#u-4989

U-2001

U-2001 probably met you when you were both newly matured neutrophils while in the middle of combat. While he's a skilled neutrophil, that doesn't mean that he's infallible.

In the middle of gutting a bacteria with one of his many knives, he forgets that he shouldn't leave his back wide open. As his receptor pings in urgency, he tries to turn around, knife in hand and at the ready, but is still slow to react.

Luckily for him, 2001 is not alone. Despite the bloodbath and carnage that decorates the middle of the bloodstream, you are there to protect him. Like him, you're not a seasoned veteran, but you are spry and full of life. The instant you recognize that your teammate is in trouble, you leap him and immediately annihilate the scum that dared to hurt another immune cell.

After a brief acknowledgement of your valiant efforts, the both of you go back into your attack positions and stave off the continuing infection.

For many cycles afterwards, you don't talk, but acknowledge each other. Respect grows between you and you can on him to step in whenever a bacterium or parasite proves too much and vice versa.

It isn't until the both of you end up being critically injured and sent to the infirmary that you and 2001 finally have a conversation that doesn't require the use of your combat skills and bloodlust.

Between the two of you, your warrior's bond far exceeds everything and allows you to build your relationship from mutual trust and respect.

U-2048

You meet U-2048 when he's busy trying to flirt with various civilian cells. While he definitely has the looks for a cliche Casanova type, he isn't that great with his words.

As an immune cell, he already has points docked for attractiveness because of his inherent bloodlust that comes with the territory, so that rule out most civilians. But, he also has points docked for being rather too forward or too coy with his advances.

He will never admit it, but he can never find the right balance when trying to woo possible love interests.

With you, though, he's a strong conversationalist. Despite his apparent interest in trying to go for various other cells, he always find time to relax and joke around you. Here, all his corny puns and pick up lines actually sound smooth and not like he rehearsed them many times in the mirror like he was still a myelocyte.

Eventually, those pick up lines begin to grow more and more true. It starts as something small. Innocuous. Something he can plausibly deny as being a product of inebriation or deliberate teasing.

However, as time goes on, he becomes more bold and more willing to take risks.

In the end, this culminates in an impromptu confession where he is no longer afraid of possible rejection or making his feelings known.

Whether or not you reject him, he'll be fine. All he wants is to show you that he can be truthful and honest about his feelings.

U-2626

Getting to know U-2626 is a unique experience. He's level headed and rational, compassionate and loyal. Although his hair masks his eyes, and thus, many of his expressions, you can tell that he's always pleased to see you.

It's his smile, his laugh, and his mannerisms that make him intriguing. He's an engaging character who's always keen to make you giggle at his jokes or the stories about his teammates that he made you swear you wouldn't tell anyone.

He's a sweet companion, a friend to you at your lowest, darkest moments. Attentive and kind, he's always there with a mug of steaming green tea and a cone of glucose should you ever need it.

Furthermore, he's while he's great at conversation, he's also a good listener. It doesn't matter if you want to complain or to pass the time by talking about the trivial. He lives for them all because he can spend time with you.

As a result, it's because of these conversations that the both of you come to realize that the both of you hold each other in a positive regard. So much so that it's not long before the both of you are in a relationship—much to the bemusement and fond exasperation of your coworkers. 

U-4989

With U-4989, you know you’re always in for a ride. 

You know that most of 4989’s improvised weapons are against regulation, but you can’t help indulging him in his whimsical creations that do, more often than not, actually get the job done. You wouldn’t be giving up your standard issued weapons any time soon, but seeing 4989 go after bacteria with a sign for glucose sweets or a pan filled with various nutrients never fails to make you smile. 

It’s all adventure and adrenaline with the both of you. It’s almost like the world is constantly colliding and spinning faster and faster, never stopping. From the amusing to the horrifying, the both of you face life’s challenges and hardships with laughter spilling from your mouths and joy in your souls. 

For a good while, you thought you were just good friends with him, but then he starts making things for you. Sometimes, it’s weapons. Other times, neat little trinkets that don’t often have a functional purpose, but look pretty in your dorm room. Each and every time, without fail, you thank him and you watch as his large eyes grow wide and his cheeks become saturated with the color of an eosinophil’s uniform. 

You grow to love this cute, bashful side of 4989. 

Unfortunately, he isn’t always the best with words, often favoring physical affection and action. 

That’s more than fine by you. 

Really, it’s fine if he wants to take the lead in other aspects of this burgeoning relationship, but it’s you who steps up and tells him that you would like to be official. 

Again, his eyes bulge wide open and he looks shocked, but in the end, he accepts. 

Every day, from then on, he’s always at your side, fiddling with something new and making sure that you have the nicest of his creations. 

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From the corner of her eye she sees 4989 shake his head. “That’s our job,” he says, in a much more subdued tone than she’s ever heard from him before. “And 1146… he’s always been like this, you know? Ever since we were kids.”

“But if I had just paid more attention to where I was going…” She wouldn’t have been cornered by the Streptococcus. It wouldn’t have lashed out at her with its barbed tail, ready to lyse her and devour her nutrients. White Blood Cell wouldn’t have jumped in front of her to take the blow. “Then… th-then he would…”

4989 sighs. “He would’ve done the exact same thing for someone else. I mean, not that…” He stutters as he catches himself, holds his hands up in defence. “I’m not saying you don’t mean a lot to him, you do, you really do. It’s just that – he can’t stay out of trouble.” He pauses for a second, and laughs softly, under his breath. “I guess he’d probably say the same thing about me.”

AE3803 bites her lip. She knows what 4989 isn’t saying. She knows a lot more about the work that the immune cells do now than she’d ever expected to know, and one fact keeps coming back to her, as hard as she tries to push it away.

Neutrophils are the most abundant type of white blood cells, making up between forty to seventy percent of the immune cells in the body.

For the body to lose just one… it doesn’t matter? Is that what he thinks?

4989’s hand rests gently on her shoulder. “He’s taken bad hits before, you know. He’ll be okay.”