Here you go my lovely readers. Another view into a world where Nick and Judy are blocked from being together. Not by laws, but by their own families and agreements made before they were born and without their consent.
I do not own and can therefore make no claim to Zootopia and it's characters. I claim only my OCs.
On with the gut punching.
xxxxXXXXXxxxx
Nick Wilde stood at the marriage platform of his marriage chamber in a suit he didn't want to be wearing, a deep pain in his chest. He knew he had no choice here. This marriage had been arranged since he was born. Since before then. He knew he couldn't get away from it forever, but damn it to all versions of hell, he tried.
He had one out. One chance to avoid it. One opportunity. He had to find a mate of his own by the time he turned 30. He failed. It took him till he was 35 to find the mammal he wanted to give his heart to, and then he couldn't. He'd changed his life for her. He'd do anything to make her happy, to see her smile, make her laugh. He'd give his own life if it meant she would never have reason again to cry.
Only, he'd basically lied to her when he was finally told it was time. Told her the truth, in that he had a family thing to deal with. She'd clearly lied in return to make him feel better, saying she had some family stuff to deal with as well, so it was no big deal. He could see the hurt in her eyes, not that she couldn't tell he was hiding something. He couldn't lie to her in any way she would actually believe. It hurt him so much, like carving out his heart with a spork, knowing that he'd have to move out of their apartment when he got back. He'd have a wife, who he doubted would want to live with some rabbit. It hurt more to know that she knew something was up and let him off the hook, and that he was the cause of that pain he saw.
In fact, she was standing on the other side of the divider, blocked from him so he could not see her, whoever she was. Could not smell her. And with a sound generator going, could not hear her. He knew she came from a good, if more traditional and conservative rural family. The arrangement had helped both their families, and now the bill was due. A bill he did not sign up for. A bill he himself did not incur save being born as a Wilde fox.
Wiping a tear from his eye and grumbling about Judy ruining him, Nick took a deep breath as a song started playing, indicating that it was almost time for him to give his vow and then have his betrothed revealed to him. Scorpions - Send me an Angel. The selection did cause him to raise an eye. It didn't seem like a song that would be typical for a wedding like this. Then again, arranged marriages where the pair either had to agree, or spend the rest of their lives in the marriage chamber were exceedingly rare. Maybe one every five years or so. Thinking, Nick couldn't remember when the last one was, and he'd followed such things, for obvious reasons.
The priest, an old friend of his, appeared in the priest opening high up the wall, unsealed and opened only when the priest was present. It gave them a view of the occupant on both sides and was high enough up the wall to make getting to it all but impossible with the smooth stone of that wall. It also, if one or both sides refused, could be closed, sealing them in until they did. A small fan kept the scent from the other side from reaching him, blowing only his friend's scent to Nick. Looking to either side of the barrier he raised a surprised eyebrow and then shrugged with a smirk.
"Given the circumstances, let's just get this over with." Looking between Nick and whatever vixen was on the other side. "Neither of you seem too happy to be here, which is pretty common in marriages like these. Before I start. I have one piece of advice for you both. Go on dates. Get to know each other. You may find that you just did things out of sequence. Now… Do you…" Focusing on Nick. "Take your betrothed mammal, separated from you by this screen, hidden until your acceptance, and sight unseen or smelled, as your lawfully wedded spouse and mate?"
Nick took a deep breath, and then another. Wiped the tears from his eyes he couldn't suppress as his heart shattered. There was no out. There was no way to leave here without agreeing. If he, or she refused, they could and just might spend the rest of their lives in the small rooms of the marriage chamber.
It was all legal, even if it shouldn't be. This was it. There was no way out of it. He'd take being iced over this. Both he, and whoever she was, were basically imprisoned until they agreed. Nick lifted his voice, sounding brittle even to his own ears. "I…" Exhaling hard with resignation. "I do." Dropping to his knees is defeat.
His friend nodded with a smirk that Nick did not appreciate and turned his attention to the other side of the divider. The sound dampening and breeze from the fans ensured he couldn't hear or smell the vixen. It also muffled what his friend was saying, though Nick knew it was basically the same things he'd just heard.
His friend gave another nod and flicked a switch. The fans stopped and the sound dampener cut off. Nick heard a heart wrenching sob, but that wasn't what stopped his heart in his chest. It was the sudden scent of the salty tears associated with that sob, and the scent of Honeysuckle, clover, and grass right after a rain. A scent he knew. A scent he could not believe could be possible. A scent that all but broke him the last time he'd smelled it.
Glaring at his friend. "What is this‽" Nick all but roared, his voice angry and filled with a deep growl, the pain in his chest forgotten.
The mammal on the other side sobbed again, a hint of fear and pure despair in their voice as it filtered around the barrier. A voice he knew, but could not be. "I'm sorry… We'll just have to make the best of it."
Nick didn't respond. His emotions warred with each other. He focused on the rage and indignity, fed it all the pain, all the anguish he was feeling for betraying his true love. He used it all, grabbed the barrier, dug his claws into the sound absorbing padding and with a roar, ripped it aside to reveal whoever was on the other side. Hope and terror filling his mind and heart in equal measure as they were revealed.
xxxxXXXXXxxxx
Judy watched Nick walk away, waiting until he was lost deep into the crowd before collapsing to her knees with a sob, paws covering her muzzle to try and hold in the hurt. She knew why and where he was going. She'd spoken to his mother, and she had explained how Nick had an arranged marriage from before he was born. How, since he hadn't found mate before he turned thirty, he had to get married once the other side was ready.
Judy had nodded in understanding and admitted to Vivian how she was in a similar situation. That had caught Vivian off guard. She had hugged Judy as she cried, admitting that she had fallen for Nick, but couldn't give into that. How she would have had to reject him if he'd have ever asked her out. Unlike Nick, she didn't have even an optional out, and how she was tired of waiting, hoping she'd be let out of it, and had told her parents that it was time and that she wouldn't fight it anymore.
After a few moments, she collected herself and headed for the train. There was no point in returning to their apartment tonight. There was nothing waiting for her there but Nick's sent, which would just hurt her more. She'd spend the night at the burrow instead. She absent mindedly wondered if she could ever get over Nick enough to at least care for whatever buck she was very shortly going to be married to.
She really hoped he would at least still want to be her friend. She figured it might just kill her if he didn't want to be at least her friend anymore. She'd lied to him as much as he did her. She knew he cared for her too. Vivian had let her know that a few weeks ago, and made her promise not to give up hope. A promise she knew she would never be able to keep, but she gave it anyway. A promise she was very soon about to break.
xxxxXXXXXxxxx
Judy slept poorly in her room in the burrow. It was a couples room. Since she had the arranged marriage, once she aged to an adult room, she was given a couples room as a reminder of her obligation, and so once she did get married, she'd have a room to retire to that would fit them both.
When she woke, she was not even remotely rested, and her heart hurt. Her whole body hurt. Today would be her wedding, and unlike so many of her sisters, there was no joy in her heart about it. She washed up and reported like a prisoner reporting to their execution, to her mother.
They got her in her dress, got it done up, and she was at least pleasantly surprised that it wasn't a big, over-the-top, flowing monstrosity. It was a simple crisp white dress with purple flowers and ivy stitched into it as accents, which hugged her tight curves honed for years in her quest to be a cop. If she didn't know what its purpose was, she would think it was an evening gown.
Bonnie looked over her daughter. "Bun bun. Try to be happy. Please? I know this isn't what you would prefer, but he's a good mammal. If there wasn't the agreement, we would have undone it, or gotten one of your other sisters to take it on."
Judy nodded, her ears limp behind her. "I know, mom. It's just… I tried so hard. I didn't even see it coming. But.." Cupping her muzzle as a sob and tears escaped her. "I… I fell in love, mom. I know he at least liked me back, but both of us were caught like this. I called you and let you know because I knew his was coming due soon and… I couldn't… " Sobbing again. "I couldn't do it. I couldn't smile and pretend I was happy for him. To watch him come home with some…
I want to hate her. Whoever she is, but I know it is no more her fault than his. I just hope… I hope he'll still want to be my friend. I hope I can find a way to be friendly with her, but I will probably always think of her and the slut that stole him from me.
I… I hope whoever I'm about to marry will let me still be his friend. I really hope they don't expect me to quit and start pumping out kits. I've worked so hard. And… And I think I'm about to lose everything."
Bonnie nodded with a knowing and pained smile and hugged her daughter. "I know, dear. If there were a way."
Judy took a deep breath, and using everything she had learned, treated it like a SWAT raid, and pushed all the emotions down. "Okay. Let's do this. I just needed to get that out."
Bonnie nodded, and gave a wide smirk once Judy wasn't looking.
xxxxXXXXXxxxx
Judy stood at the marriage platform of her marriage chamber, waiting. She rubbed her heart where it ached in her chest. She heard the music shift and the door of the priest window open. It was the only opening in the marriage chamber except the exit door, which would only unlock if she and whoever was on the other side of the wall agreed.
She looked up as the red deer she had met through Nick stepped up to the priest window, a small fan blowing to keep the scent of her future mate from her. They were not allowed to know anything about the other until they accepted. They were there, in their individual rooms of the marriage chamber, unable to know anything of the other until they both agreed.
The deer looked to either side of the barrier and raised a surprised eyebrow, then shrugged with a smirk.
"Given the circumstances, let's just get this over with." Looking between Judy and whatever buck was on the other side. "Neither of you seem too happy to be here, which is pretty common in marriages like these. Before I start. I have one piece of advice for you both. Go on dates. Get to know each other. You may find that you just did things out of sequence. Now… Do you…" Focusing on whoever was on the other side. "Take your betrothed mammal, separated from you by this screen, hidden until your acceptance, and sight unseen or smelled, as your lawfully wedded spouse and mate?"
Despite the sound dampener, Judy could make out the other person, clearly not any more happy with the situation, try and respond.
"I…" Exhaling hard with resignation. "I do."
The deer gave a smirk she didn't like as he turned his attention to Judy. "And do you take your betrothed mammal, separated from you by this screen, hidden until your acceptance, and sight unseen or smelled, as your lawfully wedded spouse and mate?"
Judy looked up at him and couldn't stop the tears from flowing from her eyes or the agony in her heart as she accepted this mystery mammal as her mate. There was no out for her. It was accept or spend the rest of her life in that marriage chamber. It had happened. With this acceptance, she gave up on any chance of being with Nick. Not that she ever really had one. Not with both of their circumstances. She was likely resigning as a cop and would be pregnant within the month.
Taking a deep breath, knowing there was no other answer. "I do."
Nick's friend nodded with a smile and flicked a switch. The fan stopped and the sound dampener cut off. Judy couldn't help herself as a heart wrenching sob escaped her. She tried to cover her muzzle to hold it in, but there was no stopping the pain in her chest as it spread to her entire being. The other mammal spoke with pure rage and a deep growl in their voice. "What is this‽" Judy's heart broke again at the cruelty of the situation as she fell to her knees. She knew that the buck was clearly disappointed because they heard her and she tried to collect herself. Calling out as best she could, unable to keep her voice free of the despair and fear washing through her like a flood. "I'm sorry… We'll just have to make the best of it."
They didn't respond. Instead there was a long pause and then a roar of pure rage as the barrier was ripped aside. Judy closed her eyes. She didn't have the will to fight back against whatever predator was on the other side. It was clearly a predator. As the barrier was pulled aside, Nick's friend yelled in shock. "Hey! What are you doing!"
Suddenly the scent of fox, and violets washed over Judy and her eyes popped open looking at the mammal who had been on the other side in pure shock. "Nick‽" Blinking her eyes to clear them as she watched him. Nick. Her fox. The mammals she truly loved. Fall to his knees.
Nick fell to his knees in shock. His brain didn't want to acknowledge what he was seeing. Finally he was able to squeak out a question. The shock in his voice clear. "Judy? Is… is that you?"
Judy looked up at him with a nod, her tears still flowing but a sudden hope in her heart. "Nick? What? What are you doing here?"
Nick stood and stepped up to her, helping her stand. "I… I could ask you the same question, Fluff. I'm here to get married to someone I was betrothed to before I was born."
Judy couldn't help herself. The tears went away, and then started back up, though they were suddenly tears of absolute joy. "I… I'm here for the same reason." Managing to just suppress a slightly mad giggle.
Nick stared at her for a moment, then looked up at his friend in absolute confusion. "What?"
The deer shrugged. "I don't know what you want me to tell you. I walked up, and I had you on one side, her on the other. I just officiate."
Nick turned back to Judy, and kneeled down, cupping her cheek "Judy… Are you really here?"
Judy wrapped her arms around Nick's neck and buried her nose in his ruff, taking a deep breath of the scent she was convinced she would only ever get on patrol, if ever again. "Yes. Are you really here?" Her voice muffled as she clutched herself to him.
Holding her to himself, Nick took a deep breath of her scent. "I am, Fluff. I am."
The deer chuckled. "Well, you've both said, I do. So you are officially married. You can kiss if you want to, but the door is unlocked so you are free to leave. Nick, give me a call and maybe explain this for me later?"
Nick and Judy shared a deep, passionate, kiss. "Well, Fluff. I guess we should take his advice and go on a few, official, dates, but I got what I needed. I got what I wanted."
Kissing Nick again. "Me too, Slick. Me too. And I can't wait to spend the rest of my life exploring how awesome it is going to be, to be married to you."
Nick and Judy exited the wedding chamber to be greeted by both their families with cheers and tears, as they basically clung to each other out of fear that it was a dream. Some time later, after the shock wore off, they silently agreed that some head knocking would be in order.
