Memory is a funny thing. Sometimes, you can go for years with a full understanding of the world and the events that have brought you to the present. Then, one mammal says something, and your memory comes back to bite you right on the fluffy tail. Though in this case, it was more of a series of somethings.
Judy Hopps had risen from a musical nobody working in a shabby cabaret to a star collaborating with Gazelle and packing venues to the gills. She hadn't done it alone. Not at all. She'd had help. Lots of it. Mostly from one exceptional mammal. The very same one she'd had her assistant trying to arrange a meeting with for over a week.
"Still nothing?" Judy asked the moment the overheated felid walked in the door.
All she got was a tired shake of the head before he flopped into the chair and started guzzling water. The unfortunate jaguar had spent more time in the marina office than Judy felt was reasonable. That said, she was a bit confused why he'd insisted on his full suit and tie to go out in tropical heat, but it had been his choice. She just refilled the pitcher with clean water and let him drink.
Judy wasn't like a fair few other starlets in the industry who felt they were too good to do the real work. In her way of thinking, an assistant was there to actually assist her, not to do everything while she relaxed. Her upbringing saw to her work ethic and fair treatment towards those around her, and the mammals she worked with appreciated it. Her ambition saw to the rest.
"Hard work pays off" was what her family had taught her. She had proven that. For over a decade, she'd chased her dream of stardom, earning her everything through honest work and patience. The four years since her big break had finally established her as a musical success. She had done her share and now used that example to encourage others.
Those years leading up to her discovery were a hell of a ride. Studio time, months of songwriting, performances, collaborations, consultations, networking, and endless nights spent awake, running it all through her head over again. At times, the nights passed with her laying prone, staring at the ceiling; others, they were in a certain mammal's company, sitting up over coffee.
That hadn't changed much after she'd made it big—or so she thought. She still had an itch to scratch. She still stared at her ceiling. She still reflected over coffee. However, now it was coffee for one, and that was—in part—why she'd been staring at the ceiling late at night. It had taken her four years to realize it, but when she had, it hurt. She missed him.
After her last tour, she'd taken a little time off to destress and get ready for her new album—or so she'd told the reporters and her fans. In truth, it had been anything but restful. Prepping for a new album was a massive slog and stressful as hell. It did, however, give her occasional nights where she wasn't performing until the wee hours or unwinding after a show. The occasional long stretch of dead time was a pleasure at first, but then she'd had time to think. Her thinking had led to reminiscing about where she'd come from, back to the time before her big contract and who had helped her get it.
She'd realized a few things, which had led to a long-overdue vacation and a search for someone. Someone who she hadn't realized until four years too late was the reason rooms were bright and her music was sweet. She had been able to ignore the emptiness she'd felt by saying it was just the tour or the performance or the recording session—it was just this, or it was just that. It was just a load of excuses.
Now, it was just this unbearable need to see him once more, and that was that.
Judy was fighting butterflies in her stomach while waiting impatiently. Raul had finally gotten the Harbormaster to confirm when the boat that she wanted would be in dock. She had offered, and paid, an absurd amount of money for the reservation. But it was worth it, and she could absolutely afford it now. She wasn't a spendthrift by nature, so she had a fair bit saved. More than enough to cover a plane ticket, a week or so on a beautiful tropical island, and a boat ride—and maybe, just maybe, a second chance.
The butterflies that fluttered in her stomach swarmed when she saw her boat come in.
The Amaranthine was a beautiful sailboat. Judy knew very little about anything nautical, but she was impressed by it nonetheless. The boat was stately, in a weathered way. One mast with furled sails. Large, Judy thought, considering it was crewed by one mammal—and a fox at that—but there was no evidence of discomfort in the ship's handling as she glided her way to dock.
Judy knew it was the boat that she was looking for from the distinctive purple scrollwork and the painted name—exactly the color of her eyes. The confirmation of that suspicion led her heart to racing and ruined her first attempt to say hello. She couldn't manage to stand and speak.
It got worse when she saw him for the first time after so long, gliding past at the wheel. Judy watched, unable to make a sound. She had forgotten how beautiful he was. Even weathered and sun bleached, he was beautiful.
Whenever her eyes closed and the memory of their first meeting drew back to the surface of her mind, it seemed everything was greyscale: black and white. The club, the patrons, the stage… all whitewashed and dull—no color at all in that little world—until her eyes were drawn to his bright, fiery red fur.
His eyes were closed as he sat at his little table, nursing something in a short glass. It was clear he was bracing for mediocrity. Judy knew that not every act was a winner, but for some reason his assumption that she would be terrible irked her. Who was she to turn down a challenge?
She felt the keys of the piano under her paws. The notes she echoed through the club were as natural to her as breathing. And just as necessary. Every moment of her day was mapped out to this point right here. Her every decision since she was a kit in Bunny Burrow to the moment she posed her paws over that beautiful instrument. All of her being—her mind, her body, her soul—belonged to this moment.
She let her music soar that night, just to surprise the fox at table seven. Of all the choices she'd made in her life, that was one she had never regretted. Her music that night was a throaty, sonorous croon filled with nostalgia and longing—confusion and regret for missed opportunities. It was a direct pull from her own history and had been part of her healing. Every keystroke was a balm. Every word a prayer. Every sway of her head and body was a release as she let her purpose translate into the only thing she knew and wanted. It was hers. It was all she needed. Her music.
When or why her eyes filled with tears, she didn't know, but they spilled over as she looked out towards the audience. Her ears had flushed ever so slightly. They always did when she sang from the soul. And, suddenly, there was added heat suffusing her as she looked at table seve and the pair of hungry, slightly astonished green eyes that watched her.
It was the start of something magical.
Watching the well-traveled boat as it was maneuvered into the dock, Judy felt her pulse quicken to dangerous levels. She had composed a hit album with Gazelle and toured sold out shows around the globe with less nerves than what she felt now. Years of school, practice, and performing for Harey's Cabaret had taught her to lock the anxiety away and let the piano throw away the key, but this was a different creature altogether. She was speechless as he tied off the Amaranthine to the dock and stomped off to the marina office.
She'd wanted him that first night in the cabaret. There was something about him. Something that kept her thinking of him. It was a continuing theme for their partnership. No other agent, no other mammal, looked at her the way he had—not with that emotion lurking behind his eyes. It was something he'd never spoken of, and she had always promised herself the time to spend figuring out what exactly it was—right after she was a success.
That look had tempted her to throw it all away in hopes of getting the words out of him. But concerns and worries had kept her guessing, trying to convince herself he'd wanted nothing more than the handsome royalties he'd gotten from their partnership. She had wanted him then, but at the time, she'd thought she wanted the moon and stars more. It had cost her.
Her set had four more songs in it before she relinquished her seat. The stage was reset by a couple stagehands as the doe slinked off the stage. She felt her body flush as she tried to ignore the shimmering green eyes that followed her while she crossed the seating area to the bar. Those almost primal eyes, in the body of what should be her natural enemy, focused on her every dainty step of the way. Judy very rightly felt terrified. Though not for the same reasons her ancestors would have been.
"One carrot cake, will you, Larry?" The white wolf winked as he mixed up her drink, a combination of butterscotch schnapps, cinnamon schnapps, and Irish cream.
A deep, slightly slurry baritone pulled her mind from table seven to the stool next to her. "Mmmmm-hmm! Damn it all if that dress don't make a male weak in the knees."
The comment garnered a snort from Larry. The bunny took a slow sip of her drink before casting her eyes towards the fennec, his gaze ever so slightly glassy with a lopsided grin and bear sized drink in hand. She recognized him almost immediately.
Her weekend gigs at the coffee house occasionally brought in business for the cabaret. Judy remembered this fennec as the one who'd promised to bring in a big-time agent to see her perform. A promise she'd known she couldn't trust. And not just due to his species.
A deal with a 'famous' agent in exchange for a physical preview of her talents was his more sober offer. Cliched, but, more often than not, males thought she would be desperate enough to fall for it. There were plenty of females who would trade their body and one night of lukewarm passion for the hope that someone would sign her and take her away from it all.
The cabaret owner was one of the males who was less subtle about it. Harey was constantly pushing his own contract on her. His assertions that no other night club, lounge, or even kits' birthday parties would hire her festered in her ears and goaded her. The lack of response she'd goten was proof, he said. It was futile to keep track of the number of auditions she had gone to. They were always filled with females of every age and species, all beautiful and all with desperate smiles on their muzzles. All, including herself, waiting for judgment on their hard work and talent. Only to be overlooked. It seemed her morals, and legs, needed to be spread a bit further for her to get another gig.
She would have to sign with Harey eventually. She was contracted to the club as part of getting hired into the rotation, but that was merely a formality and only minimally binding for either of them—or so she had been told. There was a lot of fine print that Judy hadn't been able to follow and in the months since her first night on stage, she'd heard plenty of nasty stories. The anxiety from that and the threats of having her act cut brought more panic to her than the paws that tried to work their way over her shoulders after every performance. At least this was a devil she knew. It was comforting to think she was smart enough to recognize empty promises, but who knew if she was strong enough to refuse Harey for much longer. A bunny needed to eat.
"Good thing you're sitting then. These stools are pretty high up, and we wouldn't want you to hurt yourself," Judy quipped to the drunken fox next to her. She flashed a smile at him before returning her attention to the glass in her hands.
Judy's ears were up, scanning the room for the familiar paw steps of the cabaret owner. She had, at most, five minutes to brace herself before he'd be back with his little game. This time, however, the steps she heard were heavier than the hare's. Heavier, but more calculated. More graceful and smooth—like a riptide disguised as a wave. Or a predator hunting its prey.
"Now I see why you brought me here, Finn." A paw came to rest on the opposite side of her. The voice slid from her ears to her belly like melted sugar. Judy turned her head to look up into those same green eyes that had burned into hers after that first song. She barely registered the paw held out to her or even taking it into her own.
"Nick Wilde. I'd like to make you a star."
Nick Wilde… Nick. Wilde. As in the "Nick Wilde" of Wilde Records wanted to sign her. Well, maybe, she cautioned herself. He'd said he wanted to make her a star, but with such an open-ended statement she couldn't be sure. That said, Judy couldn't help but feel hope for the first time in years. If he was serious, then she could finally tell Harey to take his contract and shove it.
As if hearing her thoughts, the living gift to lapin females—in his own mind—appeared. "If it isn't my little songbird."
His voice was coarse after smoking his weight in cigarettes and grated on her nerves as it wafted unpleasantly by her ear. Judy stiffened at the sound of it and tried not to inhale the stale aroma. She felt his paws land on her shoulders and squeeze.
"Just think, Judes, soon I can have you on a permanent rotation here. Bringing in a crowd every night, maybe wrap up each performance with a celebration of our own."
This last part was whispered even closer to her ear; her discomfort was plain in her expression. Judy saw the red fox stiffen and his eyes narrow at the hare in her peripheral.
She shrugged off Harey's paws like she always did after a performance. She took a large swallow of her drink, like she did after every encounter with him. She looked at her reflection in the mirror behind the bar, like she did when she prepared herself to face Harey. His sandy brown fur and hazel eyes would have been attractive had he not constantly tried to push his presence on her.
This time, though, Judy took note of the two foxes scowling at him. The smaller of the two had his teeth bared and seemed as though only the basics of social decency kept his temper in check. The other, Nick, met her gaze in the mirror. Green met purple as he raised his eyebrows at her.
She held his gaze, her expression blank. Like her voicemail box. No new gigs. Just this dingy, dirty cabaret and the piano gig at the coffee shop. Both barely got her by. She would continue to be just a starving artist if she signed with Harey.
Or she could take a risk—a walk on the Wilde side, if you will. The thought made her smile at the todd in the mirror.
"Actually, Harey, that was my last show here." The bunny hopped off her stool and turned to Nick. Still smiling, she held out her paw to him. "Judy Hopps. When do I sign, Mr. Wilde?"
With a smug glance to the stunned hare, the tall todd accepted her paw.
"As soon as we go over terms. Tonight, if you can?"
"I just need to gather my things from my dressing room." She gave him a brilliant smile before bouncing to the back. All the while Harey was sputtering.
She vaguely heard the smaller fox laugh and mention something that sounded suspiciously like "I told you! Mother fuckin' finder's fee, FOX!". She was almost to her destination, when Harey caught up with her. The two foxes followed at a more leisurely pace. It wasn't until she entered the small cramped space where she prepared herself to perform that the cabaret owner found his voice.
"Seriously, Judy?" The hare tried to impede her efforts of sorting through what was worth taking with her. "He's a fox! He's trying to get you into his bed with promises of fame and stardom and money. He's going to say whatever he can to get a piece of that cute little tail of yours, and then you're going come crawling back here after you realize this is as good as you can get!"
The two todds stopped at the doorway and exchanged glances as they watched the scene unfold. The hare grabbed her by her hips and forcibly removed her from the makeshift vanity. Nick began to step forward with a low warning growl until the doe shot him a stern glare. She held her amusement in check that she, a total stranger, had stopped him with a look. But Judy had been dealing with males like Harey her whole life and she had been wanting to have it out with him for weeks.
"Do you really think I haven't read over your 'premier contract'?" Judy was flushed with anger at the hare. She pushed him off with a disgusted scoff and stuffed the contract he'd left on her dressing table back into his paws. She was fuming at his calling her cute. And, with his constant invasions of her personal space, she felt more than justified in leaving the cabaret.
"You get seventy percent of my earnings and nightly private meetings to 'discuss' my performance. You pick my attire, my living arrangements, and my social circle? Oh! And I would have to drop any and all future gigs AND stop attending any music and dance classes because it's…" She snatched the contract out of his paws to read one of the more infuriating lines. "A detriment to the ambiance of Harey's Cabaret in that the establishment wishes to portray it's acts as exclusive to the club."
Harey's ears flushed red as his fist balled up. He stalked towards her, eyes narrowed in fury. The doe didn't back down. Her sharp ears picked up low growls from both foxes at the doorway. Nick's ears were splayed and his teeth bared, while Finnick was crouched and angled at the buck.
Both started to move forward, furious curses on their lips the moment Harey's paw slapped Judy across the face. Though their attempted intervention was entirely unnecessary, as Judy's knee connected with the buck's groin a split second later. A firm right hook followed, colliding with his muzzle, and the hare was down for the count. The doe then gathered the rest of her things calmly before turning to leave, crumpling the contract and tossing it over her shoulder.
Nick smiled down at her as he let her exit first. Finnick followed her out after one last warning growl at the still dazed owner on the floor. The red fox walked up to stand over Harey, smiling smugly as the hare's eyes tried to focus.
"Mine now, Cottontail."
The memory of his first little possessive act thrilled her now. At the time, it had been annoying and she'd been very clear that she wasn't anyone's. He had assured her, very thoroughly, that it was only a little professional gloating and he respected her freedom—as well as her right hook—too much to even presume. It had mollified her anger that night and earned him two things: The first was a meeting to discuss his terms in the morning. The second was her number.
The text she'd gotten fifteen minutes after he'd sent her off in a cab was just to confirm that it was her and to give his in turn. That number had stayed in her phone and had been her most commonly used contact for years. It had collected dust for a while, but when Judy realized she'd missed him, she'd brought it out again. She'd called it half a dozen times in the last week, and every time it had gone to voicemail. But she knew it was his and that he would never get rid of it.
Her only assumption was that hers had changed and that he didn't recognize it. He had always been very suspicious of unknown callers in the time she'd known him. New numbers had never gotten a pick-up. If they were serious, they could leave a message. Only she never had. She'd been too scared.
Now, the time for fear was past as she watched him leave the marina office and stalk his way back to his boat. She only had a moment.
Shouldering her guitar case and collecting her bag, Judy moved to rush somewhere, but she had stared too long and ended up hiding instead. She skirted the pathways, making her way along the dock while trying not to be seen. She had no idea why she hid, but the anxiety and fear in her gut gave her a hint. She had waited for so long and anticipated so much that now, when she had him in sight, she was panicking. Deep breaths were needed to stave off hyperventilation as her bag came to rest on the ground by her feet.
He was coming.
She peeked out from behind the pylon, and there he was again. Just as beautiful, his green eyes as alluring as his scent—violets and cloves. Shifting her guitar case from one shoulder to the other, she reached down to pick up her duffle bag again. The voice that came out of her mouth was far braver than she felt.
"Hey, Slick. Where do I stow my bag?"
She gasped when his eyes rolled up and his hind paws slipped from the dock in to the harbor. Carelessly dropping both the case and the duffle bag, Judy darted to the edge as she gave a quick scan of the water. Seconds slowed to a crawl, but finally his head popped back up, narrowly missing the edge of the dock she was leaned over.
"Nick!"
Letting out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, her paws shot out to help pull him out of the water—only to have him drag her in. For a moment, the world was a swirl of bubbles. Righting herself under water, she opened her eyes to find herself nose to nose with him. A slightly mischievous grin was sent her way before both of them darted back to the surface.
Spitting salt water out of her mouth, Judy managed to glare at the todd as he reached out a paw to grasp the edge of the dock.
"Was that really necessary?" she sputtered. A few strong kicks of her legs brought her to him, her own paws tangling in his shirt to keep from going under again.
"For a chance to see you all wet?" He smirked and winked at her. "Absolutely. One hundred percent."
"Har har."
She watched the fox haul himself back onto the dock, trying not admire the way his clothing clung to his body. Once he got himself on the quay, he turned on his knees and pulled her up by the paws from the water. While her light form was only slightly weighed down by her drenched sundress, he still was forced to loop an arm around her to get her fully out of the water. That left her pulled flush to his body before her feet met the ground.
Judy felt the jolt of fire through her core as she kept herself pressed to him. Nick looked down at her with an emotion she had started to see in him after their first six months together—an emotion she'd tried hard to ignore then and shouldn't have. The memory of that first inkling boiled up to the surface, unbidden.
She laughed as he fumbled again before stopping to watch her hips move in the time with music.
Nick was trying to follow her instruction, but her hind paws were only just able to escape his missteps. The bunny decided on a more paws on approach. Giving a brief turn to face him, Judy took one paw and put it to her hip. The other was held lightly in her own. She restarted the music and hit pause.
Purple met green as she let herself indulge in the pleasure of being near him. His uncertain look made her heart skip a beat. The bite he gave his bottom lip made her forget for a moment why they were doing this.
"I'm not sure about this, Carrots."
"Listen, Slick. You know the steps. I know you do. You're just overthinking this." Her paw left his for a moment to pull his gaze from their feet to her eyes. Her claws traced the fur up his muzzle briefly—his attention was hers, not the floors.
"All I want you to do for now—" she purred and gave him her sweetest smile, letting it coat her voice— "is relax. Trust me. Feel my body move and follow it. And listen to my voice."
She pressed play and let the music wash over her as their paws joined again. She brought him into the first easy steps. It was a club remix of a mambo that was just barely related to her genre of music, and even then only in the loosest of terms, but it was energetic and fun and fit the style of dance they were working on. Attempting to, anyway, Judy reminded herself.
Once they were in position, eyes still locked, Judy began to sing along with the lyrics. They were light and sultry—with a hint of tease and drop of temptation. Perfect for keeping his attention on her and not his two left feet. He never let his eyes fall from her face. His still tense jaw slowly began to relax as his feet moved on muscle memory at first. Before long, whatever power her voice held over him took control. Each step became easier than the last. Step by step she guided him into the pattern, and soon they were swaying to the music like they were made for it.
Nick's eyes brightened as they stayed on her, even as she guided him in twirling and dipping. As she continued to sing, she felt the energy of the music pull the movements from her body. And the handsome todd was there for every step—his warm, musky scent climbing with each press.
As the dance continued, she let her voice grow strong and her movements grow bolder. Judy's ears began to pick up on a low, rumbling growl as her body was briefly pulled against his. Suddenly, he took charge of their dance. The easy steps she had started with were remade into a harmonious tango she hadn't expected from him. His paws knew where he wanted her, and, for a second, she let herself believe it was in more than one way.
She relinquished control as she continued to sing. Judy should have been out of breath, but each touch, each pull—his muzzle so close yet so far—was fire to fuel the passion she felt. Just one dance would never be enough. But her career was so close to exploding in the best way. She couldn't jeopardize it now.
The last few words brought her knee up to cup his hip. One large paw keeping it in place squeezed lightly. The other supported her back as her own resisted the urge to clutch his shoulders. Finally, breathless and slightly dazed, amethyst met emerald.
"Knew you had it in you, Slick."
Far too soon for her liking, her breathing returned to normal and Judy straightened up, pushing him away quickly. It had to be quick. Anything less and she would lose sight of everything she—no, they— had worked for. Without another word, she turned to put some space between them.
She would not give everything up because of a crush.
This time, it was Judy who was suddenly shoved away.
He was breathing heavily, his paws trembling. Emotion rolled over his features, and he wouldn't look her in the eyes.
"Nick?"
The fox turned without a word. He stopped to swoop down and gather the discarded bags before heading onto the boat, still dripping.
"Nick!" she called after him.
The only response she received was an ear flick.
"Nick, wait!"
He climbed on board, stowed the bag and guitar case next to the cabin door, and was heading to the cockpit to start the motor. "Wait, she says! Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait." The fox's tail and ears both flicked again as he grumbled. "What are you waiting for?"
"What?"
He hunched over the wheel and drew in deep breaths to steady his rising emotions. "Why do I feel like I've gone back in time to six years ago? All I have ever done is wait, Carrots." Judy made her way to the steps leading onto the boat and grasped the railing. "I waited for your classes to end. I waited through your consultations and coaching sessions. I waited outside Miranda's office while you hammered out the terms of your contract. Now, I'm waiting for you to get on board." He half turned to look at her before turning his attention to leaving port.
His hostility wasn't a surprise. Half of her had expected it. The other part was another story. That half was shocked at his barely contained emotion and how strongly he had responded to her. It hurt. The rumors were true, and now she had proof. She had hurt him. He'd left the city and his old life because of a broken heart.
That didn't stop her from being angry. It was almost enough to make her forget why she was there. Judy's annoyance at herself was frustrating enough. She'd made mistakes. A lot of them. Denying her feelings and telling herself they were a crush was one. Letting him know repeatedly in many small ways that she appreciated his attention but had other goals was another. Judy would never forget that he was the reason she was where she was today. During every interview, every talk show, every record, she acknowledged that he was the reason she had finally made it.
Her guilt was sickening for her part in making this mess, but Judy had tracked him down to fix it. She was not about to take a verbal lashing as well. She would not be pushed around. Not even by the fox to whom she owed damn near everything.
He was not the only one hurting.
He had done an excellent job preparing her for the big leagues, but then he'd vanished. The ink was still wet on the contract when he'd started keeping his distance. Before she could even celebrate her first tour, he'd already fled. Her career ever since had been record-breaking. Everything she had ever wanted: fame, money, adoring fans, an emotionally distant agent who shepherd her from activity to activity without noticing when she was being spread too thin…
"Ugh! I don't know if I can stand it anymore!"
Judy looked up from her sheet music to the tall, gorgeous Gazelle. The horned diva crossed the hotel suite they were sharing to the cream-colored lounge next to the piano where Judy sat. Her friend reclined and brought her hooves to her face in frustration.
"Did the meeting go that bad?" Judy raised her ears in alarm.
"Why do they speak to us like we are dimwitted children? It isn't as though we haven't been in this business for years." The sarcasm was so thick, Judy couldn't help a sympathetic smile. Gazelle turned a puzzled face to the bunny. "They throw in the most intrusive stipulations, ask us to meet impossible deadlines, demand that we perform in twenty different cities in just as many days, and their final sums are nowhere near what we're worth!"
Judy felt her friend's agitation infect her and sought an outlet to sooth them both. She set aside her sheet music and randomly began to play whatever song popped into her head. Her current agent always discouraged it. She said it could muddle Judy's creative flow and cause the bunny to be unorganized in her performance. Nick had always liked it though. Said it calmed him, helped him focus on their work.
Gazelle closed her eyes and sighed in relief at escaping the producers. "They tried to say we shouldn't be drinking coffee or alcohol."
Judy laughed out loud at that; her fingers moved like raindrops on the keys in front of her.
"They've gone mentally ill," she responded to her friend and colleague. Gazelle, in turn, swayed her head slightly to the music the bunny was playing. Another sigh was heaved before she opened her eyes and looked at source of the music.
"That's so pretty," she murmured, watching her small friend play.
There was a sensation Judy got when she played like this. Just letting her heart and ears guide the way her fingers moved. For several minutes her heartbeat was her tempo and the recesses of her mind flowed from her fingers through the strings.
The music was playful yet reserved, with a slight hint of mischief. Like there was a subject in mind that inspired it. Judy herself kept the notes calmer than she normally did when she played like this. It was like she was afraid. It only intensified as a note of bittersweet longing slipped into the music. Her eyes closed to let the notes wrap around her tired mind. Better than any drug, better than any drink, her breathing evened out and her muscles unwound.
When her eyes opened, Judy saw two sets of eyes watching her. One was the light hazel of her ruminant friend, who looked a bit astonished. The other was green and glittered as it looked at her from the depths of her memory. She hadn't been prepared to see the second set and blanched under her fur. Judy's drooping ears and expression was enough to frighten Gazelle who then badgered her until Judy told her story. It hadn't taken much.
"That was beautiful, Judy, but I've never heard the like. What happened there?" was all it took before Judy was babbling everything. Her years at the cabaret and her start with the Wilde label weren't news to her friend, but the rest of it was another matter entirely. A few weeks, a little encouragement, and some vocally disappointed record executives later and Judy was hopping onto a plane bound for the islands with a half-baked plan in place to make up for lost time.
She was angry. She knew he was upset and hurt, but she was not going to be the punching bag. She was just as hurt as he was. She was afraid, and it had taken every shred of courage she had to not sprint back to the hotel and arrange tickets home immediately. Now, Judy was going to at least meet him on her terms, and if he didn't like it… Well, she was a decent swimmer and the guitar case was watertight.
"No."
Nick looked up from casting off the last of the lines as she cleared the empty space between quay and boat to land on the deck. "No?"
He quirked his eyebrows at her as she closed the small, boarding door. The engine roared to life although the fox's gaze was still locked on her own.
"No," she repeated, her fists clenching. "You do not get to act like this."
With a scoff, he maneuvered the boat from the marina towards the ocean.
"You do not get to act like you're the only one hurting. I spent our time working together being very clear. I was focused on my career, and I was very open about it. I never led you on." She went to stand next to him, fists on hips, as he determinedly kept his focus on the horizon, trying with all her might to stare a hole through him. "And you don't get to act like you've been helping matters, Mr. Three-Vixens-in-Three-Nights! You were in a huge hurry to leave after I signed."
She hated to be petty, but that one incident had hurt like hell at the time. Judy was surprised at how much it still did, now that her hurt had a voice. The tears burned behind her eyelids—but she was not going to let them fall. Hearing through the grapevine that her former agent had gone out whoring at every party he could find the week after she'd gotten her contract had felt like a gut punch. She'd boxed up the hurt and gotten back on track preparing for her first tour.
That was then. Now, the hurt was fresh again and hot in her blood.
The boat had just hit open water when he cut the engine. Wheeling around to face Judy, she was shocked at the look of unbridled fury in his eyes. The last time she had seen that look was at Harey's Caberet, the night they met.
"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WITH THEM!" The snarled statement had the bunny gaping at him.
"What…?" Stunned, she took a slack-jawed step towards him.
Nick turned away from her and yanked on something Judy couldn't see. The sails rose and all the while, Nick stood—his posture stiff as the wind filled the sails. Finally, he moved and began going through the motions of rigging his craft seemingly on autopilot.
As they picked up speed again, Judy stammered, "But you…"
"I couldn't do anything with them" came the low, heated reply. His ears were flat against his head, his eyes looking towards the expanse they were headed towards without seeing it. "I tried. I really wanted to, but it just… Nothing happened…"
"I don't understand," Judy reached out a paw to his arm.
Pinching the bridge of his muzzle, he muttered, "Think about that day again, Carrots."
"Judy?… Judy… OW! Damn it, Judy!" The arctic vixen put a paw up to stop the choreography that she was helping the bunny work on. An ill-timed kick from the rabbit had made contact with her shin. "Where is your head today? Seriously. This should be kit's play, but so far we've made no progress!"
The bunny put her paws on her hips and threw her head back with a groan. Eyes closed, she drew in deep breaths trying to keep her patience in check. "I'm sor—"
A paw was held up to cut her off. "Don't want to hear it. Take a break. I need to ice my leg before we go on," The vixen gathered her water bottle and headed to the door just as Nick came in. His ready smile faded as the other fox gave him an exasperated look before rolling her eyes in annoyance.
The todd's focus snapped onto the bunny again. The smile creeping back onto his muzzle, she turned away and tried to refocus herself on her task. She had a sold out show in one of the biggest concert venues in Zootopia in less than two weeks. This dance had to be perfect before the dress rehearsal.
"What terrible thing have you done now?" asked Nick as he strolled up to her, paws in pockets.
"I accidentally kicked her," she groaned not looking at him. "I'm just nervous."
She could practically see how his head would tilt and his ears would quirk whenever he thought she'd said something crazy. It was too cute when he did that. Not to mention distracting.
Judy closed her eyes again as she stretched her arms over her head. She obviously wasn't meant to hear the sigh he let out, quiet as it was. The fox came closer as she started to work through what she and her choreographer had come up with. Only to stop when his paws landed lightly on her shoulders.
"I was hoping I could take you to lunch. Maybe to the Root Cafe? I know you love their salad selection. We may not get another chance." His muzzle had leaned in to whisper in her ear. She had felt so stupid after the fact. She'd thought he meant they might not get another chance to go there for a week or two—not eat together at all, period. Once she'd understood why, she hadn't had made the connection then either. Such a dumb bunny…
"I can't" was her short reply. Her ears dropped when his grip tightened slightly before dropping away. "We still have to go through this. Then I have a fitting, and I still have to go through costume designs. We need to go through the set list—"
"And all of that can wait while we celebrate." Purple found green as her head whipped to look at him properly. Her mouth agape as he smiled down at the disbelieving expression. "They want to sign. I have the contract, and it's been reviewed by Benji to make sure they made all the changes you wanted. It just needs your signature."
He pulled a roll of paper work from his back pocket, something she knew he did to make her roll her eyes, and shaky paws accepted it.
"Oh, Nick!" Unable to stop herself, Judy launched herself onto him. Wrapping him up in a tight hug, she buried her nose into his shirt and breathed in deeply. They were rarely this close, and she almost never hugged him. A small flip of her stomach had her regretting that fact.
"Did they agree to—" She felt his paws hesitate before wrapping themselves around her, returning the hug with increasing enthusiasm.
"Everything!"
"Well, look at you, Mr. Big Ol' Famous Agent!" She pulled back to smile up at him, withholding the sigh those emerald green eyes of his struggled to pull from her. "Proof that all that time and money spent on extra voice, piano, and dance lessons were worth it! Can you see it!"
Judy broke away from him, ignoring the disappointment she felt in doing so. She spread her paws in the air, imagining the whirlwind of press and paparazzi, bright lights and elbow rubbing with the elite of Zootopia.
"Your name on every entertainment magazine and newspaper. Nick Wilde:Godfather of Rhythm and Blues!" She tentatively took the first steps in her new dance while smiling and continuing her imaginative account of the future for him.
"Your name attached to one of the biggest rising stars in music. You responsible for ushering in a new era of jazz, blues, rock, and pop. Nick Wilde: He doesn't just make a star! He reshapes the heavenly bodies to make them shine their brightest!" She gave a neat spin and ended dramatically, arms akimbo, cheeks almost sore from grinning.
She met the amused face of the todd standing with the contract. He gave her that smile of his. The one that made her feel like she was going to miss the next set of keys on her piano. But somehow managed to pull a sweeter melody from it. It seemed like everything she had done over the last two years was better than the previous ten combined.
"Seems like a lot for the usual ten percent!" Nick said, still smiling at her. Shoving his paws into his pockets he crossed the gap between them. "I may have to demand more, Carrots."
Putting her own paws on her hips, she gave him a sly smirk. "Is that so? And exactly what percentage were you thinking, ?"
Nick scrunched up his face in thought, still slowly moving towards her, one claw tapping his chin. "Let's see, what would be fair?" He suddenly snapped his fingers and smiled again at her. "Independent consultation!" She quirked her eyebrow at him in confusion.
"I come in from time to time, offer my opinion and critique to you, as well as the ten percent." He stopped mere inches from her and folded his arms. Judy raised her eyebrows at him as she thought about his offer.
"Well I was thinking more along the line of twenty percent and royalties. Keep the name Wilde Records attached for exposure for the first two years. It'll boost your sales and may attract some new clientele."
She watched his smile fade; her words seemed to linger in the air. The new agent would definitely draw the line at an outside opinion overruling hers. This really was more than fair, but she, for some reason, felt he was disappointed by the logic of it. If only she had listened to her instincts and just asked why.
"A friendly face comes in handy in this industry, Fluff. You sure you're not interested in keeping one around? Just in case?" His words were quiet. And, if she wanted to delude herself, they seemed hopeful.
"I don't see… Miranda… being ok with that. It might imply that she doesn't know what she's doing or can't handle me as a client." She raised her eyes to look into his.
Those green eyes that had watched her for two years. The ones that deflected her thanks as he set up every dance, voice, and piano lesson he could find for her. The ones that had set her up in a better apartment, explaining it was a 'company expense' because no true musician could work in her previous shoe box.
The company card had been pulled out multiple times a day their first few months together. So much so that Finnick, who had tagged along to scope out 'competition' one evening, had commented on her spending his associates allowance.
"How about you finish your day. And tonight, over dinner, we talk numbers?" Nick's smile was back, though a bit more forced. "And we can do better than The Roots Cafe."
He took a few steps away from her, but his eyes never left her face. He seemed to be stumbling over something. As though there was a great secret he needed to get off his chest and did not know how to do it.
"I'll pick you up at seven" was all he said.
And then he was gone. Judy was left standing in the room, an unpleasant ripple moving through her body. Her heart almost stopped when the choreographer came waltzing back in, refreshed and ready to go.
"Ok! Let's get this down!" Paws clapping to add energy to the tense room, Judy tried to shake off the feeling of dread she felt about that night.
That feeling led her to making another big mistake. She cancelled on him and left the negotiations in the hands of her new agent. Her dream was so close, she could taste it. And it tasted amazing. Like the carrot cake muffins Nick had surprised her with on her birthday. The last thing she needed was to get attached to someone. She needed to be free to follow her career. A week later, she'd heard about his escapades in the city's nightlife and tried to put him out of her mind.
She'd focused on work, and, by the time she had resurfaced, he'd vanished.
Finding out he hadn't done anything with any of the vixens he'd supposedly taken home was horrifying. Not only had she assumed, but she'd convinced herself that she wanted it to be true. She told herself it would have been a relief for him to find someone else. Three someones else. Anything to make the break clean and complete. It was a lie. This new information made it worse.
He'd been desperate to keep a little piece of her, and she'd denied him. He hadn't demanded or wheedled. He'd offered. That was all. Offered to stay around for her in case she needed a little help, and she'd declined. She hadn't intended to be cruel. She'd done her best to make a clean break and start her career on the best foot she could have.
What seemed like a clean break then, made a huge mess now.
Judy found herself guided to a seat in the cockpit and a bottle of water placed in her paw.
Blinking, she looked up at him.
"Where to, Fluff?"
"What do you mean?" she asked in a small voice, her thoughts still dulled by memories.
"You've chartered me for a cruise. Where do you want to go?"
"A smartass I knew once upon a time told me that the journey was the point. The destination was just a detail."
That earned her a watery smirk and weak chuckle. "Alright."
The fox at the helm fiddled with a few of the ropes and spun the wheel. The rigging swung overhead and the boat tilted under the strain of the new heading.
"Where are we going?"
"Since you have no destination, I figured you'd appreciate a new experience."
"Really?"
Nick nodded as his eyes stayed on the horizon. "A friend of mine has a bakery in Antigua."
"Is it worth the trip?"
"One way to find out."