Welcome Home

A warm summer sun lit the late afternoon sky a glorious yellow. Crowds were still rolling into the store while just as many were leaving, some with full shopping carts and others with single bags. Among the departing crowd was a black-haired orange fox dressed in a dark blue polo shirt, a blue vest, and black pants. Despite the still shining sun and comfortable heat, he let out a deep, tired breath.

“6:00. Finally.” Fresh muttered to himself as he gave a quick wave to the security guard. The warm sun hit his face as he stepped out of the store and removed the vest, feeling an extreme wave of satisfaction. It had been a long and busy day for the store; four cashiers called out sick, two were already on vacation, and the store was closed for the next two days for the holiday weekend. From 9 in the morning to 6 at night, it had been a nonstop stream of customers to an understaffed store, and Fresh was exhausted. The fox yawned as he got into the sun-heated car and immediately cranked the AC, beginning the short drive home, just wishing for a restful evening.

Across town, Kishara looked over at the calendar posted on the wall of the apartment she and Fresh shared. “He’ll be home soon.” The snow leopard thought aloud while preparing to cook dinner. As she continued to cook, she smiled while thinking of her partner, just imagining how they could spend the weekend.

It took no time for Fresh unlock and open the door to their apartment and be met with a warm hug and soft kiss from Kishara. Her soft, black-spotted white fur, her beautifully deep purple eyes, the same electric feeling of her lips on his that hadn’t waned in their time together. Fresh shut his eyes in bliss, wanting nothing more than to hold onto every moment like this forever. Alas, he eventually had to pull away, yet her touch lingered.

“Welcome home, sweetie.” Kishara spoke with the sweet voice he would never tire of hearing. “How was your day at work? Or better yet, tell me about it over dinner. I’ve already got it prepared.” She shut and locked the door behind him.

“It was tiring, but just got a lot better.” Fresh took off his shoes and hung up his vest, the scent of tomato sauce wafting in from the kitchen. “Spaghetti bolognese? Thank you so much.” His stomach growled audibly as the pair went to the kitchen table.

“It’s my pleasure.” Kishara set two plates of the pasta on the table as they both took their seats. “I know it’s your favorite. So, tell me about your day.” She smiled, simply enjoying their time together.

“Hectic, to say the least.” Fresh said, describing the hellish struggle today had been. All the while he smiled, happy to spend time with the snow leopard he loved. “How was your day?” Fresh returned the question, earnestly wanting to just hear her voice.

“Productive!” Kishara spoke gleefully. “I got three commissions in my queue done, another sketched, and another two clients.” Kishara spent a lot of her time drawing, something she was truly passionate about. It had been something she had always enjoyed and practiced doing and was finally starting to pay off. While some of the works involved fetishes, but neither she nor Fresh minded. Money was money as far as they were concerned, and some of it she really did enjoy drawing.

The two furs continued eating and talking for a while, the sun setting the sky a dark red as they finished eating and cleaning. “Hey, Fresh? If you’re not too tired, want to watch a movie?” Kishara asked as she put the last plate into the dishwasher.

“Sure. I’d love to. Just let me get changed first.” He smiled as he walked into the bedroom, shutting the door out of habit. Kishara sat down on the couch and turned on the TV to find a movie as she waited for him to come out. Just as she found a movie they’d both like, the fox sat back down in a pair of loose blue sweatpants and white undershirt, matching his white-furred stomach and chin.

“I’ve heard this one’s good.” Fresh nodded at what Kishara had picked. She squirmed a bit as he placed his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close, letting out an almost giddy squeal. The snow leopard fidgeted on the couch a bit, a wave of excitement crashing as she thought of a way to make this an evening even more perfect.

“One sec. I just need to get something from our room first. I want to be as comfortable as possible.” Fresh nodded politely as she quickly got up and walked back to their room.

Probably just a blanket or pillow. Fresh pulled the windows shut before sitting back down and taking out his phone to read something. Engrossed in reading, he jumped in shock as a loud metal clang rang out next to his ear. “Kishara! You ok?” He immediately turned towards the source, a smiling snow leopard and a large metallic cylinder.

“You’re using that now?” Fresh looked at the air tank in surprise. He knew about how much she loved inflation, and he though he enjoyed it too, it was always a shock when she brought the tank out of the closet. “Oh, so that’s what you meant by getting more comfortable. How big are you planning to get?” A small laugh accompanied his question.

“Oh, no, sweetheart. I do want to be more comfortable, but I just meant that I wanted someplace better to sit to watch the movie on.” It took all her strength to not break out in laughter, but she still held a massive grin.

“So then why did you bother taking the tank out?” Fresh yawned, the fox’s mind still tired and foggy from the long day.

“Aw, come on.” Kishara’s smile dwindled a bit, yet she still giggled quite audibly. Fresh had the same look of exhaustion in his eyes that he usually did after work, but now mixed with a blank look of confusion. “You must be more tired than I thought. You’re usually much quicker with at putting things together. Oh well!” The snow leopard’s smile came back, bigger than ever.

Kishara moved quickly, unravelling the hose from the tank while Fresh sat quietly and watched curiously. She gracefully leaned down over him, gently kissing the soft fur on his cheek as she slid the hose into his mouth. The fox’s eyes shot open as she tied a small piece of rope around his orange muzzle.

“Wut’re you doing?” He mumbled around the hose in his mouth as she turned opened the valve on the tank. The familiar hiss cried out as the air started to flow. It only took a moment for the air to reach Fresh’s mouth and find its way down his throat. He felt his belly very slowly start to grow out larger.

“I told you; I wanted someplace comfy to sit.” She teased as she poked his slowly growing stomach. “And what could be better than a big, fuzzy, air-filled fox?”

The large air tank continued to empty its contents into Fresh’s body. It seemed his belly was taking the brunt of it now, it already forming a white furred ball just barely peering out from under his shirt. His shirt started growing tighter with each passing inch he grew. Both he and she started rubbing and massaging the fox’s swollen gut, eliciting a small purr. His belly had already grown to almost a foot large ball before he felt the air flow elsewhere.

Kishara giggled excitedly as she hugged Fresh’s big bloated belly. This certainly wasn’t the first time they had done this, but she always enjoyed having her boyfriend as a balloon. The fox blushed a bit from the attention, but quickly turned his thoughts back to his inflating body. Though his belly was still quite large, the rest of his body started to bloat outwards. There was a small tightness in his chest before it started to inflate outwards. A few small rips started to form in the shirt he’d been wearing. His arms and legs felt even tighter than after a hard workout as they started to bloat and stiffen from the air.

The fox let out a small whimper around the hose in his mouth as his back started to swell outwards, causing his body to take on a more rounded shape. The shirt he’d had on now completely tore off, letting him swell easier. His arms and legs slowly started to be swallowed up by his big inflated body. The fox began to feel a little tight from all the air, worrying him greatly. What is she doesn’t stop? Fresh thought silently.

“Aaand, perfect!” Kishara closed the valve on the tank as Fresh’s round body hit about four feet wide. She pulled the hose out of his mouth before quickly retying the rope to keep the air in his body. “Thanks so much. You look so cute like this.” She gave his big inflated body a hug and kissed his cheek again. The snow leopard rolled him over so he could see the TV before sitting back down on the couch and leaning against the ballooned fox. “I love you, Fresh.” She said sweetly as she turned on the movie.

“Love you too.” Fresh managed to mumble through the rope tying his mouth shut. He couldn’t even keep track of the movie, instead focusing on his big inflated body. It was weird, but he couldn’t bring himself to be even slightly annoyed at the snow leopard leaning against his rounded form. The situation was still weird, but he really did love her and wanted to see her happy. If being her balloon pillow was what she wanted, then Fresh was more than willing.

Two hours later, the movie ended. Kishara seemed to like it, but Fresh wasn’t really watching and was just enjoying being with her. “Well, I’m about ready to go to sleep, and I’m sure you want to, too.” The snow leopard stood up, yawned, and stretched while Fresh, stuck as a four feet wide fox balloon on the couch, just nodded. “But hmm, what to do with you now?” She looked over at him with a gleam in her eyes. “Maybe I can make you big enough to be a bed?”

“No. Too tight.” Fresh mumbled. He was already four feet wide and felt tight; there was no way he could get large enough for her to sleep on before he popped.

“Nah, you’ve still got plenty of room.” Kishara laughed as she poked and rubbed the fox’s body. “And even if not, don’t worry. I’ll make sure everything’s ok.” Fresh looked on in despair as she brought the hose ever closer to his mouth again. He’d seen Kishara pop before, and while she reformed a few hours after as if nothing had ever happened, he’d never done it before. The thought of it was frightening.

He could only watch as she put the hose back into his mouth and opened the valve again, though now the air was flowing even faster. His round body inflated further, but every moment had another loud creak alongside his growth. It only took another two minutes for him to become a five feet wide fox balloon. The pressure inside was mounting, his skin starting to feel very taut. There was a small pain coming from the front of his body, unlike anything he’d ever felt before. It was a small tear in his skin. This was his limit.

“I love you, Fresh” as the last thing he heard. With a loud bang, Fresh’s body popped, a wave of air blowing throughout the apartment causing Kishara to stumble. Orange, white, and black scraps of fur fluttered down, being all that remained of the fox. The snow leopard laughed as she turned off the air tank and gathered the scraps of her boyfriend. Once all the scraps were collected in a small bag, she brought them and a set of clothes for Fresh to put on later into the bathroom. Knowing Fresh would reform in a few hours, Kishara walked back to their bedroom and fell asleep, looking forward to the time she’d see her boyfriend in one piece again.