(A/N: Ok, I'm here. I did say that I was going away on vacation so that the next chapter might be late. And yes, it was late. My flight was delayed for several hours, so I didn't get in until... well, late. Such a pain. Ah, but you don't to hear about my vacation, which was lots of fun by the way, you want my next chapter. So let's get to it.)
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 9: Uncomplicating The Complicated
Things could have been worse. Nick wasn't exactly sure how at the moment, but they could have been worse. He'd only lost his job, his reputation, and the love of his life over the course of just a few days, so surely thing could be worse. And to think, not too long ago, everything had seemed perfect in his world. It was strange just how fast everything you held dear could be pulled out from under you in one fell swoop.
Currently, he was back at Finnick's place, lying in the drawer he used as a bed as he stared at the ceiling. He saw no reason to get up, everything just seemed so… pointless right now, and he didn't know how to fix things. In light of all that, brooding seemed an appropriate way to spend his time.
"You good?" Finnick asked, poking his head into the open drawer and looking down at him.
Nick sighed, keeping his eyes on the ceiling. "You know, I hate this apartment," he mumbled, not really caring if that came across as offensive to his friend. "I had been saving up money to buy a new one, and guess what, I just lost my job, so I can't afford it." He let out a laugh as he sat up. "Oh, and guess what else. I'm also the reason Judy lost her job." He let out another humorless laugh, unable to believe how messed up everything had become. "Oh man, story of my life, huh?"
Finnick just placed his hands on his hips and gave him a bored look. "Nick, don't be such a baby."
Sighing, Nick folded his arms on the side of the drawer and rested his chin on them. "I-I felt I couldn't be the fox my mother wanted me to be, so I left her, Finnick. I left her alone. A-And years later when she came to me when we were both in that homeless shelter, remember, where I met you, I-I pushed her away, and she wanted to help me. And after that, I-I-I thought that the most I could do was just survive. And when we got out of that shelter, I mean, we just started making money the way we," he scoffed, "you know, we knew how to make it, and… But then I met Judy, and… and I felt whole again, you know." He shook his head in self-disgust. "A-And then I push her away too. Somehow. So what in the world is wrong with me?"
Finnick just gave him a sympathetic look. "Well, she needs space. That's why she left. Doesn't mean she doesn't like you still or anything."
Nick gave him a pointed look. "I don't know, because when she was crying in front of me when she told me to leave her alone, it didn't feel like it was just space."
A deep sigh escaped Finnick and he shook his head. "Maybe this is it for her, Nick. She's been gone for days. Maybe you need to move on."
Now it was Nick's turn to sigh. "I-I-I can't," he muttered, hating how much he was stuttering in his distress.
Tapping his finger against his side, Finnick thought about it for a few moments before saying, "You remember Karen?"
Nick gave him an annoyed look. "What about Karen, Finnick? You want me to forget about Judy, is that it? Because I honestly don't like Karen that much."
The fennec fox pointed at him. "You'll never know until you try, Nick. I'm just… trying to help."
Nick let out another sigh. He really didn't feel like trying what Finnick was suggesting, but at this point, what more did he have to lose?
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There was something so simple about farming. Sure, it was hard work, and it seemed like you were always at it, but there was just something about it that calmed the mind. Perhaps because there wasn't all that much thought involved. Water, sow, plant, pick, arrange, it was a job where you could pretty much turn your brain off and allow your body to do all the work.
Such activity allowed Judy to do just that, to shut out all the bad thoughts and just do what needed to be done. And currently, she was hauling around a basket full of apples on her family farm. Simple, peaceful, calming.
What a joke. Setting down the basket, Judy took a seat beside it. There was nothing simple about any of this, or calming. If anything, the simplicity just allowed the thoughts in her head to dance around all the more. It was impossible to take her mind off her situation, and nothing she did could dispel these thoughts.
As she sat there wallowing in misery, she became aware of her parents approaching, but she didn't so much as acknowledge them. While she was happy to be here with them, it didn't change her situation. She didn't think anything could.
She missed Nick. It sounded cliché, but she missed him so much it hurt. And yet being with him hurt too. No, that wasn't exactly true. She loved being with him, she wanted to be with him. But being with him was to invite pain into their lives. And with animals like Miles, who would do all they could to destroy what they had simply because they didn't approve of it, what was she, a lone rabbit, supposed to do against that, against the world?
"Oh, honey," her mother said sadly. "Is there anything I can do for you?"
Not unless she could change the views of everyone else to make them more tolerant and accepting, but Judy supposed that that was too much to hope for as she got to her feet. "I just wanted to leave everything. I wanted to see you guys again."
Her father gave her an appreciative, yet still sad smile. "Well, when you head back, what are you gonna do?"
She looked away as she hugged herself. "I don't know. I-I want it…" She let out a sigh. "Things are complicated right now."
Her mother stared at her for a few moments before giving her a smile. "Well, uncomplicate them," she said simple.
Judy looked back at her parents, blinking in surprise. "What?"
"Right!" her father said in agreement and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Every time you've wanted something, you've gone out and gotten it. Everything you dream of, you accomplish. So why is this any different? If you want to finish something, then just fix it."
Judy just hung her head. "It's not that simple."
"It's always that simple, dear," her mother told her. She reached for her daughter's hand, taking it in both of hers. "Judy, I want you to know… that I know that you wake up happy every day, because you're doing what you love, being a cop." She gave a small shake of her head, but continued to smile. "But… I can't deny that… every morning I wake up and… I feel scared."
"No kidding," her father chimed in. "She's terrified every morning."
"Every morning," her mother insisted with extra emphasis.
"There's no stopping her worrying."
"I sometimes watch the news, and I see you–"
"And she flips out!"
Her mother gave him a look. "Ok, dear, it's not that bad."
"Oh, it's pretty bad."
As her parents went back and forth, Judy suddenly realized that she was smiling, smiling for the first time in days. This familiarity, this simple behavior that she had grown up knowing, it was just the comfort she needed. She could always count on her parents to put a smile on her face, one way or another.
"Well, look," her mother said, trying to get back on track, "I'm just scared that maybe there won't be another phone call from you."
"I'm worried too," her father insisted, yet he too, just like her mother, was smiling and looking at her with pride. "You're the only daughter we've had that's become something as dangerous as an officer."
"Exactly!" her mother exclaimed. "Everyone else became… um…"
"A carrot farmer," her father finished for her. "Your job is the scariest."
Her mother nodded. "Right. And, surprisingly, now that you're here… I can't wait for you to go back. Because if there's one thing I want most in this world, is for my children to be happy." She gave Judy a serious look. "And I can see you're not happy. You need to go back and fix this."
Judy could only stare at them in amazement. How was it that her parents could take what felt like the most complicated situation and make it seem so simple? Just a few choice words from them and they could make what felt like an impossible scenario seem possible, like it was nothing.
A smile grazed Judy's face once more. She supposed that was just parents for you.
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Mouseatouille was one of the fanciest restaurants in all of Zootopia. Which was kind of strange considering that it was run entirely by mice. But they definitely pulled it off, doing their very best to give their guests the best experience possible.
So while the company wasn't exactly up to Nick's tastes, at least the location was pleasant enough. Karen may have been a pretty face, and a fellow fox at that, but that was really all she had going for her. But still, he'd promised Finnick that he would try, so he put on a friendly face and at least attempted to have a good time.
"Wow," he said as he watched as the mice waiters parachuted a bottle of wine down onto their table, "Finnick said this was a nice restaurant, but that's actually very impressive."
Across from him, Karen grunted in acknowledgement before speaking while her mouth was still full. "So, me."
"You?" Nick asked, not quite sure what she meant.
"Yes," the female fox replied, almost sounding insulted as the mice began filling their glasses with wine. "We've talked about you for this entire date."
Nick raised an eyebrow, taken aback. "Date's just started, Karen," he pointed out.
She scoffed, as if she were outraged that he'd contradicted her. "What about the car ride? We talked about you for the entire ride."
Nick picked up his wine glass. "Yeah, that really wasn't…" he paused as he noticed a mouse clinging to the glass, and so set it back down as he decided to backtrack. "Ok, sure, let's talk about you."
She waved a hand through the air, as if she were being forced to endure something horrible. "Ok, fine, since you're so hung up about it, let's talk about you."
Nick just stared, not sure what she wanted from him. At first she complained about him only talking about himself, which he really hadn't been doing, then whined of how they weren't talking about her. And now that he said that they could talk about her, she wanted to talk about him again, and she made it sound like an unpleasant chore.
He closed his eyes, praying for patience as he somehow managed to keep his voice calm and collect. "Sure, yeah, ask away."
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As Nick suffered through what was supposed to count for a date, Judy was on her way back in her parents' car. They both sat next to her as she came to a stop at a street light, pulling out her phone and dialing while she had the opportunity.
"Finnick, hello?" she said when she heard the other line pick up.
"Who is it?" the fennec fox asked in a singsong voice, his tone sounding obnoxiously innocent and childish.
Judy's brow furrowed at the immaturity. "Finnick," she grumbled.
"Who is this Finnick you speak of?"
Realizing what he was doing, Judy allowed an edge to creep up into her voice. "Finnick, I know it's you. I need to talk to Nick." She'd already tried calling him at the past few red lights, but he hadn't answered. "W-Where is he right now? I-I need to see him."
There was a moment's pause, and when the fennec fox spoke next, he dropped the obnoxiousness from his tone. "Not tonight you're not."
That wasn't good. If Finnick was keeping them apart, then things must be bad. "Finnick, I'm not kidding."
"I'm not-I'm not kidding either. H-He's really busy right now."
"Finnick," she said impatiently but then took a calming breath as she practically begged, "please…"
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"Well, I know you're an officer," Karen said, sounding as bored as she looked.
Nick nodded, doing his best to appear invested in a conversation she clearly had no interest in, yet insisted on having all the same. "Yes, it's thrilling."
"Well?" she practically demanded in a very childish tone. "What's it like? Details, come on."
He hesitated as he tried to figure out what her deal was, but just decided to go along with it and try and make things as bearable as possible. "Well, I have been an officer for six months now. Great job, I love it, but…" He paused, deciding to omit the fact that he had technically been fired. "I've never felt anything like it, you know. You get this, uh, this feeling of responsibility on your shoulders–"
"Have you ever shot anyone?" she interrupted.
Nick blinked at the unexpected question. That was a rather bold thing for her to ask, at least this soon into the conversation. He got over his shock though and answered. "Uh, no. No, I haven't."
"Tased anyone?" she pressed.
"N-No."
"Accidentally run someone over?"
"Wow, yikes. No."
What was wrong with her? What kind of person asked such questions? What exactly did she think his job entitled? Did she think he was some dirty or trigger-happy cop like from an over-the-top action movie? Did she want him to be?
She scoffed, now looking bored and disappointed again. "Wow, sounds very boring."
Not shooting, tasing, or running over animals was boring? "No, it's not, but, you know, I never really finished telling my tale."
"Um, I cut you off because you don't know how to tell a story," she grumbled obnoxiously.
Nick couldn't help but smirk at that. "No, I think I'm a pretty good storyteller. Now, as I was saying."
"Here we go," she muttered in a bored tone, dropping her cheek into her palm.
"Hmph," he muttered, trying to stay patient. "Yeah, I have plenty of friends there. Lopez, Myrthil, Clawhauser, Velasco, Bogo…" He hesitated, reconsidering the last one. "Well, actually, I don't know about Bogo anymore. Um, but I also have my partner, uh, Judy Hopps–"
"Oh," she said before he barely even finished speaking Judy's name, "you just couldn't wait to talk about her, could you?"
He raised an eyebrow. "I just mentioned her name one time."
No longer looking bored, she scoffed and gave him a look that was part mocking, part condescending. "Please, Nick. Everyone saw the news. We all saw how Mayor Walker announced the fact that the two of you were together."
He gave her a blank look. "You asked me about my job, and I'm telling you about my job, Karen. Yeah, if you want, we can talk about something else."
"What? No! Come on, things just got interesting."
So that's what she had been after when she steered the conversation in this direction. She wanted to know about him and Judy. He really should have known. She was just itching to sink her teeth into a juicy story like this. Perfect gossip material from the source. Was that why she had agreed to go on this date with him in the first place?
"Why does this interest you so much?" he asked plainly, as down on the table, two of the mice waiters sat sharing a single piece of popcorn as they looked back and forth from one fox to the other, completely invested in the drama.
"It's just so weird, you know," Karen insisted, almost sounding giddy.
"No," Nick replied flatly. "Enlighten me."
"What was it like, being in a relationship with, you know…?"
"A rabbit?"
"Uh-huh. Right, that."
Resisting the urge to tap his fingers on the table, he decided to just get this over with. "Well, it was, uh," he tried to find the right words for it, "it was something else."
She gave a mocking laugh. "I bet it was."
"No, no, in a good way," he clarified, not willing to let what he and Judy had be demeaned. "It was, uh, it was something I'd-I'd definitely try again. I mean, it didn't… it didn't really matter to me what species she was. What I cared about was-was her."
She stared at him, looking surprised, and for a moment, Nick thought she might actually say something acceptable, but then she diverted her eyes. "I wonder if they serve better wine here."
A humorless laugh escaped Nick and he closed his eyes, unable to believe that he actually expected anything from her, even for a moment. "You didn't listen to a word I just said, did you?"
She let out another one of those scoffing laughs. "I listened enough. You had a disgusting relationship with a disgusting rabbit." Then, if possible, her tone became even more smug and conceited, as if she were here to save him from some horrible fate or something. "It's no big deal, I'm here now."
Nick's eyes narrowed. She had been testing his patience before, but now he was just plain getting angry. She was implying that she was so much better for him than Judy strictly because of their species. That was beyond ignorant. She'd even gone as far as to refer to their relationship, and even Judy herself, as 'disgusting'. What he and Judy had had been nothing short of beautiful and amazing, no matter what anyone else thought about it.
A humorless, mocking laugh escaped him, and before he could hold his mouth back, he found himself snapping back at her. "You know what's disgusting is actually how you eat. Your mother ever teach you to close your mouth?"
He hadn't said it in a nasty way, just enough to let her know that he didn't appreciate her table manners, or her rudeness. And yet she gave him a shocked look, as if he had just openly insulted her for absolutely no reason. "Well, now you get all defensive when I speak the truth."
Nick closed his eyes for patience and held up his hand in frustration. "What truth? What truth is there to talk about?"
For the first time, she looked a little caught off guard as she glanced around the room. "Keep your voice down."
But no, he'd had enough. If she wanted to talk about this, then they could talk about it, and he didn't care who else heard them. If she didn't want others to overhear what they were talking about, then she shouldn't have insisted on having this conversation in a public area and making a big deal about it.
"What, what are you, what are you, what do you want?" he demanded, his frustration causing him to stammer. "You want me to, do you want me to say how awful my relationship was? Because it wasn't. It wasn't awful." He gave her an annoyed, pointed look. "You know what has been awful? Tonight."
"You're a real jerk, you know that!" she snapped, not bothering to keep her own voice down.
He let out a laugh of disbelief. "Yeah, you know, you know, you're the reason why I'm acting like this, Karen. A-All of this right here is because of you."
Karen stubbornly crossed her arms, giving him a look like she found him to be pathetic. "I'm sorry, it's just that she can't love you."
Nick rolled his eyes, immediately seeing where this was going. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, ok, ok, ok."
"You're– Please just calm down."
Nick stood up, not caring if he was making a scene. He'd taken enough of her nonsense; he was not going to let her belittle him, Judy, or their relationship. "You know what, I'm not-I'm not gonna calm down, especially not when you insult someone I care about."
She stood as well, getting as in his face as she could with the table separating them. "Then where is she, Nick? Where? Because she sure doesn't seem to be coming to your rescue." She scoff-laughed again. "Now look at me. You're making me yell."
That was it, this had been a mistake. He'd tried, he really did, but he just couldn't do this. Things with Judy aside, he just couldn't stand this woman. Her obnoxious, self-centered rudeness, it was beyond intolerable, and he wasn't going to take it anymore.
"You know what, I'm done," he said, and turned his back on her. "I'm leaving."
A look of outrage crossed Karen's face, as if he were the one who had been being intolerable, and she placed her hands on her hips and gave him a mocking glare. "What a gent. You're gonna make me pay for all this food."
Nick's temper snapped, and he whirled back around to her and pulled out his wallet. "You want money!? Here, here, here, here, here, here!" He began throwing dollar bills in the air, letting them ran down around them. "Is that enough!? Is that enough!?"
"Will you stop making a scene!" Karen scolded as the two mice that had been watching the display now clung to each other nervously. "You are embarrassing me in front of everyone–"
"Listen, listen, listen, listen," Nick interrupted, way beyond the point of caring. "T-The only one embarrassing you, is yourself, Karen."
Looking absolutely appalled, she stormed around the table and walked right up to him, practically shaking with outrage. "Y-You… You prey chaser! You're a freak of nature! You deserve to be with her! Both of you freaks, you're made for each other."
That last part, at least, was the first thing she had said tonight that he could agree with. He took a few deep calming breaths before glancing at Karen with a look of pity and disgust. He could take her insulting him, but under no circumstances was he going to tolerate her insulting Judy. And when he spoke next, it was with barely suppressed rage.
"You know…" he began slowly, "we may not be together anymore, but I respect Judy Hopps enough to tell you to be quiet."
It took every ounce of control to keep his voice steady. Karen, however, didn't seem to have the level of control he did, as she snatched up the glass of wine and splashed it on his shirt. Nick glanced down at the red spot on his nice white shirt that was certain to leave a stain, then back at her as she sneered at him in triumph.
"Wow, are you gonna cry?" she mocked arrogantly. "Look at you. You are just…" she shook her head, as if she didn't have the words for what she wanted to say. "I just cannot believe I actually decided to go on a date with you." She got right up into his face. "I mean, look at you. What is there to love about you?"
If Nick were a lesser animal, he would have given her a well-deserved slap across the face, but before he had a chance to retort, a voice spoke out from behind him that had his heart skipping a beat.
"I don't know," the familiar voice declared proudly. "His wits? His charm? What about his good heart?"
Slowly, Nick turned around to the speaker, and there she was. Judy was making her way over to them, looking just as strong and sure of herself as he remembered, from before Miles had exposed them and said whatever it was he had said to her while Nick had been getting jumped.
She ignored him for now as she approached Karen, her expression completely neutral, as if she didn't care in the slightest about the female fox or about her opinion.
"What about the fact that he's noble enough to not give you the slap to the face that you deserve," she continued, not appearing the least bit intimidated. She got right up into Karen's face, as much as she could for her shorter size. "Listen up, whoever you are, you are not going to speak to my partner like that. Never again. Because when I look at him," she finally turned her attention to Nick and broke out into a smile, "I see a fox who's been a victim of prejudice all of his life giving back to the community that's hated on him."
She glanced back at Karen, still smiling. "When I look at him, I see a light that I can't see when I look at you. So I guess the real question is, what is there to love about you?"
Karen just stared, utterly speechless, and Nick couldn't help the smile that made its way across his face. Now that was the Judy Hopps he knew and loved. Strong, brave, stubborn, undeterred, not willing to let other people's opinion affect her. He was overcome with relief to see that fire in her eyes again.
Having had her say, Judy turned back to him. "Come on, Nick."
Without another word, they turned around and left Karen utterly speechless for the whole restaurant to see. But she was already out of their minds as they made their way out of the restaurant. They walked in silence as the doors closed behind them, neither seeming to know what to say after that interaction.
Nick tried though. "Mmm, thanks, back there."
She let out a small chuckled and flashed him a smile. "It's…" but then she abandoned whatever it was she had been about to say and looked away, looking mentally exhausted. "Don't worry about it."
She didn't say anything else, and Nick shifted about awkwardly. One could cut the tension in the air with a knife. "So, how's life been treating you? Good?"
She smiled at him again, looking amused. "Yeah."
He was about to comment about how it was good to have his partner back when he suddenly remembered. "Oh, you know, actually, I just, like, kind of forgot. Just so you know, yesterday I went to work, and Bogo is kind of fed up with our insubordination." He crossed his arms, giving her a regretful and apologetic look. "You hadn't been to work, and I was being an idiot, like always, and thanks to our good friend, Miles Walker, when we both go back to work tomorrow, we're pretty much… fired."
He watched as his words sank in, and a look of dismay crossed her face before she covered it with her hand. "Oh, that jerk."
Nick wasn't sure if she meant Miles for pressuring Bogo, or Bogo for not standing his ground against the new mayor; most likely the former. "Yeah, I know, I know. It's, uh, it's been… awful without you, Judy. We're pretty much, uh, just civilians with badges, huh?"
Judy sadly hung her head as she took in the fact that her whole career, everything she had worked so hard to achieve, and all the work she had accomplished once she did achieve it was pretty much lost to her. And yet she didn't offer any words of complaint, seeming to have accepted the news.
"Yeah…" she muttered miserably.
Nick hated seeing her like this. Her fire was still there, but she was still upset by the news. He almost reached out to hold her, but then remembered that they weren't together anymore, and wasn't sure if he had the right to do so. And while she had helped him out of that mess with Karen, he wasn't sure if she wanted him around right now after having just delivered such devastating news.
"I'm gonna…" he muttered, looking away, "I'm gonna go."
"Me too," she said quietly, not looking at him.
He turned and began walking away. He glanced back after a few steps though to see her looking up at the night sky, tears visible in her eyes. Clenching his fists, he turned around and began making his way back to her. Even if he couldn't comfort her as a lover anymore, he could still be there for her as a friend and partner.
"Actually, wait," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. She glanced at him, and he gently turned her to face him, gripping both her shoulders comfortingly. "I'm sorry. This is all my fault. I-I've, I have been an idiot, and I wasn't there for you, and I…" He faltered for a moment when a sob escaped her before continuing, "I should have just gone up to Miles and just socked him in the face. And I–"
She suddenly threw herself at him, hugging him tightly and burying her face into his chest as she began weeping. Nick was caught off guard by the sudden display of affection, but soon his own arms went around her as well as he held her close.
They stood there for several long moments, simply holding each other. Right now, it seemed like the whole world was miles away and nothing could hurt them. No words were spoken, but then, they didn't need to be. But then Nick decided to break the silence by telling her the words he needed to tell her.
"You know I love you," he whispered to her.
Her hands gripped his shirt as she hugged him tighter, nuzzling into his chest before she whispered back, "I love you more."
(A/N: Aww, wasn't that sweet. We could use some sweetness after all the angst and drama they went through. And we got a love confession out of it. I have to admit, as unlikeable as Karen was, and I love how that was her actual name, the scene between her and Nick was very well done. If I was on a date with someone like that, I would have been out of there way before then. But hey, it seems that things worked out in the end once Judy came to "rescue" him after a little pep-talk from her parents. Now it looks like they're starting to pick up the pieces. There's still more to come though, so stay tuned. The link for the next video is down below, just replace the DOTs with actual periods.)
wwwDOTyoutubeDOTcom/watch?v=6pgp4TgPOtI