"Mr. Wilde?" Skye replied in surprise. "It's been a while." She hadn't heard from Nick Wilde in years. "Is there something I can do for you?" she asked with a little confusion tinging her voice.
"How's your work going?" Since it had been a while since he last needed Skye's expertise, Nick wanted to know how her dream job was going. She had worked her tail off to get it, and for a fox, she couldn't ask for better pay.
Sky snorted. "What work? I got the boot like most other predators. I'm now wasting my time bussing tables at some rundown diner whose boss hates foxes."
Nick's ears folded back. "I'm sorry."
"You're sorry!? Why should you be sorry? It's that prissy little bunny's fault I'm out of my dream job." With a huff, she added, "I did not bust my tail off through tech school just to be waiting tables for a bunch of stuck-up prey who thinks it's fun to watch me sweat while running to and fro, and then not even leaving a tip! It just burns me up inside. And if I ever meet little Ms. Perfect Bunny Cop, I'm going to bust that cute, little twitching nose of hers."
Nick's ears splayed to the side as he gripped the steering wheel while saying, "Please don't do that."
"Why not? She's a goody-tushoo that's gotten too big for her britches. It'll do her good if someone knocks her down a peg or two, and if that someone is me? Well, I'll probably sleep better afterwards." Skye was expecting some witty comment back from Nick, but what she got was deadly silence, and then a shiver ran down her spine as she realized it wasn't silence at all, but a growl so low it had her heart pounding in her chest as her instincts kicked in with a flight or fight response.
It didn't matter that they were halfway across the city from each other or that they were talking on the phone, Sky's ears fell flat against her head and her tail puffed up in fear. Hardly breathing, she asked warily, "Nick?"
There was another moment of silence (with the exception of the growl that had grown in volume making it easier to hear), and then Nick said, "Skye Winters, I'll warn you just this once, but if you ever harm a hair on Judy's head or that fluffy little tail hers, you better make sure I am dead first. Because if I'm not and I find out you were the one who hurt her—I will hunt you down and you will know exactly what our ancestors felt like when they were cornered and toyed with by a pack of hungry wolves. Do I make myself clear?"
Skye gulped as another shiver ran down her spine. She had met Nick about eight years ago when she was a senior in high school being harassed by a bunch of slimy drunks who wanted a piece of her tail. He had dispatched them without a sweat, which was pretty cool to watch. Nick had run circles around them while taunting them until they fell over each other. One had even taken a drunken swing at his friend while trying to hit Nick, while another one crashed into the brick wall of the alley they had cornered her in.
After the drunks were either snoring or cursing under their breaths while stumbling away, Nick had escorted her home (if you could call the rundown hovel she was living in a home). They had chatted a bit on the way to her place (she even fancied him a bit), but Nick never gave her a second glance (not in a romantic way, anyways) and she decided not to pursue it. Since he was red todd, she knew they were extremely picky about who they were with (she was just a skinny teenager after all) and since he didn't show the slightest interest in her, then she figured she would only come off as a nuisance if she tried getting any closer.
But as it stood, Nick made her a better offer than she could ever dream of. Upon learning that she was good at electronics and was a whiz on computers, he hooked her up with the Carpi Diem Scholarship program once she graduated high school (the fact she nearly failed high school didn't bother Nick as he knew how unfair the grading system was for foxes), and helped her get into Zootopia's top computer tech school—Howll Tech. It taught everything there was to know about computers: computer programming, security software, graphics, animation, antivirus—you name it, they taught it. It was a match made in heaven as her brain was hardwired to read and understand computer codes (which meant she became a top hacker in her free time).
Not that she used her skills for anything malicious—usually. There were a few bullies whose computers she might have hacked into and screwed over royally. But that was a different story. Mostly, she used her skills to find information about mammals—dig into their past, look into their finances, their families, their weekend hobbies—anything her clients (like Nick) needed looking into. But she was careful about the clients she accepted and what the information she found was used for.
Of course, once she realized Nick Wilde was not only a lawyer (he told her that himself) but was also working for the Mob Boss of Tundra Town, she got cold feet. She had dug into Nick's past and learned he was the adoptive son of Maige 'Honey' Badgerson (this information was easy to find out), who had a big influence in the scientific engineering community. But she didn't find out about his connection to Mr. Big until she stumbled onto a surveillance tape that showed a red todd meeting up with a couple of Big's polar bears. Although the todd was a darker shade of red than Nick, with a white-tipped tail and actual black markings opposed to Nick's dark-brown markings, Skye was sure it was Nick. She never forgot a face once she saw it, and even though the todd's markings were wrong, the todd's head was the exact shape as Nick's as was the rest of his body (she knew there were many ways to change or disguise one's appearance).
Skye immediately started looking into the todd's connections to Mr. Big and soon learned his name was 'Red' (at least that's what everyone called him) and that he made frequent trips to the Mob boss's mansion in Tundra Town. After finding more surveillance videos of the todd's interactions with Mr. Big's polar bears, she was convinced that Nick and Red were one and the same, as they had the same mannerisms and speech patterns. Skye had worried about working for Nick after that, or even bringing up her suspicions, but after eavesdropping on mammals who had interacted with Red, Skye realized that Nick was still Nick, even when he was running around as the mysterious Red.
This Skye knew because those she was tailing had complained about Red's lack of drive for violence. They said he was too soft for their line of work as he preferred talking his way out of trouble—or running if that was the safer bet. There were even several whispers of him being a coward, though no one was willing to say this to his face. Even though Red avoided physical confrontations, it was rumored that Red was one of the top champs among Mr. Big's mammals when it came to the sparring ring. And, apparently, Nick (or Red) was also quite the sharpshooter, and yet no one had ever seen him fire his weapons outside the shooting range.
Skye was able to confirm both his fighting skills and his shooting skills when she asked him to teach her how to defend herself. Nick was an excellent teacher on helping her learn self-defense. And watching him shoot at the shooting range left her jaw slack. Needless to say, after Nick taught her how to shoot there were very few mammals she met who could outshoot her.
Knowing Nick wasn't a violent mammal, even while working for Mr. Big (she had finally figured out Nick was working for Big in the surveillance side of his operations), definitely helped calm Skye's fears about working for Nick. It also helped that whenever Nick called for her expertise, he only asked for information to either help prove his clients in court were innocent, to find information on dirtbags and criminals who he wanted to jail (and needed to be jailed), or information he needed to protect someone. Which surprised her, considering who his employer was.
Then again, a lot of the criminals she dug up information on were ones trying to encroach on Big's territory, so it wasn't like Nick wasn't using some of the information to further his boss's agenda, but the information he requested was never used to hurt the innocent—a far cry from most of the mammals she had the misfortune of bumping into and was forced to rub shoulders with. Being a fox, most decent folks didn't want anything to do with her. At least, not until she got into Howll Tech.
But in all the time she'd known Nick (even though she hadn't seen or spoken to him in years, she still kept tabs on him), Nick had never once felt like a threat to her. Although he could be ruthless when tracking down criminals (look what Nick did to Nakita and Stan for framing him) and could easily handle himself in a fight (at least he could in the past, though Sky wasn't so sure of his current abilities), Nick had never been one to seek out violence. He preferred talking or running to violence—so why, oh why, was he threatening violence against her over some snob of a rabbit and the biggest crook in the whole ZPD? The rabbit acted cute and innocent and yet blacklisted every predator in Zootopia—including Nick! So why would he protect such a vicious bunny?
"Skye," Nick questioned as his fellow fox remained silent on the other end of the phone, "are we clear?" His voice still had an edge to it and his growl was still audible.
Taking a deep breath, Sky tried to force her fur to lay flat as she answered, "Uh, yes." Another deep breath and she said more firmly, "Yes, we are very clear." Tangling with an enraged Nick Wilde was the last thing she wanted.
"Good." As his growl died down, Nick took a deep breath of his own and realized he was being territorial and overly protective again. Although he couldn't stand the thought of anyone hurting his honeybun, if Skye did try to break Judy's nose, Nick was fairly certain it would be the vixen who wound up with the bloody and broken nose—not his cute, fluffy girlfriend. If someone tried something, Judy wouldn't stand there and let them hurt her—she would block or evade and then hit back. In fact, Nick figured he could probably sit back with a bag of popcorn or circus peanuts and enjoy the show. He probably wouldn't even need to lift a finger . . . except to put the snacks in his mouth.
A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he thought of what a fight between Judy and Skye would look like. Although Skye knew how to defend herself, she was, after all, a first-class computer geek, which meant Judy would win paws down.
At Nick's silence, Skye nibbled on her lip a minute, then decided he wouldn't kill her for asking her questions. "Uh, Nick, Mr. Wilde, can I ask why you're so protective of this bunny? She did hurt a lot of mammals, including yourself. You can't tell me you weren't hurt by what she said."
Nick rubbed a paw over his face, "Yes, she hurt me. Because we were friends, it felt like she stabbed me in the back and then cut my heart out with a spoon. I was a mess for months."
Skye was shocked by Nick's answer. "Then why are you defending her! Why threaten to hurt me for paying her back a fraction of the pain and suffering we're going through!"
Jabbing the air with his clawed finger, Nick exclaimed, "Because it won't change anything! You won't get your job back, and the homeless predators won't get their homes back. Hurting Judy will solve nothing and will only make matters worse. She didn't cause the problems we're facing. The severe prejudice has always been there, simmering under the surface of the city for generations. Bellwether played off those generation old prejudices to pit us against each other, and Judy was just her unwitting pawn. And when she was no longer useful, Bellwether tried turning me savage so I would tear her apart and eat her—alive! And she was laughing while I hunted Judy and looking as if I had every intention of eating her." Raking his claws through his head-fur, Nick added, "Or are you saying that Judy needs to be torn apart and killed to assuage your need for vengeful blood?"
Skye was stunned at Nick's words and the lengths the psychotic ewe would go to further her plans. Although Skye did want to see the rabbit hurt, tearing her apart and killing her was too much, even for her. But she still wasn't happy about what the rabbit said, nor was she happy to now be busting her tail off working less than minimum wage for a bunch of ungrateful pricks.
And what did Nick mean, they were friends? Why would the bunny cop be friends with a fox? Not only was he a predator, but society claimed all foxes were the scum of the earth. And why was Nick being so protective and territorial about her? If Skye didn't know any better, she would say Nick was sweet on the rabbit—which was ludicrous.
Slouching uncomfortably down in an old metal chair (she was taking a break whether her boss approved it or not), her thoughts jumped from one confusing idea to another before she muttered sullenly, "Nick, you act like she's your mate or something."
Instead of the scoff of denial she was expecting, silence met her. Skye immediately sat up a bit straighter. "Nick?"
Nick shifted in the jeep's seat even as he tugged on his ear. If it was anyone else, he could easily deny his involvement with Judy with misleading information, like he did at the train station with her brother Henry. But this was Skye Winters, a fellow fox who was just as intelligent as he was, not to mention how easily she would recognize the misdirection. She would also catch any lie he might try to use. Not that he ever wanted to flat-out lie about his and Judy's relationship. The thought of straight-up denying his feelings for the energetic ball of fluff who had turned his world upside down just left a bad taste in his mouth.
With a heavy sigh, he tugged on his ear again and asked, "Is it really that obvious?" Releasing his ear to scratch the back of his neck, he muttered, "I've never let anyone get this close to me before and it seems to have thrown my biological need to protect my mate into overdrive." With a heavy sigh, he mumbled, "I really need to get a handle on my over-protective instincts." Staring at the floorboards of the jeep, he added, "It's probably because she's prey. But it's not like Carrots actually needs protection—most of the time." He immediately thought of her hijacking the train car, their fight with Woolter and Jesse, and then running from Bellwether. She definitely needed protection then.
Skye sat staring blankly at the cramped, dusty shelves of the storage closet she had taken refuge in at the diner she was 'working' at ('slaving away' was a better term). She could not get her head wrapped around the fact that Nick Wilde, the Nick Wilde, who was taken in by Honey Badgersen as teen, was the second youngest lawyer to ever graduate from Zootopia Law, once worked for the notorious Mr. Big, and . . . and who hadn't done anything worthwhile in his life for the last 5 years—that Nick Wilde was now in a serious relationship with a rabbit! A rabbit and a cop!
He never had any time for vixens and yet he had jumped into a relationship with a rabbit cop! The same one who had hurt thousands of predators throughout the city!
It was unbelievable! And insane! And . . . and the world had to be coming to an end! Or Nick Wilde was pulling his biggest hustle yet—which made even less sense as he had just stated that Officer Judy Hopps was his mate! Red todds, especially traditional ones like Nick, did not mess around with something like that. They mated for life—end of story.
At Skye's continued silence, Nick sat up and said, "Look, Skye, I know Judy appears like this heartless, conniving prey who's in cahoots with Bellwether, but she's not. Far from it. All I ask is that you give her a chance to prove herself and to fix her mistake."
Skye flicked her ear as her tail twitched irritably. "How do you know? What makes you so sure of who she is?"
"Who do you think discovered Bellwether's plot!" Skye didn't say anything, so Nick raked his claws through his head-fur again and continued, saying, "Judy gave up her dream job and her home here in the city and went back to Bunnyburrow with her fuzzy-wuzzy tail tucked between her legs because she hated herself for tearing the city apart. But the second she figured out the real cause of the attacks, she rushed back here to make things right."
Throwing his paw up in the air, he added, "She didn't even grab her wallet! She took her dad's truck and rushed back to the city, but she didn't take her information to idiots at the ZPD—she came to me. She knew I had her back and that she could trust me—not any of her fellow officers. I helped her the first time in finding the missing mammals, and she knew we needed to finish what we started back then. And we have. The cause of the savage attacks has been found, an antidote is being made, and Bellwether and her cronies are behind bars."
Skye shifted uncomfortably on her hard metal chair for a moment while vividly remembering the soft padded chair in her own office she had just 3 months ago (oh, she hated this stinking job!), then said, "I won't hurt Hopps, I'm not suicidal—but you better be right about her!" Skye jabbed the air as if jabbing Nick. "One chance is all I'm giving her, but don't think for a second that the other predators she hurt will be half as forgiving."
"That's all I'm asking," Nick returned with a heavy sigh of relief.
"Hmph," Skye muttered. She still wasn't happy. She hated this joke of a job, she missed her corner office with its thick padded chair, her former coworkers who actually appreciated her skills, and she sooo wanted to punch that pink, little nose of Hopps! But Nick was right (again!). Busting the rabbit's nose wasn't going to solve anything (but, oh, it would feel so good!). But hitting the bunny would be an assault on an officer and would land her in jail. Wait, didn't Nick say the rabbit had given up her dream job? With a dark grin, Skye thought, Then it wouldn't be assaulting an officer, now would it?
Skye smirked at the idea until she remembered Nick's threat should she lay a finger on the irritating bunny. If she did hurt the bunny, then jail might be the better (and safer) place to be. A shiver ran down her spine as she thought of what Nick might do to her once he got his paws (and claws) on her should she harm a hair on the dumb bunny's head.
Bringing her paw up, she started nibbling on her thumb claw while trying to figure out Nick Wilde's suddenly violent personality. But if he really had taken Judy Hopps as his mate (how could he possibly be interested in such a skinny little thing!?), then his instincts would demand he protect her. Most todds (especially red todds) always became vicious if their mates were harmed or threatened.
Mindlessly smoothing out her cream-colored waitress apron with its faded stains, Skye pushed the confusing thoughts and questions aside, and then perked up as she said, "So why did you call, Nick? I'm sure it wasn't to tell me you were rutting the bunny cop." Again, Nick didn't deny the allegation and Skye's ears and tail slumped. She had really hoped it had been some sick joke Nick was playing on her. No such luck, apparently.
Nick ran a paw down his muzzle while figuring it was pointless to correct Skye. It would be true soon enough, anyways. Resting his paw on the steering wheel while staring at his faded porch, Nick answered, "I'm calling about another male who wants to . . ." Nick paused a moment as a grim smile touched his muzzle, "rut my bunny. She forcibly rejected him once and he didn't take kindly to it. He didn't look to be the type accustomed to being told no."
Skye's ears flattened. As much as she disliked the irritating bunny, she wouldn't wish rape on any female. Knowing that someone might be plotting to rape Nick's mate better explained his irrational protectiveness. For a todd, having his mate raped would be almost as devastating as if she were killed. Nor would he be able to fully relax until he knew the threat was neutralized—which would make him blow the smallest hint a of threat out of proportion.
With a heavy sigh, Skye asked, "What's his name?"
Nick grinned. "Jeffrey L. Lepussen."
Skye repeated the name to herself, then said, "Text me the name and I'll dig into his life once I get home." She was pretty sure she knew who the buck was but wanted to be sure she had the right male. Skye liked to keep an eye on the magazines and media sites that futured top companies, up-and-coming companies, or declining companies, along with who to make friends with—or be aware of—in the business world.
If she was thinking of the right buck, then he was the oldest son of a business tycoon here in the city whose greatest skill was spending his daddy's money. He did help his father run the company (and thoroughly enjoyed ordering mammals around in the process), but his favorite pastime was spending money on fast cars, expensive suits, costly wine, and lavish vacations. Furthermore, he thought he was God's gift to females, whether they wanted his attention or not. And for those who didn't readily accept his attention, money usually changed their mind.
Nick's tail began wagging as he replied, "I can stop by your apartment and drop off your payment. Are you working tomorrow afternoon?" He always paid Skye in cash, and for a job like this where his mate was concerned, paying Skye a thousand dollars would be considered cheap. So Nick planned to pay her a thousand dollars up front and another thousand when she delivered the information.
Skye grinned. "Tomorrow is supposed to be my day off and if my boss still wants me to work, I'll claim I'm sick." With a flick of her bushy, light-tan tail, she added, "So tomorrow afternoon will be perfect." Skye intended to sleep till noon as it was, so having Nick arrive in the afternoon would give her time to catch up on her beauty sleep. Heaven knows she hadn't been getting enough lately.
Nick's ears flicked back at Skye's plight and felt partly guilty for it. If he had accepted Judy's request to stand up with her, he might have been able to stop her from speaking and redirect the reporters' questions—but then again, he might have just painted himself as a bigger target than simply being a predator and a fox already did. With a heavy sigh, he said, "Thanks, Skye. I'll contact you tomorrow when I'm on my way."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just don't be late. I'll need your payment to pay my rent and the utility bill." With an irritated flick of her tail, Skye added, "I can't use the computer if they shut off my electricity."
With a swish of his tail and twitch of his ear, Nick replied, "I won't be late."
After she hung up with Nick, Skye heaved a heavy sigh. The slick todd always paid well for her computer skills and she desperately needed the money. She might have had to downgrade her job, but there was no way she was going to lose her nice apartment (the building was owned by a predator, so she wasn't kicked out). Slouching back in the hard metal chair that squeaked as she shifted on it, Skye scowled while comparing her current 'office' with her previous one. Slipping her phone into her pocket, she ran a paw through her dark-cream colored fur (she'd long since shed her white winter coat and was now sporting her darker summer coat) and wished for the air conditioner her last job provided. She had been the security programmer for a start-up company that had a promising future and she was going to be a part of it—'was' being the operative word.
"Skye! Where are you?" her boss yelled irritably from down the short hallway. "Where is that pelt?" she heard him mutter under his breath. He was a pygmy hippo and only hired her because he could get away with paying her less than minimum wage. Not that it was legal, but nobody cared if a fox was getting ripped off of part—or most—of their wages.
With a groan, Skye stood up while cursing under her breath. If she couldn't bust Hopps cute, little nose, then she would settle for busting her boss's big, fat nose. But she would probably wind up busting her own paw if she tried, not to mention losing her job. As much as she would love to quit, there were no other jobs available for a fox. Opening the door, she left the hot, dusty storage closet to finish her long, exhausting shift.
...
As Nick hung up with Skye, he heaved a heavy sigh even as he dropped his head against the headrest. Dropping his paw and phone into his lap, he then wiped the other paw down his muzzle. When he decided to call Skye, he hadn't expected her to have lost her last job because of Judy's stupid speech. Sky had been working as the security programmer (a dream job for any fox) for several years now and Nick knew her boss liked her work, so he hadn't expected her to lose the job just because she was a predator.
With a tug of his ear, he figured he might have to help her find a new job once the whole Bellwether mess blew over. Nick hoped the city could put this whole mess behind them soon and get on with their lives—but he was probably putting too much faith in society. It had been a long time since he'd had faith in anything, but Judy seemed to have breathed new life into him (though putting his faith in society was stretching it a bit).
Sitting up, Nick glanced at the time and realized he didn't have time to be sitting here. Besides the date he needed to prepare for, if a bunch of predators were going to be showing up tomorrow morning to weed and paint, then he needed a few more gardening tools than he currently had, not to mention paint.
Picking up the phone, he dialed another number, even as he put the jeep in reverse and headed back out. He would pick up the supplies now, so he didn't have to worry about it later. And once he got back, he could put his whole focus on Judy and their date tonight.
...
Judy was sitting on the couch lost in thought (worrying over the upcoming press conference) when she heard the jeep pull back out of the yard, even as her phone rang. Hearing the song, 'Born To Be Wild,' that she'd set as Nick's ringtone, she picked up the phone with a puzzled expression and answered the call. "Nick?" she asked curiously.
"Hey, Carrots, I have to run down to the hardware store really quick, but I'll be back in about 20-30 minutes."
"Okay." Looking blankly at the piano, Judy then asked, "And why the sudden need to visit the hardware store?" She was sure it had to do with the phone call he'd had.
With a grin, Nick replied, "I'm glad you asked. Finn and Willie are sending over some mammals in the morning to weed the yard and paint the house, so I need some supplies for them to use. Can't paint the house without paint."
Judy rolled her eyes. "Although it will be nice to see the place looking respectable, I have to ask: Why the sudden interest? Couldn't we put it off until my leg heals?"
"Uh, no. No, we cannot," Nick said in a matter-of-fact tone. "It must be done tomorrow morning, not a minute past noon."
Judy's forehead creased as she stated, "Nick, what kind of answer is that?"
Nick laughed. "The only kind you're going to get." Hearing her really cute scowl through the phone, he added, "I'll explain everything once I get home."
Hearing Nick laugh at her while being all cryptic made her scowl deepen. She was still on edge a bit about needing to do another press conference (the thought terrified her after her slanderous speech last time) and having Nick tease her now just irritated her to no end. With a deep breath, she then growled, "Nick, do you realize how irritating you are!"
With air of superiority, Nick answered, "It's one of my many redeeming qualities."
"Redeeming qualities!" Judy exclaimed. "Nick, I just want to box your ears! Giving me all these cryptic clues and hints and then making me wait to find out what you're talking about. You're driving me crazy!" Did Nick realize how long he'd left her alone already today? Not that she usually had a problem with being alone—a lot of the time she preferred it, and she definitely needed some time alone this morning—but she was really starting to miss her fox and she still had to tell him about the press conference coming up. And why couldn't Nick come in the house to talk to Finnick and Willie on the phone? Why did he need to sit in the jeep? Was he keeping something from her again? With a scowl, she thought about how much she hated surprises.
She had a few of her older brothers to thank for her hatred of surprises. As a practical joke on her when she was about three or four, they told her they had this great and wonderful surprise for her that she was just going to love. Being a four-year-old, she was pretty gullible, so naturally she was all excited about it. They had even wrapped the box up in pretty pink paper with a purple bow on top. They told her it was fragile so she couldn't shake the box or flip it over (that should have been a warning to her, but she naïvely went along with it). She unwrapped it very carefully and when she finally got the box open, what should literally jump out at her—a huge bullfrog with bulging eyes.
Seeing such an ugly toad when she was expecting something pretty and girly, Judy screamed and stumbled backwards. The large toad jumped out of the box and landed right on her face, which knocked her to the ground as the bullfrog was as big as her head. It then peed on her head, right between her ears, before jumping off. The force of its jump pushed her head into the ground while she was trying to sit up and push it off her. Her brothers, who were rolling around on the ground while cackling with gut-busting laughter, thought her misfortune with the toad was the greatest thing in the world.
That incident changed her life drastically. Not only did she hate surprises after that, but she pretty much gave up on a lot of the girly things (cutesy dresses, prissy dolls) she used to enjoy and started hanging out more with her brothers and basically being a tomboy. And it was all because of her brothers' relentless teasing saying she was weak and scared of frogs and bugs. Well, she just had to prove them wrong. And she did. Her brothers, on the other paw, couldn't sit easily for a week once their mother found out what they had done and Bonnie lamented that day as Judy no longer wanted to be pampered and dolled up all cutesy-like. Judy also recalled how that was about the time her dad started calling her 'Jude the Dude'. The name didn't bother her much when she was younger, but once she entered middle school and high school, it was a constant reminder that she wasn't like all the other girls in class.
Bringing her mind back to the present, Judy listened to Nick's laughter and wondered once again what the 'surprise' was he had for her this time. Taking a deep breath and trying to calm down, she reminded herself that Nick's surprises actually were enjoyable, unlike her brothers'. But she was still a little upset after learning about the press conference and Nick was being all cryptic on her. It was really annoying. Especially since all she wanted to do was crawl in his lap and forget the whole dumb thing (the press conference, that was). Losing herself in her fox would be really nice right now, and yet he was leaving again after teasing her over the phone.
Laughing softly, Nick merely said, "Oh, come on, you know you love me."
Twirling her finger around the longer fur in front of her ear, Judy leaned back on the couch and said, "Do I know that? Hmm." Judy paused for a moment in thought, then said, "Perhaps." With a bit of an edge back in her voice, she added, "But I'm starting to forget why." Waving a paw through the air, she added, "I mean, what possessed me—and I'm positive I was possessed—to choose such an annoying fox for my boyfriend. Finnick's right—I'm must be completely nuts to have chosen you!"
Nick heard the heat in her voice, but there was no hiding the teasing tone underlying it all. Laughing a little louder (he could just picture her cute, irritated face), Nick then heard Judy growl at him. This brought his laughter to a stop as he said, "Fluff, do you realize how cute you are when you're angry or irritated?"
"Nicky, you're walking on thin ice," Judy growled again. She hated being called cute by other mammals as they were always comparing her some cutesy stuffed toy.
"What?" Nick chuckled back. "It's true. You're so cute I just want to push you up against the wall and gobble you up!"
Judy had a scathing response at the tip of her tongue at hearing him call her cute again, but it died in her mouth at hearing him say he wanted to gobble her up, as it showed that Nick wasn't comparing her to a cutesy, stuffed plushy, but saw her as a hot, sexy meal. Her breath caught as she touched her tongue to her top lip. "You think I'm cute enough to eat?"
"Hmm, my mouth is watering even as we speak." Nick flipped on his turn signal and slowed down as he neared the hardware store.
Pulling an ear down to pet, Judy squirmed more comfortably into the couch as a wide smile spread across her face. "Is that so?" She heard Nick licking his chops which brought a bigger smile to her face. "I don't know, Slick, I think I'm beginning to forget what a hungry fox looks like. You might have to hurry home and remind me."
There was a moment of silence, then Nick gulped down a mouthful of saliva (he really was drooling at this point) and said, "Got it. Don't doddle. Make it quick. I'll see you soon."
As the line went dead, Judy giggled. She had never had a male wrapped around her finger before, but she found she liked having Nick wrapped around hers—even when he was being irritating. Now if Nick could quickly put a ring put on this finger he was wrapped around, everything would be perfect.
Picking up her book, Judy began humming a happy little tune as she started reading again while waiting for her hot, foxy boyfriend to return home and explain himself . . . and other things.
Nick didn't take long gathering the supplies, but when he reached the paint section, he had to stop and deliberate. Honey had always painted the house white with blue trim since both her husband and son had blue eyes, and he'd always just painted it the same. But now that he was with Judy, maybe it was time to change the color. He wanted to keep the house white, but figured he'd change the trim color. After looking at a bunch of different color cards, he finally decided on a glossy eggshell white for the walls, then a complementing emerald green and amethyst purple for the trim. He intended to paint the trim green, then highlight the edges with purple. This would give the house a unique look that would represent them both.
After paying for his purchases, Nick loaded up the jeep and headed back to the house and his waiting honeybun.
WingedKatt here. I hoped you enjoyed the chapter. We now know how Nick is connected to Skye and Judy is having fun with Nick wrapped around her finger. Next chapter, we'll see what Anya's up to and what she has to say about Vivian's impromptu trip to Zootopia. Nick will get back to his honeybun where a little bit a fluff will ensue before we hear the story behind Nick's gyrocopter.
Chapter 66: Be Nice, will post in 2 weeks. If you have any thoughts or questions, let me know. Have a great weekend and stay safe.
