Chapter Text
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"Die, you filthy germ!" yelled 1146, slashing at the pathogen that dared to enter the body and crossed paths with the neutrophil. As the germ fell, so did his receptor lowered, signaling that peace had been restored in the area. Just another typical duty of a white blood cell.
Out in the visible distance, AE3803 had watched in admiration. Unlike the other cells, who were often intimidated with how immune cells handled pathogenic crises, she had no problem in approaching them, especially towards 1146, to express gratitude.
"Hey, White Blood Cell!" she happily called out, "Good work on keeping us safe! Thank you so much!"
He simply gave a modest chuckle. "I'm only doing my job," he said, dipping his cap to try to hide a smile on his face. He deeply valued her opinion of him, and he was commonly bashful over it.
The erythrocyte gave him an adoring look. "Yeah, but it's something not everyone can do," she complimented, "And you do it so well!"
His smile grew more obvious as he heard those words.
"And you do yours well too, Red Blood Cell," he reminded her.
AE3803 blushed. "Me?" she asked in disbelief, "But… I still get lost. I'm no where near as good at my job as you are!"
1146 brushed her hair with his fingers. "You still get your job done, Red Blood Cell," he reassured her, his tone soft and gentle, "That's still good to me." With that, he gave her a tender kiss.
His words were sweet. She believed he meant them. But part of her still wanted to be more than "good enough." She wanted to impress him—no help, no detours, no mix-ups.
Just once.
There hadn't been one day yet when she didn't need any help—not that she was complaining about the company from her favorite neutrophil.
She just wished she could do something well completely on her own.
"You know I don't mind walking with you," he reminded her, "But if you feel you can do your deliveries on your own right now…"
He was always at the ready to be there for her when he needed to, but he also had a high level of respect on her independence. It was actually admirable, but he would also never use her prone nature of getting lost against her.
"I'm sure I can get these next deliveries on my own, White Blood Cell!" she stated in determination. She looked over at the dead germ next to them. "I'm sure you're busy with this… Thing…" she continued before glancing back at him, "So I'll let you go deal with that."
He chuckled. "Alright, Red Blood Cell," he said, "I'll see you later."
"Tonight," she confirmed with a blush. She then began walking off in a random direction.
1146 merely chuckled with a light shake of his head. "Wrong way to the lungs again…" he thought to himself.
"By the way, Red Blood Cell," he called out to her before she could get too far.
She stopped to look back at him curiously.
"Can you remind me on which way the lungs are?" he asked, pretending to not know the way. His purpose being for her to correct herself without being direct about it, saving her sense of self-confidence and fragile pride.
She glanced at her map, turning it right-side up. "Ah! It's this way, White Blood Cell," she told him. She then began going the correct way, somewhat oblivious to why he asked in the first place.
On a later oxygen delivery, AE3803 had to make a rare run over to the upper body.
"Maybe I can try to find something for White Blood Cell on my way back," she figured, "I'll have to deliver this to the nasal passage anyway."
She rushed on her way from the excitement, trying her best to not get lost. She wanted to keep it a surprise from 1146, and if he were to help her, he'd find out too soon.
She kept her concentration focused to the fullest to ensure that.
And it paid off.
The nasal spas were within sight.
With her delivery complete, she set out on a new mission—to find the best gift possible for her favorite neutrophil.
She soon met with her junior, NT4201. The two of them were on their way back to the lungs, so they decided to walk back together.
"So what plans do you have for tonight?" AE3803 asked to make conversation, "Got anyone special to spend it with?"
"No," the younger erythrocyte responded, "I have no interest in stuff like that, senpai."
"Huh?" she wondered, "You sure? I've seen some of the other cells show interest in you."
NT4201 just groaned.
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean that I have an interest in them," she explained.
She was more of the type that preferred to concentrate on work than prattle on about interpersonal relationships.
"Well," AE3803 said rather excitedly, "I can't wait for tonight, myself. Granted if I can think of what to do."
"You're still with that… Immune cell?" she asked, curious yet rather disgusted.
"Yeah," she defended, "I really wish you'd give White Blood Cell a chance. He really is awfully sweet."
"More like just plain awful…" NT4201 thought to herself, unrelenting to believe any immune cell was worth even the time of day.
It was then when AE3803 had an idea.
"Ah!" she exclaimed, "I know what I can get for him for Valentine's Day!"
"Huh?" her kohai asked, "What are you talking about?"
"I've been wondering forever on what to get for White Blood Cell!" she told her, "But thanks to you, I figured it out!" She gave a grateful giggle.
"What?" she asked, confused on what she was going on about, "Th—thanks to me?" She couldn't recall herself saying anything that would give her any ideas.
"Yeah!" AE3803 said excitedly, too distracted by her epiphany to notice her junior's confusion, "I'll get him something sweet!"
She pondered for a moment.
"But not something just casual like frozen glucose…" she said in consideration, "I want it real special. Something like… Um… Chocolate! Oh, this is just perfect!"
Before NT4201 could even respond, she ran off ahead to check around the shops.
Along the string of vendors, she noticed all the various chocolates being on display for cells to partake on for the special holiday.
"They all look so pretty!" she marveled, wondering which she should get. However, she found it much harder than she had anticipated.
"…But they all look the same," she said to herself, "If I get these, it wouldn’t feel any different from any other cell’s gift."
She spent a good minute of trying to think of a solution.
"I guess…" she thought, "What if I…" She came up with the idea of getting them and merging them into one giant piece. "No…" she figured, "That wouldn't be as enjoyable as it'd be too much at once."
She whined as she tried to think of another alternative.
"Maybe…" she wondered, "If I made them myself?"
The more she thought about it, the more she delighted in the idea.
"This sounds perfect!" she thought excitedly, "The best part is that it's very personal. No cell is going to have the same treat! Yes!"
She took out her notepad and wrote down the idea so she wouldn't forget, still highly proud of herself for coming up with such a brilliant plan.
"And if I hurry with my deliveries," she planned out, "I can get the ingredients and make it before he comes home!"
With that, she hurried back to the lungs and did her best to complete the rest of her deliveries for the day.
After work, AE3803 sighed in relief.
"I actually did it with time to spare!" she said rather proudly, "Now to get the stuff from the shops!"
She hurried back to the nasal cavity, still careful not to get herself lost on the way there.
Along the way, 1146 spotted her during his patrol. He approached the erythrocyte.
"Are you doing alright, Red Blood Cell?" he asked, walking next to her.
"Yeah, just fine, White Blood Cell," she reassured him with a slight blush on her face, "I'm not even lost!"
The neutrophil gave a light chuckle.
"As much as I love escorting you the right way," he said, "I also love it when you can manage your routes on your own."
He placed his arm around her waist so the two of them could walk closer.
She purred happily.
"Are you still at work?" she asked.
She was hoping he still was so she would be able to resume her personal objective.
"Yeah," he sighed, "It's like my job never ends sometimes." He tried to hide the exhaustion in his voice.
She walked closer to him.
"I know," she told him, "But it's because of you that cells like me feel safe doing our jobs."
1146 felt touched by her words. He had them pause in their steps to give her a loving embrace.
"I do keep this body safe from pathogens as a whole purpose," he whispered to her, leaning close, "But you are my motivation on wanting to keep going on every time, Red Blood Cell."
He held her closer, tracing her lips.
"And I always want to keep you safe from any harm," he added in an affectionate tone, "You mean so much to me that you wouldn't believe."
With that, the two of them shared an intimate moment with a tender kiss, restoring his morale for the rest of his duties for the day.
"You do too, White Blood Cell," she cooed softly, "And tonight, I'm going to prove it to you."
She hoped the chocolates would turn out the way she imagined—perfectly sweet, just like how she saw him.
"I can't wait…" he purred with a smirk, unaware of her real intentions, "What do you have planned?"
AE3803 blushed, not wanting to spoil anything to him.
"Nice try," she told him in a playful tone, "But I'm not going to ruin anything."
"So it's a surprise?" he guessed, his tone just as playful.
She felt caught.
"What? No!" she lied, scrambling for an excuse, "I… I just don't want you to know anything! Like, maybe I have something in mind or maybe I don't!"
1146 just smiled, not buying it for a second. She was as transparent as glucose in water. But he simply let it slide—he liked surprises from her, even when they were obvious in plain sight.
"Okay, Red Blood Cell," he said with a chuckle, "I guess I'll just have to wait and see later tonight then…"
"Yes, you will!" she said with determination, her arms crossed, believing she'd really gotten him.
He gave her another kiss. And quickly after, just as the two of them were beginning to feel the moment, his receptor then shot up with its chiming ping to signal a nearby pathogenic attack.
He sighed, realizing that being with his favorite erythrocyte would have to be cut short.
"It's alright, White Blood Cell," she told him in a gentle tone, "Keep this body and its cells safe like you always do." She added that cheerful smile that he always found irresistible.
"Stay safe, Red Blood Cell," he told her, "I'll see you tonight."
"Be careful too, White Blood Cell," she reciprocated.
With that, 1146 rushed off to face the attack.
Meanwhile, she now resumed the opportunity to get all that she needed for making the special batch of homemade chocolates for him.
She visited various shops and vendors, gathering all that she thought she would need in order to make it. And with everything in hand, she excitedly hurried back to the apartment.
Inside the kitchen, she laid out all the ingredients she'd just gotten and looked at them with a determined glint in her eyes.
"Alright, Red Blood Cell!" she motivated herself, "Time to make this happen! Let's do this!"
She took some of the ingredients and began to mix them altogether. Her idea involved infusing matcha in with the chocolate.
"White Blood Cell loves his tea," she justified, "So I'm sure this will be just perfect!"
She combined the green powder in with the melted vanilla bar to turn it into a bright green mixture. Her eyes lit up in delight to see how well she was progressing. She poured them into the moulds.
However, she was overtly proud of herself and too excited that she didn't let the matcha chocolate cool down first. So when she poured the melted regular chocolate in…
"Wha—what's happening?!" she gasped.
The chocolates began to blend into an ugly greenish-brown color instead of the nicely divided look she was aiming to achieve.
"Well, that idea's a failure…" she muttered to herself, setting them aside.
She tried to think of another design as she looked at her ingredients.
"Maybe I can add these dried strawberries?" she planned for a new idea.
She melted another batch of matcha chocolate and poured some of the dried strawberries into it, thinking that it would be more appealing—the strawberry pieces would give a heart-like appearance on the bottom. However…
"This is such an ugly mess!" she uttered hopelessly.
The dried strawberries were all sticking out like jagged pieces.
"He won't be able to bite into these!" she groaned in frustration, pushing the failed tray aside.
She tried to think for another moment on how to make the chocolates just perfect.
"There has to be something only I can add," she tried to figure out, "I need something no one else would think of… Something so unique and special!"
AE3803 decided to take a walk to help bring an idea to mind. She wandered through the vessels, her gaze low, lost in thought.
"There has to be something!" she thought to herself, her gaze looking down, "I just know there is!"
She thought hard for a moment, but sighed. She had all that she could think of. But as far as having that unique touch to it, she didn't even know where to look.
However, nearby, she heard some commotion go on.
Curious, she looked to see what it was.
It was another neutrophil. 4989. He had just taken down a rogue pathogen. He was typically more violent when it came to getting rid of bacteria and viruses. Such behavior easily frightened any surrounding cells, but she was unbothered by it as always.
"Maybe this'll teach you this was the wrong body to invade!" 4989 shouted at it as he bit into the germ and tore off a piece, killing it in the process.
The piece dangled from his mouth as his upper body was covered in its blood. The cells in the vicinity backed away from the crazed neutrophil, but the erythrocyte simply approached him.
"Thank you so much, 4989," she said gratefully.
At first, he was wondering who was addressing him—no one really dared to speak to him right after a kill. That is, except for one cell…
"Oh, it's you, Red Blood Cell!" he turned to recognize the casually approaching erythrocyte, "How's it going?"
He straightened up, brushing pathogen residue off his uniform—but failed. It just smeared more.
"Oh, well," he uttered in a sheepish tone.
"Well… Things could be better, honestly…" she embarrassingly admitted.
"What's wrong?" he asked in concern, "Anything I can do to help you?"
"Well, it's Valentine's Day…" she began to explain. A blush was growing on her cheeks.
4989 noticed and blushed as well.
"Well, I wouldn't mind if we did, but what would 1146 think?" he asked, thinking that she wanted to be with him instead.
She was always oblivious to his advances. And this was no exception.
"That's the thing, 4989," she said, "I don't know what he'd think… I tried making something special for him for tonight."
He then realized that she wasn't asking him as a partner, but he always bounced back from ever feeling awkward about it. Instead, he focused on the topic at hand.
"What did you try making him?" he asked curiously.
AE3803's blush only grew more in embarrassment.
"I was trying to make him some homemade chocolates," she explained, "I don't want to just get the stuff from the stores because I want them to be… Special. Something that genuinely came from me—that I put in effort into making for him."
4989 still didn't see what the problem could be.
"That actually sounds really sweet, Red Blood Cell," he commented, "Seriously, 1146 is truly lucky to have you as someone to love and be loved in return."
"I know, but…" she continued to explain as he listened intently, "I kept messing up with it. Nothing was turning out right when I made it. I wanted to mix chocolate with matcha since you know how much he loves his tea."
He nodded.
"But when I made the first batch," she continued, "It turned into this nasty color like you'd see from a nasal infection. Then I thought of maybe adding some dried strawberries to it to make it look cute, but it only looked even more terrible with sharp edges and stuff. They all look so unappetizing!"
She sighed in despair the more she recalled her mess.
"I don't know what else to do, 4989," she added in a despondent tone, "I really want to make him these chocolates too…"
He cast aside his latent feelings for her as he thought for a moment, trying to think of how to help her. The sight of her feeling hopeless pained him and wanted to do all he can to have her feel better, even if it was a personal loss for him.
"We know that he loves his tea…" he tried to analyze, "Have you tried something that he likes to eat? Like, besides those strawberries?"
"No," she said, "I only got what I could get from the shops. I looked everywhere for stuff that I know that he'd definitely like."
"Hmm…" he thought more.
He fiddled with a torn piece of the germ that he'd just killed prior. An idea then came to him.
"Hey…" he uttered, growing a proud smile, "Have you tried adding some of his favorite pathogens in?"
"Huh?" she said, "No, I haven't."
"We neutrophils enjoy eating what we kill," 4989 explained, "And 1146 is definitely no exception! He'll drag off his prey and that thing all for himself sometimes."
For such a topic, he seemed rather excited about it and gave a smile and a chuckle from his description.
"Wouldn't that stuff taste weird with chocolate though?" she asked.
Erythrocytes like her don't phagocytize anything, so she didn't have that acquired taste for germs like the neutrophils did, and mixing it with sweet chocolate just seemed like an odd combination that risked being ruined.
"No way!" 4989 exclaimed, "Not many things taste better than a tasty streptococcus claw dipped in chocolate!" The thought of it nearly made his mouth water.
"Really?" she asked, highly curious.
"Yeah!" he confirmed, "I bet if you made that for him, he'd definitely consider himself to be the luckiest cell to have you—if he hasn't already, that is. And I guarantee that he'd be all over you!"
He was speaking more about his own reaction if he'd received such a gift from her, but he also knew 1146 would be just the same towards her.
AE3803 blushed from the concept of how he'd react. But she also tried to recall if she happened to have seen something like a packet of germs from the shops. No recollection came to her mind.
"I don't think you can get that stuff from the stores though," she said, feeling hopeless yet again.
She was so close.
"That's because you can't," 4989 explained, "You can only get pathogen residue directly from the source."
She whined.
"Don't get me wrong, Red Blood Cell," he tried to reassure her, "It's not entirely hopeless for you right now!"
She looked over at him, hopeful and curious.
"Then how do I get some?" she asked.
"Well, you got me, don't you?" he smiled confidently, "I have no problem with helping you get some really tasty bits for your treats!"
"Really?" she asked, regaining some hope, "You'd help me, 4989?"
"Of course!" he agreed, "You're basically my best friend, Red Blood Cell! Anything to help a cute cell like you!" A small blush appeared on his cheeks.
She blushed as well.
"Thanks, 4989," she said, "You're such a dear friend to me too."
She then looked at him curiously.
"Does 1146 have a favorite in particular?" she asked, "I'd want to try and use that if it can work."
Fair question since she knew nothing about texture or taste about the different types. They were all disgusting to her, but if he enjoyed it, then that's what mattered.
4989 thought for a moment.
"I think he actually favors the softer types of bacteria," he mentioned, "At least by what I've noticed about him."
"I guess…" she hesitated on agreeing, "If you say so…"
"I believe so," he said to confirm himself.
"So would that work?" she asked.
"I mean, it technically could," he said, "But it's much better to have that crunch to it instead of something that seems more chewy."
"Oh," she uttered.
"But not to worry," he reassured her, "1146 likes the crunchy parts too! Which will make your chocolates perfect! We just need to get them is all."
"How do we do that?" she asked curiously.
"Not 'we,'" he corrected, "Just me."
AE3803 didn't understand.
"Recent pathogens are taken in over to the lymph nodes," 4989 explained, "There, the macrophages basically fix dinner for us immune cells. And, if I can recall, there happened to be some streptococcus brought in earlier. All I'd have to do is go in and ask for some perfect pieces for you."
"You'd do that for me?" she gasped.
"Sure, Red Blood Cell!" he told her, "But I'll have to be the one to go in and ask since red blood cells aren't allowed in there. It really isn't a prob—"
Before he could finish, AE3803 was giving him a grateful hug.
"You have no idea how happy I am that you're willing to do all this for me, 4989!" she told him, "I owe you so much for this!"
It was a tempting offer, but he knew his boundaries. "I'm just glad I'd be able to help you, Red Blood Cell," he simply told her, returning the hug. To him, that was enough to see her be happy again.
With that, the two of them went over to one of the lymph nodes where 4989 happen to know where he'd be able to get the pieces for her.
The two of them soon arrived at the nearby lymph nodes.
"Wait here, Red Blood Cell," 4989 instructed, "I'll only be a minute."
AE3803 gave a brief nod of acknowledgement and watched him go inside, hoping that he'd successfully return with her much needed ingredient.
Inside, 4989 casually entered in to where the macrophages were busy preparing the dinners for the immune cells.
Tonight's delicacy: spicy streptococcus curry with a side of sauteed noodles. A recipe card beside the dish read: "Pair with macrophage-made kimchi for best pathogen-tasting results!"
"Mmm… Very tasty!" he complimented the culinary macrophages.
"Hello, young neutrophil," they greeted in a cheerful tone, "What brings you here?"
"I was actually wondering if you wouldn't mind helping me with a favor I'm doing for a really dear friend of mine, a red blood cell," he explained, "She means a lot to me and I want to get her a little something to help her out."
"Aww…" one of them cooed, doing a light clap of her hands together, "What type of favor?"
"Well, I was wondering if you could spare some of the streptococcus pieces for me to give her," he told them.
The macrophages all suddenly gave a confused expression. Germ pieces? For a red blood cell?
"Are you sure she needs that, young neutrophil?" she asked.
He gave a confident nod. "Most definitely!" he said, "You see, she's trying to make some special homemade chocolates." He tried to retain his cheerful demeanor. "They're for… Her favorite neutrophil," he said, looking off to the side, "Not for herself."
"Ah! I see!" she realized, "You must be really lucky to have her!"
"Yeah…" 4989 sheepishly chuckled, "Real lucky…"
He knew the painful truth, but he decided to go along with it in hopes that would increase the chance of getting what he needed for AE3803. That was the goal here after all.
"If she means that much to you," the macrophage said. She began fixing up a bag of some of the streptococcus pieces for him. "Then I hope this helps you win her heart," she continued, handing the bag over to 4989.
"Yeah… Hopefully…" he said, looking at the bag, "Thanks, Ms. Macrophage!"
After a quick grateful bow, he took the bag out with him over to AE3803 outside of the lymph nodes.
"Mission, successful, Red Blood Cell!" he exclaimed happily at her, walking up to her as he held up the bag of germ pieces.
AE3803 gasped in delight.
"You actually did it!" she exclaimed, her eyes glimmering.
"Yeah!" he said proudly, "I told you I'd be able to get it for you." He showed her the bag, full of exactly what she needed.
"Thank you so much, 4989!" she said, accepting the bag. Again, she gave him a hug and gave him a friendly kiss on the cheek.
He nearly melted from her actions. It was beyond worth it.
"I hope these really help you win 1146 over, Red Blood Cell," he said softly, returning the hug affectionately. He smiled, even as he could feel his heart ache a little. “He’s truly lucky to have you,” he whispered, slightly tightening the embrace.
Back at the apartment, AE3803 placed her newly acquired bag onto the counter.
"4989 did so much for me," she told herself with determination, "I better not mess this up!"
Again, she made a new batch of melted matcha chocolate and poured them into the moulds. They still didn't look any better than earlier.
"Maybe it'll look better once I add these in," she figured, grabbing some of the pieces of streptococcus from the bag.
It smelled terrible.
Out of sheer curiosity, she licked her fingers that handled them. The taste was the most bitter thing she'd ever had. She ran over to the sink to spit out the taste, thoroughly washing out her mouth.
"He likes these, so that's what matters," she convinced herself, going back and adding the crunchy bits into the chocolates.
She looked at them and groaned in frustration.
"They look even worse now!" she whined. She tried to think of how to fix them.
She melted some more and poured it on top of the mess, but it didn't look any better.
"Maybe if I…" the erythrocyte thought, grabbing a spoon and attempted to make a fancy drizzle over it.
However, the drizzle only made the mess even worse. All it did was cause drips to appear on the parts that were sticking out from the chocolates. Even for a neutrophil, it wouldn't look remotely appetizing.
"Why can't I do anything right?!" she cried, trying to think if there was anything else she could do to save her personalized treats.
One last idea she could think of.
She took a small mallet from one of the drawers.
"What if I made the pieces smaller?" she wondered. She took a couple of the bigger pieces from the bag and tried to smash them into smaller ones.
At first, she tried gentle taps, but steadily increased the force every time she didn't cause a break.
"Who knew streptococcus had such hard capsules on them?" she commented to herself, wondering just how strong a neutrophil's jaw must be in order to be able to easily crack through them.
One more strike. Hard.
It managed to break a piece, but it ricocheted from her and knocked over one of the containers of chocolate over one of the trays she'd made earlier.
"No! No! No!" AE3803 yelled out, scrambling in trying to pick up the container and cleaning up the mess.
Tears were in her eyes as she saw just how much of a disaster everything looked. Everything! Her kitchen counters were covered in melted chocolate, matcha powder, and broken germ pieces. And her homemade chocolates were nothing like she wanted them to be.
"White Blood Cell could tear through pathogens without hesitation…" she uttered to herself, "And I can’t even make chocolate.”
She looked at her clock. It ticked louder than it should have. There wasn't much time left to spare. 1146 would be off work and back to the apartment soon. Even if she were to correctly make the chocolates, there wouldn't be enough time.
"I… I can't believe I made such a foolish promise to him!" she cried hopelessly, "I should've just kept my mouth shut."
There was nothing else she could do. She sat on the floor, her back against the wall and her head between her knees. She felt so terrible at what she'd done, she couldn't help but cry.
"I'm such a failure…" she sobbed, "I really can't do anything right… I don't even know why I thought this was a good idea in the first place."
A couple minutes passed until it was around the time 1146 would be back.
AE3803 slowly stood up from her position on the floor. She didn't even brush herself off, feeling she didn't deserve to be presentable.
She opened the door and stepped outside, leaning against it.
1146 soon approached her, feeling quite proud and happy at first until he had a closer look at her demeanor.
She simply glanced away in shame from him.
But he was shocked to see her appear so disheveled and quickly became worried.
"Red Blood Cell!" he exclaimed in concern, "Are you okay? What happened?" He could smell some of the streptococcus scent on her but his receptor oddly didn't go off. "Is there a pathogen nearby?" he asked, thoroughly scanning the area.
She tried to keep her tears away, but she couldn't hold back.
"I… I tried, White Blood Cell…" she cried, "But I can't…"
"What's wrong?" he asked, trying to remain gentle and calm for her, "Did you get hurt?" His eyes quickly looked over her to see if she might've gotten injured. Thankfully, he found nothing—at least physically.
"No, I'm not hurt, White Blood Cell," she said in a low tone, "I don't think so, at least."
She paused to gather her words.
"…I… I…" she began to explain in a quiet voice, "I wanted to make you something really special for today."
"Make something?" he asked curiously.
She simply did a hesitant nod, shutting her eyes as more tears fell.
1146 held her in his arms, trying his best to calm her down.
AE3803 gripped onto his uniform jacket tightly as if she were too scared to let him go.
"You're okay, Red Blood Cell," he whispered in a soothing tone, nuzzling her cheek, "I'm right here with you." He gave her a gentle kiss.
His sheer kindness towards her only made her feel more like a disappointment. He deserved to have that special treatment from her, but she couldn't even do that right for him.
"Do you remember what you told me on Christmas Eve, Red Blood Cell?" he asked.
She tried to think back to then.
"You’re all I could ever desire, Red Blood Cell," he quoted her words back onto her. He gave her a tender kiss to prove it to her.
She kissed him back, but she still felt like she failed him. Unlike back then, she didn't get him something from the shops. She wanted to give him something that she, alone, made him—something that could never be bought, even down to adding in the pieces of streptococcus in it!
She soon pulled away from the kiss, her face still flushed in deep embarrassment and her eyes still laden with tears.
"I… I really wanted to make you something special though, White Blood Cell…" she said in a low voice, "Something that only I could make for you… That you can never get anywhere from anyone else… Something that was just from me… For just you… Between us…" She looked down. "I… I really tried, White Blood Cell…" she choked.
1146 listened with sympathetic ears.
"But all I did was just mess it all up into one giant mess," she continued, "Just like I always do with everything…"
There was a brief pause between them.
Still holding her close, he gently brushed her hair.
"Can you still show me, Red Blood Cell?" he asked in a gentle tone, "I promise you that I won't think any less of you. I never could."
AE3803 froze with hesitation, debating if she should show him or not.
He waited patiently for her answer, still with gentle caresses and loving gazes. He didn't want to pressure her into anything she was uncomfortable doing. But all he wanted was for her to not feel bad for any shortcomings she had about herself—especially if he was involved in it.
He gave a light sigh and held her closer.
"It's only me, Red Blood Cell…" he reassured her, trying to calmly ground her, "And you know I'm always going to love you no matter what you do, right?" He gently caressed her cheek.
He synchronized a deep breath with her to help calm her. She loosened herself before giving a slight nod.
"…Right…" she whispered.
Trusting him, she gradually led him into her messy kitchen.
1146 stepped into the kitchen with her and paused.
He looked around the kitchen, noticing all the chocolate attempts scattered along the counters.
They were everywhere—uneven, lumpy chocolates in crooked moulds. Some greenish, some brown, some streaked with dark drips and jagged edges. They were certainly nothing that could be found anywhere else.
He then turned his eyes towards AE3803.
She stood there next to him, deep in shame of the failed mess. She didn't have the courage to even face him.
“If you want to know what I see, Red Blood Cell…” he said in a gentle tone, "I see a whole lot of love that was put into making these."
She gave a subtle whine, finding him hard to believe.
He could sense her uneasiness.
"So much love, in fact," he continued, picking one of the odd pieces up and looking closely at it, "That you actually made these more perfect than you realize."
Without turning her head, she merely glanced her eyes at him.
He pretended not to notice.
"These chocolates…" he continued, "They might not look like what's in the shops… Like this one…" He pointed at all its features. "It looks like a mix of my favorite things like chocolate and tea," he described before taking a bite of it, "Seems like the perfect analogy of us, don't you think so, Red Blood Cell? You be the sweet chocolate and I be the earthy tea…"
She simply turned her glance away. There was a slight blush on her cheeks.
He picked up another piece. “And this one…” He studied it with a tilt of his head. “Quirky… but cute.” He took a bite. “And incredibly sweet.” He gave her a sly, sideways glance as a hint.
Her expression merely narrowed, still looking away.
He then picked up one of the chocolates with a piece of streptococcus in it with a wide grin on his face.
"For this one… I know it wasn't easy," he gave an insightful expression, "Pathogen pieces are not easy for red blood cells to obtain, and I know it must not have been easy for you to even handle mixing them into these. And yet, here they are…"
He took a bite and deeply savored it.
"I'll let you know your efforts with these are worth it," he continued, "Not only the taste, but they still remind me of the special someone who made them… A tough exterior, but is very tender inside, and as always…" He leaned in close to her. "…The sweetest thing in existence…" he whispered fondly, giving her a soft kiss on the cheek.
She blinked. Her breath hitched. Slowly, her eyes finally turned toward him, shimmering.
"I'm not a failure to you, White Blood Cell?" she asked in a timid voice.
He gave her a reassuring smile as he gently brushed her hair with his fingers.
"You'd have to do a whole lot worse than this to have me even remotely consider you as a failure, Red Blood Cell…" he told her, "What you've done here is actually perfection. I've never had better chocolates than these."
He gave a light playful chuckle.
"It's certainly a nice surprise from you, Red Blood Cell," he told her, hoping it'd bring a smile to her face again.
It took a while. She glanced down for a moment to think for a moment before turning her eyes back at him. Her mouth made the faintest smile and her inner brows raised.
He noticed, giving her a gentle expression.
"This is going to be difficult to top for White Day, Red Blood Cell," he playfully joked, enjoying another piece of chocolate, "These are just too special."
He shared a piece with her. She accepted it and realized that, even though they didn't look nice, they still tasted good.
"Just like you are," he added in a softer tone.
She grew the blush on her face as he pulled her close.
"But I'll still think of something for you," he whispered, giving her a promising kiss on the cheek, "I love you, Red Blood Cell."
She turned to face him and he leaned in close, her eyes glistening.
"I love you too, White Blood Cell," she whispered back.
Their foreheads lightly touched, their lips brushing one another into a passionate kiss.
--