Cory(the elder), Chris(the younger), and Taylor(just here for the food) enter into a strange toy boutique while Cory's mother does some shopping. Surely any fun found inside will be of the normal, non-magical variety. Surely.

More clean teef! Don't worry you smut fans, there will Totally be an alternate story coming soon of a Similar Premise, but far more... FurAffinity. You know the sort.

Inspired by  -hornbuckle-'s little work over here.

As usual, all sorts of color teef text in the pdf, which is the Preferred method of reading. If color is bad for your eyes, worry not, for here are the exact same words, but boring.

---

The small brass bell clattered gently as the door opened, followed by a few half-hearted clinks. Two… three people entering the building, with little regard for others as the door slammed shut. Ah well. You couldn’t pick them all.

The Caretaker looked up from the old, worn maple counter. Three children, two of high school age, and another that was maybe eight or nine. The first boy seemed of similar make to the smallest one(brothers, perhaps), though the Caretaker noted that the older one wore a look of disdain and “Too Cool for School” that was most definitely not shared by the more excited urchin. The middle child merely took in the sights, clearly here more for the benefit of his friend than any actual toy browsing.

“Welcome, welcome, if it’s toys and games you seek, you won’t be left wanting.”
The eldest one scoffed. “We’re just here to keep an eye on Chris. Mom’s out shopping.”
“Of course, of course, though we do have toys for all ages. Feel free to help yourselves while you wait.” The elderly man had a look in his eyes, though to a high schooler it can be said that All adults have a Look. You just have to figure out what it means.

For Chris, however, the look meant TOYS you guys. Toys. He dashed off gleefully into the back of the winding boutique. It was bigger than it seemed from the outside, though old-timey stores tended to have that sort of a feel. No metal shelves here, with handed down carpentry that was as mismatched as the items inhabiting them. Should he go to the action figures, or perhaps the board games? Ooh, stuffed animals! Even if he knew that Cory wouldn’t let him Actually buy any of these, it was nice to have a little escape. Just for a little while.

“Welp, off he goes.”
“He can’t help it. This place is like kid-heaven, Cory.”
Cory looked as his friend deeply, wearily. If only he knew. “I just wish he’d actually mellow out for once. Always gotta run around being the Responsible brother: stop it, no, don’t do the thing.”
“That’s why you let him run around for a bit, dingus.” The friend wander over into the section with the board games, poking at a few. This one just said GREET as the title, with a happy cartoon child on the front. Weird. “He acts up because you keep sticking all these rules on him. Tell me, how well does that work out for you?”
“Enough that I’ve stopped being a wild child, Taylor.”
“And what fun you are now! Not.” Taylor gave a resounding *phhhhbt* before heading further into the store, leaving Cory to fume in silence. Harrumph.

---

There was a method to Chris’ madness, of course, though this was inscrutable to any that was not a small child in his role. For lo, he had(most cunningly) staked out a spot at the VERY BACK of the store, far from any annoying Older Brothers that might RUIN EVERYTHING. “Teehee.”

It was very cozy back here, and for that he was thankful. Foxes and bears and little fluffy cats, all of the inanimate variety. One little raccoon on a high shelf had been arranged with a waving hand, and Chris waved back gingerly. “Hi.”

...the raccoon did not respond, but if you squinted your eyes just a bit you could have pretended that it did.

With a dramatic *plop*, the small boy landed on a beanbag and began to fiddle with the assorted friends. It wasn’t even just stuffed animals, he noted, as all kinds of little creatures were hiding back here, just out of sight, waiting to be discovered. This one was a rubbery looking human, thick to the touch but just bendable enough to hug properly. There was a clinkety snake shaped like a spring, for optimal bouncing down stairs. Little coats and pants and outfits were arranged vaguely near the creatures they went on, in case you wanted to ensure they looked their Sunday best. Chris never knew why Sunday was the best dressed day, but his parents assured him that it was.

There was a certain spontaneity to the alcove that tickled his fancy. Most stores were very rigid and scientific. These toys go here, the expensive stuff is up Very High to avoid being ruined, and you have to pay So Much for the Little Goober Collection. In fact… there weren’t any tags at all. No prices, no awkward labels to Ruin Fun. It was… peaceful, really. He giggled, and poked at a nearby bear. Oh! It… it has a little hat. Yes. Good.

...Chris secretly put a SECOND hat on the bear as well, so that he would look Extra Sunday Best, and no one would ever know he was the one that did it.

---

Cory had made it to the board games by now. He had half-heartedly followed Taylor at first, but now was mainly finding DISTRACTIONS to avoid having to ponder the very fact his little brother existed. Taylor could go do… whatever. He was good at whatever.

Cory was Not good at Whatever.

It wasn’t for lack of trying, but… there was always a sort of nagging in his mind. SOMETHING would go wrong, you see, especially when Chris was involved, and HE(the important one) would be blamed for it. That was always how it went, especially when it didn’t.

A nearby shelf shouted out at him. Pick me, pick me! He would not pick them, those were… card games. Awkward, random strange things where you could lose through no fault of your own. If he was to play, he was to Win, and win on his own merits. To be fair, randomness was all part of the game around here, but there were a few he could appreciate. A strategy game, a box of trivia… all things he had seen before. Well, not really, these were… odd. Off-market, unbranded. A box labeled SO SMART, another called STRATEGERY. That… that was not Stratego. It wanted to be, very badly, but had failed in its aspersions. Perhaps it should have remained somewhere else, far away from Cory’s judging eyes.

“There’s no need to be so cruel, it’s trying its best.”
Cory spun, a bit too far, and caught himself on the shelf. Gah! Don’t… don’t do that old man. The Caretaker was nearby; not close enough to be invasive, but certainly enough that the voice rang out with little confusion as to who it was meant for.
“It’s not a very good best.”
“Oh, you don’t know that. You haven’t even opened it up to look.”
Cory scoffed again. He was good at scoffing. It pleased him greatly, doubly so if others could hear. “The cover kinda says it all, doesn’t it?”
“The cover says whatever you wish to hear, or to pretend that it says. The fun you have with the inside is the genuine article.”
“That’s what she said.”
Not missing a beat, the Caretaker moved over to another shelf. Yes, he had heard that before, why do you ask? “And what do you say?”
Cory frowned. “To what?”
“To these, to them. Toys and opportunity. You have the look of a child who has forgotten how to have fun.”
“I know how to have fun, old codger.” Ha. Codger.
“You sound the old one to me. Dismissive of things you consider Childish because you fear being called a child.”
“What did you say.”
“Exactly what you heard, no more or less.” The Caretaker stared knowingly over at Cory’s withering, petulant gaze. There was a fire there, but it made no ingress on the wrinkles facing it. “Am I wrong?”

Cory began to speak, but the words blubbered. This… it… how dare! He fidgeted and stammered, but-
“Your brother seems to be having far more fun, you know.”
“Shut up!”
“It’s not a contest.” Cory stared. What. “Fun, it’s not a contest as to who’s having more fun, you know. Just because he is having fun does not mean that you cannot as well. What does Fun mean to you?”

Cory made to respond, but the Caretaker was already gone. Don’t… don’t you run away! He… Cory wasn’t done with you yet. Wasn’t done… having fun…

---

“Well now you got him riled up.”
Taylor said this to no one in particular, though mostly to himself. The toys would agree, but then again, they had seen this sort of thing all the time. It was nothing new to them, and their faces did not change much for the argument.

He had found his way over to a smaller collection of more artsy toys. Sculptures of little goats, artwork of children having fun, paint sets and doll houses. They seemed lacking a bit, empty and in need of love. Taylor supposed that yes, the creatures and critters were over in the back, but it really didn’t do to have a dollhouse with only a few bits of furniture inside.
“Sometimes a bit of riling can help one see.”
“IGUH!” Taylor jumped slightly. Don’t… don’t DO that. The Caretaker was indeed right behind him, idly perusing some… merchandise?
“Sorry. Force of habit. It is a bit of fun I enjoy.”
“No worries… why… are there no tags on anything?”
“Ask yourself. Why would you appreciate having a tag on you?”
An odd question, but… “I wouldn’t, I guess.”
“They wouldn’t either. The value in a toy is between the toy and whomever plays with it, and it’s not polite to try and force value on something.”

Taylor didn’t look at the Caretaker, merely prodding a small beanbag doll shaped like a human, vaguely. Very old-style, but you couldn’t go wrong with the classics. “It’s not like the toys would complain if you did.”
“There’s no reason to mistreat things just because they lack the words to speak out.”
“Still, how would you buy anything here? Do you just decide a price at the time?”
“Well, most people don’t come here to buy toys. They come here to be toys.”
“...?” Taylor was… moderately confused at this point.
“To play, my boy, to play.”
“Oh.”
“To play with a toy is much like being a toy yourself. You bear your desires openly, on your sleeve as it were, and let them take you where they will. Much like a toy lets others play with them as they will.”
“Kind of an… odd way of looking at it.”
“But a pleasing one, I find. The best fun happens when all the toys can try out new things, new ways of being. Who knows, maybe the toy waiting to be played with is you.”
Taylor turned around, but he already knew the Caretaker would be gone. Of course he would. Creepy old guy.

Still… he wasn’t… wrong, per se. Heavens knew Cory needed to loosen up a little, be a bit more… Chris-like. Taylor stared down at the little doll, picking it up and letting it float around in his hands. Must be like flying to something that small. Would be nice, if only for a little bit...

---

“And now, Madam Fluffybutt, you shall pay!”
“Ono! Not that!”
“Yes… that.”
Chris giggled a bit to himself, as the stuffed bear daringly challenged his wooden nutcracker to Mortal Kombat. The fight had long been decided; even with her Bear Powers, a nutcracker was no easy foe to bring down, and indeed, Madam Fluffybutt found herself on the receiving end of a german suplex.

A bell cried from outside, and Chris looked up mournfully. Was it that time already? Mom would be back soon, but… he was having so much fun! Here with his animal friends, and… no, that’s silly. They weren’t really his friends. Just toys that he was-
“They can be friends if you want them to be friends.”
The Caretaker was staring down at the spectacle, a small smile on his weathered face. This was a far better scene than the other two, he pondered, though to each their own fun.
“Only for a little while…”
“And if it were for a big while? What would you do then?”
Chris thought, and thought, and thought a lot. Quite a lot of thoughts for a tot(though he was more of a shrimp than a tot by his age). “Well, I’d keep playing, of course! With these, and everyone. Though… Cory isn’t really much of a stuffed animal person.”
The Caretaker chuckled slightly. A bit too slight, but in a pleased sort of way. “Does that mean he should be?”
“Well duh. Everyone should be.”
“Everyone! My goodness.”
“Toys don’t have to do chores, or go to school, or do any of that grownup stuff. They just have fun!”
“Sounds like you’ve got this all planned out, then.”
“Heehee.” Chris giggled, and pondered. This was a good game! “Well, not really. But we can make it up as we go! That’s the best part.”
“It is indeed. It is indeed.” The Caretaker sat down with Chris, sliding a few of the animals over. “And what would you be, then?”
“Um… I have to choose?”
“Well, it’s better than getting something that wouldn’t fit, right?”
“Um um um…” He pondered, and wondered, and there was something that his teacher had been talking about a while back… But no, that wouldn't be right either. Um um um... “I don’t know! Maybe you can think of something!”
“It’s your fun, my boy.”
“My boy, or my toy?”
“My boy, but your toy.”
“Heehee. Yeah, but surprises are fun! Cmon, you pick!”
“Oh my. Well, I’ll think on it. What about your brother? Do you want to surprise him?”
“Um… something little!”
“Little, you say.”
“He’s always trying to be So Big and So Grownup. It’s really, really boring.”
“I’ll see what I can do. In the meantime, I think I know your surprise.”
“Yay! What, what?”
“Haha.” The Caretaker patted Chris on the head gently. “It wouldn’t be much of a surprise then, would it? Just keep an eye out, you’ll see.”
Chris cocked his head, confused. Were they playing pretend, or not? Well, surprises sounded fun! He’d just have to wait, just a little bit, right?

---

Cory was still grumbling, though he’d found a beanbag to splat on. It was easier to grumble in a heap, you see. Child. Small. Little. Why was everyone trying to get him to be like a dumb kid?! It just… he’d worked So Hard at growing up, and making sure everyone knew it, and it just…


...he didn’t know.

Well, that wasn’t true. He knew bits and pieces. Chris really was having Lots of Fun, and he Certainly Wasn’t. But he’d never hear the end of it if one of his friends saw him acting like a doofus in a toy store. Appearances! Appearances matter.
“Why?”
He looked around, but the caretaker wasn’t there. It… it wasn’t even the caretaker’s voice, honestly. Lighter, sweeter, like that of a nice girl. Not a girl-friend, mind you, too young sounding for that. But still…
“What would you want to look like, then?”
He… big and strong, duh! Something that would intimidate and impress everyone around him, so no one would ever have to question him.
“Is that what this is about?”
It… was it? “Stop that!”


The voice… stopped. Just as quickly as it had come. The store was very empty, with only a few rummagings of Taylor and Chris off in the far distance. So far away. “Wait, no… it’s okay.”
“Are you sure?”
“...I don’t know.”
What would he be, if not big and strong? He’d be some tiny kid, smaller than the rest of his class, with no one to play with or-
“Don’t say that. You have friends.”
He… he did, didn’t he. Friends that didn’t care. Well, they cared that they wanted him to act all childish and immature. But... ugh. His head was swimming. It didn’t hurt, far from it, but he found it hard to stay focused on such thoughts. Like all the bad concerns were sliding away, gently out of reach.

He looked up, staring at the shelves around him. They seemed tall. Not imposing, but… he was further down than he thought. Beanbags had a way of doing that to you. Little mannequins and posable figures proudly announced themselves on the shelves above, with a few more abstract pieces. FUZZY HUGS, said a small little… necklace? The chain was indeed fuzzy, but that was odd. NO SHIRT, NO SHOES, IT’S A PARTY said a little sign. Ha. Those little admonitions were always a little silly. Did that mean that pants weren’t required? Up on the tippy top shelf was a little ball called ALL YOUR STRESS.

Cory got up, and grabbed the little ball. It was pretty high up there, but most adult things were, to keep them out of reach. He gave it a little squeeze, and was internally pleased at the squeeeeak it gave as it hissed back into shape. Squeeze. Squeeze. It was nice, and seemed… bigger, somehow. He grabbed with both hands, and gave it a nice Squeeze. Haha. Squish! Squash. Yes, good.

He went to set the ball back, but… it was too high? Tippy toes… jump for it one… two… there! Got it. But… why was… Cory looked around. The store seemed large. Not imposing, more… like a large welcoming den that was just now opening up. Lots of things he had merely glanced over before now seemed to pop out. HAPPY FRIENDS, said the hand-painted sign. ALL CREATURES WELCOME said another. He liked being welcome. It might not be very grown-up, but… he’d just have to keep an ear out. If Mom came back in, he’d act his age again. Until then… who would be watching?

---

Taylor smiled, and gave the pencil another flick. There was an easel(or three) he’d found just lying out, for people to test the little art supplies on. He hadn’t gone for anything fancy, mind. Just take the little beanbag doll, trace it out… kinda… sorta… okay there were some mistakes but shhh. After that, with his Totally Not-Referenced anatomy done, he could add little touches. Little flappy wings, and flappy ears. A thick, waggly tail to swish back and forth. He had kinda been going for a dragon at first? But the more he thought about it, it was too… perky. Dragons were usually fierce and ferocious, on all fours with snarly snappy teeth and claws. This one was more… happy. Inviting. She didn’t need claws, really.

Paws! Paws were a good start. Little fingers here, little toes here. Bend the ankles in, bring the knees out. Yes, good. It wasn’t really a critter he was used to seeing, but that’s what art is for! Creation. Imagination! And if that imagination gave the figure a boopy little snoot, then all the better.

The eyes eluded him a bit, but he pondered. Maybe… maybe it didn’t need the normal human eyes. The toys and dolls around the place had some of those, but others had nice reflective ones. A bit of mystery and zazz, where you couldn’t quite see where they were looking. Add some eyebrows here, a bit of fluff there, and the fun new friend would be ready to play with! Taylor booped the snoot gently, and… his nose wiggled? What… what was that?

He poked again, and still, his own nose reacted like it had been touched. Neat, but… he didn’t need to sneeze. He waggled his ears, trying to figure… out… oh.

Taylor recoiled, a flurry of emotions swirling in confusion. The… the toy waiting to be played with is you… the Caretaker HAD said that. Oh gods. Whyyyy…
“You don’t want to play anymore…?”
The voice… it was small, but squeaky and high pitched. Somehow Taylor knew. It was a voice he could have perfectly imagined on the creature he was drawing. “What… what is this? Why are you doing this?”
“I’m not doing anything. You wanted a friend to play with…”
“Not like this!” Taylor rolled around, getting back to a normal posture but… it felt weird. Off balance. The easel was higher than before, and everything seemed to be just slightly the wrong weight. The shoulders too light on top, but heavy in the back. The hips too light in front, but heavy underneath? And his ears, moving and darting about with reckless abandon, making him dizzier with every flap. “I’m not a toy!”

The changes stopped. Immediately, instantly. Taylor staggered, and listened. The girl’s voice didn’t speak anymore, at all. Empty. Alone. “I didn’t know it meant That…” But… if he had… would he have done it?

He stared, looking down at the beanbag doll he’d used to trace with. Discarded. Alone. It didn’t deserve that and neither… neither did he… did he? “What… what do you want?”
“I… I just was hoping we all could play. A little.”
“And I can’t do that as… me?!”
“You’re always you. You’re whatever you want to be here. Isn’t that what having fun is all about?”

He… Taylor didn’t know. No, he knew but… it wasn’t quite what he was used to. “And… what does that even mean? Are all these toys…?”
“If they want to. Everyone in here is here because they want to have fun. If they want to leave, they leave.”
“Oh, that… that’s a bit… nicer than I thought.”
“Do… do you still want to play?”

Taylor thought hard. He did, but… he knew there was a world outside this place. A world of people, who went to… school, and did… chores, and… all sorts of things that he really, really wanted a break from. “Just for a little bit?”
“For as long as you want.”

Taylor closed his eyes, and put his hand on the easel again. As long, or as little as he wanted. He could take a break from all that. He could be something else, something no one would recognize, something no one would judge as Taylor, but as whatever he presented himself as to the world. And right now…
“I wish I could be a toy, yes.”

A sudden rush of energy and warmth filled his arm, and he took a step back. There was a vertigo, but a calming one, like he knew that someone would be there to catch him if he fell. He didn’t have to worry about staying upright, or being balanced, or even just being. His hand twitched and jiggled, and looking out he saw the tan skin slowly begin to shine, just gently. A quick touch showed it was smooth, sleek, just the right amount to let you grip it without any harsh stickiness. The fingers bulbed up slightly, as the hand puffed out. Four fingers became three, and a thumb became… none.

A paw… his paw, rubbery and alien, yet somehow exactly what it was supposed to be. “Go on then. Tell us all about it.”
“I wish… that I could have… paws instead of fingers. Instead of toes. I wish… eep!” His other hand twitched in much the same way, but it was his feet that really got him wobbling. They slid out of his shoes, like socks that were too dry, and he watched in amazement as the toes congealed and melded. Four toes… three toes… larger and more supportive than before… his ankle seemed to bend just slightly, as did the bottom of his feet. Standing on tip-toes, yet… standing just as he should. “This… this can’t be…”
“Why not? You can be anything.”

Anything. The word echoed in Taylor’s mind. So many thing he had never considered could be changed. He tried standing like a human, but wobbled something awful. “It’s… it’s like…”
“You don’t remember?”
“Like I don’t need to remember.” The muscle memory was gone. Changed into something more… fun. “Like I don’t need to worry about what is… correct.”
“Whatever way you want to do things is the correct way here.”
“Then… I want to be a happy, bouncy toy.”
“Go on, then. Say it, and be proud.”

Taylor was proud. Feelings and joy rushing from places he hadn’t felt in so long. He’d shout whatever came to mind, and if he didn’t like it, he’d just say something else over that. He was his own easel, and this new Taylor would be better than ever. “I wish I was like my drawing, with wings, and ears, and a long tail! I wish I could be rubbery all over, and… and…”

The words were lost in the sensations, as he felt the curious feeling of his jacket opening in the back. His shoulders stretched, and opened up a new alcove to hold thinner, yet still quite powerful arms. Short for now, but he gave them a quick bend, and a swish, and a twirl, and…

He fell. Taylor landed on the ground, but it was the softest landing he had felt in his life. He was so light, so… small! The easel towered above him, and he marveled as even now he shrank out of his clothing. His chest was smooth, and starting to glisten. Flat, with no muscles, and indeed, nothing underneath. He poked and prodded, and giggled as the rubber bent inwardly with no change in consistency. No bones, no organs, no… anything that might get in the way of the fun. Another meep, as his underwear fell off to reveal… much the same. “Oh gosh… I…”
“Did you really need it?”
“Not… not if I’m gonna be like this.” It was true. He hadn’t considered that the toys in the store were, well… toys. “I’m still a guy though, right?” He’d pondered the little dingbat he drew as a girl, but… he didn’t really feel different like that. Not unless… he wanted to…
“Again, it doesn’t really matter to a toy. Be who you want to be.”
Taylor giggled, and bounced. Already his head was filling with rubber, and he felt the strange feeling of his neck being quite solid. No throat, just… a neck leading up to a very narrow mouth on a very, very boopable snoot. His ears stretched, and his eyes and vision suddenly grew far larger than he was used to. He gently touched, and was amazed to feel how solid his eyes felt. No more pains of being poked. No more… pains of any sort, really.

He groaned, and bent over as something(he felt he knew what) started to push outward from that empty, smooth crotch. There was no spine left for it to center around, but the tail seemed to extend his torso further, longer, outward. He waggled, and giggled once more. “My butt is long.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“It… it is.” He waved his limbs, waggled his wings, and gently forgot that gravity existed.

---

Chris had gotten a bit tired of waiting. When was the nice man going to come back with his surprise? Harrumph. He’d have to go do it himself! Like always.

Cory talked a big game, but he never really had motivation when it counted. Chris! Chris was the go getter. The big game hunter. The animal on the prowl. And indeed, he’d just have to prowl up on Cory now. Heehee.

Slowly getting off the beanbag chair, Chris curled down onto all fours. He was smaller than Cory, it was true, but this would help even More! Sneaky peeky like. He gently made sure that he was niiiice and balanced. Hands first, feet back, and prowl! Gently up to the edge of the shelf. Peeeer around the corner. No one there. Not yet. Another step and…

The shoes were too loud. The floor was a soft, thin carpet, but the wood underneath could still make a sound. He’d have to take them off… Mom would complain, but she wasn’t here, was she? Besides, who ever heard of an animal wearing shoes. They really wouldn’t fit his… paws?

Chris stared. His feet, the nails, they ended in claws! Small, dull, but very noticable. Those shouldn’t be there, but… the surprise! Oh gosh it really… it really was happening! He was changing… did that mean… Cory! He’d wished that Cory would be small, and kidlike, and...

...oh he HAD to see this.

Quickly now, dash forth, bounce around, find the prey. Gotta sneak up, and see from the shadows. Not that there were many shadows, but shhh. That wouldn’t stop Chris. Now then, where was Cory…?

---

Cory stumbled around the toy aisles, trying to hold on to the shelves. Something… something was happening. He’d been concerned when he couldn’t reach the top shelf, but now he was having trouble reaching the one below that. He was… small! His shirt, which so proudly displayed a Snarky Slogan before had faded into a bare blue-and-green stripey shirt, the kind he wore back… back in middle school! 6th grade, so long ago, but… so fresh in his mind. “I… I don’t want to be a little kid anymore… not again…”
“Then what do you want to be?”
“I… I don’t know! Just… just…” He stopped, started, and stopped again.
“You’re tired.”

Cory… he was, wasn’t he. Tired of pretending in the most Un-Fun ways. Tired of trying to be something else, tired of being told that he should be something else, he just… he wanted to just BE.
“You want to take a break, don’t you.”
He… he did. That’s really what he remembered about fun, honestly. Less watching over younger brothers, and more taking a break. Less putting on a show for others, and more being appreciated as himself.
“And…? What do you appreciate about yourself? Fun starts with you.”
Cory nodded. It… it did. He knew, and yet… “I like it when people look up to me. When people can have fun without wanting something in return.”
“Unconditional. Whatever you choose to be, they enjoy.”
“Yeah… whatever mood, whatever… anything.”
“And if you don’t want to choose…”
“Then to be something I’m happy with. Someone! Some… someone.”
“The things are also people, if you love them.”

Cory couldn’t argue. He… he could but… it really did seem nice to go with the flow for now. He hadn’t been able to do that on his own terms for a long… long time. “Then… what would I be?”
“Anything, for as long as you wish. Something totally new, or very familiar.”
“I… I don’t want familiar. I’ve had enough of that forever.”
“Then wish for it. Let your heart be happy again.”
“I… I wish I was someone happy. Some…thing happy.” He paused, and collected his breath. “I wish I was something totally new, totally different, so I wouldn’t have to worry about what I was.”
“No worries unless you want to.”
“Unless I want to. That… that sounds nice.”

Cory stood up straight again, closing his eyes and feeling as if the world had let him be. What would it mean, to be totally different? To be him, but not be him. What all went into being him, and what came out the other side?

Stress, clearly. He giggled, remembering the ball he’d squeezed. It had been nice to let that go. But here in this haven of toys, there was so much more to leave behind. The shelves leapt upwards again, taller, but far less imposing. Was… he was getting younger…? “I’m 12 years old…” No, that couldn’t be right, he was in high school when he came in, but… as soon as he said it, the 12 leapt out of his mouth, dancing away in a cartoonish manner. “It’s… gone… just like that? I’m 11… I’m 10… this is…”

He watched, amazed as the numbers fled. He… he could just say it, and it would change. Wishes and dreams, and stranger things still. He stared around at all the toys. Were… were they like he was? Children and adults and people who just wanted to be free?

...maybe they would play with him. He… he’d like that.

But for now, everything needed to change. Just for a bit, perhaps. He gasped as grey fluffy fuzz started to grow on his arms. Prickly and silky, smooth to the touch, but undeniably his. “I… have fur? My skin is just…” And indeed, as he said it, the fur blossomed forth from every which part. His human skin was gone, as if it had never been there. “I’m… I’m really going to be a toy…”
“Totally different.”
“Yet… familiar. Friendly.”
“Fun?”
“Yes.”

---

Chris pounced! Well, he tried. It was a very good pounce, up until the point where he wasn’t entirely sure that the person he had pounced was Cory at all. Too small, too childish in outfit. And… growing fur? “Cory?”
“Chris…? You… you too… eep!” Cory covered up as best he could, which was to say not at all. “I’m… still changing! Don’t look!”
“Why not?”
“You… can’t just look in at someone while they’re changing!”
“Heehee. You sound like a little girl, Cory.”

He… she? Cory did… the gasp was higher pitched, certainly one from well before puberty. And Chris! He was on all fours, like a stalking cat. A puma? Perhaps a cougar. Cats were weird, and this one… was prowling with a ferocious intellect and keen, humanoid eyes. “You sound like a kitty cat. A pussycat!”
“Am not. Yet. I’m a ferocious apex predator!”
“You don’t even know what those words mean.”
“Do you?”
“I… I should, but… I haven’t learned them… yet? Oh gosh.”
“You ARE younger! Oh you’re adorable.”
“S...stop it!”
“Oh we’re going to have so much fun Cory, yo-”
“Stop talking!”

Chris made to speak, but growled. The… the words… where were they? He growled… meowed… mewled… they… they had been right there, but now… cats didn’t talk, did they? Not… not human words, but…

Cory stared, aghast. She… she hadn’t meant to do that, just… didn’t want to be teased. “You… you can talk, Chris, it’s okay.”

Chris gasped, and sputtered at his throat. “Guh! I… I can… I can… that was SO WEIRD Cory.”
“Sorry, you just…”
“I know, I’m sorry too. Fine, I won’t tease you.”
“T-thanks.”
“Too much.”
“Chrissss!” Cory whined, and the squeal was definitively that of a small girl. “Don’t pick on kids younger than you… younger than… I… I’m 7 years old…!”
“Whoa… that’s… that’s really kinda brave.”
“What?”
“I… don’t think I’d be able to change like that. You really… went for it, didn’t you?”
“I… I did, yeah. What do you care?”
“You’re my sister, Cory. Sis… sister…”
“Heehee. We kinda already know, don’t we?”
“Yeah. So what kinda animal are you becoming?”
“I… don’t know… I just wanted to be different. Take a break for a while.”
“So like an actual stuffed animal?”
“I… guess…”

Cory stopped. She… she could. Just for a little while. But… “Okay, but only if you do something too.”
“Oh, what?”
“If I’m gonna be a stuffed animal, you need to be something weird too. You’re just… an animal.”
“Well yeah, duh. Animals are the best!”
“Um um um… okay, I got it.”
“Same time?”
“Wha…? Okay, yeah sure!” Cory giggled. This really was kinda fun. It was nice to be equals again. Well, maybe a little younger, but… “Same time. Ready…?”
“On three.”
“1…”
“2…”
“2 and a half!”
“No fair.”
“Aaaandddd…”
“3!” “3!”
“I wish you were a cute, girly, huggable stuffed fox.”
“I wish you were a fancy figure cat!”

“A… a what?” Chris’ tail twitched, confused.
“A figure, you know, like those action figures. Detailed, and… haha. De-Tailed.”
“Your jokes are baaaad, Cory.”
“Yeah, well… well... “ She stopped, staring. Her fingers had started to wobble, then flop, pulling inwards until they were a single, solid stuffed paw, each of the digits stitched together into a single whole. “That feels SO WEIRD.”
“I know right? It’s…” It was Chris’ turn to pause, as his paws started to take on a grained, solid sheen, the fur ruffling away into a solid piece of… finely carved… wood. “I’m… gonna be solid? Just… I guess that’s what a figure is like, huh?”
“But everyone will look up to you. They’ll go ‘oh wow that’s so neat’.”
“They will! Haha. You are the best, sis.”

He watched as Cory started to slump a bit. She tried to stay standing, but… a deep, sinking feeling filled her legs as muscles melted into stuffing, as tendons became stitches and joints decided they didn’t really need to still be there. “I’m siiinking…!”
“You’re getting cuddly, duh. I… it’s kinda hard to move, Cory.” Chris perched on all fours, but found his joints were barely moving on his legs. He tried to stretch, but this only solidified him into the stretch, leaving him pleasurably pushed outwards into the open air.
“But it feels nice, right?”
“Yeah… yeah it does.”

Cory tried to sit up, but only flopped over. Her limbs were stubby, her paws and arms and legs lacking in any sort of movement that meat was intended for, and she giggled in a gasp as her throat filled with fluff. Her limbs articulated outwards, perfect for hugging, but now totally outside of any of her control. Until she wished them to be mobile again, but really… this was a nice break.
“You still there?”
“Of course I am, duh. Just… relaxed.”

Chris pushed forward into a roaring pose, tail wiggling backwards less… less… and still. Teeth bared even as the bone changed into finely polished wood. “It’s kinda nice. Smooth all over, but… ferocious. Rawr.”
“Oh you.”

The fluttering of wings could be heard, as a small rubber creature floated over to the pair. “You are both So Adorable.”
“Ferocious!”
“Huggable.”
“So yes, adorable. Here.” Taylor picked up Cory, and struggled a little. It was hard to pick up a fox that was as large as you, even if they were made of fluff. With a tiny bit of effort, she was perched onto Chris’ back, nice and snug. “There. Ride into battle!”
“I don’t think he’s going to be riding anywhere right now.”
“Ride now.”
“Ugg.”
“And of course I am, if you want to. That’s what fun is all about!”
“Sounds like a plan.”

---

The bell clattered once more, but with a gentle care as the door slid silently shut. A middle aged woman stepped in, tucking back her sundress and looking generally fatigued, if pleased. It had been a good day of shopping, now that everything was in the car.
“Welcome, welcome, if it’s toys and games you seek, you won’t be left wanting.”
“That’s alright, I just came to pick up my kids, and their friend.”
“Ah, they’re in the back now. Still, we have Toys For All Ages; I’m sure you could find some to your liking.”
“Ha. Well, fine, just for a moment then. My littlest does love new toys.”

The trio giggled from out of sight. They did indeed. Perhaps a fourth would be joining them soon? It wouldn’t do to leave mom out of the fun.