Guardian Blue - Season 1

Episode 4 - Hammock

 "Nick? Nick, wakey wakey." Judy flicked her partner's ear. He bared his teeth sleepily which didn't really faze her. She knew what he was like waking from an impromptu nap. He sucked in a deep breath and stretched a little, his nostrils flaring. She never asked what he was trying to sniff when he first woke up, but assumed it was no different than her ears perking as she woke to just reestablish where she was. She got out and went to the trunk to get the bags. Hers was light enough but she opted not to pick up Nick's. He used his good paw and sluggishly got it out. He then looked up at the three-story Hopps estate, suddenly very much more awake.

"Why do I buy your coffee every other day again?" he inquired. "Fluff, you did not tell me you guys were loaded." He stared back at her, obviously a little stunned at the size of the house.

"We get by, Nick." Stu was the one responding, holding his suspenders in that proud father manner. "The house has been built up over generations, it's not like any generation put that much capital into it. It's just big, but it's been ours for a century. A lot of bunnies made it big. Come on, let's get those things into the den and you can have the tour." Judy felt a little better, given her dad was treating Nick more like he always treated guests. Maybe it had just been such a stressful situation that they weren't ready to deal with their guest yet. That made sense.

The next half hour or more was just Nick being shown around. There were so many small sleeping areas that were re-purposed into other rooms, an office here, a craft room there, as they went, it was obvious to Judy that her partner was hopelessly lost and a bit overwhelmed, likely having no idea how many bunnies even lived there. He was shown the broken shower downstairs, the working one upstairs, the guest room he'd be sleeping in, and even Judy's old room which he was shown the door to. Her parents kindly did not direct him into that room.

The den was massive, having a circle of couches and a TV on a spindle that could be rotated to face whichever. Judy knew at one point there had even been two which connected to the same AV so that both sides of the circle would be able to watch. The family actively living in the house at that point however, was small enough that when one of the TVs went out it didn't need to be replaced. There was art on the wall, paintings done by the more artistic Hopps bunnies, and there were photos everywhere in the den, nearly all the wall space taken up by art and images. While much of the house was hardwood floor, which made cleaning easier, the den was plush carpeted. Nick appeared very fond of that, even leaning down and pushing his paws into it, thick tail waving about. For a fox, Judy found her partner to be very tactile. He always loved touching things.

With the tour of the house done, mostly by Stu, they ended up in the dining room where they found Bonnie setting out a few bowls with fruit salad and warm rolls. They were honey glazed, something Judy always enjoyed. Nick sat down, rubbing his paws together. This reminded Judy of something. She cleared her throat.

"First aid is in the downstairs bathroom, Dad?" she inquired.

"Oh! Yup! Go take care of that." He sat down to his food. Nick whined, making grabby paws at his bowl as Judy led him away.

"It's not bad! It's a scrape." He looked at his paw.

"Nick, it's from who knows where, I want to clean it, I won't have you getting an arm amputated when we get back." She had the fox sit on the toilet with the cover down as she tended to her partner's injury. He protested a bit, certain that he could take care of his own cut, but the bunny would not hear it. After a few moments he relented, and she busied herself with that, eventually taping it up nicely as she'd been shown in her training.

As the doe admired her first-aid accomplishment, the vulpine spoke softly, filling the silence. "You came out of a really nice house, but I bet it felt kind of crowded, based on how the rooms are arranged and all. Where is everyone? I haven't see anyone but your parents and you since we got here," Nick stated.