The Tattoo Scene
Bucky gasped as he sat upon the yellow courteroy couch, panting from the nightmare. It wasnt the worst nightmare, but it was bad enough to make Buckys skin crawl with sweat and his heartbeat to race uncomfortably. He got up and went to the bathroom, pulling his sweaty and dirty feeling shirt off before splashing cold water on his face. He looked in the mirror and admired the tattoos adorning his torso and upper shoulders. A white wolf and a panther were placed together on his right pectoral muscle, with the Captain's shield over his heart and a few to commemorate the 40's. He had debated adding wings to it or leaving it be, a reminder of Steve rather than covering it with Sam when he already had a tattoo for his boyfriend. A pair of wings, similar to the ones on his Captain America suit, placed under his pecs with the middle aligned to his sternum. He had one of a white cat, Alpine, with pine trees in the background. It made the super-soldier inwardly laugh at the punny nature of that one.
Various other tattoos adorned his body, uncluding another captain america shield shown through a carefully placed tattooed skin tear. It covered the HYDRA branding he had, and it gave Bucky control of his own body much like the others did. He chose what art went on his body, covered up the old scars from the torture HYDRA inflicted upon him.
He shook his head to get himself out of the trance he was in, not bothering with a shirt as he thought everyone was asleep, and goddamn was he sweaty. Damn nightmares. Near silently, flinching as he stepped over a single creak that he hadnt known about, he walked to the kitchen to get a glass of water.
And there Sam was, standing at the kitchen counter waiting for his coffee to brew. His sleep schedule could be a wreck at times, tonight being one of those times. He woke up early and, giving up on any chances of sleeping again, he decided on a pot of coffee. But, hearing a creaking of wood above the steady dripping of coffee, Sam looked behind him quickly. His shoulders were tensed, hands balld up into tight fists, as at first he didn't expect to see his boyfriend standing there. For a moment he didn't recognize Bucky going by the ink painting his body alone. But after a moment Sam relaxed and simply stared. In the dark, he could only make out faint details of the tattoos on Bucky's body, but even then he found them utterly awe-inspiring. Up until now, he hadn't seen Bucky shirtless out of chaste respect, but now he couldn't get enough of the sight.
Buckys eyes widened seeing Sam, shoulders tensed as he walked forward. No one had seen him shirtless except his tattoo artist. She was amazing, so kind and caring and didnt comment on the obvious trauma and hydra related scars. Or the metal arm. "Uh... Hey, Sammy..." He whispered, He crossed his arms, almost self conscious of his own art-plastered body.
"....Hey," Sam responded simply, one of his fingers tapping anxiously against the counter top. Since when did coffee take so damn to brew? "So.. what's got you up so late? If you're fine with me asking of course," Sam caught himself and made sure his question was open enough so his boyfriend could be comfortable with answering.
Bucky was a bit confused to say the least. Not one comment on his tattoos.... "Oh you know, the ussual. Nightmare." He sighed. "Wasnt a bad one, just not tired anymore."
Sam's eyes flickered from Bucky's face to his torso for just a moment and he hoped the man didn't notice. "If you wanna talk about it you can," He offered up, although Sam had more to say. "Aren't you uh.. Cold..?"
Bucky rolled his eyes and smirked with a roll of his eyes. "You can comment on the tattoos, Sam. I dont care." He chuckled. "And no, i woke up sweaty."
Sam drew his tongue over his lips in consideration, ignoring the fact that would only make them dryer. "...'s this why you're never.. shirtless around me?" He asked, the question cutting through the dry awkward atmosphere like scissors on cheap tissue paper.
"Part of it... No one knows about em, i didnt wanna start my arm till i was ready for that." He explained. "I havent covered all the uh.. Scars.. yet, thats the other reason." He mumbled, staring at the bottom of his cup as he took a sip.
“Well.. they're beautiful. Can I uh.. can I turn a light on to see them better-? If you're comfortable with that at least." Sam's question trailed off into a nervous mumble and he glanced away as he spoke.
Bucky smiled shyly. "Yeah." He whispered, setting his glass down as he rested his palms on the counters edge, leaning against them.
Sam flipped the lightswitch on when given permission and squinted when his eyes adjusted to the light. But, when his pupils dilated enough for him to see, his jaw practically dropped to the floor. "Wow.."
Bucky blushed dark and looked down to his own torso. "Heh..." He huffed, looking back uo to Sams gobsmacked face. "You look so surprised. Never deemed me a tattoo guy?"
"Not really, no.. But it suits you." Sam resisted his urge to touch one of them, specifically the ink across Bucky's muscled chest. "..May I?"
"Oh- uh.. yeah-" He muttered, blushing as red as the red ink on the shield tattoos. He watched as Sam touched the art scattered over his body, shivering at the light touches.
Seeing the pair of wings across Bucky's chest Sam paused. "..Are these.. for me?" He asked softly, running his fingers over the metallic feathered pattern of ink timidly.
"Yeah... You're uh.. One of the most important people in my life... you know? It was Steve and you... I wanted to get a piece for you so i always have you with me... That's uh- that's stupid now that i think about it isn't it?" He chuckled lightly.
"No no no it's.. it's not stupid at all. It's actually... quite beautiful. Most of the people I know can only say they got their tattoos cuz they were drunk or something." Sam laughed softly.
"Yeah well i can't even get drunk, so..." He laughed at himself. "Every one if em has some sort if meaning." He explained, though he wouldn't explain each one unless Sam asked.
"Can I guess a few?" Sam asked, looking from Bucky's body up to his face. None of the tattoos could even hope to compare to Bucky's beauty.
"Go ahead." He shrugged, though stepped back to sit on a barstool. He moved his arms up so that Sam was aware of the ones on the inside of his biceps.
"Okay well.. that one's obviously for the cat," He pointed to the small tapestry-like tattoo of Alpine amongst a green backdrop of coniferous trees. "And.. I'm guessing these ones are for Steve and uh.. back then," Sam traced his fingers over the seemingly oldest-looking tattoos illustrating the Shield and other more retro-looking things he only halfway recognized.
Bucky chuckled at the alpine one. "Half right. Steve plus a bit of the 40s. I miss parts of it, you know? It was simpler."
Sam nodded in recognition and smiled. He himself wasn't one for tattoos on himself, but seeing them on his boyfriend truly opened his eyes to how gorgeous it could be. "I assume this big one's for me-" He laughed softly.
"Yeah." He chuckled. "The wings, and ive got the one on my shoulder. And some birds right here under my collar bone." He pointed to them, hoping to the Gods above that Sam didnt notice the branding scar under the Sheild on his shoulder.
Sam wanted to reach up to trace his fingertips across the small flock of birds, but hesitated. He didn't want to ask about the barely visible scar, so he wouldn't. There were some boundaries he believed shouldn't be crossed. Not yet, at least. Sam instead turned his attention to another of the tattoos. "Which one was your first?"
"Shoulder." He whispered, glancing to the previously mentioned tattoo, covering the scar. It felt like too much attention towards that one area, it made him uneasy. Thinking about what was under it, what the tattoo represented for him. Covering up hydra and pledging himself to the shield, following Captain America loyally.
Sam pursed his lips. "Most recent one?" He asked instead. He didn't intend to make the focus on Bucky's scar, obviously, but now all he could do was ignore it best he could for his boyfriend's sake.
"The wings..." He whispered, lightly brushing a hand over it. "Remember when i disappeared for 4 hours last week? Uh... Yeah... Its still healing." He smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck.(edited)
"Wow.. wait it took like 4 hours? To get it done?" Sam wondered out loud, resisting the urge to touch the freshest and largest tattoo across his boyfriend's chest.
"Yeah... Its a simple design. Hurt like a bitch, though." He smiled. "It was all worth it." He whispered, taking a hold of the younger's hand.
Sam smiled softly. "I feel honored.." He murmured, leaning closer to his boyfriend. Without putting much thought into it, he kissed Bucky gently.
Bucky smiled into it, his soft lips ravishing. The super soldier practically melted into the touch, flesh hand sliding up his chest to hold his jaw.
Sam kept the touches of their lips quick and chaste; as if either teasing the man or simply keeping it wholesome for the sake of their young relationship. There's no use in rushing a flower's blossoming. He reached up and cupped Bucky's jaw as well, eyes slipping shut.
"Have you ever thought of getting tattoos? do you have tattoos?" Bucky asked curiously. He pecked Sams lips again before pulling away with a shiver, grabbing his zip-up hoodie from the chair to cover his now cold body.
"Never really had the time to," Sam lied. He was honestly a little afraid to. But, seeing how many Bucky had given him a little confidence in maybe he could get a few. "But yeah, I thought of it a few times."
"What'd you get if you could?" He asked curiously. His first thought was a birthday present, taking Sam out to get a tattoo and possibly get one with him. He sat back down at the kitchen island, sipping at his water again.
Sam thought for a moment and, imagining something, he smiled. It was a pretty 'cringe' idea, sure, but it's the first image his heart painted in his mind. Two simple hands holding one another; one his own of umber, and the other, Bucky's of metal. "Nah.. it's a pretty boring idea."
"Oh cmonnn" He scowled with a smile. "What is it?"
Sam laughed softly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh... alright, alright. So it's basically just-" He reached forward and grabbed his boyfriend's vibranium hand. "This."
Bucky blushed at the tender touch of the metal hand that had killed so many. "Us holding hands?" He asked, smiling dorkily.
"Mhm, yeah.. I know it's pretty obvious and people might hate me for it and stuff, but.. it's the first thing my heart told me so I went with it."
"Fuck whoever hates it. I bet a lot of people will hate me even more than they already do if they saw my tats. Fuck them. Its a beautiful idea." He rambled, getting aggressive with his 'fuck you's.
Sam chuckled softly. "Well then I might just have to get it then. But- you'll come with me, right? I have no idea how getting tattoos works and I don't wanna look like an idiot-" He chuckled.
Bucky laughed and nodded, eyes creasing at the corner with the genuineness of his smile. "Yes, yes il go with you. Il even get a tattoo with you if you want."
"Oh my God you will? Wait- matching?" Sam wiggled his eyebrows and playfully elbowed his boyfriend's side. "Unless you wanna do a different one, then that's fine too-"
Bucky laughed more at his boyfriends sudden enthusiasm, bringing his hand up to his lips and kissing Sams rough, bony knuckles lovingly. "Matching is fine if you want. If i have another idea i can always get two in one day." He explained. Two in one day was nothing for the super-soldier, he’d gotten up to 4 in one day when he was gone for nearly 15 hours a day, ghosting Sam, prior to them dating.
An excited glint flashed across the deep brown of Sam's eyes, illuminated by the soft glow of the kitchen light. "What was your idea?" He inquired, brows raised and eyes searching. He only gave this much attention to one person, as there was only one person whose words mattered that much to him. Bucky.
"Ah I don't know. Maybe something for the boys and Sarah. Or maybe a boat on the docs." He rambled, blushing.
"Oh my God now that makes me want to get a boat one!" Sam groaned lightheartedly. "Damn you, cyborg."