Nothing to see here, just a short filler chapter.
Basically just a chapter filled with roadtrip antics with bits of fluff and seriousness sprinkled lightly over the top.
PS: I do not own any of the songs mentioned in this chapter.
"Okay, clothing? Check. Carrot casserole? Check. Keys? In my purse. Boyfriend?..."
Judy turned away from the mirror for a second to look at the her door, readily expecting Nick to just burst right through it, all packed and ready to go. But of course that didn't happen.
She sighed and went back to fixing herself in the mirror, "Still pending."
Truth be told, she was nervous; why? Maybe because of what happened just the day before when she and Nick confronted her ex. She told Robby Peterson that Nick is her new boyfriend just to spite that bastard of a rabbit. Nick had been grateful for it, claiming that now he knew what he was up against, and as arrogant as that sounds it actually felt reassuring to her.
The thought that she could not get out of her head was why her parents (especially her mom) hadn't called about it yet. Surely Robby had ratted her out by now, that their precious daughter whom they are so proud of was now in a relationship with fox. From the city.
Oh she could just see it now; she and Nick getting out of her car, strolling up into the door of her old home and when either of her parents see Nick he'd be met by a scream, a shout, her mom passing out and finally, a spray choked full of fox repellent. And what's worse was Robby Peterson would be there to laugh at her face.
Splendid.
She sighed in thought...
That's not gonna happen. She wasn't giving her parents enough credit; they might farmers but she knows that they are modern enough to look at predators without anymore prejudice. Especially foxes since they themselves work with one now. She remembered Gideon Grey when she and him were just children, he had been such a bully back then. One particular incident was at the Carrot Days Festival, she had gotten into a fight with him when she was just nine, and she had scars to prove it.
But now at age twenty-nine he was much, much more mellow, sweet even. The last time they met it was months ago, he had humbly apologized for how he had acted towards her, she accepted his apology and now they are well acquainted, officially making him a friend of the family and would no doubt be part of the reunion.
It made her wonder; would he and Nick get along?
Well, they're both foxes. And they both have a sweet tooth. Gideon makes pies and Nick eats pies...
Yeah, they'll probably get along just fine.
Judy took a moment to glance at the time on her phone.
7:25 am
They need to get a move on. Traffic jam usually occurs around eight in the morning.
She gave herself a once over before gathering the things she needs for the three hour trip to the Burrows. She was out of her apartment and made her way down the three flights of stairs. She spotted him by the door as soon as she reached the last step, his head tilted down onto his phone. Her jaw nearly dropped when she noticed his attire. That picocid yellow shirt was gone, along with the equally appalling khakis, replaced by a white long sleeved shirt covered by a grey wool sweater vest and a pair of light grey slacks. The only thing that didn't change about his appearance was his red tie.
Judy's heartbeat doubled within seconds; Nick looked handsome already, but now, he was easily the hottest male she's ever dated.
Nick looked up and smiled, "Hey gorgeous. Ready to go?"
Failing to find her words, she muttered enough willpower to nod her head and mutter a shy "Uh-huh", all the while a light blush began to stain her grey furred cheeks.
Nick couldn't help but notice her behavior and smirked devilishly, "Like what you see, sweetheart?"
Another "Uh-huh" was her only response. The red fox laughed and said, "Thanks, and like I said before, you look absolutely gorgeous."
And she did. She did look gorgeous; her blue flowing sun dress matched her grey fur perfectly. In a word she was beautiful.
Judy's blush darkens, "Thanks."
The fox chuckled to himself before strolling over to her help her carry the carrot casserole.
"Come on, let's get to your car."
VVV
Nick stared, "This is your car?"
He has absolutely no idea what he's looking at; it was blue, it was tiny and looked like a box with wheels.
"What? It's a classic." argued Judy.
Nick continued to stare at it, "It's a lunchbox for elephants."
The grey rabbit glared, "It's a Prius," she corrected. "It was at the shop for about a week, I got it a paint job."
"Right, neat paint job. Now it's the shiniest lunchbox in all of Zootopia." he drawled earning him a swift punch on the arm.
"Just get in the damn car!" she ordered, yet she couldn't stop the sides of her mouth from quirking into a tiny smile, after all Nick was just being his funny self.
It wasn't the roomiest car but for a fox with Nick's size it was manageable. Once Judy got into the drivers seat she inserted the key into the ignition and the engine purred to life, and soon they were on their way.
It was half an hour into the drive was by the time Nick had asked about her folks.
"Oh they're nice mammals," she answered, "A little old fashioned but they try to accept change."
"Think they'll like me?" he was bound to ask that question anyway.
"They might," she shrugged, "Just so long as you behave."
"Define behave?"
She glowered, "Behave as in don't act like an ass."
"Oh." he nodded, "Yeah, sound about right."
The grey rabbit sighed, "Nick, promise me you'll be at your best behavior today, alright?"
"What makes you think I won't?"
"I'm not thinking that you won't, I'm just saying that I don't want my parents to think I made a mistake. And I know you're not a mistake, I trust you."
She really wanted this to work, Nick knew that.
"I know." he laid his paw over hers in an attempt to comfort her, "I promise I'll be on my good behavior today."
Judy smiled, "Thank you, Nick."
"You're welcome."
Then her smile turned mischievous, "And besides, you'll only be doing this for me and my family's benefit. My nosy relatives and my ex boyfriend are fair game."
Nick smirked, "My role in our relationship is being defined right now, isn't it?"
"Yup. You're job is to make me happy and if you have to bite my ex boyfriend's head off then by all means go for it." she joked.
"Nah I don't really like the taste of male rabbit." he said, "But female rabbits on the other paw..." his sentence trailed off as he leaned towards the drivers seat, his snout coming into contact with her ear.
"... They are delicious." he whispered.
Suddenly the vehicle swerved to the right, the tires screeched as the rubber tried to gain traction on the pavement. The sudden jolt of movement startled Nick, so much so that he retreated his head back into his seat. The car stopped, and Nick was sure that his heart did the same thing.
"What was that?" he asked as he slowly found his bearings.
"God dammit, Nick. Don't do that!" she scolded.
"Do what?"
"Don't go whispering into my ear like that, we could've crashed!" she yelled before punching his shoulder.
"Ow! Well sorry. How should I know you were gonna act like that."
Judy buried her face into her paws and groaned; this could be the longest drive of her life.
VVV
An hour later...
"Mind if I turn on the radio?" Nick offered, breaking the silence in the car.
"Yeah, alright." Judy agreed. Some music sounded good right about now.
Nick reached for the dial, turning the car radio on. First there was just static, but as he moved the dial to another station they could now make out the words of the DJ, talking about the latest pop hits from Zootopia.
*You've just heard Try Everything from Gazelle's best selling album, Hips don't lie. Coming up next on RadioHoof: a song from Lia Furler, here comes Chandelier*
From the drivers seat, Judy's ears sprung from her head, "Oh! Turn it up!"
Nick did so, just as the first lyrics of the song started. And as the artist sang so did Judy.
*Party girls don't get hurt can't feel anything when will I learn? I push it down, I push it do-own!*
Nick looked at her, "You're a Lia fan?"
"Uh-huh! I love her. She's one of my top ten female singers." she told him as she danced on her seat, "Gazelle is my number one, obviously."
*See I'm the one for a good time call phone's blowing up, ring on my doorbell, I feel the love. I feel the lo-ove!*
Nick's foot began tapping to the beat, his head following soon after. The rabbit's dancing was contagious, and eventually he found himself dancing as well, albeit a bit stiffly.
*One. Two. Three. One. Two. Three. Drink! One. Two. Three. One. Two. Three. Drink! One. Two. Three. One. Two. Three. Drink! Throw em back, till I loose count...*
"IIII'M! GONNA SWIIING! FROM THE CHANDELIER! FROM THE CHANDELIIIIER!"
Oh my God.
Nick stopped dancing. His ears suddenly began hurting; that was not Lia! That was Judy. She sounded like... Like nails scratching against a chalkboard.
"IIII'M GONNA LIVE! LIKE TOMORROW DOESN'T EXIST! LIKE IT DOESN'T EXIIIST!"
Oh god make her stop!
The radio was at full volume and yet the grey rabbit managed to be more louder.
"IIII'M GONNA FLY! LIKE A BIRD OF THE NIGHT! FEEL MY TEARS AS IT DRY! IIII'M GONNA SWIIING! FROM THE CHANDELIER! FROM THE CHANDELIIIIER!"
The first chorus was done, and Nick could now hear the radio and the artist herself for Judy had turned her voice down a bit. Though the fox's ears will never be the same again.
*Well I'm holding on for dear life. Won't look down, won't open my eyes. Fill my glass full until morning light, yes I'm just holding on for tonight. On for tonight.*
The next chorus was coming and Nick took the time to prepare for it. He grabbed a box of tissues from the dashboard and quickly stuffed a few leaves into his ear, he would've preferred cotton balls though, if his ears were to bleed the cotton could soak up the blood.
*Sun is up, I'm a mess, gotta get up now, gotta run from this here comes the shame, here comes the sha-ame*
Here it comes.
*One. Two. Three. One. Two. Three. Drink! One. Two. Three. One. Two. Three. Drink! One. Two. Three. One. Two. Three. Drink! Throw em back, till I loose count...*
Nick braced for it.
"IIII'M! GONNA SWIIING! FROM THE CHANDELIER! FROM THE CHANDELIIIIER!"
The fox whimpered; it didn't work.
VVV
*That was Alive by Lia Furler. You heard it first right here on 103.9 RadioHoof."
He made it.
Three Lia songs in a row, all of which showcased the female artist's high octave notes. Judy hit all of the notes, and a bunch of other ones that Nick never knew existed.
His ears will never be the same again.
"Do you think I have a great voice?" Judy suddenly asked.
Is this a trap?
"Er... Do you want an honest answer or a boyfriend answer?" he warily inquired.
She shrugged, "I don't know, whichever answer you like."
Which meant: choose wisely or I will throw out of a moving vehicle
"Um... You're adequate." he settled.
The grey rabbit looked at him dubiously, "Adequate? Just adequate."
Cover your ass you simpleton!
"I mean er... You're amazing." he corrected himself.
"Really?"
"Yeah! You are an idol! A star! A diva! An artist! A-"
"Nick."
"Yeah?"
She shook her head knowingly, "Don't over do it."
The fox sank into his seat, "Right."
VVV
*Alright! The time is 9:35 am and that time check was brought to you by "Sassy Sheila's Big Bite Outback Buggy Burgers", where the crickets are crunchy and the portions are hoppin'. If it ain't from the outback, it ain't worth it, mate! Now comin'up next on 103.9 RadioHoof: One of the most famous singer songwriters of all time is coming here, on June 19. She's a multi platinum artist with a voice that can reach the stratosphere, this summer's gonna be one helluva lot hotter for the grand powerhouse that is Christina Jaguilera, will perform live at the Rave and Rage Paraid! Mark those calendars and cancel those plans, you wouldn't want to miss her. But is the meantime, here's one of Christina's most downloaded songs on cTunes, Here she comes with Ain't no other man- BZZT!*
"Hey, what gives?" Nick stared at the radio as the transmission had suddenly been cut off. He reached for the dial and began twisting it, hoping to find the previous station again.
For a while, Nick surfed the dial through static. Within minutes of searching the speaker clicked, cutting off the static for a moment. And then...
*Now that ladies and gents was our very own Vixie McEntire with her number one hit, Turn on the Radio.*
"What in fresh hell was that?" he asked to no one in particular.
Judy hummed, looking through the windows as she observed her surroundings. Gone were the cement houses and artificial gardens, replaced by acres of pine trees and vast country plains.
"We're nearly there," Judy said, "Bunny Burrow's just up ahead. We'll arrive within the hour."
Nick raised an eyebrow, "Okay, but what about the radio?"
"Oh you can't get any radio reception from Zootopia out here." she told him, "What you're hearing right now is Bunny Burrow's own radio station."
The red fox warily listened to the DJ and his deep, southern accent.
"And is the DJ supposed to sound like that?" he asked.
"Well, yeah." she shrugged. "Bunny Burrows is right in the middle of the country."
*Comin'up next on 105.3 Grit N' Grind FM, we bring you non other than the last year's BBSC winning champion, Michael Cornwall and his new country hit Water Tower Town. You heard it here first, on 105.3 Grit N' Grind.*
"What the hell?" had she misheard it? Did the DJ just said Michael Cornwall? The grey rabbit opted to find out by turning the radio volume up. The intro of the song began, with steel guitars and banjo strings.
*In a water tower town, everybody waves. Church doors are the only thing that's open on sundays. Word travels fast, wheels turn slow. And working hard and living right in the only life we kno-ooow!*
"I can't believe it. " Judy muttered.
Nick merely stared at the awestruck bunny, who continued to listen to the upbeat country song.
*Friday night, football is king! Sweet tea goes good with anything! The fireflies come out when the sun goes down! Nobody eats till we say Amen and everybody knows your mom and them, you can see who loves who for miles around! In a water tower toooown!*
"D-do you know this guy?" Nick had finally asked.
"Know him?" she replied incredulously, "I dated him."
The car haven't stopped moving, but for Nick's world, that would be a completely different story.
"I can't believe he became an actual singer." Judy marveled.
"Wait, wait, wait. So this guy, the one we're listening to right now, is one of your ex-boyfriends?"
"Yeah." she readily answered. "His name is Michael Cornwall."
"Yeah I heard." Nick wasn't going to admit it outloud, but this Michael guy was a good singer. Very deep and southern. The song talked about a closely knit community, football games and family.
"Sooo..." he stole his attention away from the radio, "Is he nice?"
"Oh yeah. A huge contrast to Robby." she said as if she had been rehearsing it all her life.
Back in highschool, all the other girls bombarded her with so much questions that involved her break up with Robby Peterson. She had to explain it over and over again that it eventually became a default response of sorts. Judy remembered how thoughtful Michael had been; he was shy and sweet and quite handsome. He showed such promise, but...
"We wanted different things." she found herself saying as she looked up ahead on the dirt road.
Obviously Nick hadn't failed in hearing that, "Is that why you two broke up?"
Judy nodded once, "I had to leave for the academy. He wasn't too keen on a long distance relationship."
"Did you love him?" Nick had asked before he could stop himself.
Judy sighed and answered, "At one point I did. If I'd stayed in Bunny Burrow my relationship with him would've gone somewhere. I knew that he loved me, enough to let me go and be who I am today."
At that note, Nick made a mental not for himself: if he was ever going to meet this Michael Cornwall today, he'd stroll up to him and give the most respectful pawshake that he can. He deserves it, Nick knew it.
The car drove on as Michael's song came to a close.
*Afternoon folks! The time is 10:35 am. And that time check was brought to you by Gideon Grey's real good baked stuff, it's not just GOOD, It's REAL good!*
To that, Judy let out a simple, nonchalant, "Hmm..."
"Another one of your boyfriends?" Nick drawled, smirking as he did so. He seems to be seeing a pattern here.
Though Judy's response surprised him beyond expectations, "He's a fox."
If Nick had been drinking water he would've done a spectacular spit take.
"What?" he managed say to through stiff lips.
"A recent friend of the family," she clarified, "You'd like him though."
"How do you suppose that?" he asked expectantly.
"He's really nice now."
"Now?"
"Used to be a bully when we children." she told him. "I was like eight maybe nine, and he hurt me when I was defending my friends from him."
Nick quirked an eyebrow, "And he's a friend of your family?"
"Animals can change, Nick. Gideon and I were kids back then. Kids do a lot of stupid things to each other."
"Is that so?"
She sighed, "Come on, Nick. Please, when we get there, do not antagonize him." she smiled, "And besides, he might become a very valuable friend to you."
Nick hummed, "Doubt it."
Judy sent him a quick grin, "Didn't you hear the DJ? Gideon is one the top pastry chefs in the Triburrows."
The red fox sent back her grin, "Yeah, I heard. It's along the lines of 'it's not jest good, it's reel good'!" he finished with a fake southern twang.
"Okay, do me a favor," she said as she was shaking her head in disbelief, "Never talk like that again."
"You don't like it? I think it's pretty good."
"Sure if you want half of the Burrows to chase you out of town with shotguns." she drawled.
"Oh admit, girl! You luuurve! Mah' accent." he leaned close to purr into her ear.
"No, I don't luuurve your fake accent." she tensely corrected, "And you don't sound like George Strait when you talk like that, you sound like a redneck drunk on moonshine."
"I'd bet I look good as a redneck." Nick gloated without missing a beat.
"Oh sure!" she smiled, amused by a sudden mental image, "The dirty overalls, the missing teeth, the terrible mullet. Oh dear lord, I think my vagina just skipped a beat."
"Well if you're into role-playing I could by a wig somewhere. That would be just hot as hell." he retorted.
"Pervert."
Nick ignored her, "Bubba gon' get some t'night!" he exclaimed, "Git ready foh it! Squeeel!"
Judy's paw let go of the steering wheel for a moment to punch the fox in the shoulder, making him yelp.
"You racist bastard!" she scolded.
The fox laughed despite his smarting shoulder, "Oooh, little bunny can punch! I luuurve that!"
"I can't believe I screwed you." she groaned sourly before stepping on the gas in hopes of getting to her family's farm faster.
The blue Prius raced through the dirt road, leaving behind a plume of dust in its wake, all while the vehicle was moving, Nick couldn't even control himself as he laughed at the flustered bunny stewing in her own boiling blood on the drivers seat.
VVV
Judy took a second to breathe. Her car stopped merely two feet away from the wooden fence that enclosed acres of crops, from the ever so common carrot to the very hardy corn. There was no doubt she was home.
Her paw poised over to the latch that secured the door. She Nick got out in unison.
You can do this.
She took a moment to glance at Nick, whom was busy taking in the scenic view of the country.
"Gotta hand it to you, sweetheart," she heard him say, "This place is beautiful."
That made Judy smile, "You think so?"
"Yeah. beautiful place, beautiful bunny," he tore his gaze away from the scenery to smile back at her, his eyes warm and suddenly affectionate, "Makes every bit of sense to me."
She blushed, "Oh stop it, you!"
They began walking, Nick carried the carrot casserole while Judy continued to fix herself up. Eventually they reached the very house that Judy grew up in; countless of memories began flooding through Judy's mind.
A warren of rabbits occupied the front yard, the rest of the Hopps clan no doubt, each wearing their Sunday best. Dressed up for the occasion. Soon Judy could make out some very familiar faces, ones that she could recognize with a glance. And it unnerved her that they too, could recognize her in a heartbeat.
"Would you stop fussing." Nick ordered, "You look great."
"Can you blame me?" she argued, "I'm nervous."
"About what?" he flinched when Judy had suddenly pulled at his tie, intending to straighten the red fabric.
"About what's gonna go down when they see us."
Nick stopped walking, "Alright, look at me."
She stopped, ears drooped, eyes hopeful.
He leaned his head down, "We're gonna get through this," his eyes were filled with firm conviction, "And by the end of the day, you're parents are gonna love me, we're gonna have fun and we're gonna tell that Robby to just live long and suck it."
"Right." she nodded, finding his determination quite contagious and, honestly, a bit of a turn on.
No, down girl!
Nick reached his paw to her, intending for her to take it into hers.
"You ready?" he asked.
She readily took it. Trying her best not to let her nerves get the better of her; her paw was already shaking. Though when Nick gave it a soft squeeze, it made her feel like she can take on an army.
Or in this case, a horde of annoying relatives and one bastard of an ex-boyfriend.
And cut there!
Sorry for the delay you guys college had been a whirlwind of activity for me and I just couldn't find the right time to finish this one.
I'm a huge fan of Sia, thought you guys might wanna know.