Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Sitting on one of the rocks in the display, Judy leaned against Nick while they waited for someone to bring a ladder so they could finally escape the pit. It had been a long day, and evening had already arrived with dinner time having come and gone over an hour ago. As the minutes ticked by, Nick’s stomach finally protested its mistreatment by growling loudly.

Judy giggled beside him, the stress of the day finally getting to her. “Wow, Nick, sounds like there’s a tiger living in your belly and it’s on the hunt.”

“Har, har,” Nick grumbled. “Just be glad we had some of your family’s delectable blueberries”—reaching over, he bopped her cute, pink nose with one clawed finger—“otherwise you would be the one on the menu tonight.”

Nick’s warm finger pad made her nose twitch and Judy lifted a paw and swatted his fingers away. “That really was quick thinking on your part, Nick. I’m really glad I found—” Judy’s stomach cut her off as it growled even louder than Nick’s, making her long ears flush a deep pink as her amethyst eyes widened in surprise and embarrassment, her nose now twitching rapidly.

Nick’s emerald eyes widened, as well, and his ears cocked forward, as he had a hard time believing such a loud, predatory noise could come from such a cute, little bunny. After a moment, though, he slapped his paw across his knee and exclaimed, “Ha! Look who’s calling the kettle black!” Waving a finger in front of her face, he continued, “Well, Carrots, I do believe we have a winner here for scariest growl. If we run into anymore psychotic sheep, we’ll just let that cute, little belly of yours do all the talking and they’ll cower in fear of such a monstrous sounding predator.”

Judy giggled again as she swatted at his finger, then yelled, “Hey! Don’t call me cute!”

“I didn’t call you cute, I called that adorable little belly of yours cute.” He punctuated his statement by poking her belly lightly with his claw.

“Ni-ick! You’re not supposed to call a bunny cute!” She swatted at his paw again, but he just moved it up to bop her nose again.

“Am I calling just any bunny cute? No, no I am not. Am I calling this unstoppable force of nature cute? Yes, yes I am.”

“But—”

“No buts. I’m your best friend, and as your best friend, I get to call you whatever I want.” With a wide grin, he ruffled the fur between her ears, saying, “So get used to it, Cottontail.” Judy crossed her arms over her chest and glowered at him, trying to look intimidating. Nick merely grinned with that sly smirk of his as he watched her fighting to keep a smile off her face. She looked so adorable with the way the corners of her mouth would twitch up before being forced back down as she fought to keep the smile at bay. 

Judy couldn’t seem to pull her gaze away from Nick’s emerald pools, nor could she keep her smile away for long. Although she absolutely hated being called cute (it was very derogatory term for a bunny when used by other mammals) and she certainly hated him calling her cute when they first met, but somehow, she couldn’t find it in herself to be mad at him for using the term. Perhaps it was the knowledge that he was no longer insulting her, and the soft look in his eyes made her usual irritation at hearing the word seem to melt away.

After several moments, she lost the fight and a wide smile broke out across her face. Nick’s mask was down and she could see not only amusement dancing within his warm gaze, but also his care and concern for her. It was such a far cry from the way he’d looked at her when she’d first blackmailed him into helping her find Emmet Otterton, or even the expression he’d given her back at the Press Conference 3 months ago. With her smile growing bigger, she considered the vast difference the last 24 hours had wrought. So much had changed.

Best friend. He’d called her that (her fists balled up in happiness) and she could hardly believe her lucky stars. Just this morning, she had missed him so much it was hard to roll out of bed. She felt sure he would never forgive her, let alone want to be her friend again. And yet here they were, together, having finally solved the Savage Mammal case, and she couldn’t be happier.

Unable to contain her joy any longer, she reached out and wrapped her arms around his lean torso and pressed her cheek to his chest. Hmm, she thought, my best friend. That has such a nice ring to it.

Nick was surprised at her sudden hug, but it didn’t take long for him to slip his arms around her slim, muscular body and hug her back—tightly. He wasn’t used to getting close to people, certainly not close enough for hugs and other signs of affection, but with Judy . . . with Judy . . . he didn’t mind at all.

No, that wasn’t quite right. He found he craved it. Feeling her in his arms like this just felt—right—and he wondered how often he’d be able to steal these small moments of affection from her. She was a bunny, after all, and didn’t seem to mind being close to him so he hoped he’d be able to steal them frequently. And although being huggy was out of character for him, he found he liked it immensely—at least with her.

Letting the hug drag on a little longer, Judy rubbed her face into his shirt and said, “Well, if you’re allowed to call me whatever you want, then so can I . . . Slick.”

“Hmm. That’s not a bad one.” Lightly running his paw up and down her back, Nick savored the moment.

“Let’s see,” she murmured, tightening her grip slightly at the pleasant sensation Nick’s paw provoked, “since you have several names for me, it’s only right that I should have at least one more. How about Nicky?”

Nick froze for a second, then broke the hug as he grabbed Judy’s shoulders and pushed her back so he could meet her gaze. “Uh, that would be a no.”

“What!? Why?”

“For starters, it’s a girl’s name. And second, only my family ever calls me that.”

Judy grinned. “Well, I’m your best friend, which means I can call you whatever I want. So get used to it”—she grabbed his tie and pulled his muzzle down until it nearly touched her own—“Nicky.”   

Nick’s eyes widened at this move, but then his sly grin returned. “Touché.” As Judy released him, he sat up and straightened his tie, saying, “How about this? I’ll refrain from calling you cute, if you refrain from calling me Nicky. Do we have a deal?”

Judy brought a hand up and tapped her chin thoughtfully with her finger. “Hmm, I’m not sure, Slick. I’ll have to think about it.”

“Well, while you’re thinking, I’m going to find out why we’re still sitting down here. Your leg is still bleeding and we need a paramedic to check it out.”

Twisting back around, Judy looked down at her leg. The cloth Nick had tied around it was red and covered in sticky blood. There were several drops on the floor, but she couldn’t see any fresh blood oozing from the makeshift bandage. “How do you—”

Nick tapped his wet, black nose and said, “I can smell it. The scent just got stronger, telling me it started bleeding a little heavier again. Probably from you turning to hug me. It must have dislodged the clotting blood.”

Looking back at her leg, Judy couldn’t tell there was anything different about her injury, but if Nick’s nose said there was, then she believed him. As she watched it a moment longer, several drops of blood pooled under the makeshift bandage, then soaked into her fur before sliding down her leg. “Oh,” she murmured. Looking up to meet his warm, green gaze, she asked curiously, “So what is my blood telling you?”

Nick’s brows furrowed. “What? Like it’s telling me to eat you or something?”

Judy chuckled. “No, silly.” She lightly socked him in the arm. “It’s obvious that thought never crossed your mind.” With a bright, teasing smile, she explained, “I’m just curious about what kind of information that excellent sniffer of yours is giving you. I can smell a slight tangy scent of blood in the air, but I can’t tell anything’s different with my leg, so, you know . . .” She indicated her injury again.

Nick’s sly smile returned. “Well, Fluff, my excellent sniffer is telling me that my best friend is in need of medical attention before she passes out from blood loss and needs a blood transfusion. You’d be stuck in the hospital for days if that happened!”

Judy giggled again. Nick always seemed to know how to brighten her mood and make her laugh. She’d never had friend quite like him before. Punching his arm again, she asked, “What did I ever do to deserve such a great friend?”

Nick rubbed his arm where she’d socked him—twice—then grinned. “Well, that’s debatable, Carrots, as I’m sure I’m the one who doesn’t deserve you.”    

Judy could only grin. She opened her mouth to argue when a heavy rope dropped down into the pit beside them, followed by Chief Bogo’s voice.

“Sorry, we can’t get to a ladder. They’re all locked up and the mammals with a key won’t arrive for another 20 minutes or more.”

Nick and Judy glanced up to see the cape buffalo looking down at them, with an elephant officer, Francine, standing next to him holding the rope. Nick nodded, then pointed out, “Judy’s leg is hurt, so I don’t think she’ll be able to climb the rope.”

With a nod, Bogo then said in his gruff voice, “Then you’ll have to carry her up, won’t you?”

Nick’s eyes widened slightly, then he glanced over to Judy. Her leg was bleeding steadily again, and with the pain he knew she was hiding, there was no way she would be able to climb on her own. “Well, Fluff, what do say? Up for a piggyback ride?”

Judy didn’t immediately respond as the pink insides of her ears turned several shades darker. Although the thought of holding Nick so close sent a slight thrill through her, she knew that a piggyback ride was a bit more intimate than simply hugging him, and that thought made her ears flush another shade darker, accompanied by an unfamiliar flutter in her stomach.

“Well?” Nick asked while holding out his hand to help her up.

Judy pushed the embarrassment aside and nodded. “Mm.” As she took his hand, she wondered why she felt embarrassed. They were friends, after all. Nothing to be embarrassed about—just one friend helping another friend out. She was being silly. And the flutter in her stomach? What was that about? With a shake of her head, she dismissed the confusing thoughts as Nick turned around and crouched.

Slipping her arms around his neck, she carefully wrapped her injured leg around his waist, with Nick grabbing her hamstrings to steady her as she lifted her other leg to wrap around him. Once both legs were securely around him, she shifted into a better position, and couldn’t help but notice that Nick had more muscle hiding under his fluffy, orange fur than she’d first realized. And warm—he was very warm. With the stress of the long day and no food, plus her injured leg and blood loss, she was starting to feel the evening’s chill. But not anymore. Nick’s body heat chased the chill away and warmed her right up. With a small, contented grin, she rested her cheek between Nick’s shoulder blades and held on tight as he began to ascend the rope, with Francine pulling the rope up.

Between Nick’s climbing and Francine’s pulling, they reached the top of the pit in no time flat, and then Nick was crouching to let her down. She really didn’t want to let him go so soon. He was so warm, and comfortable, and . . . and . . . Judy gave herself a mental shake. Now wasn’t the time. She needed to talk to the chief and hand over the recording pen, as well as have her leg looked at. All these new and confusing thoughts and emotions could be sorted out later.

Judy dropped her good leg, then slowly removed her injured leg and set it on the ground. It hurt like the dickens, but she gritted her teeth and took a step back so Nick could stand up. That was a mistake. As soon as she put weight on her injured leg, it buckled and would have sent her sprawled across the floor in a very unlady-like manner if not for Nick’s quick reflexes.

Feeling Judy release him and step back, Nick stood up, but at hearing Judy’s “Eep!” of pain and surprise, he quickly spun around. Seeing her falling backwards with her arms flailing about in a vain attempt to halt her backwards motion, Nick quickly grabbed her around the waist and dragged her against him, then reached down and swung her up into his arms princess-style.

“Really, Fluff?” There was a hint of exasperation in his voice as he raised an eyebrow at her. “If your leg was that bad, you should have said something sooner.”

Judy’s ears warmed again at his reprimand and she stuttered, “I . . . I didn’t think . . . it was . . . that bad.” What was wrong with her!? Why was Nick affecting her so badly right now? Was it just the long day and stress of it all? Maybe the fact one or both of them nearly died—repeatedly!?

Before she could come up with a more thought-out answer, Chief Bogo’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “I know you need your leg looked at, Hopps, but I just need 5 minutes for you to give me a quick rundown on the events leading up to me arresting another mayor, and then you can have that leg checked out. Take tomorrow off to rest up, then come in on Thursday morning to give your full statement. We’ll take the time then to see about getting you reinstated.”

Judy couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Are you sure, Chief? I did quit and handed in my badge.”

“About that . . . You see, you never turned in a letter of resignation and there seemed to have been some trouble with your paperwork regarding your absence. But we’ll discuss that all on Thursday. For now, Officer Hopps, I need to know what you’ve been up to, so I have something to work with when the media finds out another mayor is behind bars.

Judy then explained how, while still in Bunnyburrow, she discovered the clue to the Nighthowlers being toxic flowers and that the predators of Zootopia were being poisoned to make them go savage. This news made the cape buffalo’s brows furrow and his ears to flick back in anger at the terrorism being played out in his city and on his watch.

As she described finding Weaselton again, and the lead he furnished that led them to Doug’s underground lab, Nick chimed in and gave a few details of his own. Hearing about the 3 rams, Bogo immediately sent Wolford, Fangmeyer, Delgato, and Jonhsen down to the subways to apprehend them or track them down if they’d already run.

Seeing them leave, Bogo returned his attention to his smallest officer and the snarky fox who helped her. Hearing how the lab was then blown up did not please him, but hearing that Nick had saved some of the evidence did. Carefully taking the small, blue pellet from them (Judy had fished it out of the fox’s shirt pocket without batting an eye), Bogo studied it a moment, then dropped it in one of the clear, plastic evidence bags he kept on his utility belt. Turning to Higgins, Bogo called the hippo over.

“Yes, Chief.”

Handing him the bag, Bogo explained, “This is very important evidence. Take it to the lab and have them break it down. We need to know what’s in it and have an antidote made as quickly as possible.” Higgins saluted the chief, then turned and jogged towards his cruiser. Bogo watched him go, then turned back to Hopps and Wilde. “Anything else you need to tell me?”

“Yes,” Judy replied as she handed over her carrot pen. “I have a recording of Bellwether’s confession on here. She was the one having the predators darted. She was planning to use the fear it created to stay in power.”

Bogo grunted. The sheep’s tactics reminded him of the drug lords that were the scourge of the city and the analogy wasn’t too far off as she was using a drug to enslave the city. With a heavy sigh, he said, “Well done, Hopps. Now take care of that leg and I’ll see you Thursday morning at 10.” He glanced briefly at the fox, wondering if he would be the one to help Hopps get back to the ZPD. He really wanted the fox to come in, too, but knew he couldn’t order a civilian to come in against his will.

Nick realized what the chief wanted and gave him a wide, smug grin. “Don’t worry, Chief, I’ll make sure she gets there on time.”

Bogo snorted, then dismissed them with a jerk of his head. As he watched the fox carry Hopps out to the paramedics waiting at the base of the stairs, he wondered again about their unlikely partnership. A bunny and a fox. What were the odds? Their differing strengths and experiences complimented one another and made them an extremely effective team—if them finding 15 missing mammals and bringing down 2 corrupt mayors was anything to go by. Perhaps the best he had ever seen.

He would probably regret it, but he wondered if he’d be able to recruit the annoying fox. With Hopps’ overachieving attitude and her inability to know when to quit, or at least slow down, she would need a partner that could keep up with her and, heaven help them, curb some of her impulsive nature.

Bringing a hoof up and rubbing it down his face, Bogo could feel a headache coming on just thinking about having those two at the Precinct. Wilde might be able to rein in some of Hopps’ impulsiveness, but who would rein in his snark? If he managed to convince Wilde to partner with Hopps, and the fox actually graduated within the top of his class, he could see a lot of migraines looming in his future.

Pushing thoughts of the two small, irritating mammals from his mind, he turned to the issue at hand—dealing with another arrested mayor, all the paperwork that involved, plus planning another press conference, and then dealing with the far-reaching effects of Bellwether’s savage attacks. He rubbed his hoof down his face again. What a monumental headache.

-/-/-

While ignoring the stares of the officers still in the building (some curious, but most were hard or suspicious) Nick carried Judy to the ambulance that had been called. Walking down the wide, stone steps he noticed an impala EMT giving them a wary glance. Nick merely smirked at her as he tightened his grip on Judy, who glanced up at his tighter grip, then followed his gaze and saw the impala’s suspicious looks.

With a heavy sigh, Judy relaxed further into Nick’s strong embrace and rested her head on his warm chest. They may have cracked the Savage Mammal case, but there was still a lot of prejudice and bigotry in the city. At least she got her fox back. That’s all that mattered right now.

As Nick deposited his friend on the large (for a bunny) gurney, he stepped back and watched the medics do their job. The red panda EMT didn’t seem to mind Nick being there, but his partner, the impala whose nametag read Cindy, kept giving him furtive glances, especially after Nick snagged his bloody handkerchief back before she could trash it. After asking for a plastic bag to store it in, he put it in his back pocket.

As Cindy continued sneaking nervous glances at him that soon turned to outright glaring, Nick continued to flash his smug grin at her. Inwardly, though, he was feeling irritated as dark memories tried to surface. With great effort, he forced them back down and refused to acknowledge them. If the stupid impala was anything to go on, then things hadn’t changed all that much from back then. Of course, the red panda’s attitude was a vast improvement and gave him a flicker of hope that he would receive proper medical attention should he ever need it—provided Cindy wasn’t the one pretending to give it to him.

With a soft huff, he stared at the specist paramedic. Did the doe really think the chief of police would leave Judy in his care if he was a danger to her? Really? Although her suspicious glances might be due to him being a predator who could go savage at any moment (they hadn’t yet been told about Bellwether’s plot to dart predators), Nick had a sneaky suspicion that her glances were largely the result of him being a fox. A sly, untrustworthy fox. Again, the dark memories from his past tried to surface, but he stamped them down. Now was not the time to be dwelling on the past.

With mask firmly in place, Nick hid the thoughts and emotions. Glaring at the bigoted doe and snarling did cross his mind, but he refrained. It wouldn’t help anything, and it might take longer for them to get done with Judy. Waiting till the impala turned her back on him, he sighed. Pushing the irritation down, and making sure the memories were firmly locked away, he wondered what Judy’s plans were now that the case was closed. A meal for starters, he hoped, and then there was the question of where she would be staying tonight. He had been surprised to hear she’d quit the force, but it did explain why he hadn’t seen her on tv the last two weeks.

He had occasionally seen her on the news trying to break up a protest or some scuffle between predators and prey, but she disappeared from the news for a while. He was still hurting and feeling betrayed a month and a half after storming off, which was unusual for him since his thick emotional walls were there to prevent such pain. But when he hadn’t seen or heard anything about her, he began to worry she’d been hurt, then felt bad for worrying about her, then got mad at himself for still thinking about her. But then his worries were lifted when she appeared on tv, trying to break up a protest against Gazelle’s peace rally.  

She appeared on the news a few more times over the next several weeks, but then disappeared again. It was about this time that his anger finally cooled down and then he just plain missed her. Having been given a glimpse of real happiness, and then to have it snatched away so violently—he was miserable without her. Just ask Finnick—he was still mad at Nick for all but giving up on hustling these past 3 months, choosing, instead, to mope around under his bridge. He finally did venture into the city, hoping to ‘bump’ into her, but no one had seen or heard from her in weeks. Not until she showed up at his bridge.

Shaking the memories away, he refocused his mind on the matter at hand—lodgings for the adorable ball of grey fluff. She probably didn’t have an apartment anymore and returning to Bunnyburrow tonight was out of the question. He couldn’t really take her back to the warehouse by the bridge he usually stayed at. Well, okay, he could, but it was a bachelor pad and he wanted something a little nicer and a little smaller where they could chill while resting before figuring out their more definitive plans for the future.

Scratching behind his ear, he thought of the other place he owned that could comfortably accommodate them both. He hadn’t checked on the place last month like he normally did, and he knew it would be dusty, but the place was kept up and he made sure to pay the utilities each month, so that wouldn’t be a problem. Hm, yep, that’s where we’ll stay the night—provided Judy, in fact, has no place to go.

Standing up from the police cruiser he’d been leaning against, Nick stepped closer to Judy as he watched the EMTs finish bandaging her leg. It was time to find out how bad the damage was and see where Judy planned on staying that night. With a wide, smug grin on his face he met her tired gaze.

Chapter Text

While the EMTs worked at cleaning and bandaging her leg, Judy had watched Nick lean up against one of the massive cruisers that still sat outside the building. The ZPD was still scouring the Natural History Museum in search of any more psychotic sheep trying to escape justice. She hoped no one slipped through the cracks, but they weren’t her concern right now—Nick was.

Although he still had his mask on, Judy could tell the impala’s blatant disrespect and mistrust was getting to him. He hid it well, but Judy could tell. He didn’t call her his best friend for nothing.

With a tired sigh, a small smile crept across her face, one that Nick returned when the impala turned her attention to Judy’s leg while carefully wrapping a bandage around it. Ignoring the pain caused by the light pressure, she studied Nick’s nonchalant expression. He seemed to be paying only half attention to her, and she assumed he was lost in thought, which made her wonder. What kind of thoughts would be running through a snarky fox’s head while his best friend was receiving medical attention?

Well, she was about to find out. As the EMTs secured her bandage in place, Nick stepped back over to her, his smug grin held firmly in place. He remained silent, though, as the nicer of the two paramedics began to speak. 

“Well, the wound is a little deep,” the red panda explained, “and cut diagonally across several muscles, so we can’t fix it up ourselves. We’ll need to take you to the hospital and let a doctor look at it. He’ll stitch it up and give you instructions for taking care of it.”

Judy sighed at the thought of going to the hospital but nodded. “Can my friend come with me then?” she asked while indicating Nick.

The red panda, whose nametag read Jeff, opened his mouth to reply in the affirmative, when the impala suddenly spoke up. “Sorry, only family can ride with a patient.” The smug look on her face told everyone her insistence was nothing more than a slight to the fox.

Jeff frowned at his partner but didn’t push the issue. Judy, on the other paw, balled up her fists and opened her mouth to give the specist doe a piece of her mind when Nick placed a gentle paw on one of her fists. “It’s okay, Fluff.” 

Judy turned her glare to Nick, but then her expression softened and seemed to ask, Why did you stop me?

Nick gave her a small smile. “We’re both tired and hungry, so if you give me the truck keys, I can pick it up, grab some dinner, and meet you at the hospital later. How does that sound?”

Judy stared at him a moment longer, then suddenly deflated. As the anger evaporated, the tension left her body and her shoulders slumped. She felt so tired. And hungry. Nick’s plan was sounding wonderful right now. Reaching into her pants pocket, she fished the keys out and dropped them into the vulpine’s dark paw. “Yeah, I wouldn’t want anything stolen from it.” She emphasized stolen while glaring at Cindy. Turning her attention back to Nick as he pocketed her keys, she added, “And I am really hungry.”

“Anything in particular you want?”

Judy shrugged. “Vegetables. Something with lots of vegetables.” Nick’s brows furrowed at her vague answer, but then her stomach growled loudly, and she quickly covered her belly with both arms, her ears turning a dark shade of pink.

“Sweet cheese and crackers, Carrots!” Nick exclaimed, taking a page from her book of colorful phrases. “When was the last time you ate?”

 Judy couldn’t meet his eyes as she murmured, “Sometime . . . last night . . . I think.”

“What! Why!?” Before Judy could answer, the red panda coughed into his hand, and Nick stepped back so they could strap Judy in and hoist the gurney into the back of the ambulance. Not done with the conversation, he pointed a clawed finger at his furry, grey friend and said, “We’ll finish this conversation later, young lady.”

Judy giggled. “Yes, father.”

Nick flashed her a genuine smile as the doors closed, and as Jeff made his way to the front of the ambulance, Nick asked, “Zootopia General, right?” After a quick nod in reply, the red panda disappeared within the ambulance’s cab and was soon driving down the street. Which was perfect timing, as several news vans pulled up just as the ambulance disappeared around a corner.

Nick was already heading to an alley that led towards the street the truck was parked on, but at seeing the reporters piling out of the vans, he quickened his pace and vanished around the building and into the dark alleyway. He hated reporters. They didn’t care about the truth, only what would sell to the masses.

Putting them out of his mind, Nick focused his attention back on Judy. Since she came from Bunnyburrow, she couldn’t have any clothes to change into. At least he didn’t see any suitcase in the truck, just crates of vegetables in the truck’s bed.

So not only did he need to get her something to eat, and a lot of it if her stomach was anything to go by, he also needed to get her a couple of changes of clothes. And probably a toothbrush and toothpaste, and maybe some shampoo and conditioner. He imagined she would want a shower after the mad chase they’d had that day.

Reaching the truck, he made a list of all the places he could get bunny supplies from that were still open this late. There was a thrift store he frequented that would still be open. It was run by a raccoon he knew, and he thought he remembered seeing a small section with bunny clothes in it. Over by the hospital there was a convenience store that supplied travel-sized hygiene kits to the patients who found themselves at the hospital with nothing but the clothes on their backs.

With a plan of action in place, Nick ginned as he started up the truck. He couldn’t wait to see the look on Judy’s face when he showed up with everything she would need for the next few days. She wouldn’t have to worry about a thing. 

-/-/-

As the ambulance doors closed, Judy leaned back on the gurney. They had left the back of it in the upright position so she could sit up which she felt grateful for it. She hated the idea of being flat on her back while rumbling down the city streets, especially when she was only lightly injured.

Thinking back to Nick’s goofy face while demanding they finish the conversation about her eating habits—or lack thereof—she couldn’t keep a smile off her face which quickly turned into a giggle. Nick was such a big goof.

At Judy’s giggle, Cindy looked over and said, “You shouldn’t have done that, you know. Foxes can’t be trusted. He’ll rob you blind and leave you with empty paws and emptier pockets.”

Folding her arms across her chest, Judy glared at the bigoted impala. “Don’t talk about Nick like that. You don’t know anything about him. So what if he’s a fox? He’s proven himself to be more trustworthy than any mammal I’ve ever met.”

Cindy scoffed. “You’re such a dumb bunny.”

Judy’s paws closed into fists where she still had them folded across her chest and her teeth ground together. ‘Only Nick is allowed to call me a dumb bunny,’ she thought. “I’m not a dumb bunny,” she stated out loud.

Scoffing again, Cindy sneered, “Handing your keys over to that filthy fox, letting him touch you—that right there is the very definition of a dumb bunny.”

Judy stewed for a minute, hating the idea that the specist impala was calling Nick filthy. “Nick isn’t filthy.” With a smug smile, she added, “He showers every day.” Judy wasn’t sure he actually did, but each time she’d met him, it never smelled like he went days without washing.

“He’s still a filthy fox and you’re still a dumb bunny.”

While thinking of a scathing response, her features suddenly brightened and she said, “Call me a dumb bunny all you want, but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re a dumb impala who can’t see past the end of her nose.” At the impala’s outraged expression, Judy put a paw up to forestall the tirade she felt sure was coming. “This conversation is over. I don’t want to listen to anything you have to say, and you obviously don’t want to hear what I have to say, so let’s not say anything. You keep your bigoted thoughts to yourself, and I’ll keep mine. Deal.”

“Fine,” Cindy huffed. “But don’t come crying to me when he takes everything from you.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t,” Judy stated confidently, but then thought, ‘But I wouldn’t mind if he did.’ Her face and ears immediately flushed a deep red and Judy quickly looked at the opposite wall, not wanting the impala to see her embarrassment.

Gah! Where did that thought come from! She freaked out at the idea of Nick taking everything, even as her heartrate accelerated. Nick was her best friend. And she had only known him a total of about five days, including today. True, it was three months since they’d first met, but they hadn’t spent any of that time together.

After Nick left, Judy had tried focusing on her duties while at work, but her joy and enthusiasm was gone, unable to be found as she couldn’t get Nick’s betrayed expression out of her head. And once home, she just moped around her family’s burrow with guilt eating her from the inside out while missing him every waking moment. She couldn’t even escape him in her dreams! Between the guilt and missing him she had completely lost her appetite.

As the implication of what her wayward thought meant started to sink in, she quickly pushed it aside. ‘That’s beside the point,’ she told herself. ‘The point is, is that he’s my friend. And he’s a fox. A fox who’s sly. And funny. And thoughtful. And supportive. And handsome. And . . . and . . .’ Was she developing feelings for the smug fox? No. Impossible. She was a bunny—he was a fox. It would never work out . . . would it? 

Ah, what was she thinking!? If she was home, she would be curled up in her bed with a pillow over her head. As it were, she had an ignorant impala behind her who kept giving her this dumb bunny look that sometimes switched with this triumphantly smug look as if Cindy wanted Nick to rob her blind just so she could say, “I told you so!” Judy knew the EMT was giving her these dirty looks from her reflection in several of the glass doors that covered some of the cabinets and storage compartments that lined the ambulance’s wall. Ignoring the snide female, Judy returned to her less than virtuous thoughts about Nick.

‘Sweet cheese and crackers, I’m being a dumb bunny,’ she thought glumly. ‘Does Nick even feel the same way about me? Could he?’ She was just a bunny that only reached his chest, not some tall, sexy vixen. What did she have that would make him think of her as anything more than a friend? Her fur color wasn’t even that unique, just a plain grey. Gah! Now I’m sounding like my boy-crazy sisters! She had never felt this way before. She certainly never entertained any thoughts like this for any of the bucks back home, which meant she had no clue what to do about them.

She ran her paws down her face and then rubbed her eyes. Calm down, Judy, don’t overthink it. It’s just Nick. Nothing to stress over. You’re just being a dumb bunny again. Deep breaths. After her little pep talk and several long, slow breaths she felt her heartrate return to normal. She finally decided that whether she was developing feelings for the smug todd or not didn’t matter. Nick was Nick, and he hadn’t changed and so she didn’t need to change, either. She enjoyed being with him, and so that’s what she’d do—enjoy every minute she could with him.

With her mind at ease and a plan in place, Judy relaxed back into the gurney and closed her eyes. She couldn’t wait to see Nick again. It wasn’t long before Jeff announced their arrival from the driver’s seat, and Judy opened her eyes and grinned. She was counting down the minutes until she could see her fox again.

-/-/-

                Nick stood in the bunny section of the thrift store, trying to decide which clothes to pick for Judy. He didn’t really know her size, so he was guesstimating by how small she felt when he held her. So far, he had a couple of pairs of soft, comfortable sweatpants—a black pair and a dark navy-blue pair that reminded him of her ZPD blues.

To go with them, he had found a loose sky-blue t-shirt with a metallic gold, blue, and purple butterfly on the front, and a baggy, dark-purple sweatshirt with a picture of a cottage at the edge of a forest, which opened up to a field of wildflowers and the setting sun. Home Sweet Home was written in flowing black script across the brightly colored clouds. With Judy being from Bunnyburrow, he figured it would be a good reminder of home.

After picking the comfy, lounge-around-the-house outfits, Nick found a pair of black spandex workout shorts and a black workout tanktop with a forest green stripe down each side. Although Judy wouldn’t be able to actually “workout” until her leg healed, he couldn’t see her just sitting around the house doing absolutely nothing for several days. Her tight, toned body told him she worked out frequently, not to mention, she had way too much energy to burn off. They didn’t use a rabbit as the mascot for Energizer Batteries for nothing.

Thinking about some activities Judy could do to burn her energy off that didn’t require her legs, Nick continued down the clothes rack. Maybe he could pick up some hand weights or something Judy could use while she was sitting. He did have some weights of his own back home (not that he had used them in the last year or two) but they were fox sized, not bunny sized.

Picking through the clothes, Nick hunted for an outfit Judy could wear around town. They still had to meet with Bogo on Thursday, and he didn’t think Judy would want to show up wearing sweats—even if they were ZPD blue. Running across a pair of blue jean shorts, he paused. They looked to be about the right size, with little pink and purple flowers stitched around the hem of each leg, and a large pink and purple flower stitched into each back pocket. He could see Judy wearing the shorts with the pink button-up shirt she was wearing today. Cocking his head slightly with his ears pricked forward, he pictured her wearing them and a wide grin spread across his face. Yep, I can definitely see Judy wearing these. 

Setting them aside, he put his paws close together, thumbs and his fingers curled towards each other, then moved them apart to about as wide as he remembered holding Judy’s waist—which left his claws nearly touching. Picking the shorts back up, he compared them to the width he had made with his paws, then grinned. They should be a perfect fit. He hoped. 

Moving down the rack of pants and shorts, Nick lucked out when he found a pair of loose-fitting navy-blue slacks Judy could wear to her meeting with Bogo. They were loose enough that they shouldn’t rub against her bandages—which was important. Satisfied with his selections, he moved back down the rack looking for a shirt to match it. It took some time as most of the nicer, dressier shirts either had a weird design or were the wrong color. He finally found a nice, dark-blue button-up shirt that was a few shades lighter than the slacks.

Holding the shirt against the pants, he was grateful the colors didn’t clash, but complemented one another. That was one of his older sister’s biggest pet peeves back in high school—girls showing up at school with clothes that clashed. She had drilled it into him on what colors matched and which colors were never to be seen together. The one time he had complained, she’d told him that foxes were criticized enough for merely existing, so they shouldn’t add fuel to the fire by wearing clothes that didn’t match.

He’d shrugged it off at the time, not caring much about it himself, but these clothes were for Judy. She was a girl and so would notice if her clothes didn’t match. And heaven help him if he ever bought mismatched clothes for his best friend and his sister ever found out. He winced just thinking about the ear-wringing she would give him.

Putting the shirt in the cart with the rest of the clothes, he wandered the store looking for some exercise equipment. He finally found a few, but there wasn’t much to choose from. An exercise band went into the cart, along with a small punching bag attached to a metal rod that could be extended to fit tightly between a door frame. Not only could Judy sit on a chair and punch the dumb thing to burn off excess energy, but it would make a handy stress reliever. That idea made him smile. He could snap some really cute pictures of her and she would be too focused on the punching bag to notice!

Chuckling, he moved his gaze over to a few dumbbells sitting on the shelf. After looking them over, he scowled. There was a set of 3-pound weights, a set of 5-pound weights, and a single 10-pound weight. Remembering how hard Judy punched, he knew a 10-pound weight would be nothing to her.

With nothing else of interest on the shelves, Nick made his way towards the checkout stand. While walking by a rack loaded with fox clothes, he glanced over and saw a shirt he just had to get for his furry, little friend. Carrots will get a kick out of this! With a wide grin plastered across his face, he reached the cash register.

Ricky, the raccoon who owned the place, kept giving him curious glances while ringing up his order, but didn’t immediately comment. He knew Nick well enough to know he wasn’t planning anything sinister for the bunny he was obviously buying all this stuff for, but he was curious. “Did you make a new friend?” he asked while fishing for information.

“As a matter of fact, I did. The best friend a fox could ever have.” Still grinning, he added, “You’ll be seeing her on the news in a few days, I’m sure, but for now, she’s waiting for me to pick her up at the hospital.”

“Really!? What happened?” Ricky asked. The fact Nick had made friends with a rabbit was shocking (and a female one to boot!), so Ricky was worried to hear she was also in the hospital.

“We had a run in with a couple of psychotic sheep and her leg was injured.” Nick answered. “Nothing serious, thankfully, but she will need to rest up for a few days.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear she’ll be okay.” Nick merely nodded as he paid for the items, and Ricky then asked, “What’s her name?”

Picking up his purchases, Nick turned towards the door, but said nothing. Waving his hand in a goodbye gesture, he spoke over his shoulder. “Watch the news. Right now, I have a very hungry bunny I need to rescue from the hospital.”

Ricky could only shake his head as the todd disappeared through the door. He didn’t know what Nick was up to, but if it made the news, then it had to be something interesting.

Driving down the road, Nick tried to figure out what to buy for dinner. Vegetables, she says. With a scowl, he continued his frustrating thoughts. Something with lots of vegetables, she says. Glowering at her vague answer he tried to figure out something. There’s like a million dishes you can make with vegetables! Does she want something spicy? Something Italian? Soup? Stew? Noodles? What!? 

He finally settled on a roasted-Italian veggie wrap for Judy and a spicy cicada wrap for himself. He went ahead and bought four each, two for now and two for later. There wasn’t much food at his place, and he wanted to make sure they had something to eat later. He’ll restock the fridge and cupboards sometime tomorrow.

Weaving through traffic, Nick stopped at the convenience store across the street from the hospital and darted in. It had been over an hour and a half since they’d parted, and he needed to make this trip quick. Finding the bunny section fairly quickly, he grabbed the toiletry items he thought Judy would need, then made a beeline for the checkout line. While waiting his turn, he spied a rack with phone chargers on it.

“Oh, right,” he muttered under his breath, “she’ll need one of those, too.” Remembering the type of phone she used from their time at the asylum, he hunted around until he found the correct charger, then added it to his cart.

It wasn’t long afterwards that he found himself standing outside the Emergency Room doors. The only three times he’d been through these doors were complete nightmares for him, though the first two were the ones that had the worst impact on him. He hoped never to walk through them again, as nothing good ever came of it.

Taking a deep breath, he reminded himself that Judy wasn’t a fox, but a prey mammal, and that she would be treated much better than his family had. She also wasn’t in a life-threatening situation. He had stayed with her and prevented that from happening.

Taking a deep breath, he squared his shoulders and tightly gripped the bag in his paws. It was a cloth bag he’d found stuffed under the small packages of blueberries and carrots sitting on the seat of the truck. In it, he’d placed the plastic sack that contained their dinner along with the black sweatpants and purple sweatshirt. With the sun having set, it was getting chilly outside and Judy’s fur was short and not well insulated—unlike his own fur.

 With another deep breath, he muttered, “Judy’s in there waiting for you.” Thinking of her gave him the courage to walk through the doors and over to the registration desk. A white ewe with a black face and black arms glanced up as he sauntered over. Her bored expression quickly turned wary, but he ignored it. She wasn’t important right now.

He inquired after Judy and was surprised to hear she was still with the doctor and couldn’t receive visitors yet. After being asked (told) to take a seat, Nick found a corner of the large waiting room with few visitors and immediately begin pacing. It had been nearly 2 hours since he’d last seen his bunny and the worry was getting to him.

Hopefully, her being late was simply because the doctors were being doctors and making her wait before they saw her, and not because her leg was worse than the paramedics had said. Running a paw through the vermilion fur on his head, he turned around and continued pacing. With thoughts of Judy consuming his mind, they thankfully left no room for the nightmares just lurking out of sight.  

Chapter Text

After being wheeled into the room by a nurse, Judy was told a doctor would see her as soon as one was available. That was an hour and ten minutes ago. Rubbing her paws up and down her face in an effort to stay awake, she muttered, “What is taking them so long? And where is Nick?” She hadn’t even seen a nurse to ask about him.

Another 15 minutes ticked by and she was going stir-crazy. It had taken 20 minutes in the ambulance to get here (the EMTs didn’t see a need to speed since she wasn’t a critical case) and she’d already been sitting here for an hour and twenty-five minutes (yes, she’d been counting) and she couldn’t stand the inactivity any longer. At least if Nick were here, she would have someone to talk to. And with Nick being Nick, she was sure to laugh at something he said.

Glancing around the room again, she finally spied the nurses’ call button. Of course, it would be on the other side of the wolf-sized bed. Being careful of her leg, she rolled over on her hands and knees and crawled to the button. Reaching over to press it, the door opened, and a slender roe deer nurse walked in.

 “Oh,” the nurse said, seeing Judy with her arm stretched out and her fingers on the red call button.

Judy suddenly felt like a kit with her paw caught in the cookie jar, causing her ears to flush a slightly darker shade of pink. Dropping her paw, she sat back and turned around, so she was sitting properly. “Um, hello.”

“Well, hello, there, I’m Kimberly. It looks like I came here just in time.” She smiled sweetly at Judy and asked, “So what can I do for you?”

“Well, I was just wondering when I’d be able to see a doctor. I just need a few stitches and don’t want to sit here all night.”

“Oh. Yes. That’s why I’m here. All the doctors are seeing other patients and won’t be available for another hour or more.”

Judy’s jaw dropped and despair crossed her face. “What!? Why so long?”

“There was a large traffic accident about 40 minutes ago and it has all the doctors tied up with multiple critical cases.”

“There aren’t any doctors available to see me? I’m sure it won’t take more than 10 minutes.”

Kimberly hesitated a moment, then thought it couldn’t hurt to ask. “Due to the savage attacks, we’ve been pairing prey doctors with prey patients, but if you don’t mind seeing a predator doc . . . tor . . .” Kimberly’s voice trailed off seeing Judy’s expression of shock. Maybe she shouldn’t have brought it up. She was a bunny after all. They seemed more fearful of predators than most prey mammals.

“There’s a predator doctor who can see me!?” Judy exclaimed, excitement now brightening her expression. “Yes, yes, get him! Right away!”

Kimberly was shocked by the bunny’s sudden excitement and it took her brain several moments to process it. Finally, she asked cautiously, “You’re sure you’re okay with a predator seeing you?”

“Yes, yes,” Judy said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “My best friend is a predator, so I have no problems with them. I mean, come on, I’m more likely to get stepped on by an elephant or a rhino than attacked by a predator. And a predator doctor is just as competent as a prey doctor.” Judy was beaming now. Her chance to escape the hospital would soon be at hand. Now all she had to do was figure out where her sly fox had gotten off to.

Kimberly shared her smile. Although the little bunny’s logical mind and fearless attitude towards predators surprised her, it warmed her heart to see it. Many of her closest friends here at the hospital were predators, and it dampened her spirits to see some of the other prey nurses and technicians shying away out of fear of one of them going savage. With a wide grin, she answered, “If that’s how you feel, then I’ll get Dr. Pardsen right away.”

Watching the friendly nurse turn away, Judy spoke up, “While you’re out, can you check the waiting room and see if my friend is there? His name is Nick. Nick Wilde.”

Looking back, Kimberly nodded with a bright smile. “Sure thing, sweetie. Anything else you need?”

“I could use some water," Judy replied while rubbing her neck. "My throat’s pretty dry.”

Nodding, Kimberly said, “I’ll be right back with that.”

Watching her go, Judy leaned back on her paws while waiting for Nick, her water, and the doc—in that order. She didn’t wait long before the door swung open and Nick bolted into the room.

“Carrots!” Before Judy could do more than sit up, Nick was there, wrapping her up in a tight hug and lifting her off the bed. Ignoring the sharp pain in his ribs (they were bruised after all), Nick enveloped her in a crushing hug. Carrots was all that mattered to him right now, and feeling her in his arms again released a lot of the pent-up stress he’d built up at the long wait. He was sure something had gone wrong.

Setting her back down, Nick stepped back with his paws resting on her upper arms as he looked her over. “You’re okay, right? Your leg will be fine?”

“Well, I haven’t seen the doctor yet, but the pain meds the paramedics gave me are working so my leg doesn’t hurt that much.”

Nick started to nod, but then his eyes widened and his ears pricked forward. “Wait! You haven’t seen a doctor yet? But the sheep at the registration desk said you were seeing the doctor and couldn’t have visitors!”

Judy shook her head. “No doctor. I’ve just been sitting her waiting for the last . . .”—she paused to count up the minutes—“1 hour and 35 minutes.” At Nick’s surprise, she sheepishly said, “I’ve literally been counting the minutes until I saw you again.”

Chuckling, Nick hugged her again. Boy, did it feel good to hug her! He never imagined hugging anyone could feel so good—and she gladly welcomed it! “It’s okay, Fluff, I missed you, too.”

Judy sniffled a bit. She did not want to start crying again but having Nick back in her life felt so good. And he was being so sweet to her. And the hugs—that was a surprise. Nick didn’t seem to be the touchy-feely type, at least that was impression she got back on the gondola 3 months ago. She was glad he now seemed comfortable with her touches because she gladly welcomed his. 

She was used to being huggy with her family, it’s something she missed moving to the city, but outside of her family and a few childhood friends, she never really got close to anyone else. Nothing like her sisters. If a buck was even somewhat good-looking, there were a number of her sisters who wouldn’t hesitate to walk over and start pawing him and asking to know more about him.

Judy thought they were crazy at the time, but now, with Nick, she was starting to see what they were talking about. Again, that thought from earlier whispered in her mind, I wouldn’t mind if he took everything. Her ears flushed a darker pink, and she scolded herself again. Relax, Judy, don’t make this awkward. Nick is just being Nick, nothing weird. Just enjoy it. Pushing the errant thought aside, she rubbed her cheek against Nick’s chest and sighed in contentment. Yep, definitely enjoying this.

A soft cough from the doorway made them freeze for a moment, then Nick released Judy and stepped back, looking anywhere but at her.

While meeting the nurse’s gaze as she stepped up to her, Judy was glad to see the young deer wasn’t outraged at her and Nick’s show of affection. Instead of accusations, Kimberly was beaming and even seemed happy for them. That was new, considering the prejudice they’d experienced just two hours ago.

“Here’s your water, Judy,” the nurse spoke brightly, handing a bottle over.

“Thanks.” Opening the bottle, Judy took a large swig of it, then recapped the bottle and set it on the table beside her.

“You have a very special friend here,” Kimberly said sweetly, indicating Nick with a nod of her head. “I found him pacing a furrow in the back of the waiting room and he couldn’t get to you fast enough.”

Judy chuckled as she studied Nick’s slightly embarrassed expression. He was scratching the back of his head and looking at the wall. She giggled. “Yes, he’s very special. I wouldn’t even be alive right now if not for his quick-thinking and determination to stay with me.” With a bright smile that showed her buck teeth, she added, “I could never find a better friend than him.”

Kimberly chuckled at seeing Nick’s embarrassment, then turned back to Judy. “I’ll let you two be. I have my rounds to finish, but the doctor will be with you shortly.”

“Thanks, Kimberly.” As the doe left the room, Judy turned back to Nick. “Hey, Slick. I’m really glad you’re here. I was going stir-crazy waiting.”

“Well, I’m here now.” Stepping back to the bed, Nick climbed up and sat down next to his cute, little friend. Opening the cloth bag, he pulled out the plastic sack hiding their dinner and reached inside to grab one of Judy’s wraps. “Your dinner is served, Madam,” he said with a slight bow.

Giggling, Judy grabbed the paper-wrapped dinner and immediately opened it. With her stomach growling at the sight and smell of the food, she stuffed it into her mouth and took a big bite out of it. “Mmm, this is so good.”

Nick grinned while studying her happy expression for a moment, then reached into the sack and pulled out one of his own wraps. Unwrapping it slowly, he casually asked, “So why didn’t you eat this morning?”

Judy paused her chewing, then slowly finished the bite and swallowed. Looking at her feet, she murmured, “I . . . haven’t had much of an appetite since . . . since the press conference. And it got worse once . . . once I returned to Bunnyburrow.” Taking a small bite, she muttered, “If my family wasn’t around to make . . . I mean . . . remind me to eat, I usually didn’t. Nothing sounded good and nothing tasted good.”

Nick’s ears splayed back against his head. Hearing about Judy’s worrying behavior pricked his heart. “And this morning?” he asked softly.

“I woke up around 9, and everyone was already off doing their own thing, so, yeah, no one to remind me to eat.” She paused a moment, then said, “Shortly afterwards, my parents convinced me to man the vegetable stand so they could get me out of the house, and I tried snacking on some blueberries while I was there, but they reminded me of you. I tasted them and the hurt look you had on your face at the press conference flashed in my mind.” With a shrug of her shoulders, she murmured, “I couldn’t eat anything after that.”

Nick was devastated. He never imagined she could be so hurt from him leaving her. No one had ever been hurt to lose his friendship before. “I’m sorry for leaving you, Judy.” Reaching around her with his arm, he pulled her close in a tight side hug. “I promise to never leave you again.”

Judy glanced up with watery eyes and gave him a small smile. “Really? You mean that?”

Lifting his paw briefly from her shoulder, he gave the Ranger Scouts symbol and said, “Scout’s honor.” Slipping his paw back around her shoulder, he kept her snuggled up against his side. After that, they both dropped into a comfortable silence as they focused on their food. Who knew when the doctor would actually arrive?

As Judy finished off her first wrap, Nick handed her the sack, mumbling, “There’s three more in there for you. I figured whatever we don’t eat now, we can eat later.”

Judy beamed at him then dug another wrap out. While looking through the large plastic sack, she noticed that the paper wrappings for all her veggie wraps were green with lettuce leaves printed all over them, while Nick’s wraps were wrapped in orange paper with crickets printed across their surface. She was grateful for the distinction. She was really hungry still and didn’t want to grab one of his by mistake.

As Nick dug out his second wrap, he glanced at Judy and asked, “So, do you know why it’s taking so long for someone to come in and stitch your leg up?”

“Hm,” Judy murmured, then swallowed. “Kimberly said there was a large traffic accident, but if I was a predator, I could have been seen sooner.” Judy grumbled this last bit under her breath.

“Why’s that?” Nick murmured around a mouthful of food. Unlike most prey mammals he found himself talking to for various reasons (usually to do with a hustle), he was actually interested in what Judy had to say and found the sound of her voice pleasing to his ears. And even if he wasn’t interested in the topic she chose to speak on, he would still ask her questions about it just to keep her talking. It had been a long time since he had someone around (besides Finnick) with whom he enjoyed talking to and he wasn’t about to pass up this opportunity.

“Apparently the hospital is only sending prey doctors to treat prey patients,” Judy complained. “When I pressed Kimberly for any doctor available, she finally asked if I was okay with a predator seeing me.” Taking a deep breath, Judy took another big bite out of her veggie wrap. After not eating in over 24 hours, her tastebuds had died and gone to heaven. She couldn’t believe how good this was and vowed to pick Nick’s brain on all the best places to eat that were in the city. They could be breakfast, lunch, and dinner dates. . . as strictly friends, of course. Focusing back on her food, Judy hoped Nick didn’t notice the slight blush in her ears. 

Nick snickered at Judy’s comment. “I can just picture your excited answer.”

“Oh, yes,” Judy replied, and was glad for Nick had interrupted her errant thoughts. “If not for my leg, I would have been jumping on the bed.” 

Nick chuckled again, then raised an eyebrow as Judy started on her third wrap. He didn’t comment, though, and let her eat in peace. The doctor finally showed up as she was halfway through the wrap.

“Good evening, Miss Hopps,” the tawny-yellow leopard with black rosettes said as he walked into the room. “I’m Dr. Leland Pardsen, and I’ll be your physician today.” He was gazing down at the chart showing her vitals and notes on her injury that the EMTs had typed up and hadn’t noticed his patient wasn’t alone. “I see your leg was cut and needs a few stitches.” Looking up, his eyes widened to see the bunny and fox snuggled up together while eating.

Judy put a paw over her mouth as she finished her bite, then covered the other half of her veggie wrap with the paper and put it back in the sack.

“I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” Dr. Pardsen asked.

Nick and Judy glanced at each other, then shook their heads. “Nope,” Nick said, “Just chasing our hunger away.” Picking up the sack, Nick hopped off the bed and sat in one of the visitor’s chairs situated by the window.

The leopard nodded, then grabbed the wheeled doctor’s chair as he stepped up to his patient. Leland had been surprised to hear a bunny was willing to let a predator see her, but after witnessing how close she was to a fox—her ancient enemy—he no longer felt surprised. Sharp teeth and claws obviously didn’t scare her. “Okay, let’s see that wound, shall we?”

Setting his clipboard down, Dr. Pardsen carefully unwrapped the bandage on her leg and looked it over. The EMTs had already shaved the fur around the jagged wound, making his job much easier. Using a sharp claw to carefully poke and prod the torn flesh to better see the full extent of the damage, he then looked up and met the bunny’s sharp, expectant gaze. This would take some getting used to—a fearless bunny. “The EMTs did a good job of cleaning it, and I think it just needs some stitches.”

At Judy’s nod, Leland stood up and grabbed a curved needle and surgical thread. “Ready,” he asked as he sat back down. Judy nodded again and the leopard got right to work. Once the stitching was done, he took out some antibiotic spray and sprayed the wound, then asked, “Do you have family that you can stay with or is . . . ,” he turned to Nick with a questioning look.

“That would be me,” Nick stated as a matter of fact. “Judy’s family is all in Bunnyburrow, so I get the honors of nursing her back to health.”

Judy beamed at him. She didn’t think he would have a problem helping her out, but it was nice she didn’t have to ask.

“Good, then you’ll need to help Miss Hopps change the bandages. They’ll need changed about once a day, but when you change them, let them breath for about thirty minutes before rewrapping the leg.” At a nod from both, Dr. Pardsen handed the small can of spray to Judy and continued his explanation. “Keep your leg elevated as much as possible, and no walking for a week, and then very light movement the week after. The third week, you can start walking normally, but limit any strenuous activities. You can start lightly jogging and other activities at the start of the fourth week, but only for short periods of time. If you don’t give it time to heal properly, the scarring will be worse and could hamper your leg’s movement, which could result in a permanent limp.”

Judy grimaced. Sitting still for a week will be torture but being stuck with a limp would be even worse. With a heavy sigh, she nodded to the doctor.

“Good. I’ll prescribe you some pain medication, but I don’t think you need any antibiotics. If the wound becomes red and inflamed, or starts smelling bad,” Leland looked at Nick, “then come back right away and we’ll prescribe you some.” They both nodded again, and Dr. Pardsen then said, “I think that’s it. Come back in six days and we’ll see about removing the stitches.”

Picking up his clip board, Dr. Pardsen made a few notes, then turned to Judy. “The nurse will be back in a few minutes with your discharge papers and a printout of your visit, instructions for the care and cleaning of your wound, as well as the date and time of your next appointment.” Looking between the two, he asked, “Do you have any questions for me before I leave?” When they both shook their heads no, he stood up. “Then once the nurse gives you your paperwork, you’ll be free to go. Just be sure to stop at the checkout counter on your way out.”

Nick and Judy watched him leave the room, then Nick stood up and walked back to the bed, wishing Kimberly and Dr. Pardsen had been around when he was younger. Things might have turned out differently had they been. Pushing the ‘what ifs’ aside, he climbed up next to Judy and asked, “So what now?”

“What do mean?” Judy asked curiously while worrying about her leg. She didn’t like the idea of being off her leg for a week. Sitting around doing nothing all day was pure torture (minus the time she was too depressed to do anything). Now that she was with Nick, she couldn’t stand the idea of being idle.

With a flick of his dark ear and swish of his long, fluffy tail, Nick asked, “Well, do you have a place to stay?”

Judy’s amethyst eyes widened. “That . . . I mean . . . no.” Her gaze dropped to the floor. “I left Bunnyburrow with only the clothes on my back. It’s a good thing I didn’t get pulled over, because my wallet and driver’s license are still sitting on my desk back home.”

“Wait, you don’t even have your wallet?” Nick cried as his ears folded back.

Judy glanced up to meet his wide, emerald eyes, then dropped her own back to the floor. “Since moving back to Bunnyburrow, I haven’t really needed it. If I went to town, it was because my siblings dragged me there, and then they paid for everything.”

Nick rubbed his paws up and down his face for a minute, then sighed and looked back over at Judy. She spoke before he could, though.

“I guess I could try and get back into my old apartment, Judy murmured. “The land lady knows me, and I doubt anyone has rented the room yet.”

“What? Why? Where’s your old apartment?” Nick asked while trying to come to terms with the fact Carrots not only hadn’t eaten since last night, but had driven all the way to Zootopia with no wallet and no driver’s license. And here she had been complaining about his taxes while she blatantly broke the law by driving across county lines (not just across town) with no license!

“At the Grand Pangolin Apartment building,” Judy muttered as her ears drooped. She really wasn’t looking forward to going back to that rickety old place with her loud neighbors and the cold communal showers.

“The Grand . . .” Nick murmured as his gaze flicked toward the ceiling in thought. The name was familiar and—! His wide-eyed gaze dropped back to Judy’s. “Wait, does a cranky armadillo own the place? And does it have shoebox rooms with paper-thin walls that gives you absolutely no privacy?”

“Yeah, how did you—” Judy started to say, then paused to exclaim, “Wait, don’t tell me you used live there?” What would the odds be that she and Nick had lived in the same apartment building?

“No, no, not me, Sweetheart, that would be Finnick,” Nick answered with a shake of his paws. “He rented an apartment there about 10 years ago. He didn’t mind the place at first. In fact, he lived there several years.”

“So what happened?” Judy asked curiously while wondering if Finnick was the fox in the elephant suit.

“The Orix-Antlerson brothers are what happened,” Nick answered in annoyance as his ears canted sideways. “They moved into the apartment next to his and wouldn’t ever shut up!”

“Wait, you mean Bucky and Pronk?” Judy asked in surprise as her ears perked forward.

“Yeah, that’s them.” Looking down at her, Nick’s eyes suddenly widened, and he held his paw up in the stop motion. “Wait, your apartment is next to theirs? Which side? Left or right?”

“The left.”

“That’s Finnick’s old room!” Nick explained as his tail started wagging.

“No way! What are the odds!?” Giggling Judy leaned up against Nick’s warm side.

“Tell me,” Nick asked, “was the bed still up against the left wall and the desk on the right?”

“Yeah,” Judy answered. With a tilt of her head, she asked, “Why?”

“Well, if you were to move the bed,” Nick explained, “you’d find this large red stain on the floor near the head of the bed.”

“What!?” Judy exclaimed as her nose and tail started twitching. “Don’t tell me it’s a blood stain?”

“Of course not!” Nick cried. “Finnick dropped a pawpsicle on the floor there after the Orix-Antlerson brothers came home and started yelling at him to turn his tv down. They had moved in earlier that day while Finnick was out, so he hadn’t yet experienced the ‘Bucky and Pronk’ show. Being used to the peace and quiet, he wasn’t prepared for the yelling—especially when he’d been engrossed in a movie while eating a pawpsicle. Having not heard them come in, their yelling startled him and he dropped the pawpsicle. After a very heated yelling match, Finnick stormed out and by the time he came back, the sweet, icy treat had turned into a sticky, syrupy mess. We couldn’t get the stain out, so we rearranged the future. It wasn’t long afterwards that Finnick bought his van and he’s been living in it ever since.”

“Bucky and Pronk are the reason Finnick lives in a van!?” Judy was sure now, that the small fox with Nick was Finnick, seeing as they both owned a van.

“Yep. After his experience with them, Finnick said he’ll never rent again. If he doesn’t like the neighbors or the weather, he can just turn the key and move to a better location.” Nick had a wide smile on his face as he walked down memory lane.

Judy laughed and lightly slugged Nick in the arm again. “That’s funny! Who knew we had a shared history together?”

“Who knew?” Nick was looking at her with a warm smile, but she’d already turned her gaze towards the opposite side of the room where a large floral picture was hanging on the wall.

With her nose still slightly twitching, Judy said, “If I called Darma up and explained my situation, she might let me back into the apartment. I’m sure no one else would be willing to put up Bucky and Pronk.”

Nick scowled and his ears flicked back in irritation. “Uh, no. You are not going back to that shoebox joke of a room. As your best friend, I won’t allow it.”

Judy’s gaze flicked back up to his and her nose started twitching faster. “Do you have a better idea, then?”

“Of course,” Nick said while giving her a heartwarming smile. “You, Sweetheart,”—he booped her nose with his clawed finger—“are coming home with me. I won’t let you stay anywhere else.” Judy’s wide, buck-toothed smile melted his heart. Oh, Nick, what are you doing? She has you wrapped around her little finger!

Leaning closer to him, Judy poked his chest with her dull claw, her eyes shining like amethyst pools. With a teasing voice, she asked, “So, you’re going to drag this poor, injured bunny back to your den, are you?”

“Well, I am a fox. And that’s what we do, isn’t it? Drag our weak, defenseless prey back to our den to devour at our leisure.” Lifting his paws and with claws fully extended, Nick wriggled his fingers at her and growled softly, then snapped his teeth.

Judy giggled, even as her ears dropped flat against her back to hide their bright-red color at the thought of Nick devouring her. She hoped the redness of her cheeks didn’t show too badly through her fur. Stop being a dumb bunny. He didn’t mean it that way. Don’t read too much into it! “Do you mean, that, Nick? I can stay with you?” she asked instead.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way, Darlin’.” With a real, sincere smile curving his muzzle up, Nick reached over and rubbed the fur between her ears.

She slugged him again, then wrapped her arms around his chest. “Thanks, Slick. You don’t know how much that means to me.”

Putting one arm around her, Nick then ran his other paw down her ears. He couldn’t believe how soft they were. Judy froze with his paw halfway down her silky, grey ears making him freeze in turn. “Is it not allowed to touch a bunny’s ears?” He was worried this was a slight on bunnies, just like touching his tail was to foxes.

Judy took a deep breath and said, “Only family and really close friends are allowed to touch a bunny’s ears.”

“Oh,” Nick murmured softly as his ears flicked back. He started to remove his paw, but Judy stopped him with her next words.  

“It’s okay,” she said. Rubbing her face against his chest for a moment, she then rested her cheek against him and sighed happily. “If it’s you, I don’t mind.”

“Are you sure?” Nick questioned. “I don’t want to do anything disrespectful.”

A broad smile curved Judy’s muzzle. “Mm, I’m sure. I like it when you touch my ears. It feels nice.”

“If you say so.” Smiling warmly down at the bunny, Nick continued caressing her ears. He could feel the tension leave her body as he continued petting her, from the base of her ears down to their black tips, then starting over again. Judy hummed in contentment and his grin widened. He never imagined such a simple act could be so relaxing—or addicting. He could do this all day and never get tired of it.

Judy was nearly asleep when Kimberly walked back into the room with Judy’s paperwork. “Here you go, Ju—” Seeing their intimate position, Kimberly paused. “Am I interrupting something.”

“Nope,” Nick replied as Judy sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “Just passing the time until we can leave.”

“Well, here’s your discharge papers, Judy,” Kimberly said. “You’re free to go.”

“Thanks, Kimberly,” Judy murmured, then yawned. She was so tired, and Nick’s petting had relaxed her to point she felt like a puddle of melted wax. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt this good. It’d been years, for sure.

As Nick took the papers from her, Kimberly couldn’t help but think how cute they looked together. She had heard that rabbits were pretty picky about who touched their ears, which made her think they might be more than just friends. And the way she fell asleep in Nick’s arms—Judy must trust the fox immensely. Seeing it gave her warm fuzzies and made her think of a certain, tawny, spotted doctor.

Leland was her best friend here at the hospital, and they usually took their breaks and ate their meals together. She wondered on more than one occasion if there was something more between them, but wasn’t sure how it would work out, with her being prey and him a predator. But watching this cute bunny and sly fox together, it gave her hope that perhaps her and Leland could make a relationship work. With courage in her heart and a spring in her step, Kimberly left the cute couple to themselves.

Chapter Text

As the door shut after Kimberly, Judy glanced down at her legs. The paramedics had to cut her pant leg off above her knee so they could get to her injury, and now she didn’t know what to do. She certainly didn’t want to go out in public like this but didn’t see any way around it.

“Why the long face, Fluff? I thought you’d be jumping for joy—we can finally escape!”

She motioned to her leg. “I really don’t want to go out like this.” Looking up, she caught Nick’s smirking face. “What!? Do you think this is funny?” She bawled a fist up and waved it at him.

“No, no!” Nick exclaimed as he waved his paws in front of him. “That’s not what I’m laughing at.”

“Then what?”

Still smirking, Nick reached into the cloth sack and pulled out the sweatpants. “I thought you might run into this problem, so I came prepared.” As she took the pants and smoothed a paw over them, Nick added, “And since the sun has set and I don’t want that fuzzy-wuzzy tail of yours getting cold”—he reached in and pulled out the sweat shirt and held it up so she could see the front—“I bought you this, too.”

“You . . . bought these for me?” At Nick’s happy grin, she asked, “But . . . why?”

“What do you mean, why? You’re my best friend, and as such, it’s my job to look out for you. You said you came straight from Bunnyburrow, and it’s obvious you didn’t bring anything with you, so what else was I to do?”

Judy’s eyes welled up with tears and she couldn’t hold them back this time as she hugged Nick again, the clothes squashed between them.

“Oh, you bunnies, always so emotional.” Wrapping his arm around her, he patted her back a moment, then started stroking her ears again. She sniffled, then giggled, and he couldn’t stop his tail from curling around her. She was just too darn cute, and her constant hugs were making him warm and fuzzy inside—a feeling he hadn’t felt since he was a kit in his mother’s loving arms.

Holding her just a moment longer, he then moved back enough to look at her. Wiping her tears with his thumbs, the dark fur a stark contrast to her lighter grey, he lost himself in her amethyst pools. With a gentle smile, he said softly, “Come on, we need to get you changed so we can get out of here. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had my fill of white, sterile walls and bright, fluorescent lights.”

“Ya, me too,” Judy laughed weakly. Pulling out of Nick’s embrace, she picked up the clothes as Nick hopped down from the bed. Looking the shirt over, she felt impressed. The purple material really highlighted her eyes, and the scene was beautiful and reminded her of home. She could tell Nick hadn’t just grabbed whatever was handy but must have put a fair amount of time and thought into finding something special for her.

Her mind went back to the conversation she had with Cindy in the ambulance. Remembering how the impala had accused Nick of leaving her with empty pockets, she couldn’t hold back a laugh.

Nick cocked his head and raised an eyebrow as he stood waiting to help her down off the bed. “What’s so funny?”

“I was just thinking about that idiot impala we had to deal with earlier. In the ambulance, she claimed you would rob me blind.” Holding up the clothes, she continued, “You didn’t take a penny from me, but spent your own to make sure I was comfortable.” With a smug grin, she added, “I hope we see her on the way out so I can rub it in her face how wrong she was about you.”

Nick broke out in a belly laugh at the image Judy’s comment portrayed. He really hoped they ran into her, too. It’d be a fitting end for their time at the hospital.

Reaching out to carefully grip Judy’s waist, he lifted her off the bed and carried her to the chair he’d been sitting in earlier. At removing his hands and stepping back, he added, “If you think this is nice, wait till we get out to the truck.”

Seeing his smug grin, she asked, “What do you mean? What else did you get me?”

“Uh-uh,” he said shaking a finger at her. “If you want to know what else I got, you’ll just have come see for yourself.” Spinning around, he headed for the door. “I’ll wait outside the door while you get changed.”

"Oh, wait, Nick. Can you . . . can you stay in here . . . please?”

Nick paused by the door and glanced back over his shoulder. “Huh?”

Judy looked down at the floor, her ears and face bright red as she kneaded the shirt fabric in her paws. “I . . . I might have trouble . . . getting my pants on.”

Nick swallowed. “O—kay.” Turning around, he walked back over and leaned against the bed with his back to her. Pulling his phone out, he tried to distract himself from the blushing bunny disrobing behind him. Sadly enough, it didn’t do a very good job of it. Foxes had excellent hearing, almost as good as a rabbit’s.

Back in their historic past, mice, voles, and lemmings actually had more to fear from foxes than rabbits. Although rabbits made up a part of their diet, the smaller rodents were much easier to catch, and so made up the bulk of their diet. And that’s where their larger ears (compared to other canids) and sharp eyesight came in handy.

They listened for the rustle of tiny feet scurrying through leaves or rooting around in the dirt digging for food. Once their prey was detected, they’d move in just close enough to see (usually 4 to 5 meters away), then would spring up and over, dropping down out of the sky onto their unsuspecting dinner. Very few mammals were aware of how well foxes could jump when starting from a crouched position.

Since they evolved and no longer hunted, and thus lost the need for such an evolutionary adaptation, few foxes could still jump as far (not without a lot of training), but that didn’t change the fact that foxes were great leapers. And given their larger bodies, they could easily out jump a rabbit if they put their mind to it. Well, Judy might be the exception. It was obvious she’d trained her body hard, her legs particularly.

The sound of rustling cloth made his ears twitch and Nick had to force his ears to remain upright and facing forward. His instincts were telling him to track the prey moving behind him. Come on, get it together. She’s a bunny and your best friend. Don’t mess this up. Taking a deep breath, he focused back on his phone. Opening one of the games that required complete focus, he tried beating the first level, but kept failing miserably.

“Um, Nick, I . . . I can’t get my pants off. They keep snagging on the bandage.”

His ears immediately flicked back to catch her every breath. Taking a deep breath himself, he slowly let it out. Turning around, he was grateful to see she wore the sweatshirt and that it came down past her panties, but it still left her shapely thighs open to view in all their radiant beauty. He had to swallow his saliva before he started drooling.

Forcing his gaze up to meet her own, he realized she was staring at the wall and kneading the hem of the shirt with nervous fingers. Her cheeks and ears were red again. Swallowing, Nick said, “Right.” Stepping up to her, he knelt down.

Judy had scooted to the edge of the chair and had managed to push her pants down past her knees, but the fabric bunched up against the bandage and wouldn’t budge without dislodging it. “Let’s see what I can do,” he murmured softly. Straightening the cut part of the fabric, he then slowly tugged it down. Once they passed the bandage, the pants dropped to the floor and Judy picked her feet up so Nick could move them out of the way. Before he could stand up, though, the sweatpants appeared before his view.

“Can you slip these over my feet and pull them up to my knees? Please?” Judy was sure she’d catch on fire at any minute with as hot as her face and ears felt. But Nick wasn’t teasing her as she feared he might, so it wasn’t quite as bad as it could be.

Swallowing again, Nick took the sweats and slipped them over her feet and up to her knees. After she grabbed the waistband, he pulled the bottom of each pantleg up past her feet so she wouldn’t step on them. Standing up, he took a step back.

“Thanks,” Judy murmured. “Can you hold me so I don’t fall over?” Feeling Nick’s large paws settle on her shoulders, she pulled the waist of the sweats up her thighs as she slid off the chair. Landing lightly on her good leg, Nick steadied her as she pulled the pants up over her hips. Wiggling her tail through the tail-hole, she released the waistband with a sigh. “There, all done.”

Nick glanced down from the window he’d be staring at and looked her over. The deep purple shirt really brought out her eyes and the black pants were a good contrast to both the dark purple fabric and her grey fur. Even though she was in sweats, she looked stunning to him—especially when she glanced up with those mesmerizing amethyst orbs that he could spend all day drowning in.

After smoothing her paws over the soft fabric, Judy had looked up at Nick to ask, “How did you know my size?”

“Hmm? Oh, I didn’t. I just guesstimated.”

Her brows dipped slightly. “What do you mean?”

Sliding his paws down her arms, he rested them on her waist and picked her up, then stood her on the chair so they were practically eyelevel. With his paws encircling her waist, his claws nearly touching, he squeezed lightly. At her “Eep!” of surprise, he grinned widely, explaining, “I just remembered how small your waist was and compared them to that.”

“Oh,” she whispered, her face and ears flushing red again, as she rested her paws on his upper arms. “Well, you did an excellent job. They’re a perfect fit.” Judy found herself unable to pull her gaze from his emerald pools. They were such a stunning shade of deep green, and at this distance, she found herself drowning in them.

Nick chuckled. “You say that now, but you haven’t tried the rest. Sweats are easy, since they can be a little big or a little small and they’ll still fit. I have two other pairs that are more fitted. You’ll probably be fine if they’re a size too big, but if they’re a size too small—we’ll have to scrap them.”

“Hm.” Judy was still drowning in his emerald pools and couldn’t pull her gaze away or think of much else. Nick’s eyes were so deep and expressive—she could get lost in them all day long!

On impulse, Nick leaned forward and pressed his forehead against hers and breathed in her sweet scent—female bunny and lavender. He’d never imagined he’d find the scent of bunny appealing, but her scent captivated him. Taking a deep breath, he slowly let it out. “Come on, Fluff, let’s get you home.”

“Hmm,” she murmured, her gaze having never left his. “I like the sound of that.”

Chuckling as he raised his head, he then slipped one arm around her back and the other around her thighs as he pulled her to him (though he was careful not to press her too hard against his bruised ribs). She let out another cute “Eep!” as he picked her up and spun around, carrying her over to the small wheelchair sitting by the door.

After she was situated comfortably, he picked up her discarded clothes and stuffed them into the cloth bag, then set the sack of leftovers on top of them. Handing the bag to Judy, he then opened the door and stepped behind the wheelchair and gripped the handles.

“Welcome to Air de’Wilde. Please keep your hands and feet within the plane at all times. Next stop: Freedom. Please enjoy your flight.”

Judy giggled at Nick’s crazy antics. “I’m ready for takeoff, Captain.”

With a wide grin, he murmured, “Here we go then.” Humming a deep rumble that mimicked a plane engine, Nick sped off down the hall. Ignoring all the disapproving looks, they made it to the checkout desk in record time.

After signing out, Nick wheeled Judy outside. It was cool and Judy felt grateful that Nick had the foresight to buy her sweats. Glancing around, her ears pricked forward as she caught sight of Cindy pushing an empty gurney into the back of an ambulance. Pointing a finger, she exclaimed, “Look, Nick—there’s that bigoted impala!”

Looking in the direction she indicated, Nick smirked. “This is our lucky day.” Leaning down to whisper in her tall, slender ears, Nick murmured, “Ready for some face rubbing?”

“Most definitely.” Lifting her hand to get Cindy’s attention, she suddenly dropped it and exclaimed, “Oh, wait, I got the perfect thing.” Reaching into the cloth bag in her lap, she pulled out the half-eaten veggie wrap and quickly unwrapped it. “Okay, now I’m ready.”

Raising her hand again as the impala closed the back door of the ambulance and started walking towards the cab, Judy called out cheerfully, “Hi, Cindy! How’s your shift going?”

The impala perked up at hearing her name, then turned around. Upon seeing the bunny and fox together, she immediately scowled.

Judy gave her the smuggest grin while waving the veggie wrap in the air—showing that it clearly came from outside the hospital—then took a big bite out of it and grinned blissfully with eyes closed. Returning her gaze to the fuming impala, Judy then swiped the air with her hand, indicating her new clothes. Jerking her thumb back, she pointed to Nick and mouthed the words, “I told you so!”

Cindy ground her teeth in disgust. Not only was this bunny really, really dumb, but the way she gloated over her closeness to the filthy pelt was just sickening. “Just wait,” she spat out, “sooner or later he’ll take everything you got and leave you crying.”

Judy hummed a moment in thought, then replied, “Perhaps you’re right, but should that day come, I won’t have any regrets.” With her smirk returning, she added, “And I’ll be sure to enjoy every moment of it.” With a slight wave, she said brightly. “Ta-ta now.” Turning slightly to Nick, she whispered, “Come on, let’s go before she realizes what I’m talking about.”

Pushing the wheelchair forward, Nick turned his gaze to the scowling impala. Touching his hand to his head and giving a flippant wave, his signature smirk firmly in place, he said, “Have a good evening, now. Don’t work too hard.” Turning the wheelchair into the parking lot, he heard the impala stamp her hoof and huff in irritation.

Judy sat back in the wheelchair as it turned away from Cindy and pulled her ears over her face. What was I thinking, saying that out loud!? Gah! I really am starting to sound like my sisters now! She could feel her face and ears getting hot again and knew they were turning red. Stop thinking weird thoughts about him. He’s your best friend, nothing more. Her mental freak-out was interrupted by an irate, disgusted yell behind them.

“That dumb bunny!”

Judy sat up straighter and glanced back. Cindy’s view was blocked off by a vehicle they passed, but she could just picture the impala’s disgusted, angry look. With a smug chuckle, she turned back around and focused on where Nick was taking her.

Looking down to study his amused friend, Nick was puzzled. Leaning over, he asked, “What were you talking about?”

Judy’s slight blush immediately turned beet red. “Oh, um, it’s . . . nothing. It’s just . . . just a girl thing. Nothing for you to worry about.”

Nick looked dubiously down at his furry friend, but seeing her embarrassment, he decided to let the subject drop—for now anyway. Focusing on the parking lot, he steered Judy over to her parent’s truck and lifted her into the passenger seat. There was a slight twinge in his ribs from the movement, but he ignored it. This wasn’t the first time he had bruised ribs, and compared to back then, this was nothing. Certainly nothing to the cracked ribs he’d received as a teen.

Leaving Judy to get situated, he pushed the wheelchair back to the emergency entrance and left it with the others just inside the door.

When he returned to the truck, he caught Judy going through the rest of the clothes he’d purchased. With a smug grin, he slid into the driver’s seat and turned the key. As the engine roared to life, he saw Judy lift her head to look at him, tears shimmering in her beautiful eyes.

“Ni-ick,” she whined, “you didn’t have to get me all this!”

“Of course, I did. And do you know why?”

She sniffed and wiped her eyes with her arm. “Because you’re my best friend.”

“Well, yes, there is that. But there’s another reason, too.” At her expectant gaze, he answered, “I did it because I wanted to. I’m a pretty selfish creature, so if there’s something I want to do, I usually do it. And the selfish me really wants to do anything it can to see you smile.”

She sniffled again. “You like my smile?”

“You have the most radiant smile I’ve ever seen, and it warms my heart every time I see it.”

Sniffle. “Ni-ick!” Judy never expected Nick to ever say anything so sweet, and his smile was the warmest, sincerest one she’d ever seen. Her heart melted into a pool of wax again. With a shaky laugh and a small smile, Judy said, “Well, Cindy did say you’d leave me crying.”

“Well, you may be crying, but I haven’t left you yet—and I never will.” Another tear ran down her cheek and Nick caught it with his clawed finger. “Oh, you bunnies. So emotional.” Judy laughed with a little hiccup. “Come here.” Pulling her closer (another twinge in his ribs at the awkward movement), he held her for several moments, then softly asked, “You really wouldn’t regret me taking everything from you?”

Rubbing her cheek against Nick’s chest, Judy answered, “Well, Cindy was thinking of material possessions, and I know you’d never take any of that.”

“But you meant something else.” Judy nodded into his shirt but said nothing. “And you’re not going to tell me what it is?” She shook her head, her ears getting warm again. “But you won’t regret me taking it anyway?”

Turning to rest her cheek against his warm, broad chest, she sighed in contentment. “No, I won’t regret it because you would have given me so much more in return.”

Nick thought about this for a moment, but quickly set the worrisome thoughts aside. They were wasting gas sitting here with the truck running, and he needed to get his bunny somewhere warm where she could rest. Planting a soft kiss between her ears, he murmured, “Come on, let’s go home.”

As Nick released her, Judy gave another watery laugh and wiped at the last of her tears. “Yeah, let’s go home.” As Nick started down the road, Judy paid close attention to the street signs as they chatted about anything and everything. She was grateful Nick was such an easy talker, keeping her mind engaged and awake. She didn’t want to fall asleep on the way and possibly get lost later. If she was going to be staying with Nick for a while, then she needed to know where he lived.

She recognized the main streets, but once they turned off on a side street, she wasn’t sure where they were going. After a while, though, she started to recognize a few landmarks and had a sinking suspicion she knew where they were going. She’d stopped at the address he’d written on his academy application the week before she quit the force and, subsequently, ran back home with her fuzzy-wuzzy tail between her legs—just as Nick had predicted.

With ears pricked forward, she saw the familiar house come into view, the overgrown weeds still covering the yard and growing up and over the flat stones that led to the porch. The wooden railing and wooden supports of the porch, along with the trim, looked to have been painted a few years ago, but now looked warn and peeling in a few places. But although the paint was worn, the wood itself seemed to be in good condition and none of the roof tiles were missing.

Turning to Nick as he pulled into the driveway, she said, “I came here looking for you before I left, but the place was vacant. It still looks vacant.”

“Yeah,” Nick muttered as he scratched behind his ear. Leaving the truck running so they’d have light to see by, he explained, “I have another place I’m living at, but I do come here about once a month to check on the place.”

Judy’s eyes widened. “You’re renting two places!? Isn’t that expensive?”

“Not really.” With a smug smirk, he explained, “I’m not renting this place—I own it.”

“Wait! You own a house!?” She glanced over the place and turned back to him. “A two-story house!?”

“If you’re asking if I bought it, the answer is no. Honey left it to me when she died.”

“Who?”

“Maige Badgersen. She hated her name, though. Said it reminded her of her crochety old grandmother she was named after, so she had everyone call her Honey. Anyway, she’s a honey badger who took me in when I ran away from home as a teen. She became a second mother to me and treated me like her own son. Her husband and infant son died in a traffic accident before their 2nd anniversary and she never remarried, so I became her son. When she died five years ago, she left me the house.”

Judy sat quietly for several minutes as she tried to take everything in. “Wow.” Taking a deep breath, she studied as much of the house as she could with the headlights, then murmured softly, still feeling shocked, “So Honey left you the deed to the house?”

Nick glanced over the house and murmured under his breath, “She left me everything.” There was sadness in his voice and a lost look in his eyes.

Opening her mouth to ask what he meant, she changed her question, feeling it wasn’t her place to ask such a personal question. Instead, she asked, “And yet you don’t live here?”

Nick flicked his gaze back to his cute, little honeybun (not that he’d ever call her that). Seeing the concern in her eyes, Nick answered honestly, something he normally wouldn’t do. “I tried moving back after she died, but it was just too big and empty, with too many memories.” Turning back to the house, he whispered, “It was too lonely living here by myself.”

His words were so soft, Judy almost missed them. Realizing his mask was completely down, her mind flashed back to the sky tram. Just like then, Nick was letting her in, and she loved this vulnerable side of him. She hoped to see more of it, that he’d trust her with it. But seeing the pain etched on his face, she knew now wasn’t the time to probe. He’d tell her when he was ready. She just had to be patient.

Trying to bring him back from his somber mood, Judy decided to change the subject. “What about your other place? Are you renting it or are you . . .?” She let the sentence hang, not sure what she was asking. In asking the question, it suddenly struck her how odd it was that Nick was bringing her to a place he rarely visited instead of to the place where he actually lived, and where he had everything he needed.

Was he embarrassed about where he lived? Did he have his dirty clothes lying all over the place? Maybe he lived with a questionable roommate?

Nick turned his gaze back to her and watched the play of emotions across her face as she tried to figure out his other place. Chuckling, he decided to give her some crumbs to chew on. “I’m not renting that place, either. And before you ask, no, I don’t own it—technically.”

“Huh?” She scrunched her eyebrows together in confusion and her nose started twitching. “How do you . . .?”

Nick pulled his house keys from his pocket and jangled them in front of her face. “I don’t own the property, but I have the keys and they were legally obtained. And no, I didn’t hustle anyone to get them.”

Her eyes widened with her nose still twitching. “So, how do you—”

“Uh-uh. That’s a very long story for another time.” He booped her nose and it stopped twitching. So cute! “Right now, we need to get you inside and comfortably resting. Then I need to run down to the 24-hour pharmacy and fill your prescription.” Pausing, he asked, “Are you even in the Woolgreens system, or any pharmacy in Zootopia?”

“Woolsgreen is perfect. There’s a Woolsgreen in Bunnyburrow I’ve gotten meds from, so they should have all my information at the one here.”

Nick nodded, feeling grateful, as the alternative would have been a long, drawn out headache trying to get her prescription filled without a driver’s license and insurance card. With that worry removed, his thoughts returned to the future. Stepping out of the truck, he spoke over the seat. “While I’m out, I was thinking of picking up some breakfast food. Anything in particular you want?”

“Hm, some cereal and almond milk would be fine—but none of that sugary kind.” Unbuckling her seatbelt, she added, “Oh, and some bagels and cream cheese would be nice.”

“I’ll see what I can find.” Shutting the door, he walked around to Judy’s side and pulled her down from the seat and into his arms. With a wide grin, he carried her to the front door and set her down just long enough to unlock the door.

Picking her back up, he stepped inside and switched the lights on. Passing through the entryway, he said with a wide smirk, “Welcome to Casa de Wilde, my ‘Home Sweet Home’. . . I guess.”

Judy giggled as he carried her over to the couch. “You guess?”

“Well, it hasn’t felt like home for a very long time.” Meeting her concerned gaze, his expression brightened, and his happy smile returned. “But now that you’re here, maybe it’ll start feeling like home again.”

Chapter Text

Judy let her eyes wonder around the rustic-themed room, with the furniture and picture frames made from pinewood logs and branches. Nick had left her on the couch—which had been set a few feet from the wall, creating a walkway behind it that led deeper into the house—to bring in the stuff he’d bought her, as well as the fruits and vegetables that were still in the truck from when she’d highjacked it that morning.

She hadn’t seen anything of the room when Nick had first brought her inside, as she’d been too focused on him. But now she took the time to really see the place. A fireplace with a stone mantel stood against the wall opposite her, with several trophies sitting atop it and a large flat screen tv hanging on the wall above it. Against the wall to her left sat a smaller love seat, and the wall on the right held the room’s window looking out onto the front yard. A small square table sat in the corner closest to the door and a thick, padded chair sat in the opposite corner.

A thick, braided rug covered the hardwood floor under her feet and a long, oak coffee table sat in front of her. A couple of coasters and a magazine about flowers and songbirds sat upon it, along with the tv remote. Thick cushions lined the two pine-log couches, and she wiggled into the one she sat upon before leaning back. She couldn’t keep the sigh of contentment from escaping her—this couch was a piece of heaven!

“Are we comfortable enough?” Nick asked as he walked back inside the house. Taking his spoils into the kitchen, he left the fruits and veggies on the counter, then brought Judy the plastic bags full of all her new stuff. She’d already gone through most of the clothes, but she hadn’t yet gone through the sack from the convenience store.

Reaching into the top, he pulled out the new phone charger and waved it in front of her face. “Were you missing this?”

“Nick!” Judy exclaimed as she grabbed it out of his hands. “Am I glad you bought this! I forgot to charge my phone last night and it was dead by the time I arrived at the hospital. My parents must be freaking out by now!”

“When was the last time you talked to them?” Taking the charger from her, he held his paw out for her phone.

“This morning when I asked for the truck keys. That’s when I figured out what the Nighthowlers were.” Handing the phone over, she watched Nick plug it into the wall next to the couch and set it on the end table.

Nick nodded, saying, “Well, after it’s charged a few minutes, you can call them and let them know you’re still alive.”

“I am not looking forward to that conversation. They freak out over every little thing.” Running her paws down her face, she muttered, “They were happy I was just a meter maid. My dad was even doing a little victory dance and chanting, ‘Meter maid. Meter maid.’ Ugg.”

“Ooh, that’s rough.”

“Tell me about it,” she muttered. “And if I don’t answer right away, they just keep calling. I probably have about a hundred missed calls and texts by now.” Flopping back on the couch, she groaned. “They’ll probably have a heart attack when they find out I needed stitches.”

Nick crouched down in front of Judy and watched her a moment with sympathy. Reaching over, he lightly scratched the fur between her ears and then ran his fingers up one of them.

She hummed in contentment as her eyes shut, and she relaxed further into the couch cushions. “You keep this up, Slick, and I’ll fall asleep.”

Bringing his other paw up to caress her other ear, he spoke softly, “Isn’t that a good thing? It’s been a long day and you were injured. Sleep is just what the doctor ordered.”

“Hmm,” she murmured. Nick’s paws on her ears should be illegal. His larger paws and longer, bigger fingers with his slightly rough paw pads, allowed him to stimulate more of her ears at one time. And he knew just the right amount of pressure to use, making her hum in utter bliss. Who knew she could get such pleasure from such a simple caress?

“You know, Nick,” Judy murmured as the tension continued to slip from her body, making her a limp noodle in his paws, “I’m never going to be satisfied again with another bunny rubbing my ears.”

Nick paused a moment, picturing some dumb buck touching Judy like this. Pushing the image from his mind, he focused solely on her ears. “I enjoy doing this, so why would I hand this honor off to some nameless buck who can’t see how wonderful you are?”

Judy’s eyes flew open and she stared at his face. His attention was on her ears and he wasn’t meeting her gaze, but even so, she knew he meant what he said. Nick thinks I’m wonderful? He considers rubbing my ears an . . . an honor? She didn’t think he realized what he’d said, or he probably wouldn’t have said it, but she had clearly heard it. Bringing a paw up, she rubbed her heart as it felt like someone was squeezing it.

She’d always been the headstrong freak, the weird one who thought she could be more than a carrot-farming bunny. She’d been teased and bullied as a kit for her dreams, and her one attempt at dating—yeah, that was a complete joke. Nick’s words echoed in her mind again, ‘some nameless buck who can’t see how wonderful you are.’

She held back a sniffle. No, crying, Judy. Hold it together. Blinking the tears away, she studied his handsome features again. Kneeling, his face was just a little above her own, so she could see his expression clearly. His mask was down, and his eyes danced with relaxed happiness.

Seeing this made her eyes water again. Nick was happy rubbing her ears. She didn’t think she’d ever seen him so relaxed, content, and just plain happy. His happiness at simply being with her (they weren’t doing anything really) beat any of the attention she’d received from the bucks back home.

Holding back another sniffle, she closed her eyes and relaxed further into his wonderful touch. “You better keep your word to stick around,” she murmured as sleep started stealing its way back into her mind. Missing Nick’s curious glance, she continued, “Because you know I’ll be asking for an ear rub whenever I’m feeling stressed or just need to relax.”

Grinning, Nick turned his gaze back to her ears. They were so soft, and warm, and fuzzy. “I told you already, I’m a selfish creature, so I’ll steal any chance I can to run my fingers over your ears.” At Judy’s happy giggle, he added, “Just be sure to return the favor.”

Judy’s eyes popped open and all sleep fled from her. “Really!? I can rub your ears, too? You’ll let me?”

Nick paused and his emerald gaze dropped to meet sparkling amethyst. He hadn’t really thought before he spoke but seeing her excitement made him seriously consider it. It had been decades since he’d let anyone pet his ears, not since he was a small kit, so his initial reaction was denial, to take his words back.

But this was Judy. She wouldn’t hurt him. And now that he thought about it, the idea of feeling her small, soft paws touching him sent a warm tingle down his spine. Could he really pass up such an unexpected opportunity? Him—the king of opportunities? No. No, he could not.

Dropping his hands as a smug grin spread across his face, he answered, “You know, I haven’t let anyone touch my ears since I left home.” Leaning forward until their noses nearly touched, he grinned mischievously, “Are you sure you’re ready for the consequences?”

“Ha! What consequences? You’ll be putty in my hands.” Scooting closer to the end of the couch so Nick would have room, she patted her lap and said, “Come on, put your head down.” With a wide grin, she beamed back, “It’s my turn to relax you.”

Seeing her bright, confident, smirking smile sent a thrill through his whole body. It shouldn’t—she was bunny, not a vixen—but he couldn’t help it. She was tearing down his walls, and he didn’t have an ounce of desire to stop her.

“Well?” she pressed, patting her lap again. “And don’t even think about saying your day was any easier than mine. You might not have lost blood, but I know your ribs must be hurting after being rammed by that ram.”

Nick met her intense gaze and his grin widened. “Okay, I won’t lie and say my ribs aren’t a little bruised, but before I let you turn me into putty,” he glanced down at his clothes, “I should get something cleaner on, don’t you think?”

Judy looked over his outfit and had to agree. There was dirt and grime smudged all over his shirt and pants. Wrinkling her nose, she said, “You’re right. Clean clothes would be good.”

With a smirk, he stood up and ruffled the fur between her ears one last time. “I’ll be back down in a minute.” Stepping around the couch, he headed up the stairs and entered the bedroom on the right. Throwing his clothes off, he grabbed another pair of beige pants—he still needed to pick up Judy’s pain medication—and a simple black t-shirt. Since he wasn’t hustling, a loud shirt wasn’t needed.

A chuckle escaped him. Judy had only ever seen him in one of his Pawaiian shirts. She probably didn’t even think he owned a normal shirt. It’ll be interesting to see her expression when he got back downstairs. Leaving the room, he stepped into the bathroom and splashed water on his face, then wiped it off—leaving a dark smudge on the towel.

“Wow,” he murmured, “I really need a shower.” But later. Right now, he had a date with soft rabbit paws. Throwing the towel in the hamper, he hurried back down the stairs. He knew Judy was eating before he made it halfway down as he could smell her grilled Italian veggie wrap.

Judy was finishing up her last veggie wrap when Nick came back into the room and her eyes popped. “Wow, Nick,” she whispered, eyeing his chest. “You look good in black.” The black tee was snug, but not tight, and showed his lean figure off handsomely. She’d felt his muscles when he carried her, but now she could see them—and he looked hot. Now if she could just convince him to wear some jeans. Black jeans.

“Thanks, Carrots. You don’t look so bad yourself.” He could see the inside of her ears turn several shades darker and his smile turned smug.

To distract herself from the warmth his comment caused her, she ate the last bite of her veggie wrap and chased it down with water from the bottle Kimberly had given her. Capping it once she’d finished, she glanced back up and asked, “So are you ready?” Setting the bottle aside, she patted her lap again.

Putting up a paw, Nick said, “One last thing before I put my sensitive ears in your soft, capable paws.” Judy glared at him and he put both paws up in a hold-on motion. “I’m really not trying to stall, I just want to make sure we’re both as comfortable as possible.”

“Meaning . . .?”

“Well, it’s late and you nearly fell asleep already, so I was wondering if you wanted to get ready for bed first? Go to the bathroom, brush your teeth—that sort of thing. I bought you a toothbrush and bunny toothpaste.”

“Oh, yeah. That’s . . . actually a really good idea.” She beamed up at him again, still surprised at his ability to think of everything. Did it come naturally to him or was it part of his training? He’d had all those permits ready when she tried to bring him in. That’s not something you do on a whim. You had to plan, not just for the moment, but for the future and to think of different possibilities and eventualities—to be prepared for anything.

“There’s a half-bath down the hall there.” He pointed to the left and explained, “The sink in there is a little taller than the one in the upstairs bathroom, but I don’t think you’ll have too much trouble reaching it.”

Judy’s eyes grew big as saucers, and she reached up to grab the front of his shirt, then jerked his face down to her level. There was barely a centimeter between their noses as she exclaimed, “You have two bathrooms!”

“Um, yeah,” he answered, his own eyes now big as saucers. “A half-bath downstairs and a full bath upstairs.”

“Do you know how incredible that is!” At Nick’s surprised expression, she explained, “I had to share a bathroom with over two dozen people at my shoebox apartment! And we won’t even discuss how many of my siblings I had to share a bathroom with! This is amazing!”

“O—kay.”

Giggling at his funny expression, Judy released his shirt and clapped her paws together, her ears fully erect and her nose twitching in excitement. “Okay, show me your bathroom.”

Standing up, he straitened his shirt out while giving her an exasperated look. “It’s not that unique, you know. Just about every two-story house here in the city has a least a bath and a half. And most of them that have more than two bedrooms have two full baths.”

“Well, it is to me. It’s going to be so nice to be able to share 2 bathrooms with just one other mammal.” Clasping her paws together, she beamed up at him. “Being able to stay here with you is going to be great, Nick. Thank you so much for inviting me.”

The sheer joy and gratitude he found shimmering in her beautiful amethyst eyes mesmerized him, and it took several moments for his brain to reboot. “Uh, yeah. No problem.” Giving her his warmest smile, he said, “Remember, you’re my best friend and I’m selfish, so there’s no way I’d be happy knowing you were anywhere else.”

Judy hummed, her smile getting even bigger with her buckteeth clearly showing. “Well, it makes me happy knowing you’re happy having me here.” With that, she stretched her arms out so he could pick her up.

Once he had Judy comfortably in his arms, he leaned over and pulled the travel kit from the convenience store bag and handed it to her. “I figured this would get you by until we can get your stuff from Bunnyburrow.”

Judy turned the clear, plastic case over in her hand as Nick carried her to the bathroom. There was shampoo and fur conditioner, a toothbrush and toothpaste, a small fur brush, and a small wooden chew rod. It’s exactly what she needed for several days.

Glancing down as they neared the bathroom, Nick commented, “I’m not sure what the wooden rod is for, but it says it’s for rabbits, so I figured it was something you needed.”

“Yeah, I need it. It’s a chew rod.”

“A what?”

Judy chuckled at his baffled expression. “A chew rod. Rabbit teeth keep growing throughout our lives, so we need to periodically chew on wood to grind them down.”

“Really? I only thought beavers and gophers needed to do that.”

“Well, our teeth don’t grow as quickly as theirs. It’s a slower process, so we only need to chew for about 20-30 minutes three times a week.”

“Well, that’s interesting.” Stepping into the bathroom, he set her down in front of the sink. “Are you going to be okay.”

Judy looked up and nodded, then glanced around the spacious (to her) bathroom. “This is so big!”

“Only to you,” Nick snorted. “Remember, this was built with slightly-larger mammals in mind.”

She looked around again, then realized Nick was still standing there. “I’ll be fine, Nick, you can go.”

“Are you sure?” The concern in his eyes couldn’t be hidden.

“Yes, Nick, I’m sure. The sink is right here and the toilet’s right there. I’ll be fine. Nothing to worry about.”

Nick met her gaze a moment longer, then nodded, his ears splayed back, worrying. As he closed the door behind him, he hollered, “Yell if you need anything.”

“I will,” she called back through the door.

As he left Judy to prepare for the night, Nick decided to eat one of his left-over wraps, then put the other one away in the fridge. Next, he decided to go through the house and plug in all the electronics. Not wanting to pay for electricity he wasn’t using, he always unplugged everything but the fridge. Having a cold fridge whenever he came home was essential.

By the time he finished plugging everything in, Judy opened the bathroom door and stood waiting in the doorway. Nick hurried over and scooped her up before depositing her on the couch. Stepping back a moment, he cocked his head, ears alert, and asked, “Are you sure you want to do this? It’ll make me greedy.”

Judy merely grinned at him. “I think I can handle that.” Patting the couch beside her, and then her lap, she added, “Come on, I’m not getting any younger here.”

Nick’s grin turned to playful as he climbed onto the couch and rested his muzzle in her lap. The second her soft fingers caressed the edge of his ears, his eyes closed and he let out a soft sigh. He couldn’t believe how incredible her small paws felt. He knew it’d feel good, but never imagined it’d feel this good. After several minutes of contented silence as she massaged his ears, he murmured, “Try scratching around the base, too.”

“Okay. Like this?”

As her blunt claws dug through his fur and reached the skin, his head turned sideways into the scratch and his muzzle parted. With his tongue hanging slightly out of his mouth and his tail wagging happily, a contented whine escaped his throat.

Judy giggled and scratched a little harder, trying to see what other noises she could pull from her fox. Watching him in this completely unguarded moment, she totally fell in love with his happy, blissful reaction to her touch. She found herself feeling selfish and greedy herself. She wanted to take any and every opportunity she could to pull this reaction from him—and she did not want to share this side of him with anyone.

Nick thoroughly enjoyed Judy’s pets, caresses, and scratches and after a while he got greedy for more. He debated several blissful minutes on whether or not to actually show her this secret ability of foxes, but this was Judy and her gentle fingers were magical. He finally caved. There was one more spot he was dying to have her scratch.

Turning over on his side so that he was facing the middle of the room, he exposed his chin and neck, then pointed to a spot where his jawline met his throat. “Scratch me here.”

Judy raised an eyebrow but didn’t complain. Being able to touch more of Nick was further icing on her cake. With an eager smile, she dug her blunt claws through his thick fur and began scratching. And as she did, a soft rumbling sound emanated from his throat and deep in his chest. She paused in surprise, but the slight whine from him had her scratching again. The rhythmic rumbling continued, coupled with happy whines coming from his open mouth, and Judy finally put a name to the sound. “Nick, are you . . . are you . . . purring?” It sounded different from a cat’s, but it was definitely a deep, rumbly purr.

A grin spread across Nicks face. “It’s a little-known fact, but something all foxes can do—when the right person scratches them in just the right spot.”

Judy continued scratching as she thought about his words, and a warmth spread through her whole being at what he implied—that she was the right person. With warmth filling her heart, she lost herself in the joy she found in scratching and pleasing Nick. With a bright smile, she switched between rubbing his ears and scratching his throat and the base of his ears. He was so blissful—she loved it.

As Judy had fun relaxing him, Nick nearly lost himself to the sensations Judy’s soft paws were evoking in him. While hovering in that pleasant place between wakefulness and sleep, his thoughts wandered. He didn’t think Judy was aware how intimate the act was, or what it meant for a vixen (or doe in her case) to be scratching a todd’s ears and throat like this. As a kit, parents would frequently pet and scratch them, but once they were adults, it was reserved solely for mates.

Is that what he considered Judy? Is that how he saw her now? After only four short days of actually spending time with her (he didn’t count the 3 months they were apart)? It seemed rushed, especially since fox relationships usually developed slowly with a long courtship and a very short engagement. But what about bunnies? He knew hardly anything about them. What made a buck eligible mate material to a rabbit doe? And what did he really have to offer her. He was just a con-fox. He was good at what he did, one of the best, but that was no lifestyle for a family.

And what did Judy want? It was obvious she saw him as someone special, something more than just a friend . . . but more what? Although she was a career doe and wasn’t looking to settle down and have a family anytime soon, at some point she’d want that, right? And now that she was living her dream and had made a name for herself, who’s to say some handsome buck won’t come along and convince her he’s the one.

The thought of her with anyone else, the image of some buck touching her—touching his bunny—had his happy whine turning to one of pain. After experiencing these simple little touches, to be able to enjoy such intimate pets and caresses with her, there’s no way he could go back to living without.

As Nick’s purr cut off and his happy whine turned to a pained whimper, Judy froze. Everything had been wonderful and they’d both been enjoying the other’s presence—so what went wrong? “Nick! Nick! What’s wrong? What happened?”

Nick didn’t respond at first but remained facing away from her, his face a grimace. After several deep breaths, he was able to bring his mind back to the present instead of the futuristic nightmare he’d been imagining. Rubbing his eyes a moment, with Judy waiting for an answer, he then rolled over so that he was facing her abdomen.

“Nick?” she asked hesitantly.

Burrowing his face into her stomach, he wrapped his arms around her small waist and pulled her closer, then breathed in her sweet scent. She was still here with him. This was real.

“Ni-ick! What’s wrong?” She was really worried now. Did he actually fall asleep and wake to a nightmare? Was something from his past haunting him? Not knowing what else to do, she leaned over and rested her cheek against the top of his head. With her light breath tickling his ear, she wrapped him in her arms and began petting his neck with slow, gentle strokes. “Please talk to me,” she whispered.

Nick scrunched his eyes shut to keep the tears back that were burning his eyes. Taking a deep, ragged breath, he spoke. “You say you’re afraid that I’ll leave you again.” She nodded and he continued. “But I’m terrified that you’ll leave me. We haven’t even spent one night in this house, and already it feels like home. I never expected to find anyone I’d want to pet or be petted by, but here we are. Your touch is incredible, Judy, and I’m already addicted to it.”

Taking another deep breath, her scent flooding his senses, he said, “I told you I’m a selfish creature and if you started petting my ears that I’d get greedy—and I am. I’m feeling incredibly greedy, but I’m afraid that after getting used to your presence here and you spoil me with your touches, that I’ll wake one day and you’ll be gone. That you’ll decide that you could do better with someone else.”

“Oh, Nick, that is never going to happen, trust me.” Running her paw down the back of his head and between his shoulder blades, she rubbed her cheek into his fur. “No one could ever replace you, Nick. And there is no one else I’d want to stay with—to be with.”

“Even if one day some handsome buck shows up and starts treating you like the wonderful, beautiful doe that you are?”

Warmth filled her heart and butterflies fluttered inside her stomach. First, he calls her by her name, and now he claimed she was beautiful. Not cute—beautiful. “Nick, there’s not a buck alive who could treat me as well as you do. Nor is there a buck alive I’d want touching me. I told you already, didn’t I? That after experiencing your large, foxy paws on my ears, that I’d never again be content with a bunny touching them.”

A grin spread across Nick’s muzzle and he rubbed his face into her belly. “Does that mean I get exclusive rights to your ears?”

Judy paused. She knew what he was asking. But is that really what she wanted? To give him exclusive rights to herself? I wouldn’t mind if he took everything. A shiver ran down her spine as the troublesome thought whispered in her mind again. Pushing it aside, she focused on the question at hand. If she agreed, she’d be promising to never date anyone. Well, anyone who wasn’t named Nicholas P. Wilde.

She grinned remembering the expression of pure happiness on his face, both while he was caressing her ears and when she was caressing his. Oh, who am I fooling? There’s no way I’d be okay with anyone else touching me. And dating? Which dumb buck could possibly compare to my sly fox? With a warm smile, she nuzzled his head. “Of course, you have exclusive rights to my ears. Only you are allowed to touch them—no one else.”

Nick’s grin widened. “That means you can’t complain when I scare off every stupid buck that comes along and starts pawing at them.”

Judy giggled. “Trust me, Nick, if any buck tries touching them, I’ll be disappointed if you don’t defend what’s rightfully yours.”

Nick couldn’t hold back a chuckle. Was she serious? They weren’t even dating yet, and yet, she was already declaring herself as his. Foxes were quite territorial so this promise of hers was stroking his ego in ways he’d never thought imaginable. She’d promised and he’d hold her to it—he wasn’t sharing her with anybody.

Continuing to rub her paw over his fur, Judy chirped happily, “You know, Slick, this works both ways. If you have exclusive rights to my ears, then I get exclusive rights to yours.”

He let out a barking laugh, then nuzzled her stomach, before letting out a happy whine. “Yes, you do, 100 percent.” With the last of the tension draining from his body, Nick felt his mind slipping towards a deep, restful sleep.

Humming in satisfaction, Judy nuzzled his head even as she hugged him tightly. She’d never get tired of hugging him—or being hugged. She smiled warmly. Heaven. This was what heaven must feel like. With a wide smile plastered across her cheeks, Judy finally stopped fighting sleep.

As both mammals finally succumbed to the sleep their weary minds and bodies craved, neither remembered the little smartphone charging on the end table beside them. The phone was still powered off and neither remembered about the worried parents who hadn’t heard from their headstrong daughter since she disappeared that morning.

Chapter Text

Bonnie sat in her favorite chair, rubbing her paws together while watching her husband pace back and forth with the phone to his ear. “She’s still not answering, Bonnie. Why isn’t she answering?”

They’d tried calling their fearless daughter a few times in the late afternoon, and then a few times in the evening. The longer they hadn’t heard from her, the more worried they became, but it wasn’t until the 10 o’clock news came on that they heard about a major incident happening at the Natural History Museum. The ZPD hadn’t released any information, claiming it involved an ongoing investigation. What they did reveal was that the officer involved (the name was withheld for the time being) had been injured but was expected to make a full recovery.

Stu and Bonnie felt their hearts squeezed with fear, knowing Judy was somehow involved. When calling her had failed to produce answers, they’d called the Zootopia General Hospital and had learned that Judy had, indeed, been seen by a doctor there, but had checked out shortly after 9. They’d been frantically calling and texting her ever since. Midnight was fast approaching and both knew they wouldn’t be able to sleep a wink until they knew their daughter was safe.

They’d even called the ZPD trying to get answers, or at least a way to contact her, but that avenue was also a dead end. The ZPD couldn’t tell them anymore than they already knew—that she’d been dropped off at the hospital but had already checked out. The ZPD had no current address for her and their only means of contact was through her cell phone—which simply went to voicemail.

Stu didn’t bother leaving a message this time, but took the phone from his ear and stared at it a moment before hitting the end-call button. With his arm dropping limply to his side, he murmured listlessly, “Where is she, Bon-bon? She left her wallet on her dresser and she didn’t take any clothes with her.”

Standing up, Bonnie walked over to her husband and put a hand on his shoulder before leaning against him. “I don’t know, Stu.”

“It’s like Zootopia opened its huge jaws and swallowed her whole! Like she just vanished off the face of the planet!” Stu exclaimed while waving his paws around in frustration.

“I, know dear, I know.” She rubbed her paw across his back. “I’m sure she found a friend to stay with.”

“What friends? She never talks about any friends. Was she even there long enough to make any friends? She said the other officers were nice to her, but I wonder, Bon. No one has called or stopped by to check on her since she came home.”

Bonnie hesitated a moment, then said, “Well, there is one person Judy mentioned that might be willing to help her—provided she could find him, and if he forgave her.”

“Who are you talking about? She never mentioned anyone to me.”

“Oh, Stu, I told you about him. Judy was sobbing about a friend who’d done so much for her, and then she’d turned around and thoughtlessly betrayed his trust. She hadn’t seen him since the press conference, but it was obvious she was miserable over losing him. I’m guessing it was a bigger contribution to her depression than her ‘I broke the city’ explanation.”

Stu was speechless for a moment, then exclaimed, “She was heartbroken? Our Jude the Dude? Our little tryer who’s never had time for boys? She went and got herself a city boy!?” He had a hard time imagining his little Jude the Dude with a boy, let alone a city boy. She always turned her nose up to the bucks they’d sent her way.

“Oh, Stu, I don’t think they knew each other long enough for that.” Returning to her seat, Bonnie added, “But it was obvious from the way she was bawling her eyes out over the boy that her feelings went deeper than just friends.”

Stu chuckled to himself and muttered, “Our little tryer finally found herself a buck to settle down with.”

Bonnie narrowed her eyes and pierced her lips but kept her thoughts to herself. From the way their daughter had been talking, Bonnie had a sinking feeling that Judy’s friend wasn’t a buck at all, or even prey for that matter, but was a predator.

Stu suddenly spun around as he finally processed what Bon had said earlier. “You’re saying Judy might be staying with this boy? Alone?” Bringing his phone back up, he immediately dialed Judy’s number again. “He better not be trying anything with my little girl.”

Bonnie put a hand over her eyes but didn’t say anything. Their daughter was a grown doe and needed to make her own choices—but that didn’t stop her from worrying. Like Stu, she knew that some choices had a longer lasting consequence than others. And if Judy had, indeed, chosen a predator, then that complicated things immensely. She wanted her daughter to be happy, but could she be . . . with a predator? Would he treat her right?

“Pick up, pick up, pick up,” Stu kept repeating. When the voice mail finished its message and beeped, he said, “Judy, dear, we need to talk.” A pause. “This is really important, okay.” Another shorter pause. “Young lady, pick up the phone right now! And you better not be cadoodling with some buck in Zootopia!” The phone was suddenly ripped from his paw and he spun around to see Bonnie glaring at him.

“Really, Stu? We don’t even know if she is staying with him.”

“But—”

“No buts. I’ll be in charge of the phone the rest of the night.”

“But Bon-bon . . .” At Bonnie’s glare and foot thumping, Stu snapped his mouth shut, then sheepishly said, “I’ll go . . . take a little walk. Get some fresh air.”

“You do that, Dear.”

*******

Nick blinked his eyes and brought a hand up to block the glaring light that had awakened him. They’d left the lights on and now they were bothering his eyes. As he tried to sit up, he felt a warm weight pressed against his back. Looking over his shoulder, he saw that Judy had slumped over his back and was using him as pillow. Since he was still using her lap as a pillow, her awkward position didn’t look very comfortable.

With a large yawn, he wiggled his way out from under her light weight and sat up. As she slid down the back cushions of the couch, she immediately reached a paw out, her nose twitching, as she searched for him. When her paw bumped into his leg, she gripped his pants and scooted over until her cheek was resting on his thigh. With a sigh of contentment, she snuggled into him.

Nick’s heart melted at the sight and he couldn’t control his tail as it draped around her like a warm, fuzzy blanket. As the tip brushed her cheek, she immediately wrapped her arm around it and buried her nose in its soft hairs, taking a deep sniff of his scent. With another contented sigh, she snuggled his tail closer and relaxed back into a deep sleep.

Reaching over with a soft smile, Nick ran his claws lightly over her forehead and down her back, much as she’d done to him earlier. A small smile crept across her face and she sighed happily. Running his claws one last time down her back, Nick sat up straighter and rubbed his face as he tried to feel alive. Glancing around the room, he looked for a clock and then realized he hadn’t reset the clock to the DVD player.

Digging his phone from his pocket, he glanced over and spied Judy’s phone still charging on the end table. Glancing at his own phone to see that it was a little after 1, he pushed his phone back in his pocket and reached over for hers. The red light had gone off, telling him it was fully charged, so he unplugged it. Moving to put it on the coffee table, he noticed the screen remained black after removing the power source.

He lightly tapped the power button, but the screen remained black. With ears flat against his head, he glanced down at Judy. “Car-rots—you never called your parents!” A whine escaped him as fear entered his eyes. Glancing down at the little silver device, he whispered, “We are so dead!”

Pushing the power button down, he waited for the phone to power up then glanced at the notifications that appeared on the lock screen. “Carrots,” he whispered again, “you weren’t kidding.” There were 37 missed calls and 71 unread texts. “Your parents are going to kill you when you finally talk to them.”

While contemplating Judy’s imminent demise at the paws of her stressed-out, overly-worried parents, the phone suddenly lit up and began vibrating in his paw (Judy had actually remembered to put her phone on silence after leaving Mr. Big’s). Jerking his paw back in surprise, he dropped the phone and had to scramble to catch it. Seeing two older rabbits staring back at him from the contact picture, he about had a heart-attack.

“Carrots, it’s your parents. You need to wake up.” Looking down, he gently shook her shoulder. “I shouldn’t be the one answering this.” Judy merely snuggled back against him and sighed blissfully. “Car-rots,” he whined again.

The phone stopped vibrating and he groaned. Dropping his paw holding the phone down on his leg, he ran his other paw through his head-fur and let his head hit the back of the couch. “We are so dead. Your parents will kill you for worrying them, and they’ll kill me because I’m the shifty fox that dragged you to his den in the middle of the night.” Glancing down at her smiling face, he couldn’t help but smile, too, even as his stomach crawled with anxiety.

He wasn’t sure how long he sat there smiling at her, his clawed fingers lightly caressing her ears as he tried to calm his fears, but the phone disturbed his peace as it vibrated in his paw once more. Staring at the phone as if it was death itself, his ears flattened against his head and he whispered through the side of his mouth, “Car-rots!? What do I do? They’re calling again.” He couldn’t stop the whine that escaped his muzzle.

The phone continued vibrating, demanding attention. Taking a deep breath and plastering on a winning smile that came out as more of a fearful grimace, Nick bit the bullet and hit the accept button.

“Oh, Judy! Finally! You’re . . .” Bonnie froze at seeing a fox on the phone.

“You’re not Judy,” Stu frowned with accusation heavy in his voice.

“Am I Judy Hopps? No, no I am not. I’m Judy’s friend, Nick. Nick Wilde. Nice to meet you.” With a slight wave, he tried to look non-threatening.

Bonnie’s paw shot to her mouth and she exclaimed, “You’re Nick!”

“Um, yes,” he said hesitantly.

“Oh, glorious day, she found you.”

“Really?” His ears swiveled upright as hope began to replace his fear.

“What are talking about, Bonnie. Who is he?”

“Oh, come on, Stu,” she said while glancing sideways at her husband. “It’s Nick, the friend Judy told me about.”

“You mean the one she was sobbing about?” Glaring at Nick through the phone, he said, “But he’s a fox, Bon, and Judy was heartbroken over a buck, wasn’t she?”

“No, Stu, I never said her friend was a buck, and neither did Judy.” With a bright smile at Nick, Bonnie continued, “The way she was talking about you, I figured you had to be a predator, but I wasn’t sure.”

“Wait! What! Judy was all depressed over . . . over a fox!?”

“Oh, Stu, really. He’s not just a fox—he’s Judy’s best friend.” Pushing Stu aside, she focused back on Nick, whose fear was now replaced with eager interest. “So, Nick, since you have Judy’s phone, I take it Judy is with you?”

“Oh, yes, sorry.” Flipping the phone down, he showed them Judy’s sleeping form, saying, “As you can see, she’s safe and happily dreaming.” The small smile on her face as she snuggled his tail could not be ignored.

Bonnie was frozen, hardly believing that this was the same girl with droopy ears just earlier that day. Seeing her smile, even in her sleep, warmed her heart—and it was obvious who was to blame for her pleasant dreams.

“You’re sleeping with our daughter, Fox!”

Nick’s ears splayed back again. “Have I hauled your daughter up to my room and had my way with her? No, no I have not.” Glaring at the rude buck, he continued, “As you can see, we’re both fully dressed and passed out on the couch. We had a very long day and while waiting for her phone to charge enough to call you, the stresses of the day finally caught up to us and we fell asleep.”

Still glaring, Nick added, “I would never do anything to disrespect your daughter, nor would she let me.” Sitting up straighter, his face became animated as he exclaimed, “Do you know how hard Judy can punch? I do! After experiencing a few of her excited punches, I have no desire to find out firsthand what one of her angry punches feels like!”

“Oh, Stu, stop it. Nick is taking care Judy, so you should be thanking him, not yelling at him.” As Stu opened his mouth to argue, Bonnie cut him off. “Would you rather he left her alone to wander the city streets alone, with no money and a dead phone?”

Stu stared at the ground. He didn’t like the idea of Judy staying with a fox he didn’t know, but thinking about her being left to wander the streets of Zootopia in the middle of the night was even worse. “No, I wouldn’t.”

Turning back to Nick, Bonnie said, “As you pointed out, Nick, it’s been a long day. Now that we know Judy is safe, we can finally go to bed. You take good care of our little girl and we’ll talk to you tomorrow. Be sure she calls us as soon as she wakes up, you hear.”

“I will. And thank you, Mrs. Hopps.”

“Just call me Bonnie.”

“Okay, Bonnie. Have a goodnight.” With a slight nod towards Stu, Nick added, “Mr. Hopps.”

With a smile, Bonnie pressed the end button and carried the phone over to her nightstand. She had so much to think about! Seeing that Judy’s friend was a fox was a bit of a surprise, but there was no denying the fact that he made her little girl happy.

“Are you sure about this, Bonnie,” Stu asked as he followed his wife over to their bed. “He is a fox, after all. How do you know we can trust him?”

“Because Judy does. Because she’s happy with him. Because Nick makes her happy. What more could we want from a boy our daughter is interested in?”

Stu grimaced at the thought. “Are you sure she sees him as more than a friend. I mean, come on, Bonnie? A rabbit and a fox? When has that ever happened before?”

“I’ll admit it, I’m not sure how it would work, but this is Judy we’re talking about. She’s our little trier that always did things differently than other rabbits. It scares me, but that’s who she is. That’s the only way she can be happy.”

“I know, Bon-bon, but a fox? Even if you’re right about her feelings, does he feel the same way? Would a fox even look at a doe? Don’t todds chase after every vixen that crosses their path?”

“Stu, you’re talking about rabbits, and Judy isn’t like that, so I’m sure Nick isn’t either. But at any rate, we need sleep. The night is short and morning will be here before you know it. Come on.” She patted the bed beside her.

Lost in thought, Bonnie exclaimed, “Oh, I’m so excited.” Clapping her hands together, she started making a list of things to do tomorrow, all of them revolving around their headstrong daughter. “We’ll have to plan a trip to Zootopia and bring Judy her stuff. She wasn’t wearing the clothes she left in, so Nick must have found her something else to wear, which is relief, but Judy will need her own things. And we’ll have to pick up the truck, too.” Gripping the bedsheets, she practically squealed. “I can’t wait to talk to Judy in the morning. We have so many things to discuss.” Now that her daughter had been found safe and sound, with a friend she trusted, all of Bonnie’s fears slipped away.

As Stu climbed into bed, he listened to his wife prattle on, but wasn’t comforted by it like he normally was. When Judy came home two weeks ago, he’d been elated, but Judy wasn’t happy here. It’s like she’d left her joy and enthusiasm back in Zootopia, and no mattered what they did, she never seemed to get better. She’d smile and talk when pressed, ate with the family, but her smile never reached her eyes.

But having seen her tonight, there was no denying she’d found her smile in Zootopia. That she found it in the arms of a fox disturbed him, but Bonnie was right. Judy trusted him and he’d have to trust her judgement—at least for now. Going to Zootopia was now starting to sound like a great plan. It’d give him a chance to meet this todd and see if he was everything Judy thought he was. And the sooner they left, the better.

Chapter Text

Nick sat staring at the blank screen of his phone. Did that really just happen? Stu’s response to seeing him was expected, though the older buck hadn’t flipped out like he’d feared. Nick felt sure it had more to do with Bonnie’s presence, than anything else. Now she did surprise him. It made him extremely curious about that little conversation she’d had with Judy—a sobbing Judy.

Glancing over, he ran his claws lightly through her fur again. “What did you say about me, Carrots?” Whatever it was, it was enough to convince Bonnie that Judy was safe with him. Scratching behind her ears, he grinned at her hmm of pleasure as she pressed into the light scratch. She is just too cute! Pulling his phone out, he snapped a picture, then set it as his main screen.

With a wide grin, he glanced down at the floor and noticed the cloth bag that contained Judy’s dirty clothes—and the paperwork they’d received from the hospital. “Gah! I forgot your medication! Carrots, why’d you let me forget!?” Glancing at the time on Judy’s phone, he exclaimed, “It’s almost 2!”

Prying his tail from Judy’s firm grip, he then gently lifted her head from his lap and stood up, then grabbed the pillow leaning against the arm of the couch and slid it under her cheek before laying her head back down.

While running up the stairs, he muttered under his breath, “I need to get you upstairs to bed, then I need to run to the pharmacy, and then the gas station to get something for breakfast, then I need to get myself to bed.”

Taking a left at the top, he spun around the railing that protected the stairwell, then entered the second bedroom. He hadn’t been in Honey’s room in months as he only came in here about twice a year to dust. Flipping on the light, he glanced around and grunted. “Yep, it’s dusty.”

Walking over to the window, he cracked it several inches to air the room out, then turned to the bed. Although the sheets and blankets were clean when he put them on, and no one had ever used them, they’d been on the bed for years. And the top blanket was covered in a fine layer of dust. Yep, definitely changing those before bringing Judy up here. Without wasting anymore time, he tossed the pillows on the floor, then grabbed the edge of the blanket and wadded it up in the middle of the mattress, then pulled up the sheets and wrapped them around the blanket.

Picking them all up, he carried them to the bathroom, through the small door at the back that led to the laundry room, and dumped them in the corner. He’d wash them later. Grabbing fresh sheets, a blanket, and a couple of pillowcases from the shelf, he returned to Honey’s old room and remade the bed. Glancing at the window, he noticed the air coming in was cool, but not cold (it being summer), and decided to leave the window cracked.

Returning downstairs to get Judy, she hardly stirred when he gently picked her up. Looking down, he watched her snuggled into his chest and grip his shirt. Nick couldn’t believe how cute she was. Entering the room that would now be hers, he set her on the bed, pried her fingers off his shirt, then covered her with the blankets.

Nick smiled softly at the adorable, little rabbit sleeping in his house. She looked too cute as she burrowed into the thick blanket. Running his claw tips down her ears once more, he then turned and left.

Running to his room, he grabbed a pad of sticky notes and a pen from off his dresser and wrote his name, his phone number, and a message for her to call him when she awoke so he could come help her. Pulling the sheet off, he ran back downstairs and grabbed her phone. Sticking the note to it, he carried the phone and the charger upstairs and set them on the dresser beside Judy’s bed.

Running the back of his fingers down her ears one last time, he smiled as she leaned into the caress, then he turned and headed downstairs. Returning to the living room, he grabbed the prescription and flipped the lights off as he headed out the door. Once in the truck and heading down the road, Nick let his mind wander.

Am I really doing this? Am I really going to live with a bunny? The unstoppable force of nature known as Judy Hopps. My bunny? He couldn’t deny his attraction to her. And her giving him ‘exclusive rights’ to her ears could only mean that she was attracted to him, too. But how would they even work? A bunny and a fox?

Remembering her soft, silky paws on his ears and her short, blunt claws digging through his fur, the simple joy she found in touching him—in making him happy—left him stunned. Her ministrations had awakened feelings he hadn’t felt in decades, and a few he’d never experienced before. Feelings he now craved. In the short span of less than an hour, he had become irrevocably addicted to the sweet little bunny’s touch.

He couldn’t even imagine not feeling her paws on him and the feelings they evoked. His thoughts for his cute honeybun weren’t sexual, not yet anyway—he just wanted to be near her, to snuggle with her, and smell her sweet scent. He wanted to run his paws over her velvety ears and soft cheeks, to see her grinning in utter bliss at his touch and attention.

The thought suddenly struck him—a fox in love with a bunny. Running a paw over his face, he grunted while thinking about how the media would take it if it ever hit the news. He doubted it’d be very pretty. Especially after all the savage attacks Bellwether instigated. Well, it was just one more thing they’d need to discuss if they ever decided to become an official couple. Nick shook his head. Not if but when—when they became an official couple.

Just thinking of her with anyone else set off his territorial instincts and awakened a foreign emotion in him—jealousy. For the first time in his life, he was feeling jealous—and he didn’t know what to do about it.

Come on, Wilde, you’re not even dating yet and you’re already getting jealous of imaginary suitors! What happens when it becomes official? Are you going to turn into some over-protective, controlling jerk of a boyfriend? “Ug, I hope not,” he muttered under his breath. He’d seen all too many destructive relationships involving controlling males during his time on the streets. He just needed to trust Judy. She’d already given him exclusive rights to her ears, so there was no way she’d be fine with anyone else touching them.

With a grin spreading across his face, he tried to picture what one of Judy’s angry punches would feel like, and what one would do to a fellow rabbit. She’d probably knock him back a couple of feet at least. That thought had him laughing.

He was still chuckling when Woolgreens came into view. Pulling into the parking lot, he grabbed the prescription from the passenger seat and walked into the store. After dropping it off to the bored pharmacist, an older billy goat with a long beard, he waited 10 minutes, then was handed the bottle of pills. After signing for them, he turned to leave when the goat hollered from the back.

“Hey, fox, what do you think you’re doing!? That medication is for a rabbit!” The goat hadn’t paid attention while filling out the prescription, his focus being on the pills themselves, but after watching the fox walk away, it hit him that he’d just handed rabbit pills over to a shifty fox. Taking a better look at the prescription—yes, it was for a rabbit—he became suspicious. There was no reason for a fox to be picking up rabbit pills in the middle of the night—or ever, for that matter.

Looking back over, Nick met the pharmacist’s accusing gaze and groaned. He should’ve expected this. There was no way a fox picking up rabbit medication would look anything but suspicious. He should have stopped here with Judy on the way home from the hospital. “I’m fully aware these are rabbit pills. My friend, who is a rabbit, just got out of the hospital. She was extremely tired and just wanted to be home. After dropping her off, she asked me to pick them up for her.”

“Why would a rabbit be friends with a filthy fox?”

“You’ll just have to ask her that yourself. If you want, I can bring her by sometime tomorrow and she can tell you herself why she trusts a fox. But right now, I need to get these pills back to her, so if you’ll excuse me.” Nick turned and hurried for the door while resisting the urge to run.

“I’ll call the police!” the goat hollered back, while the cashier was eyeing him warily.

“You do that,” Nick called back as he reached the door. “And when they get an earful from an irate bunny for disturbing her sleep, they’ll be complaining to you.” With that, he bolted through the door and slid back behind the wheel of the truck. Taking a deep breath, he let it out and turned the truck on.

While leaving the parking lot, he hoped they wouldn’t be disturbed by the police pounding on his door. He didn’t think they had his real address on file, so he relaxed.

Stopping at the gas station, he decided to fill the tank up (it was nearly on empty) before walking inside to pick up a few groceries. He hated buying anything at the gas stations because they inflated their prices, but since the grocery stores wouldn’t be open for another five hours at the earliest, he didn’t have a choice.

Looking at the small selection of small boxes of cereal, he finally settled on Shredded Wheat Thins and Honey Oat Clusters with Almonds. Continuing down the aisle, he added a loaf of wheat bread, a jar of peanut butter, a jar of blueberry jam, and a container of honey. No bagels were to be found, though. Judy will just have to wait for the grocery store. Turning down the next aisle, he added a couple of boxes of protein bars for himself and granola bars for Judy. Figuring this would be enough for them till he could get to an actual grocery store, he stopped at the cold section and grabbed a gallon of both vanilla and chocolate almond milk.

After paying for them, he returned to the truck and headed home. Once there, he carried the groceries in and put them away. Leaving the lights off as he had excellent night vision, he gathered up Judy’s bags and carried them upstairs to her room and set them on the dresser, along with her meds and the rest of her water.

Pulling out her pink button up shirt and the pink undershirt she’d worn with it, he decided to wash them with the sheets he’d pulled from the bed. If she chose to wear the shorts he’d gotten her, he wanted to make sure she had a shirt to go with them. Carrying them to the laundry room, he threw them in the washing machine with the sheets.

With that taken care of, he decided to take care of himself. His body was tired, but his mind was wide awake after the short nap he’d had on the couch with Judy. It had been a more restful sleep than he’d had in years. Grinning while remembering her paws on him and her promise to stay, he stepped back into his room and grabbed some clean clothes from his dresser. Walking into the bathroom, he hoped a hot shower would relax him enough to fall back asleep.

Stepping out of the bathroom a short while later, fresh and clean, he made his way back to his room and crawled in bed. With a contented sigh, he replayed the memories of his time here with Judy, and as his mind got caught up with hope for the future, he fell into a deep sleep—a deep sleep that was filled with visions of silvery grey and shining amethyst.

*******

Judy was extremely warm and extremely comfortable, and it took her mind a while to claw its way from sleep and visions of fluffy orange and pools of burning emerald. As she became conscious, fragments of her dream remained—their dash through the museum and their fall into the display pit. It ended with her being confronted by orange and green and sharp teeth around her throat. She should be terrified, having a predator’s teeth clamped firmly around her neck, but all she felt was . . . was intrigue and . . . a flicker of desire. This last feeling was something she’d never felt with any male she’d ever met before.

“Buttered biscuits and jam, Judy, he’s your best friend! Stop thinking of his teeth around your neck like that!” she exclaimed as her eyes popped open to stare at the ceiling.

But she couldn’t. She couldn’t forget. He’d been so careful with her. And their movements, his and hers as they acted out the attack, had his sharp teeth sliding gently through her fur, teasing her skin. With the inside of her ears turning a bright red, she rolled over and pressed her face into the pillows.

Jerking back over, she repeated, “Ouch, ouch, ouch!” With a hiss she looked down at her leg. She’d just pulled at a few of the stitches and her leg throbbed with both a sharp, needle-like pain, and a deeper throbbing pain. Glancing around, the diffused sunlight spilling around the curtain covering the window revealed her bottle of medicine and half-bottle of water.

Sitting up to grab them, she quickly looked at the directions, then popped a pill in her mouth and chased it down with several gulps of water. Setting the pills and the empty bottle back on the dresser, she noticed her phone and the note attached to it. Smiling to see Nick’s number, she immediately opened her phone and saw all the missed calls. Fear slammed into her gut and she immediately unlocked her phone and went to her recent call log. With her finger hovering over the send button, she paused at seeing the little green received-call arrow on the last call her parents had made. It took her brain a minute to realize what it meant. “Nick turned my phone on and answered their call! He talked to my parents!”

Her mind went momentarily blank, then filled with fear as she thought of her—fearful-of-all-things-predatory and down-right hateful-to-foxes—parents talking to her best friend, who just happened to be a predator and a fox. “Oh, please tell me they weren’t hateful to Nick,” she prayed as she jabbed the call button.

Her mother picked up on the second ring, but instead of the distraught face she was expecting, Bonnie was all smiles and happiness.

“Oh, Judy, you’re finally up. I was beginning to wonder if Nick forgot to remind you to call us this morning.”

“Um, no, I haven’t seen Nick yet this morning. I just picked up my phone and realized I never called last night.” With a deep breath she quickly added, “So, you . . .uh . . . talked to Nick last night?”

“Oh, yes, he was kind enough to answer our call and let us know you were okay. He’s such a nice mammal—I can see why you were missing him so much.”

“Really!” she squeaked. “You’re not mad my best friend is a fox?”

“Well, I was surprised to see a fox on the phone, but I guessed from our conversation before that your friend was a predator. You said he helped you immensely already, so when he introduced himself as Nick, I knew you were in good hands.”

Judy could only stare for several heartbeats, before exclaiming, “You do!? I mean, yes, yes, I am. There’s no safer place I could be than here with Nick. He’s done so much, for me, Mom. You have no idea how much thought he’s put into making sure I was taken care of.” With a sniffle as she considered Nick’s care of her, she smiled wider and positively glowed. “He’s amazing, Mom.”

Bonnie studied her daughter’s features as she beamed with happiness. She’d seen Judy happy before—she’d been happy when she graduated college, when she was accepted into the ZPA, and then again when she graduated and became a police officer—but that was an excited happiness that easily faded. This happiness that Judy was feeling was different from all the other times Judy had been happy. This happiness went much deeper and seemed to infuse every fiber of her being.

If this is what re-establishing her friendship with Nick did for Judy, then Bonnie would make sure no one hassled them for him being a fox—even if that someone was Stu.

Looking over Judy’s outfit, Bonnie pointed out, “Well, I can see one thing he did for you. Those clothes look very nice and comfortable.”

“Oh, yes, they are,” Judy agreed as she pressed a paw to her chest. “He bought me several outfits last night on his way to the hospital to pick me up. He even bought a rabbit travel kit that even had a chew rod in it, so I’m set for a few days.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Now about this hospital visit . . . what happened and how were you hurt?”

Judy’s ears warmed and she looked at the wall. “It was actually pretty dumb. While Nick and I were . . . gathering evidence to finish the case I started three months ago, we were in a hurry and I wasn’t paying attention and cut my leg on an object we were passing.”

Looking back up, she met Bonnie’s worried gaze. “But don’t worry, it’s not serious. I need to take it easy for two weeks, and then I’ll be good as rain. It just required a few stitches. And Nick is helping me get around while I’m not supposed to walk on it.” Pausing a moment, she added, “It’s actually thanks to Nick that I wasn’t hurt worse. He refused to leave me behind and get the evidence to the ZPD. It was his courage and quick thinking that saved us both.”

Hearing of the danger Judy had been in worried Bonnie greatly, and reminded her of why rabbits didn’t get into law enforcement—at least not in the city. But hearing how the fox, Nick, had once again stood by Judy and kept her safe, warmed her heart. She could definitely see why Judy was developing special feelings for her foxy friend.

“Well, I’m really glad you were able to reconcile with Nick. He seems like a very trustworthy mammal.”

“He is, Mom. There’s no one I trust more. I know he’ll always be there when I need him.”

“Hm, that’s good. And he’s letting you stay with him, correct? You’re at his place?”

“Oh, yes, this is his house.” With excited pleasure sparkling in her amethyst eyes, she exclaimed, “He owns his own house, Mom! A two-story house! And it’s big from the little I saw of it last night.” With her ears up and a soft squeal, she continued, “I can’t wait for Nick to give me the grand tour!”

“That does sound exciting and brings me to something we need to discuss. Your father and I are planning a trip to Zootopia. We need to bring your things to you and pick up the truck. Do you know a good time we can visit?”

“Well, I’ll have to talk to Nick, but probably wait a few days to let my leg heal a little. I can’t walk on it at all right now and Nick has to carry me everywhere. I’d like to be able to at least hobble around when you come.” After a moment’s thought, she suggested, “How about you come down on Sunday? Maybe make it a day trip—come in the late morning and stay the afternoon. Nick has a backyard, so maybe we could have a barbeque or something?”

“That does sound nice, Dear, but are you sure Nick will be okay with that?”

“I’ll need to discuss it with him, but I don’t think he’ll have a problem. Dad won’t make it a problem, will he?”

“Well, he certainly wasn’t pleased to see you snuggled up to a fox last night, but I think I calmed some of his worries. I’ll talk to him later today, and then we’ll call back so he can talk to you, too.”

“Okay. That’s sounds great. I better let you go now. I need to call Nick and let him know I’m up so we can have some breakfast.”

“That’s fine, Bun-bun. You have some breakfast and I’ll talk to you later today.”

“Thanks, Mom. Goodbye.” After ending the call, Judy quickly picked up the sticky note with Nick’s number on it and punched it into her phone, saved it under My Dumb Fox, then hit the send button. The voicemail nearly picked up before she heard her fox’s sleepy voice come over the phone.

“Hullo?” he mumbled.

Judy thought she heard Nick yawn as she cheerfully replied, “Good morning, Nick! How did you sleep last night?”

Nick’s sleep evaporated instantly when he heard Judy’s peppy voice. “Carrots! What time is it?” Looking around didn’t tell him much. His heavy curtains blocked out all light and he hadn’t plugged his clock in last night. He was still somewhat out of it, so thinking of checking his phone never crossed his mind.

Judy hummed into the phone a second, then took it from her ear just long enough to glance at the time. “It’s almost 10. Are you ready for some breakfast? I am. And afterwards you have to give me the grand tour of the house.”

Nick sat up, a broad smile on his face, and asked, “Wouldn’t you rather have a shower first?”

Judy looked down at herself. “Oh, yeah. A shower actually sounds really good. Maybe I’ll have it first.”

“If that’s what you want. Just let me put a shirt on and I’ll be over.”

A slight blush warmed her cheeks as Judy thought of a shirtless Nick. “Okay. I’ll be waiting.”

Chuckling to himself as he stared at the phone after hanging up, Nick then saved her number under My Sly Bunny, and put it back on the nightstand.

Standing up, he opened the heavy curtains covering his window and immediately slapped a hand over his eyes. The bright morning sunlight stung his sensitive eyes and he waited for his eyes to adjust. Opening his eyes and slowly removing his hand, he glanced around his now very sunny room. It was a strange sight as his room hadn’t seen the light of day in years. With his night vision, it wasn’t necessary, but with Judy being here, he knew she wouldn’t appreciate a dark, gloomy room.

Walking to his closet to change, he tried to think of an outfit to impress his honeybun. Remembering the way Judy’s eyes popped when he showed up in a black t-shirt the previous night, he decided to change into one of his little-used pair of jeans. This one was a dark blue pair, and to go with it, he put on a nicer, dark-green V-neck shirt that slightly hugged his form and brought out the dark highlights in his emerald eyes.

Retrieving his phone and sliding it into his back pocket, along with his wallet, he stopped in the bathroom briefly on his way to his honeybun’s room. Striding through her door (he’d left it open last night to better hear her if she needed him), he saw her sitting by the window with the curtains drawn back and her eyes big as saucers as she glanced around the room. “Mornin’, Carrots.”

“Nick! This room is so big!” Then her eyes landed on him and he saw the stunned appreciation in her eyes as they traveled down his lean form and back up. “Wow, Slick! I thought you looked good in black, but you’ve outdone yourself this morning.”

Nick chuckled as he walked to the bed and Judy scooted herself back to the edge. “Thanks, Carrots.” With a smug grin, he added, “I bet you didn’t even think I owned these kinds of clothes, did you?”

With a giggle, she replied, “No, not really. I’ve only ever seen you in those loud Pawaiin shirts.”

“I’ll have you know—those shirts are 100% silk and are extremely comfortable.”

“Alright, Slick, whatever you say.”

Nick grinned as he leaned down, so they were more eye-level. “Well, there is a method to my madness in wearing them.” At Judy’s expectant gaze, he explained, “As a hustler, I don’t want people to remember my face—so by wearing loud shirts, people are more focused on them and not me. If I need to make a fast getaway, I can easily change my shirt and become a completely different fox to most people.”

“Too bad that didn’t work on me, huh, Slick?” Judy said with a wide grin while lightly punching his arm.

Nick stood back up and scratched under his chin, “Ya, well, I’m not sorry. Not anymore, anyway.” Meeting her brilliant gaze with a wide smile, he added, “You have to admit, though, you’re not a typical bunny.” With his smile widening, he continued, “A typical, cute, little bunny wouldn’t have come within five feet of this sly fox, let alone stand up for him, let him hustle 20 dollars from her, and then thank me for it afterwards.”

Judy scowled at his cute comment but didn’t interrupt as she knew he was merely stating how most mammals saw rabbits.

“Of course, they also wouldn’t have followed two sly foxes all over Zootopia while thinking they were going unseen, either.”

“Wait! You knew I was following you? I mean, before I confronted you?”

“You’re kinda hard to miss, Carrots, when driving that three-wheeled joke-mobile.”

“Oh,” Judy murmured while staring at the ground. “And I thought I was being so careful.”

With a chuckle, Nick said, “Well, Fluff, if you stick with me, I’ll teach you all the tricks to not being seen. You’ll be an incognito pro in no time.”

Judy giggled as Nick flourished his hands. “Okay then, Teacher, I look forward to your lessons.”

A genuine smile spread across his face. After a moment of meeting her gaze, Nick clapped his paws together, saying, “Okay, we can’t start your lessons until next week when your leg has healed a little bit, but for now, I believe you were wanting to take a shower.”

“Oh, yes, a shower, breakfast, and then the grand tour.”

Grabbing the bag of clothes and the convenience store bag off the dresser, he set them on the bed next to Judy and said, “Here, figure out what you want to wear while I run down and get your travel kit from the downstairs bathroom.”

Judy nodded and Nick turned to go, then hesitated. Looking back at her, he seemed to be carrying on a mental debate with himself, and she wasn’t sure what to make of it. He obviously wanted to tell her something important, but what? “Nick, what is it?”

Instead of answering, Nick met her gaze for several intense seconds, then swiftly leaned over and hugged her. With his warm breath tickling her ear, he whispered, “I’m glad you’re alright, Judy.” And then he was gone.

Chapter Text

With his warm breath tickling her ear, he whispered, “I’m glad you’re alright, Judy.” And then he was gone.

Judy sat stunned on the bed as his tail disappeared around the corner, and then she saw the top of his fluffy head appear and disappear through the railing outside her door as he hurried down the stairs. Judy sniffled, then wiped the back of her paw across her cheeks. No one had ever said anything so simple and yet so intense and heartfelt. Nick had literally had his heart on his sleeve—which would explain why he disappeared so fast.

With another sniffle and a watery laugh, she muttered, “Yep, I was right last night—there is no buck alive who can beat my fox when it comes to treating me special.” She sat there another minute as the warmth Nick’s words evoked continued to flow through her.

At hearing Nick walking back up the stairs, Judy’s mind remembered what she was supposed to be doing. “Right, clothes.” Opening the bag up, she rifled through it once more. She’d looked at the top few pairs last night in the truck, but now she pulled them all out to get a better view. The other pair of sweats and the butterfly shirt she recognized from last night, along with the dress shirt and dark-blue slacks, and in the bright sunlight she saw just how well the slightly lighter shade of blue really complimented the darker navy.

Next came a pair of light blue jean shorts with little pink and purple flowers stitched around the hem of each leg and the same flowers stitched much larger onto each back pocket. Lifting the shorts closer to her face, she realized the pink flowers were a perfect match for the pink shirt she’d been wearing yesterday. And the purple flowers really matched the lighter highlights in her amethyst eyes.

Nick really had put a lot of thought and attention into the clothes he bought her. Even being tired, stressed out, and short on time, he still found something special for her. Another sniffle caught her as she felt her eyes start to tear up again. Scrunching her eyes shut tight, she willed herself not to cry again. Stop being so emotional! It’s just Nick being Nick . . . again.

As Judy had been studying the flowers, Nick had returned to her room, but seeing her so focused, he didn’t interrupt. Leaning against the doorframe, he pulled out his phone and snapped a picture. After fiddling with it on his phone, he looked up to see Judy with her eyes scrunched up trying not to cry. It surprised him, but before he could move, she opened her eyes and smiled at the pair of shorts before going back to the bag.

Still watching, he saw her pull out the spandex workout clothes. A smile touched her mouth, along with a touch of puzzlement. With her leg the way it was, she probably didn’t understand why he bought it. Nick grinned smugly while thinking of the punching bag.

As Judy set the slick, stretchy outfit aside, Nick pulled his camera up, ready to snap a candid picture. With his smug smirk firmly in place, he waited for her to pull out the last item.

Judy found the hot pink shirt and pulled it out, curious as to why Nick would pick it. Opening it up and turning it around so she could see the front, she immediately started laughing. “Nick!? Really?”

“What? You don’t like it?” he asked from the doorway.

Glancing up, Judy flipped the shirt around to show a solid black silhouette of a fox’s head with the words written in bold, stylized print: Feeling Foxy Tonight.

“What? I saw that and immediately thought of you. You are living in a fox’s den right now, so you have to feel at least a little foxy to be comfortable being here.”

His sly smirk just oozed smugness and Judy couldn’t help but laugh. Studying the shirt again, she heard the click of a camera and looked up to see Nick with his phone up and angled towards her. “Are you taking pictures of me?” she asked with narrowed eyes.

“Absolutely. 100 percent.”

His smug smile was contagious, so instead of being irritated, Judy giggled again. “Nick, you’re such a goof.”

With his smile brightening, Nick slid his phone into his back pocket and walked over to her. Leaning down, he planted his large, dark paws on the bed to either side of Judy and brought his face in close, so their noses nearly touched. “Well, Carrots, I’m your goof now.”

With her nose twitching at his nearness, Judy took an unsteady breath while her ears flamed against her back. “Careful what you promise, Slick,” she murmured huskily. “You’re not the only one who can feel greedy.”

Ears pricked forward, Nick’s eyes burned a deeper emerald as he leaned in a fraction closer. “Hmm, a greedy Carrots. That might be fun to see.” With a wider grin, he added, “You’re so selfless all the time, that it’ll be interesting to see when you’re actually being greedy.” Moving in so their noses were mere millimeters apart, and with his warm breath slightly ruffling the fur on her cheeks, he dropped his voice to a husky whisper. “I think I’d enjoy a greedy Judy.”

Judy’s nose continued twitching as her whole face turned bright red under her short, grey fur. My name. He said my name again. She didn’t know what it was, but something about him saying her real name made it feel like her heart was being squeezed. Swallowing to try and moisten her suddenly dry throat, she was on the verge of closing the miniscule distance between them when her stomach suddenly let out a demanding growl.

Nick immediately stood and cocked his head while watching Judy curl in on herself from embarrassment. “Wow, Carrots, the vicious tiger is back. We better give it something to nibble on before getting you in that shower.” Turning around, he grabbed her now empty water bottle and moved towards the door, saying, “Wait here, I got just the thing.” Pausing at the door, he turned and said, “You might want to change into that foxy shirt. We’ll need to cover your bandage in plastic before you shower and that shirt’s long enough to cover all the important stuff.”

Judy nodded as Nick shut her door, then quickly pulled off her sweatshirt and replaced it with the hot-pink shirt. Next, she shimmied out of her sweatpants and let them drop to the floor—or tried to. With the elastic band around each ankle, they stopped there. With her good leg, she was able to use her toes to push the fabric on her bad leg down past her foot but turning the foot of her injured leg to do the same on the other pant leg sent pins and needles through her torn muscles.

Sucking in a sharp breath, she slowly let it out once the pain lessened. She was hoping to at least get her pants off without Nick’s help, but her leg had other ideas. Folding her arms across her chest, she glared at the uncooperative limb. “Traitor,” she hissed at it. “You just want Nick to run his paws all over you.” Once the words left her mouth, her ears turned beet red as she realized what she’d just said.

Moaning, she slapped her paws over her face and dropped back on the bed. Nick is a fox! Why am I so aware of him? My instincts should be warning me away, right? So why do I want to get closer?

A quick knock proceeded Nick’s voice, as he asked, “Are you decent, Fluff?”

“Oh, um . . .” Judy sat back up and glanced down to see the hem of the shirt still resting around her waist. Scooting back so she was sitting on it, she pushed the long shirt down over her knees. “Okay, you can come in.”

As he opened the door, he froze seeing Judy’s glare, but then relaxed when her fierce gaze dropped to her foot where one of her pant legs was bunched up around her ankle.

“It’s stuck.”

Nick grinned as he sauntered over to her, his gaze appreciating how cute she looked in that hot-pink foxy shirt. Her scowl merely added to her charm. Setting the water bottle on the dresser, he held up two different variety packs of granola bars. “Before I get to that, which flavor do you want?”

Studying the two boxes, Judy’s features brightened. “Ooh, that fudge-covered coconut bar looks really good.”

“Chocolate coconut it is.” Setting the other box down, he opened the one and pulled out the bar she wanted. As she hungrily tore into it, he set the box down next to the other and crouched down in front of her. Reaching over, he tugged the offending pant leg off and dropped the pants on the ground, then reached in his pocket and pulled out a plastic bag and a small roll of duct tape.

After covering her bandage in plastic and duct taping it securely in place (and yes, he made sure he didn’t get any of her fur stuck in the tape), he gathered the pants and the sweatshirt off the bed and deposited them in the clothes’ hamper at the foot of the bed, up against the wall.

Turning around, he found Judy had finished off her granola bar and was guzzling her water while studying his handywork with the plastic sack. “Are you going to survive a shower now?”

Judy nodded as she recapped her water bottle and set it back on the dresser. “Yeah, thanks.” Grabbing the other sweats and the butterfly shirt, she hugged them to her as Nick picked her up. Usually she hated to be carried around unable to do hardly anything for herself. It irked her to no end to be dependent on someone else and forced to be waited on for even the simplest things.

So why was it, that when Nick was the one carrying her around and waiting on her, her normal irritation and embarrassment never surfaced? She just felt . . . warm and fuzzy inside. Was it because when Nick did something for her, he didn’t make her feel like an invalid? He just seemed so happy being with her and having an excuse to carry her. He did say he was being selfish in helping her. That he did it to see her smile. Was that it?

Unaware of the fierce mental debate going on while carrying her to the bathroom, Nick explained, “I already put your fur shampoo and conditioner in the bathtub, along with a plastic fold-up stool so you can sit and bathe.”

Judy nodded, then asked, “You had a plastic stool? There’s stuff in this house you couldn’t reach?”

“Yes, Carrots, even I need a stool to reach things off the highest shelves, but I’m not the one who bought it. Honey developed a bit of a hunch in her back, so she bought a bunch of stools and stashed them around the house—anywhere she needed one.”

“So, she had one in the bathroom?”

“Not in the bathroom. She stored it in the laundry room attached to it.”

Judy started to nod when it sunk in. “Wait just a minute!” Gripping his shirt, she pulled herself closer to his face and exclaimed, “You have your own laundry room?”

Nick flicked his ears out towards the side and gave her this ‘dumb bunny’ look, explaining, “Fluff, we’re in a two-story house with one and a half baths, of course we have a laundry room.” With ears pricking forward, he added, “Which reminds me, I washed your pink shirts last night with some sheets. Give me a second so I can throw them in the dryer.”

Setting her down on the edge of the tub, he then turned and walked through a door at the opposite end of the bathroom. Watching Nick through the open door, he pulled the sheets from washer to the dryer, and heard the dryer come on. He closed the door as he walked back through, and the sound was immediately muffled. Pulling a pair of scissors from his back pocket, he placed them on the counter next her. “You can cut through the duct tape with this when you’re done.” Waiting for Judy to nod, he then clapped his paws together and said, “Okay, Fluff, the bathroom is all yours. Let me know when you’re done.”

“I will, Nick. Thanks.”

Leaving Judy to do her thing, Nick retreated back downstairs. There were a few things he needed to get ready before giving Judy the grand tour—starting with the punching bag. He’d left it and the exercise band on the little couch last night when he’d taken the rest of Judy’s stuff upstairs. Now he picked them up and carried them down the hall to the spare room off from the half-bath.

Opening the door, he walked in and set them on the workout bench, then turned to the smaller window that was across from the door. After pushing the curtains aside and shimming it open wide, he stuck his head out and breathed in the fresh air while appreciating the towering snow-covered peaks seen in the distance. The house was situated on the edge of the Meadowlands, close to where it met with the Rainforest District and Tundratown, which gave it incredible hiking and running trails—which he couldn’t wait to show Judy.

Turning back to the room, he glanced around, then walked over and opened the curtains of the larger window that faced the backyard and let the late morning sunshine stream in. With the curtains of both windows now open, the room was bright and dust motes could be seen dancing in the air.

Originally, this room was more of a music studio and is the place where Nick self-taught himself the guitar. When he started working for Mr. Big, though, half the room had been converted to a gym. Most of the equipment was too big for Judy to use, her arms and legs being much too short, but he did have a set of fox-sized adjustable dumbbells. They’d be a bit bulky for her, but he figured with her strength she wouldn’t have a problem using them.

Picking up the small, tear-shaped punching bag, he set it down in the corner, its bar leaning against the wall. He’ll put it up after bringing Judy in here, otherwise he’d be tripping over it. Glancing around the room, a wide smile spread across his muzzle as he pictured him and Judy working out together in here. Or maybe, now that he had someone to play for, he’d get back into his music.

With one last look around the room, Nick made his way to the kitchen. After wiping off the counters and the table of the little bit of dust that had accumulated in the last month and a half, he picked up the cereal boxes and set them on the table, then pulled out two bowls and two spoons and set them out. Next thing he did was run through the house resetting all the clocks.

Knowing Judy should be finishing soon, he grabbed a can of dusting spray from the hall closet and a rag, then entered her room and sprayed her dresser and desk before wiping them off. Leaving them with a nice shine, he exited the room and turned right. Hearing the water turn off, he hurried into the large open room that took up the whole rest of the second floor, with its three large windows that looked out over the front yard and towards the heart of the city.

Hurrying along, he sprayed and dusted the many shelves within the room, and then the large, black object that was the centerpiece of the room, which sat in front of the large central window. Glancing around the room, satisfied with his work, he then walked down the hall to his room and dusted in there, too. After throwing the dust rag in his hamper, he returned the can to the downstairs closet and was just making his way back up the stairs when he heard Judy calling to him.

“Okay, Nick, I’m done, but I need help with my pants again.”

With ears pricked forward, he took the stairs two at a time. Stopping at the bathroom door directly at the top of the stairs, Nick rapped a catchy tune, then opened the door. “You called, Sweetheart?”

Judy grinned at him from where she sat on the toilet seat lid. “You know I did,” she replied while handing him her sweatpants. She’d already taken off the plastic and was ready for Nick’s help. As Nick crouched down in front of her, she felt grateful he’d thought to buy her longer shirts, allowing her to keep at least a little of her modesty.

Once her pants were on, Nick stood up and asked, “Are you ready for some breakfast?”

“You know I am,” Judy answered as he picked her up, a wide grin spreading across her furry cheeks.

Carrying her downstairs, Nick watched her expression as he entered the kitchen that stood opposite of the living room. Her mouth formed a cute little “O” and her eyes grew big as saucers. Where the living room had a rustic cabin look, the kitchen was more modern and elegant. The countertops were black granite that sparkled with flecks of vibrant purple, deep ocean blue, and rich forest green. The cabinets were all black walnut with a stone backsplash of light tan tiles to break up the dark counters and cupboards. The floor was covered in stone tiles of varying shades of lighter brown and tan, with the appliances being shiny and black.

“This is your kitchen?” At Nick’s smug grin, she exclaimed, “But it must have cost a fortune!”

“Oh, it did, believe me.” At Judy’s questioning look, he explained, “Honey’s husband was an architect and built this whole house for her. She let him design the living room and the spare room back by the bathroom, which is why they have that rustic look. But the kitchen and dining room were hers and she wanted . . . hmm. How did she put it?” Nick paused in thought, then said, “That’s right, Honey wanted these two rooms to have elegance and poise.”

“Well, she succeeded.” Judy couldn’t get enough of the beautiful kitchen or large dining room as Nick sat her down at the large, antique mahogany table. Across the room from her sat a matching antique mahogany china hutch. There was a medium sized window on the left side of the room and a large window hiding behind a long curtain at the very back and center of the room.

“She did, didn’t she?” Nick asked while looking back at the kitchen and remembering the many times he’d seen Honey cooking away in there. “It’s actually kinda funny, really. If you had known her, you never would have guessed she was into this elegant sort of stuff. She had a wild side and was a bit of a thrill seeker, especially after she retired.” With a wide grin spreading across his face, Nick added, “Wait till you see what she left me in the garage.”

“Wait, you have a garage, too!”

Grabbing the almond milk from the fridge, Nick answered, “Yeah. It’s a detached garage, there in the back.” Seeing Judy open her mouth to demand he show her, Nick held up a finger, forestalling her. “Before you ask, yes, I will show you. But first—breakfast.” He pointed to the empty bowl sitting before her and the two boxes of cereal.

“Oh, right, food,” she murmured. Looking over the selection, she grabbed the shredded wheat and shook out just under half a bowl full. Next, she opened the oat clusters up and mixed them in with the shredded wheat. After pouring almond milk over the cereal, she dug her spoon in and looked up to see Nick’s quizzical expression. “What? It’s good this way. The shredded wheat gives me the fiber I need, and the oat clusters give it a better flavor.”

“If you say so,” Nick replied before fixing his own bowl.

With a bright smile, she added, “You should try it.” At Nick’s raised eyebrow, she pressed, “Really. It’s good and gives you a more balanced breakfast.”

Looking down at his bowl of oat clusters and almonds, Nick considered Judy’s suggestion. He could use more fiber in his diet, and she was giving him the cutest expression. Not quite pleading, but close. It was cuteness overload, so how could he say no? “Fine, I will try it,” he said, picking up the other cereal and adding some to his bowl.

With a wide grin, Judy dug into her cereal and they ate in silence for several minutes, but then she couldn’t hold back her questions. “So what did Honey do? Was it her husband’s money that paid for this house, or did she help?”

“Hmm? Oh, Daphyd was quite a bit younger than Honey and was just starting out his career when he and their son died, so he was only able to offer his expertise and labor. Honey had a very successful career and married late in life, so it was her money that paid for the house. She graduated high school early and went into mechanical and electrical engineering. She had a bachelor’s in both and attended a lot of seminars for all the technological advances that came out, along with all the interesting gadgets her colleagues were inventing—and showing off her own.”

Remembering all the interesting stories Honey told him, he continued, “She eventually landed some lucrative military contracts, and later some city and federal contracts. I think the current gear for the bomb squad and S.W.A.T team are her creations. She also improved some of the functions in the climate control wall.”

“Wow. So what did she do after she retired?”

“Tinkered. A lot.” With a grin, he remembered watching Honey modifying this and tinkering with that. “My toys out in the garage are all products of her tinkering.” Meeting Judy’s curious gaze, he added, “And once you see them, you’ll be able to guess some of her wilder, thrill seeking ventures.”

“Well, let’s go. I’m done eating.” Judy was nearly vibrating with excitement.

Nick chuckled as he pointed his spoon at her, “Well, I’m not. And besides, I still have to show you the rest of the house before we head outside. I think you’ll be even more impressed with the upstairs.”

“Really!? What’s up there besides the bedrooms?”

Nick merely grinned. “Half the solution to your dreaded boredom.” With a twinkle in his emerald eyes, he leaned over and said, “The room down the hall from the living room holds the other half of your boredom solution.”

Judy clapped her paws together, her eyes sparkling with curiosity and excitement. “Hurry up, slowpoke! Daylight is burning and I can’t wait to see the rest of the house!”

Grinning smugly at the excited ball-of-cuteness, Nick quickly finished off his last few bites, then picked up his bowl and drank the milk. Standing up once he’d finished, he grabbed her bowl and added it to his own before carrying them to the sink and rinsing them off. After setting them aside, he returned for Judy. He couldn’t wait to show her all the things he had in store for her.

Chapter Text

Carrying Judy past the living room, Nick showed her the study where his computer and printer were, then headed towards the bathroom. Entering the door directly to its right, he glanced down at his Honeybun. With his sly grin grew bigger, he watched her eyes pop as they landed on the large exercise machine. “I know that machine is too big for you, but I do have some things here you can use.”

Setting Judy down on the exercise bench, he handed her the adjustable dumbbells and the exercise band. Leaving her to ogle them, he moved to the corner and picked up the small punching bag and stuck it between the doorframe at Judy’s height. Turning back to his cute, little honeybun, he said, “Ta-da! How’s this for burning off some of that excess bunny energy?”

Looking up from the weights she’d already started lifting (2-pawed), Judy gasped in excitement at seeing the punching bag. Quickly setting the dumbbell down, she clapped her paws and exclaimed, “Ni-ick! This is perfect! Where’d you find it?”

“At the thrift store last night when I was picking up your clothes. I knew you couldn’t sit still while your leg healed, so I asked myself, ‘What would a strong Energized Bunny do to keep herself busy?’” He moved the chair from in front of his music synthesizer over to the punching bag.

“The answer, of course, was exercise. That tight, little body of yours could only be the product of intensive training. And being the bunny that you are, I knew you’d never be able to give up exercising for two or three weeks while your leg healed. Your legs might not be much use at the moment, but that doesn’t mean you can’t exercise your upper body, right?” With a smug grin on his face, Nick walked back over to her.

Giggling at being called the Energized Bunny, she slugged his arm lightly. “Nick, how do you do it?” she asked, her voice and expression filled with curiosity.

“Do what?” he asked as he picked her up and sat her in the chair.

Reaching out, Judy ran her paw over the faux-leather punching bag, then turned to watch Nick again. She wanted to see his expression when he gave his answer. “Think of everything. Does it come naturally, or did you train to think of everything? Not just now, but you also had everything ready for your hustles. I’m curious. Is it a fox thing? Or extensive training? And if you trained, what kind of training?”

Nick didn’t answer right away as he looked over her head and scratched under his chin. Instead of brushing her off as was his habit when asked such a personal question, he wanted to give Judy an honest answer. “Well, I guess you could say I was sort of trained when I was a kid.” At Judy’s expectant gaze, he continued. “My dad was a tailor and made clothes for mammals of all types, though it was mostly the medium and smaller predators that would come to him—no one else would trust a fox to make their clothes.”

A slight frown crossed his muzzle, but then he pushed the dark memory aside and focused on her question. “Anyway, he made expensive suits and dresses for well-to-do mammals, but he catered to mammals of the lower-class by selling his clothes much cheaper to those who were struggling to get by. He wanted them to have at least one good suit that they could wear to an interview and hopefully get a decent paying job.”

Remembering the lessons his dad had taught him, he continued, “I think I was five or six at the time, and he had brought me and my twin brother to the shop to show us around.” Glancing down to Judy, he explained, “He wanted to teach us the trade. He hoped we’d be able to take it over when we got older.”

“But you didn’t,” Judy whispered, afraid she knew the answer. He was eight or nine when the Junior Ranger Scouts happened, and it was his mom who scraped up the money for his uniform.

Nick’s ears flattened back and a dark, brooding look entered his emerald eyes. “I wasn’t given a chance.”

Judy nodded and swallowed the questions that sat on the tip of her tongue. Now obviously wasn’t the time to ask about his dad. Going back to her original question, she asked, “And the lesson he taught you?”

Nick shook the depressing memories away and answered, “So he brings us into the shop and shows us all the materials he has, from the real expensive dry-clean only, to the cheap cotton fabrics. After showing us the various fabrics, he says, ‘Nicholas, Demetri, when you make a suit for someone, you have to picture what colors compliment their fur. Once you’ve decided on a few colors, then you have to ask yourself what kind of fabrics they would look good in. But not only do you have to decide what fabrics they look good in, but what kind of fabrics will they be able to take care of. A dry-clean-only suit will be fine for someone with money, but Joe down the street won’t be able to afford the cleaning bill. You need to think beyond the store, about what will happen to the suit once the mammal gets it home.’”

Judy just sat staring. Nick learned that lesson when he was five! And it stuck with him all these years! She could see how he’d taken that simple lesson and fitted it to everything he did. “Wow, Nick. That’s impressive. I can see your dad’s tailoring lesson really stuck.”

Nick’s sly smile returned, and he replied, “Of course, it’s a life lesson that’s served me well. Do you know how many times it helped me with my hustles?”

“Well, I’m sure it made you a step up from your average hustler.” With a bright smile, she continued, “Well, I know of one person who it’s helped a lot.” Pointing to herself, Judy said, “Me.” Nick tilted his head in question, and she explained, “Not only do I have new clothes, a place to stay, and something to keep me from going stir-crazy the next couple of weeks, but because of your analytical thinking we’re both here today.”

“Well, I did have this big old house just sitting here collecting dust.”

Judy softly shook her head, “I’m not talking about the house.” Nick raised his eyebrow in question. “I’m talking about our encounter with Bellwether. If you hadn’t thought ahead to what would happen if she caught us and so switched the serum, I would be an unrecognizable piece of bloody meat right now and you’d be muzzled and in a cage.”

Nick’s ears disappeared behind his head and his smile vanished, to be replaced with a frown. “Carrots, there’s no way I could sit back and do nothing when there was a strong possibility I’d be forced to hurt you.”

“I know, Nick, that’s why I’m so happy it’s you I met that first day on the job.” Standing up, she tried to hop one-legged over to hug him, but Nick beat her to it. As she wrapped her arms around his waist and felt his arms around her back, followed by his tail around her legs, Judy murmured into his stomach, “You’re amazing, Nick.” She gave a soft laugh and added, “I’ll probably never hear the end of it, but you really are amazing, Slick.” Rubbing her cheek into Nick’s shirt and feeling his fluffy fur and hard muscles beneath, Judy sighed in contentment.

Nick felt tears sting his eyes and felt one slide down his cheek. Bunny, what are you doing to me? Nick wondered. Tightening his arms around her for a moment longer, he then reached down and picked Judy up for a real hug. Bringing her up, he buried his head in her shoulder and muttered, “You’re quite amazing yourself, Carrots. You got this jaded hustler to cry.”

Judy chuckled and wrapped her arms around his head. “Hmm, but you’re my jaded hustler now.”

Nick laughed and squeezed her tighter. “You know, this grand tour was supposed to be a happy event, not a bawl-your-eyes-out session.”

Judy giggled. “You’re the only one bawling, here.” Rubbing her cheek against the top of his head while holding him a bit tighter, she added, “You foxes—so emotional.”

Laughing again, Nick lifted his head and flashed her a real smile, his happiness unable to be contained. “Are you ready to finish the grand tour. We still have the rest of the upstairs to view and then the garage.”

“Hmm, I can’t wait to see what secrets you’re hiding up there.”

With a smile bright enough to blind him, Judy giggled, and Nick replied, “Oh, there’s quite a few.” With a thoughtful expression, he tilted his head slightly and said, “There’s three big ones I think you’ll find of interest.”

Squeezing his neck slightly, Judy squealed softly. “Come on, I can’t wait to see them.”

Nick simply nodded, and after removing the punching bag and setting it back in the corner, he carried her out into the hall. Pointing out the hall closet directly across from the exercise room, he then pointed to the smaller door under the stairs, saying, “And that’s the door to the basement.”

“You have a basement, too!?” For a house in the city, Judy couldn’t believe all the rooms Nick had.

“Well, it’s more of a bunker, really. Remember, Honey had worked for the military and was always building and tinkering with stuff, which she did most of down in the basement. There’s a large door out back, where she could bring out her larger projects.”

Judy bounced in his arms and asked, “When do I get to see it?”

“In a day or two. I haven’t been down there in years, so I’m sure the spiders have taken up residence by now.”

A slight frown crossed her face—she hated to wait—then brightened when they topped the stairs and they turned to the right.

Nick stepped into his bedroom and said, “I’m sure you were wondering, so here’s my room.”

Judy looked around and saw that the log cabin theme continued in here, but then felt a little surprised there weren’t dirty clothes or anything messing up the place. But then again, he did have an eye for detail and didn’t seem to like a mess any more than she did. His pine-log bed was to their left and sat at the back of the room with a nightstand (that doubled as a bookshelf) to either side, and his dresser stood at the foot of the bed. It was a strange place to have a dresser, but it seemed to fit the rustic room. The large closet took up the whole opposite side of the room from the bed, covered by two pine wood doors that gave the room a nice accent.

A medium-sized window was to the right of the bed and what looked like a large window that seemed to match the one in her room. Why were there such big windows in the bedrooms? “What’s that large window for?” she asked, pointing to it.

“That, my curious little bunny, will be answered in a little bit. But for now, on to the main room.” Spinning around, Nick carried her back down the hall. The stairs were centrally located in the house and had a walkway to either side of it, which gave the hallway an open feeling. The pinewood railing continued the rustic theme and led towards the front of the house.

Judy blinked her eyes, trying to see what was so special about the room they entered, but with the heavy curtains blocking the windows, she couldn’t make anything out.

Walking around the end of the railing, Nick set Judy down on the couch pressed up against the end railing that protected the backend of the stairwell, and then turned to open the large, sapphire-blue curtains that covered the central window. As the bright, morning light revealed the shiny, black object sitting in front of it, Judy gasped, and Nick merely grinned smugly at her.

“Nick! You have a piano! Do you play or was that Honey?”

With him radiating smugness, Nick replied, “Did Honey, the mechanical maniac, ever play the piano? No, no she did not.”

Judy squealed in excitement and demanded, “Play something for me!”

Nick moved around the piano and pulled out the bench then sat down. He didn’t immediately open the lid, though, but ran a few finger-pads over the slick, ebony surface. Glancing back over his shoulder, he explained, “I haven’t played in years, and it was never really my thing, but my mom made sure we all knew how to play the classics.”

“We...all?” she asked hesitantly. She wasn’t sure which question might close him up again.

Nick merely nodded, then returned his gaze to the piano and ran his paw-pads back over the ebony lid. “Me, my brother, Demetri, and our older sister, Anya.”

Judy was happy to hear about Nick’s siblings but remained quiet as she watched Nick reminisce the past. The memories seemed to be bittersweet and she didn’t want to interrupt if Nick decided to reveal more of his past.

Taking a deep breath, Nick opened the lid and plunked a single key, the sound reverberating through the silence. He hit another random key and said, “My mom was talented enough that she could’ve played in any orchestra she wanted to—if not for one thing.” Nick hit several more keys, this time bringing out a more melancholy sound.

Judy waited for him to continue, but he just kept plunking out the same melancholy tune. Judy feared she knew the answer but asked anyway. “And that being?”

Nick gave a short, bitter bark of a laugh and glanced over at her. Wiggling his ears and then his bushy tail, he asked, “Do you really need to ask?”

Judy’s ears dropped to her back and she whispered, “Because she was fox.” It was a sad statement, and she felt her heart break for her fox and his mother. No matter what they tried, society just beat them down, never giving them a chance. What’s worse, she treated Nick no differently when they first met.

“All because she was a filthy, lying fox.” The last word came out as a sneer. “They even told her as much.”

At Judy’s questioning gaze, he explained, “My mom went to every concert hosted by the big orchestra companies looking to recruit new members. They all met with her after her performances, sang praises to her music, and congratulated her on how she was able to bring out the heart and soul of each piece, but each one said that, due to her species, they couldn’t accept her as a member of their respective orchestras. They didn’t want to tarnish their image by taking in a fox.”

Turning back to the ebony and ivory before him, Nick lifted his other paw and placed his fingers on the keys, then played a nameless tune while he refamiliarized himself with the ebony and ivory keys. Once sure he wouldn’t be making any monumental mistakes, he began playing “Cold”. It was a song he’d found on EweTube that really resonated with him. Closing his eyes as the music washed over him, he whispered, “She doesn’t play anymore.”

Judy sucked in a breath. He said it with such finality that she feared his mother was no longer around. “Is she . . . did she . . . ?”

Nick glanced sideways and met her gaze with a wry smile, his nimble fingers never missing a key. “Is she dead?” At Judy’s pained nod, he shook his head. “No, fortunately, but it was really close there for a while.”

Judy tilted her head, wanting so much to ask what happened but afraid it’d be too much for him. And as the sad song continued to play, the notes hanging in the air and filling the house with their somber tune, she felt her heart break all over again.

Nick met Judy’s watery gaze for a moment longer, then turned his attention back to the piano. He knew she wanted to hear the story but was holding back her question out of respect for him. Thinking about her made his heart swell with warmth. Judy wasn’t known for her patience. She didn’t like to wait, she didn’t like to be held back, and she didn’t like not knowing—and yet for him, she would. She would wait however long it took for him to talk. A small smile found its way onto his face.

As he continued playing, he closed his eyes and thought back to when he was a teen. “I left home shortly after my 12th birthday.” His words were laced with pain, but he continued. “Let’s just say that birthday was, and is, the worst one of my life.” The last note of the song hung in the air for a moment, and then he began playing “Rain,” another EweTube song he found.

“My mom could hardly pay the rent and utilities without having a third mouth to feed, so I ran away. I didn’t want to be a burden and that house now had way too many memories—I was having vivid nightmares just about every night and would wakeup gasping and trembling.” He took a deep breath and pushed the memories back down as he focused on the pertinent ones. “Living on the streets was hard. I never knew where my next meal was coming from and most nights I went to bed hungry—and cold.”

Thinking about his statement to Judy at their third meeting, he barked out a laugh and said over his shoulder, “I hope you didn’t honestly believe me when I said that I made $200 a day since I was 12, ‘cause that was a bald-faced lie.” Not hearing a witty response in reply, he glanced over at her. His fingers froze on the piano keys as he met her beautiful amethyst pools. She was crying, the tracks of her tears leaving dark streaks down her furry cheeks and soaking her shirt. His ears dropped back flat against his head. He should’ve known better. Standing up, he walked over and crouched down in front of her, the salty scent of her tears hitting him in the face and causing his nose to twitch briefly.

“Ni-ick!” she sobbed while wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. Burying her face in the scruffy fur of his throat, another sob wracked her small body.

Nick wrapped his arms around her and began petting her ears with one paw and softly rubbing her back with the other. She continued sobbing into his neck, soaking his fur, but he didn’t mind. After several moments, he murmured softly. “You know it gets worse before it gets better, right?”

She nodded into his fur but didn’t say anything. From his words, she knew he’d lost his twin just before or on his 12th birthday, and then to be forced to live off the street because his mom couldn’t make enough to feed him—that no one was willing to pay her what she was worth all because she was born the wrong species! It was wrong! So, so wrong! No kit should be forced on the street just because of his species. With another whimper, she squeezed him tighter.

“Do you want me to continue?” At her nod, he picked her up.

She immediately wrapped her legs around his waist and completely ignored the pain that shot through her leg at the unfair treatment.

Nick carried her back to the piano, saying, “I don’t think I can finish if I’m not playing.” Another nod as he sat down, but she refused to loosen her hold so he could set her on the bench beside him. “You’re going to cling to me while I play?”

“Yes,” she breathed into his neck, then clarified, “You can play with your eyes closed so why can’t you play with me in your lap?”

With a soft laugh, he wrapped his tail around her and began playing “Broken Hearts”. “So where was I? Oh, right,” he said as his fingers continued dancing across the keys and evoking the sad notes. “I lived alone on the streets, cold and hungry, for about ten months, I think. It was shortly before my 13th birthday when I met Honey and she took me in.”

He paused at the bitter memory. “If she hadn’t come along when she did, if she’d been 10 minutes earlier or 10 minutes later, or if she had just ignored the violence taking place down the alley, I would have been a dead fox kit lying in the gutter, another statistic of street violence and another cold case file—if anyone even bothered to report my death.” He paused for a heartbeat, then added bitterly, “Which being a homeless fox kit, wasn’t likely.”

At his silence, the piano music the only sound heard, she asked, “What . . . why . . .” She took a deep breath, and finished, “Did a . . . hustle go wrong?”

Nick shook his head. “It was late in the evening and I was simply trying to find the least cold section of the alleyway to curl up and sleep for the night while wondering if I’d make enough to eat the next day.”

Judy waited for him to continue, but when he remained silent, she pushed herself back a little so she could look at him, her brows scrunched up, puzzled. “So why . . . ?”

Nick let out another bitter laugh. “Because I was a fox. Because they didn’t like my smell. Because they didn’t like the way I dressed. They said my fur was a hideous color and needed more red in it.”

“No!” Judy cried, then pressed her nose against the surprised fox’s. “You don’t smell! And I love your fur color.”

Nick’s fingers froze on the piano keys, then his ears perked up and his eyes widened, before laughing a happy laugh. “Well, I’m glad to know you like my smell. Most mammals don’t like fox musk.”

Judy tilted her head sideways in thought, then said, “Well, I didn’t particularly like it when we first met, and I can’t say I’m fond of any other fox’s scent, but I really like your smell now.” With a bright smile, she added, “I guess you could say it’s grown on me.”

Chapter Text

Reaching forward, she rubbed her cheek against his and breathed in his foxy musk. “Hmm, Nick’s foxy smell with a hint of violets.” Burying her nose into the thick fur below his ears, she took a deep breath and hummed happily. “I know I’m safe when your scent is in my nose.”

It took Nick a moment to process what she’d said, but once he did, he wrapped his arms tightly around her and buried his own nose in the fur of her neck. “What a coincidence, your smell has grown on me, too.”

He paused a moment, then laughed again, before raising his head to look down at her. “Which is quite impressive, considering that before our mad otter chase, I felt myself lucky if I could go a whole week without running into one of you paranoid bunnies.”

Raising his hands to gesture, Nick elaborated, “You guys are always so quick to accuse and lay blame on one us foxes for things we never even thought of doing. We don’t even have to look at one of you, just in your general direction, and ‘Oh, the fox is going rob me!’” Nick clasped his paws over his heart and acted frightened, even as he changed his voice to a mock rabbit one. “Help, police, he’s going attack me! Aah, he smiled and showed the tips of his fangs—he’s going to eat me! Help! Someone, please, help me! Oh, woe is me, I forgot my taser! I’m going to die!’”

He looked down at the bunny in his lap who was staring at him with a look between amusement and irritation. “What? Am I wrong? Are the bunnies different in Bunnyburrow, because, Scout’s Honor,” and he held up his paw in the Junior Ranger Scout’s honesty sign, “that’s exactly how they act here in the city.”

Judy raised a finger and opened her mouth to refute the claim when the bag full of fox-away items her dad tried pushing on her, along with the fox spray she’d carried around the whole time they were together three months ago, flashed through her mind. Dropping her hand without saying a word, she moaned and dropped her head forward to land against his chest. “No,” she moaned. “They’re not any different. You should have seen the bag of fox-away products my dad tried to foist on me when leaving for the city. I only took the fox spray to shut him up.” Taking a deep breath, she continued, “I should have thrown it into the first trash bin I came to once I arrived in the city.”

“So why didn’t you?” When Judy didn’t immediately answer, he continued, “That was something that really bothered me, and one of the main reasons I was such a jerk when you confronted me that first day. You acted all sweet and innocent, and yet was carrying around a product specifically designed to cause large amounts of pain to me and my species.”

Taking a deep breath, Nick continued, “After hearing Bogo tear you down and I realized you had no support from your coworkers, I thought, Okay, she’s fresh off the farm and has no one else to rely on, I’ll let it slide. But even after we worked so well together and we found all the missing mammals, you still went home, showered, changed, had a nice sleep, and showed up at the press conference wearing it. I had proven to you that foxes could be trustworthy, and I was the only fox you were hanging around, so did you think you still might need to use it on me?”

Judy could hear the hurt in Nick’s voice, and she cringed. Lifting her head from his chest, she glanced at him and took a deep breath. “I . . . I admit that when I first saw you in the ice cream shop that I thought I might need to . . . threaten you with it. But after meeting you, and even after you left me in wet cement, I’d already come to the conclusion that you weren’t someone I’d ever need to use it on. Yes, you hustled people out of their money, you even hustled me and verbally tried to tear me down, but even then, you never struck me as the senseless-violence type.”

Nick flicked his ears back briefly as he still didn’t see why she thought she needed to wear it. “So why . . . ?”

Judy took another deep breath and rubbed her paws together. “You were attacked by prey and emotionally scarred when you were 9, right?” At Nick’s confused nod, she continued, “Well, when I was 9, I also had a scarring experience by a predator, a . . . a red fox. And it wasn’t just emotional.”

The confusion drained from Nick’s face, to be replaced with guilt and anguish. His cute, little honeybun had been attacked by a fox! When she was only nine! Nick rubbed his paws over his face. “I’m so sorry, Judy, I didn’t know. I shouldn’t have . . .”

Judy touched his arm. “It’s okay, Nick. You couldn’t have known, and I should never have let it affect me so badly. He was a jerk. I knew a lot of rabbits who were jerks. I thought I’d gotten over it and moved on. I knew not all foxes had to be jerks, and yet I was still, I guess, carrying it around, subconsciously afraid of running into another ‘Gideon Grey.’ Which is completely ridiculous,” she said while waving her paws out to either side of her. “I mean, I knocked out a rhino in the ring back at the academy. If I ever met another ‘Gideon Grey’ I could just beat him to the ground, cuff him, and haul him to jail. I wouldn’t even need fox spray to do it!”

She was practically panting now, she was so angry at herself while thinking about how her unresolved fear of Gideon nearly destroyed her friendship with Nick.

Nick watched her little tirade, then slid his paws up behind her ears and gently massaged her head as he dropped his forehead to rest against hers. Taking a deep breath, he murmured, “We were both in the wrong and let the past dictate too much of our future. Do you forgive me?”

Nodding enthusiastically, she said, “Absolutely. Do you forgive me?”

“100 percent.” Rubbing his forehead against hers for a moment, he then lifted his head and asked, “So what exactly did Gideon do to you? You said that he didn’t just scar you emotionally.”

“Well, we were at the Carrots Day festival and he’d just stolen my friends’ tickets, so me being me, I stood up to him and demanded them back. He thought it was funny that a rabbit was standing up to him, a predator, and so shoved me to the ground. I kicked him in the face and so he, um . . .” Lifting her paw, she brushed the fur aside that hid her scars.

Nick gulped. In the brilliant light streaming in through the window beside them, there was no mistaking the slightly raised, white lines that ran across Judy’s cheek. “He clawed you! In the face!” At her nod, Nick said, “So at the press conference, when I bared my teeth and claws . . .”

Judy nodded. “Yeah, you took on almost the exact same stance Gideon did right before he—” Judy swiped her paw at Nick’s cheek.

Nick’s expression turned even guiltier and he tipped his head back to stare at the ceiling before running his paws down his face again. “I was such a jerk.”

“Hmm, yeah, well, so was I, and so was Gideon. But he sincerely apologized when I was home, and I forgave him. And you forgave me, and I forgave you. So, we’re all good now and it’s all water under the bridge.” She grinned brightly with her buck teeth on full display.

Nick met her radiant smile and had to sigh. “You really forgave him—just like that?”

“Hmm, yep. He’s a completely changed mammal. Soft spoken and very apologetic. I think he was a little scared of my reaction to meeting him after what he did to me as a kit.” Judy looked up as she thought of her meeting with Gideon, then returned her gaze to Nick’s skeptical one. “Anyway, he works with my parents now, can you believe it? My paranoid parents working with a fox. Ooh, and my dad says he’s the best baker in the tri-burrows area. I bet he makes a mean blueberry pie.” With a wide grin she added, “We should stop by and get one when we visit my family.”

Nick raised an eyebrow and asked, “We visit?”

“Oh, right, I was talking to my mom this morning, and we discussed the possibility of them coming down this weekend for a short visit and then maybe we visit them once my leg heals enough to walk on it.”

She looked up at him with so much hope shining in her eyes, that Nick really didn’t have the heart to tell her no. But before he could speak up and agree to her request, she suddenly sat up straighter and waved her hands in front of her in a ‘hold on,’ motion. Closing his mouth, he waited for her to speak.

“We can discuss my parents’ visit later. Right now, I want to hear about your mother. You never explained what happened to her.”

Her nose was twitching so cutely, and her big, amethyst eyes were looking at him so expectantly that for a minute Nick’s brain short-circuited. Blinking the brain fog away, he asked, “You really want to hear the rest of the story? Right now? What about the rest of your tour?”

“Story first, then tour.”

She was looking at him so hopefully, her sole focus riveted on him. Taking a deep breath, Nick looked behind her to the piano, then down at the bunny in his lap. Closing the lid, he stood up and turned back to the couch.

“No, Nick,” Judy pouted, afraid Nick wasn’t going to tell the story after all.

“Don’t worry, I’ll tell you.”

“But I thought you needed to play to talk.”

Nick grinned down at her as he plopped down on the couch. “I found something better to do with my paws.” And to prove his point, he began lightly drawing designs on her back with his claws.

Judy’s ears stood straight up and pointed toward him as her eyes widened, then closed as she hummed into the pleasurable touch. “Hmm, that feels really good, Nick.”

With a smug grin she didn’t see, he replied, “I’m glad you like it because I’m enjoying myself, too.”

Judy found it hard to focus on anything but his touch, but she forced herself to open her eyes and meet his smug gaze. “Your mother?”

Keeping one hand on her back, he brought the other up to rub his chin. “Okay, so where was I?”

“You were getting beat to death when Honey saved you.”

“Right, so, Honey shows up and chases those specist bastards off and would have called an ambulance, but I utterly refused to be seen by a paramedic or taken to the hospital. I’d seen firsthand their gross neglect and uncaring attitude when it comes to foxes. I wasn’t going to let them rough me up, then sit me in some corner to bleed to death before seeing me. Uh-ah. Not happening. The hypocritic oath means nothing to them when a fox is dying in front of them.”

Judy’s ears dropped and she felt her eyes well back up with tears when she thought of Nick’s two missing family members. Reaching up hesitantly, she gently stroked his cheek but said nothing.

Nick gave her a grateful smile and continued, “So anyway, Honey takes me home and calls a couple of her medical friends and they come over and patch me up. I was bedridden for two months, but Honey didn’t waste that time and gave me bookwork to keep me busy.”

“Bookwork?”

“She found out I was failing in school due to bullying, having my assignments stolen, my books ripped, and accused of cheating when I aced my tests, not to mention having dropped out completely once I ran away from home. Honey listened to my sob-story and immediately enrolled me in an online homeschool program and took it upon herself to homeschool me. I was reluctant at first, fearing she was going to expect something in return.”

Nick waved a hand in the air as he explained, “If there was anything I’d learned in my short life, it was that nothing was free, and everything came with a price—a lot of times the price was too much to pay.”

“Did she tell you why she took you in, a complete stranger?”

“Once I asked her, she explained how her husband and son died and that I was about the same age her son would’ve been had he survived. She said that if it had been her and Daphyd that died and her son had survived, that she hoped that someone would’ve had the heart to take him in and treat him as their own—and so that’s what she did for me. She had just retired and had lots of time to devote to finish raising an angry, jaded fox kit.”

Nick smiled at the memory, remembering the patience Honey showed him when he wasn’t the easiest teenager to deal with. “She never gave up on me and told me to prove them wrong—that I wasn’t some ignorant pelt, but that I was not only smart enough to keep up with them, but that I could beat them—academically, of course.” Nick smiled again at the memory. “And I did. I showed them up and graduated when I was 16.”

Judy’s jaw dropped. “You what!?”

Nick showed her the smuggest grin she’d ever seen and said, “You heard me. Even if I didn’t show it, I always paid attention in school and I retain over 90% of the things I see, read, or hear, so getting me caught up in my studies was easy. And with so much time and no negative distractions I blew through my assignments. I even took some college classes that were offered to seniors.”

Judy could only stare in wonder. She knew Nick was intelligent, but this was beyond anything she could’ve imagined. “Wow, Nick, I’m feeling really stupid now, remembering how I called you an articulate fella.”

Nick chuckled. “You have no idea how accurate that description is, though.” At Judy’s head tilt of confusion, he explained, “I’ve always had a way with words, both written and spoken, but especially the spoken.”

Meeting her focused amethyst gaze, he explained, “This is very important, because my mom got sick just after my 15th birthday. A real nasty canine virus that had a high death rate. She was hospitalized, and at first, she was getting the proper medical treatment—which was shocking to me at the time, but I think it had to do with Honey coming with me to visit her that convinced the doctors to treat my mom right. Everyone knew she had connections with both the military and the government, so no one wanted to catch her ire.” Nick gave a bitter laugh.

“But that changed, didn’t it?”

“Oh, yeah, did it change.” He paused in thought, then continued, “She was in there for almost five months—it took that long to fully overcome the virus and began recovering from the damage it inflicted—which meant a lot of medical bills, which meant I was still hustling, even while working on my high school diploma.” Meeting her stunned gaze, he said, “My mom couldn’t work, and my sister, who was a senior at the time, wasn’t making enough to hardly feed herself, so all my hustling money went to pay for mom’s medical expenses. Any leftover over money I gave to Anya.”

“You didn’t keep any for yourself?”

Nick shook his head. “I didn’t need to. Honey took care of all my needs, so everything I made went to my family.”

Judy nodded, her heart swelling for the fox in front of her. Even after all the bad stuff that happened, he still put his family first. Nick had to be one of the most unselfish mammals she’d ever met—regardless of what he said about himself.

Scratching his chin, Nick came back to the story. “So back to my mom.” Taking a deep breath and going back to drawing random shapes on Judy’s back with his claws, he continued. “Like I said, it took them five months to rid my mom of the virus and then began the process of healing from the wasting disease. She was making leaps and bounds at recovering her strength and stamina, but a few days before she was scheduled to be released, she started going downhill again. It made no sense, either. The virus was completely out of her system and she was doing great, and then she’s suddenly sick all over again.”

Tipping his head back against the couch cushions, he closed his eyes while remembering the events of that time. “I tried asking the doctors what was going on, but they gave me the runaround and acted . . . dodgy. As a hustler, I was already pretty good at reading people, so I knew they weren’t being honest with me. They knew what was wrong with my mom but weren’t admitting to it. So, I took it upon myself to find out what. While sneaking around, I overheard a couple of the doctors discussing a new drug they had began administering to my mom and a few other patients.”

Nick met Judy’s shocked gaze again. “Talk about a red flag. My mom shouldn’t have even be on any drugs at that point, so I had to find out what it was. It took a while, and I almost got caught a few times, but I managed to get the name. And guess what I found out when I poked it up online?”

“What?” Judy whispered while holding her breath.

“Nothing, nada, zilch. There wasn’t anything about the drug because it wasn’t on the market yet.”

Judy dug her blunt claws into Nick’s shirt as she squeezed the material in a death grip. “You mean . . . you mean they were testing the drug out on your . . . on your mom!”

“Bingo. My mom and quite a few other, lower-class patients.”

Judy didn’t have the words to describe what she was feeling. “That’s just . . . just . . .” Taking a deep breath, she asked, “What did you do?”

“I brought it up to Honey and she was livid, let me tell you.” With a humorless chuckle, he continued. “She was ready to take it to the police, but I talked her out of it. No one would believe the word of fox, a teenage one at that. And even if Honey convinced someone to look into it, you can bet the criminals would have destroyed the evidence before it could be collected.” With a wide smile, Nick said, “I convinced Honey to let me gather the evidence myself.”

“How’d you do that?” Judy was honestly curious and wanted to better understand how his mind worked.

“First, I scoured Daphyd’s old architect books and blueprints to better understand how buildings worked—their ventilation systems, electrical, stuff like that. Once I understood basic building structures, Honey was able to get me the blueprints for the hospital. After coming up with a plan of action she approved of, Honey supplied me with tiny cameras that recorded both visual and audio, and, with Finnick’s help—he was my hustling partner by then—we were able to set the cameras in all the patients’ rooms who were being experimented on, and even in the offices of the doctors involved. Finnick’s small size really came in handy then. The air ducts were a piece of cake for him to crawl through.”

Judy met Nick’s smug grin with one of her own. She wanted to ask more about Finnick, but didn’t want to get lost on another tangent, and so instead, she said, “Wow. That’s incredible.” His ability to easily find where the wolves took Mr. Manchas now made much more sense. “So you were able to get all the evidence you needed?”

“Yep. It took a couple of months to set everything up and get it all recorded, but once we had enough and the list of all the patients being experimented on, we sent all the recordings and the evidence we’d gathered, including a sample of the experimental drug they were testing, anonymously to the ZPD. The case blew up all over the news and the doctors are now serving twenty-five to fifty years in prison.”

Judy didn’t know how to respond. Talk about a landmine of information on the mammal known as Nicholas P. Wilde. With a smirk of her own crossing her lips, she asked, “So is this one of the secrets you thought I’d be interested in? That you’re some kind of unofficial secret agent?”

Nick’s ears perked up at the question, but then he laughed. “Not quite.”

“So what’s the secret? You still have two left to show me up here.”

“That’s right,”—reaching forward, he booped her twitching nose, making it stop—“it’s something I can show you.”

Chapter Text

Judy rubbed her nose after Nick booped it with his rough finger-pad. “So what else is up . . . here . . . ?” Judy’s eyes widened at the obvious.

Nick grinned as wonder spread across his honeybun’s face. “The other half of your boredom solution, of course.”

Now that Nick and the piano were no longer the focus of her attention, Judy finally took a good look around the room and realized the piano wasn’t the only thing of interest in here. There were also books. Hundreds of books. Heavy fat ones and small paperback ones. And the walls of the room were lined with them.

The bottom shelves were the tallest and held the largest, fattest books, with the shelves—and consequently the books—getting smaller the higher up the shelf went. Judy could only gape. Sure, they had a huge library back at home in Bunnyburrow, but that was because she had hundreds of siblings all contributing to the library over many years. But this library was the result of just a few mammals and was quite impressive for a family home to have here in the city.

“Wow, Nick, you own all these books?”

Nick just watched her with his smug smirk turning his lips up. “That is correct.” Pointing to the books on the right side of the room, he explained, “The books there in that section are all Honey’s old mechanical and electrical engineering books, along with her favorite science-y magazines, showcasing the latest gadgets and doodads, some of which I think you’ll find highly interesting. The books there under the windows are Daphyd’s old architect books and the blueprints for all the buildings he’s designed, helped construct, surveyed, or helped renovate. The books between the windows are all of Honey’s novels. She enjoyed the mystery/adventure books and I think you’ll enjoy them, as well.”

Judy’s interest was definitely peaked, but then her gaze wandered over to the other side of the room. “And the books there on the left?” she asked curiously, her amethyst gaze studying the books with a critical eye. Many large, fat books lined the shelves, most of which were hardbacks, and very few looked like easy reads.

“Those would be my books.” Sliding his hands down Judy’s back, to rest on her firm butt cheeks, Nick gave the barest squeeze as he stood up. He knew he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t help himself. She’d been sitting on him a good while now, with her legs straddling his thighs, and didn’t even seem aware of the intimacy the position evoked. Well, she did now, he thought with a smirk.

Judy ‘eeped’ at Nick’s light touch on her bum, then slugged him in the arm. “Nick! What do you think you’re doing?”

After standing, Nick moved his hands to a more appropriate position, and carried Judy over to the wall on their left. “What? With the position you were sitting on me—you were just begging to be squeezed.”

She slugged him again, bringing a laugh from him, even as she demanded, “That is not what I was doing, and you know it!” She poked him in the chest with her blunt claw to emphasize her point.

With another chuckle and an over-the-top smug grin, he asked, “Are you saying you didn’t enjoy it?”

Judy opened her mouth to deny it, but then froze for a second before snapping her mouth shut. Folding her arms across her chest, she glared over his shoulder at the far wall. She should be mad at Nick for copping-a-feel, and if it was anyone else, they’d be seriously hurting right now and eating a mouthful of dirt—or heading to the emergency room.

But this was Nick, and by-golly, she did enjoy it. Every single, cotton-pickin’ touch from him—she enjoyed them all. No matter where or how Nick touched her, she couldn’t be mad at him for taking advantage of her because, heaven help her, she wanted his touch. She was a bunny who craved the touch of a fox. Something had to be wrong with her head, or her instincts were playing tricks on her, or something. And to make matters worse—he knew it. The smug, cheeky fox holding her knew she enjoyed every touch he gave her. He knew she craved them. “Dumb fox,” she muttered under her breath.

Nick almost missed her irritated mutter, but his ears weren’t just for looks. With a smug chuckle, his smirk grew bigger knowing he’d gotten to her.

“Just wait, fox, I’ll get you back yet,” Judy hissed.

Nick’s tail wagged. “I look forward to it.” At Judy’s sharp look up, he met her glare and said, “But in the meantime, this is what I wanted to show you.” Turning sideways so Judy could see the wall without twisting around, he motioned with his muzzle to a framed certificate that hung on the wall with a few others.

Judy reached a paw out towards the one he indicated, then froze when she realized what the certificate was. It was diploma—a very prestigious diploma. “Is that . . . is that . . . a . . . a Law Degree?”

“Yes, yes, it is.”

Pointing with his nose at the next certificate, Judy scanned over it and whispered, “Is . . . that . . . is that . . . real? This is legit? You have an Attorney’s License?”

“Absolutely. 100 percent.” Judy turned back to him and gaped. With a light chuckle, Nick placed a gentle finger under her chin and closed her mouth before explaining, “I graduated high school a month into the police investigation on the full extent of the fraud and malpractice taking place. I knew that once the courts convicted the criminal doctors, that there would be a lawsuit to compensate the victims for their pain and suffering. I also knew that there wasn’t a lawyer alive, at least none that we could ever afford, that would represent my mom fairly, if at all.”

Nodding towards the Law Degree and License again, he said, “So I took it upon myself to become a lawyer and represent my mom fairly so I could ensure she wasn’t cheated or overlooked. Honey assured me the legal mess would take several years to sort out before they started compensating the victims and encouraged me to apply to law school. She even went in with me and made sure they didn’t deny me simply because of my species. You should have heard her threats should they deny me after I passed all their rigorous tests with flying colors.”

Nick closed his eyes and tilted his head to the side as he remembered the way Honey stood up for him and ensured he was given a fair chance. Opening his eyes again, he met Judy’s stunned amethysts and continued his story. “I think they assumed I’d flunk out within the first semester, but I showed everyone what a sly fox was capable of. Not only did I finish all four years, but was top of my class, and graduated as the second youngest attorney in Zootopia history, having turned 20 just five months prior.”

Judy could hear the pride in his voice and see it in his eyes. Squealing at his victory, she reached forward and hugged him tightly. “You really are amazing, Nick!” Laughing, she pulled back to meet his emerald gaze again. “And you were able to represent your mom?”

“I sure was. The lawsuit started several months before I graduated, so I told my sister to hold off and not accept any offers until I graduated. I also told her to spread the word that I’d represent any of the other victims, pro bono, if they didn’t mind having a fox for a lawyer. They didn’t.”

He paused a moment, then continued, “Most of the victims were like my mom, lower-class predators and underprivileged prey who had no way to pay the lawyer fees. The ones that offered to represent my mom with no upfront costs, wanted her to settle for the least amount of money the lawsuit allowed, and then they wanted 70-80 percent of that for their fee. Talk about highway robbery!”

Judy’s ears dropped to learn about how crooked the lawyers were and was glad Nick was able to step up and represent the victims. “And you won a better settlement?”

“You betch-ya. Including my mom, I represented 13 of the victims and they all got awarded the highest amounts from the settlement money. My mom is now retired and living peacefully in a little town outside the city. And I’ll tell ya, my mom has never lived better. I no longer have to worry about what’s to become of her.”

Judy hugged him again and rubbed her cheek against his, happy that something finally went right with his family. Pushing herself back she laughed again, and said, “Now I know how you were able to bend the laws until they screamed without actually breaking them.”

Nick chuckled himself and exclaimed, “Exactly!” With a smug grin spreading across his face and a mischievous sparkle shimmering in his emerald eyes, he added, “I did have a little extra help with that, though.”

“What do you mean?”

Nick indicated the last diploma hanging on the wall and Judy looked over to read it. “A Business Degree? You also have a business degree?”

“Yep. Although my mom no longer had medical bills to pay while the case was being investigated and the trial was drawn out, she and my sister still needed help getting by. Especially since it took several months for my mom to overcome the effects of that drug they’d pumped her full of. Needless to say, I was still hustling while going through law school. Not as much, obviously, since I didn’t have a lot of daylight hours to spend on it.”

Pausing in thought, Nick continued, “I tried to make the most money with the little bit of hustling me and Finnick were able to do, but several of our endeavors bombed horribly and I had to hide my face for several weeks till things cooled off.”

“So after you graduated Law School you decided to take a business course?”

“Au contraire, my cute, little friend”—Nick grinned at Judy’s glare—“while sitting over there,” he indicated a little alcove next to them that housed a desktop computer, “hiding my face from the world, I decided I needed to get more business savvy, so I poked up several colleges that had excellent business courses and signed up for a two-year on-line course.”

“Okay, Nicky, you . . . what . . . ? Completed a two-year business degree while you were in the middle of Law School?”

Grinning, Nick said, “Not quite. I finished a two-year business course during the last year-and-a-half of finishing my law degree.”

“Wait—you finished a two-year course in just a year and a half? All while excelling at a rigorous law degree?”

“That would be correct.” At her ‘But how’ look, he explained, “One whole semester was on business laws: infringement laws, liabilities, loopholes, stuff like that. I had just finished covering a whole year’s worth of business laws at law school, so I breezed through the whole semester’s worth of work in 2 weeks. I finished all the tests the beginning of the third week, then had to send my professors my transcript for law school so they couldn’t accuse me of cheating.” With a proud smile, he added, “I received my business diploma a month after graduating law school.”

Judy sat in his arms, stunned to realize just how brilliant her best friend was. Law School was a very demanding course, with over half the students flunking out by the end of the first year, with half of the remaining students dropping out halfway through the second year—and yet her best friend not only passed with flying colors but earned a business degree at the same time!

With pride and wonder in her warm gaze she hugged Nick tightly and laughed. “Oh, Nick, I’m so proud of you.” Drawing back, she nuzzled her nose against his, drawing a look of surprise from him. With a bright smile, she repeated, “I really am proud of you, Nick.”

At Nick’s wide-eyed gaze at her nose nuzzle, Judy laughed and buried her face in the side of his neck while hugging him tightly again.

Nick took a second to gather his thoughts again, then wrapped both arms around her lithe body and hugged her back while rubbing his muzzle against the back of her neck. “Thanks, Fluff. Not many mammals appreciate the effort those two degrees took.”

“Well, I do. I know it wasn’t easy, no matter how much you pretend otherwise.”

Nick chuckled, murmuring, “Sly bunny,” then decided to change the subject as he felt his emotions coming to the surface. “Okay, I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling hungry. What do you say to some lunch?”

“Hmm, lunch sounds great. I could also do with some water. We haven’t had anything to drink since breakfast.”

“Okay, I’ll drop you off in your bedroom so you can get a drink, and then I’ll run downstairs and make us some sandwiches. How does peanut butter sound? I got jelly and honey to go with it. Which would you prefer?”

“What kind of jelly is it?”

“Blueberry.”

“Of course,” Judy said while smacking her forehead. “What else? Why did I even I ask?”

“I don’t know, why did you?” Nick smirked back as they reached her room. Judy lightly slugged his arm, muttering, “Dumb fox,” and he laughed harder. Setting her on the bed, he handed her the water bottle and said, “You should elevate your leg while I make lunch. The doc said to keep it elevated and we haven’t done that once this morning.”

Judy’s ears drooped as she finished getting a drink. “Yeah, we haven’t, have we?” With her ears perking back up, she added, “But I’m really glad we had that talk. Thank you for telling me, Nick. I appreciate your trust.”

“For you, Fluff, anything.” Reaching over, he lightly ran a paw up her ear and smiled at her hum of pleasure. “Come on, let’s get your leg up.” Grabbing the closest pillow, he set it up against the headboard, then helped her get her legs on the bed. Reaching over for the second pillow, he lifted her injured leg and slid the pillow beneath it. “Are you comfortable?”

“Yeah, but I think it’s time for some more pain meds. My legs starting to hurt.”

Handing her the pills, he replied, “Well, I’m not surprised, seeing how tightly you had your legs wrapped around me earlier.”

Judy opened her mouth to argue, then a mischievous twinkle entered her eyes. “Is that you complaining?” Dropping her voice several octaves, she murmured, “I thought you liked my legs wrapped around you.”

Nick’s jaw dropped, and then he had to hurry and close his mouth so he could swallow down the saliva that his mouth suddenly over-produced. Swallowing down another mouthful of drool, he stammered, “No, no, complaints here. Wrap your legs around me anytime you want.”

Satisfied with her victory, Judy whispered smugly, “That’s what I thought.”

Another gulp and then Nick stammered, “I’ll . . . I’ll just go . . . go get . . . get lunch ready.”

“You do that, Slick.” Opening the pill bottle, Judy took one out while watching Nick make a quick retreat. Chuckling at his reaction, she popped the pill in her mouth and swallowed it down with some water. Closing her eyes, she rested her head against the pillow and took a deep breath while reviewing everything Nick had told her that morning.

Some of her happy mood evaporated as she thought of the tragedy Nick had lived through. She could feel her eyes getting watery as she thought about the pain her fox had suffered and was still suffering due to society’s prejudices against him and his species. He had a law degree, for crying out loud, and he was still forced to hustle on the street to make money.

Rubbing a paw across her eyes, she told herself not to cry. She’d done enough of that already today. After taking a deep breath, she realized they had a lot more in common than she first thought. Although she didn’t have the tragedy in her life that he did, she was still underestimated and told she couldn’t. Even after putting in the insane amount of effort to graduate top of her class at the Academy, no one cared.

She was a cute, little bunny and therefore wasn’t up to the task. No one had given her a chance until she met Nick. No one else stood up for her or her dream and said, “Yes, she can.” Not one single person before Nick. Nick had saved her just as Honey had saved him. Judy really wished she could have met Honey and thanked her for being there for him, for saving him, both physically and emotionally, and showing him that he wasn’t alone, that he could be more than a sly, untrustworthy fox, no matter what society said.

Well, she still had his Academy application. Maybe he’d reconsider being her partner. Then he could finally be the fox he always wanted to be. Closing her eyes again, she could just picture the two of them out solving crimes, maybe do some undercover work. How fun would that be? After a moment of fantasizing, her broad smile slipped down into a slight frown.

“But would Nick even want to be my partner still?” she muttered to herself. Thinking back to their conversation earlier and how they cleared up the misunderstandings from their fight after the press conference, Judy thought there might be a chance.

Then she remembered their conversation on the couch last night and had to laugh. “What am I saying. Of course, he will. There’s no way he’d pass up the perfect excuse to spend all day, every day, with me—and get paid to do it! And if that isn’t enough incentive, I’ll just have to remind him of all the bucks who might try and hit on me while I’m out patrolling.” She giggled. “He’ll have to come with me just to defend what’s his.”

She giggled again and reached over to pick up her phone where she’d left it on the dresser. She wanted to check the news and see what was said about Bellwether’s demise and how predators were forced to go savage. She wondered if she’d have to do another press conference to fix what she’d said from the last conference. She was not looking forward to that. Although, if she could convince Nick to stand up with her, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

With a heavy sigh, she tapped on the news and started looking through the different feeds.

Chapter Text

As Nick left Judy in her room, he felt a warm tingle down in his nether regions and knew he needed to get his mind off the ideas his bunny’s words had planted in his mind. Taking a deep breath while walking into his room, he ran his paws over his face. “That rabbit is going to be the death of me,” he muttered under his breath.

A smile warmed its way onto his face, though, as he considered her words. If she was willing to tease him in such a way, then that had to mean she was also considering a serious relationship with him—right? It was obvious from their conversation last night that she was at least open to the idea, but it still surprised and confused him that she would consider him, a fox and borderline criminal, as potential mate material. Her, the innocent country bumkin, teasing him in such a way also surprised him. He teased her because he loved getting a rise out of her and watching her get flustered was just too cute, but he didn’t expect her to return the favor, at least not this quickly. He wasn’t complaining, of course. Getting flustered by Judy (or anyone, for that matter) was a novelty to him, and one that he was actually looking forward to. Not that he wanted to jump head long into a serious relationship with her—it was still too early for that.

Not wanting to mess up anything they already had, he was willing to wait until they were more familiar with each other. A month or two at least, so they’d have the time to get to know each other better. The last thing he needed was to jump into a physical relationship with her and then find out his emotional baggage and criminal past was too much for her to handle and she left him for it. That was something he didn’t even want to contemplate, and yet it was a very real possibility. He still hadn’t told her about his dad and brother (those memories were still too raw and painful even after all these years), nor had he even mentioned his time with Big or the tragedy that had brought his employment to a near-fatal end.

Although his honeybun had handled his emotional baggage quite well so far (he was eternally grateful for her compassion and empathy), it still didn’t stop him from worrying. One mammal could only handle so much negativity before deciding they’d had enough and calling it quits. Although he knew Judy was made of sterner stuff, and he couldn’t see her leaving him over his emotional past, he’d been severally burned far too many times by others to convince his pessimistic side to completely rule out the idea.

With a heavy sigh, he pulled back the long curtain in his room that hid the door leading to the balcony and around to the deck. He figured lunch outside would be nice and would allow Judy to get a better view of her new home. Unlocking the door as he grabbed a key hanging on a hook next to it, he walked outside while trying to push his pessimism back down. Instead, he focused on getting everything ready for lunch with his best friend.

Walking across the short balcony to the deck itself, he used the key to unlock one of the small storage rooms built into the back wall of the house. There were two, one at both sides of the wall, with a small sink and long counter built between them, along with a small, under-the-counter fridge, making entertaining guests out here much easier.

Opening the door, he pulled out two fold-up lounge chairs, the kind you could lay back in and stretch your legs out on. Setting them out, he then pulled out a small fold-up glass table and set it up between the chairs. Once everything was ready out here, he walked back through his room and downstairs to the kitchen.

As he headed down the stairs, he glanced in Judy’s room and saw her on her phone. Smiling at seeing her in his house, he couldn’t stop the warm fuzzies that suddenly gripped his heart. He’d been living alone, had been alone, for so long, that it was strange to think of himself living with someone again, even it if was his best friend. But he wasn’t complaining. He could never complain about living with Judy.

Upon reaching the kitchen, he immediately pulled out a large platter and a butter knife and set them on the counter before grabbing the peanut butter and honey. Opening the fridge, he pulled out the jelly and then set about making the sandwiches. Remembering how much Judy ate last night, he decided to make five sandwiches—three jelly and two honey—and cut them all in half so they could eat however much, or little, they wanted to.

Leaving the platter on the counter, Nick walked into the dining room and opened the curtains that covered the French doors that sat in the center of the back wall. Now that he was living with a bunny, he needed to get used to having the curtains open and sunlight actually brightening up the place. “Gah! Sunlight—in my house! I never thought to see the day.”

Shaking his head with an ironic chuckle, he unlocked the doors and returned for the sandwiches, then carried them outside. Walking around the side of the house, he climbed the stairs to his balcony and unlatched the gate at the top, before walking across to the deck and setting the sandwiches down on the back counter. Returning to the kitchen via the dining room, he grabbed two glasses and the chocolate almond milk, before returning to the deck. He could’ve carried everything through his bedroom but didn’t want Judy catching him and ruining the surprise.

With everything set up, he walked around the side of the house and along Judy’s balcony to her window. Looking through and seeing her with her nose still in her phone, he tapped on the window and chuckled when she jumped. Slipping his fingers through the gap where the window was still cracked open, he pulled up.

“Nick! What are doing!?” Judy exclaimed after her little fright. With a paw over her heart, she took several deep breaths while trying to calm her racing pulse.

“What does it look like, Fluff?” Nick asked as he poked his head through the now fully open window. “Lunch is ready.”

Judy glared at him a moment, then realized Nick shouldn’t be able to reach her window. “Nick, how are you—? We’re on the second floor!”

“And your point is . . . ?” He smirked at her.

Scrambling over to the window, Judy pushed his head back through and stuck her head out. “There’s a balcony! Your house has a balcony!”

“And a deck,” he answered as he reached through the window. “Which is where we’re having lunch.” Gripping her waist firmly, he hauled her out the window, which brought a twinge of pain to his ribs. He ignored it. Her ‘eeep!’ of surprise brought a satisfied grin to his face as he positioned her more comfortably in his arms.

“Nick! What are doing?”

With a raised eyebrow, Nick replied, “For such a smart bunny, you sure ask a lot of dumb questions.”

She punched his shoulder. “You know what I mean.”

“What? Your balcony door was still locked, and I didn’t feel like going all the way around to my room. This was the simplest solution.”

Folding her arms across her chest and pretending to glare, she whispered, “Cheeky fox.”

Nick’s grin widened, “You know you love it.”

Pausing in thought, Judy rolled a couple of responses around in her head, then finally said, “Yes, yes, I do—but not as much as you, apparently.”

With eyes widening, he glanced down at her, then his grin widened. “Touché.” Judy’s smile was blinding, and he glanced ahead as they reached the deck. “So, what do you think?”

Judy sat up a little straighter and looked around. The roof of the house extended out to cover half the deck, giving it shade and protection, but leaving several feet in front of the light blue railing open to the sun. The two storage sheds, sink, counter, and small fridge gave the place a nice, convenient vibe and Judy clapped her paws together. “It’s perfect.”

“Good.” Setting her down on the lounge chair, he moved the plate of sandwiches over and then poured them both a glass of chocolate milk. Putting the almond milk in the fridge, he grabbed their milk and then joined her on his own chair. Setting the glasses down, he snatched a sandwich and took a bite out of it as he swung his legs up on the chair.

After the long, drawn-out emotional conversations they already had that day, neither felt like talking but were content to simply enjoy the view and each other’s company.

Having finished off most of the sandwiches herself, Judy lay back further and studied the view around her. The backyard was quite spacious with lush grass, several flowering shrubs and a few different fruits trees planted here and there. The large, detached garage (shaped like a barn and painted sky blue with a white tin-roof and white trim) had been sunk into the ground several feet so as not to block the view of the rolling hills of the Meadowlands beyond. To their right were the mighty, snow-covered peaks that marked Tundratown’s western border, and then to the left could be seen the cliffs and massive, mist-enshrouded trees of the Rainforest District.

This really was a great place that Nick had. The hustle and bustle of the city was just around the corner, but here . . . here it was just peaceful and quiet, where a mammal could just relax and think—or nap. Napping sounded really good about now.

Closing her eyes while enjoying the feel of the breeze ruffling her fur, Judy briefly compared the vast improvement of Nick’s place with her last one. Although Bucky and Pronk weren’t bad neighbors as personalities went—they were always willing to lend a hand if she needed it—but their constant bickering and yelling made it difficult to relax or rest when they were home.

It hadn’t bothered her too much when she first arrived, as it wasn’t much different than living in a burrow full of noisy, nosy bunnies. But after a while, especially as the stress from work escalated due to the fights between preds and prey, she just wanted peace and quiet. And that’s what she found here with Nick. Even though Nick enjoyed talking—and she certainly enjoyed listening to him—it was times like this, when they both enjoyed the silence, that she found her appreciation for him growing.

Glancing over briefly, she saw Nick finishing off his chocolate almond milk. It left him with a chocolate mustache, but not for long as Nick licked it off with his long, reddish-pink tongue. The pink insides of her large ears grew a shade darker as she wondered what it would be like to feel Nick’s tongue on her fur. Quickly shifting her gaze back to the rolling hills before her, she could feel her ears getting warmer.

Stop it. He’s your friend. Don’t rush things. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Judy remembered what her mom taught her about growing a strong, healthy, long-lasting relationship. Her mom had said: “Just as the best fruits need time to slowly mature and ripen, with plenty of water, sunshine, and nutrient-rich soil, a healthy relationship needs time to slowly mature, with plenty of compassion, understanding, and consideration. And just as picking fruit before it’s ripe will cause it to be bitter or sour, and not good for anything—rushing into a physical relationship before you’ve had time to get to know the other person and come to understand them, will result in a short-term fling ending in bitterness and tears.”

Having witnessed firsthand the truthfulness of these words at the tears and broken hearts of a number of her sisters (and even a few of her brothers) who hadn’t listened, Judy had no wish to experience that with Nick. He meant too much to her, their friendship too precious, to treat him or it so thoughtlessly.

Time. Time is what they needed. And, thanks to her injury, they now had lots of it. Lots of time to get to know each other better. Time to talk, to laugh, and just enjoy each other’s company. For the first time in her life Judy wasn’t sad to be laid up for two weeks.

With a small smile tugging at her lips, she relaxed further into the lawn chair and allowed the sleep that had been tugging at the edges of her mind to steal across it, dragging her down into peaceful oblivion.

******

Having finished off his milk, Nick glanced over at Judy and saw her eyes were closed and a small smile playing about her lips. Seeing her peaceful, happy expression brought a smile to his own lips. After several minutes, he watched her chin slump towards her chest and her paw slide off her belly and onto the chair. Sleep had claimed her.

Sitting up, Nick swung his legs over the side of the chair and couldn’t help but reach over to lightly run his claws through the fur between her ears. She hummed at the touch and pushed lightly into the caress. Grinning wider, he reached over with his other paw and ran his fingers up the edge of both her ears. She hummed louder for a second, searching for him, then relaxed again with a soft purr. Ah! Cuteness overload! She’s killing me!

Nick continued caressing her ears a bit longer, then sat back and snapped another picture of her, then moved it the folder he labeled: Death by Cuteness. He hoped he survived should she ever discover the folder. It really would be death by cuteness when she unleashes her furry fists of fury on him. He’ll die laughing, though.

Snickering at the images his mind conjured, he glanced at the time—2:45—then slid his phone back in his pocket. Looking her over, he studied her leg again. Right now, she couldn’t put any weight on it, and that was problem. He still had his crutches he’d used while healing from the beating Honey had saved him from. But even though the crutches were fitted for a teenage fox, he knew they’d never get short enough for Judy to use.

Wracking his brain for someone else that might have a short-enough pair (he really didn’t feel like buying a pair if he could avoid it), he suddenly sat up straighter and whipped his phone out. After hitting speed dial, he put the phone to his ear while stepping over to the deck railing. The phone rang several times, but as he rested his arms on the pale-blue wooden railing, a deep, loud voice boomed through the phone.

Chapter Text

“What do you want?” the deep, irritated voice spoke.

“Well, hello to you too, Big Guy.”

“Nick, I haven’t heard from you in weeks, then bunny cop shows up wanting to find you, and now you suddenly want to talk? What gives?”

“Well, about that . . .” Turning around to glance at Judy, he decided to move down to the lawn to avoid waking her.

“So what did bunny cop want, anyway? She seemed pretty desperate.”

Walking down the stairs, Nick answered, “Oh, she was. She needed my help again. Said she figured out what the real cause of the savage attacks was.”

“What! After everything she did to you! You’ve been mopey and depressed for months! I hope you told her what for.”

“I did walk off, but then she did something no one has ever done before.” There was a brief pause and Nick’s voice dropped to soft whisper of awe. “At least, never to me.”

Finnick paused for a moment, then, sensing something monumental had happened, asked just as softly (for him), “What she do?”

“She apologized, Finn. Judy apologized to me.”

Finnick was speechless for a moment, then murmured in a hushed tone, “The bunny cop, a member of the Fuzz and prey actually . . . apologized . . . to you . . . a fox!?”

“Right! It never happens, not in a million years!” Leaning back against the side of the garage, Nick ran a paw through his head-fur. “Prey never apologize, and the Fuzz only apologizes if they get hit with a police brutality lawsuit.”

“Dang, Nick.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“So what did you do?”

“Of course, I forgave her. She was sobbing her eyes out, admitted she was ignorant, small minded, and a horrible friend.”

“Wait. She really said that? That she was your friend?”

“Yep. Which means she really did see me as her friend. Can you believe that? A bunny who’s friends with a fox.”

“Dang. I think I need to sit down.”

There was muffled thump through the phone and Nick was sure Finnick didn’t so much as sit, as fall on his rump. “I’m glad you’re sitting, because I’m not finished yet.”

“Huh? There’s more!”

“Yeah, so she’s sobbing her eyes out and says she needs to fix her mistake but can’t do it without me. Me, Finnick. She could’ve taken the information to Bogo and he would have believed her, but she didn’t. She came to me. She needed me. No one has ever needed me like this.”

“Wow. A bunny actually seeking out the help of a fox. Is hell going to freeze over tomorrow?”

Nick laughed. “Maybe. But the real kicker was what she said at the end of her apology.”

“Go on.” Finnick couldn’t believe a prey mammal, a bunny no less, and a cop, was not only apologizing to a fox, but begging—not demanding—begging for help. The bunny cop who had blackmailed his friend into helping her in the first place. It was just too weird. He was sure the world must be coming to an end.

“So she tells me that afterwards, you know, we catch the criminals, that I can walk away knowing that I was right—you’re sitting, right?”

“Uh-huh.”

“That I was right, she really is just—” Nick ran a paw over his face and his voice dropped to a mere whisper—“a dumb bunny.”

“No way!? She really say that? She called herself a dumb bunny!?”

Nick scratched behind his ear and glanced up towards the deck. “Yeah, she said that, 100 percent.”

Finnick was silent for a moment, then started belly laughing. “Oh, that’s good. The high-and-mighty officer Toot-toot who threatened you with jail time if you didn’t help her actually called herself a dumb bunny! Hahaha. I’m dying here!”

Nick’s ears flicked back, and he scowled a minute but waited till the worst of Finnick’s laughing was finished before saying, “Yeah, she called herself that, but you can’t say anything. I’m the only one allowed to tease her about it.”

There was an undercurrent of a growl in Nick’s words that had Finnick’s laughter freezing in his throat. The growl was a subvocal warning that was more felt than heard—even through the phone. “Yeah, yeah, sure. Whatever you say, Nick. I won’t say a word.”

With a sigh, Nick answered, “Thanks, Finn.”

Finnick didn’t think Nick realized what he’d done, but the warning growl was a territorial one that was specific to foxes—a subvocal warning that he never expected to hear from Nick, especially when used against him. Other than his mom and sister, and the things Honey left him, Nick never got territorial about anything or anyone—it just wasn’t worth it for a fox. Trying to defend what was yours usually resulted in a beating or jail time.

Which is why he always had a bat on hand whenever someone banged on his van door. He had to dish out a beating before getting it himself, just to defend what was his. It was a sad way to live, but he’d gotten used to it. And he thought Nick had to, but here he was, not only staking his claim to a bunny, of all things, but showing he was willing to defend her, to defend what was his.

Dang, bunny cop, what’d you do to my friend? Finnick wondered. Not wanting to rile Nick up, he decided to change the subject. “So what happened after you made up with bunny cop?”

“What did you hear on the news last night?”

“Not much. Just that something went down in the Natural History Museum, but the cops weren’t saying nothing. Said it was part of an ongoing investigation but that there’d be a press conference sometime later this week.”

“Huh,” Nick muttered under his breath. “Wonder why Bogo isn’t saying anything. I guess we’ll find out tomorrow.” Speaking back up to Finnick, he asked, “They really didn’t say anything else?”

“Just that the officer involved was injured.” Finnick sat up straighter as he put 2 and 2 together. “Wait, bunny cop, she okay? What happened?”

“A psychotic sheep and her muscle-bound posse is what happened.”

“Huh?”

“We sacked another mayor last night. Bellwether was behind the savage attacks. She was hitting predators with a potent drug she’d concocted and while we were running from the psycho ewe and her deranged henchmammals, Judy cut her leg.” Pausing a moment, Nick then said, “Which brings me to why I’m calling. Do you still have your crutches?”

“Ya, ya, I got ‘em. But what are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about Bellwether shooting me, so I’d go savage on Carrots. She was laughing while I stalked her, and she couldn’t wait to watch me tear Carrots apart. Just how much more psychotic can you get!?” Nick ran his paw through his fur again in agitation. They’d come so close to losing everything—his freedom and sanity, and Judy’s life. If not for Judy’s soothing paws on him last night, he was sure he would’ve awoken to a whimpering, sobbing nightmare.

“Wait! You went savage!”

“It was all an act. I’d switched the serum with some blueberries I had on me, but Bellwether didn’t know that. It was Judy’s idea to act savage in order to record Bellwether’s confession.”

“What, like on that carrot pen of hers?”

“The very one.” Nick grinned a minute, then took a deep breath. “Do you know what I had to do to really sell it?”

“Uh-uh.”

Nick ran a paw through his head-fur again, then pulled on his ear as he walked in a tight circle. Even now, he couldn’t believe how much faith and trust Judy had in him. “I . . .” Nick took a deep breath. “I had to bite her neck.”

“No way. She let you do that? Wasn’t she terrified?”

Nick chuckled. “Let me? She told me to! And no, she wasn’t scared of me. But you wouldn’t have known it to watch her. If it wasn’t for her scent giving off a confident, excited smell I wouldn’t have believed it was just an act. Bellwether was certainly duped by her acting skills and sang like a canary.” Nick snickered remembering Bellwether’s look of shock and dismay seeing him stand and then hearing her own confession, followed by Judy’s smug, ‘Boom’.

“So you . . . you just bit her . . . just like that?” Finnick couldn’t believe Nick could go through with it. Even though she was a cop, she was still a bunny—one of the most paranoid, most-easily scared creatures on the planet.

“No, I didn’t just . . . bite her!” Rubbing his face, Nick remembered Judy’s words clearly and they caused a warmth to spread through him, just as they had when she first spoke them. Taking a deep breath, he explained, “She told me her plan. I didn’t like it. Acting savage was bad enough, but biting her? Uh-uh. I couldn’t do it. But then . . . but then she said . . . she trusts me. Me, a fox, her natural enemy, and she trusts me to bite her neck while acting stock-raving mad.” Pulling on his ear again, he took a deep breath and exclaimed, “Who does that, Finn!? What prey out there would trust a predator that much. And she meant it! Even after I snapped my fangs around her, she didn’t have an ounce of fear coming off of her. Not. One. Ounce.”

“Dang, Nick, you really got to that bunny, didn’t you?”

“Well, she got to me first, so you know, it’s only fair.” Finn chuckled, but then Nick continued, “Right, so about those crutches. Could Carrots borrow them for two weeks? And can you bring them by right now or are you busy?”

“No, no. I can bring ’em. No problem.”

“Thanks, Big Guy.”

“Does she really let you call her Carrots? Doesn’t she get mad?”

“She did at first, but that was back when we both still hated each other. Now she likes it. At least, she hasn’t complained about it.”

Finn chuckled again. “Whatever, Nick. So you at the warehouse?”

“Finn, why would I bring Carrots to the warehouse? What would possess me to bring her to my bachelor pad that’s only fit for entertaining guests for a few hours?”

“What guests? I’m the only one that ever comes over.”

“My point exactly!”

“Then if you’re not at the warehouse, where are you?”

“Where am I?” Nick rubbed his face. “Finn, use that brilliant foxy brain of yours. I have two places: One only fit for a short visit and the other for a more permanent stay,” he answered while motioning with his paw.

“Huh?”

Nick sighed. Was it really that hard to figure out? “Finn, I brought her home with me. She’s staying in Honey’s old room.”

Finnick’s hand dropped from his ear and he sat gaping at the phone. He couldn’t get his head wrapped around the fact that Nick, the jaded fox who didn’t let anyone in and who selfishly did whatever he wanted, had brought a prey—a bunny and a cop—home to his house. A house he hadn’t even lived in for over five years.

“Finn? You still there, Big Guy?”

Finnick shook his head and brought the phone back to his large ear. “You seriously brought bunny cop to your house? You don’t even like that house.”

Nick sighed again. “I never said I didn’t like the house. It’s just . . . it’s just too big and empty to be living here alone. There are too many dusty memories. It hasn’t felt like home since Honey died.”

“So why bring her there, then?”

“Duh!” he said while waving his paw through the air. “If she’s here, it’s no longer a big empty house! She has enough happy chatter and enthusiasm to fill the whole place up.” Moving his paw over, Nick scratched the base of his ear, remembering how good Judy’s paws felt last night. With a softer voice, he continued, “Besides, she’s helping me make a lot of new memories that I can sit back and enjoy.”

Finnick really didn’t know what to say. The bunny cop he remembered was a hypocrite and difficult to deal with, and yet, she seems to have made 180 degree turn around and had brought out a side of Nick he didn’t think he’d ever see again. Finn needed to see this for himself. “Okay, okay. I hear ya. I’ll bring the crutches. I’m still in Savannah Central, so it’ll take about 20-30 minutes to get there if I don’t get stuck in traffic.”

“Great. I’ll see you shortly, Big Guy.”

“Ya, sure, Nick. Ciao.” After hanging up with Nick, Finnick sat and stared at his phone for several minutes. The whole conversation seemed surreal. Nick never talked about his feelings and certainly didn’t spend nearly thirty minutes doing it. Unless it involved work, Nick was never serious for more than a few sentences. And the teasing! Nick didn’t tease him even once! Hell must be getting ready to freeze over or the end of the world was on the horizon.

Shaking his head as he stood up and put his phone back in his pocket, he climbed into the front seat of his van and started it up. The loud bang as it backfired put a scowl on his small muzzle, which showed off several of his small, pointy canines. “If Nick’s home, that means he can let me use the garage to fix my van. That sorry sod owes me that much. Hardly speaking to me for 3 months and then not shutting up when he finally does. Lovesick pup.” It was obvious to the small fox the emotions his larger friend was developing for the energetic bunny. The world was definitely coming to an end.

Chapter Text

Nick glanced at his phone and grinned. Although him and Finnick didn’t usually talk about serious stuff which didn’t involve one of their more elaborate hustles (which they hadn’t actually done in years), he knew Finnick was always there for him—for whenever and whatever—even if he did complain and grumble most of the time. Which was weird, Finn didn’t complain about driving all the way out here to make a delivery for a bunny. Nick really expected at least a token complaint or maybe even an argument to try and put it off till tomorrow.

With a shrug, Nick thought, Mehh, his loss. Just means he didn’t have to waste time arguing with the little fennec or owing him a favor. How many favors do I owe Finnick now? Too many to count since the little fennec rarely cashed in on them. Slipping the phone in his pocket, he walked around to the front of the garage and glanced down the 4-foot embankment of the cement ramp that led down to the garage doors. The area directing in front of the doors was flat, and then sloped up and curved around and met up with the long, cement driveway that led to the front of the house. Glancing at the large double doors, he considered the trips he still needed to make—groceries, dinner tonight, the meeting with Bogo tomorrow.

Glancing back towards the house, he pictured the old, beat-up truck Judy had highjacked from her family farm yesterday morning. Who knew how many miles were already on it? And over 200 more were needed before it made it home again. Yeah, I’m not driving that old truck all over Zootopia. Jumping down the embankment, he walked to the thick, wooden doors and fished out his keys, then inserted the garage key into the large, heavy-duty padlock and turned it. With a satisfying click, the lock dropped off into his paw.

Cracking the doors slightly, he secured the lock on one of the doors, then pulled them both towards him and then out. As they swung open on silent, well-oiled hinges a solid steel door was revealed. Grinning, he punched the code into the electronic lock, and when a red light appeared at the top of the box, Nick sang the voice activated passphrase. “Hey diddle, diddle, the fox and the fiddle, the badger jumped over the moon. The little fennec laughed to see such a sight, and the dish ran away with the spoon.” Nick laughed at his own joke (there was a reason Finn didn’t have a key to the garage), and as the red light turned green the heavy metal doors began to slide open, which slowly revealed the interior. The bright sunlight burst through the open doors and lit up quite a few of the machines hidden within but could only illuminate about half the garage. The building was too deep and spacious.

Flipping on the lights, the rest of the garage was flooded with bright LED lights. “Gah, wrong switch.” Quickly flipping the switch off, the garage was once again plunged in semi-darkness before another switch was flicked to turn on softer, fewer lights. Dropping his hands from his eyes, Nick murmured, “Much better.”

Walking over to the heavily modified vehicle that had once been Honey’s, Nick studied each tire to make sure they were still fully inflated. Satisfied, he opened the driver’s door and climbed in. Sliding the key in the ignition, he listened with satisfaction as the vehicle purred to life. Letting it run a minute, he checked the gages and made sure everything was still running properly.

Happy with the vehicle’s performance, he shifted it into reverse and twisted to look over the backseat as he backed the vehicle out of the garage. Turning it just after topping the ramp, he put it in drive and drove around to the front of the house. Parking next to the old farm truck, Nick turned the engine off and hopped out. He couldn’t wait to see Judy’s eyes light up when she saw it. He’d make sure to have his phone ready to snap another picture to add to his Death by Cuteness folder.

Chuckling at the thought, he walked up his balcony stairs, but paused next to his door, his ears twitching to catch a faint sound. That sounded like . . . Opening his balcony door the sound suddenly got much louder. “Yep, Judy’s phone.” Hurrying through his room and into hers, he grabbed the phone from her bed and, seeing who was calling, swiped the accept-call button.

“Judy, don’t scare me like . . . You’re not Judy,” Stu grumbled at the same time Bonnie said brightly, “Hi, Nick.”

“Yeah, hi again. Do you guys have radar or a sixth sense or something for calling when Judy is asleep?”

“Asleep?” Stu questioned. Why was his daughter always sleeping when he called? Was the fox doing something to her?

“Yes, sleeping. She’s taking a nap.” Walking over to Judy’s balcony door, he unlocked it and stepped outside.

“So where is she now?” Bonnie asked curiously. It was obvious Nick had just walked outside as she could see the side of the house behind him.

“We had lunch out on the deck and she fell asleep afterwards. Just give me a second.” Rounding the corner of the house, he walked over to his chair.

“Deck? You have a deck?” Stu asked, now curious himself.

“Yes, I do, among a great many other things.” Sitting down, he spun the phone around so they could see Judy. “See, she’s sleeping soundly.”

Bonnie could see that Judy was completely relaxed and didn’t have a care in the world—which was a vast improvement from how she looked yesterday morning. “Look, Stu, there’s our little bun-bun.”

“She’s not smiling,” Stu observed dourly.

“Oh, Stu,” Bonnie murmured at the same time Nick said, “Of course, not, she’s relaxed. But if you really want to see her smile, here.” Reaching over, he ran his fingers up the side of Judy’s ear. A smile immediately tugged at her mouth and she hummed in pleasure.

Stu and Bonnie both froze at seeing the fox’s large paw caressing their daughter’s long, sensitive ear, then Stu exclaimed, “Stop that! Don’t touch her ears!”

Nick froze and mentally cursed himself. He hadn’t intended to let them see him touching Judy’s ears, knowing it wouldn’t be well received. He thought of stopping, but the damage was already done, so he decided to keep going. Asking in a confident voice he didn’t necessarily feel, he said, “Why should I? Judy has already given me permission, so why should I stop?”

Stu sputtered, unable to come up with a proper response. With a soft voice, Bonnie asked, “Nick, do you know the significance of touching a bunny’s ears?”

“Well, I’m not very familiar with rabbit culture, but Judy did say it’s something special. That a bunny doesn’t let many people touch her ears.” With a smirk they didn’t see, Nick added, “From our conversation, I understand it means something a little different when a male is touching her ears.”

Bonnie nodded as she watched Nick’s paw continuing to pet Judy’s ears while Judy purred at the light contact. It was obvious to her what Judy was telling Nick in allowing him to touch her ears, and with how soft and gentle Nick was being with her daughter’s sensitive appendages, he probably felt the same way.

“And you’re still touching her ears?” Stu accused. He did not like seeing the fox’s dark paws on his daughter. The fox was so much bigger than she was and had such sharp claws and teeth! A rabbit should never be with such a dangerous predator.

Nick sighed at Stu’s words and dropped his paw as he sat back in his chair and flipped the phone around so he could see them. “Look, Mr. Hopps, I have the highest respect for your daughter, and I would never take advantage of her, nor will I do anything to hurt her. Her happiness is the only thing I care about.”

“Well, she’ll be happiest with a nice buck!”

A smug smirk slowly spread across Nick’s face as he lifted his hand and rested his elbow on the armrest, then leaned his cheek against his open palm. With an expression that said, ‘Oh, really?’ Nick asked, “Is that why Judy is, what? 23? 24? And has never had a boyfriend? Because there’s so many bucks lined up to make her happy?”

Stu stammered out, “Well, that’s . . . I mean . . .”

“Tell me, Stu—Can I call you Stu?—how many bucks have stopped long enough to really get to know Judy? To listen to her hopes, dreams, and aspirations, and then encourage her in those dreams? Not only encourage her with a slap on the back, but then have gone out of their way to see she succeeded? To give her a chance to prove herself.” With a raised eyebrow, Nick continued, “Tell me one buck that has or would do that for Judy?”

“Well, I mean . . . I can’t . . . off the top . . .”

“You can’t name one because he doesn’t exist. Judy isn’t a typical bunny and so a typical bunny will never be able to make her happy. She needs someone who can keep up with her—physically and intellectually—and is strong enough to have her back, who can pick her up when she’s feeling down, and give her the push she needs to succeed.” His smug smirk widened as he added, “They also need skillful fingers to give phenomenal ear rubs when she’s stressed out or wants to relax.”

Stu sputtered for an answer, then finally said, “Like you can keep up with her intellectually!”

Nick’s eyes widened, then he doubled over laughing, with the phone smashed against his leg. It took some time for him to get his laughter under control enough to sit up and bring the phone back up. “Oh, that’s good,” he muttered while wiping tears from his eyes. “I needed a good laugh.”

While glaring at him, Stu demanded, “What’s so funny, fox?”

Nick’s smug grin became smugger as he returned his cheek to his palm, his eyes half-lidded. “Maybe you should ask your daughter about my—ability—to keep up with her intellectually before you insult my intelligence.”

Stu opened his mouth to argue, but then Bonnie smacked the back of his head. “Ouch,” he whined.

“Leave Nick alone, Stu. I still need to discuss this weekend with him.”

“But, Bon . . .”

“Enough, Stu, we’ll talk about it later.” Ignoring her husband, Bonnie turned her focus back to the vulpine on the phone. “Now, Nick, has Judy mentioned the trip we’re planning to Zootopia?”

“She mentioned it in passing, but we haven’t had a chance to discuss it in detail. What did you have in mind?”

“Well, Judy said she wanted us down on Sunday and maybe have a barbeque. Will that be alright?”

“I don’t see why not. There’s plenty of room here.”

“That’s great. So the next question I have is: Would it be alright if a few of Judy’s siblings came down? They’re all very curious about you and want to see Judy’s new place.”

“Temporary place,” Stu muttered behind Bonnie, but he didn’t butt into the conversation.

Nick froze at Bonnie’s question, then slowly asked, “How many is a few?”

“Oh, just a dozen or so.” Seeing Nick’s ears flatten back and disappear behind his head, Bonnie paused, then asked, “Is that too many?”

“Way too many,” Nick stated flatly. “I might be able to handle about five of them, but definitely not a dozen or more.”

“Oh,” Bonnie murmured. She wasn’t expecting this kind of answer but could tell the idea of so many bunnies greatly bothered Nick. She’d have to ask Judy about it later and see if there was a specific cause for his unease. “Well, we can work with that.”

“That would be great. You’ll probably want to talk it over with Judy and see who she’d prefer to come down. That’ll help narrow down the list.”

“Okay, I can do that. Are there any questions you have for us?”

“Actually, there are. First off, are we allowed to use the vegetables that were in the truck?”

“Of course, dearie, it’s the least we can do after you took Judy in.”

“Okay, question number 2: Can you send down one of Judy’s siblings tomorrow with her wallet? If she hadn’t already been in the Woolsgreen system, we probably wouldn’t have been able to get her pain meds last night.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s a good point. We’ll talk it over and see if someone can bring it down.”

“We have a meeting with the Chief tomorrow at 10, but we should be done by 11 or 11:30, so if they come in on the 12:00 train, we can pick them up at the station. You might want to collect a single box of Judy’s stuff if someone’s coming down tomorrow. You can talk it over with Judy on what she wants in the box.”

Bonnie didn’t immediately answer as she felt a little overwhelmed by Nick’s insights and suggestions. When Judy had told her this morning that Nick thought of everything, she wasn’t kidding. His ability to see the whole picture and think ahead was astounding. Every time she spoke with the fox, she could see more of why Judy was falling for the smug todd. And he had been right earlier, in criticizing the bucks here in Bunnyburrow. Not one of them would have put in even a fraction of the thought Nick had to see that Judy was taken care of and comfortable.

“Okay,” Bonnie finally said, “we’ll do that. Is there anything else we could do?”

“Hmm, I can’t think of anything off the top of my head, but if something comes to mind, I’ll be sure to discuss it with Judy. Oh, whoever comes down will only need a one-way ticket, since they’ll be taking the truck back.”

“That’s fine, but if you need the truck to get Judy to her appointments, we could pick it up after her leg heals. Or the two of you could bring it back in person. We’d love to have you come down for a visit.”

“I have my own vehicle, so we’ll be fine in that respect.” Pausing a moment in thought, he then said, “If you’re serious about me coming down for visit, I have no objections. Seeing the place where Judy grew up has my interest peaked.” With a bright smile, he added, “And I know Judy would love to come back for a visit, especially if she got to drag me around with her.”

Bonnie beamed happily to hear Nick was open to the idea of a visit. She really wanted to see how he handled their large family. And if she was reading Judy right, it wouldn’t be long before the smug todd joined their ranks. Although the idea of one of her children with a predator was still a strange one, and a bit unsettling, if it was Nick and Judy, she thought it could work. He was so careful and thoughtful of their headstrong daughter, and there was no denying just how happy he made their little bun-bun feel. Beaming even brighter, even as Stu frowned behind her, Bonnie said, “Perfect. Then we look forward to seeing you in Bunnyburrow just as soon as Judy’s leg heals. Now that that’s out of the way, we’ll let you go, but be sure to have Judy call us when she wakes up.”

Nick nodded, then said goodbye and ended the call. Staring at the phone a minute, he then sat up and moved his legs to hang over either side of the chair with his feet resting on the deck. Dropping the phone on the chair between his legs, he rubbed his paws over his face. “Gah! Why did I have to pet her ears in front of her parents! So stupid!” He never intended to show that sort of affection in front of her family, least of all her specist father.

But he couldn’t help it. They’d barely been back together for 24 hours and already it felt like they’d been together for months. He was just so comfortable around her—it left him defenseless. And his carefully crafted mask he’d worn for years to hide his true feelings—gone. It’d been thrown in some back corner of his mind to be forgotten whenever she was in his presence.

Running his paws down his face again, he glanced over at Judy. “Carrots,” he hissed softly, “you’ve ruined me. I don’t even want to think about the names Finnick’s going to call me when he arrives.” Throwing his paws up in the air, he exclaimed, “You’ve gotten to me and I can’t even hide it!”

Judy didn’t respond at first, but then her nose started twitching and then she yawned. (So cute! Nick thought while watching.) Rubbing her eyes, she murmured, her voice thick with sleep, “Nick?”

“I’m here, Carrots. How was your nap?”

“Hmm, it was good.” Yawning again, she then asked, “Were you talking to someone? I thought I heard voices.”

Nick’s jaw dropped. “Sure, sleep through the whole conversation I had with your parents—your dad wasn’t happy to see me again—and then wake up only afterwards while I’m muttering to you. Good one, Carrots.”

Judy blinked, then asked curiously. “You were muttering to me? About what?”

“You’ve completely ruined me!” Nick huffed as he leaned back in the chair. After tossing her phone to her, he pulled his legs back up on the lounge chair, folded his arms, and stared off over the garage to the rolling hills and meadows beyond.

“I ruined you?” Judy questioned while setting her phone on the table. She’d been soundly sleeping, so how could she ruin anything?

Nick met her baffled gaze and threw his arms up in the air again. “Yes, you ruined me! You’ve completely demolished my defenses and threw my mask in some dusty corner of my mind!” At Judy’s wide eyes and gaping mouth, he continued, “While showing your parents that you were safe and sleeping comfortably, I reached over and petted your ears, all because your dad was complaining you weren’t smiling.”

With splayed ears and wide eyes, he added, “I didn’t even think twice about touching you in front of them—and let me tell you, your dad was not happy.” Grabbing his ears and pulling on them he exclaimed, “He’s now convinced that I’m taking advantage of you and have some nefarious plan hatched to seduce you, then leave you broken and crying.”

Judy bit her lip while watching Nick spaz out. She definitely wasn’t expecting to reveal to her parents, and especially not her father, just how close the two of them were, but what was done was done and there wasn’t any use worrying about it. What she needed to worry about right now was Nick, and assuring him everything would be okay.

Chapter Text

Sitting up, she carefully swung her legs over the lounge chair and scooted towards the edge. Nick, seeing her move, made to get up, but she motioned him to stay. “Don’t move, Nick, I got this. It’s only one short hop over to your chair.”

“Are you sure?” Nick’s face was a mask of concern.

With a grin, she pointed out, “I still have one good leg and two good arms, so stop worrying.” Standing up on her good leg, she put a paw on the table and hopped the one step over to his chair, then rested her injured leg on the chair and lifted her good leg up and over Nick’s legs. Settling down on his lap as she straddled his thighs, she smirked at Nick’s shocked expression.

Nick didn’t remain shocked for long, and as his smug smirk returned, he said, “I hope you haven’t forgotten what I said the last time you sat on me like this. It hasn’t changed and you’re still begging to be squeezed.”

Judy’s ears immediately flushed red as they stood up straight and then fell down to hide behind her back. “Ni-ick!” She slugged his shoulder and Nick laughed as he reached up to rub the spot. “I . . . I can’t help it . . .” her voice dropped to a whisper and she let her paw reach over and caress his chest. “I . . . this is becoming my favorite spot to sit.” Looking up with shy eyes, she explained, “I like . . . being this close to you, and . . . when we sit this close . . . I don’t have to crane my neck to see you and you don’t have to hunch down to meet my gaze.” Dropping her gaze back down to his chest, she ran her paw lightly across it again while feeling the muscles beneath his shirt and fur. “I can’t help it . . .” she muttered again.

Nick’s ears pricked forward, and his eyes burned with intensity. Watching her bashful expression for a moment longer, he then rested his large, dark paws on her shoulders and gently slid them down her arms. “You know I’m not complaining, right?” Judy glanced up with a small smile and nodded, so Nick continued as he slid his paws down her sides to her sculpted rump. “Just don’t complain when I return the favor.”

At Nick’s light squeeze, Judy moaned and pressed into him slightly, even as her eyes dropped shut. Grinning at her response, he squeezed her one last time, then slid his paws up to her waist and began caressing her sides with his thumb pads and claws.

Judy opened her eyes and met his heated gaze. Opening her mouth, she licked her suddenly dry lips, her nose twitching, as she tried to collect her thoughts. This smug fox was awakening emotions and senses she’d never experienced before and put thoughts in her head that she always scoffed at when listening to her sisters ramble on.

Finally, she was able to gather her scattered thoughts enough to say, “Nick, I . . .” She glanced around while trying to find the exact words she wanted to convey. “I want this . . . I want . . .”—she met his burning emeralds—“you. I want to be with you and feel all these new feelings I’ve never felt before and to experience these thoughts and ideas being with you is putting in my head—thoughts I’ve never had about anyone else and wasn’t sure I ever would.”

Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes for a moment, she slid her paws down to rub Nick’s arms as they continued to caress her sides. Opening her eyes again, she explained, “Nick, I want . . . I want everything with you. I want to . . . give you . . . everything.”

Nick’s eyes popped as it suddenly clicked what she’d been telling Cindy yesterday and then a predatory glint entered his already heated emeralds as he took a deep breath of her delectable scent. Letting his gaze drop to take in every inch of her lithe body, it lingered on her hips a moment longer than it probably should, then traveled back up to meet her slightly dazed amethysts. Licking his dark nose, he said, his voice a husky whisper, “I’m not opposed to trying any of those ideas that are currently running through your head.”

Judy chuckled softly, but then said, “Nick, I really do want this . . . all of it . . . you . . . us . . .” she left the sentence hanging for a minute.

Nick could see she really meant what she said but could also see the hesitancy in her eyes. So when she paused, he continued her sentence and hoped she wouldn’t flat out reject him. “But . . . ?”

“But . . .” With another deep breath, she continued, “I don’t want to rush into things and possibly destroy what we already have. I’ve seen too many of my sisters jump into a relationship without giving it time to mature and then be left weeping because it fell apart before it really got started. And I don’t want that for us.”

Reaching up, she softly caressed the side of his muzzle. “You, our friendship, and our relationship are too important, too precious to rush.” With a soft, loving smile she added, “I don’t want to be with anyone else so I want to make sure our relationship will last.” With a soft chuckle, she said, “I’m in this for the long haul, Slick, so I hope you meant it when you said you’ll never leave me again.” Leaning forward, she rested her twitching nose against his and murmured, “I’m holding you to that promise.”

Nick grinned, his smug grin nowhere to be found as his heart swelled with love and happiness. The fact she wanted to take things slow (though he hoped not too slow, even if his instincts were complaining that they were already moving too fast) to ensure the relationship didn’t fall apart later on meant some of the scars he’d carried for years due to the hate and prejudice society had been beating him down with since he was a small kit were starting to heal.

With a completely sincere, heart-warming smile, Nick reached up and cupped Judy’s cheek and slid his large fingers behind her ear. “I have absolutely no problems with taking it slow, Judy. As it stands, we’re already moving much faster than a normal fox relationship, so I really can’t complain.”

Sitting back a little so their noses were no longer touching, she asked curiously, “What do you mean? What are normal fox relationships like?”

“Well, for starters,” he began, while gently massaging around the base of her ear, “foxes usually hang out for several months, casually, before deciding to date. And although the todd usually asks the vixen out, it’s the vixen that calls the shots and sets the pace of the relationship—at least with red foxes. Each fox species has slightly different dating rituals.” With a wide grin, he added, “So you’re the boss.” After flicking her nose and listening to her giggle, he continued, “Once the vixen has accepted the todds advances and they decide to date, they’ll date for 8 months or more before deciding to marry. But once decided, fox engagements are extremely short—like a day short.”

“Huh? What about planning the wedding and getting the wedding and bridesmaids’ dresses ready? The invitations, the food, the seating. . . how can you do all that in a day? Or even 2?”

Nick cocked his head and raised an eyebrow. “Carrots, Judy, my Love, how many friends and family do I have that you know of?”

Her heart was squeezed at hearing his new term of endearment, and it took her a second to think about his question. “Um, well, there’s your mom and sister, and, um, Finnick, I guess.”

Nick nodded, saying, “And who else?”

Judy scrunched her nose up in thought, but then shook her head. “You haven’t really mentioned anyone else. Flash, maybe.”

“Exactly. I’m a fox and we don’t usually have many close friends, and our families tend to be small. I can maybe think of a pawful of other people that would come to my wedding, but that’s about it.” With a harsh laugh, he added, “So, yeah, no reason to plan for a big get-together—not that anyone would host a fox wedding, anyways. Society doesn’t really like finding out two foxes are planning to breed.”

Judy’s ears drooped and she whispered in concern, “Why? What happens?”

“Well, today the worse we get is that no wedding venue will host a fox wedding, even if they are small. And since we no longer advertise our desires for marriage, society largely leaves us alone.” He paused a moment, then added, “At least, it’s that way here in the city and other places where foxes are severely outnumbered. In small towns with a large fox population, they might hold a small garden ceremony.”

Judy was crestfallen to hear the further mistreatment of her fox and his kin but didn’t miss the fact that Nick kept hinting that things used to be different. With a sniffle, she asked, “And before?”

Folding his arms, he leaned back in his chair and looked up as he tried to remember the things he’d been taught as a young kit about fox culture, and why it developed the way it did. “Let’s see, it must have been about 200 years ago, I think.” Looking back into Judy’s watery amethyst pools, he continued, “We used to have the big, grand weddings that took months to plan, with lots of family and friends coming for the event. But about that time there was a . . . very . . . dark movement among the prey populations that were extremely anti-predator. They harped on all predators but took it to the extreme with us smaller predators that couldn’t fight back as easily.”

Closing his eyes, Nick remembered the brutal stories his paternal grandparents had told him when he was very young. “Foxes used to live predominantly in large, rural communities with a few of the other small predators—racoons, ferrets, and others like them—and we didn’t have much contact with other populations—especially prey. We didn’t see any reason to. We were self-contained and didn’t need a lot of items we didn’t catch, grow, or make ourselves. And with the mistrust prey usually showed us, we tried to avoid them. Maybe that was the problem—we stuck together too much, and it made other species paranoid that we were plotting something. I don’t really know. I don’t think anybody does.”

Judy studied Nick’s dark, brooding expression for a while, but when he didn’t continue, she caressed his muzzle again and asked softly, “So what happened?”

Opening his eyes, Nick cocked his head again and asked, “Are you sure you want to know? It’s another sob story. Those are the only kind I have.”

Judy sniffled again but couldn’t keep a tear from sliding down her cheek. Even without hearing about it, the pain she saw burning in Nick’s emerald eyes tore at her heart. With ears erect so she didn’t miss a thing, she said, “I want to know. I want to know more about you, about your culture and traditions, and about foxes in general. Even if it hurts, I want to know.”

Nick nodded, impressed once again with his little honeybun. Reaching up, he rubbed and caressed her large ears, and once she’d relaxed a little, he slid his paws down and around to rest on her waist once more. Closing his eyes, he continued his story. “When I say prey, it was mostly the smaller and medium sized prey mammals—sheep, rabbits, prairie dogs, the smaller deer and antelope species—which congregated in large communities that were the worst instigators of the atrocities to come.”

Taking a deep breath, Nick said, “They started an anti-predator movement that involved disrupting public events and crashing weddings. They didn’t want the filthy pelts to breed, but it quickly escalated to involve murdering those that attended the weddings, butchering the groom and bride, before torching the towns.” A scowl now covered Nick’s muzzle, showing off his glistening, white fangs. “Anyone caught fleeing were locked in cages and beat, poked, and starved to death in public displays to show how worthless we were. Of course, foxes weren’t the only ones they targeted, but we had the large communities, so we were the easiest to catch and make examples of.”

Opening his eyes to see Judy’s silent tears, he stated, “Foxes had to become sly, cowardly, untrustworthy thieves in order to survive—and society won’t let us change even after all these years.”

Seeing Nick’s burning emeralds and hearing this last statement, Judy could no longer hold back her heart-wrenching sob and cried out as she buried her face in Nick’s chest, then pushed her face up under his muzzle where she dug her nose into the thick, cream-colored fur. “Ni-ick, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know,” she sobbed into his fur. “I didn’t know.”

Rubbing her ears with one dark paw and her back with the other, he murmured, “How could you? The victors wrote the history books, glorifying their own villainous deeds and vilifying the losers’ fight for survival. And although rabbits made up a large part of the mob, it was the sheep that started and led the movement as they spewed their lies and specist propaganda to incite hate in their followers. Not all that different from today with the anti-predator movements.” With a soft, bitter snort, Nick observed, “I wouldn’t be surprised if Bellwether descended from some those brutal sheep leaders.”

Judy gave her own bitter laugh. “Yeah, you’re probably right. If it took place a mere century or two ago, then I’m sure a lot of that hate was passed on and was taught to the children and grandchildren.” Groaning, she rubbed her face into his neck. “And it wasn’t just the sheep. We were taught the same hate and lies growing up. You should hear my Pop-pop yelling about the evils of foxes.” Pushing up on Nick’s chest, she raised her head to look at him.

“Foxes are red because they are spawned by the devil!” she quoted in a deep, gravelly voice, while shaking a small fist. “They’ll sneak in your house at night, creep into your beds, and eat little bunnies, so you better watch out!”

Nick’s ears tilted forward, and a heated, predatory gleam entered his eyes once again. “So are you going to hide under the covers, shaking and shivering, when this big bad fox creeps into your bed some night while you’re sleeping?”

Judy’s expression immediately brightened, then turned sultry as she ran her paws up and around his neck. “Hmm, I don’t know. How hard are you planning to bite me?”

Nick’s heated grin widened. “As hard as you want me to.” He paused a moment and let his heated gaze slide down her sculpted body, then back up to meet her embarrassed, but happy gaze. “Wherever you want me to.”

“Hmm,” Judy purred as she leaned closer to Nick. “If that’s the case, then you’ll probably find me shivering, but I can assure you it won’t be from fear.”

A wide, predatory grin spread across Nick’s face, showcasing all his sharp, pearly whites. Holding her gaze, he ran his long tongue over his sharp canines and took a deep breath of her mouth-watering scent. They held each other’s gazes for several more moments, then Nick pulled back and coughed into his paw. “Okay, we better change the subject before we wake something up that I’d rather leave dormant for a bit longer.”

Judy immediately released Nick’s neck to grab her flaming ears and pulled them over her eyes as she just realized what they were doing. What was that? What did we do? What. Did. I. Just. Do!? Ahh! I’m as bad as my sisters. This kind of over-the-top flirting is something my boy-crazy sisters would do to hook up with whatever dumb buck caught their fancy. Of course, Nick was anything but dumb. He was thoughtful, intelligent, funny, cute, handsome, exciting, comfortable, and safe. Well, maybe not too safe. His magic paws and smug grin were criminal.

Sitting up straighter, she released her ears to catch the tail-end of Nick’s blush seen from inside his ears—the only part of him that wasn’t covered in thick fur. “So what are fox marriages like now? If you don’t have time to plan out a wedding and you don’t have many guests to invite—what do you do?”

“Let me ask you a question first,” Nick said as he slid his paws back around her slender waist. “Do rabbits mark each other?”

Judy nodded. “Yeah, we do. Our scent glands are under our chin and have to be pressed fairly hard to stimulate them.”

“That’s good. Our scent glands are on the side of our muzzles. Next question: when does a couple decide to mark each other? What does it mean for you? For rabbits?”

“A rabbit couple will mark each other for the first time when they get engaged.” With a curious tilt to her head, Judy asked, “What does it mean for foxes to mark each other?”

“Marking for foxes is done during the wedding ceremony. Although a couple will think long and hard about marriage, and will discuss the possibility several times, the actual wedding itself is more of a spur of the moment thing, when it just feels right.”

“Wait, you’ll just decide while walking down the street or something?”

Nick’s ears flicked down to the side. “No. I told you, a lot of thought goes into the decision to marry. For a red fox, it’s a lifelong commitment—we mate for life. There’s no playing the field and no second chances. It’s one and done, so the timing, the mood, and the circumstances all have to be right. For instance, the couple will need at least three days they can devote to each other without any outside obligations demanding their attention.”

Judy was highly interested to learn that red foxes didn’t play around and that when they committed, there was no going back, no ‘Oops, I made a mistake. Sorry.’ It gave her greater hope for her relationship with Nick. It meant he was in it for the long haul, too. As warmth spread through her, she felt curious about the condition Nick mentioned. “Why the three days?” They didn’t do any wedding plans but then needed 3 days together afterwards . . . ?

Nick tilted his head and met her curious gaze with a smug one of his own. “For a bunny who bragged about how rabbits were so good at multiplying, I’d think that answer should be obvious.” As he finished speaking, Nick’s gaze glanced up to her ears. Bingo. Bright red. Aaah! I wish I could take a picture.

“Ah, right, haha, multiplying.” Seeing where Nick’s gaze was and knowing what color her ears were, she immediately dropped them behind her back, then glanced to the left as she grabbed one and pulled it over her shoulder. Fidgeting with the end of it, she could feel her whole face heating up as Nick’s words put some very interesting ideas in her head—ideas she probably would have never considered if not for her loud-mouthed sisters. Thinking about them brought a slight scowl to her face.

Nick watched her shy antics, the scowl that touched her face, and then felt like he was dying. Cuteness overload! Call the paramedics, I’m having a heart attack!

Pushing the irritating thoughts aside, Judy glanced back at Nick and met his excited gaze. She knew he found her embarrassment funny but ignored it. “So what does a fox wedding actually involve?”

Nick raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Are you sure your tender rabbit ears can handle hearing about it? They’re still red from the last time I mentioned multiplying.”

“Ni-ick!” With a scowl, she slugged his shoulder again.

“What!? You asked!” Nick exclaimed while laughing and rubbing his bruise. “You know, as funny as it is when you hit me, you might want to consider hitting me somewhere else. My shoulder is seriously bruised now.”

Ignoring his complaint, Judy folded her arms and glared at him. “I asked about the wedding itself, not . . . afterwards.”

Nick’s grin widened. “See, and that’s where you’d be wrong, my cute, naïve, little bunny.”

“Nicky,” she said while shaking a fist under his nose.

Nick could only laugh, which made Judy lean in real close, and in a dangerous tone, repeat slowly, “Nicky.”

“Okay, okay!” he laughed again while holding up his hands as if to ward her off. “I’m sorry! It’s just . . . you’re so freaking . . .” At Judy’s death glare, he snapped his jaws shut. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he continued, “Anyways, about your question. Usually the couple will head out to the mountains for their 3-day retreat, but if that’s not possible, they’ll just hole up in their house for the 3 days and pretend they’re not home if anyone stops by.”

“And the wedding . . . ?” Judy asked again, not quite understanding why Nick was giving her the runaround.

“Okay, so after they’ve decided to take the plunge and they’ve cleared their schedules for the 3 days, they exchange vows—what they mean to each other and their promise to remain faithful—then they mark each other,” Nick paused here as a flash of heat traveled up his ears. “. . . mate, and . . . the todd knots his vixen, followed by a mating screech we’ve never evolved out of, and then the todd bites her in the shoulder to finish the ceremony.” Taking a deep breath, Nick finished his explanation. “After that they are considered truly married and after the 3 days are up, they’ll stop in at the courthouse and register as official mates, legally husband and wife.”

“You bite her!?”

Nick narrowed his eyes at her. “I can see what you’re thinking and stop thinking it.”

Judy’s eyes shot up and she cocked her head in question.

“It’s a love bite—no blood.”

“But . . . how . . .?”

“Judy, my Love, how thick is my skin and the fur covering it?” he asked while tilting his head to the side and fully exposing his neck and shoulder to her.

Judy felt her heart squeeze again at hearing both her name and the new nickname. With warmth spreading through her, Judy reached up and felt the thick fur around his neck and shoulder, then dug her nails through it to feel the thick skin beneath. “Okay, I see what you mean.”

“Like I said, it’s a love bite. It’s firm and meant to hold, not tear.” Lifting his own paw, he slipped his rough finger pads under the collar of her shirt and over her shoulder, feeling the soft fur and skin beneath. “Of course, with your thin, silky fur and delicate skin, I’ll have to be more careful than if you were a vixen.”

Judy’s ears perked up at hearing his comment. The thought of him with a vixen sent a slight wave of jealousy down her spine, but she stamped it down to focus on the fact that he was already considering biting her—a love bite only given during the marriage ceremony. With love for the handsome todd filling her heart, her face brightened and her smile was blinding.

Nick paused in his caress, then slid his hand around to cup the side of her neck while caressing the front of her throat with his thumb. A mischievous glint entered his eyes and he teased, “Is the fearless bunny fantasizing about my teeth pressing into her skin again?”

Judy laughed and shook her head. Leaning down, she pressed her face under his chin and hummed happily while wrapping her arms around his chest.

Nick raised an eyebrow but didn’t complain as he wrapped his arms around her back. “What’s this for?” he asked.

“I’m just happy. Happy to be with you. Happy to have you. Just . . . happy.”

Nick’s smug smirk vanished to be replaced with a sincere smile. Squeezing her tighter, he dropped his muzzle down to caress the back of her head. “Ditto.”

Judy giggled at his reply and rubbed her face into his luxurious fur, then settled back down, content to just lay here with Nick.

They were content to stay like that, neither one moving or speaking, for some time when the sound of a vehicle pulling into the drive and rolling around to the garage broke up the peaceful moment. Both of their ears twitched and at Judy’s curious gaze, Nick explained, “That’ll be Finnick. I asked him to drop something off for you.”

“You did? What is it?”

With a wide, teasing grin, Nick replied, “Well, I guess you’ll just have to wait and find out, won’t you?”

“Ni-ick!”

With a chuckle, Nick sat up. “Come on, I need to talk to Finnick and you need to call your parents. I’m sure your dad is convinced I’m having my wicked way with you right now.” He grinned as her ears turned red again, and then added, “One of your siblings will be by tomorrow afternoon with your wallet and a box of stuff, so be thinking of what you want in it.”

Judy nodded, then asked with hope shining in her eyes, “And about this Sunday?”

“Your parents are set to come down with five of your siblings. Your mom wanted to bring over a dozen of them, but there’s no way I could handle that.” Seeing Judy’s ears drop in concern and confusion, Nick took a deep breath and explained his reasoning. “Fluff, there’s a reason we foxes avoid rabbits like they have the plague. I don’t want any negative memories in this house, especially ones that concern your family. You’re special and your mom is open-minded, but having met your dad, can you seriously say the rest of your siblings are going to be okay being in the same house as a fox? That they won’t be just as prejudice as your dad, if not more so?”

Judy’s shoulders slumped. “No, you’re right. Some of them are open-minded like me and mom, but there are far more that are extremely specist, and quite a few of them won’t keep their hateful opinions to themselves.” At Nick’s sad nod of understanding, she took a deep breath. “Okay, so just five of my siblings?”

Nick cocked his head in thought, then said, “Well, between us and your parents, that’s 4, and 5 siblings will be 9. Okay, I’ll let 6 come, that’ll make it an even 10—but that’s it.” Judy nodded and Nick added, “And you choose who they are.” Handing her the phone, he picked her up and moved her back to her own chair just as a van door closed and a deep voice bellowed up from below.

“Okay, Nick, I brought what you wanted and now you owe me. I need to use your garage and you better not argue, or I’ll bite your face off!”

Nick and Judy’s eyes met and then they laughed. “I need to help Finn while you placate your dad. Sorry again about the ear pawing. I hope it doesn’t get us in too much trouble.”

Judy nodded just as Finnick hollered again, “Nick, I can hear you. Get your red butt down here now!”

Nick shrugged with his hands up in a ‘What can I say?’ gesture, then turned and disappeared down the stairs while hollering back, “I’m coming! Don’t have a cow—it’ll kill you!”

“Nick!” Judy scolded. She heard Nick laugh again, then turned to the phone in her hands. Taking a deep breath, she leaned back and pasted on a smile as she hit send to her parent’s number. She really hoped it was her mom who picked up.

Chapter Text

“Judy! Thank heavens you’re okay,” Stu breathed in relief. “That fox didn’t do anything to you did he?”

Judy’s ears immediately flushed while thinking of what Nick was doing to her not 10 minutes ago. Dropping her ears, she scowled at her dad to hide her thoughts. “Dad, stop badmouthing Nick. He’ll never do anything to hurt me and has, on numerous occasions, put his life on the line to make sure I was safe. Nick is the best mammal I’ve ever known, and I won’t have you talking bad about him.”

“But he was touching your ears! I bet he didn’t tell you that, did he?”

Judy sighed. “Yes, Dad, he told me. You were complaining about me not smiling—while I was sleeping—so he just wanted you to see me smile.” With a dreamy grin, Judy murmured, “I always smile when he pets my ears.”

“Young lady, that is unacceptable behavior for a young rabbit!” Stu said while shaking a finger at the phone. “To be letting some shifty fox put his paws all over you.” While shaking his head, he continued, “It’s not right, Judy. It’s just not right.”

“Nick is not shifty and I’m 24, hardly young. I’m an adult and this is my decision to make. And if Nick wants to touch my ears, he can. I’ve already given him exclusive rights to my ears, which means no one else is allowed to touch them.”

“Now you listen to me—”

“No, Dad, you listen—Nick and I are best friends and what we decide to do together is between us and no one else. Nick is not some big, bad fox who’s out to get me”—at least not in the negative way my dad is thinking about—“and I know for a fact that he’ll never hurt me and he’ll never disrespect me.”

Taking a deep breath, she continued before her dad could get a word in, “Which is more than I can say of any of the bucks back at Bunnyburrow. Do you know what all of them wanted from me? Do you? After tearing apart my dreams, saying I’ll never cut it in the real world, they all told me how great they were and how they’d take care of me—all so they could get one thing from me. One thing. A quick roll in the hay so they could brag to their friends about how they conquered the ice queen. Yeah, that’s what they wanted. And you can be sure I am never going to date them or be some conquest notch on their bedpost.”

Judy sat staring at the phone, breathing hard after her little tirade while remembering the jerks who hit on her during high school and college. That’s not to say all bucks were like that, but most wanted a stay-at-home mom (or at least someone with a safer job), which left the players to chase after her. And she hated them. Their snide comments, their laughs and taunts about her dreams, and then their filthy paws trying to touch her. She sent several to the hospital with broken or dislocated fingers after grabbing them and twisting ruthlessly when they wouldn’t keep their paws to themselves. Nick was nothing like them. He actually cared about her and went out of his way to see she succeeded.

Stu was silent for several heartbeats, unable to formulate a reply in the face of Judy’s tirade. He knew she never showed any interest in the bucks she met, but he just thought it was due to her focus on being a cop and didn’t want to be distracted by a boy. But if this is how they were treating his little girl, he no longer had an argument. With a heavy sigh, he whispered, “But he’s a fox, Jude. He’s so much bigger than you. Even if he doesn’t want to, he could still hurt you without meaning to. And who’s to say he’ll even stick around? Foxes aren’t known for their loyalty.”

“I don’t know what the future holds for us, Dad, and right now we both want to take things slow, but there are 3 things I am absolutely sure about: 1, Nick will never hurt me. 2, Nick will never leave me. And 3, Nick will never betray me. Contrary to popular belief, foxes, especially red foxes, are extremely loyal—but you have to earn their loyalty.” Deep breath. “Dad, I’ve earned Nick’s trust and loyalty—and I know this because he’s shown it.”

Stu sighed heavily again. Why did everything Judy want have to be so gosh-darn scary and worrisome. Why couldn’t she want something safe and easy like a normal bunny? Of course, he knew the answer. She was a trier, his little trier. But knowing didn’t stop his heart from squeezing in fear of her choices.

Taking his hat off and rubbing his arm across his forehead, he put the hat back on and said, “Jude, I know you’re strong and can handle yourself, but you’re still my baby-girl and I worry about you. It’s what fathers do.” Taking a deep breath, Stu continued, “You’re not like your sisters, Judy, you’re more driven and you feel more deeply. So if this . . . relationship . . . goes south, you’re going to hurt a lot worse than your sisters, and I know you won’t be able to get over it or him like they do. I mean, look what happened the last time he left you.”

Judy’s ears drooped. Of course, he’d bring that up. “We both messed up, Dad, and we already discussed it and it’s in the past. And I wasn’t the only one hurting and depressed, Nick was just as bad off as I was. It’s not something either of us want to go through again.”

“I know, Jude, but I still worry.”

“I know, Dad, and I appreciate your concern, and I love you for it, but you need to trust me with this. Nick . . . Nick is the best thing that has ever happened to me and I know he’ll be here whenever I need him.”

Stu took another deep breath and slowly exhaled. “Okay, Judy, I’ll try, but . . .” Stu looked around while trying to figure out what he wanted to say. “Do you have to live him? I get that you like him, but do you really have to live with him? I know how. . . tempting it is to live with someone you like. I mean, I live with your mother and look how many kits we have.” Stu chuckled proudly.

Judy pulled her ear over her face as it flamed red. “Dad! I don’t need to hear about that! Nick and I, we’re not, we’re. . . we’re taking things slow. I’ve seen how rushing into a relationship never lasts, and I don’t want that with Nick.”

“So you’ll move out?” Stu asked hopefully.

“No, I am not moving out. This is a perfect location, the perfect house, and the perfect roommate. There is no way I can find anything half this good if I were to leave—which I’m not, so stop asking.”

Stu opened his mouth to continue the argument, but saw her set and determined face and so let it drop. “Okay. I guess I should go find your mother. I believe there’s a box we need to get ready for you.”

“That’d be great. Thanks, Dad.”

******

As Nick came around the house, he saw the back end of the van from where Finn had driven it through the open garage doors and parked it. Hearing some clanging from the front of the van, Nick walked along the van’s side to see Finnick standing at the top of a 4-foot stepstool while trying to open the van’s hood.

“Hey, Big Guy. Did you miss me?”

“Can-it, Nick. I’ve been needing to fix my van for 3 months, but then some sap decided to go AWOL after some bunny hurt his feewengs.”

Nick scratched the back of his neck. “Yeah, about that, sorry.”

“Yeah, you will be if I have to do extra work to get it running properly, ’cause any extra repairs are coming out of your wallet.”

“Ooh, ouch,” Nick muttered. At Finnick’s glare, he added, “Yeah, I probably deserved that.”

Finn didn’t answer, and Nick watched him crawl around the inside of the van, careful to avoid the hot engine. “Aren’t you supposed to let that cool off before making repairs?”

“Yeah, I just want to see what all I might need to do with it.”

Nick nodded (not that Finn was watching) then asked, “So where are the crutches.”

“In the front seat.” Finnick glanced over to see Nick disappear into the van then reappear a moment later with the aluminum crutches in hand. “So what’s bunny cop up to? I know she’s not sleeping.”

Glancing up for a moment, Nick said, “She’s talking to her parents. She slept through their call earlier, so she’s making up for it now.” Carrying the crutches over to the large sink, he set them down and turned on the water, then poured dish soap on one and started scrubbing.

Finnick cocked his head as he watched Nick scrub the hardly-used crutches. “Come on, Nick, I used them 3 days—they’re not that dirty.”

“I know, but these are for Carrots, and I don’t want any dust on them. Besides, they smell like you, so if she uses them then she’ll smell like you, and I’m the only fox she’s allowed to smell like.”

“Are you listening to yourself, Nick?” At Nick’s glance up in question, Finnick continued, “You’re getting all territorial on me over a bunny! Are you serious!”

Nick tilted his head slightly in thought, then shrugged his shoulders. “I guess I am."

Stepping off the rim of his van, Finnick sat heavily on the top seat of the tall stepstool and stared at his friend. This was not the same Nick the bunny had hustled 3 months ago. “Dang, Nick, that bunny cop really did get to you, didn’t she?”

Nick looked up again, but this time with a happy grin—not smug, not sly—happy. His tail was even wagging. “I thought we established that fact while on the phone earlier.”

Finnick ran his paws over his face, then rubbed his eyes. Dropping his paws to look at his friend again, he muttered, “What did that bunny cop do to you?”

Nick just laughed and went back to scrubbing. He finished cleaning the first one and set it aside to drip dry, then started scrubbing the other one. Once it, too, was done, he pulled out a clean rag and dried then off. Adjusting them up to the right height, Nick studied his handiwork. After a moment’s thought, he glanced over to give Finnick a smirk, then lifted each crutch up and rubbed his cheek up one side and down the other. He didn’t stimulate his scent mark, but definitely left his scent. “There, that’s better,” Nick said happily.

Finnick just sat gaping. “Nick, what’s gotten into you? You act like you’re planning on marrying the bunny.”

“Well, marriage did come up in our conversation earlier. Judy mentioned a little bit about big bunny weddings and asked what ours are like.”

“And you told her?”

Nick cocked his head, his ears slayed out slightly. “Of course.” With another happy smile and wagging tail, he added, “She wasn’t opposed to the idea.”

“Dang, Nick, do you have dirt for brains!? You’ve known this girl for all of 3 months and already you’re thinking of marrying her. You haven’t even dated her—just moped around whining!”

“Well, technically, we’ve only known each other for all of 5 days.”

“That’s even worse! Foxes just don’t do that—especially you red foxes! There’s no redo button if things fall apart with her.”

“I know that, Finn, and I did tell her. We’ve agreed to take things slow.” With a grin, he explained, “She’s in it for the long haul, just like I am.” At Finnick’s scowl, his smile faded, and he turned around to face his friend and leaned against the sink. “I know what you’re saying, Finn, believe me. My instincts are screaming at me for moving too fast. They’re telling me to slow down, take a step back—breathe. So I do. I step back and breathe, but then my nose is filled with her intoxicating scent and my biology is telling me it knows what it wants. It wants her. It wants to fill my senses with her—her scent, her taste, her feel. And she makes it so hard not to—she’s pawsy, and huggy, and just wants to snuggle.”

“And you’re fine with that?” Finnick asked. Nick had never been the touchy-feely type and, for the most part, didn’t like being touched. So hearing how close he was to the bunny cop left him flabbergasted.

“More than fine.” With a happy grin, he added, “More like addicted.” He grinned a moment longer, then with a heavy sigh, he added, “My instincts are winning right now with the whole yelling match, but I’m not sure how long that’ll last. My biology is pretty persistent with what it wants.”

Finnick could only shake his head. His best pal, who he’d known for years and assumed would be an eternal bachelor had finally had his heart stolen—or maybe found. He hadn’t let anyone touch him emotionally since Honey died. But now!? He’d gone and fallen in love with a bunny, of all mammals. “And this addiction for her . . . it all came about by helping her chase down that missing otter?” Finnick still wasn’t sure how that was possible, but there was no denying Nick’s heartache and sense of betrayal after that disastrous press conference the bunny cop spoke at.

Nick grinned. “That and being chased and attacked by a bunch of psychotic rams and their power-hungry ewe leader who wanted to enslave the population through fear and hatred.” While thinking of the events that brought them together, Nick decided it was time to check up on his honeybun. “Look, Finn, I need to take these up to Carrots and see how much trouble we’re in with her dad.”

“What? Why?”

“Yeah,” Nick muttered while scratching behind his ear. “I might have caressed her ears while I was on MuzzleTime with her parents earlier.”

“You what!? Do you have a death wish or something!?”

“I couldn’t help it!” he exclaimed while throwing his arms up in the air. “It just feels so natural, so right, to reach out and touch her,” Nick stated while gesturing with his hands. “I didn’t even think twice. And I only did it because her dad was complaining she wasn’t smiling.”

Finnick shook his head. Nick was always the calculating type. He thought his words and actions over carefully (though it didn’t always look that way with as fast as his mind worked) before saying or doing anything, but that didn’t seem to be the case where the bunny cop was concerned. “She ruined you, didn’t she?”

“Right!” Nick spread his hands out. “That’s what I told her.”

A grin spread across Finnick’s face and he shook his head again, then doubled over laughing. The idea of Nick falling for a bunny was just ludicrous. Unfortunately, the movement unsettled his balance and Finn had to make a grab at the edges of the stepstool to keep from falling off. Righting himself, he caught Nick’s humorous grin, then said, “Go see your rabbit, Loverboy, before I bite that sappy grin off your face.”

Nick’s tail started wagging as he grabbed the crutches and left the garage. He stopped just past the van, though, as Finnick spoke up again.

“I really hope it lasts, Nick.” As Nick glanced back at him, Finn continued, “You know the world’s not going to be happy when they find out what you two have going. And some of them are going to get violent over it.”

Nick’s ears disappeared behind his head and his tail dropped to the ground. “I know, Finn, I know. But . . . it’s just . . . I can’t . . . not see her. I can’t go back to being without her, not now that I’ve experienced how good being with her is.” Looking off to the side for a moment as he considered what the future could hold for them, he looked back to his friend and said, “I know it won’t be easy, but . . .”—a smile found its way back onto his muzzle and his ears pricked forward again—“she’s worth it.”

Finnick merely nodded and Nick crossed the yard and disappeared around the side of the house. “You better be worth it, bunny cop,” he muttered under his breath, “because if you ever leave him, there won’t be enough pieces left to patch him back together.” He knew Nick wouldn’t be able to recover if bunny cop ever left. He was a red fox todd and had already chosen her for his mate, even if they were ‘taking it slow.’ So for Nick, there was no going back. She had wormed her way so far into his psych that he was powerless to resist her.

A red fox vixen might be able to find another mate if something happened to her chosen (it was rare but did occasionally happen) but for a red todd . . . It was already impossible for Nick to even look at another female with any sort of interest. She’d look wrong, smell wrong, taste wrong, and feel wrong.

With another heavy sigh, Finnick climbed down the stool and started rooting through the toolboxes for the tools he needed to fix his van. With a shake of his head, he muttered, “Sorry sod, falling in love with a bunny.”

Finn wasn’t opposed to inter-species relationships, but for Nick and bunny cop to be a pred-prey relationship, with Nick being a fox, he knew the kind of hate and violence that would be heaped on them. It wasn’t right, and the world should just butt out and mind their own business, but he knew from sad experience that they wouldn’t. “You better be worth it,” he muttered again.

Chapter Text

After Stu found Bonnie and handed her the phone, Judy caught her up on how she was doing and then went over the list of things she needed in the next few days—like pajamas, though the foxy shirt would pass as a nightgown—and then her mom started talking about the trip on Sunday.

“Now Bun-bun, we’re planning on arriving on the 10:00 train,” Bonnie said. “Will that work for you?”

“That’ll be perfect. We can have the barbeque at noon and you guys can take either the 2:00 or the 4:00 train.”

“So, who do you want to come down. Your siblings weren’t happy to hear only 5 could come, so there’s quite the argument going on about who gets a spot.”

“I talked to Nick, and he said he’ll let 6 come over, making it an even 10 mammals in the house.”

“Can I ask about that, Dear? Nick seemed really bothered by the idea of a dozen of your siblings coming. From the way you were talking, his house sounded big enough to accommodate us. It’s not like bunnies are all that big.”

Judy’s ears drooped. “It’s not the size of the house that’s the problem, Mom.”

“Then what is it, Bun-bun? Does Nick not want to meet your siblings?”

“That’s not it, either, Mom.” At Bonnie’s patient gaze, Judy took a deep breath and asked, “Mom, what did you tell me about foxes when I was leaving for Zootopia 3 months ago?” Bonnie’s ear’s drooped. “And what was in the bag Dad tried to foist on me as the train came into the station?”

“Oh, Honey, your dad’s not going to be a problem. I talked to him already.”

“I know, Mom, and I talked to him, too. He says he’s willing to give Nick a chance—but we can’t say the same thing about all my siblings. Some are much more outspoken against predators, and foxes in particular.” Pausing to take a deep breath, Judy continued, “Nick will be the only fox in a sea of bunnies, and he doesn’t want to create any negative memories in this house because one or more of them can’t stand to be around a fox.”

Bonnie’s ears drooped further, and Judy sniffled. “You have no idea how bad Nick has it for being a fox. People yell at him while walking down the street, they refuse him service at stores and restaurants, and they won’t pay him what he’s worth.”

Bonnie watched Judy sniffle again, and although she wanted to say something, her motherly instincts told her Judy wasn’t done talking and she needed to get out what was bothering her.

Wiping a paw across her eyes, Judy asked, “Do you know what Nick was doing when I met him? He was buying supplies to make handmade popsicles to sell on the street. That’s the only job he could get that didn’t involve working for criminals. And do you know what he should be doing? What he’s qualified for?”

At Bonnie’s head shake, Judy said, “He’s a licensed attorney, Mom. And a dang good one. But because he’s a fox, no one will hire him, or be willing to pay him what he’s worth—so he sells popsicles at a street stand, and a few other small jobs, in order to put food on the table.”

Bonnie just sat there, taking in Judy’s words. After a few moments she took a deep breath. Sweet cheese and crackers, he’s a lawyer! Her little bun-bun had fallen for a lawyer. Her little trier always had a thing for the law, so that shouldn’t be too surprising. But she now understood why Nick laughed when Stu said he wasn’t smart enough to keep up with Judy. Taking another deep breath, Bonnie said, “I guess I’m not surprised that you’d fall for a lawyer, but I’m sorry to hear that Nick isn’t taken seriously. It’s a good thing he has you now, so things should start looking up for him, right?”

Judy gave a watery chuckle and a smile found its way back on her face as she finished wiping her tears. “That’s right, Mom, he has me now.” Thinking about Nick and the future that was now open to them, Judy’s tears dried up and a bright smile replaced her sadness.

“Okay, so about your siblings you want to come. Do you have anyone in particular?”

“Janette, Janelle and Justin for sure, but can you give me more time to think it over? I can text or call you tonight once I decide. Maybe send me a list of those really pushing to come, and I can start from there.”

“I can do that, Honey.”

“Thanks a bunch, Mom.”

After getting through the heavy topics, they moved on to the happenings in the burrow: what Judy’s siblings were up to, how the crops were doing, who in the family was getting married or having kits. She’d been in Bunnyburrow just yesterday but had been too depressed to pay attention to the goings on of her family members. Listening to Bonnie regale her with the antics of some of her young nieces and nephews had Judy laughing, which Bonnie saw as a great improvement from how her daughter was feeling before leaving home.

After a while, Judy heard the slight squeak of wood as someone (presumably Nick) began climbing the stairs. With a radiant smile crossing her face at the thought of seeing her best friend again, even though he’d never really left, Judy listened to her mom a moment longer.

As Nick came up the stairs, he heard Judy talking to her mom. Wanting to surprise her, he decided to hide the crutches behind his back before coming around the house. As he stepped into view, Judy glanced over and flashed him a blinding smile with her buckteeth on full display. Nick felt his heart squeeze again.

“Hey, Mom, Nick’s back so I need to go. I’ll call you tonight, okay.”

“Okay, dearie, I’ll let you go. Say ‘hi’ to Nick for me.”

“I will, Mom. Goodbye.”

“Bye-bye, Honey.”

After hanging up the phone and setting it on the table, she gave her undivided attention to Nick. Although she really enjoyed talking to her family, she’d spent a lifetime with them already, whereas Nick—they hadn’t even spent a full week together. And she intended to take full advantage of her time laid up healing to get to know her fox better. Plus, she was really curious about what Finnick had dropped off for her. Nick spoke before she could ask, though.

“So, did you get everything squared away with your family? You got everything in the box you’re going to need for the next few days?”

“Yep. Everything’s great. They still haven’t decided who’s coming tomorrow, but someone will be on the 12:00 train.”

“Great. And your dad? How much trouble are we in? Or should I say, how much trouble am I in?”

Judy giggled. “Well, he certainly wasn’t happy and had quite an earful to say about you, but I stopped him and gave him a piece of my mind.”

Nick’s ears flatted against his head. “Sorry. I didn’t mean for you to get in an argument with your dad.”

“No, it’s okay. It needed to be said and it didn’t devolve into a yelling match, so we’re good. He’s even willing to give you a chance. To give us a chance.”

“Really?” Nick asked as his ears pricked forward again. “How did you manage that?”

“I merely compared you and your actions to those of all the stupid bucks back home who tried to date me.”

Stepping over the lounge chair, Nick sat down facing Judy, his tail wagging behind him, and said, “Really? Do tell.” A bright smile lit his face and his expression was full of expectant curiosity.

Judy giggled again. “Okay, Slick, I’ll tell you, but only after you show me what’s hiding behind your back.”

“Oh, come on. Just tell me.”

“Eh-uh. I want my present, so show first, then tell.”

“Well, they’re actually Finnick’s and you only get to borrow them for the 2 weeks you’ll need them.” Judy’s ears pricked forward, and she leaned towards him expectantly. “You’re not even going to guess?” Nick asked when she remained silent.

“Nick, you already got me so many things to keep me entertained that I’m clueless on what Finnick had that I’d need or want.”

“Oh, come on, one little guess?”

“Do you want to hear my story or not?”

Nick’s ears flicked back a moment then pricked forward again, and he chuckled. “Sly bunny.” Bringing his borrowed gift out from behind his back, he presented them to Judy. “Here you go, Carrots, now you can at least hobble around if I’m not readily available.” He started to hand them over, then pulled them back for a moment and added, “But I still get to carry you around the house. These are just for emergency.”

Judy’s grin widened. “I wouldn’t have it any other way, Slick. I like having an excuse for you to hold me. Snuggling with my big, strong fox is the highlight of my day.” She couldn’t hold back the giggle at seeing Nick’s wide-eyed, slack-jawed response.

Snapping his jaws shut, Nick swallowed a mouthful of saliva. Sweet cheese and crackers, how did that bunny get to me so easily! She was going to be the death of him, and the ideas she was putting in his head weren’t helping. “Yeah, so . . .” Nick coughed into his hand as his ears felt extremely warm and he felt glad his fur hid his blush. Handing the crutches over, he watched Judy look them over with an excited smile.

Judy was impressed. The crutches looked brand-new and as she picked them up for a closer inspection, she caught the faint scent of dish soap and the heavy sent of fox musk—Nick’s fox musk. “Slick, did you rub your musk on these?”

Nick grinned. “Of course, otherwise they’d smell like Finnick. And I couldn’t have you smelling like Finn after using them.” Leaning in closer, his gaze took on a predatory gleam as he growled softly, “You’re mine—don’t forget it.”

Taking a deep breath and inhaling his musky scent that held a hint of violets, Judy’s heart started hammering inside her chest. Had it been anyone else acting all possessive of her, she would have given them a bloody nose—but this was Nick and she wanted to be his. For the first time in her life, she wanted to get close to a male. As her body began responding to his presence (and his growl), hormones she never had to worry about before slowly began flooding her system. Drowning in his smug, predatory gaze, Judy felt a strong urge to reach up and pull his muzzle down to hers, to feel his lips pressed against her own, and to taste him. Her nose started twitching and she cursed herself for suggesting they take things slow.

She knew why they needed to take things slow, but—Gah! I just want to kiss him! To wipe that smug grin off his face!

Nick watched Judy struggle with her desires, and it made his own heart pound. His desires matched hers, but she was the one who suggested taking things slow, so he decided to tease her instead. Flicking his tongue out to lick his black nose, he then parted his lips and gave her a toothy grin. At Judy’s whimper, Nick couldn’t hold back a chuckle as he sat back. “Gee-willickers, Fluff, you sound like you’re in pain. Is there anything I can do to help you?”

“Ni-ick!” Judy groaned as she pulled her flaming ears over her face to hide her eyes. But Nick’s full-throated laughter had her ears standing straight up. With a death-glare that made Nick laugh harder, she dropped the crutches just a millisecond before her fist of fury met his arm.

Nick yipped at her punch, but then couldn’t hold back another chuckle while rubbing his arm. She is just too cute! He couldn’t help it.

Having failed to wipe the laughter from the smug todd, Judy pushed herself off her chair and tackled him. He just laughed harder as he tipped over backwards with his head hanging over the side of the lounge chair and the tips of his dark ears brushing the wooden deck beneath him.

With her straddling his waist, she started pummeling him with both fists and Nick brought his head up, along with both paws, in an attempt to ward off her blows, but he was still laughing too hard for his attempts to be effective. She wasn’t seriously trying to hurt him, but a few did land a little harder than she intended. But no matter how many bruises she did or didn’t give him, Nick couldn’t stop laughing at her adorable fury. This would have continued for some time if not for the fact that Judy was sitting on a very sensitive part of his anatomy and her movements while hitting him meant she was rubbing against that same sensitive anatomy.

With a groan as something suddenly woke up and became very excited, Nick grabbed Judy’s fisted paws and dropped his head back over the chair, then flipped them both over. Judy let out a muffled ‘oomph’ as her back hit the deck, then her eyes widened as Nick loomed over her. With his mouth and teeth slightly parted as he took several large breaths, Nick tried to calm his excited member. Her intoxicating scent did little to help the situation, especially as her scent was slowly becoming thicker, richer, more addictive.

Meeting Judy’s stunned gaze, he took one last, deep breath and said, “Carrots, let me give you a lesson in fox 101: we foxes, especially todds, when engaged in active physical contact, get very excited very easily—especially when you’re not only sitting on our very excitable member, but rubbing against him.”

Judy’s wide-eyed stare dropped to see a slight bulge in Nick’s pants, then dragged her gaze back up to meet his burning, predatory emeralds.

In a husky voice, he continued, “So unless you want me to haul you into my bedroom right now and have my foxy way with you, I suggest you back off and give me some space.”

Judy didn’t move. She couldn’t. What he offered was extremely tempting. And she wanted it. She wanted him. All of him.

Licking her lips briefly, she tried to remember why they should go slow. They had just reconnected and . . . and . . . Nick’s eyes suddenly took on a hungry gleam and he leaned in closer as his warm breath caressed her cheeks and sensitive ears. Judy’s brain scrambled and her train of thought derailed off a bridge and exploded at the bottom of the gorge.

Seeing his honeybun’s soft, pink tongue sent a hungry wave of desire through Nick that further excited his member and dumped another load of pheromones into his system. Even in the dead of winter, with fox mating season in full swing, he had never had to deal with such a rich cocktail of intoxicating hormones thrumming through his system—which meant he was having a difficult time thinking straight. But he couldn’t lose control, not now, not with Judy. She was too important—too precious—for him to lose control. As much as he wanted her, she had to lead, to make the first move. He would do nothing she didn’t absolutely want.

With their noses a mere inch apart, he asked in a hungry whisper, “Well?” Lacing his fingers through hers, he waited for her response.
Judy blinked as her nose twitched furiously. Slow . . . they were supposed to . . . With a shaky breath, she whispered softly, “Nick,”—at his name, Nick leaned in another half an inch—“we haven’t even been together a week.”

Nick froze for a moment but didn’t pull back. He was a little surprised she was still fighting her biology, but then again, this was Judy who stood up to a savage jaguar, howled at a pack of wolves, hijacked and then exploded a train, faced off against a psychotic sheep, and wasn’t afraid to have a predator wrap his teeth around her neck. The thought of his teeth wrapped around her again sent a thrill down his spine and added fuel to the fire in his belly.

Taking a deep breath of her delectable scent, he stated, “True, we’ve only known each other for 3 months, with 5 of those days actually being spent together, but it feels like much longer, doesn’t it?” At Judy’s slight nod, he continued, “And I don’t need to spend more time together to know my feelings won’t change.” Seeing Judy’s eyes smoldering at his words, he added, “My biology knows what it wants. It wants you, Judy, and no one else. Just. You.”

His husky whisper stoked the fires in her own belly while his warm breath ruffled the fur on her face. She couldn’t think, she couldn’t move, all she could do was feel. For the first time in her life, her system was flooded with high levels of her bunny pheromones. Having hardly ever experienced them before, and never at such a high concentration, she had no defensive mechanism to cope with them.

At her continued silence and lack of movement, along with a strong spike in her already mind-numbing scent, Nick dropped his muzzle till they were a mere hair’s breadth apart. “You’re the boss,” he whispered hungrily. “What will it be?”

Feeling an oxygen shortage to her brain, Judy parted her lips and breathed in deeply. Nick’s heady musk with its sweet scent of violets flooded her senses and did little to increase the oxygen in her brain.

Seeing Judy’s mouth part as she breathed in his scent, Nick’s predatory grin widened as he touched the tip of his tongue to his black nose and watched her eyes smolder.

Judy took another deep breath and she could practically taste Nick—they were that close. And she wanted to taste him. With her needy hormones whispering in her ears and his heavy scent clouding her thoughts, Judy felt her resistance crumbling as her body demanded she kiss him—to take what he was offering.

Seeing his own desire reflected in her eyes, Nick growled softly, “Well?”

Chapter Text

After Nick left him, Finnick puttered around the barn. It’d been a while since he’d been here, and he was refamiliarizing himself with all the expensive tools Nick had stashed away. He resisted the urge to follow after Nick and see how he and bunny cop interacted. He still struggled with the idea that they were not only friends, but had strong feelings for each other. The hypocritical bunny was flicking her cottony tail at Nick and he, the eternal bachelor, was more than happy to chase after it. It was crazy.

After a few minutes of puttering around the garage, he heard the soft murmur of their voices, then Nick’s voice got a little louder followed by laughter. Being inside the garage, he couldn’t quite make out what was said, but he recognized Nick’s teasing voice. He did hear clearly the bunny cop’s loud moan of his name, followed by a deeper, louder laugh from Nick, his yip of pain, and then more laughter. And the hearty laughter continued.

Finn sat down hard on the ground as he listened to his friend’s loud, continuous, heartfelt laughter. He hadn’t heard him laugh like this in over 5 years. Five long years! He’d laughed plenty in that time, but it was always joking, snide, aggravating, or demeaning—never this happy, heartfelt laughter. Spending time with his family was the closest Nick came to sounding this free and happy—no worries, no concerns, no mask to put on to hide who he was or how he felt. Nick was actually being his honest self and enjoying it immensely—all thanks to bunny cop.

“You better not leave him, bunny cop, ’cause Nick needs you. He needs this.” After all the tragedy and abuse Nick had suffered through the years, this was the best therapy Finn could think of for his emotionally stifled friend. After hiding his emotions for so many years, he was finally letting them out. And it sounded great to Finnick’s over-sized ears. Really great. Until it stopped—along with their voices.

With ears pricked forward trying to catch any sound, he scrambled to his feet. Nick had already told him how hard it was to hold back with Judy, how pawsy she was, and how persistent his biology was when it came to his bunny—and getting physical so soon wouldn’t be good for either of them. She may be a bunny, and they might be fine with quick relationships, but Nick was still a red fox and they didn’t do quick relationships. They needed time to cement them—the two of them probably didn’t need as much time as a normal fox relationship, but they still needed time—not five freaking days!

Running from the garage to stand next to his van, he hollered up with his deep, irritated voice, “Yo, dirt-for-brains! You better not have forgotten about me being here and are up there sucking face with your bunny!”

******

Nick and Judy froze, their lips a breath away from each other, and then their eyes widened. Nick quickly scrambled up and away from Judy, then rubbed his face as he turned around. Talk about a mood killer . . . not that he was complaining—much. Walking over to the railing, he waved at Finn, who stood glaring at him, and said, “No, no face sucking here.” With a weak chuckle, he scratched the back of his head.

Finn folded his arms and continued to glare. Guilty, he thought. Nick has guilty written all over him.

Nick turned back around and, seeing Judy push herself into a sitting position, hurried over to help. “Are you alright?” he asked at seeing her grimace.

“Yeah, but my leg really hurts now.”

Bending down, he scooped her up into his arms, then froze. With his nose twitching he took several deep breaths, then his ears flattened against his head.

Seeing Nick’s concerned expression, she asked, “Nick, what’s wrong?”

“Blood. You’re bleeding again.”

Glancing at her leg, Judy cautiously asked, “Is it bad?”

With a slight shake of his head, he answered, “No. It’s real faint, but we should check to be sure. I guess we can change your bandage a little early today.” Judy nodded and Nick carried her over to the railing so he could yell down, “I need to change Carrot’s bandages. I’ll be back out in a little bit.”

Finnick nodded, then his eyes widened when bunny cop waved to him. He reflexively gave a slight wave back, and then watched them disappear as they headed into the house. Rubbing his face, he muttered, “Dang, that was weird. She didn’t ignore me.” Finn was very used to being ignored by both preds and prey, but especially prey. And that’s when they weren’t treating him like a little kit or harassing him in some other way. Which is why he was so irritable all the time. If he wasn’t loud and irritating, no one would notice him, or take him seriously when they did.

And yet bunny cop acknowledged him. He knew she acknowledged Nick, and was actively pursuing him from what he said, but Finn didn’t expect her to treat him the same way—well, not the same, obviously, but she was treating him more as an equal and not a shifty lowlife or second class citizen like most prey did.

Scratching his head, he returned to puttering around in the garage while his thoughts ran in circles and didn’t make much sense.

******

As Nick brought Judy into her room, he set her on the bed, then went to get a bowl of warm water and a clean washcloth. Setting them on the dresser, he pulled out the sterile gauze they’d received from the hospital, then turned back to Judy. “You ready, Fluff?”

Judy nodded, knowing he would have to take her pants off. With ears bright red, she leaned back on the bed and supported her weight on her forearms as she watched him.

As Nick slipped his fingers under the elastic band of her sweats, he paused as a mischievous twinkle entered his emerald gaze. He could never resist teasing her when the opportunity arose, and so he said, “You know, Fluff, as fun as the idea was to take your clothes off five minutes ago, this really isn’t how I pictured it going.”

“Ni-ick!” She whined, then kicked him lightly in the stomach with her good foot.

“Oomph!” Nick dropped his arms to protect his stomach, then rubbed his shirt and thick fur over the spot her foot had connected. It didn’t hurt, but he felt like humoring her. As his teasing smile returned, he said, “What? It’s true, isn’t it?”

“That is . . . I mean . . . it’s not . . .” Not able to refute his claim, nor willing to actually admit to it, she let her head drop onto the bed, then folded her arms and stared at the ceiling. She knew exactly what he was talking about and now she had those annoying ideas back in her head. “Jerk,” she muttered.

Nick chuckled again, then quickly tugged her sweatpants off. Folding them up, he set them on the dresser, then dug out her shorts, asking, “Do you want to put your shorts on? That way you can get back some of your modesty.”

With ears now cocked forward, she met Nick’s warm gaze as he held up her blue jean shorts. “Oh, yeah, I forgot about those.” With a smile, she nodded. “That’d be great, Slick.” Wriggling her feet, she waited for him to slip them on.

Bringing her good foot up to bed, she lifted her hips so he could slip them up to her waste, then she reached down to help pull them over her tail. Relaxing back on the bed, she grinned. “You’ve come this far, you might as well finish, Slick.”

Raising an eyebrow, Nick reached down and fastened her shorts and zipped them up. Planting his paws to either side of her head as he leaned over her, he gave her a hungry, predatory grin and said, “You know, you shouldn’t tease a hungry predator like this. You’ve laid yourself out as the most delectable meal, and if you’re not careful, you’ll be devoured.” Opening his maw to show off his glistening fangs, he slowly licked his chops while exaggerating his tongue sliding over his sharp teeth.

Judy’s nose began twitching while her heartrate and breathing increased. Nick was giving her plenty of new ideas to try with him—once they officially started dating, of course. And some of her ideas they’d need to wait until they were married. Hm, marriage. She was already liking the idea. She particularly liked the idea of a fox wedding. Maybe they could have a big rabbit wedding afterwards. Yes, a nice quiet fox wedding followed by a large bunny wedding—then she wouldn’t have to die from anticipation and longing while the bunny wedding was planned.

Nick, thinking he’d gotten the best of her, was on the verge of standing up to check on her injury when his honeybun suddenly moved and his heart nearly stopped before jackhammering in his chest while his abdominal muscles suddenly clenched.

Not wanting him to have the last laugh, Judy lifted her paw and rubbed it across Nick’s chest and then halfway down his belly, then looked up to meet his predatory gaze with an embarrassed, yet hungry one of her own. “You know, Slick, you look pretty tasty yourself, so if you do decide to eat me, don’t be surprised when I start nibbling on you, too.” Letting her gaze travel down his lean figure, then back up to meet his now excited emeralds, she added softly, “A lot.”

Nick’s eyes widened and the tingle started in his belly again. Taking a deep breath, he promptly smelled the blood from her injury and tried to shake the hormone-induced-fog from his brain. Licking his black nose, he stood up, saying, “As tempting as your offer is, and as exciting as it sounds, we really need to look at your leg. It’s still bleeding.”

Judy nodded, then pulled her flaming ears over her face as her nose twitched. “I’m sorry, Nick. I don’t know what’s come over me.” Peeking out from behind one of her ears as Nick crouched down and began removing her bandage, she said, “Well, I know what part of it is.” With a cheeky grin, she continued, “I hate losing, so when you get to me, I feel like I need to one up you.”

“And you’re doing a splendid job of it, too.”

“I still think your winning, though.”

“Hey, I’m not counting.” Peeling the slightly bloody gauze off her leg, Nick reached over and grabbed the warm water and washcloth. As he began gently cleaning the wound, he asked, “And the other part?”

Hiding behind her ears once more, she moaned, “My boy-crazy sisters.” Letting her ears flop back against the bed, she glanced at Nick and saw him raise an eyebrow. With a small smile, she said, “I should probably explain more about rabbit dating habits first.”

“Please do,” he replied while gently wiping her wound and being careful of the stitches. He was highly interested in hearing more about rabbit culture, and especially their dating habits. It would help him understand Judy a lot better and allow him to put her atypical bunny behavior in perspective.

Judy’s grin widened and she pushed herself up into a sitting position so she could see him better. “So, most does will casually date several bucks at the same time while looking for someone that clicks with them, in which case they’ll break off and start exclusively dating. And, yes rabbits are good at multiply—just look at my parents—but contrary to popular belief, most rabbits don’t start multiplying until they’re actually engaged or married. I mean, can you imagine how many unwed mothers, many still teenagers and kits themselves, we’d have if most rabbits lived up to the promiscuous stereotype most mammals see us as?”

Nick nodded, seeing the logic of her statement. It did give him a better view of rabbits, but he still had to ask, “But rabbits do have a high sex drive?” At her nod, he asked, “So how do you control that?”

“When we hit puberty and our sex drives kick in, we go on suppressants, both does and bucks. That way we can think properly, and our hormones aren’t running away with us.”

“Okay, that makes sense. So how do your boy-crazy sisters come into the picture?” Having finished cleaning the wound, Nick looked the injury over and saw that the minuscule tears around a couple of the stitches were already starting to clot. That was a relief. Grabbing the antibiotic spray from the dresser, he sprayed a liberal dose over the wound.

“Well, most of my sisters are clear headed and are looking for a buck with qualities befitting a husband and father, but there is a small group that don’t take their suppressants and go on dates several nights a week and are extremely pawsy. Rabbits, in general, are naturally pawsy, but they take it to a whole new level,” she explained while waving her paws for emphasis.

“You don’t say?” Nick murmured teasingly while remembering how pawsy she was with him. Waiting for the spray to dry, he grinned as Judy’s blush deepened again.

“Yeah, so, anyway, my dumb sisters would find me the day after their dates, usually when I was trying to study, and would start discussing—very loudly, I might add—their exploits of the night before and what they still wanted to do with the dumb bucks they were dating. Sometimes I’d have to threaten bodily harm if they didn’t shut up and leave me alone.”

Nick chuckled. “You threatened your sisters?”

“Yes! They were always going on about their dates in vivid detail. Picturing them in such compromising positions with all the dumb bucks that had caught their interest was—aach! Disgusting.” Rubbing her paws down her face, she then rubbed her eyes while trying to blot out the memories.

Nick smiled wistfully while picturing a younger Judy being harassed by her crazy sisters. “Did you date anyone? I know you weren’t really interested in anyone, but you said rabbits casually date while looking for Mr. Right.”

Judy scrunched up her nose in disgust while thinking of her “dating” experiences—or lack thereof. “Only once, for prom, and I ended up sending him to the hospital before the dance was over.”

“You what!?”

“His name was Rick Leapsen and he’d been bugging me for months to go to prom with him. Most of the bucks who tried dating me had the worst pickup lines ever and were obviously only wanting a quick tumble in the hay. But Rick actually sounded genuine about wanting to take me to the dance and never once tried to get pawsy with me.” Pausing to frown at the memory, she added, “He was probably afraid I’d dislocate his fingers if he tried.” At Nick’s raised eyebrow, she explained, “That’s usually what I did to the bucks who wouldn’t stop touching me. I mean, I gave them several warnings and I don’t know how they equated me wanting to be a cop into being an easy tail . . .” Unable to comprehend their perverted minds, Judy shook her head and continued with her story. “Anyway, Rick wasn’t like that. He kept his paws to himself and was very respectful. He didn’t even tear my dreams apart.”

Pausing in memory, she then continued, “I still wasn’t interested in him as a dating partner, but I thought I might actually enjoy the dance. I’d never been to one, so I was curious about what it’d be like. I always liked dancing to music back at home when I needed a break from studying, that or going outside for a nice run or hike.”

Nick nodded, and Judy said, “So back to the dance. It was nice at first, and Rick was a great dancer, but once we went outside to get fresh air, he kept trying to kiss me. It was annoying, but he wasn’t being all pawsy with me, so I just kind of focused on everything but him. He got frustrated after a bit and said he was going in to get us some drinks. When he didn’t come back, I went looking for him. I found him with some of his friends who were giving him a hard time. When I got close enough to hear what they were saying—I flipped! I marched up to Rick and punched him in the nose.” Her nose was twitching incessantly as the anger she felt back then rose to the surface once again.

Nick’s eyes widened as he stared at her. “What were they saying?”

“Apparently, Rick had a bet with his friends: 50 dollars said he could kiss me by the end of the dance. He’d get a 100 if he could get laid that night, or 75 dollars if he could get lucky by the end of the weekend. Needless to say, a broken nose and trip to the hospital was my contribution to the bet.”

Nick’s ears splayed back and to the side at their mistreatment of Judy, of his bunny. He swallowed the low growl that started in his chest and then asked, “And you never dated since or had any interest in any buck?” Sitting back on his heals, Nick cocked his head, his ears pricked forward as he waited for her answer.

Judy shook her head. “No one ever caught my interest so why bother?”

Nick nodded, then glanced out the window in thought. Just as Judy was his first serious love interest, he was hers. Since he was a red fox, it wasn’t too surprising for her to be his first (other than, you know, her being a bunny), although he did keep himself more aloof than most foxes. But for her, being a rabbit, to have no one before him—it did something to his heart. It squeezed it in ways it’d never been squeezed before and left a warmth that flooded his whole body.

Judy felt a light tingle in her belly at the sound of Nick’s low growl and she wished he hadn’t cut it short. She knew it was a protective growl at hearing how Rick had treated her, and it released a wave of warm, fluffy butterflies loose in her belly.

Trying to quale the butterflies fluttering around inside her, she softly asked, “Did you ever date anyone?” From the way he was talking earlier, she didn’t think so, but she wanted to know for sure . . . not that it would matter if he did, but she was curious.

Nick cocked his head and met her curious amethysts, then replied, “I had a couple of teenage crushes, but that was it. With me struggling through Law School and then hustling to help support my mom and Anya, I didn’t really have time to pursue a serious relationship.”

“And after you graduated Law School?” she pressed. There was that huge chunk of his life between his mom’s lawsuit and Honey’s death that she knew nothing about.

Watching Nick as he remained quiet for several heartbeats, Judy thought she saw a flicker of pain flash across his emerald gaze, then disappear. Breathing deeply, she bit her bottom lip as she prepared for another sob story.

With a frown touching the edges of his mouth, Nick took a deep breath and said, “No, there was never anyone special.” With a heavy sigh, he added, “Let’s just say I wasn’t around anyone worth my time.” Folding his arms, he looked out the window behind her. His expression was a blank mask as he remembered the vixens he was around back then.

Judy bit her lip again and wondered about his answer. She didn’t believe he was lying, but there was obviously more to the story—a painful story. A story he wasn’t ready to talk about. Trying not to jump to any conclusions, she pushed her need to know aside and decided to patiently wait till Nick was ready to talk. Taking another deep breath, she considered what his answers meant to her. Nick was older than she was by several years, and yet he’d never been in a serious relationship—not until now—with her.

She suppressed a squeal as she realized that Nick was the first male interested in her who hadn’t already been through a pawful or more females. Nick had already given her a lot of firsts, but somehow, this took the cake. She was his first. She had never been anyone’s first before—well, she wasn’t anyone’s anything before, but not from lack of trying on any of the bucks’ part. With happiness filling her whole being, she turned her attention back to Nick. As he remained silently thinking, she took the opportunity to really study his handsome fox features.

With the sunlight streaming in through the open window, it highlighted the tips of his fur and made them glow gold, which was a striking contrast to his reddish-orange fur. Judy loved it. Just like she loved the shape of his triangular ears covered in soft, thick fur and his long, canine muzzle. She still wanted to feel his teeth against her skin again and his large paws with their claw-tipped fingers sliding over her body. This was a new idea she’d never had before meeting Nick—the desire to feel another’s paws on her body—but with him—to know she’d be the first female he touched . . . She had to bite her lip again to stop the squeal of delight that threatened to come out. That tingle was back in her belly again, and she fought to suppress it, too.

Don’t screw this up, Judy. Don’t rush things. 3 months might be normal for a rabbit relationship, but Nick is a todd, not a buck. They do long courtships, not short ones. Taking several deep breaths, she tried to get her emotions under control. What nearly happened outside didn’t count as that was the result of raging hormones neither of them were used to dealing with. With her nose twitching, she turned her focus back to Nick and got lost in the joy simply being with him brought her.

Having been lost in thought, Nick finally pulled his thoughts from the dark past and focused his gaze on Judy, then smiled to see her studying him with a happy, dreamy look on her face. Remembering what she said about stopping unwanted advances, it made him all the more grateful she never tried to seriously hurt him, notwithstanding her punches. He knew they were light compared to what they could be, and he deserved almost every one of them. But even when she was outraged, she never tried to seriously hurt him—which was a far cry from some of the vixens he’d known in the past.

Standing up, he met her gaze and leaned over. Planting one paw on the bed next to her, he raised the other and ran the back of his fingers down her cheek. With a warm smile, he spoke softly, saying, “Thank you, Judy, for believing in me and giving this dumb fox a chance.”

A radiant smile spread across Judy’s face. Nick’s words were honest and heartfelt and made her feel loved. With happiness welling up inside her, she felt a strong urge to kiss him. And that’s just what she did. Reaching up, she slipped her paws behind his head and pulled his muzzle down, even as she raised hers up. Their lips met briefly before she realized what she was doing and immediately let go.

“I’m so sorry, Nick. I didn’t . . . I mean . . . I know you . . .” Her face and ears were crimson under her fur. Stupid, stupid, stupid, she thought to herself as Nick stood unmoving before her. Although they’d nearly kissed out on the deck, she knew it wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t been sitting on and rubbing against him. You’re messing everything up! He’s a fox, not a rabbit! “Foxes do . . . long . . . I’m sorry . . . I . . .”

Nick stood frozen for several heartbeats while his brain rebooted. Receiving a kiss from Judy was the last thing on his mind, but oh, was it sweet—and all too short. Hearing Judy’s stuttering apology, his eyes came into focus and he saw the fear in her amethyst pools. Placing a finger-pad over her lips, he whispered, “I’m not complaining.”

Judy visibly relaxed and a shy smile graced her lips. With her cheeks and ears slowly returning to their normal color, she stared up into Nick’s bright, emerald gaze.

Moving his paw to cup her cheek, he softly ran his thumb-pad across her lips a few times, then moved it under her chin to lift her short muzzle slightly as he dipped his own muzzle the last few inches to press softly against hers.

Judy’s eyes immediately slid shut as she gave herself over to the slow, tender kiss. Their lips moved gently against each other for several moments before Nick pulled back. After taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes. Meeting her stunned amethysts for a heartbeat, Nick leaned down again and pressed his forehead against hers. Breathing in her sweet scent, he whispered, “Thank you, Judy.”

All she could do was nod against his head. He had stolen her voice as surely as he had completely stolen her heart. She knew she was falling for him before, but this sealed the deal. She was head-over-heels in love with Nick Wilde.

Nick pushed himself back to arm’s length, and his smug grin returned. “Your cut is cleaned and just needs to breathe before we rewrap it. Do you want me to bring you a book or something while you wait?”

Judy considered his offer a moment, then shook her head. “No, I think I’ll go through my text messages, instead. I’m sure I have tons after my siblings found out I’m moving in with a fox.” With an exasperated grin, she added, “I’m sure it’ll take the whole half-hour to go through them all, maybe even longer.”

Nick nodded as he stood up. “Okay, then let me grab your crutches in case you need to get up for anything.”

Judy nodded again, then watched Nick slip out her balcony door. Although he wore a confident expression, she recognized a gallant retreat when she saw one. With a giggle, she raised a paw and lightly touched her lips. With a hum of pleasure, she couldn’t believe she’d finally had her first kiss. After beating bucks off her for the last ten years, she’d finally given her first kiss to her best friend, a fox no less, and she couldn’t be happier.

Even though it wasn’t the passionate, hormone-laden kiss they almost shared on the deck, this kiss was much better. Well, the second kiss anyways. Nick’s kiss was short and tender, but filled with so much acceptance, adoration, and love that she couldn’t imagine her first kiss being any other way. It was perfect. With another giggle, she considered how they’d arrived here. They’d started out as strangers on a crazy adventure, and now here they were—at the beginning of a new journey . . . their future together.

With a bright smile, she rolled over and crawled to the head of the bed, where she put both pillows up against the headboard. Sitting against them, she reached for her phone, then realized it was still outside with the crutches and hoped Nick thought to grab it, too.

As soon as Nick rounded the back of the house, he leaned up against the door to the storage room and grabbed at this heart. Although it wasn’t pounding in his chest, it did feel like someone was squeezing it. “Carrots, what are you doing to me!?” he muttered under his breath. Not that he was complaining. He’d never complain about kissing Judy. Raising his paw, he touched his lips then flicked his tongue out to taste her on them. Her taste was faint, but it was still branded on his tongue. With a warm, happy smile spreading across his face, he laughed softly. His first kiss. Her first kiss. Their first kiss. Although short and sweet, he couldn’t imagine their first kiss being any other way.

He never expected to find her, his mate, but when Judy hopped into his life, it was totally unexpected what she did to his heart. The specially constructed walls around his heart were no match for her love and acceptance. And her apology—it was as if she came in with a wrecking ball and obliterated his defenses. And now here he was, kissing a bunny, and wanting so much more from her. To continue this wonderful journey with her.

Pushing off the door, he walked over and grabbed the crutches, then seeing her phone still on the table, he grabbed it, too. After dropping them off to Judy and giving her a warm smile, he retreated to the garage to see what Finnick was up to.

Chapter Text

Finnick heard Nick coming towards the barn, and as soon as his red-furred friend came into view, he glanced over from the toolbox he was digging through and asked, “So what does bunny taste like?”

Nick scowled. “Finn, we were not sucking face.”

“Bull!”

Folding his arms, Nick stared off into the garage. “Okay, if you hadn’t opened your big mouth while we were up on the deck, then yes, we would have been ‘sucking face’ as you so eloquently put it.” With a slight chuckle, he glanced over at his friend. “You have impeccable timing, by the way.”

Finnick snorted. Then studied his friend’s more calm and wistful expression. “You really haven’t kissed her yet? Even as pawsy as you say you two are?”

Nick’s ears flattened a moment as he opened his mouth to answer, then closed it again and leaned against the front of the van. With arms still folded, he looked off into the distance. Telling Finn about his and Judy’s first kiss wasn’t really something he wanted to do. It was too sweet, too . . . tender . . . to share with anyone.

Finnick watched his friend struggle to express himself and it gave him pause. Nick always had something to say—some slick answer or snarky comeback—so to see his friend completely silent told him two things. One, something happened between him and bunny cop when they went inside (he was sure a kiss was somehow involved). And two, that whatever happened was extremely personal and got past his emotional defenses—his heart had been deeply touched in some way.

“Okay, okay, I won’t push you. I can see bunny cop got to you again.” He paused a moment, then added, “And that’s a positive thing, right?” Nick hated anyone getting to him—hence his thick emotional walls—but Finn was getting the impression that his red friend liked it when the bunny cop got to him.

Nick glanced over, ears pricked forward, and with a wide, bright smile spreading across his face, he replied, “Very positive.”

“Okay. I said I wouldn’t pry, but are you sure she’s going to stick around?” Finnick raised his paw to forestall Nick’s cutting retort. “I know she really likes you. It’s obvious she wants you. But she is a rabbit, and they’re not exactly known for long-term, committed relationships. I know you, Red, and if you get any deeper in with her, and then she left you, she’ll leave you an emotional wreck from which you will never recover from.”

With ears flat against his head at the idea of Judy leaving him, Nick pushed it down and focused on what just happened in her room. Taking a deep breath, he replied, “I already told you she’s ruined me, but I’m not worried. Judy isn’t your typical bunny—I mean, she’s a cop and living with a fox! You can’t get much less typical than that. And the whole promiscuous dating stereotype—it’s just that, a stereotype and a false one at that.”

Finnick looked skeptical. They’d both met several rabbits here in the city who had some very loose standards when it came to dating. Friends with benefits was a common thing for many of the unmarried rabbits raised in the city.

Nick shook his head. “I know how they are here in Zootopia, but back in Bunnyburrow where the majority of rabbits live, they have higher standards. Judy says most rabbits go on suppressants as teenagers to control they’re high sex drive and although they casually date multiple rabbits at the same time, they don’t actually start the whole ‘multiplying’ thing until they’re engaged or married. So once they find Mister or Missus Right, they’re fully committed and remain faithful.”

Finnick still looked skeptical, and Nick continued. “You want to know how atypical Carrots is? The bunny up there in my house?” He waved his paw in the direction of the house. “In her whole life she’s been on one date in high school, and she sent her date to the hospital with a broken nose when she found out he’d made a bet with his friends that he could steal her first kiss during the dance. Double the money if he got ‘lucky’ that night.” Running his paws through his fur, he whispered, “She just gave me her first kiss, Finn. Me, a fox. She saved her first kiss for me. You can’t tell me she’s planning on leaving after waiting that long.”

Finnick’s open mouth formed a perfect ‘O’ as he stared at Nick. He couldn’t believe a rabbit in her twenties wouldn’t have been on multiple dates and several boyfriends. And yet Nick was being serious. “She really give you her first kiss? The bunny cop?”

Nick nodded but didn’t say anything. His emotions were too close to the surface and, as Finn had already pointed out, he was in way too deep. And he didn’t have the heart to pull himself out. Judy had stolen his heart and he was powerless against her.

Finnick’s large ears flattened back against his head at Nick’s silent admission. They were both silent for several minutes, then Finnick asked quietly, “And when she learns about your past? What then? She’s a cop and you worked for the biggest mob boss in Tundratown for six years. Do you think she can really overlook that?”

Nick was silent a moment longer, then muttered, “I don’t know, Finn, I really don’t know. She knows I had dealings with Big in the past, but not that I actually worked for him.”

“And when she finds out?”

Nick shook his head. He really couldn’t say how Judy would react. He hoped she wouldn’t hold it against him, and it’s not like she wasn’t willing to break the law herself (blackmail and breaking and entering were illegal) or go to the mob boss herself. “She had him threaten to ice Weaselton if he didn’t tell us what he knew. And she’s now good friends with Fru-Fru, so she can’t be too upset about me for working for the mob boss. Plus, that was years ago and it’s not like I killed anyone while I was working for him.”

Finnick nodded and hoped Nick was right. He’d never forgive bunny cop if she destroyed his friend.

******

Judy had skimmed through her hundreds of text messages from her siblings and a few of her closest cousins, then sent group texts to answer those with the same questions. Some questions she ignored as they were too personal, stupid, or crude. Those sent from the small group of her boy-crazy sisters weren’t even read, but immediately deleted.

She was just finishing up with the last of the messages when she saw one that didn’t come from anyone blood-related to her. With a wide grin, she immediately punched in the number on MuzzleTime.

“Judy!” a high, shrill voice exclaimed. “You’re safe! How are you? We saw the news last night. Was that you at the museum? What happened after daddy helped you get that clue from Weaselton? Do you have a place to stay? Please tell me you’re not staying in some seedy motel. I hope you know you have an open invitation to stay here for a few days if you need to. And what about Nick? Since he was with you yesterday, I take it you were able to talk through your differences. Are you two good now? You know I won’t forgive him if he keeps hurting you.”

Judy giggled, unable to get a word in edgewise as her friend rattled off her questions with hardly a breath in between sentences. “Hi, Fru-Fru. I’m fine and yes that was me in the museum last night. I was injured, but it would have been a lot worse if Nick hadn’t stuck with me and risked his own life to keep me safe. Together, we were able to get a confession from the mastermind behind the savage mammal attacks, so hopefully that whole mess will be resolved soon.”

“I’m so relieved. I was worried sick last night after hearing the news, and then you weren’t answering the phone. I feared the worst. I would’ve called Nick, but we don’t have his current phone number.”

“Sorry. My phone was dead, and then I fell asleep while charging it.”

“Well, I guess I can understand that. And it’s about time that boy did something right. Where are you anyway? That doesn’t look like a motel room.”

“Oh no. Nick wouldn’t let me stay at a motel. He took me home with him.”

“Nick took you home with him? Nick Wilde took a girl home? We are talking about the same Nick, aren’t we?” the little shrew asked skeptically. She was sure Tundratown would thaw before she saw Nicky bring a girl home.

Judy giggled again. “Yes, Fru-Fru, we’re talking about the same Nick. He said he wouldn’t be happy if I stayed anywhere else. He’s been the best and he’s thought of everything I would need while I heal up.”

The little arctic shrew gave the grey rabbit a weird look as she tried to reconcile the Nick she knew with the one Judy was describing. Although he would help others out at times, especially those treated as second-class citizens because of their species, Nick never brought anyone home with him. The only mammal Nick let get close to him was the little fennec fox, Finnick. He was more open when he was still working for daddy, but not by much. He was a fox who knew everyone, but not many knew him. She’d heard he’d gotten worse, more aloof and selfish, after Honey died and daddy terminated his employment.

With a heavy sigh, she finally said, “Okay, if you say so. But are you really fine staying with him? He doesn’t aggravate you? I know how annoying he can be.”

Chuckling, Judy grinned, saying, “Oh, believe me, I know exactly how annoying he can be. And when we first met, I couldn’t stand him. But once we were able to see past each other’s stereotypes, we just. . . clicked. And now I can’t imagine staying with anyone else. And I certainly don’t want to go back to living alone—not after staying all day with him. And his house—have you seen his house? It’s huge and . . . and . . . perfect! It has one and a half baths, a workout room, a library, a huge kitchen, and a spacious dining room. Fru-Fru, Nick has a deck!”

The small shrew raised an eyebrow. “So you’re staying with Nick because you like his house? If all you’re looking for is a better place to live, I could rent you a spacious apartment at a decent price.”

Judy’s ears immediately dropped. “Fru-Fru, I’m honored you’d be willing to rent me a great apartment, but I’m not staying here just because I like the place. I want to stay here because Nick is here.”

Fru-Fru studied her friend for several quick heartbeats. She knew Judy had been upset about losing Nick’s friendship, so she had offered to send her daddy’s polar bears after him so Judy could talk out her feelings and at least have some closure, even if Nick was being too dumb to see what a great friend he’d lost (not that Judy ever took her up on her offer). But hearing Judy talk about Nick now, it sounded like they’d more than mended their broken friendship, as if . . .

“Okay, Judy, sweetie, if that’s what you want, but if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were falling for the slick todd.”

Judy’s ears immediately turned red and dropped down to either side of her head, as she was leaning her head back against the pillow. “Something like that,” she murmured under her breath.

Fru-Fru’s eyes widened. “Are you serious, Judy? You’re actually falling for Nick Wilde!” At Judy’s sheepish, embarrassed nod, the little shrew’s shock turned to sorrow. “Oh, Judy, dear, you’ll get your heart broken if you chase after that todd.”

Judy’s eyebrows scrunched in confusion. “Why? Is it because he’s a fox and I’m a bunny?”

“That’s not it at all. Although I’ve never heard of a pred/prey couple before, if you really like the mammal, then species shouldn’t matter.”

“Then . . . why?”

“Because it’s Nick. He’s not really the settling-down type. He’d rather run away than commit to a serious relationship.”

Judy opened her mouth to refute the arctic shrew, but then paused. Nick had already told her he hadn’t dated, but she was suddenly curious about Fru-Fru’s experience with her fox and wondered how he normally acted around females. “What do you mean?” she asked instead.

“Well, I’m not sure he’s told you yet, but Nicky worked for daddy for about six years and in all that time, he never once went on a date that wasn’t work-related.”

Judy’s ears immediately stood up and cocked forward. “Nick went on dates for work!?”

“It was strictly for information gathering.”

Judy leaned forward a little with excitement. “Kinda like undercover work?”

Fru-Fru blinked, then smiled. “Exactly like undercover work. Foxes are very good at sneaking around and blending in, and daddy employed several, though Nicky was the only red fox. The rest were arctic or silver foxes.”

Judy nodded, then asked hesitantly, “So, these dates . . . nothing . . . happened during them, right?”

The little shrew immediately knew what her friend was talking about and couldn’t let her worry over nothing. “No, nothing ever happened. Nicky was always the perfect gentlemammal, much to several vixens’ ire. Foxes are naturally very good at what they do, but Nick was the best and had caught the eyes of several vixens. They were all excited the first time they were ordered to go on these business dates with Nick, but they all came back disappointed.”

At Judy’s raised eyebrow, Fru-Fru explained, “Nick was very good at playing the perfect date, sitting close and leaning in to touch shoulders. Touching their arms or whispering in their ears, but the vixens all complained that Nick barely touched them, that his touches were very light. Him touching them was simply an illusion for the sake of the act, but nothing more. And when the evening was over, he’d walk them back to their rooms or their house and leave them at the door, without so much as a goodnight kiss. There was even a bet going on, on who would be the first to kiss Nicky. To my knowledge, no one ever won the bet.”

Judy was quiet for a while as she considered this glimpse into Nick’s past. While thinking about how he treated the vixens who were chasing him, she then compared them to how, other than the time she touched his arm on the sky tram (his moving away made more sense now), Nick had never been wishy-washy with his touches to her. They had all been gentle, but firm. Thinking about the squeezes he’d given her and then the way he’d flipped them onto the deck, along with all his heated, hungry predatory gazes, had her ears heating up again. And then the tender kiss they’d shared.

Considering the bet they placed on Nick, she realized that was another bit of shared history they both had—others placing bets on their first kiss. And yet she and Nick had both saved their first for each other. It filled her heart and belly with warm fuzzies again. Reaching up, she almost touched her lips but then remembered she was still on MuzzleTime with Fru-Fru. Meeting her friend’s patient gaze, Judy pointed out, “Okay, so he’s been aloof, but what do you mean he’d rather run from commitment?”

“Well, daddy only employed about a dozen vixens, but there were two that were persistent about gaining Nicky’s attention and affection, and it soon turned to a heated rivalry. It got so bad that it was disrupting work since Nick would occasionally disappear in order to avoid them. And Nick was very good at not being found when he didn’t want to be—which meant his work had to be postponed. Not good, let me tell you.”

Judy nodded as she remembered how hard it was to find him after the press conference, then felt peeved while thinking about how badly the vixens were harassing Nick—her fox.

At Judy’s silence, Fru-Fru continued. “I finally had to step in and tell them to lay off Nick, that he wasn’t interested and never would be. He was there for work, not chasing their tails. They didn’t like being told that. I don’t think they’d ever met a male who refused them. Finally having someone point out the obvious sent them into a spiteful rage and daddy ordered them to leave or be iced.” Seeing Judy’s shock, she added, “They left, but said that Nicky would regret snubbing them.”

“And did he?” Judy asked softly as she remembered the pain he tried to hide. If the vixens were simply a nuisance, then it would have been irritation she’d seen in his eyes—not pain.

“I don’t know. He left daddy’s employment less than a year later, so you’ll have to ask him if they did anything to him.”

Judy nodded, but before she could say anything more, her stomach rumbled. Her cheeks turned a shade red under her fur and a paw shot over her stomach.

Fru-Fru giggled and said, “I’ll let you go so you can eat, but we need to get together and have lunch sometime. We have so much catching up to do.”

“Are you free tomorrow about 11? I’m meeting with Chief Bogo at 10 and a sibling at the Savannah Central Station at noon, but if you want to grab lunch after my meeting with Bogo, we can. I won’t be able to walk anywhere, but we can definitely sit, eat, and talk.”

“Ooh, that sounds perfect. Do you have a place in mind?”

“I’m still not familiar with Zootopia, so I’m not sure. I know they have a lot of food stalls and cafés by the train station, which will be best for me so I’m not late meeting my sibling.”

“That’ll be fine. I’ll ask around for a good place that can accommodate us both and text it to you later. Does that sound good?”

“That’s perfect. Thanks.”

With a bright smile, Fru-Fru waved to Judy and said, “Goodbye.”

Judy waved back, but then said, “Oh, one last thing.” As Fru-Fru’s finger hovered over the end call button, Judy said confidently, “You don’t have to worry about Nick breaking my heart.” With a radiant smile, she explained, “He’s already given me his.”

Fru-Fru’s tiny jaw dropped and she sputtered, “Wait—what!? What do you mean?”

“Goodbye, Fru-Fru. Have a great evening.”

“Wait, Judy! You can’t drop a bombshell like that and leave me hanging. We must talk about this.”

“Bye,” Judy said again, “I’ll talk to you tomorrow over lunch.”

“Wait! Judy!!!”

With a mischievous grin, Judy hit the end call button and the line went dead. With a giggle she wondered if Nick was already rubbing off on her as that was something he’d do. Feeling much more confident in her relationship with Nick, Judy glanced down at her leg. Nick should have been in 10 minutes ago to wrap it and she wondered what he was up to. She could just call him, but decided to surprise him by walking out on the deck.

With another giggle, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and grabbed the crutches. Carefully sliding off the bed and landing on her good foot, she hobbled over to the balcony door and maneuvered it open. Stepping outside, she took a deep breath of fresh air and then turned towards the deck. Now, to see what my fox is up to.

Chapter Text

Hobbling to the railing, Judy looked toward the barn, but couldn’t see any foxes. The open doors and back of the van were visible, but not her fox or his friend. She heard Nick speak, though it wasn’t loud enough for her to make out what he said, and then she heard Finnick’s deep, booming laugh coming from the front of the van. Hobbling along to the far corner of the deck, she was finally able to see inside the garage. Finnick was crawling around under the hood of the van (though she couldn’t see anything but his short, bushy tail) and Nick was handing him a tool.

“You’re pulling my leg,” Judy heard Finnick say (his deep voice was easy to make out). “There’s no way that happened.”

“It’s true, every word.” Now that the garage wasn’t blocking the sound, Judy could hear Nick clearly. “Ask Judy if you don’t believe me.” Hearing the warmth and happiness in his teasing voice brought a smile to Judy’s lips and she felt grateful that Nick had at least one other friend he could be himself around.

Raising her own voice, Judy hollered down. “Hey, boys, about ready for some dinner?”

Nick glanced up and immediately smiled upon seeing her. Finnick stuck his head out from behind the van’s open hood and cocked his large ears toward her with a puzzled look on his face, which made Judy wonder what Nick had been telling him.

“Yeah, just give us a minute,” Nick hollered back. Turning his attention to his friend, Nick said, “There’s hardly any food in the house, so I’m taking Judy out to eat and then stopping at the store to buy some groceries. Do you want to come with?”

Finn could only stare at his friend. They’d hardly spoken to each other for months, and now Nick wanted to take him out to dinner with his not-quite girlfriend. “Are you sure I won’t be a third wheel?”

“Of course not. I told you, we’re taking it slow.”

Raising an eyebrow, Finn replied, “Is that what you’re calling it? With all the pawing and the kiss and the almost kissing?”

Nick opened his mouth, but then his ears flicked back, and he snapped his mouth shut with an audible click of his sharp teeth. After a moment of consideration, he ran his claws through the fur on his head and back of his neck, then finally replied, “I know it’s weird. We’ve spent our whole lives avoiding relationships and now that we’ve found each other, we can’t keep our paws to ourselves. It’s not even a conscious decision sometimes. It feels so natural to reach out and touch her that I don’t even think about it and I’m already doing it.”

Finnick nodded, remembering Nick talking about petting the bunny cop’s ears while on MuzzleTime with her parents. “And you still want me to come with you to dinner? I won’t be in the way?” That was one thing he was all too familiar with—being treated as unnecessary and a waste of space by others. Either they complained about him being a fox, complained about his size, or both.

Nick barked a laugh. “Hardly. I told you, Carrots wrecked my defenses and threw my mask in a dusty corner of my mind. I’ll need you there to remind me I’m in public and to keep my paws to myself.”

Finnick grinned at Nick’s apt description. His interest was truly peeked, but he worried how bunny cop would treat him. Although she treated Nick much better now than his second encounter with the ball of grey fluff, Finn still worried she’d ignore him or talk down to him like most prey did. Being treated like a kit or ignored was two of his biggest pet peeves. “Are you sure she’ll be comfortable with me there. She knows I’m not a kit. You don’t think she’ll treat me like the others, do you?”

“No way she’ll treat you like that. She’ll treat you as an equal. Besides, I know you’re curious and so is she. You heard her, she didn’t say ‘Nick,’ she said, ‘boys.’ You and me. She expects to eat dinner with both of us.”

Finnick couldn’t argue with Nick’s logic, but he still felt unsure. He’d had so many bad experiences with mammals in general, but especially prey species. And with the bunny cop being, well, a bunny, he was even more hesitant. In one final effort to talk his way out of it, he said, “But what about my van? If I go to dinner and shopping, then I’ll never get it put back together tonight.”

Nick cocked his head in question. “So?”

“So! It’s not like I can stay here!”

Nick splayed his ears to the side, then cocked them forward again. “Why not? You have a bed in your van, I have two very comfortable couches in the living room you should well remember, and there’s also the loft apartment above the garage. Take your pick.”

“Huh? You’re actually saying I can stay the night?” Nick hadn’t invited him to stay here in years.

“Sure, why not? Let’s just say it’s my payback for being such a jerk the last few months.”

“Months?”

“Okay, the last several years.” Throwing his arms up in the air, Nick added, “I’ll even pay for dinner and your groceries. Will that make it up to you?”

Finnick’s small mouth split into the widest grin. “It’s a start.” With a clap of his greasy paws, he said, “So where are you taking us?”

Nick just laughed. “Get cleaned up while I go rewrap Carrots’ leg, then meet us up front. We’ll take the jeep tonight.”

Finnick continued grinning while he climbed down from the van. He loved the jeep wrangler Honey modified. There was even a seat booster that he could use that didn’t make him feel like he was sitting in a kit’s car seat. As he hurried over to the sink, Nick disappeared across the yard.

Hurrying up the stairs, Nick entered the house through his room then skipped over to Judy’s room. She was already sitting on the bed waiting for him.

“So what did you have in mind for dinner since we never made it to the store?” she asked curiously.

Picking up the bandages, he put fresh gauze on the gash while answering, “Well, I was thinking of going out for dinner. There’s this nice little diner I know of that serves both preds and prey, so I thought we could go there. And then afterwards we could go shopping.”

“That’s great. And what about Finnick? Will he be joining us?”

Nick grinned. “Do you want him to?”

“Actually, yes. He’s a friend you trust, so I’d like to get to know him, too.”

Nick’s grin widened. “It’s great you feel that way because I invited him, and he agreed. He’ll meet us out front.”

As she watched Nick bandage her leg, she asked, “Can you get my pink shirts when you’re done? I want to wear them with the shorts tonight.”

Nick glanced up, then his smile brightened. “I’d love to see you in the full outfit.” With that thought in mind, it didn’t take him long to clip the bandage in place and hurry into the laundry room. Grabbing the shirts from the dryer, he brought them back to her and stepped out to give her some privacy. Moving over to the piano, he sat down and thought for a moment as he considered what to play. Thinking about the last 24 hours, he grinned as the perfect song came to mind. Lifting dark, ruddy fingers to the keys, he hit the first notes to the song, Bring Me to Life (by Evanescence). It wasn’t what he usually listened to, but the words really suited him tonight and he hoped Judy would enjoy the song when played on the piano.

-/-/-

Judy’s ears twitched as she heard the first few notes of the piano breaking the silence. As she began buttoning her top shirt, she tried to figure out the song Nick was playing. It sounded familiar but wasn’t one she listened to herself. Perhaps she heard some of her siblings listening to it. As Nick began singing (his voice wasn’t superstar level, but he carried the tune well and she enjoyed listening to him), she finally recognized it as the song ‘Bring Me to Life.’ Quite a few of her sisters raved about it and would belt it out at the top of their lungs—whether they could carry a tune or not was irrelevant. She wasn’t sure who sang it, but she remembered the music on the chorus being a bit harsh to her ears, so she never really listened to the words. But as Nick sang with just the piano as accompaniment, she paid attention now.

'How can you see into my eyes like open doors?...' Judy’s heart squeezed painfully as she realized the words were reflecting Nick’s thoughts—about her. She was the only one that took the time to see past his mask to the todd locked up behind his protective walls. And with her help, he’d finally come home. While Nick continued singing, Judy thought back to their conversation on the couch last night, and then again up here at the piano, the one out on the deck, and finally, their last conversation here in her room, she understood what the words he sang meant, especially as he sang the next lines. "Now that I know what I’m without..."

A tear ran down her cheek as she considered what Nick was telling her through the song. He wasn’t just letting her in—he was inviting her in. He was telling her he wanted to change for the better and that he needed her in his life. With a sniffle, she listened to Nick sing the chorus again, and then the next two lines about how Nick felt frozen inside without her touch and love, that she was life to him. Listening as Nick finished the song, Judy knew she’d never have to worry about Nick breaking her heart. He was already hers just as much as she was already his.

As the last note hung in the air, she sniffled again and wiped the tears from her face. Grabbing her crutches, she hobbled down the hall toward the piano room and greeted Nick with a radiant, love-filled smile.

He immediately stood up and hurried over to her, then swept her up into his arms. Holding her firmly with one paw, he took both crutches from her with the other. “What did I say? I get to carry you around the house until your leg heals.”

Judy just shrugged her shoulders. “I wanted to meet you at least half-way.” Reaching up, she caressed his cheeks and said softly, “The feeling is mutual. You bring me to life, too.”

Nick returned her radiant smile, then nuzzled the spot between her ears. Judy hummed in pleasure, and he whispered in her ear, “Are you ready for dinner?”

“Hmm. Most definitely. The tiger is on the prowl again.”

“Well, we can’t have that, now can we?” With a grin, he turned and carried her downstairs.

-/-/-

Finnick had just rounded the corner of the house when he heard the first strains of the piano, and it made him pause. He hadn’t heard Nick play since Honey died. It warmed his jaded heart to hear it. Hearing Nick’s voice a moment later as he began singing made Finnick chuckle. “That sorry sap . . . he finally has a girl he wants to impress.” Nick made it his business to make mammals believe he couldn’t play the piano as he was very picky about who he played for. And the singing—that was almost as elusive as the piano playing, though he would sing with the right audience if he had his guitar.

Stepping up onto the porch, he made his way over to a bench situated in front of one of the windows and climbed up to wait for the two lovebirds to come down. It wasn’t long after Nick finished singing that they walked through the door.

After locking the door, Nick turned to unlock the jeep’s doors with his key fob when he glanced down to see Judy’s wide-eyed stare. With a smug grin and a teasing chuckle, he asked, “See something you like, Fluff?”

She glanced up and met his amused emeralds, then back at the roomy 4-door jeep wrangler that was sized for a wolf. Pointing, she exclaimed, “That’s your vehicle!?” There was a soft click of a camera beside her, but Judy was too amazed by the sight in front of her to pay it any mind.

Finnick sent Nick the picture he’d just taken, then pocketed his phone, a smug grin on his own face as he pictured what she’d do to his friend when, not if, she found Nick’s picture file he kept of her.

Nick laughed. “That it is. Honey heavily modified it to ride smooth in the city, plenty of horsepower to hit top speeds on the open highways, and lots of torque for climbing or hauling.” Looking over the large vehicle, with it’s hard, black freedom top, shiny black trim, and sky-blue luminescent body, he then met Judy’s stunned gaze. “I told you, she was a bit of a daredevil.”

“That’s an understatement,” Finnick muttered as he stepped up beside them.

They both looked down, and then Nick said to Judy, “Carrots, meet Finnick. Finn, meet Carrots.”

Giving each other a nod in greeting, Judy then asked, “Do you prefer Finnick or Finn?”

Finnick’s eyes widened, then he said, “Finn is fine.”

With a wide grin and another nod, she said, “Then Finn it is. It’s nice to meet you.”

Raising an eyebrow and cocking an ear, Finnick pointed out, “You know we’ve already met, right?”

“Yes, but the first time I thought you were just a little kit, the second time you were laughing your head off, and the last time we didn’t really have time for a proper introduction, so it’s nice to finally meet the real Finnick.”

They were walking down the steps, but at Judy’s words, Finnick paused and stared at her as Nick stepped past him to the ground. The bunny’s words flabbergasted Finn. Nick had said bunny cop was different, but he still held some doubts—but now—she was actually looking at him with her whole focus. It was a little unnerving after being ignored or put down by so many prey.

Without looking back, Nick chuckled as he could just picture Finn’s wide-eyed expression. “Are you coming, Big Guy?” Stopping at the passenger side door, Judy grabbed the door handle and Nick stepped back, thus opening it.

“Uh, ya.” Hurrying over to the back-seat door, Finn hopped up and opened it.

Setting the crutches on the floorboards, Nick grabbed the special booster and handed it back to Finnick (until now, he was the only one Nick ever allowed in the jeep). Turning his attention back to Judy, Nick made sure she was comfortable, and the seat was high enough for her, then ran around to the driver’s seat. Climbing in, he started the engine and listened with pride and pleasure to the soft hum of the engine. Turning around in the seat, he looked between the seats and out the back window as he backed up and then sped off down the road.

The trip to the diner was filled with light-hearted chit-chat as Finnick questioned them more on their crazy adventure and making sure Nick wasn’t pulling his leg on some of their crazier stunts and near-death experiences. Judy listened attentively and responded with a serious answer but was willing to laugh at herself and Nick now that the danger was past. Finnick was still shocked that bunny cop was really treating him like an equal. He wasn’t complaining (it was nice to finally be seen) but it was going to take a bit to get used to.

After about 15-minutes of smooth driving, Nick pulled into the parking lot of Sonjay’s, a popular mom and pop diner. Nick was quick at jumping out and running around to Judy’s side so he could help her down. After setting her carefully on the pavement, he reached in the jeep again and pulled out the crutches. Handing them over, he muttered, “I wish I could just carry you inside, but I’m sure some idiot will complain about me fox-handling you or some other such nonsense if I did.”

“It’s okay, Nick. It won’t kill me to do a few things for myself.”

Stepping up beside them, Finnick asked, “Are you sure?” At Judy’s raised eyebrow and Nick’s sly grin, he explained, “From what you two were telling me, if Nick hadn’t been with you, you certainly would have died from doing ‘a few things’ for yourself.” He used his fingers to make air quotes when he said “a few things”.

Judy opened her mouth to refute him, but then snapped her mouth shut again. At Nick’s hearty chuckle, she gripped the crutches tightly and glared at him.

“He’s entirely correct, you know,” Nick said in answer to her glare. “You get an idea in your head and you completely shut out everything else. You don’t stop to consider if there’s a better way—you know, like one that ensures we’re both still breathing when it’s all said and done. Or make sure we have all the evidence gathered and at least pictures of the culprits.”

Judy’s ears dropped and she had nothing to say in her defense.

“He’s right,” Finnick cut in. “You should have at least videotaped the lab and criminals in question before blowing up the train. That’s how you caught Lionheart, isn’t it? That was your video they were showing on the news, right?”

Judy could only nod. Nick and Finnick were entirely correct, and it galled her that she had neglected to gather such crucial pieces of evidence. They still weren’t sure if Doug, Woolter, and Jesse were even apprehended. Information on the case was still being withheld from the media, so until they spoke to Bogo tomorrow, they wouldn’t know what had happened after she was loaded into the ambulance.

Nick watched the emotions playing across her downcast face, and once he felt she had properly chastised herself for her failings (it was for her own good as he had no desire to hear on the news of her death from some harebrained idea she implemented without any thought for the consequences), he spoke up, saying, “Well, if you recognize your faults and promise me you’ll listen the next time I tell you to stop thinking whatever you’re thinking”—at her glare he amended—“at least tell me your idea so, together, we can see if there’s a better way,” he paused and arched an eyebrow at her. At her nod, he continued, “Then I think we’re good. Shall we go in and eat?”

“Oh, please, yes,” Judy groaned. “I’m starving.” Just then her stomach growled viciously, and her ears turned bright red.

Finnick gaped at her. “Dang, bunny cop, when was the last time you ate?”

“Look, it usually isn’t this bad. I just haven’t eaten much lately, and now that I am, my appetite has awakened with a vengeance.” Hobbling along beside Nick and Finnick, Judy kept her flaming ears flat against her back.

“What? Why?” Finnick paused as he stared at the bunny. She didn’t seem like the type to starve herself. Her fit body was a testament to her taking care of it—which would include a proper diet.

Nick put a large paw on his friend’s small shoulder and leaned down slightly to whisper, “For the same reason I didn’t eat much the last 3 months.”

Finn’s eyes widened. “Oh.”

Catching up to Judy, who hadn’t stopped to wait for them, Nick hurried ahead of her and opened the door for her and Finnick. Stepping into the dimmer light of the diner, they waited for their eyes to adjust, then stepped up to the counter to get a seat. After hitting the little bell for service, a waiter stepped out from the back. He was a tawny cougar a couple feet taller than Nick, with bright golden eyes and the typical black ears of his species. Upon seeing them, he grinned in greeting, saying, “Nick, it’s been a while.”

“Hello, Willie, it has been a while, but I believe you’ll be seeing much more of me from now on.”

“Is that so?” Willie’s black ears flicked forward in question. Nick had been quite scarce in the area ever since Honey died. The eccentric badger had been a force to reckon with, even in her old age, and had frequently dragged Nick along on her outings and crazy adventures.

“Yes. I’ve decided to move back home.”

This truly surprised the cougar, as Nick had frequently complained about the place not feeling like home as Honey was no longer around to keep him company. He had disappeared the first 3 months after Honey’s passing, was back for about 2, then Nick vanished again, with him making an appearance only a pawful of times a year, if that.

At the cougar’s raised eyebrow, Nick explained, “I’ve recently found a . . .”—he glanced down at Judy—“reason to be home.” Meeting Willie’s stunned gaze, he motioned down at his friends. “You remember Finnick,” he paused as Finn and Willie nodded to each other, then he motioned to Judy. “And this is my good friend, Judy. I’ve recently helped her out with a difficulty she found herself in and have since put her up in Honey’s old room, so you’ll be seeing her from now on, as well.”

Although Nick didn’t want to advertise the fact they were living together, he had known Willie since high school as they were on the track team together (he didn’t attend the school, but Honey encouraged him to join the local track team to get him out of the house and give him the opportunity to make friends his own age), and knew he could trust Willie to kill any rumors that might start up from him and Judy frequently being seen together.

At hearing Nick’s news, Willie turned to the grey bunny standing between the two foxes. “You’re actually staying with a fox? Isn’t that scary for you?”

Her first impulse was to berate the cougar for implying her friend wasn’t trustworthy, but the look in his eyes made her pause. There was no insult or prejudice, but simple astonishment that she, a rabbit, would feel safe or comfortable with a fox. Taking a deep breath and allowing a bright smile to spread across her face, she replied, “Nick is my best friend and I know there is nowhere safer in all Zootopia than at his side.”

Willie’s jaw dropped as he stared at her honest, radiant smile that she quickly turned to the red todd standing beside her. Glancing over, he saw Nick’s expression mirrored the rabbit’s—which was just as shocking. Willie knew what Nick’s con-face looked like, had seen it a thousand times, but tonight it was nowhere to be found. He knew there was a massive story behind their unusual friendship, and he was dying to hear it, but he also knew that now wasn’t the time. As open as Nick was being right now, which was odd in itself, Willie knew Nick wouldn’t tell his story unless they were somewhere private. And standing in the entrance of the diner was not it.

“Okay, Nick, I can see there’s a huge story to hear, but I’ll get you that table for three. But you must come by sometime after work and tell me all about it.”

Nick nodded, and as Willie grabbed three menus and led them to their table, he asked, “Do you still meet at the track on Wednesday?”

“We do. Can I expect to see you there this evening? We meet at 7.”

Nick shook his head and glanced at Judy. “Judy will need to be home resting with her leg up, but we can come by next week. Judy’s leg will be a lot better by then.”

Willie nodded, excited to see Nick again after so long and looking forward to running with him again. Of course, hearing about why a rabbit would decide to shack up with a fox would be the highlight of the visit. He couldn’t wait to hear the tale.

As Willie led the trio to a corner booth, none of the group paid attention to the stares of the other patrons. Most were curious, but there were a few disgruntled looks and one pair of striking steel-grey eyes that were quite hostile. Their hard gaze followed the foxes for several steps before focusing on the injured doe hobbling between them. He could see right away that she was in excellent physical shape and had curves few other does had, and with her perky, cottony tail flicking invitingly behind her, he found the affect appealing to his baser instincts. His hard gaze flickered back to the two todds, before returning to the doe. The fact she was in the company of filthy pelts was abhorrent, but that she was also injured—unforgivable.

Chapter Text

After Willie set the menus on the table and left, Finnick climbed onto the left-hand booth and quickly adjusted the bench up so he could sit comfortably at the table. Not many restaurants that allowed foxes had the adjustable seats, but Sonjays was one of them and he dearly missed eating here.

As Finnick fiddled with the bench’s height, Nick asked Judy if she preferred sitting on the inside or outside of the booth. After a moment’s thought, Judy replied, “I’ll sit on the outside. That way I don’t have to climb over the bench too much and risk pulling my stitches.”

Nick nodded. He wanted to say he could pick her up and set her on the bench but knew that wouldn’t go over very well with some of the other patrons. So with a deep breath, he kept his mouth shut and simply climbed into the seat. Once he was over far enough, he offered Judy a paw to help her up. She gladly accepted and was soon situated next to him on the padded bench.

As she picked up the menu, Judy glanced around the diner and took note of the other patrons. “There’s not that many prey here, for it catering to both preds and prey.”

“Well, this is a predator owned diner and with the savage attacks, I’m surprised this many prey still eat here,” Nick pointed out.

Finnick nodded, saying, “These are mostly the regulars that have been coming here for years, so they’ve built up a trust.” With a wide grin and a wave of his paw, he added, “And they’re not going to let some savage keep them from the excellent food served here.”

“Amen to that,” Nick agreed as he picked up his menu. He knew what he wanted but was curious to see if anything new had been added since the last time he’d come here.

Judy perused the menu, then leaned toward Nick and asked, “Since you’ve been here before, what do you recommend?”

Nick raised an eyebrow. “Carrots, in case you haven’t noticed yet, but I’m a predator, so I only know what’s good on the predator side of the menu.” As Judy’s ears drooped, he added, “But since you like all things vegetable, I’d recommend the Garden Vegetable Extravaganza.”

As Judy began flipping through the menu looking for it, Nick reached over and tapped a claw against the picture advertising one of the hottest sellers for prey. After looking it over, she hummed in agreement. “This does look good. And look at this selection of dips and dressings. I haven’t even heard of some of them.”

As Judy tried to narrow down a dressing to try, and Nick sat watching her think, Finnick sat back and watched them both, a slight grin on his muzzle. It still surprised him that the bunny cop didn’t flinch or have her nose start twitching when Nick’s large claw-tipped finger dropped down in front of her face. It was obvious that the bunny held not an ounce of fear for the taller, red-furred todd. As strange as it was, it warmed his heart and gave him a smidgeon of hope for the future between pred and prey.

As much as it warmed Finnick’s heart to see Nick and Judy so comfortable, the feeling wasn’t mutual among some of the other patrons. The owner of the steel-grey eyes ground his teeth at seeing the taller fox shove his large paw in the doe’s face with one wicked claw on full display. How dare the filthy pelt get so close to her. It was an offense that deserved to be punished.

Completely disregarding the fact that the doe showed absolutely no fear of the large todd, he sat fuming as the waiter came with three glasses of water and went away with their order. Watching the doe carrying on an animated conversation with the two todds did nothing to lighten his mood. He was so focused on the booth across the room from his own, that he completely ignored his companions.

“Hey, Jeff, what’s got your ears all in a bunch?” a gopher across from him asked. When Jeff didn’t answer, the gopher said, “Hello? Earth to Jeff, come in Jeff.” With a frown, he finally called, “Jefferey!”

That got his attention. “I told you not to call me that,” he stated with a hard glare at the gopher.

“Well, if you had answered the first couple of times, I wouldn’t have had to use it.” At watching his companion’s brows furrow in further irritation, the gopher hastily asked, “What are you staring at that has you fuming so bad? I can practically see steam pouring out of your ears.”

Jeff turned back to the booth with the two abominations. Motioning with his head towards the booth, he explained, “Two filthy pelts just sat down with an injured rabbit doe. The fact their skulking around during the day is bad enough, but to be forcing their attentions onto a doe is inexcusable.”

“I’ve been watching them, too,” said a fallow deer, his broad flat antlers an impressive sight, as he sat beside the gopher. “But I think you’re misjudging the situation. The doe doesn’t appear to be here against her will. She seems quite comfortable with the two foxes.”

Jeff turned his cold glare on his companion, and then said, “She’s an injured rabbit in the company of two foxes. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out who injured her.”

The fallow deer shook his head even as the gopher kept stretching and wiggling in a vain attempt to see what his taller companions were talking about. At last, he stood up on the bench and gave a slight hop. “Oh, I see them!”

The fallow deer smacked him in the back of the head. “Seriously, Greg? Do you think you could be any louder? I don’t think they heard you,” he said sarcastically.

Greg gave a sheepish shrug as he rubbed the back of his head. “Sorry,” he mumbled. Glancing at Jeff, he asked, “But are you sure that little fox is a threat? He looks like a kit.”

Jeff scowled. “No, that is an adult fennec fox. They’re just as dangerous as the larger pelts, maybe more so, since people tend to underestimate them.”

Greg scratched the back of his head. “Is that little guy really that dangerous? He looks so cute.”

The fallow deer thumped his head again. “Of course, he’s dangerous, dummy. The smaller they are, the more vicious they are, don’t you know that?”

“Ouh, stopping hitting me, Anthony. Why do you have to be so mean?”

“Both of you be quiet before you cause a scene,” Jeff told them. Turning his attention back to the booth across the room, he picked up his drink and took a sip as his mood soured further. He wasn’t sure what the conversation was about, but it was quite animated.

Greg glared at Anthony a moment longer while rubbing his sore head, but the deer just ignored him and turned his attention back to his food. They ate in silence for a while and thoughts of the foxes and bunny seemed to be forgotten. But after a while, Anthony glanced up at their boss to see him still glaring at the foxes. Anthony could almost see the cogs turning in his boss’s head. Curious, he asked, “So what are you going to do about the doe over there?”

Jeff thought a moment, then replied, “I’m not sure yet, but it’s obvious she needs to be liberated from her conniving companions.”

“Ooh, I don’t think you’ll have a positive response if you try that with this one,” Anthony stated, knowing how Jeff liked to pick up girls by playing the hero. “She doesn’t act like your typical bunny—I mean, she’s not showing any fear of either fox.” The deer paused a moment as he watched the bunny interacting with the two foxes, then pointed out, “If you ask me, she’s flirting with the red fox.”

Jeff choked on his drink, and after coughing for a minute, he turned his steel-grey glare on the fallow deer across from him.

Although Jeff was glaring daggers at Anthony, it was Greg who cowered down in his seat beside him and felt glad he’d kept his mouth shut. Their boss could be really scary when he was in one of his moods.

Staring coldly at Anthony, who returned it with an unperturbed, steady stare of his own, Jeff finally said, “There is no way any self-respecting doe will ever chase after some stinking pred, especially not a filthy pelt like that.”

Anthony merely shrugged his shoulders. “I’m just calling it how I see it.” Glancing back over at the doe in question, he waved his hoof toward her. “Look, the red todd is rubbing her shoulder and she doesn’t even care. That can only mean one thing: she’s familiar with his touch and isn’t bothered by it.”

Jeff looked to see what the deer was talking about, then ground his teeth and clenched his fists furiously at the obvious display of affection. The sight was utterly detestable. It was obvious the doe couldn’t be left in the filthy pelt’s criminal paws any longer. He was going to help her, whether she wanted his help or not.

******

As Willie had dropped off the drinks they ordered, Judy took a sip, and then a longer one. “Sticky cinnamon buns, this is good!” Nick and Finnick merely grinned at her. They had both told her how good Sonjay’s fresh-squeezed lemonades and limeades were, and they weren’t kidding. Finnick had ordered a blackberry lemonade, Nick, of course, ordered a blueberry lemonade, but she had gone out on a limb and ordered a strawberry and kiwi limeade—and it was simply divine.

“See,” Nick said after taking a long drink of his own, “they use all fresh fruit with just the right amount of sweetness to compliment the tartness. It’s perfect.”

Judy nodded and took another sip and had to fight with herself not to guzzle it. She didn’t want to fill up on her drink and then not have room for her dinner. A few minutes later, Willie returned with the fruit bowl Nick had ordered as an appetizer. Judy studied it curiously. Nick had ordered blueberries and blackberries (Finn seemed to prefer blackberries to blueberries), but then had also ordered a star fruit and dragon eye fruit. She’d never heard of either fruit and was curious to what they were and how they got their names.

Nick popped a few blueberries in his mouth, then picked up a pale-yellow fruit shaped like a large cherry and showed it to Judy. “This here is commonly called a dragon eye fruit. The skin looks like pale-whitish-yellow dragon skin as you can see,” (Judy did note that the skin looked sort of leathery, like reptile skin). “And when you peel it,” Nick used his claws to split the skin and peel it off, revealing the white flesh of the fruit, “you have this white fruit.” Lifting the fruit, he took a bite of half of it and showed Judy the perfectly round, shiny black pit nestled within the white flesh. “See, a dragon’s eye.”

Judy’s eyes widened, for the fruit now looked just like a white eye with a black pupil. “Wow, that’s really neat.”

“You think it’s neat now, wait till you taste it.” Handing her a fruit, Nick pulled his phone out and waited for her to try it. She closed her eyes as the sweetness hit her tongue and Nick snapped the picture. She wasn’t paying attention, so he snapped another one, then slipped the phone back in his pocket. He’ll move the pictures to the appropriate file later.

“See, I told you they were good.” Nick reached over and picked up a slice of yellow fruit that was shaped just like a five-pointed star. “Now try this one.”

Judy looked it over, surprised by its unique shape, then bit into it. Again, she closed her eyes as the sweet, unique flavor burst across her tongue. But unlike before, she opened her eyes and caught Nick red-handed in sneaking a candid picture of her. Licking the juice from her lips just as Nick snapped another picture, she asked, “Nick, are you taking my picture?”

“Absolutely. This is a new experience for you, so it’s only right that we capture the moment.”

Judy merely rolled her eyes and grinned good-naturedly at him as she finished off her fruit and reached for another one. They really were good. After finishing her star fruit slice, she reached for several more dragon eye fruits, then turned to Finnick as she began peeling one. “So, Finnick, Nick tells me you played superspy with him as a teenager.”

Finnick’s eyes grew big as saucers as she turned her undivided attention to him, then glanced at Nick as he felt unsure what to say. At Nick’s nod, he turned back to bunny cop and answered, “Ya, I guess you could say that.”

“Did you enjoy it?”

Finnick watched her a moment, then said, “Ya, it was fun. Nearly getting caught was scary, but it was a huge rush getting the information and then slipping out unnoticed.”

“Did you help Nick out later with more superspy-type stuff?”

Finnick’s eyes widened again, and his gaze flicked back to Nick. Nick didn’t immediately respond, but then finally gave a slight nod. Finnick flicked his left ear in question and Nick gave a stronger nod. With a shrug, Finn turned his attention back to the bunny cop and nodded. “Ya, I helped Red out a few more times. What of it?”

Judy merely grinned. Although she didn’t move her gaze from Finnick, she knew he was getting confirmation from Nick, as his answers could condemn them both for criminal activity—breaking and entering, among other things. The fact Nick was willing to let Finnick answer truthfully testified to his trust in her, and it warmed her soul and made her love the handsome todd all that much more. Still looking at Finnick, she asked, “Have you ever thought of becoming a P.I.?”

Finnick had been tossing blackberries into his mouth, but at her question his head lowered and one of the ripe berries hit him square between the eyes before bouncing onto the table and rolling across it to land on the seat between Nick and Judy. “Have I ever thought of being a what!?”

“A P.I. You know, a private investigator,” she replied as she watched from the corner of her eye as Nick picked up the blackberry and set it on the table.

Finnick just stared at the bunny with his mouth open for several heartbeats, then snapped it shut. “Why would I do that!? And what would possess you to think of it?” Is she playing me? By suggesting such a thing? he wondered.

“I was going to get a P.I. license myself if they hadn’t passed the MII when they did. I received an Associates Degree in Criminal Justice and had already applied to the ZPA 3 times, so if they rejected my application this year, I was going to try my hand as a private investigator. Maybe if I showed them I was capable of solving cases, they'd eventually let me into the academy.”

Both foxes sat stunned, unable to come up with a proper reply. Finn wasn’t sure what to think while Nick was picturing all the worst-case scenarios if she was left to her own naïve devices. Remembering what happened in the subway tunnel with the rams and the trains did nothing to alleviate his fears.

Seeing their speechless expressions, Judy shrugged, and added, “Having heard how you helped Nick, I just thought you’d be good at it.”

Finn was flabbergasted. A prey, a bunny, thought he’d be good in a job that required so much trust. That she thought he was trustworthy enough for such a job. Hell must be freezing over at this very moment. Shaking the stupor from his mind, Finn finally said, “Even if I was good at it, why would you consider it? What would be the point?” Like Nick with his attorney's license, not many would hire a fox, especially one his size.

“Well,” Judy took a sip of her limeade, then explained, “if you were a P.I. then we could come to you if we needed your help on a case. You’d have a lot more freedom being a P.I. than just an informant. And as an outside consultant, the city would pay you far more for helping us than they do us beat cops.” Picking up a star fruit, she nibbled on it while waiting for Finnick’s answer.

While Finn tried to process what the bunny cop had just told him, Nick shifted in his seat so that he was leaning against the back wall of the booth and turned partially towards Judy. With one arm resting on the table, he scratched his chin with his other paw. “Who’s this ‘we’ and ‘us’ you’re talking about, Fluff? Do you have a mouse in your pocket?”

Judy froze a second, then she turned to meet Nick’s teasing gaze. “Well . . .” She took a deep breath. “I was going to ask before we met with Bogo tomorrow, but I was wondering if you’d reconsider being my partner on the force. You know, since we talked things out and you forgave me.”

“Hm, I’m not sure, Carrots. I made that decision as more a spur of the moment thing and I’ve had time to think it over since then.”

Judy’s expression fell. “You don’t want to be my partner anymore?” The pain in her voice was obvious.

“Well, I wouldn’t go so far as say I don’t want to, but you know, being a cop isn’t a cake walk. I’d have to survive the academy, then get used to following rules and regulations, taking orders from someone else, filling out all that paperwork, getting yelled out for doing my job . . .” He waved his paw in the air. “You get the picture. It’ll be a huge lifestyle change and I’m not sure I’m up to it.” Folding his arms across his chest, he met Judy’s crestfallen gaze and added, “So what incentives do you have for me to make such a drastic change in my life?”

Nick had been speaking in a serious tone, and Judy at first thought he was being serious about not wanting to be a cop anymore, but then she noticed the teasing smirk twinkling in his eyes. As her face brightened, she sat up straighter and touched her fingertips together as she answered. “For starters, you’d get paid to spend all day, every day together with me.”

“That does sound appealing, but you just pointed out how much more a P.I. gets paid than a beat cop. That option is sounding really good right now. I could still help you out, but then stay my own boss and I wouldn’t have so many rules and regulations to follow.”

Judy’s ears started to droop, but then she remembered her fool-proof plan for getting Nick to agree to join her on the force. “Well, Slick, you know, now that the savage attacks are over—”

“Hopefully,” Finnick muttered. “You still don’t know if they caught everyone.”

Judy nodded in agreement, then continued, “Right. Now that we know why the savage attacks are happening and an antidote is in the process of being created, I’m sure Bogo’s going to have me do another press conference and once it gets out that I helped save the city, I’m sure every nameless buck out there is going to want to stop me on the street.” She leaned in closer to Nick and dropped her voice to a soft purr. “They’ll want to get my number and go out to eat. You know they’re going to want to touch my ears.” Her voice dropped to a husky whisper. “And then they’ll want to hug and . . . Well, you get the picture.”

As Judy had been describing her possible future encounters with all these nameless bucks, Nick’s expression slowly grew blacker and blacker. At this last image her words had conveyed, a low growl started in the back of his throat. “Okay, that’s it.” Waving his paws in the air, he stated, “There is no way I’m letting you walk around the city without me.” Pointing to her ears, he continued, “Those are mine. You gave me exclusive rights to your sinfully soft ears, so no one else is allowed to touch them.” Folding his arms across his chest again, he added, “Before our meeting with Buffalo Butt tomorrow, we’re picking up a new application and I’m filling it out. Then we are going to personally hand it to the Chief, so it actually gets seen and not tossed in the trash when they realize a fox is the mammal applying.”

Judy hummed happily. “I’m glad you see things my way. If you didn’t become my partner, they’d have to assign someone else, and the next smallest officer is a wolf. So I’d be stuck 8 hours a day in a stuffy cruiser or small cubicle with some random wolf officer. He’d be the one watching my back . . .”—with a sly smirk of her own, she whispered—“and soft, cotton tail.”

Nick growled again. “There is no way I’m letting some dum-dum wolf be your partner.” Pointing to her tail, he said, “That’s mine, too. I’m the only one allowed to look at or touch it.”

With a wide grin, Judy’s tail twitched happily as she asked, “So you want to touch my tail?”

Nick leaned in close, with their noses only inches apart, and whispered huskily, “Do you want to touch mine?”

Judy’s smile positively glowed. “So the feeling is mutual,” she whispered back.

Nick grinned back, but then Finnick cut in. “I can’t believe how sickly-sweet you two are. I think my tooth hurts from the cavity I’m developing from watching you both.” At Nick and Judy’s glance, and they’re consequent laughter, he added, “Are you sure you two have only known each other for 3 months, and only been together 5 of those days?”

“Positive,” Nick said as he sat back and leaned against the booth’s wall once more. Glancing at Judy, he added, “Though it does seem like we’ve known each other for a lifetime already.”

Judy nodded and turned back to Finn. “So, what do you say? Want to be a P.I.? You wouldn’t have to do it full time if you didn’t want to. You could be like Nick and hang your license on the wall and just take it down when you need it.”

Finnick rolled the idea over in his head (still very much surprised the bunny cop would suggest it, or that she would want to rely on him for a case), then answered, “Let me think it over. It’s not something I’ve ever considered before.”

“No problem. The next Academy term won’t start until the fall, and then it’ll be 6 months before Nick graduates.” Finn nodded and Judy added, “And if you need a recommendation, just ask. I’ll write a letter for you.”

Finnick could only nod again. The bunny cop was putting a huge amount of trust in him, a fox, on nothing else but the word of another fox. It blew his mind and made thinking of anything else difficult.

As Finnick tried to internalize this new bunny cop and her trust of foxes, Nick shifted slightly on the bench and rested his arm on the back of the seat and then, without even realizing it, he reached down with his fingers to begin lightly rubbing Judy’s shoulder with his finger pads and claws. She hummed happily at the contact as she continued eating the fruit and made no move to stop him.

Finnick looked up from his pensive thoughts as he reached for more blackberries but paused with his paw in the fruit bowl. With a snort, he grabbed a handful of berries and popped them into his mouth. “Now I see what you meant earlier, Nick.”

“Hmm?” Nick asked as he bit into a slice of star fruit.

Finn motioned towards Nick’s paw on Judy’s shoulder. “Your inability to keep your paws to yourself.”

Nick froze, then slowly withdrew his paw. “See, I told you I needed you here with us.”

Finnick shook his head. “I never thought I’d say it about you, but you really are a sorry sap, you know that?”

Nick merely shrugged. “What can I say? I’ve found what I want and now I can’t keep my paws to myself.”

While Finnick shook his head again, Judy glanced between the two, then spoke up. “I don’t mind if he’s touching me.”

Pointing a small, clawed finger at her, Finn pointed out, “You might not have a problem, but that doesn’t mean others won’t.”

“I don’t care what anyone else thinks. Nick’s opinion is the only one that matters to me.”

Nick raised an eyebrow as warm fuzzies flooded his heart, but it was Finnick who spoke. “You say that now, but you will care when a group of prey thugs jump him in some back alley for putting his filthy paws all over you, or a pack of preds claw him up for chasing the bunny who put so many of them out of a job and a home.” Pausing for emphasis as Judy’s ears drooped, he added, “You’ll see things a lot differently when you get a call from the hospital saying Nick’s been admitted and he’s in critical condition.”

Judy’s eyes widened as her stomach clenched in fear for Nick’s safety. “They can’t do that! This is Zootopia and it’s against the law!”

Finn raised an eyebrow himself, then pointed out, “You’re talking to two foxes who you know are guilty of breaking and entering, and who make a career out of bending the law so far it screams.”

“Yeah, but you’re not hurting anyone. Assault is a serious crime.”

“Doesn’t matter. There’s a lot of prey out there who can’t stand the thought of preds and prey getting all chummy together, especially when the pred just happens to be a fox. And the predators out there who are now jobless and homeless because of your little speech will want nothing more than your blood, and his for not only helping you, but for also chasing your tail.”

“But we’re just friends!” At Finnick’s “Oh, really?” look, she amended, “We’re taking things slow.”

Finn shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. As touchy-feely as you two are, anyone watching you with any kind of prejudice will automatically assume you’re already in his bed.”

Judy’s ears drooped as they turned bright red. “But we’re not,” she mumbled, but there was an obvious lack of conviction in her voice. Just the mention of being in Nick’s bed had brought up several ideas her sisters had given her. She was definitely going to strangle them when she finally saw them again.

Finnick smirked at her blush and mumbled reply, then pointed out, “You’re not—yet.” As Judy opened her mouth to give a half-hearted denial, Finn added, “You can’t tell me you haven’t thought about the possibility at least once—I know Loverboy over here has multiple times.”

They both glanced up to see Nick eyeing her with a hungry, predatory gaze. Finnick was stunned to see it. Nick was always so careful about the impression he gave others, to only let them see what he wanted them to see. So, to see him now, with no mask on at all—it shocked him to the core. Nick had really gone and jumped off the deep end this time. He’d gone and fallen in love with a bunny and couldn’t even hide the fact. Finn could see a world of hurt waiting for them in the future.

Picking up a blueberry, Finn hit Nick square between the eyes with it. As the larger todd snapped out of his predatory thoughts, Finn hissed, “You’re going to be jailed on trumped-up assault charges if you keep looking at your bunny like that.”

Nick blinked, then shook the brain fog away. Although his thoughts hadn’t progressed too far yet, just the idea of having Judy snuggled up against him while they slept left him yearning to make it a reality—especially if he could run his claws through that cottony tail of hers before sleep claimed them. “Ya, thanks for the reminder.”

Judy’s blush deepened as she realized how Nick had been staring at her, but before she could say anything, her ears perked up at the sound of an unwanted guest walking up to their table.

“Excuse me, mam, but are these foxes bothering you?”

Chapter Text

“Excuse me, mam, are these foxes bothering you?” Jeff asked confidently and with the full expectation of walking away with the doe in paw. Having seen the doe show signs of fear and agitation from whatever the smaller pelt had told her strengthened his confidence greatly. Upon nearing their booth, he had looked up to see a predatory look cross the red pelt’s face that had his heartrate speed up as his fury boiled over. The look was gone now, but knowing how the pelt was thinking about the doe kept his fury fresh and hot. Focusing back on the grey doe, he looked her over in appreciation of her toned body, then said, “I can call the police if you want me to.”

Judy’s ears fell against her back in response to the jackrabbit who just waltzed up to their booth. He was dressed in a dark gray business suit that complimented his brownish-gray fur. As rabbits and hares went, he was a specimen that would have her boy-crazy sisters swooning over him. Unfortunately for him, he wasn’t her type. Not in the slightest—wrong color, wrong height, wrong ear shape—just wrong. His cocky attitude and the gleam of desire she caught in his eyes as he looked her over did nothing to improve her opinion of him.

At Judy’s silence, the jackrabbit pressed, “If you’re afraid, I can call the police,” he repeated. “They can’t do anything to you from the inside of a jail cell.”

A scowl crossed Judy’s face but before she could lay into the specist buck and tell him where he could stick it, laughter beside and across from her stopped her in her tracks and caused a smirk to wind its way onto her short muzzle.

Nick and Finnick had glanced at each other at the buck’s comment that Judy was afraid of them, then, as one, they busted up laughing. Nick was gripping his chest and stomach while hunching over the seat and Finnick was slapping the table with one paw and holding his belly with the other.

Leaning over the table while trying to rein in his laughter, Finnick met the buck’s irritated scowl while pointing across the table, saying, “You think Cottontail is afraid of us? Of Nick?” He jabbed his thumb in the red vulpine’s direction while adding, “That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard in the last three months!” Her blackmailing his friend into helping the Fuzz was the last time he’d laughed so hard. And then finding out that she’d not only moved in with Nick but had stolen both his first kiss and his heart—for anyone to claim she was afraid of the tall red todd was simply ludicrous.

Jeff’s scowl deepened and his fury rose a notch at their laughter. He wasn’t accustomed to mammals laughing at him. Glancing down at the phone he’d pulled from his pocket moments before, he moved his thumb to dial the police when a soft, grey paw slipped over the phone’s screen, blocking his view. Glancing up, he met the doe’s smug grin.

“That won’t be necessary,” Judy claimed. Removing her paw, she motioned towards the two todds and said, “I have absolutely nothing to fear from these two yay-hoos.”

Nick slapped the table and pointed a dark, clawed finger at her, exclaiming, “Hey! I resemble that remark!”

With a cheeky grin, Judy glanced over her shoulder and replied, “Yes, I know you do.”

With humor dancing in his emerald eyes, Nick opened his mouth, but Finnick cut him off. “How do you know I’m a yay-hoo? Before today, we met a total of three times and didn’t even exchange any words the first two times, and not more than five words the third time.” From the corner of his eye, he watched the buck’s anger increase at being ignored, and Finn had a hard time keeping the glee off his face. He just loved messing with specist jerks. And Cottontail made it so easy to do!

Judy grinned as she met Finn’s indignant gaze. “You’re close friends with Nick which makes you one by association.” With her grin widening, she added, “It takes one to know one.”

Finnick opened his mouth to argue, then a mischievous smirk curled his muzzle. Pointing to her again (and watching the buck seethe at being further ignored) he said, “You know you’re incriminating yourself with that remark, don’t you?”

Judy was silent for a moment, then answered, “Perhaps I am.” Turning slightly to better to see Nick, she continued, “But if it means I get to spend more time with my best friend, then I guess I don’t mind being lumped in with you two yay-hoos.” Judy smiled brightly at Nick, who returned it with a warm smile of his own.

“I can’t believe you’re actually chasing after this pelt!” Jeff exclaimed. His fury and disgust could not be ignored as he practically vibrated with anger.
Judy turned back to the buck with her frown returning. “I’m not chasing after anyone.” (And she wasn’t. There was no need to chase after Nick when she’d already caught him.) “Nick is my best friend and the best mammal I’ve ever met. He has earned my trust, my respect, and my friendship. He not only saved my job, but because of his strength, courage, and loyalty I’m alive today. So why wouldn’t I spend time with him?”

Jeff couldn’t believe the doe would choose a stinking pelt over him. He was a hare of means and consequence in the community and he’d never failed to get the doe he wanted. There had to be another reason for her to choose to be with the sneaky foxes. “Are they threatening you? Or your family? Is that why you’re staying with them? If so, I can help you. I have connections.”

As Judy took a deep breath to tell the jackrabbit what for, Nick leaned against the back wall of the booth and crossed his arms. Glaring at the specist jerk, he waited to hear what Judy had to say and wished he had some popcorn.

Before Judy could get a word in edgewise, though, Jeff reached forward and grabbed her wrist. “Come on, you don’t need to stay with these predators,” he sneered. “Don’t worry, they won’t hurt you here. I’ll protect you. Come on,” he repeated. “I can show you a real good time.” Jeff had hardly gotten the words out before a wave of primal fear washed over him. His body went rigid as his eyes widened in fright and his nose began twitching uncontrollably.

His instincts were screaming in alarm, warning him that a dangerous predator was on the hunt, and that he needed to flee before he was slaughtered. Glancing around, it took a moment for the buck to zero in on the red todd sitting beside the doe. Although no sound could be heard, the todd’s lips were lifted in the barest hint of a snarl, revealing the tips of his longest fangs, and the emerald green of his eyes had darkened. His pupils had also shrunk, though they were far from savage slits, but Jeff was still convinced his unease came from the hated vulpine.

Judy also felt a shiver run down her spine, but unlike the buck standing frozen before her, she felt no fear. Instead, her tail began twitching happily as a warmth began building in her abdomen. It didn’t take a genius for her to guess Nick was the cause, especially since his tail was now pressed up against her own. She wasn’t sure what he was doing, but the affect was unmistakable. And seeing the fear rolling off the dumb buck made her heart swell with love and pride as it meant her fox was staking his claim and defending her—even if he hadn’t lifted a finger.

With love growing in her heart for the handsome todd beside her, Judy refocused on the buck in front of her. “Listen, I don’t know who you are, nor do I care, but if you don’t remove your paw this instant, I’ll have you hauled to jail on harassment charges. Now. Let. Go.”

Jeff broke out of his fearful stupor by the doe’s words, and at her obvious rejection, his anger pushed his fear down. Sneering, he said, “You can’t be serious. There’s no way I’m letting you stay with these filthy pelts.”

Judy was livid. Grabbing the specist jerk’s hand that was still gripping her wrist, she painfully twisted it back while stating, “No one tells me what I can and cannot do. Not my parents, not my friends, and certainly not you. I’m staying with my foxy friends because I want to, not because I’m forced to. And trust me when I say I was having a real good time with them until you showed up. So go back to whatever table you were eating at and finish your meal and let us do the same.”

As she released his hand with a firm push, Jeff stumbled backwards while shaking out the pain in his wrist. The doe had a strength that surprised him and sent a thrill through him as he wondered what it would be like to have a strong doe like her in his bed. The possibilities were endless—and yet she was being wasted on the red pelt behind her. It infuriated him, and yet he knew he’d get nowhere with her tonight.

Rubbing his sore wrist, he sneered, “You don’t know who you’re rejecting.”

“You’re right—I don’t. But I do know your type. I’ve seen you a hundred times and dressed in a hundred different ways, but deep down, you’re all the same. You’re a player. A doe to you is merely a toy to use for your sick enjoyment. But once you’ve had your fill, you grow bored and start looking for a shiny new toy, without a second thought for the used toy you’re discarding.” Lifting her chin higher while folding her arms across her chest, she said, “I won’t be your newest toy to use and then discard. I’ve never let a buck touch me in my life and I’m certainly not going to start with you. So go back to your friends or whatever. And. Leave. Me. Alone.”

Jeff stood there a moment longer, still rubbing his stinging wrist as he tried to come up with a plan to get the headstrong doe to bow to his whims. She was the kind of conquest that he rarely encountered, and one he didn’t intend to let slip through his fingers. It was merely a matter of time and careful planning.

Nick, seeing as the bastard wasn’t leaving (the lustful desires running through the buck’s filthy mind were obvious to see), leaned forward and slipped his muzzle between Judy’s upright ears, even as he slipped his large, dark paws around her slender waist in a show of possession. Lifting his lips to show off his gleaming fangs, he growled, “You heard the lady. Beat it. Or we will call the cops on you for harassment and disturbing the peace. Now what’s it going to be, bucko?”

Jeff opened his mouth to tell the filthy pelt exactly what he thought of him and how disgusting they were, but he caught sight of the cougar waiter coming back and decided it would have to wait. Turning around in disgust, he sneered, “Filthy pred slut,” under his breath.

Judy opened her mouth in outrage, then snapped it shut again as she felt Nick’s warm breath on her ear, making her shiver. She still couldn’t believe the responses his mere touch brought out in her.

“Let it go,” he whispered into her sensitive ear. “He’s not worth it.”

Judy took a deep breath while trying to calm her pounding heart—a pounding caused both by her rage at the disgusting, specist buck and the warmth in her belly caused by Nick’s show of possession, his words, and his warm breath tickling her ear. “Um, yeah”—another deep, calming breath—“he’s definitely not worth my time.”

With a grin, Nick slid his paws up her side and breathed, “That’s my girl.” Slipping his paws back down her sides (and letting his claws caress her stomach in the process) elicited another shiver and soft moan from his bunny, and Nick slowly withdrew his paws and sat back against the booth wall just as Willie arrived with their food.

Setting the large tray down on the foldup tray holder he’d brought with him, Willie asked in concern, “Is there a problem? Do I need to escort that buck out? I’d hate to lose any business right now, what with the savage attacks and all, but I’ll do it if he’s causing problems.”

Nick glanced over at the booth the buck returned to, taking special note of the gopher and fallow deer sitting across from him, then turned his attention back to Willie. “I don’t think it’ll be a problem.” Grinning down at Judy, he added, “Fluff, here told him off and I don’t think he’ll be back.” Not here, anyway, he thought. Nick had seen the bastard’s type many a time while dealing with the dark underbelly of Zootopia, and he knew the buck wouldn’t let Judy’s rejection go. She had set herself up as the ultimate prize and the buck wouldn’t stop until he had her pinned beneath him (literally)—unless Nick stopped him first. Which he would. The buck wasn’t the only one with connections.

Looking up from his focus on Judy and his dark thoughts, Nick turned his attention back to Willie, but before either could say anything, there was a loud snort from across the table. Followed by another and then a loud guffaw as Finnick couldn’t hold his laughter in anymore.

While watching Judy confront the buck, Finn had taken out his phone and began recording it. He knew from sad experience the importance of videotaping confrontations. But then when the bunny cop and Nick began tag teaming the specist prick into submission, he had to clamp a paw over his muzzle to keep from laughing. He was surprised no one had heard his slight chortles that escaped his clamped muzzle.

Once the buck retreated and Willie arrived, though, he was only able to hold back long enough for Nick to answer their friend’s questions before his pent-up laughter broke loose. And laughing so hard, he curled up on the bench with his paws holding his belly then promptly rolled off onto the floor with a loud thud.

Nick, Judy, and Willie all glanced under the table in surprise, and watched the small vulpine roll around on the floor for several more minutes before running out of breath. With a few more chortles as he crawled back up onto the booth, he wiped a few tears from his eyes and stated, “Oh, boy, that was good. I haven’t laughed that hard since you hustled Nick into to helping you three months ago.” Finnick directed this statement to Judy, then turned to Nick. “You have to let me come out with you more often. This has been the most fun I’ve had in years!”

Nick settled back into the seat with a smug grin on his face. “I told you it would be fun.”

With a wide grin, Finn nodded, then said, “I recorded most of it in case he tries anything later.”

“That’s great, Finn. I knew I could count on you.” Turning back to Willie, Nick said, “I don’t think he’ll bother us again here, but if you could keep track of when the buck or the gopher and fallow deer come in, it’d be great. It might mean he’s trying to scope out mine or Judy’s routine.”

A worried expression appeared on the cougar’s kind face as he immediately understood what Nick was getting at—the buck might try to catch Judy when she was out of the public eye. “I’ll do that, Nick. Anything to help a friend.”

As Nick nodded in return, Judy gave him a questioning look and he answered, “I’ll explain later.” With a grin, he turned to the plates of food Willie was setting on the table. “For now, let’s eat. I’m famished.”

Judy had been hungry coming in, but after her confrontation with the specist jerk, she was ravenous. Turning her attention to the succulent salad before her, she dug in with gusto. The food was fantastic, and she was enjoying it so much, she missed Nick taking a few more candid shots of her, or Finnick giving Nick a finger slice across his throat indicating what would happen to him once she found out about the picture file he was keeping of her. Ignoring both todds, she ate her food with relish.

Once they had satisfied the worst of their hunger, the trio moved on to light chit-chat and humorous banter for the rest of the meal. Their trip to the grocery store afterwards was just as enjoyable and once they’d picked up everything the three needed, they returned to Nick’s house. Finn had decided to stay in the apartment loft above the garage, and after Nick handed him the key, he disappeared with his groceries out the back door—leaving Nick and Judy alone once more.

Turning to Judy, Nick said, “Well, Fluff, do you want to get ready for bed and then watch a movie or something?”

“I’m all for getting ready for bed, but I’m not really in the mood for a movie.”

Nick cocked his head and asked, “Then what are you in the mood for?”

Judy was sitting on the couch with Nick standing in front of her, but at Nick’s question, she leaned forward and whispered, “I believe we came to a mutual understanding earlier that we both wished to touch the other’s tail.” Nick’s eyes took on that hungry, predatory look she was growing used to seeing (and loving immensely), then she continued, “And afterwards I thought you could maybe play a few more songs for me.”

Nick’s tail began wagging at both Judy’s ideas and with a wide, toothy grin, he leaned down and scooped Judy up into his arms. Listening to her giggle, he leaned over one last time to grab her crutches, then carried her upstairs at a fast walk. “I like your ideas.” He paused in thought for a moment, then explained, “You know, when you’re not trying to get us killed or flushed down oversized toilets and down 100-foot waterfalls or chased by sheep thugs before blowing up trains.” Nick grinned wider at Judy’s embarrassment, and added, “You know, those life-threatening ideas are better discussed at length before acting on them, but these tamer ideas that involve just the two of us—these are nice ideas. I could get used to them.”

Judy giggled again, even as she blushed harder. Reaching up to stroke Nick’s cheek, she murmured, “I’m glad you like them.”

Nick’s tail wagged again, but then he paused after rounding the railing at the top of the stairs. His tail sagged a bit as he glanced at her briefly, then glanced at the wall. With a soft, serious voice, he murmured, “As nice as they are, they’re also dangerous in their own way.”

Judy cocked her head as she caressed his cheek again. “What do you mean?”

Nick glanced back at her and after a moment’s thought, he explained, “I already told you that I’ve never felt like this before.” Looking behind Judy, then up at the ceiling, he tried to find the right words to best describe how he was feeling (not an easy feat, considering he was unused to sharing his feelings—though he was getting better). Meeting Judy’s amethyst gaze again, he said, “I’ve been denying myself these emotions for almost two decades, and now that I’m feeling them—allowing myself to feel them—I’m not sure how to control them.” Jerking his head in explanation (his paws were currently occupied), he continued, “I don’t even think of doing something and my body is already moving. It’s unnerving to say the least, since I’m used to being in control of my own actions.”

Judy’s smile softened as she reached up with her other paw to cup his other cheek. Rubbing them both for a moment, she replied, “Nick, these emotions are new to me, too, and I’m finding it just as hard to control myself. So you don’t need to worry or hold yourself back.”

“I don’t want to hurt you, Judy, or do something you’re not ready for.” His ears were partially splayed back in worry and his tail twitched nervously.

Judy’s heart swelled with love for the tall, red todd in front of her. He always put her first and it set many warm fuzzies loose in her heart and in her belly. Sliding her paws up and behind his ears, she scratched around the base of each which elicited a happy whine from her fox. “Nick, you don’t have to stress yourself. I know you’ll never hurt me, even when your body is moving on its own.” With her grin widening, she added, “I trust you, Nick.”

Nick’s ears shot forward as did his head, and he found himself pressing his lips to Judy’s soft, warm ones. It only took her a second to respond. Wrapping her paws around his head, she pulled him deeper into the kiss which brought out another happy whine and then a growl from him. He finally pulled back enough for them to breathe, and after resting his forehead against hers while taking several deep breaths, he stated, “We should probably get ready for bed.”

Judy nodded against his forehead. “Yeah, we should.” With a smile, she added, “And then tails and the piano?”

Nick chuckled. “Yeah. Tails and the piano.” After depositing Judy on her bed and the crutches beside it, he stepped back, then paused. “Are you going to need help with your shorts?”

Judy looked down at her legs a moment, then replied, “I think I’ll be able to get them off myself.”

Nick nodded once, then turned around. “Holler if you need help,” he told her as he walked through the door and shut it behind him.

As the door clicked shut, Nick leaned back against it for a moment and took a deep breath, then licked Judy's taste off his lips. The taste was stronger this time, and he couldn’t help running his tongue over his lips a second time.

Taking another deep breath while running his paws down his muzzle, he couldn’t believe how delicious she tasted. Nick didn’t know what a vixen tasted like, but he was sure no vixen on the planet could taste as good as his bunny.

With a chuckle, he pushed off the door and headed into the bathroom. He was probably the only evolved fox in the country who found the scent and taste of rabbit delectable. And he knew he’d hunt his rabbit's scent to the ends of the earth and back if need be.

After a quick bathroom break, he slipped into his room and pulled off his clothes. Normally he’d just sleep in his briefs, but since he was going to be up a while longer—and in Judy’s company—he decided he’d better wear some soft, comfortable shorts and a loose, comfy t-shirt. Once he was decent, Nick made his way down the hall to the piano. Opening the lid, he plucked a few keys, then began playing ‘Amazed’ (by Lonestar) and when it came time for the lyrics, he started to sing the words.

Chapter Text

After the door shut behind Nick, Judy lifted her paw and lightly touched her lips as the memory of their latest kiss lingered in her mind. She could almost feel Nick’s soft lips still pressed against her own. With a breathless sigh, she fell back onto the bed. She still couldn’t believe how incredible it felt to kiss him. Up until last night, she had never cared about kissing or being held by a male. Males were just an inconvenience sent to waste her time and annoy her. But after being carried around last night and all day by Nick and feeling just how good it was to be held by him—to feel his warmth, his fur, and his arms around her—she just couldn’t get enough.

She’d promised herself that if (and it was a big if) she ever found a male that touched her on an emotional level, that she’d take it slow. To make sure their relationship had a solid foundation and that he was the type that would cherish her and not break her heart. And that’s what she thought she wanted with Nick—to take things slow. But after the crazy adventure they’d been on, and then seeing his care and thoughtfulness as he happily catered to her wants—anticipated her needs—and then listening as he opened up to her and shared his innermost self with her, she had to ask herself if that’s really what she wanted. Was it even necessary at this point? She already felt like she’d known him a lifetime.

Lightly touching her lips again, she again remembered their impromptu kisses. As good as they were, she was already feeling greedy for more. And considering how passionate they almost were out on the deck, and the ear rubs they were already enjoying, along with the tail caresses they would soon be enjoying—going slow now seemed rather pointless.

Licking the faint taste of him off her lips, she was definitely ready to taste more of him—to fill her senses with him. And although she wasn’t quite ready to give him everything, she was most certainly ready to give him more and to take more. She never thought she’d say this, but she was now ready to find out what her crazy sisters were always going on about when it came to kissing all those dumb bucks they were chasing. But instead of a dumb buck, she’d be experiencing it all with her sly, witty, caring, handsome, drool-worthy, hot fox.

And unlike all the dumb bucks chasing her before, or the other bucks who had no wish to be married to a wanna-be cop (no one believed she could actually do it), her fox would never break her heart because he already cherished her so much. She didn’t need time to tell her that. He showed it every time they were together, with every look, every caress, and all the tiny little things he did for her. Touching her neck, she remembered the feel of Nick’s sharp teeth on her throat and craved to feel them again. Even back then, when they were faced up against a psychotic sheep bent on destroying them, he was still so careful and gentle with her, afraid he’d accidently hurt or scare her.

No, time was not needed to tell her how much Nick meant to her, that no one could compare to or replace him. He was it—she could live with no one else. So going slow as her mother suggested was not necessary. She’d waited 24 years to finally meet him and holding back now would simply be a waste of their precious time together.

Feeling a bit giddy over these new thoughts and emotions running through her mind and body, Judy sat up and quickly began changing—and felt extremely grateful (and a little disappointed at the same time) that she didn’t need Nick’s help with her shorts or sweatpants. She was extremely tempted to sleep in just the foxy shirt he’d bought her, but considering that she would be sitting in his lap while they ran their paws through each other’s tails, she figured a little more modesty was in order—she wasn’t quite ready to go that far, and considering how fox marriage ceremonies were, she didn’t think Nick was either.

She was just pulling her sweatpants up when she heard Nick at the piano and so paused to hear what song he would play for her. It was Amazed by Lonestar. With her ears perked to catch Nick’s rich baritone, Judy listened intently as he sang, ‘Every time our eyes meet, this feeling inside me is almost more than I can take…’

Judy started sniffling as she instantly recognized the song. It was one of her favorite songs as a teenager, but she never thought she’d feel it about anyone—or that anyone would feel this way about her (though she had thought that it would be nice to someday meet someone who did). And now, for Nick to be singing it to her, and to be able to feel his emotions in the song—she sniffled again as Nick began singing the next line about how he had never been close to anyone, but how he could now hear her thoughts and see her dreams. The best part though, was when he sang about wanting to spend the rest of his life with her.

She couldn’t hold the tears in this time as Nick’s voice washed over her. The words struck her right through the heart and more tears spilled down her cheeks. Wiping them with her arm (and soaking her fur in the process), she sniffled again. Nick was killing her softly and all she could do is let him.

As Nick sang about how amazed he was with every little thing she did, and how she touched every part of his heart, a sob broke from her as her heart was squeezed with love and tenderness for the handsome todd down the hall. He was everything she’d ever dreamed of in a mate (back when she was a young teen and hadn’t completely written males off) and so much more. He was filling an emotional void in her soul she didn’t even know she had. And the next lines didn’t help. ‘Oh, it feels like the first time every time…’

Judy grabbed one of the pillows and buried her face in it (though she made sure not to cover her ears) and took in a ragged breath. “Ni-ick!” she breathed into the pillow, her voice raw with emotion. She kept her head buried in the pillow as Nick finished the song, and even though the following verses were repeats of the first, they still squeezed her heart with love and warmth. She said it last night, and again this afternoon, but there was just no way a dumb buck could possibly compare to her sly fox. He had captured her just as surely as his ancestors had captured hers—and just like back then, there was no escape from this fox’s strong clutches. Nor did she want to escape.

As the last strains of the song hung in the air, Judy dropped the pillow back on the bed and hopped down to finish pulling up her pants. Grabbing her crutches—and dropping one on the floor—she used the one she still held and hobbled to the door, where she flung it open and limped into the hallway. Facing the piano room, she leaned against the wall as she watched Nick jump up from the bench and hurry over to her.

“Carrots! Are you okay?” he asked at seeing the tear streaks in her fur and smelling their saltiness in the air.

“Ni-ick!” she whined while wiping her eyes again. “Why do you keep doing this?”

Nick froze with his paws two inches away from gripping her shoulders. With his ears disappearing behind his head, he wasn’t sure what to say, as he didn’t know what she was talking about. With concern and fear warring across his face, he waited for Judy to clarify.

“Why do you keep doing all these little things that make me love you more and more.” Gripping her heart, she added, “My heart can’t take much more of this.”

Nick’s ears immediately swiveled forward, and he closed the distance between them. Scooping her up as she wrapped her legs around him, he ignored the crutch that hit the floor with a thud and pressed his forehead against hers. “I’m the one who should be asking that question.” Rubbing his forehead gently against hers, he lifted his head and softly pressed his nose to hers. “You have no idea what you do to me, Judy. The things you make me feel and the dreams I now have. You are the world to me.”

With another sniffle, Judy lifted her chin and pressed her lips against his. Nick happily kissed her back as his tail wagged with pleasure. No longer content with these chaste kisses, Judy wrapped her paws around the back of Nick’s head and pulled herself up higher on him, even as her mouth parted and she flicked her tongue across his dark lips, begging for entrance. A territorial growl sounded deep within his chest as he granted her access.  

Judy moaned into his mouth as she finally tasted her fox. This was better than anything she could have imagined from listening to her sisters. It was probably because they were always kissing boring bucks with their short muzzles and weak tongues and flat teeth, while she was kissing her hot fox with his long muzzle and strong tongue and sharp teeth. With another moan, she tilted her muzzle slightly and pushed herself deeper into the kiss as she wrapped her small tongue around each of his incisors, before it was captured by his much larger, stronger tongue.

And then everything else faded away as she focused wholly on the incredible sensations Nick’s kiss evoked in her. He wasn’t holding anything back as he tasted her, and neither was Judy. She took as much as she gave and wished the moment could last forever.

 Gasping for air, she finally pulled back and took a ragged breath as her heart pounded loudly in her ears. After several deep lungfuls, she licked the taste of him off her lips and then grinned widely. “Wow, Nick.”

“Yeah, wow,” Nick said with a dazed look on his face while he panted. He was suddenly feeling very hot and a bit lightheaded. “I think I need to sit down.”

Judy giggled as Nick turned around and carried her into the piano room. Dropping heavily onto the couch, he tilted his head quizzically and asked, “Is this what I can expect from now on whenever I sing you a love song?”

Sliding her paws around the back of his neck, Judy sunk her fingers into the thick fur at the base of his skull and leaned in closer to him. “I don’t know. Are you going to mean it every time?”

“Absolutely. 100 percent.”

“Then I guess you can.” Brushing her nose lightly against his, she then pressed her lips to his once more. The kiss started out soft, but quickly devolved into a continuation of their kiss in the hall, with Nick sliding one paw up to lightly grip the back of her head, while his other paw slipped down her back to grip her cottony tail, and then to run his claws through the downy fur. Judy moaned with the unexpected pleasure and pressed herself deeper into Nick’s warm stomach.

The world narrowed down to just the two of them, but they eventually had to come up for air. Judy sat back with a huge grin and her face aglow with love for the charming todd who’d completely stolen her heart.

Nick returned her grin with a goofy, happy grin of his own as he still felt dazed that Judy was actually here with him, that she was his. Running his fingers through her tail—another guilty pleasure he hadn’t dreamed of two days ago—he met her happy, glowing gaze a moment longer, her amethyst pools completely sucking him in, and then his smile faltered as he thought of two things that worried him.

Judy watched the troubled look cross Nick’s face and she started to panic. Was she moving too fast for him? He’d told her that foxes took their time before getting serious with someone. Was this too much too soon?  “Nick?” she whispered, afraid to speak any louder.

“Judy, I don’t . . .”—his eyes wandered the room a moment as he tried to put his feelings into words—“I don’t want to be . . .” Meeting her amethyst gaze again, he finished, “friends with benefits. I know you want to go slow, but with everything that’s already happened and with what we’re currently doing . . . Is there a point to going slow? To not making our relationship official?”

Judy’s ears immediately perked up. She had been afraid they were moving too fast, but from what he was saying, did that mean . . . ? Flicking her tail excitedly in his paw, Judy asked, “Does this mean you . . . don’t want to take things slow anymore? That you’re okay with dating now? It won’t mess with your biology?”

“Judy, I think we’ve already gone way beyond taking things slow. And don’t worry about my biology, it has been screaming for a while now that I should just take you and make you mine.” With a lopsided grin, he added, “Now if we’re talking about my instincts—they’re having a hissy-fit right now, with how fast we’re moving, but I’m finding it easier and easier to ignore them. My biology knows what it wants, I know what I want, and time is irrelevant at this point.”

Judy hummed happily at hearing Nick’s thoughts, and while rubbing her paws absently across his chest, she asked, “Are you sure? I don’t want to rush you.”

Nick raised an eyebrow as he remembered all the suggestive comments she’d made and then how she’d stolen his first kiss and then pressed him for a deeper kiss not long after. “Says the hyperactive bunny who likes to jump in headfirst without any thought for the consequences of her actions.”

Judy immediately blushed deep red as she realized what Nick meant. Dropping her ears behind her back, she grabbed one and began fiddling with the end of it while her gaze dropped to Nick’s chest. She found herself unable to meet his eyes as she realized he was right and that she might have messed things up again.

Nick watched her for a moment, then slid his paw under her chin and lifted her face so he could see her amethyst pools. “I’m not complaining, Judy, my Love.”

“You’re not?” she asked hopefully, and was thrilled at the new nickname.

“I already told you I wasn’t opposed to trying any ideas that ran through your head. And although I was fine with taking things slow last night, with everything that’s happened in the last 24 hours, I’m no longer content. Taking it slow isn’t going to help anything at this point and might make things more complicated with the stress and tension that will result from holding back when we both know what we want.” Tilting his head, he continued, “Perhaps if you weren’t injured, we could take things slow, but seeing how life has thrown us together in such a fashion . . .”

Nick took a deep breath and said, “Judy, I’m in love with your beautiful soul, not just your body. And because it’s your beautiful soul I fell for, I know my feelings aren’t going to change. They’re not going to fade away or grow weary of being with you. I don’t need time to tell me how important you are to me, or that I’d be lost and pitiful without you. You’ve become my whole world and nothing is going to change that.”

Judy couldn’t keep the tears in no matter how hard she sniffled and tried to hold them back. Wiping her arm across her eyes even as Nick reached up and wiped her tears, she whined, “Ni-ick, you’re doing it again! You’re squeezing my heart and now I have all these warm fuzzies tumbling around inside my stomach and I can’t take anymore.” Gripping her shirt where it rested over her heart, Judy sniffled again as several more fat tears slid down her cheeks.

With a loving smile, Nick leaned forward and flicked his long, warm tongue over her cheeks and licked up all her tears.

With a moan at the feel of his firm, warm tongue caressing her cheeks and ruffling her fur, Judy arched her back and pressed her hips into Nick’s waist again even as she reached forward and gripped his shirt.

Pulling back, Nick waited for her to open her dazed eyes, then asked, “Judy, Carrots, my Love, will you be my girlfriend?”

Judy sucked in a deep breath, then threw herself at him as she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in the thick fur under his ear. “Yes,” she laughed happily. “Absolutely. Of course, I’ll be your girlfriend.”

Nick laughed too, then wrapped his arms around her back and hugged her tightly. “Are you sure? You are the one who suggested taking it slow in the first place.”

Judy laughed again. “I did, and I meant it. But like you said, life threw us together and I don’t think we could build a stronger foundation than we already have. And it’s not like my feelings for you started yesterday.”

“What do you mean?” Nick asked as he pushed her back just enough so he could meet her beautiful, mesmerizing gaze.

“Well, I think my feelings first started when you stood up to Bogo. That was the first time in my life anyone fought for my dream, who stood up and said, ‘Yes, she can do it.’ And not content to merely slap me on the back and say, ‘I know you can do it, good luck,’ but then you joined me in my dream. For the first time in my life, I wasn’t alone. I didn’t have to go it alone. I had a friend and a partner in my dream.”

With a sniffle as another tear made a trail down her cheek, she explained, “Not since I was little, and a few of my friends thought it’d be great if I became a cop, did anyone believe in me. But as we grew older and reality set in, one by one, they all lost faith in my dream—in me. Everyone was sure I was doomed to failure. They’d be happy if I succeeded, but not one of them truly believed I could do it. So I had to push through all their cynicism and continue my path alone. I couldn’t rely on anyone but myself. I had a few of my closest siblings who encouraged me and supported me the best they could, but they had their own lives to lead so when following my dream, I was still alone. Not until you came along.”

With his ears flat against his head, Nick finally understood why Judy jumped in headfirst and never asked for help. With no one ever willing to help, she stopped looking for it. Wiping her tear away with his thumb, he asked, “What about your parents?” As bad as Nick’s life had been, he was never alone while struggling through school, or any of his other endeavors. His mom and sister, along with Honey and Finnick, had all been very supportive of him while he worked his tail off earning his high school diploma and then his law degree, and he couldn’t understand why Judy’s parents, at least, weren’t there to support her.

Judy gave a bitter laugh. “They were the first ones to tell me it was impossible. Bunnies weren’t cops and could never handle being a cop—at least not a city cop—and that I should just settle and be a carrot farmer.” With a bitter smile, she added, “It’s always been just me. No one stood beside me and only a few of my siblings tried to help me train or study. Everyone expected me to fail and so they didn’t want to waste their time helping me on a fool’s errand.” She paused a moment as a radiant smile replaced her bitter one. “Everyone but you. You were the first. You put your life on the line to help me prove I could be a real cop.” Leaning forward, she pressed her nose lightly against his and whispered, “Thank you.”

Nick immediately pulled her into another tight hug. “You’ll never have to go it alone again, Judy. I’ll be here for you whenever you need me. And once I graduate from the academy, you can bet that cute little tail of yours that we’ll make the greatest team anyone’s ever seen. We’ll prove what a fox and bunny can do, and we’ll do it together.”

Judy hummed happily into his neck fur and wrapped her arms around his chest. In a voice thick with emotion, she started singing softly, “We were strangers starting out on a journey, never dreaming what we’d have to go through…”

Recognizing the theme song At the Beginning, from the Anastasia movie, Nick’s ears pricked forward as he picked up the male vocal for the next verse. “No one told me I was going to find you. Unexpected what you did to my heart...”

As they sang together, both Nick and Judy were content knowing they had each other now. The storms of life would be easier to get through now that they weren’t trying to navigate them alone. After finishing the song, Judy pressed a soft kiss against Nick’s lips, then rested her cheek against his chest and sighed in contentment. She couldn’t wait for this new adventure together to start.

After several long moments of simply sitting there, enjoying each other’s company and thinking how well the song portrayed their lives, Judy finally whispered, “You know, this was one of my favorite movies when I was a kid. I always thought it would be neat to meet someone like this and fall in love so completely—but then Rick destroyed that dream and gave me a painful dose of reality.” Nick rubbed her back and she hummed happily into his neck fur again. “I’m glad I met you, Nick. You helped me fulfill another dream I’d given up on.”

Nick hugged her tightly again and rubbed his cheek against the top of her head. “I could say the same about you, Fluff. You’re helping me turn my life around and be the todd my dad and mom always hoped I’d be, and the one I always wanted to be.”

With a wide grin, Judy murmured, “Hmm, my foxy boyfriend. I like the sound of that.” Sitting up and sliding her paws around the back of his neck, she slowly leaned in as she whispered silkily, “And I’m going to like the taste of it even better.” With every intention of kissing him again, she came up disappointed as she found her lips pressed against the rough pad of his finger.

Trying to ignore how cute she looked with her brows furrowed in confusion, Nick spoke softly, saying, “Before we move onto the exciting part of being a couple, there is one more thing we need to discuss.” As she pulled back to hear his explanation, Nick said, “There is one thing in my past I need to be sure isn’t going to be a deal breaker for you.”

“A deal breaker?” she queried. What could he have possibly done in his past that she wouldn’t be able to forgive?

Chapter Text

Across town, in the employee parking garage of the Zootopia General Hospital, a young roe deer nurse by the name of Kimberly sat in her older model, red Nissan car and stared at her phone while waiting for her leopard friend, Dr. Leland Pardsen, to come out. After all the overtime she and Leland put in last night due to the extensive car wreck and influx of patients, she and Leland were scheduled to clock out at 7 today (they had the late shift this week and normally got off at 9 pm). But it was already 8 o’clock and Leland was no where to be seen.

This wasn’t a surprise to Kimberly, though. Twenty minutes before their shift ended, Leland was pulled into an emergency surgery. Since she wasn’t required to help out with it (another doctor was in charge of the surgery and Leland was merely assisting), Kimberly had clocked out on schedule and then sat waiting in her car in hopes of asking her tawny, spotted flame out on a date. . . or at least find out how he actually felt about her.    

Ever since she saw how close and comfortable the fox and bunny from last night were, Kimberly couldn’t get it out of her head, nor could she forget walking in and catching Judy falling asleep on Nick’s chest as he petted her ears. The memory made her a bit envious as she wondered what it would feel like to fall asleep on Leland’s chest as he petted her ears.

While imagining a scene where she and Leland were sitting that close together, her fantasy was interrupted as the leopard in question finally walked out of the employee entrance. His ears were drooping and his shoulders sagged which was a testament to the deep exhaustion that Leland was feeling. After the late night they pulled on their last shift, and then the long hectic day today (the patients from the car wreck needed a lot of attention), she knew Leland probably just wanted to go home and crash.

Biting her lip for a moment, Kimberly wondered if now was a good time to bring up her feelings for the tall, tawny predator. Seeing how mentally and physically exhausted he was, she worried that her confession might be more than he wanted to handle right now. But then again, considering how late their shifts had been of late, she figured the night was still young and if she didn’t talk to him today, then when would she? She had hidden her feelings for Leland behind her prey status long enough. If a fox and bunny could be in an intimate relationship, then why not a deer and a leopard?

As her resolve became firm, Kimberly opened the door of her small, red Nissan and hurried over to Leland’s much larger, forest-green Jaguar F-Type sports car. She reached him about the time he pulled his keys from his pocket.

Leland glanced up as he heard the soft feet of someone walking towards him. Thinking it was the owner of one of the cars he was parked next to, he glanced up briefly and then did a double-take when he realized who it was. Dropping his keys at the unexpected sight, Leland exclaimed, “Kimberly! What are you still doing here? I thought you left over an hour ago?” At Kimberly’s shy smile and shrug, he asked, “Did your car break down?”

Living on a nurse’s salary, Kimberly’s car wasn’t the newest. It wasn’t a clunker, either, and she kept it running pretty well, but as old as it was Leland knew it was just a matter of time before the small, red car started giving her trouble.

With a shake of her head, Kimberly replied, “My car’s fine, but thanks for asking.”

Leland flicked his ear, then bent down to pick up his keys as he asked curiously, “So what did you need?” He figured it was too much to hope that she wanted to spend time with him outside of work. After seeing how close the bunny and fox were last night, it got Leland thinking of spending more time with Kimberly when they didn’t have nosy colleagues snooping around and a professional work policy to maintain.

Kimberly bit her lip for a moment, then said, “Well, it has to do with Judy and Nick.” At Leland’s puzzled gaze as he stood up with his keys in paw, she added, “You know, the bunny and fox from last night.”

Leland nodded as he was just thinking about them. “Yes, I know who they are, but what’s the problem?” He wondered if Judy had somehow popped a stitch or two, but then he should have gotten a call from them or a message—something?

Shaking her head, Kimberly answered, “It doesn’t have to do with them directly, per say, it’s just something I realized after meeting them.” Pushing her fingertips together where her hooves hung down in front of her waist, she waited for Leland’s response.

Breathing in slowly as his long, spotted tail swayed behind him, Leland hardly dared to hope she was getting at what he thought she was getting at. “Okay,” he said slowly. “And what did you realize?”

Twiddling her fingers together, Kimberly spoke softly, saying, “Well, seeing how close and comfortable they were together...I was just wondering….if…maybe we could…you know…go out for some coffee or a bite to eat or something?” Realizing this is something they do every day at work, Kimberly raised her hoof and said, “And I’m not talking about lunch or dinner at the hospital cafeteria, either.”

Leland was hardly breathing as Kimberly was talking. He had been sweet on the pretty, little roe deer for a long time but worked hard to keep their relationship as professional as he could as he didn’t want to cause any problems for themselves at work. Furthermore, with Kimberly being prey while he was a much larger predator, he thought anything happening between them was just a pipedream of his. That with his predatory status Kimberly would never look at him as more than a really good friend, no matter how close they got. But now. . .

Taking a deep breath, Leland rolled the keys back and forth in his paw as he said, “You’re talking about seeing each other outside of work, correct?” Kimberly bit her lip again, but then nodded, and Leland said, “And you want to eat at some place a bit nicer than the hospital cafeteria?”

With a deeper nod, Kimberly added, “A lot nicer.”

The silence dragged on as Leland didn’t immediately answer. He had just been thinking about spending time with her outside of work but never thought it would happen, and yet here Kimberly was, asking for that extra time together where they didn’t have to worry about breaking rules or wondering about the gossip being spread about them at the hospital. Furthermore, it didn’t sound like Kimberly was looking to ‘just hang out’ if her ‘a lot nicer place to eat than the hospital cafeteria’ was anything to go by. Just to be sure he wasn’t misunderstanding her, Leland finally asked, “Kimberly, are you asking me out on a date?”

Kimberly froze as if she’d been hit in the face with a search light. At Leland’s silence, she had worried that maybe he didn’t want to hang out with her, but at his sudden question, she wasn’t sure how to answer. Yes, she wanted to date him, but what if that wasn’t what Leland wanted? Then again, what if it was and she said no and it ruined her chances with him?

While worrying about how to answer, the image of Judy sleeping in Nick’s arms flashed in her mind. That’s right. Being in a pred-prey relationship wasn’t for the faint of heart. She needed to be honest with her feelings and have the courage to express them. And if Leland wasn’t interested in her, then at least she would know and she would no longer be in limbo about their relationship.

Squaring her shoulders, Kimberly raised her chin and said firmly, “Yes, Leland, I’m asking you on a date. I’ve been wanting to date you for a while now and seeing how close Nick and Judy were, I guess you could say it’s given me the courage to ask.” Taking a deep breath, she continued, “So, Leland, will you date me?” Kimberly tried to remain confidant, but she couldn’t stop herself from nibbling on her lower lip while waiting for Leland’s response.

Leland stared at Kimberly for a moment but didn’t immediately answer. He was fighting a very strong urge to hug and kiss her. Slapping a paw over his face in an effort to stay in control, he answered, “Kimberly, if we weren’t at the hospital parking garage where I know the security cameras are recording us, I’d hug you right now. . . and probably kiss, too.”

Kimberly clasped her hooves together in excitement and almost started bouncing on her toes. “Is that a yes, then?”

Dropping his paw, Leland flashed her a bright smile that revealed the tips of his longest canines. “Yes, Kimberly, I would be honored to date you.”

With a soft, breathless squeal, Kimberly’s whole countenance lit up with her joy. She had been wanting to date him for so long and now, because she had the courage to ask, she was finally going to spend some quality time with this predatory male who had stolen her heart.

Glancing at his watch, Leland interrupted her thoughts when he said, “We’re both hungry, so how about we head home and get cleaned up, then I’ll swing by and pick you up in about 45 minutes and we’ll eat at this little dive I know of that stays open late and caters to both predators and prey.” With a wide smile as his tail-tip twitched back and forth at his happiness, Leland added, “We can have dinner and discuss this idea of dating.”

Kimberly was giddy with happiness. “Yes!” With her short, fluffy tail flicking excitedly behind her and her ears rotated forward to catch Leland’s every word, she added, “I’ll be ready and waiting.”

With a flick of his blacked-tipped golden ear, Leland added, “Wear something comfortable.”

“Okay,” Kimberly answered back, then with another soft squeal, she spun around and hurried back to her car. She was going on a date with Leland to discuss dating! This was a monumental achievement. When she first started working at the hospital several years ago, Leland was already a top doctor of the hospital and she had heard her fair share of rumors about all the feline female doctors and nurses (and a few of the other predators working there) wanting to date the tall, handsome spotted doctor.

Other than a couple of the doctors and a pawful of nurses he had a few dinner dates with the first year he’d taken up residency at the hospital, Leland had since refused any offers of dates from any of his colleagues. Kimberly had heard several nurses and even a few doctors complaining that Leland thought he was too good to date anyone at the hospital (he was one of three top predator surgeons in the hospital and his skills were highly prized across the country).

Hearing the rumors, Kimberly was weary of him at first (she had heard horror stories of stuck-up and/or specist doctors while an intern at another hospital). But then she was running late for lunch one day and when she arrived at the cafeteria, the only seat open was at Leland’s table. She had nearly bitten her tongue when she asked to sit with him, then nearly passed out when he readily agreed. She then realized Leland wasn’t stuck-up at all and the rumors were merely the product of jilted females who were unhappy with his rejection.

From that day on they shared lunch or dinner (depending on their shift) nearly every day at work. It wasn’t long after that, that she found her work schedule rearranged to match Leland’s, and then 2 years ago Leland asked her to be his chief nurse, which meant she’d be answering his phone calls and scheduling his appointments, along with assisting him during all his surgeries. It also came with a pay raise which meant she could move of the cramped apartment she shared with two other (noisy) roommates and was able to afford a place of her own. The place was still small, but it was all hers and had all the amenities—it came with its own bathroom and small laundry room which was hard to come by in Zootopia unless you had a high paying job or split the expenses with roommates.

And now she was going to be dating Leland! Kimberly couldn’t believe her lucky stars! Dr. Leland Pardsen, the highly sought-after surgeon, was going to have dinner with her tonight, and it wasn’t just a dinner date, but he wanted to discuss actually dating! This was better than a dream come true!

Back in the parking garage, Leland watched Kimberly drive away, then shook his head. He was going to have to thank the bunny and fox duo when he saw them on Monday. With a wide grin, Leland turned around and unlocked his expensive, dark-green sports car. Sliding into the dark-brown and black, faux-leather seats with much more energy than when Kimberly first approached him, he revved the engine, then sped out of the parking garage.

He had his first real date to prepare for. Leland considered his previous dates as little more than expensive outings, but tonight, he was going to be eating with Kimberly, the pretty, little deer he’d had his eyes on for over a year now.    

-/-/-

Sitting on the couch in the piano room with Judy, Nick traveled down memory lane. As he remembered the parts of his past he hadn’t yet shared with her, he felt worry and tension crawling around inside his stomach. Would Judy reject him because of his past jobs and the mammals he once worked for?

“What deal breaker?” Judy asked again at his silence.

Nick glanced around the room as he scratched his neck and chin, then brought his burning emeralds back around to meet her curious amethysts. After taking a deep breath, he said, “Okay, so you know I had dealings with Mr. Big, correct?” At her nod, he continued, “I think you should know that I worked for him for about six years. Is that going to be a problem for you?”

Judy considered her words carefully before answering. Remembering the conversation she had earlier with Fru-Fru, she finally said, “I don’t think so. I talked to Fru-Fru earlier and she did mention you worked for her dad for 6 years.”

“Okay, that’s good to know.” Nick’s ears shot forward as he processed her words. “Wait, you spoke to Fru-Fru today?”

Judy nodded. “She sent me a text last night after watching the news, so I called her when I saw it this afternoon.”

“O—kay,” Nick said carefully. He wasn’t sure what to think about her talking to Fru-Fru about his past. “What did she say about me?” Since Judy hadn’t treated him any differently since her talk with the tiny arctic shrew (and the fact she was sitting here wanting to kiss him), it couldn’t have been anything too bad. But there was still a lot Fru-Fru could say about him and it made him nervous.

“Well,” Judy said as she fiddled with her fingers, “she mentioned that you did a lot of information gathering . . . while on business . . . dates”—Nick’s ears dropped flat against his skull—“with several different vixens her dad employed.”

Nick immediately brought his paws up and gestured wildly, saying, “Hold on, let me explain. I never considered any of those as real dates. I swear I didn’t do anything with any of the vixens and only ever saw them as coworkers—nothing more. I didn’t . . . I never . . .”

Judy watched Nick panic and stumble over his words in an attempt to assure her nothing had happened. With a giggle that made him pause then tilt his head in question, Judy then explained, “Fru-Fru assured me that you were a perfect gentlefox and that you never did anything with any of your dates, much to all the vixens’ vexation.” At seeing Nick’s relief, she slid her paws across his chest again and leaned in a little closer as she added, “She also mentioned a bet that was never cashed in on.” Sliding a paw across his muzzle, Judy then brought his mouth closer to her own, while whispering, “A bet we both had in common.”

Brushing her nose briefly against his, she then pressed her lips gently to his. This time, Nick happily let her kiss him as he felt extremely grateful that she still accepted him. And he felt immensely glad that he hadn’t given in to any of the advances that had been pushed on him before. Not one of those vixens could possibly compare to what he held in his paws right now.

Running the claws of one paw through her tail, he slid the other up between her ears, then gently gripped them and pulled back, forcing her mouth to open slightly. Slipping his tongue in, he slowly explored her mouth with Judy happily returning the favor.

Moaning at the paw caressing her tail, Judy wasn’t at all upset by Nick’s gentle show of dominance. In fact, she loved it when he took charge. After spending a lifetime having to always take charge and be the responsible one in everything she did, it felt incredibly freeing to finally have someone else take charge, to be the responsible party—and for Nick to take charge in such an enjoyable way—she absolutely loved it.

As Nick continued his slow assault on her mouth, he poured his gratitude into the kiss. Lightly scratching the fur between her ears with one paw, he continued fondling her tail with the other. Listening to her soft moans sent a predatory thrill down his spine and an answering growl of his own. He loved the sounds he pulled from her just as much as he loved the feel of her small paws digging through the fur below his ears and pulling him closer.

After their fight back at the press conference and her fearful reaction to him, he never could have imagined just how comfortable she would be with him now, how desperate she was to get closer to him, and how willing she was to give her whole self to him. Not just her mind and body, but her whole soul. The only other time he’d experienced this kind of love and devotion was back when he was a kit while seeing the love his parents had for each other. Their complete devotion to each other, their care and concern, and the selfless way in which they cherished one another—it left a strong impression on his young mind and he knew this was the kind of love he wanted with his future mate. And so he made a commitment to himself back then that he wouldn’t settle for anything less, even if it took a lifetime of searching to find it.

He’d given up on that dream several years ago and was content to coast through life alone. Even though he wasn’t particularly happy with his life, he knew it was infinitely better than being stuck in a dead-end, broken, sour relationship with a mammal he didn’t respect, probably no longer liked, and simply wished he didn’t have to see or listen to anymore—as he’d seen happen all too often while walking the dark streets of Zootopia. And even of the “honest” citizens that he scammed over the years, he’d found many of them to be in strained or broken relationships themselves—which further cemented in his mind the desire to remain alone and single.

So to finally be experiencing firsthand the love and devotion his parents had thoroughly enjoyed, and to be experiencing it in the arms of a cute, little bunny (as energetic and unstoppable as she was), it completely blew his mind and made his heart swell with his own love and devotion for the cute, sexy, ball of fluff in his arms. That her taste and scent drove him absolutely wild was just icing on the cake.

Finally pulling back from their long, sensual kiss, Nick licked his lips and flashed her his deliriously happy, dopy grin. “I love you, Judy. It feels like I always have. You are my first, my last, my only love. I can’t think of a better way to spend the rest of my life than making you happy. You’re everything to me and I’ll do anything for you.”

Judy hummed happily at Nick’s words, and the emotions she saw burning in his deep emerald gaze set a fire smoldering in her belly. With happiness and love shining in her bright amethyst eyes, she said softly, “I love you, too, Nick.” Caressing his cheek and then scratching around his ear, a playful smirk crossed her lips and she said, “I have to ask, though, is this a proposal?” Leaning in closer and giggling at Nick’s shocked expression, she added, “Because it sounded an awful lot like a proposal.”

Nick snapped his jaws shut and wasn’t sure how to respond. She had a teasing tone of voice, but the glint in her eyes was a serious one, so he wasn’t sure whether she was joking or not. Trying to play it safe and take the middle ground, he said, “You don’t think becoming my girlfriend is enough for one night? You really are greedy, aren’t you?”

“Hmm, very greedy.”

Nick’s jaw dropped, but after several heartbeats he exclaimed, “Are you serious!?”

Judy sat up straighter and the teasing tone left her voice and was replaced with a determined one. “I am very serious, Nick.” Reaching behind her, she grabbed both his paws and brought them in front of her, then threaded her fingers through his. “I’ve spent most of my life alone. In a sea of bunnies, I was always alone when it came to my hopes and dreams. No one understood me and no one could relate to me. I was too different—the crazy bunny who thought she could be a cop. And that’s how I thought my life would always be. Alone with no one to support me. But now I’ve found someone who understands me, who can relate to me, and who loves me unconditionally.”

Releasing one of his paws, she reached forward and caressed his muzzle while giving him a sweet smile. “He’s smart and funny. He’s handsome and sweet. He’s cute at times, but incredibly sexy at others. He anticipates my needs and goes out of his way to meet them. He’s everything I could ever dream of in a male, and so much more.” Caressing his muzzle again, she added, “I found him in you, Nick. You’re the only one for me. And now that I’ve found you, I don’t want to waste anymore of our precious time together.”

Nick studied Judy’s determined expression and knew she was completely serious. And the images she planted in his mind were hard to ignore. “You do remember me telling you that foxes have very short engagements, right?”

With a soft chuckle, she responded, “Yes, I remember.” Digging her blunt claws through the thick fur at the side of his neck, she scratched him lightly while explaining, “Let me put it in perspective for you.” With a grin, though still serious, she said, “I’ll be turning 25 in a couple of months, which means I’ll be a quarter of a century old. Although that’s still young, that’s still one year less I have to spend with the mammal I love. Life is short Nick, and I don’t want to miss a thing with you. I don’t want to waste even a second of the time we have together.”

Nick was stunned by her logic and reasoning, but he couldn’t fault any of it. She was absolutely right—they weren’t getting any younger and time was marching forward relentlessly. He would be 33 at the end of the year, so he had even less time than Judy did. Did he really want to miss a thing with her? Could he afford to wait long? She was a cop and by next spring, so would he—which wasn’t the safest job to be in.

And he did want to marry her, there was no question about that. It was merely a matter of when. If his biology had its way, he would pack her up to his bed right now, mark her, make sweet love to her, and then knot and bite her. But that was moving a little too fast, even for him. Although he didn’t want to wait long, they did need a little time to get familiar with each other and their new relationship before taking it to the next level.

After running his paws over his face, he took a deep breath and met her expectant gaze again, then said, “I won’t propose tonight—” at Judy’s crestfallen gaze, he put a hand up and explained, “Not tonight. At least wait till I can buy an engagement ring, then I promise I’ll give you a proper proposal.”

Judy practically vibrated as she threw her arms around his neck and rubbed her cheek against his. Laughing happily, she whispered in his ear, “You better not keep me waiting too long. I really want to be married before my next birthday.”

With a gulp, Nick asked, “And when is your birthday exactly?”

With a happy chirp, Judy rubbed her nose into the thick fur in front of his ear, then replied, “In a month and a half.” Feeling Nick stiffen up, she giggled before adding, “On September 7, so, you know, no pressure.”

Releasing the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, Nick muttered, “Yeah, no pressure.”

Judy giggled again and gave him one last squeeze, then sat back and said, “Okay, now that the serious talk is over let me have your tail. You’ve been feeling mine up ever since we sat down, but I haven’t had a chance to touch yours at all.”

Chapter Text

Nick grinned as he stretched his arms out across the back of the couch, then drew his tail from around her back and plopped it in their lap, where Judy immediately snatched it up and buried her face in it. He watched her a moment as she snuggled into his tail and couldn’t believe how incredible it felt to feel her small paws running through it, or to feel her nose and cheeks pressed into it.

“Ni-ick! I can’t believe how soft and fluffy it is! I assumed it was, but this is way better than anything I could imagine.”

Nick chuckled, then asked, “Do I need to be jealous?”

“Hmm, maybe. He is quite the snuggler, you know.”

“Is that so?”

“Mm, he is . . . but not quite as good as you. He lacks a strong set of arms.”

“Well, that’s good to hear.” Bringing his muzzle closer to hers, he asked, “Anything else he lacks?”

“There is one thing . . .” Reaching forward to caress Nick’s chest, she looked up to meet his expectant gaze, then said, “Your tail is a terrible kisser.”

With a light chuckle, Nick replied, “That sounds like a personal problem.” At her raised eyebrow, he added, “But if you’re willing, I think I can remedy that.”

With a giggle, she said, “Is that so?” With one arm still hugging his tail, she touched his muzzle with the other and then leaned forward to meet him. Their kiss was slow and sensual, but they both kept it short. Pulling back, Judy gave him a huge smile then went back to snuggling with his tail.

With a grin, Nick brought his phone out and snapped some pictures, which she smiled for and even posed for a few of them, telling him he had to send her copies. Nick couldn’t deny her anything, and to say she looked cute while snuggling his tail and wearing the biggest, happiest smile ever was the understatement of the year. She was positively adorable and the sexiest dang rabbit he’d ever met. And when she turned those liquid pools of amethyst on him, she was the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen.

“You’re beautiful, you know that, Judy.”

Looking up in surprise, Judy tilted her head as her ears suddenly turned a deeper shade of pink. Glancing sideways while burying her twitching nose in his tail, she asked softly, “Do you really think so?”

Nick flicked his ears towards her and studied her bashful expression for a moment. She was so cute! He couldn’t resist snapping another picture and making it his home screen. As she glanced up at hearing the camera click, he slipped his free paw across her cheek and behind her ear. Caressing her cheek with his thumb, he replied, “Judy, you’re the most beautiful mammal I’ve ever seen. I love all of you. Your grey fur, your long ears, that cute, pink twitching nose. You’re beautiful and cute and sexy all wrapped up in one.”

Judy’s nose twitched again at his description of her, and she didn’t even call him up for calling her cute. “You think I’m sexy?” She’d been called many things growing up, but sexy was never one of them. Most bucks liked their does with soft curves, not the hard, tight curves she had developed from hours of running and relentless training.

Nick’s eyes widened in surprise. Glancing over her fit body, he finally said, “How can I not! You’re perfect.”

Judy’s ears darkened further as she rubbed her cheek against his tail again. “Most bucks thought I had too much muscle and wasn’t soft enough. It didn’t help, either, that I was stronger than most of them.”

Nick’s jaw dropped and then the hungry, predatory glint entered his eyes again. “Well, then it’s a good thing I’m not a buck, isn’t it?” Slipping his large, ruddy paws down her body, he felt all her curves and even brought a slight gasp of pleasure from her. “Judy, fox todds love their vixens with tight curves and I can’t think of anyone with tighter curves than you. And if you find me lagging behind you while we’re walking down the street, then you can be sure it’s because I couldn’t keep my eyes off your hot, lithe body. Gazing at you makes my heart pound and my blood run hot.”

Judy’s blush deepened to a dark red, but she didn’t care. No one had ever spoken to her in such a way or described her as anything more than just plain-Jane. Jude the Prude is what her sisters called her. Her fur was a boring grey, her body was too hard for holding, and she had a personality as prickly as a cactus and as cold as a block of ice (when it came to bucks, anyways). Dating wasn’t something the average buck wanted with someone like her, which left only the perverts to chase after her. But here was Nick, claiming he couldn’t keep his eyes off her hot, sexy, beautiful body.

Letting go of his tail, she hugged him and tried not to cry—again. “Ni-ick! You’re doing it again. You’re squeezing my heart with love and now I’m starting to cry again! You’ve turned me into such a crybaby.”

Nick chuckled as he hugged her back. Her cry of, “It’s not funny!” just made him chuckle harder as he rubbed his cheek against her head. “Do you want me to play for you, then?”

“I don’t know. Are you going to be playing some sappy love song that’s going to make me cry some more?”

“No. I was thinking of playing some funny songs. Give us a change of pace and lighten the mood.”

Sitting back and meeting his emerald gaze, she wiped her eyes and said, “Okay. Funny sounds really good about now.”

With a nod, he slipped his fingers under her rump and pulled her close. Standing up, he walked over to the piano and sat on the bench. “Do you want to stay in my lap again or sit beside me?”

Judy thought a moment, then said, “I’ll sit beside you. That way I can watch you play.”

With another nod, Nick picked her up and sat her down beside him before dropping his tail in her lap. A slight thrill ran down his spine as her small paws began stroking the thick fur before digging into it. With a deep breath that did little to calm his racing heart, he said, “Okay, the first song I have is one I just thought was funny when I was younger, but now I can relate to the song in ways I never thought possible just two days ago.”

Judy tilted her head and asked, “What do you mean?”

“Because if you rejected me and started dating anyone else, I’d probably turn into this guy. And then you’d need to get a restraining order put on me just so I’d leave you alone.”

“Huh?”

“Just listen and you’ll understand.”

As Nick began playing (It Never Woulda Worked Out Anyway by Brad Paisley), Judy started swaying with the beat, but after he began singing, she started laughing.

It was a love song in a backwards, funny sort of way—though if it actually happened to her, she knew that funny would be the last thing she’d be feeling. Anyway, the song was about a guy who, feeling jealous of the girl he loved, told outrageous lies to all the mammals the girl was dating in order to chase them away. And the chorus always ended with, “I was doing you a favor ’cause it never would’ve worked out anyway.”

“Seriously, Nick? You’d tell the mammals I was dating that I have seven little kits, that I hide my wedding ring, and that I spent a year in jail? Do you honestly think anyone would believe such outrageous lies?”

Nick shrugged his shoulders. “I admit, if it happened to me, I’d need to get real creative with my lies in order to make them believable—but, hey, I wasn’t a con-artist for nothing. Believable lies was my life.” With a grin, he nudged her shoulder and said, “Thanks for rescuing me from that life, by the way. I was really tired of the constant lying but didn’t know how to change or what else to do.”

Judy flashed him a brilliant smile, then rubbed her face in his tail. “Anytime, Slick. Whenever you need me, I’ll be there for you.” With a giggle, she added, “And you won’t even need to lie to keep me.”

Nick nodded, then after a moment’s thought, said, “I won’t need to lie to keep you, but I think I still might come up with some believable lies to tell all the worthless bucks why you refuse to date them.” As confusion clouded Judy’s beautiful eyes, Nick explained, “Finnick wasn’t joking about the violence some mammals might want to heap on us—me specifically—once they find out we’re together. And with me going to the Academy in a few months, it’ll be better for me if all of Zootopia doesn’t know about us until after I graduate and have my badge in paw.”

Judy’s ears drooped and she was quiet for a long moment before saying, “Are you worried you’ll get hazed or something at the Academy if the other cadets know you’re dating a bunny?”

Nick raised an eyebrow and asked, “I was under the impression that I had to marry you before your next birthday—or have you changed your mind already?” With a teasing smile, Nick waited for his words to sink in.

“Oh, that’s right! We’ll be married by the time you start training.” Lifting a paw, she started nibbling on one of her blunt claws. “How am I going to survive with you being gone for six months?” Looking up, she added, “I didn’t even think about that.” With a determination entering her firm gaze, she jabbed Nick in the chest and said, “You better propose to me sooner rather than later because I’m going to want to get as much time in with you as possible before you have to ship out.”

Nick sucked in a breath as he felt himself get excited at the images her words conveyed. He then wondered how he was going to survive being away from her for so long. Hauling her up to his room tonight, ring or no ring, was starting to sound real appealing right now.

Taking in another deep breath, and trying to distract himself, he brought his mind back to the question at hand. “Yeah, that’s an excellent point and I’ll get right on that. But in the meantime, let’s get back to your original question about the hazing. Yes, I think it’s a real possibility. There will be a lot of mammals that’ll hate the idea that a fox is trying to become a cop. Even without knowing about us, they’ll try to verbally bully me into quitting. And when that doesn’t work, they’ll try to make my time at the Academy as miserable as possible—all in order to make me quit.”

Judy’s ears drooped even further at the picture he painted. It wasn’t a happy one. As tough as she had it as a rabbit, with the other mammals expecting her to fail and just waiting for her to quit, she now realized Nick would have it so much harder. Did she really have the right to ask him to go through all that—just so she could have him as her partner?

“Now,” Nick continued, unaware of Judy’s dismal thoughts, “if said mammals were to find out I was in a relationship with a rabbit—the only bunny officer of the ZPD, no less—then that misery they’re heaping on me will very likely turn physical.”

Judy sucked in a breath and held it for a moment, then hugged him hard around the side and exclaimed, “Is it really worth it for you to go through all that!? Just for me? Having you as a PI with Finnick is sounding really good right now.”

Nick chuckled as he slipped his arm around her and hugged her back. “And let some dum-dum wolf stare at your tail all day? I don’t think so.” As Judy opened her mouth to protest, he explained, “We’ll just have to train extra hard before the Academy starts so I don’t fall behind while trying to avoid their abuse. If you have your old Academy manuals, I can memorize them before I leave, and you can quiz me to make sure I understand it all. That way I won’t be caught off guard while studying.”

Judy nodded, but didn’t look very reassured. Continuing on, Nick said, “I’ll also get back into my physical training, and once your leg heals, we can start sparring. While working for Mr. Big I was quite the fighter. I always tried to talk my way out of trouble, but that didn’t always work. And after my brush with death when I was twelve, I trained hard to ensure I was never put in that position again.” Pausing in thought, Nick then muttered, “I haven’t sparred since I left his employment, and only had to fight like three times in the last 5 years, so I’m a bit rusty.” Focusing his gaze back on Judy, his expression brightened as he said, “You’ll have to whip me back into shape.”

Judy still felt bad about asking Nick to go through so much for her, but she couldn’t deny how much it meant to her—not only that he was willing to go through the abuse for her, but that he’d be the one to watch her back when they were out on patrol or working a case. Slowly breathing out, she nodded, then her smile returned. “I can do that.” Leaning in close, she jabbed her blunt claw into his chest and said, “So no complaining, Slick. I won’t go easy on you just because we’re dating—or married.”

This last was said with such a blinding smile that Nick felt his heart skip a beat. She was so cute, and yet so beautiful at the same time, that it took his breath away. “If it’s something I get to do with you, then I’ll never complain.”

Judy beamed at him, but before she could respond, Nick continued with a huge grin on his face, “And once I graduate, we’ll have a huge bunny wedding in Bunnyburrow. We’ll invite all your family and friends, and you can wear a white dress and have all your bride’s maids. We’ll have several flower girls and a ring bearer. There’ll be a huge wedding cake with both blueberry and carrot layers and little plastic models of us at the top. You said Gideon was the best baker in the tri-burrows, right? Maybe we can get him to bake the cake.”

Judy listened to Nick talking, then exclaimed, “Yes! Yes! Yes! I can actually see it. With you, I can picture it all happening.” At Nick’s confusion, Judy explained, “I’ve been to hundreds of weddings—and I mean hundreds. I always saw my siblings, cousins, or friends up there at the altar, all giddy and nervous at the same time, and I was always happy for them, but I could never picture myself up there. I could never picture a buck I would want to stand up there with, so I could never see myself actually getting married. My unmarried sisters would always go on about what it would be like when they finally got married, but I could never join in their conversations. It made me feel really lonely at times.”

With her smile returning, she continued. “But now I can picture it. I can see it all laid out—with you standing beside me as my groom. For the first time I can actually picture myself a bride.” With a giddy laugh, she said, “I can hardly wait for you to graduate. It’s going to be so exciting.”

Nick chuckled as he returned her radiant smile, then pointed out, “You’re overlooking all the fun and excitement we’re going to have between now and then—not to mention surviving the separation while I’m training.”

“Ooh, that’s right.” Nearly vibrating with excitement (it was a good thing she wasn’t standing or she would’ve reinjured her leg thumbing her foot), she demanded, “I meant it when I said not to make me wait. I want that ring on my finger and then I want to experience a fox wedding.” Leaning close and pressing her pink nose against his black one, she asked, “So where are we going for our 3-day getaway?”

Nick couldn’t stop himself from pressing his lips against hers, then deepening it. He loved her taste, her feel, and the idea of being married to her. Getting her an engagement ring will take top priority—the sooner he got it, the better. Pulling back from the kiss and pressing his forehead against hers, he whispered, “I have a cabin literally in the middle of nowhere. You have to drive several hours, then leave the vehicle and hike the rest of the way. It’s nearly a week’s hike if you have all good weather.”

Judy’s jaw dropped. “A week! And we’re supposed to be gone for only three days!?”

Nick chuckled, but kept his forehead pressed against hers. “That’s how long it takes if you’re on foot. But we won’t be hiking—we’ll be flying.”

Judy drew back from Nick, her jaw hanging open, then exclaimed, “What!?”

Chapter Text

Nick’s grin widened. “Just what I said. We’ll be flying to my cabin.”

Judy sat stunned for several more minutes, then cocked her head. “Like in a biplane or something? Do they have a place around here where you can rent a small plane to take you places?”

Nick didn’t immediately answer, but then nodded his head. “There are several places where you can rent a small plane. You can take a tour around the city or go sky diving. And with an extra fee, you can even rent one to fly you to a few select destinations.”

Judy beamed again. “So we’re going to rent a plane? And do you think we can take one of those tours over Zootopia? I think that’ll be a really neat experience.”

Nick met her excited gaze for a moment, then said, “Uh, no, we will not be renting a plane. There’s no landing strip near my cabin, just unbroken forest, rocky hills, and jagged peaks. There’s no way to get a vehicle in nor is there a place to land a plane.”

“But you said—!”

Nick placed a finger over her lips and explained, “I said we’d be flying, I never said we’d be flying in a plane.”

“Then how?” Judy mumbled against his finger pad.

“You know how I mentioned a lot of toys sitting out in my garage.” Judy nodded, and then her eyes widened at the implication. Not leaving her guessing long, Nick continued, “It just so happens I have a gyrocopter sitting out there collecting dust. I think it’s about time I pull it out and give it a test flight to make sure it’s still in working order.”

Judy squealed in excitement. “Ni-ick! This is so amazing! Oh, that means you can give me a personal tour over Zootopia.” Hugging him tight again, she exclaimed, “I can’t wait, Nick! This is going to be the greatest!”

“It’s a date, then.”

Judy paused a moment, then pulled back to look at Nick. “A date?”

“Yes, a date, you silly rabbit.” Booping her nose with his own, he continued, “I’m your boyfriend now. And as your boyfriend it’s my job to take you out on dates—lots of dates. Since you want to be married before your next birthday, we have lots of dates to make up for and a short amount of time to do them in.”

As Nick talked, Judy just stared at him wide-eyed as she internalized what he was saying. When pushing to become Nick’s girlfriend, she’d hardly spared any thoughts to any dates he might take her on. After her one failed date, she’d pretty much written them off (along with bucks) and hadn’t thought much about them. There were a few times she thought something would make a fun date, but immediately dismissed them as she never thought she’d have a boyfriend to enjoy them with. But now that she had Nick, her boyfriend, she could now go on all those dates.

With a blinding smile slowly making its way across her face, she met Nick’s expressive emeralds, and said, “That’s right. If we’re dating, then we get to go on dates.”

Nick flicked his ear. “That is the definition of dating.”

She gave him an exasperated look and then said, “I know that, but . . .” Taking a deep breath, she explained, “After my failed date with Rick, I’d written off bucks and dating altogether, so I never pictured myself actually on a date.”

Nick’s eyes widened. “Never?”

Judy shook her head. “Never. There were several things I thought would make a fun date, but never imagined them actually happening so I let them go.”

Nick rubbed a paw down his face. “Okay, Fluff, this is your homework for the week. While sitting around letting your leg heal, you’re going to go through that pretty, little head of yours and write down all those ideas you thought would make a fun date. After giving me the list, I’ll do my absolute best to make them happen.”

Judy’s tail twitched happily, and she hugged Nick tight again as she hummed into his neck ruff. “I finally get to go on dates. Now I won’t be left out when my sisters want to talk about all the dates they’ve been on.” Sitting back, she clapped her paws together and hummed excitedly, saying, “I’m so happy. This is going to be great. I’ll make them green with envy after telling them all about the great dates you take me on. Haha! I can’t wait. They’ll be so jealous when compared to their boring dates.”

Nick could only laugh. “If that’s the case, I’ll have to make sure they’re all envy-worthy.” As Judy snuggled into his side again, he reached down and picked her up before plopping her back in his lap. “There, is that better?”

“Hmm, much better.” Wrapping her arms around him, she buried her face into his chest and breathed deeply of his scent. His fox musk was strong, almost overpowering, but after spending so much time with him, she’d grown accustomed to it, and now she couldn’t get enough of it.

Mmm, her fox’s musk with a strong hint of violets. Delicious. Continuing to rub her nose into his chest, she took another deep breath.

Nick laughed as he leaned down and nuzzled the fur between her ears. As she hummed happily again, a mischievous idea entered his head and he couldn’t resist trying it out. Opening his muzzle, he ran his tongue up one long ear, and then the other.

Judy gasped as Nick’s warm tongue slid up her ears, and then she moaned as her body suddenly became hyper-aware of his presence. As a fire began smoldering in her belly, she pressed her hips against his stomach and breathed, “Nick, that . . .”

While breathing on her ears, and with a teasing voice, he asked, “That . . . what?”

“Mmm, that feels incredible. Do it again.”

With a chuckle, Nick complied. Running his tongue over the outside edge of her ears, he then nibbled on their tips briefly. Enjoying the soft moans and gasps he drew from his honeybun, he then turned his muzzle slightly and trapped the base of her ear between his sharp canines before running his teeth up to the tip of her soft ear. Judy’s groan deepened as her scent suddenly spiked and became thicker, richer, sweeter. Taking a deep breath, his black nose flaring, Nick quickly switched to her other ear and did the same thing. Her scent spiked again as she ground her hips against his and Nick felt his mouth fill with saliva. With his abdominal muscles clenching in response to her movements, he suddenly felt his briefs feeling a bit tight.

With a heavy, ragged breath Nick pulled back and rested his nose lightly between her ears.

“Ni-ick,” Judy moaned as she kneaded his shirt between her fingers. As she had her hips pressed up against Nick's stomach, she felt him harden against her. This probably should have made her wary of getting any closer to him (it was obvious he was packing more than a buck), but just like everything else about her vulpine boyfriend, the knowledge only thrilled her further and dumped another load hormones into her system.

With another heavy breath, Nick whispered, “Judy . . . I don’t think . . . I should bite you again . . . until I get that ring . . . on your finger.” With a shaky whisper, he added, “Your scent is killing me.”

A slight whine sounded from Judy, then she took a deep breath and tried to calm her raging hormones. She never realized just how sensitive her ears were—especially while having a predator run his sharp canines over them. Her instincts should be telling her to run, but just like in the pit when Nick bit her neck, all she felt was the stirring of desire. She wanted to feel more of his teeth, but he was right. Now wasn’t the time. It was too soon, and as Nick pointed out, he still needed to get her a ring.

With a slight nod, Judy answered, “You’re right.” Another deep breath. “Ring first.” She felt Nick nod, his nose barely grazing the fur between her ears, then she pulled back to look at him and said, “But Nick,”—he pulled his head back to meet her gaze—“you still need to suffer the consequences of your actions.”

Nick tilted his head and cocked his ears, wondering what she meant. Her meaning became crystal clear as she gripped his shirt tightly and jerked him down to her level where she kissed him, their tongues hungrily dancing together. This time it was Nick groaning into her mouth, which quickly turned to a growl. If this was Judy’s idea of him suffering for his actions, then he’d have to give her plenty more reasons to make him suffer.

As they finally broke for air, Judy murmured, “I’m suddenly feeling a strong impulse to find out what a make-out session feels like. My crazy sisters would always go on about them and I’d have to threaten violence to shut them up, but now—” She rubbed her nose against his and breathed in his intoxicating scent, which, like hers, was becoming quite thick and heady.

With his ears cocked forward, Nick stared into Judy’s dazed amethysts and took a large lungful of her deep, mind-numbing scent. “A make-out session, huh? I missed those in high school.” Taking another deep, intoxicating breath, Nick continued, even as his pupils narrowed slightly and his irises became burning emeralds. “I’m game if you are.” With a predatory grin, he added in a husky voice, “You’re the boss.”

“That’s right,” Judy breathed as she pressed her twitching nose against his and dug her fingers into the thick fur around his ears. “I’m the boss, so shut up and kiss me.”

Nick chuckled lightly then licked her tongue before following it into her mouth, where he thoroughly followed out her order. Reaching behind her, he closed the piano lid, then slipped his large paws under her rump, gave her a firm squeeze (which drew a squeak from her), then lifted her up and sat her on the piano lid, all without breaking the kiss. With her comfortably sitting, he ran his paws across her back and up and down her sides.

Judy immediately wrapped her legs around the lower part of his chest (ignoring the pain that shot through her leg) and pulled herself flush against his body as he scooted to the edge of the bench seat. As the kiss continued, Judy alternated between rubbing Nick’s furry cheeks and digging her blunt claws into his fur and pulling him deeper into the kiss. She now understood what her sisters were always going on about, but she couldn’t see how anything they did with all those dumb bucks could remotely compare to her sly fox.

Their make-out session went on for a while, as neither was paying attention to the time, but they eventually came to a mutual understanding that it was getting late and that they needed to sleep. Judy said she was still too keyed-up to sleep and asked Nick to play her a lullaby. He did (Calm Wind by Peder B. Helland), and she fell asleep in his arms just a third of the way into the song. As the last note hung in the air, Nick picked Judy up and carefully carried her to her room before laying her gently in bed. After covering her with the blanket, he leaned down a placed a soft kiss on her cheek. With a warm grin at her small smile, he gave her cheek one last caress, then turned and left the room.

Making his way to his own bed, he flopped down on it and groaned. He didn’t need to bother with his shirt as Judy had, at some point, peeled it off him. He wasn’t sure exactly when she’d done it, but he could still feel her small paws running through the bare fur of his chest. And with his nose still full of her scent and her taste on his tongue, he found it difficult to fall asleep.

This whole day had been one rollercoaster ride after another. And as he fought to fall asleep, his mind brought up the last two days as it tried to make sense of everything. Yesterday morning, he’d been moping around his bridge missing Judy intensely. Then yesterday afternoon, he’d saved the city with her and then brought her home with him (something he never thought he’d do). This morning he was still trying to come to terms with the fact she was actually here in his house, and thoroughly enjoying her time with him (after her reaction to him at the press conference, her desire to be close to him still boggled his mind). Then there was Finnick coming over, his and Judy’s first kiss, their dinner out and the idiotic buck who interrupted it (he was still a little worried about what the buck might do as a consequence of Judy’s rejection), and now . . .

Not only was he dating a sexy bunny and making out with her while she sat on his piano, of all places, but he was also under strict orders to marry the impatient ball of fluff within a month and a half. Or more like two weeks (long enough for her leg to fully heal), as he couldn’t see Judy waiting any longer than that—ring or no ring.

With thoughts of their impending engagement and marriage looming in his mind, along with their three-day retreat (which he thoroughly looked forward to), Nick rolled over and crawled under the covers while trying to calm his overactive mind enough for sleep to claim him.

******

In a distant part of the city, another mammal was struggling to stay awake when he should be sleeping. Chief Adrian Bogo sat in his office going over the myriad of reports which came in that day regarding Dawn Bellwether and the insidious activities she’d been involved in. After arresting the former mayor, her office and home had been raided and all her electronics—home computer, office computer, cell phones (they’d found a second, unregistered one on her person)—were all sent to the tech department to be analyzed and all her activities catalogued.

A list of her accomplices were typed up and Chief Bogo personally took the warrant request forms to the DA’s office to be drawn up, then over to be signed by a judge. With something so crucial, where time was of the essence, he left nothing up to bureaucratic red tape and time wasting. Once he had the warrants in hand, he’d sent them out to have the specist terrorists rounded up and their own property raided. What they’d found on one of the properties, owned by what looked like Bellwether’s right-hand mammal, astounded and sickened him, along with all the officers who’d been on the raid.

Reaching over, Bogo picked up a device found in one of three shipping containers that were chock full of them. A device for every predator in the city—shock collars. Turning the innocuous looking device over in his hand sent a wave of sickening dread through his system. He didn’t even want to think about what the city would look or feel like if Bellwether’s plans hadn’t been thwarted and her reign of terror stopped.

Flipping the collar over in his hand, Bogo looked at the icon showing the species the collar was made for. A red fox. He’d picked it out because it reminded him of Wilde, the fox who’d risked his neck to help a rabbit prove she was a real cop. The fox had stepped so far out of his stereotype that Bogo still had a hard time grasping it. Especially after pulling up the traffic cam Hopps mentioned using to find the missing mammals 3 months ago.

Seeing that she hadn’t exaggerated about the savage jaguar, and then seeing how close they both came to death, made a ball of guilt roll around inside his gut. And then seeing that Hopps wasn’t the timid liability he’d assumed she’d be due to her small size and the stereotypes about her species made the guilt swell inside him. Watching Hopps keep her cool and think quickly and logically in the face of a savage predator many times her size was inspiring, but she’d been trained and, as she’d clearly pointed out, the valedictorian of her class. But Wilde—Wilde was a wild card.

He’d had the chance to escape and leave Hopps to her fate, and yet he hadn’t. He’d been worried about her and so lost his chance to escape. If he’d lived up to the shifty, untrustworthy fox society said he was, then he would have turned tail and run without a second glance back. In fact, he would have used Hopps in order to escape—and yet he hadn’t. He’d stayed and nearly died—twice. And although he wasn’t much help in the fight, the fact that he stayed had distracted the savage jaguar long enough for Hopps to get her bearing and neutralize the threat.

And then, after facing down a savage jaguar, the same fox had broken out of his stereotype again and stood up to him, the Chief of Police (who happened to be a very large, very angry cape buffalo), a whole slew of very large officers, and told them all off for how they were treating one of their own, and then followed Hopps, literally, into the lion’s den surrounded by a pack of wolves. If they’d been caught, they would have disappeared as surely as the otter and jaguar they were chasing. And yet they didn’t. Again, Wilde stuck with the rabbit and they’d made it out with the evidence they needed to put Lionheart behind bars.

Wilde had disappeared after the Missing Mammals case, but since they already had his statement, Bogo hadn’t thought much about him. Now he wished he had, because if half of what Hopps said was true, then they owed the fox far more than he’d ever get recognition for. If he hadn’t agreed to help Hopps a second time, and risked his life to do it, she would have never been able to survive to get the evidence to them. She wouldn’t have figured out Bellwether was behind the attacks, and she certainly wouldn’t have gotten a confession from her. And then by this time next year every predator in the city, from 5 years old and up, would be collared. The fear and unrest in the city would then turn this fair Zootopia into a dismal Dystopia.

The fact Hopps sought the fox out upon returning to the city instead of coming to the ZPD told Bogo that they’d failed her. Hopps needed someone she could depend on explicitly, someone who’d proven to her time and again that they were loyal, trustworthy, and brave. Everything every officer in the ZPD should stand for, and yet she hadn’t found it in a fellow officer, but in the arms (quite literally) of a street fox. Bogo couldn’t forget how comfortable Hopps had been while Wilde carried her through the Natural History Museum. Theirs was a weird friendship for sure, and yet it was undeniable. Hopps, a rabbit, held absolutely no fear of Wilde, a fox.

With a heavy sigh, Bogo dropped the shock collar onto his desk and rubbed his eyes. They were lucky the Natural History Museum was across the square from Precinct One, which gave them a chance to arrest Bellwether and her cohorts before the media clowns showed up to interfere. Getting Hopps and Wilde out of there before the clowns showed up was also a stroke of luck. There had been another protest that afternoon which had most of the news crews occupied, along with a car accident that ended in a several car pile-up, which thankfully delayed their arrival. They wouldn’t have been able to catch half so many of Bellwether’s coconspirators if the media got wind of it first.

Bringing up a mug of coffee, Bogo took a sip as he punched Wilde’s name into the computer. He’d been wanting to look into the todd’s records since the arrest of Bellwether, but never had the time. Seeing as he had a meeting with the fox in the morning, it would be better if he knew something of the red vulpine beforehand. He wasn’t surprised to find Wilde had no criminal record. Several officers had flagged his file as a mammal of interest, but no one could say why the interest. Of course, with Wilde being a fox on the street, that might have been all the excuse the officers felt was needed to make him a mammal of interest.

With another heavy sigh, Bogo held his large mug of coffee in hand while clicking on Wilde’s family link. His ears immediately drooped as he realized that from a family of five, the fox only had two living relatives. Clicking on his father’s name, he read through the report on the murder of John W. Wilde. Wilde and his twin brother were witness to the murder, and yet there didn’t seem to be any follow up on the case. No suspects were interviewed or apprehended even with two eyewitnesses.

Bogo set his mug down and rubbed his face again as he realized there was no investigation into John Wilde’s murder. He was a fox and so nothing was done beyond the initial report. Looking at the date of the report, he saw that Wilde was seven at the time. He watched his father brutally murdered and nothing was done about it. Bogo could only imagine what the young fox was thinking to see such gross injustice done.

Closing the report, he clicked on the link to his brother’s death. It was another police report, this one of a drunk driving accident. The drunk driver was eventually apprehended, but just as in John Wilde’s murder, justice wasn’t served. The drunk driver had his license revoked for six months and was required to attend an alcohol treatment center, but he was never charged with the death of the young fox.

And just as with his father’s brutal murder, the young vulpine was witness to his brother’s hit and run. Looking at the date, Bogo saw that the accident took place mere days before Wilde’s 12th birthday. Bogo shook his head as he couldn’t even imagine what that kind of loss would feel like.

Wondering if Wilde had even bothered graduating high school with all the grief in his young life, he brought up the transcripts for the fox’s schooling. While taking another drink of coffee, he scanned through his school records, surprised to see he finished high school as an honor student. Taking another drink of coffee, he moved on to Wilde’s advanced schooling, then choked on his drink when he saw the fox had a diploma from the University of Zootopia Law, the city’s most accredited law school.

Hurriedly setting down his coffee mug, Bogo coughed to clear his throat, then clicked on Wilde’s university transcript. Just as with high school, the fox graduated law school with top honors and earned his attorney’s license. Bogo couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The fox he scoffed at just 3 months ago was a licensed attorney! If he or Hopps wanted to, the vulpine could probably slap the ZPD with several lawsuits for their misconduct and mistreatment of them.

Leaning back in his chair, Bogo rubbed his temples. He wasn’t expecting the meeting with Hopps and Wilde tomorrow to be stressful, but depending on Wilde’s disposition (and whether or not he felt like pressing charges), tomorrow’s meeting could be just as stressful as everything else on his plate right now.

With a heavy sigh, he considered the request he had for Wilde. Would the fox even consider joining the ZPD when he’d been so ill treated by them? And not just in the past. He, the Chief of Police, had dismissed the fox’s credibility just three months ago. And going by the glares several of his officers had leveled at the fox the evening before while at the Natural History Museum, Bogo knew there were many officers who wished they could just kick the vulpine out on the street and be done with him.

With everything Wilde had done for the city, and the courage and loyalty he’d shown Hopps in keeping her alive, Bogo knew he had to do something to insure Wilde wasn’t mistreated when he arrived at the Precinct—especially if he had any hope of convincing the jaded fox to join the force and partner with Hopps.

Reaching forward to click out of Wilde’s law school transcript, he froze as his gaze landed on Wilde’s date of graduation. With eyes widening, he realized the sly fox had graduated top of his class when he was only twenty years old. Looking back over his transcript, it was obvious Wilde had attended all 4 years—which meant he must have graduated high school when he was just 16.

Clicking out of Wilde’s law transcript and back into his high school transcript, Bogo saw that Wilde had indeed graduated when he was 16. The transcript didn’t say how Wilde graduated so early, but there was no denying the fact that the fox was finished with high school at the tender age of 16 and then jumped right into Law School. The fox was ambitious, for sure. Too bad his species meant few would hire him.

With a weary sigh, Bogo clicked out of the links detailing Wilde’s schooling and glanced at the clock. It was late and he did need at least a few hours of sleep before roll call in the morning. He wanted to dig further into Wilde’s life (he still hadn’t checked out his mother or sister) but knew he didn’t have time tonight. What he had would have to suffice for now. He also needed to figure out something to improve the opinions of his officers in regards to the fox, as well as call them up for their treatment of Hopps before she’d turned in her badge. Had they treated her more like one of their own and not someone to merely tolerate, she might not have resigned at all.

Feeling the headache he’d had all day worsening, Bogo rubbed his temples again. There were some major changes that needed to be made in the department and knew they would have to start with him. It was his example the others looked to so if there were any changes to be made, then he had to make the first move. Gah! He hated being wrong and he hated admitting it even more. But it had to be done. He just needed to bite the bullet and do it.

Closing out the links on his computer, he opened his email account and sent a message to Major Friedkin requesting any videos showcasing Hopps’s ability at the Academy. Then he brought up the video of the savage jaguar attack and downloaded it to a USB drive. Last, he saved a copy of Bellwether’s confession that had been sent to him and moved it to the USB drive, too. Once done, he shut down his computer and stashed the USB drive in the locked drawer of his desk. Standing up, he walked to the door and opened it, then turned around to look once more at his office (and thinking of the meetings that were planned for the morrow). Finally, he flipped the lights off and locked the door. With a weary sigh, he considered just how very busy tomorrow was going to be.

Chapter Text

Finnick rolled over with a groan and buried his head under the soft pillow he’d been sleeping on. It took him a minute to remember where he was and why it was so bright in here. He’d fallen asleep looking out the large bedroom window of the loft apartment at Nick’s house and had forgotten to shut the blinds before rolling over and falling asleep.

With an irritated growl, he rolled back over and sat up. Putting a hand over his sensitive eyes, he waited for them to adjust. He still couldn’t believe Nick had invited him over. Of course, hearing he and bunny cop were chasing each other’s tail was even more shocking. Rubbing his eyes, Finnick tried to take stock of the shocking events of the day before. Had yesterday evening actually happened? Had bunny cop actually asked him to become a P.I. so he could help her and Nick on cases?

Dropping his hand, Finn reached over and grabbed his phone and unlocked it. Pulling up his photos, he saw the picture he took of Cottontail when they were out on the porch, and there was the video he’d taken at the diner. Tapping on it, he watched bunny cop lay into the specist buck, and then watched him freak out when Nick growled sub-vocally at him. Laughing heartily at the dumb buck who thought he could compare to Nick, or that he could steal bunny cop away from him, Finn sent the video to his love-struck friend. It was obvious to him last night at dinner that bunny cop had eyes only for Nick.

He still couldn’t believe Red fell for a bunny or that the bunny fell for him. They made such an odd pair, and had started out with such a rocky relationship, and yet now . . . he really couldn’t see Nick with anyone else. And after watching the pair interact, he really couldn’t see bunny cop with anyone else, either. She and Nick moved together so naturally—it was like clockwork. He’d never seen anything like it. The fact they were a pred/prey couple made it even stranger.

Wondering how the two got on after they arrived home last night, Finn rolled off the bed and stretched. No matter what bunny cop said, and remembering how touchy-feely Nick said they were, he seriously doubted they were ‘going slow’. Rubbing his head with both paws, Finn still couldn’t believe how quickly Nick had fallen for the determined ball of fluff. He always stuck his nose up at relationships, and never gave them a second thought—and now. He literally couldn’t keep his paws to himself—and she encouraged him!

Still thinking about his lovesick friend and his unlikely relationship with the bunny cop, Finnick decided to take a nice, long, hot shower before finding something for breakfast. He forgot to buy anything for breakfast at the store last night, so he would need to raid Nick’s kitchen when he was done—and maybe do some snooping while he was at it. With a grin, he turned the hot water on and stepped into the steamy stream.

******

Chief Bogo sat down in his chair and turned on his computer, then clicked on his emails. He’d gotten stuck in traffic and was now running late. There were several things he needed to get ready before roll call at 7 and he hoped to get everything together on time.

Seeing an email from Friedkin he immediately clicked on it and opened up the video she’d sent him. His eyes grew round as dinner plates as he watched the tiny ball of gray fluff knock a rhino out cold in a sparring match. Clicking out of the video, he brought up another one that showed Hopps defeat several other cadets in later sparring matches—wolves, tigers, and even a bear—she defeated them all. Not with brute strength, but with speed, agility, and strategy.

Sitting back, Bogo ran his hooves over his face as he recalled treating the undefeated champ as just a token bunny. Being so much smaller, Hopps had to think outside the box and adapt to the different challenges in order to win, which was a crucial ability to have as a cop, and one he realized his own, more seasoned officers, were now lacking. That needed to change—and it would start by showcasing Hopps’s abilities. Saving the videos to the USB drive in his drawer, he pocketed it, then went in search of Higgins to set up the rest of the stuff he needed. 

******

Judy rolled over and yawned. Going by the light shining around her window curtain, she knew it was very early. Picking up her phone, she saw that it was a little before 7. She wanted to roll over and go back to sleep—her dreams of Nick were heavenly—but she knew Bogo was expecting them in a few hours, so she needed to get up . . . And wake Nick up, too.

With a grin, she decided to wake him up personally instead of using the phone. With crutches in hand, she made a quick stop in the bathroom, then hobbled quietly into Nick’s room (she was glad he’d left both their doors open last night) and over to the side of his bed. He was laying on his stomach while hugging his pillow, and Judy thought he looked so cute (and quite handsome) in the pale morning light filtering through a crack in the curtains. With a sly smile, she leaned the crutches against the wall, then turned around and climbed onto the bed.

Nick’s ear twitched as she crawled over to him and his nose huffed as he breathed in her scent. Turning his head, he subconsciously chased after the delicious scent of his bunny. Rolling over onto his side, he released his pillow and curled his body towards the tantalizing smell.

Judy reached over and let him smell her paw so he knew it was her (it was never a smart idea to startle a predator awake), then caressed his cheek, whispering, “Nick, it’s time to get up.”

Nick huffed as his ear twitched again and Judy reached up and caressed it. Nick flicked his ear away from her, then settled with a sigh. Scratching the base of his ear, he whined happily and leaned into her touch. With a smile, Judy leaned close to his ear and repeated, “Nick, it’s time to wake up. Come on, up and at’em, Foxy-Loxy.”

Nick took a deep breath, then his emerald eyes popped open to look at her.

With a bright smile, Judy warmly asked, “Hey, Slick. You ready to get up?”

Nick didn’t immediately answer—and Judy wondered if he was really awake—then his arms darted out from under the blanket to grab her around the waist and pull her into his chest. Judy ‘eeped’ at the sudden movement, but Nick ignored her while mumbling, “Five more minutes.”

Judy immediately relaxed into his embrace and snuggled into his chest while breathing in his musky fox scent with its hint of violets. “Maybe just five,” she agreed, not really wanting to move now that she was wrapped in Nick’s foxy embrace. With a deep, relaxing breath, she quickly slipped back into sleep.

******

Finnick walked through the back door a few minutes later and was sorely tempted to snoop around upstairs but knew that would be encroaching on Nick’s territory. And Finnick had no desire to tangle with a territorial Nick now that the red todd had his mate in the house (even if it wasn't official yet).

With a shake of his head at his twitterpated friend, he dug out a fold-up stepstool from the broom closet and moved around the kitchen, gathering ingredients to make pancakes. He knew they had a meeting today with the Chief Fuzz, and by the sound of the silence, he didn’t think they’d have a lot of time for preparing a satisfying breakfast themselves. Since he was up and had time, he figured making breakfast was the least he could do. Judy really had made his time with them last night enjoyable. She’d easily pulled him into their conversation with her questions and quick wit. Being made such a large part of the conversation was a happy change for him and he wouldn’t mind hanging out with the bunny cop again.

As he turned the stove on to heat the pan, he began mixing the batter together and wondered when Nick would be down. If he wasn’t down by the time the pancakes were done, he’d have to call and wake him up.

******

Chief Bogo walked into the bullpen at exactly 7 O’clock and after settling down his officers, he stared at them for several minutes of tense silence. This put his officers on edge as they knew from experience that they were not going to like what he had to say.

“As you know, Bellwether has been taken into custody and many of her co-conspirators have been apprehended, along with a few of our own.”

This brought a wary look from many of his officers, but Bogo pushed on. “We are still in the process of catching the last few, but the media has finally gotten wind of Bellwether’s arrest and the knowledge that she was behind all the savage attacks. This will make our job of catching the rest a bit harder now.” A murmur went through the room and Bogo raised his hoof to calm them down. “Shut it.” Once silence returned, Bogo said, “We’ll discuss her agenda in a moment, but first,”—he paused a moment until he was sure everyone was focused on him—“I wish to discuss the two mammals responsible for discovering her savage plot and her subsequent capture.”

Another murmur went through the room, some curious, a few with resignation, and several with disdain. Bogo could guess that the last group were thinking of the fox. With an inward sigh, he continued, “As you know, Officer Hopps, with the help of the fox known as Nick Wilde, took only 2 days to find our missing mammals 3 months ago. 2 days with no resources and no support from those she thought she could trust. The only person willing to help was a shifty street fox. Many of you thought this was just a fluke, that Officer Hopps merely got lucky. I’m here to tell you that her finding them was not mere luck, nor did she simply stumble upon them.”

This brought more wary glances from his officers. With a heavy breath, Bogo said, “A few of you were with me when Officer Hopps claimed to have gone head to head with a savage jaguar.” This brought a snort and chuckle from several of the officers, as no one believed she could have survived such a confrontation, even if she later proved that predators were going savage. “Yes, I thought it was ludicrous, too.” Turning to the flat screen tv hanging in the corner of the room behind him, Bogo turned it on and accessed the USB drive plugged into it.

“I think it would do us all good to see what really happened during that confrontation.” As the files popped up on the menu, Bogo clicked on the first one. “This is the video taken from the jam-cam and shows the whole altercation.”

As the video began playing, it showed Hopps and Wilde running across a wooden bridge closely followed by a savage black jaguar. It showed them being chased into a hollowed-out log, then showed them jumping. The camera switched to one near a sky tram that showed Hopps slipping over the edge while Wilde ran for a waiting sky tram. Bogo paused the video here and looked over his officers. It was obvious the scene disturbed them.

“Does anyone still think she was crazy or blowing everything out of proportion?” There was several head shakes and a soft murmur, and then Bogo pointed out, “We have two mammals here who have some very strong stereotypes dictating how they should both act while facing such a dangerous, life-threatening situation. Officer Hopps is a rabbit. Society says that because she’s a rabbit, she must be weak, timid, and unable to think clearly in fearful situations. That she’ll be seized by fear and unable to act.”

Several nods and murmurs of agreement were heard, and Bogo continued. “Next we have a red fox, which society claims is an untrustworthy, conniving, backstabber.” There was a louder murmur of agreement, and Bogo asked, “So what do you think our two mammals will do in this situation. A savage jaguar is trying to kill and eat them. What will they do?”

There was a knowing snort from several officers, then Grizzolli stated from the back, “That’s easy. That shifty fox is going to hop on that tram and leave Hopps to her fate.”

“Yeah, and Hopps will freeze up and take a tumble off the platform,” Johnsen stated. “She was found hanging upside down by the vines above the road below.” There were several other officers who weren’t there, but still agreed. There were also some backslaps and shoulder punching as the officers assumed what had happened. There were only a couple of officers with thoughtful expressions on their faces.

Bogo let them have their misguided fun for a moment, then said, “And yet it was Hopps and Wilde who were hanging upside down from the vines. Kind of hard to achieve if the fox left her to her fate, don’t you think?” This shut the group up and Bogo pushed play again and let the rest of the scene play out, then commented on it. “If Wilde lived up to his stereotype of a shifty, untrustworthy fox, he wouldn’t have hesitated to jump on that sky tram—and yet he didn’t leave. He was worried about Hopps and lost his chance to escape. And if Hopps lived up to her stereotype of a weak, timid rabbit Wilde would be dead right now. Hopps kept her wits about her and protected a civilian, just as she was trained. And Wilde, because of his worry for Hopps, did not escape and was able to distract the jaguar long enough for Hopps to neutralize the threat.”

He let these thoughts sink in for a bit, then asked, “How many of you would have kept your cool if a much larger predator was trying to eat you?” There was an uneasy murmur that went through the room, then he switched videos. “Many of you think that Hopps is small and therefore weak, making her a liability in a confrontation. I mistakenly thought that, too. This is a video of her time at the Academy.” He first showed the video of her knocking out the rhino, then switched over to the video of her taking out the much larger predators. When the second video finished playing, he didn’t immediately comment as he took in the shocked expressions of each and every officer in the room.

“I hope this proves the point that size is not always the determining factor in a fight.” There were several stunned nods, and Bogo continued. “Now about Hopps and Wilde solving the Savage Mammals case—and here I hope to prove my point that Hopps and Wilde closing the Missing Mammals case was not a fluke.”

Gripping the podium, he said, “The second day Hopps was on the force, she caught a weasel stealing what I assumed were moldy onions. Hopps was able to accurately determine they were a class C botanical flower. While home, she learned that Nighthowlers was the common term for this class C botanical flower. With this clue, she knew that the predators weren’t going savage due to biology, but that they were being drugged to go savage. She also knew that if she found the weasel, she’d know who was making this drug.”

Bogo held up his hoof, pointing diagonally towards the ceiling. “Hopps, like any excellent detective, was able to link seemingly random clues together to paint a larger picture. Random clues she obtained three months ago and was nearly fired and killed for.” He paused, then regripped the podium and leaned forward to ask, “Which of you could do the same? To realize the petty crime that nearly got you fired, and a word from a mammal that then went savage and tried to eat you, were the two clues needed to crack this case wide open?”

There was an uneasy silence as the officers glanced at each other. Everyone wanted to believe they could figure it out, and yet everyone laughed when Hopps brought the weasel in and no one thought anything beyond it. And the savage jaguar attack—everyone scoffed at that story, too.

“Now, once Hopps figured out the clue in Bunnyburrow and returned to Zootopia—did she bring the information to the ZPD? Did she tell one of you what she found out or what she planned to do?” At a murmur of “no” and after several head shakes, Bogo then asked, “Why?” He stared hard at his officers and then repeated, “Why? Why did Hopps go to a fox she picked up off the street with such critical information instead of turning to her family in Blue?”

This time, most of the looks he saw were ones of guilt. “I’ll tell you why. Because we failed her. We did not bring her into the ZPD family. We did not show her a helping hand. And we did not give her any encouragement. We merely tolerated her presence. I admit that I treated her no better when she first arrived. We belittled her. We laughed behind her back. We scoffed at her attempt to do her job. And I tried to fire her when she actually did her job. And when I was forced to give her a case, I set her up for failure.” Bogo took a deep, tense breath. He hated admitting he was wrong, but the changes he wanted to make had to start with him.

“So Hopps did not come to us for the help she needed. Instead, she went to the one mammal in all Zootopia she knew she could trust. The one mammal who had the resources she needed to track down her leads.” And here Bogo tapped his head to show where Wilde’s resources were. “And the one mammal she knew had her back.” Straightening up, Bogo looked out over his officers and met their eyes one by one. Taking a deep breath, he regripped the podium and stated, “Hopps sought Wilde out when she returned to the city and asked for his help, and you better be eternally grateful that he accepted.”

With a hard glare, he stated, “Because if he hadn’t”—Bogo raised a hoof—“Hopps would not have lived to get a sample of the serum so an antidote could be made.” He jabbed his hoof on the podium. “Hopps would not have met Bellwether and figured out she was behind the attacks.” Again, Bogo jabbed the podium. “And Hopps would not have survived nor had the means to get a confession out of the psychotic sheep.” He jabbed the podium one last time.

“When next you see that fox, you show some respect because if he didn’t follow Hopps, if he wasn’t the trustworthy, loyal, courageous mammal she knew he was, then by this time next year every predator in Zootopia would be wearing one of these.” Bogo reached down to pick up several devices from a tub on the table next to him, and then held them up so everyone could see them. Four collars sized for a bear, a lion, a tiger, and a wolf were clearly seen. “Every predator in this room would have one of these nasty devices strapped to their necks. And every time you got angry, or felt fear, or pain, or excitement of any kind, this device would send a shock through your system that would have you writhing on the ground.”

Shaking them in the air, Bogo explained further, “That’s right. These are shock collars. Bellwether labeled them tame collars and had one made for every predator in Zootopia”—he held up a thick stack of papers that had rows of names on them—“which means that not only would you be collared, but your mates would be collared, your kits from 5 years old and up would be collared—every predator would be collared.” There were growls heard now from the predators in the room as they imagined their wives and kits collared and shocked into emotional apathy.

Returning the papers to the podium, though he kept the shock collars up in the air, Bogo stated again, “So be grateful Wilde did not live up to his stereotype as a sly, conniving, backstabbing fox, because I assure you, he had plenty of opportunities to run away. But he didn’t. He proved that he was more than a filthy fox just as Hopps proved she was more than a timid bunny. And because they trusted one another, believed in each other, and worked together, you will not be wearing shock collars”—he looked at the predators in the room—“your mates and kits will not be wearing shock collars, and our fair city of Zootopia will not be turned into a hate-filled Dystopia under terrorist rule.”

Bogo let these thoughts sink in for several minutes, then dropped the hated collars back into the tub. “Now I just have one more thing for you to hear. This is Bellwether’s confession and I think you’ll find it interesting to hear how Hopps was able to pull it off.” After hitting play for the audio file on the USB drive, he watched his officers listen to Judy’s confrontation with Bellwether, the mayor’s plans to dart every predator in Zootopia to keep her reign of terror going, and then how she darted Wilde in order to kill Hopps.

As the audio file finished and silence returned to the room, Bogo once again looked over his officers as they shifted uneasily in their seats. Being told how evil Bellwether was, was one thing. Hearing it straight from her mouth—something else altogether. And then listening to how Wilde acted savage to get a full confession, and that Hopps went along with it—it left them all in deep thought.

Jabbing the podium with his hoof again, Bogo said, “I think the audio file speaks for itself. Bellwether is a murdering terrorist of the worst kind. Hopps is cop material if ever I saw one. She kept her cool and thought out a plan to bring a criminal mastermind to justice. Wilde proved his loyalty and integrity, as well as an ability to think quickly on his feet, even in the face of possible death, just as Hopps did.” Gripping the podium, he leaned over it slightly and added, “And I don’t think he’d make such a bad cop himself.”

This last statement brought a shocked gasp from the room, then several officers made their disbelief heard. “You can’t be serious!” followed by, “A fox cop! No way!” And finally, “Unbelievable! You actually want a filthy pelt in the department.”

Bogo’s eyes narrowed at the rhino who made this last comment. “That fox just saved the city, or did nothing I just say sink into that thick skull of yours?” The rhino’s ears flattened at the reprimand, and Bogo continued, saying, “Wilde has proven that he has everything the ZPD stands for: Trust, Integrity, and Bravery. And saying he can’t be a cop simply because he’s a fox is the same as saying Hopps can’t be a real cop simply because she’s a rabbit. It’s all about whether or not they can overcome their stereotypes. And whether or not we can see past their stereotypes.”

Straightening back up and putting on a smile that did nothing to reassure his officers, Bogo stated, “And on that note, I will be implementing changes in the department over the next few weeks. I won’t go into them right now but be looking forward to them.” Picking up the files for the cases they were currently working on, he said, “Now, the assignments for today.”

After dolling out all the cases and assignments, Bogo gave a heavy sigh and picked up the tub of shock collars and list of predators that lived in Zootopia and the surrounding towns. Making his way wearily back to his office he sat down and rubbed his hooves over his face. The day was just starting and already he had a headache.

Chapter Text

Nick felt extremely comfortable while lying in his happy place—a place he hadn’t been to in decades. Not since before his dad died. Taking in a deep, relaxing breath, he suddenly found himself with a snout full of his honeybun’s delectable scent. Taking another deep breath and snuggling tighter into the warmth he was wrapped around, Nick’s brain finally registered the fact that he was currently sleeping with Judy. This brought a puzzled expression to his face as he distinctly remembered putting her in her own bed last night before climbing into his own, where he tossed and turned half the night while trying to convince his brain to shut up so he could sleep.

As he remembered why he couldn’t sleep, a smug grin found his way onto his face as he turned his nose down until it brushed lightly against the top of Judy’s head. His girlfriend and almost-fiancé. He couldn’t believe he’d be marrying the cute ball of fluff just as soon as he could get a ring on her finger. But it couldn’t be some random ring off the shelf, nothing so plain and generic for his honeybun. It had to be something special to remind her of him, but not obvious to other mammals.

Taking another deep breath of her wonderful, rabbity scent, Nick ran his claws over her back, which elicited a happy hum from his girlfriend as she snuggled deeper into his embrace. With his smile widening, he opened his eyes and looked down at her. She was so cute, curled up in his arms with her face pressed into the cream-colored fur of his chest. He could definitely get used to waking up like this.

Glancing briefly at the clock, his gaze returned to Judy’s adorable sleeping face, and then his eyes widened and snapped back to the clock. 8:05. “Car-rots,” he hissed, “we’re late! We are so late!”

“Hmm?” Judy murmured without moving.

Pulling his arms out from around her, Nick threw the blanket back and sat up, then rolled out of bed. Judy hardly had time to register the change in position and the cool morning air hitting her before Nick scooped her up with a loud ‘eep.’ Carrying her to the bathroom, he set her down on the toilet seat, saying, “I’ll be right back with a plastic bag to wrap your leg, then you need to take a speedy shower so I can jump in.”

“Nick, slow down. We showered yesterday morning and it’s not like we did a whole lot yesterday to get dirty. I don’t think it’ll be a big problem.”

Nick’s eyes widened. “Not a big problem! Carrots, we were making-out like two hormone-crazed teenagers last night! We just spent the last hour sleeping together! I reek of you and you reek of me. If we go to the ZPD smelling the way we do, every predator in the building will know we were up to something. And all those bears and wolves in the Precinct? Yeah, they’ll be convinced we spent the whole night in my bed doing a whole lot more than just sleeping.”

Judy’s ears turned beet red as she thought about how their scents would be read by other mammals. In the last 10,000 years, as mammals evolved into rational, thinking beings and had begun to work and live together in large communities, many mammals had lost their strong sense of smell, mostly prey species, but quite a few predators, too. But canines, felines, and bears (the predominant predators at the ZPD) were an exception to that rule. All three classes retained a very strong sense of smell—which meant a shower was in order to keep their newly acquired relationship a secret. “Right, a shower.”

Nick disappeared into her room to grab the extra bags and duct tape he left in there yesterday morning, then reappeared to wrap her bandaged leg. Quickly pulling off her pants, he pulled the bag around her leg as he said, “My scent is a lot stronger, so you’ll need to wash twice in order to get it out of your fur after crawling in bed with me this morning.” There was a smug grin that accompanied this last remark.

Judy huffed and folded her arms. “I did not crawl in bed with you. I came in to wake you up and you dragged me into bed.”

Nick’s smug grin widened. “Yes, but I didn’t hear you complaining.”

Judy just huffed again, unable to refute the claim while Nick finished taping the plastic bag around her injured leg.

“There, all done,” Nick said as he stood up. “Jump in the shower and then I’ll bring you your clothes and lay them on the counter.”

“Okay,” Judy murmured, her ears flushing a dark pink again as she thought about Nick coming into the bathroom while she was as naked as a jaybird. Instead of feeling uncomfortable at the idea, she felt her body flush with the stirrings of excitement and she suddenly wondered what it’d be like to shower with the handsome todd—her boyfriend. With her ears flushing lobster red at the sudden idea, she squashed the idea down as quickly as she could and then cursed her crazy sisters for planting the idea in her head all those years ago.

With the door shutting behind Nick, she reminded herself that she was going to be walking into the ZPD in just under 2 hours and meeting her boss, so now wasn’t the time to be thinking of Nick in the shower with her. Not that later would be a good time, either. Pulling the rest of her clothes off, Judy hobbled to the shower and turned the water on while trying not to think about her handsome boyfriend and how wonderful it felt last night to run her paws through the thick, soft fur of his chest and belly and feeling his paws. . . Not helping! she scolded herself.

Stepping under the water before it had time to fully heat up, the cool stream did little to dampen the heat growing in her belly. Still cursing her sisters, she grabbed her shampoo and lathered herself up. With Nick’s words still echoing in her head about his stronger scent, she took extra time to really work the soap into the fur and down to the skin. A knock at the door sounded a minute later which had all her barely repressed thoughts come rushing back to the forefront of her mind.

“Judy, I’m coming in with your clothes. Is that fine?”

Taking in a deep breath to calm her suddenly pounding heart, she replied, “Um, yeah, it’s fine.” As the door opened, she listened to Nick enter the bathroom and a part of her wished he’d jump in with her, while the other part of her brain said it was way too early for that.

“Your clothes are here on the counter. I’m setting this jar of leave-in conditioning cream on the counter, too. You’ll want to put some on after you get dried off. It’s made to neutralize scent. Although your scent is fine, my scent is much harder to wash out so this will help finish neutralizing my scent after our escapade last night and this morning, and it’ll prevent my scent from sticking to your fur when I’m carrying you around.”

“Okay,” Judy answered as she continued working the shampoo into her fur and really scrubbing it. If they truly wished to keep their relationship a secret, then nothing of their time last night or this morning could remain in her fur.

“I’ll see you when you’re done.”

“Uh-huh.” She heard the door close and then she slumped down on the stool she sat upon. Her heart was pounding the whole time Nick was in here. With a heavy sigh, she started on her long legs. Although she’d been wearing pants, she wanted to leave nothing up to chance. Lastly, she moved on the scouring her tail, neck, face, and ears where Nick had focused a lot of his attention last night. Once she was sure she’d gotten everything, she rinsed all the soap off before starting on the second lather, all the time hoping Nick wasn’t going to wait until just before her birthday to put that ring on her finger.

******

Nick hurried into his room and threw open his closet. Going through his nicer outfits, he tried to decide which would be best to wear with Judy to the ZPD. Nothing loud. If he was going to sell himself as a potential recruit and worthy officer, then he needed to look the part. He didn’t have anything in ZPD blue, but his black slacks would do for his pants, but which dress shirt would sell him as a potential recruit? While rifling through his shirts, he came across a darker medium-blue button up shirt. It wasn’t ZPD blue, but it would have to do. Pulling it and the slacks out, he laid them on his bed, then grabbed a black tie to go with them, then pulled a clean pair of briefs from his dresser.

Dropping them on top of his clothes, he hurried from his room. A delectable smell (not Judy’s) had been teasing his nose ever since he first carried Judy from his room. With Judy taken care of and his clothes picked out, he now had time to investigate it. Hurrying into the kitchen, he saw a stack of blueberry pancakes sitting next to the stove, along with two clean plates. Finnick sat on one of the high stools at the breakfast bar with an empty plate in front of him and his nose glued to his phone.

“Hey, Finn. Thanks for making breakfast. You’re a godsend.”

“Yeah, Red, no problem. Least I could do after you and Cottontail treated me to dinner last night.” Finn hardly glanced up as he was watching the news, but as Nick grabbed a plate of pancakes and sat down next to him, his eyes popped and he looked up to stare at his friend. “Whoo, Nick, you reek of rabbit. Don’t tell me you slept with her last night.”

Nick shook his head as he stuffed a huge bite of pancakes in his mouth. “Nop, jus bou n our is morin,” he said around a mouthful of food.

“Huh?” Raising an eyebrow, Finn looked his friend over. The mingled smells on his friend weren’t the normal ‘fox’ and ‘bunny’ smells, but had the added flavor of excitement mingled in.

Nick grabbed one of the glasses Finn had pulled out for him and Judy and hurriedly filled it with almond milk, then guzzled it. Clearing his throat, he quickly explained, “Judy tried to wake me up about an hour ago, but I pulled her into bed with me instead. We both fell back asleep.” Shoving another large forkful into his mouth, he focused on eating.

Finn gave Nick another quick look-over, then asked, “Are you sure that’s all you did? Because your combined scents say otherwise.”

Inhaling his mouthful and then coughing as it tried going down his windpipe, Nick started pounding on his chest as he leaned over the chair. After several moments, he was able to clear his windpipe and take a breath. Rubbing his chest as he took several deep breaths, he didn’t immediately meet Finn’s gaze as he silently cursed. Of course, Finn would pick up on their scents. He was a fox, after all, and having spent so much time together, Finn could read his scent better than anyone.

After one more deep breath, Nick turned to his much smaller friend. Reaching up to scratch at his ear, he then tugged on it while stating, “We might have been feeling each other’s tails last night.”

Finn’s jaw dropped, and then he slugged Nick’s arm, saying, “Are you nuts! Red foxes don’t move that fast! Least of all you!”

Nick glared at him while rubbing his arm. Luckily, it wasn’t the same arm Judy had been punching him yesterday.

“Oh, come on, Nick! You’ve barely been back together 36 hours.”

Nick merely shrugged. “What can I say? Carrots excites me in all the right ways.”

Finn gaped at him a moment longer, than shook his head and ran his paws over his face. Looking at the time, he exclaimed, “No way! Is it really after 8!? I meant to call you when I was done with the pancakes.” Nick just shrugged his shoulders as he began stuffing his mouth again, and Finnick explained, “Sorry, I got caught up in the news. They finally came out with a statement about Bellwether’s arrest.”

Nick nodded his head, then stuck his paw out for the phone so he could see what they were saying. Finnick handed it over, and then asked, “I was wondering if you were going to have Cottontail hobble into the ZPD on her crutches, or if you were going to wheel her in in your wheelchair.”

Nick froze, then glanced over. “Eelch’r?”

“Yeah. Did you forget that Honey bought you one while you were recovering from that beatin’ she saved you from?”

Nick had to think a minute, but after swallowing his mouthful, he said, “Oh, yeah, she did, didn’t she? I used it like twice . . . I think. I really hated it, so I mostly stayed in my bed until I was strong enough to use crutches.” Picking up his glass and taking a sip while trying to think where the wheelchair was, he finally shook his head. “Taking her in the wheelchair would be best, but I honestly have no clue where Honey put it.”

Finn shook his head while grinning. “I saw where she hid it,” he said while smacking his friend’s back. “That’s how I know she bought you one.” Climbing down from his stool, he added, “You eat while I dig it out.”

“Thanks, Finn,” he said as he shoveled the last of his pancakes in his mouth. Judy should be about done by now, so he needed to get her plate ready. Standing up, he walked around the counter and piled several more pancakes onto his plate, then smothered them in syrup. Considering their make-out session last night, he didn’t think Judy would be bothered by sharing his plate. With a smug grin while remembering their time last night, he set the plate down in his spot and refilled his glass with almond milk, then hurried back upstairs.

He reached the top of the stairs just as Judy opened the door to yell for him. “Oh,” she said in surprise at seeing Nick reach the top of the stairs. She blinked and her nose twitched as Nick stepped up to the door and looked her over, his eyes lingering on her shapely, bare legs. With a slight blush, she said, “I can’t get my pants on.”

“Yes, I see that,” Nick murmured. Tearing his eyes away from her legs, a smug grin spread across his face as he followed Judy back inside the bathroom.

Downstairs, Finnick had just pried the wheelchair from the very back of the hall closet when he heard Nick run up the stairs. Maneuvering the folded-up wheelchair out into the hall, he heard the bathroom door open and a muffled response that had his large ears twitching, especially when he heard Nick’s clear reply. “No way,” Finn muttered under his breath. Leaning the chair up against the wall, he ran down the hall and rounded the stairwell just in time to see Nick’s bushy tail disappear behind the bathroom door.

Moving back around the wall, Finnick leaned against it and ran his paws down his face. “Oh, Red, are you in trouble. You’re a red fox, not an impulsive bunny. You’re supposed to take relationships slow, to ease into them, not . . . jump in blind!”

Dropping his paws, Finn stared at the ceiling. Nick always planned things out, sometimes taking months to plan the perfect hustle or following a mark to get as much information as he could before going in for the kill (figuratively speaking—Nick wasn’t a killer). But since bunny cop hopped into his life, his carefully laid plans were tossed out the window. To Finnick, it looked like Nick was just winging it. That he was just following along with whatever Cottontail wanted without any thought or regard to the consequences or the future. And that was a recipe for disaster for any red todd worth his salt.

With a shake of his head, he shuffled back to the wheelchair, then wheeled it into the kitchen so he could wipe the dust off with a soapy rag. Nick came down a few minutes later carrying bunny cop, and after sitting her down at the breakfast bar, he disappeared back upstairs to take his own shower.

Finnick finished cleaning off the wheelchair, then moved it into the living room. Returning to the kitchen, he walked around the breakfast bar and climbed up next to bunny cop. For a moment, he watched her shovel food into her mouth, and then he said, “You don’t have to rush. Red will take a while in the shower. He has a thicker coat than yours and trying to dry his bushy tail and comb it into submission always takes extra time.”

Judy slowed down her chewing as she realized why Nick was so worried about time this morning. With a nod, she murmured, “Thanks.”

Finn just nodded back, then sat in silence for a few minutes. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence, as both were lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Finn asked, “Are serious about Nick?” He turned to look at Cottontail while he waited for her answer.

Judy looked up, surprised, then stated firmly, “I’m completely serious about Nick.”

Finnick shook his head, saying, “I know you like him and want to be with him, but how deep do your feelings run?”

Judy met Finn’s firm gaze with a determined one of her own. “Nick’s the only one for me. I’ll never want anyone but him.”

“That’s good to know, but . . .” Finnick paused as he tried to find the right words. “Life’s not going to treat either of you very well if you pursue this relationship. There will be a lot of mammals wanting to break you up, to drive a wedge between the two of you. So I want to know how committed you are to Nick. How important is he to you?”

“He’s the most important thing in my life.”

Finnick nodded, then asked, “More important than your job?”

“Huh? Nick’s going through the academy so he can be my partner.”

“That’s what you both want, and I hope they let you, but is it even possible for you to be partners when you’re in a relationship? Don’t they have rules against that?”

Judy’s ears dropped as she realized Finn was right. Would they let her and Nick be partners if they were dating, or more to the point, married? There were fraternization rules, but she wasn’t sure how strictly they were enforced. Would Bogo make an exception for them? Could he? Bringing a paw up, Judy began nibbling on her blunt thumb claw while worrying about how their relationship might mess up their ability to be partners. She really couldn’t see herself partnering with anyone else, not in the long term, anyway.

Finnick watched Judy stew for a minute, then came back to his original question. “That’s not really what I meant to ask, though it is something you two need to think about.” Judy looked up and Finnick continued, “I was asking if, hypothetically speaking, you had to choose between your career and Nick—which would you choose?”

“Nick, of course. I told you, nothing is more important to me.” It wasn’t even a question. If not for Nick, she wouldn’t even have her job, and would most likely be dead. And in the short time she’d known him, he’d become everything to her.

Finnick nodded, feeling a little surprised that she didn’t even need to think about choosing Nick over her career. Thinking of the other important thing in her life, he asked, “Even more important than your family? I know family is important to bunnies, so if it came to it, could or would you choose Nick over your family?”

This question did take a little bit of thought, but not much. Her family was extremely important to her, but so was Nick, and he was her family now, too. And with him, she hoped to start her own family . . . at some point in the future. This idea gave her something else to think about, but later. Meeting Finnick’s firm gaze, she answered, “Although I’d hate to have to choose—and I’m really glad my parents are willing to give us a chance—but if I had to choose, then yes, I would choose Nick. He’s my family now, too, and I won’t abandon him.”

Finnick nodded and breathed out a sigh of relief. “That’s good to know because that todd up there,” and he pointed at the ceiling, in the general direction of the bathroom, “will literally go through hell for you. He won’t even think twice. He’ll bleed to keep you. He’ll bleed to protect you. And as long as he can continue holding you in his arms, he’ll never regret any pain he has to go through. You are his world now.”

Judy’s ears drooped as she considered the pain Nick might have to go through for her—to be with her. The conversation they had at the piano last night came back to her, about the possible hazing he might experience at the Academy. And then for him to go through all that and then find out they couldn’t even be partners because they were married—that would be too cruel. Maybe she should push for Nick to be a P.I. after all. That would be better than him suffering for her.

Finnick watched Judy’s troubled expression for a minute, and then said, “And don’t think you’ll be doing him any favors by walking out in order to save him from the pain.”

Judy immediately perked up and turned to stare at the small fox. “That’s not what I was thinking!”

“Good, because no amount of pain the world throws at him will come even close to the torture you’ll put him through if you leave him. You might as well put a gun to his head and blow his brains out or take a knife and carve his heart out, because that won’t hurt half as much as you walking out on him.”

Judy’s ears drooped again. “I’m not going to leave him, Finnick. Nick is everything to me now and I won’t be able to survive if I couldn’t be with him anymore. The last three months taught me that. I was utterly miserable without him. You asked why I wasn’t eating before. It’s simple, I couldn’t. Knowing how much I hurt Nick, and missing him so badly it physically hurt, I’d lost all desire for food. If my family wasn’t around to watch me eat, then I didn’t. After going through that, cutting Nick out of my life is no longer an option for me. I have him back and I’m going to do everything in my power to keep him.”

Finnick’s eyes widened as he listened to Cottontail’s little speech, then muttered, “Well, that’s good to know, I guess.”

Judy nodded, then went on, “If the world won’t let us be together, then I’m even willing to drag Nick off to his cabin in the middle of nowhere and live the rest of our lives as hermits. As long as I have Nick with me, then I could leave everything else behind. I’ll miss it, and I’d hate the fact that I had to choose, but I wouldn’t regret giving it all up for Nick.”

Finnick started to nod, then exclaimed, “How do you know about Nick’s cabin?” The red todd never told anyone about it. Honey had taken him and Nick out to the cabin numerous times when they were younger, but other than him, Nick had only ever told his mom and sister about it—not another soul.

Judy cocked her head slightly and said, “It’s where he’s taking me for our wedding retreat.” Judy’s expression brightened (and completely missed Finnick’s shocked gaze) as she said, “Oh, I can’t wait to see Nick’s gyrocopter. He’s going to give me a tour of Zootopia by air for one of our dates.”

Finnick took in a deep breath, then practically shouted, “You’re engaged!”

Chapter Text

Finnick’s near-shout at the grey bunny eating next to him seemed to echo through the room.

Judy’s ears drooped and she pressed her fingers together as she fidgeted. “Not . . . technically.”

“What do you mean, ‘not technically’!? Is it the same as you two not ‘technically’ dating!?” Finnick was speaking a bit louder than he intended to, but he was completely blindsided by the idea that they were already engaged. Foxes just didn’t move that fast—least of all red foxes. And then to think that it was Nick who was moving so fast.

“Well . . .” Judy began. “We were planning on going slow, but . . .” She paused to try and figure out how best to explain her thoughts and feelings. “Finn, Nick sang me my favorite love song last night and it . . . squeezed . . . my heart in ways that I never thought imaginable. And then one thing led to another and . . . Nick asked me to be his girlfriend and then . . . he said something really sweet that sounded an awful lot like a proposal.” Taking a deep breath while still fidgeting with her fingers, Judy whispered, “After hearing it, I might have—implied—that he needed to marry me before my next birthday . . . in . . . September.”

Finnick ran his small paws over his face. “You gave Nick a month and a half to marry you? And he agreed?”

Judy nodded. “He was surprised at first, but I explained how we’re not getting any younger and I don’t want to waste any of our precious time together.” Meeting Finn’s baffled gaze, she continued, “Finn, we nearly died several times, both while tracking down Mr. Otterton and then again just two days ago, while unraveling the savage mammals’ case.” With another deep breath, she added, “Life’s short, Finn, and I don’t want to miss any more of it with Nick.”

Finnick couldn’t argue with Cottontail’s logic, but it was still crazy how fast their relationship was moving. And the fact that Nick was fine with it (he couldn’t forget Nick nonchalantly stating that he’d slept with Cottontail for at least an hour this morning), Finnick could only shake his head. “So he’s going to marry you just before your birthday? What did you tell him? A day before? Two? A week before?”

Judy shook her head. “I didn’t give him an exact timeframe, just that it had to be before my next birthday. He said he’d wait to get me a ring and then give me a proper proposal.” With a huge grin she added, “And then we’ll be off to his mountain cabin for 3 days before registering as mates once we return.”

Finnick stared for several moments, then let his head drop down on the hard, granite countertop. Rolling his head back and forth on the cold, hard surface, he muttered, “You gave Nick until he can get a ring for you, and then you two are getting married?” He turned his head to rest his cheek on the smooth slab of dark stone, watching her expectantly.

Judy cocked her head, then asked, “Isn’t that how fox marriages work? You get married the day of your engagement?”

Finnick sighed heavily. “Yes.” Sitting back up, he continued, “But that’s because the couple have known each other for nearly a year, sometimes more, not a few days.”

“But our feelings started developing back when we were tracking down Otterton and have just been . . . stewing . . . for the last 3 months, and now that we’re back together and our past wrongs forgiven—taking it slow seems pointless and impossible to do.”

Finnick had to concede this point. It was obvious the two were highly attracted to each other, and their bodies moved to be together without waiting for their brains to figure it out. With another heavy sigh, he muttered, “I just hope it lasts.” Just then they heard the bathroom door open and they both glanced upwards. Climbing down from his stool, Finn said, “You finish eating, I need to talk to Nick for a second.”

Judy nodded then began stuffing her face in earnest as her talk with Finnick had taken up most of her time and she still had a half a plate left.

Finnick paused at the kitchen doorway and glanced back, saying, “A word of advice: If you don’t want Nick getting hurt from some specist jerk or your little sanctuary disrupted by a mob of reporters, then I suggest you help him find his mask and put it back on while you’re out in public, otherwise the media will know something’s up before a week is over.” And then he disappeared around the corner and up the stairs.

Judy stared after him for a moment, listening to his hind-paws pounding softly up the stairs. Swallowing the bite in her mouth, she considered Finn’s words and knew he was right. Last night, at the diner, they were way too flirty if they wanted to keep their relationship low-key until he finished the Academy. With a deep sigh, she returned to her meal as she thought of things she needed to do to help Nick keep his mask up—at least in public.

As Finnick reached the top of the stairs, he turned right and tapped on Nick’s doorframe (Nick had left the door open in his hurry), saying, “Can I come in, Red?”

Nick glanced over from pulling his pants up and nodded to the small fox. “What’s up?” he asked as he picked up his sky-blue shirt.

Finnick walked in and leaned against the wall as he glanced around the room. It definitely smelled of rabbit in here, though not as much as it would if she stayed all night. With a deep breath, Finn wondered how long it would take before the rabbit was sleeping in here. As pawsy as they were, and with them already dating, he didn’t see it taking long for them to decide they slept better when they were snuggled together.

Glancing back up to see Nick stuff his silk shirt into his black slacks, he commented, “You’re really going for broke, aren’t you?” It’d been so long since he’d seen Nick in anything but his loud Pawaiian shirts that he almost forgot Nick had other clothes—especially ones that had the ladies staring. He’d probably need to have his camera ready to snap a picture of bunny cop when she saw Nick, as Loverboy would want a photo to add to his death-wish collection.

Nick looked up as he grabbed his black, silk tie and draped it around his neck. “If I want to be accepted into the Academy, I have to look the part. That’s the first thing you learn in business school: image is everything. If you want to sell something it has to appeal to your buyers. And let’s face it, my usual outfits don’t exactly scream cop material.”

Finn chuckled, saying, “Ain’t that the truth.” Watching Nick push the knot of his tie up to his neck, Finnick asked, “When are you getting the ring for Cottontail?”

Nick froze, then slowly straightened out his tie. “She told you about that?”

Finnick shook his head. “She said that if the world wouldn’t let you two be together, she was willing to haul your fuzzy butt out to your cabin and live as hermits the rest your lives. As long as she had you, she’d be willing to give up everything else—her job, her family, her life in Zootopia—everything. For you.”

Nick froze as he internalized what Finn had just said. With a slight tilt of his head, he thought, Judy is willing to give up everything . . . for me? He knew Judy had no intention of leaving, not when she’d made it very clear he was to put a ring on her finger and marry her, but there had still been that niggling doubt in the back of his mind that something would come up or something would happen that would drive her from him. But now, if she told Finnick she’d give up everything to be with him, then he knew she meant it. Judy was true to her words. With his heart swelling with love for his incredible honeybun (and with his eyes threatening to mist over), a huge grin spread across his face and his expression brightened.

As a red fox todd, making any and all sacrifices for his mate wasn’t even a question. It was programmed into their DNA to protect and care for their mates and kits at all cost, and to ensure they were well and happy, so to find out Judy would make the same sacrifices that he would squeezed his heart with love, gratitude, and infinite appreciation—though the heaven’s willing, it wouldn’t come to them hiding out in his cabin in order to stay together.

With his tail wagging, he straightened out his shirt then stuffed his wallet and phone into his back pockets before taking one last look in the mirror hanging on his wall. He was one lucky fox.

Finn grinned at seeing his friend’s deliriously happy face. It had been so long since Nick had truly been happy, since either of them had been so happy, that he couldn’t fault his friend his good fortune. “It took a long time, but you finally found a winner—even if she is a rabbit.”

Nick glanced back over, still grinning happily with his tail still wagging, and said, “Yeah, she is, isn’t she?” With time running short on them, Nick didn’t waste any more time in his room, but as he reached the stairs he glanced back at his friend. “Will you lock up when you leave?”

“Ya, Red, I’ll make sure the place is locked up and the lights off.”

“Thanks, Big Guy. You’re the best.”

“Ya, ya, get going before you’re late. Who knows what traffic will be like?”

With another wide grin, Nick disappeared down the stairs, where he picked up his bunny and carried her out to the jeep. He’ll ride the express back to pick up the truck while she was visiting with her siblings. He might even consider bringing them back to the house to pick it up—if they were nice enough to him. Honey’s house had always been a sanctuary for him, and he didn’t want to ruin that feeling by bringing specist jerks into it—even if they were her family.

“Okay, I just need to grab the wheelchair and we’re ready to go.” Turning to leave, Judy stopped him with a paw on his arm. Cocking his head in question, he wondered what she needed.

“Before you grab it, there is one thing we forgot to do this morning.”

Nick’s ears flicked forward and his brows scrunched together. “What?”

With a smug grin, she grabbed his tie and pulled him down to her level. Once he was close enough, she pressed her lips to his.

Nick didn’t even think but acted on pure instincts as he slipped his paws around Judy’s waist and twisted her in the seat until she was facing him. Deepening the kiss as his tongue darted into her petite mouth, a low growl sounded in his throat as the memories of last night flooded his mind. Pushing his large, dark paws under her shirt, he ran his claws and finger pads through the short fur of her sides and back, with his thumb claws caressing her belly.

Judy moaned into his mouth, her small tongue dancing with his much larger one, while her small paws dug into the thick fur around his ears and pulled him closer. She, too, was thinking of last night, along with the fact they wouldn’t be able to do this again until they returned to the house in the late afternoon.

******

Finnick dropped the curtain back over the large window upstairs and rubbed his paws over his face. It’d didn’t look like they’d be able to hide their relationship very long and he didn’t want to think about the mudslinging the media would do once they got wind of a fox and bunny in a romantic relationship—especially when the bunny was so high profile.

With a shake of his head, he left the piano room and made his way downstairs, where he sat on the bottom step. Digging into his pocket, he brought out of a small box he’d bought last night. It was something he figured they’d need when out in public and he was right. Twirling it around between his fingers, he listened to the small items within rattling together while he waited for Nick to come in for the wheelchair.

******

As Nick finally pulled back for air, he looked into Judy’s dazed face and grinned with a dopey, happy look of his own. “I could get used to these morning kisses.”

Judy grinned happily as her mind cleared and she remembered what Finnick had said. “I’m glad because we won’t be able to do this again until we get back. Not if we want to keep the media in the dark.”

Nick’s ears flicked back and he slipped his paws from around Judy’s waist. “Yeah, you’re right.” Rubbing his face with his paws, he tried to wipe Judy’s scent off his fur. “And we’re going to the Precinct, which means there will be a lot of predators with trained sniffers.” Dropping his paws, he met her resigned gaze and held his paws out to show her his paw pads. “Foxes have small glands on our paw pads that leave a little of our scent on everything we touch.” His gaze dropped down to her waist where he’d run his pads repeatedly through her fur. Judy’s gaze followed and she stared worriedly at her stomach.

“You used the musk-masking cream, didn’t you?” Judy looked up with a nod, and Nick added, “Then we should be fine. At least in the morning. I’ll have to be extra careful about touching you in the afternoon when the cream’s effectiveness starts wearing off.”

Judy nodded again, then breathed a sigh of relief. Looking back up, she said, “You better hurry and get the wheelchair before we’re late.”

Nick’s ears perked up, then he said, “Oh, yeah. Be right back.” Turning around, he scurried into the house where he met Finnick waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs. “Hey, Big Guy,” he said while walking past Finnick into the living room.

“Here, Nick,” Finn said as he held out the box.

Looking over, Nick took the box of red hots and studied them a minute, then raised an eyebrow at his friend.

“Figured if you were sharing a box of candy, no one will question why your breath smells the same.” With a toothy grin at Nick’s sudden realization of what he meant, Finn added, “You don’t want the wolves down at the Fuzz getting wind of the fact you and bunny cop were sucking face, now do you?”

Nick’s ears disappeared behind his head as he stuck the box in his pocket. “No, no we do not.” With a weary sigh (dating someone shouldn’t be this hard), he grabbed the wheelchair (which Finnick had conveniently added several pillows to) and swung it around toward the door. “Can you grab a bottle of water and bring it out?” he called over his shoulder. “I’m not sure how Carrots handle’s hot stuff.”

Finnick’s only reply was a grunt as he stood up and walked into the kitchen, where he grabbed two water bottles from the bottom of the fridge (Nick had been sure to stock up on them at the store last night). Following Nick outside, he waited for him to put the wheelchair in the back, then handed him the water. After Nick took the bottles, Finn climbed back up the stairs and sat on the top step as he watched Loverboy climb in and hand Cottontail the candy. He had to grin when he saw her ears flame up at the reason for them.

After watching the jeep disappear down the road, he stood up and walked back inside. He still had breakfast to clean up and then he needed to put his van back together. With a heavy sigh and shake of his head, he wondered how long Red and bunny cop could enjoy their relationship before the world butted in and made things difficult.

Chapter Text

As Nick maneuvered through traffic, he and Judy discussed their plans for the day. She finally remembered to check her phone for messages and was pleasantly surprised to see a couple of her favorite sisters coming with her box at noon. After assuring Nick they wouldn’t treat him bad for being a fox, he asked if she wanted to show them the house. Judy readily agreed and couldn’t wait to show her sisters around the place—with Nick’s help getting around, of course.

Reading through the rest of her texts, she saw the one from Fru-Fru about their meeting place and turned to Nick, “Oh, right, I forgot to tell you last night, but I’m having lunch with Fru-Fru at 11:00, so I hope our meeting with Bogo doesn’t drag on.”

Nick’s ears splayed out to the side as he glanced sideways at her. “You’re having lunch with Fru-Fru?”

Judy’s ears drooped as she saw Nick’s unsettled expression. “Is there a problem with us meeting Fru-Fru?”

Nick grunted and turned his emerald eyes back to the road. “It’s not Fru-Fru I’m worried about,” he muttered as he tugged on an ear. “It’s the bear she’ll be with.”

Judy’s eyes turned down and she fiddled with her paws a minute then looked up to ask, “You still think Mr. Big wants you dead? He treated you well enough when we took Weaselton to him.”

Nick snorted. “Carrots, the only reason I walked away from my last two encounters with the tiny shrew and his polar bear henchmammals was because you were with me.” Sitting at a stop light, he glanced out his driver’s side window just as a Tasmanian devil pulled up next to him on a shiny, bright-red bullet bike with black trim. Absently staring at the blazing fireball stitched into the back of the devil’s black leather jacket, he whispered, “Big isn’t a very forgiving mammal, nor are his bears.”

Judy glanced down at her paws again as the light changed and the vehicle started moving again. Fiddling with her paws, she asked quietly, “Can I ask . . . why you sold him that rug?” After spending so much time with Nick and hearing a lot about his life—he graduated high school and law school at such a young age!—Judy really couldn’t see her sly fox making such an asinine move. He was her dumb fox, but he wasn’t that dumb.

Nick scoffed, then glanced over briefly. “Carrots, do you honestly think I’m stupid enough to knowingly sell Big a rug made from the fur of a skunk’s butt? Especially one for grandmamma?” Focusing on the traffic again, he muttered, “I liked that old shrew. She was one of the sweetest old ladies I ever met.”

Judy thought about what he said for a minute, then her eyes widened. Staring at Nick, she exclaimed, “Someone switched the rug on you!”

Nick snorted as the hated memories surfaced. “A lot more was involved besides simply switching the rug. If that’s all it was, I would’ve picked up on the fact the rug wasn’t what I ordered.”

Judy watched him scowl at the traffic ahead (a white minivan up ahead was swerving slightly two lanes over) as his paws gripped the steering wheel tightly, with his claws digging into its plastic covering. Chewing on her lip, she wondered if she should press him for details. She finally decided that asking wouldn’t hurt, and if he didn’t want to answer, she wouldn’t press him. Taking a deep breath, she softly asked, “So what . . . happened?”

A bitter chuckle escaped Nick’s muzzle as his ears flattened against his head, then he muttered darkly, “A scorned vixen is what happened.”

Judy’s eyes grew big as saucers as she remembered her conversation yesterday afternoon with the little arctic shrew. “Oh, Fru-Fru said there was a bad rivalry between two of the vixens you worked with and they had to be fired because they kept disrupting your work.”

Nick scoffed again, thinking of their disruptions. “That’s putting it mildly.” At Judy’s questioning gaze, he explained, “Crystal was an arctic vixen with these stunning, pale-blue eyes that could just suck you in. All she had to do is bat her eyes and wag her bushy tail and males of all species would fall over themselves trying to please her. It didn’t matter what she asked of them, they’d do it without question—lie, cheat, steal—anything. And Nakita, well, she was a silver fox with this stunning black and silver coat and a mesmerizing body that males literally killed for. No one ignored her advances and no one refused her requests.”

“No one but you,” Judy whispered with a confident smile. She had stolen Nick’s first kiss, after all. And even though last night felt like a dream, while (shamelessly) looking at the handsome todd beside her—her boyfriend—Judy couldn’t forget how wonderful it felt to kiss him senseless while running her paws through his thick, fluffy chest fur—and feeling his paws on her in return (even if he was careful on where he placed his criminally wonderful paws).

Nick glanced over and met her smile with a warm one of his own. With a nod, he turned back to the road. “Knowing what she did, there’s no way I’d fall for her venomous snake charms.” With a cock of his head while watching the green cargo van ahead of him, he added, “She reminded me of the tar pits over at the Zootopia Prehistoric Museum.” With a quick glance over, he said, “Remind me to take you there for one of our dates. The Natural History Museum has the dioramas and models, but the Prehistoric Museum has the actual bones and fossils of prehistoric mammals.” Turning his gaze back to the road, he continued, “Anyway, the museum was built around 5 tar pits they found where a lot of the bones and fossils were pulled from.”

“And Nikita reminds you of them?” Tar pits didn’t sound like a good comparison for a beautiful vixen, no matter how toxic her personality.

Nick nodded. “The tar pits are covered with a thick layer of water, hiding their toxic, sticky heart. Around the edges of the pit grow lush grass, bushes, and trees adding to the peaceful setting. Their picturesque view invites mammals to come in for a cool refreshing dip during a hot summer day. And once they’re in, they start thrashing about having found their paws being sucked in by the thick, suffocating black tar hiding beneath the surface.”

Shaking his head, he continued, “Nakita reminds me of the tar pit because she has this stunning beauty on the outside, but inwardly she’s a stinking, noxious tar pit waiting to suck mammals in, then laugh as they thrashed about in a futile attempt to escape her toxic clutches.”

With a glance over at his beautiful, sexy bunny, he added, “You have no idea how many marriages she’s ruined. She made it a game of slinking into the beds of males and then blackmailing them with videos of their infidelity. Most of her targets had something she wanted—money, connections, corporate information—stuff that would feed her criminal activities.” Nick shook his head in disgust as he continued, “But she found a sick pleasure in finding males that were faithful and devoted to their wives and then worming her way into their beds for no other reason than to ruin their marriage when she sent the videos to their wives.”

Judy shivered as she thought about this hateful vixen chasing Nick, what she must have done to try and get under his fur, and her sick advances he ran and hid from. Raising her fingers, she lightly ran them across her lips as she remembered their heated kisses. Nick never once ran from her (other than their first day when he did his disappearing act, and then after the press conference). He always ran to her and followed along with whatever thought was running through her head. And although she was the boss, as he said, once he knew what she wanted, he was more than happy to take charge—and she was more than happy to let him.

With a smile, she considered their relationship then glanced over to study Nick’s hot foxy features. He was her boyfriend. With an internal squeal of delight, she thought, Sweet cheese and crackers, I’m never going to get tired of hearing that word. She still couldn’t believe she was actually in a romantic relationship with someone, and for it to be such a handsome, strong, loving todd—she could feel a heat simmering in her belly just looking at him. With his fur combed back and his form-fitting shirt and black slacks he looked drop-dead gorgeous. If she ever took him home with her when he was wearing such an outfit, she’d have to beat her boy-crazy sisters off him with a stick—regardless of the fact that he was a fox. Just the rumor that she was interested in a fox would have put him on her sisters’ radar.

Pushing thoughts of her sisters from her mind, and while trying to get her hormones under control (she was on her way to the Precinct and every wolf officer they crossed would be able to smell her interest in Nick if she didn’t put a lid on them), her mind went back to the vixens who’d been harassing Nick. “So what did they do to you?” she asked with morbid curiosity.

Nick glanced at her and raised an eyebrow. “You’re my girlfriend. Are you sure you want to hear about the vixens from my past? I don’t want to burn those innocent little bunny ears of yours.”

“Hey!” She exclaimed while planting one paw on the console between them and leaning over to jab his bicep with the other. “After last night, you can hardly call me innocent. And as you said, I’m your girlfriend which means I have every right to know what those creeps did to you so I know how badly I can beat them up should we ever cross paths with them.”

Nick turned his head to stare at her for a moment, then the biggest grin spread across his face and he gave a rich chuckle. “You know, both Crystal and Nakita are excellent fighters, but if you ever went up against them, I’d place all my money on you.” Judy giggled happily beside him, and he added, “Though you won’t have to pick a fight with them. Once they find out you’re with me, they’ll pick a fight themselves.” With a wicked chuckle, he said, “Then after you beat the snot out of them, you can arrest them for assaulting an officer. I’d love to see that, but you’ll have to wait another five and half decades before fighting Nakita.”

“Huh? Why?” Judy’s nose twitched in confusion and she cocked her head while waiting for his answer.

“Because she’s rotting in prison and her earliest chance at parole won’t be for another 55 years—and that’s if she’s able to hide her venomous fangs for that long.” A twisted grin found its way onto Nick’s face as the memories washed over him.

“She’s in prison!? How? Why?” Judy couldn’t believe such a skilled and treacherous vixen, who’d evaded the ZPD’s eyes for so long, would easily be caught.

Nick’s grin widened. “Because I put her there.” At Judy’s wide amethyst gaze and open mouth, he explained, “After Big hauled me in and accused me of selling him that skunk-butt rug, I knew I’d be iced, so you can imagine my surprise when he released me with the promise of a quick icing should he ever see me again.” Glancing out the side window, he murmured, “The only thing that saved me was the fact I’d served Big faithfully all the years I’d worked for him.”

With a shake of his head, he glanced over briefly, then returned his gaze to the road. The green van had switched lanes and a silver sedan had taken its place. “Big made a big show of his bears hauling me in, and with the rumors going around of my transgression, no one expected me to walk out of Big’s mansion alive, least of all the culprits. So when I scrambled away from his mansion in the dead of night—it was freezing, by the way, with a howling snow storm dumping tons of snow on me—I went underground. No one saw me leave and I made sure to keep it that way. Finnick was the only one I contacted, and with his help I was able to track down the back-stabbing snakes.”

Scratching the thick fur of his neck in thought, Nick then tugged on his ear as he continued his sad tale. “The friend I entrusted the transaction with was our first lead. He was out of town, which should have been my first clue that something was up. I mean, who goes on vacation for 6 months!” Nick threw his free paw up in the air and glanced quickly at his honeybun, then back at traffic. “Anyway, Finn and I broke into his office and checked out his call log. Talk about hitting the jackpot.”

“You found Nakita’s number, didn’t you?” Judy whispered. To see how the vixen’s revenge played out, and to know that she might never have met Nick made her blood run cold. And to think, the vixen would choose cold, blooded murder simply because Nick refused her advances. It made her sick to her stomach.

Nick nodded darkly. “Multiple calls were made to her.” With a humorless snort, he explained, “He used his work phone to make the calls and didn’t even erase them when he was done.” Nick shook his head and chuckled darkly as he slowed to a stop at a red light and watched a family of possums cross the road behind a hippo lady pushing a very large baby carriage. “Stan is such an idiot.” Glancing over, he said, “He’s a beaver and a strait-laced guy if ever I met one, never indulged in any kind of criminal activity in his life.” With a smirk at Judy, he added, “Even paid all his taxes.”

Judy gave him a weak smile at his attempt at lightening the mood, but the tale was anything but light or funny. It squeezed her heart painfully and made her want to pull him into her lap and pet the pain and bad memories away. She would definitely be giving him an ear and throat rub when they returned home this afternoon.

Shaking his head again, Nick returned his gaze to the road as an older coyote couple finished crossing the street and the light turned green again. As the jeep began to accelerate, he gripped the steering wheel tightly and dug his claws into the underside. After gritting his teeth for several heartbeats, Nick then added in a low, strained whisper, “Which made his betrayal all that much worse.” With a bitter, bark of a laugh, he continued, “All I asked was that he get me a tiny, black and white cashmere rug—that’s it. Nothing difficult. And what do I get instead?” Nick shook his head again, then flattened his ears and ground his teeth together. “If my head hadn’t been in such a mess at the time, I would’ve clued into the fact he was taking way longer than was necessary to acquire such a tiny rug.”

Judy watched him glance out his driver’s side window for a couple of minutes as he struggled with the memory. As they came to another stop light (you hit one, you hit them all), she opened her mouth to ask why his head was a mess, but he turned back to her and spoke first.

“Do you know what he sold me out for? What my life was worth to him?” Nick’s ears were splayed back and the pain and betrayal shimmering in his brilliant emeralds couldn’t be hidden.

Judy closed her mouth and shook her head, all the while dreading the answer. Why did her fox have to have such tragedy in his life? It wasn’t fair.

“5 thousand dollars and half an hour in that stinking vixen’s arms,” he spat out. And then in a strained whimper, he whispered, “That’s all I was worth.”

Judy immediately reached across the seat and touched his arm. As his troubled emeralds darted over to meet her determined amethysts, she said, “Nick, I told you already—you are worth so much more than that. You’re worth the world to me.” Nick stared at her a moment, glanced at the road to check the traffic, then met her gaze again. “You’re a hero, Nick.” At her fox’s skepticism, she added, “You’re my hero.” Rubbing her paw up his arm, she explained, “I’m alive because of you. I have my job because of you.”

Nick glanced at the road again, then seeing they were coming up to another red light, he slowed to a stop behind a black mustang that was larger than the jeep, then turned his focus back to his amazing girlfriend.

Seeing as they were stopped, Judy reached up and brushed her fingers across his furry muzzle. With a tender smile, she said, “And because of you, I have the bestest best friend ever and I have the best boyfriend in the whole world. And,” her voice turned soft and sultry, “I’m waiting with bated breath for him to put a ring on my finger and cart me off to his cabin in the mountains, where I can explore every inch of his furry hide and then completely submerge myself in the smell, taste, and feel of him.”

Nick’s breath hitched at her words and he felt something getting excited down below his belly. Judy always knew what to say to make him feel like a million bucks. More than a million bucks. She squeezed his heart and made him wonder how he ever survived without her. Without even thinking, his muzzle shot forward to press against hers. The kiss was all too short, and yet conveyed so much. Pulling back slightly, he pressed his forehead to hers and whispered, “Thank you.”

Judy smiled back, but then a horn honking behind them broke up their special little moment. The light had turned green and the other drivers weren’t happy that the jeep remained stationary. As they both straightened up and sat properly in their seat, Judy watched Nick move his foot to the gas pedal and accelerate. As they continued down the road, Judy raised her fingers to her lips, then considered Nakita’s murderous revenge. The vicious vixen was willing to kill Nick because he refused to give her his kisses, and yet for Judy, he gladly gave them all to her without a second thought.

Looking over to her handsome todd boyfriend, she couldn’t believe how lucky she was to have met him. To have earned his trust and respect, for it was obvious to her that Nick rarely bestowed his trust or respect on others. He’d been hurt and burned too many times to trust easily. And yet he trusted her completely. It warmed her heart to no ends to think about it.

Nick drove in silence for several minutes, then shook the thoughts from his head. Judy had put quite a few risqué ideas in his head when mentioning their wedding retreat, and he found them hard to ignore now that they were there. Taking a deep breath (and inhaling a deep lungful of his honeybun’s mouthwatering scent) he tried to remember what they were originally discussing. “So, where were we in my tale of scorn and betrayal?”

Judy’s nose twitched as she thought of the betrayal, but she tried to make light of it as he did earlier. “You were sold out for a bag of peanuts. Moldy peanuts.”

Nick’s eyes widened, then he started laughing, a deep, hardy laugh. After his laughter died down, he said, “Yeah, that about sums it up, doesn’t it?” Taking another deep breath and thoroughly enjoying her delectable scent, he continued his tale of woe. “So after discovering Nakita’s bloody paws in the whole affair, I might have helped the cops . . .”—Nick paused and looked up through the top part of the windshield at the tall buildings surrounding them as he thought of the best word to use—“stumble upon Nakita’s criminal activities.” Glancing quickly at Judy before focusing on the cars ahead, he added, “And let me tell you, there was a lot to stumble upon.” With a wide grin, he said, “I believe she was responsible for quite a few cold case files which have now been closed.”

Judy’s eyes widened as she considered what he was saying. “You lead the cops to Nakita’s hideout!?” When hearing about Nick’s past, and the fact he was working for a mob boss (which she still needed to ask more about. Why would he even consider working for such a notorious criminal leader?), she never once considered his past connections might have a positive outcome. It made her wonder who else Nick might have helped put behind bars. And what other positive affects his past life might have brought about.

“Hideouts with an s. And yeah. What else was I supposed to do? I’m not killer, Fluff. That’s one thing I made sure Big understood about me when we were discussing my possible employment. I wasn’t a killer and I never wanted to be put in a position where I would need to kill.” With a shrug, he added, “That and drugs. I absolutely refused to deal with drugs in any way, shape, or form.” With a grin, he said, “That part was never an issue with Big. He absolutely loathed drugs since they took his beloved wife away from him.”

“Mr. Big’s wife OD’d on drugs!?” Judy exclaimed, unable to believe what she was hearing.

Nick shook his head. “Not her. Big’s wife was mugged for drug money and died before the paramedics could get to her. A lot of the information gathering Big had me do was on drug cartels trying to move into his territory.” With a quick glance over, he added, “It’s also why he and Fru-Fru never go anywhere without at least one polar bear bodyguard.”

Judy sat stunned. She’d worried about Nick’s past a bit once Fru-Fru told her he’d worked for the mob boss. She didn’t believe Nick was a killer, but she’d still worried about what was required of him while working for the mob. But this put her mind at ease. He wasn’t a killer and he wasn’t a drug runner, and anything else was just fluff in the wind.

In the silence, a wide grin spread across Nick’s face and he barked a laugh and said, “You can imagine Nakita’s dismay when I walked into the court room as the prosecuting attorney.” With a smug grin, he glanced over and said, “She was sure Big had iced me and no one had seen or heard from me after his bears hauled me into his mansion, so I looked like a ghost come back from the dead to haunt her.”

Judy’s mouth dropped open and her eyes grew big as saucers. “You prosecuted Nakita!” Not only had Nick lead the cops to her, but he had also stood in court as her prosecutor!?

Nick’s grin grew bigger, revealing all his sharp, pearly whites (which had Judy’s nose twitching while remembering how good they felt against her skin). “Of course. No one else could get her the maximum sentence. I told you, she always got what she wanted, and she does that because of her glib tongue and phenomenal acting skills.” At Judy’s confusion, he explained, “I knew Nakita would try to confuse the other prosecuting attorney with her wit, along with a tear-filled sob story she’d try and feed the jury, so I paid the attorney who should have prosecuted her 5,000 dollars to call in sick and put me through as his backup.”

“You paid out 5,000 dollars just so you could prosecute Nakita yourself?” Judy was floored and if there had been any flies in the jeep, she probably would have swallowed them. Who pays out that kind of money just to prosecute someone? Shouldn’t he have been paid that money instead? And if he’d made money in court (paid by the city) wouldn’t there have been a record of it on his tax forms?

“Oh, yeah,” Nick replied with the biggest, wickedest grin ever. “And it was worth every penny just to see the look on her face when I walked in that room.” With a dark chuckle, he added, “It was priceless.”

Judy shook her head after processing the information. She had so many questions, so she grabbed the first one and asked, “Wait. Where did you come up with that kind of money? 5,000 dollars is a lot of cash to have on hand.”

Nick glanced over and his ear flicked before he replied, “It wasn’t Big’s money, I assure you of that.” As her brows scrunched down in confusion, a wide, mischievous smile spread across his face. “That, my cute, inquiring bunny, will be answered at a later date.”

“What!? Why?” It was times like these that Judy found Nick really irritating . . . she hated not knowing. And she hated waiting even more.

“Because then it would ruin the surprise.” Nick couldn’t keep the grin off his face at seeing her face because she was wearing the cutest expression ever. All her expressions were cute, but this one, which showed her confusion mingled with impatience and irritation, was just too cute. Ahh! Where was his camera when he needed it?

“What surprise!?” Judy exclaimed. Nick could be so irritating sometimes. If it was any other male teasing her like this, he’d be in a world of hurt by now. So why did seeing that handsome, irritatingly smug grin of his make her want to kiss him instead?

“If I told you, then it wouldn’t be a surprise anymore, now would it?” His brilliant emeralds danced with mirth as he considered his cute, outraged girlfriend. As Judy opened her mouth to argue, Nick lifted his finger and said, “I will answer that question, but not today. Next question, please.”

Judy nibbled on her thumbnail. She wanted to ask more about his taxes, but didn’t want to get sidetracked from his tragic story. He still hadn’t explained why he was such a mess. And learning more about his time in court and how he was able to put away such a cesspool of evil truly had her curiosity piqued. Deciding to stick with the questions that pertained to his story, she asked, “And you were able to get her the maximum sentence? The jury didn’t reject your words because you were a fox?”

“You could see several questioned my presence, but I really didn’t have to say much. Once I presented all the evidence, Nakita pulled out her, ‘woe is me, I’m just an innocent victim here, boo-hoo-hoo’ card, complete with crocodile tears, and I just had to say a few choice words and she dropped the act and flew into a rage, attacked me, and started spouting off what she’d done to her previous victims so I’d know what she’d be doing to me.” With that wicked grin of his spreading across his face once more, he added, “Nakita incriminated herself and any sympathy she hoped to garner from the jury evaporated instantly. It was a unanimous vote—she was guilty on all counts and the judge slapped her with the maximum sentence. We were finished in time for a late lunch.” With a smug grin, he glanced her way and said, “If you ever want to watch it, I have a copy of the proceedings back at the house. It’s hilarious.”

Judy nodded. She did want to watch it for several reasons, one of which was being able to watch Nick work his charm in court. Watching Nakita incriminate herself would be highly funny, but more than that, Judy wanted to see the threats leveled at her fox. After everything Nakita had already done to Nick, it burned her up inside to hear Nakita wanted to do even worse things to her boyfriend.

With a deep breath, she tried to rid herself from the dark thoughts of what she wanted to do to the vicious vixen should they ever meet on the street. Turning to Nick, she asked, “And Stan? Is he in jail, too?”

Nick shook his head. “No, I couldn’t show his involvement with Nakita unless I revealed my association with the mob boss.” With a wicked grin, he added, “But don’t worry, he paid for his transgression.”

Judy tilted her head and asked, “What did you do?”

“Finn and I spread rumors of his faulty merchandise and the bed fellows he was keeping. By the time Stan came back from his vacation, his business was failing, and by the end of the year we’d run it into the ground. He eventually packed up and left Zootopia.”

Judy nodded, not at all sorry to hear of Stan’s fate. He’d made his choice and it nearly killed Nick. Him leaving Zootopia was merely good riddance to bad rubbish.

While Judy sat in silence, Nick watched the road, and upon seeing the traffic start to back up as they neared Savannah Central, he flipped on his turn signal and turned onto a side street he remembered walking down with his family when his dad was still alive. There was an old bear living down here who owned an old-fashioned toy store that was still in business. As they drove past the large storefront window with its many old-fashioned plushies, doll houses, and trains, Nick considered bringing Judy here for one of their dates and sharing this part of his past with her. A happy part of his past.

As Judy thought over Nick’s words, she realized she still didn’t know why he didn’t catch on to Stan’s double-crossing. Watching as Nick drove down a side street that was lined with honeysuckle trees, she turned to him and asked, “So what had your head in such a mess you missed all the red flags?”

Nick glanced over briefly, then looked back at the road as his ears flattened against his head and all but disappeared. He was silent for a long time and Judy feared he wouldn’t answer, but then in a low whisper, he said, “Honey was dying.”

Gripping the steering wheel tightly, he explained, “It was cancer. The warning signs were all there, but she studiously ignored them for years as she didn’t want to be poked and prodded by the doctors. The day I found out about it was the same day Mr. Big asked me to get him the rug. The doctors said Honey only had a few weeks to live so I didn’t want to leave her side. I went to Stan because he had a reputable business and I’d known him for years. I thought I could trust him, and the job was so simple, how could he go wrong?” He gave Judy a bitter smile, then turned back to the road as they passed a black and white striped building owned by a zebra who taught Zumba classes.

Continuing his sad tale as he took another side street, Nick said, “If I hadn’t been so worried about Honey and trying to make sure she was as comfortable as possible, then I would have realized Stan was taking way too long to get back with me on such a tiny job. The rug should have been ready within 3 days, a week max. But Nakita had him wait till Honey died, then call me during the funeral to tell me I had till the next morning to pick up the rug because he was leaving on an extended vacation.”

Judy’s ears dropped against her back as she watched Nick struggle with the memories.

As Nick felt his eyes tear up, making it hard to see, he pulled over on the side of the road and took several deep breaths while digging his claws into the underside of the steering wheel. Judy unbuckled her seat belt and scooted over to Nick’s seat where she slipped under his arm and crawled into his lap. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him into a tight hug and rubbed the back of his head.

Nick immediately wrapped his arms around her and pressed his muzzle into her back. As tears ran down his cheeks, he whimpered. “I was such a mess, Judy. I didn’t sleep a wink that night, and then to have to run out and get the rug and deliver it to Mr. Big first thing in the morning. I hardly gave it a second look. It was the right size, the right color, and the right pattern. It was a week later that Big sent his bears after me, accusing me of selling him a skunk-butt rug. I was so shocked I couldn’t say a thing.” Rubbing his cheek against the back of her head, he added, “Not that Big would have listened if I had said anything. I told you he wasn’t a very forgiving mammal. I sold him a skunk-butt rug and he didn’t want to hear any excuses.” Nuzzling her again, he whispered hoarsely, “I still can’t believe I walked away from that encounter.”

Judy nodded against his neck as she rubbed her paw across the back of his head. She drew back after a moment and caressed his muzzle. “I’m very glad you did, because my life would be a very sad existence right now if you weren’t in it.” Caressing his cheek once again, she then pressed her soft lips to his.

Nick slipped a paw behind her head and the other one he spread across her back as he pressed her to him. Kissing her like he was a drowning fox, he tried to drink in her positivity, strength, and love. After a short while, he broke the kiss off and pressed his forehead against hers. Taking several deep breaths, he finally said, “The Precinct is just a few blocks away, so if we’re going to eat that candy, we should do so now.”

Judy nodded, but then gave Nick one last peck on the lips before moving back to her seat and picking up the box of red hots. Opening them up, she took a handful of the small, red candies out, but before she popped any into her mouth, she first licked the taste of Nick off her lips, then grinned.

After tossing a few into her mouth, she turned and handed a pawful over to Nick. They sucked on the candies for the rest of the drive as Nick maneuvered down various side streets as he avoided the heaviest traffic. As they neared the ZPD parking lot, they saw several news vans parked out front and a slew of reporters waylaying anyone who tried to enter or exit the building. Nick’s ears flattened against his head. “Carrots, what do we do?”

Judy studied the situation a moment (her gut was twisting in knots at the thought of facing the media again) then pointed Nick to the side entrance and directed him to drive around to the back of the building where officers parked the cruisers. “If anyone has any problems, we’ll tell them to take it up with the Chief.”

Nick nodded and proceeded to drive around to the back and felt immensely grateful all his windows were darkly tinted. Pulling into an empty parking spot two spots over from a very large black and white cruiser, he cut the engine and took a deep breath. Glancing at Judy, he said, “It’s showtime.”

Chapter Text

Bogo hung the phone up and gave a heavy sigh. Between the news stations blowing up the ZPD PR department phone line with questions about the savage attacks and Bellwether’s arrest, and the city government scrambling to temporarily fill the mayor’s seat, Bogo had hardly had a minute to himself. Running his hooves over his face, he then dropped them to his desk and started shuffling some papers around. Reports were still coming in from those involved in Bellwether’s conspiracy, and several suspects had evaded arrest so there was a citywide mammal hunt for them.

Glancing at the clock, he saw that it was 12 minutes to 10 and he wondered if Hopps and Wilde would be on time for their meeting. He knew Hopps was always punctual, but he didn’t know about Wilde. Would he get the rabbit here on time? And would Hopps kill him if he didn’t? That thought brought a slight chuckle to his lips. Reaching down to pull out the file he’d compiled on Wilde, Bogo glanced inside.

He still hadn’t had time to do a thorough look into the vulpine’s past, but he did find a few more things out about the smug todd. Nothing incriminating, but the lack of any kind of job did beg the question of how he was able to survive the last few decades without any income. It was just one more question he’d need to discuss with the red fox. Getting the paperwork in order, Bogo prepared for their meeting.

******

“It’s showtime,” Nick said with a smug grin.

Judy nodded at Nick, then unbuckled her seatbelt. Remembering what Finnick had told her earlier, she said, “Before we go in, Finnick brought up a couple of good points we need to consider.”

“And what’s that?” Nick asked as he unbuckled his own seatbelt and stuffed the keys in his pocket.

“For starters, we need to get your mask back on or we’ll never be able to hide our relationship.” Nick nodded in thought, then Judy added, almost to herself, “I should probably work at putting a mask on, too. It won’t do us any good if you stay professional and I don’t.”

“Ooh, Judy with a mask,” Nick said with sly grin. “That’ll be interesting to see.”

Rolling her eyes, Judy asked, “So what do we need to do?”

“Well, the easy stuff will be to maintain a proper distance and keep our paws to ourselves. The hard part will be schooling our expressions so we only look at each other as friends and not love-sick teenagers.”

Judy brought a paw up and started nibbling on her thumb claw. This was going to be difficult. How was she supposed to look at Nick and not show how crazy-in-love she was with him? Hearing a camera click, she glanced up to see Nick grinning at her.

“That’s a serious expression you got there, Fluff, but don’t worry, I’ll help you practice.” Still grinning, he closed his camera and saw the time. With ears flicking flat against his head, he whispered, “We gotta go, Carrots. Bogo won’t be happy if we’re late and we still need to pick up an application.”

Judy sat up straighter and met Nick’s worried gaze. “Right. We’ll have to practice later.”

Nick nodded then turned to get out of the jeep.

******

Wolford and Delgato were sitting in their cruiser going over a case file when the sky-blue jeep wrangler pulled up and parked near the entrance. The windows were too darkly tinted to tell who was inside, but the vehicle was sized for a wolf.

Nudging his partner, Delgato asked, “Look at that. Do you think they’re lost?”

“Maybe,” the grey wolf beside him replied. “Or they could be with one of the news stations and are hoping to slip in through the back.”

“Not on my watch,” the tawny lion growled back. After watching the vehicle for several minutes, he added, “They’re taking their pretty time getting out, aren’t they?”

Wolford nodded to his partner and said, “Maybe we should investigate.”

With a toothy grin, Delgato grabbed his door handle, saying, “What are you waiting for?”

They were halfway across the parking lot when the driver’s side door opened, and a smart looking red fox hopped out. They both stopped and stared. The jeep was much larger than the fox and looked well taken care of. It was certainly not something they’d ever expect to see a fox hopping out of—no matter how well dressed he was.

“Do you think he stole it?” Delgato asked quietly.

Wolford shrugged while watching the fox hurry around to the passenger side of the vehicle where he opened the back door and reached in. “You lost, there, fox?” he asked as he and Delgato started walking towards the jeep again.

The fox glanced over and flashed them a lazy smile then shook his head. “Nope, I’m right where I want to be.”

Pausing again as they watched the fox pull out a tiny wheelchair (tiny to them), Wolford and Delgato watched him then open the passenger door and reach up to lift someone out of the front seat. When they saw who that someone was, their jaws dropped. “Officer Hopps!” Delgato exclaimed.

Judy looked over and saw the wolf and lion, then gave a wave while smiling brightly, saying, “Hello Officer Wolford, Officer Delgato. I hope your day is going well.”

“Um, yeah,” Wolford replied. “Are you okay, Hopps?”

“I’m great, thanks,” she answered while Nick fussed with her.

Nick helped Judy get situated comfortably in the chair (and was extremely glad Finnick had had the foresight to throw in the pillows), then turned to the two officers. “We’re running a bit late for our meeting with Bogo, so if you’ll excuse us, officers.” He gave a lazy salute then turned to wheel Judy into the building. Judy gave them a backward wave as they reached the door, then they slipped inside.

Wolford and Delgato stood staring for several more minutes, then Delgato questioned, “Was that the fox with Hopps at the Museum, the one that also helped her with the missing mammals case?”

Wolford shrugged again. “Looks like it. He looked different in those clothes, but I can’t imagine Hopps with any other fox. There’s also not many red foxes with that solid coloring or black-tipped tail.” Moving forward, he walked up to the jeep wrangler and checked it out. It was a nice vehicle and looked to be in mint condition. Bending down, he glanced at the undercarriage and gave a whistle.

“What? Did you find something?” The lion crouched down, too, but was too tall to adequately look under the vehicle.

“Yeah, this jeep has been heavily modified. I bet it rides like a dream in the city.” Standing back up, he walked around the jeep again. “Look at the tires, though. They’re the ones with heavy tread for off-roading. Whoever owns this put a lot of time and money into it.”

“You don’t honestly think the fox actually owns it, do you?” Delgato couldn’t wrap his head around the idea that a fox could own such a vehicle—not without stealing it or buying it with dirty money.

Running his eyes appreciatively over the blue luminescent body, Wolford shook his head. “It’s hard to imagine, but with how smart Bogo claims the fox is, and Hopps’ trust in him, I doubt he’d drive it here if he obtained it illegally.”

“Do you think he borrowed it, then? To bring Hopps to her meeting with Bogo?”

“Most likely.” Running a paw lightly over the body, Wolford was surprised to see that there weren’t any dents or scrapes in the shiny paint. The vehicle really was well maintained. Thinking of the two mammals who’d stepped out of it, he wondered more about their relationship. Glancing at his partner again, he said, “Seeing them arrive in something like this does beg the question of where she’s been staying the last two nights.”

“What do you mean?” Delgato asked while scratching the thick part of his mane that grew under his chin.

“Hopps’ parents called Tuesday night looking for her since they couldn’t get through on her phone. They were directed to the hospital, but called back to say she’d already checked out and to see if we had another way to contact her. We didn’t of course. After she moved back to Bunnyburrow, we only had her cell as a means of contact.”

Rubbing his chin, the lion asked, “So what does that have to do with where Hopps was staying?”

Wolford flicked his ear and glanced over at his partner. He could be so dense sometimes. “Her parents said she’d left her wallet at home and so didn’t have money for a hotel. After their calls, Bogo sent me over to the hospital to pick up Hopps’ medical chart to add to the case file. The doctor notes said she can’t put any pressure on her leg and that she’ll need someone to help her out while she heals up. There was a note in her medical file stating that a Nick Wilde would be helping her change and clean her wound. That’s kinda hard to do if they’re not staying together.”

Delgato’s jaw dropped. “What? Like she’s staying in the fox’s den or something?”

“Bingo,” Wolford said as he glanced over at the door the fox and bunny had disappeared through. “I imagine a small fox couch would be a big bed for a rabbit.”

Running his claws through his mane, Delgato murmured, “I guess so, but it’s still weird to think of a rabbit willingly staying in a fox’s den.”

“Not as weird as a herd of deranged sheep trying to take over the city by poisoning predators to go savage, just so they’d have an excuse to collar and segregate them.”

The lion’s ears flattened against his head. “Yeah, that’s worse.”

“Yeah, it is,” the grey wolf said, as he turned and began walking back to their cruiser. “Now come on, we have several leads to follow.” Delgato nodded and followed his partner.

As Wolford opened the passenger door, he glanced over one last time to appreciate the modified jeep wrangler. The jeep rallies will begin the last week of August and will run through October with a different rally happening each month. He’d been trying to find someone with a decent vehicle that he could team up with—all with no luck. His friends with vehicles either hadn’t kept their jeeps in good condition or were going to be too busy to attend any of them. It was frustrating as he really wanted to attend this year. Wilde looked to have a winning jeep and Wolford wondered if the fox planned on attending any of the rallies.

Climbing into the cruiser, the grey wolf turned his attention to their case and the leads they had to follow. As Delgato drove out of the parking lot, Wolford tuned out any other thoughts and focused solely on the case at hand.

******

As Nick wheeled Judy down the corridor, he leaned over and whispered, “So what was the other thing Finnick said we need to do?” Finn didn’t often give advice, but when he did, it was best to heed it.

“Oh, right. He said we need to check into the fraternization rules since we’re in a relationship. It wouldn’t do us any good for you to work your butt off at the Academy and then find out we couldn’t be partners because we’re together.”

Nick’s ears flattened against his skull. “Yeah, I didn’t even think about that. But you’re right, we need to find out first—which means we’ll need to tell Buffalo Butt about us.”

Judy’s ears drooped. “Right. Tell my specist boss about the interspecies relationship I’m in." Raising her paws, she waved them half-heartedly while sarcastically saying, "Yay.”

Nick chuckled briefly at her sarcasm, then got serious again. “We would have to tell him sometime, and it’ll be better to get it out in the open now instead of him finding out later.” With smirk, he leaned over and tilted his head to meet her eyes, saying, “I hear honesty is the best policy. I’ve only started living by it the last couple of days, but it seems to be working pretty well so far.”

Judy giggled. Sitting straighter in the wheelchair, she whispered, “Mask, Wilde. Put it on.”

Standing up straighter, Nick schooled his facial features back into his default smug grin and half-lidded eyes. As a new thought struck him, he looked back down to the doe in front of him. “If we’re telling Buffalo-butt about our relationship, we should also tell him about your friendship with Fru-Fru. He’ll need to understand how you met and why you’re friends, especially since you’ll be eating lunch with her in an hour hardly a stone’s throw away from the ZPD.”

“That’s a good point.” Glancing over her shoulder, she added, “Our list of things to discuss with the Chief keeps getting longer.”

Nick chuckled as they exited the hallway and entered the lobby of the ZPD. Looking through the glass windows of the main entrance, they could see the mob of reporters yelling and vying for attention at the bottom of the steps. Shivering while thinking of what would happen if they somehow caught sight of him and Judy, he headed over to the reception desk.

A bored white-tailed deer sat at the reception desk talking to an elderly wildebeest. After answering his questions, the deer officer directed the wildebeest down a hallway that opened behind the reception desk.

As the officer watched the wildebeest disappear behind the back wall of the reception area, where the enlarged ZPD badge hung on its wooden frame, he shook his head and went back to some paperwork that had been delivered to him a short while ago.

Having walked up while the deer was still dealing with the wildebeest, Nick stopped the wheelchair at the base of the tall counter and reached down to lock the wheels, while whispering to Judy, “I’m going to stand on the chair arms so I can see better. I might get a better reception if the officer doesn’t have to lean over the counter to speak to me.”

Judy nodded, then had to drop her ears as Nick straddled the wheelchair arms and his tail swung over her head. She really had to work at keeping her mask on as memories from last night flooded her mind. Trying to push them down, she took a deep breath and stared determinedly at the reception desk’s side. The only thing that kept her ears from turning beet red at having his tail swish just inches from her head was remembering how good it felt to bury herself in it.

Nick stood up and looked over the reception desk. It was obvious the officer found his job tedious by his narrowed eyebrows. Taking a deep breath (and hoping against hope that the encounter would be a pleasant one), Nick spoke politely. “Excuse me”—he glanced at the nametag—“Officer Staggson. I’m sorry to bother you, but I would like to get a ZPA application. If you would be so kind as to hand me one, I’d appreciate it.”

The deer stared at him for several heartbeats, then, with a hard edge to his voice, asked, “Is this some kind of joke, fox?”

“No, no joke, officer.” With a paw to his heart, he continued, “I am completely serious about applying for the ZPA. I mean, if a smart rabbit can be a cop, why not a smart fox? The Mammal Inclusion Initiative is still in effect, isn’t it?”

Staggson’s ears folded back and he leaned over the counter and jabbed his hoof in Nick’s face, with the sharp, hard edge stopping mere inches from the vulpine’s black nose. “Listen, pelt, I don’t know why you’re skulking around in here, but if you don’t leave now I’ll have you thrown in a cell for disturbing the peace.”

Nick’s ear ticked, and it was an effort to keep them both upright and the anger out of his voice. “If you give me an application,”—his eyes darted down to where he knew they should be—“I’d be happy to get out of your fur.”

“That’s it. You’re going in the slammer,” the specist deer said as he reached for his pawcuffs.

Nick leaned back, and this time his ears did flatten against his head, but then he felt a tug on his pants and looked down. Judy stared back at him with rage in her beautiful amethyst eyes. With arms outstretched, it was clear she intended to give the specist deer a piece of her mind. With his anger evaporating, he looked forward to the show she was sure to put on. Crouching down, Nick slipped his arms around her waist and with a firm grip, whispered, “Hang tight, we’re going up.” And then he sprang up and onto the countertop, landing right in front of the bigoted buck.

Officer Staggson’s jaw dropped as the fox and bunny suddenly appeared right in front of him. The pawcuffs he’d just pulled from his utility belt clattered to the hard, tiled floor and echoed through the room. His eyes grew big as saucers and he swallowed nervously when the rabbit opened her small mouth.

“Listen you specist jerk,” she spat while jabbing her tiny paw in his chest. “I don’t know who you think you are to speak to my friend so rudely, but if you don’t get him a ZPA application within 30 seconds I’m citing you for Hate Speech and Conduct Unbecoming an Officer.”

Nick, with his paws still on Judy’s waist to support her weight, leaned forward slightly and with a lazy smile, said, “Don’t forget Derelict of Duty, Slander, False Accusations, and Threat of Unlawful Incarceration. If he actually followed through with the last one, I could sue him for Aggravated Assault, depending on how rough he got with me.” With his grin growing and becoming quite smug, Nick leaned over Judy’s head and pointed out, “And with all the cameras in this building, I’d win easily. Especially when Officer Hopps here stood as a witness and spoke on my behalf.”

Straightening up while staring at the dumbfounded buck, he added, “So what’s it going to be, Staggson, are you going to give us that application or does Officer Hopps start writing tickets . . . after we talk to Bogo about your misconduct, since, you know, you’re making us late to our appointment with him.” With a raise of his eyebrow, Nick waited for the officer’s response, all the while feeling immensely pleased with being able to tag team with his honeybun again. He was sure this is how it would feel to be her partner while taking down real criminals.

Staggson gulped again and glanced down at the rabbit, and yes, it was Officer Hopps. He remembered her being a lot more soft-spoken and timid, but she was really scary when she was angry. And the way she folded her arms across her chest and glared at him sent a shiver down his spine. Digging into the drawer, he hurriedly pulled out the application and handed it to Hopps, since the fox’s paws were busy holding her up.

“Pen,” Judy demanded, and the buck hastily handed one over in her size.

Nick helped her hop back from the edge, then sit down, as he spoke over her shoulder to the buck. “You know, Judy’s leg was injured when we were running from Bellwether and she isn’t supposed to stand on it until the stitches come out. So what do you think the doctor is going to say when he finds out a fellow officer was making her stand on it?”

The buck blanched at the thought, but Nick didn’t care. Besides giving the specist prick something else to worry about (which was highly entertaining), he also needed to give the many spectators in the room a reason why he kept his large paws around Judy’s waist. The last thing they needed was rumors to start up the minute they walked into the building.

As Judy stretched her injured leg out and got comfortable, she handed Nick the pen and paper, which he quickly filled out. He’d already filled out the application once, so he didn’t even need to think about his answers. Dropping the pen on the countertop, Nick quickly folded the paper and stuffed it in his pocket, then glanced at Judy. “Ready for our meeting with the Chief?”

Judy gave a quick nod, the anger she was feeling still visible on her face (and using it to hide her feelings for the handsome todd beside her), then answered, “As ready as I’ll ever be.” Taking a deep breath, she lifted her arms and Nick quickly scooped her up.

Jumping lightly to the floor, he quickly set her in the chair and stepped back, not wanting to spend even a second longer touching her. With the large audience they now had, any kind of lingering touch could be mistaken for what it was—affection beyond friendship.

Bending down to unlock the wheels, he then stepped behind the chair and asked, “Which way to the elevators.”

Judy pointed the way and they traveled in silence, as did everyone else in the atrium. It wasn’t until they disappeared through the elevator doors that sound returned to the lobby in a cacophony of voices. The main topic running through those present was wonder at a bunny being good friends with a fox. And the fact that it was Judy Hopps who so passionately defended her predatory friend boggled many of their minds. Especially after remembering the press conference she spoke at three months ago. There were only a couple of officers who had been present for the morning briefing, and they kept their mouths shut as they pondered on the two small mammals who had saved the city, and in the process, had forged such a unique friendship.

As the doors closed behind them, Judy let out an angry breath. “I can’t believe he treated you like that!”

Nick glanced down, then grinned. “You have no idea what hearing you say that does to my heart.”

Glancing up, Judy asked, “What do you mean?”

“Well, you like to give mammals the benefit of the doubt, but not many people do that. The way that jerk treated me is normal. I hate it, but that’s just what being a fox means.”

“Well it shouldn’t be,” Judy huffed, still incensed over how her fellow officer treated Nick like dirt. “They have no right treating you like—” Judy felt Nick press his wet nose against hers as he gave her a quick peck on the lips.

“Don’t let them see that they get to you, remember?” Nick said.

Judy licked her lips, then nodded. Now that she was focused on Nick and not the stupid buck down in the lobby, she felt her anger melt away. Not that she wasn’t mad at him still, but her anger no longer consumed her.

Nick straightened up just as the elevator dinged and the door began to open. Stepping back behind Judy, he pushed her through the door while asking, “Ready to see Chief Buffalo Butt?”

Judy giggled, then whispered, “Nick you shouldn’t call him that while you’re at the ZPD. What if he hears you?”

With a smirk, Nick leaned down slightly and whispered in her ear, “Does that mean I can call him that everywhere else?”

Giggling again, Judy murmured, “Ni-ick.”

Seeing the door with Bogo’s name on it, Nick straightened up, then stopped in front of the door. Before Judy could lean forward to knock, they heard Bogo’s stern voice boom through the door.

“Enter.”

Chapter Text

After Nick opened the door and wheeled Judy in, Bogo stated, “You’re late.”

“Yes, we are,” Nick stated bluntly, but then added, “But you can thank the specist jerk you have manning the reception desk for that. We were here on time.”

Bogo’s ears flattened as he glanced at Hopps, who said, “Nick asked Staggson one simple little question that only required a two second answer, and we would have been on our way. But no, he had to go off on Nick, and when Nick simply re-asked his question so we could leave, Staggson pulled out his cuffs and intended to throw Nick in the cooler!” Judy threw her paws up in the air as her anger returned full force while talking about how badly her fox had been mistreated. She was so mad she didn’t even feel intimidated by Bogo (it also helped that she wasn’t facing him alone—Nick was with her).

As Judy paused in her fuming tirade, Nick spoke up. “If he had thrown me in jail, I would have sued him for unlawful incarceration and aggravated assault.” With a smug grin, he added, “And with all the camera’s in the lobby, my complaints would be uncontested.”

Bogo frowned then rubbed his temple as his headache now felt like someone was standing in his head with a jackhammer. Taking a deep breath, he could feel his powers of persuasion dropping to an all-time low. If that’s how the fox was treated the minute he walked through the doors, did he even have the right to ask Wilde to apply for the academy?

Taking another deep breath, Bogo said, “I will see that Officer Staggson will be properly punished for his offenses.”

Judy nodded while folding her arms. “Good,” she muttered under her breath, “because I have a slew of citations I want to slap him with.”

Nick watched her a minute, then walked around to the front of the wheelchair, asking, “Shall we get this meeting underway?” Judy glanced up and nodded, then wrapped her arms around his neck as he leaned down to pick her up. “Okay, here we go.” Turning around, he crouched and then leaped into the orange plastic chair sitting in front of Bogo’s desk. He saw a second chair had been placed next to the first, but Nick ignored it. This chair was plenty big enough for the two of them, so he simply sat down next to Judy. He didn’t even bother putting space between them as they needed to tell Buffalo-butt about their relationship anyway.

Bogo raised an eyebrow at the two, not only at the grace the fox showed in jumping into the chair while carrying Hopps, but also at how close they were sitting. It did beg several questions, but he studiously squashed them down. He didn’t care.

“Okay,” Bogo said as two pairs of eyes focused on him—one attentive and the other half-lidded and smug. Bogo assumed that was the fox’s default expression. “For starters, Hopps, I received your medical records. The doctor recommends medical leave for three weeks and light duty for two weeks after that.” With a raised eyebrow, he added, “We’ll see if the doc gives the same prognosis after your visit on Monday.”

Judy’s ears dropped as images of the last two days flashed through her mind. Her ears immediately flushed a dark pink while remembering how she blatantly ignored the pain in her leg as she repeatedly wrapped her legs around Nick’s middle or straddled his waist. Nor had they elevated her leg much in the last two days.

Bogo watched Hopps’ guilty expression and Wilde’s slight twitch of his ears as he stopped them from folding back—which led him to his next question. “Am I right in assuming you’re staying with Wilde while your leg heals?”

Judy’s nose twitched, but she answered clearly, “Yes, sir, I am. I have nowhere else to stay in the city and Nick won’t let me stay in a hotel.”

“Absolutely not,” said Nick as he made a big X with his arms. “No friend of mine is staying in some seedy hotel when I have a perfectly good room they can stay in. Especially when it’s my best friend, and she has an injured leg and needs help getting around.”

Bogo nodded, still studying the way the two interacted (and taking note of how Wilde claimed Hopps as his best friend), then asked, “I assume this is a temporary arrangement. You will be looking for your own place while your leg heals, won’t you?”

Nick froze at Bogo’s assumption, and he struggled to keep his ears up and a growl from sounding. Just the thought of Judy moving out and leaving him alone again hurt. But he kept his thoughts to himself as he wanted to hear what Judy had to say.

Judy crossed one arm over her chest and raised her other arm as she brought her fist up in front of her mouth, saying, “Ooh, well, you see, Chief, um . . . Nick has a really nice 2-bedroom, 1 and a half bath house with a large yard, and well, there’s no way I could find a nicer place, or even a comparable place, that I could afford . . . here . . . in the city.” She said this last while motioning with her paws.

“She’s right, Chief,” Nick commented. “Rent’s free, so Judy will just have to pay for her half of the utilities and internet charges, along with splitting the chores and yard work with me.”

Judy beamed at Nick as they hadn’t actually discussed the financial side of her living with him, but it was nice to hear he wouldn’t be charging her for rent when he wasn’t paying it himself.

Bogo looked between the two. As Hopps had pointed out, rent in the city wasn’t cheap, and for him to be staying in a 2-bedroom house—not an apartment, but a house with a yard—his rent must be sky high. So why wasn’t the fox asking Hopps to help pay such a huge expense? Seeing how close they were, his gut twisted at what it implied. Perhaps Wilde was more a sly fox than he thought. If he used these kinds of means to get what he wanted, then it would be better if he wasn’t on the force.

Taking a deep breath, Bogo asked carefully (as he didn’t want to know the answer, but knew he had to ask anyways), “You aren’t charging Hopps any rent?”
Nick leaned back in the chair as a wide, smug grin spread across his face. “Not a cent.”

Bogo tried to keep a neutral expression and asked, “Then is Hopps paying for her room and board in other ways? With . . . personal . . . favors, perhaps.”
Judy’s ears drooped behind her back as she couldn’t believe what the chief was implying. How could he think that Nick would ask that of her? Or that she would accept such an arrangement?

Nick’s ears immediately folded back and a low growl vibrated through his chest, just barely audible and bordering on a snarl. His tail wrapped around Judy’s waist as the thought of anyone trying to force his honeybun to use her body as payment set off his protective instincts for his mate. Leaning forward and glaring at Bogo’s stunned expression, Nick growled, “I would never ask Judy, or any female, to use their body as payment for anything I offered them. That is morally wrong and sick in the head.” Taking a deep breath as his growl continued rumbling in his chest, he added, “Judy is not an object, she’s not a thing to be bought or sold, nor is her body a commodity to be used so cheaply. She’s a person to be respected, a precious friend to be protected, someone I cherish.”

Nick took another deep breath while opening his mouth to continue, but the words died in his mouth, as did his growl. Taking another deep breath, his sinuses were flooded with her thick, sweet, excited scent which caused his abdominal muscles to clench excitedly in return. With his eyes widening as he realized what he was doing, Nick flopped back against his seat and glanced at Judy. Murmuring softly, he said, “Sorry, I know what my growl does to you.”

Judy simply smiled back at him, then chuckled softly. Leaning toward him, she whispered sweetly, “Well, I know what my scent does to you, so I guess we’re even.”

His ears locked onto Judy as did his whole focus, then a wide smile split his muzzle and he chuckled himself. “Yeah, I guess we are.”

Bogo frowned as he watched his smallest officer and her friend. The fear that should have been present at having a predator practically snarling just inches from her face was nowhere to be found. Instead, Hopps was looking at Wilde with a warm, affectionate gaze. Almost like she was—No. Don’t think it. She’s a rabbit, he’s a fox—it couldn’t happen. But watching the two interact, he knew it was happening—at least for Hopps. He couldn’t be sure about Wilde (the fox was too good at masking his emotions), but Hopps’ expression was an open book. A book that told him his smallest officer was developing special feelings for the smug todd who saved her.

Oh, this cannot end well. While considering the problems an interspecies relationship posed (provided Wilde developed similar feelings), Bogo felt like the jackhammer in his head suddenly had company. With a heavy sigh and a pounding head, he ran a hoof down his face. This day just keeps getting better and better, he thought sarcastically.

Bogo’s movement caught Nick’s attention and he turned to look at the chief. Leaning back against the chair, he folded his arms and said smugly, “Chief, I’m not charging Judy rent because I don’t pay rent. The house is mine. I own it—lock, stock, and barrel.”

Bogo’s mouth turned down into a frown. “How can you own a house”—Bogo shook his head—“How can you afford to own a house when you have no job? At least not a legitimate one.”

Nick’s ears flattened against his head again as he thought of the “legitimate” jobs his family had worked at and the unfairness and suffering they were subjected to. “Legitimate job? You want to talk about a legitimate job for a fox? My dad had a legitimate job—he owned his own business, a tailor shop, and was quite successful. But that made other business owners jealous and greedy. I mean, how dare a stinking fox think he could make something of himself by owning a successful business,” Nick spat out while waving his paws.

With his voice seething with cold rage, Nick continued, “He was stabbed repeatedly in cold blood for no other reason than he was a fox who rose above his stereotype and proved he was more than a shifty lowlife. And you know what happened to that backstabbing swine who murdered him? Hmm? Nothing. He wasn’t even taken in for questioning. And the stupid paramedics who were supposed to at least try to save his life? Once they heard it was a fox they were picking up, they decided to stop for coffee and donuts on their way and were thirty minutes late getting there. They didn’t even attempt to stem the bleeding but threw my dad roughly on the gurney and loaded him into the ambulance where he died a few minutes later. They were as much to blame for my father’s death as the murdering swine. And did they ever get called up or punished for their negligence. Of course not, it was just a filthy pelt who died so who cares!?” He threw his hands up in the air.

Nick was practically snarling at this point as the rage and unfairness of his father’s murder swept through him. He’d kept it bottled up for so many years but now he couldn’t stem the tide. Having Judy around the last two days had demolished his defenses, and he couldn’t find it in himself to hide from his future boss, not when Judy was sitting beside him and filling his senses with her sweet scent, which gave him that little bit of extra courage to speak his mind.

The room fell silent with the exception of Nick’s heavy breathing. No one spoke. Judy didn’t even attempt to stem the tears that flowed freely down her cheeks and soaked her shirt. How could anyone be so heartless? So . . . so . . . cruel and . . . and heartless? Having never experienced or come in contact with such suffering and darkness while growing up in Bunnyburrow (the closest thing she could relate it to was Bellwether’s evil plot and her attempt on their life—which paled in comparison to what her fox had suffered), she was left speechless for there were no words to truly describe the horrors her fox had suffered through.

As the silence stretched on, Nick took a deep breath and continued his angry tale of pain and suffering. “You know what happened to my mom after my dad’s death? She got a legitimate job, as you like to call them. She had to get several—a dishwasher at a fancy restaurant, a waiter at a family diner, a maid at a hotel, a janitor at an office complex. And you know how she was treated? She worked her fingers to the bone doing the job of 4 or 5 mammals at each job but only got paid moldy peanuts for her efforts. She could barely pay the bills, let alone feed us. We hardly ever saw her.” Leaning forward while continuing to glare at Bogo, he hissed, “And do you know what she should have been doing? Where her talents lay?” At Bogo’s ear flick, he answered, “She was a world class pianist. All the orchestra’s praised her music and talent and swore up and down how they’d love to have her, but none of them wanted to tarnish their image by hiring a filthy fox.”

With a sneer as Nick leaned back, he continued, “And then, just days before my 12 birthday my twin brother was the victim of a drunk driver and do you know what those legitimate doctors did when he was wheeled into the hospital? I can still hear their snide comment in my head. ‘Another filthy fox. Just stick him in the corner over there, I’ll get to him when it’s convenient.’”

Bogo couldn’t keep his neutral expression as his ears dipped and his frown deepened. He didn’t want to hear the rest of Wilde’s tale, but knew he needed to. He had wanted to know more about the todd’s past, and Wilde was being surprisingly open. Deciding to keep his mouth shut, he waited for the vulpine to continue.

Nick barked a bitter laugh. “A convenient time for a doctor to see an injured fox is only after he’s dead.” Glaring at the chief, Nick dared him to dispute his claim. “My brother lay for hours waiting to be seen while gurgling his own blood while his lungs slowly filled up. In my dreams, I can still hear his pained whines and whimpers as he lay there dying. I can still see his eyes occasionally flutter open and glance around the busy hallway, hoping against hope that someone would save him. The despair on his face when he realized no one was coming. He couldn’t even speak my name. I sat there and cried for hours after he died before a doctor showed up and yelled at him for bleeding all over the floor and then at me for simply existing. You should have seen the bill they sent my mom, and the long list of bogus items they charged her with. I had to leave home a week after my 12th birthday because my mom could no longer afford to feed me.”

Nick leaned forward over Bogo’s desk and snarled, “So don’t tell me about getting a legitimate job, because when it comes to foxes—There. Are. None.”

Bogo had no words to say. The venom in the todd’s voice and the pain and rage in his eyes spoke of a lifetime of abuse, humiliation, and suffering. How could he possibly calm Wilde down? Nothing he could say would make things right.

Judy watched Nick’s heavy breathing for several heartbeats as her brain finally wrapped itself around his harsh words. She knew something bad had happened to both his dad and brother, but the truth was more tragic than she ever imagined. How could life be so cruel to one mammal? To a whole species, for it was obvious that Nick’s case wasn’t an isolated incident. And for it to have happened over and over again to her kind, considerate, and loving fox who had such a beautiful and warm soul—it just broke her heart all the more. But seeing how much love and care he still had after all the horrors and injustice he and his family had faced—it made her love for the handsome, caring todd—her foxy boyfriend—swell all the more. Which was a bit strange feeling—her heart breaking on the one paw while swelling with love on the other.

Wiping at the tears making tracks down her beautiful face, she reached a paw over and rested it gently on his arm. “Nick?” she spoke softly.

Nick’s ears immediately fell back, then he deflated as he slumped back against the chair. With a heavy breath, he ran his paws over his face, then glanced at Judy. “Sorry, Fluff, but that hit a raw nerve.”

Shaking her head, Judy ran her paw through the silky fur of his arm as she tried to calm him down. “It’s okay, Nick, I’d be infuriated too if that happened to my family.” Nick nodded, but before he could say anything in response, Judy leaned forward to whisper in his ear. “I’ll make it up to you tonight.” Nick’s ear flicked and she added, “Ear rubbing and throat scratching.”

Nick’s anger vanished as a smile broke across his muzzle. “Add a tummy rub,” he whispered back, “and I’m there.”

Judy’s ears turned a slight shade pinker, but she nodded, and said softly, “It’s a deal.”

As Judy sat properly in her seat once more, Nick cocked his head to grin at her, his tail wagging happily beside her. “I’ll hold you to it then.”

Bogo sat stunned. He’d half expected the angry vulpine to storm out of his office, but Hopps’ ability to calm him down was staggering. Wilde was a fox, a predator, a very angry predator, and she was a bunny, his ancient food source and yet he deflated with just a touch and a word from her. And now, with just a few whispered words, his anger was gone—not suppressed—gone. Just what kind of hold did she have over the fox?

As the two turned back around to face him, Bogo studied their close interactions once more. From what he’d seen personally of foxes, they disliked people getting in their personal space and hated people touching their tails. And yet Wilde didn’t have any problems with Hopps invading his space and even wrapped his tail around her. That nagging suspicion tried to surface again, but he studiously squashed it. I don’t care. I don’t care. I don’t care.

Meeting Wilde’s much happier gaze, he asked (and he was careful with his wording), “Can you . . . please . . . explain how you own a house?”

Nick’s smile slipped and he sighed. Folding his arms across his chest, he looked at the wall a moment, then turned back to Bogo and said, “I didn’t buy the house, it was gifted to me.”

Bogo’s ears laid back. “Gifted? To a fox?” Seeing Wilde’s ears disappear and a hard glint enter his eyes, Bogo raised a hoof in a hold-on motion and explained, “I’m not doubting you. It’s just not something that happens very often.”

Nick’s ears resumed their normal position and he snorted. “Tell me about it.” At Bogo’s raised eyebrow, Nick continued, “Honey was an angel of mercy, a literal saint.”

“Honey?” Bogo asked in surprise. He knew of a badger who had called herself Honey, but it couldn’t possibly be the same mammal.

“Yes, Honey.” With a smug smirk, Nick added, “I’m sure you knew her. Maige Badgersen.”

Bogo’s eyes grew wide and he pointed to the fox, exclaiming, “You’re the rumored fox she took in and raised!”

Chapter Text

“Did Maige Badgersen save my life, pull me off the streets, give me a roof over my head, clothes on my back, and food on my plate? Yes, yes, she did,” Nick replied smugly. Spreading his arms wide at Bogo’s dumbfounded expression, he added, “Like I said, she was a saint.”

Bogo took several minutes to answer as he tried to process this new and surprising information. Even before becoming Chief of Precinct 1, Bogo had heard about the badger who improved several components of the climate control wall as Honey had made headline news and was on the front cover of not only the newspapers, but several magazines. But then when Maige ‘Honey’ Badgersen redesigned their S.W.A.T. gear, Bogo was able to get to know Honey on a more personal level. She was quite the character and lived a daredevil life when she wasn’t tinkering away on something.

It was several years later that the rumor of her raising a teenage fox todd began to surface. At first no one believed it and thought it was a joke, but at her insistence, they had to believe her. She told them that she found the todd in dire straits and he just needed a helping paw. It had taken a good while for her to gain his trust and get him to open up to her, but once he did, his wit, humor, and intelligence astounded her. She talked about him frequently and always with high praise—his success in school (though she never did mention what he majored in), his enjoyment and skill when joining her in her daredevil ways (rock climbing, repelling, off-roading, sky-diving, spelunking, skiing, ice climbing, and scuba diving to name a few), and his imagination in testing out her gadgets and giving her pointers on improving them, not to mention having an amazing musical talent (which, hearing how his mom, Vivian Wilde, was an orchestra-level pianist no longer surprised Bogo).

At the time, Bogo had a hard time believing just how brilliant the todd was, but Honey always insisted he was the best at whatever he did. She said that before she took him in, she’d merely been coasting through life. Her husband and young son had been dead for many years and she was simply filling the time until she could join them. But after taking the todd in, she found a reason to live again. And being able to show the angry teenager how life was meant to be lived (and not merely survived) gave greater meaning to her life. And even though at first she had to literally drag him on her wild ventures, he soon grew to love them as much as she did, and eagerly looked forward to their wilderness adventures. It didn’t take long for the elderly badger to look at the fox todd as her own son, just as much as she did her own biological son whom she’d lost so very long ago. If her little Michael had survived, Honey claimed he’d be the same age as her fox (she never did tell anyone what the todd’s name was) and that they would have made the best of brothers.

Bogo and everyone else at the ZPD had repeatedly invited her to bring him with her to the precinct functions—fundraisers, charity balls, annual picnics, holiday parties (she was always invited due to her contribution to the S.W.A.T. team)—and introduce him, but she always refused to bring him saying he didn’t want to be in the spotlight. Seeing how the ZPD treated Wilde and his family, Bogo figured this was the real reason the todd didn’t want to step within 100 feet of the ZPD. Which made Hopps’s ability to bring him here that much more surprising.

With a shake of his head, he couldn’t help but think how much of a boon having Wilde on the force would be. Besides having a reliable partner for Hopps, if there were any kits who’d wondered off in the woods or teenagers lost in a cave—Wilde would be indispensable in finding them and bringing them home. Search and Rescue might even try to recruit him if they ever find out Honey taught him everything he knows. And of course, any criminals trying to escape into the mountains wouldn’t get very far if Bogo was able to put Wilde on their trail. Bogo wasn’t sure if any of the gadgets Honey had been working on (and Wilde had been testing) would be helpful to the ZPD (she was always secretive about them), but just his adaptability in so many different environments would guarantee Wilde a top spot anywhere in the ZPD, no matter which district he was placed in (not that Bogo was willing to send him to another district on a permanent basis, but he might be willing to share if the need was great).

Of course, none of this mattered if he couldn’t convince the jaded todd to join. Honey had never been able to convince Wilde to step foot inside the ZPD while she was still alive and yet here he was. With just a few words from his rabbit friend, he jumped at the chance to come. With a mental laugh, Bogo thought, Honey’s mysterious fox, here in my precinct. Who would have thought? As he wrapped his head around the fact that he was finally meeting the todd Honey had so much praise for (and feeling even more of bastard for the way he treated Wilde earlier), one thought stuck out to Bogo that begged to be answered.

“She saved your life?” When Honey had told Bogo she’d found her fox in dire straits, he hadn’t thought anything about it beyond him being a run away kit who was cold and hungry, and simply needed a warm place to sleep. But from everything else Wilde had told him today, Bogo felt a chill run down his spine at what more the vulpine had to say.

Nick nodded. “I told you I left home a week after my 12th birthday. I was living on the streets for about 10 months or so, when a group of your legitimate”—he sneered the word—“business employees found me in an alley while trying to find the least cold spot to curl up in so I could pretend to sleep.” Spreading his arms out, he continued, “They said that with me being a red fox, my coat wasn’t red enough.” He swept his arm through the air, indicating his reddish-orange coat, then leaned back in the chair and draped his arm across the back. With a nonchalant tone, he continued, “Since my coat wasn’t the right color, they decided to paint it bright red—with my own blood.” The todd’s last words dripped with contempt.

Bogo watched the vulpine carefully. Although Wilde looked at ease, without a care in the world, there was no denying the rage burning deep within his emerald gaze.

“They were doing a pretty good job of it, too, when this badger showed up, hissing and snarling and brandishing her claws. The thugs scattered like the spineless jellyfish they were.” There was a growl in his voice as the hated memories washed over him, and he felt the pain of their kicks and punches on his young, undernourished body once again. Their cruel laughter and snide taunts echoed in his ears while remembering how his precious blood flowed from his body and splattered against the hard, unforgiving cement.

His breathing was heavy and he tried to push the memories back into their box so he could lock them away once more—but they would not be banished. They had finally surfaced to the light of day and they refused to return to the darkness of forgotten memories.

Judy watched Nick struggle as tears flowed down her cheeks. Although he’d told her the tale already, he had been calm then, and without the rage and pain the memories were evoking now. Leaning over, she wrapped her arms around his middle and hugged him tightly.

Nick immediately looked down as his arms wrapped around her of their own accord. As she nuzzled his chest, he took a deep breath and began running his paw down her ears, even as his tail wrapped more firmly around her waist. In caressing her ears, he found it calmed him down as much as it did her.

Taking a deep, ragged breath, he was able to finally push the memories back down, along with most of the pain and rage he felt. After another deep breath, he slowly released it, then met Bogo’s unsettled gaze. “I guess I was somewhat still conscience during the beating because I vaguely remembered the badger calling 911. I flipped out when I heard her demand an ambulance be sent. I started yelling and screaming ‘No ambulance! No doctors! No hospital!’ I’m not sure how understandable I was at the time, but that was what I tried to convey to her.”

While the hazy memories of Honey’s rescue played over in his mind, he glanced up at the ceiling and murmured, “I think I crawled away . . . or at least tried to.” With a shake of his head, he looked back at Chief Bogo. “I don’t know. The memories are foggy. I must have passed out at that point because the next thing I remember is waking up in a strange bed in a strange room, covered in bandages and with all my limbs in casts.”

Judy’s eyes widened as she looked up from where her head rested on his chest. He’d already told her about the beating, but she now realized just how much he’d left out. “Casts?” she queried as her heart broke all over again. How could he act so nonchalant yesterday while telling her about his beating when it was obviously still festering inside him? And how could she help him heal from it?

Nick nodded. “Yeah, Fluff, casts. They broke or cracked a lot of my bones. I even had a hairline fracture in my skull.”

Judy whimpered and buried her face in his chest again as her arms tightened around his middle. This was too cruel. Nick shouldn’t have had to suffer as he did. No one should.

Seeing her distress, Nick didn’t think twice about pulling her into his lap and wrapping his arms around her before gently nuzzling her head. Resting his muzzle between her ears for several heartbeats, he then looked up at Bogo and said, “If you want a full description of my injuries, Honey kept all the doctor notes and x-rays they took.”

Bogo watched his smallest officer receive comfort from her fox friend, though at this point, he no longer wondered about them being simple friends. They moved so naturally around each other, their touch too familiar, that it looked more like a well-established habit. Whatever their relationship was, Bogo knew it went far beyond just friends, or even best friends.

With a heavy sigh, Bogo waved his hoof in the negative. He didn’t need to see Wilde’s medical charts unless he could convince the jaded todd to join the Academy—which didn’t look promising. “Was the incident reported? I don’t remember seeing it attached to your file.”

Nick shook his head, then explained, “Honey reported the crime, but I was in a coma for almost two weeks, so she wasn’t able to give them my name.”
“And after you woke up?”

Nick barked a bitter laugh. “Yeah, they came out—once. Took my statement, the description of my attackers and two of their names, but we never heard back from them.”

Bogo nodded tiredly (his chances of convincing Wilde to join the force continued to dwindle), then asked, “So why wasn’t your name added to the case file?”

Nick again shook his head as he continued to run his paws down Judy’s ears. She wasn’t taking his beating very well, especially after hearing he’d been in a coma for two weeks. “They didn’t write it down because I didn’t give it to them. They had Honey’s report and the pictures she took of the attack, plus the medical records and I didn’t see any point to giving them my name. It was just going to turn into another cold case file—which it did.”

Bogo sighed again. “And they didn’t insist you tell them?”

“They didn’t really care, so I pretended I couldn’t remember. I did have a cracked skull, so I played it like I had amnesia. It wasn’t hard.”

After running a hoof down his muzzle, he thought, Forget dwindling, my chances of convincing Wilde to join the ZPD are practically nonexistent by now. In frustration, Bogo looked over and asked, “And Honey didn’t tell them?”

“She didn’t know either. I told you, I was pretending to have amnesia. She came in every morning with a different name in the hopes of jogging my memory—or convincing me to just tell her my name. I think she had an inkling that I was just pretending. Anyway, it took her over a week to win my trust enough to open up to her, but I only told her after she promised not to call social services.” Swiping his paw through the air, Nick said, “There was no way I was going in the system. Starving on the streets was preferable to the abuse and torture fox kits are put through by their foster parents.”

Judy pushed herself off his chest where she’d been quietly listening (and trying to hold back the tears) then met Nick’s emerald gaze. “Wait, fox kits are abused in foster care?” It was bad enough hearing about all the horrors in Nick’s life, but now to learn it was happening to fox kits who’d already lost everything—she whimpered again as her spirits hit an all time low.

“Yeah. Finn still has scars from his time in the system. It’s horrible and most who manage to escape are roped in by criminal organizations who become the closest thing to a family they’ve ever known. After being treated far better by criminals than they ever were by ‘law abiding’ citizens, most foxes never even consider going legit afterwards, nor feel bad about hurting ordinary mammals. And those that are trying to go straight and prove that foxes are more than shifty lowlifes always end up getting blamed for anything that goes wrong or gets stolen, like no other mammal could possibly be a backstabbing thief.” Nick waved his arms in the air again as a touch of disgust and anger once more entered his voice.

Judy wiped her paw across her eyes, but before she could say anything, Bogo reached into his desk and pulled out a sheet of paper. After putting on his glasses, he started writing and said, “I’ll look into it, Wilde.”

Judy’s ears immediately went up and she twisted around in Nick’s lap to look at the large cape buffalo. “Really!? You’ll start a case looking into the abuse of fox kits in foster care?”

Bogo simply nodded and Nick said, “Seriously? I didn’t know you cared.” Bogo glared at him, and Nick continued, “No, seriously, I didn’t think you would care. Nobody else in authority does.”

Giving a grunt, Bogo explained, “You’re not far off. Three months ago, I wouldn’t have cared, but between you and Hopps I’ve been forced to eat a lot of humble pie. It’s quite bitter. With as much as you’ve given me today, I think I should share it with the rest of the precinct.”

Nick’s smug grin returned, and his tail wagged. “Excellent decision, Chief. You wouldn’t want to be labeled as greedy, now would you?” Bogo ignored the jibe as he continued to fill out a modified incident report (as no incident was actually reported, but merely speculated). “I can assure you,” Nick smirked, “that from personal experience every officer needs a good helping of it—the officer sitting in my lap excluded.”

Bogo raised an eyebrow as he heard Hopps whisper, “Yeah, I already had mine.” Finishing up a few more notes on the form, Bogo commented, “Yes, that is something we’ll need to discuss, Hopps.”

Judy blushed upon realizing the compromising position she was in and hurriedly climbed out of Nick’s lap to sit beside him. Fidgeting with her fingers, she stated, “That’s one of the items on our list of things to discuss with you.”

Bogo finished up the report and glanced up. “List?”

Judy nodded, but it was Nick who answered. “Yes, there are several things we need to discuss with you, but first—was there anything else you needed to ask me?” Nick figured that if he seriously wanted to be a cop and partnered with Judy, then he needed to be upfront about his past with Bogo so it wouldn’t come back to bite him later.

Setting his pen down, Bogo pressed his hooves together and studied the pair for a moment, then asked, “How did you graduate high school at 16?”
“Honey homeschooled me.”

Bogo nodded. Even if he was homeschooled, the fact the smug vulpine was able to graduate at 16 showed just how intelligent he was. After a moment’s thought, he asked, “Why law school? Being a fox, not many mammals will hire you.”

Nick snorted. “Not any that can pay me, that’s for sure.” At Bogo’s raised eyebrow, Nick explained, “My mother was the victim of a heinous crime and I wasn’t going to let some backstabbing lawyer screw her over even more than she already had been.”

Bogo tried to maintain what he hoped was a neutral expression (though it came off more stern than anything) while remaining silent. The smug todd he’d written off so easily was even more of a force to reckon with than the bunny he was snuggled up to.

Nick spread his paws out and said, “Let me paint a scene for you and see if it doesn’t ring a few bells.” Moving his paws to outline a large box, he stated, “During the fall, sixteen years ago, a box about yay-big arrives at the precinct with no return address and no noticeable smell.”

Bogo’s eyes widened as the description of the box alone rang several bells.

Nick continued. “In the box there were several newfangled DVR’s with recorded videos and audio files of several doctors discussing and administering an experimental drug on their low-income, unsuspecting patients. There were also samples of said experimental drug, a list of the patients being experimented on, medical charts showing the effect of the drugs on them, and in a small icebox there were blood samples of a few of the victimized patients.”

Spreading out his paws, Nick asked, “So any bells ringing yet?” Interlocking his fingers, Nick rested his paws on the edge of Bogo’s desk and leaned forward a little with his ears cocked forward and his grin smug and sly.

Bogo didn’t know what to say at first. He knew exactly the box Wilde was talking about, for it contained the evidence needed to open the case that launched his career and set him on the path to becoming chief. Taking a deep breath, Bogo leaned back in his chair and stared at the sly todd. He didn’t even need to ask how Wilde knew what was in the box. And although he wanted to know how the vulpine had been able to gather all the evidence, Bogo didn’t feel like he had the right, not with how he and the rest of the ZPD had treated him and his family.

With a snort, Bogo crossed his arms and said, “I won’t ask how you know that.” Wilde’s grin grew smugger and Bogo snorted again.

“Anything else you’d like to know, Chief?”

Bogo shook his head, but then said, “There’s plenty I’d like to know, but I think I’ll save it for another time.”

Nick nodded, then leaned back into his chair. “Good, because there are several things I should probably discuss with you”—Bogo raised his eyebrow—“but first: What kind of reward is there for helping bring down 2 corrupt mayors and saving the city from terrorist rule?”

Bogo didn’t respond at first, for this was the last thing the Chief expected to be asked. After several moments, he carefully said, “There is a monetary reward, of course, but I’m guessing that’s not what you’re asking about.”

Nick smirked at the chief, even as Judy tilted her head to give him a curious look. “So you didn’t get to be Chief on your good-looks alone. I’m impressed.” Bogo glared and Nick’s sly grin widened. “You’re right. Money is nice, but there are more important things in life.”

Bogo nodded, being only slightly surprised by his words. The fact that the smug todd pushed himself through such a demanding degree even knowing it would never pay, simply so he could defend his mom told the Chief that the vulpine valued his close relationships above anything else. And Hopps, it seems, had somehow earned the same level of commitment and loyalty from the smug todd.

“So what is it you want?”

Nick took a moment before answering as he glanced at Judy. Thinking about what he needed to admit to made him nervous. He didn’t have a criminal record, so the easy thing to do was to keep his mouth shut. But meeting Judy’s bright amethyst gaze, he knew he couldn’t take the easy way out. He had dealings with criminals in his past, and could even be considered one himself, so if he did become her partner and something from his past came up, the chief needed to know about it now. Otherwise, he could very well end up in jail himself and he couldn’t leave Judy with the fallout if that happened. Not only would she be out a partner, but she could be incriminated by association. Nor would he put her through the heartache of having her husband incarcerated.

With a sigh, he turned back to Bogo and squared his shoulders as a resolute gleam entered his eyes. “I want immunity for any past crimes I might have committed.”

Bogo’s eyes widened. Wilde had no criminal history (at least he was never caught for any criminal activities) so why would he fess up to any now? Furthermore, when criminals wanted immunity, it was always for something big.

Nick watched the play of emotions across the cape buffalo’s face. Shock, confusion, caution, and then a hardness entered his gaze. Lifting a finger, Nick spoke up before the Chief could answer. “Before you say anything, just let me clarify. In asking for immunity, I have never killed anyone, I have never bought, sold, or smuggled drugs, nor was I involved in any grand theft.”

Bogo studied the red todd. The smug, sly grin he’d worn for most of the interview was nowhere to be found. He looked determined and sincere. Glancing at Hopps, he saw that she’d slipped her paw into the vulpine’s and gave him an encouraging smile. Wilde must have shared at least part of his past with her, and yet she still trusted him. That had to count for something. As Bogo considered his answer, a hundred different questions flooded his mind. But one stood out and he needed to know the answer. “Why? Why bring this up now? You have no criminal history, so why incriminate yourself?”

To answer, Nick reached into his back pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. Unfolding it, he replied, “Because I don’t want my past to ruin my future.” Meeting the Chief’s surprised gaze, Nick handed him his ZPA application.

Bogo took the small paper with one hoof while reaching into his desk for a large magnifying glass with the other. As the paper came into focus, the chief’s eyes grew wide as saucers. After scanning it to make sure it was filled out properly, he glanced up at Wilde, back to the paper, and then up at Wilde. “Why? Why would you want to be a cop after what we put you and your family through?”

“Simple. Judy asked me to.”

This wasn’t the answer Bogo was expecting. “You’d turn your whole life around and work with mammals that have severely wronged you just because a bunny asked you to?”

Nick’s ears flicked back and he narrowed his eyes in irritation. “Of course not. There’s no way I’d make such a huge change in my life just because some bunny asked me to.” Bogo was shocked at Nick’s statement, and Judy shifted uneasily beside him, but he continued before either could say anything. “I’m turning my life around for Judy, who is not just some bunny.” With a wide grin, Nick added, “You could search the world over and you still won’t find another rabbit quite like Judy. She’s one of a kind, the only one like her on the whole planet.”

Judy cheeks and ears turned several shades pinker at Nick’s compliment. She still wasn’t used to them, but she couldn’t deny how warm and fuzzy they made her feel, especially since she knew he meant every word.

Raising his paws and spreading them out wide, Nick explained, “Judy is brilliant and determined and driven and fearless and has absolutely no sense of self-preservation. Which means she needs a partner who is just as brilliant, determined, and driven in order to keep up with her and stop her from leaping blindly off a cliff in her hot pursuit of justice.”

“Ni-ick!” Judy hissed. She was torn between feeling happy about the complements and annoyed by him saying she’d leap blindly off a cliff.

“What? I’m merely stating the obvious. It wasn’t me who hijacked a train without getting any videos or pictures of the crime scene or the criminals involved. I tried to talk some sense into you, remember? But you ignored me. We were nearly taken out by said criminals when they didn’t take kindly to you stealing their lab. And you didn’t even stop to think that driving your stolen train car onto a main railway track would mean running into the trains that used the track. We’re just lucky there was a separate line we were able to switch to.”

Leaning down and grinning, he added softly, “Nice job kicking that ram onto the switch board, by the way. That was brilliant and your accuracy was superb.”

Judy’s ears turned several shades darker with embarrassment at both her failings and at Nick’s compliment. With a heavy sigh as her ears drooped down behind her back, she stated, “And it was you who grabbed the only evidence available just before the train crashed and blew up all the rest.” With a heavy sigh, she fiddled with her fingers and said, “You’re right, Nick. I have no sense of self-preservation or self-awareness. I see a course of action and just take it.” Glancing up at him, she murmured, “Sorry, Nick, for nearly getting us killed.”

“It’s okay, Carrots. So long as you learned from your mistakes and will at least discuss your ideas with me, then we can look at every aspect and come up with a plan of action that saves the evidence and has the least chance of us dying. Deal?”

Looking up with a watery smile, she sniffled a bit and whispered, “Thanks, Nick.”

“Hey, that’s what partners are for,” he said while reaching over to wipe the tear pooling at the corner of her eye. “You’re not alone anymore, Judy. You don’t have to go it alone. You have me now, so please rely on me.” Giving her a soft smile, he waited for her heart-felt nod, then turned back to the cape buffalo sitting across the desk from them. “So, Chief, what will it be? Will you approve my application into the Police Academy?”

Bogo leaned back in his chair and studied the odd pair. He’d known from the missing mammals case that Hopps could be reckless, but to see how Wilde was able to call her up on it and actually have her take a close look at her failings, and then to take measures to correct those failings—it was obvious the smug vulpine understood Hopps better than anyone else the Chief could partner her with.

With a snort, Bogo turned his attention to the rabbit watching him expectantly. “Is this true, Hopps? You want Wilde as your partner?”

“Yes, sir.” At Bogo’s raised eyebrow, she gave her reasoning. “Until I met Nick, I was always alone. Even when I was surrounded by other mammals, I was always alone when it came to fulfilling my dream. No one would help me. Everyone discouraged me. They said I couldn’t cut it. That it was impossible for a bunny to achieve and that I should just settle. There was never anyone I could rely on. Not even her at the ZPD. Not until I met Nick.”

Taking a deep breath, she continued, “I admit that at first, he only grudgingly helped and wasted a lot of my time, but when he stood up to you and demanded that you give me my last 10 hours, it was a first. It was the first time anyone had stood up for me. And then he went out of his way to see that I succeeded. He could have left me at any time, and anyone else would have. I was just the annoying bunny who was forcing him to help me—but Nick never left. And even after I thoughtlessly betrayed his trust, he still forgave me and then risked his life to help me again.”

At Hopps’ reminder of their time in the Rainforest district, Bogo felt even more of jerk than he already was after listening to Wilde’s tragic past. Humble pie indeed—if he didn’t want them forcing anymore down his throat after today, then he needed to do a serious re-evaluation on his life.

Glancing up at Nick, Judy flashed him a bright smile and added, “We’ve come to understand and read each other so well that I really can’t imagine partnering with anyone else long-term.” Turning back to Bogo, she said, “He’s one in a million, Chief, and I’d be stupid not to keep him.”

Bogo frowned as her words could be taken several different ways. After meeting her steady gaze for a moment, he turned back to Wilde and asked, “Are you absolutely sure this is what you want? You’re not going to quit when things get difficult or boring.”

“I’m absolutely sure of my choice and there is no way I’d quit just because the job became difficult. And boring? As long as I have Fluff with me, the most mundane tasks will be worthwhile.”

Bogo snorted. It was now obvious that the two had feelings for each other, though whether or not they realized the depth of their emotions was yet to be seen. Focusing on Wilde, he asked, “And you want immunity for certain activities you might have participated in while you were . . . younger?”

“That’s correct. I haven’t participated in such activities in the last five years.”

Bogo nodded. For the todd to have chosen not to participate in such activities for so many years meant the chances of him falling back into them was highly unlikely, especially now that Hopps was in his life. She’d keep him honest. “And you’re willingly to go on record with said activities?”

“Yes. As long as I’m guaranteed not to be arrested for them and that the file is locked. I’m not going to run the risk of Judy’s reputation being tainted by association because of something I did over 5 years ago.”

Bogo nodded. The fact that the vulpine was more worried about Judy’s reputation and how his incarceration would affect her negatively spoke of his integrity. And the fact that Hopps had once again slipped her paw in his and was beaming up at him with such trust and devotion told him that whatever Wilde might have done, it wasn’t something she couldn’t accept or live with.

With a heavy sigh, the Chief nodded and said, “Yes, I will sign your application. The rest is up to you, though.” As he reached for his pen, he added, “But we’ll need another signature to get you in on the Mammal Inclusion Initiative.”

Nick nodded, asking, “Can a judge sign it?”

Bogo froze with the pen held in the air and replied, “Judge?” At Wilde’s nod, he answered, “Yes, a judge can sign it.”

“Then ask Judge Daphyd Princeton to sign it. If he knows it’s for me, he won’t hesitate.”

Bogo studied him for a moment, then nodded. With Wilde’s lawyer background, it wasn’t too surprising that the smug todd knew the esteemed judge, but for Wilde to recommend him as the other signer was a surprise. He was very curious to hear what the judge thought of Wilde’s request. But as he dipped his pen down to sign the application, it suddenly disappeared from under his hoof. Glancing up, he saw Wilde holding it.

Nick saw Bogo frown, but he didn’t give the Chief a chance to talk before speaking himself. “Before you sign this and I go through the hell of the academy and the mountain of paperwork I know will be waiting for me once I receive my badge, there is one minor detail we need to discuss.” Raising a paw, Nick held his thumb and pointer finger a centimeter apart.

“Minor detail?” Bogo said irritably.

“Yes. Can you guarantee that Hopps and I will be partners once I graduate?”

“As long as you graduate in the top 5% of your class, then yes, I can guarantee it.”

“What about the fraternization rules?”

“Fraternization rules?”

Chapter Text

Bogo’s frown deepened as he asked, “Fraternization rules?”

“Yes, fraternization rules. If Judy and I are in a romantic relationship, can you still guarantee that we’ll be partners after I graduate?”

Bogo scowled then looked at Hopps. “You and Wilde are in a romantic relationship?”

Judy’s ears were burning bright red and she dropped them behind her back. Interlocking her fingers to keep from fidgeting, she said, “Well, after having several heartfelt discussions in the last two days about our past, the present, and our hopes for the future, Nick asked me to be his girlfriend last night and I accepted.”

Bogo turned his scowl back to Wilde. Although he knew they were developing feelings for each other, they seemed to be moving awfully fast—even by bunny standards.

Nick held his paws up and said, “Hey, don’t look at me like that. I’m a red fox, and we do very long courtships and really short engagements. The vixen, though, ultimately sets the pace of our relationship.” With a grin curving his muzzle, he added, “As it just so happens, I had my heart stolen by an energetic, impatient bunny who pointed out that we waited long enough to find each other, and we shouldn’t waste any more time now that we have each other.” Grinning with happiness, Nick shrugged his shoulders and added, “Who am I to argue with such sound logic?”

Bogo snorted, then turned his attention back to Hopps. “Is this true?”

“Well, Chief,” Judy started as she slipped her paw back into Nick’s, “life is short. We nearly died several times in under 12 hours. And setting aside the whole ‘being a cop is a risky job’, Nick’s dad was brutally murdered, his brother was the victim of a hit and run, I’ve had several siblings die due to illness and accidents, and there’s a myriad of other ways we could die. I hope we’ll have a long productive life, but the future isn’t certain. And I know what I want, what I need—and that’s Nick. No one has ever done for me what he has. No one understands me like he does. And no one has ever made me feel the way I do about him.”

With a sweet smile, she added, “All it took was one ear massage to know I didn’t want anyone else touching me.” With a shrug, she said, “What can I say? He’s it for me and I don’t need time to make it any clearer.”

Turning his sharp gaze back to Wilde, who was giving Hopps a warm expression, Bogo asked, “Is this how you feel as well?”

“Absolutely, 100 percent. I’m a red fox and we commit for life. We don’t play the field. We don’t do it over. It’s one and done.” Slipping his paw around her shoulder and running his claws lightly down her arm (causing her to shiver slightly), he leaned forward and said smugly, “Fluff here has told me in no uncertain terms that I am to put a ring on her finger and marry her before her birthday in September.” His wide grin split his whole face and showcased his white fangs as he explained, “By the time I enter the Academy, we’ll already be husband and wife.”

Bogo’s ears flattened against his head and his muzzle turned down in a deep frown. Glancing over, he asked, “Hopps?”

Judy pressed her fingertips together and met his gaze, saying, “What can I say? Nick is all I want, and you know how impatient I am.”

As Bogo turned his questioning gaze back to him, Nick said, “I’m a red todd, which means Judy’s the boss. I’ll gladly follow her anywhere.”

Bogo seemed to deflate as he slumped back in his chair. Running his hooves down his face, he then looked at the two small mammals across from him and stated, “You two can’t do anything easy can you?”

Nick leaned forward and, with a bit of heat lacing his words, said, “I’m a fox and society determined the day I was born that I wasn’t worthy of having anything easy.”

Judy spoke up beside him, saying, “I’m a bunny who aspired to be a cop—nothing was easy for me.”

With another heavy sigh, Bogo said, “Fine. I can tell this is a losing battle.”

“So we’ll be able to be partners even though we’re married?” Nick asked eagerly.

Bogo didn’t answer right away. Although pred-prey couples were practically unheard of, and he’d never put much stock in them before, especially since predators had a reputation for being aggressive . . . but now. . . Looking at the fox and bunny across from him, he thought they could actually make it work. Hopps was no push over, and Wilde seemed to put Hopps’ needs above his own.

And as for them working together on the force, as long as one wasn’t the other’s superior, it was really left up to the Precinct Chief to determine if they remained partners or not. Some officers needed to be separated in order to keep focused when in a relationship, while others only seemed to work well with their significant other. From the way they were talking earlier, Hopps and Wilde seemed to be in the latter group. But before he agreed to Wilde’s condition for applying, he was curious about one thing. “If I can’t guarantee you’ll be partners, or I simply choose not to put you together, what will you do, Wilde?”

Nick studied the cape buffalo for several moments, then relaxed back in his chair and said with a sly grin, “Then I go down with my good buddy Finn and register as a P.I. Then Judy can hire me as an outside consultant to help her on some of her cases and you’ll have to pay me extra.” Turning to Judy, he asked, “How much does outside consultants get paid? Double or more what beat cops get paid?”

Judy nodded. “Depending on the size of the case and the level of danger involved, it could be triple or quadruple what us beat cops are paid.” Nick nodded, but then Judy added, “And you can also sign up as a bounty hunter. A bit more paperwork is involved than a P.I. but it is possible.”

Nick’s ears perked up. “Oh, really? Why didn’t you mention that last night at dinner? Finn and I could have a lot of fun as bounty hunters.” Tilting his head in thought, he added, “Finn would make an awesome bounty hunter since no one would take him seriously due to his small size.” Turning back to Bogo, Nick smirked, “So there you have it, Chief. I’ll be a P.I. and a bounty hunter, kicking criminal tails while following my own rules, only half your regulations, and filling out only the bare minimum of paperwork I can get away with.”

Bogo stared at the two smug mammals in horror at the ideas Hopps and Wilde had just presented to him. Snatching the application from Wilde’s paw, he quickly scrawled his name across it, then pointed his pen at the two of them and said in no uncertain terms, “I’ll guarantee you’ll be partners, but if I see any PDA or notice your work slacking because you’re distracted by each other, then not only will I separate you both, but I’ll put you in different districts. Do I make myself clear?”

“Absolutely. 100 percent. I’d expect nothing less from you, Chief.”

Judy nodded and added to Nick’s comment by saying, “There’s no way I’d let our relationship get in the way of our job. Being a cop is risky enough without personal distractions.”

Bogo nodded, but before he could say anything more, the phone began ringing. The sound was loud and sharp, causing both Nick and Judy to jump at the unexpected noise. “Bloody phone,” Bogo grumbled under his breath. Being without a mayor for the second time in three months meant the city council was hounding him with questions. They’d finally picked a candidate for the intern-mayor position but were still scrambling with the implications of Bellwether’s crimes and the policies she’d put in motion that would have slowly made life harder and harder for predators, especially in the work force.

They’d even thrown together a panel of mammals to review the policies she’d enacted as mayor to determine which ones were unconstitutional. With a scowl, Bogo pressed the answer button and said with a politeness he didn’t feel, “Please hold. I’ll be with you in a moment.” Releasing the button, he turned back to Hopps and Wilde as he pulled his desk drawer open. Taking out a tiny badge, he handed it to Hopps. “I believe this is yours.”

Judy took the badge reverently and ran her paw lightly over it. Looking back at the Chief, he answered the question in her eyes by saying, “It looks like our meeting is over. You’re already in the system Hopps, so you and Wilde can type up your official statements and email them to Grizzolli. He’s heading the case.”

After Judy’s nod, Bogo turned to Wilde, saying, “I’ll need to discuss your request for immunity, but I don’t see it being a problem, not with how you’ve helped the city. We will need to set up an appointment to go over your past activities, though.”

Nick nodded. This was to be expected. “Can I meet with you Monday after Judy’s doctor appointment?”

“Yes. That’ll give me time to talk to Judge Princeton.” Taking a deep breath and momentarily glaring at the phone with its blinking red light (he really didn’t want to answer it), he turned his gaze back to the mammals across from him and said, “Dismissed.”

Judy nodded and slipped her badge into her pocket, but then Nick nudged her and jerked his head toward Bogo. At her questioning look, he whispered, “Your lunch date? That we’re now late for.”

Judy’s eyes widened and she quickly glanced at the clock. It was almost 10 minutes past 11. “Right, um, Chief, there’s one last little thing I need to inform you about.”

“Which is?” Bogo said as he crossed his arms while trying to ignore the annoying red light blinking on his phone.

“Remember the shrew I saved when I caught Weaselton 3 months ago?”

“Yes. It was Francesca Big. Her father gave you the lead to Manchas.”

“Yes, well, I ran into . . .” Judy paused as she didn’t even know Fru-Fru’s first name until now, “Francesca . . . again not long after I returned to the city.” At Bogo’s blank stare, she continued, “Francesca is pregnant and is naming her daughter after me. She’s also making me her daughter’s godmother.”

Bogo’s jaw dropped. “You’re going to be the godmother of Big’s granddaughter!?”

“Hm, yes. I’m also friends with Fru-Fru, I mean, Francesca. I just thought you should know so there’s no misunderstandings on why I might be seen around town with her.”

“And what kind of misunderstandings would that be?” Bogo ground out. Having a cop taking orders from the biggest mob boss in Tundratown wasn’t good.

Judy’s ears drooped, but it was Nick who spoke up. “Look, Chief, Judy is a dedicated cop, who’d rather give up her badge than taint it. Big knows this. Furthermore, Judy saved his daughter’s life, and by extension, his grandchildren. For Big, you can’t put a price tag on family, which means he owes Judy bigtime. And due to her friendship with Francesca, he now sees her as part of the family, so he’ll never do anything to disrespect her—such as asking her to dishonor the oath she took when she became a cop.”

Bogo continued to stare at the vulpine while he rolled the fox’s words around in his head. It was crazy logic, and yet made perfect sense. And Wilde was right about Hopps’ dedication. Bogo studied her earnest expression for several heartbeats, then snorted. Turning his gaze back to Wilde, he asked, “And you know so much about the mob boss . . . how?”

Nick’s ears flicked back, then straightened again. “We’ll discuss all that on Monday.” At Bogo’s death glare, he quickly added, “If it means anything, Honey was aware of most of the stuff I was involved in. She was a second mother to me and I didn’t hide things from her.” He didn’t bother telling Bogo that his success with the mob boss was largely due to the spy-type gadgets Honey let him and Finnick test out.

Hearing that Honey knew of his involvement was a shock to Bogo, but it did alleviate most of his lingering misgivings about the sly todd. With another snort, Bogo jerked his head toward the door, saying, “Get out of here, I have a phone call to answer.”

This time, Nick didn’t hesitate to scoop Judy up and jump to the floor. Quickly sitting her in the wheelchair, he then spun her around and they were out the door just as quick as he could get the door open. They hightailed it down the hallway as they were now really late meeting Fru-Fru.

As they entered the elevator, though, Judy spoke softly, saying, “Nick?” Nick lowered his head to hear her better, and as his snout came to rest just above her head, Judy reached up with both paws and scratched at the base of each of his ears. As he hummed in pleasure, she whispered, “I know this isn’t much, but I promise to make it up to you just as soon as I can.”

Nick hummed happily a moment longer, then stood up as the elevator dinged and the doors opened. It didn’t take them long to make their way across the lobby, but as they did, Nick noticed that the stares he was getting weren’t the same ones he’d received when they came through earlier.

As they made their way down the corridor leading to the parking lot, he leaned down and whispered, “Is it just me, or was everyone looking at me weird?”

Judy glanced up over her shoulder. “You’re a fox, don’t people normally look at you weird?”

Nick shook his head. “This was different. Wary, disgusted, disgruntled, angry—these looks I’m used to, but back there—they were just odd. I couldn’t read them and that doesn’t happen very often.”

Judy shrugged. “Maybe it had to do with how Staggson tried to book you and I stood up and threatened to book him.”

Nick flicked an ear and straightened up. “Yeah, maybe.”

Companionable silence followed them the rest of the way to the jeep, nor did they say anything as they drove the short distance to the Zootopia Central Station and parked on the second level of the parking garage. But as Judy unbuckled her seatbelt, Nick leaned across the console and caressed her cheek as he slipped a paw around to the back of her head.

As Judy glanced up in surprise, he murmured, “One last thing before I go out there and pretend I’m not crazy in love with you.” And then his lips pressed against hers with his tongue demanding entrance, which she gladly granted.

Judy groaned into the passionate kiss, her paws slipping around Nick’s neck and tugging him down deeper into the kiss. He growled at her excited, demanding response as his tail wagged excitedly between them. They finally came up for air and panted while trying to replenish their dwindling air supply.
With a bright smile, Judy ran her fingers through the fur of his cheek. “Thanks,” she whispered breathlessly. “I needed that.”

Nick’s wide grin matched her own and he booped her nose with his own. Releasing her, he sat back and grabbed the box of red hots, then shook them at her with a sly grin on his face.

Judy blushed as red as the candies but readily accepted a few of the bright cinnamon pieces. Sucking on them, she waited for Nick to come around and help her into the wheelchair. It didn’t take them long to reach the indoor café where Fru-Fru waited for them.

“Judy!” the arctic shrew’s voice carried over the crowd as Nick wheeled Judy to her friend’s table. “I hope you don’t mind, but I went ahead and ordered for you.”

“That’s perfect, Fru-Fru.” Lifting her arms, Judy let Nick pick her up and set her in her chair, then he sat down beside her.

After Fru-Fru and Judy hugged (Judy was very careful of her friend’s very round belly), the tiny shrew glanced at Nick and said, “I also ordered you a seafood burrito. That’s what you like, right?”

Nick grinned and his tail wagged briefly. “My favorite, thanks.” Fru-Fru nodded, but then Nick continued, “I’ll have to take it to go, though. I have an errand to run.”

Both females’ eyes widened, as neither expected Nick to scamper off. “Are you sure, Nick?” Fru-Fru asked. “You don’t have to leave. You’re more than welcome to stay.”

Nick’s eyes flickered the briefest moment towards the arctic shrew’s bodyguard who sat glaring at him from a bench a few feet away. Bringing his gaze back to Fru-Fru, he replied, “I’m sure. There’s a few things I need to pick up, and since I know Judy is safe in your capable paws,”—he flicked his gaze to the polar bear’s—“and yours, Raymond, now would be the best time to go.”

“Well, okay,” Fru-Fru murmured while rubbing her belly. Little Judy was quite active already. Studying Nick, she wasn’t happy about him leaving as she wanted to watch how he interacted with Judy.

As Fru-Fru turned her attention back to her friend, Nick spoke up again. “One thing before I go.” As the tiny shrew turned her gaze back to him, he said, “I need you to deliver a message to your dad.”

“To daddy?”

Nick nodded. “Judy asked me to join her at the ZPD and be her partner. Since I don’t trust anyone else to watch her back and keep her safe, I agreed. We already talked to Bogo and he accepted my application.”

Fru-Fru’s eyes widened and Raymond’s ears flattened against his head. Nick had a ton of dirt on Big and his operation. If he took it to the police, he could easily hang the mob boss.

“My message to your father is that I’m doing this for Judy. I’m not planning to rat out your dad. As long as he doesn’t dredge up the past, then neither will I.” Glancing at Judy, he added, “That doesn’t mean I can overlook any new crimes I might learn about, any more than Judy can, but I’m willing to leave the past in the past.”

Fru-Fru’s nose twitched, then she turned her gaze to Judy’s. “Is this true? You want Nick as your partner?”

Judy nodded several times. “Yes. He’s the only one I really trust, and I already know we work well together. I would’ve died several times over and I wouldn’t have gotten any of the evidence or Bellwether’s confession if Nick hadn’t been with me.”

“Well, okay,” Fru-Fru said. She still felt a little uneasy, but Nick had never lied to them before and in the five years since he’d left, he’d never led the cops to any of their operations or hideouts, which eased some of Fru-Fru’s worries. “I’ll let daddy know.”

“Thanks, Fru-Fru, you’re the best,” Nick replied back. After the little shrew nodded Nick then said, “Well, I better get going. It was nice seeing you again, and thanks for lunch.” Grabbing his burrito Nick stood and turned to Judy. “See ya, Carrots. I’ll be back in time to meet your sisters when the train arrives. Call if you need anything.”

Judy nodded, saying, “Yeah, I’ll see you in a little bit.” She was really curious about where Nick was going as he hadn’t said anything to her.

Nick gave her his usual grin, but there was a softness in his gaze he showed only to her. Turning around, he sauntered back towards the parking garage and the waiting jeep.

Judy and Fru-Fru watched him go, then Fru-Fru turned to Judy and said in her high, shrill voice, “I really wish he had stayed. I wanted to see how he interacts with you.”

Judy shrugged as she started on the Greek pasta and side salad Fru-Fru had ordered for her. It was mouthwateringly good, and she wondered if she could find the recipe online.

“It doesn’t bother you when he calls you Carrots? It seems a bit derogatory.”

Judy glanced up and then grinned. Swallowing her mouthful, she answered, “When he first started calling me Carrots, I hated it. But that was because he was using it as an insult, but after he stopped wasting my time and actually started helping . . .” Judy shrugged. “Nick now uses it as a term of endearment, so I don’t mind. But since he has several pet names for me, I’ve been trying to come up with some good ones for him.”

Fru-Fru’s nose twitched. “Are you sure he actually likes you? I mean ‘likes’ likes you? I can’t see how he’s treating you any differently from all the other females he’s been around.”

Judy looked up from her food again. “We’re in public so he put his mask back on. If we can, we’d like to keep our relationship under the radar until he graduates.” As a dreamy smile spread across her face, she added, “Trust me when I say that Nick was anything but indifferent back in the jeep.” At Fru-Fru’s questioning gaze, she explained. “Nick gave me a really passionate kiss just before we got out. Said it was a necessity before we got out and he once again had to pretend not to be crazy-in-love with me.”

Fru-Fru’s jaw dropped, and Raymond’s ears twitched from where he’d been half listening while keeping an eye on their surroundings. Big would never forgive him if anything happened to his child or grandchild.

“Wait!” Fru-Fru squeaked shrilly. “You’ve kissed Nick!? Like, kissed-kissed him? On the mouth?”

“Hmmm,” Judy hummed as she brought a paw up and rested her cheek on it. “Oh, yeah. Nick is a fantastic kisser.”

Fru-Fru studied Judy’s dreamy face and couldn’t believe Nick Wilde, of all mammals, was the one responsible for it. He avoided kisses (or any kind of affection) as if he’d catch the plague. “Did Nick kiss you or did you . . . ?”

“Oh, no, Nick would never make the first move. He’s a todd, and as he always says, I’m the boss.” Judy’s mind wandered again, but then she turned back to her friend and said, “We talked about taking our relationship slow, but, well . . .” She shrugged with a sheepish smile on her face as her ears flushed red. “After waiting so long to find Nick, I’m finding myself feeling really impatient.” With another shrug, she added, “I stole Nick’s first kiss and then he happily gave me his second one.”

Fru-Fru could only stare at her friend, unable to comprehend what she was hearing. It was obvious that Judy had very fond memories of kissing Nick, and yet the little shrew couldn’t get her head wrapped around the idea that Nick Wilde was actually kissing someone. That he wanted to kiss someone. And the fact that that someone was not only her friend but a rabbit as well—Fru-Fru just couldn’t picture it.

Finally, Fru-Fru spoke. “I’m not doubting you or anything, Judy, but I’m having a hard time picturing Nick kissing anyone. He never cared about that sort of thing before.”

Judy took a bite of her salad while considering her friend’s words. The tiny shrew obviously didn’t understand Nick very well. Of course, that was probably Nick’s fault for always wearing a mask of sarcasm and indifference.

Swallowing her bite, Judy met her friend’s questioning gaze and asked, “Tell me Fru-Fru, of all the vixens that were chasing Nick, did any seem like the family type? Can you name one that would have committed 100 percent to Nick if he’d shown any interest in her? Or were they merely looking for some fun and a hot bed?”

Fru-Fru didn’t answer right away as she considered the vixens that Nick rejected. After thinking for several moments, she said, “Well, when you put it like that, I guess not. I can’t really see any of them settling down with one todd.”

“And there’s your answer. Nick rejected them because he didn’t consider them worth his time.” With a bright smile, she added, “As Nick told me, it’s all or nothing, one and done. For him, there’s no do over, no ‘Sorry, I made a mistake’. Nick was waiting for someone he could give his whole heart and soul to, and who would give him hers in return.”

Fru-Fru took a sip of the slushy she’d ordered earlier with her lunch while she thought through Judy’s words. It was hard to believe that Nick was waiting to commit to such a degree. When it came to relationships, he always acted so nonchalant, annoying, and indifferent. And although Nick seemed happy enough while working for her dad (he made friends easily enough and enjoyed making those around him laugh), he never really invested himself emotionally. The only times he showed his real emotions was when he was angry, and then it was a cold, calculating, smoldering anger that usually led to misery for the one responsible.

While going over the things that set him off, Fru-Fru’s eyes widened and she reached out to put a tiny paw on Judy’s much larger one. “Oh, Judy, I just thought of something. If you’re going to be living with Nick, there’s something you need to avoid so he doesn’t get mad at you.”

“Oh?” asked Judy. “And what would that be?”

Chapter Text

Judy couldn’t think of anything Nick would get majorly angry at her for, so her curiosity was piqued on what Fru-Fru would tell her.

“Well,” continued the little shrew, “Nick is highly territorial about his room. When he was staying at daddy’s place, he absolutely forbade anyone from entering it. On rare occasions he’d invite someone in, but otherwise his room was off limits.”

“And what did he do when someone entered uninvited?” Judy's curiosity was truly piqued now, as Nick never once showed any signs of him not wanting her in his room. He didn’t even shut his door.

“It depended on who came in. He’d always give them a warning about getting out and staying out, but if they ignored his warning he got mean.”

“He’d get mean? How so?” Judy asked while finishing up her pasta. Nick was pretty mean to her after she caught him hustling, but she didn’t think Fru-Fru was talking about his smart mouth and cutting retorts. So what did her friend mean that Nick got mean when someone entered his room uninvited? Did he get violent? Judy had a hard time visualizing Nick as the violent type, but he had told her he was good at fighting.

“Well,” Fru-Fru continued, “If the mammal was doing it simply to annoy Nick, then he’d dig up dirt or embarrassing stories about them and spread them around. Not that anyone could pinpoint Nick as the one who started the rumors, but after a few times of this happening, it wasn’t hard to figure it out. Daddy had hired Nick to gather information for him, after all.”

Judy nodded as she remembered what Nick did to Nakita and Stan for setting him up to be iced by Mr. Big. After swallowing her last bite of pasta, she then asked, “And if they weren’t invading his room to annoy him?”

Fru-Fru’s nose twitched while remembering when Nick worked for her dad and lived at their mansion. “Although Nick didn’t flaunt his ability, he was one of daddy’s best fighters. So when we got new hires, some didn’t believe it, especially since Nick preferred talking his way out of trouble, or simply running if that looked like the safer bet. Anyway, there were many times when some of the more violent new hires thought they’d put Nick in his place.” Fru-Fru shrugged as she added, “Barging into his room was the quickest way to get him to fight.”

Judy was highly intrigued to hear of this side of Nick’s life and got her excited about sparring with him. Although he’d admitted to being rusty, if he really was that good, then it wouldn’t take long for her to whip him into shape. Turning her attention back to her friend, Judy asked, “Did he ever get bested?”

“No, not when it came to defending his room. Everyone underestimated him for being a fox, and he used that against them. He also liked to talk smack about them and taunt them while avoiding their attacks. He was a slippery little eel and would work his opponents into a blind fury before starting his counterattack. It worked every time.”

Judy grinned as she could totally see Nick taunting his opponents in order to get them angry enough to make mistakes. He was an articulate fella, after all.

Chuckling at her own joke, as well as the image of Nick talking smack to those who thought he was just a shifty, weak fox, Judy then said to Fru-Fru, “Well, if being pulled into bed with Nick is my punishment for invading his territory, then I might have to come up with more ways to make him mad at me.”

“Huh?” Fru-Fru murmured in confusion. “Judy, sweetie, did you hit your head the other day? I thought you just said Nick pulled you into bed with him?”

With a wide grin, Judy explained, “This morning I slipped into Nick’s room to wake him up. Instead of getting up, he pulled me into bed with him. We both fell back asleep and were almost late for our meeting with Bogo.” With her grin widening while remembering being cocooned by her handsome todd boyfriend, Judy leaned down and whispered to her friend, “And let me tell you, having Nick as my personal, heated blanket was wonderful.”

Fru-Fru was speechless. There was no way they were talking about the same Nick Wilde. The Nick Wilde she knew couldn’t be paid enough to kiss somebody and cuddling with anyone in his bed—hell would freeze over first.

Watching her friend’s stunned expression, Judy felt almost giddy with happiness. Nick had shown her a side of him—the real him—that he’d shown to no one else. This soft, passionate, and caring side of Nick was for her and her alone. After swallowing a bite of salad, she said to her friend, “Like I told you on the phone yesterday—Nick will never break my heart because he’s already given me his.”

******

Nick drove across the old, stone bridge where Judy had found him just two days ago. It seemed like forever and a half ago. He still couldn’t believe she’d tracked him down to ask for his help again. And then her apology—it still warmed his heart to think about it since no one, absolutely no one, who wasn’t family (and yes, he considered Honey and Finnick family) had ever apologized to him without making some excuse and pushing responsibility for their actions onto someone or something else. No one but Judy, who was not only a rabbit (which was shocking in and of itself), but also a cop. And after all the injustice and prejudice he’d suffered directly at the paws of so many different officers, this fact alone knocked him off his feet and left him feeling dazed.

Taking a deep breath while following the gravel road, he passed through the overgrown, weed infested lot that once stood as the large parking lot, though you couldn’t tell to look at it now. Nature had sprung up to reclaim the abandoned lot and choked it out with tall grasses, small shrubs, and several seedling trees. Stopping the jeep in front of the warehouse, with its once brightly painted sign now faded and peeling, Nick took a deep breath while looking over the dilapidated building. The inside was in much better shape, but it was safer to maintain the building’s abandoned look.

Turning the jeep off, he opened the door and slid out, then hurried to the employees’ entrance on the building’s side. Since he had to deal with traffic, his timeframe to pick up his stuff was limited. Pulling out the ancient key, he quickly unlocked the heavy deadbolt and opened the door wide, which illuminated the dark hallway. Not bothering to flip on the hall light, he relied on his night vision as he made his way further into the large, cavernous warehouse.

******

Bogo slammed the phone back on the base and glared at it for several moments. The city council had just ordered him to an emergency meeting to discuss involving the ZBI and AIA, seeing as Bellwether’s plot was viewed as an act of terrorism.

Groaning, he slumped back in his chair and ran his hooves over his face. As if he didn’t have enough on his plate already, now he might have to babysit the feds. The meeting wasn’t scheduled until after lunch, so he had a little bit of time. Glancing down at his desk, he saw once again Wilde’s ZPA application and the incident report on the foster care system.
Reaching back over, he grabbed the phone and dialed Officer Bransen’s extension. When the Kodiak bear answered, Bogo said, “Bransen, I need you to relieve Staggson of his post for a few minutes. There’s something I need to discuss with him.”

“Okay, boss,” the older bear drawled. “Anything else ya need?”

“Yes, there is. Once Staggson returns to his post, I need you to go down to records and bring me the evidence box for case number C6328-9531.”

“Number C6328-9531?” Bransen repeated back as he scribbled the number down.

“That’s correct.”

“Got it, boss. I’ll be up with it just as soon as I can.”

Bogo didn’t bother answering but sat waiting for the deer officer to arrive. When he did, Bogo barked a loud, “Enter.” As officer Staggson slunk into the office, the cape buffalo motioned to the chair with a smile on his face that didn’t reach his eyes.

Staggson sat with his ears penned back and Bogo asked, “Do you mind telling me why Officer Hopps and her friend were late to their meeting at 10?”

“Well, sir, I didn’t know the fox was with Officer Hopps. He just looked like another shifty fox to me.”

“Another shifty fox? And what does a shifty fox look like? Because the fox that arrived in my office was clean, well groomed, and dressed for an interview.” Which he was, Bogo realized in hindsight. Wilde had arrived with the clear intention of having an interview for his new career choice. It spoke well of the todd that his desire to join wasn’t a last-minute decision.

Anger and disgust entered Staggson’s voice as he spat out, “It was a filthy fox wanting to join the ZPA! Of course, he was shifty!”

Bogo simply stared at his officer for several heartbeats, then, with steel in his voice, asked, “Tell me, Officer Staggson, is it your job to determine who is qualified to enter the ZPA.”

“What, sir?”

“Is it your job to determine who enters the ZPA?”

“Well, no, sir. It’s not.”

“Then why did you act like it was? If someone wants a ZPA application, then you give it to them. There are others who are hired to review the ZPA applications and to approve or reject the applicants. That’s their job, yours is to be helpful and informative to anyone coming into the ZPD.”

“But he’s a freaking fox! There’s no way he’d be allowed in the ZPD!”

Bogo raised an eyebrow at the deer’s outburst. If this is how all the officers thought about foxes, and Wilde specifically, he was even more surprised at Hopps’ ability to convince the jaded fox to join. Bogo’s respect for the smug todd increased as well, seeing better what the vulpine had willingly signed up for—all in order to keep his friend safe. Of course, actually getting paid to spend all day with her certainly helped, he was sure.

After studying his bigoted officer a moment longer, Bogo then reached into his desk and pulled out the fox shock collar he still had there. Tossing it to his stunned officer (who nearly dropped it in surprise), he asked, “Tell me, Staggson, how would you like to wear that all day every day? How would you feel seeing it on your wife and fawns?”

The deer turned the device over in his hands for a minute before realizing what it was, then quickly tossed it back onto Bogo’s desk like it was a live wire. With ears flat against his head and in a quavering voice, he asked, “Sir?”

“That evil little device is what Bellwether had in store for every predator in Zootopia and the surrounding towns. The only reason she was stopped was because of Wilde.”

Staggson’s brows furrowed. “But Hopps . . .”

Bogo nodded, “Yes, it was Hopps’ case and her clues that brought the Nighthowler conspiracy to light, but Wilde was the tipping point. Hopps would have died if Wilde hadn’t been with her. The evidence of the nighthowler serum would never have been collected and Bellwether’s plot would never have been discovered nor her confession recorded. It was all thanks to Wilde that Hopps succeeded and we were able to put an end to Bellwether’s terrorist plot.”

Staggson’s mouth dropped open and he stared, stunned.

Leaning forward, Bogo tapped his desk with his hoof, saying, “So you better think twice about how you treat that fox the next time you see him.”

Staggson gave a shaky nod and Bogo leaned back in his chair, the insincere smile returning to his mouth. “Now, about the slew of citations Hopps wants to slap you with.” Staggson’s eyebrows climbed his forehead, and Bogo continued, “Hopps and Wilde are willing to drop the charges, but only if I properly punish you. So I hope you enjoy your temporary transfer to Tundratown—as their newest meter maid.”

“What!? No! I can’t go to Tundratown! I’ll freeze.”

Bogo’s grin grew wider. “Then you better dress warmly.” Putting his hooves together, Bogo continued, “You’ll finish your shift today and then tomorrow morning you’ll report to Precinct 5 at 8 o’clock sharp. Once you return from your 3-month stint, I hope to never hear or see any speciesism from you again.”

“You can’t do that!”

“I can and I will.”

“But I’m not the only one who’s specist on the force!”

“Yes, I know. But as I stated in my morning briefing, which, unfortunately, you missed, all that is going to change. I will no longer tolerate speciesism in the workplace. If you don’t like a species, I don’t care, but it will no longer be acceptable behavior when you’re on the clock. Anyone else I catch dishonoring their badge with specist remarks or uncalled for behavior will be joining you in Tundratown.”

Staggson ground his teeth in frustration and anger, so Bogo gave him another option. “If this seems unfair to you, you can always wear one these delightful little shock collars for your 3-month punishment.”

The buck froze in terror at the thought of the little electrical device being strapped around his neck. Shuddering, he tried to push the nightmarish thoughts away and met Bogo’s stern gaze. “I’ll report to Precinct 5 first thing in the morning, sir.”

“Good.” Sitting up a bit straighter, Bogo then hollered, “Dismissed.”

After the buck stomped out of his office, Bogo thought about Wilde’s request for immunity. If he was already meeting with the city council today, he could bring it up afterwards. There were only 5 council members with the power to approve or deny it, so he wouldn’t have to discuss Wilde’s possible criminal activities with the whole council—which was good. The fewer mammals who knew about it, the better. The foremost, of course, would be intern-Mayor, Timothy Bisiorn, an Anamalian Bison who was the former District Attorney before moving on to politics, so he should know Wilde from his time in court. Of the other 4 council members, only one should be a problem—an Iberian lynx named Karl Kushka. He was fairly prejudice and quite outspoken about it, so he would need something drastic to convince the lynx to approve Wilde’s pardon.

Thinking of the large amount of evidence they’d collected on Bellwether and her terrorist plot against predators, Bogo figured he could borrow some of it to drive the point home to the specist council member on what exactly Wilde had prevented from happening to him and his family. Seeing as Koshka wouldn’t have been spared the horrors Bellwether planned to unleash on the whole predator population, Bogo figured an object lesson should sway his mind—he hoped. And if not, then the other council members should.

While waiting for Officer Bransen to enter with the file box, Bogo made one last phone call to Sargent Higgins to prepare the evidence he needed and have it ready for him when he came by shortly to pick it up. It was only a few minutes later that the large Kodiak bear knocked on his door.

“Chief, I brought what ya asked for,” the large, brown bear drawled.

“Thanks, Bransen. Set it on my desk and take a seat.”

Bransen raised an eyebrow, but did as he was asked, then watched the Chief open the box and glance inside.

Satisfied with the contents, Bogo then met his officer’s curious gaze and asked, “Do you remember the Meadowlands Medical Center Scandal from about 16 years ago?”

“Yeah, I do,” Bransen muttered. “Nasty business that. All those poor mammals being experimented on.” He shook his head sadly.

“Yes, very nasty business.” Waving his hoof over the box, Bogo said, “This is the evidence sent to us that opened the case. I want you to sniff this and see if you can’t catch the scent of fox on any of it.”

“Fox?” Bransen asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes. I have reason to believe a fox was the one who gathered all this evidence and sent it to us.”

Bransen shrugged, then stuck his large, black nose inside the box and took several deep breaths. All he smelled was the faded, stale scent of the several officers who’d handled the evidence all those years ago. At Bogo’s nod, the brown bear began taking items out one at a time and sniffing them extensively.

Everything he brought out simply smelled of the officers who’d handled them.
With just one item left, he didn’t have much hope. Picking up a small, foam icebox, Bransen flicked an ear in question.

“That held several blood samples laced with the experimental drug.”

With his keen sense of smell, Bransen stuck his nose in. At first, he didn’t smell anything but styrofoam, but in the bottom corner a faint scent tickled his nose. Sticking his nose up against the spot, he inhaled deeply. The strong smell of styrofoam about made him dizzy, but he did pick up the slight scent of fox musk.

Lifting his face to look at Bogo, he said, “It’s really faint, but there is fox musk in there.”

With a nod, Bogo handed Wilde’s application over while asking, “This fox musk?”

Bransen took the paper and sniffed it. Sneezing as the pungent scent of fox musk flooded his sensitive nostrils, he shook his head to dispel the strong odor, then stuck his nose back in the styrofoam box. “Unless he has a brother, I’d say it was the same fox.”

Bogo snorted. “Had. Had a brother.” At Bransen’s questioning gaze, he explained, “His brother was the victim of a drunk driver. We let his killer walk.” Bransen’s ears penned back against his head. “We didn’t bring in his father’s killer, either, even with two eyewitnesses.”

“What!”

“They were foxes,” Bogo growled out bitterly, “Nobody cared.”

Although Bransen didn’t have the greatest view of foxes, he took his job seriously and would never have overlooked murder, no matter who the victim was. With an angry snort, the brown bear folded his arms and stared at the wall. No matter the victim’s species, no killer should be allowed to walk—and for such an injustice to happen, not just once, but twice, to the same mammal and his family—it was just sick and wrong. So why would the todd go out of his way to help those who continually wronged him?

Turning back to Bogo, he voiced his question. “So why help? Collecting all this stuff couldn’t have been easy? So why bother?”

Bogo nodded, then said, “He knew a fox would never be taken seriously, hence why he sent the evidence anonymously and tried to keep his scent off of it.” Picking up the list of victims, Bogo flipped through the sheets until he found the name he knew would be there—Wilde, Vivian Anya—Wilde’s mother. Flipping the sheet around and laying it at the edge of his desk closest to his officer, Bogo jabbed his hoof at the name.

Bransen leaned forward to read the words, then glanced up at Bogo.

“He did it to save his mom. After watching his father’s and brother’s killers walk, he wasn’t about to let these criminals murder his mother and get away with, too.”

Bransen studied the vixen’s name again as he considered what the todd was willing to do to save the woman dearest to him. Knowing he’d be the one in jail, or dead, if he was caught gathering the evidence, the young todd still took the risk to protect his mom. Bransen’s respect for the sly vulpine increased. Turning his gaze back to the paper that contained the todd’s scent, the old bear’s brows climbed his forehead again as he realized what the form was, and then did a double take when he read the name.

“Nicholas P. Wilde?” Bransen questioned, then added, “As in Nick Wilde? The fox who helped Hopps?”

Bogo nodded, then pounded the desk with his hoof. “Helped her, saved her and the evidence, and was key in Hopps getting a confession from Bellwether. You and every predator in the city would be collared by this time next year if not for Wilde’s decision to stick with Hopps and keep her safe.”

Bransen studied the list of victims again as he considered what the todd was willing to do to protect his mom. Looking back at the ZPA application, he realized that Nicholas was willing to go above and beyond even that to protect Officer Hopps, who was not only a cop but a rabbit. Both could be considered his enemy.

Studying the application a moment longer, he looked up to the Chief and asked, “So why would he apply to the ZPA? We’ve done nothing but wrong and humiliate him and his family.”

Bogo didn’t immediately respond as he considered the question. There were so many ways he could answer that, some of the information he was sure Hopps and Wilde wanted to keep to themselves for the time being (he still couldn’t believe they planned to be married in under a month in a half). Finally, he said, “Because he doesn’t trust us to keep Hopps safe. He knows that with her gung-ho, overachieving attitude she’s liable to wind up dead or seriously injured and he wants to be there to prevent it. He understands her explicitly and can ground her like no one else can.” With a shrug, Bogo added, “She asked him to be her partner and he jumped at the chance.”

Bransen was speechless. Why would a fox todd go to such lengths to protect a bunny? A species who took great delight in tormenting his own. After several tense moments of silence, the bear finally stammered out, “Why . . . would he . . . do that . . . for a . . . rabbit?”

“Why indeed?” Bogo muttered. Sitting up straighter, he answered, “Wilde gave several reasons, but the big one, I think, is the simple fact that Hopps believed in him. She trusted him. She was the first mammal in a very long time who looked beneath his red fur and triangular ears to see the mammal beneath.”

Bransen nodded his head in thought. Finding that kind of trust and loyalty was rare, especially for a fox. Looking at the evidence Nicholas had gathered to protect and save his mom, then back at the application that the vulpine filled out in order to protect the second female in his life to believe in him—it spoke volumes about the fierce loyalty the fox had developed for the dedicated, hyperactive bunny.

Bogo allowed his officer a moment of thought, then picked up the modified incident report he filled out earlier and glanced it over. Seeing the bear’s gaze focus on the paper, Bogo said, “Moving on,”—he handed the paper over—“this is the other reason I had you come in.” As Bransen took the paper and glanced it over, Bogo explained, “In the course of our interview, Wilde stated that fox kits are severely abused in the foster system. I’m giving you this case to look into. Track down all the foxes in foster care and look up their medical and school attendance records. Find out which ones have unnormally high absences from school and frequent doctor visits. See which ones are accused of being clumsy—that’ll be a huge red flag as all foxes have above average agility.”

Bransen’s ears flattened against his head as he considered the implications. Even if they were foxes, no kit should be abused. Nodding his head, he rolled the incident report up to avoid creasing it.

“Once Officer Hopps returns from medical leave,” Bogo continued, “I want you to bring her in on the case.”

Bransen’s eyes widened. He was a large, brown Kodiak bear and she was a tiny, little rabbit. “Um, are you sure?” At Bogo’s hard glare, he quickly clarified, “Are you sure she’ll be fine working with me? A large predator?”

Bogo’s ear twitched in surprise, even as the images of Hopps snuggled up to Wilde flashed in his mind, followed by her unflinching concern for the enraged vulpine snarling with his sharp fangs in plain view just inches from her sensitive ears. He took a deep, slow breath, and then broke out into a loud, hardy laugh that, after all the stress of the last few months, he was desperately in need of.

Bransen’s jaw dropped while watching his commander practically double over in pure mirth. He’d known Bogo for a very long time, and even considered him a good friend off the clock, but in all that time he’d never seen the chief find something so funny. What exactly Bogo found funny about his concern for the much smaller prey officer, he wasn’t sure, but it had to be good.

As Bogo laughed himself out, he pulled himself together and looked up, some of his mirth still present on his face. “Trust me,” he stated, “Hopps has no fear of predators. I mean, she did move in with one.” At Bransen’s incredulous look, Bogo explained, “Hopps had no place to go when she came back from Bunnyburrow, and with her leg injury she needed help getting around and taking care of it, so Wilde put her up in his spare bedroom. After spending two days with the smug vulpine, she decided to make it a permanent stay. In her words, it’s the perfect location, the perfect house, and the perfect roommate. She assured me there was no way she could possibly find anything better—or even comparable—and so has no intention of moving out.”

Speechless, Bransen had to pick his jaw up off the floor again. “Wilde is fine with her moving in with him? On a permanent basis?”

Chuckling again, Bogo waved his hoof through the air as he recalled the vulpine’s smug smile as he declared his intention to marry the determined rabbit beside him. “She’s his best friend, and as such, Wilde has no intention of kicking her out. As long as she wants to be there, his door will always be open to her.”

Bransen nodded, then his mind turned inward in thought. Glancing at Wilde’s ZPA application still on the desk, he considered the lengths the red fox had gone, and was willing to go, all for the sake of protecting his friend. His best friend. With a shake of his head, he had a hard time wrapping his head around the notion of a predator and prey being best friends, let alone living together. The idea didn’t bother him, but it was odd, and would take some time to get used to.

Bogo watched his officer for a moment, then reached down and picked up the small paper still on his desk. Folding Wilde’s application back up, he tucked it into his shirt pocket, then stood up and said, “I have to run over to the courthouse and see if I can’t catch Judge Princeton for lunch. I have a matter to discuss with him. If you care to join me, I think it’ll be very informative about the fox named Nicholas P. Wilde.”

Bransen was a bit surprised at the invitation, but with as far back as the two of them went, he readily agreed. He was extremely curious about the red todd and jumped at the chance to learn more about him—especially since he aspired to be the first fox officer on the force and agreed to partner with the first rabbit officer. The pairing was strange, and he wondered how it would work, but if they were already living together, than he had to assume they’d be able to make it work.

It only took a minute for the two old friends to leave the office. Bogo stopped at Higgin’s office long enough to pick up the locked box with the evidence in it, and then the two made their way towards the elevator. Both were lost in thought as they wondered what the esteemed judge had to say about the sly, smug fox who helped save the city.

Chapter Text

Nick pulled into a parking garage at Savanah Central just as the train whistled into the Station. Shifting into park, he turned the key and jumped out. Hitting the lock button on his key fob (and listening to the doors lock), Nick hurried between the other vehicles and into the station itself. Ducking and scurrying his way between the legs of the larger mammals (with it being lunchtime, it was quite crowded), Nick made his way towards the escalators that led to the ground level. Nearing them, he jumped up onto a bench and glanced over to the little café he’d left Judy at and saw her still saying goodbye to Fru-Fru.

Hearing the doors to the train opening and a wall of mammals getting off, Nick turned around and searched the crowds for a moment, then looked back at his honeybun. Raising his voice, he hollered, “Judy!” over the crowd. When she looked over at hearing her name, Nick pointed to himself, then down at the train, then gave her a thumbs up to let her know he’d pick up her sisters.

Judy beamed at him and gave him a returning thumbs up, then watched him jump off the bench he’d been standing on and run for the escalators. Not waiting for the wall of people going down, Nick hopped on the railing and slid down. Judy laughed while watching him and wondered what his errands entailed that put him in such a good mood. She was dying to know where he’d gone and what he picked up, but knew she’d have to wait. “I hate waiting,” she mumbled under her breath.

Turning back to Fru-Fru, she listened to her tiny friend tell of a dinner party she wanted to plan for Judy once her leg healed. By then, little Judy would be born and Fru-Fru wanted to get the two Judies together and celebrate.

As Nick slid down the escalator railing, he ignored all the shouts and curses leveled at him. Reaching the bottom, he jumped off and landed lightly on his feet while grinning widely. Sliding down drainpipes was fun, but it paled in comparison to sliding down a railing—or escalators. With a grin, he ran through the crowd to the escalator that led down to the train. After sliding down it, and again ignoring the shouts and curses leveled at him, he looked toward the doors for smaller mammals.

Being unable to see anyone small through the mass of larger animals, Nick ran over and jumped up on a lamppost (holding himself to it with one paw and a foot) and looked over the crowd again. He was looking forward to meeting Judy’s sisters and didn’t want them to get lost in the crowd. Even hanging off the lamppost, it took a while to find Judy’s siblings. There weren’t many rabbits that stepped off the train, and only two with a box between them. But it wasn’t a couple of Judy’s sisters.

Nick scowled at the two bucks standing just off the train and looking around the crowd. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to meet Judy’s brothers, but the two bucks obviously weren’t here because they wanted to be. Reading the irritation in their body language and the scowl on their own faces, he knew they’d browbeaten their sisters into staying behind and letting them take Judy’s box to her—all because they didn’t trust the fox she’d shacked up with. “Specist jerks,” he muttered in an inaudible whisper.

With a deep breath, Nick erased the scowl from his features and put his mask back on. Jumping down from the lamppost, he sauntered casually over without a care in the world. By the time he reached them, the two bucks had turned their backs to him as they continued searching the crowd for their wayward sister. With a smirk coming over his features, Nick decided to have some fun with them.

Letting a look of astonishment and a hint of pity spread across his face, Nick spoke up behind them, saying, “When Judy said two of her sisters were coming on the train, I was expecting a couple of pretty females like her, but I have to say, you two are the ugliest does I’ve ever seen. Aren’t rabbit does supposed to have soft curves? Besides Judy, of course. Her curves are nice and tight.”

The two bucks (one a medium brown with dark-brown highlights and the other a dark tan with white markings) turned around and glared at him, not at all happy to see the fox Judy had befriended.

Not giving them a chance to speak, Nick continued his monologue, “Judy’s beside the point, of course, since she’s not a typical bunny.” Bringing his paws up and pointing towards the ceiling of the station, he added, “The point is, you two flunked the Cute Bunny Contest. But, hey, no worries. If you signed up for the Ugly Bug Ball, I’m sure you’d win first place.”

The two bucks simply glared at him, and, oh, if looks could kill. Nick continued showing off his irritatingly smug grin and noticed right away that he was only looking at one of Judy’s brothers. He could see Stu and Bonnie (and a touch of Judy) in the darker buck, but the other one clearly wasn’t related. He must be the brother’s friend.

“Shut it, fox,” Judy’s brother spat out. “Where’s my sister, pelt?”

“Ooh, such a big vocabulary you have there. Did you learn that in elementary school?” Nick could hear the buck grinding his teeth which caused him to smile all the smugger. Figuring he’d teased the specist jerk long enough (and not wanting to cause a scene), Nick jerked his head and said, “She’s this way.” Turning around without waiting for a reply, he sauntered back towards the escalators.

Arriving back at Judy’s table, he saw that Raymond was standing in front of the table and blocking their view.

“Hey, hey, fox!” Judy’s brother hissed in a loud whisper. “Where are you taking us? Where’s Judy?”

Nick glanced over to see the two bucks frozen where they stood as they stared at the back of the giant polar bear, their noses twitching in fright.

Nick snickered. “Where do you think?” At their suspicious stare, he added, “She’s hiding behind the polar bear, saying goodbye to her friend. Can’t you hear them?” He certainly could. Fru-Fru’s shrill voice carried easily.

“Now you take care, Judy,” the tiny shrew said, “and let me know if you need anything.”

“I will. And let me know just as soon as little Judy is born.”

“I will, sweetie. Goodbye, now.”

“Bye, Fru-Fru.”

As Raymond stood up and moved around the table as he headed to the escalator, then outside to the large white limo parked at the back of the VIP parking lot, Judy was revealed sitting at the table. After her friend left the building, Judy turned around to look for Nick and her sisters. Spying Nick, a brilliant smile flashed across her face. At spying the bucks behind him, her smile immediately shifted to a frown.

“Hello, Henry,” Judy said with a slight edge to her voice. He was one of her most specist brothers. Glancing at the tan buck beside him, she added, “Billy, was it?” At his nod, she said, “I haven’t seen you since high school.” Turning her gaze back to her brother, she asked, “Where are Lily and Rachelle?”

Nick had reached Judy’s side while she was talking, but at her question he grabbed her shoulder and exclaimed, “You mean they’re not your sisters!?” At Judy’s confused gaze, he continued, “Thank the great carrot king,” he muttered while placing a paw over his heart. “I was sure they were the ugliest does on the planet.”

Judy scoffed and tried to hide her snicker. Slugging him lightly in the arm as he sat down beside her, she hissed, “Ni-ick!”

“What?” he asked as he brought his paws up and held them palm out. “You said we were meeting two of your sisters and then they,”—he motioned towards the bucks—“get off the train. I was sure they’d been hit with the ugly stick when they were infants. Or maybe dropped on their heads one too many times.” With a shrug, he added, “I suppose if they are bucks, they’re not too bad looking.” Glancing them over, Nick then turned to Judy. “I don’t know, would you consider them good looking for rabbits? I’ve never paid attention before.”

“Ni-ick!” she hissed softly again while giggling.

“What? I’m just asking.” Seeing Judy's smile and hearing her giggle encouraged Nick in his fun at her brother's expense.

Judy shook her head and rolled her eyes. Turning back to her brother and his friend, she asked, “So what did you do to Nick that he’s being so rude?”

Leaning around Henry (who was giving Nick a death-glare), Billy jabbed his finger towards the irritating todd and exclaimed, “We ain’t done nothin to him. He’s the one being all rude.”

“Well you must have done something,” Judy replied. “Nick is only rude to those who are rude to him first.”

“We haven’t said or done nothing to him,” Billy reiterated. “It’s the fox who’s making all the rude comments. We hadn’t even seen him and he was already running his mouth.”

Judy tilted her head in thought, then turned a curious glance to Nick. “Well, what do you have to say in your defense?” Her voice was devoid of any anger and a hint of mischievous humor danced in her amethyst gaze.

Nick grinned back at her, then turned to look at her brother and his friend. Bringing a paw up, he rested it on the beveled glass tabletop and extended his claws. Drumming them lightly against the glass, he watched both bucks’ eyes grow big and their noses start twitching as they stared at his lethal weapons. Opening his mouth and showing off his sharp canines, he explained, “You being here is rude.”

“Excuse me?” Henry spoke coldly.

“You heard me. You simply being here is rude.” Shifting slightly in his seat, he continued, “Your sisters were excited to be coming here so they could see Judy and meet me. The fact you’re here and not them is rude to them. The reason for you bullying them into staying behind was because you don’t trust me. And you don’t trust me for the simple fact that I’m a fox. And in not trusting me, you also don’t trust your sister or her judgement. The fact that you haven’t set her box down tells me that you don’t actually intend to drop it off, but are hoping to talk your sister into returning to Bunnyburrow with you—by force if necessary.” With a dark smirk, Nick leaned over the table and asked, “Did I miss anything?”

Billy stood with his mouth hanging open in shock at how accurate Nick’s deductions were, while Henry merely glared darkly at the red vulpine.

“I thought not,” Nick finished.

Judy glared at her brother. “Henry, injury or not, I can still kick your tail two-ways till Sunday so don’t even think about forcing me to go home with you,” she stated with anger tinging her voice. “I’m staying here.” She used her anger at her brother to hide how impressed she felt at Nick’s mammal-reading ability and, with his high intelligence, it reminded her why it was no surprise that he’d graduated high school at 16 and law school at 20.

Nick had a brilliant mind and knowing that he and his brilliant mind were all hers left her feeling giddy inside. She knew very well that, if Nick chose, he could probably have any vixen he wanted, and yet he hadn’t turned his charms and silver tongue on any of them. He’d saved himself for her and her alone. And now that he found her, he gave himself completely to her, holding nothing back.

Judy found herself hard-pressed to keep the love and affection out of her expression, so she pushed the warm, fluffy thoughts down and focused on her anger. Without ever meeting or hearing of him before, Nick had nailed Henry’s personality down to a T. And she wasn’t going to stand (or sit as the case may be) for Henry trying to talk her into leaving.

As Judy had been thinking (and trying to hide her feelings for the slick todd beside her) Henry had been grinding his teeth. He didn’t like his sister being all chummy with a fox and certainly didn’t want to think of her living with him. Who knew what the filthy pelt would do to her once he had her locked in his den? It wasn’t right, a rabbit being so close to a filthy fox. And they were close. Instead of sitting on the opposite side of the table, the pelt had his chair right next to his sister—and she didn’t even care! It was disgusting.

“Have you forgotten what Gideon did to you?” Henry asked tersely. “Huh? Have you?”

Judy folded her arms and raised her chin slightly while giving her brother a level stare. “No, I haven’t.” Lifting the paw folded across her left shoulder, she raised it and brushed her cheek where her scars were hidden. “Kinda hard when I carry the scars.”

“And yet you’re still moving in with this pelt.”

Judy’s fist smacked the glass table, the sound reverberating through the air. Leaning towards Henry, she hissed, “Stop calling Nick a pelt. He’s not one, nor is he anything like Gideon. Furthermore, Gideon apologized to me two days ago and we’re all good. I have nothing to fear from Gideon and even less to fear from Nick.”

“I can’t believe you’re defending them. Have you gone mad!? Or has this pelt already gotten his claws into you?”

Judy’s jaw dropped as her mind momentarily blanked as flashbacks of last night sprang to mind and exactly what Nick had done with his claws . . . how they’d slid through her fur and caressed her skin . . . along with the brief touch of his teeth on her ears . . . and that sinful tongue of his . . . Judy tried to shake the memories, but it was hard when her body remembered exactly how good it felt to feel his large paws sliding over and teasing her flesh—and they hadn’t even done that much! Although she took immense pleasure in peeling Nick’s shirt off him, he hadn’t even tried to return the favor. He remained respectful of her (which is more than she could say about all the worthless bucks back home) and had gone no further than running his paws (and claws) under her shirt and across her stomach, sides, and lower back. And her tail. She couldn’t forget the tail. The way he caressed and teased it was simply criminal. And then the kisses—both the passionate ones they’d shared and the softer ones he’d peppered her face, neck, and shoulders with before following up with his sinful tongue.

A shiver ran down her spine and she tried harder to squash the memories (and the desire they evoked). Nick snarling beside her did little to help her calm down. Ooh, why did Henry have to bring up his claws. His mind is always in the gutter while chasing easy tails, and then he has the gall to accuse me of loose behavior! Oh, she was mad now.

While Judy’s mind took a trip down memory lane, Nick’s mind stayed focused on the here and now and a low snarl sounded from his throat at the implication that Judy was playing his whore. As Henry’s disgusted (and slightly fearful) gaze shifted to meet his own enraged emeralds, Nick spoke. “Have I run my large paws all over your sister’s hot body as some kind of fringe-benefit to being friends with her and allowing her stay in my house?” Nick leaned over the table with the low growl evident in his voice as the tense words rolled between his exposed canines. “No, no I have not—and I never will.”

At Henry’s and Billy’s shocked expressions and fearfully twitching noses, Nick continued with what he’d told Bogo less than an hour ago. “Judy is not a thing. She’s not an object. Her body is not a commodity. She’s my precious friend, someone to be protected, not used and abused.” Sitting back, Nick added, “Which is more than I can say about how you treat all the female friends”—Nick raised his paws and made air quotes when he said ‘friends’—“you like to hang out with.”

It was Henry’s turn to stand with his mouth open, but it was Judy who responded. Punching Nick’s arm in excitement (and bringing a pained ‘ouh’ from him), she said, “How do you do that?”

As Nick rubbed his upper arm (she punched a lot harder when she was excited), he asked, “What did I tell you about finding a different spot to punch me?” Judy rolled her eyes, and Nick continued, “No, I’m serious. My arm is painfully bruised right now.”

Judy gave him a, ‘Are you serious?’ look, but at Nick’s steady, serious gaze as he continued rubbing his upper arm, her expression fell, and concern entered her shining amethysts. “Really? I bruised your arm?”

“Carrots, you’ve been punching roughly the same spot for the last two days—of course, it’s bruised. Your light punches aren’t bad.” With a smirk, he said, “Usually I find your punches more funny than painful”—Judy glared at him—“but your excited punches,” he tilted his head in thought, “those feel more like sledgehammers.”

Judy’s expression fell further, but before she could say anything, Nick suddenly shifted his attention back to the two bucks still standing a few feet away. Pointing a clawed finger at Henry, he said, “Which brings me back to my second point—with as strong as Judy is, and as violent as she can be when she’s excited or irritated, can you honestly see her letting me, or any male, use her? To put their paws all over her?” Pointing his clawed finger at Judy, he added, “Because I can see a world of hurt for anyone trying to touch Fluff, here, without her permission.” With a knowing grin, he added, “And possibly a hospital visit.”

Judy reclined back in her chair and casually folded her arms across her chest. Impressed once again by her boyfriend’s skills (this time his acting skills and that silver tongue of his), for he was able to give the impression they’d never touched and that Judy wouldn’t let him—all without telling a single lie. It was all in how he worded his sentences and drew upon Henry’s own experience with her and her past actions to paint a picture that was so far from reality (and yet completely believable) that it was comical. Holding back a snicker while focusing on Henry and Billy, she asked, “Yeah, Henry, how many bucks have I let touch me?”

Henry ground his teeth again as the todd was correct in assessing Judy. She’d always gotten violent with bucks who refused to take no for an answer, and everyone called her the Ice Queen.

Billy, on the other hand, gaped at Nick, then pointed a finger at him and exclaimed, “How do you do that!”

Nick tilted his head. “Do what?” It was the same question Judy had asked, and he wasn’t sure what they were referring to.

“Read them like that? You described them both perfectly.”

“Oh, that’s easy,” Nick replied. Pointing to his eyes, he explained, “I have excellent eyesight, an eye for detail, and years of experience.” Waving his paw through the air on this last pronouncement, he then continued, “In short, I watch, and I learn.” Leaning back in his chair, a smug grin on his face, he pointed to Henry and stated, “He’s a player and you can find his kind in the thousands here in Zootopia, but I didn’t need my eyesight to know that one. His scent says it all.” This last statement left Henry and Judy stunned as they realized Nick must be smelling the doe Henry had been with that morning, while Billy remained baffled. Nick didn’t elaborate, though, but glanced at Judy as he continued, “Fluff, here, is a violent, over-enthusiastic workaholic—the kind that any successful business in Zootopia has one or more at the corporate level.”

“Nick!” Judy laughed and punched him again. She wasn’t sure whether she should take his words as a compliment or not.

“Ouh.” Nick rubbed his arm and glared at Judy. Although the punch was much lighter, it still hurt as it was the same spot she’d been punching him all day.

Judy brought her paws up to her mouth, and whispered, “I’m sorry, Nick.”

“You know what? Here.” Standing up, Nick moved his chair around to the other side of Judy and sat back down. “There, this arm isn’t bruised yet.”

With paws still covering her mouth, she repeated, “I really am sorry, Nick.”

“Yeah, whatever, Fluff,” he said with a dismissive wave.

Before either could say anything else, Henry spoke up again, his voice accusatory, “Why do you let him call you such derogatory names?”

Both Nick and Judy looked over, but it was Judy who answered, saying, “Nick gives everyone nicknames. If he’s using your real name, then you know he’s being serious.”

“But he hasn’t given us any nicknames,” Billy pointed out.

“Of course, I did. I just haven’t used them yet.” Looking the two over, Nick then added, “But I guess they don’t fit anymore, since you’re not females.”

“Huh?” Billy voiced.

“When I saw you get off the train, I immediately thought of calling you two Unsightly and Homely”—Henry’s teeth grinding was quite audible causing Nick to grin wider”—but since you’re bucks I’ll have to come up with something else.” Humming in thought a moment, he then wondered, “Tweedledee and Tweedledum?” Nick glanced the rabbits over again. “No. Not round enough.” With his expression brightening, he suddenly sat up straighter and exclaimed, “I know—” he pointed to the two of them—“Thing 1 and Thing 2!” Turning to glance at a snickering Judy, Nick whispered, “Those were some of my favorite books as a kit.”

Watching Judy trying to hold back her laughter, Nick felt his time was well spent, even if it was at the expense of her specist brother and his friend.

*******

On the other side of the large Savanah Central Square, Bogo and Bransen hurried up the courthouse steps and entered the building. Flashing their badges, they passed through security and strode purposefully down the hall leading to Judge Daphyd Princeton’s office.

Rapping his hoof against the door, Bogo was relieved when “Enter” was heard through the thick wood. Pushing the hardwood door open, he and Bransen walked into the spacious office.

“Well, hello, Chief,” the stately elk with an impressive rack of antlers said. “How may I be of service to you?”

“Well,” Bogo began, “I have a matter to discuss with you about a mutual acquaintance of ours and I was hoping we could do it over lunch.”

“Oh?” Judge Princeton queried. “And who might that be?”

“Nicholas P. Wilde.”

The judge’s expression immediately brightened, and he asked, “And what is my favorite lawyer up to these days? He hasn’t been around for the last few years and I miss seeing him in court. He’s not in any trouble, is he?”

“No, no. He’s not in any trouble,” the Chief assured him. “He just asked me to have you sign something for him, and then I have a few questions about his time in court.”

“Show me the paper then,” Princeton said without hesitation. “I’ll sign it and we can head to lunch where I’ll regal you with Nicholas’s courtroom escapades.” With a wide smile, he added, “His court cases have always been my favorite to preside over.”

Bogo and Bransen just stood with their mouths gaping open. Wilde was Princeton’s favorite lawyer? The fact that Wilde was a lawyer was news to Bransen, so hearing this was a double surprise to him. For Bogo, even knowing Wilde had an attorney’s license, the Chief never expected to hear anyone say he was their favorite lawyer, and certainly not one of Zootopia’s most esteemed judges. And the fact that the elk didn’t even ask what the paper was, but immediately agreed to sign it, told both officers just how much the judge trusted the fox’s integrity.

Snapping out of his shocked stupor, Bogo reached into his pocket and handed Wilde’s ZPA application over to the eager elk.
As Princeton took the paper and glanced it over, his eyebrows rose and then he chuckled as he grabbed a pen and preceded to sign his name, saying, “So Nicholas is moving on from prosecuting criminals to catching them. This should be interesting. I can expect to see a lot more criminals coming through my courtroom, then. It’s a shame he can’t prosecute them as well as catch them.”

As Bogo took the signed application back, Bransen asked, “Has he prosecuted a lot of criminals in the past?”

Princeton shook his head. “Unfortunately, not. I would give anything to see him hired on as our chief prosecutor.” With a sour expression, he leaned forward and jabbed his hoof at the mammals across from him. “Do you know what the city did to him the one-time Nicholas stood in court as the prosecutor?” the elk ground out hotly. “They made him sign a contract stating he’d do it pro-bono!” It was obvious the judge saw this as a gross negligence of justice. “Had anyone else but Nicholas been there as the prosecutor, that cesspool of evil that dared call herself a mammal, would have run circles around him and played the jury like she was some misguided victim. Most of her crimes would have been dismissed by the jury and I would have been lucky to slap the vicious vixen with a 10-year sentence. I wouldn’t have been surprised if she walked after 5 years with probation.”

Both Bogo and Bransen glanced at each other, then Bogo asked, “But Wilde got her a longer sentence?”

Princeton beamed. “A longer sentence?” The stately elk laughed. “Nicholas made sure all the charges stuck and she’s now serving life. Her first chance at parole won’t be for another 55 years.” Leaning forward, Princeton pointed a hoof at them again and said, “And you can be sure that Nicholas will be there at the parole board to make sure she stays there.”

Neither Bogo nor Bransen knew what to make of the judge’s description of the red todd. It was so far out of character of any fox they’d heard of that it left them both speechless. Finally, Bransen murmured, “Vixen? Nicholas prosecuted one of his own?”

Princeton chuckled again. “I don’t think Nicholas considered her a fox. She was too evil to even consider her a mammal.” Tilting his head and scratching the thick ruff of his neck, he muttered, “Now what did Nicholas call her?” He sat in thought for a minute, then turned his attention back to his guests. “Oh, I remember now. A stinking tar pit. That’s how he described her.” Swiveling his chair around, Princeton looked at several framed pictures on the bookshelf behind him, then said, “Yep, here it is.”

Picking up a small photo, he swiveled back around and handed it to the Chief. “That’s a postcard Nicholas picked up for me. Said whenever I was feeling down or stressed, I could look at that and laugh while remembering how the stinking tar pit hung herself.” With a chuckle, the elk added, “It works every time.” The elk’s laughter died down and murmured, “I haven’t looked at it for a year or more. Good times, those.”

Bogo and Bransen looked over the photo in surprise. It showed a picture of two of the tar pits at the Zootopia Prehistoric Museum. The pits were picturesque with lush vegetation and a skin of reflective water over the top, but couldn’t hide the models of prehistoric mammals caught in the thick, black tar.

“What was her name?” Bogo asked, as he had a sinking feeling he already knew.

The judge’s smile broadened. “A silver vixen you both know well, as you, Chief Bogo, were heading the investigation, and I believe you were on his team, Officer Bransen.” As the two officers glanced at each other, then back at the judge, Princeton stated, “Nakita Silvertail.”

Bogo groaned as his guess was correct, while Bransen’s jaw dropped. Both were very familiar with the female, as they both tracked her throughout the city. Once they caught up to her and she was hauled into the station, they had to then catalogue the thousands of pieces of evidence they found at her various hideouts. It had been a long and tedious process (and quite nauseating at times when they saw what she’d been up to), and both, along with the other officers helping out, were quite glad when the case closed and the court date had been set.

Branson finally shut his mouth and turned to the Chief. “Wasn’t that the last case you had before you were promoted as Chief of Precinct One?”

“Yes,” the water buffalo groaned. “And if I were a betting mammal, I’d bet that a lot of those leads and anonymous calls we received that led to her arrest were orchestrated by Wilde.”

Princeton perked his ears at this statement, but it was Bransen who spoke. “Are you saying that Wilde was responsible for the two biggest cases that made your career and set you on the path to becoming chief?” The bear was incredulous. Foxes weren’t very large and were repeatedly looked down on by just about every other mammal, so to have one do the groundwork for two of the biggest busts of the last two decades—it left him completely speechless.

Bogo groaned again. “It looks like it.” Bogo didn’t want to think about owing the smug vulpine anything else, and he knew if the slick todd ever found out he helped put the Chief in the chief’s chair, he’d never hear the end of it.

Judge Princeton clapped his hooves together and stood. “This is marvelous. You must tell me all about it.” After removing his judge’s robe, he stepped around his desk, saying, “Come, there’s this restaurant around the corner with a delightful lunch buffet. We’ll grab some plates, sit down, and discuss Nicholas’s stunning performances.”

Sweeping out the door, Princeton made his way down the hallway, a wide, excited smile gracing his mouth. Glancing over his shoulder, he spoke to the two large officers trailing behind him. “When you see Nicholas the next time, tell him he must join me for lunch again. I always keep a seat open for him at the buffet when I’m there and I miss our conversations.”

Bogo and Bransen were once again left speechless by the judge’s praise and sincere words regarding the red vulpine. In coming here, they’d hoped to learn more about the todd who aspired to be the first fox on the force, but what they discovered showed a depth to the smug vulpine that neither could have ever imagined. It gave Bogo another helping of humble pie as he realized just how severely he’d underestimated and misjudged the cheeky red fox—and gave him a stronger determination to see Wilde on the force.

Chapter Text

Nick stood on the packed train, feeling like a sardine. He and Judy had come to a mutual decision that neither wanted to take her specist brother to the house, even if it was to shove the truck keys in his face and kick him off the property the moment they arrived. So he was headed back on the train to retrieve the truck. This particular train only had a few stops as it thundered through the districts, making the trip back to the house much quicker than driving.

Pulling out his phone, he dialed Finn’s number and waited for the familiar gruff voice to answer.

“What do you want now, Nick? And if you’re needing me to pick something up at the house, you’re too late. I’m nearly to Central already.”

Nick’s ears perked up. “So you did get your van put back together. That’s great!”

Finn sighed. “What do you need, Red?” Nick always had this certain cadence to his voice whenever he needed a favor, something Finnick had picked up on over a decade ago.

Nick chuckled at Finnick’s sigh of resignation. “You said you’re nearly to Central. Are you in a hurry to get anywhere specific?”

“Just spit it out, Nick.”

“Okay, okay. So, Judy’s specist brother and his friend showed up at the train station instead of her sisters. Since neither of us want them anywhere near the house, I’m heading back on the train to pick up her family’s truck. Her brother’s intention in coming here was to drag Judy back home to Bunnyburrow, so I was wondering if you could hang around there just in case he starts something.”

“You want me to spy on bunny cop?” Finnick asked dubiously.

“No! Of course not. Just hang out there. You don’t even have to be close enough to see her, just keep your ears open for any disturbance that Thing 1 might start with Fluff.”

“Thing 1?”

“Ya, that’s what I’m calling her jerk of a brother. Since he obviously bullied his sisters into staying behind, I decided to have some fun with him.” With a chuckle at the memory, Nick continued, “I went on about him and his friend being ugly does who flunked the Cute Bunny Contest but would win first place at the Ugly Bug Ball. Judy thought it was funny, too. And when Henry questioned my nicknames for Judy, I told them since Unsightly and Homely didn’t really apply anymore, that I’d have to settle with calling them Thing 1 and Thing 2.”

Finnick started laughing at the images Nick’s words portrayed. With as long as he’d known Nick, he could picture exactly how his friend had played the specist jerk. He was laughing so hard, he had to pull over onto the side of the road until he got his laughter under control. “You really called them Unsightly and Homely?”

“Well, no. I told them those were the first nicknames that popped into my head when they got off the train. Since they were bucks and not does, the names no longer applied and I had to settle with Thing 1 and Thing 2.”

“And Cottontail is fine if you were to basically call her sisters ugly?”

Nick frowned. “She knew I was just messing with her brother and his friend. And besides, it’s not like I’d call an actual female ugly or any of its synonyms. That’d be too cruel.”

Finnick nodded at the phone and wiped a laughter tear from the corner of his eye. “Ya, I guess you’re right.” With one last chuckle, Finn then asked, “So, where is Cottontail?”

“I left her at one of the tables outside that little Greek café, Mediterranean Cuisine. It’s the one with the best seafood burritos in Zootopia.”

“Right, right. I got it.”

“So, you’ll hang out there for a while?” With a sly grin, Nick added, “Say yes, and I’ll pick you up a blackberry cobbler.” He knew that Finnick would never be able to pass up a blackberry cobbler (his all-time favorite dessert), especially since Nick couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen the small todd eat one.

Finn’s ear twitched. It had been a long time since he’d last eaten a blackberry cobbler, not since he and Nick had last traveled to Rándýrabær and spent the holidays with Vivian and Anya. And that was almost two years ago! Vivian made some of the best cobbler he’d ever eaten, but since he couldn’t have hers right now, he’d have to settle with the next best thing. “From Bella Noche?” Bella Noche was a 3-star Spanish/Italian restaurant that required money or connections to get in, money and connections they had back when Nick was still working for Big. Finnick hadn’t tasted their to-die-for, succulent blackberry cobbler in over five years. His mouth began watering just from the memory. Licking his chops in an effort to keep his drool in his mouth, he waited for Nick’s reply.

Nick didn’t immediately answer as Bella Noche wasn’t what he had in mind—the place cost a fortune to get in, and that wasn’t counting the price of the food. But there was a mammal working there that owed him a couple of favors. And this was for Judy. And he did owe Finnick a mountain of favors already. “Okay, Big Guy, I’ll get you a blackberry cobbler from Bella Noche.”

A wide grin spread across Finnick’s face as he licked his chops again. “I want a full cobbler and I want it piping hot when I get it.”

Nick’s ears flicked back and he said, “For being a fennec fox you sure like to make big demands.”

“What did you say, Red?” Finn growled out.

“Nothing. Nothing,” Nick smirked while waving his paw in the air. “Just making a simple observation.”

“Simple observation, my foot,” Finnick grumble under his breath. Speaking louder, he said, “Look, Loverboy, do you want me to keep an ear on your girlfriend or not?”

Nick’s ears perked up and he hastily said, “Absolutely.” Taking a deep breath, he added, “Fine, I’ll make sure it’s the whole cobbler. Happy now?”

The grin that stretched across Finn’s small muzzle revealed all of his sharp, pointed teeth. “I will be once I stuff myself with that blackberry cobbler.”

Nick could only shake his head. “So, you’ll do it?”

“Nick, for a whole cobbler from Bella Noche, I’d sell my own brother.”

Nick raised an eyebrow. “Finn, you haven’t seen either of your brothers since you were nine.”

“Exactly! Why else would I want to sell either of them?” With a scowl at the memory, Finn grumbled, “Taking our sister and running off to who knows where and leaving me and mom to face Dad’s drunken rages alone . . . they deserve to be sold.”

Nick’s ears flattened against his head as Finn’s early childhood was a sore spot for the small fennec, as he’d never forgiven his siblings for running off and leaving him and their mother to their father’s emotional and physical abuse. According to Finnick his dad hadn’t always been abusive. Up until he was about 4, his dad was the best, but then he’d been framed and jailed on embezzlement charges, and when he was released 4 years later, he was never the same.

Trying to change the subject, Nick said, “Okay, going back to Judy—we’re good. . . right?”

“Yeah, we’re good. I need to check the mail, anyways.”

With a grin, Nick said, “I’ll see you when I get back, then.”

“Ya, whatever, Red. Ciao.” As the call ended, Finnick stared at his phone for several moments, then shook his head. “Lovesick sap,” he muttered, then licked his chops again while thinking of the cobbler. He would have helped Nick out regardless of getting paid or not, but since Nick was being so generous—Finnick grinned wider. A whole Bella Noche cobbler! He thought the only way to taste one again was in his dreams—literally (when he’d been frequenting the establishment with Nick, he had actually dreamed of their divine blackberry cobbler numerous times). With a chuckle, he shifted his van into drive and waited for a break in traffic before melding back into the flow of vehicles heading towards Central.

As Nick hung up with Finn, he pulled up his contacts and scrolled down until he found the right name with the picture of a tawny lion with a thick, well-groomed mane next to it, then punched the call button.

It rang several times before a tired voice answered, “Yello.”

“Why, hello, Alex, how are you this fine day?”

There was a long pause, then, “Wilde? Nick Wilde? Is that you?”

“The one and only. Hey, are you working today?”

“No, not today. It’s my day off and I’m trying to catch up on my sleep. I won’t go back to work till Saturday.” Nick frowned, but before he could speak, Alex ran his black claws through his mane at the back of his neck and asked groggily, “Why are you calling?”

He hadn’t heard from Nick in years, but there was no mistaking his voice. He met the slick todd after he started working at Bella Noche to pay for college. While serving as Nick’s waiter on one of the few nights the todd had come in with his little fennec friend, Alex had overheard them talking about a court case the red todd had just won.

At the time he’d simply found it interesting as he’d never heard of a fox lawyer before, but it wasn’t even a month later that his younger brother was accused of shoplifting—a crime he knew his cheerful, ever-helpful little brother (still a teen at the time) was innocent of. Neither he nor his parents had any extra money to pay for a lawyer, but after talking to Nick, he was able to work out a deal. He would owe Nick two favors if the slick todd could prove his brother’s innocence.

“I need to call in a favor,” Nick said as the train sped through downtown, with the many different shaped skyscrapers towering overhead and blocking the bright blue sky, but unable to prevent the hot, summer sunlight from glinting off the many glass windows covering the massive buildings.

Alex froze. Having someone call in favors was always stressful as you never knew what would be required—there were horror stories of some mammals expecting you to pay an arm and a leg when it came to returning favors. “A Favor?”

“Nothing big. I just need a blackberry cobbler from Bella Noche’s.”

Alex scoffed. “Nothing big!? You know how expensive those are?”

Nick grinned. “Of course, I do. But a friend of mine is doing me a great service and that’s the payment he asked for. Can you get me one or not?”

Alex grumbled several moments, then replied, “Yeah, I can get it for you. What size piece did you want?”

“Not a piece—I want the whole cobbler. And I want it wolf-sized.”

“Are you out of your mind!” Alex’s bright blue eyes were wide open by now and sleep had completely fled from him.

“Hmm, maybe (Nick was thinking of his adorable girlfriend), but that’s beside the point.” Leaning sideways slightly as the train thundered around a corner, Nick continued, “Look, if you do this for me, I’ll call us even. One favor for the blackberry cobbler, and one favor to make it wolf-sized. Do we have a deal?”

Rolling over in his bed, Alex tossed his blankets off and sat up. Getting the cobbler wasn’t impossible, but it wouldn’t be easy either. He would need to do some serious tail-kissing to get it, but if it cleared his debt with Nick, the tail-kissing for a few weeks would be well worth it. “Okay, we have deal. But like I said, I won’t return to work till Saturday, so call back Saturday morning and remind me.”

“I’ll do that. Thanks, Alex, this means a lot to me.”

“Yeah, Nick, just remember we’re even now.”

Nick grinned. “I won’t forget. Take care and say high to your parents and brother for me.”

“I will. Bye.” As Alex hung up, he stared at the phone for a minute. It had been so long since the court case that he’d thought Nick had forgotten all about the favors, but if he could pay off his debt with just an expensive cobbler, he felt he got the better end of the deal that kept his brother out of Juvie and with a clean slate. With a wide yawn, and showing off his razor-sharp fangs, Alex snapped his muzzle shut and fell back on the bed and as he thought of the best way to get Nick the huge cobbler he wanted.

Having gotten off the phone with Alex, Nick sent a quick text to Finnick telling him the cobbler would be ready on Saturday, then turned his attention back to his hot girlfriend waiting for him back at the Savanah Central Station. With a wide, happy grin, he slipped his earbuds in and opened one of his music apps, then hit In My Eyes by The Afters. As the words began to play that described Judy to a ‘T’, he proceeded to create a play list of all his songs that reminded him of his enthusiastic, adorable girlfriend.

*******

Up in the heart of Tundratown, a giant polar bear carried his tiny charge carefully up the stairs from the large multi-car garage where their limo had been parked and into the grand mansion of his boss. After walking down several long, twisting corridors, he finally entered the large family room where Silvano Big waited eagerly to greet his daughter.

After Raymond carefully set Fru-Fru on the large table where the tiny shrews had their padded chairs, couches, and tables set up, Silvano slipped off his chair and walked over to his daughter with open arms. “Welcome home, my daughter. How was your outing with Judy?”

“Well, Judy was in a wheelchair, but she’s doing fine. She seemed really happy, but . . . I’m worried about her, Daddy.”

“Oh?” the old shrew asked while carefully hugging his very pregnant daughter. “In what way?”

“Well,” Fru-Fru started, “it’s about Nicky.”

“Nicky?” Silvano questioned with a raise of his bushy eyebrow as he stepped back to look at her.

“Yes. It’s just . . .” Fru-Fru paused as she tried to figure out what she wanted to say. “You don’t think Nicky is trying to . . . to con Judy, do you?”

Both of Mr. Big’s bushy eyebrows raised at his daughter’s unsettling question. Although Nicky was a master con-artist, Silvano didn’t see any deceit in his actions towards Judy when they came to him for help two days ago. And if what Judy told Fru-Fru yesterday afternoon was true, then Nicky had risked his life to stay with her and keep her alive. Knowing the red vulpine for as long as he did, Silvano couldn’t see Nicky risking his life for the rabbit if it was just a con. Nicky highly valued his life, so he never conned anyone if it put his life at risk.

As he helped his daughter sit in her favorite chair and put her feet up, he asked, “What makes you ask, baby?”

“Well, it’s just some of the things Judy claimed Nick was doing. Not that his actions are ones I can see him conning Judy with, but they’re just so out of character for him, that I really can’t understand why else he’d be doing them.”

“And what is Nicky doing that has you so confused?” Watching his daughter, Silvano gave a soft chuckle at her cute, yet confused, expression as he returned to his own padded chair.

“Well, for starters, Judy said Nick pulled her into bed with him this morning when she went to wake him up. They both fell back asleep and were nearly late for their meeting today.” Fru-Fru shook her head, her hair bobbing side-to-side. “You know he hates people touching him or invading his space. And I always got the impression that Tundratown would thaw before he took a female to his bed. Well, you remember when Crystal crawled into his bed while he was in town and left her scent all over his sheets. He didn’t just change the sheets, Daddy—he burned them—and then he still refused to sleep in his bed for over a week. He even changed the locks on his bedroom door.”

Silvano chuckled at the memory, although at the time, there was nothing funny about the situation. What Fru-Fru forgot to mention was that Nicholas hadn’t slept in his bed because he’d disappeared for over a week. He’d turned his phone off and refused contact with anyone. It had nearly ruined several operations he had planned as they were time-sensitive and Nicky barely returned in time to scope them out. That was the final straw and Fru-Fru confronted them on their sexual harassment of the red todd. When that merely aggravated the problem, he had stepped in and ordered them to leave and never come back—or face being iced. They left, but it wasn’t even a year later that he had to send Nicky packing, too.

It still hurt the old shrew that the red todd he’d trusted so much had disrespected him in such a way. He still couldn’t understand why Nicky would sell him such a rug—especially one for Grandmamma. He knew the slick todd was having problems dealing with Honey’s failing health, but that still didn’t give him cause or reason for getting him such an unsavory rug.

At her father’s silent musings, Fru-Fru continued her confusing tale, saying, “Going back to Nicky and Judy, Daddy. You remember how everyone was betting on Nicky’s first kiss. Even the polar bears were in on the bet to see which vixen would finally snag it.”

“Yes, I remember it, baby. It caused quite the uproar when I terminated Nicky’s employment before anyone could cash in on it.”

“Right!” Fru-Fru exclaimed, her voice several octaves higher. “You couldn’t pay Nicky enough to kiss someone! But Judy said she stole Nicky’s first kiss and then he gladly gave her his second. She even admitted to them passionately kissing.”

Silvano’s eyebrows rose again in surprise, but then he chuckled. “So, Nicky has finally found someone he wants to make a permanent fixture in his life.”

Fru-Fru tilted her head in question. “What do you mean, Daddy?”

“I once asked Nicky why he rejected such enticing distractions. Although I respected his decision to abstain and felt it showed a strong sense of character, I was curious why he didn’t accept the simple pleasures and comforts that could be found in another’s arms.”

“And what did he say?” Fru-Fru asked, her full attention now on her father.

Silvano chuckled again as he remembered the red todd’s response. “Nicky told me that the vixens only wanted a temporary fling, which wasn’t worth his time. He was irritated with the whole situation and told me that when he finally took a female to his bed, that I could be sure it was going to be a permanent arrangement.”

Fru-Fru’s jaw dropped. “That’s what Judy said today! She said that Nicky wouldn’t waste his time on them because he was waiting for someone special to commit 100 percent to. That with him, it was all or nothing: no mistakes and no do-overs.”

Mr. Big chuckled softly again. “And there is your answer, my child. Nicky has protected his heart for a very long time, too afraid of being hurt to thoughtlessly give it away. But now, it appears, he’s finally found someone to entrust it to.”

Fru-Fru gave him an unconvinced look and said, “Are you sure, Daddy? Nicky always acted so indifferent when it came to physical or romantic relationships.”

With a soft, knowing grin, Mr. Big replied, “Yes, baby, I’m sure. Nicky may have worn a mask of indifference, but that was to protect himself from the hateful words and actions of others.” Rubbing his chin, Silvano continued, “I always got the impression that Nicky felt far more than he let on, and the way you describe his dealings with Judy reaffirms that.”

“Well, Daddy, I hope you’re right—for her sake.”

*******

After dropping off his tiny charge, Raymond made his way down to the lounge much quicker than his trip to his boss’s living room. Stepping through the door, he looked around the spacious room filled with a cacophony of sound. The lounge was where he and his fellow bears, and a few others that worked for Silvano on a permanent basis, gathered after hours to cut back and let loose. There were several pool tables, a bar in the back, several large flat screen tv’s, a few card tables, several large couches for lounging on, and even an ice cream and smoothie dispenser, along with a large popcorn machine for those watching movies.

As one of the medium-sized bears walked over to one of the large couches and plopped down to watch the show, Raymond spied the one he was searching for. He was one of the smaller polar bears in the room with 3 faint, nearly invisible, scars across the bridge of his nose and vibrant, storm-grey eyes. He was also one the most outgoing, light-hearted polar bears Raymond had ever met with very little ever getting him down.

Moving towards the large pool table where his query stood waiting with a cue stick in his paws, Raymond pulled out his wallet and opened it up. Stepping up to the table, he pulled out three 100-dollar bills and put his wallet back in his pocket. “Here, Markus,” he said while pushing the money towards the smaller polar bear playing pool, “you won bet.” His voice was flat and emotionless as he hated losing the bet most of them had long forgotten about.

Markus was caught off guard and grabbed the money more from reflex, than realizing what it was. He’d been watching his opponent hit a green marble-swirled 6 ball and hadn’t seen Raymond arrive. Looking at the three bills in his paw, Markus looked back up and raised an eyebrow as curiosity danced within his storm-grey eyes. “Good to know, but which bet are we talking about?”

“You bet Nick would never let a girl kiss him he didn’t care about. You say he never care for lying, thieving vixens, but would have his heart stolen by female of other species. You won bet. He not only fell for another species, but for prey. Bunny cop stole his first kiss and he’s since given her many more.”
Silence spread out from Raymond’s pronouncement until not a sound was heard above a hockey game playing on one of the large screen tv’s. Markus’s grey eyes grew big as saucers as did many of the other bears using the room for recreation.

Markus was speechless at the time, so his opponent, a much larger polar bear by the name of Ivan, asked the question on everyone’s mind. “When you say Nick—you don’t mean Nick Wilde do you?” At Raymond’s nod, Ivan’s dark-brown eyes widened, and he dropped his cue stick, which hit the pool table with a soft thunk before rolling off the edge and clattering to the stone-tiled floor.

“Is that what Nick told you?” Kevin pressed from where he stood next to the popcorn machine. Having never liked the red todd Big had taken such an interest in, Kevin was sure Nick had lied about the whole thing. Which was a shame, as Kevin had heard good things about John Wilde from Mr. Big. But his son, Nicky, was too smug, too slick, and too sly for the polar bear’s liking. And that smart mouth of his was enough to drive anyone to violence in order to shut him up, for he always knew just what to say to get under your skin.

But the worst part was knowing he couldn’t do anything to the irritating todd for Big found his skills indispensable to his operations and treated him like his own son—which was another thorn in Kevin’s thick hide. Big saw the polar bears serving him as his family, his sons and daughters, and then in walks this little upstart of a fox that wormed his way into their boss’s heart and stole much of his praise and attention. And how did the thieving fox repay Big’s kindness and generosity? With a hated skunk-butt rug. It was unforgivable and had Kevin caught Nicky that first year after escaping Big’s mansion, he would have beaten the disrespectful, irritatingly-smug todd to a bloody pulp.

Raymond shook his head at Kevin’s question. “Mistress Fru-Fru had lunch with Judy Hopps today. She admit that she stole Nick’s first kiss. Claimed he was an excellent kisser and that he not hold back passionate kisses from her.” Still looking at Kevin, Raymond folded his massive arms across his chest and raised his chin slightly, then added, “Nick pull bunny into bed with him this morning and they sleep together for an hour.”

“Impossible!” Kevin yelled as his fist shot out to the side and smashed through the thin glass box of the popcorn machine, which sent the puffy white popcorn flying in all directions, along with the shards of glass.

Everyone froze at Kevin’s outburst and the sound of glass breaking, then remained frozen while they watched the white puff balls fly out to cover the bar and floor of the lounge surrounding the now tangled mess of the once proud popcorn machine. Seeing as Kevin was unharmed (his thick fur protected his fist and fingers from the thin glass with only a few minor cuts across his knuckles that were little more than papercuts), they then ignored the mess for later as they had more pressing matters to discuss—such as Nick Wilde’s sudden interest in kissing and snuggling with a rabbit. Did they just enter the twilight zone?

“Yeah,” Ivan added, “He hates anyone even sitting on his bed. There’s no way he’d want a bunny in it.”

Raymond shook his head, stating, “He want Judy in it. She say that he not indifferent to her. That he takes mask off when they alone.”

This flabbergasted the group of bears listening as Nick never took his mask off, though he would partially drop it if he was in company he felt comfortable with and somewhat trusted. But as the idea began to set in, a slow, excited smile spread across Markus’s face, and he suddenly slammed his fist on the edge of the pool table, causing it to rattle and the balls to shift. “Ha! I was right! You all laughed at me for suggesting Nick would fall for an inter-species relationship, but who’s laughing now! Huh?” He hit the pool table again, then opened his paw and curled his fingers repeatedly in a give-me motion. “Come on, pay up. You all lost the bet. It’s my win.”

Kevin crossed his arms and stared at the wall. “That bet took place over 5 years ago. It’s no longer valid.” He wasn’t the only one who had no wish to pay after losing such a bet. There was shifting of feet as several bears looked away from Markus and pretended they hadn’t heard him. Two of them even shifted backwards on their feet as they tried to discreetly make their way towards the exit.

Markus’s smile dropped at seeing this response, but it was Raymond who spoke. “No time limit set on bet. It valid till Nick’s first kiss was stolen or we find him dead.” After a moment’s thought, Raymond muttered, “I prefer dead, but his kiss was stolen first.” With a shrug, he looked back at Kevin. “So pay up.”
Raymond and his older brother, Koslov, were the most senior bears of the group, having come over from Russia with Silvano and his fiancé, Francesca. So, whatever he and Koslov said was taken as law. No one ignored them when they gave an order.

Markus’s smile returned. He always liked the slick, red todd, and didn’t believe Nick had intentionally sold Mr. Big that skunk butt rug (a sentiment very few shared). It was just so out of character for the red vulpine that Markus refused to accept it. He’d wanted to ask his friend about it back when it had happened, but Nick was very slippery and knew how to vanish. So if he didn’t want to be found (which he didn’t), then you didn’t find him . . . Unless you were an energetic bunny who aspired to be a cop, he thought with a happy smirk.

Still, Markus had a hard time imagining Nick getting twitter-pated over a rabbit (when he’d placed his bet, he assumed Nick would fall for another predator). Prey, and especially rabbits, were some of the worst at stereotyping and abusing foxes, so for a bunny to steal his heart, it told Markus just how much faith and trust Judy had shown him—and the polar bear couldn’t be happier. Nick deserved someone who could see the real todd he kept hidden from the world.

As large wads of cash continued to be shoved in his paws, Markus couldn’t keep the stupidly happy grin off his face. He rarely won any bets, so this was a special occasion, making him feel like Christmas came early this year. The first chance he got, he was going to take his old friend out on the town and share the wealth with him. This was something to celebrate (his winning the bet and Nick finally finding a girl worthy of him).

*******

Bogo hurried from the diner and was hard pressed not to run across the street to the courthouse. Judge Princeton was in no less of a hurry. They had all been caught up in the judge’s telling of Nick’s courtroom exploits that they’d lost all track of time. Not until Daphyd received a call informing him he had court in five minutes and where the blazes was he? Bransen was the only one able to leisurely stroll back to Precinct 1.

Bogo climbed behind the wheel of his cruiser and cursed while thinking of the meeting he was now running late for. He was sorely tempted to flip the lights and siren on but figured that might induce a panic when he stopped in front of city hall. The savage attacks were still fresh in everyone’s mind, not to mention the loss of another mayor.

Sitting at a red light, he gripped the steering wheel tightly, then twisted his hooves around the wheel, all the while grinding his teeth in impatience. The light seemed to be taking forever, but when it finally changed, he wasn’t able to get through it before the light turned red again, with still two cars in front of him. Glaring death at the insufferable light, his phone rang shrilly. Grabbing it, he just barely stopped himself from yelling “What!” into the phone. Realizing the incoming call came from the mayor’s office, Bogo took a deep breath and hit accept. Putting the phone to his ear, he said in a much milder tone, “Hello?”

He listened, then replied, “I know I’m late for the meeting. I’m stuck in traffic.” He paused, then answered, “I know city hall is only a few blocks away from Precinct One. But I’m still stuck in traffic.” Pause. “Yes, I will be there just as quickly as I can. Thank you.” He terminated the call and glared at the phone (he hated talking to the intern-mayor’s uptight secretary), then jerked as the car behind him repeatedly honked its horn. Glancing up, he saw the light was green and quickly pushed his hoof down on the gas pedal and nearly peeled out.

The only silver lining to the whole irritating mess was that he wouldn’t need to schedule a meeting to discuss Wilde’s application and request for immunity. He would bring it up today after the council finished discussing the idea of bringing in the feds. And with what Judge Princeton had told him about the smug todd, he had much more ammunition to level at them in favor of pardoning the red vulpine and ensuring his spot on the force. With this tiny ray of sunshine, Bogo pulled into the underground parking garage and killed the engine. After quickly opening the lockbox, he then pulled out the evidence and carefully placed them in his two large utility belt pouches before hurrying inside.

Chapter Text

Finnick stepped out of the large post office that was built next to the train station as he rifled through the mail in his paws. He and Nick had gotten a post office box to share, as he had no permanent place of residence and Nick didn’t want anyone knowing where either of his homes were. Since most of their hustles took place in Savannah Central, getting a box near the train station was a given.

Looking at the envelopes in his paw, he frowned. Junk mail. Junk mail. More junk mail. At least he’d have good fire starter the next time he wanted to grill something. Last night at the store, he had Nick buy him some salmon steaks, so perhaps he’d invite himself over to Nick’s this weekend and have him grill them up for him. He hadn’t eaten grilled salmon in forever. As he pictured how it would taste (Nick knew how to bring out the perfect flavor of the fish), Finn began to drool. Now if that blackberry cobbler was ready for pick up by then, he could die a happy fox.

Licking his chops in anticipation of both the grilled salmon and the heaven-sent cobbler, he continued flipping through the mail as he walked into the station. Nick’s utility bill had come in, and, oh, this was good. Anya sent Nick a letter. Although Nick’s sister liked talking on the phone, she didn’t always have time, so she kept in contact with him through letters. She also liked to have something physical that she could pull out and reread when she was missing her little brother. Judging by how thick this letter was, Finnick guessed that Nick had failed to reply to her last letter and she probably wrote several pages of her chewing him out.

With a chuckle, Finn shook his head. She and Nick were quite close, with her being one of the few mammals that could make Nick squirm—his mother being the other one. Remembering the energetic ball of fluff who was now (hopefully) a permanent fixture in his life, he could probably add Cottontail to the list of mammals who could make his taller friend squirm.

With another chuckle, he glanced around the large, cavernous building as a train sounded its whistle before thundering out of the station. Most mammals were coming or going on the ground level where the main entrance stood, or from the lower level where the trains pulled up and disgorged their passengers before filling back up, but there were quite a few mammals like him who were up on the second level where the small shops, stands, and food joints were.

While making his way towards Mediterranean Cuisine, a herd of about nine wildebeest tramped their way towards him while talking to one another or texting on their phones. Not one of them was paying attention or looking out for smaller foot traffic—which meant Finnick had to dodge around them to keep from getting kicked or trampled.

“Hey!” he yelled in irritation. Several of the wildebeest looked around before one noticed him. Throwing up his paws, Finnick shouted, “Watch it!”

The wide-shouldered wildebeest sneered at the tiny fox, saying, “You watch it, fox. We were here first.”

Finn’s jaw dropped for a moment, and then he yelled back, “What does that have to do with anything? You need to watch where you’re going before you kick someone!”

“Not our problem,” a second wildebeest joined in as he looked the sand-colored fox over with an air of disdain. “If you don’t want to get kicked then stay out of our way.” Turning their backs on the small canine, they proceeded to ignore him as they continued on their way.

Finnick curled his paws into fists as the wildebeest disappeared into a clothing store for larger mammals. Glaring for a moment longer at the spot where they disappeared, he then let out a breath and relaxed. Rubbing his paws down his face and across his muzzle, he muttered, “Why do I even bother? Talking to a rock would be more productive. I’d probably have a more intelligent conversation, too.” Turning around, he mumbled, “Cottontail treating me like a real mammal has ruined me. Now I’m expecting everyone to treat me like I matter.”

Shaking his head, he then rotated his large ears slightly as he tried to home-in on the voice he knew he wouldn’t soon forget. It took a bit to filter out the other noises, but he finally picked up on the one he was here to keep an ear on.

“Nope,” Judy’s voice carried over the din of mammalian noises.

“Come on, Jude!”

“Ehh,” Judy said with a finger in the air. “Zip it.”

“But, Judy, you can’t—”

“Yes, I can.”

“That’s not what I was going to say.”

“Doesn’t matter, Henry, ’cause I’m not listening.”

“You don’t even know what I was going to say!”

“Yes, I do. You just want to badmouth Nick and use it to convince me to come home. But that’s not happening. I’m not going and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

“But he’s a fox!”

“Gee, I hadn’t noticed.”

“He’ll sneak into your bed and gobble you up!”

Judy snickered as she remembered having this very conversation with Nick just yesterday. While trying to not to think about what it’d be like if Nick actually did crawl in bed with her (and wondering if she shouldn’t just crawl in his first—snuggling with him this morning felt wonderful), she focused back on Henry and said, “What are you? Five? Stop living in our ancestral past and start living in the evolved present.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry. Was that too many big words for you?”

“Now you’re starting to sound like that pelt.”

“Call Nick a pelt again and it’ll be your arm I’m punching.” Leaning over the table to glare at her specist brother, Judy tapped the table with her knuckles and said, “And trust me, I’ll be punching you”—she pointed at him—“a lot harder than I do Nick.”

Henry opened his mouth, but Judy cut him off, “If one more specist word comes out of your mouth against Nick, your arm is going to be paying for it, so unless you want to feel like it’s broken, then I suggest you think really long and hard about what you’re going to say next.”

Henry snapped his mouth shut and glared at his sister. How she could defend the lying pelt so vehemently was beyond his understanding. And the fact that he was a todd and she a doe just made everything worse. Folding his arms, he leaned back in his chair and stared at the table while he continued his dark musings. The conniving fox was probably already plotting on how to get his claws and teeth into her.

As Henry’s imagination began running away with all the foul things the fox might do to his sister, his dark musings were interrupted by a loud, deep-throated laugh. Looking around, his eyes finally landed on a small, sand colored fox hunched over several meters away.

Billy also saw the hunched over, shaking fox, and said, pointing to him, “Is that fox kit having a seizure or something?”

Henry shook his head, not caring a wit about the small fox. It didn’t concern him, so why waste his time and attention on the filthy, little pelt.

Judy turned around in her chair to see what the commotion was, and then exclaimed, “Finnick! What are you doing here?”

Finnick raised a finger to let her know he heard, but to give him a minute. For the first time in a long while he was actually laughing with real warmth and happiness. Listening to a specist jerk get told off was always fun, but what had him hunched over in pure mirth and joy was hearing Cottontail, Nick’s prey girlfriend, defending him and threatening violence on her own brother if he didn’t stop badmouthing the red todd. Any lingering doubts he had about the bunny’s commitment and devotion to his tall friend were laid to rest. If she was willing to stand up to (and even harm) one of her own family members to defend her foxy boyfriend, then Finn knew she’d have no qualms about defending him against anyone else.

Listening to another mammal, a prey and rabbit at that, defending a fox soothed a raw scar he’d carried around since he was a little kit. Having come from an abusive, broken home, and then forced into an even more abusive foster home after the death of his mother, Finnick had given up hope of foxes ever being treated as anything but worthless, second-class citizens. But if bunny cop was willing to defend his friend, her boyfriend, with her being in such a high-profile position, then maybe things might finally start to look up for foxes.

Finally getting a hold of his mirth, Finnick straightened up and shook his head, then walked over to the bunny who’d turned his friend’s world upside down and gave Nick another lease on life and the chance for lasting happiness.

As the sand-colored fox drew near, Judy stated, “I see you got your van put back together.” At Finn’s nod, she repeated, “So what brings you here?”

“Mail,” he replied, showing her the stack of junk mail. Pulling out the two envelopes addressed to Nick, he handed them up to Cottontail, saying, “Here’s Nick’s mail. You can give it to him when he gets back.”

Glancing them over (the utility bill was the one showing), Judy then looked back at Finnick. Since the small fox seemed to know what Nick was up to (and wasn’t surprised to find her here with a couple of bucks), she asked, “Nick asked you to come, didn’t he?”

Finn shrugged. “He wanted me to hang around here and keep an ear open in case Thing 1 here tried anything.” He jerked his thumb at the brown buck with dark-brown highlights who’d been arguing with cotton tail just moments before.

Judy snickered. “Thanks, but I think I got it covered.” Finn shrugged, then turned to leave, but Judy stopped him a word. “Wait.” As Finn glanced over his shoulder, Judy continued, “Since you’re already here, why don’t you join us and keep me company until Nick returns.”

Turning back around, Finnick looked at Judy, glanced at the two bucks, then back at Judy. “Are you sure?”

Judy beamed at him. “Positive.” With a wave of her hand, she explained, “Billy isn’t much of a talker and Henry has absolutely nothing to say I want to hear, so you’d be doing me a huge favor by joining us.”

“Judy, no!” Henry hissed even as Billy looked unsure at having a fox sitting next to him (they had finally sat down after Nick stood up and swiped Judy’s box from Henry’s startled paws before leaving).

Judy glared at her jerk of brother. “Finnick is my friend, too, so if he wants to join us then he can.”

“But, Jude, he’s a—”

Judy smacked the glass table with her knuckles again and pointed a finger at her bigoted brother. “What did I just say about watching what you say? Doesn’t matter if it’s Nick or Finnick, I’ll slug your arm if I hear anything negative coming from your mouth.”

Henry glowered at her, but kept his mouth shut. He’d experienced some of Judy’s irritated punches in the past and had no desire to experience a truly angry one. He had little doubt that his arm would feel broken if she hit him in her current mood.

Finnick looked between them and grinned. The fact that Cottontail’s threats extended to include him, too, helped heal a little bit more of his raw emotional scars that had been festering for years. Meeting bunny cop’s gaze, he said, “Let me put this mail in my van, then I’ll join you.”

Judy nodded and watched Finnick disappear, then grinned. She should feel annoyed that Nick sent Finn to watch over her, but she didn’t. It just showed how much he cared and worried about her. It was his way of letting her know she wasn’t alone. And Finnick wasn’t some overbearing mother-hen type to make her feel claustrophobic but was there only in the event she actually did need help. Which she wouldn’t, but the gesture was nice.

Billy had watched the small fox slip through the crowd and disappear, then he turned back to Judy. With a low hiss, he whispered, “Judy, why are you hanging out with a bunch of foxes? You can’t trust them.”

Glaring at the idiotic, tan buck sitting across from her, Judy said, “Billy, do I need to hurt you, too?”

Billy immediately waved both paws out to her, saying in a panicked voice, “No! I just . . .” Taking a deep breath while running his paws through his dark-tan fur, he stared at the table and muttered, “It was just a question.” Although he hadn’t spent any time with Judy after they graduated high school, Billy could never forget the fights she got into while defending others.

Judy sighed. Folding her arms across her chest, she leaned back in her chair. “Finnick is my friend. He won’t hurt me any more than Nick will. I know he has my back which is more than I can say about most mammals.” Perking up, she added, “Besides, he makes fantastic pancakes.” Closing her eyes, a wide smile crossed her face. “Mmm, I can still taste them.” Opening her eyes to meet Henry’s and Billy’s stunned expressions, she added, “I think there was some left over, so I’ll be able to eat them tomorrow morning, too.”

Billy choked at the thought of eating food made by a fox (he refused to eat anything Gideon baked), but before he or Henry could say anything, the small, sand-colored fox scampered back over and hopped up onto the chair the red fox had been sitting in earlier. Watching as the tan fox got situated in his chair, Billy leaned back in his own chair and tried to sit as far away from the fox as he could get.

Henry merely ground his teeth and seethed. Judy was letting another filthy pelt sit so close to her, and he couldn’t even say anything about it without her punching him in the arm. It was insane!

Grinning at Cottontail, Finnick handed her a popsicle (an actual popsicle) and settled back in his chair and started licking a red one of his own.
Judy took the popsicle, this one blue, and raised an eyebrow at the small fox.

“No, it’s not one of mine and Nick’s,” he answered her questioning gaze. “It’s the wrong shape.” Taking another lick, he then said, “Besides, Nick hasn’t done much of anything the last three months.” Dropping his voice to a mere whisper that only carried as far as Cottontail, he added, “Just moped around his bridge cursing your existence one minute and lamenting your loss the next, or just sitting for hours in a sullen, sulky silence. It was annoying and disheartening to see how pathetic he’d become.”

Judy’s ears drooped to hear just how bad Nick had gotten after their fight at the press conference. Although Nick admitted he hadn’t done much better than her, hearing it from someone else drove the point home harder. She stared at the popsicle in her paw a moment as she remembered her first and second encounter with Nick. He was such a jerk back then that it was hard to believe how they made it this far. But now, he was her whole world, the vital piece she’d been missing in her life. Turning the icy treat back and forth for a moment as the last two and a half days played themselves out in her mind, she then licked it. Blue raspberry. It’s was quite good, and she stuffed the top half in her mouth and sucked on it happily. Now that Nick was back in her life, her life felt complete.

Watching Cottontail happily licking her frozen treat, Finn turned his attention to the two bucks across from him—the brown buck with dark highlights who sat glowering at him, and the dark-tan buck who sat cringing away from him with his nose constantly twitching with unease. Pulling his muzzle back slightly as he smiled wider (and showing off his needle-like teeth), Finn asked, “So what’s cookin?”

Billy shuddered at the predatory display and allusion to food while the fox looked at him and licked his treat. Twitching as the tan fox took a toothy bite out of the red treat, Billy shivered as the melting red juice reminded him of blood. He had never been comfortable around predators, had never trusted those who survived off the life and flesh of other living creatures. It just wasn’t right. And although predators no longer hunted other mammals, who’s to say they won’t get a hankering for some fresh meat when some weird mood overtook them? Most still lived off the meat of birds and fish, so what would stop them from making a meal out of their fellow mammal if the idea struck them?

Henry merely grunted and stared off into the crowd. He was regretting forcing his sisters to stay home. When he’d heard Lily and Rachelle talking about the trip this morning, and how excited they were to see their injured sister and the handsome todd who’d (supposedly) saved her, Henry knew he had to do something to save his headstrong sister from being taken advantage of by the worthless pelt (he also didn’t want to see Rachelle and Lily getting close to the filthy predator, either). He should have known that Judy would never see reason. Once she got an idea in her head, no one could talk sense to her. Which made his coming here was a complete waste, and time couldn’t move any slower. He just wanted to grab the truck and head home. Judy was too bullheaded to see reason, so if she wanted to stay here and get messed over by the two foxes she was stubbornly defending, then that was her problem. He was washing his paws of her.

“Not much,” Judy replied to Finnick’s question as she looked down at the mail in her other paw. Moving the top envelope forward to see the one beneath it, she read the name at the top right corner and her jaw dropped. Then with an excited squeal, she met Finn’s questioning gaze. “This is from Anya!? Nick’s older sister?”

Finn nodded while licking his red treat. “Anya likes to keep in touch through letters. Says it’s more personal that way.”

Judy clapped her paws together (the popsicle held tightly between them) and asked, “So what’s she up to? Nick hasn’t told me much about her yet.” Taking another lick, she waited for her friend’s answer.

“Nick hasn’t told you about Anya?” Finn asked in surprise.

Judy shook her head. “He hasn’t had the chance. We’ve been too busy discussing other things. He told me what Honey did for him and his academic achievements. And he told me about his mom and what the two of you did to help her.” Her voice dropped to a pained whisper as she continued, “And I now know what happened to his dad and brother.” Pushing the dark images down, she said with a little more pep in her voice, “But we haven’t had a chance to discuss his sister. The only thing I know about her is that she plays the piano, and if she’s as good as Nick then I can’t wait to hear her play.” Sticking the popsicle in her mouth, she started sucking on it again.

Finnick nodded. “She lives in the same town as Vivian—Nick’s mom.”

Judy glanced at the return address on the envelope and asked, “Rándýrabær?”

Finn nodded. “Ya, the two of them moved there after Anya graduated. It started out as a middle-sized town for predators, but has since grown into a small city. It’s still predominantly predators with only a handful of prey living there—which is why Anya moved there after her graduation. It has a large fox population, so she knew she could get a good job there and be treated with respect.”

Judy took another lick of her popsicle and tilted her head in question. “Graduated?”

Finn licked his treat and nodded again. “She graduated med school top of her class and moved to Rándýrabær to get a job at the hospital there, and Vivian moved out there to be close to her.”

“Med school! She graduated med school!” At Finn’s smug grin, Judy then asked, “How? With what Nick said, foxes are severely discriminated against in school, and especially in advanced schooling.”

“They are, but Nick hooked Anya up with a special scholarship program for small, disadvantaged mammals—predominantly foxes—but any mammal that meets the requirements can receive help. And those who receive it are protected from discrimination from their chosen college or university. If it’s proven that discrimination or bullying is affecting the recipient’s grades, then the school will be hit with a huge lawsuit.”

Finn’s smug grin couldn’t get any wider, and Judy could guess who was behind the scholarship’s lawsuit clause—as well as the lawyer who would enforce it. With a smile, Judy stuck the rest of her icy treat in her mouth and sucked on it while a hundred questions ran through her mind. Questions that she wasn’t sure she should be asking while her brother and his friend were around. Although she couldn’t see how a scholarship program could be illegal, it was still part of Nick’s checkered past, so she didn’t want to ask too many questions with twitchy ears listening in.

Finn took another bite of his treat and licked the red syrupy juice from his chops, all the while grinning widely as Billy continued to cringe. There was a reason he’d chosen a red popsicle for himself.

As Billy continued cringing as he watched Finnick eat the last of his popsicle, Judy thought of a way to get her answers. Shifting her gaze to her brother, she said, “Hey, Henry, Billy’s not looking too good. Why don’t you take him to get something to drink? There’s a lemonade stand near the ground level escalators.”

Henry grunted but stood up and motioned for Billy to follow him.

As the two bucks stepped away from the table, Judy said, “And while you’re over there, you might as well just grab a table and wait there. It’s obvious neither of you want to be near a fox.”

Henry glared at her for several moments, then grunted again and moved on. His sister was nuts and it was disgusting to see her get all chummy with the foxes, but he knew better than to pick a fight with Judy. She never backed down and rarely lost.

Once the bucks were out of earshot, Judy leaned closer to Finn and asked, “Okay, now that the busybodies are gone, how is Nick involved with the scholarship program? And how did you two even meet?”

Finn chuckled. “I’ll answer your second question first.” Relaxing back in the chair, he rested one arm across his chest and scratched his chin with the other. “We met shortly after Nick ran away from home. I’d been on the street a couple of years and had an established route where I did most of my hustling.” He paused a moment, then his smile shifted to a frown, “And then this snot nosed kit comes in and starts hustling in my territory. I didn’t like it.” Finn shook his head and waved his paw, saying, “You have to know that foxes can be pretty territorial about what we consider ours.”

Judy nodded and murmured, “Like Nick is with me.” It was a statement, and one that thrilled her, oddly enough. Any other bunny would feel annoyed at the least, and terrified at the most, to have a large fox getting all territorial on her, but not Judy. She loved seeing Nick’s territorial side. It meant he intended to keep her, that he’d fight to protect her—that she didn’t have to fight alone to keep what they had.

Finnick nodded slowly while scratching his throat. “That don’t bother you?”

Chuckling as she shook her head, Judy said, “If it was the old Nick, then yes, I’d be bothered. But if it was the old Nick, we wouldn’t even be together. I like this new Nick. The Nick who stood up to Bogo so I could keep my job. The Nick who snuck into an asylum with me. The Nick who forgave me when I was being a dumb bunny. And the Nick who saved the evidence we needed and refused to leave me when we both knew I wouldn’t survive alone. This Nick can get as territorial as he wants with me, because for the first time in my life, I have something I want and I don’t have to fight alone to get it.” Biting into the last of her popsicle, she quickly finished it off and smiled brightly at Finn.

Her smile was blinding and Finnick could only stare for several moments before shaking his head and smiling himself. “You two are nuts.” Judy just chuckled, and Finn continued with his tale. “Okay, so back to my story.” Tilting his head back as his mind wondered down memory lane, Finn finally said, “At first we butted heads a lot since he was taking some of my customers, and we were always trying to outdo the other.” Finnick shook his head and laughed, “Nick made a lot of rookie mistakes, but he was smart, way smarter than I was when I first started out, and he learned quickly. And boy could he talk your tail off. Just by looking at one’s clothes and body language, he could guess fairly accurately what a potential customer needed to hear in order to make a sell.”

Judy continued to smile as she remembered Nick telling her about the lesson his dad had taught him when he was only five, and then how he was able to easily read her brother—and herself that first day they met. “Yeah, I can believe that.”

Finn nodded, then said, “It went on like that for nearly a year, and then one day he was just gone.” Finnick’s large ears disappeared behind his head and he continued his tale. “At first I thought maybe he got picked up by the Child Welfare system or he actually did the smart thing and went home. From the few conversations we had I got the impression he was sending any extra money he made home to his mom.” Finn shook his head, wishing back then that he still had his mom around to send money to. “Anyway, I didn’t see him for a week, and then I’m walking by this alley and I smell blood. A lot of blood. It was a week old, but that much blood lingers, even outside in the elements.”

Finnick shivered at the memory. “I knew right away it was fox blood, and there was only one fox I knew who frequented the area and was no longer around. I was sure Nick was dead and I started beating myself up over not helping him, for pushing him away. I didn’t like him, but I didn’t want him dead, either.”

Finnick was quiet for several minutes, lost in the past, and Judy waited for him to collect himself. She knew where Nick had disappeared to and was once again grateful for Honey’s compassion that compelled her to save the fox kit that was now so very important to her. Perhaps she’d ask Nick to take her to Honey’s gravesite so she could pay her respects . . . and to his dad’s and brother’s.

Finally, Finn continued his story. “I asked around, but no one seemed to know anything—which was weird. I should have heard something if Nick was dead or lying somewhere at death’s door. But no one knew anything about him.” Shaking his head at the guilt he felt during that time, he then continued, “It was over 4 months later that I saw Nick again, back on the streets and as smug as ever. I’ll tell you, he never looked better—and I mean that literally. Even though I could see patches where the fur was still growing back over a few of his injuries, he was dressed much better and no longer looked starved. His frame had filled out, too, and the bags under his eyes had disappeared. I never felt so glad to see another mammal in my life.”

Judy nodded, glad to hear how Honey’s care had improved her fox’s young life.

“After he came back, I decided to take him under my wing and mentor him.” With a lighthearted chuckle, he added, “Teaming up with Red was the best decision I ever made. Together, we more than doubled our cash flow, and sometimes tripled or quadrupled what I could make alone.” With a shake of his head, he grinned and said, “I knew Nick was smart, but his mind worked much faster, much sharper than even other foxes I’d run across. He was truly a cut above the rest.” With a shake of his head, he added, “It’s a good thing Honey took him in, otherwise his talents and abilities would have been squandered.”

Judy continued to beam at hearing another mammal acknowledge how smart her fox was. She couldn’t wait to hear more about her fox’s early days. “And Honey wasn’t bothered by Nick’s hustling?”

Finnick slapped the table, laughing, then stated, “Bothered!? She helped fine-tune a bunch of ’em!”

“Huh?” Judy tilted her head slightly in confusion and one of her long ears dropped sideways slightly, giving her an odd look as one ear stood straight up with the other cocked to the side.

With a grin, Finn explained, “Honey was a daredevil and a bit of a conspiracy nut, so she was more open minded than most. She also understood how bad foxes had it. Nick wanted to help his family but didn’t want handouts to do it. But any job he could get as a teenage fox would’ve paid pennies. So, Honey supported Nick as long as our hustles didn’t actually hurt anyone.”

Scratching behind his ear, Finn added, “It’s probably a good thing Nick was planning most of our hustles. He still had a heart, but I was less scrupulous when it came to my hustles. I was definitely headed towards hardened criminal when I met up with Nick. I’d been burned too many times by society and had just about stopped caring. But after working with Nick a while, and after he began dragging me home with him, I found my moral compass again.”

With a wide grin, he explained, “Honey didn’t treat me any differently than she did Nick and went out of her way to help me. That kind of compassion I hadn’t experienced since I was a small kit.” Leaning forward to point his clawed finger at Cottontail, he said proudly, “She even homeschooled me along with Nick and helped me graduate. She had to pull a lot of strings, too, since I was already 19 when I finally finished.” Glancing at Cottontail’s stunned expression, he clarified, “I was a few months shy of my 17th birthday when I met Honey, and I had a lot more catching up to do than Nick.”

Judy didn’t know what to say. To hear how Honey had saved Nick was one thing, but to hear how she also saved Finnick—she was definitely stopping by her grave and paying her respects. As Nick had pointed out to Bogo, Honey truly was a saint. “Wow,” she finally said. “Honey did all that for you, too?”

Finn nodded. “She was even willing to take me in and let me room with Nick, but I’d been on my own too long, so didn’t feel comfortable accepting.” With a wide grin, he added, “I sure spent a lot of nights passed out on her couch, though.” With an even wider grin, he slapped the table and said, “She even got me an automotive and diesel mechanic license. If it has an engine—I can fix it.”

Judy’s smile widened to hear of Finn’s accomplishments. “Have you ever considered getting a mechanic’s job?” she asked curiously.

“I had a job with a garage while Nick was going through law school, but the hours were long and the pay wasn’t that great. There wasn’t a lot of respect there, either. I got along with a few coworkers, but our boss was real hard to please. After being my own boss for so long, it was a hard mental shift to begin taking orders.” With a shake of his head, he added, “It was at that time I got the apartment at the Grand Pangolin. The job was close by and I could walk, thus saving time and money. Nick would pick me up when we did our hustles.”

“So, you no longer do anything with your license?”

Finn shrugged. “I use my skills to keep my van running and to fine-tune all of Nick’s toys, but not much else. There are several mammals I made deals with to be their personal mechanics, so whenever they need work done on their rides they give me a call. Pay’s good and the hours are flexible, but I don’t get called too often.” With a grin of appreciation, he added, “They take real good care of their wheels.”

Judy nodded, then asked, “So what toys is Nick hiding in the garage?”

Finnick’s eyes widened and his ears perked forward. “He hasn’t shown you yet?”

Judy shook her head. “Not yet. It’s on our to-do list.”

A wide grin spread across Finn’s face and he leaned back in his chair while crossing his paws behind his head. “Then I’m not going to spoil all the surprises Nick has in store for you.”

Judy pouted and Finnick just laughed. Still leaning back with his paws behind his head, the small fox glanced up at the station’s ceiling far overhead. He was thinking about all of Nick’s toys and the fun they used to have with them. About half the toys in Nick’s garage were technically his as Honey always bought him one of whatever she bought Nick. When he wasn’t working and Nick wasn’t in school, then they could usually be found together. It didn’t take Finn long to start seeing Nick as a younger brother. And whenever Honey dragged Nick on one of her crazy adventures, Nick usually dragged him along for the ride. They had so much fun together back then.

With eyes widening as he remembered one of their yearly adventures, Finnick suddenly bolted upright and stared at Cottontail which made her pout turn to a look of curiosity as she perked her long ears forward. “Hey!” Finn exclaimed while pointing a clawed finger at her. “If Nick’s back home and has the jeep out, do you think you could convince him to enter one of the jeep rallies this year?”

Judy tilted her head in question and her ear cocked slightly to the side again. “Jeep rally?”

Chapter Text

“Ya, ya, jeep rally.” With a wide grin, Finnick explained, “Honey heavily modified the jeep so she could win the jeep rallies.” Still pointing at bunny cop, Finn continued his explanation. “When we were younger, she’d take Nick along as her co-driver and I’d be her assistant mechanic. Then when her health made it difficult to drive or do her mechanical work, she made Nick the main driver and I was the mechanic, with Honey coming along for the ride.”

Judy sat stunned. She knew the jeep had been modified to ride smooth in the city, but she hadn’t thought much beyond that. But now . . . With a broad smile, she clapped her paws together, exclaiming, “This is so awesome. Of course, we have to attend. When do they start?”

“The first rally starts the last week of August, with another rally happening the last week of September, and then a big two-week rally the second half of October.”

Judy was positively beaming. “I don’t think we can make the October one, since Nick will be entering the academy the first of November, but we should be able to attend the two in August and September.” Clapping her paws again in excitement, she squealed, but then remembered she’d be working by that time. This knocked some of the excitement out of her as she said, “I’ll be working during the weekday, but I can join you guys in the evening and all day on the weekend.”

Finnick nodded, not at all surprised she couldn’t join them during the day, but happy at the prospect of finally getting to attend a rally again after so many years.

While thinking of the fun they could have at the rallies, Judy beamed as a thought suddenly struck her. Leaning closer to the sand-colored fox beside her, Judy said, “You know, Finn, I have an older sister that is crazy about this sort of stuff. She’s always wanted to attend one of the Zootopia Rallies, but never had the chance.” In a softer voice, she leaned in a little closer and added, “Her name is Amy and she’s also a mechanic—a dang good one, too.” Looking Finn over, Judy said, “I think the two of you would get along really well. She’s not specist at all, and has no problem working with other mammals. In fact, some of her best friends are predators.”

Finnick’s jaw dropped, then snapped shut. Waving a finger at her, he replied, “Stop that. Wipe that stupid grin off your face and that dumb thought out of your head. You and Nick are crazy enough and I want no part of it.”

Judy just chuckled, then said, “What? I just said you’d get along really well together. Is it so bad to have another rabbit as a friend? She’s a mechanic freak who loves all things automotive. She didn’t have Honey to tutor her, but give her a few pointers and it won’t take long before she’s as good as you.”

Finnick’s ears perked up as the idea of having another mammal to talk shop with was an intriguing idea, and the fact the mammal was Judy’s sister further piqued his interest. And having another mechanic along during the rally would be much better than just himself. Scratching his chin, he replied, “Okay, you have me halfway sold on your sister joining us for the rallies, but it won’t matter if we can’t get the jeep there.” Dropping his paw, he leaned forward and pointed a clawed finger at Cottontail and said, “So your job will be convincing Loverboy to sign up.”

Judy nodded and asked, “So how can I do that?”

Finnick leaned back in his chair and tapped a claw on his chin, then asked, “Have you seen the medals and trophies sitting on his mantle in the living room?”
Judy nodded. “That first night Nick brought me home, but I haven’t had a chance to really look at them yet.”

Finn flicked an ear in acknowledgement, then explained with a wave of his paw, “Most of those are trophies and medals he and Honey won at the rallies. So all you have to do is ask about them. Get him to relive the fun we had.” With a smirk, he clasped his paws together and cocked his head while saying, “Then bat those long eyelashes at him”—Finn batted his eyes—“and sweetly ask if he’s thought of going again. Tell him it'd mean the world to you if he took you.”

Judy started laughing at Finnick’s antics. With her arms wrapped around her middle, she stammered out around her laughing, “I . . .haha . . . don’t . . . ha . . . look like . . . haha . . . that!” Still laughing, Judy leaned over the table and rested her cheek against the beveled glass.

Watching Cottontail laugh, Finn leaned back and folded his arms across his chest. Having someone besides Nick laughing at his jokes was pretty nice, and he idly wondered if Judy’s sister would laugh at his jokes, too. Realizing the direction his thoughts were heading, he suddenly sat up straighter. Deciding he needed a distraction, he said, “I need something to drink.” Meeting Cottontail’s gaze, he asked, “You want something?”

Judy sat up as her laughter cut off, then replied, “Yeah, that would be great. Is the lemonade here any good?”

Finn made a face. “Blah. After tasting Sonjay’s lemonades, the ones here are mediocre at best.” Shaking his head, he jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. “There’s a smoothie joint over there that’s really good. What flavor do you want?”

Judy thought a moment, then asked, “Do they have a strawberry kiwi smoothie? Oh, or a Pina colada flavored one. That sounds really good right now.”

Finn nodded, saying, “I’ll see what they have.” Hopping down off his chair, he stepped toward the smoothie joint when Cottontail stopped him.

“Oh, wait, Finn, here.” Judy fished her wallet out of her pocket (Nick had snagged it from her box before taking off) and said, “Let me pay for them.”

Finnick’s ears perked forward as this was another first—prey offering to buy him something that didn’t involve some sort of angle. “Are you sure?”

Judy nodded as she opened her wallet. “It’s the least I can do for saving me from my brother and telling me more about Nick.” Pulling a ten out, she handed it down to the little fennec and added, “Thanks for telling me about yourself, too, and I’ll definitely be telling Nick he has to take us to a rally.” Beaming at her new friend, Judy watched him nod. It was obvious from his expression that her gratitude and willingness to pay was a new experience for him, and it pained her heart at the reminder that foxes were frequently taken advantage of.

Finn nodded as he looked at the money in his paw. This felt strange, having someone besides Nick willing to pay for something and expect nothing in return. Honey was the only other mammal he knew of that was so generous. With a shake of his head, he stuffed the money in his pocket and turned back around. Speaking over his shoulder, he said, “I’ll be back in a few.” Since the lunch rush had already come and gone, the line was short, so it didn’t take long for him to grab the smoothies and return to their table. After handing the drinks up to bunny cop, he jumped up onto his chair.

“Thanks, Finn,” Judy said as she sipped her white, icy drink through the straw. Humming happily, she murmured, “I love coconut.”

Finnick shrugged his shoulders and took a drink of his own blackberry smoothie before reaching into his pocket to bring out the left-over money.

As Finn went to hand it over, Judy shook her head and said, “Keep the change.”

Finnick coughed on his smoothie, scrunching the money in his paw as he leaned over and pounded on his chest. As he cleared his windpipe and took a breath, he felt Cottontail leaning over him, then her warm breath tickled his large ear.

“Are you all right?” Judy asked as Finnick finally stopped hacking and began taking several deep breaths.

“Ah, ya, I think I’m good now.” Looking up, he found bunny cop staring at him with real concern for his welfare shining in her bright amethyst eyes. Ah, this is going to take some getting used to, Finn thought. A bunny and a cop who’s actually concerned about me. It wasn’t that no one besides Nick would feel concerned about him if something happened (there wasn’t many, but he did have a few other friends), but for prey to be concerned, especially since they’d hardly met, just felt odd. Nick was right, bunny cop was weird—but in a good way. “Are you sure you want me to keep this?” he pressed. Mammals just didn’t give away free money, even if it was only a few dollars.

Judy grinned. “I’m sure. I wasn’t lying when I said you saved me from Henry. Having to argue with him for over an hour wasn’t on my list of things to do today.”

With a grateful nod, Finnick stuffed the money back in his pocket and returned to his smoothie.

They enjoyed the cool treats for several minutes in silence, as both were lost in thought, but then Judy asked curiously, “So why did Nick quit going to the rallies?”

Finn’s ears laid back and a scowl crossed his face as he hissed out, “If that two-faced, lying, cheating snake hadn’t betrayed him when Honey died and set him up to be iced by—” The words froze in Finnick’s throat as he realized what he was about to confess—to a cop. Snapping his muzzle shut with a clack of his sharp teeth, Finnick folded his arms and stared off into space, his small body practically vibrating as he seethed in anger.

Judy watched as Finn attempted to control his rage. It wasn’t hard to figure out who he was ranting about, nor what he was about to let slip. Running her paws around her cool, moist cup (the moisture in the air was condensing on it), she then whispered, “I know that Nick worked for Mr. Big for 6 years.”

Finnick’s ears twitched as he turned his gaze back to her. “He told you that? And you’re fine with it?”

Judy shrugged while a small smile played across her face. “Fru-Fru told me first. She thought I’d get my heart broken if I fell for Nick.” With another shrug, she added, “Nick told me himself right after he asked me to be his girlfriend. He wanted to make sure it wasn’t going to be a deal breaker for me.”

“And you’re still dating?” Finn couldn’t believe bunny cop was okay with Nick working for the biggest mob boss in Tundratown.

“Fru-Fru said Nick was working for her dad in the information gathering aspect of his business. And then when Nick was telling me what Nakita did to him, he assured me he’d never killed anyone and he’d never dealt with drugs.”

Finnick shook his head, saying, “Honey would have never stood by him if his heart was into that sort of stuff.” Pausing in thought for a moment, he then added, “Of course, her care and concern for him was probably the biggest factor in Nick keeping his moral compass as good as it was.”

Turning to meet bunny cop’s questioning gaze, he explained, “Nick holds a high regard for both his father and mother, and he’s always wanted to make them proud, even if they weren’t around to see him. But they were unable to be there for Nick when he needed them most, nor could they help him develop his skills and talents. His father was dead and his mom struggled to take care of herself. But Honey stepped in and took it upon herself to be all that for Nick, to give him that sense of security and support he hadn’t experienced in a very long time, and then she gave him the tools to be the best he could be. Nick really respected Honey for that and never wanted to do anything to disappoint her or to break the trust she placed in him.” With a grin at all the fun times they had together (Honey had done the same for him) Finn added, “Honey showed him how to truly live and enjoy life.”

Judy nodded as she thought of the love and affection Honey had showered on her foxy boyfriend. But then she thought about how she’d found Nick, the uncaring hustler who took great delight in tearing her down and telling her how pointless her dream was. Remembering what Nick said about Nakita’s betrayal during his grief of losing Honey, Judy took a deep breath and murmured, “But all that changed when Honey died and Nakita betrayed him.”

Finnick scoffed. “That’s putting it mildly.” Running his small paws through his head-fur, he explained, “Honey’s death was a huge blow to Nick, but he could have recovered from it in time, I think, but having Stan betray him for Nakita, and then losing his employment, his reputation, and nearly his life all in the same day really took its toll.”

Shaking his head at the memory, Finn then continued, “After escaping Big’s mansion, Nick lived in fear of a severe beating on a daily basis for over a year—it took Big’s goons that long to stop actively seeking to hurt him for betraying their boss’s trust and respect.” Tapping the table with his claw, he added, “And that’s not counting how his reputation for integrity was smeared through the mud.”

Judy raised an eyebrow while listening to Finn say Nick had a reputation for integrity. He was a con-artist wasn’t he?

Seeing Cottontail’s questioning gaze, Finn shook his head, “Yes, he fudged the truth on his hustles, but while working for Mr. Big, Nick developed a reputation for getting things done. You needed information, he’d get it and ensured it was accurate. If you needed something, he could get it, and he made sure it’s what you asked for. But after the whole skunk butt rug, Nick was back to being nothing more than another filthy, conniving, backstabbing fox. No one trusted him and no one wanted to work with him after that.”

Looking down at the table, Finnick muttered, “It just took the life out of him. And then to top it all off, he finally lost his first court case.” Waving his paws around in frustration, he added bitterly, “If it were any other mammal who finally lost after a stunning winning streak, everyone would’ve been, ‘Hey, everyone loses sometime. Chin up, you’ll get them next time.’ But no, because Nick was a fox, everyone was, ‘Ha! You failed! We knew you couldn’t do it.’ Never mind that he put away one of the worst criminals of the decade!” Finn’s large ears were twitching with the anger the dark memories brought up and he curled his paws into tight fists. “He had already lost his street cred and now he lost his court credibility.”

Judy’s ears perked up and it was a battle between her curiosity about her fox in court and the obvious injustice he’d been shown. Taking a deep breath, she asked, “First court case?” Nick had told her about defending his mom and the others who were being experimented on, and of course prosecuting Nakita, but nothing more of his time in court.

Finnick nodded as he pushed the bitterness down. Scratching his neck, he said, “Ya. Nick only took the lawyer job to protect his mom and sister from a legal standpoint, but he also used his skills to help others out as well—other disadvantaged mammals who were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time—and were usually the wrong species. Foxes aren’t the only mammals discriminated against.”

Judy nodded, just now remembering Nick saying no one would hire a fox if they had the money to hire someone else. “He worked pro-bono for those other cases, too, didn’t he?” she asked. That would explain why he never filed his taxes for any case he worked.

Finn nodded and took a sip of his smoothie. “There were several that exchanged goods and services as Nick’s payment for representing them, but most of the time he took favors in exchange for taking on a client.”

Judy cocked her head in curiosity. “Favors?”

“Ya, ya,” Finn said, then explained, “If Nick won the case, then the mammal had to owe him a favor, sometimes several favors, depending on how difficult the case was.” At Cottontail’s surprise, he added, “When living on the streets, favors can be more valuable than gold.” With a grin, he then said, “Nick has a lot of contacts, and many of them were made through his clients. Either the mammal himself or their family and friends. Most mammals can’t show enough gratitude when you’re able to prove they, or a family member, is innocent of a crime they didn’t commit.”

Judy nodded in thought as she considered everything Finn had just told her. Hearing how Nick willingly used his lawyer skills to help others, even when he wasn’t getting paid for it, made her heart swell even more for the smug todd she hoped to soon be married to. Stirring her shake with the straw, she asked calmly (she didn’t want to make any assumptions), “Did . . . did Nick ever defend any criminals?”

Finn’s ears disappeared behind his head and a scowl touched his muzzle. “Of course not. I told you, he respected his parents and Honey too much to use his skills to represent those who made a living hurting others—and trust me, he had a lot of offers. And the money! Criminals were willing to pay a fortune for Nick to represent them—he was that good—but he refused them all. No matter how much money they threw at him, he utterly refused to represent anyone actually in the wrong.”

Judy’s eyes widened. “He really refused all that money?”

Finn nodded. “I asked him about that once. Although I could see him not wanting to represent thugs or murders, there were still a lot of petty criminals who would have paid him his money’s worth if he accepted their case.”

“So, what did Nick say?” The fact that Nick could have made a killing from defending criminals, and yet refused, stunned her, but also warmed her heart even more. She knew Nick had a good heart (he wouldn’t have stuck with her when the chips were down if he hadn’t), but this was further proof.

“He gave me this funny look, then said, ‘There are more important things in life than money, Finn.’ Then Nick stared off into space and said, ‘If I represented criminals, then it’d be no different than me defending the swine who stabbed my dad or the drunk who hit my brother or the bastard doctors who let him bleed to death.’ He looked back at me then and said, ‘I could never live with myself if I did that.’” Finnick shook his head. “Until that moment, I don’t think I fully realized just how much of an impact his dad and brother’s murders had on him.” Scratching his ear, Finn whispered, “He still wakes up in a cold sweat sometimes from the recurring nightmares he has of their deaths.”

Looking up and seeing bunny cop’s watery gaze he quickly waved his paws out in front of him and hastily explained, “Not as much now. And while Honey was alive, they’d pretty much stopped, but after her death and Nakita’s betrayal . . .” Finn’s gaze shifted to a random point somewhere in front of him, and he continued in a hushed voice, “The whole bloody thing was just too messed up and his old nightmares came back.”

“And he couldn’t get help for the nightmares? See a shrink or something?”

Finn gave her this dumb bunny look for several heartbeats, then finally said, “Cottontail, this is Nick we’re talking about. He was never really open with his feelings, but after Honey’s death and the whole bloody mess with Nakita and Big, something inside him died. It’s almost like he gave up. All the things we enjoyed doing stopped being enjoyable to him. That popsicle hustle we do—ya, that’s one of our lowest paying hustles, and yet it’s the only one Nick wants to do. We have one other hustle we switch to in the winter, but it’s a far cry from what we used to do.”

Shaking his head, Finn continued, “Nick used to love coming up with new and interesting ways of conning money out of people before he started working for Big. And after he started working for the mob boss, he had the funnest time staking out criminals trying to move in on Big's territory or going undercover to gather information for the arctic shrew. And it was at this time that Nick took on clients and defended them in court. And of course, Honey was still dragging us on all her crazy outdoor adventures . . .” Finn waved his paw around for emphasis. “But now—he just doesn’t care anymore. The popsicle hustle pays the bills—barely I might add—but there’s little excitement and barely any thought involved after all the years we’ve been doing it.”

Judy sat stunned to hear about how Nick’s life had taken such a downward spiral. She was speechless as she tried to internalize everything she’d just been told.

Rubbing his face a moment, Finn then turned to Cottontail and pointed a clawed finger at her. “These last two days Nick spent with you have been the happiest I’ve seen him in over 5 years. Not since Honey was alive and still dragging us on all her crazy ventures, have I seen Nick so animated and alive. I meant it when I said you would completely destroy Nick if you ever left him.”

Judy had no reply. When Finn had first told her this morning that cutting Nick’s heart out would be kinder than walking out on him, she hadn’t really thought too much about it beyond Nick being serious about her, but now, hearing how all the joy in his life had disappeared after Honey’s death and the tragedy that followed—she now understood what he meant. Nick’s words yesterday came back to her: Red foxes mate for life.

Although she was in this for the long haul, the gravity and responsibility of falling for a red todd, her red todd, finally sunk in. Until now, she hadn’t realized the sheer amount of trust and faith Nick was giving her in letting her into his heart, in giving her his heart. Fru-Fru was afraid Nick might break her heart, but it was Nick who stood to lose so much more if she broke his heart.

Both mammals fell into companionable silence as their thoughts turned to the red vulpine who had become such an important part of both their lives. Finnick hoped bunny cop finally realized how much power—power to save or destroy—she had over his friend.

Judy was feeling a bit lost. After spending her whole life looking out for herself and bullheadedly ignoring most other people’s thoughts and opinions (she had a strong sense of compassion and empathy for others, but if they weren’t supporting her in her hopes and dreams, then she didn’t much listen to what they had to say), she found the gravity of her situation a bit mind boggling.

She loved Nick, there was no question about that, and she was truly committed to supporting him in whatever way he needed, but now, after realizing the depth of her involvement, it was a bit more than she’d bargained for. Not that she’d shirk her responsibilities because of it. She’d never do that. Especially to Nick. He was worth anything and everything she might have to go through to protect and support him. And remembering what Finn and Nick both said before about the abuse foxes typically faced, she might be doing more protecting than supporting. Which she was totally fine with. She had no problems defending herself or others, especially not her foxy boyfriend whom life and society had repeatedly knocked down and kicked.

While stirring the last of her smoothie, Judy looked over to Finnick and asked softly, “Were you serious? Nick right now is really the happiest you’ve seen him in over five years?”

Finn made a loud slurping sound as he sucked the last of his smoothie, then looked up and said, “As serious as a heart attack.” Cottontail nodded, but remained quiet, and so he continued, “You asked if Nick could see a shrink about his nightmares.” Pointing to the bunny beside him with his straw, Finn stated, “This thing you and Nick have going on, as weird and crazy as it is, is the best therapy he could ever have.” Throwing his paws in the air, he exclaimed, “Nick is finally facing his feelings and all the crap life has thrown in his face, some of which he has never faced.”

Staring hard at bunny cop, Finn elaborated, “You said you know what happened to his dad and brother.” At Cottontail’s nod, he went on, “That’s something I had to find out from Anya. Nick absolutely refused to talk about it. I’m not even sure he told Honey the full details of his dad and brother’s murders.” Shaking his head, he added, “So, ya, I was serious. You are the best thing that has ever happened to him if Nick opening up to you is any indication.” Leaning back in his chair, Finn waved a paw through the air (straw still in paw) and said, “So keep doing whatever it is you’re doing, because it’s working. And who knows, in time, the two of you might be able to put his nightmares completely to rest.”

Judy nodded and wondered what the best way would be to go about doing it, to get Nick to face his nightmares so they could no longer haunt him. This will take some careful thought on her part, but she vowed to do whatever it took to put his nightmares to rest. Sucking the last dregs of her smoothie up, and making a loud slurping noise of her own, she finished off her drink and pushed the cup towards the middle of the table.

Looking over, she watched Finnick stir his straw around at the bottom of his empty cup, completely lost in thought. She watched him for a minute, then rested her elbow on the table and her cheek in her palm. Running the fingers of her other paw across the glass tabletop, she finally asked, “So why did Nick decide to work for Big? If he enjoyed hustling so much, why did he agree to work for the mob boss? And you still haven’t told me how Nick is involved in Anya’s scholarship program.”

Finn looked up from his cup and stared at her for a minute, wondering how much he should tell the bunny cop. Considering how much Nick had already told her, and the fact the red vulpine didn’t seem to be able to hold anything back from the grey ball of fluff, he decided to come clean with her. With a grin, he leaned back in his chair and took out his phone while answering, “You see, the answer to both is one and the same.”

“Huh?”

With the smug grin still plastered across his face, Finn didn’t immediately answer as he pulled up one of his music apps and found the appropriate playlist (one of his tamer ones as he didn’t think Cottontail would care for his normal music). Hitting shuffle, he set his phone on the table as the music (Feel Invincible by Skillet) began to play. At bunny cop’s curious gaze, he explained, “Super spy 101: when in a public place and you wish to have a private conversation, make sure there’s music playing. It’ll drown out your words to any would-be eavesdroppers.”

At Cottontail’s stunned, wide-eyed stare, Finnick clasped his paws together behind his head and leaned back in his chair, the smuggest grin on his face. He couldn’t wait to see her expression when she realized just how far her vulpine boyfriend would go to ensure his family was taken care of—a family which now included the bunny he was dating.

Chapter Text

Sitting in a nearly empty train car with his earbuds in and his music playing (Love Like Woe by The Ready Set), Nick ignored the world going on around him as he flipped through all the pictures in his Death by Cuteness folder. He couldn’t believe how many adorable pictures he’d been able to capture of his honeybun so far. She was just too cute and seeing her on his phone had his happy, goofy grin plastered across his muzzle as each picture brought up a sweet memory of their time together.

Pausing on each picture, he relished the feelings each one brought up as they were emotions he never thought to feel again—happiness, contentment, security, and hope. And for the first time in his life, he was feeling desire and love, two emotions he had feared would never happen to him, that he was destined to be alone his entire life and the cherished relationship his parents had experienced would be forever out of reach. And then this unstoppable force of nature had hopped into his life and bowled him over with her enthusiasm, determination, faith, and love. His heart ached with love for the bunny who turned his world upside down and showed him, once again, that he could be more than a shifty fox. She was reminding him that life was meant to be lived, and not merely survived.

For the first time in five years, he woke up each morning excited to greet the new day—because she would be sharing it with him. Getting up in the morning was no longer a chore, for her smiling face was there to greet him. And his nights have been the most relaxing he’d had in over five years, for she was there in his dreams each time he closed his eyes.

As pictures of Judy cuddling his tail came up, he couldn’t forget the faith she’d placed in him or her impatient desire to marry him just as soon as he procured her engagement ring. His goofy grin widened and his tail began to wag as he thought of their upcoming wedding. He still couldn’t believe that Judy Hopps, his honeybun, the female who had saved his life, and then his heart, would soon be his mate and wife. To think that a chance encounter and a wild otter chase 3 months ago, followed by some of the most miserable days of his life, would turn around to give him the greatest joys of his life, with the promise of so much more. Nick shook his head as he couldn’t believe his luck.

Even when Honey was pushing him to be better, opening doors of opportunity to him, and taking him out on all her crazy, fun-filled ventures, he still couldn’t capitalize on the opportunities like the one Judy had opened to him. Although he’d never considered being a cop before (though he certainly had done enough investigative work), the idea was an intriguing one—provided Judy was there to keep him company. It would certainly be more entertaining than being stuck in the office at some stuffy Law Firm all day working a dead-end case he didn’t want (which would be the case if he was working for someone else).

While focused on his photos of Judy and all the good that had come into his life since meeting her, he felt the train began to slow and he glanced up to see it was the stop before his own. Glancing back at his phone as the song changed to So Far Gone (by Thousand Foot Krutch), Nick ignored the mammals getting off and on the train. With the slightest bob of his head as he kept beat with the music, he sat oblivious to anything but the enchanting pictures on his phone, so he was startled when a voice spoke directly in front of him.

“Hey handsome, you’re awfully happy. Did you win the lottery?”

Nick’s emerald eyes shot up to meet the golden gaze of a red vixen in her mid-twenties. He noticed she had more black in her fur and the typical white-tipped tail of their species, which swayed back and forth as she watched him expectantly. As vixen’s went, she was quite fetching, but unfortunately for her, Nick wasn’t interested in the slightest—as was evident in the lack of change to his scent—which seemed to irritate the vixen as was evidenced by several huffs and a slight tightening of her brows.

Without breaking eye contact, he shut his phone off (though the music continued playing), and replied, “Yes, 100 percent.” At the vixen’s shocked gaze, he clarified, “But money wasn’t the prize I won.” With a happy grin spreading across his face, he added, “The girl I’ve been dreaming about for months agreed to be my girlfriend last night, so I would say I’m a lucky winner.”

The disappointment in the vixen’s gaze was unmistakable as she let her eyes drop to take in Nick’s fit frame that his clothes showed off stunningly. “Shame,” she muttered softly.

Narrowing his eyes in irritation (he’d forgotten he was wearing his ‘impress Judy and Bogo clothes’), Nick replied, “I’m taken, so you don’t have to waste your time on me.” Although fox courtships were usually long, vixens could be quite stubborn in their pursuit of a male they found to their liking—which he was painfully all too familiar with.

“Are you serious about her?”

“Dead serious. There’s no one else for me.”

The vixen studied his eyes for several heartbeats, then leaned down slightly and sniffed again. “Are you sure?” she pressed. “Because I don’t smell her on you.”

Nick cursed internally, even though his expression didn’t change. He knew what she was referring to. As he’d told Judy this morning, fox musk was strong and didn’t easily wash out with just soap and water, so if he’d been with his girlfriend last night he’d still be covered in her scent as the glands in her paw pads would have left their mark. Of course, this vixen assumed he was dating another vixen, not a hyperactive bunny. “I had a very important interview this morning, which common courtesy says I shouldn’t come into while smelling strongly of fox, let alone two.” The vixen raised an eyebrow, but didn’t comment and Nick added, “But rest assured, I’m meeting up with her in less than an hour and I have every intention of wallowing in her scent once we get back to my place.”

The vixen narrowed her eyes briefly, then relaxed with a sigh. Good todds are so hard to find these days, she thought. With a slight nod, she replied, “Well, if it doesn’t work out for you, look me up. Stop by the Starlight Lounge and ask for Terra.” Without waiting for an answer, she turned and made her way further down the train car and took a vacant seat.

Nick finally relaxed. “Don’t count on it,” he muttered under his breath as the words to So Far Gone played in his ear: '…this mark you’ve left on me can’t be erased. I want to be so far gone in you. So far nothing else will ever do…' This song portrayed his emotions for Judy perfectly. Although they hadn’t officially marked each other, the mark she’d left on his heart and in his mind can’t be erased. And yes, he wanted to be so far gone in her that nothing else mattered—not just physically, but emotionally and mentally, as well. He wanted to be so far gone in everything that was Judy.

With a deep breath, he pushed the thoughts aside while he considered the vixen who’d just informed him she was single. Half wishing he’d worn one of his normal Pawaiian shirts, as he was rarely hit on when he did, Nick considered the lounge where she worked.

It was shocking to hear she was working at the Starlight Lounge, as it was a nice relaxing joint with low light and live music. They had a couple of pianists that played throughout the day and into the night and were accompanied by several lounge singers. It was one of the few places a fox could get hired and actually be treated right. He’d even played there a few times himself, back before Honey’s health deteriorated. It was one of the last places they’d eaten out together and held one of his happier memories of her there at the end. Terra hadn’t been working there at the time, so she must be a new hire.

Furthermore, the Starlight Lounge was a popular dating joint and he would have eventually taken Judy there for one of their dates—but with Terra knowing he had a girlfriend, if he showed up there with bunny on his arm, it wouldn’t take the vixen long to put the pieces together. And although he didn’t think Terra would cause a problem (foxes generally tried to avoid causing problems for other foxes), he couldn’t guarantee she’d leave well enough alone if she felt disgusted by him dating a bunny. He’d barely survived one spurned vixen’s rage, he didn’t want to tempt fate with the possibility of another.

As She Can (by Alabama) began to play, his countenance brightened. He couldn’t take Judy to the Lounge right now, but it’d be a good place to take her for their celebration dinner after his graduation. With the train slowing down as it neared his stop, Nick stood up and sauntered over to the doors and waited for the train to stop, all the while he thought of Judy. With everything she’d already done for him, and all the promises she’d made or hinted at (what she intended to do to him once they made it to his cabin had his blood running hot and the tingle back in his belly), Nick knew his days of coasting through life were over. With her at his side, each day would be an adventure. And he couldn’t wait to see the list of date ideas she came up with.

He had several planned already, the first one being a surprise candlelight dinner tonight. He just had to figure out how to get her either up in her room for a few hours so he could prepare it. Her taking another nap would be perfect, but he wasn’t sure she would. He’d have to wait and see. As the train wheels squealed loudly as it roared into the station, Nick suddenly wondered if Judy had an appropriate dress. He was sure she didn’t have one in the box that was now sitting in the back of the jeep, but he had to wonder if she even owned a romantic dress. The closest thing he could picture her in was one of her sister’s bride’s maid dresses. Although he was sure she looked beautiful in them, they weren’t quite what he had in mind—not that any of them mattered as they were all in Bunnyburrow and not here in Zootopia.

Perhaps he could call Fru-Fru and bring her in on the date idea. He could give her a few dress suggestions and she could have one picked up and sent over (Mr. Big owned an exclusive tailor shop that specialized in formal wear for special occasions, which was one of his legitimate businesses). Fru-Fru loved all things girly and romantic, so she’d be the perfect one to call. With his grin widening as his plans for the evening solidified, he couldn’t wait to get off the train.

Jumping onto the platform once the doors opened, Nick sprinted from the station and then jogged down the street, through several alleyways, and across a park to his house. He’d been away from his honeybun long enough and he couldn’t wait to get back to her.

-/-/-

(Feel Invincible by Skillet is still playing on Finnick’s phone.)

“Nick choosing to work for the mob boss is the same reason he’s involved in his sister’s scholarship program?” Judy questioned. At Finn’s smug nod, she asked, “How?”

“Simple. Nick created the scholarship program so his sister would have a chance to fulfill her dream, but he needed money to fund it—money Big had.” With a shrug, Finn explained, “Nick had several skill sets that interested Mr. Big while Big had the funds Nick needed to finish setting up the scholarship program—a tax free scholarship program, I might add.”

“And he did it all so his sister could go to med school? And she couldn’t have chosen a program that required less schooling? A career from a tech school or something?”

Finnick shrugged. “She could have, yes, but that’s not what she wanted. From what she and Nick have both said, ever since Demetri died, Anya’s always wanted to be a doctor. Said that if there was a doctor in the family, their brother might still be alive, and the mess with their mom being experimented on never would have happened.” Scratching his head, Finn then said, “After graduating high school, she worked a lot of dead-end jobs trying to save up enough money, but she could never get ahead. Their mom offered to share some of her settlement money, but Anya refused. Told her mom it was her money, that she earned it, and that she should just enjoy her golden years. Not that Vivian was really that old, but between the long, exhaustive hours at work for so many years with a poor diet, the vulpine virus she caught, and then the drug they pumped her full of, Vivian looks 10 years older than she is.” Finnick shook his head as he remembered all the gray fur Mrs. Wilde had when she was only 54.

Judy sat stunned. Nick had pushed himself through law school to protect his family from a legal standpoint, and his sister had wanted to become a doctor to protect them from a medical standpoint. If this was the type of drive and strength of character most foxes had, then society’s mistrust and abuse of them was more a tragedy than she’d first realized. And even Finnick, sitting beside her, was a top-notch mechanic if his van being fixed so quickly was anything to go by. And yet he wasn’t working in a high-end shop, or even owning his own shop, but was a popsicle hustler. Well, was, anyways. Like Nick, he didn’t seem to be doing much of anything right now.

Turning her thoughts back to the story as the music on his phone switched to Uptown Funk (by Mark Ronson), she asked, “So that’s when Nick went to the mob boss?”

Finnick brought his thoughts back from the past and said, “Ya, he didn’t like seeing his sister working herself to the bone with nothing to show for it. But just like Nick and their mom, Anya didn’t want a handout, so Honey stepped in and offered to hire her as a maid. There wasn’t much work to do at Honey’s as both she and Nick were pretty clean mammals, so Anya mostly just kept Honey company, while running and fetching for her when she was tinkering with something.”

Rubbing his chin at the memories, Finn then said, “Getting a break from all the exhaustive work she’d been doing was great at first, and Anya appreciated how Honey actually treated her like a real mammal and not trash, but after a while she got restless. She appreciated Honey’s generosity but didn’t like getting paid for work she essentially wasn’t doing. She had a lot of pride in herself and her abilities, and just wanted to get started on her education. She did get a jump start on her medical training with all her free time by pouring over medical books, though.”

“And Nick couldn’t have gotten the money any other way?” Judy pressed. With his skills and abilities—his diplomas—surely he could have found someone who would pay him what he was worth.

Finn raked his claws through his head-fur, then threw his paws up in the air. “If he was willing to hurt people in his hustles, then yes, he could have made a killing. But that wasn’t Nick, nor would Honey have supported him if he did. And if you’re asking about his attorney’s license . . . Could he have eventually found someone that would hire a fox lawyer and eventually paid him what he was worth? Yes, probably, but he would have had to work nights of overtime doing someone else’s work before eventually working his way up—and that would have taken years before he could fund the scholarship program. Same thing if he’d started his own firm—it would have taken years and long hours stuck at the office to build up a reputation that would have brought in the big bucks. And Nick would have never survived being stuck indoors for that long. He would have gone insane.”

Taking a deep breath, Finn continued, “Nick was already 21 by this time and his sister was 23—she didn’t have years to waste waiting with only a slim chance she’d make it.” Shaking his head once again while remembering that time, he continued, “Besides, Nick wouldn’t stand for it. Anya was way too good for the work she was doing. She was just as smart and driven as he was, but unlike Nick, she still had her dream—and Nick was going to stop at nothing until she realized her dream.”

Judy sat stunned. She knew Nick was driven when he wanted to be—you don’t slog your way through 4 years of law school just to protect your mom if not. But hearing how Nick joined a mob boss just to protect his sister and her dream . . . As Finn’s phone shuffled to Big Time Rush (by Big Time Rush), she took a deep breath, then slowly let it out.

It finally made sense to her, why Nick had stood up to Bogo for her. Bogo hadn’t just been verbally tearing her down, he’d been demolishing her dream. She thought she understood after hearing about the Junior Ranger Scouts incident when Nick was younger. But to see how driven he was to protect his sister’s dream, and then comparing it to him facing off against a massive, angry water buffalo just so she could keep her dream . . . it could only mean that he was already seeing her as something more than an annoying bunny cop, even way back then.

With a sniffle, she wiped her paw across her face, then sniffled again. Stop being such a boo-baby. You already knew Nick was a cut above the rest. So stop crying whenever you learn something that further proves it. With another sniffle, she thought (not for the first time), Oh, what did I do to ever deserve him. Taking another deep breath, she opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by the sandy fox beside her.

“I’m assuming those are happy tears,” Finnick said while looking around, making sure no one was getting the wrong idea. Here sat a fox next to a crying bunny, and Karma help him if some specist idiot thought he was the cause. Receiving a brutal smack down for making a bunny cry was not on his list of things to do today.

Judy wasn’t looking at him as she wiped her eyes with the heel of her palms. With a shaky laugh, she muttered, “Yeah, these are definitely happy tears.” Wiping the last of her tears on her arm, she looked over and said, “I’m actually trying to figure out what I did to deserve someone as great as Nick.”

Finnick’s ears swiveled forward and his eyes riveted on the bunny beside him. “You don’t think you deserve Nick?” More than anything else she’d said so far, this topped them all. A bunny, prey, a member of the Fuzz, actually thought she wasn’t good enough for Nick, a fox? Hell must have frozen over already, ’cause there was no way a prey species would think a fox was better than them. It just didn’t happen.

Judy chuckled while shaking her head. “Nick’s so much better than I am. I could never hope to compare.”

“Are you kidding me!?” Finn exclaimed in shock. “Do you have any idea what you’ve already done for him? What it meant to him when you found him and apologized!? Actually apologized. Never has anyone apologized to him like that before. No one, and I mean no one, who wasn’t family, has apologized to him without making some sort of excuse, nor has anyone ever been heartbroken over losing his friendship. You’re a first in a long list of firsts for Nick.”

As Judy sat stunned at Finn’s statement, the small fox raked the claws of one paw through his head fur again and continued, “Do you know why I was laughing earlier?” At her head shake, he explained, “It’s because I was happy. You have no idea what it meant to me to hear you defending Nick the way you were. I mean, he wasn’t even around to hear you defend him, and yet you still did.”

Judy’s brows furrowed at the implication that she’d only defend a friend if he was around to hear her. But as she opened her mouth to refute the point, Finn raised a finger to silence her.

As Cottontail closed her mouth, Finnick continued, “You have no idea how many mammals act nice and friendly to mine or Nick’s face, and then turn around and talk smack about us once our backs are turned. Or they sit back and laugh while someone else is putting us down.” Finn shook his head at the painful memories. “It’s not right, but we’re foxes and it’s something we’ve had to learn to live with.” With wide grin spreading across his face, he continued, “So it made me super happy to hear you defend Nick the way you did.” With a short bark of a laugh, he added, “I mean, you threatened violence on your own brother if he didn’t stop badmouthing Nick. That just never happens!”

Finn’s music shuffled to the next song (Bet On It by Troy) as Judy sat quietly staring at the tabletop while considering what Finn had just told her. Hearing how Nick and Finn were constantly talked about behind their backs just showed that they had more in common than she previously thought. It was something she faced constantly back in junior high and high school. Which was one of the reasons she couldn’t stand to hear Henry speaking bad about Nick.

Lifting her gaze to meet Finnick’s, she said softly, “But I couldn’t just sit hear and listen to that garbage. Not about my best friend, not Nick. It hurts my heart to hear mammals talk about him like that.”

Finn nodded eagerly, saying, “And that’s the point!” As Judy’s head tilted in confusion, Finnick elaborated. “You may not have Nick’s academics, or the opportunities Honey opened to him, but you have what counts—you have the same heart, determination, and enthusiasm about your relationship as Nick does, and that’s all he needs. Just keep doing what you’re doing and be yourself—that’s all Nick wants, it’s all he needs.”

Judy took a deep breath, and then another, before looking away as she tried to hold back the tears she felt pooling at the edge of her eyes. Get it together, Judy. Stop crying already! Her pep talk did little to stem the leak in her eyes. Blinking her eyes as she took several more deep breaths, she then looked back at Finnick and asked, “Are you serious? That’s all Nick needs from me? To be myself?”

“Of course, I’m serious!” Finn exclaimed while starting to get nervous again as he watched Cottontail struggle with her emotions. He wasn’t sure why she felt the need to cry again, but hoped she wouldn’t start bawling. Trying to redirect her thoughts, he added, “Has Nick ever once made you feel like you weren’t good enough for him? That you were lacking in some way?”

Judy’s mind immediately went back to all the predatory, hungry gazes Nick leveled at her. His infectious laugh and teasing words. The way he protected her and how he opened up to her. The songs he sang her . . . Oh, the songs. Along with the hundreds of other little things he did for her. The soft, heartfelt words he whispered to her last night echoed in her head: “You’re beautiful and cute and sexy all wrapped up in one”. With a shake of her head and a slight chuckle, Judy wiped at her eyes and replied, “He said I was perfect.”

Finn stared at her incredulously for a moment, then exclaimed, “Then why are you crying!?”

Judy sniffled, then wiped her eyes, saying, “Sorry, it’s just—” She sniffled again as she felt her nose start to run. “Oh, no,” she mumbled. “I think I need a tissue.”

“I’ll grab some napkins,” Finnick stated as he jumped to the ground and ran to the nearest napkin dispenser. Grabbing a stack, he scurried back to the table and handed them up to her. After she took them, he hopped back up in his chair and waited expectantly.

Judy blew her nose several times, then wiped her eyes again. Finally gathering enough composure to speak, Judy took a deep breath and said, “My whole life, everyone has been trying to shove me into some preconceived mold of what I should be and how I should act. And when I didn’t fit, then I became the crazy doe who thought she could be a big city cop, the dumb bunny who thought she could hack it with the big mammals.” Blowing her nose again, she said, “Like you and Nick, I heard a lot of whispers behind my back when I was younger.” With a bitter chuckle, she shook her head and said, “What am I saying. They were talking behind my back the first several months at the Academy and again when I joined the ZPD. Nothing really changed until I met Nick.” With a slightly happier chuckle, she added, “Well, once he stopped wasting my time, anyways.” A slow smile worked its way across her muzzle, and she beamed at Finnick while she thought of Nick.

Finnick just sat there staring as his playlist switched to Embers (by Owl City). Cottontail acted like her life was a piece of cake (not that being a cop was easy), but he assumed she had more support back home. Maybe her and Nick were closer in personality than he’d first thought. They both knew how to wear a mask to protect their hearts and to hide how hard life was trying to beat them down. They truly were made for each other.

Shaking his head, Finn whispered, “Wow. So you didn’t have any support back home? Your parents or siblings weren’t there for you?”

“A few of my closest siblings were supportive, like my littermates—and Amy—she was supportive. Very few female rabbits go into the automotive industry, and certainly not as a mechanic, so she got a lot of flak, too, when she was first starting out. She’s since made a name for herself, so no one bothers her now.”

“And your parents?” Finn still didn’t understand how her parents weren’t more supportive.

“They were the first ones to tell me it was impossible and that I should just settle. That I could make the world a better place by being a safe carrot farmer.” Shaking her head (her tears having since dried up), she waved her paws out to either side and said, “They were so scared I’d get hurt or killed.”

Finnick flicked his large ear, then glanced down to where he knew her injury was. “Well, their fear was justified.”

Judy scoffed. “I got this running from a deranged ewe—they were sure I’d get eaten by a hungry predator.”

A wicked glint entered Finn’s eyes as he tilted his head and scratched his chin. “I don’t know, Cottontail. Considering you’re dating a fox and already have your wedding planned, it won’t be too many more weeks before you are eaten by a hungry predator.”

Judy’s ears turned beet red and dropped behind her back. “Finnick!” she hissed.

Finnick sat back with a chuckle. “What!? It’s true,” he said with a wave of his paw. At Cottontail’s glare, his grin widened as he pointed a clawed finger at her and said, “You can’t deny you want it, not the way you flick that cottony tail of yours at Nick and get all excited whenever you hear his growl or feel his claws on you.”

Grabbing her ears, Judy pulled them over her face to hide as she stuttered, “Finn! How do you . . . when did you . . . ?”

Finn chuckled again. “Have you forgotten about dinner last night?” Pointing to his black nose, Finnick said, “This nose isn’t just for show any more than these ears are.” Grinning, he added, “And don’t think I missed the way you shivered in pleasure as Red ran his paws up and down your sides.”

Judy groaned and slid down in her seat. She knew exactly what Finn was referring to. “I can’t help it. Hearing Nick growl or feeling his paws and claws on me puts my hormones in overdrive.” Running her paws over her face, she muttered, “For the first time in my life I now know what a normal bunny feels like with their raging hormones.” Rubbing her eyes and completely missing Finn’s shocked expression, she added, “If Nick takes too long getting me that ring, I might actually have to go on suppressants.”

Finn’s jaw dropped. After picking it up out of his lap, he exclaimed, “Wait! You’ve never been on suppressants!?” Nick’s words from yesterday afternoon rang clearly in his head: ‘rabbits go on suppressants as teenagers to control their high sex drive . . .'

Judy glanced up and shook her head. “Nope. I’ve never needed them before.” With a shrug, she added, “Never found a male worth getting excited over—not until now.” With a dreamy look as she rested her cheek in her palm, she said, “Nick excites me in all the right ways. It’s criminal how good he makes me feel.”

Finn’s jaw hit his lap again and all he could do was stare. Some part of his brain heard his phone switch to Danger Zone by Kenny Loggins, but watching as Cottontail realized what she’d just said, he didn’t have thoughts left for the music blocking out their conversation from any would-be eavesdroppers.

Realizing what she just admitted to, Judy grabbed her ears and pulled them over her face as she sunk deeper into the seat. With a moan, she said, “I have to be the worst rabbit ever. My instincts should be yelling at me, ‘Danger! Danger! Run and hide!’ But I hear his growl and feel his claws and I just want to melt into a hot pool of wax.” Releasing her ears, she suddenly sat up and leaned over the table to point at the stunned fox across from her. “And his teeth! According to my dad and pop-pop, that’s the most dangerous part of a predator. But when I feel Nick’s teeth on me, I just swoon in his arms as my body dumps a load of hormones into my system. I mean, I let a fox wrap his large paws around me, run his sharp claws through my fur, and just about lose my mind with desire when I feel his teeth graze my skin.”

Throwing her arms up, she exclaimed, “I love it and I can’t get enough of Nick and all his foxy, predatory features!” Pulling her ears back over her eyes, she slumped back down in her chair again. “What rabbit willingly puts herself in the danger zone of a fox, her natural predator, and gets all excited when he gets all predatory on her?”

Finn’s brain short circuited by the information of just how close she and Nick had gotten. He knew they were close, and that they were already dating and had plans to get married, but he hadn’t thought they’d gotten that close physically. Snapping his jaw shut, he wondered, What exactly happened last night after dinner, and how in the world did bunny cop make it through life as a rabbit without suppressants? And the fact that Nick might drive her to using them was even more of shock. As she’d just pointed out, what kind of rabbit, a doe, puts herself in the danger zone of a fox? A hungry fox?

Chapter Text

As Nick drove the truck down the highway, he couldn’t stop thinking about the date he had planned for tonight. As he came to a red light, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number he hadn’t used in over 5 years. As the phone continued to ring, he started feeling a bit nervous and second-guessing the wisdom of his current course of action. He was just getting ready to hang up and call the whole thing off when the call finally connected.

“Hello? Who is this?” a high, squeaky, feminine voice answered.

Nick chuckled nervously. “Hey, Fru-Fru, long time no see. I’m glad you didn’t change your number.”

There was a pause on the other end, then, “Nicky? Is that you?”

Another nervous chuckle. Fru-Fru seemed to have forgiven him this afternoon, but she was still Big’s daughter. “Yep, it’s me. How are you doing since we talked this afternoon?”

“I’m fine. Thanks for asking, but you can cut the small talk. We both know this isn’t a social call.”

Nick’s ear flicked nervously. “Right, you know me too well.” There was another pause, and he could just imagine Fru-Fru’s patience running thin. They hadn’t exactly parted on good terms five years ago. “Anyway, I’m calling to ask a favor.”

Fru-Fru’s voice was a bit frosty as she asked, “Are you sure you want to ask a favor of me?”

Nick immediately realized his mistake and hurriedly explained, “It’s for Judy! Not me.”

“Oh?” Fru-Fru asked as some of the chill left her voice. “Well, that’s different.” There was slight pause (and Nick breathed a silent sigh of relief), then she asked, “So what does Judy need? And why isn’t she asking herself?”

“Well, I want it to be a surprise and I don’t have time to pick it up myself.”

Fru-Fru’s voice was much warmer when she replied, “I’m listening.”

Nick chuckled nervously again as he just realized this would only work if Fru-Fru was fine with him and Judy being a couple. “Before I get to that, can I ask you something?”

“You just did,” Fru-Fru replied with a touch of humor in her voice. It had been a long time since she’d heard Nicky getting nervous.

“Haha, right.” Taking a deep breath, he asked, “Would you be okay if I were to date Judy?”

There was a longer silence this time, and then the small shrew said, “I don’t know, Nicky. Are you serious about her? Because if this is some kind of con—!”

Nick’s aggressive, territorial growl cut her off, and then he practically snarled, “I would never toy with Judy’s emotions. She means the world to me and hurting her would only be hurting myself.”

Fru-Fru sat frozen in her chair. She was used to Nick’s cold, calculating anger—but not this hot-blooded, confrontational anger he was exhibiting now. And his territorial growl which she’d heard a hundred times before, whenever mammals barged into his room trying to pick a fight, was nothing to the growl that was currently coming from the todd, a snarl that emanated from deep within his chest.

Furthermore, this growl was much stronger, more passionate, and far more—savage—than she remembered ever hearing before. Fru-Fru blinked as she tried to come up with the right term to truly describe it. Whatever he was feeling, it was obvious Nicky was serious and already thinking of Judy as his. It gave her pause, but also relieved some of the fear she had towards his actions. If Nick was getting territorial on Judy to such an extent, that meant he was ready to fight for her, and Nick never picked a fight he wasn’t planning to win. With a smile spreading across her small face, she replied, “Then I guess I don’t have anything to worry about. If you continue making her happy, then I have no problems with the two of you being together.”

Nick released a heavy sigh as he pushed his anger back down. “Thanks, Fru-Fru.”

“So, what did you need?” she asked curiously.

Nick took another deep breath, then slowly let it out. “Okay, so Judy told me yesterday that she’s been on one date her whole life, back in high school, and that it was an epic failure. So, I wanted to do a romantic candlelight dinner for her tonight, but I know she doesn’t have anything to wear. Would you be able to help us out with that?”

“Hmm. Yes, that sounds reasonable. What did you have in mind?” Fru-Fru knew Nick well enough to know that he wouldn’t ask for something unless he’d already planned it down to the minutest detail.

“Well, I actually have several dress ideas in mind, so whichever one you have in stock will do. And I can pay for it. I just need it delivered tonight at 5.”

Fru-Fru nodded at the phone (not that Nick could see it), and asked, “So let me hear your dress ideas.” After Nick gave a detailed description of 3 different dresses and Judy’s clothes size, the tiny shrew said, “Getting them won’t be a problem since I have several in stock that meets your description.” There was a pause (in which Nick again sighed with relief) and then she added, “You said you want them delivered at 5?”

Nick gulped and his ears flicked back. “Them? Um, you’re going to deliver all 3 of them?” He was willing to pay for one of them, but since he hadn’t worked in 3 months, not to mention the money he’d already spent on Judy (and was planning to spend on her), he wasn’t sure he could afford all three. Fru-Fru’s dresses were high quality and didn’t come cheap. Of course, there was the money Honey had left him, but he hadn’t touched it in 5 years. Not since Big sent him packing and he went underground. He wasn’t even sure how much money was in the safe. But he was keeping that for emergencies, so if possible, he didn’t want to touch it.

“Yes, all three of them.” At hearing Nick’s nervous gulp, she explained, “But I won’t charge you for them. They’ll be my gift to Judy. But in exchange, I want pictures of your dates when she’s wearing them, and if I hear from her that she didn’t enjoy one of them, then I’ll charge you double for whichever dress she was wearing for the date. Do we have a deal?”

Nick’s ears perked back up and his tail began to wag. “Deal. And you won’t have to worry about Judy not liking any of them. She made it very clear that all our dates had to be envy-worthy so she could brag about them to her boy-crazy sisters.”

Fru-Fru chuckled warmly, then replied, “Then I look forward to seeing the pictures and hearing the details from Judy.”

“Thanks again, Fru-Fru. You’re a life saver.”

Fru-Fru’s warm laughter sounded through the phone again, and then she said, “You just treat her right. She’s become the sister I never had.”

Nick chuckled. “I’ll take good care of her. Have a good afternoon.”

“I will. Bye, Nicky.”

“Bye.” As the call ended, Nick wagged his tail as he studied the traffic in front of him. The conversation went much better than he had hoped. And he’d even get all 3 of his dress ideas—for free! That was icing on the cake and he couldn’t wait to see Judy in each of them. It’ll be a struggle to choose just one for tonight, but he couldn’t complain. Picturing his honeybun in each of the dresses had his dopey grin plastered to his face and his tail wagging beside him.

As he neared Savannah Central and traffic began to back up again, he made one last call to Sonjay’s and talked to Willie to see if he’d be able to cater tonight’s dinner. At Willie’s happy assurance, Nick promised to call back in an hour or so with their meal choices. With Judy’s dress and dinner taken care of, Nick focused on the heavier traffic as he watched for a good side road to get off on. He couldn’t wait to see his honeybun again.

*******

Chief Bogo sat in his padded, yet slightly too-small chair at the council meeting and rubbed a hoof down his face at the bickering going on between the various council members. They had been sitting here for an hour and were still arguing over whether to bring the Feds in or not. They had ruled out Zootopia Bureau of Investigation, but were still debating on the Animalia Intelligence Agency. His patience was running thin as he had better things to do than listening to these bureaucrats arguing like a bunch of 2-year-olds. As his phone buzzed, letting him know he had a message, he pulled it out and looked at the text, then scowled.

Interrupting a heated debate between 3 of the council members (a springbok, a red wolf, and a musk deer) with the other members intensely whispering to their neighbors, he pounded his hoof on the solid oak tabletop and said in his deep, booming voice, “Look, I don’t have time to sit here listening to you fight and bicker. I have a police department to run and criminals to catch. As it stands, I just got a notification stating that several of our top priority suspects on the Nighthowler case have fled the city, so as much as it pains me to say this, we need to bring in the AIA so they can track them across city and county lines.”

Pounding his hoof on the table again, he added, “We do not want these criminals entrenching themselves in another city and spreading their hate and fear, then returning stronger than ever.” Reaching into his utility belt pouch at the nervous silence in the room, he pulled out several shock collars he’d brought with him and threw them on the table. “Or do I need to remind you what would have happened if Bellwether hadn’t been stopped.”

As the lights reflected off the shiny black metal, and the white-painted pictures of the mammals the collars were made for, the fear and wariness in the room could be cut with a knife. Although it had been nearly sixty years since the Cliffside Asylum had closed (with the general public having largely forgotten about it), no one in the room could forget the reason for its demise. Once it was revealed that the doctors and staff were using shock collars to ‘tame’ their mentally ill patients (both prey and predator alike) into compliance, the public outcry brought swift judgement down on the mental institution and it closed its doors forever. This gave Lionheart the perfect place to hold his savage predators, for the asylum had become nothing more than a dark chapter in the city’s history, with the memory fading from the public’s mind after a few decades.

Those in politics, though, retained a stronger memory of it, since they were the ones that passed the laws to shut it down and ensure no other institutions were using similar methods (anyone coming into politics would have researched the laws and the reason they were passed), so to find out Bellwether intended to force every predator in the city to wear them . . . The predators in the room were livid while the prey looked green. No one wanted to think about the detestable devices strapped to anyone’s neck.

With a grim smile, intern-mayor, Timothy Bisiorn, a large bison with a well-groomed mane that towered above everyone but Bogo, tapped the table with his dark-brown hoof to catch everyone’s attention. “Chief Bogo has a point. We’re wasting time arguing pointlessly. We need to bring these criminals to justice. Now, all in favor of bringing in the AIA, raise your hoof or paw.”

It only took a minute for everyone’s paw or hoof to raise which brought a relieved sigh to Bogo, even as Timothy’s grim smile broadened. “Good. Now that that’s out of the way, we can move on to other matters.” They spent another 30 minutes going over a few other points on the agenda, and then the meeting broke up.

As the council members began gathering their notebooks, papers, and other paraphernalia, Bogo spoke up. “Mayor Bisiorn may I have a word with you, along with Councilor Aukstas, Plaukti, Oculos, and Koshka.”

There were several eyebrows raised as the rest of the council made their way to the large double-doors and left the room, but Intern-Mayor Timothy Bisiorn ignored them as he nodded to the Chief. Feeling highly interested in what the water buffalo had to say, he waited for the room to clear and the doors to close before asking, “Well, what is this about that we couldn’t discuss it with the whole council?”

Bogo glanced around the room at the remaining council members. Delilah Aukstas was an okapi who, despite her species’ shy and timid nature, had pushed herself into the public’s eye. Jura Plaukti was a giant sea otter who swam through politics with the same ease she swam through strong ocean currents. Jeremiah Oculos was a spectacled bear who could swipe through bureaucratic red tape as easily as he could swipe a salmon from a river. And then there was Karl Koshka, an Iberian lynx who liked to give (force) his opinion on anyone who would listen. He was the wild card in the bunch, and Bogo hoped the others could help sway him to his cause.

“There is a matter we need to discuss concerning the mammal who helped officer Hopps three months ago in finding the missing mammals, and again two days ago in recovering the evidence of the Nighthowler serum, and then assisting Hopps in getting a confession from Bellwether.”

“Oh?” Bisiorn murmured. “And who might that be?” They had heard that Hopps had been assisted by a civilian, but not who. The rest of the council members waited expectantly to hear what species the mammal came from, for it would reveal much about the creature—and explain how Hopps, being a rabbit, was able to accomplish so much when she was so small. Surely, she had found the help of one of the larger medium-sized prey mammals.

Bogo took a deep breath, and then said, “A red fox todd by the name of Nick Wilde.”

Finding out a rabbit got the help—accepted the help—of a fox, a predator and her natural enemy, surprised Delilah, Jura, and Jeremiah. Not one of them had guessed that Hopps would seek out the help of a predator, especially one who used to prey on her species.

Bisiorn groaned mentally. If it was the same Nick Wilde he knew from the past, then heaven help them—they’d need it to deal with the smug todd. But if it was the Nick he knew, then he could understand how Hopps was able to accomplish so much.

Karl Koshka, on the other paw, snorted in disdain. “A fox? You’re telling us a stinking fox helped Hopps on her cases!?” He couldn’t believe his ears. “If that’s the case, I’m surprised she got anything accomplished!” With a shake of his head, he muttered, “Probably dragged his feet and messed with her every step of the way.”

His outburst had his fellow council members shifting uncomfortably in their chairs. Chief Bogo glared at the lynx while Bisiorn frowned.

Speaking up, the large bison said, “I wouldn’t be so quick to judge, Karl.” At the lynx’s raised eyebrow, Bisiorn added, “If it’s the fox I’m thinking of, then it makes complete sense that Hopps closed both cases.”

“A fox!? Seriously!?” Koshka never liked foxes and had no problems letting everyone know about it.

Timothy’s frown deepened, but it was Delilah who spoke up. “You know Nick Wilde, then?

The bison glanced at the soft-spoken, near-sighted okapi beside him, and then replied, “Yes, I believe so.” Turning back to Bogo, he asked, “This Nick Wilde, is indeed, the attorney known as Nicholas P. Wilde, correct?” Bogo nodded and Bisiorn rubbed a hoof down his face and sighed heavily. Dealing with the smug todd always gave him heartburn as the vulpine was always so insufferably right.

Hearing Nick was an attorney had Karl’s mouth hanging open, speechless, which gave Jeremiah a chance to speak up. Having seen, and heard, the intern-mayor’s heavy sigh of resignation, he asked, “You’ve had dealings with this fox?” He felt intrigued to hear a fox was an attorney and would explain how Timothy knew him.

“Yes, back when I was the District Attorney, I had to deal with him every time he showed up in court.” With another heavy sigh, he lightly tapped the table with his hoof as he explained, “He was always so insufferably smug, you just wanted to smack the grin off his face—but the most irritating thing about the fox was that he was always right. You couldn’t argue with him without making yourself look stupid.” Shaking his head, he then added, “But if I had to choose someone to represent me, it would be Nicholas. He was very thorough with his evidence, and picked up on little things that others overlooked, but were in fact important details in proving or disproving the evidence laid for or against his clients. Many of the other lawyers complained about him nitpicking the details of each case, which only showed how thorough he was.”

Jura placed a fisted paw over her heart as she considered the fox named Nicholas P. Wilde. If he was that good in court, then it was little wonder that Hopps succeeded with his help. She opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by the loudmouthed lynx across from her.

“You would actually have a fox represent you!?”

Timothy frowned once more and replied, “Of course. I told you, he was very thorough and insufferably right.”

“The other lawyers must hate him then,” the loud lynx crooned with sadistic glee.

Everyone frowned at him this time. Even for a fox, the Iberian lynx’s hate of his specie’s was stronger than usual.

Timothy rubbed his thick, long beard. “Yes, he made a lot of enemies among the other lawyers. I told you, he was always right and arguing with him simply made you look like a fool. This was especially true in court. No matter how solid of a case the opposing lawyer thought he had, Nicholas easily picked holes through the evidence. It didn’t take long for the opposing lawyers to dread stepping into court with Nicholas. It didn’t help that he won his cases working pro bono.”

This floored everyone but Bogo, as Judge Princeton had already informed him of this.

“He worked pro bono for each of his cases?” Delilah asked in shock as she pushed her thick glasses up slightly on her nose. If Nicholas was as good as Timothy claimed, then he should have been able to charge a large fee for his services . . . so why didn’t he?

Bisiorn nodded his head. “He was a defense attorney for all but one case, and his clients were never rich enough to pay him. They were all low-income mammals who were in the wrong place at the wrong time and Nicholas was able to prove their innocence.”

Koshka leaned forward and growled, “You mean they were low level thugs he helped walk.”

Timothy frowned again. “No, I’m saying he represented mammals who, because of their species, were accused of a crime they didn’t commit. Or are you saying a small racoon is capable of stealing a purse from a hippo?” At the bison’s raised eyebrow, the lynx snapped his mouth shut. Leaning back in his chair, Timothy rubbed a hoof down his beard again as he considered the case. “I think that was Nicholas’s fastest case. All he had to do was show that the defendant was physically incapable of committing the crime and the whole case was thrown out.”

Bogo groaned, as he remembered the case quite well. He wasn’t chief yet and it happened in district 3, but the absurdity of the case traveled through the ZPD and became the butt-end of many jokes, and the arresting officer became the laughingstock of the whole police department. The only reason it didn’t hit the news was that it was such a petty crime and was thrown out so quickly. But it did hit home to Bogo just how bad the ZPD was at stereotyping mammals when it came to investigating crimes. As Staggson pointed out just this morning, he wasn’t the only prejudice officer in the precinct.

Karl opened his mouth to make another snide comment, but Jura had had enough of his mouth and so cut him off, saying, “Karl, I don’t have time to sit here listening to you slander this fox. Chief Bogo came to us to discuss an important matter and I would like to hear it so I can get on with my day.” She glared at the lynx for several moments, her dark fur brisling slightly, and when it became obvious he was going to keep his mouth shut, she turned to the water buffalo and said sweetly, “Now, Chief Bogo, what was it you wished to discuss with us?”

Bogo gave the giant sea otter a grateful nod and said, “I had Officer Hopps and Wilde in my office this morning and Wilde brought up the matter of his reward for assisting Hopps in finding the fifteen missing mammals 3 months ago, as well as assisting her in uncovering and catching the mastermind behind the savage mammals 2 days ago.”

Karl sneered to hear how the Chief of Police wanted to discuss the reward for the sniveling fox. “What’s there to discuss?” He waved a clawed paw through the air, and added hotly, “Pay the dumb fox the money he wants so he can go back to skulking around in the dark.”

Everyone glared at him this time, but he didn’t care. He didn’t like this fox, or any other, and didn’t feel like hiding it. His family was nearly ruined due to his father buying faulty products from a sly fox when he was a kit. A lot of mammals were hurt after the products broke or malfunctioned and his dad’s business went belly-up. If not for the help of their friends and family, they would have lost their home and been forced to live on the streets.

With a grim smile, Bogo said, “But he didn’t ask for cash. In his own words, ‘There are more important things in life than money’.”

Karl’s jaw hit the table (everyone was thankful he was rendered speechless), and Jeremiah asked, “So what did he want? I can’t imagine too many things more important to a fox than money.”

Bogo and Bisiorn both shared a knowing glance. If Nicholas cared more about money, he would have been representing criminals and not working pro bono by taking on poverty level clients. In answer to the bear’s second question, Bogo said, “His family and close friends, for one.”

This was a new thought for everyone but the bison, who understood what Bogo was talking about. To those Nicholas trusted, he spoke frequently of his family and was very proud of his sister’s accomplishments in med school. He also spoke often of Honey Badgerson and the many outdoor adventures she dragged him and his friend Finnick on. The bison knew this from listening to Judge Princeton drone on about the smug todd and how the city needed to hire him directly as their main defense attorney and/or prosecutor. Timothy wasn’t opposed to the idea, but with all the negative attention the red vulpine had garnered from his fellow lawyers and many of the judges, he knew hiring the insufferable todd would cause more problems than it solved.

“If money wasn’t important to the fox, what then, did he ask for?” Delilah asked while adjusting her glasses again. This smug vulpine had her intrigued and she wondered what could be so important to him.

Bogo kept a straight face as he answered, “He wants immunity for any criminal activities he might have been involved in in the past, as well as some of the mammals he once associated with.”

This pronouncement had the whole council shifting uneasily in their seats. Intern-mayor Bisiorn, on the other hand, leaned back in his padded chair and thoughtfully stroked his beard. He wasn’t too surprised Nicholas would ask to be pardoned (some of the knowledge he used in court could have only been obtained by being in the know-how with certain criminal circles), but at the same time, the former DA didn’t believe the smug vulpine would have done anything inherently wrong—not with the badger who was backing him. So, he was curious as to what Nicholas would have gotten himself involved in that he would need immunity from.

As the council members remained quiet (even Koshka, who was trying to decide the most slanderous thing he could say), Timothy spoke into the silence and thoughtfully asked, “You brought this to us because you believe he should be pardoned?” He was truly interested in what Bogo had to say and to hear his take on the smug vulpine.

The Chief nodded his head and answered, “Yes, I do. His reason for asking showed a strong sense of character, and from what he was saying, I believe most of his activities were more borderline criminal. With how he helped Hopps save the city from tearing itself apart and risked his life to help prevent a terrorist from taking control of it, I think it’s only fair that we pardon him.”

“You can’t be serious!” Karl finally growled out. “You want to pardon a hardened criminal! Just throw the filthy pelt in prison where he belongs and be done with it!”

Bogo leaned back in his chair with a smug grin of his own as he answered, “Arrest him for what? He has no criminal record, and should we look into his past, I doubt we’ll find so much as an unpaid parking ticket to haul him in for. Furthermore, if he was a hardened criminal, as you say, then Officer Hopps would have died 3 months ago at the teeth and claws of a savage jaguar.”

This brought a surprised murmur to the group, but as Karl opened his mouth to continue his rant, Jura once again spoke up and cut him off. “Zip it, Karl. I told you, I want to get on with my day.” Turning to Bogo, she asked, “You said his reason for asking showed a strong sense of character. What did you mean? Why would he ask to be pardoned for crimes he has not been accused of?”

Reaching into his shirt pocket, Bogo pulled out Wilde’s ZPA application and passed it around the table to Timothy. “Wilde didn’t want his past to interfere with his future. Hopps asked him to join the ZPD and be her partner. He agreed but is afraid something from his past might come out later and make things difficult for her. He was more worried about his past ruining Hopps’ career than suffering the consequences of it himself.”

This gave the council members something to think about. Other than Karl, who didn’t want to believe a word that was said, the rest of the members were thinking more favorably towards the red vulpine. If he was willing to admit to crimes there were no records of, all to protect his future partner, then he obviously had integrity.

Looking over the application again, Timothy pointed out, “I see Judge Princeton signed this. I take it he’s willing to back Nicholas in this.”

“100 percent. He didn’t even need to see what the form was before agreeing to sign it. Said if Wilde became a cop, then he could expect more criminals in his courtroom and wished Wilde could prosecute them as well as catch them.”

Timothy nodded again, as it sounded like something the stately elk would say.

As the council members remained quiet in thoughtful reverie (Karl looked like he was literally biting his tongue in an effort to remain quiet), Bogo added, “If it means anything, Maige ‘Honey’ Badgerson backed him, even knowing his activities, which adds to my belief that he should be pardoned.”

“You’re talking about Honey, the badger who improved our climate control walls and designed our current S.W.A.T. gear, correct?” Delilah asked. “That Maige Badgerson?”

Bogo and Timothy both nodded, but it was Timothy who explained, “Honey took Nick in as a teen, home schooled him, then paid for his tuition so he could go to law school. He graduated at the age of twenty and the only reason he didn’t graduate valedictorian of his class is because the university didn’t want to give a fox such honors. They thought it was a fluke and so gave his spot to the runner up.” Shaking his thick mane, the bison added, “After watching him in court a few times, I can assure you, his making valedictorian was no accident.”

Jeremiah scratched the white fur of his neck in thought as the light rippled off the rest of his black fur and the white markings on his face that gave his species its name, while Delilah, with her sleek, short fur, nodded, satisfied with their assessment. Jura tapped her chin a couple of times, then said, “If Honey supported him, and Judge Princeton backs him, and both of you”—she nodded to both Bogo and Bisiorn—“believe he should be pardoned, then I also support the vote to pardon him. It’s the least we can do for the mammal who assisted Officer Hopps in uncovering such a heinous terrorist plot and catching the mastermind behind it.”

Both Jeremiah and Delilah nodded their agreement, but Karl spoke up first. “There is no way I’m agreeing to pardon some worthless fox,” he spat out as he crossed his arms over his chest and glared at everyone.

A sudden grin spread across Bogo’s face and he reached into his second pouch on his utility belt and pulled out another shock collar, this one with the picture of a lynx on it. Tossing it onto the table and watching it slide across to rest in front of Koshka, he said, “Then you won’t mind wearing that the rest of your life, would you?” Karl balked at the shiny black device and shoved it away from him, but Bogo wasn’t finished as he also brought out a stack of papers—the list of all the predators Bellwether intended to enslave. “Oh, look here’s your name right here. That collar literally has your name on it. And look, here’s your wife and kits. You better take these home to them. I’m sure they’d love to wear them.”

Bogo tossed several more shock collars on the table, all of them with the lynx symbol on them, then returned his gaze to the stack papers in his hoof. “Let’s see, who else is on this list Bellwether intended to enslave with her ‘tame’ collars. Oh, look, here’s your parents, your brothers and their families, here are some of your cousins, and”—Bogo flipped through the sheets—“here’s your younger sister and her family, and over here we have your older sister and her husband.” Looking up to meet Koshka’s stunned face, he then pulled out another stack of papers from his belt pouch and scanned through them, muttering to himself, “Let’s see what policies Bellwether intended to enact once she had all the terrified prey behind her . . .” Bogo glanced up at the stunned council members and explained, “We pulled these files from her personal computer yesterday.”

Looking back down at the documents, he said, “Oh, look, a ban on all predators working in politics.” Meeting the lynx’s stunned gaze with his black-tufted ears disappearing as folded flat against his head, he explained, “Looks like by this time next year, not only would you be wearing an enslavement collar, you’d also be out of a job.” Looking back down, he continued his mutterings, “Here’s a good one I think you’ll like. All predators are to be segregated into their own housing districts. And look, Happytown will become prime real estate again.” Glancing back up, he asked, “You wouldn’t mind moving to Happytown, would you?”

Karl sputtered a minute as his light grey fur with its black markings stood on end, then he growled, “Impossible! There’s no way she would have gotten away with it!”

“She had already begun,” Bisiorn commented. At the lynx’s wide-eyed, golden gaze, he added, “Or have you forgotten all the bills she had drafted and was trying to get approved.”

“That’s right,” Jeramiah spoke up next. “If the bills had gone into effect, they would have slowly choked predators out of any decent jobs. And you can bet that Bellwether would have gotten worse and worse bills passed until predators were little more than slave labor.” Pointing a large black-clawed finger at the much smaller predator, the spectacled bear growled out, “You might not care about being enslaved, but I certainly do. And if Wilde’s assistance is the only thing that kept Hopps alive long enough to stop it, then I say we pardon him. Who cares if he’s a fox? My freedom is too precious to be nitpicky about species.”

“I second that,” Jura spoke up. “Even though we sea otters only ever ate clams and fish, Bellwether also intended to steal our freedom. I would be a spiteful mammal indeed if I did not reward the mammal who stopped myself, my mate, and our kits from living through such hell. I vote to pardon the fox known as Nicholas P. Wilde.”

Delilah spoke up next. “Even though I am prey and would not be forced to wear such an evil device, I would still have been affected. Many of my friends who pushed me to this position, and who have supported me for many years, are predators and it would hurt me to see them living in such a world as the one Bellwether was creating. I also vote to pardon Nicholas P. Wilde.”

Timothy leaned back in his chair and said. “You already know my vote. Having dealt with the smug todd in the past, I have no problems pardoning him and I know he’ll make a great addition to the police department.”

Everyone turned their gaze on Karl, the last one to place his vote. His ears were flat against his head as he struggled with his choice. He hated foxes, always has, but he couldn’t ignore the shock collars laying on the table before him, nor the list laying on the table in front of Bogo, nor the despicable laws Bellwether had intended to enact. The thought of being fired and forced to live in such a deplorable place like Happytown had his fur bristling again. After grinding his teeth for a minute, he then ground out, “Fine, I will agree to pardon him, but if this is just some elaborate con of his and causes harm to the city, I want your resignation.” He was pointing a clawed finger at Bogo.

Bogo was silent for several moments as he considered the deal the Iberian lynx had just thrown at him. He truly wanted Wilde on the force and knew Hopps needed him to ground her, but did he really want to stake his career on the sly todd? But then again, he couldn’t forget Wilde’s passion in protecting Hopps and his fierce loyalty to her, nor his reason for wanting to join. Nor could he ignore the fact that if not for Wilde’s past exploits, he might not even be chief. Sitting up straighter, Bogo thought about how Princeton praised the red vulpine, and then about the fact that Honey Badgerson essentially raised him. This, along with the information he’d just learned from the bison across from him, allowed Bogo to finally make a decision. Taking a deep breath, he said, “Deal. If Nick Wilde poses a threat to the city after joining the ZPD, then I will resign as Chief of Police.”

A gasp was heard from Jura and Delilah, while Jeremiah and Timothy simply nodded. For Bogo to stake his career on the vulpine showed how much faith he placed in the red todd.

Karl sat back in his chair with a smug grin on his face and waved a paw through the air. “Then I vote to pardon the fox.”

Bisiorn nodded. “Then we are agreed. The fox known as Nicholas P. Wilde is hereby pardoned from any and all criminal activities he has committed in the past, or from the knowledge of criminals he once associated with.” After everyone nodded in agreement, he turned to Delilah and said, “Type up the document and once everyone has signed it, see that a copy is delivered to Chief Bogo, another copy to myself, and that a third copy is archived.” As the okapi nodded, he then turned to the rest of the room and stated, “I don’t think I need to say this, but this information does not leave this room.”At everyone’s nod, Bisiorn then said, “This meeting is adjourned. You are dismissed.”

As the others left the room, Delilah Aukstas remained behind to help the Chief gather the shock collars while he put his papers in order. Picking up one of the mind-numbing, pain-inducing collars, Delilah turned it over in her hoof for several moments, then murmured to herself, “I wonder if the Cliffside Asylum is where Bellwether got the idea to use shock collars. Or maybe it was one of the foreign news clips of one of the war-torn and underdeveloped nations still using them on their prisoners of war.” With a shiver, she quickly gathered the rest of the torture devices while trying not to think about what would have happened to the predator population (one in particular) had the sheep’s dastardly plans come to fruition.

Bogo had paused to stare at her after hearing her soft-spoken musings. He hadn’t considered where Bellwether came up with her sick plan, but since she was in politics, she would have researched the Asylum when learning about the law banning the shock collars, so his guess would be the Asylum that first gave her the idea, but the use of the collars in the war-torn countries where rebels and militant groups were fighting for control would have given her the idea to modify the collars to the level they were at now (the tech crew who analyzed them said their electrical output was much stronger than the ones found at the Asylum all those years ago). With a shake of his head, he turned back to the papers he’d been gathering.

After picking up the last collar, Delilah turned to Bogo and handed the hated devices over, then she thought of the two unlikely mammals who single handedly, and against all odds, stopped the psychotic ewe and saved the city. Pausing only for a moment, she then asked, “Do you think I’d be able to meet with Nicholas Wilde and Officer Hopps? I’d like to personally thank them for the risks they took to save our city. And I am interested in their unique friendship. It’s not often you see such polar opposites become such good friends.”

Bogo snorted while remembering the two in his office earlier that day. A fox and a bunny—not only were they living together but had every intention of marrying each other in just a few short weeks. “You have no idea.”

Delilah watched the water buffalo a moment, then asked, “Can you give me their contact information so I can call and make arrangements to meet them?”

Bogo finished packing the collars away while he studied the muscular (yet slender compared to his own species) okapi standing beside him. She seemed genuine about meeting and thanking the fox and bunny duo, and after a moment’s thought, he said, “I don’t have their numbers on me, but if you look up Wilde in the system, you’ll get his address. If you drop by, you’ll find them both there.”

Delilah’s eyes widened behind her thick-rimmed glasses. “Judy will be at Nick’s place?”

Bogo nodded. “Since she had no place to stay when she returned to the city, Wilde has decided to put her up in his spare bedroom.” He paused a moment, then added, “The doctor didn’t want her left alone with her leg injury, either, so Wilde also took it upon himself to nurse her back to health.”

Delilah was silent for several heartbeats at this shocking turn of events. Taking several breaths, the okapi asked, “Judy . . . Judy has willingly chosen to stay with a fox? To live in his den?” To hear that the little bunny wanted the fox as a partner on the force was shocking enough (though a pleasant one), and now to hear how they were living together—it gave her hope.

Bogo snorted again, then laughed while remembering Hopps’ insistence on staying with the smug todd. “Hopps refused to stay anywhere else. And I honestly don’t think there’s another mammal alive she feels safer with.” Watching the okapi’s silent wonder, he then asked seriously, “That doesn’t bother you, does it? For prey and predator to be living under the same roof.” Although everyone but Karl seemed fine with the idea of Hopps and Wilde being partners, he wasn’t sure how they’d respond to them living together.

Delilah’s eyes widened and she shook her hooves out in front of her. “No, no, no. I have no problems with it. It just surprised me. Although rabbits aren’t as shy and timid as most of my kind, they are well known for their fear of predators, so I was simply surprised.” With a wide smile spreading across her face, she added, “It does give me hope for a brighter future—that the divisions between pred and prey might one day be laid to rest.”

Bogo studied her for a moment, then had to agree. “If it’s those two, then I think you may be right.”

Delilah beamed happily, then turned and hurried through the conference room door. She had much to do and much to think on, and finding the address to such an unlikely duo was number one on her list—after typing up Nick’s pardoned papers, of course.

Chapter Text

(Danger Zone by Kenny Loggins is still playing.)

Finnick could only stare at Judy. How could a rabbit in her twenties have never been on suppressants, and yet still never had a boyfriend? Or given away her first kiss before Nick? Rubbing his paws over his face, he looked over to question Cottontail, but then her phone chimed to let her know she had a notification.

Sitting up from where she was still slumped back in her chair, Judy fished out her phone and looked at it. With her face brightening, she exclaimed, “Oh, it’s my sister, Janette!” Opening the text, she read through it and immediately sent a reply. Glancing at Finn, she said brightly, “She wants me to call her when I get the chance.”

Finn’s ears flicked back, then quickly righted themselves as he didn’t want to show his disappointment. “So, you going to call her now?”

Judy glanced over and said, “Of course, not.” With a shake of her head, she added, “That would be rude to you.”

As she glanced back at her phone for a minute, Finnick’s mouth dropped open again, then he snapped it shut with an audible click of his sharp teeth, which made Cottontail give him a funny look. Shaking his head, he rubbed his paws over his face. He really shouldn’t be surprised at this point that bunny cop wasn’t going to ignore him or brush him to the side like so many others did. To Nick’s bunny girlfriend, he was no more a waste of space than Nick himself. And now if he could just get that idea through his thick skull, then maybe he wouldn’t be shocked all the time when Cottontail treated him like a real mammal.

Dropping his paws and meeting bunny cop’s curious gaze, he asked, “You’ve seriously never been on suppressants?”

Judy shook her head. “At first my parents thought I was a late bloomer when I didn’t get my first heat when the rest of my sisters did, but when I turned 17 and still hadn’t gone through my first heat, they started taking me to different doctors trying to figure out what was wrong with me.”

“So what was the problem?” Finn asked curiously. The way she acted (and smelled) around Nick, he couldn’t see that anything was wrong with her. Well, she was dating a fox, so she had to be at least a little insane, but nothing appeared to be wrong with her hormones.

Shaking her head again, Judy said, “They said I was missing an emotional component and that nothing was actually wrong with me. Turns out I was going in heat, but they were so mild that I didn’t notice. My heats just made me a bit restless, so I just threw myself into training or went for an extended run. When I was in college, I took up repelling.” With a huge grin on her face, she added, “Now that’s exciting. My favorite is finding a rock face I can climb down Aussie style.”

Finn’s jaw dropped once again and he just stared at her for several heartbeats. Shutting his mouth and shaking his head, he muttered, “Why am I even surprised?” After all the crazy stuff she did while dragging Nick all over Zootopia, nothing about her should surprise him.

A cheeky grin spread across Judy’s face as she remembered asking a similar question to Nick just yesterday, though it seemed weeks ago already. With a light chuckle, she answered the same way Nick had. “I don’t know? Why are you?”

Finn stared for a moment, then snickered and shook his head. “You sound just like Nick now.”

Judy laughed, too. “That’s what Henry said!”

Shaking his head again while still chuckling, Finn replied, “You two really are made for each other.”

Judy simply beamed at him. I can’t agree more, she thought.

*******
As Nick drove into the Central Station parking garage, he had to drive around a bit to find a place to park on the second level. But once he did, he was out of the truck in a flash, had it locked, and was weaving his way through the parked cars, eager to get back to his honeybun. Stepping through the door of the garage, he hurried down the large walkway. As he neared the café he left Judy at, he saw that Finnick now sat in his spot next to his girlfriend, but Thing 1 and Thing 2 were nowhere to be found. He also heard Finn’s music playing, which told him that whatever they were talking about, it was private. And knowing Judy, he could guess the topic she’d asked Finn about.

Striding over to his girlfriend and best bud, he saw that Judy was beaming at whatever Finnick had said, while Finn was shaking his head with this “you’re nuts” look on his face.

Slipping into the chair on the other side of Judy, he asked, “What did I miss?” Glancing at the wad of napkins, he added, “And what’s with the used napkins?” Smelling the faint trace of Judy’s tears and watching her ears drop behind her head, Nick’s ears flicked back and his gaze shot to Finnick as his paws curled into fists. “You made my girlfriend cry!” With the music playing (Embers by Owl City), he didn’t have to worry about someone over-hearing him.

Finn’s ears flattened out to the side as he returned Nick’s glare. “No, I didn’t make your girlfriend cry.” Pointing a small, clawed finger at the red todd across from him, he stated, “You made your girlfriend cry.” Throwing his paws up, he exclaimed, “And you weren’t even here!”

Nick’s ears flattened against his head and he glanced at Judy. With a bright smile, she said, “Don’t’ worry, they were happy tears.”

Nick studied Judy’s beaming smile, then slumped back in his chair. Rubbing his face, he then turned to Finnick and said, “Sorry, Finn, this is all new to me and I’m finding myself a bit . . . irrational.”

“I’d say irrational!” With his ears pointing forward once again, he jabbed a clawed finger at Nick and said, “You know I’d never do anything to hurt you, and that includes hurting your girlfriend.”

Nick rubbed his face again, then rested his paws on the table, saying, “I really am sorry.”

“Yeah, you better be sorry,” Finn muttered as he leaned back in his chair, folded his arms, and stared down into the busy train station.

Judy reached over and placed a small paw over Nick’s much larger one, and he smiled gratefully. But seeing a mother moose and her two young calves walking towards them after stepping out of a clothing store down the walkway behind Judy, followed closely by a large family of slender meerkats who soon over took the moose family in their haste to get where they were going, Nick gave a slight motion towards the crowd and then pulled back. Relaxing into his chair, Nick drummed his claws on the table with one paw and rested the other paw on his leg.

Judy frowned briefly as Nick pulled away from her. She shouldn’t have to hide her affection for the red todd, especially something as innocent as a comforting paw. Of course, if they were at home, or even in the jeep, she could give him more than just a comforting paw. As her thoughts turned to how she could comfort him once they were alone, she lost track of her surroundings.

Breaking Judy and Nick out of their pensive thoughts, Finnick said, “I’ve come to really enjoy Cottontail’s company. For prey, she’s one of the better ones.” Pausing a moment, he then added, “In fact, she’s more fun than most predators I know.”

Judy’s ears turned a slight shade darker at the unexpected compliment, even as Nick turned to the small fox across from him and grinned. “I couldn’t agree more.”

Finnick nodded even as Judy gave him a grateful smile. Perking up while remembering Nick’s girlfriend when he first arrived, Finn sat up straighter and rested one arm on the beveled glass tabletop, then jabbed his thumb toward the bunny beside him while speaking to Nick. “Do you know what she was doing when I arrived?” At Nick’s head shake, Finn continued, “She was threatening to slug Thing 1’s arm hard enough to feel broken if he didn’t stop badmouthing you.” With a wide grin, he added, “It was be-eautiful.”

Nick’s tail began wagging slightly as he turned towards his stunning girlfriend. “Really?” he asked with perked up ears.

“Of course,” she said with a scowl. “There’s no way I could sit still while he talked trash about you. Since he wasn’t listening to what my mouth was saying, I figured I’d let my fists do the talking.” With a wide grin and a shrug, she added, “It shut him right up.”

Nick’s tail was wagging harder now, and he clenched his fists to keep from hugging her. He knew Judy would support and protect him, but hearing how his girlfriend stood up for him even when he wasn’t around . . . After years of being put down by both prey and predator, it warmed his heart immensely and made him love his incredible honeybun all that much more. “Ahh! If we weren’t in public, I’d kiss you!”

Judy’s grin split her whole face and she leaned over the table to say, “Well, if you hand the truck keys over to my dumb brother, we can leave here and then you can kiss me.”

Nick’s muzzle shifted into a happy, dopy grin as he stared into Judy’s shimmering, amethyst gaze—until a straw hit him square in the face. Shaking his head, he turned to face his friend

“Mask, Red,” Finn hissed at him. “Before some idiot takes pictures of you mooning over your bunny and posts them all over social media.” Nick frowned and his ears splayed back. “We’re just getting over all the stupid protests and we don’t need to start a riot because society doesn’t think a fox should be chasing after a bunny.”

Judy had mixed feelings about Finn’s comment. She knew he was right, and it galled her that they had to hide how they felt—but on the other paw, the thought of Nick actually chasing her, of catching her—that excited her on a whole new level. Being chased by her hot fox while running through the forests and rocks surrounding his cabin, then thinking about what would happen after he caught her . . . Her ears turned several shades darker as she thought, Being eaten by a fox never sounded so good.

Turning her gaze back to Nick, she pressed her tongue to her top lip as her anger at society warred with her desire to be with Nick.

Nick, on the other paw, grabbed his ears and pulled them down and growled softly in irritation. “Dating shouldn’t be this difficult!”

Finn shrugged. “And it wouldn’t be if you were both pred or both prey, but since you two are not only crossing species line, but the whole food chain—it’ll take some time for society to get used to the idea . . . if they ever do.”

“Well,” Judy spoke up, “someone has to start the change. And if me and Nick can change, then I’m sure others probably will to. There might even be some out there in hiding—we just have to find them. If enough pred-prey couples come out at the same time, then society will have to wake up and take notice.” Finn’s phone switched to Courageous by Casting Crowns as Judy waited for their response.

Nick and Finn glanced at each other in thought, but at first neither knew how to respond. Nick initially wanted to deny it, but after a moment’s thought he realized she was right. Taking a deep breath, he added, “You’re right. And things have changed to some degree since I was younger. Although the prejudice is still bad, at the hospital, Kimberly didn’t bat an eye about me being there with you, or how close we were. She actually seemed happy for us. And she worked really well with that leopard doctor, so I guess there is some hope for the future.”

Judy beamed happily at him while Finn sat back and scratched his chin thoughtfully.

With a heavy sigh, Nick turned to Judy and asked, “So where is your specist brother so I can shove the keys in his face. I need to get you home so you can put your leg up. It’s been down too long today.”

Judy nodded, but her leg was the last thing on her mind as she thought of getting home. She still had to make it up to Nick for the pain he relived while talking to Bogo earlier. And he did promise her another kiss. With a warm smile, she motioned in the direction she’d sent her brother and his friend—Thing 1 and Thing 2. Chuckling she said, “They’re over by the lemonade stand.”

Nick made a face as he stood up. “Never drink there. The lemonade they serve is only about 10 percent juice and the rest is just sugar and fillers.” With a shake of his head, Nick added, “And mammals call us crooks.”

Finn snorted. “Ain’t that the truth,” he muttered, then watched Nick make his way towards the lemonade stand as he disappeared into the crowd. While thinking over his conversation with Cottontail, he sat up straighter and said, “I got to talk to Nick real quick, and then I’m taking off.” With a nod he added, “So I guess this is goodbye for now.” With a grin, he grabbed his phone and said, “It’s been a blast and we’ll have to do this again.”

Judy smiled while saying, “Thanks, Finn. I had a great time, too. Be safe.”

Finn nodded, then climbed down, but before he could take more than a few steps, Judy suddenly called to him.

“Oh, wait, Finnick.” As the small, desert fox turned back to her with cocked ears, Judy said, “Give me your number and email. I want to email you all the information I gathered on being a P.I. and how to get a license, then you can make an informed decision about whether you want to go into it or not. I’ll send you a text so you’ll have my number and then you can call or text if you have any questions.”

Finn stood there with his mouth open at the bunny cop’s proposal. She really was serious about having him as an outside consultant on her cases. Snapping his mouth shut, he studied her a moment, then glanced over to where Nick disappeared. Meeting her gaze again, he said, “I’ll tell Nick to give it to you once you get home.”

Judy nodded and let Finn go this time. She idly wondered what he had to talk to Nick about, but then focused on the information she needed to send him on being a P.I. and a bounty hunter. She really hoped he’d accept. Having him help her and Nick out on cases would make everything that much more interesting. And having an extra set of large ears and a good sniffer couldn’t hurt, either.

*******

As Nick neared the lemonade stand, he saw Thing 1 sitting at a small table with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. His ears were twitching slightly as he kept track of the sounds and movements of those around him, while Thing 2, on the other paw, was sitting across from him and clearly wasn’t paying attention as he stirred his straw around in his drink. Coming from Bunnyburrow, the buck was probably used to fresh-squeezed lemonade, so the fake stuff they sold here should be just as disgusting to him as it was to Nick. He was actually surprised Thing 2 had nearly finished his.

Slowing down slightly, Nick decided to have one last laugh at their expense. Softening his footsteps so he made no noise, he waltzed up behind Judy’s brother and dangled the keys over his face. They both jumped (and Thing 2 nearly knocked his drink over while looking like he had a heart attack), which made Nick grin smugly before saying, “Here’s your keys. The truck is at C4 in the parking garage over there.” He jerked his head in the direction of the truck and parking garage. “Judy’s at the table if you want to say goodbye.”

Henry grabbed the keys as he turned around and hissed, “Watch it, fox.”

Nick raised his paws and said, “Hey, it’s not my fault if you weren’t paying attention.” He had to hold back his laughter at the buck’s black scowl. It was obvious he had been paying attention and yet Nick still got the drop on him.

Henry ground his teeth to keep from telling him off. Judy’s threat was still fresh in his mind and he had no wish to drive the 3 ½ hours home with an arm bruised enough to feel broken. Looking over to Billy, whose nose was still twitching fearfully and his breathing fast and shallow, Henry jerked his head in the direction they’d come from earlier. Brushing past the smug pelt, Henry didn’t go far before seeing the smaller, sand-colored pelt hurrying towards him.

Finnick paused upon seeing the two bucks, but then gave them a toothy grin. Scurrying past them, he met up with Nick, who cocked his head in question. Ignoring the bucks behind him, who shrugged and continued on their way, Finn grabbed Nick’s arm and pulled him to a secluded part of the station. Glancing around to make sure they were alone, he motioned for Nick (who was very confused at the moment) to bend down, then whispered, “You and Cottontail have more in common than I thought.”

Nick flicked his ear. “What do you mean?”

“Do you know why she was crying?”

Nick shook his head as he was very curious as to why.

“She started sniffling while thinking you was too good for her.”

Nick raised his paw, pointer finger up, and said, “Wait. I’m too good for . . . Judy? She thinks she’s not . . . good enough . . . for me?”

“Right!” Finn exclaimed. “She’s a rabbit, prey, and she doesn’t feel like she’s good enough for you, a fox. What prey thinks a fox is too good for them! It’s nuts!” He shook his head with his large ears swinging side to side. “She’s nuts!”

Nick’s jaw went slack as his ears partially splayed back. “Judy doesn’t think she’s good enough for me?” he repeated while pointing to himself. His honeybun was a very confident rabbit, who was a driven and capable cop, and who had a bad tendency to jump in headfirst, so what would make her feel like she wasn’t worthy of him. If anything, he didn’t feel worthy of her.

“It’s insane, right!” Finn threw his paws up in the air as he still had a hard time believing how the rabbit felt.

Feeling just as shocked as Finn, Nick asked, “What did you tell her?”

“I explained how she’s already helped you and that she just needed to be herself. And that’s when she really started crying and needed all those napkins!”

Nick wasn’t sure how to respond. Cocking his head a moment, he asked, “She started crying . . . after . . . you told her to be herself?”

Finn nodded several times. “Said her whole life everyone’s tried to make her someone she’s not, and when she refused, they started talking behind her back, calling her crazy and dumb. Moving to the city didn’t change nothing. A lot of mammals talked behind her back both at the academy and at the ZPD.” Jabbing his short, sharp claw at Nick’s stomach, Finnick added, “No one cared about her until you came along. And hearing that you just needed her to be herself had her crying ‘happy tears’ as she called them.” He made air quotes around the “happy tears”.

Nick’s ears drooped at hearing how Judy had been talked at in the same fashion he’d been. And then remembering how she’d gotten all bashful last night as he’d called her beautiful and sexy . . . He raised his paws and ran them down his muzzle. It was obvious that compliments of this kind were severely lacking in her life. Something he’d need to rectify. Taking a deep breath, he looked down to meet Finn’s concerned gaze. “Okay, thanks for telling me.”

Finn nodded, knowing Nick would know best how to treat and help his bunny.

“I need to get back to Judy. The doctor said to keep her leg elevated and we haven’t done that at all today.”

Finn nodded again, but then grabbed Nick’s arm, saying, “Something else I need to tell you.” As Nick tilted his head in question, Finnick said, “You better not wait too long to put that ring on her finger.”

Nick’s jaw dropped, and he figured he wore the same expression he did when Judy kissed Mr. Big’s cheeks back when they were almost iced. Shaking the stupor away, he shook his paws out in front of him and exclaimed, “Wait! What!? You’re the one complaining we’re moving too fast.”

“Yeah, well, that was before I found out Cottontail has never been on suppressants, and you’ll drive her to them if you take too long putting that ring on her finger.”

Nick’s jaw dropped again. “What do you mean she’s never been on suppressants!?” Nick couldn’t forget her excited smell that had been driving him crazy for the last 24 hours.

“Just what I said. She claimed that until she met you,”—Finn jabbed Nick in the belly again—“she’d never met anyone worth getting hot and bothered about. If you wait too long, she’ll probably end up jumping you. Especially since your teeth dump a bucket-load of hormones into her system that makes her crazy with desire.”

Nick’s ears immediately flamed red as the memory of Judy in his arms last night flashed through his mind. Taking a deep breath, he tried desperately to dampen his own desire the memory evoked. Focusing back on the small fox in front of him, his blush spread at seeing the knowing look in his friend’s eyes as his small nose twitched slightly at the scent Nick was now giving off.

Grabbing his ears and pulling on them, he exclaimed, “It was her ears, okay. I ran my teeth up her ears and after smelling her response I told her I wouldn’t bite her again until I put a ring on her finger.”

Finn snorted. “Uh-huh, right. Is this the same as you two claiming to take things slow?”

“That . . . I mean . . .”

“Nick, it hasn’t even been 48 hours and you’re already dating and running your teeth and claws through her fur!”

“Well, I can’t help it!” Nick whined. “She makes it so easy to do! And it’s not just how pawsy and snuggly she is.” Releasing his ears, he pointed to Finnick with both paws and said, “She trusts me, Finn.” He tapped his chest with his paws. “And she hasn’t once judged me. Even after I told her I worked for Mr. Big, she still didn’t judge me. She didn’t even ask what I did for him! All she knows is that I went on business dates to gather information.” At Finn’s stunned expression, Nick quickly asked, “Unless you told her more of what I did for him?”

Finnick shook his head. “Not much more. Just told her why you started working for him and about your reputation for getting things done, along with a bit about your court cases.”

Nick’s ears perked up. “You told her about Anya and the scholarship program?”

With a nod, Finn said, “Ya. You got a letter from her today.” With a smirk, Finn added, “A fat letter.”

Nick’s ears flattened. “Um, yeah, I might have neglected to reply to her last lett—ers.”

Finn chuckled for a moment, but then asked, “You actually told Judy about your business dates? With all those vixens?”

Nick folded his arms and muttered, “No, Fru-Fru did.” Finn’s eyes widened, but then Nick added, “I’m just lucky Fru-Fru explained that I didn’t do anything with them.”

Finn rubbed his paws over his face as he realized just how much trust bunny cop was placing in his sly friend. “She knows you went on business dates for the mob with a bunch of different vixens, and she still wants you to put your paws and teeth all over her?”

Nick’s ears perked up. “That’s what I’m talking about. Judy doesn’t judge me, and she trusts me enough to wait for me to tell her more.” Running a paw down his muzzle, he continued, “She’s not a patient bunny, and yet she’ll be patient for me. And even when I told her about Nakita and that I never killed anyone or dealt in drugs, she didn’t even question it. She took it as fact and trusted that I wasn’t lying to her.” Shaking his head, he restated, “She knows I worked for the mob and yet she still believes in me enough to take what I tell her at face value.” Throwing his paws up in the air, he exclaimed, “Who does that!? Who does that for a fox!?”

Gaping at his larger friend, Finnick finally started to see why Nick wasn’t holding back with Cottontail. He knew she’d touched Nick emotionally and was healing much of the hurt and abuse he’d suffered, and that her trust impacted him greatly, but this level of trust and faith very few people found or experienced in their whole lifetime—especially when it comes to foxes, whom society claims are all born thieves and liars. And bunny cop had only spent six days with Nick!

With a deep breath, Finnick slowly let it out. “Fine, I’ll stop questioning how fast you’re moving. But seriously, you better talk to Cottontail about her suppressants and when she might need them. Oh, and get this, since her heats have been so mild, she took up repelling in college to deal with the antsy feelings they caused.”

Nick’s ears perked up and his tail wagged. “Seriously?” Several date ideas popped into his head while imagining the two of them repelling some of the rock faces in the more mountainous areas of both the Meadowlands and the Rainforest District. The Canyonlands also had some really good rock climbing and repelling cliffs.

Finnick nodded while grinning back. “Go see your bunny before she starts feeling lonely.”

Nick grinned, then waved goodbye and scurried down the crowded walkway and disappeared from sight.

With a wide, toothy grin, Finn slowly made his way after his friend before veering off towards the parking garage at the back of the station.

Chapter Text

As Nick neared the café, he saw that Thing 1 and Thing 2 had already left (which he was glad for), leaving Judy alone at the table. She was engrossed with her phone and he had to resist the urge to snap a picture at her cute look of concentration. Being accused of a stalker wasn’t something he wanted on his record just after signing up for the ZPA—even if the charges were immediately dropped.

Waltzing up to his adorable girlfriend, he asked, “Ready to go home?”

Looking up, Judy smiled brightly. “Definitely.”

After getting Judy situated in the wheelchair, it didn’t take long to return to the jeep. After getting Judy comfortable (and grinning while she craned her head around to look in the back seat, hoping to see what he’d picked up), Nick slipped into the driver seat and turned to his honeybun. She was more than ready for the kiss she knew was coming. Not making her wait, he reached over and cupped her cheeks, then pulled her towards him while leaning over to touch her twitching nose with his. “I love you, Judy.” She positively beamed at him and her eyes got a little watery, and then he pressed his lips gently to hers.

Judy’s eyes closed and she gave herself over to the soft kiss. Reaching up, she slid her small paws around the back of his neck and buried her fingers in his thick fur. The kiss was tender but ended too quickly. Opening her eyes as Nick pulled back, she met his burning emeralds, then felt his hot tongue lick her lips, bringing a gasp of pleasure to her. Feeling his large, canine tongue invade her mouth brought a long moan from her as he teased her much smaller lagomorph one.

The kiss was long and slow, and although it lacked the passion from earlier, it still filled Judy with warmth and happiness as she felt Nick’s care, love and tenderness in it. The fact he (eventually) let her explore his mouth in return was icing on the cake. While melting into his touch, she still couldn’t believe that he was hers. That this wonderful, caring, hot, sexy fox was all hers—and no one else’s. Knowing that she’d never have to share him with anyone else sent a warm tingle down her spine, as she had lost count of how many of her sisters had started exclusively dating some buck, only to be dumped a month later because she wasn’t what he was expecting. Or seeing her sister dumping him for the same reason. But that wasn’t something she’d ever have to worry about with Nick. Moaning into the gentle kiss again, she thought, Nope. I’ll never have to worry about that with Nick. My fox.

As Nick finally pulled back and rested his forehead against Judy’s, he took a deep breath and flashed her a very happy smile. Sitting up, he caressed her cheeks with his thumbs a moment longer, then murmured, “Let’s go home.”

“Yeah.” Judy was too happy to say anything else, and then they both sat back and buckled in. After starting the jeep, Nick pulled out his phone and plugged it into the jeep’s stereo system before opening his playlist again. After finding the song he wanted, he hit play and set his phone in his cup holder. Flashing Judy a wide smile as ‘All I Need is a Miracle’ by Mike & the Mechanics began playing, he put the jeep in reverse and pulled out of the parking space. As the intro music played, he explained, “This is how I felt after the press conference.” With a shake of his head, he glanced out his window, then turned his attention back to the road and cars in front of him while explaining, “I didn’t care about ever seeing you again and it took almost a month to get over the worst of my anger, and then I started going through these mood swings. I was either depressed with missing you and wanting to hear your voice again and make you laugh, or angry at you for your betrayal, or angry at myself for believing in you—for allowing you to hurt me.”

Glancing briefly over and meeting her watery, amethyst gaze, he continued, “When missing you got too bad, I’d take your carrot pen—which, you know, reminds me of you, Carrots—out to the Rainforest District and ride the sky tram.” Pausing a moment, he then said, “That was the turning point for me. You saving me from Manchas woke me up and made me really look at you. But the sky tram . . .” Nick shook his head as he watched a spotted hyena wearing a blue-jean jacket and riding a Harley Davison cut across the lane two car-lengths in front of him as the spotted hyena headed for the turn lane. Glancing at Judy briefly (and seeing the questions in her eyes), he then looked back at the road and continued his tale. “After my dad died, it was hard, but I still had faith in the goodness of others.”

With a scowl, Nick’s ears flicked back as he explained, “But the fiasco with the Junior Ranger Scouts was a huge slap in the face, and coupled with how my dad’s murder was swept under the rug, I started to close myself off and didn’t talk much about what was bothering me.” Nick’s voice softened as he added, “To everyone but Demetri, anyways. He was my rock. I knew I could always count on him and we shared everything. He’s the only one I told the full details of what happened that night. My mom knew something bad had happened, and I told her about being bullied, but that was it.” Glancing out the side window, he muttered, “I never told her about being muzzled.”

Reaching over, Judy caressed his arm, then gave his forearm a comforting squeeze. Nick never really talked much about his brother, so this was a rare gem for her.

Turning to Judy, he gave her a bitter smile at the tragic memory. “It actually should have been Demetri there that night.” At Judy’s questioning head tilt, he explained, “We both wanted to be in the Junior Rangers Scouts, but mom could only afford one uniform, so we played Paper, Rock, Scissors. I lost and it really bummed me out since I saw it as a way to be helpful and prove foxes could be trusted.” Gripping the steering wheel tightly while staring out the front window, he continued, “Demetri surprised me the day of the meeting by giving me the uniform. Said it would mean more if it was me wearing it.”

Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes briefly as they were at a red light, he explained, “Demetri was always like that. We both looked up to Dad and wanted to be like him, but after his death, Demetri felt it was his responsibility as the oldest of us boys to be the male of the house and take care of the family.” With a heavy sigh, Nick continued, “As young as he was, Demetri always tried to act grown-up, which meant he usually put mine and Anya’s and mom’s needs above his own. Seeing us succeed always made him smile.” With a slightly warmer laugh, he added, “When we got a little older, sometimes me and Demetri would argue about who got to do what because I wanted to see him enjoy himself, while he wanted me to have all the fun—at least when we had to choose who got to have the fun.”

Judy bit her lip, then said softly, “He sounds like a really good, big brother.”

Nick glanced over in appreciation of her understanding and replied, “Oh, he was . . .” With his voice dropping to barely a whisper, Nick repeated, “He was.” Glancing out his window and staring mindlessly at the license plate of the large, brown and black suburban one car up and one lane over from the jeep, his mind wandered aimlessly down the dark memories of the past. While thinking of his brother, Nick muttered just as quietly, “It actually should have been me hit by that drunk driver.”

With her eyes widening, Judy squeezed Nick’s arm again. She wanted to ask what he meant, but wasn’t sure Nick was ready to explain himself. He’d already shared so much with her (which made Judy extremely grateful for his trust) and she didn’t want to push him beyond what he was comfortable with.

Glancing over to meet her patient gaze, Nick took a deep breath and returned his gaze to the small, sea-green Astro van sitting at the red light in front of him (this light was a particularly long one), then explained, “We had stayed out really late and were both tired from playing hard that day and I wasn’t paying much attention to my surroundings. Demetri had shoved me for something stupid I’d said, and I stumbled over some trash or rock on the sidewalk. I was too tired and laughing too hard to catch my balance and ended up falling in the road. I wasn’t hurt or anything, and so kept laughing. Demetri was laughing at me, too, and since there weren’t any cars out that late at night, I didn’t feel the need to hurry and get off the road.”

Grinning slightly at the memory, Nick elaborated. “We’d been down at the large park near our school practicing some agility moves our dad had taught us before he died and were having too much fun to quit.” Meeting Judy’s inquisitive gaze, he added, “We should have been in bed hours ago, but we kept trying to outmaneuver each other and didn’t want to go home. Not that anyone was waiting at home for us,” Nick muttered softly. “It was Friday night and Anya was staying at a friend's house to finish a class project while mom was working late—of course.” With his frown returning, Nick continued, “Anyways, we were in that exhausted, sleep-deprived state where everything seems funny and you can’t stop laughing.”

Nick’s voice dropped back down to a pained whisper that Judy had to strain to hear. “At least, until we heard the car screeching down the road. I was lying on the side of the road, not in the middle, and we were under a street lamp, so the drunk should have seen me, but he never even slowed down, let alone tried to avoid me. I could have scrambled out the way, but I just . . . froze. I couldn’t think, I couldn’t move . . . I just sat there. I did raise my paws to shield my face and closed my eyes while waiting for the car to hit me—but it wasn’t the car that hit me.” With eyes squeezed shut and a pained whine coming from his throat, Nick choked out, “Demetri jumped in and pushed me out of the way, so the car hit him instead.” Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Nick kept his eyes shut as the bloody memories flashed across his mind. He always blamed himself for his brother’s death, and the guilt felt just as strong today as it did back then.

Judy saw several tears slide down Nick’s cheek, even as she felt several tears run down her own cheek. No wonder Nick still has nightmares about his brother’s death, she silently sobbed to herself, He’s beating himself up over Demetri’s death. Wishing they weren’t in traffic so she could give her fox a comforting hug and soothing head rub, the heartfelt moment was shattered as the large black Ford truck behind them honked its horn—the light had finally turned green.

Nick wiped his eyes, then shook the dark mood off. After pushing his horrid memories back down, he felt surprised how easy it was. Normally the memories would haunt him for hours, but Judy’s comforting paw and understanding presence soothed some of his raw nerves (having spoken about his dad’s and brother’s death earlier today might have helped, too). Feeling a weight lifted off his chest from sharing this terrifying piece of his past with his honeybun, Nick set his foot on the gas pedal and felt the jeep move forward.

Turning his mind back to their earlier conversation and Judy’s original (silent) question about the sky tram, he said, “Okay, we’ve gotten way off topic now.” Taking another deep breath and feeling himself calm down further, he said, “My reason for telling you about Demetri was so you could understand how monumental it was for me to tell you about the Junior Rangers Scouts.” Meeting Judy’s gaze for an instant, he stated, “You are the second person I’ve ever told about being muzzled.” Turning his attention back to the sea-green van in front of him, he waited for a response from Judy, but at her continued silence and comforting paw on his arm, he said, “I’m still not sure why I told you. I think I felt a kindred spirit with you after seeing how Bogo and the other cops treated you.” With a shake of his head, he continued, “Anyways, telling you about the muzzling was huge for me, but even more shocking was your answer.” Glancing at Judy again, he asked, “Do you remember what you said?”

Licking her lips (which were suddenly feeling dry), Judy whispered, “You’re so much more than that.”

“Bingo.” With a warm grin, Nick explained, “Besides my family, Honey was the only other mammal to ever tell me that, but she was a predator and we related to each other. She’d lost her husband and son while I lost my dad and twin brother.” Reaching over briefly, he brushed Judy’s cheek while saying, “But you—you’re a bunny, prey and a member of the fuzz, and I just spent the better part of the day demeaning you and wasting your time and yet you still believed I could be more than a shifty fox.”

Judy nodded sadly as she thought about what happened after finding the missing mammals. With guilt twisting her guts, she whispered, “And then the press conference happened.”

“Yes, that blasted conference happened.” Nick stared ahead while tightly gripping the steering wheel again. “I hated you. You gave me hope and then turned around and stabbed me in the back. But as much as I hated you for what you said and did, I hated myself more because I allowed myself to believe in you, to give you the power to hurt me.” Breathing slowly while thinking of the last three months, he continued, “I couldn’t forget what you said, though, and several times I thought of tracking you down and asking you about it.” With a shake of his head, he added, “I even thought about stopping by the ZPD and asking for you, but was afraid how they would react to a fox walking into the station and requesting a few minutes of your time.” With a bitter snort, he said, “Seeing how Staggson tried booking me for merely asking for a ZPA application, it’s probably best that I didn’t show up.”

Judy had been listening quietly while her mind ran around in circles and her heart was squeezed painfully at his many confessions. Hearing the details of Demetri’s death and his obvious guilt for being the cause (at least in his mind—the drunk was the one at fault, but the pain in Nick’s voice told Judy he blamed himself for being in the road), Judy desperately wished they were already home so she could comfort her fox. As Nick spoke of his worries about entering the ZPD, her ears perked up, then fell back while remembering how he was treated this morning and seeing how his fears were justified. It’s not fair, she thought. Nick was the best mammal she knew, and yet he was treated so deplorably for no other reason than his species.

Curling her free paw into a tight fist, she felt her anger from this morning returning. Before, she only thought about the pain and suffering he might face at the ZPA, but now she realized he might have it just as bad, or worse, at the ZPD itself. With anger and determination smoldering in her amethyst gaze, Judy vowed to stick with him at the department and make sure no one disrespected her fox. And if anyone was actually stupid enough to hurt Nick, they’d find themselves flat on their backs in the infirmary, moaning and groaning, after she dragged their worthless tails into the sparring ring.

As they both fell into a comfortable silence, Nick and Judy finally remembered about the music that was still playing. As they’d both been engrossed in their conversation, they’d missed the whole song. Reaching down just before his playlist switched to the next song, Nick hit the back button and All I Need Is A Miracle started playing again (there was a reason he’d picked this song first). They listened to the first verse, and then Nick began to sing.

'I didn’t care if you hung around, I didn’t care if you went away…’ Nick hummed along with the next verse, then continued singing the rest of the verses as his tail-tip swayed as it hung over the seat between them.

Judy took a deep breath as her anger evaporated. Of course, Nick would play her a sappy love song. And the fact that Nick played (and sang) it even though it reminded him of their fight, and the misery they both felt afterwards, squeezed her heart. She knew this was his way of saying he recognized his mistake and that he would never take her for granted again. As a wave of warmth seeped deep into her core, a blinding smile flashed across her face, even as moisture pooled at the corner of her eyes.

'But it’s always the same old story, you never know what you’ve got till it’s gone..." As Nick continued singing, Judy wiped at her eyes. Nick wasn’t going to forget the past because of the lessons he learned—painful lessons he never intended to repeat.

Turning to his honeybun as the music continued playing, Nick thought about what Judy meant to him, and then said, “You’re my miracle, Judy, and I don’t need you to be anyone but yourself.” With a sincere smile, he added, “Letting you go was the biggest mistake of my life, but now that I’ve caught up to you, I’m going to spend the rest of your life loving you.” With a smirk, he growled softly, “So prepare yourself.” The previous conversation was completely forgotten as Nick focused on his honeybun—his girlfriend and mate—along with the wonderful memories he intended to make with her.

Judy chuckled weakly at his joke, but couldn’t hold in the happy tears as they spilled down her cheeks. He’d been through so much, but just like Finn had said, Nick didn’t need her to be anyone else. Just herself. Gripping her heart, she choked on a sob, then said, “Ni-ick, you’re doing it again. You’re killing me softly and now I’m crying again!”

Nick chuckled, saying, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. Your secret of having a soft, gooey, marshmallowy center is safe with me.”

Judy laughed and wiped her eyes again. Nick always knew what to say to make her laugh. As the song ended and the next one came on (Smile by Uncle Kracker), Judy’s ears drooped as she realized it was another love song. “Nick! Are you playing all loves songs for me!”

Nick glanced over with a smug grin and said, “Did I create a playlist of all the sappy love songs that remind me of you? Yes, absolutely, 100 percent.”

Judy laughed, but wasn’t put out. The fact he’d picked songs about her simply meant she’d be constantly on his mind. That idea released more fluffy butterflies in her stomach and warmed her clear through. But then when he started singing as the next verse started, her jaw dropped as the tears started pooling again.

The song was warm and happy and Judy decided it would make a good ringtone for Nick’s number because he definitely made her smile, too. As her boyfriend finished singing, ‘…Just the thought of you can drive me wild, Oh, you make me smile,’ Judy cried out, “Ni-ick!” Slugging him in the arm, she demanded, “No singing! My heart can’t take it!”

Nick chuckled but complied. As the song continued, Judy grabbed one of her ears and started petting the end as she stared out her window. “It’s bad enough just listening to the words, but hearing you sing them, too, I just want to melt before jumping in your lap and kissing you like crazy.”

Nick’s ears perked up while he studied her bashful expression, and then he let his eyes wander down her tight body as he remembered last night. Licking his lips, he turned back to the road and had to slam on the brakes as the light had turned red and the mid-sized tan sedan in front of him had stopped (the small Astro van had switched lanes earlier).

“Nick!” Judy exclaimed as they were both slammed into their seatbelts with the jeep stopping a mere 3 feet behind the vehicle in front of them.

“Sorry,” Nick muttered, “I was a bit distracted.”

Judy glared at him. “Eyes on the road, Slick.”

Nick gave a sheepish smile, then turned back to the road and waited for the light to change.

Judy listened as the song finished, but then as the next song started (Love In The First Degree by Alabama), she said, “If you’re going to make me listen to all these sappy love songs, then we should at least talk about something.”

Nick glanced briefly at her, then returned his eyes to road to say, “Okay, let’s talk about your suppressants, then.” Glancing over again and meeting her stunned gaze, he asked, “You’ve seriously never been on suppressants?”

“Oh,” she murmured. “Is that what Finn needed to talk to you about?”

Nick nodded, saying, “One of the things.”

Taking a deep breath, she answered, “My heats were so mild in high school I didn’t even know I had them. They just made me antsy, restless, like I couldn’t sit still. So, I threw myself into some form of physical activity—running, hiking, aerobic exercise, pulling weeds or harvesting the crops.” She made a face remembering the last two. “Weeds and crops were my least favorite, but I helped out where I could.”

Glancing briefly at Nick, then back down at her lap, Judy continued her explanation. “With most rabbits, high school is the worst as we’re trying to deal with our changing hormones, but that doesn’t mean we’ll go out and jump the first rabbit we can get alone. The suppressants are mainly to curb our hormones so we can focus on our schoolwork and our chores at home.”

Petting her ear again, Judy continued, “This is especially true when the doe or buck has a love interest. Since our hormones can easily sidetrack our thinking, the suppressants help us to concentrate. This means that rabbits who find it difficult to keep their wandering thoughts and paws to a minimum can actually get their work done without all the distracting thoughts and impulses.”

Running a paw down her ear, she said, “Once we mature, then the suppressants are only needed when we go in heat, and again, it’s mainly to keep the antsy feeling and distracting thoughts at bay, though if we do have a mate or love interest, a higher dose will be needed.”

Nick nodded, then stated, “But you’ve never needed them—until now.”

Judy blushed, but nodded as she continued playing with the end of her ear. “Since I went my whole life with never having to deal with high levels of my hormones, I’m struggling to control them when we’re . . .” she paused a moment (and Nick took note as her delicious scent just got a little stronger), “. . . when we’re together.” With eyes widening, she turned to him and said, “But that doesn’t mean I would need them all the time. Just when . . . I’m in heat . . . and we have to deal with other mammals.” Her blush could clearly be seen in her ears and through the short fur of her cheeks and nose. For the first time in her life, she wondered how she was going to get through a workday when her next heat hit.

Nick grinned at her and licked his nose. Her scent told him exactly what she was thinking about and made him realize he might have to buy some suppressants himself. The only time he had ever needed them before was in the winter, during fox mating season, back when he was working with several of Big’s vixens at the same time. He hadn’t been interested in any of them and certainly never felt the need to chase their tails, but being surrounded by their increased scents (especially since several of them were interested in him), he became hyper-aware of them and it left him distracted. But all he needed was a low dose to allow him to continue ignoring them and their advances. Their frustration at his lack of interest always amused him, since he had made it clear he wasn’t looking for some hot tail.

Turning his attention back to the road as his phone switched to Somebody by Bryan Adams, he licked his nose again and asked, “So we’ll need to stop at the pharmacy on the way home and pick you up a bottle?”

Judy looked down in her lap and pressed her fingers together. “Well, I’m not sure which kind I’ll need.” Nick glanced sharply at her, and she continued, “Between my littermates, I’ve never needed suppressants, my sister Janelle has only ever needed a mild dose, even in high school, while our sister Janette has always needed a slightly higher dose.” With a shrug, she added, “There’s also several different brands, so figuring out which one works best for me could be problematic.”

Nick suddenly felt nervous while thinking of Judy smelling even more delicious than last night. As much as he loved her scent and looked forward to what it promised, it was still too early to indulge in such delectable, intense, mind-numbing activities. “How problematic?”

“Well, since I’ve never been on them before, it could take several days for the medication to build up in my system, and that’s if we found the right kind at the right dosage.”

Nick’s nervousness turned to dread as he considered how it might be once she went into heat. Spending days with her intoxicating scent driving him savage on his bunny (not that she wouldn’t enjoy his attentions immensely), didn’t sit well with him. Being out of control with her wasn’t something he wanted—not until they were married, at least, and he was sure she could handle him. Taking a deep breath, with her scent teasing him already, he knew getting his own suppressants would be imperative. And maybe a slightly higher dose.

“So, what you’re really telling me then, is that I don’t need to worry so much about marrying you before your next birthday, but making sure I have that ring on your finger before your next heat.”

Judy’s ears turned candy-apple red while she continued fiddling with her fingers. Looking up from her lap, she gave Nick an apologetic smile and replied, “Yeah, I guess that about sums it up.”

Nick gave a heavy sigh while running one paw down his muzzle (the other one was currently gripping the steering wheel—tightly). “And when exactly is your next heat?” Although foxes only had one long season, he knew rabbits gave birth year-round—which meant they went into heat year-round.

Judy took a deep breath this time and said, “In four weeks. My cycles have always been on the long side of what’s normal for a rabbit and comes around about every 6 weeks.” Raising her paw, Judy nibbled on her thumb claw while wondering what her next heat would be like now that Nick was in her life. Once they were married, there wouldn’t be a need to worry so much about her suppressants. But then again, in four weeks she was supposed to be back at work. Would the chief give her a few extra days for them to get used to their relationship? Her next heat will probably hit her pretty hard and without knowing which suppressants would be effective, she doubted she’d be able to focus on her job if she had to return to work.

Nick breathed a slight sigh of relief as this gave him some breathing room. He still wanted to get the ring as soon as possible, but he didn’t think it would be easy. “That should give me some time to find a jeweler willing to work with a fox.”

Judy perked up. “What do you mean?”

Nick glanced at her with a look of exasperation. “Judy, I’m a fox and most jewelers don’t trust us walking into their stores. If I came in with a wad of cash and bought something off the shelf, I can think of several that would deal with me, but I want something special for you—which will be tricky. It’s not uncommon for a fox to special order something, pay the full price plus an added fee the store charges for no other reason than the shop owner can, then be handed a cheap knock-off of what was ordered.”

Judy’s ears drooped. “So, you might not be able to get one?”

Nick’s ears perked up with him replying, “I didn’t say that. I just said it could be tricky, but you forget—I know everyone.”

Judy laughed and tried to put her worries aside. If Nick said he could get the ring, then she’d trust him to get it. With a smile on her face, the rest of the ride home went smoothly. With their light chatter and infectious laughter filling the jeep, it kept the sappy love songs as mere background noise (though Judy did make note of the different songs that reminded Nick of her). Each song had meaning and kept her heart warm the whole way home.

Chapter Text

Humming happily to herself, Bonnie sorted through Judy’s things and decided which items needed to go to Zootopia, and what should stay behind. Judy had hardly taken anything with her the first time she left for the big city, but now that her bun-bun had her own room and a huge house, Bonnie figured her daughter would want more of her things to help make the place her home and not just Nick’s house that she was living at.

Lily and Rachelle were helping her sort through Judy’s things, as well, since they were both upset at Henry for bullying them into staying behind. She would definitely have strong words with that boy once he got home.

Dismissing her wayward son from her mind, Bonnie went back to her humming while shuffling around Judy’s room, taking books and keepsakes down from shelves and putting them in boxes. She was just taping up another box, when Rachelle spoke up from the bed.

“Hey, Mom, look at this.” Rachelle was a chocolate rabbit with a little bit of black mixed into her fur, along with black tipped ears with the black outlining the outside of her long ears. She also had black paws and a lighter-brown undercoat. She loved reading, hiking, and playing with her nieces and nephews, and she hoped to one day become an astronomist and study the stars.

As Bonnie turned around to look at her daughter, she saw that Rachelle was holding a fox plushy with emerald green eyes. “Where did you find that?”

“Under Judy’s pillow.” Motioning to the head of the bed, Rachelle then turned back to her mom. “Is this supposed to represent Nick? The fox she moved in with?”

Stepping over to her daughter, Bonnie took the plush fox from Rachelle and turned it over in her paws. While studying the little red fox with deep green eyes and wearing a pale green shirt, her gaze softened. The shirt was hand-sewn, and since Judy wasn’t the best seamstress, there were several mistakes with the stitching. But notwithstanding the mistakes, it was obvious that Judy (like everything she did), was careful in her stitching and tried her best.

Bonnie could just picture her bun-bun’s frustration at the mistakes, but too nervous to admit it was a fox she was missing to ask for help. And considering how her and Stu had gone off against foxes when Judy left for Zootopia, and her daughter’s surprise yesterday that she was fine with her spending the night with a fox, it stood to reason that her bun-bun was a bit afraid of their reaction when they found out how deep her feelings ran for the red todd. With a sigh, she ran her fingers over the soft fur between its ears.

“Should we pack it with Judy’s stuff, then?” Lily asked. She was a black rabbit with white specks scattered throughout her fur. When she was little, several of her friends called her Snowstorm or Blizzard because that’s what her fur reminded them of. Her greyish-blue eyes reminded them of storm clouds, which strengthened her nickname. And although her friends no longer used the nicknames for her, several of her young nieces and nephews did.

Bonnie thought a moment as she ran her fingers over the fox’s furry face and took special notice of the eyes. It was obvious the fox came with black button eyes, but Judy had found two emerald jewel stickers (the kind they sell for craft projects) and had stuck them on the black button eyes. Taking note of the light green shirt again, Bonnie wondered if this was the shirt Nick had been wearing when he helped her 3 months ago, as she hadn’t seen Nick wearing a green shirt like this either of the times she had talked to him.

Remembering what Nick had said about Judy’s ears, Bonnie finally answered her daughter’s question. “No, I think he should stay here and keep an eye on Judy’s room.” After a moment’s thought, she added, “Guard it, if you will,” and then placed it atop the pillow for all to see who entered the room. Stepping away from the bed and turning towards her slightly confused daughters, Bonnie gave them a teasing grin and explained, “She has the real one to snuggle with now.”

Lily and Rachelle both had their jaws hit the ground to hear their mother talk about any of her kits snuggling with a fox, especially Judy who had never been interested in bucks before—or any male, for that matter. Not romantically anyways.

Finally, Rachelle picked her jaw up and asked, “You’re saying Judy wants to snuggle with Nick—with a fox—and you’re fine with it?”

Bonnie paused for a moment in thought, then answered, “I can’t say I wasn’t a little nervous when I first found out she was staying with him.” Pausing a moment in thought, Bonnie then continued, “But after talking with him a couple of times and seeing how gentle and considerate he was with your sister, he started to grow on me. And you should hear your sister talk about all the things he’s done for her.” With a gentle smile, Bonnie thought of her one daughter whom she feared would forever be alone—until now. “After listening to Judy talk about the sly todd and seeing how happy she is with him, I really can’t see her being with anyone else.” Glancing back at the fox plushy sitting guard atop Judy’s pillow, Bonnie added, “And it’s not like she wasn’t already wishing she was snuggling with him.”

Lily and Rachelle glanced at each other, then Lily asked, “What do you mean?”

Bonnie let out a soft sigh and turned back to her daughters. Although young rabbits were given many plushies as kits, usually by close siblings, grandparents, and other family members, a rabbit rarely went out and bought a plushy for themselves—not unless it meant something special. “You already know a doe doesn’t get a plushy of a boy unless he’s special to her.” Focusing on her black-furred daughter with white speckles throughout her fur, Bonnie explained, “Lily, your sister Rachelle is younger and hasn’t yet had anyone she felt was special, but you have twice. And you bought a plushy to represent each buck, didn’t you?” At Lily’s nod, Bonnie continued, “Douglas asked you out and you were ecstatic, but what did you do with the plushy after catching him kissing another doe?”

Lily’s expression turned to a scowl, then she let out a heavy sigh as she realized what her mom was getting at. “I burned it.”

Bonnie nodded, then asked, “And when Peter asked another girl out instead of you, did you immediately get rid of the plushy you got of him?”

Shaking her head, Lily murmured, “No, I was hoping it wouldn’t work out and they’d break up.”

Bonnie nodded again and asked, “And when the wedding announcement was made? What did you do then?”

Lily sighed again. “I chucked it down the river.”

“And did you ever snuggle with either one at night?”

Lily shook her head and exclaimed, “Of course, not. That wouldn’t be right. We weren’t even dating.” Pausing, she then said, “Well, I did date Douglas, but it wasn’t very long. Certainly not long enough to want to snuggle with him. I do have standards, Mom.”

“Yes, I know dear, and I’m grateful for it, but that’s my point.” Turning back to the small red todd at the head of the bed, Bonnie said softly, “Your sister was heartbroken over losing Nick’s friendship 3 months ago, and yet she still went out, bought a plushy of him, made him a shirt that reminded her of him, and gave him emerald eyes to match the original, then snuggled with him in bed. My guess would be that she cried herself to sleep while hugging him.” Bonnie knew her daughter well, and after the heart-felt, sob-filled confession Judy made a week ago, she could just imagine the nights her bun-bun cried herself to sleep snuggled with the little red fox while wishing it was the real todd.

Turning back to her dumbfounded daughters, Bonnie continued, “A doe doesn’t do that if she hasn’t already chosen him for her mate, at least at a subconscious level. I don’t know if Judy yet realizes how deeply her feelings run for the red todd, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she started dating him at some point.” With a warm smile, she added, “She has already given him exclusive rights to her ears, so she should at least have an inkling of what she wants.” With a shrug, Bonnie turned back to the boxes that needed filled while adding, “I guess we’ll see.”

Rachelle and Lily glanced at each other, both surprised, not only by the confession their mother just made (Judy, who never had time for bucks, gave exclusive rights of her ears to a fox!), but by how blasé their mother was to the idea that her daughter might be in love with a fox. Taking a deep breath, Rachelle asked, “And if she has figured out what she wants?”

Bonnie chuckled as she put some of Judy’s winter clothes in a box. Her daughter would need them at some point, and with a section of the city called Tundratown, her bun-bun might need them sooner rather than later. Answering Rachelle’s question, Bonnie said, “If that’s the case, then heaven help Nick, because Judy won’t stop until she gets him.” With another chuckle, she added, “That todd doesn’t know what he’s gotten himself into.”

Rachelle glanced at Lily again, who just shrugged, and then turned back to their mom. “And you’re fine with that? If they decide to date? The fact she’s with a red fox doesn’t scare you? You know how big Gideon is.” Everyone knew that red foxes were quite large compared to rabbits, and the idea of their sister being with one seemed a bit daunting.

Bonnie paused a moment, then set Judy’s ice skates in the box she’d been packing before turning to her daughters. “When I first saw him on the phone, I was a little wary, but after talking to him a couple of times and seeing how much he adores your sister, and then hearing Judy go on about him—” With a pause as she remembered how happy Judy had been the last few times she’d talked to her, Bonnie had no doubt in her mind who she could thank for it. “If being with Nick is what makes your sister happy, then I’d like to support her in any way I can. Heaven knows I wasn’t supportive enough when she was struggling to be a cop, so if being with Nick is her new goal, then I’ll give her all the love and support I can.”

Turning back to her box, Bonnie gave another chuckle, then glanced over her shoulder and added, “And don’t worry about his size. From what I could tell from seeing him on MuzzleTime, Nick is quite fit. And the fact that he’s bigger and stronger than your sister probably appeals to her. It means he won’t be put off or scared due to her abnormal bunny strength.”

Both girls recognized the logic in their mom’s assumptions, for there were quite a few bucks (even some of their brothers) who complained about Judy’s above average bunny strength and fearless attitude.

Bonnie had just placed another item in the box she was filling when a thought popped into her head and she spun around to address her still dumbfounded daughters. “You can’t say anything about Judy’s feelings for Nick to your siblings. Judy gets teased enough by Irene, Nicole, and their group, along with several of your brothers, and she doesn’t need them teasing her mercilessly about her possible feelings for Nick. This will be her first relationship and they need to be able to grow into it without all the snide comments and relentless teasing. Bun-bun had enough of that growing up and she doesn’t need anyone sticking their noses in where they don’t belong.”

Rachelle and Lily snapped their jaws shut and nodded their heads. They both liked Judy, even if they didn’t fully understand her drive and passion to be a cop, and it always bothered them when Irene and Nicole laid into her about her lack of dating experience or went on about all their dumb dates in lurid detail. On several occasions, they’d threaten to tell mom and dad on them if they didn’t shut up and leave Judy alone.

Bonnie and Stu didn’t approve of such behavior, and would ground any and all rabbits, doe or buck, to the burrow when they got caught coming in late and had obviously been up to more than they’d claimed. Several of their brothers had moved out and gotten jobs to avoid being grounded, and both Lily and Rachelle had wished Henry had been one of them. They had both been really excited at the prospects of seeing their sister again and meeting the red todd who had taken her in. And now to learn that Judy might have feelings beyond friendship for the tall fox left them surprised, but also happy for her. It was about time she found someone special.

It didn’t take much more time for them to finish boxing up Judy’s room, and then Lily and Rachelle left to find something to snack on as it was now the middle of the afternoon. Bonnie looked around the room and remembered her cop-crazy daughter bustling around the place or sat hunched over the desk while studying. The place held such fond memories of Judy growing up. Then it hit her—the next time Judy came into her room, it would be with a fox in toe. A fox who would be bustling around the room with her. She did have a few misgivings about Judy being with Nick, but she had learned through the years to trust her daughter enough to hold them close and not let them consume her (a lesson which had been painful at times to learn). If Judy trusted Nick, then she’d give him the benefit of the doubt—especially considering how much her bun-bun positively glowed with happiness while being with him.

*******

As Nick pulled into his driveway, he glanced at Judy and gave her a warm smile. “We’re home.”

Smiling back, Judy answered, “It’s about time! It feels like forever since we left this morning.”

With a laugh, Nick said, “I think some bunny is simply impatient.”

“Of course, I am. I still owe you an ear scratching and a tummy rub.”

With his tail wagging, Nick put the jeep in park and replied, “Now that is something to get excited about.”

“Right! And the sooner we get inside the sooner we can get started.”

Nick couldn’t agree more, and he quickly jumped out of the jeep and hurried around to her side. As he pulled her from the seat, he realized he still needed to get a menu together for tonight, but didn’t want to ask her and possibly ruin the surprise. Which meant he needed to talk to Bonnie, but that would mean asking Judy for the number. He needed another excuse to call so Judy wouldn’t guess something was up. As he carried her up the stairs, an idea came to him. “Hey, Fluff, can you text me your mom’s number. I need to call her so we can decide on a menu for Sunday and then figure out who’s bringing what.”

“Oh, right. Great idea. Give me sec.” As Nick unlocked the front door, Judy quickly sent him the text and then pushed her phone back in her pocket.

Nick stepped inside and kicked the door shut behind him, then opened his mouth to say, “Okay, before we—mmm.” He was cut off when Judy wrapped her arms around his neck and locked muzzles with him.

Judy hardly waited for the door to shut before sitting up in his arms and giving into the emotions and desires she kept bottled up all day—especially the swell of emotions at hearing that she didn’t need to be someone else in order to please Nick. As she pushed herself higher up onto his chest so they were eye level, she felt Nick’s back hit the door as he leaned against it, all the while he kissed her back with as much passion and enthusiasm as she did.

When they finally broke apart, gasping for air, Judy met Nick’s wild, hungry gaze and knew that same wild hunger was reflected in her own eyes. With a wide grin spreading across her face, she slid her paws from around his neck and down the upper part of his chest. “It’s nice to be able to do that without worrying about disapproving eyes or gossipy mouths to interrupt us.” Nick merely nodded, but as Judy opened her mouth to ask him what he’d meant to say earlier, she suddenly found her mouth full of fox tongue again. One of Nick’s paws was wrapped around the back of her head while the other one teased her tail, and Judy couldn’t keep the long, delighted moan back as her boyfriend continued the assault on her mouth.

She was only vaguely aware that he moved away from the door and carried her upstairs as one kiss flowed into the next. Neither broke for air until they crossed into Judy’s room, where Nick pulled back to look hungrily at his honeybun. Judy took note that not only were Nick’s emeralds still wild, but were now burning with a whole lot more heat than they had last night—which had her stomach doing flip-flops. The words he spoke next did little to dampen the heat she now felt coursing through her whole body.

“I figured we could change into something more comfortable before we start the ear scratching and tummy rub.” He paused, then added with an eyebrow raise, “Unless, of course, you’ve decided to do something else instead.”

His heated gaze left no doubt in Judy’s mind about what that ‘something else’ might be. And it was tempting. Oh, was it tempting. But Nick had been right last night, they shouldn’t rush things. They were already moving a bit fast even by bunny standards, and she didn’t even want to think about how fast they were moving according to fox standards. So, she pushed the naughty thoughts back down where they belonged (she didn’t even know she had this naughty side until she moved in with Nick), and took a deep breath. With a bright smile, she replied, “Nope. Just ear scratching and a tummy rub.”

Nick nodded, then closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. Opening his eyes again, Judy noticed the wild look was now gone as was much of the hunger, though it hadn’t completely been vanquished. She’d have to remember to temper her impromptu, passionate kisses—at least until they were married. Then all bets were off.

Smiling brightly as Nick set her down on the edge of the bed, he asked, “Are you going to need help changing?”

Glancing at her legs, she shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. These pants are pretty smooth so I don’t think they’ll catch on the bandages.” Meeting Nick’s dark emeralds again, she added, “And it is getting easier to dress myself, which means my leg is healing, so that’s good.”

With a nod, Nick reached over and lightly caressed her cheek. “Okay. Let me know when you’re done and we’ll do the ear scratching and tummy rub.” After Judy’s nod, he turned and left the room. Closing the door softly, he then leaned his forehead against it and breathed deeply and held it several heartbeats. That rabbit is definitely going to be the death of me. Slowly letting out his breath, Nick took another deep one. Judy’s fierce kiss at the front door completely blindsided him. It shouldn’t have. This was Judy he was talking about and she was an impatient ball of fluff who’d been holding back all day, so he should have expected that kiss. But his mind was on other things and so it had come clear out of left field. This gave his biology a chance to take over and he felt disinclined to stop it.

Though if Judy had taken him up on his offer of ‘something else’, he would have drop-kicked his biology back into the dark recesses of his mind. It was too early for that, and even if they’d only done another make-out session, he doubted he’d be able to stay in control as well as he did last night—not while in the mood he was in when he’d made the offer nor with how delicious she was smelling right now. It was a good thing that Judy seemed to be gaining some control over her now raging bunny hormones.

With another deep breath, he stepped away from the door and made his way to the bathroom, then froze. When was the last time his honeybun had gone to the bathroom? If it was like him, then it was sometime this morning. How much (or little) had she drank today that her bladder wasn’t screaming at her? Not that he’d drank enough either, not with all the traveling he’d done today. With a heavy sigh, he added it to the list of things still to do.

Leaving the bathroom a minute later, he paused at his bedroom door. He didn’t plan on putting a shirt on when he changed since Judy would be giving him a tummy rub, but he still needed to bring in their stuff from the jeep, and if some nosy neighbor had watched him carry Judy into the house, and then come back out shortly thereafter in nothing but his shorts—the gossip and rumors that would be spread could very well destroy their peace and quiet. He knew most of the neighbors and wasn’t worried about of those he considered old friends, but Honey wasn’t the only one in the neighborhood to die of old age, with several other families having moved out over the years. The newbies that moved in were the ones he worried about. And although this was a more rural community with the yards all being very large and with the houses being spaced well apart (most properties were at least an acre, if not two), the risk was still there.

Shaking his head, he turned around and headed back downstairs. “I’m going out to the jeep to bring in your box. I’ll be back up in a minute.”

“Okay.”

Her voice sounded a bit muffled like she had her face in a pillow, and Nick paused to look at her door. After a moment, though, he shook his head and continued downstairs. It wasn’t long before he returned with her small bunny box sitting atop one of his larger fox boxes. Dropping them off in his room, he returned to the jeep to pick up another box—a much larger one—that he carried to the music/weight room. Making one more trip outside, he grabbed his guitar and a couple of other surprises for his honeybun and dropped them off in the music/gym room, too. Next, he walked into the kitchen where he grabbed 2 water bottles, and then returned to his room. After changing into some soft, black shorts, he grabbed a dark-green marbled t-shirt to put on after his tummy rub, then grabbed the water bottles and dropped them on top of Judy’s box. Picking it up, he returned to Judy’s door, where he knocked softly and asked, “Are you ready?”

Chapter Text

As the door closed behind Nick, Judy took a deep breath, then flopped back on the bed. Rolling over (and this time being mindful of her injured leg), Judy buried her face in her pillow and groaned loudly. “Nick, you are killing me!” Rubbing her forehead into the pillow for a minute, she tried to calm her racing heart. It didn’t work. Rolling back over, she put an arm over her eyes even as she raised her other paw to touch her lips. The kiss she stole from him was passionate enough, but the ones he stole from her—Ay caramba, momma help me. If Nick had pushed for more instead of asking her, she knew without a shadow of a doubt she would have caved without a shred of resistance. She still surprised herself with her answer. His kisses had left her bones feeling like Jell-O and all her muscles little more than limp noodles.

Touching her tongue briefly, she could still feel his hot, strong vulpine tongue in her mouth and completely dominating her much smaller lagomorph one. It left her blood feeling hot just thinking about it. Grabbing her ears and pulling them over her face, she groaned again as she tried to push the thoughts down that were now dominating her mind. “Stop it, Judy. It’s too early to be thinking of Nick like that.” Taking a deep breath, she added, “Do not ruin this. He’s the best thing that has, or ever will, happen to you. He’s already made enough compromises letting you set the pace, so give him a break. He needs time, so give it to him.” Taking a deep breath, she finished her pep talk with, “Patience. You’ve waited this long, you can wait a few more weeks.”

But she didn’t want to wait a few more weeks. Just the thought of having to wait even 2 weeks, let alone more, had her whimpering. She thought waiting to get accepted into the ZPA was painful, but nothing compared to the thought of having to wait so long (at this point, 2 weeks suddenly felt like an eternity) to experience all her fox had to offer.

Grabbing her pillow, she buried her face in it again and groaned. Pounding her head against the soft, fluffy fabric repeatedly, she said, “Irene, Nicole, I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. It’s your fault I’m suffering right now. You planted these ideas in my head and now I can’t get rid of them. And when I get home, I’m going to ring your scrawny necks, skin you alive, and turn you into bunny pretzels.” Burying her face in the pillow again, she moaned, “If not for you, I wouldn’t know what I was missing and this would be easy. But no, you just couldn’t keep your big mouths shut, could you?”

“I’m going out to the jeep to bring in your box. I’ll be back up in a minute,” she heard Nick holler through the door.

“Okay,” she mumbled and felt glad of the distraction. She was supposed to be getting changed, not moaning about all the things she shouldn’t be thinking about but was.

After setting her phone on the dresser, she quickly pulled off her clothes and dug out her workout shirt and shorts (she finally remembered she had them) and quickly dressed. Then she situated herself at the head of the bed and waited for Nick. As an afterthought, she grabbed her phone and set it beside her. Nick had so many pictures of her, it was about time she took some of him. And then her mind wandered back down the path of forbidden ideas as she thought of Nick being here in her room.

So, when her foxy boyfriend knocked on the door several minutes later to ask if she was ready, it startled her. “Uh, yeah, you can come in.” As Nick walked into the room Judy had a hard time looking at anything but his bare, fluffy chest, but as her gaze traveled up to meet his own burning emeralds, she saw the appreciation in his bright green eyes as they roved over her toned body that the workout clothes showed off beautifully.

“I am so glad I bought that outfit, but you’re not allowed to wear it while running the streets of Zootopia.”

“What! Why?”

With a sly grin, Nick replied, “Because otherwise I’ll have to run behind you with a stick to beat off all the bucks who will be chasing you.”

Judy stared for a moment, then started laughing. Shaking her head as she watched Nick set his shirt and a water bottle on the dresser, she then took a second bottle from him and popped it open for a long swig. With a grin still on her face, she recapped it and said, “You forget, most bucks don’t think I have soft enough curves to make me worth chasing.”

Nick shook his head as a slightly predatory gaze entered his eyes. Resting a paw on the headboard just above and to the left of her head, he leaned over and said, “Maybe out in the country, but you’re in the city now. Or have you forgotten about bucko from last night?”

Judy’s ears immediately dropped, as did her smile, while the confrontation from last night replayed in her mind. Nor did she forget the task Nick had charged Willie with. Meeting his predatory gaze, she asked softly, “What did you mean last night when you were talking to Willie?”

Nick’s tail dropped to the floor and his expression went blank, then a heavy sigh left him. Pushing off the wall, he turned and dropped heavily onto the bed. Sitting on the edge, he sighed again, then rubbed his face. Looking over to meet Judy’s troubled amethysts with his own troubled emeralds, he said, “The fact you have to ask leaves me torn.” At her raised eyebrow, he explained, “It shows your innocence.” Seeing her expression cloud over in irritation, he raised a finger to forestall her comment. “On the one paw, your innocence is sweet and cute”—Judy’s ear twitched at the irritating c-word, but she kept quiet as she knew Nick wasn’t teasing her . . . this time.—“and I wish you could always keep it, to never lose your wonder and the way you always look on the bright side of things.” Reaching over, he cupped her face and caressed her cheek with his thumb. “It’s one of the reasons I fell in love with you.”

Judy’s expression softened as her ears perked up again. With a small smile, she asked, “And on the other paw?”

Nick took a deep breath. “On the other paw . . . it’s scary how naïve you still are.” Moving his thumb over her lips to stop her retort, he continued, “I know you’ve experienced some of the dark underbelly of the city, but there’s still a lot Bunnyburrow just can’t prepare you for.” At her glare, he stated, “Bunnyburrow has a low crime rate, doesn’t it?”

Judy sighed as she realized where he was going with his question. “Yes.”

Nick nodded and asked, “And what are the crime statistics for rape out there in the sticks?”

Judy’s ears dropped again as she replied, “Maybe one or two a decade.”

“Really!? That low?”

Judy nodded, saying, “Well, when every doe has about 50 brothers who would track down the offender and beat him to a bloody pulp and possibly plow him into one of the fields—it makes would-be rapists think twice.”

Nick’s jaw dropped in horror. “Yeah. Yeah, that would deter a lot of crime.” With a gulp, he said, “So . . . so you have fifty brothers?” When he decided to date Judy, he hardly gave a thought to her siblings. He knew bunnies had large families, but fifty brothers seemed like a ridiculous amount . . . didn’t it?

And even when he was teasing Henry this afternoon, it never occurred to him that there might be fifty more of him just waiting to skin him alive the moment he stepped foot in Bunnyburrow and they found out he was not only putting his large paws all over their sister’s hot body while thinking indecent thoughts about her, but that he had already tasted her and had every intention of devouring her in the very near future. He’d led Henry to believe nothing had or was happening between them, and that nothing ever would. But what happens when they find out there was? Judy’s grin did nothing to reassure him.

“I have 138 brothers and 177 sisters,” Judy said proudly while lightly slugging Nick’s arm. “I told you rabbits are good at multiplying.” What should have been a joke to get Nick laughing had the opposite effect. Instead of humor, it was fear she saw in Nick’s shocked emerald gaze. With her ears drooping, Judy asked softly, “Nick? Nick, what’s wrong?”

Nick licked his lips nervously and whispered, “Judy, what happens when your specist brothers find out I’m putting my paws all over you? That the ideas Henry had about us aren’t that far from the truth, and that it won’t be long before they are true?”

Judy bit her lip as she considered Nick’s fears. They seemed a little ridiculous, but she knew he was being serious. Taking a deep breath, she answered, “Nick, I won’t lie and say some of my brothers aren’t specist jerks, but they’re not going to hurt you.” She reached over and put a paw on his arm, but he shook it off—just like back in the gondola three months ago. Her heartrate went up as she suddenly found herself on verge of panicking. Realizing he was using her given name did nothing to calm her fears.

Nick gave a bitter laugh. “Where have I heard that one before?” Judy frowned, but Nick didn’t give her a chance to respond. Shaking his head, he continued, “Judy, you just told me what happens to those who hurt someone’s sister in Bunnyburrow, and now you tell me you have 138 brothers, many of who are specist pricks just like Henry, and yet you tell me not to worry?” Running a paw through his head fur, he exclaimed, “Judy, I’m a fox! Do you really think it’ll matter to your bigoted brothers that everything we’re doing is consensual? Or that they won’t try to ‘protect you’ from the ‘evil fox’ who must have ‘tricked you’ into ‘liking him’?”

Judy remained silent as she met Nick’s bitter gaze. As much as she’d like to deny it, she knew he was right. There were several of her brothers who wouldn’t hesitate to take a cheap-shot at Nick when no one else was around—or gang up on him when they caught him away from the burrow.

As the silence stretched out, Nick waved a paw through the air and continued, saying, “Am I supposed to just lay down and take a beating because they’re your siblings? Because they’re rabbits and I’m the big bad fox?” Jumping off the bed, Nick started pacing in front of the bed as he considered the nightmare his future now held. “But if I stand and defend myself and wind up hurting several of them, what then?” Stopping in front of Judy, he turned to face her and demanded, “Am I supposed to go quietly to jail on trumped-up assault charges!?” With a shake of his head as his ears splayed back, Nick raised his paws and gripped his arms while whispering, “I can’t do it, Judy. I just can’t.”

Judy felt her world drop out from under her. Was this the deal breaker for Nick? Her huge, specist family? And she couldn’t deny the reality of his fears, no matter how much she wished it otherwise. “Nick, I—”

Nick cut her off, saying, “I can’t lay there and let someone beat me, Judy—not again.” With his gaze dropping to the floor as he gripped his arms tighter, a shiver ran down his spine and he whined softly, “Never again.”

Judy’s heart broke for the wonderful todd beside her as she recalled the details of his beating when he was 12. There was no way she’d be okay with even one of her siblings hurting her boyfriend, especially not when he’d suffered so much already. Reaching over, she touched his arm again, but he once again shook it off.

Turning to her with panicked eyes, he continued, “And jail time?” He shook his head again. “Do know what they do to foxes in jail? How rough the guards get with them?” Running a paw through his head fur, Nick met Judy’s shocked gaze with panicked eyes and continued his questioning. “What the other inmates do to them when the guards aren’t looking? When they choose not to look?” Nick shook his head again. “Other than having to listen to some abusive language from the guards or occasionally being smacked around, those sitting in a ZPD cell don’t have to worry too much. But those sent up to penitentiary and are incarcerated for any length of time . . .” A cold shiver ran down Nick’s spine. “Ask Finnick what happened to his dad when he was thrown in jail after being framed for embezzlement at the company he worked at.”

Judy wrung her paws as she listened to Nick speak. The picture he painted was so very different from anything she had ever considered before. When he had called her naïve 3 months ago, she hated it, but the press conference showed her how right he’d been. But she learned from her mistake and grew as a mammal, so hearing him call her innocent (which was just another word for naïve) just a few minutes ago galled her to no end. But now she was starting see how right he was—again. And for once, she wished he wasn’t. She truly was living in a bubble (still), and he was popping that bubble (again) and forcing her to take a better look what was happening in the shadows around her. Shadows she refused to acknowledge before meeting her wonderful fox who’d been forced to live in those shadows for far too long.

Running his claws down the back of his neck, Nick ignored Judy’s obvious distress as he continued, saying, “Whatever they did to him in jail—used him as a chew rag if he talked back, a kickball when he didn’t run and fetch fast enough, or some sick things I don’t even want to imagine—he wasn’t the same todd when he came out. The happy, loving dad Finn knew was gone.” Nick tugged on his ear and, with a slight whine to his voice, he said, “All foxes have it bad in prison, but with Finn’s dad being a tiny fennec fox, he got it so much worse than what us larger foxes would face, and it drove him to drugs and alcohol—the two worst things that a fox can get into. They destroy our biological ties to our families and the instinctive drive we have to protect them. It’s . . .” Nick shook his head again, saying, “Finn has 3 older siblings he hasn’t seen since he was 9 and they were teens. They skipped out to avoid all the abuse. Finn thought about leaving several times, but worried about his mom. His dad eventually beat her to death, which is when Finn was forced into foster care.”

They sat in silence for several heartbeats, with Nick lost in the past and Judy’s heart breaking for the two todds who were quickly becoming important fixtures in her life. Although she hadn’t known Finnick that long, after spending time with him the last 24 hours and hearing more about his and Nick’s life, it felt like she’d known him for years. And just like Nick, she knew she could trust him with her life.

Gathering his thoughts, Nick turned to Judy and met her beautiful, amethyst gaze that was now pooling with tears, and said, “I can’t go to jail, Judy, not simply for defending myself. If it was something I actually did, I could deal with it—but not because your family couldn’t accept me and thought it would be great fun to beat up their sister’s foxy boyfriend.”

Judy’s voice quavered as she whispered, “Nick.” She reached out for him again but missed as he moved away from her and backed up towards the balcony door.

“I need some air,” he muttered morosely as he spun around and faced his escape.

A cold shiver ran down Judy’s spine as she realized Nick was distancing himself from her. She was supposed to be making him feel better, not opening old wounds or giving him nightmares. Seeing him turn to leave, Judy scrambled across the bed (since she was on her paws and knees her injury wasn’t too jostled, making it easy to ignore the slight throbbing) and grabbed Nick’s tail, then jerked him back onto the bed (his yip of pain was ignored). Crawling over him to straddle his stomach, Judy ignored his wide-eyed look of pain and surprise. Digging her fingers into his chest fur, she gripped it tightly as she leaned over his face until their noses were just a few centimeters apart.

Taking a deep breath, she said, “You listen here, Nicholas P. Wilde, I am not going to sit back and let some of my specist family members hurt you. If they try anything, then you better defend yourself, because if not and they end up hurting you, the paramedics will have to sort them out by the time I get through with them. There might even be a shortage at the hospital on stitches and plaster casts with how much they’ll need to fix everyone’s split lips, broken bones, and torn ears. And after recovering in the hospital for several weeks, I’ll be waiting with a cruiser to take them all to jail on aggravated assault charges. No one messes with my boyfriend and gets away with it. I don’t care who it is or where they’re from. I will arrest them, and they will serve time—Not. You.”

Nick’s expression brightened a bit and his tail gave the smallest wag. “You’d do that for me? You would actually arrest your own siblings if they tried to hurt me?”

“You better believe it, Slick. My siblings, my cousins—Anyone in Bunnyburrow who tries to hurt you will wind up with at least a night in jail.”

Nick’s expression brightened further, and his tail began to wag as he brought his paws up and slipped them around her waist, then up her sides.

Judy ignored the shiver of pleasure his touch brought and felt grateful she was able to avoid disaster. She hated the thought of Nick shutting her out, of dealing with his pain and suffering alone. She was here now, and she wanted him to rely on her, to trust her with his fears and worries.

Sitting up, she released her death grip on his chest fur, then began lightly running her fingers through the thick, fluffy fur. With a troubled look, she asked quietly, “Do you really believe I’d let them hurt you and do nothing about it?”

Nick’s ears dropped behind his head and he scrambled to explain, “No! It’s not . . . that’s not what I was thinking.” Running his paws over her cheeks and then back over her ears in an attempt to calm her, he said, “I’m sorry. It’s just the way I’ve been brought up. Here in the city, when there’s a pack of preds or a herd of prey attacking a fox, and the fox stands up and defends himself—it’s always the fox who gets charged with assault. It doesn’t matter who accuses him or the absurdity of him picking a fight with the thugs—the cops, the jury, the judge—they all believe whatever lies are spewed against the fox.” With a tired shrug, he added, “When Honey was still alive, I didn’t worry too much about being accused of stuff I didn’t do, but after she died and the mess with Big. . .” He shook his head, “These last five years I went back to getting the short end of the stick. If all they’re going to see is a shifty, untrustworthy fox, why be anything else, right?”

Judy’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears as she leaned back down and said, “But I am a cop and I will believe you, Nick, never doubt that.” Caressing his cheeks, she whispered, “I love you, Nick, and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you. We’re in this together, remember? You want me to rely you, so please rely on me.” Leaning down, she softly pressed her lips to Nick’s. The kiss was short but full of love and acceptance. After a moment, Judy raised her face to briefly look at the handsome todd who would soon be her mate and husband. Leaning down again, she kissed him softly once more.

Nick returned the soft kisses, then slid one paw up her back and the other behind her head as he kissed her again. And again. With each kiss getting a little longer and a little deeper. Besides Honey, no one had done for him what Judy was willing to do for him. Not only was she willing to fight her siblings on his behalf, but she was willing to throw their specist butts in jail if they harmed him. That was something he never expected, not when he was a fox. Judy’s love, determination, and protection warmed him in ways he couldn’t explain. And he was more than willing to give her anything and everything she wanted to show just how much he appreciated her.

Judy lost herself in his kisses, so it was a complete surprise when she found herself flat on her back with Nick looming over her. The surprise didn’t last long, though, as he dropped his muzzle to kiss her again. Which quickly flowed into another kiss. And another. Just like back on the stairs. And she couldn’t be happier. Running her paws down his chest, she began rubbing and scratching his belly which brought a happy whine and tail wag from her fox.

Nick couldn’t believe how good her paws felt rubbing his stomach. Although he imagined his tummy rub to be more relaxing and far less passionate—he wasn’t complaining. Far from it. Judy’s love and devotion were incredible and something he feared to never experience just 3 days ago. Which left him feeling quite generous right now. Breaking off their latest kiss, Nick kissed her chin, then trailed kisses along her jawbone. Whispering against her fur, he asked, “You want to feel my teeth again, don’t you?”

“Oh, yes, please,” she said in a breathless moan.

Her mouth-watering scent and needy moans called to him just as the Sirens of mythology called to the mariners of old—and with the same destructive result.

With one paw resting on the bed beside her head and supporting his weight, Nick slipped the other under her shirt and began running his claws through her short, silky belly fur, even as he grinned and nipped the tender point where her jaw met her neck, then he licked it before nipping it again. The loud moan and spike in her scent had Nick’s heart pounding even as his body responded in kind. And as her scent slowly clouded his mind, with her taste in his mouth and her fur under his paw, he felt his instinctive need to hold back and go slow slowly being smothered beneath his quickly rising hormone levels—and for once, he couldn’t care less. Not when he considered everything Judy was willing to do for him.

Judy, on the other paw, was completely lost in the sensations Nick was creating in her. While listening to her sisters’ loud debates about all their romantic exploits (and hating them immensely for interrupting her studies with their vulgar talk) she never could have imagined just how incredible being touched could feel. And with Nick’s large paws and sharp claws caressing her belly and feeling truly criminal in their ability to stimulate such a reaction from her, and then his sinfully talented tongue and teeth—Judy was sure she had died and gone to heaven. There was no way anything could feel this wonderfully good if she was still alive.

As Nick’s nips got bigger with his sharp front teeth grazing her skin, Judy tilted her head back and arched her back towards Nick which fully exposed her throat to him. His deep growl of appreciation sent a thrill through her body and she suddenly felt hyper-aware of everything that was Nick. It left her breathless, especially as his wandering paw kept moving further up her belly (to her great delight).

Losing himself in Judy’s responses to his touches, Nick grazed her fur and skin again, then grinned wickedly as he opened his jaws and lightly clamped them around her neck.

Judy gasped to finally feel his teeth around her neck once again, and then he tightened his grip which pushed his sharp canines slightly into her skin. He was gentle enough that it didn’t break the skin or cause her any pain, but the response it brought out in her was astronomical. With a long, breathy moan of pleasure, Judy felt her abdominal muscles clench tightly in anticipation of whatever Nick had in store for her, even as she threaded her fingers through the fur of his chest and rubbed her thighs together.

She was feeling hot, and tingling, and tight all at the same time. She’d never felt this way before, so she wasn’t exactly sure what it was—all she knew was that Nick had the cure.

With full faith and trust in her vulpine boyfriend, Judy tilted her head back a fraction more even as she felt him release her throat to lick where his teeth had pressed against her skin and she started to relax slightly. And then his teeth were around her throat again and he pressed down harder. Judy’s eyes widened in surprise and unexpected pleasure, and then her eyes slammed shut as her body tensed with a need she’d never experienced before. And then another sensation made itself known that had absolutely nothing to do with pleasure or excitement.

As pain emanated from the same region the pleasure and need had come from only moments before, Judy whined in sudden agony and drew her legs up around her middle even as she dropped her paws to her abdomen.

Not understanding what was happening, Nick quickly released her neck and drew back from her as he asked in fear, “Judy! Did I hurt you? I didn’t—”

Judy shook her head and whined, “I need to pee. I really, really need to pee.” As another wave of pain hit her, she moaned, “Ooh, I shouldn’t have had that last bit of water.”

Nick stared at her a moment, then started laughing.

Slugging him in the chest, she whined, “It’s not fun—neeee!”

Nick suddenly sat up and scooped her up into his arms before making a mad dash to the bathroom.

Chapter Text

Nick stood outside the bathroom door and waited for Judy to finish. Bringing a paw up, he rubbed it down his face and then pulled on his ear, as his mind was being pulled in several different directions. Last night’s make-out-session had been great, but that was just a teaser for what happened in Judy’s room just now. He’d never experienced these mind-numbing sensations and uncontrollable desires before. He thought he understood them after everything that had happened with his honeybun yesterday, but now he realized they were a pale comparison to how he was feeling right now. And it left him feeling torn.

A part of him was glad of the distraction (his instincts and rational side), but another part of him, his biology, was quite upset that Judy’s bladder had interrupted their fun. Drowning in the smell, taste, and feel of his honeybun was the only thing on its mind. Furthermore, with what Judy was willing to do for him—the way she was willing to stand up for him and with him—was such a new concept to him, that it left him high with gratitude and appreciation for his sexy girlfriend. With these new happy, warm emotions flowing through him, he just wanted to give her the sun, the moon, and the stars—and barring that—then whatever piece of him his honeybun wanted.

But then again, they’d only been back together for 3 days, though, technically speaking, it was barely 48 hours. Their relationship was so new—not only were they a new couple, but this sort of relationship was a new experience for them both. And since they were both treading new waters, rushing the relationship wouldn’t be good. And though time wasn’t needed to strengthen their love, they still needed time to become familiar with each other and to get a handle on their newfound feelings.

But with Judy’s intoxicating scent clouding his mind and her delicious taste on his tongue and her warm touch under his paws—he was finding it difficult to resist his honeybun’s delectable charms. Which was so out of character for him. He was always in control—or was—but with Judy . . . with Judy he found himself struggling with his desires as much as she was. After two decades of ignoring his predatory instincts to claim a mate, he found them waking up with a vengeance.

Pinning Judy to the bed and tasting every inch of her mouth-watering body while running his claws through her soft, velvety fur as she moaned in pleasure beneath him was an impulse he’d never felt with anyone else, but one in which he now found very difficult to ignore.

But Judy was a rabbit, a bunny, not a vixen. She didn’t have thick fur or tough skin. Judy’s fur was soft and short while her skin was delicate. He’d have to be extra careful with his teeth and claws when exploring her body. And then there was the whole size difference between them. Would they even fit together? Pulling on his ear again as his tail twitched with sudden tension at the thought of possibly hurting his honeybun, Nick knew he would need to go extra slow with Judy and make sure she had plenty of time to . . . marinate before—Nick licked his chops—he devoured her.

But he was probably just overthinking things again. He was pretty sure Judy wasn’t quite ready for him to eat all of her. Nibbling—yes. Snacking—most definitely. Intense make-out session—nothing less would satisfy her. But to let him actually take everything from her . . . ? He wasn’t so sure. Judy was impulsive, but she wasn’t that impulsive, was she? Nick shook his head in frustration. Even if she was ready—was he? Setting his impulsive biology aside (which seemed to have set up a permanent residence in the gutter after flipping Judy on the deck yesterday afternoon), Nick had always imagined his first time would be on his wedding night. And he still wanted that. Judy wasn’t some bimbo to satisfy his lust on, nor an object he wanted to use for his own personal pleasure. When he claimed her, he wanted nothing left to chance—no loopholes for someone to come up and say they couldn’t be together. Although there were no laws against inter-species relationships (those had been done away with decades ago), a pred-prey couple was a huge shift from the normal inter-species relationship, and he wanted a legal leg to stand on when the media (heaven forbid) finally found out about them. He wanted to honestly say that Judy legally belonged to him, and he to her, and that this wasn’t some curiosity-fueled fling they were having that they’d soon get over and move on from.

Being married to Judy would also give more weight to their relationship when her parents found out about them—especially her dad. Thinking about Stu’s reaction to finding out he was putting his sharp teeth and claws all over his head-strong daughter was just as bad as imagining her 100+ brothers finding out he was snacking on their sister. He knew it wouldn’t end well when the specist side of Judy’s family found out about them. Just thinking about the trouble it might cause made him seriously reconsider his trip to Bunnyburrow. Postponing it indefinitely would probably be the smartest thing to do right now. Or at least until he earned his badge. Then they wouldn’t be attacking a fox, but an officer. Having a badge would carry more weight and maybe make them think twice about attacking him.

Flicking his ear while listening to Judy in the bathroom, he tried to get his head out of the gutter, but found it difficult as Judy’s bladder had been screaming so loudly that she’d asked him to pull her shorts (and everything under them) down before she peed herself. And although her workout shirt was long enough to cover the essentials (barely), it left little to the imagination. Her much stronger scent didn’t help, either.

Rubbing the heels of his palms over his eyes, he tried to blot out the images he now had of his very sexy girlfriend. Dropping his paws while leaning his head against the wall, he figured he might be the one who needed the suppressants first. Hearing Judy’s loud sigh of relief in the other room brought a chuckle to him. Seeing this as a chance to shift his mental focus, he angled his head towards the bathroom door and said, “You know, Carrots, when I walked into your room earlier, I was intending to suggest a bathroom break, but then you went and distracted me—again!”

Judy chuckled from the bathroom and then asked, “Hmm, so the handsome fox finds this innocent, little rabbit distracting?” She was still trying to get her head wrapped around how good it felt to have Nick pin her to the bed. And then the way he teased her with his claws, teeth, and tongue—that was something not even her sisters could brag about. Then again, how could they when their only experience involved weak bucks with short claws, flat teeth, and a tiny tongue who lacked the predatory instinct to eat their prey.

Nick scoffed. “Innocent!? Hah!” With a mischievous laugh, he added, “What part of that in your room was innocent?” Judy claimed his claws were criminal, but her paws were devastating in their ability to arouse him and his predatory need to claim her.

“What!? You were the one leading!” Until this moment, Judy never realized how good being prey and a rabbit could be—not until Nick showed her. Growing up, she didn’t think much about it, but once she attended college and started socializing with a larger mix of mammals, she saw the huge discrepancy between the smaller prey (rabbits making up a large pool of them) and some of the larger mammals, many of whom were predators. Especially when it came to sports or physical activities. She always had to push herself three or four times as hard as her predatory colleagues. And even when it came to book work (which she excelled at), many of her teachers overlooked her in favor of her larger prey and predator classmates. They always seemed to have an edge over her. Attending the ZPA made the gap look like the Grand Canyon—but she didn’t quit and proved to everyone what a rabbit was capable of.

But now, with Nick, there was no gap. There was nothing she had to prove to him. He knew she was capable and loved her for the bunny she was. And for the first time in her life, she realized how exciting being prey and a rabbit could be. Nick was a strong, confident predator—a very dominant predator—and yet she never felt lesser for it. Even when he had her flat on her back while nibbling on her neck as a midafternoon snack, she never felt helpless or weak. Strangely enough, she felt empowered by it—because she knew that everything Nick did was geared to please her (and boy, did he ever) and if at anytime she decided to quit, he’d stop without question. Not that she’d ever ask him to . . . Well, maybe if he was trying to make them late for work, she would.

Nick chuckled again. Judy sounded outraged, but he could hear the playful teasing in her tone. With his muzzle curving up into a wide grin of his own, he replied back, “You started it.”

“How did I start it? I just gave you a few soft kisses. You were the one who flipped me over and began kissing me senseless!” With a deep breath as she remembered how good Nick’s teeth and tongue felt on her neck and the way his claws caressed her skin, she added in a breathless whisper, “And other things . . .” Judy rubbed her paws down her face as her body began feeling tingly again. “You’re criminal, Nick. Nothing should feel as good as your paws, claws, teeth, or tongue.” With a warm shiver, she added, “So how did I start it?”

Nick chuckled again, but then got serious. “It wasn’t so much what you did . . .” Pulling on his ear again, Nick murmured, “It’s more of what you said.”

Judy finished her business and wrangled her shorts back up and felt immensely grateful Nick had been willing to help her get them off just a few minutes ago. Flushing the toilet and hobbling to the sink to wash her paws, she asked, “What do you mean?”

Hearing Judy at the sink, Nick slipped back through the door and picked her up so she could reach better. “I need to build you a step that runs the length of the sink, so you don’t have to stand on tip toes to reach everything.” Although he had stools she could use, they were a bit high, and with her injury, it made them difficult for her to use.

Judy hmm in agreement, but then said, “Answer the question, Nick. What do you mean?”

Nick sighed heavily and pulled Judy more closely against his chest as he met her gaze in the mirror. With another heavy sigh, he asked, “Are you finished?”

Judy dried her paws on the towel hanging by the sink and nodded. Nick turned and carried her (feet still dangling in front of him and her cute, cottony tail twitching lightly against his stomach) back to her room and climbed up on the bed. Sitting up against the headboard, he crossed his legs and planted Judy in the middle of them, then wrapped her up in his tail, which she immediately snuggled into.

Taking a deep breath, Nick dropped his head against the headboard as he stared across the room. “I’m a fox, as I’m sure you’re well aware of by now.”

Judy hummed again and murmured (while still snuggling his tail), “Yes, I have noticed your foxiness a time or two.”

Nick chuckled lightly, then continued. “Judy, what you’ve done for me, what you are doing for me, and the things you’ve promised to do—those things just don’t happen to foxes. Especially by prey mammals.” Judy sat silently thinking and Nick explained, “That’s not to say foxes can’t have strong friendships with other species. I consider Willie a very good friend and I know he would stick his neck out for me if I needed his help. And Judge Princeton is a stately elk and one of Zootopia’s top judges, and I know he’d help me any way he can.”

Lifting his paw, he slipped it under Judy’s chin and gently turned her head around to look up at him. With a warm smile, he said, “But I’ve known them for years and have worked with them closely. They know me and I know them, but you—I’ve only known you for 3 short months, and yet you’ve become such an integral part of my life.” Stroking her cheek with his thumb, he added, “Even though you were a specist jerk when we first met, which made me want to be one in return, once you realized what you were doing and how you were acting, you changed Judy. You did a 180-degree turn, and then you came back and apologized to me. Really apologized. You have no idea how much that means to me.”

Booping her nose lightly with his own, he continued, “Unlike every other mammal who has apologized to me, you didn’t make any excuses for yourself. You came back to me with no pretensions and no expectation that I’d forgive you. You needed my help, but afterward you were willing to cut me loose if that’s what I wanted.”

With a warm smile, he softly pressed his lips to hers, then drew back slightly to continue. “And afterwards, when I was sharing my life with you, you never once questioned the validity of my words. You took everything I said as truth.” Rubbing his nose against hers, he said, “Coming from a fox who has been repeatedly treated as untrustworthy and called a liar in various forms by so many, Chief Bogo being a prime example, you have no idea what your trust does to me, what your belief in me means. And now you tell me that you’re willing to not only stand beside me should anyone try to harm me, but also use your badge to protect me.” He rubbed his nose back and forth across hers as he shook his head. “Judy, you’re amazing. There are no words to describe what you mean to me or how much I appreciate you.”

There were tears shimmering in Judy’s beautiful amethyst eyes by now, and as one tear slipped from them, Nick flicked his tongue out to lick it up, and then the one that followed after it.

Taking a deep breath, Judy turned around in Nick’s lap and hugged him tightly as she buried her face in his thick chest ruff. “You’re overlooking everything you’ve done for me, Slick, and all the promises you’ve made to me.” Pulling back enough to look at him, she continued, “Besides standing up to Bogo and helping me prove I was a real cop, you—” Judy paused as she searched for the right words. “You see me, Nick. You see me and you like what you see. You never try to change me or ask me to be someone I’m not.”

Judy caressed his muzzle and gave him a warm smile, even as Nick’s ears folded back and he said, “Judy, I fell in love with you because you’re you. I wouldn’t like you half as much if you were anyone else.”

Judy giggled happily, saying, “And that’s my point. I can be myself around you and I never have to hide how I’m feeling.” Tilting her head slightly, she added, “Or pretend I’m enjoying something when I’m not just so I fit in.” It didn’t happen often, but she had occasionally gone out to parties with her siblings or some of her colleagues back in college—parties she regretted going to after she got there, but stuck it out so she didn’t have to spend the weekend alone again.

Nick’s ears (which had perked back up) disappeared behind his head again. “Judy, my love, don’t you ever—and I mean ever—pretend you’re enjoying something with me when you’re not. No matter who suggested the idea or how much I might be enjoying it myself—if you decide it’s not your cup of tea, tell me and we’ll do something we can both enjoy. Got it?”

Judy pressed her lips gently to his, and then deepened the kiss as their tongues slow danced together, but she didn’t let herself get carried away. There was one more thing she wanted to mention and one last thing to discuss before they got sidetracked—again. Pulling back, she smiled, saying, “Got it.” Nick grinned back at her and she slid her paws down and started drawing sensual patterns into his chest and belly fur. Meeting his slightly predatory gaze (she knew her scent right now must be driving him crazy), she continued, “And you know the other thing that has me loving you so much?”

Nick shook his head, even as he slipped his paws under her workout shirt and returned the favor by running his claws lightly through the fur of her back.

Judy shivered under the touch of his criminal paws, and then answered, “Your willingness to fight beside me. Even knowing how strong I am and knowing I can handle myself, you still fought alongside me. I didn’t have to fight alone.”

Nick’s ears drooped and his fingers froze on her back. “You’re talking about bucko, aren’t you?”

Judy nodded, then bit her lip briefly before saying, “You think he might rape me, right? That’s why you were asking about rape statistics in Bunnyburrow.”

Nick sighed, then pulled his paws out from under Judy’s shirt to rub his face. Slipping his paws back around her waist, he answered, “I think he’ll try several things to get you in his bed, but if the legal means don’t pan out—”

“Which they won’t,” Judy stated hotly. Just the thought of being in anyone’s bed but Nick’s utterly disgusted her. She didn’t want anyone touching her but him.

Nick grinned and nodded, then continued, “I think rape will be a last resort for him, but since there’s nothing he could do to induce you to accept him, then yes, I think rape is a very strong possibility.” Frowning at the thought, Nick added, “If he’s smart, he’ll give up once he realizes it’s you and not just another bunny who looks like you.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Nick cocked his head and said, “Fluff, your picture was all over the news 3 months ago, and then on and off for the following months when you were shown trying to break up all the protests happening in Savannah Central.” Lifting a paw to caress her cheek again, he continued, “The only reason a buck of his obvious wealth and consequence wouldn’t recognize you last night was because he thinks you’re as stuck up and specist as he is, especially after watching your little press conference, so he probably figures you wouldn’t be caught dead with a couple of filthy pelts as he repeatedly called me and Finn.”

Judy nodded as the buck’s actions from last night finally made sense. “So that’s why he came onto me so strongly.” Lifting her paws from Nick’s chest she rubbed them over her face. “As you said, he probably noticed the resemblance and thought he could fulfill some sick fantasy of being with the first rabbit officer of the ZPD if he took me home.” Dropping her paws as they curled into fists, she cried, “Gah! How could anyone think I’d fall for such a disgusting excuse for a mammal!”

Nick laughed at her apt description of bucko, even as he slid his paws up and down her sides again. With a wicked grin, he said, “I’d love to be a fly on the wall when he finally figures out that you are you.”

Judy chuckled softly, but then sobered up, saying, “But if he knows I’m a cop, he has to give up, right? There’s no way I wouldn’t report being raped and abused. He’d just ruin his life by taking me—and that’s provided I don’t beat him to a bloody pulp first!”

Nick’s ears flattened against his head and a low, almost inaudible growl vibrated from his chest. “Judy, if he resorts to rape, you wouldn’t be in a position to fight back by the time he put his paws on you.” Wrapping his arms around her and pulling her tight against his chest, Nick rested his muzzle between her ears and explained, “With someone of his means and consequences, he’ll plan out your abduction and send his lackeys in to incapacitate you. Drugs in your coffee, sneaking up on you at night and grabbing you from the shadows with a chloroform filled rag to your nose, pretending someone was getting mugged in a back alley and when you rush in to save the day, you’ll be rewarded by a brick or lead pipe to the back of the head, or maybe a tranquilizer dart in your back while you’re jogging through the park early one morning.” With a shiver, Nick nuzzled her head, then added, “And once he’s had his fun, he’ll need to get rid of the evidence. Like you said, sending you home after such abuse would only ruin him.”

Judy shuddered at the bleak outlook. With a soft whisper, she asked, “Do you think he’ll kill me, then?”

Nick didn’t immediately answer. Finally, he whispered, “I don’t think he’d resort to killing you, though that might be the lesser of the two evils.”

Judy’s brows scrunched up and she pushed away from his chest. Looking at his haunted eyes, she asked, “What do you mean?”

“Judy, there are worse things in this city than death. And being sold into a sleezy brothel or to some heartless pimp as his newest sex slave is about as horrifying as I can think of.”

Judy’s jaw dropped and then she shivered in horror and revulsion. “You . . . you think . . . he’d . . . he’d actually . . . sell me . . . as a . . . a sex slave?” There were no words to describe the sick nightmare he was describing or the way her insides twisted and threatened to heave at the idea.

Nick met her horrified gaze for several heartbeats, then took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Opening them again, he said, “This is the worst-case scenario, and hopefully he’ll have enough sense to leave you alone, especially once he figures out who you are.” Pausing, Nick cupped her cheek and rested his black nose against her twitching pink one. “But I’m not going to risk your safety and sanity on him having common sense. You’re too important to me.” Meeting her troubled gaze with a firm one of his own, he added, “We hope for the best, but plan for the worst—then we’re not caught unaware and unprepared.”

Judy sighed, then mumbled, “And you’re sure he’s that bent on having me?” She couldn’t forget the lust in the jackrabbit’s eyes last night, nor his insistence that she didn’t know who she was rejecting.

With a shudder, Nick explained, “He already wanted you, Carrots, and it was obvious from his reaction that he wasn’t used to rejection. As you pointed out, females are just a form of amusement for him and meeting a doe as strong and fiery as you are—you’re not someone he would meet very often, nor someone he’d let slip through his fingers . . .” Nick shook his head as a growl entered his voice. “He was already imagining you in his bed, and then when you pushed him off you and caused him pain—the lust in his eyes turned dark and possessive.” Rubbing her cheek, he added, “You set yourself up as the ultimate conquest,”—Nick’s voice turned possessive himself as he growled—“a victory I have absolutely no intention of letting him win.” Showing off his canines while thinking of the bastard buck putting his filthy paws all over his honeybun, Nick added, “You’re mine. Mine to have. Mine to hold. Mine to protect.”

Judy sat still in his arms at his predatory show of possession. Seeing that hungry, possessive look in his eyes, the show of his sinfully wonderful teeth, and then that mind-numbing, intoxicating territorial growl of his had Judy’s heartrate racing and that tingly feeling running through her whole body again. In this moment, Nick was the hottest, sexiest male she’d ever seen or heard. And she wanted him. All of him. After imagining the bleak future bucko might want to give her, she couldn’t think of anything better than experiencing Nick’s touch. To truly become his. And with the high levels of hormones running through her system (levels she still wasn’t used to dealing with), Judy didn’t see a reason not to.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, Judy threw herself at her vulpine boyfriend and kissed him hungrily. Nick didn’t disappoint her as he returned the kiss just as hungrily. He couldn’t stand the thought of anyone running their filthy paws all over her hot body, of stealing her kisses, or hurting her in any way. She was HIS. Slipping his paws under her shirt, he massaged the scent from his paw glands into her fur, even as he broke the kiss to begin assaulting her chin, jaws, and neck with small licks and nips. Judy shuddered and moaned against him, and he growled possessively as her small paws dug into the fur around his ears and pulled him closer.

As Nick’s much stronger musk (which her fur was now coated with) hit her nose, Judy felt like she might pass out from the intoxicating, heady aroma that had her blood running hot and her body tingling with desire. She was a hot mess and couldn’t care less. After the horrifying discussion about the jerk from last night attempting to rape her and so much worse, she wanted nothing more than to drown herself in Nick. To be so far gone in him that nothing else mattered. And with his paws on her back, his scent in her nose, and his teeth and tongue on her throat—he was doing a pretty good job of making her forget about everything but him. The fact that she could feel him stirring below as she sat in his lap also helped.

As he continued to run his claws under her tight shirt and across her back, Judy groaned out, “For the love of parsley, Nick, just take my shirt off already.”

Nick froze as he was nipping the hollow at the base of her throat. Raising his head slowly, he perked his ears and licked his muzzle while meeting her excited gaze. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”

Judy understood what he was really asking as she met his burning emeralds that had darkened so much with desire that some of the green flecks looked almost black. With a smile, she nodded to his unspoken question: Did she really want—was she ready—for everything that would follow afterwards? Sliding her paws down his neck and across his chest, she explained, “Nick, all I am already belongs to you. As much of me as you want is free for the taking.”

Nick growled almost savagely at her offer. He wanted to accept. Oh, how he wanted it. But he was still torn. His biology was screaming to take her, to make her his and smother her in his scent so thickly that no other male would even think of touching her. His instincts, on the other paw, were screaming at him that they were moving too fast and that they still needed TIME.

Seeing the indecision in his hungry gaze, Judy dug her paws into his thick ruff and ran them down his chest, saying, “You are the only male allowed to see me.” She ran her paw back up and then halfway down his belly, adding, “You are the only male allowed to touch me.” She raked her fingers back up his thick fur to his rib cage, and then down his belly, saying, “You are the only male allowed to taste me.” She ended with her fingers clenching the fur just above his shorts, which she was happy to see (and feel), were no longer flat.

As Nick remained frozen, with only his thumbs making small circles in her fur, Judy scratched the creamy fur above his shorts, which brought a whine from her fox that was somewhere between pain and pleasure, and then she leaned over to run her nose along his cheek, before whispering in his ear, “I am yours, Nick, and you are mine.” With her warm breath caressing his ear, she added, “I want to see, feel, and taste all of you in return.” With a final push at his self-control, she nipped his ear, then suckled it for several delirious seconds that had Nick sucking in a hard breath.

And there was Judy with her wrecking ball, completely obliterating his defenses. With a savage growl as he felt the last shred of his self-control crumble (and his own need throbbing), Nick whispered hotly, “You are evil. Pure evil.” Judy simply laughed, but he cut her off by pulling her shirt over her head and tossing it on the floor.

Chapter Text

Bonnie had just finished feeding a late afternoon snack to the kerfluffle when Stu burst into the kitchen with the little fox plushy gripped tightly in his paws. Her eyes widened as she realized Stu was threatening to twist its head off in his agitation. Stepping forward to rescue the little reddish-orange fox, Bonnie asked, “Stu, what’s the matter?”

Thrusting the small plushy in her face, he stated, “Look what I found in Judy’s room.”

Bonnie rescued the little toy and said, “Yes, I know it was there. Rachelle found it when she was boxing up Judy’s plushies.”

Stu tore his hat off and kneaded it through his fingers in frustration. “Judy bought a plushie of that fox? She was sleeping with it!?” It was bad enough that Judy was moving in with the fox, but to think she was sleeping with a plushy of him! Unthinkable. Rabbits just didn’t do that—not about a fox, a predator, whose ancestors had terrorized their kind for generations upon generations. Gideon attacking Judy when they were kits just proved that predators were still dangerous.

“Oh, Stu,” Bonnie said as she tried to calm her husband. Although she didn’t like to lie to Stu, it was obvious he wasn’t ready for the reality of their daughter’s attraction to the red todd. “Rachelle found it under a plushy mound, so there’s no need to worry.” Of course, the plushy mound happened to be Judy’s pillow, but Stu didn’t need to know that.

“But why was it sitting on her pillow!?”

“I put him there.”

Stu relaxed a little as he said, “You did?”

“Yes, dear, I did.” At his confused look, Bonnie explained, “Since Nick did such a good job protecting our daughter 3 days ago, I figured the plushy could guard her room while she was gone.”

Stu tilted his head slightly and scratched his head. “You’re not sending it back to Judy?”

Bonnie shook her head, saying, “Judy never asked for it back, so I figured she didn’t need it anymore.” She has the original now, so why does she need the plushy? Bonnie kept this last thought to herself as she continued, “I’m sure she bought it on a whim since it reminded her of him. He was the only friend she had in Zootopia, after all.”

Stu went back to kneading his hat for several moments while thinking, then took a deep breath and sighed heavily. “You’re right, Bon. It’s just . . . Judy’s never been in a relationship before. What if Nick makes a play at her and she’s too inexperienced to realize what he’s doing until it’s too late?” Pointing a finger at her, he added, “It wouldn’t be the first time she was hurt by a fox. And this time she has a lot more to lose if he turns out to be a predator.” Stu froze in surprise when he realized the term he used, and then hurriedly said, “Not a ‘predator’ predator, but you know, the ones who prey on innocent females.”

Bonnie rolled her eyes and said, “They were kits when Gideon attacked Judy, and Nick is an adult—he’s not going to bully her like some troubled youth or make a pass at her like some horny teenager. And besides, Gideon has turned his life around, so comparing Nick to Gideon’s past isn’t fair to either of them.”

“Yeah, but Gideon is a country fox—Nick is a city fox. They do things differently there.” At Bonnie’s eyebrow raise, Stu hurriedly explained, “Well, you saw all those shows the kits like watching that take place in the city.” Shaking his head, Stu ran a paw through his head fur and down his ears while saying, “They’re real sly, those city mammals, always trying to take advantage of each other.” Meeting Bonnie’s exasperated look, he added, “And their dating standards! Forget dating,”—Stu glanced up in thought while muttering, “Now what did the kits call it? Oh, I remember!” He glanced at Bonnie. “Friends with benefits. You don’t even have to be dating for them to put their paws all over each other—it’s just expected. So what if Nick expects the same thing?”

Reaching over, Bonnie put a comforting paw on Stu’s shoulder. “Stu, those shows aren’t based on reality, but Howlywood’s warped imagination. And besides, this is Judy we’re talking about. She might not have been in a relationship before, but she has experienced bucks wanting to touch her when she didn’t want them to—or have you forgotten all the dislocated fingers and broken noses Judy gave all those bucks who wouldn’t keep their paws to themselves?”

Stu’s eyes widened for a second, then he muttered, “Right, right. She did do that, didn’t she? We got a lot of angry calls from their parents, too.” With a snort, he added, “They should have taught their bucks better manners.”

Bonnie simply nodded. Judy’s high school and early adulthood were mostly happy as she worked towards her goal of becoming a big city police officer, but whenever a boy came around, their daughter easily became frustrated and sometimes violent when the bucks refused to take ‘no’ for an answer. Bonnie was afraid her little bun-bun would forever be alone, but now that Nick was in her life, Bonnie found hope growing in her heart. Now if Judy could just keep from scaring the poor todd off, maybe her little bun-bun could finally settle down with someone who accepted her for who she was.

At Bonnie’s thoughtful silence, Stu continued, “But going back to Nick. He’s so much bigger than Judy, and he has those sharp teeth and claws. What if he accidently hurts her?”

With a sigh, Bonnie said, “Oh, Stu, you don’t honestly think Nick’s going to bite Judy, do you? Or rake his claws across her skin?”

“Well, no, I guess not.” Stu paused for a minute, then said, “But they are living together and it’s obvious Judy is sweet on the boy. What if she gets curious?” Stu’s face suddenly blanched, then turned green as he processed what he’d just said. Feeling a bit nauseous, he stepped back and slumped against the counter while putting a paw to his stomach. Glancing up to meet his wives concerned gaze, he said, “Oh, Bonnie, I think I’m going to be sick.” With a shudder, he put a paw over his eyes while trying to block the images that suddenly invaded his mind. “Oh, that’s just not right, bon-bon.” Rubbing his paw across his forehead, he then met Bonnie’s worried gaze again, and continued, “A fox and a rabbit just don’t mix. He’s sure to hurt her with his predatory ways.”

“Oh, Stu, I think you’re blowing everything out of proportion. This is Judy we’re talking about. Do you honestly see her letting Nick or anyone hurt her? She is a cop, remember?”

Still holding his hat in a death grip with one paw, Stu ran the other through his head fur then waved it in the air, stating, “But he’s a predator, Bon, and they’re living together. I mean, she’s already given him rights to her ears and you saw how he was petting them. What if he decides he wants a taste of her next? What if he decides he likes the taste of bunny? What then, bon-bon?”

Bonnie had to bite her lip as she thought about Stu’s comment. She couldn’t deny the possibility, not if Judy decided she wanted the sly todd, but contrary to Stu’s worries, she was sure that if anything happened between them, Judy would be the instigator. Bonnie knew her daughter too well, and what she’d seen so far of Nick, and his worries which Judy had shared with her, she couldn’t see Nick making the first move. As Stu pointed out—it was Judy who gave Nick exclusive rights to her ears.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm her husband down. “Stu, dear, I think you’re worrying over nothing. He’s not going to start nibbling on our daughter just because he’s a predator, nor will Judy let him take cheap shots at her. Judy’s very picky about who touches her, so you shouldn’t worry. Have a little more faith in our daughter.”

Stu leaned against the counter for another minute as he digested his wife’s words, but then shook his head and crammed his hat back on his head while standing up straighter. “No, it’s too dangerous for her to stay there, not when she likes him.” Meeting Bonnie’s amethyst gaze (and ignoring the hard glint he now saw shining in them), he said, “Hand me the phone, Bon, we need to convince Judy to move out. There has to be another place she can stay.” With a paw outstretched, he continued, “Do we have any cousins staying in Zootopia she might be able to live with? At least until she finds a place of her own.”

Bonnie folded her arms and began tapping her foot. With a glare, she said, “Stu, you are not calling our daughter up and harassing her about moving out. She’s still injured and should be resting—not packing up and moving. And besides, we’ve already looked into her staying with cousins, but rent is outrageous in Zootopia, and with their large families there’s no room left for anyone else. And who exactly is supposed to care for our daughter if she moves out, pray tell? Nick is doing an excellent job from what I can tell, so if you call her up and tell her she has to move for no other reason than Nick is a fox, you’ll just end up having a yelling match.”

Stu opened his mouth to argue, but Bonnie cut him off. “Stu, we are not having this conversation. You are not to bug Judy while she’s trying to relax.”

Stu opened and shut his mouth several times, and looked like he wanted to argue, but then he deflated with a heavy sigh as his nose twitched with worry. With another heavy sigh as he glanced around the very large kitchen while completely ignoring all the cupboards and pantries he knew were full of pots, pans, bakeware, cookware, and more food than a lot of mammals would see in six months but wouldn’t even last a month here. Finally glancing back at his determined wife, he muttered, “I hope you know what you’re doing, bon-bon, for Judy’s sake.”

Bonnie’s expression softened, and then she said, “Stu, Nick makes Judy happy—truly happy. What more could we want for our daughter?”

Stu sighed again but nodded while rubbing his arms—his worries still clearly present in his mind. Shaking his head, Stu turned and headed outside. One of the tractors was acting up again, and he needed to check on his boys who were working on it. Maybe he could lend a paw. He needed something to do with his paws to get his mind off his headstrong daughter who was driving him crazy with worry. The thought of her becoming a police officer had always terrified him—but it was nothing to how scared he was at the thought that she might be falling for a predator, a city fox—a male he’d only met on the phone and who he knew nothing about. What was his kithood like? What jobs did he do in the past? What was he doing now? Was he supporting himself or was he mooching off others? How did he treat his mother? (You can always tell if a male will respect a girl if he shows respect to his mom.)

Bonnie shook her head. It looked like Judy might take Nick as her first boyfriend and it was obvious Stu wasn’t taking it very well. He was always such a worrywart when it came to their daughters’ first boyfriends, but with Judy (who always seemed to find trouble in her zeal to make the world a better place), Stu was especially protective of. Judy wasn’t a typical rabbit—and it scared him to death that her fearless, gung-ho attitude might get her seriously hurt—especially in the big, bad city.

As Bonnie watched her husband shuffle outside, she felt a tug on her dress. Looking down, she saw her little 6-year old granddaughter, Cotton, standing beside her. “What do you need, Cotton, sweetie?”

Cotton raised a cream-colored paw (she was a solid cream-colored bunny) and pointed to the little fox plushy still held in her grandmother’s paw. “What’s that?” she asked with curiosity dancing in her bright lavender eyes.

Bonnie handed the soft toy over and explained, “This is a fox plushy your Aunt Judy got to remind her of Nick.”

“Is Nick the fox Aunt Judy is staying with?” Cotton asked curiously as she turned the little reddish-orange plushy over in her paws. The toy was very soft and looked so cute with its pointed muzzle, emerald eyes, and triangular ears. With a grin, Cotton hugged it tightly to her chest and then buried her face in it.

Bonnie chuckled softly at the little bunny’s antics. “Yes, Nick is the fox Judy is staying with. In fact, she’s moving in with him and is going to be his roomie.”

Cotton looked up with a confused expression and said, “But Gerald and Darlene and Viktor all said the fox was a bad mammal. That he was . . .” Cotton paused as she tried to remember the word her aunt and uncles used, “. . . was conning Aunt Judy. That he’d take everything she got.”

Bonnie’s brows furrowed as she dropped to her knees so she could meet Cotton’s troubled, lavender gaze. “You listen to me, Cotton, sweetie, I don’t care what anybody else says—Nick is not a bad mammal.” Rubbing a paw gently across her granddaughter’s cheek, she explained, “Do you remember how sad your Aunt Judy was when she came home? How she felt she’d failed her job as a cop. That her mistake was hurting a lot of mammals?”

Cotton nodded and Bonnie continued. “Nick helped Judy fix her mistake and now she’s not sad anymore. Judy is really, really happy now. Do you think Nick could make her so happy if he was a bad mammal?” Cotton shook her head and Bonnie nodded. “You should be grateful to Nick. He risked his life to keep Aunt Judy safe. He didn’t have to, but he cared about her. And now he invited her into his home and is nursing her back to health. Would a bad mammal put in all that effort if he intended to hurt her?” Cotton again shook her head and Bonnie smiled.

As Cotton looked back down at the plushy, Bonnie asked carefully, “Does everyone think Nick is a bad mammal?”

Cotton looked back up with her bright lavender eyes and shook her head. “Haph was really mad at them. Said Judy wouldn’t be with a bad mammal. That they should meet him before judg’n him.” With a wide grin, she added, “Chess and Wendy and Annabelle all said the same thing.”

Bonnie’s smile brightened. “That sounds like Haph. And I’m glad to hear that Chess, Wendy, and Annabelle all have some sense in their heads.”

As Cotton looked back down to caress the fox’s soft fur, she asked innocently, “Do you think Aunt Judy likes Nick? Or is he just a super good friend?” Cotton knew some of her aunts bought plushies of their best friends, as well as the bucks they liked. And Judy’s plushy was so cute. She loved it.

Bonnie caressed Cotton’s soft cheek again, then asked, “Would it bother you if she did?”

Shaking her head, Cotton replied, “If Nick makes her really happy then I think she must like him.” Looking up, she asked innocently, “Don’t you?”

Bonnie chuckled. “Yes, I do.” Glancing around, she was surprised (and grateful) to see the kitchen was actually empty. Turning back to her granddaughter, Bonnie said, “But this will be our little secret. Judy should be the one to tell her siblings whether Nick is just a super good friend or something more. We don’t want to spread any rumors, do we?”

Cotton shook her head vigorously, and then said, “I won’t tell anyone,” then crossed her little heart.

Bonnie patted her head and said, “Good. Now why don’t you put little Nick back on Judy’s bed before some of her siblings start asking about it.”

“Awww,” Cotton whined. “I want to play with him. Can’t I? Pwease?”

Bonnie couldn’t resist Cotton’s pleading, lavender eyes, and finally said, “Okay, but you have to play with him in Auntie Judy’s room. Is that clear? We don’t want him getting lost or dirty, and if your cousins see him, they’ll all want to play with him, too.”

Cotton’s smile was blinding as she nodded her head, and then scurried from the room. She had a playdate with a cute, little Nick plushy that she didn’t want interrupted.

Bonnie chuckled to see her enthusiasm, then turned back to the kitchen and began pulling things out to start dinner. After getting everything set up, she called several of the older kits in to help.

-/-/-

As Nick’s heated, predatory gaze raked down her body, Judy should have felt embarrassed, but she was too much of a hot mess to feel any embarrassment. She had wanted him to see her and now he was. And as she saw the awe and appreciation in his hungry gaze, she felt more feminine than she ever had before. Even after experiencing her abnormal bunny strength and bruising punches, Nick still made her feel like a female and not the tomboy everyone always called her. With a bright smile, she waited for him to say something—or do something. She’d be fine either way.

Scouring her lithe body with his scorching emeralds, Nick dragged his burning gaze back up the large expanse of white that was now exposed to his hungry eyes and was glad of the baby-blue bra that broke up the white. Although he had every intention of peeling it off her, he wanted to take his time exploring his honeybun, and listening to her moan and gasp as she writhed in ecstasy under his criminal touch. So, he’ll save her tantalizing little pearls hiding just out view for later.

Meeting her bright, excited amethysts, Nick said in a husky whisper, “You’re beautiful, Judy.”

Her cheeks took on a rosy shade under her short fur, but she wasn’t embarrassed. Instead, she felt her heart melt with tenderness for the handsome todd in front of her. And he was handsome. Drinking in the sight of his bare, creamy chest outlined by his glorious reddish-orange, she finally whispered back, “You’re not so bad-looking yourself, Slick.” And then her gaze landed on his shorts that now had a sizable tent in them. She let her eyes linger longer than they should have, then licked her lips and glanced up to catch Nick’s amused grin. Meeting his eyes for a heartbeat, she then dropped them back to his shorts, then up at him again.

Nick merely chuckled as he reached up to cup her cheek (his other paw had already began combing through her belly fur). Leaning forward, he whispered in her ear, “I’m going to leave that tempting little gem to your imagination a bit longer.”

“Ehh!” Judy whined. “Why?”

With his hot breath caressing the inside of her ear and causing an excited tingle to run down her spine, he answered, “Because all good things come to those who wait, my impatient little bunny.”

With a huff, Judy folded her arms and muttered, “I hate waiting.”

Nick chuckled again, then murmured back, “Yes, I know.” Caressing her cheek with his nose, he moved back to her mouth, pressed his lips to hers, then began nibbling on her lower lip. Judy shivered under his touch and he felt her small paws and dull claws once more digging through his thick, creamy chest fur—which sent an answering shiver down his spine. He still couldn’t believe what her touch did to him.

As he began nibbling along her jawbone and then down her neck, Judy closed her eyes and moaned breathlessly. With one paw moving up to cup the back of his head and encourage him in snacking on her throat, she moved the other paw down to tease the fur and skin of his belly, just above his now too-tight shorts. She smiled daringly as she felt and heard his sharp intake of breath.

Nick’s response was a savage growl as he nipped harder at her delicate throat. Judy ‘eeped’ at the unexpected touch that bordered on pain but wasn’t. Opening his jaws, Nick clamped them around his honeybun’s throat and pushed her down onto the bed. Reaching down to grab her paws, he laced his fingers through hers, then pinned them to the bed at either side of her head.

Shifting his hips so that he was on his knees, leaning over her with her legs trapped between his own, he held her throat a moment longer as he licked her neck held between his sharp canines. Once he felt her start to relax, an evil grin touched the corners of his mouth—then he bit down harder.

Judy's whole body tensed briefly at the unexpected pressure and the pleasure of it. And just like before, Judy’s body felt hot and tingly, with a pressure building in her heated core she’d never experienced before. Giving a breathless moan, she groaned out, “Ni-ick.”

With a predatory grin, Nick finally released her neck and pulled his head back to look at her. “You wanted to see what happens when I lose control . . .” Exposing his sharp teeth while licking his lips, Nick asked, “Are you happy now?”

“Yes . . . no . . .maybe. I don’t know,” Judy groaned out. Pulling at her paws still trapped in Nick’s much larger ones, she groaned, “You’re teasing me too much.”

Nick’s grin grew bigger. “But you’ve presented yourself as the most delectable meal I’ve ever experienced.” He let his eyes rove down her body to pause where a damp spot was developing on her tight, black shorts. Taking a deep breath as he licked his nose, he let his gaze slowly travel back up her body (pausing on her baby-blue bra) then up to her eyes, adding, “And I intend to enjoy,”—he leaned down—“Every,”—he booped her nose with his—“Single,”—he nipped her chin—“Bite.” He pressed his lips to hers, then deepened it as he teased her tongue with his. Pulling back slightly, he nipped her lower lip, then drew back to look at her again. Her beautiful eyes were burning with need, desire, and happiness that had his tail wagging and his own need throbbing.

Judy couldn’t believe what it meant for Nick to look at her like this. He was a predator who was discussing the pleasure of eating her, so she should be running for the hills, but the love, happiness, and appreciation shining in his hungry, predatory gaze made her feel cherished and truly feminine—not just an object of lust as so many bucks before made her feel (the specist jackrabbit from last night being one of them).

With a slight whine, she breathed out, “Ni-ick.” She was torn between letting him slowly enjoy all she had to offer and demanding he enjoy less of her so she could move on to enjoying him.

Nick’s tail continued to swish in a slow, languid fashion as his predatory face took on a mischievous look. Raking his hungry gaze back down her body as he crouched above her, he met her heated amethysts and said, “What will your poor father say when he learns this savage predator is having his wicked way with his defenseless, innocent daughter?” Releasing her paws to sit back on his haunches, Nick clasped his paws over his heart and exclaimed, “Oh, the horror!”

Judy laughed and drew a foot out from under him to push him lightly in the stomach, even as she grabbed her burning ears and pulled them over her eyes. “Ni-ick!” she whined. “Please don’t bring up my dad. That’s a nightmare just waiting to happen. If he doesn’t faint first, he’ll certainly tase you with enough electricity to down an elephant—and then he’ll call the cops on you.”

“Well,” Nick said as he brought his muzzle back down towards hers, “it’s a good thing my girlfriend is a cop, then, isn’t it?”

Releasing her ears, Judy met Nick’s burning emeralds. With a gulp, she nodded. “Ah, yeah.” She licked her lips, and repeated, “Yeah, yeah it is.”

Nick grinned at her a moment longer, then sat back and cocked his ears. “But seriously, your dad is going to have a conniption fit when he finds out about us. Are you sure you really want to do this? I don’t want to come between you and your dad, at least not before he’s had a chance to actually meet me.”

Judy’s heart melted for the charming todd who was more worried about her relationship with her dad than satisfying his own needs (which was a far cry from any of the bucks she’d met before). Rubbing her foot across Nick’s fluffy stomach, Judy’s smile softened. “Nick, you’re sweet, but you don’t have to worry about me. My dad and I have always been at odds, but once he knows I’m dead set on something, then he eventually comes around. He still might not like my choice, but at least he stops harassing me about it.” With mischievous smile, she added, “Besides, how is he going to find out about this? I’m not going to tell him. Are you?”

Nick flicked his ear but remained sitting quietly as he let his gaze travel back down her lithe body with so much of her fur exposed, but now the look in his eyes was filled with concern, his desire having taken a backseat. “I suppose you’re right,” he finally muttered, but there was an obvious lack of conviction in his voice. Trying to hide something of this magnitude from perceptive parents usually led to a disaster of epic proportions. And even though he personally had never had to try and hide something like this from his parents, he had a friend on his high school track team who’d been involved with a girl and tried to hide it. It only took a few weeks for their parents to catch onto them and the outcome was not pretty, especially when it came out later that the girl was pregnant. Talk about a shotgun wedding—a wedding that didn’t last as neither of them were ready to be married nor mature enough to be parents. In the end, they got a divorce a year after he graduated high school (she dropped out to take care of the kits) and the girl’s parents ended up raising the two kits they’d had. It was a tragedy as Nick felt they would have made a really happy couple if they’d just waited until they’d matured a few more years (like after they both graduated high school and had actually talked about marriage and kits).

With his attention returning to Judy, he once again worried about her father. Somehow, he didn’t think Stu would go for a shotgun wedding if he found out about them. Making sure they were married before their trip to Bunnyburrow (if he decided to actually go through with it) was probably their best bet. Then they’d have a legal leg to stand on if Stu tried to break them up. He’d get Daphyd to sign their marriage certificate as no one would be able to argue with Zootopia’s top judge.

Judy’s heart melted again. Even though it was quite obvious that Nick wanted her—badly—he was still more concerned about her and the consequences of their actions than his own needs. Sitting up, she reached over and cupped his cheek. “Nick, you don’t have to worry. I want this. I want you. And I’m not afraid.”

Nick’s ears perked up and his tail began to wag again, but then a wry smile touched his lips and he murmured, “Maybe you should be.” Sliding one paw up her bare back and the other behind her head, he scratched lightly between her ears and said, “I am a lot bigger than you.”

Judy’s ears perked up as she realized this must be one of Nick’s biggest reasons for holding back—he was afraid of hurting her. While biting her lip, Judy couldn’t help but feel her heart being squeezed. Had she been with any of the stupid bucks who’d been chasing her back home, he would have already had her clothes off and trying to stick her without any consideration for her or a second thought to whether or not she was ready (or even enjoying it).

But Nick . . . his whole concern was for her, with his own needs and desires taking second fiddle. With a warm smile, she leaned forward and brushed her lips against his, then began peppering kisses along his jawline, all the while she had one paw running through his thick belly fur and the other caressing his opposite cheek. Nick whined happily and Judy could hear his tail hitting the bed as it wagged. As he tipped his head back to give her full access to his chin and throat, Judy said, “You know, Slick, my crazy sisters always claimed that size matters and would spend hours arguing over which buck they’d been with was bigger and thus had given the best satisfaction.” With a chuckle as she felt Nick freeze up under her soft caresses and kisses, she whispered hotly against his neck fur, “So knowing that you’re packing much, much more than any dumb buck has me . . . intrigued.”

Nick relaxed and his expression turned curious, but there was no hiding the predatory gleam burning in his steady gaze. “Is that so?” Sliding his claws through her back fur, he dropped his muzzle to look at her and asked, “Are you going for more bragging rights?”

Judy’s ears perked up and she exclaimed, “Of course not!” Relaxing, she pressed a kiss to his chin as she murmured, “I would certainly have the rights.” She began trailing kisses along his jawline again, and then added, “But I think I’ll keep that juicy tidbit to myself.” Peppering kisses down his throat, she continued, “Simply knowing how woefully inadequate their claims are will be satisfying enough for me.” And then she bit him, her blunt teeth grazing his thick skin.

Nick’s happy whine turned to a groan as she bit him again. Knowing how much Judy loved and respected him did strange things to his heart and left him throbbing with his need for her. But he still couldn’t rush things. She was too important for that. As she continued nibbling on his neck, he whined hungrily. “Your blunt teeth shouldn’t feel this good,” he moaned with his tail thumping the bed beside them.

Judy chuckled as she began nibbling back up his throat to his jaw, saying, “Yeah, well, your teeth and claws shouldn’t feel this good, but it’s truly criminal what you do to me.” After kissing him softly on the lips, she continued, “And your growl and strong vulpine tongue are sinful in their ability to excite me.” Kissing him again, she tilted her muzzle and deepened the kiss.

As their tongues slow danced together, Nick’s growl was low, but just as sinfully effective in its ability to dump another load of crazy bunny hormones into her system—which Nick’s sensitive nose picked up on immediately. In response, his body dumped another load of vulpine hormones into his system which deepened his growl and brought it to a higher decibel, even as his paws pulled Judy to him and encouraged her to climb into his lap.

She happily complied and was doubly excited to feel one of Nick’s paws cup her rear and run his claws through her excitedly twitching tail as he supported her weight (he was still kneeling on her bed). His other paw slid up her back and massaged the nape of her neck as he pulled her into him. And she was more than happy to return the favor by wrapping her arms around his neck and clamping her thighs to his hips, even as she groaned in excitement to feel just how hard he was.

Pulling back from the heated kiss, Judy licked her lips as she met his hungry, predatory emeralds, then leaned over for another helping of fox. As the kiss deepened and then flowed into another one, her eyes closed as she focused on the sensations his sinful mouth and skillful paws were doing to her.

With his own eyes closed, Nick happily kissed her back for several minutes, then pulled back and rested his nose against hers. Taking several deep breaths, he then opened his eyes and said, “Judy, I’m serious about needing to take this slow. If we rush this, if I don’t make absolutely sure you’re ready for me, I could seriously hurt you. I’m that much bigger than you.”

Judy paused as she considered Nick’s fear. Touching her tongue to her lips, she asked, “Is that why you insist on slowly enjoying every bite of me? And why we still have half our clothes on?”

Nick’s ears perked up and then a slow, warm smile curled his muzzle. “Only partly.” Lightly scratching the back of her head, he explained, “I really want to savor this movement, Carrots.” Caressing her cheek with his thumb, he added, “This isn’t just our first time together, but our first time period. I want it to be special—not some fly-by in the night, no blink-and-you-missed-it. I want our first time to be something to remember, not—‘Oh, it’s over already?’ You’re worth more than that. We are worth more than that.”

Judy’s jaw dropped as her heart swelled with love. Pressing her lips to his, she kissed him almost savagely and she didn’t stop until her lungs forced her to come up for air. “Nick, you’re incredible. Now I know why I was never interested in all those stupid bucks back home. Not one of them would’ve cared two bits about me or whether or not I enjoyed the experience.”

Nick’s growl turned to a low snarl as his eyes darkened further. “That’s how rabbit bucks treat their does?”

Judy’s grin turned sultry as her eyes danced with heightened desire at hearing his low, throaty snarl. “Not all of them, but the bucks worth their salt weren’t interested in a wanna-be cop, so only the jerks and perverts were left to chase me.” Booping his nose with hers, her voice grew more heated as she added, “All they wanted was a quick 2-minute jump and bragging rights of conquering the Ice Queen.”

His growl grew deeper and Judy suddenly found her mouth full of hot fox tongue again. As Nick finally drew back to breath, she realized she was also flat on her back with her foxy boyfriend looming over her once more.

With a ragged breath, Nick said in a husky whisper, “Then it’s doubly good that I’m not a buck, now isn’t it?”

Judy barely had time to nod before Nick captured her mouth once more. And from the feel of it, he was thru talking—which was fine by her. The only talking she wanted to do now was with her body—and his. Actions do speak louder than words, as they say. And his actions were speaking loud and clear.

As Nick’s paws roved over her body, teasing and caressing her skin in ways that had her writhing with need and pleasure, Judy melted into his intense kisses. Taking a deep gasp of air as Nick finally let her come up for much needed oxygen, she groaned as his sharp teeth and hot tongue began carving a path of fire down her chin and throat. Moaning in utter bliss, Judy dug her blunt claws into Nick’s thick neck fur and encouraged him in his track towards her chest.

With a delirious smile on her lips and Nick’s low, predatory growl in her ears, Judy couldn’t be happier. At least, not until her stupid phone decided to start ringing. With a groan of frustration, she felt Nick freeze with his teeth nipping at her fur just above her bra before he lifted his head and looked back to scowl at the offending device vibrating and singing cheerfully at the head of the bed behind him. It’s continuous insistence to be answered had his scowl deepening.

“Turnip heads,” Judy whined in growing frustration, “this cannot be happening.”

Chapter Text

Nick stared at the offending device with its cheery ringtone, then cocked his head as he realized the music wasn’t the one for Judy’s parents. He had been sure her dad was calling. The irony of it all if it had been Stu would have been too cruel (and funny in a bitter sort of way). Still staring at the phone and its obnoxious noise, he muttered, “It’s not your parents calling.”

“No,” Judy groaned as she ran her paws down her face. “It’s my sister. She texted me earlier and I promised to call her after we got back this afternoon. She’s probably wondering what happened to me.”

Nick returned his gaze to hers and said, “Are all rabbits this impatient or is it just your family?”

“Ni-ick!” Judy whined as she dropped her paws so she could look at him.

Nick merely grinned savagely, then leaned down and whispered, “Well, tell her that you’re being ravaged by your foxy boyfriend and that you’ll call her back once you can breathe and think normally again.”

“Nick, I can’t tell her that!”

“Why not? It’s true. Or do I need to worry about her tasing me, too?”

“Of course not! Janette would never do that to you!”

“Will she not keep our secret then? Does she have a big mouth?”

“No!” Judy realized how ambiguous her answer was and hastily explained, “No, she doesn’t have a big mouth and yes, she can keep our secret. She’s my littermate and she’d never rat us out.”

Nick cocked his ears and felt relieved. At least one of Judy’s siblings wouldn’t be a problem. “Well, then are you saying you want to end our little escapade here?”

Judy’s jaw dropped, then she quickly wrapped her arms around Nick and pulled him down into another heated, near-savage kiss. Stopping long enough to take a breath and say, “Don’t even think about stopping, Slick,” Judy pulled Nick into another long, mouth-watering kiss. As the phone went silent, Judy lifted her good foot and slowly slid it up along Nick’s hard length and then grinned smugly at Nick’s whine and long groan of, “Jjjuuddyy!” Not giving him a chance to catch his breath, she ran her foot down his length and then back up again.

With his eyes squeezed shut, a shiver ran down Nick’s spine even as his fur stood on end. Sucking in a ragged breath, Nick opened his eyes (which were back to their near-savage state) and sat back up, then grabbed her offending appendage. Running his paw up her leg to her thigh, with his other paw running along her other thigh, he slowly shook his head as he murmured, “The evil, evil bunny returns.” Running his thumb in sensual circles over her shorts and along her inner thighs, Nick’s grin grew bigger as Judy whimpered beneath him and then began twitching with her desire as he continued slowly teasing her.

Gripping the bedspread, Judy shut her eyes as she took in several ragged breaths. With another whimper, she said, “Nick, please. I need to feel your claws in my fur.”

Cocking his head a moment, Nick considered her request for a heartbeat, then nodded (not that she could see him). He wanted to feel her fur sliding between his claws, too. And besides, her shorts were quite damp by now. Hooking his fingers under the elastic band, he slowly peeled her shorts off, then tossed them on the floor, leaving her in nothing but her bra and matching baby-blue panties. Licking his lips in appreciation of the view now laid before his eyes, Nick then leaned down and began licking and nipping Judy’s stomach as his paws and claws continued teasing her thighs—which had her writhing in agonizing pleasure beneath him.

Gripping Nick’s furry ears, Judy tugged on them as she groaned, “Ni-ick, I know you want to go slow, but you can go a little faster and still not ‘rush things’.”

Nick chuckled, then slid his paws up her body as he moved his muzzle up to meet her heated gaze. “Is that so?”

“Yes!”

With a grin, Nick kissed her as his paws slid up to contact her baby-blue bra—and then the phone lit up again with its insistent music. Nick’s ears flicked back as he met Judy’s stunned gaze. Then he broke off their kiss with a resigned sigh, even as Judy groaned in frustration. She was a hot mess and these constant interruptions were killing her.

Sitting up, Nick shifted around until he was sitting cross-legged again. “You know, they’re going to keep calling until you answer.”

Judy rubbed her paws over her face and moaned, “I know.”

Reaching over, Nick picked up the offending device and looked at the grey bunny with black-tipped ears—almost a carbon copy of Judy. The only difference he could see was that the bunny in the picture had slightly darker fur and lavender eyes—not Judy’s vibrant amethysts. “You know, I have half a mind to answer it and tell her how rude she’s being with her repeated calls. I mean, if you were in a position to answer, and were so inclined to do so, you would have already. But since you didn’t answer the first time, and didn’t immediately call back, it stands to reason you’re not going to and so continuously calling is pointless and highly annoying.”

Judy scrambled over to him and grabbed the phone from his paw, saying, “You can’t say that to Janette.”

“Why not? It’s true.”

“Yes, but it’s rude.”

“Fine, then I’ll tell her that she can’t talk to you until after I’ve finished my meal.”

Judy licked her lips as she studied Nick’s physique as he sat there in nothing but his shorts—shorts that did little to hide his need for her—which did little dampen her own aching need for him. Taking a deep breath, she brought the phone up to answer it when Nick continued speaking.

“You better make it short, Fluff, because this is a onetime deal.”

Judy paused with her finger hovering over the call button as her gaze jerked back up to meet his. “Huh?” (The phone in her paw, even with it still ringing, was already forgotten.)

“Right now, I’m feeling a lot of gratitude towards you, as well as highly territorial. My senses are also filled with the taste and feel of you, and my nose is clogged with your intoxicating scent that is acting like a drug on my self-control. The amount of hormones thrumming through my system has affectively smothered my instinctive need to go slow, but once my system is flushed of my hormones and your scent, you can be sure my instincts are going to wake up with a vengeance.” Motioning to her phone with his paw, he repeated, “So make it quick because I don’t know when you’ll get me in this mood again.”

Judy licked her lips as she met Nick’s gaze for a moment, then dropped to his shorts, then down to her phone. “Right. Quick call.” But as she brought the phone up to unlock it (she’d missed the call again), she saw the camera icon. Glancing back at Nick without moving her head, she grinned slyly, then opened the camera and raised it to snap a candid picture of her drool-worthy, hot fox.

Nick’s ears immediately perked up at seeing the phone pointed at him and hearing the camera click. “Did you just take my picture?”

“Hmm,” Judy murmured as she shamelessly drank him in. “Did I just take a picture of my hot, foxy boyfriend? Yes, yes I did.”

“Let me see,” Nick said as he looked at his girlfriend with his hungry, predatory emeralds.

Judy immediately got defensive as she hid her phone behind her back. “No, you’ll erase it.”

“No, I’m not going to erase it. I just want to make sure you didn’t get my bad side.”

“What bad side? You don’t have a bad side. You’re hot all the way around. I could drool over you all day long, no matter which side I’m looking at.”

Nick’s tail began wagging at her words and he leaned over so their noses were just inches apart. “Then it doesn’t matter whether I see it or not, now does it?”

Judy studied Nick’s eyes for a moment, then finally said, “Okay.” Pulling her phone out so he could see the picture, she explained, “You have so many pictures of me, but I don’t have any of you. It’s not fair.”

Nick nodded as he looked the picture over, then said, “Well, it’s not bad, but if you really want something drool-worthy, then how about this.” Moving over to stretch out on his side in front of the window, Nick propped his head up with his paw, draped his other across his side, then curled his tail over in front of him with the tip pointing up. He surprised himself with this move, as it’s not something he ever considered doing before (though he had plenty of requests while working for Big—Krystal was the worst at irritating him with her repeated demands), but he was still in a very amorous mood and was always greedy to see Judy’s smile and hear her laugh. Plus, her words had been quite flattering, so giving her a good pose was the least he could do.

Judy giggled to see Nick pose for her, especially as his tail hid his shorts, giving him the appearance of wearing nothing but his birthday suit. Taking the picture as another giggle bubbled up, she said, “I can’t believe you did this, Nick.”

Waving his paw through the air, he replied, “Well, that makes two of us, but then again, who am I to deny my hot, sexy, bunny girlfriend the chance to drool over me whenever she wants?”

Judy giggled again, even as her cheeks and ears flushed a dark pink at his compliments, then she asked shyly, “Can we get a picture together?”

Nick grinned. “Do you really need to ask?” Sitting up, he sat cross legged again, then reached for Judy and plopped her in his lap. Holding back on his teasing, he decided to give her a good shot first, and so simply wrapped his arms around her middle and leaned down so his face was next to hers, then gave her a bright, happy smile.

Judy gripped Nick’s arm with one paw and held the phone out with the other, then flashed her own brilliant smile and quickly took the picture. Nick moved his head to rest between her ears and flashed her his smug, knowing grin and Judy quickly took another picture.

“Okay,” Nick said as he reached for her phone, “Now time for the good ones.”

“Huh?” she asked in surprise, but then she sucked in a breath as Nick licked her ear while taking a picture. “Ni-ick!” Judy exclaimed with a giggle which turned to a moan as Nick bit the base of her ear, then moved his muzzle to kiss her cheek while taking more pictures, and then nipping the side of her neck. Judy very quickly forgot about everything but the feel of Nick’s lips, tongue, teeth, and paws on her. And it didn’t even register that Nick was still taking pictures when he turned her face sideways so he could place a chaste kiss on her lips before locking muzzles with her.

As Judy groaned into his mouth, Nick figured they had enough spicy pictures and decided to give into the passion they both felt. Dropping the phone back on the bed as Judy turned around, he caressed her leg with one paw and slipped the other one up her back to her bra. As he moved his paw over the clasps, the phone lit up with its loud, happy music. With a savage growl, Nick picked the phone up and hit the answer button, stating, “Look, Janette, if Judy was going to answer she would have the first time you called and continuously calling is just annoying.”

Janette’s nose twitched crazily as she stared wide-eyed at the red todd growling at her from Judy’s phone, followed by an outraged cry from her sister who yelled, “Nick! I told you not to be rude to Janette.”

The screen was suddenly jerked away from Nick’s face and panned the room as the red todd moved the phone out of Judy’s reach, and Janette heard him say, “She was rude to us first. And besides, I gave you two chances to call or text her and let her know you were busy and that you’d call back later, but you kept getting distracted.”

“Well, whose fault is that!?”

“Well, it’s certainly not mine! It’s your raging bunny hormones and impatient, enthusiastic nature’s fault.”

“No, it’s your fault. Your middle name is Distraction. Now give me that phone.”

“Uh-eh, I’m not done talking to your sister.”

“Yes, you are. Now hand it over.”

“Nope, not happening.”

Judy gave what amounted to a savage bunny growl (which Nick found really cute), and then she launched herself at her annoyingly smug boyfriend—at least she tried to. Nick put his free paw out and caught her head, then held her back as she struggled to throw off his much larger (and stronger) fox paw.

Bringing the phone back up to his face, Nick met Janette’s stunned lavender eyes and still twitching nose, and said, “Look, Janette, I’m in the process of devouring your sister, so Judy will have to call back in a little bit.”

“Ni-ick!” Judy’s outraged cry was loud, even through the phone, though she couldn’t hide the teasing in her tone nor the happiness she felt at being with Nick. “I told you not to tell her that!”

Glancing over the phone at Judy (who was still struggling in his grip), he replied, “No, you told me not to tell her that I was ravaging you.”

“What’s the difference!?” she demanded.

With a smug smirk, he explained, “Well, my dumb bunny, ravaging is spelled r-a-v-a-g-i-n-g while devouring is spelled d-e-v-o-u-r-i-n-g, though I can see how you might get the two confused as they both end with an i-n-g.”

Judy sat speechless at his relentless teasing and that over-the-top smug grin of his. With another (cute) bunny growl, she finally shoved Nick’s paw off her head and launched herself at him which knocked him over on the bed and sent him into another full-throated laughing fit. “Nicholas P. Wilde,” she growled out, “you give me that phone this instant.”

Nick wanted to give it to her, he really did, but he was laughing too hard at how cute she looked and sounded that he couldn’t get a word in around his laughter. And handing her the phone was out of the question as he was gripping it tightly to his chest due to his full-bellied laughter and mirth.

“Nicky!” Judy growled out.

“I’m sorry, it’s just . . . you’re just . . .”

“Phone. Now.” Judy unconsciously ground her hips against Nick’s middle as she gripped his chest fur and leaned over his muzzle. She wasn’t thinking about anything but getting the phone back and paying him back for his relentless teasing—so it came as a complete surprise (though it shouldn’t by now) to find herself flat on her back with Nick looming over her and looking larger than life as he growled at her in his near-savage state.

“What did I tell you yesterday about todds and sitting on our excitable member while moving? An excitable member that you’ve obviously forgotten was already very, very, very excited.”

Judy’s mouth went dry as she glanced down between them to see that the tent in Nick’s shorts was much bigger now (How was that possible!?). Gulping, she raised her eyes to meet Nick’s dark, burning emeralds, then whimpered with an answering need that was quickly building in her core. Wrapping her arms around his neck, Judy pulled his muzzle down to hers and kissed him hungrily.

Nick didn’t complain, but as they finally broke for air, he said, “There you go, distracting yourself again.” At Judy’s eyebrow raise, he added, “You’ve already forgotten that your sister is still on the phone, haven’t you?”

With her jaw dropping, Judy looked over at Nick’s paw where he had the phone smashed into the bed, but with the speaker and mic being situated at the bottom part of the phone, the sounds in the room weren’t smothered by the blanket. Licking her lips, she hurriedly said, “I’ll call you back later, Janette. I have to break in my foxy new boyfriend.”

Janette didn’t immediately answer as her heart was still pounding over the savage growl Nick had first leveled at her, and then the deep growl Nick had aimed at her sister. Her nose was still twitching fearfully, but from Judy’s response (a response she never thought to hear in a million years), her sister didn’t hold an ounce of fear for the larger predator and was eager to be ‘devoured’ by him—Wait! Did she just call Nick her foxy boyfriend!? Janette sat speechless on her bed back in Bunnyburrow as she was positive Judy would never find a male that reached her on emotional level and who treated her as the amazing rabbit that she was. Now to hear Judy say she had a fox boyfriend and that she was excited to be devoured by him—Janette’s brain couldn’t wrap her head around it.

“Um, Janette,” Judy queried, “did you hear me?”

Shaking her head to clear it, Janette answered, “Um, yeah . . . okay.” Taking a deep breath, she asked, “So when can I expect to hear from you?”

Judy licked her lips again and glanced at Nick who answered, “Give us an hour—,” he raked his eyes down Judy’s mesmerizing body, then added with a hungry grin, “Make it an hour and a half.”

It took the last shreds of Judy’s self-control to keep from pulling Nick down into a hungry embrace before demanding he devour her. They needed to get off the phone with Janette before she could fully indulge in her mouth-watering fox.

“So somewhere around five?” Janette asked. If Judy was going to let her new foxy boyfriend ravage her, she wanted to be near the phone with no possibility of interruptions so she could see how her sister faired. Janette knew this would be Judy’s first time, and since it’ll be with Nick—a red fox who was so much bigger than she was—Janette wanted to make sure she wasn’t hurt by the experience.

Judy’s eyes widened as she realized how much time Nick intended to ‘devour’ her. An hour and a half! At least! She suddenly felt her abdominal muscles clenching in anticipation as she knew from her crazy sisters that a lot of bucks were lucky to last half an hour—and that’s after a lot of starts and stops.

“That sounds about right . . .” Nick’s eyes widened and his ears fell back as his brain registered the time. “Wait!” he exclaimed, “What time is it?”

“It’s just after 3:30,” Janette replied as she was still trying to wrap her head around what was going on with her sister. Judy always hated listening to Irene and Nicole and their group go off about their buck exploits, and yet Judy appeared to be indulging in them herself with Nick—which was insane! And from the tiny glimpse she’d seen of Judy when they were tussling over the phone—her ‘I don’t have time for boys’ and ‘no, I’m not wearing a bikini’ sister was down to her underwear.

Nick’s jaw dropped, then he practically shouted, “I don’t have time for this!”

Judy’s jaw dropped next. “You don’t have what!?”

“I don’t have time for this,” Nick repeated as he shoved the phone in her paw. Rolling off the bed, he sprinted through the door, saying, “I gotta go.”

“You what!?” Judy exclaimed. “Ni-ick! Where are you going? And what do you mean, you don’t have time for this!?”

Nick froze in front of the bathroom as he heard the hurt underlying Judy’s shock. Spinning around, he moved back to her doorway, where he could see her still lying on the bed where she’d half-rolled over so she could watch him. Meeting her bright amethyst eyes, he instantly saw the rejection shimmering behind her confusion and mounting anger. “No, no, no. Don’t look at me like that,” Nick murmured as he hurried to her side and caressed her cheek. “It’s not . . . that’s not what . . .” Taking a deep breath, he explained, “I’m not leaving the house. I just need to get some things ready for tonight.”

Judy’s eyes narrowed. “Like what?”

Nick’s ears flattened out to the sides of his head as he knew his answer wouldn’t sound very promising—not if he wanted to surprise her. “Um, dinner for one thing.”

“You’re going to give up this,” she swept a paw down her body, “for what? So you can cook me dinner? Are you saying that cooking is more important than . . . than us?” Judy reached forward and grabbed Nick through his shorts and squeezed him. Her touch was firm but not painfully so, and yet the effects on her fox were astounding as he shuddered and whimpered.

Gripping Judy’s shoulders, with his claws digging lightly into her skin, he squeezed his eyes shut as another shudder ran though his whole body. “Jjjuuddyy!” he gasped as she lightly squeezed him again, and then ran her fingers up and down his aching length.

“Do you really want to give this up?” Judy asked in a low, sultry voice. She couldn’t believe how big Nick was or how hard. She thought she understood his size from sitting on him and feeling him with her foot, but feeling him with her paw, even through his shorts, went far beyond her expectations. And just like everything else about Nick, instead of scaring her, she wanted to experience him all that much more. To completely immerse herself in everything that was Nick.

Nick sucked in a deep breath and it took a bit before he could answer. Her small paw on him felt incredible and surpassed any of his wildest dreams. Quite simply, her touch was divine. And the only thing keeping him from pulling off his shorts and giving himself completely over to her very capable paws was the knowledge that Fru-Fru was sending Judy’s dresses over in a little over an hour and a half. And being knotted to his honeybun when her courier arrived was not something he wanted (he really couldn’t see himself being thru with her anytime soon as he knew that once they started, he wouldn’t quit until they were both mentally and physically exhausted). He also knew Willie was waiting on a menu for their dinner, and the skilled cougar needed time to prepare it. Which meant he really needed to call Judy’s mom. And even if they somehow managed a ‘quickie’ (his biology sneered at that thought), talking to Mrs. Hopps just after pumping her daughter full of his hot seed wasn’t something he ever wanted to do. There’s no way he’d be able to keep his mask on and hide what they’d been up to.

With one last shudder as Judy continued her ministrations, Nick whimpered again. Telling her ‘no’ was the hardest and most painful thing he’d ever done (it even surpassed the pain from his beating when he was 12), but he wouldn’t rush their first time (and it would be rushed if they continued), nor did he want any interruptions to disrupt them afterwards while they were basking in the afterglow—they would be knotted together for undetermined amount of time, after all. And he really did want to have that first date with Judy.

So, using the very last shred of his self-control, Nick reached down and lightly pulled her paw off him and brought it up to his lips, where he lightly kissed her palm before licking it softly. “Please, Judy, trust me. I want this more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life . . . but we really don’t have time. Not if I want to do it right. I told you, you’re too important to rush it.”

Judy met his pleading gaze for several heartbeats, then pulled her paw from his and folded her arms as she turned slightly away from him. “Fine,” she muttered with dejection and anger lacing her words.

Reaching over, Nick slipped a paw under Judy’s chin and turned her to face him. Bending down, he planted a soft kiss on her lips, then deepened it as he kissed her with all the passion he had bottled up inside.

Judy couldn’t help herself as her body immediately responded to his kiss. Dropping the phone on the bed in front of her, she pushed herself into the heated, mind-numbing kiss as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Pulling him into her, Judy once again forgot about everything but Nick. And even after he broke the kiss off, she couldn’t stay mad at him when she saw the want and physical pain in his eyes. And it gave her rational side a slight foothold in her mind as she suddenly wondered what her amazing fox had planned for tonight that literally had him in a panic over the time. A panic that kept him from giving into the very real need he had for her, and she for him.

“Please, Judy,” he pleaded again. “I promise to make it up to you.”

Judy met his stunning emerald gaze a moment longer, then sighed and pulled away from him, but this time she wasn’t feeling rejected or angry. “Go,” she whispered with a slight nod of her head, “before I change my mind and drag you back into bed with me.”

Nick’s ears immediately perked up and his tail began wagging. With one last kiss on her lips, he said, “I promise, you won’t be sorry.” And then he disappeared through her door and around to his room.

Judy didn’t need to hear the click of his balcony door closing to know he’d escaped outside to clear his head of her intoxicating scent. With a heavy sigh, she flopped back down and sprawled across the bed.

“Um, Judy,” Janette hesitated in saying. Her head was spinning from what just happened and she was finding it difficult to make heads or tails of any of it. After a decade of watching her sister chase (beat) bucks off of her, it was a difficult mental shift to see Judy being all intimate with a todd.

Waiting for her sister to respond (Judy was still laying on her side and staring at the spot where Nick had disappeared), Janette took a deep breath and glanced around her small room. Letting her gaze slide over her lavender walls which were several shades lighter than her eyes, Janette slowly released her breath while focusing on the various family photos hanging on the wall. Many of them were of her and her siblings out having fun—at a party, goofy off, participating in one of the festivals, attending graduation, and then, of course, hundreds of wedding pictures. So many of her siblings, cousins, and friends had gotten married over the years, and she would soon be joining their ranks (she was getting married in a few months), but the one mammal she never realistically expected to see on the wall while dressed in white was Judy—but if her actions with Nick were anything to go by, she might actually make it on the wall someday. Judy as a bride . . . how amazing would that be?

At a noise from her sister, Janette turned her attention back to the phone.

With a groan, Judy rolled over onto her side and moaned out, “Janette, why did you have to pull a Mom & Dad and keep calling.” With another groan, Judy curled in on herself and stated, “I’m a hot mess right now and my only relief might as well be a thousand miles away.” Although she was moaning and groaning, Judy’s curiosity was truly peeked. What is my fox up to? And why is the time so important? Can’t Nick just move whatever plans he has to tomorrow? She still had a hard time believing anything could be more important than staking his claim on her.

With a heavy sigh as she had no answers to her questions, Judy turned her attention back to the phone and her waiting sister.

Chapter Text

Sitting on her bed while staring at her phone as she watched Judy groaning over the interruption, Janette was still unable to comprehend what was happening with her littermate. This was so far out of the realm of possibilities she’d ever considered for Judy, that it left her stumped. Every word out of Judy’s mouth and every action she took was so far out in left field, it might as well be out of the ballpark. Hearing Nick’s near-savage growl was terrifying and had her nose twitching a million miles a minute, and yet her sister didn’t seem to have a lick of fear towards the large predator. And even when Judy was acting outraged at Nick for taking her phone, there was also the underlying current of happiness and teasing that Janette had never heard from her sister before—not when yelling at an annoying buck, anyway.

And then the way he got all dominant on her sister—and she let him! That had to be one of the most shocking parts of the whole altercation! Judy wasn’t fighting for control. In fact, she seemed happy that Nick was being dominant. That was such a huge surprise to Janette—that her ‘you can’t make me do anything’ sister was actually letting a male tell her what to do. It was inconceivable!

And then to have that same male run out on her like the house was on fire—that just irked her. As scared as she was for her sister being with such a large, predatory male—to see him desert Judy after she opened herself up completely to him—she just wanted to strangle the jerk. And then to see him come back and apologize (Judy had the phone face up in her palm as she rested her paw on the bed) and seeing how her sister had—teased—him (although Nick’s waist was outside the camera range, it didn’t take a genius to figure out what her sister was doing to him), Janette had no words to describe how shocking her sister’s audacity was in dealing with the large male. And yet he still ran from her! Ooh, she wanted to take a frying pan to his head.

Of course, getting a front row seat to that kiss they shared (the phone had landed face-up when Judy dropped it on the bed), and to see how her ‘don’t touch me’ sister was returning the kiss with the same amount of heat and passion as the todd, Janette thought she’d faint. This was not the same sister that left the farm 3 days ago. So, what happened after she met Nick and he brought her home with him?

After Nick had run off (again), Janette had waited a minute before speaking up to get her sister’s attention and then had to wait for her sister to respond (which was another shock—Judy was usually punctual with her responses). After Judy’s moan and accusation of her acting like mom and dad, Janette bit her lip, then said, “Sorry, I really didn’t mean to interrupt you.”

Judy didn’t immediately respond as she picked the phone up with one paw and rubbed her face with the other. After several moments she dropped her paw and sighed. Turning to look at the phone in her other paw, she said, “I should probably be thanking you, for Nick’s sake anyways, but I’m not feeling much gratitude right now.” Judy knew that if it wasn’t for their emotional conversations about Nick’s fears (fear for his life at the paws of her specist brothers and fear for hers at the paws of the bastard jackrabbit), they never would have gotten as far as they did. And as Nick pointed out earlier, the likelihood of her getting him in the same mood again would be days (or possibly weeks) in coming.

Sighing heavily again, Judy compared the past with the present. She’d always scoffed at her crazy sisters for climbing in bed with bucks so soon after meeting them, and here she was, doing the same thing. The responsible side of her brain was quite appalled, but she wasn’t much in the mood for caring—not when she was still such a hot mess. And at least she and Nick had already discussed marriage and were practically engaged. That had to count for something, right?

Janette bit her lip again, then said, “I really am sorry. Had I known that you were home and . . . and enjoying some . . . alone time . . . with Nick, I never would have called in the first place.”

Judy squeezed the bridge of her nose and asked, “Why did you keep calling. I told you I’d call when I got the chance.”

Janette rubbed the arm holding her phone for a moment, then answered, “I was kinda worried about you. I’d heard you were headed into to town with Nick, and with your injured leg . . . and then I heard that Henry bullied Lily and Rachelle into staying behind . . .” She bit her lip again, then added, “I just wanted to make sure you got home safe.”

Judy groaned again and wiped her paw down her face, even as she rolled back over onto her back. “Janette,” she whined. “Do you honestly think Henry can do anything to me? Injured or not, I can still beat the snot out of him.” Taking a deep breath, she tried to keep calm as she brought up Janette’s other worries. “And your worries about Nick . . . You . . . what? Thought he’d leave me in town? Get rough or careless with me? What?”

Janette could see that her sister was irritated and it made her consider her words carefully. “Judy, Nick is a fox. And you hardly know him.” Seeing her sister’s irritation mounting, Janette hurriedly said, “You met him 3 months ago, and now you’ve been back together for 3 days and he already has you in bed with him. Do you know what that looks like?”

Scowling at her sister, Judy replied, “Janette, Nick is not taking advantage of me. If anything, you can say I was taking advantage of him. This is my bed after all.” Judy couldn’t deny the fact that she deliberately pushed at Nick’s self-control. The fact he’d been going at a sloth’s pace still irritated her.

Janette scoffed at her sister. From what she’d seen and heard over the phone, it was obvious the todd was in control. Other than at the end when Judy tried convincing him to stay, Nick had been calling all the shots. “Did you hear his growl! That was a predator’s growl, Judy—a dominant predator who had every intention of having his way with you!”

Judy’s expression took on a dreamy look as she remembered Nick’s dominant actions and hungry growl. With a broad smile curving her short muzzle, Judy spoke in a sultry voice, “Oh, yeah, I remember it with crystal clarity.”

Janette stared at her sister in surprise and irritation for several minutes, then exploded, “Judy! Are you listening to yourself!? He could hurt you. Nick could seriously hurt you.”

Judy’s eyes narrowed as she glared daggers at her sister. “Janette, Nick could never, ever hurt me.” At Janette's raised eyebrow, Judy explained, “Nick is a red fox todd—and with red foxes, the vixen calls the shots and sets the pace of the relationship.” With a smug grin, she added, “Which means I call the shots.”

“You call the shots!? Judy, he flipped you over and penned you to the bed!”

Judy grinned at the memory as she brought her paw up and rested it above her head. “Hmm, I could stand to have him pin me to the bed a few more times.” Licking her lips, her eyes unfocused as she replayed the memory. The way he held her down while she lost herself in his burning emeralds. Those sinful teeth and tongue of his as he kissed her senseless before burning a track of hot desire down her throat while kissing, nipping, and licking his way down to her chest, even as his claws caressed her fur and skin. And then feeling his sharp canines wrapped around her throat. She was getting excited again just from the memory.

Seeing her sister’s deliriously happy (and somewhat lustful) smile floored Janette. She was terrified for her sister after hearing and seeing Nick treating her the way he was, as it proved why foxes couldn’t be trusted—and yet—Judy wouldn’t be smiling the way she was if Nick had actually been hurting her or demanding things of her she wasn’t willing or wanting to give.

With a heavy sigh, she deflated as the fight went out of her. She certainly couldn’t deny how desperate (and heartbroken) her sister felt when Nick first left her, or the way she pawed him in an effort to convince him to stay. How the smug todd was able to resist Judy’s demanding paw on his cock, Janette had no clue. No buck alive that she knew of would’ve been able to resist such attentions from a doe he was excited about. And yet Nick still left (Just how much self-control did that todd have!?) with the promise Judy wouldn’t be sorry about whatever he had planned. This left her curious, for her sister was no longer feeling hurt or angry at him for leaving her, even with her hormones still raging out of control—which was another huge shock. Judy was actually responding (her body was responding) to Nick like any normal doe would with a buck she was strongly considering marrying (excluding their boy-crazy sisters who only thought about their present gratification with absolutely no consideration for the future).

Janette wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry that Judy might be thinking of marrying the smug (and irritating) todd. But she really couldn’t see her sister acting the way she was without at least first considering the possibility—strongly considering. Glancing back at the wedding photos on the wall, Janette’s nose twitched. Judy’s picture might be up there sooner than she thought.

With a heavy sigh, Janette ran a paw down her face. Looking back at the phone (her sister was still lost in dreamland), she said, “You really love him, don’t you?”

Judy’s gaze came into focus as she recognized the shift in her sister’s attitude and tone. With a more relaxed (though still serious) tone herself, she replied, “More than life itself.”

Janette sighed heavily again, then said, “And he really hasn’t hurt you or made you feel uncomfortable in any way?”

Shaking her head, Judy answered, “Nope. Not once. Once Nick knows what I want, he goes out of his way to see that I get it. Even when he’s being all predatory and dominant on me, I’m not scared—because it’s Nick, and one, I probably pushed him to it, and two, I want him to be all dominant and predatory on me. All his predatory, foxy features excite me because he makes everything feel so, sooo good. Furthermore, everything he does is geared to ensure I’m enjoying whatever it is we’re doing—whether it be carrying me around the house, playing the piano, taking me out to dinner, buying me clothes, or making-out like there’s no tomorrow—everything is enjoyable. And if at any time I decide whatever we're doing quits being enjoyable, all I have to do is say ‘stop’, and he will.”

Janette looked off to the left as she fidgeted with one of her stuffed rabbits lying on the bed next to her. Looking back at the phone, she said, “Judy, I’m not questioning you, but Nick’s growl and all his sharp teeth terrified me. He looked so dangerous—my nose wouldn’t quit twitching!” Pointing to her twitching nose, she exclaimed, “Look! It’s still twitching!”

Judy’s grin curled her muzzle again as she said, “That’s because you don’t know Nick the way I do. And after spending the last few days with him, I’d say his sharp claws and teeth are two of his best features. And that growl of his—hmm, it excites me in ways I can’t describe.”

Janette stared at her sister for a minute, then chuckled softly, saying, “You’re crazy, you know that?”

“I’m definitely crazy about Nick. But that’s only because it’s Nick. Nick is Nick—and I wouldn’t want anyone else. I certainly don’t want to be with any other predator, nor do I get excited about anyone else’s predatory features.”

Janette laughed again. “Well, I hope not.”

“Nope, just Nick. He’s it for me. No one else can compare.”

Relaxing back against the pillows she had piled up against her headboard, Janette smiled at her sister and asked, “So what did Nick do that made you fall for him?”

“Oh, where do I start?” Judy laughed happily as all the times she spent with Nick flashed through her mind—from their irritating beginning (she still couldn’t believe he hustled $20 from her, though he has more than paid her back for it) clear through to everything that happened this afternoon (and Nick still had something planned for tonight!).

“Well, let’s start 3 months ago. You were already falling for him back then, weren’t you? That’s one of the reasons why you were so depressed,” Janette tilted her head, “and why you didn’t wait to start dating, right?”

With another laugh, Judy answered, “Yes, Janette, right on all accounts.”

Janette smiled again. “So, tell me all about it.”

Before Judy could start on her tale, though, there was a light tap on Janette’s bedroom door and then Janelle walked in. “Hey, Janette, did you get a hold of Judy yet?” Janelle was a darker-tan doe with a dark-chocolate muzzle, a chocolate blaze running from her dark nose up between her eyes, dark-chocolate tipped ears, dark-chocolate paws, and a white belly.

With a nod and wide smile, Janette said, “Yep, and Judy was just getting ready to tell me all about her foxy new boyfriend.”

Janelle froze halfway to the bed and her bright mahogany eyes widened, then she exclaimed, “What! Judy has a boyfriend now!? And it’s a fox!?” Jumping over to the bed, she grabbed the phone from Janette and all but shouted into it, “You’re dating Nick!?”

Judy gave a sheepish smile and nodded, saying, “Guilty as charged.”

Janelle’s jaw hit the bed and then she whispered, “No way.” Judy never dated, so this was a huge announcement!

“Yes, way,” Judy replied with a chuckle. “And I’d say his best features are all his foxy, predatory ones.”

Janelle was silent for a minute, and then she repeated, “No way. No way! Get out of here.” Shaking the phone a minute, she said, “Judy, we should not be having this conversation while you’re in Zootopia. I just want to shake your shoulders, hug you, and laugh with you. Ahh! This is great. How did this happen? When did it happen? He’s a fox and you’ve never even been interested in bucks!”

“Hmm, well, after spending the last three days in Nick’s company I can see why I was never interested in any buck. They’re not half the mammal he is, nor has anyone ever treated me even a fraction as well as he has. There’s not a buck alive who can compare to my hot fox.”

“Or give such mind-numbing kisses?” Janette teased her now fox-crazy sister.

Staring at Janette, Janelle exclaimed, “Wait! She’s already kissed him!” Turning her gaze back to Judy, she asked, “You gave your first kiss to Nick?” There was a slight pause as Janelle wrapped her head around the idea. The three of them were the only does in their litter, and they all had high standards when it came to bucks, with each of them holding onto their first kiss until they were ready to commit. Janette was the first to give her first kiss away as she was already engaged, and Janelle was sure she’d be the next one—but now, to hear Judy had already given her first away—to a fox!—it just blew her mind.

After a moment, she realized what Janette had implied about Judy’s kisses and exclaimed, “You kissed him passionately!? As in tongue to tongue?” Judy always got disgusted while watching their buck-crazy sisters or doe-crazy brothers having tongue wars with their latest fling, so to hear how her strait-laced sister was now indulging in the practice left her mind reeling—in the best of ways. It was about time Judy found someone she wanted to get close to.

Judy groaned as she pulled an ear over her face in embarrassment at Janelle’s pointed questions, even as Janette replied, “Oh, yes. Apparently, I interrupted their alone-time together.” Leaning towards Janelle who’d climbed up onto the bed to sit next to her, she added, “Please take notice of the fact Judy is down to her underwear,” Janelle’s jaw dropped as Janette continued, “but after realizing the time, Nick took off like his pants were on fire, but then came back and apologized for leaving Judy a hot, sticky mess and then gave her this epic, mind-blowing kiss.”

“No way!” Janelle said again. “For real?” This was too much. Hearing of Judy’s kissing escapades with Nick was one thing, but to see her sister ready to climb in bed with the fox was something else altogether. It meant that Judy wasn’t just ready to commit—she was ready for the wedding! Which blew Janelle’s mind since she had always thought, while growing up, that she would be the first to marry. She was the more outgoing of the three and was willing to give most bucks a chance with a date or two, while Janette was more reserved in her choices, and Judy simply refused to date.

So, it was shocking to hear her oldest littermate get a steady boyfriend before she did. Janelle had fun dating around, and she did have several boyfriends throughout the years, but none of the bucks ever made her feel the desire to commit or give her first kiss away (much to the bucks’ frustration), so she usually didn’t date the same buck for more than two or three months (and rarely more than one boyfriend in a year). That’s usually how long the bucks lasted until they got fed up waiting to receive their ‘benefits’ of dating—which was the point. Janelle figured that if the bucks didn’t think she was worth the wait, then they weren’t worth her time and so didn’t lose any sleep when they broke it off.

“Janette!” Judy whined as she released her ear to stare at her sister through the phone, but her sister ignored her and continued her tale by saying, “Oh, yes. From where I was looking, I swear they were trying to eat each other’s faces off.”

“Janette!” Judy exclaimed again as she pulled her ear back over her face and rolled over on her side. “It wasn’t that bad . . . was it?” Bringing her paw up, she lightly touched her lips as she remembered how deep and hot the kiss was.

“Judy, you two were having a tongue war of epic proportions and don’t you dare deny it.” Janette was pointing her finger at Judy over the phone while Janelle was leaning in with her ears perked forward, listening attentively.

Feeling herself getting excited again just thinking about the kiss, Judy groaned and said, “Okay, maybe you’re right, but I can’t help it. It’s Nick and everything about him excites me.”

Watching her sister’s fiery blush, Janelle said softly, “So the doctors were right. You were missing an emotional component to get your hormones to respond to a male.”

“Yes, and trust me, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with my hormones when it comes to Nick,” Judy replied with excitement showing in her bright amethyst eyes. “He excites me in all the right ways.” With a heavy sigh, Judy then continued, “But since I’ve never had to deal with them at such high levels before, I’m having trouble controlling myself around Nick.” At Janette’s eyebrow raise and Janelle’s knowing smile, Judy hastily added, “It’s not like I’m that way all the time, just when we’re, um . . .” Judy paused in thought, then said, “Actually, this only happened because of the conversation we were having. It was pretty emotional and had taken a dark turn.”

Janette and Janelle looked at each other, then said, “What do you mean?”

Judy fidgeted with her ear a moment, then sat up causing her to wince and hiss while grabbing her now throbbing leg (she had completely forgotten about her leg while she was letting Nick eat her).

“Judy!” both Janette and Janelle cried together. Janelle didn’t have a clue at what was hurting her sister, while Janette feared she’d been right to fear Nick. If he’d hurt her sister, she’d be jumping on the next train to Zootopia with her trusty frying pan so she could beat the snot out of him—or die trying. He was really big, and she knew his teeth and claws weren’t just for show.

“I think it’s safe to say my hormone levels have dropped back down to almost normal.” At her sisters’ still worried gaze, she added, “Don’t worry. It’s just my leg. I hurt it running from Bellwether three days ago and I wasn’t being very gentle with it today.”

“You don’t say?” Janette asked with a knowing gleam in her eyes while remembering how Judy and Nick had been acting earlier on the phone, even as some of her fear over Nick faded.

Janelle, on the other hand, leaned closer to the phone and asked, “What do you mean?” She was highly interested in anything happening with her big sister (Judy was born 2 minutes before she was) who had moved away to the big city.

Judy avoided her sister’s gaze as she reached for the bottle of pills on her dresser. “Um, I probably shouldn’t have jumped Nick earlier when we were arguing over the phone . . . or straddled his waist . . . repeatedly.” Janelle’s jaw dropped, but Judy ignored it as she put the phone down long enough to get a pain pill out and swallow it down with some water.

After Judy set the bottle back on the dresser and picked up the phone, Janelle exclaimed, “You jumped Nick!” Seeing Judy’s beet-red ears, she then asked excitedly, “What else did you two do? How far have you gotten?” Although she kept bucks at arm’s length like Judy, and only let her boyfriends hold her paws and snuggle a bit (none stuck around long enough for her to feel the desire to give them more), Janelle couldn’t hold back her questions as the thought of Judy with a male—any male, let alone a fox—was just too hard to believe and she needed the details to get her head wrapped around the idea.

“Janelle,” Judy whined as she sat against the pillows piled up at her headboard. “Now you’re starting to sound like Irene and Nicole.” Stretching her legs out, she winced slightly until she found a comfortable position.

“I can’t help it,” Janelle replied with laugh. “You’ve never been interested in any bucks and now you’re jumping Nick—a fox. A red fox.” After moment’s thought (and watching Judy hide behind her ears again), she said, “Wait, please tell me he’s not as big or round as Gideon.”

“Of course not!” Judy exclaimed in reply. “I mean, he’s taller than Gideon, but Nick is very fit and has strong, lean muscles.”

“Well, that’s good,” Janelle replied as her bright smile returned. “Nick will need to be in shape if he hopes to keep up with you.” She knew how hyperactive her sister was, so any male wanting to be with Judy would need the strength and stamina to follow her around on all her various exercise programs: running, weight training, running, sparring, hiking, weight training, more running, dancing, rappelling, and of course, more running. Before entering the Academy, Judy didn’t do half the running or weight training she does now, so she hoped Nick was up to the challenge.

“Exactly!” Judy said with a huge smile on her face. She couldn’t wait for her leg to heal so she and Nick could start running together (or having Nick chase her—she still had that image in her head of Nick chasing her around his cabin before eating her).

Janelle and Judy grinned at each other like a couple fools, but then Janette spoke up, saying, “That’s nice and all, but you still haven’t told us why you fell for Nick in the first place, nor what that dark, emotional conversation was that led to you and Nick being half-naked in bed.”

Judy’s ears drooped as she focused her gaze on Janette. With a heavy sigh, she glanced down at her lap for a moment, then looked back up and said, “Promise not to tell mom and dad? Or anyone else for that matter. I don’t need anyone freaking out on me.”

Janelle nodded eagerly while waiting to hear Judy’s tale, while Janette couldn’t forget the near-savage growl Nick had leveled at her when he first answered the phone or the way he dominated her sister.

Taking a deep breath, Judy said, “Okay, so Nick took me out to dinner last night with his friend Finnick. He’s this little fennec fox that’s been close friends with Nick since they were both teenagers.” Pausing in thought, Judy smiled and added, “I like him. He’s really easy to talk to and extremely loyal to his friends.” Shaking her head, she continued, “Anyways, we were happily chatting while waiting for our meal to arrive when this stuck-up jackrabbit waltzed up and accosted us!” Running a paw down her face, she added, “Well, more me than Nick or Finn as he just saw them as filthy pelts I needed to be ‘rescued’ from.” Judy shook her head in disgusts as she said, “You should have seen the way he was undressing me with his eyes!” With a shiver running down her spine, she added, “It’s nauseating just thinking about it.”

Janelle and Janette glanced at each other, then Janelle asked, “So what happened?”

With a huff, Judy proceeded to tell her sisters about the stuck-up, philandering jackrabbit who wouldn’t take no for an answer, along with Nick’s fears for what the bastard might resort to.

Neither Janette nor Janelle could believe what they were hearing. “You can’t be serious!” Janelle finally yelled. “You think he’ll try and rape you! Have you called the cops on him yet?”

Judy rolled her eyes. “For what? He hasn’t really done anything yet. Just a minor altercation, which I might add, Finnick recorded so we can use it against him should he try anything later. And I emphasize the word ‘try’.”

Janelle was fuming at the idea that someone might try and hurt her sister in such a dastardly way, while Janette took a deep breath to reign in her emotions. Slowly letting the breath out, she asked, “And what is Nick going to do about this threat to your safety?”

A smile broke out across Judy’s muzzle. “Do what he does best—do some digging.” At her sister’s confusion, Judy explained, “Nick’s going to figure out who bucko is and then dig up any dirt on him. And once Nick is done with him, he’s going to wish he’d never met us.” Although they hadn’t discussed what Nick would do to combat this threat, knowing what he did to both Nakita and Stan, as well as how he dug up information to save his clients in court and prove their innocence, it didn’t take a genius to figure out what Nick’s first move would be. He had been working for Big in the information gathering side of his business. “Trust me, if there’s anything criminal we can jail him for, Nick will find it.”

Judy’s grin was radiant as she had complete faith in her vulpine lover’s ability to keep her safe, which did ease some of the fears both her sisters had for her.

Taking a deep breath, Janelle then asked, “So, how did Nick steal your heart? And who stole the first kiss? Was it you or him? Come on, tell me everything and don’t leave anything out!” Janelle still had a hard time believing Judy had tried to pull Nick into bed with her that afternoon.

With the way Judy was going, Janelle wouldn’t be surprised to get a text from her sister one morning saying she and Nick had eloped. And she wouldn’t fault them at all. Janelle wasn’t sure how their mother would react to Judy dating a fox, but their father would certainly be against it, along with a large portion of their hard-headed brothers and quite a few of their more specist sisters. If they hoped to actually enjoy their wedding, then eloping would be their only option. Janelle just hoped they took a lot of pictures—or a video! That would be even better.

Judy chuckled, then spent the next hour telling her sisters about the handsome, sly vulpine who saved her life and then her heart.

Chapter Text

As Nick hung over the side of the balcony railing, he took several large lungfuls of air as he tried to calm his pounding heart and raging hormones. Never in a million years would he ever have guessed that a bunny could get him so excited or so hard. The memory of Judy’s paw on his foxhood was still replaying in his mind and he could almost feel her soft fingers caressing him—which wasn’t helping him calm down. Being out here and not in there with her was agony—pure agony—but the thought of talking to Mrs. Hopps afterwards or facing Fru-Fru’s ire should her courier show up and he was unavailable to pick up the dresses terrified him. He wanted to ease Judy’s parents into the idea of them being together before springing something of this magnitude on them, and Fru-Fru, well, he was still terrified of her dad and his posse of polar bears should he step on her tail—and dropping the ball when she went out of her way to help him with his relationship with Judy would definitely be stepping on her tail.

And he really did want that first date with Judy. With as fast as their relationship was moving, he wanted to do this right. He wanted to show her how much he valued her as a mammal and not just an object of his desire—whether she cared about it or not.

Taking another deep breath, he focused on his breathing while considering their date. Even though it was more or less a last-minute thing, he didn’t want it to feel last minute. He wanted it to be special, something Judy could brag about to all her sisters. And . . . and . . . this wasn’t working. He was supposed to be calming down, not . . . Nick dug his claws into the wooden balcony railing.

He was trying to focus his thoughts on the date, but all his mind (both of them) wanted to think about was how much he wanted to return to Judy and finish what they’d started. To feel her soft paws, mouth, and that cute little tongue of hers running over—Nick growled in frustration, then spun around and ran down the balcony stairs before sprinting across the yard to the garage. Luckily, Finnick hadn’t locked the outside door, but merely shut the door and set the lock to look locked.

Moving the lock, he opened the outside door enough to reach the electronic lock on the steel door. Once he’d punched in the code and sang the little ditty, he waited just long enough for the doors to open enough for him to squeeze through, then flicked on the soft lights and sprinted to the back of the garage (while weaving in and around his ‘toys’) to the bathroom. Slipping inside, he stepped into the shower and turned the cold water all the way up. As the frigid water hit his head and streamed down his back, Nick shivered but remained standing as he leaned forward and braced himself against the shower wall with outstretched paws.

As the cold water streamed down his body, it had the desired effect as the pressure in his shorts lessened, then disappeared. Taking a deep breath, Nick slowly released it as he felt immense relief. His briefs and shorts had gotten way too tight there at the end when Judy was feeling him up. Scratching his claws across the tiled wall as the memory of her brazen paw once again assaulted his mind, Nick growled out in frustration.

The water had done a great job of getting his body under control and clearing his head of Judy’s intoxicating scent, but it could do nothing for his errant mind and torturously good memory. Taking another deep breath, Nick decided he needed a distraction, something to do that would get his mind off his divinely sent girlfriend waiting back in his house.

Turning the water off, he shook the worst of the water off in the shower, then stepped out and made his way through the garage to one of the storage closets across from the bathroom (with water dripping off him and leaving a wet trail across the floor). Throwing open the door, he flipped the light on and began rummaging through closet until he found the item he sought. Pulling out the heavy duty, clear plastic zippered bag, Nick grinned to see the hammock resting within. Taking it outside, he strung it between two of the trees with large rings screwed into their trunks for just such an occasion.

Standing back to admire his handiwork, Nick then turned around and flopped back into the hammock then tilted his head back while feeling immensely grateful for the hot summer weather. It meant his fur and shorts should dry quickly.

As he relaxed into the hammock and enjoyed the warm breeze, Nick’s thoughts once again strayed to his hot, sexy girlfriend. Which was not helping him any. Rubbing his paws over his face, he reminded himself that he needed to call Bonnie and find out what Judy liked to eat, but he couldn’t do that while his mind was filled with indecent thoughts about her bewitching daughter hiding in his house. He needed to talk to someone else first. Someone who could shift his whole thought process onto something else.

His first thought was Finnick, but if the little fennec found out why Nick was calling (which he would—he knew Nick too well), he’d never hear the end of it—which would be counterproductive. There really wasn’t anyone else he was really close to that he could just call out of the blue and—having opened the contacts on his phone, a name jumped out at him from the top of the list. A pretty, young vixen with deep red fur and stunning sapphire eyes stared back at him from the contact picture.

With a wide grin spreading across his face, Nick punched the call button for MuzzleTime, then waited for the line to connect.

*******
Hours outside the Zootopia city limits, the young vixen (who wasn’t as young as her contact picture showed, but still young), breathed heavily as she left the surgery room and walked over to the large, metal sink while removing her surgical gown, mask, and bloody gloves, and stuffed them into the disposal bin. Turning the water on with her elbow, she shoved her hands under the hot water, then lathered them and her arms up with soap. In her mind, she was going back over the surgery she’d just performed and trying to make sure she’d done everything right and had left nothing behind.

“Hey, Anya,” a nurse hollered from the other room, “you have a call.” Picking up the phone to see who was calling, the nurse saw a handsome red todd smiling back at her. She wondered who he was as she’d never seen him in town before. Reading the name, she added, “It’s Nick.”

Anya’s black-tipped ears immediately perked up. She had her phone on vibrate and always left it in the other room while she was in surgery, so as not to distract her during a delicate operation. But now, hearing who was finally calling her, she couldn’t get the soap washed off quick enough. “Answer it! Answer it! I can’t miss that call!” she hollered back. She was afraid if she missed Nick’s call now, he might not answer when she called back later. Just like all the other times she’d called him these last few months.

The nurse, a grey fox named Carol, hit the answer button and pasted on a smile as she felt a little nervous about answering a MuzzleTime call to this todd she’d never met before.

As the call connected, Nick’s grin widened. “Hi—” Nick’s smile dropped. This wasn’t his sister. Anya was a stunning red vixen with a deep red coat, bright blue eyes, and black ears while the vixen on the phone had a medium grey face peppered with black, along with black markings that circled her deep amber eyes and extended down the sides of her muzzle to frame the white around her black nose and tip of her muzzle.

“Hi,” Carol said nervously. She was always a bit shy around males, especially good looking todds.

“Hi,” Nick replied back. “Is Anya busy?”

“Um, she’s washing her paws. She just got out of surgery.”

“Oh.” Nick frowned slightly, then asked, “Should I call back later then?”

“Nicholas P. Wilde,” Anya yelled from the other room as she quickly dried her paws off, “if you hang up, I swear I’m taking the first train to Zootopia so I can wring that scrawny neck of yours!”

What was left of Nick’s smile disappeared completely as his ears flattened against his head, even as his life flashed before his eyes. He hadn’t heard Anya this angry in a long, long time.

Anya ripped the phone from her startled friend’s paw and glared at her brother. “Nick, how could you do this to us!? Do you know how worried we’ve been? You don’t answer Mom’s calls. You don’t answer my calls. You don’t return our calls. You haven’t replied to any of my letters.” With an angry huff, she added, “We thought you were dead! That some savage predator had eaten you! Or you’d gone savage yourself! You have to be the worst son and brother ever to put us through this!”

Nick watched his sister deflate and the anger in her eyes to be replaced by fear and anguish. Realizing how close their fears came to reality (Manchas tried eating him and Judy 3 months ago, and then Bellwether tried making him go savage 3 days ago), Nick felt like the lowest scum on the planet.

“We were worried sick, Nick. What if we never saw you again?” Wiping at her eyes, she continued, “We haven’t seen you in almost 2 years and you hardly ever call.” Taking a deep breath, she added, “We’ve already lost dad and Demetri—we can’t lose you, too.”

Yep, Nick thought, I’m the worst kind of scum on the planet, even lower than slime. As guilt ate at his insides, Nick reached up and scratched the back of his head, then pulled on his ear nervously. “I’m sorry, Anya,” he said softly. “I really don’t have any excuse.” Pulling on his ear again, he explained, “I was having a monumental pity party and was feeling too angry and depressed to talk to anyone.” He knew his sister and mom had been trying to reach him these last three months, but knew that if he answered the phone or called them back, they’d immediately know something was wrong (they could always see past his mask), and he wasn’t in the mood to talk about it. And so, he had ignored them. He’d been so wrapped up in his own miserable little existence, that it never dawned on him that they might be calling about all the savage attacks going on around him which the news was showing even way out in Rándýrabær.

“Nick, do you know what it’s like to watch the news and see all those savage mammals being captured, many of them having attacked other mammals, some of whom lost their lives, and knowing my little brother is lost somewhere in that nightmare?” Anya made a fist and looked off to the left as the worries from the last three months washed over her. Returning her gaze to her dumb brother, she said, “Watching all those savage mammals every day, with more and more going savage as the days and weeks went by . . .” Anya sniffled and wiped at her eyes again. “And then not being able to reach you on your phone, nor having any other way to contact you.” After grabbing a tissue and blowing her nose, Anya added, “We tried calling Finnick, but his phone was either stolen or he changed his number because all we got was some angry mammal with a heavy accent yelling at us for disturbing his sleep.”

If Nick’s ears could go any flatter, they would. Wiping a paw down his face, Nick focused on his sister and whispered, “I am so, so sorry, Anya. I really am the worst brother ever.”

“Yes, you are.” With another sniffle, she asked, “So what are you going to do to make it up to us?”

Nick didn’t answer right away as his thoughts took off. Not seeing them in almost two years really ate at him, as he really had no excuse other than feeling too apathetic to leave Zootopia. He’d been coasting though life with no real direction and not really caring about anyone or anything.

The hot summer breeze ruffled his fur as he gently rocked the hammock, lost in thought. The best way to make it up to his mom and sister would be a visit. But now he had Judy. Of course, knowing his honeybun, she would probably be ecstatic to meet his mom and sister. And he was meeting her parents this weekend with a trip already planned to visit her whole family (that he still wasn’t sure about). Maybe they could start a few days early and head out to Rándýrabær first. Stay a few days there and then drive over to Bunnyburrow (if he decided to actually go through with the trip). They could make it a road trip. Being able to see his mom and Anya again, and introduce them to Judy, had his ears perking up and his tail wagging where it hung over the edge of the hammock.

Turning his focus back to Anya, who was patiently waiting to hear his answer (she recognized his ‘I’m thinking’ face), he said, “Are you and mom going to be around next weekend?” Judy would just be off her crutches, so a trip shouldn’t bother her leg by then and that would give them several days at both Rándýrabær and Bunnyburrow.

“Yeah, we’ll be here.” With a sly grin, she tacked on, “If we decided to go anywhere, it’d be to Zootopia so we can smack some sense into that thick skull of yours.”

Nick’s ears dropped back against his head again. “No need to come to Zootopia. I’ll come there.”

“So, you’re saying you’ll willingly come to Rándýrabær so we can knock some sense into your thick head?”

“Uh, yes, I guess.”

Anya laughed at Nick’s comic (fearful) expression and then said, “Well, then I guess I can forgive you. But you better show up, or I will come down there and beat you up.”

Nick’s ears flicked forward again, and he chuckled along with his sister. “Okay, I better let you go. But I promise to answer the phone the next time you call.” Remembering what happened with Judy’s sister while they were in her room, he added, “If I somehow miss your phone call, I promise it won’t be because I’m ignoring you. It’ll be because I really can’t get to my phone, but I will call back the first chance I get.”

Anya met his eyes for a second, then nodded. “Okay. I’ll hold you to it.” She smiled at him, but then realized Nick never said why he was calling. Tilting her head, she asked, “Since you didn’t call to tell us you were still alive, why did you call?”

Nick’s ears immediately flicked out to the side of his head as he said, “I . . . just needed a distraction. My head wasn’t where it needed to be and I was struggling to shift my focus.”

Anya’s eyes narrowed and she said, “Oh, really? You weren’t thinking of doing something stupid were you?”

Nick had the deer-in-the-headlights look and then he exclaimed, “No!” Then his expression turned ambiguous, and he stammered out, “Um, maybe, sort of, but not really.” With a shake of his head, he added, “Look, it’s complicated. But it wasn’t anything—” he froze for a minute. He was originally going to say it wasn’t anything dangerous, but remembering Judy’s paws running through his fur, her taste on his tongue, and the way she writhed and moaned beneath him while demanding he take more from her, and then seeing (and feeling) what she was willing to do to keep him there with her, he had to change his statement slightly. “. . . too dangerous.” Seeing Anya’s scowl, he amended, “It wasn’t anything bad, just complicated. I promise you though, it was something good. Really, really good.”

Seeing Nick’s excited emeralds (excitement she hadn’t seen in years) and reading between the lines, Anya raised an eyebrow and asked, “Nick, did you finally hook up with a nice vixen?” Nick’s surprise didn’t surprise her, but seeing the excitement in his bright emeralds fade did. She had hoped that Nick had finally found someone to really open up to and settle down with. With all the crap her brother had to put up with, he needed someone special in his life, but both her and their mom were already losing hope he’d find someone. Nick just didn’t trust anyone, nor was he willing to let anyone in. It was sad to see her brother so alone.

“No, no vixen,” Nick replied in all seriousness. “It’s safe to say the vixen train left the station a long time ago.”

Anya sighed heavily. “You know Nick, you really need to let someone in sometime. It’s not healthy to remain alone. You need someone special in your life.”

Nick raised an eyebrow even as he caught sight of a blue-and-green hummingbird darting around the flowers, drinking nectar. “Oh? Like you’re one to talk.”

“What?” Anya asked with a little heat in her voice. “I have a boyfriend.”

“Yeah, a boyfriend you’ve been dating for the last three years.” Not letting Anya speak up, Nick waved his paw through the air and continued, “Anya, we red foxes like long courtships, but three years is a bit much. You can’t keep stringing Brad along like that. Either tie the knot with him or let him go.”

“Nick, it’s not . . . I mean . . . I like Brad, I really do. He’s sweet and kind and loveable . . .”

“But . . .” Nick continued for her with a flick of his ear.

“But . . . I don’t know, Nick.” Anya was silent for a moment as she pushed a jar of cotton balls around on the counter before running her claws over the wooden ends of several cotton swabs as they sat in their glass jar. After a moment of mindlessly fidgeting with the cotton balls and swabs, she explained,

“Brad is a great todd, but it’s just never felt like the right time to marry.”

“Anya, after three years, I think it’s safe to say it will never feel like the right time.” Staring up through the branches of the tree he sat under to the clear blue sky above him, Nick wondered how Brad had lasted. If it had been him, he would have lost hope before the end of that second year. With that thought, he realized how lucky he was to have found Judy, who didn’t tip-toe around the idea of marriage but came right out and demanded it. With Judy, there was no guess work on what she wanted about anything. If there was something she wanted, she simply opened her cute little mouth and said so—or simply took what she wanted. While thinking of his honeybun’s demands yesterday afternoon, a dopy (and lustful) grin spread across his face. It was a good thing Anya wasn’t paying attention to him or there would have been no way for him to hide his relationship from his sister—he wanted to surprise her when he came down in a week.

“But . . . it’s . . . I don’t want to break his heart,” Anya stammered as she turned around and leaned against the counter while rubbing her paw down her thigh and feeling a bit guilty. Deep down, she knew Nick was right, and yet she found it hard to admit out loud, least of all to Brad, who’d been nothing but sweet and kind to her.

Pushing the heated memories back down, Nick focused on his sister and said, “Anya, stringing him along for so long with nothing to show for his time and attention is what’s hurting him. Brad needs a definitive answer—yes or no. He needs to know so he can move on with his life—either marrying you and starting that family I’m sure he’s dying to have, or moving on and finding a vixen who will give him kits.”

Anya ran her claws through her neck fur, then replied, “I know you’re right, Nick, but Brad has done nothing wrong. He’s been so nice and patient with me. It’s hard to tell him no after all this time.”

Nick nodded in thought, then said, “Maybe that’s the problem—he’s too nice.” At Anya’s narrowed eyes, he amended, “Not that being nice is problem, it’s just that Brad is too, I don’t know, safe . . . normal . . .” Nick swiped his paw through the air. “Too . . . tame.” Anya was surprised at her brother’s apt description, but Nick didn’t give her a chance to reply as he continued, “You’re a Wilde, Anya, you need someone who excites you. Someone who can get your blood pumping and your heart throbbing—someone you want to touch and who you want to be touched by. Someone who makes it easy to get up each morning because you’ll get to see him that day. And someone who makes it hard to fall asleep at night because you can’t get thoughts of him out of your head.”

Anya’s jaw dropped. “Okay, who are you and what have you done with my little brother?”

Nick laughed. “I’m serious, Anya. You need someone a little—wild.” With a wide grin while remembering how ‘wild’ Judy could get (both while on a case, as well as in the bedroom), he asked, “Have you ever thought of looking outside our species? It’s a big world out there, and there’s no telling where you’ll find that special someone to get excited about as he steals your heart.”

Raising an eyebrow, Anya asked, “Okay, mister ‘I’m not interested’ and ‘Leave me alone’, how and when did you become such a love expert? And seriously? An inter-species relationship?”

Nick raised his paw and shrugged his shoulders. “Hey, all I’m saying is keep an open mind. If all other avenues have failed, maybe you’re yipping up the wrong tree.”

Anya really wasn’t sure what to say. Nick’s advice was sound, and it almost sounded like he was speaking from experience, but how could he be when he never dated and wasn’t interested in any vixens? And what was with that inter-species mumbo-jumbo? Why would he even bring it up?

Seeing his sister’s confusion and bewilderment, Nick chuckled, then said, “How about this, when I visit next weekend, we’ll sit down and discuss both our love lives and then I’ll listen to anything you have to say if you listen to what I have to say. Deal?”

Anya straightened up in surprise. This was one topic she thought to never have with her brother. With his complete lack of dating experience (she didn’t count the dates he went on while working for Mr. Big), it wasn’t a subject Nick was ever willing to discuss. Narrowing her eyes slightly, she amended, “You mean your lack of a love-life.” Nick merely chuckled again, and Anya continued, “But you’ll really talk about it and will seriously listen?”

Nick raised his paw and said, “Scout’s honor.”

Anya beamed, saying, “You promised and I’ll hold you to it.”

Nick nodded, and said, “Okay, I’ll let you get back to work while I call mom. Oh, but don’t tell her I’m coming. I want it to be a surprise.”

Anya’s eyes narrowed again. “You’re not going to tell mom?”

Nick flicked his ear. “I will call and let her know I’m alive and well.” He paused in thought, then added, “I’ll tell her I’m sending her a package next weekend and to keep an eye out for it.” With a wide grin, he continued, “I simply won’t tell her that I’ll be delivering it in person.”

Anya’s whole expression changed as her eyes sparkled with humor. “You sly fox, you.” With a chuckle she said excitedly, “It’s perfect! Mom will love it.”
“Okay, then I’m going to call mom and you can go back to whatever you were doing.”

“Yeah, my break is about up.” With a bright, relieved smile, Anya added, “It really is good to hear from you, Nick.” With sniffle, she said, “I really miss you.”

Nick’s smile softened. “I miss you, too, Anya, and I’ll see you next weekend.”

“Yeah.” With one last smile, Anya terminated the call. As the picture returned to the home screen, all the anxiety and fear she’d felt for her brother finally drained away and she slumped against the counter with a heavy sigh. With a sniffle, she wiped her eyes again, then laughed as relief washed through her. Nick is alive, he’s safe, and I’ll get to see him next weekend!

Who would have thought that when she woke this morning, that her fears and worries over her frustrating brother would finally be put to rest? Anya laughed softly with relief and happiness.

After a moment, though, a slight frown creased her forehead. Of course, if he hadn’t needed a distraction, he wouldn’t have called at all. The jerk. So, what was with him needing a distraction? From the excited look in his eyes, she would have sworn it was passion, but how was that possible if he wasn’t with a vixen (it was obvious that the thought of a vixen didn’t thrill him). Could it be that he was in an interspecies relationship? Perhaps with a pretty coyote. Or possibly an African wild dog? A Dingo, maybe? Jackal? Was that why he brought up the idea of looking outside their species? But that didn’t make any sense. Nick never looked at any females. He just never had time for them—or rather—he never made time for them. And why was he so angry and depressed for the last 3 months?

Anya probably would have sat there for another 20 minutes trying to analyze her brother’s confusing behavior and cryptic words, but her friend wouldn’t let her sit and stew for long.

“Um, Anya,” Carol spoke softly, “are you okay?”

Giving a slight chuckle, Anya said, “Yeah. I’ve actually never been better.” With a bright smile, she explained, “That was my dumb brother who lives in Zootopia.”

Carol had moved to the other room while her friend talked on the phone, and only came back in when Anya had finished her call. So, when she heard Nick was Anya’s brother from Zootopia, her paws shot to her mouth as scenes from the news flashed through her mind. “Is he alright? He wasn’t attacked, was he?” The fact he was calling told Carol he hadn’t turned savage, but the thought of her friend’s brother being trapped in that city was nerve wracking—even if they finally did figure out the cause of the savage attacks. Who would have ever considered a tiny ewe could cause such widespread panic, pain, and misery—all because she couldn’t stand predators? How many countless prey, alongside the predators, had to die until she was satisfied? It was so sick and twisted that it made her doubly glad she wasn’t living in Zootopia

Anya chuckled again as she wiped the last of her relieved tears from her face. “He’s fine. I don’t think he was out in the public much.” If he’d been so depressed and angry that he ignored their calls, then Anya knew he’d been holed up in their family’s warehouse while he wallowed in self-pity.

Now her curiosity was truly peaked. Ever since Honey died and her brother had been sent packing by Big (her brother refused to explain why he’d been sent packing), Nick had basically checked out emotionally and mentally. His sails had been brutally ripped from his ship and he’d been left to drift listlessly on the vast ocean of life. At first, he’d still been there emotionally for her and mom, but as the years went by, he got more and more distant. When they did see him, he was there for them and enjoyed their time together, but the times he called and visited became less and less, until he just stopped visiting altogether and hardly ever called. Which was her biggest reason for writing to her brother. He always had a gift for the written word and she always got a much better response from him if he could leisurely write down his thoughts and then send her a reply. And she really did enjoy having a hard copy of his thoughts that she could pull out and reread whenever she was missing him.

They had visited Zootopia a few times after Honey died, but Nick seemed to be more distant when he was in the big city and he always seemed distracted, as if he couldn’t fully relax. They tried talking to Finnick about it but was only given part of an answer. Finn said it had to do with the fact that Nick was never given a chance to really grieve over Honey’s loss. That someone had used Honey’s death to set Nick up against Big and the shrew had sent her brother packing. The double blow had sent Nick’s world crashing down around him and he never found the motivation or desire to climb back up, to pick up the pieces and start over again. The falling out between Big and her brother was shocking, as they had known Silvano from a young age and had always been treated like family by the tiny shrew.

Nick’s distance made more sense after hearing how the shrew turned on him, for it must have felt like losing his father all over again. First, he lost his mother (Honey had taken Nick in and raised him like her own son), and then he’d lost Silvano (who had become a father-figure to Nick). No wonder Nick’s whole world had shattered. The world had been repeatedly beating her brother down for years, and with this last blow, Nick had lost the strength or will to get back up.

It broke her and their mother’s heart to see him so . . . so . . . apathetic. He’d been so full of life and joy, always having something exciting going on or to look forward to—and now—nothing. One day simply flowed into the next for her brother. He’d gone from living the highlife to merely existing. It was a tragedy he never overcame. Which made his visit next weekend all that more shocking. When pushing for him to make it up to them, Anya expected him to promise to come down for the holidays at the most (if he even did that)—not him coming down in a week’s time.

Not that she was complaining. She’d never complain about seeing her little brother again, but it did beg the question on what happened three months ago that finally shook him out of his emotional apathy. It had to be something drastic to get past his emotional walls and send him into a ‘monumental pity party’ as he called it. Something that allowed him to feel again (once he got over himself), for there was no denying the excitement in his emerald gaze when he said that something ‘really, really good’ had happened to him—something he needed to distract himself from. Ooh, stupid brother, teasing me like this. Now I’m going to be up all night trying to figure out what you needed distracted from.

“Um, Anya,” Carol spoke again as she reached over to touch her friend’s arm. “Are you alright? You seem kind of lost there.”

Anya jumped slightly as her thoughts were over 300 miles away and the light touch startled her. “Oh, sorry, Carol, I’m was lost in thought there, thinking about my dumb brother.” Thinking about the upcoming visit, she squealed in delight and hugged her shocked friend, saying, “He’s coming down next weekend, Carol! Isn’t it wonderful? I’ll finally get to see him again after so long.” She squealed again. “I’m so excited! This is going to be great. We have so much to talk about.” With an excited laugh, she hugged Carol a little tighter as her friend returned the happy embrace. “I doubt I’ll be able to sleep a wink tonight, I’m so excited.”

Carol laughed softly as she felt extremely happy for her friend. Anya was such a hard worker, and her coworkers had noticed something seemed to be a little off the last few months, but Anya refused to talk about it, saying she wanted to focus on her patients. Carol just now realized Anya was probably using work to distract herself from her worries about her brother. But now those worries were laid to rest and Anya was back to her bubbly, happy self again.

As they hugged (with Anya crying a few more happy tears in her excitement), the door opened and another vixen walked in, this one a red fox, but with more blonde and black in her fur giving her a unique look. Many males (not just todds) found her stunning as her blonde, red, and black markings gave her a captivating look. “Hey, Anya are you—” she cocked her head slightly at the scene before her, and then asked, “Am I interrupting anything?”

Anya released Carol and quickly hugged this new vixen, whom she considered to be her best friend. “Loralee, I have such great news! My brother just called. He’s safe and sound! And,” Anya moved back enough to look her friend in the face, “he’s coming down next weekend! Isn’t that great!”

“You mean Nick? Your little brother who just happens to be a lawyer and is currently single? That little brother?”

Anya laughed. “Well, I don’t think he’s done much with his license in the last few years, but yes, he’s a lawyer and is very much single. No vixen in his life right now.”

A wide smile spread across Loralee’s face as a bright light now twinkled in her deep brown eyes. “I hope you remember your promise to introduce us should he ever come down again.” Anya had told her so much about her highly intelligent and skillful younger brother that she couldn’t wait to meet him. If she played her cards right, her and Anya might just become sisters in the near future.

With a happy laugh, Anya said, “I haven’t forgotten and yes, I will gladly introduce you. I can’t promise you anything, but I will at least introduce the two of you.”

With an answering laugh while her tail twitched excitedly, Loralee answered, “That’s all I ask for. I’ll do the rest.”

They laughed together again, and Carol stood back feeling happy for the two of them. Although she was too shy to date anyone, she knew Loralee had been looking for a boyfriend for a while now. The fact she was still single surprised Carol as there was a large fox population in this town, with a fair number of handsome todds who had good jobs and were still single.

Before her thoughts could go any further, the door opened again, and an older red wolf with a lot of grey in her muzzle walked in wearing scrubs. Raising an eyebrow at the scene, she stated, “Are you ready for the next surgery, Anya? We’re supposed to start in 10 minutes.” She raised an eyebrow at the other two, too, as they were supposed to be helping during the surgery.

“Oh, right, sorry. My brother finally called and distracted me. Just give me a second.” Spinning around, she grabbed some fresh scrubs and hastily put them on with Carol and Loralee’s help, who then helped each other into their own scrubs before following the maternal wolf back down the hall to the waiting operating room.

Chapter Text

Nick stared at his sister’s contact picture for a minute, then dropped his paw onto his leg and leaned his head back against the hammock. With eyes closed, he swiped a paw down his face then rested his arm across his eyes. When he told Anya he was looking for a distraction, he hadn’t expected it to come in the form of an epic guilt trip. A guilt trip that was long overdue. He truly was the worst son and brother on the planet, making them worry these last three months. And looking even further back, he hadn’t really been there for them in years. That was something he needed to rectify. Since he would be going to the academy in three and half months, now would be the time to spend as much time with them as he could. Once Judy went back to work, it would be harder to take the week or weekend off to run up to Rándýrabær, but maybe he could invite them down for a week or so. His mom was retired, so she could definitely make the trip. He wasn’t sure Anya could take that much time off, but he’d like to at least offer.

Dropping his arm, he looked at the phone again, but he didn’t call his mom. As much as he wanted to, he knew he didn’t have time right now. A 10-15 minute call wouldn’t suffice for all the time he’d missed out on. Just like he didn’t want to rush his first time with Judy, he didn’t want to feel rushed with his call to his mom. He wanted to give her as much time to talk as she wanted, with nothing else to demand his attention.

Lucky for him, his mom had returned to the normal fox sleeping habits when she retired. She was up most of the night and slept through the morning—which meant he could call her tonight after he put Judy to bed. He might have to sing her to sleep again to make sure she actually slept and didn’t get any ideas about finishing what they’d started earlier. As much as he wanted to, he knew it wasn’t the right time. He might have to avoid any more emotional conversations for the next several days to give them time to settle into their new relationship.

Taking a deep breath, he turned his phone back on and looked up Bonnie and Stu’s number Judy had texted him. He really, really hoped Bonnie was the one who answered. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to keep his mask on if he had to see Stu’s accusing gaze. In the older rabbit’s eyes, he had nearly defiled his daughter . . . and there goes his train of thought again, switching tracks, as his mind replayed his time with Judy—the taste of her on his tongue and the feel of her beneath his paws. Shaking his head, he thought back over his conversation with his sister and the conversation he still needed to have with his mother. He wasn’t looking forward to the pain and heartache he was sure to hear in her voice.

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he pinched the bridge of his nose, then slowly let his breath out. Opening his eyes, he punched the number in and settled back more comfortably into the hammock before his thoughts could switch tracks again.

The phone rang several times, and then Bonnie’s smiling face appeared as the call connected. “Hello,” she said curiously. She didn’t recognize the number, but figured she better answer it since it was a MuzzleTime call.

“Good afternoon, Bonnie,” Nick said with a matching smile (he felt immense relief at seeing Bonnie and not Stu on the phone).

“Why hello, Nick. This is a surprise.” Although surprised, Bonnie was glad to see the red todd. She was very interested in getting to know Judy’s friend better and was impressed that he took the initiative to call.

“Yes, but I have a good reason for calling,” Nick replied with an easy grin. “I have several reasons in fact. First, off—your son Henry is a complete jerk.” Bonnie’s eyes widened in shock, but Nick didn’t give her a chance to speak. “And if he comes home complaining about how much of a jerk I was, I admit it, I was a complete jerk, 100 percent.” Raising his pointer finger, Nick explained, “But he was a jerk first and since Judy also thought I was being funny, I feel absolutely no remorse for my actions.” Taking a deep breath, he said, “I just wanted to be honest with you: Yes, I was a jerk, and no, I’m not sorry about it.”

This was quite the surprise confession from the fox, one that took several moments for Bonnie to grasp the implications of. But once she did, the edges of her mouth twitched up a couple of times, and then she began laughing (with her expression and laughter making Nick think strongly of Judy). “Oh, what I wouldn’t give to be a fly on the wall during that exchange,” Bonnie said with another chuckle. Covering her mouth while trying to get her laughter under control, she looked off to the side for a minute, then looked back at Nick to see his raised eyebrow and curious expression. Dropping her paw, she added,

“It’s about time someone put that boy in his place.”

Nick’s smug grin spread across his face as Bonnie’s expression and the twinkle in her eye reminded him so much of Judy. It was obvious where his adorable girlfriend got her sense of humor.

With a touch of exasperation entering her amethyst eyes, Bonnie added, “Of course, if Rachelle or Lily hadn’t done something they didn’t want me hearing about, I’m sure Henry wouldn’t have had anything to bully them with, so it’s partly their own fault they were forced to stay home.”

Nick chuckled and had to nod in agreement. Waving a paw, he said, “Now that that’s out of the way, let’s move on to one of the other reasons I called. Since Judy is living with me, I figured you’d want to have my cell number, so you now you have it.”

“Thank you, Nick, it relieves some of my worries to know I’ll have a second way to get a hold of my daughter.”

Nick flashed her his happy grin, then remembering what Janette had interrupted and recalling how Bonnie and Stu had called and texted Judy over a hundred times the other night, his smile slipped and he said, “Just don’t keep calling if you don’t get through the first time. If the phone is charging or my paws are tied up with something, continuously calling doesn’t help any, but is highly annoying. I promise, I will call back just as soon as I can.”

Bonnie studied Nick for several heartbeats as she considered his request and promise. Several ideas came to mind, but she didn’t want to jump to any conclusions. With a nod, she said, “Okay, I can do that. I can’t promise anything if Stu has the phone, but I’ll try to rein in his worrisome habit.”

Nick ran a paw through his fur, saying, “Thanks.”

Bonnie bit her lip, then asked, “Did someone else annoy you by repeatedly calling?”

“Yes,” Nick moaned out. “Janette.” Pinching the bridge of his nose again while closing his eyes, he elaborated, “Judy and I were having an emotional conversation, several actually, when she called . . . and kept calling. I mean, if Judy was in a position to answer the phone and felt inclined to do so, she would have—or at least called back immediately. So, if she doesn’t, repeatedly calling is pointless—she either can’t get to the phone, doesn’t want to answer the phone, or she can’t hear the phone.”

Nick rubbed the bridge of his nose again, then froze as he realized he wasn’t talking to Judy. Bonnie had the same stunning amethyst eyes as his honeybun, along with her open, non-judgmental personality—at least that’s the feeling she was giving off right now. Opening his eyes, he met her patient gaze and said, “You remind me a lot of Judy. You have her eyes and same open personality and sense of humor.” Taking a deep breath, he continued, “I don’t open up to people easily, but with Judy I find my mouth running away with me—like it’s doing right now.” Nick’s ears flicked back as he met her surprised gaze.

“Wow, Nick, I’m flattered. It’s not everyday I’m told I remind someone of one of my younger daughters. Thank you.” Nick nodded and Bonnie then asked, “Nick, where is your shirt?” As the todd had shifted the phone while he talked, Bonnie got a good glimpse of his creamy, fluffy chest.

Nick’s expression took on the ‘deer-in-the-headlights’ look and he opened and closed his mouth several times before he was able to get anything out. “Um, during our meeting with Bogo this morning, I had to recount some tragedy from my past. To make it up to me, Judy promised to give me an ear scratching and a belly rub.” Pulling on his ear while remembering his honeybun’s attentions, Nick muttered, “Judy’s idea of an ear scratching and tummy rub is a lot different than mine.”

Bonnie’s ears drooped. “Did . . . she . . . do something wrong?” Please tell me bun-bun isn’t already scaring Nick off, she thought worriedly.

Nick’s ears perked up as he answered, “Wrong? No, she didn’t do anything wrong—just different.” His gaze shifted towards one of the trees the hammock was attached to as his mind replayed the ‘tummy rub’ and ‘ear scratching’ Judy had given him. “She was a lot more enthusiastic than I was expecting, and very determined with her attention to me.” There was a faint smile curving the corners of his muzzle as he spoke.

Bonnie watched Nick’s expression, but he didn’t seem to be bothered by her daughter’s actions—which was a relief. “Judy’s enthusiasm isn’t a problem, is it?” Besides her abnormal bunny strength, her almost blind determination and enthusiasm for whatever she’d set her mind to scared away a lot of potential bucks. But seeing how happy Judy was with Nick, maybe it was a good thing she scared off all the good bucks with her relentless, over-achieving attitude.

Shifting his gaze back to the phone (Bonnie was sure she’d caught the hint of passion in his deep emerald eyes), Nick said, “I have absolutely no problem with Judy’s enthusiasm. I mean, sometimes I think she’s a bit crazy, but hey, that’s what makes life interesting, right? Normal is soo overrated—aaand boring. And Judy is anything but boring.” With a wide grin, he added, “She’s reminding me that life is meant to be lived and not merely survived.”

Bonnie’s heart warmed to hear Nick’s praise of Judy and how his life was better because she was in it. And yes, there was definitely desire lurking deep in his eyes. He hid it well, and if she was paying half the attention she was, she would have easily missed it. But seeing it put some of her worries to rest because it meant her bun-bun’s feelings were being reciprocated. And from what Nick was saying about Judy’s enthusiastic tummy rub, Bonnie figured it meant that Judy was already making her move on the sly todd.

If it was any of her other daughters, she’d be worried that they were moving too fast, but she knew how decisive Judy was once she made her decision, and she didn’t do anything halfway—it was all or nothing, do or die (and yes, Judy had used that term many times when she was younger). So, if Judy had decided that Nick was the one for her (and Nick showed even a hint that he shared her feelings—which he apparently did), then she wouldn’t stop until she had him. Bonnie just hoped Judy’s determination didn’t run away with her rational mind. Enthusiasm was good, but it still needed to be tempered with some moderation. Perhaps Nick could provide the moderation—he seemed thoughtful enough.

Going back to her original question, Bonnie asked, “So . . . after your tummy rub . . . you . . . forgot to put your shirt back on?”

Nick looked back down at his creamy chest, then up at Bonnie. “I told you Janette interrupted us in the middle of the tummy rub and our emotional discussion and when she pointed out the time, I realized I was running out of it and I needed to put a hold on our discussion. I left Judy on the phone with Janette.” Shaking his head, Nick continued, “Which brings me back to the reason I’m calling. I want to surprise Judy tonight with a special dinner as. . . a kind of . . . thank you for believing in me and accepting me as her . . . friend. So, I need to know what her favorite dishes are so I can have them prepared. A friend of mine owns a restaurant and promised to cater the dinner if I provided a menu.”

Bonnie had been listening and watching Nick closely as he spoke, and even then, she almost missed the slight pauses in his explanation for their dinner. But she didn’t survive raising over 300 teenagers to not pick up on when they were being careful in their wording so as to avoid giving away troubling information—which made Bonnie believe there was much more to dinner than just a simple ‘thank you.’ Would it be too much to hope that it was a candlelight dinner and a date? After Judy’s one failed date in high school, heaven knows her little bun-bun could certainly use a nice relaxing date with a male who appreciated her.

“Well,” Bonnie answered, “Judy likes different dishes for different occasions. When she graduated high school and college, she had a huge pizza party. For the holidays, she likes mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, green bean casserole with fried onions on top, along with cranberry sauce, and candied yams. But if you were going for something more private, like a date,” Bonnie took note of Nick’s shocked expression, as well as the knowing gleam in his eyes, “I distinctly remember her 7-year-old self gushing about how the date between Lady and Tramp, from the movie, was so romantic and how she wished she could share a plate of spaghetti while on a date with a hot male. She still liked that movie when she entered high school.”

Nick saw the humor dancing in Bonnie’s bright, amethyst eyes once more and had to laugh. “Did Judy really say that?”

“Oh yes, every time she watched the movie, she’d get all starry-eyed and go on and on about how romantic it was.”

Nick laughed again. “I admit that Judy is definitely a lady, but are you implying I’m a tramp?”

The humor continued to dance in Bonnie’s eyes as the slick todd laughed. Nick was so easy to talk to. With trying to keep track of the kerfluffle (all her grandkits under the age of 10 whose parents still lived at home) while at the same time running such a large burrow, Bonnie sometimes missed being able to just talk and laugh with someone not needing her attention. Surprisingly enough, she found Nick filled that need for her. No wonder Judy was falling for the smart todd. “I don’t know,” she replied with a grin, “are you?” Nick grinned at her, but before he could comment, she asked, “So is the dinner tonight going to be a date by candlelight?”

Nick’s grin vanished without a trace as his jaw dropped. After a moment of shock, he snapped it closed, but still said nothing. He found it as hard to lie to Bonnie as it was to lie to Judy—which meant impossible. Tweaking the truth, omitting information—this he could do—but not outright lying. Opening his mouth, he tried to come up with a reasonable explanation, but for the second time in his life (the first time being when he was accused by Big of selling him the skunk butt rug) words failed him.

Bonnie watched Nick struggle to answer. The fact Nick didn’t immediately deny the fact he was planning to surprise Judy with a candlelight dinner told Bonnie everything she needed to know. And with Nick choosing to remain silent rather than lie spoke volumes of his honesty. Remembering his fear of their reaction that first night Judy slept at his house told her what was keeping the sly todd from speaking now—he feared her reaction should he admit to the truth. But becoming a strain on their fledgling relationship was the last thing Bonnie wanted right now. She’d promised herself a long time ago that if Judy ever found a boy she wanted to be with, that she’d support her in that decision, regardless of who he was, and that hasn’t changed just because the boy Judy liked happened to be a fox.

“You know Nick, if you’re going to go for the romantic first date by sharing a plate of spaghetti by candlelight, I’d have your friend switch the noodles out for spaghetti squash. That’s Judy’s favorite, with lots of olives—both black and green—minced eggplant, shredded carrots, and cauliflower cooked into the thick tomato sauce, with seasoned veggieballs on top. Oh, and parmesan cheese. You can’t forget the cheese.”

Nick’s jaw dropped again. Snapping it shut as he shook his head, Nick’s expression ran through a range of emotions: shock, disbelief, confusion, and then finally, a touch of hope. “So . . . you . . . you won’t have a problem if I was to . . . to date your daughter?” Nick paused a moment, but at Bonnie’s patient silence, he continued, “If . . . if I asked Judy to be my girlfriend . . . that wouldn’t . . . upset you? I’m a fox, a predator, and Judy is a bunny, prey. It seriously won’t bother you if we were to get . . . closer . . . to each other?” It was shocking enough to find out Judy wanted a physical relationship with him—but now to see that her mother was fine with it—Nick’s brain about short-circuited.

Bonnie didn’t answer right away as she studied Nick’s hesitant expression. “Well, Nick, are you going to continue making my daughter smile?”

“Absolutely. 100 percent.” This was an easy answer as Nick's greed for Judy’s smile grew each time he saw it.

“And are you going to bite my daughter? Or rake your claws over her body?” Bonnie couldn’t forget Stu’s concerns, and although she didn’t believe Nick would intentionally hurt Judy, she wanted to be sure her daughter was safe with the much larger todd.

Nick’s ear’s flicked back again and he ran his claws through the fur at the back of his neck as he looked over the phone at a honeybee buzzing around the yard. “Not . . . painfully so, no.” Glancing back at the phone and seeing Bonnie’s raised eyebrow, Nick hastily added, “But only because Judy likes it. My claws and teeth excite her.” As Bonnie’s eyes widened in understanding, Nick slapped a paw over his face as he murmured, “And there I go again, saying things I shouldn’t.”

“So that means . . . you and Judy have . . . um . . .” Although she hoped Judy and Nick would hit it off and become more than friends, they were moving a bit fast even for Judy, weren’t they? But then again, Judy had been cuddling with her Nick plushy for the last several weeks.

Nick peaked out from between two of his fingers and said, “I told you that Judy’s idea of an ear scratching and tummy rub was a lot different than mine, but no, we haven’t . . .” Nick paused in thought (and never felt more grateful in his life to be able to honestly say no). After dropping his paw, he said, “It was more like an intense make-out session.”

“Oh, dear, Judy really did go after you, didn’t she?” Bonnie brought a paw up and rubbed her forehead. It was a wonder that Nick didn’t turn tail and run from her over-enthusiastic daughter like so many others had before.

Nick’s ears swiveled forward and he said, “To be fair, this afternoon only happened because of the emotionally compromising conversations we were having, and I was just as much to blame as Judy.” With a cheeky grin, he added, “I was just as enthusiastic as she was.”

Bonnie could see that Nick meant what he said, which was another point in his favor. The simple fact that Nick was willing to share the blame for what happened instead of pushing it all on Judy spoke well of the todd. She could think of several instances where a buck was caught with his pants down who tried to push all the blame on the doe, as if he didn’t have any say in the situation or what was happening to him. Rubbing her forehead again, Bonnie asked, “So what were these emotional conversations you two were having that led to this ‘intense make-out session’?”

Nick didn’t immediately answer, then flicked his ear before saying, “Fear of my future and then fear for hers.”

Bonnie dropped her paw and stared into the phone with worry now clouding her bright amethysts eyes. “Fear?”

Nick nodded, then asked, “Do you seriously have 316 kits? 138 are bucks?”

Bonnie felt pride in her accomplishments, but the expression on Nick’s face didn’t give her any warm fuzzies. “Yes,” she said carefully while wondering where Nick was going with his questions.

Nick’s jaw dropped, then he exclaimed, “How did you survive having that many kits!” Shaking his head, he hastily added, “Don’t answer that. It was rhetorical.” Taking a deep breath, Nick rubbed his eyes, then looked at Judy’s mom, saying, “Bonnie, what happens to me when I come to Bunnyburrow and all 50 or more of your specist sons find out I’m putting my paws, claws, and teeth all over their hot sister? And that in the very near future, I will be taking Judy as my mate?”

Bonnie froze at Nick’s candid words. He didn’t sugar-coat anything, and his choice of words grabbed her attention. One, he found Judy highly attractive (most bucks considered her muscular body to be hard and unappealing). And two, he  wasn’t just planning to take bun-bun to his bed, or as his lover, but as his mate.

Meeting her shocked gaze with a firm one of his own, Nick asked, “Can you promise that their prejudice and disgust won’t result in anything more than sneers and snide comments? Or will some of them want to get physical with their disgust at their sister being with a fox—a filthy predator?”

At Bonnie’s stunned gaze and twitching nose, Nick took a deep breath and tried to remain calm as he continued, “Do you know what it feels like to be beat to death, Bonnie? Do you have any idea what that feels like?” Glancing off to the side briefly as the memories washed over him, he turned back to Bonnie and said softly (while trying to keep his emotions locked down where they belong), “ I. Do. I know exactly what it feels like. My bones still bear the scars of a beating I took when I was twelve.” Taking a deep breath and rubbing the heal of his palm over his face, he then dropped his paw and added, “I’m not going to let any specist rabbit, or group of rabbits, repeat the experience, no matter who they are, nor will Judy let me.” As Nick thought of Judy, a grin touched the edge of his muzzle and he said, “Judy has made it very clear that I am to defend myself should an incident occur, and then she will be waiting with pawcuffs and a cruiser to haul their specist butts to jail on assault charges—whether she’s related to them or not.”

With a wide grin and his tail wagging, Nick continued, “Judy is truly amazing. For a fox, meeting someone like Judy is a once in a lifetime experience—if we’re lucky. And I’d say that I am extremely lucky in meeting Judy. If I were to hunt the world over, I know I’d never find another rabbit quite like her. She’s one in a billion.”

Bonnie nodded, but was too stunned to come up with a response. Her mind swirled with the implication of what he was saying. She’d thought the three cuts on Judy’s cheek was bad enough when it came to an incident between predator and prey, but Nick had it so much worse. She couldn’t even imagine what a beating like that would feel like—especially for a kit. And although Nick never specifically said it was prey who had beat him, it was certainly implied. If it was a bunch of predators, then claws would have been used along with the fists, but for prey, it was always fists and hooves, or some other blunt object they could get their paws on.

Seeing as Bonnie was too shocked to respond, Nick decided to move onto the other reason he called before Bonnie thought to question him about his fear for Judy’s future. Bonnie was worried enough about Judy’s safety without adding a possible rapist to the mix. “Okay, moving on. So, the other reason I called you was to see if you had a menu yet for Sunday. I need to know what it is, so I know what I’m providing. Foxes are omnivores, so I’m good with just about anything.”

Bonnie shook herself out her stupor, then nodded while saying, “Um, yes, that’s a good point. I’ll need to discuss it with Stu.” Taking a deep breath while trying to collect her thoughts, she asked, “Can I call you back after talking to him?”

“Yeah, that will be fine. I still need to call Willie about our dinner and then I need to finish getting everything ready for our date. How about you call back sometime tomorrow?”

Bonnie nodded with a small smile curving her short muzzle, then said, “If you want a date idea for Halloween, Judy’s all-time favorite Disney movie was Beauty and the Beast, and bun-bun always wanted to dress up as Belle, but never had anyone she liked enough, or was tall enough, to join her as Beast.”

Nick’s ears perked up and his tail began wagging harder. “Really? Well, I guess I know who I’ll be for Halloween this year. Thanks, Bonnie, for everything. For accepting me and . . . and trusting me with your daughter, with Judy. It means the world to me to know that at least one of her parents doesn’t hate us for loving each other.”

Bonnie’s expression softened. “Thank you, for taking such good care of Judy and helping her find her smile again. As long as she keeps her smile, I’ll have nothing to complain about.”

Nick nodded. “I’ll do my utmost best to keep her smiling. She’s become the world to me and I’m only happy if she’s happy.”

With a warm smile, Bonnie said, “Goodbye, Nick. Take care of yourself and I can’t wait to hear how the date goes tonight.”

Chuckling warmly, Nick said, “I’m sure Judy will be more than happy to tell you all about it tomorrow. Goodbye, Bonnie.”

Bonnie smiled back, then hit the end call button. With a heavy sigh, her smile faded. Nick had left her with much to think about. About the present, the future, and . . . the past. Taking a deep breath, she considered everything she’d been taught growing up about foxes, and what she and Stu had taught their own kits. Much of what she’d been taught she now realized was probably based on lies. Lies and misconceptions about a past so far distant that it wasn’t even worth remembering. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling, but something she needed to think about, some things she needed to change—especially if Nick and Judy had any hope of making it with their huge family.

Chapter Text

As the phone's screen turned black, Nick stared at it for a moment, then dropped his head back against the hammock. Slapping a paw over his eyes, he groaned loudly. “I’m the biggest idiot and the dumbest fox in all Zootopia.” Waving his paw through the air while looking up through the leaves and branches of the tree he was under, he muttered, “The worst son and the biggest idiot.” With another groan, he rubbed his eyes then tugged on his ear. “Why did I have to open my big mouth?”

If it had been Stu, Nick knew he could have worded things to keep Judy’s dad in the dark, but Bonnie . . . Bonnie was too similar to Judy, in both looks and personality. He really lucked out with her being as understanding as she was, but how long could it last? With as much luck as he used in the last 48 hours, he figured his luck was just about used up.

Shaking his head, he opened his phone and dialed Willie’s number and proceeded to give him the menu for tonight, complete with a side of breadsticks and carrot cake for dessert. Although he preferred blueberry cake, this was for Judy, and Sonjay’s always shredded their carrots up really fine so the carrot flavor mixed well with the spices, making the cake really tasty.

Once he’d gotten off the phone with his much larger friend, Nick then looked at the time and quickly scrambled out of the hammock. “I’m running out of time,” he muttered as he sprinted across the yard. Stepping through the dining-room door, he made his way to the hall closet and started rummaging through the tubs and boxes. He had a date to set up.

*******

After telling her sisters about Nick and how he had not only stood up for her and then saved her life, but how he opened his home and then his heart to her, Janette and Janelle were left with open mouths as their thoughts ran circles around themselves. Her sisters found it hard to get a word in edgewise as Judy went off about the hundreds of little things Nick did to let her know how much he cared about her—that he loved her. Janette was highly impressed and much of her worries disappeared with the telling, while Janelle was looking enviously at her sister through the phone. With Janette happily engaged and looking forward to finally starting the family she’d dreamed about for years, Janelle was feeling a bit envious of Judy for hitting a homerun so easily.

With all the boyfriends she’d had throughout the years, you’d think she would have found Mister Right but now, wouldn’t you? The bucks she hooked up with either weren’t who they said they were (and so she dumped them) or they didn’t appreciate the fact that she wasn’t an easy tail (and they dumped her). So, hearing about Nick and how committed and dedicated he was to Judy (who had never had a boyfriend in her life, nor was she ever interested in finding one), Janelle found herself feeling not just envious, but a little jealous, as well. Not that she wasn’t happy for her sister or anything—she was happy for her—but it still felt a little unfair that her sister struck gold on the first try—and with a fox of all mammals.

Janelle had been told her whole life how shifty and untrustworthy foxes were, and yet her sister was alive because one proved he was brave, loyal, and trustworthy—which made her wonder if most foxes weren’t just as brave, loyal, and trustworthy if they were to be given half a chance.

As Janelle was beginning to think more highly of foxes (Gideon turning his life around also helped), Judy spoke up, saying, “Janette, I know you’re engaged and I’m happy for you, but Janelle, since you still haven’t found Mister Right, perhaps you’ve been digging in all the wrong places. I highly recommend a fox boyfriend. If you can gain their respect and trust, they are extremely loyal. And all their foxy features that we’ve been told our whole life are so dangerous—well, they had it half right. Their teeth and claws are dangerous in how good they feel when they run them through your fur while grazing your skin.” With a wide, knowing smile, Judy added, “It’s to die for and it sends you straight to heaven.”

Janelle’s jaw dropped and her ears perked up, even as her nose started twitching as this was a new concept for her. Not in a bad way, but definitely different. “Are you serious!? You think I should get a foxy boyfriend like you?”

Judy shrugged. “I’m just saying to open your eyes and look around. If all other avenues have failed you, maybe try walking down a different street. I know Gideon isn’t the only fox in Bunnyburrow.” After thinking a moment, Judy sat up a little straighter and said, “But I’m not saying to rush into a relationship. Be friends first and see where it goes.”

Janette raised an eyebrow, “Like you and Nick ‘aren’t’ rushing into a relationship?” She then let her eyes wander down Judy’s body in its state of undress, then chuckled softly at her sister’s response.

Judy’s ears flamed red, but she met her sister’s steady gaze with a determined one of her own. “Nick and I were thrown together on two crazy adventures that cemented our trust, respect, and friendship and planted the seed for something more. And now, due to the nature of my injury and with Nick taking care of me, it’s knocked down several barriers it normally would have taken us months to overcome. And you both know I hate sitting on the fence once I decide a course of action. I want Nick, he does for me what no one else has, and, lucky for me, he wants me too. So, why should we stick our heads in the sand and pretend our feelings are anything but what they are?”

Janette didn’t have a response. Her sister’s logic was sound enough in a ‘Judy’ sort of way, so she couldn’t fault her. It was crazy—but sound.

Janelle, on the other hand, now had a burning question to ask. “Are fox boyfriends really that great? I mean, I can see Nick is a great friend, but a boyfriend is a huge step up from friend, or even best friends. Are you sure he’s not unique among foxes?”

Judy’s grin widened. “Foxes make really good friends—period. Besides Fru-Fru—she’s this tiny shrew I saved my second day on the job—the only friends I have here in Zootopia are Nick and Finnick, both foxes, and I really wish I’d known them when I was younger. Like Nick, Finn hasn’t once judged me. He’s called me nuts a few times, but he’s right when it comes to Nick. And like Nick, I know I can trust Finnick with my life and he’ll be there whenever I need him. Having Nick as my boyfriend is just icing on the cake, but looking at it from just a ‘friends’ point of view, I couldn’t ask for better friends than my two foxes here in Zootopia.” With a cheeky grin, Judy added, “But if you can get one to look at you as more than a friend, then you’ve lucked out because they do make the best boyfriends.”

This left Janelle with lots to think about, as she had a lifetime of being told how untrustworthy and dangerous foxes were (although she knew her parents’ thinking was old fashioned and all foxes couldn’t be as bad as they made them out to be), it was still a drastic mind shift to start thinking of them as potential friends, let alone something more. But she couldn’t deny how happy Judy was, or what Nick was willing to do to make sure she was safe and taken care of. If all foxes were as loyal and thoughtful as Nick, then maybe she was looking for Mister Right in all the wrong places. Not that she wanted to rush out and get a fox boyfriend, but it couldn’t hurt to be open-minded, right?

Judy’s eyes lit up as she suddenly remembered something important should Janelle actually find a todd she was interested in. “Todds can be pretty dominant once they know what you want, but it’s the vixen who calls all the shots and sets the pace of the relationship. The todd lets the vixen know he’s interested, but it’s up to the vixen to decide where the relationship goes.” With a bright smile, she added, “So if you find a todd you do like and you’re waiting for him to ask you out or steal that first kiss—you’ll be waiting a very long time because he’ll be waiting for you to make the first move.”

“Really?” Janelle asked. This was way different from rabbits as the buck always called the shots. In hindsight, though, that’s probably why she was still single. Perhaps Judy really was onto something here.

A knock on the door interrupted their thoughts and then their littermate Justin popped his head in. “Hey, Janette, Amy and Wendy were wondering . . .” Seeing his two sisters hunched over the phone piqued his interest. “Watching something good there?” he asked curiously.

Both does looked up at their brother with brown fur, black-tipped ears, black paws, and a light tan muzzle and belly fur. With a bright smile, Janelle said with a suggestive look, “I’d say.”

With a similar look as her sister, Janette added, “Judy is telling us all about her exciting time in Zootopia.”

“Janette!” Judy exclaimed with flaming red ears, knowing right away the direction her sisters intended to take this conversation.

Seeing their looks and hearing Judy’s embarrassed reply had Justin’s full attention. Stepping further into the room, he shut the door and locked it. The last thing they needed was rumors spread around the burrow about Judy—well, more than there were already with her moving in with a fox and all.

“What?” Janette asked. “From what you’ve said, since moving to Zootopia and meeting Nick, your life has been nothing but excitement.”

As Janette talked, Justin walk over and climbed up on the bed with his two sisters, who scooted over to make room for him (and ended up pushing several rabbit plushies on the floor).

“You went on a wild otter chase, faced off against a savage jaguar, snuck into an abandoned asylum guarded by a pack of wolves, jailed a mayor who happened to be a lion, broke up protestors, then highjacked a train car, fought off the thugs who owned the train car, then blew it up before being chased by a psychotic sheep and her deranged posse. After jailing a second mayor bent on killing you, you then moved into a fox’s den and started acting like some hormone-crazed teenager. Did I get anything wrong?”

“No,” Judy moaned as she pulled her ears back over her face.

Justin was intrigued by this information, especially the last part, but something caught his attention as he looked at Judy through the phone and had to ask, “Judy, where is your shirt? And what’s this about acting like a hormone-crazed teenager?” His sister wasn’t in the habit of wondering her room in just her bra, nor were her hormone levels ever high enough for her to be, let alone act-like, a hormone-crazed teenager.

Hearing Justin’s question, Judy released her ears and glanced down at the expanse of her bright-white fur and blue bra (which, she knew, covered far more than Nicole and Irene’s bikinis ever did), then sat up a little straighter. Glancing over the foot of the bed, Judy shifted slightly then winced as her leg was not happy with her. Settling back down, she waved her paw and said, “My shirt is on the floor over there . . . somewhere . . . and,” glancing over the edge of her bed, she spied her black workout shorts, “my shorts are there on the floor.” With a frown, she muttered, “They were both in the way and,” she glanced back at the phone and her waiting siblings (Janelle and Janette were grinning like idiots and Justin was staring at her in utter shock), then glanced at her feet as she murmured, “the shorts were . . . wet.” Of course, her underwear was wet, too, but she wasn’t about to change them with her brother in the room. She needed a shower.

If it were any of her other siblings, Judy would have kept her mouth shut, but these were her littermates and they didn’t hide anything from each other. Of her littermates, the only two that were missing was her older brother, Julian, and youngest brother, Jeff. They were both married and had burrows of their own with several litters each. She missed her brothers and their families, but each summer Julian and Jeff helped run one of the many summer camps that ran throughout June and July. She was very proud of her brothers for their dedication to helping teach all the young bunnies that came through each week important life lessons and helpful survival skills.

Janette and Janelle began snickering at Judy’s bashful admission while Justin’s eyes were wide and his jaw hanging in his lap. Snapping his mouth shut, he waved his paws back and forth while exclaiming, “Hold on!” Crossing his arms to form an ‘X’ he said, “Timeout! What are you talking about? What do you mean your clothes were in the way and your shorts were wet?”

Judy merely propped the phone against her legs while pulling her ears (which were now beet red) back over her face with a loud moan.

Seeing her sister’s embarrassment, Janelle figured she’d help her out. “Well, Justin, you’ll be interested to know that Janette interrupted Judy and Nick’s alone time.” She was wearing the biggest smirk while saying ‘alone time’.

Justin couldn’t believe what he was hearing, so Janette decided to elaborate, “Nick was in the middle of devouring Judy when I kept calling. He said she’d have to call me back once he was finished with his meal.”

“Janette!” Judy whined, “He didn’t say that.” At least, not to you, she admitted to herself.

“He might as well have.” With a raised eyebrow, she added, “He had every intention of eating you and you had every intention of letting him. If I hadn’t told him the time, he’d be belly deep inside you right now—and don’t deny it.” She pointed a finger at her sister.

Judy groaned and slouched down against the pillows. “Jan-ette,” Judy groaned again. “I just got my hormones under control and now you’re riling them back up. How am I supposed to calm down when you keep putting these ideas back in my head?” Slouching down, Judy slipped sideways onto the bed and curled up with her ears over her face again.

Justin looked over at his two sisters sitting beside him, both of whom were grinning like idiots, and then back to Judy—slouched over on the bed. “You’re telling me that you and Nick are . . .” Justin tilted his head trying to wrap his head around what his sisters were telling him. “That you want Nick to . . .” He rubbed face. “You’ve been around thousands of rabbits throughout your life, half of them bucks, and not once has your interest been even slightly aroused, and yet after just three days with this fox, your hormones are finally waking up?”

Janette chuckled remembering how Judy was egging Nick on. “Waking up? More like jumpstarted.” With another chuckle, she added, “You should have seen them earlier. Judy was all over Nick . . . well, when he wasn’t pinning her to the bed, anyways.” A wide grin spread across her face as Janette no longer feared for Judy’s safety when it came to Nick, not after hearing everything he’d done for her sister and the risks he took to keep her safe.

Justin’s jaw dropped again. “Judy, he’s a predator! Sharp claws, pointed teeth—hello!?”

At her brother’s exaggerated worries and comical expression, Judy giggled. “Gee, Justin, I hadn’t noticed.”

“You aren’t even a teeny bit afraid of what he might do to you?” Justin held his paw up with his thumb and finger almost touching.

With a bright smile crossing her face, Judy replied, “Nope. Nick is Nick and, predator or not, I have absolutely nothing to fear from him.”

With a giggle, Janelle reached around Janette to poke Justin in the ribs. “Not only is Judy not afraid of Nick, but she says that all his predatory weapons are his best features. Sharp claws and teeth really turn her on.”

Judy groaned again. “Janelle . . . that, I mean . . . okay, yes, his sharp teeth and claws turn me on. Everything about him that had our ancestors running in terror and shaking and shivering in fear turns me on and makes me want to get closer to him. But it’s only because it’s Nick. I’m not interested or turned on by any other predator, just Nick, who just happens to be a predator and a fox, and just happens to know the right amount of pressure to use to make his sharp claws and teeth send me straight to heaven when he uses them on me.”

Justin stared at his sister for a minute, then started laughing—hard. After several minutes of hearty laughter, he calmed down a bit and rubbed his face. Dropping his paws, he faced Judy again and said, “Mom and Dad were so afraid that you’d end up an old maid—alone—and yet here you are with a predator. And not just any predator, but Dad’s worst nightmare—you end up choosing a fox as your mate.” He knew Judy well enough to know that Nick wasn’t a fling for her. If she was willing to crawl into bed with him, she intended to stay. For Judy, the only conclusion to this relationship with the fox was marriage—and she wouldn’t take no for an answer. With another laugh, Justin added, “Oh, I hope I’m there to see Dad’s face when he finds out. We might have to call the paramedics, though, because I’m sure he’s going to have a heart attack.”

Judy scowled at her brown-furred brother, but it was Janelle who spoke. “Wait a minute, Judy, even if you’ve chosen Nick as your mate, are you sure he’s going to stick around? How can you be sure this isn’t just a fling for him? I’m not saying Nick is untrustworthy, but can you be sure he’s going to be faithful? I saw how depressed you were after he left you 3 months ago. How can you be sure he won’t leave you again?”

Judy’s ears straightened up and she pushed herself into a sitting position. “I know foxes are seen as sly and untrustworthy, but how does that equate to them being players? It’s bad enough mammals think rabbits are players because of a few idiots like Henry and Irene, but what have foxes done to make you think that? Especially red foxes?” At her sisters’ stunned and confused stares, Judy elaborated, “Although some fox species might play around while dating, red foxes won’t. They mate for life.”

This was a new concept for Janette and Janelle. Although they didn’t see foxes as sleeping around like the typical rabbit stereotype, they still wouldn’t have put it past an ‘untrustworthy’, ‘disloyal’, and ‘filthy’ fox to date a female for his own convenience, then move on when one or the other got bored or found someone else to their liking. Not that they thought Nick fit that bill (not with how Judy spoke about him) but he was still a fox.

Looking at each other, they then glanced back at Judy (Justin was lost in thought as several things that confused him when he was younger finally fell into place). “Red foxes mate . . . for life?” Janette asked cautiously. She still couldn’t forget how angry Judy had gotten at her earlier for thinking Nick was taking advantage of her.

“Well, yeah. I told you earlier that if you gain a fox’s trust and respect, then they’re fiercely loyal. Red foxes are especially so. I mean, Nick’s never even been on a date before, so I have more experience than him in that regard. He never met a female he could consider as a possible mate, so he never bothered. And that first kiss I stole from him yesterday afternoon—that wasn’t just our first kiss, that was his first kiss . . . and mine.” With a wide, happy smile spreading across her face, she continued, “After being chased by so many perverts growing up, with all the decent bucks ignoring me for wanting to be a cop, having Nick look at me the way he does and knowing I’m the first and only female he’s ever touched, I . . .” With a shake of her head as she brushed an errant wet spot from her eye, she then said, “You have no idea what that means to me. That he saved himself for me, just as I’ve done for him.” With a light chuckle, she added, “It’s giving me warm fuzzies just thinking about it.”

Janette fidgeted with the stuffed bunny still in her lap, then asked softly, “How do you know Nick isn’t lying? He’s a good looking todd, Judy. How can you be sure he doesn’t have a vixen or two under his belt?” Seeing Judy’s anger return, she hastily added, “Not that I’m saying it’d be wrong if he’d had a girlfriend before, it’s just . . . if Nick’s as great as you say he is, then I have a hard time believing he’s still single or hasn’t at least had a girlfriend or two before you. And if he could lie about something like this, then what else might he lie about?”

Looking up from the stuffed bunny she was fidgeting with, Janette caught Judy’s infuriated gaze and hastily brought her paws up to wave in front of the phone. “I’m not saying Nick lied, per say, I’m just trying to understand, Judy. You’re right, I don’t know Nick like you do . . . but I want to know . . . to understand.” Taking a deep breath, she whispered, “Please, Judy, I’m just trying to understand.”

Judy glared at her sister a moment longer, than deflated with a huff. Crossing her arms over her chest with the phone propped on her good leg, she said, “Besides Nick telling me himself that he’s never been with anyone before?” At Janette’s hesitant nod, she continued, “I also have it on good authority of two other mammals who have known Nick a long time.”

Janette and Janelle glanced at each other, then Janelle asked, “Who are they?”

“Well, for starters, Nick’s friend Finnick. They’ve known each other since they were both teens, and Nick has worked closely with Finn for the last 5 years as business partners. He was quite shocked to find out Nick was interested in me for the simple fact that Nick never showed interest in any female.” Taking a deep breath while thinking of everything Finn had told her today about his and Nick’s life, Judy continued, “Nick has been hurt a lot in the past and so he built thick emotional walls to protect himself from being hurt again. That’s why he left me 3 months ago—he felt I’d betrayed him. He’d finally lowered his walls and let someone in, only to be sucker-punched in the gut.”

Janette and Janelle glanced at each other, and even Justin returned his attention to the conversation. Taking a deep, slow breath, Judy continued her explanation. “We have since discussed both of our actions and have come to an understanding, along with some forgiveness on both our parts, so I know he’ll never leave me again.”

Janelle was finding herself liking Nick more and more, for she trusted Judy’s judgement explicitly. Although she knew her sister could be blind at times with her gung-ho, see-the-best-in everyone attitude, after all the time Judy had spent with Nick and hearing how attentive he was to her sister, Janelle found herself believing in him just as Judy did.

Janette wanted to believe in Nick, she really did, but being the oldest in the litter, she found herself as the voice of reason more often than not. Which put her at odds with her littermates at times when they didn’t want to see reason or were being bullheaded with their present course of action. “Judy, I know you mean well, and I can’t fault your trust in the foxes, but are you sure Finnick isn’t twisting the truth a bit to make his friend look good?”

Judy glared at her sister as she remembered Finn’s tale from earlier this afternoon. “Yes, I’m sure Finn wasn’t just buttering up his friend. But if you don’t want to take either his or Nick’s word, then you should believe Fru-Fru’s words.” Glancing to Justin, who was listening with avid interest, Judy explained who Fru-Fru was, then moved her attention back to her sister and continued, saying, “Nick worked for her dad for six years and Fru-Fru got to work closely with Nick. Her dad also employed several vixens, many of whom considered Nick a hot-ticket item. But Nick never gave them a second glance and never treated them as anything more than colleagues. Fru-Fru said quite a few complained to her about Nick’s refusal to get close to them. They’d even placed a bet on his first kiss, a bet that was never cashed in on before Nick left her father’s employment five years ago.”

Both Janette and Janelle were rendered speechless by this news while Justin blurted out, “Wait! They bet on Nick’s first kiss just like Rick bet on yours!”

Judy nodded, “Yep, and yesterday afternoon I stole his first kiss and then he gladly gave me his second.”

Janette just sat stunned. For someone who’d never kissed anyone before yesterday, Nick sure knew how to give mind-blowing kisses. Of course, Janette could say the same about her sister. The way she’d responded to Nick’s advances didn’t look like a novice in the ways of love and affection—and yet that’s what Judy was . . . and, apparently, so was Nick. It still shocked her that such an accomplished, good looking todd hadn’t had a girlfriend before, though, she will give him the benefit of the doubt—for now.

As a huge grin spread across Justin’s face, he exclaimed, “Good for you, sis! I knew you had it in you.”

Judy grinned widely as Janelle said, “Wow, Judy. Just . . . wow.” Shaking her head and laughing, she added, “You know I’m jealous, right?” At Judy’s raised eyebrow, Janelle explained, “I’ve been looking my whole life for someone to date and marry, and have been through so many boyfriends, and yet I’m still single.” She motioned towards the phone, indicating Judy, “But you—you’ve never been interested in bucks and had written off love, and then you somehow stumble on this relationship with Nick and struck gold on the first try. It’s so unfair.”

Judy’s ears drooped a minute, then perked back up. “Like I said earlier, having met Nick and seeing how much care and attention he gives me, it’s no wonder that I was never interested in any bucks. So, if you’ve exhausted all your present options, maybe it’s time to look at some alternative ones.” With a wide smile, she added, “I’m biased towards foxes since I know from personal experience what a wonderful boyfriend they make, but even if foxes aren’t your thing, just keep your options open because you never know where that special someone might be hiding.”

This left everyone with some deep thoughts to think over and after a few more pleasantries, Judy decided to end the call. When her siblings protested, Judy merely informed them (with her cheeks and ears bright red) that her shorts weren’t the only thing that was wet and that she needed to jump in the shower. Her siblings immediately agreed and hurriedly said their goodbyes and left their sister to herself.

Chapter Text

Nick untangled a string of blue Christmas lights and then wrapped them around the top railing of the back porch. He’d already strung a strand of white lights from each corner of the porch to the light fixture at the center of the ceiling. After dinner, he’d bring Judy down here for a night of dancing. Of course, with her injured leg, he would have to support her weight. With a wide grin and heated gaze, he couldn’t keep from thinking about how his paw would feel on her rump or how he could tease her puffball tail with his claws. Thinking about her twitching tail in his paw had his own tail wagging in anticipation.

After talking to Bonnie earlier, he figured dinner and a movie up on the deck would be something Judy would like. He already had the table and projector set up so they could watch the movie on the back wall of the house. Honey had really enjoyed entertaining guests and so they’d spent many evenings watching movies up there when she was still alive and in good health.

Nick paused in thought, the lights in his paws forgotten as he remembered all the fun they’d had back then. It had been so many years since he’d even thought about it, or considered entertaining guests himself, and he realized it was about time he started again. He knew Judy didn’t know a lot of mammals here in Zootopia, so this would be a good way to introduce her to their neighbors and the other friends he had (and give him a chance to reconnect with them, like Willie). And if he introduced her to a lot of his predator friends, maybe they could help paint her in a better light after that disastrous press conference 3 months ago. He was a bit shocked none of the predators they’d passed at the train station had recognized her as the bunny cop who had ruined a lot of their lives with her specist, unfounded, and incriminating remarks.

He was also glad she would be holed up at the house for the next week and half while she recovered before their road trip. Hopefully, by the time they returned, a lot of the bad feelings predators had about her would have softened, if not disappeared.

As he began stringing the lights again, he wondered when Bogo would come out with the knowledge that Judy was the one who found the cause of the savage attacks and the mastermind behind it. Weren’t they going to have another press conference with Judy? A part of him hoped they wouldn’t, but the more logical side of his mind knew it would help heal the city if she did—provided they actually set her down first and went over how to talk to the press: What to say. What not to say. How to answer a question without giving away vital information about the case or giving opinions and conjectures as if they were facts.

With a heavy sigh, Nick shook his head and returned to the task at paw. He had a date to finish setting up and didn’t have time or energy to waste on ‘what ifs’ about the future. There would be plenty of time tomorrow to worry about the future. With renewed focus, Nick set about finishing the lights as quickly as possible. He still needed to set up a music list for tonight and he hoped to record some of the songs himself so he could sing to Judy while they danced.

*******

As Janette disconnected the call to Judy, she sat in silence for a moment. Janelle, of course, was super excited about meeting Nick on Sunday and didn’t even question his relationship with their sister, but Janette still had a few misgivings. Judy had never been in a relationship before and, apparently, neither had Nick. Weren’t they rushing things in their relationship? How could either be sure that the relationship would last? She knew her sister well enough to know Judy wouldn’t recover if Nick walked out on her. But then again, who’s to say Judy won’t be the one to walk out on Nick?

Janette knew her sister was sincere in her feelings, but was her headstrong sister perhaps mistaking the heat of the moment for love? How could anyone be so sure of their feelings, or their partner’s, after such a short time knowing them?

Justin stood up, but upon seeing Janette’s conflicted emotions, he reached over and ruffled her ears, saying, “Don’t worry, Nette, Judy won’t change her mind about Nick anymore than she did about becoming a cop. And I wouldn’t worry about him, either. Nick won’t leave Judy—it’s already too late for him.”

Janette raised an eyebrow. “How can you be so sure about Nick. He’s a red fox, not a rabbit.”

Justin grinned. “Because he’s a red fox.”

Janette tilted her head in confusion, but it was Janelle who spoke up. “What do you mean?” Now that her sister was dating a fox, she found herself highly interested in them and wanted to learn all she could about them. The real truth about them—not the misconceptions and lies she’d been taught her whole life.

Grinning wider, he answered, “Because I’ve gotten to be good friends with Gideon.” Folding his arms across his chest with his ears perked forward, Justin wore a ‘I know something you don’t know’ kind of look. “A pretty vixen came into the shop a few weeks ago, and since Gideon is a year older than we are, I asked him why he was still single. Being such a great baker, I figured he could have his pick of vixens wanting to date him for his culinary arts.”

“So, what did he say?” Janette asked, even as Janelle was leaning around her on the bed, ears focused forward, as she waited to hear their brother’s answer.

“Gideon shrugged his shoulders and said he hadn’t met a vixen yet that he could see himself marrying, so there wasn’t a point to dating one.” While shrugging himself, Justin continued, “It didn’t make a lot of sense to me at the time. I mean, isn’t that what dating is all about? Figuring out if you like the mammal well-enough to think about marriage. But if red foxes mate for life, as Nick said, then Gideon’s mindset makes more sense.” Raising a paw with his pointer finger pointed up, he explained, “Which tells me that if Nick has already asked Judy to date him, and he’s willing to crawl in bed with her, then marriage is the only thing on his mind when it comes to our sister.” With a smirk, he added, “Especially since Gideon hasn’t ever kissed anyone, either.”

Both Janelle and Janette couldn’t believe what Justin just said, and their jaws dropped in response. Snapping her jaw shut, Janelle exclaimed, “Gideon hasn’t kissed anyone either! No way! I was sure he would have stolen his first kiss in high school.”

Justin shook his head. “Nope. I know for a fact he didn’t kiss anyone in high school since he got teased about it.”

“He got teased?” Janette asked. Back in high school she tried to avoid Gideon. He was still a bully in high school, and after the scars he’d given Judy, Janette kept clear of him.

Justin nodded. “He bullied the younger kits, but he was bullied pretty bad by those older than him—at least until he grew big enough to give back what he got.” With a shake of his head, he continued, “Anyways, some bobcat tried to steal a kiss from him after school one day, as some kind of dare, I think. Anyways, Gideon flipped out, going on about how he couldn’t kiss a girl he didn’t like.” With another shrug, Justin continued, “I didn’t witness it, but I did overhear several bucks discussing it and how they planned on bullying Gideon about it.”

“That’s awful!” Janelle exclaimed as her ears drooped down her back. “No wonder he was so mean to us. I never stopped to think that maybe he was just treating us younger kits the same way the older kits were treating him.”

Justin nodded, but then Janette asked, “Okay, so he never kissed anyone in high school, what makes you think he’s never kissed anyone since. High school was a long time ago.”

Justin nodded and waved his paw through as he said, “Because I asked him.”

“You did?” Janelle asked, intrigued.

“Yep. After the vixen left the bakery and I asked Gideon about his dating experience, I remembered what happened in high school and was curious about what had happened since then.”

“So, what did he say?” Janelle asked. She was suddenly curious about the rotund red todd who so terrorized them all as kits.

“He just chuckled for a moment then said,”—standing up a bit taller, Justin did his best Gideon impersonation—“Ah, shucks, Just’n, I, I, I couldn’t kiss a girl I, I didn’t like. You . . . you bunnies like to get all pawsy with each other, but that just ain’t how we, we red foxes do things. We, we like to take things real slow ta make sure we, we got the right one. So I, I, I, could never kiss a girl if’n I, I hadn’t thought of marrying her first.”

Janette was stunned while Janelle sat with a wide, starry look in her eyes. “He really say that?” she asked while thinking of how his story corroborated with what Judy had said about Nick. At Justin’s nod, Janelle elaborated, “So, if two todds from two different places are thinking the same way, then that must be the truth and red foxes really do mate for life.”

“Exactly!” Justin agreed. “So, I wouldn’t worry about Judy when it comes to her foxy boyfriend. She really did strike gold when she found Nick.”

While Janelle thought about how romantic Nick and Judy’s relationship was (and trying to think of all the single todds she’d come across in Bunnyburrow), Janette sighed heavily. Trying to get her head wrapped around the idea that her cop-crazy sister was now in a romantic relationship with a fox was going to take some getting used to. At least she’d have a few days to get used to the idea before she had to meet him. Maybe she should do some research on red fox culture and get the facts straight so she could better understand her (soon to be) brother-in-law. What were fox weddings like? And would they choose a fox wedding or a long, drawn out bunny wedding?

Seeing how both his sisters were lost in thought, Justin decided it was time to leave. He still had things to do today. As he reached the bedroom door, he froze while remembering why he came down here to begin with. Spinning around, he said, “Janette, I forgot to tell you, but Amy and Wendy were wondering if you could help them pick out outfits for the festival coming up in a few weeks.” Glancing over to Janelle, he added, “They were hoping you’d help, too, Janelle.”

Beaming, Janelle stated, “So, they finally signed up for the Annual Mud Day Festival and Classic Car Show. They’ve been so busy lately, I was beginning to fear they’d miss the deadline for entering any of the contests. I hope they win something this year.”

“I’m sure they will, and you know they’d never miss signing up for the mud wrestling contest. Since they both have a lot of talent and enthusiasm, they should bring home at least one medal each. They always enter just about every contest they can.” Hopping off the bed, the two does followed their brother out the room while discussing the upcoming festival and which contests their sisters were most likely to win.

*******

After terminating the call with her siblings, Judy recalled the conversation she just had and wondered if Janelle might not hook up with a nice fox there in Bunnyburrow. With a giddy laugh, she leaned back against her pillows as she thought about her own foxy boyfriend.

As her mind replayed what had just transpired between her and Nick, that warm, hazy feeling began to flow through her body again—until the full weight of what happened and what nearly happened hit her like a ton of bricks. With a groan, she slunk down into the pillows she rested against and pulled her bright-red ears over face. “What did I do!? What did I just do!? I can’t believe I did that to Nick. He’s my best friend and I . . . I . . . violated his trust! I knew he wasn’t ready for this. Why else was he stalling so bad?”

With another groan as she tugged on her ears, Judy continued her self-reprimand, muttering, “He wasn’t ready for this and I still pushed him. Oh, I pushed him. I wouldn’t take no for an answer. And I . . . I . . .” Judy remembered with crystal clarity what she had done to Nick, both to push past his self-control there at the beginning and again, what she did at the end to keep him there with her. Slumping side-ways in the bed, she moaned, “I’m the worst girlfriend ever. I not only violated his trust, but I violated him.” She couldn’t forget how she’d grabbed his cock and ran her paw up and down his hard, throbbing length. Curling into a ball (and ignoring the sharp pain in her leg), she added, “I’m no different than all those horrible vixens who harassed him when he was working for Big.”

Burying her face in the pillow she’d pulled down with her when she slumped over, she mumbled, “Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. You’re going to scare Nick away and then you really will be alone.” With one last whine, she asked herself, “Why did you have to grab his cock?” Lifting her head, she brought her paw up and flexed her fingers while remembering how good it felt to feel his shaft in her paw and wishing there hadn’t been any clothes in the way. “Stop it. Stop thinking of Nick like that. I’ll be lucky enough if Nick doesn’t run from me once his hormones calm down and his brain isn’t drugged with my scent anymore.”

Rolling over, she rested her paws on her stomach as she remembered Nick’s touch, the way he set her skin on fire as he dragged his claws through her fur, and how his teeth and tongue had her whole body tingling with pleasure and desire, the likes of which she had never experienced before.

With a deep breath, she tried to calm her hectic mind and felt somewhat grateful now for Janette’s interruptions—but only somewhat. Taking another deep breath, she wondered once again what had Nick running out on her in such a panicked rush. It had to be something big in order to distract him from her, something special he was planning—which set her curiosity abuzz. What was her fox up to?

*******

Having finished with the lights, Nick looked at the clock and figured he had enough time to record a few songs before meeting Fru-Fru’s courier at the front door. Making his way through the dining room and kitchen, he entered the exercise/music room and shut the door. He didn’t want Judy’s sensitive ears picking up on what he was doing. After setting an alarm on his phone, he slipped it into his pocket and turned on his music synthesizer and keyboard and set them to record. Sitting down at the chair and putting on his headphones, he thought through the list of songs he wanted to play for Judy and then set his fingers to the keys. He recorded several songs with the piano function, then plugged his guitar in and recorded the same songs with it. Before he could set about combining the piano and guitar versions, his phone alarm went off. He’d been so absorbed in the music that having the phone suddenly vibrating in his pocket startled him and he nearly dropped his guitar.

Quickly setting it on its stand, Nick pulled his earphones off and stood up. Turning the alarm off as he made his way down the hall, he slipped out the front door and sat on the bench while waiting for the courier to arrive. It was only a few minutes before a white limo drove up (this one sized for small mammals), and out stepped a snowshoe hair in his brown summer-coat and wearing a black tuxedo. Nick hopped down from the porch and met him just outside the limo’s door.

The hare looked him over with steel-blue eyes and said, “I’m looking for Nick Wilde.”

“That’s me,” Nick replied. He thought he knew all of Big’s goons, but he didn’t recognize this one, so he was either a new hire (new in the last 5 years) or he worked specifically for the clothing store.

The brown hare looked Nick over again and said, “Here.” Stepping aside, two more snowshoe hares stepped out, both females, with each of them carrying three dresses each, which were covered in clear plastic to protect them. Draping them across Nick’s arms, the does turned and hopped back into the limo with hardly a glance at him.

Nick looked over the dresses a minute in shock, then exclaimed, “Fru-Fru sent over six dresses!”

The snowshoe hare narrowed his eyes slightly as he said, “Did mistress Fru-Fru get the order wrong?”

“No, no, not at all. Tell Fru-Fru she’ll have the pictures tomorrow. Thank you.”

The hare nodded, then reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small, flat, glossy-black plastic zippered case and set it atop the dresses, saying, “Mistress Fru-Fru also sent this along.” At Nick’s surprised curiosity, the hare merely nodded and climbed back into the limo, which then pulled out of the driveway and sped off down the street.

Nick hardly saw them leave as his attention immediately turned to the dresses once the hare had climbed into the car. Nick tried to get a better look at the dresses, but knew he’d have to get them up to his room to see them clearly as they were stacked six dresses deep. With a huge grin, he ran around to the side of the house and hurried up the stairs to his balcony. Slipping into his bedroom, he heard Judy in the shower. That worked, as it would give him time to shower afterwards. Laying the dresses out on his bed, he flicked the lights on, then picked each dress up one at a time. They were gorgeous, with there being two dresses in a slightly different cut and color for each of his dress ideas. This was going to take some time to choose just one dress for tonight as there was now twice as many choices.

Setting the troubling decision aside, he picked up the black case and unzipped it. Nick’s eyes widened a moment, then he grinned. The case contained several lip glosses and several shades of eyeshadow that he knew matched the dresses laid across the bed. The eyeshadows were a medium shade, which meant they’d give Judy’s eyes a hint of color to compliment her natural beauty without detracting from it. Fru-Fru probably remembered him complaining about a few of the vixens on his fake dates who wore too much make-up, which covered up their natural beauty and reminded him of the hookers he’d seen on street corners with the heavy make-up they wore. Shaking the unpleasant memories aside, Nick picked up the lip glosses and found them in the same shades as the eyeshadow. Looking closer, he laughed seeing each one was blueberry flavored. “Oh, Fru-Fru, you know me too well.” Putting the lip glosses back in their place within the case, Nick zipped it back up and set it on his dresser. He’d show it Judy when he brought her tonight’s dress.

Walking into Judy’s room, he found her hot-pink foxy shirt, then tapped on the bathroom door. “Judy, I’m going to leave this foxy shirt on the counter for you to wear when you get out. It’ll be easier to change your bandages that way. And then I have something special for you to put on afterwards.”

Judy’s ears perked up at hearing Nick’s voice. At first, she felt slight embarrassment at the thought of Nick coming in, but after remembering what happened in the bedroom just a short while ago (and what almost happened), she realized how stupid it was. And then remembering how badly she had wanted him to see her, all of her, she was once again torn between being a good bunny (and keeping her mouth shut) and a naughty one by asking Nick to join her. Biting her lower lip, she resisted the urge to invite him in (reminding herself that she was lucky Nick was still talking to her), and instead, said, “Um, okay, I can do that.” Hearing the door open and Nick step in, she asked, “So what do you have planned for me this time?”

“Something I started planning early this afternoon.”

“Is that why you were in a panic over the time?”

“Yes, someone important was dropping off something special at 5. It just came in and I think you’ll like it.”

“I can’t wait.” She couldn’t wait to finish showering so she could see what he got her this time.

“Well, you’re going to have to. We’ll need to let your leg breath first, and I’ll need to take a shower, too. But once I’m done, I’ll give you the big reveal.”

“Nick! That’s just cruel and unusual punishment, stringing me along like this.”

Nick just laughed as he stepped back into the hallway, shutting the door behind him. It took a colossal effort to walk back out that door instead of joining her. But he still had a date to finish getting ready and Willie would be coming by in less than an hour with dinner—and if he joined her, they’d probably still be in the shower when the helpful cougar arrived. As it was, he thought he had just enough time to put his piano and guitar song versions together before meeting Judy to unwrap and clean her wound.

Jumping down the stairs two at a time, he slipped back into the music/weight room and sat in the chair to finish getting the music ready for tonight’s dance. He couldn’t wait to see Judy’s expression when she saw the dress and realized she had her first real date tonight. It almost made him giddy, as this was his first real date, too.

Chapter Text

Judy stepped out of the shower and quickly dried off before cutting the plastic bag off her leg and finishing up with Nick’s fur dryer. She didn’t have one at the Grand Pangolin, so having one here at Nick’s house was heavenly. Of course, with Nick’s longer, thicker fur, she knew it was a necessity for her foxy boyfriend.

A warm smile spread across her face as she remembered their time this afternoon. Not just what happened (and nearly happened) in her bedroom (now that she had calmed down and showered, she was actually feeling grateful for Janette’s interruption), but also what happened throughout the day. After learning so much more about her handsome fox, she felt closer to him than ever before. And getting to know Finnick better was a nice surprise. She was definitely introducing him to her sister Amy. Although she didn’t want to play matchmaker, they had a lot in common and she knew they’d make great friends. And if something more developed, she’d be happy for them. (It might also make it easier for her dad to accept her relationship with Nick if one of her sisters was also dating a fox. Power in numbers, right?)

As Judy reached for her clothes, she saw the scent masking cream they’d used earlier that morning. Although they had no plans for leaving the house, she wondered if it wouldn’t be best if she used it anyways. She still smelled strongly of Nick as he’d ground his scent into her fur. Although she loved his scent and thoroughly enjoyed smelling like him, she wondered if it wouldn’t make it harder for both of them to stay focused on the important things and not get all pawsy with each other again. As much as she enjoyed this afternoon, she knew it was still too early to take that final step (as much as her naughty side wanted to).

Besides Nick’s fox instincts telling him to take his time, she also wanted to build a solid foundation for their relationship before getting any more intimate (now if she could just convince her hormones of this, she’d be doing good). Her parents were also coming in three days and if she and Nick had any hope of convincing her dad to trust and accept Nick and their relationship, then waiting until they were married (hopefully it wouldn’t take Nick long to get the ring) would be best. She really didn’t want to give her dad any reason to tase Nick and ban him from coming to Bunnyburrow on the threat of being dragged out to the forest and shot (it hadn’t happened in over a century, but it was part of Bunnyburrow’s dark past when prey and predators were fighting for equal rights). A lot of mammals disappeared back in those dark, confusing days and although she’d like to think her dad was above all that (not that she seriously thought he’d hurt Nick), but he was very protective of his daughters.

Glancing over in thought at the hummingbird-patterned shower curtain (she was sure Honey picked it out), Judy smiled to think of taking Nick home and showing him her childhood. There were so many parts of her life she wanted to show him once they got there—the town, her favorite hiking and running trails, the lakes and rivers she spent time at thinking or swimming . . . their blueberry patch. With a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, she pictured Nick’s face and exuberantly wagging tail at seeing how many blueberry bushes her family owned.

Taking a deep breath, Judy turned her attention back to the here and now. Picking up the scent-masking cream, she turned it over in her paw. If she could smell Nick’s scent on her, then Nick certainly could. And with his heightened sense of smell, would it make it harder to control himself while smelling himself so strongly on her? She didn’t want to make things more difficult for him than they already were (she knew her scent drove him crazy).

And she still wasn’t sure how Nick felt about what happened this afternoon. Although he seemed fine with it while she was still in the shower, she couldn’t shake the guilt that she’d acted too much like the annoying, vindictive vixens who harassed him in the past. If she pushed him too far too quickly, would he start avoiding her, too? She had seen so many hundreds of her siblings dumping or getting dumped for various reasons, and she didn’t want to become another statistic. Although she couldn’t see Nick walking out on her (he was a red todd and completely committed to her), this was her first relationship and she didn’t want to do anything wrong. And with her complete lack of experience—there was so much room for her to mess things up (look how she’d messed up the city and nearly destroyed their relationship once already).

Biting her lip, she finally gave in and opened the jar. Rubbing the conditioning cream into her fur (her back was the hardest to reach and smelled most like Nick), she frowned as Nick’s scent slowly disappeared. She hated the fact she had to hide his mark on her, but once they were married it would be a whole new ballgame. And once he graduated the academy, she could proudly wear his mark wherever she went. She wouldn’t have to hide the fact she belonged to him, and he to her, nor how crazy in love with him she was.

It didn’t take long afterwards to get dressed and limp her way back into her room. Curiosity was driving her crazy wondering what Nick had gotten her and what he had planned for tonight. Setting her crutches against the dresser, she climbed onto the bed with its soft, blue-and-green flowered quilt and situated herself back against the headboard. Once she was comfortably sitting on the bed, she reached forward and began slowly taking off her bandage. The wound throbbed slightly as she bent over and slowly unwound the gauze, but as much as she abused it earlier while climbing all over Nick, she really couldn’t complain.

She was nearly finished when she heard Nick hurrying up the stairs. As he walked into her room, she couldn’t stop her eyes from travel down his bare, fluffy chest before making their way back up to meet his bright emeralds. Briefly touching her tongue to her upper lip, she stated, “You never put your shirt back on.”

Nick glanced down a moment, then met her amethyst pools and grinned. Nodding his head towards her dresser, he said, “I left my shirt in here earlier and haven’t stopped long enough to put another one on.”

She glanced down and fidgeted a moment, then looked up to apologize for her earlier actions, but paused at seeing his expression. His head was cocked and a hungry smirk graced his muzzle, but he wasn’t looking at her face. Glancing down, she immediately knew what had caught his attention and her ears flamed red. Grabbing the hem of her shirt, she pulled it down, even as Nick said, “Nice view. Baby pink is a good color for you.”

“Ni-ick!” Judy whined.

Nick lifted his amused (and slightly hungry) gaze to meet her own, and said, “I don’t know why you’re embarrassed. It’s not like you weren’t showing them off earlier while demanding I take them off . . . along with your bra.”

Judy’s eyes widened and her nose started twitching. “Ni-ick!” Wringing the hem of her shirt in her paws, Judy’s gaze and ears dropped as she looked at everything but Nick. “That . . . it was . . . I mean . . .” she stammered, then finally whispered, “I know.” Taking a deep breath, she fidgeted a moment longer while taking a careful study of the pattern in the quilt she sat upon, then said, “I’m sorry.”

Nick’s jaw dropped and his ears perked forward, even as his tail twitched. “You’re sorry?” he questioned. “About this afternoon?” This was the last thing he expected to hear from Judy. She was very demanding this afternoon and very much in charge of what happened—and was going to happen. So why was she saying sorry now? Was she reconsidering being with him? That thought had his gut twisting with anxiety, especially since he could no longer smell his scent on her. The worst of their combined scents had dissipated from the room, but she should have still been reeking of his scent (the shower would have washed her scent away, but not his) and yet his sensitive nose picked up nothing from her.

As a canine and a fox, this bothered him greatly as all canines were highly scent-oriented mammals. And once a male canine chose a mate, being able to smell himself on her was soothing to his territorial instincts. And with him being a red todd, it was pretty much a biological imperative that he smell his scent on her as theirs was a lifetime commitment.

But as much as it bothered him that she’d erased his scent, Nick didn’t show it. He wanted to focus on their date and so set his worries aside for now. They’d have plenty of time to talk about it later.

Judy took a deep breath and explained, “I know you weren’t ready for this afternoon and I still pushed you. You tried to pull back several times, but I wouldn’t listen and stubbornly pushed you for more.” Wringing the shirt tightly between her paws (and inadvertently giving Nick another peek at pink), she whispered, “And then when you tried to leave, I . . . I . . .” Releasing her shirt, she rubbed her paws over her eyes and lamented, “I acted no differently than all those pushy, sadistic vixens who constantly harassed you while you worked for Mr. Big.”

Nick just stood there, dumbfounded. Judy was nothing like those manipulative, hyper-aggressive, heartless vixens and yet she was comparing herself to them? Nick couldn’t believe it. And the fact she was worried about it told him just how much she cared about him and what he wanted—which was the complete opposite of what all those heartless vixens cared about.

Rubbing a paw down his face and muzzle, Nick then turned and sat on the bed. With a deep breath, he glanced at Judy and found her staring studiously at her feet while tightly gripping her paws. It was obvious she was steeling herself for rejection or some other unpleasant response—which was silly. As if he could ever be sorry about this afternoon.

Shifting on the bed so he was facing her, he leaned forward and placed a finger under her chin, then raised it till she was looking at him. She had the look of cornered prey, though he knew she wasn’t scared of him, but of his response to her actions. As if she had anything to be scared of. Leaning forward, he pressed his lips to hers and kissed her softly.

Judy was surprised, but quickly closed her eyes and leaned into the gentle kiss. Reaching up, she slid her paws across his cheeks and rested them under his ears. With her ears drooping to rest comfortably against her back, her tail began vibrating happily.

Pulling back from the soft kiss, Nick said, “I’m not sorry.”

“You’re not?” Judy whispered a little breathlessly as her paws dropped. Although the kiss had lacked the passion from earlier, it still left Judy’s heart beating fiercely as she was overcome with happiness.

Nuzzling her nose, he replied with a warm smile, “Not a bit.”

“But I kept pushing you.” Touching her tongue to her lip again, she still looked slightly worried.

Nick’s smile grew. “Fluff, you can push me anytime you want.”

“But I didn’t lis—”

Nick placed his thumb over her lips and cut her off. “Did I ever once say I didn’t want to be with you?” Judy shook her head and he asked, “Did I ever once say no or stop?” She shook her head again. “Did I try to leave?”

“Yes, and then I . . .” Judy’s voice dropped to a pained whisper, “. . . I grabbed you.”

With a raised eyebrow, Nick’s grin turned to a smirk. “That’s the part I regret the most . . .” Nick watched Judy’s expression and ears droop, and then added, “about leaving.”

Judy’s ears perked up again. “Huh?”

Grinning wide enough to show off his white canines, Nick explained, “Feeling your paw on my foxhood felt divine.”

“Really?” Judy squeaked. Remembering how he felt in her paw, even through his shorts, had both her nose and tail twitching in remembered pleasure and anticipation.

“Fluff, that had to be the greatest pleasure of my life and running out without letting you finish was more painful than the beating I took when I was twelve.”

Judy’s eyes widened as her mouth formed a perfect ‘O’.

“So, you don’t have anything to worry about, Carrots. If not for your gift arriving at 5, I would have pushed everything else to tomorrow and happily dropped my shorts for you.” Leaning forward again, he booped her twitching nose, and added, “So, don’t you dare feel guilty about this afternoon. It takes two to tango and I was a very, very willing and enthusiastic dance partner.”

Judy’s tail began twitching wildly again in happiness and joy. Reaching back up, she pulled Nick’s lips back down to hers and kissed him enthusiastically.

Nick kissed her back for several moments, then pulled back and grinned. “We’re good now about this afternoon, right?” Judy nodded, and Nick continued, “Good, because I need to clean your wound and then jump in the shower while it breathes before I show you your present.”

Judy’s tail began twitching again while thinking of her present and trying to guess what it was. It didn’t take Nick long with her leg and then he disappeared into the bathroom. Judy watched him vanish but wasn’t bothered this time by his quick retreat. Leaning back against the mahogany headboard with its intricately carved flower design, she let her mind wonder, with one part fondly remembering this afternoon while the other half was going crazy trying to figure out what Nick had planned for tonight.

With her mind in a muddled mess of one-part pleasured memories and one-part impatient curiosity, Nick exited the bathroom before she even heard the water turn on or off. Glancing at the clock, she realized she’d been daydreaming for nearly thirty minutes. Turning back toward the door, her eyes widened as she watched Nick’s fluffy tail disappear into his bedroom with only a towel hiding his hot foxy butt. Taking a deep breath as his door shut, she murmured, “Talk about eye-candy.” With a dreamy look on her face while remembering his soft, fluffy tail, Judy brought up her knee, rested her elbow on it, then rested her chin in her open palm. “I have to be the luckiest doe on the planet to catch the eye of such an eligible bachelor.” With a squeal of delight, she added, “My sisters are going to be green with envy when they realize how incredible Nick is.”

With a giggle, she wondered when Nick was going to take her flying. Could she maybe convince him to take her this weekend? She wouldn’t be walking if she was sitting in his gyrocopter, so there would be no strain on her leg at all. And if he did, would it be their first date, or did he have something else in mind? And of course, she still had to come up with a bunch of date ideas herself. It was exciting to realize she’d finally get to go on all those date ideas she’d tossed in a dusty box in her mind as nothing more than wishful thinking.

Lifting her chin, she rubbed it thoughtfully while thinking of her past date ideas. She always wanted to go ice skating and build snowbunnies in the wintertime. Maybe they could build a snow fort and have a snowball fight. That would be fun. Maybe they could even do a double date with Finnick and Amy. They could build forts and have snowball fight against Finn and her sister. That sounded like a lot of fun. Or even a doe vs todd fight. With a wild grin of glee, she squealed happily again. Oh, the possibilities.

Calming down a bit, she tilted her head slightly and thought of Autumn. Building huge leaf piles and jumping in was always fun, so building one with her boyfriend would be twice as nice. She also enjoyed hiking through the hills with the leaves turning brilliant colors of red, orange, and yellow, then stopping for a picnic—so going with Nick would be something special.

Before she could think of any summer ideas, Nick’s door opened and he walked out wearing black slacks that looked expensive, but no shirt. With a raised eyebrow as he stepped into her room, she asked, “Is this a new thing for you? Going around topless?”

Nick chuckled, then asked, “Are you complaining about the view?”

Judy’s eyes traveled over his fluffy chest as she ‘hmmed’ in appreciation. “Nope. No complaints. You are the sweetest eye-candy I’ve ever laid eyes on.”

Nick chuckled again as his tail wagged happily. “I’m glad you approve.” Grabbing the antibiotic spray and bandages off the dresser, he sat on her bed and said, “But no. I just don’t want to ruin the surprise.”

Judy folded her arms and pouted as Nick sprayed the medicine on her leg and began wrapping her leg. Even now, he was making her wait. She hated waiting.

Nick merely laughed quietly at her cute, pouty expression. But once he was done, he quickly leaned forward and kissed the fur between her ears. Pulling back, a huge grin spread across his face as he asked excitedly, “Are you ready for your present?”

“Nick, I’ve been ready.”

With an even wider grin, Nick hopped off her bed and sprinted into his room, then returned a moment later holding a shimmering dress that flared at the waist and was the color of shifting amethyst.

Judy’s jaw dropped. This had to be the most gorgeous dress she’d ever seen—and she didn’t even want to think about the price. “Nick, where did you get this?” she asked in awe as Nick stepped up to the bed so she could touch it. Feeling the soft (and expensive, she was sure) fabric, she doubted any of her sisters owned such an exquisite dress.

Many of them owned beautiful dresses, but nothing on this scale—even of the ones made in a similar style. The outer part of the dress was made of a light, shimmering, see-through amethyst fabric, with the under-fabric made of a soft, darker amethyst material that slid through her fingers like flowing water. This darker amethyst fabric also made up the short sleeves and was slightly ruffled as it traveled around the back and front of the dress to make up the collar, with the fabric in the front dipping slightly towards her heart with three small, fabric roses of the same darker amethyst with the same shimmering fabric covering the petals, which made them flicker between light and dark amethyst as they shifted in the bright light just like the rest of the dress.

“This is why we couldn’t finish this afternoon. Fru-Fru was having this dress delivered at 5 and I needed to be outside beforehand to meet her courier.”

“Fru-Fru had this delivered!?” Looking up with wide eyes to see Nick’s happy, teasing grin, she added, “How much did it cost?”

Nick shook his head. “Nothing. The Big’s own an exclusive clothing store that specializes in suits, tuxes, and dresses for special occasions. They have a lot of different styles you can walk in and buy off the rack, or you can have something specially made. I offered to buy the dress if Fru-Fru was willing to have it delivered, but she said it’d be a gift from her to you.”

“But this dress has to be expensive. Why would Fru-Fru just give it to me?” Coming from such a large family, giving expensive gifts rarely happened, and never to just one individual. Expensive gifts, when they were given at all, were to be shared by all. So, hearing Fru-Fru was just giving her (what she assumed was a small fortune by farmer or cop standards) such an expensive gift was mind boggling.

“Fru-Fru does have one condition, but the bottom line is . . . you are now family. And to Mr. Big, Family is everything. Money means nothing when it comes to taking care of family, and Fru-Fru is the same way. There’s nothing in this city you could possibly buy Fru-Fru that she couldn’t buy twenty or more of herself, but material goods have never been important to the Big family. They have money, so they buy things for convenience, but what they value is family. In saving Fru-Fru, you not only saved Mr. Big’s daughter but all the grandchildren she would give him.” Cupping Judy’s cheek, Nick added, “In essence, you saved not only his daughter, but his own life and legacy, for if Fru-Fru had died, Mr. Big’s light and life would have died with her, leaving him a shell of the shrew he is today. That’s not something you can put a price tag on.”

Nick watched Judy nod, then glance the dress over again in thought. With a soft smile, he continued, “Fru-Fru said you’d become the sister she never had, and as her sister, buying you a dress or two . . . or six . . . is nothing. As long as you’re happy, she’s happy.”

Judy started to nod, then froze a second and then looked up sharply to stare at Nick. “Wait. Did you just say six dresses? How—”

Nick placed his thumb over her mouth again, then said, “Don’t worry about the others. Tonight, you just need to focus on this dress. We’ll get to the other ones later.”

Judy twitched an ear, but then sighed in defeat. “Fine, I won’t question you about the others—yet.” Nick merely grinned and Judy asked, “So what condition does she have for gifting me this dress?”

Nick’s grin couldn’t get any bigger. “We just have to send her pictures of you in it . . . while on a date . . . with me.”

Judy’s breath caught as she tried to make sense of his words. Looking the dazzling dress over, she then looked at Nick’s expensive slacks, then back at the dress, then up to meet Nick’s burning emeralds. “That means . . . you mean . . . we’re having . . . ?”

Chuckling lightly at Judy’s dumbfounded expression and stuttering words, he asked, “Judy, my Love, will you join me on a date tonight?”

It took a moment for her brain to reboot at the unexpected question, but then she snapped her mouth shut for a moment before exclaiming, “Yes! Yes, yes, yes!”

Grinning happily, Nick set the dress on the blue-flowered quilt and reached forward to help Judy down. As she slipped her paws in his and hopped off the bed, he then bent down slightly to pick her up from the waist and carry her over to the full-length mirror hanging on the wall behind the door. Setting her down, he spun her around to face the mirror, then wrapped his tail around her hips to help stabilize her, then reached down to grab the hem of her hot-pink shirt.

“Nick!” Judy exclaimed while grabbing her shirt.

Nick lifted an eyebrow and said, “You want the dress on, don’t you?” At Judy’s slight nod, he added, “And, correct me if I’m wrong, but it was you who was demanding I take your clothes off just 2 hours ago. So, what’s the problem now?”

Judy nibbled on her lower lip as she realized Nick was right. But she couldn’t help her initial reaction to a male trying to take her clothes off. “I know you’re right, and a part of me is more than happy to have you take my clothes off . . .” My naughty side, she added to herself.

Nick flicked his ear as he watched her in the mirror in front of them. “But . . . ?”

Judy took a deep breath. “I’ve spent my whole life avoiding males seeing me and so my first reaction is to deny you.” Her hormones were no longer screaming at her, so her natural inhibitions returned.

Nick’s ears perked up and he tilted his head as he looked down at his honeybun. “So, your insistence this afternoon?” From their earlier discussions, he didn’t think she was one to run around in skimpy clothes like a lot of females were doing nowadays, but he hadn’t been completely sure. He wanted his honeybun to clarify what she meant, as well as work through her needless (to him) embarrassment. She’d already showed off her underwear to him, so what was the point of being embarrassed now? He was only helping her change into her dress, it wasn’t like he was asking her to wander around the house in her underwear—as enjoyable as that would be, he knew it would put way too many ideas in his head that he’d be hard-pressed not to act on.

With a grin, Judy reached over her shoulder and lightly punched Nick’s arm. “That’s because I had a ton of hormones flooding my system making it hard to think straight as my rational side was nowhere to be found.”

Knowing he was the first male to see so much of her soft fur and hot body had Nick grinning happily as he stated, “Do you know how sexy that makes you?”

Judy’s eyes widened and she tilted her head up to look at him. “Huh?”

With a happy, slightly predatory smile, Nick explained, “Knowing that I’m the only male to see you like this makes you even hotter in my eyes.” Slipping his paws under her shirt, he rubbed his paws and claws over and through the soft fur of her sides, back, and belly. “I mean, I knew I was the first male to touch you.” He leaned down and lightly rubbed his nose along the edge of her ear and grinned at her slight shiver. “And the first male to taste you.” Nick nibbled on the end of her ear, which brought a gasp from Judy. “But knowing I’m the only one to see so much of your hot body, to know that everything under this shirt is for my eyes only—you have no idea how hot and sexy that makes you.”

Judy stood stunned for a moment as she remembered many of her brothers and sisters teasing her for being such a prude. Jude the Prude was one of her most hated nicknames they gave her. At the time, she didn’t have anyone she wanted to impress, nor did she want to give any of the dumb bucks the idea that she was interested—but now—with Nick’s approval and appreciation, she was doubly glad she’d never caved to her sisters’ taunts or dares to wear more revealing clothes.

Reaching up, she ran her paw along Nick’s muzzle, then gently pulled his muzzle down to hers as she leaned back against his chest while tilting her head and lips up to meet his. As his lips neared her own, she murmured, “I think quite a few of my siblings would argue that point with you.”

“Mmm,” he murmured as he brushed his lips against hers, then pulled back slightly to say, “Your siblings are idiots whose opinions don’t matter, so why give them a second thought?”

“Good point.” Tugging his mouth back down to hers, she kissed him again, then felt him gently turn her around on her good foot before pulling her up against his fluffy chest as he deepened the kiss. Melting into the kiss, Judy wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. After getting her fill of her wonderful fox, she pulled back and grinned, saying, “Now let’s get that dress on me.”

With a matching grin, Nick answered, “Yes, Ma’am,” then pulled her shirt up over her head and tossed it on the bed behind him. Taking a step back while keeping his paws around her waist to steady her, he let his eyes rove over her body in appreciation. “Baby pink definitely suits you,” he murmured quietly while enjoying the contrast of her light pink bra and panties against her white and grey fur.

Judy’s ears turned a shade darker, but she wasn’t embarrassed, nor did she try and hide herself from the warm gaze of her mate (after this afternoon, she couldn’t see Nick as anything less). “I’m glad you approve,” she simply replied. “Now can I see my dress? I’m sure I look even better in that particular shade of purple.”

Nick chuckled as he turned around to carefully pick up her dress, saying over his shoulder, “I’m sure you do.” Returning to her side, he had her turn back around to face the mirror, then unzipped the back and dropped the dress in front of her. After she grabbed the dress at the shoulders, Nick gripped her waist and easily picked her up so she could slip her feet in the dress. As he set her down, Judy pulled the dress up and slipped her paws in the sleeves. As the dress settled around her lithe form, Nick zipped up the back and they both stared in awe at the way the dress hugged her tight, muscular curves and then flowed down around her thighs and knees while shimmering in the light as it shifted around her. The front of the dress came down to her knees, while the dress was several inches longer in the back which effectively framed her slender, yet powerful legs.

“It’s beautiful, Nick,” she whispered almost reverently. She’d never owned a dress that looked so stunning before, and the way Nick was looking at her had her heart beating fiercely with joy and happiness, while at the same time feeling like she was a princess of some faraway kingdom or a magical fairy. This beat any daydream she ever had about dating—and they hadn’t even started the date!

Nick shook his head and said, “You’re not beautiful, Judy, that word is much too tame to describe how you look.” Tilting his head, he studied her figure in the mirror a moment, then said, “You’re exquisite, Judy, and you completely take my breath away.”

Judy grinned even as her ears turned several shades darker. Remembering how she’d overheard a lot of bucks talking about wanting to have a helping of this doe or that doe who was wearing a hot dress, she asked, “Do I look good enough to eat?”

Nick took a step back and spun her around to face him (with the dress flaring out around her hips before falling back down around her legs). Looking her over with a critical eye, he answered, “Nope. There is no way I could eat you while you’re wearing that dress.” Judy’s ears drooped, but then he said, “You are way too good to eat.” Letting his eyes travel down and then up her body, he explained, “There’s no way I can have an indecent thought about you when you’re dressed as beautifully as you are now. You look like an angel or a fairy princess—someone to worship, not eat.” Meeting her gaze again, he added, “All we’re missing is a glowing halo or some sparkly fairy wings.”

Judy giggled as she felt her eyes start to mist. Even now, when a lot of males she’d met would want to objectify her to something to use for their own personal pleasure (bucko last night being a prime example), Nick was still seeing her as a mammal worthy of respect, someone to cherish. Stop, she told herself as tears threatened to leak. You’re Nick’s family now and this is just how he is, so just accept it and stop crying over every little thing he does or says. After her little pep talk, Judy took a deep breath and the tears dried up. Accepting his words with love, affection, and appreciation, she gave him a wide, happy smile, then took a limping step forward. Running her paws down his creamy chest, she looked up into his warm, emerald gaze and said in a soft, silky voice, “Well, if you won’t eat me, then maybe I should eat you.”

Nick chuckled. “I’m more than happy to let you eat me, but you’ll have to take that dress off first.” Leaning down to boop her nose, he added, “I’m serious. It’s hard to have indecent thoughts about you while you continue to take my breath away.”

Judy’s warm smile widened, then she leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss. “You’ll have to help me with the dress, but that’ll have to wait. I’m really excited about this date you have planned.” Booping his nose, she added, “Now hurry up and finished getting dressed so we can start.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” Nick said with a happy, dopy grin. Picking her up, he set her on the bed, then reached into his pocket and pulled out several cloth items, saying, “But first, these came with the dress.” Stooping down, he slipped a ring of roses around her ankle that matched the shimmering roses at the top of her dress. Standing back up, he then slipped a rose belt around her middle that highlighted her slender waist and finished with a ring of roses around the base of one of her ears.

Stepping back with his ears perked forward, he looked her over and said, “Wow. I didn’t think these accessories would make much of a difference with how stunning you already look, but those extra roses really make everything pop.”

Judy smiled brightly at him, but then Nick’s phone chimed to let him know he had a text message. As he fished it out of his back pocket, he grinned widely. “It looks like the last piece of our date just arrived, and right on time as always.”

“There’s more!?” Judy’s eyes widened in surprise as it showed, once again, how much thought and effort Nick put into everything he did for her.

Nick simply grinned. “The second most important part.” With a cheeky grin, he continued, “At first I thought it was the most important part, but seeing you in that dress has regulated it to number two.” Judy blushed slightly at the obvious compliment, and Nick fished the small makeup kit out of his other front pocket of his slacks. Handing it over, he said, “Fru-Fru sent this with the dresses. I don’t know if you wear any, but I thought I’d give you the option.” As Judy opened the black case and glanced over the eyeshadow and lip gloss, he added, “Either way, you look beautiful tonight.” Leaning down, he kissed her lightly on the lips then stepped back. “I need to get the door and then finish getting dressed, so I’ll see you in a few minutes.” Judy nodded and watched his tail disappear out the door, but as he rounded the staircase and started downstairs, he hollered to her, “Oh, and if you wear the lip gloss, I’ll have a hard time keeping my lips to myself.”

“What? Why?” she asked curiously.

With a laugh, Nick added, “Put some on and you’ll find out.” Then he was gone.

Looking down at the small makeup kit, Judy picked up one of the lip glosses and turned it over to read what it was, then laughed herself. “Blueberry! Of course, it had to be blueberry!” Setting it back down, she picked up the purple colored one and promptly put some on. Rubbing her lips together afterwards, she smacked her lips and grinned. “Let’s see if he doesn’t eat me now . . . or at least nibble on me. I’d be content with that.”

Chapter Text

Nick met Willie, along with two other waiters—a wolverine named Steve and a clouded leopard named Brianna—at the door, then led them around to the stairs leading to the balcony. After the food was set on the small, rounded, wooden table covered by a shimmering white tablecloth, Willie sent his fellow staff members back to the van so he could talk to Nick for a few minutes. Although he liked and trusted both Steve and Brianna (they used to hang out after work until most of the entertainment establishments began banning predators—who wanted to be locked in a dark movie theater when a predator went savage!?—but they still joined him occasionally on Wednesdays for some relaxed running), he hadn’t known them nearly as long, nor as well, as he did Nick. And there were certain topics that were best discussed with fewer ears listening in—such as the odd relationship his friend seemed to be in.

Once they were alone, Willie turned to his much smaller friend and opened his mouth, but before he could say a word, Nick spoke first. “To answer your questions, yes, this is a date, and yes it’s with Judy, and yes, we’re dating.”

Willie’s jaw dropped and his eyes widened, then he snapped his mouth shut even as he felt extremely glad that Steve and Brianna weren’t around. If they gossiped about it and some of the prey-persecuted predators overheard it, they would certainly form a lynch mob.

Scratching his head, then behind his black-tipped ear, Willie tried to make sense of Nick’s candid words. He never thought in a million years that the sly vulpine he’d known since high school would ever be in an interspecies relationship—especially not one with a prey species, and a rabbit at that. Then again, he thought Nick would forever be a bachelor, as he’d never showed interest in any vixen, not since that crush he had on Rosemary back on their high school track team. Of course, if he found love in the arms of a rabbit, that might explain why no vixen had ever caught his eye . . . But why did it have to be this rabbit?

The bunny Nick had introduced as Judy had looked familiar when they came to the restaurant last night, but it wasn’t till after they left that Willie realized the bunny with his friend was the same one who’d painted predators black and turned the city against them (she looked a lot different out of uniform). His family was extremely lucky they served a lot of predators and half the prey had been coming here for years, and so had built up a strong trust with them—which kept them coming back for the food they loved. But all the prey workers had up and quit on them. There hadn’t been many, but they had still relied on them, so when they left, he and his family had to scramble to replace them. Of course, there was now a surplus of predators looking for jobs who were now jobless (and homeless) for no other reason than they were predators.

Focusing his attention back on Nick, he asked quietly, “Judy is . . . Officer Hopps . . . isn’t she? The cop who slandered every predator in Zootopia and turned the city against us.”

Nick’s ears immediately disappeared behind his head. Taking a deep breath, he folded his arms and leaned against the deck railing. “Please don’t blame Judy for what happened 3 months ago. She’s as much a victim as the rest of us.”

Willie’s ears splayed sideways and nearly disappeared against his head fur as he spat out quietly (he knew how good bunny hearing was), “Victim! She’s prey! One of them!” He waved his paw off to the side as he indicated all the angry, fearful prey mobs that had been plaguing the city of late. He couldn’t even walk down the more prey populated areas of the city without having nasty, demoralizing comments leveled at him. And the larger prey mammals such as wildebeest and rhinos wouldn’t hesitate to step out of their way to ‘brush’ up against a predator and knock him to the ground. And if the predator tried to retaliate, he stood a good chance of spending the night in jail for disturbing the peace. And the fear of being chased and beaten was very real. He’d watched a couple of African wild dogs get chased down an alley and when they turned to defend themselves against the prey mob hounding them, they were not only beaten up (they did take a few prey mammals down with them), but were then hauled to jail on assault charges with very little medical attention given to them and their many injuries.

Nick’s territorial growl rumbled low in his chest as he stated, “No, she’s not.” At Willie’s incredulous look (he never expected Nick to get territorial over anyone, let alone a bunny), Nick explained, “I was there. I helped Judy find those missing mammals three months ago, and I promise you, she was set up by Bellwether just like we were. That psycho ewe threw Judy to the media sharks without a single word of advice in dealing with the press. That psychopath knew that with Judy’s backwater upbringing she’d say something stupid to further her terrorist plot without having to expose herself. Furthermore, Judy was merely repeating what we’d overheard the predator doctor state as the cause of the savage mammals back at the asylum where Lionheart was keeping all the savage predators.”

Taking a deep breath with his low growl still rumbling from his chest, Nick continued, “I also blame Chief Buffalo-Butt. He should have never allowed Bellwether to put Judy up there without being coached first. There are procedures for talking to the press and throwing a rookie out there,” Nick waved his paw, “on her fourth day on the job with absolutely no coaching was breaking all of them.” Nick jabbed his index finger towards the ground.

Taking another deep breath, Nick explained, “Not only did he set Judy up to fail on her first case to ensure she had to quit the force—which I’m happy to say didn’t succeed—but he also went along with that psychopath in setting up Judy again—not just to fail, but to take all of Zootopia down with her.” Crossing his arms across his chest, Nick’s ears were splayed back while his tail twitched irritably behind him.

Willie met Nick’s hard gaze for a moment, then turned and leaned over the deck railing. Looking out over the wide, expansive backyard with several large trees lining the fence along with a few smaller ones on either side of the garage, he thought about his friend’s words. This definitely painted a clearer picture of what was going on 3 months ago, but that still didn’t change the outcome of so many predators suddenly out a home and a job, with mobs of prey ganging up to beat and drive them out of the city. Glancing over at his friend, he asked, “And you’re fine with what she said at the press conference? It didn’t bother you at all?”

Nick growled as he raked his claws through his fur. “Of course, it bothered me! Like you, I was angry and hurt and felt betrayed. And when I questioned her about it afterwards, her answers showed just how specist and prejudice she really was. So, I scared her to prove just how little she really trusted me, then stormed off and disappeared. It was like 5 years ago all over again, but worse. I didn’t even answer my mom or Anya’s phone calls at all these past 3 months!” Taking a deep breath and rubbing his eyes, Nick muttered, “That was a mistake.” Shaking his head, he looked up to meet Willie’s stunned gaze, and said, “The point is, I was a mess after our little breakup, but Judy wasn’t any better. In a lot of ways, she was worse off than I was.”

Willie pricked his ears forward. “What do you mean?”

Nick took another deep breath, then glanced back at the house and pictured his stunning girlfriend in there. Talking about her depression seemed almost a betrayal of her trust, but he trusted Willie, and if he could convince him that Judy was a victim, too, then maybe Willie would be able to help other predators realize it, as well. Although he hadn’t been in public much the last few months, he didn’t need his excellent fox hearing to hear the whispers of disgruntled predators wanting to hurt Judy for her statement three months ago. She was now a public figure who had made some very damaging statements that hurt a lot of mammals, so it was going to take a lot of effort to turn her public image around.

Slowly breathing out, he finally answered his friend, “Judy didn’t receive any support from her fellow officers, and with her guilt eating her up inside, she wasn’t sleeping great, nor was she eating properly. And then two weeks ago, Bellwether wanted to make her the poster child of the ZPD. She couldn’t take it, so she turned in her badge and went back to Bunnyburrow. She sank into depression upon arriving home, with her sleeping a lot and only eating when her family was around to watch her.”

Willie turned his attention back to the yard and watched the light breeze ruffle the leaves of the trees and bushes growing in Nick’s backyard as the sun slowly dropped towards the horizon, though it would be a couple hours more before it reached its bed for the night. Taking a deep breath, he slowly let it out while he considered the past, the present, and the future. The bunny Nick was describing was a lot different than the one on the news 3 months ago, or the happy go-lucky bunny he’d met last night at the diner.

At his friend’s continued silence, Nick added, “But even with her depression, the second she found out the real reason behind the predators going savage, she came back to fix her mistake, and she nearly died several times just so she could prove how wrong she was and that it was a psychotic sheep we had to fear—not predators.” Taking another breath, Nick whispered, “So, please don’t hold it against her. Judy learned from her mistake, completely changed her ways, and is doing everything she can to fix what she broke. She’s not the same mammal she was three months ago.”

Willie flicked his ear as he nodded. “I’ll try. It won’t be easy. My family isn’t doing too bad since we own the restaurant, but the same can’t be said for a lot of predators. You should see the line that shows up every night at closing time to get a helping of the leftovers we have left. It’s heartbreaking to see so many good, honest predators suffering because of what that rabbit said.”

Nick’s ears folded back as he knew Willie was right. “Judy can’t change the past, but together, we’ll do everything we can to make sure the future is a brighter one for predators. So, please, give her a chance. Give us a chance. Judy asked me to be her partner on the force and I’ve agreed. Bogo has already approved my application and I’m scheduled to enter the ZPA November 1st. By this time next year, I’ll be the first fox officer of the ZPD working side-by-side with the first bunny officer. If that doesn’t change public opinion about predators, then I don’t know what will.”

Willie’s eyes widened for a moment as this was the last thing he could ever imagine coming from Nick’s mouth. Dating a bunny was crazy enough, but now he says he’s going to be a cop while working alongside the bunny! Cops hated foxes and discriminated against them in the worst of ways. And with Nick’s history, why would he even consider joining the blue? Not only did the cops do about his dad and brother’s murders (he’d heard about them from Anya), but Nick had once worked for the mob. Did Judy know about that? Would Nick even tell a cop about that?

“Does Judy know about your time with the mob?” he asked softly, almost afraid it might be a taboo subject if the bunny was still in the dark about it.

Nick merely grinned. “I told her about it. Not all, obviously, but I told her the important stuff.”

“And she’s fine with it? She’s not bothered by your connection to the Tundratown’s most notorious criminal organization?”

Nick snorted. “Bothered? Not even close.” Shaking his head as he thought about Judy having him drag Weaselton to Big’s mansion in order to get him to talk, Nick then chuckled at the memory of the weasel’s groveling expression. “I don’t have to worry about my past when it comes to Judy. I trust her and she trusts me, and everything else is water under the bridge.”

Willie nodded, then stared out over the meadowlands that opened up behind Nick’s tall, wooden backyard fence. It was beautiful and peaceful here, with fresh air and a gentle breeze. If nothing else, he should probably thank the rabbit for bringing Nick home. Five years was a long time to be absent. Taking a deep breath, he glanced back at his small, red friend and wondered about the future the rabbit had opened to him. A fox cop! He never imagined that a fox would be allowed to wear a badge, but then again, he never expected a rabbit to wear one either. Perhaps together, they could show the city that predator and prey could live and work in harmony. Stepping back from the railing, he said, “Congratulations on getting accepted into the Academy. I expect an invitation to your graduation.”

With a wide, happy grin as his tail swayed behind him, Nick said, “Don’t worry. I’ll have Judy personally hand-deliver it.”

Willie chuckled, then said, “I better get going before the food gets cold.”

Nick nodded back, but then said, “Oh, wait. Before you go, can you help me carry one little thing up from downstairs?” Holding his thumb and pointer finger an inch apart, he then folded his ears back and gave Willie a pleading look.

Willie flicked his ear while raising an eyebrow. “Little?” Why would Nick need help carrying something little up?

Nick shook his paws out. “Okay, it’s the chair from the living room. We’re doing dinner and a movie tonight, and I want something comfortable for us to sit in.”

“You mean you want an excuse to cuddle with her,” Willie replied as he followed Nick down the stairs.

“Of course! That chair is wolf-sized so it’s the perfect size for two small mammals such as ourselves to snuggle up to each other while watching the movie.” Growing up, he’d always thought the chair was too large for their much smaller size, but Honey insisted on keeping it as she had several friends and colleagues who were larger than they were. After her death, he’d debated on whether to keep it or not as he never saw himself entertaining a lot of guests (his mom, Anya, and Finnick were the only ones he ever invited over), but now, he was sooo glad that he’d kept it. He might just dub it his and Judy’s snuggle chair.

While following his friend, Willie tilted his head slightly while trying to picture a rabbit wanting to snuggle with a fox. Although the bunny cop had been quite comfortable with Nick last night and stated how she couldn’t be anywhere safer, to say she wanted to snuggle with the fox was something quite different. “Are you sure she’s going to be okay with sitting so close to you? I know you said you’re dating and all, but you guys haven’t known each other very long, have you? And she is a rabbit. The fact she feels safe with you is an amazing feat by itself.”

Nick was nearly to the foot of the stairs when Willie asked his question, and he paused on the step, then turned to look up at his much larger friend (who looked even taller as he was standing several steps above him on the stairs). Cocking his head while a huge, smug grin spread across his muzzle, Nick asked, “You think Judy might be bothered by sitting so close to me?”

Willie held his tongue as the look on his friend’s face said Nick was about to have a good laugh at his expense. And he did. Willie’s eyes widened as Nick started laughing, then doubled over and grabbed the railing with one paw while holding the other paw over his stomach. His friend was laughing so hard, he probably would have taken a tumble down the last of the stairs if he hadn’t grabbed the railing. Willie could hardly believe his friend was laughing so hard, as he hadn’t heard Nick laughing so openly or happily in years—probably over six years now. “Um, Nick, are you okay?”

It took several more moments for Nick to collect himself and rein in his laughter. Standing up again, he wiped tears from his eyes and muttered, “Woo, that’s funnier tonight than it was last night.” Turning around again to look up at his friend (smug grin still in place), he asked, “Do you know what we would be doing right now if I hadn’t been expecting a delivery at 5 from Fru-Fru Big?” At Willie’s incredulous (and slightly worried) look, Nick quickly clarified, “And no, I am not back in with the Bigs. Judy saved Fru-Fru’s life her second day on the job and she’s now considered part of the family.”

Willie’s jaw dropped. Although he never had any dealings with the mob, he knew his red friend had once worked for the infamous mob boss and his gang of polar bears. He had worried about Nick having a run-in with the cops while working for the powerful arctic shrew, so it made him eternally grateful when he heard his friend had gotten out of that line of work (he never did hear the details of what made Nick quit, only that he quit after Honey’s death—Nick quit a lot of things after Honey’s death).

At the time Nick had signed on to work for the tiny shrew, Willie had found it surprising enough—he had just finished law school the year before!—but now . . . to hear how the bunny cop was also tight with the notorious shrew just boggled his mind and explained why Nick wasn’t too worried about her knowing of his past dealings with the Bigs.

Interrupting his friend’s worried thoughts, Nick continued, “Anyways, if not for Fru-Fru’s delivery weighing on my mind, I would have scrapped tonight, moved the date to tomorrow night, and would be up in her room right now being very . . . knotty.” Nick’s smirk couldn’t be any bigger nor smugger as he watched the incredulity cross Willie’s feline face. Turning around, he walked down the last few steps and around the fence to the front of the house, all while leaving his large friend standing in a daze on the stairs.

Willie finally gathered his thoughts enough to run after the smug vulpine. Rounding the fence, he caught up to Nick as he hopped up the front porch steps “Seriously!? You and Judy were . . . I mean, she was fine with it!? With you!?

“She insisted.” Nick reached the top step with a light step as he headed towards the front door.

“Your teeth and claws didn’t scare her?” Willie still couldn’t believe that a rabbit, Officer Hopps, wanted Nick to put his paws and sharp claws all over her. And with Nick being a predator, of course he’d be using his teeth to tease and excite her.

Nick chuckled. “Everything predatory and foxy about me excites her.”

“And your size! That doesn’t intimidate her? She has to know you’re several sizes bigger than any buck she’s been with.”

Nick froze halfway to the front door at his friend’s words. Willie’s first two questions were funny, but this last comment wiped the smug grin off his face and replaced it with a scowl, even as a low growl started in his chest while his fur puffed out and stood on end.

Willie froze, too, as he sensed and heard the change in his friend’s demeanor. With his ears folded back, he watched Nick turn around and glare at him. Since Nick was on the porch while he still stood on the ground, it put their eye level much closer together. Seeing the cold fury smoldering in the red vulpine’s emerald eyes, Willie gulped.

“Bucks? Why does everyone automatically assume Judy lives up to the rabbit stereotype? Especially when they find out she’s with me?” Scowling at his tall friend, Nick curled his paws into fists at his side and stated, “Judy isn’t some floozy who bed hops with whatever buck catches her eye—that would be one of her buck-crazy sisters.” Taking a deep breath, Nick added, “As it stands, I’m the first male Judy has ever kissed, the first male she’s ever snuggled with, and the first male she’s ever gotten excited about. Furthermore, I’m her first boyfriend and this date I have planned tonight will be the second date she’s ever been on, with the first one bombing horribly as she sent her date to the hospital after finding out he only asked her out because he made a bet to steal her first kiss!” Nick stood glaring at his friend a moment longer, then turned and strode into the house with the door slamming behind him.

Willie cringed at the loud bang, then cautiously climbed the stairs. Nick had always been cool, calm, and calculating—not this short-tempered fluffball of irritation (that was always Finnick’s department). Not that he’d ever call Nick or Finnick a fluffball to their face. With a shiver while thinking of his angry friend, Willie quietly slipped inside the house. Seeing Nick standing in the living room with his ears laid back, his paws still in fists, and his tail twitching irritably, Willie shuffled his feet a moment as his own tail flicked nervously. “I’m sorry, Nick,” he mumbled, “It’s just . . . I’m sorry.”

Nick took a deep breath, then slowly released it, and with it went all the tension in his body. Raising his paw, he squeezed the bridge of his nose and said, “I’m sorry, too. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. I know you didn’t mean anything by it.” Turning around, Nick gave Willie a sheepish grin and explained, “I’m not used to having a mate and I’m finding myself irrationally protective of Judy.” Shaking his head, he added, “And today wouldn’t have even happened if Judy hadn’t asked about the jerk from last night and why I asked you to keep an eye on him.” Taking a deep breath, he tried to smother the instinctive rage he felt at the idea that the jackrabbit might try and rape his honeybun. “Just the thought of him touching her, of hurting her in anyway, had me wanting to smother her in my scent so strongly no male would even think of coming within fifty feet of her.”

Willie’s ears perked up. “Wow, Nick, you really have it bad, don’t you?” Realizing Nick already saw Judy as his mate and was wanting to mark her told the cougar just how strong his friend’s feelings were and explained why Nick acted so hostile to him just now. If nothing else, red foxes were highly protective of their mates and wouldn’t hesitate to fight to protect them.

Nick gave a slight chuckle and shrugged, “Yeah.” As he glanced around the room, Nick spied the thick, dark-blue chair they’d come in to get. “Oh, right. We need to get this chair up to the deck. Dinner’s probably getting cold by now.” With the thought of a cold dinner weighing on his mind, Nick was quiet as they carried the soft, padded chair upstairs, with Willie doing all the carrying while Nick got the door and held the front legs up as his friend carried it up the stairs.

Once they had it situated in front of the table, Nick turned to Willie and held out his paw. “Thanks, Willie, for everything. For giving Judy a chance and for giving us a chance.”

Willie looked at Nick’s paw for a moment, then pushed his paw aside before engulfing the red fox in a lion’s hug. “Just don’t be a stranger anymore,” Willie rumbled with a bit of purr. It had been a long time since he’d seen Nick so carefree and open. If this is what Nick was like with the rabbit around, then he’d do whatever he could to support them, especially if Hopps really did change as Nick stated.

Nick groaned under the crushing hug but didn’t fault his friend. Willie always had an open, fun-loving personality and was extremely loyal to his close friends. “I won’t,” Nick mumbled into his friend’s broad chest.

Willie set his friend back down, then grinned at him, saying, “I expect to see some pictures of tonight.”

Nick nodded, then watched Willie run back down the stairs to rejoin his friends and coworkers from the diner. After Willie left, Nick slipped back into his room to quickly get dressed. He couldn’t wait to start the date.

********

Judy sat on the bed and twiddled her thumbs while waiting for Nick to return. She’d put the makeup on and liked the way it brought out her eyes and matched the colors of the dress, then she heard muffled voices out on the deck, then silence before the front door slammed downstairs. She jumped when she heard it, then worried about what it meant. If Nick was slamming doors, then something—or someone—had angered him. And if he was angry, did that mean he’d call off the date? Judy tightened her paws into fists even as her nose started twitching for her instincts were telling her to jump up and go investigate. But with her leg the way it was, not to mention the dress she was currently wearing, jumping up and doing anything really wasn’t feasible.

Calm down, Judy. Nick won’t call off your date no matter who irritates him, she reasoned with herself. Nick isn’t some two-bit buck who will ditch you on your first date. Quite of few of her sisters (at various times in their dating career) had been ditched after getting all dressed up for a date with some buck or other. Judy would never forget the look of rejection and dejection on their faces when they got the call or text message from their date with the buck claiming he couldn’t make it. The worst, though, was when her sister arrived but the buck never showed. Or her sister was left standing (and then sitting) on the front porch waiting to be picked up for a date that never happened. The no-shows didn’t happen often, but they weren’t rare either, not with the large number of bunnies living in Bunnyburrow.

But that wasn’t something she would ever have to worry about with Nick. It just wasn’t in his nature. Remembering this afternoon and the way Nick ran his paws, claws, teeth and tongue over her body while staring at her with that hungry, predatory look of his, and then the sweet words he said when he came in a short while ago to wrap her bandage and help her into her dress, Judy knew Nick wouldn’t leave her hanging.

Raising her paw, she ran her fingers over her lips while remembering his heated kisses. After several moments of fond memories, she smoothed her dress down again, then gripped her paws together and after a moment, began twiddling her thumbs again. It seemed like an eternity before she heard Nick leave his room.

Looking up as he hurried around the stair railing, her eyes widened into amethyst moons, even as all her doubts and worries scurried out of sight. Nick was still wearing his black slacks, but with them, he now wore a black, short-sleeved suit shirt (she was sure it was silk) with a dark and light marble emerald vest and a purple tie that shifted from dark to light amethyst as the light moved across it.

As he came into the room, Judy breathed, “Wow, Nick.” Letting her eyes travel over his slender, predatory physique, she could feel herself start to drool. Yep, I can definitely drool over my hot fox all day long—especially dressed as he is right now. Grabbing her phone, she quickly opened the camera and snapped a picture.

Nick grinned, then replied, “Wow—back at you. That eyeshadow really makes your eyes pop. You’re definitely a fairy princess.”

Judy beamed at him, and as he stepped up to the bed to help her up, she rubbed her paws across the thick, rich fabric of his marbled green vest and asked, “Still too good to eat?”

Nick leaned back and looked her over, then answered, “Yep. No way to have an indecent thought while you’re in that dress.”

“Not even a little nibble?” she practically whined while her eyes danced with playful teasing.

“Mmmm,” Nick murmured while glancing her over again, then finally settled with, “Well, maybe your ears. I might nibble on them.”

Judy grinned while slipping her paws around his neck, then whispered, “And now?” against his lips just before kissing him.

Nick leaned into the soft kiss, then groaned as he registered the flavor. Pulling back, he licked his lips and said, “You are so evil. How am I supposed to resist your taste mixed with blueberries?”

Judy giggled. “You’re not, silly.” Humming happily, she lightly rubbed her nose against his and added, “I’m not going to ask you to eat me, but I definitely want you to nibble on me during our date.”

Nick grinned back at her. “Are you this forward with all your foxy first dates or am I just special?” he asked, knowing this was the last first date she would ever have.

Playing with the longer fur at the base of his ears, Judy replied, “Considering you’re my one and only foxy first date . . .” Judy tilted in thought, then finished with, “It’s just you.” With a warm smile, she added, “You’re definitely special.” Tilting her head the other way as she looked him over, she added, “Special in a roguishly handsome, bad boy sort of way.”

“Roguishly! I get the handsome part since I am devilishly handsome, but what part of me is roguish? And bad boy? Really?” Nick raised an eyebrow at her, but the playful humor sparkling in his deep emeralds couldn’t be hidden.

“Yes, roguish—your paws and claws are criminal in their touch and are constantly stealing my breath away. And as for a bad boy—your teeth and tongue are sinful in their ability to drive me crazy with desire. So how are you anything but a bad boy?” Leaning forward, and with a smirk of her own, she whispered, “And a little birdie did tell me you used to be a conmammal and once worked for a notorious mob boss.” With a cute, innocent expression, Judy batted her eyelashes and asked, “Isn’t that the very definition of a bad boy?”

Nick’s jaw dropped briefly, and then he laughed. Dipping his muzzle down, he stole a kiss. After a moment, he deepened the kiss as he made sure to get a good taste of his honeybun to go with the blueberry on her lips. And as her small lapin tongue gently teased his much larger vulpine tongue, he couldn’t help but feel warmth and happiness that the worries and fears Willie had about their relationship had absolutely no basis in reality.

As he pulled back from the slow, deep kiss, Nick licked his lips again, then asked, “You ready for this date?”

Judy laughed. “I already told you: I’ve been ready.” Grinning as Nick picked her up, she wrapped her arms more tightly around his neck as he carried her to the balcony door, but as he opened it up, she asked, “Who were you talking to earlier?” At his questioning look, she explained, “I heard muffled voices earlier, and then the front door slammed.” She bit her lip briefly, then added softly, “I was afraid you might cancel the date when I heard it.”

Nick had stepped outside and shut the door behind him while she spoke, but at her last comment, he looked at her sharply and answered, “Judy, my Love, there is no way I’m canceling our date tonight. Especially seeing what I had to give up this afternoon in order to make it happen.” Nick smirked at Judy’s blush, but then answered, “Willie was catering our dinner and he might have had a few concerns about us dating.” With his ears flicking back, Nick explained, “He realized you were the rabbit cop from the press conference.”

“Oh,” Judy murmured softly, with her own ears dropping against her back. She knew she had messed up royally three months ago, and she couldn’t get it out of her mind the news feeds of predators being kicked out of their prey-owned apartment buildings, or fired from their prey-managed jobs, or the long lines of predators at the unemployment offices seeking work or aid. There had even been a mass exodus of predators leaving the city and seeking a new life elsewhere. And besides the protests she’d had to break up when she still wore her badge, she’d seen a lot of prey harassing predators and then calling for the cops when the predators defended themselves. It was awful. And knowing Bellwether was the one behind the savage attacks did little to assuage her feelings of guilt at tearing the city apart.

Nick nodded sadly as he reached up with one paw to caress her ears (he was still holding her with the other paw), and said, “But I explained how Bellwether set you up just as she did us predators. You can’t change the past, Fluff, but I assured Willie that you are doing everything you can to improve the future.”

Judy stared blankly at Nick’s chest while idly playing with the fur at the back of his neck while enjoying the feel of Nick’s strong, warm paws on her ears. At least there was one predator in the city who didn’t hate her even if she did still hate herself for what she said and what happened as a result. “It doesn’t feel like I’ve done enough. I caught Bellwether and exposed her plot, but there’s still a lot of predators suffering.”

“True. But you are making a difference. Asking me to be your partner on the force is a huge step forward—not only for foxes—but us smaller, under-appreciated predators all over Zootopia. The fact Bogo even approved my application to enter the Academy is a historic feat. Five, ten years ago—that would have never happened—and it’s all thanks to you.”

Seeing a ghost of a smile touch Judy’s mouth as she pictured him in uniform, Nick dipped his muzzle to nuzzle the base of her ears, then said softly but confidently, “And if we can show the city that predator and prey can work together and how our differing strengths make us a better team, then like you said today—the city will have to take notice and things should start to change for the better.” With a warm smile as she finally looked up to meet his loving emeralds, he added, “Especially if we find more couples like us.”

Judy nodded with a soft smile, even as she wondered what other species might find their mate on the other side of the food chain. Before she could get lost in thought, though, Nick started walking again and interrupted her imaginings. Remembering the loud bang from earlier, she tilted her head in curiosity and asked, “So why did you slam the door earlier?”

Nick paused and took a deep breath, then slowly let it out. “Willie was surprised to hear how close we were and that you were so comfortable being with a predator. After assuring him that you had absolutely no fear of me or any of my predatory ways, he made a specist comment about how I was much bigger than any of the bucks you’d been with in the past and wanted to know if you realized it yet.”

“Oh,” Judy murmured as her ears drooped.

“Yeah, ‘oh’,” Nick responded with his own ears splayed back. “Needless to say, I blew up at him and stormed into the house.” With his tail lashing irritably behind him, he exclaimed, “I mean, yes, you’re a bunny! And yes, rabbits are thought to be promiscuous! But why does everyone automatically assume you fall into that category? Especially after finding out we’re together.” With an annoyed growl, he added, “Why do mammals think you’re just some buck-crazy doe once they realize you’re dating a fox?”

Judy shrugged, but then thinking about the small group of her buck-crazy sisters (out of over a hundred sisters, there were less than twenty who played around, with about the same number of her brothers), she commented, “As they say, a few bad apples spoils the whole bunch.”

“That’s for sure,” he replied while thinking the saying applied to foxes and the false idea that they were all born shifty thieves and liars. Going back to Willie and his comment, Nick explained further, “Willie did follow me into the house and apologized, and I did too.” Glancing at Judy, he added, “Willie wasn’t saying you were sleeping around, per se, but he assumed you had a few boyfriends in the past and had slept with them.”

Although he wouldn’t care if Judy had a boyfriend or two in the past, the idea that she’d settle for a short-term fling or degrade herself by giving in to bucks who merely wanted to use her felt like an insult to her intelligence, her sense of commitment, and her stubborn determination. He barely knew her 3 days and it was obvious to him that when Judy decided on anything that it was with her whole heart and soul. She didn’t do anything halfway—and he couldn’t see that being any different with her relationships.

If she’d had a boyfriend in the past and cared about him enough to sleep with him, Nick was fairly positive she’d still be with him—and probably married, to boot, with a hoard of little ones running under foot. Which meant, she probably wouldn’t have become a cop, he wouldn’t have met her (that thought stung his heart), and Bellwether’s insidious plot would still be moving forward as it turned Zootopia into a living Hell.

With a flick of his ear while pushing that dark thought back down, Nick went over his and Judy’s conversation from last night when they were discussing marriage—for her, it was all or nothing. She wouldn’t settle for a relationship she wasn’t a 100 percent sure would last. Which was one of the reasons he fell so hard for her. With all the disappointments in his life, she was someone he could rely on unconditionally.

Judy nodded while thinking. After a moment, she dug her fingers into Nick’s fur again and scratched his neck. “I don’t know. I’ve never had boyfriend before, but if I had, Willie’s assumptions might have been right.” At Nick’s raised eyebrow, she explained, “I’d like to think not, but even though we’ve only been dating a single day, I was quite determined this afternoon to share my bed with you.” With a cheeky grin, she then added, “Of course, I have quite the arsenal built up against pushy, pawsy bucks, but you, Mr. Fox,” (she booped his nose), “I have absolutely no defenses against. With your criminal paws and sinful tongue, I’m completely powerless against you.” Leaning forward as she pulled his muzzle down, she ran her nose and lips against the side of his muzzle and whispered, “You slipped past my carefully constructed defenses, took my breath away, stole my heart, and left me a needy, whimpering mess.” Running her lips and nose up to his ear, she asked softly, “So what do you have to say for yourself, Mr. Fox?”

Nick flicked his ear as her hot breath caressed his inner ear, even as his tail swished excitedly behind him, then chuckled. Licking his nose, he answered, “I’m guilty as charged, so you better lock me up and throw away the key.”

“Hmmm, yes, I’m going to have to, my devilishly handsome bad boy.” Running her nose back down his cheek and along his muzzle, she nipped his chin (which sent a shiver down his spine), and said, “But it won’t be any fun unless I’m locked up with you.” Nipping the soft spot under Nick's chin had his tail wagging in anticipation, even as she added, “I’ll have to place us both under house arrest.”

Nick’s eyes widened for a second, then he threw his head back and laughed. Dropping his head back down, he met her puzzled gaze and lowered ears, then moved his muzzle over to her ear and whispered, “If you’re placing us under house arrest, does that mean we get to play with your pawcuffs?”

Judy’s ears turned beet red and her nose started twitching frantically as she sputtered, “No! I mean . . . maybe . . . I don’t know?” Reaching up to grab her ears, she groaned, “Nick, now you are putting weird ideas in my head!” Hearing him chuckle, she glanced up to see his ears cocked forward as he seriously considered the idea. Tilting her head slightly as her nose slowed down to a slight twitch, she asked, “You really want to?”

Nick glanced her over, then answered, “It’s not something I’ve ever considered before—mainly because I’ve never had anyone I wanted to do anything with—but,” Nick shrugged, “with you, I’m sure we can find something fun to do with them.”

Judy scrunched her nose up as she asked, “You’re not into any of that kinky stuff, are you?”

Nick chuckled while shaking his head. “I promise, nothing kinky. It’s just,” he tilted his head slightly with one of his ears half-cocked, and continued, “you are a cop and if we’re going to be under house arrest, playing with pawcuffs seems to be a given, don’t you think?”

“Well, I guess,” Judy murmured while looking at Nick and trying to think of something she could do to him with pawcuffs. Besides pawcuffing perps, she never really thought of using them for anything else. She certainly never wanted to use them on any buck she met—not unless it was to handcuff him to a fence or lamppost so he’d stop annoying her with cheesy one-liners and horrible pick-up lines. Then again, if she pawcuffed Nick to the bed, she could do a whole lot of fun things to him. She wondered how ticklish he was.

Seeing Judy’s studious expression while seriously considering his impromptu idea, Nick chuckled again and said, “Fluff, you are truly a doe after my own heart.”

Judy’s ears perked back up and she smiled. “Really?”

Nick nodded while meeting her warm gaze with a predatory one of his own. “Really, really,” he answered while slipping one paw up the back of her head to lightly grip her ears. With a gentle tug, her head tilted back and her small muzzle opened. Hearing the cute gasp from his honeybun, Nick wasted no time in dipping his head down to capture her delectable mouth with his own.

Judy groaned into the heated kiss and wrapped her arms more tightly around his neck, even as she pushed herself higher in his arms. She was so lost in the sudden, hungry kiss that she wasn’t even aware that Nick had started walking again until he plopped down in a chair and broke the kiss off.

“Okay,” Nick said, “we’re on a date now—you a magical fairy princess, and me—” Nick paused in thought, then said, “Well, I don’t know that I’d call myself a fairy prince.” Cocking his head at his honeybun, he asked, “What would you call me?”

Judy hummed happily as she leaned back slightly to get a better look at Nick. Raking her eyes down his vested chest and back up to meet his bright emeralds, she tilted her head and said, “A fairy princess captured by her demon prince.”

Nick’s jaw dropped. “Where do you get off calling me a demon prince?”

Judy gave him a cheeky grin and replied, “Well, not only are you devilishly handsome,” Judy poked him in the chest, saying, “—your words, not mine—” then continued after sliding her paws up to wrap around his neck. “You also have the sharp teeth and claws to match. And then you were quite devious in getting back at Nakita and Stan for trying to kill you. The fact you survived at all shows how strong you are.” Scratching behind his ears, Judy leaned toward one of his ears and whispered, “I have heard demon princes are hard to kill.”

Pulling back slightly to meet his playful smile and teasing gaze, Judy continued her explanation. “Seeing how you played not only my brother, but Bogo, this afternoon was ingenious and fiendish in your execution and dark powers of persuasion.” Chuckling while remembering Bogo’s and her brother’s expressions after being played by Nick, Judy said, “Furthermore, you captured this enchanted fairy princess and hauled her to your demon’s den where you plan to devour her.” With her cheeky grin spreading, she added, “And with your criminal paws and sinfully delightful tongue, I’m powerless to stop you.” Rubbing her nose lightly against his own, she added, “So what does my demon prince plan to do with this poor, defenseless fairy princess?”

“Poor!? Defenseless!?” Nipping at Judy’s jaw, Nick added, “I admit I was quite dominant this afternoon, but you weren’t exactly weak, either.” Reaching up to gently pull Judy’s paw down to his mouth, he lightly licked her knuckles, then nipped her fingertips before continuing, “As I recall, your last move nearly did me in. One more hit like that and I would have crumbled before you and been left at your mercy.” With a smirk, he added, “And if that had happened, I don’t think you would have shown me any.”