[TOY] Plaything

[skinstealer]

[INTERMISSION: DEVO]




The TV's on.

Devo's not sure when he turned it on, or why the screen's sticker displaying static noise, as if there's something wrong with the channel.

Must've fallen asleep...

DEVO: Where's the damn remote...
 

Patting around doesn't get him anywhere, the bear sighing as each peek around the couch and side table get him nowhere.

Just my luck...gotta get up and turn it off.

He hauls himself to his feet with a grunt, stretching out his back before shambling over to stand in front of the television.

...

He lingers, for a moment.

The static continues to fuzz, making a light buzzing noise. The audiovisual combination seems to make his own head buzz as well, something unpleasant and unwanted.

And yet...

He can't look away.

Time passes, though how much, Devo isn't sure. It's enough to make his legs ache, and the buzzing gets louder and louder the more his eyes are locked on the television's sticker.

He can almost hear a voice, through the static.

 

Don't you want to play with me, Devo?

DEVO: ...I dunno, what's the game?
 

That's very silly...when did you get a sense of humor?

DEVO: Since I started talking to TVs, I guess.
 

Well...I have plenty of games in mind.
I can show you so many, all you have to do is ask.

Devo hesitates, swaying back and forth on his feet.
 

What's wrong? Don't you want to find out what I have in store?

DEVO: What if I don't like these games?
 

This is weird, I don't-
Why am I-?

I won't hurt you like he did.
I promise.

Something about the way the voice says it-

DEVO: I-
 

He only manages to get one word out before a paw, so similar to his own, reaches out and takes him by the front of his shirt, surprisingly strong-



-pulling him into the TV itself, as if the sticker were a doorway he hadn't realized.




When he opens his eyes, he's...on something soft, but unfamiliar.

Blankets...is it a bed? They feel kind of silky...

The room is red, similar to the crushed velvet of Laurie's Place, but...different.

Wait, no, I do know this place-

????: Isn't it perfect?
????: I know you always wanted to go there...
????: One of the premium playrooms.
????: Just for us.
 

Devo whips his head around to see-

Oh. Oh no.

Himself, but...sporting red accents, and thinner, more curved- the other bear sporting a natural bust even without a bra or form fitting clothing. With a bit of embroidery stitching itself into his cheeks, he notices the sheer stockings and gloves on her- how do I know that's what she uses?- legs and arms, her feet sporting deep red heels, just barely visible from the angle he's at.

Which...oh god, that angle.

He's laying on the bed, the only clothing on him being a bra and his usual nondescript underwear. It's nothing special, something he lounges in frequently-

But seeing this...bizarrely attractive-

DEVO: W-wait a sec-
DEVO: You're! You're one of those doppelgangers!
DEVO: This is a dream, you're going to be weird again!
 

He doesn't move from his spot, more embroidery crossing his face as she scoots a little closer.

RED BEAR: Why do you have to call me that?
RED BEAR: You're so cruel to me, Devo...
RED BEAR: After all we've been through, I would have thought you'd remember me.
DEVO: Wh-
DEVO: Why would I remember some weird dream thing?
DEVO: I barely remember what happened in these when I wake up-
 

He stops, his chest tightening as her face looks genuinely hurt.

RED BEAR: You used to let me in so close...
DEVO: L-look, I don't know you!
DEVO: I don't!
DEVO: I-
 

The red-tinged bear pulls away from him, paws in her lap.

RED BEAR: ...I just...
RED BEAR: Want to go back to loving you again...
DEVO: ...
 

Devo makes a soft noise as he notices embroidered tears well up by the corners of her eyes.

DEVO: H-hey, don't cry-
RED BEAR: What does it matter to you?
 

She wipes her face, turning away as her voice grows cold, hurt and bitter.

RED BEAR: No matter what I do, you won't remember me!
RED BEAR: A-and, this is-
RED BEAR: This is the only way I know how to talk to you-
RED BEAR: When we w-wake up, I'm gone again, and-
 

She holds back what Devo's pretty sure is a sob, causing the blue bear to sit up and reach out for her shoulder.

As soon as he makes contact, she yanks herself away.

RED BEAR: D...don't touch me.
RED BEAR: Not until I know you really care.
DEVO: I...
DEVO: I'm not trying to hurt you-
RED BEAR: Then just!
RED BEAR: Remember me already!
RED BEAR: Say my name, tell me something you know about me, anything!
 

Her voice grows more and more frantic, her paws balling into fists as she whips around to face him.

Her bead eyes are full of pain, the tear embroidery running down her face at this point.

RED BEAR: I used to matter to you!
RED BEAR: I used to be your everything!
RED BEAR: You-
RED BEAR: You said we'd be together forever!
 

Devo's stunned at this point, frozen in place. With every word she says, he feels a sick feeling in his belly start to churn, feeling worse and worse.

Anything I could say right now-
I don't! I don't know her!!
I don't want to hurt someone I've never-
She's-
Why does hearing her cry make me feel like this...

RED BEAR: Y...you don't even look at me the same way...
RED BEAR: ...maybe I don't know you anymore, either.
RED BEAR: We're just.
RED BEAR: Strangers.
 

She spits the word out, as if it's a horrible cuss.

RED BEAR: ...
 

Suddenly, the look in her eye changes.

RED BEAR: But that was enough for you, right?
 

Devo blinks.

DEVO: Huh?
DEVO: What was enough for me?
RED BEAR: You didn't care about Tim being a stranger.
 

She spits the name out just as vitriolically as earlier, making the sick feeling in Devo's stomach worse.

DEVO: H-hey, don't-
DEVO: Don't drag him into this-
RED BEAR: Why not?
RED BEAR: It's clear you like him more than me, even when he's just going to use you.
RED BEAR: Just like Saddler.
 

Devo stares at her, even more stunned than before.

DEVO: ....
DEVO: H...how could you say something like that?
DEVO: Tim loves me!
RED BEAR: I love you!
RED BEAR: Why don't I matter, Devo?!
RED BEAR: I protected you! I have always, always protected you!
RED BEAR: I was there for you when no one else was!
RED BEAR: And now you're going to throw me away!
RED BEAR: Call me a doppelganger, as if I'm some....
RED BEAR: Some...stupid image in a mirror!
DEVO: I-
 

She clutches at her own chest, Devo finally noticing the pattern on the left side-

A heart, just like mine-
But broken, taped up.

RED BEAR: How does it feel, then!
RED BEAR: How does it feel to look at yourself crying, to know you hurt me so badly?!
RED BEAR: When all I have ever, ever wanted to do is love you!
RED BEAR: I would give you my everything.
 

She leans in, her voice like ice.

RED BEAR: But you wouldn't even take it.
 

No one speaks.

Devo can barely think, the world feeling cold and alien around him.

This playroom, once craved and desired, now feels like a cage.

RED BEAR: ....
 

Her chest is heaving, as if doing everything she can to keep from screaming.

RED BEAR: Say something.
DEVO: I...
DEVO: I-I-
DEVO: I'm sorry-
 

Oh, god.

He can feel the embroidery streaming on his own cheeks, now.

Now I'm crying-
And I don't even know why-

DEVO: I'm s...so sorry, I'm-
DEVO: I'm trying to remember you, but I don't u-understand-
DEVO: I- I promise, if I knew you, I would say something, I pr-promise-
 

He can't stop the tears now, his own shoulders shaking.

DEVO: I don't know who you are, a-and-
DEVO: I don't l-like what you're saying about Tim-
DEVO: But I don't want to hurt you, not like this-
 

The red bear is silent, looking away again.

RED BEAR: ...do you mean it?
RED BEAR: Do you really mean it?
DEVO: Yes.
DEVO: I may not know you, but I-
DEVO: Something a-about you-
DEVO: It hurts to see you sad...
 

She whips her head back around, wiping away her tears and scooting in closer, as if he'd just said the magic words.

RED BEAR: A-are you sure?
RED BEAR: Maybe you remember something!
RED BEAR: Something, anything!
RED BEAR: Please-!
 

Devo shakes his head, looking up at her with what feels like the most devastated expression he's had in months.

DEVO: I'm...
DEVO: I'm so sorry.
 

She doesn't pull away, this time.

RED BEAR: Then...
RED BEAR: Prove it to me.
RED BEAR: Prove that you care about me.
RED BEAR: Even if I’m just a shadow to you.
RED BEAR: Just a reflection.
DEVO: H-how?
 

The red bear moves closer, until she's by his side, nearly touching him.

RED BEAR: Hold me.
RED BEAR: Like you used to.
RED BEAR: Hold me the way you said you'd never stop.
 

Devo hesitates, looking over the tear-streaked bear's face-

...she's beautiful.

 

-and pulling her into his arms.

She's warm, so warm, as if holding a sun.

 

It's intoxicating-








And then she's gone.

Devo opens his eyes wide, feeling around for her, for the playroom bed, but he's not there anymore. He's on his ass, uselessly flailing around a pure, black void, nothing to see or touch or-


He hears it first.

The sound of knife on wood, digging into a wall.


He freezes, recognizing the sound.

N...no...
I need to-
I need to get out of here, I can't-
I can't be here if he is-!

It's with an even deeper horror that he realizes he's naked, the heart patch Tim stitched between his legs as a repair missing, his loose seam exposed and ripped along the edges. Even just seeing it is enough to make him feel sick, but knowing that-

I have to go-!
B-before I get another fucking cut-

He scrambles to his feet, only to realize that despite the space he's in being completely featureless-

He's up against a wall. Trying to scramble along it smacks him into another one, and another in the opposite direction.

T-trapped! I'm cornered, trapped, I can't-! I can't get out!
It's a fucking hallway!

Devo hears the sound again, louder this time. He can barely contain his shaking sobs, only having just now realized he's crying again.

He sees the shape at the end of the hallway, now.

Tall, looming and heavy stepped, dragging a knife along the indiscernible void-wall.

Sharp claws, clenching and unclenching into fists.

A jagged mouth that opens and closes, breathing heavily-

W...wait...
That's...that's not Saddler-

As the figure grows closer and Devo shrinks back against the wall, his fear taking over every part of his body, he sees it more clearly now-

Another doppelganger, this one with black accents, twisted and changed into a monstrous form, as if warped from the bear he resembled.

Devo barely notices how the other bear tries to hide it- a loose seam, just like his, with a trail of pellets left behind in his wake.

MONSTER BEAR: ...
MONSTER BEAR: You have a lot of nerve, showing up back here.
MONSTER BEAR: You didn't learn from last time.
DEVO: L-last time-

 

This time, he remembers.


A knife, plunging into his plush chest, over and over. Carving into him, the beast in front of him barely able to contain his own cries of anguish and rage.

DEVO: Y...you!
DEVO: It's you, you're the one k-
DEVO: Killing me in my dreams!
DEVO: Y-you won't let me sleep!
DEVO: What do y-you even want?!
MONSTER BEAR: ...That's an easy answer.
 

Devo chokes as the monster grabs him by the neck with a single hand, lifting him off the ground and raising him against the wall.

DEVO: L-let me go!
MONSTER BEAR: I want to take it from you.
MONSTER BEAR: All of this shit.
MONSTER BEAR: All of this disgusting, pervert shit you got us into-
MONSTER BEAR: The filth you surround yourself with-
MONSTER BEAR: No more.

The knife flashes as it gets pushed against Devo's forehead, digging into the fabric there.

DEVO: S-stop...
DEVO: P-please, I don't-
DEVO: I don't know what you're talking ab-!
 

He chokes as the monster squeezes his neck, kicking his legs and desperately trying to get free.

MONSTER BEAR: You're the problem, Devo.
MONSTER BEAR: I just want to solve that.
 

The monster pulls the knife back, the handle clenched tight in his hand.

Devo looks him directly in the eyes, more out of desperation than anything.

...he's terrified.

MONSTER BEAR: You were never meant to survive.
MONSTER BEAR: This is for your own good.
MONSTER BEAR: Pray that you don't wake up.
DEVO: W-WAIT-!

The knife goes deep into his forehead, and all Devo can hear is his own scream as the world goes black.

 

He's still screaming when he feels a huge hand against his neck-

This time, gentle.

????: There, there...
 

The voice he hears is deep, rumbling, and familiar.

????: It's okay...it's going to be okay.

 

S..somewhere soft...
I'm on something nice right now...
A bed? Am I back with the red bear?
N...no, the voice is different...

 

He doesn't want to open his eyes, screwing them shut even as he catches his breath, stopping his screams.

No more pain in his head. Just the feeling of warmth underneath and around him, as a large, soft paw strokes his neck and shoulders.

DEVO: I...I don't want anymore-
????: Oh!
????: Do you need me to stop? I can stop petting you...
????: I just see Tim do this when you're scared, I figured it would help!
 

Devo freezes, but not out of fear this time.

DEVO: D...do you like Tim?
DEVO: You don't hate him?
????: Why would I?
????: He's so nice to us!
DEVO: U...us?
????: Well, mostly you...
????: But I think he'd like the rest of us too!
????: All we need to do is figure things out a bit more, and then we can all be like-
????: A happy bunch, all together!
????: It sounds like a dream come true...
 

Devo makes a surprised noise as the surface underneath him shifts, causing him to open his eyes.

...oh.

He's not on a bed at all, sprawled belly-down on-

On a huge plush, twice as big as he was and wide enough to act as a huge, cushy bed.

To his relief, Devo realizes he's wearing his pajama pants- though the bear underneath him is very naked.

It doesn't seem to bother him, though, his yellow eyes closing in a pleased expression.

BIG BEAR: Hello, Devo!
BIG BEAR: It's so good to see your eyes again...
BIG BEAR: I could never get sick of those!
DEVO: ...you know me, too?
DEVO: It...it feels like everyone knows me-
BIG BEAR: ...I know that must feel so strange, especially when you don't remember anything...
BIG BEAR: But I think everything will start making sense soon!
BIG BEAR: It's just a big puzzle that we have to put together, piece by piece!
 

The massive doppelganger reaches one of his paws up to stroke Devo on the head, the touch feeling immensely soothing all at once.

DEVO: Hhgh...that's nice...
BIG BEAR: You like that?
BIG BEAR: I'll have to try and remember...it gets so fuzzy, waking up from the dreams.
BIG BEAR: You may not even remember any of this yourself...
BIG BEAR: Probably not, really.
BIG BEAR: But I hope you remember this feeling.
BIG BEAR: If not from me, then when you're with Tim.

The bear stops petting Devo for a moment, looking into his eyes with the most warm expression Devo's ever seen on a toy.

BIG BEAR: The feeling that you are loved.
BIG BEAR: You don't have to remember me right away, I know...Fatale is really upset about that....
BIG BEAR: But I'm patient!
BIG BEAR: I will wait for you as long as it takes, even if that's forever.
DEVO: ....

Even though he can't remember this bear, just as he couldn't remember the other two-

The name comes to him.

DEVO: T...thank you...
DEVO: Thank you, Scout...
 

Scout's entire face lights up, wrapping Devo into a sudden, tight squeeze that squishes the blue bear entirely into his chest and stomach. All Devo can do is make a muffled yelp as Scout rolls back and forth, snuggling him in a ridiculously snug embrace.

SCOUT: I-
SCOUT: I know it's just the beginning, but I just know you'll remember us someday!
SCOUT: And when you do, we can all be so happy together, I promise!
SCOUT: Even just hearing my name! It's so wonderful!
DEVO: H-hey, buddy, u-uh-
 

Scout realizes how tight he's holding Devo, releasing him as the blue bear wheezes.

DEVO: T...thanks.
SCOUT: Guess we're not on the "bear hug" stage of our relationship yet, huh?
SCOUT: Well! You can always ask!
DEVO: I...it was nice....
DEVO: Just a little...tight.
SCOUT: Hehehe...sorry!

He pats Devo on the head, the blue bear looking at him with a dazed expression.

SCOUT: We'll probably wake up soon, but...
SCOUT: Do you want some more cuddle time?
SCOUT: Gentler this time, I promise!
DEVO: ...you won't crush me again?
SCOUT: Nope!
SCOUT: Even if I know you like that kind of thing!
 

Devo can't help but have his face heat up with blush at that, giving the yellow-tinted bear a hell of a look.

SCOUT: Hehehe!
SCOUT: Sorry, sorry! I can't help but tease...
SCOUT: But I can hold back on flustering you.
SCOUT: It'll be more fun when you remember, anyway!
 

What have I gotten myself into...

DEVO: I'll...take the cuddle, at least.
DEVO: I j..just don't want to go back there.
DEVO: With the monster.
SCOUT: Shhh, I've got you...
 

Scout starts rubbing the blue bear's back, Devo sinking into his belly again.

SCOUT: No more of that, okay?
SCOUT: Whatever he did to you, it's gone now.
SCOUT: I'll take it all away...
 

The last thing Devo feels is a light kiss on his forehead, right where the knife sank in.

 

Devo's eyes open slowly, blearily, as he recognizes the ceiling of his bedroom.

 

Just a dream.

 

Wh...what was I dreaming again?

TIMOTHY: You're up.
 

Devo nearly jumps out of his skin, turning to see Tim sitting on the side of the bed, looking down at his paws in his lap.

DEVO: W-
DEVO: What time is it, why are you up?
TIMOTHY: ...three AM. I haven't been able to sleep at all.
TIMOTHY: And...you keep tossing and turning.
TIMOTHY: Saying things. I dunno.
TIMOTHY: I'm-
 

His voice cracks.

TIMOTHY: I'm worried about you, Devo...
DEVO: Tim...
 

The bear scoots over towards his partner, slumping against the dog's back.

DEVO: It's okay.
DEVO: I promise, it's okay.
DEVO: I just had weird dreams again, alright?
TIMOTHY: ...about the doppelgangers?
DEVO: Yeah...I think so.
DEVO: Kinda hard to remember...
DEVO: But...they aren't real, remember?
DEVO: It's probably just weird dream stuff. Nothing to worry about.
DEVO: My head's probably just trying to figure out stress about this shit.
 

Tim doesn't say anything, his shoulders falling as he sighs.

DEVO: ...Tim....
DEVO: I promise, it's not gonna turn into something bad.
DEVO: I'm sure once this is all over, the dreams'll stop.
DEVO: And we won't have to worry about any more of it.
DEVO: Never again.