Fuzzy Valentine
by Winter

Amy stared at her little love, drinking in his fuzzy beauty as she ran her fingers across his chest. As always, she imagined a giggle as she tickled the tummy of the battered old teddy bear. Benny had been her friend, her companion, and her secret sweetheart ever since she had been five. It had been love at first sight when she opened her birthday gift, a love that had now lasted for over fourteen years. She hugged him to her chest, whispering into his ears as she breathed in his scent.

"Happy Valentine, honey-bear." She glanced at the clock, which had just ticked past midnight, leaving Friday the 13th behind. A second or two passed, then she tilted her head and smiled. "Why, thank you! You're such a sweetie."

She was glad that her roommates were fast asleep. The other girls of her dorm often teased, almost to the point of being rude. Talking to a teddy bear was, as she had soon found out upon arriving at college, unusual for a girl her age. Luckily, Benny had always been there to comfort her. Like now. During the afternoon, Anna had taunted her about bringing Benny to the morning's algebra test. There were no ill meanings to this teasing, of course; there never was. Yet, it brought Amy down somewhat that the others would not understand. Could not understand. Benny was just so special to her. She kissed his rugged ears, then lay down to sleep with him clutched tightly in her arms. Soon, she mused as she began to drift away, he would be even more special.

* * * * * *

On the Valentine's Day morning, she feigned a beginning cold as the girls got up and started getting ready for the Valentine's Ball. It was to be a major event, one of the greatest feasts of the year, starting at nine o'clock with a charity rally in the school grounds, and not ending until way after midnight when the Ball itself drew to a close. And at least according to the girls, the party would continue even after that. Wink wink, nudge nudge.

Amy didn't feel up to any of it. Or rather, she felt as if she had other things to do. More important things. She handed Corey a twenty and told her to buy some cookies and sweets at the rally, then waved them good bye. Once they were gone, and once Sarah had been back to fetch her purse and, blushing a bright pink, a pack of condoms, Amy picked Benny up and gave him a tummy-tickle, then a kiss. Then she rummaged through her closet until she found the book.

She had bought it at the New Year's rally, for just a couple of dollars. Obviously, the previous owner had had no idea what it really was, or else didn't need it any more. She had read it with fascination, but it wasn't until she found the pages about transformation that her heart really started beating faster. She knew, instantly, what she wanted to do, and to whom. It had taken her two whole months to work it all out, but now she was certain that she could do it. The basics were fairly easy, but she knew that once she started there was no going back. Failing would mean total disaster. She held Benny up to her ears, then giggled and nodded.

"I so agree. It's gonna be great."

Fighting back a nervous shiver, she placed the teddy bear on her bed and opened the book to a dog-eared page. She read the spells through and through a couple of times, until she was absolutely sure she could recite them without faltering. The language of the spells was one she had never seen before, but luckily the rest of the book was in English. It even had a pronunciation guide at the back. As for who had written it, or where it had come from, Amy had no idea. But the few minor spells she had tried out, had worked.

She took a deep breath and started reading. Every now and then she paused to make the required hand motions over the teddy bear's stomach, then it was back to reciting again. Nearly half an hour later, her throat dry from speaking and her brain exhausted from concentration, she was done. Shuddering with anticipation, she laid the book aside and sat down. The wait was excruciating, almost like physical pain. But as the minutes ticked away the knowledge began to sink in. It hadn't worked. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she lay down next to the lifeless bear and hugged him tightly. Her hopes had soared so high, now they plummeted and crashed.

* * * * * *

"Uhm, Amy? Amy, I can't breathe." The voice woke Amy up. She couldn't remember having fallen asleep, and now she was feeling confused. The room was empty. Had she been dreaming? "Amy, you're crushing me!"

Amy sat up with a start, turning around to check every corner of the room. She was so startled she nearly fell out of the bed. The voice had been a boy's, but no boys were allowed in the girls' dorms, on pain of being expelled. Feeling scared now, she clutched Benny to her chest. Maybe the boy was hiding in one of the closets. Amy knew she had to check, but she was afraid to even move. She and the other girls had spent the last weekend watching scary movies, and there had been one with a boy ghost that had completely terrified Amy.

Then two things happened at once. Her cell phone rang, just as she felt someone touch her lower stomach. With a scream, Amy toppled over backwards and fell to the floor. When she landed, she heard a muffled grunt that sounded awfully close. Was someone hiding underneath the bed? Ignoring the pain in her backside, she stood up, fighting back another scream.

"Owie," the boy voice said, then giggled. "That almost hurt."

Understanding dawned on Amy just as she started looking for something she could use to hit the intruder. She felt something touch her again, and this time she knew for sure that there was no stranger in the room. It was the bundle in her arms that was stirring. A smile spread across her lips as she sat down on the bed and held Benny up in front of her. With a shivering hand, she tickled his tummy, and was rewarded with a smile and a soft giggle.

"It worked," she said in something that was half squeal, half whisper. "It really worked."

"Hello, Amy."

She smiled back at the bear, then made a hushing sound as she picked up the persistent phone. It was Sarah, wondering whether or not she had left her purse behind. One brief and rather confused conversation later it became clear that Anna had been holding it all along, to keep it safe. Amy shook her head as she snapped the phone shut, after switching it off, then she turned back to Benny. The bear tilted his head and smiled again, and Amy saw that the spell had worked even better than she had hoped. In her arms was not a living toy, but a real miniature bear.

Gone were the button eyes and the cotton nose, gone was the weatherworn fake fur and gone were the stumpy paws. Instead, bright blue eyes peered warmly at her from a real bear face. Her fingers ran through real, soft fur as she sat him down next to her on the bed, and the fingers of a small hand patted her arm. Amy blushed slightly as she only now realised that Benny was, quite visibly, a boy. That was something she hadn't even thought about, but she pushed it out of her mind for now, as the little bear crawled over to sit in her lap. She wrapped her arms around him, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"I thought... I thought it didn't work..."

"Oh, it worked, all right," Benny replied with yet another giggle. "I knew at once, but it took a while before I could move."

"You scared me."

"Sorry, but you were hugging me so hard. I always liked that, but now I gotta breathe."

"You always liked it?" She turned the bear around in her lap so she could look him in the eyes. "Do you remember stuff from before?"

"Uh-huh." He nodded. "Ever since you got me."

"Everything?" He nodded again, and Amy blushed furiously. "Really, everything?"

"Yeah, everything. But it's okay, I always loved it when you hugged me." He winked and grinned. "And stuff..."

"Rascal." Amy tried to pout, but it turned into a smile and a giggle as the bear laughed heartily, then stood up to hug her. "I love it that you can hug me back."

"Me, too."

"Benny..."

"Hmm?"

"Are you... are you still changing?"

"I don't know." Benny hopped down off her lap and stood on the floor in front of her. He turned around a couple of times, his arms raised high. "Am I?"

"Yeah, you are. I think you're getting bigger. And more human."

She looked him over thoroughly, and realised that it was true. He really was growing. The teddy bear Benny had been a foot and a half from head to paw, but the bear-boy standing before her was as tall as a child of six or seven. He was still clearly a bear, especially his face, but his body looked more and more like that of a boy with fur. 'Down there' as well, Amy thought after a brief glance. She stood up and walked over to her drawer, where she rummaged around to find her smallest pair of panties. Benny stepped into them and pulled them up, then grinned sheepishly.

"I look like a girl..."

"You're cute," she giggled. "Such a sweetie."

* * * * * *

They spent the next hour lying face-to-face on Amy's bed, talking and reminiscing their life together. Also, Amy thought at one point, getting to know each other. Benny turned out to be just as sweet and kind as she had always imagined, and he had a quick and witty sense of humour that often made her laugh. During the talk, he finally stopped growing, and when she stood him up and looked him over again he had the appearance of a short, slender boy in his early teens, only with brown fur and a bear's face. And a tiny bear tail. They both laughed long and hard as he struggled to find a good way to keep it from being squashed inside his panties. In the end Amy took out a pair of scissors and carefully cut a hole for the tail. Benny wagged it happily and thanked her with a kiss to the cheek.

"I'll get you some proper clothes as soon as I can," she promised. "Maybe tomorrow."

"It's okay. I'm furry, I don't really need clothes." He stuck his tongue out at her. "I wouldn't need the panties either, if you weren't such a prude."

"Well, you have to wear something when the others come back." The words were barely out of her mouth when their meaning struck her fully. "Omigosh, the others!!"

"Uh-oh. Do you think they should see me?"

"I don't know. They might freak out. What do we do? What do we do?"

"Okay, don't panic." Amy had shot out of bed and was now pacing the room, at half a run. "Amy, calm down!"

"What are we gonna do? What are we gonna do? You're a boy, I'll get expelled!"

"Calm down!!" Benny got up and caught up with her, placing his arms around her waist as he guided her back to the bed. They sat down, and he held her as she took a few deep breaths. "I know some things about this spell. Don't know how, but I do."

"What things?" Amy asked between gasps. "What do you mean?"

"It's hard to tell, but I'm pretty sure I can go back to being a teddy bear. Well, not exactly. I can't get back the fake fur and the button eyes and being stuffed with fluff. But I can look like it, and I think I can act the part pretty well."

"You mean being the cutest thing in the world and getting hugged by me all the time?"

They stared at one another for a second or two, then both of them fell off the bed, roaring with laughter.

* * * * * *

By lunchtime, Benny had mastered the transformation between his new shape and his old. He still did look a lot like a fuzzy little boy with a bear face, but at a casual glance nobody would notice. Or at least, so they hoped. Amy noticed that even in this form he would need a pair of pants. But no matter how hard he tried, Benny simply couldn't go back to the old genderless style. Another thing he would have to work on was trying to keep still. He kept apologising, saying it wasn't easy to pretend being a lifeless old teddy bear now that he had been blessed with the ability to move.

Maybe, just maybe, Amy thought, it would be better simply to tell her roommates what had happened. For now, it might work to keep Benny's new self concealed, but in the long run? The summer holiday, when they would be travelling halfway across the country to stay with Amy's family, was still months away. They decided to stay safe for the time being, then find the best way to break the news.

Lunch turned out to be quite an adventure. Benny, now back to his teen boy self, was both curious about and a bit apprehensive towards the thought of food. He did feel hungry, but wasn't too sure about this eating business. Amy cooked them macaroni and cheese, though, and after fidgeting a little he did try it. By the time he was full, he had eaten three large helpings, and Amy had to carry him back to the bed. Once there, he promptly fell asleep. Amy cleaned up after their meal, then lay down behind him and put her arm around his waist, snuggling up to him.

It felt so good, to hold a warm, living and breathing person instead of just a teddy bear, and to top that he still had the familiar old scent that she loved so much. She was soon rubbing her face into the fur on the back of his neck, then moving even closer as she started kissing his ears. After a while he started to squirm, and a grin spread across Amy's face as she started tickling his tummy. He giggled in his sleep, and soon he started purring softly. Amy felt his fingers close around her hand, holding it to stop the tickles. She kissed his ears again, earning a sigh of pleasure. Minutes ticked away as they lay there cuddling, then Benny turned around, and Amy found herself all but drowning in those deep, blue eyes. The two of them closed their eyes, and then their lips met.

* * * * * *

"I love you, Amy."

The whispered words made Amy's heart flutter. After what had seemed like hours of kissing and cuddling they had both fallen asleep, holding each other. What had awakened her was furry fingers stroking her cheek, and soft lips brushing against her own. Her eyes had just barely opened when she heard those words. For a couple of seconds she was speechless, but then she found her voice just as she reached up to return his caresses.

"I love you too, Benny. For years and years, and for years and years to come."

"Gosh, that was sweet," he giggled. "But I should know. You've always said such sweet words to me. And I've said them back, even though I couldn't speak."

"I know, honey-bear. It's like I always knew what you would have said when I talked to you."

"And mostly, you were right."

"Only mostly?"

"Well, nearly all the time." He laughed. "I remember back when you had a crush on Jimmy Collins in third grade, though. I definitely did not encourage you as much as you thought."

"Omigosh, I remember that!" She clasped her hands in front of her mouth. "I didn't make you jealous, did I? I never thought..."

"Silly girl." He kissed her lips, but pulled back before she could respond. "I was just a plushie. But yeah, maybe a little. I didn't have a heart back then, but I still loved you."

"I always loved you, Benny. Always." She sighed happily, then giggled. "We're sappy, aren't we?"

"Like a forest of maple trees." They both laughed. "Well, it is Valentine's Day, after all. And sappy is good."

"Sappy is very good."

"Happy Valentine, Amy."

"You too, my love." She leaned in and kissed him. "Happy fuzzy Valentine."