Nick opened his bedroom door and entered his room, then shut the door behind him and leaned against it. Meeting Judy's amethyst gaze from where she sat on his bed, he hummed in appreciation. "You have no idea how good it is to see you in my bed."
Judy giggled as she set her book on the nightstand. "Well, it is nice to be here." With a grin as she slid her paw across the blanket, Judy added, "It would be even better if you were to join me." The words had just left her mouth when she realized what she'd said and what she was implying. She was pushing him again, and after the talk with her mom earlier that morning, Judy was feeling a bit self-conscious. The thought of not only mating with Nick, but actually wanting to breed with him was a new thought and a bit embarrassing. She wasn't even in heat!
Dropping her gaze, Judy grabbed one of her ears and began petting it shyly. "Well, only if you want to join me, that is." The talk with her mom also reminded Judy that she shouldn't be pushing Nick so much. Besides, he needed to be the one to instigate the next time they decided to eat each other. The thought of nibbling on Nick again, and being nibbled on in return, brought a heated smile to her lips.
Nick laughed. Pushing off the door, he stalked towards his bunny while replaying the conversation he'd overheard Benji having with Finnick. Were his instincts really driving him to run his tongue, teeth, and claws all over Judy's lithe body because she was his prey? He wasn't a hundred percent sure, but now seemed like a good enough time as any to find out.
A predatory grin spread across his muzzle as he climbed up on the bed and planted his paws on either side of Judy's thighs. Leaning in till his nose was millimeters from hers, he felt her soft breath ruffling his fur as he said, "Now what kind of absurd question is that?"
Judy's eyes widened at his predatory move, but instead of being afraid of him, her instincts urged her to get closer to him. Taking a deep breath, and with her nose twitching like crazy, Judy opened her mouth, but didn't have a chance to speak as Nick chose that moment to attack. Groaning into the kiss, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in. Melting against his strong body, Judy tried to keep her hormones from raging out of control again, but Nick wasn't making it easy. His tongue was truly a lethal weapon!
Nick let her pull him deeper into the kiss, even as her small tongue wrestled and danced with his own. Her taste was delicious and he could see why his instincts might be urging him to 'eat' her. With his emerald gaze darkening at the idea, Nick pulled back from the heated kiss and took a deep breath of her strong, intoxicating scent. And then another. Her scent was as mouth-watering as her taste and gave his instincts (and biology) more reason to 'eat' her.
Judy opened her eyes and started taking quick, deep breaths in an effort to replenish her low oxygen levels. Meeting Nick's predatory gaze made her pause. He looked hungry, and yet he had a contemplative look on his face, like he was trying to figure something out. Licking her lips, and enjoying the taste of him, Judy asked softly, "Penny for your thoughts."
Meeting her questioning gaze, Nick sat back on his haunches, with her legs trapped between his own, even while leaving his paws resting on the bed at either side of her thighs. Tilting his head, Nick took a deep breath of her mouth-watering scent as his gaze traveled down her powerful body—her powerful prey body. Running his eyes back up her tempting form, Nick met her amethyst gaze and said, "Benji had an interesting idea for why my instincts are no longer telling me to take it slow with you."
Judy's interest was piqued now. With a slight tilt of her head, she asked, "Oh? And why is that?"
With a grin, Nick explained, "Well, I already knew I had fully imprinted on you, but he has a theory as to why it happened so fast." Seeing the question in Judy's eyes, Nick explained, "Imprinting for red foxes is the strong emotional and mental attachment we have to our mates. It usually takes six to nine months or longer to form, but once it has, our instincts drive us to mark and knot our mates."
Judy nodded, but then asked, "Knot? You mentioned that before, but what is it?"
The inside of Nick's ears immediately flamed red and he was glad his thick fur hid his blush. Raising a paw, with his pointer finger up, Nick opened his mouth, then shut it again. Explaining to his prey fiancé what his knot was, was harder than he thought. Tugging on his ear as Judy raised her brow at him, Nick finally said, "A knot is an interesting part of a todd's physiology that will . . ." Tilting his head sideways slightly, Nick's tail flicked behind him, and then he finished saying, "A knot is basically a round ball of muscles at the base of my foxhood that will swell up and literally lock us together for mandatory cuddle time after we . . ." Nick didn't finish the sentence as his gaze dropped to Judy's waist.
With her eyes widening, Judy whispered a faint, "Oh." Although the idea of being stuck to Nick for this 'mandatory cuddle time' was new, she wouldn't complain if it meant she could hold on to him a little longer. Mandatory cuddle time actually sounded kind of romantic. Licking her top lip briefly, Judy then asked, "And how long is mandatory cuddle time?"
"It could be as short as 10 minutes or as long as 40." Nick shrugged. "It all depends on how excited we both are, how much you're moving beneath me, and . . ." Nick's ears got red again. Taking a deep breath, he finished hurriedly, "How long I continue leaking inside you."
Judy's nose started twitching and her ears turned bright red at the implication. She knew bucks shot off everything at once, but Nick was saying that he continued . . . Taking a deep breath, she murmured, "No wonder you told Janette we'd be busy for an hour and half."
Nick merely nodded. "I'm told the first time is usually pretty long and I knew neither of us would be satisfied with just one round."
Judy licked her lips again as her gaze travelled down Nick's fit physique. One round with Nick certainly wouldn't satisfy her, not if her epiphany from earlier was correct. When a doe found the male she wanted as the father of her kits and her instincts kicked in with the need to breed—that is where the stereotype of a bunny's stamina came from. And for once, it was true.
Feeling her instincts starting to stir, Judy glanced up to meet Nick's gaze and asked, "So . . . so what did Benji say about your fast imprinting?"
With a flick of his ear while his tail swished across the bed behind him, Nick grinned. "He theorized that with you being not only prey, but a rabbit—one of my ancient food sources—that you're probably messing with my instincts."
"Oh," Judy said as she noticed Nick's eyes darken. Licking her lips as her nose twitched at the thought of Nick 'eating' her, she asked, "How so?"
"Well," Nick said as he lifted his paw and studied his claws. "Having my prey"—he pointed to Judy—"pinned beneath me is quite exciting." Leaning forward, he rested his large paw against Judy's chest, then pushed her back into the pillows, saying, "Just as it was for my ancestors." Judy's nose started twitching incessantly as Nick slid his paw down her stomach, then down the outside of her thigh. His claws caressed her leg through her shorts, and then he grabbed her leg and pulled her down on the bed until she was flat on her back.
At Judy's 'eep' of surprise, Nick slid his paw under her shirt and ran his claws through her fur, grazing her skin. Judy groaned at the pleasure Nick was giving her, even as a shiver of anticipation ran down her spine.
Nick's eyes darkened further, even as he breathed deeply of her sweet scent. Flexing his claws across her stomach, Judy trembled and gasped again. Nick's grin widened as he leaned down so their noses were inches apart. Her eyes were big and her nose was twitching like crazy—all the classic signs of terrified prey. Normally this would be a huge turn off for him, but when coupled with her excited, intoxicating scent—it drove him wild. Nick licked his lips. Prey she may be, but afraid she was not.
With his warm breath washing over Judy's face, his voice became husky as he said, "Your reactions are that of a terrified prey but your scent! Your scent combined with your actions drive me absolutely crazy." Rubbing his nose lightly against her own, Nick continued, "It makes me want to see what other sounds and reactions I can draw from you."
Feeling Nick's claws sliding across her stomach again, Judy shuddered as her eyes closed. Tilting her head back as she slid her fingers through the fur around his ears, Judy exposed her vulnerable neck to her predatory mate, even as she arched her back into his heated caresses.
Seeing Judy's exposed throat, which made him want to bite down and feel her flesh between his teeth, it was obvious to Nick that his instincts were having a field day with Judy's prey responses to his predatory touch. Running his nose along her neck and sensing the life-giving blood pulsing just under the surface, and knowing she trusted him completely, further fueled Nick's desire to mark and knot her.
Licking and nipping at her neck for a moment (and thoroughly enjoying the mewling sounds she was making), he then clamped down on her neck and inhaled deeply of her scent as it spiked. Taking another deep breath, he then bit down just a tad harder, which brought a long moan from his honeybun. Releasing her neck, Nick began licking and nipping at her throat again. Listening to Judy's soft groans and gasps as her fingers massaged the base of his ears caused a soft growl to rumble deep in his chest.
Pulling back to look at her, Nick said, "You know, Fluff, this whole biting your neck thing is a pred kink you have. We don't normally bite our mates like this—nipping, yes, biting, no."
Judy's eyes widened. "You don't? But I thought . . . I thought you did it as a sign of submission. And what about the biting you said you do after knotting me?"
Nick drew back a little farther while slowly shaking his head. "We do reveal our necks as a sign of submission, but that's mostly seen among pack mammals, such as wolves, or hyenas. But even then, we canids don't usually bite the neck like this, not unless two dominant males are fighting it out to prove who's stronger—and then the bites are meant to hurt. Though this kind of fighting has largely died out. About the only time you see it now is in illegal cage fighting in the dark underbelly of the city or in underdeveloped countries."
Judy nodded even as her gaze dropped to Nick's chest. Feeling her neck, she knew it would be extremely easy for some mammal to kill her if they ever went after her throat like Nick did. Glancing back up to meet his burning emeralds, Judy asked, "And about the love bite you're supposed to give me?"
Nick reached over and lightly caressed her neck with his thumb, then moved his paw over and lightly tapped her shoulder next to the crook of her neck with his claw. "We bite here, and sometimes a little further back on your neck, depending on our position."
"Oh," Judy said quietly as she touched her neck again.
"Remember," Nick said, "our biting when we mate is to hold, not hurt. Biting on the neck is how our ancestors killed their food, so it's not something we todds do with our vixens."
"Oh," Judy whispered again. Biting her lip, her gaze dropped back down to his chest. She found Nick's teeth around her neck exciting—thrilling even. It would be so easy for him to kill her, but she knew he never would. But she thought this was normal between predators. Was she even more of an oddball than she originally thought? No other rabbit wanted to be a big city cop, or date a predator, or have him clamp his teeth around her neck. Maybe she was crazy. She even wanted a predator's genes passed on to her kits. Her instincts really were messed up.
Seeing Judy's suddenly pensive mood, Nick slipped a clawed finger under chin and raised her head to look at him. "I, personally, think it's the sexiest thing I've ever experienced."
Judy's eyes widened and her nose began twitching again. Taking a shallow breath, she asked, "You do?"
"Mmm," Nick murmured as he rubbed his nose against hers. "That level of trust has never been shown me before. And for you, my prey mate, to be showing it to me . . ."
Judy's eyes closed as Nick kissed her. The kiss started out soft, but quickly became heated. Judy couldn't help it. She had no resistance to Nick and knowing that her absolute trust in him made him want her all the more . . . well, how could she not want him back. Especially when her instincts kicked in telling her that here was a strong, intelligent male who had all the qualities she wanted in a mate, with good genes worthy of being passed on to her kits. If her kits had his brains, strength, and excellent breeding, they would have a higher chance of survival.
As Nick broke the kiss off so they could breath, Judy took a deep breath and said, "You know, I had an epiphany earlier today, too." Nick raised a brow and Judy explained, "Well, I was talking to my mom and trying to explain why we were already engaged—"
Nick pulled back as his ears flicked back. "Wait! You told her!" With a flick of his tail, he added, "I thought you were going to wait!"
Judy's gaze shifted to the wall. While studying the picture of Nick standing with Honey and the two vixens with the typical white tipped-tails, whom she assumed were Nick's mom and sister, Judy said, "Well, I . . . I now know why you blabbed to my mom about our make-out session."
Nick sat back and rubbed a paw down his face. "Yeah, your mom is really perceptive and . . . direct. And she has that look that doesn't let you lie." Pulling on his ear, Nick added, "She reminds me of my mom. She has a similar look."
Judy nodded, "Yeah. You have to be very devious or very stupid to lie to my mom." She was thinking of several of her siblings who never seemed to learn that lying to mom was just asking for trouble.
Nick chuckled. Tilting his head, he then asked, "So what's this epiphany you had?"
"Well, I've been trying to figure out why I feel the need to rush everything, and it finally hit me when trying to explain it to my mom." Taking a deep breath, Judy let her eyes drop to Nick's chest as she reached forward to straighten out his shirt. Running her paw down the soft material and feeling his thick fur coat and toned muscles beneath, Judy took another deep breath. Yep, her instincts were definitely urging her to breed with this strong, caring fox. "It's . . ." Taking a deep breath while still running her paw lightly over Nick's shirt, she continued, "It has to do with my instincts."
"Really?" Nick said. A grin curved his muzzle as he sat up. With his ears pricked forward and his tail wagging behind him, he continued saying, "That's interesting." Wagging his finger at his honeybun, Nick said, "I said you were an adrenaline junky and Finn agrees with me." Waving his paw through the air, he added, "He thinks that because I'm a fox and you're a rabbit," he motioned to himself and then Judy, "that my claws and teeth are making your instincts tingle with a sense of danger. You," he booped her nose, "of course, find this sense of danger highly thrilling."
Judy's nose started twitching as she opened then closed her mouth. There was an element of truth to what he was saying. She certainly found Nick's claws and teeth exciting. His scent and growl alone should have had her running before he ever got close enough to touch her. And yet everything predatory that her ancestors found dangerous and scary thrilled her and drew her in.
With a defeated sigh, she murmured, "You're probably right." Rubbing her paws down her face, she added, "I'm sure my ancestors are rolling over in their graves and groaning in horror at how fascinated I am with your scent, taste, claws, and teeth." Nick chuckled at her description and Judy jabbed him in the chest saying, "But you can't honestly think that Thursday happened simply because I was seeking a thrill. Or that we would already be engaged just so I could get high off the adrenaline rush."
Nick's eyes widened in shock at the points she'd just made, but then he tilted his head as he considered her words. "No, no I can't see any of this happening simply for the thrill and rush of it all."
Jabbing his chest again, Judy replied, "You better believe it, Slick." Pressing her finger into his chest as she leaned closer to him, Judy added, "Because you are currently describing my boy-crazy sisters—and trust me—once they know I'm interested in you, they're going to want to jump in your bed just for the thrill of it. They'll have absolutely no thoughts for the future or the possible consequences of their actions. And once they've had their fun, they'll toss you aside like a used piece of gum."
Nick's eyes widened again while thinking of being sexually harassed by some of Judy's sisters. But then again, it's not like Judy is going to give them a chance to do too much trouble and neither would he. Raising a finger, he said, "Correction, they'll be wanting to jump into our bed," a predatory look entered Nick's gaze as he leaned down towards her while planting his paws on the bed at either side of her shoulders, "but you're not going to let this happen . . . are you?"
Judy took a deep breath of his strong fox musk and nodded, even as her nose began twitching again. Licking her top lip, she replied, "Yeah, no way am I letting them touch you. I'll break their fingers first." Nick's grin widened and showed off his sharp, gleaming teeth even as Judy gulped while remembering how good they felt against her skin. As Nick's teeth were one of his best assets, her boy-crazy sisters will be highly interested in experiencing them firstpaw once they realized their tomboy sister had a pred kink for them. Thinking of her sisters trying to steal her mate (as futile as their attempts might be), Judy reached up and grabbed Nick, then pulled him into a heated kiss.
As the kiss deepened, Judy's instincts began yelling at her to take Nick and breed with him before some other female hops in and steals him. Groaning while trying to push the thoughts down—she knew Nick wouldn't fall for some floozy's attempt at seduction, even if they were her sisters—Judy broke the kiss off, but kept her eyes closed as she tried getting her breathing (and her hormones) under control.
Seeing Judy's attempt at self-control, Nick drew back slightly and licked his lips, then said, "So what is it about your instincts that are making you want to jump me all the time?"
Judy's eyes shot open and she stared at him for a moment before shutting her eyes again. Taking another calming breath, she tried to get her thoughts in order, though his strong fox musk was making it difficult. "Okay, so the instincts that are the cause of my current actions and lack of self-control evolved far back in my ancestral past." Breathing deeply of Nick's foxy scent, she opened her eyes and scratched the fur around his ears while continuing to say, "Back when rabbits were completely savage, we didn't have these particular instincts. The only instincts we really had was to eat, breed, and not get caught and eaten by predators. But that didn't stop a lot of predators from catching and eating us, so breeding was a top priority to ensure the survival of our species."
After taking another deep, calming breath of Nick's musky scent (Ahh! She just wanted wallow in his scent—and every other part of him!), Judy added, "Back then, female rabbits weren't picky about the father of their kits. Any male would do so long as they could breed and produce young—the more the merrier."
Nick's eyes widened as Judy launched into the mating rituals of ancient rabbits which, according to the current stereotypes about bunnies, not much had changed. With his tail swaying across the bed behind him, he continued listening to Judy's explanation.
"But then, as rabbits evolved to be more intelligent, rabbit does started looking more closely at the males who wanted to breed with them. They began choosing strong males with good survival traits—traits that could be passed on to their kits to give them a better chance at survival. And then as rabbits began developing tools and building things, female rabbits started looking at males who were not only strong, but also smart."
Pausing, Judy took a deep breath as her nose twitched. Looking at Nick, she saw that he was listening curiously, but it was obvious he hadn't made the connection yet. Dropping her eyes down to his chest, she began smoothing down his shirt again. "Anyways, in today's modern world, a lot of rabbits have lost these instincts and are only concerned with finding someone who clicks with them and can work to support the family."
"Finding Mr. or Mrs. Right," Nick supplied for her.
Judy glanced up and nodded, then dropped her gaze back to his chest. "Most rabbits are like that, but there are a few traditional families who still have these strong—breeding—instincts. They are pretty picky about who they marry because they're still instinctively looking for mates with strong genes to pass on to their kits." As she continued smoothing down Nick's shirt with her paws, Judy's nose started twitching again while thinking about what she was about to admit. "My mom comes from one of these traditional families and her breeding instincts are quite strong, as you can tell from the number of siblings I have."
Nick sat stunned for a minute at what Judy was implying. Normally he was quite quick on the uptake, but the idea his honeybun was throwing at him was so farfetched that it was hard to grasp. When he finally did grasp it, Nick pushed himself into a sitting position and waved his paws out in front of him, saying, "Wait. Wait. Time out." Crossing his arms in an X formation, he then said, "Are you saying that your instincts are telling you to breed with me!? Your bunny instincts actually want my foxy genes passed down to your kits!?" He pointed to her and then at himself.
Judy nodded as a fiery blush spread across her face and up her ears. "Well, what's there not to want?" With her nose twitching, she hurriedly said, "I mean . . . you're a strong, dominant male with excellent genes. You're highly intelligent. You have a lot of skills and talents. You're handsome and funny." Waving her paw through the air to indicate the room, she added, "You've already shown me how great a provider you are." Pushing herself in a sitting position, she reached up to caress Nick's cheeks. Meeting his appreciative gaze, she added, "You have all the traits I would want to pass on to my kits." Judy's ears drooped a little at the thought that she and Nick probably wouldn't be able to have kits together. "If . . . if we could have kits together, that is."
Nick sat stunned. It never failed to amaze him on how much Judy looked up to and believed in him. After a lifetime of being told how worthless he was, especially by prey, it really touched him to hear Judy say how wonderful he was. Not in an egotistical way, but in awe and appreciation. Just knowing someone thought he was worthwhile, that he was someone worth knowing, and not just that, but that Judy thought he was good enough to be the father of her kits . . . That was just . . . Nick didn't have words to describe how it made him feel, but his eyes did start to sting.
Meeting Judy's unsure gaze, Nick caressed her cheeks, then leaned down to plant a soft kiss on her lips. Pulling back a few inches, he said softly, "Don't rule out kits just yet."
Judy's eyes widened at what Nick was suggesting, and then she said, "What do you mean?" They were predator and prey—so how could they have kits together?
Booping her nose, Nick explained, "One of Honey's best friends was a geneticist who just happened to be a strange hybrid of her own. The consensus among the genetical world is that mammals as a whole are evolving to not only live together in relative harmony, but to be compatible with one another." Pointing up with his pointer finger, Nick added, "I mean, if a beaver and a porcupine can have a kit together, then why not a fox and bunny?" Seeing a grin spread across Judy's face, Nick said, "Just because it's never happened before doesn't mean we can't be the first, right?"
Judy sat in stunned silence for a minute, then a giggle escaped her. "You're right. Just because it's never been done doesn't mean it can't be done." Sliding her fingers through his cheek fur and then up behind his head, Judy added, "I was told my whole life that I could never be a cop because a rabbit had never been a cop before, and yet here I am."
"Exactly!" Nick agreed. "With us being a fox and rabbit, it might take a few more tries than other couples—but hey, I hear the fun part of having kits is in making them."
Judy giggled again. "Yes, I have heard that saying before." Playing with the fur at the back of his neck, she tilted her head slightly and said, "I think you would make a wonderful father, Nick."
It was Nick's turn to sit stunned, but only for a moment. With ears pricked forward, Nick's instincts and biology both started yammering for him to take his bunny, mark her, mate with her, and then knot her. He ignored them for the most part, but he couldn't help himself as he stole her breath away with the kiss he took from her. They fell back on the bed and Nick felt Judy slide her paws down his chest and belly and then up under his shirt. As her divinely sent fingers slid through his stomach fur and then around to play with the fur at his lower back, Nick growled.
With his tail wagging, he growled again as their tongues danced together, even as Judy moaned into his mouth. Pulling back so they could catch their breath, Nick was struggling to ignore his instincts as Judy's fingers continued running through his fur. He had to remind himself that they had company waiting down in the living room, his mom would be arriving in several hours, and he still had to meet Judy's parents tomorrow.
Trying to distract himself, he said, "You know, it's funny that your instincts are telling you to breed with me, because my instincts are basically telling me the same thing."
Judy tilted her head curiously as she continued breathing in deeply to replenish her dwindling air supply Nick's stolen kiss had caused. Licking her lips as her nose twitched, she asked, "What do you mean?"
Nick shrugged as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. "Well, the reason for our knots—or at least the theory behind them—" he said with the flourish of his paw, "is to ensure our mates become pregnant with our seed." With a flick of his ear, he added, "Why else would a special muscle evolve to lock us to our mates as we continue filling them with our seed?"
Judy licked her lips again while she considered Nick's words. Nick's instincts were telling him to mark and knot her, while her instincts were telling her to breed with him and pass his genes on to her kits. With her nose twitching while thinking of him inside her, Judy whispered, "You know, I'm not in heat, right?"
Nick shrugged again. "It's not winter, either." At Judy's raised brow, he explained, "Winter is fox mating season."
"Oh," Judy murmured. She hadn't spent enough time with foxes to know that winter was their season, but it was good to know—and gave her something to look forward to. She'll definitely have to take time off work once her heat hit in winter because with him in season and her in heat, they probably wouldn't make it out of bed for a day or two . . . or three or four. Just how amorous were foxes when their season hit? And Nick will be in season most of the winter. Maybe she'll need to save all her vacation days for winter. That would be the smartest thing to do.
Nick nodded, saying, "And yet, even though you aren't in your heat cycle and I'm not in my season, our instincts don't seem to care about that, now do they?"
Shaking her head, Judy let her eyes wander down Nick's fit physique while contemplating the idea of . . . breeding. What would their kits look like? And just how many tries—glorious tries—will it take? Judy couldn't believe she was actually contemplating having kits. And with a fox no less! After a lifetime of running from the idea, she was now very much looking forward to the idea. As long as they were Nick's kits she was having. This thought had a bright smile curving her lips.
"But," Nick interrupted her thoughts while raising a finger to say, "as much as I'd love to stay up here and explore this fascinating idea with you," Nick pulled on his ear, "we have two guests waiting for us downstairs."
Judy's eyes widened as her paw flew up to cover her mouth. "What!?" she exclaimed. "I thought everyone left!"
Nick shook his head. "Finnick's still here and," Nick paused. With a flick of his ear and swish of his tail, he finished saying, "Benjamin is too."
Judy's jaw dropped. "Why is he here!?"
"Because I called him to help out with the predators that came." With a grin, he added, "And as payment for his help, I told him he could watch our latest date video with you."
Judy's eyes widened, then she pushed herself up into a sitting position and reached forward to grab Nick's shirt. Pulling him down till their noses nearly touched, she exclaimed, "You made a video of our date!?" At Nick's smug nod, she asked, "How!? What camera did you use?"
Nick's grin showed off his teeth as he said, "Suzie-Q has three built in cameras." He paused and tilted his head, then said, "Well, there's technically 4, but the two middle ones have the same feed." At Judy's ear flick, he explained, "You'll understand once you see the video." Judy gave a soft squeal of anticipation, and Nick reached forward and caressed her cheek, then slid his paw down her ears. "I haven't had a chance to edit any of the videos and combine them yet, so you'll have to do some fast-forwarding to get to the parts you want."
With her tail vibrating excitedly, Judy pulled Nick down for a quick kiss. "So, can I watch it now?"
Nick rubbed his nose against hers, saying, "That's what Benji is waiting for."
Judy nodded, then creased her forehead in thought. "So why is Finnick still here?"
"Because I promise to pick something up for him today." With a cheeky grin, he added, "I'm actually surprised he hasn't interrupted us ye—!"
"Nick!" a deep, booming voice bellowed, "You better not be eating that bunny of yours!"
Nick's ear flicked as he chuckled. "Speak of the devil," he said with another laugh. Standing up, he walked over to a speaker box situated on the wall next to the light switch by the door. Pushing the speaker button, Nick spoke back, "And what if I am? What are you going to do about it?"
"Nick!" Judy giggled, even as Benji's high pitched squeal carried over the speaker causing them both to flinch as the sounds hurt their ears.
When the sound suddenly cut off (Benji must have clamped a paw over his mouth), Nick relaxed and grinned at Judy, even as Finnick hollered back, "You can't eat your bunny until I eat my blackberry cobbler! Now get your fuzzy tail down here and go get it!"
Nick laughed again even as Judy tilted her head. Seeing the question in her eyes as her gaze flicked between him and the call box, he explained, "Badgers are extremely loud when they're mating—lots of growls and snarls—which can easily disturb anyone else trying to sleep in the house, such as any kits. So, when Honey designed the house, she made sure the master bedroom had soundproof walls. But not being able to hear anything going on in the rest of the house isn't smart and can be dangerous if an emergency comes up."
Tapping the call box, he continued, saying, "So Honey had Daphyd install a receiver/speaker system in the house that picks up sounds and relays them here." Glancing at the call box again, he added, "There's a speaker/receiver in the ceiling between the living room and kitchen to pick up sound in those two rooms, there's one in the ceiling at the end of the hall between the bathroom and weight room, then one in the piano room, and one in your room."
"There's a speaker in my room?" Judy asked with a twitch of her ear.
Nick shrugged. "Your room was originally the baby's room, so they had a receiver installed in it, but the volume is turned off." Flicking his ear, he added, "The volume is turned down in the rest of the house so I only hear loud noises—the doorbell, yelling, a pot or pan falling in the kitchen, that sort of thing."
Judy nodded as the fact Nick kept both their bedroom doors open for the last few days now made more sense. And the fact Nick left the receiver off in her room to give her privacy left her feeling warm and fuzzy.
"Yo, Loverboy!" Finnick yelled. "Are you listening to me? Get your fuzzy tail down here NOW!" There was a slight pause, then, "Don't make me come up there!"
Nick laughed again, then pushed the call button, but before he could say anything, Judy spoke up from the bed saying, "Don't worry, Finn, we'll be down in a minute. Nick was simply explaining how the speaker system works." Silence answered them, so they knew whatever the small fennec said in response was said too soft for the speakers to pick up, which meant he was probably grumbling under his breath.
With a shake of his head, Nick stepped back over to the bed and picked Judy up. With a smile, he said, "Come on, I need to get that cobbler for Finnick before he has a conniption fit." Judy laughed even as Nick opened the door and carried her downstairs.
WingedKatt here. Sorry this is late, but I hope you enjoyed this very fluffy chapter. Next time we'll have a lot of humor and little bit of fluff as Amy heads off to Zootopia, Nick meets up with Skye, and Benjamin gets his shot of fluff for the week.
Ch. 75: Winners and Outlandish Ideas, will post in 2 weeks. Take care and be safe. If you have any thoughts or questions, let me know.
