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It wasn’t the first time Bucky had spotted Walker’s tattoos. Unlike Ava and Yelena — and especially Bob — Barnes wasn’t surprised to see them. He’d been a soldier himself and had observed that most of his former comrades had at least one tattoo. He was no exception.
He had lost some with his left arm and the rest had faded so much that you would need a very bright light to make them out.
With John, it was a different story. His tattoos were still clearly visible, perhaps because they were of better quality than Bucky’s. There weren't many of them. On his upper arms were mementos of his unit, and on his right forearm was the name "Michael," which meant nothing to Bucky since John had never mentioned anyone by that name. On his chest were intertwined letters — an “O” and a “J” — which had later been supplemented by an “M.” Bucky assumed they stood for his family.
John didn’t seem to mind anyone seeing his tattoos, except for a rather faded one on his left forearm which Bucky had caught only a fleeting glimpse of once. He thought it was letters, but he wasn't sure.
Bucky was puzzled by how different this tattoo was from the others. Not only was it fading, but it was also red, unlike the others, which were blue or black. Bucky had long mistaken that tattoo for a wound until he realized what he was looking at.
After the last mission, during which John had sustained numerous injuries again, Bucky caught a brief glimpse of John’s left forearm. And suddenly, he understood that he had just seen proof of John’s coping strategy for the death of a friend.
As if freshly inked — but by an unskilled hand with a knife — there was the name "Lemar."