This is a sequel to the "Valentine" oneshot I wrote a few years ago.
Wheatley was a lot of things, but he wasn't oblivious. OK, fine he was totally oblivious most of the time, but every once in a while, what little social skill he had kicked in to inform him of something that was usually obvious to others. This time, he had abruptly realized that his daughter had a crush.
The first time he had noticed, when Sophie shared a dance with the boy, Jay, Wheatley had taken an instant dislike. Some long-dormant instinct insisted that he wasn't good enough for her, that no one was good enough for her (sometimes, Wheatley scared himself). And yet, he had been where she was now, he had agonized over every word he never got to say, been unable to focus on anything else, been inexplicably terrified of the simple act of conversation. So, since it was Valentine's Day, he figured he'd give Jay a pass, just this once.
While Sophie was searching for the fire extinguisher (Chell had learned long ago to always keep one nearby), Wheatley noticed a piece of paper.
"A note? She really is my daughter." Wheatley didn't bother reading whatever letter Sophie had written, if she was anything like him, she would throw it away at the last second. Instead, he wrote some helpful advice, the most helpful romantic advice that he had never gotten to use.
Just talk to he-him.
"So, how did it go?" Wheatley asked.
"It doesn't matter." Sophie said sullenly.
"C'mon, you can tell me!" Wheatley pressed, his "social interaction circuit" going dormant again. "To be honest I don't really have a plan beyond the initial talking, but we can work that out together-
"I was too late OK?" Sophie snapped, her eyes flaring in anger. "I got to his house and he was outside holding hands with-with bloody Sally Vance!"
Wheatley only dimly registered Sophie's use of a british swear, his blood was too busy boiling to actually travel to his brain. For the first time in 18 years, he found himself envisioning a mashy spike trap...with Jay on the other end of it.
Woah, calm down. That's not what Sophie needs right now. Also, I'm scaring me again.
"Well," Wheatley began hesitantly, "I can't say I know what that feels like-"
"You don't."
"But I do have one idea. I know I'm no substitute for...Jay, but...maybe we could have like a father-daughter date?"
Sophie smiled a little. "I think I'd like that."
