Unexpected softness.

Story by Cherii Pip on SoFurry

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#1 of Commissions and freebies.

John's new job seems promising, a decent employer and not much menial labor. But all is not what it seems in the little toy shop, as he is about to find out.


A pleasant afternoon on a lazy day, the kind that begets long meandering strolls and ice cream dribbles down relaxed fingertips. But for a certain stuffed toy the day was much like the one that came before it and the one before that one as well. Filled with curious faces glimpsed momentarily through etched panes of glass and the warm sun seeping into her fur and stuffing. Not to say that these weren't pleasant in their own way, it was just that Brooke wished for something beyond her window seat, she wanted to be part of the world rather than being a silent observer.

Brooke could see herself laying as she always was, immobile and supple; her soft fur and hand stitched shape the only thing setting her apart from a pillow or cushion in the reflection thrown against the window's glass. Taking up the storefront window in a position of importance that she never felt but had instead been placed in by the toy store's owner some months ago. In the afternoon sunlight the door had opened, one of the passerby people taking an interest in the old fashioned little shop on a lazy Saturday. He had a look about him Brooke couldn't place, young but wise, quiet but confident in the way he browsed the color laden shelves. The owner; a graying man with glasses was greeting their new arrival, asking if he needed help with anything or was just browsing.

"Actually I was hoping to apply..." He trailed off, gesturing with his free hand towards a little cardboard sign in the window as his other rested in his pocket. The shopkeeper had blinked for a moment before catching on and nodding quickly, hurrying back behind the counter and fishing out a packet of paper to hand over.

"Just fill out all the necessary fields and I'll need to see some identification of course. I'm actually glad to have someone interested in it... was beginning to think no one was going to apply." The owner laughed with a wheeze and a smile. The youth muttered a thank you and gave a polite nod in return, not really one for casual small talk.

"Yes well, it was actually the huge tiger in the window that caught my eye. I didn't realise they made stuffed animals that big." He commented at a loss for what else to say to the well-meaning old man.

"Oh? Oh you mean Brooke, yes she's a right charmer isn't she? That's why I keep her in the window, lots of people come in to look at her. Always amazed and eager let me tell you." There was a hint of pride in his voice that would have made Brooke blush had she been capable of doing so.

"I can imagine, I've never seen a plush that was nearly as tall as I am. The hair is an interesting touch too." The younger man was saying, taking another minute to regard the tigress from her velveteen pedestal. If anything it was an interesting toy but he didn't think much beyond that point, more concerned with the forms in his hand and the potential for a job that they represented. "Hey do you mind if I just fill these out now rather than waiting a day or two to bring them back?"

"Son if you fill them out today and I don't get busy later on you might have the job by tomorrow morning, should all things work out well that is."

"That would be fantastic actually, my name's John by the way. And thank you very much for the opportunity."

"Well don't thank me just yet John my boy, you still have to fill everything out first after all." The store keeper said with mock sternness, his actual feelings being made clear with the cheerful expression he had.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The following morning came and went without much fuss. John had gotten the job without problem, now seated behind the wooden counter dressed in a white button down shirt and dark slacks in mild boredom as his elderly employer bustled around in the back office. His eyes were lazily moving around the shop, flicking with disinterest at the assortment of stuffed toys, talking dolls and board games that his parents had probably played with as children they were so old.

His eyes also passed over Brooke as she sat staring out the window with shiny plastic eyes, still and seemingly lifeless. He found it odd that the store keeper had named the tigress, but the more he thought of it the more it seemed to fit her. The striped dark fur that gleamed in the sunlight and the soft contours of her plush feline body. It made sense in an odd way, especially if the life sized toy was meant to be an attraction. Given how few customers they had and how few people seemed to pay the shop any attention, they could probably use all the help they could get in that area.

A loud crash from behind him roused John from his thoughts in an instant, whirling around and reaching for the door to the office he flung it open to see his employer on the ground cursing up a storm that would make a sailor blush. Judging by the still fluttering papers in the air and the overturned stool laying a foot from the elderly man it wasn't hard to piece together what had happened.

"Mr. Stevens! Are you alright?" It was kind of a silly question but it was the first thing that came to mind as John rushed to aid his boss.

"Yes I'm fine... or I would be if it weren't for this damn knee replacement and that blasted stool! Now I've gone and twisted my leg all around! How am I supposed to walk and mind the shop like this?" Mr. Stevens ranted angrily as John helped him to his feet, more concerned with his store than he was his health.

"You should have that looked at, is there someone I can call or should we just close the store and take you to the hospital?" John asked looking around for a phone after helping his boss into a chair.

"NO! we can't close, not on a weekend! It's the only time I get any business! Just... just call my wife, she can take me in. You'll be able to handle the store on your own won't you? It shouldn't be for longer than an hour or two.... It's probably just a sprain or something so I'll be fine."

"I just started working yesterday though...."

"I'll pay you over time."

"Deal."

~~~~~~~~

With Mr. Stevens now in the hands of his wife and John once more behind the counter, things surprisingly enough settled back down. And after a handful of browsers he even had his first customer.

The couple seemed to be a little uncomfortable but energetic as they hastily walked up to the counter. John could tell that the woman was far more interested in being there than the man was, the former practically dragging the latter around.

"Hello there, we were wondering if we could get a better look at the tiger in the window." The woman said quickly getting to the point which John was appreciative of. He walked over picking Brooke up around her waist pausing but a moment as her softness caught him by surprise. Brooke was excited to see something different from her normal view through the window though she made not a single movement nor sound while John held her.

After a moment he sat her down on the counter for the couple to look at, arranging her sizable paws so that they rested folded over each other and curling her long tail along her hind legs in what he deemed was presentable. The woman on the other side of the counter peered into the plush face of the tigress with glee but it was quick to wane as she turned Brooke's soft head in her hands.

"Darn, I thought for sure this was Brishido's work. I guess those toys really are as rare as they say they are." She mumbled, suddenly turning with an apologetic look to John as she had made him fetch Brooke for nothing and now had no desire to buy anything. "Uh sorry, I guess she wasn't what I was looking for. Sorry for bothering you." She stated making a hurried bee line for the door with her partner trailing behind her.

Once the door had shut and John was left with the large tigress sitting so prim and proper on the counter he sighed in cynical annoyance.

"Well I guess there is one thing to be glad of, I don't have a girlfriend to drag me around to weird toy shops against my will." He commented out loud as his hand mindlessly stroked Brooke's unbelievably soft fur from the top of her hair covered head to the tip of her tail. He was reluctant to put her back in the window, her dark amber eyes having an almost pleading look to them that made him feel like she was asking to stay out a bit longer. He dismissed the idea as silly, after all she was a stuffed tiger not someone to have a conversation with. Still he could see why Mr. Stevens had taken to talking about her as if she were a person, there was something charming in that fuzzy face.

As John made to close up the shop for the evening after a call from Mrs. Stevens explaining her husband had fractured his leg and would be laid up for a week or so he found himself whistling softly, flicking off the lights one by one. Locking the storefront up tight and giving Brooke a little wave for some reason he wasn't sure of, he headed home tired but otherwise content.

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It was a few days later, John more familiar and comfortable tending the store by himself, had taken to keeping Brooke on the counter; finding her stuffing filled body a comfortable pillow to lean on while the hours slipped by slowly. He'd grown somewhat attached to the velveteen tigress, finding her striped form had a certain charm to it; an endearing appearance that made her look beyond cuddly. Having her out of the window actually seemed to bring some people in too. Each asking where the big tiger was, only to feel silly when they saw her by the cash register.

John wasn't complaining one bit, sales having doubled since his first day. He'd taken to calling Brooke his lucky charm, kissing her nose lightly each night before heading home as a sort of luck ritual. At least that's what he told himself, to be honest he found it pleasant to feel that brush of faux fur across his lips. It made them tingle pleasantly, and that night was no exception as he straightened up and gave her head a pat.

"Well looks like closing time again Brooke," He said with a yawn, stretching out fully before heading to shut most of the lights off. He still had to take the till into the back and double count it before putting the money away in the safe; so he locked the door and on a whim hefted Brooke up under one arm and carried her in the back with him.

Settling her down on the desk and setting about the task of counting the money out it didn't take him long to finish, though he was a little sad that his time with the amiable stuffed tigress was coming to an end. John had come to rather enjoy the down times he shared with Brooke, even though they were silent and the latter never moved.

"All finished, guess this means goodnight again Brooke." He said softly and went to kiss her nose as he had the nights previous; his lips reveling in the soft fur of her muzzle. Unconsciously he found himself wanting to kiss her again, peppering her plush face under a soft rain of kisses; each leaving him wanting more. Without thought his hands moved to caress her soft fur, fingers tracing along the seams on her sides. It seemed odd at first, to be kissing a stuffed toy; but as his hands slid over her paws and began massaging the felt pads on their undersides he realised it was merely what other people might have thought and it didn't matter. What he was doing felt right and more importantly it felt fantastic. However he wasn't expecting what happened next.

As Brooke's right paw slipped from his grasp and caressed down his chest and her lush lips moved effortlessly to kiss him back John's eyes were wide in shock. He froze, positive he was dreaming or had lost his mind. But while he was hesitating, the life sized tigress now full of life and moving on her own accord wasn't. Ever since he'd walked by her window she'd been admiring him, loving each time he rested his head on her, every time he'd kissed her nose before leaving for the night. She'd been too afraid before to show him, too worried about what he'd think or if her adoration wasn't returned. But the moment he'd started kissing her so fully, stroking her seams and plush fur with his hands she couldn't help herself any longer she had to kiss him back.

The desire for him burned within her, amid all the stuffing was that single driving emotion.

"Please don't stop." She whispered, her own paws working their way under his shirt and along the smooth expanse of his stomach. Over the top of his pants her paws caressed, her breath catching the moment his own hands returned to touching her, rubbing down her soft hips and across her furred thighs. Pressing his fingertips into her met with no resistance, there was nothing there to resist him. He could squeeze and hug her as tightly as he pleased and it wouldn't matter to her stuffing filled body.

She helped him out of his shirt tossing it aside as she sat up fully on the desk; John could scarcely believe what he was seeing let alone feeling as those fur covered lips left a long line of kisses down his now exposed chest. His skin was tingling at every single one, so caught in the moment that he didn't even care anymore where or not this was reality or dream.

His fingers were in her long locks, like silk that flowed over his hands. Gasping lightly as her muzzle slipped tantalizingly across his skin and her hands played feather light upon his abdomen. The cream colored fuzz that adorned her cheeks tickled him as her lips made all of his nerves come alive. He was so wrapped in sensation that he barely noticed his pants sliding from his hips to join his shirt on the floor.

He didn't question what she had in mind, still trying to come to terms with her having a mind in the first place. With just his boxers between them and her front paws working around them with ease it was simply a matter of heartbeats before the sensual experience they'd been sharing became one of sexual urgency. She was just as soft and weightless in his hands as he lifted her from the desk and sat back in the office chair. Brooke was still plying him with one soft kiss after another, wanting nothing more than to touch him, to taste him. She lightly went to her knees in front of him, her plastic claws dragging ever so delicately across the fabric of his boxers as she pulled them lower and lower.

She was breath taking in that moment, and his body had reacted accordingly; his stiffly rising member firm and expectant even if he was still silent in surprise. The touch of fabric and fur against the sensitive skin of his member was almost too much to handle, making him jump and grip at the arms of the chair. Brooke was being gentle with him, her smooth fur rubbing along the length of him as her paws wrapped around his shaft.

Her felt tongue flicked out languidly gliding across the tip of him, the shivers running along his body produced by the electric symphony that his nerves were conducting up his spine. He was whispering her name in ecstasy, fondling her soft round ears as her head slipped deliciously down; pushing his hard member into the soft warm press of her muzzle. He'd expected it to be scratchy seeing as she had no saliva but that was far from the reality. The fuzzy confines of her mouth tight but as lush as a cloud, the cotton inside making it a perfect fit as she pleased him with her lips.

Moments later and he was breathless and spent, Brooke laying on top of him and nuzzling his cheek happily. As the pleasure laden afterglow subsided and his mind recollected itself he was too tired to ply his new love with questions about her suddenly springing to life. The more he looked back over the past few days the more it seemed natural to him, like she had always been there just waiting for him to come around. As his hand brushed some of her long hair from her face and they both moved to stand he stepped back to admire her fully. She was still very much the plush tigress he'd first seen in the window, her dark amber eyes were glassy with reflected light, the shapely body still made from fabric and cotton.

He hugged her close, nearly crushing her to his chest as happiness overcame him. He hadn't known it while it was happening but now with Brooke in his arms he realised he'd been falling in love with her steadily. And as he carried her out of the room and then out of the shop nervous that she'd vanish like a fantasy if he let her go for one moment, John smiled fully. He'd found fulfillment in a soft fuzzy package.

~~~~~

When Mr. Stevens returned to the shop, anxious to know what happened to his star attraction John had to hide the sheepish grin that spread reflexively over his face. Brooke and he had been living together for a week or so now, each night a sensual affair of fur and fabric, each day spent teaching her what it was like to be animate and getting her used to her now moving body. But he couldn't let Mr. Stevens know all that.

"Someone bought her actually, it was a shame to see her go though." John lied guiltily, but what choice did he have? There was no way he could picture his life now without the tigress there to cuddly up with at night, her head resting on his chest with his arms wrapped around her pillow like body.

"Oh.... Well that's good I guess. Anyway you did a marvelous job watching the shop on your own. I really owe you like a raise or something special for the effort."

"No no Mr. Stevens that's not necessary, I'm already quite content. There's no need to go through the trouble."

"Well if you're sure my boy."

"Yes quite sure, in fact I can't say I ever been happier." John nodded confidently, an image of Brooke laying against his satin bed spread floating teasingly through his mind. He felt only elation knowing that it wasn't a dream or fanciful fantasy but rather a memory, one he hoped to repeat for years to come.

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This was meant to be a commission for fabolous21 but then he seemed to vanish *sadness.* So I'm considering this a freebie. As is the norm still being editted!

Brooke belongs to fabolous21.