An Act of Compassion

by markovas

The choices we've made and make define who we are and who we will be. This is a story about hardships and pain from which come hope and peace. But things in life are temporary just like life itself, thus one must not constrict themselves because of fear and doubt, as the only thing that is to be feared is fear itself. Set in Zootopia AU of the film's beginning.

21. Purpose

Purpose

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"Don't let them see that they get to you," were the quiet words that entered her ears, words that managed to stop her breath entirely while she stared at the floor with bafflement. Her emotional wreckage halted for the moment as other thoughts went through her and were beginning to link to each other with solidity. She didn't want to glance at him, not after what had happened but her heart bashed viciously inside once and that got her to exhale a very depleted breath.

With trembling lips, she dared to look at the mammal who by all known accounts was responsible for the outcome of her misery yet that wasn't entirely true but her attempt was met with unsuccessfulness because her head just felt like a giant rock. Bogo had accidently or intentionally let it out, it was all planned from the day she chose to not follow her corrupted thoughts, from the day when she smashed her foot in Duke's throat. She wanted to know why Nick had done what he had done because what was said in the attic didn't seem genuine to her anymore, it didn't seem logical, not after all the mixed signals he unintentionally gave out and her finding of the actual contents of the bag.

But she couldn't think clearly, the well of suffering was overflowing and she needed to let it out as it was suffocating her entirely, she needed to get out, she needed to escape. The voices were getting more and more vile, more disgusting and abominable which made her knees to tremble and just like that she felt her energy to extinguish. But she didn't fall because Nick moved next to her and put his paw on her other shoulder, pulling her into him and supporting her weak body that was drained incredibly. She didn't resist even if she wanted to as there was just no will to do so anymore, there was no point.

Surprisingly, she felt the warmth comforting while his scent managed to work wonders upon her raging mind even after everything that had happened. Hope still persevered after all the disgust and pain, hope had moved in and built its foundations and it was expanding rapidly as all the recollections started contradicting the false reality that seemed to be true not so long ago.

She sensed his soft paw to squeeze her shoulder and she tried to grab it but her arms felt limp as the voices weren't stopping, they weren't going away. But then, then a growl originated from above her head with the accompanied words of the red fox who was embracing her from falling into the puddle of instability.

"SHUT UP, you fucking SAVAGES!" Nick bellowed from the top of his scorching lungs while his soothing and gentle voice became rough and deeply distorted. His paw pulled her harder to himself while his claws dug into the fabric of her light-blue shirt, probably in an attempt to hold her in his grasp and not let her fall because of her weak state.

The strange part about all of that was that she wasn't feeling pain from his actions, the protective gesture made her shivers to mildly reduce their intensity as a small amount of comfort entered her body while his warmth managed to stop her extinguishing fire from dying out. She quickly mused that it was derived from the protective predator who was yet again redirecting the hate from her to himself while not letting her fall into despair and unresponsiveness in front of many who would love nothing more but to see her do so.

Nick's stance became of one of readiness and from the top of her deliquefied eyes, she could blurrily see his bared teeth and his trembling lips while her ears caught his rumbles that quietly escaped his throat with increasing intensity. But there was something on his creamy fur on the underside of his muzzle, something just as reddish as his fur if not even darker. But what was it doing there?

That got her to dare to glance up because of morbid curiosity and what she saw dried her throat and shocked her core. His nose had dried streams of blood that had flowed down towards the underside of his muzzle, staining the white fur with dark red, and onto his shirt and tie. He looked terrifying and murderous in the state that he was in, in a state that she didn't leave him in. What had they done to him down there and why? A hard beat inside of her chest got her to whimper and lose her balance but Nick's paw was holding her unrelentingly and that was what saved her from crumbling to the ground.

Someone had done that to him, someone from the Precinct and she was responsible for it because she had taken him in. In a futile attempt of finding the one that had done that to the vulpine, she blurrily examined the disgusting crowd of officers who were totally silent. She noticed through her distorted vision that some had reached for their duty belts while others stood with mouths hung-agape, including those that were way taller and twice as wider than the fox besides her.

But there was not a drop of fear within her even if there was a rumbling predator glued to her side. No, it was that same feeling that she remembered when they were in that van, that feeling of being cared for, for being looked after. It was extremely pleasant and it managed to increase the height of the walls of her chipped dam that began filling slowly towards the newer heights.

And then came the memories of his hateful words and actions that led to her getting indescribably hurt. Her mind way yelling at her to get away from him, to sever all ties and persevere through all the crap herself but this time her heart took charge because of all the contradictions he had made against himself. Hope began extending towards new horizons and it would spread into something more because of his choice to give her support.

"Is that what you do in here? You gang up on your own and try to get them to feel lower than dirt?! Even murderers have higher standards than you thugs!" His words actually made her brain to stop working because they were absurdly unexpected which got her to stare at him with widely opened eyes.

"Don't taunt us you red bastard," chimed in a male elephant officer who visibly had one of his beige horns broken.

But Nick didn't seem intimidated as Judy could feel his aggressiveness to manifest around the both of them like a barrier, like an invisible shield. A hard exhale from his part forced some unclotted blood out from his nose to fall on Judy's cheek, staining her silver fur with the warm red which's scent found its way inside with the smell of iron getting her already twitching nose to double its efforts. This kind of cruelty was unacceptable to her, it was evil but what was more important were his words and his body language. He seemed furious, he seemed hurt and his cool was just absent.

"Or what? You'll further beat me up?! Let's see how that will work in court." His state and words managed to get the confidence of the crowd to plummet considerably as no one said anything in return.

"You are supposed to serve and protect. If you can't do that to your own colleagues, than what the hell are you doing here in the first place!? You are spitting onto the most honest mammal probably in the whole Precinct. The bravest and toughest!"

Honesty… Yes, she was an honest mammal but maybe that was her weakness? Maybe she should've just followed the choices of others before her like Nick had said. Maybe honesty wasn't something to be proud of… maybe… She was in shock and as she saw Nick's blazing jades as well as felt his stressed muscles it appeared that there was no deceit and she could sense his emotional instability from his cracking voice, betraying body and trembling eyes.

"She isn't weak or a freak. She is more than capable of being a cop than half of you because she has a big heart unlike this whole fucking city." His voice echoed through the lobby and silence befell it shortly after. Only the passing cars from outside could be faintly heard while from the inside there was not even a cough or whisper, just the usual white-noise.

Nick grabbed the top of his muzzle and rubbed it in annoyance. "But how can you get it? When you are all corrupted to the core with prejudice that makes you blind." The crowd began whispering as some seemed to be getting tired of Nick's relentless and truthful onslaught.

"It's not that she doesn't deserve you. You don't deserve HER! You fucking prejudiced shortsighted bastards!" The words entered her system and creeped into her heart, mending some of the cracks that were made by him and everything else. The pain reduced slightly but that wasn't enough, she was still an emotional wreckage ready to explode.

"Enough of the fox!" a hog officer with scars from bullets on his muzzle began advancing upon Nick who immediately put his tail instinctively around Judy as well as angling his body in front of her, hiding half of hers with his.

But the advancing hog was stopped by a familiar white coyote with a scruffy weasel by his side. Judy, being half obscured by Nick's body and tail managed to spot Duke instantly, more importantly his bloodied bandages around his neck as well as his slightly stained blue shirt. That got her to quickly link the dots and grasp Nick's warm tail with her still-shivering paws. Things were beginning to take shape and were creeping towards sense and realizations.

"Here for more, Wilde? And what's this? Trying to make her feel better so you can dig in later? Not impr—"

"Fuck you, Wazelton!" Nick spat, getting the weasel to growl weakly because of his recent injury but that didn't stop him from reaching for his taser but Nick's next words hit their mark first before any action managed to spring into existance.

"Want Koslov to find more about your hobbies?" Was his plain to most retort but not to Duke whose anger just vanished, replaced with visible dread as his body shook for a moment while he took a step closer to Thane and moved his now-nervous gaze elsewhere.

But the mammal that first tried to apprehend Nick seemed to have had enough as he shouldered his way through, pulling his taser out and beginning to close the distance between the two agitated mammals who were both unstable in their own way.

Judy could see where things were heading and tried to stop the escalation but her throat felt sore and her legs weak, thus she did the only thing that came to mind and grabbed the side of Nick's shirt, pushing her head against it as to try and get him to understand, to walk away, but nothing like that happened, as he actually tried to get away from her grasp and ready himself as his claws were widely apart from each other and his eyes darted around the large amount of space.

Things were going to get grim pretty soon and she was powerless, she was meek, therefor she embraced his middle with all her remaining might and refused to let go even when he attempted to move her back as the officer was going to soon shoot the probes of pain at him but she couldn't let him go through more pain because of her, because she just knew what it was like. And with the recent revelations of his intentions, she just couldn't hold the grudge, not against her heart even if the stain of betrayal being still-present within. The information wasn't adding up and his words that he had pierced her with, they now sounded hollow, they sounded forced and fake, they were replaced by those that he had just uttered.

She tried to pull him away, to make him get her out of the damn place where she could feel her life energy fading away but there just wasn't any energy within, only despair, only pain. But between those was something incredible, something that she begged for since the first confrontation. And it was starting to form up more and more clearly within which was stifling the coldening of her limbs slightly but not enough because the denial of the fact that she had lost her job was soon going to disappear entirely.

With an attempt to suppress her whimpers she squeezed harder while Nick's snarl widened and he seemed to be lost in rage, rage that had overtaken him and had made his thinking muddled incredibly. This was irrational from his part and that increased the hope in her core further out, it was fixing what was almost broken, it was starting to mend the wounds of supposed betrayal but nothing was yet certain and it would never be if he got himself in irreversible trouble in a place where he could be framed for whatever the officers chose to. The corruption inside the establishment of order and integrity was so strong that she felt worried about his life as well, understanding that his bloodied face was just a mild representation of what was usually being done behind closed doors.

"Nick…" was her whisper into his shirt but even she didn't hear herself, it was so delicate and weak. What next was going to happen was electrifying pain and she knew that she was going to share it as well but it didn't matter, it was she who was responsible for him and she let him in the paws of incompetence and hate so why not share his pain as he had shared hers.

But something unexpected happened as a loud and booming voice exploded from the 2nd floor, "What is going on down THERE?"

She dared to look up and saw Bogo's furious expression and body that was leaning over the glass railing and for a moment she thought that it would crumble from his weight and make him fall but nothing as such happened. The advancing officer had stopped just before firing his taser into the agitated fox but quickly dared to answer, "This fox here is in—"

"SILENCE! BACK TO YOUR DUTIES, NOW!" Bogo ordered with authority and many of the mammals in the crowd dispersed under the influence of submission while the advancing hog scoffed disapprovingly and glared at the smaller mammals who were both trembling from their own instabilities.

"Lucky, piece of shit…" the officer mumbled and went on his way but not before giving Nick a murderous glare which he returned as well.

They stayed like that only for a bit until she felt his tensed muscles to relax a bit to which she pulled away but without removing her grip from his shirt as her legs were just too tired and drained. A heavy sigh escaped the tod's lips and he groaned in exhaustion. "Come on… Let's go," he gently asked of her and with his help, they slowly walked towards the exit of Precinct One, an exit that she would probably see for the last time in her life, an exit that meant the end of her future and dream, an exit to the unknown.

The door was pushed by the red vulpine and the cold breeze brushed through the fur on her head, there was no blinding light or warmth from the sun. The sky was dark-blue and the streets were lightened by the tall lamps that overlooked from above. She didn't like the cold as it was still present in the end of her limbs as well as the outer parts of her heart, yet the fresh air managed to remove some stress from her head but just as they got to the parking lot, she stumbled and fell on her knees while she almost hit her head as well if it wasn't for Nick who caught her and kneeled beside her with both his paws on her shoulders.

It began with a sob, a hiccup to be exact and then the stress just revealed itself all around her as she slumped down towards her legs and put both her paws on her eyes. The dam at last had broken and it was all going to be let out, the pressure of doubt, pain, fear, all of it was now turned into flowing tears that damped the fur under her eyes with intensity. Her breaths were hard and labored and her body was trembling madly due to the intoxicated by weight blood. Vulnerable was how she felt, yet Nick's paws were making her feel somewhat protected, or was it just his presence?

Her paws felt wet and the moisture was now streaming down her thighs, enriching her fur and clothes with saltiness and pain but as she let more and more tears flow, the pressure became more and more bearable, it was becoming less resistant and heavy.

She didn't know how much time she stood like that and cried but when at last she had managed to stop herself from furthering the puddle under herself, she opened her glistering eyes and met those of Nick's which were actually trembling. She spotted some dampness on the fur under them as well but thought that it was just her blurry vision playing tricks on her. The problem that came about tho was that he didn't dare to be affectionate like before, as she remembered how in her apartment he hadn't hesitated to come to her when she had almost broke, unlike now when she actually had entirely broke.

He must've been feeling incredible guilt and sorrow, his words in the lobby had contradicted everything he had told her in that attic and the bag just made her even more persistent to find the truth. That's why she stood up slowly and dusted herself off while Nick released his hold and took a step back, and she noticed that he was trying to keep his distance away from her which made her eyes to tremble yet again but she was in control, for now.

"I… w-want to t-talk with you…" she tried to say strongly but it came only as a mumble as she gazed into the fox whose sad expression turned into a scowl.

"I don't thi—"

"P-please!" she begged with huddled together paws as she took a step forwards, a step that made the vulpine's tail to fall on the ground and ears to go flat against his skull. She wanted to understand why he did it even if there was a chance for her to get hurt yet again, it just meant a lot for her to find out after everything that had happened.

"Ugh, come…" he relented and motioned with his paw as to get her to move in front of him to which she almost brushed by him but he side-stepped and tingles began striking her skin, tingles of more misery because of his actions. Maybe he hated her for getting him in such a fragile position, getting him physically hurt… But then, what about his words back then? Where did the truth begin and where did the lies end?

They walked for some time while she received directions from behind until they came to a secluded small park that seemed pretty desolate from first glance but she didn't trust her eyes at that moment because of the blurriness and the darkness that wasn't thick but was enough to make her unable to see longer than several meters ahead.

Finding a bench, she saw his gesture and sat on it close to the middle and expected him to join her close but he actually sat on the other corner with some distance between them. He had kept himself away from her after they had exited the PD and that was frustrating her deeply, yet her mind was grasping why, it was probably guilt from his actions and choices that had hurt her immensely.

But what had happened had happened. What mattered was what was to come. She had lost her job and now there wasn't anything holding her back from just going home and continuing her life there. Nothing but one certain mammal, a mammal that was sitting on the same bench with her, a mammal whose next choice would dictate what would happen next, a choice with heavy repercussions.

She hugged herself and glanced at him while feeling her chilly limbs to become even so because the pressure from the recent events was still inside of her system, pressure that at least was now bearable but she didn't know when would the next wave hit if it did. But Nick's incredible seriousness was starting to scare her because she just never had seen him like this, never.

He noticed her staring and sighed in annoyance. "You wanted to talk. Talk," was his gruff response which got her to tilt her head in confusion. His gentleness was nowhere to be seen and he seemed to be closing himself in again. She needed to get to him.

"W-what happened today?" she began without breaking eye contact but he was just staring forward.

"You caught me is what happened," was his plain answer that was derived from any emotion.

The start was bad, it was as if she was talking to a mammal who didn't want to interact with her but she needed to press on, she had to continue. "W-what about the bag?!"

"I didn't know what was in it…" was his response that carried slight hesitation.

Lie. His ears fell and she caught the slip-up which slightly infuriated her. "And ab-bout me? You didn't know I w-was following you?"

"No," he deadpanned and turned away and now she could see his mildly-raised hackles.

But she wasn't having any of it and coughed, "Look at me, p-please…" was her plead to which he relented after a few moments and his half-closed eyes met her tired and blurry ones. "Y-you just happened to start talking about me when I was listening. And then you go and s-supposably make a deal with drugs? Then y-you run towards an attic?! Of all p-places?"-her heart twisted painfully-"S-stop it!" she weakly tried to yell but coughed because of her sore throat and that got her to miss his reaction as she leveled her lilacs with him, his stature was the same and he was just sitting motionlessly.

"I don't care what you want to think. Just get out of this city. There is nothing keeping you here anymore," he retorted plainly and again looked away but this time in his words, she found the double meaning. He wanted to make her leave, something had made him to try and get her out.

"All t-those mixed signals. Y-you didn't even fight back seriously up there… And then at the lobby… After everything you s-said…"-the emotional wreckage twisted her insides-"Stop l-lying!" she managed to shout out the last part and Nick actually pushed himself against the back of the wooden bench, squirming in his seat which meant that she was getting to him.

"What do you know?" he shot angrily and looked at her scornfully. "Just because you are imagining that I'm not what I am doesn't make it true. You don't think what Duke said can't happen? No one is here and no one will hear you. Go home and forget about everything before I change my mind."

His words were vicious and were said extremely threateningly, yet they sounded hollow to her ears, they didn't make a tad of sense, not after what had happened in the lobby and the linking of the facts she had achieved when in her emotional puddle of insanity. He was fake at that very moment, he was keeping his emotions at bay very well. He was in his hustler persona because of his choice of words, they weren't as personal as when he was real. And if he was trying to push her away, this was the best way to do so, to hurt her immeasurably and get her to want to sever the tie between them. That was his plan but she didn't know why. Why did he want to do that? What was the issue? Why couldn't he just tell her?

Her fiery heart began beating with increased strength but not from misery but determination of finding the truth at long last and there was one way to do it, one way that she failed to try when she let her instincts take over in that attic. She now believed in the good in him and yielded to the risk as there was nothing to lose anymore, only to gain if she was right. And oh how much she wanted to be right.

Standing up on the bench weakly, she began closing the distance between them and just as she was at paws reach from Nick, he turned to look at her and his eyes narrowed as he tried to scramble away but the end of the bench was restricting him of doing so, thus she managed to step in between his legs and grab him by the bloodied shirt while looking directly at his panicked eyes.

"G-get away from me…" he tried to resist but she held onto him as if her life depended on it but he didn't push her off or stand up, just tried flee from her glistering eyes. Some growls escaped his throat that turned into whimpers shortly after and she was certain that he was breaking up as she had.

Quickly, not wanting him to find out what she was about to do, she unbuttoned his stained with red top-buttons and met his shocked jades that found realization instantly at what she was to do but she grabbed the scruff of his neck and forced her other paw under his shirt, pushing her way through his creamy fur and towards his heart. He resisted weakly, whimpering and huffing with strain while looking away with trembling lips.

Her paw found its mark and she pushed it inwards and what she felt flushed her whole body with energy, hope and bafflement. His heart wasn't cold and apathetic like his words were, it was beating with an indescribable pace, its warmth was so welcoming to her cold limb, its ferocity was incredibly hard as it was pushing her whole paw up and down as if it was trying to escape his body. Everything was false, his heart had betrayed him and he was puffing and huffing as his warmth increased, while his chest muscles trembled under her hold but she didn't release it, she wanted to get to him to such an extent that he wouldn't see a point in continuing his charade. She was certain now, he had done everything with something in mind and the guilt of his choices was present under her paw.

"Do you think I'm a g-good-for-nothing bunny?" she asked and the rhythm of his pumper broke yet again as his lungs forced him to take a few breaths.

"Y-yes…" he squeezed out painfully but his leg began trembling as well as his eyes. His lie was caught easily.

"Do you… c-care about me?" she asked with a choked out breath.

"N…. no!" he tried to deny but his heart just exploded in contradiction while hers almost matched the pace of his because of the recent events as it hadn't reduced its pace since then, it was hard to get rid of the poisonous stress so easily. Yet, his denial was hurting her a lot as well as he wasn't cracking even if his emotions were overtaking him.

"Quit h-hiding your t-true self!" she whimpered through gritted teeth.

"I don't… I d-don't want you to believe in m-me," he retorted and started jerking. "Not after a-all I did… NO!" He began resisting and his heart was now just unhealthy, she was afraid that it would crack under the pressure of his visible fear which made hers to race as well and she needed to do something, anything.

With the paw that was holding him by the scruff of his neck, she managed to pull his arm and force his paw onto the region of her extinguishing heart. His paw was bigger than hers and it reached her shoulder as well but that was when he just stopped doing anything and just stared at the spot she had put it on. His eyes quivered as well as his vessel of life and then he began shaking in visible dissonance.

"Do you… you are h-hurting me s-so… so much, Nick…" her eyes leaked onto his restless paw while a sob escaped her mouth because this was her final attempt and it was destroying her from the inside because she knew that after it, if nothing had changed, that meant that that was it.

"I… did—… j-j-just… it was n-never meant to be like t-this." She looked at him and could see moisture on the corner of his eyes, moisture that gave her hope. "But it did! A-and I don't want to further it!"

"Then stop hurting me by p-pushing me away!" she cried out with quivering lips and his mouth just hanged open while his heart just went insane, this was the moment of truth. His own dam had broken and his eyes began leaking hard which got him to whimper and try to pull away but she pushed herself forward and met his sorrowful jades.

"I'm s-sorry… I'm s-so sorry…" he stuttered with closed eyes and her fear turned into a small smile as she pushed herself into his soft and warm neck, embracing it whole with both her paws and squeezing herself entirely into him. She had broken in and wanted nothing more but to be near him, near his warmth, near his scent, near his body.

"Don't… D-don't… I don't d-deserve any of this!" he whispered as she rubbed her damp cheeks in his soothing fur.

"I don't care…" she retorted with a small content smile while pushing her beige claws onto his skin which made his breaths a bit less sporadic.

"B-b-but-t-t…"

"P-please, just be yourself…" she pleaded as more tears soaked into his already-moist fur which got him to shiver and after a few moments he actually returned the hug, one of his paws reaching for the side of her head while the other went behind her middle while his tail went across hers as if he had put a blanket behind her. The move made her feel warm and giddy, it managed to stifle the emotional luggage enormously.

They held each other for who knows how long, both whimpering and breathing with a lot of pressure. But in the end, the affection, intimacy and gentleness persevered against all and both calmed down considerably. Judy felt at peace in the warmth of the predator who was deeply inhaling through his damaged nostrils with his muzzle over her shoulder.

With a last deep inhale in his scent-enriched neck, she weakly attempted to disengage the embrace to which he resisted for a short period but relented in the end as she moved backwards until they met eye to eye. Both of their fur under their eyes was damp and had a darker shade with the small amount of light bouncing in their glistering eyes.

Judy caressed the top of his muzzle without breaking eye contact and his eyes trembled yet again from the visible guilt he was carrying from his choices to which she knew that this was it, the moment of truth. With a heavy sigh, she pleaded in a sad tone, "Tell me everything…"

His ears fell and his tail would've done the same if it weren't for his force of control and hesitation that was etched upon him too clearly to which she scratched the skin on that same area she had caressed a moment ago with her short claws, getting him to whimper and sigh heavily. She noticed his paw that patted the seat next to him and with a grumble she accepted his wish but not without pulling his tail in front of her after having taken the seat very close to him because the night was getting latter which meant less hospitable.

"I can't do t-this anymore…"-he put his paw over his eyes for a moment-"It's e-easy with someone you don't care for but n-not…"-a labored sigh from him made Judy's ears to flick-"Look… I can't even grasp how you even want to be near me… I wouldn't if I were you!"

"Good thing you aren't," she retorted with a smirk to which he snorted but his amusement fell with the unwanted reality.

"You deserve the truth. After everything I made you go through, it's the least I could do…" Her eyes widened in focus and her ears sprung erect because this is what she craved for since the doubt had entered her and infected her system.

"Truth is you caught me off-guard… I came up with the idea when I saw you crestfallen yesterday but that wasn't what made me do it. That weasel was spying on you that night or it could've been some other mammal"-her brows huddled together-"All I know is that the sedan from when we witnessed the murder was the same. I'm certain, 100 percent." Chills jumped around her spine at this new knowledge and ideas of what it could mean, ideas that created pictures of her in a puddle of her own blood, a puddle identical to that one of the lifeless kangaroo, pictures that made her pull his bushy tail closer to her body and lungs to beg for air while looking at the ground in undesirable awareness.

"I couldn't let you stay in that department. Not with the influence they have. Not with what you had done. So the plan was to get you to catch me with supposable drugs and hurt myself in the process so I could give your superior a reason to fire you…" She glanced at him with a tilted head and twitching nose and wanted to retort but because of the fear of making him close himself, she remained silent and just followed his eyes. But the part where he mentioned hurting himself, did that mean that he had inflicted the injury on his nose on purpose?

"But the chance came too early and I wasn't prepared…"-a sad frown appeared upon him-"I had to make things on the spot and I just hurt you too much"-he suddenly met her eyes with his that were visibly filled with remorse-"You don't know how much I wanted to stop and explain things to you… But I had to do it…" She knew it, the contradictions weren't created from her imagination, they were real.

"And my fears turned into truth when Duke came in to interrogate me." His words made her ears to fall and her to grasp his tail more desperately because she could guess what had happened. The bloody bandages and threatening words… It was now just too obvious, too bitterly indisputable.

"He had stopped the camera and microphone and seemed rushed… He just paced around and yelled how I fucked up his plans of getting rid of you for good. And that just infuriated me. He was talking about killing you in the actual department… in front of ME!" he shouted and bared his teeth while growls began forming inside his throat but that didn't fire up the instigator of fear or her restrictive instincts, that made her actually feel somewhat excited, somewhat pleasantly comfortable in his presence even if it was pretty aggressive at that very moment. He was reacting as such because someone had threatened her and even if he was usually extremely collected, he had lost his control like he was doing at this very moment.

It made her feel cherished and she tried to calm him down by smoothing his disgruntled tail, an act that didn't go unnoticed by the irritated vulpine who leaned against the bench and managed to get himself in order after some moments of deep breaths. "That is when I got a bit too emotional which earned me this…" both glanced at each other as he pointed towards his bloodied nose.

"I realized that they may keep you in there despite my attempt because they wanted you actually gone… But I was surprisingly freed and the plan seemed to be done for. But then I saw you in the middle of that lobby…"

"I instantly understood what had happened and wanted to do nothing more but to just leave you be... to let you down…" he quietly finished and moved his head down as his shoulders moved forward in an attempt to hide him, a move that meant that he didn't feel good with the last sentence, not at all.

But you didn't… Why? She asked herself and prepared for the answer, an answer that made her ears so eager that the pink was now actually glowing inside the folds yet the hesitation from his part was transparent to her eyes like a cloudless sky, she could see his uneasy lips and stressed body that constantly moved as if his seat had nails underneath. She was to try and get him to relax when a heavy sigh and visible restlessness in the form of claws digging into the wood of the bench were brought forth.

His gaze was distant and it seemed like he didn't want to look at her. "But I couldn't because of the words I heard and the position you were in… it made be remember something from my past, something that I've wanted to forget since it happened…" His lips twitched and she could see his furthered indecision, he looked as if he didn't want to tell her while something was pushing him to do so. But the vulnerability was getting to him and he began whimpering with heavy huffs as he hugged himself which was her que to do something and get him to feel more at ease, at least a bit. That was when she closed the previously-restricted distance and leaned against his side as she pulled his arm and put it on both her thighs after which she rotated it and began pampering his soft black pads.

His shivering reduced and she let him collect himself as his breathing returned to normal while her own-hurt heart warmed up her body because of everything that was being disclosed to her.

"Want to know why I reacted like that in the cruiser?" His question made her ears to stand tall once more but one was trapped under his arm and remained at an angle forward. She wanted to know, this was important to her because there now was an opportunity to further things out, to do what she thought was going to be impossible when she was met with the heavy lie that was labeled as truth. Her ears gave Nick the answer and he sighed heavily as he leaned further into the bench.

"I was eight or maybe nine, and all I wanted to do was join the Junior Ranger Scouts. My mother scraped enough money and bought me brand new uniform. It was incredible, it was the happiest day in my life"-the way he said happiness sounded so bitter, so forced, so painful-"I thought I was going to fit in even if I was the only predator in the troop, the only fox…"

His voice became sorrowful and hurt and she could see that what was going to come next wasn't going to be of a happy ending so she pushed her head further into his side while not stopping her gentle motions on his paw.

"I was going to be a part of something…"-a small smile managed to appear for just a second-"part of a pack… I was so proud and naïve…" Nick pulled his arm away from her and her heart fell because she thought that he didn't want to continue but that was when she felt it on the middle of her side, his claws moving towards her stomach and pulling her towards him. Things were going well, things could work and that made her to snuggle even further into him with slight irritations that his shirt was in the way but she chased those fantasies away because a blush managed to creep onto her cheeks.

"The next night I went into the scout's headquarters where I was supposed to be accepted… They made me feel safe with friendliness and kind words as I was lured into the basement…"-a heavy exhale escaped his lips-"There they told me that a fox cannot be trusted and that I am a disgusting pelt…" Judy's fur instantly jolted up and she looked at him but there was something very disturbing that she could evidently see which at last managed to make her scared, it looked like hate, it looked like pure hate, hate that made mammals to do things that couldn't be reversed.

"Then I was beaten up and muzzled…" His lips curled, exposing his sharp ends and he tried pulling away his paw from her while he tried to make a fist be she forced him still.

He was straying away and she needed to try and get his attention to reality. "I trust you," was her retort which got Nick to swiftly look at her with raised eyebrows while his hatred faded in the blink of an eye, surely from the words that he obviously wasn't expecting to hear, words that had actually shocked him.

"You mustn't! Not after everything that I did to you! I destroyed your dream!" he shouted but his frustration just evaporated into oblivion when she began moving her nails through the fur on his arm.

"You didn't destroy my dream…" was her quiet retort and Nick managed to hear it.

"What?"

"I was supposed to be gone yesterday… But Thane had persuaded the Chief to keep me. He told me accidently. They probably were going to try and get me in an accident from what you told me," were her gloomy words obtained from the understanding that she was evidently going to lose her life sometime in the future and not in a real accident but in a conspired one. It just made a small hole inside of her which she didn't know if it was ever going to be filled. For there to be such cruelty and wickedness, never would've she guessed it, never would've she strived to become what she wanted to if she knew the bleak truth, or was wouldn't she? Now wasn't a time to decide.

Nick's attempt to make her change her mind managed to pull her out of the sinking sands of anguish. "Even so I hurt you enough! Why w—"

But she wasn't content of letting him do so and interjected with vigor, "Then I want you to promise me something…" she said while looking at his arm and playing a tuft of his fur.

After a few moments of heavy air, she slowly moved her head and met his confused eyes. A hopeful smile appeared on her and she pleaded, "Promise me… that you will never lie to me again. Whatever you might have done. Whatever!" she repeated to emphasize her most important poin.

His mouth opened as he attempted to speak but when it was met with failure he rubbed the top of his muzzle and tried again. "You are staying here?" To his question she only nodded which made his frustration etched upon his face. "You can't! They will try to kill you! There is nothing in here for you, this city is rotten to the core!"

"There is," was her retort which madly confused the tod who visibly tried to understand what she had meant and when he did, he facepawed himself with his free paw and groaned in incredible irritation which made Judy curious of his reaction.

"I knew this would happen… Why did I even explain myself—"

"I'm glad you did," she interjected and smiled at him which made his eyes to quiver and him to exhale in defeat. "Do you promise me?"

His unwillingness was obvious and he took his time before answering which meant that he was thinking about it, and thinking meant that he was taking it serious and that got her hopeful, a lot.

"I promise," he finalized and smiled at her which made her feel warm, it made her feel appreciated after everything that had happened.

His promised was real, it was personal which meant that it was the real him who had made it and now, now there were questions to be asked. "Why did you try to take away my choice… as if I'm a dumb kit. Don't you believe that I can handle myself?"

His face morphed into seriousness and he instantly retorted, "You are still a kit. What you know is just scratching the surface… Do I think you can handle yourself? Yes. Do I think that you can get yourself killed? Yes. If I'm going to take away your choice in order to prevent you from becoming a lifeless corpse, I will do everything in my power!"

"But I knew the risks and I had accepted them!" she tried to argue her case but the scoff that exited with his breath managed to further her exasperation.

"You knew? How could've you know that your colleagues are rotten? That your boss is a bias bastard who sits all day in his office and reads through falsified reports"-Judy tried to answer but he wasn't stopping-"How could've you known that you would be put on humiliating tasks like handing tickets and cleaning toilets? You saw them all in there!"-her ears fell down and Nick's expression turned into aggression-"They don't give a crap about you and would love nothing more but to spit on you because they are fucking pieces of shits! And all that is because you were just doing your job. Ha!"

This was bad, his words were heavy with the truth and they were finding shelter within her mind which was trying to push her attempts down as to try and argue. But her determined-self was still strong and she retorted, "Yet you took my choice from me… ho—"

"You had a choice!" he instantly shot back. Judy remained silent because of the bewilderment she was in. "You could've walked away or closed your eyes yet you didn't. Most of your colleagues would've done that or probably asked for a bribe. I never forced you to do anything…"

"I took an oath, how could have I closed my eyes? That would've gone against everything I believe in!"

"And look where that got you to…" he bashed in and looked at the ground while she tried to find words to use but none made any sense at all because it was true, her sense of justice and honor brought all her problems forth and she was now broken and alone, or was she alone?

"I didn't do this because of the dangers of being a cop but because you meddled with the business of mammals who never forgive…"-he began strongly-"You believe in something great… I used to believe in good as well but… ugh…" He was trailing off while trying to hide himself from her undivided attention. "You can hate me all you want. I'm used to it"-he looked at her and made a subtle smile-"I can't let someone I care for to die again…"-his lips began twitching-"when I can do something about it."

She didn't like that he was keeping his position, yet she knew that her choice wasn't forced, she always could've done something else, she could've chosen a different path but it would've been a moment when she would've forsaken herself. His words rang incredibly amount of realism, they carried weight that meant one thing. He cared for her. But why did he say that he couldn't let someone die again. Who did he lose and how? She really wanted to know but after seeing his unstable emotions that betrayed him when he finished the sentence, she decided to ask at an opportune time, time that wasn't now.

"Were the words you said in the attic and in front of Finnick true?" she probed and felt stinging in her eyes because of fear from the truth. Nick tried to remove his paw and she mused that to be an act of guilt which made her to scowl and grab it in order to stop him to which he puffed in disbelief but yielded to the determined bunny.

"No," was his strong answer as he instantly zeroed his eyes with hers. "I haven't been in such a frustrated state in quite some time… I guess it's probably because I ca..."-he nervously squirmed in his seat-"But that doesn't matter. Yo—"

"It does," she tried again to wobble his position as her nose wiggled in defiance of his choice to which he actually smirked.

"You just amaze me every time. But no, you must leave," were his words that carried incredible authority yet they didn't make her to even budge, not after everything that had happened.

His attempts of forcing her decision got her to scowl further but this time she didn't see how he could do so. "What if I don't?"

His expression became neutral, his eyes narrowed and he became cold which made her tilt her skin to tingle in trepidation. "I will eat you," was his short retort that got her mouth to slightly open and mind to try to understand his words but because they didn't make any sense, she remained in a state of mystery. And then, then there was this sort of tickling in her throat and pressure in her stomach which got her to snort, followed by tittering that she tried to stop but her body was beginning to shake violently as it was filling with joy.

That's when she stopped fighting it and began laughing out loud while clenching her stomach because of the discomfort and lack of air. He had said it with utmost seriousness yet she just knew it wasn't as such and it had just flushed her body with renewed energy, it had pushed the thoughts of failure and betrayal away, replacing them with pure life energy.

After a bit of uncontrollable laughter she looked at Nick without even bothering to remove the moisture from her eyes and for a moment saw his smile which instantly hid behind his mask that he was trying to glue back together and that made her frown.

"Stop that," she said strongly to which the reynard's eyebrow went up. "Don't hide yourself!"

With a groan and a chuckle that followed shortly after, he returned, "How can you… nevermind"-a small smile appeared upon his muzzle as he looked into the distance-"I won't force you but I beg you to leave," he finished and moved his pleading gaze at the reluctant doe who only huffed in response and crossed both her arms to which he sighed sadly and rubbed the edge of her tensed stomach.

She enjoyed the loving motion but as he did that, he brushed the side of the pocket on her pants, a pocket that carried something that she had forgotten that was on her in the midst of the last push for the ending of the lies. It was her carrot pen, a pen that now carried something insignificant, unlike before. It was something that now she saw as something that she didn't want to be near her because of her crummy experience that led to her broken dream. He didn't deserve this and she didn't want to have an edge on him, that was unlike her, that was something that could lead to more pain and pain was unacceptable anymore, not after having endured so much.

She pulled it out of her pocket and just stared at it, examining its simple design and thinking how could such an uncomplicated thing create so many complicated problems, one being her guilt that she had after having recorded him and the other one being its severity if used in front of the right mammals. She heard Nick to hmm and move his head closer to the orange pen.

"What is it?" he asked and that made her to look at him with traces of guilt as she nervously tried to find an answer to his question.

But as nothing good came, she decided to just give it to him and let him listen, that way it would be easier and she wouldn't need to stutter like an idiot. She put the carrot pen close to his muzzle and when she saw his bafflement and weird look, she just nodded to which he slowly took it with his free paw while his other tried to escape her side but she wasn't letting him yet again but instead of watching him, she just snuggled close to him and hoped for the best.

Nick examined the pen thoroughly and when he noticed the small button and speaker his face morphed into seriousness and at last he pressed on the plastic trigger, a trigger that made the small device to play the last recording.

Through the small speaker, sounds of rustling cloth and slight buzzing was heard which managed to slightly confuse him until a certain extremely familiar to him voice began coming out the small pen. "Prejudice, Fluff… careful," came out Nick's muffled voice through the small pen which got him to scrunch his face in curiosity while Judy held herself in hopes that things wouldn't go downhill.

The recording played out a segment where Nick explained Judy who he scams until it came to the part where she asked him, "Do you even pay your taxes, Nick?"

Judy felt Nick readjust himself and she didn't like hearing the recording because it was something that she had done that wasn't like her, she had kept it for so long even when she had the opportunities to erase it, yet she didn't. That old choice made her brain to conjure ideas that Nick would be disappointed and would just walk away but it was the tiredness that was playing tricks on her and she knew it but, nevertheless.

"That depends to whom I'm talking. Is it to Officer Fluff or Carrots?" came out the voice filled with humor, a voice that she hadn't heard as such since her encounter with him at the dead-end alley.

A heavy sigh escaped the speaker. "I'm off duty, Nick, if you haven't noticed. Even If I wanted to arrest you, I couldn't… right now."

"Good, then what do you think? Do I pay my taxes?"

"Do I pay my taxes?" was the low-pitched retort in the form of mimicking that got Nick beside her to snort in audible amusement. "Jeez, I don't know, Nick, would I ask you if I knew?" Again rustling of cloth began moving out of the speaker for a short amount of time until silence fell yet again.

"Oh, hah…" A chuckle came about. "Do you always do that, Fluff? Ok, I'll tell you. I… don't," Nick from the recording confessed and the bang of something metallic was heard after which the shuffling of cloth came again but louder and the recording ended.

Judy grabbed Nick's shirt with both paws and pulled it close to her face from unnecessary fear that was being created by her tired mind. "Did you use this?" was Nick's very cold question that managed to chill her drooped ears.

"No…"

A few moments passed until she heard a simple, "Why?"

She sighed sadly. "I tried when Bogo wanted to fire me… but as I told you, he wanted me gone anyway. He didn't care what I had… he just wanted me out of there…"

"You could've brought the ZRS on me. You can still do that," he said and moved the pen close to her but she pushed his paw away with a smile.

"Why would I want to do that to someone I care for?" was her retort but when she looked at him, she saw his despondency which made her eyebrows to go down in realization.

"I am a piece of shit…" he mumbled and removed his paw from her and tried to stand up but she instantly felt his move and held him to sit still.

"What's done is done!" she began strongly and slowly moved his muzzle so that she could get him to look at her. "I trust you and I wanted to show you that I have nothing to hide because it would be unfair if I had."

"I trust you too Judy…" he said with strain as his mouth trembled and he got his eyes away from her view while he brushed his arm across his face and she took a guess why with a small smile.

"Let's get you home. This was an enough emotional day…" He trailed off as he saw her thousand-yard stare, a stare that was derived from the realization that she didn't have a home to go back to and it was going to be pretty late soon. She didn't have enough money nor energy to find a place to stay at for the night which now added up to the points of frustration and anxiety but she didn't want to include Nick in her problems thus she smiled awkwardly at him and nodded. He seemed very curious at her reaction but remained silent as they slowly got off the bench and began their journey to Judy's ex-flat.

---

They had taken the bus which drove them close to Judy's apartment and from there they walked the dark-yellowish streets until they neared the old building and entered. Judy's anxiety was beginning to spill out because she truthfully didn't know what she was to do and where she would go because she just didn't have enough money nor any mammals that she knew. The only mammal she knew was the red fox close to her who was content with keeping quiet during their short journey and she was glad as her puzzlement with the issue at paw would've shown itself if she was to speak.

When they began going up the stairs, there was visible moisture that was onto the wood and the humidity made for an uncomfortable suffocating feeling, making both mammal's lungs to struggle against the disrupter of their abilities in the form of coughing. She wanted to just rest because her body was exhausted mostly mentally but where was she to do that? In a box? If it came to that she wouldn't overthink it tho but there had to be some other way.

It was dark on the 2nd floor and she had to use her phone's flashlight as to not step onto the cold surface and in the process, she shined accidently at Nick's back and saw him scrutinizing the place and that meant that he would figure it out very soon.

"What happened here?" was his question that didn't receive an answer.

Judy quickly moved past him and tried to unlock the door which's keyhole was resisting her attempts until it finally gave in with a very short and sharp noise after which the wooden door opened and revealed the devastated from the water room. The wallpapers where her bed was had fallen onto it and the wooden planks on the floor had began deforming. The smell was modlily unpleasant and that made the doe to tip-toe around the visible small puddles of water and close the distance with the drawer that had her two suitcases suited for her size which were carrying all that she had taken with her from Bunnyburrow and it wasn't much at all.

She didn't have time to spare and needed to be quick about it. "Fluff," Nick said from in front of the apartment while leaning against the frame but she acted as if nothing was heard and grabbed the two suitcases but not before leaving the key on the drawer and rushed out through the door, closing it gently afterwards. "Hey don't act as if I'm no—" he tried again but she just kept moving towards the stairs because she just didn't want to talk about it as she needed to fix her problem herself.

But that was when a red blur moved past her and got in her way which got her to collide with him and look up but as she did, the blood that was still on his shirt and creamy fur which made her shoulders to slump in guilt but her thoughts were battered when he began, "What are you doing? You are being forced out aren't you?"

Her downcast look managed to show him volumes and he continued, "Do you have anywhere to go?"

She took her time before answering. "No… But I'll figure it out…" she answered with an unconfident smile which instantly died when she saw him slightly frown and sigh. He went through his pockets for a bit and grumbled something indecipherable after a bit.

"How much do you have on you?"

His question managed to get her ears to droop even further because what she had was just not enough for anything. "Probably 70…" she answered hesitantly because there really was that uncertainty to how much actually was owned.

"For a place that you wouldn't get robbed, stabbed or killed this isn't enough…" he talked aloud but it seemed it was to himself. "I just have some pocket change on me…" He put a paw under his chin and began rubbing it, seemingly thinking about the matter heavily while an idea took roots inside of her own head, an idea that sounded incredibly good for her but she didn't know if it would work.

"Uhm, let's go. We'll figure it out," he said and began moving down the stairs and that was when she brought up the courage in herself despite everything that had happened. She was tired mentally and physically, the weight of the crushing of her dream was still pulling her down and even if she had found out that Nick had lied about his betrayal, it wasn't stiffing her problems entirely as they were still raging inside her head. She couldn't picture how she would've been if he had managed to go through with his plan, how much she would've been further more hurt. Maybe she would've really left Zootopia as there wouldn't be anything holding her there anymore. Maybe.

"Can I come… at your place?" she whispered quietly but as the fox's ears flicked she knew that he had heard her. His place was a rugged old chair with the only heat source being a barrel in front and a warm body if there was one next to you. But it was better than everything else and she felt the need to be close to him because it just made her relax, it made her feel safety and comfort within. A cold bed in an unknown place wouldn't help her even one bit, it would only further poke her misery and fuel the creeping coldness.

"What? I can find you a decent place… just need some time t—"

She took a step forward and was now just in front of him, looking up at his still-bloodied muzzle and confused eyes that were trying to figure the situation out. She pulled his paw into hers and began disgruntling his fur for a bit until she chose her next words carefully, "Only for tonight… please? I just want to rest…" she explained with a yawn and a hopeful smile to which the tod at last relented with a sigh.

"You sure?" was his question to which she nodded and after some doubtful staring, he turned around and began walking towards the exit, joined by the doe by his side. Her mind was formulating a plan that she would very soon start because when one is robbed of something precious to them, a replacement is always needed. With a small smile and a thumping heart, she moved closer to Nick as they at last exited the apartment complex and with a plan in her mind that was managing to get the weight of today to back off and reduce its influence upon her existence.

---

There was this tingling that she could feel on the back of her black-tipped ears as something sharp moved through the grey-thinner fur and grazed the sensitive skin underneath. A shiver ran through her due to her liking to the sensation that made her fur to stand on an end. The pampers from the sharp ends began grazing the rims of her appendages and slowly they found their way in on the inside where her pink flesh was visible and when contact was made that got her out of her half-lucid state and she purred into the makeshift pillow she was sleeping on.

The mind-melting sensation faded away shortly after and she managed to regain her senses, thus finding where she was at. She could see that her warm pillow were two legs with some drool onto the brown cloth that enveloped them and as she moved her eyes upwards, she noticed Nick's bloodied shirt and still-stained creamy fur as he had only quickly removed some of the stains of the beating. But his paws were in front of his mouth as he was attempting to stifle his laughter which made her to tilt her head in interest as to why was he reacting in such a way.

She could remember that they had taken another bus for which Nick was reluctant to buy tickets as he had insisted that the hour was late and with her recent misfortune, she didn't even care to argue and they sat on the backseats of the almost empty bus. Distance was kept from each other mainly because she was feeling shyness that she was to sleep next to him again, even if there was that excitement that was stirring some interesting images. Yet why was she nervous? Hadn't she already done it several times and even just a minute ago as well? But it was different entirely, yet the same which slightly frustrated her in an annoying way.

But that was not the point, she could still feel the ticklish sensation inside the fold of her ear and that got her to scowl and push her paws into his stomach which got him to oof with some final titters of amusement. She actually loved what he had been doing but she wasn't going to allow him just yet, he needed to suffer a bit because of what he had made her go through but could she really manage to hold her ground In front of the cunning fox that in that moment ruffled the fur on the top of her head which managed to dissatisfy her nose. No. Not really.

A retort was going to come out but the doors opened and her paw was tugged towards the exit where darkness had its reign over the land, the only light being that of stars and the weakish-yellow from the bus that shortly after their lone exit, growled and sped off into the black abyss. It was pretty cold and when the wind brushed both of them she trembled from the iciness that was carried around in its breath. She was glad that the decision was made to put on her modest coat that was doing its best to keep her internal fire alive while it battled with the harsh surroundings that were trying to extinguish it.

Because her head was on the level of his shoulder with that thickening darkness as well, she just couldn't see his expression very well but she swore that there was a smirk present on him because he had gotten away with touching the inside of her incredibly-sensitive ear. But no matter, she could turn a blind eye on that, after all, it wasn't like it hadn't been enjoyable, it had been pretty blissful. After all the emotional luggage she had to carry, the little distractions were all appreciated greatly.

Luggage…

Her suitcases… She had forgotten them in the bus. The realization got her to try and get out of his firm hold but in her panic she couldn't properly do so and when she was to shout at him to let her go, two solid object collided gently into her stomach but because of her disorientation from the darkness she would've fallen on the dusty ground if it weren't for his hold on her.

The shape of the objects was familiar and it didn't take long for her to realize the misdeed which got her to attempt to slap him on the shoulder but she missed because of the confusing blackness that was suffocating her constantly-moving eyes which were widely opened thus she grumbled while expertly getting out of his hold and grabbing his wrist instead. It was a move that earned her a lighthearted chuckle.

They walked through the thick shadows and Judy would constantly stumble on rocks or holes but it was impossible for her to fall because she was holding strongly onto her nocturnal guide, a guide who was strangely quiet but she shrugged it off because she wasn't as well in the mood to talk, not after she had been heartbroken in order for her to leave, fired and almost utterly humiliated if not for the fox by her side.

They neared a familiar for her bridge with a bubbling small river underneath and she knew that soon she would be in the realm of rest with a warm pillow by her side and as they crossed the stony construct, she let go and glided down the slope carefully and she almost stumbled upon a root that attempted to bring her down on her face but she managed to balance herself and get to the bank. Then she searched for the silhouette of the barrel and when she found it, she moved slowly towards it, searching for the old log as well. And when she got to the old log, her suitcases were carelessly put close to it while she waited with expectation for the red fox to come down shortly after. After all, he was kinda lazy. But nothing could be seen or heard in the shape of a mammal.

"Nick!" she shouted in an attempt to get his attention but all that was heard in response was the chirping of insects and distant songs of frogs. Her heart fell like her chilling ears as she didn't like being alone during nighttime in the middle of nowhere because her brain just loved to play tricks in such situations by creating images and scenarios that would seem silly in normal circumstances but blood-freezing, nevertheless.

"Ni—" Something grabbed her from behind which just rushed her heart. Was someone else down there? What was going on? She tried to squirm away and kick the mammal but she lacked energy and her attempts were very frail. Her brain immediately created the idea that it was Duke who had somehow found her and was now either going to kill her or use her before doing so which made her grunt and whimper in devoid fear. She knew it couldn't be true and even if it was, Nick was nearby, he was going to stop him… But then a familiar smell registered in her twitching nose which made her limp and got her to scowl in the tight hold while her breath lowered its pace as well as her stressed heart.

That doofus!

Chuckles came from behind as she was put on solid ground after which she turned to face the mischievous fox with crossed arms and a further scowl but she was deeply glad that he was returning to normal because his humor was just absent since he had tried to make her leave by getting her to hate him. She was still filled with stress from the thoughts that had moved through her eyes while the knowledge that the weasel sought her death was making her extremely uneasy but she didn't want to show it, she hated showing her weaknesses furthermore, she needed to be strong and thus the mask she put on was a successful diversion of her actual for the moment feelings.

"Why did you just jump down here, Fluff?" he asked with a voice that carried genuine surprise and that confused her eyebrows a lot.

"Because… you live here and I'm tired?" she answered unconfidently which earned her laughter from his part and she just stood there in utter bewilderment while widening her eyes in an attempt to see better but the darkness wasn't budging.

"To think so low of me… That I would invite you to sleep under a bridge? Tck-tck…" he said with a quippy voice.

"And where else if not here?" she tried to understand and figure it out but didn't receive an answer, just the sound of claws scraping the rocks on the ground. She heard him grab her luggage and that got her to slowly tip-toe towards him and she would've almost collided with him if it were not for his paw that was extended forward as a barrier, a barrier that she grabbed and followed out of the river's bank.

Shortly after they neared some sort of a cabin in the form of a rectangle that was made visible by the crescent moon's light that was being reflected upon its outer sheet metal walls which had two windows on them and a chimney on top. She knew what this was, it was a part of the lone-standing hangar that she had spotted previously when she was last here. But why were they going towards it?

They got to the back of the cabin and the path that led there felt as if it was usually walked upon. Nick got out of her hold and she heard him fumble with some keys while she idled in front of the metal door. It didn't take him long to open it and get inside while she didn't know what to expect but her imagination was painting her pictures of untidiness and scattered trash all around because Nick was a male, that was to be expected of him!

But when a click was heard with blinding light following instantly, she put her paws in front as to block the intruding clarity until her lilacs adapted and she managed to look around normally. There was a sofa that seemed extremely comfy; a table with some chairs underneath; a stove with some wood on the other side of the wall; a drawer that seemed rather dusty on top and a door that probably led towards the hangar itself.

It wasn't perfectly clean as the dust was quite visible as well as some cobwebs near the corners of the ceiling but it was like nothing her brain had pieced together. She actually liked it because it was way more spacious than the box she had lived in and it seemed that the sofa was going to eat her whole if she was to lay on it which was soon going to happen, she hoped deeply.

"Get yourself comfortable. I'll get you some sheets… and before you ask, they won't smell like me," he explained and winked at her direction, which made her to nervously smile because she wouldn't have minded if they did but there was that feeling that it was still too soon, thus a single nod came about as she put her suitcases on the drawer that wasn't oversized and seemed perfectly fit for her or Nick which made her smile with the presence of exhaustion that manifested in a yawn.

She quickly found her checked pajamas and a fresh pair of black underwear and put them within reach. Then she began removing her coat with her police blues following suit and as she did that, the cold air brushed against her fur and made her to shiver in uncomfortableness. As she removed her clothes fully and was left bare in her black trunks, she rubbed her shoulders with some exhales that were clearly visible. She was just going to remove her trunks but her limbs froze and bashfulness overtook her as her eyes widened and nose twitched.

What if Nick walked in and saw her? A blush flushed through her and she squeezed her thighs against one another while shivering from the unwelcomed air that at least was managing to stifle the newly started fire that seemed to be making her loins itchy. She took a deep cold breath that dried her throat and swiftly removed her underwear which left her vulnerable to her surroundings but she was fast and very agilely put on the freshly-smelling ones with her checked pajamas after that in record time.

Dissatisfaction was brought about from the realization that she needed to clean herself before going to bed but tiredness was prioritizing sleep and she got to the sofa that seemed like a heavenly bed. But because she was still feeling cold, she went to the stove and examined it thoroughly. She knew how these things worked, having lived on a farm almost all her life which had made her able to take care of herself easily, things that many of the inhabitants of cities lacked in large quantities.

At her home, they had a big fireplace in the hall where most would be during celebrations or when eating. She would usually be the one that would help out with the carrying of the firewood and getting the orange flames dancing. Most of the rooms where her siblings lived had stoves and they were used until she became twelve. That was when her family decided to upgrade the house and install central heating that replaced the ash-spewing stoves.

With a small smile that came about from the warm memories, she grabbed the appropriate firewood and some papers that were conveniently laying nearby a matchbox, thus she ordered them neatly inside the cold stove with the papers laying underneath the thin and easily flammable wood. Then she flicked a match onto the striking surface and sparks were born for just a second after which some warmth began emanating above her small-beige claws.

Carefully, as to not lose its flame, she put the burning match under the papers and kept it there for some moments. They began deforming and developed a dark-burned color while orange and bright light swirled above, touching the cracking logs with its beams of warmth.

Judy knew that her job was done as the cracking inside increased and she closed the hatch but not without opening the small one in the middle so she wouldn't starve out the blissful fire. The stove was practically close to the sofa and she figured to take a seat until Nick returned with the fresh sheets. She even mused about just dozing off on the heavenly bed but when she sat, the coldness pierced her clothes and the fur on her rump while it tried to take her warmth as well.

That made her to immediately sit up and bounce on her feet as her lips quivered from shock and her paws roamed on the defiled spot of coldness. The room was getting warmer and that succeeded in chasing away the paralyzation from the freezing sofa. She took a bigger log and threw it inside the fire as there were now bright embers, embers that when she opened the hatch glowed in bright red from the extra breath of oxygen that entered and when she threw the piece of wood inside, sparks flew outside and collided with the restless-from-the-cold bunny.

She decided to keep the hatch open and carried one of the old chairs in front of the radiating warmth where she sat and put both her still-cold paws forward. The conditions were getting better and with the problem of lack of warmth out of the way, she now had time to think about what had happened. She would've lied if she said that she wasn't happily surprised from the fact that she wasn't going to sleep under a bridge but in an actual room that was becoming more and more comfy with each passing minute. But then again, where was Nick?

He was gone for quite some time. How hard was it to just get some sheets? But she didn't know the layout of his home that seemed rather odd and that perked up her curiosity to explore the building as interest to learn more about him rushed her mind in the search for answers. The room she was in didn't seem to have been inhabited for a rather lengthy period of time because of the undisturbed dust she was met with on the way in.

Her mind managed to conjure an image of him getting himself ready for bed which must've followed her same routine. That meant that if she was sneaky enough, she would be able to see parts of him that she never had. But her imagination explored too much of the possibilities which got her cheeks to further redden and her thighs to rub into one another by the big question of what was it like down there.

The inner door opened which pulled her out of the explicit-imaginative state and grabbed her panicked attention as a red fox in boxers with blueberries all around and a teal short-sleeved shirt entered with a few neatly folded sheets, a blanket and a few pillows in his paws while it was clear that he had cleaned the stained from his own blood fur. Seeing him in just underwear got her ears to fill with more blood to which she forced them down but her tail began wiggling which she couldn't stop from happening.

Because he was carrying them above underbelly, she could visibly see the small bulge of his resting foxhood which got her to huff and bite her lip but as embarrassment kicked in, she turned around in frustration and tried to seem as she hadn't noticed him but her tail was just betraying her attempts to act calm and oblivious.

"Missed me so much?" he quipped and she knew that he had noticed her teardrop-like backstabber. "Seems like you can take care of yourself. Unlike most mammals…" he mumbled the last part as he got to her side and she looked at him at last, while trying not to look where she shouldn't but glancing, nevertheless, which got her to huff sharply and smile at him in an attempt to hide her edginess with his belly-tickling appearance, edginess that she didn't want to talk about because of her shyness about the subject.

"Keep the fire going, Fluff," he said and sidestepped to the sofa, thus beginning to prepare it for her.

"Hey I can d—" she tried to argue but he stopped her.

"Tut-tut-tut," he slapped his tongue inside his mouth. "I know that you can but just relax now. Kay?" was his plead and she would've tried again if she hadn't seen his slowly swooshing tail which got her to gulp and remain silent. Nick got to work, and with a lever on the side, turned the sofa into a bed while Judy instead of watching the fire, watched him get her lair ready but more importantly she was examining his rump which would outline itself in the soft cloth when he would lean forward to tuck under the sheets.

Her heart began beating faster in guilty excitement and her paws felt itchy. But then his shirt swooshed forward and squirmed up from the extension of his arms that exposed the fur around his waist and belly. It wasn't something she hadn't seen before as she remembered the morning in the van but somehow her libido just spiked which got her to gasp and attract the attention of the tod's ears that flicked in her direction with interest. That managed to panic her and she turned around, the tension in her body increasing at the thought that he would catch her checking him out.

Grandfather was so right… Sexy dangerous foxes… She grabbed another log and threw it into the now-very-bright fire and closed the hatch. When she turned to face the bed, she was immediately met with a smirking fox that had readied her lair for use. She wanted to jump right in but was obstructed by him as he stood motionlessly with crossed arms. That got her to huddle her paws together to her chest and look at him expectedly.

A snort escaped his throat and he moved aside, motioning with his paw for her to enter which she did with huddled together eyebrows as she jumped in and got inside the cold folds which got her to exhale in mild agitation but the fabric underneath of the makeshift bed just melted her into the cushions. It was incredibly comfy and soft unlike the brick she lived on since the day she came to the giant metropolis. Her tensed muscles from the day relaxed and some of the tension that was ever-present faded away and dissipated.

The warmth from the stove kept increasing steadily and she saw Nick put more fuel inside but when he closed the hatch a sad sigh escaped his lips which managed to quirk her trapped ears underneath her. He then slowly walked to her while looking elsewhere, as if he was somewhat ashamed of something and as he got to her side, he got on his knees and put both his elbows on the sofa while playing with his clawy fingers nervously. She waited with anticipation what was to come next and wanted to be what she thought it would.

"Look… I don't want you to forgive me. I wouldn't forgive me… I'm not the brightest mammal…"-he leveled his emeralds at last with her lilacs-"I could have talked with you first but… I guess it's too late now… Ugh… The things is that I'm…"-his eyes moved away from her for a moment-"I'm sorry… I'm sorry for putting you through all this…"-a nervous smile appeared on him-"Just wanted to say that," Nick finished with his subtle smile and kept his gaze on Judy who was staring at him with the blanket under her chin as well as brightly glistering amethysts because of his shy attempt of an apology. She wasn't mad at him, she couldn't be when she found out why he had done it as well as that she would've been fired, nevertheless. It was impossible to hold a grudge, what was the point to further bring poison in her already tired blood.

As the poison was eradicated completely within her, that filled the emptiness with affection, affection that was as intense as before if not even stronger. What was done was done and what mattered was what was to come which was going to be dictated from her and his choices, choices that would lead to either happiness or pain. She knew why he had done it that way, he wanted her to hate him and quit everything. But what he couldn't know was that she didn't know when to quit and even if his attempt was very good, it wasn't enough and she didn't ever want to go through such emotions ever again.

That meant that she needed to tell him, to make him promise her yet again that he would never, ever, repeat the mistake he had done. She could see his nervousness as he scratched the peaceful hackles on his back and it was visible that he was to stand up and go to sleep very soon if she was to remain silent, therefor she sat on her rump, while pulling the blanket to her belly and that managed to attract his attention but somehow his ears fell when she did that which stirred the wheel of confusion in her head.

"Nick…" was her attempt to begin but something was amiss as the feeling of coldness, even if it was warm in the room, was present inside of her, thus she squirmed herself almost to the edge of the makeshift bed, just next to him and his damp nose. But he was silent, he clearly didn't know what was going to happen next.

Why not just plunge herself, why not take the risk, what was there left to lose? She just gazed deeply into his foresty-jades and smiled while her paws slowly reached for his muzzle that lightly opened as if he was to say something but closed itself in an exhale that tickled the fur on her cheeks. She caressed the top of his muzzle while her other paw cupped the underside where his creamy-soft fur was. He gulped which brought about a quiet happy scoff from her part and with continuous affectionate motions, she could see the tension from his shoulders starting to soften as well as from his eyes which was her que to begin confidently, kinda.

"Nick… You remember the promise you gave me?" An instant nod followed by which made her blood to warm up even more. "Please never make me go through this again…"-her eyes felt weak and moisture managed to come out on both corners-"It was so awful…" She removed the blurriness into her shoulder and tried to muster the courage to say the next incredibly important for her words.

"It was so awful because… because I… because I lo—" Something was wrong, she couldn't say them again, it was some kind of fear from being rejected that was choking her vocal cords, fear that made her veins to chill and mind to tell her to forget about it. But if she couldn't say it, she would show it and just as Nick was to say something, she pulled him towards her and embraced him in a loving hug. There was some resistance but it was frail and soon enough he surrendered with a sigh and returned the warm affection which made the emptiness to shrink, it made her feel better.

That was when she felt and saw the opportunity, her chance to express herself without words but through action, thus she began rubbing her head along his neck and cheek for a bit while letting her paws roam on his back. What surprised her was that he began following her motions and returned the mind-melting intimacy, intimacy she wanted to explore even more as she let herself to open her mouth and begin grazing his fur with her flat teeth. But she didn't end it there, no, with courage as well as sensual excitement that had intoxicated her, she pushed her head into him and began grazing his skin which got his throat to rumble and him to lick the exposed part of her shoulder.

"J-judy…" he mumbled as his breath became heavier and she was sure that he felt the same, he wouldn't have let her do this if he wasn't, his self-control was just too good. But she was just testing the waters, things were still unclear which made her too determined for her own good as she began kissing him gently, trailing each act of love towards the side of his mouth.

"Wa-it… mmmh… Ju—" he tried to speak again but the strain in his voice was just too great and she managed to detect whimpers as well as increased pressure of his solid claws that were on her back.

But she didn't stop even when he squirmed weakly and she got to the curved-beginning of his mouth and placed a soft and longer smooch on the bare-soft red lips that twitched as his muzzle slightly opened, exposing all his white teeth but that didn't shock her as she began moving towards the front of his maw.

"We have…. W-we have to… sto—…" he tried again but she wasn't listening as the heat in her loins was getting even itchier and that was making her even more craving as she used her soft tongue to lick the rim of his lip and put one of her paws on the small of his back while the other held the other side of his muzzle. Oh she was liking it, she was swimming in drunken pleasure and he wasn't pulling away, it was as if a dream had come true and when she felt his tongue snake out of the side and lick her lips while his own was curled up and his eyes were closed shut. It was happening, it was going to work, it was incredible. But just as she was to bite his slick tongue in playfulness, he quickly moved his head away from her and she instantly noticed his raised hackles.

His futile attempt of hiding himself from her was met with the vision of his hesitancy and frustration in him which was manifesting greatly upon his initials. That got her to try again and pull him into her embrace but he gently and with determination pushed himself out of her reach which managed to wound her heart which formed a desperate whimper as she supported herself on both her paws while staring at the reynard's back and tail that was tucked under his legs.

A heavy sigh was heard. "It's time to sleep, Fluff…" he muttered in despondence and began exiting the room, leaving a trail of irritation behind his wake. She thought that was some sort of silent rejection but from his behavior she could tell that it was more like restraint as he had strained himself visibly by just trying to get away, like he was uncertain of himself which gave her hope, it gave her more energy to pursue her goal, her want to bring happiness to him and herself.

Nick flicked the lights off and exited the room silently with a quiet thud of the door and now she was alone in the semi-darkness that was being disturbed by the stove's breath that shined through the metal cracks while the wood cracked inside and swooshed under the blazing flames of the fire. She wasn't really disappointed even if there were some stains of it inside of her. She had shown him what she felt and wanted, what was to come was going to be tomorrow and she had to sleep because there was her job and she didn't have the luxury to be late, again.

But with that thought came the realization about that she didn't have a job anymore nor authority, she was just a homeless bunny in the big city, a bunny who only had her police blues that represented her crushed to dust achievement, a demolished dream of endless efforts. She burrowed herself into the blankets in an attempt to bring forth comfort within her-just-recently disturbed core as she had distracted herself pretty good with the mammal with whom she began mending the almost-broken bond. But even if it had worked , it was never meant to last and even if the room was now hospitable and the makeshift-heavenly bed warm, coldness managed to somehow find its way into her and clench her stomach in a painful whirlwind.

She was now just Judy, an insignificant mammal in the vast world, a mammal with broken dreams and lack of purpose, a mammal that didn't know what to do next. The grim reality was crushing her spirit and that brought whimpers out of her throat while her closed eyes were filling with salty moisture which got her to squeeze the blankets to herself in an attempt to fight off the beast of misery, a beast that was trying to disassemble her will and eradicate it. She felt alone even when she knew that Nick was nearby, it just didn't feel the same like if he was to be close to her so she could feel his presence, his warmth, his care, his heart.

Her eyes widely opened because her mind jolted in newfound clarity which in truth managed to push away her discomfort and sorrow. Why was she grieving about something that was done, that was irreversible and finished. Why think about the past when she should be looking to the future, a future that she seemed to be the master of because she knew, she was sure that it could work, it just needed a big push from her side, a very determined and hard push because something was making him close himself and she needed to understand, she needed to get further inside.

The past was the past, she couldn't hate him, not after she realized why he had tried to make her do so. Her heart lowered its pace and the shaking disappeared. The new reality managed to sink in and take over the empty spot that was recently dug out. It was going to be alright, it was going to work. There was time and that brought calmness within.

And with that she snuggled the blanket even closer to herself and dozed off with a peaceful and subtle smile on her lips, lips which she licked as to savour his taste one more time while her heart bloomed with renewed vigor.

She had found another purpose.

---

- Hardest chapter that I've written till now. Some may say that Judy forgave him too easily but could you blame her? After all that was disclosed to her and the contradictions that he made to his vile words with his actions? And the most important thing is that her heart is just too good which makes her unable to hold a grudge and remember bad things that have happened because she is who she is. At least for now. But what about Nick? Has he forgiven himself and how will he fight with his guilt? What'll happen next!? Idk, maybe we should end this here 3

- Music while writing: Dream a Dream

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