Sorry for the delay guys. I wish I wasn't a failure and dead on the inside. This is a rather short chapter, but hopefully u guys enjoy the pain, you masochistic little turds.
WhiteeFoxclaw1990: I'm glad you are liking it so far! So… are you like… just the fox's claw? Or… half of the fox? Regardless, I've sent your very own fur dye! Feel free to dye your white fur a huge variety of colors like red! Or green! Or- Oh that's all… This box was already open when I bought it.
Syhsnakey: Glad you're still with me here! Sorry about the delay, didn't have enough drug money to finance my writing but now that the payment's come thru everything is howdy doody again! Please accept this gingerly wrapped case of cat vertebrae and sludge I found behind my house!
01001101 01100101: If you explode. Then I'm sorry. Be sure to log in to your nearest comp to read the next chapter in your afterlife tho! I'll be sure to send you fox and rabbit plushes to you as well! (I'll just be killing foxes and rabbits and carving your name on them with my rusty knife, I really don't know what the postal service is like up there… or down there… or in the middle?)
Zzzzzk-
She felt the metal binding loosen from her wrist. Her left paw reached out to rub her liberated right wrist.
He unlocked his own as well. The handcuffs fell to the floor letting out a few metallic clacks.
Chk-click
She heard him lock his apartment door.
Without even saying or doing anything, Judy walked into his room and dove face-first into his bed. It had been a long day for her... for them.
Nick smirked as he slowly took off his shoes and placed his keys down on the table.
She continued to lay there with her head now buried into a pillow still not saying a word.
He walked to the kitchen and poured a tall glass of water before following his rabbit to his room.
Nick set the glass down on the nightstand before he took a seat at the foot of the bed.
For a while, he just sat there staring at the wall while Judy laid there sprawled on the bed.
Finally, he let out a tired sigh as he slowly laid back with his two paws behind his head. The bunny and fox now laid parallel to each other with Judy's face still buried in the pillow.
From the corner of his eyes, he could see her shift her body to look away from him toward the edge of the bed.
Nick simply stared at the ceiling.
…
…
…
The streets of Zootopia was surprisingly quiet tonight, it's almost as if fate had perfectly set up the conditions to this daunting and impending conversation.
Nick turned his head slowly to look at Judy lying on her side. He could see her sides expanding and falling with each slow breath she took. Her ears were draped on the bed behind her.
He still couldn't help but smile when he saw her, no matter how much she hated his guts right now. He loved her. And he wanted nothing more than to fix this predicament.
"So listen…" Nick began.
Judy acted as if she didn't hear him, she remained silent and motionless.
Nick let out a defeated sigh "I'm sorry… Judy. I really really am." He continued, "And… I shouldn't have said those things… and I didn't mean any of it."
She shifted her body a little as she let out a very quiet sniffle. Nick wasn't sure if she was emotionally afflicted or just clearing her nose.
"And I know you're really excited to be detective and I am too… it's just…" He let out an exasperated sigh.
"It's just… I dunno, Carrots…" He scooted closer to her on the bed. Her back was still facing him.
"I guess I was just really scared of losing you again. And you just finished recovering, we just became mates, Zootopia still needs us, and… ya know…" His eyes were wandering everywhere as he tried to convey his thoughts.
"I just thought it wasn't the best time for you to just… leave." His eyes averted toward the ceiling again.
…
…
"Even now… I honestly still don't think it's a good time for you to leave, Carrots. There's just… There's so much going on here and-" He sighed again as he slowly turned to face her again.
She let out another sniffle, this time much more audible and apparent that it was accompanied by some tears.
…
…
"…that being said… I understand this decision is a big step in your career and I am crazy proud of you… So… No matter what happens whiskers… I will support you 100% of the way. No matter what. And… I'm really sorry for what happened… I wasn't thinking straight." He let out a sheepish chuckle while scratching the back of his head. "I just… I didn't want you to leave me… That's the short of it… and I'm sorry I'm so selfish. I don-I mean…" He let out yet another drawn out sigh.
"I really am a dumb fox I guess…"
…
…
"Nick…" she spoke softly.
His ears perked up as his gaze narrowed at the back of her head.
"Yeah?" he spoke in almost a gasp.
"Do…" she sniffled. "Do you know how I lost my job that time… during that whole nighthowlers mess?"
Nick's eyes widened a bit. He bit his lip and thought about it for a while, he actually didn't know the real reason.
"I thought… I don't know. I just assumed you had some conflict with the force and they fired you or someth- you never told me-"
"You never asked." She quickly but quietly interrupted.
…
Nick wasn't sure what to say as he laid there still staring at the back of her head.
Suddenly Judy spoke up again, "I lost my job… because I had quit the force, Nick."
Nick's ears flattened. What? He was thoroughly confused. Why would she quit right when she made the career changing bust? She became the shining symbol of the ZPD.
"Wh-…Why?" he asked befuddled.
Judy slowly shifted on the bed and turned around to face him. The fur around her cheeks were clearly stained with her tears, her eyes were a little red as well.
Nick gulped as he began to feel uneasy from how bad he seemed to have hurt her.
Her eyes met with his.
"I quit because…" tears began rolling down again as her voice broke a little. "I hated myself for what I did… and the suffering I caused to all the predators in Zootopia during that time… but… eventually I got over that… I knew being sad wouldn't change a thing… But I thought maybe staying out of the way would be better for everyone… At that point, I wasn't making the world a better place. I was making it worse somehow…"
Her tone was sad as she recollected the bitter beginning of her career. She scoffed at herself "…a better place…" She shook her head at her early naivety. "But then… When I met you… that's when I realized... I could do it... but I couldn't do it alone…" she lifted her head slightly to look him in the eyes.
Nick's eyes were locked onto hers. His brows were furrowed in anticipation and empathy.
She paused. Nick was just staring at her with completely undivided attention.
She sniffled. "What I couldn't get over was…" she gasped as a sob began to set in. "Was… when you left me…" her sobs intensified as she remembered that feeling under the bridge. The tears just fell out of her eyes staining not only her fur but Nick's bed.
"I thought… I-I… I didn't even know you, Nick. But… I just thought we… I just thought we connected in such a way… that I don't think I've ever felt before. We saved and changed each other's lives and… And when you left, I felt like something inside of me died a little."
Tears were now streaming down Nick's own cheeks. His heart boiling over with remorse and a stinging sensation.
"…So I left… I left thinking… Thinking Zootopia was better off without me. Thinking you'd be better off without me…" her sobs began to slow down but the tears didn't stop, her body trembled lightly from the melancholy.
Nick felt his heart cave in as it slowly slid into his stomach. And to think he said all those things to her. Nick averted his eyes toward the pillow he laid on.
…
…
"Judy…"
She was still shuddering a little from the sobbing.
He reached one paw out and gently placed it on her cheek to rub it in an attempt to comfort her. He felt her breathing calm.
He tried to apologize, "I'm sorry… I didn't kno-"
"When you said those things to me Nick… A week ago…"
He felt his heart cave in deeper.
"That hurt me in ways…" she pursed her lips as she fought the impending sob. "That hurt me in ways I couldn't even imagine... I'm sorry…" She rubbed her eyes in frustration. "You're right, I'm so dang emotional…"
Nick chuckled quietly as he tried to help her wipe a few tears.
She wiped her eyes desperately, it didn't seem to help. Old tears instantly replaced by new ones. "I didn't come back for my job, Nick. I came back cuz I knew I messed up bad. And cuz… if you hated me, I wouldn't know what to do with myself…"
Nick couldn't even look at her anymore. He felt the gut wrenching shame just churning his insides.
…
…
A minute passed before Judy looked Nick dead in his eyes again. The piercing amethyst glow from her gaze made him freeze. He was beginning to feel cold sweat. A combination of guilt, shame, and sadness swelled in his heart and mind.
"I didn't take the promotion, Nick."
His eyes widened even more.
…
It took a while for him to comprehend what she had just said.
"Wh- But… Carrots…" he stuttered.
"That's the part you didn't lemme finish before you started yelling at me… Bogo said I could defer it to the next cycle… which is about a 1 year or two depending on the ZPD's needs." Judy spoke a little more calmly at this point.
"Jud… I… I don't want to hold you bac-"
"You're not. I don't feel ready to move to a whole new metropolis for half a year yet either. I feel there's a heck of a lot more things I need to learn about Zootopia first… I mean I just got here ya know? Let alone becoming a detective at some totally unknown city!" she rationalized for him before giving him a small warm smile. "I know we should try everything… but… in time."
Nick's tears began to flow freely. "I… You're an amazing officer and I just think you should aspire toward more if given the oppurtu-"
"Nick." Her two little paws extended toward his face as she cupped his cheeks. She slowly pulled his snout in to plant a firm but gentle kiss on his lips.
Slowly, she pulled back. "You're really really important to me. And like I said under the bridge… I can't do this without you." She smiled at him once more.
Nick tried to smirk back with his trademark look. Of course his coolness at this point was lackluster at best due to the red eyes and tears, but he still managed to pull it off.
"I don't know what to say Jud..." He rubbed his face. His eyes averted to the pillow again.
...
...
Slowly, he knew what he wanted to say; what was clear as day to him. He looked up at her once more.
"I love you, Judy. I'm sorry for… for everything." He spoke in a shaky tone.
She sighed as she scooted closer to him.
"I love you too, you dumb fox… I forgive you." Nick let out a sob as he grit his teeth, the pain and relief set in simulatenously. All the tension and pressure in his chest loosened, finally this long week of misery was over.
With that, they locked in a tight embrace. She felt the storm pouring out of Nick's body as she held him tightly. For once, she was the relatively calm one.
Although total complacency may not be something Judy's willing to settle for, she learned that life sometimes requires just a little compromise and in time... things will work itself out.
In time. She smiled as she buried her head into his chest.
In time. He rested his cheek on top of her head.
Ka-Pow. Hope y'all had fun with this one. I love you. XOXOXO. Not sure when or if more is coming, I think it might be time to hang up the keyboard for a while until new ideas spring into the ol' noggin'. Anyways! Hope all your dreams and aspirations come true!