Why won't you just listen?

Fires raged about us, bombs rained down on me, Wheatley yelled, Wheatley screamed. I was backed into a corner, struggling to grip my ASHPD in my cut up, burnt hand. I'd seen enough turmoil today; I'd seen enough turmoil this week.

"And you never caught me! Not once! You didn't even try!"

I shook my head while I dodged another bomb, placing a portal where they were flying and another up in a corner of the room. I tried, it was unbelievable how hard I tried, leaping at him as he fell, giving me no warning whatsoever. I'd fallen flat on my face and Wheatley had narrowly missed breaking my spine.

"You used me! I bet you were with her the entire time!"

The bombs fell harmlessly off his shield and I changed where the portal was before he could readjust.

"You were always judging me! Silently!" Silently!? If you could just look at me, you would see me screaming, over and over. The same thing. But you don't listen like I do, you want to hear a voice that was abandoned, you want to hear something that is silent, don't you understand not all words are spoken! I would never ever judge you!

The bomb flew through his shield and he screamed as it collided with the upper part of the DOS, before he could dare move again I leapt at him, he attempted to recoil but I'd already wrapped my arms tightly around the small core, he struggled to move, panels shifting around his head, pushing at my injured arms. I refused to wince and just held on.

"Two minutes to Reactor Core Meltdown."

"This is your entire fault!"

Let the world burn. I just wanted him to hear me. Hear my heartbeat; hear my breath, here the scream that never leaves my lips.

"We're all going to bloody die! You stupid mute lunatic! Get off me!" He screamed, thrashing around, my grip tightened and I let the tears I had been holding flow freely. My fingers laced through the cords at the back, I felt the floor move beneath me, panels shifting. I wouldn't move. I'd dangle here, maybe I'd pull him free by accident and he could finally hear my screams. "You're ugly! You're horrid! I despise you! I loathe you!" My head buried beside his optic as my arms kept their grip.

I don't hate you.

"What are you doing you idiot! Hit him with a bomb! Disable him! Rip out his moronic core and finish this!" GLaDOS cried. Wheatley growled, lifting further off the ground and taking me with him, my legs curled around his dented, scorched, crushed frame, the occasional twitch restricted by my determined grip.

"I-AM-NOT-A-MORON!" He screamed, I looked at him directly, his dilated optic filled with anger and resentment, I mouthed what I couldn't say aloud.

You're absolutely brilliant.

I could walk, I could shoot a portal. But he could hack, he could plan, I never would have thought about those turrets, I never would have thought about the neurotoxin. I would be dead if it wasn't for him… at least until he tried to kill me.

"One minute to Reactor Core Meltdown."

"Let go!"

So amazingly brilliant, you could never be a moron.

"We're all going to die you fat adopted idiot!"

You were just more human than everyone else, more human than the scientists who made you, more human than every other core… because you have emotion Wheatley.

I smiled at him. And he pulled back, surprised… well, tried too. I was connected to him by quickly weakening arms.

I'm sorry for not being as great a friend as you were... even though you tried to kill me... but you were pretty great up until then.

"I--"

I'm sorry Wheatley.

The cords between my fingers pulled free and he screamed as we both thudded to the ground, a small cold shower raining from the ceiling and covering us both in a fine damp layer as the fires were extinguished and the broken DOS ducked its upper half into a small hole in the floor.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

"You did it!" I heard GLaDOS cry. Wheatley struggled to no avail in my arms as I held on to him tightly.

"Reactor Core returning to safe temperatures."

"You tore me out! You could have killed me!" Wheatley screamed, I gripped onto him tightly. "Argh! Why do you have to ruin everything!?" "I buried my head next to where he lay tucked in my arms. "Why…"

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

"Why did I have to ruin everything…" Wheatley whispered quietly as GLaDOS rose back to full form, a pathetic little potato in a massive body, there was a content sigh, and she seemed to stretch before a large claw started dragging over her head.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

"I… I'm sorry… I… I tried to kill you."

It was her body that corrupted you, it was her body that contorted you, it was never you and I know you fought, you must have fought, because you didn't kill me straight away, you didn't outright murder me… you didn't promise me false cake.

It was never you.

Just… hear me scream Wheately… hear me speak like I can, look at my face… look at my heart… Hear me scream loud enough for the world to hear… or maybe… if it's all right with you, hear me whisper.

I just wanted you to come back.

A quiet shift in his weight, I opened my eyes and looked into his suddenly wide optic. Big and blue, cracked down the middle in a jagged line, he was obviously the worst for wear, I was almost afraid he was about to fall apart in my hands. He blinked and then looked away quietly.

I just wanted my only friend, my escape partner, to come back.

He looked up at me.

"I just hope to be worthy of your friendship again one day… but until you decide to throw me into an incinerator, if you decide to euthanize me, or electrocute me, throw me in the trash or throw me to her… I will always be here."

You heard me.

I smiled happily and hugged him tightly.

"Hey! What are you—a… hug? Oh… you're… you're hugging me… or maybe trying to crush me. I'm a tad uncertain at this point in time."

GLaDOS could do whatever she wanted to me; she can 'forget' to turn off the neurotoxin.  She could pick us both up and throw us into the incinerator.

My voice had been heard.