Hello!
I'm very happy to know that you like this story, thank you so much for reading it.
I've also read all the reviews (thank you for writing them) and I'd like to say that from the few issues pointed out by you, most will be solved in the upcoming chapters.
This one is mostly about dialogue and again it's laying foundations for the events to come, so bear with me for a little more. ;)
In this chapter the there will be some action, humor and a bit of fluff :)
Oh, and it's a lot longer than the precious ones, but I'm not sure if it'll become a new standard.
So without further ado...
Chapter 6
"What brings you here?"
Nick slumped back in the armchair, putting paws in his trousers' pockets. "I've been told I need help."
Miss Shavala raised a brow. "Do you think you need it?"
"I…" He hesitated. "I don't know."
"I see. Mr Wilde, here is my proposition: since you're already here, we'll talk about anything you want and afterwards you'll decide whether we should continue our meetings or not. Sounds good?"
*Can't hurt to try* Nick thought. "Fair enough." He said and shrugged.
"Splendid! Will you mind if I take notes while we talk?" She raised her paw when Nick opened his mouth. "Everything we discuss here remains confidential. I never reveal any information about my clients.
Nick crossed his arms. "Even under pressure of the police?"
She shook her head. "Never."
The red fox eyed her for a silent minute. "All right, I'll take your word for it."
"So what would you like to talk about?" The vixen asked again.
"Beats me, you're the expert."
"My role is to listen. It is up to you to choose the topic of our conversation." She gestured towards Nick with her paw.
The male fox pinched the bridge of his muzzle. "Look, I don't even... It's not..." He searched for proper words and to his own astonishment couldn't find them. His silver tongue abandoned him in a moment where it was encouraged to say anything it wanted. His shoulders sagged in defeat. "Fin thinks I need consultation because I won't be able to solve my problem on my own."
"Once again, do you think these sessions are necessary?"
Nick opened his mouth to deny it completely, but the words issued by his brain miraculously transformed into: "I have no idea... Fin wanted me to try and I was in no position to decline."
"Again, you're referring to your friend. Is Finnick that important in your life?"
*Ha, not mister or fennec.* Later he was going to have a field day with his little friend.
"You seem to be very familiar with Fin, where does it come from?" He said out loud.
Miss Shavala smiled gently. "You'd like to make this an exchange of honesty, then?"
"Sounds like a fair trade." Nick put on his usual smirk.
„Very well then, Finnick could be best described as a friend or maybe even something more. But let me ask a question first: How would you describe me?"
Nick raised his brows and gave the therapist a surprised look. *The obvious answer would be: beautiful, but it must be something more than that.* He focused his gaze on the vixen, trying to find a potential clue. He concentrated on potential details, like jewelry, body marks or maybe even tattoos. The fox noticed a thin, silver ring on her paw, a slightly ruffled material on one of the sleeves of her shirt, a broken tip of one of her claws, the eyeliner was slightly off, by a thin margin, on the left eye...
Nick blinked. He refocused his stare. He blinked again.
The vixen's body seemed to him as shown under a magnifying glass. Every single detail, every smallest fragment of her image was perfectly clear to him. When he concentrated hard enough, Nick could actually count the singular hair in her fur.
*Darn it... it's getting weird again... this time the serum did something to my ey-*
"Mr. Wilde?" A soft voice broke through his thinking process. "Is everything all right?"
*No.* He thought with a hint of panic.
"Yes." He said in a perfectly calm voice. "Just remembered something."
Nick shook off the thoughts about his sight issue for later. He returned his attention to the received question. As he thought before, the answer seemed too obvious. So he pondered about the reason for asking this. The answer appeared almost immediately.
"I think the words you're expecting are: you're too pretty."
The vixen laughed in a quiet manner. "Finnick said you're the smart type."
Nick grinned back at her, he knew the fennec for too long. "Those were his words?"
"Actually, he said something like: Tha bastard is too sharp fer his own good. I bet he gets a big-ass headache after thinkin' too much."
"That sounds more like him." Nick chuckled.
She wrote something on her notepad. "Anyway, you have guessed correctly, my looks are more of a burden than anything else. Most mammals see me as a 'pretty face' and nothing more. They fidget around me, get easily flustered or avert their eyes to 'not to stare' and - by some weird chance - here shows Finnick, who-"
"... is direct like a charging bull and as subtle as a crowbar." Nick finished for her.
"Ha ha, that would be a fair description. But, where others are annoyingly drooling around me and avoiding any direct conversation, Finnick was a refreshing breeze."
"I guess it makes sense... in a way."
She smiled again. "Quid pro quo, Mr Wilde. May I hear something from you now?"
"And what would that be?"
"Even if you're uncertain about these sessions, you came here for a reason. Would you like to tell me what do you think that reason is."
Nick's ears dropped down, almost flattened against his head. He hesitated for a few more moments. "You said", the fox spoke eventually, "that you'll never disclose anything you hear, right?"
"Absolutely." She nodded.
"No matter what it is?"
The vixen put her paws together. "Anything you say here shall never leave this room, unless under your direct and written approval."
"All right then, this all started with that damned lamb..."
.
.
In her apartment, Judy was really enjoying her time with the book from Nick. The crime stories were absolutely fantastic. Very detailed, realistic and written in a way, that made you feel that you were actually there. She read two of them so far and was itching to start the next one, but promised herself that she'll keep to the schedule Nick set in his message. The bunny flipped the pages and was about to put the book away when she noticed something inside it. Her paw fished out a small picture from between the pages. It showed a pair of red foxes in a living room, posing for a photograph. The first one was a vixen, wearing a simple blouse and skirt. Her young and pretty face felt oddly familiar for Judy. She was wearing a warm smile and held her paw on the shoulder of a smaller fox. It was a boy, around seven years old, puffing his tiny chest with pride. He was also smiling, in a very cute and heartwarming way. As the bunny looked closer, the small fox had some very familiar features. And then it hit her.
"Nick?" Her eyes widened.
Indeed, the boy looked like a miniature version of her conmammal friend. "Then this must be..." She turned the picture, hoping to find some description. Judy found only three words, but they were enough. Vivian & Nicholas Wilde.
"How did this get here?" She whispered, not wanting her noisy neighbors to hear it. Surely, Nick wouldn't give it to her on purpose, as he was far too closed in a shell to share something so personal. This reminded her of the time at the Rainforest District, when the fox shared the story about his muzzle incident. Judy was very touched by that moment, even if he immediately pulled away and put back on his usual, laid back mask. Nick became her very first true friend in Zootopia and she was so happy to see that someone as cynical and distanced as him could open up to her.
Judy knew she should return this photo, even though she wanted to keep it so much. And when she was thinking about it, an idea popped into her head. Since Nick hasn't contacted her directly yet, it was the time for her to make a move.
.
.
The vixen didn't interrupt Nick during his story. She only said things like 'mhmm' or 'I see'. But she was taking a lot of notes. And when the fox finally finished, her pen was still scribbling on the paper.
"Aren't you an interesting case." She eventually spoke, gazing straight into Nick's eyes. "Am I understanding correctly that right now you're a savage animal?"
"Yes." He replied and expected by this point that she'll most likely start to move away or even call the ZPD. But he didn't expect her calmly taking down notes.
"But you don't act like one." She pointed out.
"True, most of the time I'm perfectly normal."
"Except?" The vixen raised her brows.
Nick shifted in his seat. "I'm not sure… It seems to happen when I'm… angry."
"And what about the alley right after the serum incident?"
Nick scratched his head. "Well, I could have been a little panicky after what happened, but…"
"Mr Wilde," She interjected. "There are six primal emotions that lie within our consciousness: joy, sadness, anger, love, fear and surprise. What you have described from your incident in the alley looks like a fear induced attack. In other words, it is possible that your primal condition is triggered by these basic, raw emotions."
The fox thought about it for a moment. It made a lot of sense to him so he was willing to agree. "Maybe you're right. But I must say that it's rather impressive that you can stay calm, considering what I just told you."
She gave him a smile. "Every mammal has their own demons to deal with. I'm not here to judge, only to offer a friendly ear. And I've seen various kinds of issues in my career, a savage fox wouldn't even make to the top three."
Nick rolled his eyes. "Thank you, that's really comforting."
"You're welcome. But on to the main issue: now that I understand your reasons for coming here, we could discuss possible solutions."
Her guest shrugged. "I'm all ears."
The therapist held up a finger. "First option could be a complete seclusion – leave Zootopia and become hermit, avoiding contact with any other mammals."
Nick shook his head in a vivid motion. "Out of the question!"
She nodded and produced a second finger." Number two would require admitting your condition publicly and be hospitalized for further treatment."
At this point Nick grabbed both arms of his seat and tightened his grip with claws. "No." It wasn't exactly a growl, rather a quiet but menacing warning. He fought down the rising wave of anger before it could get out of control.
The vixen observed carefully his reaction and noted it down. Then she added a third finger. "And lastly, you could try and learn how to live with this condition and keep it under control."
"I'll take the third one." Nick replied in an almost calm voice.
The therapist raised her paw. "Before we move on to that… Why mentioning hospitalization riles you up so much?"
"Does it matter?" With a grumpy answer, Nick crossed his arms and avoided her gaze.
"When it comes to emotion control issues everything could matter."
The fox clenched his teeth. *This is giving me a headache.* He thought and stood up. "I think we'll end it here."
Miss Shavala didn't look surprised. It seemed that she has seen reactions like this before.
"I understand, no pressure." The vixen also stood up and guided Nick to the door. "I'll be waiting for your response whether you'd like to continue our sessions." She handed him a business card, which he slipped into his pocket without looking at it.
"We'll see." His reply was on the rough side. Having to talk this much about himself without any restraints was mentally exhausting. He even felt slightly nauseated.
When Nick was about to open the door the vixen raised a paw to stop him. "Nicholas," He flinched hearing this form of his name from her mouth. "I apologize for this breach of professional etiquette, but as Finnick's friend I have to say this. I strongly recommend continuing our conversations. There are clearly some situations that easily make you angry and if are not dealt with, the consequences could be severe."
"I'm have my own training for that." Nick replied coldly.
She shook her head. "Physical training is one thing, but if you won't deal with your emotional luggage, you're bound to hurt someone."
*Someone…* That word echoed in his head. What was surprising for him, the first person that came to his mind in this context was Judy. And his imagination formed a picture of a bunny lying motionless on the ground, her throat bloody and torn apart by fangs. Nick's fangs. His hand trembled on the door handle.
„That's... something I would rather avoid." The words were rather dragged from his throat than spoken.
"I will await your response then. I sincerely hope we'll have a chance to continue, but remember, it has to be your decision. Not someone else's."
Nick waved his paw. "Yes, yes…" And then he raised his head, as if recalled something. "I'm sorry, I should've asked earlier, how much for the meeting?" The fox reached for his wallet.
The therapist shook her head. "Finnick has already covered for that. To be honest, he already paid for ten sessions up front. But don't worry, if you decide to end our meetings, I'll give him back the money so no pressure here."
Nick was shocked hearing this. Never in his life he would've imagined Fin spending money for someone else's sake. The idea was like a sloth sprinter – it didn't fit at all. And at the same time he felt slightly embarrassed to be helped like this. It was a concept he wasn't familiar with.
"Well… then, thank you… and… we'll be in touch." With those words Nick left her apartment.
.
.
With Finnick out of the picture for the rest of the day, Nick had to come up with something to do on his own. He simply had to engage in some activity to keep his mind occupied. The fox would never admit it to anyone, but the session he just had has left him pretty shaken. He couldn't get rid of the image of bloodied Judy out of his head. The fox stared down at his paws, for the first time seeing them as potential murder weapons. He hasn't been a part of a brawl since he was a street kid. Well, now he was a street adult and didn't like the concept of solving problems with force. There was always a way to outsmart the opponent without resorting to clenched paws.
But now he was being pushed into the world of violence, like riding a huge wave and having trouble with riding on top of it. And there was the case of a determined bunny, that will surely chase him down to enrol him to ZPD. Even with the warm temperature of Savannah Central, Nick shivered at the thought of meeting Carrots at this point.
*The training HAS to produce results and fast.*
With that in mind, the fox headed for a special warehouse he owned for emergency cases. He had one in every district, just in case. In Savannah Central it was conveniently placed in a back alley, away from prying eyes. He opened the padlock on the gate and walked inside. Moments later he returned pulling a small trolley. Actually, it was a freezer on wheels that Nick prepared if he had to sell something on his own. He checked the contents – it was filled with pawpsickles. With goods to trade, Nick closed the warehouse and headed for the more legally challenged part of the district, not in the mood for cheery, carefree richer citizens of Savannah Central.
.
.
The sale wasn't as good as in the main square of the district, but Nick didn't mind. He even dropped the price after seeing little kits staring at him with hungry eyes, so that they could afford it. By the early evening he was left with only few and was about to call it a day when he heard footsteps behind him. At the same time, his nose was filled with all too familiar scent.
*Oh no, please no…* Nick pleaded in his mind.
"How much for one?" Asked a female voice and the fox knew exactly who was standing behind him.
Glad that she could only see his back right now, Nick placed a paw on his chest, trying to prevent his heart from bursting out. Blood suddenly rushed through his veins, due to accelerated heartbeat. He quickly took a few deep breaths and slipped into his usual attitude.
"These aren't exactly sweets for cute little bunnies." He quipped and turned around wearing a sly grin.
Officer Judy Hopps was clearly not amused with his answer. Her little face was contorted in annoyance, which Nick always found really cute.
"Don't call me cute! You already know that." She chided at him.
"Sorry, Officer Carrots, couldn't help myself." He leaned on the trolley with his elbow and studied the state his bunny friend was.
Judy was using crutches to keep the pressure of her wounded leg. She was wearing casual clothes: jeans and a t-shirt, but Nick's ears dropped down when he saw the emblem and sign on the t-shirt. It was a ZPD issued one, so it had the emblem of the police force, along with a big Z.P.D. sign.
*Sweet cheese and crackers, Carrots! You can't wear something like this around here!*
His panic over inappropriate choice of clothing replaced the rising savagery symptoms. First, he had to drag her away from the main street, where she was in plain sight. To do that he closed the freezer and pushed it into the nearest back alley.
"Hey, where do you think you're going?" She trailed after him on her crutches.
"I'm done for today so I have to drop off my cart. It's a few streets from here, want to tag along?"
"Very funny, Nick." She retorted and followed him into the alley, just as he predicted.
"My mistake, how's your leg?"
"It'll be fine in a few days, if I won't strain myself. And I'm going back on duty starting next week!" She beamed with pride and joy.
Nick smiled sweetly. "Congratulations, but why come all the way here?" He said that, knowing perfectly why.
"Actually…" She put her paw in the pocket of her trousers and it returned with a red handkerchief. "I wanted to return this."
The fox was really surprised as he expected the application form again. "Uh, thanks…"
"I should be thanking you! The doctor said it could have been worse if not for your first aid." Judy smiled at him." Thank you, Nick."
Nick's ears dropped, the fox obviously flattered. "Well, I… I'm just glad it didn't turn into something serious." Judy's statement left him a bit of lost for fancy words at the moment.
*Damn it, Carrots. How do you do this to me?*
"And," She continued. "There's also…"
Nick's savagely sensitive ears pricked up as he heard incoming noises of a conversation. Three males of different species approaching them. He knew those voices. The fox cursed under his breath.
*They can't see Carrots like this!* He shuffled various possibilities in his head and it all came down to covering the bunny with something if he didn't want to throw her into the freezer. A crazy idea popped into his head and even in the face of incoming danger he couldn't help but smile wickedly.
"Carrots!" Nick interrupted her, he had to move fast. "I know this is rather sudden, but I'll need you to stay quiet for a moment, okay?" As he said this, Nick loosened his tie, pulling it over his head and started quickly unbuttoning his shirt.
Judy's ears drooped on her back, the small bunny blushing intensively. "N-n-nick, w-what are you doing?!" She stuttered, not comprehending why the fox started stripping in front of her all of the sudden.
Nick pulled off the shirt and threw it over her arms, wrapping her in it. Then he grabbed the crutches and threw them into the freezer. Lastly, he picked Judy from the ground and held her tightly to his bare chest.
The bunny's cheeks were now flaring red. "Ni-mmh!" He covered her muzzle with his paw.
"Shh." Nick whispered. "Or I can use another way to seal those lips." He teased, gently brushing her tiny nose with his. Judy's eyes shot wide open and her blush deepened even more. The fox gave her a mischievous smirk.
At that moment three figures appeared from around the corner and walked into the alley. A wolverine, wolf and a porcupine. All three were wearing black, leather jackets with spikes. Nick immediately withdrew his paw, hoping that Judy won't start talking anytime soon.
The group noticed Nick and the bunny as they approached them. From their perspective the scene presented as such: a half-naked fox held a bunny in his arms, who was wearing his green colored shirt.
"Nicky, boy!" The wolf greeted him. "What's with your choice of a woman today, eh?" He barked in a joking manner.
"Do you mind guys? It's not a show." Nick quipped back.
The group laughed. "It is if it's in the street!" Said the wolverine. "And a fox and a bunny? Now that's hilarious!"
"Oi, Jark! I ain't questioning your taste in women. Besides, it's fine as long as it's not a cop, right?" The fox said this more to Judy than to them.
"Hah! True enough! But it would be interestin' to get a cop here. The stuff we could do with her…" Joked the wolf, others joining with lecherous laughter. At that point, Nick felt Judy's paw tightening on the fur of his chest.
*At least she got the message…* It was a relieving thought.
The group left shortly, shouting a few uncivil jokes at the pair. It was about time as Nick's restraint was reaching its limit. He forced his jaw to stay in place and muscles around his muzzle started to ache. The fox's nose was breathing in nothing but the rabbit smell for the last few minutes and it drove him to the edge of sanity. For sure she could feel his crazy heartbeat. He only wished for those three disappear around the corner on the other side of the alley.
When they did so, he could finally relax a bit. But that proved to be a grave mistake. The moment he eased up, his jaw sprung open over Judy's head and launched downward.
*NO!* With a desperate effort he forced his muscles to shut the jaw and slow down the movement. It ended with his closed muzzle, touching gently the fur on the bunny's head, just between her ears. For her it would, at most, feel like a soft kiss.
"Nicholas Wilde." Said a low and threatening voice from under his muzzle. "If you don't put me down right now, then I swear I'll risk a serious injury just to kick you." Despite his mental condition, Nick smiled hearing that.
"That's how you thank me for saving your butt?"
"I would have been just fine, thank you!" She growled.
Nick lifted her slightly to look her directly in the eye. "Those guys aren't playing house. This is not a good neighbourhood to be a cop, Officer Hopps. Walking in here in ZPD clothing is the worst possible idea." He scolded her.
Judy's anger simmered down a bit. "All right, thanks. But you didn't have to… hug me like that."
Nick chuckled at her response, his own instincts slowly settling down. "It wouldn't fit a gentlefox to leave a wounded lady without some support." With these words Nick took out her crutches from the freezer with one paw. Yet, instead of putting her down, he headed towards the end of the alley from which the troublesome group appeared earlier.
His bunny friend started struggling a little. "Nick, seriously, let me down. I can walk."
"No you don't." He answered playfully. As they turned the corner Judy saw a neon lit hotel with a line of cabs waiting near the entrance. Nick strolled exactly in that direction, unfazed by the lack of shirt or the embarrassed bunny in his arms. He found a particular cab and knocked on its window. An elderly wolf, that sat behind the wheel, raised his head from the newspaper he was reading. A wide smile appeared on his face as he recognized the red furred mammal.
"Nicholas, my boy!" The wolf greeted him cheerfully when he lowered down the window. "What are you up to today?"
Nick laughed at this welcoming. "Nothing at all, Mr Bites. Would you mind giving my friend a lift? On my tab of course."
"Sure thing! As usual." He winked at the fox. This earned him another laugh, that abruptly turned into a slight groan when Judy gave the fox elbow to the ribs. The bunny was not so happy as the pair of predators, even when this situation was favourable for her. She didn't exactly know this part of town and searching for a cab would be a pain.
Nick helped her into the back seat and put the crutches into the car. "Downtown, Mr Bites and she'll give you the exact location" He said to the wolf.
Judy was about to take off his shirt but paused. "Wait, you're not going?"
Nick grinned back at her. "I have to secure my cart Carrots, besides you're in good hands now. And remember, I'll only accept it back washed and ironed."
She was about to protest but he slammed the door and knocked on the cab's roof. The wolf drove off. *Sorry Carrots, it's for your own good* Nick thought looking after the car.
When he returned to the alley and his freezer, he leaned on the nearest wall and slumped to the ground. Then the fox's breathing rapidly increased along with his heartbeat, most likely a backlash from holding off his instincts for too long. When his body calmed down after few minutes, Nick fished out his smartphone and dialed a number.
A female voice answered after few signals. "Hello?"
"You wanted my decision." He mumbled to the microphone. " I need those sessions…"