It was the sixth day after the anniversary, or a new tragedy, as Bucky started calling it in his thoughts. After which, Baron-King and his servants had even more work than before the ceremony. Zemo was spending his whole time supervising everything, always in the cabinet, full of people, getting only 4 hours of sleep per each day (which was really unhealthy for a mere human as him), however not at this evening. Sokovian decided to retire much earlier as for his standards, which meant that he would be truly alone for the first time since the disaster and Barnes would take every advantage of it.
And here he was. In Zemo's grand bedroom, whose owner was silently stargazing from his baroque chair near the window. Bucky could see only the back of his head, but even with that and a poor light from the bedside lamp, there wasn't needed a super vision to notice that Baron looked tired. Especially, in that rumpled robe.
"Haven't I explicitly said to not be disturb?" Baron-King questioned in a stern voice.
"To soldiers guarding your door? Yes." Bucky commented casually. "It took me some time to convince them to let me enter."
"Pray tell what kind of resources have you used?"
"Just broke a bone or two."
James caught the glass, which was threw at him, spilling the content on the expensive carpet. Baron was indeed drinking... Bucky took a deep breath. After everything, Barnes would lie, if he said that he wasn't expecting it. However, he didn't move to leave the room.
"Only a finger, nothing seriously." the soldier explained. "They still are able to fight."
"What are you doing here?" Zemo asked in exasperated tone.
"Checking on you."
"If you came to tell me that you were right, you may just do it."
Bucky reminded himself of the ceremony, as he was left in the Zemo's palace and could only watch it from a TV's screen with the rest of staff, then the shock as one person jumped out from the crowd and shoot a few times in the direction of the Baron-King. Zemo came out without a scratch and was safely transported away by his bodyguards, but a havoc was made. The killer was taken down, people around him started running in all directions, stepping on everything and everyone under their feet. Soldiers managed to control most of it, but still... In the result, five Sokovians were dead, with one soldier due to a failed shoot and around seventy had to be transported to a hospital, including Oeznik.
"I don't think that it's necessary." Bucky said quietly.
Zemo glanced at the bottle of whisky, which stood nearby, but fortunately decided not to take it.
"Do you have anything else to report?"
"No."
What was else there to say? The investigation showed that there was no grand plot, nor any uprising or any well organized group attack. An almost-to-be-assassin was only an ex-soldier, who had a grudge against Zemo, as Baron's army caused the death of his wife in first weeks of existence of Neo-Sokovia. He didn't also have anything to loose, just like a certain Baron years ago, and wished to avenge his family. However, instead of killing the ruler, he met the death on his journey and was probably with his dearest one in the afterlife right now. Bucky briefly wondered, if somehow Zemo was jealousy of it, but then he glanced at the huge map of the young kingdom hanging on the wall and immediately changed his mind. Sokovian was well aware that his new mission would bring suffering, would create more people like his past self, but he didn't give up and wouldn't do it any nearest future.
After five minutes of silence, Barnes heard as Zemo tapped his finders impatiently at the mahogany chair. No, Bucky didn't plan to leave and if Sokovian really desired it, he just needed to speak up. As the man didn't, his suspicious were right, Baron-King didn't want to be alone or after their last drinking incident, he didn't want to overuse his power.
"Tell me, James, when that man picked up the gun, did you wish me dea..."
"Don't." Barnes stopped him, before he finished the question. "Don't you dare asking me about it now."
The soldier should have expected it as well. If Bucky didn't want to leave, Zemo would create an unplaest atmosphere to have Barnes go away by himself. In any other situation, the soldier would do it, but presently he knew the cause of such behaviour and that Baron wasn't thinking clearly.
"Listen," Bucky started carefully. "your butler isn't in good shape right now, but his condition is stable. Moreover, he has army of doctors, who will do all what they can to have him survive. I'm sure that by the end of the year, he will still terrorize the palace's staff as efficiently as before (Ugh, me included.). "
"You can't be certain of that." Barnes could swear that the man practicality sobbed out the sentence.
"I can." he said with a strong confidence. "because I know the guy, he has never gone down without a fight, he won't now. Especially, that his job on this world hasn't been finished."
Zemo flinched, as they both were aware, what or rather who, was the butler's mission.
"Why are you here, James?"
"Oeznik asked me."
Only then Baron turned around. If not for the seriousness of attack from days ago, Bucky would say that the astonishment on Baron-King's face was worth remembering.
"Yeah, I was surprised too."
"You have never been found of each other, why..."
"I'm fulfilling a request of an old hurt man, who was deeply worried about his adopted grandson. Stars, he practically begged me to come to you." The Winter Soldier rarely was able to believe that Zemo could feel remorse, but it seemed that he did. "but... the thing is that he told me to come to you exactly today at this hour."
Silence, but also no order of him leaving. Suddenly, it was Bucky, who started wondering if it was appropriate of him to pester Zemo. Baron-King thought himself as responsible for his subjects, whom sadly he failed to protect. What's worst, it happened during a very tearful ceremony. Bucky was hardly a fan of Baron, but he wasn't so sadistic as to kick an already broken man.
Was it possible that he misunderstood Oeznik? The butler was surely taking a lot of painkillers and other stuff, maybe Barnes just heard an incoherent mumbling of an old man. Therefore, the messenger, who asked him to come to the hospital, also could have misread the request.
"Listen," Barnes spoke softly. "it isn't my intention to cause you more pain. It's late and we all had a difficult couple of days...I'm sorry... I will leave now."
"Wait."
The word was said quickly, but before Baron sat at his bed, passed another five minutes. The light from the lamp was stronger from that place, allowing Bucky to see the man more clearly. If the soldier thought Zemo looking tired, he was completely wrong. Baron-King didn't just look weak, but was totally exhausted. Red eyes, messy hair and rumpled night clothes only underlined the poor state.
When Sokovian patted a place next to himself, Barnes didn't hesitate and joined him instantly.
"You already know that I lost my family during the attack at Novi Grad." Baron started slowly.
James nodded.
"When the fight was over, I couldn't contact my father and wife, so I went to seek them by myself." the man took a very long and deep breath. "The house was in ruin, I started digging, I was stopping only when my body refused to move."
Zemo obviously wanted to reach for a new glass and pour himself a whisky, but he didn't in the end. It wouldn't help in anything anyway.
"I needed to dig for sixth days to find them. The sun set down, but the moon was so bright at that night. I didn't know why but I looked at my watch..."
It was then, when Sokovian lost it and grabbed the clock from the bedside cupboard and threw it in the farest corner of the room. Bucky nervously glanced at the door, presuming that guards would rush in at any second, but no, there was no action. Why would there be? Inside was the Winter Soldier, their King was safe.
"I can't forget it, I've never been able to forget it!"
Tears soon followed and Barnes forced himself to put his human palm on Zemo's back.
Truth to be told, James was always surprised that Baron was so calm during each anniversary. He was explaining to himself that Zemo was probably able to bury all emotions deep down, but he was completely wrong. The worst day in the man's life, wasn't the destruction of Novi Grad, but the day, when he found bodies of his child, wife and father, because then all hope, that maybe by some miracle, they could still be alive, was lost.
Oeznik had to knew it and kept Baron company in last two years, but he wasn't able to join his master in the current one. Bucky couldn't blame the butler for asking the Winter Soldier to spend that painful time with Zemo. Both of them understood that Baron-King couldn't look vulnerable publicly and Barnes was the only one, who would never revel the secret.
"They were still together..." James picked words between Zemo's sobs, who was practically leaning over him.
Sokovian didn't vanish during the Blip, he had been in the prison for more than five years. If that day was constantly causing him to grief, how did he survive it back then?
"...I miss them..."
It didn't take long for Baron's lips to touch his, but Bucky didn't resist. It was a touch of emotionally starving man and for that one moment, he wouldn't push him away. As the kiss lasted a good long minute and Baron was even brave enough to straddle him, it was obvious that Zemo allowed to rule his heart over him than listen to the voice of reason, and when Bucky's head hit the pillow, he considered to stop it. However, as Baron gazed into James' blue eyes, he seemed to come to his senses at last, as if suddenly understanding what he was doing and immediately hid his face into soldier's clothes with shame.
"I apologise." Zemo said, from his place over the soldier's heart.
"It's OK." Bucky reassured him by patting his back and non-verbally informing that Baron didn't have to stand up right away.
"Do you also have a day, which you would like to just erase from the existence?"
"Most of them."
"When Thanos made people to vanish... you disappeared as well, but then you returned to another different world. It sounds so strange, how did you manage with that?
About what Zemo really wanted to ask was: if the loss of Rogers made him feel in the same way as the Baron, and Bucky knew it. Sokovian couldn't be aware that Steve actually regained his life anew and James wasn't able to give him a proper answer, but it did hurt, from other reasons.
"I had help." Bucky chose to say aloud. "but that day... I can't count it as a bad one."
Zemo glanced at him confused.
"We won. Many were brought back and even with those, whom we lost during the battle, there was such great joy." he explained. "I could only imagine how horrible it was before, but suddenly everyone were so happy. You just felt it in the air." then he asked hesitantly: "Did Oeznik also...?"
"No, he didn't vanish." the man replied. "However I was a special case. Only a few individuals were permitted to visit me, none of them, whom I was found of. Also, receiving packages was extremely restricted."
"That man is indestructible," Bucky groaned. "even Thanos couldn't get rid of him..."
"Indeed." To soldier's relief, a small chuckle came from Zemo's mouth.
Another minute of silence and if not for Barnes' super hearing, he would have missed Baron's words, muffled by his clothes.
"Please, stay."
"I will." he answered, when moving himself and Zemo in a more comfortable position and putting a duvet above them both.
ooo
Bucky woke up only, when another butler (Oeznik's temporary replacement) informed him with a terrified voice that it was almost the noon. Of course, James was aware that Zemo got up much quicker, but Baron said himself that he could sleep longer if he wished so. However, Barnes had never expected that he would wake up so late.
The butler 'ran away' as soon as he noticed that the soldier raised his head. Well, at least he left a breakfast on a table nearby and to Bucky's surprise, his dog tags were next to him on the pillow.
ooo
"I visited Oeznik in the morning." Baron informed his Winter Soldier later during the same day, when they both were alone in Zemo's main cabinet. "He sends his regards to you. I'm also very grateful for your company during the last night."
"Yeez, the whole palace probably thinks that we slept with each other. You could at least be less formal."
"I'm afraid that it may be sometimes difficult to take a break from the chosen role." he answered with a familiar smirk.
"Then, I have a request."
"Please, speak."
"You're taking me on the anniversary in next year."
"Yes, I've also thought..."
"I haven't finished." Bucky stopped him. "I'm not asking to not repeat the last incident, but to show you that something has to change. I may seem strong and untouchable, but I've lived with your people for three years and even if I don't agree with your strategy ("Quite often." Zemo added.), I don't want anyone to get hurt." he took a deep breath. "Not all super soldiers are heartless, as your propaganda suggests, and we are capable of caring."
"My people may not think as that, when you will show with me." Baron reminded him gently.
"That's why, I would be very grateful if you could consider allowing Wanda Maximoff to pay a respect to the place of her brother's death."
Zemo suddenly looked like a fish, which was taken out from water. He was more shocked than angry, as he couldn't say a word.
"Listen, you don't have to answer it now." Bucky saved him from further embarrassment. "Take your time. A week. A month. How much you need it."
"What if you won't like my decision?" Baron's posture changed.
"Sokovia is Wanda's home too. If any super human should be allowed to come here, she would be the one, whom I would choose."
Bucky expected another comment how dangerous it could be, but instead Zemo only sighed and shook his head.
"I've never thought that you could be so problematic."
Barnes shrugged and forced himself to not smile, as maybe somehow he managed to influence the Baron-King in doing something against his strict code.
"I will reconsider it, but I cannot promise anything."
"It's understable."
"Well, I'm afraid that I must go back to my work." he said, while sitting at his desk. "Please take the rest of evening off. And also - have a good night, James."
"Goodnight, Zemo."