~No one's P.O.V.~
Zahra leaned by the edge of the public pool with the water reaching up to her chest. She had chosen a one-piece dark blue sleeveless and legless suit to swim in. Though, she still had her hijab on. Of course, Sky was the only person on her mind. Truth be told, he was really the only thing that filled her mind most of the time.
Just the thought of him made her a nervous wreck. Honestly, he was just—if described in one word—perfect. He was slightly shorter than her, had perfect muscles that were not too big but not too small, slender form, soft Caucasian skin, no scars or freckles, eyes that were black, smooth black hair that barely reached the bottom of his neck, light pink lips, and shiny white teeth. Not to mention his face was perfectly symmetrical. She began to think of him in a way that made her bite her lip and thank herself for already being in the water.
Zahra: Come on, Zahra! Control yourself! You're supposed to be the cool and casual one! Not all flustered like this! You can't do your job if all you can think about is him!
Suddenly, a shadow covered her and she turned to face whoever was casting it. To her horror, it was none other than Sky standing over her. This made her push herself away out of surprise with a blush as bright as a blooming rose across her face.
Zahra: S-Sky?! What are you doing here at the pool?!
The A.I. gave her his usual smile, which always got her flustered, and crouched down but didn't touch the water.
Sky: I came to hangout with you. I mean, we always play video games, so I thought this would be a good change. At least for today.
Zahra: U-Uhhh...I guess so.
Sky: Mind if I join you?
Zahra carefully weighed her options. If she said yes, she's to hangout with Sky for most of the day. However, she was also in "the" mood. On the other hand, if she said no, then this would be a perfect opportunity wasted, but she would be able to get herself under control.
Zahra: Scrap it, I'm not gonna give someone else the chance to snag him. He's too perfect to let go.
Zahra pulled every ounce of control she had and forced herself to calm down. She gave him a light smile and leaned back on the edge.
Zahra: Sure, man.
Sky then jumped in feet first before quickly appearing beside her with his arms spread along the edge. Man, what she wouldn't do to be in those arms right now.
Zahra: Y'know, Sky, today's pretty good you're looking.~
That was the moment where all she wanted to do was hide her embarrassment. Before she could, though, Sky smiled even more and just casually asked her what she's been trying to say to him for at least a few weeks.
Sky: You wanna go on a date?
Zahra: E-...eh...wh-...but-
All the blood in her body rushed to her face at that moment.
How was she supposed to react to that? Before she knew it, Sky was taking her hand and leading her toward the center of the pool. There, they splashed each other, played Marco Polo, tried dancing but that didn't work so well in the water, and where Zahra "accidentally" landed in his arms a few times. Eventually they got tired and leaned against the edge again with the biggest smile ever on Zahra's face.
Zahra: That was fun.
Sky: Definitely.
After a minute of silence between them, Zahra decided now was the perfect chance to confess her feelings, in a way. She leaned over and gave him a two second kiss on the cheek. Surprisingly, she didn't blush, but it made his eye and head twitch for half a second. The Muslim gave him a concerning look before he returned the gesture, making her gasp.
Sky: This is pretty fun, but I think we can do better.
Zahra: Wait, what?
Zahra turned bright red at this with a blank look.
Zahra: Was kissing his cheek not enough for him? Does he actually want to do more?! What kind of things is he okay with doing?! Maybe we can even-
During her train of thought, Sky had climbed out of the pool and grabbed her hand before pulling her up with him.
His strength was impressive considering his body size. Zahra barely had any time to blush at the contact between their hands before Sky pulled away and started walking toward the changing room. The girl took this as an invitation and followed behind him. However, he entered the men's changing room and stopped her by putting his palm on her stomach. Oh how she wished he had raised his hand just a little.
Zahra: What are you doing?
Sky: Changing, what about you?
She immediately read the situation and realised she had it wrong. Her blush grew even brighter before she quickly took a few steps back and raised her hands in a surrendering gesture.
Zahra: O-Oh, I-I...uhhh...
Sky: ...We're going to the ladies room to change?
Zahra: U-Uhh...yeah! Totally!
Sky simply winked at her before disappearing into the room, leaving Zahra a complete nervous wreck as she walked to her own changing room.
Zahra: Oh. My. Plixels. What is wrong with me?! Why do I act like this around him?! Come on, get a hold of yourself!
She began to change once she found her own changing room. As she did, thoughts of Sky changing came to her mind. Soon enough, she felt her body get tingly. However, she suddenly remembered when Sky disappeared and her "heat" ceased completely.
Zahra: Where could he have gone?
Sky: Where could who have gone?
Zahra: AH!
Zahra jumped in fear before realising the boy she loved must be behind the door of her room. Another blush crept onto her cheeks at the thought of only a door separating them right now.
Zahra: Nothing! Don't worry about it!
Sky: Uh, okay? Well I'll be at the arcade if you wanna continue our date, okay?
Zahra: Okay!
Zahra: Actually, this could be a good opportunity to find out what he was hiding. Maybe if I find out what it is, we can connect more? Only one way to find out.
Zahra: I'll meet you there!
Sky: Gotcha, see ya there.
Zahra: Alright!
With that, Sky left and Zahra quickly finished getting dressed.
Zahra: Sky? You there?
After waiting a few seconds for a response, she quietly walked out and followed suit. She activated her gauntlet and jumped onto the top of a building. Sky was just casually walking down the sidewalks until he suddenly dipped into an alley and out of her sight.
Zahra: What the...?
Not letting him get away that easily, the Muslim jumped down after him, only to discover not a trace of him.
Zahra: What? How did...?
Suddenly, an activated gauntlet came from around her head. Zahra was quick to activate her visor before the flash blinded her and she rolled forward before spinning around with her blaster ready. Though, now knowing it was Sky who attempted to reset her nearly made her lose her balance. Her face displayed utter shock while his was emotionless.
Zahra: S-Sky?! Why did you try that?!
Zahra: Why are you talking like a robot?! Like a...?!
The Muslim gasped before she hardened her expression and aimed at his head while charging up her shot.
Zahra: Like a GLITCH!
Sky: No Glitch detected. I am no glitch. I am an artificially intelligent unit. Now resetting suspect.
Zahra narrowed her eyes and made a frown.
Zahra: Bring it, glitch. You're not Sky.
She then fired her charged shot and nailed him directly on the head. However, the plixels faded and she saw Sky standing there with absolutely no damage. She tried to stand up but tripped and fell on her back. Though, she quickly picked herself back up to her feet and summoned her light purple sword.
Zahra: How did that not faze you?!
Sky: Glitch Tech weapons have no affect on my plixels or programming. I am created by artificial intelligence integrated with altered plixels. You cannot harm me. Surrender and no harm will come to you. I will be forced to harm you if you should continue your assault.
Zahra: You...
Zahra growled menacingly before running at him with her sword by her side.
Zahra: You're not fooling me, you monster!
Just as Sky raised his gauntlet at her, the word "monster" registered and his head and eye twitched again. This gave her enough time to land a solid kick to his chest, launching him off his feet, and slashing him with her sword before he flew out of range. However, her sword shattered upon impact with his body. The A.I. collided with the wall and left a body-shaped indention. After a few seconds, his twitching stopped and he glared at the girl, who balled her hands into fists and readied herself.
Sky: Target: Zahra Fazal Rashid. Activating "Attack" program.
Suddenly, his black eyes turned solid bright red. She would be lying if she said he didn't scare her now, but she still had to stay and fight. After all, this glitch could have taken Sky and copied his form. I mean, why else would it look like him? Unknown to her, though, she was fighting the real one, the one she loved.
Zahra: Oh yeah? Bring-
Before she could finish her sentence, he aimed his palm at her and a dark purple ray shot out of it. It exploded upon impact with her and she was sent crashing into the wall of some random building. Everything in her body hurt. However, even with the pain, she jumped to her feet and reset everyone in the room. Unfortunately, though, she didn't get much time to ready herself because of that.
Sky walked through the hole and kicked her in the back, sending her to the ground again.
Zahra: Gah!
When Sky spoke, his voice was deep and robotic. It sent shivers down her being.
"Target, you have two choices. Be eliminated or accept reset."
He towered over her still frame and raised his palm to her face. Dark purple energy in the form of a ball appeared dangerously close to her face. Absolute terror filled her body. She didn't want to die. At least, not until she told Sky how she felt.
Zahra: Please, don't do it! I don't want to die!
Sky: Then accept reset.
Zahra: I-I...I-I...
Zahra frantically looked around for any possible weapon.
The only one she could find was a few bricks but that was it. So, she grabbed one and was about to swing at him until a shot went straight through his head, no doubt from a gauntlet. The A.I. stepped back before receiving another shot, through the chest this time. Zahra rolled away and jumped to her feet and saw...
Zahra: Sky?! What-I-I don't-...?!
There were two Sky's in the room with her. One with red eyes and one with black irises and in the Glitch Tech armor. She immediately turned and ran to the armored one's side, the real one. The Muslim kissed his cheek before getting a dark purple longsword pushed into her hands by him. Zahra smirked and turned to the red eyed one.
Zahra: We got you now, glitch!
Sky: Yeah!
RS(Red Sky): New target acquired: Sky Smith. Targets must be eliminated.
This angered the girl. She let out a war cry before running toward the Glitch. Before the glitch could even get into a stance, Sky blasted it several times, allowing her to slice it in half.
RS: Possibility unforeseeable! Irregular pattern detected! Malfunction detected! d҈o҈w҈n҈!
The glitch's form exploded, scattering the dark purple plixels and leaving only a desperate glitch on the floor. Except, this one was bright red. This definitely peeked her curiosity.
Zahra: How is it red?
She decided to have BITT analyse it back at the base.
However, "ERROR" appeared on her screen when attempting to capture it. She also noted that the glitch wasn't trying to escape. In fact, it looked like it was waiting to be captured. Zahra didn't have time to question this because Sky's gauntlet captured it.
He then threw down a bright blue block and it began to dissipate as all the damage got repaired good as new. Next, he deactivated his gauntlet and started giving her his undivided attention with a worried look. Which, of course, she loved, even with a hundred questions racing through her mind.
Sky: Are you okay?! What happened?! I'm so sorry I didn't walk with you!
Zahra put a finger to his lips, silencing him, and gave him a loving smile. He didn't know why but this smile made his systems feel...well, he didn't know. All he knew was it made him genuinely smile.
Zahra: I'm alright, Sky. A little banged up, yeah, but otherwise alright. Now, how about we go to the arcade and finish our date?
For the first time since she met him, Sky blushed and froze for a few seconds. She couldn't help but mentally capture this image of him and save it in her memories. Of course, his current state didn't last long. He shook his head before gently taking her hand
Sky: Of course, m'lady.~
With that, he lead her out the door after she deactivated her gauntlet and the dark purple longsword was left to dissipate. A huge smile across both their faces. On the way, Zahra's curiosity got the best of her and she started questioning her possibly future boyfriend.
Zahra: Hey, what happened to you? Today and yesterday.
Sky: I just took an alleyway as a shortcut to the arcade today. As for yesterday, I was attacked by a glitch when my guard was down and my gauntlet was deactivated. It grabbed it and I ditched my gauntlet. I would much rather lose my gauntlet and make it out alive than fight a battle I've already lost.
Zahra: And the orb that was with it?
Sky: Orb? I don't know anything about an orb. Maybe it was a loot drop and somebody didn't see it?
Zahra: I don't see anyone doing that but there's always a first time for everything. What about the glitch today? Do you know why it was red?
Sky: Nope, but it wasn't worth any XP.
Zahra: Huh, that's strange.
Sky: Yeah, it was, but let's not think about that right now, alright?
Zahra: Why?
Sky stood in front of her and pointed upwards. Her eyes followed the trail and saw they were already at the arcade.
Zahra: Oh. Wait, what about what the glitch said?
Sky: What did it say?
Zahra: Stuff about you being an A.I., Suspicion being raised, that I had to be reset and stuff like that.
Sky: Oh, it was probably from a game nearby. It probably copied my form because it was a text-based game.
Zahra: Why couldn't I capture it, then?
Sky: Your gauntlet was probably damaged at some point during that fight.
Zahra: Yeah, I guess that makes sense. I was probably worried for nothing.
Without warning, he grabbed her hand and pulled her inside with him. They played games, ate food, made fools of themselves, and had fun the entire time. Needless to say, Sky got the high-score in every game but SOCK-EM ROCKERS. Still, Zahra enjoyed every minute of her time with him. She even sneaked in a few kisses on the cheek when he wasn't expecting it.
The girl knew she wasn't acting herself around him. In fact, she was acting like a complete nervous wreck and she was usually calm and casual. However, she had decided she wasn't going to let that stop her from being with him. No matter what happened, she knew she loved him. Even if that glitch actually was Sky or if any of what it said was true, she would forgive and love him.
The pair now stood outside, holding hands. Both of them had big smiles. It was night time now. They had hung out all day together. If either of them could repeat the day, they would.
Sky: Today was really fun, Z.
Zahra: Same here, Sky.
Sky: You wanna do this again some time?
Zahra: Definitely.
They hugged each other. Sky's arms were around her waist while Zahra's were around his neck.
Sky: I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?
Zahra: Yep, where else will I go?
They both chuckled at this before releasing each other.
Sky: I'll see you tomorrow then.
Zahra: Yeah, you too.
Just as Sky turned around, Zahra realized something and quickly turned him to face her.
Zahra: Wait a second. So, since we went on a date today, does that mean we're..."together" together?
Sky: Hmmm, I think it's too early for that. I mean, we've only gone on one date so I think we should wait until at least a couple dates.
The taller Glitch Tech smiles brightly at this before giving him another kiss on the cheek.
Zahra: That's sounds great, handsome.~
Hearing this, Sky made a devious smile before putting his hands on her hips.
Zahra: Huh? What're you-?
Before she could even finish her sentence, Sky leaned forward and kissed her. She was so shocked that her body refused to move. Though, she would admit it was a surprise she very much enjoyed. After all, he was now her first kiss. They stayed like this for what felt like hours, but in reality, it was only twenty seconds, but she now longed for more of him.
Sky: I gotta go, but I'll definitely see you tomorrow at work, beautiful.~
With that, Zahra walked home feeling very hot. Sky, on the other hand, went behind the arcade and deactivated "Perfect Boyfriend," a recent program he had created and needed to test. It made him—if you can't already tell by the name of it—the perfect boyfriend based on the knowledge he had on the individual. The usual emotionless expression he had came back to replace his cheerful smirk.
Sky: "Perfect Boyfriend" successful. Zahra's love for me now increased from thirty two percent to seventy three percent. Future testing on her will be needed for this program to be perfected. Now opening portal to base of operations.
One of his portals appeared beneath him and fell in as still as a statue, landing perfectly in his pod before closing the portal behind him. He then recalled the events from earlier. When Zahra fought the glitch that looked like him.
Sky: Plan executed without fault. Suspicion now reduced to zero percent. Zahra's surrender was zero percent so new option was created. "Controllable Modified Glitch" test complete. Unexpected Result: Glitch Techs unable to harm/capture modded glitches unless they have my altered plixels transformed into weapons like the sword I temporarily equipped Zahra with. Now perfecting the program to modify the programming of captured glitches in order to control them in reality. Program "Creation" now complete. Possibility to create glitches from newfound program found. Now creating program to create glitches. Program added to existing program, "Control."
With nothing else left to do, he made his human disguise dissipate before closing the pod door and shutting down his systems.