Chapter 4 : Popcorn
If there was a talent that Judy hadn't suspected from Nicholas P. Wilde, it was that of being an excellent cook. Of course, it was not at the same level as a five-star restaurant, but he was doing pretty well. Even better than her own mother, and yet Bonnie Hopps was unilaterally considered as a real cordon bleu, accredited by an assembly of two hundred and seventy-six young rabbits, and a big eater husband, which was something to brag about.
In record time, the fox had prepared them some, "bouchées à la reine", with tofu and "panisse", a generous dinner, as delicious to the smell as to the taste as she had found out upon her first bite. In spite of the incessant and imperious questions which swirled in her head, Judy couldn't help but delight herself thanks to the delicious, hot and succulent food provided to her. Of course, she did not forget what she had seen a few minutes ago on the pictures, but, she didn't dare to directly question Nick about them, fearing to ruin the relaxed atmosphere which set between them since they had taken their places at the table. In the background, Nick had switched on his hi-fi chain, to which he had connected his IPaw and it was currently playing a succession of pleasant jazzy songs that weren't too invasive to the otherwise pleasant atmosphere at the table.
Judy had great difficulty in respecting his resolution of good behavior. The meal was so good that she couldn't help but devour it with enthusiasm and happiness. A radiant smile appeared on her satisfied little snout as she finished cleaning her dish... then she noticed, with a slightly ashamed look, that Nick hadn't even yet reached half his meal and was looking at her with wide-open eyes.
"Well…" he commented. "Two options: either I'm really an excellent cook, which I will not contest obviously, or you're a real little glutton, Judith Hopps."
The bunny couldn't help blushing from embarrassment at the very apt statement he made of the situation, though she laughed a bit before replying, "A bit of both, I think."
And, since she was already embarrassed, she might as well go all the way. With both paws, she held out her empty plate towards him and with a little begging look, she asked: "Please Nick, may I have some more, please?"
Nick let out a slight chuckle, but there were no mockery. It looked like Judy's attraction for his cooking made him sincerely happy. It has been a long time since he had cooked for anyone other than himself, and as such, he usually provided much less effort. In fact, he was happy to be able to please his friend, even if it were only through her stomach. Maybe that would help her feel a little better after all. He nodded and got up, Judy's plate between his paws, to go refill it.
"I deduce this is to your liking?" he asked in a falsely curious voice.
"Oh, you tell me! This is absolutely delicious! I'm impressed by your culinary skills, Nick. That's a rare and precious gift that you had hidden from me!"
"Well, we learn every day, right? When you think about it, we haven't been together for long so it's only natural that you discover little by little the most charming aspects of my personality. It's a form of teasing," he added with a grin. "I gradually make you see everything that makes me an absolutely exceptional being in order to trap yourself in a form of dependence, and soon you will not be able to get rid of me!"
Judy couldn't help laughing at this self-centered explanation. Typical of Nick Wilde.
"You surely had made a huge step in that regard even before the press conference, then. You have no idea how much I missed you over the past three months…"
Judy froze on the spot, putting a paw over her half-open mouth, her eyes wide open. She had spoken without thinking, and hadn't anticipated the importance of what she was going to say before the words crossed the barrier of her throat. She stayed stunned for a moment, evaluating Nick's reaction. The fox was turning his back to her, facing the kitchen, motionless as well. The few seconds he needed to finally show any kind of reaction seemed endless for her, but eventually he turned around and gave her a charming smile.
"See? My evil plan worked perfectly…"
Of course, he has reacted by steering the conversation away with a joking behavior. Judy gulped. It was probably better that way. She didn't want things to get strange between them, let alone making him feel uncomfortable in her presence. Nevertheless, he had raised an interesting point a moment ago: they hadn't known each other for a long time, and had only spent a few moments together. If the fox had been able to read her like an open book during their very first confrontation (and this even if he had decided to crush her dreams and mock her aspirations), he, on the other part, was still an enigma in Judy's perspective.
There were things she had understood about him. The most charming and irritating aspects of his personality, the wall that constituted his humor and his constant mockeries, blocking all access to his past or his there were still so many unknown things about him, some mysterious elements. The pictures came back to her mind. Who was the vixen? Was she his fiancée? His wife? His ex? Was she still alive? Had they been married? Had they divorced? They had a child together, that was for sure... The paternal look that Nick had for this little fox, the "Wilde & Son" plate on the doorbell...everything went in this direction. She was not a cop for nothing. It was her job to put together the puzzle from the elements of the investigation.
But there was a fragment of this investigation that was against her. Contrary to the professional attitude she had to ensure when dealing with cases of this kind, she felt too directly involved in this specific situation. Personal feelings interfered and prevented her from thinking logically and coherently. How else to explain this sort of spiny ball that had developed in her throat and seemed to grow whenever her mind reminded her of the pictures? What was this mixture of curiosity, pain and anxiety that filled her from the very idea that Nick could have been tied with a female? Linked to the point of founding a family with her? The word "jealousy" slipped into her mind for half a second, but she pushed it as far as possible, shaking her head to reject it with more convictions.
"Hey! Carrots! You're nice and all, but I'm not getting any younger."
The bunny widened her eyes, noticing that Nick was stretching out her dish, which was once again generously filled, and he had been waiting for several seconds for her to take it back. Judy nodded, thanked him with a small smile, and placed the dish in front of her. Unfortunately, in spite of the absolutely delicious aroma which was emanating from it, her last thoughts had somewhat taken away her appetite and she now contemplated the contents of her dish with a saddened face. When she uttered a sigh she couldn't contain, Nick's slightly worried voice questioned her again.
"Everything's alright, Carrots?"
She nodded slightly, keeping her attention focused on her meal. She didn't want to meet his eyes for now. She didn't know why he hadn't told her about something this important. That was the kind of things you told to someone when you get closer to one another, right? Like… "Ah yes, I have a son!" or "I'm married!" or even "I'm perfectly fine with my fox/fox couple and interspecies relationships, and more particularly the pred/prey ones, are something I will never consider!" On this last thought, which had encrusted itself against her will, revealing the stigmata of the feelings she refused to accept as her own, Judy grimaced and lightly struck the table with her fist, which earned her a new worried look from Nick.
As the fox was about to ask her again if everything was alright, she couldn't contain her frustration any longer, and suddenly let it go.
"Why didn't you tell me you were married and that you had a child?!"
She blamed herself for the slightly accusatory tone she had used, as if she reproached him with some fault. It was not as if he had lied to her, or had made some kind of false promises, but she could not help but feel like he had. She couldn't hinder this powerful feeling of disappointment which hurt her insidiously. So she was quite bewildered by the incredulous tone that accompanied her friend's reply.
"I beg your pardon?" He questioned with both a shocked and amused look, as if he had difficulty in determining whether she was joking or if she was really serious.
"I… I'm sorry, Nick…" she resumed in a more calm and relaxed tone, which asked a considerable effort for her to control. "I saw the pictures on the commode in the corridor. Don't think I'm blaming you, of course...you're all really adorable, together."
"Carrots…" Nick started with a serene voice, but Judy didn't have the intention to let him explain himself. She needed to get rid of it.
"But you understand, I would have liked to know that you have someone in your life... Or at least that you had someone? I dunno, it's so weird! You live in this apartment all alone…but you are a couple? Are you two separated? And, your kid...how old is he?"
"Hopps…" Nick tried with a slightly firmer and impatient tone, his tail started to wave behind him, an unconscious manifestation of growing irritation.
"You see...you...you can't flirt like that with me if... if you're in a relationship elsewhere." The bunny jabbered, shaking her head, applying a special effort to avoid meeting the insistent gaze that Nick was pointing on her. "Even if it's just joking. I mean...heck! I should not even be here. I don't want this situation to be strange or unwelcome between us or to cause a problem with your family. You should have told me all of it, you see? I don't know if…"
"JUDY!"
He had to scream aloud her first name in an aggressive tone to finally silence her. She stared at him now wide-eyed, looking stunned. Nick has stood up, his paws pressed against the surface of the table and his claws sinking into the oilcloth. Judy gulped due to the slightly angry expression of her friend who, at this moment, seemed to have gone back to the aggressiveness of his predator's condition. Instinctively, the bunny pressed her ears on her back and sank deeper into her chair, enclosing herself as best as she could.
Finally, Nick relaxed a little and sighed before shaking his head, chuckling.
"You really should write for cinema, Carrots. You have a certain gift to imagine the craziest scenarios."
"Huh? W…What?" She asked in confusion.
"First, let me tell you I'm a bit pained that you believe I am the kind of mammal you described."
She lowered her head, a bit ashamed. She had drawn some hasty and excessive conclusions, it was true, but all the elements seemed to tend in that direction, right? He was probably referring to what she had said about the relationship they both had? She had suggested that he was trying to take advantage of her in one way or another. She even used the word "flirt" at one point, hadn't she? She grabbed her ears and pressed them against her face, trying to dissimulate the terrible shame that was filling her at that moment.
This attitude of obvious regret seemed to satisfy Nick, who sat down quietly in his chair before sighing. He understood that now he could not extract himself from this situation without some explanation.
"The vixen, she's my sister, Dizzie. The small little one is my nephew, James, of whom I'm also his godfather."
Judy put a paw against her mouth, stifling a little cry of stupor, an unconscious manifestation of reproach to her own guilt and stupidity. Why hadn't it crossed her mind? Why had she immediately imagined the worst? Her mind went speeding in one single direction and had wrapped herself in such shameless certainties that she hadn't even considered the mere possibility that these mammals were simply friends, or parts of Nick's family. No...instead she immediately had let this stupid feeling of sadness and disappointment draw her own hasty conclusion. The word "jealousy" imposed itself once again, but she had a hard time rejecting it, this time, since it was clearly responsible of her irrational behavior.
"Oh… Oh, Nick… I feel so stupid. After seeing the plate, "Wilde&Son" I thought… I thought my mind played some tricks on me… I'm so… so sorry…"
Nick rolled his eyes while shaking his head before making a small sign of the paw to tell her to not worry about it, but she could tell by his reaction that he was still a little affected by what she had implied.
Judy didn't know how to get back on her feet. Nick had offered her comfort, opened his door, offered her hospitality and his unfailing friendship, and on her part...how did she return the favor? By making fraudulent accusations against him and suspecting him to lead a double life. Really, what a beautiful proof of gratitude.
"Don't blame yourself, Carrots. You're not that far from the truth. In fact, I've been married four times and I have twelve illegitimates kits."
"What? Seriously?!" Judy exclaimed as she got up, her eyes wide and her mouth twisted in an expression of terror.
The bunny was blinded by a flash, followed by a burst of laughter from the fox, who was holding his smartphone in front of him. Judy frowned, understanding the trick. She didn't know what kind of expression she had presented in this false revelation, but the picture must certainly be compromising.
"Wait a bit until I post this on Furbook!" Nick laughed between two euphoric hiccups.
"Noooooo!" Judy pleaded, rushing to his side, trying to pull the phone out of his paws. But it was useless, of course. Nick, taller than her, put the camera out of reach before grabbing Judy by her arm to pull her towards him. He turned towards her with a charming smile, and she felt like shivering in this improvised embrace.
"I'll keep this picture for certain means." He explained in a toothy grin.
"Th… That's blackmail," Judy mumbled in an uncertain voice.
"No sweetheart. Blackmail would imply that I impose a counterpart, right? Rather see it as a Damocles sword."
"Which means someday, it will fall upon me," the bunny contested in a more angry tone.
"Oh, if you continue to insinuate that I am an unfaithful husband in search of adventures without tomorrow, there is a possibility, yes…"
A new feeling of shame fell upon Judy, who bowed her head in a desolate expression. Nick tightened a little his hold on her, in order to reassure her.
"Come on, that's not this important. We often tend to judge without knowing, right? I did the same thing the day we met, and the next day you saved my life by extracting me from the claws of a wild jaguar."
"Yeah, but... I shouldn't have said these things, Nick. There was no reason for me to think that... I really crossed the line. I'm sorry."
"And I forgive you, Carrots. I had heard that rabbits were possessive, but seeing the truth from my own eyes, so bluntly, it's almost frightening."
Judy shook her head before gently moving away from him. He had understood that jealousy had motivated her anxiety and conditioned her reasoning, there was no doubt about it. A heat wave invaded the rabbit again at this idea, but this time she made no effort to try to hold it back. Instead of that, she returned to her place with a dejected step. She was too ashamed of her conduct to be alarmed by the awkward signals that her body generated in spite of herself.
Nick didn't seem to mind it, and she was surprised to find him smelling the air with greed, which only reinforced her momentary embarrassment. She pitifully ate her second meal, trying to find an inch of comfort in the food. The fox watched her eating in silence, apparently amused. At least he didn't feel too affected by the lastest events, which motivated Judy to try her luck and dig a little farther. "So... You have a family, don't you?"
"Except if the contrary is proved, Carrots, I wasn't found under a gooseberry bush."
Judy rolled her eyes before shaking her head. She wouldn't let him get away with a joke, this time. "You understood very well what I meant."
"You want to know more about the Wilde family, is that it?"
"Well, it would be a good start. It would save me the embarrassment to draw ridiculously hasty conclusions and to be taken for a total idiot...again."
Nick spread his arms, rejecting any form of guilt concerning the unfortunate situation they just had. "I am absolutely not responsible for the excesses of your overflowing imagination, Carrots! Honestly, do you see, me, married and a father?" He stifled a gravelly laugh. "That would be science fiction!"
"Oh, yet I think I can imagine it personally. I know you're an angel. I can imagine you as a doting father, by the way…"
Nick shook his head in disgust outlining a grimace which made his interlocutor laugh. "Not for me, Carrots!" He says, chuckling, before sitting back on his chair.
Judy raised a questioning eyebrow. Did Nick really believe he could get away with it so easily, by switching the conversation onto a new humorous subject? She would not let him hide himself behind a few explanations this time. "So Nick ..." she continued. "Tell me everything about the Wilde family."
Noting that she was back on the subject and realizing that he would not be able to flee away this time, Nick heaved a sigh of weariness before starting to speak in a weary voice. "Well, okay..." he began. "I have a sister and a brother. All three of us from the same litter. My parents divorced when I was eleven. My mother went to live in Atlantea, and my sister followed her. My brother and I stayed in Zootopia with my father. Are you happy now?"
He had asked this last question in a somewhat aggressive tone which made Judy understand that he had a hard time dealing with this sensitive subject for a reason that was somewhat elusive. Of course, being the son of divorced parents was not the most amusing thing in the world, but surely not to the point to get this upset. The bunny concluded that there was certainly something more painful behind it, and hesitated to insist further. On one paw, her curiosity and her desire to know more about Nick urged her to question him while on the other, the respect and affection she had for her friend prevented her from questioning him too far on a subject that obviously made him feel uncomfortable. Yet, she gave it a try with a last question, which she formulated in the least aggressive manner, offering him the possibility of responding in an evasive way if it bothered him too much: "And you often see them?"
"I regularly see my mother and my sister," he replied in a cold voice. "Sometimes I go meet them in Atlantea, sometimes, one or the other comes to see me here. We're on good terms, even if they despair of seeing me doing nothing with my life…"
And he stopped there. Judy tilted her face towards him for a moment, her questioning look was trying to incite him to reveal the missing information, but nothing came out. Not a single word about his father, not a single word about his brother. Nick had probably understood the expression of the bunny, who was trying to motivate him to say more, but he simply turned his head away and retreated into silence. For Judy, the sign was clear: she would not get anything more from him tonight, and insisting on the subject would only cause him unneeded inconvenience. She had already contributed enough to break up the good atmosphere that had been established between them with her inappropriate speculations about Nick's private life, and this told her to not keep digging any further.
"Well, when they will know that you'll be attempting to join the police, they will be likely surprised..." Judy said enthusiastically, offering that exit door to the conversation in the hope that Nick would seize it so they could go back down to less tense subjects.
"Just like you said, Carrots. I think it's certainly the last career they could imagine me working in."
Seeing that the idea of embarking on this new adventure seemed to genuinely rejoice the fox, Judy gave him a warm smile while eating.
"For sure, it's like a one hundred eighty degree turn for you," she declared. "I'm more than happy that you're gonna do it, of course... I just hope it's really what you want."
Indeed, the somewhat selfish idea that Nick had eventually agreed to become a cop just in order to team up with her, and therefore by extension, to please her, had passed through Judy's mind. Although it seemed ridiculous, she needed to feel reassured about the real motivations of her friend. It was useless to make him lose six months in the academy if it were to end up occupying a job he didn't like.
"Why's that, Carrots? I'm pretty sure I'd look even more handsome in a uniform."
"Oh! So it's a matter of prestige, is it?"
"Absolutely! Wait a bit until you see me with my aviator glasses, in my blue uniform… You will beg me soon to take off my shirt!"
Nick barely had the time to regret these last words before a fragrant wave already struck his nostrils in full force. He didn't know if he would one day become accustomed to this peculiar olfactory language (he had never spent so much time with a prey, much less one from the lagomorphs class, well known for their body language), but for now he wasn't bored of these sensory experiences. They had almost the effect of a drug on him. He narrowed his eyelids, enjoying the smell for a moment, and could have sworn that his mouth was generating a larger stream of saliva for a few seconds. When he opened his eyes, he was not surprised to see a particularly embarrassed Judy facing him. She was trying to look away with a distraught look. She didn't know what to do.
"Anyway!" he declared in a clear voice to change the subject. "If you're done, I'll clean the table."
"I will help you, wait."
He tried to protest but she remained uncompromising, explaining that at her home, everyone took part in the household chores, and that she had kept this habit when moving to Zootopia. He didn't protest any further and let her help him. They cleaned the table and then Judy insisted to do the dishes together. It was out of the question to add two dirty plates on an already so unstable pile...it could turn into a disaster so they worked on the dishes, Nick soaping and rinsing while Judy energetically wiped. Meanwhile, they talked on the various subjects of everyday life, coming back to their feelings about the events they had been through in the last few months, always in the tone of humor and camaraderie, and soon there were no dirty dishes left. Nick seemed surprised and showed a stunned face towards his friend.
"Well!" he declared. "This is the first time it didn't seem too boring…"
"That's also why it's easier when we're together! We don't see the time flying by!"
Adding the action to the word, she held out her fist for a fist bump, and Nick willingly agreed, before rubbing her head, right between her ears, a gesture that Judy didn't really like because she found it infantilizing.
"Given our expertise in cleaning dishes, I'm sure that our duo will shine within the police force, Carrots!" Nick commented in a laughing voice.
"Yes, but I prefer to warn you...in the police, efficiency doesn't pay off, economically speaking. For someone accustomed to earn two hundred dollars a day, you may soon become disillusioned. The pay is not that great."
"Haha…yes…speaking of that…" Nick rubbed his head, looking a little embarrassed. "Um, I may have... a bit exaggerated, when I pretended to made so much money."
That was interesting. Judy crossed her arms and looked at him suspiciously. She had begun to have some doubts, indeed, by observing the relatively modest living environment of the fox, but now she had the opportunity to know the end of the story.
"Oh really?" She asked in a falsely surprised tone. "Being a con artist doesn't pay off that much, in the end?"
"A good scam takes time to be put into practice, and it doesn't always work," Nick explained. "It's not an exact science, and therefore you don't have a steady income, with that. The day we met was a wonderful one for Finnick and me, but unfortunately, they are not all like that."
"So, then, how much do you really earn?" The bunny asked in a voice full of curiosity.
"Just enough to live. But not much." Nick conceded, a little ashamed. "If I had to pay the rent for this apartment, I think I wouldn't be able to do it, actually…"
"What? You have no rent?"
"My father had bought this apartment. I inherited it."
Judy remained silent. In a few words, Nick had revealed a lot. Did he do it knowingly or not? She didn't know, but she was grateful.
"This means that your father is…" She blamed herself for having expressed her thoughts aloud, but apparently Nick didn't mind it, and just nodded.
"All that remains of my father is a label on a doorbell. There's nothing else left."
After having said these words, he turned away from her before sitting down on the couch. He showed no anger and not even any bitterness. It was more like a sort of characteristic indifference which, oddly, pained Judy much more than a clearer expression of his feelings concerning the matter could have done. No pain, no sorrow, no sadness, even less anger or resentment... Only a passive acceptance and a rejection of everything related to the subject. If she hoped one day to pass through this wall full of mysteries he had built, she would have to be very cautious, because it was as high as it was abrupt, and the fall might be fatal if she decided to grab the wrong pawhold climbing it.
The bunny joined him on the couch with a quick step, sitting in the angle formed by the backrest and the armrest opposite of Nick. The fox remained silent, lost in thoughts, and Judy understood that she had to bring the conversation back to a less sensitive subject in order to have a chance of recovering an ounce of good-humor from her friend.
"But then why did you help me? You didn't risk much with my threat of tax evasion?"
Nick sighed. "The fact that I don't earn as much as I claim doesn't take away the fact that I got that money illegally, Carrots. If anyone ever comes to put their nose into my accounts, even if they're not very impressive, I would be asked to justify the source of the funds, which would draw the court's attention on me. And believe me, there's nothing that a scammer hates more than being the justice's target, especially when said scammer is a fox."
Judy lowered her head, slightly ashamed of her maneuver which had forced Nick to help her at that time. "I'm sorry, Nick. If I had known your situation, I would not have done all this to compel you to collaborate in my investigation."
"You're too kind, Carrots. You should not have any scruples about that. I spent my life scamming people and exploiting their weaknesses. For once, I had been beaten at my own game. This kind of experience teaches you humility! And if you hadn't done it, we would not be here discussing it today. And believe me, I would by no means change this."
Judy didn't try to deny herself : these words touched her a lot. She gave Nick a radiant smile before putting her paw over his, gently squeezing it.
"Thank you, Nick."
The fox simply smiled back, and they remained silent for several seconds, staring at each other, happy at being together again, and for being able to share this moment, in spite of all the trials they had been through. In the end, they came out of them stronger, together.
Nick was the first to break the silence, gently pulling his paw out of Judy's embrace before making a sign of the muzzle in the direction of his blue-rays collection.
"So, Carrots...what would you like to start this movie night with?"
The bunny turned her head toward Nick's gold mine, and focused her attention on the boxes, trying to find one movie she might not have seen, or at least one masterpiece she would like to watch again. Her parents didn't have much income, as most of their money went back into the farm or feeding their massive family, and certainly not enough to provide pocket money to nearly three hundred children, who all had varied passions. Besides sports, music and video games, one of Judy's greatest passions was the seventh art... But since she didn't had the means to go to the cinema very frequently, and even less for buying DVDs and Blu-Rays, she had allowed herself, as a teenager, to breach the law she had sworn to serve and defend, and had started downloading illegally an astronomical amount of movies and series. She had watched all of them with greed, and had spent sleepless nights to develop her cinematographic culture, seeking to know every genre, and to watch all the great classics. But she had one strange guilty pleasure...
And It turned out that tonight, nothing would have pleased her more than succumbing to it.
So she gave an enigmatic look to Nick, and questioned him in a somewhat shy voice, fearing to offer him some information he would then use to make fun of her, something he could freely exploit in the years to come.
"I guess...that you don't have any old fantastic movies, science fiction or shabby horrors, do you?"
Nick raised an eyebrow before letting a sly smile grow on his muzzle. Bingo: He was going to make fun of her now.
"You have before you nearly six hundred films of high quality, and the only thing you want to watch is an old Z-movie?"
Judy nervously nodded. Since she was already embarrassed, she might as well assume it. "And if you have triple Z, that's even better…"
"This will require professional equipment," Nick replied with delight, before kneeling to rummage under the sofa, where he eventually pulled out an old shoe box and opened the lid. The box was filled with an impressive amount of engraved DVDs. Judy's eyes widened before she came next to Nick, kneeling on the floor beside him.
"We don't find this kind of crap on the market, unfortunately." Nick commented. "So I was morally obliged to download them and burn them...for my own pleasure."
Oh. So there would be no mockery coming from him, since it looked like Judy's honesty has just revealed something in common between them. They both had a guilty love for old fashioned horror movies, with ridiculous special effects, miserable acting, and a completely absurd plot. And if they was lots of gore (and if it was very badly done), it was even better.
"Nick... How long have you been…?"
"Since adolescence," he confirmed while shaking his head, in the tone of confidence, like an alcoholic would have recognized his addiction to another drinking-fellow.
"This is awesome!" Judy exclaimed, euphoric. Unable to contain her joy, she grabbed him by the nape of the neck and pulled him towards her, pressing her head in the hollow of his neck to rub it affectionately. When she released him, poor Nick was completely stunned by the passionate violence of this hug, and thought he was going to collapse. This rabbit will be the end of me, he managed to think.
"Oh! You have The Cannibal Beavers Invasion! A great classic!" She declared, pulling the engraved DVD out of the shoe box before putting it aside. Apparently, she intended to go through Nick's shameful collection and make a pre-selection. The fox watched her do this for a moment, while she picked out a few particularly bad movies, then he got up, letting her continue her research.
"I'll prepare the popcorn. Try to find something juicy! I have a bloody mood tonight."
"As you wish, Mister Fox!" she replied in a cheerful tone.
Nick quickly put the popcorn in the microwave, and even added a bit of sugar, in order to make it more caramelized. Once he was back, Judy was hesitating between three disks, her concentrated gaze moving from one to the other. Nick gave them a quick glance, and raised an eyebrow.
"You know what, Carrots? Let's go for a 'very bad movie marathon'. Don't bother yourself, we'll watch the three of them!"
Every feeling of tiredness had gone away, replaced by a contagious euphoria. Judy didn't try to decline Nick's proposal and just smiled with all her teeth before giving him the first disk, quietly accepting his suggestion. It would be a long night, which would succeed a long day. Her body was asking for some mercy as she was sore and exhausted, but her mind didn't care, and, with the addition of her feelings, which aspired to spend as much time as possible with Nick, her reason had given in to the temptation before even taking the time to think twice.
Nick inserted The Cannibal Carrots Attack 3 into the DVD player, and launched the film.
"It's pretty cruel from you, Carrots. There are an incredible number of rabbits being eaten in this film."
"This is justice!" Judy answered in a laughing voice, forcing a falsely cruel tone. "Considering all the carrots that we devour in our lives, it's normal that one day they would seek revenge!"
The idea made Nick laugh, while an old, completely ridiculous, synthesizer sound invaded the living room... The soundtrack of these crappy masterpieces were also part of their special charm.
"And, when you spend the first twenty-four years of your life in the midst of a horde of your fellows, there are certain moments when you tend to have murderous desires... Whether perpetrated by carrots, or not."
"Well, Miss Hopps!" Nick laughed, looking surprised. "Psychopathy was not one of the traits that I would have assigned to you, but we will have to have a serious conversation about this because I'm dying to know more."
Judy rolled her eyes before shaking her head, approaching Nick to enjoy the popcorn he had placed beside him. They watched the film carefully, devouring the sweets that clung to both their paws and teeth. They never missed an opportunity to comment on the nullity of a costume, the pitiful acting or the ridiculous staging, all while laughing a lot. A sharp comment from Nick during the death scene of one rabbit, who had been devoured by a giant carrot after having been planted on a field, gave Judy an uncontrollable fit of laughter, and for a moment she seemed to die from asphyxia. Even with her ribs all sore from being hit by the ram at the museum earlier, she was still laughing during the credits which marked the end of the first film of the night.
Judy immediately encouraged Nick to insert the next one, Furminator, a grotesque and outrageously gore parody of James Cateron's great classic. After twenty minutes, Judy, who knew the movie almost by heart, began to anticipate the dialogues. Nick joined her in this game, and soon they were playing on inventing their own text lines, making the characters even more ridiculous than the scenario already did. This little game could have annoyed anyone, but not these two specimens, who enjoyed themselves like mad mammals and didn't see time flying by as they congratulated each other for the ingenuity and the stupidity of their overflowing imagination.
Finally, the third movie, Taxidermy Massacre, that Judy had never seen before, but that Nick had presented as a summum of absurd nullity, was perhaps too much for the little bunny, who, despite her fierce mental fight to keep her eyes open, began to drowse off dangerously. Her body was instinctively looking for comfort, while she forced her mind to still focus on the astronomical amounts of blood spilled by Jack the Skinner, an irradiated and insane warthog whose only pleasure was to skin alive the vacationers who had the misfortune to get lost in the remote marsh where his consanguine family had been residing. In fact, she fell almost unconsciously to the side, clinging to Nick, placing her head against his shoulder while grabbing his arm with both paws. If she was mildly conscious of what she was doing, the pleasure she felt rejected any rational thought concerning the behavior to adopt. Was it inappropriate? Was it beyond the limit imposed by their friendly relationship? Maybe. But at that very moment, she didn't care. She was happy, and she felt herself in her place. If Nick put her back, she would deal with it, but for now, she needed him.
The fox froze for a few seconds, while her friend was curling up against his arm. For a moment, he was tempted to remove his paw to make her understand that they should not do this, that it was maybe a bit too much. But in the end, he relaxed a little. Simply because, beyond the strangeness of the situation, he found this contact pleasant. The little satisfied sighs that Judy, half-asleep at that moment, heaved only added to the well-being he was currently feeling. And he was also feeling strangely proud.
Proud, because it was clear that the bunny felt good from their contact... Relaxed and happy. What a formidable faith she now had in him to feel free to let herself go completely in his presence. His own, that of a predator. A strange smile grew on his muzzle, and he turned his head towards her, losing himself in the contemplation of her serene and relaxed face. Her ears were lying on her back as she was fighting against sleep. Her paws lost their grip, as she seemed to fall asleep, and she nearly tilted forward, waking herself up with a start before desperately clinging back to the fox's arm.
Nick smiled and pulled out his arm from her grasp. Judy thought he was tired of this intimacy, and that he wanted her to take her distance from him, but without a word he slid his arm behind her neck, pulling her towards him so that she could rest her head against his chest. He then brought his paw back against the bunny's arm, holding her firmly to prevent her from tilting forward again.
Judy let out a satisfied sigh. He was just trying to improve her comfort, and she would not complain about it. With her head pressed against Nick's chest, she could perceive the steady and regular beating of his powerful heart. Her friend's heart rate was similar to that of a metronome, beating a soothing measure which only reinforced her desire to let herself go, and sleep. It had been a long time since she had felt so good, so peaceful, so happy. All the anxieties which troubled her mind seemed distant and without consequence at this moment. There was only Nick, her friend, her confidant, her protector. In his arms, she was feeling safe.
As she was about to fall asleep for good, she felt the fox's paw slide down her ear to enjoy its fluffy softness. At this contact, she shivered and opened her eyes. Nick had surely noticed it, because he pressed his paw again in the same direction, more insistently. This time Judy opened her eyes wide. The ears were one of the most sensitive areas of the rabbit anatomy, and they usually hated to be touched there, but, Nick's firm, delicate touch made her feel an ecstatic sensation that she had never felt before, making her moan. The fox stopped his gesture at the hearing of this sound, and Judy felt herself blushing from head to foot, ashamed for having let herself go.
"Forgive me, Carrots…" Nick said in a sincerely sorry tone. "I should not have done this…"
He had allowed himself to go along the strange development of the situation, but it was clear that they were both going through the healthy limits of their relationship at that very moment. Going further risked to create some consequences on their friendship, and he didn't want to take that risk. Judy was one of the only mammals with whom he felt fine and so confident with, and this hadn't happened for a long time… He didn't want to lose this in favor of a stupid incident, that nothing justified.
But it seemed that Judy didn't think like him, because she gently rubbed her head against his chest, as to encourage him to put his paw back on her ear, before murmuring: "You owe me a massage, Nick, remember?"
Judy knew that at this very moment, she was going too far and beyond the limits she had imposed on herself. But she didn't care. It had been months since the last time she had felt this good, and she had only one desire: that this moment last longer, even if just a little. She didn't mean to make Nick uneasy or to throw their friendships away, but, she could not rationalize herself. The proximity they were displaying for a few minutes was all that she was aspiring for now. If there were any consequences, she was ready to deal with them in due course.
She was therefore reassured and happy to feel Nick's paw back against her ear.
"A bet is a bet…" he declared in an uncertain voice, in which Judy could swear she had detected a weakness note that made her aroused. Was Nick scared? Was he afraid of the direction took by their marks of affections?
Scared was not the word. Judy was far from the truth. In fact, Nick was simply terrified. He, who was used controlling the situation he was in, to be the gamemaster, now found himself in an uncomfortable position in which he felt like he no longer had control over anything. He enjoyed every second, but on the other hand, a part of his mind shouted to him to stop because he was screwing everything up. He, himself, didn't know what exactly this unconscious and worried part of his psyche was referring to, but his civilized instinct shouted to listen to him. His wild instinct, on the other hand, ordered him to go the whole way, despite the consequences, and to enjoy each moment without thinking twice.
And since Judy tended to give reason to this secondary instinct, it was this one that he decided to follow, but not without fear. He remembered that Judy had made it clear when they made the bet that the massage should be applied, so he intended to meet her expectations, and with an expert paw began to slowly palpate the fluffy top of the bunny's ears. She shivered softly, seeming to appreciate the touch. Nick spent a moment contenting this area, before slowly sliding down along the outer curve, letting his thumb sink into the slight asperities and corners, gently squeezing them in a slow, measured rolling motion.
Judy closed her eyes and bit her lips, bubbling inside with an almost ecstatic pleasure. It was not normal that she was feeling this good. Nick hadn't exaggerated on his massage talents. His movements were applied, skillful as well as delicate...exerting the exact amount of pressure required on each different spot, awakening some sensations in the parts of her ears that she had been unaware of until now. Of course, the pleasure grew as he approached the base, taking more time to gratify those parts with incredible soft caresses. A new moan escaped from Judy's mouth, and she ended up panting, slowly. She felt like she was running out of air, and made absolutely no effort to control the burning heat that ravaged her whole body.
For Nick, it was an olfactory treat. Judy wasn't containing herself and was liberating an intense flow of delicious fragrances, that he was now inhaling with delight. He didn't mind the fact that she could realize that he was sniffing the air greedily. The air charged with her smell... and this smell had a name: pleasure. Nick's instinct took the upper hand, while the fragrant release put his mind in a limp state, and he uttered a growl of wild contentment. A still rational part of his mind feared that the bunny would be frightened by this manifestation of his predatory instincts, but on the opposite, it aroused an uncontrollable thrill in her body. She pressed herself against him, and began to gently rub her head against his chest, depositing her scent on his clothes.
A piece of Judy's mind was horrified by what she was doing, and tried to reason her by speaking directly to her. Judy! Stop! You're marking him! Nick is not yours! He's not your male! But she pushed away this idea, letting her instincts, which were now out of control, lead her moves. She suddenly straightened up on her knees, to reach the hollow of Nick's neck, where she placed her head, rubbing her fur more vigorously against the fox, who groaned again at this contact.
Nick's eyes widened as he realized what Judy was doing. She was proclaiming him hers. Was she doing it knowingly, or was she lost in the euphoria of the moment, with her fatigue added to the stress from the incredibly long day? Perceiving the extremely strong and addicting smell that she was leaving on every part of his coat, Nick thought he'd end up fainting. He began to pant, while accelerating the touches on Judy's ear, before slipping down his paw into the hollow of her nape, where he applied a certain pressure before sinking his claws under her fur, slightly scraping her skin with an obvious wild impatience.
The response of Judy's body was immediate. She uttered a new intense cry, and put her paws around Nick's neck, redressing her head to his level before rubbing her cheek against the marked line of his muzzle. Judy's nose was madly twitching, sucking the air with eagerness in order to keep up the pace imposed on her by the frantic beating of her heartbeat. Her whole body was on alert, expressing an immediate and impetuous instinctive need, which demanded to be satisfied right now. Her mouth was getting closer and closer to Nick's, and the fox felt Judy's distracted breath slide against his lips, between his teeth.
The inevitable was going to happen in an instant, if neither of them tried to calm down the situation. Nick tried one last time to rationalize both of them, and managed to mutter:
"Ju… Judy… We… We shouldn't…"
"Nick… I… Please…"
How to resist this? His whole body was forcing him to give up. Even his reason had no concrete control over the situation...and Judy was totally lost. She had switched her mind off, and didn't even try to think about what was going on. Her voice expressed a real urgency, a concrete need. Who was he to oppose that? Did he even really feel like it?
Their mouths were only a few millimeters apart. Nick could feel the hot breath that Judy expelled into little chaotic jerks. Soon, he could suck it directly, from the tip of her lips. The bunny was already so close... There was only one gesture to do and…
...Judy's cell phone rang, bringing them both back to reality.
The electronic sound was like a click, pushing away the needs of their ancestral instincts, while the modernity and the social connections that accompanied it suddenly became much more concrete. Judy widened her eyes, finding her mind back. She didn't remove herself from Nick too quickly, first smiling at him, as if to make him understand that she didn't regret what had just happened. He smiled back at her, although he seemed a little uneasy, for his part. The bunny slid to the side, sitting back on the couch before pulling her phone out of her pocket.
Nick put a trembling paw on his neck. He could still feel Judy's warmth...and her smell. He wouldn't get rid of it easily. She had marked him. She had proclaimed him hers. Was she aware of the symbolic impact this could have in a mammal society? For predators, it was even worse, because it came with the logic of the loving ritual that accompanied the sexual act. Anyone who would meet him in the next few days would think he was anything but single. This type of pheromones resisted everything, and held whole days. Nothing would put it to an end, not even the olfactory attenuator. Did he really want to get rid of it, anyway? Judy's laughing voice pulled him out of his stunned reflection as she activated the MuzzleTime option of her phone.
"Hey, it's my parents!" she exclaimed in a cheerful voice.
"Judy, everything fine?" Bonnie Hopps questioned in a worried voice. "We were worried sick! We've been waiting for your call all day long!"
"Why did you leave so suddenly this morning, sweetie?" Stu asked. "It didn't make any sense! Where are you now?"
"Wait, slowly, slowly…" Judy asked while laughing lightly. "Let me get a chance to answer. I'm sorry for having left so fast with the truck. You guys had no trouble getting back to the farm, right?"
"No, don't worry. Gideon offered to bring us back." Bonnie explained. "But enough about that… it's up to you to explain yourself, Bun Bun!"
"Oh, yes, sorry…well, you will not believe it but…"
There followed nearly fifteen minutes of a complete feedback on the events of the day. How she managed to make the link between the Night Howlers and the Midnicampum holicithias, including the fact that someone was targeting the predators in Zootopia. Then followed the summary of her reunion with Nick (which surprised the fox: obviously she had talked about him to her parents), their reconciliation, the investigation which led to Doug, the chemist behind the toxic substance, the flight on board of the train, all the way to the arrest of Dawn Bellwether. Judy's parents were very proud, but also extremely worried about all the dangerous situations she had been through. They were equally shocked to learn that the whole case was actually a conspiracy from preys against the predator minority.
"That's absolutely horrible." Bonnie finally concluded. "But I understand why you didn't call us earlier. I guess your day has been exhausting and very busy."
"That's true…" Judy conceded. "But I should have called you, despite everything. I'm sorry that I make you guys worried for me."
"And what about your situation?" Stu asked in concern. "They'll let you get back into the police force, right?"
Judy tried to ignore the tone of disappointment she perceived in her father's voice when he evoked her possible return in the security forces, and she just nodded. "It may take a bit of time given the situation, but the chief thinks it should be possible in the next few weeks."
"What are you going to do in the meantime? Come back home?" Stu questioned.
"Yes, I guess... I have to give you back the truck, anyway... And I have no stuff here."
"That's true, sweetheart... But then, where are you? It doesn't look like a hotel room."
"Oh! I… I am…" She glanced at Nick to try to find support from him, but he just shrugged his shoulders, as to say your problem. Finding no convincing lie to give them, Judy forced herself to stick to the facts. "Well, Nick offered me to stay at his place for tonight, as I have to attend this press conference tomorrow morning."
"Oh." Simultaneous reaction from both father and mother. Nick grinned at that sound. Of course, they would be opposed to the idea. Parents were already worried when their child was going to sleep under the roof of an individual of the opposite sex, even if they were from the same species. So, imagining their daughter sleeping in a predator's house, and when this predator was moreover a fox. They wouldn't be overwhelmed with joy.
"That's... That's very nice of him." Bonnie finally commented in a slightly bewildered tone.
"You still have your fox repellent, right?" Stu asked in a low voice, and a more suspicious tone.
"Dad! Aren't you ashamed? Apologize right now to Nick!"
And without any warning, she turned the screen of her phone towards the fox, who widened his eyes to this unexpected gesture. If there was one thing he hadn't expected, it was to find himself forcibly integrated into the conversation. He grimaced a clumsy smile, before shaking the fingers of his right paw.
"Hey!" he managed to articulate before the surprised expression shared by the two parents of the bunny who's very erotic scent was still on him, causing his nose to twitch. "Nice to meet you...Judy's dad and mom."
"It's Mister and Misses Hopps!" Stu corrected him in a firm tone before Bonnie pushed him away while savagely scolding him.
"Don't listen to him Nick! He's a grumpy old mammal. I'm Bonnie, Judy's mother. And this specimen is my husband, Stu. And you'll call him Stu, as you call me Bonnie. No Mister and Misses Hopps between us!"
Nick caught the delighted smile that Judy showed when she heard her mother being so sweet and friendly to her friend. This motivated Nick to make an effort of presenting himself in order to give a good image of himself to the parents of the rabbit.
"All right, Bonnie. I hope you are not too shocked at the idea that Judy is sleeping here tonight. I know it may sounds a bit strange, but, I could not let her sleep in the truck, right?"
"There's nothing strange, Nick." Bonnie reassured him. "Judy has talked a lot about you. I am personally very happy that you two have reconciled. If you had seen in which state she had been because of this dispute…"
"Mom!" Judy shouted, which made Nick smile, delighted to see the situation turning a bit against her.
"Why? I only say the truth... Anyway! Nothing strange, as I've said. Stu and I are very grateful for everything you have done to help Judy. And for the hospitality you offer her tonight. Right, Stu?"
The rabbit, somewhat gruffy, and clearly overprotective towards his children, only responded with a grunt.
"There's really no problem, Bonnie. I'll pass the phone back to Judy now. You probably have a lot to say to each other."
Nick passed the phone back to its owner, who gave him a smile before turning her attention back to her parents.
"When do you get home, honey?" Bonnie asked.
The fox stopped listening to the conversation at this moment, making a small sign of the paw to Judy to tell her he was coming back soon. He thought that a little private time with her parents was what she needed right now...and for him, he needed to clear his mind, because their little games on the couch were still too present in his memory. If the phone hadn't rung, what would have happened? How far would they have gone? From the insistent smell that Judy had left on him, there was little doubt as to how things would have ended…
As he leaned on the edge of the kitchen window, that he had opened to let the night wind stroke his coat, he closed his eyes, thoughtful and slightly anxious under the cool breeze.
Where were they going, together? Everything seemed to oppose them and should have kept them within their respective environments, evolving on their own side, in a society apparently mixed but which was in reality suffering from a strict moral framework. In the eyes of the world, they have no future together. So why did everything seem to want to push them towards each other?
As he couldn't find any answer to this question, Nick did the only thing within his reach to stop torturing his mind.
He decided to ignore it.