I have been busy and not writing like I usually do but I never sleep so I am still writing. Apologies for making any one who is reading something else I have started waiting. Honestly I'm trying to finish this so I can get it out of my head. It is so far off my normal path that I'm afraid it may corrupt my other stories! I gotta get my mind set in a certain place to write a certain tale. There is a similar chapter/concept in another story I have not posted so if you ever read it, well- I'm not changing that one either! So for all you romantic types out there I can only say I hope this isn't going to end poorly because it is out of my norm. But if you can't step out of your own box you never learn something new and I'm hesitating posting anything until I have the next chapter finished so I know I got the details right. If I have left out a certain detail in this chapter- it was intentional, but please point one out if you spot something that doesn't make sense. I do appreciate that!
Hope I'm still leaving smiles out there for those who have baited breath and keep waiting… ;)
I'm still reading all the comments and listening, just a little busy….
Happy reading to all the Gods~
Mood Music for how Nick is feeling- Boy Meets Girl; Waiting for a Star to Fall.
Disclaimer; I do not own Zootopia or its characters.
Subliminal Fever Pitch
SATURDAY
Judy rushed through the open doors and out into the air turning a full one eighty "Where'd he go?"
"Hey Carrots."
She nearly jumped out of her dress as she jerked to a corner where a valet was standing in front of a smirking fox who was waiting just out of view. What am I doing? What did I come out here for? What am I supposed to say to him? "Uhm, Nick...you're leaving?"
Nick tilted his head to one side and quirked a brow. "Would you prefer I stayed for a while?"
Judy twisted her fingers and bit her lip and Nick had to fight not to grin as her ears half lowered when she looked back into the hall where the dance was still going on. "No, I don't want to keep you if you want to go home. We can't leave together anyway. It was part of the arrangement with the embassy."
Nick smirked, "Do you want to go home?"
Judy cringed and shuddered and Nick snickered. "I take it the governor isn't to your liking?" The doe scrunched her shoulders into her cheeks and scowled shaking her head and sticking out her tongue with a sour face and Nick laughed. "Here, I'll stay for a little while and you can take my car. Meet me at the corner of 17th and Vermont in forty five minutes." Nick pulled his keys out and Judy gawked at him as he raised a brow and jingled them in front of her before she narrowed her eyes.
"You're letting me drive your car? The car you make mammals wipe their feet off before they get into, the one no one is allowed to touch the seat controls in or adjust the cup holders or height positions for? You know I'd have to move all those things just to reach the petals right?"
Nick tipped his head back and forth looking off like he was thinking before he leaned lower, "I know you really want to leave. I know I can fix the seats and all the adjustments and you know you love me."
Judy gulped as she held her jaw shut. You can't say it back! You have to say it back or he will know something is wrong! "Do I know that? Yes, yes I do." She had to fight to keep her eyes on him when he smiled from ear to ear and jingled the keys before she swiped them rolling her eyes. "Wait," she shook her head and clutched each side of her dress. "I have to take this back to the costume gallery."
Nick chuckled as he shook his head. "They will come pick it up in the morning Judy. Didn't they give you a bag to put it in?"
Judy slapped a paw to her face and sighed. "You forgot it didn't you?" She groaned as he chuckled. "I'll take you by there after we meet alright?" Judy gave him a nervous glance as she looked at his keys. "Don't drive my baby like you do the cruiser."
"Har har, I won't be chasing anyone down in your baby." Judy giggled as she looked for his car.
"It's already here. They brought it up right before you came out." Nick pointed to the right where she caught sight of Nick's most precious possession.
"Are you sure this is alright?" Judy asked with a slight cringe.
"Just go have some coffee or something, or you could go drop that dress off and probably get back around the same time." Nick pointed to the keys and she bit her lip again. "I trust you with my life, why wouldn't I trust you with everything else? I do trust you Carrots."
She clutched the keys and watched him smirk before he tipped his head and was gone back into the building. Judy walked to the car looking it over almost afraid to touch it. Nick was so picky about his car it was almost an obsession and she hated to mess anything up in it knowing how he felt about the vehicle. Even though it was thirty years old every time you got into it smelled like a new car. The seats were like new, the interior didn't even have any fading from time and he was ridiculously picky about it. He had told her that he had found it in an old junk yard when he was seventeen and the majority of his free time was spent restoring and repairing it. It had taken him more than ten years to find all the parts for it and then he had it reupholstered and painted after it had been rebuilt. After sliding in behind the wheel and clutching it in a death grip she blew out a breath and shook her head. Why is he letting me drive his car?
Nick watched her pull away from the curb after she adjusted the seat, chuckling as she kept her foot on the brake. She was acting like she was afraid to drive it. In all honesty he had been surprised she had taken the keys as nervous as she was when he held them out to her. Then again, she hated dressing like she was and being the center of attention. She kept ticking her eyes back and forth between him, the keys and the car before she left. He shook his head as he walked back into the hall and made a wallflower of himself. A few mammals were greeted with his signature charm, but all in all he kept to himself just passing the time until he started walking to the exit again. The other officers were tipping their heads as he waved and said goodnight. Nick walked to the place he said he would meet her and found her nervously waiting. As soon as she saw him she jumped from the driver's seat and rushed to the passenger side. He was fighting not to laugh as he got into the car and readjusted the seat. The little bunny in the passenger side was clutching one of her ears and he almost lost his self control when he stuck his paws on the steering wheel and found damp spots where her paws had been sweating while she had been gripping it when she was driving. He didn't think anything made her that nervous anymore.
"So, how do you like my baby?" He asked as he pulled from the curb. Judy just nodded her head and smiled.
"Thank you. It's a nice car Nick. But I never want to drive it again."
Nick tipped a brow as she let out a breath, "That bad hu?"
"N-no, but I don't like getting a lot of horns honked at me and being yelled at because I'm too afraid I'm going to scratch it or get it dinged somewhere to drive fast enough. I almost didn't make it back in time from the costume gallery to meet you and I was afraid something was going to happen to it while I was changing."
Nick started laughing so hard he was in tears by the time he got Judy to her apartment. Judy rolled her eyes and was pouting in the seat with her arms crossed over her chest as he pulled to her building. "I'm sorry Carrots, but it is just a car."
"No it's not just a car. It's your car. It's your baby." Why did I just say that!
"Judy…." She turned in her seat to see him with soft eyes and a bright smile. "Thank you, for taking care of my car."
He said my name...again. Why does he keep looking at me like that? "Thank you for bringing me home Nick. I'll see you Monday."
"Hey Carrots, about Monday?" Judy turned after she had opened the door with a perked brow and ears. "Can we reschedule our movie night until Thursday? I have something I need to take care of Monday night." Nick asked as she looked off.
I can't tell him no to going or he will know something is wrong. "Sure Nick. See you later."
Nick watched her get into her building before he drove off whistling the tune that had been stuck in his head for a week. He pulled over to an open alley and shut his door before he tapped on the familiar brown van and stepped back as it swung open with Finnick screaming his signature "Whatta ya want!?" The small fox looked him over and almost fell over laughing at the costume he was still wearing. "Damn they got you all got up don't they Nick?"
"Bite me Finnick," Nick smirked as he reached into his pocket and handed the small fox a small bundle of cash. "Did you get it taken care of?"
Finnick leaned into the door nodding, "Yea, I got it. You just gotta get it there. Everything will be arranged like you want it. But I gotta ask, who kicked you in the ass?"
Nick gave him a condescending look as he waved the little bundle in front of him again. Finnick looked at it crossing his arms and grinning. The red fox sighed as he rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't say kicked me in the ass is a good use of a euphemism Finn, more literally like someone popped some sense into me. But it doesn't matter who, it just happened. I got it through my head, now I have to get it back through to hers."
"Yea, well, I'd like to meet the guy."
"How would you know if it's a guy?" Nick asked.
Finnick shook his head, "If you wouldn't listen to your own mamma there aint no other female in the world who could get it through your thick skull. Figures they'd have to go the direct route and knock you in the head." Nick grumbled as he tossed the roll to Finnick and went back to his car. "You got everything else set up?" The small fox asked and Nick smirked as he nodded.
"I had almost a week to get it done. As long as you take care of that everything is already moving for tomorrow and the rest of the week, later Finn."
The small fox shook his head as he slammed the door to his van after Nick drove off. "Bout time he got his shit together."….
Sunday
Judy had already met Francine and Trixie at the mall. The trio were doing a once over of the new place in an all out girls shopping bender. Judy had been a little surprised they had asked her to go, but after they explained the new mall had several outlet stores in it that carried sizes for different mammals she was ecstatic about it. They were all fairly close to the same age and Judy didn't have any sisters in the area, so girl time was limited when it came to things like shopping. Both the larger females were fawning over the cute outfits she kept picking up even though Judy was more than annoyed with the word. "Come on Judy, they don't make things like that for mammals our size! It's not meant to be offensive. I wish I could find clothes like that in my size." Francine complained.
"Pft," Trixie scoffed, "At least you can find things that cover you. It seems like everything they make for mammals built like me is something Gazelle would wear on stage."
Francine and Judy looked at each other and laughed as the cat tossed the clothes back over the rack frowning. "Trixie," Francine giggled, "didn't you have any sisters or your mother to take you shopping when you were younger or teach you about this stuff. You had to have some friends when you were a teenager at least?"
The feline looked back at them and stuck a paw on her hip as it jet to one side and shook her head. "Not really. I had brothers and was a tomboy. Never really fit in with the girls and my mother worked all the time. Why?"
Francine and Judy both looked at her cringing and pointed to another section. "Sweety, you've been shopping in the wrong section. Maybe for a long time." Francine bit her lip and Judy slapped a paw over her mouth as the cat let her jaw fall open and rushed to the other racks squealing. After they had all sufficiently exhausted themselves they walked to the food court and took seats ordering pretzels and drinks to rest their feet for a while. Francine tipped her head to Trixie as Judy looked around the mall. The elephant was motioning with her trunk to an open area and Judy curled her brow as she sat up straighter.
"Is that Wolford and Nick?"
"Looks like it," Trixie replied as Judy sat up and both females were grinning as Judy turned in her seat with a curled brow.
"He hates stores like this. Why would he be here on his day off?" Judy asked herself watching him and Wolford have some kind of conversation before they disappeared into an auto parts store. "Ah, that explains it," Judy huffed as she sat back sipping her drink again. "Car parts would be the only thing he would come here for."
Francine leaned over the table "I didn't think he could get parts for his car here. I thought he had to special order them because it was a classic or something."
Judy tilted forward in her seat with a furrowed brow. Francine was right. She knew that because he had complained about it a few times. She sat up as they left the store. Nick was carrying a large box half the size of his body until Wolford shook his head and took it tossing it over his shoulder before heading their way. As soon as the two males spotted the girls they were waving and walking to the food court. "What are you guys doing here?" Judy asked as Nick and Wolford came to the table.
The wolf sat the box down and motioned to it. "Wilde asked me to help him get this for his car."
Judy looked it over tipping in her chair. "A seat extension? What for?"
Nick crossed his arms, "Well for my car of course Carrots. I wanted to get something for a smaller mammal to be able to ride or drive in it comfortably and I had no idea what to get so I asked Fort to come help me."
Judy looked back at Francine and Trixie as they tilted over the table to get a better look. "Got a girl Nick?" Trixie asked and Judy turned to see him smirking as he scratched his chin and shrugged.
"I've got my eyes on one."
Judy's ears fell half back as she looked at the fox. "You have a girlfriend Nick?"
Nick leaned forward shaking his head, "No, I said I had my eyes on someone bunny. I just have high hopes she will see me. Then I won't have to return this to the store."
"Oh, well that's great Nick. I hope she does too." Judy replied with a forced smile.
Francine and Trixie glanced at each other shaking their heads as Wolford looked off in another direction. "That went right over her head didn't it?" Trixie asked quietly as Judy was saying goodbye to Wolford and Nick.
"Yep. She's as hard headed as he was being. He was looking right at her when he said it. She didn't even pay any attention to the size of the adjustor seat." Francine whispered and both females sat straight as Judy turned, waving as Nick and Wolford walked away…
"You sure this is gonna work Wilde?" Wolford asked quietly as they stepped away.
Nick kept his voice down as he kept walking forward, "I have to make her see it. Telling her isn't going to be enough."
Judy kept a smile on her face until Francine had dropped her off at her apartment about an hour later. She sighed as she walked to the elevator. It was the first time she could remember not wanting to take the stairs as she hefted the bag with the outfit she had bought in it over her shoulder. After getting to her apartment she wiped her feet and pulled her keys out unlocking her door before she shuffled inside and dropped the bag on the floor. She looked over at the picture on her table and picked it up frowning. Well that takes care of that problem. Nick will get his girl and I won't have to worry about losing him as my partner. I'll just lose him as my best friend when the lady in his life starts taking up all his time and we don't spend anymore together. That look on his face that he has all the time now. He's happy…all the time. There's no mask anymore.
Judy jerked as someone knocked on her door and shook her head as she stood from her bed. When she opened the door she tipped her head to one side as her nose curled seeing a potted flower in front of her door. "You've got a secret admirer," Bucky chortled as he stepped out into the hall. "I had to pick that up earlier to make sure someone didn't steal it while you were gone."
"Someone left this for me while I was gone?" Judy asked as she picked it up. She narrowed her eyes as she picked up the card seeing it had been opened by her nosy neighbor. "Thanks Bucky."
"No problem, hey tell me if you figure out who it is would you?"
"Sure Bucky." Judy rolled her eyes as she turned back into her apartment and closed her door. She sat it on her desk looking it over shaking her head as she opened the card. It was the oddest flower she thought she'd ever seen, even if it the purple flower was pretty. The front side of the card was nothing more than the name of the flower "Fritillaria uva-vulpis," she read before she flipped it over.
~Judy, please don't make me invisible~ Your secret admirer~
She pinned the card up to the wall in front of her desk after sitting the plant in the window sill shaking her head. How could I make someone invisible?...
Monday
Judy rushed out of the alley "WHY DO YOU ALWAYS RUN!"
"CATCH ME IF YA CAN COTTON TAIL!" Weaselton screamed as he laughed and shot off the other direction. Judy growled as she put a fire under her feet and took off.
"NICK! HEAD HIM OFF AT THE NEXT ALLEY!"
Judy turned the corner and bounced off a light pole grabbing it to swing around and throw herself and Weaselton went wide eyed screaming as she planted her feet into his back and rolled with him to a stop. "You are under arrest, you have the right to remain silent…"
"Yeah yeah floppsy copsy! I know the drill!"
Nick ran around the corner panting and collapsed to his knees. Weaselton narrowed his eyes on the fox keeping his grin under wraps as he watched the fox fall over. Judy turned giggling and shook her head. "You aren't that out of shape Nick! And you never will be if we keep having to catch him."
Nick rolled over the ground landing on his back huffing as Judy cuffed the weasel. "Who said I was trying to catch him?! You never look where you're going! I was chasing you! I HAVE TO CHASE YOU!"…
The day had been busy and Judy laid down looking at the little cards on her wall and the new flowers that had arrived the same as the day before, "Digitalis purpurea."
~Judy~ Please don't run away with my heart~ Your secret admirer~
Tuesday
Judy sat punching the buttons on the keyboard and Nick shook his head as she kept tapping the button. "Carrots, hitting it over and over again isn't going to change the fact that it is frozen." Judy groaned as she let her head fall forward. She was tired, frustrated and aggravated. The dreams she kept having were waking her through the night and she always woke up in the morning in a cold sweat feeling confused. Green eyes were always the last thing she saw before she opened her eyes and the things in the dreams were random and sparse and no matter how she tried she couldn't fit them together or make sense of them. Nick stood up sighing as he stepped to her desk and leaned over her chair. The doe had to hold her breath as his scent hit her again.
How he managed to smell like her favorite flowers that grew in the wild and also had a hint of sugar to them when you ate them she still hadn't figured out how he had done. The new tang that was laced all around him that seemed to be a stronger accent of his usual scent all the time made her want to pull her fur out or roll her eyes to the heavens and keep them closed as he leaned over her shoulder tapping her keyboard a few times and had her fighting not to lean in closer. She would just love to suffocate herself in it. It only took him a minute to get it back up and she huffed after thanking him as she stood from her desk grabbing another form to fill out. By The time she got home and drug herself through her door the last thing she wanted to deal with was her nosey neighbor knocking on her door, but there he was again.
If it had been any other time she would have been patient after Pronk had moved out because regardless of how much they fought, she knew Bucky missed him and was doing whatever he could to keep himself busy. Which was also her own largest problem trying to keep herself from being idle as she answered the door and shook her head; Another potted flower. She thanked Bucky closing the door and fell into her chair as she pulled the card out. "Dalmatian purple hybrid, more purple flowers." Judy looked at them before flipping the card over.
~Judy~The stars are the only things that can guide me to the light of my life~ Your Secret admirer~
Judy shook her head as she tacked it up on the wall and sat the plant in the window before crawling into her bed. The last thing she wanted to do was think about someone having a crush on her when she knew she was in more trouble than she wanted to admit as she closed her eyes. Finding sleep was a struggle, she wasn't sure if she wanted to find it, or to avoid it and the dreams that always came with what should have been rejuvenating, but had begun to leave her exhausted by the next morning…
Wednesday
Nick had been watching Judy through the week. It was the first time he had seen her struggling at work. She was rushing through things and distracted. Missing a lot of things she usually wouldn't think twice about and he was giving her gentle reminders of things she had forgotten to do. Pills or not he couldn't help but wonder if it was at least part of her problem. Going into heat was a regular occurrence for many mammals and one he'd had to deal with a few times, but never as strongly as it had happened when she had caused it to happen, but it was an unusual one for rabbits and something he was sure she was struggling to cope with. She had been a little more emotional than usual and snappy on several occasions. He also knew she was trying to fit something together in her subconscious as she left for the day and was still trying to keep him at arm's length. Come on Carrots, you have to see it. He thought as she left the station.
Once again when she got home Bucky handed her another potted flower…..
Rehmannia angulata-
~Judy~ I know I can trust you with my heart. The only thing that could be terrible in life is if you weren't in it~ Your Secret Admirer~
Thursday
Judy was dragging her feet by the time she got home. When Nick had called her to go to the movies she had face palmed because she had forgotten all about it. He was back to his usual sly self, but Judy was as out of sorts as a fish out of water. She still wasn't sure why she had bought the new outfit she had gotten at the mall, even more unsure of why she had decided to wear it on the night her and Nick would do their usual weekly movie together even though it had been rescheduled. But the lack of getting a good night's sleep really didn't make her question it at all or all that much as she made her way to the bus stop and rode to the theatre as usual. Nick had taken notice of her new outfit and complimented her on it, but was a little worried about her when he brought up the movie choices. He had chosen a romantic comedy. He had expected her to protest because she had a tendency to get emotional and clingy more so than if it was a scary movie and she knew he didn't care for them, but she didn't say anything at all. By the time the beginning credits were over he knew why.
The doe had nodded off and fallen asleep not even paying attention to the fact that she had leaned into his arm and Nick smiled as he lifted up and wrapped it around her. Watching her sleep was something new. The movie was forgotten as he watched her nose twitching and Nick had to fight wrapping around her tighter when she readjusted herself and gripped his shirt in one paw as she nestled into his chest. She let out a deep sigh as she inhaled his scent and Nick brushed his nose over her head before closing his own eyes. They both ended up nodding off with Nick leaned over her head. It was a mistake and he knew it as soon as something wet and cold splashed over the both of them sending Judy shooting from the seat. Nick went wide eyed and gasped as he looked up to find a large horse behind them looking mortified after he had dropped the ice cold drink he had been carrying behind them spilling it all over both of them.
Nick jerked back in his seat when he heard Judy sniffle and turned to see her looking over the new shirt and jeans she was wearing as her ears dropped. A single sob was all she managed before she ran out of the theatre and Nick didn't give a second look at the other mammals as he shot from the chair chasing after her. He managed to catch her before she escaped into the hall before the concession stands and wrapped around her as she struggled to get free. Half a second and she had wrapped her arms around him; the fox nearly froze as she nipped his neck and Judy gasped as she looked up teary eyed trying to apologize. I nipped him! I nipped him! I just asked him to groom me! "Nick I'm sorry! I'm sorry I didn't mean to!"
That is not how I meant for that to happen…he thought. Nick pulled her closer and licked the top of her head several times. The fox chuckled and curled around her as she kept sobbing. "It's Ok Carrots. My life would be pretty boring if I didn't have a crazy little bunny in it. It's just an instinct right?"
No it's not, it's not just an instinct! Judy thought as she tried not to borough into his chest any further. "Come on bunny, I'll take you home."
Judy had refused to ride in Nicks car being covered in soda, and didn't want to take the bus feeling sticky, so Nick had walked her home and watched her get into her building. He stayed outside until he saw her light come on and turned shaking his head. Two down, one to go. That is not how that should have happened. Nick pulled out his phone and dialed a number he had recently received shaking his head. "Hi, Bonnie, is Paw- Paw there?" I must have lost my mind calling him… I am definitely going crazy….
Bonnie tipped her ears and nodded before she walked to the living room and set up the call for her father on a large television screen so he could see better. "Dad?" she asked as her father pulled his glasses over his eyes smirking and motioned for her to leave the room. "You guys just got back from New Yak city. Why is he calling you?" she turned just as Nick's face popped up on the screen and rolled her eyes as Paw -Paw shuffled his arms for her to leave again.
"Git girl!" Bonnie left shaking her head and Paw-Paw listened as Nick explained everything he had done and had planned.
"I've done all this trying to get her to see me again… She's struggling with wrapping her head around it. What else can I do?"
"Ya givin' up so soon boy?" Paw -Paw asked.
"NO!" Nick screamed and flinched before he grabbed the collar of his shirt tugging at his tie nervously as he looked back at the phone embarrassed and cringing.
The old buck had a twinkle in his eyes as he watched the fox and Nick's brows and ears perked when he chuckled. "Hang up son, take your last steps, she'll call me pretty soon after what happened tonight…."
Nick hung up his phone and dialed another number holding his breath when the line picked up. "Hey Nick."
"Hey Bucky… Did you give Judy the flowers for tonight yet?"
"No way fox, she isn't back from the showers yet."
"Switch to the last set for me would you?"
"Really? What do you want me to do with all the other flowers?"
Nick laughed as he nodded "Send the others to Pronk Bucky, he's coming back next week isn't he?"
"Oh yeah, thanks for talking to him for me Nick."
"No problem. Thanks for helping me with this."
"You really gonna skip all the other flowers Nick?"
"Yeah I am. It's now or never Bucky…"
Note; Rabbits will nudge or nip each other or their 'owners' when they want attention or want to be groomed by their mate.