Hello everyone!
New chapter is here and just in time.
I dedicate it to my dear friend Cimar! May the fluff be with you! ;) I have made this chapter 47,9% fluffier especially for you! XD
Also, I'd like to wish everyone a healthy and peaceful Christmas! Forget about your worries and troubles, enjoy this time of tranquility and joy!
And thank you for all your reviews, favs and follows! Much appreciated!
So, let's move on to the fluff, shall we?
Martha Wilde opened the door to her apartment to see her son on the doormat. What she didn't expect to see such an expression on his face.
"Nicky?"
"Hello, mother. I'm here to see Michael." He stated and gave her a peck on the cheek as he passed by her to get inside.
The vixen raised a paw to place it on the spot he kissed and followed him with her surprised gaze. "He's… in the living room…"
"Thank you. Michael!" He called out and shortly after a small fox appeared in the hallway, dragging his hindpaws. „Uh, hey dad..." The boy muttered, glancing up at his parent and what he saw made his ears drop.
Nicholas Wilde was smiling.
When you combine a smile like that, a fox, an attorney and the name Wilde, you get a sight that made Michael worry about his nearest future. His father was rarely angry, as the boy was well behaved and seldom gave him a reason to get scolded. However, when such a situation occurred, the adult fox always kept a cool and completely calm attitude. That has changed when Judy got involved with the Wildes, but seeing the way his father smiled, Mike knew that he must have screwed up big time.
"Hey, son." Nicholas approached the boy and placed a paw on his shoulder. "I thought that since I have some free time right now and it's dinner time, why don't we go out to eat something together, hm?"
"Err.." Mike hesitated.
It was the paw. It wasn't squeezing him in an angry grip or anything similar, yet the fox attorney kept it on the boy's shoulder in a way that clearly told Mike that this was not a question.
"S-Sure, I… uh… I'll get dressed, right?" Mike mumbled under the widening smile of his father. Many thoughts were passing through the head of the young fox when he got to the clothes hanger and started putting on the-
"Mike…" Martha spoke up with a sigh. "That's my coat…"
The boy eyed the piece of clothing in his paws and it really belonged to his grandma. He mumbled a quiet 'sorry' and put the coat away to grab his jacket. The vixen let out a another sigh when the boy marched towards the door with a head hung low, like he was going to his own execution.
"Nicky…" She addressed the fox attorney.
"Just having dinner and a father-and-son talk, mother." He gave her the same smile he showed to Mike and turned to leave.
Martha grabbed his arm. "I forced him to tell me, alright?" She hissed so that her grandson wouldn't hear it. "It's not his fau-"
Nick only kept smiling and pet her paw. "We're just having dinner, mother." He pecked her other cheek and followed the boy.
The vixen reached out to him, but then dropped her arm. She raised her paws in a resigned gesture and rolled her eyes. "Ughh… WIldes." Martha Wilde grumbled, as she returned to the living room.
.
.
Mike buckled up in his seat when his father spoke with a cheerful tone. "Say," the adult fox turned to him with a smile, "how about we go to your favorite pizza place? You know, the one you always want to go whenever we are in the area?"
The boy swallowed. His father wasn't the biggest fan of that place and that was just putting it lightly. So if he openly suggested going there… Mike knew that there was major punishment heading his way. He felt that it was a bit undeserved, as his grandma would've learnt about it sooner or later. And what even was the deal with keeping it a secret at all? This wasn't fair, he concluded and build up the courage to face his father and tell him that.
The small fox turned in his seat. "Dad!"
Nicholas looked at him with a smile. "Yes?"
At that moment, Michael recalled a time when, few years back, his father was sitting with him on the bed and they were reading a book about ocean life. There, Mike saw a picture of a giant fish with a nasty set of teeth. It's lower body was colored white, while the upper one had a color that mixed with the surrounding ocean. Also, the picture was set in such a way, that the creature seemed to be smiling. With rows of razor sharp teeth. And now he saw that same type of smile.
His father was grinning like a shark.
All energy and determination evaporated from the boy's body. He suddenly wished that either Martha or Judy were here, so he could hide behind them. Mike swallowed, still looking at his father. "Uh… I forgot…" He mumbled, unable to form any other coherent phrase.
He was completely screwed.
.
.
Several hours later Martha opened the door to her apartment to be greeted by a sight of a smug looking attorney and a fox boy, who looked like a picture of misery.
"Nick, Michael! You've been away for quite some time. I began to worry." She said this while carefully eyeing the little fox. He had a sorrowful look on his face, as if worried by something.
"Oh, we decided on our way back to also see a movie." Nick explained their longer absence, while Mike stayed silent. This had the vixen concerned as, while she knew that Nicholas would never physically punish Mike for any misdeed, there were other ways to exact punishment. "Still, it's rather late, so I have to go back to Judy. Have a nice evening and Mike? Don't make your grandma worried, okay?"
And before Martha could respond in any way, the fox was already gone.
As for Michael, he took his jacket off and headed towards the bathroom. "I'll wash my paws." He mumbled over his shoulder.
On his way there, the boy kept replaying the events of this 'father and son time' in his mind. He couldn't grasp in any way what has happened. His father was all smiles during the whole time and never even mentioned Judy. They ordered his favorite pizza for dinner, went to see a movie that Mike has been waiting for ever since the first trailers came out… And all this time his father was smiling.
Where was the catch? What kind of biblical size of punishment was in store for him? He kept thinking about this during the dinner, as well as the movie. It was tormenting him the entire time he spent with his smiling dad. What-
His phone rang.
Mike fished it out of his pants and looked at the caller with brows raised in worry. "Hey, dad…"
"I want you to remember this day, Michael." His father's voice was back to normal, lacking that suffocating sweetness. "The way it could have gone and didn't. Behave yourself in the future, goodnight."
Mike blinked, staring right ahead. Now it was all clear... His father didn't punish him, he made him punish himself by being constantly on the edge, worrying about the punishment that was never there.
The boy let out a groan that had a miniscule portion of relief mixed in and slumped onto the floor.
.
.
The next day, the fox and the bunny sat together on the couch and were busy playing a simple game.
"I used to dye my fur black as a teenager." Nicholas stated with his usual grin, looking at the recuperating bunny.
Judy narrowed her eyes as she studied his expression. "That's...", she began with a dose of uncertainty, "a lie!" The doe gave her verdict.
Nick's smile widened as she said that. "Too bad." He chuckled.
"What?! No way!" She thumped both paws on the blanket she was covered with. Even though her words had a subtle ring of disappointment to it, the corners of her mouth edging up showed her real thoughts on this.
"I swear on my tail, my mother was even called by the principal the explain it." He reminisced with a light sigh, before focusing on the doe again. "Alright, pay up." He said while leaning towards the bunny.
"Oh, if I really have to." She grumbled with a fake irritation.
Nicholas just smiled and shook his head at her antics. "You want to." He said while leaning down to her.
"And that is a true statement." Her not-convincing-at-all pout was replaced by a genuine smile.
Nick placed his lips on Judy's and they shared a short kiss. Or at least that's what he intended, but the moment he, once again, felt that intoxicating sweetness of her lips, he couldn't stop himself from drawing it out, savoring every single second of it. When they eventually broke apart, he even moved forward again, trying to catch another kiss. However, his attempt was stopped by a grey furred finger on his lips.
"Uh-uh, one kiss per guess." She scolded him playfully and pushed him back a bit.
"Aww, that's not very nice, Miss By The Book." The fox attorney couldn't stop himself from showing her puppy eyes, while letting his ears drop down a little.
"Hey, we both agreed on this rule, remember?" Her smile turned into a smirk.
The fox had no other way, but to relent. "Alright, alright, I'll just have win again." It was his turn to show a confident smile.
"Oh? We'll see about that!" Judy laughed at his declaration.
"Then why don't you begin?" Leaning back on the couch, the fox invited her with a gesture to go on.
"Okay." Judy tapped her chin in thought. "I know! When I was seven I broke my legs after falling down from a tree. I climbed there to get a ball that got stuck during a game with my siblings.
Nick's eyes widened a bit after hearing such a statement, but it was short lived. He focused his full attention on the bunny and tried to gauge her honesty.
"That's… false." He gave his verdict eventually and Judy instantly shook her head.
"No. This story is true!" She chuckled to a frown forming on her boyfriend's face.
"What? You mean 'both' legs?!"
"Mhm. So," she folded her arms while showing him a smirk, "where's my kiss?"
"Very well, you can have your prize." Nick smiled as he leaned down to his girlfriend.
Judy replied with a broad smile of her own as she grabbed the front of his shirt with her paw. The doe pulled him closer and their lips eagerly met in a kiss. Even though Nick lost this round, he enjoyed it as much as the bunny in front of him. He couldn't get enough of those little, soft lips that were so different from his own. This difference only fueled the intensely pleasant sensation that overcame him whenever they kissed, regardless if it was just a small peck or a deep one, filled with passion.
Judy shared the feeling and raised her other arm to grab the back of Nick's head as she deepened the kiss and let her tongue invite her boyfriend's to a dance. And danced they did, adding to the pleasure that enveloped both mammals. After some time though, they were forced to seperate to catch some air. However, Nick's gasp for oxygen was interrupted when Judy didn't break the kiss fully and licked his lips with her tiny tongue. She slid it over the entire side of his muzzle before returning to the front and catching him in another, more vigorous kiss. The fox was surprised, but didn't mind such a turn of events. Quite the contrary.
Some more time passed before they finally stopped and rested their foreheads against each other. They both were panting slightly while staring into each other eyes.
"I thought we said one kiss per guess?" He breathed with a smile tugging the corners of his mouth.
"It was one." She replied with a small smile, catching her breath. "I don't recall ever parting with those lips." The doe gave him a smirk as she placed a finger on his mouth.
"Sly bunny." Nick's smile widened and he kissed her forehead. "And a quite good kisser."
"I'm a quick learner." She shrugged with an innocent expression.
The fox brushed her cheek with a finger. "Hmm? Or maybe just experienced?" He didn't make it sound like an accusation, it wasn't his intention. It was more a playful banter than anything else.
She gave him a wink. "A secret. But I'll admit that I could use some more practice." Judy wrapped her paws around his neck.
"Oh?" He chuckled as he got closer to her mouth. "Would you like some lessons?" The doe felt a slight shiver as he stated this in rather husky voice.
"Yes, please." She replied when the fox started crawling on top of her, making the bunny lean back on the couch.
"Very well, then. We will skip the theory and go with the practice," he brushed her lips with his, "teacher's orders."
He kissed her again and Judy laid back on the couch with her fox boyfriend on top of her.
.
.
"Alright, ready?" Nick asked his bunny.
Judy nodded with determination shining in her eyes.
The fox lifted his phone. "Aaaand go!" He tapped the 'start' icon in the stopwatch app.
The doe took a deep breath and started talking. "Nicholas Wilde, age 33, divorced, has a son named Michael, his mother's name is Martha, an attorney with a very high self esteem," Nick snorted at this part, "likes healthy food, hates bullies and uncaring parents. He has a very cute bunny girlfriend by the name Judy," she sent him a wink, "his secretary is called Cynthia and is allegedly much older than me, so I shouldn't be jealous, but that needs to be verified," Nick stifled a chuckle when she said that, "studied law at the University of Pawvard, always first in his year during his entire student career, likes listening to rock music, strict selection of pop, some blues and classical music, his-"
"Stop!" The fox announced as he tapped the screen again. "Quite good, but it could be better." He waved his phone at her.
Today they were playing a new game, one which consisted of giving a summary of one's person and then having the other side repeat as much information as possible from memory. Nick considered himself rather good at such a type of game, as he trained his memorizing skill thanks to digging through mountains of documentation connected to his cases. He had to admit, though, that Judy did very well. Her work also had her polishing her memory.
"Okay, your turn!" The doe snatched the phone from his paw and reset the timer.
"Alright, alright…" He straightened up on the couch.
"Okay, go!" She tapped the screen.
"Judy Hopps, age unknown and any attempts at asking about it may result in severe bruising," it was Judy's time to snort from amusement, " she is a ZPD officer, first in her year at the ZPD Academy, a warrior of justice and defender of the weak," the doe rolled her eyes, "born and raised in Bunny Burrow, her parents names are Bonnie and Steward, likes to eat at other mammals' expense," he dodged a pillow thrown at him and kept talking, "has a devilishly handsome fox boyfriend, likes to help others, has a terrible taste in music, likes to cuddle, visits home whenever she has a chance, her-"
"Aaand stop!"
"Okay, so how did I do?"
Judy showed him a triumphant smile. "You forgot about how many siblings I have."
Nick's ears fell a little, while his widened slightly. "Wha- How could I miss that?!"
The doe's smile turned into a smug grin, as she looked at him with half-lidded eyes. "Maaybe because I told you about them right after telling you my three sizes?"
Her boyfriend's jaw dropped down for a moment, before he could pull himself together and shake his head slowly with a weak smile. "You evil bunny, you…"
She simply leaned forward, supporting herself with both paws on the quilt covering her legs. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like I won."
The fox attorney huffed. "Distracting me with your body is cheating!"
"Hah! Sore loser!" Judy showed him her little tongue.
Nicholas growled playfully. "Who's a loser!" He flexed his body and launched himself at the grey bunny. Though he didn't expect her to react in such a way. The doe grabbed the incoming arm and Nick experienced the world spinning before him. Next thing he knew, he was laying on his back on the couch and Judy was sitting on his stomach.
She placed her paws on his chest and lowered her head towards him. "Twice a loser." The doe announced with a smirk. But it faded when she saw a painful grimace on her boyfriend's face. With eyes squeezed shut, Nick was holding his back with a paw, arching it slightly.
"Nick? Oh, I'm sorry!" Judy leaned to him, cupping his cheeks with both paws. "I-I didn't mean to-"
The fox's eyes snapped back open and his arms moved in a blur, capturing the bunny. He pulled her forcefully closer with one paw at the back of her head and the other on the small of her back. Nick smashed their lips together, eliciting a muffled cry from the doe. He wasn't gentle, far from it. The fox kept her firmly and kept her lips locked in a fierce kiss. At first Judy felt a bit overwhelmed with the intensity of her boyfriend's actions, but that passed quickly and now she savored how it felt. And she felt like a prey trapped in the paws of a predator. Her academy training and regular sparrings with other officers gave her the upper paw over Nick when it came to pure skill and combat prowess. However, that meant nothing when she was held by those arms. She could feel the muscle beneath the fur and skin, flexing to hold her in place, no matter how much she would struggle. He first tricked her and now overpowered with raw strength.
And she loved it.
Judy wanted more, so much more and when his agile tongue skillfully licked her small teeth and lips, she couldn't stop a shiver of pleasure washing over her. The doe couldn't have enough of how he was able to-
Nicholas stopped.
"Wha-" Judy gasped for air and stared at him with confusion.
"No more for you, evil bunny." He stated with a smirk. "Kisses are only for nice does." With that said he lifted her and sat her on his stomach again, while he remained laying.
Judy blinked several times, still dazed by the aggressive kiss. "Hey!" She said finally, slapping him on the chest. "That was mean!"
"Oh?" He raised a brow. "What was?"
"You know what!" She huffed at him, getting annoyed that the flame that he ignited within her was now slowly diminishing.
Nick lifted his paw and brushed her lips with a thumb. "No, I don't." He adorned an mischievous smile."You'll have to tell me."
Judy folded her arms. "Meanie!" One of her hindpaws started thumping in irritation.
He chuckled. "Guilty as charged. Now," he drew himself closer to her by sitting up and Judy's irritated ears slowly fell as he got nearer, "tell me, what did I do?" He murmured with his muzzle right next to one of her ears.
"You-ah!" She gasped softly when he dragged a claw down her ear in a gentle motion. "You stopped…"
"Stopped what?" This time he drew a quiet moan from his girlfriend when his claw climbed up. Judy experienced another shiver and she threw her arms around Nick to grab the back of his shirt.
"Stopped k-kissing me…" The words had trouble getting out of her mouth, due to a certain fox sniffing the base of one of her ears. "Nick… please…" She whispered.
"Yes?" He gave her ear a short lick. The sensation had her trembling in his lap and she pressed her mouth into the fox's chest to muffle a whimper of pleasure. "Would you like me to do something?" The vulpine attorney kept teasing her.
"Nick…"
He slid the other paw down her back. "What do you want?"
She let out a sound that was a mixture of a groan and a moan. "Nick…"
"Tell me."
"You know what I want!" She squeezed his shirt harder.
"Tell me." He persisted, not stopping his ministrations.
Judy leaned back a bit and gave up after she looked into the emerald of his eyes."I… I want you to kiss me again."
The doe suddenly mewled when Nick moved his muzzle down and nibbled her ear.
"How?"
"J-Just kiss me." She practically panted, lifting her head to reach his lips, but Nick held her down, keeping his lips out of her range. Judy whimpered when he denied her the contact she craved for. She was putty in his paws, she knew that. But it didn't matter, as long as she could get him to kiss her again, to slide back into that blessed state of pleasure.
"How?"
Judy almost let out a cry of despair. "Like you just did! Kiss me like that again!" The doe urged him. "Like a predator! As if you were trying to eat me with your lips. As if you went wild! Please! Kiss me like that again!"
A grin appeared on Nick's face. "As you wish." He growled and leaned down.
Seeing this, Judy closed her eyes and dived into blissful content.
.
.
"Nick." Judy addressed her boyfriend after they finished dinner.
"Yes?" The fox turned around from the kitchen sink.
"I was thinking… could you give me the contact number to your mother?"
For a moment the vulpine attorney turned into a statue. His face couldn't decide whether to express horror, pity or awe. "You… Martha's number?" He mumbled, trying to confirm if he didn't mishear her.
Judy nodded at his question. "I can't evade her forever and I actually wanted to talk with her about… you know," she gestured between them with a paw, "us."
Nick didn't look convinced.
The doe hopped down from her chair and approached her fox. "Nick," she took his paw in both hers, "it's okay. It's not like she'll eat me, right?" Judy smiled, looking up at him.
The fox rubbed his chin with his free paw. "Well… if you're sure about this."
"I am, don't worry." She rubbed the fur on his forearm.
He finally seemed to relax a bit and showed her a smile. "Oh, I will. It's my mother after all."
"I'll be fine, silly." The doe gave him a light punch on the shoulder. "Look, to sweeten the deal, I'll add a little bonus if you let us talk alone."
Judy didn't miss how his ears flickered slightly at her words and chuckled at her boyfriend's reaction.
.
An hour later, when Nicholas had to go to court, Judy nestled herself on the couch, took a deep breath and dialed the number given by her fox. As she awaited the voice of the vixen, Judy thought about the idea of calling Nick "her fox". A small blush appeared on her cheeks as she considered the implications of that. Claiming him just for herself was a thrilling thought, but it also instilled a tiny spark of doubt in her. If she was willing to call him "hers", then the natural, next step would be… marriage. And after that… Her blush gained in intensity.
Mating.
Just the thought of forming such a bond was making her both thrilled and scared at the same time. They were dating for just several days and she was already thinking about such matters. Judy blamed her rabbit genes for that, always rushing things when it comes to forming a relationship. The does had it particularly difficult, considering their maternal instincts. Judy recalled that what does considered good traits in a partner were intelligence, financial stability and at least moderately good looks. These elements were supposed to be a guarantee of healthy offspring an-
She blinked.
Intelligence…
Financial stability…
Good looks…
Judy felt a heat rising in her abdomen, that had nothing to do with the warm quilt on her. With a quiet groan she pulled both ears over her face with her free paw. She just pointed out the three things her boyfriend had in abundance. What does that tell her?
That I should never let him anywhere near my sisters, she joked to herself. Well, half-joked.
"..ello? Helloo?" A voice broke through her thought process.
"Ah! Mrs Wilde?"
There was a slight pause before a female voice continued in a much lighter tone. "I know this voice… Judy, right?"
"Yes, that's me. I'm sorry, I was lost in my thoughts for a bit." The doe apologized for not answering earlier.
"Hmm, thinking about Nick, no doubt." The vixen chuckled.
Judy's ears flopped down at the directness of her boyfriend's mother. "I… well… um…" she gave up with a sigh, "yes. I was thinking about him. Which, in fact, is the reason I'm calling."
"Oh? Do go on."
"To be honest, I would prefer to talk in person, not over the phone, if that's alright with you. I'm practically all well now and I'm returning to work tomorrow."
"That sounds lovely, my dear. Hmm," Martha paused for a moment, "are you at Nick's apartment right now?"
"Yes, I am. Why?"
"I am shopping nearby so I can just drop by if that's okay. I'm assuming that Nick is not with you?"
"Ah, yes. He went to court and won't be back for a while."
"Excellent!" The vixen beamed. "I will be there in 5 minutes."
.
.
Since Judy was already expecting the vixen, it took her just a second to get to the door when Martha rang the doorbell.
"Hello!" She smiled at Judy and walked in, taking off her coat. "I'm so glad that you called!"
The doe replied with her own smile. "Actually, Nick wanted to be present during our talk, but I persuaded him that he should not be involved."
Martha just hanged her clothes on the coat rack and now she looked over her shoulder with curiosity. "Convinced? May I know how?"
Judy's smile gained a slightly shy form and she looked down at the hem of her turtle neck, which she started playing with using her fingers. "Let's just say that I suggested that letting us talk alone would… not be left unrewarded." The doe might have been pretty bold with Nick about such things, but she wasn't sure how to behave in front of Martha.
The vixen's green eyes widened for a moment after Judy's confession, but Martha adorned a wide smile right after that. "Ohh, you're such a good match for Nicky! But let's not just stand here!" She turned to the living room while inviting the bunny with a wave of her paw. "Come, come, darling, we have so much to talk about!"
.
.
Several miles away, in a certain courtroom a fox shivered in the middle of his speech.
The ram judge raised his brow at this unusual pause. "Mr Wilde? Is everything alright?" He added after seeing the brief grimace of worry on Nicholas' face.
"Yes… Yes, I'm fine. Thank you, your honor. Just had… a bad feeling." He shook off the hesitation and went on with his speech.
.
.
"And this is Nick when he graduated Pawvard, top of his class!" Martha beamed with pride, passing Judy the next photograph.
The doe was in the middle of a traditional photo viewing session every mother would give to their child's friends. But for Judy it was really enjoyable, to be able to learn more about Nick before she came to know him. And she had to admit that the younger version of her boyfriend looked quite hot dressed in academic regalia. He even had his trademark smirk.
The girls must've been flocking around him, she thought when a vision of a certain girl popped up in her mind.
"Mrs Wilde," Judy addressed the vixen, "are there-"
"It's just Martha." Nick's mother corrected her instantly with a warm smile.
"O-Okay, Martha." The bunny stuttered a bit from this sudden interruption.
"You wanted to ask me something?"
Judy nodded, but was a bit unsure if she wasn't crossing the line. "Do you… do you have any photos of Sylvia?"
The question hanged in the air for several silent seconds, during which Martha's smile slowly faded.
However, she then gave Judy a serious look. "Checking out your competition?"
"What? No!" The grey bunny waved her paws in front of her in denying gesture. "I was just curious. About… how did the female he fell in love looked like, how… how Mike's mother looked…" Her voice gradually turned into a mumble. She wasn't sure how to properly convey her thoughts to the vixen. The bunny couldn't help, but to think about what attracted Nick to his ex-wife in the first place and also, how much Mike resembles his mother.
Martha tilted her head a bit to the side. "Why would you be curious about how she looks?" This question showed Judy that this vixen was indeed Nick's mother. Martha noticed the hesitation, the weak spot and continued to push the topic forward.
"I…"
"Are you afraid that whatever attracted Nicholas to her in the first place might also lead him to be attracted to another vixen in the future?" Martha's surprise question was like a straight punch to the gut, making the doe incapable of answering right away. Instead, she averted her gaze slightly as her ears fell.
"You're right…" She admitted quietly. "I know it's stupid of me, but I just can't… When Nick is not around and I remember that he had a wife before… I can't stop myself from thinking what will happen if he meets an attractive vixen. One that will be more attractive then m-"
"Judy!" Martha interrupted her softly and moved closer to the doe on the couch. "You worry too much and let me explain why." The vixen moved her arm to wrap it around Judy's shoulders and give the bunny a gentle hug. "First of all, you need to understand how important is mating for us, foxes. It's not a quickie after which everything stays the same, no. It has a far deeper meaning than that. It defines what we become and changes our lives forever. You could say that there are two periods in a life of a fox, one before mating and the one after. It's important to separate them, as no fox stays the same after such an act. Is that clear so far?"
Judy gave her a small nod.
"Now, with that in mind, think of a mated fox couple. They are happy together and can't see their lives without the other in it anymore." At this point the vixen's expression shifted into a solemn one. "And then imagine that this bond breaks…"
The bunny's ears twitched, as she instantly realized that Martha referred to Nick and Sylvia.
"This is not something like a formal act of divorce. All the anxiety and stress during a court session dealing with this cannot even compare." Martha gave Judy a truly bleak look. "It's something so severe, that is known to kill."
The way she said this, paired with that dreary gaze, made Judy shiver. Kill? Nicholas could have… died?
"You must understand, Judy, that forcefully breaking such a link practically destroys one from the inside. Having your mate abandon you, for foxes it means as if your own soul would be torn in half. I haven't experienced this myself, but I've had a rare chance to talk with a girl who went through this. She described this as 'dying without death's sweet release'." The vixen paused, waiting for the importance of her words to sink in with the bunny. After several seconds of silence, in which Judy could only stare ahead with a blank gaze, Martha continued.
"That's how serious is this bond for us. I want you to remember that." After saying this, the vixen placed her paw on Judy's cheek with motherly care and turned the doe's head so that she would look at her. "But I also want you to know one more thing. During these years after divorce, I did my best to give Nicholas a chance to get interested in a new girl. I could see that he needed that and Michael needed a mother. But every girl I subtly pushed towards him was politely rejected. And then…" A smile appeared on Martha's face. "A small bunny comes along and I find my son flirting with her on the floor of his living room."
Judy went from feeling a depressing chill to the heat of embarrassment in a record time, a blush bloomed on her cheeks from that memory.
Seeing this reaction Martha chuckled merrily. "Oh don't get me wrong, I have nothing against that! It was a scene that made my heart jump for joy!"
"That was… kind of in a spur of the moment…" Judy mumbled while fidgeting with her fingers.
This time Martha laughed out loud. "Judy, Judy, Judy! Do you understand what I'm telling you here? My son had a wall of steel around him since the divorce and now I hear him declaring that he has a girlfriend!" She grabbed both Judy's paws. "You can't even imagine how happy I am! Till now the only thing he cared about was Michael, but with you… You've found a way into his heart when no other vixen, not matter how pretty, could do that!"
An unmistakable tear appeared in the vixen's eye. She rubbed it with the back of her palm. "I'm so, so happy that you were able to change him. Thank you. Thank you so much!"
Judy couldn't help but smile at the emotional vixen and she gave her paws a gentle squeeze. "You don't have to thank me, Martha. I don't deserve such a praise." In reality, hearing the vixen's words calmed down her worries a lot.
Martha shook her head with a smile. "Sweetie, do you even realize what you have achieved here? You took my work obsessed son and changed him into a fox who is once again caring for a female."
"Well, he is quite caring, that's true…"
The smile on the vixen's face only widened, now painted with a hint of mischief. "Judy, what do you know about fox tails?"
The doe blinked, taken by surprise with this question. "Tails? Not much, why?"
A playful glint appeared in Martha's eyes. "When we met for the first time, Nick held you in his arms, but more importantly, he wrapped his tail around you. Do you know what that means?"
Judy shook her head slowly, but some instinct made her feel a flicker of warmth gathering in her chest.
Vivian moved her own tail to her lap and petted it with one paw. "Our tails are not just for decoration, no matter how nice they look. They play an important role in relationships."
Judy felt the warmth gaining in strength.
"A fox or a vixen would never allow a stranger to touch their tail. It's an intimate gesture, reserved for those we deem very close." Martha explained this with a smirk and as the bunny processed what the vixen meant by her words, she could feel the warmth turning into a flame.
Then Nick's mother leaned a bit to the doe and made her voice lower, as if revealing something confidential. "Now, what if a fox would wrap his or her tail around someone? Well, it's not just a gesture of affection. It's something more."
Judy swallowed, feeling that her turtleneck seemed much too warm all of the sudden.
Martha straightened up with a knowing smile. "I could tell you what exactly it means, but it's going to be much more fun if you ask Nick about it." She chuckled at her own plan.
The doe sat dumbfounded on the couch, not sure how to even respond. Not to mention that what the vixen has told her, caused her heartbeat to go up a notch.
"Oh yes, there are many fox behaviors that indicate certain things in a relationship…" Martha said in general while reaching for a glass of water from the table.
Those words caused a switch to flip in Judy's memory. "Speaking of behaviors… Could you tell me about one more?" She knew that Nicholas told her it's not the time, but the doe's innate curiosity kept pushing her. Not to mention that she really didn't want to mess things up with her boyfriend. The conversation with Martha showed her how little she knew about fox customs and she wanted to educate herself more in this area.
The vixen took a sip of the water and put the glass back. "Oh? What do you have in mind?"
.
.
Nicholas left the courtroom with his jacket in one paw and his briefcase in the other. He was about to head for the exit when a big figure blocked his path. The fox looked up at the face of a female polar bear, the head instructor at the ZPD Academy. She was called here today as one of the witnesses in the trial.
"Mrs. Tundrano," he greeted her with his trademark smirk, "how can I help you?"
"You bastard…" She growled at the attorney.
"My, my, that sounds hostile."
The bear instructor folded her arms. "We both know what happened back then, no matter how you try to twist reality."
Nicholas shrugged. "I have merely stated the facts, Mrs. Tundrano. And the end result speaks for itself, we won, you lost."
The female leaned down to him and lowered her voice so only he would hear her. "You are bloody aware that your 'client' attacked us that night! You just helped another criminal get away, you son of a-"
"I recommend that you hold your tongue." He interrupted her and his demeanor changed instantly. Now his gaze was sharp, and voice laced with an edge that threatened to cut if challenged. "One more word and I would've sued you for slander."
The instructor straightened up, not liking the predatory glint in his eyes. She grinded her teeth helplessly. "We will appeal." The bear switched topics to avoid getting entangled in a lawsuit with the ZPD's fox shaped legal nightmare.
"No doubt you will, but I would advise you not to do that." Nick's expression shifted back into his smug one. The ability to instantly change his attitude from smug or laid back into a sharp and relentless, was one of his greatest weapons in a courtroom. "It would be a waste of taxpayers' money."
"I know what I saw!" She snarled in reply.
Nicholas simply nodded with a smile. "Late at night, coming back from a bar where alcohol played a significant role as the star of the evening."
The female bear clenched her fingers into fists.
Her reaction made him sigh. "Look, I can do this all day. It's a shame that an officer got wounded, but the verdict stands." Just as he said this, a nasty idea popped into his mind. He undid the clasp of his briefcase and pulled out a file. "Speaking of officers," he opened it and looked at the first sheet of paper inside, "what can you tell me about officer Judy Hopps?"
Mrs. Tundrano blinked, taken by surprise with this question. "What's Hopps got to do with this?"
"Oh, nothing." Nick send her an innocent smile. "Yet." The smile changed into a smirk. "But she's an important piece in my newest case, so some insight would be helpful."
When the meaning of his words sunk in, the bear's face formed a scowl. "You shifty, little… You better not touch this girl!"
Nick had to hold back a snort. "Rather late for that…" He muttered to himself.
"What did you say?"
"I said that it's interesting that you speak such words about her." A pen almost magically appeared in his paw. "Does she have some kind of protection from higher ups?"
The bear frowned at his words. "Of course not! I just won't let you ruin her life!"
He raised a brow in amusement. "Ruin? Are you suggesting I should marry her?" Nick chuckled, but stopped himself after noticing the instructor's expression. "Alright, forget I asked that. What I meant is that it seems highly improbable that a small bunny could achieve all that is in her files. Top in her class? A paw to paw combat expert? Come on, someone had to pull a few strings here."
Nck observed how the bear's eye twitched and she leaned to him again. "You listen and you listen good, you red furred doormat. I've been teaching at the academy for 17 years and Hopps is the best cadet I have ever seen! All those recommendations? She earned them! Top of her class? She crawled her way up there, thanks to her own efforts. No matter how many times she has landed in the mud, she always got up and fought on. That bunny has more guts in her pinky, than you have in your entire body!" She took a step forward. "She is an outstanding officer with a spotless record, so don't you dare!"
Nicholas kept smiling during her speech, but internally he felt a wave of respect towards his girlfriend. He never doubted any of her achievements, but wanted to rouse the bear to check if he could learn something new about the cute, little bunny.
"Hypothetically speaking, what if I would?" He asked innocently.
Mrs Tundrano narrowed her eyes. "I'm warning you! Keep your paws off her!" She snarled at him before straightening up and stomping away, muttering curses about fox lawyers.
Nicholas breathed out and put the file and pen back to the briefcase. "Keep them off, huh?" He went back to what happened in his bedroom few days ago and immediately felt his temperature rising. "That's going to be difficult."
.
.
"... and then he said that it's 'not the time yet' and I know that he will tell me when he's ready, but… I can't stop thinking about it. I'm sorry if this is being pushy from my side, but-" She looked up at the vixen and her ears suddenly dropped.
Martha was staring at her with wide eyes and her mouth half-open, her ears were also low behind her head.
Sweet cheese and crackers… Judy could feel her heartbeat rising in panic.
Keeping the same expression, the vixen blinked. "He… walked out?" Her voice sounded distant, detached.
The doe swallowed nervously. "Ah… It's… It's that bad?" She dared to ask, though she was afraid to hear the answer.
Martha blinked again and then recollected herself. "What? No, nonono, it's not what you think! This…" She paused before placing a paw on Judy's shoulder and her expression shifted into a warm one. "I'm sorry, but this is something that is best to leave for Nicholas to explain. However, trust me on this, it's a very good sign, for both of you." She gave the bunny's shoulder a gentle squeeze.
Part of Judy was disappointed that she couldn't get a full answer, but the majority of her knew that it was for the best. If it was truly such a big deal, then she would have to put her trust in Nicholas and patiently await his explanation. Though what Martha said allowed her mind to calm down regarding this matter. Not knowing what was going on could be nerve wrecking, but changing that into waiting for a pleasant surprise was something entirely different.
Meanwhile, Martha pulled her paw back and once again adorned a more serious face. "Now then," she announced in a resolute voice, "we will move on to the next topic: Michael."
.
.
The apartment filled with laughter when Martha Wilde couldn't contain her joy and clutched at her sides while laughing with all her heart.
"He-haha! He really- hahaha did that?!" She gasped for air and wiped her happy tears. "That's Nick's son for you!" The vixen waved herself with a paw. "Ohh, I should've known that Mike had something to do with this!" She sent Judy a wink.
Judy had a bright smile, watching Martha's reaction to the tale of how the bunny officer figured out that Michael was the one behind the dating idea. "To be honest, when he first approached me at school, I thought that such a stunt was a bit reckless. But now I'm glad that he decided to go with it."
"And I think he is glad too." Martha petted Judy's knee.
"You do?" The doe's ears perked up. It was one more thing that got Judy thinking about her relationship with Nicholas. He was a father. That meant getting along not only with him, but also with Michael.
The vixen nodded. "I consider myself a rather good reader of other mammals' emotions. When I… persuaded Mike to tell me why Nicholas is so busy and sends his son to live with me for a week, I didn't sense any tension or resentment from him. If I were to guess his emotional state right now," she tapped her chin in thought, "I'd say 'curious excitement'."
Martha gave the doe an encouraging smile. "You have a good starting position here, sweetie. Don't let it go to waste." She nudged the doe with an elbow.
Judy chuckled at this gesture and once again her worries were dispersed. She had a positive feeling from their interactions so far, but didn't want to jump the gun and take Mike's initial acceptance for granted. In a way, creating a good bond with children was much more difficult than with adults. Kids would instinctively sense any form of dishonesty or fake affection. Luckily for Judy, that was not a problem in her case. She was honest to boot and really liked Michael.
Vivian took another sip of water. "You really are a good girl, you know that? Not only you care about what Nicholas thinks of you, but also consider Michael's feelings. That's good, very good. In fact," she raised a finger and reached for the photo album again, "there is something I want to show you!"
Judy raised a curious brow, watching as the vixen shuffled through the pages. Several moments later Martha let out a triumphant 'a-ha!' and fished out a photo.
"This will give you a better view of how important is Mike to Nicholas." With the photo in paw, Martha started a story. "I took this picture years ago, when Mike was just a toddler. They were both living with me at that time, as money was scarce and Nick needed to save up as much as possible. It was three of us in a tiny apartment that barely left us any free space. We had Mike's clothes and diapers stashed everywhere and I mean everywhere. I remember Nick once getting back from work so tired, that he fell asleep on a pile of diaper packs." She chuckled at the memory. "Anyway, life was tough back then, especially for Nicholas. He would come back late, hungry and tired Sometimes to such a degree that he was barely standing. And every time, without fail, his face would lit up at the sight of a tiny fox crawling bravely to the door to greet his daddy."
Judy placed a paw on her chest and let out a small 'awww'.
"And one day, in the late evening, I took this picture." She passed the photo to the bunny. "It was right after Nick put Mike to bed."
Judy took one look at the photo and her heart melted.
The scenery was dark, obviously due to most of the lights being turned off to let the little boy sleep peacefully. In the middle of the picture was a wooden crib with a canopy to cover it from whatever light would peek from the rest of the apartment. But Judy's eyes were focused on something else. Right next to the crib stood a formally dressed red fox, leaning over its rail. It was hard to make out smaller details due to the poor lighting, but judy could see that two top buttons of his shirt were undone, as well as his tie, which now dangled around his neck. There was even some kind of a stain on his shoulder, probably from food spilled by Mike. But what was standing out in this picture was the fox's face.
His slumped body and drooping tail would suggest an expression of someone so exhausted that was probably standing at death's door. Instead, Judy saw a faint smile decorating Nick's face, as he looked down into the crib. Also, Martha was lucky enough to take the photo when a glint of light reflected in the fox's eyes.
Eyes that showed a gaze of a loving father.
One more time Judy felt her heartbeat rising and warmth spilling inside her body. The doe felt an overwhelming urge to hug her boyfriend, to hold him as tight as possible and never let go. Her heart wanted to embrace his and feel that caring attention he held for Michael.
She was so focused on the picture, that she didn't notice Martha silently taking out her phone and taking a photo of her, looking at Nick's photograph. The vixen smiled knowingly, her sympathy for the doe growing even more, seeing how the bunny was looking at her son in that picture.
With eyes of a female utterly, completely and hopelessly in love.
.
.
Outside the building of the court, Nick managed to grab a free cab and practically jumped inside. The driver noticed his rush in the rear-view mirror. "Whoa, is there a fire somewhere?"
The fox shook his head. "I wish. This a rescue operation." And before the driver could even respond, Nicholas shoved a Zootopian 100 dollar bill in front of his face. "Drive!"
.
.
After viewing several more pictures and sharing a couple of short stories, Martha's phone rang with an alarm sound. The vixen let out a disappointed sigh. "I'm sorry, Judy. Looks like my time is up." She put her phone back in her purse and got up. "Michael is waiting for me, I have to make him something for dinner."
Judy stood up as well. "Of course. I don't want to stall you."
They went back to the hallway and the vixen got dressed in her coat. She then leaned down to give Judy one last hug before she opened the apartment's front door. "Thank you so much for the talk, we must repeat this in the near future."
"I would love to!" The doe replied with a broad smile.
"I have to run, take care of Nick, alright?" She was already outside when she turned around to give Judy the friendliest and kindest smile the doe has ever seen on a mammal. "And remember, if you break my boys' hearts, I will bite your face off, okay?" The vixen added with a warm voice and waved her paw. "Ciao!" And she was gone, leaving a stupefied bunny in the hallway.