Author: Jeremy McLaughlin

Chapter Five
Home, Sweet...Nope

	Once Finnick's van was out of sight Judy looked at Nick, who was still watching the direction the van went. His eyebrows were cocked, lips drawn tight. Was he mad at Finnick for some reason? Judy rested her hand to his chest, causing him to look down at her, startled.
	“So you live around here?”
	Nick's face softened, he cleared his throat trying to act more like his usual cool self. “Uhm, yeah. It's actually only a few blocks from here.”
	“Really, I don't think I've ever been to your place.”
	“No one goes there except for me and the cockroaches.” Nick chuckled starting across the parking lot in the direction of where they parked. “Come on, I'll walk you back to your car.”
	“No.”
	Nick turned on his heels in a fluid motion, walking backwards away from her. “What? Are you going to walk all the way home?”
	“No.” Judy started walking after him.
	“Feel free to fill me in whenever, Carrots.”
	“I want to see your house.”
	Nick stumbled over a parking block, falling on his backside in the grass. “What? No...I...”
	Judy knelt down next to him resting his hand on his shoulder. “Come on, you've been to my place a dozent times. It's a run down hole in the wall.”
	“Well my place is like...the run down hole in the wall after nuclear fallout.”
	Judy giggled and shook her head, her ears flopping around like an out of control ponytail. Nick just stared at her for a long moment. His eyes wide, his mouth hanging open slightly. Judy could almost hear the gears in his head grinding away, but couldn't read his face well enough to know what he was thinking. It was that mysterious feature the fox had that made every meeting with him more exciting each time. It was easy to see him in a different light. From the things he did to help her during the Otterton case. The way he stood up for her when Bogo ordered her to return her badge. The way he opened up to her about his past. Nick was something special to behold. And now with the things that Finnick told her. Did Nick really feel for her, or maybe the little fox was just messing with her. Still the prospect excited her.
	“Nick, you're taking me to your place tonight whether you like it or not.”
	“Yeah, I know.”
	Judy helped Nick to his feet, keeping a hold on his hand as the crossed the street together. She half expected him to try to shake free from her grip, but instead they walked hand in hand around the corner and down the alleyway. The alley was made narrower by all the garbage and debris piled along the walls. Luckily it was well-lit so Judy could see almost all the way to the other side. Still the overhead lights did cast shadows. Whenever she passed on it cause her spine to tingle, forcing her to grip Nick's hand harder.
	“Are you cold?”
	Nick's question cause her ears to lay back against her head, it left her puzzled for a moment why he would ask.
	“You're trembling.”
	Judy bit her bottom lips, she'd not noticed that she was, until he pointed it out. Even though it was slight, it was still noticeable. Maybe she was more scared than she thought, but she knew she could very well admit that to the fox.
	“Oh, yeah, I guess I am.”
	Nick unbuttoned his yellow shirt, slipping it down from his shoulders leaving him in just a white tank top. Judy's eyes went wide, watching him. Nick had never been shy about his body, at least not that she'd ever seen, but seeing him remove any article of clothing made her blush. In a smooth motion Nick wrapped the shirt across her shoulders. The fabric was thin and didn't seem to keep much of the cold out, but it was warm from his body and smelled sweet from his familiar body wash. Instead of keeping her from trembling, the sentiment only made her tremble more.
	“Thanks for the shirt. If you get cold let me know, I'll give it back.”
	“No problem.”
	Nick slowed his pace when reached an offshoot to the left. It was a much tighter fit and void of any light source. The noxious smell of wet garbage wafted from somewhere down the corridor. It burned in Judy's nose, causing her stomach to churn. She covered her muzzle with the collar of Nick's shirt. His anti musk spray covered the smell almost instantly, but cause her heart to speed up. The shirt was so drenched with all the different scents that made up Nick, it was intoxicating.
	“I live just here.” Nick stopped at a narrow brown door, fishing his keys from his pocket.
	The corridor was so narrow that when Nick opened his door it hit the other wall. Nick stepped over the raised door frame and down into the entryway of the main room. Judy followed, catching her foot on the way over. She tripped, falling down a step into Nick's back, almost sending them both sprawling in the dark.
	“Sorry, I should have warned you.” Nick huffed a laugh.
	Judy smiled at his playful tone. “Who designed this place?”
	“Moles, I think.”
	Nick flipped the light switch on. It filled the main room with a warm light. Judy squinted at the new brightness that abruptly filled her vision. She could hear Nick closing the door behind her, locking the door, not once but a few times.
	Once her eyes adjusted to the light she watched Nick drop his keys and wallet in a bowl sitting on a small three-legged table. The bowl was set perfectly on the table to keep it balanced. The first thing Judy noticed was the pipes hanging down from the ceiling. Some were lower than others, some painted green, others painted red. Nick managed to decorate them with posters, planters, and other knickknacks, so they weren't such eyesores. One of the thinner pipes hung low enough to hang his clothes from. Judy smiled when she saw a row of Nick's clean and pressed uniform hanging there.
	To the left of the clothes was a kitchenette set off to the side of the main room. It was bare bones at best, just a stove, refrigerator, and a sink set into a small counter top. There were a few tiny cabinets along the wall above the counters, with two larger ones below.
	The living room was the same as the kitchen, just as bare bones. A couch, that was old even by old standards. A coffee table covered in newspapers and magazines. An end table with a lamp that looked older than Nick. A large picture tube television that doubled as a television stand for a much newer model set on top of it.
	“As you may have guessed, Fluff. This is where all the action happens. I cook my quick meals in the kitchen. I sit and eat them in front of the boob tube, emphasis on boob.” Nick pointed at a lead pipe hanging out of the far wall. “This is my gym. I iron my clothes on this...uhm...piece of wood I found.”
	“There's so many plants down here.” Judy walked up to a tall fern in the corner of the room, the vines hung down, lush and green.
	“Yeah, I hang 'em high so they can get the strip of sunlight that shines through. They're an important part of my happiness.”
	“That's so sweet.”
	“Nope, it's just the only way to get rid of the mildew smell.”
	Nick disappeared through a doorway on the other wall. Judy rushed to catch up to him. It was Nick's bedroom, his inner sanctum. It was also the place where a hoarder would hide all his stuff. Judy was pleasantly surprised to find it fairly clean. With the exception of a few boxes stacked against the wall, the clutter on top of his dresser, and his unmade queen sized bed.
	“I would have cleaned up a bit, but I never have company over, so shame on me, right?”
	“So this is the secret fox den of Nicholas P. Wilde, huh?”
	“Yep.”
	Judy opened the top drawer of the dresser, watching Nick to gauge his reaction. He just smirked at her, his lidded eyes remaining indifferent. Wads of boxers and underwear were just thrown into the drawer. Nothing was neat or tidy, but at least they weren't on the floor. Something in the drawer glinted from the low light of the bedroom. When she reached for it, Nick took her hand.
	They shared a look, a guilty feeling twinged in her stomach. “Sorry.”
	“Nah, it's cool. I don't know what came over me.”
	Judy pulled the item out. It was a picture frame with the back leg broken off. The glass was smudged and dirty, but she could see the picture well enough. A tall vixen, beautiful even by fox standards stood next to a shorter male fox that looked exactly like Nick. Same lidded eyes, same smirk on his lips. The only difference was this fox had amber eyes.
	“My mom and dad. This was taken when they were just dating. If you look close, you can see me.”
	Judy looked up at Nick and then back to picture, her eyes scanning every inch of it, but she couldn't find him anywhere. “I don't-”
	“It's like a game, you gotta look harder.”
	Again Judy looked, but just shook her head. “I guess I'm not very good at this game.”
	“No one ever is.” Nick chuckled, he placed his finger to the belly of his mother. “Right there.”
	Under the lemon yellow tie-died shirt was a small baby bump. It was almost impossible to notice until it was pointed out. Judy smiled excitedly and looked up at him.
	“Your first baby picture.”
	“Only...I made sure of that. Burned the rest.”
	“No you didn't! Did you?”
	“No, my mom has them.”
	“Your mom...where is she?”
	Nick rubbed the back of his neck taking the picture from her. “Come, I'll show you were the bathroom is.”
	“Nick.” Judy took his hand. “We keep playing this game, but you know I'm not going to give up until I know everything about you. You might as well just tell me.”
	“Maybe someday, Carrots. There are parts of me I don't like and until I'm sure you like me for who I am now, I don't want you to know the past me.”
	“But I do like you.” Judy pushed her head into his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist. “You're my best friend.”
	“Friend.” Nick whispered before he could stop himself. He hugged her close for a long moment, before pulling away.
	“Alright, Officer, it's time to get you back to your vehicle, we don't want you breaking curfew. God knows I don't want to disappoint your father.” Nick pulled from the hug, slipping the picture back into his underwear drawer before closing it.
	“I want to stay here tonight.”
	Nick halted, craning his neck around to look at her. “What?”
	“I would really like to sleep over. You'll hardly notice me, I don't take up much space at all. You know I'm clean so I won't stink you out.”
	“I don't-”
	“Please Nick, we can stay up late and talk about boys.”
	“Oh, in that case... Really though, I snore, I might do lewd things in my sleep that I'm not aware of. I don't want tomorrow to be awkward because I groped you.”
	“If it'll make you feel more comfortable, I'll sleep on the couch.”
	Nick took a deep breath, sighing it out. “No, I'll sleep on the couch. You deserve to sleep in the bed.”
	“But it's your-”
	“Okay, Fluff, If you're staying here then you're sleeping in the bed, my house my rules.”
	Judy's fists shook excitedly as she jumped up and down. “Oh my goodness, this is so exciting I get to bunk with my favorite mammal ever.”
	“Alright, take it down a notch, spaz.” Nick teased beckoning her to the door across the room. “This is the bathroom. Help yourself to anything in here, consider this place your home. I don't have a spar toothbrush however, so make the judgment call when it comes around.”
	“Thank you so much. This is going to be fun.”
	“Word of warning, I might leave the seat up in the middle of  night. Just don't hate me if you fall in.”
	Judy laughed. “Oh, I will, but I'll be sure to repress it so it builds up.”
	“Follow me to the kitchen. Food and drink in the fridge, check the expiration date first.”
	“Eww, I mean good.”
	“There's also beer if you like.”
	“I don't drink.”
	“Shocker...we should alert the press.”
	Judy gave him a solid punch in the shoulder. “Hey now, I am a wild and crazy bunny.”
	“No, I'm a Wilde. You're just a crazy bunny.”
	“Ugh, I've changed my mind. I'm going home.”
	Nick reached for her putting a hand on her hip. Judy blushed at the feeling of his gentle touch. They looked at each other for a split second. It was enough to send them stepping away, very aware of how embarrassing they were acting. Another hot blush ran through Judy's long ears, she watched Nick rub the back of his neck trying to recover.
	“So, yeah. I'm glad you're letting me stay here, Nick.”
	“Me too.” Nick walked to the door into the living room.
	“Nick, you don't have a change of cloth I can wear do you?”
	“No, I don't make it a habit to wear women clothing.”
	“You're full of 'em tonight.”
	“Yeah, it's just a way to cover up how nervous and self-conscious I am about having you crash at my crib.”
	Judy paused, her hand resting against her chest. “Are you really, nervous about having me here?”
	“Nah, what? No, shush now. I think Finnick left some of his clothes in the bottom drawer.”
	“Finnick stays here sometimes?”
	“Did, a long time ago before he bought that van.”
	Nick bent down pulling out the bottom drawer. Inside was a toddler mattress and a pillow. There were clean bed sheets and blanket thrown in on top as well as a few articles of clothes. Judy picked up a pair of stretchy basketball shorts and a baggy shirt with the purple silhouette of an elephant on it. The words 'I Love 'em Wide' scrawled underneath.
	“I think those might fit you, Carrots.”
	“Gotta love Finnick's honesty.” Judy giggled as she lay them at the bottom of Nick's bed.
	Judy slipped the borrowed shirt off, laying it out across the top of the dresser. She watched Nick squirm out of the corner of her eye as she unbuttoned her shirt. Pulling her arms through the sleeves as she slid it down her arms into her waiting hands. She tossed it on the bed. Judy felt her heart start beating faster, the remaining blush in her ears heating up again. She was still wearing a sports bra that was nothing more than a short cut tank top. This was the most exposed she'd ever been around Nick and knowing that he was watching her made it hard to keep from covering up.
	“Did you want some privacy?”
	“Well, I'm not getting naked. I assume you've seen a female in underwear before.”
	Nick stood dumbfounded for a moment, his own ears looking a little pinker inside than usual. “I'm going to make some coffee, would you like some?”
	“Hang on and I'll join you.”
	Judy pushed her jeans down over her hips, hitching her panties up. Quickly she pull on Finnick's shorts. They were small, but the stretchy fabric made them feel more like bicycle shorts. A fitting thing to wear for bed, even if it was the only thing Nick had lying around. A laugh escaped her as she fought to put Finnick's shirt on. It was barely bigger than sports bra she wore. In a last-minute decision she pulled the shirt off, putting on Nick's much larger button up shirt back on. When she finished buttoning it up she turned to look at Nick, who was white as a sheet.
	“You alright, partner?”
	“Yeah, you look-”
	“Ridiculous.”
	“Cute.”
	“You know I hate that word. I only let you say it to me because I like you. Let's go have some coffee.”
	They walked to the kitchen, Nick let her go first, explaining himself. “There's just one problem, no coffee. I lied because I was really self-conscious about watching you change.”
	“Do I have to keep reminding you, we're friend, Nick. We should be able to be more relaxed around each other.” Judy flopped down on the couch, feeling the coarse fabric against her legs.
	Nick mumbled something under his breath before heading to the refrigerator to grab a couple of drinks. Judy turned the television on, finding a music station that was playing some upbeat pop music. When Nick returned, he held out a bottle to her. To her surprise, it was carrot juice. She shot him a sly look, her gaze following him as he flopped down next to her.
	“You hate carrot juice, were you planning on having me over to your place at some point.”
	“Yeah, I wanted to ask you something. It's...nothing really, I can't even remember what it was.”
	“Well, when you remember, let me in on it. I don't care if I'm at home, work, or taking a shower. Call me up and let's talk it out.”
	“What if you're on the toilet?”
	“Nope, won't work for me. There are some thing's partners shouldn't know about each other.”
	“My sentiments exactly. Alright, Floppsy, you have the remote. Control our destiny.”
	“You ever seen Paw and Order?”
	“Nope.”
	“It's great show. They usually marathon it on one of the...there it is.”
	“I don't know any of these characters, how am I suppose to be...hey is that lady dead?”
	“Yep.”
	“What happened to her?”
	“You'll just have to find out won't you.” Judy spoke in a sneaky tone that pushed Nick to lean closer to the screen.

	When the credits rolled on the final episode of the marathon, Nick turned the television off. Judy was out cold next to him, bundled in a blanket with her head resting on his chest. She was close enough he could smell her, feel her body heat. A smile slid along his muzzle as he gave her head a soft kiss, relieved that she didn't stir. It was dark in the room, the only light source coming from the doorway to the bedroom. Slowly, as if she were already on the verge of waking up, he got to his feet.
	Nick hurried into the bedroom, clearing some of the clutter from the bed before pulling back the comforter and top sheet. He turned the light on in the bathroom so he could shut the bedroom light off. He didn't want to risk waking Judy up more they he would when he carried her to bed.
	Nick stepped back into the main room. He was greeted by Judy's soft snore. It brought a chuckle from him as he thought how even her snoring was cute. Nick leaned down over the back of the couch, scooping her up in his arms.
	“I'm going to pick you up, Carrots.”
	Judy stirred at the sound of his voice, a whispered 'okay' slipped from her lips. Nick lifted her gently as if she was the most precious thing he'd ever see – which, in fact, she was – he cradled her to his chest. She was heavier than she looked. Beneath her soft fur lay hard earned muscles that Nick had only felt briefly in hugs. Judy whispered his name in a fond musing, her fingers curling into his chest fur.
	Nick stopped moving, waiting for her to settle again before carrying her through the doorway to the bedroom. He laid her out on the bed. Instinctively, Judy rolled on her side, hugging the pillow to her face. One hand blindly groped for the covers but stopped once Nick covered her over. He was awarded by a soft moaning sigh, a slight smile on the bunny's lips.
	Nick went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and get changed. His pajama pants were still bunched up on the back of the toilet. Quickly he pulled them on before returning to his bedroom. Judy stayed exactly where he left her, snoring softly in whatever dreamworld she visited. He wondered what she was dreaming about, it must have been something special because she seemed peaceful.
	The bed squeaked in protest as he crawled in to lay next to Judy, making sure to sleep on top of the covers. Nick hugged his other pillow, laying so he could watch Judy's shoulders rise and fall in time with her breathing. There was an overwhelming urge to touch her, to pull her close, but knew it wouldn't be right.
	“Judy, I have something I want to tell you.”
	When Judy responded, with a halfhearted moan. Nick felt his heart thump louder in his chest. He let a moment pass, waiting for Judy to say something else, but she slept peacefully. Must have just been responding to the sound of his voice. 
	Nick cleared his throat, trying to keep his voice as low as possible. “Do you sleep in the nude?”
	“On Tuesday, I think.”
	Nick wrapped his hand around his muzzle to catch the laugh that was trying to escape. It was so cute how tired Judy was. He never would have pegged her as a sleep talker. All joking aside, Nick had something serious he wanted to discuss with her.
	“Judy, you're the greatest mammal I've ever met. I find myself always thinking about you. I want you to know how much I care for you. I'm sure I'm not the type of male you're looking for, but I want to be. I really need your help, how do I get through to you?”
	“Carrot cake.”
	“Yeah, carrot cake. I guess that would fix things between us.”
	Nick's heart stopped when Judy rolled over pushing her body tightly to him. Her face lightly brushing the fur at his chest. A low moan escaped her lips. Nick smiled, despite the bristle of fur that ran up his back. He laid his arm around her. They'd cuddled before, but this felt different.
	“I love you, Judy.”
	“I love you...Nick.”
	Hearing Judy whisper those sweet words made him feel warm all over. It was impossible to tell if she even knew what she was saying but it sounded so beautiful coming from her lips. Nick leaned in planting a kiss on the top of her head.
	“Good night.”
	“Monkey bread.”
	This time Nick couldn't help but let loose a breathy laugh against the top of her head. Another moan shifted from her lips before she drifted back to sleep. It wasn't long after that, that Nick joined her. He'd fought as long as he could, not wanting this moment to end, but couldn't last any longer.