Ch. 11: Old Friends, New Hijinks
Hours later thanks to her excellent persuasion skills Judy was released from the hospital.
Despite being given a crutch to walk in she ended up being carried on Nick's back as he walked them to their new room and board.
Judy had already had an idea about who his friend was and wasn't surprised when they turned to an alley and saw a familiar van. An exotic wolf carrying his fainted beloved painted on the side.
"Oh Finnick," Nick sang out. "Good news, we got ourselves a new roomie!"
The driver's window rolled down and the big-eared head of the fennec fox popped out, fixing them both with a glare that only got steelier when his eyes landed on Judy.
"No," his deep voice said flatly before he disappeared back into the van, turning the radio up to drown them out.
Nick rolled his eyes, more exasperated than anything and opened the van's back doors, revealing a pile of music equipment on one side and a mess of blankets and pillows on the other.
"Welcome to your home away from home, Carrots," Nick told her, picking her up and placing her in the van before she could protest. The music died and Finnick jumped into the back, looking ready to tear Nick's face off.
"I let you stay for old time's sake," he snapped before pointing at Judy. "But that didn't mean your girlfriend can stay."
Judy felt herself heat up. Was Finnick joking or did he seriously believe they were a couple?
"She's stranded, Finnick," Nick continued, not addressing the fennec's latter sentence. "She hurt her leg saving helpless animals and then lost the keys to her apartment. She can't get new ones made for at least a week. Come on, pal, have a heart."
"It's bad enough having one cop around," Finnick growled. "I'm on the straight and narrow now after you left. I joined the music business."
"Well technically we aren't cops, not right now," Nick informed him. "We've been suspended for an unknown amount of time."
Finnick stared at him for a second before throwing his head back and laughing, Judy nearly choked on her mortification.
"You got suspended? You've only been a cop for a few months!" he cackled. "What you do? Crash the police car into a bridge?"
"Well…"
Finnick laughed harder.
"That made my day better," he said after he caught his breath, wiping a tear from his eye. "But the answer is still no."
Nick frowned at him, then Judy could practically see the light bulb glowing in his head, he shrugged. "All right, I can take a hint. If you had let her stay with us I'd have been overwhelm with gratitude. And I might add I'm on personal terms with Sven Jingle…and Gazelle."
Finnick glowered, knowing where Nick was going.
"I could've gotten in a good word for your music, maybe even arrange a meeting. But the last thing I want to do is overstay my welcome and take advantage of my friend's good graces. Come along, Carrots, we'll find some motel."
"Wait," the words hissed through Finnick's gritted teeth. Nick smirked.
"She can stay for one week. Then you are both gone."
"Who's the nicest wittle fox in the whole word," Nick cooed.
Finnick snarled and went back to the driver seat. "Thank you, Finnick!" Judy called.
"Whatever, Hustler!"
Judy grinned at Nick, "Hustler? He still hasn't let that go?"
"Oh, he will never let that go." Nick crawled into the van and started to straighten out a pallet for her, picking her up once again despite her protests he placed her on an old but comfy pillow, placing her wounded leg on a tinier cushion.
"Thank you," she told him and he waved her words away, crawling into the passenger seat to sit next to Finnick who was holding a tiny guitar, tweaking its strings.
"So you're writing music now, Finnick," Judy asked, wanting to get on the fox's good graces.
"He's trying to start a band," Nick told her, resting his crossed legs on the dashboard, "Should've come up with this idea early on so I could've joined."
Finnick snorted, "You're tone-deaf."
"Ha! You wish! I've been told I have the voice on an angel."
Judy listed her head to the side. Who had told him that? She had never heard Nick sing. Not even in the car when she was singing along with the radio and told him to join in. He'd just playfully roll his eyes and pretend to cover his ears.
Judy was about to ask him to sing for her when her phone started to ring. Still shocked it had somehow managed to be saved despite her being in the water for so long.
"It's my parents," she swallowed. She hadn't contacted them since she had woken up in the hospital.
She pressed the answer button.
"JUDY!" Her parents' faces were bunched up on the screen, their eyes red with freshly shed tears and Judy's heart twisted.
"Hi Mom, hi Dad," she tried to smile.
"I'm sorry I didn't call you, so much stuff had been going on…"
"Your chief told us you were in the hospital," her mom sobbed. "We were so scared!"
"I'm sorry," Judy forced herself to hold back tears. "Y-you don't have to worry. I've been temporarily suspended. I'll be off the force until at least…a while." Bogo may have already told her parents about her leg but she didn't want to bring it up.
"That's good," Stu proclaimed. "You can stay with us, where it's safe!"
But Judy shook her head, "I'll be fine here as long as I don't go poking my nose into anyone's business. Besides, I want to stay with Nick."
Her parents both frowned, their eyes hardening, and Judy didn't have time to hang up before her father opened his mouth.
"You know when you told us you're partner was a fox, I figured he'd protect you better."
"He did, you don't-"
"Chief Bogo also told us that you found a dangerous criminal before the bridge accident," Bonnie added. "Was he any help then?"
"Of course he was! He-"
"We heard you nearly had your bone broken, Judy," Stu kept on. "A bunny who can't use both legs can't run, and if that fox isn't going to look out for you-"
"Okay!" Judy barked, rendering her parents silent. "That's enough, I need to go. Love you." She quickly hung up before they could say more.
Silent, the van was now full of tension. Nick was right behind her in the passenger seat, having heard every word. She was grateful she couldn't make out his expression.
"Nick…" she began, "They just don't understand what happened. They were scared. And for the longest time they thought foxes were fierce and cunning so-"
"Too bad I'm not either," Nick mumbled in a monotone.
"Nick…"
"Whose hungry," his voice was overly cheerful as he opened the passenger door, "I'll go get us something to eat." He slammed the door shut before Judy could say anything else, leaving her alone with Finnick who had kept quiet through the entire call.
"They're just worried," she tired to explain her parents. "When they've calmed down I'll call them again, explain what happened."
"I'd be more worried about Nick," Finnick replied. His eyes on his guitar as he strummed a simple tune, "You're family are rabbits. Rabbits are, well, active in all things love. You don't have to worry about losing them. But Nick…he's vanished for days before. And I assumed, but never actually knew if he was coming back."
His words made Judy want to dash out of the van and chase after her partner. But she couldn't, not with her leg. And she trusted Nick, she trusted him to always come back.
"He'll be back," she assured Finnick. "He's our friend."
The small fox glanced down at her, "How has he been, before he got evicted and staring crashing in my van, anyway?"
"Good," Judy answered. "Still arrogant, still rude, but he's smart too and helped me solve so many cases… I would've died if he hadn't saved me. Doesn't he realize that?"
"Hustler, you are forgetting one important fact about Nick Wilde."
"Which is?"
"That he's an idiot."
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that." Judy giggled and she thought she caught Finnick smirking and remembered something she meant to have said before the phone call.
"By the way, I'm not sure if you were joking or not earlier but in case you weren't, Nick and I aren't a couple."
Finnick gave her an unreadable look before turning back to his guitar, not saying anything. Judy sat in quiet for a while before pointed to his equipment. "That's all pretty fancy."
"Don't touch it," Finnick said immediately.
"I wasn't going to," she argued. "Personally I think it's great that you have gone to find more honest work."
"Yeah, but dishonest work actually paid."
Judy shook her head, "Nick wasn't lying about telling Sven Jingle about you. I'll even put in a good word; he adores me and my blatant honesty. But first…" She leaned back against the pillow and made herself comfortable. "Play me a song."
"Huh?"
"You're a musician right? Play me one of your songs."
Finnick looked, dare she say it, flustered, "I haven't written anything original yet, I've only done covers."
"Then play me a cover."
"You can't look at me."
Judy giggled and closed her eyes, "Oh, okay, but you'll have to get over stage fright."
"I'm working on it." After a few moments of silence Judy heard Finnick start to prick the guitar strings. A soft song slowly playing out, to her surprise she realized she recognized it. It was an old song, played at the barn dances of Bunnyburrow where all the young love-struck rabbits held each other and swayed. Judy couldn't remember ever finding someone to dance with…
As the music got smoother and Finnick started to get more into it he started to sing, his deep voice surprisingly melodic:
"Your eyes glowing like the moon
You fur makes me want to swoon
And if I could howl, howl you know I would
Because you make me feel feelings I never knew I could
You're as pretty as a flower
Over my heart you hold so much power
And if I could sing, sing I would
Because you make me feel feelings, I don't know if I should
And if you'll hold me, hold me true
I don't want to be anywhere if it's not with you
If I could howl, how I would
You make me feel feelings I never knew I could"
"Are you serenading my police partner?"
Judy's eyes popped open, Nick had returned and opened the back door and was standing there holding a bag of take out, he smiled at Judy and she was quick to smile back, hoping he had gotten over what her parents said. But she felt they should still talk about it later.
Finnick growled at him before turning away, "She asked me too. And I need her on my side more than you when I talk to Jingle."
"Ouch, you wound me, Fin." Nick crawled in and shut the door, handing out food. When everyone was seated with food in their belly Judy asked Finnick to play the song again for Nick.
"I want him to heart it, when I was a kid it was the number one slow song in Bunnyburrow. All rabbits danced to it."
"How many poor love sick fools did you dance with to this song," Nick asked jokingly.
Judy smirked, "Tons," she lied. "And if my foot was healed and we weren't in a van I'd dragged you to your feet and make you dance with me.
"Well, tell you what darling, the next time we're in a situation that calls for a dance you can certainly drag me to the dance floor."
"It's a promise."
Finnick rolled his eyes at them before starting up the song again. Judy smiled sleepily at the small fox before her ears pricked in surprise. Nick was starting to sing. His eyes were closed and he wore a small smile and seemed so relaxed, more so than usual.
Judy couldn't take her eyes off him.
When the song slowed to a still once again Judy clapped enthusiastically.
"Woo hoo! That was so good, you were both so great! Encore, encore!"
"Not for me," Finnick let out a loud yawn. "I'm going to sleep. And if you two aren't then stay quiet. I have always slept exactly eight hours and that's not gonna change tonight."
He placed his guitar down with all the care of a mother to her child and then crawled into the driver seat to curl up.
"Goodnight Finnick," Judy told him.
He made a noise that Judy assumed meant goodnight.
She lay down, but before she could tuck the blanket around her Nick did it for her.
"Sweet dreams, Carrots," he whispered and made to go to the passenger seat but she grabbed his arm before he could go.
"Can you stay back here…with me?"
He nodded and lay down beside her, his tail curling around her like it was the most natural thing in the world. Nick closed his eyes and Judy did the same, but before she could even feel tired a very loud snore vibrated through the air.
Judy's eyes popped open and stared up at Finnick. He looked cuddly lying curled in the seat, but Judy imagined that all of Zootopia could hear that snoring. Judy tried to fall asleep again; after all she was sued to her neighbors' arguments being her lullaby. But that and Finnick's snoring were two completely different things.
"Nick," she whispered to him.
"Hmm," Nick hummed, his eyes closed.
"Finnick is snoring."
"Your deduction skulls are legendary," Nick replied, eyes still closed, "Are you Basil of Barker Street?"
She ignored his joke, "How do you sleep through it?"
"I have a secret."
"Which is?"
"I don't sleep."
Judy rolled her eyes, "Then look at me when we're talking."
He slid his eyes open, green eyes glowing in the dimness.
"I wanted to talk to you anyway," she told him.
His brow furrowed, "About what?"
"Earlier…with my parents," she began awkwardly, "I'm so sorry. I didn't know they'd say that. I'll call them once they calm down and explain-"
Nick placed his paw over Judy's face, muffling her. "You need to calm down."
She pulled his paw away, her eyes moist.
"Its okay, Carrots," he insisted.
"Yeah, I was upset but I couldn't be mad at your parents…they were right."
"Stop that," she practically growled, tightly squeezing the paw she still held between her own. "I don't care what anyone, including you, says. You were a hero Nicholas Wilde. You saved my life."
She didn't break eye contact with him, trying to get her words through his thick head. And she tried to ignore how their noses were almost touching.
Finally Nick smiled sweetly, "Please blink, you're looking scary."
Judy did so. "Are you feeling better now?"
"You know what? I am. Aren't you a little, fluffy, magic worker."
Judy smiled, "I do have an uncle who's a magician."
Nick chuckled and rolled over, "Let's try and get some shut eye. Key word: Try."
Judy rolled over as well, "Okay, good night Nick."
"Nighty night, Carrots."
"Oh and Nick? You really do have the voice of an angel."
"Stop trying to seduce me Officer, you already got me in your bed."
She kicked him in the tail.