Chapter 28: Yes!


2 Months later

It was finally the day, a special day for Nick, who couldn't wait for this rather longed-for moment to finally arrive for both him and his loved ones, who had been waiting for the fox to be free. However, despite the arduous, tedious wait, the day came - and that was the day Nick was leaving prison. The fox had gotten into it for reasons that were quite obvious to him - what he had done to get to the platform to meet Judy was asking to end in some kind of tragedy, an accident, but no one was hurt!... apart from Finnick's car, a white sports car that couldn't withstand Nick's bravado, as it later turned out, with the result that half the parts had to be replaced and couldn't be repaired. The cost of the repair had to be covered by Finnick, of course, until his friend left custody.

So that Nick didn't just lose that much - in the end it was decided that Nick would lose his driving licence as well as not being able to do them for 2 years!

The case went to court after a week, where a hearing was held 2 weeks later, from where the sentence of imprisonment and the revocation of the driving licence came down. Even Nick's lawyer couldn't get much out of the situation, when the footage of the police car chasing him was shown even he grabbed his head! Only Nick didn't seem fazed, he was full of pride in what he had done. In the end he got what he wanted - he met with Judy and explained the inconvenience to her. In court, Finnick twisted the facts a little in the name of defending his friend, but the judge was steadfast and - unluckily for him - did not fall for his cheap games. A lot of it had to do with the fact that the two officers leading the fox off the platform were on trial and they had a lot of evidence, too much.

Eventually Nick had to accept that he would have to sit out the next two months in prison, watching the summer end and autumn begin Nick thought of only one thing - to see Judy again. He wasn't worried about work, he had explained everything to his boss and although he wasn't very happy about it he knew Nick was good at his job and only Communicated to him that he wouldn't be paying him a paycheck for those two months.

Nick kept a low profile in prison, talking to virtually no one. He was moderately interested in talking to people who had bigger charges on their conscience... Some of them were bad to look at, fox didn't want to interfere with them, and more so to get on their nerves, which would probably be the worst possible scenario. Most of the prisoners were sitting for theft from what Nick had managed to find out, however there were some who had been imprisoned for murder which was already causing Nick some trepidation. However, when the others found out what he was in jail for they all laughed at Nick discussing how it was possible to be in jail for speeding!

Fox patiently put up with the laughter, he was too intelligent to respond to their mostly unsuccessful jokes, which were so flat that Nick didn't want to hear them.

Almost every day after work he was visited by his friend Finnick, who had to ride the bus or the girl's car until the camaro was repaired! He couldn't hide his irritation at this, but felt a slight satisfaction that Nick was in prison and didn't have a driving licence - he hoped it would at least teach him something.

Finnick had talked to him for an hour or two depending on how long he could stand sitting in prison - it wasn't the most atmospheric or pleasant place to spend time. The walls were slightly yellowish and the smell of unlit cigarettes was in the air. However, Nick always came to the interview smiling and happy, which surprised Finnick. At one point he thought his friend had started taking something, some kind of drugs! Nick was quick to cool his worries, which were thankfully false.

Nick experienced a detox in prison - cut off from the world of social media, the internet, he lost track of time and didn't know what to do! Usually he was busy working, or playing something or just watching movies, in prison he couldn't do any of the aforementioned things, making the fox feel a huge sense of wasted time. Sitting there, he realised that he missed his job, which is, after all, quite monotonous, but he was meeting new people, their stories, and above all, he was not wasting his time! His favourite activity in prison was playing cards after he found out that a group of quieter prisoners played them in the evenings. He managed to make contact with them and they started playing a few games regularly every evening.


After a month, Nick had a surprise meeting because one day he saw Judy enter the prison! He was surprised, but also very happy when he saw her! He often thought just when he would be allowed to see her, would she even want to go to meet him! He was worried that when he found out what had happened to him later he wouldn't see her in prison and they would have a worse relationship afterwards, but he could see from the first meeting that she was as happy to meet him as he was. She had come back from a trip she was afraid to talk about, she looked happy to be back in the city so soon, where she continued her police work. The sight of a female officer in prison talking to a prisoner was quite surprising and a little funny, but fortunately for her the prisoners had absolutely no idea who she was. She and Nick spent pleasant hours talking to each other about various topics, thus killing time, which passed quickly at the time...too quickly. If the 2 months that Nick had to serve had passed so quickly he wouldn't have even managed to notice when the time had passed!


However, the day came - Nick was able to be released from prison. He had arranged for Finnick to give him a lift home, Nick had no other way of getting home, he had no money on him, the car wouldn't drive up and Judy didn't yet know that the fox didn't have a driving licence. He had nothing to brag about...

Finnick was due to go to his place at 3.00p.m., Nick in the meantime had managed to get some sleep, eat breakfast, play a few games of cards with his 'mates', lie down, shower and get ready to go out. He packed the few clothes he had taken with him to the prison into a small suitcase that Finnick had given him so that he had something to pack his clothes in, and waited patiently until he had the opportunity to leave here. First thing in the morning he was told he could leave, so he sat in the waiting room most of the time, occasionally stepping outside to observe the changes that had taken place in the city. There was a small exercise area in the prison where they could go out, but it was surrounded by walls making it impossible to see anything. Now Nick could see that the landscape had changed - leaves were starting to fall from the trees, their colours had started to change, instead of the dominant green there was a lot of yellow-orange, it was also much cooler. Passers-by dressed in sweatshirts and even some in jackets gave an awareness that it was no longer as warm as Nick was walking to prison. He was aware that 2 months was quite a long time, but he didn't feel it - it passed quickly.


As agreed, Finnick at around 3.00p.m., waited for him outside the jail, in the girl's car sat and honked a few times to let Nick know he was present and waiting for him. Nick came out of the jail and immediately saw the red car his friend was sitting in. He put his suitcase in the boot and sat down with his friend.

"Feels nice to be back in the clear eh?" Finnick asked, to which Nick laughed with a nod.

"I don't think there's a better feeling! It's awfully boring in prison, playing cards for two months is tedious!"

"Heh...I'm not surprised. It's good you're back, you don't even know how bored I get at work when I don't have anyone to laugh with at break time" replied Finnick ironically.

"I'm weaned off your pins too" chuckled Nick sarcastically.

"We'll have to make up for lost time. Two months is a long time, though, and talking in prison isn't the same."

"There's something to that...but you know what, what hurts me the most though is having my driving licence taken away...I don't know why they took it away from me when I didn't cause any accidents!" Replied Nick, to which Finnick burst out laughing! He waved his head from side to side laughing along with Nick.

"They should give you the driver of the month cup eh?" Finnick laughed.

"I wouldn't disdain it, however I would prefer a new licence... although I don't need a licence to drive..." replied Nick.

"Don't get smart Nick! Don't even think I'm going to give you a car Suzanne! She'd kill me if she found out you were driving it!" Denied Finnick immediately.

"Is she still mad at me?" Asked the fox.

"No...she even felt a little sorry for the way things turned out. You gained a lot in her eyes with the fact that you did it for Judy...and that's right, why don't you stop by and see her? She used to visit you every day and let's face it - she misses you. It's a good opportunity to surprise her!" Finnick suggested. The idea wasn't so bad after all. Judy knew she was going out that day, but she doesn't know what time she's coming back so perhaps she'll let the visit go that day. It was a good opportunity to make a good impression. And maybe ask her something that Nick had had in his mind for quite a long time...

"All in all, such a good idea. It will be good to get back to our walks" agreed Nick at the suggestion.


Seeing the outskirts of Zootopia, Nick realised how truly homesick he was! Seeing the familiar grounds he was in made his heart grow warm and pleasant. He didn't even realise that he would ever be so happy to see the same houses!

It had changed a little in his absence - the trees were already half bare by the leaves, which had already half fallen and had turned yellow or orange, so that the vegetation was no longer as beatiful as it had been two months ago. The leaves scattered on the residents' plots and the road were a sign that summer was over for good. Although the atmosphere was as usual - there were empties on the plots Nick felt he could finally return to his former life.


Finnick parked in his backyard and invited Nick to his house, he couldn't just give his best friend a lift home without inviting him in. Nick, of course, eagerly accepted the offer and eagerly slipped into his house meeting Suzanne at the entrance right away who, with an initial slight surprise, welcomed him home.

"Finally you're back Nick! Believe me it's been...pretty quiet here without you. Nothing interesting was happening" Suzanne communicated.

"Well...I'm not surprised, take it easy, I won't disturb you like that" replied Nick.

"Actually that's what I meant about you just saying hello to us more often, without you there was no opportunity to get pissed off at Finnick " replied Suzanne. Nick was surprised by this news. Usually the vixen wouldn't exactly tolerate his presence in their house and now she's proposing to him that he should visit them more often!

"Thanks, I'll try to make the most of it," replied Nick modestly.

"I was wrong about you...go into the living room and hang out, Finnick is even sitting there already, I have to go out into town...I'll be back tonight" replied Suzanne. She said goodbye to Nicki, after which he sat down next to his friend on the sofa.

"She actually changed her attitude towards me. She's even suggested I come to see you more often!" Communicated Nick with surprise.

"That's exactly what I was telling you about. She has acquired a lot of empathy for you," explained Finnick. It was noticeable to the naked eye, she had completely changed her attitude towards him! And it felt strange when Suzanne didn't ask him to leave their flat early or completely fed up with him.

"This prison had its perks," said Nick, to which his friend burst out laughing.

"Well yes, taking away the right to drive certainly are such an advantage" laughed Finnick which irritated Nick.

"But the downside is your jocks" replied Nick sarcastically, they both started laughing.

An hour later, Nick went to his house so he could rest for a while and take in everything that was going on around him. Entering the house it was noticeable that no one had lived here for a while, there was dust that had settled on the shelves and dressers. Nick dragged his finger across the dresser, a dark dust had collected on his finger which let him know that he would have a full day of cleaning ahead of him.

"Well...at least I know what I'm going to do tomorrow" Nick thought. As he practically always did, he fired up the radio in the kitchen and poured water into the kettle to make himself a cup of tea. He wasn't hungry because he'd eaten at his friend's house, but after opening the fridge he convinced himself that it would be a good idea to do some shopping. The fridge was glowing empty. Quite a tough start to his return to reality, Fox headed upstairs to his room where he worked and spent most of his free time - luckily all his personal belongings were in place so he didn't have to search for them.

Nick poured himself a cup of water, boiled some tea and sat in the kitchen relaxing to what he had returned. He finally had a moment to himself. The clock chimed 5.00p.m., it was already getting dark - another sign that summer was over and autumn had arrived. Nothing wrong with that, but the fox preferred this warmer season, which seemed friendlier.


As he sat in peace and quiet a knock came at the door. It was a little early for Judy to return from work, so he began to fear that it was his 'dear' neighbours, who had come to enquire about the details of the case as to why he had gone to prison. He didn't want to talk to them to be honest, he didn't like them and especially their conversations where they want to extract as much information as possible. Therefore, he reluctantly approached the door, and with the same feeling he grabbed the handle opening it. To his surprise it was Judy! He breathed an immediate sigh of relief and a smile appeared on his face.

"Hi Nick, glad you're back!" Judy greeted. Again, she hugged the fox, who again felt a pleasant sensation and something compelled him to do the same and hug her.

"Hey Judy! Believe me, I'm really happy to see you! I already thought it was the other neighbours... please come inside" invited the fox with his hand into the house, but the doe stood at the entrance, which embarrassed Nick.

"Well...to be honest I would love to go for a walk with you...I've missed it" confessed Judy modestly. Nick hearing this laughed quietly - he missed it too.

"Heh, I missed that too, sure, let's go!" Nick replied. He closed the door of the house and went for a walk with the doe.

During the walk Nick could see that Judy missed their walks and missed a lot of topics of conversation, she talked so much that she didn't allow enough for Nick to say a word! He laughed lightly at her all the time, nodding mostly with a shake of his head as otherwise he couldn't get through to her, he didn't want to disturb her and she seemed to be inspired as she talked about something all the time, making Nick feel like he was listening to an audiobook! It was quite an enjoyable podcast, listening to the doe gave him a lot of satisfaction, she was the only person Nick could listen to for hours.

During the walk it had cooled down quite a bit, and it was getting darker. The night lights were already on standby to shine their brightness, the sky was getting darker and darker, the lights were already off in the houses - most were already in their flats relaxing by the home fire. Was it more atmospheric than an evening stroll under a blood-red sunset? Rather very doubtful, but the estate belonged to the nerds who work behind a desk and came home with one purpose - to relax.

Finally Nick and Judy entered the park grounds, here was a really nice view! The place seemed out of the ordinary, looking at the fact that it was bathed in yellows and reds, and the leaves that lingered on the trees were green for the moment.

"I've never been to this park in autumn...now I see I have something to regret," said Nick clearly delighted by the view. He had never had a reason to go to the park, especially in the autumn season when it is cool and not very pleasant...until now. They stopped in the middle of the park observing for a while what a beautiful view of this small area reserved especially for nature, which had endowed this place with extremely beautiful views at this time, when the sun was already barely visible leaving slightly red streaks in the sky.

"Nick...do you perhaps guess why I didn't want to tell you I had to leave Zootopia?" Judy asked seriously. Nick focused on her question, her tone letting him know that she was asking seriously and there was no room for ridiculous answers.

"I'm afraid I don't know the answer to that question," replied Nick. Judy laughed nervously and an increasing blush appeared on her face, which puzzled Nick a little, he didn't know why she was acting that way or what she meant.

"I didn't mean to leave you...I just knew I was going to miss you...damn! I did! You don't even know how I feel now..." Judy said quietly. She said it so slowly and quietly as if she was ashamed of it, but Nick kept listening to her with increasing emotion. The time had most likely come when all doubts about their feelings for each other would be cleared up. Nick dared to take that first step and put his arms around her waist pulling her gently closer to him, he felt that instinct inside him that he had long thought was no longer there! His emerald eyes staring into the violet eyes of the doe meant that the doe couldn't hold eye contact for too long. Nick pondered for a few seconds whether to ask this one question, he was afraid it would come out awkward, but...it was such a good situation!

"Judy...this may sound quite...awkward, but I need to ask one question for you" began Nick uncertainly. Judy moved slightly away from him to look at his eyes, which looked confident, so his overall expression gave the impression of considerable embarrassment.

"Yes Nick?" Judy asked. Now Nick was sure there was no turning back. He had to put everything on the line.

"This is going to sound quite frivolous, but there it is...I realised that I like you...a lot! Although not in the usual way...I wanted to tell you that...ekh...I just fell in love...with you Judy. I wanted to ask you if you feel something similar to me...?"

Nick now felt stress like never before standing in front of Judy after saying those words. He was waiting for some sort of verdict from the doe as to whether this would be his greatest evening ever or his worst. The doe laughed nervously gazing into the fox's eyes with a gentle smile. Nick felt like time had stopped - he had no idea how long they had been standing like that, he just waited for the doe to say something.

"What you said is for real?" Judy asked.

"Yes, it's true," replied Nick. Judy lowered her gaze from his eyes for a moment then jumped on top of him kissing him right on the lips! Nick was surprised by this but quickly found himself reciprocating the kiss, which lasted quite a while for their first time. They both showed energy during this kiss, which was brimming with emotion from both sides. They were both in ecstasy, feeling in heaven during what they were doing! After breaking the kiss, Judy laughed hugging him with all the strength she had

"Yes, I love you Nick!" Replied Judy happily hugging her darling fox.

THE END


That's right, that's the end of this story. Thank you for reading it to the end, I enjoyed writing it for you, it gave me a lot of joy, but you always have to put that last sentence. However, don't worry, this is not the end of Nick and Judy's story!

I invite you to read my other stories!

See you later!