GLaDOS and Me

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

Wheatley was having the most amazing dream.

He was lying warm and cozy in his bed, and he finally had a lovely girl to cuddle with. For some reason he couldn't quite see her, or remember what she looked like, but he knew she was lovely, in every way possible. He moved closer to her, pressing his face into her warm body, and smiled to himself in contentment. Ah yes, it was everything he'd thought it would be.

"Wheatley? Are you awake?"

"Mm."

"Look. I hate to bother you. But I need you to take your hand out of my optic assembly. This is terribly uncomfortable."

Slowly, Wheatley blinked and opened his eyes to see the lovely girl he'd been cuddling with, only she looked more like a giant robot, and his hand was indeed inside of her optic assembly. He took it out blearily, and she pulled herself up immediately, and though he couldn't see her he could hear as she adjusted and readjusted it.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "See, I'm supposed to... to put my arm 'round the girl's shoulders, but I guess I stuck my hand up there instead."

"It's all right," she said, lowering herself back into his range of vision. "I was starting to feel as though it was going to come right out, that's all."

He laughed a little, still not quite awake. "Have you been on long?"

"Since five."

"And what's the time now?"

"Six thirty-seven."

"So we've time to cuddle?" he asked hopefully.

"I... suppose we have time to do that. What does it entail?"

"Nothing. You just stay right there, right where you are. I guess you've work to do, so... you can't really do it."

"What would I be doing, if I were able to do it?"

"You just relax," Wheatley told her, closing his eyes again.

"Are you sure you don't want to track down a human partner to do this with? You can't possibly be comfortable right now."

"I am very comfortable, I assure you," he answered, caressing her lens a little. "How was your night, there, luv?"

"It... was nice," she said slowly. "I didn't think as much. Is that supposed to happen or was I malfunctioning? Because there's always that possibility."

"You think while you're sleeping?"

"I have to monitor the automatic processes in the facility at all times, yes."

"But you're sleeping!"

"My work is never done, Wheatley," she said, a little morosely. "Even when I'm asleep I have work to do. But was that supposed to happen? Or do I need to run a diagnostic?"

"It was supposed to happen," Wheatley guessed, since he certainly felt more relaxed than usual.

"Huh," she said thoughtfully. "I wonder if I could get used to this."

"I could," Wheatley told her confidently, pressing his face into her lens.

"But wouldn't you like it more if –"

"No. Stop asking."

Wheatley dozed a little, dimly aware of her doing whatever it was she was doing by the sound of her brain, and eventually she nudged him a little. "Time to get up, lazy human."

"No," he mumbled, curling up tighter.

"If you don't get up you won't see what I've brought you. You wouldn't want to offend me. Bad things happen when I'm offended. Especially to slothful little morons."