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It was in the middle of the day's work shift. Usually cells naturally alternated with having lunch breaks around this time as others continued working their duties throughout the body.
1146 looked around. There were no pathogens in sight. Thankfully. He let out a relieving exhale as his shoulders eased for a bit. Then, in the corner of his eye, he noticed a familiar red blood cell walking by.
AE3803.
She was pushing along her cart with a box of oxygen on it down the nearby arterial corridor. And like usual, she was looking at her map—upside down. Of course she was.
He noticed and quietly chuckled to himself as he lightly shook his head, knowing that this likely isn't even her correct route. He then approached her.
"Hey, Red Blood Cell," he called out.
She gave a slight flinch as his voice caught her away from her focus. She turned and smiled at him.
"Oh, hey, White Blood Cell!"
"Where are you heading off to?"
Her cheeks lightly blushed.
"Oh… I'm just heading over to the left tonsil."
Of course. She was going the wrong way.
Still, 1146 let her find that out herself instead of directly telling her. He found that doing so lessened her embarrassment.
"Have you decided that heading to the right side of the sinuses would be a better shortcut?" he asked as he had his arms crossed.
Her eyes widened.
"Eh?!"
The blush on her cheeks grew to a deeper shade. Her voice has a sheepish tone to it.
"I—I went the wrong way again," AE3803 uttered, "Didn't I?"
His expression softened.
"Yeah, you did," he told her.
His tone wasn't demeaning towards her. But it carried a sense of expected understanding. However, no matter how gentle he was towards her about it, she still gazed downward with her brows pinched together in disappointment in herself. He wanted to make it better.
At first, he wanted to ask if she would join him for lunch. But that would only delay her further as going down to the stomach then back again would be rather excessive.
He looked at their surroundings to see if a vending machine was nearby. A quick glance revealed a couple on the other end of the artery. He gave a subtle grin and looked back at her.
"I think what you need might be an energy boost," he suggested, "Care to join me, Red Blood Cell?"
The blush remained on her cheeks. However, for an entirely different reason this time.
"Um… Su—sure, White Blood Cell."
She tried to cover up a coy smile that formed on her face. But he noticed before she could hide it. He took a few steps forward to cover up his own cheeky smile in response. She followed him. And the two of them walked over to the vending machines.
When they arrived, there were two machines. One was for frozen glucose. And the other was for tea.
1146 glanced over at her.
"Can I get you anything?" he asked.
"Um…" she thought for a moment, her voice in a shy utterance, "I guess whatever you're having?"
"Some tea?"
"Yeah, okay," she said, "Um… Can I have mine a little more on the sweeter side?"
He chuckled. To him, she was already sweet enough. But he knew what she meant.
"Of course, Red Blood Cell."
He worked the tea machine for two cups. It dispensed the tea and he handed her one while he had the other.
"Thank you," she softly said as she gratefully accepted the cup.
They drank from their cups. But to each of their surprise, they reacted differently than expected.
She forced herself to swallow before speaking.
"I'm sorry… But I think you gave me yours by mistake."
He coughed a bit from the excessive sweetness from the tea he had just drank.
"I think so too."
He cleared his throat as the two of them exchanged the cups.
For a moment, his eyes subtly watched to see if she would still drink it after him.
She did. And on the same spot he did. If she did so on purpose, she wasn't hiding it well. Her eyes were gently shut and her mouth puckered against the lip of her cup. She slowly sipped it. A big smile was on her face when she paused, her eyes still softly closed for a moment before glancing at the cup then at him.
"Much better," she sighed.
His eyes softened as he gazed at her before looking down at his cup. He could see the small drop of tea that lingered over the edge from where she had drank from. From where her lips had touched.
With his eyes just as gently shut as hers were, he brought the cup to his mouth. To where her lips were just a moment ago. Tea was no longer on his mind. Instead, his head became flooded with images of him with her together. Intimately. It was better than the tea itself. And he wondered if she had been fantasizing the same about him that way. She certainly looked like it.
After a slow sip, he brought the cup back down from his lips and made a soft sound of deep satisfaction. His eyes turned towards her.
She had her face turned away slightly. As if trying to hide the intense redness on her cheeks. He then realized that she must've seen his behavior.
She glanced up at him, her eyes meeting his.
"You looked like you really enjoyed that, White Blood Cell," she coyly told him, twirling a bit of her hair.
So she did notice how he looked.
1146 swallowed and cleared his throat. He looked away as if doing so would make her not notice his flushed cheeks.
"I always enjoy my Red Blo—I mean, my tea, Red Blood Cell," he nervously uttered, almost slipping out a blunder.
He briefly paused before adding…
"You know I do."
He then discreetly glanced over at her to see if she heard him.
The shy smile on her face made it seem like she did.
"Yeah," she sighed softly, looking down fondly at her cup, "I do too…"
AE3803 took another sip of her tea. Again, with the same expression as she had before. And he watched her.
The tea was good. But was it really that good to have her act like that or was there something more to it than that from her?
He attempted to hide the growing pinkness in his cheeks by returning his cup back to his mouth. And again, the thoughts of them together returned in his mind. Subconsciously, he let out a soft sound.
He immediately took the cup away, nearly coughing from his actions.
She noticed.
"Are you alright, White Blood Cell?" she asked with a bit of concern in her voice.
He cleared his throat.
"Yeah. I'm okay, Red Blood Cell. I just swallowed wrong was all."
"Oh. Was that why you made that sound?"
She sounded so innocent.
"Um… Ye—yeah."
1146 then looked into his cup. It was now empty. He could no longer use it to escape from displaying his emotions. He glanced over at her.
"How is your tea?" he asked, "Did I make it alright for you?"
"Yeah!" AE3803 shyly exclaimed, "It's perfect!"
She made a timid reaction as she placed the cup back to her mouth without looking. She only embarrassed herself more when she realized that her cup was empty now as well.
"Oh," she uttered as she stared into it, letting out a small sigh.
He then looked at the other vending machine for frozen glucose and back at her.
"Would you like some dessert?" he offered, "You can probably use the energy boost before heading back to your delivery route."
The touch of pink graced her cheeks yet again.
"Um, sure, White Blood Cell… If… If it's no trouble."
He smiled as he let out a quiet chuckle.
"Trust me. It isn't."
He turned towards the machine.
"What flavor would you like?" he asked her.
In most occasions, she would opt for strawberry. But she felt for a different flavor that moment.
"Um… Vanilla would be nice if they have it."
"They do," he said, pressing the button for it.
It dispensed the frozen treat. He gave it to her.
"How about you, White Blood Cell?" she asked as she accepted the frozen glucose, "Are you going to get anything too?"
"I suppose I could…"
He looked at the options. But his usual flavor happened to be sold out at this particular machine.
"Looks like they're out of green tea," he said to himself.
He browsed for a moment before deciding.
"Vanilla for me too, I guess."
She let out a faint giggle as he ordered it.
Once it dispensed from the machine, he took it and unwrapped it. And she did the same.
"Would you like to sit at a bench with these?" she asked.
"Sure."
They walked over to the nearest bench, tossing the wrappers in the bins along the way.
1146 sat down first.
Before he began eating, AE3803 sat down right next to him.
Deep down, he didn't mind her sitting so close. He simply placed his one arm over the back of the bench and casually crossed his legs as he turned towards her. By the time he realized it, he was already in such an inward position that was too late and too awkward to be corrected. He fidgeted nervously, his mind racing on what he should do.
She noticed.
"Are you okay?"
He immediately stiffened, trying to regain his usual controlled posture.
"Yeah. I'm fine, Red Blood Cell," he said, busying himself with his frozen glucose and acting as normal as he could.
"Alright," she uttered.
He then watched as she began to eat her frozen treat.
But how she ate it somehow appeared more suggestive in his eyes when he knew it shouldn't be. It was enough for him to pause from continuing his.
Her eyes were gently shut again as she slowly licked along its side. Melted cream of the snack laid along her tongue.
1146 couldn't help but keep his eyes locked on her suggestive behavior. And he swallowed as he watched as she licked her lips only for her to repeat her actions.
Without realizing it, his hand rested behind her on the back of the bench, barely brushing her shoulder. Drops of his frozen glucose dripped over his other hand.
AE3803 then opened her eyes and noticed.
"Oh! White Blood Cell!" she looked over at his hand, "Your hand's getting all covered!"
He looked and quickly switched hands before immediately shaking off the excess melted bits.
Once cleared off, he stopped as his mind developed thoughts of her simply licking his fingers clean. Too late now.
He sighed and began to eat the melting treat until he finished it.
She watched him with interested fascination. Her cheeks returned to a heated glow. She was so distracted that she didn't realize that her own treat had begun melting over her fingers as well. But unlike him, she didn't shake the excess off. She instead licked it.
It was difficult for him not to keep his eyes on her as she did.
She then proceeded to eat the rest of the ice cream by sticking it in her mouth a couple times until it was finished.
She let out a relieved exhale.
"You were right, White Blood Cell," she smiled, her tone feeling much better than it was earlier, "I really did need that energy boost."
She looked over at him and her expression turned rather curious. His face was almost entirely red and sweat was dotted along his forehead.
"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" she asked with a bit of concern as she tilted her head.
"I'm sure, Red Blood Cell," he forced himself to say, "It's just that the body's temperature seems to be rising."
"Oh. Okay. If… If you say so."
There was a brief pause that lasted less than a second between them. Just enough for AE3803 to give him a tender smile.
"Thanks for the tea and glucose, White Blood Cell," she murmured in a soft tone, "I appreciate that you also stayed with me."
She tucked in her hair behind her hair, only for her cowlick to prop out from it.
1146 tried to calm himself down as quickly as he could with a hard swallow. He subtly inhaled and gazed rather fondly at her.
"Any time, Red Blood Cell," he said in a gentle voice.
She gave him a sweet smile.
"Well, I guess I really should be getting back to work now."
Her words actually sounded more like she would much prefer spending more of a break time with him. Or any type of time with him, really. As long as it was with him. However, before she had a chance to ask him, he spoke.
"Yeah. I really should get back to my patrols as well."
His words sounded more forced than him willing to resume to his duties. As if he wanted to be with her as well.
She made an embarrassed face as her eyes turned downward to the ground.
"Ye—yeah…" she uttered.
He watched as she stood up from the bench.
She was beginning to walk off when he blurted out…
"Wait, Red Blood Cell!"
She stopped and turned towards him.
"Huh? Wh—what is it?"
He paused for a moment as he tried to calm himself further. He then took a deep breath and stood to look at her.
"I can help you get to the tonsil from here… If you need it."
The blush returned to her face and she had a coy smile on her face as she gazed back at him.
"I actually could use your help with that, White Blood Cell."
He smiled back. The two of them began walking together down the correct blood vessels. Their steps eventually grew just slightly closer to one another, side by side.
Along the way, he stole a glance over at her, taking in her cute innocence. He knew that he would never view tea and frozen glucose the same ever again from that point on. And since it was related to her, he didn't seem to mind that at all.
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