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Bucky Barnes could speak Italian.
Considering the number of other languages he knew and all the skills he had from his decades as the Winter Soldier, knowing Italian wasn’t something that the super soldier would say anyone should write home about. The thing that made the fact that Bucky could speak Italian special though, was that he’d learnt the language before he’d been caught by Hydra. He’d grown up in a neighbourhood that had a lot of Italian Americans; so he’d picked up the language pretty quickly.
When he’d broken free from Hydra’s clutches and Shuri had removed the programming from his brain, he’d spent time reacquainting himself with the language and had been pleasantly surprised by how quickly everything he knew from before had come back to him. His ability to speak the language hadn’t been detailed in any of Hydra’s records and seeing as he was never sent there for any missions, it was easy to keep the ability a secret. The only person who knew he spoke Italian was Sam.
Sam only knew because they’d been having lunch together one time at the local, homemade Italian restaurant near his apartment and Bucky had become so annoyed with the way Sam had butchered the pronunciations of the various dishes that he couldn’t help but growl out the man to stop before ordering for both of them in perfect Italian. Sam had looked at him with an expression that said he was both impressed and annoyed, before telling Bucky that he “better not have ordered him frogs legs or some shit.”
Bucky had just glared at him before saying “that’s French cuisine, asshole.”
As much as Bucky was glad to still know the language, he hadn’t had much need to use it.
Until now that is.
You see, because it wasn’t detailed in Hydra’s notes and Bucky hadn’t told anyone, that meant that a certain Baron was unaware that Bucky spoke Italian. Since the whole Flag Smashers situation, Zemo had been put on probation and now worked with Bucky (and Sam when he was available) to destroy any remaining Hydra members that were out in the world. And, as much as he hated to admit it (so he didn’t), Bucky was extremely fond of the Sokovian.
When the man wasn’t going out of his way to try and push Bucky’s buttons, he was the easiest person Bucky had ever worked with. He was lethal, intelligent and Bucky trusted him to watch his six. Hell, even when he was being a smirking nuisance, Bucky still liked the guy. It didn’t hurt that he was beautiful to look at as well. He hadn’t told any of this to Zemo though. As far as the baron was concerned, Bucky tolerated him and used the man to practice his scowling on.
It was probably why Zemo had started muttering in Italian in the first place.
Bucky knew the Sokovian was as fond of Bucky as he was of him; because despite how good Zemo was at manipulating others and wearing a carefully controlled mask on his handsome face to hide his emotions, Bucky had decades of experience at reading others. He could see the twinkle in Zemo’s eyes when he thought he wasn’t looking properly. He saw the way the man stared at his ass and quickly flicked his gaze away. He saw how much Zemo cared for him. And even if he hadn’t seen all of that, the Italian probably would’ve given it away sooner or later.
The first time it had happened, they’d been fighting some bad guys, when Bucky had had to pull a Neo (Sam had made sure The Matrix had been one of the films he’d caught up on) to avoid being sliced up like a hanging sausage. As he’d bent backwards and managed to throw a knife at the same time right into the guy’s eye, he’d heard the language roll of Zemo’s tongue..
“Porca puttana! Lui è cosi bello….flessibile troppo. (Holy fuck! He’s so beautiful… flexible too.) The Sokovian had muttered softly having just killed his own bad guy. Bucky’s not sure if Zemo forgot he had enhanced hearing or just thought that he’d been speaking too quietly for Bucky to have heard him over the sounds of Zemo’s sword clashing with the many objects the now-dead man had tried to attack him with; but it seemed that the Sokovian believed his musings hadn’t been understood by anyone but himself.
“Non sa cosa mi sta facendo? Oh, quanto vorrei che potesse usare quell bel corpo per scoparmi la prossima settimana (Does he not know what he’s doing to me? Oh, how I wish he could use that beautiful body to fuck me into next week.)
Bucky had had to stop himself from reacting to that; the image so clear in his mind he feared he was going to get a hard on then and there, and someone was going to think he got off on killing Hydra goons. (Which while killing Hydra was fun, he didn’t want to be known as the creepy super soldier that couldn’t control his dick.) Also, as Zemo was the only other person there that was still breathing, he especially didn’t want to be thought of as such, because that would be weird and ruin any chances he had with the man.
He covered the fact that he’d heard Zemo’s filthy mutterings by ripping his knife from the dead guy’s eye and stabbing him in the chest for good measure.
“I think he’s dead, James.” Zemo called over to him, wiping the blood of the blade of his sword on one of the dead guy’s clothes. (Bucky was adding that image to the list of things he shouldn’t find hot when surrounded by dead bodies. Worryingly, it was a quickly growing list).
“Just making sure. You never know with these assholes.” He growled out, as he walked over to where Zemo was stood.
“I—I didn’t know you could bend backwards like that.” Zemo said casually; the flush on his cheeks could easily be mistaken for exertion from the fight, but Bucky knew different.
“There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me.” He smirked, delighting in the confused frown causing Zemo’s brow to furrow.
Zemo didn’t stop though.
“Sono abbastanza sicuro che ci siano degli alberi senza tronchi da qualche parte. (I’m pretty sure there are some trees missing their trunks somewhere).” The Sokovian had muttered to himself moaning in despair and sexual frustration, when Bucky had wandered round the locker room in just his boxers after a shower, and his thighs and ass were directly in Zemo’s eyeline as he sat doing up his boots. Bucky was too close to the Sokovian for him not to have heard what he said, but as he didn’t react (well not that Zemo would have been able to see anyway- his dick was not in the Sokovian’s eyesight), Zemo assumed that Bucky didn’t understand what was being said.
“Questo stronzo non si rende conto di quanto tengo a lui? Se non avessimo già ucciso i bastardi che hanno fatto questo, gli avrei fatto il curo.” (Does this asshole not realise how much I care about him? If we hadn’t already killed the bastards that had done this, I’d wring their necks.) Had been softly, but frustratingly muttered while Zemo had cleaned a stab wound on Bucky’s back after Bucky tried to say it didn’t matter if he was hurt- he’d heal soon enough. Apparently, Zemo hadn’t liked it when Bucky had jokingly claimed that not many people would miss him if the bad guy’s aim had been better. Bucky had felt a warmth in chest at the Sokovian’s rant, and had sat still while Zemo had cleaned his wound in gratitude.
When Bucky had had a flashback when they’d been clearing out a Hydra base he’d destroyed the fucking chair that had been there and everything around it, before sinking to the floor and hugging his knees. He kept whispering to himself how much being wiped hurt, and he didn’t want to be used anymore. He didn’t want to be hurt.
Zemo had dropped his weapons on the floor and with no regard to his own safety had taken Bucky in his arms and just rocked him gently; whispering Italian to him. “Non avrei mai dovuto usarti, mi dispiace. Sie più coraggioso di chiunque abbia mai conosciuto.”(I should never have used you, I’m sorry. You’re braver than anyone I’ve ever known.)
Bucky hadn’t caught the rest of what Zemo had whispered as he held him tightly, too focused on trying to find his way back, but he knew how the soft whispers made him feel- loved and cared for. He wanted to tell Zemo that he didn’t need to apologise again- he’d already done it sincerely before and Bucky had forgiven him- but Bucky knows that when you’re emotions are running high, you say a lot of things you’ve tried to keep locked inside.
As Bucky became fully aware of where he was and who he was with, he felt grounded by the weight of Zemo wrapped around him. His comforting scent that never seemed to leave his skin helped him remember that he was no longer trapped with Hydra. And the splash of wetness on his cheek made him realise one of them was crying… and it wasn’t him.
“Torna da me Tesoro. Ti amo, James. Non so cosa farei senza di te.” (Come back to me, darling. I love you, James. I don’t know what I’d do without you.)
Bucky smiled hearing Zemo tell him he loved him. Now that he was fully himself again, he figured it was time he let Zemo in on his secret.
“Ti amo anch’io, bambola.” (I love you too, doll).
He felt Zemo stiffen minutely, before the Sokovian cuddled him closer. “I had a feeling you knew what I was saying, James. But as you never said anything, I wasn’t quite sure.” Zemo smiled and pressed a kiss into his hair.
“And yet you said it all anyway.”
“Yes well… It seemed the easiest way to deal with things. Either you didn’t know what I was saying in which you’d be none the wiser, or you did and you were waiting for the right moment to either kick my ass or tell me you love me.” Zemo blew out a shuddery breath then, the only sign apart from the tear tracks on his face that he had been upset witnessing Bucky have a flash back.
“I’m glad you chose the latter option.”
“I am too.”
He turned his head and captured Zemo’s lips with his; softly kissing the man that had come to mean so much to him. The man he trusted to keep him alive and to keep him in the here and now. Still, he couldn’t not tease him slightly.
“I can’t really show off my moves much in this position, but when we get back home, I’ll happily fuck you into next week if you’d like?”
The Sokovian huffed out a laugh and kissed him again.
“Puoi scoparmi quando vuoi, Tesoro.” (You can fuck me whenever you’d like, darling.)
“Now you’re speaking my language, doll.”