Author's Note:
We are back at it with a new season and already Nick is hassling that poor bunny with golden fox curiosity. As always when I leave off kind of cliff-hanger-y you can expect I will get back to it quick enough.
If you are just joining Guardian Blue for the first timeyou will want to check out Season 1 first, and I would highly recommend Thanks for the Fox before that as well so everything makes sense. ^^
Also! As a thank you to all those who take time to comment, it was suggested a few times in comments at the end of Season 1 that I illustrate the newspaper headline image from the end of the season. I have done this! I am not sure how to provide this image to everyone since links are not allowed on FFN though. I will figure something out, however!
This story is for funsies. No one's paying me for writing it. I do this because I'm having fun! If I stop having fun, I will continue to do this because a few of my readers know where I live.
Guardian Blue: Season Two
Episode 2: Comfort
Judy flexed a little and decided not to try to move again for a little bit. The pain in other parts of her body had faded, she was grateful for that, but the pain in her shoulder was what she would label the worst it had been since the injury happened. She shivered from it a bit and lay still. Then as her mind cleared from sleep she remembered where she was, mostly because of the weight of Nicks' paw over her back. She was cuddled into his front, and he'd half-rolled onto his back so her head was on his chest like a pillow, her good arm under the pillow his head was on, and her cheek rising and falling with his slow and steady breathing. The pain faded as the pleasure of just cuddling set in. Judy quietly wondered if she would have ever felt like this with a buck if that was who she had fallen for. She couldn't imagine it. She moved her free hand carefully; mindful since it was the one that led to the shoulder she was not currently friends with. She placed it on his chest, stroking his cream-toned fur as he slept.
Memories of last night spilled into her waking mind and her ears fell down her back again, heated with a quick blush. That question he'd asked. How could he possibly have asked that? Did he suspect? Was he teasing? She rubbed her cheek against his chest a little, reveling in the silky softness of his fur, remembering the exchange. Why didn't she stop him? It was a bunch of reasons of course, mostly because she was terrified that she was messing up something critically important to Nick, but shouldn't she have wanted to mess that up if he wasn't asking but instead he was outright taking? Judy knew that the answer was no. She would never have hurt him by spoiling such an important moment right in front of his mother, but even if it meant what she was thinking it meant? Had she really stood there and let it happen?
Judy didn't have an answer for Nick, and with his teasing tone she wasn't sure that he really even needed one. In retrospect it seemed much more that he was trying to lighten the mood because he had that terrible dream. But all the same, she used a rare thing for her to even have access to with Nick. A get-out-of-conversation-free card.
Judy was locked in thought for a while right after he asked that, but finally had simply looked up and asked him to tell her about the stuffed bunny that Finnick had brought out of his bedroom when he was hiding the Taser when the apartment had been attacked by Darmaw's goons. It was not a new toy. It looked like he'd had that thing for a very long time, longer than he'd even known her. Predictably Nick was suddenly just so sleepy and promised to talk about it in the morning.
They cuddled up close just as Judy wanted so badly and she had some trouble falling asleep, reflecting not just on Nick's perhaps merely playful question, but the real answer behind it. She knew more and more this was not simple appreciation or affection for her partner. She needed him in ways that in another time would have been absolutely unthinkable. Was it okay? Would not being okay even stop it? Judy fell asleep with the cares for those answers bleeding out of her helplessly, her worries mortally wounded by the feel of Nick's hand over her back, tail wrapped against her and the sound of his steady, slower, larger vulpine heart.
As Judy woke it left her still pondering how she was going to cross a bridge that she would eventually have to cross. She casually stroked his soft fur along his chest, head rising and falling with his gentle breathing. Judy knew there was not a 'back' that she was likely to ever go to. She was in, she wasn't likely to ever be out. She closed her eyes, enjoying, for the moment, the serenity before the door of the bedroom was suddenly flung open. In her position, Judy was facing the door so she immediately saw the frightened face of their volunteer caregiver. Skye's expression fell immediately as Judy looked up at her and she turned around quickly, ears back. Those white ears did absolutely nothing to hide a blush.
"Sorry! Sorry. I knocked and no one answered and I opened the door and I didn't see anyone so I was worried you both took your medicine and immediately wandered off. I meant to check up on you last night but I fell asleep and I –"
Judy interrupted the vixen. "Hey! It's alright," she said quietly. "We were fine. We're both here, you didn't lose us." She laughed gently. "But, since you are here… could you get me a drink and my medicine, it's the little clear green bottle in the cabinet. I don't wanna wake him."
Nick shifted a little and murmured softly, "Too late." Judy sighed at that. She had hoped to just lay there and cuddle while waiting for her medicine to take effect. Fortunately, Nick made no efforts to move right away. "Mine's the orange bottle, can you bring that too?" he asked. Nick rolled fully onto his back with care, but Judy kept tucked close against his side, hand over his chest. She was perfectly happy where she was and would stay right there until shooed away. Oddly, after Nick's vow she felt somehow entitled.
Skye walked out of the room to get the medicine, and then back down the hall to the kitchen. "You mind if I grab one of these? I like lime soda." Judy quickly called out that it was okay to keep Nick from raising his voice while it was still on the mend. A short moment later the vixen returned with the medicine bottles and two cans of soda. Nick took his medicine first only because he had two hands with which to tackle his pill bottle. Judy struggled a bit and then her partner helped her out, so she was able to take a pill. She took a drink from the can and set it on the nightstand by the bed.
Now it was just a waiting game for the pain medicine to take effect. Just being fully awake seemed to help, or perhaps it was just how comforting it was to see Nick alive and well as her eyes opened. Even though it was interrupting her cuddling, she actually felt happy to have Skye there. Seeing the care others had for Nick made Judy feel better. He had actually worried at some point in his life, she had found, that no one cared for him. He knew now that wasn't true.
"So, yeah…" Skye said softly after a bit of silence, pulling her ears back a little with some embarrassment. "I really did think Judy was kidding when she said…" The bunny looked up curiously. What was Skye talking about? Oh. That.
"Well, I don't suspect you will be teasing us about that." Nick sat up slowly, putting his back against the headboard. Judy quietly protested. She didn't want to sit up, she wanted to stay how she was, but she finally relented, sitting beside Nick.
"Why do you suspect that?" Skye asked with a pleasant grin.
"Because Judy and I are suffering terribly from injuries received in the line of duty. We're sad and defenseless creatures! To tease us for our comfort now would make you a bully!" Nick said with a pout, surely aimed at preventing the expected ribbing that Judy knew he probably deserved.
Skye put her arm up against the frame of the door and grinned at Nick smugly. "No, teasing you about it now would make me a hypocrite. Completely different reason, but no, you are safe from that teasing. You rest, I will check up on you two at lunch time, so try to keep each other from crawling out the window or something." She gave a little wave and turned to leave.
"Oh, wait, it's not… wait… What?" Judy stammered, defensive at first then tripping over what Skye must have meant by not being a hypocrite. It was too late. The vixen left the apartment with a twittering laugh. Judy sat back and sighed. "Do you suppose there's anyone left who thinks we are not dating?" she asked with a slow shake of her head.
Nick put his arm around her again, careful to put his hand at her side and not her shoulder before he spoke with a grin. "You'd need really strong evidence to even convince me at this point, Fluff. Did you see the front page of yesterday's paper?" he asked. He reached over with some effort to get the soda again and take another drink. Judy's heart immediately raced. She looked at Nick, knowing her nose had to have been on a hard wiggle from that connotation. She perked her tall ears and regarded him a bit as he looked down at his cast with disdain, wiggling his toes and wincing a bit.
Judy took in a slow, deep breath. She cleared her mind as best she could. It felt like the entire universe was conspiring to bring this up again and again, and there was just no avoiding it. She sat back, putting the back of her head against the headboard of the comfy fox bed with a dull clunk, lost in thought for a moment as she heard the sipping of the soda beside her. Poor trusting fox, here it comes, she thought.
She closed her eyes a moment and she spoke softly. "I can't find any evidence," she said softly. Nick looked at her, ears back, eyes widened for a moment, then his expression relaxed, a smile playing on his somewhat leaner than normal features.
He spoke in that soft, almost stroking tone, "Well, at least there's always the validity of personal testimony. That will always be enough for the ones closest to you." He touched Judy's nose with a claw tip, making it obvious he could see it wiggling.
Judy swallowed and stated in a near-whisper, "And perjure myself before the judges? I think not." Judy felt every muscle in her body grow tense as a long silence followed that. She was gazing straight forward, afraid to even turn and look. Surely he got the implication of that, even if the medicine was starting to work for him. When she turned finally his expression stifled anything she might have said, nearly strangling her. He looked shocked and locked in hesitation. Had it not been as obvious as she thought? Was it not okay? She looked away quickly. He promised. She still had the promise. She closed her eyes, gritting her teeth.
Nick spoke up immediately as her ears fell back. "Judy, is this just… your medicine, or is this really you?" She lifted her head and looked at Nick. Her eyes locked on his, and he looked so… afraid.
Judy answered slowly, "I'm still in terrible pain, so I am gonna say no on the medicine."
"Then tell me," Nick said in an even, breathless tone. Judy's heart beat so hard and fast that every strike of it behind her ribs sent a pain shooting through her shoulder. She swallowed, finding her throat suddenly dry.
"I'm… Nick, I..." Judy stated in a whisper. Why was this so terrifying to her? He promised. There was nothing to worry about. Nick took Judy's good hand in his and he smiled. The expression he had was relaxed and casual again, perhaps seeing that she was freaking out a little.
He finally spoke in that reassuring gentle tone, "Very well, then I will do the honors. Judy, I would like to take you on a date." Judy next breath got stuck and she found herself suddenly unable to take another, eyes wide, staring forward. "I already have the tickets and I should be able to get around on my crutches pretty freely by then. Saturday at 5 o'clock in the afternoon. Does that interfere with any of your other plans?" Judy's mind reeled. He already had the tickets? He was going to ask even if she didn't bring it up, or were they just going to go as friends the way they did so often anything else? What was the difference other than calling it a date? The difference was Nick knowing that she wanted it to be a date. That was all the difference her heart wanted right then. Judy shifted to wrap her good arm around Nick who put an arm round her and held her against his chest. Judy drew in that familiar foxy scent and sighed heavily.
She finally spoke, consumed slowly again in the sense of euphoria from both him and probably the medicine. "That sounds lovely Nick. I really look forward to it." Her body felt tingly and she felt like she was flying. She considered a moment what this actually meant. Everyone she knew seemed to assume they were an item anyway so it's not like it would be a real issue for any of them, but it might cause a bit of drama at work. Relationships were not advised, particularly among mammals who worked closely together, but the department policy on it only made it an offense if one officer was in a command position over the other. That aside, the rule was more that it should not interfere with their performance at work and no affection was shown in uniform. Judy was not likely to get in trouble over this under normal circumstances, but the fellow officer she was dating was a fox.
A bunny dating a fox was not likely to be ignored even in the progressive city of Zootopia. The last thing she wanted was a media circus about it, she had enough of that just being a bunny cop. She would discuss their decorum with Nick later. Right now she felt herself turning to wet sand in his arms, spilling over him and laying across his lap. Nick took this as an invitation to rub and scratch the bunny's back.
Never. Never had anyone just scratched and rubbed her back like that. It seemed something in the world that she had just somehow missed out on entirely. And that was just a crime now that she knew what it felt like. Judy covered her face with her hand, feeling the heat of it as she knew she blushed from this shameless enjoyment, her ears dropping forward and her form going fully relaxed.
"I will give you," she said in a soft tone, "… until the count of my eightieth birthday to stop that." Nick's caress shifted to using mostly his claws which only felt even better. Judy decided exactly how she would spend the rest of the day. She sighed happily.
Taptaptaptap
There was a soft knock at the door. Judy felt a surge of what could only be described as psychopathic rage. No. No one was going to pull her away from this. She curled a little tighter against Nick. He knock repeated.
The fox smiled as he spoke. "We should… probably get that." Judy gripped him tighter. Nick laughed slightly. "By we, I mean you, Fluff. Please get the door." The knock repeated.
"Don't wanna," Judy stated softly.
"I can continue your backrub later, Carrots." Nick stroked her ears which were flat down between her shoulders. The bunny arched slightly at the contact of his warm hands with slightly rough pads over silky sensitive ears. No, that didn't encourage her to get up and go to the door any more than the back-rub did. She just wanted some time to just relax and soak up the fact that she was now dating her partner, was that too much to ask? There was a soft click that gave the immediate impression that a key had been used. Judy looked up with concern. Skye wasn't supposed to be back until lunch. As the bedroom door had been left open by the vixen their new visitor walked right over to it.
"Well doesn't it look cozy in here?" Vivienne said with a smile. Judy gave a meek sort of laugh and slowly began to move off of Nick where she had been basically poured over his lap. His hand came back down over her and pulled her back down, claws trailing casually over the backs of her velvety ears. Judy's head dropped onto her arm resting out in front of her. She was now an immobilized bunny. "Oh, I see why you took your time answering the door." Her tone was not accusatory or unhappy. Truthfully, Vivienne seemed pleased. "I came to check on you before I take the train back home. It looks to me like you're doing fine. I was worried that Judy might have left me sans son after you blindsided her with the Vow of Binding yesterday."
Nick grinned warmly and replied to that, "I'm gonna take Judy on a date Saturday." He said it so casually that it shocked Judy. Then again, he had not hidden anything from his mother about the things they had done during the Nighthowler incident, so he perhaps really did feel completely open to her. He added as Viv's eyes widened at the news, "The place I talked to you about a couple weeks ago that you suggested for that purpose. It's a surprise." Judy lifted her head. Nick had talked to his mother about taking her on a date? Her ears flared with heat. Of course he did. Why wouldn't he? And a surprise? He'd thought about something to surprise her? She hated unsolved mysteries, this was going to drive her nuts all week!
Vivienne answered sunnily, "I'm really happy to hear that! The girls at the diner will be gnawing on my tail for gossip if I mention it to Annie, I'm sure." She laughed, referring of course to her boss. "Oh, but are you gonna be okay to go? Did your doctor clear that, I don't want you to overdo it and end up with a limp, sweetie."
Nick answered quickly, "Oh, it's not for almost a week, I'll be good to get around a little by then, and we won't walk much. I know how to get there with the least amount of steps." He boasted. Vivienne relaxed a little, leaning against the door frame as Skye had done. Judy could only barely see her out of the corner of a sleepy eye. The medicine was definitely in effect and she just wanted to pull Nick back down like he had been the previous night and doze.
"How did last night go? Did you sleep okay?" Vivienne asked.
"I had a nightmare." Nick admitted. Judy lifted her ears, having almost forgotten why she ended up in the bedroom in the first place. She would probably have not told her mom about that, so she was a little envious of Nick's candidness, but she also fully understood why. For half his life he hid from his mother and almost lost her. There was no more hiding. At least she seemed pretty pleased with learning that her son was dating a bunny. Judy was not sure how her family would actually feel. Should she even tell them yet, or wait until after she'd been on a date?
Vivienne spoke finally after giving Nick a moment longer to say more if he chose to. "You will probably have a few of those, sweetie. That was not… a happy experience." She nodded. "But at least you have some happy memories that you are attaching to it, that will help." Nick's mother smiled.
"Oh! That reminds me. Can you pull the little lock box out from under my bed, Mom?" Nick asked. Vivienne looked at her son curiously and did as asked. She brought it out and put it on the bed. Judy sat up as well, though reluctantly and just a little dizzily. She looked at the plain metal lock box. Vivienne opened it, finding that it was not locked. The vixen gasped softly at the contents immediately visible and Judy also instantly recognized it. A somewhat threadbare grey-toned floppy plush bunny rested in the box on top of Nick's Taser. Vivienne took the toy out of the box, ignoring the weapon completely as she held it up.
"When did you take this, he was packed up!" she laughed warmly.
"So you remember him, huh?" Nick asked his mother.
"Of course! Bouncer! He was your favorite toy when you were a little kit, oh Judy he took this thing everywhere." Vivienne hugged the bunny. Judy perked her ears high, feeling a twinge of a giggle pass through her. Nick, as a kit, played with a toy bunny? That seemed a little odd. She then remembered a comment he made before they were friends, telling Judy that a toy store was missing its stuffed animal and she should get back to her box. That insult finally made all the sense in the world. She glanced at Nick who was smiling kindly as he looked at the toy.
He chuckled, "I promised Judy I would tell her about this in the morning when she asked about it last night. She came in to look after me after I had the bad dream, and stayed with me to make sure I didn't have any more of them. I wanted to wait until you were there to tell her about Bouncer. It would have seemed less believable coming from me." He smirked at that.
Judy spoke up after a second, "Why would it have not been believable from you? I don't think there's anything wrong with having a stuffed bunny toy, my room's overflowing with them." She wavered back and forth, feeling a little loopy. Nick had a pretty dumb-looking grin plastered to his face so she knew he was feeling it too. The thought of Nick having a bunny toy when he was little was funny to Judy and she was trying not to laugh because she worried that it would hurt his feelings.
The fox put an arm around Judy to hold her a little more still. "Tell Judy about where Bouncer came from." Nick asked calmly of his mother. "Do you remember?"
"Of course I do!" exclaimed Vivienne. "See Judy…" the lady fox held the floppy worn toy in her paws tenderly, "It was a hard time in our lives. We didn't have much. We certainly couldn't buy much… so for Nick's fifth birthday instead of presents or anything like that, I took Nick to get ice cream. He had a thing for it as a kit. Anything dairy, really. He likes milk, even now."
Judy folded her ears back. "I know," she stated in a deadpan tone. Nick grinned.
"Anyhow, while we were there, the guy running the counter, he was a dhole I think, it's been so long…" She paused, then shook her head, "… not important. Anyway, he finds out from our conversation in the booth that it's Nick's birthday. And he tells Nick that someone lost a toy a few months ago and never came back for it, and asks Nick if he would like to give it a home. Nick was so excited! The guy handed Nick this floppy bunny, gosh, it was nearly half the size of him back then, it was so cute, and they were just inseparable. I mean, for years. The thing with Nick's father happened a bit after that and he really relied on Bouncer getting through it." Vivienne seemed a little sad for a moment, then continued, "Of course, as he got a little older he had other pals, then he had his little… setback and all… Bouncer's been packed for a long time, I'm surprised to see him here." Judy looked at Nick's mom, dumbfounded, mind latched on to one element of the story. Nick knew exactly which element Judy had fixated on and leaned in close.
He spoke with a measured and smug tone right into her ear as she cupped her muzzle. "That's right, Judy. I found this bunny at an ice cream parlor."
Vivienne nodded emphatically. "That's right! He – Wait…" Her eyes went round. "Oh Nicholas." It was easy for Judy to see the shock on Vivienne's face. It was one of those tingly moments or realization that makes large parts of the universe all fall together in a way one didn't understand before, clear and a little frightening.
"That's… a little on the spooky side." Judy admitted. Nick carefully took the toy from his mother and handed it to Judy. She held it in her hands carefully, as if fearing she would break it. It was heavier than she expected, it was filled with beans perhaps, and she let herself imagine for a moment that tiny fox kit running around playing with this toy, his best friend to help him recover from the trauma of his father's passing. Then, three years later another trauma damaged the little kit again, and in an ice cream parlor another bunny…
Judy tucked the toy in and hugged it tightly. "You sentimental fox…" she sniffled.
"Anyhow, now you have a better understanding why I kept it. Why I wanted it back." He smiled to his mom. She nodded, eyes clearly wet as well. She watched Judy hug the toy a bit longer and then inhaled a deep breath to try to get herself under control.
His mother said in a happy tone, "I will head out now. Nick, if you have those dreams, don't be afraid to call, no matter what time. And I think you should see Dr. Carlisle. I think both of you should."
Judy nodded slowly at that advice. "It's actually on the calendar. After what happened we have to see him before we can go back to work." She yawned a bit, unable to help herself. The medicine was doing its job quite nicely. The pain was gone and the desire to curl up into a ball against a fox was overpowering. Vivienne moved in close, marking both Nick and Judy lightly as she hugged them. The meaning felt slightly different this time, given that Judy was dating her son. It was a level of acceptance that only encouraged her. She took the empty can of soda to put it in the recycle bin for the bed-cozy pair and headed out, locking the door behind her. The bunny sighed softly and whimpered.
"What's up?" Nick asked with some concern.
"Full bladder and unwilling body," she grumped, getting up anyway.
Nick chuckled weakly and murmured, "Take my bladder with you." Judy chuckled at that and felt for the fox. Taking care of that would be harder for him. She realized as she walked out of the bathroom that she had not gotten her phone off the counter when she joined Nick the previous night. She picked it up and headed back to the bedroom as Nick used his crutches to carefully navigate to the bathroom. Judy sat on the bed and opened her messages. She had fewer than the last time she had to clear them, but not by much. Most of the messages were well-wishes and instructions for the care of her injury, foods she should be eating, and advice on taking care of foxes. She actually left those unread to go back to them later.
One of the messages piqued her curiosity, however. It was sent by Angela. There was a video attachment. Judy clicked to save the video as Nick returned.
Nick groaned pitifully. "It was just one soda, that was completely uncalled for. Stupid bladder." Judy blushed a little as he returned in boxers. She had seen him pass her in the hall and somehow it did not occur to her. He carefully pushed himself back under the covers. Judy looked at his white cast as he placed it carefully on the bed.
"Hey, can I sign it? No one else has signed it, I want to be the first!" she chuckled, light-hearted mostly because of the medicine. Nick looked at Judy with a smirk.
"What are we, twelve?" he laughed. Judy pouted. Nick's expression softened and he reached into the drawer of the nightstand, rummaging around. "I know I have one, I had it when I moved, I swore I… Oh! Here we go. And it's even purple, so it matches your eyes." He handed the purple marker to Judy. She looked at it, feeling a rush of happiness. Nick talking about her eyes was approved. She felt a little giddy and then leaned down, carefully writing while feeling kind of drunk. It took a while but she used the kind of girly letters that she had not used since she was in high school. She finally leaned back, smiling at her handiwork. Nick read it out loud.
"Property of Judy Hopps." He looked at the bunny with a smile. "Really?"
"Hey, you gave yourself to me to love, honor, and aid and write my name on, you said." She crossed her arms, unable to even get her ears all the way up anymore.
"I don't recall claiming me as property to be part of the offer." He chuckled.
"Save a fox, win a prize!" Judy mimicked his carnival barker tone. Nick laughed loudly at that. Judy continued. "What did I win?" Nick smirked. Judy finished the quote, putting her arms out. "A fox!" She then winced. She should not have put her arms out. She tucked her arm back and groaned a bit.
"Silly bunny," he laughed. He tucked her back against him carefully, slowly pushing himself into a laying position so her head was resting on his chest as it had been before Skye checked up on them.
Judy picked up her phone and saw that the video finished sending. She clicked on it and Nick looked curiously as well.
"What's that?" he asked.
"I'm not sure." Judy replied. "Angela sent it." The video began with a shaky view of a city street beginning to buckle. "Gah! Angela no! We do not need to see this." Judy scoffed.
"Wait, no… I mean… I was not awake for this, and I think I know the worst part because that's what the paper would have used." Nick rolled his eyes. Judy sighed and decided to bite the bullet and let it play. She restarted the video.
Nick watched as his arm kept heavy and welcome around her. The road split. There was a soft yelp from underneath and nothing for a bit, the camera-mammal moving closer to the small hole that had been made. The little hole, Judy quietly explained, was from the chunk that smashed her face. Nick nodded slowly. There was a loud growling that caused the mammal filming to back up a bit, and Nick to widen his eyes.
"Was that… you?" he asked incredulously. Judy cringed, knowing it was about to get so much worse.
"Yeah." She answered softly.
The video continued. A huge chunk of the road flipped upward. Judy hadn't realized how large it actually was. Then another, and another, parts of the road just bursting outward as a horrible roar of rage escaped, and that's when folks began to give her space. The one using the cell phone to record was foolishly brave, a fault that almost cost a little wolf girl her life, as the bunny recalled.
She saw her feet push into view first, her knees bracing the road. She had forgotten she went feet first like that. 'How had she managed a handstand with a shoulder out of joint?' she wondered. And then Nick and Judy were treated to the fact that the picture in the paper had not captured the worst part. The sound Judy made pulling Nick out of the ground was absolutely unholy. Even Nick shook from it.
"Oh Judy, no … How did you…?" Nick gasped, seeing the bunny come into view fully, dragging the limp fox up through the ground. It was a feat that would have been difficult even without her injuries exacerbated by heat exhaustion and the loss of blood so obvious from the sheer amount of it on her face and all over Nick. He was not even pulled entirely out of the hole; just enough to stay above ground, and Judy pulled him into her lap. She screamed again, a sound of rage and absolute feral distress and her scream triggered the screams of probably forty of fifty other mammals who began to scatter in a panic as the camera fixed on the bunny, fairly close-up. A still from this was where the image in the paper came from. Judy's eyes were terrifying. The blood poured off her like rain water and her posture made it obvious that in her state of mind, such as it had been, any sane mammal would have assumed getting close to her would be the last thing they ever did. Judy cupped her muzzle, really wishing she had not watched this. Why in the world had Angela thought it was a good idea to send it?
"Nick, I was in a lot of pain. I was delirious. I couldn't get you to wake up and I thought you were dying and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I was scared and I…" Nick pulled Judy up a little, careful with her shoulder as he always was, bringing her nose to nose with him.
"No, Judy, don't apologize about it. I knew. I knew you gave everything you had, but seeing it… God – hearing you. I'm sorry I put you through that." He looked into her eyes. Judy folded her ears back.
"Darmaw put me through that, not you." She watched him carefully. He looked at her eyes, his expression very anxious for a bit, then suddenly softening. He closed his eyes and then drew Judy up close to him, tight enough that she felt his heart through her shirt.
"I'm sorry all the same, Judy. I will try never to make you… make that sound again… okay? I will be careful so I'm here for you." Judy folded her ears back and moved up a little, putting her cheek up against Nick's. She felt his cheek push to hers, then forward up her jawline. Marked. She gave a slight gasp. She then tilted her head to the side and pushed her chin to his jawline the same way. Nick slipped both arms around her and held her close, sinking down fully into his pillows and holding Judy against his front.
Judy looked down into his sleepy eyes. She was joking mostly when she wrote what he did on his cast, but looking at his face, resting, kind… there he was, dedicated to caring about her as he'd vowed not a full day before. This was her fox. She lowered her head to his chest and closed her eyes. She then looked up, grinning a bit, realizing her fox was drugged and defenseless. She leaned in closer, bringing her muzzle close to his. So close. She was a bare inch from him. His eyes were closed. He'd never even see it coming. She parted her mouth just slightly.
"Nick, where are you taking me for our date?" she asked.
"I'm not that out of it, Fluff, still a surprise." Nick grinned. Judy laughed softly and dropped her head to his chest, embracing him adoringly.