WingedKatt here. I've been told to warn you when there was fluff and feels in the chapter-so here's your warning: There is fluff and feels at the end of the chapter. So prepare yourself and enjoy the reading. =)
"Excuse me, mam, are these foxes bothering you?" Jeff asked confidently and with the full expectation of walking away with the doe in paw. Having seen the doe show signs of fear and agitation from whatever the smaller pelt had told her strengthened his confidence greatly. Upon nearing their booth, he had looked up to see a predatory look cross the red pelt's face that had his heartrate speed up as his fury boiled over. The look was gone now, but knowing how the pelt was thinking about the doe kept his fury fresh and hot. Focusing back on the grey doe, he looked her over in appreciation of her toned body, then said, "I can call the police if you want me to."
Judy's ears fell against her back in response to the jackrabbit who just waltzed up to their booth. He was dressed in a dark gray business suit that complimented his brownish-gray fur. As rabbits and hares went, he was a specimen that would have her boy-crazy sisters swooning over him. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't her type. Not in the slightest—wrong color, wrong height, wrong ear shape—just wrong. His cocky attitude and the gleam of desire she caught in his eyes as he looked her over did nothing to improve her opinion of him.
At Judy's silence, the jackrabbit pressed, "If you're afraid, I can call the police," he repeated. "They can't do anything to you from the inside of a jail cell."
A scowl crossed Judy's face but before she could lay into the specist buck and tell him where he could stick it, laughter beside and across from her stopped her in her tracks and caused a smirk to wind its way onto her short muzzle.
Nick and Finnick had glanced at each other at the buck's comment that Judy was afraid of them, then, as one, they busted up laughing. Nick was gripping his chest and stomach while hunching over the seat and Finnick was slapping the table with one paw and holding his belly with the other.
Leaning over the table while trying to rein in his laughter, Finnick met the buck's irritated scowl while pointing across the table, saying, "You think Cottontail is afraid of us? Of Nick?" He jabbed his thumb in the red vulpine's direction while adding, "That's the funniest thing I've heard in the last three months!" Her blackmailing his friend into helping the Fuzz was the last time he'd laughed so hard. And then finding out that she'd not only moved in with Nick but had stolen both his first kiss and his heart—for anyone to claim she was afraid of the tall red todd was simply ludicrous.
Jeff's scowl deepened and his fury rose a notch at their laughter. He wasn't accustomed to mammals laughing at him. Glancing down at the phone he'd pulled from his pocket moments before, he moved his thumb to dial the police when a soft, grey paw slipped over the phone's screen, blocking his view. Glancing up, he met the doe's smug grin.
"That won't be necessary," Judy claimed. Removing her paw, she motioned towards the two todds and said, "I have absolutely nothing to fear from these two yay-hoos."
Nick slapped the table and pointed a dark, clawed finger at her, exclaiming, "Hey! I resemble that remark!"
With a cheeky grin, Judy glanced over her shoulder and replied, "Yes, I know you do."
With humor dancing in his emerald eyes, Nick opened his mouth, but Finnick cut him off. "How do you know I'm a yay-hoo? Before today, we met a total of three times and didn't even exchange any words the first two times, and not more than five words the third time." From the corner of his eye, he watched the buck's anger increase at being ignored, and Finn had a hard time keeping the glee off his face. He just loved messing with specist jerks. And Cottontail made it so easy to do!
Judy grinned as she met Finn's indignant gaze. "You're close friends with Nick which makes you one by association." With her grin widening, she added, "It takes one to know one."
Finnick opened his mouth to argue, then a mischievous smirk curled his muzzle. Pointing to her again (and watching the buck seethe at being further ignored) he said, "You know you're incriminating yourself with that remark, don't you?"
Judy was silent for a moment, then answered, "Perhaps I am." Turning slightly to better to see Nick, she continued, "But if it means I get to spend more time with my best friend, then I guess I don't mind being lumped in with you two yay-hoos." Judy smiled brightly at Nick, who returned it with a warm smile of his own.
"I can't believe you're actually chasing after this pelt!" Jeff exclaimed. His fury and disgust could not be ignored as he practically vibrated with anger.
Judy turned back to the buck with her frown returning. "I'm not chasing after anyone." (And she wasn't. There was no need to chase after Nick when she'd already caught him.) "Nick is my best friend and the best mammal I've ever met. He has earned my trust, my respect, and my friendship. He not only saved my job, but because of his strength, courage, and loyalty I'm alive today. So why wouldn't I spend time with him?"
Jeff couldn't believe the doe would choose a stinking pelt over him. He was a hare of means and consequence in the community and he'd never failed to get the doe he wanted. There had to be another reason for her to choose to be with the sneaky foxes. "Are they threatening you? Or your family? Is that why you're staying with them? If so, I can help you. I have connections."
As Judy took a deep breath to tell the jackrabbit what for, Nick leaned against the back wall of the booth and crossed his arms. Glaring at the specist jerk, he waited to hear what Judy had to say and wished he had some popcorn.
Before Judy could get a word in edgewise, though, Jeff reached forward and grabbed her wrist. "Come on, you don't need to stay with these predators," he sneered. "Don't worry, they won't hurt you here. I'll protect you. Come on," he repeated. "I can show you a real good time." Jeff had hardly gotten the words out before a wave of primal fear washed over him. His body went rigid as his eyes widened in fright and his nose began twitching uncontrollably.
His instincts were screaming in alarm, warning him that a dangerous predator was on the hunt, and that he needed to flee before he was slaughtered. Glancing around, it took a moment for the buck to zero in on the red todd sitting beside the doe. Although no sound could be heard, the todd's lips were lifted in the barest hint of a snarl, revealing the tips of his longest fangs, and the emerald green of his eyes had darkened. His pupils had also shrunk, though they were far from savage slits, but Jeff was still convinced his unease came from the hated vulpine.
Judy also felt a shiver run down her spine, but unlike the buck standing frozen before her, she felt no fear. Instead, her tail began twitching happily as a warmth began building in her abdomen. It didn't take a genius for her to guess Nick was the cause, especially since his tail was now pressed up against her own. She wasn't sure what he was doing, but the affect was unmistakable. And seeing the fear rolling off the dumb buck made her heart swell with love and pride as it meant her fox was staking his claim and defending her—even if he hadn't lifted a finger.
With love growing in her heart for the handsome todd beside her, Judy refocused on the buck in front of her. "Listen, I don't know who you are, nor do I care, but if you don't remove your paw this instant, I'll have you hauled to jail on harassment charges. Now. Let. Go."
Jeff broke out of his fearful stupor by the doe's words, and at her obvious rejection, his anger pushed his fear down. Sneering, he said, "You can't be serious. There's no way I'm letting you stay with these filthy pelts."
Judy was livid. Grabbing the specist jerk's hand that was still gripping her wrist, she painfully twisted it back while stating, "No one tells me what I can and cannot do. Not my parents, not my friends, and certainly not you. I'm staying with my foxy friends because I want to, not because I'm forced to. And trust me when I say I was having a real good time with them until you showed up. So go back to whatever table you were eating at and finish your meal and let us do the same."
As she released his hand with a firm push, Jeff stumbled backwards while shaking out the pain in his wrist. The doe had a strength that surprised him and sent a thrill through him as he wondered what it would be like to have a strong doe like her in his bed. The possibilities were endless—and yet she was being wasted on the red pelt behind her. It infuriated him, and yet he knew he'd get nowhere with her tonight.
Rubbing his sore wrist, he sneered, "You don't know who you're rejecting."
"You're right—I don't. But I do know your type. I've seen you a hundred times and dressed in a hundred different ways, but deep down, you're all the same. You're a player. A doe to you is merely a toy to use for your sick enjoyment. But once you've had your fill, you grow bored and start looking for a shiny new toy, without a second thought for the used toy you're discarding." Lifting her chin higher while folding her arms across her chest, she said, "I won't be your newest toy to use and then discard. I've never let a buck touch me in my life and I'm certainly not going to start with you. So go back to your friends or whatever. And. Leave. Me. Alone."
Jeff stood there a moment longer, still rubbing his stinging wrist as he tried to come up with a plan to get the headstrong doe to bow to his whims. She was the kind of conquest that he rarely encountered, and one he didn't intend to let slip through his fingers. It was merely a matter of time and careful planning.
Nick, seeing as the bastard wasn't leaving (the lustful desires running through the buck's filthy mind were obvious to see), leaned forward and slipped his muzzle between Judy's upright ears, even as he slipped his large, dark paws around her slender waist in a show of possession. Lifting his lips to show off his gleaming fangs, he growled, "You heard the lady. Beat it. Or we will call the cops on you for harassment and disturbing the peace. Now what's it going to be, bucko?"
Jeff opened his mouth to tell the filthy pelt exactly what he thought of him and how disgusting they were, but he caught sight of the cougar waiter coming back and decided it would have to wait. Turning around in disgust, he sneered, "Filthy pred slut," under his breath.
Judy opened her mouth in outrage, then snapped it shut again as she felt Nick's warm breath on her ear, making her shiver. She still couldn't believe the responses his mere touch brought out in her.
"Let it go," he whispered into her sensitive ear. "He's not worth it."
Judy took a deep breath while trying to calm her pounding heart—a pounding caused both by her rage at the disgusting, specist buck and the warmth in her belly caused by Nick's show of possession, his words, and his warm breath tickling her ear. "Um, yeah"—another deep, calming breath—"he's definitely not worth my time."
With a grin, Nick slid his paws up her side and breathed, "That's my girl." Slipping his paws back down her sides (and letting his claws caress her stomach in the process) elicited another shiver and soft moan from his bunny, and Nick slowly withdrew his paws and sat back against the booth wall just as Willie arrived with their food.
Setting the large tray down on the foldup tray holder he'd brought with him, Willie asked in concern, "Is there a problem? Do I need to escort that buck out? I'd hate to lose any business right now, what with the savage attacks and all, but I'll do it if he's causing problems."
Nick glanced over at the booth the buck returned to, taking special note of the gopher and fallow deer sitting across from him, then turned his attention back to Willie. "I don't think it'll be a problem." Grinning down at Judy, he added, "Fluff, here told him off and I don't think he'll be back." Not here, anyway, he thought. Nick had seen the bastard's type many a time while dealing with the dark underbelly of Zootopia, and he knew the buck wouldn't let Judy's rejection go. She had set herself up as the ultimate prize and the buck wouldn't stop until he had her pinned beneath him (literally)—unless Nick stopped him first. Which he would. The buck wasn't the only one with connections.
Looking up from his focus on Judy and his dark thoughts, Nick turned his attention back to Willie, but before either could say anything, there was a loud snort from across the table. Followed by another and then a loud guffaw as Finnick couldn't hold his laughter in anymore.
While watching Judy confront the buck, Finn had taken out his phone and began recording it. He knew from sad experience the importance of videotaping confrontations. But then when the bunny cop and Nick began tag teaming the specist prick into submission, he had to clamp a paw over his muzzle to keep from laughing. He was surprised no one had heard his slight chortles that escaped his clamped muzzle.
Once the buck retreated and Willie arrived, though, he was only able to hold back long enough for Nick to answer their friend's questions before his pent-up laughter broke loose. And laughing so hard, he curled up on the bench with his paws holding his belly then promptly rolled off onto the floor with a loud thud.
Nick, Judy, and Willie all glanced under the table in surprise, and watched the small vulpine roll around on the floor for several more minutes before running out of breath. With a few more chortles as he crawled back up onto the booth, he wiped a few tears from his eyes and stated, "Oh, boy, that was good. I haven't laughed that hard since you hustled Nick into to helping you three months ago." Finnick directed this statement to Judy, then turned to Nick. "You have to let me come out with you more often. This has been the most fun I've had in years!"
Nick settled back into the seat with a smug grin on his face. "I told you it would be fun."
With a wide grin, Finn nodded, then said, "I recorded most of it in case he tries anything later."
"That's great, Finn. I knew I could count on you." Turning back to Willie, Nick said, "I don't think he'll bother us again here, but if you could keep track of when the buck or the gopher and fallow deer come in, it'd be great. It might mean he's trying to scope out mine or Judy's routine."
A worried expression appeared on the cougar's kind face as he immediately understood what Nick was getting at—the buck might try to catch Judy when she was out of the public eye. "I'll do that, Nick. Anything to help a friend."
As Nick nodded in return, Judy gave him a questioning look and he answered, "I'll explain later." With a grin, he turned to the plates of food Willie was setting on the table. "For now, let's eat. I'm famished."
Judy had been hungry coming in, but after her confrontation with the specist jerk, she was ravenous. Turning her attention to the succulent salad before her, she dug in with gusto. The food was fantastic, and she was enjoying it so much, she missed Nick taking a few more candid shots of her, or Finnick giving Nick a finger slice across his throat indicating what would happen to him once she found out about the picture file he was keeping of her. Ignoring both todds, she ate her food with relish.
Once they had satisfied the worst of their hunger, the trio moved on to light chit-chat and humorous banter for the rest of the meal. Their trip to the grocery store afterwards was just as enjoyable and once they'd picked up everything the three needed, they returned to Nick's house. Finn had decided to stay in the apartment loft above the garage, and after Nick handed him the key, he disappeared with his groceries out the back door—leaving Nick and Judy alone once more.
Turning to Judy, Nick said, "Well, Fluff, do you want to get ready for bed and then watch a movie or something?"
"I'm all for getting ready for bed, but I'm not really in the mood for a movie."
Nick cocked his head and asked, "Then what are you in the mood for?"
Judy was sitting on the couch with Nick standing in front of her, but at Nick's question, she leaned forward and whispered, "I believe we came to a mutual understanding earlier that we both wished to touch the other's tail." Nick's eyes took on that hungry, predatory look she was growing used to seeing (and loving immensely), then she continued, "And afterwards I thought you could maybe play a few more songs for me."
Nick's tail began wagging at both Judy's ideas and with a wide, toothy grin, he leaned down and scooped Judy up into his arms. Listening to her giggle, he leaned over one last time to grab her crutches, then carried her upstairs at a fast walk. "I like your ideas." He paused in thought for a moment, then explained, "You know, when you're not trying to get us killed or flushed down oversized toilets and down 100-foot waterfalls or chased by sheep thugs before blowing up trains." Nick grinned wider at Judy's embarrassment, and added, "You know, those life-threatening ideas are better discussed at length before acting on them, but these tamer ideas that involve just the two of us—these are nice ideas. I could get used to them."
Judy giggled again, even as she blushed harder. Reaching up to stroke Nick's cheek, she murmured, "I'm glad you like them."
Nick's tail wagged again, but then he paused after rounding the railing at the top of the stairs. His tail sagged a bit as he glanced at her briefly, then glanced at the wall. With a soft, serious voice, he murmured, "As nice as they are, they're also dangerous in their own way."
Judy cocked her head as she caressed his cheek again. "What do you mean?"
Nick glanced back at her and after a moment's thought, he explained, "I already told you that I've never felt like this before." Looking behind Judy, then up at the ceiling, he tried to find the right words to best describe how he was feeling (not an easy feat, considering he was unused to sharing his feelings—though he was getting better). Meeting Judy's amethyst gaze again, he said, "I've been denying myself these emotions for almost two decades, and now that I'm feeling them—allowing myself to feel them—I'm not sure how to control them." Jerking his head in explanation (his paws were currently occupied), he continued, "I don't even think of doing something and my body is already moving. It's unnerving to say the least, since I'm used to being in control of my own actions."
Judy's smile softened as she reached up with her other paw to cup his other cheek. Rubbing them both for a moment, she replied, "Nick, these emotions are new to me, too, and I'm finding it just as hard to control myself. So you don't need to worry or hold yourself back."
"I don't want to hurt you, Judy, or do something you're not ready for." His ears were partially splayed back in worry and his tail twitched nervously.
Judy's heart swelled with love for the tall, red todd in front of her. He always put her first and it set many warm fuzzies loose in her heart and in her belly. Sliding her paws up and behind his ears, she scratched around the base of each which elicited a happy whine from her fox. "Nick, you don't have to stress yourself. I know you'll never hurt me, even when your body is moving on its own." With her grin widening, she added, "I trust you, Nick."
Nick's ears shot forward as did his head, and he found himself pressing his lips to Judy's soft, warm ones. It only took her a second to respond. Wrapping her paws around his head, she pulled him deeper into the kiss which brought out another happy whine and then a growl from him. He finally pulled back enough for them to breathe, and after resting his forehead against hers while taking several deep breaths, he stated, "We should probably get ready for bed."
Judy nodded against his forehead. "Yeah, we should." With a smile, she added, "And then tails and the piano?"
Nick chuckled. "Yeah. Tails and the piano." After depositing Judy on her bed and the crutches beside it, he stepped back, then paused. "Are you going to need help with your shorts?"
Judy looked down at her legs a moment, then replied, "I think I'll be able to get them off myself."
Nick nodded once, then turned around. "Holler if you need help," he told her as he walked through the door and shut it behind him.
As the door clicked shut, Nick leaned back against it for a moment and took a deep breath, then licked Judy's taste off his lips. The taste was stronger this time, and he couldn't help running his tongue over his lips a second time.
Taking another deep breath while running his paws down his muzzle, he couldn't believe how delicious she tasted. Nick didn't know what a vixen tasted like, but he was sure no vixen on the planet could taste as good as his bunny.
With a chuckle, he pushed off the door and headed into the bathroom. He was probably the only evolved fox in the country who found the scent and taste of rabbit delectable. And he knew he'd hunt his rabbit's scent to the ends of the earth and back if need be.
After a quick bathroom break, he slipped into his room and pulled off his clothes. Normally he'd just sleep in his briefs, but since he was going to be up a while longer—and in Judy's company—he decided he'd better wear some soft, comfortable shorts and a loose, comfy t-shirt. Once he was decent, Nick made his way down the hall to the piano. Opening the lid, he plucked a few keys, then began playing 'Amazed' (by Lonestar) and when it came time for the lyrics, he started to sing the words.
WingedKatt here. So what did you think? It didn't go down the way you thought it would, did it? But Finn got to laugh Jeff's head off, Judy caused him pain, and Nick scared him stiff while staking his claim. But even though they won the battle, Jeff isn't out of the war. Nick is going to have to do some digging to find out who the buck is and stop whatever devious plot he hatches to catch his honeybun-but that will be for another day. Right now, he has to entertain his bunny until she's ready to call it a night.
For those of you not familiar with the phrase Nick uses when Judy calls him a yay-hoo, Nick should have said, "Hey! I resent that remark!" to show he's outraged that she would even think to call him such a name, but he intentionally changes the word "resent" to "resemble" as a joke.
Chapter 23: I Think I Need to Sit Down, will post on Tuesday. (Just to warn you, Nick will be entertaining Judy and having some deep conversations for the next 4 chapters, in which case Wednesday (in story) will finally be over and we can move on to all the exciting stuff happening to our favorite duo on Thursday .)
As always, if you have any thoughts or comments, I'd love to hear them. Have a great weekend.
