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It`s been not so long since he got here. Only a few months past since Dora Milaje brought him to the Raft basically transferring him under government`s custody.
Helmut honestly hoped they would leave him in Wakanda. Maybe he would even be able to pull out some escape plan stealing something from them in the process.
But after all they wouldn`t hesitate to kill him. So, in the end Baron didn`t mind staying in the Raft prison cell if that meant that nothing is going to threaten his life for the time being.
The place was more than comfortable. Even though it was a prison his bed was always clean and food somewhat bearable. Helmut used to be in worse situations and this one was tolerable. He even got a few books and a radio to spend his false comfort days.
His cellmates were chill and he rarely if ever heard them at all. Practically nothing disturbed his peace plus he was used to being alone. So, most of the days he just spent thinking or reading philosophical books. It helped him to clear his mind.
Though one thing still managed to disturb his idyllic prison life. Sergeant James Barnes started visiting him.
At first Helmut thought that he`s being delusional and just imaged The Winter Soldier standing on the other side of the cell studying his surroundings. Bucky clearly didn`t intent to start any conversations with Helmut which made the man annoyed at first.
“Don`t look so smug. I may be imprisoned yet I`m still capable of some things.”
Bucky twitched from Helmut`s sudden commentary and locked his eyes on the man behind the bars.
“What do I owe for such an unexpected visit?”
James just shrugged his shoulder and turned around going away never to be seen again.
“Just checking in.”
“You know it`s rude to walk away like that.”
The man turned around and glanced one last time on Helmut. Baron noticed dark circles under his cyan eyes.
“Don`t care.”
After that small talk Helmut didn`t hear from him for a few weeks. The man thought that James simply was making sure Baron couldn`t escape this time. Well to be honest even if Helmut would find a way to do so he was pretty sure that Dora Milaje would be on their way to catch him again. And when they would succeed in that it wouldn`t end that great.
So Helmut just waved it off like nothing happened. It`s not like he was interested in that weird meeting. After all he still had his own problems that needed to be solved and other stuff to bore him to death like finishing reading his books. Not as if he had anything else to do.
But when Bucky showed up the second time that`s when Baron got intrigued. He was more than sure that visiting hours in the Raft were limited if they even existed and the fact that Sergeant James Barnes himself somehow managed to get the pass from the government made him acknowledge the situation.
“Came here to apologies?”
Helmut stood up from his bed and came closer the bars. Bucky was standing arms crossed on his chest examining the cell. As Baron said that the man just hummed in response not even bothering to look up.
“Well, apology accepted. Anything else for Captain America`s right hand?”
Bucky`s eyes went dark. For some reason he didn`t like that nickname. And Helmut questioned himself why.
“Don`t call me like that.”
“Would you prefer to be called the Winter Soldier in exchange?”
James growled furiously looking at the man.
“I`m way past that. And I have a name you know.”
“Is that so?”
Baron`s mouth widened in a smirk. He found it joyful to tease Bucky that way.
“Желание.”
Bucky`s eyes narrowed and his posture stiffed.
“Ржавый.”
He looked like a statue. James made zero movement and just locked the eyes with Helmut`s.
“Семнадцать.”
“Stop that.”
“Рассвет.”
The man sprinted towards the cell grabbing the bars with both hands. The iron made a screeching sound when vibranium wrapped around it.
“We both know it won`t work. So why the hell you keep doing that?”
Bucky was furiously staring into Baron`s chestnut eyes.
“Could ask you the same thing. Why you keep coming here?”
All of a sudden it got quiet. Bucky let go the cell bars and put hands in his pockets.
“Told you before.”
“Yeah, I won`t buy that.”
The man`s lips thinned into a straight line. Bucky looked Helmut up and down and Baron got a feeling that he himself doesn`t know the answer.
“Not my problem.”
“Well then, keep your secrets for now.”
They stared at each other for some time before Bucky once again turned around leaving the prison cells.
And he kept coming back over and over. And all their visits played by the same scenario. Helmut teased him, James got mad, then they talked about nothing and he always left the Raft only to be back a week or a few later.
At some point Baron started questioning him about the world outside. Not like he cared about that much but for some reason he got a feeling that maybe it had something to do with his now expected visitor.
“So, what`s the new Captain America up to these days?”
Bucky was sitting in a chair he got from the guards. Helmut guessed it would be easier for them to talk if they were relaxed. So, the chair was like a peace offering from Baron.
“Sam`s negotiating with T`Challa about resource exchange.”
“Got some troubles in paradise?”
Bucky shrugged looking to his side.
“Someone`s dealing illegal vibranium. Wakandian`s think it`s us. We think it`s Russians. Not much.”
Helmut was weirded out how willingly James was talking about it. Not like it was some government secret considering it`s been all over the news. Still, it felt wrong to tell a prisoner and an ex-terrorist such things.
“I`m sure you`ll figure it out.”
Suddenly Bucky stood up coming closer to the cell.
“We could use your help.”
Helmut got startled. He even stopped pretending he was reading a book and looked at the man in front of him.
“What, you want to bail me out of here or something?”
“In your dreams.”
Baron put down the book on the bed and got closer.
“So, what is it you want?”
“Information. From the locals.”
Helmut`s lips widened in a smirk.
“Sorry to disappoint you but they usually don`t let us chat with anyone beside guards in here. Which means I have zero information on your case.”
“Well, you must know something.”
“I highly doubt that. You`re the only one who`s been visiting me these days and considering that you are not the criminal they want I can surely say I know nothing.”
Bucky looked frustrated. He obviously wanted to help his friend and partner Sam with anything at all, but James made the wrong call this time. As for Helmut, he still questioned Bucky`s presence here thinking the hard case was not a real reason.
“Is that why you came here in the first place?”
“What?”
“You`ve been visiting me for a few months now and I always asked myself why. A tough case is a good reason but the fact that those questions came up just now tell me otherwise.”
Bucky`s cyan eyes narrowed in response. He clearly was showing no appreciation to this topic. But Helmut was in no mood to drop it that fast.
“I don`t get where this is going.”
“I think you do.”
“No, I don`t.”
Bucky squeezed his palm hard into a fist. His vibranium hand was trembling and the way he looked at Helmut made the man swallow a lump in his throat. But it was too late to hit the brakes anyways.
“I`ve let you leave the situation for the time being but now as you`ve already asked your questions I want to know the truth. Why are you really here, James?”
His question was met with silence. Bucky looked at his feet and Helmut unintentionally compared him with a puppy who got caught red-handed near the stained carpet.
“Answer me, James.”
“I don`t know.”
Helmut was not satisfied with such an answer. He needed to know. He wanted to know. They can`t continue this game forever.
“What are you doing here?”
“I don`t know.”
“You don`t know or you just don`t want to know?”
“I don`t.”
“James.”
“I don`t know.”
The eyes in front of him for sure hid more than Bucky was saying. Helmut was pissed. They can`t keep repeating the same pattern over and over. They need to stop. And he knew just way to do so. Even if meant he would never see James ever again.
“Отвечайте, солдат.”
Vibranium fist crushed into a wall near the cell bars. Helmut squeezed his eyes shut. His breath was quivering, and he felt the plaster dust settle on his face.
While he was trying to calm down, he heard the footsteps and the screeching sound of a chair leaving the room. He was left alone with only the deepening in the wall on the other side of his cell.
After that incident Baron was now sure that his previous guesses were wrong. And now he also had zero ideas to why James visited him. He reconsidered that maybe Bucky wanted something else from him though it still made no sense as to why he decided to pay him such often visits.
Well, there was no way he would get the answer now. It`s been a month since their last talk and James hasn`t showed up even once. Helmut was a little annoyed and maybe even sad that they ended up on that kind of note. As he replayed the incident in his head, he considered that he may have gone too far that time. Maybe he would`ve changed things if he could. But that`s a possibility he will never get.
Helmut heard the footsteps coming closer to his cell from the entrance. The shadowy figure stopped about 10 meters away hidden in the darkness of the prison. During late evenings only the dim light inside the cells were working so Baron couldn`t see anything behind the bars.
He watched as the figure hesitated for a moment thinking if it should even show itself or not. Helmut got intrigued but made no movement still sitting cross legged on his bed pretending to read a book. The late visitor should make decision on his own without Baron`s help.
The figure finally started moving coming closer to the cell. As the dim light fell on James, Helmut quickly glanced at him returning his gaze back to the book. Bucky`s face expressed no emotions. His lips were pressed together shut into a thin line, cyan eyes inspecting the man behind the bars.
Helmut still pretended he didn`t see him. Though he was sorry for his actions before yet he couldn`t help but play a little game. He turned the book page, eyes following the lines on the paper.
With the corner of his eye, he saw James gesture with his head to his left where he left a hole last time. The workers quickly fixed it and it was good as new now.
“Sorry for the wall.”
“No need to apologies. I was the one who provoked you.”
Helmut looked into cyan eyes in front of him. Both men said nothing for some time just staring each other down. It felt like they were playing peepers. Baron was the one who broke first. He let go of book standing up and leaving it on the desk near the radio.
“Heard that case of yours got closed. Though they didn`t say why on the news.”
Helmut stood inches apart the bars, hazel eyes once again locked on James`s cyan ones.
“Hydra`s spies stole the supply and sold it on the black market. We caught some of them though many managed to escape.”
“I see. Good thing I had nothing to do with it after all.”
“You still could`ve known something.”
“Trust me, if I did, my name would already be outed many times by now.”
James looked different. He looked like he barely if even slept. Helmut thought that must have been the case`s fault.
“I guess so.”
“Well, I`m glad we`re here on the same page.”
They once again got surrounded by silence. Helmut couldn`t help but wonder what brought Bucky here this time. James knew Baron had nothing to do with his case and visiting him just to tell that would be stupid. So the question Helmut thought was long gone reappeared in his mind.
“Why did you cross out your name from the list?”
Bucky asked this touching freshly painted wall. It left plaster dust on his vibranium and he rolled it in his fingers.
“I told you. We are even.”
“Is that so?”
James mimicked Helmut`s tone in response. This made Baron smirk.
“As I remember you needed to finish that list for your psychiatry sessions. So, let`s say I helped you out with that.”
“How generous of you.”
Helmut`s smirk got wider as he saw Bucky rolling his eyes. Baron didn`t lie about that. He really thought they were even. They both sabotaged and helped each other many times. So if they just continued that path it would led them to nowhere. He thought it was better to end it there so it wouldn`t bring more trouble later.
“Why didn`t you shoot me?”
The question came out of nowhere and it made Bucky pause for a second. Helmut was not even sure why he asked. His subconscious just drifted away, and his mouth just said what he wanted to ask for a very long time.
He was not even sure Bucky would answer. The man in front of him studied Helmut closely with his gaze. Cyan eyes inspected every inch of his face to the point when Baron felt uncomfortable.
“Guess I thought it wasn`t the right time.”
Straight and honest answer. Helmut smiled. He didn`t even intend to look smug right now. And he saw James starring surprisingly at him.
“Oh, how generous of you, James.”
Helmut let that sentence hang in the air still softly smiling at the man. Bucky`s name rolling from his tongue sound playful if not to say coquettish. James got startled for a few moments.
Baron could swear he heard the gears turning inside the man`s head. He didn`t think he could break the mighty killing machine just with one word. Well, to be fair Bucky claimed he was himself now so there was a possibility he simply caught the flirty notes in Helmut`s tone comparing them with the ones that girls in the bar usually have. Must have been a long time since someone spoke to him that way.
Bucky was still staring at him without any signs of frustration or annoyance like during their previous conversations. Baron caught a glimpse of something in his eyes though he couldn`t identify what it was. It was now when he made up his mind to ask one last question for the day.
“Why did you come back?”
James stared him up and down one last time settling on something in his head.
“I… don`t know.”
And again, it was an honest answer. Helmut knew for sure. The eyes in front of him didn`t lie this time. He didn`t want to push their dialog any further somewhere James wouldn`t like. So Helmut finally broke eye contact returning back to his bed and laying down. Arms crossed under his head he closed his eyes and made a somewhat tired yawn basically proclaiming that this conversation has run itself out. At least for now.
“You should get going. Late visitors aren`t that welcome in here.”
He heard Bucky chuckle.
“That`s rude you know that?”
“Someone I know does the same.”
Helmut heard James satisfied hum and his footsteps moving away to the exit.
“Till next time, White Wolf.”
His ears caught another hum and Baron opened his eyes watching James`s figure going away and disappearing into the darkness leaving Helmut in the dim light of his prison cell.
Helmut smiled closing his eyes and letting himself drift to sleep. He knew James will be back.
He always comes back.