Archive of Our Own ^beta

I’m so sorry. I’m so so sorry, Narrator . Stanley thought for the Narrator to hear. He was crying. Hard.

Please, just please come back. Stanley has been walking through the vast desert for a few minutes, after he escaped the horrible skip button room.

He kept searching though. And searching and searching and searching. He eventually found the room with the skip button in it after a while.

He never did find the narrator before the game restarted itself.

Stanley was disorientated as he spawned in his office. He went from crying to a neutral face. That’s what happens, his body resets along with the game. That’s how the resets work.

Is the narrator still here? Oh god what if the narrator isn’t here? He thought quietly to himself. He willed himself to get up from his chair, to get up and leave his office. To see if the narrator was still there, still present.

“All of his coworkers were gone, what could it mean? Stanley decided to go to the meeting room; perhaps he had sim-”

A sob cut off the narrator.

Oh gods, Narrator, you have no idea how good it is to hear your voice. Stanley…whispered thought? How does that work? I have no clue. Moving along, he collapsed onto the ground, and sobbed. He was an ugly crier.

“Stanley? Stanley are you alright?!” The narrator said frantically. 

Does he look okay to you? No, no I’m not He’s cried enough to probably fill a whole bucket. Speaking of buckets…he should probably get up to grab the bucket. And he does, very slowly.

“Stanley I don’t think it’s a wise choice to get up after you collapsed.” The narrator supplied usefully.

Too bad. He finally gets up. He gets up and gets outside to the next room. Leaning against the wall. He’s trying not to remember. Really he is! But every time he thinks of the button the tears come back tenfold. Right as he thinks he’s gotten control of his emotions.

“Stanley…what happened? Has your mental state collapsed? I can’t help you there…I’m not too good with that.” The Narrator was speaking softly, as if he was talking to a caged animal. Normally Stanley would be mad at him because of that but he was too relieved, and too scared. Normally The Narrator doesn’t say things like that with the tone he used. As much as he says that he hates Stanley, he does care. A lot.

Stanley managed to get the bucket. Right as he touched it, he felt…more joyed. Less negative emotions. But of course they were still present. He then sat down and just held the bucket against his chest for a few moments. Until a voice spoke up.

“Stanley…what happened? Are you okay? Do you need to take a break? Work with me here.” He sighed at the end.

Do you remember anything about steam or a button, perhaps? It shocks Stanley that he can even think about the button without breaking down now. The bucket does wonders. 

Theres a moment of silence, “No, I do not. Did you do an ending where I don’t remember it?”

At least you figured it out. 

“Could you perhaps, tell me what happened? My curiosity is killing me!” He asked.

I don’t think you’ll want to know. I’ll just say you suffered for eons

“Oh…thats not a very fun sounding ending. Is it?” He said with a light chuckle at the end.

No, no it’s not

Some more silence.

Can I go to the broom closet?

“Why are you asking me? Your the one who can make the choices!” So thats a yes, he goes and does just that. He opens the door and he feels at peace. 

Narrator, could you tell a story?

“Oh I supposed I could..” There a sound of rustling papers. “There once was a man named Stanley…”

By the end of it, he was out like a light. “Good night, Stanley.”

--------------------------------------------------

“Ah! And the boy awakens! Welcome back.” That narrator sounds excited for some reason.

Stanley blinks some more to take in his surrounds. He’s in the broom closet. That explains why his back is hurting like a bi-

“Hey keep it pg! We don’t want to scare away the audience!” Wha- Alright then.

After a bit, he gets out of the broom closet. With a death grip on the bucket. And he goes to the start,

Can you open the doors so I can go to the two doors?

After a moment a voice replies, “Mhm. Hurry along now! Oh this is going to be the perfect place!!” The last part was a whisper, but it was still caught by the microphone. 

Whats going to be the perfect-

“Ah, nothing! Nothing at all Stanley!” Narrator’s being a little sus.

But Stanley dismisses that and goes the set of two door. But once he turns around to face them, they’re both closed. Stanley is too focused on this to hear the door opening.

Hey I kind of need the doors open? You know, like how you intended it?

“Ah yes, I suppose that is quiet the problem, isn’t it?” The narrator says. But his voice isn’t everywhere. It’s only behind him. 

Stanley quickly turns around, and he’s faced with a tall guy. He has brown hair with some gold mixed in. And he’s in a dark brown blazer, with a gold tie. His eyes also look like they glow..glow with electricity.

“Didn’t your parents tell you it’s not nice to stare at people?” He snapped, although he was blushing from embarrassment.

Narrator!?

“Yes, it’s me. Do I look weird? Oh please don’t tell me I went through all this trouble and my human appearance looks weird.” He whined.

Yeah..you look pretty bad not going to lie

“Stanley! Do I really?!” 

No you don’t. Theres a sigh. Why are you here and since when did you have a physical appearance? 

Narrator walks through the door and closes it. He leans his back against the wall. “Well you kept mumbling ‘never again, button, skip, and narrator’ but you said ‘never again’ and ‘narrator’ the most. So I decided, ‘Hmm, how about I surprise Stanley with seeing me in a physical form no I do not actually have a physical form. Hey maybe that’ll cheer him up” He started talking faster, words heavy with nervousness.

Huh.

“‘Huh’, is that all you have to say?” He ended it with a scoff.

Be quiet!

After a moment, the two just look at each other. Then Stanley drops the bucket and gives the narrator a hug. Overwhelmed with his emotions without the bucket masking them, he started crying. 

“I-i, what- uh- uhm” It’s funny to see the Narrator stumble over his words

“it’s going to be alright? The ending you did, I don’t remember it. And we aren’t there anymore? Stanley why did you have to put me on this spot like this?” He groaned.

Hey I haven’t had human contact in eons, let me at least have this!

“Fine, fine I suppose.” Narrator wraps his arms Stanley and they stay like that for a while.

It was nice. It was peaceful.

Hey, how about we both go do some endings? You can continue your whole narrating thing, but cmon lets do it together.

The narrator thinks for a moment, “Yeah, if it helps you, lets go do that. Friends are supposed to help each other out after all. Plus, I feel like it would be fun. Playing my own story. With the protagonist? I have a suspicion it’s going to be fun”

It will be! Come on lets go!

“You don’t have to drag me!”

There was a smile on both of their lips. It was bright.

They both were happy for the time being.