[Author's Note: It feels so weird to title this "author's note", instead of "editor's note". I guess comic books have ruined me. Anyway! The start of a multi-chapter fluff series, about Chell inviting GLaDOS out! Annnnd that's about it. Yeah, no over-arching danger or adventure, I find writing these characters is so fun that I wanted to just write them hanging out! I am shameless, hush up.]

[Couple more bits: First, Chapter One here is very ATLAS/P-Body, which is completely accidental, I swear. Here I was, trying to move the plot along, and BAM TURNS OUT THEY'RE INCREDIBLY FUN TO WRITE NOW THEY'VE TAKEN OVER THE ENTIRE CHAPTER. There'll be more Chell/GLaDOS later on, I swear.]

[Secondly, this is in canon with my only other fan fic, "Not Even Real Science". It's not necessary reading by any means, but it helps explain why GLaDOS has a humanoid chassis now. Oh, and it features her and Chell making out and fondling each other. You know. Your choice.]

[Reviews would be appreciated!]

Chapter One

"Yes, congrats, robots. You made it another five feet without exploding. You're a credit to science everywhere. Maybe next time you're blazing brave new ground, you can make it ten seconds without absolutely disappointing me."

GLaDOS was being way too nice today.

Despite having Chell living in the Enrichment Centre for several weeks now, the Co-Operative Testing Initiative was still running strong. ATLAS and P-Body didn't quite understand why, when GLaDOS had such an enthusiastic test subject available, she'd still resort to using them, but P-Body figured Chell was probably off running different tests. "Tests a thousand times harder than these ones!", she'd whisper to ATLAS like she was telling a ghost story.

ATLAS, meanwhile, figured the duo were off doing something terribly inappropriate for such a professional environment, as he would repeatedly chuckle to P-Body. And she would scold him, give him a gentle slap across the chassis, and resume testing. And pretend that her mind wasn't preoccupied with such... interesting thoughts...

"ORANGE." GLaDOS snapped her out of her reprieve. "Stop... beeping to yourself and finish the test. Blue's waiting for you."

P-Body blushed to herself and tottered off after him through the white and anti-septic test chamber. ATLAS was sprawled across the floor in mock boredom, and gestured grandly to the big red button he needed her to step on.

"I'm- oh my god, I'm so sorry! I didn't- how long was I out? I was just thinking about- well, I guess you don't need to know what I was thinking about and I would really feel better if you didn't know but I guess if you would feel more comfortable knowing then I guess I could tell you-"

ATLAS sighed, pulled himself off the floor, and physically lifted her up in a fireman's carry. "Eek!", she yelped. "Was... was I yammering again?"

"Oh, yes, definitely.", nodded ATLAS matter of factly. "But it's very charming on you."

"Oh god oh god oh goooooo-" P-Body buried her face in ATLAS' shoulder, cutting off what would surely have been a witty retort.

After GLaDOS had gotten invested in making as human a chassis as possible, for some reason that completely escaped the droids, the duo took one look at the final result and immediately demanded they get versions of their own. Well. They beeped incessantly and had to engage in a series of sophisticated dance routines to get the point across, but the end result is the same.

P-Body's new body was over a foot taller than ATLAS, a fact which she remained quietly smug over, and all legs. She wasn't any less nervous, which really scratches off the biggest hope she had for the whole endeavor, but her bright orange eyes and dull orange mane of hair more than made up for it. (Sometimes, when she was sure nobody was looking, she could spend hours playing with her own hair.) She even liked her new jumpsuit, even though she wasn't sure why she had to wear it. ATLAS looked much better in it.

(And she was fairly certain ATLAS thought it was the other way around. Which is ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous. There's no way she looks good. So ridiculous. Shut up.)

ATLAS' new body was far stockier, with broad shoulders and a great chest and limbs like tree trunks. And he was so strong! And he had the cutest nose, and deep blue eyes, and his scruffy blue hair that she would just love to play with and-

"Um. P-Body? Why are you staring?"

"... No reason."

ATLAS flashed a broad grin, and gingerly placed her on the button, and the door to the exit quietly slid open. "Finally," sighed GLaDOS over the loud speaker system. "At the rate you were solving that puzzle, I did the math! Namely, it would actually be cheaper and quicker to wait for the door to rust off than to wait for you two wastes of synthetics to solve the-"

In the background of the loud system, suddenly, they could hear a familiar voice. "Hiya, G! Whatcha doing!"

ATLAS raised a single eyebrow to P-Body. She ignored him.

"Oh. It's you." sighed GLaDOS. "Hello, Chell. Could this whatever this is wait? You're interrupting science."

"Please, this is Aperture, I can't step five feet in any direction without interrupting science. Oh, wait, are you talking to the robots? Tell them I said hi!"

"I am not telling them you said that."

"Come on, I love those guys! Every time those guys explode is another minute that I'm not!"

P-Body started hopping up and down and waving at the nearest camera. "Hello, Ex-Test Subject! Hello!"

"Oh my god," breathed Chell in to the loud speaker system. "Is the orange one making that cute little beeping noise? Aaaaaahhhhh too cute!"

Millions of dollars of the most brilliant hardware ever invented, and GLaDOS still never bothered to teach them english.

"... Yes. That one is... beeping. Are you done here?"

"Mmm? Oh yeah, sure, just gimme a second." Suddenly, echoing through the system was the sound of a wet kiss, followed immediately by GLaDOS' sputtering.

"I- ju- gah- not in front of the test subjects!"

P-Body tried desperately to blush hard enough to hide forever. And meanwhile, ATLAS was nearly doubled over in breathless laughter.

"Oh, hush. And before I forget... here!"

The robots heard the shuffling of papers, another wet kiss, before listening to the sounds of Chell walking away with a 'clink' of her long fall boots.

"Just... pretend you didn't hear any of that, robots, and I don't have to go in and reprogram you with a spork." GLaDOS was trying desperately to re-affirm the whole "evil overlord" vibe and failing. Wildly. "What... what even is this? Some kind of threat? An insult?"

"I bet you five hugs it's an invitation." intoned ATLAS quietly to P-Body.

"I.. gah- what?! No betting on our bosses love life!"

"... An invitation?"

"Boo yah."

"Oh, FINE." The idea of getting to hug ATLAS some more totally didn't make P-Body so happy her core started to shake. Don't be ridiculous.

"I... I don't quite know... You two, you possess occasional human characteristics, correct?"

"Oh, of course! We're as human as two robots come!" ATLAS dropped in to a deep bow.

"I still don't have a clue what you just said, but I'm going to assume that's confirmation. Get up here, immediately."

ATLAS turned to P-Body with a wide grin that was apparently terribly contagious. "YES! We get to go hang out with the boss!"

"Um. Um. Um. What do you think she wants? Do you think she wants something? Do I need to wear something special to "hang out" with GLaDOS? Is my jumpsuit okay? I- I- I- got shot earlier, I have a hole, should I fix that? Do you know how to sew? Or, erm, weld?"

"W- wait, you got shot? When?" At the news of her injury, all the enjoyment drained out of ATLAS' face, and P-Body immediately felt terrible for bringing it up.

"D- don't worry! It's nothing! Just a little shot through the shoulder, I'm sure it'll be fixed next time we're re-assembled! Guess I was a little slow around the turrets, huh?" P-Body flashed a shakey grin to try and smooth things over.

ATLAS just frowned, reached up to her shoulders, and started rubbing for something to do with his hands. "Damn it, just tell me next time you're hurt, okay? Where does it hurt?"

"Ummmm.", P-Body was suddenly having a hell of a hard time thinking. "S- shoulder."

"Heh. Yeah, I know that, silly, which shoulder?"

"... Shoulder."

Almost a full minute went by, ATLAS trying as hard as possible to make her feel better, by rubbing and brushing and pressing her shoulders, and P-Body just trying to remain as still as possible to keep from breaking the spell.

Finally, she felt like she had to say something. "I... thank you, ATLAS. This... this feels really, really nice."

ATLAS smiled, a small, vulnerable smile, as opposed to his usual bombastic grin. "Any time, silly. Just let me know if you feel like it!"

"Ummmm. I may have to hold you to that."

Suddenly, GLaDOS' voice cut in again.

"It suddenly occurred to me, you might actually get her quicker if I just destroy you and re-assemble you up here. So. At the time of the beep, you have just exploded."

GLaDOS waited a moment.

"... Beeeeeeep."

The ensuing explosion ruined what would have otherwise been a rather sweet moment.