Three Little Words

The evening had gone brilliantly in Wheatley's opinion. Dinner had been a rousing success (though it had been a near thing after the candle incident), the coffee afterward had been a hit, and now here they were, once again back at her place listening to music. La maison de Chell, if you would.

It had become something of a ritual that after a date (good or bad) the two of them would end up laying together lengthwise on the couch, despite the fact that it was hopelessly inadequate for containing someone of Wheatley's height. He didn't complain, though – well, didn't complain much, if he were completely honest. He did keep it to a minimum, since the feel of his arm around Chell as she curled against him, using his shoulder as a pillow was well worth any inconvenience or minor discomfort.

In any event, he'd gone nearly two hours without doing something stupid. The night was nearly over; all he had to do was keep his mouth shut for a little while longer, and –

"You don't talk much, do you, love?"

Wheatley gave himself a mental head slap.

Chell fixed him with a hooded look, a single eyebrow raised in question. Wheatley's tongue tied itself in knots as he tried to push out an explanation and an apology at the same time. "Sorry, not that I...  I mean, there's nothing wrong with you not talking; be a bit of a hassle of both of us were gabbin' away all the time, hey? I'm sure, I'm sure you wish I'd pipe down every once in a while... to be honest, kind of feeling that way myself, right now, have to admit," he said, the last dwindling to a grumble directed at himself.

Seeing that the only change to Chell's expression was a small curling of her lips, Wheatley cleared his throat, scrambling to salvage the situation. "Well, I mean, we've been doing this for.... what, four months, now? This whole 'dating' thing, I mean. And I was thinking about you the other day – I do that a lot," he started, then realized what he'd just admitted. He gave a cough, his cheeks warming. "Hadn't... um, I, uh... Well, anyway, moving on. I was th-thinking... about you, yeah... and, uh, I realized that I don't think I've ever heard you speak."

The smile deepened, but she was still giving him that stare. Wheatley's mouth worked and his hands floundered in meaningless gestures as he continued on, knowing he was just digging himself deeper but unable to stop. "Ah, well, I know you can... I know you can talk; I've heard you laugh before – you've a lovely laugh, by the way, and I, um, really like listening to it. But, other than that, you, ah... I've never heard you say anything," he said. He shrugged, then remembered Chell couldn't hear his train of thought. "I mean, you get by alright without it – absolutely amazing, how expressive you are, love, and I still have yet to figure out how you manage it even over the phone – but, um, can't help but... you know, feel a little... I mean, hello, dating, but never... never heard your voice. Except for, you know, the aforementioned laughing. And, ah, intimate situations. Not really the same thing, though, is it? And I just want you to... you... oh, bloody hell..."

Chell's smile dimmed, and she tilted her head at him, her expression serious as she studied his face. Wheatley panicked and threw up a disarming grin, running his free hand through his hair. "Um, you know what? Forget I said anything," he said hurriedly, "Yup, just take all the words I've said just now – um, all the words before these, anyway... well, in this conversation; don't want to be forgetting any more than that, hey? – take all the words, and just chuck 'em out the window. Worthless, the lot of 'em."

Wheatley shrugged again, settling himself deeper into the cushions. "After all, talking, pfft, who needs it? I've got that area well-covered. So, no need to worry about it. I'll do all the talking – all the talking you'd ever need to do. Yup, you just point me in the direction of someone you want talked to, and it'll be taken care of," he said magnanimously. "I've no problem doing it for you, either, love, so don't worry about that. You will never have to say anything unless you absolutely want to, because I am here to take care of all your conversational necessities, day or night." Wheatley flashed Chell a wide smile, then lay his head down on the arm of the couch and closed his eyes, trying to convince his body to just dissolve into nothing. You're a moron, Wheaters.

For several minutes neither of them moved or spoke, the soft music the only thing keeping the awkward silence at bay. Wheatley kept his eyes shut as he felt Chell shift against him – he was terrified of what expression he would see on her face. They popped open in surprise when he felt Chell's breath warming his ear.

Wheatley had once forgotten to discharge a capacitor before removing it from a live circuit. It had been a large one, and the resulting jolt had thrown him to the floor, completely numb and unable to move as his heart stuttered.

It was nothing compared to his reaction when Chell whispered those three little words into his ear.

Every muscle in his body tensed as ice raced fire through his veins, a furious blush heating skin that was now rippled with goosebumps, and his heart thudded so powerfully in his chest Wheatley was sure it would snap through his ribs at any moment. He jerked his head away to stare incredulously at Chell, whose smile had returned accompanied by a throaty chuckle. "You... you really...? I mean, d'you really... really mean that?" Wheatley asked, his voice catching as it tripped over his hope and disbelief wrestling on the floor.

In answer, Chell leaned forward, planting a decisive kiss on his lips. Still in shock, Wheatley took an extra moment to stare at her before his mind caught up to what was going on and the appropriate reaction. He clutched Chell to him, returning the kiss with such fervor that it was almost painful.

When they came up for air, Wheatley found he'd gained a dazed smile that he couldn't seem to get rid of. He gave an embarrassed laugh as he met Chell's eyes. "Well, just to... wow, I can't believe... I... you, too, yeah?" he said, then gave his head a little shake. "Wait, I mucked that up... let me – "

Chell kissed him again, and Wheatley stopped talking.