Chapter Text
Judy never considered herself a romantic, that was a department she was more than willing to let her sisters dominate.
But, the moment she found the secluded grove hidden in a rarely trodden corner of Bunnyburrow, she could only think of one mammal she wanted to share it with.
Which was how Nick Wilde found himself blindfolded and being led over strange terrain by an eager bunny.
“Look, if you wanted to kill me, I think we passed the last possible witness a good five trips ago,” he huffed. Judy giggled and pulled him back up to his feet.
“Don’t be so dramatic–we’re almost there, you kit.”
“Ugh, this better be some surprise, Carrots.”
She hoped it was.
Her nose was twitching excitedly as they finally broke the tree line. Nick’s ears fluttered at the sounds of rushing water and he tilted his head towards Judy curiously. “Okay, okay–just–” she softly tugged him and put him in position, “right there… and.”
Judy hopped up and slid the blindfold off.
The fox blinked at the sudden light and squinted around him. It took all of two seconds for his ears to perk and his eyes to grow wide as he looked around.
The waterfall wasn’t anything too impressive, crashing over a rock wall of a good twelve feet, but the water was clear and sparkled in the afternoon sun as it crashed into the awaiting pool below before it continued off into a creek. Judy took his paw again and gently tugged him towards a path of stepping stones that led behind the cascading water.
“What… is this?” Nick asked as he carefully followed the eagerly bounding bunny.
“You’ll see…” Judy trailed off with a grin as she disappeared behind the water and through a fair-sized hole in the rock. Nick raised a brow and eyed where she disappeared a moment before he sighed and followed her.
She grinned as she sat down on the spread blanket on the rock floor and patted the space beside her. He carefully dropped beside her and followed her gaze to the wall of water separating them from the rest of the world.
It was quiet, secluded, and filled the fox with a strange reverence.
“… ‘For my dear Nathalie,’” Judy suddenly whispered, making him blink and glance at her. She smiled and motioned to the keystone that held up the stone arch they’d stepped through.
Nick let her slip her paw through his as she continued reading the inscription, “For my dear Nathalie. Installed by your faithful Jameson, 1853.” His tail carefully curled around her, and her head found a home on his shoulder.
“… some sap built a lover’s hide away,” Nick murmured, eyeing the rest of the nook curiously.
“Yep. There’s no record of it anywhere in the libraries or in any of the maps of the Tri-Burrows,” Judy nodded, watching the water as his thumb traced over her knuckles. “But I did some research–”
“Of course you did,” Nick smirked, earning an elbow to the side.
“–and I found a Jameson Burr who was a landscaper around this time. He was one of the rabbits that helped plan out most of the burrows.”
“Fascinating history lesson.”
Judy elbowed him again. “I also found records of a Nathalie Redd connected to his name. They weren’t in the best condition, but I did learn that they were engaged, and in the autumn of 1852 she passed away due to complications of pneumonia… she was a fox.”
Nick’s teasing expression melted away and jaw dropped an inch. Judy peered up at him with a shy grin and squeezed his paw slightly. “… Jameson and Nathalie never got to enjoy this place together… but I thought you and I could do it for them….”
The fox pulled the bunny closer and dropped a kiss to the top of her head as she curled in his lap. Fingers tangled together and muzzles clumsily met one another’s. He pressed his forehead tight to hers, their eyes shut as they let the soft sound of rushing water echo around them. The pair sat in silence, reaffirming their affection with soft touches.
“… Nicholas Wilde, are you crying?”
“No, I’m allergic to sappy, over dramatic displays of affection.”