#red string theory

[imaginative-joy]

Inktober 2021 piece, prompt was "Knot." Is the red string of fate being tied or untied? Either way, someone is thinking about it...

[fadeintosatoru]

pt2 of this

pt 3

Satoru, who was the most jealous guy when it came to you, could not bear the thought of you sitting next to other guys—guys who were making you laugh. Oh, he’s sick.

Satoru, who stares them down, sending daggers with his eyes. And why are you laughing? They’re not that funny. Definitely not funnier than him.

He hates how much he can’t sit next to you, can’t be the one making you laugh or teasing you, like, no one else is worthy of hearing your cute laugh.

Satoru, who got into a fight with some guy you were starting to get too close to for his liking. Mind you, the fight happened right in front of you, but you were too busy to even notice.

And when you found out it was Satoru and your crush, you couldn’t believe it. You asked Satoru what happened, and he said, “He didn’t want to let go of the ball.”

But that’s not what everyone else is saying…

Satoru, who loves when you get mad at him for getting into too many fights. It lowkey makes him want to get into more because he loves the attention you give him.

Satoru, who walked into the first day of class and immediately sat next to you. How could he not? There was no way in hell he’d let some nobody sit next to you.

Satoru, who, on a school trip to the beach, saw you walk down to the deck and followed you.

You two sat there for the rest of the night before heading back to the bus.

Satoru, who takes a mental picture, the way the sunlight kisses your face making his chest tighten painfully.

You were perfect. This moment was perfect. And god, did he want to kiss you, wanted to tell you everything he was scared to say.

Satoru, who could not keep his eyes off you the entire ride back. He just couldn’t. He couldn’t stop replaying the moment.

It was intimate. It was just you, him, and the ocean. The way your doe eyes stared at him, like he was the most innocent, precious thing.

And he was. To you, he was.

Satoru, who insisted you be the first one to sign his cast after he broke his arm. He even let you draw cute flowers, never letting anyone else write on it.

Satoru, who knew you didn’t particularly like speaking in public, so just to get you flustered, he’d purposefully pick you during popcorn reading.

Satoru, who always asked you for a pencil, knowing damn well he had like five of them in his backpack. He just loved it when you rolled your eyes, telling him, “Again?”

Satoru, whose eyes never leave you when you walk into the room. His whole demeanor changes as soon as you step foot in class, and his friends just watch and tease him later.

Satoru, who secretly loves when teachers sit him next to you because he’s heard that saying—that teachers know when students like each other. Not that you’d ever like him, he thought, but boy was he wrong.

Satoru, who sent you a DM after it took you two whole days to accept his request.

a/n: he has NOT in fact sent her a dm :( they need to reconnect asap. @lavnder311 @jkslaugh97 pt.2 is up :3

[punkimus-maximus]

[zelpharofficial]

Red String of Fate

[k41ya]

If your red string existed, how far would you follow it?

[starryvomit]

and if it is meant to be

we will find each other again

naturally.

[defnotriri]

"the man who can't be moved"

|| PRO!Katsuki B. x reader

UNEDITED / UNREVISED

pt. 1

A couple days passed before you got a reply back from the number. You were sitting alone in a cafe with your drink. You were waiting for a friend but he got on his train a bit late.

You thought maybe the number was disabled. Or maybe he still has it on a different phone that he doesn't use. No reply meant it just wasn't meant to be. If you reached out in his dms, that would be doing too much.

You took a sip of your coffee and suddenly your phone buzzed. You were shocked when you saw the number.

You sighed, I guess it really was your destiny. Then suddenly a broad figure sat at the empty table near you. He was wearing a jacket and had his hood on which was weird. You also noticed he had one of your favorite pastries.

"Can I use that napkin?" The man asked pointing at your unused napkin. You tell him of course and hand it to him. Then you pointed at his pastry.

"that use to be my favorite while I was dating this guy." You say and smile at the memories. Whenever you guys would go out, Katsuki would always get you one of your favorite things.

"really? what happened to him" The hooded figured asked.

"he finally achieved his dream, I'm so proud of him." You let out a low chuckle.

"and you're just watching from the sidelines?"

"well its all I can do, we're just not to meant to be." You shrug at the question. You wonder if you're a stalker.

"He's engaged but I don't know- I texted his old number. I told myself if he didn't reply or if someone else did, it wasn't meant to be." You sigh taking another sip.

"Wow. what a way to home wreck." The guy chuckled and you noticed he didn't even touch his food yet. You were about to say something when he gave you your tissue back.

You were going to give it back saying you didn't want his used napkin when you saw writing on it. You straightened it a bit to see what it was. It was a bunch of numbers. Was he just talking to you because he was interested?

"Im so sorry, sir. You're really nice but I'm not interested-" You turn your head to look at him and you finally see his face. Bright ruby red eyes staring back at you with blonde peeking from his hood.

"oh sorry, must've got the wrong impression." His face doesn't react. He carries the same yearning face while talking. Your stomach churns and you're unsure of what to do.

"it's arranged, by the way." He breaks the silence and you hear a platter being placed on your table. He's giving you your favorite treat once again.

"what?" You snap out your trance.

"we're only engaged for our families. The hag wanted me to get married and wouldn't stop nagging me. Round face was one of the only people I barely tolerate" He speaks and suddenly your hands are sweating and your throat is dry. The words are stripped from your mouth.

"why'd you leave when I needed you the most." He finally gets to ask the big question after years of wondering.

"I- um.. I guess I just realized I was too weak willed to become a hero." You played with your fingers and looked anywhere but his face. Yet you could still feel those red eyes burning through you.

"I didn't care if you became a hero or not. I just wanted you."

"I don't know- I just thought I was holding you back, Katsuki."

"You were the only thing pushing me forward." He said with more of a begging tone. Like he was desperate for something. Like he was desperate for you. You did the only thing you could imagine and you hugged him.

He hugged you back, a hand around your hip and one behind your head. His grip was tight and he kissed your head. You could feel him shaking, too scared to let go. Worried if he did you would leave him again.

You thought your destiny would be away from each other but no matter what, you two will always find your way back to each other. Like a string connecting you two together.

TAGLIST: @rednicotine @delshmel @rory-52 @itsjustapumpkin @cumsluut @d4rlinxs @ilovesoupp @idontwannatalkrn1 @katsuisbaby @bri-licious08 @raelikesdinosaurs @dragonictales

hi so sorry if I got ur tag wrong or smth im to lazy to double check them or if the link is wrong lol

[kdielel]

"An invisible thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, and circumstance.

The thread may stretch or tangle. But it will never break."

-Ancient Chinese Proverb

This ancient Chinese tale, often known as the ,,red string theory”

[kroz-zivot-srcem]

[deadboydoodling]

red string theory

[heylorrain]

“ His eyes held a touch of sadness and hope, and her hair was the shade of strawberry lemonade in the sun.”

[masochist-marmot]

TMAGP Theory: Tria Prima

Spoiler alert/disclaimer: Written after The Magnus Protocol episode 34; also spoilers for The Magnus Archives

I don't know if this idea has been properly explored yet, but I have had a weeklong hyperfixation where I've delved into alchemy and tried to figure out the inner workings of TMAGP universe. This theory is half-boiled at best, and I apologise if I've misunderstood any of the basic concepts. It seems like even alchemists never fully agreed on them, so they're contradicting each other a lot. That being said, let's get into it.

Perspective Reset

First of all, I think we are collectively still too hung up on the Fears as entities or powers. It's very tempting to classify things with the same framework we're familiar with (and conditioned to), but I think it's preventing us from seeing the bigger picture. Prior to the end of TMA, it's possible that no entities ever even existed in this universe, but the incidents have been taking place for a long time. The creators have also explicitly said that they wanted to create a new rule set, and I doubt that they'd build it with the same blocks. Because of this, I set out to find a set of rules that has nothing to do with the fears.

Classical Elements (Very Briefly)

I will oversimplify this for my sanity and yours. We have the four classical elements: fire, air, water and earth. In the classical worldview, these make up everything on Earth. Each element has two corresponding properties, as you can see in the figure below (fire is hot and dry etc). The elements are in a constant process of circulating and flowing, breaking apart and coming together (sand into water, water into stone, stone into wood...), but fire and air are considered more active and volatile while water and earth are more passive and stable. The rest of the universe is filled with the fifth element, quintessence or aether. It is considered heavenly and perfect and completely unchangeable.

The Three Principles (Tria Prima)

Later alchemists made the addition of (first two and then) three principles that work on the elements and in conjunction with them. These principles were used to describe the alchemical process and its parts, but they also had more metaphysical implications. These are the foundation of my theory.

Salt 🜔: Aka. Corpus or The Body. Things that are solid and stable but also corruptible. The dust that's left behind after something is burned. Associated with earth, water and the property of coldness. In humans, associated with the physical body and therefore physical health. Salt is also associated with preservation and sometimes even rebirth. It's what's left behind after the alchemical stage of putrefication, and therefore what undergoes purification.

Mercury ☿: Aka. Spiritus or The Mind. Things that are volatile and soluble. The alchemical solvent or the smoke that rises from a fire. Considered the perfect agent because it demonstrates properties of both a liquid and a solid. The principle of flowing freely between elements and perhaps even heaven and earth. Associated with air, water and the property of wetness. In humans, it's the mind, or the intellect, knowledge and rationality of a person. Some seem to consider it the universal, platonic idea of thought, as mercury wouldn't be restricted by an individual body.

Sulphur 🜍: Aka. Anima or The Soul. Things that combust, but also the principle of combustibility. The flame that manifests when something is burned. Associated with fire, air and the property of hotness. With fire and air being the most active elements, sulphur is also the catalyst for change. In humans, associated with the soul, or the consciousness that links the body to the mind. It's the emotions, ambitions and desires that animate the body.

Why have I given you the symbols? Because they're all there on the OIAR logo:

(I also circled aether because I thought I'd talk about it later but decided not to, so you're free to make your own conclusions)

I currently believe that these three principles are omnipresent in the Magnus Protocol universe. They're just part of the makeup of the universe, causing no one harm. At least, when they're in balance.

The Theory - It's All About Balance

There's been a lot of talk about balance by now.

"The institute, alchemy, all of it. "It’s all about balance. Dua prima, four elements, seven planets, it’s all the same. You’ve got to keep things balanced. And if something is missing, if someone is misplaced, the equation doesn’t balance… and that’s when things get bad…" (Celia, episode 30)

Here Celia mentions dua prima, which (as I alluded to before) is an earlier theory surrounding Sulphur and Mercury. Salt was proposed as the third principle in a later theory, but by now the tria prima seem to be more widely accepted.

"Not that anyone cares as long as it all balances, right? Not too much mercury or the world ends, not too much sulfur or we all go mad…" (Colin, episode 19)

Huh.

So, let me lay out the actual theory.

The principles usually strive for balance, because it's their natural state. However, sometimes the balance is skewed by human action or some other unexpected force. This imbalance can happen on an individual level or it can affect objects (which then become "cursed") or locations (which then become "poisoned"). In fact, the Magnus Institute calls such poisoned locations loci (singular "locus"). I also hypothesise that this is how the OIAR categorises their incidents (1. individuals - 2. locations - 3. objects).

When there is an imbalance, the affected person/area/object starts to display an unnatural amount or lack of one principle. For example, if there's an abundance of salt, we may see people or things slow down, become passive, even crystallise. Bodies preserved despite obvious corrosion, infections that putrefy and then purify flesh into a "perfect" form. The clearest example I can think of would be episode 3, where the character quite literally transmutes into a tree. Or episode 23 where a character inserts a piece of coral under her skin and begins to paralyse as it grows out of her. If you absolutely have to compare to TMA, I'd say a lot of Flesh, Corruption or Buried statements would fit under salt. It is associated with earth, water and literal bodies, after all.

Abundance in mercury would manifest as things getting a little weird, unstable and volatile, but in a subtle, flowy way. Changing architecture, people seeming odd, things dissolving into others, time or dimensions being unstable, perhaps the limits of a human psyche being broken. I'm thinking of the liminal spaces from episode 8 or the pier from episode 33. The fog is an especially fitting link, what with fog being a manifestation of air and water. I also think the entire Hill Top Centre has been affected. And now that I started, you could easily make connections to the Stranger, the Lonely, the Spiral and the Eye. Which brings an ironic twist to Colin's statement. Too much "mercury" already ended the world once.

Abundance of sulphur would bring out more abrupt changes, it would twist people's passions into unhealthy obsessions, drive people to anger and senseless bloodlust, give consciousness to the unconscious and animate the inanimate. In fact, in episode 19, the character says of Newton's dog: "such a creature must by all natural law lack that essential and ephemeral anima." Another case of an unexpectedly conscious thing would be Liverpool (episode 32), who is coincidentally also incredibly angry. I also think Ink5oul's tattoos have an element of sulphur, not only because their first stolen design (sun with a dot in the middle) evokes the alchemical symbol for sun. In TMA sulphur would probably be attributed to the Slaughter, the Hunt, the Desolation or the like.

I have noticed that a lot of TMAGP incidents involve an unhealthy desire, passion, obsession or (literal and metaphorical) hunger. It's also noticeable that the symbol for sulphur appears on the OIAR logo four times (once in each corner of the square representing the elements). I don't know if this is a stylistic choice or if it has deeper implications. But it's there. And as Colin implies, it could be bad.

The beautiful part about this framework is that it doesn't set any clear limits between the categories, because the balance can be disrupted in many ways. Lack of salt means abundance of sulphur and mercury, and their distribution may also vary greatly. I also don't know if the OIAR ranks their incidents in these terms. They probably have some needlessly complicated system that's practically undecipherable. (I took a long time trying to figure out the DPHW and I'm no closer to solving it.)

End note

I have some thoughts about what the goals of the OIAR and the Magnus Institute are based on this theory, but this post is too long now. May make a follow-up eventually. Or procrastinate until they just tell us.

Edit: I have now written my theory posts on the OIAR and the Magnus Institute. Go read if you're so inclined.

[sapphoherselz]

hi do you ever wonder if wyamack EVER met the Foxes before their time? I'm talking any age, any time in their lives, especially the ones where they really needed a paternal figure to help them out or get them out of trouble?

like he goes grocery shopping and sees this quiet kid trying to stuff as much food in his pockets wo being noticed? but David of course does and the kid is already taking a step back, looking at him with pure terror in his eyes as if he's seeing just another person that can hurt him but of course that doesn't happen. what does happen is that david offers to pay for anything the kid wants and then starts asking question like that's one nasty bruise you got there, want to tell me what happened? and then out of nowhere the boy's mother appears and starts tugging the kid away in a not very gentle manner and David tries to interfere but they're hurriedly walking away before he can get the words out of his mouth (he has to physically stop himself from going after them because that would just frighten the kid more)(he goes back to the same grocery store at the same hour for an entire month, hoping to find this short kid hiding somewhere and maybe tell his mother exactly where she can put her hands)

or maybe he's walking home late at night and sees this kid sitting on the sidewalk and he approaches cause shouldn't you be at home? wouldn't your parents worry? do you want to give them a call, you could use my phone but the kid tenses so much that David takes several steps back and starts talking about everything under the blue sky trying to get him to calm down. when that eventually happens, they end up sitting (with some comfortable distance) next to the other in utter silence, until the kid goes "I don't want to go home" and David is like. okay. we can stay here for as long as you'd like. the night is young and I have snacks in my pockets. did I tell you already that I'm an exy coach? what do you mean you don't know what exy is- no I'm not making that up, it's a job and I have it! they even pay me for it! (he ends up falling asleep in a sitting position and wakes up alone, the marble next to him having long gone cold) (he doesn't even remember if he had managed to make the kid smile or if his eyes were playing tricks on him) (if he starts walking home later than usual just to sit on a lonely sidewalk for hours then it's his business and no one else's)(and yes he does bring with him all of the snacks he thinks the kid would like) (no he didn't spend minutes choosing them)

like something something the red string theory something something everyone is always connected something something

[nabihahahahahaha]

"An invisible thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, and circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle. But it will never break."

[ilovelovewithallmyheart]

The red string of fate.

It tied around your finger and led you to where your soulmate was. Regardless of who you were, everyone had one.

The strings were indicative of what the relationship would be like if the soulmates ever met.

For some, it was frayed and coming apart. For a minority, it was tangled with knots. For the majority, it was thin and barely even there.

But for God’s chosen select spirits, it was smooth and thick, gleaming with a glassy sheen and basically indestructible.

And, Gojo added with distaste as he stared at his ring finger, tied in a little neat bow.

It was no secret that Gojo was God’s favourite. His looks, his inherited curse technique…but having a perfect soulmate story? Really?

Due to his six eyes, he could see the string all the time. He wasn’t like other people, who could make it appear and disappear as they pleased. It was always there. Eating? It was there. Sleeping? It was there.

It could filter through walls and lead you to the direction your soulmate was, the other end of the string being tied to your soulmate’s hands. It could stretch and-

“ow!” Y/n gasped.

-if you tried to cut it, it would send a searing pain to both parties’ hearts.

“He tried to cut it again?” Y/n’s best friend Ichigo sighed. Her head rested on her left hand while her right hand held a giant mug of coffee. “Mhm,” Y/n responded. She was browsing the web for job opportunities at the local cafe. “Ooh! There’s this job offer at a nearby bank.” Y/n turned her laptop so Ichigo could see. Y/n was used to the pain now. At least once a month her soulmate tried to cut their string, to no avail. Y/n learned to be indifferent to this. She could still find love - not everyone ends up with their soulmate.

“Hey, What’s that?” Ichigo pointed a carefully manicured finger at a job proposal on the side of the screen. “Holy crap! It says Jujutsu tech!” 

“NO!” Y/n gasped, disbelief written across her face. She snatched the laptop out of Ichigo’s hands and her eyes traced back and forth the words of the job advertisement.

*Manager Job applications open* Right next to the advertisement was a funny little badge.

And Y/n knew exactly what that badge meant.

This was a job application for Jujutsu Sorcerors.

Unfortunately for Y/n, not everyone with cursed energy was cut out to be a Jujutsu sorceror. But Y/n had experience in corporate workplaces. She would definitely snag this job. 

She would 100% be a manager.

“Hopefully I’m not the manager of some bratty kids.” Y/n sighed and ran a hand through her hair. “Wouldn’t it be worse if you were the manager for some snotty Special Grade?”

Y/n’s eyes widened. “God, that would be so terrible. Imagine being at the beck and call of a stuck up prick!”

Little did Y/n know, she wouldn’t have to imagine it for long.

(part 2 here)

[hollowmem]

Two soumlates

GN!Reader x Johhny "Soap" MacTavish x John Price

I decided to take on a 2 week challange that may or may not extent to a month, we will see. I will be posting everyday, a new story with a prompt I will get for that day

Day 10: Red string of fate but with two soulmates instead of 1

The briefing room smelled faintly of coffee and gun oil. They stood at attention just inside the doorway, shoulders squared, heart hammering hard enough that they were sure it could be heard. The gloves on their hands felt too tight and their uniform sleeves too stiff.

They had been through hell to get here. Now, they were standing in front of the most legendary unit in the military — Task Force 141.

Captain John Price leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, a critical but not unkind look in his sharp eyes. Beside him, Sergeant John "Soap" MacTavish grinned wide enough almost to look mischievous, but there was a spark of curiosity there too.

"New blood?" Soap asked, tilting his head.

"New operator," Price corrected, voice low and steady. He turned his gaze on them, assessing — not harsh, but careful. Measuring.

"They’ve been assigned to us. Impressive record." He nodded once, a slight sign of approval. "We’ll expect nothing less here."

They nodded, keeping their expression neutral, professional. "Understood, sir."

Price stood, offering his hand — and for a moment, they froze. Gloves.

They always wore them. It had become a habit long before today — before they stopped believing in the old stories about fate, red strings, soulmates. Myths, they thought. Fairy tales for people who couldn’t accept being alone.

They shook his hand firmly, relieved that he didn’t seem to notice the way their fingers tensed. Soap stepped forward next, slapping a hand on their shoulder with a friendly grin.

"Welcome to the madhouse," he joked. "Hope you’re ready."

They managed a small smile. "I’ll manage."

Price smirked slightly at that as if he liked the answer.

"Good. You’re dismissed for now. Gear up — we move out at 0600." As they turned to leave, they caught a brief glimpse of Soap tugging off one of his gloves absentmindedly, fingers flexing. They quickly looked away, heart squeezing tight in their chest for reasons they didn’t want to name.

No use looking for strings. No point in hoping for things that weren’t real.

They shoved their hands deeper into their pockets and kept walking.

The first mission had been a blur of gunfire and flashing lights, the usual chaos of a field operation.

Task Force 141 moved like clockwork, their teamwork so fluid that it almost felt rehearsed. But, for all the precision and experience of the team, nothing could have prepared them for the unexpected. Nothing could have prepared them for what would happen when the mission went sideways.

They had been sweeping through a warehouse on the outskirts of a hostile city, clearing rooms and securing intel. Soap, as always, was the first to kick the door open, charging forward with his usual bravado.

But in the chaos of clearing the room, Soap's foot slipped just slightly — a moment of carelessness, an instinctual lunge — and in that instant, everything shifted. They barely had time to react.

One of the enemy combatants, a figure hidden in the shadows, fired a shot. The bullet went through them — enough to send them crashing to the ground, vision blurring as their body hit the cold concrete floor.

Pain shot through them as they gasped for air, eyes wide in panic. Soap’s voice cut through the haze.

"Shit! Stay with me, Y/n!" He was at their side instantly, his hands already working to stop the bleeding, but the world around them was spinning.

Price’s voice came through the comms, steady, commanding. "Soap, get them out of there. Now."

Soap’s eyes were frantic, his hands moving in a blur as he carefully helped them onto their feet, supporting their weight as they staggered. But then, in an act of panic, his gloved hand brushed against theirs — the contact was brief, barely even noticed, but to Soap, it felt… different.

A pull. Something subtle, yet undeniable. He glanced towards their pinkie, where the red string should be but he stopped himself.

But there was no time.

The battle raged around them, the sound of gunfire still echoing through the building as they were moved to safety. Soap didn’t care about the string right now. He just cared about them. About getting them back to base, where they could be fixed.

The next few hours were a blur of pain and exhaustion. The medbay was sterile and quiet, the hum of machines providing a cold backdrop to the aftermath of the mission.

Soap sat at their bedside, hands restless as he watched them, waiting. His own thoughts were a mess, something gnawing at the back of his mind.

Price had been the one to give the orders to rush them to safety, but now, even Price couldn’t mask the concern etched in his expression. He stood by the door, silent and observant as Soap fidgeted with his gloves.

The air was thick with the unsaid.

Finally, Soap couldn’t hold back anymore. He stood, pacing for a moment, before turning to Price, his voice low but urgent.

“Price,” Soap started, his voice tight, “I—I think there’s something… I think they’re my soulmate.”

Price turned to him sharply, eyebrow raised.

Soap's words came out in a rush, the frustration and confusion clear in his tone. “I— I felt something earlier. When I helped them up after the hit. A pull. A tug. I don’t know what it was, but it didn’t feel like an accident, Price.”

Price’s expression was unreadable. He watched Soap carefully, then glanced back to the Y/n, who was still unconscious on the bed. He let out a breath, his gaze flicking back to Soap. “Think you might be right, son. You’re not the only one who noticed something.”

Soap froze, confusion clouding his features. “What do you mean?” Price didn’t say anything right away. Instead, he nodded towards the bed. “Wait until they’re awake. You’re not the only one here feeling something odd.”

After a while, their eyes flickered open slowly, the sterile white lights blinding at first. The pain in their chest was still there, still persistent. Soap was at their bedside instantly, his hands restless as he watched them, waiting. His voice was gentle.

"Hey, easy there," he murmured, his tone low and concerned. "You're alright. You're safe."

They blinked, the world coming into focus as Soap’s face came into view.

"What… what happened?" They asked weakly, trying to sit up but wincing in pain.

"You got hit," Soap replied, the worry in his eyes almost palpable. "But don’t worry. You’re gonna be fine. Just take it easy."

As they looked around, their eyes caught Price standing at the door, leaning against the frame, arms crossed. There was something in his gaze — something unreadable.

"How are you feeling?" Price asked, his voice even but laced with something else. Was it concern? Something more? They swallowed, trying to push through the fog in their mind. "I’m okay," they muttered. "Just… just a little dizzy."

A long silence passed before Soap stepped forward, his voice low, his hand moving to the side of their bed. "Listen, I have to ask something," Soap said, trying to steady his nerves. "Can you… can you see the string?"

They blinked, confused. "What?"

Soap’s voice was almost quiet as he asked, "Can you see the red string on my pinkie?"

They furrowed their brows in confusion, the question strange in the moment. But then Soap moved his hand up where his string was. They lifted their gaze slowly to Soap’s pinkie — and there it was, a red thread that shimmered faintly.

And then, as if the world wasn’t already strange enough, they turned to Price. He had his arms crossed, but they could see it. Price’s pinkie was adorned with the same red thread. A wave of disbelief hit them all at once, and they stared at their hands, then at each other. There was no hiding it now.

For a long moment, none of them said anything. They just stared — at the faint threads that connected them, at the way the strings didn’t just stretch between two people… but three.

Price was the first to move, shifting his stance slightly, a deep frown cutting into his features.

"This… isn't supposed to happen," he said lowly, almost to himself. Soap let out a breath that was half a laugh, half a gasp of disbelief. "No shit, mate" he muttered, shaking his head like he was trying to clear it. He looked at Y/n again — wounded, still pale, but their eyes were sharp now, sharp and full of the same raw confusion he felt.

They swallowed thickly, voice rough. "I thought—" they started, then stopped, gathering their words. "I thought it was only supposed to be two people. One string. One bond."

Price dragged a hand down his face, exhaling slow and heavy. His gaze was steady when he looked at them both, though there was something wounded deep behind it.

"Some things in life don't follow the rules," he said simply.

"Bloody hell…" Soap muttered, pacing again. "I used to think… if it ever happened — if the string was real — it’d be simple. Just me and one other person. Not… not this." He motioned helplessly between the three of them. "Not… all of us.

Y/n gave a little hollow laugh that hitched in their throat. "Same." Another beat of silence. The tension in the room was thick — but underneath it was something new. Something fragile, and terrifying, and real.

Price moved first, stepping forward and lowering himself carefully into the chair on the opposite side of the bed from Soap. His movements were slow and deliberate, like he was afraid he might spook them all if he moved too fast.

"I don’t know how this happened," he said, voice low. "I don’t know why. But… it's real. You feel it too, don't you?"

Y/n hesitated… then nodded. The tugging sensation of belonging was impossible to ignore now that they were aware of it. It was there, even now, tugging gently at their heart, binding them to the two men who sat by their side.

Soap let out a long, shuddering breath. "Fuck," he said under his breath, looking up at the ceiling like he was asking the universe for answers. "So what now? We just… what, accept it? Pretend it doesn't change anything?"

"No pretending," Price said, voice firm. "Not here. Not with this." He leaned forward slightly, elbows braced on his knees, locking eyes with them — first Y/n, then Soap.

"This changes everything," he admitted. "But it doesn't have to be a weakness. Not if we trust each other."

Soap barked a dry laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. "Trust, right. That’s easy for you to say, old man. You’re good at keepin' your head on straight."

Price smirked slightly, a rare thing — soft, almost fond. "You'll manage, Johnny."

Y/n closed their eyes for a second, trying to slow the frantic beating of their heart. "I… I never thought it could mean more than one person." Their voice was rough around the edges, raw with something they didn’t know how to name.

"Neither did we," Price said immediately, steady as ever. "But that doesn’t change what it is. It’s real." He gave a small nod, like he was reassuring not just them, but himself too. "And we’ll figure it out how to navigate it. Together."

Soap finally sat down, almost like his knees had given out. "You’re stuck with us now, bonnie," he said, with a tired smile that didn’t hide the thick emotion in his voice. "Hope you’re ready for a whole lot of trouble."

Y/n let out a breathless laugh, the first real one since the mission. It hurt — but it also felt good.

"I think," they said, voice trembling but steady, "I've been looking for trouble my whole life."

Price leaned back, studying them both — and for the first time, there was no distance in his gaze. No walls.

"Then it looks like you finally found the right place," he said. And somehow, for the first time in a long time, the cold, sterile med bay didn’t feel so cold anymore.