Chapter 10 - Love thaws, Judy Hopps
The sun had begun to set outside, and Nick checked his phone to confirm the time : '6.35PM'.
The dull pain had not gone away, but that mouthful of blueberries helped clear his dry throat and the taste of iron in his mouth.
Turning himself to Judy, he opened his mouth to thank her.
Judy herself seemed to be bordering on going downstairs to arrest someone - she was furious and who could blame her. But hearing Nick's voice seemed to soften her expression, as she looked at him she felt hurt. She hated to see someone so special and important to her getting beaten up in every sense of the word. From Nick's room, she had heard the dull thuds and shouting from the lobby - derogatory phrases were thrown about. It sickened her to the core - her sense of justice pulsing through her every vein. If she could, so help herself, she would've gone down there and raised hell. However, she stopped herself - Nick's past world was something she couldn't fathom. Nick had told her about it sparingly before, but coupled with the criminal records and histories this area had Judy could make out the hell Nick lived in - and it pained her to see him struggle so earnestly yet so desperately to get out of this hell. Nevertheless, today Judy had to know, no longer was she going to keep quiet.
"Nick, what happened?"
Giving his signature sly smile towards Judy, "I tripped, Carrots." Nick said. Immediately he received a doubtful gaze from his companion.
"Nick, you can tell me." assured Judy.
The assurance from Judy was warmly welcomed, but Nick could not bring himself to speak about today. If Judy tried anything against the head coyote of Cypress Grove Lane... Nick himself wouldn't be able to guarantee her safety - even if they were part of the force. Struggling to think of a suitable reply, as on one hand, Nick didn't want to plainly push Judy aside with his words - but on the other hand, Nick had to keep her at arm's length, which pained him greatly. She was one of the few people Nick had a chance to open up to, now minus Finnick - he only had Judy.
But, before Nick could open his mouth to speak - the power returned with a sharp click. The low hum of his ancient fridge begun and the lights in his home flickered on - lighting up the desolate home. Checking his phone again, it was 6.45PM. Seizing the chance to redirect the flow of the discussion, "Wanna watch Floatzen, Carrots? We shouldn't have missed too much."
"Nick. You're my partner. Please tell me what happened?" implored Judy further, completely ignoring Nick's attempt to avoid the topic.
The 'p' word hit Nick like a truck, the guilt causing his chest to constrict. His emotions conflicted with his reasoning - and after what seemed to be like a painful internal struggle - Nick made his decision.
"Judy, promise me something first," said Nick - trying to look straight into Judy's purple eyes, but failing to do repeatedly - as the topic he was going to talk about was something that he'd been bottling up for years, and he was afraid to see Judy's reaction. 'What if she was disgusted? What if all he saw in her eyes was pity, not sympathy?'
"Anything," assured Judy, grasping his arm with her paw and pulling Nick out of his thoughts.
Sighing in defeat to her kindness, "Whatever I tell you, please do not tell a soul. This is my fight - I need your word to stay out of this."
"Nick, if you are in danger you can't expect me to just sit here!"
"Please," Nick begged. "Promise me this, Carrots. I need your word."
Judy opened her mouth to object, but seeing Nick's serious look she agreed - nodding her head slowly.
"Judy, do you know how foxes are treated in this world?" asked Nick rhetorically.
"Well, we are treated as scum and lowlifes. We are vile and untrustworthy to practically everyone," he answered his question bitterly.
Judy seemed to want to say something to object, but was silenced as Nick continued. "Being a fox, job opportunities don't really exist for us. So I went down the road of crime and became a con artist - just to make ends meet."
"Being a swindler in the criminal society is the lowest of the low - no one can trust you and everyone keeps you at a distance, usually from the barrel of a gun - and now... I'm a cop. In the world where I come from, that's treated basically betraying it. Being labelled as a traitor, fox, con and being a running risk to be an informant was the last drop that caused their hatred to overflow into outright action. Many people in my neighbourhood would love to see me dead in some sort of "accident". My landlord is one of the many who's been trying to evict me, due to repeated complaints from his tenants as he was one of the channels they could use to direct their hatred at me - so he's been trying to make my life miserable in every way possible. Today was one of those days, Judy. So we got into a small argument." said Nick, quite solemnly - taking a long and deep breath, his gaze not meeting Judy's own. "So there you have it, Carrots. Floatzen anyone?" He was trying to change the topic - again. This was difficult to share with Judy, in fact it was difficult for Nick to even come to terms with it - he usually hid it at the back of his mind, pushing it aside so as to not let it get to him.
"Nick, have you considered moving out?" asked Judy bluntly, ignoring Nick's attempt to deflect the conversation again, clearly concerned and trying to help Nick.
This forthright trait of Judy was something that Nick admired, and the question had hit the nail on its head. While it was a question that has always been at the back of Nick's mind, it was always silenced by his blatant lack of money - worse, it was hard to find a place that would accept a fox, and worse yet one with a past.
"Well, I haven't found a place that is a homely as this one," said Nick sarcastically, patting the couch-bed they sat on - prompting dust to fly up, earning him a doubtful look from Judy.
"Honestly, Carrots - it's not easy to find a place that would put up with a fox, especially one with a history like mine." Nick chose to not tell Judy that he didn't have enough money to move out, for if Judy found out - she'd try to loan Nick some money. It wasn't as if Nick didn't want the help, it was that he couldn't - not from Judy.
"Thank you for telling me, Nick," said Judy seemingly satisfied. "I'm happy you decided to share these things with me. If you need my help, don't hesitate to call - we are partners after all," smiled Judy.
"Dumb bunny, why would I forget that?" said Nick, returning the smile with his sly smile. Turning on the television, they were greeted with Floatzen's scene where the otter younger sister was thawed out by the love from the elder otter queen. Both Nick and Judy had a soft spot for this part, usually it was Judy's eyes who watered at this scene - however, today it seemed that Nick was the one who found his vision becoming blurred with 'dust'. This scene spoke volumes to Nick and today it hit a sweet spot in his heart - this day (one of many) he was saved by Judy's love and compassion, which he was trying so desperately to push away simply to protect her from himself and his past. Promising himself to think of the best solution to put Judy at ease, they sat at the couch enjoying each other's company without any exchange of words while the TV played in the background.
As Nick savored the last blueberry from the farm - compliments to Judy's parents for that delicious taste, while Judy slurped the last of her carrot smoothie (the 'Scum' word seemed to be crossed off with a marker pen - Nick didn't want to wonder about where she had gotten the pen). The duo realized that their stomachs were rumbling and their appetite seemed to awaken for some takeout - which they promptly called, received, paid and finished quickly.
At 10, Nick decided to call a Zuber on his Zoony smartphone (no longer was he going to hail a cab, Judy was in agreement too) to send Judy back to her apartment. Not long after, a car with a moose driver named Fred drove in - as they waved goodbye to each other, Judy got in. Judy had vehemently declined Nick following her back, saying she could take care of herself. In return, Nick vehemently declined Judy paying him for the fare (it was 30 bucks, which was paid by Nick's card). As Judy's ride drove a respectable distance, Nick went about his business - which was to tail the car to make sure Judy was safe. Nick left only after Judy went into her apartment and turned on the lights to her room. The journey seemed to take a toll on Nick's bruised body, causing him to limp home slowly.
It was 11.20 when Nick arrived at the door to his apartment, Judy sent him a message informing him of her safe arrival at home after being pestered by Nick - exchanging their goodnights on Wolfsapp (an apparently popular messenger that pioneer the "Pack messaging" concept allowing multiple mammals to communicate with each other in a group).
Sweaty and fatigued but satisfied with his day, Nick took a quick shower - plugged in his phone to charge and fell asleep almost instantly.
Author's Note : Dearest readers, I'm honored by your consistent support! I understand that I haven't been updating as frequently as when this fanfic was published - I'll be honest with ya, I've been having a slump and a stump in my writing. I'll give ya a hint ; I've mapped out this fan fic to span at least 5 ARCS - it's gonna be a mega story and an all encompassing one - hopefully. I'm cooking up an amazing story for the long run.
On a side note, just so you know I haven't been slacking off completely because of some pretentious examination (it's legit, but I'm too lazy haha) - I've been trying to find time to watch and re-watch Zootopia just for the feels and also for the details (so far I've got 3 times, but the goal is 15 times - money is tight but luckily there are free tickets for my birthday).
On the side note's side, I've been thinking about writing a book - oh the woes of shower thoughts. Ok, I'll stop mumbling, until next time !
~HerrMancyni
P.S Did anyone's eyes water in Frozen/Floatzen (for those from Zootopia) - my eyes seemed to sweat when I watched Let it Go/Goat - every time out of 13 times.
P.P.S. I exist, you can drop me PM if you need someone to talk to!
P.P.P.S. Dear me, am I rambling, well yes - yes I am : I need names for the my rendition of the large scale world of Zootopia, you can PM me your name (not your actual one of course, I'd accept it though and the animal you are naming it for) who knows that animal might appear in the fics later ?
