WARNING: The first paragraph of this chapter contains violence and graphic descriptions of gore. If you are uncomfortable with that, you can skip it, and start reading from the second line break.
The first two fists were fast, but Judy saw them coming. Raising her arms she blocked the first, and she ducked down to avoid the second one. However, the knee coming straight for her face was unpredicted. She fell back with a grunt but used the momentum to roll on the ground and get back on her feet.
She immediately got her guard up again, but her opponent didn't follow her. He stayed in place, taunting her. It infuriated her. She launched into him unleashing a two fist combo and a roundhouse kick. Her foe simply parried both fists and jumped backwards to avoid the kick. She expected to be punished for missing, so she raised her guard again as soon as she landed, but nothing came. Her opponent was still taunting her.
"Stop messing with me!" she shouted right before rushing him again, this time sliding on the floor, going for his feet.
He merely jumped over her. "Make me."
That was it. She was going to destroy him. Direct attacks weren't working, so she came up with a battle plan. First, she faked a jab to the right, and when he moved to block it, she ducked and went for the legs again. It worked, he lost his footing and started falling. Before he could hit the ground, Judy broke his fall with an uppercut that sent him flying the other way. She had to admit he was quick, rolling on the ground to get back up like she did, but the rabbit was faster. As soon as he was on his feet again, Judy jumped and locked her legs on his torso, spun backwards and smashed him face first on the ground again.
It took him some more time to get up again, and Judy was loving every moment of it. "Had enough yet, Wilde?"
Nick finally managed to stand again and shook himself. "Oooh, I am going to enjoy this." Before Judy could react, he was on her like a hurricane throwing punches left and right. She managed to block them but was quickly getting overwhelmed. As soon as she saw the smallest opening she went for it. After a failed right hook, Nick's side was open, and she tried jab him on the ribs. Nick read her like a book, quickly sidestepping and grabbing her arm. With a quick twist of his torso, he sent her flying through the air, only to ground her again with a double overhead fist.
The hit to the head combined with the fall to the ground stunned her, and she couldn't get up right away. This time instead of taunting her, Nick took advantage of the weakness and kicked her in the ribs, sending her flying once again. This time when Judy hit the ground, she managed to get on her feet again but was still to slow. Nick was on her again so she prepared to block, only this time he didn't throw any punches. Instead, he grabbed her arm and pulled it away from her before delivering an uppercut to her elbow, breaking it immediately with a sickening crunch. She didn't even have time to scream before he crouched and grabbed her leg and drove his elbow on her knee with all of his strength, breaking that too. To finish the combo, Nick landed a haymaker right to her face, sending her up in the air for the third time.
It took her a very long time to get up from the floor, and even then she was barely standing, swaying this way and that. "Please don't do it!" she begged.
"Sorry Carrots, but that's not the game we're playing," said Nick before going in for the kill.
First, he jumped into the air, delivering a roundhouse kick that broke Judy's jaw and made spin in place. Then he grabbed her head and smashed it into his knee, shattering her nose. Lastly, he did a backflip, connecting another kick that snapped Judy's neck.
She fell to the ground limply, her disfigured face looking at the sky while her chest was touching the ground. Nick just stood victorious over her.
The word "VICTORY" appeared on the screen, thus ending the match. Judy put her controller down on the couch, crossed her arms and glared at Nick. He was looking at her, a shit-eating grin on his face and half-lidded eyes, basking in his glory.
"You cheated," said Judy with a grim expression.
Nick's eyebrows went all the way up, "Seriously Fluff? That's the first thing you say?"
"You did! What was that grab after I punched you!? I've never seen that!"
"Just because you've never seen it, doesn't mean I'm cheating! That's called a 'tech throw,'" said Nick. "Now I believe it's someone's turn to wash the dishes." The grin he was wearing was so smug it almost blinded Judy.
They woke up that morning still snuggled together, which lead to some awkwardness. Sure, they both enjoyed the contact, but dealing with what that meant was a little too difficult for their still sleep-addled minds, so they turned into mumbling fools for a good two minutes before Judy finally broke the spell and got up to take a shower.
After they were both clean and ready for the day, a clear issue presented to them: there was a significant mountain of dishes left in the sink from the night before. Naturally, since they were both grown adults, they immediately started repeating "It's your turn" to each other over and over again.
When it became clear that they would get nowhere like that, they decided to settle it like Gentlemammals. With videogames. They searched Nick's library of titles looking for something that both of them knew how to play, until they landed on "Mortal Kombat," a famous fighting game.
Judy thought she struck gold. She used to play it all the time when she was younger and regularly beat all of her littermates when they dared challenge her. She was sure beating Nick would be a walk in the park.
Fast forward to after the match and Judy was sorely regretting her decision. "You set me up!"
Nick shook his head, "You picked the game yourself Carrots. You even bragged that you were gonna walk all over me. If anything, you set yourself up!"
He was right, and that infuriated her even more. Searching for a retort in her and finding none, she decided to actually go and wash the damn dishes; otherwise Nick might gloat some more, and that would be the end of him. She deftly jumped down the couch and started stomping her way to the sink.
She made it about halfway there before Nick called her, "Aren't you forgetting something, Carrots?"
She stopped mid-step, and her ears dropped to the ground, even more of a sign that she was well and truly pissed. "I swear to God Wilde, if I turn around and I see you holding that stupid cane, I'm gonna shove it so far up your a-"
"Woah, no need to get so violent! I'm just looking out for you!" he said before she could finish her empty threat. Or at least he hoped it was empty. He saw her dropkick somebody off of a train after all…
Judy didn't respond, just got back to stomping her way to the kitchen, grumbling about how someone's tail would look good on a wall.
While the fuming rabbit started soaping the dishes, Nick put the controllers back on their shelf and turned the T.V. back to the news channel.
Unsurprisingly, the NightHowlers' case was still the focus of the broadcast. It had been almost a week since he and Judy had outsmarted Bellwether and nearly every news station was coming up with new updates on the story. Most of them were fake or greatly exaggerated, but mammals would tune in to hear about it nonetheless, so the big heads upstairs didn't seem to care. As long as people would watch it, they would put it on the air.
Right now they were going over the Chief's press conference. Nick had to admit that the buffalo knew how to handle the journalists' incessant questions like a pro. He also sold the whole "undercover" business pretty well, saying that Judy went back to Bunnyburrow to investigate on a possible lead as to why predators were turning savage and how she stumbled upon the answer while conducting an informal investigation. Half truths, giving them something to write about, but not enough to expose his officers or the department itself.
Bogo also didn't mention Nick, nor his involvement in the case whatsoever. He didn't know if the Chief did it to protect his privacy, or because he didn't want to acknowledge he was of any help but he was grateful for it anyway. The last thing he wanted was having hordes of reporters outside his doorstep. Not to mention the number of "acquaintances" who would want to "have a talk" with him too.
Seeing that there wasn't anything new on the "news," Nick started channel surfing. After six different cartoon shows, three other news broadcasts, two cooking shows, and an absurd telenovela where a middle-aged female coyote would continuously get into rooms only to get comically offended or surprised by what was happening in there, Nick settled on a rerun of one of his favourite shows growing up: The A-Team. It was about four members of a crack commando unit that were wrongly accused of a crime they didn't commit and escaped a maximum security stockade and went on to survive as soldiers of fortune.
The show itself was fun to watch, but what Nick liked the most were the protagonists. "B.A." Baracus was a surly and burly bison with a knack for everything mechanic and a petrifying fear of flight. "Howling Mad" Murdock was a black wolf with a white muzzle and underbelly, an incredible pilot with more than a few screws loose. Templeton "Face" Peck was an impeccably groomed camel with a luscious light brown fur. As the nickname would imply, he was the face of the group, endlessly charismatic and with a soft spot for every female in existence. Last but not least was "Hannibal" Smith. He was the leader of the group, both for seniority and rank. He was quick-witted and smart, capable of coming up with a plan for every situation and always ending up on top. Coincidentally, he was also a gray fox. Nick would lie if he said he didn't look up to him a great deal in his younger years.
Ready to enjoy a short leap into the past, all he needed was something to drink. "Hey Carrots, could you ple-" a grunt and a one-eyed death stare from the still irate bunny stopped him mid-sentence, "Actually you know what? Nevermind!"
"That's what I thought," was Judy's curt reply. She was standing on a chair to reach the sink and was scrubbing away at the dishes like she wanted to strangle each one of them.
Getting up from the couch and getting to the kitchen himself, Nick tried to calm the waters a little bit, "C'mon Fluff, murderous rage isn't a good look on you."
"Mark my words Wilde, one day I'm gonna get you back. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but one day. And you're gonna regret ever crossing me," she said. Apparently calming the waters will require a little more time.
"Ominous," said Nick before taking a step back from her, just in case, and opening the fridge. A desolate desert looked back at him. Except for a half a jug of milk and a lonely apple, the fridge was empty. "Huh. Looks like we're in serious need of a grocery run unless we wanna go on a very extreme diet."
An acknowledging grunt was the only response he got. 'Alright, this is getting old.' Being fed up with Judy's bad attitude, Nick moved to the sink and turned off the water. She was about to protest, but he beat her to it, "Listen, I don't know why you're so angry right now, but you can't give me the cold shoulder forever just because I beat you in a videogame."
Judy glared at him for a good ten seconds, before sighing and dropping the stare. He was right, she was being way too harsh with him. Her own hubris was the reason she lost and not any traps Nick may or may not have set up. "You're right, sorry. It's just… I'm very competitive, so when I lost I didn't take it all that well…"
"Ya think?" said Nick with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah… I just can't help it. The way you beat me, too, made me really lose my temper. I'll stop now, I promise," Judy said with small guilty smile, her ears rising up again.
Nick smiled right back. He was happy she wasn't really mad at him, especially since he didn't mean to antagonise her. However, this is Nick we're talking about. God forbid he would be upfront with his feelings. "First off, I didn't beat you, I obliterated you. And second off, you're a very sore loser Carrots. You should work on that," he said, counting on his fingers with each point he made.
Judy's ears went right back down. "You're not making this easy, Nick," she said barely holding back the closest thing to a growl a bunny could make.
Nick chuckled and lightly bumped her on the hip, "Scoot. Go get dressed, I'll finish here and then we're gonna go grocery shopping."
Judy looked down at her light purple flannel shirt and blue jeans, then back at Nick, "What's wrong with this?" she asked gesturing to her clothes.
"Nothing, but they're not what I bought you," answered Nick.
Judy clicked her tongue. She hoped Nick would've forgot about that. "Can't we just skip today? I don't wanna change again."
Nick shook his head, "That's not how the deal works Carrots. There's still two days left, then you can go back looking like you just came out of the carrot patch."
Judy harrumphed, "Again, I'm not gonna take that from Floral Pattern Boy."
"Mmh-hm, sure whatever you say. Now go get dressed," said Nick clearly not paying attention and just washing the last of the dishes left in the sink.
Judy actually growled this time and went back to the bedroom. It was the most adorable sound Nick had ever heard, and it took all of his willpower not to "aww" at it.
After a couple of minutes, Nick was done drying the dishes, and Judy came out of the bedroom. She was wearing a two-tone sundress that came right above her knees. The skirt was solid black with pink and blue flowers all over it and two little pockets on the front. The bodice was a semi-transparent white with short sleeves. Last but not least she was wearing a black tank top underneath it.
Nick looked on approvingly. "There we are. Wasn't so hard, was it?"
"Do I really have to go out wearing this?" asked Judy almost looking defeated.
"Why, what's wrong with the dress?"
"It's tight and makes me look like a kit. Plus, with this bandage on my leg I look ridiculous!"
"I think it makes you look cute, with or without the bandage," said Nick. He genuinely thought so, that's why he bought it.
Judy felt blood rush to her cheeks and ears, "What did I tell you about calling me cute?!" she said with righteous anger.
Nick held up his paws and took a step back, just in case, "Sorry, sorry! Still, the sentiment remains. I think it looks good on you."
Now she was sure her ears were getting red as a beet, so she dropped them. It helped her pull off the annoyed look she was trying for. "Hmmph. Are you ready to go?" she asked in a clipped tone that Nick saw right through. Judy was many things, but a good liar wasn't one of them.
He checked one last time for his keys, wallet, and phone and once he was sure he had everything he was good to go, since he actually dressed in the clothes he was supposed to wear. A jet black short sleeved shirt with a crimson red tie, and a pair of blue jeans. Both form fitting and a bit too tight for his liking, but he couldn't deny he looked good in them. Being a naturally slim animal helped sometimes.
"Right after you, madam," he said with a small bow towards the door. Judy rolled her eyes and went outside. Nick saw the abandoned cane on the couch and was tempted to call her back. However, she seemed to still be in a bit of a mood, so he decided not to nag her. He would just bring it with them, and if she started limping again, he would give it to her.
Nick and Judy had been going out for breakfast a couple of times before in the week she spent crashing at the fox's place. Mainly because neither of them wanted to cook anything as soon as they woke, and coffee or tea only take you so far. On Nick's recommendation, they went to this hole-in-the-wall cafè a couple of blocks down the road from Nick's apartment, and Judy immediately fell in love with it.
It reminded her of Bunnyburrow in some way, with its wood covered walls and the rustic benches and tables. The owner clearly aimed for the "rustic" aesthetic, and it was really working. The rest of the clientele seemed to like it too, and even though both predators and prey were in an enclosed space so soon after the "Nighthowler Incident," the atmosphere was really relaxed.
After waiting in line for a couple of minutes, the pair were greeted by the Vixen behind the counter, "Hey you two! Welcome back!"
"Hi Percy!" said Judy while Nick just nodded. "How's work this morning?"
"A little busy, but that's a good thing! What can I get you?"
"The usual for me," said Nick. He'd been going to the cafe somewhat regularly for almost two years now.
Percy nodded and looked at Judy, "And what about the bunny of the hour?" Like everybody else, the vixen had been surprised when she first saw Judy walk in and immediately asked her about Bellwether and everything that was on the news, but after the rabbit explained that she wasn't free to discuss everything, Percy dropped the subject immediately and had not brought it up again. Judy was very appreciative of it, and the two have been very friendly ever since.
After a quick scan of the overhead menu, Judy decided to try something new that morning, "I think I'll take the 'Vanilla and Caramel Latte' with extra whipped cream, please?"
"Take-away, right?"
"Yup!"
"Diabetes in a cup and a black hole, coming right up!" cheered the vixen before turning around and getting to work on the massive brass coffee machine.
After a couple of seconds, Nick snickered, and Judy's ear swiveled to him. "What's up?"
"It's just that your order really reflects your personality. Sweet to the point of nausea and extremely clichè," said Nick with a smug grin.
Judy's ears quickly dipped behind her back in annoyment, before springing right back up when she became almost pensive, rubbing her chin and looking at the ceiling. "Bitter as all get out and so black and gloomy it's draining the light around it. Yeah, you're right, our orders really do match our personalities!"
Nick put his paws in surrender, "She parries and strikes back! I yield!" he said with his usual dramatic flair.
She just rolled her eyes at his antics and shook her head with a faint smile of her own. Somehow their usual banter always managed to help her mood. She didn't want to kill him as much anymore.
Finally, the barista came back to the counter and plopped down two cups. "Here we go. Anything else?"
"No, we're good thanks," said Nick.
"Then it will be $12 please."
Before Nick could get his wallet out of his pocket, a crisp $20 bill got slammed on the counter. "Keep the change!" said Judy.
"I could've covered that, Carrots."
"Then next time be quicker on the draw!" rebutted the bunny with a smug grin.
Nick grew a grin of his own. She was learning fast. Going on at this pace, she might be able to outfox him in a decade or two.
With their cups in tow, they made their way out of the little coffee shop and towards the supermarket a couple of blocks down the street.
"So what do you have in mind for food, Carrots? Except your namesake of course," asked Nick before taking a sip of his coffee.
"Very funny, Slick," said Judy with a very monotone voice, before taking a sip of her coffee too. If you could even call it that. It tasted delicious, the vanilla and the caramel blending in together very nicely, but the amount of caffeine in the brew was close to zero. Still, she was enjoying it.
"Thanks! But seriously, anything in particular that you want to buy?"
"Not really no. Maybe some snacks like chips or candy, you don't have any back at the apartment."
"Snacks? Really? I know you're younger than me, but I didn't think you were still a teenager Fluff," said Nick with an arched eyebrow.
"Hey! We bunnies have an extremely fast metabolism, okay? We need to eat like all the time. And with my normal lifestyle, I need to eat even more. I burn calories like gasoline," said Judy.
"Huh, would never have guessed. Well, snacks it is then. Anything else?"
"Not that I can think of, but I'm sure that walking around the supermarket something will strike my fancy. What about you?" she asked taking the last sip from her cup. She liked the "coffee" so much she didn't even realise how quickly she finished it. She would definitely buy it again.
"Well, I guess I'm kinda in the mood for some fajitas, so cheese, peppers, onions, and tofu are on the list. Oh! And shrimp too. It's been ages since I had some," listed out NIck while finishing his coffee too.
Judy's ears stood up and turned to the fox, "Shrimp? I thought you were vegetarian?"
Nick bobbed his head, "Technically I am, yes. I eat vegetable and tofu most of the time. But once in a blue moon I like to eat some fish too, but it's crazy expensive, so it's more of a treat than anything," he explained.
"But you said that you don't like meat?" asked Judy still confused.
Nick raised on finger, "I said that I don't like the taste of bugs, I never mentioned fish."
"So basically you lied," clarified Judy with a hint of irritation in her voice.
"Again, technically I didn't lie. Just didn't tell the whole story," pointed out Nick with a familiar condescending tone.
"This is the same thing as the whole 'Red wood with a space in the middle' deal, isn't it?"
"You're catching on faster and faster, Carrots. Soon you'll turn into a fine hustler," said Nick jokingly.
"I think you should focus more on becoming a cop yourself rather than turning me into a hustler, Slick," said Judy. There was no malice in her voice, but Nick could tell she was somewhat serious about it.
"Where's the fun in that?" was his response both in his head and out loud.
Judy sighed, "You really are incorrigible."
"Mmh. Come on, the supermarket is just around the corner."
"Alright, we got all the basics, now we can indulge a little," said Nick looking at the cart he was pushing. They were already strolling around the place for a good ten minutes and had already put all the "essentials" like bread, milk, and drinks in the cart.
"Well, the chips aisle is right there, wanna start with that?" asked Judy pointing forward.
"Actually, I want to get the shrimps first, before they run out if it," said Nick.
Judy's ears fell behind her back, and she looked somewhat uneasy, "I.. I see."
Nick quirked an eyebrow, "Something wrong?"
The rabbit fidgeted on the spot, "If it's the same for you, can I wait for you here?"
Nick's eyebrow went further up, "Okay… Why?"
Judy looked downright bashful now, and the fox didn't know what to think of it, "It's just that I... don't deal really well with fish…"
It finally dawned on Nick that Judy was a rabbit. Prey. And he was about to drag her to the most predatory part of the supermarket without second thought. He was really losing his touch. "Oh yeah, sure! No problem! I'll make it quick," he said before dashing to the fish counter on the other side of the shop, all the while cursing in his mind.
After his irritation fueled semi-run, he reached the counter and was somewhat relieved to see there wasn't much of a queue in front of him, only to be immediately demoralised to see an old lady, a sea otter, currently being served. She wore thick glasses and was asking a myriad of questions to the poor lynch behind the counter. This was gonna take a while…
After 10 minutes that felt like 10 hours, it was finally Nick's turn. The old otter seemed to be a sweet little lady, but holy smokes she couldn't make up her mind. Luckily enough the wolf and the dingo still in front of him after the otter was done were much quicker with they're shopping.
He was somewhat let down to see that they did run out of shrimps, but they still had prawn. It was much more expensive, but also much bigger than shrimp, so half a pound of those would be more than enough to make risotto for one.
Happy with his purchase, he swiftly made his way back to where he left Judy, with his double bagged (so that the rabbit wouldn't smell or see) prawn in the cart. After he rounded the corner of the aisle and was ready to apologise to his soon-to-be partner, he froze on the spot. Judy wasn't alone. She was chatting away with another rabbit. A buck rabbit. He was the same height as her, with brown fur and a cream muzzle.
After a split second, Nick backed around the aisle corner, feeling like a thief who'd almost been caught burgling a house. Which immediately made him frown. 'Why the hell am I hiding?' One side of him asked. 'She seemed to be hitting it off pretty well with him, I just don't want to get in the way,' the other side said. 'Yeah, that's it! Yeah, I just don't want to get in the way!'
A third voice appeared in his head, 'And exactly why shouldn't I get in the way? She's being all lovey-dovey with someone else; meanwhile, I'm here looking like an idiot!'
"Why should I care if she's being 'lovey-dovey' with someone else?" he asked himself out loud, which made him feel like even more of an idiot.
'Don't play dumb, Wilde,' was the dry response from his inner voice.
"I'm not!" he said, offended with himself. He needed to get his brain checked after this.
The voice snorted, 'You can read another mammal's feelings from a mile away, but when it comes to yourself, you're illiterate.'
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
'Take another look at those two and tell me how you feel.'
Against his better judgement, he slowly peeked around the corner again. Judy and the other rabbit were still there, chatting. She was looking at him, her ears up and pointed towards the buck. He had her full attention. She was also smiling. A small pleasant smile. She seemed happy. He couldn't see the buck's expression, but by the way he standing and gesticulating, he appeared to be enjoying himself too.
Nick's chest seemed to tighten out of nowhere. He caressed it with a paw, "What?"
'Illiterate.'
Was he being jealous? But why? Sure she was his friend, but he had no reason to act this way. Then why was he feeling himself turning green? This made no sense!
'Hey Sherlock, while you were trying to solve this mystery you've been spotted,' his inner voice brought him back to the present. Judy was looking at him with wide eyes. She seemed almost alarmed. He was about to dip back behind the aisle when Judy's eyes snapped back to the buck in front of her. Her ears, however, didn't. They were still pointed at him. A closer look showed that her paw, rested slightly behind her, but still visible from his perspective was making a small "come hither" motion.
Another quick glance his way, and a more definite signal of her paw. Finally, a light bulb popped over his head. She wanted him to go there. She wasn't enjoying her conversation with the buck. She wanted him to come save her!
For some reason, this made his chest swell after feeling tight as a lock for the last minute or so. 'How did you make it to 32?' his inner voice sounded again. It was starting to get on his nerves.
'Shush you, I need to help my friend.' Nick heard the voice roll its eyes, but it didn't speak up again after that. Now that that was taken care of, he needed to come up with a plan to wart off the buck. He could swoop Judy up and walk away like in "An Officer and a Gentlemammal." He could also show up and start being uncomfortably intimate with her until the buck would get the hint and wander off on his own!
...Or, he could behave like a normal mammal and just go there, say hi to him, and just gently whisk Judy away with the excuse that they had to get on with their shopping. Yeah, that sounded like a sane idea. He really needed to check his contacts for a good shrink later.
With a quick sigh and a body shake, his hustling smile was back, and he casually started pushing the cart towards the two bunnies. Judy visibly lit up when she saw him, which made his chest swell a little more. Once she started waving at him, the buck turned toward him too with a curious expression. He didn't seem bad looking to Nick, but then again he wasn't really about bunnies' standards of beauty. Brown eyes, brown fur, pudgy build. He looked like the picture of the average rabbit.
"Sorry, the line at the counter was neverending," said Nick after he was close enough not to shout.
"Oh don't worry about it! By the way, Nick this is Patrick, he heard about the Nighthowlers on T.V. and wanted to thank us. Patrick, this is Nick, we solved the case together and will soon join me on the force," said Judy before practically gluing herself to Nick's side. Was she really that desperate to get rid of the buck? Not that Nick minded, anyway.
The fox extended a paw, "Nice to meet you."
"Pleasure's mine," said Patrick giving a quick and disinterested shake before turning towards the cop once more, "Anyway, as I was saying I would love to know you a little bit more. There's a small cafè a couple of blocks down the street, if you want we can get a coffee?" he asked with a winning smile.
A smile that irked Nick to no end. For some reason, he really wanted to verbally tear down this rabbit. Regardless, he decided to keep his tongue in check and let Judy answer for herself.
"Ah, thank you, but I already had coffee today. Besides, I'm here with Nick, so…" was Judy's gentle let down. She really hoped the buck would get the hint.
He didn't. "Well, they sell smoothies too. And I'm sure Nick wouldn't mind, right big guy?" he asked lightly elbowing Nick in the side.
In 20 years of hustling, Nick never had to rely on his acting skills as much as he had in the last 2 weeks. All he wanted to do right then was to shove the rabbit's elbow far up his ass and tell him to get lost. Instead, he acted almost apologetic, "Well, I don't know… We're buying groceries for tonight's dinner, and if I don't get the right thing, I'll be the one dealing with her."
"Yeah, what he said! Wait, what do you mean deal with me?" asked Judy almost offended.
"You get a little… difficult when you're hungry Carrots."
"Do not!"
"Wednesday."
"Okay, I may have overreacted a little, but-"
"You cried, went into a fit of rage, started laughing hysterically and cried again. All because the pizza guy was running 10 minutes late," said Nick counting each point on his fingers.
"Oh come on, you're exaggerating it!" protested Judy.
"Am I?"
Before she could reply, Patrick cleared his throat and made himself known to the two again.
"Oh you're still here," said Nick with almost genuine surprise.
"Yes, I am. I just wanted to ask if I could have your number, Judy? Since you're busy now, we can maybe get in touch later next week, go see a movie or something?" asked Patrick with a staunchly polite tone. He was persistent, that's for sure.
Judy was wracking her brain trying to find a good excuse to turn him down again, "Oh, uum, well…"
Nick decided to put an end to this pitiable exchange, "Listen pal, I hate to break it to ya, but the lady is clearly not interested. So why don't you take the hint, go back to your groceries and we'll do just the same," he said with his usual smug grin and a slightly condescending tone. It reminded Judy of the first time they met.
And just like the first time they met, Patrick was getting irritated, "Listen pal, if I ever need your opinion I'll be sure to ask you, but for now how about you let the lady talk for herself?"
Nick shrugged, "I'm just trying to save the both of you some embarrassment, really."
Patrick's foot stomped for a second, which put Judy somewhat on guard. He was getting angry, fast. "I don't need you to save anything except your breath," he said with venom in his voice.
That was Judy's cue to step in the conversation. She knew Nick well enough to know he wouldn't back down from a verbal bout, but Patrick seemed ready to escalate the fight to the next level. "Alright, that's enough. I'm sorry Patrick, but Nick is right. I'm not interested in going out right now. I've tried to be gracious about it, but you didn't seem to get the hint."
If Judy bitch slapped him then, he probably would've looked less baffled. "If that was the case, you could've just said it clearly," he said with a mix of embarrassment and resent.
"I just did," was the ice cold answer. She was done being nice, and she still had some anger in the back burner from that morning to let out.
Both males recoiled the slightest bit, and Patrick decided to leave with what little dignity he had left, all the time mumbling under his breath.
Nick chuckled and looked at Judy, who was quickly stomping her foot with her arms crossed and a miffed expression on her face. "You didn't need to go for the throat there, Carrots."
She snorted, "Yes I did. I tried to be gentle, but it didn't work at all, he just kept talking over me and pushed the subject more and more! I thought that with you here he would get the freaking hint, but he was relentless!"
"Yeah, didn't want to take no as an answer, did he?"
"Well it was about time he learned," said Judy with a resolute nod.
"That's the spirit!" said Nick.
"And thanks. For coming over, I mean." She looked almost embarrassed, and Nick couldn't figure out why.
"Hey, I told you didn't I? Whether it's to save the world or to fend off thick headed suitors, you're stuck with me," he said with a sincere smile. He meant that.
Judy lightly punched him on the shoulder, "You're so corny," she said in a mocking tone, yet she couldn't wipe that stupid happy grin from her face.
Nick turned back towards the snacks aisle and started pushing the cart, "So, now that this fun little window has ended, you wanted to get some snacks, right?"
"Oooh, I could die for a granola bar right now! That conversation was draining!" said Judy bringing a paw to her forehead and stepping into pace with him.
"And you say I'm a drama queen," he said.
Judy shrugged, "You're just a bad influence I guess."
"I don't know, Carrots. I'd say you're pretty extra on your own," said Nick before mimicking her gesturing in the pit and mouthing "Blood! Blood!"
Judy gasped loudly and brought a paw to her chest, "How dare you say that!" She turned her nose up, "And to think that I thought you a friend!"
Nick chuckled, and Judy harrumphed, "I can't believe it! I shall never trust you again!"
"Alright, now you're milking it," said the fox.
With a little laugh, Judy dropped the act, and they went on with their shopping and with their banter.
"Nick, I am not using that. End of story."
The fox and the rabbit were glaring at each other inside the small bathroom of Nick's apartment. Or more accurately, Judy was glaring at what was in his paws.
After their grocery run, the duo came back to the apartment and decided to have a quick lunch and go back out for a walk in the park and maybe the mall. It was such a beautiful day out, it would've been a waste to sit inside.
They started with the mall, since it was too hot outside, and even the shade of the trees in the park would've done little to help. So, they window shopped a bit and played at the arcade that was located on the 5th floor. Nick dominated Judy at every shooting game they found, while the bunny destroyed him at every racing simulators they played. All in all, they were both satisfied with their victories, so other than friendly banter, no grudges were held this time around.
After the two had exhausted all the fun to be had at the mall, they ventured towards Savannah Central Park. It was still heinously hot outside, but unless they waited until sunset that would not change anytime soon, so they just decided to deal with it. As soon as they arrived, they found a snow cone vendor and ran to it like their life depended on it. It helped a lot.
With their refreshment in paw, Nick and Judy opted to find a bench under some shade and cool of for a bit. It worked like a charm, and both of them felt like it added ten years to their life. When both felt like they rested enough, they ventured into the actual park. Judy had visited once, but it wasn't under the best of circumstances. Another riot broke out during the Savage Mammals outbreak, and she was trying to defuse it. So while she hadn't the fondest memories of the place, it was still nice to see it under a different light.
Obviously, it wasn't long until someone recognised her, but this time it was actually a pleasant experience for the bunny. A bunch of kits who were playing soccer in an open grass patch of the park ran up to her with big eyes full of admiration and a million questions. What she liked the most about them was that they were all of different species, both predator and prey. It was nice to see that kits didn't let Bellwether tarnish their world.
After she managed to calm them down and accidentally let it slip that she used to play soccer a lot too when she was younger, they all started begging her to play with them a bit. It would've been next to impossible to say no to all those round eyes and trembling lips, so she agreed, even against Nick's very loud disagreement.
"Carrots, you know your leg is gonna kill you if you play. We even left your cane back home!" protested the fox.
She was quick to dismiss Nick's worries, "I'll be fine, you're just being a worrywart. Honestly, you're starting to sound like my mother!"
"I'm just trying to look out for you."
"Thank you, but there's no need. They're just kits, I'm gonna be okay."
"Alright, you know what? Fine, do what you want. But don't come back to me crying after you inevitably hurt yourself," was Nick's disgruntled response.
Judy shook her head and started walking towards the awaiting kids, "Just like my mother," she said under her breath.
"I heard that!" She laughed.
The games went well, and they even managed to pull Nick into the last one. He got utterly demolished. He tried to defend himself saying that he played baseball as a kit and that he didn't know how to play very well, but everybody knew that the real reason was the he had two left feet. After that, the kits excused themselves saying that they had to run back home lest they get an earful from their parents, and seeing as dinner time was approaching Nick and Judy decided to do the same.
On the way back, Nick noticed Judy walking funny. She wasn't limping yet, but she was putting less and less weight on her right leg. "Everything alright Carrots?" he asked with complete nonchalance.
"Yup! Why do you ask?" said Judy with a smile so forced it was painful to look at.
Nick shrugged, "Just wanted to make sure, that was a lot of running around chasing a ball we did back there."
"Nope. Everything's fine over here!" she said with a little pained laugh at the end.
Nick quirked an eyebrow, 'If that's the game you wanna play…' "Good, then since I still got some adrenaline going on, wanna race to the apartment?"
Judy's ears went rigid, and her face was screaming panic, "I- Isn't it a little far?"
"Nah, no more than 9 or 10 blocks away. Come on, it'll be fun!" Nick continued to push.
Judy was grasping at straws now, "I don't know Nick, the sidewalk isn't really a race track…"
"Oh stop being a killjoy. Ready? Go!" he said before taking off.
"Wait!" She tried to catch up to him, but she didn't make it more than 10 yards before tripping. "Ow ow ow!"
Nick stopped immediately and ran back to her to help her up, "You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm okay."
Nick gave her a quick once-over anyway, "Are you ready to admit your leg hurts yet, or do you wanna do some jumping jacks first?"
Judy tsked, "If you knew it hurt then why did you start running like that?"
"Because the sooner you realise it's okay to admit defeat and rely on others the better," he said somewhat sternly. He knew and understood that Judy had to rely only on herself most of the time, but she didn't need to anymore. Especially if she wanted them to be partners.
After a sigh, he turned and crouched in front of her. "Come on."
Judy's eyebrows furrowed, "What are you doing?"
"You can't walk like this, and we don't have your cane. Hop on."
"I don't need you to carry me, Nick, I can make it back to the apartment."
"Either you get on my back on your own, or I pick you up like a sack of potatoes. Your choice," he said. It was very much an ultimatum, and Judy knew that.
After looking for a way out and finding none, she reluctantly climbed on him, "This is so embarrassing…"
Nick snorted, "I'm sure there are worse things out there."
"I can't think of any right now." The fox got a laugh out of that.
The journey back to his home was relatively smooth, barring the odd joke at Judy's expense. It was now time for the two to get a shower and eat dinner. Which leads us to where we are right now. Nick was worried that with her leg hurting like that, and with how she tired herself out that afternoon, Judy could slip and fall. That's why he was holding a small stool, and why the rabbit was trying to light it on fire with her glare.
"I told you, I'm not using it, and that's it!" She already swallowed her pride when Nick gave her a piggyback ride all throughout the city, she wasn't about to use a stool to shower.
"And I told you I'm not risking you falling and hurting yourself more Fluff," said Nick. He wasn't backing down, especially since she already didn't listen to him that day and paid the consequences.
"Listen Nick, I know you're worried about me, and while I appreciate it, it's getting annoying." She was fed up. Sure, having him so concerned about her was cute at the beginning, but now it was overbearing. Every time she did something more exerting than eating or sleeping, he would get into a frenzy and start chasing her around with that damn cane! Sure, a couple of times he was right to be worried, but now he was being ridiculous.
Nick sighed, "Alright, I'll back off, but please try not to kill yourself in my shower? It would be a nightmare to explain to my landlord," he said before getting out the bathroom and closing the door behind him. He sighed again and looked down at his paw, still holding the stool.
He really was being overprotective, and he couldn't understand why. A small voice echoed in the back of his conscious, yelling about illiteracy, but he paid it no mind. With a shake of his head, he decided to actively work on being less oppressive and set off to make dinner after setting the stool back on the balcony.
Ten minutes later he was halfway done with dinner, and Judy was fresh out the shower and most undoubtedly alive. "No broken bones, no concussions, and no bleeding gashes. Looks like I can still take a shower by myself!" said Judy with a mix of joking and reprimanding.
Nick rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah, you made your point already. Dinner's still cooking so you can watch T.V. while you wait."
She sniffed the air a couple of times, "Mmmh, smells really good! What's the menu?"
"Veggie fried rice for you, and prawn risotto for me," he said pointing at the two different pots on the stove, "And before you ask, yes I did use different utensils."
Judy gingerly made her way to the kitchen. Her leg wasn't hurting as much anymore, but was still very sore, "I wasn't gonna ask, but thank you anyway." She peered her head above the pots and looked at both dishes. The fried rice looked and smelled amazing, and she was getting hungrier just looking at it. The risotto on the other paw didn't look too hot to her. The odd prawn or two that were popping up everytime Nick stirred it were really putting her off. She had to admit though, if only to herself, that it did smell good too.
After another couple of minutes, the food was ready, so Nick and Judy sat down to eat.
Judy took a greedy forkful of her rice and almost moaned, "You keep saying you're not that good of a cook, but this is amazing!" she said before veritably shoving more rice in her mouth.
Nick snorted, then took a small bow with his head, "Thank you, glad you like it." He took a bite of his own risotto and was happily impressed by it. Then again, it was so long since he had a bit of fish, that even if it were burned to a crisp, it would've still tasted good to him.
In no time flat, Judy had polished off her plate while Nick still had more than half of his risotto left. "Someone was hungry," joked Nick.
"Haha… Yeah, whenever I exercise a bit I always get super hungry," Judy said with a small awkward laugh, "Speaking of… is there a bit more rice left?"
Nick's ears sprang up, "Uuh, no, I cooked only a small bit thinking it would be enough for you," is what he said. What he thought, however, was, 'That was almost a three mammals serving! How can you still be hungry!?'
Judy quickly waved her paw in front of her, "Oh, don't worry about it! It's fine, if I'm still hungry in a bit I'll eat some snacks!"
"I mean, there's still some risotto left if you want," said Nick shrugging.
Judy grimaced, "Ew, no thanks."
"What do you mean 'Ew'? You haven't even tried it!"
"In case you haven't noticed Nick, I'm a rabbit. Rabbits don't eat fish."
"And in case you haven't noticed, I'm a fox and yet I still eat vegetables."
"That's different!" cried Judy.
Nick's eyebrows furrowed, "How's that different?"
"I don't know! It just is!" said Judy before crossing her arms and glaring at him.
Nick tilted his head and looked at her, perplexed, until a mischievous glint sparkled in his eyes and a smile that promised nothing good snaked on his maw, "You're scared!"
Judy's ears pointed straight to the ceiling, followed by her eyebrows, "What? No I'm not!"
"No, no, it's fine! I understand! At the end of the day, even the great Judy Hopps has her limits, it's only natural," said Nick with an almost mocking understanding tone.
Now, Judy knew exactly what Nick was doing. He was ribbing her until she would explode and actually try eating the risotto. She knew, and that's why it pissed her off twice as much that it was working. "I told you, I am not afraid of fish!" she growled.
"And I told you it's fine! You don't have to pretend anymore Carrots. I just find it a little funny that a little prawn was all it took to-" Nick didn't get to finish the sentence before a very irate Judy basically jumped on the table, snatched the fork from his paw, and took a bite of his risotto.
Both of them stood still for a moment, a shocked expression on both their faces. Nick was the first to recover, "Well, that was unexpected. Thought you were gonna strangle me for a second there," he said with a small laugh at the end. Judy didn't react. "Carrots?"
Judy slowly put the fork back and crawled back to her seat. Finally, she swallowed the risotto. She stared at her plate, seemingly lost. It was delicious. She couldn't understand it, she was a rabbit, she wasn't supposed to like meat of any kind and yet she loved the taste of prawn. It didn't make any sense.
After seeing acting so out of it, Nick was starting to get worried, "Fluff? Are you okay?"
Judy's eyes snapped to him, and she glared like she just saw her worst enemy, which made him recoil. "I hate you," she said, before standing up, taking her plate and walking to the stove to get herself a serving of the risotto.
It took Nick a moment to process everything, but when his brain finally got up to speed, he could barely contain his laughter.
Another death glare was thrown his way, "What're you laughing about?"
He quickly suppressed his last giggles and cleared his throat, "Nothing! Nothing!"
"That's what I thought." happy with the amount of food in her plate, Judy went back to the table and started eating again. She loved every bite and hated every moment of it.
As amusing as it was to watch Judy hate-eating, Nick decided to try and calm her down a little, she had been on edge all day, and he didn't know why, but it wasn't a good look on her. "Well, now you have a whole new plethora of restaurants that you can try in the city!"
"Please stop talking," was Judy's flat response. Not the best start, but one nonetheless.
"Oh come on, what's that song say? 'Try everything' and all that? You're just trying new things!" Nick tried to pander to her with Gazelle. He had noticed that Judy really liked the musician, so he hoped that maybe this would help.
It didn't. "Look, this is hard enough to rationalise as it is, I don't need you trying to downplay it."
"What is there to rationalise?" asked the fox. He really didn't understand what she was talking about.
"I'm a rabbit eating meat! And I'm doing it because you taunted me with the sole intent of making me do this. And to top it all off, I'm actually liking it! Not. Normal," said Judy in an exasperated tone. Really, the situation was bad enough as it is, having Nick spouting nonsense was not helping one bit.
The fox just stared at her for a beat,"Wow, you really are a country bumpkin aren't you?"
Judy's glare returned at full force, "What is that supposed to mean?"
"This is Zootopia Carrots. While it's not an everyday thing, it's very common for prey to eat the occasional fish or bug burger," he said shaking his head. He now understood why she was making such a big deal out of it. While he was used to see the random prey enjoying some protein now and then, Judy grew up in the sticks, where eating meat was probably as much of a taboo as murder. If not worse.
"What?" She was completely lost.
"Don't get your ears in a knot over it, Carrots. You liking prawn is far from outrageous," said Nick in a gentle tone. He hoped that would finally calm her down and make her realise that she wasn't a freak of nature, and by how he could practically see the gears in her brain working overtime, it probably worked.
"Is it really okay for me to like this?" Judy asked timidly. She was starting to understand her situation wasn't an anomaly, but she still needed a bit of confirmation from Nick.
Nick smiled, "Of course it is! It's not a crime Carrots. The way I see it, you're just enjoying some exotic food."
Her ears perked up at that, "Yeah, exotic food! You're right! Nothing bad about that!" she said with more and more conviction in her voice.
Nick played along, "Exactly right! I mean, who doesn't try some weird things once in a while, right?"
Judy nodded excitedly, "Right?"
"Besides, it's been decades since the last know cannibal rabbit, so you'll probably be alright!"
"WHAT!?"
It was too much for Nick. The completely rigid ears, the wiggling nose, and the look of utter horror on her face did him in. He started laughing so hard his stomach hurt.
After a moment, Judy's brain kicked back into gear, and she realised the fox was pulling her leg. "You're dead."
And they were off! For the following 15 minutes, Nick ran around his apartment trying to save his hide from a murderous bunny, while Judy chased the as good as dead fox to impart rightful smiting upon him. Regardless the outcome of this life or death race, one thing was for certain; they would both sleep like rocks that night.
A/N: This is gonna be another semi long author's note, so brace yourselves.
First and foremost, big news: The story got featured on ZNN! That is CRAZY! I never expected that this sad excuse of a fic would get so much attention, and I am beyon humbled by it. And I have only you guys to thank. I hope to make it all worth it by the end of this journey.
Second, this chapter originally was supposed to be a small break from the back to back drama of all of its brothers, and ended up running away from me. Seriously, I wanted it to be no more than a 4k filler fluff chapter, and instead it ended up being this... this... THING! I don't know where I went wrong, but you get what you get.
Third, and this is a bit personal so feel free to skip it if you don't care about my life outside of fiction, my life is about to flip upside down again. This week, my girlfriend is traveling to my hometown to meet my family and to spend some time together, and after that in September I'm moving to England and we're gonna live together. I know, pretty crazy right? So, while I'm not gonna say it's not possible, I wouldn't expect a new chapter before that. I'm sorry, but moving to another country isn't as easy as they say and it's gonna take a lot of my time.
Okay, now that all that boring stuff is dealt with, tell me what you thought about the chapter! I know it's not the most exciting update, but it's my attempt at spacing the story a bit, and not bombard you with constant drama. As always any and all criticism is more than appreciated!
