Chapter 5: Dawning Realizations
Chief Bogo sat in his office, double checking the reports from yesterday's successful capture and apprehension of the two mammals responsible for several recent bank robberies. He had ten officer reports to go through. Naturally, he felt pensive reading Officer Wilde's report. Even though his fox officer's reports were usually well documented, Wilde had apparently taken every possible opportunity to use the phrase 'Waterway Bandit' wherever he could. It made Bogo's eye twitch.
He groaned and slammed the report down when he finished it, only to be greeted by a crude drawing of the bandit on a jet ski on the back of the last page. Grumbling louder, he began to read Officer Hopps' report. At least the rabbit officer's reports were more pleasant to check. He was halfway through her report when a knock came from his door. The buffalo wasn't expecting any visitors.
Bogo removed his glasses. "Enter."
A dark maned clydesdale horse entered his office with a chestnut coat and a white stripe running down his snout. He was wearing a dark navy suit with a MBI identification clipped near his chest. The horse strolled up to the front of the chief's desk and introduced himself, "Good morning Chief Bogo, my name is Agent Edward J. Coltson, from the Mammal Bureau of Investigation."
The cape buffalo stood and the two shook hooves, "Agent Coltson. Have a seat. How can I help you?"
"Thank you. I will get right to business, Chief. Have you ever heard of a mammal named Arthur Elliott Felisky?"
"No, sir, I have not." came the quick reply.
"Mr. Felisky, who is a margay, is on the top wanted list at the MBI and ZIA. He is a very cunning and wealthy individual believed to be involved in a variety of activities such as insider trading, political sabotage, stock market manipulation, and investments in several illegal businesses."
The Chief simply leaned forward and listened silently, motioning the agent to continue.
"We, in joint operations with the ZIA, have been tracking him and disrupted several of his operations for some time now," the agent explained and slid a short bio with a photo to the ZPD chief. "We have slowly been cornering him into trouble with his financial investors. He is on the run and we have monitored him traveling to and from Zootopia. When the time comes, we wish to enlist a few of your Officers to help us in our undercover operation to catch this feline and force him to cooperate with the MBI by giving us information that would lead to the arrest of his superiors."
"I am willing to cooperate, Agent Coltson. I will be able to spare a few of my officers to assist in your case," Bogo replied as he peeked at the bio in front of him.
"Actually Chief Bogo, I am looking for two specific officers."
His nostrils flaring, Bogo gave the agent across his desk a hard stare. He could already guess which two cops the agent was desiring for this case. "And which officers did you have in mind, Agent Coltson?"
"Officers Judith Hopps and Nicholas Wilde, Sir." came the quick responce.
"And why do you want them specifically?" Bogo leaned further forward, ready to change his mind and decline assistance even though he knew it may be futile in the end.
"We've done our homework, Sir. Officer Hopps has proven to be an exceptional officer and she matches a 'special criteria' that would greatly interest Mr. Felisky. He loves mammals who break society's mold, especially smaller species similar to himself. The same would be said for Officer Wilde. Your fox also appears to possess unique skillsets from his, let's say, colorful past..." Coltson shot Bogo a wicked grin.
"And if I refuse to lend them to your operation, Coltson?"
"I don't think you wish to go that route, Chief Bogo. Do not worry, we still have time before we will require their aid," came the veiled threat. The horse stood up with a look of contempt and placed a business card on Bogo's desk. "My card. I will keep in touch, Chief. Have a nice day."
The clydesdale let himself out. The buffalo angrily stared at the door, while picking up the card and crumpled it in his hooves. "Dammit…"
Nick was leaning against the side of their cruiser, reading the latest news on his phone, while Judy was grabbing some drinks during their short break from patrol. Their Friday shift was nearly over and Chief Bogo had let them know they could enjoy the next few days off due to their successful capture of the cheetah bank robbers. They would still be on emergency standby, however.
The fox was feeling really good about their recent case as he read a news piece about the robbery on the Zootopia Times. The article had pictures of the arrested cheetahs and a few pictures of the Officers involved in the case including a professional picture of himself and Judy and another shot of them posing together in a way only best friends could.
Curiously, he had scrolled through the online comments section below the article and found several negative posts such as a fox being a policeman, or how some mammals had issues with a predator and prey working so closely together, or his favorite, if there was something going on between the two smaller officers.
Nick would have almost let it get to him if those bad comments weren't drowned out by the sheer number of opposing positive comments, including several posts made by an antelope who admonished the negative posts and beamed how Zootopia could use more officers like Nick and Judy. He recognized the antelope poster's profile image as the same one he and Judy had helped from being mugged after the Gazelle concert. Reading her posts brought a great sense of happiness to him.
Looking back at the photo of Judy and himself, it made his mind begin to wander. How he and Judy worked so well together no matter what obstacles they had to face. How they always had each other's backs. That wonderful big smile on her small muzzle and that shine in her violet eyes when they fistbumped in triumph yesterday. Nick felt a little bit warm and shifted on his feet.
Feeling a nudge that snapped him out of his meandering thoughts, he looked down to see a blueberry icee waiting for him.
"Carrots, you know me best," he excitedly snatched the drink and took a big slurp through the giant straw.
"Might want to slow it down there, Slick. I don't want to hear you complaining about brain freezes again for the rest of the afternoon," his partner laughed while taking a sip of her carrot juice.
He pawed her concern away and continued slurping. After a few moments, the fox turned to face the bunny, "So I was texting my Mom earlier. You free tomorrow? She's been anxious to meet you and cook us dinner."
"That sounds great, Nick! Though… I'm kinda a little nervous," she admitted.
"What? Why? She already thinks the world of you," he chuckled.
"And that makes me feel so much more at ease, you dumb fox." Judy pointed out.
"Hey, I was probably more nervous meeting your parents at the concert, Fluff. And I quote a certain bunny: don't worry," he replied with air quotes and a mocking tone then began to poke Judy in the arm.
She playfully smacked his paw away, "What time are we going?"
"7PM. I'll let her know," Nick answered as he took out his phone.
"What should I wear?" she asked looking up at him.
Nick fell silent for a moment. He actually liked to dress up a bit when his Mom cooked such nice meals especially when he was younger and his Dad was still around. It would be a nice surprise to show up in something a little more stylish than his usual choice of attire.
Judy was snapping her fingers at him. "Nick? Hello?"
His eyes darted back down to her's and he leaned back against the car door. "Well, sometimes I like to dress up when she cooks these nice dinners. But we don't have to."
The bunny looked excited. "You mean I can finally see you in something other than those awful pawaiian shirts?"
"Hey, those shirts are all made of silk. And classy. You doubt my sense of fashion, Carrots?" he pretended to be flabbergasted.
"I doubt you have a sense of anything, Officer Wilde." she smiled at him while lightly pinching his arm.
"Ouch. Vicious bunny." he pretended to rub where she pinched.
"Dramatic fox."
Nick finished his slurpee and went out of his way to try and get every last bit by loudly slurping right near his partner's ears. He took satisfaction in watching them twitch in irritation. This earned him a prompt punch.
"Stop that!" she glared at him.
The fox smirked and threw his empty drink away, "So how about I drop by your place at six tomorrow and we'll head over there together?"
"Sounds perfect," she bounced on her toes and tossed her empty drink into the recycle bin too.
Judy didn't want to admit how nervous she felt after all. She woke up early, ate breakfast, and began going through her small selection of outfits. While she had a few nice articles of clothing she'd worn on several prior blind dates set up by her parents, she found herself oddly unsatisfied with her available wardrobe. She kept wondering what exactly Nick was going to be wearing and she wanted to make a good impression for Mrs. Wilde.
She sighed in frustration. Looking at her clock, it was only 8:39AM. Grimacing in thought, she still had most of the day to go out and see if she could find a nicer outfit. The stores wouldn't be opening till ten. Deciding to clear her mind, she changed into her workout clothes and went for a quick run. Afterwards, she would go and shop for something special to wear tonight.
Several hours later after combing through countless shops, she was back at her apartment and getting ready. The bunny was slowly inspecting herself in front of her full body mirror. She found and purchased a nice fitted long sleeve aquamarine buttoned top blouse and a simple elegant black skirt that ended just above her knees. Judy didn't own any jewelry but she thought it wouldn't be too necessary tonight. However, she still decided to add a very tiny touch of makeup to her eyes and some shiny lip gloss.
She glanced at her tiny radio clock. It was 5:51PM. Just in time. For fun, she took a selfie and sent it over to her family to see what they thought. The reply came back almost immediately on how much they loved it, how lovely she looked, and naturally followed by questions if she was going out on a date and who the lucky rabbit was.
As she was rolling her eyes, her right ear turned to the side as she heard some footsteps followed by a knock on her door. It had to be Nick and he was surprisingly a few minutes early. Walking over to open the door she decided to tease him, "Wow, Nick, you just couldn't wait…"
Judy immediately paused in shock as she took in the sight in front of her. There was her partner dressed in a stylish slate gray vest suit with matching slacks. A very subtle lighter vertical stripe pattern decorated the ensemble. He wore a light blue-gray long sleeve collared shirt underneath with the cuffs rolled up to his forearms, and he was sporting that new violet tie. His attire superbly contrasted with his red fur.
Nick also had some quip ready to go with a smug grin, leaning on an elbow, as the door was opening but he too found himself at a sudden loss of words once Judy came into view. Both mammals ended up staring at one another wide eyed for a solid minute before either of them spoke up.
The fox cleared his throat, "Excuse me Miss, but I must have knocked on the wrong door. I was looking for an Officer Judy Hopps. Do you know her?" he said with a flirty smile.
The bunny wasn't going to let him have all the fun. There was no way she was going to chance at feeding his ego of how handsome he looked. "Oh… I'm sorry, good sir, I don't. I was expecting a scruffy dumb fox to show any minute now. You didn't happen to see one on your way up, did you?"
They both shared a laugh. Judy noticed Nick had a few items in his paws. "Whatcha got there, Slick?"
He held up some yellow daisies and a bottle of wine, "Her favorite flowers and her favorite red blend. Ready to go, Carrots?"
"Sure am. Let me grab my phone."
She got her things and just as she reached the door to close it, Bucky and Pronk had to chime in.
"Hey Bunny, enjoy your date!"
"That sounds like the guy who was over here last week. She must really like him."
"Well, he did already sleep over once. Hey buddy, show her a good time tonight."
"Don't tell them what to do!"
"Oh shut up!"
"You shut up!"
Judy simply slammed the door shut in embarrassment, while Nick had to put a paw up to keep from snickering too loudly. She shot him a stern glare.
Nick composed himself and faced the neighbor's door. "Don't worry fellas, Officer Hopps will have a Wilde time tonight!" he teased which earned him a punch to the gut.
Despite that, Nick kept his smirk, leaned down, and gestured towards the stairs. "Shall we?"
His partner softened her glare and smiled back. They headed out to take the subway to Savanna Central.
The fox and bunny pair now stood in front of the door to Nick's childhood home. Nick had glanced down to see Judy looking a bit apprehensive, the same way she had looked at the missing mammal press conference. He had to internally chuckle at the idea of his fierce bunny partner who could stare down an angry rhino, chase down a cheetah, or make a train car explode, being nervous at meeting an elderly vixen. Her foot began to thump.
He put his paw on her shoulder and was rewarded with the intended effect of her relaxing a little bit. "Don't worry, Carrots," he reassured with a wink and hit the doorbell.
Judy picked up on the soft steps approaching the door and watched it open, revealing the vixen. She was awed for a moment when she looked at Mrs. Wilde. She had a lighter shade of red fur than Nick with small patches of gray on her snout. Her soft and kind green eyes sparkled full of life and she had a warm and inviting smile. Judy thought she was beautiful. The elder vixen was wearing her favorite purple blouse and maroon skirt. It was the same outfit she wore at Nick's graduation.
"You made it! And look at you two!" she exclaimed, first hugging Nick and then turning to Judy.
Mrs. Wilde leaned down. "And you must be Judy! Oh, it's so wonderful to finally meet you, dear." She gave the bunny a warm embrace.
The bunny returned the hug, "I'm really happy to meet you too, Mrs. Wilde. I'm sorry I missed you at the graduation."
"Oh, it's okay, Judy. Please come in." she stepped back and waved them inside.
Nick lifted up his gifts as he entered the home.
"Nicholas, you don't need to keep spoiling me with such things, but thank you sweetheart," she kissed his cheek and took the flowers and wine. "Dinner will be ready in just a few minutes. Please sit while I get some tea ready."
His mother disappeared into the kitchen, while Nick lead Judy over to the living room and they sat down on the couch. Judy looked around at the older home. It was quaint but clean, not very large yet felt spacious. The wallpaper was a light shade of green with a darker floral pattern. Lots of older family photos adorned the walls. She looked over to her partner who was already leaning back against the couch with both arms spread across the top cushion with a leg crossed.
Then Mrs. Wilde returned with two cups of tea, "One blueberry flavored herbal tea and one green tea with lemon."
"Oh thank you! Do you need any help, ma'am?" Judy asked.
"No, dear. But please you can call me Marian if you'd like, I don't feel like a ma'am just yet," she joked.
"Don't bother, Carrots. She'll never let you help." Nick smirked.
"Nicholas Piberius Wilde! How can you address her like that? I know I thought you better manners!" his mother suddenly glared at him and flicked one of his ears.
"Ow!"
Judy suddenly straightened up on the edge of her seat with paws up, "No, no, no, it's okay Mrs. Wilde! I'm used to it. We sort of have these nicknames we call each other. I did hate it at first but now I kinda find it endearing. Though I probably shouldn't have admitted that in front of Nick," she turned to her partner and smiled.
Mrs. Wilde simply shook her head and laughed. "You kits these days," and went back to finish her final preparations.
Nick was still nursing his aching ear when he noticed Judy leaning over and shooting him a smug grin with lidded eyes while he raised an eyebrow at her in question.
"So… Piberius, is it?" she said it mockingly slow, making sure to accentuate every syllable.
All Nick could do was glare, sigh, and then pawface himself while his partner giggled. He should have known that Judy would find out his middle name from his mother.
"Okay you two! Dinner is served!" came the call from the other room. The fox and bunny took their drinks and made their way to the dining area.
Dinner was a three course meal. For an appetizer, Mrs. Wilde served some sweetened fruit mix for herself and Nick and a hot carrot and tomato soup with peas mixed with rosemary and thyme for Judy. This was followed by some fresh grilled salmon for the foxes while the bunny was given a large leafy romaine salad mixed with cucumber, celery leaves, sage, curly kale, spinach, topped with some strawberries and papaya for sweetening. Dessert was a choice of a blueberry cheesecake with banana crust or carrot cake.
All three mammals ate hungrily with minimal chit chat and soon they were back in the living room with their desserts and more tea. Judy and Nick were sitting very close on the couch while Mrs. Wilde was on her loveseat.
"Mrs. Wilde, that was so good. How did you know that was one of my favorite soup and salads?" Judy had to ask.
The elder fox smiled and pointed with her snout towards Nick, "I had to hustle it out of this one. He told me to just cut up a bunch of carrots at first."
"I didn't think you paid close attention to what I liked, Nick?" she smiled at her partner.
Naturally he had to ruin the moment, "What? How can I not? You eat like a horse, not an itty bitty rabbit." This earned an elbow to the gut from the bunny and a nasty glare from his mother.
"Ow. I kid. I kid."
"So Judy, Nicholas told me once how you two met and how you solved that Missing Mammals and Nighthowler case together. I have a hard time believing half the things he tells me. Could you humor this old vixen and tell me your side of the story? I would love to hear it. And tell me what made you want to be become a police officer too," Mrs Wilde had turned to Judy and asked her with a sweet tone in her voice.
"Of course!" she replied with a jovial smile.
The bunny started by sharing how much she wanted to be a police officer since she was nine to make the world a better place, leaving out the part where a fox bullied her, and how it took six years of applying to the Academy after high school before she was accepted through the Mammal Inclusion Initiative and then graduated as Valedictorian. She recounted how she was given parking duty on her first day and then her chance meeting with Nick.
Some of this information was new to Nick. He listened intently, watching Judy as she told her side of the events. He didn't notice when he flattened his ears and was regretting how he had treated her that first day they met, realizing he never did sincerely apologize for all those vicious things he said to her when he really thought she was just another dumb bunny.
Judy continued with the ultimatum that Bogo had given her on her second day, which made Nick very irritated for a moment that he caught himself making fists with his paws before forcing himself to relax again. He had zoned out for a little bit but then immediately perked up when she was beginning to share what happened in the Rainforest District. Just like Nick, she was downplaying the danger as to not upset Mrs. Wilde.
Just as Judy was going to share what Nick revealed to her on the sky tram, she was suddenly interrupted by him pretending to clear his throat and loosen the knot on his tie. The bunny glanced his way and she saw him trying to make real subtle eye contact with her and inconspicuously glancing to his Mom and back while barely running a finger across his neck and shaking his head in a barely discernable 'no' fashion, when she was about to mention the Ranger Scout incident.
She almost didn't understand but then realized what he was trying to nonverbally communicate with her. Her large violet eyes widened and she coughed and made up something vague before continuing the story. Nick glanced back to his mother. It was hard to tell with her if she had picked up on what just happened.
The press conference part was very tough for her to retell. Her voice had gotten very quiet and her ears drooped, but Nick put an arm around her and smiled and it made her feel better.
Soon she finished recapping and looked to Mrs. Wilde for her reaction, who then turned to her son and smirked, "So you did tell me the truth, Nicholas."
"Really? You still didn't believe me? I swear Mom…" came the mock exasperation.
She rolled her eyes at her son and shoo'ed at him with her paw and turned back to Judy, "Well, they do say the more unique a chance encounter is, the stronger that friendship or bond will be. You two really have something special."
The bunny was beaming and looked to her partner who simply raised his eyebrows at her. Mrs. Wilde chuckled.
"Judy, would you like to hear how Nick's father and I met?"
"Oh no. Here it comes…" Nick said while craning his neck towards the ceiling.
Judy lightly smacked his shoulder, "I'd love to hear it!"
Mrs. Wilde put her tea down and smiled before speaking, "Back when I was in my twenties, I used to work for a bookstore. I was riding my bicycle home after a morning shift and I saw this very well dressed fox riding his bike in the opposite direction. I didn't take too much notice and before I knew it, I found myself dazed on the pavement."
She paused for moment because she had to laugh. "You see Judy, Nick's father, John, saw me and I apparently enchanted him so much that he just had to find a way to talk to me. But he was so tongue tied in that moment and couldn't think of anything to say as we passed one another… so he did the next thing that crossed his mind… he crashed his bicycle into mine and tried to make it look like an accident."
The bunny's smile suddenly turned into a look of horror. She gasped and put her paw to her mouth. She looked to Nick who sat there with his usual smirk and made eye contact with her while making a gesture with his paw, "Real smooth, huh?"
She looked back to the elder vixen, "Were you hurt?"
"Oh, I was fine dear. Just a few bruises. Of course I cursed like a sailor at that dumb fox for ruining my favorite outfit and denting my bicycle. He apologized so profusely, helped me up, and insisted to make it up to me with coffee and that he could fix my outfit. I almost refused his offer, I was so furious. But I am so glad I didn't. That crazy, kind, gentle fox became the love of my life and I wouldn't have my Nicholas here," she looked with wet eyes to her son.
Nick held his mother's gaze for a moment before looking away in embarrassment. Judy had put her paw on his knee for a moment and squeezed which made him look back to the bunny next to him. His heart had begun to beat a little faster and the room felt a little hot.
"That was still a lovely story, Mrs. Wilde."
The vixen smiled looking at the two mammals in front of her and she stood. "Nicholas, will you help me put some things away?"
"Sit, Mom. Let me go clean up and do the dishes. You two stay here," he ordered and began gathering some of the empty plates and headed to the kitchen.
"Then let me show you where some of the dishware goes. I'll be right back Judy," Mrs. Wilde said as she followed her son.
The bunny hopped off the couch and stretched. She looked around the room again. Two particular picture frames caught her attention. She walked up to the table near the large circular wall mirror where the daisies were and saw a picture of Nick when he was younger. It was a picture of him in his Ranger Scout uniform trying to look very serious and giving a crisp salute. Judy thought he looked so cute. She looked over to the kitchen doorway where she could vaguely see Nick loudly scrubbing away at a huge pile of dishes and cookware.
She picked up the other picture. It was a portrait of the Wilde Family. Mrs. Wilde was on the left looking so happy with an even younger Nick in the middle, wearing a green collared shirt and small tie, and to the right was John Wilde. He looked like he was a little shorter and slightly stockier than adult Nick. His fur and eyebrows were darker and he had a very bushy tail. He had a such a warm smile and inviting blue eyes behind those small glasses on his snout. He was immaculately dressed in a dark gray suit with a patterned blue collared shirt paired with a blue tie with purple stripes.
Judy blinked. She looked closer at the tie and her nose twitched. A realization dawned and her mouth pursed. This tie was the exact same one Nick had always worn before the incident with the mugger. There was no mistaking it. It made so much sense now why he had been so angry afterwards. That stupid wolf had destroyed the only thing he had left from his father.
She had to lower the picture for a moment as she stared at the wall, suddenly finding herself becoming incredibly infuriated at that mugger. Then another realization hit. This green floral wallpaper in front of her. Another blink. The color and pattern… exactly the same as the green pawaiian shirt he preferred to wear with his father's tie.
Glancing back at the photo of Nick in his scout uniform, she noticed the bright red neckerchief also looked oddly familiar. Then she remembered how he always kept a red handkerchief of similar size and color in his pocket. The same one he always used for wrapping blueberries or when he used it to bandage her injured leg in the Natural History Museum.
She clutched the frame tightly to her chest as her mind began to put all the pieces together: the tie, the shirt, the neckerchief, and… her carrot pen too. The pen he had no reason to keep for three months after she broke his heart at the press conference, yet he had held onto it. Nick had held onto every precious and sentimental keepsake that was truly important to him.
"Oh sweet cheese and crackers…" she whispered to herself.
A soft paw gently fell onto her right shoulder, causing Judy to start.
"Judy, are you okay?" came the quiet concerned voice of Mrs. Wilde.
"I'm… sorry. I was just looking at this picture..." was her meek reply.
"It's okay dear," the loving voice responded.
"May I ask what happened?" Judy looked up to meet Mrs. Wilde's gaze.
The vixen slowly moved behind her and placed both paws on her shoulders. They were so warm and comforting.
Mrs. Wilde closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "It happened twenty-six years ago. I believe Nicholas was seven at the time. John had been making some personal house calls to a few of his clients. Business had been slow and he was very stressed even though he never showed it around us. But I knew. He called me that day saying he wasn't feeling great and he would be on his way home."
Judy could feel the paws tighten slightly before Mrs. Wilde continued, "So I waited and he hadn't come home for over an hour. I began to worry. Then the phone rang and I thought it would be him. Instead it was a doctor from the Savanna Central Main Hospital calling to regrettably inform me that he had suffered a massive heart attack and died of sudden cardiac arrest before the medical bus could even reach the ER. I cried so hard. I tried to not tell Nicholas right away but he heard me and came running over and…"
Now Mrs. Wilde was lightly sobbing, her voice cracked at the end, and she couldn't finish speaking. Judy immediately turned around and wrapped her paws around Mrs. Wilde, her own eyes now tearing up as well.
"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Wilde, I didn't mean to… if there is anything I could do…"
"Shh. It's okay Judy," the vixen whispered and kneeled down in front of the gray bunny and looked into her large violet eyes. "Don't ever apologize for having such a big heart. If it wasn't for that…" Mrs. Wilde put her paw over Judy's chest. "I wouldn't have my Nicholas back. So I will thank the heavens every day that my son met you and you brought him home to me."
There was no stopping the flood of tears now as both women rocked back and forth together quietly.
"I don't think it was just me, Mrs. Wilde," Judy was finally able to find her voice again between sobs, her face buried in the vixen's blouse, "Nick never gave up hope. He just kept it inside himself. I realized that tonight."
"And you brought it out," she quietly whispered into the bunny's ear, gave her one more squeeze, and a brief peck to her cheek.
Meanwhile, Nick had taken a pause from his dishwashing and stepped through the door with a dish towel in paw. His eyes immediately fell onto Judy and his Mom who both looked like they were in a teary embrace and Judy had a picture frame in one paw. He had no idea what was going on and decided to not say anything to disrupt this moment and quietly escaped back to his washing. If one of them was going to let him know what happened later, he would patiently wait.
Soon after the moment passed, both Judy and Mrs. Wilde stepped back and shared a warm smile before getting up to straighten themselves. Judy returned the picture frame to the table.
Mrs. Wilde smiled and gestured towards the kitchen, "Come. Let's go check on Nick and make sure he hasn't broken half of my good china."
Judy nodded with a giggle and followed the vixen to the next room.
They had stayed much later than originally planned but Mrs. Wilde was happy to enjoy their company. It was after 11PM when they finally said their goodbyes and promised to visit again soon. The pair had taken the subway back to Judy's apartment and Nick walked the bunny to her door.
She was getting her keys out when she looked up at Nick who was simply looking to the door with a smile on his face and both paws in his pants pockets.
"I had a great time tonight, Nick. Your Mom is so wonderful. I'm really happy you reconnected with her again," she spoke quietly.
"Me too. And thanks, Carrots," he whispered back.
The fox and bunny stood there for a few moments before Judy spoke up again, "Will I see you tomorrow?"
She noticed a brief sad expression hit his snout and his ears had momentarily fell downwards before his usual smirk came back, "I was planning to finish setting up my new apartment tomorrow so I can invite you to Casa de Wilde," he playfully exclaimed with arms out.
"I can't wait to see it!" Judy said as she hopped over and pulled him down into a long fierce hug.
Nick found himself feeling so calm and content in her embrace. He almost instinctively craned his neck to nuzzle Judy's cheek but caught himself, quickly stopping the action before she could notice anything.
Once they separated, Judy opened the door, smiled and waved a paw at Nick, mouthing 'goodnight' and closed it quietly.
The fox lingered there for several moments staring at her door. His right paw had returned to his pocket but his left paw moved over his beating heart.
"What the hell, Wilde?" he muttered to himself under his breath.
He shook his face to snap himself out of it and sauntered down the hallway, taking one last glance in her apartment's direction before heading down the stairs.
Nick didn't find himself back at his new home. Instead, on a whim, he texted Finnick to see if his buddy was awake. And sure enough he was. The foxes were now sharing drinks at their favorite bar, 'On the Leash'. A slow somber jazz song played in the background while the other patrons were enjoying their evening. A small poker game was being played in the far corner.
"Haven't been back here since the Academy," Nick said aloud after placing his empty mug back onto the bar countertop and staring at it.
Finnick was already two beers ahead of Nick. It was amazing how much that little fox could hold his liquor despite his size. He often claimed he drank a rhino under the table. "What's with the getup? Didn't know we on a date or something."
"I was out with Judy," came the nonchalant reply. Nick was leaning on one paw and rapping the counter with the other.
"I knew it," came the gravelly response.
"It's not like that Finn… she's my best friend."
The fennec fox gave him a nasty glare when he noticed the hesitation, "Please, Wilde, the last time I saw you dressed like this was when you were still with…"
The paw Nick was leaning on came slamming onto the counter and Nick straightened up, jabbing an angry finger towards his friend, "Don't even say her name, Finn!" There was a pause. "We were visiting my mother. She wanted to meet Judy, okay?"
Finnick simply kept a nonplussed look on his face and ignored the angry outburst, "Whatever Wilde. You keep telling yourself that and keep being a chump."
"Well, thank you for the enlightenment there, buddy," he drawled back.
"How's your mother?"
"She's doing really well. Did I tell you she never spent any of the money I sent her?"
"I ain't surprised," he said while ordering another beer by shaking the mug at the bartender.
Nick blankly stared at his friend and sighed. Was he really the only one who didn't catch onto these things? Perhaps he wasn't as sly as he often gave himself credit for. He turned back to the bar and also tapped his empty mug to order another drink.
The two sat in silence for a few moments before Finnick spoke up again, "I swear, Nick, you are the smartest hustler I ever worked with but you're an idiot when it comes to everything else."
The larger red fox just furrowed his brows. His mind was thinking it was a mistake to come here and was tempted to just leave. But there was truth in his friend's wisdom. When his new beer came, he grabbed it and just chugged it down. He spun around in his chair and looked around the bar. He saw the poker game going on in the corner.
"Hey Finn?" he asked changing the subject.
"What?"
"Want to show some mammals how we play cards? I'm feeling a little rusty," he smirked to his fox friend.
"I'm down. Tired of listening to your depressing crap anyway," he replied with a toothy grin.
Nick left some cash on the counter and hopped off his barstool, "Great. Our drinks are going to be on them tonight. Ready to hustle?" That old fox confidence was surfacing back as he rubbed his paws together.
"I'll follow your lead."
The pair walked up to some recently vacated seats around the small table and Nick leaned an elbow on a chair, "Hey fellas. Mind if my pal and I here join in?
The mammals at the table nodded their approval.
"Excellent!" he exclaimed in a friendly tone and took his seat. "What's the buy-in?"
The late night continued as the dealer dealt their cards and a waitress came by to ask them if they wanted more drinks.
