A/N: Let's imagine that in Madripoor an Oceanarium.

James was a mystery. A one, which Zemo promised himself to find out.

ooo

"Are you sure that we are in the right place, Sam?" Bucky asked. "I don't see anybody. There are only huge aquariums with fishes."

"Yes, you are. Sharon said so." he heard Wilson's voice in his earphone. "And if she stated that the guy, who can direct us to Nagel is here, then I believe her."

"I have super hearing and super sight." Barnes told him, while looking around for a tenth time, but he only noticed Zemo observing a group of shining jellyfishes with a deep interest. "There is nobody."

"Then we will have to wait."

"Ugh."

"Don't worry, Buck. There are only two entrances to the building. I and Sharon can take one per person. You and Zemo stay inside, just in case."

"Joy, I've always dreamed about spending my time in a fish house." he sneered.

"Oceanarium." Baron corrected him.

"And in a company of a psychopath." James groaned mentally. "As if it couldn't get any worse."

Bucky sat down and leaned over one of huge aquariums. He knew that it wouldn't break under his weights, but he still felt uncomfortable, especially that the machiavellistic Sokovian decided to place himself next to him.

"Taking all in the consideration," Zemo started after a moment. "we could have been forced to wait in a much worse conditions."

"Colourful sardines aren't my favourite type of a movie." the soldier answered dryly.

Barnes should have left the topic, but unfortunately he glanced at Baron's face, which didn't even try to mask the disgust, which appeared on it.

"What is it now?"

"Those 'sardines' are almost extinct."

"Seriously? People cry when they loose a dog or cat (even a hamster!), not some stupid fish, which they can't even touch. By the way how do you know that they are extinct? Are you also an ichthyologist or something?"

"It's written over there." Baron pointed at a small information board hanging close to both of them.

In next ten seconds, Bucky pretended that nothing had happened and he was in a much different place. On a sunny beach, for example, but he realised that a sea is also full of fishes. Why did he have to open his mouth!?

"Ichthyologist is a peculiar job," Zemo commented, while looking at him with a new curiosity. "would you care to explain me what does it mean?"

Indeed, Barnes should have bit his tongue in the beginning.

"That person is a marine biologist, who studies various species of fishes and classifies them." he answered automatically.

"Fascinating. I believe that you must have been interested in it in the past, as a young boy perhaps, as you know the definition."

"No."

Was it childish to dream about an octopus jumping out from the tank and landing on the psychopath's head?

"Oh, a pity." Zemo's enthusiast diminished, but basing on a small smirk, James knew that the man wasn't done yet. "I would have seen you as a fan of sharks."

"I'm a white wolf." he glared at Baron, when mentioning his nick name from Wakanda and hoping that it would make him shut up. Heavens and hells be dammed, if the man started calling him a... winter sardine. Yuck.

"Then I would call you a white shark."

"Then I would say that you are a piranha."

"Such crude idea, but well..." Zemo moved his eyes away from Bucky (at last!) to a huge aquarium with stingrays. "I must seem to look like it for some people. So, I presume that you were in an Oceanarium before, right?"

The bastard couldn't just leave it, could he?

"Once."

Barnes was asking himself why he was even replying on Zemo's questions. Shouldn't have they been watching for the informant to come inside?

"In New York? How did it look in your days?"

"It was in Tokyo." Bucky clarified and didn't know why.

Zemo stilled.

"I was on the mission as Winter Soldier," James explained. "My target was an ichthyologist and I found him in an Oceanarium."

Later, there weren't any comments or obnoxious remarks, Baron was only staring as a group of yellow fishes were circling the tank in an unknown dance. Barnes should have been glad, he gained the silence, which he so much desired, but somehow it caused him to feel even worse.

"That ichthyologist had a very powerful sponsors." Bucky continued. "There was a fight, I killed him and his bodyguards... a few water tanks were broken on the way... After a successful mission, I was sent on next one right away. Newspapers were rather loud about the incident in Oceanarium, it was hard not to miss this news... There were placed twenty endangered species, which became extinct in one single day... some stupid fishes... "

Bucky's therapist would have probably been glad, if she was here. Unfortunately, there was only Zemo and suddenly Barnes knew why he allowed him to talk, because he was slowly realising that the silence wouldn't bring any good. It was just a pure excuse to diminish his memories, which were coming to him anyway, whatever James wanted or not. Yes, Dr. Raynor would be definitely overjoyed.

"And what do you think of them now?" Baron's voice woke up him from his musings.

"I regret it, as almost everything in my life."

"No, James." Zemo spoke softly. "I mean about fishes over there."

Bucky raised his eyes and he saw a rainbow of colours. There were plenty of them, oblivious to the awful world around them, swimming happily in a safer place. Each different, but also the same.

"I think that they are beautiful."

Some new emotion appeared on Zemo's face, which Bucky couldn't read, but he was certain that it wasn't hatred or distaste. Still, it made Barnes uneasy, he was so used to the man's smug behaviour that he wasn't sure what to do next. He really needed to do something to bring the normality back.

"I know." James suddenly said.

"Huh?"

"Maybe piranha doesn't suite you, but you could be a red lionfish." he pointed at fish with red/white stripes. "They 'dress' nicely, just like you, but they are far from being defenceless. They have those venomous spines, which deter most potential predators."

"How do you know that? Is it some information from your past mission?"

"No, it's written over that small whiteboard."

"Touché." Zemo smirked and of course had to add: "So, you like my clothes, don't you?"

"I will kill the bastard!" Bucky screamed mentally.

"Hey, guys." they both heard Sam's voice in earplugs. (Thank heavens for small mercies.) "We have the informant and we know, where Nagel's lab is. Join us outside and we will tell you details."

"Finally!" Barnes said aloud. "Let's go."

ooo

James was a mystery. Even bigger than before. A one, which required further study. A one, to Zemo's surprise, with a heart.

A/N: this is what you get, when you go to Oceanarium XD a new idea for a fanfic.