Opening Author's Note: Happy Halloween!
…
Pat Pat
Pat Pat Pat
Pat
"Fuch…" the patter said.
"Mmmmph…" The fox growned, turning away from the little paw patting him on the face.
"Psst!" the patter continued in a whisper. "Psst fuch!
"Nuh, ugh?"
The fox sat up in a hurry, still cocooned in his blankets. His eyes scanned around the room, looking for whoever it was that dared to wake him at-
Uh, where was that clock?
Five in the morning.
Oddly enough, there didn't seem to be anyone to focus his rage upon. He looked across the length of the room twice over just to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. Must have been imagining it. Regardless, it would have been nice if the imaginary mammal let him get his sleep. He had the sinking suspicion that today was going to be a long one, and he could really use all the sleep he could get his grubby fox paws on. If it would excuse him, he was going to just lay back down…
"Fuch" the imaginary mammal piped up again.
Nick sprung to attention once more, this time looking down.
"Edmund, what the heck? Didn't you hear what I said last night, about eating bunnies that disturb my sleep?"
The tyke looked at him with a blank expression, unamused and not the least bit threatened.
"Am canit sleep."
"You can't sleep?" the fox asked, only assured that he heard the fluff ball correctly when he began nodding his head. "Excited for tonight?"
The toddler answered with another nod, glumly resting his chin in his paws, his elbows sat upon the couch cushion.
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.
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"You hungry?"
Little Edmunds face regained its luster the moment he heard those words come out of the fox's mouth. He didn't want to risk the guy changing his mind; so he took the vulpine's paw in his own and all but dragged him off of the couch. Whether Nick consented to it or not, he was in for a brisk sprint to the kitchen.
…
Its unrabbit like, the way the bun tore into the piece of pumpkin pie the fox had given him. He ignored the kit-safe fork he was given, deciding to save time by shoving tiny fistfuls of delicious dessert into his waiting muzzle at once.
Nick shook his head in exasperation and exhaled breathily. Deciding he was going to need a bit of a pick me up himself, he opened the fridge and took out the pie tin again, grabbing the server so as to cut himself his own slice.
"Nuh!" Edmund shouted, raising a pie encrusted paw to the fox.
"No!?" Nick gasped, offended.
"Nuh, fuch nut hab pie!"
Nick placed his paw on his hip, shooting the little bunny – who amounted to little more than fluff between his teeth – an incredulous glare.
"And just why is it that little bunnies can have pumpkin pie for breakfast but foxes like little old me here-" he ran a paw up his frame, "-cant?"
The kit was only half listening, resuming the all-important task of caking his face with pie.
"Hey, did you hear me?" Nick insisted, tapping his foot against the tiled floor.
"Huh?" the kit asked, locking eyes with him, entirely nonplussed.
The fox rolled his eyes, deciding to cut himself a slice after all.
"Nuh! Fuch, stup." The tyke insisted, paw raised again.
"Why?" Nick exclaimed. "Why do you get to eat pie and I don't?"
"Cause! Ahm am grownd-down."
"You're a grown-down?" The tod inquired, more confused now than annoyed.
The rabbit nodded.
"What is a 'grown-down'?"
The kit didn't even attempt to conceal the fact that he was rolling his eyes. How could this fuch – excuse me, fox – be so uncultured? It's almost as if he learned nothing back at fox school, which was made specifically for foxes.
"Yu grownd-up, ahm grownd-down." He explained nice and slowly, making sure to enunciate so that his vulpine conversational partner could understand the words which were coming out of his mouth.
"I'm beginning to understand…"
"Grownd-up canit hab dirst por breknast. Onli grownd-down."
"Well, why didn't you just say so." Nick laughed, sitting down across from his little friend in resignation.
"Ahm tred! Fuch dunt list ten!"
"No, I suppose I don't…"
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"Edmund?" Nick asked.
He looked up from his pie.
This better be good. If this fox continues to interrupt him while he tries to have a nice dessert-breakfast he may just blow a gasket.
"I was wondering…"
Spit it out fox, he's starving here.
"Man, how can I put this in a way you'd understand…"
Anyway works. Anyway at all is better than the way you are currently going about it.
"Have you…"
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.
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"Have you ever had, like… 'a crush', or something?"
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The bunny locked eyes with the fox. He seemed to bore into his soul with an understanding deeper than anyone Nick had ever encountered in his many years on this planet. He's been a thousand places, met a thousand mammals and hustled a thousand hustlers. Not one creature in the world has ever seemed to understand him better then the toddler sitting across the table from him at this very moment.
Edmund broke eye contact first, looking down at his pie so that he could grab another pawful before continuing with the act of smearing most of it on his fuzzy little face before he manages to get it in his 'o' shaped mouth.
"Figures…"
"Mmmph…" another rabbit groaned, stumbling into the room. A drowsy Judy braced herself against the counter, only slightly surprised to find Edmund and Nick at the breakfast table.
"What are you doing up this early?" she asked, an eyebrow raising shortly thereafter. "And are you feeding him sweets for breakfast?"
"It's fine," he assured her, leaning back in his wooden kitchen chair. "He's a grownd-down."
Judy rolled her eyes before yanking the plate away from the resisting Edmund, giving her little brother a look that assured him that she wasn't messing around. She placed it on the stove top and began rummaging through the fridge.
"What's up?" the fox asked.
"Looking for something a little healthier…" she hummed, pulling out lettuce and setting aside. "With tonight's candy caper looming over our heads, this very well may be his last real meal before his inevitable death by candy overdose."
Edmund blinked.
If that was the way he was destined to go, then so be it. He'll go quietly into that sweet, sweet night.
She took out a relatively fresh basket of blueberries, pausing for a moment. Closing her eyes, she smiled to herself.
"Or, I mean, it might be nice to get something good in his stomach before he gets sick mid-way through the night and barfs all over your feat."
Nick startled a little, nearly tipping backwards in his chair.
"Has that been known to happen?"
"Oh, don't worry. I'm sure you'll find out first-paw how things usually go around here." She consoled him.
Leaving him to imagine what horrible fate awaits him come night fall, she cut apple slices, tossing them into the salad she was currently making.
"So, that being said, are you two excited to go trick-or-treating?" the doe asked.
"Ye!" Edmund shouted ecstatically, nodding his head and losing the frown he had been wearing moments ago, leaving Nick with no choice but to contract his infectious smile and echo his sentiments.
"I know I am!" a voice shouts, heavy footsteps heralding the arrival of another bunny. Charlie yawned upon entering the kitchen, quickly taking his place next to Edmund. Joey and Claire followed closely behind, eventually catching up to their portly sibling and finding their own seats amongst the table.
"We're having breakfast." Judy explains, cutting red onions for the salad.
"Ok, I'll have some pie if that's alright." Charlie stated, rubbing his eyes wearily.
"It isn't, and I'm not taking requests."
"Then what even is the point of eating!?" he cried bitterly.
Judy said nothing, choosing instead to stare him down. The kit sunk back into his chair, defeated.
"Can I have salad?" Claire whispered, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
"Sure can, sweet heart." Her sister replied, tossing the onion slices into the salad bowl.
"I thought you said that you aren't taking requests?" Joey inquired.
"I'm not, I was already making salad."
Nick leaned back in again, likely having not learned his lesson last time he nearly tipped over. He twiddled his thumbs.
"So what about you two?" Judy began. "Are you excited to trick-or-treat?"
"Are you kidding me?" Joey exclaimed, standing up in his chair. "This is going to be the best Halloween ever!"
"And you, Claire?"
The little doe opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't find the words. Instead, she set her head down on the table and began to sob quietly.
Nick sat up anxiously, concern painting his face.
"What's wrong honey bun?" he asked.
"I-" she gasped, raising her flushed face off the table. "I just thought about how cool my costume is and I'm just so happy!" she explained, fanning herself with her open paw.
Nick turned to look at Judy, and coincidently she did just the same. Noticing one another's eyes, they smiled warmly.
"What about you, Jude?" Trisha asked, joining in on the party.
Geeze Louise. Good thing this is a rabbit kitchen. With the rate bunnies are entering the room, it would be a miracle if the place wasn't max capacity by the time Judy finished making breakfast.
"I think it's gonna be pretty sweet!" the doe explained cheerily, still going about her business. "Which is exactly the reason why we don't trick our foxy guest here-" she paused, pushing Edmund back into his chair before he could get up and head for the pumpkin pie on the stove top"- into giving us pie first thing in the morning."
Edmund folded his arms across his chest and pouted, drawing a giggle out of Trisha.
"Well, seeing as you're already making breakfast…" Trish began.
"Absolutely not, you're not a kit anymore. Make it yourself."
"Ah!" her sister scoffed, feigning hurt. "I was gonna ask you if Nick and I could help out, but seeing as Jude the dude has an attitude today, you'll just have to suit yourself." She finished, turning her head away from her sister.
.
.
.
"Wait."
Trisha waited expectantly.
"I might be able to use the extra paws…"
…
"So, what are you two going as tonight?" Trisha asked before taking a bite of leafy greens.
"The big sister?" Judy replied, taking her bowl of salad from Nick "Legal guardian?"
"Handsome devil." The fox replied having served everyone their food, ready to start on his own meal.
"Well, that's no fun at all." Trisha complained, munching on a stick of celery.
"I think we've outgrown dressing up is all." Judy said, sitting cross legged in her seat.
"You haven't."
"Whatever" the doe replied, rolling her eyes.
"Tell you what, I'll watch the kits for an hour. You guys go get costumes."
"Really, it's not that big of a deal Trish."
Nick's eyes darted between the two sisters as they bickered. Clearly, arguing was not something exclusive to the little ones in this family.
"Fine!" Judy exclaimed, "We'll get costumes if it will make you feel better."
"Thanks, it will." Trisha assured her. "Though I'm sure you'll be the one thanking me by the end of it." She concluded with a shrug.
…
"So how did you get to bed last night?" Trisha asked, scrubbing the forks clean as her sister washed the bowls.
"Wha-"
She paused, the sounds of kits laughing as they played with Nick in the other room resounding throughout the quiet household.
"What are you talking about?"
"Last I'd seen you, you were out like a light; all cuddled up with that fox of yours." Trisha laughed, scrubbing Edmund's fork with a little bit of elbow grease.
Judy paused for a moment, staring out the window overlooking the kitchen sink. Realizing that she was just letting the water run, she continued scrubbing.
"I think…" she began, trying to find the words, "I think Nick put me to bed."
Trisha gave a breathy whistle. Smiling as she nodded, still trying to clean Edmunds fork.
"Lucky you, was that all-"
"Trish." Judy interrupted.
"What?"
"I think I'm in love."
She dropped the tykes fork into the sudsy water, never to be seen again.
"Judy, that's gre-"
"No, trish! You don't understand!" the doe interrupted, her voice shaky.
"Well, what's there to understand?" Trisha asked, her expression becoming worried.
"I think I'm in love and now I'm going costume shopping with him and my emotions are all over the place and-" Judy threw her paws up in their air, beginning to choke on her words.
"Jay, I think that's the opposite of a problem, I-" she began to reach a paw out to her sister, only to notice that it was still wet.
"No!" the hero cop cried out, her own soaked paws pressed to her face. "I'm so stupid!"
"You're not." Trisha consoled, wiping her paw off on her skirt before setting it on her sister's shoulder. "Lighten up, most mammals aren't usually this torn up about this sort of th-"
Judy shrugged the paw off her shoulder, taking a step back.
"We're best friends and now I want to ruin it."
Trisha sighed, leaning against the sink.
"Breathe sis, you aren't going to ruin anything."
"No no, I am though." she replied candidly, pressing her paws to her face again. Gentle sobs escaped her muzzle.
Her sister approached her again, this time wrapping her in a tight embrace.
"Oh god, Trish, what would mom and dad say?"
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.
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"Um…"
Judy sobbed into her sister's blouse.
"I don't think they'd" be all that torn up about it." Trisha said, patting her sister on the back.
She rocked the doe back and forth soothingly as they stood there, the tap still running.
"You don't have to act on this." Trisha whispered in Judy's floppy, grey ear. "But I say you give it a shot."
"I can't, you know I can't."
"I know you can."
"This is so bad, Trish."
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.
.
"Believe me, it really isn't."
…
"So, any idea what you want to wear tonight?" Nick asked, sifting through the costumes on the rack.
"I don't know…" the doe replied.
"Nice, nice…"
He watched her as she moved from rack to rack, pawing at the costumes half-heartedly before moving on to the next.
Seeing her this morning, he can't help but find it hard to believe that his life could be turned on its head all over again by one rabbit, over the course of one short day.
It made for a nice summer though.
Or was it spring?
Whatever.
"You know what," he said, craving her attention.
"Huh?" she mumbled back at him.
"Why don't we just coordinate?"
He wants to what?
The rabbit turned to see the fox smiling awkwardly, his teeth bared and shiny against the grungy back drop the store provided.
She couldn't help but grin back.
"Alright slick, I'm game. Got anything in mind?"
"Hmm…" he hummed, giving the costumes another once over as Judy walked a little closer.
"You could be Porkenstein, and I can be Porkenstein's monster?"
"Mmmm…" The rabbit wondered. "I don't think that will work…"
"You're right. Maybe I should be Porkenstein, and you can be Porkenstein's monster."
"No, that's even dumber…"
The rabbit hopped over to the next costume rack, sorting through that one as well.
.
.
.
"Maybe I could be Doctor Jeckel, and you could be Hyde?" she suggested.
"Eh…"
"That a no?"
"Yes."
"So it's a yes."
"No."
Judy bit her lip and scowled at the fox.
"Well-" she began.
Wait.
She pulled a costume off the rack she had been scouring. A red faux-satin dress, complete with a set of sharp fangs poised for drinking the unsuspecting victim dry.
"Wanna be vampires?"
"How would that even work, what, with your buck tee- Yowch!" yelped, rubbing his unsuspecting arm, having just fallen prey to a malevolent piece of fluff.
"Today's a new day, and if you don't think I have any intention of taking full advantage of that fact you're sorely mistaken."
You already have, rabbit!
Not that he could really be all that angry when her oversized, amethyst eyes are staring him down like that. Truth be told, he might just let her kick him every night if he could hold her close again.
Now, why would he go and think something like that?
"Why aren't you laughing?" the rabbit asked, snapping at the fox and bringing him back to reality.
"Huh?"
"I made a pun."
"Oh, haha! Good one!" he congratulated her.
"C'mon Nick! I said you're 'sorely mistaken' and I punched you; so you're sore."
"Nice, nice."
Why is he so spacy today?
"So, Vampires then?" the fox continued, trying to return the conversation back to its original track.
"You wanna?"
He grinned at her a half lidded grin.
"Sure, I'm pretty sure I remember seeing a vampire costume over…" he walked to the other side of the store, dragging her along for the ride, eventually reaching the male vampire costume, denoted by the rabbit wearing the Ratula costume.
Judy the photo caught the does eye, leading to a laugh that seemed to startle every costumer in the shop.
"Is that my dad?"
"Ok, that was exactly my first thought. I'm so glad we're on the same page here." The fox said, pulling costumes off the rack, trying to find it in his size.
"Wait."
"What?"
"They don't carry anything in fox size here."
Judy smiled smugly before handing him her costume, going through the rack herself.
"You're right, they don't…" she explained. "But I'll tell you what size they do carry…"
She plucked a single costume out from the bunch of bunny sized suits. She handed it to him triumphantly, taking her own costume back in the process. The tag read "H.R"
Nick undid the packaging and took a look for himself.
Huh
Why didn't he think of that? A tall hare is about the size of a fox, after all.
…
A tall hare is not the size of a fox. Close, but not quite right.
Not right enough to be comfortable, that's for sure.
Nick – constricted by his outfit – turned round in circles as the kits ran rings about him, making it difficult to put his vampire teeth in properly. Night had fallen once more, and most of Judy's family had already taken to the trails, already partaking in the dark ritual of: getting some candy.
"Hurry up or were going to be late!" Charlie exclaimed as he hopped up and down, alternating which foot he landed on. "If we're late that means no candy so we gotta move, now!"
"Guh!" Edmund shouted, spreading his super bunny cape out as he ran around the living room.
"How are they already this energized?" Nick whined at Judy as he fanned out his own cape, the cloth creating a nebulous dark crimson wave as he shook it.
"Wait! I can't find my hat!" Joey stormed into the living room, desperation consuming his face
"Ok, ok! Cool it!" Judy announced, hushing the child. "Did you check the package your costume came in? You might have left it inside."
"It wasn't in there!" the frazzled rabbit yelped.
"Are we sure the costume even came with a hat?" the fox inquired, tying the cloak tight around his neck.
"It did, I think I remember seeing it under the included items on the label…" Judy groaned.
"Yeah, and it's on the picture in the front!" the kit added.
"Nick?" Judy asked with a lisp, putting her vampire fangs in place.
"Huh?"
"Did you check to make sure everything it said was included was included before you actually bought the set?" she continued, situating the fangs in her small mouth.
"Uhh… ye-" the fox's voice trailed off; the rabbit staring him down.
"No."
"Ok, well a cop doesn't need a hat anyways." Judy explained, turning around so that nick could zip up her dress.
"But Ma said you had one when you were little!"
Judy paused.
Huh
"You aren't wrong…"
Nick watched the rabbit as she pondered something, and so he took to pondering something of his own. She was kinda cute when she did that thing whenever she went deep into her thoughts. The way she put her paw to her chin and bit her thumb. The way her right eye would narrow – not her left, just her right – as she looked on the cusp of solving everything there was to be solved. It was all kinda cute.
"You know, I might still have the old thing."
"Sis, I can't…"
"I insist."
"but it's your hat!"
The doe laughed, a fang coming out of place as she threw her head back. She readjusted it.
Nick realized in that moment that he may need to talk to this rabbit.
"I told you, officers don't need hats[CH1] ."
…
"Ok, wait out here, I'll go find it." Judy explained, unlocking the door to her old bedroom. "Be out in a sec."
She stood there in the doorway for a moment, the look on her face telling Nick that she wanted to say something, but couldn't find the words to say it. She shook her head before taking a step inside.
She turned back.
"Nick, could you give me a paw? I haven't looked through this junk in years."
Half of her closed mouth rose into something like a grin. Was it a grin? Did she have something in her teeth?
Dumbstruck all the same, he nodded and took those few steps required to get through the threshold of the door.
Once he was through, the door was shut, leaving the younger buns on the other side, out of sight and out of mind for the moment.
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.
.
A stunned silence fell over the kits. They stared at one another in shock for a moment.
Not a moment longer, however, as within the next second they took to running down the halls and out the front door, intent on finding Judy's outside window.
…
"Alright" Nick said coolly, flexing stretching his paws, getting them warmed up for the impending hat hunt, "Got any idea's where this old cap of yours might be?"
Throwing her closet doors open, Judy took to rummaging through an old keepsake chest.
"I'm pretty sure it's in here."
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.
.
"Oh…"
"What?" the doe asked, turning around.
"It's just… I thought you needed my help is all." The fox replied, falling back on her bed.
"Oh" she cleared her throat, "Guess I just thought I did."
.
.
.
Nick bounced in place a little, leaving a fox shaped indentation in the foamy mattress.
"You know, this thing is a heck of a lot softer then the couch."
"Mmm…" the rabbit hummed, tossing her kindergarten graduation certificate beside her as she rummaged through the chest. "Ah ha!" she shouted triumphantly.
Nick sat up as his partner turned around, revealing a little blue police cap held proudly in her paws. She dusted it off and looked it over a few times, feeling the soft blue denim from which it was made.
"Haven't seen this since my theater days…" she joked, running a paw across its top again.
"You acted huh?"
She giggled softly and looked down at her feet, still stroking the cap. She looked to be remembering something. Something vivid.
"School plays…"
"Oh! Right, that's where the whole blood, blood-" he drew a paw from his stomach and threw it in the air each time he spoke the word blood, "-and whatever came from, right? Gotcha."
Judy laughed again, still lost in the simpler times.
"Mhm…" she hummed through a grin.
.
.
.
"You know, Carrots" Nick began.
"Yes, I do know quite a bit."
Nick laughed, rubbing a paw down his already weary face.
"What you're doing here, it's a good thing. You're pretty good with kits."
Judy slid from her nostalgic trance, looking up at the fox again.
"Me? Don't get me started. You're great with kits!"
"Aw shucks, tell me something I don't know." He said bashfully with a flippant toss of his paw, jokingly dismissing the compliment.
She rolled her eyes, but decided to continue showering him with praise.
"Really, you'd make a good father, you know that?"
"I do. I said it before and I'll say it again: tell me something I don't know."
"I wouldn't mind raising a few kits with you by my side."
A sewing needle dropped from the rabbit's dresser and the crash resonated beautifully through the dense silence that filled the room in that very moment. The screams and giggles of trick or treaters and the sounds of shuffling little feet outside the house were absorbed entirely. All cries of the outside world were put on mute until further notice.
Nick's eyes seemed ready to pop out of his skull, but they were breadcrumbs in comparison to the dish plates Judy's had become.
She wanted to open her mouth and take back what she said. Her muzzle curled into a tight little "o" as she tried to form syllables.
"Nick?" she said.
"Judy?"
"Your uh… your collar is kinda lopsided."
Nick's gaze snapped from the bunny with pretty purple eyes and down to his neck where his crimson popped collar sat. He grabbed its edges and adjusted it the best he could.
"Wait, I've got it." She said, tossing the hat aside and hopping up onto her bed.
Her weak knees gave out.
She grasped for the fox's shirt.
She missed.
Caught in red paws.
Nick wrapped an arm around her waist, her crimson dress clashing with the comparatively orangish red of his arm.
"I think we both know where this is going, carrots."
She nodded fiercely, helping him close the gap between their muzzles. She pressed her weight against him until he relented and fell backwards against the bedsheets, struggling to keep her tongue in his mouth for as long as she could stand without breathing.
Good, they were indeed still on the same page.
She felt as if she could melt right into him.
He felt as if he had just caught those high hanging grapes that had alluded his kind for centuries.
The doe finally pulled of him, letting the two breathe as she swiped the wet string of saliva connecting their muzzles away. A fang fell out of her mouth and onto the fox's chest.
"See! I told you, bunny vampires don't make any goat damn sense!"
Two rabbit paws grabbed at his still lopsided collar and yanked him towards their owner, making up for opportunities missed since the two first met and shutting his goat damn trap up.
…
"Huh!?" Edmund gasped violently as if the wind had been knocked out of him.
"What, What?!" His siblings pleaded to be let in on the secret. Charlie blew his cape out of his face, the younger rabbit standing on his shoulders so as to get a better view through their sister's window.
"Judy do kisses fuchs!"
"What!?" came the collective cry of the remaining siblings.
Edmund looked through the window again.
Uh oh.
He hopped off of Charlies shoulders, picking his cape up so that he wouldn't step on it.
"Guh guh guh guh!"he shouted, toddling off at full speed.
"Go?" Joey asked, beginning to chase after the tyke.
"Why?" Claire added, running just the same.
"Guys, can we please stop running so much?" Charlie punctuated, sprinting as fast as his tubby legs would take him.
…
Judy opened her bed room door – fox in paw – only to find her siblings standing outside the door, as well behaved as they had ever been.
"Um, hey guys…"
"Hi!" Joey greeted nervously.
"Hey sis!" Claire added quickly.
"Um…" Charlie began.
Joey stomped on his foot as discreetly as a child could manage. Nick raised an eyebrow.
"Ayyy…" the tubby rabbit finished, waving his paw in an awkward hello.
Edmund stared at the duo for a moment, trying to decide on what to say. What should he go with? A simple, 'what's up?', the moral formal 'salutations'? Perhaps a 'We who are about to die, salute you!' is in order.
"Ha du fuch tast?" he asked, a paw raised and an eyebrow arched.
Judy nearly swallowed her tongue, looking up at Nick; who seemed to have just recovered from the worlds shortest heart attack.
"I- we uh… we didn't?"
The kits looked at the couple completely nonplussed.
Joey folded his arms, reminiscent of a parent you had just finished lying to.
Nick looked down at the bun at his side; and decided there was only one decent and proper thing to do now.
He scooped her up in his arms, planting a polite smooch on her unsuspecting lips; before propping the astonished rabbit up on his shoulders, lending her his paw to keep her balance.
She choked out a laugh, still completely dazed by what had just happened.
"Who's ready to get some candy!?" he shouted, starting the march down the hallway.
The house rocked until they made it outside, the kit's cheers, applause and general cries of victory rattling every window and scaring all the older rabbits still at home. Then, when they got outside, their song was allowed to ring out into the night for a while, heralding a new beginning.
The candy hounds of hell took to the lamp lit paths, ready to leave only terror in their screeching wake.
…
"Alrigh-" the fox paused, allowing the pre-recorded scream emanating from the nearby home's recorder to finish it's ghostly wails. "Alright, this is our first stop." He finished, pointing at the blood encrusted door sat behind dozens of skeleton props, faux-corpses sticking up from the ground and a layer of fog blanketing it ominously.
"Uh, I don't know about this one… Maybe we should try the next house." Joey, the first hound of hell recommended.
"Yeah, I don't think they'd really have good candy anyways…" Charlie added worried.
"Frog…" the tyke added.
Nick looked at Judy, smiling smugly.
"Oh, trust me," he said, turning back to Charlie, "houses like this always have the best candy."
Claire cleared her throat, tapping her paws anxiously on the cardboard car encompassing her.
"I uh… I think we can settle, right guys?"
"Yup, yup…" Charlie agreed, rubbing his shoulder. Joey nodded.
Edmund stuck a paw out to Nick, his eyes closed firmly shut.
Joey looked up at Nick, looking for something he could trust. As he expected, he found it, sticking his paw out and closing his eyes as well. Claire followed suit.
Judy laughed in disbelief.
"Are you kidding me? Are we really- Whatever!" Charlie whined, mirroring his siblings.
The fox took the four rabbit paws before turning to his partner.
"Scared?" he asked, holding out his paw to her.
"Not anymore." She replied, taking it, lacing her fingers between his, reveling in just how warm he manages to stay even when it's the dead of night, late October.
…
"We have arrived!" Nick exclaimed, unravelling his paw from the kit's, leaving his other paw alone. It was fine just where it was for right now, he reckoned.
"Remember, what do we say?" Judy asked.
The kits gave thumbs up, really just glad to have made it through the gauntlet.
Nick rung the door bell, twice, and together they waited in anticipation. First house of the night and it's shaping up to be a good one.
The door creaked softly as it swung open, gentle as can be. What could be awaiting them on the other side? Some final trial? A masked man from which they must retrieve the candy? A goblin? A demon?
"Trick or treat!"
"Ohhhhh!" the elderly rabbit cooed as the door revealed her fragile figure. "Such sweet rabbits! And a handsome fox! I'll tell you, if I wasn't married…"
Judy squeezed the fox's paw a little tighter, raising an eyebrow at the women.
"Oh, phooey…" she crooned disappointedly, reaching for her candy bowl.
"Well still, you're costumes are very dashing!" She said, placing oversized bags of candy into each of the kit's hand woven baskets. "I particularly like yours darling, did you make it yourself?" she asked the tiny sister.
"He did!" the toddler affirmed, pointing at Nick.
"Oh, and crafty too!" she swooned. "Old age is a bitter master..."
"I uh, had some help." Nick insisted, ignoring that last comment.
The door eventually closed, leaving the kits to revel in just how big their candy bags were.
"We need to find another house like this one." Charlie insisted, turning to his siblings.
"Agreed." They unanimously voted, taking off down the creepy path set before them.
Nick's jaw dropped as he watched the buns navigate the road which was previously so horrifying to them.
"Well…" Judy began, squeezing his paw again, "I'm still a little scared, so you best not be letting go any time soon."
Nick smiled at her, raising their conjoined paws to his lips to kiss hers gently.
"In that case, shall we away, fairer parental figure?"
She chuckled, charmed.
"We shall."
…
"Ay!" A very tired Edmund shouted, startling a kit they had been walking beside for a good minute now, somehow avoiding the rabbit's watchful gaze. The other bunny wore the same costume as him, which was, in hindsight, a bad move on his part.
"Yu sdole mah cotume!" the tyke insisted.
"What? Enunciate!" the other child said, likely not knowing what the word 'enunciate' even meant."
"He didn't steal anything buddy, lets continue on home. We've got to get you to bed." The fox consoled, patting the child on the back.
"Yu sdoled!" Edmund cried again.
Slipping from Nick's grasp the sleepy bunny was upon his enemy in seconds, wrestling him to the ground. Thankfully, he had passed out on the opposing kit as quickly as he had reached him.
The kit's parents weren't too keen with Nick and Judy's parenting skills, but fuck em.
…
"Yeah?" the fox asked with a chuckle, nudging up against his partner as he walked, toddler held tight in his arms.
"Yeah." She said with a smile, bringing his face down to meet hers as he opened the door to the Hopps' family burrow.
They punctuated their Halloween night with a kiss, the kits surrounding them either too sleepy or too unconscious to react, only separating when the door opened.
Bonnie and Stu stood behind in the doorway, jaws somewhere on the floor.
"Mom!? Dad!? Judy screeched. "I…"
Nick fought to swallow his heart back down.
"Oh…" Bonnie whispered. "Oh thank goat!" she cried, swooning up against her husband.
"We can see that you've got your paws full." Stu smiled as he nodded at Edmund, "So we'll let you in, but you need to talk to us in the morning." He finished, supporting his wife with a loving paw as he turned to walk away.
"You are staying the night, right son?"
Nick fought to close his gaping mouth, simply nodding in agreement.
"Great, thanks for doing this by the way, big help. I was going to ask you if you'd be willing to come again next year but…" he looked at his daughter, equally moonstruck. "that answers that question. Night!"
The partners in – fighting – crime looked at each other, still a little unsure of what had just happened.
…
"Oh sweet Jesus Capybara" the fox said with a groan, sitting down next to Judy amidst the lit pumpkins atop the burrow, "I can't begin to explain how nice it feels to be out of that costume."
"I think we were kinda cute." Judy snickered, lulling her head against her fox's shoulder.
"Us? Cute?" the fox scoffed. "Hardly."
The doe said nothing but rolled her eyes.
.
.
.
"Are you ok?" Judy began, "I mean, with how we turned out?"
.
.
.
He took her by the chin, running a clawed digit across her lips.
"Am I?" He questioned right back before kissing her lightly, and then once more with a bit more vigour. "I'd certainly say so."
Yup, still on the same page then
"Happy Halloween by the way" he said as he grinned against her lips. He gently pushed her back until they laid on the grass, tangled together as only a fox and a rabbit could be. "Oh, and you're gonna have to get used to this. I fully intend on doing it once or twice a day from now on, maybe more if you'd let me."
She groaned against his teeth as they scraped lightly against the fluff of her neck. There were so many things she could say.
"That sounds really nice."
"I think I might just let you."
"I love you"
She settled for the most obvious one, because truth be told, her mind wasn't where it usually was.
"Happy Halloween."
…
Closing Author's Note: Shoot! Shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot. SHOOT! This was supposed to be out yesterday. I had an entire schedule worked out. One update a day until Halloween hits, culminating in the trick or treating chapter. I was out pretty much all of yesterday, so I had no time to work on it until later that night. It was outlined, and really I just needed to work off of what I had already established, but my stomach started bothering me and I was frustrated and it was all shaping up to be a terrible night and I was hating everything I was writing down.
Needless to say, I didn't update.
I apologize profusely for the mix up, and have since learned my lesson. From now on, I'll write seasonal event chapters several weeks in advance so that I can just chill and upload at my leisure.
Uhhh, not that I have anything like this planned for the future, no way.
Regardless, I hope you all had a nice Halloween (if you celebrate it!) and enjoyed trick-or-treating or partying or whatever it is that the cool kids do. I wouldn't know, I just write fanfiction and go on Tumblr when I'm not with my equally dorky friends or studying for class.
Thanks for sticking with me all the way through this fluff filled mess! Regular readers of mine will be seeing a return to form with the next chapter of "What I Didn't Do" launching relatively soon, but some more fluff might be coming your way in due time. Might want to stick around and see if that suits you!
As always, let me know how you liked the story! I upload these because I love interacting with all of you silly wildehopps shippers; and I literally gain like years to my life every time someone comments. If there wasn't so much author/reader interaction going on between myself and you guys, I'd honestly just keep all these crummy little tales for myself! So leave me a comment/review if you've the time, hell, pm me if the mood strikes. I honestly smile every time I see a notification from one of you sweat hearted people.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I haven't slept well in a few days and would like to catch up on that.
Oh, and Happy Halloween!