If any of you naughty kids is interested, I've released a non clean version of the last chapter in my ONE OFFs fic.
Merry Crisp Matches.
Or something like that.
Chapter 28 : Talks
"Ya look a bit gloomy, Gid." Remarks Travis, reloading his BB gun and taking a shot at one of the beer bottle they downed.
"Mh? Nah, I'm good."
"C'm'on. I ain't a moron. Ya look bored, missed shots you'd easily make. What's happenin'?"
"It's just the end of summer." He mumbles.
"And ya ain't gonna be in the bunny's school. Got it." He smirks.
Gideon shrugs. "S'fine."
"Dude, you're so fucked."
The tod lifts a brow. "What?"
"Yer so in love wid' that bunny, you look bummed just 'cause ya ain't gonna see her everyday." The mustelid snorts.
The fox crosses his arms. "Ya got a problem wid' that?"
"Nah, I'm just kinda worried 'bout ya. I mean, she was all ya talked about, until the whole bakin' thing started. I just don't want ya to get burned or sumthin'."
"Yer worried?" Asks Gideon, surprised. It's the first time Travis ever voices his worry for him.
"Yeah. Ya went from not knowin' what to do with yer life, to gettin' into bakin', gettin' better grades, gettin' a girlfriend, and all just in one year. I'm worried it ain't watchu want, and yer just graspin' at things, ya know? Like, it interests ya now, but then, ya'll get bored or sumthin'. And then ya'll be stuck."
"Travis, I really want to be a baker. It's like with bein' an electrician. It just makes sense to me. I can't explain, it's just… I like it. A lot."
"I'm not really that fond of bein' an electrician, you know?"
"You… What? But you're good at it."
"Yeah, 'cause it's… Well, it ain't easy, but it's logical. It fits together. I don't hate it. I don't love it. It's fine."
"Then..." Gideon hesitates. "Why do that?"
"My grades weren't much better'n yours, you know? School was just less interestin' than makin' a living. It's jut that if I ever wanna do sumthin' else, it's gonna be hard."
"Ah… Yeah. That's true." Gideon feels a bit silly for assuming that his friend loved his job. He actually had never asked him if it was the case.
"Hey, don't worry. It's fine, I ain't miserable or anythin'. Dad's fun to work wid', and the job's cool. I guess I'm a bit jealous you found sumthin that fit ya so well. Anyway, that ain't what I'm worried about for you."
"Oh? What's worryin' ya?"
"That yer datin' Judy on duty."
The tod's face turns to surprised. The mustelid never said anything against her, at least, not since they started the tutoring. "Why? Ya think it's wrong, or..."
"No. S'just… She was givin' you… Us, so much shit before. It's like she did a 180, and it's makin' me uncomfortable."
"She hasn't changed that much."
"Well, she likes you. That's a change."
"Maybe I changed. Maybe I ain't a bully anymore."
"So ya had to change entirely for her to like ya?"
"Ya think I was likable before?"
Travis lifts a finger, and slowly folds it back down. "We were a right pair a-holes." He mutters. "I just think that we wouldn't have been if they had treated right to begin wid'." He grumbles. "Ya know, It's hard bein' nice when everyon' think yer just bein' sly."
"I do know 'dat. Maybe instead of lashin' out, I shoulda kept tryin'. Turnin' into a bully didn't help. I can blame the world all I want, in the end, I chose to act the way I did."
"Hm."
"Wot?"
Travis takes aim at another bottle. "Ya know, I think everyone should stop thinking yer dumb." He states, before missing his shot. "Yer slow, but clearly not dumb."
"What's the difference?" the tod shrugs.
"Dumb mammals, they just stay in place. Ya get there eventually. If ya don't stop ya'll leave us in the dust eventually."
The fox shoots him a perplexed glance, and the mustelid chuckles. "I used to blame everyone else but myself for bein' an a-hole. We chose to act like we did. Just because actin' another way woulda been hard ain't much of an excuse."
"We were still kids, though. Hard to make the right choice when ya don't know better."
"Yeah. I guess that doesn't apply only to us. Your bunny thought she was doin' what was right too, doesn't mean she always was."
"Ya said it yerself, we were a-holes." Gideon smiles.
"But she wasn't right about blamin' us for everytin' that ever happened."
It's Gideon's turn to struggle to find an answer. It's true there were a bunch of undeserved scoldings, fights they didn't start. And Judy was rather quick to pin it on them. Then again, he was quick to judge her as meek and annoying.
"So, tha's why ya don't like her. She was unfair to us."
"Among other things, but yeah, mostly."
"We changed, you know? Tha' means she did too."
"You really do like her."
"I ain't sayin' that, just 'cause I like her!" Gideon groans. "Ya know I'm right. She mighta'been wrong sometimes, prejudiced an' stuff. But she's better now."
"Yeah. Can't say yer wrong."
Pulling on the moss on the shed's roof, the mustelid looks toward the reservoir. "So… Been to third base yet?"
"Travis! I ain't talkin' about what we do- I mean-" He blushes.
"Oh wow. I guess bunny reputation ain't unearned." The weasel grins.
"That ain't yer business!"
"Homerun, then."
When the fox doesn't answer, the mustelid falls into a fit giggles. "Oh duuude! Score!"
"Travis, I don't want to talk about it!" Gideon says in a heated voice.
"You don't have to. It's all on yer face."
The fox's fist close. It been a while since he hasn't punched anyone, but somehow, the weasel's attitude makes him want to break that streak.
"Come one, dude. I'm just messin' with y'all. I know it's kind of a big deal fer foxes… Sorry for teasin' ya."
"I just don't like mammals mockin' her." The fox breaths. "Wos hard enough at school wid' the rumours. I don't wanna hafta punch ya in the face to make you stop."
The mustelid lifts his paws apologetically. "Alright, alright. I just thought we could… Ya know…"
"S'not the same as swappin' magazines." Gideon says in embarrassment. "I don't want ya to think about that if ya see her. And I'm sure she woudn't appreciate me givin' details."
"I ain't askin' for details. I just wanna know, like, was it nice? Or weird? Was it different 'cuz she's bunny?"
"Different to what?"
"I dunno." Travis shrugs. "I mean, come on, I've never been wid a girl, you could give a tip or two..."
The tod tries to find things to say that wouldn't be too revealing while not picturing anything in his mind. "Well, you know how they always say it ain't like porn?"
"Yeah?"
"Tha's absolutely true."
"Okay."
Given how concentrated the mustelid is on what he's saying, the tod half expects him to begin taking notes.
"Also… Uh the first time, I didn't last long." He says somewhat shamefully.
"Oh… That sucks."
"Well, just because I finished, didn't mean it stopped, ya know? Anyway, I ain't an expert or anythin', but I think there a couple of things that I wish I had known beforehand..."
Judy's been flying so high on the new development of her love life, she barely complains about her chores. She works into the field, does the laundry, cleans the common parts. But her willingness seems to balance her effectiveness a bit. In fact, she sometimes seems distracted during the house work.
She still trains, studies, she looks even more energetic than usual. Happier too.
She's hanging sheets with her mother outside, a cool breeze giving them respite from the summer heat. Judy is humming, lost in thoughts with a smile on her lips.
"Are you having a good summer?" Bonnie asks a bit out of the blue.
"Yup."
For a few more seconds, her mom's expression hints that another question is coming, but she bits her lips instead. Then they go back to their task, an awkward silence growing between them.
"Judy, can we talk for a few minutes?" Her mother ends up asking.
"Erh… Yeah?"
"I my bedroom, I mean."
Red flag.
When bunnies want to have a private conversation at the farm, they usually use the field as it's a sure way to know if they're being listened in on. But it also advertise that there's in fact a private conversation taking place.
Parents' bedroom means 'I don't even want your siblings to know we're talking about anything'. And she cant think of only one thing that could warrant that much need for privacy.
With trembling paws, she follows her mother. The room they enter is clean and tidy. One wall is covered with photographs, new and old. There's a large kingsize bed where she remembers sleeping with her brothers and sisters on stormy nights, and a large wardrobe.
Bonnie closes the door behind them and sits on the bed, nervously pulling on one of her ears.
"What have you been doing on your free time?"
"Oh you know… The usual. Hanging out with Sharla, Bobby and Gideon, studying, training..." Judie evades.
Bonnie is looking for her words. A good segway into the topic she wants to broach. Nothing comes, so she decides to just confront it head on.
"Are you… Do you have a boyfriend?"
There's a look of worried surprise in Judy's eyes as she tries to dodge her mother's gaze.
"I..." She hesitates. She still doesn't like to lie. She doesn't want to either. "Erh..." But can she tell her mother? Given how she reacted when she thought it was the case, won't it blow in her face? And won't she think she lied to her the first time?
"Okay… Listen, I've noticed you're distracted. I'm not the only one, to be honest. It's like you're always somewhere else, and you're smiling to yourself… And we have nothing against that, I'm glad that you're happy, and that you seem to have… Well, you feel less… Tense? Does that make sense?"
"Y-yes?"
"So I assume something changed in your life, and your still spending a lot of time with Gideon even though you aren't going to tutor him anymore."
"I can't still help him on core subjects."
"True. But you haven't answered my question. Do you have a boyfriend?"
"Y-yes."
"Is it Gideon?"
The young doe looks absolutely ready to bolt away. She's frozen in place, her eyes are wide, her nose is twitching.
"Judy?"
"Y-yes." She whispers closing her eyes and bracing herself for an oncoming explosion. "Yes, I'm dating Gideon."
Silence lingers. Too long. The tension is getting overwhelming and the beating of her own heart is becoming too present in the doe's mind.
"Let's not tell your father."
Judy's jaw hits the floor.
"Whu… What?"
"I don't think he could handle it."
"No- I mean… You're okay with it?"
Her mother gets up from the bed and take a couple of steps to nervously pull on one of her own ears.
"I'm… Not sure. I mean... I honestly can't say I like it. But I can't truly find anything against it. You do so much weird stuff, and you want to be a cop, and I have no idea where we mes- where you picked up all of… You."
Pinching the bridge of her nose, the matronly doe exhales. "I want you to know I want what's best for you. That means that I want you to be happy even if I don't understand you or what makes you you, and… And you seem so happy. Tutoring Gideon, you took it as a duty at first, but then it's obvious you liked it. And having him as a friend… It was weird too, but he became a good mammal-"
"He was always a good mammal. He just didn't know how to show it."
Bonnie stops pacing to turn toward her daughter and aim a smile her way.
"And that too. You see the best in everyone. And if Gideon's your boyfriend, and it makes you happy, as a parent, I have no right to get in the way of that, even if I don't understand it."
"You won't try to break us up?" Judy asks somewhat warily.
"I talked with him at the party. He literally worships the ground you walk on… He has more faith in you that we do! Oh gosh I feel so awful saying that… I can't ask much more of one of my daughters' boyfriend, can I? I mean, he's really your boyfriend, right?"
"Yes."
"Since when?"
"A bit before prom. Hester invited him, and I confessed because I… It was weird between us. And then we kissed and here we are."
"And you two are… Taking precautions?"
"Mom!"
"What? I mean, you can't really get pregnant, but there are other things you could catch…"
Judy emits an uncomfortable chuckle. They were each other's first time, there wasn't much risk.
"How did you guess we were… Together?" Judy ends up asking.
"Oh- Well you've been seeing him a lot, and you sometimes smell a bit too much like a fox. Also your general distracted attitude and how happier you seem… It reminded me a lot of when I started seeing your father- Which reminds me that I have something for you."
Turning around, Bonnie goes to a wardrobe and opens the door, looking under a few covers and handing her a tube of some product she had hidden here.
Judy feels a bit mortified at first, as it looks a bit like lube, but then she realises it's shampoo with a slight scent-blocker.
"I thought you wouldn't want to "out" yourself inadvertently." Bonnie says, making air-quote. "What?" She asks at Judy's dumbfounded expression.
"I thought… I'm glad your taking it this way. I just didn't expect it."
"I know we worry… a lot. And that we can be overbearing. With your siblings, we worry that they won't work hard enough or find out what they want to do… You've already found your goal, and it's… Not something we know. I think we need to accept you won't ever do anything like anyone else. I guess I'll have to accept that not every single one of my kids will give me grandchildren."
Judy opens her mouth to protest that she didn't want to have kids either way. At least not before a long time. Then she realises that maybe she shouldn't start a discussion that could devolve into a fight.
"Thanks. I… I didn't think you'd take it this way."
"You know… I was a bit angry at first. But then I realised that if I shouted at you, it would mean you were right about not wanting to tell us things like that. I still wish I you'd have told me without me asking… I don't want you to find yourself in a situation where you should speak up but don't because you're afraid of our reaction."
"What about dad, though?" The young doe smiles cheekily.
"You let me handle your dad."
"So, have you thought about it?"
The doe is sitting in front of the female cougar, wearing a reflective expression. "I don't think tutoring is really for me."
"You did a great job with Mr Grey."
The doe shrugs. "True, but… I wasn't in it because I wanted to do tutoring…I thought he could learn, and I wanted to prove it. And then, we became friend and I wanted to help him."
"What will you do then?"
The doe shrugs "Do I have to do something?"
"Do you want things to return as they were before?"
"I don't know. I know I got a b- a new friend out of tutoring, and it changes things. I have to make time for him as he changed school for his apprenticeship, not that it's a chore… It's just something I have to work around. I'm not sure I want to add something else to my life."
The cougar rests her chin on her hands and sends a thin smile the doe's way. "Do you remember why I asked you to do tutoring?"
"So I could… I don't know… Think about something else than being a cop?"
"Yes. The point wasn't that you'd get into tutoring, but for you to open yourself to other experiences. Let's imagine that you're a cop. You've gone through the ZPA, you got your badge… What then? What would you do with your free time?"
Judy open her mouth looking for an answer. "I… I don't know. But what do you care anyway? You're a career counsellor, shouldn't you be satisfied about me being focused on my future career?"
"I am. Judy, you're probably one of the most promising student of this school. My goal isn't just for you kids to find a path, but to be sure you'll be happy following it. There's a saying 'Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life', my answer to this is 'Do what you love, and you'll never have a relaxing day in your life'. It's not about you having a backup plan in case you don't get to be a cop. It's about you having other hobbies than being a cop. It's about being able to unwind about a long and hard working day, doing something to pull your thoughts from the job."
"Isn't that something I could start considering once I get into the ZPD, though?" The does asks.
"Maybe, but it's harder to find a hobby once your life is filled with responsibilities."
"Then, wasn't having me tutoring Gideon adding another responsibility to my life? Isn't that counterproductive?"
"You two were really different mammals. I thought you could benefit from trying to see life from someone the other's perspective. Learn from each other."
The doe silently stares into space. Yes, she did learn from him. She learned that mammals were more than they appeared. Different. She learned that the best things could come from the unlikeliest place. "What should I do, then?"
"That's for you to figure out. You could try a team sport, or a free writing club… I remember you being into plays in middle school… It's up to you, really."
You know, this chapter was almost the final one, but then I had a few other idea, and went NAH. So we still have a few left.