Plush Nuts
A Short Story for Akorm

Hoards of people stampeded through the Meadowview Shopping Centre early this Saturday morning.  The hustle-and-bustle of city streets alone had been a headache for Nick before he made his way into this veritable mob blocking his path.  Actively dodging groups coming at him without being forced down the wrong direction was quickly becoming a real pain.

Standing at a grandiose height of six feet even, the young man towered slightly over most others in the crowd.  He didn’t have the most imposing figure, but bared the looks of a casual British gentleman around his age with russet-colored locks and a neatly groomed beard.  Sporting a gray shirt with dark sleeves as well as black pants and a tan rucksack, he carefully shuffled between people entering-and-exiting nearby shops along the plaza.  All the while his verdant eyes steeled their focus on finding the very store he needed to access.  Upon spotting it, Nick immediately made a waving beeline for the entrance and swiftly ducked inside before getting swept away downstream in the current of oncoming people.

Taking his backpack off, he unzipped the main pocket in order to pull out a petitely sized pitch-black shirt he’d stowed in there earlier.  Gently unfolding it, an image was revealed of a female squirrel with adoringly big eyes holding out an unnaturally huge acorn, underneath which read the bolded text ‘Bite my nuts!’  Nick slung his knapsack over his shoulder again before gently draping the garment over his left forearm.  He then quietly made his way through the sales floor towards the main counter.

“Pardon me, miss!” he said in a polite report as to get the attention of the young woman currently minding the cash register.

She was a blissful young lady, barely in her early twenties.  Scarlet hair cascaded down her hair like a waterfall, and a pair of beautiful hazel-green eyes met his as the man stepped up to the empty queue.  Her light pink crop-top accentuated her frame quite nicely while she gave him a courteous nod.

“Yes, sir.  How may I help you today?” she responded with a sincere charm in her soprano-like voice.

Nick laid the shirt across the countertop and proceeded to explain, “I bought this shirt here the other day and I was wondering if I could return it.  You see it’s clearly been mislabeled.”  He flattened out the shirt so as to grab at the tag on the collar to show her.  The lady examined it briefly with a quiet nod.

“Women’s Extra Large.  Says it plainly right there on the inside collar.”

“Ah, but you see…  I bought this because the tag said Men’s Extra Large.  Also, I didn’t have time to try it on until I got home.  You don’t have any changing rooms here either.  I’m sure you know trying to fit it against one’s torso before purchasing isn’t always a proper way to tell if it’s going to fit either.”

She looked at the tag to confirm what he said and replied, “All I need is the sales receipt then.”

“The sales receipt?  I threw that out as soon as I got home.  I didn’t think I’d need it to make a simple return.”

“Do you have a mobile with an emailed receipt then?  Store policy requires we send those out too.”

“I do, but it’s in my car.  I came all the way here through the chaos of Saturday shoppers and do not want to run back just for that.”

“Store policy-we require receipts on all returns.  Otherwise all sales are final.”

“Pardon my language, but what in the bloody hell sort of nonsense policy is that?” Nick nearly shouted.

“Corporate.  It applies to all stores in the country.   Been that way for years,” she politely reprimanded him.  “Now please step aside, sir, and leave quietly or I’ll have to call security to escort you out.”

Looking around mawkishly, he realized his minor outburst already drew the attention from other patrons shopping at the small outlet.  Politely bowing his head, the man took his shirt back as he shuffled slightly away.  Stowing it inside the backpack again, Nick slowly made way for the exit.  Once outside, he found a bench to sit on momentarily in order to calm down.

Nick placed his elbows on his lap and cupped his hands around his face.  He knew what he did was a bit unorthodox, but he couldn’t believe what a fool he’d been for forgetting such a simple thing as a sales receipt of all things.  Perhaps he should’ve headed back out to retrieve his smartphone before overreacting like that, but now he had proverbially shat himself.  At this point, he might as well do some shopping elsewhere rather than just heading home.

Composing himself, the man stood back up in order to look around.  Most of the nearby shops and kiosks seemed absolutely packed right now.  Hallway traffic hadn’t ceased either, making it hard to actually get anywhere he wanted to go presently.  After a few seconds, he noticed a curious store that didn’t seem particularly busy right across the aisle from where he stood.  Waiting for a small break in the crowd, he made a short sprint over to the ornately decorated front of a masquerade shop.

Ducking inside quickly, he made sure to check his wallet to assure himself he had money to spend.  He really didn’t come to the shopping centre to actually buy anything, but at this point he pretty much decided to check around anyway.  With proper funding accounted for, including debit and credit cards stashed within the billfold too, Nick made his way further inward to start browsing.

Stepping into this place seemed something straight out of a fairy tale.  Dozens upon dozens of costumes lined the aisleways of the boutique.  From princes and princesses, to knights and dragons, to animal characters and Pokemon, they had everything imaginable for every possible occasion.  Plush styled mascot suits lined the entirety of the back wall.  There were displays for masks of all kinds.  A whole rack of plushie animal caps stood right in front of the checkout counter too.

Perusing the front, Nick found himself stopping in front of the cash register to check out the miscellaneous hats he spotted upon entering.  A cute squirrel one caught his eye with its endearing green eyes and chocolate-brown fur.  Feeling up the soft faux ears, he gently unfolded them to see they were lined with a cute vanilla-pink fabric inside that had a nice minky texture.  Turning it upside down, he saw the same material from the ears made-up the inside of the cap as well.  He immediately cracked a pleasant smile because of that.

“You like squirrel?” the weaselly voice of an older gentleman abruptly asked from across the way.

Breaking from his trance, Nick peered up to see a stout elderly man gazing back at him with a sinister grin.  He was at least a head shorter than Nick, but just stood there looking the young man up-and-down greedily with his wrinkly face.  The man had to be nearly seventy, wearing a plaid red shirt and dark brown overalls like an old craftsman.  A thick pair of glasses magnified his tawny eyes cartoonishly as they sat atop his unusually big nose.  His beard drooped down from his chin almost comically to the base of his neck.  All the while, he just kept wringing his hands as though he were ready to make a huge sale.

“Excuse me?” Nick asked, slightly confused.

“You like squirrel?  Simple question,” the man repeated, this time with a clearer accent that Nick could not identify.

“Yes, sir.  Yes, I do.”

“Good, good!  Squirrel good animal.”

Shifting his body around, the elderly gentleman motioned for Nick to come around the front of the counter.  Nick followed suit, a little perplexed by this man’s behavior.

“Tell me, young man.  What bring you here today?  You need costume?”

“No, sir.  I’m just here to browse.”

“Oh!” the man said, slightly perturbed.  “Is okay.  Maybe you find something you like?”

“That would be the idea, sir.”  Nick forced a polite smile so as to not further upset the man.  The man in turn gave a bigger grin.

“Would you like I ring that up for you?  Real cheap!  Two Pound!”

“Oh, yes!  If you don’t mind doing so, Mister…?” Nick hesitated as he handed the item over.

“Jericho.  Jericho Sun,” the old man muttered as he took the hat, scanning the price tag quickly before throwing it on the counter.  Nick handed over two pounds and took back his new cap.

“You wear hat?  Sure it look good on you!” Mr. Sun snickered with his sadistic grin seemingly growing ever wider.

The young man only nodded in response as he pulled the squirrel hat over his head.  It covered most of his hair right away, conforming neatly to his scalp and partially covering his forehead.  The fabric felt even better now that he was wearing the cap than it had a moment ago when he bristled it with his fingers.

“Yeah, look real good on you!  How it feel?” Mr. Sun asked.

“It feels nice.  Thank you!” Nick said, a happy smile forming now.

“Feel free to look around.”  Nick nodded quietly as he moved down one of the middle aisles nearby to look over some costumes.

Heading away from the counter, the young man set his sights on an area with a multitude of Pokemon costumes.  Glancing over the assortment, he spotted Pikachu, Snivy, Quilava, Lugia, Totodile, and many others.  They all came in different varieties from partial outfits to full body suits with masks and even kigurumis.  Finally spotting something of interest, Nick made a beeline to the end of the row.

To his surprise, Mr. Son had a Pachirisu kigu hanging up right in plain sight.  Furthermore, it appeared to be an XL sized one designed for people over six feet tall as opposed to the regular sized ones that were slightly smaller.  Nick preferred the larger sized pajamas due to the normal size being just a bit tiny on him.

“See?  I know you like squirrel!” the elderly man called out from the front, likely spotting him looking at the outfit.  Nick turned back to him with a brief nod before returning his gaze to the costume.

Pulling it off the rack, Nick immediately started giving it a thorough examination.  Holding it outwards with both hands on the shoulders, the light blue outfit appeared to be made of a very soft fabric, more so than the normal kind kigurumis were.  A darker blue zipper was carefully sewn into the midsection so that it became hidden by the lining when closed.  Matching cuffs also decorated ends of both the arms and legs of the onesie.

Turning it over to see the back, he automatically saw the unusually large tail attached to the back to mimic the look of the actual Pokemon.  A blue stripe colored like the zipper coursed the length of the tail all the way to the tip, including three notched spikes right atop the curl near the end.  Likewise, the Pachirisu’s face was plainly visible, complete with two blue ears and another stripe down the middle of its forehead.  The creature gave a cute squirrely grin as it stared back at Nick, electric cheek pouches ready to nuzzle or shock.

He flipped it back over and brought it up to his body.  Holding it close, Nick realized that something seemed just a little bit off.  Instinctively he knew this kigurumi should be the right size for him, but for some reason it seemed unnecessarily big.  Lifting it up, the pajamas were nearly a foot too tall for him now, which shouldn’t have been the case given his past experiences buying them.  Even if it were manufactured slightly larger, there’s no reason as to why it'd be this huge compared to him.

Motioning back over to the rack, Nick tried hanging the costume back up so he could continue shopping.  However, he struggled a bit to set it back on the suddenly higher-up rack.  This was getting strange.

Managing to put it back up with an extended reach, the man scratched the side of his head.  He just couldn’t figure this one out.  The fuzziness of the cap didn’t do much to buffer his finger as he rubbed it against his temple.  It felt like it’d gone straight through to the skin even.

Crossing his arms and glancing downward, Nick caught the glimpse of something unexpected.  His pants had fallen all the way down to his ankles along with his underwear.  Tempted as he felt to pull them up before Mr. Son or somebody else noticed, he was aghast at the sight of something else.  His privates were mysteriously gone!  Nothing could be seen because his crotch had just suddenly become a smooth flat surface with creamy tan fur starting to grow out of it.

“The bloody hell is going on?” Nick uttered, noticing an abrupt change in his voice.

Just then, Nick watched chocolate colored patches of fur starting to spread all across his legs.  He immediately tried bending over to see what was going on, but for some reason his body had stiffened up.  His legs were completely locked into place along with the muscles in his back.  No matter how he tried, he couldn’t hunch over to better see what happened.

Cocking his head, he managed to see the fur spreading down to his feet and up his thighs.  Shoes then burst to shreds as a pair of hairy paws emerged from them, big plush squirrel ones to that effect.  As hair sprouted on the upside of his hunches too, Nick noticed that his hips had widened out into a very feminine form.  His muscle structure also changed to match that of a bipedal rodent, whilst acquiring the semblance of a human female’s legs.  These too became soft and thick much akin to his new feet.

Meanwhile he noticed that the hair reached his midsection now, the tannish patch from his crotch area even started to creep up his belly.  Feeling an odd sensation in his chest, Nick decidedly took off his backpack and shirt to essentially expose himself in public.  In horror he watched as the burly muscles of his torso started to smooth out into petite curves, giving him the familiar hourglass shape of a lady.  That wasn’t all, however, as a succulent pair of obvious breasts began to grow outward and shape into delicate C-cups.  Velvety fur shortly followed suit covering those as well.

Nick felt a hard yank pull on his tailbone, suddenly finding himself flop over onto the tiled floor with a cushioned fall from his now-plushie arms and belly.  Looking back, he saw something indescribably bizarre.  A large bushy tail now wriggled all the way upwards from his bottocks to about the height of the Pachirisu kigu’s waists.  Luscious rings of chocolate and russet fur coursed its entire length in alternating fashion.

“Good God!” he gasped with a funky feminine report.

Licking his chops nervously, Nick realized more changes were afoot.  His incisors had been replaced by an obnoxious pair of bucked teeth, while the rest in his mouth seemed flattened out but a few were sharpened to a chisel tip.  Rodent teeth now filled his newly-formed maw.  Staring mawkishly, he even noticed that his pitch-black nose extended past his face.

Feeling his neck muscles stiffening, the man felt his face suddenly aim directly at the polished floor.  Reflected back at him was the head of an anthropomorphic squirrel girl with chocolate brown fur all over her face, save for the tanny colored snout pointed right at his eyes.  She had green eyes similar to the hats as well as cute ears sticking out from her dark brunette hair done up in a lovely bob cut.  An unusual pressure welled up in his jawline, forcing him to give a polite smile that the squirrel returned in suit.

Belly down on the floor like this, Nick soon realized that he could no longer move on his own.  His body fell limp, seemingly flattened under its own weight due to the hollowness that now filled him.  A curious sensation split down the middle of his body, from the stem of his neck to the lowermost part of his crotch.  It seemed like a zipper magically formed along the length of this row, essentially slicing his innards open like a pig.  Lastly, Nick watched helplessly as his newly-transformed head suddenly dropped onto the floor and rolled sideways to gaze back at the lifeless squirrel bodysuit he’d become.

“See!  I knew you like squirrel!” Mr. Sun said as he quietly approached from a short walk away, still wrenching his hands villainously.

Nick just laid there with a listless smile on his squirrel face, watching Jericho quietly pick up the hind paw shoes and forepaw gloves that detached themselves from the young man’s body once the changes finished.  The elderly man stuffed the mitts underarm, while moving to pick up the bodysuit by draping it over his shoulders like a trophy buck.  Lastly he picked up the mask Nick’s head became with a snicker, scuttling around the nearby corner and then towards the display windows at the anterior of the store.

Upon reaching an open area at the front, Mr. Sun set Nick’s head on a short stool he had placed out already and then proceeded to adjust it so the costume’s face gazed out unto the crowds with its friendly smile.  Next he set the paws on the floor near the head, carefully putting the right foot with the right hand and left foot with the left hand respectively.  Once they’d been organized, the elderly gentleman started hanging up the bodysuit so that it was neatly positioned on a rack in an upright manner with the arms held up by armrest-shaped poles.

“You make quick sale!  Bring in many spender!” Jericho chuckled as he rounded the corner for a moment.

Meanwhile, Nick could only stare out the window blankly as the crowd passed by.  Occasionally curious mall patrons would come up to the glass to see what was new or on sale.  But for the most part, they just continued onward completely ignoring the newly transformed man who'd entered the costume shop to never leave until sold.

Mr. Sun came back with a big plastic sign and a kickstand-styled easel.  Knocking back the support's post so he could set it up properly, Jericho put the easel down front-and-center by Nick before flashing the sign in the young man's face.  Afterwards, he flipped it around and put it on the stand.

"£30 gonna bring in next mark real quick.  British guys always gullible about squirrel girl!" Mr Sun laughed menacingly as he stepped away, heading back to the counter.

Stopping a moment, he turned back and finished, "I think I call you silly name like Akorm!  You know, 'cause squirrel like akorms!"  His accent muffled his pronunciation of the word, making it sound like Akorm instead of Acorn.  On that note, he simply left.

End