Blood Debt - The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Bucky x Zemo)

Chapter 15

"This is a terrible idea, James, I do have to agree with Sam on this," said Zemo to Bucky as he stood in front of the other man.

"Sam, can you give us a minute?" asked Bucky, as he glanced over his shoulder at the Captain.

Sam looked between them both, then inhaled slowly. "I'll be outside. But you best not keep the Wakandans waiting. They don't like that."

Zemo looked...afraid, or at least worried at the idea of confronting the Wakandans. He stood in front of Bucky, his shoulders hunched, his fingers laced awkwardly together.

"When I was finally free of the Winter Soldier programming, I wasn't at peace," said Bucky slowly, as he reached up to set a hand on the other man's shoulders. "People kept telling me it wasn't my fault, or that I was forgiven. But I couldn't believe that because I couldn't forgive myself."

Zemo looked down and away, avoiding eye contact.

Bucky lifted his hands to cup the other man's cheeks, to tilt his head up so they could look eye to eye. "You have a lot of names in your book. Do you have any desire to make it right?"

"James..." Zemo began. "Of course I feel remorse for the innocent lives I have taken. I..--"

"Ay, ay, don't explain it to me. I'm not the one who needs to hear it. You've made your apologies to me. Now it's time to do it to them ." Bucky nodded behind him.

"And what..." Zemo tried to look away again, but Bucky was holding his head gently, but firmly. "...if I give them a reason to kill me? I am...very tired." He swallowed. Dark eyes looked lost and vulnerable - more vulnerable than he had ever seen them. "In prison, there is no one but me and my thoughts in a dark room. That is no way to live."

Bucky had thought of that. Suicide by Dora Milaje. "Then you go out. Okoye would love to end you, but if she did, she would probably lose her position at the very least. T'Challa doesn't want you dead. And..." he headwobbled. "...you'd hurt me. Because I'd be an idiot and try to defend you. You'd be dead, but you'd ruin Okoye's life, and my relationship with the people who saved my life, who helped save this planet, and half of all existence."

"I don't want to hurt you," said Zemo quietly.

"Then get out there and prove to them that you feel remorse for what you did. T"Challa believes you, but make Okoye believe it. Make Ayo believe it. These are good people. They need to see you for who you are."

"And who is that?" asked Zemo with a dark little smile.

"An idiot who's keeping a king waiting."

That made Zemo smile a little more. He tilted his chin up. "For once, I have nothing clever to say."

"For once?"

"Hey, now," said Zemo, the little grin lingering on his lips. "You are a good man, James Buchanan Barnes. Better than I deserve." And then, he leaned in to kiss Bucky. It was a slow and gentle affair - almost mournful. He was kissing like it was their last.

--

This time, T'Challa did not receive them as friends. Bucky and Zemo were led to the throne room, in which the leaders of the tribes had gathered, along with members of the public. The Dora lined the walkway up to the front of the room. The Black Panther sat flanked by Queen Ramonda and Princess Shuri. Okoye stood to one side of the royal family, Ayo to the other. Sam stood just off the raised throne platform, amidst Jabari tribesmen and other Dora.

All the people in the room had their eyes firmly locked on Helmut Zemo, who seemed a very small man in the midst of the colourful clothing and the grand throne room. He did not look like a man who had killed a king and had brought the Avengers to their knees. But then, the fact that he did not seem capable was in part, the reason he was able to do so much. The Avengers were looking to the sky for threats, not at a man in pain.