As Nick left Judy in her room, he felt a warm tingle down in his nether regions and knew he needed to get his mind off the ideas his bunny's words had planted in his mind. Taking a deep breath while walking into his room, he ran his paws over his face. "That rabbit is going to be the death of me," he muttered under his breath.
A smile warmed its way onto his face, though, as he considered her words. If she was willing to tease him in such a way, then that had to mean she was also considering a serious relationship with him—right? It was obvious from their conversation last night that she was at least open to the idea, but it still surprised and confused him that she would consider him, a fox and borderline criminal, as potential mate material. Her, the innocent country bumkin, teasing him in such a way also surprised him. He teased her because he loved getting a rise out of her and seeing her get flustered was just too cute, but he didn't expect her to return the favor, at least not this quickly. He wasn't complaining, of course. Getting flustered by Judy (or anyone, for that matter) was a novelty to him, and one that he was actually looking forward to. Not that he wanted to jump head long into a serious relationship with her—it was still too early for that.
Not wanting to mess up anything they already had, he was willing to wait until they were more familiar with each other. A month or two at least, so they'd have the time to get to know each other better. The last thing he needed was to jump into a physical relationship with her and then find out his emotional baggage and criminal past was too much for her to handle and she left him for it. That was something he didn't even want to contemplate, and yet it was a very real possibility. He still hadn't told her about his dad and brother (those memories were still too raw and painful even after all these years), nor had he even mentioned his time with Big or the tragedy that had brought his employment to a near-fatal end.
Although his honeybun had handled his emotional baggage quite well so far (he was eternally grateful for her compassion and empathy), it still didn't stop him from worrying. One mammal could only handle so much negativity before deciding they'd had enough and calling it quits. Although he knew Judy was made of sterner stuff, and he couldn't see her leaving him over his emotional past, he'd been severally burned far too many times by others to convince his pessimistic side to completely rule out the idea.
With a heavy sigh, he pulled back the long curtain in his room that hid the door leading to the balcony and around to the deck. He figured lunch outside would be nice and would allow Judy to get a better view of her new home. Unlocking the door as he grabbed a key hanging on a hook next to it, he walked outside while trying to push his pessimism back down. Instead, he focused on getting everything ready for lunch with his best friend.
Walking across the short balcony to the deck itself, he used the key to unlock one of the small storage rooms built into the back wall of the house. There were two, one at both sides of the wall, with a small sink and long counter built between them, along with a small, under-the-counter fridge, making entertaining guests out here much easier.
Opening the door, he pulled out two fold-up lounge chairs, the kind you could lay back in and stretch your legs out on. Setting them out, he then pulled out a small fold-up glass table and set it up between the chairs. Once everything was ready out here, he walked back through his room and downstairs to the kitchen.
As he headed down the stairs, he glanced in Judy's room and saw her on her phone. Smiling at seeing her in his house, he couldn't stop the warm fuzzies that suddenly gripped his heart. He'd been living alone, had been alone, for so long, that it was strange to think of himself living with someone again, even it if was his best friend. But he wasn't complaining. He could never complain about living with Judy.
Upon reaching the kitchen, he immediately pulled out a large platter and a butter knife and set them on the counter before grabbing the peanut butter and honey. Opening the fridge, he pulled out the jelly and then set about making the sandwiches. Remembering how much Judy ate last night, he decided to make five sandwiches—three jelly and two honey—and cut them all in half so they could eat however much, or little, they wanted to.
Leaving the platter on the counter, Nick walked into the dining room and opened the curtains that covered the French doors that sat in the center of the back wall. Now that he was living with a bunny, he needed to get used to having the curtains open and sunlight actually brightening up the place. "Gah! Sunlight—in my house! I never thought to see the day."
Shaking his head with an ironic chuckle, he unlocked the doors and returned for the sandwiches, then carried them outside. Walking around the side of the house, he climbed the stairs to his balcony and unlatched the gate at the top, before walking across to the deck and setting the sandwiches down on the back counter. Returning to the kitchen via the dining room, he grabbed two glasses and the chocolate almond milk, before returning to the deck. He could've carried everything through his bedroom but didn't want Judy catching him and ruining the surprise.
With everything set up, he walked around the side of the house and along Judy's balcony to her window. Looking through and seeing her with her nose still in her phone, he tapped on the window and chuckled when she jumped. Slipping his fingers through the gap where the window was still cracked open, he pulled up.
"Nick! What are doing!?" Judy exclaimed after her little fright. With a paw over her heart, she took several deep breaths while trying to calm her racing pulse.
"What does it look like, Fluff?" Nick asked as he poked his head through the now fully open window. "Lunch is ready."
Judy glared at him a moment, then realized Nick shouldn't be able to reach her window. "Nick, how are you—? We're on the second floor!"
"And your point is . . . ?" He smirked at her.
Scrambling over to the window, Judy pushed his head back through and stuck her head out. "There's a balcony! Your house has a balcony!"
"And a deck," he answered as he reached through the window. "Which is where we're having lunch." Gripping her waist firmly, he hauled her out the window, which brought a twinge of pain to his ribs. He ignored it. Her 'eeep!' of surprise brought a satisfied grin to his face as he positioned her more comfortably in his arms.
"Nick! What are doing?"
With a raised eyebrow, Nick replied, "For such a smart bunny, you sure ask a lot of dumb questions."
She punched his shoulder. "You know what I mean."
"What? Your balcony door was still locked, and I didn't feel like going all the way around to my room. This was the simplest solution."
Folding her arms across her chest and pretending to glare, she whispered, "Cheeky fox."
Nick's grin widened, "You know you love it."
Pausing in thought, Judy rolled a couple of responses around in her head, then finally said, "Yes, yes, I do—but not as much as you, apparently."
With eyes widening, he glanced down at her, then his grin widened. "Touché." Judy's smile was blinding, and he glanced ahead as they reached the deck. "So, what do you think?"
Judy sat up a little straighter and looked around. The roof of the house extended out to cover half the deck, giving it shade and protection, but leaving several feet in front of the light blue railing open to the sun. The two storage sheds, sink, counter, and small fridge gave the place a nice, convenient vibe and Judy clapped her paws together. "It's perfect."
"Good." Setting her down on the lounge chair, he moved the plate of sandwiches over and then poured them both a glass of chocolate milk. Putting the almond milk in the fridge, he grabbed their milk and then joined her on his own chair. Setting the glasses down, he snatched a sandwich and took a bite out of it as he swung his legs up on the chair.
After the long, drawn-out emotional conversations they already had that day, neither felt like talking but were content to simply enjoy the view and each other's company.
Having finished off most of the sandwiches herself, Judy lay back further and studied the view around her. The backyard was quite spacious with lush grass, several flowering shrubs and a few different fruits trees planted here and there. The large, detached garage (shaped like a barn and painted sky blue with a white tin-roof and white trim) had been sunk into the ground several feet so as not to block the view of the rolling hills of the Meadowlands beyond. To their right were the mighty, snow-covered peaks that marked Tundratown's western border, and then to the left could be seen the cliffs and massive, mist-enshrouded trees of the Rainforest District.
This really was a great place that Nick had. The hustle and bustle of the city was just around the corner, but here . . . here it was just peaceful and quiet, where a mammal could just relax and think—or nap. Napping sounded really good about now.
Closing her eyes while enjoying the feel of the breeze ruffling her fur, Judy briefly compared the vast improvement of Nick's place with her last one. Although Bucky and Pronk weren't bad neighbors as personalities went—they were always willing to lend a hand if she needed it—but their constant bickering and yelling made it difficult to relax or rest when they were home.
It hadn't bothered her too much when she first arrived, as it wasn't much different than living in a burrow full of noisy, nosy bunnies. But after a while, especially as the stress from work escalated due to the fights between preds and prey, she just wanted peace and quiet. And that's what she found here with Nick. Even though Nick enjoyed talking—and she certainly enjoyed listening to him—it was times like this, when they both enjoyed the silence, that she found her appreciation for him growing.
Glancing over briefly, she saw Nick finishing off his chocolate almond milk. It left him with a chocolate mustache, but not for long as Nick licked it off with his long, reddish-pink tongue. The pink insides of her large ears grew a shade darker as she wondered what it would be like to feel Nick's tongue on her fur. Quickly shifting her gaze back to the rolling hills before her, she could feel her ears getting warmer.
Stop it. He's your friend. Don't rush things. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Judy remembered what her mom taught her about growing a strong, healthy, long-lasting relationship. Her mom had said: "Just as the best fruits need time to slowly mature and ripen, with plenty of water, sunshine, and nutrient-rich soil, a healthy relationship needs time to slowly mature, with plenty of compassion, understanding, and consideration. And just as picking fruit before it's ripe will cause it to be bitter or sour, and not good for anything—rushing into a physical relationship before you've had time to get to know the other person and come to understand them, will result in a short-term fling ending in bitterness and tears."
Having witnessed firsthand the truthfulness of these words at the tears and broken hearts of a number of her sisters (and even a few of her brothers) who hadn't listened, Judy had no wish to experience that with Nick. He meant too much to her, their friendship too precious, to treat him or it so thoughtlessly.
Time. Time is what they needed. And, thanks to her injury, they now had lots of it. Lots of time to get to know each other better. Time to talk, to laugh, and just enjoy each other's company. For the first time in her life Judy wasn't sad to be laid up for two weeks.
With a small smile tugging at her lips, she relaxed further into the lawn chair and allowed the sleep that had been tugging at the edges of her mind to steal across it, dragging her down into peaceful oblivion.
…..
Having finished off his milk, Nick glanced over at Judy and saw her eyes were closed and a small smile playing about her lips. Seeing her peaceful, happy expression brought a smile to his own lips. After several minutes, he watched her chin slump towards her chest and her paw slide off her belly and onto the chair. Sleep had claimed her.
Sitting up, Nick swung his legs over the side of the chair and couldn't help but reach over to lightly run his claws through the fur between her ears. She hummed at the touch and pushed lightly into the caress. Grinning wider, he reached over with his other paw and ran his fingers up the edge of both her ears. She hummed louder for a second, searching for him, then relaxed again with a soft purr. Ah! Cuteness overload! She's killing me!
Nick continued caressing her ears a bit longer, then sat back and snapped another picture of her, then moved it the folder he labeled: Death by Cuteness. He hoped he survived should she ever discover the folder. It really would be death by cuteness when she unleashes her furry fists of fury on him. He'll die laughing, though.
Snickering at the images his mind conjured, he glanced at the time—2:45—then slid his phone back in his pocket. Looking her over, he studied her leg again. Right now, she couldn't put any weight on it, and that was problem. He still had his crutches he'd used while healing from the beating Honey had saved him from. But even though the crutches were fitted for a teenage fox, he knew they'd never get short enough for Judy to use.
Wracking his brain for someone else that might have a short-enough pair (he really didn't feel like buying a pair if he could avoid it), he suddenly sat up straighter and whipped his phone out. After hitting speed dial, he put the phone to his ear while stepping over to the deck railing. The phone rang several times, but as he rested his arms on the pale-blue wooden railing, a deep, loud voice boomed through the phone.
….
WingedKatt, here. Nick and Judy were able to take a breather and just relax and chill. The next chapter will see a new face in the story, as well as a bit of Nick's thought process and why Judy was able to get under his skin so quickly and easily.
Chapter 13: Bunny Cop will post on Wednesday.
As always, if you have any thoughts or comments, I'd love to hear from you. Have a great weekend.
