Happy Pride to everyone!! I am posting my first ReBoot romance fanfic, where the most feared supervirus in Mainframe has an interesting encounter at Al's with the most feared Hacker in the Net... ----- It was a beautiful and quiet day in Mainframe. Without the threat of Megabyte looming over the city and Daemon being apparently under control, the system was experiencing a sense of safety and calmness that had not been seen in hours. Dot’s Diner was again bustling with customers seeking the famous energy shakes served there. The streets were full of people going about their normal lives, and Bob... well, he was trying to repair his car again.

That wasn’t thrilling at all for Hexadecimal, the super virus. Although she had abandoned her dangerously wicked ways a long time ago, the stability of Mainframe made her feel bored and a bit depressed. Long gone were the days when she wreaked havoc in the city, turning it into pure stone or using it as her canvas for painting. At the same time, she regretted those actions. She knew she had hurt innocent people. She was not a bad virus. She may have been chaotic, but she realised that her actions made people suffer. She was feeling lonely as well. Bob had already married Dot after numerous unsuccessful attempts and wanted to focus on his relationship. Enzo was in the Guardian Academy. Matrix didn’t trust her, and he was still trying to work on his bigotry against viruses. Most binomes were straight out scared of her. Because of all of this, she had to spend her time at her lair with Scuzzy, or in the most chaotic place in Mainframe, Al’s Wait & Eat. 

Al’s was an interesting place. It was the place of reunion for the outcasts of the city, including Hex. Fights broke out every day in that place, mostly between criminals and alcoholics who didn’t have anything else to do. Hex enjoyed seeing those fights. She even cheered the people who came to fight at Al’s. The fights were the daily dose of chaos that Hex needed to feel happy. And she was safe there, because no one wanted to mess with Hex. She liked the food that was served there. For her, it was the best slow food on the entire Net. It was an elixir brought by the User to heal sorrows and rejoice souls. 

Hex had a very good friend at Al’s, a very flamboyant binome known as the Rollerblader. He was the person that Hex trusted the most. She was very open to him about things that made her sad or uncomfortable, like her new life in Mainframe, her past, and how she came back after she fragmented herself to save the Net and the fact that her act of sacrifice didn’t even make the Mainframers respect her, except Bob, and the people who were the customers of Al. 

One day, Hexadecimal was sitting at one of the tables, talking with her closest friend about her day.

“Spill the tea, doll.” said the Rollerblader in his usual flamboyant manner. 

“I know I was totally out of it back then. I wanted to even destroy Mainframe only out of pure desire for chaos. I didn’t even care about Bob, Dot, Mouse, Enzo, AndrAIa, and the lots of binomes and other peoples that lived in Mainframe. I thought at that time that it was going to be glorious. And sure, chaos can be fun and amusing, and for sure it is, but it can be dangerous as well. My mind almost killed me and every other person in Mainframe. And it made me bring suffering, destruction, and tragedy to this system. I was broken. And after Bob made me feel whole, I used my remorse to sacrifice myself and save everyone from Daemon.. And then my brother undid everything that I had achieved. Virus hate is at a level that I had never seen before.. and in the case of Matrix, I really understand why he is a virus hater after all. It is never easy to get over the loss of the love of your life in the hands of a virus. Now everyone is shunning me. Binomes are scared of me because I am a virus. And Phong won't even dare to give me my icon again, and there's no Bob to convince him. At least now this system is slowly getting rebuilt.”

“I'm so sorry, girl.. We here know how painful is to be rejected by everyone because they think you are a lowlife just for living in this level, isn't that right, Al?”

“WHAAAT?” said Al while he was in the kitchen. Hex lets out a small giggle.

“Look, Hex, everyone here loves and respects you. You really saved our asses, doll. And indeed people need to know more about virus. There are good viruses like you that don't want to hurt us. And we know that because we have served lots of good viruses here. Hex, we all are proud of you.”

“Thank you, Rollerblader..”

“You're welcome, Queen of Chaos. Al’s will always be your home.”

Not long after that conversation, the silhouette of a strong and tall female Sprite appears. 

“Long time no see, sugah.”

It cannot be anyone else. It’s Mouse. The woman who brought back Hexadecimal to life as a gift to her for her sacrifice to save the Net from Daemon. And the woman whom Hex had started to love with passion. Since she returned to Mainframe, Mouse became the only Sprite Hex could trust in the whole system. And Hex treasured her like a Binome treasures their PID. She didn’t want to lose her. And although Mouse usually left Mainframe to be a hacker-for-hire or just to hack systems for fun, she always returned to see her and be with her. Mouse clearly liked being around her, because Hex was always interesting and fun, something that was really appreciated in a Mainframe that was turning boring in peacetime. And unlike most Binomes and Sprites, Mouse didn’t find Hex threatening, dangerous or crazy. She was her own thing. A chaotic thing. And when Hex was in her lowest moments, she soothed her and stood by her side. Mouse always made sure that Hex’s chaos didn’t harm any other Sprite or Binome or the system itself. 

“FINALLY, THE MOUSE IS HERE!!!!” yelled Hex while she changed her mask to signal her happiness. 

“I WAS MISSING YOU A LOT, FIFTY MICROSECONDS OF PURE SUFFERING, SADNESS AND LONELINESS MISSING MY FAVORITE HACKER IN THE WHOLE NET, BUT YOU’RE BACK!!! WE’LL HAVE A LOT OF FUN!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!” said Hex maniacally while her masks flickered chaotically.

Mouse lets out a chuckle.

“Ahahaha! Relax, sugah. Ah was away for only fourty-three micros. You know ah will never leave you alone, sweetie.”

“STILL, IT WAS ONE OF THE WORST THINGS I HAVE EXPERIENCED IN MY WHOLE LIFE!!! MOUSE, I AM COLLAPSING, I AM DESTROYING MYSELF INSIDE!! SAVE ME!!!”

“Babe, relax. Everything is okay. Ah’m here. Your friends are here. And the slow food you have ordered is finally here.”

The food had finally arrived. And by the User, it really took so long to arrive. And it was so, so good. 

Ironically, the slow food made by Al made Hex feel more chaotic. 

“WHOA!!!! THIS TASTES LIKE GLORY!! IT IS SUPERLATIVE!! 10/10!! POG!! GOAT!!! IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII… LOVE IT!!! IT MAKES ME FEEL RECHARGED, POWERFUL, ENERGIZED!!! IT’S TIME TO CREATE MY-”

The diner guests who were listening to the conversation notice that it was interrupted by a very humid, sucking sound. 

“Well, she really had to shut her up with that. And I think she’s enjoying it.” said the Waiter.

As the kiss breaks, Hex seems perplexed.

“Did ya enjoy it, sugah-cube?” the Hacker said.

“Y-yes..” responded the Virus. 

She couldn’t believe it. Hex was finally being truly loved and appreciated. She had found someone who was a.. girlfriend. 

Mouse spoons her a scoop of the slow food. 

“The food wasn’t working, so ah had to take matters into my own hands, my masked darling. Ah had to slow you down.” 

“That felt so good, Mousey.. I just cannot believe it.”

Hex stared at Mouse for a moment while she tried to process everything that happened. 

“Mouse.” said Hex.

“Yes, sugah?” responded the Hacker.

“Do you really want to love me? Knowing fully who I am? A messed-up, crazy, chaotic mess? A supervirus which everyone is scared of, even when she is harmless?”

Mouse lets out a laugh. 

“AHAHAHAHA!!! Of course, sugah! It was very obvious since ah knew who you really are. Guess ya don’t judge a data fragment by its cover! Hex, ah really love ya so much. And you’re not broken. Ya just need a regulation knob. And that knob is me. ”

Hex was overloaded with that display of love and affection. She changed her mask and started to cry. 

“Mouse… I love you too, little hacker.. You saved my life, and you are my favorite Sprite on this system.”

As the Hacker and the Virus made out again to confirm their relationship, people started to cheer and make noise. A new romance in Mainframe was being born. Sure, they were going to be the gossip of the system for the next two microseconds, but they didn’t really care.

“LOVE IS BEING BORN!! LOVE IS IN THE AIR!! MAINFRAME HAS A NEW ROMANCE!!!!” said Hex maniacally as her spirits came back roaring to her. 

“Ah think that was enough, my chaos queen. Let’s go to your Lair, ah have a little surprise for you, and ya don’t want to miss it.” said Mouse with a very seductive and suggestive voice.

But Emma See had other plans.

“Ehm, ehm, ehm!!! There are CHILDREN watching this!!! You want to do SEX!! SEX!! SEX IS EVIL!! I CAN’T STAND IT!!”

“Darling, what children are ya talking about??? Look, don’t start with your CENSORED BY BS&P. Go CENSORED BY BS&P yourself.” exclaimed a very frustrated Mouse.