Wheatley - Love

All these tests were brand new to you, and if you were honest with yourself, you weren't very fond of them. You were only doing them because you had no other choice.

Earlier that day, you had awoken to the sound of a loud bang on your door and a voice coming from behind it. You groggily opened it, only to be welcomed by a small, spherical robot. It stopped talking as soon as it saw you, looking you up and down, blue optic nearly taking up the entirety of its screen. Noticing its staring, you hid behind the door, and it snapped out of its trance, proceeding to introduce itself as 'Wheatley', and helping you escape your jail-like 'relaxation chamber'.

Now, you were in some fairly old Aperture Science test chambers, your former, British partner presumed dead in your mind.

The voice of your old enemy, a large, female robot by the name of GLaDOS, called out to you, with help from the intercom. “You're still mourning over that moron of a core? How pathetic.”

Yes, you were still mourning. Over the hour or so that that you had known Wheatley, you had grown quite attached to his company, going far enough to say that you had developed feelings for the male robot, since Aperture is the only thing you knew. Wiping a lone tear from a now-watering eye, you glared up at the camera that was too high for you to reach without the help of your dual-portal gun. “Easy for you to say. You're the one who killed him!” You entered the open elevator, moving on to the next chamber- number eight.

You could've and would've used your portals to grab that camera and rip it apart, piece by piece, but GLaDOS probably would've gassed you with neurotoxin for doing so.

Silence.

As you walked out of the elevator, static could be heard over the intercom, along with the sound of GLaDOS's yells of, “what? N-no! What's going on? NooOOO!” It's horribleness made you clap your hands over your ears, dropping your gun.

Directly after, an unfamiliar song began to play. You uncovered your ears and listened to the beginning words of, “even if we can't find heaven! Heaven! Heaven!” You couldn't help but wonder about what might've happened to GLaDOS. Did she get hacked? If so, by what? Or who?

Then the song actually started.

Hands, put your empty hands in mine And scars, show me all the scars you hide And hey, if your wings are broken Please take mine so yours can open, too 'Cause I'm gonna stand by you

Oh, tears make kaleidoscopes in your eyes And hurt, I know you're hurting, but so am I And, love, if your wings are broken Borrow mine 'til yours can open, too 'Cause I'm gonna stand by you

Even if we're breaking down, we can find a way to break through Even if we can't find heaven, I'll walk through Hell with you Love, you're not alone, 'cause I'm gonna stand by you Even if we can't find heaven, I'm gonna stand by you Even if we can't find heaven, I'll walk through Hell with you Love, you're not alone, 'cause I'm gonna stand by you

Yeah, you're all I never knew I needed And the heart—sometimes it's unclear why it's beating And, love, if your wings are broken We can brave through those emotions, too 'Cause I'm gonna stand by you

Oh, truth—I guess truth is what you believe in And faith—I think faith is having a reason And I know now, love, if your wings are broken Borrow mine 'til yours can open, too 'Cause I'm gonna stand by you

Even if we're breaking down, we can find a way to break through Even if we can't find heaven, I'll walk through Hell with you Love, you're not alone, 'cause I'm gonna stand by you Even if we can't find heaven, I'm gonna stand by you Even if we can't find heaven, I'll walk through Hell with you Love, you're not alone, 'cause I'm gonna stand by you

The song cut out, the last three words spoken before GLaDOS regained control over the intercom really sticking with you. As spoken in a familiar, British accent:

“I'm not dead!”

“Whew. Sorry about that. This old sound system isn't what it used to be.”

You ignored GLaDOS's anger-laced words, yet another tear, this time of happiness, running down your cheek. That voice was, undoubtedly, Wheatley's.

Giddily finishing the test chamber, you nearly skipped into the elevator. If you weren't being watched, you would've skipped. After seven hell-like chambers, this one was welcomed by you.

Descending into the next chamber, you smirked to yourself as you spotted an Aerial Faith Plate. Looking at where you'd land after stepping on it, you openly laughed. This test was too easy!

GLaDOS kept quiet as you hopped onto the Plate, flying directly upward.

You were not expecting that to happen, so you flailed slightly. As a voice called out to you, your head whipped right up to look at the source.

“Oh, I found you! Thank God!”

Sadly, you could only stay in the air for so long. With wide eyes, you managed to land on your Fall Boot-clad feet. A smile, spread from one ear to the other, found a home on your face- that is, until you heard the beeping of the broken Plate.

“Oh, no. It seems you've broken it,” GLaDOS said, emotionless. “Hold on.”

The blinking, orange light of the Plate soon reverted back to its original, steady blue you were so used to. As soon as this happened, you jumped back on.

“I am so, so sorry! You weren't the only one who thought I was...”

Your eyes widened, once again, at Wheatley's rushed words. Even he thought he was...?

You ignored GLaDOS entirely as you pondered this. It was the most heartbreaking thing you've ever heard.

The once-again broken Plate was fixed, and you stepped on slowly, now afraid to hear what Wheatley had to say.

“I-It's just good to know you're safe,” he finished.

You landed, now slightly confused. Did he just stutter!?

For the third time, GLaDOS fixed the Plate, but she also lowered the ceiling. You knew what that meant: no more Wheatley for a while.

It was uplifting to ensure that he was, indeed, alive, though.

{TIME SKIP BROUGHT TO YOU BY: THE MANTIS-MEN INVASION! Pick up a set of foreleg spurs, mesothorax armor and tubercle sheaths. You'll know when the test starts.}

12 test chambers and two more visits from Wheatley later, you walked into a fairly large room, a.k.a. another chamber. A few steps into the room seemed to trigger an unfamiliar voice, which sounded from behind you.

“Hey! I'm speakin' in an accent that's beyond her range of hearin'!” an Australian-accented voice spoke.

You whipped your head around to find the source as GLaDOS said, angrily, “I can hear you, you know.”

When the source entered your range of vision, a huge smile spread across your face.

“Alright, forget the accent. Quick! Come on! We're breaking out of here!” Wheatley nearly yelled, opening the wall around him that lead to another rail. The only thought that crossed your mind as you ran was this: what idiot built this rail leading to a wall?

Wheatley spoke so fast as you ran that you could barely understand what he was saying. It was only when you hit an intersection did he stop and slow his words down. “So, you heard my song?”

This question caught you off guard. “N-Not the whole thing...”

"Oh, yeah! She stopped it, I remember now. Lemme just pull that up real quick.”

The sphere then acted as if he was hacking something in the building. After about a minute of this action, the song resumed from its stopping point. Was now really the best time for this? Wheatley continued down the correct path, you hot on his... rail I guess?

I'll be your eyes 'til yours can shine And I'll be your arms, I'll be your steady satellite And when you can't rise, well, I'll crawl with you on hands and knees 'Cause I... I'm gonna stand by you

Even if we're breaking down, we can find a way to break through (come on) Even if we can't find heaven, I'll walk through Hell with you Love, you're not alone, 'cause I'm gonna stand by you Even if we can't find heaven, I'm gonna stand by you Even if we can't find heaven, I'll walk through Hell with you Love, you're not alone, 'cause I'm gonna stand by you Love, you're not alone Oh, I'm gonna stand by you (even if we can't find heaven, heaven, heaven) Yeah, I'm gonna stand by you

As the song quieted itself to silence, Wheatley turned to face you, stopping his motion along the rail. You stopped abruptly where you stood, fresh tears threatening to fall from your eyes like the mouth of a river leading to a waterfall.

Wheatley lowered himself to your height, something you never thought he could do. “I know now probably isn't the best time for this,” he started, voice surprisingly low, “but we'll get through this together, I promise.

“I'm gonna stand by you.”

The sudden sweetness of everything nearly made your dam burst, but you told yourself that you would not openly cry in front of Wheatley, that you would be strong for him. You managed a nod, looking into his bright blue optic.

Then, the unthinkable came out of his... mouth?

“I love you.”

Your eyes widened and your jaw slightly dropped as he continued. “Ever since I laid optic on you back in the relaxation chamber, I knew you were the one. The one who could, and would, help not only me, but yourself, escape this hell. The one who might find a better life for the both of us after this was all over. And you accepted it! Finding the gun and doing all this, I mean, and without being asked twice! I can't be any more grateful to have someone as beautiful, and smart, and willing with me right now. So, thank you.”

Yet another smile covered your face as yet another single tear rolled down your cheek. Your voice shaking, you replied, “no, Wheatley, thank you. Thank you for being the one to take action and helping me out of that tiny box that I was forced to call home. If you weren't here right now, I'd still be in that bed, sleeping for days on end. It feels so good to finally be out, doing something about it. I can't think of any better partner to have with me, either. You're caring, funny, and really smart. Just... Thank you. Truth is, I love you, too.”

Wheatley seemed very pleased with your words. You guessed, if he wasn't a robot, he'd be beaming with joy.

Your suspicions were proved correct when he closed his optic, saying, “God, I wish I had arms. I want to hug you so badly right now.”

“I'll cover that for you.” You wrapped yourself around his spherical body, hugging him tightly. Since he wasn't looking, the action was very sudden to him, so he yelped slightly at your touch, earning a giggle from you.