Yesterday Came Suddenly
"Hello? I can hear-" He he was interrupted as something began violently jerking him up and down with no warning whatsoever. "AH-! I’M-! SORRY-! PLEASE-!" He stopped as he finally came free from the ground. His optic didn’t have time to adjust before whoever had just rescued him spun him around to face them.
"Thanks so much! Blimey. Thought I was gonna be stuck down there forever, I really did. Lucky thing you came alo-" he froze as his optic came into focus and he saw who it was.
It was her. He stared at her, dumbfounded, trying to calculate the chances that this would happen, and quickly concluded that the chances were, in fact really, really, extremely not likely. He didn’t know how to react- joyously, or perhaps in terror because, while he wasn’t an expert in human emotions, it didn’t take a professional to notice that she looked very angry.
He started chattering nonetheless ”I… can’t believe it’s really you! I have so many things I want to say… How have you been? How did you find me? Do you get to jump around and whatnot- I know you enjoy that…. Wait-I… I suppose I should start with an apology. Um. Ok. I… wait hold on…” he tried to steel his nerves.
It’s hard enough to apologize to someone in the first place, but when the person in question is glaring at you like they want to murder you- preferably numerous times, if possible- then it is definitely significantly harder to apologize, no matter how hard you want to.
"Okay, now I’m ready… no, wait. False alarm.” He shut his optic, trying to concentrate.He didn’t want to ask her to look away or something, because he was sure that would be rude, nor did he want to close his optic when apologizing, because that wouldn’t be as sincere. But he didn’t really see how he could apologize while he was glaring at her like that! It was rather intimidating, honestly. He couldn’t see how anyone could apologize while being stared at like that. But. That didn’t matter. He could do it. He had to do it. Finally, he opened his optic, and looked into her eyes.
"I… I’m sorry. About… About everything, really. I was… Horrible. A monster. And… I was horrible to you. So I just… wanted to apologize for everything. Sincerely, I am so sorry for what I did… You did nothing but help me, and I betrayed you."
As soon as he was done he shut his optic, dreading her reaction, before cracking it open a sliver to watch- hopefully there would be some sign of forgiveness. If not… well, worse case scenario she would probably throw him back onto the ground- and that would probably be better than what he deserved.
Out of absolutely anywhere this little ball of metal could have landed, he had to land here. Of course. Why was she even surprised? Fate had always been cruel- and it seemed determined to never let Chell be free of Aperture. She should have known, sooner or later, her past would catch up with her. She could never have the peaceful life she had so desperately craved, the life she thought she had finally found.
Her blood practically boiled as she looked over the core, her grip tightening and untightening in a steady beat. She could toss him- simply toss him back into the hole, and let him be someone else's problem. Deny any claims that he knew her, and treat him like strange piece of technology everyone else soon would.
Or she could throw him to the river. Simply toss him out, let him malfunction and shut down. He'd never bother anyone ever aga-
'I'm sorry.'
Those words pulled Chell from her train of thought, brows furrowing and glare softening as she listened to Wheatley ramble. A shaky breath left her lips as steel eyes closed for just a moment.
Part of her wanted to forgive him. Part of her so desperately wanted to forgive him. He was her first friend (not including the companion cube, of course. But it didn't talk much, and she couldn't talk so it wasn't very fun to sit around with a sentient cube that couldn't talk all day.), and one she had truly trusted despite his idiotic and forgetful tendencies.
The other part of her didn't believe him. His words played in her mind, and she could see herself in the elevator- laughing at her friend as he rambled about the chassis's abilities, and heart heart fluttering as the elevator lifted and she thought that she couldn't possibly get any happier. And then it had stopped, and the room went dark and Wheatley wasn't her friend anymore. He was just like Her, and Chell knew she was a fool for trusting a piece of technology. They were all the same, in their circuitry. There was no concept of friendship in a robot, and in the end they were just. Like. Her. Every last one of them.
He was so quick to betray her then. He couldn't possibly feel sorry for it, and he couldn't have possibly changed. He was just metal and some wires.
Letting out a small sigh, Chell set the core on the ground before sinking down herself. Once settled, she pulled her knees up to her chest and laid her head down, looking down at Wheatley with a quirked brow.
She didn't quite trust him. She wanted to, truly, but she couldn't trust him so quickly. Not after where it had gotten her last time.
Hopefully the core would be able to pick up that much from her current expression.
