Seven days of love (ENG)

Kiss (BD7599 / U-1212)

What could be more romantic than kissing in a place full of magic?
BD7599 had always remembered those words, spoken by an old red blood cell who had taught them when he and his companions were still in the red marrow. He had never been able to understand their true meaning, at least until he found himself, literally, "in a place full of magic", released by a wild bacterium that had invaded his body after an operation, and on the verge of risking his life because of it.
Taking refuge in a narrow blood vessel, thanks to the intervention of the leucocyte team, the erythrocyte remembered the first time he had heard that phrase about kissing. He was still a little erythrocyte when, led by a macrophage, he and his friends had gathered around this old cell, which had told them all about his life, which would one day be theirs too: a life that was by no means boring, because what seemed to be a simple task that had to be repeated to the point of exhaustion - delivering oxygen and taking in carbon dioxide to be disposed of in the lungs - actually concealed a series of interesting situations that they could encounter: meeting other types of cells, making friends and exploring every corner of the body.
Among these situations was one that BD7599 had been dealing with in his daily life since the first day he became a mature erythrocyte. He no longer wondered why, every day, he runned into a ferocious bacterium ready to rip him to pieces and devour him... and he no longer wondered whether it was fate or mere chance that each time he encountered that blue-haired white blood cell.
Perhaps it was the former assumption, for the number of times it had repeated itself over time, rather than "coincidence", the correct word would have been "everyday". Every day he met this leucocyte, as beautiful as she was silent when she acted alone: several times they had met during an attack, several times she had managed to save her, but they hadn't been able to go beyond a simple «Thank you» and «No problem».
Still, deep in his heart, BD7599 felt he had fallen in love with her, though for some strange reason they had both preferred to go their separate ways, and he was fine with that. Work had always been his reason for living, and now that he felt "too old", he let his kōhai, AA2153 and NC8429, live out their season of love like the good, innocent young men they were.
But that day had shattered his certainties. The bacterium's attack had been fierce enough to defeat even the young leucocyte, throwing her violently against the wall of a house and knocking her unconscious.
The moment the bacterium approached her with a firm step, BD7599 realised that his way of thinking about his life was leading him to lose someone dear to him, and he would not have wanted that to happen. Not just her, but both of them were in danger: there would be no time left, and he would not have wanted to end the bond of mutual respect with that leucocyte without at least telling her that he would like to talk to her.
Taking advantage of the distraction of the bacterium, which by now believed it was feasting on the leucocyte's corpse, the erythrocyte threw the entire oxygen box at its enemy's head, which writhed and screamed in pain as it held its head in its hands.
Now or never!
With a leap, he was at her, picking her up and carrying her to a nearby alley, where he had been hiding before his last attack.
«Once again, my legs came in handy: it's a good thing I'm a red blood cell!» he said proudly. «But it won't be long before the enemy discovers us...»
He shuddered at the thought. He turned his gaze to the leucocyte still unconscious in his arms.
True, there is no time to lose: every second is precious... I could wake her, or...
«Hey...» he had said softly, leaving a small kiss on her lips. That tender gesture made him laugh sweetly, and he blushed at the thought of the leucocyte's hypothetical reaction if she ever knew she had been kissed by him. Would she have torn him to pieces, or would she have warned him not to tell anyone? Either way, he would have nothing to fear: he had managed to kiss another cell, the one he loved most, along with his kōhai, before the end of his life cycle.
With a smile, BD7599 turned his back to the entrance of the alley, ready to move further away from his enemy. As he did so, however, he saw NC8429: the young, red-cheeked cell had arrived to bring oxygen to the survivors, and he realised from his admiring glance that this was perhaps not the most appropriate time to kiss a white blood cell.
«Then it is true that there is nothing more romantic than kissing in a place filled with magic...» NC8429 said, confirming his last thoughts. «Congratulations, senpai!»
BD7599 felt his cheeks burning. Luckily, there were still the two of them in the alley - plus the still unconscious leucocyte - but he felt as uncomfortable as if he had given that kiss in front of every cell in that world.
«What "congratulations" and "congratulations"!» exclaimed the erythrocyte with great concern. «If you dare to tell anyone what you've seen, I'll send you right back to the red bone marrow!»