You patrolled through the city streets out of boredom on this particularly nice day. You had absolutely nothing to do at home, so why not waste your time elsewhere by doing some shopping that you were most likely going to spend at the anime and games shop.
"Ahhh, man today's boring. There's absolutely nothing to do." You complained as you passed by many shops. A particular item on display however caught your eye. You back tracked towards the window and pressed your face against the thick glass as you admired a light brown fluffy bear costume with big brown eyes. "Hey, I remember having a costume like this!" You reminisced.
One look at your body however told you that the outfit was indeed now too small for you. It was definitely time for an upgrade. You entered the shop and eyed the bear costume. You then made a beeline for the register and looked up at the cashier.
"Hey Mr, can I try on that bear outfit?" You requested. The old man smiled down at you and nodded.
"Of course! Go on ahead." You grinned at him and took the bear off from display. You then dragged the outfit into the dressing room and undressed yourself. You then slipped yourself into the outfit and zipped yourself up.
Once the outfit was secure, you looked at your reflection in the mirror and smiled to yourself.
"Hey, this is pretty comfy!" You exclaimed and began to pull some poses as well as flexing. You giggled and sighed in content. "This is a pretty nice outfit. Welp, time to take it off and-" your hand struggled to pull the zipper down, making you grunt in discomfort. "What? Is it stuck?" You asked yourself as you struggled to pull the zip down. It would not budge.
You began to sweat at your own misfortune. 'No, it can't be, is the bear costume stuck!?' you mentally cried. You then puffed up your chest and continued to tug on the zipper.
Snap.
You froze at the sudden sound and held the broken zipper in front of you. You then began to sweat bullets. 'Crud, I broke the zipper! What am I gonna do now!?' You mentally cried. You then shook your head. 'Wait, calm down. There's got to be some way to take this thing off. But for now...' You looked at your stuff and sighed. 'Guess I don't have any choice.'
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"Thank you for your purchase!" The cashier exclaimed as you left the store. Your previous clothes were placed inside a bag the store owner had provided you with, and you cried silently to yourself.
Everyone gave you odd looks while the children smiled at you as you walked down the street. You began grumbling about your own misfortunes. Might as well hold a balloon while you're at it. The sun's intense rays shone down on you like a sauna, roasting you inside of the suit. You sighed and reached up to wipe the sweat from your face, but you were only met with fur. You gritted your teeth in annoyance and threw your head back.
"DAMN IT, GET ME OUT OF THIS SUIT!" You screamed, ruining the hopes and dreams of the many children surrounding you. You froze up and glanced down at the teary eyed kids. "O-oh, uh," before you could say any more, the children ran off screaming to their mothers, leaving you in the dust. You sighed and slumped. This was just great.
Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Zoran walking passed you with three shopping bags in her hands and a bright smile on her face. Your eyes lit up with hope and you bolted forwards.
"Zoran! Help me!" You cried. Zoran looked behind her and saw you running towards her at top notch speed.
In Zoran's eyes;
A strange person wearing a bear costume is running towards her at a speed she didn't think was humanly possible. This strange person had a strange look in their eyes.
Zoran sucked in a sharp breath and dropped her bags. A scream then tore through her throat and she ran away from you. Your eyes widened and you skidded to a stop where she dropped her bags. You then picked them up and proceeded with your chase.
"Hey! Wait up, you dropped these!" You cried. Tears pricked her eyes as you continued to chase after her.
"Stop chasing me, you freak!" She cried. You frowned and caught up to her.
"That wasn't very nice." You pointed out as you matched her pace. Zoran screamed and knocked you back before taking off. You cried out in surprise and barely caught yourself. You then frowned at her and increased your speed. "Zoran!"
Zoran breathed heavily as her mechanical heart rate sped up. Who was this psycho, and why did they know her name!? A thought then hit her. 'Don't tell me, are they a kidnapper!?' With this thought, she ran even harder.
To her relief, she saw her older brother standing at a cross walk.
"Astro!" She cried. Astro turned towards her and caught her in his arms.
"Zoran? What's the matter?" He asked. Zoran trembled in her arms and pointed at you.
"Some weirdo in a bear suit is trying to kidnap me!" She said. Astro's eyes widened and he looked up to see you closing in on them.
"Astro! Thank god you're here, I need help with this-" your words were cut off when Astro's arm connected with your stomach. You felt the impact of the blow and fell to the ground. You then clenched your stomach in pain. "Ow....why...?" You whimpered.
Astro's eyes widened and he crouched down to you.
"Y/n!? I'm so sorry! I didn't know that was you! Are you okay?" He asked as he gently rolled you onto your back. The pain soon went away and you shot up.
"Huh, that didn't hurt as much as I thought it would. Geez! If it was anyone else, they would've keeled over!" You pointed out. Astro shook his head.
"No, even you would keel over from that. That suit must have absorbed the impact. Wait, why were you chasing Zoran...?" He trailed off and raised an eyebrow at his sister. Zoran chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of her head.
"Uh, yeah, about that, I didn't know that it was Y/n in the suit..." She admitted. You frowned at her and stood up.
"So that's why you ran. Here are your bags." You said and handed Zoran her shopping bags. Zoran thanked you and gripped onto her bags tightly.
"Y/n, why are you wearing that bear costume?" Astro questioned as he fiddled with your ears.
"Well..." You reached into the pocket of the suit and presented the broken zipper to the robot siblings. "This broke and I can't get this thing off." Astro and Zoran eyed the zipper with interest. Astro then walked behind you and eyed the broken zip on your costume.
"So you need us to help take this off?" He summarised. You smiled brightly at him and gave him a thumbs up.
"Yes please." With a prompt nod, Astro reached for the zipper. His hand then stopped right before touching it however and he swallowed.
"You have clothes on under this...right?" You turned towards him.
"Does a singlet count?" Astro sighed and handed the zipper to Zoran.
"Zoran will help take off the costume." Astro stated as his sister grabbed the zipper from him. She then moved towards you and reached for the broken zip. Astro's hands were as fast as lightning as he grabbed the zipper from her. "Don't do it here!" He shouted. Zoran blinked up at him.
"Huh? Why not?"
"Yeah, why not?" Astro gave the two of you a bewildered look.
"Because we're in public! Now come on, we'll do it back at our house. Let's go." You and Zoran nodded and followed behind Astro.
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Zoran gently hooked the broken zipper onto the clasp and pulled. Astro sat in the loungeroom while watching tv as you and Zoran attempted to solve your dilemma in her room. Zoran gritted her teeth as she pulled on the zipper. The zipper snapped off however, making her fall back.
"WAH!" She cried out as she fell back against her door. Astro glanced up at the stairs before turning back to the tv screen. Zoran let out an annoyed huff and stood up. "Welp, this zipper is absolutely useless." She said and threw it out the window. She then moved towards you and gripped onto the fabric tightly. "Sorry, Y/n. But I'm going to have to rip this thing off." She apologized.
You nodded in understanding.
"It's all good, Zoran. As long as I get this stupid thing off, I'm a happy camper." You said. Zoran nodded and began to pull on the fabric. To her utter surprise, the fabric wouldn't even stretch!
"W-what the? Why. Is. It. So. Hard. To. Rip!" She gritted out as she continued to pull on the fabric. You had to grip onto the edge of her bed as you struggled to not be pulled back by her. Your grip however was not as strong as hers and it slipped. You were then thrown into Zoran, knocking the two of you back into the door and forcing it open.
The two of you cried out as you rolled down the stairs and crashed onto the floor. Astro heard the commotion and shot up from his seat to see the crumpled pile on the floor that was you and Zoran. The two of you let out a small groan as Astro ran towards you.
"Are you two okay?" He asked. You nodded while Zoran began to whine.
"This is stupid! The zipper broke off again and the fabric won't rip! What is up with this suit!?" She cried. Astro furrowed his brow as she pushed herself to her feet. "I need help, big brother!" Astro frowned and eyed your suit. He then sighed and nodded.
"Alright, let's try pulling from different sides." Astro suggested. Zoran nodded while you began to sweat. You could just tell this wasn't going to end well.
Both siblings stood on opposite sides of you and grabbed your sleeves. They then stood back and began to pull as hard as they could. You were pretty much lifted off the ground as they tried to rip the fabric apart, but it was no use.
"What's with this fabric!?" Astro cried as he pulled harder. Zoran matched his strength and puffed her cheeks out.
"I don't know! But this thing sure is hard. To. Break. Woah!" Astro by this point had begun to use his rockets, pulling both you and Zoran towards him. The three of you then came crashing to the ground in a heap and sighed.
"This isn't gonna work." You said in dismay. Astro sweat dropped and sat up. He then shook his head.
"No, we'll get you out of that suit no matter how long it takes!" He exclaimed. You smiled at him. Your eyes then widened when he turned you around. "Now, hold still." You furrowed your brows in confusion as he pressed the tips of his fingers against your back.
"Um, what are you doing?" You questioned. Astro stuck his tongue out in concentration and activated his laser. You frowned even more and sniffled the air. "Do I smell something burning?" You asked yourself. Your eyes then widened when you felt something hot come into contact with your back. "ARGH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" You screamed and turned around. You then pulled your fist back and punched him square in the jaw, knocking him back.
Astro cried out and crashed into the couch. Your eyes widened and you looked down at your padded fist.
"Huh, that didn't hurt. This outfit is invincable!" You exclaimed and flexed. Astro groaned and sat up.
"Can't stay in that outfit forever. You'll eventually have to go to the bathroom and eat." He pointed out. His words hit you hard and you grabbed the ears on your head. You then pulled on them as you tried to pry the head off your head.
"Get this thing off me!" You cried. Astro and Zoran gave each other nervous glances and walked up to you.
"Looks like we'll need some assistance." Astro pointed out. You stopped tugging at the costume and turned towards him.
"What assistance?"
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You looked up at Reno's house with a straight face.
"This brings back bad memories." You said and gave Astro a look. Astro ignored your look and jogged up to his door. He then raised his fist to the door and knocked on it.
"Just a minute!" Reno's muffled voice called from the other side. He then pulled open the door and blinked at the three of you. "Oh, Astro, Zoran. And...a bear?" Astro nodded and pointed to you.
"We need your help. Y/n got herself stuck in a bear suit and we can't get her out of it." He pointed out. Reno eyed you up and down. He then bit his lip as he struggled to hold in his laughter. You frowned at him and sighed. Why did you agree to come here?
"So, you got stuck...*snort* in a bear costume? How'd ya manage that?" Reno questioned as bits and pieces of laughter escaped his lips. You clenched and unclenched your fists as you struggled to hold in your inner rage.
"Simple. I tried on a bear costume. The zipper broke. And now I'm stuck." You gritted out. Reno halted his laughter and straightened as a serious look crossed his face.
"Come inside." You walked passed him and entered his home along with Astro and Zoran. You immediately made a beeline for his couch and plopped yourself down. Reno paused at the doorway leading into the kitchen and turned towards you.
"Did you want a drink or-" Reno halted his train of thought when he realised something. You stared silently at him from inside your bear costume. He then turned away from you. And snorted. That was the finishing line.
You picked up the nearest couch pillow and charged at him as he moved away from you. Astro sighed and pulled you back.
"Enough. We came here to get the outfit off. Can you help us, Reno?" Astro asked. Reno stopped running and smiled while nodding.
"Yeah, I think. Let me have a look at the material." You stood still as Reno circled around you. He then fingered the fabric and pressed his finger into it. "Huh, is this...leather underneath?" He muttered under his breath. He then noticed the burn mark on your back and raised an eyebrow. "Where'd this burn mark come from?" He questioned. You frowned and turned your head towards Astro who in turn avoided your gaze.
"Our 'oh so humble hero' over here decided that it was a good idea to try and use a laser on me, a human." Reno gave Astro a funny look.
"Hey, at least I tried!" He defended himself. Reno shook his head and turned towards his friend.
"Can you do a visual scan of Y/n's outfit? Maybe we can learn the true properties of the fabric." He suggested. Astro nodded and activated a scanning sequence on your body. You stood in his line of sight as you watched his eyes shift from different colours. They then shifted back to their original colour.
"The fabric consists of both wool and leather, it's properties being one tenth of a-"
"We don't need all the details." You deadpanned. Astro opened and closed his mouth before sighing. Zoran pressed her lips into a thin line as her boredom started to get to her.
"Hey, can't we just go back to the shop where you got the outfit in the first place?" She questioned. Reno nodded.
"Yeah, that might be a good idea. Let's go." He said. You let out a tired sigh. Ugh, more walking? Zoran pushed you out the door as the two boys waited for you.
You allowed her to push you. You then looked up at the sky and frowned. Why was it so damn hot today? Astro frowned up at the sky and turned towards Reno.
"I'll go to the ministry of science and ask Dr O'Shay if he could help us." He said.
"Okay, we'll head on over to the shop then. Meet you there?" Astro nodded. He then bent his knees and shot off towards the sky. You sighed and trudged passed Reno.
"Let's hurry up and get this stupid suit off..." You grumbled. Reno and Zoran both glanced at each other and shrugged before following after you.
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You boiled like an egg under the dangerously hot rays of the sun as you, Reno and Zoran walked down the busy streets of Metro City.
"Ugh, seriously, what is up with this heat? I'm dying over here..." You complained. Zoran looked up at you.
"Don't worry, Y/n. We're almost there!" She exclaimed. Your eye twitched and you slumped forwards.
"This is taking too long." You commented. Zoran frowned at you and jogged up to Reno.
"Reno, are we there yet?" She questioned. Reno glanced down at her.
"Almost. Look, it's just around the corner." He said. Zoran looked forwards and to her delight, the shop was in sight.
"You're right! Look, Y/n, we're almost there! Y/n?" Zoran inquired and looked back at you. She then cried out in surprise when she found you lying face down on the concrete. "GAH! Y/N!!!!" She wailed, making Reno turn around. His eyes then widened and he rushed over to you.
"Y-Y/n!?" He cried and stood over you. "Uh, Zoran I think we need to call Astro..." Reno's voice faded out as you lost consciousness.
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You awoke to the sounds of machinery and other medical equipment. The moment you opened your eyes, a blinding white light filled your senses, forcing you to close them shut.
"Ugh..." You groaned out, bringing the attention of everyone around you.
"Ah, you're awake!" Astro exclaimed and leaned over your bed. You peaked an eye open at him and winced.
"Where am I...?" You breathed out. Astro smiled down at you.
"You're in the hospital." Your eyes snapped wide open and you shot up.
"A hospital!? Uh, why?" You questioned. Astro sat back in his seat and continued to smile at you.
"You fainted from heat stroke." He pointed out. You frowned at him and sat back.
"Oh, what about the suit?" Astro pointed towards the freshly cleaned bear suit sitting in the corner of the room.
"The good news is that we managed to get the suit off you." Astro told. Your eyes widened and you looked down. Instead of the bear suit, you were wearing a hospital gown.
"I thought it was cooler..." You mumbled. The door then opened and Reno entered the room.
"Ah, I see the sleeping princess is awake." Reno joked. You laughed.
"And I see the clown has made his appearance." You fired back. Reno huffed. He then rested his hand on his chest and puffed his chest out.
"Well this 'clown' gallantly carried you inside your, mind I say, HEAVY bear costume. Seriously, how did you manage to wear that thing?" Reno rambled on.
"And I carried you the rest of the ten blocks." Zoran added as she poked her head into the room. You smiled at her and held your arms out, giving her room to dive into your hold. Zoran giggled and hugged you tightly. "How are you feeling?" She asked. You gave her a little shrug.
"Eh, normal wise." You admitted. Zoran cocked her head to the side in wonder. You then crashed onto your side and you enjoyed the room's cool atmosphere.
"I'm feeling pretty tired, so I'm going to go back to sleep." You said and closed your eyes. Everyone's eyes widened.
"B-But you just woke up!" Zoran wailed, but her only response was your light snores.
"I'll go and get her a drink for when she wakes up." Reno spoke. Zoran's face brightened and she hopped off the bed.
"I'll come with you!" She exclaimed. Astro watched them leave and he waved to the pair. He then looked down at you and you let out a small sigh. 'She sure can be a handful sometimes.' He thought. He then turned his attention towards the bear suit in the corner of the room. They had to get the manager himself to come in and take it off.
Curiousity began to peak his interests and he stood up from the stool. Astro then walked over to the bear costume and slipped himself inside of it.
Once the zipper had been fastened, Astro looked himself in the mirror that was situated in the room and smiled.
"Hey, this isn't half bad. It's really comfy!" He told himself and pulled a few poses. He then laughed to himself and reached up for the zipper. "Welp, time to take it off. It'd be embarrassing if I got stuck inside this thing." He admitted.
The zipper wouldn't budge.
Astro's eyes widened and he tugged as hard as he could, but to no avail would the zipper move. Astro tugged a few more times before letting his arms drop to his sides. This was bad. Luck surely wasn't on his side today. How could he have let himself get stuck!? What was he going to do if there was an attack!?
As if God hated him, an explosion rang out in the distance. Astro turned his head towards the window where he had a clear view of the explosion. And thus, Astro Bear was born.