Chapter 15
Bucky practically ran out to the car, excited to get to the tattoo shop. Him and Sam were finally going to get there tattoos together, an expierience Bucky was extatic about. "Hurry the fuck up!" He laughed, hopping in the passenger seat. It was rare he got this giddy, and with his new-found love for tattoos, this was one thing that made him that giddy. "Im finally gonna start on my sleeve." He commented. "What do you think people are gonna think?"
"I think I'm gonna have to worry about somebody trynna steal you from me, that's for sure." Sam laughed as he plopped down in the driver's seat and started the car when the both of them were buckled in. "I will never understand how something like this is exciting- I'm scared as shit!" He chuckled.
"Dont think about the pain or the process, think about the outcome." He explained, sounding oddly inspirational. "The pain doesnt last forever, the art does. And it looks badass.”
Sam's eyes practically sparkled like your typical anime character's at that. "I've said it once and I will say it again- you should host Ted Talks. And we'll call 'em Buck Talks." Sam giggled at his own joke as he drove. They passed a few sleazy tattoo parlors on corners alone the way, strewn with drunkards and questionable people. They were looking for one with a bit more class.
Bucky gave directions expertly, having gone to the same place numerous times. "Jackies really awesome. She plays 40s music for me." He chuckled. "Im pretty sure ive fallen asleep getting tattooed before.
"Wait- how is that even possible?" Sam gaped as he parked carefully on the edge of the curb right outside of the building. The place was small, but beautiful. Windows tinted, the whole place painted black with its title spray painted in gold and hot pink
Bucky shrugged. "I dont fuckin know." He laughed. "One second im awake, next she’s waking me up and i have a finished tattoo."
"I hope it goes that smoothly for me-" Sam joked and laughed off his fears. He wanted to get one with his boyfriend, that's why he agreed to coming, but he was still scared as hs got out of the car.
Bucky saw through him like a piece of glass. "Youll be okay, Sammy. Il be there the whole time." His voice was softer, recognizing his boyfriends fear as he got out and walked around the truck, taking Sams hand. "Your idea was small and simple. Just line work." He reminded. "Youll be ok."
Sam sighed almost shakily and leaned his head against Bucky's metallic shoulder as they walked. He could hear the metal clanking and whirring as Bucky's arm naturally swung with his gait. "Thank you, Buck.. Thank you." He murmured before they walked in. The place smelled of sweet incense and East Asian spices that wafted through the air like a small cloud. Sam looked around in wonder, seeing the countless tattoo designs on the walls and in the glass cabinet up front, many different piercings. His eyes widened ever so slightly in amazement at the beautiful piercing arrangements from ears to facial piercings, but cringed at the phallic piercings displayed. "Okay where do we go-"
Bucky looked around, smiling and nodding a wave to Jackie as she jogged up front. "Hey Bucky! Sam." She smiled bright. She was cheery, bright pink hair and covered neck down in tattoos. "Early as always, youre lucky ive got nothin goin on today." She giggled. "Okay, who are we doin first?" She asked, looking between the two taller men.
"Um- him-" Sam pulled his hand from Bucky's and pointed at his boyfriend awkwardly.
Bucky laughed at that. "Alright fine, but youre just lettin that anxiety build." He glanced to Sam before speaking to Jackie. "I think ima do the hands one that we drew up. On my forearm." He explained.
"Sounds great, well you know where to sit." Jackie gave a signature smile as she prepped her equipment.
Bucky hummed and pulled Sam back further into the shop, sitting down in a hospital-meets-chiropractor chair. He laid his flesh arm forarm up on the arm rest, sighing in content as he looked to Sam with a smile. His shoulders relaxed and his heart rate slowed when he was in the shop, having come for so long it was near comforting to be there. "Youre a big baby, you know that?" He teased, chuckling.
"Oh shush, everybody's got their fears.." Sam trailed off seeing another worker, a tall man with a handlebar moustache, tattooing a woman's shoulder right over her collar bone. Sam gagged. "This uh- this just happens to be mine."
Buckys face contorted from teasing to worry seeing him gag. "You sure youre okay? You dont have to you know- i dont want you to feel like im forcing you or anything and-"
"Stop right there, Buck. I'm just squeamish-"
"Happens to the best of us." Jackie chimed in as she prepped her equipment and mapped out Bucky's tattoo design in her head.
Sam smiled dismissively. "I'll be okay, I promise. This is my decision."
"Im thinkin 'bout havin the wings go this way, and the end stoping here-" He rambled, metaphorically cutting a line on his inner wrist where he wanted the tattoo to stop. "I wanna be able to hide it with long sleeves." He explained.
"Sounds good to me," Jackie replied. "I think I'm gonna use my shading needle for the tips of the wings though, so there's a better color transition, yeah?" She asked as she began the tattoo.
"You do what you do." He chuckled. "I dont care what you do, it always looks amazing in the end.
"Aw shucks, you'll make me blush." Jackie joked with a roll of her eyes before completely focusing on her work. As the time went on and she found herself about halfway through, Jackie could no longer ignore the feel of Sam's eyes burning holds through her heck and his breath practically on her skin. "Um can I help you?" She spoke carefully, still fully focused on inking Bucky's skin diligently.
Bucky looked away from watching the needles prick his arm, looking up to his boyfriend. "Babe?" He cooed, looking confused.
Sam perked up at the sound of his boyfriend's voice. "Yeah-? Oh, shit, sorry I uh- doesn't that hurt?"
"Hardly." He smiled and shook his head. "Even if it did, ive been through way worse. This is a walk in the park." He sighed and looked back to his arm. "If youre really that scared you could always get some numbing cream. I did that for going over scars."
"That.. that sounds like a good idea." Sam forced a crooked, halfassed smile. He wished he could be as much of a man as Bucky was and get the balls to just sit through it. He felt almost emasculated in a way.
"Wanna pause and get the big baby numbing cream?" Bucky suggested to Jackie, a teasing smirk on his face.
Jackie giggled, finishing a few stroking motions of her needle before pulling away and powering the machine down. "Alrighty,"
Bucky stayed in place, waiting for her to wipe his arm down before admiring the half done tattoo. "Looks great, Jackie." He complimented.
"Glad you think so, 'ts not like I can erase it!" Jackie chuckled as she dug through her drawers of supplies before retrieving said cream. But when she turned toward Sam, he looked hesitant. "..Are you sure about this, man?" Sam tensed. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine."
"Sam, look at me." Bucky said, voice lowering as he got serious. "If you dont want this, you dont have to." He stressed.
"I.. I don't know why I'm so scared.." That's what angered Sam the most. He truly didn't know why. Maybe it was internet horror stories, maybe it was the buzz of the needle, he just couldn't stomach it.
Bucky got out of the chair, disregarding the fact that Jackie could have to resantizise his arm, and placed his hands on Sams shoulders, forcing the younger to look at him. "Its okay to be scared. You dont have to do this if your fear of needles is that bad. Tattoos arent for everyone, id rather you not puke or pass out over this if you dont actually want the tattoo." He rambled, looking into Sams eyes the whole time. He leaned foreward and pecked Sams lips. "I dont care if you dont get something. Okay? This is about you, and if youre not up to it now or ever, then thats okay."
Sam paused for a moment, nipping at his inner cheek lightly in thought. "Does it.. have to be as big as yours-? And with all those colors and details and everything...?"
"Remember what we talked about? The idea you had is just some line work. A few simple lines. Itll be short and quick, one color." He smiled reassuringly, moving one hand to rub the back of the Captains neck.
Sam breathed in deeply, closing his eyes as he imagined the idea he had originally planned out. He nodded. "Alright.. I think I can do it." And at that, Jackie was rubbing the numbing cream onto Sam's outer arm. "Alright, back in the chair, mister.
Bucky sighed and hummed with a smile, kissing Sam quickly before sitting down in the chair again, forearm up. He chuckled lightly. "Damn, already gettin sore." He half-joked.
"We're almost done," Jackie reassured before setting right on back to work. Of course, 'almost done' turned into about forty five minutes before she wiped him clean and wrapped the fresh tattoo. "All done."
Bucky let out a breath he didnt know he had been holding, a bright smile making its way on his face. "Thank you." He thanked, looking to Sam as he held his arm out. "Youre turn!" He teased.
"Ah, shit okay.." Sam took a moment of time to himself, closing his eyes as he took a breath. It wouldn't be that bad.. hopefully. "Alright... I think I'm ready."
Bucky moved to sit on the stood next to the reclining chair, taking Sams hand with his metal hand, running the metal thumb over his boney knuckles. "Youll do just fine." He reassured.
"I hope so," Sam sighed as he sat in the chair as instructed and let Jackie prep his arm. "Okay, I'm gonna need you to breathe in real deep and hold it in when I begin." She instructed. "Alright.." Sam sucked in as much oxygen as he could hold without growing lightheaded, and braced himself when Jackie began. It definitely hurt, but thanks to the numbing cream from before it at least nullified some of the pain.
Bucky smiled with pride when they started, watching the needles prick his boyfriends skin and spread the black ink. It was a good 20 minutes before they finished, the simple outline of the Delacroix water line looking simplistically beautiful.
Sam opened his eyes like a kid looking up after getting their first vaccine and gasped at the work of art on his skin. "Wait- that was it? I'm done?" He asked, voice growing louder with his excitement.
Bucky laughed in amusement at that. "I told you it wouldnt be that bad." He teased, something he loved to do. "It looks great, Jackie." He smiled brighter at that.
"Thank you very much, this might just be my best work!" Jackie chuckled heartily as she leaned back and wiped the sweat from her brow with an inner forearm. Sam rolled his eyes.
"It doesn't look half as good as yours-" Sam stammered, and Jackie gasped dramatically.
"I'm offended!" She giggled despite her words.
Bucky couldnt help but continue to chuckle. He stood up and hugged Jackie with one arm, thanking her again as they walked to the front to pay. "You can put both on my tab." He nodded, glancing to Sam as he tried to hide a blush. Cuz yeah, he was paying for all the tattoos with his military pension.
Sam definitely gave Bucky a mischievous smirk, knowing and practically feeling his embarrassed blush. He slipped his hand against Bucky's metal one, grasping it gently as they made for the entrance of the building. "Thanks for everything Jackie,"
Buckys artificial nerves lit up, causing the mans fingers to gently wrap between Sams, intertwining their fingers together like a puzzle piece. Bucky smiled and waved to Jackie, recieving a nod and a wave as they left the building. "See? Wasnt that fun?" He smiled brightly as they got in the car.
"Painful, but yeah, fun. I feel like- a whole new level of badass now- I mean, I got a tattoo!" Sam didn't mean to be as giddy as he was (although it was adorable), but after sitting through the hard part of getting a tattoo he was absolutely ecstatic. He practically bounced off the walls in the car once he and Bucky had sat down.
"So badass." Bucky played along, shaking his head with a chuckle as he looked down at himself, tattoos covered by a thin navycolored Air Force shirt, his dog tags gleaming in the sunlight. He may have stolen the shirt from Sam. Maybe…
"Well, not as badass as you-" Sam turned the key within the ignition before the engine hummed to life and they were off toward home. "But I'm Captain America, dammit!"
"Im pretty sure thats more badass than some lousy tattoos." Bucky laughed, resting his metal arm on the center console, the sore arm resting gently in his lap.
"But- you've got that chiseled jaw and those pretty eyes and- them damn thighs that could crush my fucking sku-" Sam swerved slightly after having gotten a little too far into his dream land. "I mean uhh-"
Bucky blushed at that. "Slow down bucko, dont wanna fuck in the car. Unsanitary, we have open wounds." He joked, smirking.
"Well I mean that hasn't stopped me before- a paper cut counts as an open wound sooo-" Sam tried to joke, although he had to agree with Bucky there. Besides, his mind was often way ahead of his body in that realm and he was too physically tired for anything like that.
"Yeah, mhm. No fucking in the car," Bucky stressed, but he laughed regardless. "Wanna pick up ice cream for the boys?" He asked, feeling a bit excited. He loved the boys.
"Icecream sounds good," Sam hummed in response, his eyes focused on the road as he turned onto a street leading to a quaint little ice cream shop on the corner between two streets.
"Fuck, Sam i dont have my jacket-" He whined, sighing in frustration. "I cant go in." He mumbled, looking down. He was so self-conscious- for good reason too. Regardless of how many people in the world knew he had changed, knew he was by Captain America's side, and that he was pardoned, wouldnt matter. He didnt want to risk people being scared of him, or the metal arm for that matter.
Sam was about to stupidly ask why before pausing, understanding. "Hey it's alright.. I can go in. You chill out in here, keep the AC on if you need it."
"Sorry." Bucky sighed, feeling bad that this was his idea and he couldnt even go get the ice cream. His arm was a dead giveaway of his past, and he didnt want to get stares or be pointed out. He hated the fear in peoples eyes when they realized who he was.
"You don't have to be sorry, Buck. Anybody who treats you any differently for it are the ones who should be sorry." Sam replied simply, his voice nothing but sure. The younger man leaned forward and kissed his boyfriend's lips gently. "I'll be right back, I promise."
Bucky held onto the kiss as long as possible, smiling softly at his words. "Love you." He whispered.
"Love you too." Sam grinned through his words, every time he said it felt like the first time. Utterly blissful, and just as heartfelt as any time he had said those three, meaningful words. Sam waved at his boyfriend briefly after exiting the car before heading into the ice cream shop.