The moment Normal Cell and NC walked into the room where the red blood cell was recuperating, NC had a feeling that something was off. It wasn't until he caught sight of his favorite neutrophil embracing his Little Miss Red—a slightly dozing Little Miss Red—that a surge of something dark and burning rose within and encompassed all of his organelles.
As if he had been struck by a stray, barreling bacterium, NC was hit with the desire to take his Little Miss Red. Such irrationality would have been looked upon in disgust if it were any other cell, but this was him. And he wanted her. Even if that neutrophil was the closest he ever had to a friend, he wanted—needed—Little Miss Red all to himself.
Who was she to think that he would simply settle for her being safe when she could be in his arms?
However, once he was inside the room and proudly announced his presence by slamming the door shut (the force of which had awoken Little Miss Red and he felt that strange feeling of something… wrong with him), he knew that he would have to wait. As he made eye contact with the erythrocyte, he began to notice something else.
There was something weird about Little Miss Red.
When the both of them had entered, his favorite neutrophil had quickly sat down on a nearby chair after he had been busy hugging his Little Miss Red, it had taken a good few seconds for NC to take her all in. As Normal Cell began to ask after her welfare (after witnessing how she seemed to shrink away from NC's entrance into the infirmary's room after rousing from her slumber), NC watched and stared.
Little Miss Red's hair… That was one of the main things that had first caught his attention—well, other than the fact that the white blood cell had been busy forcing himself upon her. What kind of cell would do that? In fact, why would his favorite neutrophil do that? He never seemed to be that physically affectionate with him or anyone else? What endeared his erythrocyte to him of all cells?
How droll. And stupid. No matter, NC could deal with that issue later. Instead, he focuses on the bright strands of hair that fell down her shoulders. Had her hair always been long?
During her time with him, he hadn't really paid attention to the way she looked. All he cared about were her reactions, the way that she would stand up to him and fight back. She was weak in the way that all cells were weak when it came down the might of a cancer cell, but she was so much stronger than him in other ways—ways that intrigued him.
It looked like 3803's hair was due for a trim.
It was the first time that NC had ever seen his Little Miss Red with long, flowing locks. Although relatively short compared to other red blood cells, her hair was tickling her throat, hanging close to her shoulders.
Surely he hadn't kept her to himself for that long?
And surely he wasn't gone for too long, right?
Regardless, NC couldn't help but keep to himself, his eyes steadily trained on her hair.
He had never seen it so long and carefree before. A sudden urge to be affectionate and want to take her away from this sterile place overtook him. He wanted to move forward, to be fully seen in the light of the fluorescence, but he knew that he should wait.
To be patient.
Even so, he still wanted to take her long locks and gently caress them. Perhaps he could also rake his fingers through those bright strands of what he assumed to be soft locks. Were they as soft and fluffy as it looked? Under the bright fluorescent lights of the infirmary, would they gleam and shimmer as he would twist the locks around his fingers?
Yes, he had kept her, but he was there for her presence of mind, not because of her looks. He hadn't noticed before, but now…
She was beautiful.
As NC kept his gaze trained on her, he began to pick up on other features. Her eyes were so golden, so wide and innocent. It would have been better to study her eyes while she looked back at him, but she refused to even spare him a glance.
Instead, she was paying all of her attention towards his creator.
That was…
That was unacceptable.
"—just a huge misunderstanding, but I'm—"
All it took was a second.
NC crossed the threshold of the room and approached Little Miss Red's bedside. Almost immediately, U-1146 rose up from his seat and held out an arm, but NC didn't particularly care about that.
No.
It was the way that his dear Little Miss Red startled at his advancement and began cowering before him. Evil, twisted emotions roiled inside of his organelles. Fists clenched and heavy breathing, NC tried to hold back his emotions. Yet—
Yet…
Why did she react so positively towards other, more inferior cells? She shouldn't have to cower before him! He had never hurt her! In fact, it was quite the opposite! Had he not promised her the world had she cooperated? Had he not promised a world—a body—that didn't have her work so long and hard that she never had to rest?
Had he not promised her a world that didn't care about her flaws? Even he, a cancerous cell, knew that she was a liability. She should have never been processed from the progenitor cells in the first place.
She was a mistake.
Just like him.
And mistakes like her should not have the need to look away from as if he were some low life scum.
Before NC could even think about voicing his opinions or shaking the white blood cell away from him, he was startled back into reality.
A firm, but gentle hand had grasped his left bicep. A quick glance to the side revealed that Normal Cell had gone silent; his gaze was not on NC, but rather on the erythrocyte who had clutched the pure white blanket to cover her as if she were hiding from him.
NC didn't know why, but he began to feel a heaviness settle into the midst of his stomach. His throat constricted and suddenly, he needed water or tea to soothe the ache that followed. For a moment, the three other cells looked upon him with a mixture of emotions.
Apprehension.
Confusion.
Fear.
The stand off lasted for a couple of seconds, but it was more than enough time for the dead air to choke whatever words he wanted to say to his Little Miss Red. Instead, it was Normal Cell, his good for nothing creator, that managed to save this precarious situation from devolving further.
Normal Cell's grip on NC's bicep tightened, as if to warn NC not to speak for now.
"I apologize, Miss Red Blood Cell," Normal Cell murmured. With as much force as possible, but still looked like he was gentle, he pulled NC back to him. They were evenly matched, seeing that NC was just Normal Cell's copy, but NC backed down. "NC-1998 is a bit new and he's not used to seeing other cells right now."
AE-3803 looked up at NC before swinging her gaze back at 1146. The both of them knew that even if NC was actually Cancer, his hat wouldn't ping. Still, even 1146 could say that NC wasn't exactly Cancer, especially when the evidence that NC was Cancer was due to just a pair of lime green eyes. And even if those lime green eyes weren't "contacts", it still could be classified as a benign mutation.
Really, any evidence that they could garner was all circumstantial.
And his DNA didn't lie; NC was not a cancer cell.
He simply used to be Cancer Cell.
Much to everyone's surprise (including that of NC), AE-3803 was the first to recover. Hesitantly, she rearranged herself on the infirmary's cot so that she was sitting up straight and not cowering beneath the covers. U-1146, seeing that one of his closest friends was all right, relaxed his posture, but kept his position near her should anything untoward happened. It was at that moment Normal Cell nudged NC forward so that he might say something to save his social faux pas.
"I just…" NC wracked his brain for something, anything to make him look like he was innocent and nothing more than a socially awkward normal cell. His mouth opened and the following came out like flowing water from a faucet. "I just wanted to thank you for your service."
NC bowed his head low so that they couldn't see the disgust on his face. Apologies were simply not something that he wanted to familiarize himself with. However, he wasn't ready for confrontation. In fact, his favorite blood cells weren't ready to meet the "true" him yet. NC was buying himself time.
"I'm sorry that I startled you when you were doing nothing more than your job."
NC kept his body hunched over in a bow. Just when he was about to straighten his back, a slender hand reached out to pat him gently on the head. The feeling of bare fingers—not gloved—patting his locks down… It felt so familiar, so nice.
NC held his breath and looked up.
3803 stared back at him, still a little hesitant, but there was an unsure smile playing at the edge of her lips.
That was okay.
NC could work with hesitation and nervousness. It was pure rejection that he loathed.
So caught up in his thoughts and the feelings that her hands had elicited, he didn't notice how her eyes had narrowed at the sight of his lime green eyes.
Or that the neutrophil's fingers twitched, as if ready to start swinging his knife in retaliation.