"Oh man alive, she's going to love this!" Wheatley thought with glee as he clumsily crawled back out from behind the dilapidated panels, his hands brushing against the cryptic and colorful pictures scribbled across them.
"Hey! Hey Lady!" he called to the test subject across the room as he brushed the dust off his android jumpsuit. "You're not gonna believe what I just found back here! Come and have a look!"
Chell turned, giving Wheatley a quizzical look before going over to see just what he'd managed to find in his escapades behind the panels of the testing track. She really should have been finishing the test…but entertaining the android was a better idea.
"Alright, just back here," Wheatley beckoned excitedly, as he went ahead of Chell into the opening in the wall. As Wheatley stumbled into the more open space ahead of them, he turned with a flourish and spread his arms wide with a little, "Tah dah! Only found one of those mystery alcoves for you, thank you very much! Figured you might need a bit of a rest after all the testing you've been doing. Doesn't look like She can get to us back here either, so you don't have to worry about that. Aaaand…"
With a wide grin Wheatley flicked on the radio sitting beside the biggest of the murals, which depicted the silhouette of a couple dancing together on a stage with what looked like fire in the background, and with companion cubes taped over their heads. The words "Dancing is NOT Science" were splashed across the top. As the radio flared to life, a jazzy tune began to fill the space around them. "A bit of music for you too! Figured you get tired of just hearing the constant dull hum of the facility, and of course Her voice." He suddenly seemed to become a bit self-conscious as he tried to read her expression. "Do-do you like it?"
Chell went from pensive to nearly estatic when she noticed they were in one of the dens. Safe places in Aperture were hard to come by, but it seemed Doug made sure that some of them were left open, although slightly hidden, just so that She couldn't find them.
With a small grin she nodded to the android, setting her portal gun down on one of the boxes to rest her hand that ended up so often gripping the handle and trigger of the device so tightly it hurt at times.
"Oh, brilliant!" Wheatley said happily. "I was hoping you would like this surprise! I know you haven't had very many pleasant surprises lately. Was worried you had completely gone off 'em after having such bad ones. Glad to see that hasn't happened." There was a slightly awkward moment as Chell and Wheatley just stood looking at each other for a few seconds, with the jazzy music slightly picking up volume and clarity in the background. "So…" Wheatley began hesitantly, as he found himself anxiously shifting from one foot to the other, subconsciously doing so in time to the music. "What-what do we do now? If you want to have a bit of a rest I could just sit near the entrance and keep watch for you. What do think?"
Chell swayed a little to the music, keeping her eyes on Wheatley. He was acting pretty nervous..but why? They weren't being threatened with death at the moment and it wasn't like they'd get stuck back there with the old pictures of cubes dancing.
She just knew what they should do, dance, not that she really understood how to do any sort of steps but the music was just there and so were they. A hand ended up outstretched in offering. He should understand this, she hoped he would actually.
Wheatley looked down at her outstretched hand, pausing momentarily in his nervous shifting. He noticed that Chell had been mirroring his movements in her own way, in time to the beat of the tune playing. She was…Dancing! Of course, that was it, dancing! Like what the mural had pictured on it!
It also suddenly hit him that she wanted him to dance, too…and dance WITH her! Wheatley suddenly felt very flustered, his face blushing into a deep blue hue.
"Oh! Oh, do-do you want to dance? W-with me!? Oh, well luv, that's a nice thought, really! But uh…I don't know if I CAN dance." He had obviously just forgotten the few seconds before when he had nearly been doing actual dancing, and his rambling was getting more and more frantic. "I mean, I'm-I'm an Aperture device, right? I'm built for SCIENCE. And-and like they all say, 'Dancing is not Science.' So, by the - oh, what's it called? - transitive property? I think. Yeah, so, by the transitive property of the purpose of Science, I-I don't think that would be in my pre-programed protocols. Or-or it's possible that, that trying to dance could kill me! I-I could DIE!" A thought then struck him, and his tone became a bit more thoughtful. "Oh, but wait, they said the same about leaping off my rail didn't they. Yeah. Could have lied about this one too I suppose…"
He looked down at Chell's hand again. She hadn't moved since he had begun his frantic monologue. As he looked down at it he noticed the music in the background, which - to his utter astonishment and great confusion - seemed to have the effect of …well, putting him 'In the Mood' for trying out that strange phenomenon that seemed so intimidating. But he was also now very curious about it…
Slowly, he reached for her hand and said, "I…I guess I could at least try for a little bit. If I-if I look like I'm going to explode or anything we could always stop, right? So, uh, erm…M-may I have this dance?"
She slipped her hand into his, pulling the android closer to start simply swaying with him. It was quite cute honestly, them hand in hand, her free hand on his shoulder after she'd guided his to her waist.
It was clear that for once, the girl who was practically made of tenacity was nervous and unsure. Should they be dancing? Was it a good way to waste time? Honestly, Chell could care less. This was fun and it was with Wheatley, so even if she messed up, he wouldn't care. Hell he might not even know she'd messed up.
Eventually, the music and closeness drown out her thoughts and she mouthed a few words to her friend and companion, simple ones to confirm that she really did want to dance, and most definitely with him. Just a simple 'I'd love to.'
Wheatley's face lit up with a huge smile. "Oh, that's-that's great, luv. I'm…I'm glad."
As the two of them swayed back and forth, their feet moving them in a small circle in the center of the room, he found himself relaxing a bit more, and even enjoying this whole dancing thing. Although the blue glow still remained in his face, which had intensified a bit as she had brought him close.
As the music went on, and Wheatley realized that he wasn't actually going to explode (well, not literally anyway, although he did feel a bit that he could 'explode' from exhilaration), he found himself just letting go to the music, and hardly knowing why he did it, cued Chell into doing a quick under-arm twirl before bringing her close again. "Wow luv!" he said, as they quickly went apart, keeping hands still clasped together, and then stepping back together again. "You-you're really a natural at this whole dancing thing, aren't you?"
Chell grinned softly, shrugging as she tested out a quick kick step, feeling as if it just went along with the music. She had to admit, his boots were sort of helping with the whole graceful thing but she felt like she needed to remind Wheatley that he was sort of the one leading their dance. So honestly they both were pretty good right off the bat.
As it struck Wheatley that he was the one who was supposed to be leading their dance, his core swelled with a tinge of anxiety but also elation. Did he finally find something he was good at!? He never would have thought dancing of all things was something he would have a talent for. Ordinarily he was really rather clumsy. Even just walking across a room could result in him tripping up or falling over, and certainly an "Oops, sorry, excuse me," would come about as well. And as Chell was well aware of after the incident with the cryosleep chamber, he could cause even more unintentional calamity when put in charge of another piece of machinery…
But as he and Chell twirled and stepped and step-kicked and step-hopped and swiveled around each other on what had become an impromptu dance floor, and as they both become more and more confident in their movements, he felt for the first time that he was finally doing something right! Not perfectly perhaps, but at least he felt he was on the right track for once. At one point, he even became ambitious enough to suddenly hoist Chell up, swinging her round his waist, then flip her over his arm and back onto her feet, giving a "Whoop!" of delight as he turned to face her again, impressed with himself for actually not dropping something for once.
They kept dancing till Chell was left panting from exertion. She was blushing and happy, not even trying to hide that fact. She had to agree that Wheatley had found his niche. Something he was good at and didn't mess up regularly. Hell when they were dancing, he didn't even manage to step on her toes, even as pace picked up and they got experimental with moves.
She'd have to say that him finding the den was, well, almost better than the hope of getting out of this place. The mute had fallen in love with their hole in the wall dance hall and old jazzy music.
As the last peppy tune came to a conclusion, Wheatley stood there hand in hand with Chell, and his own coolant system began working hard after all that dancing. Some of his joints and circuits also ached a bit, as some of them had not been repaired properly after he had been crushed by Her just those few days ago. But it had been worth it. Definitely worth it.
"Oh wow, luv," he said between simulated gasps for breath. "That was…That was incredible! They had told me that dancing would be no fun at all, but…but I had a whale of a time! Thank you!"
The music seemed to soften along with the test subjects expression. She was giving him a look that obviously was an invite for another sort of dance. Something slower and more intamint than their previous swing-dancing bout. Not that she minded the fast paced free sort of thing, but was curious as to how the other would react.
'You're welcome, but there's still music playing and I'm still in a dancing mood.'
With his own soft smile and a nod, Wheatley was more than happy to comply. Resuming their original dancing position, Wheatley brought Chell close as they gently swayed back and forth to the smooth and sentimental sound of the music.
And for once, Wheatley didn't feel like talking.
All he seemed to be able to focus on was the feeling of her hand in his, how close she was, and how calm and happy she looked. He felt his core flutter and glow warm inside of him as he thought how HE had ultimately been the cause of that happiness. He may not have been able to do it through Science per se, but he didn't care. All that he cared about now was seeing her happy.
Chell rested her head on the androids chest, a light blush still present on her cheeks. Nothing mattered right now, not the escape or her impending acknowledgment that she'd lost the girl and her companion somewhere in the tracks, just her and Wheatley and the slow swaying they were doing.
She half hoped he couldn't feel her heart beat as it was doing some weird things, though she could easily play it off as something from the other bit of dancing.
If Wheatley had actual lungs, he was sure his breath would have hitched as Chell laid her head on his chest. (Although he was sure that the cooling fans in his system had paused for the briefest of seconds.) He hadn't been expecting her to do that, as his chest wasn't exactly the softest of surfaces, and he had never thought that anyone would want to be so close to him. It surprised him. Most others tried their best to avoid him whenever they could, so it was quite new to him to have this level of intimacy with anyone, let alone someone who was so extremely self-reliant and tenacious, and even fierce at times. (You would have to be a bit fierce to go against Her and all her turrets.) Honestly…a part of him was actually a little afraid of her.
But she was also incredibly kind, and thoughtful. Although she had never spoken a word to him since they met, he could tell just from looking at her and how she carried herself that - brain damage or not - her mind was going at a million miles an hour, and all that cunning also came with a surprising level of sensitivity and concern for others. Particularly for him.
She had called her a monster, he remembered. But to him, Chell was the exact opposite of that. Monsters were things of darkness and despair. Chell, however, was someone who evoked a feeling of light and hope. The mystery fellow who did all of those paintings of her could testify to that. And Wheatley certainly could, too.
Closing his eyes with content, Wheatley tenderly hugged Chell into himself, letting himself fall into that warm and comforting feeling that ebbed its way through his circuits, and laid his head carefully on the top of hers, one of his cheeks burying itself in her dark brown hair.
She slipped both arms around him, letting herself break for a moment. She allowed herself to become lost in the moment. Wheatley was there and he was holding her and god she was just so happy it hurt.
She knew there was something there, something that drew them together and it scared her. Chell kept telling herself whatever she felt for the other was wrong, he wasn't human. He was a robot and the product of the prison she was stuck in. So why did this make her so happy? Being held by him as they rocked back and fourth slowly.
Wheatley gave a simulated sigh of happiness as he felt Chell's arms wrap around him, and everything seemed to feel so right and so beautiful as the music guided their swaying steps. But then suddenly, for the very first time - and against his better programing - Wheatley found himself suddenly wishing that he were human.
This thought startled him so much that he subconsciously stopped swaying to the music and just stood there, though still holding Chell close. A sudden ache punctured its way deep into his core as he began to realize that while this time together had been the best he'd ever had in his artificial life, it wasn't meant to last, was it? Pretty soon she would at the very least have to go back and finish testing, and even after all that - if their plan worked and they did get up to the surface - then…well, then what?
Honestly Wheatley hadn't thought much beyond simply getting the two of them out of the facility. (Big surprise.) But now, the thought of things ending between them after accomplishing that goal filled him with a potent and intense sense of dread. He had been alone for so long before finding her, it would awful to have to go on without her again. But, like he had said before, he was an Aperture device. While he may appear human, he wasn't actually one of them. Yet he did know a thing or two about their ways and how they lived, and if they did escape, Chell would probably find other humans to make friends with, and maybe even find a life partner from among them, and start a family, and live a normal human life. Not that he thought Chell would just up and abandon him like that, but if she did want to live a normal life after their escape…well, normal humans don't exactly have lanky androids hanging around their place, do they?
Still, he ought to be happy for her, right? That is, if those things did come true for her, then that would be a good thing, and she could really be happy. And he did want to see her happy. God, did he ever! He wanted her to be happy more than anything in the world. And if it meant going their separate ways after all was said and done…well, it's not like they ever had a thing to begin with anyway, right?
But then, these feelings he was getting being with her…Could they?… No. He was an Aperture device. While he could believe that he was programmed with some algorithms that resulted in the simulation of basic feelings of caring and concern, he shouldn't be capable of…well, having feeling feelings for someone. Having a…thing for someone. But, he was almost sure now that that was what he was feeling. So then…why in all of Science was it there? It didn't make sense! Only human minds and cores - no, sorry, hearts, human hearts - were capable of this kind of thing. So why did he seem to have it?
It scared him. Badly. And he began to tremble a little, trying hard to not let his processor frizz out from trying so hard to understand what was happening to him.
She felt the trembling and instantly withdrew herself from him to figure out why he was shaking. That, well that worried her. As far as she knew, he shouldn't be doing what he was doing.
Of course she'd thought of after they left this place… after they got out. But now..every time she thought on it. Thought on any sort of major event, he was there. Wheatley was always with her, always there in her musings. But he was just a machine. She thought there was no way he could even start to try to feel the same as her. Those dreams, all so nice, got crushed every time that fact hit her. They'd get out and he'd end up being some sort of pet or friend she wished could be so much more only to look the other way
They were something cursed to fail but she wanted it all the same.
As Chell pulled away, Wheatley snapped out of his little hell of fear and distress, and took in her concerned and questioning expression. He blinked, and realized that she had detected his change in mood and was wondering what was wrong.
"O-oh, uh, so-sorry luv," Wheatley stammered, trying his best to regain his composure, and ignore the new weight that the term 'luv' seemed to have suddenly gained during his musings. "I uh…just…just, erm, had a bit of a, uh…glitch. Yeah, yeah that was it. A glitch. Happens to-to cores like me from time to time, you know. Just sorta makes us freeze up a bit. Not-not really sure what causes it, to be honest. Not something to get too worried about though I'm sure. May have just been the dancing. Probably dancing. Or…well…maybe it was yo-… I mean, er, yeah, anyway, it's all fine now though. Absolutely ok! Got it, uh, under control now. So, shouldn't happen again. At least not for a while. Promise."
…Wheatley really wished he wasn't such a bad liar.
'You know that's not what happened.' She mouthed, stepping back and crossing her arms. Clearly she'd seen right through his rambled lies and was highly unimpressed with his antics. She wanted to know what had really happened, why he'd started shaking. She'd seen his glitches before, and that was NOT one.
Wheatley nervously looked down at her, her face inquisitive and also a bit firm. He felt extremely vulnerable under her analytic gaze, and wished he could just vanish through the floor and get away from having to explain himself. But another part of him also felt rather bereft at the loss of contact, and wanted nothing more than to fling his arms back around her and let his fears just pour out to her like water. (Which, considering someone who was very much hydrophobic, and for good reason, was really saying something.)
He decided to try something that was more in between the both of those, and settled for looking down anxiously at his hands as they wrung together, and proceeded to try to explain. He did owe her that.
"R-right, ok, yeah. That's-that's not actually what happened. Yeah, didn't think you'd actually believe that. But, honestly, it's hard to tell you because…because I'm not entirely sure myself."
He stole one glance up at her before continuing.
"I mean, sure I know some of what just happened. I mean, I know what-what fear feels like. Heh, definitely felt enough of that to last me a lifetime. Fear was definitely involved. And-and now, now before you go and thinking I'm some sort of scardy-cat, who has absolutely no reason to be afraid of dancing, as we've already well established, I did have a very good reason to be scared. I was scared because…well, because…I…I was…" He swallowed hard. "I was feeling things I shouldn't be feeling."
At this point he had his eyes glued to the spot on the floor between his feet. He dared not look up into Chell's face now.
"I mean, it-it's not supposed to happen to cores. We're…we're not human. We're not capable of feeling stuff like this. It's not like we have any bloody hearts with which we can feel this kind of stuff!" A slight trace of venom came into Wheatley's voice as he said this, as if he resented the fact that he didn't have a heart. "We only have cores…We're just artificial constructs.
…I'm just an artificial construct."
Wheatley cringed, and swiped one of his hands through his hair, then gripped it tight, while his other balled into a fist at his side.
"I…I just don't understand. Because, because it, well, I…I kinda felt…like…well, like I was almost…"
His voice dropped down to almost a whisper.
"H-human."
Chell went through a range of emotions, switching from shocked to confused to a whole other tumult of expressions before settling on stoic recognition. He felt the same, even though he was terrified by that fact. But this meant so much to her, knowing that although he was confused by everything going through his mind, they might have an actual chance.
Right now though, she just needed Wheatley to look at her and see the grin that had found its way onto her face. She could just kiss this moron! though that would just have to wait for a while.
Wheatley finally risked looking up into Chell's face, half expecting to find her raising an eyebrow at him as if to say, 'Seriously? You think you were experiencing human emotions? Now that's just silly,' or maybe looking a bit disturbed or weirded out by him. Or perhaps a combination of those.
So he was quite surprised to find that she was grinning at him. For a split second he felt hurt, as he thought that maybe it was because she found his confusion and distress to be funny or amusing. But in an equally split second it registered as a fond kind of grin, and one which projected a sense of, 'I understand.' He had no idea why sharing his feelings would result in that kind of smile from her, but he didn't take it as a bad sign. Though he knew that she wouldn't be able to outright tell him what she was thinking, and while he was by now quite experienced at reading her expressions, he was actually having a bit of trouble being able to fully read this one.
"I'm…I'm sorry," he managed to say, figuring that was a good start. "I- I don't know what came over me just now. It's just… It feels as if I'm missing something, but I don't know what. Wouldn't be the first time. Originally wouldn't bother me. But this something…it's- it's something buried deep in my core, I know it is. But I- I don't know how to fully access it, let alone process it properly. It's really quite terrifying, as you can imagine. And yet…"
Wheatley found himself taking a small, timid step towards her, both afraid to touch her, and wanting nothing more than to seek comfort from her warm presence.
"It's…I've…It just feels so right, you know? It's kind of like…Well, it's like it's something I've never encountered before - I know I haven't, how could I? and it scares me - but at the same time, it's almost like…well, it feels like it's something lovely that I've just simply forgotten, and am only now just starting to remember."
He let out a small hollow huff from his artificial diaphragm.
"That- that probably sounds a bit bonkers, doesn't it? I- I hardly even know what I'm saying anymore. I- I'm sorry. Maybe I really am just a…well, a…y-you know…a…"
Wheatley cringed again. He couldn't bring himself to say it, but he thought it.
A moron.
The music continued in the background, slow and smooth and steady, as the moment of silence passed between the two of them.
Chell knew she had to find a way way to speak to Wheatley, to actually explain things to him and tell or show him just how she was feeling or what she was thinking. He was so confused and well, most of that confusion couldn't be cleared up by the mute.
It took her a second to register that Wheatley moving closer was his silent way of asking to be shown some form of affection, so within seconds she had him sitting on one of the crates in their little space and ended up more or less sitting on his lap, holding him close to show him it was okay and that he didn't have to think about just what was going on in his all too human core. Normally any sort of human emotion was labeled as corrupt in the facility, but..what if they had originally been human.
She never ceased to surprise him, did she?
She had obviously gotten the hint that he had wanted some sort of comfort and reassurance, but he hadn't been expecting this. He had absolutely no idea how hugging him while sitting in his lap was supposed to help the situation. But somehow…
It did. It really did.
For a couple seconds he was sure his processor was going to go into overload again at trying to figure out the meaning of her gesture and how it was supposed to help his condition, and he would just become a quivering mess all over again. But her comforting grip around his torso, and the weight of her in his lap, and the fact that it was indeed her idea, made all those worries just fade away.
Because he trusted her. He trusted her more than anyone or anything he had ever met. And she was so clever too, and understanding. She was just all around quite magnificent really. While she couldn't speak, perhaps she knew - or at least had an idea about - what was going on with him, and this was her way of showing him that it was all going to be ok. She couldn't verbally explain it to him, and he was still a bit in the dark as to where this was all going exactly, but if she thought it might help, then he was willing to take a leap of faith and just go with it.
He had gotten so used to being the guide lately (however bumbling of a guide he may be) that it never occurred to him that perhaps there were times when he would need to be guided by her. He knew his way around the facility (most of the time), could hack doors and computers and other devices (some of the time), and was excellent at giving verbal instruction (if not excessive about it), which seemed to be pretty much all that they needed for their escape in the guidance department, so needing her for guidance just never crossed his mind.
But while Chell may have not known about the specifics of the facility, she had proven to be an excellent helper in whatever the two of them needed to do, and she was herself human, and this did seem to be a very human problem that he had encountered. It was a puzzle to be sure, and he didn't have a clue on how to go about solving it, but she was quite experienced at solving all sorts of puzzles and tests. Perhaps she could lead him through this one, too.
He may be in the dark now, but she had once again become his glimmer of hope in the thick of it, and he was going to follow it.
Gratefully, Wheatley brought his own arms around her, once again burying his face in her hair, and said, "Thanks luv. This…This is nice." And without even thinking about it, he began rocking back and forth in time to the music once again. And for the first time in a long while, he felt almost at peace.
The gentle rocking made the girl relax completely. She liked being this close to Wheatley, even if he didn't make the most comfortable of seats at times.
This towering idiot was her best friend honestly and she trusted him with her life ( Which makes everything worse during the takeover, really.) He showed her where to go and lifted her spirits when she was ready to give up and just give in. He was her protector at times, warning her of some of the dangers of Aperture.
If she could go back again, get woken up all over again, she hoped Wheatley would be there, all awkward and falsely confident. Maybe that's when she'd fallen for him, that first meeting. He'd saved her really and this? Comforting him when he needed it.
This was right to her.
If they never progressed from here, just had this mutually cuddly relationship. She'd be happy with that. She was just happy with him.
Wheatley could feel Chell relax in his arms, and once again, he was also happy. They were happy together. He really wished this moment could last forever. He knew it couldn't really, but he still wished it all the same.
Just the music, and him, and Chell, forever.
It felt so unreal, almost like a kind of dream, and it was one he did not want to wake up from. And as he looked down at the woman dozing in his lap, perhaps she didn't want to wake up either. At least, not just yet anyway. Science could jolly well wait.
Wheatley also didn't think it a bad idea to sort of switch off for a while, too. After all, She couldn't get to them back here, so there wasn't an urgent need to keep watch. With a fond smile, Wheatley prepared to enter his own sleep mode…
Suddenly, their peace was shattered by the loud noise of a buzzer sounding from the test chamber, causing them both to jump in alert.
"Oh look," came Her horribly familiar and terse voice, causing Wheatley to hug Chell a bit tighter to himself. "It seems that the timer has run out for your little break. Yes, I was in fact gracious enough to give you some time off. No need to seem so surprised. I know how to treat my test subjects…for Science of course. Taking breaks can be crucial in bringing about optimal results for testing. But of course too much rest can result in test subjects becoming lazy or gaining weight. But I know you're already well aware of that."
Wheatley glared in the direction of the test chamber. He knew GLaDOS couldn't actually see inside their little hideout (as they were some of the few places where she didn't actually have direct visual or audial access), but the response still felt more than appropriate.
"So, I would come back out of there now if I were you. Otherwise you're going to find some, well, modifications to this next test. Maybe a turret or two, or lasers, or perhaps another surprise I've been working on that will give the term 'break time' a whole new meaning for you. Anyway, I don't want to tell you your business, but I would suggest you get back to testing now."
Wheatley knew Chell would have to go back to testing, and he would continue to look for a way out for them, but did this moment really have to end so soon? He wasn't quite sure how long they had been in their little hideout, but it couldn't have been for that long could it? And why was She in such a big hurry to test anyway!? Chell had been testing for Her for hours and hours already! Surely She could let her have a bit more time.
He looked down at Chell in his arms, his eyes carrying an almost pleading weight with them. "Do- do we really have to leave right now?"
Chell had to find a way to promise Wheatley that when they had another chance to just relax for a bit, she'd jump at the opportunity. Maybe he'd understand her actions and manage to not short out from it so she went for it.
The mute gently cupped the moron's cheek, leaning up to press their lips together softly. The action was quick, only a few seconds of contact, but it felt just right to her, just enough to solidify everything as it was.
Then, just as quickly as it had begun, it ended and Chell slipped off his lap, grabbing her trusty portal gun and ducking out of the little hidden alcove. It was time to test, even if no one enjoyed it.
In a way, Wheatley had absolutely no idea what just happened.
He knew what a kiss was sure enough. He had that word in his vocabulary database and knew what one looked like. It was something humans did to show affection. Real affection that is. It wasn't just something they did to one another as ordinarily as a handshake, or maybe even a hug. It was something personal. Something intimate. Although he never really understood why humans did them. It all seemed very odd to him before. Why would anyone want to smush their faces together and press their lips against each other. Sounded a bit ridiculous really. Downright bizarre even.
But…she just gave him one, didn't she? And…wow, it felt good!
Wheatley still wasn't entirely sure he hadn't actually blown a circuit as their lips made contact. It had happened to him before, blowing a circuit that is. Having that happen sure carry a punch with it, and also gave him a slightly warped and dislocated sense of time and space for a while. Something similar had happened here, yet…it was also very different.
Whatever happened definitely carried a sort of 'punch' to it…but not a painful one. No, no definitely not painful. Her lips had been far too soft and malleable to do any sort of damage, and it left him with a pleasant sort of buzz actually, that also seemed to make everything around them suddenly turn into something like warm and soft jellied pudding, and go into slow motion or even a near standstill, with all that his processor being able to focus on was how good this felt, and how good she felt. He didn't really understand why he was having this kind of reaction (…again), but it certainly didn't feel bad.
No…no, far from it actually. He had never felt more alive!
As Chell slipped back into the testing chamber, leaving Wheatley to sit there quite stunned and with a lopsided grin slowly tugging at the sides of his mouth, the tune on the radio switched to a new song.
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance…I hope you dance
As Wheatley got back up on his shaky legs, he stretched out one arm onto the mural to steady himself. He stole a quick glance at the dancing companion cube people from between his fingers, let out a sigh, and proceeded to straighten his android jumpsuit, and try his best to return to a state of normalcy and get back to business. She had her task to do, and now he had his - finding a way out.
"Don't worry luv," he said under his breath as he made his way to the area behind the testing tracks. "I'll break us out of her soon. I promise."