As Jeff ventured deeper into the woods, he relished the freedom of his deer form. The cool breeze brushed against his fur, and the scent of pine trees filled his nostrils. He leaped over fallen logs and gracefully maneuvered through the underbrush, reveling in the newfound agility of his deer body.
Time seemed to slip away as Jeff lost himself in the serenity of the forest. However, a nagging thought in the back of his mind reminded him of the impending arrival of Clair. He knew he couldn't keep her waiting, especially after she had generously offered her help.
Jeff made his way back to his house, bounding into the back yard and onto the back deck. He gazed at his reflection in the sliding glass door and saw his doe-like eyes reflecting both the joy and anxiety he felt. Although the transformation had left him in a female deer form, he knew it didn't change who he was inside. He was still Jeff, despite his outward appearance.
With a quick glance around, he made sure there weren't any nosy neighbors watching as he slid open the door and went inside. As he waited for Clair's arrival, Jeff pondered how she might react to seeing him in person and as a deer. Would she be upset that he had put on her costume? He didn't know it wasn't his or that it would change him. It was an accident! Would she at least be sympathetic? The questions swirled in his mind, but he found solace in knowing that Clair was already aware of the magical nature of the costumes. Perhaps she would understand.
Just as Jeff's thoughts started to wander, he heard a knock on his front door, pulling him back to the present moment. He hurried over, his hooves echoing on the floor, and managed to stand on his hind legs and maneuver his front hooves to open the door. He found Clair standing there, holding the bear costume in her hands.
"Hi, I'm Clair," she greeted him warmly, her eyes widening slightly at the sight of his deer form. "I see you're still a deer. Don't worry; we'll figure this out."
Jeff felt a mixture of relief and embarrassment as he welcomed Clair inside. "Thank you so much for coming, Clair. I really appreciate it."
Clair smiled reassuringly. "Of course! Let's get that costume off you." She glanced around his home. "You said the release assistant device wasn't included?"
Jeff shook his head. "No, unfortunately, they left that out. So, what's the plan?"
Clair pondered for a moment before replying. "Well, since you don't have fingers, I'm going to need to access the release buttons behind your ears."
Jeff nodded, his gratitude for Clair's knowledge and determination growing. "I'm ready. Let's give it a shot."
The two of them made their way back to Jeff's bedroom. Jeff positioned himself in front of the mirror while Clair stood beside him, examining the deer costume closely. She gently ran her fingers along the material, searching for any hidden bumps or indications of the release mechanism. Jeff could feel her fingers gently probing the side of his head near his elongated deer ears.
After a few moments, Clair pointed to a spot behind Jeff's right ear. "I think this might be the release button. It feels slightly different than the rest of the area, and there's a subtle indentation. I need to press it simultaneously with the other button behind your left ear."
Jeff nodded, his gaze fixed on Clair's reflection in the mirror. "Okay, let's give it a try."
Clair took a deep breath, steadying herself. She positioned her fingers near the suspected release buttons behind Jeff's ears. With precision and care, she applied pressure, searching for the right spot. Jeff remained still, trying his best to help by keeping his head steady.
Clair applied gentle pressure. After what felt like an eternity, Jeff could feel something come loose. The costume gradually slid off his head, revealing his human features underneath. Jeff blinked his eyes, adjusting to the sudden change in perspective as his eyes had returned to their normal positions.
Clair helped gently pull the deer costume down his body to reveal his human form. Jeff stood before the mirror and watched, but as it revealed more of his body, he stared at his reflection in disbelief. He saw Clair's reflection in the mirror as she peeled the deer costume off of a woman. He looked down at himself and saw the naked form of a woman. He looked at Clair, hoping she could explain what happened.
Clair had pulled the costume all the way down to Jeff's ankles and he stepped out leaving him standing there naked. As Clair folded the costume over her left arm, she grinned at Jeff. "There you go! Back to normal!"
Jeff turned and looked at Clair. He shook his head. "No. No, I'm not! I'm a girl!"
Clair chuckled and grinned. "Yeah, you are." She saw the look on Jeff's face. "Wait. Do you mean to say you weren't a girl before you put the costume on?"
"No, I was a guy!" Jeff looked down at his new body. "I'm supposed to be a man!"
Clair quickly realized Jeff's predicament and her sense of accomplishment quickly changed to concern. "I've never heard of one of Second Skin's costumes leaving someone as a different sex after it's removed. This is quite unexpected."
Jeff looked at Clair in disbelief. "So you don't know how to fix this?"
"Not at the moment, no. Let's think about this for a moment, but in the meantime I think you should probably put some clothes on."
Jeff looked down at his body again and realized he was standing there naked in front of a stranger. "Oh, I'm sorry. Yeah!" He covered himself with his arms and scurried into the bathroom. After grabbing a bath towel and wrapping it around himself, he walked back into the bedroom. "I'm not sure I have any clothes that will fit me. I've got some sweatpants and T-shirts that will have to do for now."
Jeff opened a couple dresser drawers and pulled out a pair of navy blue sweatpants and a green T-shirt that said "Celtics" on the front. He stepped into the sweatpants and pulled the drawstring tight leaving a large amount of bunched up fabric around the waistband. He pulled the T-shirt over his head and was practically swimming in it with his right shoulder fully exposed through the neck hole.
Jeff sat on the foot of his bed and looked up at Clair. "I don't understand this. All I wanted was a basic bear costume to wear to a Bruins game. I didn't think I'd be transformed into a doe and then get stuck as a woman." Jeff sighed. "You've used their costumes before, right? Has it ever changed your sex before?"
"No, it hasn't," replied Clair. "I've only ordered women's costumes or gender-neutral ones though."
"You can try on my bear costume," suggested Jeff. "Maybe that will change you to a guy. Then we'd know if it's something that happens in all their costumes or if it's just me."
Clair looked at the bear costume next to Jeff on the foot of the bed. "I don't think that's such a good idea. If I get stuck as a guy, that means we both have a problem. Not to be unsympathetic, but I don't want to be stuck too." Clair placed a reassuring hand on Jeff's shoulder. "We'll find the answers, Jeff. We'll reach out to Second Skin and see if they can shed some light on this. In the meantime, let's focus on getting you comfortable in your new form."