NOTE: I am a writer who supports Black Lives Matter, LGBTQIA2+ rights, Trans Rights, and Liberal Feminism. If you don't like any of that, don't read my stories. Thank you.

So, this chapter got rewritten three different times, changing the tone of the intro section greatly every time. It was really important for me to get the mood, and the personality right, or all of this would fall apart. You'll see what I mean, and happy reading. I am sure you are all going to enjoy at least most of this chapter. . .

For those of you who have the money, and enjoyed the story and would like to support me, I have a Kofi account. 100% of all donations go to feeding a poor university student in Canada. Here is the link, but don't feel obligated to.

All characters are owned by Disney, except for my original characters. I have sued the original creator of my original characters for the anguish they have caused me.

Everyone Fox's things up sometimes, right?

Staring up at the ceiling, Nick quietly thought about everything that had happened with Judy over the semester. It had been a particularly odd couple of months. They met, became friends quickly, and then a few weeks into the semester jumped straight to 'friends with benefits'.

As crazy as that big leap was, even crazier was the reasoning for it. Nick couldn't claim to understand a lot about rabbits, or their physiology. He was not sure if he understood how Judy explained it, either. Comparingly, foxes were simple when it came to their heat. It was a certain period of the year, usually between November and January.

Historically, it was called the 'Season of Love', for reasons that didn't need elaboration. There were similar suppressants for foxes, although he'd never heard of a heat being so bad that someone would lose their ability to control themselves. Maybe if they were inebriated, but then, they weren't rabbits. Rabbits, apparently their normal state was basically in heat constantly. From what little he understood. And, the way it worked was way different, so different he didn't understand at all.

About the only thing he understood about rabbits was that Judy was hot as hell. And brilliant, and sassy, and that moxie was something else. Nick couldn't deny that he was attracted to her, it was very clear to him every time they were together. But starting out, he'd never considered the thought of anything happening between them as possible.

It just didn't happen that often. There was still a slight taboo on interspecies relationships, although clearly with his upbringing he didn't see an issue with it. It wasn't extremely common though, and the odds of the person being attracted back were not very high at all. Especially given the fact she was born in Bunnyburrow.

If she was a rabbit born and raised in Zootopia, there would have been better odds. Diversity, unity, and all that has an effect when you are growing up. But, out in the boondocks, surrounded by primarily rabbit culture, the odds weren't high she'd be interested in anything but rabbits. She'd told him one day how her father thought of foxes, and he wasn't very surprised. So, he never bothered to entertain the thought, despite the fact he couldn't keep himself from flirting with her now and then.

They couldn't blame a fox for trying, right?

But then, that night happened, and everything after it, making it somewhat clearer that Judy was a little more open to the idea than he thought. And then he had to go and open his mouth and spit out some of the weirdest thoughts he'd ever had.

He couldn't really pinpoint what he was thinking when he brought up the idea of friends with benefits, to help her. He was pretty sure he could blame it on being hungover, and definitely a 'little' horny after the night. Originally, he never expected her to take him up on the offer. He even regretted bringing it up and pretended that it didn't happen. It was stupid, and he felt like crap for taking advantage of her state, especially since he thought he had the best of intentions.

But then she showed up that night, and he did his best to make sure she was okay with it. From that moment, and every moment after, much to her chagrin.

And now, he didn't think he could regret what had happened between them. Sure, friends with benefits was weird, but it had been very fun. And in a weird way, he thought it made their friendship a little stronger, although who knew how the end would affect it. Which was the predicament he found himself in now. How would the next few days, or weeks, turn out?

Judy had come up to him a week ago and told him that she was on a 'low end', and she wanted to see if she could make it to when her pills were in at the end of the month. It was a little sudden, although Nick did remember she mentioned something about how it went up and down over time. And, now with it being a week, with the same amount of time till her pills, Nick was sure it was the end of their 'with benefits'.

Nick never expected it to last forever. Heck, he wasn't sure a normal romantic relationship with the rabbit would last forever, either. She was so full of spunk, so full of energy, Nick was never sure if he'd be able to keep up with her in the long run. With the arrangement they had, it was almost better for everyone that it had a determined endpoint. From the very beginning, he was just hanging on tight until the inevitable end.

He was sure his grandmother would be rolling around in her grave right now if she knew what he was doing. A staunch believer in tradition, she thought that foxes should mate for life only, and never with anyone before or after. Regretfully for Nick's mother, his grandmother also believed they should only mate with other foxes. He felt a twinge of pain, remembering the yelling matches.

Nick was not a believer in that tradition. For one, it was antiquated and stupid and lead to a lot of unhappy marriages. Sure, eventually get married, and all that stuff. In today's world, people dated. People did whatever they wanted. And people married. And those things did not have to be together or go in any order.

Nick's grandmother could be damned though because he didn't regret a single second he spent with Judy. Nor did he think that his mother could be happier than she was right now with Bogo.

He snorted to the air, remembering when he called Bogo back. Nick had done the stupid thing and told his mother about what was happening with Judy. To which, she wanted pictures of Judy, her birthdate, her favourite colour, her address, and her social insurance number (well, maybe the last was an exaggeration. . . slightly). And then, of course, his mother went and told everyone she knew.

He'd received texts from Ben. From Finnick. From Flash. And even messages from other officers at the department. Nick didn't know how, but Nick's mother had a knack for distributing information quickly. And, quite obviously, she had told Bogo first.

When he called Bogo back, it was both one of the strangest conversations he'd ever had. It has to be strange when your stepdad starts asking those questions. Do you have protection? Have you checked with a doctor? Do you know if you are both compatible? Is she taking anything? Have you discussed a safe word? Have you checked online for recommendations? And more, that he'd rather not remember.

It didn't matter when he told Bogo that it was just a few 'helping hands', and they weren't doing anything else. Horrifically, he responded by telling Nick that it always starts that way until someone ends up 'slipping on a banana peel'. Nick needed to bleach his eyeballs after that image crossed his mind, and he shook his head lightly.

Bogo thought it was silly that they were keeping everything a secret, though. He talked about how it never works, people find out, and that there was nothing to be ashamed about. Which, Nick agreed wholeheartedly with. But that was not his decision. It wasn't Nick's right to make a decision about their arrangement on his own, and Judy had made it fairly clear that she wanted it to remain hushed for now.

And it would if he had anything to say about it. Except, apparently, in Zootopia. But, most of them didn't know her last name, and there were a lot of rabbits, so, she was probably safe there. He could understand her point of view, though. Her brother was basically a spy for her parents, and she didn't want to go through the stress and issues of explaining this whole thing to them. Even if she did joke that they'd be getting what they deserved.

Speaking of, he hadn't seen her brother in a long time. . . Or his friends, either. He paused, trying to think of the last time he'd even seen the rabbit. It may have been a month ago, or two? Or, maybe even longer than that. He'd strangely went silent, according to Judy.

Either he was plotting, or he'd given up. . . Most likely plotting, he imagined. Although, Nick'd get pissed doing a 'mission' for his mother constantly, too. It made Nick's life easy, though. He didn't have to bother any rabbits, and they didn't bother Judy.

Nick let out a sigh. He would miss her-

Bzzz-bzzzz.

His phone vibrated on the nightstand, stirring the fox from his thoughts. He let out a slight groan, wondering if it was worth it to check. It wasn't the first time he'd gotten a message in the middle of the night, and it was never important.

Given his Zootopia friends and their propensity to party back home, it could be anything from a party pic to them drunkenly texting him the strangest stuff. Or, Bogo, who often worked late-night shifts. . . Well, maybe it could be important then.

He picked up the phone and swiped it open to the home screen to check the notification.

He blinked in confusion. It was a text from Judy. Who almost certainly didn't randomly text him in the middle of the night for no reason. And he was pretty sure was over in the bedroom across the hall, unless she somehow snuck out in the middle of the night.

Which, the rabbit was probably capable of. Nick's ears were good, but that rabbit was good at moving quietly. He smiled, imagining her crouched outside her door, creeping down the stairs. The gyrations of those legs, and that butt. . . Probably not the time for those thoughts, so he tapped on the message head to read the contents. His eyes widened as he read the two words printed on the screen.

J: Come over. If you want.

Nick raised a paw, and rubbed his eyes, before reading the text again. The same letters stared back at him, as he squinted. Was it not over then? Or, did she want to do the 'breakup' in person? Or, was something else afoot? Instead of wondering, he fired back an inquiry, hoping to get an answer.

N: What's up?

Depending on what it was, it might not be important at all. Maybe she got her pills early. Or, maybe, just maybe, their little thing wasn't quite over yet. Although, it was strange that she was texting him, and telling him to come over to her room. They'd always done things in his room, and he hadn't been in her room. . . Well, almost ever.

J: Nothing. Just come over. If you want.

He snorted, wondering why she always had to be mysterious. It was interesting but often confusing. And frankly, Nick wasn't sure what to think of that message. And he highly doubted whatever was going on was 'Nothing'. And the way she was adding 'if you want'. . . . that seemed weird. But he wasn't going to pass on the request. Her pills were still a week out, so, maybe she wanted to continue?

He shuffled out of bed, and quickly threw on a shirt and a nearby pair of pants, before heading for his door as quietly as he could. It was still none of their roommate's business, and he also didn't want to ruin their night's sleep. He opened the door, slipped out quietly, and walked over to the other side of the hall.

He raised his hand, prepared to deliver a very soft knock. It didn't need to be loud, with her ears. But, before he got to touch the door, the lock clicked and opened before his fist could touch it. As it swung open, a familiar rabbit came into view.

A familiar smiling rabbit, dressed only in a thin nighty. Nick's eyes widened, as he stared at her.

"Uhh." He managed, as the rabbit just stared in his eyes with a small smile. One ear was propped up, while the other lay behind her head gently.

"Come in, Nick. And shut the door." She said as she turned away from the doorway, walking further into her room. That's it, Judy. Be suave. Or, sultry. Or whatever. She encouraged herself, as she stood beside her bed and turned to face the fox.

She'd read the whole one ear thing was sexy. Maybe it was? It just looked dumb to her. But, given how the fox slowly entered the room and closed the door behind him without looking away from her, she was pretty sure something was having the intended effect.

As the door clicked shut, Judy spoke again. "And lock it." She was having difficulty reigning in her smile. The fox finally glanced away from her, and turned the lock, before turning to look at her again.

"What did you want to talk about?" The fox asked as he began looking around the room. He was being overly calm, considering. Although, she could tell by the way his eyes moved that he was still very interested in the rabbit in the corner. According to plan. . . He did seem interested in her room, though, reasonably.

He'd never really been in there. For some reason, it was always her going to his room. Which is why she thought it was a good idea for this to happen here. Although, thinking about it, she wondered if she should have cleaned up a little better before sending that message.

Looking around, she saw the edge of the brown 'toy' box near her foot, and quietly pushed it further under with her paw. Looking back up at Nick, he seemed to be examining her Gazelle poster, leaving her in the clear.

"Well, I'm going to start by being honest." Well, maybe she should have been honest with him from the very beginning when she talked to him a week ago. . . But, that was in the past, right? "And, I want to apologize for not telling you the truth from the beginning. . . I, well. . . I didn't want to take a break because I was low in my cycle, or, whatever I told you." She said, looking down at the ground. It was a pretty bad lie, but, he didn't seem to know the difference at the time.

"Oh?" Nick responded curiously, watching her with curiosity.

She shook her head. There was no way to go with the truth, but to get it all out, right? "No. . . As it turns out, I found my missing pills. . . . it wasn't my parents, I just. . ." She paused, shaking her head again. "Somehow misplaced them. This whole time." She walked over to the desk and grabbed the bottle of pills off the desk. She held it out towards Nick, allowing his eyes to read the label before she set it back down.

Nick looked confused, but still very curious. At least he didn't seem angry, that was good. "Okay. . . Did you take them?" He answered quizzically.

She nodded. "Yes, I did. And, they've been working. I don't have any random urges, or trouble thinking, or any of that stuff anymore. They work just the way they are supposed to."

She wondered what was going on in his mind right now. He must have been very confused, given what she was saying, versus how she was dressed. And the fact that he called her over. She thought it was the perfect 'outfit'. He opened his mouth, but before he could respond she interrupted him.

"Of course, the only problem is the pills didn't change the fact I still want to sleep with you." She responded with an exhausted (and fake) sigh. Judy watched as the fox's brain worked on that sentence, and as it got to the end she smiled as she watched the gears grind.

"What?" The fox responded, louder than a whisper. But, she was sure it wasn't too loud.

She nodded. "Yeah. . . I waited a week to make sure, and yeah, I definitely want to still keep this thing going. . . And, maybe go a little further." Her words were chosen very carefully, and it was having an effect alright. The way it made the fox twitch, all over.

It was also the truth. She took the pills, but, it didn't change the fact that she thought he was a sexy beast. And, quite honestly, Judy was starting to think that maybe Sharla was right. If Judy had the opportunity to try new things, things she wanted to, then why shouldn't she? So what if that new thing was a fox?

A fox who's ears were fully perked in her direction. . . She grinned at that. Although, the fox's brain seemed still very confused. "What do you mean?"

She shrugged. "You're hot, compatible, and I maybe kind of definitely have a slight thing for foxes that I would like to act on." Over the past week, Judy had little else to do but come to terms with that reality. She'd watched a crap-ton of examples, and been carefully thinking and testing the idea out. It was definitely a 'thing' she had. But a fun one, at least.

One fox ear bent down again, as he looked the rabbit over again. "So. . . what are you saying you want, exactly?"

Well, at least that was a fair question. "Well, I was wondering if you're interested in continuing our friends with benefits arrangement. Or starting a new one anyway."

Nick seemed to nod along, although she was not sure if it was in agreement or just in recognition of her words. ". . . What would be different in this agreement?" Judy was not sure if Nick was actually taking a lot of this into deep consideration, or didn't want to look eager. Probably both, knowing him.

"Well, no limits, time or, otherwise. . . I figure while we're in school, why not have fun if we both consent? And, I still would like to keep it quiet. . . because of my parents, at least." She would probably have to tell her parents sometime in her life if this 'thing' kept up. But when and where that would be, was her choice and only her choice.

She smirked at Nick, as he lifted a paw and held it to his chin, likely hide a small smile forming on his maw. But, the rabbit was ready to call him out if that was how he was going to play. ". . . From what I can tell from your behaviour, you're interested, no? Or do you have another explanation?" She whispered, with a light chuckle at the end as she looked the fox up and down. There was no way he didn't want to, right?

He looked away and held a paw in front of his mouth as he cleared his throat audibly. "Ahem. . . Yeah, I . . . I am interested if you are. . ." He murmured, as he turned back to face her.

She frowned. "Really? You've been gawking at a rabbit, who invited you over here, and told you she wants to as you eye her up like dinner, and you're asking if I'm interested? Use those 'investigative skills' you're so fond of." She joked, causing the fox to roll his eyes, and raise his hands up in a shrug as he closed his eyes with his nose in the air.

He shouldn't have looked away. "Well, how am I supposed to be sure, after all, sh-"

Thwish. The soft sound of her nighty gliding through the air, as they hit him right square in the muzzle, landing precariously draped across his muzzle. His nose took a few sniffs, as his eyes opened. He turned to her with a frown. She held a paw to her mouth to stifle the laughter. The fox comically sighed. "-she has a tendency to be unclear."

"Well, let me be clear. Hurry up."

Neither of them had the energy to stay awake after Judy managed to get Nick unhandcuffed from the bedpost. For a 'first', it seemed like a good idea to be safe, right?

They'd exchanged the expected 'was it good for you, everything okay, etc', all in an affirmative manner. Both were breathing deeply, doing their best not to pant or cough too loudly. Judy was already concerned with all the noise they'd made. They cuddled into each other and fell asleep almost instantaneously.

Judy was glad that she handcuffed Nick because it left her in complete control. And at the same time, she kind of wished she didn't. It could've been more entertaining

As the sun peaked through the window into her eyes, the rabbit internally cursed it. She'd hardly slept at all, despite her exhaustion. She was immensely glad that it was a Saturday, as the idea of going to school after all of that was a painful thought.

The rigidness of those seats would be pure murder on her.

Much like the sun. She spent the first five minutes hoping that the sun would just go away, but that was a dream. Even tucking her ears over her eyes didn't help, only dimming the pain. She leaned up, turning to hang her legs over the edge of the bed, blinking her sleep-filled eyes.

The thought of closing the blind and going back to sleep was tempting. But, the act of getting up and walking over would probably wake her up anyway. She glanced at the clock on the desk, reading the angry red symbols of 8:41AM flashing defiantly.

It was too early for a too tired bunny. Her ears hung with a slight droop above her, twitching as they picked out subtle sounds coming from behind her.

She frowned and began the countdown in her mind. 3. . . 2. . . 1. . . 0. . . . . . . . . . ?

Then, she felt a wet wind tickle her tail, a second before the sharp teeth lightly closed on her buttcheek. Despite being aware, she couldn't help the slight jump and the shudder that followed. Judging by the chuckle from behind her, he was very pleased with himself.

"Good morning, predator." She murmured, moving a hand back to pat on the fox's head. She received a soft lick in response, as he 'released' her, and shuffled himself to the edge of the bed beside her.

"So. . . are you, okay?" He asked, sheepishly, looking closely at her face as if watching for a lie.

She frowned at him, with a small grin hiding in the corner of his mouth. "I've committed a grave sin if you consider my ancestors. But, I'm quite happy with that, personally.. . ."

Judy joked although she could see by the expression that he was trying to be serious. So, she smiled at him and shook her head. "What about you, how was it?"

He seemed to relax as she spoke before he stretched a bit and yawned. "My wrists hurt a bit. And my arms, honestly. But, it was good?"

She shrugged. "Well, I don't know about you, but, I'm having a nice hot shower. Should take care of the smell of fox. . . And then maybe some breakfast."

Nick nodded, snorting when she mentioned his smell. "Sounds like a plan I can get behind. Also a rabbit I can get behind, preferably." He grinned, as he reached a paw down to play with her tail. Judy wondered how long he'd wanted to do that, judging by the way his gaze was focused past her and on the little ball of fluff.

She shook her head and rolled her eyes as she got up. The fox did his best to keep his hand on her tail, but he gave up as she walked away. "Well, it's almost nine, so, I'm pretty sure our roommates are up. So, no chance for a tandem shower, sorry." Judy opened her drawers and grabbed some clothes. She started to slip them on, managing to get her panties on before she looked back at the fox.

He was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching with a smug grin. She frowned and crossed her arms. "Are you just going to watch me, or are you going to get dressed?"

The fox snorted. "You know, for a beautiful rabbit, you seem to be surprised when I'm looking at you. I don't know what you rabbits have against mirrors, but you do realize you're attractive as hell, right?"

He muttered, as he got up and began retrieving his clothes from the night before. Judy rolled her eyes and began putting on the rest of her clothes. "You'd think after this long, it would become at least somewhat less surprising to me, you horny fox."

With a shrug, he finished slipping on his clothes. "Just around you, Judy. And that ass."

Some people liked legs. Nick, Judy was pretty sure, was a butt fox. But Judy had more pressing concerns, like finding out where Chris and Sharla were. They could easily be in their rooms, or downstairs at this hour.

As she pulled her shirt on, she turned to Nick. "Alright, I'll go out first, and I'll text you from the shower when I know it's safe."

Nick nodded. "Sounds like a plan. I'll wait here." He murmured, as he looked around the room.

Judy narrowed her eyes. "No snooping."

The fox turned back to her, frowned, and crossed his arms. "Fine. I'll just wait here impatiently."

"Good fox." She responded before she opened the door and slipped out. Judy was sure to close it behind her and stood in the hallway a second as her ears searched for noise.

A familiar laugh radiated up the stairs, betraying the location of the sheep. She turned to the stairs, as her ears also caught Chrys' voice coming from the same area. Good.

Judy walked to the stairs and padded down quickly. As she rounded the corner, she saw the two laughing and chatting at the kitchen table, with some food in front of them.

She smiled. It was good to know that all their concern was for nothing, it was going to be easy. "Good morning." She chimed, as she turned right and began heading for the door.

"Um, Judy, can I talk to you for a second?" The sheep's voice ringed in Judy's ears, causing her to turn around. The question was laced with concern, and. . . something else, but Judy couldn't put her finger on it.

Strangely, the two had stopped laughing, chatting, and even eating, as they both looked at Judy with serious expressions. Suddenly, Judy had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Why were both staring at her, and not just Sharla?

"Okay. . . What's up?" Judy responded but remained standing a few feet away.

Sharla waved her hand dismissively. "It's nothing, just a whole roommate discussion. We need to talk about a few things, I think. Chrys?" Sharla turned to Chrys, who registered the look, before turning and shouting.

"HEY NICK, EVERYONE'S DOWNSTAIRS, ROOMMATE MEETING!" The wolf shouted at the top of his lungs, surely disturbing every dorm in a 1-kilometre radius. Or at least, that was how it felt.

That bad feeling suddenly got way worse. What did they want Nick and Judy for? Did they still suspect what was going on? Sharla hadn't said a word to Judy about the whole thing for a while now.

A few seconds passed before she heard Nick open a door and begin walking down the stairs. As he rounded the corner, she looked at him with concern, and then towards the two sitting at the table.

"Hello. . . Everyone? What's up?" Nick asked, curiously, as he rubbed his eyes and yawning dramatically.

Sharla smiled sweetly at him and gestured to the other seats at the table. "Good morning, sleepy fox. Have a seat. You too, Judy. We just need to sort a few things out, if that's okay."

Nick glanced at Judy quickly, a look Judy understood completely. They both had the same suspicion, this was about 'them', wasn't it? A subject Judy really didn't want to deal with right now.

Judy didn't like lying to her best friend. Or, her other roommate, for that matter. But the reality was that Judy wasn't sure if Sharla could keep her mouth shut. In high school, that certainly wasn't the case, the sheep was basically the town crier of gossip.

They were both going to have to deny it and keep their stories straight, too. Luckily, Judy was good at improv, and she knew Nick was excellent at it. Judy walked over to the table, taking the furthest chair from them and leaning far back in the chair with her arms crossed. "Okay, but I only have a few minutes, I need to go for a jog this morning." Judy lied, although at least a jog wouldn't kill her.

Nick joined them and sat down silently as he watched the two roommate's expressions. Chrys turned to Sharla, who nodded back at the wolf as she held her hands together in front of her. In any other situation, you would think there was a business deal being conducted. But, with the expressions, it was anything but that.

"So, I suppose the number one thing on the docket is the elephant in the room." She began somberly before Chrys interrupted.

"Or the Box. Or the Funny." Chrys began in his typical hyper voice, with a high laugh. Sharla turned and glared at him.

"What. . . do you mean by that?" Nick asked quietly, confused.

"Well, what Chyrs is trying to say is. . . I think we need to talk about you two, and, your . . . . relationship."

Judy furrowed her eyebrows. "This, again? We're. . . friends? You know that thing where you get along with someone?" She shook her head, acting frustrated with the question.

Sharla rolled her eyes, and Chrys let out a single laugh. "Look, Judy, I get why you want to keep this quiet, hush-hush. But, I mean, you need to at least be honest with me, right? Your best friend?"

Judy wasn't backing down. "I AM being honest. Why do you two keep thinking that we're together? We can't just be friends, is that it? Honestly, why are you two so obsessed with sticking us in a relationship? Seriously-"

"Well, where do you want us to start, Judy?" Sharla cut Judy off. "The beginning of the trail of evidence, or the end?"

Oh, sweet cheese and crackers.