MOM(S)!
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It's in their DNA to be embarrassing. But some are more embarrassing than others.
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"So, are you ready Fluff!"
Looking up at her foxy boyfriend, dressed up in his loudest red pawaian shirt, tie and slacks, Judy, in her pink flannel shirt, jeans and sunhat, flashed him a smile. "If you're asking me whether I'm looking forwards to meeting your mother, then yes. Yes am I."
"But are you ready?" He teased again, earning a light elbow to his side.
"I'm meeting your mother, Nick. Not going on a bungee jump or something."
"-You mean there's a difference!?" He exclaimed, before shrugging. "News to me."
Judy rolled her eyes and followed him on as they walked down the street. The air was warm, and a lazy mood had been lying over the city of late. Everyone just wanted to laze about, given the capture of Kazar and his cult, relishing in his defeat and the return of safety. Still, Judy couldn't help but frown a bit. Some of his minions had been confessing, explaining that they'd been dropping off bulbs and refined toxin here and there, meaning some was still out there. On top of that, there was this other mammal involved, one who remained a mystery. They'd won the battle, but the war wasn't over yet. In fact, with what had gone down in Tundra Town and with the mobsters, things might even be more volatile than usual. She didn't know in that regard.
But for what it was worth, the city was sleeping a little easier now. Judy and the rest of the force would carry on with their duty, keeping an ear peeled for any bad news.
…
"But are you ready?"
"Niiiick…"
"What?" He asked innocently. "I need to know if you're prepared."
"Yes, I'm ready to meet your mother," she said confidently.
"Good to hear," he said, putting a paw behind her back. "And just remember, I'll have your back through all of this."
Judy gave him an annoyed glare, to which he shrugged back. "What, I'm just pre-returning the favours you'll give me when it's my turn to meet your parents."
"Or I might just spring them on you as a surprise," Judy countered, suddenly quite liking the idea.
Especially when Nick froze in mock-horror at it. "Oh heavens no, Carrots. That would be too cruel. No time for me to get my anti-Fox-Away gear on, to write my last will and testament, and to pray all the gods I can for safety and protection…"
…
Judy ignored him.
She wasn't offended.
Annoyed?
A little, certainly. She could understand the funny side. Heck, had he made a simple quip about pitchforks she'd have probably laughed, even if it was at the expense of her parents. But the fact remained that it was at their expense, and the things he'd said had hit touched close to home, and he'd dragged it on and…
"-Judy!?"
She turned around, pausing as she saw the worried look on his face. His ears and tail were drooping down, and he began walking toward her, almost pleading as he went. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you there, I wasn't thinking…"
Her eyes widened, and she walked forwards, their paws meeting. "It's okay…"
"No," he said dejectedly, looking down to his side and avoiding any eye contact. "I was mean and thoughtless, I was just like I used to be, saying things like you came from Podunk or…"
"-You're standing in wet cement," Judy said out loud, causing him to pause and look down.
…
"No, this is as dry as Sahara Square,' he quipped, before looking up at her. She flashed him a warm smile, and an uncertain one grew on his muzzle. She gave him a wink, and he relaxed further. "You okay?"
"I'm fine," she said. "Just not the best subject."
"Yeah," he replied nodding. "I really was a dumb fox there."
"No, you weren't," she said, walking up to him again. "You were my dumb fox."
"Well," he said, a tease returning to his voice. "You're my sly bunny then."
"Am I your sly bunny?" she asked, smiling. "Yes, yes I am." And, with that, they took off again. She gave him a few glances as they walked, checking that he was out of his little rut, something he confirmed as he began talking again.
"And here on our right is where I grew up, Happytown Heights!" he announced, as Judy turned to face some of the ugliest buildings she'd ever seen. It was like a square of the city had been levelled out and a mixture of ugly concrete slabs then shoved into the ground. What green spaces there were on her level appeared barren and ugly, though it seemed that weirdly angled houses or parking garages took up most of the site.
Everything was an ugly concrete grey that could make the walls of a jail seem warm, and that was before she saw the bits that were stained, either darker grey from dirt or water leaks, a rusty orange, or any mix of colours from graffiti. She'd have expected that to at least add a refreshing bit of colour, but it just seemed to make everything worse.
"Aaaah, I feel like a kit again. Come on in."
Judy followed him, across a park and up an odd stair tower, before snaking through the estate on a mix of bridges and walkways. As she went, Nick pointed out the sites. "Over there used to be a rodent tower; it could hold a thousand mice families. Sadly, none of them wanted to live here for reasons unknown. Thankfully that meant it was empty the fateful day that a drunk elephant tried to lean on it. And, down here, we have the crack!"
Judy paused, looking down at the small break in the walkway she was on. She nervously hopped over it, while Nick seemed completely unphased. "Aaaaw," he cooed, looking in closer. "I think it's grown."
"Right…" Judy continued, not that convinced. Probably not best to joke about this place. It might be similar to him and her parents. "I'm guessing this place has seen better days."
Nick looked at her and scoffed. "Carrots, Happytown Heights has never had it better!" he boasted, as he led her on to a lift and pressed the call button. "For a start, I press this button and…"
There was a ping as the lift opened up, Nick gesturing at it like a proud parent showing off their kit. "A thing happens!"
Judy couldn't help but crack up a little, and she entered the lift as Nick pressed the right button, sending them on their way up. "Honestly," he carried on, "I was honoured to grow up in a place of such architectural pedigree."
"Huh?" Judy enquired.
"Fluff, this is a bona-fide genuine Le Cormoosier knockoff. Complete with full segregation of size groups, an entire rejection of the frankly outdated and obsolete concept that is 'the street', and a certified promise to reshape society and the lives of the mammals that live here."
There was a soft ping as the lift stopped a few floors early, the door opening to reveal an older swift fox vixen in a stained pink tank top, some fishnet stockings, a cigarette in mouth and a tracking bracelet around her ankle. She gave one glance at the pair in the elevator, dressed in their comparatively smart set up, before flashing them a middle finger and letting the door close again.
…
"And there you have Skye's bio mother," Nick commented, as they carried on rising. "-Didn't know she was out..."
Judy blinked, closing her eyes and remembering. If that was… -Well, there was certainly a resemblance.
"And before you ask, Skye doesn't give a damn," Nick added, as they reached their floor. It was a little walk along the deck, before he reached a door and gave it a knock. There was a brief pause, followed by some rummaging from inside, before it slammed open, an unkempt red fox vixen looking out.
"NICKY!"
Arms out, she grabbed Nick in, hugging him tight. "Nice to catch up with you too," he said with a smile, before stepping to the side. "And this here is Judy."
"Judy Hopps, huh?"
"Yes Ma'am…"
She snorted, a smile cracking on her face. "Call me Marie, bunny cop," she said, happily fussing Judy's head and ear tips. She recoiled slightly, while Marie walked back inside. "Come in, I ordered pizza and it's the middle of the game."
Outside, Judy looked up to see a smirking Nick. He looked down and waggled his eyebrows. "Are you ready?"
She bit her lip slightly before staring forwards. "As I'll ever be," she said, before crossing the threshold. She had the feeling that no other boyfriend-mother meetup could be quite as awkward as this.
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"Day sixteen of my imprisonment in the fog dimension," Jack spoke, his voice sharp, frank, observational and self-serious in a very sci-fi B-movie way. Warm steam clouded around him, condensation dripping off his fur as he relaxed in the warm pool, a cream coloured paw massaging his head and ears. They stood out against the dark blue colour of the tiling, not that he could see it, his eyes wistfully shut. "I'm not sure if it's a certain Stockholm syndrome that I'm suffering from or cabin fever, but I'm feeling rather at home in this place. Alternatively, the extended isolation might be getting to me. What messages I have tried to send out likely never got past this choking miasma, which I can ever feel percolating into my body. Every breath seems to draw its tendrils in closer. Deeper. Whether this is harmless, or my life already forfeit, I don't know… What I do know though is that I find myself ever fonder of this place and its inhabitants. Maybe I am entrapped in the same dark snares that caught those who came before me. A fly in the spider's web, seduced, unbeknowing of the fate he is about to suffer. To whomever may hear this log, I hope you find the truth out before it is too late. Before you have a vixen's claw approaching that sweet spot. Just a bit further, and further, and a bit too far, and there….. it….. is…"
He settled down, lazing about as he floated above Skye's chest. The vixen, below him, her body in the warm water and face in the hot steam, was content to listen to his performances as the heat and warmth worked their way into her body. She'd been working hard, but today was her day off and she was using it, hard. Full day spa treatment for her and her stress relief bunny. She was enjoying it. Being a weekday, the whole place was quiet, even better. The only downside was that Haida and Retsuko were busy at work, doing the standard office hours…
Was that such a bad thing though?
She did like them, and dates together were nice, but today was a long day. Having them tagging along through all of it might get a bit crowded and tiring towards the end, whereas here and now she could enjoy the calm.
…
"Want something else?" Jack asked.
"Maybe," she sighed. "What about you?"
"I'm in a fine position, with no superstition, about the grace and place, where I can see such a nice face," he said, his voice flowery and embellished. He was improvising, and Skye smiled, wondering where he'd go with it. "Hot water, lapping, healing, with caress of steam floating by. A paw, claws pointed and precise and without a doubt sharp. They float over nerve and locked muscles like minnow, deft and nimble, and with ever subtlety like a trickster, they unlock all where they go. Content here I am, for now, an hour, a day. Let the moon and sun tumble around, free falling around each other like an eternal clock, but let me stay. Let me stay…"
…
A faint clap broke across the mist, a voice speaking out. "That was beautiful," she said.
Skye paused, that sounded like…
"Why thank you," Jack swooned, standing up and giving a slight bow. "It's a pleasure."
"You must be a poet," the voice called again, as a faint rippling broke through the stillness. Whoever it was was getting closer, and Skye bit her lip. It was probably just a stranger…
"I happen to be an actor, writer and director!" Jack said, bit indignantly. "But I guess they all fall under the arts."
"I do a lot of arts and crafts myself," the voice said, getting even closer. Skye could see a figure emerging, and she felt herself cringe a little. There was absolutely, positively, no doubt about this, and no way out. Feeling a bit nervous, she pulled her tail around her, ready to fidget the tip, only to realise too late that it meant pulling it over the bunny on top of her. She was wrapping it around him, right as her mother waded out of the mist.
Jack, meanwhile, was appreciating the new layer of vixen on top of him as he lazily looked up, seeing a rather surprised looking grey fox staring at them. She had a white front and bib and a grey mask and back, as usual for her species, but the latter had plenty of white strands, her age beginning to show. He put a paw up, and gave a lethargic wave. "Hola."
…
"Skye…"
She stood up, her eyes almost but not quite looking at her mother, instead darting around a little as she tried to work out what to say. Her mind just tumbled around, unable to tie any loose ends of thought or…
SPLASH…
And she'd just tipped Jack in, making this even worse. "-It's… -I can explain!"
"Skye, honey!"
She was too busy to answer. She had to think of how to get it all out, and make sure Jack was okay, and not mess this up even further and make it worse or…
A paw held onto her shoulder and she froze. "It's okay!" Her mother said. "You know I'd never judge you…"
"No," she stammered out before letting out a deep sigh, relaxing. He shoulders sunk down and she spotted Jack standing in the water, safe. "I know, but there's a lot to say and you kind of…"
"Do you need some time, sweetie?"
…
"Yes please," she mumbled out.
"Okay then," her mother replied. "Meet up in the cafe in twenty?"
"Sounds good," she admitted, as she looked back over. Her mother smiled, giving an embarrassed little wave as she slipped back into the mist, leaving her alone again.
She exhaled, before pinching the bridge of her muzzle and shaking her head. That could have certainly gone better, for sure. Her frown grew as she felt a pair of eyes looking at her from the other side, looking for some answers.
"Know her?" Jack asked.
"She's my mother," Skye said, "and this wasn't how I imagined you would meet her." She slowly began standing up, better get out and get this over with.
"How did you imagine it going?" Jack asked, innocently enough.
"Well," Skye began, "I hadn't, really." She found a ladder and pulled herself out of the pool. She could try and think of something to say, something that wouldn't be cringy or anything, as she dried herself off. Maybe, just maybe, this wouldn't be that bad.
She felt sorry for anyone who had something that was.
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"So, this is your Prince Charming, correct?"
Retsuko nodded, keeping herself civil as she sat across from her mother. The older red panda looked at her studiously.
"Nice to meet you," Haida spoke, as he leant out to shake her paw. "I'm Haida."
"Yes dear, I know," she commented, not breaking eye contact with her daughter. "Couldn't you have worn that dress I got you?"
Choking up at the mention of that frilly gaudy peach coloured thing, Retsuko gritted her teeth, before burying her anger and putting on a smile. "No need, we figured we'd keep things casual."
"She also doesn't like it that much," Haida joked, not noticing his girlfriend's eyes going wide.
"No one asked for your input, deary," she said with a saccharine smile. "Retsuko. Even if it is just a casual meetup, you need to do your best to hold a male's attention."
I have a boyfriend right here! Can't you seee! CAN'T YOU SEEE! She internally shouted, though on the outside she just smiled, only the slightest twitch getting through.
"You know," Haida began. "There's different types of attention, I don't…"
"Hyden, this doesn't concern you."
"It's Hai…"
"-Retsuko, I'm only looking out for you," she said sweetly. "After all your romantic mishaps, and breaking off with so many amazing mammals, you'll be earning a bit of a reputation. They'll think you're not one for commitment, so you'll have to do your best to compensate."
Retsuko smiled through clenched teeth. "Well then it's a good thing I'm planning to commit to Haida here."
Retsuko's mother nodded, and leant forwards to hold her paws. "Well, we all say these things on the rebound," she explained, "but going on…"
Retsuko didn't quite hear what her mother said after that, her mind instead processing it a bit… differently.
"You toss boys by the side, like cold soggy fries,
Bouncing about and never settling down.
I want you to marry a male of high-quality material!
But listen to your mother and wipe off that frown!
He's a rebound! He's a rebound!
"Uh," Haida scolded. "You know I'm right…"
"You could date a millionaire, or a high ranking businessmam.
But you turn them down, such a blunder,
The hyena earns no more than you, with no chance of cubs too…
He's not even that handsome, Mr Snaggletooth wonder.
"-Uh.. -Excuse me!?"
"He's a rebound! HE'S A REBOUND!"
"-Now listen here," Haida began, only to get cut off as Restuko thought she'd give her own 'civil' counter to her mother's concerns.
"SHUT YOUR FACE! ISN'T THIS IS WHAT YOU WANTED?!
I'VE GOT A BOYFRIEND NOW, I THINK WE'VE REALLY BONDED!
I DON'T CARE IF YOU DOUBT HE'S SON IN LAW MATERIAL!
I LOVE HIM AND YOU BETTER KNOW THAT'S BELIEVABLE!
MEDDDDDLLLLIIIINNNNGGGGG MOOOOMMMM!
MEDDDDDLLLLIIIINNNNGGGGG MOOOOMMMM!
DON'T YOU EVEN DARE CALL HIM DENTALLY CHALLENGED!
I THINK IT MAKES HIM LOOK CUTE, I DON'T CARE IF YOU CAN'T MANAGE!
MEDDDDDLLLLIIIINNNNGGGGG MOOOOMMMM!
MEDDDDDLLLLIIIINNNNGGGGG MOOOOMMMM!"
Haida peeked out from behind his paws. "Can we dial down the crazy, please!?"
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The smell of the wood was still fresh in Ash's new room. It had been hard work carving out extra space and everything was a bit more crowded than before, but he'd settle down. It was hot today, and with no air conditioning he'd resorted to pulling open the windows and stripping down to his boxers.
Drawing pencil and pad out, he was busy doing some sketches of his model train set. He and Kris had been busy, pushing through the final arc of their comic. There wasn't much left to do, but what was left included a rail crash.
He lined two sets of trains up and set them off at full speed at each other, watching as they collided.
…
"Not that dramatic," he noted, before picking up the carriages and trying to arrange them into something more befitting his artistic vision. He was broken off though by a knock on the door.
"May I come in?" His mother asked. "And, to clarify, I'll be coming in in a few seconds either way."
"Just a sec," Ash urged, as he got up and pulled on a pair of shorts and a shirt. As he did so his mother entered and, after sparing a glance at the cabinet under his bed and checking it was locked, he turned to face her.
Dressed in her sunflower dress, one paw over her now visible baby bump, she walked in, looking around. Spotting the train set, a host of materials now stored beneath it to save space, she walked over, a smile growing on her muzzle. "I remember the birthday we got you this."
Ash, walking over, shrugged. "So do I. I was happy."
Felicity Fox looked down at him and sidestepped, wrapping an arm and tail around her boy. "You were jumping around, racing about, then burying your muzzle in the set as you laid down the tracks and got the train running." She looked at him longingly for a few seconds before speaking again. "That was just seven years ago," she said softly, one of her paws beginning to fuss with his ears. "Where did that little kit go?"
Ash, feeling relatively ambivalent about the whole affection routine, coughed a few times. "He's right here."
"I know," she said. "All grown up and so different."
His eyebrows furrowed at that remark, something that his mother noticed. The smile drained from her face. "Sorry," she said, "I…"
"-If I've really stopped growing," Ash grovelled. "Well… Well that's just mean… I'd better not be all grown up now."
It took a second or two for Mrs Fox to relax but, when she did, she smiled. She smiled wide. "You've still got a lot of growing and growing up to do," she said, running a paw over the crown of his head. "Sometimes it seems like all that was yesterday, sometimes half a lifetime ago."
"It was," he said. "For me."
There was a little chuckle, before Mrs Fox sat down on the floor, guiding her son down with her. Holding him closer, not quite sure if he was enjoying this or not, she carried on. "I love you, you know?"
"I do," he said back quietly. He was sort of feeling this affection thing going on. Relaxing a bit further, he could kind of dig it, and he held her a bit closer.
"I just want you to know that," she said, as her other paw went down over her bump, stroking it a few times. "You see, things will be a bit crazy when the new baby comes. He…"
"-Or she."
"I was going to say she. But whoever comes out of me, they'll be scared and helpless, and need lots of attention and care and love."
Ash look up at her and nodded. "I can do that."
"I'm sure you will," she said, proudly. "But I need you to know that I may spend far more time with her…"
"-Or him."
"Or him, and it doesn't mean I don't love you. It doesn't mean I don't cherish you, or worry for you every day. I still love you and care for you, and your father and I will do our best to find the time for you. But you just need to know that you might have to wait a little here and there. Is that okay?"
…
"Well it's a baby, so I kind of knew that," he said.
Felicity smiled. "We thought we did, then you came along. It's always a shock."
Ash nodded. He was looking forward to the new baby, though he didn't really know what it would be like. He'd talked to Brittany in school, seeing as she was a lot older than her little sister, and the things she'd said sounded interesting. It would be a lot of work, hence why he was trying to finish his comic with Kris beforehand, but she said it was worth it.
Hopefully it would be. "Right. Anything else?" Ash asked.
His mother looked at him sadly and shrugged. "If you want it to be."
…
"Maybe in a bit," he said, for her sake, pulling her in closer. He'd give her this little moment that she wanted, hugging him tight…
A bit tighter now, which was nicer.
He'd hug her back a bit in return…. -maybe just a bit more.
Now that he was thinking about it, this could last a little bit longer. Her touch was nice, as was her fussing with his fur, while he enjoyed putting his paw or ear on her growing bump.
He could kind of, sort of, totally, definitely dig this, for a little bit at least. She was his mother, after all. He wasn't going to argue with her when she had his best interests in mind.
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"REALLY RETSUKO, I'm your mother, why you so mean?
I'm just being cautious, you're the one causing a scene!"
"DON'T TRY AND PAINT ME THE AS BAD GUUUUUUYYYYY!
I CAN SEE YOU TRYYYYYYYY! I CAN SEE YOU TRYYYYYYYY!
DON'T TALK ABOUT MAKING A SCENE FOR A START!
YOU'RE THE ONE MAKING A SCENE IN THIS RESTAURANT!"
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Haida, deftly, backed away from the pair of red pandas, ignoring the stares of the many, many, many onlookers. While this may have certainly involved him, he thought it best to leave family matters to his girlfriend and her mother…
Who was now saying that she did like him, honestly, it was just that she was playing the devil's advocate and her daughter was acting out by not seeing that. Whether that was true or not, a forked tail, some giant yellow eyes and a pair of feathery horn tufts certainly wouldn't go amiss on her.
As for her daughter, she was now responding by imitating a jet engine being fed with gravel. Which kind of turned him on, though now was not the time.
Instead he walked away, right over to the bar, where he sat down. "Excuse me?" he called, getting the attention of the badger bartender. "Any whiskey?"
He looked down as a large bottle was pushed in front of him.
"I was going more for a glass…"
"Well I'm here to give you what you need, not what you want," he said, with a nod to the arguing mother and daughter. "I'll charge you half."
Haida turned back, nodded, before grabbing the bottle and chugging a full quarter of it.
Slamming it down, breathing out, he felt a little better. And then he saw the pair of big furry yellow ears next to him. "Oh, of course you'd be here," he groaned, before flinching as a deep baritone voice barked out.
"You gotta problem with dat, Yena!?"
Looking down, and seeing that the fennec sitting next to him was not the one he'd assumed, he turned back to his bottle. "No…"
"Good," the fennec muttered, before pulling off his jet-black shades. He looked up at Haida, then at the ongoing scene in the middle of the room, then back at his own drink.
He slid it over and left. "Here, have this too…"
"Huh?"
"You need it a whole lot more than I do. Ciao!"
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Walking out of the changing rooms, Skye was feeling better. Jack was waiting for her, and, together, they walked over to where they planned to meet up with her mother.
"I guess there's a backstory to the different species thing," Jack said.
Skye nodded. "She and my Dad, who's a swift fox like me, adopted me when I was a baby," she explained, as they turned a corner and saw her. She was dressed in a simple grey dress, inlaid with some native style patterns, while two small dreamcatcher earrings had been put back in her ears. Looking up, she saw the pair and smiled, waving them over.
"Want anything dear?"
"I'm fine mum," Skye replied, moving to sit down but pausing, instead turning to her mother. Their eyes met for a few seconds, before they stood up and hugged.
"It's been too long," the older vixen said as they let go.
"It isn't that long…"
"It was six months ago, when your sister was last in Zootopia."
"So? I'm keeping the same standard."
"Yes," her mother sassed, her eyes half-lidding. "The same standards as an army lieutenant who's stationed in Korea. Isn't it fair to expect more from someone in the same city as us?"
"I still call," Skye defended.
"Once a month…"
"Well, there's not much to say," Skye explained, getting a little flustered. Looking away, her tail moved up into her lap and she fidgeted with the tip for comfort as she continued. "Just lots of work I have to do at the shop, and now this new project at the theatre."
"I understand," her mother said softly. "But we hear so little from you, it sometimes feels like you don't care for us."
"I do!" Skye said, aghast. "I love you… -I just…" She trailed off into silence, looking down and avoiding her mother's gaze.
The grey fox sighed, before holding her daughter's paw. She held back and gripped it, and their eyes met. "I know that you keep to yourself, and even if you love us you don't 'miss us'. But we miss you, Skye. Could you just keep in contact more often? For us? Please…"
Skye gave a slight nod. "I might forget… So how about you call me when you want?"
"Once a week?"
"I… -there'd wouldn't be much to talk about…"
"Maybe I don't care," she said with a smile. A silence held between the two for a while, before the grey fox glanced down and spotted Jack, the striped bunny chewing on a toothpick as he spectated the scene. "And who have we here? Your little poet, Skye?"
"Actor extraordinaire," Jack swooned, bowing in front of the older fox, sending her into a little giggle.
"Well, Skye mentioned accepting a job for you, but not about taking it further," she said, before giggling again. "I'm Siwili, -Siwili Autumn, Skye's mother."
"Jack Savage," he replied.
Siwili nodded, looking at him fondly and chuckling. "Skye with a bunny, and here I thought that it would be my other child doing that pairing." She looked over at Skye. "Though I'm happy for any relationship you get into," she said. "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner? You know your father and I would never judge."
"I know," Skye groaned, looking down at the floor. "I was going to tell you next time I called. For now though it was private. I could handle it myself."
The grey fox paused, before a smile grew on her muzzle. Closing her eyes, nodding her head, she turned to face Jack. "I'm afraid my daughter 's on her own little island most of the time," she explained. "She likes to keep to herself, not bothering anyone. All private... "
Jack rolled his eyes. "Well, I'm happy to be marooned on her shores, drinking from a coconut while working away on my masterworks. Or snoozing in her lagoon, soft waves of comfort and pleasure rippling over me."
Siwili burst out laughing, before glancing over at her daughter. Skye didn't seem flustered by that bit, so she turned back to the unusually marked Jackrabbit. "So, tell me about yourself," she said, as she looked between him and the vixen next to him. "I want to know everything, and I'm not going to get it by questioning my little swift fox, that's for sure."
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"HOW! HOW DID THEY LET THAT SLIDE?!"
"I guess they just did," Judy suggested, as Marie Wilde screamed at the referee's decision. They'd been spending the evening sitting down, eating pizza, having the two foxes discuss 'secret things about bunnies' via sign language and watching that night's football match.
"IT WAS, LIKE, SO OFFSIDE!"
Judy wasn't sure how she could contribute, instead just looking at Nick. The red fox smirked, raised a beer, and then took a sip, before her line of site was blocked by his mother sitting back down again. "Good for nothing idiot, a blind goat could've made that call," she growled, before spotting Judy. "Right?"
"I… Guess…"
She blinked a few times, before looking over the other way, at her son. "You sure this bunny is as cracked up as you think she is?"
She felt her ears go warm, only for Nick to cut it. "As cracked up as those eggs you tried to juggle."
"Oh come on," she groaned, shoving him a little. "That was one time!" Before Nick could reply, the shrill call of a whistle came from the TV, prompting another outcry from the vixen. "DAMMIT! A DRAW!" She stood there, looking at the TV venomously with her tail swishing behind her, whipping out at the end of each wag.
…
"Who wants ice cream?"
Before Judy could even process the change in demeanour, Nick was speaking out. "I do! I do!"
The bunny burst down giggling, before nodding along. "Me too, please."
Marie looked at them and nodded, before walking off towards the kitchen, Nick and Judy left alone. The fox was relaxing back in the sofa, seemingly content, before noticing the odd look his girlfriend was giving him.
"Not what you expected?"
"Not quite," Judy understated, quite dramatically.
Nick rolled his eyes. "Tell me if this sounds familiar. Peppy bunny meets extraordinarily handsome fox with a tragic backstory, and wonders about his mother. She starts imagining, and comes up with one of two possibilities. One is that Mama Wilde is a complete sweetie of an old lady who loves her son, if being a bit disappointed in his life choices. She's full of kindness, sage advice, and bakes cookies on Sundays while shipping us harder than anyone ships anything, not even Mooearsk. The other is that she's a sharp tongued cunning little vixen, with enough sass and attitude to make my tail droop between my legs in shame at my life choices, hence why our relationship was shattered up more than post-snap Spiderpig until you came along and inspired me to mend it. Am I correct?"
…
Nick smirked. "I'll take that stunned silence as a yes, then."
Nodding her head, Judy found her voice again. "Yes. She is a bit different from what I expected…"
"Yup," Nick said with a smirk. "But she's my Ma', and I wouldn't have it any other way."
"Well, if you want a mix of those two previous mothers, I can introduce you to my one."
"Hmmmm. Tempting," he said. "I was joking earlier, but it would actually be nice to meet with the pair who made the first bunny cop."
Judy smiled back, only for it to falter a little. "Well, it was mainly me who did the bunny cop thing. While they didn't actively stop me, they were more 'lay low and settle' than 'shoot for your dreams' kind of mammals. They even celebrated when I was stuck as a meter maid 'cause they figured I was safer there."
Nick looked on, a curious look on his muzzle. "You know, if you had been adopted by mother, she'd have pushed you to go for it, no matter what. She treated me like I was the most precious thing in the world, who could do anything and do no wrong, and woe betide anyone who dared say otherwise." There was a pause, and then a chuckle. "Whereas your parents would have probably read me the riot act and tried to set me right."
"It wouldn't have worked," Judy said. "I'm pretty sure you wouldn't have settled for carrot farming."
Nick shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. But blueberry farming? Now there's a career I can get behind!"
Judy snorted. "Why am I not surprised?"
"Well, I might not be that good at it, eating the produce and all," he said, before going quiet for a few seconds, looking up at the ceiling, deep in thought. "But a big family that cared for me, and parents who would call me out and set standards above 'don't do crimes'? You never know…"
"No," Judy mused, before smiling. "But I think things worked out quite well."
"Funny thing, Fluff," Nick said with a smile. "I think the same thing too."
Judy smiled and nodded, as she looked at him.
Her boyfriend…
They'd been hanging out for a bit, and they'd been enjoying it. She'd loved the times he'd been romantic, and it had been just plain fun. But she hadn't quite felt that spark yet, that flaming passion of love that he must have felt for however long. But now, looking at him… Well, he was certainly a handsome fox, and a little cuddle sounded good. She shimmied up next to him, smiling as he was taken by surprise, before it mellowed down into a warm content smile. Paws around him, which felt good, and his paws and tail around her. That felt even better.
His mother came back in with bowls filled with frozen treats, and they settled and talked, all enjoying this. Judy recounted some of their exploits, Marie cheering them on, and by the end Judy couldn't help but think that she quite liked this version of Nick's mum.
Eventually, Nick had to leave to go to the bathroom, leaving the two girls alone. Marie looked down, a serious face on her muzzle. "Now that we're all alone, I want you to promise me something, Bun."
Her ears going up, Judy turned to face her.
"I want you to promise you will NEVER hurt my little Nicky. You got that?"
Judy nodded her head. "I promise."
"Good," she said, smiling as she settled down. "You gotta care for him, you understand?"
Judy smiled. "I will."
"Double good," Marie said. "He's a softie like his father and he bruises easily, you understand?"
"Right," she agreed, sort of seeing it. He was usually suave and confident, but not letting them see didn't mean that things got to him. She knew better than most that some things really did.
That would have been the end of that conversation, were it not for something else catching her interest. Something that Marie had said. "Say," she asked, suddenly curious. "About his father…"
Marie's ears drooped down a bit. "Yes, poor Johnny," she said, before smiling faintly. Walking over to a frame picture, she brought it over, revealing herself and a wiry tod holding a little kit. She sighed sadly, her voice losing its usual cheer. "It was an accident when Nick was seven. He was doing an electric repair for a neighbour when some idiot turned the power back on. He didn't die then but… -when his friend laid him down to call the ambulance and tan that idiot's hide, he choked on this tongue."
Judy's ears drooped and she leant over, holding her paw. "I'm so sorry."
"Don't worry. It was a long time ago."
The bunny nodded. "What was he like?"
Marie chuckled. "Oh, he was a bit of a sweetie. You see, back in school he was, like, a loser. Yeah, pretty much a loser. If anything I only took him to prom as he was the last one left. I'm pretty sure I mainly rutted with him out of sympathy too. But then I was up the duff, and I had my new kit to think of, and he came back. Kept talking about needing to be with me and for him, and I didn't know why he was interested in helping me with my kit."
"You know, Nick was his kit too," Judy pointed out.
"Well, duh, but I didn't expect him to care much," Marie said back. "But he did, and he said it was the thing to do. Now maybe it was those hormones talking, but he stopped seeming like a bit of a loser then, and he was such a help in those early months…" Marie looked down sadly, scratching the back of her ear. "I then started to actually love him, and we got married. He was always so soft and gentle with Nicky, he was trying so hard to 'get it right'… Then, just like that, he was gone…"
…
"Oh, he's also sort of the reason Nicky has his middle name!"
Judy blinked, taken by surprise. "Oh, right. What's the story there."
"Well, he liked all these sci fi things, so I thought I'd give Nicky the same middle name of that Captain from Star Trek. I got it wrong though."
Judy tried to keep her lips shut.
She really, honestly, did.
But she burst out laughing.
"Yeah, I goofed," she admitted. "He was just a bit shocked; – said 'thank god we agreed on Nick for his first name.'" She shook her head and sighed. "You know, it's his birthday coming up soon. Nicky and I always binge the movies in his memory then. You're welcome to join us."
Judy nodded. "I'll think about it."
"Good to hear," Marie agreed, before sighing. She leaned in closer, holding Judy's paws, and spoke from her heart. "I hope you make my boy happy," she said. "And hold tight, as life can decide to do horrible things to good people. But, if you're on my boys' side, I'll always be on yours."
"Thanks," Judy said, just as Nick returned.
"Alright, you're both smiling. Should I be worried?" He joked.
Judy smirked at the tod, then looked at Marie. "Say, do you have any baby photos available?"
A cunning grin grew on her muzzle, one she flashed over at her son. Nick rolled his eyes back in return. "I'll take that as a 'you better be.'"