The Kitsune Stole My Heart - Trade - WIP - 3/29/20 (Patreon)

So not long ago I reached out to one of my friends with a commission to write a wholesome hug story. Of course things changed, and I can no longer go to work due to the pandemic that has been affecting all our lives. So to accommodate, he offered a literature trade instead, which is a win-win for me since I love writing and I have more time at home. Hope you enjoy!

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       Shato squirmed and struggled, hoping to get free from the soft coils that entangled him, but the thief's strength overpowered his own. His legs dangled above the floor, his bare feet kicking in panic, finding himself powerless within the clingy grip of the strange intruder. The young man tried pulling on the tail wrapped around his waist, but another tail immediately wrapped around both of his hands pinning his wrists together like handcuffs. His assailants' fluffy appendages also made short work of his legs, wrapping them together and ensuring he couldn't waste any more energy. But then, as if to prove a point, another tail wrapped around his neck like a scarf, covering the bottom half of his face as he let out a shocked muffled whimper. Even now, as he was unable to struggle, the tails surrounded him teasingly threatening to wrap him up even more. Unexpectedly, another tail slid underneath his thighs, shifting him into an upright sitting position, supporting his weight like a makeshift chair. As a couple more tails wrapped around his chest, the coiling appendages slowly pulled him closer to his assailant. The foxy intruder looked at him with glowing green emerald eyes, her mischievous smile sending chills down his spine as her soft voice whispered to him. “Hey now… don’t be scared. ❤️ You brought me here after all” she giggled.

        "This can't be real… how did I get myself into this?” he thought himself. Before all this, Shato was just walking home as usual with only a load of college assignments on his mind. With nothing else to preoccupy his thoughts, no close friends, or any free time for hobbies, all he could think about was what to work on next. However, among the textbooks he had brought from his college library, he had rented one purely out of interest. One about Japanese folk tales and mythical creatures, something that he hoped to read when he had a few extra minutes on his hands. It was oddly cloudy out, so much so that it looked like it might rain. Not wanting to be caught in a storm without an umbrella, Shato decided to take a shortcut turning a corner riddled with pebbles and gravel rather than tiled concrete. Most of the doors he passed were exits to bars, taverns, garages and such. But then he came across a store, one that instantly caught his eye. It was a toy shop, a really colorful one with cabin-like architecture, and dozens of plushes lining the front windows, mainly Sanrio toys. It was late, but the store was still open with the lights on and everything. Taking a deep breath, Shato thought that it wouldn't hurt to take some time to a look at the pace, seeing as he would be taking an all-nighter anyway. Upon entering the shop he found that it was nearly empty, with the exception of the cashier, a nice looking young woman wearing a yellow raincoat. 

        “Good afternoon sir." she greeted politely. Feeling shy, Shato looked down at the polished wooden floor trying not to make eye contact. "G-good afternoon.” Shato replied softly. Standing at the entrance, he nervously looked around, seeing that the entire store was selling nothing but plushies. From different brands to different sizes, from Pokémon to Squishables, from beanie babies to life-sized, it honestly made Shato’s heart skip a beat. “I see you like our selection." the young woman smiled, "Some of them I’ve even sewn myself. We're usually not so busy on weekdays, like this so feel free to look around.” Deep down, Shato almost felt guilty for being here, as a voice in his head told him that he should be working as usual, rather than looking at toys. But just as his legs were about to take him back outside, he heard a few gentle taps on the front windows. Shato turned around, and within moments it was absolutely pouring outside, showering so heavily that he could barely see out the window at all. Without a waterproof bag, he couldn't bring his books outside without ruining them. Taking a deep sigh he began looking around the shop, admiring all the different toys and stuffed animals. 

        After going up and down the few isles of the store, he was honestly taken aback by the sheer variety on the shelves. Some of them were cute, some of them were cartoony, some of them were of mascots, and some were popular brand characters. But then, when he walked back to the front of the store, he saw one particular plush sitting all of its own on the floor against the wall. It was a light blue nine-tailed Chibi kitsune plush, wearing a decorative pink floral kimono. Curious, he picked it up and took a closer look, the fox was in a sitting position with its arms outstretched as if offering a hug. Its eyes were wide and friendly-looking, with a warm welcoming expression on its wholesome face with a full head of long silky blue hair. But what really caught Shatos' eyes were the nine fluffy looking tails behind it. Stroking the tails in his right hand, they felt incredibly smooth and squishy, like tiny pillows. But, It wasn't a character or mascot of any kind and he could recognize. Walking up to him, the cashier looked puzzled, staring it as curiously as he was. “Is this your plush?” she asked him. Looking confused, Shato tilted his head and looked back at the plush. “It’s…. not mine, it's not one of yours?” he asked. 

        Stroking her chin, she leaned down to take another look at it. "I would've remembered sewing a plush like this, but there's no tag on it either. Perhaps someone left it here.” Looking back out the window, Shato was disappointed to see it still pouring out. He hadn't planned on spending this much time at a toy shop, and a heavy feeling dropped down to his stomach, causing him more stress the more he thought about it. Taking a deep sigh, he placed the plush on the nearest shelf in front of him. “Is there something wrong?" the shop owner asked. Looking back at her, he struggled to make eye contact trying to keep his anxiety in check. "I had to study this afternoon, but I can't take my stuff out in this rain.” He replied, unable to stop another sigh from leaving his mouth. The young woman leaned down to him with a smile. "You can study here if you want, my shop isn't closing for another few hours, and we don't get much business on days like this.” she said in a generous tone. “After all, I remember what it was like having to study in college.” Shato looked up at the cashier nervously, making eye contact just long enough to get a response out. “Thank you…” he responded. The young woman just smiled at him, before walking back to her counter and leaving him to his studies. Sitting on the floor, the young man spent the next few minutes reading his textbooks, underlining important paragraphs and taking notes on his phone. Looking up every few minutes to check if the weather had improved, Shato more often than not found himself staring back at the cute little Kitsune plush, it's smiling face and welcoming pose completely taken his attention away from his book. 

        Unable to concentrate, he eventually decided to take a break, taking out his book about Japanese folk tales. Skipping most of the sections, Shato flipped over to the section of the book that discussed the mystical lore of fox spirits. The young man had always been interested in the kitsunes, like Ninetails from Pokémon, and Renamon from Digimon just to name a couple. They looked like such beautiful and majestic creatures, and in addition to being demigods that never aged he could only imagine what such an ancient creature would look like if they've a real. Their powers also fascinated him, from shape shifting, to jumping between worlds, and even their mischievous nature seemed make him more curious. For every moment he read about this mythological creature, the more pages he turned in intrigue and excitement. Shato was so distracted by his book he didn’t look up at the plush even once.  Then, he heard the cashier heading to the back of the store, finally lifting his head up from the book as he turned towards her. “Is the store closing?” He asked nervously. "she turned around with the chuckled. “No don't worry, I miss going into the back for a moment for some quick inventory. You're free to stay until we close up.” With that she went into the back leaving him alone with the nearly endless stash of plushes. After stretching his arms he looked back at the window. The rain had come to down slightly, it looked like he could leave soon.

        Sitting back down he tilted his head back to his book and continued reading. But then, after glancing back up at the kitsune toy, tilted his head, he realized something was different. The plush itself was still the same, but now it was holding a tiny sign between its outstretched paws that read “Free.” Shato was fairly certain the sign wasn't there before, or was it? Taking a closer look the sign was made cloth, just like the tags on the rest of the toys, though it wasn't sewn into the paws. Putting his book aside he looked back at the back door of the shop, wondering if the cashier had put it there while he was busy reading. “That can't be it." he thought to himself. "Maybe I... just don't remember seeing the tag." Either way didn't make much sense to him. looking back up at the window he realized that the rain had stopped, making it a good time to head back. Shato swiftly put all his books back in his bag and got up to leave the shop, but he stopped once the plush inexplicably fell off the shelf. Bending down to pick it up, he once again felt the soft squishy tails brush against his hands, tempting him to rub them with his fingers. It was so calming to hold it in his hands, not just because it was a small kitsune. It's adorable wide eyes, happy expression, and welcoming posture made him feel all warm and comfortable inside. Just looking at it made him feel at ease.

        “If it's free, then it's okay if I take it right?” he said to himself. “Plus she herself said that it wasn't one she recognized.” But just as Shato was about to put in his bag, he hesitated to take it. Even though it said it was free, it felt wrong just to walk away with it, so he walked over to the cash register and waited so he could ask the young woman. Minutes passed, the cashier still wasn’t back, but for Shato it felt even longer. It was strange that she had left her post for so long. Shato began pacing back and forth, wondering when the woman would return. Consistently looking out the window, he could see the clouds growing darker once more. It would rain again soon, and his opportunity to go home would soon be gone. "M-miss?” he asked timidly, to nervous to raise his voice. There was no response, all he could hear was the cold wind blowing against the windows. Shato looked back at the plush in his hands, kneading its cute face between his fingers as he placed it on the counter. He went over and knocked on the back door hoping the woman would respond. “Miss?” still nothing. 

        Walking over to the front of the store, he looked out the window to see the clouds rolling back in, dimming the light in the small alleyway. Shato shivered with anxiety, he wanted to go back home, but he really wanted to bring the toy back with him too, he didn't want to leave it behind. With that he looked back at the kitsune plush, wrapping his hands around its squishy body and rubbing the cheeks of its fluffy face. The young man took deep slow breaths, squeezing the toy as he massaged it in his hands, his anxiety slowly fading as he took a moment to appreciate its soft texture. Holding it was almost therapeutic, allowing him to escape his anxiety, losing himself in the simple act of holding between his hands. Suddenly, the sound of roaring thunder boomed through the alleyway, snapping him out of his calm state and looking back up at his surroundings. Shato's heart sank, without thinking he had walked out of the store and back down the alley. He looked behind him, and then back at the toy, feeling as if he had just committed a crime. Part of him wanted to go back, but he was afraid of being accused of theft, the very thought kept him from moving at all. What's more, upon looking behind him he couldn't see the shop in his immediate view, which was strange because it completely stood out from the rest of the alley. But with another thundering boom roaring through the sky, he found himself running back home as not to be caught in the storm. 

        Later at home, Shato was already hard at work taking notes and studying, with the new edition of the Kitsune plush resting on the side of his desk. It was getting late, past 9:40 p.m. as he toiled away in his books. Every so often he would look back up at the doll, the mere sight of it easing his worries before continuing his work. Shato tried not to think about the mysterious shop, cramming away with his books while the night was still young. But over time, it became harder for him to keep his eyes open. Even after he was caught up enough he continued plowing through his books, getting as much work done as possible. But the harder he worked, the more exhausted he became, his eyes growing heavy, his throughs slowing to a halt, to the point where he just blankly stared at his books. Shato tried so hard, but his efforts caught up to him, nearly falling asleep on his desk.