Two week trial part 3

Judy sucked on her straw happily. She swung her legs as she sat on the bench, drinking her carrot and celery smoothie and enjoying the sight of the animals sitting and enjoying themselves around the park fountain. She glanced over to Gideon who was sitting beside her. He was drinking a wheatgrass smoothie, mixed with green apple and spinach to sweeten the harsh taste. His snout retracted from the horrid and powerful drink as he forced himself to drink. Judy was surprised by how serious Gideon was for his own health. While they jogged together, he never once complained and actually kept up with her pace. Unlike Nick, who complained nonstop about his "cramps".

She was glad that Gideon wasn't a complainer. She guessed it had something to do with being born on a farm and living in the country. The both of them understood the value of hard work from tolling and working alongside their families. There was no room for whining in their families. She always found that trait valuable in an animal.

Her warm thoughts were interrupted by Gideon's voice.

"How is that smoothie, Miss Judy?" He asked, wanting to distract himself from the foul taste in his mouth. She smiled sweetly at him.

"Why don't we trade and you can try for yourself?" She put out her styrofoam cup and Gideon immediately flustered.

"W-well gosh, Miss Judy, I don't know if I can-!"

"Come on!" she exclaimed, shaking the cup at him. The ice slushed inside making him know that she had only finished half of her drink. "I'm not afraid of germs, I have 300 brothers and sisters you know?"

Gideon chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head. Judy gave him a laugh knowing that she would have to be the one to make the decision. She snatched his own cup from his paw and replaced it with her own. Gideon's ears went up by her boldness and turned to her in surprise. She was holding his own cup captive and out of reach while she laughed at his shocked expression.

"You're too sensitive-" She said playfully and winked at him before putting her lips on the straw. The fox smiled widely when she took a taste and stuck her tongue out at him, adding more to her playful nature. He glance down on Judy's drink and took a sip. He heard her giggle softly when his eyes widen slightly by the sweet taste entering his mouth. He pulled away.

"Oh boy! Now this is good."

"You really like it?" she asked leaning over to him. She never thought that a fox might like carrots. She expected him to at least show some distained. Gideon nodded at her question.

"Sure do, I think I found me a new favorite." and he took another sip while keeping his eyes on Judy. Almost daring her to take is back. She couldn't help but laugh.

Nick's eyes narrowed while he zoomed in on his phone, catching Judy and Gideon laughing together. Having the time of their life. He growled softly in annoyance. He got tired of waiting for Judy to come back where she left him. He waited for more than an hour, thinking that she would return until he got impatient and went looking for her. Out of good will, he even bought two lemonades for the both of them. Only to be shot down when he saw that Judy completely forgot he existed and was sharing smoothies with the pudgy fox. He was squatting down behind a set of bushes on top of a grassy hill that held a large oak tree. The shade provided camouflaged as well as the thick leaves of the bush. He watched them silently, his anger growing internally towards Gideon, who seemed to be getting friendly with Judy.

A crunch on a twig made him whirl. His phone immediately went into his pant's pocket.

"Whoa, you creepin' around Wilde?" said a deep, sarcastic voice. His wide eyes went down to find his old con buddy. Finnick. The fennec fox, who made his living on acting like a pup(even though he was a full grown adult) had turned his life around once Nick became a cop. He was now a hard-rock singer in a band, where they work in a club. The fennec fox put up his thick sunglasses over his forehead as he cocked a brow at Nick's suspicious behavior.

Nick's eyes narrowed and took out his phone.

"No." he responded harshly, ignoring the small fox.

"Than whatcha doin'?" Finnick said as he saw Nick turn back into the bushes. "Yo man you freaking me out, what are you-? Hey, who's the fatty with your girl?"

"Keep your ears down." hissed Nick putting Finnick's ears down against his head. Finnick gave him a glance and pulled away.

"What's going on? You spyin' on them?"

"Yeah so?" He grumbled picking up his lemonade. Finnick noticed the other one left to the side and turned his eyes back towards Judy.

"Oh I get it..." he began, chuckling slightly. "You just mad that your girl replace ya." Nick shot him and glare and Finnick slapped his knee as he let out a bellowing laugh. "I knew she'll leave ya butt! hahaha!"Nick rolled his eyes and shoved Finnick's head, making him fall right on his back. Finnick's laughed died when he brushed himself off. "The truth hurts don't it?"

"Shut your muzzle." He growled turning back to his phone. "Can't believe they're sharing drinks..." He muttered bitterly. Finnick's ears rose and leaned over his shoulder, glancing at the camera with a grin.

"You know, in some places, if you share your drink with someone, that's like an indirect kiss..." He snickered. Nick's eyes went wide and shot a glare at Finnick who raised his paws up

In defense. "But hey man, you can believe whatever you want..." Finnick's eyes glance to the phone and chuckle. "And look at that, looks like that fox is getting some action."

His head whirled back to see Judy with her paws on Gideon's cheeks and leaned in. Almost coming in on a kiss. Nick immediately stood up and ran down the hill, his tail flaring in anger. Finnick snatched the spare lemonade and took out his own phone.

"This is going to be good."

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Judy stared at Gideon's eye, pursing her lips as she looked at it closely. "I can't believe you poked your eye with the straw." She stated, he was squinting his right eye and laughing slightly at his own mistake.

"Really Miss Judy, I'm fine..." he said pulling away with a slight blush. He blinked getting a feel of his own eyeball. "Nothin' to fuss about." He froze when Judy placed a gentle paw back on his right cheek, stroking his eyelid gently. She forced his eye to open wanting to make sure if it really wasn't damaged.

"Yeah I know, but this happened to my little sister and she her eye swelled for a few days..."

Gideon hummed and smiled. He grabbed her paw, putting it down over his knee. "You are very kind, Miss Judy. You're siblings must be very happy to have you as their big sister." He said softly, patting the top of her paw with his other.

Judy immediately felt embarrassed. "Oh, I...I wouldn't know about-!"

"What's going on here?" a voice demanded.

Judy and Gideon immediately pulled away from each other to find Nick standing beside them. Their sudden motion made Nick's ears go back, glaring straight at Gideon. The country fox slowly placed his paws on his lap and slid away from Judy, who did not notice the sudden heaviness in the air.

"Hey Nick!" She smiled, glad to see him up and re-charged. "Nothing really, Gideon just poke his eye with a straw but I think he's fine."

"Really?" Nick said through his teeth. Judy nodded while Gideon slowly slid away from her, going to the far side of the bench, avoiding eye contact with Nick. Nick turned back to Judy with a force smile, placing his clenched paws behind his back. "Well, since he's fine, I think it's time to go home hmm?"

"I can't go home now."

"Excuse me?"

"Gideon invited me for lunch, he is going to show me his new shop." Nick's eye twitched.

"O-of course, you're welcome to join us, Nicholas." Gideon began as he rose from the bench. Nick gave him a bored expression, watching him carefully. "I would be glad to have you try some of my pies." he said placing his paw on Nick's shoulder, almost in friendship but he wasn't falling for it. Nick lifted his chin up slightly at the tall Gideon.

'Yeah I bet you do...' Nick thought. "Pie sounds good." he replied and knocked Gideon's paw off. Judy hopped, coming up at the two fox from behind and grabbing both of their arms.

"This is going to be fun!"

"Yeah-" Nick looped his arm around Judy's waist, pulling her closer to him. Making sure her side was pressed close against his while his eyes were glued on Gideon. "Fun."

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Gideon's shop was a little bakery store at the edge of the Sahara District. A block away was the frigid Tundra District. Gideon wanted to be close to both boarders because he wanted both hot pies and cold to satisfy each customer. Judy couldn't believe how many animals were already lined up after just an hour of opening. She and Nick sat near the wall of the small store with their own table while they wait for Gideon with their pies. Everything inside was colorful and friendly. The tles on the floor were cotton candy color while the walls were painted with a sweet gumball blue. The tables were round and each were painted with a pi symbol. Something Judy found witty. She breathed deeply at the sweet smell of pie crust and blueberry. Gideon's most famous pie.

"isn't Gideon the nicest by inviting us here?" Judy said, watching the animals come in with smiles and walk out with bigger grins. Nick was playing with his phone, wanting to ignore the instant success Gideon was having. The register ranged non-stop from animals throwing their money for a taste of one pie. "I bet the pies are going to taste so good!" Judy clapped her paws excitedly, biting her lower lip in anticipation.

He mentally rolled his eyes. "Can't wait..."

Judy tilted her head at him and placed her paws on the edge of the table. He wasn't nearly as excited as she thought he would be. He usually wags his tail when waiting for a free meal.

"Is something wrong?" She asked gently. He was playing on his phone much longer than usual.

"No." he responded swiftly, his thumb tapped on the screen harshly. "Nothing's wrong...I'm just really hungry." he lied, giving her a small smile. That seemed to be enough for her. She leaned back on her chair giving him a giggle.

"Okay, that's probably it. You just seemed more quiet than usual..."

He chuckled and propped his elbow up. He leaned his chin onto his paw as he gave her a half lidded look. "Do you like hearing my voice or something? Is it soothing to your ears?" Judy's cheeks went pink. "Because if you want I can whisper into your ears and tell you all kinds of things." He growled.

"Stop!" She whispered loudly, her cheeks turning red. "Someone's going to hear!"

"I hope so."

"Oh hush!" she said and shut his muzzle down with her paw. His ears went back from her sudden touch and felt his whiskers twitched when she stared him down with her large, amethyst eyes. She removed her paw away, her fingers lightly touching his whiskers. "You're so embarrassing sometimes."

He blinked, his heart racing as she looked away and began stroking her ears. He could have stared at her all day, watch how she nervously run her paws down her beautiful ears. Until Gideon finally came with the pies.

"Here you are you two!" Gideon exclaimed coming out from behind the counter. He was wearing a pink apron with red stripes. He was wearing a long sleeve blue shirt and denim jeans. He was holding two freshly baked pies in each paw and placed them down in front of the two hungry animals. "I hope you enjoy these blueberry pies, especially you Miss Judy." He said placing his paws on his hips.

Nick scowled when Judy smiled.

"I'm sure I will!" Judy said ready to dig in. She picked up a fork, taking on final word before stabbing the soft meal before her. Blueberry chucks came out when she scooped it up. Gideon watched with anticipation, ready to hear her honest opinion when she out the hot meal in her mouth.

"Mmm!" She hummed. She couldn't believe how delicious and delectable it was. She was practically dancing in her seat by how sweet it was. "It's so good!"

"You really enjoyed it?" Gideon asked. "It was my mother's recipe."

"Of course! Oh Gideon this is the best thing I ever eaten!"

Nick poked at the pie in front of him, stabbing it with uncertainty. How good can it be? It was just pie. He scooped up a piece and took a bite.

One taste and his fork dropped.

"Oh pelt." He muttered. He didn't want to admit it. He was infuriated by it. He was angry at himself for even trying it! Yet, he couldn't stop himself from blurting it out. "That's good."

A loud slap hit his shoulder, making him lurch forward as Gideon laughed heartily.

"Why thank ya Nicholas! I'm glad you like it!" Nick grumbled under his breath, cursing himself as he took another sinful bite. Gideon bobbed his head towards Judy.

"Now Miss Judy, I must say good day but I was hoping you and I could see eachother again for another running session." Nick could have choked on his pie if it wasn't so easy to eat. Judy didn't hesitate to respond.

"I would love to, Gideon." Nick shoved another forkful of pie into his mouth. Unable to stop himself as he glared at the fat fox. He was drowning himself in hot blueberries.

Gideon tipped his head at her.

"I do appreciate that Miss Judy, I will see you at seven thirty."

"Can't wait!" She said, a little too happy in Nick's eyes. She waved Gideon goodbye when they finished their pies. Giving him one last look when they stepped out of the door and the whole way back to her apartment, talked non-stopped about Gideon. Nick was forced to learn every single detail of that country fox. He realized that during their jogging, they had talked about each other's likes and dislikes. Nick learned that Gideon was a fan of romantic comedy. Judy's favorite genre. He was an active reader to mystery. Judy's favorite genre. He was also a fan of country music and surprisingly, pop. Everything Gideon liked, Judy likes! And it irked him. It seemed that Judy had gotten quite close with the pudgy fox in the short time Nick wasn't there. He regretted not running alongside her. If he kept his muzzle shut and kept going, they could have avoided Gideon altogether.

"Did you know that he also helps my parents out sometimes?" Judy bragged when she closed the apartment door behind them.

"Nooo..." Nick drolled out, walking past her. He rolled his eyes. "I did not know he helped your parents after the third time you told me."

"Oh I did? I guess I didn't notice." She shrugged. "Oh! But did you know he cooks?"

"I think I knew when he made those pies, whiskers." He said dully, falling back onto the cushions of the couch.

She scratched her cheek. "Oh yeah...I guess I'm just giddy about tomorrow, I really think him and me are going to be great friends!" She took a seat beside Nick, sitting by his feet. He never seen her so excited before. He crossed his arms. Hearing her drag on and on about Gideon. He knew he had to do something. Gideon is becoming a problem and he could see it. He saw how the overweight fox looked at Judy. He could tell he had a little crush on her. Clearly, his hints towards Gideon wasn't getting him to back off. The ex-con would have to rely on other tricks. He could practically smell Gideon's scent on Judy. His ears shot up. That's it.

A small grin formed when a plan became to form. Yes, he know exactly what he had to do.