Here we all are at chapter 27. I think this is gonna be another great chapter. For this chapter, it will be all about the Zoo-Burrow Scouts. This will also be the first official time where all the members meet up with each other. Zootopia members and Bunnyburrow members. I wanted to do a chapter like this long ago. So now is the perfect time. Might even have a fluff moment or two. I'll try not to make these as long as I need to. Let's get on with the chapter.
Today was a special Saturday for Nick, Judy, and their friends. Everyone was at the usual spot, the basement at Nick's house, for a Zoo-Burrow Scout Meeting. All the kids were in their uniforms as Nick spoke in front of them. With Judy by his side of course.
"Hey everyone! Welcome to today's Zoo-Burrow Scout Meeting." Nick said happily to everyone. "Today is a pretty special day because this is the first time that ALL of our members are here."
When Nick said everyone, he met everyone. Not just his Zootopia friends, but his Bunnyburrow friends as well. Benji, Finnick, Mervin, Gazelle, Flash, Falisha, Ronnie, Audran, Gideon, Cole, Conner, Kyle, Bobby, Sharla, Gareth, Libby, Travis, Chuck, Phillip, Wilfred, Darwin, and Ed. Quite a big group, isn't it?
"First off, I must say, this group has grown quite a lot since we first started." Nick said looking pleased. "I was worried it wouldn't be over 5 members, let alone over 20. With the way things are, we may need a bigger place for meetings now."
"First order of business is that we would like to thank all our Bunnyburrow members for joining us here today." Judy said with a smile.
"Thank you for inviting us." Kyle said happily.
"We all wanted to come to Zootopia anyway." Sharla stated.
"But Nick... is your dad okay with all of us being here?" Gareth asked looking concern. "He seems to had this upset look on his face."
"Oh... that." Nick said in a low tone. "That was pop's "My son has so many friends now. I'm so happy I could cry." face."
"Ohhhhhhh." Everyone else went.
"Yeeeeah... Pop can be a bit... emotional when it comes to me. But he means well." Nick said while scratching the back of his head. "He does have a good reason to be happy."
"He does. Anyway, as some of you may have noticed, many of you guys don't really know each other. So that's why we're all calling today's meeting "The Zoo-Burrow Scouts' Meet-and-Greet"." Judy said. "Since there is so many of us here, we'll all need to take the time to know each other. Let it be someone you already know or someone you are just meeting today. Nick and I will also join in the conversations."
"We also have plenty of snacks. Chips, cookies, and punch are all on that table over there." Nick said pointing at a table with the snacks and bowl of fruit punch. "Our only rule is that you all be nice to one another. One of the rules that we have in this pack is that we see each other for who we are and not what we are."
"With that said..." Judy said.
"... let the meet-and-greet begin." Both Nick and Judy said happily.
So each of the kids and got some snacks and punch and then got into groups of two to four and started talking to each other. So far, it seems like everything was going pretty well. Everyone was having a good time.
One of the two people having a conversation were Gideon and Mervin. Nick knows a lot about the two of them, yet the two of them don't really know much about each other. So it was a great time for them to talk.
"So Gid, you have known Nick for a while now, right?" Mervin asked.
"Oh yes. I knew City Boy the same time Judy did." Gideon stated before looking worried. "But... uhhh... we weren't really on 'friend' terms yet."
"Ah. Because you were a bully back then." Mervin said.
"Oh. You knew about that?" Gideon said scratching the back of his head and feeling embarrassed.
"Nick and Judy already told us." Mervin said. "But they also told us that things were hard for you in Bunnyburrow. So we can understand."
"Yeah. Things were rough. Up until I met Nick." Gideon said. "The day I met him was the day of the Carrot Days Festival. I stole tickets from Sharla and Judy was crazy enough to try and stand up to me. She even gave me a mighty good kick in the face." Gideon stated rubbing his lower jaw. "I would have clawed her if City Boy didn't stop me in the last second. He was already willing to defend Judy without even knowing her. Can you believe that?"
"This is Nick we're talking about. Of course, I believe that." Mervin stated.
"Yeah. He told me if I laid a single claw on Judy, he would lay all his claws on me. Even if I wasn't really afraid to take on Nick, it was the glare he was giving me." Gideon said. "It was like he was saying "Do the right thing and walk away.". So I did that."
"Huh. So what made you two become friends?" Mervin asked.
"Well... the second time we actually got into a fight." Gideon said.
"Yeeeesh!" Mervin said putting his paw on his face.
"Buuuuut afterwords, Nick talked some sense to me and before I knew it, I stopped bullying and the two of us became friends. Settled things with Judy too." Gideon said. "He helped me be who I really was. I own City Boy a lot."
"Hmmm. Same for me." Mervin said with a smile. "Hey! Can I ask why you call Nick 'City Boy'? You know the rest of us are from here too."
"Oh. That. When I met him I didn't know his name yet. But I could tell that he was from the city by the way he looked, the way he talked, and the way he smelled. After that, the nickname stuck." Gideon stated.
"Okay. Makes sense." Mervin said.
"So, how did you and City Boy became buds?" Gideon asked.
"You know, met at lunch, heard what he did, he said some jokes, I laughed, friendship." Mervin said. "To be honest, I still feel like I should have been friends with him sooner."
"Seems like everyone says that about him. Judy too." Gideon said.
"Yeah. It's like... those two have a certain 'something' that brings people together." Mervin said. "I mean, look at everyone here. Makes me glad to be a part of this group."
"Haha! Me too." Gideon said smiling.
It looked like Mervin and Gideon were getting along quite well. So who else was getting along well? Let's go to see how Judy and Falisha were doing. Judy and Falisha have been on good terms with each other, but it was the first time to they a good conversation.
"So Fal, is this group boring to you now?" Judy asked.
"Not even the slightest." Falisha said with a smile. "But I do feel that we have too many guys in this group."
"Agreed. I may not have a nose like Nick or Gideon, but even I can notice the overwhelming smell of 'boy' in this room." Judy stated since there were more boys than girls in this group.
"Still... they are nice boys." Falisha said.
"Agreed... again." Judy said nodding.
"So Jude, tell me about yourself. I don't really know much about you. Other than you're from the Burrows and have a huge family." Falisha said.
"Not really much to know." Judy honestly said. "Lived in Bunnyburrow for my whole life, most of my family are farmers, have waaaaay too many brothers and sisters, and before I met Nick, my life has been pretty boring."
"Really?" Falisha said sounding surprised.
"Really. Life is boring in the Burrows." Judy stated. "My family also didn't do much besides farming. We didn't even go on vacations. If it wasn't for meeting Nick and his parents, there would be no way my parents would come to Zootopia."
"So you have Nick to thank." Falisha said. "Haha! Nicky seems to own you a lot."
"It's more like... we own each other a lot." Judy said while scratching the back of her head. "Okay Fal, tell me about yourself."
"Myself? Well... I suppose I can tell you a bit. But like you, it's not much to talk about." Falisha said. "I live with my mom, dad, and my older sister, Lola. But my sister will be going to college soon. My mom's a doctor and my dad's an accountant. The both of them work long hours, so my sister looks out for me most of the time. Lola is a pretty smart tiger. She said that she wants to get into law."
"Law? Does she want to be a police officer?" Judy asked sounding interested.
"No. She wants to be a lawyer. A defense lawyer." Falisha said. "One time, our dad was accused of a crime he didn't commit. Most other people believed that he did it too because... you know. Tigers can be scary. But the defense lawyer who defended our dad in court, he was amazing. He was able to prove from the shadow of a doubt that our dad was innocent. Lola was thankful and inspired to be a defense lawyer too." Falisha then took a sip of the punch she was holding. "These days too many of the wrong people go to jail while the bad ones get out scot-free. Most of the time it for what they are and not who they are. That's what my sister said."
"Was that the same case for your father?" Judy asked.
"You guessed right. They would think that big scary tiger was taking money when the culprit was really a dirty rat." Falisha said. "Lola wants to grow up make sure there's no more discrimination when it comes to the law."
"Wow! Sounds like your sister is really cool." Judy said admiring Falisha's sister.
"Yeah. She kinda reminds me of you." Falisha said with a smile.
"So Fal, what do you want to do when you grow up?" Judy asked.
"I'm not sure actually. Sis can do her lawyer thing, but I want to follow my own path and do my own thing." Falisha said.
"Heh. I can relate to that." Judy said boldly.
"Because you chose to be different from all the other bunnies?" Falisha asked with a smirk.
"See? You know me so well." Judy said smirking as well.
"Haha! You know, I DID had my doubts about this group at first. But now that I got to know everyone better, there's no place I'd rather be." Falisha said with a smile.
"That's another thing we can agree on." Judy said happily.
"Anyway Judy, when we go up, you better be the best bunny cop out there. I won't forgive you for anything less." Falisha told the little bunny.
"Who do think you're talking to? I'm gonna do my best when the time comes." Judy said confidently.
"Good." Falisha said smiling.
Judy and Falisha seem to be getting along just fine. How about Nick and Benji? Benji was finishing his cookies while talking to Nick.
"Can you believe how great this whole thing turned out?" Nick asked Benji looking excited. "I never would have thought that this would be such a hit."
"I know. Glad that I decided to join." Benji said with a smile.
"Glad that you wanted to join." Nick said smiling as well. "To be honest, I was really worried that this group would be a bit of a flop. You know how most people are with foxes."
"I know. You must have had it really bad." Benji said looking a bit down.
"I managed." Nick said to Benji.
"At least one of us did." Benji said looking a bit sad.
"Ben? Is something wrong?" Nick asked looking concerned.
"Nick, you've always been completely honest with us. Now I think it's time to be honest with you." Benji told him. "You know how before you met Judy and the rest of us that you didn't have much friends? Well... I think the same can be said about me."
Nick's eyes widen as he hears Benji said that. But by his tone, Nick could tell Benji was telling the truth.
"Everyone thinks since I'm a cheetah, I'm supposed to be this fast and slim kid instead of a slow and chubby one like my dad." Benji stated looking really sad. "Everyone made fun of me for my weight and I was picked last for everything. Everyone judged me for how I was on the outside. Just cause I'm different from the usual body type."
"Aww Ben. I had no idea." Nick said feeling bad for not knowing.
"I really wanted to make friends, so I tried joining the Junior Ranger Scouts. We both know how that went." Benji said to Nick.
"Yeah..." Nick said trying to forget.
"So when I heard about you and how you were forming your own pack, I felt that it was a place I could finally belong." Benji said with a light smile. "But I will be honest. I'm still a bit worried if I actually do belong here."
Nick then walked closer to Benji and patted him on his right side.
"Ben... let me tell you something. You are a great guy. Scratch that. You're one of the best friends I've ever had." Nick told him. "When Judy and I first met you, we both could tell that you would be literally one of the nicest kids we would ever meet. And we were right. So don't let what others say bother you cause they're, as pop would put it, the big idiots." Nick then smiled at Benji some more. "So you don't have to worry about anything... because I think I speak for everyone when I say that´s where you belong."
Tears began to form in Benji's eyes.
"Awwwwwwwwww! Niiiiiick!" Benji said squealing a bit. Benji then lifted up Nick and gave him a big hug. A little too tight for Nick's taste. "You're one of the best friends I've ever had too."
"Ben... hugging... too tight." Nick said as Benji squeezed him. "This is what I get for making friends instead of being a conniving fox." Nick thought.
While Benji finally lets go of Nick, there were still conversations going on. This included Finnick with the twins, Cole and Conner. Finnick was always curious about Judy's family. So he had quite a few questions for the twins.
"Soooo... you two are really bunny girl's brothers?" Finnick asked the twins.
"You know you don't have to refer to our sis as 'bunny girl'." Conner said to Finnick. "But yeah. We're here brothers."
"We're from the litter after her. We're about 10 months younger than her." Cole said.
"Huh." Finnick said. "So... is it true that in your house there are 278 people living there, including you?"
"Yeah. It's true." Cole and Conner said.
"Next question, HOW?" Finnick shouted. "How can a house even stay stable with 278 bunnies living in it?"
"Who said anything about our house being 'stable'?" Cole said using air quotes on stable. "It's chaos every day in our house."
"To be honest, there are times when some of us wish to be an only child." Conner said. Feeling offended, Cole slowly turned his head to his twin and gave him a mad glare. Conner notices this and started to feel bad. "Sorry."
"Hmm. I see. In that case, why did your parents decide to have so many of you?" Finnick asked.
"You tell us." Cole said. "There are many reasons for that. Whether it's simply because it's what rabbits do or to make sure there are plenty of us to keep the family business going."
"Makes sense. But I'm assuming there are still other members of your family tree that help with the farm." Finnick stated.
"To be honest, both mom and dad have fewer siblings than we do." Conner stated. "I mean it's not a small amount, but it's not as big as the number of siblings we have. Not only that, our dad is really the only one who took over the farm."
"Just a few of our uncles, aunts, and older cousins." Cole said.
"Really?" Finnick said sounding a bit surprised.
"Not all of us settled in becoming farmers." Cole stated.
"What about you two?" Finnick asked.
"The same can be said about us." Conner said. "Up until a few months ago, we were okay with settling and just being farmers like every other bunny."
"That was... before we heard what you said." Cole said. "Do you remember?"
"You mean the stuff I said in the bakery? Of course." Finnick said.
"True is, you were right. Most grown-ups talk about other mammals like us and think that they know what's best. But they really don't. They were wrong about foxes and other predators and we almost went with it." Conner said.
"Up until then, we believed them and thought only a bunny can be a bunny. So we want to say... sorry for thinking all foxes were bad." Cole said sincerely.
"Nah. It's cool. It´s not like we're aren't used to it." Finnick said. "True be told, I'm not exactly a 'good' fox in most terms. Well... not really a 'bad' fox either."
"Right." Conner said.
"So Finn, tell us about yourself." Cole said.
"Not much to say. Only child and at my house it's just my mom and my old man." Finnick said. "Actually... while my regular family is small, I actually have quite a big family myself."
"Really?" Cole and Conner asked surprised.
"Yeah. My last family reunion had like... 50 or 60 of us." Finnick said. Finnick started smiling a bit. "Now that I think about it, that family reunion was one of the best moments in my life. I remember my family and I have so much fun."
"Remember anything else?" Conner asked.
"Umm... hanging out with my cousins, the food, the loud arguments. Us fennec foxes may be small, but we all have plenty of energy." Finnick said.
"You don't say? Sounds a lot like our family reunions." Cole said happily.
"Guess us bunnies and foxes aren't that different." Conner said with a smile.
"Heh! Guess not." Finnick said with a smirk.
Finnick and the twins were bonding quite well. How about some of the others. Ronnie, Audran, Sharla, and Gareth were all talking to each other.
"So... you two are brother and sister and you also known Judy for a long time?" Ronnie asked.
"Uh huh." Sharla said nodding. "I knew Judy since kindergarten. I also have the same class with her, Bobby, and Kyle."
"I'm a grade lower than Judy and Sharla, but I still hang out with them." Gareth said.
"Cool. Neither I nor Ronnie here is in the same class as Nick, but we've been hanging out with him for a long time now." Audran said.
"Neat." Sharla said.
"Now Sharla, how did you and Gareth met up with Nick? We would really like to know, eh?" Audran asked.
"Oh ho. We have known Nick as long as Judy has." Sharla said smirking. "Nick was like Judy's knight in fox fur when he saved her from Gideon."
"Oh reeeeeally?" Ronnie and Audran said both smirking.
"Yup. Then afterward, those two talked to each other as if they were the only two around." Gareth said smirking. "After the day, Judy would go on and on about how great Nick was."
"Pshh! Hahaha! Is that so?" Ronnie said laughing a bit.
Audran smirked and leaned over to Ronnie's ear and whispered "Future blackmail." to him.
"Anything else you can tell about Judy?" Ronnie asked the sheep siblings.
"You probably already guess this, but Judy is pretty smart and tough." Sharla stated.
"She not the type of person who gives up so easily. Since meeting up with Nick, it pretty much doubled." Gareth said.
"That so, eh? Guess that also rubbed onto Nick." Audran said. "Nick is kinda the same way. I bet it was Judy who inspired him to stay that way."
"Judy does have that effect on others." Sharla said with a smile. "So how did you got to know Nick?"
"We met Nick a little after he scared some sense into some 'certain' members." Ronnie said pointing at Chuck and the other 4 former scouts. "When we heard about him forming his own, we both decided to talk to him about."
"We went out for a bite and asked him if we could join. Been friends with Nick ever since." Audran said.
"I see. Still..." Sharla said glaring at the former scouts behind her. "Are you sure it's okay to trust those guys after what they did?"
"Judy did tell you two about how rough those 5 were having it, right?" Ronnie asked Sharla and Gareth.
"Yeah. She did. She said that they've been blackballed by nearly everyone." Sharla said looking a bit sad.
"Even we don't think they should have it that tough whether they really deserved it or not." Gareth said looking said as well.
"I was almost one of their victims if it wasn't for Audran here." Ronnie said. "Even with me being a scary grizzly bear, this guy had my back."
"To be honest, I was planning on leaving those guys anyway. But I suppose that was all in the past now." Audran said. "I pretty sure those guys won't be pulling the same trick again."
"How can you be so sure?" Gareth asked.
"Nick's mom." Ronnie and Audran said firmly.
"Mrs. Wilde? She seems like a nice lady." Sharla said.
"She is. But when you hurt her son in any way, watch out." Ronnie said in a warning tone.
"We'll... keep that in mind." Sharla said looking a bit scared. "But it's not like we have any problems with Nick. He's a great guy."
"Why do you think we like hanging with him, eh?" Audran said with a smile.
"Now then, think you can tell us more stories about Judy?" Ronnie asked.
"Oh ho! We got plenty more stories." Sharla said with a smile.
So Sharla and Gareth started to tell Audran and Ronnie more about Judy and the past. Audran and Ronnie did the same about Nick. Another group having a conversation was Flash with Ed and Wilfred. The conversation... wasn't really going at a fast tempo. Especially when Flash is doing most of the talking.
"... and... then... there... was... the... time... I... went... to... play... laser... tag. It... seems... that... the... game... was... over... before... it... began." Flash said. "Oh... it... also... reminds... me... of... the... time... I... went... rock... climbing... and..."
Ed and Wilfred were feeling like they were getting close to falling asleep by Flash's slow talking.
"Jeez, why do sloths have to talk so slow?" Ed whispered to Wilfred.
"Remember, we're doing this to be on good terms with everyone." Wilfred whispered back to Ed. "But I got to say, Flash does some pretty cool stuff."
"I know, right?" Ed whispered to Wilfred agreeing.
While Ed and Wilfred were doing okay, Chuck and Phillip weren't having a good impression with Judy's friends, Kyle and Bobby. The two predator felines glared at Chuck and Phillip very angrily. The two prey boys started to feel very awkward.
"Uhhhhh..." Chuck went. "So... we're..."
"Yeah. We know who you are." Kyle said firmly.
"We also know what you did." Bobby said just as firm as Kyle.
"I... guess that's not really news now." Chuck said looking sad.
"What you did to Nick was totally not cool." Bobby stated. "Out of everyone, Nick didn't deserve that."
"We know." Chuck and Phillip said sadly.
"Just because Nick's a fox, doesn't mean he's untrustworthy." Kyle stated.
"We know." Chuck and Phillip said again.
"And the same can be said about other predators too." Bobby stated.
"We know." Chuck and Phillip said once more.
"Look, we know we screwed up. BIG time. We don't need everyone to keep telling us that." Chuck said firmly. "You're right. Nick's a good guy. No, he's a great guy. He's 10 times better than we are. Scratch that. He's 100 times better than the five of us put together." Chuck then put his paws covering his face. "*sigh* Nick would have been the perfect member for the Junior Scouts... and what do we do? We scare him off and put a muzzle on him."
Both Kyle and Bobby started looking less angry and a bit more sincere. The two of them took one look at both Chuck and Phillip and could tell they were actually sorry for what they were done.
"You really regret what you did, do you?" Kyle asked them.
"Of course we do." Phillip said. "Why did you think we came clean to our scoutmaster? Nick helped us change how we should think about things. He even forgave us and he didn't have to. To be honest, I still don't think we deserve being forgiven."
"That so, huh?" Bobby said. "Judy told us how you two and the other three have been blackballed by everyone. Sounds like things are tough."
"Yeah..." Chuck admitted. "Prey kids hate us, predator kids don't trust, parents disappointed in us. We can only imagine how bad Nick must have got it."
"Nick and his family get judged by being foxes all the time and are a perfectly honest family. That's rare for any families these days." Phillip said.
"Some foxes may get a bad rep, but Nick's a good example that foxes can be good and honest." Bobby said with a smile.
"So, you've known Nick for a long while now?" Chuck asked.
"Nope." Kyle and Bobby both said.
"We didn't meet Nick the same day Judy, Sharla, Gareth, and Libby did. But the way Judy talked about him, it felt that we already knew him." Kyle stated.
"So when we finally met Nick at a farmer's market in Bunnyburrow, we were more than happy to be his friends." Bobby stated.
"Guess Nick has that effect on people." Chuck stated. "I mean, have you seen all the people in this room?"
"I know. We're like a big group of weirdos." Bobby stated with an excited look on his face.
"Weirdos?" Kyle, Phillip, and Chuck said not too happy about being called that.
"Have you seen everyone in this room?" Bobby asked. "Trust me, we're weirdos."
While they didn't like to admit it, it was true. Everyone in this room was weird in their own way. Kyle, Chuck, and Phillip then shrugged with what Bobby said. Nothing's wrong with being weird. Better weird than plain normal.
As the hour went on, the kids all continued talking to each other. Sharing stories, telling each other what they wanted to do with their lives, and ultimately grown a little closer. Nick and Judy stood by the stairs and had another one of their heart-to-heart talks.
"Seems like everything is going well." Judy said to Nick with a smile.
"Yeah. I would never have imagined that the Zoo-Burrow Scouts would be such a success." Nick said happily.
"You put a lot of work into this group. That's how it became a success." Judy said to Nick.
"That's a bit of the reason. But another bit of the reason is that I had you by my side." Nick said to Judy.
"Come on. I didn't do anything." Judy said as she lightly grabbed her left arm.
"Oh yes, you did. You believed in me even when everyone else didn't. You help me stay the way I am." Nick said sincerely.
"You're my friend, Nick. I'll always trust you." Judy said sincerely.
"Same for me, Carrots." Nick said with a smile. Nick then moved a little close to Judy. "Say, Judy? You have always been there for me. I can't thank you enough. So..." Nick started to blush a bit. "... if you ever need help for anything, anything at all, you let me know. I'll be right there for you."
"Ha. We're doing it again. Saying things the other wants to say." Judy said blushing as well. "Guess that shows how good friends we are."
"Yeah." Nick said with a wide smile. He then put his attention on the others. "Well, seems like everyone pretty much knows each other now. Think it's time to end the meeting."
"Right." Judy said nodding.
Nick and Judy move from the stairs to the front of everyone else.
"ATTENTION, EVERYONE!" Nick shouted out. It got everyone's attention and they turned to Nick and Judy. "I hope you all enjoyed today's meeting. Did you all got to talk a lot?"
"Heh heh! Sure did." Finnick said smirking and chuckling.
He wasn't the only one. The others were chuckling as well.
"Why... is everyone laughing about?" Judy asked looking curious.
"Noooothing." Everyone else went.
The way everyone said it like that, something was definitely up. Nick and Judy both knew that and both had unamused looks on their faces.
"Come on. Someone out with it." Nick said crossing his arms.
"Wellllllll..." Gazelle said speaking for everyone. "While we all got to talking and an interesting subject came up at almost every one of them."
"Interesting subject? What is it?" Nick asked.
"The subject of you two." Gazelle said with a smirk.
"Us?!" Nick and Judy said sounding surprised.
"Wait? Is this about the whole 'boyfriend/girlfriend, no space in the middle' thing?" Nick asked looking mad.
"Look. We already told all of you that we're just friends." Judy said firmly.
"We know. We know. We get that you're not a couple." Sharla said.
"Thank you." Nick and Judy said happily about that.
"It's more of... when are you gonna be a couple."
"Ahh..." Nick and Judy said as they both got frozen stiff with blushing cheeks. "WHEN?!"
"Yeah. When." Benji said. "It's clear to everyone in this room that there is something unspoken between the two of you."
"No there isn't." Nick and Judy said frantically.
"Really?" Sharla said slyly. "So you two weren't just having another one of your 'moments'?"
"Nooooo..." Nick and Judy said as they both slowly take a slide step away from the other.
"See? You two have something whether you want to admit it or not." Benji stated.
"You... you're overthinking things." Nick said trying to cover his face with his face with his paw. "Stop that!"
"Alright then. Answer a few questions for us and then we will stop." Finnick said as he crossed his arms.
Knowing all their friends, Nick and Judy could guess that they aren't gonna make it easy for them with whatever questions they had. But they were both willing to do it.
"If that will make you guys stop, then fine." Judy said.
"Okay. First question, how often do you two hug?" Libby asked.
Nick and Judy had hugged each other quite a few times. But the two didn't want the others to know that.
"Pass!" Nick and Judy answered.
"So... a lot." Libby said.
"Next question, how often do you two hold each other's paws?" Falisha asked.
Nick and Judy had held each other's paws several times. But once again, they didn't want the others to know that.
"Pass!" Nick and Judy answered again.
"Sounds like a lot." Falisha said.
"Last one, hehe. This one will be a good one." Gideon said slyly.
"I don't trust that look." Nick thought.
"Has there... ever been a moment when... a 'kiss' was involved?" Gideon asked slyly.
Nick and Judy were silent for a few seconds. Nick had a pretty peeved look on his face as he glared at Gideon. Nick already told Gideon about the time Judy kissed him. Nick told him to keep it a secret, but now he's pretty much making him want to spill the beans in front of everyone in the room.
"Gideon, I'm gonna kill you." Nick angrily thought.
"Wellll..." Gideon asked the two slyly.
"No! Of course not!" Nick and Judy shouted out. They both thought it was best to lie about the kiss from long before.
"There was no 'kiss' involved." Judy said very red-faced.
"Took your time to answer, did ya?" Gideon asked still with that sly look on his face.
"Grrrr..." Nick growled. He didn't feel too happy about Gideon's little question. But thought of a good way to get back at him. Nick started to have his usual sly grin on. "Alright Gid, if you're gonna be like that..." Nick then shouted out. "HEY EVERYONE, DO YOU ALL WANNA KNOW A SECRET ABOUT GIDEON?"
Gideon smile went away and he quickly reacted by going over to Nick.
"GIDEON LIKES..." Nick shouted out. But before he could finish, Gideon covered his muzzle with his paw.
"Gideon likes what?" Sharla asked.
"Oh ho! Now things really are getting good." Finnick said smiling.
Gideon then whispered in Nick's ear. "Okay. You win. Now keep your muzzle shut about 'you-know-what'."
Like Gideon knowing about the kiss, Nick knows Gideon having a crush on Sharla. The last thing Gideon wants is Nick to spill the beans in front of everyone. INCLUDING Sharla. So Gideon gave in on the pressing him about the question, not what Nick to say his little secret. Gideon then lets go of Nick's muzzle. Nick still had his sly grin.
"... TO BAKE!" Nick shouted out.
"NICK!" Gideon shouted out.
While that wasn't the secret Gideon thought Nick was gonna say, he still kept his baking a secret from everyone else. He was still a bit shy to admit that.
"Woah woah. Wait?" Sharla said. "Sooooo... those apology cookies weren't from your mom, but you?"
"... Yeah." Gideon admitted.
"Those cookies were REALLY good." Sharla said happily.
"I was upset when they were all gone." Gareth said.
"So you know how to make pies, cakes, cookies, and other sweet stuff and you never told us?" Benji asked.
"Yeah?" Gideon said.
Benji then walked over to Gideon.
"Can you make donuts?" Benji asked.
"With the right stuff, of course." Gideon said.
"You need to make some next time." Benji pleaded.
"I agree." Ronnie said.
"Can you make a cherry pie?" Mervin asked.
"How about carrot cake?" Libby asked.
Seems like everyone loved the fact that Gideon knew how to bake. Guess Gideon worrying about that was for nothing. Nick and Judy seem relieved since it seems that the subject of 'them' was over. Or so they thought.
"Wait? We're losing focus." Finnick stated to everyone else. "Nicky and Jude are our main focus."
"Crud." Nick and Judy thought.
"Guys, we already told you everything and as of now, we are not a couple." Nick said.
"Not yet. But you two are pretty much one step away from that. You're better off just kissing now just to get it over with." Finnick said.
What Finnick said was pretty straightforward. Judy didn't really react. Neither did Nick. The two just looked at each other for a second. Then Judy spoke out.
"Okay." Judy said.
"Okay, what?" Finnick asked.
"Okay, we'll kiss." Judy said.
When Judy said that, everyone else Nick nearly jumped.
"WHAAAATTT?!" Everyone else shouted out shocked.
"Well, what do you say Nick?" Judy asked Nick.
"Ehhh. Sure. Why not?" Nick said shrugging.
"WHAAAATTT?!" Everyone else shouted out shocked again.
"Finn's right. We might as well get it over with." Judy said.
"Besides, you guys are just gonna keep hounding us, right?" Nick said.
"We... we were just pulling you guys' chain." Finnick said frantically.
"Are you guys serious about to kiss?" Benji asked still looking shocked.
"Yeah. Might as well do it now. Unless you guys have a problem?" Judy asked with a smirk.
"Our sister, a bunny, kissing a fox, who we consider like a brother?" Conner stated.
"Sorry. We can NOT be in this room." Cole said.
Cole and Conner then made their way to the stairs and started walking up to leave the basement while chanting, "If we don't see or hear it, we don't know. If we don't see or hear it, we don't know." The door then smashed as they left.
"Anyone else wanna leave?" Judy asked the others.
"Oh my goodness. They're serious." Benji said looking a bit overjoyed.
"Guess we're doing this." Nick said to Judy. "By the way, I have never kissed anyone. So this will be my first kiss."
"Same for me." Judy said. "My first kiss is gonna be with a fox. Didn't see that coming. So how do we do this?"
"Well, first I think we should face each other than hold both of each other's paws." Nick said to Judy.
Nick and Judy both did that. They faced each other and then held each of their paws with one another.
"Okay. What's next?" Judy asked Nick.
"Then... I guess you close your eyes, I lean my head to yours, and... we make it happen." Nick said.
"I think they're really doing this. As their friends, should we even be watching?" Mervin whispered.
"I don't know. I don't know." Sharla whispered.
"We do need to know whether they kiss or not." Falisha stated.
"So... ready?" Judy asked looking up at Nick.
"As I will ever be." Nick said.
So... Judy close her eyes and Nick slowly lean down to Judy's face. Looks like they were serious about kissing. Most of the others felt... unsure about this. A few of them covered their eyes, a few looked away, but most of them watched just for the proof of whether they would kiss or not. As Nick and Judy were like millimeters away from kissing each other, the two of them then stopped. At that moment, they both started to chuckle. The chuckling then turned into laughter. This confused everyone. Nick and Judy then turned to everyone else.
"Gotcha!" Nick and Judy said.
"HUH?!" Everyone else said a bit confused.
"Come on. As if we would actually kiss in front of you guys." Nick said to everyone while smirking.
"So... you were just messing with all of us?" Benji asked.
"How does this sound?" Nick asked everyone. He then held onto Judy and then dipped her down. "Oh my dear Judy, how you make my heart swell."
As Nick dips her, Judy then poses overly dramatically. "Oh Nick, how you feel me with joy."
"Yep. They're totally messing with us." Mervin said with a straight face.
"Glad you finally figured it out." Nick said as he stopped with the acting and helping Judy back up.
"Nick and I are just friends and even if we were a couple, we sure as heck wouldn't kiss in front of all of you." Judy stated. "So... deal with it."
Most of the kids felt disappointed that Nick and Judy didn't kiss. Others were just a bit annoyed. If Nick and Judy ever were gonna kick, it wasn't gonna be today.
"On that side note, meeting over. Everybody out." Nick said pointing at the door.
"WHAAAA..." Everyone else went.
"Hold on. We still have a few hours before the train to Bunnyburrow comes for some of us." Travis stated.
"You don't have to wait for your train, but y'all can't stay here." Nick said to them.
"Fiiiine. If you're gonna be like that." Finnick said looking peeved.
Everybody except Judy and Nick made their way out the room, making some displeased grunts as the leave. Soon, Nick and Judy were the only one left in the room.
"Heh! Plan worked like a charm." Judy said to Nick with a smirk.
"I'm surprised. Seems like you improved even more on your acting." Nick said smiling. "Can you actually believe that they thought we would kiss?"
"Yeah. Totally fooled them." Judy said before giggling.
"That should make them ease up on the teasing." Nick stated.
"Alright. We're out of punch. I'm gonna get some juice from upstairs." Judy said while patting Nick on the back.
"Kay. I'm gonna clean up here." Nick said.
Judy walks up the stairs as Nick started cleaning up the room for his dad. As Judy closes the door, she stops at the front of it. Nick stops cleaning as soon as Judy left the room. Both Nick and Judy then both started trembling and fell to their knees. They were also both blushing pretty madly.
"Oh my god. I can't believe I almost did that." Nick and Judy both thought as they covered their bunny and fox muzzles.
Guess that almost kiss really was an almost kiss. Whether they were acting or not, their feelings are most definitely real.
Well... that happened. Seems like Nick and Judy's feelings for each other are growing deeper. Guess that's the end of this chapter. More to come next time. Like a camping trip. Til then.
