Dear Reader,
I would like to take a moment to tell you all thank you so very much. When I started this little story, I never would have guessed that it would ever get more than 10-20 followers. Instead, last chapter we broke the 150 subscriber mark. Unfortunately, this story will come to a close very soon. But in the mean time;
-Enjoy
"Judy won't answer her phone," grumbled Nick as he paced the center of the massive living room.
"That's because she don't want to talk to you," Stu wilted a little as Nick turned to glare at the comment.
When Nick and Stu had arrived back at the bunny-hill, their respective spouses were nowhere to be found. A single bunny kit had informed the pair that Bonnie and Judy had stopped by briefly to let the kits know they would be at Debra's house for the night. Stu assured Nick that the pair would come back in no time, however Nick had his doubts.
"Well can I at least get something to drink?" questioned Nick, sliding his phone back into his pants-pocket. His nose twitched as he combed the air for the scent of liquid-libations.
"Sure can," replied Stu from his position on the freakishly-long couch. "There's a sink in the kitchen."
Nick shot an exasperated glare at Stu, pinning his ears back in frustration. Looking about the massive empty living room, Nick realized that not a single one of Bonnie and Stu's 275 brood were to be seen. "I mean something to 'drink'" replied Nick as he began to prowl for a liquor cabinet.
"You think we'd keep booze in a house with 275 growing bunnies?" questioned Stu as he to realize the stark absence of children.
"That would be the reason to keep booze here." Nick chuckled slightly as he imagined trying to keep that many fox-pups in line. "Besides, you were going to throw a party tomorrow." Nick made his way into the kitchen.
"Were?" questioned Stu, "Still am!"
"No you're not," quipped Nick from the other room.
"Yes I am!" scolded Stu, folding his arms across his denim overalls and yellow flannel.
"Nah-ah"
"yeah-hu"
"Party's off, Stuward"
"Party's on, Nicholas" Stu turned to better yell into the kitchen. "And you won't find no liquor in this bunny-hill!"
"Bingo!" chimed Nick from the other room, prompting Stu's ears to perk up.
"I must not be searching hard enough," grumbled Stu to himself as Nick reentered the living room, bottle in tow.
"You bunnies've got good taste," Nick remarked as he took a seat next to Stu on the couch, counting years with his paw pads. "This is like a twenty year old bottle!"
Both Nick and Stu's eyes widened at the number. "Give me that!" Stu snatched the bottle of Carrot whiskey from Nicks paws, and rolled it over in his own.
Nick shuffled a little, "Can I have some…"
"No," replied Stu, still studying the bottle.
"J-just a little," pleaded Nick, holding his thumb and finger up to indicate size all the while eying the vintage liquor with great longing. "Just a taste?"
Stu exhaled before finally caving, wanting to sample the bottle himself. "Fine, fetch some glasses…" Stu uncorked the bottle and turned to see that Nick had already produced two glasses, seemingly from nowhere. Stu's head cocked to the side as he looked at Nick's coy smile, "Clever fox…"
Nick shrugged as Stu poured two full glasses. "You know, I've heard that booze is good for head trauma." The pair chuckled as Stu finished overfilling their drinks.
Nick passed one of the rock-glasses to Stu before clinking the edges together and downing the whiskey. Nick exhaled in smooth appreciation of the aged vintage-reserve. However, Stu's breath caught and he coughed at the strong alcoholic burn prompting Nick to laugh. "I think you're doing it wrong, Stu" remarked Nick pointing at his own nose.
"Son, I've been drinking whiskey for 35 years" assured Stu, "I think I know what I'm doing…"
"Well then you've been doing it wrong for 35 years," remarked Nick readying another pair of glasses. "After you swallow, there will still be some alcohol in your mouth. So what you do, is blow out smoothly through your mouth, not your nose. Then press your tongue to the roof of your mouth, and breathe in through your nose." Nick passed the tall drink to Stu. "That's where the real flavor lives."
The pair clinked their glasses a second time, and downed the elder-brew. However, this time neither Nick nor Stu choked. Stu's ears shot strait up as the rich carrot notes actually made it to his brain. "Damn, Wilde…" laughed Stu, brow raised in approval "I gotta give that one to you."
The pair silently eyed the bottle as they attempted to gauge the effects of their two consecutive drinks. However, Nick's ears perked up as he looked past the bottle to the giant TV that had been on in the background. "What are we watching?"
Stu blushed a little, "Oh, uh… It's some cooking-thing Bonnie always likes to watches." Stu began to search for the remote as he continued, "I'll change it here in a second."
Nick stood up off the couch, "did we bring in the groceries from the truck yet?"
"Yeah," assured Stu, taking a break from his search to look at Nick. "What's up?"
The pair stood in the back yard, surrounded by the few brave bunny kits that had come out of their hiding places. Nick gave instructions as Stu held as many bunnies in his arms as he could, so that they could look into the humongous Ice-cream turn.
"And the key ingredient with this batch is the Agave," Nick informed the fascinated kits as he poured the golden syrup into the vat. "Normally we use egg whites…"
"Ewwww…" all the kits booed the idea, prompting Nick to laugh.
"But since you bunny's don't eat eggs, the Agave does the trick." Nick picked a kit up off the rim of the turn who had been trying to fish some carrot out of the ice cream batter, before flipping the switch that powered the vat. Seeing the Kit's sad expression, Nick snagged a shred of carrot out of the spinning tub and gave it to the kit who giggled at Nick's gift. Before setting the bunny down, Nick snagged a little bit of the batter from the whirling mixer, and wiped the dollop on the kit's pink-button nose. The rest of the kits broke out in laughter as the tiny bunny furiously struggled to lick the batter from his nose.
"Well I'll be," chuckled Stu fondly as he watched the army of laughing bunnies. "Bonnie was right about you. Those kits can't seem to get enough of you, Nick."
Nick shrugged as he watched a few more bunny-kits come out from hiding. "Trust me; I'm just as surprised as you are." Nick's ears perked up as his attention shifted. "So Stu, I hear you don't dance anymore…"
Stu shifted nervously as the army of bunnies turned their collective focus to their father. "Well, I… uh" Stu struggled to defend himself, but gave up with a shrug. "No, Mr. Wilde… not for a long time."
"Seems you only dance on the canvas," remarked Nick with a coy smile. "If you're going to celebrate twenty-five years of marriage tomorrow, You're gonna dance." Nick's ears flicked about as they were greeted by a wave of giggles that spread through the crowd of bunny's which encircled the pair's feet.
"Nope!" Replied Stu, ears pinning down in fear. "That ain't happening, partner." The army of bunnies began to plead with their father. "Nope," assured Stu, shaking his head for emphasis.
Nick smirked and waved his paws, prompting the hoard of kits to back away and opens up an earthy dance-floor. Nick stepped towards Judy's father and offered a paw, prompting another wave of giggles. "Mr. Hopps?"
"Not happening, Mr. Wilde" assured Stu as he fought and lost against a pack of rabbits that were pushing him towards Nick's outstretched paw.
"Don't think I won't hit an old bunny," teased Nick with a wink as Stu was pushed closer and closer.
"Fine," groaned Stu, shooing away the assailing Kits. "Fine! But nobunny better tell your Ma' about this." Stu shot the army of kits disapproving glares as a few of the bunnies mimed zipping their little mouths shut, while the rest giggled.
An hour had passed, and the pair had all but mastered a classic swing. A couple pairs of kits had taken to imitating the pair and stumble-danced about Nick and Stu's feet. Most all of the kits had come out onto the lawn to watch at this point, and even some of the older siblings now sat and watched the duo. Stu and Nick used the sound of the rhythmically turning ice-cream machine to keep step as Stu lead.
"I don't get it," grumbled Stu as he sent Nick out through an under-arm turn and pulled him back in.
"You're doing great," assured Nick as he matched Stu's hip swing, sweeping the dance-floor behind himself with a bushy red tail.
"Not the dance," chuckled Stu. "I get that just fine. What I don't get is you and Judy."
Nick's ears perked up as the pair rotated around their intertwined paws, "how so?"
"You two are nothing like each other," pondered Stu as his paw found its home in the small of Nick' back, upon his return. "She's always wanted to be a cop; you were an ice-cream mammal. You like dance; she's all left feet. You're calm and collected; she's a hot-head. She's a bunny; you're a fox… See where I'm going?"
Nick chuckled as he watched a pair of the tiny dancing bunnies trip on each other and collapse. "Well that's not how love works," explained Wilde, while he and Stu executed a flawless half-throw. "She completes me; she's everything I'm not. We all go through life thinking we're whole. But then you meet that missing part, and you realize you're only half an animal. And once you realize that, you can never go back to feeling whole without them." At that, Nick dropped backwards into the embrace of Stu whom caught the fox in a deep and perfect French-dip. Stu and Nick held the reclined position for a lingering second, muzzles dangerously close. "It's just love" finished Nick before being stood back up on his feet by the embrace of Stu.
The kits all clapped and giggled as the fox and bunny finally separated. Nick made a deep bow to all of the bunnies, prompting another wave of laughter.
Returning to the edge of the ice cream turn, the pair stood side by side as a perfect odd-couple.
"Where'd you learn to dance like that?" questioned Stu.
"I used to sing at an old jazz-bar back in the day" shrugged Nick. "I didn't just sling ice cream for twenty years."
Oh hot-diggity!
Did you just read another whole chapter? Yes, yes you did. Did you enjoy it? I sure hope so! If you did, then read another! But before you go, please be sure to write a review, leave a favorite, or make a suggestion. I do this for me, but also for you guy. So please, give me your thought.
-Enjoy the next chapter!
