This is a platonic soulmates fic with soul marks and so far, the main focus is on platonic yandere Tord & Edd. I've yet to decide Tord's age, but I'm thinking maybe 26? Edd, Tom, and Matt are 17. So there will be no ships, all pairings are platonic. Tags/warnings will be updated as I write more. Since this doesn't follow canon events, this is Future/Red Leader Tord, but he's fine. He has no robot arm or anything.
The title is from the su song Love Like You, but it might change as I figure things out and if I find something that fits better. Each chapter will most likely be a flower type that, hopefully lol, represent the theme of the chapter. I've had such a blast writing this and I hope you guys like it! 3 3 3
"My thoughts will follow you into your dreams."
The three marks practically covered his entire forearm. Although they were three different flowers, they just clicked. They fit so well that unless you were close up, it looked like one soul mark. Edd liked that. It perfectly described his relationship with his three friends. Or, soon to be three friends. He had hoped he'd find the third one soon. Two of the marks belonged to Tom and Matt, who he found when he was young. He felt so complete when he brushed against them on the school's playground. It was as if they filled a gap in his soul that he never realized he was missing.
Edd's third mark was a mix of black and red today. It was a stark contrast from the mix of light blue and yellow of Tom's and Matt's marks. Hesitantly, Edd brushed his fingers against the top mark and winced. A sharp jab of dull anger and agitation welled up into his chest. Ah, something had really set off his friend today. He moved his hand lower down his forearm to trace over Tom and Matt's soul marks instead. A wave of calm and contentedness swept the echoes of the anger away and he pulled his hoodie sleeve down.
While he liked running his hand over his marks as he did his schoolwork, he didn't want to continuously touch his top mark if his friend was having an awful day. It would affect his own mood. He worried that if he did, then his friend would touch their own mark and then both of them would stay in a vicious cycle of intense negative emotions. It was a real concern as it's happened a few times before.
Edd often keeps his hand pressed against his top mark, basking in his friend's good mood. Especially when he's had a rough day at school. Of course, his friend took notice once as they pressed their hand against their mark and their emotions intensified. Slowly, his mood lifted and when he concentrated enough, he was able to send a " Hi!" with as much warmth as he could. No matter what soul mark a person had, they were always able to talk to their soulmate if both of them were touching the mark at the same time and concentrated hard enough. He didn't do this much with Tom and Matt as he saw them practically every day and had their numbers, but it was rare he was able to talk to his friend.
It was also rare because his friend didn't touch their mark at the same time as him often.
After sending his greeting, his top mark changed to a deep white mixed with dark pink. Edd had laughed seeing that. It wasn't often his friend was surprised. And seeing the affection mixed in made warmth fill his chest.
"Hello!" His friend sent back. "You sound young."
Edd laughed. Of all the things his friend could have said, they had to comment on his voice. His friend didn't sound bad themselves. Their voice was deep, with an accent he couldn't place. Still, he wasn't going to assume their gender. Only looking out for one type of person could cause him to miss who they were.
"No! I'll be an adult soon," He sent back, tongue sticking out in focus. " You have a... nice voice!"
"Thank you. Listen, I have to go now. But I'll find you. I promise." A tinge of regret passed through him, but they sent him another wave of affection through their mark.
Quickly, before they moved their hand, Edd sent, "I can't wait to meet you!" along with his best attempt to project his own affection and happiness to them. He didn't know if it worked, but their emotions dulled.
In hopes that they'd be able to do that again soon, he kept his hand pressed against his mark for ten more minutes until his mom called him downstairs for dinner.
So yeah, he wasn't going to do that right now. At least, not until he checks later if his friend's mood changes.
If that short conversation wasn't proof enough, his friend was definitely older than him. Perhaps not old enough to be his third grandparent, but certainly older than him. Plus, he's had that mark on his arm since he was born. All three of his marks were platonic soul marks, which were the flower type. Most often, these signaled platonic love. Edd took that to mean that all three of his soul marks were his best friends.
Romantic soul marks were often different, but as he and neither of his friends had one, he doesn't know much about them since he never bothered to look into it.
Half of his childhood had been spent figuring out what his and his friends' marks were. After they learned how to read, they spent at least an hour inside the library searching for flowers that matched their marks. Finding them was difficult, but they were pretty sure his top marks were Heliotropes! And according to the flower guide they found, it meant eternal love/devotion. It was sweet and had him convinced that his friend would be his best friend.
The second mark on his arm, Tom's, were Chrysanthemums. "You're a wonderful friend," the book had said it meant. His third and final mark, Matt, was Lisianthus. They represent appreciation/admiration for a friend, gratefulness, and charisma.
Unlike Edd, Tom and Matt only had two flower marks. Tom's first mark, Edd, was Asters. It had meant a form of deep emotional love and affection, along with the message of "take care of yourself for me". It was very fitting, A Hyacinth, Matt's mark, was Tom's last mark. Interestingly enough, under the picture of the flower, the book just said "I'm sorry. Please forgive me." Other books just said they meant sorrow, regret, and forgiveness. Any time Edd asks about it, Tom clams up and asks him to leave it alone. Some things were just not meant to be shared.
Matt's first mark, Edd, was Morning Glories. They meant affection and love. His second mark, Tom, was Daisy's. While meaning loyal love and purity, there was also a deeper meaning of keeping a secret between friends. Again, there was a story there. Edd didn't know what the secret could be, but based on his friends' reactions when he asked them, he left it alone.
Each of their marks was on their left forearms and except for Tom's single Hyacinth, they were in bunches with multiples of the same flower.
Edd loved them, he really did. When he doubted his friendship with them, he'd look at his marks and remind himself that's what they thought of him. It was just hard sometimes, to remember that he was loved. Sometimes he felt like an imposter, like he didn't deserve their love. If asked why, he wouldn't be able to put it into words. It was just how he felt at times.
Late at night when he wasn't feeling too great, when stress just ate at him, he'd run his fingers over his arm, feeling his mark and whatever emotions his friend was feeling. He'd remind himself that if nothing else, the Heliotropes showed that his friend would always love him. Oftentimes, his friend was feeling content at night, and feeling that while stressed really helped him calm down.
Though on rare nights, his friend fed into his stress, morphing his feelings into a wave of intense anger as he rubbed his mark. He hated those nights but could never bring himself to move his hand away from his mark.
Edd sighed and put his pencil down. He didn't feel like finishing his schoolwork anymore. Maybe Tom and Matt could come over and play games with him?
Meanwhile, in another country, Tord was pacing back and forth in his office. "Fucking incompetent, pieces of shit," he hissed through clenched teeth. "They had one job! One easy, little job and still they fucked it up!"
He ran a shaky hand through his hair. As the job truly was an easy one, how this happened, Tord didn't have a clue. All those two idiots had to do was go into the government building, collect the information from the mole he planted there, and bring it back. That was it! Tord could've done it himself if he wasn't so busy. And yet, the two morons were still caught, very nearly giving away the identity of his mole.
He wished he could bring the two back and torture them for this. But alas, they were already dead. Tord couldn't afford either of them giving up any information on his army so he had them exterminated before they could be questioned. It didn't stop him from wanting to smash something.
A knock on his door caused Tord to pause. As he took a deep breath, he stuck two fingers into the sleeve of his left arm to briefly trace his mark. He couldn't see the color, but a cool flow of calmness and excitement pricked his rage. It was enough to stop him from shouting.
"You may enter."
Paul entered the room, which wasn't a surprise. He was one of the few who weren't scared shitless to bother him when he was in a rage.
"You're going on a vacation."
"Excuse me," Tord said flatly, a scowl on his face.
Paul continued on as if he wasn't in danger of being shot in the foot. Well, to be fair, he wasn't. Tord would never get rid of one of the more competent people in his army and Paul fully knew it. "With all due respect, don't even try to argue with me. I could practically hear you grinding your teeth from outside the door and you're going to wear a hole in your carpet. At this point, if you don't rest, you're going to give yourself stress ulcers."
Closing his eyes, Tord took another deep breath and counted to ten. For good measure, he shoved his fingers into his sleeve again to press against his mark. The calmness and excitement soothed his rage as he said with an even voice, "And who else agrees with you?"
"The only name I'll give up is Pat. I'm not stupid enough to think you won't take your anger out at anyone else. Get ready, the plane leaves tonight."
"You really aren't going to give me enough time to sort anything out?"
Paul shot him an annoyed look. "No, because knowing you, you'll just get too sucked into your work and not pack. I'll take care of anything urgent." He saluted Tord before leaving.
Tord rubbed his temples as he muttered, "He didn't even tell me where I was going." He dropped into his seat and yanked his desk drawer open. Leaning back in his chair, he lit a cigar and planned countless scenarios of his "vacation".
A small part of his mind hoped he could find the owner of his mark. They seemed so nice compared to him.
Knowledge of his leave was no doubt spreading through his base like a wildfire, so he had no doubt no one would bother him. His soul mark was safe from prying eyes, so he rolled up his sleeve and traced the outline of the Sunflowers. His face morphed from a scowl to a small smile. His beloved was still feeling calm and excited. He wondered what they were up to.
The Sunflowers lived up to their name as they truly did bring warmth to his life. They were supposed to mean adoration and loyalty. He hadn't met them yet, but considering they were a kid, the sunflowers were fitting. It'd be even more apparent once he met them.
Tord's smile dropped. He really wanted to find them, get to know them, and fill their bond. But what about his army? So many people wanted him dead and in no good conscience could he drag a kid into this mess. He never allowed anyone under eighteen to join and from the short talk he had with his beloved, they sounded too young to be eighteen. People could say what they wanted about him, but he refuses to have child soldiers.
If he found them, he'd have to bring them back here. Hiding them here was the only way he could keep them safe.
With that train of thought, Tord sat up. Already a plan was forming in his mind. Nothing could be concrete until he met them, but he'd have an empty room ready for them near his own. Just in case he found them on this trip. Chances were slim but he hated not being prepared.
With that in mind, he left his office to go pack. The thought of finding them made this trip a little more bearable.
All terms of endearment I found were meant for small children or leaning too romantic for this au, so Tord is using "Beloved" for Edd until they meet. I most likely won't do anything with it, but Tom's and Matt's marks to each other are referencing Matt's involvement in killing his father. Hence Matt's mark on Tom representing his guilt and sorrow, and Tom's mark on Matt representing him keeping the secret between them. Also, I have big events planned out but everything in between is vague so ideas are very much appreciated. Stop by my tumblr if you'd like to talk or request something anonymously:
If you're interested, here are the three flower websites I used: flower-meanings-language-flowers
/about-us/flower-meanings/
blog/flower-meanings-focal-flowers/