October Prompt II - Halloween Surprise
Judy was folding laundry, humming along to her favorite song while the activities of her family's burrow thrummed around her. Several of her sisters and brothers were sharing the room, quietly going about the daily chores of such a large household.
She mostly enjoyed the silence and peace the room offered.
It wasn't a rule of the laundry room that silence prevailed. It was simply a unspoken law, as it was one of the few rooms where a bunny could find some peace in such a chaotic home.
"Aunt Judy?"
Judy's ears perked and twisted as she turned towards the sound of her niece, Sandra. "What is it, Sweetie?" Judy asked as she smiled down at the younger, tan bunny. She may have been a teenager, but Sandra was also shorter for her age, giving the young doe an adorable look to her.
But not today.
There were tear tracks in her fur.
"Sandra! Oh, what's wrong?" Judy scooped the younger bunny up in a hug, letting the doe grip her shirt and stiffle a sob.
"Oh Aunt Judy," Sandra wailed. "I...I tried to clean it for you. I tried...!"
Judy's eyes widened. Oh no...
Nick walked down the hall towards his and Judy's permanent guest room. With the last of the leaves racked, dive bombed by kits, then raked again, Nick was feeling a bit tired. Sure it wasn't chasing criminals, tired, but his back would feel this in the morning after the party.
Speaking of which...
The tod let out a frustrated sigh. He'd gone to seven more stores for costumes, and had yet to find a good costume for the party. The only thing he could think of doing now was wearing a plaid shirt and overalls with one button undone and go as Wreck-it Rhino for the second year in a row.
Reaching his door, he casually strolled in. "Judy, you here?"
"...yeah."
That didn't sound too good.
Nick walked in, spying his wife sitting on the bed, reverently holding onto pieces of fabric. Nick's ears folded.
"Was that...?
Judy nodded. "It...was, my costume for tonight." Gingerly, she laid out the now torn and disheveled costume of Wonder Bunny. "Sandra tried to clean it for me, but stuck it in with several pairs of jeans and flannel shirts with large buttons. They caught and tore it to shreds."
The tod shook his head, walked over to Judy, wrapping her in a hug. "How's Sandra doing? Is she okay?"
Judy nodded, her heart skipping a beat over how much Nick cared about her family. After all, it was just clothing, and family mattered most. "She's doing...okay. She still feels terrible and it took a while to calm her down."
"Poor kit."
Judy nodded in agreement.
Nick mused. "Think we can do something special for her? Show her that she's more important than a costume?"
Judy smiled, letting out a little laugh before kissing Nick's cheek. "And that, is one of the many reasons I love you, Slick."
"I thought you couldn't count the reasons why you love me?" Nick retorted with a cocky grin.
"Only on good days. When you're in trouble, I can."
Nick chuckled. "Ouch, the callous bun bun strikes again!"
"And..."
Both fox and bunny turned to the door, spying one of Judy's littermates standing there, arms folded across her chest and a large smile radiating towards them. Jessica pushed off the doorframe and took a step in. "This bun has heard of your costume quandary and has decided to help out her favorite sister and fox-in-law."
"Really?" Judy asked in excitement. She jumped from the bed and gave her sister a huge hug. "You don't have to, Jessica."
Jessica shook her head. "But I wanted to, Sis. Besides, for a fashionista extraordinaire like myself, I couldn't let my sister and her husband go to a party in anything less than the best."
Nick smiled. "Well, what have you got for us? Something from that costume line you were working on for your company?"
Jessica grinned. "Oh, something like that."
An hour later, Jessica was waiting outside of two side by side doors in her room. She idled over towards her sewing machine, glancing up at the tack board supporting dozens of hand drawn clothing designs, measurements, and other notes she'd taken for her business. Several reminded her of more ongoing deals and business trips she'd have to take, and soon. "So glad that the rest of the litter moved out so I could break out these walls and make this my office." She'd managed to turn the extra space into quite a fashion designer's paradise, including several stalls for clients to change in.
"You guys ready yet? I don't think I made these that hard to get into," Jessica yelled towards the slated doors with a grin.
"Jessica," Judy's voice chimed through the slitted frame. "Are you sure this is okay for us to use these? This is...it's beautiful."
"Only the best for the bestest sis in the world."
Nick's door was the first to unlock, Jessica's ears flitting in that direction as the tod walked out. Jessica's eyes widened in joy as she saw her costume on something other than a mannequin for the first time.
Nick looked down at the dark green pants, pawing over the tiny sequins and jewels sewn in intricate patterns to resemble a forest along them, a pattern continuing up his shirt until his chest. "Jess, you've really outdone yourself. I mean, I 'Lava' this design, as it is simply amazing."
Jessica grinned, walking up to him as she motioned for him to raise his arms. "I've been wanting to do something special for you to since, you know, Jack..." She sighed, and Nick resisted giving into the feeling of giving her a hug as she continued to go over the costume design. "I just figured after hearing that song, you two would be a perfect fit for these two."
The other door clicked, Nick's head whipping about to see what his bunny looked like.
His eyes widened.
"Oh my..."
Judy stepped out, a similar colored and designed floral gown forming around her as she walked. The light shimmered and shone off the sequin's, making the doe literally shine as she stepped out of the room completely.
Nick's jaw dropped.
Judy's ears drooped behind her. "Jess, this is...I don't know what to say. It's beautiful. You shouldn't have."
Jessica shrugged as she finished her once over of Nick's costume and walked over to her sister to examine her paw-work. "Judy, you honestly deserve this. Besides, I Lava You is one of the sweetest love songs I've ever heard, so I knew it would fit you two perfectly. Besides, you and Nick are hot heads anyways."
Nick guffawed loudly as Judy let out a snicker. "I guess we are. First time I've been compared to a volcano, though."
"Volcano Goddes," Nick added. "And nothing less."
Jessica snickered. "Someone's hoping for some luck after the party today."
"Jess!" Judy cried out, ears heating up.
"Wrong name to cry out, Carrots. Should I be worried?"
It was Jessica's turn to laugh at her flustered sister. "Oh Judy, don't worry. You two make for a cute couple, so some ribbing is good for you."
Jessica finished with her once-over, and satisfied everything looked good, took a step back. "I think you two are ready for the party tonight. Judy, there are a few secret pockets in your gown for your keys and baton, and the dress will allow you to move freely, even though it appears form fitting from the thigh up."
She turned to Nick. "Your jaw is hanging open again."
Nick snapped his mouth shut. "I can't help it. Judy's radiant."
Jess shook her head. "Romantics. Now, you two get out of here. I don't want to see you until my Bleeter feed blows up with bleets about how beautiful you two are."
Judy walked forward to embrace her sister. "Thank you again, Jessica."
Hugging back, Jessica smiled warmly. "What can I say, except, you're welcome."
I wanted to write something fluffy for this Halloween, so I hope this works. There is also a commission from OceRydia for this story so I hope you'll check out her DA and FA pages! I hope you all could imagine how these costumes looked. I'm not very good with describing clothes, so I kind of left it up to your imagination to fill in some spots. And don't worry, Sandra will be showered with happiness after the Wonder Bunny costume incident, so she'll have a happy Halloween too.
And with that, Happy Halloween everyone! :D