WingedKatt here. For my returning readers, I've updated the chapter and added a nice cutscene to a couple of characters from ch3. I never meant to take over 80 chapters to come back to them, so I'm rectifying that slipup here. I'm happy to say that this chapter is no longer the shortest chapter I have. For all my new readers, just enjoy the chapter. đ As a fair warning, there is a bit of fluff in this chapter.
Across town, in the employee parking garage of the Zootopia General Hospital, a young roe deer nurse by the name of Kimberly sat in her older model, red Nissan car and stared at her phone while waiting for her leopard friend, Dr. Leland Pardsen, to come out. After all the overtime she and Leland put in last night due to the extensive car wreck and influx of patients, she and Leland were scheduled to clock out at 7 today (they had the late shift this week and normally got off at 9 pm). But it was already 8 o'clock and Leland was no where to be seen.
This wasn't a surprise to Kimberly, though. Twenty minutes before their shift ended, Leland was pulled into an emergency surgery. Since she wasn't required to help out with it (another doctor was in charge of the surgery and Leland was merely assisting), Kimberly had clocked out on schedule and then sat waiting in her car in hopes of asking her tawny, spotted flame out on a date. . . or at least find out how he actually felt about her.
Ever since she saw how close and comfortable the fox and bunny from last night were, Kimberly couldn't get it out of her head, nor could she forget walking in and catching Judy falling asleep on Nick's chest as he petted her ears. The memory made her a bit envious as she wondered what it would feel like to fall asleep on Leland's chest as he petted her ears.
While imagining a scene where she and Leland were sitting that close together, her fantasy was interrupted as the leopard in question finally walked out of the employee entrance. His ears were drooping and his shoulders sagged which was a testament to the deep exhaustion that Leland was feeling. After the late night they pulled on their last shift, and then the long hectic day today (the patients from the car wreck needed a lot of attention), she knew Leland probably just wanted to go home and crash.
Biting her lip for a moment, Kimberly wondered if now was a good time to bring up her feelings for the tall, tawny predator. Seeing how mentally and physically exhausted he was, she worried that her confession might be more than he wanted to handle right now. But then again, considering how late their shifts had been of late, she figured the night was still young and if she didn't talk to him today, then when would she? She had hidden her feelings for Leland behind her prey status long enough. If a fox and bunny could be in an intimate relationship, then why not a deer and a leopard?
As her resolve became firm, Kimberly opened the door of her small, red Nissan and hurried over to Leland's much larger, forest-green Jaguar F-Type sports car. She reached him about the time he pulled his keys from his pocket.
Leland glanced up as he heard the soft feet of someone walking towards him. Thinking it was the owner of one of the cars he was parked next to, he glanced up briefly and then did a double-take when he realized who it was. Dropping his keys at the unexpected sight, Leland exclaimed, "Kimberly! What are you still doing here? I thought you left over an hour ago?" At Kimberly's shy smile and shrug, he asked, "Did your car break down?"
Living on a nurse's salary, Kimberly's car wasn't the newest. It wasn't a clunker, either, and she kept it running pretty well, but as old as it was Leland knew it was just a matter of time before the small, red car started giving her trouble.
With a shake of her head, Kimberly replied, "My car's fine, but thanks for asking."
Leland flicked his ear, then bent down to pick up his keys as he asked curiously, "So what did you need?" He figured it was too much to hope that she wanted to spend time with him outside of work. After seeing how close the bunny and fox were last night, it got Leland thinking of spending more time with Kimberly when they didn't have nosy colleagues snooping around and a professional work policy to maintain.
Kimberly bit her lip for a moment, then said, "Well, it has to do with Judy and Nick." At Leland's puzzled gaze as he stood up with his keys in paw, she added, "You know, the bunny and fox from last night."
Leland nodded as he was just thinking about them. "Yes, I know who they are, but what's the problem?" He wondered if Judy had somehow popped a stitch or two, but then he should have gotten a call from them or a messageâsomething?
Shaking her head, Kimberly answered, "It doesn't have to do with them directly, per say, it's just something I realized after meeting them." Pushing her fingertips together where her hooves hung down in front of her waist, she waited for Leland's response.
Breathing in slowly as his long, spotted tail swayed behind him, Leland hardly dared to hope she was getting at what he thought she was getting at. "Okay," he said slowly. "And what did you realize?"
Twiddling her fingers together, Kimberly spoke softly, saying, "Well, seeing how close and comfortable they were together...I was just wonderingâŚ.ifâŚmaybe we couldâŚyou knowâŚgo out for some coffee or a bite to eat or something?" Realizing this is something they do every day at work, Kimberly raised her hoof and said, "And I'm not talking about lunch or dinner at the hospital cafeteria, either."
Leland was hardly breathing as Kimberly was talking. He had been sweet on the pretty, little roe deer for a long time but worked hard to keep their relationship as professional as he could as he didn't want to cause any problems for themselves at work. Furthermore, with Kimberly being prey while he was a much larger predator, he thought anything happening between them was just a pipedream of his. That with his predatory status Kimberly would never look at him as more than a really good friend, no matter how close they got. But now. . .
Taking a deep breath, Leland rolled the keys back and forth in his paw as he said, "You're talking about seeing each other outside of work, correct?" Kimberly bit her lip again, but then nodded, and Leland said, "And you want to eat at some place a bit nicer than the hospital cafeteria?"
With a deeper nod, Kimberly added, "A lot nicer."
The silence dragged on as Leland didn't immediately answer. He had just been thinking about spending time with her outside of work but never thought it would happen, and yet here Kimberly was, asking for that extra time together where they didn't have to worry about breaking rules or wondering about the gossip being spread about them at the hospital. Furthermore, it didn't sound like Kimberly was looking to 'just hang out' if her 'a lot nicer place to eat than the hospital cafeteria' was anything to go by. Just to be sure he wasn't misunderstanding her, Leland finally asked, "Kimberly, are you asking me out on a date?"
Kimberly froze as if she'd been hit in the face with a search light. At Leland's silence, she had worried that maybe he didn't want to hang out with her, but at his sudden question, she wasn't sure how to answer. Yes, she wanted to date him, but what if that wasn't what Leland wanted? Then again, what if it was and she said no and it ruined her chances with him?
While worrying about how to answer, the image of Judy sleeping in Nick's arms flashed in her mind. That's right. Being in a pred-prey relationship wasn't for the faint of heart. She needed to be honest with her feelings and have the courage to express them. And if Leland wasn't interested in her, then at least she would know and she would no longer be in limbo about their relationship.
Squaring her shoulders, Kimberly raised her chin and said firmly, "Yes, Leland, I'm asking you on a date. I've been wanting to date you for a while now and seeing how close Nick and Judy were, I guess you could say it's given me the courage to ask." Taking a deep breath, she continued, "So, Leland, will you date me?" Kimberly tried to remain confidant, but she couldn't stop herself from nibbling on her lower lip while waiting for Leland's response.
Leland stared at Kimberly for a moment but didn't immediately answer. He was fighting a very strong urge to hug and kiss her. Slapping a paw over his face in an effort to stay in control, he answered, "Kimberly, if we weren't at the hospital parking garage where I know the security cameras are recording us, I'd hug you right now. . . and probably kiss, too."
Kimberly clasped her hooves together in excitement and almost started bouncing on her toes. "Is that a yes, then?"
Dropping his paw, Leland flashed her a bright smile that revealed the tips of his longest canines. "Yes, Kimberly, I would be honored to date you."
With a soft, breathless squeal, Kimberly's whole countenance lit up with her joy. She had been wanting to date him for so long and now, because she had the courage to ask, she was finally going to spend some quality time with this predatory male who had stolen her heart.
Glancing at his watch, Leland interrupted her thoughts when he said, "We're both hungry, so how about we head home and get cleaned up, then I'll swing by and pick you up in about 45 minutes and we'll eat at this little dive I know of that stays open late and caters to both predators and prey." With a wide smile as his tail-tip twitched back and forth at his happiness, Leland added, "We can have dinner and discuss this idea of dating."
Kimberly was giddy with happiness. "Yes!" With her short, fluffy tail flicking excitedly behind her and her ears rotated forward to catch Leland's every word, she added, "I'll be ready and waiting."
With a flick of his blacked-tipped golden ear, Leland added, "Wear something comfortable."
"Okay," Kimberly answered back, then with another soft squeal, she spun around and hurried back to her car. She was going on a date with Leland to discuss dating! This was a monumental achievement. When she first started working at the hospital several years ago, Leland was already a top doctor of the hospital and she had heard her fair share of rumors about all the feline female doctors and nurses (and a few of the other predators working there) wanting to date the tall, handsome spotted doctor.
Other than a couple of the doctors and a pawful of nurses he had a few dinner dates with the first year he'd taken up residency at the hospital, Leland had since refused any offers of dates from any of his colleagues. Kimberly had heard several nurses and even a few doctors complaining that Leland thought he was too good to date anyone at the hospital (he was one of three top predator surgeons in the hospital and his skills were highly prized across the country).
Hearing the rumors, Kimberly was weary of him at first (she had heard horror stories of stuck-up and/or specist doctors while an intern at another hospital). But then she was running late for lunch one day and when she arrived at the cafeteria, the only seat open was at Leland's table. She had nearly bitten her tongue when she asked to sit with him, then nearly passed out when he readily agreed. She then realized Leland wasn't stuck-up at all and the rumors were merely the product of jilted females who were unhappy with his rejection.
From that day on they shared lunch or dinner (depending on their shift) nearly every day at work. It wasn't long after that, that she found her work schedule rearranged to match Leland's, and then 2 years ago Leland asked her to be his chief nurse, which meant she'd be answering his phone calls and scheduling his appointments, along with assisting him during all his surgeries. It also came with a pay raise which meant she could move of the cramped apartment she shared with two other (noisy) roommates and was able to afford a place of her own. The place was still small, but it was all hers and had all the amenitiesâit came with its own bathroom and small laundry room which was hard to come by in Zootopia unless you had a high paying job or split the expenses with roommates.
And now she was going to be dating Leland! Kimberly couldn't believe her lucky stars! Dr. Leland Pardsen, the highly sought-after surgeon, was going to have dinner with her tonight, and it wasn't just a dinner date, but he wanted to discuss actually dating! This was better than a dream come true!
Back in the parking garage, Leland watched Kimberly drive away, then shook his head. He was going to have to thank the bunny and fox duo when he saw them on Monday. With a wide grin, Leland turned around and unlocked his expensive, dark-green sports car. Sliding into the dark-brown and black, faux-leather seats with much more energy than when Kimberly first approached him, he revved the engine, then sped out of the parking garage.
He had his first real date to prepare for. Leland considered his previous dates as little more than expensive outings, but tonight, he was going to be eating with Kimberly, the pretty, little deer he'd had his eyes on for over a year now.
-/-/-
Sitting on the couch in the piano room with Judy, Nick traveled down memory lane. As he remembered the parts of his past he hadn't yet shared with her, Nick felt worry and tension crawling around inside his stomach. Would she reject him because of his past jobs and the mammals he once worked for?
"What deal breaker?" Judy asked again at his silence.
Nick glanced around the room as he scratched his neck and chin, then brought his burning emeralds back around to meet her curious amethysts. After taking a deep breath, he said, "Okay, so you know I had dealings with Mr. Big, correct?" At her nod, he continued, "I think you should know that I worked for him for about six years. Is that going to be a problem for you?"
Judy considered her words carefully before answering. Remembering the conversation she had earlier with Fru-Fru, she finally said, "I don't think so. I talked to Fru-Fru earlier and she did mention you worked for her dad for 6 years."
"Okay, that's good to know." Nick's ears shot forward as he processed her words. "Wait, you spoke to Fru-Fru today?"
Judy nodded. "She sent me a text last night after watching the news, so I called her when I saw it this afternoon."
"Oâkay," Nick said carefully. He wasn't sure what to think about her talking to Fru-Fru about his past. "What did she say about me?" Since Judy hadn't treated him any differently since her talk with the tiny arctic shrew (and the fact she was sitting here wanting to kiss him), it couldn't have been anything too bad. But there was still a lot Fru-Fru could say about him and it made him nervous.
"Well," Judy said as she fiddled with her fingers, "she mentioned that you did a lot of information gathering . . . while on business . . . dates"âNick's ears dropped flat against his skullâ"with several different vixens her dad employed."
Nick immediately brought his paws up and gestured wildly, saying, "Hold on, let me explain. I never considered any of those as real dates. I swear I didn't do anything with any of the vixens and only ever saw them as coworkersânothing more. I didn't . . . I never . . ."
Judy watched Nick panic and stumble over his words in an attempt to assure her nothing had happened. With a giggle that made him pause then tilt his head in question, Judy then explained, "Fru-Fru assured me that you were a perfect gentlefox and that you never did anything with any of your dates, much to all the vixens' vexation." At seeing Nick's relief, she slid her paws across his chest again and leaned in a little closer as she added, "She also mentioned a bet that was never cashed in on." Sliding a paw across his muzzle, Judy then brought his mouth closer to her own, while whispering, "A bet we both had in common."
Brushing her nose briefly against his, she then pressed her lips gently to his. This time, Nick happily let her kiss him as he felt extremely grateful that she still accepted him. And he felt immensely glad that he hadn't given in to any of the advances that had been pushed on him before. Not one of those vixens could possibly compare to what he held in his paws right now.
Running the claws of one paw through her tail, he slid the other up between her ears, then gently gripped them and pulled back, forcing her mouth to open slightly. Slipping his tongue in, he slowly explored her mouth with Judy happily returning the favor.
Moaning at the paw caressing her tail, Judy wasn't at all upset by Nick's gentle show of dominance. In fact, she loved it when he took charge. After spending a lifetime having to always take charge and be the responsible one in everything she did, it felt incredibly freeing to finally have someone else take charge, to be the responsible partyâand for Nick to take charge in such an enjoyable wayâshe absolutely loved it.
As Nick continued his slow assault on her mouth, he poured his gratitude into the kiss. Lightly scratching the fur between her ears with one paw, he continued fondling her tail with the other. Listening to her soft moans sent a predatory thrill down his spine and an answering growl of his own. He loved the sounds he pulled from her just as much as he loved the feel of her small paws digging through the fur below his ears and pulling him closer.
After their fight back at the press conference and her fearful reaction to him, he never could have imagined just how comfortable she would be with him now, how desperate she was to get closer to him, and how willing she was to give her whole self to him. Not just her mind and body, but her whole soul.
The only other time he'd experienced this kind of love and devotion was back when he was a kit while seeing the love his parents had for each other. Their complete devotion to each other, their care and concern, and the selfless way in which they cherished one anotherâit left a strong impression on his young mind and he knew this was the kind of love he wanted with his future mate. And so he made a commitment to himself back then that he wouldn't settle for anything less, even if it took a lifetime of searching to find it.
He'd given up on that dream several years ago and was content to coast through life alone. Even though he wasn't particularly happy with his life, he knew it was infinitely better than being stuck in a dead-end, broken, sour relationship with a mammal he didn't respect, probably no longer liked, and simply wished he didn't have to see or listen to anymoreâas he'd seen happen all too often while walking the dark streets of Zootopia. And even of the "honest" citizens that he scammed over the years, he'd found many of them to be in strained or broken relationships themselvesâwhich further cemented in his mind the desire to remain alone and single.
So, to finally be experiencing firsthand the love and devotion his parents had thoroughly enjoyed, and to be experiencing it in the arms of a cute, little bunny (as energetic and unstoppable as she was), it completely blew his mind and made his heart swell with his own love and devotion for the cute, sexy, ball of fluff in his arms. That her taste and scent drove him absolutely wild was just icing on the cake.
Finally pulling back from their long, sensual kiss, Nick licked his lips and flashed her his deliriously happy, dopy grin. "I love you, Judy. It feels like I always have. You are you my first, my last, my only love. I can't think of a better way to spend the rest of my life than making you happy. You're everything to me and I'll do anything for you."
Judy hummed happily at Nick's words, and the emotions she saw burning in his deep emerald gaze set a fire smoldering in her belly. With happiness and love shining in her bright amethyst eyes, she said softly, "I love you, too, Nick." Caressing his cheek and then scratching around his ear, a playful smirk crossed her lips and she said, "I have to ask, though, is this a proposal?" Leaning in closer and giggling at Nick's shocked expression, she added, "Because it sounded an awful lot like a proposal."
Nick snapped his jaws shut and wasn't sure how to respond. She had a teasing tone of voice, but the glint in her eyes was a serious one, so he wasn't sure whether she was joking or not. Trying to play it safe and take the middle ground, he said, "You don't think becoming my girlfriend is enough for one night? You really are greedy, aren't you?"
"Hmm, very greedy."
Nick's jaw dropped, but after several heartbeats he exclaimed, "Are you serious!?"
Judy sat up straighter and the teasing tone left her voice and was replaced with a determined one. "I am very serious, Nick." Reaching behind her, she grabbed both his paws and brought them in front of her, then threaded her fingers through his. "I've spent most of my life alone. In a sea of bunnies, I was always alone when it came to my hopes and dreams. No one understood me and no one could relate to me. I was too differentâthe crazy bunny who thought she could be a cop. And that's how I thought my life would always be. Alone with no one to support me. But now I've found someone who understands me, who can relate to me, and who loves me unconditionally."
Releasing one of his paws, she reached forward and caressed his muzzle while giving him a sweet smile. "He's smart and funny. He's handsome and sweet. He's cute at times, but incredibly sexy at others. He anticipates my needs and goes out of his way to meet them. He's everything I could ever dream of in a male, and so much more." Caressing his muzzle again, she added, "I found him in you, Nick. You're the only one for me. And now that I've found you, I don't want to waste anymore of our precious time together."
Nick studied Judy's determined expression and knew she was completely serious. And the images she planted in his mind were hard to ignore. "You do remember me telling you that foxes have very short engagements, right?"
With a soft chuckle, she responded, "Yes, I remember." Digging her blunt claws through the thick fur at the side of his neck, she scratched him lightly while explaining, "Let me put it in perspective for you." With a grin, though still serious, she said, "I'll be turning 25 in a couple of months, which means I'll be a quarter of a century old. Although that's still young, that's still one year less I have to spend with the mammal I love. Life is short Nick, and I don't want to miss a thing with you. I don't want to waste even a second of the time we have together."
Nick was stunned by her logic and reasoning, but he couldn't fault any of it. She was absolutely rightâthey weren't getting any younger and time was marching forward relentlessly. He would be 33 at the end of the year, so he had even less time than Judy did. Did he really want to miss a thing with her? Could he afford to wait long? She was a cop and by next spring, so would heâwhich wasn't the safest job to be in.
And he did want to marry her, there was no question about that. It was merely a matter of when. If his biology had its way, he would pack her up to his bed right now, mark her, make sweet love to her, and then knot and bite her. But that was moving a little too fast, even for him. Although he didn't want to wait long, they did need a little time to get familiar with each other and their new relationship before taking it to the next level.
After running his paws over his face, he took a deep breath and met her expectant gaze again, then said, "I won't propose tonightâ" at Judy's crestfallen gaze, he put a hand up and explained, "Not tonight. At least wait till I can buy an engagement ring, then I promise I'll give you a proper proposal."
Judy practically vibrated as she threw her arms around his neck and rubbed her cheek against his. Laughing happily, she whispered in his ear, "You better not keep me waiting too long. I really want to be married before my next birthday."
With a gulp, Nick asked, "And when is your birthday exactly?"
With a happy chirp, Judy rubbed her nose into the thick fur in front of his ear, then replied, "In a month and a half." Feeling Nick stiffen up, she giggled before adding, "On September 7, so, you know, no pressure."
Releasing the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, Nick muttered, "Yeah, no pressure."
Judy giggled again and gave him one last squeeze, then sat back and said, "Okay, now that the serious talk is over let me have your tail. You've been feeling mine up ever since we sat down, but I haven't had a chance to touch yours at all."
WingedKatt again. I hope you enjoyed finding out what Kimberly did after seeing Nick and Judy's close interactions. So now we have another pred-prey couple in Zootopia and things are getting serious between our favorite duo-dating and almost engaged. Next chapter, we'll pick up where Nick and Judy left off.
Take care and have a great week. If you have any thoughts or questions, let me know.
