Chapter 3! Chapter 3! Time for us to get to chapter 3. As all of you that read the last chapter, Nick and Judy are now a couple and Judy is staying at Zootopia for the Summer with her older sister, Gwen. So that basically tells you that this story is gonna mostly take place in Zootopia. Anyway, this is the 'reintroducing' chapter. Meaning this is the chapter where I reintroduce characters from the last story. From characters from the movie to the character of my story itself. You also get to see what they were up to during Judy's absence. So it should be nice to hear from them all again. I'm pretty excited about this chapter. So let's get to it.
In the Zootopia Train Station, the train from Bunnyburrow finally made it to Zootopia. Out the train came out Nick, Judy, and Gwen, happy to finally make it to their destination. They took their bags out of the train and started walking outside the train station and into the city. The three all notice that the city is still as busy as ever. Judy's happy to know that the city hasn't changed over the year she hasn't visited.
"Same ol' Zootopia, huh?" Judy said to Nick.
"Yep! Busy as always. Animals going left to right just to get to where they want to go." Nick said with a smile.
"Hmm. Good to know. I was a little worry that the city would change a bit from the last time I was here." Judy said with a smile.
"Alright. Wanna head to my place?" Nick asked Judy. "My family would love to see you again."
"Yeah. Let's go right now." Judy said excitedly.
"Hold it!" Gwen said halting Nick and Judy. "First things first, we need to head over to the apartments and unpack our stuff."
"What? Now?" Judy said looking disappointed. "But I want to see Mr. and Mrs. Wilde. And the twins."
"It can wait. First, the two us need to settle in." Gwen said being firm with Judy. "Remember, you're only allowed to stay here for the Summer because I'm here. That means between the two of us, I'm the boss. So as the boss, I am telling you we need to go to our new apartment and unpack."
Judy was mad at Gwen and puffed out her cheeks. A little habit she always had when she was mad about something... or mad at someone.
"It's fine, Carrots." Nick said to Judy while placing his paw on her shoulder. "Gwen's right. You should go get settled in. We'll meet up at my place later, okay?"
"Okay." Judy said with happy as if her anger had already faded away. Guess that was the effect of having a boyfriend now.
Nick had his backpack on and was picked up a big wooden crate with a few stuff in it. Mostly a basket or two of blueberries.
"Alright. I'm heading home now. Still remember the way?" Nick asked if she still remembers how to get to his house.
"With my eyes closed." Judy said proudly.
"Good then." Nick said happy that she still knows the way.
Nick then lightly nuzzled Judy's left cheek with his right cheek. There was some blushing from Judy, but she seems to like it.
"See you in a bit." Nick said to Judy with a smile.
"Okay." Judy replied to Nick smiling back at him.
Nick took his stuff and went on his way. As he did, Judy looked at Nick in a lovestruck daze. Gwen noticed and tried to hide her wide grin with her paw.
"Well well. I didn't know you two were so far in on your relationship already." Gwen said to Judy slyly. "Then again, you two might have already been that far."
"Are we gonna head to the apartments or what?!" Judy said sounding flustered.
"Alright. Alright. We'll head there right now." Gwen said to Judy. She then took out a paper map from her pocket. "Just... as soon as I can figure out where it was. Ummm... was it this way..." Gwen turned to her left. "... or that way?" Gwen then turned to her right.
"You seriously don't even know where it is?" Judy asked started to get mad.
"Well excuuuuuuuse me. Not my fault you have been to the city more times than I have." Gwen stated looking mad as well.
After getting some well-needed directions, Judy and Gwen were finally able to their current new home. Lowgrass Apartments. A 3-story brick building known for renting rooms for a super cheap price. Many of the people who lived in these apartments were college students that didn't want to live in the dormitories. After signing a few paperwork and the final stuff for the lease, they got their key and headed to their new room on the second floor. As they walked down the hall, they tried to find their new room.
"207, 208, annnnd... here we are. 209." Gwen said as she and Judy stopped at a door with the number 209. "This will be our new home. Well, you for the Summer and me for the next four years."
"Come on. Come on. Let's get in already." Judy said sounding eager.
"Okay. Okay." Gwen said trying to get Judy to ease up.
Gwen put the key into the door and opened it. To both Judy and Gwen's surprise, their new place was... small. Like... only one room with two beds, a window, some cabinets, and a desk. This apartment was more of a dorm room.
"This place is..." Judy said.
"... kinda small." Gwen said finishing Judy's words.
The two bunnies walk into the center of the room between the two beds.
"No bathroom, no kitchen, just a minifridge, a desk, and these two beds." Judy said.
"Well, these apartments ARE meant for college students or people with low budgets. That's probably why this place was on the cheap side." Gwen stated.
"Cheap being the keyword." Judy said.
"Noticed something else, Jude?" Gwen asked.
"Yeah. It's quiet. Very quiet." Judy said as her ears twitched.
"If it was our house, we would be hearing screaming and yelling every hour on the hour. But here, nothing." Gwen stated.
"Nothing at all." Judy said.
Judy and Gwen were not used to this kind of quiet. It's rare when you live in a house with almost 300 people. So to them, this peace and quiet were...
"Perfect." Judy and Gwen said happily as they both lay flat on their beds.
"This is great. No dealing with our crazy family." Judy said looking pretty pleased. "Just the two of us."
"Yeah. This place might be small, but I think we can make it work." Gwen said thinking that this place would be okay.
"Okay. Now that we've had our new room," Judy said as she gets up from the bed. "I'm gonna go meet up with Nick and..."
"Freeze!" Gwen said with her paw up and halting Judy from leaving. "We still need to unpack our stuff. Also, we need to go shopping for more stuff. Extra clothes, containers, food, a TV..."
"What?! Do we have to do all of that now?!" Judy asked not wanting to do any of that yet.
"The sooner, the better." Gwen said firmly.
Judy's ears drooped down and she started looking really sad. She really wanted to go to Nick's place. Gwen noticed the look on Judy's face and could tell why she looked sad.
"You know what? You can go. I know you don't want to stay away from your boyfriend." Gwen said with a smirk.
"He's not my..." Judy said angrily. Her anger quickly when she realized something. "Oh wait? He is my boyfriend. Heh heh! I'm so used to answering that in a different way. Nick's my boyfriend. I have a boyfriend."
Judy started giggling even more now and getting all gitty. She then happily left the apartment still saying the word, boyfriend. Gwen felt happy for her, but a bit jealous.
"Must be nice to be her. Maybe I should try and get a boyfriend in the city." Gwen said to herself.
As Gwen thought that, Judy quickly ran to Nick's neighborhood. At this point, Judy has been to Zootopia so many times, that she knows where to go and how to get there. It also wasn't that long of a walk for her. Only took her about 10 to 15 minutes to make it to the Wilde's home. As she faced the front of the house, Judy started reminiscing about the good times she had with Nick in her childhood. Her playing with Nick, having dinner with the family, and the Zoo-Burrows Scouts. All good times. She was used to the house when it was still part tailoring shop, but it was good to know that the house hadn't changed much from the last time she saw it.
"Here we are. Nick's house." Judy thought as she stands in the front of the door.
Not wasting any time, she knocked on the doors rapidly and waited for someone to answer. Opening the door was Nick's mom, Frankie.
"Well, I'll be. It's Judy." Frankie said with a smile. "Nick said you would show up."
"Mrs. Wilde!" Judy said happily. She then walked up to Frankie and hugged her. "It's been a long time."
"Glad to see that you are still well." Frankie said glad that Judy was doing alright.
"You too." Judy said to Frankie. She then let go of Frankie.
"Well, don't be shy. Come on in." Frankie said moving away from the doorway so Judy could come inside the house.
As she goes into the living room, she sees John sitting on the couch.
"Mr. Wilde!" Judy said happily.
"Judy!" John said as he gets out the couch. Judy then walked over to John to hug him as well. "Haha! The little bunny I knew since she was 9 has grown a bit. Still have a spring in your step, I see."
"You know it, sir." Judy said as she breaks the hug.
"Sooooo, Nick gave us the good news. You and your sister, Gwen, are here for the Summer." John said.
"Uh huh." Judy said while nodding. "Technically, Gwen's staying for college. It's cause of that, I could stay for the Summer."
"I see. Also..." John said before starting to have a wide grin. "... Nick gave us the other good news."
Judy started to blush madly. Both John and Frankie noticed and laughed a bit.
"No need to feel embarrassed, sweetheart. The two of us already had a feeling that you two would get together sooner or later." John stated.
"Honestly, we're surprised that it actually took so long." Frankie stated.
"And the two of you are okay with this?" Judy asked.
"Of course. Whatever makes our boy happy. And that's you." Frankie said.
"Warned you about that Wilde Charm, didn't I?" John said looked down at Judy with a sly grin.
Judy responded by blushing even more. This wasn't the first time John mentioned the Wilde Charm to Judy. Apparently, the Wilde Charm is what any of the Wilde men in the family have. It works really well when it comes to swooving the ladies. At that moment, Nick came down from the stairs.
"Pop, please don't try to scare her off." Nick said not wanting Judy to feel flustered. As Judy sees Nick, her ears perk back up and she had a happy smile on her face.
"Sorry, son. Your mother and I just wanted to let Judy knows what to expect." John said with a smile.
"Thanks. But I'll think she'll be fine." Nick told him. Nick then walked up to Judy with a big smile. "Hey, Carrots."
"Hey, Slick." Judy responded back with a smile.
"Even if it's only been less than an hour, I missed you." Nick said to Judy.
"I missed you too." Judy said happily.
As the two gazed at each other's eye and had their moment together, they both remembered that they weren't the only ones in the room. John and Frankie were still there. Looking like a mix of happy and gitty for their son. Nick was feeling that his moment with Judy was ruined.
"Mom, Pop, do you mind?" Nick asked as he quickly tilted his head wanting them to leave the room.
"Oh. Sorry, sweetie." Frankie said realizing that.
"Yeah. We'll leave you two alone." John said as he and Frankie begin to leave the room. "Good seeing you again, Judy."
John and Frankie then left. Or at least that's what it seemed like. Both Nick and Judy didn't really buy that they actually completely left the room.
"We know that you two are still there." Nick shouted out.
"I have rabbit ears and he has a fox nose." Judy stated.
"Sorry! Sorry!" John and Frankie shouted out before leaving for real this time.
"Your parents haven't changed at all." Judy stated.
"Yep. Not. One. Bit." Nick said sounding like he wasn't all okay with that fact. "Anyway, did you and Gwen finished packing?"
"Not exactly. We got our apartment and put some of our stuff up, but she wanted us to get a bunch of other stuff too. It would have taken hours to do it all. Lucky for me, Gwen was nice enough to do that on her own so I could meet up with you." Judy stated to Nick.
"Good to know. I always liked Gwen." Nick said glad that Judy's here because of her.
"Well, if there is one thing families like to do, it's making the other members of their family happy." Judy said.
"I agree with that." Nick said as he has both of his heads on the back of his head. He then realized something. "Oh. That's right!" Nick then lean down a bit to Judy's level of vision. "Carrots, I think I know something that might make you really happy."
"What?" Judy asked sounding really curious.
"Wait here." Nick said before dashing off.
Judy just took Nick's word and waited for him to come back. A took a few seconds, but Nick came back.
"Oooooooh, Juuuuuuuudy?" Nick sang in a jolly matter. He then came back into the room, holding both of his baby siblings. "Toddy! Vicky! Look who it is. It's Judy and she's here for the Summer. Say hi."
"JuJu!" Todd and Vicky said both reaching out to the bunny.
Seeing Todd and Vicky filled Judy with overwhelming joy. She had a wide grin on her face while holding her cheeks with her paws.
"OHHHH MYYYY GOOOOOOOSHHHH!" Judy wailed. She then quickly ran to them. "Toddy! Vicky! How are you? Look how big you have gotten." Judy hasn't really seen Todd or Vicky in a long time. Around the time they were just being born. So she was more than happy to see the two baby foxes again. She held one each of their paws. "You two are sooooo adorable." Judy then looked up to Nick. "Can I hold them?"
"Which one first?" Nick asked.
"Vicky." Judy answered.
"Okay. Careful now." Nick said as he slowly hands Vicky to Judy. "Got her?"
"Got her." Judy said holding the baby vixen. Judy looked at Vicky with a smile as she slowly rocked her. "Hey there, Vicky! How have you been?"
"Aba baba." Vicky babbled to Judy.
"Awwwww!" Judy said holding Vicky close to her cheek. " I know I already have over a hundred sisters, but if I could, I would trade them all for you."
"Judy, we already had the discussion several times. No trades." Nick stated.
"I know. I know." Judy told Nick. "Can't blame a girl for trying."
As Nick still held on to Todd, It seems like he was trying to reach out to Judy.
"JuJu! JuJu!" Todd went with his paws out.
"I think Toddy wants his turn." Nick said to Judy.
"Oh right. Switch!" Judy said wanting them to switch babies.
Nick and Judy then carefully switch the babies they were holding. Nick held Vicky now, while Judy held Todd. Todd seems to adore being held by Judy.
"Hey, Toddy. You're such a cutie." Judy said to him as she lightly tickled his nose. Todd responded by giggling.
"Toddy seems to like you." Nick stated.
"Well, he wouldn't be the first fox to enjoy my company. Now would he?" Judy asked Nick with a smirk.
"Hehe! No he wouldn't." Nick said since he was the first fox to enjoy Judy's company.
"So Nick, any differences between Toddy and Vicky? You know, not including the obvious one." Judy asked.
"Oh. Well, as you probably guess, the minis have a big fondness for me. If I'm gone for too long, they usually get fussy about it. But if I'm still around, they behave better." Nick stated. "As for differences, Todd's a bit more of a troublemaker while Vicky's more of the sensitive one."
"Ah. I s..." Before Judy could finish her words, Todd was biting on Judy's paws. Todd's teeth were still baby teeth, so they didn't hurt that much. But it still caught Judy by surprise. "Hey!"
"Sorry! Sorry! Should have warned you. Todd's currently in his teething phase, so he can be a bit... bitey." Nick stated feeling he should have mentioned that sooner.
"So I noticed." Judy said looking a bit mad as she takes her paw out of Todd's mouth. But as she looked at Todd's cute face and couldn't stay mad at him. She then nuzzled his cheeks a bit. "But he soooooo cute. So I forgive him."
"Suddenly, I'm feeling jealous." Nick said feeling that his ego was damaged.
"Now now! You're cute too, Nicky." Judy said with a grin.
Nick's ear flickered a bit when he heard that. Judy almost never calls him cute intentionally. But things must be different now that they were officially boyfriend and girlfriend. Still, Nick had a wide grin on his face.
"Say that again." Nick said with that wide grin of his.
"Easy, Nicky. I don't want you to get a big head like you already have." Judy said to Nick.
"Come on. As your boyfriend, you're obligated to call me cute." Nick stated. He then looked at his siblings. "Isn't that right, guys?"
Vicky and Toddy didn't respond. Vicky just responded by sucking her thumb and Todd was lightly chewing on Judy's paw again.
"Nick, they're babies. Pretty sure they don't know the rules for a boyfriend and a girlfriend yet." Judy stated.
"Pretty sure by the way they are now, they must be hungry." Nick said to Judy. Nick then had an idea. "Oh. Let's take them to the kitchen. I know just what to feed them."
"Alright." Judy said while nodding.
So Nick and Judy headed to the kitchen to get some for the twins to snack on. Judy held both of them while Nick checked the fridge.
"I know just what to give the minis." Nick said getting something out of the fridge. He took out a small basket of blueberries. "Their first taste of the blueberries from your family's farm. These two are gonna love them."
"Not surprised that you took some much from us before you left." Judy stated knowing how much Nick loves her family's blueberries.
"I didn't take that much." Nick said.
"Nick, you took 4 baskets, six jars of jam, and three pies. Plus, you ate one of the pies while we were on the train." Judy stated.
"Hey! It's been a year. I was NOT gonna take that chance again." Nick said firmly. He then picked up a blueberry from the basket and plopped it into his mouth.
"Of course you weren't." Judy said believing him. "Now, how about letting these two try one before you eat them all."
"Right. Right." Nick said actually agreeing with Judy. "Todd, Vix, wanna try something yummy?" Nick then got closer to Todd and Vicky holding two blueberries for them to trying. "Open up."
Todd and Vicky opened their mouths and Nick plopped a blueberry in each of their mouths. As the pups chew and taste the blueberries, after swallowing them, it was like the two of them had stars in their ears. It was like they had never tasted anything like them in their 1-year-old lives.
"Ohhhhhh! Hahahaha!" The twins were happy as they clapped their paws. A good sign that they loved the blueberries.
"No surprise. They love them." Judy said with a smile.
"I thought they would." Nick said smiling as well.
"Murr! Murr!" The twins went implying that they wanted to have 'more' blueberries.
"More? Okay." Nick said willing to let them have a few more. He then brought the basket over to them. "Just a bit more, okay?"
A 'bit' wasn't in Todd or Vicky vocabulary yet. The two little fox pups pretty much got handsy with the basket and took quite a lot of the blueberries. Enough to reduce the basket to half the amount it had. Seeing that, Nick immediately move the basket away from them.
"HEY! HEY! I said a bit more. Not the whole basket." Nick said firmly to the twins.
As Nick move the basket away from them, the twins got a little fussy. They still wanted more of the blueberries. Even if their faces were stained with blueberry juice all over.
"Murr! Murr!" The twins said looking a bit angry.
"No! No! You both had enough. These things aren't as easy to get any time you want. Plus you will spoil your dinner." Nick said firmly and strictly.
Both Todd and Vicky crossed their arms, not too happy with their brother.
"Oh boy. They look mad." Judy stated.
"I know. But I still have to keep my foot down." Nick said still sounding strict.
"You just don't want them to have all the blueberries to themselves." Judy said with a sly grin.
"That... is only half of the point." Nick told her.
"Yeah. Sure it is." Judy said with a hint of sarcasm.
Nick took a good look at his siblings and notice that they were quite messy from eating the blueberries.
"Ah jeez! Look at these two. Let's get them cleaned up." Nick said to Judy.
"Okay." Judy said agreeing.
Judy and Nick put the twins down in their booster chairs. As Nick wiped the blueberry juice from their faces, they still had their arms crossed and looked pretty mad.
"Listen, you two. I don't mean to be strict. It's just that since I'm your big brother, it's my job." Nick said to the twins as he finishes cleaning up Todd. "I love you two and I'm just trying to look out for you." Nick then finish cleaning up Vicky. "I hope you can both understand."
Todd and Vicky stopped looking mad at Nick and, in some way, seem to understand him. Guess they couldn't stay mad at their big brother.
"Bubba." Todd said looking happy again.
"Bubba." Vicky said looking happy as well.
"Good. I guess you do understand." Nick said smiling. "You know what..." Nick then walked back to the blueberry basket on the table and took two more blueberries. He then walked back to Todd and Vicky. "... you two can have one more blueberries."
The babies seemed happy to have another blueberry.
"Savor it." Nick said while pointing at the two of them before feeding them.
After both of them were given a blueberry, Todd and Vicky lightly chewed on them. Doing what Nick said about savoring them. For babies, they were actually pretty smart listeners.
"Good." Nick said while patting Todd and Vicky's head. "See? You two got an awesome big bubba, don't ya?"
Judy was amazed at how well Nick handled being a big brother. She remembered how worried he was the first time. Now it seems like she worried for nothing. She couldn't help by smile to see how he took care of the twins.
Later, Nick and Judy picked up the twins and put them in their playpen in the living room.
"Ugh! It's hard to be strict with the minis. It's not just because they're still babies, but they are already close to acting like me." Nick stated to Judy.
"The apples don't fall too far from the tree." Judy said to Nick. "Remember, genetics. I just wonder where you and the two of them get it from. Your mom's side or your dad's side?"
"Both." Nick answered.
"Oh." Judy said a bit surprised by Nick's straight answer.
"Yeah. I got both mom AND pop's traits. Meaning the minis are on the same boat I'm on." Nick stated.
"You... have a point." Judy admitted. "But that's not a bad thing. Your brother and sister would be lucky to be like your parents... and you."
"You're not just saying that to make me happy, are you?" Nick asked with a sly grin and his tail wagging.
"Do you believe me?" Judy asked also with a sly grin.
"Yes. Yes, I do." Nick replied.
Nick then held Judy in her arms. The two's eyes then met. As Nick lowered his head, he was planning to kiss Judy. The two close their eyes and planned to kiss... when suddenly... an electric ringtone played. It was Judy's phone. It pretty much interrupting the kiss.
"Sorry. That's my phone." Judy said to Nick apologetic.
"They could have waited at least one more second." Nick said looking mad.
Judy get's her phone from her pocket and says "This better not be my dad again." Judy looked at the contact of the phone call and saw the name, Sharla. "Oh! It's Sharla."
"Sharla?" Nick said looking surprised to hear that name.
Sharla was a girl black sheep from Bunnyburrow that was really good friends with Judy. She was also friends with Nick as well. The question was, why was she calling Judy now? Judy picked up the call to answer her.
"Hey, Sharla. What's up?" Judy said. "..." "Yes, I'm not at Bunnyburrow at the moment. I'm staying at Zootopia for the Summer with Gwen." "..." "Also, one more thing to tell you." Judy looked at Nick before saying what she needed to say to Sharla. "Nick and I... are boyfriend and girlfriend now."
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Sharla screamed loud enough that even Nick heard her.
"Jeez! Did you put her on speaker?" Nick asked Judy since Sharla spoke so loud.
"Surprisingly... no." Judy answered Nick. She then went back to taking to Sharla on the phone. "Sharla, calm down." "..." "I know." "..." "Yeah, you do that. I'll talk to you later, okay?" "..." "Bye, Sharla." Judy then hanged up her phone, flipped it close, and put it back into her pocket. She then looked back at Nick. "Soooooooo... Sharla's gonna go tell everybody in Bunnyburrow now."
"Figures." Nick said not surprised.
"But she was happy about the news." Judy stated with a smile.
"That's good to hear." Nick said with a smile.
"Oh. Speaking about friends, how's the old gang?" Judy asked curious about her old friends.
"That's right. You haven't seen them in a while." Nick said realizing that. "Wanna meet up with them?"
"Yeah!" Judy said eagerly.
"Kay." Nick said before getting out his cellphone. "I'll text everyone to meet up. Just give me a minute."
It took Nick a few minutes to text everyone. After his friends responded with an "Ok.", he put his phone and told Judy.
"Alright. We got the green light." Nick said to Judy with a smile. "I didn't tell them you were here in the city so I could keep it a surprise."
"Ooh! Good idea." Judy said before giggling a bit. "I can't wait to see the look on their faces."
"We're gonna meet them at this new juice bar that opened up while you were gone." Nick told Judy.
"Sounds good. I could go for something to drink." Judy stated to Nick.
Nick and Judy then say goodbye to the twins and made their way to the juice bar in the city. The juice bar that Nick was referring to was called "The Wild Jungle Juice and Smoothie Bar." It was quite a popular spot for teens to go and enjoy smoothies and specialty juices. Nick and his friends happen to go here all the time as their new hangout spot.
As Nick and Judy arrived, they both notice the place was pretty packed. Filled with many kids around their ages, both prey and predators. There was even some lively music playing in the background.
"Welcome to the Wild Jungle Juice and Smoothie Bar." Nick said with open arms as they head more inside.
"Lively place." Judy said looking around and liking the atmosphere.
"The gang and I hang out here all the time. It's kind of our new hangout spot." Nick stated as he looked around the bar. He was trying to see if the others were here yet. And with his luck... "Look!" Nick said pointing at a big set of furniture chairs, a wooden table, and a big couch were mammals around their age. "There they are."
Near that table from the distance were Nick and Judy's longtime Zootopia friends. Finnick, Benjamin, Mervin, Falisha, Ronnie, and Audran. The six of them were all just having juice together as they wait for Nick.
Finnick Fawks, wearing a black shirt, blue shorts, and headphones around his neck, was a fennec fox that had a height as short as his temper. One thing that Finnick loves more than anything is money. But even with that and his temper, he is actually really close friends with Nick since they have a lot in common. He considers himself to be Nick's best friend (on the boy list). While rough around the edges, Finnick is actually quite a good guy and after being friends with everyone else, he plans to stay that way.
Benjamin Clawhauser, wearing a green polo shirt and tan pants, was a cheetah who was a bit on the chubby side. Because of his weight, he's known to be slower than most cheetahs. Yet, he makes up for it with his cheery and uplifting personality. Benjamin, also going by Ben or Benji by his friends, is on really good term with both Nick and Judy. He has a tendency to 'ship' Nick and Judy since he thinks the two of them were meant for each other. Benji has a sweet tooth and loves doughnuts. The only thing he loves more is hanging out with his friends. He is one of the nicest people anyone could ever meet.
Mervin Howlino, wearing a black vest over a blue and white striped shirt, baggy blue jeans, and blue dye and the tip of the tip of his black hair, was a hyena that was known to have quite the sense of humor. Mervin is known for laughing at everyone he hears. EVERY joke. He became instant friends with Nick because of the fox's joke telling. One thing about him is that he has a big family. Including his mom and dad, he has six siblings. Five older brothers and one younger sister. While Mervin likes to laugh all the time, he can be serious when he needs to be. The only thing he enjoys more than laughing is laughing with his friends.
Falisha Striza, wearing a yellow sleeveless hoodie and black pants, was a white tiger and one of the only girls in the group. Falisha is known for her firmness and boldness. She considers herself to be really good friends with Judy. Since she and Judy are girls, they get along with each other quite easily. Falisha joined their group because she thought it would be interesting and for her, it was a good call. Falisha also is very smart and has strong observation skills. She plans to use these to become a detective one day.
Ronald Behr III, wearing a red and brown flannel shirt and blue jeans, was a brown bear who considered himself to be the strong and big-hearted guy. Ronald, also called Ronnie by his friends, thinks of himself as the bodyguard of the group since he looks after anyone who's in trouble with bullies. He did this for Nick when he first met him. Ronnie is also the son of a fisherman that runs a bait-and-tackle shop and also knew John when they both worked for City Hall. Ronnie may seem intimidating that times, but he's always kind to others that are kind to him.
Audran Alkes, wearing a brown shirt and white pants, was a moose who lived up North before his family moved to Zootopia. Audran is Ronnie's best friend and happens to meet Nick at the same time Ronnie did. Audran considers himself to be the 'mammal-in-the-middle'. He likes to look at both sides when it comes to things. He also has a funny habit of saying "Eh?" in most of his sentences. Like all of Nick and Judy's friends, Audran is a nice guy that cares about his friends and would do anything to help them out.
A few were missing, but this was the group. Older and much taller than when they were still little kids (except for Finnick). Judy was happy to see some familiar faces.
"Carrots, get behind me." Nick said as he moves Judy behind him. "It will be more surprising to them when they see your face."
"Good idea." Judy said agreeing with Nick. As she hid behind Nick, she did her best to hold in her laughter. "Heehee! I can already imagine the looks on their faces."
Nick and Judy slowly walked up to the where their friends were.
"Hey, guys!" Nick said making himself noticeable.
"There you are, Nick. You kept us waiting." Falisha said firmly.
"Heh heh! Sorry about that." Nick said as he scratches the back of his head.
"So, why did you called us all here anyway?" Finnick asked.
"Can a guy invite his friends to a juice bar so they can hang out?" Nick asked shrugging with his usual sly grin.
"With that look on your face, we seriously doubt that." Ronnie said with his arms crossed.
Benji then noticed that something may be behind him. "Nick, is something behind you?" He asked.
Judy did her best to hold in her giggling. Next to notice something was Finnick. His nose was catching a scent.
"Hang on. I know that scent from somewhere." Finnick said sniffing around.
At that point, Judy decided now was the perfect time to reveal herself.
"SURPRISE!" Judy shouted out as she gets from behind Nick.
Everyone's eye opened up as they all saw the bunny and quickly got up from their seats.
"JUDY!" Everyone else shouted out happy to see her.
"If I don't get a hug from everyone here, I will be very upset." Judy said to them.
First to walk to Judy was Benji. Lifting her up from the ground and giving her a big hug.
"Judy! You're back! I missed you so much." Benji said joyfully.
"Missed you too, Benji." Judy said to Benji. But she was starting to feel a bit squeezed. "Ben, you mind loosening up? You're kinda squeezing me too tight."
"Oh. Sorry!" Benji said as he puts Judy down.
"Your hugging has gotten a bit tighter." Judy said as she straightens herself up.
Next to come to Judy was Mervin.
"Mervin!" Judy said happily to the hyena.
"Judy!" Mervin said to Judy before going in for a hug.
"What's with the blue?" Judy asked noticing the new blue dye added to his hair.
"I'm trying something new." Mervin said as he let go of Judy.
"Don't you mean something 'blue'?" Judy asked with a smirk raising her eyebrow.
Mervin burst into laughter. "Hahahahahaha!"
"Same ol 'easy to make laugh' Mervin." Judy said not surprised that Mervin hasn't changed.
Next up to walk to Judy was Falisha.
"Guuuurrl!" Falisha said with her a 'what's up' matter.
"Guuuuurl!" Judy said in a matter similar to Falisha. They then hugged.
"Jude. You don't know how much I missed you. I have been stuck with these boys most of the time." Falisha stated to Judy. "It's been a nightmare."
"I can imagine." Judy said to Falisha.
"Heeeeeeeey!" The boys said feeling offended.
"Oh, you know what we mean." Falisha stated to the boys and she lets go of Judy.
"Yeeeeeah..." The boys said admitting that they can be a handful.
Next up was Audran to come up to Judy.
"Audran, looks like those antlers are coming in nicely now." Judy said to Audran with a smile.
"You know it. A moose has got to keep his antlers good, eh?" Audran said.
"Eh." Judy said with a smile. "Alright, give me my hug."
"Okay." Audran said before hugging Judy like she requested.
"There it is." Judy said as Audran hugged her.
After Audran let go of Judy, Ronnie was next to go to the bunny.
"Judy!" Ronnie said with open arms. "Get ready for a bear hug."
"Ronnie!" Judy said. Next thing she knew, Ronnie picked up Judy hugged her tighter than Benji did. "Woah! When you say 'bear hug' you meant it."
"Too much?" Ronnie asked.
"No. After Ben's hug, I knew what to expect." Judy stated with a smile. Yet she still felt that she was getting the life squeezed out of her. "But still..."
"Right." Ronnie said as he puts Judy down.
Last, but not least, was Finnick. Instead of Finnick walking to Judy, Judy walked to Finnick. Finnick tried to act cool and as if wasn't glad Judy was here.
"Finnick." Judy said waiting for him to respond.
"Well... Bunny Girl." Finnick said calling Judy what he usually calls her. "Took you long enough to come back to the city." Finnick also notices that Judy had gotten a bit taller. "Looks like you went up a few inches."
"Looks like you went up a few... millimeters." Judy said knowing that Finnick has really grown that much in the past year.
"Still have your jokes, huh?" Finnick said trying not to lose his temper.
"Still a little-big softie, I bet." Judy said with a smirk.
"It's good to see you, Judy." Finnick said with a smile.
"I'm gonna hug you now." Judy said to Finnick.
"*sigh* Okay." Finnick said accepting a hug.
Judy then hugged Finnick. Finnick then really hugged back, but he did seem happy even if he didn't want to say it. After the hugging, everyone sat back down, except Nick and Judy.
"So, Jude, how long are you staying?" Falisha asked. "Please tell me it's for more than a day. I need more girls to hang out with."
"Longer." Judy said happily. "I'm rooming with my sister, Gwen, who's staying in the city for college. You guys have me for the whole Summer."
"The WHOLE Summer?!" Everyone else went.
"Yep! Our little bunny is gonna be here for the next two months." Nick said happily.
"Oh, thank god!" Falisha said relieve to hear that.
"This is already turning out to be a great Summer." Benji said happily.
"It will be good to have you around again." Audran said.
"Yeah, it will." Nick said. "Oh by the way..." Nick then turned to Finnick. "Finn, as you can see... Judy has no glasses AND no braces." He said that while pointing at both Judy's eyes and putting her fingers over her mouth showing Judy's teeth. "I believe there was a certain bet."
"Grrrr! I... was hoping you would forget." Finnick said sounding angry.
"Nope. Now pay me mah money." Nick said with his paws out.
Admitting defeat, Finnick took out two 5 dollar bills and gave them to Nick.
"Pleasure doing business with you." Nick said putting the $10 in his pocket with a wide grin.
"I can't believe that you actually bet on whether I would be wearing glasses and braces or not." Judy said looking a bit angry with Nick.
"Hey now." Nick said as he leaned his head on Judy's head. "Don't be that way. You would still look great even with braces or glasses on."
"You're just saying that." Judy said smiling a bit.
"You know I wouldn't lie to you." Nick said as he held Judy closer. "Whatever I say about you, I mean it."
"Oh, Nick." Judy said feeling flattered. "Well, I bet you would still look cute in glasses and braces too."
"Don't need them. You can't perfect perfection." Nick said with his usual sly grin.
"There you go with that modesty again. You really haven't changed at all. But that's fine with me." Judy told him.
As Nick and Judy were having this moment, their friends felt weird about this. Usually, they don't act like this in front of them... intentionally.
"Uhhhhhhhh... what's with you two?" Mervin asked feeling weirded out.
"Yeah. You two don't usually act like this in front of us." Ronnie stated. "You usually hide it or quickly move away from each other."
"Unless..." Falisha said as her eyes widen.
"Nick, Judy, are... are you two..." Benji stammered as his body shook a bit.
Nick and Judy both looked away from everyone else and just laughed awkwardly. Judy blushed a bit while Nick just scratches the tip of his nose. It was clear that Benji and the others wanted to know if they were a couple now.
"Are we now?" Nick uttered as he looked at Judy.
"Yes. Yes, we are." Judy answered saying that they were a couple.
Hearing the news from their muzzles, Nick and Judy's friends were in a state of shock. They all looked at each other, then they sip their juices, spat them out, and shouted "WHAAAAAAAAAATTTTT?!"
"Oh come on. You can't be THAT surprised." Nick said to them as if they had already seen this come.
"So this is happening?! For real?! You two are really dating now?" Benji asked as it looks like his excitement was rising.
"Yep. Nick and I are boyfriend and girlfriend." Judy replied happily.
"No space in the middle." Nick and Judy added.
"*gasp*" Benji gasped as he covered his mouth. He then went for some high pitch squealing. "IT'S FINALLY HAPPENING!"
"How? When?" Mervin asked.
"Basically, yesterday." Judy answered. "Nick came to Bunnyburrow to ask me to be his girlfriend. After the promise we made 3 years ago and some talking, we decided to try and make things work."
"Next thing you know, I'm asking her to stay at Zootopia for the Summer and here we are." Nick told the others. Nick then went back to lean his head on Judy's. "The two of us are now a perfect fox/rabbit couple."
"It really shows that our differences don't bother us at all." Judy said happily as she has her arms over Nick's head. "We're just happy being by each other."
"Awwwwwwwwwwww!" Benji said happily for Nick and Judy.
"Ehh..." Everyone else went.
"Ehh?" Nick and Judy went surprised to here the other say that.
"I thought you guys would be cool with us dating." Nick said confused why the others besides been don't seem to care.
"Don't get us wrong. We expected you two to get together sooner or later..." Finnick stated.
"... And we're all really happy for the both of you." Falisha stated.
"... but now that it's actually happened..." Audran said.
"... it also means that we can't tease you anymore." Ronnie stated.
"Wait? So you're upset cause you can't tease us anymore?" Judy asked.
"Uh huh." Mervin, Finnick, Audran, Ronnie, and Falisha answered.
"So if we were dating the WHOLE time, the years of teasing would have been gone by now?" Nick asked started to look peeved.
"Pretty much." Mervin replied while shrugging.
"Suddenly, I'm regretting not letting Carrots and I be a thing sooner." Nick said with a straight face.
"Blame our young kid minds, Slick. We still didn't understand much. So dating was beyond us." Judy stated also with a straight face.
"Oooh! Quick question, how was it when you reunited?" Benji asked. "Was it... 'Seeing each other for the first time and running to each other and it felt like slow motion.' or 'Eyes meeting, slowly reacting, and then hugging for a long time.'?"
"What is with you thinking that we're this drama romance couple?" Judy asked red-faced and feeling embarrassed.
"Soooooo... eyes meeting, slowly reacting, and then hugging for a long time?" Benji asked.
Nick and Judy waited a few seconds before responding honestly. "Yes..." Nick and Judy said admitting it and with their heads down.
"Knew it." Benji said with a big smile.
"Anyway, how about you take a seat and we catch up?" Falisha asked wanting to know what Judy's been up to.
"Okay." Judy said agreeing.
"I'm gonna go get us some smoothies." Nick said to Judy. He then took out the cash that he had from Finnick after winning his bet. He had a sly grin on his face. "It's on Finnick after all."
"Grrrrrrr!" Finnick growled angrily still mad about losing the bet.
As Nick went to the stand to get the smoothies, Judy sat down with everyone else. She sat on the couch between Benji and Falisha.
"So, how have things been for you the last year?" Falisha asked.
"Not much really. There was school, a few festivals, and that was pretty much it." Judy stated. "Everything is still the same in Bunnyburrow."
"What about your family?" Finnick asked. "Knowing your folks, you probably have another 100 siblings by now."
"No. We shut that down years ago. If mom and dad break that deal, everyone is obligated to leave the house forever." Judy told the others.
"Isn't that a little much?" Ronnie asked.
"Nick thought the same thing. But then you have to remember how many Hopps kids there are." Judy stated firmly.
"I understand." Ronnie said bringing his head down.
"I think we all do." Mervin said. "Being in a family with 7 kids is hard enough."
Judy looked around and notice that a few people were still missing. "Our group feels a bit... small now. Where are the others?" Judy asked.
"Darson's on Flash duty this time." Audran stated. "He's bringing Flash over here, so it might be another few minutes."
"Gazelle, we haven't actually seen in a while since she moved to one of the upper parts of the city. The distance is too far." Finnick stated sounding a bit sad.
"As for Chuck, Phil, Darwin, Wilfred, and Ed... they're still..." Benji said looking very sad.
"...away." Nick said as he came back. He was holding an orange colored smoothie and a blue colored smoothie in each of his paws. The subject of those five seems to bother Nick a bit. "The five of them are still away."
"Right..." Judy said as her ears drooped down.
Charles Woodson, Phillip Zecker, Darwin Deerling, Wilfred Maus, and Edward Beestli. The 5 former Junior Ranger Scouts of Troop 914. Former being the keyword. The five boys were known for muzzling predators because they didn't want them to join their pack. Nick, Mervin, Ronnie, and Benji were some of their victims. Nick and Judy later got even with them and got them to finally understand things about predators and they eventually forgave them for what they did. But even so, things were not good for them. They were blackballed by nearly everyone they came across. Not wanting to deal with it anymore, they finally came clean and turn themselves into the authorities. The 5 would spend a Summer in the Zootopia Juvenile Detention Center. Even after getting out, things... were still difficult.
3 years ago, on the day after their release, Nick was with Chuck at the park. The sun was setting and the two of them were on the swing sets. Chuck had given Nick some important news.
"So... you and the others are leaving Zootopia." Nick said sadly.
"Well, that's what happens when you get a criminal record." Chuck said to Nick. "The school doesn't want anything to do with us now. Neither does any other school in this city."
"Where are you gonna go then?" Nick asked.
"We're heading over to East Canyonland. There a school over there that will actually let the five of us attend." Chuck said.
"What's the name of the school?" Nick asked.
"Ridge Might Academy." Chuck replied.
"Ridge Might Academy?!" Nick shouted out in a shocking matter. "That's a military school. But not just any military school. One of the toughest in the country."
"Yep... and that's where were are gonna be attending." Chuck stated.
"You really can't go anywhere else?" Nick asked looking sad.
"You should know the answer to that." Chuck said.
"How long do you have left in the city?" Nick asked.
"We're all leaving first thing tomorrow. So today's our last day here." Chuck told him.
"That soon?" Nick said surprised to hear that.
"School year has already started. We have to leave right away." Chuck said.
"Guess that makes sense." Nick said realizing that would be the case. "Listen, you and the others don't have to do this. The gang and I could always..."
"Nick, we did some horrible things. You and the others may have forgiven us and we even did our time in juvie, but... to be honest, we... I... still don't think we deserve forgiveness yet." Chuck said as he looked at the ground. "We should have never done what we did in the first place. We also haven't become the kind of mammals we want to be." Chuck then looked up at the sky. "I want to become someone who's strong and dependant. Someone that people can look up to." He then turned to face Nick and gave him a smile. "Like you and Judy."
"Chuck..." Nick said.
"We're going to Ridge Might Academy not because we have to. It's because we want to." Chuck said with a determined look on his face. "If we can get through this, then maybe I can finally be someone others can acknowledge. Like with juvie, this is something the others and I have to do. No matter what. Hopefully, when I'm done, I can finally be someone worthy of being your friend."
It still surprised Nick how much the woodchuck had changed. He was a completely different person than the one who muzzled him.
"Guess I understand." Nick said. "Will you ever come back?"
"If things work out, we should be back by high school." Chuck stated.
"That long, huh? Well, I guess I have to let you do what you have to do." Nick said understanding Chuck's choice. "But let me say two more things. 1: You're already my friend. 2: You don't have to be like me or Judy. Just be you. The you that you want to be."
"That me that I want to be?" Chuck uttered thinking about Nick's words. "Hmmm. Judy's right. You do have a habit of being right all the time."
"It's a curse." Nick said with a smirk. "Well... not really."
"Haha! I'm gonna miss that 'Nick Wilde' modesty." Chuck said smiling.
"Just promise that you will come back. Alright?" Nick asked.
"I promise." Chuck said nodding.
The boys then looked up at the orange sky.
"It's getting late. Shouldn't we head back home?" Chuck asked.
"Just a few more minutes." Nick said not wanting to leave yet.
"Okay." Chuck said.
That was the last time Nick saw Chuck. The day after, Chuck and the others were sent to military school. Everyone was sad to have them leave the city, but they all accepted it. Back with Nick and the others...
"I still write letters to them every once in a while, but I haven't seen them since." Nick said to Judy.
"Still can't believe that they had to go to military school." Judy stated still feeling bad for them.
"Hopefully, they're okay." Mervin said.
"I'm sure they're fine." Finnick said not sounding worried. "We'll see them again soon enough."
"Yeah. I suppose you're right." Nick said agreeing with Finnick to stay positive. Nick then realize that he was still holding his and Judy's drink. "Oh! Right. Judy, here's your smoothie." Nick walked over to Judy and then handed her the orange one. "A carrot, lime, and apple smoothie for you..."
"Thank you, Nicky." Judy said happily as she takes her smoothie.
"... And a blueberry, strawberry, and raspberry smoothie for me." Nick said before sitting down on one of the chairs.
Nick and Judy sipped their smoothies and enjoyed them quite a lot.
"Pretty good." Judy said before sipping more of her smoothie.
"Should be. Cost 4 bucks for each of them." Nick stated before sipping his smoothie some more.
"Pretty high." Judy said.
"Hey. Since we were still on the subject of friends, how was the gang in Bunnyburrow?" Benji asked. "Nick, since you were there, then I assumed that you said hi to them."
Nick stopped drinking his smoothie and his eye opened up widely. In his head, he shouted out "OH MY GOSH! I FORGOT TO VISIT THE OTHERS!"
"Nick?" Benji said.
"Uhhhhhh..." Nick went.
"Niiiiiick?" Benji said still waiting for a proper answer.
"Well... you see... I was so focused on the whole 'Judy, be my girlfriend' thing that... I completely forgot to visit them and say hi." Nick said feeling awful for not doing that.
"You were in Bunnyburrow and you didn't even take the time to say hi to our other friends?" Ronnie asked surprised to hear that.
"Yeaaaaahhh..." Nick answered.
"Heh heh... Hahahahahahahaha!" Finnick laughed. "Wooo! So you didn't even visit Gideon Grey? Man, at least I know how we are all rated on your friends' list. Hahaha!"
"Dude, not cool." Mervin said to Finnick. "Nick feels bad enough."
"Uggggggghhh..." Nick went with his paw over his face as he shook his head.
"Guess I'll be the one to tell you how everyone is doing." Judy said. "Everyone's fine. Still the same. Bobby started a one-man-band."
"You were talking to Sharla earlier today. Are she and Gid dating yet?" Nick asked snapping out of his funk.
"Not yet." Judy answered.
"Oh." Everyone went.
"I swear, they are taking longer than you two." Ronnie stated.
"Heeeeey!" Nick and Judy said not liking that comment.
"If they'll date, they'll date. It's up to them." Judy stated.
"So long as it doesn't take as long as you guys did." Finnick stated.
"Heeeeeey!" Nick and Judy said again not liking Finnick's comment either.
Wanting to change the subject, Judy decided to talk about the place they were in.
"The place is pretty nice." Judy said as she looked at the atmosphere. "I can see why you all consider this your new hangout spot."
"Well, we couldn't keep using Nick's basement, eh?" Audran said.
"Hey! There is NOTHING wrong with my basement." Nick said firmly. "My folks loved having you guys over."
"Only cause it was making them have the house that every kid goes to. They were riding the popularity train which ticked off our own parents." Mervin stated.
"I... don't see the problem." Nick said seeing no downside for him. "My parents are awesome."
"STOP 1-UPING YOUR PARENTS!" Everyone else, including Judy, shouted out.
"Not my fault that my parents are awesome." Nick said with a smirk before sipping his smoothie some more.
At that moment, Judy's cellphone rang.
"Who's calling me now?" Judy asked as he takes out her phone. She looks at the contact and sees that it's her father, Stu. "Ugh! Speaking of parents, it's my dad."
"Again? He called like 3 times on the train." Nick stated.
"Apparently, he wants me to call him everyday." Judy said feeling awkward about that. "I wish he didn't worry so much."
"Should you just let it go to voicemail?" Audran asked.
"If I do, he's just gonna use that as an excuse to come all the way here." Judy stated knowing how her dad is.
"Throw in a 'daddy' or two. It will ease him up." Falisha said.
"Good call." Judy said nodding. Judy picked up the phone and answered her father. "Hey, daddy." "..." "Yes, dad. I'm fine. Gwen and I made it to the city and already settled into our new apartment." "..." "Yes, dad. I'm really okay. I'm actually hanging out with my friends. You know, the same kids Nick and I played with." Judy then held her phone in front of everyone. "Say hi, everyone."
"Hey, Mr. Hopps!" Everyone else said loud enough for Stu to hear.
Judy then put the phone back into her ear and said "See ya, I'm fine. Now, I'm gonna hang up and call you again tomorrow. Okay?" "..." "24 hours and no earlier." Judy was sounding firmer. "Do not use that as an excuse to come here. Worry about your other hundreds of kids for now." "..." "Alright." "..." "Love you too, daddy." Judy then hung up her phone.
"So... how's your 'daddy'?" Nick asked.
"Same." Judy said with a straight face. "I swear, I wish he would stop worrying about me so much."
"Even after being longtime friends with my pop, Mr. Hopps is still like that." Nick stated while shrugging. After saying that, Nick's phone started ringing. Nick took his phone out to see who was calling in. "Scratch that. All your family is still like that."
"Who's calling you?" Judy asked.
"Your brother, Greg." Nick answered.
"Why is he calling you?" Benji asked.
"Apparently, he thinks I forgot him and that I'm only friends with him because I like his sister. Which is not true." Nick stated.
"Is it, tho?" Finnick asked. "I mean you are already with his sister, what do you need him for?"
Nick growled at Finnick before answering his phone. "Hey, Greggy. What's up?" "..." "Of course I still remember you. It's only been a few hours." "..." "Uh huh." "..." "Uh huh." "..." "Uh huh. Look, I'll text you later, okay?" "..." "Alright." "..." Nick's expression change. Then turned away from his friends and whispered to his phone. "I'm not gonna say that to you before I say that to your sister. Deal with it. Bye." Nick then hanged up his phone and turned back to his friends.
"What is it that you wanted to say to Judy before you say to Greg?" Benji asked.
Nick immediately went red-faced and wanted to change the subject.
"So... how bout these, huh? Tasty, right?" Nick said nervously before taking another sip of his smoothie.
"He never told her yet." Benji, Finnick, Mervin, Audran, Ronnie, and Falisha all thought.
While Nick has told his friends that he was in love with Judy, he's never said that he loved Judy himself to her. There hasn't really been any right time. So he was gonna save saying that to her for later. After taking so long to finally get here, Darson and Flash, finally in.
Darson Coynac, a coyote wearing a black shirt over a blue dress shirt and blue jeans with some tears on the knee area, is another one of Nick's good friends. Like a few other friends, he was a former bully at his school. Nick and Darson were pretty much mortal enemies at one point. But after understanding each other, they became friends. Darson's mother died after giving birth to him. It's why he always saw himself as a bad thing. But after learning that his mother died because of an illness, Darson changed his life around. He is now part of the friend circle.
Flash Slothmore, a sloth wearing a green and white striped shirt with tan jeans, was another good friend of Nick and the others. Often goes by the nickname, Flash ' 100-yard dash' by Nick. Being a sloth, Flash is... slow. Really slow. He moves slow and he speaks slow. To get to certain places at a certain time, the gang usually has some on Flash duty. They carry Flash to and from point A and point B. As slow as he is, Flash does have an odd taste for the fast life. He often goes go-kart racing and rarely loses. He also collects toy sports cars. He's an odd sloth, but a good friend to everyone.
"Oh! Look who's finally showed up." Finnick said to the two new arrives.
"Sorry, we're late." Darson said to everyone. "But you know how it is when you're on Flash duty."
"I... could have... got here... on... my own." Flash stated.
"Yeah... and take 2 hours." Darson said to Flash. "No one has time to..." Darson stopped talking when he realized that Judy was here. He wasn't expecting to see Judy. "Judy Hopps?!"
"Hey, Darson." Judy said after getting up.
"Oh my gosh!" Darson said with a smile. He then put Flash down and walked to her. "Well, this is a surprise. I didn't think you would be here."
"I'm here for the Summer." Judy stated.
"The whole Summer? That's some good news." Darson said.
"So I've been told." Judy said smiling.
"I would hug you, but I feel that your boy friend with a space in the middle would kill me." Darson said while pointing back at Nick.
"Everybody gets one." Nick said.
"Oh. Alright then." Darson said. He then hugged Judy. But only for like one second. He didn't want to step on any boundaries.
"By the way, it's boyfriend without a space in the middle." Nick stated to Darson.
"Without?" Darson said confused for a second. Then he got what he meant. "WAIT?! ARE YOU TWO SERIOUSLY TOGETHER NOW?!"
"Yep!" Nick answered with a smile.
"Wow! Bout time." Darson said looking pleased.
"Right?" Finnick said agreeing with Darson that it took too long.
"Con... grat... ulat... ions!" Flash said to Judy and Nick.
"Flash!" Judy said she dashes to the sloth. "Been too long, pal."
"Judy." Flash said as he slowly opened his arms. Clearly, he wanted to hug Judy. Just... really slowly. Judy, not being a patient bunny, moved his arms for him and helped him with the hug.
"There you go." Judy said as Flash hugged her. But then it took like a minute to break the hug. "Same ol' 'take your own time' Flash, huh?"
"Actually, Carrots..." Nick said while chuckling a bit. "... Flash here picked up a little something."
"What's that?" Judy asked looking interested.
Nick then patted Flash on the back and said: "Flash, buddy, do the thing for Judy.".
"O... kay." Flash said slowly. He then closed his eyes and slowly take a deep breath. Since he was a sloth, this whole process took about a minute. But after that, he opened back up his eyes and said "Hello, Judy. Good to see you back in the city. It's also good to hear you and Nick are finally together.".
The second Judy heard Flash talk, it felt like she was struck by lightning. Not by what he said, but HOW he said it.
"WHHHHHHAAAAAAAT?" Judy shouted out. After that, all she could do was stuttered. "F... F... Flash? Did... you... just..."
"Guess talking like was a bit of a shock." Flash said.
"A bit? Flash, YOU'RE TALKING NORMAL! LIKE NORMAL SPEED FOR US!" Judy shouted out still in disbelief.
"Not exactly." Flash said.
"While you were gone, Flash took some speed speaking classes for sloths." Finnick said. "He's not actually speaking at normal speed. Just super sloth fast."
"So from our perspective, he's just speaking normal." Nick stated.
"I see. That's pretty awesome, Flash." Judy said happily.
Flash waited a few seconds to respond. "However, it's much more difficult than it looks."
"What do you mean?" Judy asked.
Flash waited a few seconds again before responding. "I have to think about everything I want to say first. At some point..." Flash then started talking slowly again. "... it... gets... pretty... hard... to... say... the right... words." Flash then waited another few seconds before speaking again. "So until I get better from the class..." Flash started speaking slowly again. "... this... is... the... best... I... can... do."
"It's still quite impressive." Judy told Flash.
"Still... need... to... get... better." Flash said.
"You know Flash, even with the classes helping you talk faster, you don't have to take them." Judy stated. "You're okay just the way you are."
"I... don't... have... to. I... want... to." Flash said. He then waited another few seconds and spoke fast again. "For my friends, I'll do anything."
Judy couldn't help but smile. Flash wanted to work hard for his friends. Just like she and Nick do. Everyone in the group was the kind of kids that stick together, no matter what.
"Alright, Judy. Since you're back in the city, how about we catch you up on all the trouble Nick got us in while you weren't here." Darson said with a smirk.
"Do tell." Judy said sounding interested.
"Hey! All of that was NOT on me." Nick said looking mad.
"Agree to disagree." Darson said smirking. "Now, let's talk about the time when..."
So everyone sat together and shared what happened over the past year. All the things they did, what happened during school, the... crazy situations they got into, and other things. They all enjoyed reconnecting. It was like they were talking for hours. Cause... they actually were. The sun was about to set the Juice Bar was about to close anyway. The kids left and continued talking outside of it.
"Hahaha! Unbelievable! Even without Nick and the rest of us, you and the others from Bunnyburrow still got into trouble." Mervin said chuckling some more.
"Guess trouble is something that we can never avoid." Judy said finding it humorous.
"Sad, but true." Nick said agreeing with Judy. Nick then looked up at the sky. "Jeez, I didn't know it was that late."
"We should all be heading home." Audran stated.
"Right." Ronnie said nodding.
"Hold on." Nick said wanting to say something before everyone started leaving. "Guys, it's the Summer and Judy's will be here the whole time. There may be less of us now, but we need to make everyday count."
"I'm with you on that, Nicky." Finnick said agreeing.
"Me too." Mervin said also agreeing.
"Count me in too, eh?" Audran said with his hoof up.
"Pretty sure we're all in." Ronnie said.
"Awesome!" Nick said excitedly as he pumped his fist. "Then we better start planning things. Man, we're gonna make so many plans, our Summer is gonna seem endless."
"Summer can't be endless. It'll have to end sooner or later." Falisha stated.
"Thanks for that knowledge, Captain Obvious." Nick said to Falisha. "What I mean is this Summer is gonna seem endless. We only have so many days, so we have to live each day to the best we can."
"Live each day to the best we can, huh?" Judy asked herself. "Slick, this might be one of your best ideas yet."
"I'll add it to the list." Nick said with a smirk. He then held his right arm out. "So, to an Endless Summer?"
Everyone else got into a circle and held their arms out like along with Nick and said. "To an Endless Summer.".
"Just promise me one thing." Judy said to everyone. "We all promise not to get into trouble like the kind that we got into when we were kids."
Everyone was silent for a few seconds. Then... they all broke into laughter. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"Not get into trouble. WOO! That's a good one." Mervin said wiping the happy tears from his eyes.
"We're teens now, we are gonna get into a LOT more trouble." Nick said still laughing.
"I don't even know why I even said that." Judy said laughing about it as well.
"All laughter aside..." Falisha said as they all started calming down. "... we should head home. My sister's back for the Summer from college.
"So are 3 of my older brothers... and they're all staying at the house again. Yaaaaay..." Mervin said not sounding to happy about that.
"It's been fun, but I need to catch a bus. See you guys later. Good to have you back, Bunny Girl." Finnick said waving goodbye.
"See ya, Nick. See ya, Judy." Ronnie said.
"Bye, guys." Nick said waving goodbye to everyone.
With that, all the kids went home and said their goodbyes. Nick and Judy were now alone with just the two of them.
"The group hasn't changed one bit." Judy said happy about that.
"Yep. Still a group of crazies and weirdos." Nick said to Judy with a smile.
"Anyway, it's gotten quite late. I should head home. Gwen might get mad if I'm gone too long." Judy stated.
"Right." Nick said understanding. But then he had an idea. "Or... you can come back to my house and have dinner with the family."
"Dinner... sounds good." Judy said liking the idea. "I haven't had your mom's cooking in a while."
Nick then held on to Judy's paw. "Then let's go." Nick said to Judy with a smile.
"Okay." Judy said blushing a bit.
The two of them made their way back to Nick's home.
"By the way, your paws are still really soft." Judy said to Nick.
"Did you expect them not to be?" Nick told Judy.
After some walking, the two made it back to the Wilde home. As they went in, expecting Frankie to finish making dinner, someone they didn't expect was also in the room. It was Judy's sister, Gwen. She was playing with the twins.
"Ooooooh! You two are so adorable." Gwen said happily to the twins in their boosters chairs.
"Gwen?" Judy and Nick said surprise to see that.
"Oh! There you two are." Gwen said noticing Nick and Judy.
"Gwen, what are you doing here?" Judy asked.
"You're not the only one who wanted to see Mr. and Mrs. Wilde. I also wanted to say hi to the twins." Gwen stated. "Also... there's like no food in our apartment. Mr. and Mrs. Wilde were nice enough to allow me to stay for dinner. I assume that's the reason you came here, right?"
"Kinda..." Judy admitted.
"Great sisters think alike." Gwen stated while tapping her head where her brain is.
"Haha..." Judy laughed awkwardly.
So Judy... and Gwen stayed over to have dinner with Nick and his family. Afterward, Gwen and Judy had to head back to their apartment. It was late, so it was time to get some sleep. While Gwen was asleep, Judy was still up. She was on the desk and got out her diary. She got out her trusty carrot pen and started writing in it.
Dear Diary,
Hello. It feels like it's been a long time since I written in you. I got a lot to catch you up on. So, Nick, the fox boy who I have written a lot about in you just happen to show up at the front of my house. Next thing you know, we're boyfriend and girlfriend and I'm staying at Zootopia for the Summer. Imagine that. It feels weird, but also right in some way. Honestly, I'm happy about that. Really REALLY happy. Nick and I are a couple! Yay! Another thing that happens was me reuniting with the Zootopia gang. Most of them haven't changed a bit since we were kids. It will be good to reconnect with them. Nick has this idea of us having an 'Endless Summer'. Sounds like a great idea. Making a whole bunch of plans for the Summer. I can't wait to see what this Summer has in store for us. Well, it's late. So I'm gonna write more later. Till next time.
Judy
Well, that's the end of this chapter. Things are just getting started for Nick, Judy, and the others. There's gonna be some fun moments, some new adventures, romance, and of course some tension. What will happen next? Tune in for the next chapter.