Tell Me You Love Me - Helmut Zemo x Reader

Chapter 7

He came into the room a few hours later, bringing a tray of food and a washcloth. Like usual, (Y/n) avoided eye contact, ignoring any food or drink he tried to give her. He sat down next to her on the bed, eyeing her now bloody black eye.

"I'm sorry." He apologized in a whisper. She stayed in the same position, avoiding conversation with him.

He dipped the washcloth in the glass of water, bringing it up to the girl's face. He tilted her head towards his, gently grabbing her chin in his hand. He began to wipe the blood off of her face. She winced at the light contact on her wound.

"I wanna go home." She quietly said, looking him in the eyes, tears beginning to run down her cheeks.

"Do you have to use the bathroom before I leave?" He questioned, ignoring her comment.

As he did, she ignored his question, pleading as she grabbed his arm,

"I promise I won't do it again, Helmut. Please let me out. I promise I won't. I'll be on my best behavior."

He pulled his arm out of her grasp, hesitating before leaving the room.

***

After a few days, Helmut decided to let her have free roam of the apartment again. For the next few weeks, they fell into a peaceful routine; Helmut was gentle with her as long as she behaved herself. Every day of the work week, Helmut went to work, leaving (Y/n) to explore and occupy herself with various books and movies.

Every night, she slept on the couch in the living room. She had nightmares every time she closed her eyes.

(Y/n) had mostly gotten used to her new life. She tried to look on the bright side of the situation; it could be a lot worse for her.

Everything was going fine until that one morning. She was overcome by nausea when she opened her eyes as she woke up. Helmut knew there was something wrong when she wasn't up and about at her usual time.

He knelt by her side, stroking her hair as he looked at the pained expression on her face.

"Hey. Are you alright? What's wrong, (Y/n)?"

"I don't know." She groaned, her hands shaking as she tried to sit up. Helmut held her shoulders, trying to give her some support.

"I'll go make you some tea. Sit and relax." He ordered.

As he walked into the kitchen to put on the kettle, she was hit with a massive wave of nausea, making her run into the bathroom and vomit into the toilet. Helmut followed her, rubbing her back and holding her hair back as she emptied her stomach into the toilet.

"I'll call out of work today, Okay?" He said to her as she wiped her mouth and flushed the toilet.

She nodded, leaning back against the bathtub. He observed her face, attempting to read her emotions as he brushed her hair over her shoulders.

She stood up, using the bathtub for support as Helmut went to tend to the screaming kettle. She began rummaging through the cabinets in search of a bottle of painkillers to ease her massive headache.

Shit. She thought to herself as a dizzy spell made her knock a bunch of items off of the shelves, the loud noise worsening her headache.

She gasped as she eyed a box of tampons that had tumbled from the shelf. When was the last time she had gotten her period? She couldn't remember. Her eyes began to fill with tears, blurring her vision. She fell to the ground, her knees giving out. Helmut rushed into the room after hearing her cries from in the kitchen.

"What is it, (Y/n)? What's wrong?" She jerked her arm away as he tried to comfort her.

He looked at the mess she had made, trying to find the source of what was upsetting her.

Was she pregnant? Would she be forced to have this baby that was a product of such a horrible thing?

Helmut scanned the room, his eyes landing on the scattered feminine products, realizing the conclusion she had come to. He knew how upset she must be, since she hadn't wanted this to happen, but he couldn't help but feel excited.

He might have another chance to be happy; to start another family. Engrossed in his own thoughts, he ignored her writhing tantrum on the floor. He remained wrapped in his mind until he noticed she had stopped crying. She sat on the floor, her back to him, staring off into space.

"Can I get you anything?" He softly asked, breaking the silence.

"Advil;" She replied quietly. "I have a headache."

She listened to his footstep as he walked out of the room to grab what she desired. He listened to her soft sobs as he went to retrieve the Advil from his nightstand.

As he handed it to her, the kettle began to scream, causing him to hurry out of the room to stop the horrible noise and prepare her tea.

Once he was out of the room, (Y/n) jumped into action, her hands fumbling as she quickly opened the almost-full bottle of painkillers. She grabbed a massive handful and shoved them into her mouth.

She lifted herself up to the sink and gulped down the pills before grabbing another handful and forcing those down as well.

"Here's your...", Helmut trailed off as he noticed the empty bottle of Advil lying on the floor. He quickly set down the mug on the counter, grabbing (Y/n) by the waist and pulling her to the toilet.

As she struggled, he overpowered her, prying her mouth open and forcing his fingers down her throat. She gagged, but nothing came up.

Through her tears, she pleaded,

"Just let me die."

She figured that death was the best possible solution in her situation. She would most likely never see her family again and this child would be raised in captivity. What kind of a life is that?

After ignoring her request, Helmut shoved his fingers further, feeling the back of her throat. The contents of her stomach emptied into the toilet, including the Advil.

Relieved, Helmut leaned back against the bathtub with a deep sigh. He gently pulled her towards him, resting her head on his chest as she cried. He stroked her hair with one hand, the other resting on her stomach.