I´m still very sorry for the long waiting times. The next chapter won´t take too long this time though, I´m nearly done with that as well in the meanwhile.
Hope you enjoy this one a little, it was a lot of work ;)
Big thanks to my co-author and corrector MrShurukan once again! Love you, bro!
Zootopia – Springtime Circumstances
Chapter 45 – The best hideout in Zootopia (part 1)
(POV Max)
I was sitting here at home and sick of fear. I haven´t heard anything from Jennifer since she went off to find Nick and Judy, and that was over 90 minutes ago already. I guessed that if they had caught her, they would have kidnapped me as well in the meanwhile. This whole time I could think of nothing else than that. It drove me mad.
That stupid, hateful GPS tracker was laying on the kitchen table right before me. The red blinking LED made me feel really insecure but also very aggressive. It stressed the hell out of me. But I just couldn´t do anything about it. The shots of vodka every now and then made it at least bearable.
Then, finally, somebody rang at my doorbell.
I slowly went towards the door of my flat and pressed the button for the connection.
"Yeah?" I asked.
"Hey Max…" a male voice asked me in a friendly way. I was pretty sure I knew that voice, but I was very careful on who to trust in the meanwhile, "…it´s Nick" he wanted to make me believe, "…Jennifer is fine, we all survived it, but you´re not safe here anymore…"
"You survived what?" I asked suspiciously.
"Those assholes attacked us in my apartment just a few minutes after she arrived. They came with fifteen men and stamped down my door…" he told me, sounding serious but still rather calm. Too calm nearly.
"How can I know you´re not making all that up?"
"Come on, Max" he chuckled tiredly.
"I´m not kidding" I replied coldly, "Tell me something that only Nick Wilde could tell me."
"Um…uh…yeah" he said, and he seemed to be thinking of something quickly "…I tricked Fangmeyer and you backstage with a certain fact about my body and I´m really annoyed by hearing it in the meanwhile… …what about that?"
"Everybody knows that story, we´ve told that to nearly everybody in the ZPD."
"I also went to that leopard who got the second place and apologized for what I said in the show earlier. Gazelle stole your cocktail and asked you to get a second one for her as well… …does everybody know about that as well?"
"That´s a little better…"
"I changed the Chief´s desktop wallpaper before your presentation for the new recruits. I acted like I was locked in a prison cell right next to Cammy and that little bitch of a reporter Rachel. Oh, and I´m immune to freaking tranquilizers in the meanwhile because Judy hit me with seven of those darts to calm me down from my night-howlers rage…" he continued on listing facts, and slowly but surely he convinced me, "…goddammit, Wolfheart" he chuckled, "I know about the 5000 dollars and about the letter you wrote with pen and paper, open the freaking door already. Get ready to leave this place and that stupid GPS tracker where it is" he said.
Now I trusted him. I should have trusted him from the first sentence already, because that voice was unmistakably his, but now there was no other way anymore. I pressed the button for the door release and opened up for him when he arrived at the first floor.
"Sorry, Nick" I told him, "I´m really out of nerves in the meanwhile."
"Don´t worry about it" he chuckled, apparently still taking it with humour, "I can understand you pretty well. And I´m sorry for bringing up that stupid topic again…" he chuckled.
I just waved it off.
"What´s the plan?"
He asked me with a little gesture if I had the microphone still on me. I just pointed at the kitchen table. He waved me to follow him.
"We´re going to stay at that newly renovated youth-activity-centre for the night…" he told me rather loudly. Why the hell was he doing that?
I pointed at the little black box and shook my head heavily. Now it was too late anyway. They surely must have heard that, so that hideout was off the list as well. But Nick nodded understandingly and winked me shortly.
"…they won´t expect us there…" he added with the same loudness.
Now I understood what he was doing, finally.
"Nick! Don´t say that too loud, they might hear us!" I acted for the microphone.
Nick went one step closer to my kitchen table.
"Just leave that thing here in your flat, they must not know where we are…" he whispered just loud enough so the mic would still capture it.
He smiled at me once again and signalized me to follow him. Damn that fox was so clever. It really lifted my spirit a little being part of that right now.
"Get yourself some clothing or whatever you need for the next few days…we need to get out of here!"
"Alright!" I agreed, before I went on my way into my bedroom quickly, "Give me a minute."
POV Nick
"So, where are we going?" Max asked, after he went onto the back seat besides Jennifer.
"Did somebody see us?" I asked Judy first of all.
"No, we haven´t seen anything…" she replied while starting the engine.
I nodded.
"We´re going to stay by some really cool friends of ours for the night. They are the ones who let us in on that day of the snowstorm. Ivonne, Sarah and Rico. I´m pretty sure you´re going to like them…"
"Those guys I picked you up at?"
"Yeah, exactly" I affirmed.
"Are you sure we can get there without getting noticed?"
"I think we´ll be fine. If they really were listening, and I´m pretty sure they were after all that, those idiots will send everything they have to that youth-activity-centre now." I explained, "And they have to get their men out of my apartment which should be quite a pain in the ass as well…"
"They followed me and attacked us in Nicks flat" Jennifer explained to him, "It was so scary…and…and now his whole flat is destroyed…"
"…ah, don´t mind about that too much" I waved it off, "It really could have ended worse…"
"You´ve been hit by a tranquilizer!" she reminded me.
"You´re welcome for that by the way" I just chuckled with a little wink.
"Yeah…you´re right" she chuckled, "…thanks for that by the way!"
"And that dart didn´t knock you out?" Max asked in disbelief.
"I was dizzy for a few moments and I still feel it a little right now, but I´m quite well actually…"
"You´re such a fucking rock-star" Max told me with a little grin.
"I´m not sure if it´s healthy if they keep on messing with his body" Judy chuckled with a little smile.
We were just about to enter the ice-district in the meanwhile, and we still were all alone on the road.
"Yeah, really, I´m beginning to feel like an experiment meanwhile" I agreed with what Judy said, "There is not much left they could try to do to me…"
"What doesn´t kill you makes you stronger…" she chuckled.
"If only my mum knew about that" I told them, "I think she wouldn´t even allow me to leave my own apartment anymore…"
"When do I get to know your mum, finally?" Judy wanted to know, "I want to meet her!"
"Oh god" I just sighed.
She giggled a little more.
"The greatest bad-ass in the city and he´s still scared of his mom…" Max chuckled.
"You haven´t met my mom before" I replied dryly.
"Must be one hell of a lady" he guessed.
"How would you feel if you were in heat, your mom notices that just from hearing your voice on the phone and offers you to ´help you find a nice girl´ to solve the problem" I explained, "…when the only thing that was able to make her stop talking was a freaking power-cut…"
Just as I expected, Judy was nearly laughing tears from hearing that.
"I swear to god, she really would do that!" I complained while everybody was grinning about it widely.
"Now I want to meet her even more!" Judy told me.
I just nodded ironically. Luckily, that conversation was done for now, because she just had found a good spot for our undercover cruiser to park nearby the road. It was cold when we left the car, but the multi-story-building was in sight already. I was anticipating to meet them already, I really could use to see some friendly faces right now.
POV Max Wolfheart
We followed Nick and Judy up the staircase and waited for them to greet our hosts like we were supposed to. It still felt a little weird in our situation, but as long as I was with Jennifer and as long we both were safe, it was fine. But when we got to know them a few moments later, we immediately felt at home at their place.
"Hey man!" Nick greeted the male black and grey fox in the white bathrobe, "So glad to see you!"
"Nick!" he greeted back with a happy smile while shaking his paw, "Judy!"
"Hey Rico" she greeted back equally cheerful.
"Come on in guys, don´t by shy!" he waved us.
We quickly shook his paw as well after he was done with hugging Judy chummily and then he closed the door behind us.
"Please excuse my clothing, I couldn´t find anything better this quickly…that´s not the right way to greet police officers" he chuckled.
Nick just looked at him and cocked an eyebrow shortly, followed by a little smirk.
"I think we´re forgetting how I arrived here the first time" Nick told him ironically.
"Guess that´s fair" the other fox chuckled in amusement, just as his roommates came into the little hallway to greet us as well.
"Nicky!" they yelled excitedly, "Judy!"
"Hey Ladies" Nick greeted them, hugging the white and the brownish-red furred vixens both at once quickly.
Judy was equally happy to see them and did the same right afterwards.
"Hey guys" the white vixen greeted Jennifer and I as well.
"Very kind of you to let us stay here for the night" I told them thankfully,
"We really didn´t know what to do anymore…"
"That´s no problem, officer Wolfheart" Rico told me, "Our pleasure to have you guys here!"
"Thank you very much" I told them once again, as I shook the paws of the two giggly vixens as well, "And please, call me Max!"
My girlfriend shook all their paws and introduced herself as well quickly.
I already liked that bunch of foxes. They were happy, they were not shy of us being police officers and they were friendly.
Sarah brought us into the living room and offered us a place to sit. Rico helped Ivonne with the tea they had prepared in the kitchen.
It was cosy here, I liked the atmosphere right away.
"So, you guys still have trouble with those guys?" Sarah asked us, just after taking a seat besides Judy on the other sofa.
"Yeah" Nick nodded, "They visited us with about fifteen men just an hour ago and they messed up my whole apartment. This might be the last place where we are safe for tonight…"
"Do they want to get rid of you?"
"Yeah, probably…" Judy sighed, "It´s no wonder nobody said anything about this earlier…"
"There are still people who try to mess with you?" Rico asked as he and Ivonne just came back from the kitchen and put a can of tea and a tray with cups onto the little couch table.
"Seems like it" Nick sighed, "And they nearly had success with it today, they stormed my apartment with half an army."
"Damn, how much would I have wanted to see that" Rico chuckled without any shame, "It´s quite a highlight to see you guys in action…"
"That was quite impressive, yeah" Jennifer agreed.
"We really are lucky that it didn´t went any worse than it did" Judy sighed, "I´m getting a little tired of all that trouble in the meanwhile."
"Oh, I surely believe that" Ivonne chuckled, "Alone what that reporter did to you already…"
"Yeah" I chuckled at Nick and Judy, "Let´s see if Howlton and Anderson skip their shifts tomorrow…"
"I have an idea for that, actually" Nick told us.
"That´d be?" Judy wanted to know curiously.
"I´ll go on patrol with one of them" Nick explained his thoughts, "I bet as soon as we´re alone in the car I get a gun pulled on my head…"
"You aware that those guys are not kidding?" I asked him, "I´m pretty sure they´ll abduct you right away and threaten us with your life…"
"But he can´t knock me out with one of those darts" he reminded us, "And I can, certainly."
"Are you sure it works like that?" I asked, still not quite believing it.
"He even stood up after getting hit of that dart" Jennifer told me, "I´ve never seen that before. Except for that totally drugged tiger they brought to the medical check-up a few months ago…"
"I´m pretty confident it works again" Nick told us, "And they fear me already, so self-confidence can be an issue for them as well…"
"It´s worth a try" Judy agreed while shrugging her shoulders, "It´s getting pretty dangerous tomorrow in any way…" she sighed.
Nick just nodded lazily, but he wasn´t in the mood for more of that right now either.
"That really is the most bad-ass thing I´ve ever heard" Rico chuckled at Nick, "Is there anything off the scale impressive you can´t do?"
"I can´t get a whole resort to sing and party with a dull old six-string for example" Nick replied with a smile, "What about that?" he chuckled.
"Neither can he play volleyball" Judy grinned at him sheepishly.
"It was close, carrots!" Nick defended himself.
"We´ll get revenge for that one day" Rico chuckled in amusement.
"Sure thing" Nick agreed.
"Are you talking about the Mystic Springs?" Jennifer wanted to know.
They all nodded in unison. That change of topics was just what I needed right now, I just wanted to forget about all that trouble for a moment. Jennifer felt the same way, apparently.
"That sounds like so much fun! Maxie, can we go there as well some day?" she asked me.
I just shrugged my shoulders since I´ve never been there for myself.
"That place is the freaking paradise, man" Rico told me, "It´s warm, relaxing, looks like a beach on the Caribbean Islands…you can look at beautiful girls all day long…"
"And boys" Sarah added with a little grin. Judy and Ivonne agreed with her right away, giggling in unison.
Nick just leaned back against the couch and took a sip of his tea-cup. None of them seemed to slightly care about topics like that, and I loved it already.
"…and I always thought Nick and Judy were bores in their spare-time…" I joked ironically. I felt like at home here already.
"If everything apart from hanging on buildings counts as ´boring´ for you" Nick grinned, "…yeah, maybe…"
None of them could hide a little smile because of that.
"I´ll hear that till the end of my days, won´t I?" I asked with an ironic little sigh while Jennifer massaged the back of my head gently.
"Let me remind you" Nick told me with a little smirk, "It was your idea to bring me to that show. You wanted to show all that, so that was the price you guys have to pay…"
"Oh, by the way! I´ve seen that part of the show in the meanwhile" Rico told us, "Ivonne and Sarah showed it to me..."
"I feel sorry for you, man" Nick apologized dryly, which made everybody chuckle again, "Told you it wasn´t worth it…"
"I had quite a good time, actually…" Rico grinned.
"Guess what Fangmeyer and I had backstage" I grinned.
Nick just shook his head with an ironic little smile.
"Have I ever told you the story of when he told us about…"
"Shut up, Max!" Nick told me with a little sigh, but I would not spare him that at all. Now they wanted to hear that story anyway.
"So, he came back from the stage, and…" I began, "…and we asked him if…"
"No, you didn't" Nick tried to avoid it, "Don´t listen to him!"
"So he came back from the stage with a proud grin…" I began again, and this time I wasn´t letting him stop me anymore.
POV Rico
We had a lot to laugh about on this evening. Max and Jennifer were just as friendly and likable as Nick and Judy as it turned out. We had four police officers in out apartment tonight and we all were talking like close friends already. The atmosphere was so awesome. I actually was curious about meeting them since I´ve seen that recording of the SMA show. The wolfish half of that hilarious duo, although he seemed a little dimmed this evening, was just on the same level of cool- and friendliness I expected after seeing that show. Very much to Nick´s displeasure, he told us a funny story about meeting Gazelle backstage and Nick´s little troll based on what she asked him about his body in the show earlier. I already had an ache in my stomach from all the laughing.
"…and then Gazelle asked him if he lied about it in the Story, and the little motherfucker just shook his head with an evil little smile! Goddamn did I feel stupid on that evening!" Max ended his story
"Guess how often I had to hear that already" Nick sighed, "I think Max still gets nightmares because of that…"
"But can you blame him?" I asked back with a big smile directed towards him. He knew exactly how I meant that. It really was fun annoying him with that topic, but he took hit with humour just like he always did.
"No…I probably can´t…" he agreed with me a second later, "…that really was a ´Dick-move´ from me, wasn´t it?"
"Oh god…" Judy giggled, "Really, Nick?"
"I´m sorry."
"This guy…" officer Wolfheart chuckled ironically, "…unbelievable!"
"I didn´t start with that topic, just to be clear…you thought it was cool to talk about that right now…"
"I had fun listening" Ivonne commented with a dirty little grin.
"Me too" Jennifer agreed, "Max, you should tell us more stories like that…" she added with a little wink.
"Did I tell you the story about the blueberries already?" Max asked with the same excited spirit. Nick just buried his face in one of the pillows he found on the couch.
"Goddammit" we heard the red fox sighing while Judy´s and Jennifer´s grins widened a little. They must have witnessed or heard about that already, and somehow Ivonne and Sarah seemed to know about that too. I seemed to be the only one who had no clue once again, but my god, I loved having them all here and listening to their stories. This was so much fun already. This evening was only getting better as it seemed.
POV Daniel Fangmeyer
It was about half past 9PM already, and I still couldn´t calm down if my life depended on it. What was I supposed to do? I couldn´t call anyone, I couldn´t text anyone.
I wondered what Max was thinking right now.
"Has he told anybody about it yet?" I wondered.
I had the envelope with the 5000 Dollars still laying right there on the table, but I wouldn´t even think about using that for personal profit. That was just so wrong. I really hoped Nick and Judy would hear about this as soon as possible.
Nothing has happened until now. But then, suddenly, somebody rang my doorbell.
"Hello?" I asked them coldly.
"Fangmeyer" I heard a dark and scratchy voice, "Now listen very closely. Wolfheart that little cocksucker stabbed us in the back. You better speak up if you know something, because otherwise this is getting pretty ugly for you…I´m not kidding."
"What the hell do I have to do with this? What did he even do?"
"What do you know about that youth-activity centre?" he asked, rather than answering my question.
"What´s wrong with that place?"
"Do they have an alternative hideout?"
"What freaking hideout?" I wanted to know, although I believed I understood it slowly.
"Stop messing around you little fucker" he yelled aggressively, "You know something! Tell us or we´re going to fuck you up!"
"I don't know shit!" I replied, "…I just know that I fucked Gazelle in there at that ZPD party…"
"Is Wolfheart using that place as a hideout right now or not?"
"Why would I know?"
"You basically know everything about him. You spend every day with him at work, you guys even go to the clubs together! I always thought you were his boyfriend of something…so he must have told you about that as well."
"He didn´t. And we´re just colleagues and good friends…nothing to be jealous about."
"…I don´t care what you are. Tell us the truth. If not, we´re coming up and kick in your fucking door. Stop acting like a little bitch you pussy!"
"Fuck you, go away" I replied coldly, "You didn´t really believe we would keep our mouths shut, did you? Call me a pussy if you want, threaten me with my life, I don´t care. But if I were you I would be scared of Nick and Judy right now."
There was a short pause after that.
"We´ve captured those clowns as well in the meanwhile…" he told me then.
"No, you didn´t. You wouldn´t ask me for help if you had."
"Last warning, Asshole!" he yelled, "Your fur will make a good rag for the boss´s office…"
I decided to don´t even reply him anymore. Why should I continue on that stupid discussion, they would try to capture me now anyway after I said that. I needed every second of the lead I had.
I quickly went for the table in my living room, grabbed my keys and the envelope with the 5000 dollars, left my phone and that stupid GPS-tracker laying there and made my way towards the balcony.
I opened the glass-door and cool night air crossed my fur. Above me, I heard my neighbour talking and laughing with some friends of hers, below me was just the little backyard garden three levels below me. Climbing down was not an option. I had to go through the staircase in any case, so I would run right into their arms. I had to climb onto the next level. There was no other way, even if that would be quite a weird situation. I climbed onto the railing carefully and held onto the corner of the platform above me. Just as it was on balcony, the railing of the one above mine began right above the stone floor, so I quickly found something I could hold on to. It was quite hard work, but I actually managed to pull myself up and grab the bar above the one I was holding onto already. They surely looked a little surprised as they noticed me, but I wasn't able to change it right now. I had to keep climbing.
Hazel, the brown furred Jaguar lady who moved in above me just a few month ago, had two of her friends with her tonight, and they were just sitting there drinking red vine on her balcony and having a quite funny conversation as it seemed.
"Sorry Ladies…" I apologized right away.
"Oh, did Spiderman just came to visit us?" Hazel chuckled in amusement.
"I´m very sorry…" I panted, "…just passing…"
"Isn´t he one of the police officers who hung on that building? Hazel, didn´t you tell us he lived here?" one of the other, obviously a little drunken, Jaguar ladies asked her, "I think I´m having a little Deja-vu right now…" she chuckled.
It couldn´t have been more obvious that I was a police officer, I even still wore the blue uniform. But I kept my calm and stayed friendly.
"Yes, indeed I am" I sighed, "Quite ironic, isn´t it? Hanging on a building again…"
They nodded and giggled a little more.
"…but I´m literally running away from half an army of bad guys who want to kidnap me…" I explained lowly, "…excuse me, please."
"He really is quite handsome…you weren´t lying…" the other friend of her grinned shamelessly. Hazel just nodded with an ashamed little smile. I just stood there and tried to catch my breath for a second.
"Oh, I remember! He was in the SMA show as well, he and that wolf were making that video about Nick Wilde, weren´t they?"
"Yeah, that was sooo cool!" her friend agreed.
In panic I tried to signalize her to keep her voice down, but she didn´t quite understand me.
"…yeah, I was" I interrupted her, "Listen! I really need to hide. Could you keep your words down at least for a minute, please? This is very important for me and my colleagues!" I panted. Luckily that dimmed them down a little.
I already tried climbing onto the next balcony as well, but then I made the worst mistake I could do: I looked down.
My fear of heights kicked in immediately and I nearly fell of the railing I was standing on.
"Shit" I panted, holding myself onto the rail of the balcony above me. The girls still watched me in amusement.
"Afraid of heights?" Hazel asked me lowly.
I nodded a little. Then I suddenly heard something below me. They were trying to break up the door to my flat already.
"Can I stay in your apartment until they´re gone?" I begged her lowly, "I´ll make it up to you later, I promise!"
"What do we think ladies?" Hazels friend asked boldly, "Wanna help out Spiderman?"
"That´s no problem" Hazel told me with a little wink, "Since you helped me so kindly when I was moving in…"
"Thanks very much" I sighed contentedly while jumping off her railing onto her balcony smoothly. I went straight towards her glass door. But I left it open on purpose, stopped in the doorframe and listened to what was going on below me, just like the girls who hadn´t moved an inch since I got here.
"Search in every room!" they yelled below us, "He must be hiding here somewhere! Search in the staircase as well! We must find him, he will fuck us up if he gets away!"
I still held my breath as good as possible. The girls now realized that I wasn't joking.
Now my chasers noticed that I left open the door to my balcony, finally.
"Get downstairs immediately!" we heard the same voice yelling, "The freaking balconies! Get up onto the roof of the building as well, that motherfucker can´t have come far!"
POV Nick
"…so my colleague comes up to me again, a few days after that snowstorm…" Ivonne continued on telling her story, "…and she tells me again that she still doesn´t believe me when I told her Nick and Judy have been in my shared apartment…and then I told her about the mystic springs…"
We were listening in great amusement, Judy still giggled uncontrollably.
"…I told her I was nude playing volleyball with them, I told her about my ´boring´ roommate Rico who made the whole resort sing and dance…and all that good stuff…"
"And she still thinks you´re crazy?" Sarah asked with a little chuckle.
"Yeah…she still doesn´t believe me" she grinned, "She asked me quite kindly to `spare her the explanations of my wet dreams and just forget about my fantasies´."
"Well, Nick" Max grinned in amusement, "It´s not like I haven´t heard something like that before…"
"That´s the coolest thing of the all, actually" I told them to change the topic a little, "People always think Judy and I are the biggest assholes because of our fame…"
"Yeah" Judy agreed, "…and then they are surprised that we´re not! Why does everybody think like that? Were we ever not nice to somebody?"
"At least to everybody who deserved it…"
Rico cocked an eyebrow a little as I said that. He was right. I decided to end that topic as well just as quickly as it came.
"Where did you get that fancy bathrobe from?" I asked him, "I want one of those as well…"
"Sarah lend it do me just before you guys came…"
"Suits him well, doesn´t it?" she asked with a big grin.
"It does" Judy agreed, "…but why a bathrobe?"
"We didn´t have much time anymore after Nick called us…and…" Rico told us while making up more lies, "And my laundry wasn´t ready either, so…"
Judy and I of course knew what has been going on here when I called, but none of us really was mad about it. Why would we?
"I´m sure that´s the reason" I grinned at him, "…but it does suit you well I must say, you little show-off…"
"Nick, you can try it on as well if you want" Sarah suggested with a big grin now, "I´m quite curious right now, actually…"
"Me too!" Judy agreed with a big smile at Rico.
"Um…yeah, sure…but right now that´s a tiny bit problematic…"
"In return, you could try out my police uniform as well someday" I suggested with a big grin, "Haven´t got it here right now though, but I have one in the car…" I chuckled, acting like I was about to get up and go get it.
"Good idea" he chuckled, "Well do that…someday…"
We all really could use that relaxed situation right now. Max and Jennifer were much calmer as well in the meanwhile. I wanted them to feel at home and not have to feel awkward or uninvited or something. But I immediately sensed that they were just as welcome here, and they seemed to feel like it as well.
"You think I would look good in a police uniform?" Rico asked with a little chuckle a moment later.
"You surely would." Sarah affirmed, "You should really try it. Nick, could you get your uniform quickly?" she asked with a big smile.
"Nah" Rico disagreed ironically, „I think I´m going to keep this bathrobe for now…"
We all chuckled a little about it once more, but then Max suddenly had another idea.
"Hey Nick" he asked me, "I just remembered something: A few days ago I heard someone saying something about you which I didn´t really believe…"
"Not the first time I heard that either…" I sighed, although I apparently really didn´t know what he was talking about right now.
"The strength of a wolf" he told me with a little grin, "You wanted to prove that to me with an arm-wrestling match I heard…"
"Oh really, did I?" I chuckled tiredly, "I wanted to prove that?"
"I think that was your idea, yeah" he grinned, because Judy was happily giggling about it already.
"Really, Max? Now you come with this? After I´ve been hit by a tranquilizer dart?"
"You seem to be fine…" he told me teasingly.
"Yeah, Nick!" Judy agreed, "You wanted to prove that, I just remembered it as well…"
"For sure, carrots" he sighed ironically.
"I think he´s copping out of it now" Max teased, "Nick Wilde is copping out on…"
"I just don't want to hurt your little feelings once again…" I told him with an evil little smirk, "I did that already…"
"Everybody listen up!" he yelled ironically, "Nick Wilde is copping out on a little arm-wrestling match!"
Everybody chuckled about it in anticipation. Max really knew how to make a scene out of it. They all were hyped to see that right now.
"Alright" I sighed finally, "Let´s get this over with. What´s the bet, Wolfy?"
POV Daniel Fangmeyer
We heard lots of steps in the staircase, yelling voices and swearing. The girls were still talking to each other very lowly, but it wasn´t anything that could get me into trouble, luckily. They were talking about something completely different, and therefore they were actively helping me. It seemed to confused the shit out of my chasers.
It went on like that for a few minutes and it really was messing with my nerves. I wanted those idiots to leave the building already, but they weren't giving in that easily as it seemed. About ten long minutes later it got a little more-quiet, finally. Nothing was to be heard in the staircase anymore.
"Hey Daniel" Hazel asked me, as she and her two friends suddenly got off their chairs and followed me into her living room, "What is all that about actually?"
I quickly thought about how much I could really tell them, but now since they helped me this well I figured that I really should tell them about a few details.
"It´s a freaking nightmare" I began explaining, "Max and I got forced into some shady drug business by two of our colleagues today. It seems like half the ZPD is part of it in the meanwhile. But it looks like Max somehow managed to talk to Nick and Judy about it…so they have a mayor Problem with that now already"
"Wait…so you´re actually working with Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps?" one of them asked.
"Yeah, of course. I mean…sometimes… they´re also just colleagues of mine."
"Wow, that is so cool!"
"It would be quite handy to have them here right now" I explained lowly, "Nick and Judy would tear them apart like nothing. But alone I´m no match for them…"
"Are those two honestly that good at fighting?"
I nodded.
"I´ve never seen anything moving faster than that bunny" I chuckled, "And Nick literally picks up mammals of his own weight with just one of his arms. I doubt you messed those videos when they went through the news" I told them with a little wink, "Those two are like a hurricane."
"Oh, that fox is so handsome!" the beige jaguar with the grey spots giggled, "I really want to meet him one day…"
"If you only knew how often I´ve heard that already" I chuckled tiredly.
"How are they as colleagues?"
"Those two actually are the nicest guys you can think of…I mean, really. They treat us just like the best friends and they don´t brag about anything."
"Wow…I really didn´t expect to hear that" Hazel chuckled, "I always believed they would be selfish assholes…"
I just shook my head with a little smile. I anticipated this to become a long evening already, but I wasn´t in too bad of a spirit actually. The jaguar-ladies were a little annoying with their questions and their loud tone, but that was mostly because of the alcohol I guessed. They really seemed to be quite alright, actually. At least they haven't ruined my hideout yet.
"You want to drink a glass of wine with us, officer Fangmeyer?" one of Hazels friends suddenly asked me while reaching over the vine bottle to me unexpectedly. I took it by total reflex before even thinking about it properly. Great job, Dan, now it seems weird if I wouldn´t do it anyway. But some alcohol really wasn´t so bad after all that actually, so why not? I heard more steps and voice in the staircase once again, but this time they were going back down the stairs again. They didn´t sound too confident anymore. The house should be clear in the next few minutes, so that was a good sign already.
But apparently, all three of Jaguar ladies wanted me to stay a little longer. I considered it for a second, and then I came to the decision that that was ten times better than sitting alone in my apartment with the GPS-tracker inside of it.
"Come on" the one who handed me the bottle giggled lowly, because I still was holding it without doing anything, "Can´t be too bad, Spiderman!"
"…yeah…why not?" I told them with a little smile finally, "That´s actually quite nice right now, thanks! I´d be glad to stay a little while!"
"Oooh, looky here, what a gentleman!"
"You can call me Daniel by the way" I told them with a little wink, before I finally took a few gulps from the half-full bottle of red vine, "…I think this is not the time for formalities…"
"Fair enough" Hazel chuckled light-heartedly.
"Are you fine with Spidey as well?" Hazel´s friend with the greyish fur asked me teasingly.
I just took another little sip from the bottle, followed by another tired little chuckle of mine.
"Since you guys practically saved my life…I guess I have to be fine with that…" I answered her question.
The alcohol was running down my throat and that was just what I needed. Finally, I was able to relax a little. I was able to talk to somebody without having to watch out for what I was saying as well, because now they knew about it, so that GPS-tracker with the microphone was useless for them anyway.
"Can you tell us a few things about that SMA show, please!" the third Jaguar wanted to know while taking a seat on Hazel´s blue couch, still having her vine-glass in her paws. We were taking a seat around her couch table as well and made ourselves a little more comfortable. The glass door to the balcony was still closed, luckily.
"I certainly can tell you a few quite interesting things…but those…" I told them, before leaving a short pause.
"Those?" she asked impatiently.
"Those are top secret…" I told her with a mischievous little smile.
"So, you won´t tell us about them?" she asked teasingly.
"Maybe if I knew who I was telling them to…" I smiled.
Hazel couldn´t hide a little grin at that. They surely weren´t expecting that much self-confidence from me.
"Gia" the yellow Jaguar with the brown spots in her fur chuckled.
"I´m Eva" Hazels other friend introduced herself, rather shyly all over sudden.
"Okay" I told them with another little smile, "That makes it a little more comfortable right away, doesn´t it?"
They all agreed by nodding gladly. Hazels smile towards me widened a little. It seemed like she liked me a little.
I took another little gulp of red vine from the bottle, then I began.
"Listen up" I announced, "I call this story ´that is why´ or ´don´t mess with the fox´…"
They nodded in excitement and immediately came a little closer.
"So, after he came back from the stage, we asked him if he…"
POV Max Wolfheart
I was excited. I actually really wanted to find out about that since that day already, and now I finally got him this far.
I took a quick look around the living room, then I got an idea for a bet.
"Are there more foxes living in this house?" I asked Rico and the two girls quickly.
They nodded after thinking about it for a second.
"Two stories above us, mother and daughter" Rico told me.
Something like that was exactly what I wanted to hear. I couldn´t hide a little grin already.
"…the mister went to get some cigarettes about three years ago and never came back…" Ivonne added with a sad expression, "But those two still are really cute together…"
The look on Judy´s face that followed, accompanied by a long "Awww" from her, supported my idea even more. That was perfect.
"Alright, here is the bet" I announced, "Nick, if you win, I´ll do whatever it is, but if you lose, you´ll be going up there, in Rico´s bathrobe, and ring on their door to ask for a cup of sugar or something" I told him with a big smile.
"Goddamn, Max, I hate you so much…" he sighed ironically.
"That is such a great idea!" Judy commented enthusiastically. She really was excited for this. "Nick, that really is cool! I think that would really make the day for everybody!"
The others agreed with her as well.
"I´d actually give you the bathrobe for that" Rico grinned at Nick who was still shaking his head, "…although they probably get a heart attack up there…"
Now I really wanted to win that arm-wrestle. They all were so hyped about this because of that idea.
"Alright" the red fox stopped our laughing finally, "I´ll do that. But if you lose, Max, you´ll watch me eat blueberries at every morning meeting for a whole week. Fresh and clean blueberries which you´ll get for me of course…" he grinned, "…I mean when all of this drug dealing-mess is over…"
I shortly considered if I could really do that, but then I nodded in agreement.
"Alright, bring it on!" I agreed on the deal, "Fresh blueberries for the SMA."
"Why blueberries?" Rico wanted to know with a little chuckle as he made room for Nick on the other side of the couch table, "Because of the…?"
"Yeah" I grinned, "Nick loves blueberries! But apparently he doesn´t like them mixed with Viagra so much…" I explained with a big grin while positioning my right arm on the table, just like Nick did.
"I´ll still get my revenge for that by the way" he chuckled as both our right paws met in the middle.
I actually got a little nervous all over sudden.
"Ready when you are" I told him while positioning my feet a little better for more stability.
Nick´s arms were a few inches shorter than mine, obviously, so I had a great advantage of leverage in any case, but when I began applying all the forces I had against him, I got exactly nowhere with it. It didn´t even look like I brought him out of his calm. He wasn´t exactly winning right now either, but alone that he was able to stop me really scared me a little. Cammy probably was right with what she said about him.
POV Judy
"What the…hell?" Max asked in slight panic, mid-way through their arm-wrestling battle.
That was not exactly unexpected for me. Nick lifted equal weights like other wolves in the gym as well meanwhile. He didn´t even look like Max brought him out of his calm.
"Did they build hydraulics into his arms?" Max wanted to know, still not able to move it for a single inch.
"I wondered about that too when he threw me ten feet into the air at the mystic springs…" Rico chuckled, "…I´m glad not to be you right now!"
"He´s not giving in" Max chuckled helplessly. Nick just smiled at him calmly.
I decided to spice things up and help the wolf a little. I went over to Nick´s side of the table and began poking his stomach a little. I knew very well how much that messed with him.
"Carrots!" Nick yelled while laughing in panic, "Stop that!"
We all chuckled in great amusement, but Nick still wasn´t giving in.
"You know very well who I want to win this battle" I grinned, before I continued on tickling him.
"Carrots!"
"Forget about those blueberries" I giggled.
"Are you kidding me?" Max asked, being totally exhausted and nearly down in the meanwhile, "Nick you freaking beast!"
I decided to climb onto Nick´s lap quickly, hug him around his neck and began kissing him smoothly, mainly to distract him of course. That seemed to be enough, finally.
"Nick, come on!" Rico chuckled ironically, "I need that bathrobe right now…"
"Ahh…oh really, carrots?" Nick panted as I also began massaging a certain region of his lap with my feet.
"Just look at them" Jennifer grinned in amusement, "Max, stop messing around already!" she added while poking his side as well.
"Nick, I think you´ve proven your point" Ivonne chuckled, "…don´t listen to Rico, he doesn´t need the bathrobe…"
Now Nick finally seemed to give in a little, because Max slowly tied the battle again.
"That little show-off is just playing with me" Max confessed laughing, before he mobilized his last forces and finally pushed Nick over to the losing side.
Nick just chuckled a little as he stopped Max assault one last time, just before he was about to push his paw down onto the table.
I still kissed Nick playfully and tried distracting him as good as possible.
"Goddammit" Max grinned, before he stood up from the couch and pushed Nick´s arm down with all of his body weight, "Finally! No blueberries for you, fox!" he yelled in victory.
Nick gave him a short little smile for that, but then he ignored it for a minute, hugged me and kissed me back a few times. He didn´t care that he lost, obviously.
"Sneaky little bunny" he growled at me playfully.
"Nick Wilde in a Bathrobe" Jennifer grinned, "I wanna see their faces when they open up the door!"
"Haha, very funny" Nick sighed.
"Guess calling the police wouldn´t be very effective" Rico chuckled.
"Why don´t we change the task a little" Max suggested ironically, "You´re going to ask for lube or olive oil as an alternative…"
"That was not the deal" Nick chuckled, "…you would have lost that so badly if that had been at stake…"
"You still have to get the cup of sugar though" I grinned at him, "And you have to go in Rico´s bathrobe!"
"But…but Rico can´t get out of his bathrobe right now" he cheaply tried to avoid it, "You cannot do that to him!"
"Sure we can!" Ivonne grinned.
"Oh, I´ll personally make sure to get you that bathrobe" I agreed with a big smile at Rico.
"You´ll never get me alive" the grey yelled jokingly while jumping off the couch quickly and gaining a few steps of distance, "I´ll take that bathrobe to the grave with me!"
"I´d be impressed if you even make it to the door" Nick chuckled ironically, just as Ivonne and Sarah jumped of the couch as well and tried chasing him.
"Come on, little Rico" Ivonne chuckled, "There is nothing to hide!"
"Be a good boy and give us that bathrobe!" Sarah yelled excitedly, chasing him through the living room and around the couch.
"Nick" Max grinned at him, just after the girls had caught their roommate finally, "Going up there just in boxers would be an alternative I could live with as well…"
I grinned at my fox a little more. That was not a bad idea from Max either.
"God, I hate you so much" Nick sighed ironically, "Why always me?"
"I think that´s your purpose" Max grinned, "You were born for that!"
"This is going to be so bad!" he complained in unwillingness.
"This is going to be so great!" I smiled at him happily, "And you´ll get a big problem with me if you don't do it! You should be aware of that!" I added.
He just nodded wordlessly. Max patted his shoulders with an ironic chuckle.
"It was close, I have to confess…" the wolf told him, "…but in the end I clearly won that bet and now you have to stand up for it. Nothing is for free, foxy!"
"I´ll remind you of that someday" Nick sighed while ironically rolling his eyes a little.
"Someday, sweetheart" Max replied, "But now go and make some vixens happy!"
I simply nodded in agreement to what he said before lovingly kissing my fox once again. For a moment he just kept on staring at us hatefully, then he sighed once more.
"Alright, fuck it" he chuckled, "Let´s get this over with."
That´s it for now, but more is soon to come!
Tell me what you think, I´m very glad about your feedback! (thank you!)
Have a great time, see you later!
~furr