"A reminder that the Night Vale Markets will be on this Sunday. Come along and buy something for you or your loved ones." Cecil smiled at the thought of getting something for his perfect Carlos. It wouldn't be like last year when he'd got him something anonymously, either, this year he could take him to the markets and he could pick out something that he knew he'd like.

That Sunday, the crowds were as busy as they always were with the various hooded figures milling about. Cecil waved at the few people who recognised him while Carlos looked around with the curiosity of a scientist.

"Cecil, is that booth selling voodoo?" he frowned.

"Yes," Cecil responded easily. "That booth's there every time the markets are on. It's definitely one of the more popular ones. Why, do you want some?"

"No, no, it's fine," Carlos was quick to deny. "Let's just keep walking." They continued through the stalls, their hands entwined.

"Ooh, here's one of my favourites," Cecil grinned, and dragged his still-confused boyfriend over to a stall that sold- of all things- realistic stuffed animals. "Aren't they just so neat?"

"They look real," Carlos commented, picking up a coyote. The fur felt like real coyote fur, but the body beneath the fur was definitely that of a stuffed animal.

"Do you want one?" Cecil suggested. Carlos nodded but put the coyote back and picked up a sand cat instead.

"I'll take one of these for science," he declared, though he was holding it a little too comfortably for 'scientific' purposes.

"Found something you like?" A woman who'd just appeared behind the stall smiled at her customers.

"Yes, we'll take these two," Cecil informed her, placing the sand cat and a Fennec fox in front of the woman. She nodded and grinned.

"Excellent choice. That'll be five dollars each," she said, still with the same grin. Cecil handed over the money and the two continued through the market with their stuffed animals held close to them.

Cecil enjoyed the markets with his boyfriend. They looked at all of the stalls (Carlos with curiosity that was more than just scientific) and tried most of the food, then sat back with the rest of the citizens to listen to the live band which closed the markets. At one point, the music faded out and then came back in clearer than before.

That night, Carlos invited Cecil back to his apartment. That was all Cecil needed to know that taking Carlos to the markets with him had been a good idea. Sure, Carlos made some excuses about wanting to test the stuffed animals to see if the fur was genuine, but that was really just him being shy.

"This is real sand cat fur," Carlos discovered after inspecting his toy's fur under a microscope.

"Of course it is," Cecil agreed, stroking the fur of his Fennec fox. He looked up at Carlos and grinned. "You look good with sand cat ears."

"What?" Carlos murmured, touching the top of his head. "I don't have-" His hand brushed something furry. "No." He ran off to the bathroom to look at himself in the mirror and Cecil followed happily.

"Didn't you read the tag?" Cecil asked, flicking the tiny paper tag on his fox. Carlos shook his head so Cecil read it out for him: "For as long as you have this enchanted toy, you will have the ears of it from sunset to sunrise. Enjoy your toy! And then there's a little smiley face." He gave his own smile as he looked back at his scientist.

"But how?" Carlos asked, feeling his new ears again and jolting as he felt the fur inside them.

"Some things are better left unexplained," Cecil replied somewhat cryptically. And then he shrugged. "They are definitely real ears, though." He twitched his own large pale yellow ears.

"Do you think there's a way to stop it?" Carlos wondered, still trying to get used to the idea of having the ears of an entirely different species.

"I don't know," Cecil shrugged. "I guess we could always ask her next time the markets are on, whenever that's going to be."

"And you don't know when that'll be," Carlos guessed. Cecil nodded. "Great, so I guess I'd better get used to this. What will my team of scientists think?" Seeing that he was worried, Cecil approached his boyfriend and wrapped his arms around his waist.

"Carlos, they won't see them unless you work past sunset, which you never do anyway, or before dawn which you never do either. They won't see your ears because you don't see them unless you're working with them," he reminded him. Carlos turned in Cecil's arms so he was facing him and hugged him.

"So it's really only you who'll see them," he concluded after taking some time to compose himself. Cecil nodded. "Then I guess they're not so bad."

If Carlos thought animal ears was strange, he was just lucky that they hadn't bought the toys that turned the owner into that animal. A very embarrassed and confused bunny rabbit hopped back out to Steve Carlsberg's house.