#just so everyone’s clear

[moosemann404]

LU chapter 13 cut content: They Were Roommates

So, I had a couple ideas for some of the flashbacks during the most recent chapter, and I cycled through a lot. Most were cut either because they messed with the flow, messed with the vibe (I want Aperture to be incredibly isolating and suffocating so any scenes outside of it are kept brief and mostly undescribed), or didn’t fit the theme. This one falls into the last category, and was cut pretty early in the draft, but it was already a fully formed idea floating around my grey matter so I wrote it out. Anyway, enjoy these two goobers stumbling into living together.

Words: 832

Doug stares at the notice board blankly. It’s clogged with papers, overlaid and crumpled, since no one ever finds the time to clean it off before adding something new. But he came here with a purpose, and that purpose requires he wade through the outdated announcements and company mandates. He sighs as he starts peeling them up.

There are a few with the information he’s looking for, though most have at least half the tear off tabs missing. Doug’s odds aren’t looking great. Still. He starts gathering a little collection.

He’s gotten maybe five before he hears footsteps, and an overly excited “Doug!” floats down the hall. Only one person ever greets him with that much enthusiasm, so he doesn’t bother to look up.

“Hello, Wheatley.”

A shadow falls across the board. “What’s got you out of the lab today?” Wheatley leans into his peripheral, all curls and smiles.

Doug wafts the slips of paper in the air. “Apartment hunting. Rents going up. Paycheck never does. I doubt these will turn up anything, but there’s always trying.” He pauses for a moment. “You think they’d reduce my pay if I started sleeping in my lab?”

Wheatley frowns at this. Doug is pretty sure he intoned that joke correctly; maybe it isn’t that funny since he’s seriously considered it a few times. He doesn’t respond right away, so Doug goes back to searching. Sometimes Wheatley gets quiet like that. Doug has learned that usually means he’s really trying to think about what he’s going to say. “What.. if…” He starts, then stops, wringing his hands slightly. “…say, if you had two paychecks… would that cover the cost?”

“…that’s why I’m looking to move in with someone?” Doug turns to stare at Wheatley.

“No!-“ Wheatley straightens and he’s starting to gesture more with his words. It’s an archaic language Doug has yet to understand. “I mean- what if- hypothetically, someone moved in with you?”

Doug turns fully from the board now. “Can you think of a single person in this facility who would be okay with moving in with me?”

“Me.” Wheatley responds without hesitating.

The silence is loud. Doug stares at him as he thinks it through. Not about why Wheatley brought this up or the way he seems incredibly nervous at the suggestion, but to properly work through the potential arrangement. Doug has been over to Wheatley’s aunt’s place plenty. He’s seen how Wheatley lives, been in his room, and knows some of his routine. And, conversely, Wheatley has been over to Doug’s apartment. He knows what he would be moving into. Doug’s lifestyle is unobtrusive at best, so it would make integrating Wheatley quite simple. It would also make morning commutes much easier.

They’d have to figure out other budgeting things though. Groceries. Bills. There’s a long list of things that need to get done, but the idea isn’t terrible. The biggest positive is that he would be getting a roommate he already knows; starting over with someone new, who could and probably would upend all his routines, sounds exhausting.

Doug tunes back in and realizes Wheatley had started talking at some point. “-brought it up the other day, so I’ve been thinking about it. You know, I don’t want to upset the guy; he’s been really nice about the whole thing but-“ His fidgets with his glasses. “-Oh, nevermind. It was a stupid suggestion anyway, forget I said anything, you already see me at work all the time so why would you want to spend your time off with-“

“Could you fit all of your things in my car?”

“–me – b-beg pardon?” Wheatley stutters.

“I asked if all of your things could fit in my car.” Doug repeats. “I don’t want to make more than one trip.”

Wheatley sputters a bit, cheeks growing slightly rosy as he gesticulates wildly. “May- prob- I mean- we’d have to- I haven’t really-“ He’s twisting and turning and generally doing everything to avoid eye contact.

Doug feels a lightness seep into his chest. “Just guess.”

“I don’t think so.” Wheatley manages to choke out, half muffled behind his hand. “I don’t know; maybe we could make it work? I-I could just leave some things at my Aunt’s. It’s not like I’m never going back, and I know- it’s not a huge drive or anything like that- at least I think it isn’t- so- so, yeah, you know…” He peters out.

“We can talk about it after work.” He offers, and Wheatley relaxes into his typical illuminated grin. “You should probably get back to work before our pay gets docked.”

“Ah, yes, brilliant!” Wheatley claps his hands together. “See you after work, then!” He gives him a stupid little salute and walks down the hall with a noticeable bounce to his step.

Doug waits for him to disappear around the turn before looking down to the wad of slips still in his hand. For a second, he smiles, and then promptly crumples them up.

[whencartoonsruletheworld]

fuck off nolan are you going to have six hundred men under my command with only one goal in mind (make it back alive to our homeland)? six hundred men, six hundred miles of open sea? but the problem's not the distance (it's what lies inbetween)?

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Kiss Kiss Fallen Tree!

[First] Prev <–-> Next

[dimensionzero]

now that he's managed to dodge all his canon event trauma I think pavitr should get a running joke where he's just immune to spider-man luck

[lucabyte]

Olive Branch

Wrong Move

[insomnya777]

goodtimeswithscar reputation board? *takes a drag of cigarette 🚬* heh... haven't heard that name in a while

[verc0pa]

NEW FAV CHAR JUST DROPPED

[thekittyokat]

you ever just have a lot, a LOT of feelings all at once about a character and not even remotely enough words or brainpower to FORM the words to describe everything you're feeling. so it feels like you may explode. yeah

[marzipanandminutiae]

do you ever see a celebrity in costume for a period drama and then in modern clothing and think "oh. wow. what a downgrade"

(this is not a trad thing. this is a Modern Clothes Boring thing. don't get it twisted; I'm a left-wing lesbian)

[milkbreadtoast]

idk how i want to draw him yet and not ready to make a srs attempt but here's a bad kdj phone doodle lol🚶🏻

[secriden]

Warning: this post contains a depiction of BDSM and the way power-play can and often does work on multiple levels and how in a healthy dynamic the sub ultimately has the final say and true control.

Bonus:

[eph000000000]

If it's not too much of a hassle, what kind of new years resolutions would the Lost Light crew have?

[t-5secondsart]

now that the "what sage would the lu boys be" polls are over, i thought it would be fun to draw the chain as the ancient sages from totk!

[choccy-milky]

I've been wanting to paint Clora for a while but was brain empty 😣

Then I saw this dress set and HAD to put her in some version of it 🥰🥰🥰

I've been banned from buying more clothes for the rest of the year so let me live vicariously through her (but also I'm not a ravenclaw) also also I hope that link I embedded works

OH MY GOD MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ME🎅🎅🎅🎁🎁 WHAT THE FUCK!!!!!! the way i clicked on my inbox and then got JUMPSCARED (IN A GOOD WAY) BY THIS!!! im serious the way my mouth popped open in shock and awe was so cartoonish LMAOO. like wdym FOR FREE??😭😭😭your art is so beautiful and you're such an amazing painter IM SO MINDBLOWN RN THAT I GET TO SEE CLORA DONE BY YOU SHE LOOKS AMAZING and in such a cute fit too🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️ i fear i shall never recover from this...found dead in my apartment and its kemiichis fault.....ILL STOP YAPPING NOW but srsly im HONOURED THANK YOU SO MUCHHHH🥹💖💖💖

[aroace-rizgukgak]

*goes up to a group of four friends* okay but which of each of you is teamwork, network, community and belonging?

[zivazivc]

~on the way back from a bountiful foraging trip~

There's so many good and yummy things fall brings, but my absolutely favorite thing are roasted chestnuts. Nothing beats burning your finger tips while impatiently peeling open hot chestnuts right off the wood burning stove. I have to wait a whole year just to have them a handful of times. Oh to be a tiny troll and dig into a chestnut as big as my head. 😋