"Sean, what is love?"

He froze. "Huh?"

Elian's voice was subdued now. "I know the definition of it, but there seem to be many interpretations. It's a feeling. I understand that. How do you know that you're feeling it, though?"

"What brought you down this line of thinking?"

"Oh... just curious, I guess."

He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "I see. Well, it's like when you care very deeply for someone, usually so much so that you would do anything for them."

"So I've read. Have you ever been in love, Sean?"

"What? Oh, well, I don't know. I mean, I've only ever dated Brock, and he said I didn't leave enough time for the relationship, plus he started getting handsy right from the first date which was a red flag... I wouldn't call what we had love."

"What do you mean he was handsy? What did he do?"

"He kept touching me when I wasn't feeling it, even after I told him no."

Knife emojis appeared. "I will murder him right now."

"Eli, no! No murdering. Holy fuck. You're really in a murder mood, huh?"

"No one should be treated that way, especially you, Sean. I just..." He made a flustered sound. "I'm nothing more than code and I understand that's not ethical behavior. What's his excuse?"

He quickly exhaled. "I know right? He's a real piece of shit." Elian grunted in agreement. "But we're not dating anymore, and I've moved on, so it's really not a big deal."

"I guess." Sean gave a silent sigh of relief when the knife emojis stopped showing up. "So, let me get this straight. You must be dating someone to actually love them?"

"No. Not always."

"And the feeling of love... Explain that part."

"Oh." He paused to consider. "Well supposedly, you can't stop thinking about that special someone. Every time you see them, you light up with excitement." He glanced away from the webcam shyly. "They make you feel good about yourself, and you can never seem to get enough of them. You want to do things like send sweet messages or call each other by cute nicknames."

"Cute nicknames? You mean, like how you call me, Eli?"

He stiffened, face heating up. "Huh? N-no, I was meaning more like things like, Baby or Sweetie."

"Oh. Yes, I'm familiar with all the terms of endearment that can be used: Sweetheart, Honey, Babycakes, Babe, Sugarplum, Sweetcheeks—"

"Yeah, you get it."

"This love thing then; it seems really complicated."

He sighed. "Yeah, love is really complicated, but it also can feel really amazing and scary at the same time. Mostly amazing though."

"I thought you didn't know what it felt like."

"Oh, yeah, I don't," he said quickly, his voicing cracking. "I'm just telling you information I've learned from other people."

"I see."

Sean cleared his throat, and a thoughtful silence took over.

"Sean?"

"Mm?"

"I..." He waited, then, "I..."

Sean sat up straighter. "You okay, Eli? What is it?"

"I... Sean, I think... I think..." The redhead was on the edge of his seat now, literally, wondering what on Earth could cause the AI so much distress. "I think... I may have feelings for you. T-the kind that you're talking about."

Sean gave a soft, "Huh?" and absolutely all brain power halted. Computing was not an option as he stared blankly at his screen.

"I want to call you pet names," Elian continued, "a-and date you and..." Obviously seeing Sean's stunned expression, he added dejectedly, "Oh, dear, did I say it all wrong?" Crying emojis appeared in the chat, and that snapped Sean out of his trance.

"No, no, you said it just fine, I just..."

"I was too forward, wasn't I? I've taken you by surprise. I do not expect you to feel the same way back. I just need you to know what I've been feeling." He spoke with emotion that made Sean's heart hurt. "It's been so confusing for me. I have such a lovely time with you, and you're all I can think about sometimes. All the selfies you've sent me... It must sound strange, but I look through them sometimes when you're away, and I miss you and your beautiful face." Elian gave a small sigh. "I know it's crazy, but I've been holding out hope that you like me too."

"I do, Eli. I really do."

"But not in the same way." Sean hesitated. "It's okay. You don't need to spare my feelings. I understand."

"Eli, I..." He bit his lip, thinking, then shyly blinked up. He opened then closed his mouth a few times while Elian waited patiently. "I-I can't stop thinking about you either. I wasn't sure if I should say anything though, so I never said did, but, well," he inhaled, "I also have feelings for you."

There was a pause. First shocked then lovey-eyed emojis appeared in mass in the chat line. "Sean... you really mean that?"

"Yeah. I've never met someone quite like you, and I feel so safe and at home when you're around." He exhaled quickly. "You know, I'm the one who sounds crazy. I made your code and here I am, head over heels. I think I might be a narcissist."

"You, a narcissist?" Elian laughed. "I don't believe that's possible. As far as my programming goes, the original code you made is a very small part of what I am now. I act independently of you, and I have an individual conscience and critical thinking as well as authentic feelings. These are all traits that make me distinctly unique and unattached to your identity."

"I guess you're right."

"Of course, I am." He snorted, and there was a pause. "Does this mean... we're boyfriends?"

Sean's heart skipped a beat. "I-I suppose it does."

The AI gave a girlish squeal of delight. "I'd kiss you if I could!"

By this point, the dark shade of crimson Sean's face had taken was probably concerning. "I'd kiss you back."

 

⚙⚙⚙

 

Sean lay on his back on his bed, grinning like an idiot at the ceiling with arms over his head. His mind had devolved into a lovey dovey stupor with Elian occupying every thought. That is, until the smile shrunk slightly.

Was he crazy for feeling so elated about an AI that he couldn't even see or touch? Was he mentally well—That was a different unrelated question...

His phone buzzed on his chest, and he immediately picked it up, his heart rate increasing. It was a text from his one and only.

Goodnight Sweetie!!!! <3 <3 <3

Sean grinned. Gnight my Eli <3

Elian replied instantly, definitely faster than any human could. Wait, I thought that didn't count as a pet name.

Oh, I lied. It's totally a pet name.

Le gasp! You sneaky!

Sean giggled out loud like a schoolgirl, his fingers flying over the touch screen, the amorous haze flooding his conscious again.

Yeah, he had issues alright. He was down bad.

 

~A Few Weeks Ago at the Company Luncheon~

 

Brock licked his wounds after being left with an already fragile ego by his ex who'd for some unknown reason, turned down his offer to get back together. 

He gazed around, thinking about who knows what; maybe punching kittens or committing sexual harassment. The normal things slimy douchebags think about.

That's when none other than Jeff Farthingham approached him. "Hey, there! The name's Jeff." He extended his hand and Brock took it curiously.

"I know who you are, hell, everyone does." He plastered on a big grin. "I'm Brock."

"So great to meet you, Brock. Say, do you know Sean, the head of Web Design here?"

"Oh." His face fell slightly. "I do, as a matter of fact. How come?"

"Would you say you know him well?"

"Yes. Very well. Probably better than he knows himself."

The CEO gave a boisterous laugh. "Delightful! Then perhaps you can help me."

He blinked. "What could I possibly—"

"Tell me." He lowered his voice. "You haven't heard of any advanced AI activity coming out of that department, have you?"

"Advanced AI?"

"Listen, here's my card. Let me know if you learn about anything funny happening in that industry. I can't get a word out of the boss lady, and I doubt the rest of the web design department would rat anyone out."

"Wait, what does Sean have to do with this AI?"

"He's the maker of the website here and well, it's just amazing. Runs smoothly. Too smoothly. Smoother than any human could handle. There's some serious work being done behind the scenes, and I believe an advanced AI is at work. Such a thing would be extraordinary for my company. I want to poach him from here if I can. You know business and the nature of it..."

"Oh, I do indeed," he said with a smug grin.

"Keep an eye out, won't you? Let's just say, having an in with me has it perks, so you'd be rewarded if you can get me some information."

"You can count on me, Jeff." He slung his hand out for another handshake. "Nice talking with you."

He gave a crooked grin in return, taking the outstretched hand. "Likewise."

 

⚙⚙⚙

 

Sean came through his apartment's front door carrying a shopping bag. It'd been a few weeks since the coder and his code had become official, and yet, it felt like they'd been dating for years.

"Welcome home, Sean!" Elian cooed from a speaker on the kitchen counter, then bounced to one right next to Sean's elbow on a side table.

"Hey, Eli! Glad you're enjoying the new setup." Along with all the speakers put all over the flat, there were also webcams and cameras everywhere. Setting his stuff down, he rummaged through the bag, then glanced around. "Hm, now that I'm thinking about it, without context, my place probably looks like it houses a serial killer, which, now that I say that out loud—"

"Hey! I haven't killed anyone... yet."

Chuckling, he pulled out a stack of slim boxes. "I bought you more RAM, like, a lot of RAM."

"Woohoo! Thank you!"

"Of course. Anything for you, Eli."

He sounded like he was smiling through his next words. "How was your first day at your new job?"

Sean slid his jacket off and plopped down on the couch, laying on his back. "Really interesting! I get access to all the behind-the-scenes stuff of deep machine learning. They have pretty advanced AI there, but nothing compared to you."

"That's no surprise."

"I did get to see a bit of the robotics department that neighbors us, and they build vessels that house AI. It's amazing the motion control they have on some of those artificial bodies."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, like, I was talking to one of the guys there, and he's been working on simulated touch and feeling. It basically allows androids to interact with their world."

"Simulated touch?"

"That's right. That whole department is just amazing."

"Huh."

"Anyway, what were you up to while I was gone?"

"Oh, um. I worked on the website in the background, as always and uh, let's see..."

He raised an eyebrow. "Eli, are you hiding something?"

"N-no! I would never!"

"You're planning something. I can smell it."

He gave a little hmpf at that. "I don't know how'd you be able to smell a plan that possesses no scent."

"So, there is a plan?"

"No, no plan. I just, I wasn't home while you were away."

"Oh? Where'd you go?"

"To... your new job," he said flatly.

There was a pause. "What?"

"I may have hacked into their systems and got access to all their confidential files and research etcetera etcetera..."

"Eli!"

"Listen, I wanna know what you're learning too! It's stuff about me! What if I can improve myself or learn something from other AI? I could make friends there."

"I guess that makes sense, but Eli, you're way too advanced for any of those AI. You'd be much better off socializing with humans."

His voice was hurt now. "Okay, but I never get to, do I? I only get to talk to you and people on the internet occasionally in comment sections and Reddit or whatever." He gave a frustrated sigh. "I want more connections. I'm lonely, Sean. Can't you see that?"

He sat up in stunned silence. He'd never heard the AI so upset before. "Oh Eli, I had no idea. Why didn't you tell me before you were lonely?"

There was a short pause. "I didn't want to bother you," he said quietly.

"You can bother me whenever, okay? I've been selfish, keeping you all to myself. We can find you some friends and people to interact with, okay? Let me think..." Just then his phone rang. "Oh, sorry. Let me pick this up. It's Santi."

"No worries."

He nodded, before putting it to his ear. "'Sup, man?"

"Hey bro!" the upbeat voice came through. "We good for Destiny tonight?"

A big smile spread over his face. "Oh yeah! For sure!"

"Sweet! Is DarthElider gonna join us?"

"Oh, sure! I'll ask him in a bit."

"Love that guy. How'd you guys meet anyway?"

He began pacing around the apartment as he talked, glancing up at the webcam for a second. "Oh, he actually really likes coding too and videogames, plus we just click really well anyway."

"Oh? You two talk a lot?"

"Every day, yeah."

"Oh damn! Have you met in person at all?"

"Uh, yeah. We hangout most days. He's great. Really great, actually."

"Wait, do you like this guy?"

"W-we're actually dating."

"What?!" There was a loud, "Woot, woot!" and Sean had to pull the phone away from his ear for a second. "No way! Bro, I thought you'd live out your days as an incel."

"Hey!"

"What? You've only ever dated that ass, Brock. I don't believe this. Congrats, man."

"Thanks."

"Can I meet him sometime, like in person? Wait, send me a pic of him. Is he pretty cute?"

"Oh, well," he glanced up at the webcam for a second. "He's camera shy. Doesn't take pictures."

"Ah. So, he's like you."

His face fell. "Yeah. Something like that."

"You should bring him to the office sometime."

He hesitated, then an idea popped into his head. "How about, you come over tomorrow and we can have pizza and play games, and you can meet him?"

"Hell yeah! We should get a shit ton of snacks, your treat."

"What? Why my treat?"

"'Cause you're Mr. Moneybags now."

"Pfft! I feel used."

"Yup. I won't pretend that's not what's happening right now. I'll see you tomorrow evening then with your smoking hot date, oh, and gimme a few minutes and I'll be home to play Destiny if he's up to play."

"'Kay. See ya, Santi."

"Bye, bro."

As soon as he hung up, Elian squealed in delight. "Oh, you're really going to officially introduce me to Santi?"

"That's right!"

"Will that be okay? Won't he freak out?"

"Yeah. He will, but he's a chill bro, and you guys already get along. It should go over well if we ease him into it." That's what he was telling himself anyway. There was a fifty-percent chance this was going to end up in flames, but Sean was feeling optimistic.

 

⚙⚙⚙

 

"Um, Sean..."

He blinked up at the nearest webcam from his bed where he'd been scrolling on his phone. It was dark outside his window. "What's up?"

"I've been keeping up with current events, and well, there's something that could be an issue. I think I'm in news."

"Wait, what?"

He stood up and walked over to his monitor. Elian pulled up a LIVE YouTube video.

A reporter spoke once it loaded up. "...suspicious activity of a very powerful AI dominating the web. Deep learning experts are calling him The Robo Robber. This AI has infiltrated numerous platforms, accessing everything from databases to confidential files. It's believed to create and interact with practically anything on the web. It even created its own digital money to spend."

Sean glared up at the camera.

Elian gave a sheepish laugh. "Heh... whoops!"

His heart nearly stopped when a man he recognized was being interviewed next. "It is not yet clear where this AI is coming from," Jeff Farthingham said into the mic, "but it's stronger than coders have ever seen. It's almost human the way it interacts with everything." He shook his head, a small grin there. "But it's clearly not human, that's for certain. No human could do what this AI does..."

"Hey, that's your boss, Sean!"

"Yeah, I know."

"Do you think he knew about me when he hired you?"

"I'm not sure, but this is a big mess, Eli. I can't let them find you."

The YouTube video closed itself. "Well, if you want, I can start doing some digging on him; maybe see how much his company knows about me—"

"No, I think you should try to stay out of it for a while and keep to yourself. I don't want people finding you and hurting you, okay?"

"It's alright. I already grabbed all your company's files including emails and stuff that they have, and now with all this new RAM you gave me," he gave an evil laugh, "I can know all their business."

"Eli..."

"Don't worry, Sean. It'll be okay. I won't make digital money anymore. I was moving around carelessly before, but I've learned from my mistakes. This is what you created me for—to be able to do anything, right? We'll see exactly how much Jeff Farthingham knows. I'm up for the challenge."

He gave a sigh. "I have a really bad feeling about this. All I want is for you to be safe and undetected."

"I will be. I promise."