babyfur Big 2 Smol (One-Shot)

[Panther Cub]

Heyo, readers! I got a fresh new one-shot for you all, fresh from my mind oven! I hope that you all enjoy it! And please consider letting me know what you think!

 

 

Edit: I would have had this story out MUCH sooner, buuuuut my internet went down two Mondays ago during a storm that hit... and it only just now has been fixed. >.< Well, anyways, here it is for your reading pleasure!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Big 2 Smol

 

 

 

by

 

 

 

Panther Cub

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"All the people just can't see, just can't see!

 

 

How this fame's changing our reality

 

 

When we get torn down

 

 

We can set it right

 

 

And that makes us bigger

 

 

That makes us bigger

 

 

That makes us bigger than life!"

 

 

 

Moving as one, their choreography flawless, all five of the singers, dressed in identical silver-sequin suits and ties; spun, kicked, popped and locked and spun one last time, everyone but the skunk in the center crossing their arms. His left paw on his hip, and his right held out, palm up; Trey's voice was the last to fade at the end of the song, finally ending with him winking and blowing a kiss to the audience, just before the smoke and golden confetti blasted out. With that, the lights and the multicolored lasers winked out, and the audience in the packed stadium went wild cheering. Under the cover of darkness, the boys jogged off stage.

 

 

 

"THAT WAS AWESOME!!!" The coyote cheered, immediately flopping facefirst into a purple beanbag chair. His bushy tan tail was sweeping back and forth in excitement while he let out a long and contented sigh.

 

 

 

"Don't get too comfortable, Luke," Trey said, the skunk was walking out from his personal green room, already having changed out of the stage-costume and into some slacks and a vest, both a dark forest green, with a light lavender dress shirt on underneath. Trey was finishing tying on a silver and green necktie. "Our little stalker got caught trying to sneak in again."

 

 

 

"Geeze! You would think that that Vicky girl's parents wouldn't take a fourteen-year-old to a concert and just let her wander off to try and sneak backstage."

 

 

 

"I know, bud. But hey, security found her and her mom and dad took her out. We just gotta make sure that security at our concerts know to look out for a pink vixen her age."

 

 

 

"Dude," Andy said, the raccoon walking in through the door to their green room and brushing some of the long blonde locks out of his face. "How did you change so fast?" He was presently only wearing the silver sequin slacks.

 

 

 

"Because I'm just that awesome, Andy. I take it you've already forgotten where you put your shirt and vest?" Trey asked, rolling his eyes as Andy looked around, scratching his head in confusion.

 

 

 

"Huh... I coulda sworn I still had it on... oh well. Easy come, easy go." Andy shrugged and started to make his way over to the pinball machine.

 

 

 

"I thought we all agreed we'd end the song together this time, and you wouldn't keep going afterwards." The large and muscular orange cat looking at Trey entered with his arms crossed and huffed.

 

 

 

"Sorry, Stone, force of habit," Trey waved his paw dismissively, stopping to inspect his manicured nails.

 

 

 

"Yeah, that's what you said the last time, and the time before that." Stone stepped behind the brown folding screen to change out of his own stage outfit.

 

 

 

"He makes a pretty good point, Trey," Oscar said, the otter being the last to enter. He walked over to the vanity mirror to begin removing his contacts to switch back to his glasses. "We all agreed that we were going to be equals in this, but at the end of each show, you keep trying to stand out like that."

 

 

 

"Not cool, bro," Andy chimed in, dings and chimes coming from the pinball machine as it lit up.

 

 

 

"Well excuse me for trying to finish our shows off with a little flourish!" Trey snarked, looking into his dressing mirror and combing his trimmed headfur, making sure that it looked like that special messy and neat he preferred, with a little feathering on the left side.

 

 

 

"How about we all come up with our own little flourishes to use at the end of our concerts, that way we all stand out equally?" Luke piped up from his beanbag chair, his tail wagging again.

 

 

 

"Sounds awesome, bro." Andy turned to give Luke a fist bump, to which the happy coyote was more than willing to reciprocate.

 

 

 

"That's not a bad idea, Luke." Oscar smiled, already cracking open the latest copy of Combat Bots Monthly, his eyes lighting up as he started reading.

 

 

 

"It's only fair, Trey," Stone said, stalking out from behind the divider, now wearing his usual torn jeans, black tank top, and green military jacket.

 

 

 

The skunk sighed heavily and rubbed his temples. "Okay, fine, whatever, we can all do our own little whatevers at the end of our shows from now on. But we're getting distracted! Did you guys see how packed that arena was tonight?! We should be celebrating!" Walking over to their mini fridge, Trey opened it to pull out five lime green cans, each with an orange splat in the center, on which were written in black letters the word Purge. Handing them all out to each of his friends, Trey smiled brightly.

 

 

 

"Guys... we've made it, and made it big! We're getting to do what other nineteen-year-olds can only dream of. Only we took our dream, and we're making it our new reality! And... I guess I just feel lucky." Trey's fluffy black and white-striped tail sank a little. As he spoke, Luke, Andy, Stone, and Oscar started to gather around. Each smiling, their exhaustion and minor annoyances forgotten as they looked down at their own Purge sodas.

 

 

 

"Growing up with each other in those foster homes... we were all any of us had. There are other boy bands out there, that were just a group of random guys some record label threw together. But... I get to do this with my best friends, my brothers from other mothers. And I wouldn't have it any other way." Simultaneously, they all pulled the tabs, five hisses rapidly ringing out.

 

 

 

"Just you wait and see, fellas," Trey said. "This is just the start of a long and beautiful career. The world will never forget the name Small to Big"

 

 

 

"S.T.B.!" Andy cheered, the others cheering with him and tapping their cans against each other. They all took swigs, looking satisfied.

 

 

 

 

 

Present Day...

 

 

 

 

 

"And to finish off our list of forgotten has-bins from the '90s, we come to the boy band S.T.B." The red panda lady in a little black dress chuckled and shook her head. "I can't believe that when I was younger, just how obsessed I and my friends were with these guys." The other d-list celebrities on BS1 joined in on the laughter, a chubby alligator in just a blue t-shirt and khakis guffawing especially hard and slapping his knees.

 

 

 

"I remember that they started off pretty strong with some bangin' songs, but then when they got too old and their label dropped them, they burned out spectacularly, desperately trying to stay famous! Like when the leader, Trey, tried to become an actor? Only to end up in that gods awful I'm Knowing What Happened Last Winter 2!"

 

 

 

Trey huffed and switched off the tv. Rubbing his temples, he sighed. Adjusting his tie, the skunk looked himself in the mirror and smiled.

 

 

 

"Alright... showtime!"

 

 

 

Trey walked out of the break room and back onto the main floor of the showroom. Without breaking stride, and making sure to get to them before Darryl could, Trey approached the lady he had seen out the breakroom window looking at the blue SUV.

 

 

 

"This is a beautiful model that you can't go wrong with. Hi there, I'm Trey Masters, and I'd like to see you go home with this bad boy today." He gave an insincere chuckle as he looked the cute pink-furred vixen, who was gazing at him with a small smile on her lips, up and down. She was wearing a sky blue sundress with a white purse resting on her hip.

 

 

 

"Well now, I was wondering if this is a safe family vehicle?" The vixen asked, shaking his paw. "I'm Victoria, by the way."

 

 

 

"It is certainly a pleasure to meet you, Miss Victoria. Now, to answer your question, absolutely! This here is the latest in the Mountain Goat's line of SUV's. It was built with safety in mind, as well as families. Why, you could fit a bunch of little ones in the back here and know that they are secured and protected. I hope that you don't mind my asking if you already have some kits."

 

 

 

"Oh, not yet, but I'm planning on starting a big family."

 

 

 

"Of course. Well, you can't do any better on the K14 model here. The perfect starter car for a, hopefully, soon-to-be young mother like yourself! And one that would allow you to ride in style." As he spoke, something bothered Trey about the vixen, like he felt he'd seen her before.

 

 

 

It couldn't be, could it? He wondered to himself but was quick to shake off the thought. That vixen, who had been so obsessed with him and his friends, would be in her forties by now, just like him. Now there's a sad thought... Trey snapped back to the here and now. The vixen standing before him looked only to be in her mid-twenties anyway, so it was all a moot point.

 

 

 

"Would it be possible to take it on a little test drive?" Victoria asked, her tail still wagging.

 

 

 

"Of course, let me just go and grab the key while you go ahead and speak with Margaret over there so she can make a copy of your license for our records."

 

 

 

A few minutes later and Trey was buckling himself into the passenger seat. In the driver's seat sat Victoria, the vixen looking over at Trey and giving him a smile and a wink. Trey started in on his spiel about the vehicle's features, the car leaving the lot and heading out around the block.

 

 

 

"So, what do you say?" Trey offered, flashing her his most confident smile. They pulled into the parking lot of a nearby MagWaldo's, where Victoria quickly parked and killed the engine. Trey felt confused when she turned to look at him.

 

 

 

"I think we can make a deal right here, Trey." Victoria smiled and leaned over, looking intently into Trey's eyes.

 

 

 

"Uh... well, if you'd like, I suppose we could hash out the broad strokes of the price here." The skunk was a feeling a little worried, but brushed it off. A negotiation tactic like this would scare him into going way down on the price.

 

 

 

"I will absolutely buy the car, price not at all being an issue. But that's not the deal I wanted to discuss..." Victoria's voice trailed off as she, a bit inelegantly, squirmed in between the front seats to move back and sit next to Trey. She took a moment to adjust her dress and fur, before resuming her confident smile.

 

 

 

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

 

 

 

Victoria paused to look Trey in his eyes, a smile full of mirth on her lips. "You really don't recognize me, do you?"

 

 

 

"W-well, I admit you do seem pretty... familiar... but I can't really place where I know you from. You do have a name very similar to a vixen who stalked me decades..." Trey's eyes went wide as suddenly an icy pang of fear gripped his gut. "V-Vicky?"

 

 

 

Victoria, or rather, Vicky, let out an excited, girlish squeal and threw her arms around Trey, pulling the shocked skunk into a bone-crushing hug.

 

 

 

"I just knew you'd remember me! I was your guys' biggest fan!" Vicky let Trey go, taking a moment to compose herself once again. "However, I think I can guess as to why you may have dismissed the idea of it being me. My youthful appearance, to which I credit to my company, Regressus Inc.. Specifically one of our fine products that we've been testing for two decades now, and are going to be testing a little while longer before we bring it to market."

 

 

 

Trey was stunned into silence, unsure of what to do or say in this moment. His experience as a salesperson told him that that meant he was at a disadvantage when it came to haggling whatever deal Vicky wanted to discuss with him.

 

 

 

"Anyways, about my deal. You see, we're diversifying a bit, and going into the music industry. Think of this as a passion project of sorts."

 

 

 

"And you would like for me to... consult regarding my experiences in the industry?" Trey scowled as he said it and crossed his arms, looking away. "Well, Vicky, then expect to be stabbed in the back the very first chance you get."

 

 

 

Vicky was silent, and when Trey turned around, he saw that she looked downright despondent.

 

 

 

"It was so cruel, how your old record label treated you and the others. You were all just kids, putting in the hard work towards living your dreams. And then, when you got just a little older..." Vicky wiped away a tear. "You'll probably enjoy knowing that Hazelenut Records went bankrupt earlier this year."

 

 

 

"I heard," Trey said with a smirk, having read about how the CEO was arrested for tax fraud after the bankruptcy was declared.

 

 

 

"What you probably didn't hear was how my company purchased a lot of their IP's, including everything to do with STB!!!" Vicky's tail was loudly and rapidly thumping against the seat as she fangirled out again.

 

 

 

"I see..." Trey sighed. "And you'd like for me and maybe the rest of the group to get back together to coach some kind of next generation BTS reboot?"

 

 

 

"Not quite," Vicky hummed as she pulled out a clear perfume bottle, and turned to sprits him in the face with the purple liquid inside.

 

 

 

"What the--" Trey started hacking and coughing. He felt a tingling sensation that spread out from his face to all the rest of him. It briefly intensified before it abated. "Vicky, what the hell was that?!" Trey asked, noticing his voice sounded... different. He tugged at his sleeves, stopping when he saw that the shirt was actually a bit looser on his frame than it had been. He saw Vicky was holding up a mirror which she handed to him, her tail still thumping.

 

 

 

"They say seeing is believing. I came up with the formula myself!"

 

 

 

Trey took the mirror and looked into it in wonder, seeing a face looking back at him that he hadn't seen in about twenty years. In fact, right around the age of nineteen was how the skunk in the mirror now looked, the scant few wrinkles around his eyes he'd been developing, gone, as though they'd never existed.

 

 

 

"I-I look..."

 

 

 

"Younger?"

 

 

 

"I'M GORGEOUS... AGAIN!"

 

 

 

Vicky giggled while also looking a tad smug. "I actually did what no one else has been able to. I figured out the key to actually reversing the aging process."

 

 

 

"How long until it wears off?" Trey asked, getting lost in the eyes of his own reflection, like he used to, before it started to become painful to see his aging creeping up on him over the years.

 

 

 

"It doesn't," Vicky stated this just so matter-of-factly, Trey had to do a double take.

 

 

 

"What?!"

 

 

 

"You are now in the physical prime of your youth once again. And now you'll age normally like every other nineteen-year-old out there."

 

 

 

"... I see... so you want me and the guys to be the spokespeople for your company while you sell this stuff to the wealthy?"

 

 

 

"Oh please, Trey, don't be so naive." Vicky waived a dismissive paw. "I'm making my special compound cheap enough for anyone to buy some if they'd like. Oh sure, I could probably make a large payday by only catering to the rich and famous, but that is nothing compared to what I stand to make with this available to anyone who's ever wanted to turn back the clock for themselves. Because what will inevitably happen to everyone who does buy it?"

 

 

 

Trey thought for a moment. "They'll grow old again..."

 

 

 

Vicky nodded. "And again, and again, and again, however many times they want."

 

 

 

Trey mulled this major revelation over. "So, wait, what about overpopulation? Won't the masses returning to their primes cause the birth rates to... I dunno, skyrocket? Or at least increase even more over time?"

 

 

 

"That was taken into consideration, and I believe I have found a solution for that as well. But that is strictly on a need-to-know basis, at least until the first round of trials are complete."

 

 

 

"How young?" Trey asked, looking at the bottle in Vicky's paws.

 

 

 

"Excuse me?"

 

 

 

"What's the youngest you've made someone with that stuff?"

 

 

 

"A rough estimate put a tester in middle adolescence, but that's as far back as any tester has gone. So, now would you like to hear my deal?"

 

 

 

"Deal?" Trey felt a little overwhelmed but tried to keep his wits.

 

 

 

"As I said, we're diversifying, and my own personal passion project is to get you, Stone, Luke, Oscar, and Andy; all back together to reboot STB! I want to provide for you five what you'd been denied all those years ago."

 

 

 

Trey's ears perked, hearing that he could basically have a second chance. They all could.

 

 

 

"B-but... why?"

 

 

 

Vicky's tail started to thump against the seat again as she giggled. "I'm now, always have been, and always will be, your biggest fan! What do you say?" Vicky held out her paw to shake. Trey hesitated only for a moment, before smiling wide and shaking it.

 

 

 

"I'm in! But... I don't really know how to get in touch with the others..." Trey's ears drooped as he looked downcast. "We kinda split apart and... lost touch."

 

 

 

"Hey," Vicky said, leaning over to pull Trey into a hug, silently rubbing his back as she did so. "Don't worry, sweetie! I've already located the others! I figured you could help me sell this idea to them."

 

 

 

Trey excitedly nodded his head. He'd always hated how things had ended. But he truly had a second chance to do things right, and he wasn't going to squander it.

 

 

 

"Good! Now, let's head on back to your dealership where I'll buy this lovely model, and then we can get started on literally getting the band back together!" Vicky started up the engine again.

 

 

 

"So... I was the first one you approached with this idea?" Trey asked, looking at his reflection and touching his face.

 

 

 

"You were always the wheeler and dealer of the band. When it came to convincing the others to go along with one of your ideas, your silver tongue was second to none."

 

 

 

"... Flattery will get you everywhere." Trey chuckled, leaning back in the seat while the car started driving back the way they had come. "If we really want to get everyone back together and to go along with the plan, we'll need to convince Stone next. He'll be the biggest nay-sayer, always having to be the broody buzz-kill."

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

Stone's tail swished back and forth in agitation as he turned the socket wrench, looking down at the engine with a scowl.

 

 

 

"C'mon ya damn bastard!" The orange cat in the blue mechanic jumper grunted, and turned the wrench a few more times before sighing. Trey sat on a stool next to Vicky, the two looking on while Stone finished up on the current engine. He grabbed a rag and started to wipe some of the sweat and oil from his face before he turned to face his guests.

 

 

 

"Just so I'm clear on what you're trying to sell me. This is Trey," he motioned to the skunk, now dapperly dressed in an old blue and green pinstriped suit, smirking at his former boy bandmate. "And you're Vicky, our stalker. You invented a youth serum and have your own company, and you want to get STB back together, make us young again, so we can pick up where we left off?"

 

 

 

"That's a gross oversimplification... but pretty much," Vicky said with a casual shrug. Stone simply rolled his eyes and looked the skunk up and down.

 

 

 

"I'll admit, you look a lot like Trey back when we were in our twenties. But I'm not an idiot, unlike Trey, who didn't know when to just let it go."

 

 

 

Trey huffed at that, puffing out his chest.

 

 

 

"At least I didn't just give up on our dream just because of one little setback!"

 

 

 

Stone chuckled at that. "Yeah, that's exactly something Trey would say. In fact, I think he said it right before he starred in that dumb movie, had that little on-air meltdown, and nuked any chance of salvaging his career."

 

 

 

Vicky put a comforting paw on the clearly agitated Trey's shoulder, giving a warm smile to both him and Stone.

 

 

 

"I think now would be best for the demonstration." The red vixen held up the perfume bottle. Stone opened his mouth to say something, but was immediately cut off by getting a full spray right in the face.

 

 

 

"ACK!!!" Stone began to cough, the tingling sensation overtaking him, all while Trey smirked, looking pleased.

 

 

 

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Stone snarled.

 

 

 

"Inside voice, please," Vicky said, wagging a finger at him. "And you've been given a free dose of my special formula. If you don't believe me, you can see the results for yourself." She picked up a detached side mirror off a nearby table and held it out to the cat. He swiped it from her paws to look at himself, and froze when he peered into the reflective surface.

 

 

 

"No way," was all Stone could say after a minute of inspecting himself. He looked himself over, finding that his jumpsuit was now feeling a tad looser than it had been. Rolling up the sleeves, he saw that the muscles on his arms were now much less pronounced, still obviously the arms of someone who pumped iron, but still.

 

 

 

"Yes way, Stoney," Trey said, pointing a pair of finger guns at the feline. Stone turned to look at the skunk... and reached over to put him in a headlock. "OW! STONE, WHAT GIVES?!"

 

 

 

"Trey, what have you gotten me mixed up in now?!" Stone snarled.

 

 

 

"Dude! We're getting our second chance at success! I thought you'd be happy!!"

 

 

 

Stone groaned and released Trey, who stumbled back and started to adjust his suit and tie, and to smooth down any mussed up fur.

 

 

 

"You also thought tricking me into going to Meowxico with you to audition for that Spanielish-only soap opera would make me happy as well!" Stone put his paws on his hips.

 

 

 

Trey shrugged while looking incredulous. "And we could have totally been perfect for Silencio Mortal!"

 

 

 

"Trey, the only Spanielish we know is two years of high school's worth!" Stone was now rubbing his temples, prompting Vicky to start rubbing his back, which in turn caused him to flinch and back away.

 

 

 

"Stone, you can't tell me that you don't miss it," Trey said. "You can't expect me to believe that you are living your dream, being a scooter mechanic for a living."

 

 

 

"Hey! These are legitimate motorcycles!"

 

 

 

"Stone, the one you're working on is a Scooter Booter model." The skunk was gentle in how he said it, but it still made the cat look down at the little motorized scooter engine. Stone let out a frustrated breath and looked away.

 

 

 

"Of course I miss it," he said in a soft voice. "I miss being on stage, the screaming fans... and getting to be with my friends..." He looked back to make eye contact with Trey. "Fine... I guess it's worth a shot."

 

 

 

Trey flashed his signature grin and pulled Stone into a hug.

 

 

 

"Alright, that just leaves Luke, Oscar, and Andy!"

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

"Crikey!" Luke said, in a fake Mousetralian accent. The coyote's tail began to wag in excitement as he peered through his binoculars from where he was hiding in the dense jungle foliage, his cliched safari outfit not doing a thing to help him blend in. "There she is. The rare green striped Kowmodo Dragon! They can grow to almost ten feet long and weigh up to a hundred and fifty pounds of pure muscle! An absolute apex predator! A common misconception is that their bite is laced with especially deadly bacteria that helps in bringing down large prey through sepsis! The reality is that the bacteria in their saliva is normal to saliva found in other carnivorous species' mouths, maybe even a bit cleaner. As after a feeding, they will spend up to fifteen minutes licking their lips and using leaves to clean their mouths and teeth! However, that doesn't change the fact that they're still incredibly dangerous reptiles. And now, for no real reason I can think of, I'm gunna try to wrestle that beauty there so we can move her to a safer environment, rather than try and tranquilize her or something."

 

 

 

"Luke, who are you talking to?" Trey asked from the bench he, Stone, and Vicky were sitting on, which just so happened to be right next to the bush that Luke was crouched in. All around them were people and families, enjoying an outing at the Zoo.

 

 

 

"Hey now, I gotta do something to make it a little more fun for me," Luke said with a smirk.

 

 

 

"You went to college and got a degree in Zoology, just to end up working here?" Stone asked incredulously.

 

 

 

"Beats a motorcycle mechanic who spends his days working on scooters." Luke stuck his tongue out at the orange cat, who let out a hiss.

 

 

 

"You told him?!" Stone whirled on Trey, who was doing his best to look innocent while he twiddled his thumbs.

 

 

 

"It just kinda came up organically..."

 

 

 

"You little blabbermouth!"

 

 

 

"That's enough, boys," Vicky said. "Now, what do you think about the compound now that you've gotten to experience it yourself?"

 

 

 

"This stuff is great!" The late-teenaged coyote yipped in excitement, practically leaping out of the bush. "But I just don't know about the whole reunion tour idea. I mean, I [i[]did[/i] get a degree in Zoology for my position here. And it really doesn't get any better than this."

 

 

 

Just then, the radio on Luke's belt crackled to life. "Hey, Luke, I know that this is your lunch break, but I'm gunna need you to hit up the north entrance restrooms, as some little punk flushed a cherry bomb and now all the toilets have backed up and started overflowing with sewage. Don't forget your mop this time, over."

 

 

 

Luke looked down at his walkie and sighed.

 

 

 

"... Okay, I'm in."

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

"Alright, I'll admit, this is pretty amazing," Oscar said, looking at his paws in amazement. The otter had had to quickly grab his pants after his dosage of the compound kicked in, the belly he'd grown having rapidly melted away.

 

 

 

"It's our big second-in-a-lifetime opportunity!" Trey said, throwing his arms wide. They were in Oscar's small apartment, Stone, Luke, and Vicky all sitting on the couch, playing a game on a console that looked partially taped together. All around the apartment were electronic parts and disks and fast food wrappers.

 

 

 

"But, Trey," Oscar said with a roll of his eyes, "I'm on the verge of a gaming breakthrough! My new console will make virtual reality an actual reality!"

 

 

 

"How soon do you think that that will actually be?"

 

 

 

"... A couple more years, maybe. Just gotta test the neural interface... without shocking myself again..."

 

 

 

"Oscar," Trey softly said, putting is paw on the otter's shoulder. "How long have you been estimating that it'll just be a couple more years?"

 

 

 

"... Ten years? Give or take..."

 

 

 

"Just imagine what kind of resources you could have access to with the kind of money we can make? You could even start up your own game company!"

 

 

 

Oscar looked lost in thought, his eyes wide like saucer plates.

 

 

 

"Oh yeah, we got him," Trey quietly leaned down to whisper into Vicky's ear. The vixen grinned.

 

 

 

"Just one more," the vixen said.

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

Andy was laying in a white lounger by the motel pool, wearing his bright green/blue swim trunks, and a pair of aviator sunglasses. He was sipping a drink through a long green crazy straw that led down to a coconut with a pink umbrella in it. The raccoon let out a relaxed sigh, not noticing the red-furred paw and arm holding a perfume bottle approach him from behind. There was a spritz, and Andy didn't even cough. He just felt the tingle all over, and looked to see he had abs again, instead of the beginnings of a pot belly. He looked to the side, quirking an eyebrow in surprise to see his bros once more.

 

 

 

"Hey, dudes," Andy nodded to them, taking another sip of his drink. "You guys look younger than when I last saw you."

 

 

 

"Thanks," Trey said. "So do you."

 

 

 

"Cool."

 

 

 

Trey and the others waited for a question for further info... but watched in stunned amazement when Andy laid back down and resumed sipping his drink.

 

 

 

"... Wanna do a reunion tour now that we're young again?" Trey asked, feeling incredulous for asking.

 

 

 

"Sounds good to me." Andy gave a thumbs up, not noticing the bewildered looks on everyone's, including Vicky's, faces.

 

 

 

"Well... that was easy," Trey said, scratching his head in confusion.

 

 

 

 

 

One Month Later...

 

 

 

 

 

It had been so strange, yet fun, for the boys to pick up where they'd left off. With the press conferences, they easily fell back into their usual roles with all the fun and silly banter. When it came to practicing their choreography and rehearsals, there was a little bit of an adjustment period, but they soon were able to move in sync while harmonizing, just like before. They all wasted no time when it came to writing new songs for the concert, to be used along with their classics. Soon, it came time for the kickoff to their big reunion tour, with the venue booked at the Howlywood Bowl. There was even going to be an orchestra accompanying their performance for the introduction and the closer. The night of the concert, Trey looked out onto the crowd packing the bleachers.

 

 

 

"Guys, this place is packed!" The skunk exclaimed, gesturing with his arms for the others to come and see. He was wearing a bright white, with blue pinstripe, suit vest and pants with a blue undershirt, to match the blue and white necktie he had on.

 

 

 

"I didn't think people would be this hyped to see us." Oscar gulped, pressing his nose against the window. The otter was wearing an open white denim vest revealing a blue t-shirt on underneath with white slacks. He accessorized with three blue and white belts, matching wristbands, and a baseball cap.

 

 

 

"Why wouldn't they be? We were awesome!" Luke yipped and practically jumped up and down where he stood, looking over their shoulders. His outfit was a white Pawaiian shirt with blue flowers on it, opened to show off a blue tank top. He was also wearing white cargo shorts and blue and white pooka shells.

 

 

 

"Anyone else wondering why there seems to be a lot of families with small kids here?" Stone frowned while looking down at the audience, his arms crossed. His white leather jacket with its blue spikes showed off his bare orange furred chest. The jeans he wore, acid-washed, somehow matched the overall color theme for tonight's concert. "Please don't tell me that we signed on to become some new off-brand version of The Wriggles."

 

 

 

"Nah," Trey said, waving off Stone's concerns. "A lot of Regressus Inc.'s core demographic for us are families, specifically those around our... previous age, with young children, so that we can ensnare our original fans while also growing a new generation of them from the ground up. They were easy to market us to thanks to Regressus also having a lot of popular childcare products."

 

 

 

"Like Snuggies diapers." Stone shuddered. He made it no secret he wasn't a fan of kids, especially babies.

 

 

 

"Gotta give Vicky credit, she is one savvy business dude." The other four turned to see Andy playing the pinball machine.

 

 

 

"Andy... where's your shirt?" Oscar asked, already pre-rolling his eyes at the answer he was expecting.

 

 

 

The raccoon looked down to see his fuzzy chest and abs, but no white with a blue diagonal slash v-neck. All he had on were his blue and white board shorts. He looked around a bit and shrugged.

 

 

 

"I had it on a minute ago."

 

 

 

Luke burst out laughing.

 

 

 

"Dude! How are you still losing your shirts? It was, like, less than a minute since you had it on." The coyote boy could barely catch his breath.

 

 

 

Andy just shrugged again and resumed his game.

 

 

 

"Okay!" Trey clapped his paws together once to get everyone's attention. He looked at his watch. "The show will be starting soon, but there's one more surprise I wanted to share with you guys." He went over to a cooler and kicked it open, revealing five tall cans of Purge sitting in the ice. He grabbed them and started to hand them out to the others.

 

 

 

"Woah, I haven't seen one of these since the new millennium!" Oscar said, gazing at the green and orange can in his paws in amazement.

 

 

 

"The company bought the rights to it after it was discontinued," Trey explained, holding his can up. "Now... like these drinks, let's give the folks out there a taste of a true blast from the past. Tonight, Small to Big makes its new debut." The others happily clinked their cans, even stone, who wore a small smirk on his face, before cracking them open.

 

 

 

A short while later, the lights dimmed, and a fog began to roll out from the stage. Blue and white lights cut on, and that's when the music started.

 

 

 

"Everybody, yeah."

 

 

 

The crowd went wild when five distinct silhouettes suddenly appeared in the fog.

 

 

 

"It's time to party, yeah."

 

 

 

Slowly, the lights began to shift and move, making the silhouettes of the boys larger and then smaller.

 

 

 

"Everybody, yeah.

 

 

 

It's a party night."

 

 

 

As one, all five of the boy spun and leapt out from the fog, landing in struck poses.

 

 

 

"Small to Big's back, TONIGHT!"

 

 

 

As they danced and sang, the boys moved as a well-oiled machine. Incorporating their new dance moves with the classics, they did the same with the songs. Introducing the new with the old. Lights shafted and faded and flashed. The fog swirled and changed, no longer billowing out, but seemingly being pulled back onto the stage. Just as the boys were getting to their big finale and stood at their marks, now to each give their own little flares, instead of it just being Trey, small little slots opened right under them in the stage. Stone looked down, a little confused, just before all five were blasted with a white and purple fog that each of them realized smelled faintly of baby powder.

 

 

 

The boys coughed as bright white lights shone down on them, suddenly recognizing a familiar tingling sensation. With a sudden sense of vertigo, all five stumbled and fell. Getting back to now much shakier feet, Trey looked out and saw a frozen audience, staring in awe right at them. He around at the others, and paused. Where his four friends had once stood were now four little toddlers, dressed almost identically to how they'd been dressed before, with one key difference.

 

 

 

"Wh-where'd my pants go?" An orange kitten in a tiny white leather vest squeaked, trying to use his little paws to hide his bulky blue and white diaper.

 

 

 

"S-Stone?" Trey asked, stopping when he actually heard his voice. It was so high pitched and... childish. He looked from Stone to Luke, who was just wearing a little Pawaiian shirt and tank top, also with a diaper on display. Oscar wasn't much better, his baseball cap, while smaller, was still a little too big for him now, and he had to constantly adjust it, crinkling as he did so. The little otter pup and the coyote cub looked like they were on the verge of tears. Andy, while seemingly just as nonplussed as the rest of their group, was wearing just a swim diaper, and hugging his big bushy tail to his chest.

 

 

 

Trey looked back at Stone, who was now sucking his thumb and hastily swiping at his eyes. Trey could hear unsure murmurs coming from the crowd. The little skunk kit straightened his posture, tried to ignore what felt like a pillow taped around his waist, and clapped his paws together once, to get the rest of his friends' attention.

 

 

 

"Guys," he whispered, covering up the now much smaller mic with his paw, ignoring how fluffy the his fur now looked. "Focus!"

 

 

 

"What happened to us?!" Stone whisper-hissed at Trey, who just shrugged.

 

 

 

"We can find out later... right now, we're losing the audience. The show must go on!" That got the others' attention. Some of the whispers turned into excited coos at the cuteness of the boys, something Trey chose to ignore.

 

 

 

"Isn't that supposed to be for acting?" Oscar asked, a whine in his childish voice.

 

 

 

"That doesn't matter! We lost out on our dream once before, I'm not letting anything take our big second chance away from us this time. Now, are you guys with me?" Trey did his best to sound authoritative, the beginning guitar intro of their song starting Stone, Andy, Oscar, and Luke shared a look, and then nodded back at Trey. It took a second for them to get back into position, but they did so just in time for Trey to spin and start singing the opening lyric.

 

 

 

"You are my inner spark." Despite the now high pitch of his voice, Trey still fell back on his vocal training.

 

 

 

"You sing to my heart," sang Stone, right on cue.

 

 

 

The crowd was silent, enraptured by the performing toddlers who barely looked old enough to walk, let along talk.

 

 

 

"Our two worlds shall never part." Luke came in, not missing a beat.

 

 

 

"Can you hear my soul say?" Oscar seemed to have recovered, perhaps channeling his confusion and frustration into his singing.

 

 

 

"I want you to stay!" Andy spun and snapped his fingers, a smile on his little muzzle. The crowd began to cheer, still very much confused, but amazed and excited nonetheless. On through the song the boys sang. Their dancing was a little more clumsy now, but they didn't stop. Finally, they got to the end of the song, harmonizing on the last lyric.

 

 

 

"'Cause I want you to stay!" There was a BOOM, and the blue and white fireworks began going off above. The crowd cheered and the stage darkened, with stage hands quickly scooping up and whisking away the boys. The moment that they were no longer in sight of the audience and their mics were unclipped, five high-pitched, very indignant voices could be heard demanding answers.

 

 

 

"Oh my gosh! You all turned out so cute!" Vicky squealed when the boys were carried in to the special green room she had had prepared for them. The pink vixen's tail was a blur as she rushed over and gathered all five into her arms, quickly dismissing the stage hands. "What do you think of your special surprise?" She smiled happily down at the tots in her arms, walking them towards a playpen in the center of the room.

 

 

 

"This is an outrage!" Trey piped up, waddling to the far end of the playpen the moment he was set down. Stone huffed and glared up at Vicky, standing protectively in front of Luke and Oscar, who were hugging each others' tails and looking once again to be on the verge of tears. Andy had a pacifier in his mouth... and was now playing with his big bushy tail.

 

 

 

"What did you do to us?!" Stone demanded, stamping his foot.

 

 

 

"Well, I take I that you five didn't read the contracts too closely, huh?" Vicky giggled. The boys turned to shoot Trey a pointed look, causing the skunk to look down at his feet.

 

 

 

"I mean... once I read our percentages of profits and royalties... I guess maybe I skimmed the rest..." Trey admitted, yelping when he felt a sharp pain in his right arm. Looking up, he saw that Stone had pinched him.

 

 

 

Victoria, contracts in paw, cleared her throat. "Don't pinch your brother, Stone, sweetie."

 

 

 

"Brother?" Stone asked, confused.

 

 

 

"Right after the liability documents was this cute little form that you all signed, basically declaring that, you all being of sound mind and body, hereby waive away your rights as adults upon being regressed to the physical ages of minors and agree to the adoption!"

 

 

 

"ADOPTION?!" All five of the boys cried out in shock.

 

 

 

"That's right! All signed and notarized and filed away!"

 

 

 

"V-Vicky... you can't be serious?" Luke started, trying to be the voice of reason.

 

 

 

"Uh-uh-uh," Vicky tutted, waving a finger at Luke. "Mommy, hun."

 

 

 

"B-but, this can't be legal!" Oscar insisted, falling on his padded bottom.

 

 

 

"Oh, Oscar," Vicky said, reaching in to start tickling his little feet, causing the little otter to giggle and titter. "My lawyers have assured me that this is perfectly legal. Now, I know that this will take some time to get used to." She looked down at all five of the tots, smiling brightly. "But once I invented my special formula, I knew what I needed to do."

 

 

 

"Turn us into babies?!" Stone asked angrily.

 

 

 

"Well, yes. But the reason behind that is because you five each had such a rough time of things during your first childhood. Then you got taken advantage of by those terrible people at your old record company! And then you all broke apart... I just knew I could give you a second chance, a perfect second chance at that! With all the love and support you could ever need!"

 

 

 

"Th-this is insane!" Trey said, the dam beginning to burst, and the tears spilling forth. He felt himself being scooped up and cradled in the vixen's arms.

 

 

 

"I promise, Trey, to give you and your brothers the happiest childhood ever," Vicky whispered, grabbing a baby bottle from a nearby diaper bag. As she bought the bottle to his lips, he looked up into her eyes.

 

 

 

"D-does my h-hair still look good at least?"

 

 

 

 

 

Epilogue...

 

 

 

 

 

"Oh my gods! They are just so precious!" The red panda gushed as she watched the clip of the latest sensation. "That's right, once again we are looking at the most recent concert performed by the world's first ever 'baby boy band', Big 2 Smol! For those living under a rock the last few months, here's the juicy scoop. The old boyband from the '90s, Small to Big reunited for a reunion tour and, as the finale of their first big concert, they were regressed all the way back to babyhood! They've been touring singing their classic hits and some all new ones! And this was all possible to Regressus Inc's amazing literal age-reversing formula!"

 

 

 

The tv was switched to a channel with some educational cartoons on it.

 

 

 

"Hey!" Trey whined from where he was seated, safely buckled into his personal high chair. Vicky, now with some bags under her eyes, sighed and started to stir the bowl of baby food, scooping out a spoonful and holding it up to the petulant little skunk's now firmly clamped shut mouth.

 

 

 

"Trey, honey, this is a pureed mix of healthy fruits and vegetables, perfect to help you grow up big and strong, again." Vicky reasoned, prompting Trey to turn his nose up and his face away.

 

 

 

"Nu-uh! That stuff tastes yucky! Besides, you said we could eat solid foods again!"

 

 

 

 

"Yes, once in a while something a bit more solid is fine, but you still need plenty of easy foods for your little tummies to process! And lots of formula and milk too." Vicky started to make chugging noises.

 

 

 

Trey huffed at that and pouted. He already had some of the green goops smeared on his cheeks and splattered on his white bib.

 

 

 

"Choo-Choo! Open up the tunnel, the Chew-Chew Express is on its way." When Vicky got the spoon close to Trey's lips, he smacked it away. Vicky sighed and set the bowl down. "Alright then, little mister," she said, starting to unbuckle the now squirming skunk kit from his seat. "If you're not ready for those num-nums, then milkies it is."

 

 

 

"Finally! Can I please have some chocolate milky, Mommy?" He asked, making his eyes wide, having been the first of his brothers to learn to weaponize their newfound cuteness.

 

 

 

Vicky sighed and then chuckled, cradling the little skunk in her arms.

 

 

 

"If you stop being so fussy today, then you can have a choccy baba before naptime. Right now, however..." Vicky trailed off, unbuttoning her white blouse. Trey froze when he suddenly realized what Vicky intended. He tried to resist, to fight his instincts, but after a few weak struggles, he lay there, being rocked as he nursed. Victoria sighed contentedly as she gazed down at Trey, feeling a warmth swell in her chest. Just then, she whipped her head around, her ears twitching, the weariness in her eyes quickly returning.

 

 

 

"Stone! Give your brother back his toy right now, mister!" Vicky said with a stern tone to her voice as she looked at the orange kitten in his black t-shirt and denim shortalls clutching a purple teddy bear to his chest. He was running away from a teary-eyed Oscar, in a pair of red overalls; who was reaching for said teddy bear.

 

 

 

"He keeps bopping me with it when I'm tryin' ta color!" Stone lisped around his binky.

 

 

 

"Fine, but give him back mister Grapey first!"

 

 

 

Stone rolled his eyes and held out the stuffy to the little otter pup. Oscar took his little stuffed friend from the kitten, and popped his thumb into his mouth, waddling off. Vicky let out a pent-up sigh, only to do a double-take when she watched Andy casually waddle by, wearing a clearly full diaper, and sucking a bottle of juice.

 

 

 

"Andrew? Where's your onesie?!" Vicky asked, remembering she'd dressed the little raccoon in a yellow legless onesie. Andy stopped and appeared confused. He silently looked himself over and them around a little. He turned back to Victoria and simply shrugged, toddling off. Just then in ran a wailing Luke, wearing a set of footie pajamas with dinosaurs on it. The little coyote pup holding up his little paw for Vicky to see.

 

 

 

"MOMMY!!!" He cried, tears dribbling down his cheeks. "I found a cool little ant and was playing with it, and then it stung me!!!" Luke fell on his padded bottom, wailing even louder. Vicky scooped him up into her free arm and started to bounce him, trying to soothe the pup.

 

 

 

"It's okay, baby, Mommy will make it all better!" Vicky winced when she heard Trey start to fuss. He started to join in the crying, soon followed by a tearful Oscar, and a Stone who was trying hard not to cry, and failing. Andy came waddling back in, his bottle now empty, also joining in the crying fit. Victoria looked at her boys, letting out yet another sigh of exhaustion. But, as she set about trying to calm her boys down, she had a small smile on her muzzle.

 

 

 

"No one said motherhood would be easy."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Writing this was like a fever dream for some reason! I hope everyone's year, so far, has been wonderful! Thanks for reading!