CHAPTER THREE:

"WHERE THE HEART IS"


An emotionless female voice spoke over the heavy sound of the rain pelting the roof of the convertible, its robotic intonation briefly interrupting the song that had been playing on the radio moments prior:

"In three-hundred feet, stay in the right-paw lane and turn left onto Mowgli Drive."

Judy dragged her attention away from the water streaking across her window to look at Nick, the lights of the road flashing across his sharp features as they passed each one by. Aside from the low murmur of the radio and the pattering of the rain, they rode in silence as her fox concentrated on his driving. The pair had made a deal which Judy was now thankful for as they weaved their way through the dark, slick streets of the Rainforest District: Judy would drive during the day and Nick would drive at night. It turned out Nick's aviators weren't just for show – the fox's eyes were a little too sensitive to the typical daytime glare of the city. Further, come nightfall his eyes were far superior to hers.

"Turn left," directed the voice.

Nick shot a brief grin at Judy as he made the turn, then resumed squinting down the road ahead. The windshield wipers rapidly swished across his vision. Water flew to the sides in sheets.

"Continue straight on Mowgli Drive for five-hundred feet. Your destination will be on the right."

Judy began to pay more attention to the neighborhood as Nick drove them closer and closer to their destination, evaluating their surroundings. After deciding to move in together, the pair had concluded that neither of their apartments were really suitable for the idea; not only were their places too small for two mammals, but... they'd both picked their accommodations based on convenience and price, not comfort. Neither apartment felt like a home.

And being with Nick is... is being home.

The sincerity of that thought choked her slightly, the intensity of the truth still a bit too real to fully fathom... For a couple weeks now they had been embarked on a quest to find a real place. For the two of them. It would be a place in which to live, rather than simply rest. A place with a future. The bunny and her fox, moving out of their dingy dwellings and into their first shared home...

It was a statement.

Their lives meant more to them together than they had apart.

"You have arrived."

Nick slowly pulled his tan convertible into the parking lot of the apartment complex, his headlights briefly illuminating the sign which read "Jungle Brook Village" as they made the turn. The complex offered covered parking – giant leaves woven together to form a canopy elevated by ornately-carved totem pillars. The tod found one of the vacant guest spaces and parked in it, his face already mirroring the hopeful thoughts Judy herself was thinking.

So far, so good, she thought with a twitch of anticipation. Already better than the last place!

Nick clearly had been recalling yesterday's prospect as well, turning his head to face the rabbit with an unsure tone in his voice. "What do you think, Carrots? Food before, or after?"

It was an important question; they'd been making these trips after work, bringing takeout to eat on their excursions. The sustenance helped with the decision-making process, but it was becoming quite apparent that not all apartments were created equal. Yesterday's apartment had made them both wish they hadn't eaten before entering...

"...Before," she responded after a moment of pause. "I'm getting a good feeling about this place."

The fox relaxed a bit at this confirmation, reaching into the back seat for their meal. "Same."

Nick put the plastic bag between them, inside which were two foil-wrapped burritos, some napkins, and a pawful of hot sauce packets. They quickly began to divvy the contents. Today had been a long day. The two animals had been scent-marking each other far more frequently as of late to ease the pressure off of Nick's season, but finding the right time was tricky. They had tried to keep it as low-key as possible... sneaking marks during breaks, during paperwork when nobody was looking... but the Chief had caught wind of it anyway (so to speak). Bogo had called them to his office to correct them, threatening to split the pair if they couldn't keep their relationship professional while on duty. His hostile disciplining had lost a lot of its usual steam, though, when Nick apologized and bluntly admitted he was in his season. Whether due to the rare apology from the fox or some sort of unspoken male sympathy, Chief Bogo had quickly eased his tone and dismissed them with a warning to be more discreet.

...They also had left the office with a rough day of parking duty.

Judy was already chewing her first eager bite of her "Grazer Grande" burrito by the time Nick had finished drawing a line of hot sauce on the top of his "Cricket Crunch Supreme". A pleased moan escaped her chest, the vegetables tasting especially flavorful and crisp to the starving rabbit! She paused to watch her partner size up his meal, then sink his canines into the wrap with predatory abandon. Judy restrained a shiver.

I'm still not used to that... she shamefully admitted, shrugging off the deeply-rooted prey instincts trying to disturb her. The bunny had recently begun making a habit of glancing at the fox as he ate, attempting to acclimate her gut to the sight.

As Judy took another gluttonous mouthful of her dinner, she caught a confused look on her fox's muzzle. He slowly finished chewing his first bite, swallowed, and proceeded to stare into the burrito with disappointment. After holding the burrito up to the light at various angles, Nick daintily inspected the opening with a claw. Judy finished savoring her current bite.

"Something wrong?" she finally asked once her mouth was free to talk.

"Oh... nothing serious." Nick's ears drooped slightly as he scrunched his mouth to one side in resignation. "They just gave me the wrong order."

Judy giggled a little at his childlike dismay, knowing how much the tod looked forward to his crickets from all the times he'd ordered them at the precinct's favorite bar. She couldn't resist the perfect opportunity to tease. "That's too bad, because my burrito is delicious!"

The rabbit took a third bite of her burrito for emphasis, her gaze locked onto Nick's face with a gloating grin. What she saw next was not the playful frustration she had expected, however. No, Nick was well and truly shocked at the sight. He almost looked... nervous? Judy stopped chewing, her eyes following the direction in which his paw was currently pointing...

"Um, Carrots?" His voice wavered with uncertainty, eyes darting between the bunny and her food. "I'm pretty sure your burrito is actually, uh... my burrito."

Judy looked inside her burrito for the first time, the sight initially failing to register with her. After all, she couldn't be eating crickets. She was a rabbit. Rabbits don't eat crickets, therefore she wasn't eating them. Simple, really, aside from the fact that she was staring at a burrito filled with the crunchy bugs. Bugs which, somehow, beyond belief, she had mistaken as crisp vegetables. Delicious, crisp vegetables. A cold sense of mortification breezed across her body as she looked back up at Nick with stunned, wide eyes.

"Can't say I've ever seen that before..." Nick raised an eyebrow and cocked one ear, his voice a peculiar mix of amusement and concern. "Are you okay?"

No. Of course she wasn't okay. A normal rabbit wouldn't have eaten a single bite of the burrito held between her paws, let alone three! A normal rabbit would've noticed the taste. Spat it out. Certainly a normal rabbit wouldn't have enjoyed it... Judy recalled the bite of burrito that was still within her mouth and immediately set about doing what she thought any normal rabbit would do!

...She swallowed.

And before she could stop herself, her tongue absentmindedly licked her lips. That was the last straw.

"I'm a freak!" she squealed in horror, launching the burrito into the air as she threw her face into her paws.

Nick frantically lunged and caught the burrito before it could make a mess all over the car. Disaster avoided, he returned his attention back to trying to mollify his distraught bunny. "You're not a freak, Carrots..."

Really? Judy's inner voice was sarcastic; she gave the fox a cynical glare. Because last time I checked, rabbits aren't carnivorous!

Nick relented his candor, falling back upon his tried-and-true sly charm. His smile mocked her in the classic Nicholas Wilde way. "Okay, yes. You're a freak. A big one! Ah, well, figuratively speaking, of course. Not physically..."

Not helping, Wilde... Her glare worsened.

"I'm not really seeing the surprise, though." Nick leaned back, his smirk gaining a lewd tint. "I know of a particular piece of meat you're quite eager to taste on a regular basis..."

Judy's ears went stiff as a board, bright red searing their insides. With a burrito held in each paw, Nick had no defense; she began her bunny bombardment with gusto. You snide little...

"Ow! Hey! Okay, okay! Truce!" Nick yipped in pain and laughter, pleading for mercy. "What is your problem? Does abusing me somehow make you feel better about your own insane life?"

She crossed her arms. "It does. One-hundred percent."

"Freak."

Judy groaned, clutching her ears in front of her face with embarrassment. "Yes..."

Nick leaned in and nuzzled her ears out of the way. "But at least you're my freak."

That was corny, Nick. But I'll go for it... The bunny let her worries subside and put her paws on his snout, bringing the tod in for a kiss. As their tongues and teeth mingled, Judy found herself suddenly inspired to give a quiet growl. Nick growled back and broke the contact, smacking his lips.

"Mmm! Crickets!" His ears were up and he wore a toothy grin. "Sexy!"

"Shut up." Judy's tone was stern, but she found herself smiling nonetheless. "Just... shut up."

The pair shared a knowing look. "Whatever you say, Officer Hopps."

Judy sighed. Sparing a tempted look at the "Cricket Crunch Supreme", the rabbit finally grabbed the "Grazer Grande" from Nick's paw and began to nibble at her meal with reduced enthusiasm. Nick slipped her a suspicious, sidelong glance but said nothing, shrugging his shoulders as he finally began to dig into his own dinner. The crunching coming from beside her started to remind Judy too much of her predatory mistake; reaching a paw out to the dash of the vehicle, she turned up the volume of the radio to drown out the sound. The music had since been replaced with a summary of the day's news, Finnick's deep voice announcing the next story:

"...And it would seem that love is again in the air of Zootopia! After the rather public display between officers Hopps and Wilde many months ago, more and more prominent interspecies couples are coming out of the woodwork to declare their affections! Latest to join the list is three-time Zoolympic long-jump champ Meredith Hareiot! Or should we say... Meredith Savage? That's right, the hare has just announced her engagement to Salvador Savage, billionaire founder of the famed Savage Furmaceuticals. When asked to comment on the nuptial announcement earlier this morning, the white tiger had this to say..."

A rather dignified, well-spoken voice began to play over the radio, the clear clicks of cameras repeating in the background:

"...Meredith and I have secretly loved each other for quite some time. When predators were turning savage throughout the city, I... I was simply beside myself, to put it mildly. I looked at her, and I thought... I thought, how could I possibly hurt her? I refused to believe it! I'm afraid I must confess: When I had my company develop the antidote, it was purely for selfish reasons – to protect my Meredith. She is my better half. She has been so for many years. And perhaps now... now Zootopia can accept that."

A large, dark paw reached for the radio dial and turned it off. Judy looked up to discover Nick staring at her, his eyes glossy with pride and admiration. He held the moment, letting the downpour outside of the car-park fill the silence. The genuine look began to make the bunny uncomfortable, confusing her. She was always glad to see this side of her fox but... but she hadn't done anything!

"What...?" she finally asked, tilting her head.

"You naïve little hick..." Nick's words might've been an insult, but his tone was loving. He broke his gaze and stared off into the rain. "Changing the world..."

Judy placed one of her small paws on top of one of his, joining him in watching the rain. "We did this together..."

They sat there in silence for a long time, paw-in-paw. All of the successes... all of the excitement... Judy had been through so much with her fox. But it was moments like these which she found herself cherishing the most – moments where the two just were. No fanfare. No reason. Often the most normal of moments. The great Hopps and Wilde, simply existing in the same place at the same time, enjoying each other's company for no other reason than because they were there. She almost found herself disappointed when the rain finally let up.

"Ready to check this place out, Fluff?"

Judy reluctantly slid her paw off of Nick's. "Yep... Let's go."

After stopping by the complex's main office to pick up the key, the pair began wandering through the massive trees which housed the apartments. The trees were hollowed out in intervals as you looked up the trunk, each cross-section being a separate apartment. Judy noted that the spacing between levels was fairly generous, making each place far enough apart to be private. Woven vines and planks created stairways and bridges up and around the trees to the higher levels. At the bottom level, the ground had been hollowed out to reveal some of the large tree roots – every tree had a large apartment built between the roots, metal grates forming stairways down to each corresponding door while draining water into a hidden canal beneath them. It was one of these "root" units which they'd come to see.

Nick pointed. "I think that's the one!"

The two made their way down the steps to the door. The lock was a bit sticky, but after a few tries and some muscle they were able to make it inside. Nick gave an adorable shake to dry himself, starting with his head and rippling down to his toes. Judy smirked and said nothing, flicking the light switch on. Her ears slowly raised.

This is like a burrow! she happily realized.

"This is like a den!" Nick exclaimed at the same time, his tail beginning to audibly slide back and forth on the wood floor. The fox was the first to continue further into the apartment, dragging a paw along the polished molding. "Real wood... good shape... This design is classic!"

Judy joined in on the tour, appreciating the rounded archways between rooms and the occasional times a root was somehow incorporated into the architecture. At this point in their apartment hunt the partners had perfected a routine; like police searching a building, the two mammals quickly checked the kitchen, bathroom, and all of the electrics of the place for anything sketchy.

"Hmmm..." Nick was currently flicking a switch on and then off again at regular intervals. "I have no clue what this is supposed to go to, but I guess if it doesn't burn down the tree..."

"Did you catch that there's a small basement?" The fox's gleeful surprise answered Judy's question for her. "Yyyyep. My reaction exactly. And it has a half-bath."

That second tidbit was something she really liked, knowing how long it could take Nick to shampoo his thick fur when he used the shower. Having an alternate room available to relieve one's natural urges would not be something which would go unappreciated...

"You know, Carrots... I'm not too thrilled with the rain, but I have to say-" He cut himself off with a gasp as he looked out a window. "-Oh, this is perfect!"

The fox's fluffy tail was now fully raised and wagging in the air. Judy walked over and peered into the dark, only seeing a brook – the apartment complex's namesake. There was a bridge crossing the water, but she couldn't make out what it led to. "You're going to have to fill me in, Slick. I can't see a thing."

"Oh. Right." Nick began drawing in the air with his paws. "There's this fantastic playground over there, with ropes and slides and swings, and..."

Nick's momentum slowed to a halt when he caught Judy's patronizing grin. She put her paws on her hips. "What? Does little Nicky want to go play?"

"You wound me! I would never be so uncouth!" He gave an indignant huff as he raised a paw to his chest, turning his eyes back toward the darkness outside the window. "But I was thinking it would be a great place for our kits..."

For our... kits?

It was like lightning and ice had filled the rabbit's veins at the exact same moment, forcing every emotion in existence upon her small form in one overwhelming second. Nick had said that so naturally... so confidently! It was though the statement was just that: A statement. Not a question. Not a discussion. At some point they were going to raise kits even if they couldn't be his own. It had just eased out of his mouth as though he'd commented on the weather, steamrolling Judy in the process with its understated simplicity.

"...Kits!?"

The one word was all she could seem to blurt out, her mind too incoherent to form a full sentence.

Nick, in turn, seemed to look deeply fazed by her astonishment. Perhaps she had misread him due to her shock, however, as he quickly looked as devious as ever when she began to blink. He leaned an elbow on the countertop. "What... first you eat meat, and now you're telling me you aren't expecting us to raise two-hundred kits? Are you sure you're still a rabbit?"

That... that jerk! How dare he play me like that!

Judy rushed in to teach her fox another lesson, but this time he was smart. Nick defended himself, grabbing her paw and reaching around her back to bring the couple into a surprise hug. He cooed at her. "There, there... deep breaths..."

The doe groaned into her fox's chest. "I hate you so much sometimes... You know that?"

"Do I know that?" He chuckled and ruffled her head. "Yes. Yes I do, Fluff. But... you are still going to live with me right? Here?"

Judy sighed and allowed herself to smile. She looked back up at Nick's face, barely missing the hurt puzzlement which had adorned it seconds prior. She nodded. "So it's settled then? This is home?"

They both looked around themselves at the empty apartment, new meaning already beginning to fill the space. No words had to be spoken. The answer was already crystal clear.

Yes.

This was home.