Nothing to fear

Chapter 5

Nick was the first to awake, a glance at the bedside clock showing that it was a little past six thirty, almost an hour past their usual wake up time. It was odd that he didn't really recall getting home. Then again, with the life changing event of the previous night and the height of emotions from both he and Judy it was understandable. He took a moment to luxuriate in the warm bed with the greatest joy he'd ever known in his arms.

At some point in the night Judy had slid from lying on his upper body to the bed, one of her paws under her cheek as she slept away, a smile on her face as Nick spooned behind her, his tail thrown over her hip with her other paw loosely gripping the thick brush of coppery brown fur to her. He nuzzled her neck from behind, a contented sigh escaping the bunny as she nestled further into the hollow of the fox's body. When he tried to pull his tail out of her grasp she whimpered in protest but didn't wake. After his caudal appendage was free he slowly slid off the bed and padded to the bathroom to take care of business, then the kitchen after washing his paws.

The coffee pot had been set the night before and with the automatic timer feature there was already a carafe full of aromatic brew waiting. There was still plenty of time before he needed to wake Judy so they could make it to City Hall for a marriage license as soon as the office opened and he fixed a cup for himself, sipping from the mug with a bunny emoji on one side and a carrot on the other that she'd gotten him. It was only fair as he'd bought his rabbit lover one with a stylized fox on it. As he sipped and woke up Nick looked out the window of the apartment towards the east where the sun was making its debut for the day, the clouds blotches of pastel colors in an orange­ pink sky that matched his mood. Maybe it was the events of the previous night, but the world seemed lighter and brighter and full of infinite promise.

Tearing himself away from the display of colour, Nick got Judy's cup and added the mix of creamers that she enjoyed, the flavor a blend of vanilla caramel and hazelnut. He topped it off with a half teaspoon of sugar and went back into the room. The bunny hadn't shifted at all and must have been having a good dream. Whenever her dreams were good her right foot would twitch slightly in rhythm with her breathing. If she were having a bad dream it would almost vibrate with her distress.

Today was a good dream, and he hated waking her from it but if he didn't she'd be more than a little peeved. Nick knelt down next to the bed and held the cup up before blowing gently over the rim, directing the aroma to Judy. He smiled as her little pink triangle of a nose twitched and the corners of her mouth curved into a smile. She lifted her head sniffing the air redolent with the steaming brew and moved closer before opening her eyes.

"Good morning, angel bunny," Nick told her softly.

"It surely is," she said as she gently moved the cup out of the way and pressed her muzzle to his. "Good morning to you, my lovely fox."

"Here," Nick said as he put the cup on the nightstand and helped Judy to sit up. "Plenty of time to enjoy your coffee but we can't take too long or we'll get stuck in morning traffic."

"Aww. But I was having the best dream," the bunny said as she sat on the bed, as unconcerned with being clad only in her fur as Nick was. She took a long, appreciative sip from her cup and hummed with pleasure.

"It must have been good," the fox said as he began to lay out clothes for the day. "You were doing the foot tap."

"Oh, it was!" she said and cradled the mug to her. "You know I didn't have the best prom back in Bunnyburrow. The guy that took me only did it to make another bunny jealous. I didn't get to dance much and left early. In my dream, though, it was you who asked me and all the girls were so jealous! Then at the end of the night you kissed me and we wound up under the big oak tree at my parents' farm and I gave you my virginity and you made love to me for hours! Best dream ever!" Judy sat with her legs drawn up, arms resting on her knees as she watched Nick. "You were such a good dancer..."

"Now I know it was a dream," he said with a grin. "I'm a terrible dancer."

"You are not!" the bunny exclaimed. "We've been dancing. I know what you can do. Especially with a good slow dance."

Nick smiled as he leaned over the bed and gave the bunny a quick kiss. "Meh. You're giving me too much credit, Carrots. As soon as you get that coffee down you might want to shower up. You said you wanted the jeans and blue top?"

"Yeah. They're good enough if we want to go somewhere nice for lunch when we're done at City Hall and DMV." Judy set the mug down and rolled off the bed, stretching so that she stood on her toes, smiling as her fox paused to watch, a bemused expression on his face. "Just think, after today this is all yours forever and ever!" the bunny giggled warmly.

Nick could only nod with a barely articulate, "Uh­huh."