The Red String || A SMG34 fanfic

Chapter 13 - Before the Line

"Four.. It's not what it looks like"

Oh but it was.
It was EXACTLY how it looked like.
SMG3 knew that. And he knew that SMG4 knew as well.

SMG3 tried to get up and move closer to SMG4, but SMG4 stepped back, causing the red string to pull SMG4 back down, landing him face-first in the dirt again.

"For how long?" SMG4 said, a barely noticeable panic in his voice. "For how long have you- have you been.. tied to me?" SMG4 stared at his hands. He couldn't see any of the strings the website had described, but he now clearly noticed Three's left hand moving in sync with his own.

"Four, I-"

"ANSWER ME." SMG3 was interrupted by SMG4 pulling his hand back again. The panic in his voice now much more noticeable.

SMG3 looked up at SMG4. His partners blue eyes were pointed directly at him, conveying so many different emotions at once, that SMG3 wasn't sure how to describe them all.

SMG3 lowered his gaze. "Last night." His voice sounded defeated and quiet. "I made a mistake while getting a water sample and got some of the lake water on my finger. That's when it appeared."

"And you didn't tell us?? For the entire day??" SMG4s voice changed from panicked to angry. "What? Were you scared we would make fun of you? Point our fingers and laugh??"

SMG3 flinched a bit, surprised at SMG4s sudden aggression, but he didn't dare look up.

"Or what? Did you think you could deal with this all on your own?? The ruler of the Meme graveyard, the lone wolf, solving every problem by himself." SMG4 scoffed.

"How long were you planning to keep it a secret?" SMG4 squinted his eyes at SMG3 but SMG3 didn't answer. He just kept sitting on the soft grass, staring down at the floor.

"Were you EVER gonna tell us?" SMG4s voice became softer and SMG3 noticed the red string relaxing, slowly falling to the floor.

"Three.. we're friends.. you can trust us"

Friends.

SMG3's grip tightened. "Are we tho?" He finally looked up, glaring at SMG4 "Are we really friends or is this the Universe fucking with us again?"

"Wha- what do you mean?" SMG4 asked, surprised "Of course we're friends! According to your weird, invisible string we're even Soulmates!"

Soulmates. SMG3 couldn't help but let out a defeated laugh.

"We're both Meme Guardians, linked together by fate. Destined to work together to save the world over and over again." SMG3's voice, quiet at first, grew louder with every word.

"Who says that this Meme Power we have didn't just brainwash us into becoming friends??"

"What the hell are you talking about?" SMG4 blinked at Three in confusion.

SMG3 started to get up. "What if none of what we feel towards each other is real?? We still don't fully understand Meme energy – our friendship could all be based on that alone." Memories of their adventures flashed through SMG3's mind. "I mean we used to LOATHE each other. What brought upon that change?"
SMG3 was now fully on his feet again. Standing face to face with his fellow Meme Guardian.

"WE changed, Three." SMG4 said. "We grew so much as people. All our adventures, everything we've been through; Did they really mean nothing to you?"

"THEY MEANT EVERYTHING TO ME" SMG3 yelled out.

Everything went still for second. Only the sound of the wind could be heard.

"Y-You.. mean everything to me." It had already gotten pretty dark by that point and SMG3 prayed that the moonlight wasn't strong enough to reveal the tears that had formed in his eyes.

"I don't want us to be fucking Soulmates, Four." SMG3 continued. "I don't want us to be connected through meme energy, or fate or a stupid red string. I want none of this magic destiny bullshit."

He looked at his hands.

"I want us to be... to be friends" He didn't dare be completely honest. Not yet at least.

"To hang out because we WANT to, because we actually like the other person, and not because we have to deal with a world-ending event again."

SMG3 looked at SMG4, who just looked back with an unreadable expression.

SMG3 sighed. "Look.. I'm.. im sorry for not saying anything. I just didn't know how you would take the fact that we're apparently 'soulmates' and thought I could deal with this myself. "

SMG4 looked at the ground and SMG3 turned towards Fishy Boopkins, who was still hiding behind Meggy.
"Boopkins, im also sorry for yelling at you." Boopkins expression relaxed and he moved away from Meggy. SMG3 gave him a pained smile. "What do I need to do to get rid of this thing?" he asked, lifting his left hand.

But before Boopkins could answer, they were interrupted by a loud thud coming from the direction of the Trope-Lake.