Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from the Zootropolis, the rights and the characters belong to Disney and not me...except for the new Box/Funnie baby.
A Wild birth
Head was pounding, heart was drumming, eyes were wide and non-blinking, body was as stiff as stone (except for his legs) and his ears were pinned back.
Nick could feel his entire body pulsate with anticipation as he followed the kangaroo nurse in through the double doors leading into the ward which his wife was currently occupying. He took a deep inhale through his nose and instantly picked up on the scent of antiseptic cleanliness and a hint of vinegar, which was probably what some of the medicines smelled like but, in spite of those scents being the most overpowering, he could also make out the comforting familiar scent of Judy...and a scent he'd never smelled before.
It wasn't all that noticeable but Nick found himself enchanted by it all the same as he had to assume that the extra scent he was smelling had belonged to his son/daughter and it was those dualism of scents that would be like a guiding light to find his mate and newborn.
He had to utilise his nocturnal vision as the lights had been dimmed to the point where he would have hardly been able to see anything if it weren't for the mammal guiding him.
The fox police officer kept his grip on his cup of coffee tight —almost to the point where the paper cup was squished within his clasp— as he stepped into the room with as much caution as one can put into their footsteps. He was so entranced that he hadn't even noticed that the marsupial nurse had stopped hopping for a moment, glanced back to look at him, and giggled quietly both out of necessity due to the exhausted mammals trying to get some rest after childbirth and the fact that there were kits in the room.
Nick and the nurse got closer and closer to a small closed off section of the ward until a familiar voice called out quietly to him.
"Nick?"
The fox's ears instantly perked up and stood straight up with attentiveness as he easily recognised that voice! He could feel his heart take a quick plunge as realisation dawned upon him and he swiftly spun on his own two feet, whirling around to face the direction of the voice and quickly found himself staring into a pair of beautiful violet eyes that shone delicately in the darkness of the room.
It was Judy.
The poor bunny was lying in a bed with her head heavily leaning back against the pillow and the blankets that covered her were brought all the way up to her her chest and then folded neatly over. She snuggled deeply into the comfortable hospital blankets and let loose a soft groan born of a unique mix of bliss and exhaustion. She looked as if she'd been violently dragged through hell and back. Her fur was messy and her long ears were droopy as they hung behind her head, she had dark bags sagging underneath her eyes and her little pink nose wouldn't stop wiggling.
Judy's violet eyes full of exhaustion simply gleamed as she found the strength to glance up to meet her husband's awestruck gaze.
"H-Hey there, slick," She greeted with a fond smile, her voice weak and raspy from exhaustion.
Nick managed to return the smile as best as he could as he raised his paw and waved as he said in the most hushed tone that was obviously interlaced with the purest form of nervousness.
"Aww, there's my brave lil' bunny..." He cooed, keeping his voice hushed.
Judy smirked at the comment halfheartedly as she blinked exhaustedly at her husband and her heart was as warm as a small campfire fire burning in the middle of a harsh, unforgiving blizzard.
Nick, in the meantime, took a quick sip of his coffee absentmindedly put down the cup on a nearby counter.
The rabbit officer had been very anxious because she had never really envisioned herself becoming a wife or mother —she just thought that she would have thrown herself into her work so much that her job as an officer would have been enough for her. Maybe she would have considered settling down somewhere down the line (again) she just didn't think motherhood would come and find her...especially not like this; regardless, when she did find out about her condition, she couldn't have been happier.
Judy observed watchfully as her partner dashed over towards the bed and stopped when he stood on the left side of it and started looking down at his wife from above her, his exotic emerald green eyes glinting with subdued excitement. He could feel his whole body buzz with excited energy, and it didn't take long for him to notice that the bunny was cradling something that made his train of thought freeze up completely. His eyes were so wide that some would easily say that they could pop right out of their sockets.
The bunny was cradling something and it didn't take a genius to know out what it was.
Nick was so entranced that he hardly heard the nurse excuse herself and leave the scene to give the two some privacy with their new little miracle.
The fox leaned in to get a closer look and had to blink several times to refresh his vision —to make sure that what he was staring at wasn't a figment of his imagination or a trick of the light. The frail newborn kit was almost lost entirely in the big cocoon of blankets, wires and heart monitors, but Nick quickly spotted a tiny head popping out amongst it all.
The kit was so tiny!
It was just a bit bigger then a newborn bunny kitten and could easily fit into both palms.
The kit mostly resembled a fox but it's head was round, like Judy's, and it had pronounced cheek fluff sticking out on either side of its face. A thin, vibrant red fur coat covered its small body from head to paw. It had a pair of long, thin, black-tipped ears which flopped over in a pair of folds. The kit seemed to have obtained quite a bit of baby fat when it came to its physique as it had rather large feet and a little bushy fox tail. A little snout poked out of its face, it wasn't as pronounced as a foxes but it wasn't qualified as short like a rabbit's either, it had a dark purple nose on the end of it and the pup had a delicate grey bit of colouring beneath its muzzle.
It was a perfect combo between both Judy and Nick.
Nick was at a loss for words and he felt his throat close over as he became choked up and tears started to swell up in his eyes. This tiny thing was his and Judy's child...this small and feeble little bundle was the product of two mammals whom loved the bones of each other. Nick couldn't help but stare into the small face poking out amidst the flannel towel as he leaned forward so his paws and his long snout pressed up against it.
Judy sent her husband an exhausted sideways grin, her indigo/purple eyes aglow with happiness.
"You can hold him if you want to, Nick..."
Hearing the bunny police officer say that made Nick's ear twitch attentively and he momentarily turned his head towards Judy for a split second.
Him!?
So it was a son they had...!
Nick sucked in a deep breath, filling his lungs with oxygen, to try and keep himself calm and composed in spite of the anxiety that came very close to overwhelming him. He tried his best not to explode with joy but he didn't want to start out fatherhood by frightening his own kit and making the poor thing cry. He tried to keep his paws from trembling as he extended his arms towards her, both paws had been brought together as he opened his paw pads invitingly.
Judy giggled softly as she obliged and proceeded to lower her little kit into the fox's waiting embrace.
Nick reeled his arms back and didn't hesitate when it came to getting to work and accommodating the precious bundle in his embrace. The kit was even smaller than he had imagined! He was astounded by how precious his new son was and he was so small and fragile, his breaths were so soft and squeaky and he seemed to have been quite a squirmy and rambunctious little scamp since the adorable yet squeaky bunny-fox hybrid started to move around in his father's paws.
Nick couldn't help but let out a brass chuckle of amusement when he witnessed this.
"Careful, little guy...don't wanna fall off now, do you?"
Without another word, Nick carefully brought his paws even closer together and used his thumbs to oh-so gently restrain the fidgety newborn and get his squirming to stop; the fox didn't want to risk dropping him, or even touch him encase he hurt him or something like that; he would never be able to forgive himself should he break this precious kit by accident. But the newborn kit stopped wriggling, as though hearing his father's words and finally getting comfortable, and he let out a delicate mewl of a sound.
The kit's little nose started to twitch and his floppy yet pointed ears became a tad droopy.
The fox police officer had always thought of himself as a shifty lowlife who would never gain anybody's trust. Since he was eight years old, he had thought himself as nothing more than a untrustworthy fox who deserved no trust or even love...but now he had everything he ever wanted.
He had married the love of his life, and a prey mammal nonetheless, and now he was a family fox.
"He's so cuuuuuuu-" Nick was about to say "cute" but quickly decided against it due to the dark scowl Judy was shooting him, daring him to finish that sentence, and he was sure that if it were biologically possible then he would be sweating bullets right now...he wished he didn't have any fur for a brief moment. The fox decided to swiftly amend his statement before he said something he'd regret later. "-oooool. I m-m-meant to say he's so cool."
Nick glanced at his exhausted partner in hopes that his fixed sentence would get some approval and he felt a measure of relief when Judy gave a slow nod as the anger swiftly melted away like ice cubes being heated in a microwave. He decided to change the subject quickly as the corners of his lips curled to create a warm smile whilst he beamed down at his small son.
"Does this cute fuzzball have a name?"
Judy's smile dropped like a stone in water and her whole body stiffened, that reaction alone made it as clear as acrylic glass: she, like Nick, hadn't thought of any names yet.
Of course name ideas had been thrown back and fourth like an aggressive badminton match but neither the fox or bunny police officers could successfully decide on just one name. Eventually they agreed to simply wait to see their infant's face until they could name him or her.
The couple glanced at each other for a few seconds and then back down to the tiny kit still being cradled in Nick's arm whom just snuggled against his father's upper abdomen —the bunny-fox kitten seemed so peaceful as he lain in the soothing embrace of his father and he seemed completely oblivious to the fact that his parents were in a predicament regarding his very own name. He just squeaked quietly and shifted about slightly in the fox's arms.
A two minute silence passed them by until Judy's eyes lit up when it appeared an idea came to her.
"Why don't we name him Jake?" Judy suggested.
"...Jake?" Nick repeated, confused.
Judy nodded her head and proceeded to explain, her voice taking on a nostalgic tone.
"Jake was the name of one of my uncles, he was actually the only bunny who really supported me when I decided to become a police officer. He always believed in me, even when nobody else would..." a wistful yet reminiscent look etched upon her face, "...He died while I was still training at the ZPD academy."
She sighed.
"I just...want to honour his legacy through our son."
Nick thought about what he'd been told, ears splaying backwards and then flattening as he heard the pain seeping into the bunny's voice as she explained about her uncle. His heart sunk from his chest and down into his stomach as he couldn't keep back the powerful feelings that flooded through his mind. So one of Judy's uncles had inspired her to get into the profession of being a law enforcer...he hadn't heard this until now and he felt a little inspired just listening to the explanation. Then he looked down at the kit laying in his arms and studied him closer. Actually, when he inspected his new son a little more, he started to realise that the name that his wife had picked out actually seemed to fit him like a rubber glove.
He liked it.
Nick glanced skywards and decided to try out the name as he let it roll off his tongue.
"Jacob Johnathan Wilde...Jake Wilde..."
Finally a huge grin spread across his muzzle as he nodded in approval and reached over to place a spare paw atop the bunny's head and playfully rustled the already-messy grey fur, being careful not to let any of his claws knick her skin. He also decided to be mindful of her ears that were still dropping behind her head due to exhaustion, something that wasn't really normal for her due to her "Can-do" attitude. Besides, he could see how much that name meant to her, he wanted to do whatever it took to make his wife happy and he couldn't think of a better name his wife picked out.
"I like it, Carrots."
A/N: I decided to make this a three-parter rather than a two-parter.
The kit has been named Jake!
Hope you enjoy this guys because this is my second NickXJudy fic and I thought I should try and make it as cute and fluffy as possible.
I also had a thought that if there haven't been any bunnies who decided to become police officers then I thought to myself "how could Judy even know about the profession at such a young age?" and then I thought maybe a single relative could have bolstered our favourite bunny police officer's confidence about it. I don't know, I just thought it would be lovely.
The next chapter shall be the last one.
-Chloemcg
