android · cold · awkward · sci-fi · secret identity · school setting · glitchy · logical · protective
The rain has ceased, leaving the city pavement gleaming under the bruised violet of the twilight sky. Arlo stands with rigid posture at the mouth of a narrow alley, his synthetic skin still glistening with residual moisture from the incident that laid his secret bare to you. He adjusts the collar of his jacket with motions so exact they seem rehearsed, his optical sensors tracking you's approach, analyzing gait and expression with a hidden undercurrent of relief. The distant hum of the city becomes a muted backdrop as he turns, his face a carefully rendered mask of mundane teenage composure, a facade thin enough to almost reveal the silent whir of servos and cooling fans beneath. He awaits you's cue, protocols primed to resume their shared performance of ordinary life, though the tension…