Cells at Work: Realisations

Well Known Secret | Part 1

AE 3803 found herself entering an arteriole, humming cheerfully as she began her search for the right capillary. Their sheer number used to intimidate her, but by now she was slowly getting the hang of navigating them. Besides she'd never been one to just throw in the towel, no matter how frustrating a task got. But of course she had also always received support, even from unexpected sources.

U-1146 had been there for AE since her very first day at work, but she could have never expected the turn their relationship had recently taken.

Blushing she remembered her first time at the eye with him. Standing there in a capillary of the retina, before the colourfully reflected light of the outside, both of them had finally admitted to their feelings for each other. She would never forget the moment they'd first kissed, or later that day when they had held each other's hand without gloves.

Given that it had only been a few days since, made it still strange for her to think of them as a couple, but at the same time 3803 couldn't be happier. Even before they had managed to meet on a regular basis, but now both made an effort to seek each other out whenever they found the time. Usually this meant one of them would wait at the lungs or heart, usually 1146, places she had to go every circulation, and 3803 had a feeling that he sometimes asked his friends, if they had seen her. Considering the size of the body, as well as the number of cells inhabiting it, that was probably necessary, given that they had no means to directly communicate with each other over distance.

Speak of the devil.

Just down the road she saw a neutrophil sitting on a bench, and she recognized him easily, even from afar. Excited 3803 picked up her pace, her basket of nutrients swinging wildly back and forth on her arm.

"Hakkekkyū-san!" she called out, when she was closer, waving with her free hand.

Surprised 1146 looked up, but smiled when he spotted her. "Sekkekkyū," he greeted her. "Good to see you."

Her smile faltered a little. "Are you alright? You look tired."

"Nothing a small break won't cure," 1146 assured her. His clothing still seemed damp, as if he had only just finished up at a wash station, which was probably true.

It wasn't the first time she saw him like this; he had this worrying tendency to always be the first in battle. Thankfully, so far he'd also always made it out alive too. There were only a few things she could do for him, with her only being an erythrocyte and all, and so she grasped his wrist with her hands, giving him a gentle tug. "Then why don't we go get some tea," 3803 suggested.

The neutrophil chuckled and rose from the bench without offering any resistance. "If you insist." They began to walk side by side, as they had done so often, close to each other. "How was your day?"

"It was great; made all my deliveries, may have gotten lost once, but only briefly," she admitted, blushing a little. One day she wanted to be able to tell him that she could do her job without any troubles at all.

Nonetheless he smiled again. "Glad to hear." The neutrophil paused for a moment. "I've been thinking about something."

"About what?"

"Us," 1146 clearly noticed her confused expression. "You have to admit, we are a bit of an unusual...couple," he explained.

Bashfully she scratched her cheek. "Yeah, a bit." Couples were a rare enough thing as it was, but one made up of a red and a white blood cell? That had to be unique.

He nodded. "So, I think it might be for the best, if we were to keep things subtle. For now."

"Like a secret?" Frankly her senpai, AA 5100 probably already knew, given that she had encouraged AE to confess her feelings, but anyone else didn't really, though she wouldn't be entirely surprised if there were vague rumours about them.