The next month was a whirlwind of patrols, practices, and rotated weekends for the duo. Two weeks of standard weekends and two weekends of longs. Bogo was balancing everything out before the odd month-and-a-half that came from Thanksgiving through New Year's on the timesheets. Thanksgiving week brought a bit of overtime, but not in the usual fashion. The day of the 24th went per the norm, but Michael Wolford and Nick Wilde were called up by Bogo after the dayshift was concluded for an additional tasking. They were needed for an internal surveillance on a seedy predator bar within the Rainforest District. Judy was highly dismayed with not being brought in on the outer surveillance ring, though it was probably for the best.
The operation lasted half the night before one of the "home team" gang had lost their patience with the opposition crew they had sat down to negotiate with. A brawl broke out in the building and the members of Precinct-1 and Rainforest's Precinct-13 busted in to begin making arrests. Drug and weapons trafficking, abductions, illegal goods, poaching… The list went on. The bookings were handled by Precinct-13, but Precinct-1 required that the "lifeblood" of the department be done back at HQ. It took the two canines until just after noon on the 25th to finish the required paperwork before they were released for the day. On his way out of the lockers, Nick was surprised to find that Judy was not on the roster for the dayshift at all, so he headed home as quickly as his tired frame would allow.
Was receiving a little over three-hours of overtime, completed in only three days, worth it? In this particular case, Nick highly doubted it. It would have been worth it if he had been able to complete another two or three-days of standard patrol on top of it. In fact, the todd was fairly pissed about how the whole operation was brought to its conclusion. The ZPD did not arrest every mammal that they had been searching for: either due to the fight breaking out prior to some mammals arrivals or through some quick-witted escaping of a few who were there. Precinct-1 was not short on predators, but they were short on predators who had adequate experience and solid covers. Nick had the street experience but lacked the undercover work experience. This meant that he had a perfectly intact cover assuming the locals had not seen him walking the beat. It was not readily known that he joined the ZPD after the Nighthowler Case's conclusion and the duo's previous high-profile busts were strict in keeping their anonymity safe for future work.
All in all, Nick was a little pissed.
Opening the front door loudly, Nick threw his vest into the closet and released a long sigh. He was glad that Judy had forced him to pack ahead of time because they were going to be getting on the earliest train they could find this afternoon. Pulling out his phone, Nick called for a Zoober to provide transit to the train station.
"Carrots!" He called upstairs. "I hope you're ready."
The todd smiled as he heard the flurry of paws on the hardwood floor before the grey doe's head popped over the railing. Their eyes met and Judy immediately heaved a duffel bag over it to take aim. Nick clapped his paws, and she dropped the ordnance down to the todd before running back to her room. That duffel was slid over to the door and a moment later, his own duffel unceremoniously slammed into the floor behind the todd. Promptly followed by the rapid-fire hammering of paws coming down the stairs. Nick nearly jumped out of his fur at the bag's sudden arrival.
"Damn, Fluff… Go easy on my clothes, why don't you?" Nick ribbed the doe.
"I repacked your bag a bit because it's snowing out there!" Judy said loudly, ignoring the todd as he balked a bit. "I was surprised that I didn't find any dirty magazines while I searched for your cold weather clothes."
"Disregard for personal property and privacy?" He called, watching her speed off for the living room. "And, where was your warrant, Officer Hopps?"
"Didn't need one! The nice todd invited me in!" Judy hollered back.
Nick laughed and shook his head while punching in an order for their train tickets. Judy knew that Nick wasn't clued in on when he would be getting back, so she had refrained from making that purchase herself. Once he was done, he shut the phone off so that nobody from the precinct could get ahold of him. He certainly would not be back until Monday.
Looking up at the sound of paws on the wooden floors again, Nick was surprised to find Judy clutching his personal acoustic guitar to her chest. Her face peered over the body and past the neck of the guitar while she grinned at the todd.
"I'm not worried about your clothes, but we're going to be really careful with Kumiho." Judy said happily.
"Kumiho?" Nick asked curiously.
"You said I could help name your instruments. And, this one is super special to you. I did some research about fox culture in the Asian nations and liked the name." Judy explained, suddenly becoming shy.
Karma, she's the epitome of endearment… He thought fondly.
"Alright… But, why bring her along?" He asked.
"Just in case you start feeling upset or down… You'll be able to do something you really love and feel better." Judy explained, becoming even more embarrassed.
She's going to kill us with sweetness before I can even have any blueberry treats…
The todd smiled warmly and nodded, ushering her over to the door while he picked up the bags. A glint through the window of the door told him that the Zoober was present and that they needed to boogie. The doe gave a joyous hoot at his acceptance of her idea while he locked the door behind them.
"Let's haul carrots!" Judy said firmly, seemingly disgruntled by work as much as Nick was. "How'd the surveillance go, by the way?"
Nick groaned loudly. "I'll just say that I turned my phone off after forwarding you our ticket confirmations." He explained. "How'd you get off your shift, though?"
"Bogo called. He said you were still snout deep in reports and that I wouldn't have a partner for patrol, so he put Clawhauser on parking duty and gave me the day to prepare for the trip." Judy explained as they loaded into the Zoober.
"To the train station, please." Nick indicated before turning back to Judy. "Isn't that sweet, though? I knew Chief Beefcakes had a melty heart of gold."
The ride to the station was quiet as Nick simply could not muster any more energy to hold a conversation. The train ride was going to be a long one. The todd did not anticipate arriving in Bunnyburrow until somewhere around dusk. Unfortunately, Judy seemed to be as tired as he was. With his sensory on edge, his mind was pushing him further and further. Nick would let her sleep, if she would allow it for herself, and he would keep watch in their cabin. Of course, he was not about to sit in the general quarters with all of the other passengers. Half for the sake of the other passengers because he had not managed to shower in his urgency to leave the city and half for their sake because he wanted a defensible position. Nick had never felt this strung out in his life and the Nighthowler exposure was driving his internal protection instincts to their limits.
Once they arrived, the duo embarked on the train for Bunnyburrow. Nick had squared the bill with the Zoober driver and made sure to mentally log the need to leave a review on his services. It was interesting to watch Judy hustle around the train cars to find an empty cabin. The shorter doe hustled inside one of them without looking back and carefully handled the guitar that she had as if it were a bomb being taken to an EOD unit. It was quite unnecessary, to say the least. Anybody could see that the guitar has mileage on it and for good reason. It was meant to be played and that meant there would be wear and tear. Nevertheless, it was a sweet gesture.
Nick set Judy's bag down near the window and laid his in the corner of the seat across from her. He did not know how he was going to stay awake through the trip. Just before taking his seat, Nick discreetly adjusted his concealed sidearm in its holster. It was making his back sore.
"You were all set to go, Fluff. Why didn't stay in bed?" He decided to ask.
"I couldn't sleep…" Judy muttered reluctantly. "I was worried about how the stakeout was going and mad that I wasn't able to go with you."
"Ehh…" Nick groaned a bit. "You didn't miss anything. You'd have had to sit in the surveillance van anyway. The place was pred exclusive."
"What makes you think that you should have gone at all, Nick?" Judy shot back sharply. "You were exhausted at the end of dayshift. And, I don't presently have the synonym to describe what you look like now…"
While surprised as the tone Judy had on her voice, Nick decided to ease the tension a little.
"Devilishly handsome, as usual. Though, I may need a shower…" He chuckled, feeling the train begin to move towards its destination. "Sorry about that, Carrots…"
"Nick! I don't give a fifty-acre cabbage patch that you haven't showered. That doesn't bother me." Judy said, her voice raising.
"All this time off was going to come with a price tag, Carrots." He explained evenly, not letting the heat in her voice get on his nerves. "The Chief pulled a lot of strings and there was no way he could have predicted what exactly was going to happen. I assume that I was brought in so that I could ID any other priority targets that might have been there. I know for a fact that Bogo knew it was risky considering my past. I could have just as easily been ID'd by someone from my past. It was a necessary risk. And, anyway… I kind of feel like it also paid you back a little."
The todd watched Judy the entire time, seeing that she was carefully forming a rebuttal to the whole argument. The hope of that was dashed with his last statement. If it hadn't been a risk to his arm, Nick would have chortled at the blank expression on her face.
"What? Why?" She asked.
"Get some sleep, Fluff. You look tired." Nick said, denying her an explanation.
Judy seemed reluctant, but eventually did find enough comfort to drift off after a while. Outside, the depths of Zootopia melted into the vastness that was the BCL. Beyond City Limits morphed with several inner counties and their respective municipalities. The plains and hills were dotted with intermixed tracts of farmland and forest. The todd had only been outside of the city a couple of times in his life and found the view extremely refreshing to witness. He had wished that it had been earlier in the season of fall, though. It was certainly wild out here.
Most of the leaves had fallen from their respective places in the tree limbs and, eventually, the inner farmland areas disappeared. The forests began to fill with a mixture of pines and oaks. Gently turned leaves of yellow accented the juniper-shades of green, steadily turning to a more olive green with the loss of light. After several dozen more miles, the sun was starting to fade as the snows began to accent the fewer and fewer acres of forest beyond the window. Nick could feel his pupils adjust to the dimming of the light while he watched the light it was fully extinguished. After the forests were diminished from his sight, Nick was broken from the spell of the tranquility.
The todd rubbed his face with his paws before taking a look around the cabin. They were not far from Bunnyburrow now and Nick had missed the trolley of snacks. He was positively famished and fortunately for him, it was overwhelming the need to sleep nicely. There was a bit of mental beratement when he heard Judy's stomach growling nearby.
Looking back out the window, Nick noticed all of the stars in the sky and the steady glow of the rapidly approaching station. He stood up silently and went over to grasp the doe's shoulder gently.
"It's time to wake up now, Fluff. We're about to arrive." The todd said, giving her a gentle squeeze.
The rousing was immediate and came with a sweet yawn. Blinking amethyst eyes found the todd before her and they locked eyes for a moment. Though they had not been separated the entire time, both mammals felt a sense of ease wash over them at the sight of the other. The gazes were equally endearing. After a moment, Nick stood up straight and gathered their bags while listening to Judy take up the guitar. The strings were brushed a couple of times with the movements and the sound of it made Nick smiled a bit.
Not even ten-minutes later, the train stopped at the station and the doors opened to a blustering and flurry-stricken wind. The duo stepped out on the platform and Nick took a look around to see where their party was waiting. Judy could hear better than the todd and took grabbed him by the sleeve to drag him along. The platform was not thoroughly inundated by mammals as Zootopia's nearly always was. There were enough pairs of high rabbit ears to block his vision. A slow flowing of dulled winter jackets in hues of white, black, brown, and gray. Nick noticed that they usually matched the wearer's primary fur color. He was not sure if she had recognized a family member or if she was merely heading to the parking lot.
A buck's approach caught Nick's attention immediately. The duo was flanked from their left-rear as they walked along, and the rabbit fell in line with them at their pace.
"Judy. Nick." The buck greeted them.
"Robby!" Judy replied happily, stopping to give the buck a hug.
"Let's save the proper greetings for home. There's a front bearing down on us." Robby said with a quick smile. "It keeps switching between heavy rains and billowing snows."
"Sounds like something we don't want to be outside for." Nick admitted.
Robby's paw shot out and Nick shook it quickly before they were led to the parking lot, and a truck that seemed to belong either to the business or the buck himself. Once they were loaded up, the buck threw the vehicle in drive and took them out of the dim streets of Bunnyburrow. The windshield wipers squeaked back and forth to clear the wet snow that was falling. It was nearly a 45-minute drive before Nick finally saw the lights of the Hopps Farm. Dim orange hues glared off of randomly placed utility poles across the main yard and brighter hues of yellow and white lights came from the main residence. As best as Nick could tell, the warren was built out of a high group of hills.
Thanks to the lights from the windows across the area, Nick noticed that there were several tall-eared heads peering out at the returning vehicle. The todd could not help but chuckle at how ominous the sight actually looked. Robby parked the truck in the yard and hopped out with Judy hot on his heels. The doe was trying to quickly unload the truck so that she could get inside. The rain was starting to turn to snow and stick to everything in the lateness of the evening, but Nick intercepted her and held the guitar over her head with a smirk.
"Go find your parents, Fluff. I've got this." He said deeply, smiling at how excited she was to be home.
The doe frowned a little as Nick blocked her path to the bags and held the guitar out of her reach, but she did not argue with the todd. Instead, she slowly turned while giving him the stink-eye and darted off. Robby and Nick both laughed together as the todd slinged the guitar across his back and picked up the two bags in each respective paw. The buck offered him a paw, but Nick just shook his head with a grin.
"So, you're Judy's partner, huh?" Robby asked, walking with Nick up to the house.
"Nick Wilde, yeah. Just call me Nick." The todd confirmed.
"I'm Robby Hopps. And, just a heads-up. Grandpa is still kickin' and telling everyone that foxes are made by the Devil." The buck admitted sheepishly.
Nick could not help but laugh. "We can't have been made by the devil, though. Depending on the fox that you ask, we're servants of Karma." He explained. "But, because we are just as much tricksters as we are defenders of the innocent, as well as being vigilantes, I figure I might be able to play a tune to goad the ol' timer."
Nick side-eyed the buck to see Robby balk at the comment. Then, Robby dragged a paw down his face in embarrassment.
"For Serendipity's sake, please, don't do that. It's embarrassing enough to deal with as it is." The buck complained.
"It's sounds like you're in my corner then?" Nick inquired.
"We've all heard what you and Judy have done for each other while working as partners. You're going to find a lot of rabbits here, whom you've never met, that would go to bat for you because of what you've done for her." Robby's voice hardened as he looked up at the todd. "All Judy talked about last holiday season was how you took that round for her. Hell's Bells, Nick. All she does is talk about you and both of your adventures."
"They don't even know me, though. And, for the record, most of that buckshot was intercepted by my vest." Nick said firmly.
"Though, that whole shell wasn't meant for you at all. Was it?" Robby stated.
Nick took a breath to regain himself before shaking his head minutely. "No. It wasn't meant for me… Judy ended up kicking the stuffing out of that boar…" He said softly, thinking back on a raid that nearly went bad the previous year.
The buck smacked him on the shoulder with as much vigor as Judy usually did and it caused the todd to mutter under his breath about the tenacity of some prey. Nick was joking and knew Robby would hear it in his tone.
"It's as I said. Not many mammals would do that for another… I think you'll find the warren far more welcoming than you imagined." Robby said sincerely.
"Judy made mention that it was just to fatten me up for Christmas dinner." The todd joked.
"You'd still be too thin for that, by the looks of it." The buck admonished the thought. "Besides, we'd have Gideon Grey if he wasn't so good at making pies out of our wares."
The two mammals got to the door and Robby led Nick inside. It seemed to be the main door despite leading straight a small room that connected to a kitchen. The smaller room was full of small pairs of boots and hangers with multi-colored jackets hung everywhere. The todd found the footwear odd but there might have been something to it for the kits. Robby shucked his coat and hung it up before turning back to Nick: both mammals could hear the laughter and jovial air of the reunion just beyond the threshold.
"Pass off the bags and hang your coat. I'll see that your stuff is taken to Judy's room for now." Robby said firmly. "Good luck with my parents. I'll tell you, they're extremely kind to all. They have concerns, though. I've heard a bit of why."
"As I knew they would…" Nick acquiesced, passing off the duffels before nodding once. "Off to the judges and the jury for me."
Robby chuckled and walked out as Nick removed his guitar and jacket. Once he hung the jacket up, Nick took the guitar over his shoulder while stepping into the kitchen. He was greeted by the sight of Stewart Hopps swinging Judy around encased in a large hug while Bonnie Hopps looked on with a large smile on her muzzle. Nick quietly laid his guitar on the table so as not to interrupt. When he looked up, he found the matriarch looking at him with a gentler smile. The doe turned to approach the todd. Her paw reached out with a cordial invite and Nick took her smaller paw in his gently.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ma'am. I'm Nicholas Wilde." The todd said with every shred of kindness within his being.
"There is no need to be so formal, Nicholas. Come here." Bonnie ordered, surprising him with a warm hug around his neck. Though, not without dragging him down to her level a bit. "It is so nice to finally meet you."
The todd knew that Bonnie could feel how tense he was. Hell, Nick had almost yelped when the doe latched on to his neck to give him a hug. It was unexpected, to say the least. And, then Bonnie released the todd so that she could take a good look at him. Immediately, the doe tutted at what she saw.
"I'm not certain if it's you who has brought the storm or if you were brought with it, my dear." She admitted grimly, noting the dullness of the todd standing before her.
Nick could feel Bonnie's eyes roam his face: taking in the sight of how his fur lacked a proper sheen, how the todd's eyes sparked with mere embers and not a fire, and how the tiredness etched his face deeper than any canyon on the planet. It was unnerving to know that this matriarch could see right through every bit of him. Karma was whispering on the winds outside and he heard every word.
No Mask, that you have fashioned for yourself by my permission, will hide your emotions, your sorrows, or your soul from this one. You may only lay yourself, with a bare truth, before her.
There was no way that the doe missed the shuddering breath that Nick had lost control of. He had no response for her comment and did not resist her ushering him to the bench at the table. Nick had not noticed that Stu had released his daughter and that the two had approached the table. The patriarch sat down in a chair at the head of the short table and Judy sat next to Nick while Bonnie busied herself with arranging plates of food for them. The younger doe had concern plastered all over her muzzle.
"My apologies, Sir. It's been a long couple of days." Nick apologized to Stewart sincerely, holding out a paw. "I'm Nick Wilde. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"We may not've met properly before, but we know of each other well enough. Call me Stu." The buck said solidly. He was smiling as he shook the todd's paw. "Judy said you had quite a long shift to take care of."
"That, it was." Nick replied with a curt nod. He had not been able to help the fact that his nose was gently sniffing the air for the food in the kitchen. The action was turning his head subconsciously and made the buck laugh.
Bonnie quickly returned with two bowls of food, mixed vegetable stew, and set them down in front of the duo before taking a seat across from Nick and next to her husband. The elder doe's ears were relaxed and laid back against her head as she urged the todd to dig-in with a polite nod. Nick had not been a guest, in such capacity or of such importance, in years and he had forgotten the nuances of it all. The last things that he wanted to do were overstep his bounds or slight the hosts. Judy, on the other paw, held nothing in reserve. She elbowed him with a soft scowl.
"Eat, Slick. And, there's plenty more to have seconds." She said firmly.
The couple watched and laughed at face Nick silently made in response: still deciding that it was best to eat properly so as not to draw the ire of the other doe at the table. Not even his Viking ancestors would be able to save him from a mother-daughter thumping on his noggin. Stu leaned up against the edge of the table while taking off his hat and laying it down. The buck ruffled his head and ears before they shot back up at the ready.
"How was the trip?" Stu asked politely.
"Well, I ended up napping the whole way. I imagine that Nick spent most of his time watching the wilderness." Judy explained.
"We would have come to get you ourselves, but we ended up having to wrangle the kits to get them into bed." Bonnie explained apologetically.
"Well, that just means we'll see the kerfluffle in full force tomorrow morning." Judy said with a laugh.
"Nick will, more likely than not, be overwhelmed primarily." Stu said with a deep laugh before trailing on ominously. "They're all enamored with the idea of a physically fit, mystery fox that may just assist them in their snowball war training. The day is fast approaching when they will face the Farber kits in the snows."
Nick could not help but chuckle despite his mouth being full of food, trying to ignore how intently Bonnie was staring at him from across the neutral territory that was the table. He was not in any danger, or not that he could feel anyway, and he was trying to shake off the feeling that it was odd. It simply wasn't. The motive was made clear as soon as he set his spoon down in the empty bowl. It was immediately whisked away before he could utter anything in urgency. After a moment, it was back before him: filled to the brim with seconds.
"I would pay good money, and be willing to make the cardboard armaments, to see some of them ride Nick into battle against the mighty Farber snow castle." Judy admitted, sending mother and daughter into a fit of giggles at the mental imagery.
The todd did not even try to restrain the rolling of his eyes. It probably would look extremely adorable to see several of the kits brandishing makeshift swords and shields, all while throwing snowballs at the opposition's garrison. Judy would take pictures and, no doubt, they would end up in the breakroom on the notification board. And, of course, Clawhauser would explode from excitement.
"So, Nick. I know it's late, but there are some things we need to clear up. I don't figure that you'll be surprised by this." Stu prefaced the real conversation finally.
"Stewart, you let the todd eat. If I knew him better, I'd have dragged him in by the ear for showing up in such a skinny state." Bonnie admonished her husband firmly.
"Yeah…" Stu groaned, earning him a soft glare from his wife. "But, you'd sit here all night until he finished the pot all by his lonesome because of it."
Before Nick could reply, Judy piped up from next to him. "Dad, it's so late. Can't it wait until tomorrow?" She asked.
Nick, meanwhile, had finished sipping the dregs of the second bowl down. The todd set it on the table just so sharply to force a pause and an understanding that he meant to interject.
"Judy. Your father has some questions that need to be addressed. I explained that this was a foregone conclusion." The todd said, trying not to make his tone too firm.
He watched as the doe's ears fell back slowly. Judy looked at the table and nodded glumly. The Hopps' took that as their cue to become a little more serious in their appearance as they sat up straighter in their chairs. Nick found the feeling to not be unlike that of when he sat before his trauma counselor or Chief Bogo.
"You'll have to forgive me, Nicholas. I'm not sure how to gussy up these questions so that they don't sound so crass." Stu admitted, not without a bit of embarrassment flushing his ears.
"The most invasive of questions cut like a knife, Sir. The honesty, that should always follow any question, hits like a swung sledgehammer in response. And, the two are supposed to compliment each other so." Nick explained deeply, wishing that he had a backboard to relax against.
"We understand that you don't sleep well…" Stu said awkwardly. Karma bless the buck for trying to retain a sense of delicacy.
Nick would not dance around it though. "I have post-trauma induced nightmares from when Bellwether shot me, Mister and Missus Hopps. I take a medication for it. Unfortunately, it doesn't always contain the physical responses to what I see in my dreams. If the nightmare is pervasive enough, I rip the pillows and sheets apart. And, the accompanying sounds are extremely feral." He explained, taking stock of how the food was warming his extremities nicely.
Bonnie had reached out to rest her paw on Stu's while the buck processed the information. There was worry written into every age-line on her muzzle; though, Nick could not be sure if it was for them or him. Judy's was marred by an anxiousness and worry while she looked between her two parents and the todd sitting next to her.
"What's in your nightmares that gets you so worked up?" Stu inquired.
"I fight the savage version of myself from the pit. Sometimes it's to prevent 'him' from harming Judy… More often than that, it's to kill 'him' after…" Nick stumbled, finding the food in his stomach starting to weigh heavy at the thought. He could not finish the sentence. His tail lashed back and forth in frustration behind him. "But, most often… I'm fighting 'his' desire to transform me. To make me feel and see everything that happened again. The feeling is so physical that I wake up and my muscles are on fire as if I was just struck by another pellet."
"It didn't end that way, Nicholas. You didn't harm our kit." Bonnie whispered urgently.
"It's psychological scarring, Ma'am. The docs haven't been able to figure out how to heal that." The todd said softly, looking up a little at the walls behind Judy's parents.
"You said 'again', Nicholas. What do you mean?" Stu asked suddenly, confused by his words.
The question caused Nick to grimace. "Mister Hopps… All of the Primary Nighthowler Casualties were documented to have experienced an extreme mental dissociation after they were struck with the agent in question. It was described, by one of the PCs, as being bound to a chair in a dark room, ten-feet away from a projector screen that is playing a video of what your body is doing on autopilot. Every single PC, including yours truly, was a prisoner in their own minds and had to watch instances, and attempted instances, of violence occur that they could not stop." He whispered the entire explanation, no longer being able to look any of them in the eyes due to the tears in his own.
The Hopps' were kind enough to allow the todd to gather himself so that he did not swallow his tongue while trying to clear the lump in his throat. Once he was centered again, we noticed that Judy's parents were on edge. Noses twitching. He shot a glance at Judy to see her very obviously blinking at him. It he had not felt so bad emotion, he probably would have laughed at her attempt to be discreet. A second later, his eyes began to ache from the constriction in his pupils and he wiped his face down to ease the feeling.
"I apologize. That also happens sometimes. It's something that I'll have to live with for the rest of my life." Nick said quickly.
"From the Howlers?" Bonnie asked.
"Yes." The todd confirmed, turning to a little humor. "Any extreme elevation in emotion causes it, as far as the doctors have been able to tell me. It's just a permanent side-effect. It might make the snowball war with the Farber kits a little bit of a short, dull affair."
"Yeeeah…" Stewart chuckled awkwardly. "Maybe we shouldn't do that. The sheriff would be out here so fast."
That made Nick chuckle loudly in embarrassment. He would love to join in with the kits as long as he knew they would not be frightened by the sight of his eyes. The occasional transition spooked a lot of adults.
"Anyway. Judy explained a bit about the noise and your concerns about what happens at night. We couldn't have you sleeping in the barn. So, the lads and I got to looking at the schematics of the warren and found that Judy's room was originally built in the initial perimeter of the structure. It meant that we were able to shift some of her stuff around and dig through the back wall to build a custom room. It had a proper door that can only be accessed through her room and we soundproofed it." Stu explained, pulling out a piece of paper to show them all the construction blueprint for the work.
The todd was in shock at the dedication to kindness that the Hopps family was showing him. Quite frankly, he would have been glad to repay the kindness of simply being allowed to come out by sleeping under the truck in the yard. They had allowed him spans of time to be many miles away from the city and that meant the world to Nick. Judy was positively beaming at her parents now.
"If I find out that you went to sleep in the barn, I'll whack you with my rolling pin, Nicholas. Don't tempt me." Bonnie said firmly, pointing a fuzzy paw at the room he was allowed.
"Sir. Ma'am. There was no need to go to such lengths." He replied seriously, feeling his ears pin back.
"Oh, hogwash. It only took, like, two-hours to put together. It didn't even dent the supplies that we keep on hand to expand the warren when we have new litters. The room is fully furnished even, thanks to our boy Fredrick. He's a mean carpenter." Stu boasted before nudging his wife with a grin. "The supplies have to be kept close at paw. After all, Judy's favorite parents are still as randy as ever."
"Sweet carrots, dad! Don't tell us things like that!" Judy blurted out, blushing like crazy while trying to cover Nick's ears roughly. "Don't listen to them, Slick."
"Anyway. Judy, go get him set up. Get some sleep. We'll reconvene in the morning for breakfast, right here, after tonight's lessons are complete." Stu said with a chuckle.
Nick groaned out a laugh, unable to restrain teasing Judy a little, while her parents took to their paws and began to head out.
"Multiplication lessons, I presume, Sir?" The todd asked with a barely restrained giggle.
"Aye! You're catching on, son!" Stu said jovially, hooking Bonnie around the waist and ignoring the back-pawed slap to the shoulder as she laughed at their daughter. The poor doe was tugging at her ears now.
"Nick!" Judy whined. "Don't egg him on!"
"Good night, you two. Don't stay up too late now." Bonnie called, following her husband out of the kitchen.
The duo listened to Judy's parents retreat down the hall, quietly teasing each other about the upcoming nighttime activities, while the doe glared at the chuckling fox. Nick took one of the bottles of water from the center of the table, near a beautiful arrangement of flowers held within a vase, before taking his medication swiftly.
"Come on, dumb fox. Now that you've thoroughly embarrassed me, it's time that you went to bed. I know you didn't sleep on the train." Judy said, standing up from the bench and waiting on Nick collect his guitar.
"In my defense, your father started it." Nick grinned.
"Well, at least you and the kits will get along swimmingly. You act like one, after all." Judy teased.
Nick made no reply as Judy led them down the halls of the warren. They were lit just so, not that Nick needed it. His night vision showed him beautiful colors on the walls and simple decorations. There were intricate pieces of wood furniture set about in rooms adjacent to the main hall. It tickled a curiosity in the todd. The rabbits of the house were adept in many things, in all likelihood, and it made him wonder if they produced all of the sets themselves. It would have required timber, which would have likely been cut from the forest to also make way for additional farmland. It made him think about the blueberries. The harvest was probably over, but Lion Christ, he wanted some blueberries.
The corridor led to a spiral staircase and led further into the depths of the warren. After six cycles, Judy stepped into another hall as Nick watched the staircase lead much further below. The process was simple enough really. He'd easily be able to find his way back on his own if necessary. Judy stopped at the T-intersection and motioned both ways with her paws. In front of them was a split shower hall entrance.
"Level-Six houses the I- and J-Halls with the latter being on the right. At the end of each hall are unisex bathrooms. The showers and baths are here, which are also unisex." Judy explained before grinning teasingly. "All these years at the Springs will have prepared you."
"You act as if the sight of an endless sea of bunny butts would bother me, Fluff." Nick fired back.
Judy laughed before leading him down J-Hall without further delay. Twelve doors down and on the "back wall" of the hallway, they arrived at a door with the doe's name on it. Well, on a nice ornate plaque centered prominently. The todd was distracted by the idea of taking a shower before laying down to sleep. Unfortunately, the medicine was taking a toll on him already.
There was a bit of surprise written on Nick's face at the sight of Judy's room. He had not expected near as much of a little doe's touch by way of the hues of purple and sparkly things. Bookshelves were stuffed with kind stories and fairytales while a desk sat in a corner of the room covered in knick-knacks and small plushies. The bed was adorned with a green and blue comforter to mimic that of the forests and the skies above. Two pillows sat at the headboard with even more little bunny plushies surrounding them. There were recruiting posters from the Department and of the pop-sensation Gazelle, some colored string-lights around the upper edges of the room, and an odd flag hung off of the door to what Nick assumed was the closet.
Surely enough, there was also a freshly placed door at the back of the room and in front of it was both of their bags. Nick approached the door with a bit of trepidation: he had never spent time in a residence below ground. Not in a warren, or a burrow, nor in a den before. His room seemed and sounded like a kind-of dungeon. The todd turned the doorknob and stepped inside to find a very quaint room within. It was vibrant in greens and browns to put the mind at ease if the underground bothered the mammal. Nick's focus on the room was interrupted by Judy's sudden poking of the todd's shoulder.
"Are you coming to tuck me in, Carrots?" Nick teased.
"Move your fluffy tail, Slick. My parents clobbered a hole in my wall, and I want to see what they made. It's been a long time since I've seen construction inside the warren like this." Judy said eagerly.
The todd laughed, letting the doe inside while arranging his duffle near the foot of the dresser. The guitar was placed against it in the corner, as well. He would unload his clothes later but took a moment to remove his sidearm and unload it before placing it in the topmost drawer of the dresser itself. What had not gone unnoticed was that there were deadbolt locks on the door itself: offering both internal and external configurations if needed. He just needed to find a key. Nick would feel comfortable with leaving his weapon stored if he was able to lock everything up: as opposed to carrying it around until a suitable place was found for it during his stay. It was a logistical issue that he needed to address with Stu in the morning.
"It's certainly above and beyond." Nick commented, looking around as he removed a fresh shirt and his bathroom bag from his duffle. "It was certainly not the lengths that I would have ever thought someone would go to for me."
Judy spun around, near to the end of the bed, and grinned widely. "My parents are awesome, huh? I mean, look at this room!" She stated excitedly.
"You'll have to tell me what they might like for Christmas, as well." The todd mentioned, his gaze and paw running over the carved details of the dresser. "I'm going to grab a quick shower, Carrots. Can you find the key to the door, please? We need to be able to keep my sidearm secure in here."
"I'll take care of it, Nick. Go get cleaned up, ok?" Judy said. "And, if I'm asleep, lock the main door when you come back."
The todd felt her eyes roam his figure for a split second before meeting his gaze. A small grin formed while she suddenly became shy from being caught. Of course, the little devils in his head were making a ruckus about potentially being sought after by Judy.
The exit out of the room was without a sound while his tail followed along, flicking in a gentle alertness due to the dimness within the hall. It was curious to Nick that there were no bunnies out and about in the main house. The hour was still fairly early, the harvest was likely over, and Nick's only guess was that most of the kits from the upper halls were of the Hopps' eldest litters. So, most of them may have had their own warrens nearby, lived elsewhere entirely, or were off to college.
Or… they've been traveling back and got in earlier, Nick thought to himself.
A hung curtain stood at the passage to the wash areas. It reminded Nick of some of the old European and Japanese styles for the bathhouses. More simplicity for more mammals, possibly. Nick followed the signs to the shower hall, grabbing a towel off of a rack and taking note of all important information in the area. Where the laundry belonged, the cupboards that had relevant fur-wash necessities, a row of fur-dryers, and even lockers for personal property. Once he found a shower that was of the appropriate height, Nick stripped down and took his shower quickly. He was curious to see what kind of bath setup the place had, but that would wait until he had the time to soak.
The whole ordeal was mechanically handled. Nick could feel his mind fighting back against the medication in an effort to keep awake. Once he threw on his new t-shirt, Nick recalled that he had forgotten to stow his brush in the bathroom bag. The mirror showed that his neck fur was jutting out from under the collar. It was winter and his first with a desired partner on his mind. It was the most "ready" for the season that the todd had ever looked. To those who knew canine physiology, it would be blatantly obvious that Nick was pining after someone. Ignoring the way he looked in the mirror, Nick took up his toothbrush and finished what he needed to do at the sinks. Finally, he took a leak and headed back to the room.
Nothing was out of the ordinary in the hallway again. No chittering of chatter from Hopps clan-members and no doors oddly left open from a wayward resident. Judy's door was still slightly ajar, as he had left it, so Nick slipped inside and closed it behind him. The door was locked to keep others from bothering the pair when the sun rose. Nick imagined that there would be a horde of kits that would have bombarded the poor doe with 'good mornings' and questions if they left it open.
Nick was not surprised to find that Judy had laid down and fallen asleep from the exhaustion of the past days. She had been a whirlwind of emotion and preparation for the holiday journey: nearly driving him up the wall several times as she harped on the todd's packing habits. Nick's paws had halted their drive to his own bed. The doe had a sheen of sweat on her pretty face. He looked around for a moment before smiling a little.
The todd quietly collected all of the little rabbit plushies and arranged them around the doe's upper torso until she blended in seamlessly. If one did not pay close attention, they would not even notice there was a sleeping bunny in the pile of plushies. Once his task was complete, Nick pulled the comforter over her to keep her adequately warmed. Leaning over, he placed a tender kiss on her forward before slipping away to his room. He changed into his sleeping shorts and removed his shirt before curling up into his own bed. Moments later, he was fast asleep.