UPDATED: Chapter 4: Going Home (Final Chapter)

Everything about the fox hole felt right. It was simpler, less furnished than his apartment in Zootopia, but this felt as much like home as anywhere ever had. The dirt, small tunnels between rooms, it was a sanctuary. He slumped into a comfortable armchair and sighed.

So what am I gonna do for 3 more days?

The answer was: slowly simmer for Judy in private. For the next 3 days, he slept in and left in the late morning to visit the Hopps. He'd given them some excuse about rabbit fur allergies. Judy regarded him warmly, but she was awkward as hell. He got to know a couple of her siblings pretty well in his quest to avoid being alone with her. Early in the day, he handled his perverted leanings pretty well.

By sundown each night, he was practically panting. He was exhausted from hiding his desire. There were no more close calls, no more sexual tension bubbles bursting. Of course, there were so many opportunities, but he wasn't that kind of mammal. But that didn't mean that he was a choir fox, either. He even snapped a few pictures of Judy when she wasn't looking. Arriving back at the fox borrow each night, he wanted to collapse. He felt consumed by his lust for Judy, and it honestly worried him. He'd loved and lost before, but nothing like this. Nothing so physical, so primitive. He'd swipe through his pictures of Judy, suddenly more aware of her shape, the slight changes in color. Was her belly completely white? What patterns of color did she have beneath her clothes? She always dressed so modestly, so all he could do was guess.

He didn't really expect Judy to call or text him. But she did send a text on the third night.

"I don't know what's going on Nick, but I'm worried for you. Our train leaves tomorrow afternoon. I hope we can talk. I wanna help, if I can."

That wasn't going to be a fun ride...almost 3 hours on a train with Judy and her intoxicating presence. How was he going to avoid her? What excuse could he come up with to not sit next to her? His mind wandered there each night. No matter how long he thought about it, every scenario ended with him losing control and making a serious move. Usually uninvited, taking her completely by surprise, and her eyes were always prettier when they were wide open and looking shocked. He was disgusting. And he still entertained these fantasies. Justification came when he reassured himself that once they got back to Zootopia, he would be free from the clutches of autumn.

But what about after they got back? Trapped in a patrol car with her, seething with lust while on duty…how many more taboos could he add to his fantasies?

He met Judy at the train station with circles under his eyes. Another night of imagining her selfishly fulfilling his desires. She smiled gently at him, and he felt even worse. They didn't speak. While they waited for the Zootopia Express Line, big, lazy snowflakes were starting to fall. The air was silent as sin. The wind started to pick up, and even though he was upwind, he could still smell her. The snow had turned into a storm as the train pulled into the station. Nick was just starting to get cold, so he was grateful for the warmth. It didn't take long for him to realize that a nice warm train held smells very well.

10 minutes into the train ride and Nick felt like he was suffocating. Both he and Judy had been absently fiddling with their phones, but Nick couldn't stop stealing glances at her. At one point, Nick forgot to look away in time, and he and Judy locked eyes. They held that awkward stare.

Go on, Carrots. Say something. Don't make me walk away.

"Nick, I need to know what's going on." Her voice and face were harsher than he'd expected. He'd assumed her gentle, forgiving disposition would last forever; he'd taken it for granted.

"You haven't been yourself…the corn maze, the night when you cornered me, leaving all of a sudden to stay somewhere else. What's going on? I think I deserve an answer." Nick took a deep breath and was ready to answer when a voice came over the loudspeaker.

"Ladies and Gentlemammals, we apologize, but we've just received word that the snowstorm has caused a large number of trees to fall and block the train tracks."

No no no no no.

"We'll be coming to a stop shortly. We must wait until the tracks have been completely cleared. We do not have an estimated time of arrival in Zootopia at this time."

Are you kidding me? The universe must hate me. Nick exhaled sharply and walked away. No answer, no sarcastic remark, no eye roll. All the other mammals were muttering among themselves, but he could make out (and smell) Judy follow him as he left the crowded passenger car. He just wanted to be alone.

"Nick, wait." Her voice was stern. She meant it. He made his way to the glass-top scenic car. There was no one inside.

"Judy, I'm gonna say this once. Stop following me." Nick narrowed his eyes at her. He wanted there to be no misinterpretation; he meant it.

"What is wrong with you!?" Unfortunately, Judy didn't get it. "Why are you acting like such a jerk for no reason? Did I do something wrong? We've been partners for awhile now. Don't you trust me?" She approached him boldly, hurt by some invisible offense he was hiding from her. Nick felt himself shake a little. Her eye contact was so intense, her presence so invasive.

"Do you trust me?" he asked. Judy looked shocked by his question. Perfect.

"Of course, I tr-"

"Then go away."

"What are you hiding, Nick?" Oh, he was hiding something. He had a secret, one he wasn't gonna give up easily. He snorted, and then smiled a clever smile.

"A secret. A big secret." He matched her presence with his own. She smelled so good, everything about her was pleasing. He moved in closer.

"You can tell me. I won't abandon you because of a secret."

"Really? How can you say that when you don't know what it is?" He looked down at her over the bridge of his nose and let himself relax into a role. A role he'd imagined himself playing over and over again for the last 3 days. It was like foreplay in his mind. Her reactions, the frustration that was bringing a slight flush to her cheeks, it was wonderful. He could cut the sexual tension with a knife.

"It's juicy. And pretty shocking." But Judy didn't budge. She didn't move back. Instead, she took a step closer.

"You're my friend. What could you ever do to change how I feel about you?" Judy got her answer instantly. Nick kissed her.

(((BEGINNING OF UPDATE)))

Judy didn't immediately recoil, and Nick didn't wait for her to get her wits about her. He was on her in a flash, his paws gripping her so tightly it was almost painful, and he lifted her off the ground. His kiss was frantic, his body language demanding and desperate. He pressed her into himself; she felt so good up against him. Exploring her little mouth with his tongue brought an altogether new sensation, and he couldn't help but let out a small moan when he gasped for breath. The air tasted like her.

The little rabbit in his arms was still frozen. He looked down at her, breathing a little faster than he thought he should be. He gritted his teeth. She looked like a meal. He was still smiling a little. He felt absolutely predatory, and he probably looked it, too.

Say "no", Carrots. I fucking dare you. Say "no".

"Nick, what…" she managed to speak out softly. Her voice was too steady to sound scared. What was it that he heard in her voice? He took her mouth again. Maybe he'd find the answer when he pushed her further, when he showed her exactly what he wanted. While trying to capture her tongue with his own, he pushed his paw up under her sweater. She gasped into his mouth when Nick found what he was looking for. Her undefended breast fit perfectly in his palm, the tiny bump of her nipple pressed into his paw. The fur around it was like down, inviting and soft, and he didn't deny himself the pleasure of kneading her breast, becoming intimate with its shape; it was his now. His other paw had moved to her ass, pulling her closer to him. He stroked the underside of her tail and pulled at it possessively. There's no way she could play dumb anymore; Nick wanted her. The way he held her, like she was already his, was entitled and sexual. Surely his erection hadn't gone unnoticed, either. This wasn't some angst-ridden confession of love, it was third-base, and it seemed to come out of nowhere. But Judy didn't know. She didn't know that Nick had started heating up ages ago and was now at a rolling boil. He wrapped her leg around his waist, and when he started boldly exploring her inner thigh, Judy tried to break free. But the grip he had on her was firm. He wasn't backing down.

What's she doing, pushing back? She can't not be liking this. She just can't.

A swift knee in the gut told him otherwise. He dropped her. He took a step back, snarled, and looked at her. Judy was flushed and confused. But she wasn't scared, just shocked. Perfect. Her reaction was perfect. She actually hadn't seen this coming. Poor, dumb bunny. He smiled to himself. He loved trolling her. And wasn't a moment like that one the ultimate troll? He smirked. His whole body felt warm, like he had honey in his veins.

"Stop." Her voice was firm. She didn't fix her sweater.

"Ha! Stop? Stop what? Stop kissing you? Stop touching you the way you want to be touched? You know you want this as much as I do." Of course she did. He watched her little chest expanding and contracting with her breath; it was quicker than he thought it'd be. He licked his lips. Her heart was racing like his own. He couldn't wait for more of her. She shook her head slowly when she realized he wasn't taking her seriously.

"What? Don't tell me you've never done this before." His voice was curious and sly. He raised his eyebrow at her. He almost winked. Almost.

But then her face grew dark. Her confusion subsided and was replaced by contempt. It was a look she'd only given the most hopeless of criminals, scum bags… and now that look was focused on him. He froze.

"What does it matter to you?" Nick felt like a spell over him had been broken. Nick looked down, then closed his eyes. It took a few deep breaths, a few frustrated chuckles to bring himself back to Earth. He was attempting to compose himself. He clenched his eyes shut and took a deep breath.

"Judy, I warned you. I-" When Nick opened his eyes, she was gone.

"I'm sorry." He said aloud, to no one.

(((END OF UPDATE)))

Nick didn't chase her. He spent the rest of the train ride in the glass-top car alone. They were stranded for about 2 hours before the train was back on its way to Zootopia. Back to the warm air, sunshine, the artificially controlled environment. It felt familiar, but Nick felt like throwing up. He went down to get his luggage, and Judy was nowhere to be seen.

Nick didn't waste any time. He managed to catch Chief Bogo as he was leaving the ZPD for the night.

"Chief."

"Wilde...What is it?" Bogo instantly recognized Nick's serious posture.

"Sir, I'd like to be reassigned to the night patrol. I figure it's a better use of my skill set as I'm one of only 3 nocturnal animals in this precinct." Bogo sighed loudly

"So, Thanksgiving didn't go well, then."

"No sir, it did not."

"Are we going to have a problem with you and Hopps?"

"No, sir. I think I just guaranteed that there isn't going to be anything between me and Hopps."

THE END


Author's Note: That's it. Sorry, but I just couldn't end on a positive note. I do plan to continue this story. It's gonna be smutty AF.

Updated Author's Note: Well, I turned a stolen kiss into a few paragraphs of groping. Yessssss. I updated chapter 4 on 12-18-16 to make their relationship a little less redeemable; I wanted to justify Judy just walking away from Nick and leave Judy's feelings a little more open to interpretation. Plus, I got to write a little tiny bit dirty. Yay for me! Thanks to all the people who favorited the story, encouraged me, and gave me great feedback. I am still working on the sequel to this. If you wanna read it, send the love my way in the form of a favorite, a review, or a PM. I'll get the message.

Sequel Preview: The Business of Muzzles
(PM me if you have a better title idea. I stink at titles.)

Despite his best efforts, Nick ends up patrolling an edgy part of town with the rabbit he'd most like to avoid. They're investigating a shop thought to be a front for smuggling drugs. Oh, and it's an adult shop that specializes in custom muzzles. Nick is intrigued by a display piece. His mouth got him into trouble, so what would happen to the tension between him and Judy if he couldn't talk? (Will be rated M for all sorts of wonderful perviness, I promise)