Hey, guys!
So glad to see you all still with the story :) Thank you so much for your reviews, follows and favorites!
Short introduction: this chapter is slightly longer than others, but I hope you won't mind. ;)
Some very interesting stuff will be going on here and it'll have a great impact on the further relationship between Nick and Judy.
So, here you go!
Chapter 10
"Do you want to eat her?"
"No!"
"Do you want to mate with her?"
"No!"
"Do you love her?"
"No!"
Alexandra Shavala rubbed her forehead. "I am sorry; you've lost me here. Whenever you're near her your body is strongly attracted to her and reacts in all sorts of ways, like fastened heartbeat, but you don't have any kind of lingering feelings for her? Then how would you call it?"
Nick grabbed his head with both paws. "I don't know!"
He was a bit nervous about their Tuesday session, because of what happened at the Junkyard with Finnick. But she surprised him again and after hearing the entire story, the vixen just said 'I understand.' And that was it. Nick couldn't tell if she was upset or anything else. This female could hide her emotions well if she wanted to. And it's not like he ever wanted to hurt Finnick, he apologized to him already and even made sure to call him every day to check up on the fennec. Which resulted in a heart-warming 'Bugger off!' from his little friend. Nick joked that coming from Finnick it meant 'I love ya, buddy', only read backwards.
And now they were discussing a very serious problem of bunny-fox relationships.
"Let's try to analyse this piece by piece, all right?" She suggested. "Number one: you don't want to eat her."
Nick threw his paws in the air. "Of course not! She's my friend!"
The vixen noted it down. "What stopped you from doing it the at the time you got hit by the serum?"
Nick recalled the day he almost wrapped his teeth around Judy's neck in a death grip. His body trembled at the memory. It didn't go unnoticed by miss Shavala and she also wrote this in her notes. "I… didn't want her to die… I…" His voice trailed off into silence as he tried to voice out his emotions. A feat he practically lost after the muzzle incident from almost 20 years ago. Never let them see that they get to you. A motto that he obeyed for the most of his life. Part of the price he had to pay for locking away his heart was that it worked both ways. Nothing could come in, but at the same time nothing was able to come out. A metal shell, impenetrable for so many years, that now encountered a determined and overly optimistic bunny and apparently had trouble withstanding the sheer force of her honesty and care for her friend. Indestructible for nearly two decades, now the shell started to crack. He pulled himself together and managed to continue. "I didn't want her to disappear from my life."
His therapist didn't respond immediately, she observed the red fox carefully for a while. "I see." She said eventually and didn't continue this topic. "What about mating?"
A wave of heat suddenly surged somewhere from the area of his stomach, but Nick ignored it and took a deep breath. "No, I don't want to mate with her."
"Why?" Came an instant question.
Nick blinked. He blinked again. "What?!" He seriously thought that he misheard her.
"Why not?" The vixen repeated.
The fox shot up from the armchair. "You want me to give a full list of reasons?!" He yelled. "Gee, where do I start?" He flailed his arms around. "One, she's a bunny and I'm a fox, see the lack compatibility somewhere? Two, prey and predator, correct me if I'm wrong but I don't see a lot of interspecies pairs in the city and I see a lot of what's going on in Zootopia. Three, we're going to be co-workers and any fraternization is strictly forbidden by the ZPD. Four, this is all some kind of fake effect created by that damn serum!" He circled the room ranting all of his reasons while Alexandra watched him patiently. Only when it looked like he's finished she spoke again.
"You've given me reasons, but you never said if you want to do it."
Nick turned to her. "Excuse me?"
She waved her paw. "Public opinion, work regulations… All of that are outside reasons. What are yours?"
The fox swallowed nervously as that question caught him off guard. *Crap… she's right…*
Nick slumped back to his seat. "She's… my friend…" He mumbled.
"Regardless of any other reasons or other mammals' opinions… Ask yourself: do you want to do it?"
The problem was that Nick didn't have a definite answer. His body was screaming 'YES!' at the question, but his mind strongly disagreed as it new that this was an artificial desire, born from being affected by the Nighthowler serum. This dissonance was slowly driving him crazy, however Nick knew that he would never allow his body to think for him. If that was the case, he wouldn't last 5 minutes in the darker alleys of Zootopia. No, he would never do anything to Judy. *Never in a million years. Not even under the effects of this bloody serum.*
"No. I don't want to." He replied to his therapist. "This is all because of that serum and I'm not succumbing to it. I'm never hurting my friend."
She raised a brow. "I don't know if you're aware how devoted you sound? It's almost… romantic. And that leads us to the third point: do you love her?" Alexandra watched the way Nick froze and how his face turned into an empty mask. It was something new to witness, as the fox always got emotional whenever she mentioned the female bunny. But know he stared at her with hollow eyes.
"No." A flat statement left his mouth.
This was such a contrast to how he behaved a moment ago that it surprised even her. Nevertheless, she noted it down. "That is a very definite statement. Did something happen between you two?"
"No." The same, emotionless voice.
She pondered for a moment and decided to change the approach. "Did something happen before you met her?" This time she saw a barely noticeable flinch.
Still, it took some time before she got an answer. "Yes." It was merely a whisper, and sounded like it was forced out with great pain.
"Please tell me about it."
.
.
Judy was feeling conflicted. On one paw she really didn't like being a meter maid and hear all the nasty comments about getting tickets, but on the other paw it was her duty as the member of the ZPD. The awareness of the fact that Bogo didn't give her parking duty as a punishment, but because there were no other available cases, made her feel a little better. And this duty was perfect for thinking about stuff one could have on their mind. And right now her thoughts were heavily occupied by the yesterday's events. Especially their visit in The Golden Hoof. She felt her cheeks warming up and shook her head. At least she got back at Nick for teasing her all the time. Now she wished that she'd had taken a picture of his dumbstruck look after she got him with the rabbit dancer comment. In fact, that memory stirred some unfamiliar emotion in her, as she caught herself thinking if she'd really look good in such an outfit. The bunny looked at herself in the window of a nearest shop, slightly turning around to check her figure. Judy considered herself rather fit, even for a bunny, given all the exhausting training she did at the academy. Truth be told, at one point she even thought that she might be too fit to attract any male bunny. Her taut stomach, packed with small but powerful muscles, her arms chiseled by the countless hours of fighting in the training ring, not to mention her legs, which were strong enough to knock out a rhino with a proper kick. All those thoughts came down to one, simple question: Was she an attractive female?
Then it struck her that she was watching herself and wasting time while being on duty. The bunny shook her head again. "Mind of the gutter, Hopps!" Judy reprimanded herself and headed towards her meter maid vehicle.
.
.
Meanwhile, Nick just had the worst emotional experience in years. He told miss Shavala a story that, beside him, only his mother new. Speaking every single word felt like ripping off a piece of his own flesh. *What would Carrots think if he'd also told her about it? Wait, why did I think of her?! She's got nothing to do with this!* He folded his arms in an angry motion. He was too stubborn to admit that she had a lot to do with that episode of his life.
"Mr Wilde." His therapist snapped him out from his thoughts. "How do you feel after saying all that?"
He sank into his seat. "Stripped naked."
The vixen smiled at that comment. "That's how therapies work. Throw all your troubling thoughts out of your head, take a good look at them and think about what they actually mean to you."
"Not exactly working for me."
She shook her head. "It never works in such a short time. But now we know what's stopping you from feeling love. And that's a start."
The fox stuffed his paws into his trousers pockets and averted his eyes. "Not that I need it." He grumbled.
Since he looked away, Nick didn't see that for a moment miss Shavala dropped her professional face and had a look of genuine pity. "Mr Wilde." She said soothingly. "Do you have good contact with any of your family members?"
He shook his head. "Only my mother, but we haven't talked for years, why?"
Alexandra nodded and put away her notepad. "While I can help you in analyzing your own feelings, I know from experience that nothing can replace an honest talk with someone who knows you well, someone you can trust. And best mammals for that are usually family members. And that will be your homework till our next meeting – talk to your mother."
Nick sank into the armchair, not very enthusiastic about a perspective of reaching out to his mom. *Not after the things I said to her the last time.* Guilt weighed heavily on his mind.
"I'll try…" He muttered.
"Excellent. Then we will call it a day for now."
When they got to the door Nick noticed that she put on a light coat. "Going out?"
"Just some shopping." Alexandra replied as they both exited her apartment.
"Mind if I tag along? I have time to spare anyway." He offered.
"Already postponing the call to your mother?"
Nick sighed and chuckled nervously. "You can call it that way. I know, I know, I'll call her. It's easier said than done."
"Easier for who?" Alexandra inquired from him when they left the building.
He deflected the question. "So, where are you shopping?"
"The nearby market." Nick was glad that she didn't dig any deeper with the topic. They strolled off without any further questions.
.
.
The day wasn't turning out for the better for officer Judy Hopps. A particularly upset elephant almost crushed her under his heel after receiving a ticket, which resulted in calling a patrol car and arresting him for assaulting an officer. After that she had to chase after a small child to get her back to her despairing mother. That strained her leg, but she couldn't just leave it be. Therefore, she sat in her vehicle and massaged the aching limb, trying to make the pain go away.
And that's when she spotted Nick on the other side of the road. With a vixen. And even Judy's jaw dropped open at the sight of her, she was absolutely stunning in every aspect. In silence she watched as they stopped at the entrance of an elegant apartment building. She extended a paw and Nick leaned down and placed a small kiss on top of it. After that he handed over a couple of shopping bags he was carrying. The vixen laughed and entered the building.
"Sweet cheese and crackers… Where did he find a girl like that?!" She asked no one in particular. It took her a second to realize that she was comparing herself to that vixen.
"What's wrong with me?!" She groaned, banging her forehead on the driving wheel. Ignoring the mysterious, uncomfortable feeling in her chest she ignited the engine and sped towards the ZPD central precinct to leave the street and, more importantly, her embarrassment behind.
.
.
World seemed to believe in balance and after not so good Tuesday, Wednesday surprised Judy with a dream come true type of information.
"Sir, could you repeat that?" Asked one of the officers at their everyday roll call in the bullpen.
"Didn't clean your ears today McHorn? I said that this evening the ZPD is invited to the Gazelle's concert that she's organizing to celebrate closing the case of savage animals." He leaned slightly on his lectern. "And we're going for free." And even the grumpy buffalo couldn't hide the satisfaction from knowing this information. The whole room exploded with a chorus of excited screams. Judy was trembling all over at the mere thought of seeing Gazelle in a concert. When the crowd of officers finally calmed down and Bogo gave them their task, a sudden thought popped to her head. She approached the chief right before he left for his office.
"Um, sir? Permission to bring one more person to the concert with me?" She asked with a pleading look in her eyes.
Bogo gave her a long stare. "You're talking about that fox, aren't you?"
Judy nodded vigorously. "Yes! I thought… well, since this is an occasion linked to that case, I thought that it's only fair if Nick could come too. After all, he played a crucial role in solving it."
"Hmmm." Bogo scratched his rough chin. "Fine. But you'll be responsible for him."
The bunny hopped in the air. "Yes! Thank you, sir! I'll keep my eye on him!" With that she practically danced out of the room.
.
.
Nick opened one eye when his phone rang, waking him from his early nap.
"Yes?" He croaked to the microphone.
"Hey, Nick!" The greeting almost blew his head off the shoulders.
Now fully awake and worried if he'll become deaf in one ear Nick put the phone to the other side of his head. "Carrots? Where's the fire?"
"Huh? What fire?"
Nick yawned while rubbing his neck. "There has to be one if you're screaming bloody murder first thing in the morning."
He got a sigh in the speaker. "It's almost noon, you slothful fox."
"Maybe by your standards… Anyway, to what I owe this pleasant wake up call?" He said, still in his sleepy voice.
"I called because I'd like to invite you somewhere." Judy's voice was trembling with withheld excitement.
"That 'somewhere' being?"
"Gazelle's concert this evening!" Nick had to actually keep the phone away from his head, wondering if his eardrums will ever function properly again. Still, his bunny friend was so overwhelmed with happiness, that he couldn't help but to be curious. "Okay, what's the story?" He asked her.
When she explained the situation to Nick, his usual grin appeared on his face. "So, basically you're inviting me on a date?" He quipped and counted down. *Three… two… one…*
"It's NOT a d-date!" She mumbled into the phone. *Bullsye.*
"Fine, whatever you say, Fluff. So when do we meet? And where?"
"Can you be at half past six in front of my place?"
"Hmm." He pondered theatrically. "Not sure if I know the address…"
Somehow, Nick could tell that she rolled her eyes at this moment.
"You know it all right, slick. And by the way, thanks for the book, it really helped me out during the recuperation. I would've died of boredom if not for you." Judy's voice was now warm and full of gratitude. He really liked her voice.
"Don't sweat it, Carrots. And don't confuse it with food if you ever get starving, I'd like to see it again someday." Nick threw another joke at her. There was a stifled laughter from her side.
"I'll try." She replied.
.
.
The evening came fast, the sun rolling towards the horizon, making way for the incoming night. Nick wasn't very selective about his choice of clothing, he settled for his usual attire – a green, Hawaiian shirt and khaki pants. On his way to the meeting place, he found himself surprisingly calm. A crowd bustling with emotions was a place he wouldn't dare to show himself a week ago. But he made a tremendous progress since then and even after the incident with Finnick, Nick actually trained on his own. With an iPaw in his pocket and headphones in both ears, he bombarded himself with the terrifying cacophony of noises they devised with Finnick. Of course, he chose a proper spot for this, secluded, far from any other mammals. It didn't seem like a good idea at first, since not every time he was able to refrain from switching into the savage mode. But, with practice, he improved to the level of being perfectly capable of stopping the swirling emotions before they would run amok. Therefore, with a relaxed attitude and a smile on his face, Nicholas Wilde was in a cab, on his way for a not-a-date with his bunny friend.
.
.
The moment the car stopped at the front door of the building, Judy ran out with the greatest speed her wounded leg allowed. She jumped into the cab and beamed at the fox. He was half-expecting her to wear a uniform, the dutiful bunny she was, but she decided to wear a blue t-shirt and black leggings.
"Hey, Nick! Ready for the fun?" He could tell she was ready by the way the bunny was almost floating in the air from anticipation.
"I'm always ready for fun, Carrots."
.
.
The concert was everything a Gazele's fan could hope for: the star sang all of her greatest hits surrounded by her dancers, and fountains around the scene were adding to the spectacle. Crowds of zootopians danced to the rhythm of music, including Clawhauser and even chief Bogo. Nick however, was satisfied with listening to the music and observing the ever so happy bunny hopping up and down next to him. But at one point she jumped towards him and bumped hips with Nick, sending him an inviting smile. He couldn't help, but grin at her. Not much of a dancer himself, the fox only swayed from side to side and waved his arms in circles.
.
.
"It was GREAT!" Judy yelled to the world in general. Nick chuckled seeing the bunny overflowing with joy.
After the concert, part of the ZPD force decided to move the party to one of the night clubs. The female members of the police spotted Judy and invited her to tag along, so now they all were on their way to one of the biggest clubs in all Savannah Springs.
Since Judy insisted, Nick also joined the group, but not feeling very well as a minority in the girls group, he decided to walk along Benjamin, since he was the only familiar face in the crowd. Once they reached their destination, the pack divided into smaller groups of mutual friends and acquaintances. Nick stuck to the cheetah and they sat down at a table in of the side rooms.
.
.
In the other corner of the club the girls were enjoying the liquor and their own company. Being the proper bunny she was, Judy never drank any stronger alcohol in abusive amounts. In truth, she hardly drank anything stronger than regular beer. One of the reasons was that being a hard worker barely left any time for hanging out with others and drinking. Second was that she didn't really consider drinking alcohol a good way of spending time. But the most important one, and this she kept to herself, was the fact that she was terrible in holding her liquor. As far as she could remember there were two ridiculously embarrassing episodes of being drunk and since then she was extra careful with what she was drinking.
However, her coworkers didn't know that and wasted no effort in offering her one drink after another. Not wanting to be left out of the group, Judy reluctantly agreed. This resulted in Judy feeling very lightheaded and more open than usual. That's why she allowed herself to be talked into a game of truth or dare. Thanks to the loose atmosphere it was going very well with occasional bursts of laughter after more juicy or embarrassing confessions. When it finally came Judy's turn, without thinking much she chose the truth.
"How many boyfriends did you have already?" Asked Francine, the female elephant.
Judy rubbed her neck thinking back. She wondered if kissing on the cheek would be considered dating, but ultimately decided that it wouldn't be.
"Umm actually, to be honest I didn't date anyone yet." The bunny confessed, her voice slightly tainted by alcohol.
"Really? Not even once?" Ashera, the lioness leaned to Judy.
"Ahahaha..." A nervous giggle escaped Judy's lips. Francine patted her on the back with her trunk.
"Don't you worry girl, you'll find yourself one in no time."
"Okay, who's next?" Ashera yelled joyfully.
After several rounds it was Judy's turn again. And fate decided that Olga, the only female wolf in the force, would be the one to ask her a question or task with a challenge. Before the game Francine warned her that she should never choose 'truth' with Olga, as she had a habit of dragging out the most embarrassing information possible. Therefore, the bunny decided to go for the 'dare', or something like that, since her head was already feeling more and more the effects of alcohol.
Olga gave her a machiavellian grin, definitely not a good sign for the grey furred officer.
"Okay Jude, since you didn't have much experience with guys, we might as well give you a chance to do so now." Her grin widened in a way, that would make a sober bunny very suspicious. "Go and give Wilde a smooch."
All eyes were now on the bunny to see her reaction. The smallest ZPD officer hesitated only for a fraction of a second. Never backing away from a challenge, Judy didn't even consider giving her friend a peck on the cheek a difficult task. Still, a little encouragement couldn't hurt. Therefore, she grabbed the nearest glass and gulped down the liquid in one go.
Dozen pairs of eyes widened and Francine shifted uneasily. "Em, Judy... are you sure it's a good ide-"
She was cut off by the sound of the glass being slammed back on the table. Judy sprang up, swayed only a little, and marched off in search of a certain fox.
"Er, whose drink was that?"
Olga sniffed the glass. "Oh dear. That was my special Russian vodka. It's not meant for bunnies, will she be all right?"
.
.
Nick had to admit that the cheetah's company turned out to be quite pleasant. He was very easygoing, friendly and didn't mind anything in other mammals, regardless of their species, looks or hobbies. These attributes made him a natural friend to practically everyone.
Right now he clapped enthusiastically after Nick showed him a simple trick with a disappearing coin.
"Wooow, you really know all kinds of tricks. Awesome!"
"NICK!" Came a yell from the direction of the main hall and the fox looked over his shoulder. A slightly swaying bunny in a blue t-shirt was standing at the entrance to the room. One of her ears was standing to attention but the other couldn't manage such a feat and was dangling on the side of her head.
Nick turned in his seat, with a raised brow. "You ok, Carrots?"
She approached him in a more or less straight line, where the 'less' part was obviously in majority. Nick surveyed the bunny and sniffed the air around her. "Carrots, you smell like Russian vodka. How much did you drink?"
She came even closer and clasped her paws on both sides of his muzzle. "Naw dhon't moof." She ordered with a breath like a veteran alcoholic.
"What?!" The fox mumbled, his voice muffled due to bunny paws over the sides of his mouth.
Judy climbed on her toes, leaned forward and kissed Nick on the cheek. At least that's what she intended to do, but alcohol wrecked her plans as she lost her balance and swayed to the side.
In effect, her small lips landed directly on Nick's mouth.
The fox's eyes shot wide open when he felt something like a jolt of electricity spread throughout his body, from his head to the tip of his tail. Shock overwhelmed Nick, rendering him immobile for the moment. All he knew was that Judy tasted like vodka and smelled of lavender with a small hint of carrots. His mind fought to push her away, but the body refused to listen, savoring the feeling of delicate, bunny lips.
After two seconds she pulled away with a faint mwah. She showed him a lopsided smile. "Hah! I kisshed the fox." Judy announced triumphantly.
Meanwhile, Nick's mind was a complete mess. *WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!* Was all it could muster. Any more advanced functions of his brain were malfunctioning. Instead, the primal emotions took over. He could feel the desire radiating from the core of his chest like a burning sun, but fought it with all willpower his mind could provide. And yet, to he's horror, his own paws reached out and gently cupped Judy's soft cheeks. *WHAT AM I DOING?!*
The bunny hiccuped in the most adorable way, which almost made Nick's heart burst. "Whaaat, you wont mor of tis bunny?" She murmured and shrugged. "O-kay." Judy started leaning towards him again and Nick found himself doing the same. To his despair, he could only watch as the bunny's lips were getting closer.
*Oh sweet cheese and crackers...*
Their muzzles were only an inch away when a flash of light enveloped them both. Nick blinked, his mind in control again. He snapped his head to the side to see Clawhauser with one paw over his mouth, the other holding a smartphone pointed at them.
"Ooooohh Nick, this is soo sweet!" He squealed in excitement.
But the fox didn't find it amusing, not to mention sweet. He placed the mumbling, drunken bunny on the couch and turned to the cheetah with a furious glare.
"CLAWHAUSER!" He snarled through gritted teeth.
The plump feline slowly backed away at the sight of the raging fox. "C-come on Nick, nothing to be, you know, nothing to be ashamed of. Really, I think you look totally cute together. It's like destiny, right? Haha..." He rambled on while retreating.
Nick followed him with a feral growl rattling in his throat. "CLAW-HAU-SER!" Every syllable sounded like a death threat. His paws shot forward and grabbed the ZPD's receptionist by the collar of his shirt.
The cheetah was pulled down with surprising strength to be eye to eye with Nick. "DELETE that picture right now!"
"H-hey no need to be s-so nervous, it's just a picture... I mean, aren't you two a thing?" He asked innocently.
Nick growled and barred his fangs. "We're not! Now DELETE the picture or I will make sure that every donut landing on your desk will be laced with a ton of salt and pepper."
Clawhauser went pale, his face now a mask of terror. "You... you wouldn't..." He gasped in disbelief. Everyone knew that the cheetah practically lived on donuts.
Nick gripped tighter. "Try me."
Benjamin waved his paws hysterically in the air. "I'll delete it, I'll delete it!" He tapped at his phone with trembling fingers and after few seconds showed Nick the screen. "See, see? It's gone!"
"Good." The fox released his grip. "And you never saw anything, got it? If anyone, and I mean ANYONE hears about this, then I'll personally convince chief Bogo to place you on a DIET!"
All color has left Clawhauser's round face. "No, anything but that! Nick, please! I-I-I won't tell anyone, I swear!"
"Good." The fox grumbled and turned on his hindpaws to check on the bunny. She was lying flat on her back, mumbling completely unintelligible words.
"Carrots?" He tried. Her ears twitched and she opened one eye. "Heey, hanshome..."
*Okay, she's completely wasted... Better get her home." He lifted her small body and held her to his chest. To his surprise she weighed almost nothing, and at the same time he could feel the weigh of carrying something precious. When he was about to leave the room Clawhauser called out to him. "Um, Nick... Need any help?"
"No thanks." He glared over his shoulder. "And remember..."
The cheetah nodded solemnly. "Yeah, I know." He moved his paw over his mouth in a motion of zipping it close.
With that issue solved for the time being, Nick headed towards the exit, maneuvering through the crowd. He avoided contact with any of Judy's fellow officers, assuming that she'd probably rather not show this side of her. Just as he thought that, more than friendly arms embraced his neck. "Eeey, Nicky. Wher are ye takin me?" Judy cooed sweetly, nuzzling her tiny nose into the fox's fur, just below his muzzle.
Nick held his ground this time, although it was a close call, as he was about to lean down to her again. "Home." He managed to say, most of his mind focused on forcing the body to obey him and not the serum. When outside, Nick got together with Judy to one of the cabs and gave her address to the driver. But his trouble was far from over, since the bunny was constantly all clingy with him.
"Nickyyy, yer sho cold t me..." Judy complained while trying to snug under his arm, which he was constantly moving away. After the fifth attempt Nick picked her up and seated away from him.
"I appreciate your efforts Carrots, but you'll thank me when you sober up."
"Ehh, yer sucha buzz kill." She complained with disappointment painted on her face.
The fox covered his eyes with a paw, unable to comprehend how a hardworking, devoted police bunny he knew could transform into... this state. If this wasn't Judy, he'd already start cracking sarcastic jokes. But now he noticed movement with the corner of his eye and turned to see his friend on all fours, staring at him with dazed eyes.
"Ish it becausse ye thing I'm ugly? I'm tooo fit fhor ya?" He more smelled than heard her question, alcohol crystallizing in her breath.
Nick shook his head. "I never said that, Fluff."
"Then ya thing I'm prrety?" She moved closer, the amethyst of her eyes stirring up his emotions even more.
He took a deep breath. "You are certainly a very beautiful bunny, Carrots, but..."
She crawled in even closer and interrupted him with a voice that sounded surprisingly normal. "So why?"
Nick averted his eyes and stared outside the window.
*Because I'm under the effects of the Nighthowler serum and I'm driven by the desire to find a mating partner, which is completely artificial, so I don't want to hurt you by doing anything we'll both regret later.* That was what he should have said if he'd be perfectly honest with her. However, he had the taxi driver to consider and also the fact, that Judy was completely drunk.
"Because I'm a fox and you're a rabbit." He said out loud, which was also true.
Still, he felt small paws on his leg. Judy crawled up right to him and supported herself on his knee. She gazed at him with her clearly drunk, but dangerously attractive eyes. "Sho what if yer a foxsh?" The bunny reached and tugged at his tie. "I wanna mor kisshes." She purred.
Nick's mind was closer to a breaking point then ever before. He was sure that his heart was beating so fast and hard that the whole street could hear it.
*Damn it, Carrots! Stop doing this to me!* He whined inwardly. It would be so easy to let go, to let it all happen and satisfy that overwhelming desire. If only for just one night... But one image burned stronger than any other in his mind. The picture of hurt and crying Judy he imagined when she'd learn what happened to her. And all of this because some stupid extract from flowers. And thanks to this he could endure and push her away again. Before she could say anything, Nick buckled her tightly, so she wouldn't be able to approach him anymore.
"Aww, Niick..." She groaned in protest.
And just at that moment his phone rang. He fished it out of his pocket and checked the screen. Unknown number. *Oh great, just great...* He thought. Such a number at his hour could mean only one thing – trouble. With a tired sigh he answered the call. "Should I be worried right now or it can wait?"
"Evenin' Nicky." Said an unpleasantly familiar voice. *Basker.*
"Get to the point, if you will." Nick eyed the bunny nervously, hoping that no part of this conversation will remain in her mind.
"No problem, remember the deal we made recently? Time to cash out."
Nick groaned inwardly. Of all times…
"Be at the Winter Breeze in two hours, I'll see you there." With those words the goat hung up.
The fox ran a paw down his face. This really messed up things. He'd have to drastically change plans. He wanted to keep an eye on Judy for the whole night, no telling what else she was capable of in this state. But he couldn't ignore Basker's order, because he liked all of his limbs being intact. That left him with only one option. He quickly dialed a number.
"Hey." He said, when someone picked up after few moments. "Yes, I know. Ye- Look, I'll explain later." He closed his eyes while listening. "Hold on, holdon! I know it's sudden, and at such an hour, but my friend needs a place to say over and a watchful eye." Another pause. "No, not Finnick. She just drank too much and-" Nick sighed. "Yes, I'm talking about a girl. Please, this is an emergency!" Several seconds passed. "Okay, great. Thank you very much."
With that he ended the call. He glanced at Judy, now giggling to herself. *It'll have to do, for now.*
He leaned forward and tapped the lama driver on the shoulder. "Buddy, we're changing destination." He told him the new address. "And if you can get us there in ten minutes I'll pay extra."
The answer came in form of screeching tires.