Judy nodded eagerly, then twisted around in Nick's lap to see what he was waving at. As Nick helped her turn around without messing up her dress, she immediately spied the table covered by a shimmering white tablecloth with a flower and hummingbird motif. And on top of it sat several ceramic dishes covered in matching lids. Behind them sat two wine glasses and a bottle of what she at first thought was wine, but upon closer inspection, she realized it was a bottle of sparkling carrot juice.
She was grateful for this as rabbits were notorious lightweights when it came to alcohol. If they drank anything at all, then it was usually wine or beer with a low-alcohol content. None of the heavy liquors, for those who tried them usually wound in up in the hospital, if not dead, from alcohol poisoning. This didn't happen often, though, as most rabbits drank alcohol sparingly or during special occasions. And although this was definitely a special occasion, she was already finding it hard to control herself around Nick and didn't need alcohol to further impair her self-control. Besides, she wanted to enjoy the night without waking up to a nasty hangover and only disjointed, fuzzy memories of her first date with Nick. Their relationship meant more to her than that.
Moving her attention from the sparkling carrot juice to the rest of the table, she saw the candles sitting at either side of the table. Clapping her paws, she exclaimed, "Ooh, a candlelight dinner! This was one of my date ideas I thought I'd never get to enjoy."
With a grin, Nick picked her up and set her beside him, saying, "I hoped as much." Standing up, he grabbed a box of matches and said, "Now if only I was a real demon prince, then I could just snap my fingers and these candles would magically light themselves."
Judy giggled and watched the candles burst into life, then watched Nick set the box aside before moving behind her to fiddle with something. Twisting around to see what he was up to, Judy saw him plug his phone into what looked like a digital movie projector. With a raise of her eyebrow, she asked, "Nick, are we doing a dinner and a movie tonight?"
Grinning widely, Nick answered, "Yes, yes we are." After turning the movie on, he paused it at the opening credits where Tinkerbell flew over the Disney castle. Picking up the controller for the projector and slipping it in his pocket, he then came around and stood before the table and bowed to Judy while saying (and using a heavy Italian accent,) "Welcome, M'Lady to Tony's Town Square Restaurant, where we will be serving the bestest spaghetti in town."
Judy giggled. "Tony's Town Square Restaurant?"
"Yeah, you know, from the movie, Lady and the Tramp. Tony serenades them with the song, Belle Notte, while they share a plate of spaghetti. It's a real restaurant." Straightening up, he continued his explanation, saying, "It was founded in 1912—or so they claim—and the movie put them on the map. It's a thriving high-class restaurant now and they just so happen to a have a branch of it right here in little-ole Zootopia."
Judy put a paw over her mouth and giggled again. "No way, Nick. You're pulling my leg."
"No, I'm serious. They have padded, red velvet benches, and fancy chandeliers, and even a fountain in the foyer with bronze statues of Lady and Tramp. They've got quite the setup going on there."
Judy's jaw dropped. "Nick, that—!" Seeing Nick's serious expression, she questioned, "You're not joking." At Nick's head shake, Judy exclaimed, "They seriously have a restaurant from the movie!?"
Nick nodded again. "And if you're a good little bunny, I might just take you there—once your leg heals, of course."
Judy squealed in excitement as she said, "Yes! Yes, yes, yes. You have to take me!"
A wide grin spread across Nick's face, but then froze upon remembering one little detail. "Oh, wait, we'll probably have to wait until I graduate before I take you there. It's a popular dating spot, so if just the two of us show up, people will start to talk." Seeing Judy's ears droop, Nick added, "Of course, if we find more couples like us, or at least another couple who doesn't mind interspecies relationships, then we can pass off the date as a few friends getting together to celebrate . . . something." Nick paused in thought while trying to think an excuse they could use, then dismissed it as unnecessary. He had dinner to share with his honeybun.
With a shake of his head, he said, "Okay, so it's not completely out of the question for us to go before I enter the academy, but if we can't find another couple to go with us, then it will definitely be the first restaurant I take you to after earning my badge."
Judy clapped her paws together. "I can't wait for our date, then."
Nick smiled, then said, "Speaking of dates, let's get this one started." Reaching down, he picked up the lids of the trays to reveal a large plate of spaghetti (made with spaghetti squash), along with a plate of garlic bread and a side of salad (Nick had set the plate of carrot cake in the small fridge until after dinner). Waving his paw over the food, he asked, "What do you think?"
Leaning forward to see better, her paws flew to her mouth as she exclaimed, "Is that spaghetti squash!" With wide eyes, she looked over the collection of her favorite vegetables mixed in with the spaghetti.
"Yes, yes, it is." At her questioning look, Nick explained, "Your mother assured me that spaghetti made with spaghetti squash was your favorite, along with this collection of vegetables." Setting the lids aside, he came around the table, saying, "But I'll be giving you all my olives. I can't stand them."
Judy giggled as Nick plopped onto the chair next to her, then she gasped while grabbing his arm and exclaiming, "Wait, you talked to my mother!? About our date!?"
Nick's ears flicked back and a sheepish expression crossed his face. "Well, I did call about this weekend like I said I would . . . and to complain about Thing 1, but then I told her I wanted to do a special dinner to thank you for accepting me as your friend and to celebrate you getting your job back."
Judy raised an eyebrow, even as she folded her arms and pricked her ears forward.
Nick scratched his neck, then pulled on his ear. "Yeah, it didn't take her long to figure out I was planning a date."
Judy's ears drooped. "And . . . and what did she say? She wasn't too upset, was she? Please tell me she didn't yell at you."
Nick simply laughed. "Fluff, the fact I know your favorite dinner dish, the movie it came from, as well as a date idea for Halloween, should give you your answer."
Judy glanced over dinner a moment, then at the digital movie projector, then back at Nick. With her eyes widening again, she said, "Mom is fine . . . with us dating? You're a fox, a predator and I'm a rabbit . . . How is she fine with it?"
"Well, she said as long as I kept making you smile, she was fine with it." Judy raised an eyebrow and glared at him, and Nick hurriedly said, "Okay, okay, she was a little uneasy about you being with a predator and asked if I planned on biting you or running my claws through your fur."
Judy's ears flopped against her back and she stared at him in horror. Snapping her small muzzle shut, she asked, "And what did you tell her!?"
Nick pulled his ear again and stared absently at the wall ahead of him while saying, "I may have said . . . that I wouldn't do either . . . very . . . hard."
"Nick!" Judy exclaimed. After slugging his arm, she pulled her ears over her face and hid behind them.
"What!?" Nick threw his paws up. "It was your mother." He waved his paws at her. "I couldn't flat out lie to her. It would have been like lying to you." Folding his paws, Nick gave her a pointed look that seemed to ask if she really wanted him to tell her mom a bald-faced lie about their relationship.
Judy groaned and slumped down in the seat and wished she could die. The thought of facing her mother after Nick's confession had her embarrassed to death, while at the same time, terrified of her mother's disapproving stare. She just knew her mother would wring her ears the next time they met.
"Oh, come on, Carrots, it's not that bad. She was only somewhat surprised to find out we were making out—"
"Ni-ick!" Judy groaned again. With a slight whine, she added, "Just dig my grave right here and now because there's no way I can face my mother now."
"Don't give me that. Your mother was more worried about me and how your enthusiasm might scare me off. She was completely fine with us being together and is looking forward to hearing how the date goes."
Judy released her ears and said, "Really? You're serious? You're not pulling my leg?"
Nick rolled his eyes, then met her anxious gaze. "Of course, I'm serious. The battle with your parents is halfway won as your mother completely supports us. Now we just have to find a way to convince your dad that I'm the right one for you."
Judy nodded, but didn't say anything as she was now lost in thought again.
Reaching forward, Nick grabbed the forks off the table and handed one to her, saying, "Now here." As she took the fork, he continued, "We're on a date and I don't want to talk about anyone or anything else. It's a miracle the food is still warm, but if we keep yakking, it will get cold—and cold spaghetti doesn't really appeal to me."
Judy nodded as she realized he was right. Sitting up straight so she could reach the table, she watched Nick grab the edge of the table to pull it a little closer, then grab the projector remote from his pocket and turn it on, before finally pushing play. As the movie started, Judy took a bite of the heavenly spaghetti (it tasted even better than when her mom made it), then nearly choked on it when she realized what they were watching. It shouldn't have surprised her, though. Nick hadn't exactly been subtle about it, but it wasn't a movie she thought he'd watch with her—at least, none of the bucks back home would have watched it with her. Any buck willing to date her would have complained that it was too juvenile—a kit's movie.
Swallowing her bite, Judy asked, "We're watching Lady and the Tramp?" Seeing as the movie wasn't the cartoon version she remembered, she exclaimed, "They did a live action version!"
Nick raised an eyebrow as he answered, "You really don't get out much, do you?"
Judy's ears turned a shade darker, then said, "I haven't had time."
Nick nodded, then turned his attention to the excellent food that Willie had prepared as the movie finished the opening credits and started the storyline. Watching his honeybun from the corner of his eye made him smile as she didn't even try to hide how much she liked the food or enjoyed the movie, and he had to admit that this new live-action version was pretty interesting. Especially the date ideas that Tramp—or rather, Butch, as they called him in this version—took Lady on. The steamboat ride looked especially fun.
As Judy ate her way through half the spaghetti and garlic bread (while wearing a huge smile on her face as her attention was glued to the images playing on the wall across from them), Nick leaned over and said, "If this movie is giving you any date ideas, be sure to tell me so I can make them happen." Caressing the edge of her ear with his nose, he whispered, "And yes, there are a couple of steamboats here in the city you can ride."
Judy swallowed a mouthful of food even as a pleasurable shiver ran down her spine, then she glanced up at him and grinned brightly. "They have steamboat rides here?" At Nick's happy nod, she leaned over to bump shoulders with him, then reached down with her free paw and threaded her fingers through his. "You have to take me."
Nick's grin grew bigger as he squeezed her paw back, saying, "It's a date." Dipping his head down, he gave her a quick kiss, then turned his attention back to the meal and the movie while occasionally stealing glances at her.
Being able to just sit back and enjoy a hot meal and a good movie together without worrying about how others perceived them was a nice change of pace. And considering how busy today was, he figured tomorrow they could just snuggle up in front of the tv and be couch potatoes. If Judy wanted to see the garage, he would show her, but otherwise they could just stay on the couch all day for all he cared. Maybe do a movie marathon. Nick knew the doctor would approve the idea considering they had been ignoring his advice that Judy take it easy for most of the day—or rather—the whole week.
Turning his attention back to his incredible girlfriend, Nick continued stealing glances at her while watching the movie. As the light given off from the movie dimmed and brightened with each scene, it shimmered off Judy's amethyst dress and the little flowers that adorned her ear. She really did look like a fairy princess playing among the shadows.
And the bright smile she wore the whole time she watched the movie, along with the happy little noises of pleasure she made as she ate, completely captivated him. Her fairy powers were truly devastating and had him totally spellbound. She seemed to have leached all his demon powers as he found himself powerless against her. And for the first time in his life, Nick didn't mind being at another mammal's mercy.
Judy had glanced over herself and caught Nick staring at her. With a warm smile at him, she squeezed his paw that was still held in hers, then turned back to the movie. This had to be the most enjoyable movie she had ever watched—and she knew it had little to do with the movie itself (as much as she liked it) and everything to do with the company she kept.
Once they had polished off the meal, Nick wrapped his paw around Judy's shoulder and pulled her into his side, then wrapped his tail around her. Judy immediately snatched it up and snuggled with it, which brought a huge, happy grin to his muzzle. Leaning down, Nick nuzzled her between the ears, then lifted his head to grab the tip of her ear between his teeth before nibbling it briefly.
Another pleasurable shiver ran down Judy's spine, then she glanced up to meet Nick's teasing smile.
"I promised to nibble on your ears," he said smugly. With a slight nod towards her, he added, "Promise kept."
Judy returned his happy gaze, then snuggled more deeply into his side and rested her head against his chest. Returning her attention to the movie, they happily snuggled together in the very comfortable chair (which beat any movie-theater chair she'd ever sat in) as the movie continued. Laughing whenever something funny happened, they both enjoyed their time together and this chance to grow closer together on a more relaxed note.
As the movie finally finished and the credits began rolling, Judy sat up and stretched. Turning to her stunning boyfriend, she said, "Thank you, Nick, for this wonderful date. I couldn't have planned it better if I tried."
Nick simply grinned at her as he hit the power button on the projector remote, then replied, "Don't go giving a victory toot-toot yet. This date isn't finished."
With a raise of her eyebrow, she asked curiously, "It's not?"
"Nope." After pushing the table back, Nick stood up, then turned around to face Judy. With a sly smirk, he grabbed the arm of the chair, then slowly turned it around to face the backyard. Pulling it closer to the railing to expose the sky above them, he then walked around to the little fridge where their dessert sat and grabbed it, along with a single fork. Turning around, he spied Judy leaning over the arm of the chair while looking back at him. Spying the cake in his paw, her eyes immediately brightened. With a grin he rejoined her on the soft, padded chair and set the plate between them.
Judy watched him a moment, then felt her tail start twitching as Nick cut a bite off the cake. She didn't need to taste it to know what it was, for her nose told her just what kind of cake they were having. Opening her muzzle, she happily ate the bite Nick fed her and then her taste buds exploded with a symphony of flavor as the sweet taste of carrots, spices, and cream cheese frosty mixed together to create a heavenly flavor. The only word that came to mind to adequately describe it would be ambrosia—the food of the gods.
Nick watched (and listened) as she happily chewed her bite and hummed in utter bliss, then took a bigger bite for himself. Although he preferred blueberry cake, he would never pass up a chance to eat Sonjay's carrot cake—it was that good—especially when it gave his girlfriend such satisfying pleasure.
Licking a few delicious crumbs off her lips, Judy finally turned her attention back to Nick and the cake he was feeding them both. "This is different."
Nick fed her another bite and asked, "What is?" before taking another bite for himself. Cocking his head while pointing his ears forward, he gave her his undivided attention.
Judy motioned toward the single fork. "I've heard of couples feeding each other while on a date, but this is a first time I've seen a couple share not just a single plate, but a single fork, as well."
Nick shrugged. "After this afternoon, I didn't see any point to dirtying up two forks." Judy simply nodded and accepted another bite, and Nick asked, "Are you complaining?"
Judy simply smiled while shaking her head. "No complaints here." Turning slightly to run a paw across his soft, dark-green vest, she added, "In fact, I find it highly romantic." As Nick raised the fork to take another bite, Judy said, "And you're right, after this afternoon—what's the point?" Watching Nick pull the fork from his mouth, she suddenly grabbed his tie and pulled his muzzle down to hers for a short, heated kiss. It's not something she'd ever thought of doing before, but watching Nick eat while thinking of this afternoon—she couldn't resist. And Nick's stunned expression made it all worth it.
Nick sat dumbfounded for a moment, then exclaimed, "You just stole my cake!"
Judy grinned slyly while licking her lips, then replied, "Mmm, and a tasty cake it was."
Nick stared at her a moment longer, then threw his head back and laughed hard. Gripping his stomach with one paw (he was lucky not to have jabbed himself with the fork), he tried not to dump the cake on the ground as he continued laughing. Once he got his laughter under control, he turned to her and asked, "Was that one of those disgusting, annoying ideas your crazy sisters tortured you with?"
Judy shook her head. "Surprisingly enough, they didn't." Tapping her lips in thought, Judy then said, "I don't think I ever heard any of them bragging about it." With a shrug, she met Nick's curious gaze once more and said, "If any of my siblings found out I did something like this, they probably say it was a very un-Judyish thing for me to do . . . right before they fainted from the shock." Flashing Nick another bright smile, she added, "The inspiration just struck me and I ran with it, and seeing the shock on your face made it all worth it."
Nick chuckled, then said, "I'll have to disagree with your siblings. After all the unexpected things you've already done around me—saving me from a savage jaguar, sneaking into an insane asylum surrounded by wolves, flushing us down giant toilets, hijacking and blowing up trains, stealing my first kiss—you know, those sorts of things, I'd have to say that stealing my bite of cake right out of my mouth is a very Judyish thing to do." Slipping his finger under her chin and lifting her muzzle slightly, he leaned down and nuzzled her nose, saying, "And I'm not complaining." Sitting back up, he waved the cake in front of her and said, "But we should probably finish this before you do something else unexpected and funny and I end up dumping it on the floor."
Judy giggled. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea." Turning their attention to the colorful sunset as the sun slowly dropped towards the mist-enshrouded cliffs of the Rainforest District off to their left, they finished off the cake and Nick stood and placed the plate on the table before picking up their wine glasses and the half-empty bottle of sparkling carrot juice. Sitting back down beside his honeybun, Nick handed her one of the glasses and quickly filled both glasses up before setting the bottle on the floor at the side of the chair. Raising his wine glass to hers, Nick said, "To our future!"
Judy lightly clinked her glass to his and repeated, "To our future!" She took a drink, as did Nick, and then they both shared a happy smile full of love, faith, and hope for a bright future together. Neither knew what the future held, especially once society found out about them, but they knew that together, they could get through anything.
Snuggling up together as they both sipped their sparkling carrot juice, they watched the brilliant colors of the sunset turn from yellow, gold, and bright orange to pale orange, bright pink, and lavender. Then as the colors began to fade a few stars started to appear. Judy's ears immediately perked up as she hadn't seen any stars since coming to Zootopia. Leaning forward to get a better look, she said, "They have stars here!"
Nick flicked his ear and gave her a strange look. "Fluff, the stars are always there. They don't go anywhere."
Judy slugged his arm and said, "Nick, I know the stars are always there, I just haven't seen them here in Zootopia. There's too much light pollution in my part of the city."
"Yes, but if you paid attention, you would notice that we're quite a distance from downtown and the heavily populated areas. Furthermore, the Meadowlands have both open areas and forested areas with trails for hiking, biking, camping, and checking out the wildlife."
Judy's eyes sparkled as she imagined herself exploring all these trails with Nick once her leg healed. Nick must know all the trails which led to the most spectacular views and enchanting places.
Seeing the excitement in her eyes, Nick caressed her ears and then continued. "In fact, there's actually several bird sanctuaries here in the Meadowlands, where you can find cranes, storks, herons, swans, kingfishers, sandpipers, blue-footed and red-footed boobies, and even some flamingos. And if you're lucky, you might even see some of the fabled Australian black swans."
Judy's eyes widened and she exclaimed, "Can you take me to see them!?"
Nick grinned as he slid his fingers down her ear and across her cheek. "For you, Carrots, anything."
"Oh, I can't wait!" She was practically vibrating with excitement. "Besides songbirds, back in Bunnyburrow, all we have are crows, ducks, and geese." Holding her wine glass out, she leaned over and gave him a tight, one-pawed hug.
Nick returned the hug and leaned down to nuzzle between her ears. They held each other tight for a moment, then finished off their drinks and returned to watch one star after another wink into existence. For Nick, it had been a long time since he'd taken the time to stop and really look at them and so had forgotten how beautiful they were. Of course, he hadn't cared much about anything these last five years, but with Judy, he found these long repressed and forgotten thoughts and feelings coming back.
As more and more stars came out, he and Judy snuggled closer together. Due to the city's light pollution, even way out here, there weren't quite as many stars as in Bunnyburrow, and only about half the stars Nick could see while stargazing from his cabin, but even so, the sky lit up with stars and he enjoyed watching them with his honeybun.
As Judy snuggled into Nick's side and pulled his tail closer around her, she took a deep breath and said, "Being out here and watching the stars reminds me of camping when I was a little kit. Some of my Aunts and Uncles would take groups of us out to the north field throughout the summer months and we'd roast marshmallows and tell stories. In the evening, my sisters, female cousins, and I would pick small wildflowers and make flower crowns to wear on our heads, then hold hands and twirl around as the stars came out while singing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. And when the fireflies came out, it felt like we were little fairies dancing among our fey kin."
With a giggle, Judy glanced up at Nick and said, "A lot of my brothers and male cousins would bring mason jars and catch the fireflies, so we females would have to go on the warpath to save our sprite kin." With another giggle, she looked back up at the stars, and murmured, "We had so much fun back then. We laughed and squealed while chasing each other around with the fireflies flitting in and out around us as the stars twinkled above us."
Nick looked down at his honeybun and watched as stars danced in her eyes. Learning about her early childhood, and how peaceful and happy it was, he started to piece together more of the puzzle that was Judy Hopps. And he loved her all that much more for it. "Now I see why you go around looking at life through rose-colored glasses all the time. With such a happy childhood, of course you'd expect things to work out."
Judy raised her eyebrow and stared at him. "No." With a shrug, she returned to watching the stars as she explained, "Yes, I have a lot of good memories of my childhood, but it wasn't all cupcakes and rainbows. With such a large family as mine, there were quite a few kits who were stillborn or died of childhood illness."
Snuggling more into Nick's side as the grim memories washed over her, she then continued as she felt Nick pull her closer. "And throughout the years, while working on a huge farm, we would have farm accidents which sent some of my siblings or cousins to the hospital. Luckily, most weren't fatal, but it was still hard at times." Taking a deep breath while holding back a few tears, she added, "And of course, there were endless arguments—and still are—with having so many bunnies living under the same roof."
With a light chuckle, she pushed the painful memories down and glanced up to say, "I already told you about Irene and Nicole and how they tormented me with their lurid details of their dates, and you already met Henry and Janette." With a shrug, she added, "So, yeah, lots of different bunnies with lots of different personalities. Sometimes we got along really well and really came together as a family, and other times . . ." Judy held her paw out and tilted her paw back and forth, saying, "Ehh—we couldn't stand each other."
Nick chuckled lightly. Looking closely at her, he could see her eyes shimmering with the unshed tears she was holding back after remembering such painful memories. Reaching down, he gently cupped her cheeks and rubbed his thumbs under her eyes. A few tears leaked out and he said, "But the bottom line is, when the chips were down, you could count on your family, right?"
With a nod, Judy smiled up at him. "Yeah. Yeah I could." Reaching up, she rubbed his cheeks with her paws and sunk her fingers into his fur while lightly grazing his skin with her blunt claws. With a soft smile, she pulled his muzzle down and stole a few tender kisses. Pulling back, she flashed him a radiant smile, then turned and burrowed into his side again. With a contented sigh, she rested her cheek against his chest as she looked back at the ebony sky with its hundreds of twinkling stars that looked just like little diamonds sparkling for all to see.
Nick smiled down at Judy, even as he gently ran his claws up and down her arm. Snuggling up together, they sat under the stars a bit longer and then Nick looked down at his stunning girlfriend and asked, "You ready for the last part of our date?"
WingedKatt here. I hope this chapter was well worth the wait. Enjoy the next chapter, too, as we finish the date.
FYI: There really is a Tony's Town Square Restaurant at Walt Disney World. You can find out more about it on YouTube or you can google it.
A big thanks to BearlyThereUpstairs for proofing this chapter. If you have any thoughts or questions, I'd love to hear them. Have a great weekend.
