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The silence was pleasant once again, making it no surprise to Dendritic Cell who sipped his tea happily. Ms. Macrophage sat beside him, cup held securely in her delicately, pale palms.
He sighed softly and she laughed, bringing a hand up to her lips. Dendritic had always liked the sound of her laugh, smiling sweetly as her brown eyes close with glee.
The black haired cell takes a sip of his tea, humming as the hot liquid makes its way down his throat. He opens a dark eye in her direction when she clears her throat.
“My, my Dendritic,” she begins, cupping her cheek. Her head tilts as her small lips make a happy curve. “It seems as if you have the little platelets helping you with your tree,” she says sweetly, pointing past his head.
He turns, laughing slightly when the platelet leader and her friend wave at him. Dendritic does not know where they found a broom, nor why they chose to help sweep the deck he just cleaned. The green clad cell returns their gesture nonetheless, snapping a quick photo of the little ones.
Ms. Macrophage smiles at him, placing a lightly tanned hand atop his. He overturns his palm, closing his fingers around hers easily.
He and the somewhat gentle white blood cell were an odd pair.
They were different from everyone else to begin the comparisons. Most cells have soulmates these days, either represented through a mark or a special bond that two cells share.
Not Dendritic Cell, though, he muses, running his thumb along the back of Ms. Macrophage’s hand. She giggles quietly, all while trying to stop her tea from spilling. The lymphocyte never had a soulmark, or soul bond, or whatever the cells call it these days.
Dendritic was just Dendritic and nothing else.
He was okay with it after some time, finding joy in watching his friends find their soulmates and simply being there to capture the moment.
A cell without a soul mark or bond was unheard of, his teachers told him, ruffling the little cell’s head whenever he came back to the classroom crying.
Everyone he knew had one, everyone but him. He meets Ms. Macrophage’s eyes, watching curiously as she speaks into the comm in her hand. Her beautiful light brown orbs glitter when she sees him, and he ignores the heat in his cheeks.
He didn’t meet his lovely macrophage by accident.
After working with her for a few years, they became relatively good friends, enjoying tea time and picture taking together.
When he learned she didn’t have a soul mark either, Dendritic’s life changed for the better. A cell without a soul mark or bond was unheard of, but two cells without it? Now that was just absurd.
She pulls him out of his thoughts, patting his hand gently. He flushes when she encases his hand in hers, bringing it up to her lips. Ms. Macrophage kisses his upturned palm before sighing.
“I’ll have to take my leave soon, but I’m willing to stay for a few minutes.”
Dendritic shakes his head, moving his hands to clean up the tea set. “Don’t let me keep you, miss,” he replies, but she catches his hand once again.
“Don’t be silly lovely,” she chastises, smiling. “We barely have time for each other. I’m sure I can spare a little bit.” The black haired man smiles at this, squeezing the hand that holds his. “If you say so, I guess it would be alright.”
It didn’t surprise him that there were no other cells without a bond, nor her when she explained the same thing. He kisses her hand and she laughs her little dainty laugh, cheeks tinting pink.
She was the one to bring up the proposition that they were soulmates, and Dendritic accepted her thoughts in an instant. And suddenly they were no longer alone, but life didn’t change too much.
They still drank tea together, took pictures of silly things, and cleaned the macrophage weapons in each other’s presence.
Ms. Macrophage stands after a bit, dusting off her puffy dress. He rises too, pushing in both if their chairs. She thanks him brightly, taking his hands in hers.
Dendritic takes the opportunity to lean over and press a chaste kiss on her forehead, causing the white blood cell to laugh happily.
If anything, becoming soulmates didn’t change a thing between the two of them, he thinks, waving her off as she takes her hatchet from his little office.
And for that reason, he’s extremely glad.
FIN