Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

[What’s waiting for me outside of this?]

The Narrator remembered when Stanley first asked him this.

It had been the tenth reset ever, and Stanley wasn’t quite the Stanley he was now - he was still trying his damnedest to get out of the Parable and was still finding new secrets to the office that the Narrator had made to sort of placate him.

Stanley had been sitting in the employee lounge when he asked. [Narrator-voice-thing, what exactly is waiting for me outside of the game?]

The Narrator had gone quiet for a moment. In all honesty, that was the one question the Narrator had really hoped Stanley would never ask him, because it was the one thing he couldn’t say for certainty that he knew. “...why are you asking?”

[Well, once I get out of here, I want to know who or what is out there. Do I have a wife? Kids? Friends?]

The Narrator rolled his eyes, though it wasn’t like Stanley could see. “Stanley, you honestly think-” He cut himself off with a sigh. He couldn’t be that mean to the poor office worker, not yet. “What do you think is waiting for you “out there”?”

Stanley glared at the ceiling. [Well there’s no need to mock me, you pompous-]

“Woah, woah, I mean it! Who, or what, do you honestly hope is waiting for you in the real world?”

The brunet hesitated. Was the voice just making fun of him? [Well, I hope I… I hope I’m at least not hated at the office. I imagine I spend a lot of time here, I hope I get along okay with my coworkers.]

The Narrator hummed. “Any children?”

Stanley vigorously shook his head. [God no, I couldn’t handle that.]

The Narrator burst out laughing, a loud noise that filled the office. Stanley smiled apprehensively.

The Narrator sighed. “Ah, you’re very funny, Stanley. Anything else?”

Stanley considered. Well-liked, childless… [I think that’s good.]

The Narrator thought. “...Stanley, I don’t know that I can tell you what is actually out there.”

[What?!]

“Hang on, let me finish! I can’t tell you what is actually out there. But… I can tell you what might be out there, if you’d like.”

[...] Stanley thought for a moment. [I… suppose that’s better than nothing.]

“Alright.” Papers rustled as Stanley looked up at the ceiling expectantly. 

The Narrator cleared his throat. “This is the story of a man named Stanley. Stanley worked at an office as Employee 427, and-”

[This seems awfully familiar.] Stanley noted, resting his face on his hand.

“Give me a second to get to it!” The Narrator snapped, with no real malice in his voice. He sighed. “Where was I…? Oh, yes! Stanley worked in office 427. He pushed buttons into his computer everyday, and he enjoyed his job. Of course, Stanley didn’t just spend all his day in that little office. He also had some friends at work. Their names… well, their names weren’t important. But at the office they were known as Employee 451, Employee 403, and Employee 432.”

As the Narrator spoke, he kept a close eye on Stanley - while the man in the office didn’t seem to like the Narrator that much, the Narrator supposed he had developed a soft spot for Stanley and he wanted the story to be at least as fun for the brunet as it was important to the voice.

Stanley, thankfully, seemed to be enjoying the story. He was smiling, at least.

The Narrator continued. “451, 403, and 432 were good friends of Stanley’s. They hung out often outside of work, sometimes at one of their houses, sometimes at Stanley’s apartment - never for long though, Stanley needed some alone time, after all. Stanley lived in that apartment by himself.”

Stanley’s expression wasn’t one that the Narrator recognized - it was almost sad or forlorn - but the Narrator decided not to point it out. Beside, he was on a roll with the storytelling and he couldn’t break his rhythm! But it wasn’t like he couldn’t try to make him feel better.

“Well, not entirely by himself. Stanley had a pet, a dog. This dog was a yellow-ish color, and its name was Adventure.”

Stanley smiled to himself. [A dog, huh…?]

“Mhm, and it is adorable.”

Stanley nodded.

“Stanley’s life was quiet, quaint. It was monotonous, but routine was one of Stanley’s favorite things. He liked being able to rely on things to be the same. It was a good life. He was happy.”

The Narrator checked on Stanley, who was deep in thought. “Stanley?”

Stanley jumped and sighed. [Sorry.]

“What are you thinking about?” The Narrator’s voice sounded laced with concern, though Stanley decided he was imagining it. 

[Eh, it’s nothing. Uh, let’s get on with the story, yeah?]

The Narrator was surprised. “Oh, um, alright. Uh… ah, yes. ‘Eager to get back to business, Stanley took the first open door on his left.’”

Chapter Text

Stanley hadn’t brought up the outside world again after that, and the Narrator was perfectly content to keep it that way. The Parable had been through hundreds of thousands of resets since then, and things had been good for the two of them - the Narrator had even shown Stanley his physical form! Why would either of them need to leave?

Unfortunately, Stanley was always a curious man, and he was liable to get bored. 

And get bored he did.

Stanley, who was sitting at one of the vacant cubical’s chairs, looked up at the ceiling. [Hey Narrator?]

“Yes?” The Narrator glanced down into the office.

[Come down here.]

“Alright, one moment.”

Stanley heard the Narrator’s chair move and then nothing. Even now, having seen the Narrator so many times before, Stanley was excited to see him. The Narrator’s form was the greatest thing Stanley had seen, and it seemed almost ever-changing. The form was huge, first and foremost - it towered over Stanley when it stood at full height. He was semi-corporeal and could melt into the walls and floors at will. He looked a lot like night sky texture in a video game, save for the suit his form wore - a plain black suit with a yellow tie. And then there was his eyes, God-

Stanley could hear the Narrator approaching and sat up straighter, smoothing down his permanently ironed down shirt.

The Narrator made his way through the open doorway. “Ah, hello Stanley.”

Stanley smiled and waved. [Hello, Narrator.]

“I believe you had something to ask me?”

Stanley nodded and took a breath to steel his nerves. [Do you remember our first few runs through the game together?]

The Narrator’s eyes narrowed and he nodded. “Yes, of course.”

[So, you remember… you remember what I asked you?]

The Narrator seemed confused. “What you asked…?” His eyes widened and turned a pale blue. “...yes, I do.”

Stanley, realizing the Narrator was getting upset, quickly tried to explain. [Don’t- uh, don’t be upset, I don’t- I don’t want to leave still, I do like it here, I promise!]

The Narrator waved his hand, his eyes returning to their normal bright green. “No, no, it’s alright.”

Stanley sighed. [I mean… I really don’t want to leave. I just… I just want to know what my life might have been like before? If you happen to have learned that between then and now?]

The Narrator looked at Stanley for a few moments. “...Stanley, I honestly have no idea. When I created the Parable, I was told I’d get someone who deserved to be in here with me. I know nothing of what your life was before you were put in here, I’m sorry. You deserve to know, but I can’t provide that knowledge to you.”

Stanley thought for a few seconds. [...you were told? By who?]

“Hm? Oh, ah, one of the… Higher ranking beings on my side of existence. She actually pops in from time to time-”

[She? She who?] Stanley perked up. [What does she do?]

The Narrator blinked. “I don’t quite know, actually. I think she runs a museum-”

Stanley bolted past the giant and out the door. [I’ve got an idea!]

“Wha- Stanley, come back here! Oh, what am I saying-” The Narrator melded with the wall and followed him.

Stanley hurried through the meeting room, up the stairs, and through the Boss’s Office. He stopped at the elevator down. [Hurry up!]

The Narrator reformed in front of Stanley. “Pardon?”

Stanley sighed. [Get in the elevator, please.]

The Narrator blinked and got into the elevator, making himself smaller so Stanley could fit in beside him.

Stanley did just that and pressed the button, and down the two went.

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Stanley fiddled with the hem of his shirt, clearly anxious.

“Stanley, may I ask you something?”

The button pusher nodded.

“Why are you so… insistent on knowing this? Why now of all times?”

[That’s two things,] Stanley pointed out.

The Narrator was not amused.

[Okay, okay. I… I just think now is a good time. I think if I had been any more comfortable in this… this place, I would never have wanted to learn about who I used to be. And… and if I just kept pestering you about it back when I first asked, you just would have been more insistent on not telling me. It would have been a horrible little cycle that neither of us would have wanted.]

“Okay, that answers the second question… but why are you so set on-”

[Because I have to know!] Stanley snapped. [I have to know what I’m leaving behind, if I’m even leaving anything behind by not trying to leave this damn office!]

The Narrator held his hands up. “Woah, woah, I was just asking.”

Stanley took a deep breath and wrung his hands. [...I know, I know. I just… I want to know if I was anything before I was, you know…] He motioned to himself. [This.]

“...what if there isn’t anything…? For you to go back to, I mean.”

Stanley thought and lifted his hands to respond. The elevator hit the ground and jostled the two.

“...I suppose this is our stop then?”

Stanley looked up at the Narrator, grinning. [Not quite yet.]

Chapter Text

Stanley and the Narrator walked down the dark hallway together.

“Ugh, I hate this. I feel like I’m going to be set on fire by one of those sparking wires.”

[How do you think I feel every time I go down here?] Stanley joked, making the Narrator chuckle. [Oh! Down here, come on!]

Stanley grabbed the Narrator’s hand and dragged him, not into the entrance to the Monitor Room, but down the hallway to the left.

“Stanley, I don’t think this is a good idea-”

[Just get on the lift, trust me.] Stanley nodded his head toward the dark doorway.

The Narrator frowned but walked through the doorway, keeping it from moving until Stanley was standing beside him.

The platform began moving and the two stood in silence - Stanley out of excitement, and the Narrator out of fear of what waited at the end of the line.

Soon, the two of them could see the crushing machine. The Narrator tensed up. “Stanley, please reset. I’d rather not have this form be destroyed, I rather like this-”

[Shh.] Stanley stared straight ahead, waiting for… something.

The Narrator watched as they approached the machine. He grimaced. “Stanley…”

Stanley looked at the Narrator. [Trust. Me.]

Finally, they were in the middle of the machine. The Narrator looked one last time at Stanley, who looked determined as ever.

Just as the machine began moving the slabs closer to crush the two, a woman’s voice filled the room, halting the machine’s movement. “Stop, stop!”

Stanley grinned. [Hello!]

The Narrator blinked. “Curator? Is that you?”

“Narrator?” The woman, the Curator, sounded just as confused. “What are you doing down there?”

“Oh, uh-”

[Wait wait, before you get mad, can you help me?]

The Curator hummed. “Help with what? I think stopping the machine that almost killed you both is quite a bit of help already.”

[A giant birdy told me you know… what I was before I was put in here. In this Parable.]

“Oh wow, who could have told you that?” The Curator’s voice was full of disapproval.

The Narrator huffed. “Don’t chastise me, he asked!”

“Well, he was correct of course. I do know what your life was like before the Parable.”

Stanley grinned. [That’s great! Tell me!]

“No.”

The Narrator and Stanley blinked. [What?]

“You heard me. No.”

“Can I ask why?” The Narrator asked.

“You cannot.”

[Can I?]

The Curator thought for a second. “Alright, since you asked so politely.”

“Hey!” The Narrator crossed his arms as Stanley quickly flashed him a shit-eating grin.

“Stanley, you don’t need to know. Nothing remains of that life anymore.”

[What?] Stanley’s face dropped. [What do you mean? What happened?]

“Ah, to put it simply, something went wrong with some artificial intelligence, it poisoned just about all of the employees and their families at a… I believe the term is “Bring Your Daughter to Work Day”?”

Stanley felt sick.

“Anyways, all of your friends and colleagues are dead. You were selected to be put in the Parable to protect you from the neurotoxin.”

The Narrator stared at Stanley, who was now staring at the floor.

[Are you… are you lying to me?]

The Curator scoffed. “What do I get out of causing you pain, Stanley? What is my benefit in making you suffer? I’m not lying to you - there is nothing left for you in the real world, even if you could get out.”

Stanley swallowed thickly. [Alright… thank you.]

The Curator sighed. “I’m sorry, perhaps I shouldn’t have been so blunt-”

“You think?” The Narrator muttered. 

“Don’t get short with me, Narrator,” the Curator warned.

The Narrator rolled his eyes.

Stanley nodded and looked at the Narrator. [Sorry for dragging you along just to hear all… that.]

“It’s fine Stanley. I’m sorry I didn’t know, I’m sure I could have told you in a much nicer manner.”

Stanley smiled faintly and sighed, shutting his eyes and restarting the game.

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“This is the story of a man named Stanley.”