#madeline loves zemo!

[andsheloved]

up my sleeve.

paring ~ helmut zemo x f!reader

word count ~ 3.7k

summary ~ he knew he would have to leave you again at some point, he was simply trying to make the most of it. he just wishes he had more time to love you.

warnings ~ a n g s t & fluff, not to worry though, slightly happy ending! german/sokovian pet names, secret relationship, helmut and reader being too cute and domestic, y e a r n i n g, zemo thinking about his family for a second, slight canon typical violence, extremely mild language, super quick flagsmashers/karli morgenthau reference, i am kind of in pain, but like hopeful pain? i suppose you will understand.

a/n ~ and here it is! zemo as promised! sorry it's a bit earlier, i realized i wouldn't be able to pin this and update le ole masterlist at 11 cus i will be on a plane! anyways! i typically don’t listen to taylor swift but my sister played ‘cowboy like me’ the other day and zemo was the only man that appeared in my brain, specifically the line “now i know, i’m never gonna love again” so, eek, that and the song ‘all i ask’ be adele, and also 'i’ll never love again' by lady gaga, so again, massive apologies for giving you that soundtrack for this one, no lies, i kinda hurt my own feelings, so again, apologies to everyone else in advance! also i kinda changed the way zemo escapes in tfatws so yes there’s that but yes! I hope you enjoy!

Ever since Sokovia, he couldn’t remember a time when he wasn’t either running, hiding, or plotting, or participating in some combination of the three. The only time in which he finally did get to settle down for a moment, he was in prison, if he could really even call it ‘settling down’.

Even when Bucky had broken him out he had escaped, he knew that from the very moment he stepped foot into the world again, the timer would begin. He wasn’t meant to be here, out and about in the world, and he had made peace with the thought, that his days of feeling something other than the solid concrete of his cell under his feet, were indeed numbered.

At least he had thought he had made peace with that fact, but as you lay beside him, a sliver of sunlight that was stubborn enough to not be trapped by the thick, expensive curtains he had installed in his lavish bedroom, illuminating your features so brilliantly that he almost felt compelled to throw himself out of bed to find his camera and take a photo of you, the idea of his ticking time bomb of freedom left a heavy feeling in his chest.

He knew you’d be waking soon from the way you twisted and turned a bit more in your sleep, as endearing as your quiet groans were, he felt a twinge of pain as he listened to the sounds of your halfway-sleep, he wished you could stay in bed with him all morning without having to worry yourself with making sure you looked presentable before leaving him again, sneaking off into one of the guest bedrooms as to not arise suspicion.

You had mentioned in passing telling Sam and James about the two of you some time ago, explaining how that if they really cared for you, they would accept your decision, a part of him wished he had agreed with you.

“Schatz, I just wouldn’t want them to think…”

“Think what?” Your eyebrows furrowed, when you noticed his eyes drifting from you, you reached for his hand.

“Nothing.” His back straightening, he hoped that you wouldn’t be able to notice the slight tremor in his words. “I just believe it would be better if we waited.”

“Okay.” You murmured, barely above a whisper. “But I love you.” As much as you wanted to tell your friends about your relationship, how much you wanted to yell it from the tallest rooftops, you understood. You loved him, all of him, and that included his past. You knew that sharing your love for him would come with certain… conditions, and he was just trying to protect you from them.

As he turned to look at you, you could have sworn you had seen the beginnings of tears begin to form in the corner of his eyes, “I love you” he replied, a bit more assuredness in his tone. “I love you.”

If only he had said yes. To hell with what anyone else had to say, if only he had agreed with you, then he wouldn’t have robbed himself of the pleasure of your warm body beside him to perch himself on the edge of the bed, hands covering his face as he spiraled.

“Helmut?” Your soft voice called, he all but whipped his head to look at you.

“Darling,” he turned to face his body towards your own, crawling overtop the tangled sheets to pull you close to him once more.”Sleep well?” He questioned

You hummed contently, a warm, groggy smile playing on your lips as you stretched against his chest. “You?”

He chuckled, your voice was always just slightly rougher in the mornings, he would miss that.

“With you beside me?” He took your arms stretched above you as the perfect opportunity to wrap his arms around your soft waist, “Perfectly.”

“I should get going…” You muttered, he could feel the hesitancy as you pried yourself from his grip

“Should you?”

You quickly turned to face him, looking at him for the first time that morning, the subtle tilt of your head saying all that he needed to respond to you.

“Sam and James left early-”

“Without me?” You interrupted, he sensed your panic, though you were quickly soothed as he grabbed your hands, pulling you into his chest once again with a small ‘oomf’

“They’ll only be a few hours, they said it was nothing important, nothing to worry about…”

He felt you release a deep breath, your muscles relaxing as he slowly stroked your back through your shirt, tracing meaningless patterns into the fabric.

A smile crept onto your face as you looked up at him, your eyes seemed to twinkle as the rouge sunlight swept your face once again.

“I wouldn’t mind staying here longer” you mumbled, your voice muffled from being pressed against him

I wouldn’t mind staying here forever, he thought to himself before replying, “Breakfast?”

“That sounds amazing.”

Helmut remembered the last time he had been so domestic, the thought sparking a somber smile. He dodged your arms as you reached for the salt shaker in the cabinet, creeping around you, trying his best to not spill the coffee he had made for the two of you.

“Helmut! The eggs!” You yelled, laughing as you frantically threw your spatula down, but before you could even blink, Zemo had already sprinted back into the kitchen, quickly ripping the pan from the stove.

“You could’ve burned the house down!”

He could get used to this. You fussing over him as the two of you danced around each other. Not a trace of worry showed on your features, were you not even worried about Sam and James returning and seeing you like this with him? Of course you weren’t, you had been the one to mention telling the two in the first place, though he didn’t want to trouble himself with that thought at the moment, how could he? How could he trouble himself with anything as you smiled at him so gently? How could he ever trouble himself with anything while he had you? Well, at least for the moment.

“Zemo!” You called, your voice panicked.

He found himself fighting with a newfound rush of energy, were you hurt? The very thought sent a surge of power through him as he finished off the last of your attackers.

He called your name, and almost as if on cue, you stumbled into his back, he turned to face you, resisting the urge to not just kiss you right then.

“Are you alright?”

Your nose was bloody, a small cut on your forehead, he could only imagine that the rest of you would be littered in bruises by tomorrow morning.

“Fine.” Was all he could manage to say, eyes rapidly scanning you for any more injuries, you shouldn’t have had to face all this, though he was thankful your mutual friends had introduced the two of you, he couldn’t help but feel a faded shadow of sadness wash over him that you had to endure all this. Though he admired you for it.

“We thought- I thought-” You swallowed, “I had lost you.”

Did you mean for your voice to crack the way it did? Or was it simply a side effect of the adrenaline?

“I’m right here.” Before he could even process what he was doing, he held your face, tilting it upwards, almost as if he were examining you. He tried to feel for any hesitancy on your part, but as you melted into his touch, almost leaning into his palm, he understood.

“Zemo!”

Damn. If only he had had more time.

He admired your form from afar, casting shadows across the hardwood floors as you set the table for the both of you.

“Are you just going to stand there and look at me?”

The proposition was tempting, he definitely wouldn’t mind spending more mornings like this, though he knew he shouldn’t have been giving himself the hope.

“As tempting as your offer is, Mein Liebling,” he smiled, noticing the shiver that ran through you as he sauntered over. “I think we better eat before your cohorts return, hm?” He tried to stop the venom from seeping into the words, he hated himself for bringing them up while it was just the two of you, but the thought of anyone thinking of you as any less than wonderful because of him broke his heart, and he refused to be the cause of any rift between the three of you, as much as he wanted you all to himself, he knew how much they meant to you.

You hummed in agreement, nodding as you sat down, he could tell he had upset you, but he couldn’t find the words to say to make the truth any better. So instead of causing you any more pain by continuing on the subject, he simply smiled at you, he would do his very best to enjoy this while he still could.

The two of you ate in silence, it wasn’t an uncomfortable one, rather a silent awareness while you simply enjoyed each other’s presence.

He absentmindedly reached his hand across the table, and just as mindlessly, you reached for him, entwining your soft hand in his. He wondered what he had done, in the duration of his despicable existence, throughout all he has done, causing so much pain and hurt, what had he done to deserve you?

You pulled away only to collect your plates, softly placing them in the sink, your moment of calm being interrupted with the shuttering of the front door, and suddenly, you weren’t his anymore.

You were their teammate, the last-minute addition to the mission that Sam claimed he couldn’t have done without. No longer his to dote over, to sneak up behind and wrap his arms around your waist, to kiss softly on the forehead before leaving him in the morning, he almost wished he had never been so drawn to you in the first place, though he didn’t have time to scowl himself for the thought before Sam began detailing their new plan.

“I’ll go with Zemo” You added, trying to sound as casual and unenthused as you could

Sam shot you a confused glare, “You sure?”

“Yeah, how bad can he be?” You chuckled, you knew how he could be, just as much as you also knew he would never do anything to hurt you.

“Quite,” Zemo added, smirking your way, you turned from the group, biting your lip to hide your smile at his response.

“But you let us know if he tries anything.” Sam passed the both of you an earpiece.

The two of you exchanging knowing glances as the four of you made your way outside.

He hummed contently to himself when the two of you were finally alone, quietly walking the bustling, cobblestone streets, and for a moment, he felt normal, like he didn’t have Sam and James in his ear, like he wasn’t supposed to be on high alert for any activity from Karli, and if he was so compelled, he felt as if he could reach for your hand, so he did.

Though you continued to face forward, he couldn’t help but notice the shadow of a smile that appeared on your lips.

“My Darling,”

You finally turned to look at him, the smile you had first tried to hide as he held your hand now bloomed fully, you grabbed his arm, pulling yourself fully against his side. He laughed, had he ever loved someone so openly affectionate with him? It was a shame he couldn’t allow you to press yourself against him more often, and he was well aware that you would, if only you had told them, you wouldn’t have to hide.

Suddenly, urgently, he called your name, almost yanking your arm with the force at which he had pulled you against him. You heard a quick buzzing noise whir past you, followed by the sound of crumbling brick, you turned quickly to see what it was, but before you could even register, Zemo was pulling you into an alley, pushing you into a corner as he shielded you with his body.

“Helmut? Should we tell Sa-”

“It isn’t Karli.”

You looked up at him, you don’t think you had ever seen him so disheveled, his eyes frantic, hair mussed, you maybe even would have thought he looked beautiful if not for the circumstances.

“What do you mean? I- I’m going to call Sam-” You started breathing just as heavily as him, what was going on? Who else could it be? Were those people shooting at you?

He practically tore your hand from your face before you could even reach your ear to notify the others, “They’re here for me, Schatz” He could feel his eyes begin to water, turning from you, he continued, “This is where I must leave you.”

You did your best to hold in your gasp. He couldn’t be leaving you, not now. Not when everything was so perfect. For the first time in your life, in your entire chaotic, superhero filled life, your constantly-on-the-run-from-aliens-or-robots-or-wizards life, you finally felt loved properly. “Helmut no you don’t- We’ll just go back to our house-”

Our house. Had you really meant to say that? He quickly repeated the words in his mind before you continued.

“They won’t be able to find you there, right?”

“My love, they already have.” He uttered sadly, he saw your form slouch in defeat and he had to turn away, “Don’t…” he sighed, don’t make this harder on me than it already is.

It was as if you could read his mind, you nodded, sniffling, “Helmut…” Your voice was weak, he raised his hand to touch your face

“That son of a bitch!” You could hear the quiet gasps and shocked mumbles emanating from the street, they were close, he had to leave now, or else he’d risk you getting hurt, and that thought pained him even more than leaving you.

“My Darling” he held your face in his hands, “I’m so sorry” he whispered, closing the gap between the two of you. He kissed you as if it was the last time, and it quite possibly might have been. You grabbed at the fur collar of his coat, at a certain point in time, you might have even made fun of him for the ridiculousness of his attire, but now, all you could do was try to memorize the feel of it, just another part of of his personality that made him so uniquely… him.

When he finally pulled away, he could barely look you in the eyes, and as much as it hurt him, he forced himself to, not knowing when he’d be able to do so again.

“I just wish we had more time” you were sobbing now, each cry shattering his heart a bit more than the last, he had to leave you, he couldn’t bear the thought of being the reason you were hurt, or worse.

“We will, I promise you we will” He brushed the tears from your face tenderly, “My love, I promise you.” Even he wasn’t sure if what he had said was true.

The both of you turned quickly as the man’s yelling became clearer, whoever was after him, they were close, he needed to leave now.

“Helmut, I love you” You kept repeating the words like you were making up for every time you couldn’t say them in front of your friends, making up for every lost touch, every second you had spent pretending that you hated him just as much as your partners.

He didn’t mean to cut you off, he just needed to say this to you before it was too late for him to say anything, “When I return to you,” if I even make it out of this alive, “I promise, we won’t hide anymore. Because…” Was there even anything else he could say? He knew nothing he could say at the moment would ease your hurt, “Just know that I love you.”

You weren’t even looking at him, your eyes squeezed shut as you shook your head. You didn’t say a word in reply to him, and maybe it was better that way. He took one final look at you, he wished this wasn’t that last time he would be seeing you, at least the last time for a while. Maybe he should have left you after breakfast, so the image of you in an oversized t-shirt, softly chuckling at some joke he made, almost throwing the toast onto the floor in your laughter induced haze, would be the memory he would be holding on to as he left you behind. You would have been confused, and he could only imagine how much more hurt you would have been if he just up and left without telling you. It would have been selfish, leaving so you so suddenly if only to not witness your pain, but he was a selfish man, and he felt like kicking himself for not doing so.

Sighing and scanning your form once more, he reluctantly disappeared to make his escape.

He stood before the memorial, reminiscing on lost loves both past and present, before noticing James’s dark figure enter his vision.

“I thought you’d be here sooner” he looked over to the man, “Don’t worry, I’ve decided I’m not going to kill you.”

You laughed a little to yourself, he was always one for the dramatics.

“Imagine my relief,” Bucky replied

So was Bucky.

Zemo finally turned to face him entirely, and before he could continue, a familiar voice stopped him in his tracks.

“Hi”

He turned rapidly to face you, why did he feel so relieved? Like your very presence was enough to calm him, he felt as if he was breathing again for the first time since he had left you. “My-” he caught himself, choosing to call you by your name instead of one of his many terms of endearment for you in front of James.

“I don’t trust you.”

He really didn’t need to say that for Zemo to know, both him and Sam made that fact very clear to him on an almost daily basis.

“But I trust her…” He continued,

Nodding your head, “I told them” smiling one of those shy smiles that were reserved only for him

“But this doesn’t mean I’m happy about it.”

Zemo could sense the annoyance in his tone, but couldn’t really bring himself to care, not when you were looking at him like he was the most precious thing in your world.

He stepped closer to you as you held out your hand. “I’m so sorry for leaving you, my love.”

You swallowed, taking a deep breath as if to steady yourself, “It’s okay, I-” you looked down at the gravel beneath your feet. “I’m sorry”

It was then when he heard it, the synchronized marching of the Dora Milaje, stopping just behind him, warning him of their presence.

He knew this day would come, he had known it from the very second he met you, that this was going to hurt, but nothing could have prepared him for just how much it did.

Tears pricked the corners of your eyes as you held his face in your hands, this time, you wouldn’t look away.

A puff of air left his nose, feigning laughter, “I’ll be alright.” Now that, he knew to be a lie. “We both knew-” a bubble of emotion in his throat he couldn’t hold back interrupted him, tears spilling from his eyes much more quickly than he could have ever expected.

“They didn’t tell me until- I just- I wanted to see you... One last time.” There was no trying to hide how your voice shook, but you still refused to give in, to break as hard as you did the first time he had left you, you didn’t want to make this worse for yourself, or for him.

But it still hurt all the same.

“This is not the last time, I can promise you that. And I’m sorry, I’m sorry that I… I never loved you, properly” He smiled weakly, thinking back on all the times he didn’t kiss you, hold you so tightly until he absolutely had to let go so you could breathe again, all the time he let pass without you by his side. He didn’t know if he was saying this for your benefit or his own, but the rush of determination that he felt as he said the words told him that this was a promise he wouldn’t break, he just couldn’t. “I will always love you.”

You focused yourself on regulating your breathing, you needed to stay in control, stay grounded, you needed to stay here, with him.

“But don’t feel that you have to wait for me.”

“Helmut…” You were almost shocked at his words, he had to have known how much he meant to you, that he had ruined anyone else that would ever try to love you, he was it for you, you don’t think you would ever love again if he never returned to you. “I will always wait for you. No matter what. I can promise you that.”

You lifted his chin with your fingers, making sure he saw the conviction in your eyes. He could tell you weren’t lying.

“I’ll be back, then, so you can keep your promise.”

“You better.” And although the two of you laughed quietly, there was a sadness laced within each chuckle that neither of you could miss.

“I love you.”

He took a deep breath, “I love you.” Uttering the words to you with a weight you don’t think you had ever heard him say them with before, like it was the last time he would ever get to say them.

He turned to the women behind him. “Ladies…”

This time you didn’t close your eyes, you refused to turn away this time, no matter how much it hurt you. You watched his every step as they escorted him off, a certain type of grief blooming in your chest as you watched his figure disappear into the distance.

Through his tears though, all he could do was smile, it was a sad smile, the kind of smile that you could see right through, but a smile nonetheless. What kind of man would he be if he didn’t make good on his promises? Especially the ones he made to you. Besides, as much as it pained him to leave you again, he knew he’d have plenty of time to think about rings and new residences for the two of you, so that if he returned to you, when he returned to you, he would finally be able to love you, properly.

owee, anyways! i hope you enjoyed! i thought this was just so cute but also so sad, like yes he's zemo so he'll find a way out eventually, but knowing how that for whatever period of time he's going to be without you and it just breaks his heart? oh my. as always, likes, reblogs, and comments are always appreciated! hop into my ask box to discuss all the nerdy things! i hope you are all doing so well and i send you all my love! mwauh!

as always, likes, comments and reblogs are always, always appreciated!!

want more zemo? check out my masterlist!!

[nocapesdahling]

erika!!! for the fanfic asks!!! mwauh!!! i hope you’re doing so extremely well and i’m sending all the virtual hugs to you!!! anyways, 1 and 14!!! if you’d like to answer!! mwauh!!

Hi, Madeline!! Thank you so much, and I hope the same for you <3 Sending hugs back!

1. favorite fic you wrote this year:

I'm so tempted to put more than one, because I'm between two (my first series and my first one shot), but I'll try to pick one. It's a tough choice, but I think it has to be Sweet. I had such a fun time writing that fic.

14. a fic you didn’t expect to write

That's definitely Caught. After I finished Squid Game, I ended up waking up in the middle of the night to write it. It's not really like any of my other fics, and I enjoyed writing something different.

Thanks for asking, Madeline!

Send me end of year fanfic asks

[therenlover]

okay since you watch bones i gotta tell you that awake my soul and i will wait (both mumford and sons) just give me such arastoo vibes for some reason i feel like the lyrics just fit so well with his personality and relationship with you know who 😂 and then not necessarily related to a character but i imagine the song golden by madeline daye to be what a relationship with zemo might look like

OH ABSOLUTELY!

Awake My Soul and I Will Wait absolutely have Arastoo vibes. I love him so much.

Also, I haven’t heard Golden, but I’ll have to check it out and see what I think!!!

[andsheloved]

Hear me out - Zemo with the reader form "Musuem", taking her on a date to one of his own personal artifact galleries.

don't do that, don't give me hope.

hello there anon friend! my museum heart is too in love with this, i don't think that you truly know how thankful i am for this ask, it will be all that i think about for the next few weeks (years, millennia, forever)

thoughts below the cut because holy cow, i have THOUGHTS

.........................................................................................................................

"This is actually from the Paleolithic era!"

Such enthusiasm would usually irk him during times he was trying to be alone, but the genuine, caring tone in your voice didn't bother him.

He turned to see that you were now standing right beside him, and he couldn't remember the last time he had seen a smile so genuine. "It's quite impressive..."

The two of you stood in awkward silence, though he could sense you excitement about the topic from the way you held your hands behind your back and- were you bouncing? He gazed down at your feet, you were actually bouncing with excitement. Like you were doing your very hardest not to burst at the seems and explode into a lecture about the relic that lay before you.

He smirked to himself "Tell me more."

He tried not to break into a full fledged grin as you tried to stifle a gasp, what a shame, he thought to himself, had no one ever indulged you like this? With the way you smiled as you spoke, shaking your head as you waved your arms about, getting lost in the passed-on-from-generation-to-generation folk tale about the artifact, he slowly began to realize that maybe it was for his own indulgence.

He ended up trailing behind you like a lost puppy, exhibit to exhibit, intently listening to you passionately explain each display, occasionally asking questions. And he didn't just ask questions for the sake of asking questions, no, they were actual questions, questions that made you stop during the middle of your vivid retelling of the mass extinction of the dinosaurs and made you actually think for a moment, but you always had an answer, it truly astounded him how knowledgeable you were.

You let out a deep breath, like you had just finished a marathon (which you kind of did, albeit, a bit more of a... educational one.) "I'm sorry if I kept you so long... I tend to ramble..."

Were you actually apologizing for this? Oh, you precious thing, he couldn't help but think that you belonged in one of the display cases, too precious and fragile for the outside world.

"No it was- It was wonderful. It's always nice to speak with a fellow museum lover."

"There's not many of us!" You exclaimed, a hint of sadness in your tone as you did, staring off into the atrium,

He understood, as he looked around the almost entirely empty museum, he could also see it written all over your features, you were lonely.

The truth is, both of you were.

"I actually have a private collection of my own..." He muttered, trying not to sound too snobbish.

Your quiet squeal of excitement filled him with an emotion he couldn't quite place at the moment, joy? appreciation? adoration? being honest with himself, it was probably a combination of the three.

"If you'd like to visit? I have a few new pieces coming in from Italy... Phoenicia." He added, it had been a long time since he had really tried to impress someone, he never needed to, but with you, it seemed he just couldn't help himself.

"That sounds amazing," You replied shyly, "I'm sorry there's really not much more to the museum, I've really enjoyed talking with you."

"It is a shame isn't it..." He paused, a sly grin beginning to form, "Show me again?"

.................................................................................................................

oh gosh, oh my, thank you anon, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU, love for you one thousand years! i hope you enjoy!

[andsheloved]

i want to kiss zemo so bad

my anonymous friend, you have no idea how much this made me laugh today (in a good way i promise this brought me so much joy today) becaUSE SAME VERY MUCH SAME

wHO DOESN'T WANT TO KISS THIS SNARKY GUY???? i do believe i've told this story before but here it is again, i never had any feelings for zemo, like ever. when i knew he was going to be in tfatws i was like 'oh fun' but nothing else, i really went into the show thinking my bucky phase was going to return in full force, which it kind of did? but then episode 3 happened and i was just so- i was blown away. i had 0% feelings towards this man before this episode, but i remember so vividly seeing him in The Coat and everything and how sassy and charming he was, i'm pretty sure i melted on the spot. i also remember how i was watching it with my dad at the time and could NOT absolutely under any circumstances reveal this new love of my life to him (because like, dads you know?) but i remember going upstairs after and "going to bed" (aka secret code for i'm going to read fan fiction until 3am) and literally saying "uh oh" and then typing in "zemo x female reader" into tumblr, and simply the rest is history.

anyways!! thank you so much for this ask because i will cherish it forever with how much it made me smile mwauh, and i am sending all the zemo kisses your way!! mwauh!!

[andsheloved]

👀

[andsheloved]

here's another prompt for drabble tuesday if you'd like! featuring forced proximity!! with either zemo (because i've fallen hard for him) or bucky? could be a simple locked in the closet deal, or maybe a mission gone wrong and they're stuck in close quarters until a rescue team is dispatched? it's only then that he realizes how much he's fallen for reader and tries to hide it; with feigned confidence for zemo or gruff grumpiness for bucky :)

okay since i absolutely love enabling new loves for The Men, i had to go with zemo for this one!! (but don't worry, a bucky drabble is happening as well today!!) i just had to do my part in hopefully, enhancing, your love for zemo, so i hope you enjoy this one!! i know this turned into more of a reader's pov, but i do hope you enjoy it nonetheless!! mwauh!!

pairing ~ helmut zemo x gn!reader

word count ~ 1.4k

warnings ~ fluff and awkwardness, reader is very flustered about zemo, zemo is a Cocky Man who is secretly a sap, mention of anxiety on the reader's part but nothing very specific, madeline needs to write shorter drabbles

prompt ~ trope #11: forced proximity

Click

The two of you paused instantly at the sound, both turning quickly to face the door that had now apparently been locked behind you.

You shot a hand out, grasping the door handle desperately as you pushed and pulled with as much force as you could muster, a concerned hum rumbling in your chest when the door still didn't budge.

"Allow me..." Zemo purred, the fur collar of his coat almost brushing against your cheek as he awkwardly shifted between you and the wall.

He placed his gloved hands on the door handle, noisily jostling it for a few moments before huffing. "I believe..." He sighed in defeat as his hands fell to his sides, "It is locked."

You let out a soft chuckle at his words, "I think so" You smiled as he tilted his head at you, Sam was right, he did do that a lot. "So, what's the plan?" You added. You knew you were supposed to be keeping an eye on him, you really were never even a field agent when Sam had first gotten to know you, and you definitely knew that allowing the man you were supposed to keeping under control to create a plan for escape from this room was probably not the best idea, but you really didn't mean to get locked in this small storage space in the first place, so what was another off course decision?

"My plan?" He scoffed, and the sudden sound finally allowed you to realize how close you two actually had become, his chest almost entirely pressed against yours. "I would have believed you'd know better than to allow me to come up with a plan"

The cramped quarters did nothing to conceal how your breath hitched at the crooked smirk that appeared on his features. You swallowed, trying to compose yourself and definitely not get lost in the warmth of his amber hued stare. "I mean, Sam's told me all about you, you seem pretty good at plotting." You laughed again, and just as before, his head cocked to the side as you did, his eyes narrowed, almost as if he were analyzing you, not that it would surprise you if he was.

He continued to hold your gaze, even as he lifted on of his hands towards you, his fingers nearly tracing along your side before landing on the small, black box that you had entirely forgotten was fastened to your belt. You hastily turned to look at it when you heard the soft 'beep' sound that it made once he pressed the small button on it's top.

"Oh..." You timidly replied, almost wincing at your own forgetfulness of the tracker Sharon had made sure to remind you all about before splitting up.

"That. Is my plan" He replied, his eyebrow raising, a self-satisfied smile growing on his lips.

"So, now what do we do?" If you weren't so close to him, maybe you would curl into a ball and wonder when you had forgotten how to speak to people.

"We wait" He sighed, shifting slightly closer to the door before sliding his back against the wall until he finally sat on the ground, his knees pressing almost completely against his chest in the small space.

"Don't get too excited" You quipped facetiously, mirroring his own actions as you slid down the wall opposite, making sure to shift slightly to your right as to not get tangled in his limbs.

A quiet, 'humph' escaped his lips at first before he responded, "I'll do my best" he hummed, "I've been in worse company"

You couldn't help but feel the slightest twinge of disappointment at his words, and you silently cursed yourself for allowing your facial expressions to be so open, or maybe they weren't, over your few months of knowing him, you had realized how easily he was able to pick up on your emotions. Even the slightest changes in the turn of your lips, or the smallest wrinkle in the space between your eyebrows, he was frighteningly attuned to how you were feeling most of the time. Or maybe not so frighteningly. As much as it confused you to admit, it felt nice to have someone who read you so easily, to have someone that could understand you just from looking at your features.

"I didn't- I- Not that you're bad company" He sputtered, a touch of pink crawling onto his cheeks as he clarified himself.

Was he getting flustered?

"I quite enjoy your company..." He added shyly, clearing his throat as he finally composed himself.

You had never expected to enjoy the company of a war criminal so much, but things felt so easy around him. You loved both Sam and Bucky, but sometimes, it was a little hard to simply just exist around them. When you wanted to laugh at their banter and poke fun at old memories, you knew they would always be there, and you were grateful for that, though, on nights when the chaos of the outside world seemed to seep into every corner of your mind, you found yourself gravitating to the gentle aura of the man now sitting across from you.

Some nights you would chat, talking about everything from your favorite tea's to your lives before you even knew of the existence of SHIELD.

He made it feel so easy to just, be, in a world that already had asked so much of the both of you.

You needed easy.

You loved easy.

Easy was different, much, much, more different compared to what your day to day had become, running around with a former-assassin-super-solider and a man with bionic wings.

But you liked it.

Maybe more than liked it.

And in moments when his stare lingered on you for a second longer than what was usual, when his fingers ghosted against yours as he handed you a comforting cup of his cherry blossom tea, you let your mind wander.

Maybe he liked it too.

"So you memorized 'The Little Mermaid'?" You giggled, trying to catch your breath after almost choking on the mental image of the man who originally disbanded the Avengers singing Disney soundtracks.

"I locked myself away for days schatz, the television was the only thing I had to entertain myself"

"And how old were you?"

"12..." He mumbled, a bashful blush crawling from his neck and onto his cheeks as he spoke.

You wondered when the small space had grown so hot, but as Zemo adjusted his coat to wrap around him more, you began to speculate if maybe it was just you.

Suddenly, the both of you turned towards the black tracker on your belt as the soft beeping became increasingly louder and more frequent. You sighed, a wave of displeasure washing over you at the notion that your uninterrupted time together was drawing to a close.

You groaned as you finally stood, your bones creaking and moaning with you as you adjusted to the abrupt change in position. You smiled, "This has been fun" You almost whispered, throwing your arms above your head as you stretched.

"It has..." He sighed, you could have almost sworn a flash of melancholy crossed his features as he stood with you.

Instead of a knock at the door, or the squeaking of some tool picking at the lock from the outside, you heard nothing. Not even a soft murmur of teasing from Sam could be heard from beyond the door, only a single 'pop', followed by the hushed, screeching, creaking sound of the door opening.

You could have kicked through the door, you could have thrown it open with all the force you had and ran, but you didn't, you both just waited for any sign of life from the other side, some sort of taunting from someone on the other side about your situation, but still, nothing came.

You tossed around the idea of if Zemo had done this all on purpose, if he had some secret control to the door and he had planned this all along, opening the door only when he grew tired of your conversation.

If he did, you thought, you didn't think you'd mind all that much.

You watched as his hand finally reached out toward the silver handle almost reluctantly, and your brow furrowed as you suddenly noticed an undeniably mischievous glint appear in his gaze.

"But- We can go now?" You questioned, your eyes flickering to his hand as he quietly closed the door in front of you, the dreadful click once again echoing around you.

"We can." He replied, a crooked smile growing on his features, "But they seem to be doing well without us" He slid down the wall once again, softly grunting as he made himself comfortable in the cramped corner. "It wouldn't hurt to leave them for a few more hours, yes?"

oh to be trapped in a closet with zemo for hours :'), i hope i did your request a bit of justice my friend!! or at the very least enabled your newfound love of zemo a bit more!! mwauh!! i hope you're doing so well!! as always, likes, comments, and reblogs are always appreciated!!

want more zemo? check out my masterlist!

join in on drabble tuesday!

[nocapesdahling]

ERIKA!!!!! HELLO!!!! life has been wild bUT i wanted to say mwauh and i hope you’re doing so well and had the merriest christmas!!! for my favorite story of yours (i know this is so late i’m so sorry oh my gosh) i gotta say maybe sweet!! i love all of them but goodness gracious, soft zemo owns my entire heart, and you write him so well!!! my heart simply, explodes!!!! mwauh!!!

Hi, Madeline!! Thank you, darling! I hope you’re doing wonderfully and had a very merry Christmas!! 💜

Ah, thank you!! This is so kind 🥺, and it makes me so happy! I can’t seem to ever get enough of soft! Zemo, and that’s such a big compliment oh my goodness 😭

You just gave me the biggest smile, and I’m sending so many hugs your way!

[andsheloved]

welcome!

hello there! welcome to my blog! you must be a bit weary from the journey!

take a rest here for a while! while you’re resting though here’s a bit about myself; 

i’m madeline! nice to meet you! i’m a huge marvel nerd, as well as a bit of star wars, and disney!

why am i here? 

well i’d like to curate all my nerdiness in one place, (and to write some fic but who knows where the wind will take us!) 

favorite characters? 

loki is always a number one for me! but i am also obsessed with zemo, kylo ren, obi wan, bucky barnes, steve rogers, laszlo from ‘the alienist’ (and just a whole bunch of daniel bruhl characters), mobius m. mobius, gosh, i wish i could name them all, but this would be way too long! 

can we be friends? 

of course! just hop into my ask box! i’d love to chat!