"because loving you
paints the world in color"
-gemma troy
Happy Easter to all who celebrate it!
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm back with another Soulmate AU from the same post ( post/144380748003/master-list-of-soulmate-aus). This one is a combination of two: matching tattoos and the changing of colors. Here, soulmates having matching tattoos around their wrists that are entirely black and when they touch their soulmate for the first time, the tattoo becomes filled with colors. I hope you all enjoy it!
Trigger Warnings: mentioned/implied domestic abuse.
The moment Clarice opened her eyes to a man leaning over her, she flinched away violently, her battered body immediately protesting the sudden movement. It took her a couple of moments to register that she wasn't on the floor of her crappy apartment, but a hospital, and the man who'd been standing over her wasn't her older foster brother, but a doctor stepping back with his hands held up.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you."
She swallowed, clearing her throat, "No, you're…you're alright."
Soft brown eyes regarded her as he pulled her medical chart from the end of her bed, "My name is Dr. Diaz. I'm going to ask you a series of questions to test your memory. Let me know when you're ready."
Clarice answered the questions and she watched him fill out the chart, noting with mild interest when he returned the chart to its compartment with a slightly more serious expression than before, "I'm assuming you know why you're here?"
"You're mine!" A backhanded strike to her face sent her to the floor, following quickly by a booted foot to her back where she'd curled inward. He laughed loudly, his words slurred, "And after I'm done with you, not even your soulmate will want what's left."
Clarice winced at the memory, "My foster brother found out I had a soulmate. He beat me."
Her eyes drifted to her left wrist, where the mark had appeared when she'd been fifteen: a beautiful Native design that was entirely black and would fill in with color the moment she met them. She noted, with relief, that that particular part of her body had escaped with only bruising instead of something more inventive…
She kept it hidden under bracelets and sleeves for nearly a decade like she could protect them just by hiding it from prying eyes. Soulmate marks themselves weren't uncommon, but for anyone past the age of twelve or thirteen, it was almost unheard of.
Dr. Diaz nodded, momentary anger flashing through his eyes before that calm expression came back. "There will be a detective coming in to take your statement in about five minutes. Is there anything I can get you before they come?"
"A glass of water and a mirror?"
The second request had him frowning, but he nodded, "I'll be right back."
She let out a sigh, her head falling back onto the pillow. Clarice tried to relax before the detective came, but every time she closed her eyes she saw him and all staring at the ceiling did was bring to mind every fist and foot that struck her…
The door opened, snapping her from those spiraling thoughts…
Dr. Diaz gave her a small smile, setting the glass of water and mirror on the table, pulling it over to her left side so she could reach it with the arm not currently attached to an IV. "Thank you, Dr. Diaz."
He nodded, "I'll see you later, Miss Fong."
Against her better judgment, she grabbed the mirror.
His first hit had gifted her with a black eye, bruise-swollen cheekbone, and a split lip; and while Clarice should've been pissed at the fact that he'd beaten her into unconsciousness, she couldn't stop replaying his words over and over…
"…after I'm done with you, not even your soulmate will want what's left!"
She put the mirror down at the light knock, "Come in."
A woman stepped into the hospital, dressed pretty casually in black jeans, steel-toed boots, and a leather jacket with shoulder-length jade-green locks. She flashed the badge clipped to her hip with a small smile, dark eyes making note of her injuries.
Clarice's mind absently noted how attractive the other woman was…
"I'm Detective Lorna Dane-Diaz, I want to ask you a few questions."
Diaz? Clarice hated her mind sometimes, embarrassment washing over her, "O-okay."
"I can give you some time…"
She shook her head, grimacing almost immediately, "No, it's alright. Go 'head."
Lorna didn't bother hiding her anger at the whole incident, her shoulders rigid as she asked the usual questions. Her expression softened when she asked Clarice to show her the solid black soul mark on her wrist. "He's known you since you were…fourteen, correct?"
"Yeah. My mark didn't appear until I was fifteen." Clarice frowned as the words spilled out. She wasn't one to throw out such a personal piece of information, but there was something in her that told her Lorna was someone who could be trusted. That in of itself wasn't a feeling she was familiar with, "and he'd made his feelings on soulmates very clear."
She hummed, "Well, thank you for your statement, Clarice. We'll keep you updated on our progress and we'll have officers posted here until he's apprehended."
"Thank you."
…
Lorna shut the door behind her, grabbing Marcos's arm and tossing the pad at John, who caught it one hand. "Hold this for me. I'll be right back."
John's lips twitched.
She could sense Marcos's confusion through the bond as she dragged him into one of the storage closets, tugging a hand through her hair as she leaned back against the door, "Clarice is John's soulmate."
The shock on his face was genuine, "She's his…wait seriously?"
Lorna raised a brow, "I've been his partner for six years. I'm sure."
Marcos sighed, running a hand down his face, "Shit."
Lorna frowned, leaning back against the shelves.
While John was one of the best cops she'd ever had the privilege of working with and could keep a cool head, there were times she caught glimpses of a deep anger that would bring him to the precinct the next day with bruised, scabbed over knuckles and hard eyes…
She'd yet to see him slip while at work, but putting the man who'd nearly beaten his soulmate to death in front of John would no doubt give Lorna a front-row seat to John returning the favor tenfold.
Lorna had no doubts that John could (and would, given no obstacles) kill the man. "Shit is right."
Marcos took her hands in his, trying to calm her. "Lorna…"
She looked down at their intertwined fingers, her concern transforming into panic as she remembered the report and how she knew there would be photographs of both her injuries and soul mark, "He's working the case with me. As soon as he goes through the file, he'll know."
He sent her warm waves of calm reassurance, pulling her forward, "You've had each other's backs through everything, Lorna. You've got this alright? Just talk to him about it now, give him some time to work through it."
She shook her head, "I can try. He's never talked about his soulmate with me."
"Really?"
Lorna shook her head, "I didn't push him on it."
Marcos sighed, "Well, then I guess I'll leave you to it."
They parted with a quick kiss, Lorna walking back to where John was patiently waiting.
She saw no sign of anything wrong, glad that John wasn't one to snoop, even when he immediately noticed that something was wrong and the drive back to the precinct was full of tense silence.
"Lorna, is something wrong?"
She grabbed the case file off her desk, kind of glad she'd gone through it before John could be briefed. Lorna felt Marcos's presence try to fill her with calm as guilt churned her stomach, "Before I give you this, I want you to promise that you won't do something stupid."
"Lorna…"
"John." She held his stare, "Please."
His expression hardened, sensing her urgency, "I promise."
Lorna set the file and pad in his hand, "Read her statement first."
He frowned, but set the file aside and flipped open the pad.
I'm sorry, John.
She hated how she watched his reactions as though he were a hostage-taker, seeing glimmers of that anger start to build behind his eyes like embers being stoked, as it did with any case involving soulmates and abuse.
Lorna knew the clenched jaw and tight shoulders were usually a sign that he was restraining himself from hitting something or someone, but when he finally went through all the pictures and pieced together just who the victim was, a chill went through her.
She had worked closely with him for over six years. She'd been with him when he struggled with his PTSD and depression, had even pushed him into boxing and MMA to channel the anger into something productive, but not once had she seen him like this.
His body was still and there was a coldness in his eyes she didn't like…didn't recognize and it was in that moment that Lorna was reminded how good of a Marine he'd been and the nickname he'd earned and had inked into his skin: Thunderbird.
That who staring back at her now.
And for the first time since she'd known him, he scared her.
…
Clarice saw Doctor Diaz stiffen, hand gripping the end of her hospital bed with white knuckles, her stomach dropping at the blatant fear that flashed through the man's eyes before they went distant like he was seeing something she couldn't.
She knew his soulmate was the detective tracking down her foster brother and she hated to think of something horrible happening to her or anyone else, "Is she okay? Is something wrong?"
He blinked, looking over at her with an apologetic expression.
She hated the pity she saw, "Just tell me."
"Lorna's partner, John…he's your soulmate."
Clarice sucked in a breath, the EKG picking up her racing pulse. She would've shaken her head if it wouldn't have caused her more pain. It couldn't have been that easy. She almost snorted. As if the last decade of her life had been easy. "And you…you know this for sure?"
"If his reaction to your injuries were any indication, he is."
"He's going to kill him…isn't he?"
Marcos blinked, surprised by how quickly she'd come to that conclusion. "It's a possibility."
Clarice worried her lip, "Have they captured my foster brother yet?"
"Not yet, but…" he trailed off with that distant look, "they're here."
She choked, "Are you…are you serious right now? Why?"
"She's hoping you'll be able to…calm him."
"Calm him? I've never even met him!" She could feel every bruise on her skin, the wounds on her face throbbing as her cheeks flushed and Clarice almost contemplated having one of the nurses increase the dosage of her pain meds so she'd be out cold when he arrived…
"Lorna nearly shot me when we first met so…" Marcos shrugged with a small smile. "I know that the circumstances are shitty and all, but you already kind of know each other before the meeting so it shouldn't be so bad."
Clarice frowned, not wanting to add that he knew a lot more than just her name. Her eyes fell to the soul mark that had stayed with her when no one or nothing else had and she wished she could run fingers along the dark lines. She nodded, "Alright."
There was a light knock on the door, before Lorna opened it. "Hey, Clarice."
She forced a smile, seeing the apology in her eyes. "Hey. Is he out there?"
"Yes, he is…or not." She looked to her left with a concerned frown and muttered, "Seriously?"
Marcos walked out of the room, the door shutting as two quickly delving into those wordless conversations in the hallways that bonded soulmates were famous for. They were so invested in whatever they were talking about (probably John) to hear her move.
Using her IV-free arm to push herself into a sitting position, Clarice slowly inched her legs over the edge of the bed. She was careful to keep her right arm as still as possible as she gripped the IV stand tightly and scooted forward.
The tile floor was freezing on her bare feet and she winced as she slowly stood, every muscle in her body protesting the movement. Everything was achy and stiff, her legs full of pins and needles, but she readjusted her grip on the stand and limped over to the door.
Leaning heavily against the wall, she used her now free hand to pull it open.
Marcos and Lorna were nowhere to be seen and the officers guarding her door had drifted a few doors down, with only a few nurses and a couple of people waiting for something, probably news of a loved one…
God, she hated hospitals.
She got nearly halfway before a hand caught the IV stand and her wrist began to burn.
Clarice looked over at her mark, watching as the zig-zag lines and geometric patterns filled in with silver and red and blue and turquoise and gold. Tears nearly spilled over as just how beautiful it was, her aches and pains fading when she lifted her head.
He stared back at her with an equal look of awe in those dark, deep eyes.
Then she promptly collapsed in his arms.
…
She awoke to the unfamiliar feeling of a hand holding hers, turning to find John curled into a chair with his head slumped to one side as he rested his other arm on the armrest. That couldn't have been comfortable given his rather…impressive stature, but Clarice didn't want to wake her soulmate just yet.
Her soulmate. It was still strange to think about.
She itched to run her fingers through his hair and along the lines of his face: the high arcs of his cheekbones, the strong line of his jaw; but all she did was tighten her hold on his hand, their soul marks gleaming in the fluorescent light.
Clarice stiffened as he squeezed her hand, nearly letting out a squeak of shock.
John opened his eyes, lips curling into a wide, dimpled smile.
Her face warmed, "I guess I should thank you for catching me."
He looked down at their marks, expression darkening as he brushed a thumb over the bruises covering her skin. A shadow passed through his eyes, his jaw flexing for only a second before his face softened and he pressed a kiss to the inside of her wrist, "I'm sorry I wasn't able to protect you."
She sucked in a breath, the machines making her body's reaction to his touch very obvious and it took a couple of seconds for her to rearrange her thoughts into some semblance of function. Clarice reached up, fingers running along his jaw, "You didn't know, John. You couldn't have."
He stood up, uncurling from the chair with the grace of someone who hadn't slept in a plastic chair for hours. He sat sideways on the edge of her bed and folding one long leg underneath him, turning his body to face her, his eyes holding hers.
Clarice swallowed as his presence addled her mind once again as thoughts drifted to the black t-shirt that stretched enticingly across his shoulders and chest, hating how long it took to realize he'd asked her a question. "Hmm?"
His crooked smile told her the wandering eyes hadn't been missed, "Can I kiss you?"
Her eyes fall to his mouth then back up to him and she nodded.
Everything went silent when his lips met hers, her pain evaporating in light of the electricity that crackled between them. He swallowed her gasp as something in her shifted and a wave of brilliant warmth washed over them both.
Clarice pulled back, breathing hard. Wow. "You felt that right?"
He rested his forehead against hers. "Yeah."
She smiled, "Soulmate connection?"
John hummed, a boyish grin curling his lips, "Not sure. We should probably investigate."
"Yes, we should." She curled a hand over the back of his neck and pulled him down.