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a warm embrace. you never expected programs to be warm but then again, what did you really know about programs? you never expected to be in the arms of the program who all others fear or look up to. the great luminary, the liberator, clu. being in his embrace was comforting, like a warm summer day that you remember from when you were a child. the warmth seemed to radiate off of him as if it was coming straight from his code, like he was programmed to do this. it seeped into your skin deep into your aching bones, tired from the long day you’ve had before coming here to the grid. his coat wrapped around you so that you felt him everywhere all at once, only adding to the comfort. it felt like you were one with him, like you were melting into each other as if you were meant to be. maybe you were.
a faint scent. you never expected programs to have a scent, but you never expected them to be warm either. he smelled of citruses and what you could only describe as clean laundry. there was a faint musk as well, a scent you only ever smelled on him and no one else. pretty soon you’ll start to smell like him and you welcome the thought. it would be as if you’ll carry him with you all the time as a reminder of the moments spent together, a reminder that he’ll always be with you no matter what.
his soft hair. you never imagined what a program’s hair would feel like and you weren’t too surprised to find out it felt just like any regular human’s. his hair, though, was extremely soft. you ran your fingers effortlessly through the ends of his slicked back hair. perfect. you expected nothing less from the man so hell bent on perfection. you weren’t tall enough to reach your hand all the way up to the top of his head, so the ends of his hair would have to do for now. you almost never saw him without his hair slicked back and it made your mind wander to thoughts of his hair being messy. he would absolutely hate his hair being imperfect and would probably make a fuss about it. you grinned a little bit at the thought, grateful that you could bury your face in his chest so he wouldn’t be able to question you on why you had such a silly smile on your face. you could’ve sworn you heard a heartbeat but perhaps that was just his code thrumming throughout his body, a small reminder of what he truly was.
his strong arms. you knew programs could be strong from the times you would watch them fight in the games, so clu being strong was no surprise to you. what did surprise you is how tight he was holding onto you. he was holding you as if you would disappear at any second, as if he was afraid to lose you. for someone that cared so little for the lives of others he seemed to care so deeply for you. it was one of the many things you couldn’t comprehend about him but it made him interesting. to think that this program was afraid to lose just one person, a user no less, fascinated you. but you so deeply adored him that the reason behind it didn’t matter. all that matters is that he’s holding onto you tightly, grounding you and giving you a sense of security. his hands caressing and rubbing your back made all your troubles melt away. you were safe with him and no harm would come to you, he would make sure of that.
his blue eyes. you never would’ve expected that his eyes would be so pretty. then again, you never really got to be this close to him often so being able to look into his eyes was a privilege. his eyes are a rare sight which is a shame because they’re such a mesmerizing blue that you wish you could stare at more. it’s a shame the light in the grid casts shadows to where his eyes almost always seem black or brown. they seemed to hold so much behind them, so much anger and anguish but also betrayal and confusion. you knew what had happened between him and flynn so it’s no wonder he held so much in him. though there was also something else in his eyes. adoration. he adored you with everything in his code, and you could see that within his eyes when he looked at you, in those rare moments where the shadows were just right and you got a good glimpse at his blue eyes.
his soft lips. you never expected that you would feel a small jolt of electricity whenever his lips touched your skin. it was always surprising at first, and this time was no different. he laid his lips on your forehead giving you a soft kiss, which in turn gave you a small jolt of static that made you jump a little. he gave a small chuckle and so did you because you knew it would take some getting used to. his lips on yours, though, was another thing to behold. once again you felt a small jolt of electricity but it was much more welcome. the feeling of his soft lips on yours was something you craved so you didn’t mind the small shock you’d get from it. you assumed that, like humans, there was always at least some electricity within programs. you didn’t mind it at all, though, and you smiled into the kiss, cradling his face in your hands as you felt him melt into your touch.
you felt him pull away from you as your hands came down to rest at his shoulders and his own hands went to your waist. for a moment he just smiled at you which made you awkwardly grin back at him, your eyes darting everywhere except for meeting his own.
“you’re perfect,” he whispered.
you didn’t expect to hear that from him, but you believed it with all your heart.