Distilled Dreams
Part One: Fermentation
Chapter Nine
-Judy Age 15 & Nick Age 16-
"Judy dear," Vivian whispered carefully shaking the blanket lump in the middle of the bed, "Time to get up if you still want to make Nick breakfast-in-bed for his birthday."
"I'm up," Judy said groggily poking her head though the folds in the blanket and wriggling out of the warmth they provided. She shivered as the chill room air blew past the few spots of bare fur her pajamas didn't cover. "Cheese and crackers!" Judy shivered as her hind paws hit the cold floor and not the slippers she had thought where right there. The blizzard had blown itself out after three days but it had remained a bone chilling temperature outside ever since. That bone chilling cold had slowly been leaching heat from inside even the Den's impressively well insulated walls.
"Sorry dear," Vivian said taking a quick step to the side. Her tail had accidentally covered the slippers and in avoiding stepping on her tail Judy had missed the slippers. "It has a mind of its own sometimes."
Judy giggled as the tip Vivian's tail tickled her side before wrapping around her waist is an odd but oh so warm hug. "It's okay Mrs. Wilde. On the bright side I am wide awake now." It was true. The sudden shock of cold on her hind paws was nearly as efficient as she assumed a bucket of ice water being dumped on her would be. "Let's get going before Nick wakes up and ruins the surprise."
Covering her muzzle Vivian tried her best to stifle her laughter as the duo walked down the hall. "After what you put him though yesterday I doubt he would wake up before noon if we just left him alone." Despite this she had walked softer and dropped her talking to a whisper when they crossed the closed doorway that opened into Nick's room.
"It wasn't that bad," Judy said with a blush. She had been going a bit stir crazy with how the blizzard, then the temperature, had trapped them inside. It also didn't help that Nick kept cuddling with her at nearly every opportunity. She wasn't complaining about that in and of itself. Having him wrap her in his arms and pull her into his soft warm fur or allowing his tail to be used as a blanket had been wonderful. However it also had the tendency of causing her hormones to constantly rise. It wasn't Nick's fault, it was her stupid bunny brain screaming at her that it would feel so much better if it was just fur and fur. Maybe with an extra blanket thrown over the two of them for the warmth so Nick could slid his paws though her fur and tracing his claws over her skin without the cold...
Judy shook her head almost violently. It was daydreams like that that had lead to her dragging the poor fox down to the tunnel that connected the barns and aging room. He didn't deserve what she had put him though. 'He was just trying to be nice and keep me warm,' Judy thought. 'And what do I do? Shuttle runs to help burn off some of the energy!'
"Wasn't that bad?" Vivian asked as they crossed into the kitchen. A small glowing space heater helped the furnace push back the chill this close to the outer walls of the Den. "The two of you must have sprinted the entire length of the tunnel a few dozen times running back and forth like that. You must of had a lot of pent up energy from being so cooped up."
"He didn't have to join me..." Judy tired to say jumping up on the step-stool by the counter while Vivian began gathering everything to make blueberry waffles from the fridge and pantry.
"Mmmm...that would be a bit hard for him not to join you when you where pulling him by his shirt to the tunnels," Vivian said with a knowing smirk at the bunny as she set the waffle maker down in front of Judy and starting measuring ingredients into a mixing bowl. "It would be easier on both of you if you just told him you know." Vivian said setting the batter down next to Judy and moving over to the stove to cook some turkey bacon.
"Tell...tell him what?" Judy asked splashing some batter into the waffle maker and eyeing the little timer light with all of her focus so Vivian wouldn't see the deep red blush of her ears.
"Judy dear," Vivian said poking at the bacon with the spatula and not looking over. "I am neither blind nor nose deaf."
"...I don't know what you mean..." Judy said as the light clicked off and she pulled golden brown waffles from the griddle and replacing them with more batter. She flinched at the paw that rested on her shoulder a moment before arms wrapped around her.
"Yes you do dear even if you are not willing to admit it to yourself yet," Vivian whispers while hugging her.
"It would all change if we became...more then friends," Judy whispered.
"Not as much as you would think," Vivian said with a sigh letting go of Judy and returning to the stove to flip the turkey bacon. "The two of you already are inseparable when you both have time to spend together. While not exactly the same the two of you share many of the same tastes in music, movies, and books. The two of you both want to go to Zootopia and try for the police department. Although I understand if Nicky's recent interest in Pawaiian shirts is off putting. I am blaming Johnathan for that one though. Why did that mate of mine buy a bolt of that cloth I will never know." Vivian said with a snort.
"They're...not that bad," Judy countered with a small smile to cover the grimace at the thought of Nick in that obnoxious green shirt of his.
"Well if you are willing to look past his questionable taste in casual clothing..," Vivian said putting the turkey bacon on a paper towel lined plate to remove the small amount of grease on them. "I imagine the biggest difference in being more then friends would be where you dragged him off to and what the two of you did to...burn off some energy. You will want to go slow the first few times dear. Todds are bigger then bucks after all."
"EEP!" Judy cried in surprise at the bluntness of Vivian. "I...I...I don't...I don't think about...about that!" Her ears actually hurt with how hot they had gotten so suddenly.
Vivian tapped the side of her nose while smirking knowingly. "The nose knows dear." Vivian dug around in a cabinet and found the breakfast-in-bed tray she was looking for. "But for the sake of your ears not catching on fire I won't say anymore on it." Quickly Vivian forked a few of the waffles onto a plate with the turkey bacon and put it on the tray along with a few other things before slipping the rest of what was already cooked into the oven to keep it warm. "Now come on. Lets go wake the sleepy birthday todd so the two of you have some time together this morning before we do Nick's birthday gifts at lunch. There is a lot to do in the afternoon to get ready for the Solstice tonight."
The walk back to Nick's door was just long enough for Judy's blush to fade. "I'll get the door Mrs. Wilde," Judy whispered turning the nob and opening the door into the dark room. Slowly they sneaked in. The light from the hall lit the room enough for Judy to see Nick wasn't in his normal curled sleep position but sprawled on his stomach. Somehow during the night his blankets had either slipped or he had thrown them off of his upper body leaving only his legs and lower torso covered. The bare fur along his back to almost ripple in sync with his soft breathing. Judy watched slightly memorized picturing herself waking up next to him some morning and running her paws though that soft warm...
"Oh no!" Vivian hissed quietly setting the tray down on the night stand near Nick's head snapping Judy out of the daydream that started to build as she watched Nick sleep. "I forgot the syrup! Keep an eye on him Judy and if he wakes up before I get back keep him distracted." Vivian didn't bother to wait for a reply as she rushed out of the door and back to the kitchen.
Nick's nose started to twitch as Judy stood in his room uncomfortably with nothing to do other then watching him sleep. Slowly his head turned towards the night stand nostrils flaring wide. "You'll just have to wait a minute for breakfast Slick," Judy whisper soothingly as she took a couple steps forward. Carefully she reached out and scratched under his chin. It had worked in the past to help him relax so Judy figured it was the best chance to keep him asleep. Her stomach grumbled loudly suddenly startling her. The fresh baked waffles had smelt so good. "Well you won't miss a couple pieces of fruit and I wouldn't want my stomach to wake you up," Judy whispered to herself. Judy stopped scratching and turned her back to Nick and reached into the small bowl for a couple of apple slices. A stifled "EEP!" escaped Judy as two arms darted out to either side of her and wrapped around her chest pinning the arm not reaching for the breakfast tray to her side. The cold wet nose that pressed into her neck was just as shocking as the arms. "Nick! What are you doing!" Judy hissed placing her free paw over where Nick's paws grasped her.
"Mmm...smells good..." Nick mummbled still asleep. "Mine..." Slowly without nearly as much strength as he had while awake Nick dragged Judy into the bed and started to curled around her. The blankets slipped away Nick's hips and legs with his sudden change in sleeping position. "My Carrots...my bunny...mine..." His breathing evened out as he fell back into a deep sleep nuzzling the top of her head as his muzzle settled between her ears.
Staring wide eyed Judy was frozen. It wasn't the shock of being pulled into an impromptu cuddle session that froze her though. Nor was it the slight twitches of Nick's paws and body as he settled back into sleep and adjusting the trapped rabbit into a more comfortable position against him. No it was what was pressing against her back and along her tail. Slowly and carefully Judy used her free paw to check something. Her paw ran though soft fur of Nick's leg and side as she moved it. Along the entire path it was only fur. Never once did she feel cloth. 'Nick isn't wearing anything,' Judy's brain managed to think though a quickly growing fog of lust courtesy of her hormones. 'Nick is naked which means what is pressing into my back is Nick's...' Judy's tail twitched rapidly in excitement as it brushed against Nick's fox-hood. 'I need to get him off...i mean get out of his grip,' Judy thought justifying her rubbing and grinding against him as her breathing started to speed up. The deep rumbling purr coming from Nick reverberating though her back and the slight bucking of his hips in tine with her own felt good.
"Well now. Not exactly what I had in mind when I said to distract him," Vivian said from the door before walking in the room and kept talking, "But he did like to cuddle with that stuffed rabbit when he slept as a kit. Good job keeping him asleep dear."
"Mrs. Wilde..." Judy whispered. Vivian in the same room helped clear her mind from the haze of lust.
"Yes dear," Vivian said turning to the bed and taking her first good look at what was happening. Her tail twitched as she suspected what Judy had already confirmed. "Oh..."
"Nick...isn't wearing anything to sleep in..." Judy whispered starting to breath faster and panic in Nick's grip. She felt something warm seeping into the fur on her back as Nick continued to move his hips in his sleep and purr.
"So he isn't," Vivian sighed and rubbed the bridge of her muzzle with her paws. "Do you want a paw getting out of that or some privacy..." she waved her paw in the door's direction and took a half step towards it making her offer clear.
"..." Judy was quiet and it was another two half steps on Vivian's part before she spoke up. "Help...please..."
Vivian checked her pockets then rummaged in Nick's nightstand but didn't find what she had hoped she would have. Vivian sighed and reached over to the tray and picked up the glass of cold orange juice from it. "Sorry about this dear. Close your eyes," Vivian said grimacing before throwing the contents of the glass onto Nick. A bit splashed onto Judy but most soaked Nick's face.
"AUGH!" Nick shouted rolling around to put himself between what ever was attacking him and what he was cuddled around. Letting go of the object he was protecting in his sleep he prepared to leap at his attacker before his mad scramble to wakefulness finished. Unfortunately for him the blanket had managed to stay partially wrapped around his foot when the rest had dropped away turning his pounce into a crash. "YIP!" The hard crash of his butt to the floor woke him far faster then the cold glass of orange juice did. "WHAT THE FU...!?" Nick started to say before he saw his mother standing over him and Judy on his bed. Judy was staring at him like deer caught in the headlights while Vivian shook her head and punched the bridge of her muzzle with the paw not still holding the empty glass.
He looked down and saw himself nearly perfectly framed in the light coming in from the hallway. In a blur of motion his tail came up and clamped firmly over his groin. He had a fairly good idea what he felt seeping into his tail fur from his fox-hood was as he started to put the pieces together of what was going on. Still his room, he is suppose to be in here; Judy in his bed, not normal when waking up in bed; breakfast tray, it was his birthday; orange juice soaked fur, no idea; mother with an empty glass, that's where the juice came from; and him on the floor in just his fur now with his tail protecting his modesty, something has gone terribly wrong. Nick's tail was like a starting flag for Judy while he had been thinking. Once he was fully covered she leaped off the bed and out the door at a speed that could rival a cheetah in a dead sprint.
"Go take a shower Nicky and make sure you get your bedding into the wash before that juice soaks in," Vivian said softly and calmly putting the glass back on the tray and picking it up. "Judy wanted to do something nice for you and make you breakfast-in-bed for your sixteenth birthday. You gave her quite an eyeful just now not to mention pulling her into your bed while you where naked." She knew her son and tried to give him the facts she knew before he could come to his own conclusions.
"I...didn't...I was asleep..." Nick said trying to wake up and process what was happening but he couldn't help the subvocal whine of distress and despair that escaped him.
"I know Nicky," Vivian said stepping around him and balancing the tray on her hip to pull the door closed. "Judy knows too but she likely needs some time alone with herself right now so don't go rushing over before the two of you have a chance to cool off. It was a bit shocking for her I imagine. I don't know if she will be at breakfast so she will get what we made for you. There is more in the kitchen once you get yourself and your bedding taken care of." She pulled the door closed with a sigh. It had been a few years since she had had to wake him up any other way other then knocking on his door. If she had known Nick had stopped wearing anything to bed she never would have agreed to Judy's plan to wake him up with breakfast. Vivian walked over to Judy's room and knocked. "Judy dear? Can I come in?"
"No!" Judy shouted though the door.
"Okay dear..." Vivian didn't try the door nob but assumed she would find it locked. "I have the breakfast tray here. I am going to leave it here for you in case...in case you don't feel up to coming to the kitchen."
"Mmmmmm-kaaaay!"
Vivian blinked at the odd moan in Judy's reply. Slowly she set the tray down next to the door and carefully sniffed around the edge of the door. "Oh my," Vivian said softly to herself as a light blush crept into her ears. "Alright dear...I'll be going now...take your time!" She turned to walk way but stopped and bent down and took the turkey bacon off the plate. "Waste not want not," Vivian whispered to herself and nibbled on it on her way back to the kitchen. She felt like she was getting too old to look after teenagers who couldn't admit they loved each other.
It had taken a Judy an hour before she could even think about anything else other then her hormones. It was another fifteen minutes catching her breath while berating herself for being a bad friend for what she had just fantasized about and for thinking breakfast-in-bed was a good idea. Just the other day Nick had told her to knock before barging into his room while clinging his blankets tightly against him when she came to pay him back for coming into her room the first morning of the blizzard. She should have realized with as comfortable he was up at the Hoods and with how thick his winter coat was he wouldn't likely be wearing much to bed. He had even said the hormone suppressants for his mating season where taking the worst of the edge off of the extra hormones his body was producing. He had said it was the same as being a teenage male the rest of the year with them so of course he would still wake up with the morning wood that she heard so many of her brothers complain about.
Picking though the cold food Vivian had left by her door and taking a very long shower left Judy bring the tray back to the kitchen nearly two hours after her poorly planned idea of surprising Nick with breakfast-in-bed. The kitchen was empty except for Vivian humming to herself as she tipped a few pawfuls of vegetables into a stock pot on the stove and gave it a quick stir. "Hi Mrs. Wilde," Judy said walking up to the sink. Her ears dropped down her back and held a slight tinge of red as she avoided eye contact.
"Judy! I wasn't sure when you would be out of your room again. How are you doing? Did you get enough breakfast?" Vivian asked settling the lid back on the stock pot and seeing how much food was left of the tray.
"Umm...I am okay," Judy said sliding the syrup soggy waffle remains into the trash and staring the water in the sink. Washing off the syrup residue from her plate Judy asked quietly, "Where's Nick?"
"He said he had a few things he wanted to get done before lunch and the rest of the solstice preparations," Vivian said coming over with a dry dish towel and taking the plate from Judy to dry and put away.
"How...how is he doing," Judy asked moving onto the bowl that had held the apple slices.
"Nervous that he ruined your friendship by pulling you into his bed while asleep, worried that you are mad about what happened, and embarrassed about how the first time you saw all of him naked his mother was in the same room," Vivian said the last with with a smirk.
"Cheese and crackers..." Judy muttered dropping her head into her paws. "All I wanted to do was something nice fore him and it turned into such a train wreck!"
"Tell me what is going on in that little head of yours dear," Vivian said trying comfort Judy. "It's not as bad as it seems."
"Not that bad!" Judy cried out before turning and burying her face into Vivian's shirt. "I should have known better then to barge into his room..."
"The two of you have been doing that for years at this point dear," Vivian said rubbing Judy's back.
"I should have tried harder to wake him up or get out of his grip once I realized he was naked," Judy said holding Vivian tighter, "Not wiggle around because it felt good after he called me his bunny..."
"Nicky was completely wrapped around you by the time I came back. Both of you are, sorry for this phase dear, hopped up on teenager hormones. Yours made worse by not being able to use suppressors at all and his by it being mating season for foxes without his morning dose of suppressors. Anything short of kicking him between the legs would have lead to the same reaction," Vivian countered avoiding the part about Nick calling Judy his bunny. There was giving Judy a nudge that Nick loved her and there was pointing out the obvious that was staring her in the face.
"I ran out of his room only after he managed to cover himself only to lock myself into room to..." Judy trailed off as her ears burned.
"To take care of yourself and get your emotions in check from the sudden shock of what happened," Vivian said softly offering a different perspective. "While giving him a chance to do the same."
"Something like that..." Judy said closing her eyes and taking a deep breath calming down for the first time since everything started. "Thanks Mrs. Wilde."
"No problem dear," Vivian said giving Judy one last hug before letting go. Carefully Vivian nudged Judy away from the sink while flipping the drying towel over her shoulder. "So I'll finish washing these and you go find your fox. He wouldn't forgive himself if he thought he hurt you and leaving what happened stew isn't good for either of you."
"He...he isn't my fox..." Judy mumbled denying it despite how much she wanted to claim it while looking down and trying to hide the insides of her ears.
Vivian turned and just gazed at Judy smirking all the while. "If you say so dear...if you say so."
"Okay now where would Nick get off to..." Judy spoke to herself as she left the kitchen. She went to the most obvious place first but Nick's door was wide open and the light was off. An obvious sign that he wasn't there or a clever ruse to throw her off his track. To be safe she knocked on the door frame before peaking her head into the room and turning the lights on just to be sure. Empty after all. Even the bathroom was devoid of anyone. A quick walk though showed Judy nothing much had changed from this morning except the bed was neatly made with a new set of bedding in a different color. Shutting off the light Judy left the door open and continued to check rooms along the hallway knocking softly before opening the door for a quick peak.
Hesitating at one door in particular off a different hallway Judy gathered her courage and gave at a firmer knock then the others. "It's open!" Johnathan called from the room.
"Good morning Mr. Wilde," Judy said as she walked into one of the rooms Johnathan had claimed for himself. It would normally have been a good sized room with one of the walls being mostly windows facing south if it wasn't filled with shelves full of bolts of cloth, a few adjustable mannequins of a size for foxes and bunnies but one in the corner looked big enough for a polar bear, and a collection of the various tools and equipment any tailor shop would be happy to have. "I don't suppose you have seen Nick or know where he is?" Judy asked. "I really need to talk to him."
"Good morning Judy," Johnathan smiled from the table holding his sewing machine. "Sorry but I haven't seen Nicky since breakfast. He didn't eat much and slipped away before I was done with my first cup of coffee."
"Okay thanks anyway...I'll just be go..." Judy started to say before being interrupted.
"You have good timing though. I needed to find you before tonight for a quick fitting," Johnathan said standing and going over to a side table that had a few outfits neatly folded. With a practiced flick of the wrist the long royal purple tunic unfolded itself and hung by the shoulders from Johnathan's paws. "You've grown a bit since last solstice so I made you a new one. Just slip it on over your shirt and we will give it a look."
"Okay," Judy said holding back a sigh. She knew it would faster to just go though with the fitting rather then try and excuse herself. Johnathan was a perfectionist when it came to the clothes he made. Especially the ones he made for gifts. "I need to find Nick though. Hopefully before lunch." Slipping the tunic on she found it was a bit baggy but not so much that anyone other then a tailor would likely think much of it. Stepping up on the alteration platform she caught sight of the sun reflecting off the drifts of snow outside of the windows. It was beautiful.
Johnathan took a moment to enjoy the view with Judy before getting to work. "Just hold still and I'll be done before you know it." Carefully he used pins to tuck a hem here and a seam there. "Vivian mentioned that you had a bit of an unexpected surprise this morning when you two went to give Nicky breakfast-in-bed."
Glancing down Judy was glad to see that Johnathan wasn't looking up at her but continued to focus on the work in front of him. "It way more then a bit...how much did she tell you?"
"She said it took you a while to decide if you wanted help getting out of the position you found yourself in or some privacy," Johnathan said looking up and giving her a wink and a smirk. "Among other things."
"...It was early? I wasn't entirely awake?" Judy said with a upward inflection turning her excuses into a question rather then an answer while trying to hide her blush.
"Those would be good excuses if you just wondered into his room on accident in the middle of the night after using the bathroom not after making him and the rest of us breakfast," Johnathan said with a frown when he spotted one of the pins he had placed pulled out of line by the last one he had used.
"I wasn't thinking straight..." Judy muttered, "Hormones."
Johnathan nodded to this and paused in his work to look up. "That one is more honest I think but still not the entire truth. Raise your arm up please. Shoulder high."
"What else could it be?" Judy said holding her arms up as Johnathan quickly circled her checking the bottom hem.
"Alright you can put your arms down and slip out of that now," Johnathan said helping Judy remove the tunic without disturbing the pins or poking herself with them. Johnathan draped the tunic over his arm and leaned back against a nearby shelf. "Judy...Nicky will be back at the kitchen for lunch and he wouldn't miss the solstice celebration tonight. If it was just hormones would you really be trying to find him and set things right?" Johnathan held up his paw to stop Judy from answering. "Just think about it Judy. I'm not the one who needs an answer to that. Now scoot I have sewing to do." Johnathan said moving over to the sewing machine and changing out the bobbin to match Judy's tunic.
"See you at lunch Mr. Wilde," Judy said as she left the room to the sound of the sewing machine humming back to life too deep in thought to hear his reply. Continuing her search for Nick she slowly spiraled down the levels of the Den checking in all the nooks and crannies she could think of that she and Nick had every tucked themselves away in over the years. Her ears perked up in sudden realization and she skipped past several normally empty, save for the dust bunnies, rooms and skidded to a stop in the small library. Rushing over to one of the recessed shelves she tripped the latch hidden under a shelf and gave it bookcase a shove.
As kits they had begged Johnathan to help them put in the 'secret' door she was opening now. Nearly all of the detective and mystery books they read had some sort of hidden room or inner-sanctum and they had wanted one too. As kits this room had held a small bookshelf where they kept the books they where reading at the moment and a semi permanent blanket fort with battery lanterns. As they got older the blanket fort had been replaced with a well stuffed love-seat and the lanterns with regular lamps, a small heater in winter, and a fan in summer. Now though her and Nicks small reading nook was as dark, empty, and cold as most of the other rooms she had checked. Frowning Judy pulled the bookcase closed again and frowned. Seeing the reading nook had tripped her memory of a few days before.
Judy let out a deep sigh as she leaned her head back to stare at the ceiling the book in her paws forgotten for the moment. She lay with her back against Nick's stomach as he lay on his side behind her on a love-seat. While the cold didn't penetrate the thick walls of the Den quicker then the heaters could keep it out near the core of the Den at first it had been growing cooler as the blizzard continued. She found herself more often then not cuddled up somewhere with Nick for that extra amount of warmth his body provided rather then try and find spare blankets or an extra heater. Her late night talk with Vivian had been tumbling around her mind for the two days since the blizzard had started and she was restless. She had fallen asleep on the couch that night and had awoken to Nick curled around her with his parents partially curled around the pair. They hadn't fallen asleep like that in years and she found that she missed the warmth and security she felt being surrounded by him.
"You alright there Carrots?" Nick asked looking up from the page of the book he was reading. "Cold?" He asked as his tail pressed more firmly around her from where it had been resting on her lap.
"I'm alright Slick," Judy said tonelessly while absentmindedly running a paw though his tail. "Just...board and restless being stuck inside by the blizzard."
Nick slipped a scarp piece of paper into his book and set it on the end table. "Well...we could always go down to the tunnel for a another run. We would have to do a few dozen laps to match the loop and there isn't an obstacle course but it would help burn off some energy and its warm enough underground we don't have to worry about becoming paw-sicles."
Judy flopped onto her side and curled herself around Nick's tail. "We already did that today Slick and we will do it again tomorrow." She nuzzled her chin into his tail and let out another deep sigh against the feel of his long soft fur against her own.
It took far more effort then Nick cared to admit to keep from purring at what Judy was doing to his tail. He did what he normally did in this situation and started to run his claws through the short fur covering her ears to distract himself. "Any ideas on what you want to do Carrots?"
"I don't know..." Judy muttered melting into Nick's paw.
An idea came into Nick's head suddenly enough that he stopped scratching. He could feel the glare and sure enough when he looked down he saw the amethyst eyes of Judy glaring at him. "Enough with the glare of death Carrots," Nick chuckled wrapping his arms around Judy and sitting up. She squeaked finding herself in his lap still clutching his tail. "I have an idea...how would you like to see something you haven't seen before?"
Judy's ears snapped up suddenly enough that she could feel them slap Nick in the muzzle. "What...what are you talking about Nick." She couldn't help herself from glancing down at his lap. She hadn't taken matters into her own paws since getting to the Wilde Den to knock her slowly climbing hormone levels down and the amount of cuddling she had been doing with Nick hadn't helped keep them low.
"Do you trust me Judy?" Nick said picking her up and setting her next to him before standing awkwardly. His tail was still trapped in Judy's grip and he didn't want to risk yanking it. He hated the yipping sound he made when it happened.
"Always Nick," Judy said letting go of Nicks tail and jumping down. Nick reached his paw down and smiled. His emerald eyes sparkles as Judy placed her paw in his and smiled up at him. She knew her ears where staring to turn pink but she didn't care. She would follow her fox anywhere.
"Dumb bunny!" Judy shouted to herself and sprinted towards the stairs and down to the deepest level of the Den all other rooms in between she had yet to check forgotten. Besides the entrances to the aging rooms and tunnel to the warehouses the lowest levels held a few rooms that Judy had rarely ever needed to visit over the last six years. It was truly the last place that she would check.
She knew Johnathan had a cozy study with a small fake fireplace tucked away behind one of the doors down there. A pair comfortably overstuffed armchair, a hollowed out antique globe bar that Jack 'Savage' O'Hare had help him find containing a few bottles of liquor 'borrowed' from the reserve, and a bookshelf where the rooms only furniture. It was a place that you didn't go into unless you where invited in by Johnathan and only Vivian could get away with an unexpected visit. It was his little oasis of quiet he could relax in after a busy day of frantic sewing rush orders.
Vivian's private workshop and reserve inhabited two of the other rooms. Judy had found her mom and Vivian laughing over glasses a few times over the years and had marveled at the shelves lining one of the rooms slowing filling with bottles. Empty and full bottles showed years of progress proudly displayed and generously shared among friends. Of course when she wanted to do more then rest on her laurels she had an adjoining room that at first glace looked like a cross between a spice merchant's stall and an apothecary. Here she had everything on paw to experiment on small batches for new products. A few wonderful things came out of that room and made it into the large fermentation tanks out in the barns as a new line or a limited edition brew. Success was never guaranteed though and more then a few batch found their way down the drain after she and other unfortunate mammal testing it did a collective spit take. By the third attempt at a carrot cake flavored ale all of the of age Hopps where weary about entering that room.
The last room on this level was one Judy had only seen inside once. Despite their many years of friendship Nick had never brought her into his private hobby room. She had asked before to see it over the years and again when he had first given her a bottle of perfume wondered how he had managed to make it. He had just smirked and told her he had to have some secrets from her. After he had taken her down to see it earlier in the week she knew it held held a workbench covered with the latest hobby he had picked up and shelves full of the tools he needed to continue the hobbies he had already mastered. Into this room came a seemingly random assortment of materials, flowers, herbs, bottles, jars, and a few bottles of alcohol proofed so high Vivian was less concerned with Nick drinking it as she was it would somehow spontaneously combust while he used it. Out of he little workshop came the vials of perfume, extracts, and other paw-made things he used as gifts and sold on occasion at the farmers markets.
Panting slightly from the sprint Judy stood in front of his workshop door. Stealing her nerve she firmly knocked. "Come in Judy," came Nick's voice though the door.
"How did you know it was me?" Judy asked as she opened the door. The room was still just as impressive as the first time she saw it. A chemistry table along one wall held an impressive collection of glassware he used to extract essential oils from various plants. She knew the cabinet next it held carefully labeled amber dropper bottles he stored the oils in until he was ready to mix them together. A book case was filled with how-to manuals and various other books that helped him with whatever hobby caught is interest at the time. Sitting on a stool at the other workbench opposite of them chemistry bench Nick hid something in a cubbyhole, carefully set down a pair of pliers, and swept a few scraps of copper wire off to the side of the table into a trash bin.
"Mom and Dad wouldn't have started looking for me until I missed lunch," Nick said looking down at the floor. His tail hung limply as did his ears. "Judy...about this morning...I'm sorry..."
"Nick..it's okay. I'm not mad and it wasn't your fault," Judy said hopping over and resting her paw on his leg. She was glad she had had a chance to talk her thoughts out with Vivian and Johnathan seeing Nick like this. "You where asleep and I was the one who barged into your room without knocking. I should be..."
"Judy! I pulled you into my bed! I was naked! How is that okay!" Nick shouted and stood up from the stool. Starting to pace back and forth Nick rubbed his paws over his ears and started to emit a sub-vocal whine. "I could have...I could have...AUGH!" Judy hoped up into the stool that Nick had left and watched for a moment as Nick's tail bushed and twitched. She had gotten better at reading fox body language and while the more subtle meanings of the sub-vocals escaped her she no one would have been able to miss the the general sense of his now. Extreme distress and guilt.
"Nick you didn't and I trust you," Judy said and quickly continued when she saw Nick's head snap up and his mouth opened, "It wasn't the first time we've slept cuddled together and I hope it wont be the last." It was Judy's turn avoid eye contact while sitting on the stool as she used her ears to cover her eyes. "Although we should probably get you some sleep pants for now. I...I am not ready to go that far...yet." Risking a glance up she saw Nick had his mouth handing open and head tilted to the side. 'I broke my fox,' Judy thought smiling up at him.
"Judy..." Nick said blinking and taking a tentative step forward. At Judy's nod and flick of her paw in a come here gesture he crossed the rest of the distance. Slowly he raised his paw to her cheek but didn't touch it giving Judy a chance to pull away or stop if she wanted to. "You know I love you right?"
Judy leaned into Nick's paw giving it a nuzzle and looked up at him. Reaching out her paw she took a grip of his shirt and slowly dragged him forward until their lips met in a slow deep kiss. "Do I know that? Yes, yes I do." Darting forward she pecked his lips in another quick kiss. "You know I love you right?"
"Do I know that? Yes, yes I do," Nick said wrapping his paws around Judy and resting his head on her shoulder while he hugged her. "Well Carrots ...I think you just managed to turn this from my worst birthday to my best birthday ever," Nick said as he pulled back from the hug with a goofy grin on his face and a wagging tail, "You did ruin my plans for the next couple of hours though. I was originally going to hide out here until lunch trying to figure out how to make up for what I did. What now?" Nick's stomach chose that time to growl aggressively.
"Well its a bit early but how about lunch or at least a snack," Judy said jumping off the stool with a laugh until her own stomach started to rumble.
"Sounds like some-bunny is hungry too," Nick said grinning and tentatively holding out his paw. Judy took it while beaming up at him. "Alright let's head up."
"Well, well, well! The two of you look like you've kisses and made up" Vivian eyes lit up and her tail couldn't stop wagging when she saw Nick and Judy walk into the kitchen paw in paw.
Judy and Nick froze on their way over to the fridge when they heard what Vivian said. Leaning into Nick's side Judy blushed slightly, "Yeah we kinda did."
"It's about time," Vivian huffed coming over and pulling the two of them into a hug. "If I had known all it would take was seeing him naked I would have brought out his baby album years ago." Vivian asked Judy with a grin and waggling eyebrows, "I can still go get it if you want to see it dear. Wonderful blackmail material in it for when you need to give him a little motivation."
"MOM!" Nick cried his ears trying to decide on blushing or paling. He still wasn't entirely over his embarrassment from this morning and worried it would be too soon to joke about it. Plus the treat of that dreaded baby album was never one to be taken lightly.
"She hasn't answered my question," Vivian singsonged walking over to the fridge and pulling out a plate filled with sliced vegetables, fruit, some cheese, and meat. Setting it down on the table Vivian gestured at the chairs opposite the one she took, "Come and get something to eat before I start making lunch. Neither of you ate much this morning."
"..thanks mom," Nick grumbled as he let go of Judy's paw long enough to pull a chair out for her before taking his own next to her. He slid the plate over to Judy first before grabbed a bit of the cheese and meat from the plate and put it on top of an apple slice for himself.
Vivian tried to appear patient as she waited for the two in front of her to get some food in them but her tail wagging side to side betrayed her interest. It had taken something that had the potential to tear them apart for them to finally come to terms with how they felt about each other. She had watched the two dance around each other for far to long not get get at least part of the story about what had happened between breakfast and now. "So," Vivian said finally said not being able to take the silence anymore, "Should I find some ear plugs for Johnathan and I tonight and do I need to have the talk with the two of you about being safe and responsible?"
Nick choked on the food he had been eating and Judy had to pad him on the back to help him clear it. "Are you alright Nick?" Judy asked and got a thumbs up from him despite his continued coughing. Judy could feel a blush in her ears and was suddenly wishing it had been her that was choking on food so she wouldn't have to be the one to answer. "No need for either Mrs. Wilde. We haven't even been on an official date yet...it...it's too soon for that yet..." Judy mumbled.
"Too soon for what?" Johnathan asked walking in arms full of folded clothes and Pawaiian cloth wrapped present held together with a ribbon. "Nicky? Why are you coughing? You should really chew your food better then trying to gulp it down."
"Too soon for them to be enjoying mandatory cuddle time yet dear. These two finally admitted they have feelings for each other. You should have seen them walk into the kitchen paw in paw," Vivian cooed, "It was adorable."
"It's about time," Johnathan nodded, "Congratulations you two." He looked over at Vivian and tilted his head to the side, "Do we still have those ear plugs just in case?"
"Seriously?!" Nick said finally clearing his throat, "The first things you two say is 'it's about time' and 'where are the ear plugs.'"
"Yes," Johnathan said bluntly setting his bundle down on the table. "Do you really want to hear why your mother and I are saying so? We could go over and see if Bonnie and Stu would like to join us for that conversation. I am sure they have similar points."
"The two of you are always cuddled up together when there's room," Vivian said holding up one paw pad marking the point.
"Nick you are already comfortable with Judy handling your tail and Judy you are just as comfortable with Nick handling your ears," Johnathan added holding out two pads on the same paw.
"Sorry Judy I hate bring this one up again but since everyone here already knows you cannot tolerate hormone suppressors and it is fox mating season," Vivian grimaced slightly holding out a third pad.
"That reminds me," Johnathan said reaching into a pocket and pulling out a small silver case and handing it to Judy. "Scent-Breakers. Nick already has some somewhere but you should have some too. We will have to find you something to keep them in later but you can keep this case for now. You do not want them to break accidentally they smell terrible among other things."
"Okay?" Judy said reaching out and opening the case. A neat row of six Scent-Breaker Capsules rested safely inside. "Why do I need these?" She asked taking one of the Capsules out and turning it over carefully in her paws.
"If you had one of these this morning I would have been awake in nothing flat," Nick said his ears laying back while rubbing the back of his neck. "They also would keep me from getting too pawsy if I catch a strong whiff of your..." Nick paused and his eyes widened in sudden realization, "That was what I smelled on you the morning before the blizzard! Your pheromones! No wonder I got so..."
"Yeah...sorry about that Slick" Judy said with a blush interrupting him replacing the Capsule she had taken out and slipped the case into her pocket, "But we might need these."
"Don't worry dear," Vivian said standing and walking over to rest her a paw on each of Nick's and Judy's shoulders. "Now that he knows what that scent is he won't be as blind sided by it next time." Vivian looked at Nick sternly as she said the last and squeezed his shoulder letting her claws come out just enough to emphasize her point. Nick winced slightly and nodded vigorously.
"Well I suppose that is enough embarrassing you two for now," Johnathan said with a chuckle. "Since we are all here a little early why don't we have Nicky open his gifts before we get lunch ready."
"I'll be right back!" Judy shouted hopping up from the chair and giving Nick a quick kiss on the side of his muzzle before calling over her shoulder as she darted out of the kitchen, "Mine is still in my room!"
"Nicky," Vivian said sweetly with her claws still slightly dug into Nick's shoulder when Judy was out of earshot.
"Yes mom?" Nick said with a wince.
"I trust you will be on your best behavior around her," Vivian let an edge of a growl creep into her voice. "She isn't a vixen but I still expect you to treat her as one. All that she truly knows about foxes is what we have shown her." She had withdrawn her claws partway though the speech. By the end she pulled Nick into a hug. "Keep that in mind Nicky and don't assume she may know something she may not about us."
"I will mom," Nick said hugging her back.
"Aww how cute," Judy cooed as she came back when Vivian managed to ruffle the fur on Nick's head and plant a sloppy kiss on his cheek before he could escape.
"Thanks Carrots," Nick said smirking as he tried to get the fur on his head to lay back down, "Remind me the next time I see your mom to say how much you missed her pinching your cheeks."
"Uh-huh," Judy said setting the funny-pages wrapped package on the table and crossing her arms giving Nick a playful glare, "And just how well do you think that will work out for you."
"Oh Judy!" Johnathan burst out laughing at seeing Nick gulp and mutter an apology. "I always knew you had some of a vixen spirit in you."
"Huh?" Judy tilted her head in confusion.
"I'll tell you later dear," Vivian chuckled pulling another cloth wrapped box from a cupboard and adding it to the other two other gifts already on the table, "Now lets let Nick open his presents and get some lunch."
Nick looked over the three gifts on the table then to the three faces smiling at him. "Alright here I go," Nick said reaching for the wrapped bundle Johnathan had brought with him. Nick used his claws to carefully undue the ribbon's knot and unwrapped the Pawaiian cloth. Inside was another bundle of Pawaiian cloth. Nick grinned and carefully shook out the cloth. Two bundles fell out and the last stayed in his paws revealing a neat row of buttons down the middle. Picking up the two bundles that fell to the table Nick unfolded them to reveal a second button down shirt and a pair of sleep pants. He blushed at the sleep pants and quickly folded them before unbuttoning one or the shirts.
"Happy birthday son," Johnathan smiled as Nick quickly donned the shirt he had unbutloned and it fit perfectly.
"Thanks dad!" Nick said giving Johnathan a hug. Going back to the two remaining gifts he winked at Judy and pulled the one from his mother towards him. "Gotta save the best for last Carrots." Opening it quickly Nick set the cloth aside to be reused and puzzled the contents. A small wooden treasure chest the size of a loaf of bread sat on the table. A bright brass lock gleamed in the kitchen light. "Okay this is new," Nick said poking the lock with a claw. Looking up at Vivian he smirked, "Is there a key or is this where you tell me to channel my inner lock-picking fox." Vivian laughed and pulled a key from her pocket. Nick took it and with a firm twist opened the lock then the lid. Three spools of fine silver wire gleamed against the felt lining of the box. Nick looked up to his mother standing out of sight behind Judy and saw her nod and look down pointedly at Judy. Nick carefully closed and locked the chest. "Mom I don't know what to say," Nick said giving her a hug, "Thank you."
"No need to thank me Nicky," Vivian said clearly before palming a small velvet bag into his pocket while they hugged. "Chrome Diopside stones," she whispered carefully into his ear, "The same shade as your eyes. There is a couple of deep purple amethysts in there too."
"Okay last one," Nick said breaking the hug and going back to the table pulling Judy's gift towards him. With a grin Nick tore into the paper not bothering to be careful. One thing he loved about gifts from Judy was he didn't have to worry about needing to reuse the wrapping. An old hard-backed book thumped against the table. Nick froze as he saw longbow and arrow debossed on the cover and asked quietly looking up at Judy, "Is this what I think it is?"
"Why don't you open it and find out," Judy said with obviously faked nonchalance.
Slowly Nick flipped open the cover and turned to the title page. "The Adventures of Sir Robin Locksley," Nick read aloud. Although the ink was faded with age he could see a signature that was still clear enough to read easily under the neat rows of type face. "It's signed by the author...how...? He's been dead for nearly a century."
"Happy birthday Nick. Although to be honest," Judy said grinning, "It's kinda a gift from Beth too and she is expecting a thank you the next time you see her. She bought a lot of books from an estate sale where this one was hiding and I was lucky enough to be in the library helping her when it came in. She let me have it if I bought a new copy of it for the shelves..." She did not get any further as Nick swept her into his arms, spun her around once, and kissed her soundly.
"Thank you Judy," Nick said breaking the kiss but keeping a hold of her and looked deep into her eyes. He watched Judy bling slowly and her mouth hang open slightly before leaning his head down again.
"Alright you two," Vivian said disrupting the moment causing the two to jerk their heads to where she was standing. "Enough of that for now or I will go looking for those ear plugs. Lunch and solstice preparations first, exploring the depths of your love later."
"...so that is pretty much what you can expect dear once you two get there. At that point the two of you are tied together for 'mandatory cuddle time' upwards of half an hour." Vivian said happily kneading dough next to Judy.
Judy who would be doing the same if not for getting lost in the blunt conversation she had just been a part of looked down at her flower covered hands and slowly started to knead the dough again. Prep work and cooking for the solstice feast was well underway by the vixen and the doe. Lunch had been a relatively simple meal of a vegetable pasta salad with bits of chicken to mix in for the foxes and was long since over. She was very glad that Nick and Johnathan had left after lunch to work on setting up the living room for the night. As soon as the todds left Vivian had started to give Judy a much more thorough understanding of foxes and particularly what vixens would be taught as they grew. While still flustered from what Vivian was telling her, especially when it came to mating, she knew this would be the best chance she had to ask questions. "So that's the only way for a todd to...get off?"
Vivian chuckled as she worked to make the bread for dinner by hand and from scratch. "Oh no dear todds just need a bit of pressure on it for that. If you can get your paws around it," Vivian turned the dough she was working into a crude example of what she was talking about and demonstrated with her paws, "Or you tell the todd to get his paws around it once it starts to swell you don't need to take the whole thing if you don't want to. They sell bands too that a todd can slip over themselves that will apply the pressure for them once the knot starts to swell. It's more paws free that way."
Judy winced slightly as the crude model Vivian made was quickly kneaded back into a blob of dough. "Okay that's a bit more then I wanted to know," Judy said reaching over and adding a bit more flower to her too sticky blob of dough. If nothing else this conversation was doing wonders at desensitizing her tendency to blush.
"While stumbling though it on your own can be fun dear," Vivian said with a wink, "It's better to know now then after taking a shower tied together so you wont be late to work one morning. That is something you only do once or twice."
"...you know you are going to have to talk with Bonnie and Stu about this son," Johnathan said as they finished moving the couch farther away from the hearth. "I am hardly and expert in rabbits unless you count tailoring. I can size up a doe's measurements by eye easily enough but I don't think that will be much use for you."
"Not really looking forward to that conversation," Nick grimaced going back to where the couch had been and rolled up the rug covering the stone floor in front of the fire place. "I keep picturing Mr. Hopps going to find a shotgun after waking up from fainting."
"Well..." Johnathan said grabbing one end of the rug and helping him move it. "Maybe stick close to Bonnie and Judy for a while after he wakes up. I don't think he is that good of a shot." Johnathan and Nick stared at each other for a moment before bursting out laughing. "Joking aside Nicky...you need to talk to them about this. I am sure there are thinks about bucks and does that we know nothing about."
"I could ask Beth," Nick countered hopefully leaning against the couch. "She could probably point me to some books or something. Rabbits are a lot less secretive then foxes are."
"You cannot ask books questions or get personal experiences from them," Johnathan pointed out stretching out his back while they took a quick break. "Plus you may want a bucks perspective."
"I am not going to get out of talking to Mr. and Mrs. Hopps am I?" Nick sighed.
"Not unless you plan on not dating Judy after all," Johnathan said standing, "I'll go call them and see if they can come over for dinner before Judy goes back to school at the end of the break while you go get wood for the fire."
AN: And there we have it. Nick and Judy have finally figured out what pretty much everyone around them have been seeing since those two met. All it took was a nice gesture going horribly wrong that ended up going horribly right.
The solstice, Nick and Judy telling Bonnie and Stu, and most likely the trip into Zootopia with Meadow are coming up soon. The next chapter will be interesting and hopefully not take as long as this one did. In regards to how long this one took...well there is a reason I haven't made a committed scheduled to keep to mostly since I would likely keep breaking it. What is being posted now is the third or fourth version of this chapter depending on how you count. After a couple of false starts I took a bit of time away from the story. When I read back over what I had done so far I wasn't happy with it and I ended up starting from scratch.
As always thanks for reading and I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. Commits, reviews, favs, and kudos are always welcome and a great motivation booster. Also as a friendly reminder this story is cross posted over at ao3 as well in case FF goes screwy again.