zemosreader

[zemosreader]

good girl ⎛ oneshot ⎠

MAIN PAIRING: Zemo x reader.

summary: you are set up on a blind date and get more than you planned for.

warnings: blind date, smut, good girl kink, restraints.

word count: 1.7k

MASTERLIST

You couldn’t stop fidgeting with the dress Sharon had all but forced you to buy. It was beautiful, you couldn’t deny it, definitely not your usual style. The dark green dress hit your mid-thigh and had a sweetheart neckline, it had a black lace overlay and fit you like a second skin. You had never felt more attractive really. Sharon had told you to leave your hair down and wild for the night and had done your make up, giving you a dark smokey eye with bright red lipstick.

When you had agreed two weeks before to let Sharon set you up on a blind date, you had had no expectations. Everyone in your circle were always on you to date, to settle down like they all had but no one had caught your interest. This blind date was mainly so they would all leave you alone, if only for a few weeks.

A throat cleared behind you and you jerked around, your eyes staring up into the dark brown eyes of Helmut Zemo. You couldn’t contain your jaw-dropping and it clicking shut when he lifted an eyebrow and smirked at you.

“Good evening.” He drawled in a voice that was so silky, you had to squeeze your legs together under the table.

“Yes,” you squeaked out, “good evening.”

He tilted his head toward you before rounding the table and sliding into the booth across from you. A waiter appeared almost instantly and you watched in silence as he ordered a bottle of wine you had never heard of. As the waiter scurried away, Zemo looked you over, an inscrutable look on his face. You suddenly felt very unprepared for the evening. The waiter returned, holding the bottle for Zemo's inspection before pouring you both a glass.

“Would you allow me to order for you?” he asked you quietly, though there was something about the tone of his voice that made you want to obey him.

Not trusting your voice you simply nodded and listened as he rattled off some food to the waiter.

“I must say, I was not expecting to see you this evening.”

Taking a sip of your wine for courage, you looked him over. “Me neither. I’m surprised actually. How did Sharon get you to agree to a blind date?”

“Sam talked me into it, actually. He told me I needed to get back into the dating game and he knew someone.”

You huffed. You couldn’t believe Sharon had brought more people in to witness your humiliation. Zemo leaned forward and reached across the table, catching your hand in his much larger one.

“I assure you, liebling, I’m not displeased with the company at all.” He brought your hand up to his lips before flipping it over and placing a kiss to the inside of your wrist. Your eyes widened but he didn’t release your hand.

His voice was lower and he leaned even closer to you. “You see, I’ve been watching you from afar. You’re a beautiful woman, I’m surprised you’re unattached.”

“It’s not for a lack of wanting someone, I just haven’t found the right person I suppose.” your voice came out breathy in a way that was so unlike you but something about the man across from you was doing things to your insides you couldn’t explain.

The way he still held onto your hand, close enough to his lips you could feel his warm breath on your skin, his eyes never leaving yours.

“And what is it you’re looking for?” It was a question but again, the tone of his voice was more of a demand and it sent a shiver through your body.

“I uh, I suppose someone to spend my time with,” you said, rather ineloquently. The man across from you was so distracting and you were seriously regretting not being able to wear panties with your dress.

You stared as Zemo let go of your hand and stood abruptly. He slid into the booth next to you, one arm casually behind you on the back of the booth, the other coming to rest rather high on your thigh.

“I’m looking for much the same. Tell me, liebling, could you see yourself spending time with me?” he asked, his voice husky as he whispered in your ear.

Your breathing was uneven, coming out in short bursts. “I would certainly enjoy getting to know you more.”

His fingers toyed with the edges of your dress, sliding up just slightly and then they were gone just as suddenly as the waiter re-appeared with your food. Zemo continued sitting next to her as you ate, his left hand now firmly gripping your thigh. You couldn’t even be sure what it was you ate, to focused on the feeling of his hand.

Soon, dinner was ending and you allowed Zemo to lead you from the restaurant and down a dark alley. He wrapped his arm firmly around your waist, cocking an eyebrow as if asking your permission. When you nodded, he lead you away. The moment you stopped walking, you stood in what appeared to be the hallway of a newly remodelled house, his lips were on yours. One hand was palming your arse the other tangled up in your hair. Helmut Zemo may be many things, an excellent kisser now being at the top of your list. There was something about the man you couldn’t put your finger on but you were more than happy to find out what it was.

He pulled away and led your from the hall, up to several flights of stairs until you were outside of massive french doors. He threw them open and led the way into a grand bedroom with a massive king size bed covered in black silk taking pride of place. He turned to look at you and spun you around so your back was flush with his chest. Your breath caught as he began letting the zipper down on your dress. Slowly, the material fell away until you were completely naked. You let his hands explore your body, skimming up your sides gently, palming your breasts, his fingers ghosting over your dripping wet cunt.

Turning you back around, he looked down at you, his eyes alight with desire. He pushed your chin up until you made eye-contact.

“If this isn’t something you want, at any point, just say so,” he told you seriously.

Nodding your head, he smirked. “I need to hear you say it, liebling.”

“I...I want this. Whatever you want.” you stammered out.

“Oh liebling, don’t tell me that. You have no idea what all I want to do with you.” His left hand snaked down between the two of you and his fingers began teasing your clit. You gasped, it had been so long since anyone but yourself had done that and it felt amazing.

Blowing out a breath, you looked back up at him. “I think I can handle whatever you can throw at me.”

Before you realized what was happening, Zemo had scooped you up and dropped you on the bed. He began slowly removing his clothes, tossing everything to the side. You scooted up until you were leaning against the headboard, pillows and silk surrounding you as he made his way up the bed. He pushed your legs apart gently and kissed his way up your leg, never taking his eyes off of yours. The moment his tongue touched your cunt, you let out a moan, no longer caring. When you felt him slide two fingers into your pussy, you clenched around them as he began pumping in and out, licking and nipping at your clit, quickly bringing you to the edge. Just when you felt yourself fall over the edge, he quickly removed the digits, sucking them into his mouth.

His large, pale hands began sliding up her stomach, a stark contrast against your flushed skin. He palmed your breast, pulling one nipple into his mouth, sucking gently at first and them harder. Your breaths were coming out fast, your breast rising and falling quickly. Suddenly, he pulled you down from the headboard until he was towering over top of you. He smirked down at you before flipping you over suddenly, pulling you arse up so it was up in the air. Running his hands over it, he left a light, stinging slap. The sensation went straight to your core. You turned your head and found him holding the belt he had left on the bed.

“Are you sure you want this?” He asked gently.

“Oh yes.” you breathed.

The moment the words left your mouth, he bent your legs so your heels were touching your arse. The cool leather encircled your thighs and calves and tightened. This was everything you had wanted and always been too afraid to ask for. Someone to dominate you in a way that still left you with a choice. Zemo kneeled behind you, his hands caressing your arse, up your back, your cheek, and then to your hair. He grabbed a first full and pulled your head back gently right as he pushed inside you.

“Good girl” he breathed out. A shiver of excitement at the words went through your entire body, drenching you even more.

Feeling full, you wanted him to move, to fuck you hard and fast. He started slowly at first, both adjusting to the feel of him full seated inside you. When he began rocking back and forth, you couldn’t hold back the moans.

“Harder.” you breathed out.

“As you wish.” He said, pulling out almost all the way before slamming into you over and over, his thrusts becoming more frenzied, the grip on your hair loosening, his hand reaching under you and palming your breast, tweaking your nipple. You felt yourself coming undone, your muscles tightening around him. Just as you let herself come, you felt Zemo still inside you, filling you completely, deep inside you. His grip on your hip never loosened and you relished the thought that you may have to cover up a bruise or two.

When he pulled out from you gently, he rolled you over and pulled you on top on him, pushing your hair out of your face. You were only slightly surprised by the gentle smile on his face, the sated look in his eyes.

“I hope you don’t have any ideas about leaving. I’m not anywhere close to done with you, liebling.”

[zemosreader]

want you to stay ⎛ oneshot ⎠

MAIN PAIRING: Zemo x reader.

summary: if you had known that Zemo was as lonely as you, perhaps you would have invited him over more often, every night even. if you'd known he only came over occasionally to keep up a false air of casualty, you might have called his bluff.

warnings: none.

word count: 1.7k

MASTERLIST

“Why are you here?” you watched your words heat the frigid night air before your breath spindled away like a wisp of smoke.

You didn’t wait for a response, leaving the door open behind you as you stepped back inside. It was as close as you could get to inviting him in, but you knew he’d come anyway. He always did.

You made it all the way to the kitchen, past your darkened living room and the shadowy stairs, without the echo of a second pair of footsteps. You pulled two mugs from the cupboard to the sound of the front door closing. You listened to the familiar sound of Zemo’s heavy shoes trudging towards the light, all too settled yet all too loud.

“I wanted attention.”

You snorted at his bluntness. When didn’t he want attention? When didn’t Helmut Zemo enter a room and demand all the attention in it. He was starved for it.

You ignored him while you made your tea. Could you really ignore him though? Truly? You stirred three spoonfuls of honey into Zemo’s tea because that’s how he takes it. That’s why you bought honey and keep it in your kitchen. You didn’t actually care for honey. You stirred two spoonfuls of sugar into yours.

“The baron life not entertaining enough for you?” you quipped with a false air of lightness, but when you turned your head he wasn’t there. You couldn’t force your heart not to speed up at his absence. You felt the sudden loneliness again with a pang. You were alone.

You steadied your breath enough that your voice wouldn’t quiver when you called “Helmut?” into the emptiness.

He emerged from the illuminated stairwell, a half-amused smirk playing at his lips. “You missed me?”

When you didn’t answer he continued, his smirk begrudgingly sliding from his mouth like honey from a teaspoon, “You keep it too dark in here.”

You gave him a shrug with his tea. What could you say? The truth? I don’t like shedding light on the fact that this house doesn’t feel like home.

The drawer of Zemo's things in your bedroom was crammed with hair products and cologne and little bits of him to the point of bursting. Your clothes barely filled your drawers. You couldn’t remember what your favorite perfume smelled like. Did you even have one? You liked the smell of his aftershave. You supposed that didn’t count.

You hadn’t hung a single picture on the walls or properly stocked the kitchen with more than tea, coffee, and take away menus.

“I’ve gotten used to it.” It wasn’t a lie. Coming home to solitude and silence wasn’t a comfort, but it was a routine.

“You haven’t been around in a while,” you tried prompting, despite knowing Zemo wouldn’t tell you what he did when he wasn’t with you. Spending nights with Zemo wasn’t a routine, but it was a comfort.

“I was waiting for an invitation,” he snarked. It earned him a smile. Half a smile? It made your lip twitch.

If you had known that Zemo was as lonely as you, perhaps you would have invited him over more often, every night even. If you'd known he only came over occasionally to keep up a false air of casualty, you might have called his bluff. If Zemo had told you he felt more at home in your dim, drafty little house than he ever had in all his life at his old home, you might have invited him to stay, permanently.

But, as it was, both of you were ignorant to the other’s longing for companionship that you always sought out in each other.

Zemo set down the still full mug, already cold, already leeched of any warmth it had to offer.

The two of you slipped up the stairs without a sound, as if you were sneaking around, as if you were a secret even the house shouldn’t know. Of course, everyone knew. They found out slowly. You made Sharon and Natasha swear not to tell a soul. The whiskey confessed for Zemo over drinks with Sam and Bucky. Natasha had to tell Clint. Sam had to tell Rhodey. Sharon had to tell Wanda. Bucky had to tell Steve. And tell and tell and tell until there was no one left to tell. But still, it’s a secret.

You wouldn’t have sex. Sometimes you did. Sometimes you straddled Zemo and moved your hips with the slow sureness of someone who isn’t in a rush to finish and is happy to take their time teasing soft moans from their partner. Other times Zemo bent you over the arm of your reading chair and pretended not to notice that you always got distracted studying the spines of the books on your shelf, no doubt thinking about how you should reorganize them after he left. He pretended he didn’t find it endearing. He never mentioned that your book shelf was rearranged.

No. Tonight Helmut said he wanted attention. So you would curl up in bed and fall asleep to the sound of each other breathing, not through the phone.

Zemo waited until you were pretending to be asleep to kiss your forehead. You considered opening your eyes and kissing him back, but decided against it. You told yourself that he’s just lonely tonight. He only wants attention tonight. You reminded youself that he would be gone in the morning. He was always gone in the morning.

You weren't sure when you stopped pretending and finally fell asleep.

The familiar yet unexpected pressure around your waist made your stomach drop. You gasped and your eyes shot open in panic to...to...nothing? Or, not nothing, to Zemo. To an arm around your waist. To the the most startling and most startled pair of brown eyes you'd ever seen.

“What’s wrong?” His surrounding grip on your body tightened protectively. No, not protectively, you told yourself, just instinctively.

“What time is it?” you asked. Zemo wondered then if you had somewhere to be in the morning and if he made a mistake staying the night. You wondered, did Helmut stay the night?

Before he could answer you found your bearings. You saw the sun peaking through the gaps in the curtains and saw the very discreet, backpack Zemo must have had with him when he came last night. Oh! That must be why he went upstairs as soon as he got here, you realized, to drop his overnight bag in your room.

You were right of course. Except that Zemo also had to make sure you wouldn’t see his backpack at all, just in case he got scared and changed his mind. Or you didn’t want him overnight.

“You stayed the night.” you weren't sure if it was a question or a statement of fact. It sounded like both to your ears.

Unsure how to answer, Zemo nodded. He sighed with relief when you closed your eyes and curled into his body like a puzzle piece sliding into place. He kissed your forehead, and let you feel his smile against your skin.

You didn’t open your eyes. You held on as if your bare hands could catch smoke. You told yourself this didn’t change a thing and he’d still leave soon and you’d be alone when he did. You held him and waited. Waited for the feel of bed dipping to one side and waited the sound of the door closing and waited the ache of abandonment. Waited and waited and waited. But he didn’t move.

You opened your eyes to check and he gave you his signature smirk.

“You’re...” you swirled your options around with your tongue, struggling to choose your next words. “staying?”

Zemo's smirk fell. Did you want him to stay? He should have asked. But how could he bring up without sounding like...like...he wasn’t sure. Like something he didn’t want to sound like.

“Do you want me to?”

Questions about how long and what this meant swirled dizzyingly through both of your heads.

He was sure you’d say no, that he’d made a huge mistake. You were sure this was still temporary, that a few more hours in the morning wouldn’t change anything.

You rested your head on Zemo's chest and closed your eyes again, without giving him an answer, or perhaps that was your answer. Either way you were sure you’d wake to him slipping out of bed.

But you didn’t. You woke to him fast asleep under you. You reminded yourself he’d leave soon. Kissed his forehead. And slipped downstairs to the kitchen.

Last night’s tea was still on the counter, disgusting and cold. You debated with yourself whether to spill it out or microwave it. Then you debated with yourself whether to microwave both mugs or just your own.

The beeping of the microwave must have woken Zemo because he came downstairs just as you were pulling out two mugs of old, reheated tea. He plucked his own from your hand without a word and sipped it.

You studied him in boxer shorts and bed head. He looked nice in the morning. You could get used to seeing it.

“You’re staying?” you asked again.

He raised a questioning eyebrow at you. Zemo needed to know if you meant for the day or until tonight so he could have sex with you properly, or if, he dared to hope, you meant you wanted him to stay.

“Do you want me to?”

Yes. You knew the answer without having to think about it. Yet, you didn’t know how to answer the question.

“Yes?” Helmut stepped closer. Into your personal space. He brushed a curl behind your ear and you realized you were nodding yes even when you hadn’t said it yet.

Zemo's hand steadied your head and pressed warmth from his mug into your cheek.

“You want me to stay?” Zemo's voice was a whisper ghosting across the other side of you face. His breath smelled like mint and honey and you wanted to kiss him but you didn’t want him to disappear. He smelled like mint. Did he brush his teeth before he came downstairs? And you didn’t even like honey.

“Stay?” you repeated.

He wasn’t sure it was a yes but it was enough to calm his anxiety that you'd reject him, at least for now.

You wanted to tell him you’d always want him. You never wanted him to go. But that might scare him off. Casual. You’re casual. You nodded and you both sat down to drink your tea and look over the takeaway menus to find a place that would deliver breakfast.

“I want you to stay.”

[zemosreader]

MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE

༣ baron helmut zemo

make believe

want you to stay

good girl

༣ natasha romanoff

let's make it official

tba.

[zemosreader]

let's make it official ⎛ oneshot ⎠

MAIN PAIRING: Natasha x reader.

summary: Natasha and you have been friends with benefits but that doesn’t stop you both developing feelings for each other. an emotional morning and a trip to your dream destination results in a very important question that will change your relationship for years to come.

warnings: none.

word count: 2.1k

MASTERLIST

It was the first day off from work that you had had in a long time and your only plan was to relax with Natasha. But you woke up to find your sort of girlfriend was no longer lying next to you. You had been forced to finally take a holiday from your job and had been glad that it lined up with when you girlfriend was going to be free. You weren’t in what could be classified as an official relationship, but it was time that you both finally made a decision as to what you were. If you would just continue to be friends with benefits or if you would make it official.

Well at least that had been the plan, but instead Natasha had surprised you by having two bags sitting packed at the front door once you had made your way into the living room from your bedroom. You recognised one of the bags as your own travel bag, but you had no idea as to why Natasha would have taken it or why it would be sitting at the front door. You had thought that Natasha was home from work for a few weeks. But if Natasha had two bags packed and at the door already, did that mean that she was ready for this to be over with? Was Natasha heading back home to the Avengers tower early as well?

“Morning love,” you startled at Natasha's sweet voice as you stood staring at the bags at the front. You hadn’t even realised that she had been in the kitchen making you each a cup of coffee. It surprised you so much that you couldn’t stop the surprise from flooding through you as you looked at your girlfriend who was staring at you in return. “What’s wrong, love?” And that was the Natasha that you had fallen head over heels for. The Natasha that was caring and always tried to make sure that those she cared about were okay and would go out of her way to do so.

“I don’t want you to leave,” you answered with your voice just above a whisper as you looked down at the ground. You didn’t know how to process what you thought was going to happen. It hadn’t occurred to you just how attached you had gotten to your relationship with Natasha, and in some ways the thought of it ending made you feel like you did back in your first year at Shield when you had no friends and didn’t know what to do.

“Love,” Natasha's voice was closer than you had expected it to be. “Look at me, please,” she requested from behind you, and the softness and worry in Natasha's voice forced you to look up and turn towards the redhead. You couldn’t stop your heart from breaking as you finally met her gaze.

“I don’t want you to leave me,” you repeated as you tried to stop your voice from cracking. But it was difficult to prevent it from happening. The last thing you expected was for Natasha's hand to gently graze your cheek and then gently hold you. It was more intimate than you thought it would ever be when Natasha realised that she didn’t want to be with you any longer.

“I’m not leaving, love. I’m not leaving you, I promise,” Natasha replied as she pushed your hair out of your face. It was gentle and loving, and it was everything that you needed in that moment to stop yourself from breaking. But if it turned out that Natasha did leave you, you were positive that it would break you. “Why did you think that I was leaving?” Natasha asked as she pulled you into a tight hug, it was reassuring and pushed the little parts of your heart that had broken back together. There were still cracks there, but it was reassuring.

Despite the fact that Natasha was doing a pretty good job of reassuring you that she wasn’t leaving, you couldn’t bring yourself to verbally answer for fear that your voice would crack and you would start to cry. So instead, you just lifted your hand and pointed towards the bags sitting at the front door.

“Oh, Love, it was supposed to be a surprise,” Natasha laughed as she leaned back so that she could see your face. “We both work so hard, and I wanted to take you away for the week so that we can just relax and have some fun. I’m not going anywhere without you, I promise,” Natasha assured you as she pulled you into a tighter hug but it was clear that you were finally relaxing, and that made her relax as well. The red head could be tough and strong most of the time, but you were lucky enough to get to witness the soft side of the Black Widow, and that was exactly what this was.

“Where are we going?” you finally asked after you had stood in Natasha's embrace and just allowed yourself to be and feel calm and relaxed. It was only once you had calmed down and actually enjoyed the comfort that Natasha was offering you realised that you probably shouldn’t have worried so much. Afterall, Natasha was not the type of person who would just leave without any warning at all.

“That’s a surprise. Why don’t we have breakfast and then you can get ready so we can go?” Natasha suggested before she took your hand and started to lead you over to the kitchen table where there was toast and a spread of breakfast foods for the two of you. It wasn’t romantic in the typical sense of the word, you knew that, but it was perfect for both of you. It was what made your relationship sweet, not that you needed to be in a relationship that everyone else saw as being right, but that you could just be who you wanted to be.

It was only hours later that you gasped as you looked around at the landscape surrounding you. You had never expected that you would get a chance to walk around and see this. You had been a teenager the first time that you thought that you were going to die. You had fought with Shield before you had even finished your education, and whilst you had travelled around the world these past few years, you had never had a chance to really enjoy it at all. And that is why this was so special.

New York was gorgeous, but there was too much blood that had been shed over the town and that stopped you from being able to enjoy it. You couldn’t look at the streets back home without the memories of all that you and your friends had been through flooding your mind. That is why you loved this trip. It had gorgeous scenery that made you smile and feel at peace without the memories of Shield, Avengers and Hydra.

This vacation hadn’t been something that you had expected. You spent most of your days either working on once again establishing Shield as something new and Hydra free, or you were working on your training. You had realised your first year with Shield that you couldn’t fight every enemy but you could make sure that you could keep yourself safe if it came to it. But all of that took up so much of your time that you didn’t really have a chance to do much without having to worry about your own life.

You looked over towards your girlfriend who was standing watching you. In that moment, in that setting, surrounded by something so exciting, you saw what you wanted in life, you saw what you wanted most. You wanted this, moments of happiness with no worries. Moments where you could just be.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” you asked as you walked up to your girlfriend. The sight in front of you just made you smile. Natasha was standing in front of a historical windmill in one of the places that you had always wanted to visit, Kinderdijk Windmills, but the sun was shining on her and the landscape and it made you smile so much. It was so picturesque that you couldn’t stop the little flutter that rushed through you, that flutter of love and excitement.

“Of course I am, love,” Natasha's reply only caused your smile to grow. You had worried that the Black Widow wouldn’t enjoy it as she had insisted that you could pick what your first activity in the Netherlands was. You knew it was nerdy and geeky and probably not all that romantic but you had never had a chance to visit the Kinderdijk Windmills and you were more than happy to let Natasha pick every other activity that you did. “But I wouldn't be enjoying myself nearly as much without you by my side, my love.”

That sentence had been exactly what you needed to hear as you reached out and took Natasha's hand in your own. The two of you slowly started to walk along the walkway that ran past all of the windmills. They were magnificent in their size and presence. In a way they appeared to be completely unmoving, just stuck there no matter what was thrown at them, but that also made sense given what their job was.

“I was meant to come here with mum and dad, that week when Loki attacked,” you finally said after you had walked around the museum and were now sitting on a grassy area not the far away from the windmills just watching some of them turn gently in the wind. It was causing both your own and Natasha's hair to blow around and occasionally hit you in the face, but you loved the way that it gave you an excuse to brush it away from her face. “We were meant to leave the day before, and I helped them to plan the trip.”

You looked off into the distance wistfully. There were days when you missed your parents more than anything and you wished that you had never survived the allien attack. Today was a bittersweet day like that. You were glad to have finally seen the Kinderdijk windmills but it broke your heart as well.

“I know, love. I’m just glad that you’re enjoying it,” Natasha's reply was soft and sweet, as was the way that she pulled you in against her side before pressing a chaste kiss to the top of your head. It was intimate but it was also like a lazy Sunday morning, quiet and peaceful. “‘There’s something I want to ask you.”

Her words had been unexpected and caused you to pull away. After the emotions of the day, you weren't sure how much more you could handle. Especially given the fact that you had already thought that Natasha was leaving you that morning.

“Yes.” Your voice was weak and fragile but you couldn’t stop it. It was taking everything in you not to just walk away and ignore whatever it was that Natasha wanted to ask you.

“It’s nothing bad. Or I hope it’s nothing bad. I just wanted you to officially be my girlfriend. I want to tell everyone, I want everyone to know that I love you and that we’re together. I already think of you as my girlfriend. So, will you be my girlfriend?” Natasha's question once again caused you to choke up. It was what you wanted but you hadn't expected it. Especially not after your hysterical reaction to the bags sitting at your front door that morning.

It took you a couple of moments during which Natasha began to pull away and look worried, but you forced down the tears that were threatening to boil over. You hated that you were being so emotional, but you hoped that you would get through this without crying.

You took a deep breath. And then you spoke. “Yes, of course I will.”

The kiss that followed was both sweet and passionate. It was full of love, no hints of lust, although that would come later. At that moment you were just enjoying being together, and then later once you had celebrated you would decide on how to let your friends know.

Kinderdijk Windmills and the Netherlands had been important to you because of the fact that it was the last place that you had planned to go with your parents. But now it would hold a new importance of where your relationship with Natasha officially began. And if you had a chance it would be where the two of you would take the next step. But that would not be for years to come.

[zemosreader]

make believe ⎛ oneshot ⎠

MAIN PAIRING: Zemo x reader.

summary: in a fit of madness, you ask Zemo to be your date to Tony's wedding.

warnings: fake!dating, mentions of past Tony Stark x reader (implied).

word count: 2.7k

MASTERLIST

You bounced on the balls of your feet as you went over the argument in your head once more. It was probably the fifth or sixth time you had done so, just this morning, but the invitation to Tony’s wedding was burning a hole in your countertop in your flat and you had to have a response for the RSVP by the end of the week. Better to get this over with now, and then you could move on to someone who might actually say yes to being your date to your ex’s wedding.

It was stupid, it’s not like you had to ask him, but once the thought had occurred to you… you couldn’t get it out of your head. Now it felt imperative. You had to know what he would say. Shaking your head, you laughed softly to yourself, you already knew what he was going to say. It was a fool’s errand to ask him, but here you were, hovering outside of his office, early on a Wednesday morning.

His secretary was giving you the side-eye, but you were here so often, that she didn’t make you leave. That, at least, was a relief. You weren't sure you could stand the embarrassment of being escorted out of his office before you had inappropriately propositioned him. At least if it happened afterward, it would possibly be justified.

“Good morning, Baron Zemo,” his secretary chirped as the whoosh of the lift doors sounded from behind you. You turned and tried to smile at him, but you were sure it came out as a grimace. Especially when he sighed heavily at seeing you.

He nodded at his secretary, but only had eyes for you. “What can I do for you so early this morning?” He didn’t sound pleased to see you at all, and your anxiety ratcheted up.

“Can we speak in your office?” you asked, giving him a tight-lipped smile. His eyes narrowed as he swept them over you so quickly you weren't even sure it had happened. He held out his hand, indicating you should proceed before him into the office and you did so. You weren't sure, but it felt like his eyes may have strayed to your arse. You hoped so. You were wearing your tightest dress today in hopes that it would give you the confidence boost you needed. Or, maybe persuade him. Either way, it wouldn’t hurt, you had decided that morning as you put it on.

The door shut with a soft click and he passed by you so closely, you could feel the breeze of his body. He settled into his seat behind his desk, propping his arm up against the solid, oak desk and indicating you should sit in one of the visitor’s chairs.

You did so, but sat right at the very edge, ready to spring to your feet the moment he said no.

“Well?”

“I… um…” you swallowed hard and looked down at your hands, trying to remember the speech you had prepared.

“Spit it out, dear. I haven’t all day,” Helmut Zemo said sharply.

“WillyougowithmetoTony’swedding,” you said so quickly to your hands wringing in your lap.

“Pardon?”

You took a deep breath and looked up at a spot just over his left shoulder. “I need a date for Tony’s wedding. And it’s stupid and you’ll say no, but will you just pretend to be my date?”

Your entire body braced for his rejection, you were poised to stand, but no rejection came. Instead, he asked when the wedding was.

As if on autopilot, you gave him the relevant details.

Zemo hummed thoughtfully, his eyes sweeping over you again. “I’m not sure I know how to pretend to be someone’s date,” he said finally.

That statement startled you enough to actually look at him. You could detect amusement in his eyes, but also interest. You opened her mouth to reply, but no words came out and you closed it again.

“However, if you would like me to actually be your date, I think I could fit it into my schedule,” he added magnanimously. One corner of his mouth quirked up.

“Are you joking?” you asked, completely unable to tell.

Zemo frowned. “No,” he said slowly, “are you? Is there really no wedding?”

You shook your head. “Yes, of course, there’s a wedding… but why would you agree to go with me?”

His face became carefully blank. “Why would you ask me?”

“Because I thought you would say no,” you said in a rush. “I never thought you would agree. I…”

He leaned further back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest and frowning deeply at you. “Is this some sort of prank?”

“I…” you shook your head, trying to come up with an answer. “Sorry, no it’s not a prank. I got the idea in my head to ask you and then I couldn’t not ask you, but I was convinced you would say no. Why did you agree?” you peered up at his blank face, searching for an answer.

“I’m free on that date,” he replied with a shrug. “It seemed as if you wanted some sort of moral support for your friend’s wedding. Besides, it would upset The Winter Soldier.”

You frowned. You hadn’t thought about how it would make Bucky and Sam feel if you showed up with Zemo. “I— thank you for agreeing, but you’re right, it would anger Bucky. I don’t want to do that. I’m afraid—”

“Ah, you can’t take it back now, my dear,” Helmut said with a smirk. “You’ve asked, and I’ve agreed. It appears I will be your date for Tony Stark’s wedding. Who is he marrying again?”

“Pepper Potts,” you replied, wrinkling your nose. You couldn’t seem to stop yourself from doing it, even though you tried. It was ridiculous, feeling upset that Tony was marrying Pepper, but there it was. And that was the crux of the reason you had decided to ask Zemo.

“The CEO of his company?” Zemo asked with a slight pucker between his brows.

You nodded. “Yes, the very same. But you’re right abou—”

“Well then, I shall have to accompany you,” Helmut said as if the matter was completely settled.

“What? No, you—”

“Are you really going to rescind my invitation? How rude,” Helmut said, lifting his nose into the air and glaring down at you.

You bit your lip. He was right. It would be the height of rudeness to ask him and then uninvite him, but he was also right that it would rile up Bucky. And Tony, your brain helpfully supplied. That was the crux of it. You wanted to rile Tony up. You hoped he choked when he saw who you were with.

“Fine,” you said ungraciously. “The wedding is at two in the afternoon and my invitation allows a plus one. Shall we meet at my apartment?”

He nodded and waved his fingers in dismissal as he began sorting through the correspondence on his massive desk. You frowned at him while standing stiffly and marching from the room. You weren't sure why you asked him beyond knowing that it would annoy Tony. You firmly refused to think about how good he looked last month in that coat of his. Nope, that was definitely not why you asked him.

––––

Six Weeks Later

You couldn’t quite believe that you were actually going through with this. You had barely seen Zemo since you stormed into his office and asked him to be your date all those weeks ago. You had almost hoped he had forgotten all about it, but just yesterday he had sent you a text confirming the time he was to meet you at your flat. Now you were all dressed up and rocking in your heels as you tried to calm your anxiety.

How in the world were you going to explain this to anyone?

How had that thought just occurred to you? Horror filled you as you realized you were going to have to explain this to Bucky and Tony and the rest of the Avengers at some point. What on earth were you going to say? That you and Zemo were dating? Bile rose up just as a knock sounded on your door. You hurried to answer it, your fear and apprehension heavy on your face.

He looked amazing, just as you expected him to and you waved him inside your apartment. It seemed even smaller when he was standing in your living room. You turned away from him and took a few deep breaths. What on earth had you been thinking? Inviting Helmut Zemo to your ex’s wedding had to be the most self-destructive thing you could have done.

“Are you alright?” Zemo asked. You could feel him behind you, your living room suddenly feeling smaller as the tension between the two of you grew.

“I fear I’ve made a mistake,” you said in a small voice. You took a big breath and turned to face him. “I can hardly show up with you on my arm,” you said, refusing to meet his eye. “How on earth would I ever explain it?”

“Explain what?” Zemo asked, taking a step closer to you.

You felt your cheeks warm, he was really going to make you say it, wasn’t he?

“Explain you,” you said. “Explain to my friends and family how I ended up on the arm of Helmut Zemo. The Baron Helmut Zemo. The one who hated the Avengers so much he did everything to destroy them.”

“Perhaps,” Zemo said slowly, “it was less about destroying the Avengers and more about getting even.”

You gaped up at him and half-laughed when you saw the smirk on his face. You couldn’t believe he had just made a joke at his own expense.

“There’s nothing to explain. Two consenting adults are dating. What’s to explain?” He shrugged so nonchalantly, you almost believed him.

“Dating? Now we’re dating?” you asked, your eyes widening. You shook your head. “I’m not sure I can pull off fake dating now too.”

You looked down at your hands, realizing you were wringing them, as you always did when you fretted like this.

Zemo cleared his throat and you forced your gaze back up to his. He had a very calculating look on his face. “Of course you can. You wouldn’t have suggested I ‘pretend’ to be your date if you didn’t think you could pull it off. We can tell them it was a whirlwind over the last few weeks.”

“That was madness,” you shook your head, “asking you like that.”

“So why did you?” he peered down at you and your heart fluttered wildly in your chest. You knew exactly why you had asked him. Your tongue darted out to lick your bottom lip and you pulled it into your mouth, biting down on it gently.

“Why does anyone ask one out?” you whispered, your gaze darting from his, unable to watch whatever emotions would flit across his face at that admission.

“Indeed,” he replied, sounding amused. “Shall we?”

Within half an hour you were across the town, Zemo slid an arm around your waist, holding you close as the two of you entered the wedding hall.

“Steady, there,” Zemo whispered into your hair just as you entered and a group of wedding attendees turned to see who had just arrived. Even from this distance, you could see eyes widening and tongues wagging.

You lifted your chin and Helmut left his palm on the small of your back as you took that first, scary step forward and greeted the guests.

The wedding was mostly fine. You received some looks from the rest of the Avengers but decided that ignoring them was your best bet. It wasn’t the ceremony you were worried about anyway. Nobody was going to track you down and corner you, expressing concern about your choices while Tony and Pepper were saying their ‘I do’s.’

You weren't ambushed until almost an hour after dinner, which you thought showed remarkable restraint on the part of your friends. You weren't even all that surprised by who did the ambushing. Zemo had stepped outside for a minute and promised to return with drinks and you found not just Bucky, but Sharon as well. Oh, well, they must be concerned if Sharon was getting involved.

“So glad you could come,” Sharon said, pulling you into a hug. You may not have ended up both working for Shield, but Sharon always felt like your sister. Bucky reached in to give you a side hug as well.

They dispensed with the pleasantries quickly. “So, Zemo?” Sharon asked, her eyebrows rising high on her head. “He’s a bit old for you, isn’t he?”

You bit your lips to keep from laughing. “Would that be your only objection to him?”

“Ah, well, not that it’s our place,” Sharon stuttered.

“We just want to make sure you’re taken care of,” Bucky said emphatically. You were wringing your hands, almost unconsciously, and gave both of them a tight smile.

“Of course, he has been wonderful,” you replied. Your brain was working overtime trying to figure a way out of this conversation.

A moment later, Zemo slid his hands between your, threading your fingers together and the tightness in your chest eased as your palms pressed together.

“James, Ms.Carter,” he rumbled, with a dip of his head in their direction.

“Zemo,” Bucky replied looking as though he were trying not to sneer, you thought it just looked like he was constipated. “So kind of you to make it to Tony's wedding.”

“Well, how could I say no when my dear asked?” He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of your head. You beamed up at him, completely unaware of what this looked like from the outside. Perhaps asking Zemo to be your pretend date wouldn’t be the disaster you had been dreading all these weeks.

After the ambush by Bucky and Sharon, the rest of your friends had to make their voices heard. Some were more subtle about it than others. Tony, for instance, yanked you away from Zemo to have a heated debate behind the bar that you were sure everyone could hear. That was confirmed once you'd finally pulled yourself away from him and returned to find people studiously ignoring you.

Steve, at least, was better about it, just asking if everything was alright. Sam wondered, in front of Zemo, no less, if someone had put something in your drink. Strongly hinting that ‘someone’ was Zemo and that ‘something’ was a type of drug.

Zemo was a courteous guest and danced with you just the right amount. When things finally began winding down, the moon was up and it had been dark for at least three full hours.

“How do you feel about leaving?” Zemo asked, his hand straying to the small of your back. You leaned into him, loving the way it felt to do so. Somehow, despite his age, his body felt firm beneath his dress suit.

“I’m ready. Irish goodbye?” you asked, looking up at him.

He smirked down at you. “The best kind, really.”

You slipped out of the hall, hopefully unseen, and Zemo drove you to your apartment. You were glad to kick off your heels and poured a nightcap for both of you. You settled onto the sofa.

“Cheers to making our way through that unscathed,” You said, clinking your glasses together.

“I hope I wasn’t too terrible of a ‘pretend’ date,” Zemo murmured, looking at you over the top of his glass.

“I thought you didn’t know how to be a pretend date?” you asked, tipping your head to the side and trying desperately to hide a smile.

Zemo hummed. “Perhaps not. Shall we go for round two? Perhaps lunch at that new restaurant near my place?”

“Oh, yes, I would love that,” you said with a grin. Zemo put his glass down and lifted your hand, kissing the back of it.

“It’s a date then,” he said a sly smile on his face. Then he stood and was out your door with a, “See you at noon,” tossed over his shoulder.

You leaned back against your sofa, drinking the rest of your brandy and smiling absently at your door. Asking Zemo to be your pretend wedding date was looking like the best idea you'd had in ages.