And now, the written version of the entire chapter. Enjoy!
Judy kept looking at him like she expected him to collapse at any moment. Even when he raised his paw to bang on the shadowed side door to the large, flashy building, trying and failing to ignore the pain it caused. He didn’t think anything was broken, this time, but it didn’t mean he still couldn’t feel every bruise where the bullets had impacted on his jacket. Luckily, SMGs tended to be low caliber or the damage could have been much worse.
He hadn’t carried her far, only taking her far enough to ensure that they weren’t being followed before setting her back on her own two paws. The impulse to carry her, which she had weakly protested before resting her head on his shoulder, had been quickly overridden by the fact that his ribs ached and catching breath became harder. Luckily, they’d happened upon a taxi dropping off a pair of water buffalo and after offering the driver triple the fare to turn off his ‘on duty’ sign, were on their way.
Their destination was the only place he was sure they would be safe for the night, at least. He knew it wasn’t the end of it, given the number of attackers and how well equipped they’d been, but he also knew that no one was going to attack Fin’s place. He catered to too many clients that held power in the city, be it political, criminal, or purely financial. Wild Times was also the only establishment of its kind allowed by the Administrator and while this didn’t necessarily mean it was under her protection, not many were willing to risk that it wasn’t under her eye.
Not that Finnick didn’t have protection of his own, which was made apparent when the metal door marked ‘Staff Only’ cracked open. He and the bunny both looked up. And further up to the male lion who peeked through the opening, his eyes scanning high for a few seconds before dropping low until he spotted the two of them.
“Hey, Don,” Nick said easily, the amber eyes of the big cat moving over him for a moment before he heard a low grunt, and another click before the door swung open fully. The lion, predictably, was wearing the jeans and a dark T-shirt that was typical of a bouncer. Though Nick also knew that he had a gun tucked into a holster at his back, since he was the one who watched over the girl’s dressing room. “The big guy in?”
“Yeah,” the lion rumbled in reply as his eyes moved between the two of them, confusion and concern marking his broad features for a moment before he waved the two of them forward. “He’s out front with the boss lady. Business hours, you know. We expecting company? Need me to get the other guys?”
“I don’t think so,” Nick replied as he took the invitation, his paw moving to Judy’s shoulder as he led her down the hallway even as she offered a grateful, if weak, smile to the huge predator. After a few steps, he reconsidered and glanced over his shoulder. “Just make sure to keep that door locked and have everyone keeping their eye out for wolves. Frisk them if you have to.”
“You got it,” he replied and slipping one paw into his pocket, produced and tapped speed dial on his phone.
Nick was already leading the bunny further down the hallway, towards the familiar beat and vibration of the music that always filled the place. Stepping out into the main floor during business hours never ceased to overwhelm his senses. The heavy base of the music, the multiple hues of light that varied from flashing lights over the dance stages to the more reserved lights for the private booths that were all around the arena shaped brothel, the scents of males and females in various stages of lust all around. Mammals of all shapes and sized milled around, many of them already paired up with a girl or male of their choosing for the evening. Whether or not anything happened beyond that was the girls choice, as was the rule of the house, but the males all came to try their luck.
More notable to Nick in the midst of all this was the small figure standing on his perch on top of the circular bar at the center of everything with the large lioness in a blue sequin dress sitting in a stool beside him. The mismatch of their size didn’t fool anyone around as to who oversaw the place. The diminutive fox had his eyes on everything and everyone, large ears, and dark amber eyes that were alert for even the slightest sign of trouble being caused to the females under his employ. An unwanted paw on a rump? A hand slipping to far between slim legs before the girl was ready? A drunk male getting a little too pushy? It was the eyes of the small fox in black and tan causal-wear and fingerless gloves on his paws that everyone was aware of.
Him and his bat. Which was why those occurrences were so notably rare.
Given the volume of the music, Nick knew that there was no sound that drew the attention from the lord of Wild Time to them, no matter how big those ears were. A movement out of the corner of his eye, maybe, taking note of someone leaving the back when all of the girls were already out on the floor or with clients. Whatever it was, the sharp eyed fox was quick to focus his attention on the two of them. There was even the flash of the smaller male’s teeth in a grin when he saw that Nick was shirtless and that the bunny was wearing his coat. It only last for a moment, though, when he saw the obvious of their state of being.
Then Finnick’s eyes narrowed considerably as he took measure of them both. Nick was certain that he was looking about as fresh as day old meat on a hot sidewalk, and the nervous glances from the bunny at his side had little to do with the business of jovial sexuality going on all around them. This set the small male on alert quickly, which had him slamming tapping the front of his bat on the bar lightly to get the attention of the bartender and the lioness beside him.
“Bar’s closed,” he announced in that oddly gravelly voice of his, casting a look at the wild dog behind the bar with a jerk of his head. “Get everyone off the counters. We’ll sent waitresses out for the rest of the night. Help him out, baby.”
Zira, at first frowning because of the sudden closer of the bar – which would slow the flow of liquor money for the night – was soon frowning for another reason when she caught sight of the pair making their way towards them. Her dark lips pursed for a moment as her ears flicked, followed by a curt nod as she stood to sway her way around the bar to start shooing away the mammals that leaned and sat around it. Thankfully, given that everyone who entered Wild Times knew that there was no arguing with the owner, it only took a moment before they were as alone as they were going to get.
“I look at you, Nick, walking in here shirtless and looking like you’ve been through a war,” he began as he walked along the top of the bar to meet them with the bat on his shoulder. “Then I see Law Buns beside you, wearing your jacket and sticking to you like a horny tiger to a striped ass. In my head, just for a second, I want to think that all my dreams have come true. That you had a savage quicky in the parking lot before slipping in through the back to celebrate the loss of stupidity preventing one or the other of you from tapping the massive keg of tension you’re carrying between you. It would explain the lack of clothes on both your parts, and if this bunny is the dynamo I think she’ll be, would explain why you look like you just went three rounds with a rampaging elephant.”
Now standing over them when they reached the edge of the bar, the smaller male had no reaction to Nick’s narrowed eyes as he crouched down onto his haunches over them with a shake of his head as amber held to annoyed green eyes.
“But you never make my dreams come true, do you, Nick?” he finished, sounding more annoyed than concerned as he stretched the bat forward to boop the end against Nick’s nose. “So, what the hell happened and why did you bring it to my bar during business hours?”
“Later,” Nick replied, his eyes narrowed to needlepoints though his expression was blank and his voice was cool. He drew Judy closer to him with the paw on her shoulder, more out of reflex than in response to anything the large eared fox said. Also to emphasis the ‘we’ in his next statement. “We need to use your penthouse. I don’t know for how long.”
Amber eyes narrowed again, his brow creasing with the motion as he considered the two of them, swinging the bat up to drop it on his shoulder before he smirked.
“Dream crushing again, Nick,” he groused, glancing over at Zira when she returned after clearing the bar. “Thank, babe. Looks like we’re going to have guests in the penthouse for ‘he don’t know for how long.’”
His best ‘stoic Nick’ impression came with the straight face and expressionless eyes as he drew himself to his feet and fished around in his pocket until keys jingled happily out on one finger. When they were tossed in Nick’s direction, they were caught easily as he gave a nod to the smaller male and gently guided Judy around to the rear of the circular bar.
“Thank you,” Judy called over her shoulder, casting a grateful look at the smaller male.
“Yeah, yeah. Just be ready to answer questions in the morning,” he said with a scoff at both the words of gratitude and the look in the bunny’s eyes, watching until they vanished around the curve of the bar before turning sharply and marching back to his spot on the bar. Eyes burning with anger, his only reply to the large, soothing paw at his back was a grunt and shrug as he reached down to pick up the half full baller glass. Downing the amber liquid quickly with a lick over his lips, he released a slow breath before reaching into his pocket again to pull out a phone. Tapping the contact, he waited until he heard the voice on the other end before speaking.
“He’s here.”
*********************
Judy blinked slowly as, after the silent ride up to the penthouse – during which she had been trying to calm her frayed nerves and get her mind working again – the doors slid open to the last view she had expected to see. Given the nature of Wild Times and the clients it served, she had not expected the small fox’s abode to be so clearly dominated by a wall sized painting behind the U-shaped gray couch in the center of the room. Her mind actually went a little blank when Nick guided her into the room, her eyes staring at the scene of a wolf clad in barbarian armor carrying a vixen in what she supposed could have been called a romantic sort of drama. With the flames and lightening in the background, the vixen in the typical ‘fainted dead away’ pose in his arms, and the stern look on the male’s face… She couldn’t control the crazy little giggle-snort that escaped her muzzle.
“Oh my god, Nick,” she choked out on another laugh, trying valiantly and failing to contain further laughter as she leaned heavily against his side with her face half pressed into his fur. “What is that monstrosity?”
She might have noticed his hesitation to answer if she hadn’t lost herself in a gale of laughter, aware that his eyes were on her once it really took hold beyond her control. The ridiculousness of the painting, where they were, and why they were there simply caught up to her and she couldn’t hold back. It wasn’t even the manic laughter she might have expected given the stress they were under. It was just deep, needed, uncontrollable hilarity at the sudden appearance of what had to be the most hideous piece of art she had ever seen. And every time she looked at it again, the laughter returned, particularly when she glanced up at Nick and saw the bemused expression on his face when emerald eyes turned down to look at her in surprised confusion.
“I’m not entirely sure,” he replied as he led her down the stairs, his own eyes now on the painting with a curiosity he wasn’t sure he had ever really had about it. “He had it on the side of his van when we were younger. I think it might be an album cover? I never asked. But with the way he kept his van polished, I wasn’t at all surprised when I saw it here for the first time. Though I don’t think Zira was particularly happy about it.”
Her laughter had died down shortly after he’d started talking, her eyes focused on him as he spoke. There was still very little about his past that she really knew, but he continued to spill little slivers of information here and there. She expected that he shared the most when he was caught off guard, but the fact the was now willing to drop his guard around her at all was still amazing to her sometimes. It was why she burrowed herself against his side and breathed in deeply for a long moment in silence as he led her through the main room. It wasn’t until they reached a door at the far side of the room that the last thing he said really sunk in.
“Wait, Zira lives up here? Are they..?” she began, hesitating on the words as she gave a glance back into the main to see if there was anything that could be called ‘a female touch’ to anything in the room.
“As he so eloquently puts it, banging?” Nick replied with a little grunt as he slipped the same key he had used to access the elevator into the door’s lock and turned the knob to open it into the well-furnished bedroom beyond. “I don’t keep close enough tabs on his sex life to know for sure. But if Zira is having her way, you can be sure they are. She’s always had a thing for him.”
That statement in itself had her gawking at him as he ushered her into the bedroom, but the surprise was quick to fade when she saw him wince when he swung the door closed behind them and locked it.
“You need to lie down,” she murmured, not trying to keep the worry out of her tone as she used her grip on him to move them towards the bed. “You probably need to see a doctor. Should we call your sister?”
“Nothing is broken,” he replied, his face going carefully blank again as he looked down at her with thoughtful eyes. “Nice and bruised, but once the adrenaline wore off the lack of real pain told me that. I don’t need to…”
She didn’t allow him to start resisting, even though his words did soothe her for the most part. All but shoving with the full weight of her body, she bullied him to the bed with exaggerated grunts and firm shoves now that she was – mostly – assured that nothing was broken.
He relented, allowed himself to be led – or bullied – to the bed with an exaggerated sigh before he turned and sat on the edge of the bed. Green eyes moved to rest on her as he leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees rather than lying back as she’d intended, his face a little more relaxed and a little amused. She assumed the amusement was because of her antics, which had her drawing a deep breath that was released in an exasperated sigh right before she tossed his jacket in his face.
Obviously, he was fine.
“I’ll get us some water. You lay down,” she said, turning to walk out the door again, well aware of the eyes were following her every step of the way.
Those eyes returned to her as soon as she stepped back into the room, bottle of water uncapped between both paws. She was grateful to see that he was settled back onto the bed, head propped on a pillow as he turned his muzzle towards her.
“You don’t have to look at me like that, Carrots,” he said, rolling onto his side with one elbow propping him up as he accepted the water. He managed to do all of this without showing outward signs of pain, though she knew he was capable of hiding it if he really wanted it. “I’m not going to break apart.”
She wasn’t entirely convinced of this, watching him intently for signs of pain as he raised the bottle to his lips for a long, deep drink that almost drained it. When he lowered it with a sigh, she considered asking him if she needed to get him another bottle before he spoke again.
“You could climb up here with me and let me prove it to you.”
She blinked once at the suggestive tone in his voice. Her eyes raised to his, meeting deep emeralds that sparkled with wry amusement that matched the grin on his muzzle. She realized instantly that he was still trying to calm her down, to stop her from worrying about him. And really, there was nothing she could do to change his mind about needing to see a doctor so she gave a soft, noncommittal grunt in reply.
“Fine.”
She had the satisfaction of seeing him blink in surprise not once, but twice. First at her words. A second time when she reached up to take the water from him before she placed a paw on his shoulder to shove him back until he rolled over onto his back. His eyes never left her when she crawled onto the bed, her hands sliding into the bare fur of his stomach softly. There was a thrill of feminine approval when he shivered at the touch, his eyes darkening and going lazy as one large paw moved to cup her hip. Welcoming.
“You’re sure you’re not hurt?” she asked, her voice soft as the touch of his paw had a shiver of awareness sliding up her spine. Her tail wiggled and maybe because he noticed, his fingers moved to close around it. Stroke over the soft fur, causing her to bite her lower lip at the surprising spike in sensation it caused.
“Asks the bunny climbing into bed with me again,” came his drawled reply, though she could hear a little edge in his voice that she was starting to recognize more easily as hunger. Desire. Both of which she saw in green eyes when she looked up at him.
She felt it spreading through her in a comfortable warmth, too, when his other paw moved to the small of her back to help her as she lifted one left to straddle his stomach. Pressing down until she felt his body between her thighs, an odd sort of understanding that it wasn’t the same as when she climbed into bed only to sleep.
The stress of the night, watching him fight for their lives, thinking more than once that he was almost dead – again – had her fingers digging into the fur of his chest. She had intended to use the touch to test him, to see if he winced, but the lack of any reaction beyond a pleased breath had her forgetting her original intention as she felt the sold strength under the deep fur. Soon she was just touching, her fingers moving higher as her tiny claws delved deep into cream colored fur until they found the skin under.
He shuddered visibly, shifted under the touch, his gaze focused on her. There was no pain in those green eyes; only contentment, seeking, and heat she was coming to understand was only for her. He showed it again when both of his paws moved to all but swallow her hips, holding her still as he adjusted himself to sit up and lean back against the headboard. A change that had her sliding into his lap, with the guidance of his hands, until she felt more of him between her thighs. Very obviously between her thighs, even with pants between them. A breathy sigh escaped her as heat radiated under her fur until all of her felt warm and restless. Her nose twitched, noting that his scent was deeper.
Maybe he wasn’t so badly hurt, after all.
“You don’t feel hurt,” she muttered, refusing to let her voice rise at the not-at-all little throb she felt nestled between her legs. Though she didn’t let that distract her from watching him. Nothing was broken. Even he couldn’t hold back everything, having showed signs of pain before. Maybe getting him to move certain ways…
The thought was cut off when paws left her hips and slipped up to her shirt, the bottom button unbuttoned. Then the one below that. She watched his paws work the buttons, her breathing quickening as he didn’t stop. There was no real teasing on his face when he reached her chest, no pause in the motion of his fingers, no stopping until the last button came unbuttoned. Only a little whimper of a moan when his paws lowered to her stomach, his eyes following the motion of fingers that brushed the open shirt aside so his own claws could delve into silky white fur.
“Are you,” she began as she looked up at him, closing her eyes and letting the words melt away into his mouth when he lowered his muzzle to hers. And like everything else about the moment, it wasn’t restrained. There was no consideration that either one of them would call for it to stop as she gripped the fur on his chest and let the kiss deepen. Tasting him, letting the scent of predator and male fill her with every quickened breath she took as his paws moved around he back under the shirt to draw her closer to him.
“As much as it saddens me to interrupt such a tender moment between two young lovers,” came a voice with an oddly nasal lisp, making her eyes open wide, “I’m afraid I have to insist, since I need to have a word with both of you.”
She didn’t have time to withdraw and try to cover herself or even glance at the door before Nick’s arms were around her, pressing her deep into the fur of his chest. Which thankfully covered her, made her feel protect, but also annoyed her because she couldn’t move in any way they made it less obvious what had just been going on. At least her eyes were facing the door, wide violet hues focusing and widening at the massive polar bear standing just outside of the door. A bear that was so massive that he had to duck down and squeeze his bulk through the door sideways before settling with his hands held together. But when the voice came again, it wasn’t the bear who spoke; it was the tiny rodent in his carefully postured paws. She had to squint her eyes to see the tiny stoat in a perfectly fitted suit, his pointed muzzle drawn in what she might have called a pleased but entirely too predatory grin.
“But it does do my heart good to see you so happy, Nicky,” he drawled as the bear settled onto one knee with a blank expression on his face. The rodent, on the other hand, was grinning in what Judy would have called a predatory way as he looked between them from under bushy eyebrows that would have been comical had she not known who it was speaking to them.
She felt Nick draw a deep breath, her eyes cast up to him curiously, concerned, though he didn’t seem on guard. Just… Frustrated as he turned his eyes to the tiny mammal.
“Hello, Papa.”
***********************
“Pack Five, do you have a visual?”
The wolf’s eye rolled through the viewfinder of the scoped rifle, no other muscle on his body moving for a moment from his prone position on the low lip of the warehouse roof. Once his eye righted itself, he gave it a few seconds of searching the scope before he gave a report on the nothing he was seeing to the earpiece.
“Negative, Alpha.”
“Do you have a visual on all entrances?”
“Affirmative. We have four pairs of eyes on the rooftops and one across the bay watching the waves for signs of exit.”
“An attempt to leave unseen is unlikely, anyway. He’s been coming here and using the whorehouse as a safe haven for years now. He’ll probably bunker down for the night. Hold position and watch the exits.”
“Orders if we see him?”
“The orders remain the same. Take him out.”
“And the bunny?”
“Unimportant. Once the target is down, she becomes a non-issue. Take the shot if you can make it clean, otherwise she’ll be handled later.”
“Understood, Alpha.”
Seemed a waste of time to the wolf to let the bunny escape considering that she’d been the primary target for months now, but he just did what he was told and got paid enough to keep his family more than happy. So he stayed alert to all comings and goings from Wild Times from his perch across the peer. He had to admit, though, to being surprised by who came and went from the last brothel in Zootopia legally operating. Most were obviously nobodies looking to get their rocks off, but the high powered scope also revealed its share of well known faces in Zootopia. The rich, the famous, even political figures. And not a single one of them seemed to be concerned with being seen walking through the wide, brightly lit doors of the building. It was almost like having the establishment approved by The Administrator meant that they had a free pass from the public eye…
“Da, ya nashel posledniy.”
The deep voice from directly behind him had him trying to whip around, only to have his heart nearly stop in his chest when he felt a massive paw wrap around the back of his neck. The pungent scent of cologne made him briefly wonder how he had missed the approach of the white furred bear that hauled him up, his rifle stripped away and tossed to the side before he could even think to bring it around. Not that it would have done him much good as he was brought up to face level like a pup about to be scolded by the towering male. He managed to swallow the whimper in a sound that was almost comical as his ears dropped back and his tail tucked between his legs as impassive brown eyes held his for a moment. As if waiting to see if he would try anything.
“Pack five, report.”
“I uh,” he started, pausing as he waited for the polar bear in the neat suit to agree or disagree with him responding. When no objection seemed obvious, he continued, “I have an issue, Alpha.”
“Nature of this issue?”
Before he could respond, the bear dragged him forward a bit before speaking in an almost bored tone. It only took him a moment to realize that the giant predator wasn’t speaking to him when the drawled Russian came out in a bored tone.
“Ty mozhesh' zabrat' svoi igrushki, kogda pridesh' zavtra vecherom na uzhin. Ne ignoriruy etu dobrotu.”
There was a brief silence from Alpha, which made the wolf glance to the side nervously. He was still armed, which he was sure his assailant already knew. He was also sure trying anything could just end with his body being chucked off the roof to his likely death. Luckily, the voice in his ear spoke before he had to make the choice.
“Stand down and don’t resist, Pack Five. All other packs, withdraw if able. Tell him… That I will be there for dinner tomorrow night, as ‘requested.’”
“He… Said he would be there tomorrow night?” the wolf said, relief flooding him when the bear gave a curt nod and set the smaller male on his feet. Then reached out to pat him on the head like a pet.
“Da. Come, little wolf. We walk down now, rather than fly.”
There was nothing to do but nod and follow.
2022-03-30 21:48:42 +0000 UTC
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