A half an hour of driving now put them in The Canals Districts; A place she had only been a handful of times. The ZPD didn't usually deal in The Canals, instead it had it's own division called The Zootopia Coast Guard comprised of mostly aquatic mammals to police the waters.
“The Beavers' Den?” Judy asked, the building in front of them sat off the coast, floating on the water, the only thing keeping it connected to the land was a sturdy wooden bridge. The entire building was made of logs, and it looked more akin to a big pile than an actual building. The only things giving away that it wasn't was the door at it's front and the big sign above it.
“Yeah, they have the best fish in all of Zootopia,” Nick replied, smiling at her devilishly, before unbuckled his seat belt and climbing out of the car.
“You're not gonna make me eat fish are you?!” Judy exclaimed, quickly vacating the car in order to catch up with him, “Rabbits are vegetarians! We don't eat meat!”
“You said anything,” Nick responded nonchalantly, walking over and holding the door open for the rabbit, “If I remember correctly, meat is included in anything.”
“Fine. I'll try your fish,” she grumbled, walking past him and into the building. The insides were rather dark, all the light coming from dim chandlers over the tables. On the inside it looked like any other restaurant.
“Come along, Carrots,” Nick said, before took the rabbit's hand and led her off to the left side of the restaurant, past a few empty booths and a few occupied ones, only to arrive at a booth in the very back corner of the restaurant.
Nick took the side next to the wall, resting his rear on the cushioned wooden both, and Judy did the same across from him. It was strange for her to be able to see over the table without standing, or a booster seat, but The Beavers' Den appeared to be tailored more for the smaller mammals.
“Hey Marcy. What's up?” Nick greeted as an older female beaver wearing an apron came their way.
“Nick Wilde it's been too damn long!” She exclaimed, taking out her notepad and scribbling something down, before continuing, “I'm not up to much, just running a restaurant,” The beaver finally looked over and noticed Judy, “Who's this pretty young gal?”
“Marcy this is my partner, Carrots. Carrots this is our waitress, Marcy,”
“It's actually Judy,” She corrected, glaring at the fox, “Nick just can't seem to just call people by their actual names.”
Marcy laughed, “Yeah, I know what you mean; It's actually Marceline. He's been calling me Marcy for years. So what will you have to drink dear?”
Judy started to pick up the menu but was stopped by the fox, who then answered, “Just get her what I always get.”
“Alright I'll be right back with that,” said the beaver, writing something else on the notepad before leaving.
“I'm quaking in fear about what you just ordered me,” Judy remarked, only half joking.
“Trust me Carrots. It's not like I ordered you meat juice, or liquified fish or something... You'll like it. I promise. Now look and see what you want to eat.”
“I thought you were going to me get fish.”
“Whatever I decide to make you eat comes later,” Nick responded, “You haven't eaten all day, so order something you like.”
At that moment her stomach rumbled, the mere mention of the time since her last meal seeming to kick start her appetite, and she grabbed one of the menus. The menu wasn't very extensive—at least not in the regards of vegetables—at the very bottom of the right page was a small section titled “Herbivores” with a very sparse selection containing salads, sandwiches, and a few vegetarian pizzas.
“Here you kids go,” Marceline said a few minutes later, emptying her serving tray of two glasses, placing one of them in front of the fox and one in front of the rabbit, before pulling out a green crazy straw for each, “Two chocolate milkshakes, with crazy straws.”
“Thanks,” The two murmured in unison, Judy looked over at Nick to see that he was already voraciously slurping the liquid up and around in the straw and into his mouth, and brought the straw to her mouth as well and her tongue was quickly greeted with the sudden bliss of chocolate, something she didn't often have, and she sipped it down greedily.
“Hey dear, what do you want?”
Judy abruptly took her mouth from the straw, allowing a few drips to escape the straw and meet the polished wood table, before answering, “I'll take a small vegetable pizza.”
“Coming right up, hon.” And with that the beaver was off again.
“Crazy straws...” Judy mused aloud, smirking at the fox, while her hand grazing the curved plastic tube resting in the cup.
“It's kind of a tradition, Carrots,” Nick explained, taking a quick sip before continuing, “Something happened a long time ago, and now I always come here and drink chocolate milkshakes through really impractical straws.”
“What happened though, Nick?” Judy inquired.
Nick sighed, his usual smug face now sullen, “Judy… when you're a fox in Zootopia you're always guilty, even when you're not. I remember the first time I came to this place. In fact, I sat down at this very table. In the back away from everyone hoping not to be noticed; hoping to avoid the all the remarks that would come with it. When Marcy came over to take my order, I was prepared for her to spew the venom everyone else seemed to, but she didn't. She showed me nothing less than kindness, and I found myself coming here a few times a week, sometimes even everyday.”
The fox stopped for a moment to take a drink, before continuing, “There was this one afternoon I came in here thoroughly pissed. I spent the entire night before in a cold, damp, dark jail cell, because I was walking in front of a store that got robbed, and some prejudiced cop decided that I must have been involved; You know fox and all. They watched the security tape and let me out the next morning. I didn't get any apology, or anything, just a few smirks from some of the officers, and a 'Stay out of trouble, you fucking thief' from the cop who walked me out.
Marcy could see something was wrong, so she took a seat across from me, and wouldn't leave until I told her. She was shocked and outraged, and cussing under her breath, the maddest I've ever seen her. She did eventually get up, and came back a few minutes later with a chocolate milkshake, crazy straw included, and told me, 'Drink up. Chocolate makes everything better.' so I did, and it did, and now I always get one when I come here.”
Judy smiled at him, reaching her hand across the table and touching his, “If anyone has a problem with you being a fox when I'm around then I'll kick some sense into them.”
Nick engulfed her smaller hand in his, and smiled back at her, “and if I'm ever around when someone dares to call you cute—which you are—then I'll show them how savage predators can be.”
Nick picked up his glass and held it towards her, “A toast to you, and me, and chocolate milkshakes.”
“You, and me, but mostly chocolate milkshakes,” She corrected, tapping her glass to his.
“Just chocolate milkshakes,” They both pulled their cups away, fishing for the straw with their mouths and sipping away
A few minutes passed before Marcy came back, two platters in hand, setting one down in front of the fox and one in front of the bunny. Nick inhaled deeply, the smell of deep fried catfish making his mouth salivate, not wasting a moment before cutting away at it with a fork and taking chunk after chunk into his mouth.
“You'd thank fried catfish would get old after 15 years,” Marcy muttered, before turning to Judy, “Need anything else, dear?”
“No, I think we're good.” Judy politely responded, before separating a piece of pizza from the rest and taking a bite out of it. It was good, really good; reminiscent of her days at BunnyBurrows. Zootopia had taken a bit of the rabbit out of her, trading fresh vegetables for whatever fast food restaurants saw fit to feed her, but this was different, or at least felt that way. Judy made quick work of her first piece, and soon had another slowly being mutilated by her buckteeth.
“Hey give me a piece of your fish, so I can get this deal over with,” Judy requested, taking a break from her pizza after having eaten half of it.
“No no no no, Carrots.” Nick responded, “I'd rather die than share this with anyone, even you, and I'm not making you eat this… the something comes later.” Judy sighed, and picked up another piece, thinking about all the more terrible things he may intend for her to eat.
“Hey Marcy!” Nick yelled to the beaver, both their plates now more or less empty, and Judy still fearing the substance soon to grace her taste buds. Marcy quickly showed up, and Nick leaned over close whispering something in her, she looked over at Judy for a moment before responding, “Coming right up.”
“Carrots, close your eyes,” Nick ordered, two small plates covered by bowls now sat on the table making Judy feel that much more uneasy.
“Fine,” Judy responded, the world around her soon disappearing to be substituted by her inner eye lids. The sounds of clanging bowls and scrapping forks making the experience that much worse.
“Open up.”
Judy obliged, separating her jaws and wait. When the fork made contact with her bottom teeth, she closed her lips around it and allowed the substance on it to fall to her tongue. She was surprised, expecting something greasy, rancid, or outright disgusting, but instead found it to be a pleasant sweet taste. Judy opened her eyes to see a small piece of pie sitting in front of her, and her sneaky friend watching her, rather amused, while eating his own piece.
“It's good isn't it?” Nick asked, bring his fork down and taking a large chunk of it to deliver to his mouth, before indulging he added, “Best blueberry pie in all of Zootopia.”
“It is pretty good,” She admitted, then a slightly angry look came over her, “but it's not fair. I made you eat something you didn't think you'd like, and you give me something you know I do.”
“There was never a rule that you had to be opposed to eating it,” Nick explained, “I never wanted to make you eat meat, it was just fun deceiving you.”
“You're a jerk,” Judy retorted only to take another bite.
___________________________________________________________
It didn't feel like it should be night already, it felt like she only woke up a few hours ago, but the darkening hues of the horizon proved otherwise. Judy laid her head against the window, and watched everything pass by her, never really having the opportunity to do so when she drove. The car pulled into the familiar parking lot that was to her awful ratty apartment,
“Hey Carrots, you're home,” Nick said as he pulled into an empty spot closest to the that he could find.
Judy stretched her arms high as she yawned, only to lower them to unbuckle her seat belt, “Thanks for taking me out.”
“I'm glad I did,” He responded, “I've wanted to take you there for a long time, but I never really had a good opportunity, it being all the way out in The Canals and all.”
Judy smiled at him, “Maybe we can start going there together every now and then”
“I'd like that.”
Judy reached for the handle of the car, murmured, “Good night, Nick.” only to be stopped by Nick's hand on her shoulder.
“Wait a second, Carrots,” Nick said, his other hand holding something in his pocket, “I got you something for putting up with me for an entire year.”
“Putting up with you is something I've come to enjoy,” Judy replied, “Now what is it?”
Nick removed his hand from his pocket revealing a long cylindrical orange object, that the rabbit could immediately identify. Judy took the pen from him, and let it rest in her hands, “Thanks for my pen back, giving me something that was already mine… brilliant Nick.”
“Hit play, smart ass.”
She brought her small finger to the button and pressed it gently. The device came to life with sound the voice of the fox coming over the speaker, “I'm a dumb fox.” Judy smiled at the fox and pressed the button again, a few more times actually.
“This was a terrible idea,” Nick muttered, only to smile big and bright at the bunny, “You better be careful with that, Carrots. You'll never hear me say it again.”
Judy hit the button again, grinning at him, “You never have to say it again.”
Nick groaned, already regretting it, “Goodnight Judy. If you care about me, you'll leave before you drive me insane.”
“Goodnight Nick,” She replied, starting to open the door, only to stop and turn to hug the fox. It didn't take the fox long to return the hug, wrapping his arms around her, and pulling the small mammal against him. Having her so close to him leaving him unusually flustered, and making him realize that he'd call himself any insult to be played back for her amusement, just to be able to hold her like this.
Judy melted into the fox's chest, unconsciously inhaling his aroma. The abrasive smell taking over her nostrils and making her body tremble, all while bringing her mind the utmost comfort. In the time she had grown to know Nick Wilde she had became a vixen in a rabbit's skin, coming to admire all the qualities that made him a fox; his strong aroma, long tail, pointy ears, orange fur, and oversized muzzle, to name a few. Those were the qualities she now associated with love, and Nick wore them perfectly.
“I'm gonna have to go soon,” Judy murmured, her head still pressed firmly against his chest.
“I know, Carrots,” Nick responded, loosening his hold but not outright releasing her.
Judy reluctantly pulled away, meeting eyes with the fox, and smiling, while he did the same. Both of them tempted to go farther, but shyness and insecurities allowed her to walk into her apartment building and to her room, and allowed him to let her.
