expected, especially by Sam.

Words: 11.3k

Warnings: Falcon & The Winter Soldier episode 3 “Power Broker” spoiler, Mcu phase 4 spoilers, angst, some violence, shootings, nostalgia, flashbacks (kind of) explosion, fights, stabbing, one slit throat and that’s about it I think

Berlin, Germany

Frainn walked down the hall of a prison facility along her two partners, Sam and Bucky, who made the three of them come here to see one of their inmates. The guard led them up to a certain point in the hallway and indicated a door a few feet away, leading on a smaller corridor.

“He’s just through that corridor.” He told them with a thick german accent, pointing ahead of them. Bucky nodded and as they stopped in their tracks, glanced at Frainn and Sam.

“All right, give us a sec.” The guard replied with a brief nod and walked away, leaving the three of them alone for a moment, as requested by the super soldier. “I’m gonna go in alone.”

“Oh, right.” Frainn scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. She wasn’t going to let him go in there on his own. She was coming along, just in case. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust her lover, but she indeed didn’t trust Zemo very much and she had never seen his face before, so it was the occasion.

“Why?” Sam inquired; his hands stuffed into his jacket’s pocket.

“Cause you’re Avengers. You know how he feels about that.”

“It’s not like you two were known for frolickin’ in the sun together.” Sam argued.

“He was obsessed with HYDRA.” He retorted. “We have a history together. Trust me. I got it.”

“I’d like to meet this terrorist whom you share a “history” with, if you don’t mind.” She declared as he turned around, about to go through the corridor leading to his confined cell. He glanced at the stubborn goddess and as he rolled his eyes, she shot a smirk at Sam and followe him while the guard led them to the door of Zemo’s cell. He passed his badge and the door buzzed and opened to a narrower and quite darker corridor, plunged in a dim kind of dull light. Coming to the cell’s door, he made a call and spoke in german to the director of the facility for him to open the door of their prime inmate. The door buzzed and he opened it for them, closing it right after Frainn stepped in the room. She walked right behind Bucky as they walked in so Zemo was going to have a little surprise when she would step aside and reveal herself from the shadow, as he would as he sat on his bed on the other side of a thick glass in the miffle of the room, isolating him in his tiny cell. When Bucky stood near the glass, Zemo started reciting the russian words to activate the winter soldier. Frainn stood in the back and he if he did notice her, he didn’t acknowledge his presence for now as he tested the reactivity of Bucky to the words.

“Those days are over.” Bucky stated as Zemo stood up, emerging from the dark.

“I know.” He said softly, nodding, pursing his lips. He then slowly approached the glass to look at Bucky from upclose. “I just wanted to see how the new you reacts to the old words. Something is still in there. At least you were not conscious for most of your imprisonment.”

“That time wasn’t exactly a picnic.” He retorted bitterly, keeping on a straight face in front of the criminal. Frainn bit her lips, looking around. She thought about commenting on this, saying that she had went through centuries of emprisonment, far away from her people, her family, in a cold place, in an ice cell with her tyrannic grand father who abandoned her father, leaving him to die until he was found by Odin after the battle against Jotunheim. As much as she resented Odin for how he treated Loki, she was glad he lived, because he had Frainn to live through from now on.

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. It was never personal.” He walked around his half of a cell and looked at Bucky. Frainn was fighting herself to stay silent and let them have this moment to talk, whatever Bucky wanted to talk to him about. It wasn’t her place to intervene unless one of the two addressed her. Right now, it wasn’t about her, as much as she wanted to say sarcastic things out loud. “You were simply a means to a necessary end. I also am sorry for not introducing myself properly to my other, very special guest of the day.”

“Oh, there’s no need. I know who you are, and I assume you know who I am as well.” She took a few steps and stood beside Bucky. The latter glanced at her as she came nearby.

“I indeed know who you are, Frainn. Norse Goddess of Ice and the Winter, daughter of Loki.”

“You want my résumé and complete family tree too?” She retorted, staring him down. He chuckled, glancing down for a second, his hand joined in his back.

“That would definitely be an interesting reading.” He answered and she shook her head, not stopping to look at him and he smirked, nodding as if he was observing her and trying to decipher the shades of very soft and cold green in her icey eyes. Bucky eventually spoke up again, getting on why they even came here in the first place.

“Someone recreated the super-soldier serum.” Zemo instantly looked at Bucky. “I need to find out who.”

“You are assuming HYDRA has something to do with this, which why you came to me, which means you are desperate. Even though you have a powerful and smart goddess under your arm. I do not doubt that she could get rid of this threat easily, but you know that just killing off the super-soldiers isn’t enough.” He declared as if he had everything figure out already. “Luckily for you, I know where to begin.”

“What are you talking about? You wanna break Zemo outta jail?” Sam asked, already expecting the worst of his dear partner in crimes. “Where the hell are we, Buck? Have you lost your mind?”

“Look we have no leads, no moves, nothing.”

“What we have is one of the most dangerous men in the world behind the bars.”

“And we also have eight Super Soldier that are loose.” Bucky argued. Frainn walked with the two guys, looking around with the flashlight in her hand. The place they had stepped in was completely dark, but it looked like some sort of old hangar with stuff all over the place, which they couldn’t see because of the lack of light. Frainn suddenly bumped into something and looked down. She had accidentally kicked a chair’s leg and now it was lying on the floor, so she just pushed it aside carelessly, listening to the two.

“Zemo’s gonna mess with our minds. Especially yours. No offense.” Bucky stayed silent for a second as he turned on the light in the room and he glanced at Sam, turning his flashlight off.

“He can’t mess with mine.” Frainn mumbled to herself.

“Offense.” They looked around them. What Frainn thought was a sort of hangar or shed or whatever, was actually a messy garage, storage along the walls and a car sitting in the center of it all, its trunk opened. “Super Soldiers go against everything he believes in. He is crazy but he still has a code.”

“If we follow his logic, my kind is as much against what he allegedly believes in.” Frainn swinged her flashlight in her hand and caught it back as it fell, shoting up her eyebrows, following the motion of the object she played with for an instant. “May I remind you that he wanted to wipe out super-heroes, targeting the Avengers, a team I was and still is a part of, and any powerful non-human whatever being, which defines… me.”

“Yes. Exactly.” Sam pointed at the Goddess with his hand after he supported his point. Bucky gave a sidelong glance at Frainn and looked back at Sam. “And not to remind you that, I’ve been on the wrong side of that code and so have you. He blew up the UN, he killed king T’Chaka and framed you for it. Did you forget that? You think the Wakandans forgot about it? It’s a rhetorical question. They didn’t. I know why it matters to you, but it’s pushing you off the deep end.”

“We don’t know how they’re getting’ the serum.” Bucky kept arguing. “We don’t even know how many of them there are. Look, let me just walk you through a hypothetical. Can I?”

“What’d you do?” Sam asked softly and Frainn frowned, staring at her lover, trying to figure out what he was talking about.

“I didn’t do anything.”

“Oh, right.” Frainn chuckled, nodding, crossing her arms over her chest. He definitely did something, no matter how hard he tried to convince the both of them otherwise. She eventually shook her head and waved her hand around and he started.

“The weakest point in any system isn’t the software, the hardware, it’s the meatware. The human element. Now, in this lockup, it’s nine to one, prisoners to guards. And if two prisoners start fighting, then the protocol says four guards have to respond.”

“So why would prisoners randomly start fighting at that moment?” Sam inquired, shaking his head.

“Who knows? There could be any reasons… But the point is, these things escalate. Lockdown procedures would have to be initiated, and with all those bodies flying around left and right, wouldn’t be hard to slip down a hallway or two. And if the fire alarm got tripped while the prisoners were being separated… someone could use the chaos to their advantage.”

“I don’t like how casual you’re bein’ about this.” Sam smirked, feeling something was up. “That is unnatural. Are you— And where are we, man?” He then looked beyond the car as a door opened and a figure walked toward them, and there he was. Zemo pushed the plastic stripes hanging in the door frame, in a german guard’s uniform. “Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Hye, what are you—”

“No, listen.” Bucky stepped in front of Sam and blocked him.

“What are you doin’ here?” He yelled anyway.

“I didn’t tell ‘cause I knew you wouldn’t let this happen.” Bucky rose his voice.

“What did you do?” Sam insisted on asking. He turned his face to Frainn as she was being quiet, standing nearby, looking at Zemo with a slight hint of contempt in her stormy blue eyes. “Did you know? You’re a deceiver, that was all an act back there?”

“Sam.” He rose his eyes in disbelief, shaking his head upon realizing that she helped Bucky in his little “breaking Zemo out of prison” plan.

“We need him.” Bucky said.

“You’re going back to prison!” Sam pointed his index finger at the former terrorist.

“If I may…”

“No!” All three of them turned their heads to him, frowning and yelled simultaneously at him.

“When Steve refused to sign the Sokovia Accords, you backed him. You broke the law, and you stuck your neck out for me.” Bucky went on to tell him. “I’m asking you to do it again.”

“I really think I’m invaluable…”

“Shut up.” Sam cut him off in a low voice. He glanced at Bucky, let his head fall over and slowly shook it before raising his face to the centenary standing in front of him. “Okay.” He turned his head to Zemo. “If we do this, you don’t make a move without our permission, or we let Frainn confirm why you think superheroes are dangerous, and it’ll go beyond what you ever thought.”

“Fair.” He nodded, glancing at the Goddess, staring at him, dead in the eyes.

“Okay, Zemo.” Sam paused. “Where do we start?”

“So our first move is Grand Theft Auto?” Frainn glanced at Sam, confused as to what he was referencing saying this. She had no idea what this Grand Theft Auto thing was.

“These are mine.” Zemo replied casually. “Collected by family over generations.”

“Yeah, to me it’s just a bunch of junk on wheels. I don’t see whatever beauty you see in it.”

“To ordinary mortals devoid of the power of teleportation, they are very precious.” Zemo explained in a drawling tone like he was some philosopher before he went back to his explanation to the three of them while Sam and Bucky checked out the cars here and there and Frainn just stood in the middle, waiting as she had no intered in those things. “I spent years hunting people HYDRA recruited to recreate the serum. Because once it’s out there, someone can create an army people… like the Avengers.”

“Not all of us have serum running through our veins in order to grant us strength and powers, Zemo.” Frainn spat, pacing her finger against her arm in boredom.

“That was just a pure factual metaphor.” He smiled before benting over and grabbing some things in the backseat of one of the cars. “I ended the Winter Soldier program once before. I have no intention to leave my work unfinished. To do this, we’ll have to scale a ladder of lowlives.”

“Well, join the party. We’ve already started.” Sam retorted.

“First stop is a woman named Shelby.” He spoke as he walked away, holding his bag and coat. “Mid-level fence I still have a line on. From there, we climb.”

“So all this time, you’ve been rich?” Sam wondered as they walked along a private jet parked on the tarmac, the engines roaring in the back.

“I’m a Baron, Sam. My family was royalty until your friends destroyed my country.”

“I’m royalty too.” Frainn chimed in, looking around. “I was an Asgardian princess until my world was destroyed by a, uh, let’s say, a “end of the world” kind of prophecy and I should be queen of a realm of ice, but I can’t go back and it most likely went to ruins by now sooo....”

“Hearing these things coming to life when you spoke of it, is… fascinating.” He admitted. “Tell me more about it, any time.”

He then greeted the old butler standing by the stairs leading into the plane in russian and they exchanged a few words and kisses, and he then invited the three others to follow him inside. Frainn brought up the rear and she gave a smile to the man, greeting him in Russian as she spoke any Midgardian language. The old man was at first surprised, but he just smiled and climbed the steps after her as they all entered the jet. They sat down on four fancy beige leather seats in the aisle, facing each other. Sitting on the armchairs with his back to the cockpit, Bucky was seated facing Sam and Frainn facing Zemo. Arms and legs crossed, she was dangling her foot in boredom and looking out the porthole. She turned her head when she felt someone benting near her. It was the old man handing out a glass of champagne to Zemo.

“Apologies if that’s a little warm, the fridge is out. But I will see if there is some good food in the galley.”

“If it doesn’t pass the smell test… give it to them.” Zemo answered in Sokovian. Frainn stared him down while the butler chuckled at the comment and left.

“You’re decaying body won’t pass the smell test either, but I’ll be sure to feed it to the All-Father’s crows.” Frainn said in Sokovian, with a smirk on her face. He glanced at her and nodded as he took a sip of his drink like he understood why she would say this to him. Sam and Bucky were silently gazing at the both of them as the goddess death stared the Sokovian Baron.

“You don’t know what it’s like to be locked in a cell.” He then said, turning his head to Sam and Frainn frowned while Bucky looked away. “Oh. That’s right. You do.”

“Easy mistake.” Frainn retorted, giving him a fake reassuring smile. All four of them in this plane had known what it was like to be in a cell, some longer than others, in harsher conditions, but it all came down to the same memory of being in these four walls with no way to escape, except that they all did escape.

“Why don’t you tell us about where we’re going?” Sam inquired, annoyed.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what to call it, but this part seems to be important. Who is Nakajima?.” His eyes down on a book he held in his hands, and he then revealed a smaller one he had hidden in the pages. When he pronounced the man’s name which Frainn recognized, Bucky jumped out of his seat and brought his gloved hand to Zemo’s throat and the latter let out a light gasp.

“You touch that again, I’ll kill you.” He threatened, grabbing the book and sitting back in his seat under Frainn gaze.

“I’m sorry. I understand that list of names. People you’ve wronged as the Winter Soldier.”

“Don’t push it.” He warned in a low voice, calm. He glanced over at Frainn when her spear’s blade suddenly came beneath Zemo’s chin. She knew about this little book of his. She knew it was important and what was important to Bucky would be protected with her life by Frainn.

“Next time, this spear won’t stop at your chin.” She spat, implying that the next time he tried to push Bucky around, she would let the spear pierce his throat and the blood would flow down his mortal body.

“I’ve seen that book.” Sam added as Frainn made her spear shrink back to the side of a mere pencil. No one would ever suspect this seemingly harmless object people saw everyday would hide a much more lethal weapon. He looked at Bucky as he spoke. “It was Steve’s when he came out of ice with Frainn. I told him about Trouble Man. He wrote it in that book. Did you hear it? What’d you think?”

“I like 40’s music, so…”

“You didn’t like it?” Sam was almost offended.

“I liked it.” Bucky replied.

“Before you come for me, Sam, I just want to say I haven’t had much time on Midgard since 2012.” The Goddess raised her hands, palms turned to Sam, in defense.

“Well, you should listen to it now that you live on our planet.” He chuckled.

“It is a masterpiece. Complete. Comprehensive. It captures the African-American experience.” Zemo explained.

“He’s out of line, but he’s right.” Sam then declared. “It’s great. Everybody loves Marvin Gaye.”

“I like Marvin Gaye.” Bucky argued calmly.

“Steve adored Marvin Gaye.” Sam insisted.

“You must have really looked up to Steve. But I realized something when I met him. The danger with people like him,” He glanced at Frainn as he spoke before his eyes went on Bucky. “America’s Super Soldiers, is that we put them on pedestals.”

“Watch your step, Zemo.” Sam whispered but Zemo kept going, staring at Bucky.

“They become symbols. Icons. And then we start to forget their flaws. From there, cities fly, innocent people die. Movements are formed, wars are fought. You remember that, right?” Bucky was quick to look away after he glanced at the man with the glass of champagne. “As a young soldier sent to Germany to stop a mad icon. Do we want to live in a world full of people like the Red Skull?” He shook his head. “That is why we’re going to Madripoor.”

“What’s up with Madripoor? You talk about it like it’s Skull Island.” Sam wondered, looking at Zemo. Frainn was kind of confused. She didn’t know where was Madripoor or what was the deal about it and she didn’t know what was this Skull island thing Sam brought up but she hid her confusion behind a mask of ice.

“It’s an island nation in the Indonesian archipelago.” Bucky mumble an answer. “It was a pirate sanctuary back in the 1800s.”

“It’s kept its lawless ways.” Zemo added. “But we cannot exactly walk in as ourselves. James, you will have to become someone you claim is gone.”

Madripoor, Indonesian Archipelago

“We have to do something about this.” Sam complained, glancing at his red and gold suit. “I’m the only one who looks like a pimp.”

“Only an American would assume a fashion-forward Black man looks like a pimp.” Zemo countered as they walked down an impressive bridge toward the city they landed for. “You look exactly like the man you’re supposed to be playing. The sophisticated, charming African rake named Conrad Mack, aka the Smiling Tiger.”

“He even has a bad nickname.” Sam argued after taking a phone Zemo handed to him with a picture on it. He then looked down on the screen and rose his eyebrows. “Hell, he does look like me, though.” He glanced at Frainn, walking next to Bucky. “Why are you not dressed up too?”

“I could, but I don’t need to.”

“What do you mean?” He questioned, as if he wasn’t aware of the extent of her powers by now.

“You said it yourself, I’m a deceiver. No one will see me but you three. They won’t even be able to know unless I show myself.” She then explained.

“It is truly an art. An unpredictable and dangerous one.” Zemo philosophized before frowning slightly. “You smell this?”

“Yeah, what is that? Acid?” Sam wondered.

“Madripoor.” The Baron simply stated. “No matter what happens, we have to stay in character. Our lives depend on it. There's no more margin for error than Frainn can cover us for with her illusions.”

“You won’t even see or feel it when I do so.” They approached a black car stationed in the middle of the empty road, waiting for them.

“High Town’s that way. Not a bad place if you wanna visit, but Low Town’s the other way.” Frainn stood by Bucky as he opened the door and she slipped in between him and Sam on the back seat, already hidden from anyone’s sight but her three partners in crime, that included the driver on that fancy car they got in. The latter drove off and after a couple minutes tops, rain started pouring outside and thunder rumbled. Frainn looked at the sky when she heard it, thinking of her uncle, wondering how and what he was doing while she was in this mess, hunting Super Soldiers. As if they knew who was in this car, a bunch of armed men riding bikes came around the vehicle and escored them. They got out of the car and walked down a bunch of stairs, surrounded by artificial light and LED paneld hanging on the building, plunging them in a blueish atmosphere with some hints of pink and yellow, the night sky over their heads. The streets were crowded. Shady people holding guns over thei shoulders all over the place. It wasn’t so high class like back on Asgard. She wasn’t scared but it wasn’t somewhere she wanted to stay for long. It kind of made her miss the cosyness of their small not so furnished apartment in New York.

“Here we are.” Zemo then led them into a bar, a crow thronging the room. Frainn glanced around and winced at the sight of a wall filled with monkeys’ skulls painted in gold, just hanging there in decoration. She didn’t like this place very much and couldn’t wait to be out of here, but she could feel it was only the beginning of a long night. They made their way through the crowd and as seconds passed, people noticed them and in no time, all the eyes were on Bucky, walking behind Zemo as he spoke in Russian to the Super Soldier. “Ready to comply… Winter Soldier?”

“Hello, gentlemen.” The barman greeted the three. “Wasn’t expecting you, Smiling Tiger.”

“His plans changed. We have business to do with Shelby.” Zemo declared.

“The usual?” The man frowned behind his glasses and looked at Sam. The latter nodded, and he watched him grab a snake into a jar and cut it open on a black cutting board below the counter.

“Ah. Smiling Tiger, your favorite.” Zemo smiled, as the barman made the drink, plunging something from the snake into ther liquor. Frainn saw the look on Sam’s face, so she took care of it, like she discussed with Zemo. To the man behind the bar, Sam was looking pretty confident and eager to drink whatever this was.

“I love these.” He said, calmly, grabbing the glass and looking at Zemo.

“Cheers, Conrad.” Their glasses clinked as they cheered, and he drank. Only them could see the wince of disgust on his face. A man then walked up to the Baron from behind and the latter turned around.

“I get word from on high. You ain’t welcome here.”

“I have no business with the Power Broker,” Frainn frowned, wondering who this person Zemo mentioned was, but what she got from the way he said it, was that whoever this was they were kind of the big deal here in Madripoor. “but if he insists he can either come and talk to me…” He showed Bucky beside him, keeping on a straight face, silent. “Or bring Selby for a chat.”

“A power broker? Really?” Bucky inquired once the man walked away.

“It’s a pretty lame nickname.” Frainn added.

“Every kingdom needs its king.”

“Stop Zemo, I’m this close to find you funny.” She taunted, making a small space between her fingers. He glanced at her without moving his head to not make it suspicious. She wasn’t there to anyone else in the bar, he couldn’t act like he was talking to a ghost.

“Let’s just pray we stay under his radar.”

“Do you know him?” Sam wondered, leaning his back against the counter.

“Only by reputation.” He turned to Sam. “In Madripoor he is judge, jury, and executioner.”

“Seems like a lot of power for just a man if you ask me.” Frainn appeared beside Sam and crossed her fingers on her chest. He nodded at her comment. They looked at Zemo when he turned around and started speaking Russian to Bcuky when a man walked up to him.

“Winter Soldier, attack.” The second the man put his hand on Zemo’s shoulder, Bucky grabbed him with his metal arm and twisted his wrist, pushing him away forcefully. He punched him in the stomach and made him fall over on the floor while everyone stepped away, watching, their phones out to film the scene. Another man rushed at Bucky, but he threw a punch and a couple of kicks at him and threw him away, dragging someone else in his fall. But really, this fight scene was much more complex than people could see. Bucky fighting as the Winter Soldier in the middle of a crowded bar was just the work of Frainn’s power. The persons he fought of were very much getting hurt and kicked and punched around and that was the whole thing about her illusions. She could make them so real you would actually mistake them for the reality. She could conceal herself from the sight of others and project illusions that would go to such a realistic level that no one could see through it. No mere mortals could notice the trick. The real Bucky was still standing near the bar and Frainn was squeezing his shoulder lightly.

“I didn’t want to let you do this.” She whispered, watching the fake but real-looking fight taking place in the bar. The damages in the room were real as they were cause by Bucky’s opponents upon falling around.

“This is very impressive, Frainn.” Zemo remarked, knowing that her illusion would make it look like he didn’t even talk at all, and he nodded, watching as well. Illusion Bucky then stood right where Bucky was, pinning a man down onto the bar and in a fraction of second, Bucky found himself actually holding him down. When Sam put his hand on Bucky’s metal arm, Frainn made it look like he didn’t move so they wouldn’t be suspicious. “Stay in character, or the whole bar turns on us. You are lucky Frainn is covering us.” He then switched to Russian. “Well done, Soldier.”

“Selby will see you now.” The barman exclaimed as Bucky let the man slip down the bar, groaning in pain. They were then led through a back door. Cells along the walls, tables covered in bundles of cash. They eventually reached a private lounge. They walked to a woman casually sitting on a couch.

“You should know Baron.” She started, tapping her fingers on the top of the back of the sofa. “People don’t just come into my bar and make demands.”

“Not a demand. An offer.” He replied, sitting on the other sofa.

“A lot has changed since you were here last.” She went on to say, following Bucky with her eyes. Frainn stood beside him and stared at the one named Selby as he positioned himself near the wall. The white-haired woman turned her head back to Zemo, frowning slightly. “By the way, I though you were rotting away in q German prison. How did you escape?”

“People like us always find a way, don’t we?” He shrugged, sketching a smirk. “I’m sure you’ve already figured out what I’m here for.”

“You’re taller than I’d heard, Smiling Tiger.” She stated, still looking at Zemo and pointing at Sam with her index finger and slowly turned her head to him. He simply looked down at her and nodded silently, with a straight face. She then purred softly, moving her fingers in the air and glanced at Zemo with a thrilled smile. “What’s the offer?”

“Tell us what you know about the super-soldier serum.” He stood up and walked over to Bucky, passing behind him like he was a prize and Frainn didn’t like that very much. She knew it was all part of the plan to get the information but knowing that Bucky must have been so uncomfortable in this position, she was upset. “And I give you him, along with the code words to control him, of course. He will do anything you want.”

“Now that’s the Zemo I remember. I’m glad I decided not to kill you immediately.” Her smile faded to a more serious facial expression, but one could see that she liked the idea of having the Winter Soldier under her thumb. As she continued, Zemo went back to the sofa. “Arrogant, but right. The Super-soldier serum is here in Madripoor. Dr. Wilfred Nagel is the man you wanna thank. Or… condemn, depending on what sied of this you’re on. The Power Broker had him working on the serum, but… things didn’t go as planned.”

“Is Nagel still in Madripoor?” Zemo asked. She slightly leaned forward, shaking her head.

“The bread crumbs you can have for free, but the bakery is gonna cost you, Baron.” She stood up. “And before you get all cute, don’t think you can find Nagel without me.” Suddenly Sam’s phone started to vibrate in the inside pocket of his suit jacket. Frainn clenched her fist. Doing anything wouldn’t do them a favor because Selby had heard it and if there was magically no sound, it would be strange. He looked at the screen of his cellphone and glanced back at Selby who now stood right in front of him. “Answer it. On speaker.”

“Hello?” He eventually said, taking a deeper voice than usual, trying to keep it together for the act. A female voice rose.

“Hey, um, we need to talk about this situation. It’s been drivin” me nuts.”

“What situation exactly are you talking about?”

“Are you high?” The woman wondered, sensing something wasn’t right about the way Sam was talking to her over the phone which made Frainn think it was someone close to him, who would know his behavior was off. Whilst he was on the phone, Selby walked around the room. “You know what situation, it’s the only situation me and you have.”

“What situation, Sarah? Say it.” He sounded fakely bothered.

“The damn boat. And watch your tone. Okay? I let you slide at the bank.” Sam scoffed before replying.

“The bank. Yeah. Laundered so much…” He chuckled, shaking his head with a proud smile, trying to play this off. “Yeah, they’ll come around.”

“If that was the case, then why’d they dog you out, Big Time?”

“Yeah, you damn right I’m Big Time. You’ll see when I have that banker killed.”

“Cass! What’d I tell you about the Cheerios? I don’t have time for this!” She seemed to be addressing a kid, maybe hers even. Frainn grabbed the golden pen in her pocket and slowly extended it to its full size, her hand tightly holding onto the spear, feeling that it was about to go down rather quickly in the next seconds, and she sensed right, it did, the moment the woman articulated his real name for everyone to hear and the Goddess didn’t expect this so it wasn’t Conrad that Selby and her men heard. “Sam, I’m sorry. I’ll call you back.”

“Sam? Who’s Sam? Kill them!” Right after she gave the order, a bullet pierced her throat and her body fell heavily on the floor. Frainn revealed herself and helped to get rid of Selby’s men. Bucky and Sam took the guns of the guards they knocked out and Zemo and Frainn followed them to a door in the lounge.

“They’re gonna pin this on us.” Sam looked at Zemo and the Baron sighed.

“We have a real problem now, so leave your weapons and follow my lead.” He instructed the Bucky and Sam. The two men let go of the guns and they all walked out of the bar through the back of the building and out onto the crowded streets. They heard cell phones chimed and people chattering as they walked briskly to get away before anyone identified them and, in any case, before Frainn could even hide them, people had seen them. Some guy suddenly fired at them and Frainn deflected the bullets with a violent gust of wind, and they went right back at the shooter but it was only the first of many who wanted the bounty on their heads for the murder of Selby. They all sped up and started running and Frainn took care of the guys after them all while running along them.

“I can’t run in these heels!” Sam complained.

“Just fucking run, Sam!” Frainn groaned and she looked behind when she heard bikes coming after them. “Where the fuck is Zemo?”

“What?” Sam looked back as she threw discs of ice under the motorcicles’ wheels, and it froze the whole machine along with the people driving them and they fell with a crash and broke into pieces, as if they were only made of ice. She turned around and looked up. Seeing a window half opened and a sniper posted right there, she didn’t think twice and the moment the person was closing the window after shooting someone on the street, she gathered the wind around her hands and thew a gust of it, shattering the glass towards the inside, and right at the sniper, whoever that was. Zemo then reappeared, shooting another.

“You seem to have a guardian angel.” Bucky and Sam looked at Frainn at Zemo’s comment and all she was thinking of after hearing him say this was how Bucky called her Steve’s guardian angel the day they met in this back alley, and he saw it in her eyes. He knew exactly what she was thinking in this instant.

“Well, this is too perfect.” A woman’s voice rose from the shadows behind Zemo, and he turned around as she approached. Frainn frowned when she recognized Sharon beneath that hood, holding the Baron at gun point. “Drop it, Zemo.”

“Sharon?” Bucky was as surprise to see her.

“You cost me everything.” She ignored the super soldier, walking toward Zemo and he stepped back between Bucky and Sam. The latter stretched his hand out, palm to Sharon.

“Sharon, wait.” Frainn walked around, observing the woman’s face. She noticed cuts on her face. “Someone recreated the super-soldier serum and Zemo had a lead.”

“That explains why you guys are here. And Selby’s dead.”

“So what are you doing here?” Bucky wondered.

‘I stole Steve’s shield, remember? I also took the wings for your ass, so that you could save him from him.” She pointed Sam, Bucky and Zemo in order with her gun. “I didn’t have the Avengers to back me up. So, I’m off the grid in Madripoor.

“Had a little accident, Sharon?” Frainn asked in a softly threatening way, almost like hiss of a snake to the blond’s ear. She glanced at her but gave no response, shrugging it off.

“Don’t blow smoke. I was on the run, too.” Sam retorted.

“Was. Is. Big difference. I don’t speak to my family anymore. I can’t. My father doesn’t know where I am.”

“How sad, Sharon. I feel you.” Frainn overplayed being sad and nodded, then cracked a fake sympathetic smile. Her sarcasm was probably misplaced and a childish reaction in this moment, but she was bitter upon hearing her play the victim. Sure, she was. Unfair things happened to her, but the goddess could compete on who had it worse. “Mine doesn’t know where I am and I can’t talk to him or anyone of my family either,” She pressed heavily each of the words that followed, and it threw a cold. “because they’re all dead.”

“Hey. Listen…” Looking at Sharon, Bucky was the one to speak up, stepping beside the goddess, a hand on her shoulder. She swallowed harshly, maybe she needed to vent on someone, and she didn’t feel bad for it. Sharon wasn’t anyone to her. “Sharon, we need your help.” The blonde chuckled. “Please.”

“This isn’t over. I have a place in High Town. You’ll be safe there.” She then walked away, and Bucky motioned at the two others to follow as he placed his arm in Frainn’s back, leading her along with him. Sharon brought them to a car and they crossed Madripoor to the gate of a fancy building.

“Looks like breaking all those laws is treating you well.” Sam stated as they entered. It was a quite luxious indeed. Even with an Asgardian interpretation of the word luxury, she could see it was rather nice, but she preferred the gold and greatness of her homeworld’s architecture, which she could ever only see again in memories.

“I thought if I had to hustle, might as well enjoy the life of a real hustler. You know how much I’ll get for a real Monet?” Frainn frowned, not knowing who this Monet was and just listened to Sharon talking with Sam as they climbed a bunch of stairs.

“Deactivate your hustle mode. You sell fake Monets.”

“No.” Zemo spoke up and Sam turned to him. “She means real. This gallery is specialized in stolen artwork. Monet. Van Gogh. Classics.”

“It’s true.” Frainn nodded at Bucky’s affirmation, but she had no idea what and who they were talking about. She had only knowledge of the Nordic artworks, she wasn’t so informed about Midgardian’s art in general and those names meant nothing to her as she didn’t know the people. “You know, half the artwork in museums like the Louvre is fake. Real stuff sits in places like this.”

“I must admit, I’m lost.” Frainn whispered to Bucky as she looked at the painting of a lady in a white dress, holding an umbrella. He glanced at her and chuckled.

“Okay, guys, I see what you’re doing. You’re more wordly than good olf Sam.”

“Yeah. What’s Google say?” Bucky inquired as he and Frainn walked past Sam.

“Come on, you guys need to change.” Sharon called out to them. “I’m hosting clients in an hour.” She opened a double door and led them into a sitting room with a bar, a couple sofas and a rack full of nice clothing for the guys. She left them for a moment and came back after Bucky changed into a suit and Sam was going through the clothes on display, topless as she walked in, Zemo drinking at the bar. Frainn was sitting next to Bucky on the sofa, in a fancy green backless dress with a slit along her leg and a plunging neckline. She had her spear turned into a gold arm ring with Nodic runes associated with Loki engraved on it and her necklace with the wolf's head pendant that she had been given by Frigga centuries ago, and that her mother wanted to give her. Her dark hair were slicked back on her head, brought into a high ponytail, hair cascading down on her neck.

“What’s going on, Sharon? You don’t ever wanna come back home?” Sam wondered.

“They’ll lock me up if I step foot back in the States. Madripoor doesn’t allow extradition.”

“Look, I’m sorry I didn’t call, but after The Blip and the chaos, I just…”

“Look, you know the whole hero thing is a joke, right?” They listened the two in silence, Frainn let her head fall on the back of the sofa and stared at the ceiling, fidgeting with the pendant of her necklace. “The way you gave up that shield, deep down, you must know that it’s all hypocrisy.”

“He knows. And not so deep down.” Zemo chimed in, a glass in his hand.

“By the way, how is the new Cap?” Frainn clenched her jaw and sighed at Sharon’s question. All the Goddess wanted was to see that jackass drop dead on the ground.

“Don’t get me started.” Bucky said in a low voice, hands joined on his laps. Sharon scoffed.

“Please. You buy into all that stars and stripes bullshit. Before you were his pet psychopath,” She walked around the sofa and sat down on Frainn’s right ands the latter straightened up her head and stared at her. “you were Mr. America! Cap’s best friend, and you, Frainn, you were Eagle, his sidekick.”

“I’m no one sidekick. I was his friend.” She spat, bitter.

“Wow. She’s kind of awful now.” Bucky stated and exchanged a glance with Frainn.

“Karli Morgenthau and at least seven others have taken the serum.” Sam approached, adjusting the high collar of his top.

“You guys really should steer clear of all this for your own safety.”

“We know it’s a risk, but we’re not gonna leave until we find the one who cracked the code.” Sam insisted and Sharon frowned, worried.

“We got a name. Wilfred Nagel.” Bucky added. Sharon then stood up and took a few steps away towards a plate with alcool bottles near which Zemo was seating.

“Nagel works for the Power Broker.”

“We need your help, Sharon. I can get your name cleared.” Sam tried to convince her.

“You haggling with my life?”

“Not like that.”

“I don’t buy that.” She retorted, a glass in her hand and sat down. “You pretending like you can clear my name.”

“Okay, maybe it is hypocrisy. Maybe you’re right. What happened to you.” He stood up and walked toward her. “But I’m willing to try if you are.” He motioned to Bucky and Frainn with his hand. “They cleared the bionic machine, and he killed almost everybody he’s met.”

“I heard that.” Bucky declared, staring at the floor.

“They even gave US and Norwegian citizenship to his alien— Goddess of a girlfriend, and she killed almost everybody she’s met too.”

“I heard that too.” Frainn sighed.

“I don’t trust charity.” Sharon shook her head.

“All right, a deal then. You help us out, and I get your name cleared.” Sam crossed his arms and then held out a hand to her, which she took before taking a sip of her drink with a sigh and stood up.

“Well, I sell to some pretty connected people. Lay low, blend in, enjoy the party.” She walked away towards some stairs. “Try to stay outta trouble. I’ll see what I can find.”

“Trouble.” Zemo looked at the three others in the room and shrugged, his glass in between his hand.

“I don’t like Midgardian parties.” Frainn stood up and walked toward one of the French windows opening onto the balcony, her heels making her even taller than she was already, slamming on the floor with every step she took. She went to the balustrade and looked down on the city, plunged in the dark of the night with blue LED panels all over the place, giving to the place that was Madripoor a peculiar aura. “I’d rather have an Asgardian feast.”

“What’s it like?” She turned her head upon hearing Bucky’s voice behind her as he came next to her to the balustrade. She turned her head to him before looking back down at the streets.

“I went to a few of them before I was cast out. It was always so cheerful. People were eating and drinking, seated at the longest table I had ever seen or chatting here and there, laughing. Oh, and the food. The food was divine.” She chuckled at the use of this word as she was herself pretty much a Goddess, and it felt a bit funny to use it. But in any case, her smile faded rather quickly as nostalgia got the upper hand and the joy that the memory brought her turned into sadness of never being able to relive this moment.

“It sounds fun. Care to show me, honey?” He put his hand over hers and she raised her eyes to him. Frainn knew he meant showing him by using her illusions casting power and she grabbed his other hand, turning to him and in the blink of an eye, their surroundings changed, and she saw wonders in Bucky’s eyes. The golden palace of Asgard, candles hanging on the walls, their flames dancing to the breeze, laughs and people eating and drinking everywhere. At first, he must have thought it was just some projection to show him but when they looked around, they saw her younger self, sitting next to Loki in a corner, swinging her leg in the air. “Is that you?”

“Yes. My father didn’t like these feasts much, but I managed to get him to come sometimes.” He held on to her hands as she walked to her and Loki and stood a couple feet away from them. They could hear the conversation the two were having.

“You’re so not fun, Loki.”

“Those celebrations are a waste of my time.”

“No, they’re not.” Young Frainn argued.

“Did you know he was your dad, at that time?” Bucky wondered, watching her and the God of Mischief chatting. Frainn glanced at the floor for a second.

“No. The moment I found out, I went berserk and caused a massacre.” The settings switched. They were in the mountains on the other side of the realm, far from the palace, their feet were sinking in the snow and there she was. She saw herself sitting in the snow, her skin blue and eyes red just staring ahead with this downcast look. There was also anger in her eyes. Bucky was probably silent because he didn’t know what to say upon seeing this. She was showing him things she never really talked about that much. She thought that he must have wondered if she told Steve or anyone else the whole story about her banishement. But even if she did talk about it, it wasn’t the same as letting people dive into her own memories. As the guards came and dragged her back to the palace, she shut down the illusion and they were back on the balcony, facing the balustrade, holding their hands.

“Hey,” They turned around and saw Sam holdig the French doors opened ajar. “What’s taking you so long to talk about?”

“We’re coming.” Bucky simply replied and Sam nodded and went back inside with Zemo. The latter was looking right at Frainn with this strange fascination he had when she spoke of her past, which were stories coming right from mythology books. He eventually got up and stopped looking so she turned to Bucky.

“Let’s go to that party.” Frainn declared but her words were met by Bucky’s lips softly connecting with hers. She kissed him back. His lips tasted sweet and the comforting kiss, as good as it was, ended when they went on their way to the party going on downstairs. A loud upbeat music was playing in the now crowded show room, arms up in the air, drinks in hands, everyone was dancing in rhythm to the music, cheering. Frainn found a party like this quite grotesque. The music and vibe of the party wasn’t to her liking, and she just followed, Zemo, Sam and Bucky to the bar with a straight face. A moment ago, she was opening her heart to Bucky, sharing a sweet moment with him and now she was here, already bored. As Zemo and Sam went their separate ways, Bucky brought his hand to Frainn’s waist, standing next to her.

“I know you don’t like it. Just stay at the bar and get yourself some drinks.”

“That sounds like a plan. I hold alcohol very well.” She joked, still stone-faced as she watched the people partying all around the room.

“Not everyone knows that.” He retorted with a smirk as he let his hand slip down her back and walked away, making his way through the crowd of people dancing, jumping on the spot. The Goddess sketched a slight smile and went to sit at one of the barstools along the bar, her side to it to keep an eye on the party going on, not turning her back to anyone. She ordered the strongest drink the barman had and casually drank it like there was no alcohol in it. She felt it, but it didn’t have effect on her body. It would take a lot more than whatever she was served to get drunk. After a moment that seemed awfully long and she was already at her fourth drink, she noticed Bucky motioning for her to come to him and Sam with his hand, so she just got up and walked over to them. “You’ll be happy.”

“Why is that?”

“Sharon found Nagel.” Sam told her.

It was very early in the morning when all four of them left the party and went with Sharon to the docks of Madripoor where were stacked hundreds of huge containers. It was apparently in the area that this Wilfred Nagel they were looking for, was hiding, working on the serum.

“Madripoor could give New York a run for its money.” Sam said as they walked after Sharon as she led them around the place.

“They know how to party.” Zemo retorted.

“I beg to differ.” Frainn argued, glancing at Zemo behind her. She always felt that her royal titles were just that, titles but the more she experienced new things, she saw that there was a gap between her and her upbringing and everyone else. That kid of party or gathering would never have had its place on Asgard, or Jotunheim for that matter. There wasn’t any party in that ice kingdom anyway but on Asgard, the parties were like she showed Bucky through her memories. Gold, drinks, good food, fruits, meat, laughs and chatter with a breath-taking view from the palace’s balcony. It was something else.

“With that bounty on your head, Zemo, the longer you’re in Madripoor, the less likely you’re ever leaving.” Sharon spoke up, glancing up and down at her phone. She then stopped in front of a containers’ double doors. “All right. He’s in there. Container four-two-six-one. I’ll keep an eye out while you guys talk to Nagel. But hurry. We’re on borrowed time.”

She handed them earpieces for each of them, before leaving them on their own. They walked to the container and Sam opened the door which creaked briefly. They glanced inside but it was empty.

“Hey, Sharon. You sure this is the right one?” He inquired. “It’s latelytely empty.”

“Positive. It has to be.” She replied and they stepped inside. Frainn looked around and went to the back of the container. Zemo came along with his flashlight, and he passed his gloved fingers on the sheet metal and they glanced at each other, thinking there was a door right there. She pushed the panel with both hand and it moved under the pressure so he and Frainn looked at Sam and Bucky. There was a flight of stairs with music coming from above. Bucky and Sam pulled out their guns and walked up the stairs first, Zemo bringing up the rear. Silently, they walked into a lab with music blasting from a record player. And there he was, Wilfred Nagel, oblivious to their intrusion, his back to them as they approached, focused on whatever he was doing. Frainn, Sam and Bucky exchanged a look and she pulled out her spear, concealing the noise Sam stopped the music. The scientist turned around, already on the defensive and stared at Sam.

“Dr Nagel?”

“Who are you? What do you want?”

“We know you created the super-soldier serum.” Sam insisted.

“Get out my lab.” He walked past him and was met by two rather threatening people, Frainn and who he knew as the Winter Soldier. His confidence dropped very quickly when he saw the two and when he noticed the sharp blade of the spear she held in her hand.

“You know who he is, right?” Sam grabbed the scientist’s arm and showed him Frainn and Zemo in turn. “This is Frainn Lokadottir, the Avenger and this is Baron Zemo, I know you’ve heard of them too, right?” He pushed him toward Bucky, still holding his arm and cornered him. “You seem like a pretty smart guy. So you better become conversational real quick.

“How about a counter proposal? Make me a better offer and I’ll talk.”

“People on this planet have such an audacity.” She casually walked to him and put her hand to his neck. She wasn’t squeezing. She didn’t need to choke him to hurt him. Her hand slowly turned blue, and he started to wince, trying to repress and conceal the pain that he began to feel.

“Guys, we have company.” Sharon said over the coms. Frainn glanced at the others and brought the coldness to another level and the scientist breathed in and out rather loudly still trying to contain himself. She dragged him to a chair and forcefully sat him down as he started to groan in pain

“Here’s this “better offer” that you want.” She was crouched in front of him, her hand still holding onto his neck, looking at him dead in the eyes. “If you don’t want to die, you talk. If speak, I take off my hand and your neck will heal from this just fine but the longer you take to decide… you either get your throat slit or he shoots you in the head. Simple.” On that note, Bucky fired a warning shot behind him and brought the barrel of the gun to his temple.

“Okay. Okay.” He eventually gave in, and she nodded, letting go off him and standing back up. He took a deep breath in, bringing his hands up to his neck but not daring touching the burn she caused on his skin. Bucky then lowered his gun. “I was brought into HYDRA’s Winter Soldier program to pick up their work after the five failed test subjects in Siberia. When HYDRA fell, I was recruited by the CIA. They had blood samples from an American test subject with semi-stable traces of serum in his system. After much labor, I was able to isolate the necessary compounds in his blood. I was a god.” Frainn’s jaw clenched. “I did what no other scientist since Erskine was able to do. But mine was going to be different. No clunky machines or jacked up bodies. Mine was going to be subtle, optimized, perfect.”

“How have we never heard about this?” Sam was in disbelief in front of how insane the man sounded.

“Because… Before I was able to complete my work, I turned to dust. Then when I returned, it was five years later, program had been abandoned, so I came here. The Power Broker was more than happy to fund the recreation of my work.”

“How many vials did you make?” Wilson asked.

“Twenty.” He looked away for a second. “Karli Morgenthay stole those, so… I can only imagine what the Power Broker has planned for that poor girl.”

“Where’s Karli now?” Sam went on with the questions.

“I don’t know where she is but a couple days ago, she called and asked if I could help someone named Donya Madani. Poor woman has tuberculosis. Typical of overpopulation in displacement camps like that.”

“Well, what happened to her?” The scientist shrugged.

“Not my pig. Not my farm.”

“Is there any serum in this lab?” Bucky inquired and as Nagel kept quiet, he brought his gun to his head once again.

“No.” He finally said.

“Now what?” Bucky turned his head to his peers and suddenly, Sharon bursted in the lab.

“Guys, we’re seriously outta time here.” Out of nowhere, Zemo pulled out a gun and shot Nagel in the chest. The latter fell over on the floor, dead, in a pool of his own blood. Sharon and Sam jumped at Zemo and blocked him against a wall, but they had no time doing anything, an explosion occured in the lab and they all were projected to the floor. Frainn was lying there, having a hard time breathing after the heat of the blast of fire that entered the lab upon the explosion. She gasped for air and winced as an alarm blared fluriously in the room, ringing her ears. The ringing was bearable. What was much harder to deal with for her was the heat that filled the whole room all of a sudden. She turned her head when she heard a muffled voice coming from her right and before she could understand what was happening, she felt Bucky’s hands grab her sides and help her on her feet, passing her arm around his shoulders.

“Frainn—” Bucky said her name but as they climbed down the stairs, another explosion sounded loud, causing the container above them collapse in front of the one they were in. Bucky ducked over Frainn to shield her just in case. Sam and Sharon were the first one to step outside while Bucky brought the palm of his hand to Frainn's forehead and he immidietaly took his hand off of her skin. “You’re burning up.”

“I gathered that.” She articulated, swallowing harshly. With the outside breeze entering the container, she regained her senses, but she still felt very weakened. “Leave me just a sec, join the others… I just need a minute.”

“All right, Frainn.” He was a little worried to leave her there but he reluctantly obliged, helping her to sit against a wall and he stepped outside. She breathed out and tensed her fingers. Her sking turned blue and she had some kind of relief. She didn’t know what skin-color she was born, she only ever saw herself with her white skin until she found out about her ancestry but then, she mostly kept this white skin and it felt effortless all the time until she got herself into situations like this one, which didn’t happen very often, and then she would feel a difference. It actually required some magic to keep her skin-color white but so little that it wasn’t a bother, she was more used to this one anyway. Less than a minute later, she stood up and walked outside. Shots rang out here and there, hitting the sheet metal containers around them. She stepped in the middle of the shooting, out in the open, her skin blue and her eyes red. It was definitely something to see given she was still in her dress because she had been too lazy to change into something else, and it wasn’t harder to move in it as it wasn’t really tight.

“Frainn.” She heard Bucky call out her name, but she didn’t look at him as bullets started hitting her in bursts and yet, she didn’t flinch. She wasn’t moving an inch as if the bullets weren’t doing anything to her, which was actually the case. As funny as it sounded, her skin was so thick due to her being Asgardian and Jotun. One shooter got confused and it gave an opening for Bucky to shoot him down. She generated an ice pick along her hand and threw it at another that was standing above the containers. He had no time to dodge it and it pierced through him, and he fell heavily on his back. A second later, a pipe exploded, and another fire briefly sprung from it. Frainn crouched and put her arms and hands in front of her face, swirling a wind around her which she then sent on the black smoke that succeeded the fire and cleared the area. She slowly stood up and watched a figure jumped off a container, figure that she recognized to be Zemo given the coat he wore was the exact same and she watched him take down the last opponents standing, and she shook her head, sighing.

“Great fucking show.” She groaned. Bucky came by her when he, Sam and Sharon took the opportunity to run, and she followed the three of them without a word. Sam suddenly opened a container’s door as someone shot at them and he snatched a bar from it and knocked down another coming from behind him and Frainn. He then threw it at the woman that fired at them, pining her against a container. Frainn stared at her as she groaned and winced in pain and threw a thin disc of glass to slit the side of her throat. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out of it and less than a second later, there was no life left in her eyes. Frainn was pulled into the container Sam opened by the man himself and the door locked itself behind her. Frainn was a little disturbed to see how easy it still was for her to take the life of others but what was she to do if they were attacking her? For once, she had a legitimate reason of attacking back and killing. The deaths she caused back on Asgard because of Odin’s lies was the only thing she had ever done that couldn’t be excused, even though the blood of these Asgardians was on Odin’s as well. Would he not have lied to her, this would have certainly not happened. They walked across the container and Bucky punched the double door to the other side with his metal arm and they stepped out to the sound of tires creeching on the ground and here was Zemo, in a vintage car, pulling up to them.

“Supercharged.” The Sokovian stated. Frainn stared at him as her skin turned back to her Asgardian light complexion and she sighed silently.

“You’re going back to jail.” Sam reminded him.

“Do you want to find Karli or not?”

“He’s right. We need him.” Bucky added before getting in the passenger seat beside Zemo, leaving the backseat to Sam and Frainn. As her lover spoke, the Goddess walked around the car to get to the other side and get in. “And there’s three of us, and at least 20 of them. Come on.”

“Fine. But if you try that shit again…” He threateningly pointed his finger at Zemo before getting in in turn.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“Well, that was one hell of a reunion.” Sharon sighed in relief, shutting the door of Bucky and Sam’s side of the car.

“Come back to the States with us.” Sam insisted.

“I told you I can’t. Just get me that pardon you promised me.”

“Thanks for everything.” Sam told her as she walked away. He slipped in his seat and looked at Bucky with annoyance. “You’re not gonna move your seat up, are you?”

“No.” The former soldier simply replied and Frainn chuckled. It was the same setting as back in 2016 when all three of them were waiting for Steve as he talked with Sharon outside of the car. Their places were reversed this time around and it was to Sam to struggle with little space for his legs.

“Donya Madani. She’s a refugee, yeah.” Sitting on a couch behind the four chairs facing each other on which all four sat on the outward journey to Madripoor, Frainn watched Sam step around while on the phone with Torres. Next to her was Bucky, cleaning his metal hand with a small towel. “Okay. Call me if you get a hit. Thanks, Torres.”

“You okay?” Bucky asked him after he let himself fall in one seat with a sigh.

“Yeah.” He replied in a deep voice. “Just thinking about all the shit Sharon had to go through. And Nagel referring to the American test subject like Isaiah wasn’t even a real person.” He straightened up and turned the seat to face Bucky. “Just makes me wonder how many people have to get steamrolled to make way for this hunk of metal.”

“Well, it depends on who you ask.” Bucky replied, looking down at his hand before switching his focus to Sam. Frainn had let her head fall on the back of the sofa and, her arms folded across her chest, she was staring into space listening to them. “That hunk of metal saved a lot of lives.”

“Yeah, I get that. All right. Maybe I made a mistake.”

“You did.”

“Yeah. Maybe I shouldn’t have put it in a museum. I should have destroyed it.” Frainn suddenly lifted her head and stared at Sam.

“Look, that shield represents a lotta things to a lotta people, including me, and Frainn.” He leaned forward, his arms resting on his knees. “The world is upside down, and we need a new Cap, and it ain’t gonna be Walker. So before you go and destroy it, I’ll take it from him myself.”

“Yeah.” Sam’s phone vibrated and he picked it up. Zemo arrived at the same time, small dishes in his hands and handed it over to Bucky, Sam and Frainn so they could eat, and he then sat down on the seat with its back to Bucky on the sofa. “They found Madani… dead. She died in Riga, a city near the Baltic Sea.”

“I have a place we can go.” Zemo spoke up. “I, for one, am looking forward to coming face to face with Karli. Oeznik, we’re changing the course.”

Riga, Latvia

“I heard what become of Sokovia.” Zemo said as they walked down the street towards the place Zemo owned in the city. “Cannibalized by its neighbors before the land was cleared of rubble, erased from the map. I don’t suppose any of you bothered visiting the memorial?” As his question was met by silence, he pursued. “Of course not. Why would you? We are here.”

“I’m gonna go on a walk.” Bucky then randomly declared, and everyone stopped in their tracks in front of the building and turned to him.

“You good?” Sam inquired.

“Yeah. See you guys in a bit.” He replied as he turned around and walked away. Frainn watched him going the other way, wondering what was going on but she didn’t say anything and followed Sam and Zemo inside. She needed some rest after all that happened in just the past couple days.

[To be continued…]

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Published (05/25/2022) by Andrea

Taglist: @cathrin2405 @kika64

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multific · 1 year

Text

If He doesn't Scare You, No Evil Thing will

Cruella!Helmut Zemo x Reader

Words: 5.5K

Summary: Helmut Zemo, the best designer, a cold and manipulative man. You, a barista, a kind and gentle person. Nothing common between you two yet fate had its ways to toy with you.

A/N: None of the above pictures are mine, all rights go to their owners, especially the beautiful work of art by @enstatia which inspired this whole story.

Baron Helmut Zemo is the best fashion designer in the entire world.

He was rich, smart and elegant. He was adored by some and hated by many.

He wasn't a gentleman, he was rude and cunning, and he always got what he wanted. In the name of fashion, he had done many terrible things.

The Sokovian noble born became a well-known name in the entire world after his first collection.

Most people knew him for his famous furs, others knew him because he liked to crush the competition, literally.

He always said, fashion isn't kind, so why should he be?

You were always fascinated by fashion, even if you didn't have a taste for it or the money to afford it.

But Zemo's collections always stood out for you, you spent many many hours looking at his clothing. His taste and creativity were beyond everything you could ever imagine.

But you will never be able to afford anything of his, working in a coffee shop certainly didn't give you the paycheck of your dreams, if you were honest you barely made enough to live but you dreamed big.

You let out a long sigh as you were getting ready to close the store finally. A long shift and you were the only one remaining to close it all up.

Just as you were sweeping the floors, a man came rushing in, he was heaving, he clearly had a run, but who would run in a suit like that?

"We are cl-"

"PLEASE! I need a double espresso urgently."

"Sorry, Sir."

"I NEED that coffee or my boss will kill me! Please! I pay extra, double, triple whatever but I need that coffee." he was desperate, probably a new started who was trying to impress their boss.

"Okay." you ended up saying. "But! This is the first and only time! You have to come next time during open hours!"

"Thank you! THANK YOU!"

You made the coffee as best as you could in your tired state before handing it to him.

He really did leave a nice tip for you and was soon out the door, running.

You shook your head and closed up.

The next day, everything went normally. Customers came, left, some leaving you nice tips.

Then, when you stood behind the bar, he arrived again.

"Hello. Coming this time during normal hours." he laughed lightly. "Look my boss really liked the coffee you made for him, so I'll have to come here regularly from now on, maybe even more than once a day. So, I'll always order the same, double espresso, like you made yesterday and for me a cappuccino."

And just like he said, he came to the store every morning at 7:50 sharp, ordered the same thing every time and occasionally, he arrived in the afternoon.

"I do see why Boss likes your coffee, the cappuccino you made for me was amazing."

He was your first regular customer. He told you he worked for a big company and had a husband and a german shepherd. He was talkative as if he didn't have anyone to talk to about these things during the day.

Then, one day, he didn't come in the morning.

It was strange coming from someone sharp.

But, you went on with your day, and just as you were ready to close, the front doorbell sounded off.

It gave you deja vu.

"Sorry, but we are closi-" you stopped immediately when you noticed the man in front of you.

Baron Helmut Zemo.

The leading man in fashion, in this little store.

"I didn't have my espresso today, you see my assistant got sick."

That explained a lot, like how he was always so dressed and in a hurry.

You didn't know what to do. To deny him coffee would be a death sentence.

He sat down at a table like it was the most casual thing.

You made him the coffee, just like you always did.

"Anything else I could get you?" you asked as you placed the mug in front of him.

"No, thank you." as he picked up the mug his hand brushed against yours.

He was much nicer than people made him in their stories. Maybe he was having a good day, you didn't want to poke around, so you left and went back to whipping tables and cleaning the floor.

When he finished, he left you a good tip and without another word, he was off.

Everything happened so fast, you wondered if it was even real.

In the end, you convinced yourself that it couldn't possibly be Baron Zemo, and you just moved on.

The next day, the assistant guy didn't come nor did Zemo so you really must have been imagining things.

However on the third day, just before closing time, both arrived.

"We are still in time right?" asked the assistant, whose name you just remembered being Bucky. "Can I also get a slice of that chocolate cake please?" he asked as he ordered while the Baron sat down. You knew better so you acted like a professional and served them both.

And while they talked about work, you cleaned the tables.

"Y/N." you heard your name being called, nearly making you jump. "Can you help us?"

"No need to bother her, James, I know what I want."

Bucky rolled his eyes as you walked over, you looked at the drawings in front of them.

Two beautiful suits, one dark with fur around the neck, white with black dots, reminded you of dalmatians, the other suit just as beautiful, dark green with gold embellishments. Both are similar styles for a very very rich man.

"Which one do you think is better?" you looked at both of them.

"Both look really nice."

"You have to pick." said the Baron and you picked up both papers.

"I like this one better." you said placing the dotted one back on the table. Zemo had a smirk on his face while Bucky huffed. "But it's missing something." you said as your eyes were glued to the paper.

"Boss said the same thing." said Bucky before taking the other drawing and putting it away.

"Is it for a man or woman?" you asked as it wasn't clear from the drawing, your question was for Bucky but Zemo answered.

"It's for me. It will be made out of fur, real fur, but as you said, it's missing something. And I'm not going to the fashion show with an incomplete piece."

Then you remembered something.

"Do you have pencils?" you asked and Bucky nodded, he gave you the box of coloured pencils.

They both watched you as you did something.

You showed them both.

You added red gloves. Ones that were missing on the fingers.

They both went silent. Completely silent and you knew you messed up.

"I-I'm sorry. I ruined it." you were about to place it on the table when the Baron grabbed it and looked at it.

"He loves it." said Bucky. "He always has that face when he loves something.

"Incredible! You have an eye for fashion!"

"I really don't, Sir. I just-"

"Come with me to the fashion show in Rome! I need your eye, your talent is impeccable."

You tried to refuse, you really did. But it was hard to argue with a Baron. And in the end, you had to go. Because who were you to say no?

You told your boss you are sick, so you won't be able to make it for two weeks.

You couldn't believe you were going to miss work, but the nice check the Baron put into your hands was twice as much as you made in three months.

"For your time." he said when he placed it into your hands. And you nearly doubled over at the amount written on it.

"This is too much."

"Not at all. It's barely anything for your time." he said as he left.

You learned he loved to have the last word.

And now here you were, looking into your wardrobe, realizing just how poor you were.

You didn't even have decent clothes to wear to work let alone to the biggest fashion event!

Then the packages arrived.

Clothes, some were so new they weren't even announced just yet.

And a simple note that the delivery guy handed you as Bucky carried the boxes into your tiny apartment.

'Wear these. H.Z.'

A simple message, you couldn't question it. Then you realized you never even tell him your address let alone your sizes to be able to send you clothes.

"Bucky? How did you know where I live?"

"Oh, easy, Boss told me, he had a feeling you wouldn't have any dresses for a fashion event, so he sent me along, you should try them on."

He sat down on your couch sipping a glass of wine.

Just where did he get the wine from? And how did his boss know where you lived?

And again, you couldn't say no, so you tried everything on. If you were honest you were impressed and also happy to have Bucky there, you had a great time.

Then, the day came.

But instead of Bucky, a driver came to pick you up. It was a luxurious car which drove you to the airport.

You didn't even dare to talk to him, but you do remember his name when he introduced himself, Frederick.

He looked like the kind of intimidating guy who was actually really sweet and kind. But you rather not push his buttons.

"Here she is." said the Baron as you got out of the car, a luxurious jet awaiting the two of you. "James sadly couldn't make it, his husband had an accident and he wanted to stay with him. But fashion doesn't wait so it will be the two of us on this trip, I hope that is okay with you."

"Most certainly." you said as he lead you into the jet and showed you where everything was.

You weren't sure why you were even there, because he liked your idea of red gloves? Because you made good coffee? Why were you there?!

"I can almost hear you thinking, how about we do something creative instead of your worries." he thought you were scared of flying. You weren't. But it was a better excuse than the fact that you had a very handsome and rich man sitting right across from you and it made you nervous.

He placed a couple of drawings in front of you, all with women's clothing this time, gorgeous gowns and suits.

"Which one should be the centrepiece of my show?" he asked as he leaned back in his chair, watching you closely

You looked at him for a moment before looking at the table, why was he asking you? He must have one already.

Collections don't come out unless you have one, do they?

You looked at him as he was sipping some champagne before your eyes moved across the drawings.

Was this a test? It had to be. He had to be toying with you. Or it could be genuine, but you had your doubts.

You picked the dress you liked the most and he nodded.

He didn't comment or ask anything, he just simply nodded and left it at that.

---

When you arrived in Rome, your breath was taken away. This lifestyle. This level of luxury that came so naturally for him was something you never even imagined.

You got a room in the most expensive hotel, your room was more like an apartment. The view was gorgeous.

And again, you asked yourself, what were you doing there?

Then the phone in the room rang, and you picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Ah, Darling, let's go and get something to eat, you must be hungry from the flight." It was Zemo.

"Oh, sure."

"Let's meet in the lobby, 10 minutes?"

And sure enough, ten minutes later, there he was, standing in the middle like a King in a gorgeous deep wine-red suit. While you had jeans and a shirt on... great. You should have changed.

As he turned and saw you, he did make a face, he hoped you didn't see, but you surely did.

Half of the things on the menu, you couldn't even pronounce, so you stuck with something you knew, hamburgers and fries. It also worried you that you couldn't find the prices.

Zemo got something very Italian. By the sound of it.

It looked really nice, some nice pasta, cheese, but your burger, oh, your burger was everything.

It was so delicious, you nearly went blind eating it. And the fries were beyond this world.

"I hope you are enjoying yourself, is your room appropriate?"

"More than that. I have a huge balcony, I can see the Colosseum from there!"

"Glad to hear that you enjoy it. What about the dresses? I sent you a couple, do you not like them?" his brows furrowed as he pointed at your top.

"Oh, they are beautiful, but I just wasn't sure when to wear them."

"Whenever you see fit. They are yours after all." he said that but he clearly didn't mean it. He wanted you to wear those dresses, it was clear.

"They cannot be mine, they are way too expensive." you argued as you thought he only gave them for the trip.

"I made them just for you, they only fit you." you really didn't want to believe him.

But you went along with it.

You knew better than to argue with Baron Zemo himself.

Later that evening, you sat out on the balcony, taking in the view then suddenly something hit you.

"Did he say he MADE them just for me?" sudden realization hit you like a train.

---

The first day of the fashion show, you felt really out of place. Even with the beautiful dress you had on, you didn't feel comfortable at all.

You were nervous as you entered the car and you were even more nervous when you realized that there are paparazzi.

"Take deep breaths, don't look into the flash and you'll be fine. And smile." Zemo said as he put his arm around you and guided you through the crowd. People were trying to ask questions but he only waved and smiled.

And then, you were inside.

The first show wasn't Zemo's. It was a woman's collection. Filled with colour and texture. Not really your style, but you just sat there, not making any faces. There were too many cameras watching, if they caught you at the wrong time, your life could be over.

"What do you think?" asked Zemo as he leaned over and into your ear. You were in the middle of watching another oversized coat walk down the runway.

"Not my favourite. Everything is too big, it swallows them." you said honestly, turning to him, hoping no one heard you.

"Quite right, My Dear." he said before leaning back and continuing to watch.

About three more collections later, that day was done.

And the fact that you didn't like anything... worried you. Zemo asked every time, how you like it, but you could never say a good thing.

How can someone be exhausted after such a day?

All you had to do was sit and smile occasionally when Zemo introduced you to people.

Oh, the number of men and women who could kill you with their eyes just to be standing next to the man who kept his arm around your waist.

He always introduced you as a friend, but the looks you received from people were not meant for a friend. They saw you as a threat.

But now, you were back at the hotel, sitting on the balcony, still in that gorgeous dress as you enjoyed your view.

You promised yourself that morning that you are going to enjoy your time here. After all, who knew if you would ever be able to make it back to Rome anytime soon or ever in your life for that matter.

"Darling?" the voice came from the room and it made you jump in your seat.

"Zemo?"

"Here you are. I see you do enjoy the view." he sat down next to you in another chair, looking at you, not the view.

"It's beautiful. How did you get into my room?"

"It is breathtaking. I came to ask if you are ready for dinner, I see you didn't change." he just completely ignored your question.

"I like this dress. And yes, I'm ready for dinner." you said as you looked at him, eyes shining but he didn't smile, he simply nodded and guided you to the dining hall.

Dinner was as delicious as the day before. You were a bit more daring regarding the food you ordered.

"Tell me about yourself." he suddenly said. Now you were glad you didn't have any food or drink in your mouth.

Why would he be interested?

But he genuinely looked like he cared, and what harm would it be to tell him?

Not like he really cared, he probably just wanted you to ask the same from him and after you told your story, you did ask him.

But he dodged the question and instead told you how tomorrow will go down.

A three-day fashion event. Was that too much or too little? You weren't sure.

But your second day was much like the first, except it was longer.

The day before Zemo made you promise that you'd wear the pink dress he sent you.

Much like the day before, he came to pick you up in the morning, complimenting you while he looked like a nicely wrapped box of bonbons.

The man looked way too good for his own good.

He sat in the car with you, looking out the window, you enjoyed the view.

"Hopefully today we will see something we actually like. What would you like to see?" he asked.

"I want to see yours." you said without any hesitation.

"Hm, you do have good taste." he said just before the car stopped.

Another day without seeing any interesting pieces. You did see one thing, a kind of duo chrome gown, it looked promising, but the back of it... horrible.

You made a face which amused Zemo. He did notice how hopefull you were and then you saw the back.

And now you learned that Zemo's collection will be tomorrow, the last day, the grand finale.

You were about to get dressed when there was a knock on your door, a woman came in with a gorgeous dress, you recognized it from the sketches Zemo showed you on the plane.

"Miss, Mr Zemo send us as he was required before the show. He sent us to get you there, we have a car ready."

The fact that you had to go alone scared you a tad bit. But you did understand why he would be there earlier.

You felt like a Goddess honestly, the dress was perfect. You can imagine him in his room, perfecting every detail before sending it over to you.

You knew he wouldn't give out anything less than perfect from his hands.

---

"To us." he said lifting his champagne, "To the perfect show." he said as you clicked your glass against his. You smiled as you lifted the glass to your lips.

"To you." you said. "Your amazing collection."

"Precisely." he said and nodded. "Wouldn't have been able to do it without you, Darlin’."

And then you suddenly realized.

It was your last day there, last dinner with him and you knew you were going to miss him.

You'll have to go back to the life of a barista. And you were okay with that. You never expected this to happen, so even the fact that it did give you a reason to go forward.

"Can I ask you something?" you asked when the waitress left after she poured you two glasses of wine.

"Go ahead." he said as he lifted his glass.

"Why did you invite me? What is your real reason? Because I'm still confused by it."

"Beauty is something I always thrived for. I always wanted to achieve perfection. With my clothes especially. When Bucky mentioned this new shop with the kind barista I didn't think much. But he started to mention you more and more. And then I went to see you for myself, you took my breath away. You inspired me as a muse would. Something I have never had. I always worked for myself, but now, now I create for you, Darlin’."

You still didn't want to believe him. You weren't that beautiful, you weren't even thin.

"I-"

"I know you doubt yourself. I see it in your eyes. But there is nothing to doubt. Your beauty is extraordinary. You might not see it, your body, and your curves would drive any man crazy, including me. And your personality, you are shining my Darling. Like today, in that dress, I couldn't stop looking at you. Breathtaking, you always look breathtaking but when I see you wear something I made, it does something to me."

You were not sure if this was some weird kink of his. Picking up unsuspecting broke women and then living a fantasy through them. But the way his eyes shined told you he wasn't lying nor was this a weird kink. Adoration is what you saw. But then, why didn't you believe him? Why couldn't you? Could it be what he said before? The way you doubt yourself, it can be getting in your way.

"I'm not that special."

"You don't see what I see. Do you think I get everyone on a plane to Rome because they thought of adding red gloves to a suit? You are exquisite, and I planned on seducing you. I'm not really good at the love department, but you are special."

Seducing you? Love? Well, the black suit he had on certainly didn't help your situation. He looked way too delicious for his own good. You couldn't think straight.

"Are you serious or are you playing with me? Is this some game rich people play?"

"No game, Darling. I'm serious about my feelings." this is when the waitress arrived with your food. He studied your face. "You do not believe me."

"It's hard to. It's hard to believe that a man of your level would ever be interested in someone like me. I'm a simple woman, a barista while you are the best fashion designer in the entire world."

"Do titles bother you that much?"

"When it's this huge, yes. What will people think? You with me? Me with you? They will think I blackmailed you, that I'm a golddigger or something."

"Don't be silly, Love. I do not care what others say about me. My work speaks for itself. But if you really are not interested, I'll understand."

"It's not..." you looked around, no one was paying any attention. "It's not that I'm not interested in you. It's just hard to process your declaration of love when your face barely moves."

"I trained myself. So I wouldn't get wrinkles."

Of course, he did.

"How can I prove myself? How can I prove that my feelings are true?"

"I don't know, honestly."

"I brought you on many dates. Every day, I saw every lunch, breakfast and dinner as a date. Even if you didn't. Which now I realize you might not have. I should have told you from the beginning, but I needed to know who the angel who made those amazing espressos was. And I really found an angel. I watched you as you worked, cleaned the store when you were ready to close and I walked in."

"I need to think." you said honestly.

"Of course, I never expected you to be ready with an answer. But please know, I am serious."

Rest of the dinner, you spent quietly, eating and trying to think.

Why did he have to look so delicious in his suit?! It wasn't fair.

Your mind couldn't even register that evening or the next morning, nor the flight nor when you stood in front of your apartment while Zemo's driver got your suitcases out. You arrived with more than you left with.

You turned and looked at Zemo.

"Thank you again for the opportunity and the amazing memories." he only nodded once before you walked away from him.

Zemo had a cold heart. His industry and past made him this way, but he could feel his cold heart break into millions of pieces as he watched you walk away and the door closed behind you. He got back into the car and headed home, home into the cold mansion where he lived all alone.

You couldn't even unpack. Your suitcases have been in the same place as you left them days ago when you arrived home.

So many thoughts yet your mind was blank, and your heart hurt.

But why was it hurting so badly? The look in his eyes as you said goodbye. It was as if he was a different person, not the kind Zemo you saw at the shows, not the Zemo who laughed with you as you looked at all the dresses and discussed them at dinner.

It was the cold and old Zemo who walked into your work many days ago.

Today was your day off.

You haven't seen or heard about Zemo or Bucky at all. You figured they were busy after such an amazing show.

You pulled out your phone and smiled as you looked at all the photos you took.

During many days you and Zemo went around Rome, being tourists he guided you through the streets as if he was living there for years.

How did you fail to see the look in his eyes? He took so many photos of you at your request and then you stopped at one.

It was a selfie of you and Zemo. You remember how grumpy he was but you ended up getting a picture where he was in the background.

Then photos of the last show, his show.

You took many photos of him.

And then, as if someone poured cold water all over you.

He was wearing the suit. THE SUIT, with the red gloves.

"You picked this one out." he said when you complimented him. At the time you only laughed it off not believing him.

And you realized your many mistakes.

You were too blind to realize what was happening right in front of you.

You fell in love.

You fell in love with him and you didn't even know it.

Now, the place on your waist where he always had his hand felt hot, burning. You couldn't believe how stupid you were.

How could you ignore his feelings? The way he looked at you, the way he held you and walked with you.

"I wouldn't have anyone else by my side, Love." he said one day and it all came crushing down.

You wanted to yell. Scream.

How could you done this?! Who cares about titles? Who cares about who he was.

All you cared about was him.

The way he looked at you, the way he smelled and the way he cared for you.

You rushed out of your apartment and got a taxi.

Only when you stood in front of the building you realized you had no idea what you were doing. You walked in and the receptionist gave you a look.

She probably had a strong feeling towards the crocks you wore, the sweatpants and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles shirt.

"How may I help?"

"I'm here to speak with Helmut Zemo? I have an urgent matter." she gave you another look.

"Sure, I'll call security."

"No, please I'm serious, can you at least call him? Or his assistant? Bucky Barnes? They know me, I promise."

She only raise her brow as security started to walk towards you.

"Ma'am, please." one man said and you really didn't want to cause a scene.

"Please, just call Bucky at least, I really-"

"Y/N?" all of you looked at Bucky who just exited the elevator. "What are you doing here?"

"Mr Barnes we are about to get this lady out, I apologize for the scene."

As the bodyguard grabbed your arm Bucky almost growled at the man.

"HEY, let her go. I really don't think your boss would appreciate you touching her and you," he continued pointing at the receptionist. "You throw people out without confirming if we expect them or not?"

"Sir, sorry but I didn't think-"

"Exactly, you didn't think, but you wouldn't know so, I suggest you do your job properly from now."

"Yes, Sir. I apologize."

Bucky got you into the elevator as he looked at you. "What are you doing here?"

"I need to talk with Helmut."

Bucky smirked. "Oh it's just like a romantic movie, the heroine realizes her love for the cold hearted man and rushes to confess to him." Bucky said with a dreamy voice. "But wait! What are you wearing?!"

"I was home! what am I supposed to wear at home?"

"You need to change." he said as he pushed a different button on the elevator. "Hair, make up and dress."

And again, you knew better than to argue with Bucky.

About two hours later, you felt and looked like a completely different woman.

"Much better."

"I don't even want to know how much the clothes cost."

"Then don't ask. He's free now, probably in his office mopping."

"Why would he be cleaning?"

"Not that kind of mopping. He is sad because he let you go. SO ROMANTIC."

"Bucky." you said as you went up the elevator, top floor to finally do what you were ready to do 2 hours ago. "I'm nervous."

"Don't be. You wouldn't even have to say anything just go in, kiss him and boom. Wedding." you wanted to laugh. "Good luck." he said as he stopped in front of a huge door. He knocked before rushing off like a child.

"Come in." you heard his voice inside and you slowly opened the door.

He was sitting in his chair, his back to you. "What do you need Bucky, I told you I don't have the dresses, I don't even have ideas."

"Looks like you lost your muse." you said, your heart hammering in your chest.

"I did but why are you saying that?" did he really not realize that you were not Bucky?

"Why don't you get it back?"

"I told you I-" this time he turned and noticed you. He was, of course, wearing a suit, he look at you as if you were a ghost. "Darlin’? Am I imagining things?"

"No, and I'm sorry for being so blind. I came to tell you that if you want to, I'd like to try... us." you watched as he stood up from his chair.

"Are you serious?"

You nodded as he took steps towards you. He placed his palm against your cheek, leaning down to kiss you.

A kiss to make sure you were real, a kiss to finally mend and melt his heart.

When he pulled back, you smiled at him.

"You look stunning."

"Thank Bucky."

"Of course."

"But I do want my Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles shirt back!" he couldn't even comprehend what you just said. He was way too happy to fully process it.

---

That Christmas, you were already living with him.

You had a rather difficult time finding something for him as a gift, but then you came up with the perfect one and with the help of Bucky, you got just the thing.

You couldn't wait for his reaction to see it.

You smiled as you opened all of your gifts, clothes, jewellery, and a trip to Japan. Everything is absolutely amazing.

"Thank you, Babe, now, it's your turn."

"We said nothing serious." he said motioning towards the huge box you had in your hand which you just brought it.

"I know, open it."

Helmut looked at you and then at the box. He opened it, and then immediately looked up at you.

"What-"

You reached into the box and pulled out the small puppy and handed her to him.

"You can name her, she is a nine week old-"

"Dalmatian." he finished your sentence as he took the puppy from you. The puppy immediately started to lick his face. You smiled.

"You like her?"

He looked up at you and nodded.

"I thought I already had the best present be you, but this is amazing. Thank you, Love."

You pulled out your phone and took many many photos of him and the dog.

"What should be her name?" you asked as you watched the puppy sleep while you and Helmut cuddled on the couch.

"Cruella De Vil." you laughed slightly.

"Of course, you'd pick a name like this." you shook your head. "Cruella it is then."

You leaned over to give him a kiss on the lips as he pulled you even closer before another movie started on the TV.

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