Hello again everybody. At last I checked this story has 40 follows! That is so much more than I was expecting. Thank you all for supporting this project, I really do appreciate it. Well enough of me. On to the story! (damn I'm a nerd...)
Chapter 7: What Was I Thinking?
The next hour consisted of awkward conversation between the fox and bunny as the wolf sat by in pure amusement. After what seemed like days they had decided that it was best to get as early a start on their new mission. The plan was that Nick would pick Judy up at her apartment around eight that night, and go talk to a friend of Nick's that knew a lot about the underground happenings of the town. Nick walked Judy to the door and let her out with a smile; when he turned around, however, he wore the face of one who had just seen a ghost. He was only greeted by a wide, toothy smile from Spike; a smile that screamed 'Knock all my teeth out'. Nick resisted the urge as he leaned against the door, his eyes shut tight.
"So…" started Spike.
"Shut up!" said Nick forcefully without looking at the wolf.
"But I didn't-"
"I said shut the fuck up, you smug son of a bitch." snapped Nick. He knew where his friend was going and he would rather be in Hell than stuck in the conversation that he was vainly trying to avoid.
"What?" asked Spike with his paws up defensively. "I was just going to say that she was nice." He said this with a smile that was even smugger than the last.
"Do your ears not work?" asked Nick as he walked back to the couch. "Because I am pretty sure I told you to shut it but you just keep going."
"There's no dodging it, Nicky."
"Dodging what?"
"You like her."
"Do not."
"Do, too."
"Fuck off."
"I win." Spike leaned back while the fox stewed.
"What the hell was I thinking?" asked Nick, turning to face his friend.
"Whatcha mean, pal?" Spike asked feigning ignorance, while his face showed he knew exactly what Nick meant.
"You know, dumbass." Nick said impatiently. "Why did I say yes to helping that cute little fluff?"
"So you do think she's cute." Spike said as he suppressed a giggle.
"Not the effing point, fuckhead. Why did I agree to help a cop? A cop! If anyone finds out I'm dead." Nick was becoming distressed. "I mean all I've done is shit talk cops since I was a kit. I've written songs bashing cops. I've fought cops."
"Thank god they were off duty." Said Spike as Nick continued.
"Now I'm throwing in my lot with a cop. A fuckass bunny cop, too! What the hell was I thinking? What were you thinking?" Nick pointed an accusatory finger to the wolf. "You should've stopped me! Why didn't you stop me?"
"I didn't stop you because I'm not your caregiver. I'm your roommate. Plus I think this might be good for you." explained Spike. "You've never shown any kind of patience for any kind of female. Then here comes this bunny. You not only had patience for her, but also showed interest."
"Interest?" Nick said indignantly as he crossed his arms.
"Yeah, bro." Spike affirmed. "You let her pet your tail."
"I was just being nice…" Nick muttered.
"No. You weren't just being 'nice'." Spike said adamantly. "Nobody can touch your tail. Last kid who tried wound up in the ER, remember?" A proud grin stole across Nick's face. "Plus you let her have some blueberries. Your blueberries. When was the last time you let that slide?" Nick opened his mouth to answer then shut it again. "Exactly." Spike resumed. "There's something more to this bunny, and you know it."
Nick knew his friend had cornered him. He had had the weirdest feeling when Judy was in the room. As if he had swallowed a brick of lead or that his stomach had become a giant knot. It wasn't a bad feeling, in fact he liked having her on the couch next to him, but it was something that scared him. He had never felt like this around anyone; he'd had his nerves get riled for sure but never to this scale. He refused to admit what he feared was the truth.
"Imnotinlovewithher." Nick mumbled, not liking that his friend had gotten him into this corner.
"What was that?" pried Spike knowingly.
"I said that I'm not in love with her." Nick said, unable to look the wolf in the eye.
"Keeping telling yourself that, Nick." Spike said as he got up. "Where does the bunny live?"
"She said it was the Grand Pangolin Apartments on the Lower-East side of Downtown."
Spike looked to the clock. "You better get moving. It'll take round about an hour to get there and it's six-fifty."
"What?" said Nick, now slightly panicked. "Shit." He said as he raced into his room. He emerged a minute later in black jeans, a tee-shirt for the band 'White Flag', his normal leather jacket, and boots that came almost to his knees. "How do I look?" he asked as he gave himself a once over.
"Why do you care?" asked Spike with another shit-eating grin.
"Fuck off." snapped Nick, simply because he had no real answer.
"You look foxy, fox. Now get."
Nick gave an appreciative look as he flipped his friend the bird and darted out the door to his car.
Meanwhile Judy was wearing a rut into the floor due to her anxiousness. She lacked the benefit of having a close friend to talk to, so she was left alone with her thoughts. And her thoughts were key on driving her to the brink of insanity.
'Does he really like me?' she thought. 'Could a fox really fall for a bunny? And what would it mean if he did? What would I do? I mean I may think he is quite handsome but'
"Who do you think is handsome?" came a deep voice from next door.
"Be quiet! Don't you think the little lady wants some privacy?" came another voice.
'Oh sweet cheese and crackers. Did I say that out loud?' Judy thought, now fretting.
"Yes you did." the first voice rung through the paper thin wall.
Judy turned as red as a turnip under her silver-gray fur. She hid under the covers on her bed to try and hide from the fog of embarrassment that now filled the small apartment. As she snuggled under the soft comforter for protection the memory of stroking Nick's tail came to her and she wondered what it would feel like to curl up in it.
'Whoa.' Judy mentally jumped. 'Where did that come from? I mean it would be nice but I doubt he will ever let me go near his tail again. It was soooo soft though.' she thought happily. 'What would it be like to sleep with something that soft?' this thought startled Judy more than the last one. 'Hold it a second there, Judy. Did you just picture going to BED with a FOX? Your natural predator? What would people think? What would your family think? What would your parents think? Oh lordy, my parents. They would have his hide, and then they would have mine.' Judy worried about this for a while. 'But why should I be afraid? This is Zootopia.' She reasoned. 'Where you can be anything or with anyone.'
She was yanked from her thoughts by her phone ringing. She eyed the caller I.D. and it was an unknown number. She slowly fingered the answer button and raised the device to her ear.
"Hello?" Judy asked tentatively.
"Hey, carrots. It's Nick. I'm about ten minutes away so-HEY WATCH IT FUCKER!-sorry. So justa heads up."
The line then went dead as Judy sat on her bed in dread. She hadn't even noticed the time and now she had almost no time to get ready. She scrambled to put together an outfit. What she came up with was a pair of navy blue capris and a forest green blouse with a brown cardigan. She examined herself in the mirror to make sure she looked perfect.
'Wait why do I care that I look good for him?' she thought. She wasn't allowed to answer herself because at that moment came a knock at the door. She slid her foot-protectors on and opened the door to see the very fox that had been the cause of her distress.
