Hey everyone. Hope you are doing good. Status for this chapter: it is here to get us to the next one but that does not mean it isn't juicy and fun. Please do comment your hearts out. I love reading them. Enjoy.
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Nick's POV
I look down at Judy as she breaks our kiss and I see her tearing up.
"I know its not your fault, carrots." I say. I clench my paw and look up. "It's his!" I bare my teeth, but feeling Judy flinch slightly under my paw, I hide them away and kneel to her level.
"Sorry, fluff. Didn't mean to scare ya." I say. She smiles a little and nods, pulling me into a hug.
"I know, Nicky. I just…dont know how this all happened."
"Well, you see there was this really mean buck who…" I start, as she giggles and punches my shoulder lightly. I chuckle as well as I hug her again.
"Now we just have to figure out what to do about Mr. Savage." I say to her. She looks up at me, then starts tapping her foot as she thinks.
"Well, honestly we have to roll with it. I mean Im not sure if we are ready to go public together, or that anyone would believe us after that stunt, and we cant avoid work, cause thats stupid."
"What about Mammal Resources. Isn't this emotional harassment or something?" I ask her. She frowns as she thinks.
"Not according to the precincts policy on relationships. Don't you remember the handbook?" She asks, to which I respond by taking a sudden interest in the floor. She rolls her eyes and heads to the bedroom, returning a moment later with her personal copy of the handbook, with a lot of sticky table and papers jutting out. She turns to the page on relationships in the work place and I cant help but notice that the tabs there are rather new. I smirk at the thought of her researching just for us.
"What're you smiling at?" She asks up at me, smiling back. I wink at her as I respond.
"Well, I cant help but love you for doing all this research on relationships for us. I mean I can only assume its for us seeing as none of these tabs have been in this book long, considering the state of the other, older tabs." I say as I gesture to the new and old tabs in the book. I see her blush and so I kiss her cheek, and I whisper to her. "I love you."
She smiles and looks up at me. "I love you too, Nick." She then turns back to the book. "You see, though. He is allowed to do it as long as it is needed for an active investigation or it keeps and officer out of a compromising situation. He did that at the press conference. Otherwise I would have been put into a compromising situation." she says as she gazes up at me, showing a longing for what I can only assume is my classic loophole answer, but I don't have one.
"I guess he was within the bounds." I say.
'Just like the shooting.'
"Well then what do we do, Nick? I don't want to have to pretend to be in a relationship with Officer Savage." Judy says, looking back at the book. I think for a second, then snap my claws.
"I got it! You go along with it for a little bit, until we have our date, then you show him who he's messing with." I say, pointing to myself. I hear her scoff so I look down. "What is so bad about that?" I ask her. She smiles up at me and punches my arm lightly.
"I still have to pretend to be in a relationship with the buck. I don't wanna do that, slick." I hear this and my ears drop a little. I can't help but to agree with Judy.
"Well, how about this, we relax for the day and figure it out tomorrow?" I offer. She smiles and nods, so I open our office door and I lead us to the back door down to the parking structure below the building. We make it to my beautiful car (that I very much missed) and we head out, driving with Judy ducking as we passed the reporters, to allow her to not have two respond to them in any capacity on their questions. When we do finally pass them I sigh in relief as she sits up.
"How about some toons?" I offer, to which she smirks.
"Do you really still call them 'toons'?"
"Why yes I do." I say as I turn on the radio to just catch the last note in a song. "You knew I was a kit at heart when you agreed to our first date."
We are both interrupted by the breaking news sound on the radio, which I quickly turn up out of habit, seeing as most breaking news had to do with the ZPD. This one did as well, but I wish I had not of turned it up.
"Well its official, folks." the news caster starts out. "Zootopia has a new power couple and they are CUTE! ZPD's very first rabbit officer, Judy Hopps, was caught on the stairs to precinct one with not only her partner, Nick Wilde, but also apparently her new boyfriend, Special Agent Jack Savage. Our reporters indicated that Jack fessed up to their romance after being hard pressed with questions while on the steps. Agent Savage kindly stayed behind to answer a few of our questions and did explain that Officer Hopps had very important work to preform."
"You got that right, I'm sure our hero is always busy." says the fellow anchor on the radio show.
"Oh I know, Frankie. Anyway, this is what we got from Savage." The female reports, as they switch to a recording of Jack Savage.
"Yes, we are together. You see, we have been together since soon after she joined the force. About three months in and we had a project that the Agency and the police were both working on. I got the chance to be close to her and this was actually during mating season. See she was throwing her self at me hard, but as a gentlemammal, I denied her requests, eventually calming her down. I had to do this for two weeks straight before it ended. She came to me after and apologized, saying 'I was the first mammal who did not take advantage of her body when I had the chance.' and this made me think that I cannot have that. So I asked her to be mine right there, and she said yes! Let me tell you, that had to be the happiest moment of my life."
"Well, isn't that sweet. Alright we got more on that story as it develops, but in the meantime, lets get back to the mus-" I turn of the radio and look over at Judy, who is steaming after hearing the words on the talkshow. I place a paw on her shoulder and she loosens slighly, but then jerks her head over to me and starts screaming.
"WHO THE H*** DOES HE THINK HE IS? Saying I threw myself at HIM?! He should be so lucky!" She goes on and on until we get home and I kiss her right as she is about to say something about his hygiene. She slowly leans into the kiss and I feel her melt. I finally pull away after a couple minutes.
"You gonna be okay, Carrots?" I ask her, holding her cheek to be sure she meets my gaze. She smiles a little and puts her paw on mine.
"I think so, Nicky. Lets get upstairs."
—
Judy's POV
I am still fuming the next day. All last night, Nick did everything for me and I loved every second of it. I just started fuming again because I have to go on patrol with Jack, and not Nick, because we have to be seen working together on the current case, representing the faces of our respective places of employment.
"So, Judy, about yesterday." Jack starts off.
"Agent Savage, you said the most ridiculous, insulting… anyway, you need to just be silent for the duration of our assignment today or I swear you will be seeing what the inside of the ICU looks like, if you are lucky. Got it?" I ask as I point at him, his calm demeanor still upsetting me.
"Understood, officer Hopps. Shall we." he says, offering me the now open door to our cruiser. I hop in and he shuts it, then going around to the drivers side and getting in.
We start out on patrol, heading up and down Savanah central in all the areas that crime is most likely to happen. I count at least three times a reporter caught us together, and each time it upset me more.
We finally finish out our day and we walk up the steps and into the main lobby, where I see Nick. After such a long day, I can do nothing more than smile at him. The reporters start snapping pictures of me but I don't care. I see my fox, my light at the end of the tunnel. Suddenly, though, I am dipped down and I feel strange lips pressed to mine. I get spun back up before I can respond and I just stand there, my smile for Nick still on my face, and the reporters just keep photographing.
I look around and I see Nick, growling and bearing his claws. I run at him and hold him back, luckily escaping the reporters since Jack had started to speak again. I lead us out of the building and to our car. We make it all the way up to the apartment and I close the door before he even says a word.
"He KISSED YOU! WHAT THE H*** IS THAT ABOUT?!" He screams out. I jump a little and then go to him.
"Nick, please don't be mad. I am so sorry this happened."
He drops to the couch and puts his head in his paws. I sit next to him with mine in my lap. Soon enough I feel him put one paw on my back, so I lean in and he hugs me. He pulls away after a second.
"I don't blame you at all Judy. I blame him a whole lot, but I don't blame you at all." he says. He hugs me tight and then lets me go, but I don't let him go. He chuckles as he looks at me.
"You okay, cutie bunny?" I laugh and nod into his fur.
"Im just perfect…for now."
—
Nick's POV
I get up from our bed at 2:00 am, needing to use the bathroom. I go into it and do my business. When I finish, I stop at my drawer in the bathroom and i open it up. I slowly exhale and reach in and put my claws into concealed holes in the false bottom. Lifting it up, I show one item in the hidden compartment. Before I kept money, blackmail, and other illegal papers in the hidden drawer, but now it only holds one small box. I pick it up and think back to the time I got it.
One month earlier.
I walk into the third jeweler of the day with some of my 'ill gotten gains' in my pocket, reffering to some of the cash I have from my old life. I stare at my white fur, still uneasy at the assignment we are on, but considering that today is the day that Judy has to be brought back to the precinct alone to do the weekly debrief, I figured this is the best use of my time.
I walk up to the counter and ring the bell, catching the attention of a very nicely dressed Jaguar. He smiles and walks up to me.
"How can I help you, today, sir?" he says in a luscious accent. I look at his nametag to catch a name, which I know is alway a good way to gain someones trust, as it came in handy for my prior life.
"Well, David, you see, I need an engagement ring." I say, blushing clearly in my white fur.
"Oh, is that so, sir. Well I am glad to hear it. Any particular style you have in mind?" He asks.
"While I know she likes rose gold, so that can be the band. As for the stone…" I look everything over. I see bigger stones, meant to help females brag to each other. I also see small ones for the couples who 'don't need physical possessions.' Ultimately, it ends just the same as the other stores I visited. That is, until I come across the perfect one hidden in the corner of one of the display's.
"That one." I point to it. He looks at me for a second then retrieves it.
"Great choice. The leaves are real emerald, while the body itself is tinted orange my a natural reaction to certain chemicals while on fire, but it'll last for years and it does not lose any value." He then offers it to me. I give it a once over and see that there is a space for engraving in it.
"Custom engraving comes free with purchase." The jaguar says, seemingly reading my thoughts.
"Its…perfect." I say. He smiles a little wider and goes to the register.
"Then shall we ring it up for you, sir?" he asks. I nod and he enters it into the computer at the register. He places it into a bag and puts it into a container in the back.
"Do you know your vixens ring size?" He asks. I blush again and look up.
"Actually, my girlfriend is a… bunny." I say. He looks up and pauses for a second, his smile faltering, but quickly returning.
"Well…I so rarely get interspecies couples in my shop, so this is a real treat. Do you know her details?" I nod and give them to him. He gives me a receipt and finishes up.
"Alright, i guarantee it'll be ready in 72 hours, and after that you are more than welcome to come get it any time after. We are fully aware this is something you have to sneak out for, so no rush." He says. I nod and head out, beaming at the world, but he pauses me one more time.
"I wish you the best of luck, sir."
"Why thank you David." I say. He looks at the name tag in shock then chuckles lightly.
"Oh no, I just needed a tag due to rules of the owner. You can call me Mr. Dane." he says, offering a paw. I shake it and he shakes back.
"Best of luck to both of you." He says. I smile and wave as I head out.
—
I hold then carrot-shaped ring in my paws as I think.
'You can do this Nick, you just need to do it.'
'But when should I do it?'
'Considering the way things are going, sooner rather than later.'
'But the news will see the ring and assume Jack was the one who did it.'
'That is why we do it in public.'
'But…'
'No more excuses, so…'
'…fine. Ill do it.'
I put back the cover but keep the ring box in my paw. I go tuck it into my sock drawer then head to bed.
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Well, I hope it was fun. This is a story that I am loving to write. I truly hope you are all loving to read it. Who knows, maybe we will see a wedding soon. ;) so enjoy all you lovely people.