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‘’ All of his co-workers were gone. What could it mean? ,,
The Narrator droned on and on, the same usual script that Stanley was sure they’d repeated hundreds and hundreds of times by now— to the point he doubted why the being even bothered keeping a physical copy of it in the first place.
Although,, technically he didn’t know for sure that the Narrator kept a physical copy of their script, but he’d hear papers rustling every once and awhile from their end. So he’d assumed.
What else could he do? His Narrator was constantly out of his reach. He’d not laid eyes on the man once despite having known them for what felt like— and honestly might’ve been— eons at this point.
That couldn’t be fair, could it? The fact that the Narrator knew practically everything about Stanley and could observe him all they wished whenever they’d like, and— hell, they could even read Stanley’s thoughts if they so desired!
And yet Stanley had never even been graced by seeing their face before? Not even once?
Well, that just wouldn’t do!
‘’ Stanley decided to go to the meeting room, perhaps he had simply missed a memo. ,,
Stanley stayed in place, stubbornly leaning back in his office chair, hoping to get the message across to his Narrator that he wasn’t so intent on listening during this round of their game.
‘’ Oh, Stanley, don’t tell me you’re going to annoy me again by ruining my perfectly crafted Parable— do you truly get this much enjoyment out of hearing me antsy? ,, The Narrator sighed, their tone impatient.
[ Narrator. ]
‘’ Yes, Stanley? What is it that you’ve decided to interrupt my Magnum Opus for, what is so important to you? ,, Sarcasm coated their voice thickly.
[ Do you have a body? ]
‘’ I— What? ,, The Narrator stumbled on their words, caught off guard by the sudden question. ‘’ You’ve never showed interest in my form before, Stanley, why are you suddenly deciding to be so invasive? How would me having a body benefit you in the slightest? What, are you hoping to break my nose as vengeance for me gracing you with my divine creation? ,,
[ So preachy, aren’t you? I might break your nose soon if you don’t stop rambling and let me answer your question. ]
That got the Narrator to shut up, listening intently. Stanley grinned smugly.
[ I mean, don’t you think it’s kind of unfair? You know me in and out, but you’re so secretive over yourself! If you’re going to keep me trapped here in this story of yours, you’d surely want to keep it interesting for me. Playing the game with someone else would make it much more fun! Who knows, maybe the message might sink in better too. It’ll be like a fresh experience— I can see your game from a new point of view. ]
..Stanley truly didn’t mean most of what he just said, but he tried to cater towards what would best convince the Narrator as much as possible. If he was honest, he was just insanely bored of doing the same things over and over again. This was something new, he’d cling onto it as hard as he could.
Curiosity killed the cat, after all.
The Narrator paused, seemingly thinking what he’d said over for a moment, before Stanley could hear the clicking of a keyboard and mouse, as well as papers shuffling about on a hard surface.
‘’ Ah, I suppose I’d never thought of it that way, if I’m honest.. The Parable isn’t exactly designed to be a multiplayer experience— but if it would be beneficial to you, Stanley, as my protagonist— I’m sure I can alter a few things and try to satiate your desires. ,,
Stanley inwardly celebrated his small victory. He didn’t get enough of those nowadays.
__________________________________________________________
Stanley had been waiting in the breakroom for over thirty minutes at this point, just as his Narrator had instructed him to do some time prior. He was tired of sitting about in anticipation. Couldn’t the Narrator hurry with whatever they needed to do? Pouting as he stared up at the ceiling, laying on a mildly uncomfortable office couch, he tried to telepathically slap the Narrator.
Unsurprisingly, it didn’t work.
Although what \was\ surprising was the sound of footsteps approaching. Jumping up from the couch and standing, frozen in place, he waited intently— heart pounding in his ears.
Was the wait finally over?
The door opened cautiously, revealing a man who appeared to be in their thirties or forties. They had a warm complexion with dusty brown graying locks, neatly combed and well kept. They wore a turtleneck along with a suit vest and professional dress shoes. Their tie was an obnoxious bright yellow, matching their almost inhuman eyes, and shaped like an arrow at the end. A thick pair of glasses sat on the brim of their noes, with golden chains adorning them. Their face was lightly speckled with freckles, and their figure was a bit broader then Stanley’s, but still with a noticeably small (—and hold-able) waist. Stanley noted the slight height difference between them, with the man being a bit shorter.
This was his Narrator.
‘’ Stanley! It’s so good to see you in person— it’s a lot different to when I’m just watching you on those monitors. ,, The Narrator smiled, taking in Stanley’s appearance, although they were still visibly nervous— their hands fidgeting idly.
Stanley rushed to them, practically bouncing with excitement, and tackled them into a sloppy hug.
This was the man he’d known for so long.
The Narrator flinched slightly as Stanley made contact with them, but did their best to play it off, hugging Stanley back with a rather.. wary approach.
Stanley pulled back, finding himself lost in the nearly glowing eyes of his long-time frenemy.
[ I didn’t expect you to be so short. ] He signed, an amused smile tugging at his lips.
‘’ I– well– You– Stanley, you can’t just insult someone’s height like that! ,, The Narrator stumbled over their words, looking away from Stanley as red coated their cheeks, physical evidence of their embarrassment.
Stanley chuckled, finding the reaction of his counterpart adorable, replaying the moment of their first physical interaction in his mind.
Wait, what?
‘ The Narrator flinched slightly as Stanley made contact with them, but did their best to play it off, hugging Stanley back with a rather.. wary appro— ‘
His Narrator —flinched?—
Were they injured? Or had Stanley been to rough with them? Were they really that sensitive? Maybe it was sensory issues— or had..
Had someone hurt them before?
A serious look appeared on Stanley’s face as he tried to connect the puzzle pieces together in his mind.
The Narrator, taking notice of this, raised an eyebrow— silently questioning the other man’s change in tone.
[ Narrator. ]
‘’ You say my name like I’ve committed a crime, ,, The Narrator acted offended, but fondness seeped into their voice. An attempt at lightening the mood, possibly?
[ When I hugged you, you jerked back like it— ] Stanley’s hand movement’s faltered for a moment, before he continued, [ like it hurt you. Why? ]
The Narrator’s eyes widened, as if they were a deer in the headlights, before they quickly averted eye contact– tugging on their tie lightly.
‘’ I– I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about, Stanley. You must be mistaken, or misremembering things– yes, yes, I remember reading about that phenomenon in a book once, pseudo-memories’? Perhaps you should lie down, the fumes of that bucket must finally be getting to yo— ,,
[ Narrator. Stop. ]
Stanley squinted at them, seeing the way their frame ever so slightly shook.
[ You’re avoiding the question. Tell me, why did you flinch like that? I didn’t hurt you, did I? I mean, I know I’m pretty damn strong– not to brag or anything– but I don’t think I tackled you that aggressively, did I? ]
The Narrator remained silent.
[ Narrator, talk to me. ]
Stanley took a slow step towards them, not wanting to scare them off, then another, and another, and another. Reaching out, he gently put a hand on their upper arm, in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. However, he wasn’t prepared for the response he’d get in return.
The Narrator flinched, hard, as soon as Stanley’s hand made contact with their limb. Their eyes widened in what appeared to be fear, and they sucked in a harsh breath, now cradling their arm close to their chest in a subconscious method to soothe the pain.
[ ..Narrator? ] Stanley’s brows knit together in concern. His Narrator’s arm, was it injured?
‘’ Stan– Stanley, I don’t– I really think I should get going now, I’ve– I think you’ve had your fair share of fun with this new idea, haven’t you? ,, The Narrator tried to conceal the way their voice shook, albeit poorly, and hurriedly made their way to the door of the room— fully preparing to run away from the situation and pretend it’d never happened.
Stanley would’ve signed, telling his Narrator that they didn’t need to go, but he didn’t have enough time to before they were already bolting towards the door.
No, no— Stanley had !Just! gotten to see the Narrator in person, and now they were already going to leave? After Stanley saw them flinch at his touch, fearful and hurt and shaking and—
He pinned them against the door before they could get out, panting due to the adrenaline rush, and looked down at his Narrator’s scared face.
[ You can’t leave so soon, I’ll get off of you, but promise not to leave, okay? Don’t take this from me. ] He removed one of his hands from the door to sign.
He could practically feel the Narrator’s heart beating out of their chest like this, so close to them, close enough to hold their figur—
‘’ Okay– Okay, just– please, ,, The Narrator’s voice was weak, beads of sweat collecting on their forehead.
Stanley backed up from the Narrator, giving them space. He watched them breathe in deeply for a moment, collecting their bearings, before they looked up at him expectantly.
[ Look, Narrator, I know it might be scary for you– and that’s okay– but.. you can’t just act like that and not give me some kind of explanation. If you’re hurt, let me help, I’m not going to judge you. ]
The Narrator bit at their lip for a moment, looking at the floor.
[ Narrator, please. ]
They took a step closer to Stanley, holding out their pinky to him.
Stanley would’ve teased them in any other circumstances,
but still, he wrapped his own pinky finger around theirs– nodding reassuringly.
‘’ You have to promise not to freak out, okay? I don’t– I won’t be able to handle it if you do. ,,
[ Promise. ] Why would Stanley freak out? Was it that bad? Just how long had the Narrator been hiding this from hi–
The Narrator took in a breath, anxiety filling them to the brim, before reaching for them sleeve and delicately pulling it up, and,
Oh.
Oh, Narrator..
It was more then \that bad.\
Their arm was covered in clean horizontal slits. The skin around them was red, and nearly all of them were fresh. Cuts, the word registered in Stanley’s mind.
The Narrator had been cutting themself.
‘’ When you hugged me, you brushed against my arm, and– .. ,, The Narrator’s tone wavered. They looked like they were on the brink of tears.
‘’ It hurt. ,, They mumbled, looking anywhere but at Stanley’s face.
[ Narry.. ]
[ Hey, come here, ] Stanley held out his arms, an open invitation.
The Narrator stared for a moment, seemingly contemplating. They eventually looked around, as if checking for anyone else— even though there’s \never\ anyone else— before anxiously shuffling to Stanley and wrapping their arms around his mid-section.
Stanley wrapped his arms around the Narrator in return, rubbing small circles into their back. He could no longer sign, as his hands were preoccupied, and so he instead resorted to speaking to the Narrator via his thoughts.
{ Shh, It’s okay.. I’ve got you. } He rested his head ontop of the Narrator’s.
‘’ You aren’t.. angry, with me? ,, The Narrator mumbled into Stanley’s chest.
{ No, no, of course not. Why would I be mad at you? }
‘’ Because I.. humans aren’t– they aren’t supposed to hurt themselves, they aren’t supposed to seek out pain on \purpose\.. ,, The Narrator chokes back a dry sob, ‘’ It’s sick– I’m– I’m sick, Stanley. I’m sick in the head. I don’t know what’s– what’s wrong with me– ,,
{ Hey, hey, don’t beat yourself up like that. You hurt yourself like that because you’re hurting inside, don’t you? } Stanley shushed them, running his hand through their hair dotingly.
The Narrator merely nodded tiredly.
{ It’s okay, you won’t deal with it alone anymore. Promise. }
‘’ You’ve got a lot of promises to keep by now, don’t you? ,,
Stanley laughs, and the sound reverberates in the Narrator’s ears. They feel warmth fill them as Stanley holds them like this, blessing them with such gentle touches and pacifying words.
{ Tired, hm? } Stanley comments, feeling as the Narrator practically melted into his touch.
The Narrator nodded.
Stanley pulled away from their embrace, guiding the shorter male to the couch in the room, trying to ignore the way his heart swelled as they whined at the lack of contact.
{ My-my, rather needy too, aren’t you? } Stanley ruffled his Narrator’s hair, watching fondly as they leaned into the touch.
He laid down on the couch, pulling the Narrator with him, as he moved to spoon them from behind.
They sighed contently as Stanley ran his hands through their graying locks.
{ Sleep, Narry. }
‘’ Mm. ,,
He felt their breath even out over the course of the next few minutes, but even then he didn’t stop holding them or brushing through their hair gently.
The two have had their ups and downs, that was for sure, but at the end of the day— they were all they had. The only ones who could truly understand each other, and Stanley would be lying if he said his heart didn’t ache at the newly found knowledge he’d gained today.
He knew it would be alright though. Because they were together.
When they’d both woken up, Stanley would make sure to have a serious conversation with them about this. But right now /his/ Narrator needed him. They needed someone to treat them with care, to put the pieces of their cracking façade back together..
And Stanley was more then happy to give them exactly what they needed, whenever they needed it.