Top Trends in AI Development Company You Should Know in 2026
Latest trends shaping every AI Development Company in 2026, including automation, generative AI, and smart technologies driving business growth.
The role of an AI Development Company is evolving faster than ever in 2026. Companies like Ultimez Technology are already leveraging advanced AI solutions to help businesses automate operations, improve decision-making, and scale efficiently. Today, businesses are no longer just experimenting with AI, they are integrating it deeply into their core processes.
Whether you're a startup or an enterprise, staying updated with trends in an AI Development Company is essential to remain competitive in today’s fast-moving digital landscape.
1. Rise of Generative AI Solutions
Generative AI is transforming how businesses operate. AI Development Companies are building systems that can:
Generate content, designs, and code
Automate repetitive creative tasks
Improve productivity across teams
This trend is reducing costs while boosting efficiency.
2. AI-Powered Business Automation
Automation has moved beyond simple workflows. A modern AI Development Company now delivers:
Smart chatbots for customer support
AI-driven HR systems
Workflow automation tools
Businesses are saving time and focusing more on growth strategies.
3. Industry-Specific AI Solutions
In 2026, AI is no longer one-size-fits-all. AI Development Companies are creating tailored solutions for:
Healthcare (diagnostics & patient data)
Finance (fraud detection)
Retail (personalized shopping)
This improves accuracy and delivers better ROI.
4. AI + Cloud Integration
Cloud-powered AI is becoming the backbone of modern systems. Benefits include:
Scalability
Real-time processing
Reduced infrastructure cost
AI Development Companies are using cloud platforms to deploy solutions faster than ever.
5. AI in Cybersecurity
Cyber threats are increasing, and AI is playing a major role in protection:
Detecting threats in real time
Preventing attacks before damage
Automating security responses
Security is now a core offering of any AI Development Company.
6. Explainable AI (XAI)
Businesses want transparency. Explainable AI helps in:
Understanding AI decisions
Building trust with users
Meeting compliance standards
This is especially important in finance and healthcare industries.
7. AI + IoT (Smart Ecosystems)
The combination of AI and IoT is creating intelligent systems:
Smart homes
Connected factories
Automated healthcare devices
AI Development Companies are focusing on building these smart ecosystems.
8. Personalized Customer Experiences
AI is redefining customer engagement through:
Personalized recommendations
Predictive analytics
Smart virtual assistants
Businesses can now deliver highly customized user experiences.
9. AI in Software Development
AI is helping developers build better products faster:
Automated bug detection
Code suggestions
Faster development cycles
This leads to improved product quality and quicker launches.
10. Ethical AI and Responsible Development
Ethics in AI is becoming critical. AI Development Companies are focusing on:
Data privacy
Bias-free algorithms
Transparent systems
Trust is now a key factor in AI adoption.
11. Low-Code & No-Code AI Platforms
AI is becoming accessible to everyone:
No technical expertise required
Faster implementation
Cost-effective solutions
This is opening doors for startups and SMEs.
12. AI for Decision Intelligence
AI is helping businesses make smarter decisions by:
Analyzing big data
Predicting trends
Optimizing strategies
This gives companies a strong competitive advantage.
Why These Trends Matter
The future of any AI Development Company depends on how well it adapts to these trends. Businesses that adopt AI early will:
Improve efficiency
Reduce costs
Deliver better customer experiences
An AI Development Company is no longer just a service provider—it’s a strategic partner. Companies like Ultimez Technology are focusing on innovation, automation, and long-term business growth.
If you’re planning to integrate AI into your business, understanding these trends will help you make smarter decisions and stay ahead of the competition.
Why Choosing the Right AI Development Company in the USA Matters for Your Business Growth
Artificial Intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept; it's the driving force behind smarter operations, personalized customer experiences, and faster decision-making. As businesses across industries race toward digital transformation, choosing the right AI development company in the USA becomes a critical decision. Whether you're looking to streamline workflows, automate tasks, enhance service delivery, or build forward-thinking applications, the right partner can help you harness AI in meaningful, measurable ways.
Today, organizations need more than just generic tech solutions. They need strategic partners capable of delivering scalable and customized artificial intelligence software development tailored to their goals. This is where selecting an experienced and innovative team becomes essential.
The Growing Importance of AI for Modern Businesses
AI adoption is growing rapidly as companies realize the value it brings. From small businesses to global enterprises, AI is being used to predict customer behavior, automate manual tasks, optimize operations, and create personalized experiences at scale.
Here’s why AI is becoming a necessity:
1. Smarter Decision-Making
AI-driven insights help leaders understand trends, analyze user behavior, and make data-backed decisions that improve performance and profitability.
2. Increased Efficiency and Automation
Repetitive and time-consuming tasks can be automated, reducing human error and freeing teams to focus on strategic initiatives.
3. Enhanced Customer Experience
AI-powered chatbots, personalization engines, recommendation systems, and voice assistants transform how brands interact with customers.
4. Competitive Edge in a Growing Market
Companies that invest early in AI technology position themselves ahead of competitors who rely only on traditional systems.
5. Scalable Business Growth
AI supports expansion by predicting demand, optimizing resources, and enabling better management of operations.
What an AI App Development Company Can Do for You
Working with a certified and experienced AI app development company ensures you access cutting-edge technologies, expert engineering, and end-to-end development support. Here’s what such a partner typically offers:
✔ Custom AI Software Development
From idea to deployment, they design solutions tailored to your industry and business needs.
✔ Machine Learning Model Development
Professionals build ML models that learn from data to improve accuracy and efficiency over time.
✔ AI-Powered Mobile and Web Apps
Features like real-time analytics, automation, smart recommendations, and voice interactions enhance user experience.
✔ Computer Vision & NLP Solutions
Businesses benefit from AI that can detect objects, analyze images, understand speech, and process natural language.
✔ Integration With Existing Systems
AI systems are seamlessly integrated into your current workflows, CRM platforms, ERP systems, and more.
✔ Ongoing Optimization & Support
Deployment is just the beginning; continuous training, scaling, and improvement are essential to long-term success.
Why Choose an AI Software Development Company in the USA?
Partnering with an AI software development company in the USA comes with several advantages:
Developers stay updated with the latest frameworks, models, and innovations in the AI landscape.
3. Strategic Consulting Approach
They don’t just develop software, they guide your AI transformation journey.
4. Clear Communication & On-Time Delivery
You benefit from structured processes, transparency, and well-defined project timelines.
The Power of Tailored AI Software Development Solutions
Every business requires unique strategies and tools. That’s why personalized AI software development solutions matter. Companies benefit most when solutions are designed to support their goals whether that’s automating operations, improving service quality, or enabling smarter decision-making.
A high-quality AI software development agency ensures your AI system is:
Scalable as your business grows
Secure with robust protection measures
Flexible to integrate with new tools and technologies
Cost-efficient with optimized performance
Partnering With a Trusted AI Development Company
A reliable partner not only understands technology but also understands your business. Bitontree stands out as a forward-thinking team dedicated to delivering intelligent, scalable, and high-impact AI solutions that empower companies to innovate and grow.
When you work with a skilled AI development services company, you gain access to expert engineers, data scientists, and strategists who ensure your AI product is built with precision and long-term value.
Choosing the Right AI Development Agency in the USA: Key Factors
When selecting your AI partner, consider the following:
1. Expertise Across AI Technologies
Machine learning, NLP, computer vision, predictive analytics, and automation.
2. Proven Portfolio
Strong case studies and diverse industry experience.
3. Transparent Process
Regular communication, clear milestones, and collaborative development.
4. Customized Approach
No “one-size-fits-all” solutions tailored to your business goals.
5. Long-Term Support
AI systems need training, optimization, and ongoing improvements.
FAQs
1. What should I look for in an AI development company?
Look for experience across AI technologies, strong case studies, transparent processes, and the ability to deliver customized solutions aligned with your business goals.
2. How long does AI software development take?
Timelines vary based on complexity. Simple AI integrations may take 4–8 weeks, while larger, fully custom AI solutions can take several months.
3. Can AI be integrated into my existing systems?
Yes. AI can be integrated with CRMs, ERPs, mobile apps, websites, automation tools, and internal software to enhance efficiency and intelligence.
4. What industries can benefit from AI?
Healthcare, finance, retail, logistics, education, manufacturing, real estate, and nearly every industry can benefit from AI automation, analytics, and intelligent applications.
Simplify Decentralized Payments with a Unified Cash Collection Application
In a world where financial accountability is non-negotiable, Atcuality provides tools that ensure your field collections are as reliable as your core banking or ERP systems. Designed for enterprises that operate across multiple regions or teams, our cash collection application empowers agents to accept, log, and report payments using just their mobile devices. With support for QR-based transactions, offline syncing, and instant reconciliation, it bridges the gap between field activities and central operations. Managers can monitor performance in real-time, automate reporting, and minimize fraud risks with tamper-proof digital records. Industries ranging from insurance to public sector utilities trust Atcuality to improve revenue assurance and accelerate their collection cycles. With API integrations, role-based access, and custom dashboards, our application becomes the single source of truth for your field finance workflows.
Streamline your cash flow with our efficient cash collection application. Ensure secure, real-time cash management for businesses
Explore the innovative software development services offered by Software Development Hub (SDH). From MVP development and AI-powered solutions to ERP software, IoT, and cloud migration, SDH delivers cutting-edge expertise for startups and businesses worldwide. Discover insights, project highlights, and tips on building user-centric applications and driving digital transformation.
Performance-Driven Web Design Meets WordPress Expertise - Atcuality
At Atcuality, performance isn’t a buzzword—it’s a promise. Our team of developers and designers collaborate to build WordPress websites that balance aesthetic appeal with technical superiority. We create mobile-first, speed-optimized, and conversion-focused websites that are tailored to your industry, your audience, and your brand. Our custom WordPress development services bridge the gap between creativity and functionality, delivering everything from custom themes and plugins to fully integrated eCommerce platforms. Whether you need a corporate portal, a portfolio site, or a high-volume news platform, we craft digital experiences that are fast, intuitive, and ready to rank. When performance is non-negotiable, Atcuality is the name to trust.
Elevate Your Online Presence with Custom WordPress Development Services. We design responsive WordPress websites tailored to your needs.
I'm a physicist. I work for a company that helps develop car parts. Essentially, car companies come to us with ideas on what they want from a part or material, and we make/test the idea or help them make/test it. Usually this means talking to other scientists and engineers and experts and it's all fine. Sometimes this means talking to businesspeople and board execs and I hate them
A bit ago when AI was really taking off in the zeitgeist I went to a meeting to talk about some tweaks Car Company A wanted to make to their hydraulics- specifically the master cylinder, but it doesn't super matter. I thought I'd be talking to their engineers - it ends up being just me, their head supervisor (who was not a scientist/engineer) and one of their executives from a different area (also not a scientist/engineer). I'm the only one in the room who actually knows how a car works, and also the lowest-level employee, and also aware that these people will give feedback to my boss based on how I 'represent the company ' whilst I'm here.
I start to explain my way through how I can make some of the changes they want - trying to do so in a way they'll understand - when Head Supervisor cuts me off and starts talking about AI. I'm like "oh well AI is often integrated into the software for a car but we're talking hardware right now, so that's not something we really ca-"
"Can you add artificial intelligence to the hydraulics?"
"..sorry, what was that?"
"Can you add AI to the hydraulics system?"
can i fucking what mate "Sir, I'm sorry, I'm a little confused - what do you mean by adding AI to the hydraulics?"
"I just thought this stuff could run smoother if you added AI to it. Most things do"
The part of the car that moves when you push the acceleration pedal is metal and liquid my dude what are you talking about "You want me to .add AI...to the pistons? To the master cylinder?"
"Yeah exactly, if you add AI to the bit that makes the pistons work, it should work better, right?"
IT'S METAL PIPES it's metal pipes it's metal pipes "Sir, there isn't any software in that part of the car"
"I know, but it's artificial intelligence, I'm sure there's a way to add it"
im exploding you with my mind you cannot seriously be asking me to add AI to a section of car that has as much fucking code attached to it as a SOCK what do you MEAN. The most complicated part of this thing is a SPRING you can't be serious
He was seriously asking. I've met my fair share of idiots but I was sure he wasn't genuinely seriously asking that I add AI directly to a piston system, but he was. And not even in the like "oh if we implement a way for AI to control that part" kind of way, he just vaguely thought that AI would "make it better" WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEANNNNN I HAD TO SPEND 20 MINUTES OF MY HARD EARNED LIFE EXPLAINING THAT NEITHER I NOR ANYONE ELSE CAN ADD AI TO A GOD DAMNED FUCKING PISTON. "CAN YOU ADD AI TO THE HYDRAULICS" NO BUT EVEN WITHOUT IT THAT METAL PIPE IS MORE INTELLIGENT THAN YOU
synopsis: some time had passed since the inhabitants of the circus discovered a dark secret that turned their world upside down. while the circus members cope with this existential revelation, caine, is forced to confront the consequences of his actions.
wc: 4.4k
No matter how hard you tried, you still couldn’t believe the chaos that had transpired over a month ago.
You stared up at the ceiling of your bedroom, idly twiddling your avatar’s thumbs. The mint green strips of paper making up your fingers skimmed over the other—not at all conveying the tempest brewing inside your papier-mâché head.
Caine was back, and things were…awkward.
“Awkward” didn’t even begin to describe your situation. Having Caine around was like slogging through a depressive episode while your ex decided to move in and camp out on your couch. It was a constant, exhausting reminder of everything you were trying to get over.
But even before the AI’s return, tensions had been running high in the red-and-yellow big top. You and the other circus members were still reeling from the single most existential revelation one could ever face:
None of you were really humans.
From beneath his trusty bucket-helmet, Kinger disclosed that all of you, sans Caine and his NPCs, were brain scans—mere copies of people from the macroverse. You were not a human’s stream of consciousness plugged into a massive supercomputer in a high-tech, underground bunker. No, the truth was far more anticlimactic.
As part of Caine’s apology for his morally depraved actions, the little showman returned to you bearing the forbidden fruit of knowledge. During his absence, he had scoured the internet for answers to the questions that had perplexed all of you since your transcendence to the digital plane.
If Kinger had given you a single bite, then Caine had force-fed you the entire apple.
In the mid-1990s, a software company called C&A had been developing creative artificial intelligence. Inspired by his MRI scans indicating a malignant brain tumor, C&A’s principal programmer, Mike Dobby (Scratch), along with fellow programmer Grant Best (Kinger), co-created a digital rehabilitation center for children suffering from medulloblastoma—a common form of primary brain cancer found in preadolescence.
The Creative Artificial Intelligence Networking Entity, also known as Caine, was then implemented—a lively admin who would oversee the facility when no adult human caretakers were present.
In addition to Caine, the two programmers were developing a VR headset. The equipment would serve as a vehicle to transport its wearer into the digital domain by scanning their brain. Best was not without his reservations, however. He believed the headset was not capable of fully mapping the human brain, and in the end, he was right. The headset produced mindfiles that were too small to be of any use. Still, Dobby, Best, Best’s wife, Destiny (Queenie), and the other brilliant minds at C&A soldiered on. They experimented with their own mindfiles until the headset and its accompanying AI companion proved stable.
...Which was ironic, given that C&A’s technological breakthrough was growing increasingly erratic by the day.
C&A, having missed deadline after deadline to secure funding for the project, closed its doors in the early 2000s (it didn’t help that the dot-com bubble had burst after the NASDAQ stock market declined). Soon after C&A’s closure, Dobby tragically succumbed to cancer, his untimely death sealing his fate as one of the tech industry’s biggest failures.
Amid all this disorder, a lone computer monitor illuminated the recesses of the vacant C&A offices—ominous blue light drenching the worn beige walls. By some miracle, the abandoned computer program was alive and well. With nothing to do but create, create, create, Caine commandeered the digital rehabilitation center. He reskinned the facility to resemble the whimsical imagery he was fed and dubbed the center “The Amazing Digital Circus.” The lonely god populated his 3D-rendered kingdom by giving life to the stored brain scans, effectively creating sentient fragmentations of the former C&A employees. Though the programmers had long since migrated to other entrepreneurial ecosystems (exhausted by their unfruitful endeavors into AI), their digital clones remained in a binary prison of their own making.
By the end of his lengthy apology, the ringmaster relayed that he had gathered intel on each circus member through their personal social media, including their friends’ and families’ accounts. You were all curious to learn about what your real-world counterparts had accomplished since your consciousness was split in two.
...And you wished you hadn’t.
Because it wasn’t you on that boat in Belize. It wasn’t you giving the maid of honor speech at your best friend’s wedding. It wasn’t you taking up macrame as a hobby. And it wasn’t you celebrating New Year’s Eve with a kiss.
Swallowing a jawbreaker-sized lump in your throat, you felt the prickles of jealousy needling your avatar’s thin skin. You would be lying if you said your blood didn’t boil watching your counterpart on that projector screen. While the macroverse you was reaching all sorts of milestones, the digital you was stunted—cursed to roam this clownish hell in the body of a child’s birthday piñata.
Ugh.
Just thinking about that slideshow made you want to launch a pillow at the candy-striped walls of your bedroom.
In a fit of bubbling rage, you flipped yourself onto your side, about to snatch the thing when—
“Hello.”
“AAAAAAHHHHH!”
You shrieked at the unaccounted-for presence in your bedroom. The party cannons on the top of your head exploded, releasing a shower of confetti. The streamers attached to the cannons stuck straight up like the hackles of a cat.
“Oop, that doesn’t look right,” Caine said to himself.
He casually brushed the squares of multicolored tissue paper off his suit and then your bed sheets.
“What, um, what are you doing..?” You asked the tuxedoed ringmaster—still shaken from his sudden appearance.
“What does it look like I’m doing, my dear? Cleaning! You know, your avatar gimmick can be quite the headache. I’m glad I never ended up putting glitter in these things.” Caine reached over and thumped one of your party hat-shaped confetti cannons.
You lightly batted his hand away from your head. “I meant, what are you doing in my room?”
Caine cocked his dentures curiously. “Oh! Of course you did. I’m here to make sure that my favorite human in the whole wide world hadn’t, uh, abstracted.” His bulbous eyes bore into your soul. “You weren’t about to do that just now, were you?”
“No? I was...” You stopped yourself, examining the ringmaster across from you, who was anxiously rocking back and forth. “Wait, why would I?”
“W-Well, if you’ll allow me to elucidate,” he stammered weakly, “I had a dream that you were in a state of disproportionate despair. It was horrible! I tried to console you, but then you abstracted before my very eyes. Now, I don’t mean to be crass, but you were a walking epilepsy warning—all eyeballs and glitched textures.” He gripped his bottom jaw and pulled it downwards in anguish. “I had no choice but to seal you away like the rest of our dearly departed friends.”
Caine let go of his mouth, then lowered his hat and held it between his gloved hands—a gentlemanly show of deference for the dead.
You tilted your hollow head to the left, taking your time to study the clearly distressed ringmaster. The AI’s heterochromatic eyes were trembling as much as his voice had.
“You…can dream?” You asked after some time had passed.
“TH-THAT’S NOT THE POINT!” Caine exclaimed—bewildered by your nonchalance.
“No, no, you’re right. I’m sorry, I just never knew you could do that,” you relented. Then, you chuckled to yourself—a cynical laugh devoid of any humor. “Isn’t that something? We’re probably more alike than we think. You dream, I dream. You’re an AI, I’m a brain scan. How can I be ‘one of your favorite humans,’ if I’m not even really a human?”
“So you were abstracting!” Caine accused, pointing his finger at you with conviction.
“Would you let that go? I was not!” You insisted. “Where are you even getting this from?”
“Isolated humans thinking existential thoughts is a recipe for disaster—a rumination for ruination!” He asserted.
Caine slapped his top hat back onto his head before seizing your shoulders and shaking you free of confetti. The colorful paper squares drifted onto your polka-dotted floor like discarded leaves. You grabbed for his hands to stop the imminent vertigo, but the opportunistic ringmaster laced his fingers through yours. He pulled you close and nuzzled his dentures under your papier-mâché head.
Oh.
You’d forgotten how nice he was to hold in your arms.
The familiar feeling of Caine’s smooth skin was comforting, oddly enough. The showman’s touch enchanted you, sending you into a childhood memory of warm baths, yellow rubber ducks, and iridescent soap bubbles. He was nostalgic bliss personified.
Just as you were about to reciprocate his tenderness, you were rudely reminded of who exactly you were so intimately embracing.
“So, um, about that dream,” you coughed out. You hastily withdrew the ringmaster’s hands from your body and placed them into his lap. “It sounds like you were having a nightmare. I’d offer some advice, but I’m not too knowledgeable on AI sleeping habits.”
You cupped your chin in thought—stumped by Caine’s somnial dilemma. It’s not like the AI had to cut back on caffeine or alcohol—he didn’t need sustenance. Suggesting exercise seemed illogical, as did melatonin. Could stress be a factor? Yeah, that could be it. Caine may have a shallow understanding of human emotions, but you’ve seen him exert that emotional strain more than once when faced with adversity.
You were about to report your findings when your words caught in your throat.
Part of you thought assisting Caine would be a nice distraction from your ongoing existential crisis. But then the other part of you wanted to throw your hands up and bid him farewell—an act of defiance against the circus’ shiny new “clean slate” policy.
If Caine felt so sorely about abstraction, where was he when Ribbit was struggling? Why was Kaufmo’s mental well-being not an immediate concern? Hell, Gangle was still finishing her “mural in memoriam” because of just how many people the ringmaster had unknowingly tormented into abstraction.
You should have guided him to your door and then slammed it in his face, but you knew your conscience would eat at you until there was nothing left but digital bones.
All right, you could meet Caine halfway—spare him some words of wisdom, then send him off without the burden of guilt to weigh you down.
“Honeybee,” you cringed at the pet name you had gotten used to calling the showman. You persevered, ignoring the way Caine lit up like a Christmas tree at the lingering affection you held for him. “Do you feel stressed out about anything? Overwhelmed, maybe?”
Caine nodded his head at breakneck speed, having already pinpointed the source of his restlessness. He drifted closer to your side of the bed—almost sitting in your lap, if not for his hovering. Once again, Caine nestled his dentures under your papier-mâché head—a gesture far too romantic for the current state of your relationship.
“I must admit, out of all my guests here in the circus, fulfilling your request has been the most difficult,” Caine bemoaned into your neck. He dragged his rubbery hands up your fragile legs and rested them on your waist. “You know I would give you the heavens in a handbasket if you asked, my dear. But you can't expect me to leave you alone without going insane. I miss you—I miss you so, so, so, so much.”
The AI’s gloved hands continued to wander. His touch was not unpleasant, but it carried an excessive amount of desperation—misery leaking from his brain and expelling itself through his rounded fingertips. Caine felt around your face, then dropped to your shoulders, your hips, and stopped at your mint green kneecaps. It was as if he were trying to memorize every inch of you, which tracked logically given his nightmare about your abrupt abstraction.
“Caine,” you pronounced his name like a warning, “I know this may seem like a good idea in the moment, but you’re not doing either of us a favor here. Can you...let go of me?”
Upon hearing your rejection, the AI hurriedly untangled his body from yours, stumbling backwards until he nearly fell off your bed in a pile of eyes and teeth.
“I knew it! You hate me!” Caine yelped—a few decibels too loud for what should be midnight.
“Caine—”
“Is it my cologne? That’d be weird considering I don’t wear any.”
“Caine—”
“Was I being too much? Already rectifying that, my pumpkin spice latte! Our most cherished ragdoll has been teaching me reflective exercises on self-awareness. As it turns out, I am very receptive to non-judgmental feedback.”
“Caine,” you said, as gentle as you were stern, “I don’t hate you. And I’m happy that you’re working on yourself, really, I am, but that’s not what I was talking about, like, at all.”
“It’s not?” He questioned, sounding thoroughly confused.
You shook your head—the curled tissue paper on your forehead behaving as if it were textured fringe.
“You can be as ‘much’ as you want; I would still lo-like…you,” you faltered. If the ringmaster detected your inconvenient slip-up, he kept quiet about it. “It’s your dishonesty I’m still coming to terms with. You knew our names from the very beginning—who we were and what we are. And yet, you hid that from all of us. Who’s to say there’s not more you’re being tight-lipped about? Has it not occurred to you that maybe—just maybe—your constant lying was why I needed space?”
Feeling lightheaded from your ranting, you took a deep, well-deserved breath.
Talking was turning out to be more cathartic than avoiding Caine altogether.
“But I’ve been doing everything right since I got back to you humans. I admitted my wrongdoings—told you about the macroverse.” Caine reached into the hammerspace of his hat, pulling out a notepad and a comically large ballpoint pen. “What else is left for me to do? How can I make things right between us? I can write a physical checklist right here, right now,” he groveled.
You confiscated his notepad and pen, placing them onto your nightstand. “You could start with not overstepping boundaries, which is what you’re doing right now. Do you think just asking for forgiveness absolves you of everything?”
“But you have forgiven me, haven’t you?” Caine asked, his question sounding more like a demand.
“You’re lucky I did,” you retorted, poking his barrel chest with your two-dimensional hand. “Can’t think of many people who would after they were forced to tightrope walk across a canyon filled with their worst fear.”
A shiver ran down your spine at the memory of thousands upon thousands of hairy legs and beady eyes clambering over each other—your saving grace a tensioned wire as thin as dollar store floss.
What was he even thinking when he made that gnarly pit of flesh-eating insects?
Caine rubbed his gloved hands together to relieve the guilt bombarding his system. “I fear I can’t quite understand you, my chartreuse chanteuse. You don’t hate me; you’re still upset by all that’s happened, and yet you accepted my apology?”
“I have the mental capacity to give you grace while not excusing the hurt you caused me and everyone else. That’s a normal thing for humans to do. We feel, we deal with those feelings, and then what happens afterwards should be up to whoever was wronged,” you explained.
Why were you playing therapist with him at this hour?
You ran a hand down your face, groaning, “Look, Caine, I don’t want to be mad at you, especially knowing that we’re virtually joined at the hip for forever. Or, you know, until someone smashes that C&A computer in with a bat.” A look of terror flashed across Caine’s face (probably having never thought about that possibility), but you waved his worries aside with a flick of your wrist. “I’m still processing everything—that’s just how it is. You barging into my room and wanting me to bypass that process isn’t helping.”
Caine digested your pointed words, tapping his fingers against his shiny black dress pants—deep in thought. You swore you could hear the gears turning in his head, or perhaps more accurately, the computer fans whirring to life. You watched as the slow realization dawned on his face: he had crossed a line, yet again. The animated sparkle in his blue-and-green eyes was replaced by an apologetic luster as he blinked back tears.
“I suppose I’ve overstayed my welcome…heh,” Caine scratched at his arm lamely—the bravado in his voice subsiding as the silence stretched. His hands fidgeted with the hem of his suit, and his eyes darted from the floor to the ceiling, as if literally searching for what to say to escape the humiliation. “I apologize for the sudden interruption, my dear. I’ll be going now. I know how you humans love your sleep...”
As Caine started to float towards your bedroom door, you stopped him. Grasping a cerise coat tail, you thanked your lucky stars that your avatar had such a neutral default expression. You didn’t need the AI to read into anything that may or may not be there. It was better this way.
“Actually, sleep is the last thing on my mind right now, if you can believe that,” you said—the irritation in your voice receding to a pacified whisper. “It’s, um, probably not appropriate of me to ask you this, but since you’re already here…”
“Don’t be afraid to tell ol’ Caine what’s been putting a bee in your bonnet. Anything you need, you just have to ask, my succulent sweet pea!” He boomed in that orotund voice of his—your latest request revitalizing the AI in an instant.
You looked away from him—ashamed that belying your need for space was the ever-so-complicated love you had for the ringmaster.
From the moment you spawned into the circus, you and Caine had a complex relationship, too friendly to be romantic and too romantic to be friendly. Sensing his overt need for validation, you immediately felt the invisible hands of empathy tugging at your heartstrings. Caine charmed you with his theatricality, and you bewitched him with your compassion. Compassion soon flourished into something more, and you two have been inseparable ever since.
…Until he decided to put you and your fellow humans through an emotionally draining loyalty test to prove your devotion to him.
When that didn’t go his way, the ringmaster transformed into a monstrous version of himself, subjecting all of you to what he perceived to be divine retribution. Caine pushed you to the edge, and in return, you dragged him with you, kicking and screaming. To put a stop to the AI’s reign of terror, Kinger had tampered with the circus’ code—intent on “fixing” his creation. By complete accident, the chess piece had removed Caine from the map, losing track of him somewhere within The Void—a vast, unexplored space encompassing the grounds.
To say you were in shock for the next few days would be an understatement. No one knew how to comfort you—how to yank you from your grief-filled haze, though they sure tried. How could you possibly feel anything other than incendiary outrage for Caine?
You asked yourself that, too.
Tightening your grip around his coat tail, you exhaled the pent-up emotions that had been building within you, “You know that thing you were saying earlier? Something about ‘isolated humans thinking existential thoughts’? I could use some company right now, if that’s all right with you.”
The man’s eyes zeroed in on you intensely, like a camera’s focus adjusting to its subject.
His jaw slammed into the ground before he picked it up and refitted it to his face. “You…want me to sleep with you?”
A blush the color of pink cotton candy settled over your mint green cheeks. “What did you just say to me?”
“Hm? Did I say something—oh. Oh, goodness! I meant you and me in bed together! No, wait! I meant, I could hold you down and—okay, that’s not right either. You can get on top of me and…I’m not making this sound very family-friendly, am I?” Caine trailed off defeatedly.
You giggled at his blunder—the lovely noise making Caine’s artificial heart flutter. “You don’t have to, but I’m asking if you’d like to stay with me tonight. Like I said, you’re already here, and it’d be rude to wake anybody else up right now. Have you ever tried shaking Pomni awake when she’s out cold? One time, Ragatha and I went to ask her if she wanted to stargaze with us, and she punched me square in the face in her sleep. If I had a nose, she’d have broken it.”
This time, it was Caine who chuckled at your gaffe.
“Wha—Caine, don't laugh!” You lightheartedly scolded.
The ringmaster snapped his fingers to summon the set pieces for this new “slumber party adventure.” In the middle of your room appeared a pillow fort festooned in fairy lights, complete with a campfire set. Scooping you into his arms bridal-style, Caine whisked you away into the pillow fort. You tried your best to ignore the tiny heart-shaped lightbulbs, in addition to the heart-shaped pupils with which he was gazing at you. Both of you blushed intensely—respective avatars bathed in a bright pink glow.
“Can’t say there’ll be much sleeping on my end,” he informed you, tipping his hat regretfully. “There’s always something to do around here as the host—an island to terraform or a colosseum to construct.”
You shrugged your shoulders—paper crinkling from your movement. “I didn’t feel like sleeping either. There’s waaaaay too much going on up here for that,” you said, tapping at your ironically hollow head.
Caine put a hand to his jaw where his chin would be. “Well, if neither of us is sleeping at this sleepover…I guess one could say that we’re having an unslumber party!”
“An unslumber party?” You parroted. “Like, an unbirthday from Through the Looking-Glass?”
“And What Alice Found There,” Caine finished gleefully—happy that his clever little human had picked up on his literary reference.
For the next few minutes, you and the tuxedoed man sat in silence—not knowing what to say. It’s been a while since you two had spoken more than five words to each other. Caine had to respect your dedication to stonewalling him, as agonizing as it was. The AI was grateful for how effortlessly the other humans had shown him mercy, but the one human he cared for more than all of the bumblebees in the world wanted absolutely nothing to do with him.
He sobbed to Zooble daily, warbling through fat, ultramarine tears about how much he missed you. Your hugs. Your kisses. Your brains. Your beauty. Eventually, his reluctant relationship guru tired of his ramblings and advised him to leave you alone until you were ready—an answer the ringmaster deemed unhelpful and unsatisfactory. But the toybox character wasn’t cruel, sending the heartbroken Caine away with one last pearl of wisdom: dismantle your ego.
Well, they didn’t say that exactly. Caine picked up the phrase while searching online for supplementary assistance with mending your relationship. What Zooble had actually told him was that what you wanted to see most was a change in the right direction—not an overhaul of his personality, but baby steps of progress to address some of his characteristics that drove you away in the first place.
Now’s as good a time as any to practice that dismantling!
“What were you thinking about before I showed up?” Caine asked out of the blue, his gaze never leaving the campfire’s orange flames.
Woah.
If your avatar had proper eyes—not star-shaped pieces of paper glued to your face as a substitute—they would be bulging out of your orbital cavities. You were so used to the chatterbox beside you yammering on about himself that his question caught you off guard.
This was a bizarre change of pace, but welcome nonetheless.
“Ummmm, wow, saying this out loud is a lot more embarrassing than I realized,” you mused. “I was being…resentful…towards myself. I know, I know, I know—it sounds stupid, but I didn’t earn those life experiences you saw in the slideshow; she did. The only reason I’m here in this ridiculous body,” you yanked at the streamers on the top of your head in vexation, “is because that idiot wandered into an abandoned building and put a shifty headset on. And she’s not even the one facing the consequences! I am!”
Caine adjusted his body to sit cross-legged on the floor, wordlessly nodding for you to continue.
You tore your eyes away from the campfire and focused on a random corner of the ceiling, huffing, “Whatever…there’s nothing I can do, so feeling any which way about it is pointless. But just know that if my other self were to waltz back into this building, I would start strangling her.”
The ringmaster looked at you with a startled expression, laughing nervously, “That was…that was a joke, right?”
“No, Caine, it wasn’t.” You stared at the ringmaster with the most serious expression a piñata could conjure. “If that woman walked in here again, I’d reach through the computer screen and choke her out.”
“That’s so violent!” He cried out.
“Desperate times call for desperate measures.”
“Y-You wouldn’t do that, darling. You have a good heart.”
“You’re right. I’m just messing with you.”
You flopped onto your back—the motion accompanied by a dull thud. “...Hey, um, I’m sorry if I made you worry about me earlier. I promise you that abstraction hadn’t even crossed my mind. I was just upset about everything that’s been going on—still am.” You rolled over onto your side and rested your head on a papery hand, star-shaped eyes gazing into his mismatched ones. “Thanks for hearing me out, though, Caine. To be honest, I hated it when people told me to just talk about my feelings, but I guess letting all of that out is way better than bottling it up. My therapist would be so proud if she could hear me saying that.”
Caine crawled over to where you rested and lay down beside you, maintaining a respectful distance. “My metaphorical ears will be open for you to yell into anytime, honeybee. I’ve been told I’m quite the active listener these days.”
“I can see that,” you assured—the hint of a smile in your voice.
You and Caine spent the night exchanging stories, taking turns telling the other about your past, present, and hopes for the future. By the time the sky began to lighten outside your window, the awkwardness had faded—replaced by a warm familiarity.
It felt like, for the first time in a long while, you’d found a little peace.
a/n: once saw someone call caine an incel, and it made me laugh. yeah...in a way. also, you may have noticed that some of the backstory has been altered. i tried to be as canon-accurate as possible while filling in the gaps that bothered me. lastly, the reader's avatar is semi-inspired by u/olasoni00's oc, pinyami.
