Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

"Stanley, I have something to show you! I've been working on this for quite a while now, and I think you'd enjoy it a lot."

Stanley took note of how excited the Narrator sounded, making him smile. They've been doing less runs lately, to instead spend more time together and give the Narrator time to work on things again. Stanley had greatly appreciated the breaks, enjoying spending time with his Narrator and getting to do things he wanted to do. So when the Narrator worked on his project, Stanley could read, or he could draw, or simply sleep however much he wanted. But it seemed now the Narrator had finished whatever he had been working on so carefully, and with how excited he sounded, Stanley was excited too.
He left his office as usual, just waiting for what his Narrator was going to tell him where to go. Without getting directions, Stanley merely continued, until he passed a door thinking he would get to more office, but turns out it was just a flat image. Confused, Stanley found himself in what looked like a maintenance room.

"All is right my dear! Come here through this vent- I'm quite sorry I couldn't make it a better entrance, but I promise you will love what I've made!"

Stanley chuckled softly at the Narrator's excited tone, able to imagine the entity vibrating in his seat. It was adorable, filling his heart with so much love, and so he truly couldn't mind having to crawl through a vent. He found it easily, getting down and starting to crawl through the slightly dusty space. Well, it looked dusty, but Stanley found it was completely clean. Of course it would be, he couldn't imagine the Narrator having any actually dirt in the Office. Misplaced papers, some coffee-stains maybe, but actual dirt and dust? It would surprise Stanley if he'd find any.
Reaching the end of the vent, Stanley came upon a small drop. He carefully shimmied out, landing on his feet, smoothing his hands over his clothes to straighten them again.

"There you are! I'm so excited to show you!"

Stanley was slightly startled as the Narrator's voice came from closer than normal, looking up to see his Narrator standing right there. Stanley was slightly baffled, looking around trying to see if the Narrator's office was nearby. He couldn't spot any doors though, so the only explanation was that the entity had come here before Stanley had. The thought of him crawling through the vent beforehand so he didn't have to with Stanley around was just as cute as his excitement was.
He let his mind open more again, as he usually did when he was near the Narrator physically, and walked over to him. With his subconscious thoughts reaching the Narrator, the entity wasn't startled at all when Stanley reached to grab his hand. Instead he smiled, eagerly squeezing Stanley's hand, before he began pulling Stanley towards the stone-arch in front of them, where a very bright light shone into the otherwise dark room.

"I call it… the Memory Zone!"

The Narrator proudly exclaimed as they walked through the arch, the light blinding Stanley at first, before his eyes adjusted to the light. Immediately his eyes grew wide, as his sight was filled with nature. Grassy hills, trees, flowers, a bright blue sky with clouds and the sun. A pathway leading to a triangular looking building, with some fencing and stones lining the path. Stanley could hear birds tweeting and the buzz of bugs, he could feel the gentle breeze of the wind, and the warmth of the sun on his skin. He turned to the Narrator, seeing the entity looking a lot less confident -almost shy, but hopeful, fiddling with his fingers.

[It's incredible!]

Stanley exclaimed, and the Narrator relaxed immediately, smiling happily. He gasped lightly when Stanley pulled him along this time, further away from the arch, excitedly looking around. It was incredible! Stanley couldn't believe how much work his Narrator had put into this place, and that just for him? He gingerly grabbed the Narrator's face to pull him into a kiss, before letting go of him and excitedly spinning around.
A happy laugh bubbled forth from Stanley's heart, the sound bright and happy and free. He was outside! In nature! Sure, it was still not real, but it was as real as it could get. And it was for him! The Narrator had made this all for him, with no ulterior motives, with no story to follow, with no endings to do! Well, probably at least, he hadn't let his Narrator explain the "Memory Zone" yet.
As he eagerly explored the vicinity -not straying too far from where the Narrator stood- he let his less-pressing questions float to his Narrator. He knew the entity would let him move and explore as much as he liked, but he probably had something to say as well, and he didn't need to wait for Stanley to be done marveling.

"I'm so very glad you're enjoying it! I've made this place to let us enjoy the outside, as much as I could replicate it. In the building, I've been storing all my favorite memories, so we could relive them together."

The Narrator explained, smiling as he listened to Stanley move around, the sound of his happy laughter making the Narrator feel warm and light. It was rare he got to hear Stanley's voice in any sort of way, but hearing his laughter made him feel wonderful. To know that Stanley was so happy, enjoyed this space that the Narrator had made. He gingerly held his hands against his chest, smiling brightly as he attempted tracking Stanley's location, though he highly doubted he could actually face him. He wasn't truly bothered, simply happy to know that Stanley was looking around and exploring.
The Narrator had made sure that there was a semi-large space for Stanley to move around in, and not just the path and the building, and that which laid beyond. This was supposed to be for them, and not the story, not the Office, and hopefully not the Parable either. He knew keeping the Parable out was a ridiculous thought, but at least it shouldn't do anything horrible here. Maybe force the game onto them here, so he'd have to create some sort of ending, but it should be fine.

[I love it Narry! This is- I don't have words! You've outdone yourself!]

Stanley bounded back over to the Narrator, eagerly grabbing both of his hands, squeezing them and swinging their hands a little. The Narrator giggled lightly, Stanley's happiness and excitement infectious. It made Stanley smile even more, seeing his Narrator happy as well, the cute yellow blush on his face. Stanley couldn't help but pull him close again, kissing his Narrator again. Slower this time, more gentle and loving, rather than the excited force of the first time. His Narrator relaxed into the kiss, happily squeezing Stanley's hands, filled with happiness and love.
When they parted, they were both smiling at each other, a gentle blush on both of their faces. Stanley was perfectly happy just staying right here, in the sun, not doing anything else. But he knew his Narrator had worked so hard on this place, and he was curious what sort of memories the Narrator may be storing here. It was for both of them after all, the outside and the inside.

So he gently urged the Narrator to walk with him, holding onto one of his hands as they began making their way towards the building. As they entered, Stanley curiously looked around. It seemed like a normal home, almost, with the way it was furnished. It had normal furniture like any other home would, though Stanley could see things that seemed to be on display as well. Curious, he began walking, gently leading his Narrator along -while he didn't know how familiar the Narrator was with the space, Stanley still made sure to let his subconscious thoughts reach his Narrator, so he wouldn't walk into anything.
What he found on display were pictures. Places inside the Office, sometimes replicas of items that he could find around. Most reminded him merely of the endings, though some places seemed a little random perhaps. Curious what it meant, he turned to look at his Narrator, hoping for an explanation. The displays were clearly for Stanley, seeing how the Narrator couldn't see.

"I sadly don't have any pictures that actually feature the events that happened, so the places themselves have to do. It's... a little embarrassing maybe. But they're to remind us of, well. Us."

The Narrator was blushing a deeper yellow colour, lightly scratching his cheek with a finger of his free hand. He was clearly embarrassed as he talked about it, but Stanley just smiled softly at him, nothing but love filling his being.

"The first time you directed a thought at me was at the first choice. I was so shocked when you told me "no" that I missed the trigger right after! Or the first time that we met, when Adven had led you to me instead of the story. There's ah. Also of course my office's couch; our first kiss..."

The Narrator's face was flushed yellow, making Stanley giggle softly. He gently pressed another kiss to his lips, caressing his cheek softly. It was horribly adorable how much the Narrator seemed to treasure these moments they've shared, how well he remembered them. Stanley's memory wasn't quite as good, though his life when he had first began being a person was hard to remember more so because he had just started to be a person, and not just because it was so long ago now. To know that the Narrator remembered and treasured those memories made him feel warm and fluttery inside.
The Narrator nuzzled lightly into Stanley's hand, relaxing as he closed his eyes. He looked so cute and content, enjoying simply being with Stanley. These were the moments that Stanley treasured the most -the sight of his Narrator being happy. It always filled him with such a light feeling, which he could only describe as love.

[I'm glad you're treasuring these moments as much as I do. Maybe we could take pictures of us in the future? If you're able to make a camera perhaps?]

Stanley suggested softly, all the while lovingly gazing at his Narrator. If he could take a picture right now, he would. Just so he could forever see his lovely Narrator, gentle and happy and content. He never wanted to see any other emotion on his Narrator's face, never again wanted to see him upset, or hurt. He hoped nothing would get between them again, no matter what the Parable would throw at them.

"That sounds like a splendid idea. I'll work on that next."

While the Narrator couldn't benefit from pictures, he knew he only had his memory to remember their precious moments together. He'd suggest a voice-recorder for Stanley, but he knew his Stanley barely spoke. Of course he was capable of speech, but the Narrator would never force him to use his voice if he didn't want to, or couldn't make himself. And it wasn't all bad, of course! The Narrator had an incredible memory, so he wouldn't be forgetting Stanley and his thoughts for a long time.
Maybe he could find a way to record what he heard through his headset, so he could have a recording of his Stanley's voice. But it wasn't a high priority for him right now.
Stanley slowly pulled away again, once more holding his Narrator's hand, to continue walking through the building. The Narrator told Stanley about every memory when they came upon another picture or item, many little moments of their time spend together. Some were more recent, some were about times Stanley could barely remember. There were only positive memories, though some of them reminded them of the bad as well. Because good followed the bad, and while it hurt to think of the bad things, it was eased by how they had worked through it, and where they were now.

[Is there more to see?]

Stanley questioned once they had gone through the entire building. There was already a lot here, all which he greatly loved seeing and experiencing! But he knew the Narrator liked to do a lot, even when he didn't have to, so he was merely curious. The Narrator was blushing again for some reason, Stanley noted, before he nodded a little. Stanley chuckled, giving his hand a gentle squeeze, reassurance flowing from Stanley's mind without pause. It was like it was second nature to him, to let his subconscious thoughts reach his Narrator, to reassure and comfort and love him.
The Narrator quietly tugged on Stanley's hand, guiding him to an entrance in the back of the building. Stanley hadn't thought much of it, as the door had been closed, but now he happily opened it to go outside with his Narrator. They were outside again, on a little plateau of sorts. There was a bench looking towards a large lake, another little building a little ways off, and Stanley spotted... a piano? The Narrator let go of Stanley's hand, carefully making his way over to said instrument.

"I'm not the best at this, but I've... made one more thing. Just for you."

The Narrator said softly, settling himself on the bench of the piano. Stanley watched him quietly, captivated, unaware that his Narrator could play an instrument. Had he learned just for Stanley? When had he taken the time to do that? Butterflies fluttered in Stanley's chest, watching his Narrator, excited as he watched with adoration. He had no clue what exactly the Narrator had made him, of course, but it was just for him.
The Narrator cleared his throat, before taking a deep breath, calming himself down. His fingers gently began playing on the piano, needing only a short moment before he found himself. Stanley listened with a gentle smile, until-

He sang. Stanley's breath caught in his throat as he listened to his Narrator sing, for him. He didn't know the language, though he sang with such feeling, gentle and loving, that it was hard for Stanley to care if he understood the words or not. He was captivated as he listened, his heart beating rapid in his chest, filled with so much love for the entity in front of him.
All for him. The Narrator had written this music and lyrics specifically for Stanley. Sure, he would know Stanley didn't understand the words, and maybe it was because he still liked to tease Stanley. But it was okay, because Stanley understood the meaning. There wasn't more text, as the Narrator slowly brought an end to the music as well, nervously fiddling with his scarf as he finished.

"I- I'm not done yet with it, but- I hope you liked it."

Stanley carefully made his way over to the Narrator, gently turning his face to look at him, before he kissed him. It was slow and gentle, and Stanley poured every ounce of his love and affection into it. He could feel the Narrator relax, his hands leaving his scarf to instead gently hold onto Stanley's hands, leaning into the kiss. When they parted, Stanley carefully sat himself next to the Narrator, gently nudging his shoulder.

[I loved it Narry. It was wonderful. It was- it was loving. I loved it.]

Stanley gently reassured, the Narrator relaxing as he leaned against Stanley. He gently pulled the Narrator closer to himself, pulling his love into his lap and gently cradling his head with one hand. The Narrator was blushing, but he happily nuzzled into Stanley's chest, wrapping his arms around Stanley's neck. He was happy, and he was content, so what more could he wish for? He only wanted to be with Stanley, for the rest of their eternity. No matter what troubles they may come upon, if any further viruses or bugs or glitches affected them, they would get through it, together.
The Narrator lightly raised his head again, moving a hand to find Stanley's face, so he could lean up and kiss him again. Stanley gently pressed back, their lips moving together like they were made for each other, like they had always belonged together. And maybe they were, or maybe they were simply lucky, that as the only two beings in the Parable, they could love one another.