(requests closed) Stanley x Narrator Oneshots - The Stanley Parable

"Stanley's Flower Shop"

(This is a fluff fic requested by @cupcakesaregreatyes and is a flower shop AU! Stanley is mute in this one. Hope you enjoy!)

It was a seemingly average day. The Narrator was taking a relaxing stroll downtown, with not a lot on his mind. Actually, that was a lie. He was busy thinking about his next story, but he just couldn't put his finger on the plot that he wanted. It had been bothering him for a long time, so he went on a walk to clear his mind, and to perhaps get some inspiration. As he walked, he passed by a shop he hadn't seen before. He paused to take a look, seeing some pretty colours in the window out of the corner of his eye. It was a new flower shop. He looked at the sign. "Stanley's Flower Shop". What a simple name, the Narrator thought as he looked at the little shop. But it was certainly effective, as the Narrator found himself strangely drawn to the new shop. He didn't have a need for any flowers, but nonetheless, he pushed the door open and went inside.

A bell that was attached to the door made a little dinging noise as he walked in, and it caught the attention of the man working at the counter. He looked over at his new customer and smiled, gesturing him to come further inside so they could talk. As the Narrator approached, he observed the man. He had a smile on his face, but other than that, he looked like your textbook average guy. However, the Narrator felt he was very approachable for some reason, so he went to talk to him. "Hello." The Narrator said. The worker looked at him and smiled again. His smile was warm and comforting to the Narrator. He found it very pleasant. It gave him a strange feeling in his heart, which he swiftly ignored. The man placed a note on the desk and gestured for the Narrator to read it. He looked down at the neat writing, which said:

"Hello and welcome to Stanley's Flower Shop! My name is Stanley. What's yours, and how can I help you?"

The Narrator paused. Judging by the note, and Stanley's lack of speech, he assumed Stanley wasn't a talking man. He smiled. That was alright with him. However, when it came to the question, he wasn't sure. He was too busy looking at the array of flowers... and perhaps he was a bit busy looking at Stanley, too. The flowers smelt very nice... and Stanley did, too... suddenly, he shook his head, cutting off his train of thoughts, and tried to focus on the conversation he was having. "O-oh, you can call me Narrator. I-I actually don't need any flowers right now... s-sorry, I just came to see what your shop was all about... it's very nice." The Narrator stammered. He wondered why there was such a hesitation in his own voice. What was happening? Why was he nervous? He tried to shake off these feelings, but it didn't work, so he felt it was best to leave the shop. Perhaps that would restore some normality to his suddenly racing heart. Stanley smiled and nodded, scribbling something down on a little piece of paper on the desk. It read:

"No problem! You seem very nice as well :D"

This note brought a sort of comfort the Narrator had never felt to his heart. It made him feel warm and cosy, just seeing the smile on Stanley's face as he showed him the note. He got a rush of happy emotions as the man complimented him. Agh, what was he thinking? He needed to leave. That was his objective. He quickly thanked Stanley, and speed-walked outside, attempting to clear his head. It was now clouded with the most random thoughts, the most random feelings.

The Narrator hurried home, to bring his focus back to his story. However, when he arrived home, he found he just couldn't stop thinking about the quaint little flower shop. The smell of the flowers, the Narrator thought. That was it. They were just some lovely flowers. That was all. In his mind he was panicking a little, but he attempted to keep composure as he began scribbling some thoughts for his story in a notebook he was keeping for ideas. However, all of them had to do with flowers, and... love. The Narrator slammed his notebook shut in frustration. He didn't understand. Why couldn't he stop thinking about that damned flower shop? He sighed and flopped onto his bed, unsure of what to do. He shut his eyes. He invited himself to take a nap, even though he was still in his daytime clothes. It was something he was used to doing.

A few hours later, the Narrator shot up from his bed. That was it. He had a dream about that flower shop. That worker at the shop, Stanley... the Narrator had some sort of "moment" when he saw him. His heart rate quickened as he thought about the man. Slowly, he got up from his bed. Perhaps I'll visit him again, the Narrator thought. Yes, that was it. Just one more visit. That'd clear his head, remind himself that this was absolutely nothing apart from him overreacting to the aromatic, sweet scent of the flowers. The sweet scent of Sta... agh. He needed to leave. He gave his hair a quick brush and headed outside, on the short walk to the flower shop.

When he arrived, things only got worse. Before he even reached the entrance to the flower shop, he spotted Stanley outside, watering some display flowers. It was a beautifully wide array of differently coloured roses. Stanley noticed him approaching and waved, that same, comforting smile on his face. The Narrator questioned if he could actually do this. His heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest, and he didn't even understand why! He took a deep breath. He could do this. He believed in himself. That is, until, he approached Stanley and realised he couldn't properly formulate a response. His body wasn't letting him speak, he was so nervous. All that came out was stutters and sighs. The Narrator wasn't one for being speechless, that's for sure. It was a new feeling to him, this overwhelming nervousness. He felt his face go a bit pink as Stanley stopped what he was doing, focused his attention to the man in front of him and tilted his head in confusion, as if to ask; "What is it?"

"Oh, u-um, I just... came to say hi!" The Narrator managed to say, through his overwhelming state of mind. Stanley smiled, signing "Hi!" back. The pair looked at each other for a moment. "So... um..." The Narrator aimlessly mumbled, trying to fill the awkward silent tension. Eventually, he took a deep breath and sighed, a little saddened. "You can go back to your work. I'll head home, I suppose." He muttered, and turned around to start walking home.

However, just when the Narrator was about to begin his short walk home, Stanley suddenly took him by the hand. The Narrator quickly turned around, confused. His face went red. "W-what is it?" The Narrator stammered. Stanley gently let go of the Narrator's hand, and took a red rose from the array of display flowers. A little smile and a small blush was on his face as he handed it to the Narrator, who's face went even redder than before. "W-what is this for?" He managed to utter, completely confused at the typically romantic gesture. Quickly, Stanley dashed inside the flower shop, and then ran back out with some paper and a pen. He quickly scribbled something on the piece of paper and then handed it to the Narrator. It read:

"You are really cute. Would you like to go out to dinner sometime?"

The Narrator's heart skipped what felt like a thousand beats. His face felt hotter than the Sun as he quickly nodded in response. "Y-yes, of course!" He cried. Stanley just smiled his usual warm, comforting smile, and placed a hand on the Narrator's cheek. The smell of flowers may have been slightly overwhelming, but this was something else entirely.

"I... I want to kiss you, Stanley..." The Narrator thought, but in actual fact, it had come out in a low whisper that Stanley had been able to hear. Stanley blushed and got a little closer, putting his other hand on the Narrator's other cheek. "W-wait, I didn't say that out loud, did I? Oh dear, I'm so sorry..." The Narrator apologised in a panic. He tried to pull away in embarrassment, but Stanley pulled him back, even closer than before. Their faces were almost touching by how close they were now. The Narrator felt the heat coming off Stanley's face as he looked into his eyes. He felt like he could get lost in them for hours, just by how beautiful he found them. In the heat of the moment, he realised that he couldn't hold back his true feelings any longer. "Stanley..." He whispered in a low voice. "...can I... kiss you...?"

Without hesitation, Stanley leaned in further, and their lips brushed against each other. The Narrator noticed how soft Stanley's lips were, and how gentle he was being. It made him feel at ease, as he slowly pressed his lips against Stanley's, relaxing into a kiss. While the Narrator didn't pride himself on having the best kissing ability (since he had never really kissed anyone before), this felt utterly perfect. He didn't care that they were right out on the street, and that people could see them. In this moment, it was just him and Stanley. His lips were like a pillow, so incredibly soft. He wanted to stay in the moment for eternity, but after what felt like only a few seconds, Stanley had pulled away. The pair looked at each other with pure love in their hearts.

This was the beginning of something truly beautiful. They could both feel it.