Middle Ground I Bucky barnes & H.Zemo

3

After his conversation with Zemo Bucky hid himself in his room for the rest of the evening with no explanation. He didn't accept the sweets that were offered to him and only muttered something confusing between the lips before vanishing.

 Zemo on the other hand had to find an occupation to fill the time with, given that both of his guardians who were supposed to check on him in case he ever came up with another mastermind evil plan had no intention to do so. So much for a prisoner. Everyone was way too tired to even deal with him. Sam came out just once to open the fridge in search for some food, he looked around with suspicion and then knocked at Bucky's door: a muffled voice came from behind. You okay? Yeah don't worry. Want something? No I'm good thanks Zemo raised his eyes from the pages of the book he was reading, he couldn't help but feel agitated for some reason, his foot was tapping on the carpet, he was unable to focus on his task. He let another two hours pass by, walking around and cooking to distract himself, but when the clock marked 10 p.m. he knew he had to do something to avoid his mind to implode. 

He walked towards Bucky's room.

-James?- 

-Yeah?- the voice was distant and feeble

-Can I come in?- Zemo waited for an answer and when he didn't hear anything back he just assumed that meant an implicit yes. He pushed the door knob and slowly entered in the room: the blinds were closed and there was no artificial light on, all was black. He had to squeeze his sight to see that Bucky was not there but in the adjacent bathroom: almost every bedroom had a personal one and that was probably the reason why he found it so easy to stay locked up for hours with no need to get out. Zemo had to advance with little and careful steps as once the door closed behind him the darkness had deepened even more

-James where are you?-

-Over here- the voice was no louder than what it sounded like outside in the living room. Zemo waved his hands in the air trying to find the wall and decided to get down on his knees: Bucky was probably sitting on the ground and he had no intention of tripping over the soldier. He happened to have a small keychain with a torch in his pocket, he turned it on.

- I am sorry but I need to see where you are- a fleble spot of light revealed an undefined human shape in a corner of the room, all curled up. Zemo pointed the torch towards Bucky, who instantly covered his face with his hands. He had changed his daily clothes into a random t-shirt and sweatpants, but he was so messy it looked like he had been in there for days without washing or sleeping.

By taking other mindful small steps at the time, he crawled near him.

-I brought you something to eat, but you seem way more thrown off than what I had imagined, is it something I said to you before?-  Zemo could hear him sobbing, so he laid the torch on the ground and sat close to him, avoiding physical contact

-I lied to you- Bucky kept hiding behind his arms just like a young boy who just got caught doing something bad.

-Would you care to elaborate?- he tried to use the softest tone he could

-In Madripoor, when I told you I was in full control the moment you commanded me to attack that man in the bar. I wasn't. I still think I had a tiny bit of consciousness left, but I have no true proof. I truly don't. I thought I was free, the dora milaje tested me, I was so sure... and then you said those words. When...he comes...when the Winter Soldier takes over... I don't have a saying in anything anymore, I am stuck in a cage: he has the keys and throws them away-

That caught Zemo off guard. He genuinely believed James was no longer responsive to the code words. He did suspect something at first, both in prison and when he let his hands slip around his shoulders in front of Shelby. Yes, he doubted of James' composure, it felt way too easy for him to not react, but still, the night they had that conversation, he truly believed him.