I do not own Red vs Blue.

This is a Platonic Soulmate AU which is mildly canon-compliant. Emphasis on the word 'platonic', so there is no shipping. Just family mushy self-indulgent goodness. I actually finished this story before I published it, which is a miracle, so this is one that won't be left hanging.

Inspired by Magic in the Marks by Mayhem21 and In Screaming Color by bizarrebird on Ao3.

Grif spent a lot of time at school through his youth. But the only information he retained from those years trapped at a desk was about soulmates and soulmarks. Every teacher he ever had never failed to tell him how important soulmarks were and how special it would be when he finally met his soulmates. He recalled distinctly that the singular form of the word, soulmate, was rarely ever mentioned.

There were two types of soulmates—platonic and romantic. Romantic soulmarks were names written in their handwriting. Platonic soulmarks were coloured handprints. It was considered shameful and pitiful to have only one coloured handprint or cursive name marking your body. That was also something seared into Grif's memory.

Grif supposed he should have known something was off when he received his very first soulmark. It was a tiny yellow handprint, bright on the back of his left hand. It appeared when he was only a toddler, still not able to comprehend the meaning of soulmarks and what they represented. Soulmarks were meant to show up when he was twelve. Gaining a soulmark before or after was practically unheard of.

It was said you never forgot those moments when you met your soulmate. Though he was only a toddler, Grif remembered everything with a crystal clarity.

He was sitting on the couch in the cramped apartment he, his mother and his new baby sister shared. Their father was gone, as he often was, and it was difficult to tell when he would return home. Grif didn't mind it when he was gone. There wasn't as much shouting and his mother didn't cry as much.

The open windows let in the Hawaiian ocean breeze from the beach across the way. He bounced on the cushions in excitement, pudgy arms reaching out eagerly when his mother entered the room. His mother's plump face was exhausted, a scowl on her lips. She hardly ever smiled. In her arms was Kaikaiana.

She was wrapped in a fuzzy blue blanket, big brown eyes peeking about. Grif held her securely the instant she was set in his lap. His mother glanced at the watch strapped around her wrist, brow furrowing in agitation.

"Damn that useless babysitter! Dexter, watch your sister until she gets here. I can't be late again."

She swept out of the apartment without another word and Grif flinched as the door slammed shut behind her. Startled by the loud noise, Kaikaiana began to cry, wriggling her tiny body in distress. Grif cradled her close. "It's okay," he whispered. "It's okay."

He rested his hand gently on her chest and she rested her hand on top of his. There was a sudden tingling sensation and Grif jolted, eyes growing wide as strange emotions started to flow through him. Fear, confusion, and pure innocence and love thrummed through his own small body. She smelled sweetly of oranges, even though there was not a single one in the house.

There was an odd clicking sound and when his sister lifted her hand, there was a yellow mark left behind. Confused and a little bit scared, he looked at Kai, at the orange print that practically covered most of her tiny chest. Kai peeked up at him, her cries now soft coos.

His babysitter had been shocked when she finally arrived. Grif had peppered her with questions, trying to make sense of the weird sensations that had occurred somewhere deep within his chest. But the girl merely answered his questions with, "You'll know when you're older."

When his mother returned home the next morning, she regarded them both with a tight-lipped expression before ignoring them for a couple of hours. It wasn't until Grif started school did he realize why both his mother and his babysitter had stared at him as if he'd grown a second head. While it wasn't unheard of to have your sibling as a soulmate, it was stated to be impossible to gain a soulmark before the age of twelve.

But Grif didn't mind too much, not when he was in preschool and his classmates were gawking at the small yellow mark in awe and jealousy.

That was his first sign that something was not quite right. The second was when he hit the age of twelve and more coloured handprints spread across his body. He was standing in his bedroom, his shirt and pants hastily yanked off as various spots on his body tingled, like his teachers said would happen when his soulmarks appeared.

He waited eagerly, wondering just how many he would have. He watched as they appeared one by one. A maroon handprint on his lower back. A red handprint curling under his chin. An aquamarine handprint on his right side. A pink handprint on his right hand. A dark blue handprint wrapping around his left bicep. A purple handprint on his right knee. A grey handprint smack in the middle of his stomach. A cyan handprint snaking around the side of his neck.

Grif could only stare, eyes wide and stunned. Nine soulmarks. He would have nine soulmarks in total. The idea made joy burst within him and he raced to show his sister. But the marks faded as quickly as they appeared, but Kaikaiana believed him. His mother, on the other hand, didn't. She sent him to his room as punishment for making up stories. He didn't eat that night.

As middle school and high school progressed, his peers would strut around proudly. They displayed the handprints and cursive writing on their bodies while Grif remained colourless, save for the yellow on his hand. Suddenly getting a soulmark as a toddler meant nothing. He was bullied relentlessly for having only one soulmate and no listened to him when he insisted he had nine. The days were hard, but he got through them. As much as he wanted to leave, Kai was in the same school and he needed to protect her.

Which, as Grif mused on later in his life, should have been his third warning sign. When Kai reached puberty, she too had nine soulmarks. Grif didn't think too much of it, instead sharing in his sister's joy as their mother cast them aside. He also didn't put the dots together when Kai didn't receive any soulmarks during her school years. They stuck together, taking the abuse with steel postures and sharp tongues.

As the years went on and their bodies remained blank, Grif grew sour and cynical. The world was playing a cruel joke and he didn't appreciate it. He mostly forgot about his soulmarks by the time he was drafted into the military.

He didn't need them, anyway. He had his sister, who was waiting for him at home. That's all he would ever need.