She's so afraid to kiss,
And so afraid to laugh.
Is she running from her past?
She's so afraid of love,
And so afraid of hate,
But, it's only life…
Afraid – Aaron Lewis (Mötley Crüe Cover)
It was going to be a long night.
Bonnie Hopps stood at the kitchen window while she regarded the snows outside of the warren. Her mind was racked with concerns of the blustering storm that had laid itself over the Tri-Burrows. It was the evening of her daughter's arrival, brought back by a dully-lit fox of waning orange and black hues. The matriarch was rightly concerned by the fact that the two mammals had stated that they would be driving in despite the distance and the oppressive weather.
There was nothing to be overly worried about.
If neither of them believed that Nicholas Wilde could get them to Bunnyburrow safely, they would have spoken up about the travel arrangements. Even Bonnie knew that Nick was skilled in his abilities and that he would bring her daughter home safely.
Bonnie Hopps was internally fractured at the thought of their overall conditions. It had not taken long for the Zootopian news networks to distribute the imagery of the far-off pair after the discovery of the murders. The footage had not been scrubbed for sensitivities sake until hours later and it had sent both of the Hopps parents into a tizzy. It had been one of the hardest decisions to make not to call their daughter after receiving that kind of information.
A decision entirely based on the look that had been on Judy's muzzle while talking to her superiors outside of the crime scene. It was so apparent that the young doe had followed the todd into the house and witnessed what he had ended up losing his lunch over. The fear had ended up mixing with rage for the two of them. It was absolutely abhorrent to show such imagery of law enforcement in such a broken state: to such a degree that was usually reserved for foreign journalists who wrote stories about far-off wars for National Geographic among other agencies. This was not the same thing, though.
There was nothing that the couple could do about it, though. It had been too late as soon as the images hit the airwaves.
Dinner was wrapped up – as it had always been – for the Hopps Family and even the eldest of the siblings had disseminated when it was obvious that it was going to be a late night for their mother. Bonnie ended up ordering the dishes to be left for her personally, after the fact. That effort did not burn enough time, though. In the end, she had spent much more time looking out the windows before even deciding to put on a bit of tea for herself and a couple of the most resolute daughters who had decided that they could not sleep either.
Several hours later, Bonnie stood with the remaining two does as she spotted headlights way out in the distance. There was no helping the pang of relief that she felt as the same pair of lights eventually pulled into the driveway outside.
...
Nick was laid out on the couch within the living room of the main warren. It was not that late at night, but he was positively exhausted from the drive in. The drive itself had been a welcome distraction as his eyes randomly searched around the todd while his mind played back all the sights that they had seen rolling through the farmland. Unfortunately, every time Nick blinked, he would see flashes of the dead kits that he had found within the momentary darkness. If the todd thought about that too much, his mind would conjure the phantom scent of the blood.
It was a shame that the duo had arrived so late that they missed dinner. Bonnie had waited up for them, of course, saving both Nick and Judy a bit of food after giving them tight hugs in greeting. They both had to have looked like Hell to the matriarch. Worn-out, down to their souls. Both of the does had long since gone to bed. And, despite the hour, there were still several teenaged kits up and about. Fortunately, they were happy to see him again and were kind enough to keep to themselves while he rested his aching back. Though, the major reason would have been because they had seen the reports.
The drive had not been as fun as Nick had originally pictured it due to the circumstances. The drive out was partially diminished by the previous fall and the longer stretch belonged to the snows. The final couple of county roads had brought a tiny grin to his face when the todd was forced to engage the four-wheel drive for the last stretch of the trip. It was a rare occurrence, but Nick loved to run his truck off the pavement when he could.
Emotions swirled towards that of concern as Nick's thoughts turned to Judy. The doe had been sleeping even less over the last pawful of days. Both of them had become a little reclusive from one another so that they could sort out their feelings on the matter. It was not the time to be bold... nor comforting. Both of them needed to wrap their heads around what had been encountered for themselves. So, Nick had simply stayed awake during the nights: mostly down on the first floor to meticulously tune his guitars. The two had shared more hugs in the mornings and evenings, but that had not dulled the pain in his heart listening to her cry late at night.
A slight bit of movement brought Nick's eyes up to a familiar tan muzzle standing in front of him. It was one of the bucks who was a part of Robby's main group that had been sent out to protect him. That had already felt like a lifetime ago...
"Hey, Red."
"Able!" Nick said, eyes finally focusing properly.
"It's good to see ya. Though… I never thought you could look worse than the last time I saw ya." The buck said softly.
Able was an interesting Hopps, to say the least. The tan buck always said exactly what was on his mind about how things and situations were personally perceived. To a more emotional mammal, that statement would have been viewed as extremely rude and inconsiderate. His way of thinking and speaking his mind would have been described as indiscriminate. While this was only the third time that they had spoken to each other; the todd enjoyed Able's company as much as he enjoyed Robby's. The latter buck attempted to be more mysterious on occasions and the former just did not have time for it. Both personalities were welcome to Nick.
"I'd tell you to get some sleep, but I heard what happened…" Able said with a sigh. "I'm sorry about that, Nick."
"There's nothing for you to apologize for. You didn't do it and I'm the one that had the misfortune of finding the scene." Nick admitted.
"Then, fight it… Tell the demons to fuck off so you can sleep." The buck commented sagely, giving off a shrug with the offered advice.
"I must really look bad then." The todd muttered.
"Like you're about to give up the ghost." Able said with a nod. "But, also like you wish to tune the guitar to your own death."
That brought a laugh to Nick's muzzle. He had not been able to play anything since discovering the Beijars and the desire had been welling up in small, short bursts over the previous two-days. He was simply too busy and, subsequently, too tired to entertain them.
"I'm not ready to sing the chorus of my death song yet, friend." Nick said quietly, taking a look around to make sure there weren't any prying ears.
Able grinned widely. "Then, you better get to bed. The kits put everyone on notice. Members of the Hopps Warren have formed a Coalition and decided that you will be the target of a mid-morning offensive." The buck explained.
The wide smile was matched by Nick as he stood up slowly. "I guess I'll just have to sleep then. It's good to see you again, friend. I'll catch up with you tomorrow." Nick said.
"Probably not tomorrow, no. So, don't die in the meantime, Red." Able replied, throwing a Shaka out with a deft paw before walking off. "I'll take care of your bags. Don't busy yourself with them now… You'll make too much noise."
Nick was semi-reluctant to simply leave all of his stuff in the middle of the living room but made no verbal argument at the retreating buck. Once a moment had passed, the todd dug through his duffle to find the nearly empty bottle of Prazosin. The odd plastic-tinted, orange bottle was illuminated by the nearby lamplight as he hooked the handle of his guitar case in the other paw to leave the living room. It had been awhile since he began the program, and while the doctors had only requested to up the dosage once, Nick knew that the drug did not work perfectly for him.
Stewart and Bonnie Hopps had created a paradise in their familial warren. At least, that was the way Nick saw it. The dull lights acted as the midnight accents within the hallways. There was an ever-present hum of hushed chatter from within the various rooms all throughout the warren. The warmth of the interior air was comforting instead of suffocating. It was as if the warren was alive in its own right, but Nick knew that without all of the family with it, there was nothing. The Hopps mates would never understand how grateful the todd fox was for the hospitality. It was the first time in two decades that Nick had felt like he was in a safe place. The closest to how his home had been before his father's murder.
Even Judy's door seemed so warm and welcoming despite the dull lighting and Nick's enhanced eyesight. It would have been polite to knock, but he did not want to do that in case she had managed to fall asleep. So, the todd deftly and quietly opened the door. Slinking in quickly before shutting off the offending light-source, slipping in from the outside, by closing the door.
"Nick?" Judy called out loudly from within.
"It's me," Nick sighed, keeping his eyes diverted from her bed. "I would've knocked, but I didn't want to wake you."
Judy ignored the polite sentiment entirely. "Where have you been?"
"Living room." The todd responded.
"Why didn't you come to bed?" The doe asked angrily.
More likely than not… under any other circumstance, Nick would have swallowed his tongue at the connotation of such a statement. Instead, he set the guitar down against the wall near the entryway so that he could take one of his pills. It was the first time he had taken one since the incident. Nick had never been trapped so deeply in one of his dreams that he could not do something to wake up. But, there was a fear of what might happen if he took them now. They weren't perfect and then there was the issue of dependency.
The todd's thoughts were derailed when he heard and saw Judy rustling around in the dark to find the switch on the lamp, snapping it on and nearly blinding them both.
"I kind of just stayed where I was until I realized how late it was… After that, I just didn't want to disturb you, in case you were already asleep." Nick explained, blinking away the harshness of the light. He was having a tougher go of it than the doe naturally.
When the todd could finally see, he noticed that Judy did not look as if she had slept at all: instead, she seemed more concerned about his whereabouts comparatively. She also seemed to be able to figure out that he had not chosen to deal with any of his other bags. Nick could feel every bit of the scrutiny that he was under while attempting to keep his eyes on the doe's high-held ear-tips and not on the damnable spaghetti-strap top which was revealing and concealing an equal amount of "very little."
"You should have come in and hung out with me, dumb fox." Judy mumbled sourly.
"Would you like for me to do that now?" He wondered quietly.
"I would never turn down an opportunity to curl up under your tail." Judy said, trying to roll some humor into the conversation.
Nick smiled a little. "Well, I did have some information to glean from you…" He said honestly.
"Well, get comfy and get over here." Judy said, smiling as she patted the bed near her. The comforter slid down further as the doe leaned up, showing more of her spaghetti-strap shirt-clad stomach.
There were clear moments of time in Nick's life where amazing things would happen to the todd. Those times were always accentuated with the knowledge that his tail was waving behind him. And, this, was one of those times. It was entirely different from just being happy in-the-moment… Due to the fact that those times had only ever held notoriety based on the knowledge of a wagging tail, after the fact.
Natural emotions welled up inside of the todd from hearing the doe's words. There were so many things that he wanted to tell Judy about how special she was. About how happy she made Nick over the course of all of their time together. He chose to only smile a bit as he stripped off his shirt and crawl into the bed next to the love of his life.
"And, the pants, dumb fox. I know you get too hot to sleep in them." Judy mentioned with a semi-constructed politeness.
Nick began to chuckle awkwardly, not slowing his movements to lay down. "Yeah…"
Judy pushed her fuzzy digits into his chest before he could even drop into a side-roll to lay down properly. Nick had nearly made it to the wall so that he could do just that and rest his spine while they talked.
"I… nearly made us late for work this morning, Fluff…" Nick explained while rolling his eyes.
"You didn't!" The doe gasped with a laugh, thinking that she had figured it out by the look on her muzzle.
Nick watched as Judy's ears slowly darkened with additional blood-flow and he was forced to resolutely ignore the gentle, but heady scent – gracing the duo's immediate vicinity. There was no way that the smell would have been lost on the todd. The good thing was that Judy never really took notice of it when she was inadvertently broadcasting her natural signals. It made deflecting easier for Nick over the years.
"The Chief said, a long time ago, that if I made us late again it would mean desk duty. I couldn't find that specific article of clothing, so it seemed wise to forego it at the time…" Nick explained, implying that he was, in fact, not wearing any boxers.
"So, go get some and change, Slick." Judy giggled softly.
"Honestly, my bag is still in the living room and I'm not going back up there… This will have to suffice." The todd mumbled.
"I see." She replied.
"I will admit that my tail is still unimpeded. So, there is that…" Nick chuckled, rolling sideways along her digits so that he could fall onto the mattress properly.
The todd fox took up his position along the wall so that he could prop himself up on an elbow. Once Nick was comfortable, he brought his tail around and draped it over top of the comforter that Judy was laying underneath. As soon as the fluffy appendage was laid down, he watched as Judy absentmindedly and primly lay her paws down on top of the body of his tail. There was no helping how it made him feel, the elevation in his heart-rate from the sensation, or how it made his hackles rise for all the right reasons.
"So, how does Christmas work here?" Nick asked quietly, considering Judy's face. "I mean, what kind of festivities occur for the holiday?"
"Well," Judy began, smiling softly in the lamplight. "We kind of have a Christmas Eve party every year. Family and friends show up to exchange gifts before heading out in the evening. And, there's a holiday dance held in the dining hall. You'll see how decorated everything is in the morning. Mom makes the first of the two big dinners for everybody and then there's a present opening for those who live far away and can't usually come around. I think that you'll have a great time, Slick."
"A dance? That's different." Nick mentioned with a hum. "I must confess that I didn't get anybody anything, though."
"Yeah! And, there's nothing to worry about! You can't buy presents for everyone and the little ones love you so much that they'll be happy with you just being here. Especially Marcy." Judy giggled.
Nick nodded softly. "I don't think any of them will ever realize just how much I appreciate the hospitality, Carrots. I have surmised, thus far, that I can only try to emphasize the sentiment – regarding those feelings – to you." He replied, admitting what he had been thinking earlier. "I am eternally grateful for the endearing nature of your family."
The doe's paws conveyed the stiffening of her body under the covers before she even had a chance to release a surprised breath. Those same paws might have been a little painful being wrapped around his tail for a moment, but that was alright. His point had been understood. After the doe had regained her bearings, she ended up hugging his tail tightly.
"They will always understand that, Nick. Even if it's only subliminal." Judy responded reassuringly, but her face became red after a moment. "I… Uh… I got you a present for Christmas. You seemed like you were planning to do the same, so I did, too."
"I know. And, I did purchase something for you…" Nick replied with a soft smile.
Nick felt the rise in her chest through the sensitivity of his tail as Judy gave off a quiet huff. Technically speaking, he had not exactly hidden the ulterior motive of purchasing a Christmas present for her previously. The doe would have suspected something going on from all the secretive activity regardless. And, subsequently, Judy would have matched the paw-laden pair with an equally worthy set of cards of her own. There was a rush in the thought of what she might have gotten him for Christmas, after all. A present from someone he already adored and respected? He only hoped that his idea stood up as solidly.
"So, can you dance, Slick? I imagine that someone will ask." Judy implied teasingly.
"Is there a live band?" Nick countered, his smile growing into a toothy grin.
"There will be."
"Well, I think I'm going to pay off the drummer so that I can avoid such embarrassment, Carrots." The todd said sagely. "I learned how to play instruments in my youth, after all."
"You don't know how to dance?" Judy asked in surprise.
"I know how to slow dance adequately… But, if the hall starts jumping and jiving, I'm going to be in serious trouble." The todd laughed quietly.
The back of Judy's left paw smacked into his chest as she began to laugh herself.
"Stop it, Nick. You're not that old and this isn't the Fifties." The doe admonished Nick.
"On the contrary, Fluffbutt. I'm not all that far from rocking on the porch next to your Paw-Paw so I can yell at the young whippersnappers and catch a sun-drenched nap." Nick said, lolling his head back to begin a mock notion of loudly snoring. The act immediately turned to laughter when she boxed him in the shoulder twice.
"You're not that old, dumb fox!" Judy said pointedly, trying not to laugh with him.
"I'll get there one of these days." Nick said with a yawn, pushing himself up onto his right paw. "Anyway, it's about time I hit the sack…"
Judy sat up suddenly as her paws gathered his tail up to her chest. The look on her muzzle struck him as slightly panicked in nature and drew the movements to a stop. The todd began to assess every bit of Judy due to her stock-straight manner. Her ears were back and down, eyes diverted towards the orange fluffiness that was brushing up against her cheek, and the doe's body was fidgeting under the covers.
"Don't go. Please, Nick." She begged. Tears had begun to fill her eyes. "The nightmares…"
The energy that Nick had gathered into his shoulders to move dissipated so suddenly that he dropped back onto his elbow. There had been a slowly evolving understanding that the doe would not talk about things openly unless they were alone in the eve's settings. Puzzles pieces continued to fall into place that Judy never had anybody to really talk to about all of the high-pressure events that she had been through. Nick had heard that Bogo previously had not been pleased with the lack of information that she had been sharing with the department's shrink. If she wasn't sharing with anybody, then she would go through Hell trying to deal with it on her own.
But, that much pressure. It would slowly crack and crush the mask.
"You know I'll stay. If that's what you want, Judy." Nick said quietly.
Her head ducked down low, trying to hide any further embarrassment from the todd even though Nick could see everything that was going on.
"Will you do the thing?" Nick heard her ask, squeaking badly.
"The thing, Carrots?"
"I don't know what foxes call it!" Her voice rose higher in the pitch. "The thing you do when you curl up into a ball..."
Instinctively, Nick leaned in to press his snout against the side of her head gently. For him, mentally, it was a blur of emotions that drove his body into action. He could see the flare of her fur as he released a breath. With a duck of his head, Nick worked his way between Judy's body and the pillow. Hooking under her right arm and over her legs until he was fully curled around on her left side. Her worry had driven his protectiveness, in the moment, even as the sheets well to the wayside.
"Parents do this for their kits when they're really young. Foxes don't usually see this sentiment conveyed in the same way after we turn ten or so." He explained.
"I know I'm not a fox, but it makes me feel better." Judy replied worriedly. "Does that make me weird?"
"Not to me, Judy," He replied. "Not to me."
"Can I get comfy?" She asked.
Nick snorted and rolled off the center of his ribcage, turning towards the right so that he was properly laying on his side before raising up his left forearm. As soon as the opening was presented, Judy tucked sideways and up under his throat. Her hindpaws withdrew off his thigh and the newly-made space allowed Nick to curl up a little tighter into his sleeping posture.
"Nick?" The doe asked, muffled from the fur that she was being screened by.
"Yes, Carrots?" He replied tiredly.
"Is this alright with you? With me not being a fox, I mean…" Judy wondered.
"Can you keep a secret, Miss Hopps?" Nick inquired. The words were slurred by the lack of a desire to properly raise his muzzle to open his maw for pronunciations.
"Of course!" She squeaked loudly, jostling him with her movements.
A silently prayer was sent up to Karma as Nick rolled his eyes towards the ceiling. "You are the only grown mammal that's ever earned the right to be this close to me. And, I love spending moments like this with you." He growled softly.
Despite the heavy screen of his fur, Nick could feel the doe begin to knead at his collarbone with her paws. The sound of her chirring was the real defining fact that she was happy with the response. It would stop each time Judy would hesitantly decide to ask him a question.
"Does it bother your instincts?"
"Yes…" He said, releasing a chuckle that was more physical than of a manifested tone. "It confuses the existing hardwiring."
"Can you do the other thing?"
"What other thing?" Nick said incredulously, hiking his head back as his ears pinned. The fur on his tail immediately stood on end.
"Can you do the purring thing that you do?"
"Lion Christ, Judy…" Nick said loudly, trying to settle back in around the doe. "You had me thinking that I grew tentacles in my sleep…"
Once the nerves had dissipated, Nick began to huff the purrs out from his nostrils while answering some of the more random, kittish questions that Judy came up with. It was a tiring fight against the medication to ensure that she fell asleep prior to him, but it was not in vain. Eventually, the giggly doe latched onto the fur along his chest, while her hindpaws curled higher on his stomach, and she fell asleep.
His head laid back down comfortably before shutting his eyes, as well.
...
To say that the kits were excited to the duo would have been an understatement. As soon as a portion of the fluffle locked onto Nick, he laughed and ran at them before they could attack. They all squealed with glee and bowled him over despite the fact that he was far heavier of an adversary. Laughter filled the entirety of the living room while Nick began to growl playfully, haphazardly scooping up armfuls of "hostile" kits as they swarmed him. He could see that he was faring better than Judy nearby. She had been completely swamped and she was on her own.
If Nick had ever thought that the warren had been busy before, the Christmas holiday had put it all to shame. All of the kits were out of school for the holiday break and the place held a plethora of fresh muzzles whom the todd had never seen. Fortunately, the kits who had met him had already told the ones, who had not, about the "playful fox" that "Judy the Super Officer" had brought out during the previous holiday. They were all having a blast while their parents went about their business or conversations as if nothing odd was taking place. Nick could not deny that the trust made him feel warm and fuzzy inside.
The day was spent following the kits around, for the most part, letting little Danelle lead the charge on the exploration of the rooms that he had never been. They were joyously giving him a tour of the area. It had been funny when several of the kits began to egg him on in regards of allowing them to ride him around the warren so that they could all ambush Judy. Nick had to turn them all down for the meantime. It would be many years before any of them understood the concept of sore extremities, after all.
Christmas decorations were hung everywhere. In some of the most absurdly high spots, no less. The whole Hopps Warren was adorably countrified with all of the Christmas cheer. And, it held a rambunctious load of bunnies who had not been able to play outside in months. Furthermore, the entirety of the bunny population within the hills was not exclusive to family. There were a lot of teenaged bunnies, who had different scent profiles from the Hopps family, wandering around the warren. Many, who were partnered up with quite a few different Hopps', leaving pheromone trails that could gag a maggot.
All the things that I never needed to know about bunnies other than Judy, Nick mentally muttered.
You wanted to know that about her, though, Hope teased back.
While there was no way that Nick would simply be able to sneak away from anybody. Who knew that being the tallest and reddest mammal in the warren would have some sort of detrimental effect when it came to slinking around, after all?
Eventually, Nick caught on to a scent that was as thoroughly weaved into his mind as Judy's was. There were a lot of odd looks given, in response, when Nick began to purposefully sneak around the rooms of the Main Hill. The older bunnies knew the scene of a scenting predator and Nick knew enough to put on an endearing muzzle – not that that was hard to do – for a mask. The funny thing was… It wasn't a mask, at all. He was not hunting, and he was not lying.
Falling onto all fours was what finally dissuaded the older kits from trying to keep up with the todd. Not a single bunny, in the immediate area to the third kitchen, made a sound as Nick stalked his way through the crowds. No doubt, they were concerned by the way Nick had decided to move his body, but those concerns were completely ignored. The todd had spotted a very distinct little bunny, who would probably have loved to see him, and he was more than happy to see the doe.
Derek and Vera Hopps were sitting across the table from their daughter, Marcy, and it was the buck that first noticed the odd movements beyond where their kit was sitting on the table. Nick locked eyes with the buck and smiled kindly, giving him a wink before trotting over to the table. The little kit was completely enthralled with the coloring that she was doing and noticed nothing out of the ordinary. Derek began to wiggle with barely contained laughter just before Nick ducked even lower against the edge of the table. Once he was properly at the edge, the todd pinned his ears back and raised his head just enough to be able to peer over it. He was taking cues from all of the alligators that he had seen in his life. A brief snap of his eyes caught Vera raising her paws over an O-shaped muzzle. He had surprised her, no doubt, but the way the parents held their ears, at a high-fold, let him know that everything was alright with the two. So, Nick raised his snout a little higher and exhaled sharply through his nostrils.
The todd could not have lied to a soul about the response that he received. The tiny doe immediately raised her crayon into the air and began angrily gabbing at whoever it was that was bothering her. Nick almost fell over laughing at the cordialness of the response and Derek looked like he was about to cry from having to hold in his own laughter; the buck's ears were so flushed that they looked tantamount to catching flame from the hilarity of the scene. Catching his breath, Nick huffed with a little more force this time.
This time, Derek busted out laughing. Little Marcy wheeled around as she took aim with the Crayon that was in her paw: meaning to beam the individual who was bothering her with it. Nick had hidden his snout so that the top of his head could be seen. The tiny doe blinked for a moment in surprise and Nick raised an ear to wiggle it back and forth in greeting.
Marcy jumped onto all four paws, chittering and pointing with her favored forepaw between her parents and the fox. Head and ears thrashing back and forth, all the while. To any mammal, who did not know their previous history, it would have looked like the kit was warning of a threat. Fortunately, all the nearby parties were paying attention to the fact that the father was laughing his cottontail off, and the mother was just as equally giggling her head off, at the sight of the reunion. Unfortunately, the latter was able to keep it together. Vera had a phone in her paw and was likely taking pictures. Ignoring the older doe, Nick took the opportunity to raise himself up onto the bench opposite of the family so that he could lay his head on folded paws.
When the kit looked back at him, she blinked and waved back with a kind-hearted paw. Nick's heart was about to go critical with the level of cuteness that Marcy was showing him. The little kit was truly afraid of nothing as Bonnie had mentioned during his last trip out. So, Nick decided to lower his right ear and raise his left to waggle it at her in greeting again. Marcy began to hop and bumble jovially.
Tall, sharply pointed ears, as well as, eyebrows shot up as Nick watched the kit jump around with glee before hopping over to give his snout a hug.
"And, how are you, sweetheart?" Nick rumbled warmly.
Nick was blinded for a moment as Marcy's little paws made the effort of climbing over the front of his face until she was sitting on top of his head and grabbing at his ears. She still tugged like crazy on his fur, but that was alright. He kept her upright with them while his eyes spotted the oversized pieces of paper that the kit had been drawing on. With a careful roll of his shoulders, Nick brought his paws up to rifle through the stack so that he could see better without having to move his head. But, again, he was blinded as the little doe slid down his face in a bundle of giggles.
Once Marcy hit her paws, she sat back on her haunches near the large colored images. It was not lost on Nick that Vera had stepped away from the table with a fit of giggles as the little doe demanded the todd's attention. Nick began to really take in the crude drawings on all of the previously blank pieces of paper.
Marcy was at the age where she was already capable of working shapes onto a sheet, but still young enough to not necessarily care about coloring outside of the initial lines yet. There were images of big bunnies, little bunnies, trees, the hills of the warren, and several of them had the obvious form of an orange fox in the scenes. The kit was ecstatically pointing and jabbering about the stories she was trying to convey to her audience all the while.
"I'm pretty sure she's going to grow up to be an artist, if not also a story-teller." Derek conveyed quietly.
"I think your daughter will do a wonderful job at that." Nick replied, not taking his eyes off the patting paws and the wildly flopping ears of the young doe.
The father ruffled his daughter's ears before using his own paws carefully to uncover one of the sheets so that he could hold it up for Marcy properly. The sheet would have entirely blocked Nick's view of her if she had attempted to hold it up herself. The tiny doe began to bounce on her hindpaws again as she pointed to the picture. Marcy's little button nose twitched as the base of her ears tried to straighten them up unsuccessfully; head swiveling until she found what she was looking for. The little fuzzy paw raised up to jab off towards Nick's left and it immediately brought his head around. Vera was standing across the room with Judy at her side, leaning in to whisper into his partner's ear with a happy urgency. Judy's ears were raised on high while her eyes were extremely wide: taking in the scene before her.
Nick returned his gaze back to the picture so that everything could be taken in properly… His mind seemed to sink into the drawing once he did. It was a scene that held the backdrop of multiple gray buildings in Zootopia, with the accentuation of greens and browns from vegetation and trees below the hulking structures, and all superimposed against a beautifully pockmarked cerulean sky with fuzzy little clouds on it. The buck's voice spoke up when Nick's eyes fell on the forefront of the drawing.
"Marcy wanted to know what you did for work after you and Judy left…" Derek explained. "So, I showed her one of the pictures after you had graduated."
There was no need to show the todd what photo had been used as reference. The foreground of the drawing instantly took him back to the day, some weeks after his graduation, when the duo was asked to pose for a department-organized photo. Seeing little Marcy's drawing of it was just as striking as the real event had been to Nick.
Marcy had done her best on the orientation of the SUV, which Judy usually drove for the duo, and its dark-gray hues. And, standing in front of the vehicle was a little light-gray-furred, purple-eyed Judy Hopps next to his taller reddish-frame, green-eyes and all. Each individual was adorned in a proper navy-blue uniform – which was actually really well done. Down to the individuality of the wearers' preferences. Judy was drawn in her more athletic-style while Nick was in the usual patrol uniform: complete the buttons and the appropriately placements where they wore their badges. Judy's on the front of her belt, and Nick's on his chest.
"I think she wants you to have it, Nick." Derek said, breaking the todd from his revere.
Nick's head snapped over to look at Marcy; finding that she was tugging on the paper in her father's paw while pointing up at the todd's face. And, she was just gabbing away at the two of them the whole time.
For modern foxes, the ears were just as much a tell of emotional states as the tail is: despite the tail having an entire mind of its own. They were the two feature that Nick knew would betray him under extreme emotion when he was younger, so he had tempered the physical responses as best as he could so that they would not betray the Mask. When it happened, Nick knew it right away. The todd could feel his tail swishing happily behind his frame despite the sideways splaying of his ears. The hindbrain was happy about the gift and the rest of his body was trying to control the massive lump that was forming in his throat.
He felt his paw move over to rest his finger-pads under the bottom of the paper as Marcy was fluttering her end of the paper with a happy grin. Derek released it once he saw that Nick had it firmly in-paw and Marcy suddenly shot up the todd's arm to sit on his shoulder. The sound of her chittering so close to his head brushed away the cobwebs that had grown in the split-second of mind-blanking surprise. Once the paper was carefully held in both paws, Nick tried to clear his throat as the doe attached herself to his left ear.
"If you start crying, she'll lose it, too." The buck said with a knowing grin.
"You raised an amazing daughter in this one, Derek." Nick replied hoarsely, ignoring the well-meaning jab.
"Naw… That's all on Vera. I follow along with the broom and dustpan, just in case." Derek chuckled deeply. "And, the Kleenex, if you need it.
Nick felt Marcy release his ear and latch onto his head: she began to squeeze him tightly while rubbing her little nose into his fur. The chittering happiness was ever-present. As with all bunnies on the planet, she was a mammal that required touch and affection: especially considering her youth, right now. The todd brought his paw up to gently brush it over Marcy's head and ears.
"I love you, too, sweetheart." Nick said, his voice growing tighter as he continued to look at the picture.
Across the room, Judy was still standing with Vera – with a couple other does now – as they watched the fox interact with mother's fast-growing kit. Joy, Juliana, and Kathleen were all standing there with tiny smiles on their muzzles as they watched for Judy's minutest of reactions. The youngest of the Hopps daughters present nudged Judy in the arm before leaning over.
"He'll make an amazing father someday." Vera whispered conspiratorially, bringing out tittering laughter from the rest of the group. They had all ascertained what was potentially going to happen, for themselves, as had much of the rest of the warren by this point.
Fortunately for Judy, though she had previous suspicions, the gossip groups had all figured out what was likely coming. At the time, they had all gathered to agree that nothing would occur for the time being. Things might progress naturally if it was left alone. After all, Judy Hopps was not a normal doe when it came to the subject of "romance" or "love". Unfortunately, "gentle teasing" was not off the table despite the paws-off approach. And, now, they were becoming impatient.
"Serendipity save me, it would be so different… He is single, right?" Kathleen wondered in amusement.
"That's what Sis mentioned last time they were here." Joy giggled.
"If I thought it would fly politically, I would make him Marcy's Godfather." Vera mentioned offhandedly.
"Do you think Derek would go for that?" Juliana asked.
"If he can't see how good Nick is for the position, I'd have to lump him upside the head." Vera said with a confident laugh. "But, I think he'd need to be paired-off before that. Judy says he's a rather busy bee."
"None of you know Nick well enough to be speaking about such topics." Judy replied sharply, still not taking her eyes off the todd while he began to play with Marcy.
The doe's head swung around quickly when she felt Vera take her by the paw with a soft tug.
"C'mon, Jude. Marcy won't beat him up… too much. I'll make some tea." The younger sister said, indicating to them all.
Vera led the group into the kitchen and put on a pot of water on the stove to boil while the rest of them sat down at the kitchen table. It was amazing to Judy how much more mature Vera seemed to be despite being several years younger than the other four does who had taken their seats. Granted, Judy knew the extent of the relationships with her two littermates and Kathleen already.
Joy's gray fur was dappled with faded black spots along her back and neck. She focused on her work, as Judy had, but she had a much better grasp on relationships and the balance between the two aspects of life. The only thing that was similar was that the two did not hold onto their partners for long and it was because it interfered with the job. The factor that differed was that Judy's previous partners', purposefully limited to two bucks, had not supported her career choice as so many others had not. They disqualified themselves.
Julianna was an odd bird, in her own right. The brown-furred doe had been married and divorced twice. The odd thing was that she had conceived no kits with either of her partners. The relationships eventually stagnated, and no explanation was ever given as of why. Julianna could be described as being far more outgoing than Joy in regard to searching out prospective mates. Joy had always let the bucks approach her, comparatively.
Kathleen, a younger doe with more of a leather-colored complexion, had been born in the litter after the J's. Unfortunately for the family, she was the only one – of three kits – to survive a relentless case of the flu when they were only a few weeks old. Bonnie had whisked her away to the J-litter so that the doe had company after the loss of the other K's. Kathleen's experiences were more along the lines of being the "player" in comparison to the bucks that thought they were being slick with her. No marriages, no kits, and no solid relationships due to the fact that all of Bunnyburrow knew how the doe operated. It had made her even more unpopular with the local bucks than Judy and that was surprising to the amethyst-eyed doe.
It took a few moments for Vera to return with the tea tray and pass them around to all of the does sitting at the table.
"How're you doin', sis?" Julianna inquired politely.
Judy blinked for a moment. "I'm a little tired from the trip. Why?" The doe explained.
"Judy…" Julianna said, looking up. "You've been reserved ever since we were kits… You don't talk with anybody about anythin'."
After taking a sip of tea, Joy hummed. "You need to know that we're here and we want to help in any way that we can." The gray doe explained further.
"There's nothing to talk about." Judy said firmly, her eyes sharpening a bit. "I'm not talking about those parts of my job, ladies. It's still an active investigation anyway. We're not talking about those things… Ever."
"Then, can we gossip together about Nick?" Kathleen replied boldly, peering over her teacup with a grin.
Every doe at the table managed a kind-hearted but entertained smile while watching as Judy Hopps rolled her eyes with a muzzle of realization: sounding off with a scoff at the fact that the intervention had apparently been a long time coming. It explained why they had not immediately sought her out for information over Thanksgiving.
"Come on, Jude…" Kathleen complained quietly, leaning in over the table to get closer. "You're gonna seriously try to tell us that everybody's noses' are wrong? That there's no scent of your interest on the air when he's around? That there's nothin' interestin' about the fact that you smell like him sometimes? I mean, you have to give it to the Hopps does. We've been quiet and polite, unlike Robby… but, we're dyin' to know what's up!"
The number of eyes that were on the gray-furred doe made her swallow nervously. All of the multi-colored eyes and ears held with expectant regard for what Judy might have to say. Her siblings seemed ravenous for details at this point. Even the more reserved of them, Vera… She was happily awaiting a response. So much so that there was no hiding the mischievousness within the mother. It made Judy's bottom wiggle in her seat while the warmth flooded her ears. Emotion was trying to keep the words in Judy's throat, though. Never in her life had Judy Hopps shared such intimate details with mammals of such proximity within her life.
"I…" Judy squeaked, coughing a little as she directed her gaze down at her folding forepaws. Her words were tinged with emotion even though they were spoken at no higher a level than a breeze through tree limbs and leaves. "I'm in love with him."
The response sent all of the does into a fit of giggles even though Vera did her best to not be rude about it. The younger mother held it back behind a prim paw while the others nudged one another with their elbows.
"Well, we knew that, ya dummy." Julianna chuffed.
"Yes, Judy. So, come on. Tell us more about this kind-hearted todd who has managed to steal your heart." Vera agreed politely.