Chapter eight: The Mall

A few uneventful days passed before Carol instructed Vulpes to take Jaqui to the mall to work on getting a new wardrobe. It was more an excuse to help her get some things she needed from the mall so they would only need to get school supplies from one other store across town. 

So, Vulpes and Jaqui found themselves heading to the local mall to pick up some clothes and anything else that caught their attention. Vulpes drove along as Jaqui tapped away at her phone.

“So you’re mom really likes going to the department store for your clothes, so we’ll hit that spot last… anywhere else inside you’d want to visit before then?”

Jaqui’s ear twitched, turning to him excitedly, “Wait, how much of my wardrobe can I get from other places?”

“Uhhh… some… for now… we can take a look around and see what looks best, but your mom SPECIFICALLY said she wanted most of your clothes to be from the department store. Inexpensive and good quality. Plus she has a membership card and she wants to utilize it.”

“But they’re boriiiiing.” she whined, rolling her head back as she groaned. “There’s nothing exciting about them.”

“Well, that’s why we’re heading there last, we get a few exciting things from other stores, and THEN the boring stuff at the department store. Plus you’re getting older, so you should be able to shop in the teen section, maybe they have cooler clothes.”

“Doubtful…”

“Come on… be hopeful! For me?” he asked, giving her fluttering eyelashes.

His begging WAS pretty cute, hard for Jaqui to resist “Fine fine…”

“Besides, We can still get a few things here and there along the way to the department store. There’s probably a store you’d enjoy along the way.”

“Yeah, there’s a couple I've gone to, but I've never bought anything from them.”

“Well, maybe today will be different. Let’s go in and see.” He parked the car near the main entrance, just to the side of the department store they’d end up at. The two headed inside, passing the food court to their first destination. Both turned their heads, looking inside the game shop for anything new. When Vulpes noticed her looking too, he offered to head inside.

Much like many big chain game stores, there was a good mix of actual video games and pop culture related merchandise. It had a very corporate feeling with all the collectibles being made of cheap plastic, but sometimes that’s all a fan could afford. The two roamed around, looking at clearance for anything interesting and cheap. Nothing really stood out to them aside from finding out more about their interests in games. Eventually they left with two of the same figuring that was on clearance for half priced; Isabelle from their animal Crossing game.

The two continued on, eventually coming to Hot Topic and slipping in. It had remained a store for alternative lifestyles, but now a lot of alternative lifestyles were cute and cuddly now. It didn’t have the same grunge as when he was a kid. But he didn’t want to be a whiny old man complaining about how things change, just enjoying the cool shirts of shows he liked, while Jaqui eyed the jewelry.

“Vulpeesss can I-”

“Absolutely not, no piercings, that’s a decision your mom is going to make, end of discussion.” he didn’t even give her time to ask, or even time for a follow up comment. She let out a ‘harumph’, but she had already figured that’d be the case.

She did find some pop culture shirts she enjoyed, as did Vulpes, as well as a pair of steampunk goggles, “I just think steampunk is neat.” he said with a happy little smile.

“I don’t get it, so it looks old-timey? What’s the deal?”

“I’ll have to show you some steampunk stuff. Your mother has been lacking in your education if she hasn’t shown you steampunk stuff.”

The two shared a laugh, continuing on with their small adventure before moving on.

The two had been roaming around for a bit, when Jaqui came to need the restroom. She let him know so they began their search for a bathroom. They followed the signs down the hall to a quieted area, although with a line of ladies waiting for the women's restroom. Jaqui and Vulpes took a spot in line, waiting patiently, “Goodness, everyone’s going today huh?”

A woman in front of him turned, “Apparently the restroom across the building is out of order, and there’s some event that’s attracting a lot of women nearby at the bookstore, so this is the only women’s bathroom close by.”

“Ouch, that stinks… well, it doesn’t look terrible, you think you’ll be okay Jaqui?”

Jaqui squirmed a bit, knowing a line at the women’s restroom could take a while… “I guess?”

Vulpus looked over to the men’s side, no line. In fact as they waited, he’d see multiple guys come and go while the women’s restroom remained unchanged. Eventually some people moved forward of course, but it was getting desperate.

There WAS a handicapped and family restroom between the two, but no one seemed to want to take it. Socially frowned upon to take up the family restroom with no family…

Eventually. Jaqui started to get desperate, “Hey… you think it would be cool if you took me to the men’s restroom?”

“Uhh…” He felt put on the spot for such a question, and he CERTAINLY didn’t want to give out a wrong answer in front of all these women around him. “I uh, I don’t think it would be appropriate to go into the mens room at your age, even with a uh, chaperone.” 

Before Jaqui could respond with another excuse, someone in line behind them interrupted, “Why not just use the family bathroom?” She pointed to the lone door that no one had touched ahead of them. The others in line would have to have heard her, as the area away from the main hall was much more quiet, aside from a flushing toilet or running sink. “You two ARE a family I presume?”

Vulpes seemed to be a little caught off guard by the question, “Uh, well, i uh…”

He was interrupted by a sudden clasp to his side, Jaqui speaking up as she hugged him, “Yes, He’s my dad, we’re a family.” she said as she held herself to his side.

Vulpes was once again caught off guard, a bit unsure of what to say… eventually words did start to dribble out, “Yyyyes… So then i guess we WILL use the family bathroom…” he said aloud, waiting for some feisty Karen to tell them to wait in line. As he led her to the door, no such interruption occurred, though he felt like every one of them was staring at him. 

He opened up the door and walked in. It was a pretty large single stall bathroom, toilet immediately in view as they walked in, a baby changing station on the wall, and sink across from that.

“Uh, this is it? Is there no like...barrier? Or another door for privacy?” he asked, not liking the idea of being in the bathroom with her.

“Just… turn around, or something, I don't care, I just gotta go.” Jaqui whined, rushing toward the toilet, working on the belt around her jeans. She’d already been around him in worse situations, at least now she wasn’t TRYING to be lewd, she just had to go.

Vulpes quickly turned around, trying to ignore this awkwardly close scenario. It probably was no worse than  the pool incident, but knowing that there were probably women outside having seen him come in, they probably thought she was too old to have her father, or ANY man in the same room with her like this…

The trickling was too much, his mind going places before immediately bailing, “I-I’m sorry Jaqui! I’m just gonna wait outside!” he said as he opened the door, his voice carrying outward as he slid out.

“Don’t Open the Door!” She cried out, but he cracked it so thinly and escaped so quickly she didn’t even see outside, so presumably no one saw inside. She sighed, sure, it was less awkward like this, but at least she could just let go, taking care of her business without worrying about noises. Plus now she could take more time and relax. She always hated going number 2 in a rush, it never worked out well. As long as she had enough toilet paper to finish she’d be absolutely, fi-.... “Uh oh…”

As Vulpes fled, he shut the door behind him, letting out a sigh only to see the entire line looking at him. He felt his chest tighten and his throat go dry. “Ah, uh… Just… no barrier… or anything… Thought it was uh… not appropriate… uh… y-yeah…”

“You must be new to parenting.” one of the mothers said aloud.

“Ah, y-yeah, actually…” he said with a nervous smile. “That obvious huh?”

“Well, I think it’s wonderful you chose to adopt.” she added with a nod, noting the difference in species.

“Yeah? Well, y’know… try to do what ya can.” He was still feeling very awkward and on the spot, so he only managed short little responses.

Another woman spoke up with the other woman, “I’m glad you’re concerned about invading her privacy, but she did seem to want you to come along.”

“She probably just wanted an excuse to go… She uh..; recently had an ‘incident’ and i think she might be worried about holding it too long and having another…”

The groups seemed to nod and let out little ‘ah’s to his statement, seemingly knowing EXACTLY what kind of ‘incident’ he meant without giving away details.

“Hey Vulpes!” a voice could be heard from inside the stall, if only just barely. Seemed like the walls were thick to hide the crying babies that might be inside. 

He cracked the door open a bit, speaking up, “Yeah?”

“Uh, there’s no toilet paper in here.” she called out, her voice echoing out of the chamber.

“Oh god no…” he muttered, eyes glancing back at the line of women…

The women looked back for a beat before another pipped up, “Well? Go get her some toilet paper!”

“Ah! R-right! I’ll be back Jaqui!” he called out before closing the door. He rushed into the men’s room and into the first stall, rolling up a long length to make sure she had plenty to use.

As he returned with a length of one ply in hand, most of the women had gone back to their phones, but upon hearing him, they looked up again, ready for the next act in this little show.

“Ah, so uh… Could uh…” he held out the toilet paper toward the women, seemingly trying to give it to them instead, “Did any one of you… want to uh…”

“Honey, none of us need toilet paper yet, Your daughter does.” 

“Ah! R-right, but, i just…” he nervously twirled the roll in his hand, trying to get his thoughts into words, “i thought maybe it would be more appropriate for a woman to go into a bathroom with a girl in it.”

“You’re asking a stranger to walk in on your daughter in the toilet?”

He felt a chill run down his spine at the comment “Ah, wh-when you word it like that… that does sound pretty-”

“GO!” a chorus of women all telling him to go shook him. He yelped and rushed in.

He didn’t manage to take the precaution to assess how to enter properly, so he just slipped in once again. He looked up to see Jaqui with her jeans resting around her ankles, white panties with a strawberry pattern resting on top. Her legs were clasped together and her shirt managed to reach down enough to cover most of her. However there was still a clear line of sight of where she made contact with the seat, running along to curve up into a lovely rump before the shirt managed to cover up some of it. She looked embarrassed and desperate.

“Ah! S-sorry.” he cried, turning his eyes away and walking forward enough to hand her the toilet paper before turning back to the door, “Just… take your time cleaning up and we can get going.”

“Uh… About that…” she grunted a little, squirming in place, “This uh… might be a minute so if you wanna wait outside…” 

Vulpes took the hint, nodding and quickly escorting himself out, “Right, take your time.” He quickly left the bathroom, closing the door behind him. He let out an exasperated sigh, clearly frazzled by all of this. 

No badgering from the ladies this time, in fact after a moment of quiet they spoke up again, “You’ll get used to this… Sometimes you gotta deal with private stuff with your kids.”

“Y-yeah? How so?” he asked, wondering why they all seemed so chill about all this.

“Well I just mean sometimes you’re gonna get exposed to your kids. It’s just a part of being a parent. My little girls love wearing dresses, but if they go out I gotta put shorts on them or else.” she mimicked lifting her dress up over her head like a child would, “Woop! Panty shot!”

“My son lost a bet and ran through the woods naked… guess who ran through a poison ivy patch and had to get treated?”

“And who treated him?” another mom chimed in.

“Doctor mom here of course.”

“My daughter would put marbles in her vagina and I was TERRIFIED we were going to have to take her to a hospital, but we managed to get them out. We had a very stern talk after that”

“My son did the same thing with a sharpie! Trying to ‘explore’ himself and pushing it a little too far up… I almost laughed in front of him but I had to use every ounce of strength to keep a straight face..”

Vulpes seemed… very confused about all this, “You’re… you’re all talking very openly about… this…”

A woman shook her head, “Honey, we’re mothers, we’ve seen it all. It’s not that crazy… Once your toddler walks out of their bedroom naked in front of your book club for the third week in a row, it hardly phases you anymore. Don’t worry about it, it’s not a big deal.”

“Sometimes you gotta deal with private situations. If you keep treating their privates like terrible things they won’t come to you when they need help with it. And sometimes they need an adult to assure them it’s okay.”

Maybe he was freaking out over nothing… It did feel reassuring with the parents sharing their experiences, as awkward as they were. For now he felt a little better, smiling as he relaxed against the door, “Well, thank you for that… Oh, uh, just so you know, there’s like… three empty stalls in the men’s room… no one’s in there…” he said, motioning into the men’s side.

There was a beat of silence, before one woman just started walking in, apparently fed up with the wait. 3 more followed, but the last realized this would be too many. She cursed and got back in line, waiting again. “I call the family bathroom once it’s clear!” she said, giving up on being polite.

Vulpes felt relieved that his little audience had scattered, giving him some time to relax.

Jaqui finished her business and cleaned up without any more fuss. She emerged clean and refreshed, "sorry for all that, I'm good to go now."

"No need to be sorry. But yes, let's move on." He gave her a pat on the back. Leading her back out into the mall.

The two continued to mosey around with the few bags they had, eventually coming across Spencer’s Gifts. The shop had a grunge vibe, being dark with wallpaper that looked like graffiti covered brick. The store seemed to have a distinct cut in the middle of their store: The front consisting mostly of pop culture casualwear, with the back area featuring alcohol, weed, and even sexually themed items including full blown sex toys and apparel.

Of course, being between a rowdy teen and a wide eyed child, she saw it all as appealing, making her way closer. Vulpus noticed and quickly tried to decide how to handle it, “You wanna go in there?”

“Yeah! I’ve only been in a few times, and mom makes me stay out of the back.. Uh… probably shouldn’t’ve told you that…”

“Heh, no no, that’s probably good… But yeah, I can agree, the back is VERY much not a place for you.”

“Fine fine… But I still wanna go in.” The two headed inside, staying toward the front of the store. 

“This can only end well…” Vulpes muttered to himself, seemingly foreseeing some debacle happening in here…

Even though there were passageways leading to the back area that were completely wide open for all to see, the large walls covered in other crazy knicknacks was distracting enough for a time. The two looked at baseball hats with huge, impractical metal emblems of various outdated pop culture franchises, some jewelry in a spinning case, and shirts with rude, crude humor. They got a laugh out of a couple, snapping photos with them to save or send to Mom. 

Jaqui held up a shirt over herself, “Hey! Take a photo and send this one to mom!”

Vulpes looked over, seeing the shirt in question. It read “Fuck Vegetables” with the eggplant emoji underneath. His eyes widened at the initial shock, only to snicker at the joke, “Uh… Do you… know what that means?”

“Uh, I know I didn't like vegetables when I was a kid....” she took another look at it, analyzing it a moment… It did take her a moment but the connection made her gasp, “OH MY GOD! Is that a penis?” she called out over the loud music coming out of the radio.

Vulpes cringed a little, but couldn’t help but smile, “Yes, yes it is…”

“Still take my photo! Send it to mom and pretend I don't know what it means.” She held up the shirt once again, smiling wider.

“Oh lord… somehow i think she’ll get a kick out of this.” he muttered, taking the photo. Before he realized it though, he spotted her flicking off the camera as well. “Jaqui! That’s rude.” he scolded, although taking the picture anyway.

“Oh, too much?” she asked, sheepishly putting the finger away,

“I presume you’re flicking off vegetables?”

“Yeah… OH! No! Not you! Or mom! I was giving the finger to vegetables.”

“Than yeah, being rude to vegetables is acceptable~” he teased, putting the camera away.

The two continued to browse around, Vulpes getting distracted by some gloves from an old show he used to watch. Jaqui found her curiosity piquing, tempting her to look through the doorway, but not going inside…

The closest things were cheap plastic bongs and beer funnels, along with a section completely devoted to weed paraphernalia. None of that interested her, instead her gaze fell to the XXX section of the store. Of course there were packets of cheap lingerie with pictures of models on the front, both girls and guys of varying species, plenty to ogle at, but she didn’t know if she had time to browse, or if Vulpes would catch her staring. She continued to peer around, scanning for anything particularly interesting…

A display did catch her eye; a collection of tails hanging in a line against the wall. Among the fluff of various species, the curious doe spotted a red fox tail, almost exactly the same color as her mom and Vulpes. Without thinking she rushed past the doorway and into the other half of the shop where the lights were dimmed lower and blacklights kept the room mostly lit. She could still tell it was the right color, and even held it up to one of the normal lights to check it. Her heart swelled a little at the idea of having a big fluffy tail like her parents; swinging it around, cuddling with it, decorating it with hair clips and fur dye. Her little deer scut was hardly the long flowing tail she admired and envied from her mother. As a child she happily snuggled up to the fluff when she and Carol were resting together, and the idea of having her own delighted her~

She continued to examine it, eventually coming to the base of the tail… which caused her some confusion. The first thing that came to mind when she saw the sleek metal tip was a stout pine tree; small at the tip, slowly growing in width down to the widest point, before sloping down quickly to the ‘trunk’ and connecting to the base of the tail. It looked teardrop shaped before abruptly connecting to the base near the bottom. She examined it for a moment, not quite connecting the dots on how this tail was supposed to stay attached. Perhaps one could tuck it into their belt to hold around the ‘trunk’ of the metal, but that wasn’t nearly as efficient as just a belt loop… so why the odd design?

Her head lifted up, looking for some sort of advertisement, or advisory notice about how to use what she thought was a simple tail. Looking to the wall of toys, her eyes were filled with pictures of fake penises and barely covered breasts. It hit her now that perhaps it wasn’t just a normal tail. Her search came to an end quickly when she spotted a box with a product similar in design to what she had in her hand. ‘Anal plug’ it read; “Make your anal explorations a heart pounding adventure with one of these super-sexy polished aluminum anal plugs. Their tapered tips makes for easy entry, while their teardrop shapes leave you satisfyingly filled.” 

Her eyes widened a bit, glancing down at the tail once more. She could have her own tail.. But she’d have to put it in her butt? It made sense but… did people actually do this for fun?

“Jaqui!” Vulpes called out to her, walking toward her with a scowl, “I told you not to come back here.”

“I know, but I saw this tail! And I thought it would be cool to have!” That was her original thought, and even after learning about where it was supposed to go, it still seemed like a fun idea.

“Ah, no, not from here. This is not the kind of tail you want.” he put the tail back on the hanging rack, “This is adult stuff.”

“Adult stuff huh? You mean Seeeex stuff?” she was admittedly a little annoyed about his outright refusal to let her get a tail, especially after the few moments she had to hype herself up for it.

Vulpes cheeks burned a little, “Yeees it’s sex stuff, Which is why a minor isn’t allowed in this part of the store.”

“Is it anything like the sex stuff you have?” She asked, fishing for information. Being flustered, Vulpes fell right into her trap.

“Don’t you worry about the sex stuff I have.”

“So you DO have some sex stuff?”

Vulpes realized he was caught, turning redder. He let out a bit more information than he should have, but just shook his head, “Jaqui, come on, I’m serious, you’re too young to be messing with this stuff.” He put a hand on her back and started to lead her out. Jaqui didn’t put up any more resistance, heading out back into the mall.

“Alright, I think we need to head to the department store now.” Vulpes said in his ‘trying to be a stern parent’ tone.

They HAD gone through a couple of shops, so it was probably fair to go ahead and head to their final store… not to mention her disobedience was probably uncalled for, thinking about it. “Okaaay.” She still had to add some sass, she WAS a preteen after all.

The two headed into the store and up the stairs, Jaqui unconsciously heading for the ‘childrens’ section, starting to look around with a bored look on her face.

Vulpes wasn’t far behind, checking the size tags on the clothes before looking at a nearby size chart listing recent changes, “Hey Jaqui, i don’t think they sell your size in this section anymore.”

Jaqui perked up, looking at a few tags herself to check, “Oh, uh… i guess not…”

“I think i saw the teen section closer to the back, let’s head over there!” his voice was pleasantly upbeat, excited for her to be growing up. 

Jaqui was just as excited. No longer a child, nor a preteen. Now she shopped in the Teen section so she was basically already a teenager, it would just be official in a few weeks.

The mood changed drastically as they moved into the ‘Teens’ section of the department store; A lot less ‘cute’ and a lot more trendy. Everything was ‘hip’ and ‘modern’ with half the kids holding electronics of some kind. Some ‘boomer’ part of Vulpes’ brain twinged, mentally scolding the youth’s dependency on technology. However the Millennial side came back to remind him of his own gamboy, CD player and FM radio he had kept with him when he was that age, so it was hard to be mad.

Jaqui seemed much more eager to get into the core of this section, leaving Vulpes’ side. He finally caught up and arrived at the rack she was looking through. The underwear he saw here was certainly a lot more revealing than the ones he’d seen in the laundry. The bras ranged from training bras to clothing with a bit more decoration than he approved of. Why would she need to impress anyone with decorated underwear at her age?

“Vulpes!” Jaqui called out, “There’s girls underwear over here! You can’t be back here!”

“Gah! Sorry!” Vulpes didn’t question her statement, it was already embarrassing to see as it was, so getting shooed away was easy, “I’ll just… be around… See if they have any warm clothes for winter in stock yet…” He scurried away, but kept a distant eye on her.

With Vulpes gone, Jaqui could plot in peace. There wasn’t anything TOO revealing, at least not by her standards. The bras were cute, maybe even a little sexy, but with her chest still barely nubs, she decided being responsible and pure was better this time. The panties however were all ripe for the taking. They had a nice variety in her size, cute patterns and designs in a few colors. She decided on taking a pack of cute low waisted panties in white, and a lacier set in a variety of colors. She even found one covered in strawberries like she was wearing now.

Jaqui made her way around, gathering up a small cart full of clothes to try on. Vulpes was still missing, so she called out for him, “Vulpes? You still here?”

There was a shuffling noise, before her came from around the corner, “Hey uh… I remembered you were looking at a tail, so i looked around… and found a whole Fox!” he whipped a clothes hanger from behind him, revealing he’d found a onesie set of pajamas that looked like a fox. It was pretty cute, a bit of a ‘manufactured’ look to it popped to something handmade, but it still had enough charm made into it. “And look!” he turned the onesie around, revealing it had a big ol’ fox tail hanging down. It was just cotton fabric, no fur, but it was a nice gesture. “And it’s tail even removes if you don’t want it, or want to let your tail out.” he demonstrated by pulling the tail off it’s velcro square.

Jaqui noticed something she didn’t recognize; a square of fabric over the backside, just under the tail. It looked like it was secured by velcro as well, making a flap. “What on earth is THAT for?” she asked, pointing.

Vulpes looked over it and spotted the butt flap, “Oh, it’s uh… so if you have to go to the bathroom you don’t have to completely undress, you just… open your flap and uh… go… Well you sit down THEN you go…”

Jaqui stared at the pajamas. They were a bit too cute for her taste, but it did remind her of a time when she loved cute things. This would have blown her 5 year old mind, but now, it seemed a bit cringey. 

Vulpes seemed to sense her opinion before she said anything, putting the tail back on, “Heh, it is a bit too sweet, isn’t it? Just needs glittery eyes and pink fur and it would officially be terrible huh?” he started to take it back, sounding a bit dejected. He was just trying to relate in some way, he probably thought it looked cute.

“I mean… I could try it on at least…” Jaqui rubbed the back of her head, casually looking around for any witnesses who might spread rumors about her wearing something cutesy.

“Yeah? You think?” his voice sounded a little brighter at the notion, “I mean, i just thought it might look cute, and it’ll be warm when winter comes around!”

“Yeah, i bet it’ll be warm… let’s add it to the pile” she said, taking it from him and adding it to the cart.

“Oh wow you really DO have a pile.”

“Mom did want me to get a new wardrobe. She says i’m outgrowing everything i wear.”

“Heh, thank goodness i have her credit card…” he said with a nervous laugh.

“Okay, and I need a swimsuit, but then i’ll be ready to start trying stuff on.”

“Oh dear god, that could take hours.” 

“Shush.” Jaqui hushed him and took their cart to the swimwear section. “So… what did you and mom talk about with my new swimsuit?”

Vulpes shifted a bit, trying to not seem awkward about it, “Well, your old one disintegrated, so you need a whole set… One piece or two piece.” Most of the bikinis on display were much more revealing, closer to underwear than the skirt and covering top she had before. “Whatever you want…” he said begrudgingly. 

The young deers eyes glimmered, looking at the selection. She imagined looking cute and sexy… but some of them revealed even more than she was comfortable with… She decided on a strawberry pattern that was about the size of her training bra with equally modest bottoms. She didn’t have the discretion of the skirt this time, so she decided to not risk getting something too revealing. 

The two grabbed a few more necessities before heading to the changing room. They were given a room around the corner near a bench. It didn’t seem like anyone else was around, so they’d be alone.

She grabbed a chunk of the pile, heading in to try things on. The majority of it was fairly boring; generic tee shirts, shorts, leggings, and a nice flowing dress. She would come out and show off the outfit, usually getting approvals from Vulpes. She wasn’t tempting fate with anything conversational just yet. Eventually she had come to a few pieces she was going to try on that might concern him. She knew she was tempting fate with the lower cut jeans and a midriff baring shirt. She slipped them both on, taking a moment to examine herself freely.

She could see the top was hugging her a little tightly, but it’s what it was meant to do. It was a fairly thing shirt too, she could see the pattern of fur on her chest through the fabric, if only just a little. The jeans hung very low on her hips… but with that, she noticed she was starting to develop hips. A taut waist and wider hips were starting to form. It wasn’t much, but since she was becoming more aware of her body, she was starting to notice the changes. The jeans didn’t quite agree with her though. As she shook her body in her exam, showing off to the mirror, the jeans fell off her hips and exposed her underwear. It was embarrassing, sure, but thankfully it was in the privacy of her changing room. Jaqui hiked up the jeans and secured them once more. She took another look at herself before exiting the changing room, standing proudly before Vulpes, trying to look confident.

When Vulpes’ eyes met her though, her confidence immediately fell. She tried adjusting the top to cover more of her stomach while also trying to pull up her jeans. They wouldn’t go any higher without tearing at the crotch. “How uh… how do i look?”

His eyes looked her over, not quite the approving smile she’d hoped for… “You know the school won’t allow this AT school right? The shoulders are exposed, your belly is exposed, I can see your underwear over the jeans.”

She looked down, noticing that her strawberry underwear normally sat higher up her waist than the jeans did, so they easily came up and revealed themselves with her tugs, “Ah, y-you’re right, I’m sorry, this was dumb.” she said quickly, covering her exposed belly with her hands. She felt shameful for some reason, like she had displeased someone she was trying to impress.

“It’s not dumb, it’s…” Vulpes paused, staring up at the ceiling trying to figure out the right phrasing, “It’s you trying to discover yourself… pushing your boundaries… seeing what you like and what you don’t like…”

Jaqui watched him a moment, taking his words to heart. “I mean… yeah, kind of i guess…”

“I don’t think it’s something i’d wear to school, but… if you like it… although uh… maybe don’t wear it in chilly weather.” he added, turning his head away.

“Oh, cause i’ll get cold around my stomach, right?”

“That’s not-...” he seemed to rethink his response, turning away, “Yeah, your stomach…” 

Jaqui sensed he was hiding something again. He had a very obvious tell on his face when he was trying to hide a thought, “And… something else?” 

Vulpes closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. He decided she could probably handle honesty, “Your nipples are getting hard in this cool air.”

Jaqui looked down, seeing two little tents popping up at her chest, “Oh! Uh, shoot, uh…” she didn’t really have this problem before. Sure they got form in the cold air, but no one had called it out like that before. She rubbed at them, feeling their firmness, along with the sensations burning in her chest as she rubbed her own nipples.

“I’m sure a training bra or some warmth will fix it… uh… or…” Vulpes watched as she rubbed at her nipples for quite a little bit of time. She seemed to be enjoying herself, “if rubbing them helps, that works too.” He took a look down the hall, making sure no one else was around.

“Ah! Sorry! I’ll change!” she quickly headed back inside, shivering against the door. She quickly started to strip off her shirt.

“If we get a belt i’m sure the pants will be fine if you really like them.” A part of her DID still want them, at least to try at home, feel it out and get more confident in them first.

The thought of her nipples did get her attention to move back to the training bra, pulling it out of the packaging and slipping her arms inside. She reached back, trying to attach the clips in the back, but she didn’t have the reach or the coordination. It didn’t take long for her to get frustrated.

“Uh… Hey Vulpes?” she called through the door, “I can’t figure out this training bra.” she listened quietly, her body remaining still as she waited for a response. There was a moment of silence that lasted so long she thought he might not be there. Finally she heard some shuffling; the sound of him standing up, “Alright, you want me to come to the door then?”

“Yeah” She pulled the lock out of the way, turning herself to face away from the door. Vulpes gently pushed open the door, though it did bump her backside as he opened up. She moved further in, as the door took up most of the small changing room when it was being opened up. She had to get close to the wall, staying there as Vulpes approached. She watched his silhouette come closer in the mirror… for a brief moment she imagined him pressing himself against her, pressing into the wall. Something about that image made her shiver.

Of course, Vulpes did no such thing. Instead he managed to clip on the bra with no problem, hardly enough time for a fantasy to play out right, how’s that fit?”

Jaqui’s tensity from the fantasy dropped immediately, almost slouching now, “It fits i guess…” She began to check herself, feeling it and tugging at the elastic straps. “I dunno… what’s a bra suppose to feel like?”

“Well, it’s suppose to hold your breasts up, so it should be holding everything together nice and comfy.”

“Well it’s not exactly doing either… I don't have anything to hold up.” She said with a sigh, squishing her arms together to press what little she had together. “I shouldn’t even need one yet…”

“That’s why it’s a TRAINING bra, just to get used to feeling straps around you all the time. Plus it’s probably just too small for you.” he slid a finger underneath the bra strap and slid around her torso. It wasn’t like he wasn’t used to this by now, he had plenty of time to explore her when he medicated her skin with aloe vera. Still, the feeling made Jaqui tingle.

“Uh, uh huh… w-when did you become an expert in bras” 

“Your mother, actually.”

“Really?” Jaqui’s voice went flat, “You’re really gonna bring up taking my moms bra off like that?”

“NO! Not like that!” he quickly shook his head, “Your mom told me a few things to look out for. The size here isn’t right for you.”

“It had the smallest number when I picked it out… I figured since I had a small chest it was okay.”

“The number is the size of your ribcage, the letter is the bust size.” he explained as he started to move back, “Put that bra back in it’s package and I'll get you the next size up, okay?”

“Oh… huh, okay…” She took another look at the packaging, seeing the size a bit differently now, “Uh… So how do i get this off then?” 

“Do you need a hand with that too?”

“I… Sure…” He’d already helped so much, she figured she’d like him to help with this too. It was getting easier for both of them, being this awkwardly close. It was slowly becoming less taboo, but both took care to not push the limits and risk making the other uncomfortable. He unclasped her bra and pulled away, closing the door behind him, “don’t dawdle, I still gotta get home and start on tonight AND tomorrow’s dinner.”

“Right right, i’m almost done once we get this bra thing figured out.” She slipped it off, putting it back in the packaging before tossing it over the door.

“I’ll be right back!” he called out, heading off and leaving her alone.

Jaqui was left alone in the quiet corner of the store. No one to talk to, nothing to do… She just stood there and stared at herself in the mirror, her eyes moving and analyzing everything… but instead of being critical, she found herself admiring her progress. Her body was growing, it would get there eventually. She may not be ‘sexy’ by any public standard, but she could see the potential. She had a nice smile, bright green eyes, cute nose and ears. Her hands reached up to grip the opposite elbow, folding her arms in front of her. She slid her hands up, sifting her fingers through her fur… shuddering in delight as her mind imagined the hands being Vulpes touching her.

What were these strange feelings? Her body tingling at her own touches, and more so from Vulpes touching her? Something wasn’t normal. She’d been warned about getting sexual desires as she grew up… but was this it? She felt it in her chest, the pit of her stomach, her legs, her head everywhere… Was this the intense feelings she was warned about?

She still had time alone, so she shamelessly tugged the front of her panties down, examining herself down there. She had done so before, sure, but not with this mindset. She figured a guy would put his dick in there and it would feel nice, something something, they end up cuddled up in the afterglow of the moment… but there were still a lot of gray areas in her imagination. She desperately wanted to know more.

But that would have to wait, Jaqui reminded herself she was in public, taking a look around above for any spies, but seeing none. She looked to her piles of clothes, mentally marking them as ‘good’, ‘bad’ and ‘try on’, with the only thing left on that pile being the onesie pajamas. She had to admit, they did look cute, but her rebellious teen angst was telling her not to get it. Another force within her did tell her to try it on anyway… Vulpes seemed to like it…

Wearing nothing but panties, she slipped into the onesie legs first, hiking it up to her waist. It wouldn’t stay on without putting the arms in, but she still had to put on the bra, kill two birds with one stone as it were. She waited patiently for a moment before Vulpes found his way back.

“Here you go!” he called, handing the packaging over the door. Jaqui reached up and took it, having to let the pajamas fall to her knees as she slipped herself into the training bra. She still had trouble figuring out the clasps though. She sighed, hiking the pajamas up to her waist before unlocking the door again “I need help again.” she called out, sounding annoyed by her inabilities.

Vulpes opened the door, this time finding her halfway in the onesie, “Aw, trying out the uh…” His focus was pulled away for a moment. The tail on the pajamas were filled with a cotton blend, but it was heavy enough to tug the back down to reveal her strawberry underwear once again. Jaqui didn’t seem to notice the exposure, holding the front up to her stomach which she assumed wrapped around to her back. But Vulpes could clearly see her tail twitching just about her bottom. The panties covered everything they needed, but they held to her bottom firmly. He could see the fabric hugging her butt, the crease going down the middle made a clear image of the developing butt.

Vulpus took a moment to calm himself, trying to remain pure and innocent in front of his daughter. He carefully clasped the bra together, adjusting the straps carefully, “There, that should be more comfortable.” he said, pulling back.

Jaqui wasn’t an idiot… she could see his eyes wandering… his gaze burning into her back… her little deer tail wiggled a bit, excited to have his eyes rolling over her… “Y-yeah, it does feel really good actually… Not too tight and holding well… Alright, gimme a sec and i’ll try on the onesie.” She didn’t even give him a chance to close the door, hiking up the pajamas and slipping her arms into the sleeves. As much as her body burned with the desire to show herself to him, this being a perfect opportunity, she panicked and covered up.

“Right, got it.” Vulpes quickly closed the door, but with no lock on his side, it just bounced and reopened. He panicked as the door swung back and bumped her again, reached out to grab it and hold it closed instead.

It didn’t take long for her to get dressed: zipping up the front and flipping the hood up before looking at herself in the mirror. She had to admit; It was pretty adorable. Still a close match to her parent’s fur in color, with a cute but unassuming ‘face’ in the hood, cute ears and a removable tail. Jaqui even let out a giggle at how it looked on her, turning around and ‘wagging’ her tail by shaking her butt. Eager to show Vulpes, she opened the door and turned around, shaking her bottom at him once again to shake the tail, “Look Dad! I’m just like you!”

“Yeah! Wow! Looks just like a-” he froze, his mind clearly latching onto something she’d said, “You… called me Dad… Again!"

Jaqui clasped her hands together in front of her chest, realizing the slip. She didn’t dislike the idea, after all, he seemed nice enough, and her mom loved him… perhaps this was okay. A nervous smile came across her face, slowly turning to face him. “I mean… I think we can start practicing it… see how it sounds… Maybe I'll call you that for real someday… If that’s okay with you.” She still wasn’t certain, but calling him that did feel natural…


Vulpes was delighted. The first time she said it at the bathrooms he brushed the incident off as her being desperate for a bathroom break. Now she has no reason to call him that if she didn't want to. His heart swelled at the thought of being accepted and seen as a fatherly figure. He wanted nothing more than to protect and cherish her as a daughter with his loving, caring wife by his side.

Vulpes found his smile widening, opening his arms up and moving over to hug her, “That’s absolutely fine. Practice Dad is just fine.” hie words did shake a little, getting a little emotional about the big step forward.

Jaqui moved in, allowing her to be hugged. His embrace did feel nice, warm, comforting, and the pajamas certainly helped with it’s fluffy interior tickling her skin, “Mmm, Dad In Training” She happily slid her arms around him, returning the affection.

“Mmm, Dit.”

Jaqui blinked, pulling back and looking at her father-to-be with concern, “Dick?”

“DIT!” he said again, “Dad In Training, DIT.”

“That sounds too much like a bad word.”

“Gasp!” he actually said the word ‘gasp’, clutching at his chest as if gripping a pearl necklace in shock and disgust, “You shouldn’t know anything about that bad word!” 

“Mmm, Richard~” Jaqui spoke in a seductive voice, trying to tease the parent in Vulpes.

Vulpus quickly shook his head, squirming in disgust, “Ahhh! Nooo Don’t moan like that when talking about Richards. I don’t want to know what that sounds like from you.” he waved her away, still smiling though as he clearly was having a laugh about it all.

Jaqui chuckled as well, patting his sides before pulling away from the embrace, “Oh I know so much about things, you don’t even know!” 

“Hopefully mostly things that will help you in college!” Vulpus had a knack for taking an innocent statement and making it sound dirty… to which his mind immediately replayed the words in his head with naughty undertones. “And NOT in a strip club…” He shook off the dirty thoughts as he added an addendum to his statement and took a seat back on the bench.

“Yeah yeah, all that book learnin’” she replied with a drawl, looking over the outfit again, “I do really like this though, it’s super comfy.”

“It DOES look like a super comfy ‘around the house’ kinda thing.” Vulpes added, “Plus you look cute. That’s a plus.” 

“Mmm, yeah, I think we’re putting this in the win pile.” she said, taking another look in the mirror. “You’ve convinced me.”

“Alright! Well I think that’s about everything, wanna start separating everything?”

“Yes, here, you can have the ‘no’ pile to start putting up while I get dressed.” Jaqui handed him the relatively small pile, leaving her alone to change.

The two finished their tasks, heading to the cashier with the rest of their clothes. With many bags in tow, the two of them headed back for their car, putting everything into the trunk before driving off.

Once home, Vulpus helped put the bags in her room, letting her do as she pleased with them. ‘Hey, I'm gonna throw a load of clothes in the wash, do you want anything cleaned?”

Jaqui looked over, still sifting through her new clothes, “Yeah, actually, I was gonna shower so I could wear some of my new clothes. Lemme get in the shower and you can take these clothes with you.”

“Okay, you’ll just leave them in here?” Vulpes pointed to the floor, designating the spot.

“Yes yes, now go on, it’s been a few days and i probably reek. That mall was WAY too hot.” she huffed, thankful for the air conditioning in their house.

“Gotcha smelly.” Vulpues said before closing her door behind him

“Shush!” Jaqui shooed away to dorky father figure, stripping herself and piling the dirty clothes beside the door. She was worried they might smell, and more worried Vulpes would notice, so to distract from that bad scents, she gave her clothes a little spritz of her perfume to hide any scent. Of course it was strawberry scented, she loved wearing it all the time whenever she went out, sometimes even at home. 

She made sure to ‘hide’ the strawberry patterned panties between the pants and shirt, not wanting him to see her underwear… Or did she? Her brain began to plot once again as she analyzed how her stack of dirty clothes looked with the underwear on top… but she decided having the panties placed directly on top was almost inviting trouble, so she slipped them inside the rolled up shirt to double hide it. She’d already tempted fate plenty of times now so she didn’t want to risk it. 

Jaqui slipped off to the shower, closing both doors behind her before stepping in. She intended on a quick rinse, unlike her usual lengthy relaxing vacations in the cascading hot water. She was eager to slip on some of her new clothes and wear them around.

Just before finished she heard Vulpus through his bedroom door, “Hey, there was already aload in the washer that didn’t start, so I'll start the laundry later, but I've got your stuff okay?”

“Okay!” she called out over the rushing water of the shower.

“I think I'm gonna take a nap if that’s okay, so just keep the bathroom door shut.”

“Okay!” she replied again, rinsing herself off a bit more before turning off the water. She dried out her fur, and wrapped a towel around her. She took another moment to admire herself in the mirror. She even giggled at herself as she realized she’d been doing this an awful lot lately. She smiled at herself, feeling a little frisky. She suddenly flashed open her towel in the mirror, seeing herself for a brief moment before closing up, “Oh jeez, i’m gonna get myself in trouble~” another giggle escaped before she turned out the lights just starting to leave the bathroom.

“...qui~” 

Jaqui froze, just about to exit the now dark bathroom when she heard a voice… Was someone saying her name? Was dad calling mom to tell her about the Tail fiasco? Her curiosity  got the better of her as she slid back towards the door, listening in….

“Jaqui~”  she heard again… just her name… no comments… She could see the crack beneath the door let in no light, so it was dark on both sides… with the silent hinges, he wouldn’t hear her opening the door, so she did.

Jaqui gently cracked open the door, peering inside. It didn’t take long for her eyes to adjust to the scene. Vulpus was laying on his bed, no shirt or pants, boxer briefs tugged down just enough for his hardened cock and balls to stand in the open air, one hand stroking it at a steady pace. Jaqui was in absolute shock at the scene, she didn’t imagine just seeing him unabashedly masturbating. The show wasn’t meant for anyone though, as Vulpus seemed to be distracted. In his other hands were a pair of white cotton panties with strawberries on them… A familiar pair of strawberry panties.  He was holding it to his nose, inhaling the scent, “Uggh~ Jaqui.” he moaned again, barely a whisper, but louder than he probably realized. He was so enthralled by his private moment, even going as far as to lull his tongue out, sliding it against the crotch of the fabric in his hand.

Jaqui stared in shock and confusion… he was… clearly thinking of her as he lewdly caressed his cock. He was moaning her name aloud, not Carol. Was he just smelling her underwear because of the perfume? No, he could use the shirt for that… he CHOSE to take her panties… her natural scents AND perfume filling his lungs and spreading across his tongue. His erect penis glistened as he spread his precum across the shaft.

Jaqui wasn’t sure how to feel about this. He’d been so caring, considerate, and embarrassed at the slightest hint of private matters, now this man was lustfully breathing in his step daughters underwear? Was he actually a freak? Was all this time a lie to get to her? Was she in danger with this man? Thoughts ran through her mind wildly, unable to comprehend the change in tone.

It didn’t take long for his hips to buck upwards, the hand holding her panties shot down to cover his cock, spreading the fabric to cover the shaft. Hisl jerking grew more fierce as he shook and shivered. She could see his shaft pressing through the thin fabric, globs of his seed shooting through it before landing back on her favorite pair of underwear. His body shook a few more times as the aftershocks rumbled through him, before collapsing onto the bed and sighing breathlessly.

The two were frozen, both absorbing what just happened. Jaqui watched, wondering what he’d do now that he seemed ‘finished’...

“Shit” Vulpues muttered, sitting up on the opposite side of the bed, nervously taking a shirt from the clothes hamper beside the bed and wiping the mess off her panties, “God Damnit did i really just do that? Fuck me, Why?” he seemed distraught, a big drop from the ecstasy filled moans he was calling out earlier. “Fuck that’s her shirt too, Son of a…” he stopped himself, looking at the pile of clothes in the hamper. “I… I just grabbed something out of the hamper, it happened to be hers…” he seemed to be cultivating a story to make in case he was questioned later. As he laid back down his hand resting on his face, “I can’t believe I just did that… I’m so sorry Jaqui. Why can’t I stop thinking like this?” his words quivered as he struggled with his own mind, His internal battle was so strong he didn’t even realize he was speaking aloud.

Jaqui flinched, thinking he might be talking to her directly, but it didn’t seem like he had spotted her yet.

“I got it out of my system.” he finally said, brushing his hands away from him as if brushing the situation away, “I got that horrible feeling out of my system, I’m good, i have a loving girlfriend and a beautiful daughter, And i’m not going to do anything sick like that again.” he stuffed his still shiny half chub back into his pants, not worrying about cleaning it, before rolling over away from the door and curling up, “I’m not a bad person…” 

Jaqui felt her heart weep for him. She knew he wasn’t a bad person deep inside he wanted to help and be a good dad, she knew that. Alternatively however, there was a burning sensation in her… Was she attractive enough to cause such a kind man to delve into such a sinful act? She slowly slipped away from the door, not even bothering to close it.

She took another look at herself in the mirror, opening up her towel once more. Was this youthful body really what was sending him over the edge? Did he actually like it? So many questions rattled in her mind… but eventually one thought shined brighter. She had to show him he was a good person. She wanted to support him as her father. Seeing how much joy it brought him for her to accept her as her dad was more important right now. Not to mention she had an idea of how to help…

Vulpus laid alone in his shame, still contemplating if he should toss her clothes in the wash to hide the evidence, or if he’d get caught and look guilty… Either way, his ‘nap’ was very much being spent lying awake. He’d hear a knock and nearly jump, rolling over and seeing Jaqui in the doorway, “Jaqui? What uh… what’s wrong?” he asked, adjusting the blanket to make sure he was well covered.

Jaqui wore the fox onesie pajama Vulpes had gotten for her, hugging her arms as she looked at him, smiling, “Hey… could… we nap together? Maybe?” she started off broad, just seeing if he’d agree…

“Ah… uh… I don't… right now’s not…” he wanted to find an excuse to say no, but he didn’t really have one… “I uh… I’m a little hot too, so I don't really want to get dressed again to nap…”

“You can stay like that. I’ll stay away.” she assured him, taking a step closer to the bed, “I just… It felt really nice when you hugged me in this… i felt really safe… protected… I just felt nice… and… I wanted a bit more of that feeling…” she wasn’t lying, it was 100% true. The feelings he gave her made her feel cared for, like she truly had a second parent to watch over her.

This left him in stunned silence… he wasn’t sure what to say for a second, but eventually he nodded, waving her to join him, “Come on… get on this side, there uh… might be a wet spot on the other side.” he warned, scooting closer to the ‘wet’ side. Jaqui didn’t bother to ask what his excuse was for the wet spot. She knew. She pulled open the covers and slipped in, staying on her side of the bed, with Vulpes facing the opposite direction.

Jaqui laid with him a quiet moment, laying on her back. She stayed still until carefully rolling over closer to him. She wanted to reach out for him, but she didn’t know if he’d be okay with that. Instead she pulled the covers up over her, worried for him…

However something else caught her attention… She pulled the sheets up and over her head, keeping herself enclosed. The smell… His smell, his STRONG smell filled her lungs. Her mother’s scent was also in the sheets, sure, but she was used to her scent. HIS scent was overwhelming, the musky scent of his sex, probably now embedded in his underwear and in the sheets. The smell had radiated and condensed under the sheets, forming into a thick haze of lust and desire. It was alluring~ Tempting~ After seeing him doing what he was doing this scent only reminded her of that, making her own sex burn…

Once again, she managed to pull away, clasping down the sheets to take a breath of fresh air. After recovering with a few breaths, she reached around and hugged Vulpus, “Can you hold me?” she asked softly, her dainty voice tickling his ears. There was a pause, maybe he was asleep? “Dad?” she whispered, which seemed to get his attention. 

He rolled over and held her close, cradling her head in his arms, “Jaqui, if… if I do anything that ever hurts you or makes you uncomfortable, you’ll let me know, right?”

He was still wrestling with his feelings. Jaqui wanted to comfort and ease those feelings from him. “Of course… We talked about this… You’re cool… If you do anything I don't like, I’ll punch you in the tender places and scream like a banshee.” 

Vulpes got a laugh out of this, ruffling the hood into her hair playfully, It was enough to break the tense mood and instantly made him feel a little better. “Alright you dork… Thank you though.” he added, happily holding her close.

Jaqui enjoyed the chest to chest cuddles, sure, but eventually she found herself with a desire to shift around, pushing her back into his chest, pulling his hands tighter around her chest. He tried to position them so he wasn’t touching anything inappropriate, but eventually he just let his hands lay where they lay, figuring she’d tell him if she didn’t like it. 

The two cuddled close together, enjoying the moment as they felt their warmth together under the blanket, eventually crashing for a short nap~