Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters of Nutjob but I do own the villain, Falcon. I own the plot too.
Before it's too late.
The rain drizzled softly in the town of Oakton as the town folk and the wildlife kept themselves separate in their ways of survival from a cloud burst such as this. The skies were grey and dull, the rain was soft yet it soaked all who stood beneath the harsh layer of clouds and it was one of the occasional rainfalls this town endured.
"New beginnings are what this world is about." A familiar voice narrated and dubbed over the strangely breathtaking scene "They come in all shapes and sizes and have many meanings. It can mean someone starting a family or have a sentimental reason. Mine has a very great reason."
We scroll towards a small tree with red leaves, had a flimsy trunk and wasn't impressive in the least and it even had a small nut cart underneath it and it barely stood out to the rest of the serene rainy day as they gloomy skies darkened around the area as if it sensed the minor crime that was about to be committed. But while human's found this weather an either calming time or even a depressing time, the animals found this cloud to have a silver lining. A rather big one, especially the leader of the heroes of Liberty park.
"...But sometimes new beginnings can find us when we least expect it."
Inside a tree with soaking wet lush leaves that stood proudly above a small sales cart beneath it provided the perfect camouflage for a certain species of squirrel and his loyal friend; a rat.
"...Wish me luck for this one, Buddy." A purple squirrel gave his thin rat friend a salute before he performed a sky dive down towards a nut cart. A year or so ago, if you told Surly squirrel that he would cease caring about himself and provide for the park then he would've laughed about it until he was beginning to grey with old age.
Out of all the years that both Surly and Buddy were best friends, never had either of them thought they'd live to see this day in spite of the sour weather of the joyous special occasion. The moist air became condensed in Surly's prune coloured fur coat as his cream underbelly complimented this special colouring.
But this wasn't close enough to be funny, let alone be labeled as a joke. Surly and Buddy had indeed become the self-proclaimed Liberty park food gatherers and they even sometimes had help from the loyal members of the Groundhog siblings, Andie, Grayson and even Mole; whom was still electing a new leader to stick with the park law.
The winter passed surprisingly quickly for everyone and despite this, there was still the slight ice and freezing climate that lingered and made things more difficult as Buddy slowly lowered Surly down towards the cart by tugging on a shoelace that was tied around the unlikely hero's thin waist and slowly making sure he was going down safely whilst he planted both pads of his pink-skinned feet firmly on the tree branch whilst a worried frown plastered itself on the thin rat's face.
Luckily, there was a newly built giant clock tower just beside the nut shop where all of this began which Buddy could constantly spare a sideways glance to as to keep a sharp eye on the time. This was supposed to take 3 minutes if everything went according to plan and if Buddy recalled correctly then this meant that none of the plans they came up with went according the plan. The silent rat kept his footing steady upon the branch he stood on as his fur became drenched in the rain that showered down upon the town.
He took a deep inhale of that sweet moist scent in the air. Buddy loved the rain, unlike other rats, and felt beside himself with joy and relaxation! It was this kind of weather when Buddy used to sit beside Surly, despite his sour nature, and reflect on how lucky they are to have each other. He knew that Surly loved those kind of those deep on the inside and now he showed how much he appreciated his company.
The thinly built rat glanced towards the clock once to discover that already a minute had passed and Surly was already gathering some nuts inside a bucket he meant to donate to the park as he stood proudly while scooping up many nuts at once into his arms before dropping it into the bucket.
Buddy's big round ears lifted keenly whilst he listened to the rain trickling upon the leaves above him to cause a soft bunch of rivulets to fall around and sometimes on him. He felt the droplets of rain trickle down against his back as he stared down at Surly's soaking wet form that had more drops of rain dampening his prune fur further if possible. The cart was becoming bronze with a thick layer of rust due to the fact that rain and metal was a volatile combination and the purple squirrel was dimly aware of this dramatic change of footing as he continued scavenging around for nuts.
Buddy's large round eyes widened immensely at the time that shown upon the time the clock tower revealed. They were already half a minute late! Giving a loud whistle to grab the squirrel's attention, Surly looked up towards him and asking whilst arching a brow towards Buddy "Hey, what's the matter?"
Buddy frantically stretched a paw towards the clock tower in a dramatic point, urging Surly to follow the pointing hand up to the clock and he saw that he was a minute and a half late. Grinning giddily with excitement, Surly gave a huge leap towards the bucket and jumped up and down in place while a rush of excitement circulated around his body.
The purple furred squirrel never felt so ecstatic as he knew that it was time for the biggest moment of his life! Surly's heart pounded with a sweet innocence as he reminded himself of a little human boy on the morning Christmas as he danced gleefully around the tree but this wasn't for the exact same reason. The rain felt refreshing as his body was soggy and resembled someone being soaked in depressed as he took a stroll in the thunderous rain but the smile plastered against his face proved the exact opposite.
When Buddy had pulled up the metal bucket and Surly to safety, the squirrel surprised him by enveloping him in a loving hug before gripping his paws inside his own and twirling him on his feet in a dance-like manner.
Buddy grinned equally giddily as he joined in the joyful dancing before they stopped and ran on all fours down the tree and as they felt their fours come into contact with the pavement, their cat-like reflexes showing as they then took off like jets into the tall lush grass that was clearly just as wet as the rain that was falling, they felt like an unstoppable force to reckon with.
A huge smile pulled at the corners of Surly's lips as his eyes constantly scoured his slim body as he registered the many thoughts rushing in and out of his tactically brilliant mind. Eventually he stopped as one particular worry pulsed in his mind and he stood on his hind legs like he would normally do and smoothed his soaking cream chest fur down to make himself look more presentable.
This was the most important day of Surly's mind and he didn't wish to go looking like a depressingly soggy rodent as he used his paws to rapidly smooth out many parts of his cheek fur, shaggy head fur and any other parts that needed tending to grooming-wise.
Buddy skidded to a halt as he checked over his shoulder to find that the squirrel was fussing over his looks as he stood on his haunches and shook his fur to rid himself of the soaking wetness that adorned his body. The rat rolled his eyes while shaking his head but smiled at the same time as if to say 'Oh brother...' and ran to support his friend.
For as long as he knew Surly; Buddy idolised the purple squirrel to be a strong hearted guy even if he never shown it much at all and was a very self confident soul. But now, Surly looked and acted like a frantic geeky teen on a first date he was trying to make perfect for his girl. Actually, he kind of was in a way but Surly wasn't a teen nor a geek. He was on a third date trying to impress his girl, though.
Buddy placed a soothing paw upon his friend's tense shoulder and made the squirrel look him in the eye. The thin rat smiled sweetly at his best friend and sniffed his large pink nose with his large eyes full of confidence and shimmering with this comforting gleam. These all painted a face that assured silently 'Don't worry, you'll be fine' and Surly's smile returned to his muzzle as he once again filled with this admirable confidence.
"Thanks, Buddy. You're the bestest friend a guy could have." Surly smiled sincerely as he pulled the rat he considered a brother in for a kindly embrace and he felt the dampness of the rat's blue-grey fur seep through his dense fur coat and soak into his skin. While Surly wasn't fond of the cold; he wasn't sure he cared right now. He needed to prepare for the move he was about to make and thought how he was going to do it.
Turning on his feet, Surly took in a deep breath before he asked nonchalantly "How do I look?"
Buddy stayed silent as if he was thinking. He didn't want to criticize Surly's style but if he wanted an opinion then he might as well give it. After Removing a small blooming flower from beside his foot, the plant being frozen slightly due to the atmosphere, Buddy tucked the flower into the male adult squirrel's chest and smiled once he set it into place and removed his paws after keeping them pressed gently against the flower.
Surly looked down at the flower for a moment before he gave a genuine look of thanks. Buddy really was a great friend and was truly blessed to know him as he sprinted off to his appointed place with his dripping wet fur soaking wet.
Andie sighed heavily as she leaned against her paw with her chin being propped up by her arm. The auburn squirrel female had been waiting for her date to arrive for 4 minutes now as she blew a small lock of untidy head fur brushing against her eye out of her face.
The moist scent of morning caught her nose as she lifted her head at the sound of scampering feet as she felt the rain trickle down her cheeks as she felt the soothing rainfall fall from the gloomy heavens pour refreshingly against her back and face and dampening her flawless red-orange fur.
Suddenly Surly rushed upon the hilltop she was waiting on whilst she sat cushioned upon the soft blades of fresh grass. Andie smiled at the sight of her boyfriend keeping his promise to come to the hilltop he asked her to.
"Surly!" She exclaimed.
Surly could sense the relief in the female squirrel's voice and he pulled his lips into a kind smile as he teased with a raised brow "What? You didn't think I could make it?"
"Well, considering that you still have to provide food for the park and you keep busy...No, I didn't." Andie remarked with a teasing grin, catching on to the male's playful mocking.
The two squirrels shared a nice moment as they both noticed the rain begin to light up a bit. The sun began to shine meekly through the rain clouds as if the heavens wished to present the couple with a beautiful sight to enrich their few moments of awkward silence. As Andie stared off into the horizon as if to admire its beauty, Surly stared lovingly towards her with a lovesick smile plastered against his muzzle as his head rested against his curled up knuckle.
His heart raced every time he saw her face and the way she took responsibility for everything and how she always stood up for what was right was very admirable to him as she had the true heart of a hero. Not him.
"The view's beautiful, isn't it?" Andie asked softly as she took in every feature the horizon gifted them with such as the brightening morning glow that shone through the gloomy grey clouds looming overhead and the hills a far where matching perfectly to the pretty content atmosphere.
"Yes you are..." Surly murmured softly, not really thinking at all when he said that as he looked lovingly towards her. He then realized what he just said as he quickly rectified it in an almost frantic panicky manner "Uh-Ah-I mean the view is great!" He laughed nervously.
Andie furrowed her brows in a mix of concern and confusion. She never saw the male squirrel in such a state before and she had no clue to why he was acting like this.
Noticing the sudden worry in her emerald green eyes, Surly decided to calm down as he dismissed what he just blurted out. He cleared his throat and let out a deep sigh as he raised a paw to his chest to calm his heart which he felt hammering underneath his palm. Now was the time to make his move as he opened his eyes met hers and Surly clasped two paws in hers as if her own auburn paws were more frail and delicate than glass as he stared straight into her emerald eyes.
They gleamed like stars as they made Surly's breath dissipate into thin air. Never had eyes like hers shone in such a mesmerizing manner as he felt the words he tried to ask constrict his throat.
"I...er...Andie?"
He uttered with sweat soaking through his palms and the bottom of his feet. Surly shook the sweat off his paws floppily as he sighed heavily and looked away from Andie for a moment, the words once again buried in his throat. Andie put a comforting paw upon the male squirrel's shoulder and stared at him even though his head was facing away from her and her ears flattened in concern.
"Surly, are you okay? You've been acting jumpy for awhile..."
She could see that Surly was trying to tell her something but she couldn't tell what. Andie felt Surly's shoulder tense underneath her touch and this made him look back at her as he squeezed his eyes shut and he bit his bottom of his lip so hard that it was close to actually bleeding. He appeared to be struggling keeping this suppressed any longer so with a quivering voice he spilled the beans.
"I'M ASKING YOU TO BE MY MATE!" Surly basically screamed and watched through steamed pants of frustration as Andie removed her paw and put it over her mouth gobsmacked. Surly felt a echoed version of his own voice gnawing at the back of his voice as he slapped a claw upon his forehead "Nice going, idiot..."
Andie looked shocked by this as she tried to let it all sink in. Surly sighed and knelt down as he cupped both his paws upon hers again as he repeated in a softer voice and he softened his gaze as he looked at her with soft chestnut orbs that complimented his purple fur like they were born to match up "...I want to spend the rest of my life protecting you, Andie, and with you're permission I'm asking for you're paw in marriage."
Andie's mouth was gaping with awe as she stared off into space as if many thoughts darted through her mind like shooting stars. Surly felt worried by the distant expression painted on the auburn-furred beauty's face and felt his gaze casting downwards towards the shadow below his knelt form as his ears lowered. He KNEW she wouldn't say 'yes' and that he was rushing into things!
He mentally smacked his head as he begun to rethink the idea as it felt like an eternity of waiting for her to react. Surly yanked at his pointy ears fearfully and opened his mouth to say something but before he could do anything; he was pulled towards by two familiar slim arms belonging to a certain female squirrel whom he cared for so much and he found that his lips had met hers lovingly.
The rain continued to 'pitter-patter' against the background as sunlight meekly greeted the scene and danced around the couple as Surly's connected lips was hesitant even if he passionately kissed her back as his eyes full of shock closed as he snaked his arms around her to hold her back. He gasped inwardly in shock as his entire body buzzed in joy of the fact that she was kissing him!
They kissed for a long time until they broke away for air as Surly's eyes flicked open simultaneously with hers as he asked her after a brief moment of pure silence "...I don't get it. We've only had 3 dates and you wanna do this?"
"Surly, I've never wanted anything else since the day we met."
Andie smiled sweetly and sincerely as she allowed her fingers to intertwine with the male squirrel's and she smiled wider as she looked into Surly's eyes. They were filled with a certain joy as his expression remained hopeful and Surly wasted no time in taking her paw and planting a light kiss on it, making Andie have a reddish tinge underneath her creamish face where her cheeks were supposed to be.
The pair of squirrel's stayed in each other's embrace as they reluctantly stared away from each other to look at the rainy-sunny horizon as they became lost in each others' embrace and Surly felt his soft smile brighten as he felt the weight of her head rest against his thin, smaller shoulder. He seized this opportunity to plant a loving kiss upon Andie's cheek and the realisation hit him and sank in fully.
She said yes.
Letting his joy take complete hold of his mental being; Surly used some strength he found out of nowhere and lifted Andie up just barely off her feet and spun them both around upon their feet as if they were both lighter than air even though he couldn't hold her anymore and the two of them tumbled backwards as they rolled down the hill.
Even though the rain drizzling from the skies were dampening their fur even further to the point of being a risk of the both of them catching pneumonia, neither of them cared as the sound of Surly's voice catching the wind as hysterical glee expressed throughout the single word of utter cathartic-ness yowled from the male squirrel:
"SHE SAID YES!"
Mean while, watching from the sanctity of a nearby tree branch near a park bench, Buddy smiled warmly as he gave a silent heartfelt nod of congratulations despite his pale blue fur being soaking wet from being out in the rain for awhile. He smiled with tearful eyes as he rubbed excitable paws together in hopes of suppressing a a dance of joy that his best friend was getting married.
Buddy's ears twitched at the sound of something beside him and he glanced to his side to find that a familiar gray squirrel was climbing on to the branch beside him whilst staring off into the rat's direction towards the hill and mutely interested in what was going on. Grayson slowly turned his head to one side as he shrugged and asked awkwardly with a half smirk "...What'd I miss?"
But something was telling the thin rat that something was wrong but decided to push this aside as now was a time of celebration instead of a time of worry and caution.
A/N: Sorry if I made Surly out of character in this first chapter. I promise you that he will be better in this story but this is my FIRST 'The Nut Job' fanfic besides my crossover.
Sorry but I HAD to make something big going on and a wedding was the only thing I could think of. Besides, the romantic fan girl inside me was screaming for me to do this.
This is basically my take on the upcoming sequel and how on earth does this add up to the sequel, you may ask? Find out in the next chapter!
Also we might see a reason for Surly's hatred for Raccoon in this.
I hope you all like this and once again, this is my first Nut job fanfic so go easy on me. I would appreciate it.
-Chloemcg