Quick little alt-reality inflation piece. There's popping, but he'll re-form good as new later.

Ryan volunteers to demonstrate an air pump on himself to after a customer expresses reluctance to buy it.

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A midnight-blue cheetah in red and khaki strolled cheerfully through Sun Mart, politely nodding and smiling to every customer he passed. Ryan had recently received a promotion to manager, and the chubby feline was in an unwaveringly good mood as a result. As he passed the sporting goods department, he spotted a crocodile down the air mattress aisle, obviously deep in thought, and decided to offer his assistance.

“Is there anything I can help you with today?” Ryan asked as he approached.

The crocodile turned to him in surprise, before spotting the name tag on the cheetah's chest. “Oh, maybe, do you know anything about this area?”

“I'm actually in charge of this department, how can I be of help?” Ryan repeated, hoping the additional information would give the customer some assurance.

“Well, I need to buy a new air pump, mainly gonna use it for mattresses, pool toys, that sort of thing,” the crocodile replied. “My old one was just obnoxiously loud, though, so I want to get the quietest one you've got, but I also need it to be powerful.”

Phew, simple enough question. Ryan had plenty of experience with air pumps. “Fortunately I'm very familiar with the models we have in stock,” Ryan said with a smile. He pulled a large box off a shelf and held it up for the crocodile to see. “This is one I personally own, honestly one of the quietest pumps I've ever had, while still packing a punch.” Sometimes a bit too much of a punch, as he'd discovered on a couple embarrassing occasions.

Despite the glowing review, the crocodile still seemed a bit indecisive. “Is there any way we can test it out? I really want to hear it myself before I buy it,” he asked. “And is there any way to see how fast it can inflate something?”

Damn, this was going to be a little harder than he'd assumed. “We can definitely plug it in for you, that's not a problem at all, but unfortunately we don't have anything to use it on.” Ryan gave a slightly sympathetic look, hoping the customer would be satisfied with his answer.

Unfortunately the last part appeared to be a deal breaker. “Hmm, I don't know. I
mean, I really don't want to have to come back and return it if it's too weak, even if the thing's quiet. Maybe I'll just see if I can find some video reviews and order it online or something.”

Ryan could have simply offered an apology and moved on with his day, but his post-promotion high wasn't about to let a customer leave dissatisfied. “Wait, I think I have something we can, uh, inflate,” Ryan said just as the crocodile was about to walked away. “We could use it to inflate me. I'm not exactly a pool toy, but you should still be able to get a good idea as to how well it works.”

The crocodile obviously wasn't expecting the suggestion, but a content smile soon formed across his snout. “Yeah, I'd be fine with that.”

“Wonderful! Let me just get everything set up real quick.” Ryan carefully opened the box, pulling the pump and accessories free without making a mess. He gradually undid cord ties and connected various attachments, assembling the product with practiced ease. “Alright, this one has three power settings, which you control with the little silver switch on the side. Nice thing is, the sound doesn't change much between lowest and highest, so you can just use whatever one you're comfortable with.”

Ryan placed the end of the pump's long tube in his mouth and swallowed, slowly guiding it down into his stomach. “Alright, test it out,” he managed to say around the tube.

The crocodile squatted down and turned on the pump's power, bringing it to life with a gentle whir. As promised, the sound was unusually faint, enough so that the customer assumed it wasn't working. He soon realized he was mistaken once he looked up at Ryan. The cheetah's middle was already rounding out, the few creases on his polo fading as it stretched to accommodate the growing mass. Ryan untucked the shirt and pulled it up to spare it from harm as the inflation continued. Within a couple minutes his belly was a blue orb the size of a beachball, jutting straight outward.

“Feel free to test out the higher speeds, just don't stay on them for too long,” Ryan said, hoping to sell the customer on the demonstration.

A quick flick of the claw set the pump to its second speed setting, and while it was indeed slightly louder, the difference was negligible. Ryan shook slightly as the flow of air suddenly increased, feeling his expansion speed up. He spread his legs apart to give his belly room to grow, drumming lightly on the taut, light-blue fur of its exposed surface, pleased by the slight hollow noise that resulted. Inflating at work—at least justifiably—was a rare treat. At this point, he was demonstrating the air pump more out of selfish joy than a desire to showcase its effectiveness. Ryan could feel the inflation beginning to spread out from his stomach, swelling his thighs and forearms a tad. As pleasurable as the experience was, he did hope the customer would make up their mind before his pants burst.

Unfortunately there was a final speed setting left, and the crocodile was intent on at least hearing it before he turned the pump off. The second he hit the switch, though, his phone went off, gaining the crocodile's full attention. “Hello? What? Sorry, I'm having trouble hearing you, let me go somewhere a little quieter.”

To Ryan's annoyance, the crocodile walked out of the aisle, turning a corner to have his conversation. Of course, the cheetah had much more important things to worry about. The new surge of air made him wobble, and his spherical middle rapidly began to engulf his body. He desperately reached for the tube in his mouth, only to find his arms had grown too rigid bend enough. A particularly frantic grab attempt threw him off-balance, and with a muffled cry Ryan toppled over, bouncing on his massive belly. The cheetah squirmed and wiggled, knowing it was impossible to stand up on his own again but trying anyways, over and over. A loud ripping sound heralded the loss of his khakis, which shred along the seams and flopped to the floor, followed soon after by his shirt. As his knees and elbows sank into his increasingly expanding body, Ryan began to feel the cold touch of shelves brushing against his sides.

“Sir! Sir! Please come back!” Ryan was barely able to speak in between the tube and his considerable inflation.

No one came. Ryan could feel his skin growing tighter and tighter as the air continued to flow into him. The shelves that had been merely grazing him were digging in, forcing the cheetah to cease his struggles to avoid any potential punctures, and leaving him firmly wedged in the aisle. Had anyone chanced to pass by, they'd have likely jumped back in surprise upon seeing the enormous dark blue orb moaning for help. Ryan's growing body actually managed to dislodge some of the less filled shelves to make room for itself, but the ones well-stocked with heavy air mattresses weren't budging. Instead they dug deeper and deeper into him. His paws and head were partially sunk into the sphere he'd become, and they trembled wildly as he felt the pressure building to an unbearable degree.

A jagged sliver of metal on one of the older shelves was Ryan's undoing. The cheetah abruptly blew apart with a tremendous bang that rattled the surrounding aisles and echoed across the store. The pressure of the explosion knocked down shelves and sent air mattresses and pumps crashing to the floor. Scraps of black-spotted blue drifted down, littering the whole area. The air pump dutifully continued whirring, though it's long hose had been torn off in the blast.

Barely a minute later a red panda, another employee of the store, rushed into the aisle, alerted by the noise of the explosion. He looked at the mess of fallen product, shelves, and fur and groaned, rubbing his temples. Bringing up his walkie, he pressed down on the button to talk. “Hey can I get some help with a cleanup on aisle L13. A broom would be nice.” He switched off the air pump.