AN: Shorter chapters then the main story of Distilled Dreams to help fill in the AU around the OCs that will be reoccurring. Much like some side quests while they add to the main story they are not necessary to the main plot so feel free to skip them if you wish. I hope you enjoy. Just to announce again there is an explicit chapter for this story fitting in between chapters 4 and 5 in the new side story Distilled Dreams: Fade to Black posted on Ao3.

Distilled Dreams: Side Stories

A Bandit to Steal a Bunny's Heart

Chapter Five

Knocking woke Aubrey. Neither she or Rocky had been asleep very long after the night they had. It had taken a few hours for her heat cycle to fade to the point she no longer felt the compulsion for Rocky to be in her and they fell into an exhausted sleep. Slowly she disentangled herself from Rocky's arms and ended up having to place her pillow in them to stop him from grasping after her. She watch for a moment seeing him bury his nose into the pillow and breath deeply before settling back into sleep. A hiss escaped her lips as she took her first few steeps from the bed. She know she was going to be sore for a few days. Memories from last night though made her smile faintly and made the pain more bearable. Grabbing the first shirt she could find on the floor she buttoned it close and went to answer the front door. She opened the door to her mother's face grinning at her.

"That's a nice shirt...is it new? Green isn't quite your color though," her mother said running her eyes over her daughter in the light of the porch light. "Busy night? It's not like you to sleep in and not be ready to head to the diner. You look like you need a shower. Your fur is matted all over the place."

"Ummm...I forgot to set my alarm," Aubrey said her ears glowing crimson regretting not checking her fur before answering the door. She had a good idea what was the reason for her fur matting and where it matted at, "And I was just about to get ready. I'll be down to the diner soon."

"Alright dear try not to be too late," her mother said turning away, "Have Rocky drive you in and he can stay for breakfast."

"Huh...how...he's?" Aubrey stammered.

"Dear you are in a shirt that would fit him, his van still parked outside, and the slight wince you keep making every time you move your legs are rather large clue as to what you where up to," Mrs. Thumperson said with a grin. "Now unless you managed to kill him with your...enthusiasm last night I imagine he needs to get cleaned up too and you both need breakfast so chop chop daylight waits for no bunny." She walked off to the truck full of her other daughters looking over at Aubrey before whispering to each other and pointing.

Aubrey shut the door slowly. "Fuck..." she said looking at the closed door before walking as quick as she was able back to the bedroom. She shook Rocky gently. "Sorry its time to get up."

"Mmmm," Rocky said snuggling deeper into her scent covered pillow, "Just five more minutes honey bun." His paws flexed over the pillow and started to pat it. Slowly his eyes opened in confusion not expecting to be hugging a pillow. He rolled with the pillow still gripped in his paws to face Aubrey. "Huh?"

"Mom was at the door to pick me up for work and you wouldn't let me go without something to hold on to," Aubrey quickly explained before going though her dresser for clean clothes.

"Your mom was at the door..." Rocky said blearily before his brain started working again. "She knows about us then..."

"Yeah she and my dad pick up me and my sisters that have the morning shift and drive us to the diner. I grabbed your shirt before I answered the door...and your van is still outside...and I didn't check my fur. Can you help me in the shower," she asked with a blush looking over her shoulder at him tossing the shirt away, "It's a bit painful to step up right now thanks to you."

Pride and distress flickered over Rocky's face before settling somewhere between the two, "I seem to remember some-bunny doing her fair share to cause that last night. Is your shower big enough for us both I can help wash your back." Rocky stood and stretched trying to wake up more.

Aubrey bit her lip at seeing him stretch out before her. It was only the tiniest twinge of desire to flick through her though. With her heat cycle satiated it would be a few days at least before seeing Rocky like this would cause her to push him back into bed for a quickie. "It should be but I've never tried. No funny business though not for a few days at-least."

"You're not the only one is a bit sore from last night you know," Rocky said following her and helping her into the shower after making sure the water was warm enough. They where quick to clean themselves up though they spent several moments just letting the water flow over the two of them with Rocky holding Aubrey from behind his arms crossed over her stomach.

Rocky held the door to the Carrot Shack open for Aubrey. Thankfully he had a spare set of work clothes in his van in case he got covered in something at a job site and Aubrey of course had a few of her waitress outfits to choose from. Her sisters stopped wiping down the tables and setting up as every eye turned to them as they walked though the door. "Ah you made good time," Mrs. Thumperson called out from the coffee pots getting them started for the day. She watched Aubrey as she carefully walked further into the diner. "Aubrey you are going to be on cash register duty today and keeping the counter running. Rocky why don't you head into the kitchen and help my husband with breakfast for all of us before you are needed at your job site."

"Umm yes ma'am," Rocky gulped and walked off to the kitchen. He paused at the swinging door to the kitchen and looked back at Aubrey's worried smile and flashed one of his own before taking a deep breath and heading inside.

As soon as the door swung shut Aubrey was surrounded by her sisters. "Not flirting, huh." "How was he?" "He didn't hurt you did he?" "Wow you are walking funny! He that big huh?" All of her sisters had something to say and talked over one another trying to pry answers out of Aubrey.

"Girls! Enough!" Mrs. Thumperson snapped out, "We have work to do before we can get some food and open up." Reluctantly everyone returned to work and Aubrey and her mom where left alone in the corner. "Are you able to work today dear? They are right you aren't walking normally."

"Just sore mom Ill be alright after a while..." Aubrey whispered her ears burning as she opened the cash drawer and started to count it out. "I...went into heat last night after we kissed each other...I...couldn't help myself and didn't take it as slow as I should have or stopped after the first few rounds."

Mrs. Thumperson blinked and leaned in to talk quietly with concern in her eyes. "I know its been a while since your last beau but have you been...taking care of yourself so your hormones don't get too pent up and make rash decisions?"

"Yes mom!" Aubrey whisper shouted and saw a few ears twitch in their direction. "It wasn't just being pent up. I think I love him...I know we barely know each other but I just feel it and when he touched my tail..."

"You think he feels the same?" Mrs. Thumperson questioned interrupting her daughter. Somethings she didn't want to know.

"When I asked him to stay over last night he offered to sleep on the sofa and when I tried to drag him to the bedroom he stopped and asked if I was sure and wasn't doing something the both of us would regret in the morning," Aubrey said sliding the cash drawer closed and looked at her mother with a stubborn glare. "I don't regret anything and he didn't try and run when I told him you and dad expected him to come here."

Mrs. Thumperson nodded and grinned. "Sorry dear. I am your mother and I had to check. I had a good feeling about you two. I let your dad know not to grill him too hard yesterday. So did the two of you figure out where you are going to live when you move to Zootopia on your date last night?"

Aubrey blinked at the sudden change in topic. "Umm sort of. The Savannah Central district is the best bet. Rocky lives there too and knows it well..."

"The two of you going to live together?"

"We didn't get that far before...wait what do you mean you told dad not to grill him too hard?!" Aubrey said.

"Dear its not just a mothers job to make sure a beau is right for one out our little girls," Mrs. Thumperson said with a wide grin standing just right to keep Aubrey from going to the kitchen to check on Rocky. One by one her sisters found a reason to come and ask Aubrey about Rocky giggling at the red blush slowly building as they talked.

"So you are Rocky..." Mr. Thumperson said tapping the flat of a kitchen knife against his paw looking at the raccoon in front of him.

"Yes sir," Rocky said trying his best to avoid looking at the glittering edge of the knife.

"The missus says you spent the night with my daughter and when she answered the door this morning she was quite a rumpled sight...in your shirt and walking funny."

"Yes sir. She invited me to stay and one thing lead to another," Rocky swallowed but didn't lie.

"Ahhh" Mr. Thumperson said with a glare, "You put her into heat?"

Rocky closed his eyes and took a deep breath preparing for the worst, "Yes sir."

"You know how to cook?"

Rocky's eyes snapped open at looked at Mr. Thumperson in confusion. "Not professionally but enough to get by."

"Alright," Mr. Thumperson reversed his grip on the knife and held it out handle first to Rocky, "Take that and start chopping what I have laid out. We are making a hash for breakfast. One of Aubrey's favorites so pay attention while I show you how to make it. I'll cook up some eggs and sausage to add to yours at the end."

Rocky glanced between the knife, the small pile of food on the cutting board, and the father of the girl he had just spent the night with. "Umm...okay..."

"Expected a different conversation did ya? Have ya been on the receiving end of many of those?" Mr. Thumperson asked over his shoulder testing the heat of the griddle with a splash of water before making a minor change.

"Once when I was younger..." Rocky murmured starting to chop.

"If you where a rabbit buck I am sure I would have added in a few lines about being responsible and what would happen if you ran off leaving her with a belly full. How much you know about rabbits?" Mr. Thumperson said moving to bag of potatoes and started to grate them.

"I get the feeling not as much as I should all things considered," Rocky said slowly slicing though an onion.

"Make sure your cuts are as even as possible otherwise everything will not be cooked constantly." Mr. Thumperson said looking over Rocky's cutting board. "You should probably ask her or look it up if you plan on making a real go a relationship but I'll give ya this for free. Three things are all but certain to send a doe into heat. One is if they wait too long between getting off their hormones build up until they cannot take it. Two is if someone they care about dose something physical that really gets them going and they aren't expecting it. It's different on each doe. Last is hormone medications that a doe sometimes uses when they are having trouble getting a bun in the oven. You didn't drug her did you?"

"I know you don't know me at all sir but I would rather hop up on this table and let you skin me alive then do something so terrible as drugging a girl," Rocky said his ears going flat against his head as he glared at the rabbit in front of him.

Mr. Thumperson snorted. "The missus was right when she told me about you yesterday. No you don't strike me as that type. I am guessing it was the second and no I don't want to know what you did but it would be a good idea to figure out her trigger. You don't want to send her into heat on accident."

"Why dose this sound like a birds and bees conversation," Rocky asked moving on to slicing mushrooms.

"Because it is part of what I tell my sons just without me needing to explain where you put what and how to use protection to keep her from getting a belly full before you are ready for a family," Mr. Thumperson said scooping what Rocky had already cut into a bowl with the potatoes. "One more thing I tell them but it goes double for you since its my daughter we are talking about...you treat her right and with respect or I'll take it out of your hide." Mr. Thumperson changed topics after getting a promise from Rocky to a 'getting to know each other' conversation while they cooked and he taught Rocky the recipe and even let him push the cooking hash around on the griddle.

A hush fell over the diner when the two brought filled plates on large trays out for everyone. Aubrey sighed in relief when Rocky kept the tray balanced while handing out food to her sisters. He smiled at her reassuringly setting the second to last plate he had in front of her and setting his own next to her before sitting down to eat. "It looked like you've done that before. Most mammals drop their trays the first time they try handing out food from it," she laughed taking up her fork and taking a bite.

"What thought I would drop the tray? I spent years moving around construction sites hauling supplies and tools around to everyone. Learning how to keep everything balanced was pretty important," Rocky said laughing.

"So what did my dad say and what did he do?" Aubrey asked with a bit of worry creeping into her voice.

"The normal 'so you are seeing my daughter' stuff," Rocky said taking a bite, "He had me help make this. Chop things up and let me push them around on the griddle while he watched. He said it was your favorite and wrote down the recipe for me. He said to stop by after the renovation is done so he could write down some more."

"He let you cook on his griddle?! He gave you one of his recipes!?" Aubrey shouted dropping her fork as all of the chatter died out at her shout.

Rocky glanced up to see the shock on all of the younger rabbit's faces. "Ummm...yes..." Rocky said reaching into a pocket and handing the note card with the recipe to Aubrey who read it over in disbelief. "Do you want to come over to the construction site today? I can show you the bigger map I have of Savannah Central...and we probably should finish out talk from last night...I think I know a place you might like."