"HEY, ANTENNA DICK!" Through the bustling halls of Hope's Peak, Miu Iruma's voice cut through like a knife. Several heads turned in her direction, some with scandalized expressions while others only smirked knowingly. Typical Miu. The one to whom she was shouting was one of the last students to turn around, the Ultimate Robot.

"Oh, good morning, Miu, how are you today?" His voice was soft, gentlemanly, and polite, everything Miu's was not.

"Well I'm just fan-fuckin'-TASTIC! Thank you for asking!" Miu beamed as she suddenly thrust something towards Kiibo. "This Gorgeous, Golden, Glorious Girl Genius™ just tried dipping her fingers into the wonderful world of software, and oh BOY did they come back out dripping wet with all sorts of juicy goodness!" As the Ultimate Inventor, Miu's first love was robotics (anything physical, that she could touch and feel, mmm it felt so good). An almost inextricable second of robotics, though, was programming and coding.

"So, what does it do?" Kiibo was completely curious, innocent, and trusting as he plucked the tiny device from Miu's fingers.

"Try it on for size and find out!" Miu rested her hands on her hips, face and voice cocky as she pushed her already pushed-up bust out even further. "Let's just say it will… help you learn new bodily configurations, positions, and motions, and you'll get an extra kick of energy, so your poor battery won't drain as fast as it usually does when you get… excited!" It wasn't just the charge Miu was worried about though. When sparks flew, she wanted his "antenna dick" to remain online until they were done. "But don't worry, we can work on all that hardware later," Miu winked.

Kiibo accepted the flash drive with a grateful smile, storing it in a small slot in the side of his body that almost acted as pocket. "Thank you, Miu. I really do appreciate it. It is generous of you to keep me in mind as you work on your projects, and even more so that you give up your time, energy, effort, and resources to build some of those projects for me." It really made him feel included, valued, not just the weird, token robo-kid.

"IKR?! You're god damn LUCKY that this god damn goddess—!" Miu's obnoxious and arrogant laughter died in her throat immediately, like a connection suddenly severed. Kiibo's words finally sunk in. "I- I- I- mean yeah, w-whatever! Just don't go breakin' it, or somethin' like that! I mean, it's no biggie, like, I'm the Ultimate Inventor, or whatever, so I can definitely fix it even if you DO fuck it up…" She was muttering, looking away, eyes shifting left and right, no longer able to meet Kiibo's LED eyes. He, meanwhile, only continued to smile at her innocently and serenely.

ooo

School was out, and Miu ran into Kiibo again, this time in digital traffic rather than school traffic.

GGG_Girl_Genius: yo, tin can, Ultimate Academy For Gifted Juveniles is trying to get off the ground and i got invited to speak there at a summer conference, yo metal ass wanna come with?

K1-B0: I would be honored to aid in the development of a new academy. Summer is not too terribly far away, however. Are you nervous?

GGG_Girl_Genius: LOL u kiddin? HELL NAW this is what im MADE FOR

GGG_Girl_Genius: I aint worried about nothing. except maybe being your roommate LOL!

Kiibo paused before sending his next response to Miu, not even needing to touch his keyboard. Hmmm. Well, that was unusual. It was rare for her to admit any sort of weakness, even if she was just trying to joke and get the point across that nothing tech-related could scare her. Kiibo decided to press her gently for more information.

K1-B0: What are you worried I will do? I fear I may upset you with my affection. I was thinking about that earlier. I know sometimes I wish to thank you for all the things you do for me, but you always seem to become flustered and nervous when I try.

Miu nearly fell out of her computer gamer-girl chair from the physical damage she took from Kiibo callin' her TF out like that.

GGG_Girl_Genius: what the?! no, Outlet Ass! I prolly wouldnt be entertaining enough. I mean obvi im a sexy-ass, smokin' hot bod. but after all that conferencin? Girl's gonna be ready to hit the sack and not in the fun way! It's not… that I worry about your affection. I just don't know if I can match the energy…

If Miu's admission wasn't enough of a red flag for Kiibo that something was wrong, Miu's sudden use of proper grammar was.

K1-B0: But Miu, it is a privilege to be one of the brightest lights of Hope in your life. Based on my calculations of the probability of it, I already predict you will not match my displays of affection, but I would not expect you to. You are Miu, after all, and I am not.

It was funny, Miu may have acted like one of the sluttiest Hope's Peak Ultimates, but when it actually came time for sex, romance, or even basic love and affection, Miu crumbled and folded like the paper tiger she was. Perhaps that was why she liked Kiibo? Something about her could sense that he was inexperienced too, even if in a different way, and maybe that made her feel a little more comfortable with where she was at?

In any case, she did like his praise, but damn it if she'd ever tell him! Plus, what if he put her on a pedestal and she fucked it up? If nothing else, they could agree Kiibo was more comfortable being openly affectionate than Miu, and it was another insecurity of hers she would never fess up to, even though she secretly believed that he deserved a partner every bit as loving as he was. To call Miu "loving"? Pfft!

K1-B0: I simply wish to experience things—life—with you. If you are willing to indulge me in the things I want to show you, and go places with me, even if you just chuckle and say "nice", that is more than enough for me.

After all, did she forget that he wasn't always the best with emotions or social cues either? Their social lives were never the same after meeting each other. Neither of them had many friends before meeting each other, at least Miu didn't, but she was blinded by her own vainglory and hardly cared. Then along came Kiibo, and suddenly, he was all she could think about.

And I just get so mad, ya know? So crazy jealous sometimes… When the other girls, the other students and tech-related Ultimates, came too close. That was part of why Miu wanted Kiibo to come with her to the Ultimate Academy thingy. She didn't trust anyone if she had to leave him behind, and alone. Plus, another perk of him coming along with her was that she got to strut around with him on her arm. Just…

GGG_Girl_Genius: I just want u to enjoy urself too, ya know?

K1-B0: I always do, no matter how much you tease me. :)

Miu nearly fell out of her chair a second time. Gah! That damn smile! And those damn words of his… Don't give me that reassurance, dumbass! Don't just tell me the shit I wanna hear. Tell me the truth!

Miu was one to talk, unable to tell the truth to herself. She really did love Kiibo. She just sucked (and not in the fun way) at expressing it. It was no excuse, of course, and Miu could at least admit that to herself, even though it made her tingle with shame. In this one way, Kiibo was just so foreign to her. He expressed affection so easily for one who claimed not to understand it in its entirety.

Then again, that had nothing to do with being a robot. What human understood love in its entirety? But still, Miu almost envied him for it. He was socially awkward, but the words still came to him better than they did to her. Totally not fair, right? Then again, maybe it was just because Miu didn't show affection as often. Of course it felt weird for her to be soft, she didn't do it enough!

K1-B0: You are able to convey love when you want to, Miu. And it always makes me happy. The fact that it doesn't come easily to you, or that you feel weird doing it, makes me feel even more special. It means more to me than you know, so thank you again.

He used the flash drive from earlier that day as an example. Even though the contents were… something else, they were undeniably Miu. She'd left an imprint, her very essence, all over the work she made for Kiibo. It was for him, but she spilled out of it too.

It is true, she can be very rude, surly, hostile, and aggressive. But when she is in the flow state, her mechanical hands really do work magic, and I can hear the words and volumes she speaks in the things she builds and creates. As the quote goes, a picture paints 1000 words. She may not know how to articulate vulnerable feelings in-person, but over the internet, and in her lab…

Well, when one person poured their heart and soul out to create a work of art they loved and were proud of, and they made it for and inspired by someone, what else could it be called except love? It is as if the creator, the artist, whispers through space and time, through their work.

This is how you make me feel. Alive. Loving. Passionate. Fulfilled. Hopeful. Look at this beautiful work I made. It came from within, and all because of you. I'd gladly slave hours away at my craft, making a representation of you, of us, because even if it's something you only look at once, I had a marvelous time making all of it. Because it was inspired by you. This is how you make me feel.

Kiibo may not have understood humans, but he understood technology, and that included inventions and texts.

GGG_Girl_Genius: whatever man. Ur too good for ur own damn good, u know that? U should program urself to be more of an asshole like me. people oughta treat u better. Ur a good guy, and too good for a lotta this shit.

Kiibo couldn't help but chuckle, politely refraining from asking Miu if that was a robophobic remark. She was insinuating he could just change his moral compass on a whim, and even though it was true that he could change parts of himself in ways humans never could, that almost trivialized the things he felt for Miu. Could those feelings be so easily erased? No, never.

K1-B0: Thank you, Miu, those words mean a lot to me, especially coming from you. You may not realize it, but you have a unique way of expressing yourself. Your writing, for example, can be quite eloquent and moving, even if your usual speech in person is... different.

GGG_Girl_Genius: the fuck bro? im not some low-brow lovey-dovey romance fanfic writer, or any other cringey-ass weird-ass thing. idk i guess its just easier to say this stuff over DMs

K1-B0: I understand, Miu. I simply wish for you to understand as well. From what I have analyzed of your writing—whether word or code—you can be very poetic, for lack of a better word. You do have emotional depth and sensitivity, even if it is not always evident in your outward demeanor.

Miu nearly fell out of her computer gamer-girl chair from the physical damage she took from Kiibo callin' her TF out like that again.

GGG_Girl_Genius: yeah yeah yeah, whatever Kee-boy

GGG_Girl_Genius: oh holy shit its like past 4AM, we should probably get to bed

Kiibo couldn't help but chuckle again as he finally ended his Discord DMs with Miu. He leaned back in his chair with a peaceful, contended sigh. Miu, meanwhile, was a raging storm, an insecure and terrified tempest, a whirlwind of emotion. She clutched her heart, face red, sweat dripping down her forehead as she felt her stomach doing somersaults.

This is worse than being extra horny because I'm on my period! Miu thought angrily, blushing. It wasn't quite arousal that she felt, but for a girl with as limited an emotional vocabulary as Miu, it was all the same to her.

But eventually, she managed to struggle her way out of the haze just long enough to send two final emojis to Kiibo before she truly did go offline for the rest of the night. It was a heart, and two people hugging. Kiibo sent the same two emojis in reply.