Shared suffering (Bucky x Zemo) -> (Winterbaron)

Chapter 3

After 8 hours of sleep, both of them got up to work on the mission.

Bucky groans: "While I take a shower, I want you to work out a plan on how we obtain some leads on the case. Got it?"
Zemo replies: "Of course, Soldat."
Instead of reminding Zemo again not to call him that way, Bucky just groans in an annoyed tone and makes his way to the bathroom.

Zemo was wondering who of his contacts would have some knowledge of this matter and who of those would be more or less willing to actually tell them what they know. And that was the harder part. As Zemo heard that Bucky started showering, he walked to the hotel telephone and ringed a few numbers of a few of his contacts.

10 minutes later:
With a nice scent of shampoo and aftershave, Bucky left the bathroom to ask Zemo whether he has got anything. The baron found himself enjoying the scent of his soldat quite a lot but of course he wouldn't tell him.
Bucky: "Are you just going to keep staring at me or have you actually found out something useful?"

Zemo: "I've called three of my contacts whom I had expected to potentially know something about those events. Two of them say that they have contacts that had confirmed to them that the serum has been replicated in a country in Europe."
Bucky: "Which country in Europe?"
Zemo: "They refuse revealing the specific country unless I do each of them a favour."

Bucky sighed: "What do they want?"
Zemo: "They also refused to tell me the details on the telephone. They insist I must visit them to hear about the details of the favour."
Bucky groaned in an annoyed tone: "We don't have time for that! Every second we waste doing any favours, they will be spreading the serum on another continent."

Zemo shares his sentiment: "Believe me, I'm just as unsatisfied with this predicament as you are. Perhaps even more unsatisfied. But we have to start somewhere. We can't just keep sitting around in this hotel doing nothing and complaining, James."
Bucky sighed: "Alright, alright. Let's get going."

Bucky and Zemo now approached the door of Sam's room, knocking.
After a few moments, Sam opens the door: "I'm sorry you guys but I ain't got no time."
Zemo raised an eyebrow: "What is there more important than this mission right now?"
But to both Zemo's and Bucky's surprise, Sam just shot the door.

Zemo shot Bucky a look: "What has gotten into your friend, James?"
Bucky frowned: "Don't look at me like that. I have no idea. This is totally unlike him."
Zemo groaned: "We should leave without him then. We mustn't lose time."

Bucky asked: "Where exactly are we going anyway?"
Zemo mutters: "Main Street 22."
Bucky: "What's the name of your contact anyway?"
Zemo: "Do you really think I would reveal such confidential information?"

Bucky: "Your moral compass isn't very strong so I hoped you would."
Zemo: "Oh it is strong. Just more selective I guess one could say."
Bucky: "Isn't that... a contradiction?"
Zemo humms: "Once you understand it... you'll come to the realization that it isn't a contradiction."
Bucky just scoffs and glares at him: "We don't have time to indulge in nonsensical conversations."

Zemo: "As long as we're still walking while talking, it doesn't decrease our efficiency. So I wouldn't mind learning more about you, James~."

Bucky groans: "Why are you saying my name like basically all the time anyway?
Zemo humms: "It's a pretty name."
Bucky blushed slightly: "Oh... thanks. I would like to return the compliment but Helmut isn't really a name you could call pretty."
Zemo frowned and shut up for the rest of the walk until they arrived at the location.

Zemo coldy said to Bucky: "Just wait here for me outside. I don't wish to raise any attention. I'll get the information."
Before Bucky could say anything, Zemo went inside the building and shut the door.

Bucky pondered whether to follow Zemo but he decided on trusting him to get the information. He wasn't keen on showing it yet but he liked Zemo. Heck, Bucky even refused to admit it to himself properly.

Only if Zemo didn't return within the next 20 minutes, Bucky would go inside the building to search for him in case his contacts want to kill him or something like that. But he doubted this would happen. He knew that Zemo was an experienced criminal mastermind. He had faith that Zemo can pull this off.

Only 12 minutes later, Zemo returned back outside. Tho he had a small wound on his face.
More worried than intended, Bucky asked: "Zem-... What happened??!"

Zemo chuckled softly: "I see someone is worried for the likes of me?"
Bucky muttered: "Don't get cocky."

Zemo: "It took a lot of convincing and making a deal with them. They would tell me the information if I agreed on getting them the WinterSoldier. I agreed to it. They in turn told me the location and the organisation behind it. And then... they were useless to me so I had to... dispose of them because they wanted you. Well... actually not directly you... they wanted the WinterSoldier. And obviously, James, I couldn't let that happen. So you can imagine what I did to them afterwards."
Bucky glared at him: "You had no right to kill these people."

Zemo: "They wanted you back as the WinterSoldier, being under their control, committing crime and murder under their control. I can't have that."
Bucky just looked at him, for once he wasn't really certain what to say. He didn't want to think about the possibility that Zemo could like him back.

Zemo continued: "Anyway, I found out that the organisation behind the serum replication is Hydra. Specifically, their base in Austria."
Bucky slowly smiled at Zemo: "Good work, baron. I knew I could count on you."
Zemo returned Bucky's smile.

They had walked back to the hotel to inform Sam about their progress.
Sam's face lits up: "Well done, you guys. But..."
His face looked sad: "... unfortunately I can't join you. I gotta stay here. There is a family emergency. I know it's really bad timing. I'm sorry but I'm sure you guys can stop them without me."
Bucky was disappointed that Sam wouldn't be with them on this important mission but he understood why. So Bucky decided to not unnecessarily argue with him. Bucky just sighed, saying: "I.... It's okay, Sam. We can do this. I hope everything will be fine for us as well as for you and your family."
Then they hugged, saying their goodbyes. Zemo was just awkwardly standing around, watching them, not sure whether it was his place to say anything.
Then, after a few more minutes they departed and Bucky and Zemo went into their room again.

Bucky: "I suppose we're gonna fly to Austria with a private jet of yours?"
Zemo smirks: "Precisely."
Zemo then pulled out his phone and called Oeznik to inform him about the planned flight to Austria.

After finishing the call, Zemo reported back to Bucky: "Oeznik will be landing on the Blacksmith Alley 17 in... approximately 6 hours."
Bucky hummed: "We got quite some time to kill."

Zemo muttered: "I'm certain that spending that time with you together, will make those 6 hours fly by in a heartbeat."
Bucky blushed slightly: "I hardly believe this is the right time to flirt now."
Zemo smirked at him: "Who decides if it isn't? You~?"
Bucky: "Well... yes."
Zemo: "But I reckon it's the right time."
Bucky snarks: "Well then you're blind."
Zemo asks, raising an eyebrow: "When is the right time then?"
Bucky stutters slightly: "Once we sorted out the problem."

Zemo frowns: "Once we finish sorting out the problem, I'll be behind bars again, James."
Bucky: "Does the flirting have any point if it doesn't last?"
Zemo breaks eye contact: "It doesn't need to have a point for it to happen. Ever since my family has died, there has been no point for me to live. Yet here I am. Still living with no point at all."

Bucky: "I'm sorry, Helmut....So what shall we do? Go out on a date now?"
Zemo smiles lightly: "Are you asking me out genuinely or only out of pity?"
Bucky: "I'm not sure. Leave me alone for a few moments. I need to think about things."
Zemo then wordlessly left the room, giving his mission partner the space he was asking for.