A/N: Silver here. Just so you know, I'll be writing this chapter and next chapter, which is the final chapter, will be written by Erricane. So, without further ado, let Christmas eve begin!
Disclaimer: Zootopia belongs to Disney! (Why did I yell that?)
Christmas eve… It was early in the morning around 2 am. It was truly a silent night in the Glace's household. Not a single sound was made. And everyone should have been asleep by now. Everyone but Julie.
She kept rolling left and right with a frown on her face. She opened her eyes a bit and faced the ceiling, placing her wrist on her forehead thinking of what happened last evening.
Max has already accepted her as her dance partner. And to top it off, Sophie said it was fine. And the thought of that has really never left her mind.
She sat up and sighed. "Tomorrow is Christmas…" she muttered. She got off from her bed and head down to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. And as she reached the kitchen, she turned on the lights and jumped when she saw someone already sitting at the counter.
The mammal turned to his left at her and blinked with a blank expression. It was Max who was drinking a can of soda. "Yo," he said.
Julie patted her chest a bit from the shock and sighed. "W-why are you here…?" she stuttered. "With the lights off even."
He turned back to face in front of him at the wall. "I'm just thirsty." Then pointed at his eyes. "And foxes have night visions. Unlike others, mine is the best." She nodded, after understanding. "Can't sleep?" he continued, putting his arm back down on the counter.
She nodded. "Just… Getting nervous, you know…? About the dance… With you. It's my first time."
"Well, it's mine too. So we'll both humiliate ourselves."
She chuckled and walked to the cabinet to grab a glass. "What's keeping YOU awake?" she asked, looking through the cabinets.
"It's a normal thing. Sometimes I sleep, sometimes I don't. Once, I've never slept for 4 days straight when I was given a bodyguard job. And normally, anything sweet will keep me awake." He lifted up his can and shook it gently. "This one for example."
Julie looked over and saw him shaking the can. "You said anything sweet keeps you awake, right? Why are you drinking it now then? You could have just grab some water."
Max stayed silent for a while and looked up at the can after realizing it. "Huh… Should have thought about that… I guess no sleep for me for tonight…"
Julie laughed quietly and tried to reach for a glass at the top cabinet. She was going for a large one but wasn't able to grab it. She tried stretching her arms and fingers until… Someone else grabbed it. She turned around to see Max behind her with the glass.
"Here," he said handing it to her.
She looked up at him and blushed with her ears being lowered. She never knew he was so tall before. She stared at him with glimmering eyes, mesmerized by his looks.
"Hey," he said, chopping her head very, very gently. "Don't go falling for me. I've already told you that you're not the only one that has fallen for me."
She looked at the glass and slowly took it from his paw.
"Seriously now…" he said, placing his fingers on his forehead.
"S-sorry…" she apologized. "It's just that… No guy… Has ever… Gotten this close to me before… Physically, that is…" She covered half her face with her paws still holding the glass while looking away from him.
Max looked at her. "Maybe because you're a closet otaku. Why not find some friends with the same interest with you? Maybe someone online?"
"You think that online friends are real friends?!" she asked suddenly with wide eyes.
The fox nodded. "As long as the word 'friends' is there, it still counts. Besides…" He sat back to where he was drinking. "Friendship comes in many forms after all. All you need to do is meet them eventually."
"Um… I've never… Met any of them…"
Max's right ear twitched and then turned to her. "Don't you guys plan like a face-to-face meet-up?"
"It's just that…!" She closed her eyes and turned to the sink to prevent herself from looking at him. "We scheduled it… But… I… I was too afraid to meet them… From what I heard, there were many kinds of otakus. What if we don't like the same thing? What if we don't see eye-to-eye just because we have different taste? What if…?" She stopped halfway when she felt a paw on her head. She looked at the reflection of the window to see Max placed it on her.
"I get it," he said. "Then how about this? The next meet-up, go this time. And tell me where. I'll be there to support you."
She turned around quickly and smiled at him. "You will?!" she asked cheerfully.
Max patted her heard twice and nodded. "I never tell a lie. After all, you're practically family to me now. Like… A little sister."
'A little sister'… Somehow those words stabbed Julie in the heart and she just froze there and looked at him with almost dead eyes. The words 'little sister' kept echoing in her head. "Did I… Just get siszoned…?" she thought depressingly.
"Jules? You okay?"
She slowly turned back to the sink. "Nothing," she said with an emotionless tone, finally pouring water into her glass. "Max? Can I call you… 'Oniichan'?"
The young fox's ears twitched. "I guess it makes sense since I called you my little sister already. Sure, why not?"
"Then, oniichan…" She turned back to him. "Are you a siscon?"
After hearing that question, the fox chopped her head as lightly as he can like earlier. "Don't get the wrong idea," he said before turning away and tossing the now empty can into the trashbin. He stopped at the entrance and waved at her without looking. "Oyasumi, imouto," he said turning his head to look at her with a smile.
Julie gasped softly and watched Max returned to his room. She gripped the glass tightly and her body shaking. "He… He…" she muttered. She looked at her reflection on the water in her glass and drank it hurriedly before going for another round. And another. And another. She breathed heavily and her legs eventually went limp and gave in. However, still holding on to the sink for support and looking at the remaining liquid in it, staring at her own reflection again, she smiled. "He… Smiled…" she sighed in relief.
This was the first time Max has ever smiled to someone else in a while. It can only mean one thing. She was on Max's trust list. But… Unlike her sister, Sophie, she was special. Max felt more comfortable showing his emotion to her than anyone else. However, Julie believes that there's still hope.
She stared at her reflection on the window with half-closed eyes with a smile. She stood up and sighed, putting the glass upside down on the counter. "Well… Off to bed," she said to herself, stretching her arms. After what happened just now, she was sure she will definitely be getting some sleep.
Few hours later as the sun rose… It was finally here. The 24th. When the clock struck 7 in the morning, everyone in the Glace household were awoken by their alarm clocks. Slowly, every one of them exited their rooms and were ready for the final touches for tonight's dance.
When Sophie woke up, she quickly rushed to Max's room and knocked on the door. "Max!" she called. "Wake up!" No respond. She slowly turned the doorknob to find his room empty. More like, it looked untouched. She entered his room and checked for any signs of him being present there before. And this was when she panicked. His cellphone was left on the table. "He's gone!" she thought. The panic didn't last too long though.
As soon as she thought of that, Max's phone vibrated.
She looked at it and saw that he had a new text message. It was from Nick. She tilted her head and opened it. And what she read, made her smile for the first time today.
"Morning, Soph. I forgot my phone and I'm borrowing Nick's. Don't worry. Just showing them where their hotels are. Will be back soon though. Take care."
She sighed in relief and put his phone back to where it was. Since coming to this place, Sophie would definitely check on Max every morning to either wake him up or check if he was there. And today was special which was the reason why she was panicking. But luckily, Max realized his phone and knew she was coming to check on it. And what great timing too.
She headed for the showers to start off the day. But paused when she heard the showers running on the other side. She could hear someone singing too. It was Julie's voice. And she sounded like she was in a good mood. Sophie smiled as this was the first time she's seen Julie like this.
Wait…
Her eyes shot wide open when she realized it. First time… To even wake up early? And to even sing in the morning?! And what's more, was the first to use the bathroom before her?!
The jill blinked a few times and shook her head along with her ears flopping. "Don't be silly," she thought. "I'm sure something good must have happened. Oh! Maybe because Max accepted her dance request. Yea… That's gotta be it. I DID allow them to dance together."
The shower stopped and she stood there waiting for her sister to exit the bathroom.
And she was right. It WAS Julie who was inside and is currently wrapped in her towel and still drying off her fur with another.
Julie noticed her elder sister standing there and greeted her before she could. "Ohayou!" she said cheerfully with a gleeful smile.
"Morning, Julie," Sophie replied with a smile of her own. "You seem to be in a good mood today."
"Mm!" she nodded. "Last night, Max-oniichan was so cool! He promised he'll get me some friends!"
'Max-oniichan'…?
"Um, Julie?" Sophie interrupted. "What does… 'Oniichan' means?"
"It means big brother." The younger hare smiled innocently. "Last night, he said he thought of me as a sister so I thought I'd start calling him that."
"O-oh…" Sophie's smile twitched a little along with an eyebrow. "Last night…?"
"He even told me he'd be there for me to make friends! I know it's not a big deal… But…" She looked away and took a deep breath before facing her sister again. "He said it in such a cool way! And with the moonlight to go along with…! I mean, is that even possible?!"
Sophie's heart skipped a bit. Oh no… What was this? Jealousy? But she knows Max would never date anyone else. Yea… That's right. He would never. The proof was that only two mammals were on his trust list. The first, Nick, his senior. And the other, her, his girlfriend.
"And to top it off…" Julie looked down and bit her thumb with a smile. "He was so handsome when he smiled…"
And just then, Sophie could hear a thunder clapped outside. Time stopped for her and her neck gave in and she was facing the ground. This… Can't be happening… Jealousy? Seriously? She even knows that Max would never cheat on her. But hearing that he smiled to another girl… No… Not just any girl… But her own sister…?!
"Neechan…?" Julie called, bending a little to comfort her sister. "Are you okay…?"
Sophie stood up straight with a confident look and took a deep breath. She then smiled before looking at Julie. She placed a paw on her shoulder. "That's great, Julie," she said in a gentle tone.
Julie stared at her sister for a bit and looked down. "I… I know I shouldn't… Even Oniichan knows I like him actually…"
"What?!" Sophie thought but her expression still not changed.
"He even said it himself." The younger hare began adjusting her voice into a slightly deeper one, trying to match Max's. "'There's nothing wrong with being romantic towards me. Just don't expect me to do the same.' Something like that."
And at this moment, Sophie's fake smile vanished. And it was a good thing. Because it just proves that even though she knows he would never fall for anyone else, she can't shake off this jealousy. But it wasn't a big deal. She'll just tell him about it and beat him up as usual when he gets back.
"Thanks for telling me, Jules," she said, now smiling for real. "Go get dress. And be sure to prepare a beautiful dress for tonight."
"Mm!" she nodded. "I can't wait!" Julie skipped to her room, leaving Sophie smiling at her while looking back.
"Now then…" She stepped into the bathroom and locked the door and took her time, cooling off under the warm water.
While Max was away, the Glace were helping to prepare the dance hall, trying to make the place look livelier than usual. Yes, the Glace. Not just the workers. Everyone was doing their part. Everyone except the guest of honor, Max who still hasn't returned. However, just as Sophie was helping to get some ropes to tie the curtains, the front door opened and a familiar figure walked into the house.
Sophie looked at the direction of the front entrance and smiled as she recognized him. "Welcome back," she said.
Max nodded. "Tadaima," he said.
Sophie smiled and walked towards him, smacking him in the arm and then whacking him with the rope she was holding.
Max looked at this and raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?" he said not moving a muscle.
"Just…! Stand…! Still!" she said beating him up as tough as she can. Althought the fox felt nothing, Sophie sighed in satisfaction. "That's for not telling me about Julie being in love with you."
"Oh, is that it? I'm for sure you know that by now. I'm not dense, you know."
And then, Sophie realized there was something on Max's head. A pair of ear muffs. And they look so cute on him that she almost dropped the rope she was holding.
"Looks weird?" he said pointing the new accessory he got from this morning. "Nick gave this to me as a Christmas present. And check it out." He unzipped his hoodie and showed her the sweater she made for him back at Downtown before they came here. "Ta dah." He said trying to sound cheerful but failed.
Sophie covered her mouth and giggled. "Looks good on you," she commented behind her paw.
"Nice try. I know it looks silly. But you made it so I might as well wear it in public. Especially on Christmas Eve. Since it'll probably make everybody laugh."
She giggled again but this time letting her mouth go. She nodded. "Thank you…" she said softly.
Max smiled. His eyes then shifted to the rope she was holding. "What're you gonna do with that?" he asked.
"Oh. We're just about to do some finishing touches. A last minute check. And a good thing too. Apparently, the old rope was a little worn so I had to get some new ones."
Silence only came out from the fox and he shook his head from not understanding a single word she just said. "Anyway, I'm going out again later. But I need your help."
"Where are you going again? And why my help?"
The fox rubbed the back of his head and looked away. "Nick and Judy didn't get any outfits for the dance. And he didn't tell her that the dance was tonight. So… I was thinking maybe you could help with what they should wear for tonight."
Sophie's eyes began to shone and she smiled. "I'll finish this as fast as I can!" And with that, she zipped to the dance hall.
Later at the mall…
The couple was at a fancy-looking store called 'Pegasus'. It was a store where they sell suits and dresses and a variety of accessories. Pretty much a store for people who wants to look good and rich. Max was looking at some belts through the glass casings left and right, trying to figure which one would fit him. However… All of them were the kinds with simple buckles and not have anything rebel-like, like a skull or eagle buckle.
"Max? How about this?" Sophie called holding a black lace dress with a ribbon tied in the middle of the chest area. She held it and placed it on herself and pose to see if it would fit.
Max could feel his cheeks heat up a bit. Just a little bit though. But it was a good thing he showed no embarrassment towards it. And plus… A beautiful white hare in a black dress… What a perfect match considering black and white are his two favorite colors. As in, he prefers black and white together and not individually.
"Looks good on you," he commented softly, almost unable to hear. The reason why was because he actually loved it.
But because of Sophie's long ears she could hear him just enough. "I meant for Judy, you know," she giggled. "But thanks anyway."
"Oh… Well, if it was for Judy, shouldn't you get the one with sleeves at least? She's not an arctic animal after all. And it should be a little bigger than yours."
Sophie snapped her fingers. "You're right. How silly of me." She smiled shyly. She moved to find a short-sleeved white dress with a white transparent floats on the shoulder area. "How about this?" she said taking it down.
"Looks expensive. I guess it'll do."
Sophie was about to put the black dress back but pulled away slowly when she had other thoughts. "On second thought… I guess I can buy this one for tonight…" She blushed a little. She eventually woke up from her imagination and shook her head. "Now, all we need is a suit!" she exclaimed after clearing her mind.
"Then what about this?" Max pointed at a feline mannequin wearing a grey suit with a black tie along with a brown belt with a gold buckle. And it was just his size too. "I think Nick would definitely fit in nicely with this."
But on Sophie's mind… She had other thoughts about it… And was too busy fantasizing about it… Until she was snapped out by Max who took the dresses from her. "Eh?" was all she reacted. She turned to the counter to see Max about to pay for everything and realized something. She tugged on his sleeves to which he turned to face her.
"What is it?"
"W-we haven't gotten YOU a suit yet!" she reminded.
"I'm not gonna wear a suit."
"…" That was Sophie could reply when she heard that. "Huh? W-w-what are you saying?"
"I'm saying, I'll be dancing. But I'm not wearing a suit. Besides, these fancy clothes always has more negatives than positives. Take my hoodie for example. Warm, comfy and ea…" His next word was cut off when he turned to her. And… She had a very… Very… Evil look on her face. So evil, he could see her arteries forming on her forehead. And somehow, he felt as if a dark aura is seeping out of her.
But later… She smiled to him innocently and grabbed hold onto his sleeves. But that dark aura was still there and there was DEFINITELY something off about that smile of hers. And he was right too…
"BUT DEAR! YOU'RE SPENDING SO MUCH OF MY FAMILY'S FORTUNE ALREADY! IF YOU KEEP THIS UP, MY FAMILY'S BUSINESS WILL GO BANKRUPT!" she yelled as loudly as she could to attract everyone's attention. "PLEASE THINK ABOUT US FOR ONCE! PLEASE! JUST ONCE!"
Max looked around him and Sophie indeed got what she wanted. Mammals were whispering to each other about them however, it was not affecting the fox. Not so much that is.
"Stop it, Soph…" he said calmly but still sounded embarrassed a little. "I'm not wearing one."
"WAAAHHH! YOU PLAN TO GO ON ANOTHER EXPENSIVE VACATION AGAIN?!" This time, she cupped her mouth on purpose to make it louder. "AT THIS RATE, THE GLACE WILL HAVE TO LIVE IN THE STREETS!" And she kept going on and on about to the point that customers in the store even started leaving.
And Max, of course didn't want to cause any trouble, scratched his head in panicked for the first time and raised both his paws at her. "Okay! Okay!" he said, giving up. "I'll wear a suit! Just please, stop!"
"Then what about this?" And just after hearing him surrender, Sophie recovered immediately and went for a black suit with a red tie that also has a black belt with a silver buckle with it. "Looks good on you, right?" she said innocently, putting the suit on his body to see if it fits.
"You…" was the only thing he could say. Of course, he bought it. By forced that is…
When they exited the store, the mammals from outside stared at the couple, beginning to gossip to one another. Sophie looked happy however, Max was so embarrassed he put on his mood to cover his blushing face.
"You'll definitely look handsome in that," Sophie said holding his paw with a smile.
Max didn't answered for a while but eventually… "I… Love you…" he said in a very sinister tone.
But Sophie showed no fear at all and hugged his arm. "I love you too~" she said proudly. The couple then went straight for the hotel where Nick and Judy were staying for the night to hand them their outfits for tonight's dance.
A/N: Okay! That's it! This is WAY longer than I thought it'd be. I purposely put a MaxxJulie ship in this story because I always have a thing for younger girls. When Erricane read this, he almost strangled me to death for putting it since he wanted Max's relationship to be purely focused on Sophie only. And I was laughing so much at his reaction. In the end, he said to post it anyway and not let my talent go to waste. So in other words, personally, he hates it. But my talents for writing impressed him so much he just can't let me redo it.
Honestly, I love the guy. Haha. But to those of you who starts shipping Julie and Max, feel free to do so. Because I'm the president. XD
Anyway, the next chapter will be the final. PROBABLY. And I'm calling it now: Erricane is gonna give a hate speech for writing that MaxxJulie scene in the kitchen. But don't hate him nor me. We've been friends since kindergarten and no way something like this can split us. And if it makes any of you happy, MaxxJulie will NEVER happen. It's just a ship after all. So use your imaginations fellow Malie shippers. ^^
Anyway, peace!
Side note:
Oniichan: Big brother in Japanese.
Siscon: A person who has sexual or romantic feelings for their sister.
Oyasumi: Goodnight in Japanese.
Imouto: Little sister in Japanese.
Ohayou: Good morning in Japanese.