Chapter Text
The Zemo family is one of the oldest remaining vampiric lines. Whilst being infamous amongst the vampire society of crime, blood, and magic, Helmut Zemo has successfully hidden his nature from the humans that have imprisoned him in the aftermath of his revenge mission on the Avengers. Whilst he gains little from his solitary confinement, and will outlive every human he encounters in the prison, he remains locked away. When James comes to visit him, with news of a new band of super soldiers, he is intrigued, but that is not enough to motivate him to leave his cell. Existing without blood for so long, he feels of little value to the team. He also feels that no human would ever be as kind to him as his sweet Heike. But then you arrive.
°•. ✿ .•°
“You shouldn’t be here.” He tells you, backing away to the other side of his cell.
“I’m not afraid of you.”
“You should be.” Half of his face is hidden in shadow, but you can see how pale he is. There’s a tiny shake in his hands as he pulls at the sleeves of his hoodie. Human food can sustain a vampire, but it’s not pleasant for them. Your heart aches for the man in front of you. “I already refused James. You won’t convince me.”
“I’m not here to convince you. I’m here to help you.” He laughs shortly,
“And what exactly could you help me with?”
“How long have you been here? Five years?” He sighs quietly.
“Eight.” Your face drops.
“You haven’t fed for eight years?” You ask him. Concern flickers in his eyes at your wording, as he begins to suspect you know what he is.
“They feed me here.” He says, still pretending.
“That’s not what I’m talking about.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Most vampires only last a few months locked up before they turn on the guards.” His eyes flicker up to the corner of the room in alarm. “Don’t worry, I disabled the cameras.” He laughs softly, but there’s no humour in it.
“Why would you do that?”
“Like I said, I’m not afraid of you. And I doubt you’d want the government to see this.” You pull off your jacket, placing it down on his bed.
“What are you doing?”
“Giving you something to drink.” You watch him swallow thickly as you unbutton the cuff of your sleeve.
“Directly from the source.”
“Well it’s not like I could smuggle bags of blood in here.” You pause, looking up at him. “Is that what you’ve been doing?” He shakes his head, his eyes fixed on your now bare forearm.
“What if I can’t stop?”
“You haven’t pounced on the guards in eight years.” You take a deep breath, before sitting down on the bed. “I trust your self control.” He sits down beside you. Your confidence is slowly dwindling. Vampires draw out the most animalistic instincts in humans. You know this. You’re very aware that it's only your mind responding to a predator. A predator that’s now leaning towards you.
“The tremor in your voice suggests otherwise. Do I scare you, little human?” His finger trails along your jaw, before brushing against your neck. His eyes flicker down to the scar there. “Or have you done this before?” You swallow hard before answering,
“I have. Although it was quite unwilling on my part.” He looks away quickly but you see how his eyes darken and you panic for a moment. He turns back to you in concern. “Breathe, little one. Blood is much better when it has oxygen in it.” You laugh softly, and he smiles at you. “Are you certain about this?” You nod,
“I want to help you.” He takes your extended arm in his hands, spending a moment to breathe in your scent before he extends his fangs and sinks them into your skin. It hurts. Of course it hurts. You can feel your heart pounding through your entire body as the blood pools into his mouth. He keeps the bite clean, holding your arm still as he drinks. You lean your forehead against his shoulder, trying not to react to the pain. When a small whimper escapes he stops, lapping his tongue against your skin carefully. Taking one hand, he tilts your head up to meet his eyes.
“Can you keep going?” He asks you. All that remains of the pain is a dull ache, so you nod. He leans down and continues to suck the wound, slowly and carefully. Once he’s done, he licks the blood from his lips and looks back at you. He already looks better. The colour is steadily returning to his face, and there’s a glimmer of something in his eyes that wasn’t there before. You can feel the warmth of his body, and you have the sudden urge to curl up beside him, searching for the warmth of the blood he’s taken. “You might want to work on controlling your adrenaline. Aside from that, you have the makings of a perfect blood pet.” You laugh shortly.
“Gee thanks.”
“Do you have any bandages?” You nod, attempting to stand to retrieve your bag but he stops you.
“Don’t stand.” He tells you, his hands on your thighs, holding you down gently.
“Alright, alright.” You concede. You don’t feel like you’ve lost a lot of blood, but you don’t want to be stubborn and then collapse on him. He picks up your bag and sets it down beside you. After a quick rummage through your bag, you pull out some bandages and Zemo gets to work wrapping the bite. Once he’s done you manage a quiet, “Thank you.” To which he squeezes your fingers gently between his own.
“I’m the one who needs to thank you.” He pauses, looking intently at you before he seemingly comes to a decision. “Will Sam and James be waiting for us?”
°•. ✿ .•°
You’re not sure if Sam and Bucky will notice anything off about Zemo. It’s only when the four of you are making your way to Zemo’s plane that Bucky makes a comment.
“What kind of pick me up did you give him? He looks about ten years younger.” He says quietly.
You glance over at Zemo, who meets your eyes, waiting for your response.
“Must be the rush of freedom. And I do give pretty good pep talks.” Bucky laughs and you feel a rush of relief. Zemo nods at you, a little surprised that you’d kept his secret. Once you’re settled on the plane, Zemo’s butler appears at your side with a plate of food. You thank him and accept it, sending Zemo a small frown. He glances down pointedly at your arm, then at the plate. You smile softly at him, before nodding your thanks. After a few tense exchanges, Sam finally steers the conversation towards where you’re headed. Madripoor.
“Zemo? Could I have a quick word?” He nods and the two of you move into the next room. “Madripoor? Are you serious?” You ask him, once you’re alone.
“Is there a problem?”
“Other than the fact that it’s the vampire capital of the world? How are we even going to walk around Madripoor with three humans?”
“Everything has been planned. James is the Winter Soldier, my hunter and tracker. Sam bears an uncanny resemblance to a vampire known as the Smiling Tiger. I, of course, will be myself.” You sigh, knowing it might just work.
“What about me?”
“You, Liebling, are going to be my pretty little blood pet.” He purrs with a small, self satisfied grin.
“Really?”
“It’s not too far from the truth.” You roll your eyes at him.
“None of that attitude in Madripoor, Liebling.” He warns you with a smirk, which you mirror.
“Yes sir. Or would you prefer Master?” He scoffs,
“Sir will suffice.” He notices your raised eyebrows. “What?”
“Nothing, I just thought the Baron would be more of a traditionalist.”
“I was raised to treat humans as equals. Should you want to call me Master, I want it to be your own choice.”
“You must be popular in Madripoor.” You remark, sarcasm lacing your tone. His only answer is a small hum. “We need to tell Sam and Bucky everything. We can’t let them walk into this blind.” He nods.
“After you.”
Sam and Bucky take it rather well. After all, they’ve fought aliens and met gods, so the existence of vampires isn’t too much of a surprise for them. Zemo provides as much advice as he can to help the two of them to blend in in Madripoor, while you add your own suggestions. It isn’t long before the plane touches down in Madripoor. Sam and Bucky have already dressed in their necessary outfits and are waiting outside the plane for you and Zemo. You adjust your dress slightly as you run your eyes over your reflection for a moment before heading back through the plane. Zemo leans against the back of one of the plane’s seats as he waits for you. He smiles when he sees your change in appearance, his eyes roaming over the sight of you in the dress he chose. You smile softly as you make your way towards the door.
“Wait.” Zemo says, as if he’s just realised something, and you stop beside him with a small frown. “You’re unmarked.”
“Oh.” Vampires are exceptionally territorial, any blood pet will be bearing the marks of their Master. No one will believe that you’re Zemo’s pet without his marks.
“I can offer you a few necklaces.” He suggests in an attempt to make you more comfortable.
“That’s not very convincing though, is it?” A small smile flickers across his face.
“Not very. But do you mind?”
“Nothing permanent.” You insist.
“Of course not. They should be gone within a day or two.” You nod and he steps closer. He holds your chin between his fingers, squeezing gently. You raise your eyebrows at him which draws a soft laugh from him. “You’d better lose this attitude, and start being a good little pet.” He turns your head to the side, bearing your neck to him, and you open your mouth to give some sort of reply. A reply which morphs into a contented hum when his lips meet your skin. He’s slow and meticulous, and it drives you insane. You cling to his coat, your nails digging into the thick fabric as he sucks and nips the marks along your throat. Claiming you as his, for everyone to see. He turns your head to the other side and moves his lips against your jawline. After a few softer kisses, he pulls back, his fingers still holding onto your chin. He smirks at the sight of your flushed skin and unfocused gaze. “Ready Liebling?” You blink a few times in an attempt to clear your head, before nodding.
“Ready.”
°•. ✿ .•°
Madripoor is the same as you remember it. Bright neon lights illuminating every entrance, the heavy bass from each bar and club echoing out into the street. Blood deals happening in the open street, dark plastic bags catching the pink and blue strobe lights from a nearby club entrance. The city is one of the few places on Earth where vampires can live freely. Meaning that the poor humans of Madripoor live in fear. The only humans you see are the pets of vampires, unclaimed humans aren’t stupid enough to be in the centre of the city at night. As you get further into the city, you find yourself pressing closer and closer to Zemo’s side. He seems to pick up on your increasing agitation, and slips an arm around your waist to pull you into his coat. You relax a little with your body pressed against his, the warmth of his coat allowing you to escape the cool night air. As you pass down a quieter alleyway you notice a distinct lack of footsteps behind you. Turning to peer out from Zemo’s coat, you find only a few vampires leaning against the wall to smoke.
“Zemo? Where’s Sam and Bucky?” Zemo turns and takes in the alleyway, devoid of your companions. The two of you quickly retrace your steps, as Zemo scans his eyes through the crowds. He guides you both to the side of the street and you continue searching for any sight of them. You hear Zemo swear under his breath. “What is it?” He leans down to point down the street, and you follow his direction until you see Sam and Bucky being handcuffed by a group of armed men.
“Do you see the tattoo on those men?” Your blood runs cold as realisation dawns on you.
“The Power Broker’s sigil.” Zemo frowns at you. “I used to live in Madripoor.” You explain, still looking at Sam and Bucky, so you don’t notice Zemo’s change in expression. “What do we do?”
“There’s nothing we can do at the moment without implicating ourselves.”
“Do you know where they’ll take them?” He nods,
“Most unclaimed humans are sent to the market. There’s usually an auction every morning. That’s where we can get them back.”
“I hope they follow my advice.” Zemo hums in agreement. “Is there some way we can pass a message onto them? So that they don’t try a prison break or something stupid.” He nods as he considers your suggestion.
“I have an idea.”