Raspberries Challenge #8: Lady and the Tramp
Judy and the Hustler
It was a beautiful moonlit evening as Judy Hopps, a lovely gray bunny born into the city's upper class, made her way down the street with the local low-life fox by the name of Nick Wilde - otherwise known simply as "The Hustler" by his fellow street dwellers.
It was a situation Judy never believed she'd ever find herself in. Not that she had anything against the poor or the fox himself - at this point, how could she? After all, he had saved her life earlier when she was out running errands on the bad side of town - due to her horrible and cowardly Aunt Sarah forcing her to go there by herself. As she was out, she was cornered by some hoodlums who had stolen her things and who tried to play a "kissing" game with her, telling her that, that was the toll to pay to let her get back to her side of town. Needless to say, Nick came to her rescue and valiantly fought off all three of the wolves that tried to harass her. He was quite a strong and fierce fighter given his shorter stature compared to the wolves. Though of course, it also helped that he was quick to dodge and a tactful fighter - as more often than not he somehow managed to trick the wolves into hitting each other rather than him.
After the fact, Judy had taken him to the local pharmacy to treat his battle wounds. He wasn't too badly injured, he just had a few scrapes that required some light bandaging.
It was strange, here she was walking about town - her in her nice, upper class yellow dress, looking ever so much like the lady she was - and he, dressed in gray slacks and suspenders with a clear red patch at the knee, a white collared shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a matching gray newsies cap. Anybody who saw them walking together would clearly see the difference in social class between them.
Heck, just the sight of her walking next to him would be enough for anyone in her neighborhood to look down on her. And as for him, most in her upper class circle wouldn't even dare give the fox a passing glance. The lower class meant absolutely nothing to them. That much she knew, more so after taking into consideration the way her close friends and neighbors, Jack Savage (a striped hare with an English accent) and Benjamin Clawhauser (a chubby cheetah, with an insatiable appetite and of a normally trusting nature, but still very cautious around foxes) reacted to Nick when they first met him. They made it very clear that they wanted nothing to do with him.
Judy however, didn't know what to think. At first she felt inclined to believe her friends, but as things were now, she just couldn't look down on the fox. For despite everything she'd ever heard about foxes or the lower class, he was actually...quite the gentlemammal. He was also very easy to talk to and was very sweet and polite to her, despite his incessant need to call her by various nicknames, like "Fluff" or "Carrots". Though truth be told, she didn't mind it in the least.
As they turned another corner, Judy told him about her awful aunt and of how she made her go alone into the bad side of town. "So then she called me a disease ridden wretch just because I lightly coughed near my baby brother and her baby son. And after that she told me to go get her some children's cough medicine to make sure I didn't make the babies sick. She didn't even let me go to our nearby pharmacy. She said as punishment I had to go to this very specific pharmacy that was all the way across town just because it was the only one that sold a particular brand of cough medicine. And to make sure that I got there faster, she told me to take a shortcut through the other side of the tracks. That's when the wolves came and-"
"Say no more, Carrots. I get the whole picture. Aunts, babies, wolves. Your aunt sounds like a real peach, by the way," Nick quipped sarcastically.
Reading his sarcasm, Judy couldn't help but stifle a chuckle "I don't know if that's the right word to describe her."
"Oh?" Nick poked, squatting before Judy to be at eye level with her, "Then what word would you use to describe her? Eh, Carrots?"
Judy grew red in embarrassment, "U-um...well…"
"Did the posh bunny just have a naughty word in mind?" Nick placed a paw at his chest, feigning disappointment in the bunny, "And here I thought you were a sweet and proper lady." He chuckled, walking ahead of her, paws in his pockets.
Judy scoffed, her face red in embarrassment, "That's not true! I didn't have a naughty word in mind!" she cried with her fists balled up at her sides - frustrated over how the fox knew that she was thinking of a bad word to describe her aunt.
"Relax. I'm just messing with you Carrots."
Judy scoffed once more, crossing her arms in a huff and thumping her foot.
Nick smiled and shook his head, realizing how much the subject at hand had affected her. He approached her and placed a gentle paw at her shoulder, "Hey," he then slowly moved it up to underneath her chin, lifting her gaze to him. "In all seriousness, don't let her get to you. Mammals like her aren't worth it to get sour over. Besides, it's not like every family doesn't have a rotten apple like her in it. I know, I had an aunt like her once."
"Really?" Judy asked curiously as they continued their walk, "What happened to her?"
"Who knows," he shrugged, "It's been years since I did the whole family bit."
"What do you mean?"
"What I mean fluff, is that I haven't seen or known anything about my family since I was about twelve."
"What?" Judy stopped in her tracks, unable to believe what he just said, "Why?"
"Eh. I just never found the point in having one. My dad ran off when I was about five and then I ran away from home at twelve."
"That's awful!" Judy cried, "Didn't you worry about your mother? I'm sure she must've been worried sick about you."
"She probably was," Nick spoke sincerely, "But believe me Carrots. As much as it doesn't seem like it. My whole running away was actually for her sake."
Judy raised a confused brow, not understanding.
Nick chuckled at how cute she looked whenever she seemed too innocent to understand anything, "Okay, I can see by your 'dumb bunny gaze' that, that doesn't make any sense to you."
Judy frowned, but Nick continued. "What I mean is, when you're a fox and a fox of low status, that is. The world looks down on you the minute you're born. So you normally have to look out for yourself, because there usually aren't enough resources or job opportunities that come our way. At least not enough to feed more than one mouth at a time. I saw how difficult it was for my mom to provide enough food for us both-I mean, she wouldn't say anything, but I could always tell that whatever food she managed to scrape up with her meager paycheck, almost all of it went to me. There were times she wouldn't even eat dinner with me. She'd tell me she already ate, but I knew that wasn't true. So…" Nick shrugged, "I left. I thought, best find my own way and that way she wouldn't have to be sacrificing so much for my sake. I know now, it might not have been the best move, but at the time it seemed like the only one that made any sense to me."
Judy watched him with a heartbroken gaze and placed a comforting paw at his arm, "I'm so sorry Nick. I didn't know."
Nick looked down at the smaller paw at his arm, feeling butterflies in his stomach at her soft touch. He lifted his gaze to her understanding eyes and felt a warm rush at his cheeks and heart. He cleared his throat and casually pulled away from her, "There's no need to feel sorry, fluff. Last I heard, she was doing okay. I even managed to send her some of my earnings last month, but I still haven't gone out to see her myself though."
"You should," she said with the same reassuring tone.
Nick sighed, unsure. "I don't know Carrots. Maybe one day. But for now, I just settle for my homes away from home to get by."
"Homes away from home?" Judy asked with a curious brow.
"Yup. Even someone like me still gets that old family sting. So I cope by having a new family for every day of the week. The thing is...none of them have me."
"I'm afraid I don't understand," uttered Judy. Still confused by the logic of Nick's statement.
"It's simple. Let's see," Nick looked around, scanning the neighborhood. "Okay, come on. I'll show you what I mean." Nick lead her to a tiny middle class house, "Take the Shrewtz for example. I make this cozy little place, my Monday home."
"Monday home?" Judy echoed in confusion. She took another look at the tiny house. "But, it's so small. How do you sleep in there?"
"I don't sleep in the houses Carrots," Nick replied with a good hearted chuckle. "I just do them some favors and they pay me back in home cooked meals. See Mr. Shrewtz is in the construction business, and what I do is supply him with lumber at half the price he could get it at the lumber yard."
"Oh, does that mean you're in the lumber business, Nick?" Judy asked innocently.
"Eh," Nick rubbed his neck, feeling a little embarrassed. "Not exactly. Let's just say I...dabble. In different kinds of jobs. I do a little bit of this one day, then a little bit of that, and then other days I sell pawpsicle sticks to the Shrewtz. You know, I just do whatever gets food on one of the many tables I dine at. Und Mundays…" Nick said imitating a German accent, "...ist Mama Shrewtz' blueberry pie nacht." He gave Judy a wink, "Mm-mm! I don't care how small they are, her pies are delicious!"
Nick lead Judy to another house. "Now O'Biters here," Nick spoke in a high pitched Irish accent, "Is where this handsome lad ye see before ya Carrots, comes other Tuesday."
"Other Tuesday?" Judy asked, finding the wording rather odd.
"Begora! That's when those bears 'r havin' that darlin' smoked salmon," Nick said, still imitating an Irish accent.
"And what favor do you do for them?" Judy asked him curiously.
"I managed to get Mr. O'Biters' mother a much needed wheelchair when they couldn't afford one. That and he also really likes pawpsicles and I sell him a bunch," Nick replied normally.
"You gave his mother a wheelchair? Nick, that's so sweet of you," Judy said with a smile and a paw cupped to her heart.
"Yeah, well…" Nick blushed at her words, rubbing the back of his neck in a combination of bashfulness caused by her sweet smile and of shame. Shame because he didn't have the heart to tell her that he didn't just 'give' the chair - he sold it to the O'Biters - at half the price they could have gotten it at a medical supply shop, but it was hardly an act of generosity when he still sold it to them at a price. Regardless of how low it was.
Nick cleared his throat, changing the subject. "You see Carrots. When you're foot loose and free, well you take nothing but the best!" The two continued down the street toward the shop district.
Right across the street from them, Nick spotted a very familiar location, "Hey! Mr. Big's! Of course! The very place, for a very special occasion." The two approached the Italian style restaurant with Judy moving toward the restaurant's main entrance and reaching for the door handle. "No, this way Carrots." He held her paw and gently led her toward the alleyway next to the restaurant. "I have my own private entrance." The two walked paw in paw, Nick just a little bit ahead of her. They stopped beside a pile of large crates that were just at the turn leading to the restaurant's back door. "Wait here," whispered Nick to Judy as he released her paw and headed toward the Dutch door that had the bottom half closed, but the top half open.
Judy watched Nick as he stepped up on a small crate just outside the door. He casually rested his elbow atop the bottom half of the door and knocked, "Garçon! Would you mind supplying me with your finest table this evening?"
"Nicky? Is that really you?" replied a tiny voice emanating from a large polar bear's back. The bear was clad in a white chef's outfit. The polar bear turned, revealing the source of the tiny voice - an arctic shrew seated on the palm of his open paw. The shrew himself was seated on a small brown, swivel chair and had thick eyebrows and was dressed in a black suit. "How many times do I have to tell you that garçon is a Furench term. It does not apply to my business."
"Come on Mr. Big, you know I only use that term in the fanciest of places to wine and dine," Nick replied with a cheeky grin. The smooth talking fox glanced up at the gruff polar bear holding the shrew, "Hey Koslov, chipper as ever I see."
"Mm," replied the neutral faced polar bear with a rumbling growl.
"What do you want Nicky?" asked the arctic shrew of the fox, with a slight bit of annoyance in his voice.
Nick placed a paw at his chest and sighed, feigning hurt, "Mr. Big you wound me. Can't an old friend just stop by and eat at his favorite establishment?"
"That would be nice if you finally started paying your meals. Or at least get me a good rug next time for the restaurant. You nearly put me out of business with the last one."
Koslov glanced down at Nick with a low angry growl. Nick cowered a little with a nervous chuckle. "True, but I am the one who saved it when I got you that nice tile flooring and new chairs and tables. Not to mention I paid off the health inspector to give you time to renovate."
"That's the only reason why I still let you come here and eat for free."
"Okay, well how about this. If you do me this favor tonight, I promise you I'll get you a brand new rug - not a skunk one this time. I swear."
"You guarantee it?" Mr. Big asked with a lift of his brow, attempting to read the sincerity of the fox.
"Scouts honor," Nick said with a sincere smile and giving him the oath sign of the Junior Ranger Scouts.
Mr. Big hummed, knowing that whenever the fox gave him his scout's honor, that meant that he was actually being honest. "Very well. I'll do you this favor. But you better get me that rug."
"I'll get it even if I have to pluck it out of my own tail, because tonight is worth everything."
"So what do you want, just your private table and the usual?" Mr. Big asked.
"Not exactly," Nick said hopping off the small crate and heading in the direction of the other crates. Mr. Big and Koslov looked at one another, then curiously followed the fox. Reaching the crates, Nick extended a paw toward Judy, she took it and he brought her forth from hiding. "I'd like a table for two tonight."
Mr. Big's eyes came out from hiding underneath his thick eyebrows when he saw the bunny. Koslov too, couldn't believe his eyes. They both knew this wasn't the usual company Nick kept. No, this bunny was different - very different from his usual taste.
"Hi," Judy waved timidly at them.
"Huh," hummed Mr. Big with a smile, "Look Koslov, Nicky's got himself a new girlfriend."
"Hm," Koslov hummed, with a rather gentle smile toward the bunny.
New girlfriend? The bunny thought, curiously.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss…?" Mr. Big asked, extending his tiny paw toward the rabbit in greeting.
Judy rested her paw over his tiny one, allowing him to kiss it. "Hopps. Judy Hopps. It's a pleasure to meet you both as well," she said with a sweet and polite smile.
Koslov nodded with a heavy, yet friendly hum. Mr. Big chuckled, proud for Nick. This bunny truly was different. And by different, he meant better - a lot better - she was the kind of girl Nick needed. The kind who would bring out the good he knew was buried deep, deep down inside of Nick. "She's a real sweetheart Nicky." The shrew waved his tiny paw, signaling Nick to come closer. The fox came forward so the shrew could speak to him privately. "If you ever take my advice, take it now Nicky and settle down with this one."
Nick eyed the shrew annoyed, but secretly felt himself blush at the suggestion. Mr. Big and Koslov headed back inside the restaurant to fetch a few things.
Despite them whispering, Judy's long ears managed to hear everything, including one phrase that filled her with unease, "This one?" she asked Nick.
"This one-OH! Oh-Hehe," Nick grew red in embarrassment knowing she overheard them. "That Mr. Big! He's got a real big sense of humor," he told the bunny, then nervously tugged at his shirt collar, clearing his throat. He sighed in relief once he saw Koslov come back out with a couple of chairs and a wide barrel covered with a checkered table cloth - their table for the evening.
The large polar bear set Mr. Big on a high pedestal beside the table - swivel chair and all. The large, silent polar bear then set the table decor, consisting of a basket of breadsticks and an empty bottle of fiasco serving as their candle.
As Koslov set the table, Nick pulled out one of the seats for Judy. "Your chair my lovely Carrots." Judy smiled at his chivalry and sat.
"Why thank you Mr. Wilde." Nick scooted her chair in and then took his own seat.
"Now," Mr. Big said with a snap of his fingers. Koslov, the ever obedient worker quickly produced a menu from behind his back. He set it on the table before the young couple. "What's your pleasure? A'la Carte? One of my Granmama's famous cannolis?"
Nick and Judy skimmed through the single page menu. They both lifted their gaze at each other, coming to a decision. "We'll take a plate of your finest spaghetti, heavy on the tofu balls and carrot slices," Nick answered on their behalf with a wink to Judy.
"Very good. You heard him Koslov, heavy on the carrots and tofu balls," said Mr. Big to his associate. Koslov nodded and went back to fetch the plate of spaghetti, two forks, and an accordion. "Good idea Koslov," said Mr. Big when he noticed the accordion.
Koslov served the young couple their plate of spaghetti. Nick and Judy eagerly took their forks and each took a turn tasting the spaghetti. The young couple noticed that they each had a string of spaghetti hanging from their mouths. They lightly chuckled and each took a turn slurping up their food - first Nick, then Judy.
Mr. Big chuckled happily for them, "Now," said Mr. Big, wanting to seal the deal between the two. "Enjoy your meal, while Koslov and I serenade you with a little music." Koslov pulled out a small shrew sized mandolin from his pocket and handed it to Mr. Big. "Koslov?"
The stone faced Koslov pulled out a harmonica and blew on it, letting out a single shrill note. He then shut his eyes and cleared his throat. Upon reopening his eyes, he had a much more tender expression on his face. It was then that the normally silent polar bear began to sing in a deep yet tenderly romantic voice as he rang his accordion:
Oh, this is the night
It's a beautiful night,
And we call it bella notte,
The young lovers ate and happily watched them play. Judy sighed quietly, her ears relaxed behind her head and her heart became overwhelmed by all the romantic atmosphere as Koslov sang and played the accordion and Mr. Big played the mandolin just for her and Nick.
Nick meanwhile looked to Judy and smiled, happy to see that she was enjoying her evening just as much as he was.
Look at the skies,
They have stars in their eyes
On this lovely bella notte
As Koslov and Mr. Big continued to serenade them, Nick and Judy both dug their forks into the spaghetti and brought forth the food to their respective mouths - unaware that they both happened to have picked up the same string of spaghetti. They each chewed on the string of spaghetti, both distracted by their musicians for the evening - Judy on Koslov and his accordion, and Nick on Mr. Big and his mandolin. Still distracted, Nick and Judy inched closer and closer to one another's mouths and before they knew it…
Side by side
With your loved one,
Judy's ears perked in surprise, as did Nick's, when they each felt the warmth of one another's lips on each other. Judy blushed and immediately pulled away with a bashful smile, her ears dropping in shy embarrassment. Nick meanwhile, smiled happily, his blush hiding perfectly underneath his red fur.
You'll find
Enchantment here
The night will weave
Its magic spell
Nick ever the gentlemammal, took his fork and picked up the last carrot slice from the spaghetti and handed it over to the blushing bunny.
Touched, Judy placed a paw over his, paying no mind to the carrot on the fork in their paws, but only to the tender eyes of the sweet fox before her. She batted her eyes to him, causing Nick's heart to skip a beat.
When the one
You love is near,
For this is the night,
And the heavens are right
Judy gazed up at the sky, her ears relaxed behind her head, and her amethyst eyes sparkling brighter than the twinkling stars above them in the night sky.
On this lovely bella notte…
After a romantic candlelit dinner with serenading music, courtesy of Mr. Big and Koslov, Nick and Judy continued on their date. The song that Koslov had sung for them, still resonating in their minds.
They strolled around the neighborhood together, just walking and talking together. And above all, simply enjoying each other's company.
This is the night
It's a beautiful night,
And we call it bella notte
Look at the skies,
The two took a stop from their stroll when they came across some wet cement on the ground. Nick drew a large heart on the cement with an arrow crossing through it. Following suit, Judy crouched beside him and wrote her initials, 'J.H.' right next to a plus sign and his initials 'N.W.'
As if the initials weren't enough, Judy also placed a paw in the cement right beneath her initials. Nick grinned happily and took her example. He placed his own paw underneath his initials as well. Seeing both their differing paw structures side by side, filled them both with an unexpected sense of pride.
Nick smiled at Judy and she just lowered her gaze bashfully. Nick held his paw out to her and she took it.
They have stars in their eyes
On this lovely bella notte
The two strolled through the park, paw in paw as they passed another couple sitting on a bench. It seemed romance was everywhere this evening.
Side by side
With your loved one,
You'll find
Enchantment here
The fox and bunny walked to a bridge, stopping right in the middle of it. With their paws still intertwined, they gazed at their reflection in the water as it shone beneath the moonlight. Two butterflies flew near the water, intertwining with one another.
Nick and Judy stared deeply into each other's eyes as the butterflies settled in the water for a second, causing gentle ripples to form over the reflection of the young lovers.
The night will weave
Its magic spell
When the one
You love is near,
Nick and Judy rested against a tree at a hilltop with a perfect view of the city. It was a popular gathering place for couples, as was evident by all the other couples that were also parked there in the neighboring hills. Judy rested her head against Nick's shoulder, taking in the view and sighed contently.
Nick hummed happily towards her, "Have you enjoyed your evening, Carrots?"
"Mhm," Judy hummed in response, "This has been the most wonderful night of my life." She turned to him and gave him a tender kiss on the cheek, "Thank you Nick."
Nick felt the skin beneath his fur burn red in bashfulness. Despite his fluttering heart, he felt emboldened by her act of affection. Nick placed a gentle paw beneath Judy's chin and lifted her attention to him. He shook his head, "No, thank you." He rested his lips against hers once more in a soft, loving kiss.
When their lips parted, they smiled at each other with evident blushes and affection upon their faces. Judy sighed and rested her head against his shoulder once again, placing a paw at his chest and seeking comfort in his arms. Nick in turn, wrapped both his tail and an arm around her and held her close. It was a strange yet wonderful feeling he felt in his heart. Whenever he would date a girl before, more often than not he was sick of them right after dinner or at the latest by the next morning. From there, he wouldn't really care much if he'd ever see any of them ever again after their date.
But with Judy...things were different. He felt that he wanted her there, that he still wanted to see her there in his arms the following morning and to wake up to her sweet smile. He wanted to hold her for as long as he lived and never let her go.
Nick rested his head over hers, wholly relaxed and happy as they sat there underneath the moonlight.
For this is the night,
And the heavens are right
On this lovely bella notte…