Nick's POV.
Three months later
It amazes me how fast time flies, I remember like it was yesterday when I took Cartoons with Isabelle to show him what a talented mammal he was, cheeky gazelle, he hustled us real good at that moment, both Cartoons, and I swallowed it whole, but hey, she gave it a good dramatic and epic touch to put it in some way, and the images of him dancing, seeing how he enjoyed doing it, that although I knew he was nervous, he didn't let anyone see it, fortunately, he could cover with a cape that showed self-confidence, unstoppable, unbeatable, unique and with a presence on stage, that last thing was his great virtue, he made himself noticed wherever he was standing, he was different from the others, he stood out like a star, because he is a star, and for that very reason, he himself got his deserved place in Isabelle's team, I was only a means for him to show them what he was made of.
And speaking of that, it has been a real delight for me, seeing that wonderful mammal in those settings, with that wide smile, so pure and so beautiful, I wouldn't switch it for anything, it made me feel like I did something good in my life, to be able to give to someone that I care about, able to have that opportunity to see the happiness of another one in front of me, and to feel all this love, which hasn't changed at all and I highly doubt that it will change, because if I can mention something, it's that this is mutual, sharing this feeling is beautiful for me, he has made me the happiest mammal of all. It's funny, there hasn't been a single day that we don't say "I love you", I even think that Cartoons has said it to me more than me, and it's something that makes me feel guilty sometimes, hehe, but yeah, I love him infinitely, and that's exactly why I want to make this official, I had no doubts before and much less at this moment, this is what I want, I hope he does too, I want to seal this relationship for the rest of our lives.
As for my life together with him in these months in our apartment, it has been great and fun adventures, waking up together, having breakfast, sharing the rest of my day with him in our space after work, having dinner together, talking about our days, having our cuddling moments before bed, taking baths together on occasions, even some funny Mexolican Spawnish lessons, and there were times when he would surprise me at the station, and although I loved seeing him at my workplace, I felt the need to scold him for doing such a thing as not letting me know of his beautiful presence, that insolent fox always got away with it, he never let me finish my sermon because he immediately used those lips of his as his best weapon... and to tell the truth, I ain't complaining at all, heh. But, we also know that for our own good, it's good to always have our personal space from time to time, he and I agreed on that, for example, he could play his video games a little, draw, or do chores while I took a nap, or I would rest in the room, or watch some television, hang out a bit with Carrots, Jackie and Wolfie, he could hang out with his friend Adrian, and those kinds of individual activities, without forgetting obviously our passionate nights, something incredible and so satisfying, those minutes of intimacy with him are what I enjoy the most. Another important thing is that he resigned from his job, obviously in a respectful, prudent manner and on good terms with his now former agency, he told me that it was something hard for everyone, including him, since he says that his bosses were the ones that gave him the chance to join their creative team when he was just an intern, they even organized a farewell dinner for him, he invited me to that dinner, I had the pleasure of meeting his colleagues and his bosses, and well, Adrian already met him. They were really kind, all of them kept teasing Cartoons and me at the table, but in a friendly way, they were never rude or made us feel uncomfortable, they were very cute mammals, I could understand that it was difficult to say goodbye to them for Cartoons, it was seen that everyone had a very friendly bond in the agency. The meeting was very emotional too, Cartoons thanking each of his colleagues and expressing his gratitude to their bosses, it was wholesome, I almost wanted to cry with him, but at the end of the reunion, everything went well, and for the food, it was delicious. They chose an excellent restaurant.
Currently, Cartoons attends rehearsals and meetings with Isabelle, her team of dancers, and her team in general, they had put on several shows here in Zootopia, they were somewhat exhausting days, but he said that he loved it and that he even felt the hours go by quickly, he told me that Isabelle was (something I already knew) a very kind mammal, supportive and loving to everyone, his team of tigers as well, they were very nice mammals and bearable in his words, they didn't make him feel less for being a fox and smaller than them, so hearing that he enjoyed it was a daily pleasure. I remember when it was news that a fox had joined Isabelle's team of dancers, it was like the star note for several days on the social networks, many in the city were in shock, there were as many good as bad comments, that were to be expected, but the best way he silenced his detractors was with his pleasing talent, or failing that, making them angrier, he said that he enjoyed it more, watching them burn, showing that this stage belonged to him, he knew perfectly how to shine in front of others, his essence was impressive, and I don't just say this because I love him, I myself have heard it and read it from other mammals. I attended every one of those shows without fail and in the front row, I enjoyed that privilege, inviting my dear companions, whom I already consider my family, Carrots, the main one, my beloved bunny, companion, confidante, and best friend for life, his pesky mate, and my compadre Jackie, I love that little guy enough, and Wolfie the brainy wolf and our personal butler to bring us coffee, okay no, just a couple of times… hehe. Even Spots, because, as you know, he's the #1 Isabelle fan, and he's been a nice companion all these years, you can't imagine how Spots got when he found out that Andy was dancing with her, the poor guy was going to explode in any time in confetti made of gooey sugar, it was very funny, but very tender his exalted support for my mate, so he deserved to witness all those shows too.
Cartoons invited his family too, at this time we were able to resume that visit with Mrs. Rose at her house, the old Cartoons' house, it was cozy, clean, plain, and simple, nothing flashy, I figured that's where Cartoons got his taste for minimalist and neat spaces, his mother was also one of those habits with her home, it was something very nice for me. During that visit, I was able to get to know Ms. Rose more, understand her story about her breast cancer, and hear her version of things regarding what happened with her relationship with Mr. Foxtrot, which as I said, I remained in a neutral position towards the situation, it will be a topic for another time. But a thing for sure is that Cartoons couldn't avoid telling him the news that he was now part of Isabelle's team of dancers, and he wanted to give me a lot of credit for it, but I always reiterated that all the credit belonged to him, he himself achieved it with his talent, I only brought him a little closer to his goal. Mrs. Rose was shocked and bombarded us with questions about how that was possible, the only thing I asked of Cartoons is that we keep my friendship with Isabelle between us, it was really something that I wanted to keep very private, something that only he and I knew, and he kindly agreed to my request, I really appreciated that, so we modified the story a bit to not go into those details, something relatively believable, and the good thing is that she believed it, hehe. And from that visit, I will never forget the words that Mrs. Rose said to me with a smile.
- Nicholas, I can be sure that there has been no one else in this world, besides me, who has cared as much for Andy as you do, I can say that your love for him crosses borders that I didn't think I would see from someone else. I have always stated that love doesn't exist, and I hold that position for many years, but with you, it's an exception, and for that, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you've done for Andy, and I appreciate you a lot for that. I might not have agreed to this relationship at first in my mental duel, but as I said, Andy's happiness matters to me more than anything, and you are his happiness… so thank you. Just promise me that that promise you made to make him happy will remain in effect forever and ever (she said that with humor). Promise me.
- Yes, I promise, Mrs. Rose. I love your son with all my soul and will always be so.
It made me happy to see that after something as terrible as that unmentionable event, many good things emerged for both of us in subsequent weeks. And now that I'm on the subject, this is going to be something that I'm forever grateful to Jackie for, and I still feel like that's not enough, which is that sometime after closing the Bellwether's Army case, Jackie made his moves through the superiors and he got Carrots and me the detective promotion, the same position that Wolfie has, she and I have it now, and now we could handle more complex cases than just petty crimes, patrols, and parking meters. The truth is, when we received that call from Bogo, we assumed the worst, but it was all about that great news, we felt like we were in outer space, it was something we saw far away, but not anymore, and for that very reason, right now, I could drop off and pick up my Cartoons from work, we were able to change our schedules a little in our favor, advantages of the position, without abusing it of course. Jack Savage, I want to say that thank you very much for everything you did for us, thank you for giving us the chance to prove our potential against the ZPD and Bogo, thank you for your loyalty, your faith, your intelligence, for your upright but nice attitude, for your commitment to justice, for being an important element in the team, for being a great friend, partner, agent, but most importantly, for showing that you love Judy as much as you said, she deserves the best in the world and the best mate of all, and I have no doubt that you are, the only thing I want to ask you is that you love and take care of my bunny, always every day. Those words were the ones I expressed to Jackie, which he swore to fulfill, I hope it be that way.
Going back to the above, I've been planning this for weeks... I'm proposing to Andy. I wanted it to be something very meaningful, pretty, and intimate, just between him and me, hoping that he…accepts my proposal. I took the task of taking some time off to go and choose the perfect engagement ring, I was undecided at the time on jewelry, many good options, but I couldn't choose.
- "Well, tell me, what's his taste?" The hyena clerk asked at the counter. At this point, I had already mentioned to her that it was for a male.
- "Agh, I couldn't tell you for sure, but I want it to be something significant, something... unique, I don't know..." I replied doubtfully with a paw on my chin, looking at all the different rings that were on display.
- "Well then, tell me a bit about him, I think we might be able to find what you're looking for." The saleswoman was very willing to help me, which I appreciate because I'm not an expert in jewelry at all.
- "Like what's relevant to tell you about him?" I asked to know what data would be ideal to say.
- "It can be something about his personality, some characteristic attribute of him, whether physical or some hobby that he has, his favorite color, details of that type." She suggested, and that really helped me better gather my thoughts and order them all.
- "Ah, well, personality... he's very adorable, the sweetest fox I have ever met in my life, very hardworking, passionate, happy, loving, his fur is golden, his eyes are honey-colored, his favorite colors are blue and purple… and his biggest hobby is dancing." She listened attentively, she had a look focused on my words, as if she was gathering all the possible options in her mind, I think she was trying to read my face.
- "I see that you are wearing a peculiar necklace around your neck." I looked at the necklace when she pointed it out.
- "Oh yeah…" I took it in my paw. – "He gave it to me, they're our initials, it's golden, precisely the color of his fur, whenever I see it, it helps me to keep on with my day." I said happily.
- "I understand." She responded with an analytical tone of voice but outlining a slight smile.
- "I can show you a picture of him too if you want." She accepted and I took out my cell phone, I chose the best photo, many were, but one in which the characteristic elements that I mentioned to her before could be well contemplated.
- "He's indeed adorable, sir. Well, that will be enough, I think I have a possible option that you will like." She started walking towards one end of the store, inviting me to follow her. We went to a display case, and she opened it to show me what I thought might be the ideal option. A couple of seconds later she took out a ring which I couldn't see well from where I was standing.
- "Based on your mate's description, I strongly believe this one is perfect for him." She showed me the ring carefully. Seeing it for the first time, I was in awe of it. – "14-carat yellow gold ring, inlaid with amethysts and small white sapphires with relief details in much of the curvature right here, finally, a brilliant cut diamond stone on the piece, I think this would be perfect for him, the colors of the materials would stand out excellently in his black fur from his paw." She left it on the display case for me to see it better, it was shiny, with some precious stones, almost worthy of being part of that beautiful vulpine's finger. I was delighted, the more I saw the details in them, the more I fell in love with this jewel, the clerk was right, this is perfect for him, I love the mix of gold and purple, along with the diamonds, it combines great with his fur and it implied as much as possible what he means to me, although of course, as I told him that night in my old apartment before I moved in with him, he's worth more than a thousand diamonds to me, even a million. But, anyway, I'm not going to get cagalero with that, heh, Mexolican vocabulary that I've learned from Goldie.
Cagalero: Very irritating person in Mexican mouthy slang.
- "It's perfect, I love it, I think… it's exactly what I was looking for." I didn't take my eyes off the ring, I kept inspecting it, it was something mesmerizing.
- "I'm quite glad that my suggestion has been useful to you. So, have you made up your mind yet?" She held out her paw as a sign of giving her the ring back.
- "That's right, miss, I've taken it. I'll take it." I confirmed my decision. She smiled at my statement.
- "Excellent, great decision. Allow me a moment while I bring the case." She withdrew, taking the ring with her to a door over there. I rubbed my paws together and brought them closer to my muzzle, I was very excited, I wanted to surprise him with something beautiful like this, I hope everything goes as planned. After a few minutes, the clerk came out of the door with the case in her paw, it was light blue, she definitely paid attention to the details I mentioned, I smiled internally at that. She opened the box to show me the ring in place, I nodded, and closed it afterward.
- "Over here, please." She invited me to follow her to the cash register, we walked a couple of meters. – "What will be your method of payment, sir?" She asked, tapping away on her small desk computer, a modern Carrot iMac.
- "Card, please." I replied while taking the card out of my wallet.
- "Very well." She nodded slightly as she continued typing. After he finished writing, she announced the price of the ring to me, a fact that I won't reveal because it's irrelevant, this is something I want to do with my heart, and for him, the price does not matter to me. I swiped the card at the terminal and the payment was made, after that the lady carefully put the case in a fancy but simple little bag with the jewelry logo.
- "Thank you very much for your purchase, sir. I wish you the best and a happy engagement with your lovely mate." She said with a smile as she placed her paws behind her back behind the counter.
- "Thank you very much, miss, have a good afternoon." I gave him a warm smile for his kind service, then walked out the glass door with the bag in my hand. I looked at her and hugged that bag because it was addressed to the person, I love the most in the world, and the first part of my plan is complete, the following is dinner, and finally... the proposal in the park, that same park in that we had our first kiss.
I drove back to the department, today was Saturday, another fact is that my whole team and I now enjoy two days off, not in a row, but interspersed in the week, and today was my day off, instead, Cartoons was in his dress rehearsal, it was for that reason that I was able to escape without any problem that he suspected something. Tomorrow, I want it to be the day that everything will happen, tonight I go for him, and I will propose the plan tomorrow morning, I hope he has the energy to go out because I understand that those rehearsals mean a lot of physical effort, he could be exhausted, but well, now We'll see about that when I ask. There were still a few hours left to go to Cartoons, so taking advantage of the fact that I was out, I decided to call Carrots, Wolfie, and Spots as well, to go out for a while, hoping they would be available, obviously with Carrots, the invitation extended to Jackie. I was parked on the edge of the street and dialed the number for Carrots first, and after it rang for a few seconds, she picked up.
- "Lieutenant Judith Laverne Hopps, identify yourself right now if you don't want this number tracked for the crime of harassment and bad jokes, please." Since we've had this position, I dare say Carrots has bragged about it the most, and I'm supposed to be the arrogant one.
- "Luckily, you always clarify the Lieutenant part, believe me that in these like, five hundred times that I have dialed this number, that great piece of information hasn't stuck to my head yet, it's because I'm retarded, I'm sorry in advance." I answered her with funny irony.
- "And if necessary, there will be a thousand, it's important to clarify the hierarchy of whom you are dealing with, respect for authority, above all, you know." We already know who competes with me to see who is more unbearable.
- "Are you going to keep up your cute bureaucratic speech or are you going to say hello to your adorable best friend, Fluff?" I asked rolling my eyes and outlining my smug smile that she could feel on the other side of the line, the same reason I heard a slight laugh from her.
- "Hello, adorable best friend, what a joy to greet you." She finally greeted, thank you.
- "That's better. Howdy, little bunny. Am I interrupting? Better not be that you're with Jackie right now and I already distracted your rhythm because of me." I said hinting at that… fun couples' activity.
- "You're lucky you didn't, otherwise you wouldn't have seen tomorrow, Wilde." I heard Jackie yell from far away from where Carrots was. – "Well, there you have the answer." Carrots commented chuckling.
- "Great, good to know I'll be alive some time more. Hey, well, I'm alone here on the street, my dear mate is rehearsing, and well, I wanted to ask you with great joy if you want to go out and accompany this little fox in his cold loneliness while he's done." I asked somewhat dramatically.
- "Hmm… I don't know…what do you say, Jackie?" He asked moving away from the cell phone a bit. – "Sure, precious, as you want." He answered. – "So yeah, okay, I would like to see my dumb best friend for a while and help him in his cold loneliness." The little bunny accepted.
- "Thank you very much, the gesture is greatly appreciated. How about meeting us at the Snarlbucks in Zootopia Fiesta Plaza at six in the evening?" I suggested that place because it's the one that was closest to my location.
- "Deal. I'm craving a good frappe. We'll see you there… Lieutenant Nicholas Wilde." She mentioned between a tender laugh that she knew it was when she gave that little smile that I already knew, and I liked to see on her.
- "Until then, Lieutenant Judith Hopps." We hung up and I relaxed for a moment. Oh, how I adore that bunny, as soon as we got the title of lieutenant, she hasn't stopped aggrandizing herself but proving that she deserved it, working harder than ever at the station, and in each case that we were assigned, it was more than obvious that this was what she wanted the most in her entire life, and it made me happy that, in addition to the fact that she already lives from the profession that she always wanted to practice, she managed to promote herself in it and share with her what we both wanted for a long time, it's amazing.
The next call was to Wolfie and then Spots, fortunately, they were both available and they accepted my departure, I think... they will all have the privilege of knowing my plan with Cartoons, and after many experiences together, they deserve to know, then I'll go to mom to tell her Also, although in her case when she goes with her, she'll already see the ring on Andy's finger… I don't want to take it for granted, but… I hope so. I started my car to go to the shopping mall, and the Cartoons playlist continued to play automatically, now he chose to pay for Carrot Music, which he says seems more "aesthetic" to him, I will never understand these guys and their silly vogue terms. Lights by Ellie Goating started playing. Goldie is a total retro machine, in these months I have been able to listen to much more of his playlist and I can say that he really has very peculiar and varied tastes, from bubblegum pop songs to rock, hip-hop, indie, even heavy metal, music in Spawnish and music from the 80's to the present, songs from when I was a kit to a young adult, songs that accompanied me in my difficult days, I liked that a lot, because of him I was able to find many of those songs. Oh, I love him so much.
I got to the plaza and took the ring down with me, I could have left it in the trunk, but no, this item is too valuable to do that, it stays with me, it's also useful that I can show it to my dear friends. I took the bag and got out of the car, I walked into the square to find the Snarlbucks, and after finding it, I went in and took a seat next to the bag, apart from a table that had some armchairs to be more comfortable. It was minutes before six, so I got a little distracted watching TikTok and photos with my Goldie that I had saved in my gallery, it made me strongly grin when I saw them, his beautiful face, his beautiful eyes, his wide smile, everything about him it was perfect.
I let time pass, and a little after six, Carrots and Jackie arrived first; Carrots was wearing skinny navy blue jeans, a white shirt, and a small beige jacket on top, and wow, he looked gorgeous, Jackie is lucky from God to have such a stunning bunny, and well, he complemented her very well, he was wearing some black jeans, brown t-shirt and a black jacket on top, very handsome I must say. I hid the bag behind me in the seat.
- "Here!" I moved my paw so that they would notice me in the place, Carrots was the one who caught a glimpse of me, and they both came closer.
- "Are they occupied?" The bunny asked referring to the seats. She emanated a very flirtatious face, that attitude was always expressed when Jackie was around, I guess it's because of that vibe of love shared between them.
- "Not at all, go ahead." I invited them to sit down, they both sat together in an armchair, like a typical couple.
- "How are you, Nick?" Jackie asked hugging Carrots by her shoulder, she always tried to be close to him in every place they sat together.
- "The best, Jackie. How about you?" I settled into the seat so as not to expose the bag.
- "All good, apparently calm. Good to see you." He crossed his leg.
- "Same here, you both look great." I complimented their outfits by looking at them from head to toe.
- "Oh, thanks Nick, you look great too." Carrots commented happily, and I thanked her for it.
- "Have you ordered anything yet?" She was looking sideways at where the menu was.
- "Actually, no, I wanted to wait for you guys. Wolfie and Spots are also coming with us, I invited them to come, they shouldn't be long." I said while looking briefly at the door in case they showed up.
- "Oh, great, well, let's wait for them too, and then we'll all get in line." Carrots suggested, and we three agreed with that.
- "So, you say that Andy is in rehearsal right now." Jackie started the conversation. Something sweet about him is that I discreetly watched him at one of the shows we went to, and when I saw his face, I saw how much he was moved, it was like something he couldn't resist, besides asking me how he is doing several times. Cartoons, I was touched by her concern for him, he's so real for that.
- "That's right." I nodded.
- "And what were you doing outside? Why didn't you stay home?" Jackie seemed very interested; I saw it coming that he would ask that.
- "Because... I went to buy something... important." I let some suspense invade our environment, but a good one, an exciting one.
- "Oooh, and what is it?" Carrots joined the curious hare.
- "You'll see, I want Wolfie and Spots to come too to show it to all of you." I didn't go into details; we must wait until everyone is here. We talked a bit about our day and a few minutes later Wolfie and Spots arrived together, I can believe that maybe they met on the road and accompanied each other here.
- "Hello, family." Wolfie waved as he approached where we were sitting. He was wearing a simple burgundy sweater and black pants. We friendly greeted him back.
- "Hi guys!" Spots waved his hand happily behind him. The cute cheetah was wearing a long-sleeved blue shirt and blue pants as well.
- "Hello, Ben!, "Hello, Spots.", "What's up, Clawhauser?" We all three said in unison.
- "How are you, partners? Haven't ordered yet?" Wolfie asked the same question while still standing.
- "No, we wanted to wait for you first to order all at the same time." Carrots moved a little away from Jackie and changed his position to stand.
- "Well, here we are, and I already have a caffeine urge. Shall we?" Wolfie asked directing his paw towards the line. This addicted wolf will end up with a serious hyperactivity problem eventually if the job doesn't kill him first.
- "You go first, so that no one takes these seats. I'll go after you." I told them not to get up from my seat and expose the bag yet.
- "Good point, but, if you want, we can order for you. What do you want?" Carrots and Jackie stood up, she rearranged her clothes.
- "A latte, venti, please." I asked for Carrots. And with that, they withdrew to line up, and I was getting more and more excited to reveal the news to them. While I waited, I didn't stop moving my legs, my heart was racing, it seemed like I was going to reveal myself to Cartoons, if I'm like that just telling my friends, I can't imagine when it's his turn. The line advanced and they arrived with the employee to order their beverages, one by one they asked and returned to our place to wait for them to be ready.
- "So…" Carrots handed me my latte. – "What is that special thing you want to tell us?" She took a seat right where Jackie, Wolfie, and Spots raised their ears at that question since I didn't even tell them that I was going to give them the news.
- "Wha-what? What did I miss? Why am I always left last in line to know about things?" Wolfie questioned sitting up and crossing his leg, he had his attention on me.
- "A new? OMG Nick, what is it?! Tell us now or I'm going to explode!" Spots was hopping and stomping his feet like a kid waiting for his Christmas present, and now that I think about it, I can already hear the Bb5 note ringing in my ears that he'll do the second I pull out the case of the bag, a cry that not even Mooriah Carey could perform, I didn't think about the consequences, I must do something about it before that event.
- "First of all. Spots, you are forbidden from making sounds that exceed 65 decibels, please, don't embarrass us in front of everyone. Is it clear?" Although it was directed at him, everyone's expressions turned to ones thirsty for knowledge, and Spots, on the other paw, he nodded with a surprised look.
- "Good." I took a sip of my latte before speaking. – "You will wonder why I gathered all of you here tonight." I interlocked my fingers and leaned my body slightly forward on the chair.
- "Cut to the chase, Wilde." I looked at Jackie with a glaring scowl for him commanding me around so rudely.
- "Why do you always have to be such a killjoy?" It was already like his tradition to spoil for me the suspenseful moments that I wanted to create.
- "It's my charm. Keep going." Carrots snorted at the insensitivity of that hare, always playing against me that bunny, meh. I rolled my eyes and sighed.
- "I wanted to tell you something important, and with that…" I turned my body to grab the handles of the bag behind me. – "It has to do with Andy, and me." I showed them the side of the bag where the logo was not visible. Everyone except Jackie gasped, he raised his eyebrows, and the others settled back in their seats, had all their eyes focused on the article, and left their beverages on the table.
- "Nick…are you…?" Carrots paused with wide eyes pointing to the bag, and that's when I decided to open the bag and take out the case, here everyone almost backed off, and finally, I opened the case, revealing the shiny ring.
- "I'll propose to him…" I broke into a big smile as I saw the ring carefully placed on the soft cloth surface, first I saw the ring and then them.
- "Nick… no way… Oh my God!" Carrots started to sob; she had the middle of her face covered with her paws. Wolfie and now Jackie were gaping, but there was a smile across their mouths, and Spots… oh boy … his eyes were wide, in shock, he wasn't moving… I think he's going to pass out. That's when Carrots got up and ran to me, she gave me a big hug and I could hear her crying behind my shoulder, and I happily wrapped my arms around her little body.
- "Oh, Nick… I'm so, so happy… for you…" Her sobs almost made me cry too, I had a lump in my throat, but it was from joy, not sadness. – "I'm going to see my best friend... getting married and be happy... and that makes me very happy..." I felt her chest bounce slightly to catch her breath, and that defeated me, I shed a tiny tear on her shoulder.
- "Heh, thank you so much, Carrots. Well, he still has to say yes…" I replied, gently rubbing his back.
- "And you doubt it? Of course he will tell you yes. She exclaimed facing me, I saw on her face a joy manifested in tears that was really moving, it made me feel so good that my best friend felt so much for me.
- "Well, it's just... I don't want to be a jerk who takes that matter for granted... anything could happen... but, I think he might say yes, heh." I lowered little Carrots to the ground.
- "You'll see he'll do, trust me." She began to calm down and dry her tears.
- "AAAAAAAAH! Oh…" Spots finally burst out after being petrified, but he remembered what I forbade him to do and immediately covered his mouth. – "Nick! How cuuuuuuuute." He yelled skipping and with a more acceptable volume, although we still earned a few glances from those close to us. Wolfie then came over to me, and he did what we rarely did, he knelt and hugged me, but not just in a friendly way, this hug felt more intimate and real. The truth is, I was surprised, just like my friends.
- "Bushy Tail, it's a great pleasure for me to know, my friend. Believe it or not, I have always admired you, and I knew that both you and Judy deserved more recognition in the ZPD, I was very happy when they gave you both the position of detectives like me, and now, even more, knowing that a great friend like you is getting married, seriously, I'm very happy for you too." And he wasn't lying, because as he watched, he hugged him, he noticed his tail wagging on the floor, not frantically, but gently, he was real happy.
- "I wish that in all these years we could have shared more about ourselves, unfortunately, work distanced us, but it doesn't matter, better late than never. Thank you very much, Wolfie, you are a great friend, I really mean it." We stepped away and met with a smile. Jackie came up to me afterwards.
- "My dear compadre, Nick Wilde. Sorry if you hear the same thing that they already told you, but it's a shared feeling. I am proud of the next step that you will take in your life, and you will see that he will give you the Yes, he will not take a second to affirm it. Congratulations." He also opened his arms, and gladly, I gave him that hug too.
- "Thank you so much Jackie, I really appreciate it, compadre." I gave a short and to-the-point answer because I've already given him my cheesy thank-you speech before.
- "MY TUUUUUUUURN!" Spots ran towards me and wrapped his arms around me squeezing me tightly, this crazy cheetah was going to kill me.
- "Clawhauser… you don't let me… breathe…" Where the hell did he get so much strength suddenly? Even Bogo would make a fool of himself. He squeezed me harder for another second, my eyes going to pop out of their sockets, and then he released me.
- "There, that's it." He smiled tenderly and moved away. I breathed in relief and stretched out from how numb this wild chubby feline left me.
- "Nearly and you don't even let me get to propose to him." I unwrapped my shirt as I forced air into my poor lungs.
- "Sorry, heh, I tried to contain myself, but I couldn't, it was a very strong emotion inside me." The embarrassed Spots said scratching his neck.
- "You live with a lot of strong emotions every day, let me tell you." If so, I'm sure the poor cat would have already had a dangerous rise in insulin in the body and, consequently, a possible diabetic coma.
- "What can I say? I am who I am." Spots took his muffin and coffee from the table and sat down.
- "And Nick, when are you going to ask for his paw?" Carrots asked euphorically, she was already a little calmer. Finally, they all sat down again.
- "I want to do it tomorrow after leaving the ZPD. I plan to invite him to dinner, but I won't do it there at that time, I want to take him to Savanna Central Park later in the evening and that's when I'll propose to him." I explained my plan.
- "And why there, Bushy Tail?" Wolfie asked curiously before taking a sip.
- "Because... that's where we first met, while I was on patrol with Carrots, and... where we had our first kiss." I watched my paw as I rubbed it gently.
- "Awww, it's true, it was that same day that you told me about him." Carrots clasped her paws on her chest.
- "Yeah... and well, I thought it will be something very meaningful for both of us that I do it there." I smiled and took another sip of my latte.
- "That's very cool, Wilde, that's definitely a great idea." Jackie nodded satisfied.
- "Hey, hey, and if Andy says yes… Are we invited to the wedding?" Wolfie spread his arms, pigeonholing all of them into the invitation.
- "No, of course not, what makes you think that because I told you first that no one would be invited? You're so delusional." My sarcasm was notorious for miles, and for this reason, they all stared at me with a scowl face.
- "Duh, obviously you do, dummies. And not just guests, I want you to be my groomsmen, and maid of honor." I pointed at Carrots. - "I think that there are four men of honor and three bridesmaids for me, and for Cartoons, four bridesmaids and three men of honor." I explained.
- "Oh, thank you! What a thrill! Hihihih, we'll find you a nice tuxedo!" Clawhauser stated clapping with happiness.
- "An honor to be it, Bushy Tail." Wolfie gave a little bow.
- "Likewise." Jackie added.
- "Oh Nick, you don't know what that means to me. I'll be glad to be it too." She dropped her ears down still touching her chest.
- "That's right, hehe. You three with Finnick, you Carrots, my mom and…" I kept thinking about what other female could be part of them. I thought about Isabelle, but no, I want to respect my privacy with her. – "Oh, hell, I don't know…" I have a little mishap.
- "Oh! How about that arctic fox? Skye, the mechanic of the ZPD." Carrots suggested. It is a good option, but there is a small problem.
- "You think? I mean, I've seen her a few times, and we hit it off really well, but… is she right for a bridesmaid?" I questioned the recommendation.
- "She's really sweet, she's like the friend for the whole station, I think she's a good choice." I don't have any better options, so it might be worth asking him and seeing if he wants to.
- "Okay, okay, I'll give her a call later. First things first, his response." I declared the most important thing to happen first.
- "Well, I propose a toast... " Wolfie stood up and slightly raised his cup of coffee. – "For our friend, Nick Wilde, who is about to marry his beloved mate." Everyone then joined in the toast and pooled their drinks, I went last.
- "Cheers to Lieutenant Nicholas Wilde." Carrots shouted proudly.
- "Cheers!" We clink our beverages and take a sip.
- "Thank you, guys. I love you so much." I smiled at them, they are the best friends I could have had in life, our ties have only strengthened in these months, working with them made my job so great, I already enjoyed it, but now, even more, I have friends, a promoted position, and the most wonderful mate of all.
- "And we love you too, Nick." Carrots spoke for everyone in the room. There was still time to go to Isabelle's dance studio for Cartoons, meanwhile, I continued to enjoy their company and talk funny nonsense.
Andy's POV.
- "5, 6, 7, 8... 5, 6, 7, 8... 5, 6, 7, 8..." Gazelle repeated when performing the steps of the choreography. Mike, Jason, Ferdinand, Carl, and I were rehearsing the following routine in the ballroom of her studio. We were about to finish.
- "That's great guys, now everything together with the song please." She resumed the song on the speakers, we quickly settled into our places, the part to perform came and the boys and I began to dance while Gazelle watched us. We completed the segment, our steps were already better polished when we saw them in the mirror in front of us, everything turned out quite well, Gazelle looked pleased.
- "Good job guys, that's it for today. ¡Muchas gracias!" She clapped for us, and we thanked her for the session, then she started packing up her stuff that were on the ballroom floor. I took a breath and drank some water from my bottle.
- " Hey, Andy." Mike called me, one of the dancing tigers.
- "What's up, Mike? Hey, well done on that hip move, I struggle every time I have to do it, but you make it look so easy." I took my towel on my shoulder and dried myself a bit with it.
- "Yeah, maybe, heh, but hey, you make those torso waves look easy, moving it in that elliptical way like you do, it's impressive." He equally praised my performance.
- "Oh, thank you so much, well, always trying to do it Andy style…" I raised my paw in a pop star pose, Mike chuckled slightly.
- "Hey, kid, don't want to show off so much with us, you still have to learn from our... glamour, fabulousness, and impact." Jason intervened in a little battle of flash poses.
- "Jason, you don't want the rookie to embarrass you..." I joined the fight, turning into a standing step and turning my head back with a diva face. Mike, Ferdi and Carl were in the audience and gave their respective "Ooooooh." shout.
- "Well, the rookie must remember... his place." He adopted a new stance.
- "Kitti Minaj was a rookie when she did her iconic Monster verse with Kanine West and JAGUAR-Z…" I started to recount while posing. – "Kanine West, a rap legend, was so overshadowed by that verse that he wanted to get rid of her from the song for that very reason…" I changed my pose. "Don't underestimate the power of a rookie, Jason..." In my next pose, I blew him a kiss and smiled like Pawpsie.
- "Nice story, Foxtrot...but, it doesn't change the fact that...I'm the star, and you... just a flash." The tiger winked at his sexy pose. Bad idea of him wanting to be clever over a fox.
- "Who would have thought…" I started my counterattack. "The simple flash became brighter and matter than the experienced star whose sparkles fade more and more every day..." I posed and I still wasn't done with him, I must close the battle as it should be. Both he and the boys were very attentive to my words. – "A new star is born, another has aged, soon they will call you a white dwarf, or in your case, a striped dwarf…" I heard their gasps and Jason looked nervous at my performance. And to finish. "I'll be the sun, and you, a simple supernova, now step aside… from my spotlight." I struck my final victorious pose, pointing to a light that was over me on the ceiling. I smirked at the tiger who looked like he wanted revenge, but he gave up. Exactly, honey.
- "It's called a hustle, sweetheart." I quoted the famous line from Pawpsie.
- "KO! Andy Foxtrot, the winner!" Ferdi announced raising my paw. I bowed before the audience elegantly.
- "Good battle, Foxtrot. But this isn't over, I'll be back, and stronger." Jason warned me. It might seem that we would have some enmity, but no, on the contrary, we know that this is a healthy game that we like to play with each other, we all have good blood here.
- "Don't mess with my glow, Jason, or you'll blind yourself." I responded by changing a few words of that famous phrase. Jason narrowed his eyes and made a gesture that he'll watch me. The other tigers cheered me on.
- "Guys, what have I told you about those flash posing competitions?" Gazelle approached with her paws on her waist.
- "Uuuh, that... if we do them... we invite you to them." I replied smiling nervously. Gazelle raised an eyebrow.
- "Exactly. It's impolite to exclude me from your… glamorous nonsense." She struck a magnificent pose, flipping her lock of blonde hair with her hand, and we all laughed at that moment.
These months have been hard but very fun, doing what I always dreamed of one day, all of this seems like scenes from my simple fantasies and illusions. I met Pawpsie, my greatest love in life, we were friends, later… he became my mate, the most handsome fox in the universe as my mate, wow. Then that… cardiac incident, but it was followed by my biggest prom event of the year, and Pawpsie witnessed it. And now... I'm part of the team of dancers of the very same Gazelle! Tell me if that is not worthy of a whole dream. I guess what I did throughout my life paid off in my own karma, after all, maybe it wasn't all rosy, but it was perfectly imperfect.
My tiger friends retired to the showers, I was going to take a shower too, but I stayed with Gazelle for a moment.
- Gazelle. I called her from the distance.
- "Andy, I already told you. You can call me Isabelle." She kindly clarified.
- "Heh, sorry, it's just... I don't want to seem like a sassy dude, I feel like only Nick can have that right because he's someone so close to you." I scratched the back of my neck somewhat embarrassed laughing nervously as I came closer to her.
- "Andy, c'mon, you know my story well. I didn't grow up in luxuries, nor in high society, I'm not that type of exalted mammal. Sure, you can call me by my name, darling. Also, you are his mate, and you're a very sweet mammal, that would never bother me from you." I couldn't help but blush at that comment, I think that, if it were sweetness, she would be the representation of that. She has made this "job" something that I don't even feel like a job, it's like a vacation, an adventure, a roller coaster of emotions. Simply spectacular.
- "Okay…Isabelle." I said smiling shyly.
- "That's better." She also smiled. – "By the way, good job today, you've improved your hip movements, keep it up." She gave me the thumb up.
- "Thank you for it, I always do my best, I hope to master it eventually, but never like you." I admitted without hesitation. I will be able to do it well, but like her, there are not two.
- "Thank you, cutie. Well, I gotta go now, my children are waiting for me at home with the babysitter." She told me taking his bag and his car keys. And that unfortunately made me remember something sad.
- "Yeah, right, go ahead…" Isabelle smiled and was about to leave when I needed to get this off my chest.
- "Is…Isabelle." She turned to me at the door. – "Thank you so much for everything, really, and… I'm very sorry about your ex-husband, but you're strong and marvelous, something better will come to you, you'll see." I didn't know if it was correct to bring up the subject, but recently I found out about things that her jerk ex-husband did to her about her things, her assets, and her children, things that she never talked about with us for personal reasons but that we found out through the media, tabloids, there were a couple of days in which she didn't show up with us at rehearsals, but we were understanding about it. None of us wanted to bring it up with her, but when she brought up her kids, I felt that I should. She had a neutral expression but at the same time projected pain, it was clear that she was still in the process of getting over it, her face then changed into a tiny smile.
- "Thanks to you, Andy. And don't worry, things are going well, for now, remember what I said "No fue culpa tuya, ni tampoco mía, fue culpa de la monotonía." She quoted the first line of her last song that she created in her absence, Monotonía, a bachata melody together with Osona, singing lightly. I felt very sorry for her when I listened to it and learned the background of it. I nodded smiling a little, and then, she waved goodbye to me, I didn't know if she told me the truth or not, but I wasn't going to investigate it, I could just hope for the best. Then I went with the boys to the showers and put on clean clothes, I don't want to make Pawpsie wait out there for me.
It was already 9:30 at night, I was standing outside the studio, waiting for Pawpsie, I texted her several minutes before telling her that I was done for today. Moments later, I catch a glimpse of Pawpsie's car moving down the avenue until it reaches my place. My beloved parked to allow me to get into the car.
- "Hi, gorgeous." Pawpsie greeted in her husky seductive voice.
- "Oh, don't talk to me like that, you know how I get." I blushed like a tomato, and that tone of his voice was irresistible to me, he could have me at his mercy whenever he wanted, he simply let out a sexy laugh. I inspected him a bit and he looked very, very handsome, more than normal, it made me suspicious of something because I doubt he wanted to dress like that just to come for me from home. – "Why so… arranged, baby?" I asked playfully as I put on my seatbelt.
- "Oh, nothing, it's just, I went out for a while with my team to have a coffee, I was a bit lonely without you, nothing more." He started the car. Hmm, there seems to be a catch here.
- "Really? That's it?" I narrowed my eyes in suspicion of the veracity of his statement.
- "Yeah, of course, nothing out of the ordinary." He answered looking towards the front, very sure of himself, and smiling.
- "And why so handsome? More?" I put my paw on my chin smiling coquettishly.
- "Life loves me and provides me with magic potions of eternal beauty." Him and his antics, classic.
- "Not only life but also me, a lot." I took his paw and told him sweetly.
- "And I love you too, my precious." He used his hoarse voice again. Oh, you damn fox.
- "Stop!" I exclaimed blushing and he didn't let go of that smile on his face, and I thought... How could he be so extremely alluring? How could he be all mine? As I said, I guess I did something good for my karma to reward me with something like that.
- "Well, now let me relax and listen to some music, if you don't mind, my boo." I rested my head on the seat and closed my eyes for a moment, still taking his paw and caressing it slowly. The song that was now playing was Cool Kids by Echosmink. Oh, what a nice relaxing song, albeit with relatively dark lyrics as well, I remember hearing it on the radio at almost 6 in the morning while ma was driving to the university to drop me off at the gate.
- "Did she say, Be like the cookies?" I heard Pawpsie asking. I opened my eyes and couldn't help but snort and laugh because it's something ma also asked me once when she heard the chorus of that song.
- "Hahaha, no, it's cool kids; Be like the cool kids." I corrected it by separating the last two words for better understanding.
- "Ah, well yes, it makes sense, heheh. Listening to the lyrics, it's so true, we look at those cool kids and wish we were like them for the company or the good life they have, giving up who we are just to fit in, or we just don't make it and we're all alone… and they don't know how we feel deep down…" I looked at Pawpsie with a wistful look, I guess he related to the lyrics, maybe some event we haven't talked about yet.
- "Hey..." He looked at me out of the corner of his eye because he had to see straight ahead. – "Whatever happened back then, you're the most wonderful mammal that could have existed, you never needed to be cool to fit in somewhere, you're more than that, you're perfect in all aspects." I gave his paw a kiss and gave it a tight squeeze while smiling at her.
- "I think you just described yourself, Goldie, all that description would be for you." He smiled back.
- "Well... then, let me put it another way, with another song." I looked for the song in my playlist on the screen of the small monitor in the dash and found it. Just a Kiss by country-pop trio Lady Antellope.
- "I'll stay silent, just listen to it." I leaned back, closed my eyes, and enjoyed the soft song, while I had his paw in mine. Sometimes I feel that I could express myself better by dedicating songs, they speak much better for me than I do myself, it's an art of communication, an art that I could never live with, and many if not everyone in the world will agree with me.
The song progressed, I sang at a low volume, I moved my head slightly to the sides, and I felt how Pawpsie squeezed my paw lightly, caressing it with his thumb, I was sure that he was loving it, and that made me smile, it was a pleasure to feel his touch in any form, I felt safe being close to him, protected in his arms, he would be my home if I lost everything, he would be the only thing I would need to be well, only him was enough.
- "It's beautiful… just beautiful… I loved it. You always know what to do to make me fall in love with you more every day..." His voice sounded so tender and vulnerable, I was always moved when he showed his sensitive side to me because whenever he does, he's the most loving fox in the world, not even I was a competition, I loved that side of him, I always received it with open arms, and give back all that love I feel for him.
- "It's good that you loved it. I always want you to know that… I love you; you're the love of my life and the coolest mammal in the whole universe." I kissed his hand and he smiled.
- "I love you too, Goldie." Millions of butterflies flew in my stomach. We headed for our home.
The next day.
- "Well, Cartoons, I'll see you later." We were near the door, I took his small waist, and he hugged my neck.
- "Too bad our days off this weekend were somewhat off." I complained a bit, referring to the fact that yesterday he rested, but I didn't, and now I rest today, but he didn't, an unfunny irony.
- "I know, but maybe next week will be different." He answered.
- "My days off are so boring when you're not here." I expressed my discontent with a grimace.
- "Calm down, now you see that I don't go out so late anymore. And that, in fact, for that very reason… I want to invite you to dinner tonight." I was surprised by his proposal; I didn't expect him to have a plan for today.
- "Really? Do you want to go out?" I questioned since I thought he would be tired after work and might want to relax here at home.
- "Sure, I love going out with you, it's always very special, and this would be no exception." He winked at me.
- "Well, I'm delighted. Where do you want us to go?" I got a little closer to his muzzle smiling coquettishly.
- "How about that restaurant on the roof of the Crystal Tower? Garum?" Ay wey. What's Pawpsie thinking? The restaurant he chose was not very cheap, it could be said that it is qualified as one of the best restaurants in the city. I opened my eyes wide and my mouth.
- "Pawpsie, easy, please, you don't have to go crazy." I responded with humor and laughed nervously.
- "Why? What's the problem?" He tilted his head playfully, confused by my answer.
- "We don't have to spend so much money on one dinner." I answered laughing, and it is that he was acting as if it were a small thing, something casual.
- "Cartoons, you know well that your salary and mine is higher than before, don't play the fool." Well, he's right, with my new job and Pawpsie being promoted to detective, we make a lot more, but still, I tried not to become a spendthrift lunatic, sometimes I succeeded, sometimes I didn't, but well, trying is what does matters. Right? – "Besides, who said that you were going to pay, precious?"
- "Oh... well, it's just... I don't know if..." I was doubtful about it, normally I always wanted to contribute to the account, even a little and that he didn't pay for everything, it made me feel bad.
- "What were my words?" He asked slowly and I waited for him to answer himself. – "I want to invite you to dinner tonight." He quoted. I was going to open my mouth to protest, but he gave me the look to give up, and well, I obeyed.
- "Good boy." He smiled pleased.
- "Hey, but really… don't bother. Are you sure?" I inquired discreetly about his plan.
- "110% sure. You deserve that and more, and I love taking you out wherever and whenever I can. Don't feel uncomfortable, I want to do it... for you." He caressed my hips; his voice was soft and cute that I decided not to say anything about it anymore.
- "Very well. I'll get here to fix myself, and we'll leave later. Get handsome, more than you already are." We were millimeters from our lips.
- " Yes, sir, whatever you order..." And we sealed the farewell with a rich kiss, they could never miss it before going to work, it was a small daily ritual between him and me. A couple of seconds later, he was out the door.
I kept wondering about his sudden plan to treat me to a quasi-fancy restaurant just today. Although not at the same time, because he was very fond of asking me out but he usually told me a day before, but bah, I don't know why I'm complaining, I really enjoy going out with him, besides Adrian, Pawpsie not only behaved like my mate, also like my friend, that irreverent friend, jester, spontaneous, cynic and funny, I think someone you need in life, his personality is such an attractive energy that it's impossible for you not to like him, at least, that's what I think, I don't know if my love for him is what makes me say it, but I strongly believe that his other relationships with other mammals prove me right.
Anyway, while he's not here, I'll do a bit of chores around, and then I'll spend the rest of the day playing and fighting with animals online, and then maybe I'll be encouraged to do some drawing to kill time.
- "Alexa." The device turned on. "Play Carrot Music."
"Andy Foxtrot station at Carrot Music." The device answered.
Amor Prohibido by Zelena began to play. Oh, ma's music from kithood, heh, how nostalgic. Time to clean up and sing as a pawtina housewife giving a big concert.
At night.
- "Wow, this place is amazing!" I admired the restaurant. It was the first time I saw him in person, I only knew him from photos on the internet, there is nothing that is not seen better than with the same eyes.
Garum restaurant had a large space on the roof, a covered part was the kitchen, and the rest was uncovered, we could admire the sunset sky passing to the night sky. The tables were arranged in a semicircle divided by an elegant glass floor lit with purple lights (my second favorite color), with a lit candle on each one, accompanied by some lights on small pillars on the cornice, and on a side, it had a bar where the counter had spaces where there were warm lights on the floor, finally, a small bridge at the top where we could access to be close to the pointed structure as if it were part of the roof of a church, and this had a large window with a view of the front of the building, accompanied by speakers distributed throughout the establishment with light music, between new age and jazz. The atmosphere of the place felt fancy, but it wasn't uncomfortable, it felt pleasant with a touch of cocktail, the weather was very pleasant, the wind was light and the temperature was right, the mammals that were there dressed both formally and semi-formally, Pawpsie and I went semi-formal to dinner, both with a white shirt rolled up, with the difference that Pawpsie wore his suspenders with his khaki pants, that same attractive outfit that he wore the first time we went out, and I wore gray colored pants. And of course, our necklaces couldn't be missing, I never took it off, nor did he.
- "It is, it's very…acceptable." He commented with his tender humility as we walked to the table behind the waiter, I was holding onto his arm.
- "Pawpsie, don't be cocky." I scolded him humorously.
- "Yeah, whatever you say, Cartoons." He gave his smug smile.
- "Does this table look good to you, sir?" The coyote waiter, who was wearing a white shirt with a black bow tie, a black vest and pants, and a black skirt on top, pointed to one that was near the edge where we could see the panoramic view of Zootopia overhead, where you could see so many lights, buildings of all sizes, streets, passing vehicles, dusk, etc., it was perfect.
- "Sure, thank you very much." Pawpsie confirmed the choice of location.
- "Excellent, go ahead, I'll attend to you in a moment." The waiter kindly indicated.
- "Thank you." We appreciated both.
- "Sit down, precious." Pawpsie pulled out the chair for me to sit on. He was the definition of a gentlefox, they still exist.
- "Heh, thanks a lot, Pawpsie." I sat down and moved my chair closer to the table, then he sat across from me, we always enjoyed being across from each other at mealtimes.
- "This is beautiful, look at that." I turned to the side, looking at the entire city from the heights, a fascinating sight. Despite my fear of heights, it did kick it away for a moment.
- "Yeah, it is, but what I'm seeing in front of me is more beautiful." I looked back at him, and he was looking at me with a dreamy look, holding his face with one hand and his elbow on the table. I chuckled sheepishly at his compliment.
- "Ah, stop it, you're being so sappy today." I put my paw to my cheek in a blush.
- "You make me like this, you have to endure, I'm sorry." He shrugged his shoulders still with his face and smile relaxed.
- "Oh well, never mind, some honey never hurt anyone." I rested my arms on the table and looked up into his pretty little eyes smiling.
- "Perfect." He smiled pleased. Immediately after that, the same waiter approached our table.
- "Good evening. My name is Riley, and I will be your server tonight. Here I give you your menus." He handed us the menus. – "For starters, I can recommend the zucchini cannelloni stuffed with tuna, they are highly requested by diners." The appetizer he described was on the first page of the menu, they looked appetizing, Pawpsie and I saw each other and agreed to order them.
- "Yes, that would be fine, please." Pawpsie told the waiter out of the corner of her eye as she looked at the menu.
- "Very well. May I offer you something to drink?" He took out a small tablet to write down our order. Wow, how modern. I got a little distracted but then I paid attention to choosing my drink.
- "I would like a glass of red wine, please." I think this would be the first time I've ever seen Papwsie take anything to do with alcohol. Personally, I had no problem with it, I have never seen him be irresponsible with it, so it was just fine.
- "Any special wine?" The waiter asked while looking at his tablet.
- "The best you have." He answered without hesitation.
- "Sure thing. What about you, sir?" The waiter turned to me.
- "I'm going to ask for…" I looked at the options, I wanted something different, not to be so sappy, but also not to ask for something I don't like, I'm not a big fan of alcohol, but I saw an "alcoholic" drink that I tried before and I enjoyed it, so to go with Pawpsie, I'll order that one. – "The pina colada, please." This drink has rum in it, but it's something I can tolerate well, and the waiter wrote it down on the tablet.
- "A glass of red wine and a pina colada. Right away." The waiter politely withdrew.
- "Well, well, well. So, pina colada, huh?" Pawpsie raised an eyebrow with a mischievous smile.
- "I mean, it's what I enjoy most about an alcoholic drink, you know I'm not a fan of them." I shrugged my shoulders.
- "To me, it's adorable, and not in a mocking way, don't think badly. It's nice that you're away from that, you don't need alcohol to have fun, never let anyone convince you otherwise, and NEVER allow someone to force you to drink it if you don't want to, I will never do it or disrespect you with it, I care about you too much, and I always want you to be well." He reached out his paw to mine and caressed it. I can't describe all the beautiful emotions that he makes me feel, I love him a lot.
- "Thanks, Pawpsie, really, thank you." I gave him a warm smile.
- "Don't thank me, I mean it." He also gifted me one smile while holding my paw, and after a few seconds, he withdrew it. We saw the dishes on the menu, and hell, if I felt a little nervous, not because of the food, but because of the prices, they were a little high for me, and I wasn't sure what to order... Minutes later, the waiter arrived with the appetizers and our drinks on a black tray, he put the food in the center of the table, and then, he first put my pina colada next to my plate, Pawpsie brought the empty glass with the bottle, right there the waiter served it.
- "Do you know what you want to order, gentlemen?" Again, he took out his tablet.
- "Yes, I'll order the grilled salmon fillet with vegetables and fettuccini pasta on the side, please." Hell, Pawpsie knew exactly what to order and I have no f idea.
- "Perfect, sir." He wrote it down on his tablet. – "And what do you want to order?" He turned to me.
- "Oh, well…" I looked at the menu again.
- "Order what you want, Cartoons." He smiled at me to inspire confidence.
- "Do you need more time, sir?" The waiter kindly asked me.
- "Oh no, no, don't worry, I already know what to order." I chose the prawn and celery bisque, it looked delicious, and it wasn't very expensive.
- "There, your dishes will be ready in a moment." The waiter withdrew. Oof, that was quite an experience. I hope I have made a good choice of dish.
- "Are you okay?" Pawpsie asked, I guess because I looked a little distracted.
- "Hmm? Ah yes, all good, heh." I responded with a small smile. I had cannelloni to try, and wow, it tasted so delicious.
- "Cool. And hey, tell me. How are rehearsals going?" He asked to continue the conversation, he also took cannelloni.
- "Well, really well, Gazelle is… very talented, a great choreographer, always willing to help us in the steps that we don't master until we get them right, she's very patient, I admire her a lot for that, and more." I answered happily.
- "Yeah, really everything you tell me about her is something I know perfectly well. When I met her, her hopes were up to the crater of the planet, she didn't even trust herself, it was my task to make her see all that talent she had, to believe in herself, because I always believed in her, and I wasn't wrong, she did it, all she needed was someone by her side, and I wanted to be that someone. I feel very happy for her that she is now living her dream." It was so nice to listen to him, his voice was so beautiful, and his heart was so big that I'm surprised it fits in that chest of his.
- "It's funny… because you managed to do it twice…" Pawpsie looked at me curiously. – "You made me live my dream now, being with you, it was all I ever wanted… but I always saw it as impossible… but you, you granted me my greatest wish, and I was finally able to give you all that love and admiration that I had for you for years. So, I must thank you too, thank you for making me live my dream." I felt sensitive telling him this, but I wasn't afraid to show my deep love for him, everything I said was totally real.
- "You don't want to give me all the credit, Cartoons. If I must say something it's that thanks to you, I knew what I was, discover myself, and accept myself as I am and what I feel. Because of you, I knew what it is to love, what it is to have someone by my side, someone who cares about me in a loving way, to be able to tear apart the walls that I built for years, to be, let's say... naked in front of someone... in a way figuratively, heh." We both laughed mischievously a bit about it, and well, I got to enjoy him naked too, he always drove me crazy. – "But yeah, not to be afraid of being vulnerable again… because I have always had the mentality of not letting you see that they got to you, and that's why I kept my feelings to everyone, only with Judy could I express myself a little more, but with you it was different, Andy…" Whenever he said my name like that, I knew perfectly well that it was about something delicate or intimate, it was the turn of the intimate, and I listened carefully. – "I have learned a lot from you, I was able to know the quality of a mammal that you are, the pure soul that you have, beyond your beautiful physique, your beautiful personality, your strength, and perseverance was what made me fall in love with you. I thank you, thank you for all the above." He finished explaining. Oh God…here come the tears.
- "Oh, Pawpsie…" I wiped the few tears I let out of my tear ducts; I wasn't going to make a scene here. He opened his paws inviting me to take them, and when I did, he brought his mouth closer and kissed them.
- "Hey, you know, this is something I never asked you in all this time." It had to do with the beginning of this whole adventure.
- "What is it?" He bowed his head, and gently let go of my paws.
- "What were you thinking so much about that day we met for the second time in the park? You seemed very distracted, nervous, or something like that, you worried me a little, to be honest. And why did you decide to kiss me that night?" It was something that I was very intrigued to know but I never saw the right situation to ask him, and this moment hit the nail on the head.
- "Good question, Cartoons. What can I tell you? Where to start? Well, at the beginning of everything, I was very doubtful, about myself, of what I felt for you, and it was something that I told Judy first, you reminded me a lot of my pops, I remember that he had almost all your attitude and personality, of wanting to get ahead despite having the world against you. Then it was your story in that musical, it was very moving for me to know about your talent, that I was your inspiration at the time, and that you managed to stand out from it even when several mammals unfairly hated you just for being a fox... like me, the difference is that I gave up on their prejudices, but you didn't, seeing that you managed to graduate and get a job worthy of your profession, that created great admiration for you within me, in addition to all your beautiful words towards me, your details, your concern for me, your genuine interest for me... I began to feel affection for you, but I didn't realize that it was something about love, not friendship. And that day, it was what echoed in my head repeatedly… Do I feel love for Andy? Am I... gay? I didn't imagine that I would be in love with a male, but after everything you said to me that day, I sensed that maybe you felt the same way about me, it wasn't just admiration for someone, and I was nervous to do it, but... I reflected that you were, and you are, someone I wanted to have in my life, someone I wanted to have by my side, you were so sweet and kind, that I simply decided to listen to my heart, and dare to give you that kiss, and... if you ask me, it was the best decision I ever made in my whole life. It was beautiful and I thoroughly enjoyed it. And well, I hope all that has answered your question, heh." He smiled and took a sip of his wine. I was stunned, I finally understood the background of that, I really wanted to know.
- "Wow... heh, wow, I don't know if I hid my feelings for you well, but I won't lie to you that I fantasized so much about being able to have something with you... I wanted it with all my being, you were someone who, just by seeing a photograph of you, I could stay watching it for hours, it was a feeling that I hadn't felt for anyone else, not even with any female, you're so… handsome, seriously. When I ran into you that day, I couldn't believe it, I couldn't believe that Officer Nick Wilde was in front of me, I know you don't consider yourself a celebrity, but for me you were, you were my pride, an important figure in my life, the very reason that I wanted to prosper, to be a good mammal in society, to be like you. I felt everything for you, and that you allowed me to get to know you more was the best thing that happened to me, I discovered what an incredible mammal you are, such a big heart you have, the nicest personality I have ever met, I loved you more every day. And when you said 'Andy, allow me, please', and then you kissed me… gosh, it was, like traveling to Jupiter and back, it was the happiest moment of my life, I couldn't believe it, I thought I was dreaming, but no, it was reality… all of this being real…" God, talking about this made my heart beat a thousand an hour. – "You have done so much for me that I feel that I fall short of what I have done for you. But I always want you to know that I love you, you mean the world to me, and no matter what, I will always love you, Nick." I called him by name to seal my word.
- "Believe me, you've done a lot for me, even if you don't notice it, and all this is the least I can do for you... Goldie." He opened his arms pointing at our date.
- "I understand. I appreciate it, sorry if I do it too much, but I am grateful, thank you for making me happy, and allowing me to make you happy." His eyes shone like pure emeralds, his red fur as well, and that smile that I loved over his face.
- "You're welcome, gorgeous, I say the same." He blew me a kiss.
I'm glad that this conversation was able to arise, I was able to better understand his unusual actions that day and what he felt about me prior to that moment. All of this was wonderful: the place, the atmosphere, the weather, the food, the attention, the service, but most of all, whom I was sharing this moment with.
A while later, the waiter arrived with our main dishes, and we began to have dinner, it was a pleasant and warm conversation, I talked to him more about rehearsals, the dancing tigers, about our coexistence, he told me about his colleagues, their current missions, investigations, Ms. Frankie, etc. Time flew by, Pawpsie could even talk to stones, his conversation sometimes seemed endless, but that was the fun, we could extend ourselves to talk about topics that had nothing to do with what we started.
The dinner was a delicacy, the evening was wonderful, even Pawpsie wanted to order dessert, he was really out of his mind, but it was still delicious, which was a big piece of blueberry cake, because of course, his favorite fruit, but I quite enjoyed it plenty. It was almost eleven at night, we both knew it was time to leave, and yeah, he paid for everything, but at least I wanted to contribute something and I left the tip for the waiter, I don't want to be an abusive mate in that regard.
The strange thing here is that Pawpsie insisted that before we go home, we go for a little walk in Savanna Central Park, the same one where I used to cross to go to work and where we met. I asked him if there was any particular reason, mostly because of the time it was, and according to him, none, that he would just like to walk with me peacefully to help digest our food, and continue our evening for a while longer, and it was fine, I agreed, I mean, for me, better.
We arrived at the park at half past eleven at night, there were few mammals around the place. One would think that it would be dangerous to be around a park or similar place at that time, but luckily, that danger is over, thanks to Pawpsie and his companions; Judy, Lieutenant Wolford, Agent Savage, and all the ZPD that helped with it, in addition to feeling calm, I didn't feel tension or bad vibes in the park, in fact, quite the contrary, it felt like a clean, safe and comfortable environment as we walked down the dirt road, holding paws. We saw some passers-by walking alone, sitting on benches, others with a mate, even some parents having fun with their children.
- "Hey, how about we go near the pond? I'm sure there will be fireflies out there." Pawpsie suggested.
- "Sure! I'd love to see them, come on." The lake was on the other side of the park, so it took us a few minutes to get there. And when we arrived, surprise, there were dozens of fireflies flying over the lake and the nearby grass illuminating the area, the starry night and the crescent moon adorning the dark sky with its white light, it was beautiful, very beautiful.
- "Pawpsie, look at that, for God's sake." I quickly approached the pond to admire them, they were like multiple illuminated points floating around, I laughed like a little child in a candy store, it was a scene worthy of a romantic movie.
- "Andy…" I heard behind me.
- "Pawpsie? Something wrong?" I turned to him because he called my name.
- "Not at all. Everything is great. But… there is something I want… to tell you." He came over and stood in front of me.
- "Yeah, of course. Tell me." I asked something worried; I saw his face with a nervous expression.
- "You... are very important in my life, the mammal that I love the most, besides mom, heh, and... as I already told you at dinner and on previous occasions, I want to spend the rest of my life with you, no there's no one else I want to enjoy it with other than you, you're what I've always needed, and… I want to have the honor of officially calling you mine…" Oh… my… God. My heart began to race again, as well as every particle of my body.
- "P-p-pawpsie..." Talking was very difficult for me. He took one of my paws, took something out of his back pocket… and got on his knee… oh, God…
- "Andy... will you marry me?" He revealed the object in his paw, it was a case, and when he opened it, it revealed a ring. The fountains burst, I was crying like a cupcake, it was such a great happiness that I could not contain it in my body, but between my sobs covering my face, I nodded my head, affirming my answer. He smiled and I pounced on him, hugging him tightly.
- "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes..." I was able to express through my tears, and I was wagging my tail frantically. This was what I always wanted, what I patiently waited for it to come... and here we are. That's why he made this plan to have dinner and come here, to this park; where we met, where we had our first kiss, and now where he proposed to me, he was a genius hustler.
- "Fantastic, heh... thank you…" I heard in his voice that he also wanted to cry, I looked into his eyes, and I kissed him with all the love in the world, it was then that I felt his tears touching the fur on my cheek. We put our tails together and squeezed our paws for some minutes.
- "Let me put it on… it will look beautiful on you." He opened the box again, and I was able to see the ring better since the emotion blinded me and I could not pay attention to it. It was a beautiful ring, it was not like the one I dream of, it was much better, I loved the colors, it was inlaid with what I think were amethysts, raised details and what I think was a diamond piece on top. Pawpsie… do I really deserve you? He delicately placed it on my finger, and it stood out perfectly.
- "I love it... it's beyond beautiful..." I commented admiring that jewel on my finger, with all the emotions over me.
- "And I love you more." He told me taking my waist, and I hugged his neck.
- "Me with all my being, all my existence, and in the afterlife." I responded with more superlatives, and he laughed beautifully. – "Could it be that my name will now change to Andy Wilde?" I asked humorously, slowly calming down the excitement from just now.
- "It would be so lovely, but if I'm honest, Foxtrot describes all of your uniqueness, I'd also like you to keep it." He commented smiling.
- "Hmm… so… Andy Wilde Foxtrot?" I suggested with another smile.
- "Perfect." He winked at me. I still had the feeling inside of me, and I needed to have more of it right now.
- "I love you, Pawpsie..." I got as close as I could to him, I could also feel his heartbeat and his breathing, they were just as fast as mine, and I caressed the soft fur on his neck.
- "And I love you too, Goldie..." He responded delicately.
We closed the moment again with more kisses and caresses, kisses between the fireflies, the grass floor, and the pond next to us, creating our own movie scene, creating the next memory of our history together.
Keep your eyes on me 'cause talk is cheap
We're all we need, yeah
Darling, I know how far we're gonna go just
Look at that road and think about where we started
Where We Started by Thomas Rhett, Katy Perry