Everything felt different after that night.
Nick still couldn't come to terms with his new found feelings towards the rabbit, and he refused to believe them, even though the voice in his head made a convincing argument. The days rolled by swiftly, and just as swiftly he got into a groove for his new life as things began to fall into place.
He liked waking up early and getting outside in the morning, he liked his small conversations with Manchas everyday, and he liked spending time with Judy and Clawhauser. And after a few weeks of working with them he truly began to consider them friends rather then his clients. He felt like he was starting to fit into the world around him, and it felt good. And after such a stressful start it was relieving to know that he had made the right decision and that all of his hard work seemed to be paying off.
He was happy.
But he was missing something, and it was something that couldn't change because it involved a certain rabbit.
Something about the rabbit was changing too. She was becoming more kind, she would no longer go out of her to verbally abuse Nick to spite him, instead she would simply do it in a playful manner. She was less formidable and more open to change, and it was something that Clawhauser noticed too.
"She seems like she is returning to her old self… its so strange" Clawhuaser said while Judy was performing on stage one night. She seemed peppier and more excited to be performing for her audience.
"Well I suppose my pumped up attitude had something to do with it" Nick said sarcastically which got a laugh from Clawhauser.
Nicks more cynical side thought that she was simply being nicer to him as a sign of pity for what he had told her, but the smarter side of Nick knew that the work that they had been doing at nights had been the reason for her change of heart.
The two mammals would meet every night to work on her problem and find new ways to fix it. So far they had decreased her dosage by 25%. Nick knew that quitting cold turkey could have been dangerous to the small rabbit, so instead he came up with the idea of a slow decrease in the amount she took which should slowly take away her addiction.
The rabbit often rebelled against the slow decrease voting to rather cut it out of her life as a whole.
"It just seems a little inefficient" she often said.
But when Nick described the dangers of a quick stop she accepted his plan.
She would still go through withdrawals of course, and at night Nick would come over to be with her and help however he could. Most of the time he just ended up being a distraction from what was happening to her. They would talk about things, or watch something on her TV, or if she just needed someone there in silence he would sit quietly and let her do what she needed to do. Nick knew how hard getting off an addiction could be so he would do whatever she asked, even if it was ridiculous like coming over to sit in silence. He understood that just having another mammal present was a good feeling.
The hardest part about seeing her every night is that he had no choice but to continuously be thinking about her. And being stuck around her made him realize that he really did like her, because being with her made his heart beat just a little faster, and he felt more relaxed when he was around her. It was weird to think about but he felt like he was safe around the rabbit, like he could trust her, although it should've been the other way around.
The more and more he was around her, the more he thought, 'what if…'
Inter species relationships were practically unheard of, let alone a predator and a prey. And because of Judy's fame he knew that there was no way it could go successfully and there was also no way that they could hide it. Hell, he didn't even know if she would be interested in being in a relationship with a fox.
Although Nick felt like she wouldn't. She had built up such a career and wouldn't want to ruin it by having some relationship that may or may not last.
So to protect his career and hers, he decided he would keep his feelings to himself. He had done it all his life so it wouldn't be any different now… right?
"Come on Nick we've run through these silly little scenarios a million times, I think I know what to do by now" Judy complained. Nick rolled his eyes at the rabbits exaggeration.
"Well if someone came to attack to tonight at the ZooGala I would want you to not even have to think about what you would have to do, I would want you to simply react" Nick said sternly.
Judy sighed and slid on the couch toward Nick, putting a paw on his arm. Normally Nick would have pulled back but he had come to know Judy so well, and of course his feelings towards the rabbits were only boosted by moments like this. The feeling of her paw on his arm sent chills down his whole body that he struggled to hide.
"Listen Nick, I know that you want whats best for me and I appreciate that. But you have to trust the fact that I know what to do. I am trusting you with my life, now can you trust in me to make the right decision now?" Judy said looking straight into Nicks eyes.
Nick didn't answer at first, he took a moment to simply appreciate her beautiful amethyst eyes.
'She's right' Nick thought to himself, 'I need to show her that I trust her'
"Judy, I'm sorry. I'm just a little nervous for this thing tonight. The last time I was at an event this big was the Zoozies awards. And I nearly died there" Nick said honestly.
Judy giggled at Nicks answer, but it wasn't in vain, and Nick knew this.
"Nick I don't know if you remember this but I was at the Zoozies too. I was there when Peter Moosebridge said both of our names on stage, I was there when that rhino attacked, I was there when you're jaw got knocked in and sure, I wouldn't have reacted the right way back then, but that's because I didn't have a good bodyguard. I knew when the bullets started flying that I should run. But you didn't hesitate to step right into action. Which is part of the reason why I wanted you to be my bodyguard" Judy said.
Nicks eyes widened in realization, "that's right, you were there" Nick said surprised by the information.
'She was the opening act how could I forget that?' Nick once again thought to himself. The whole night had been a blur and he didn't even leave the theater conscious so it was astounding that he remembered anything.
"Alright Fluff, you're right. I will lay off for now, lets just hope this event goes better than the last time I was at an event of this size. I am not going to leave that place unconscious" Nick resolved jokingly, pulling away from the rabbits touch.
"Sounds like a plan Slick. I really don't think you will have to worry about anything, the security there is going to be plentiful all night" Judy stated relaxing back on the couch. Nick was going to tell the rabbit that he wasn't that worried but her nickname for him continued to ring in his ears. He smirked, thinking about how easy it was going to be to mess with the rabbit.
"So, you think I am slick hm?" Nick asked with his usual half-lidded gaze. He was expecting the rabbit to become flustered by the question,
'Perhaps the nickname was actually be a slip up' he thought to himself.
But instead she flashed her eyes in an almost flirtatious way,
"Why yes Mr. Wilde I do. You do things smoothly and effortlessly, that sounds like the definition of slick to me" Judy said standing up and walking in the direction of her bedroom, but before she disappeared down the hallway she turned one more time to Nick.
"See you in a bit" she finished with a wink before slipping away down the hall.
Nick simply sat there in silence trying to figure out what just happened.
'Was she actually flirting with me or was I just imagining that?' Nick asked himself in his mind.
'I don't know, it kind of seemed like she was' the rabbits voice echoed in his mind.
Instead of just sitting there to dwell on it Nick decided to get up and head to his own apartment. What he didn't notice was the pair of violet eyes that peered through a partly opened door, watching him all the way till the front door closed behind him. The cracked open door then quickly shut soon after.
Judy slid her back down the door till she was on the ground. She was mentally berating herself for how strong she came onto the fox. And it wasn't that she didn't want him to know, just not yet.
'When things calm down, maybe I will tell him' she thought to herself.
'Yeah right your just gonna keep it a secret because you don't even know if he has feelings for you. That, or you're never going to tell him because you're afraid of him, he is a fox after all, your natural predator' A voice rang in her ears that sounded a lot like a certain fox. She had begun to here this voice ever since she had begun to slow down her drug use.
'I am not afraid of him, I trust him with my life' she argued.
'Well if you trust him so much then you should show him that by telling him how you feel' the foxy voice nagged back at her.
'Listen to me, I like him a lot but he is a really good bodyguard and someone that fits well in this little group of ours. The day I tell him and he doesn't feel the same way is the day that I know he will leave. I don't want to risk this relationship at the off chance that there is a deeper relationship. And besides who knows if he even likes other species…'
After his trivial morning Nick decided to blow off some steam at the gym. It was a pretty normal occurrence for him, if he ever need a chance to really think about things he often did it while he was running or while he was at the gym. He had already run that morning so he thought he might as well train a little in the gym. And it certainly helped that the gym at The Lofts was one of the best gyms in the whole city. Whatever you needed this place had it.
Nick wanted to work on his paw to paw fighting so he worked on a punching bag for a little bit, making sure to tape up his paws so that he didn't destroy them on the rough leather of the bag. He started off slow, making each punch follow through the bag causing it to swing back a couple inches. Slowly he would speed up and put more force into his punches causing the bag to swing further until it was swinging back and almost colliding with the fox. He had planned for this so when the bag came towards him he would step out of the way and start striking from a different angle, trying to get as many solid hits in before he had to move out of the way again.
The fox did this for about 30 minutes, or until he was going as hard and as fast as he physically could. After that he moved on to one of the most impressive pieces of equipment that Nick had ever seen in a gym. It was a machine with 6 padded arms and a padded center area. Then behind those padded arms was a console where a mammal can select what type of workout they wanted. Nick wanted an interactive sparring partner so that is the option that he selected and after a brief countdown the workout would begin. The pads would swing out randomly and aim for a certain part of his body which he had to block, after he blocked he would counter strike and hit a different pad. This workout started slow but would continuously get faster until he was blocking and striking continuously. He spent a lot of his time there, training his reflexes so that he would be prepared if a strike ever came at him quickly while he was unprepared.
The whole time he worked out he thought about his conversation with Judy as well as possible ways to bring up his feelings to her.
'I need to really think about whether this is a good idea or not' he thought to himself, 'come on Nick you know you don't want to ruin what you have going on here. Plus you're a lone mammal, relationships don't work for you, attachment is not your friend'
'Oh fox, you are such a stickler for your old ways' he could hear Judy's voice in his head, 'you need to open up more, let mammals into your life. It would make things so much easier'
'Yeah but what if she doesn't share the same feelings that I do, then I don't think she would want me to keep being her bodyguard, and I don't even know if I would want to continue either. Things would be too awkward between us' he argued. The other voice was silent, as if his mind was trying to reason with itself.
'Yeah that would probably be pretty bad' was all that the rabbits voice could say.
Nick let out a sigh in response. He honestly had hoped that the voice would have continued to persuade him but considering she didn't even try made Nick lose his hope.
'So its decided, we're keeping it to ourselves then…'
His gym trip wrapped up soon after his revelation. Nothing more to think about considering the decision that he made. All there was to do now was go back to his apartment and get ready for the night ahead of him. And it was going to be quite the night indeed. There were normal nights, there were special nights, and then there was the ZooGala night.
The ZooGala was simply a party for fancy mammals, a night to show off their fashion, and a night to mingle with other celebrities. All in all it was nothing serious to worry about, especially considering there was going to be at least three times the amount of security at the gala then there was at the Zoozies, which would make his life a lot easier.
How was it different from the Zoozies?
Great question.
This wasn't just individuals from TV shows, it was any celebrity who cared to show up, which meant a lot of mammals would be there. Another difference was that the event took place at the Zootopian Natural History Museum which wasn't in City Center but it was close enough to make it right in the center of the city.
Considering the security was so strong there wasn't much of a reason for Nick to be there, but Judy had insisted that he be there so that she would feel safe, so he obliged.
"There will be a lot of celebrities there, many of which I won't know. As well as lots of paparazzi so I would really prefer if you would accompany me Nick" the rabbit had pleaded.
"Oh yeah celebrities and paparazzi sounds like real danger to me" Nick said rolling his eyes and turning away from the rabbit. It's not that he didn't want to go, he just didn't want to increase his exposure any more than he already had to the media.
"Well yeah, some celebrities are really strange, like Quilton Tarrantino, he has the whole weird foot thing that makes me super uncomfortable. And you know just as well as I do that the paparazzi is full of blood sucking journalists who will suck up as much gossip as they can" Judy reasoned with the fox, "Nick please, come with me"
Nick sighed knowing that the rabbit was right. Plus as his boss, technically he had to whatever he had to do whatever she told him to do.
"Alright Carrots, I'll go to your little party thing" Nick said turning to face her.
"Oh thank you Nick!" She shouted, charging and tackling him into a hug.
Nick shook his head, smiling while thinking back on that day, it wasn't long ago, maybe three days. But considering they had been going out for different events every night it felt more like a few weeks. He had a lot to prepare for. He had grown tired of being beaten in different aspect of his guarding. The rhino had nearly beaten him through his combat, and the lynx had nearly beaten him through his speed and in a hostage situation. So he trained, almost everyday he would go out and do some form of exercise ranging from a run around the city, to advanced combat training with a sparring partner. He wanted to be the best so he had to make sure all of his abilities were trained up to that level of quality.
There was only one way to figure out if his training was working though, which was to get into a threatening situation, and that was something he would definitely not want to have happen. So when the time came when a threat did appear he hoped that his training would pay off.
Nicked checked his watch which read 4:18 pm.
'I better get going' he thought to himself. Clawhauser had made the departure time five even though the event didn't actually start until six. Nick understood that the cheetah just wanted to make sure that they were on time. The red carpet was probably the most important part of the evening and that began right at six, so the group had to be on time, if they weren't, Nick knew that he would not have a happy bunny with him, and he most certainly did not want that.
Nick had made his way back up to his apartment, showered, and changed in just about 30 minutes, giving him plenty of time to be ready for the other two mammals. His attire for tonight was definitely the fanciest he had ever worn, and it honestly surprised him.
He thought that his clothes were going to continue being nice but this suit was a bit different it. It was like he was wearing a literal cloud, the material didn't hinder his movement at all, almost like it flowed with him. It was a jet-black tuxedo with the traditional white shirt and black bow tie, but on the tuxedo jacket and pants themself there was a pattern that resembled Vincent Van Gopher's "Starry Night" which continued all the way down the pants. It reminded him of something a suave spy would wear. He thought he was just going to re-wear one of his other suits but supposedly Clawhauser had different plans because when Nick walked in to his apartment the tux was hanging in a garment bag on one of his dining chairs.
He felt good, like he was ready to face whatever challenges the night would throw at him. And with his big silver aviators he was confident that he looked good too.
Nick stepped out into the hall where he expected to see the other two members of his party waiting, but no one was there. Apart from him the hallway was empty. Nick knew that it was nearly five and was surprised that the usually fussy rabbit or the often punctual cheetah weren't out there waiting for him. He waited in the hallway, constantly checking his phone to be sure he didn't miss anything, when the sound of a door opening down the hall caught his attention.
Out from the door stepped an equally well dressed cheetah, the only difference between his suit and Nicks was that it was a deep dark-blue and it was missing the swirling pattern. When the cheetah locked eyes with Nick he smiled,
"Oh wow that suit is good" he said taking in the fox's appearance.
The statement caught Nick off guard, normally it was the cheetah who selected the outfits, if he didn't know what he was going to wear that meant he didn't pick it out.
"Wait you didn't pick this out?" Nick asked confused.
"No I didn't" the bubbly cheetah said honestly.
"Well if you didn't pick it then wh-"
The sound of the door opening next to him caused both mammals to look and see who would appear. Out from behind the door stepped the usual rabbit, but what she was wearing caused Nicks jaw to drop. The rabbits dress was darker than the night sky itself, it was a sleeveless dress that cut off just above her chest and then draped tightly yet delicately down the her sides. As it approached her legs it flowed back out and draped behind her causing some of hers to be visible when she took a step. The material was silky but had a design like "Starry Night" running along the whole thing. The swirls on the fabric catching the light in different ways causing the dress to almost shine even though there was no glitter and it was all black.
Nick stared for a few moments before quickly recomposing himself. It seemed neither mammal noticed his display, which was probably for the better. He took a second to make sure his outfit would hold up when compared to the rabbits, and whilst he was looking at his tux he noticed some similarities between the two outfits.
They had the same color, they had the same pattern, they could've been made from the same material. It was almost an identical copy, one in dress form the other in tux form.
"Ahh I see whats happening here" Nick said with understanding on his face.
Judy smiled at him in an almost shy way trying to avoid eye contact at all costs.
"Well I must say Carrots you did a good job picking the get up for tonight, although I'm personally more of a jeans and a t-shirt kind of fox" he said leaning down and getting closer to the rabbit, smirk plastered on his face.
The rabbit simply responded by scoffing and pushing the fox's face away from hers, the blush on her face easily seen by both mammals.
"You two look great" Clawhauser added in. Nick then turned to the cheetah,
"So where's your matching outfit Clawhauser?" He asked. It felt weird that only the two of them were matching, like the cheetah had just been left out of the equation.
"Oh don't worry about me, I'm just the manager, it is you two that really matter here" The cheetah said.
"Don't you mean just this on-" Nick was cut off by the rabbit who had just checked the time.
"Oh gosh, its already 5:10 lets move it" Judy said pushing the fox down the hallway toward the elevator.
Nick felt like there was still something being hidden from him, and he didn't like it. He wasn't one for surprises after all, but he simply shrugged it off and entered the elevator when it arrived.
'What could go wrong?'
Living near the center of the city was sometimes a struggle; loud noises plaguing your sleep, very expensive rent, and of course the obvious struggle of finding the best way to travel whether it be walking or driving. Bet the negatives were well out-weighed by the positives. You are right in the center of the action, you are in one of the nicest areas in the world, and going to other places in the center of the city was as easy as get in a car and go (especially when most of the roads are shut down for a certain event).
Right then and there, with all three mammals in the back of the limousine, Nick believed that the the final point to be the most convenient. When he worked at SafePaw he would have to walk just about everywhere he went, but now he was simply driven wherever he needed to go. He still enjoyed walking around the city to take things in but it was very nice to just sit back and relax before the craziness of the event began.
In order to allow the red carpet to work the streets were closed down to allow the procession of limos and fancy cars to line up so that they could let all the mammals out when the time came, just like at the Zoozies. But this time the process was a lot more strict, at the Zoozies it might have been just the city center itself, but that was because the theater had been in the direct center of town. The ZooGala was not in the direct center of town, but it was maybe a block or two away from it, and because of that and the increased amount of celebrities more roads had to be shut down.
The limo he was now in sat in line waiting for their turn to be let out onto the red carpet. Because they had left so early they were already near the front of the line, but also that meant they had to actually wait for the event to start. That left Nick lots of time to interrogate Judy on her choosing out his clothes.
"Carrots, I want you to know I'm not mad. But why were you the one that chose my clothes out. I never really pictured you being fussy about what I wore, I always thought that was his job" Nick asked sitting in his usual spot across from said rabbit. She seemed more relaxed now, knowing that the fox didn't care for their matching outfits.
"Well… I don't know. This is a big fashion event and I thought it would be nice to find nice clothes that we could match in. I know I'm kind of making you go so I thought I would pick you out a special suit so that you knew it was a special night" Judy said honestly with a shrug of her shoulders.
"Aw, well I appreciate it Fluff" Nick said sitting back in his seat.
Judy simply smiled at him, glad that he had gotten off her back. Meanwhile her mind still raced,
'Also you look absolutely hot in that suit' she thought to herself eyeing the fox up and down.
'It is a nice suit' the foxy voice thought in her head, 'you did a good job'.
Eventually 6 o'clock rolled around and the line began to move, and after a few more minutes of waiting they were finally at the front of the line. Nick could easily see the madness that was ensuing outside. The red carpet was wider than the one at the Zoozies but it was flanked on either side by paparazzi. The cameras continuously flashed as celebrities climbed the steps into the museum where the event was taking place. As Nick stepped out of the car he couldn't help but think about the words that Peter Moosebridge's manager Alyssa had told him at the Zoozies.
"Just ignore the cameras and never look down the barrel of the lens", The leopard had told him.
Nick remembered his confusion from her statement, "why not?"
"Because that's when they take your soul or your life away from you"
The words still resonated in his head as he stared down the frenzied mob that were being help back by a waste high metal fence. Nick looked down at Judy as she exited the limo, making sure the rabbit was still following the protocol, and sure enough as soon as she was out she looked up at him awaiting his next move.
The trio was then ushered to the start of the red carpet where Nick expected Judy to go off and do her thing while himself and Clawhauser hung back. But as she approached the large carpet she noticed that she was the only one, the rabbit spun around and located the other two mammals she was with. Judy and Nick locked eyes, the fox's emerald eyes carrying a look of confusion as they watched the rabbit search around.
'Maybe she doesn't know where he's going' Nick thought to himself. But then the rabbit waved Nick over causing the fox to do a double take. He then felt an elbow nudge him, he turned and saw Clawhauser who gestured with his head to go with the rabbit. Nick was even more confused now,
'Why does she just want me? What about Clawhauser?'
And the large cheetah must have heard his thoughts because he spoke up seeing the fox's confusion.
"Don't worry about me I don't like the cameras very much" Clawhauser said with a shrug.
Nick didn't know what to say as he stood there, still surprised. Once again the cheetah took notice of the fox's lack of motion so he pushed him over in the direction of the awaiting rabbit. Nick, being the agile fox that he was, caught himself quickly and looked back at the cheetah with an angry look on his face. No one seemed to have noticed as the cheetah once again gestured for him to follow Judy, mouthing the word 'go'.
Turning around Nick took notice of Judy with her paw over her mouth, clearly trying to hold back her laughter after watching the display that the fox had just put on. All he could do at this point was do as the rabbit requested, so he joined her at the red carpet.
"Alright Hopps, what is it that you are planning?" Nick asked crossing his arms. There were too many things happening that he wasn't expecting and he didn't like it; the matching clothing, the secrecy between Clawhauser and Judy, and now this red carpet stunt. It almost seemed like Judy was trying to have Nick more present to the public, which is not what he wanted.
"I don't know what you mean" Judy said obviously lying but holding her gaze steady as she peered into Nicks eyes.
Nick could feel his heart rate increasing out of annoyance, he really didn't like how the rabbit was seemingly deceiving him and he couldn't do anything about it because they were in the public. But he didn't want the rabbit to continue on with her plan without filling him in so he gently grabbed her arm and pulled her to the side.
"Judy listen to me" Nick said seriously, bending over slightly so that he could be eye level with her, "I need you to spill the beans on what is going on here. Because as your bodyguard, I don't like not knowing what is going on"
The rabbit could sense the fox's serious nature, she felt bad keeping the truth from him, "I'm sorry Nick, you are right. I wanted you to come out here and be more of my guest rather than just my bodyguard. That includes joining me on the red carpet and actually being a partygoer. If you came as my bodyguard you would have been put into the guard room and left alone for the whole night, I just didn't want to do that to you" she said honestly, looking at the ground.
Nick let out a sigh, taking in the rabbits words. She cared for him, he could tell that much, and it made him feel good. But then again she had gone behind his back to trick him, did he blame her? No not really. But that also didn't mean that he wanted to be in public anymore than he already did.
"Carrots if you just told me the truth I would have come. I have to make sure you are safe at all times, that includes at fancy parties. I was going to come from the start, but I was expecting the guard treatment. I am happy that you are letting me in on the celebrity life" He said looking into the rabbits deep purple eyes. She smiled at hearing that he was happy to be there, but Nick wanted to stress his feelings towards the situation, "But… that doesn't mean I'm not upset with you about the fact that I don't really want my face being out in the public any more than it already is. I will only answer their questions if I feel like it, and of course if it's a good enough question which they probably won't be." He said gesturing to the mob of cameras, "I will still be acting like a guard but if you want me to join in on the conversation I will. Other than that, it's a normal day on the job. Deal?" He asked.
The rabbit nodded happily sticking out her paw, "Deal!".
Nick took the rabbits paw and shook it, the more he thought about it the more he realized that Judy did this all for him. He didn't want to be a bad friend by simply refusing all this, plus who knew, maybe it would actually be nice to not be in the shadows for once. Their handshake was interrupted by the sound of an approaching mammal.
"Excuse me" a gruff voice called out from behind Nick. Both mammals turned to see a muscular lion approaching them, he was dressed in a simple black suit, wore dark sunglasses, and had an ear piece protruding from his right ear. He was clearly a security guard, and not a happy one from the look on his face. When the lion was within striking distance that was when Nick stood up, he may have been a security guard but that didn't make him any less of a threat. In order to get a better view, Judy leaned to her side and looked around the fox who was standing in front of her for protection.
"Ma'am is this fox bothering you?" The lion completely looked around Nick and instead conversed directly with Judy.
Looking at the situation, Nick understood what was going on, he had pulled Judy from the line (although he did so gently), he knelt over her intimidatingly, and now he stood in front of her as if he was protecting what was rightfully his. Not to mention the obvious fact that the lion must have completely judged Nick based on his species. Nick shook his head and let out a sigh realizing what was really unfolding, but instead of showing that he was upset he simply hid it behind his classic smirk as he took a step towards the lion, hoping to defuse the situation.
"Listen buddy I know this looks pretty ba-"
As soon as the lion saw Nick approach he grabbed a tranquilizer gun from his belly and held it up, not aiming at the fox but still holding it up high enough for it to be considered a threat.
"You better hold it right there FOX" the lion practically spat. Nick didn't want to test the lions accuracy so he did as he was told and planted his feet into the ground. He was going to try and speak to him one more time but was stopped by a grey blur shooting around from behind him. Judy now stood practically toe to toe with the lion who towered over her.
"No you better listen to me!" She practically shouted gaining some attention from the paparazzi that was on the outskirts of the red carpet, "this isn't just some fox, this is my bodyguard and the reason he had to pull me out of the line and talk to me the way he did is because he had some important information to tell me. But you had the small mind to think that he was hurting me, and what, because he's a fox and I'm a rabbit?"
The lion was about to speak up but before he could Judy continued, "so you see a fox with a rabbit, you automatically think he's doing something to her. How about you open your eyes and use that brick of a brain that you have up there, or I'll jump up there and open it for you. Or better yet next time you assume something based off a mammals species how about I just come on over and kick you square in the-" the rabbit stopped when she felt a light paw on her shoulder, she didn't have to look to know that it was Nicks. She turned her head up and looked into his eyes, they were hurt but still glimmered with confidence, he then motioned with his head towards the museum, when she looked over she noticed several of the paparazzi cameras were facing the three mammals and taking pictures of the scene that was unfolding. With a light squeeze Nick told her all she needed to know.
'Relax Carrots I've got this'
Now that the lion was practically frozen in fear of the rabbit, Nick freely stepped forward knowing the lion would not want to face Judy's wrath again. Once again Nick hid his feelings and put on his casual smirk, "sorry about my client, she can be rather… aggressive. Don't worry I'm not upset, just disappointed that the security here is so blind. I mean we're wearing a matching outfit for Pete's sake. Like she said maybe if you had opened your eyes you would have seen that, or maybe you would have noticed that I only pulled her gently over here. Or, I don't know, maybe you would have seen us getting out of the same car" Nick let his statement hang in the air for a few moments before continuing, "oh well, I guess I thought the security at this high class event would have been more observational, but it seems I thought wrong".
If the lion didn't like the fox from the start he must have hated him now considering all that he said was true. The large feline squinted his eyes at the fox before putting his tranquilizer away, "my apologies" he said almost scornfully, "I hope you both have a lovely evening" he said as he stepped away and returned to whatever post he was assigned to.
Nick watched the lion leave, shaking his head in disapproval at how poorly the lion had sized up the situation.
'His bias got the better of him, what else should I have expected' Nick thought to himself.
He then remembered the rabbit who had been boiling with rage just a few moments prior. He turned to her to see that she had calmed down and was now looking at the ground. Nick stepped up and front of her and held out his paw,
"Hey" was all he said. She looked up into his eyes, the upset nature of them had disappeared and were once again full of his usual sly nature, "never let them see that they get to you" he once again let his statement hang in the air while the rabbit gently took his awaiting paw, "now, lets go have an enjoyable night now, shall we?" He said in a fancy accent, hoping to bring the smile back to her face, which he succeeded in as she let out a small laugh at his bad accent.
"We shall"
Together they walked paw in paw back to the red carpet, in Judy's mind it was just a friendly gesture, but to Nick it felt like his paw was burning (in a good way). As they approached the crowd, Nick realized what the two of them holding paws would look like so he gently let go, to Judy's hidden dismay.
Soon enough it was their turn to step onto the main carpet, the one surrounded by paparazzi. Nick could feel his heart beating out of his chest, the flashing lights of the cameras were quite disorienting as well as the fact of how hot it was under the tent with that many mammals all crowded around, not to mention the countless number of celebrities around him.
Overall it was a very stressful situation, and the only solace for the fox was the rabbit standing next to him. To keep some level of discretion, Nick slipped on his usual mirrored aviators so that he could be looking wherever he wanted and no one would know.
The second they hit the carpet Judy's name could be heard throughout the tent as the paparazzi all fought to try and get her attention for a possible interview. Eventually a female coyote dressed in a bright pink suit dress seemed to win as Judy approached her with Nick in tow. Judy stood just close enough for that she could properly speak into the mic that the coyote held out, meanwhile Nick stood behind her with his paws in his pockets, hoping that the mobs attention would stay on the rabbit.
"So Judy, could you tell us who you are wearing tonight?" The reporter asked.
"Yes of course" She said, she then grabbed Nicks arm and pulled him to her side unexpectedly, "Me and Mr. Wilde here are wearing a beautiful duo outfit by Karrie Catsmull. Me and him worked together to create these two outfits to compliment each other, and I think they turned out pretty well"
"Oh I think so too, you both look wonderful. Now, Mr. Wilde, did you help create this in anyway?" The coyote turned her attention to Nick. At first he didn't know what to say, he didn't know what was crossing the line or revealing, and he certainly didn't want to know what would happen if he did cross the line.
"Uuuuhh no, as of an hour ago I had no idea I was even wearing this" Nick said honestly. His answer was simple and short, don't give them too much information, just enough to satisfy their hunger. And the coyote seemed satisfied by the answer as well as she laughed at his statement. The coyote was then over taken by other mammals shouting questions at Judy, and now that the fox had answered a question some of the reporters were even calling his name. But Nick knew it was a bad idea, he was here for Judy and not himself, if one of the reporters wanted to side question him then that was fine.
Everything after that seemed to go fine, none of the other reporters asked him questions after the coyote, meanwhile Judy answered the questions smoothly and seamlessly. Almost like she had been doing this for a long time. Eventually they got down to the final question which was being asked by a male lynx, who seemed a bit out of place amongst the other reporters, he wasn't as nicely dressed, in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, and his fur wasn't well kept. The lynx was being filmed by a smaller rat who wasn't holding a big fancy camera, but rather a much smaller hand held camcorder.
"Judy could I ask you a quick question?" The lynx asked.
"Absolutely" Judy said politely, taking note of the lynx's appearance as well.
"Great. How do you feel about the ever-present condition of lower status areas of the city, such as HappyTown?" The lynx inquired. The question was completely out of left field. All the other questions had been about her outfit or what she was up to in her daily life. If anything, the question caught Nick more off guard than it did for Judy who paused for a moment thinking about the question.
"Uhm well, personally I've never been there. But I think it is sad that areas like that aren't getting any funding from city hall to try and improve the quality of living" Judy said.
"Hmm I agree it is pretty sad. And do you think the council at city hall will do anything about it? or will they just let the population, WHICH is 99% predators, continue to suffer in their own squalor?" The lynx's demeanor began to change while he asked the question, from friendly honest questions to more cynical and hostile. Judy was stuck were her mouth left agape,
"Uh I don't really know how to-" Judy began before being cut off by the wombat.
"What about you Wilde?" The beady brown eyes of the lynx quickly switched from Judy to the fox behind her, "the fact that you are hired by prey must mean that you have lost touch with the predatory playground you grew up in"
Nick could feel the hostility coming off of the lynx, he clearly didn't like prey, and it was obvious that his question was meant to rile the fox up. But Nick wouldn't let that happen, he was relaxed and even as Judy looked up at him confused he knew exactly what he was doing. He leaned in close to the mic that the lynx held and cleared his throat.
"That's a good question, the reason that I work for prey is because she asked me to and she was offering to pay me. No further questions" Nick said stepping away, pulling Judy gently along with him.
Judy looked up at Nick, her face still laced with confusion, "what was that all about?" Judy asked. Once they were well away from the lynx Nick took a look back at him, he was still staring them down his eyes full of anger. There was something off about him, and Nick didn't like it.
"I don't know" was all that he said.
They eventually got through all of the paparazzi and were now at the picture portion of the red carpet. No questions just pictures. It was set up much like a more traditional red carpet, with all the cameras on one side while the other side had a black back-drop with gold stars on it.
Ignoring what had just happened, Judy stepped forward in front of the back-drop and posed for her pictures. When she noticed the fox not following her she took his arm and pulled him along.
'This whole night has seemed like a lot of pulling so far' Nick thought to himself jokingly. And it was true they had each taken their turns pulling the other along, it must have been quite the display for any watching eyes.
Once again Nick simply stood with his paws in his pockets, looking as relaxed as possible when in reality he was very uncomfortable with the situation. But he held his head high as the mob snapped pictures of him and Judy.
As soon as the pictures were done, they were home free and were lead into the museum. The moment they stepped inside they were met by the smiling face of Clawhauser, who had bypassed all the madness to get inside, taking the route that was meant for managers, as well as bodyguards, to normally go down.
"So how was it?" The cheetah asked with bated breath. The large cheetah was worried the whole time that something bad would happen, but by the looks of the two mammals in front of him it looked like things went well.
"It was an experience alright" Nick said, "if it wasn't for me, I think Carrots here would still be getting yelled at by that crazy lynx"
"Yeah you're probably right" Judy said in earnest, "that has never happened to me before, I recognized most of the reporters but I had no idea who he was"
"What lynx?" Clawhauser asked confused.
Nick stripped off his sunglasses as it was significantly darker in the museum than it was outside, "oh you know, yay tall, brown eyes, was wearing a t-shirt and jeans, seemed pretty upset about Happytown" He described while slipping the glasses into his inner coat pocket.
Understanding dawned on the cheetahs face, Nicks description allowed Ben to narrow down who the reporter was down to one. "That was Marcus 'the controversy cop'. He is big on Zootube for asking celebrities controversial questions in the hopes that he can expose them, he is a mammal who hates prey and is constantly trying to take down prey-celebrities. It's a good thing you two got away from him before you said anything bad… you didn't say anything bad right?" Ben questioned with concern lacing his voice.
Judy shook her head thinking back on the brief conversation that the pair had had with the lynx, "no it was too brief, Nick did say that the only reason he works for me is because I pay him. And here I was thinking that you like us" Judy said in a mock offense that would've given Nicks bad acting a run for its money.
"Oh you know I just said that to get the wombat off my back" Nick stated crossing his arms at the rabbits dramatic display.
"Yeah sure, whatever" Judy said turning around and leaving the two males behind. As the rabbit walked away Nick found himself staring at her tail as it swayed back in forth due to the movement of her hips. When he noticed that he was staring he shook his head and looked around, hoping no one had caught him staring, and no one did, except for a certain cheetah, who knew that the rabbit was doing it on purpose to try and get the fox's attention.
'Gosh they both have it bad for each other' the cheetah thought before slapping Nick on the back causing the bodyguard to jump.
"Well lets go socialize" he said stepping forward and following after where Judy had disappeared. Nick let out an awkward laugh before following after the two mammals. He then noticed a small hallway off to the side with a sign next to it that read 'bodyguard waiting room', he nearly went in that direction out of instinct but stopped when he remember that tonight, he was just another guest. It felt good to adjust his suit and head off in the direction that his friends gone.
'Yeah, lets go socialize'
The event itself was taking place in the main hall of the Natural History Museum, the large circular room had tables scattered around as well as waiters carrying trays of food and different alcoholic drinks. Both Judy and Clawhauser drank some of the elegant drinks, but as Nick was still technically on the job he did not, not that he was much of a drinker anyways.
Clawhauser had long since disappeared to go off and talk to other managers which left Nick and Judy to their own devices.
Meanwhile, Nick was too busy watching around to even notice who he was next to most of the time, he was practically surrounded by celebrities, some of which he looked up to in his youth, but all that mattered in that moment was just keeping an eye out for any threats.
Judy noticed the fox's incessant searching and punched him lightly in the arm in order to get his attention.
"Relax Slick, there is plenty of security around making sure that the area is safe. I mean look at how many celebrities there are here, there's probably three security guards for every single mammal here. I want you to enjoy yourself" She said hoping to get the fox to settle down.
Nick scoffed, "yeah just like that brilliant lion security guard from earlier" he quipped turning his attention back to standing guard. When the rabbit went silent Nick grew concerned and he looked back down at the her, who was looking up at him with concern in her own eyes, even her nose was beginning to twitch. It honestly looked like she was about to start crying, which is not what he wanted, "listen Fluff, I'm just a little overwhelmed by all this. Remember this isn't really my comfort zone and I feel pretty out of place" he reasoned hoping that his statement would quell the rabbits emotions, but when her nose didn't stop twitching he let out a sigh. "Alright Hopps, I will relax, but only because I'm tired of keeping track of you" Nick said with a smirk.
The rabbits emotion instantly changed from sadness to immediate happiness, her smile practically beaming light. "Great I have some mammals I'd love to introduce you to" she said taking his much larger paw and pulling him along.
Once again the rabbit had tricked him, it was a struggle to remember that the small mammal was extremely talented in just about everything, including acting. She had used her acting skills to trick him into relaxing.
'How could she' Nick thought in mock anger. In reality he was more impressed that she had once again been able to trick him. 'I really have to step up my game in order to keep her from tricking me from now on'.
Time slipped away as they went around meeting the different mammals that Judy knew, introducing Nick as they went. They had met John Ramos who had worked briefly with Judy on a TV show. They met Michael Yakson, (he was an interesting character) who had bowed down when the rabbit had approached him. And they also met Megan Fox, the vixen had eyed Nick up and down a few times before the rabbit had pulled him away. Some of the celebrities that they met even knew who Nick was before he was introduced, which blew the fox away.
But there was one mammal that stood out among the rest, or stood taller. A mammal that Nick accidentally bumped into.
He was walking in front of Judy and turned around to face her while continuing to walk backwards, "do you have any more mammals you want me to meet?" He asked.
"We will see, I don't really know who is here, its kind of whoever shows up" she said, she then quickly noticed that Nick was about to back into someone, but it was far too late to save him.
It wasn't a big hit, but it was enough to cause the tall mammal to spill a bit of the drink that they were holding. Nick felt immediate regret, thinking that he had ruined the mammals evening.
"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry" Nick apologized.
"It's quite alright, accidents happen" the voice was deep and easily recognizable. This wasn't just any mammal, it was a friend. The mammal turned around, although his antlers were an unmistakable giveaway.
"Mr. Moosebridge?" Nick asked looking up at the tall moose that now stood before him.
"Oh Mr. Wilde it's you" Moosebridge said with a smile. The moose stuck out his paw which Nick quickly shook. "It's been awhile, I'm glad to see that you have healed well after our run in with the rhino"
"Well yes, thanks to you of course. It would have been a struggle to pay those bills, you certainly helped me out" Nick reminisced on the time when his jaw had been sewn shut, among other injuries.
"Of course, so what have you been up to now? I heard from Sheng that you left SafePaw" he questioned.
"Yes it is true, I got an offer from a certain mammal that I simply couldn't refuse" he said knowing that said mammal was standing behind him.
Judy cleared her throat gaining the attention of both mammals, "and that certain mammal is standing behind you" she said stepping around Nick and into view. Moosebridges eyes lit up once again at the sight of the rabbit.
"Ah so the rumors are true. How strange that the two mammals I shouted out on stage at the Zoozies end up working together" Moosebridge stated, scratching his chin.
It was true, in his acceptance speech the moose had called on both Nick and Judy for how they were pushing the boundaries of their species stereotypes.
"That's one hell of a coincidence, at least if your career as a news anchor doesn't workout you can go be a fortune teller" Nick joked, causing the moose to break out into laughter.
The trio continued their conversation for awhile until Judy decided that she better go find Clawhuaser as it was almost time for them to get going. Nick wanted to go with her, just to be safe, but the rabbit had assured him that she would be fine, so he waited and continued talking with Peter.
As she walked away he once again watched her go. His watching was interrupted by the moose next to him leaning down.
"You like her, don't you?" He asked.
Hearing his question Nick couldn't help but cough, the question was just as strange as the questions that the wombat had asked Judy. But the fact that he was asking meant that his feelings for the rabbit must have been pretty clear.
"Is it that obvious?" Nick practically whispered. His answer once again caused the moose to laugh.
"No it isn't, don't worry" he assured the fox, "just a lucky guess is all, plus the way that you were looking at her certainly didn't help you try and hide it"
Nick chuckled nervously, "ha yeah, I don't really know how to deal with it. It is a bit of a difficult situation, I don't want to risk this job at the off-chance that I could form a relationship with her. Plus who knows if she is even okay with it?"
"Nick, if there is one thing I know about love, it is that you cannot keep it to yourself. I think you should tell her, doesn't have to be now or today, but eventually. I have this strange feeling that she may reciprocate those feelings" Peter stated.
"You really think so?" Nick asked, genuinely curious.
"I don't know" he said, instantly deflating the fox's spirits, "but I was right about you, so I think I may be right about her too"
So there was hope, It may have been small, but it was hope nonetheless.
Eventually Judy did comeback with Clawhauser, and of course with Clawhauser came Alyssa, who had been talking to the cheetah and other managers on the other end of the hall. When Alyssa saw Nick she gave the fox a hug and asked the same questions that Peter had asked. The conversation didn't last long as Judy gently pushed the trio towards the exit. The rabbit seemed to be in a little bit of a rush and it made Nick more than a little unsettled.
'She was looking forward to this night for quite awhile, I'm amazed that we're leaving so soon' Nick thought to himself. But soon Nick would find the reason why the rabbit was so keen on leaving.
Just as they were about to leave the museum a voice called out stopping them all in their tracks.
"Oi! Hopps!"
It was clearly a male voice, but the accent was a peculiar one, like a mixture of Outback Islander and a foreigner from the Zoonited Kingdom. Nick turned around and stepped in front of Judy simply by reaction, he didn't know if this mammal was going to be a threat or not. What he was not expecting was for the mammal to be a hare. His snow-white fur stood out under the black denim jacket and ripped black jeans that he had on, not to mention the strange black markings that ran down the back of his ears and onto the top of his head.
He must have been a celebrity if he was at the party, but it was a celebrity that Nick did not recognize. The hare seemed unfazed by Nick's defensive stance in front of Judy and approached anyways. He could hear the rabbit behind him sigh as she stepped around to face the hare.
"Hopps darling, you thought you could leave without talking to me?" The hare said flippantly. Nick did not like him, not one bit. Something about him just read pompous, cocky, and arrogant, and those were all adjectives that made for a real jerk.
"Oh no Jack I'm sorry, just wanted to hit the hay early. I've got a real busy day tomorrow" Judy said with an edge of sarcasm.
Nick knew she was lying, on the schedule she was supposed to have one of her only days off tomorrow. The fact that she was lying to the mammal also set him off,
'Judy must not like him either' he thought to himself.
"Oh I'm sure you do, but you were really going to skip out on talking to your favorite hare? You know I actually heard from a reporter at The Zooster that they were once again going to put us as the two destined to fall in love, and I don't see why it would be wrong considering it's the third time we've been put in there" The hare stated getting even closer to the rabbit.
Nick could feel his anger rising, the hare was practically insinuating that the two should fall in love from some tabloid newspaper. Not to mention the fact that he was now within striking range of the hare.
"Listen Jack I-"
"Yeah because you probably have all the females fawning over you, don't you?" Nick asked with anger dripping from his voice. All three mammals around him looked at the fox surprised by his sudden statement. Even Nick himself was surprised that he had said the statement out loud, but he didn't regret it in the least bit. The hare himself was taken aback by the statement but didn't let it slow his roll.
"I probably get more ladies than you, fox" the hare spat back at him. Then both mammals looked at Judy with curiosity, asking the same question at the same time.
"Who the hell is this guy?"
Judy sighed once again, "Jack this is my bodyguard Nick Wilde, Nick this is Jack Savage".
"Well you must not be that famous considering I've never heard of you" Nick said, his half lidded gaze in place on his face.
"More famous than you, shouldn't you be in the bodyguard room where you belong anyways?" Jack snipped back causing Nick to laugh.
"No I'm out here on special privileges tonight, and Yeah I'd sure hope you're more famous than me considering I'm only a bodyguard"
The two male's argument was split up when Judy stepped in between them.
"Both of you stop" She said, quickly shutting both mammals up, she then turned to Nick, "Nick relax, I've got this covered" she whispered to him.
"Bu-"
"I said relax" She said pointing one of her small fingers at him before turning around to address Jack.
"Jack, I'm sorry but we really must get going. It was nice seeing you, as always, but I think I'll be going now. Goodnight" She told the hare before turning around and walking away.
But Jack wasn't having any of it, "Now just hold on a second". The hare then stepped forward, reached out and grabbed Judy's arm. It was what Nick had been expecting and waiting for, and as soon as it happened he stepped into action. But some mammals acted faster than others, even with his tuned in reflexes Judy had made her move faster than Nick.
The second she had felt the hares hand grab her arm she spun around and brought the fist from her other paw up and punched the hare straight in the nose. It wasn't a hare hit, but it was a surprising one nonetheless. It had enough power to cause the hare to let go and stumble back before falling on his back on to the floor.
Once again all three mammals were surprised, but this time the center of attention was on Judy. Even some of the other celebrities had seen the whole thing and were now watching to see how the rest of the scene played out.
Judy took a step forward and knelt in front of the hare, "next time you touch me, I'm going to let him go off on you" She said pointing to Nick, "and he hits a lot harder than I do". She then turned off and walked straight out the door followed close behind by a still-in-awe Clawhauser, who stared at Nick as he went out the door. Nick followed close behind but before he left he looked back at the hare and put two of his fingers up to his eyes before pointing them back at Jack in the universal sign for 'I've got my eyes on you' he then swiftly followed the other two out the door and into the night, leaving a very confused Jack behind.
The trio now sat back where they had started the night, in the back of the limousine on their way back to the apartment complex. Both Nick and Clawhauser sat still, still surprised by the rabbits actions, meanwhile Judy seemed to be beaming with pride.
"Did you see the look on his face" she said with a laugh, her smile never once leaving her face.
"Yeah you sure showed him" Nick crossing his arms with a smirk.
"And the way he fell on his butt" she said once again replaying the scene in her head.
"Who is Jack Savage anyways?" Nick asked.
"He's a rockstar who is an absolute jerk and has been hitting on Judy ever since they first met" Clawhauser spoke up.
"Yeah you definitely got the jerk part right" Nick said.
An easy-going silence filled the limo, that is, until Nick cleared his throat.
"Judy, listen" Nick stated awkwardly, he looked towards the ground of the limo. Judy noticed this as well as the fact that the fox had used her real name instead of one of his silly nicknames. Her smile faded at Nicks seriousness, "it was great that you did that, but you could get into serious trouble if he were to bring up these charges. Me hitting him that's one thing, I'm supposed to do that, but you're not. I doubt he will press charges because we could easily bring up the fact you felt threatened, but still, from now on leave the butt-kicking to me" Nick said honestly. Judy nodded in understanding before a sly grin overtook her face.
"Well maybe someone should be faster with their reaction time" Judy quipped to the fox causing his jaw to drop at her comment.
"Ooooooh" came the quiet voice of Clawhauser from the other end of the limo.
Nick stared for a few moments before he came to his senses, knowing that the rabbit definitely deserved payback.
"Oh I'll show you reaction time" Nick said lunging across the limo and tackling the rabbit.
The two of the wrestled the rest of the way back to the apartment, even Clawhauser joined in on the fun. The night had been a success, it had its highs and lows, but a success either way.
Nick only hoped that the good times would keep on rolling as the world around him kept evolving. His thoughts from earlier echoed in his head,
'There is hope, it may have been small, but it was hope nonetheless'
It has certainly been awhile my friends, but its okay because this chapter was exceedingly long and I didn't realize it till the moment I started typing this authors note. I hope you enjoyed it, the development of these characters and their relationships is really a difficult thing to create. But I know where the story is going from here on out, things are about to be set in motion and we will see more from both Nick and Judy in future chapters.
I'm really hyped to keep writing now that the summer has arrived and things will be calming down a lot more now that COVID is over. It's crazy to think that I restarted writing just about a year ago with the ending of "The Amazing Nick Wilde" but here we are. And I have all of you to thank!
SO thanks for reading, I will be back eventually with another chapter. Stay safe, go get vaccinated, stay cool.
DAG
P.S. Someone asked if I would be creating a sequel to "The Amazing Nick Wilde". And to answer their question,
perhaps...
Edit: Someone pointed out that a wombat is not a predator, thank you to that person. I have now changed the mammal in question to a lynx, who I know for certain is a predator.