Chapter Text
"...figured it out yet?" A man's voice sounded from downstairs. It was gentle, concerned, and loving.
"No, I just...don't understand it." A woman's voice replied. She was sweet, sad, worried, and loving.
The man was named Henry Anderson, and the woman was named Julie Anderson. They were Hank Henry Anderson's parents, and he sat on the top step of the stairs looking at his forearm where his mark rested. He knew what they were talking about. He was seven years old, and he considered himself to be quite the detective. He knew they were talking about his Soul-mark. Normal Soul-marks had one of three things. The person's name, a symbol unique to the other person, or the firs thing that their soulmate would say to them. Hank's mark, however, was non-existent.
"You know, I've heard...there are actually people that don't have Soul-marks of any kind. It's becoming more and more common. Does that mean...the end of the world will happen or..."
"Oh, Henry, don't be ridiculous. I'm sure it must be something else. After all, Marie was born just three months ago, and she has a beautiful rose Soul-mark. Perhaps...he's not meant to have a soulmate."
"I've...also heard...that people who are born without one...don't meet their soulmate. As in...they..."
"HUSH, Henry! I will not have you talking about Hank like that! It's not the case, and I won't think about it for a moment! He'll find his soulmate. Even if he doesn't there are plenty of other people that fall in love with those who AREN'T their soulmate."
"Yes, but it's never the same. My brother knows first hand, you know that, Julie."
"Yes, I'm well aware." She sighed with a heaviness that showed how she felt for the entire conversation. Hank knew that he was different. He was avoided by the other kids at the park when they never saw the mark on him. It always appeared on the right forearm, but he was born without one.
He stood up and made his way down the stairs and into the kitchen where his mother and father were talking. "Mama?" He asked as he continued to look at his arm.
"Hank!" His mother whisper-scolded. "You're supposed to be in bed, young man."
"I know...I know I'm...dif...dif...different. There are others like me, right? I'm...am I...weird?"
"No, sweetie!" She was quick to kneel down to his level and hold him tight. "You're not weird, just different. It happens to other people. We've asked about it to a few friends of ours. It happens. It's just...nearly unheard of." She leaned away with a saddened expression. "There's also not enough research as to why this is. As to...why or who this particularly happens to."
"I...I guess...I don't have a soulmate." Hank said sadly, because despite being only seven years old, he liked the idea of there being someone out there just for him.
"It...appears that way, sweetie."
"Well...I...can still...love someone someday, right? I can still love, right?"
"Of course." His father replied. "You're filled with so much love already, Hank, I'm surprised you can contain it all in that tiny body of yours."
"Okay." Hank nodded with determination. "I'll...I'll...If I can't have a soulmate...I'll be better than a soulmate for someone someday! I don't...know what that is...but I'll try!"
"That's good thinking, Hank." His mother nodded. "Now...off to bed."
Hank ran up the stairs and into bed with determination. He would find someone to love someday. He knew that his mother and father weren't soulmates, but that they had fallen in love anyway. He knew that his father's brother, his Uncle Greg was technically his mother's soulmate, but neither of them loved each other, so maybe there was hope for him, who didn't have one at all.
When Hank was in Junior high, he dated one girl, whose soulmate actually turned out to be his best friend. So, he broke up with her and decided to set them up. "Hank, what are we doing here? I thought you said that we were over, because we're not soulmates." She huffed with her arms crossed.
"I know, I know, but I know who IS your soulmate." He watched as her eyes lit up and soon, they both heard someone walking towards them from around the corner of the school.
"Hank, honestly, what is it now! I have studies to get to, you great oaf!"
"Jeffrey!" Hank waved and called out to him. "Come here! I want you to meet someone!"
"Your...girlfriend?" Jeffrey asked, and Hank could see the look in his best friend's eyes.
"Well...actually...we just broke up. She can be YOUR girlfriend now, though. Oh...that...sounded bad, just...um...look at each others soul-mark." Irritated, Jeffrey let out a sigh and lifted his sweater sleeve up to reveal his soul-mark, and when they both heard Sarah gasp in surprise, they watched as she lifted her sleeve up.
"We match! Except...mine has a J where yours has an S at the loop right here, see!?" Sarah said as she pointed at their marks.
"J...for Jeffrey..." Jeffrey began. "...and S...for Sarah?" Hank had told his best friend about his girlfriend until he just...didn't. This was why, and realization happened upon them both as they stared at Hank. "Hank...are you sure?"
"Is this really why?" Sarah asked.
"Yes and yes. The two of you should at least try and see if you like each other a lot. You should try it out. You're each others soulmate, it would be a shame not to try."
"Thank you." Jeffrey and Sarah said at the same time before they looked at each other and smiled.
Hank's heart felt heavy, but he enjoyed seeing both of them happy.
When Hank went to High School, it was his Freshman year when someone bumped into him and they both fell on their asses while their stuff fell to the ground. School had just started, and it was STILL hot outside, so unfortunately, there was no hiding his empty arm. However, when he reached for one of his books, the other student reached for it as well, and he noticed another empty arm. "You...You don't have one either?" Hank asked as he pointed to the other student's arm.
"You mean...I'm not alone here?" The other student smiled in relief. "Well...that's...hmm..." The other student blushed as he rubbed the back of his neck. "My name is George." He held out his hand.
"My name is Hank." He replied as he noticed just how brown the guy's eyes were. He was always a sucker for brown eyes, but he still hadn't found the 'right' brown eyes. George's eyes came close, but still weren't quite right. His hair was also ALMOST the right shade of dark brown, but it was still just a touch too light, but Hank still felt a stirring in his heart. 'Huh...He's handsome, attractive, kind, that blush is kind of cute, and OH MY GOD! I'm BI!?' Hank's eyes widened, which immediately seemed to concern George.
"What's wrong, Hank?" He asked as he began to pick up his stuff, looking at things carefully to make sure they were actually his.
"I...I think I just figured out I'm bisexual." As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt the heat rush to his cheeks, and he just wanted to run, hide, and cringe in silence while banging his head against the wall, but when he saw a replying blush on George's cheeks, his heart stuttered, keeping his legs from moving.
"Well...that makes two of us then." George smiled sheepishly at him.
"Would you...um...want to go to see a movie with me next week?"
"Sure!" George blinked in surprise. "I um...I can take you out to a diner I know of. They have a 50's theme with the really big glasses for the milkshakes."
"That...sounds great. It's...a um..."
"It's a date, then." George grinned.
"A date...yeah..." Hank returned the grin as he gathered his stuff from the ground and put it in his school bag. "See you...next...um..."
"Oh, right, a day would be kind of important when planning a date." George let out a nervous laugh. "Huh...um...well...I have football practice on Friday, so..."
"Wait...you're in football, too?"
"Yeah." George said with his eyes narrowed. "I'm a lineman and a Sophomore. What do you play as?"
"I'm the new QB and I'm a Freshman." Hank stated as they both stood up. "So...we both have practice on Friday...what about...Saturday, then?"
"Saturday sounds perfect." George smiled, and they went their separate ways for the time being.
When Saturday arrived, they talked, got to know one another, and found that they had a lot in common. The week after that, Hank told his parents that he discovered he's bi, and they accepted him completely, which made him cry, because he knew kids his age had it far worse from their parents with that kind of revelation.
Hank and George dated for two years until one day, George was driving home from his part-time job, and was hit by a drunk driver in a van on the road. George's parents were also accepting of George, as well as his relationship with Hank, so they called him immediately, and Hank hung around the family for a while, before the family decided to move away. Hank was heartbroken for close to three years after that.
Seven years after graduating high school, Hank received an invite to Jeffrey and Sarah's wedding. He went and supported his friend, but he was slightly bitter at their happiness, because now, more than ever, his right arm burned with emptiness as he witness their happiness.
Many years later, Jeffrey and Hank went to the police academy and progressed differently. Eventually, Hank received the title of Detective, and much to Hank's relief, he was told he wasn't required to wear a uniform anymore.
However, that didn't mean that he didn't receive disciplinary warnings. The one he just received in particular was for bad mouthing someone back, who had noticed his lack of a mark. The altercation caused for a report to be filed, and for him to be out on patrol with a rookie.
They heard screaming from outside the car, and the rookie immediately parked, so they could both jump out and inspect. What they found was a man holding a knife to a woman. "You're markless anyway! No one will miss you!" The creep said.
"Hank..." The rookie whispered. "...he's one of the most wanted right now. He's murdered women left and right from state to state."
"We catch him, this could be big for you, rookie."
"I have a name, asshole!"
"Yeah? Never knew."
The rookie gave him a quick playful shove. Despite the rookie being fairly new, Hank was the one that recommended him to the police force in the first place after witnessing him standing up for a few women that were ganged up by a bunch of men. They pointed their guns at the man, who immediately, of course, tried to use the woman as a human shield. "You won't shoot me! Not when I have- AHHHHH FUCKER!" He screamed in agony after a shot sounded next to Hank.
"What the Fuck!"
"I had a clear shot at his leg and his shoulder. She wasn't covering that on him, and now he's let go of her. You get the lady and I'll read him his rights while I take him to the car."
"Good work, Reed." Hank said to him with a grin.
"Yeah, yeah. Don't get sappy on me, old man."
"Wouldn't dream of it, asshole." Hank laughed at him before he went to console the victim. "Are you alright miss..."
"Emma. My name is Emma." She said with a shaking voice.
"Hey...how about...we get out of this alley, huh? Bad memories here already. Let's go. I'll keep you away from the car so we can talk, okay? I'll...Oh, shit! You're bleeding! He stabbed you?"
"A couple of times, yes." She nodded. "I'll...um...be fine. He's right...no one will miss me. I have no one. I live on the streets, I have no soul-mark, and I guess...I'm just one of those markless people that die early in life."
"No...you're not. I've got a room at my place that I'm not using. I can keep you there until you get on your feet, Emma. You can live with me, and I'll call an ambulance for you, okay? I'll take care of it, don't worry, and hey..." He lifted up his sleeve and smiled. "I'm markless, too." She smiled at him, and he went with her to the ambulance when it arrived shortly after he had called Jeffrey to report who they caught and why he wouldn't be there. Jeffrey understood, and gave him the next day off.
Three days after that, he would be told that Gavin Reed would be promoted to Detective. He bought Gavin drinks, and they celebrated.
Emma didn't have anything to move in, so it was easy to get her set up. Hank had a lot of money saved up, because he rarely spent it unless he absolutely had to, so it was easy to get her room set up and to get her a lot of clothes. She settled in nicely and was a fucking amazing cook in Hank's opinion.
It wouldn't be long after that, they would both confess their feelings, and agree to get married. They would then have a son named Cole, but she would cheat on Hank with a man at her job at CyberLife that she found out to be her soulmate. They got divorced and she gave him full custody of Cole without batting an eye. He wasn't sure what broke his heart more. The fact that she cheated on him and left him, or the fact that it appeared she cared so little for their eight month old son.
He was a single parent after that, and he was dedicated to his job as well. He hired only the best babysitters until he could put Cole in Daycare and until Cole could start Pre-school.
He and Gavin kept up their strange friendship of trading jabs and insults back and forth, and Cole called Gavin, 'Uncle Gav Gav.' Hank thought that Gavin was going to break down crying when Cole said that when they went to their favorite restaurant to celebrate Cole's fifth birthday.
Hank's happiness, was once again, short lived, it would seem. Gavin listed Hank as his emergency contact, because he had no one else he considered family, and Gavin trusted him with the truth of who his half brother was. So, when he and Cole were leaving the house to go out to eat, Hank received a call that Gavin was in the hospital with three bullet wounds, because of a domestic violence call that turned into a shooting. He knew to be careful on the ice, but he hurried as best he could while staying safe.
He hadn't expected, as no one ever would, a drunk driver in his truck skidding on a sheet of ice, forcing his car to roll over. When he woke up, he was in the hospital, and Gavin was crying next to him. "What...What the hell, Gav?"
"It's...Hank...It's Cole...they...he didn't...He didn't make it, Hank." Gavin looked down at the floor, and Hank wondered if Gavin saw his heart down there, because he felt his heart drop out of his body. He heard Gavin tell him exactly what happened. How a human surgeon was too high on Red Ice to operate so they got an android instead. The logical side of him knew that it was the human's fault, but the emotional part of him...thought exactly what Gavin thought. 'Fuck Androids!'
Hank would be determined to think that until his dying day. At least, that was the plan until he met Connor, the android sent by CyberLife.