Chapter Text
Your world has been black and white, ever since you were born. That meant you had a soulmate. You should've been thankful, but as you looked around, first in kindergarten, then in school, and later in the training center you've attended, you couldn't help but feel jealous. Most people could see colors, either because they met their soulmate early on, or they didn't have one in this life. You sometimes wished you didn't have one either.
In order to forget about your pathetic life, you jumped into training. You were relatively young when the Avengers first appeared, and since that day, you wanted to become a part of the team. You eventually did.
They have never seen someone as skilled as knives as you, and that's a bold thing to say, considering Natasha Romanoff was an Avenger. They took you in, and soon enough, treated you as one of them. You were happy.
A loud bang on the door made you sit up, forgetting about the sweet memories that happened all those years ago.
"Are you ready, princess?" the familiar voice came soon after the banging, which you realized was knocking.
"Fuck off, Barnes," you rolled your eyes, but opened the door. "You guys finally got a plan?"
"It would've been easier with you there," Bucky chuckled, "but yes. We're going undercover."
You blinked slowly. "Undercover."
"Well, yes," Bucky said, crossing his arms. "Wilson as some guy named Smiling Tiger, Zemo as himself, and me as the Winter Soldier."
"What about me?" you asked. Of course, you knew they wouldn't leave you out of this mission, but the fact Bucky didn't say anything about your role almost made you worried.
"Yes, about that," he stalled, "you would play, uh, zemo'sboyfriend."
"I'm sorry, what was that?" you squinted, hoping you didn't just hear the words you thought you heard. Bucky sighed.
"Your role is Zemo's innocent and scared boyfriend, and I know how that sounds, but it's the only logical-"
"How is me being a fucking psychopath's boyfriend logical?" you interrupted Bucky, who just rolled his eyes.
"You can also sit this one out."
"You're an asshole, Barnes."
So that's how you ended up next to him, in a ridiculously tight tank top, and a suit jacket over it. He was looking smug as always, but you considered yourself to be a pretty decent actor, so you played along, slipping your hand in his, and when inside the club in Madripoor, giggling at his dumb jokes. They weren't funny. Obviously.
Then, you were dancing. You weren't sure how he managed to pull you close, but you gave in. Anything for the success of this mission, you reasoned, as he snaked his arms around your neck.
"How are you so short," you laughed into his ear after you pulled him so close it felt like an embrace. You couldn't hear him laugh, but you felt his shoulders shake for a bit, then he pulled away with a smile. You didn't let yourself think about how you forgot to breathe for a second.
"Did you forget you're wearing platforms?" he asked, and you looked down. You could barely call the boots you were wearing platforms, but they did give you an extra inch in height. You were still taller than Zemo without them, but decided to let him have this one, and just laughed.
After some meddling, and in Bucky's case, fighting, you were finally led to a room with Selby in it. The person you imagined looked nothing like the real deal. She was sitting on a couch, looking like she owned the world, as she motioned towards the other couch for Zemo and you to sit. Sam and Bucky stayed standing opposite sides of you, and to make it feel more natural, you put your hand on Zemo's shoulder.
"Well, this one's new," Selby nodded towards you, but kept the eye contact with Zemo. He chuckled, and looked at you for a moment.
"Yes," he replied, looking back at Selby. "Might be the last one."
"You always say that," Selby laughed, and leaned forward. "So?"
"So what?" Zemo asked, but based on the way he lowered his voice, he knew exactly what was going on. You gulped, feeling the tension in the room, but didn't move your hand.
"You always give us a show, that's why I even let you see me," Selby leaned back again.
"Not because of the Soldier?" Zemo motioned towards Bucky, and put his arm around your shoulder in the meantime, similarly to what you did to him.
"Well, it was indeed intriguing," Selby said. "But it's not worth it without the usual. I heard this one was different, but the gossip didn't do him justice."
You felt the hair on the back of your neck rising as she looked at you, kinda like a hungry hyena. Zemo chuckled again, this time with an edge.
"This one's not comfortable with that," he said eventually.
"Why don't we ask him?" Selby smiled, still looking at you. The pressure on your shoulder grew as Zemo squeezed it slightly. You couldn't decide if it was to calm you, or himself. "Would you like to make out with your boyfriend to make us happy, sweetheart?"
Your first thought was "call me sweetheart again and i'll fly a knife into your head", but then your brain processed the rest of the sentence.
"Oh, I," you tried not to stutter, but the room felt too warm for you to not know you were blushing. "I mean-"
"You're taller than I'd heard, Smiling Tiger," Selby suddenly pointed at Sam. Oh, shit. Before he could say something stupid, you laughed quietly, and turned to face Zemo on the couch. The room went quiet for a second, before cheering took the silence's place. Zemo looked at you, and you couldn't help but wonder what color his eyes were. They looked dark gray, so you assumed they were brown. Then, you couldn't think anymore.
His mouth pressed against yours, and you immediately felt this wasn't for either of you. This is what Selby meant by putting on a show. Zemo pressed open-mouthed kisses on your lips, making sure his hand didn't block the view. Your eyes were closed, but you felt his breath against your lips as he sighed, and let his arms wrap around your neck, just like on the dancefloor. Then, he pulled you closer, and you let out a shaky breath, cause fuck, that felt good.
Your arms found their way around his waist, and you pulled him so close he was almost sitting in your lap. He let out a small noise, and kissed you again, for real this time. You had your fair share of kisses in the past, but they never left you feeling like this, like you found a part of you that's been lost, and you never wanted to let go of it ever again. With a last caress of your cheek, he pulled back just a bit, and gasped quietly. You furrowed your brows, and opened your eyes.
Oh, fuck no.
Your head started hurting by the amount of colors you were seeing, but pushed your worries and anxiety down. You couldn't let Selby know this was your first kiss, let alone your first kiss with your soulmate. Who was Zemo. Calm down, heart.
"Well isn't this boytoy an enthusiastic one," Selby beamed, and you let yourself relax a bit. You just had to get the information, get out, and then talk to Zemo. Or maybe ignore him until you forget you ever saw the world in black and white. "What's the offer?"
"Tell us what you know about the supersoldier serum," Zemo spoke up, his voice a bit shaky. Thankfully, Selby seemed to write it up for the makeout session she just witnessed. "And I give you him," he stood up and stopped next to Bucky, "along with the codewords to control him, of course."
You felt your muscles tense, but a quick glance at Sam made you force yourself to relax again. The man looked ready to jump at Zemo's throat at any minute. You caught his eye, and sent him a glare that calmed him down. He knew you'd never leave without Bucky.
"Now that's the Zemo I remember," Selby smiled, and she almost looked friendly, if it weren't for the fact that you were sitting in a room full of hitmen. "The supersoldier serum is here, in Madripoor. Dr Wilfred Nagel is the man you wanna thank. Or," she stopped for a second, looking around the room, "condemn, depending on what side you're on."
"Is Nagel still in Madripoor?" Zemo asked after sitting back on the couch, not batting an eye. You were almost impressed. Then, worry started to fill your mind. What if nothing changed for him? You've read about people who had a soulmate, but they weren't their soulmate's soulmate. It was rare, but it happened. Also, didn't Zemo have a wife before this? Maybe she was his soulmate. Maybe-
"Before you get all cute," Selby's voice slipped into your mind, stopping your train of thought. "Don't think you can find Nagel without me."
Before anyone could say anything, a buzzing sound made you jump. It came from Sam. For fuck's sake.
"Answer it," Selby said, looking at Sam's phone. You slowly but casually reached down to your right boot, where your knife was hiding. You hid it under your hand, and waited for the shitshow as Sam put Sarah on speaker. You could've gone away with it, actually. Sam did his best, but then…
"Sam, I'm sorry, I need to call you back," Sarah said through the phone. You closed your eyes for just a second, muscles tensing. You were ready to push Zemo out of the way, if you were fast enough, you could take out two guys, leaving one for Bucky, and one for Sam. But then again, Selby was there as well.
"Sam? Who's Sam?" Selby asked, panic rising in her voice. Shit. "Kill them."
Without having a second to jump into action, Selby fell to the ground, blood rising around her. You didn't hesitate, and neither did the others. You knew Sam and Bucky got their guys, and so did you, with a well placed hit at the back of one's neck, leaving the other for a one-on-one. He aimed his gun at you, but you managed to kick it out of your face, and dash your knife across his arm. As he fell to the ground in pain, you ran after Zemo, who was waiting for you three.
"Thanks for the help," you said sarcastically, but he didn't give you any mind. "They're gonna pin this on us."
"We have a real problem now," he finally said. "So leave your weapons, and follow my lead."
As you walked out, you could hear everyone's phone ring. You guessed it wasn't an invitation to a party. Then, the gunshots started.