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Cole has more than a few tattoos, which span over the years. His first had been when he was sixteen and Ashe had suggested getting Deadlock gang tattoos. It had hurt like a bitch, but Cole quite liked how it turned out. After that, he enjoyed getting different tattoos all over his body, from the minimalist small cowboy boot on his shoulder to the intricate six-shooter gun on his back.
He likes them, likes how they document his growth, his story.
Sombra likes them too, apparently. Whenever they’re curled up together, her fingers will find one and trace the design gently as she asks about the story behind it. Cole’s always too happy to share. He likes regaling her with dramaticized versions of his stories as much as she likes to hear them.
Recently, Cole has discovered he wants another one. Something particularly special, to celebrate his and Sombra’s relationship. The issue is, he doesn’t know what to get.
Usually, picking out a design is easy for him, but how is he supposed to find one for their relationship? There’s the obvious option of her name, but that’s a bit too cliche, even for him. Besides, Sombra’s a very private person, and he’s not sure she would appreciate something so obvious.
What else is there, though? They don’t really have any tattoo-able motifs in their relationship.
“What’s bothering you, Vaquero ?” Sombra questions as he ponders it. They’re on the couch, Sombra sitting like a normal human while he sprawls across the entire sofa with his head in her lap. This is a common position for them. Cole likes resting his head against her soft thighs, and she likes idly running a hand through his shaggy hair.
Cole looks up at her, considering it. He kinda wants it to be a surprise. “It’s a secret.”
Sombra, clearly intrigued, lets her holograms fizzle out of existence. “A secret? I’m good at figuring those out.”
She is. There’s not much Cole can hide from her, not that he tries very often. The few secrets he has kept were all surprise gifts, which she always found within days, if not hours. “You’re the best at figurin’ those out,” he agrees.
Her violet eyes roll exaggeratedly. “Flattery will get you nowhere, mi sol .” The nickname is relatively new. Sombra’s been trying them out recently. It always makes Cole’s heart and stomach explode with giddy butterflies.
“It ain’t flattery if it’s true.”
Sombra lets out a half-laugh, half scoff. “Such a charmer.”
Cole just shifts his head so he can kiss her stomach. It makes her sigh with domestic bliss. She looks so content. It makes Cole’s stomach jump like a gymnast. It’s always so nice to see her like this.
He’s not being very subtle as he admires her, apparently, because she begins to smirk a bit, clearly becoming cocky under his adoration-filled attention. He can’t bring himself to be annoyed about it, even playfully, when she’s just so goddamn beautiful.
Sombra pulls her screens back up, letting lines of code fill the hologram. She’s been working on designing a new implant for her cybernetics which would improve her invisibility. Cole understands absolutely none of what she's doing, but it’s still entertaining to watch her fingers tap-tap-tap against her holographic keyboard.
It’s a strange keyboard, nothing like the ones you’d find on most computers. Each of the keys are blank and hexagonal, and there’s only eight of them. Cole has no clue how she uses it, but the design is pretty.
And simple to tattoo, if he had to guess. His smile widens as he commits the design to memory and tries to figure out where on his skin he’s going to put it.
The tattoo parlor in Dorado is nice. It’s got a badass feel while still clearly being professional and sanitary. Cole isn’t so worried about being recognised, as everyone in Dorado knows him well enough to know that he’s Sombra’s cowboy, and if they turn him in, she won’t be happy. Besides, he’s gained a reputation of being a good, reliable guy, so not many people even want to turn him in.
It’s easy to get his scribbled design done into something more professional, and the tattooing process itself, while painful, is short and easy. The end product is perfect.
The design is on the left side of his chest, right over his heart. It felt fitting. And although the sleek, purple design stands out a bit against his more rustic theme, Cole loves it. It’s a perfect reminder of Sombra.
When he gets home, Sombra immediately takes note of his excitement. “What’s got you so happy?” she asks, glancing at him from over her computer monitor. Cole grins, approaching her so he can plant a kiss on her head, then her lips. “Got a new tattoo.”
“So, now you have a tattoo that wasn’t there yesterday?” Her curiosity shines through as she scans his exposed arms, but doesn’t find anything.
“Yes,” he says, but leaves it at that. He wants to keep her in suspense, which he so rarely gets to do.
After a few seconds of his silence, Sombra huffs. “Well? Are you going to show me?”
He chuckles at the impatience in her voice, but begins unbuttoning his shirt nonetheless. The bandage covers the tattoo, but he peels it back so she can see the purple design. Her expression turns to shock.
“Is that my keyboard?” she asks, leaning in to get a better look. Her hands reach out to touch it, but she stops as she realizes that she shouldn’t touch a fresh tattoo. Her purple lips hang open slightly.
“Sure is. I wanted somethin’ to remember you by, and I figured this would be better than your name or some cheesy shit like that,” Cole says, unable to keep his amusement out of his tone. She’s absolutely adorable when surprised, though he so rarely gets to see it.
Her eyes finally meet his. “Holy shit,” she mumbles. “I…”
“Have I rendered you speechless? Finally? I’ve been wantin’ to do that for years,” Cole says, eyes crinkling with his teasing smile. “About damn time.”
Sombra laughs, though it’s breathless. “You’re amazing. I love you.”
The words douse Cole in a healthy dose of warmth. “I love you, too,” he tells her, leaning in to peck her on the lips. But she grabs his shirt and makes him stay there until it’s a proper kiss.
“I’m serious,” Sombra continues once they finally pull apart, foreheads still together. Cole sobers slightly, his teasing smile turning into a gentle one as he notices the vulnerability in her tone. “This… It’s perfect, Cole. It means… a lot to me.” The words are almost choppy, but so sincere. Her hand reaches up to cup his face. Cole leans into the touch, especially as her nails gently scratch at his beard.
“I’m glad you like it,” he says, infusing the sentence with his love. “I like it, too.”
Sombra laughs, hand moving from his beard to the back of his neck so she can pull him in for yet another kiss. This one is slow as their lips move together with a lazy contentment.
They stay close together for the rest of the day, practically attached at the hip. And, later, whenever they have to separate for missions or whatever else, Cole will have the tattoo to make sure he never feels very far from the love of his life.