Chapter 5
The Deal
"Here you two go, is there anything else I can get you?" An antelope waitress said putting two garden salads on the table in front of Nick and Judy.
"No thank you, this will do" nick responded with a smile.
"Alright just give me a call if you need anything" the waitress turned and left Judy and Nick there.
"So Judy what is it you want to know?" Nick asked as he started eating his salad.
Nick noticed the silence coming from Judy as she blankly started at him, he swallowed the food he was chewing on.
"Are you alright?, is it the place or the food?" Nick asked snapping Judy out of her trance.
"No everything is alright, he he" judy said quickly taking a bit of her salad.
Nick sat back in his seat and crossed his arms. He really didn't think it was the place or the food, of course he only heard of the place and recommended it, it was more luxurious then he intended, they were seated by a window and the chairs and table were specially designed to look like they belong together and the chairs were extremely comfortable, and nick did order for the both of the both them mostly because he didn't intend to finish the meal, niether does he want to get started about the outrageous price for just one of the two salads. This was obviously not the right place to bring her to, the high class businesses that lined the streets in both directions were for special tailors to car dealerships that all were selling something and all had signs that showed dollar sign with four to seven digits following, if this outside the window doesn't already give off what the idea of the restaurant it is then what would, the Blue Moose was meant for the rich or high class even romantic couples. "I hope she doesn't get the wrong idea, I didn't know what this place was like"
"What do you want to know?" nick said.
"What do you mean nick?" Judy was generally confused at what he said.
"The deal was that if we went out to lunch I would answer your question" Nick said sitting up, starting to eat his salad once, mostly because of the price.
"Why didn't you tell me you had PTSD, and what do you mean its not like the PTSD I know, why did you call me John and then tackle me to the floor, and what was the deal you made with Bogo?" Judy asked nick in rapid, careless manor only noticing it when the fox started to choke on his food.
"I'm sorry, but one at a time carrots" Nick said holding his throat.
Judy let huff of air before saying "please don't call me that I have a name, you know"
" I know you have a name, and I know what it is, but if you don't like that I can call you cute little bunny" Nick said in a playful tone.
"Don't call me cute!' Judy ears dropped when she realized she said that to loud.
"Then carrots it is, now which question do you want me to answer?' Nick said leaning forward onto one arm, with a serious tone.
"What do you mean?, you said you would answer my questions" Judy continued with caution.
"I said I would answer your question, not questions, now which one?" Nick said with a sly grin.
Judy let out another huff in defeat, as the fox before her had put up a wall to perfect himself, she knew she couldn't get around the wall nick put up. "why didn't you tell me... or at least say you had PTSD?"
Nick leaned back in his chair. "well I see it like this, thats not how you start out a conversation with someone you just met, Hello my name is Nick Wilde, nice to meet you, oh and by the way I have PTSD, that isn't what I see as properly starting out a conversation." nick said in serious way that made Judy think he was joking until she interrupted the following moment of silence
"WHAT!" Judy dropped down when she realized she had yelled again.
"And I'm not going for the look at the disabled vet look. It's hard enough trying to find a job as a fox, but to be a fox with PTSD it might as well as be impossible." Nick said as he started to clean his teeth with a clawed finger.
"that can't be your answer, that doesn't count, and didn't you tell me it wasn't PTSD" Judy said trying to get the fox to say more.
"I answered your question I never said you would like the answer, and I said it was't the kind of PTSD that you know." Nick said in a playful tone, leaning forward once again but this time putting his elbows on the table and his head on his fists.
This left Judy in awe, as the fox before her had put up a wall around himself that she wasn't expecting. There was a moment of silence between the to and it would have gone on had moose not walked up caring a very familiar paper.
"Is everything alright Mister Wilde?" the moose asked
Nick looked the moose up and down noticing the name tag he had on, Manager and below that read F. Bluu. "Everything is alright Mr. Bluu, and please call me Nick" the fox said politely.
The moose looked at the fox. "Alright Mister Wilde, is there anything else I can get for you?"
"Can we get the check and please just call me Nick, Mister Wilde was my father" Nick said politely.
"Of course Mist... Nick, One moment please" Moose said and started walking away out of view.
"How did he know your name?" Judy asked curiously
"I know mammals carrots, I make secret spy novels look like Childs play." Nick said with a devilish grin at the bunny, which in return gave a look of disappointed disbelief.
"Didn't you see the newspaper in his arms, more specifically under his left arm, which is probably the only reason we got a table in here, or the fact that he didn't acknowledge you at all, tells me he may not be a fan of you." Nick said with a smile.
Judy was once again left in awe as she noticed he was right about it, the moose manager had the morning paper, the restaurant was to high class looking to allow walk-ins, and the moose manager didn't at all acknowledge Judy. "speak of the devil" Judy thought as she saw the manager walking back to the table with a small tray, which she presumed had the check on it.
"Here you go Mist... Nick" The Moose laid the tray on the table and walked away.
Judy was just about reach for the tray when nick already had it in front of him, examining it in his paw. He laid it down and pulled out roll of money from his pocket, laid some bills out on the table and got out the chair and started walking away. Judy reached over and pulled the tray over her to look at the check, her jaw dropped at the amount due, it was seventy five dollars before the discount that was placed one of the salads dropping it to thirty eight dollars.
"Are you coming carrots?" Nick said snapping Judy out of a trance that have become a usual occurrence for her lately.
The mammals left the restaurant and had started walking down the street and didn't stop. Judy wanted to talk to nick multiple times but didn't know what to say. She wanted to talk to him to learn why he changed his persona so much and so well, back in The Blue Moose his personality changed from serious to playful to a polite gentle mammal so fast she couldn't keep track. Which one was the real nick or is this a side effect of his PTSD. Why didn't he like being called Mister Wilde, does it really have something to do with his father or both his parents. She can see he has put up a wall but she wants to know why.
"Nick?" Judy said hesitantly
"Yes carrots is everything alright?'
"well.. um" Judy wanted to ask him about his parents but didn't want to be rude
"Are you alright carrots?"
"Nick sounded genuinely concerned for me just now but is he really?" Judy thought
"I was wondering..." Judy was having trouble trying to ask him.
"Yes?" Nick said in a way of trying to cox Judy into saying what she wanted to say.
"Wh... where you wanted to go next?" Judy said with a smile and her ears sticking straight up
"hmm" nicks response started to make Judy feel bad she lost her smile even thought it was fake and her ears started to droop "you bunnies make everything seem cute, even the simplest things." Nick said turning away.
Judy's expression changed from feeling bad to disappointment in the fox before her.
"I do want to see the new park that everyone must be going to if their not going to Happytown any more" Nick said holding the underside of his muzzle.
"then lets go to Zootopia central park!" Judy said mostly to get out of the award situation she put herself in.
"Lets go" Nick said walking off
"Uh nick its this way" Judy said
"I knew that I was just testing you" Nick said as he walked past Judy in the opposite direction.
"of course I know where it is I've been hiding out here in city for the last few months, I needed to get use to my surroundings and plan for the worst before I presented myself, of course I didn't plan to have you arrest me either, so now I just have to hide out in plain sight and wait till everything dies down, but why did I start waling towards, oh no it can't be getting worse, not now" Nick thought.
"So here is center of Zootopia central park, so nick tell me whats it like for you being back in the city." Judy said gesturing to the area around her and nick.
"Good I guess" nick said distracted by his surroundings.
"What do you mean?" Judy said raising her ears to nicks comment.
"Well besides being arrested for breaking into my own home..." Judy lowered her ears in embarrassed by what nick said.
"I don't really know what to say, a lot has changed since I left, I don't know if I'll ever get use to it." nick said looking at he fountain in front of him.
"I'm sorry nick I didn't mean to be rude' Judy said lowering her ears.
"You bunnies are real emotional bombs aren't you?" Nick said getting a disappointed reaction from the bunny and if he saw correctly from his peripheral view she had rolled her eyes.
"Wow this is bigger than I expected, and quite beautiful" Nick said in amazement, as he looked at the large fountain in front of him and then slowly turning in a circle looking at everything around him.
"It is quite nice for 80 acres" Judy said looking at the fountain.
"What do you mean for 80 acres?" nick said looking at Judy curiously.
"I'm sorry Nick its just that to me it is quite small especially when I go jogging" Judy said looking down at her right hind paw slowly twisting it in the dirt.
"Well no doubt it would be small to a bunny, you probably run the thing a dozen times and still not get tired" nick said.
"No not because of my jogging, because my family owns 300 acres that I use to go jogging on before I moved to the city" Judy said looking up at nick.
"Carrots family must have some serious cash to have 300 acres" Nick said impressed at the thought of it.
"No my family isn't rich so don't go getting any ideas" Judy said in a serious one, causing complete silence between the two, though the same could not be said for the mammals rushing past the fox and the bunny.
"well that means only one other thing" nick said starting to walk away.
"And what does that mean?" Judy said agitated catching up to the fox
"oh nothing much, just" nick said
"Just what?" Judy said in an angry tone while running in front of the fox to stop him.
"I'm just curious about something" nick said leaning down to make full eye contact with Judy at an even level with her head.
"About what?" Judy said doing no sign backing down at the fox in front of her.
"Just what makes a cute little bunny like you decide to leave home and become a big city cop?" nick said with a grin standing back up and continued walking.
"And just what is that suppose to mean?" Judy said walking next to nick.
"What I mean is the world is a big bad place, so what is a carrot farmer from some little Podunk farm doing in the city?" nick said stopping right in the middle of circle of cart shops.
"First off I'm from the Tri-Burrows, and second at least I'm doing somthinng." Judy said sounding very assured of herself.
"Your from the Try-Burrows?, so how about Bunny Burrow?, and you say that like I've never done anything in my life, does that sound correct?" Nick said then he looked up at the shops.
"I... I... I..." Judy was hit by a wave of guilt because she realized that she did accuse him of not doing anything with his life and that is the complete opposite of what he's done.
"Nick... I..." Judy began saying to the fox but he started to walk away from her again, she followed him.
The fox had move quickly through the crowd of mammals, and had gotten out of the circle of shops with the bunny following close behind. Nick seemed to be on a mission because it looked like he forgot about the bunny he was with. "I can't get to close to her, or let her get to close, it's safer for the both of us that way." Nick took a seat on a bench, still around cart shops but there were a lot less around and a lot less mammals to.
After a brief moment of silence Judy broke the silence trying to raise nicks spirits because he now looked distracted.
"Nick" Judy said breaking the silence.
"Yeah carrots" nick replied looking around till he locked his head in one position, Judy did't like nick calling her that but it didn't matter now.
"If you don't mind me asking, what do you plan on doing now that your back?" Judy asked taking a seat next to the fox.
"I don't know, whatever I can, but first I got get use to how much has change" Nick said.
"So your parents are they happy your back?" Judy asked looking away from the fox.
"Yeah I... I guess they are" Nick said.
"What do you mean Nick?" Judy said looking at fox.
"I haven't gone to seen them yet" Nick said light heartedly and still looking away from the bunny.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU HAVEN'T GONE TO SEE THEM YET?!" Judy yelled then covered her mouth with her paws, looking around noticing she drew the attention of mammals walking by.
"Why have't you gone to see them yet?" Judy said angrily, looking at the fox next to her noticing he was hardly paying attention to her.
"Why do you care?, their not your parents..." Nick said trailing off.
Judy looked away, "He has a point, thats his business why he hasn't gone to see his parents" Judy thought and then a wave of guilt fell over her at what came to her mind next, "And you just got angry at him for it, you dumb bunny"
"N... Ni... Nick" Judy said
"Carrots... I..." nick said.
"He's upset, you've gone and done it now Judy" she thought, she was so deep in thought she lost focus on her surroundings.
"I..." "sniff" "I..." "sniff" she started to struggle as she was trying to hold back from bursting into tears.
"I'm sorry for getting angry at you for not going to see your parents, I shouldn't have, and I can understand if you leave and go home" Judy said as tears started to roll down her cheeks looking straight ahead.
"Nick?" Judy said after a moment of silence.
She didn't want to look to see if he was still there, so instead she reached over felt the empty bench seat with her paw. She pulled her paw back and looked into it. She then fell face first into both her paws.
"Are you alright carrots?" Judy's heart jumped at the sound of the familiar voice.
"Nick I..." Judy said
"I leave for just a few seconds to get some pawsicle, and you start crying, you bunnies are so emotional, it's not contagious is it?" Nick said holding out a pawsicle to the bunny while eating the other.
Judy took the pawsicle, and the fox resumed sitting next to her on the bench. Judy looked at nick, he looked back and smiled and resumed eating his pawsicle, Judy began eating hers gleefully knowing that the fox next to her was not upset.
"Now she want's to know about my parents, this bunny is going to make things real difficult isn't she?" Nick thought.
The two had finished their pawsicles and had sat on that bench in complete silence for the last few moments.
"So Judy" Nick said looking at Judy
"Yeah Nick?" Judy said looking back
"You want to know about my parents too now don't you?" Nick said gaining a terrified look from the bunny in front of him.
"She was expecting me to ask that" Nick saw that the bunny was scared about where this conversation was going.
"Yeah Nick, I... I..." Judy was quickly interrupted by the fox.
"I'll make you a deal" Nick said
"What?" Judy said confused
"If you make each day worth it I'll answer one of your questions, deal?' Nick said
"No" Judy said so quickly she caught the fox off guard.
"Unless you also answer another one of my questions" Judy said
"Alright, so what do you want to know?" Nick said this time catching Judy off guard
"Tell me why your PTSD isn't PTSD" Judy said looking at the fox
"Well as common knowledge goes PTSD is caused by a traumatic event, an event that I never went through" Nick said looking away from Judy.
"What do you mean?" Judy said looking at the fox next to her.
"Well during the war, I don't exactly know when I lost track of time, the enemy introduced a new chemical weapon" Nick said turning to look at Judy.
"Wait if you were exposed to this how was it not traumatic event?" Judy was already lost in what the fox said.
"Thats because I wasn't really exposed to it, I was just a few trenches over from where it was and the wind picked up blew it over to us, and... and..." Nick stared to freeze remembering the event.
"Nick are you alright?" Judy asked leaning over and placing her paw on nicks arm snapping him out of his trance.
"A lot of mammals were lost that day" Nick said looking at Judy.
"Why are you telling me this Nick?" Judy did't know what to make of the situation.
"Because you wouldn't understand if I didn't, now where was I?" Nick said once again looking away from Judy.
"A lot of mammals" Judy said not wanting to finish it.
"Well that chemical didn't kill me, but it's after effects causes my mind to skip back to random dates in time, it dosen't really happen to often, the fact that it just did is a fluke." Nick said clasping his paws together in front of him and looking down to the ground, taking a moment before he continued speaking.
"The chemical isn't too bad if you're fur is exposed to it, you'll just smell horrible, but if you breath it in, thats when it goes to work, it destroy's your internal parts in different ways, some mammals were lucky and stopped feeling anything before it killed them while others, weren't so lucky." Nick said looking at Judy and pointing to his head, he looked away from the bunny.
"The truth is I got lucky, at first I didn't notice anything different, but it happen a couple of times and then I was ordered to get looked at by doctors, and they were completely baffled by it, so I convinced them to label it as a non-disabling PTSD, and acted like nothing changed." Nick said
"Is that the truth?" Judy asked
"The honest truth" Nick said continuing to look away.
"Sniff" "Thank you for telling me that Nick, even thought you didn't have to" Judy said hugging nick and catching him off guard.
Nick returned the the embrace for a moment and then pulled away.
"Whats wrong nick?" Judy asked
"So carrots do we have a deal?" Nick asked
"Deal" Judy said joyfully.
Authors Notes:
Here's the next chapter, I hope you like it, I would also like to give a shout out to pandamaster97720 he helped me with this chapter, and to everyone else who pointed out my mistakes on previous chapters. Please tell me if any more mistakes show up that I would have missed, and tell me what you think all you need to do is leave it in a comment and I will try to reply in a reasonable amount of time.