Published: January 26th 2022, 9:29:07 am
Note: This is a revision continuing a little past part 6.4. and a major 'uh oh' moment...
"I mean we’re a fox and a bunny; it’s not like we can have a baby anyway," said Nick, hunching over his Latte and knitting his brows together as he sat across from Judy in her officer's uniform. "Look," he said, holding up his phone to show her pictures of Finnick in littlespace. "Here's Finnick with his 'Wubby'. It's this blanket he carries around the house. It helps his anxiety... See? Look at this one... you've seen how he looks when he's little. So calm and happy. He never got to have that, Judy. Don't you think that everyfur deserves to have a happy childhood? Call me crazy, but-"
Judy gave him a look and held up a paw. "Stop, stop." Nick paused for a second, not daring to even breathe until she spoke again. "I'm in."
"Oh, thank good-"
"But we're going to do some things my way."
"I know, I know," said Nick. "I'm prepared to compromise."
"And of course we don't even know if he'll go for it."
"Leave that part to me, Carrots. He'll come around soon enough."
"And furthermore, you'd better stay on the straight and narrow like you said you would. It's not going to be easy, but I'm also not going to date an... *ahem* entrepreneur."
"Well, that's the other thing I wanted to talk to you about, Judy. It's no career for a new parent like myself. We must think of the children!"
Judy raised her eyebrow. "Nick... when did you get a conscience? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're going soft..."
"Not even a little bit," said Nick, grinning and flashing his fangs. "I think you of all people should know I'm not soft..."
Judy blushed as she remembered having those fangs at her throat the night before when Nick knotted her with his 'carrot'.
"Noo, you are certainly not." She fanned herself and caught her breath, blinking several times. "So anyway, loverboy. What are you going to to instead?"
"Well, I was thinking... I could..." Nick took a deep breath. Was he really ready to say this? "I was thinking I could join the Z-"
"Hold that thought," said Judy, as a voice came out of her walkie talkie.
"Uh, We've got a 10-35 on Chicory and Squawk. All available units please respond."
"10-4, 2-Adam-13 responding. Status?"
Nick's ears went back as he listened to the confusing garble of codes. He had memorized some, but only the ones that could be useful to him. He only caught about half of the conversation.
"Hey, Nick. Sorry, I gotta run. Let's talk about it some more after I get off, okay?"
"Uh, yeah. Catch you later!" Nick called after the bunny as she bounded off. "Not like it was anything important," he muttered.
Nick headed back home. Being essentially out of work meant that he had a lot of free time where he would have otherwise been following up on 'business opportunities'. It seemed that everywhere he went he saw them. He had to stop himself from hopping a bus when he stepped out and instead paid.
"What would Judy do?" he asked himself. "Great, now I have a new saying."
*****
Back at the apartment Nick found Finnick out in the common area again sipping on hot cocoa. He was dressed in his adult clothes, but Nick could still see the telltale bulge in his pants and a little peek of plastic where Finnick's shirt had ridden up.
"Hey, bud. I see you're wearin your favorite underpants. Everything okay?"
Finnick just grunted and continued staring into space.
"Good cocoa, huh? It's nice to see you out of your room," Nick began, '"I, uh... I missed ya..." He blushed slightly and looked away. Finnick's ears flicked a few times. That was something, technically.
"Look, I'm not great with this sort of thing, confessing my feelings, or whatever the crap this is. Not when I really mean it. It's all so..."
Nick waved his paws around, then dropped his arms and sighed. Finnick's ears flicked again. He was clearly listening, so Nick pressed on.
"Listen... I'm really sorry about last night. It's been a long time since I let myself feel anything for... anyone, and now, I've got two people at once in my life. I don't know how to handle these things delicately. There's nothing in the grifter's playbook for this one."
Finnick sipped his cocoa. It was the only sound and movement in the room as Nick's statement hung in the air like a dead weight. Nick looked down at his paws
"And, listen, I'm going to try and be around more often. Maybe take it more easy on the business side of things and we can just hang out, like when we did at the hotel. Hey, by the way, we haven't gone out for ice cream a while..." Nick paused. "Oh, come on, you're not going to make me choose, are you?"
Finnick looked down into his cocoa. "Look, Nick. It's okay with me, whatever you've got goin on with Officer Hopps. And, I shouldnt'a said the things I did about preyfolk like that... even though we both know that they'll never really understand what we go through... uhh... shut up, Finnick, just let it go," he mumbled to himself, staring down his snout for just a moment. "I just want to know one thing, Nick..."
"What's that?" asked Nick.
"You ain't going straight, are ya?"
"Never in a million years," said Nick, ruffling Finnick's head fur. Finnick let a little giggle escape as Nick did so. "And you're not growing up, are ya?"
Finnick's ears went back but his tail was wagging furiously. "N-no... hhh... I guess not..."
"Good. Then that's settled. Now go get on your toot toot suit and let's get us some yum yums, buddy!"
"Okay, Daddy," said Finnick, hopping down off the couch and waddling back to his room.
*****
Finnick was very happy that Nick had started to make time for him, and Nick was relieved that the little guy was getting back to his normal adorable self - at least when no one else was around. However, that all changed shortly after when Finnick decided to do something nice for Nick and wash and Iron his clothes.
"That fox probably hasn't ironed a thing in his life," said Finnick, shaking his head as he gathered up Nick's laundry from the various places he had draped it in the living room. Nick was known for his crumpled outfits as much as he was for his casual demeanor. Finnick, in contrast, took very careful care of his clothes, even the baby clothes that he called his 'business attire'. Especially the baby clothes he called his business attire.
"Now how long has it been since he's washed these," Finnick asked himself as he reached for Nick's favorite pants, which were draped over the radiator. As he lifted the pants away, he heard a sudden clatter on the ground.
"What the.."
He picked it up and recognized it as his old pacifier.
"What the fuck is this?"
-Written by ChampTehOtter