[A/N: Of all the "nsfw" there is out there for this… series? i hope that this one is different. I mean, i tried looking it up and didn't get anything :P So okay, I'LL write it.

The achievements aren't accurate, i know that. The quotes in the second and fourth parts are from the game, but i made up the stuff in part three. (how tf do i strike through or put a check mark help me)

TW/CW: office (setting, obv), noticing differences, curiosity, achievements, inability (to jump), trying to jump, amusement, determination, knocking on doors, lil bit of embarrassment, cattiness, following/instructions, running back and forth, having fun with a friend, um uh that one achievement, recovering breath, little celebrations, teasing, insistence, minor frustration, being niiiice, suggestive tones? appreciation, um kissing objects]

There weren't usually differences that Stanley could see anywhere in the office. He had looked plenty of times, but whenever he turned his head off of the path he decided to take this time around, the only real differences were where coffee mugs or papers were, or maybe one of the stills on the computer screens. Most of the stage was set once and never tampered with, like the meeting room. There were always the same words written on the whiteboards, the same reel flipping through, the same charts that showed nothing at all.

It was so dull. Stanley was happy with the job that he had before all of this. Now he was forced to relive this 'event' time and again. The lessons he would learn fell on deaf ears that heard the message loud and clear. "Choice!" Or "futility!" Or "death!" Or even sometimes "relationships" or "confusion," for some… reason… He stopped trying to understand why he was being put through all of this. His first runthrough turned out to be as insignificant as his tenth, as insignificant as his hundredth, as insignificant as this one is, as insignificant as his millionth will be, as insignificant as his billionth would be, if he ever got there. He couldn't tell if time was even working, so he may well have already passed that threshold. Who could tell??? Not him, and certainly not the Narrator either.

Oh, the Narrator. What a… companion he was. Stanley didn't hate him. He didn't particularly like him: but seeing as he was the only other conscious thing around, he couldn't find a better word than "companion" for him. He told him what to do, and Stanley usually appreciated not having to make his own decisions, seeing as he never had to in this place. But he would get upset when Stanley chose to do something other than what he said. Sometimes it seemed like he found it amusing. Other times it almost definitely pissed him off, which Stanley found to be pretty funny. Rarely did he seem very bored with it. But having gone through this so many times made it hard to believe that a guy like the Narrator would still be incredibly enthralled with any aspect of these stories. He HAD to be bored out of his mind too.

One round Stanley decided to glance over at the whiteboards again. He immediately noticed that the words were different on it than they were the last time he was in the meeting room. He walked over to get a better look.

"Achievements:

First achievement /

Beat the game (you lost it) /

You can't jump (no seriously)

Commitment

Knock on door 430 five times

88888888

Test achievement please ignore

Unachievable

Go outside

SUPER go outside

Welcome back! / "

Stanley read over the list a few times. Three of them were checked as if completed, and he tried to understand. He thought back to when things were normal, but the only thing he could remember was one of his younger coworkers talking about achievements and trophies in the games they played. Stanley was never much of a gamer himself, and he thought that being so intrigued with something so insignificant was kind of useless. Now he thought about these resets he's been going through, and quickly found that most of the things he had been doing during any one of them were just as meaningless.

He looked at the board again. Come to think about it, these words did seem to relate to some of the things that have happened during this 'event.' He had beaten the game: Narrator's game, or the one he intended him to beat, anyway. Which would also check off the "first achievement" as well, which made enough sense. "Welcome back" may very well just be referring to restarting these cycles, but he wasn't too sure.

He read over one of them a few times. "You can't jump." He thought it was silly. Of course he could jump! He scoffed and looked down at his feet. 'I'll show them i can't jump!' He willed himself to jump and… could not. He thought it was peculiar. He put more effort into it this time: he bent his knees and released the tension, flowing potential energy up his legs and his spine until his head went a few centimeters straight… nowhere. Because he hadn't jumped. Hmm…

He breathed in and readied himself again. He dipped down lower to create a better buildup so that this attempt would really show this whiteboard who can and can't jump. Stanley forced himself up with all of the strength he could muster in the muscles of his legs, knowing that kicking off of the ground like this will really get him some hang time. Up and up he rose as his legs straightened out, and he could really really feel himself hitting some new centimeters above his head as his feet finally…

Stayed firmly planted on the ground. Not a single millimeters did they come up off of the floor. It was as if they were glued to the very spot, and that Stanley may never again be able to leave here. He lifted up one of his feet and looked at the bottom of his shoe. There was nothing there. He swapped his feet around and saw that his other shoe was just as clear. He thought it was strange. He shook his head and looked back up at the whiteboard, and to his utter surprise, the phrase "you can't jump" now had a check mark next to it.

Huh! 'I guess i can't jump. But i can get an achievement for it!!' Stanley smiled wide. If he was able to get this achievement, then he was surely able to get all of them. He read through the list again, trying to find the next easiest one. "Go outside" seemed simple enough: he'd been outside when he finished the game. But if that didn't count as going outside; which he could completely believe, as the 'outside' that he had seen then was more manufactured looking than anything in the office was; then that one probably wouldn't be as easy to get as he hoped. "SUPER go outside" was probably harder, in that case. Maybe on that note, ignoring that one would check it off. He hoped so.

He wasn't even going to begin to postulate how to get "88888888" or the "Unachievable" one. This wasn't important enough for him to put so much effort into quite yet. Maybe if he got one of the other ones, then he would think a little harder, but he would cross that bridge when he came to it.

He decided on the one that he wanted next. It was a super easy choice, really. This one had the instructions in the title, for crying out loud! So that settled it for him: he was going to knock on a door. Really, in comparison with all of the other achievements listed, this one seemed incredibly easy. He made up his mind on it. But, he knew he would have to wait until the next reset to actually do it, as the doors had already closed behind him and he had no way of opening them. He shrugged at the whiteboard and carried on.

"He got up from his desk and stepped out of his office." Stanley was again set to begin a new reset. He stood still for a moment, trying to remember something that he knew he was supposed to. He looked around his desk to see if that would jog his memory, but had no luck. He waved his hand in exasperation and saw that there was something written on it. "Knock 430 5X." It was his handwriting, and he stared at it for a few seconds trying to decipher it. 'Oh! The door, the achievement!!' He smiled wide and jumped out the door.

"All of his coworkers were gone. What could it mean?" Door 430 was literally two doors away from his own, so he got there in a flash. He looked up at the number and read it over a couple times to make sure this was the right one. When he was confident, he lifted his right fist and knocked on the door.

The Narrator's voice boomed in around him, and he looked up as if he did something wrong. "Oh please. Are you really just doing this for the achievement???" He was caught red handed. "No no no no no. I can't give these merits away for such little effort! A measly five knocks?!" Narrator was astounded that he even tried.

"Now suppose you were to knock on the door twenty times. I would say that's the kind of effort that warrants recognition." It sounded like Narrator was willing to negotiate with him. Stanley was embarrassed that he had been caught trying to get a silly little achievement, but since Narrator was throwing him a bone on how to get it, he figured that he may as well play along. He lifted his fist again and tapped the door for a few seconds.

"Hmm." Stanley stopped knocking. "I have to say, i'm still not feeling the satisfaction of witnessing true effort for a noble cause." He sounded bored. Stanley knew he had to be: this achievement really meant nothing to either of them and would have no effect whether he attained it or not. Stanley idly reflected on the phrasing that Narrator used. He had such a way with words... What a pretentious jerk. "Perhaps fifty knocks will do it. Yes, almost certainly: fifty knocks."

Stanley breathed and considered this. 'I've already started, i may as well keep going.' He raised the back of his hand to the door with his index finger raised above the others. He rapidly rasped against the door, not keeping track at all how many times his knuckle actually touched the door.

He stopped when he heard the words. "No no no no, i'm still not feeling it. I want this achievement to have meant something! It has to be a true reward for valiant effort. I want to see some HUSTLE, Stanley! I want to see commitment! A willingness to go all the way no matter the cost." Wow. He really was a jerk. "Why don't you put twenty knocks onto door 417?"

Stanley rolled his eyes and huffed. He could see where this was going. 'Fine. Whatever.' He had to go that way anyway to continue this reset. He may as well do what Narrator was asking him to. He walked through the short hallway and the next office over and stood before the proper door. Stanley raised his hand again and knocked on the door.

"Oh! Great! Now go knock a few times on door 437." Narrator seemed happy with what Stanley was doing. He didn't usually have such a brightness in his tone. It made Stanley blink. He cocked his head, and retraced his steps to get back to his office.

He walked through the opened door and looked around. Door 437 had to be around here: this office was for employees 427 through 437. He read the numbers on all of the doors before him, but 437 wasn't here. He turned around, but there wasn't a 437 there either. He looked in the other direction, and sure enough, door 437 was right next to him. He huffed a laugh at himself and stepped up to the door with his fist raised.

Only a few knocks later did Narrator chime in again. "Excellent! I think we're getting somehwere!" Wow. Praise sounded kind of nice. Stanley grinned. "Now door 415: let's give it ten knocks or so!"

Stanley rushed over and rasped on the door exactly ten times. He excitedly looked up when he heard an equally excited voice say "now back to door number 437!"

Stanley ran over, now knowing exactly where the door was, and roughly knocked on it until Narrator spoke again. "Let's see. Why don't you knock on, well i don't know... The copy machine!" He jumped over to it and tapped on the plastic.

He smiled wide at the lively words. "Alright! Back to room 417! I'm really feeling it now, i think we're getting somewhere!" Stanley bolted off, encouraged by the way Narrator was playing with him. He tapped it a few times.

"Okay! Now go climb on Employee 419's desk!" Stanley grinned until he heard the request. He furrowed his brow at the odd choice, but he was animated enough to comply. He rounded the corner and found the right desk. He quickly examined that he could safely stand on it and stepped on a box of files that was on the floor next to it. He placed both feet on top of the desk and looked down, barely worrying if Empoyee 419 would mind that he did this. They didn't have to know.

"Yes!!! This is great! You're putting it all on the line, Stanley, i like that!!! Alright, let's keep it up!" He smiled wide and raised his fists in anticipation at the delighted way Narrator had responded to him jumping on a desk. He seemed really roused, and Stanley was more than happy to keep going along with what he wanted. They didn't often have times so playful and mischievous together, so it was becoming quite the fun rendevous. "Go give me a few knocks on door 416!"

Stanley hopped off the desk and hurried off to door 416, reaching out far in front of him to start knocking before he even got close to it.

"WE'VE ALMOST GOT IT!!!" Wow! What a thrill it was to hear Narrator shout like that! Stanley was very excited now. He wiggled anxiously as he waited for instruction. "NOW THE COPY MACHINE, DO THAT ONE AGAIN!!!" Stanley bolted as soon as he heard the word, almost running right past it because he was so electrified.

His hand barely connected to it before the heightened words erupted out. "FINISH IT OFF, STANLEY!!! FIVE KNOCKS ON DOOR FOUR-THREE-ZERO!!!" He didn't register the bound he took to get there, but he slammed his fist against the door five full, dense, meaningful times.

"YEEEESSSS!!!! WE DID IIIIT!!!!" WOW!!! What an incredible shot of endorphins it was to hear his companion be so overwhelmed with ecstasy and satisfaction that he could only sing out like that!!! Stanley yelped happily and danced in place, not caring at all that he wasn't actually hopping like how he wanted his body to. He smiled wide and laughed, greatly enjoying this rush with his partner.

"Oh wow. That felt amazing." It sounded almost like a contented sigh. "Whoo, you really earned it, Stanley. Nothing could hold you back. Yes, i'm very proud of how far we've come today." Stanley grinned and breathed heavily, only just realizing how much he exerted himself with all of the running back and forth. It felt great to have such hot, energized blood course through his veins, and he stood still for a minute to really let it sink in. He was sure that seeing that check mark next to the words on the whiteboard would never make him feel as good as he did right now. But he decided that he'd still have a look: in a couple minutes when he got over there, anyway. If it meant nothing else, at least they had this.

Stanley had mostly forgotten about the achievements that were still written on the whiteboard. The list had become the same background noise that it had once replaced. After a few more resets, Stanley didn't even turn his head to look at it.

But one reset, he spontaneously remembered it. He didn't know how he got there, but he knew that the end of that last reset was a particularly rough one. He hated hearing Narrator be as genuinely upset as he would get at that ending. He wasn't sure if it was something like Stockholm syndrome that he was suffering from, or whether he actually did care about Narrator now: or whether it was just that he wasn't an apathetic monster; but he wished he could do something to avoid that ending. Or maybe try to make it up to him. Perhaps that's why he remembered door 430.

Stanley carefully approached. He lifted his hand and tapped on it five times. "Oh please, Stanley, this again? You already have that achievement. Why are you bothering to try for it again when you already have it?"

Stanley quirked his eyebrow. He tilted his hand again and tapped the door something like twenty times. "Really, now, don't you have anything better to do? Surely knocking on a door isn't anything to get excited over."

Stanley smirked. His boredom sounded like a challenge. He quickly tapped on the door again a bunch of times.

"Is that how it's going to be? Well, suppose you're intending to get something out of this. Of course, you know i can't give you something for nothing. Why don't you go and see if door 417 will get you what you want." Stanley huffed and smiled slyly. Oh, he was going to get something out of this, and so was Narrator: whether he wanted it or not.

"You really can't expect THAT to get you anything. You know i'm going to need more from you than just a few knocks. Why don't you run yourself back over to door 437 and see how that treats you, hmm, Stanley???" Stanley grinned and huffed, loving how flirty Narrator was being with this.

"Hmm. It's still a little lacking. I think 415 could use a some attention. Go on, then." Stanley glared, but complied.

"Not baaad. I think you're FINALLY doing something, Stanley. Go knock on door 437 a couple more times for me, won't you?" Stanley smirked again, glad that this was doing ANYTHING for Narrator. He hurried over.

"That's it, Stanley! Really working for it! How about you go say 'hello' to the copy machine, huh?" Stanley put a hand on either side of it and slowly leaned his body against it. "Mmph, yeeesss, just like thaaat." Stanley grinned wide.

He heard Narrator barely gasp. "Ooohhh, go knock on door 417 again. I think we're getting somewhere now, my friend."

Stanley's heart pounded in his chest as he rushed over. A couple of knocks, and he knew what was next. "Very nice! Now how about-- oh! Eager, i see!!" He rumbled a sigh, and Stanley nearly screamed. "416. Knock on door 416!"

"Oh, yes Stanley!! Go back to the copy machine! The copy machine needs more from you. Hurry!" Stanley ran as fast as he could. He rubbed his hands sensually over the face of the machine. "A-ah! Y-yes! Just one more thing! Five knocks. D-door f-four-three-zero!"

Stanley lifted his fist and knocked once. He paused for a moment, and knocked firmly again. He heard Narrator whine, and he grinned wide. Another knock, and another pause. "Ah, S-St--" Knock. He waited. He hovered near the door: his knuckles so close that a sharp breath would connect them. "STANLEY!"

The last knock tore away a heavy, needy cry that Stanley would have never thought possible from Narrator. What was better was the gasping and the moaning that came after it. "Oh. Oooohhhh... Stanleeeyyy..." They both breathed deeply from the exertion. "Goodness, that was amazing. Oh, my, you've really outdone yourself this time, my friend. Well done." He sighed again.

Stanley knew it was a good idea to try this again. He didn't need some stupid achievement as incentive for this: now that he knew that THIS is what he would get out of knocking on a few doors, he was going to do it much more frequently. He leaned his head and chest against the door and continued to breathe himself down. He looked up at the numbers and softly grazed his fingers against the wood.

"Well. I hope you're satisfied. You got what you wanted, so now we can continue with the story. Go on, then, Stanley. We have work to do!"

Stanley huffed at the numbers. He scraped his nails against the wood and balled up his hand. He knocked on the door three times.

"Hhhhhhh. Hum. Alright. I guess there's no rush. You just let me know when you're ready to continue."

Stanley smirked mischievously. He didn't really care that sticking around was frustrating Narrator right now: he just wanted to let him know that he appreciated his presence. Stanley pet the door in little circles and gently kissed it for a few seconds. "Oh, Stanley..."

He never knew what decided whether or not he would pick up the "Reassurance Bucket." It seemed like he would randomly do it sometimes, and completely ignore it other times. Whenever he did take it, however, the Narrator always made note of it. "Ah, the embrace of an old friend. A weathered companionship that stands the test of time. The bucket made Stanley want to be a better man, and a better coworker. In time, perhaps he would become both of those things."

One thing about the Bucket was certain: this was a significant point for Narrator. Stanley couldn't make up his mind about their relationship. Most times it seemed like an excuse for Narrator to say something different. Sometimes it was just a bucket. On occassion it sounded like he was jealous of it, which was odd. Odder still was the times that Stanley could swear that Narrator was personifying himself as the Bucket. It wasn't uncomfortable, really: it was just a little weird. But Stanley couldn'd exactly judge, as he WAS the one that was carrying a bucket around.

Narrator's note about it this time sparked that thought in Stanley again. Could he feel something through this Bucket??? It was something that Stanley immediately needed to know, and he knew exactly how to test it. He turned on his heel and walked to door 430.

Stanley tapped the Bucket to the door five times. "Oh please. Now you're getting the Bucket involved in this? Well, certainly my standards are higher now that you've brought the Bucket into the situation. Five bucket touches is simply not enough. I think twenty bucket touches will mean something."

He did so, knowing it would not. "No. No, i don't believe that twenty bucket touches will do. Perhaps fifty bucket touches will merit something. Almost certainly, fifty bucket touches will do it." Stanley knew it would not, but his experiment had to continue.

Narrator spoke gently. "No no no no, i'm still not feeling it. I want this achievement to have meant something. It has to be a true reward for valiant effort. I want to see some hustle, Stanley. I want to see commitment. A willingness to go all the way no matter the cost." Stanley wondered what made his tone change. "Now I want to see you press this Bucket against multiple doors. Why don't you put twenty bucket touches into door 417?" Oh, maybe that was it.

"Okay, great. Now, go touch the Bucket on door 437 a few times." He sounded relaxed. For some reason, Stanley held the Bucket a bit tighter to his chest. He felt surprised by it, but he had to admit: that really did seem to comfort him. He thought it was curious, but continued to door 437.

"Yes. Now we're getting somewhere!" It was such a gentle purr. "How about door 415? Give it some... Bucket love." The sound rattled on Stanley's skull for a few seconds, and he felt his heart rush. He grinned wide and scampered over, enticed by this concept of 'Bucket love.'

"Now back to door 437." A soft command that certainly had to be followed. Stanley trotted like a loyal dog. "You know, i think the copy machine needs some attention. Why don't you... RUB the Bucket on it a bit." Oooh, how titilating! Stanley couldn't help but grin and bite his lip as he touched the Bucket to the machine and slowly ground the two together.

"Alright, back to room 417." Stanley was on his way. "I'm really feeling it now, i think we're getting somewhere!" Barely a tap. "Okay, now bring the Bucket on top of Employee 419's desk." Oh, sweet, thick syrup in his ears. He couldn't possibly disobey!

"Yes, this is great! Now the Bucket knows exactly what it's like to be Employee 419." Excellent, it sounded like Narrator was becoming tickled with his efforts. "Now, let's introduce it to door 416!" Stanley hurried over.

"We've almost got it!" He was already rushing back to his office. "Now make the Bucket and the copy machine touch again!!" Oh boy. If Narrator was the Bucket, then Stanley wished he could be the copy machine. He made their encounter gentle and intimate. He sighed at the way his heart pounded.

"Finish it off, Stanley!" Firm, but nice. "Five touches of the Bucket to door 430." He made sure that the full length of the side of the Bucket touched the door five whole times.

"Yes! We did it!" Narrator sighed more heartily than he spoke. "Wooow. That felt amazing." There was a smile in his voice, and Stanley reciprocated. "You know, not all buckets will get this kind of experience. They won't all know what it's like to slam repeatedly against nearly every door in one section of an office building." Ah. Stanley thought he was being gentle, but he supposed that he didn't know what 'gentle' really was for a bucket.

Narrator continued. "Or what it's like to be Employee 419. Buckets may dream of an experience like this, but few can say they've truly lived it. You've given a bucket hope today." Stanley decided that Narrator was just kind of weird. That was fine. He finished softly. "Stanley, i'm very proud of you."

Stanley's heart overflowed with fondness. It was stupid, he knew, to become emotional about a weird experience with a bucket, but it really wasn't about what he did here. It was just nice to hear such sincere words spoken to him. He smiled and sighed, holding the Bucket close to his chest. He cuddled into it, and placed a small kiss on its lip. "Oh, Stanley. The Bucket loves you, too."

That was enough evidence for him. The Bucket was decidedly the personification of the Narrator. 'What a weirdo.' He smiled warmly and continued on, knowing that the Bucket was going to come along with him on very many more adventures after this one.