The Bullpen briefing had passed the todd by on Monday. After being designated for the daily patrol in Sahara Squad, Nick had been summoned to the Chief's office for a status report. He had to report that there was no definitive update to his condition over the weekend. The todd did not have to report a change in his residency as that was a clerical change to be made with Mammal Resources. Bogo's decision to put him standard patrols for a half week was a surprise. The buffalo wanted to see how Nick did on normal patrols before giving him a bit more time off. The move was decided under the guise of allowing another patrol more time in the field at the end of the week. The plan ended up changing when Wolford did not make it on Wednesday. Nick was subsequently sent home at noon and Judy was placed with Fangmeyer for the remainder of the shift.
Overall, the week had not gone quite as Nick had thought it would. The two days of patrol were plagued by a lack of sleep for him. He was due for another consultation on Sunday, so the todd was efficaciously taking notes in a ledger that he had. The ledger was filled with pages and pages of unfinished lyrical endeavors, so a couple of pages here and there could be used for medical purposes. Nick had to admit that he was not really cut out for song writing, but the nagging feeling to do so regardless forced his paw.
Nick had returned home, made lunch, and took up his usual electric guitar to begin practicing. The hours had burned by him while he listened to the sound of the guitar through the headset that was jacked into the body of the guitar. Nick felt the groan he let out, as opposed to hearing it, upon striking the wrong string.
Unfortunately, tomorrow's set had to be pushed back, He thought to himself.
Pulling the headset away, the todd quickly plugged in his amplifier and set the distortions accordingly. He could hear the music in his headset, but Nick needed to feel like he was surrounded by the sound, so he turned up the volume slightly louder than what was probably wise. Judy was not home, but that did not mean he wouldn't potentially anger a neighbor. He actually wished that Randy was there to back him up on the guitars. The bobcat loved playing support for Pawtera's Floods as much as Nick loved doing the solo and outro pieces.
[Solo / Outro - watch?v=KPOSEf-5W-w]
While stepping back from the amp, he brought his paw through on a slow slide-down of the neck before opening up with the G8. The sound instantly screamed throughout the room and it caused Nick to grin to himself. He had never been able to play with an amp in his old apartment.
But, someone's definitely going to be calling the cops…
The worry did not stay his paws, though. Closing his eyes, Nick's left paw held the notes is proper fashion while the right brought a sailing pick through the strings. Now, Nick could feel the music. The wailing of the strings through the amp caused his loose clothing to vibrate against his fur as he made his way through the crescendo. Letting the sound wane into the outro portion, Nick was so deep into it that he could hear the sound of thunder and heavy rain that had been on the original track.
After extending the outro for a bit, Nick stilled the strings while letting out a breath that he had been holding. He imagined that if he had grown up playing video games in his youth that he would have played the ballad during crucial boss fights that might have struck a chord with him. So, he continued the trend of parting-ways music by tuning up Black Label Society's Farewell Ballad.
[Guitar Solo - watch?v=soYrn1IfeBo]
Again, he closed his eyes. Nick's fingers and pick had to worked harder to keep up with the faster, but more mellow tune that was in his head. It was a piece that, if he ever dared to, Nick wanted to play at his father's resting site. The todd had never been able to give his father a proper send-off in his own way. The graveyard was almost always busy with mammals paying their respects to loved ones and Nick had never wanted to impose with such a display. He also never felt that an acoustic would convey the necessary emotion: so, Nick continued to hold off.
The distraction of his thoughts had brought him to the end of the solo cleanly and the todd decided that he had probably pissed the neighbors off enough. Quietly, he unplugged the guitar and hung it up on the wall. When Nick turned around to grab his amp, he found Judy leaned up against the living room entryway with a grin on her face. She was wearing her plain clothes: having changed in the department locker rooms. While Nick's mind was not too badly startled, but his fur stood on end regardless.
"I knew the cops would show up." Nick said awkwardly.
"Sir. I'm here because the department received a noise complaint." Judy snarked.
"Shit."
Judy laughed shortly. "Don't worry, Slick. It's after five and I couldn't hear anything until I got to the door anyway." She explained with a smile, setting her bag down as she came in properly. "The neighbors did just get home and they complimented you, though. They said the first song was quite a bit louder and didn't get a chance to hear the second."
"Double shit." He muttered with a shrug.
Setting the amp down near the corner, Nick began rolling up the cords and put them away as well. The todd had not seen or met the neighbors yet due to their work schedules, but he imagined that it would eventually be rectified soon. In the meantime, Nick did in fact notice that the darkness was catching the city rather quickly as he made his way into the kitchen to join the doe.
"How'd it go today?" Nick inquired.
Judy giggled at that. "Fangmeyer was moping about Wolford being away. Other than that, it was a quiet day of patrol. What about for you, lazy bum?" Judy asked, washing her paws in the sink.
"A little perturbed that I got sidelined." Nick explained with a sigh.
After all the time spent with the department, Nick had grown accustomed to a steady structure in day-to-day activities. Suddenly having a portion of the day off, without prior planning for that time, tended to bother him.
"I have a couple of reports to write for Bogo by Friday, but I'll do them tomorrow." He continued. They included an official medical evaluation and traffic stop summary from the past Monday. He spotted the odd look that Judy was going him over the edge of the fridge door. "Sorry, Fluff. A couple of the guys had to take up additional shifts. We're tentatively looking at Saturday, at this point, for the next practice."
The sly todd watched as Judy's mouth morphed between a small frown and a small grin. Her emotions were slowly swinging on a pendulum, end-to-end, and having been a grifter for so long, Nick could tell that there was a plot in the works. Unfortunately for Judy, Nick had been on edge for far too long to simply let her play it off. The topic would not escape him as his ears went alert just a moment before he spoke.
"And, just what is it that has your mind a-putterin', Fluff?" He asked pointedly, taking on the air of a suspicious glare being directed the doe's way.
It worked like a charm. Nick could even tell that the doe's tail was more likely than not whirling around above her derriere. He expected to see her become embarrassed or perturbed by the thought of sharing, but that did not seem to be the case.
"Does that mean that you'll be able to play more while I'm here?" She asked smally.
"I will be able to, yes. I need to rest now, though. It's been a long day..." Nick said kindly, though his smile was waning. "I wasn't expecting to get yanked off of duty."
Nick lost sight of the doe for a moment, amidst the sound of pattering paws, and was struck in the side by a collided gray fluffball. Judy had run around the table to hug him vigorously, rubbing her face back and forth against his shirt. Having grown quite used to the differences in lapine culture, Nick returned the kindness while rubbing her head fondly.
"Sorry, Fluff. I'm just feeling off today."
Judy looked up from his shirt with a soft look. "You haven't been sleeping, have you?" She spoke. It sounded more like a statement than a question.
"Only a pawful each night since the other day." Nick admitted, unlatching the bunny so that he could start preparing dinner.
"Your eyes give you away, Slick." Judy chuckled a bit.
The todd smiled with a shrug, working on ingredients for a stew while listening to Judy rustle around near the table. She was probably unloading her utility belt on the hat-rack. Nick knew that she was right. There were only a couple proper ways to see that a red fox was in a bad way. There were several factors around the eye-sockets that would give it away. That was not seen first, though. Most mammals noticed a fox on their last legs, either psychologically or physically, through the condition of their fur and even more specifically how their tails were kept.
"My eyes? Or, just my face?" He wondered aloud.
And, with a flop, Judy's ears fell in the way so that Nick could only view small portions of her white facial accents. Once the bunny brushed those soft gray ears away, Judy could be seen very clearly. The amethyst-color in her eyes was hardened in the light from the room.
"Your face, I guess. You don't let other people read you like I can. These days, you always have this glint like you're distracted. And, you get these rings around your eyes that darken as the day progresses." The doe explained.
Nick pulled his phone out and took a picture of himself. The information was not misleading and so he pocketed his phone as easily as pickpocketing someone. He was surprised by how dark they had looked despite the brightness within the kitchen and he continued making dinner regardless.
"You just open the Book of Nick to look at the pictures, don't you?" He said with a wise chuckle.
Judy promptly walked over and boxed him in the arm firmly. Nick retaliated by flicking a little of the stew at her with a grin. He had decided to refrain from withholding food from the doe despite her tomfoolery.
"Who else is going to keep an eye on you, though?" Judy asked happily.
"As my partner, you're kind of obligated." Nick said with a grin, sweeping a thumb along his jaw until he gave her a thumbs-up.
"Of course, I would watch you back, dumb fox. And, not just because you're my partner on the force." Judy commented confidently. "But, I've been meaning to ask you. We're rolling into the holidays soon. Do you celebrate things like Halloween and Thanksgiving in your culture?"
The inquiry caught Nick off-guard a bit because Judy had always returned to Bunnyburrow for the Christmas season and they had worked the Halloweens and Thanksgivings. Nick had done what he could for those two, but it was pretty limited due to the hours.
"I guess, I used to choose a random place to visit for Halloweens. Being too old to participate, I explored how other species did it. It's a pretty big deal in some other fox-specific locals outside of the city, though. But, I didn't do much for Thanksgiving. It was a thing at the Big residence, but outside of that time under his employ, I didn't have anybody to celebrate it with. Same with Christmas really." Nick explained, thinking back, while he began cooking the stew.
He caught the look of sadness on her face from the corner of his eye. Nick had to guess that she expected the answer to be just that. In an instant, that changed. The doe became excited with whatever it was that she was planning.
"So, then, you'll take me with you for Halloween. We'll celebrate Thanksgiving together here in the new house! And, then, you'll accompany me to Bunnyburrow for Christmas!" Judy exclaimed, growing more excited by the moment.
"Well, it depends on work, of course. And, if your parents' consent to having the 'big bad fox' in the Burrow." Nick said with a chuckle, using a wooden spoon to stir the pot. It was a plain potato stew that he was thinking about adding chicken to once Judy had already her share.
"We have the time saved up, so even if we don't get Halloween and Thanksgiving off, we'll take a little extra time off for Christmas and New Year's. My mother and father have been saying they've been meaning to properly meet you, seeing as they didn't get a good opportunity at the concert back then. So, you're coming along. And, I'll deal with Bogo." Judy said, fist pumping into the air dramatically.
Nick laughed it off before he began to ladle the finished product into a couple of bowls. The todd decided that it was not going to have chicken for him tonight, so he settled on the potato stew. It would not be long before he headed to bed.
"I certainly wish you luck with taming Buffalo Butt, Carrots." He mentioned, passing her a bowl and a spoon.
"Oooh! What is this?" Judy asked, looking at the food.
"Potato soup. Simple, for good for the winter months. I'll make a much larger batch later on if you like it. And, we can mix whatever into it. I usually add chicken to it, but I don't think you'd like that all that much." Nick explained.
The duo began to chow down, Nick noticing that Judy seemed to be ecstatic about the taste and texture of the potatoes and broth. The doe finished quickly and leaned over the table to ladle more of the food into her booth, nearly twice as much as what Nick had originally given her. Noticing that the todd was watching her with a raised brow, Judy shot him a big grin and a thumbs-up. A few moments of silence past before Nick's phone went off, giving an alert to a text message. He thumbed it open and found Wolford's message.
"Turn on the news. Bogo's giving a conference with the mayor."
Nick reached over the table to grab the remote for the kitchen's small television and turned it to the local ZNN channel. Surprised by the todd's sudden actions, Judy turned to watch and they both found the Chief at the podium within Precinct-1. The scrolling ticker at the bottom read: "Chief of Police to give update on Nighthowler findings". Nick's eyes widened a little from the surprise. There had been no notice to the department that such an event was taking place, after all. With Judy at rapt attention, Nick had to use the remote to part her ears so that he could see better, as she was sitting between him and the television. He then pulled his phone up to fire off a text to Dave, knowing that wolf would want to see it.
"Here it is…" Nick muttered.
The buffalo had affixed his glasses firmly on the bridge of his nose before looking up from the stack of papers on the lectern. The mayor was standing nearby and slightly behind Bogo: a large black jaguar wearing a rather sharp suit. It caused Nick to wrack his brain to remember the fellow's name.
"Ladies and gentlemammals, I'd first like to thank you all for meeting with us at this late of an hour. Mayor Dwayne Silas has joined me this evening to share with you all an update on the findings regarding the Nighthowler Serum. To preface this, I will mention that there will be no questions taken at this time. So, let's begin," Bogo said firmly, the weight of his tough words hammering home the final comment solidly.
"It has been brought to our attention, within the last several months, that there were developments in the research of the Nighthowler Serum. We have kept this information from the public to further the necessary tests so as to confirm the data that had originally been found. Our scientists, in conjunction with personnel from Zootopian General, have confirmed that all encounters with Midnicampum holicithias will produce some degree of what is referred to as a 'savage' nature." Bogo paused to let it sink in, though Nick knew that he was going to reiterate as if he was using crayons on paper for the illiterates. "Let me repeat that. There is not a mammal standing before me that is exempt from those rules. Predators were specifically chosen for the purpose of sowing distrust within the people of Zootopia. Former Mayor Bellwether's group were counting on the fear and the bigotry to accomplish whatever sick, endgame that they had planned. But, there is not one prey mammal here that would have escaped the wrath of one of those pellets. Not even me."
Nick shook his head as the auditorium devolved into pandemonium from the Chief's words. Dozens of prey mammals were shouting in angry disbelief, challenging and screaming questions at the large water buffalo. Not even the scowl, which had always silenced the bullpen, was working on the press. The todd was sure that Bogo was about to lose his cool when the Mayor patted him on the shoulder to take the reins. Once the jaguar had stepped up to the lectern, the crowd quieted down.
"I need everyone here and watching on television to understand this." Silas spoke harshly, raising a paw to silence the crowd fully. "As you all likely remember, it is forbidden to test on living subjects – even if they are a volunteer to the program – in the city of Zootopia. That meant that an untold number of hours had to be expended, by many mammals, to confirm the information that originally brought on the suspicion. Since that time, I worked paw-in-paw with the Zootopian Bureau of Investigation to seek out similar cases from outside counties. Everyone worked diligently to ensure a solid report was given to you all when the time came and it was my decision, and with my position, which made sure that it was kept from you until that time had arrived."
Black-socked paws brought Nick to bear before moving him over to the cabinet where his medication was stored. There was a sense of relief that the news had finally been made public by both the Chief and the new mayor. That feeling brought forth a desire and demand to sleep. It was the first time in a long time that Nick felt like sleep would be a good thing. He was not even worried about the threat of the darkness in the moment.
Nick swallowed down some water with the pill before setting the glass in the sink. He would take care of the dishes later. The lid went on the pot and the stove was turned off fully before he walked past Judy; gently ruffling her ears as he went by. She had been paying extreme attention to the report on the television and had not noticed the todd puttering about.
"Good night, Carrots. I'll see you after your shift." He said quietly, padding off into the darkness of the hallway.
...
Nick greeted the morning rays of sun with a scowl as he drank his morning coffee. He had not been able to get to sleep until near midnight and woke up not long after Judy left for work. The only thing that was good about this particular morning was the warmth that the sun brought. It did not cut through the sense of dread that being awake that early always carried. The living room television was blaring out a recap of the past night's press conference: only offering speculations for a number of points. The only restful bit of information was that the press conference had been given in the first place. It put the idea that the Chief and the new mayor might have been in on a future plot to rest. If any mammal was involved in something yet to happen, it would be one of the underlings to the investigation.
But, that's all a conspiracy theory, Nick thought.
He continued to glare out at the horizon, through the window, with ears pinned back in discomfort. Nick did not usually push himself to face the sun like this and his eyes were taking the brunt of the painful effects. The coffee did smell nice, though. He knew that it would be enough to fuel him until he ate. After downing the cup and putting on his jacket, Nick took to the streets. In the due course of time, he found himself sitting at a booth within Kendra's Coffee again. Making sure to alert the staff with the bell properly this time, of course.
Angela must have noticed that Nick was not in the mood to chat because the vixen quietly took his order and left him to his thoughts. The todd did not know for sure but was confident that they had played the recording - that Judy had made that night - on the news. It had to have been the case due to the look on the young lady's face. The networks had never done Nick the courtesy of omitting the first five-minutes of his savage state. The earliest of reports could still be found on Ewetube, featuring all seventeen-minutes of the post-shooting audio in its entirety. After Nick had awoken, he ended up finding it by accident while surfing the web late at night. It had been the first time that he had broken down that badly since his father's funeral.
Turning his focus to the sun again, Nick closed his eyes tightly and did his best to tune out Judy's screaming and his own guttural sounds from that night. They were bad enough in his nightmares. He did not want to think about that recording while he was awake. A sudden gust of air brought his eyes back up to find that the coffee he had ordered was sitting at the table and so to was Dave Mingan.
"You look like shit, Dave." Nick said with a lopsided grin.
"Look who's talking… You look like you got about as much sleep as I did." The wolf replied coolly.
"Rory's going to be pissed you didn't bring her along to her favorite diner." The todd commented, looking around to see a lack of Dave's partner in their presence.
"She had the morning shift," Dave nodded. "Kind of like your little gal, huh?"
With a humored shake of his head, Nick grunted into his coffee. Angela brought over another coffee while eyeing the wolf closely, no doubt recognizing the familiar face as easily as Nick's. It was absolutely the worst way to be recognized in the city; and, worse for the wolf comparatively. The one difference between Dave's case, versus the other Nighthowler victims, was that he was one of only two of those victims who ended up killing another mammal in their savage state. Nick had not reminded Judy of those two mammals, not knowing how to explain it to her that Dave had been one of them. She did not seem to recollect that information and Nick knew that it would cause an issue later. But, it was not his place to be the reminder. The two predators gave Angela their breakfast order and waited for the vixen to reenter the back room.
"The doc called me in over the weekend. Said they wanted to put me on a new medication to run some data points." Dave explained.
The todd chuckled a bit. "They needed a second set of data points, then?" He implied, knowing what was going on.
Dave nodded and spoke again. "They said you finally came around to asking about the meds, so I figured I wouldn't let you do it alone." The wolf took up his larger cup of coffee and drank from it slowly.
"How's it going for you?" The todd inquired simply.
"Less dreams, but it's been rough on the sleep pattern."
It was Nick's turn to visually confirm this time. "Same." He muttered into the coffee. "Ended up getting another long weekend out of it, for what it was worth."
"Yeah. I don't imagine last night helped either…" Dave explained, grunting as he rolled his shoulders to loosen the muscles.
"I didn't watch it all. I knew it would turn into a fucking ostrich wrangle." Nick chuckled.
The wolf laughed lightly at that. "Randy implied much of the same when he called me. I figure he'd be the one to know…" He commented.
Nick looked up at the wolf for a moment. "How are the pack politics going?" The todd questioned, changing the topic.
"I imagine that they have a lot to talk about at the council meeting today." Dave said with another laugh.
"And, Rory?"
The grin on the wolf's face grew sheepish as he began reminiscing about the past nights. Dave caught on to the fact that Nick's eyes flicked from him to the back room before returning; deciding to remain quiet until their food was laid before them on the table. The marble fox quietly laid everything out, including the additional condiments and topping off their coffees, before retreating again. There were things that Angela did not need to be involved in and the two larger predators were thankful for the silence from her.
"She's got a way to get me out of my head." Dave commented simply, tucking into his food.
"A whet-stone on a broad-sword, huh?" Nick countered lewdly.
Dave began coughing and hacking at the comment, clearing his windpipe while shaking his head fiercely. Nick took that time to grin while munching on some of his crispy turkey strips.
"You're fucking disgusting, brother." Dave said, finally able to laugh it off.
Nick gave a heavy shrug of disagreement while he swallowed some more coffee. "I'm just happy to know that the new Mingan pack will be prosperous with such a dedicated swords-mammal at the helm." He laughed out loud. "You better make sure that I get an invite to the wedding, mind you."
Dave was rolling by that point, wiping tears from the corners of his eyes.
"We'll see how the council feels about this arrangement of ours. But, if it happens… Will you be bringing a special somebody as your plus-one? I imagine that Rory would arrange it so that yours would catch the bouquet." He countered pointedly.
Nick did not even stifle the scoff that came out. "You're assuming that she'd have me." He said.
The wolf smiled at the statement, which surprised Nick a little bit, before he began tapping the bridge of his long nose.
"If I have any information to go by, I'd say that she's already got a hold of you." He said with a deep chuckle. "You smell like a fluffle of one has just laid on you."
"My tail's been abducted a couple of times." Nick admitted.
Of course, Nick was nose-blind to Judy's scent and it made him shake his head with a grin. Once their plates were clean, they were stacked at the head of the table and the coffees were drunk in silence. Dave checked a message on his phone for a moment before looking back up and rubbing his face.
"Are we still good for Saturday?" Nick asked.
"So far. I think John's been really busy with work." Dave replied before standing up, throwing down a bit of money on the table. "I'll keep you apprised if I hear anything."
"Just give me a call. Take care, Dave." The todd waved prior to dropping the remainder of a bill down with a tip.
...
Across the city, to the north, Judy wielded a radar gun in the Meadowlands for senior Officer Fangmeyer. It was not often that the doe rode shotgun in a patrol vehicle to take care of the logistical nature of their duties. That was usually a certain russet fox's job due to her seniority. It was getting later in the day and luckily all of the Zootopian citizens had been on their best behavior. Unfortunately, that meant a boring one overall for Judy Hopps. It was as Nick had always stated. If there was not a high-profile case in the works, the doe was bored out of her mind. It meant that the day's usual patrols were spent as speed traps.
"So…" As with Judy's boredom, so too came Officer Diana Fangmeyer's. Along with the tigress's needling. "Did the fair, foxy ancestor of the Sherwood Great kick you out of his fluffy bed recently?"
"Diane…" Judy responded sweetly, fluffing the leaves of a rather large carrot from her lunch. "I will give you a matching pair of nostril jewelry, in the form of large carrots, if you don't stop this line of interrogation."
The large tigress grinned over the steering wheel, still waiting for a blatant violation of the traffic laws. "Oh, dear Hopps, I was merely denoting the fact that there were a couple of specific days that a specific scent had spiked on you. But, alas, not the scent of post-coital bliss." Diane said with a growling chuckle.
The doe's paw deftly flipped the carrot around and threw it like a javelin at the tigress's muzzle. The carrot struck true and caused a yowl as the patrol vehicle rocked on its spring assembly. Diane looked over with a stern glare as Judy grinned, still staring out the windshield resolutely.
"I don't want to hear a thing from a mammal that can't even pick up one of Gazelle's backup dancers because the scent of a certain wolf lingers all over her own form." Judy said sharply. "Especially when the air of this vehicle has a tinge of wanton desire at the mere mention of that other mammal."
Diane simply chuffed, re-draping her upper torso on the steering wheel with a smile. "At least you're starting to fit in around here, carrot farmer." She joked.
"Of course, I'm fitting in, Miss Stripes. After all… I had to create a better intelligence network than what was even capable at the Department's Rumor Mill." Judy said with a gleeful laugh. "In case I ever had to fuel it myself…"
The look on Diane's face was priceless. The promise, not a threat, of certain secrets being leaked to Clawhauser was something that the tigress had never anticipated Judy of being willing to do. And, secrets? What did the doe know of, within Precinct-1, that had even escaped the Gossipmonger himself?
But, that means she's confirmed her own desire… Right? Nadine thought quietly.
"Are you sure you aren't related to Jack Savage, Judy?" The tigress chuckled uncomfortably.
"Who's to say that his caricature isn't of me?" The doe asked sweetly, almost beginning to cackle maniacally.
Judy was content on letting her temporary partner mull the thought over for about ten-minutes. The radar gun continued to beep in the same boring fashion that it had all day; indicating that nothing was out of the norm on the roadway.
"Can we talk about this off the record then?" Diane asked, breaking the quiet of the vehicle with a hopeful air.
So, she's still curious, Judy thought with an internal laugh.
"As long as you keep it in mind that the betting rosters will be updated appropriately if it's not." Judy said, looking over at the striped cat with a grin. The doe thought she saw a shiver course through the tiger's body. Though, it was for not, Judy would never say anything about another mammal's personal life.
"Did… did you make a move yet, Judy?" Diane inquired tentatively.
"No," Judy responded softly, raising an upturned paw placatingly. "We're two different species of mammals. Very different. There's a lot to learn and it will probably take some time."
With an annoyed, waved paw, Diane spoke up. The tigress even sounded upset. "Or… You could say something like, 'To the mulch patch with that idea', and just wing it. It would be way more spontaneous like that. And, what happened to the headstrong, go-getter Judy Hopps?"
"You mean the one that's repeatedly used your fluffy tail as a jump-rope in the ring?" The doe questioned sweetly.
The remainder of the shift went uneventful with the only two redeemers being that Diane had decided to leave Judy be after the threat of a fluffy butt-kicking and that there was only the minimal amount of paperwork required for reporting purposes. As a result, it did not leave the doe a lot of time to process the news from the night before or attempt to figure out if any of it needed to be discussed with Nick. But, she assumed by his response that he would not want to talk about it at all. Most likely because it was technically over.
If the issue isn't dead, it will come around again later, I guess. Judy thought, frowning a little. Please, Serendipity, let it be over.
"Please. Let him rest." She whispered before opening the front door to the house.
In the din of the falling sun and through the drawn drapes, Judy found Nick laid out on the couch fast asleep. She had known that he had not slept long the night before despite not having seen him prior leaving for work. Judy quietly set down her bag while watching the todd on the couch. Oddly enough, the Council was extremely quiet while she took in the sight. One thing that Judy knew of foxes was sleeping habits.
The sun accentuated the cream fur along the todd's throat and made the orange seemingly glow against the darker green of the couch. Judy was worried because Nick was not curled in the usual "donut" that she swore indicated comfort for the todd. He was laid out on his side while his paws and ears twitched randomly. As Judy approached the edge of the couch, the sound of Nick's thrumming heartbeat made it to her ears. Aside from that and his breathing, he was not growling or whining, but it was obvious that he was somewhere he did not want to be. Judy could not help but wish that he had been shirtless.
The doe quietly took her duty belt off before unclasping her individual body armor. Once those pieces were off, she unbuttoned her service shirt and removed that. Because the IBA was so constrictive, Judy had ditched wearing a normal bra for a full added layer by way of wearing a standard ZPD training shirt under the button-down work shirt. After her pockets were emptied, Judy crawled up into Nick's reach. On the table, Judy had noticed that there were several forms, Nick's laptop, and a leather-bound journal with some stationary materials. He had been working before falling asleep. As soon as the todd's mind had queued up the knowledge that his partner was there, he began to curl around her. The doe took the time to carefully nudge him backwards so that none of his lower torso would threaten to spill off the edge.
Judy smiled as she heard Nick huff in annoyance of being moved around, but the sleeping todd complied with the prodding, nonetheless. After several minutes of waiting, Judy was fully encased within the donut. Nick's head was wrapped around her back so that his snout was underneath her ears. With her head propped up, Judy was able to mess around on her phone while the tip of the todd's tail – which was draped over her legs – flicked at a slower pace against her shoulder. The doe made sure to lower the volume on her phone and silence the ringer so that nothing would rudely awaken Nick while she surfed the internet.
It was still really early in the evening and a curiosity if Nick had already taken his prescription made its way into Judy's mind. If so, exhaustion might have forced his paw into attempting to sleep regardless of the hour. In Judy's case, she was not tired. There was nothing to be tired from, for her, during such a boring day of patrol. Nick would have been exhausted from running his maw telling jokes all day.
Judy laid back against Nick's soft fur, becoming bored with the random news bits all over the Zoogle homepage. The ever-changing and darkening environment outside was far more interesting than the phone. This effort did not stop the phone from vibrating loudly in her lap: startling the doe due to the need to stay quiet. Trying not to jostle around too much, she grabbed the phone and held it up to minimize the surface area that the phone could make sound against. Her mother was calling. To Judy's dismay twice-over, a low chuckle was felt in Nick's chest.
"Is' your parents, Fluff." The todd huffed out through a yawn. "You can answer here, too. It won't bother me. Just don't scare the pellets out of them…"
Judy opened her mouth to argue as Nick unfurled a bit, moving his tail away, while not even cracking an eye. He was easing her access to an exit if she decided to move at all and emphasizing that she should take the call at the same time. The todd knew that the doe had missed their weekly call the week prior: probably because of her sleuthing. Presently… Judy was comfy, so she hit the voice-call only before putting the phone to her ear.
"Hi, mom." She said quietly, watching as Nick's tail came back within range and covered her legs again.
"Good evening, sweetie. I hope I'm not bothering you this evening. I know you were busy last week and all." Her mother said sweetly. "Your father is still out in the fields, so it's just me."
"Not at all. I don't have the lights on is all, so I apologize about a videocall." Judy passed off a white lie with ease. "Nick fell asleep on the couch nearby, so I have to be quiet."
She had hoped that her mother would not ask about that, but there was no such luck. As soon as Judy heard her mother's sigh over the line, the doe began to fiddle with her ear in embarrassment. Nick was a gentlemammal, but there was no way he could ignore the conversation due to the proximity to his head. And, Judy knew there was no such luck in him being asleep again.
"You mentioned you were on a mission to figure out what he was doing. Did you figure it out? Is he alright, Judy?" Bonnie inquired worriedly.
"I…" Judy began, blushing a little. She did not want to air his private life like this. How much that had already been shared in the past about her investigation was bad enough. But, the todd already knew that she could not and dared not outright lie to her parents. "I figured out what he was doing and why. Nick was sneaking off to play guitar with some predators. Sort off… In an effort to combat nightmares that he'd been having."
"About the museum?" Bonnie asked with a sad tone.
Judy tugged at her ear again. "Yes, mom." She said.
"How bad is it, darling?" Bonnie asked, growing resolute.
"He goes back to the pit nearly every night, mom." Judy said quietly, starting to feel the emotions surfacing again.
"What do you mean? His consciousness was there for that?" Her mother asked, trying to wrap her mind around the statement.
"Yes. I was the most important mammal in the world to him, back then, and the worst fears played against him. The worst-case scenarios, which never happened, are… made real when he dreams." Judy nodded absent-mindedly before rambling on. "I didn't realize that it had been occurring since he woke up. Not until recently, anyway… He needs a break. I wanted to ask if I could bring him home for Christmas, mom. We've got all this PTO saved up. I need to talk to the Chief about it first, though."
The line was quiet for a moment and the doe knew that her mother was processing all of it. Bonnie was no doubt thinking about how bad the museum could have gone. That worried Judy a little. Another moment passed with a hum from the other end.
"Take care of it with your boss and get as much time as you can, sweetheart. I will organize it with your father." Bonnie said firmly. "And, don't take no for an answer from Nick. You've always described him as stubborn."
"I won't, mom," Judy chuckled softly, relieved that it would not be an issue. "He had to find a new place to live, so I made him move into a new place with me."
Despite the surprised squeak that Judy heard, Bonnie's voice remained firm.
"I take it that this was very recent." Her mother commented.
"Yeah. He was going to leave as a 'favor' to the landlord… The nightmares weren't quiet affairs… He was more concerned about what it was costing her as opposed to what it would cost him." Judy muttered.
The doe nearly started as she felt Nick's nose huff against the back of her next in a quiet admonishment. The todd's body could be felt on startup mode. He was not getting back to sleep at this rate. It was probably for the better. Judy wanted to make sure that he was able to sleep comfortably and the couch was not the place to do that.
"You drag him by his tie like you always do, Judy. I'm going to let you go. I'm going to call you back in two-days. You'll have the time for me by then, right?" Her mother said softly.
Judy smiled a bit at that, listening to Nick chuckle while his joints began to pop from his stretching out.
"I will. I love you, mom." Judy replied happily
"I love you, too. Give my best to Nick. Good night." Bonnie said with an equally happy fervor before hanging up the phone.
Judy sat up to put her phone down on the table, listening as Nick he began stretching his shoulders. There was a low growl from the todd as his joints creaked and popped. The doe could not help her ears as they swiveled to listen to the sound. It was not like that of what she heard at the museum. It was kind of… tantalizing to hear.
"So, your mother taught you well. She taught you the tie thing." Nick whispered with a chuckle.
Judy laughed, turning her head to find Nick resting his head on his paws. He was watching her with a lazy and tired grin.
"I learned that on the fly. I had a wise and sly teacher." Judy said, sticking her tongue out at the todd.
"Well, your mother sounds like a very decent mammal. It will be a pleasure to meet your parents properly." Nick complimented softly. "There are things that will need to be explained to them."
"Are you worried?" Judy asked seriously.
"They'll be worried. And, that warrants some concern, yes." The todd said, frowning a bit.
Judy reached out and brushed a paw along Nick's snout reassuringly. It was not often that worry would roll off of Nick like drops of rain flowing over his fur. Even less often that it was even seen in the first place. Judy had told her mother no lies: the doe was the most important mammal in Nick's life. To expand on that and to go way beyond his old rules, Nick would sacrifice everything on his end for her. That's how much she meant to him, it seemed. And, that meant so much to Judy despite that depth not being necessary.
"My parents have heard every case that ended up going sideways. Every time I saved your butt. And, every time you saved mine. You have nothing to be worried about because you're welcome. They consider you family." Judy explained firmly. "Now, I need to get cleaned up. Go take your prescription, if you haven't, and get in bed. I know you didn't sleep well last night."
"How would you know that?" Nick chuckled.
"You're not as sneaky as you used to be around me, Slick." She giggled. "All those 'midnight snacks' that you go for."
"Stalker much?" Nick snipped with a grin.
Judy stuck her tongue out again, noting that Nick became distracted by the sight with flickering eyes momentarily. Stalking away from the living room, the doe proceeded to head for the bathroom. A quick shower and a change of clothes later, Judy wandered back downstairs for a quick snack. Dinner was a foregone issue for the night. Nick had probably eaten, and she would seek out a proper breakfast prior work in the morning. She gathered up a couple of baby carrots in a bowl before heading back upstairs to tuck in for the evening.
Yeah… You want to go curl up with a certain fox's tail, the Rebel noted. And, it was true. He's clearly interested.
At the top of the stairs, she looked at the partially opened door to Nick's room. The light was still on inside. The desire to go to him was so strong within her. The doe looked on for another moment but turned to head to her bedroom silently.