old fandom, new tricks

Presumably the Corps would keep records of what everyone's wristnames are and would avoid putting matches together if it was going to be a problem, so if Brad and Nate are wristname mates then there has to be some sort of workaround. 
(Putting aside for the moment how I am fundamentally opposed to the concept of wristnames, given that the vast majority of humans throughout [pre]history have not been literate or even necessarily kept the same names throughout their lives; I am in the end a sucker for soulmate tropes.)
Brainstorming:
- One of them doesn't have a wristname- One of them doesn't have a wristname until after they're deployed together- The name on Nate's wrist is Brad's birth name, or the name he *almost* had- One or both of them have a rank rather than a name on their wrist, because that's how they address the other (?)- omg what if Brad's wrist just says "sir"- what if instead of a genteel tattoo it's straight-up scarring (this does not help me plot)- is the wrist guard also usmc issue (yes)

I don't actually want to invert the trope here, I want SOUL. MATES. Help me brainstorm?