Work Text
Eosinophil was tired. After a particularly long day, all she wanted to do was make it back to the bunkers and get a good night’s rest.
Her sasumata drags behind her, dual blades scraping on the floor in a particularly annoying manner. A few cells shoot her a wry look, eyes judging, but the pink clad cell couldn’t bring herself to care.
The blonde runs her tongue across her lips. She would literally kill if it meant she could get a fresh, hot bowl of bacteria. Eosinophil nods, a sudden vigor present in her step, as she clicks her tongue excitedly.
…
The macrophages in the cafeteria fill her bowl to the brim with bacteria from earlier that day. The neutrophils always find such the best foreign cells to kill… they taste absolutely delicious.
She finishes her meal in an instant, licking her bowl clean, before heading to the lockers. Hers is located with the rest of the Eosinophils, which isn’t many. Their lockers barely take up a quarter compared to the other immune cells.
She sees her senpai cell on her way out, and the older eosinophil waves at her, a cheery smile decorating his face. She doesn't fail to return it, but knows the truth.
Working as an eosinophil is tiring. Not only do they fail when it comes to defending other cells from bacteria, but they’re barely useful if there are no parasites around.
Eosinophil shucks of her jacket, sighing as the cool night air whistles through a window in the hall. It whips her white blouse, and she sighs, taking a peek through the open door, before shedding it off, replacing it with her towel.
Slipping over to the adjacent showers, she allows the cool water to run across her pale skin, sighing quietly. The immune cell washes efficiently, rubbing her skin free of any dirt or grime she had accumulated throughout the day. Not that it would be much considering her uniform is covered in blood by the end of it.
Stepping out of the wash rooms, Eosinophil dries her skin, taking care to rid herself of any water. She had killed a parasite today… something she never thought she’d do. The golden eyed girl pulls on her baby pink pajama shirt, patting it down.
Her shorts match her upper bodywear, she notices, as she exchanges her work socks for her knee high, white ones. She tugs at her pigtails, blonde hair cascading down her bare arms. Eosinophil sighs as she yawns, scratching at her scalp.
…
Their home had a common room in each section. Well, save for the eosinophils who simply wandered in each one.
She wasn’t particularly tired, so she made her way there, sitting in one of the couches. Eosinophil sighs, stretching her legs and arms at once. They crack simultaneously, and the blonde grins. It falters when she hears a light chuckle.
Her head whips around, and she deflates slightly when she realizes it’s just u2048. She turns around, running a pale hand through her hair. The neutrophil walks over, smiling as he sits down.
He’s not in uniform,
she notices, fingers intertwined with her blonde locks.
The white blood cell smiles at her, swirling a cup of green tea in his hand. He hums.
“Your hair’s a mess, Eosinophil.”
She scoffs, rolling her eyes, and he laughs. “What are you even trying to do,” u2048 asks, white bangs parted making his inky black eyes visible. Eosinophil shrugs, trying to ignore the blush creeping her cheeks.
u2048 smiles. “Your pigtails looked so nice,” he muses, twisting a lock of her blonde hair around his ashen coloured finger. She looks up at him, mouth open to chide him, but words lost. “I could try something,” he says, and she tentatively meets his eyes.
They’re so genuine. How could she say no?
“Fine,” she grumbles, scooting to the ground so she sits in between his legs. The immune cell claps, wasting no time in treading his hand through her hair. Eosinophil allows herself to relax, sinking into his touch.
Eosinophil had know u2048 and his friends since their days in the bone marrow. His hands massage her scalp, and she sighs unconsciously. She hadn’t seen u2048 very often after they graduated. He had his duties, and she hers.
But today… today after so many years… he complimented her
hair.
Her hair that she hadn’t changed since being a myeloblast.
She blushes at the memory, choosing instead to gear her attention to him.
u2048 didn’t change very much. He was still as suave as he always was, and he still wore that disgusting hairstyle. Well, Eosinophil didn’t find it
too
disgusting… one might say she found it oddly,
cute.
She would puke at her own sappiness.
Eosinophil decides to distract herself, allowing her eyes to close for just a minute.
…
When she awakes, u2048 is smiling at her, hand passing along her head. She jumps slightly, not familiar with the lone plait that falls between her shoulder blades. “Let me see,” she demands, and he points her in the direction of a fresher.
Eosinophil runs over, eyes widening when she sees her reflection.
Her hair’s in a french braid that begins at the very front of her head, and rears down to the back. She pulls it over her shoulder, fingering the end distractedly.
u2048 is waiting in the same seat when she returns, and he feigns the impression of looking calm and collected. She knows better- he awaits her approval.
“It’s nice,” she mumbles, cheeks heating, and he grins. “I’m happy you like it, Eo!” She looks up at this, eyebrows raised. But it seems as if u2048 didn’t pick up on her curiosity as he stands, stretching.
Eosinophil looks away when his shirt rides up a tad.
“Well, I think you have nice hair, and the braid really suits you,” he says through a yawn, and the blonde nods slowly. “I like doing it,” he adds, and she pokes her cheek in an effort to stop the heat from rising.
He hums, tapping his chin. “If you ever need it done, I don’t mind being asked,” he says with a wink, and Eosinophil nods. “I’ll see,” she replies, and his smile is so bright, she hesitates to cover her eyes.
She follows him down the hallway in a comfortable silence, stopping in front of the female eosinophil bunkers. He smiles down at her, fingers tapping her braid softly. “Goodnight, Eo,” he says, and she returns it softly.
“Goodnight.”
…
She meets him again while he’s on patrol in the right thigh.
It had been a particularly slow week for eosinophils. Parasites aren’t a popular specimen in this body, so their job has been significantly easy.
u2048 jogs up to her, two steaming cups of green tea encased in his gloved hands. He passes one to her, and she takes it, sipping it contentedly. “Thank you,” she says, sliding her sasumata under her arm so she can hold the cup properly.
“No problem,” he says, walking along, and Eosinophil finds her feet following him without much prompting. “What are you up to today,” she asks, and he smiles. “Partolling,” he answers simply. The blond hums, fingering the fraying ends of her old braid.
She managed to maintain it to the best of her ability for the week, but it’s beginning to looking nappy. Eosinophil hopes u2048 doesn't notice… she hasn’t mustered the courage to thank him yet, let alone ask him to do it again.
But he taps her cap, and she sighs.
“Your braid is messy,” he says plainly, and she nods. “You could’ve asked me to do it again,” he adds, voice softening, and Eosinophil squawks, hiding her face.
Who gave him permission to talk like that!?
“Meet me in the common room tonight?” He asks, and she hums her agreement, hiding her blush. He laughs before trotting away.
…
This time around, u2048 us prepared to do her hair.
He has multiple combs and brushes, with a few lotions she’s never heard of. The white blood cell tells her to relax as he massages her scalp, and she does, leaning into his hands. He tugs at each lock, untangling it with a simple wiggle of his fingers.
u2048 is very good with his hands, she decides, as he rids of the last tangle with a happy hum. He combs through her hair with a small brush, its bristles touching her head.
She opens her mouth to thank him when the receptor on his cap goes of. Eosinophil pulls away as he jumps up, watching as he pulls on his jacket and hat.
He smiles sheepishly, and Eosinophil believes her eyes betray he when she sees the softest tint of pink dusting his ashen skin.
“I’ll finish it when I get back,” he says as he runs out the room. “I promise!”
She hums at nothing as her fingers run over the incomplete braid. Slowly, she takes a seat on the couch, playing with the comb he once held as she waits for him to return.
…
He never gets to finish her braid, because when he does get back, he’s barely standing on his feet.
“u2048, what the hell,” she screeches, running over to him as he stumbles into the common room again (she doesn't know
why
she’s running; he’s not important to her).
She helps him over to the couch, wincing as the blood on his uniform seeps into its fabric. Eosinophil finds a first aid kit, removing his cap from his head before tending to the scratches on his face.
“What happened,” she asks, assessing her newly placed bandages. “I needed to get back,” he says. “I needed to finish your hair.”
And with that, he pulls himself up, gesturing for her to sit as he does.
Eosinophil obeys, finding her spot between his legs once more as he drags his fingers through her hair.
…
It becomes a regular occurence.
She’d come home from a long day, freshen up, and wait for him in the common room.
Sometimes he’d appear, sometimes he won’t, but she waited anyway.
Eosinophil sometimes wonders
how
she got here. It’s not like she liked him… or, that’s what she tells herself. He just… liked doing her hair. That’s it.
Or, that’s what she wishes it was.
Her crush on him was sudden. She didn’t realize the feelings she had for him were romantic until he gave her a dutch braid.
His smile was so bright when he finished, and she was absolutely red when he said how pretty she looked. But that wasn’t it… she broke when he weaved a single plastic pink rose in her hair, mumbling about how it brought out her eyes.
Eosinophil was smitten.
He’s brushing her hair again when she pulls away. There’s really no point of this if they don’t speak on the unspoken
thing
between them.
u2048’s eyes widen when she stands, and she loosens the half finished fishtail in her hair. “What are you-” he begins, but she cuts him off.
“I’m sorry, but this won’t work.”
“What,” he says, frowning, and Eosinophil huffs, folding her arms across her chest.
“This,”
she says, as if it was the most obvious thing. u2048 deflates. “I don’t know what-”
“Yes you do,” she exclaims, gold eyes meeting his dark ones briskly. “You, you can’t keep doing my hair, if-” her voice falters, and her gaze drops to the ground.
She doesn't jump when u2048’s cold hands cup her chin, eyes narrowed down at her. He’s standing right there in front of her, and she blushes.
“If what, Eosinophil?” He asks, voice threateningly low. She wants to look around for other cells, but her eyes remain aligned with his.
He misses her words because she mumbles them, so he asks her to repeat, and she doesn't fail to comply.
“You can’t keep doing my hair if I, if I,” she swallows, but won’t waver. “You can’t do my hair if I like you.”
The silence is heavy, and u2048’s face is unreadable.
Eosinophil wants to leave. She feels to vulnerable already, but his grip on her chin won’t falter. He’s tense though, she realizes, and she wonders if her words bothered him.
After a few minutes she regrets it.
“I’m sorry,” she says, pushing him away, when his lips catch hers.
The blonde is stunned for a moment, before she returns it, hands grasping at his jacket.
u2048’s hands run through her hair, and she chuckles as her braid falls out entirely. He presses his tongue against her mouth, and she allows him access quickly.
To believe a stubborn confession would get her this is unbelievable.
When they break a part for air, he rests his head on hers, cap sliding up as he does.
“I’ve liked you for a long time, Eo,” he whispers, and she hums, nose brushing his. “I’m happy you return my feelings.”
She grins at him, knocking his hat back as she brushes through his white hair.
“And I’m happy you returned mine.”
FIN