#listen he’s dealing w his problems by both lying and cracking jokes

[capcollector]

i feel like deacon would be good at sleight of hand tricks. like making a bottlecap disappear then reappear. card tricks. those types of things. i just have such a clear mental image of him showing a trick to bunny, in a playful teasing sorta way. one of his many early “you can’t trust everyone” moments, this time w visuals.

[leovand]

ARIZONA U is proud to introduce you to LEONARDO “LEO” VAN DOREN , the twenty-five year old, undergraduate fine arts major in his SENIOR year. most of their peers deem them as someone who is +eccentric , +intelligent & +self-sufficient but i know that some of their professors think they’re more -self-righteous, -precipitous & -self-destructive, maybe that’s why the police are still interviewing them on the reopened cold case. maybe it was because they were also A BAD INFLUENCE for NATALIA LINDERMAN. i mean that is just a little suspicious, but i only really think of scuffed black combat boots, a car that always smells like weed, and meaningless tattoos when i hear their name, not murder. but i could be wrong. — MAXENCE DANET-FAUVEL.

boo bitch i’m gin, bout to head out to work but tbh i’ll be around to chat n plot bc whew it’s boring there !!!! anyway down below you’ll find a terrible bio + some wcs so come hmu and we’ll plot some angst or give this a like and i’ll slide in ur dms woo ah

also a tl;dr is right before the wcs and above that is a brief description of his connection to natalia

trigger warnings for drug use/abuse, addiction, and infidelity

background info

leo was born in london to two very wealthy parents, richard and cynthia van doren. richard was something of an inattentive father (particularly when it came to leo) and from early on beginning to distance himself from the family, and while cynthia certainly loved leo, she’d always wanted a daughter, which she got two years later when his little sister victoria ( @toriivd​ ) was born. thus, it was from an extremely young age that leo began to feel like something of a black sheep in the family. richard was, unbeknownst to any of them, already having an affair with a woman in america whom he’d met on several business trips to arizona. all they knew was that he hardly seemed invested in their family anymore, let alone to take an interest in their lives. of course, victoria was a daddy’s girl, and though she often pretended not to see this happening leo knew perfectly well she was lying deliberately to herself. it was something he only pulled out when they fought bitterly, and they both knew it was a low blow when he did. 

this was especially apparent in high school, when leo’s acting out turned to drug use, skipping school, and even trouble with the police a few times. richard was almost never there either to lend fatherly support or to discipline--the only time he was, leo got the tongue-lashing of his life as well as a slap in the face, and if he had to pick a specific event which led him to the realization that he hated his father, it would be that one. 

even as things were looking rockier and rockier with their parents, leo was 12 when his mom got pregnant again. 13 when she had their baby brother, bradley. it was frankly a mess and for the first couple years leo was not at all good about helping. he resented the further attention drawn away from himself and hated his dad more than ever for his seemingly endless supply of bullshit

when he was 15, tori 13, and bradley 2, their parents finally got divorced. he and tori listened in on the final, blow-out fight from the stairs and learned that the reason their father had been taking so many business trips to the states all these years was in fact another woman, and even better, the two kids he had with her. tori had processed this in her own way, and leo had tried to be there for her, but his own self-destructive method of processing it made it difficult to do so. in other ways, however, the whole thing changed the nature of his relationship with his mother, which had always been a little distant. the fact of his father’s betrayal had the effect of inspiring within leo a fierce love and protectiveness over her, and in the rubble of their family the four of them found something much more intimate than they’d had before. 

he graduated high school in spite of all this but spent the following two years doing nothing productive; it was sex drugs rock n roll and rebellion, and through it all giving a huge metaphorical middle finger to his dad, who’d officially moved to arizona to pledge his allegiance to his chosen family. leo and tori eventually came to the morally questionable agreement to tell people that their father had died in a car accident rather than explain the truth, and for leo, it was as much an act of spitting on his father’s memory as it was a tactic to avoid talking about it. 

it was when tori finally graduated high school that they formulated the plan to go to university in arizona, and while they were there to try and find their father. not because leo missed him, of course--it was closure he was after, and only seeing him and his other family would allow him to find it.

a year ago now, leo went back home to england for a month and a half to check himself into rehab, but the only person he told was his mom. it was for an opioid addiction that had gotten out of hand and he did indeed manage to get clean. he’s even managed to stay clean when it comes to the opioids, but he’s started doing coke now and then and dabbling in pills. mostly though it’s just a lot a lot of weed all the time. 

he’s in his senior year of his bfa and has almost no prospects, although that’s mostly due to his screwing them all up by being high and careless about it. a part of him despises the whole idea of school and the work force and having a career and is lowkey self destructing bc he can’t handle the idea of growing up and having to act like an adult

personality

so for the most part, leo is super super chill, doesn’t take anything very seriously, is cracking jokes 24/7 (his sense of humor is so so so dry), almost always high, and if no one stops him will start rambling on about literally anything in his pretentious know it all way that he genuinely doesn’t realize is so wildly pretentious

he’s a fine arts major with a focus in illustration but he also does a lot of sculpting. so he doodles a lot, probably on things he shouldn’t doodle on, and he makes money on the sculptures here and there (which he’s telling himself he can sustain for his entire life lmao)

pansexual, tends to sleep around but genuinely likes being in a relationship. he falls in love rly easily and has little crushes on random people all the time and is prone to infatuations with people who don’t feel the same way. most relationships he’s had have failed bc of his drug problem interfering and/or becoming too much for his partner at the time to deal with

for everything he’s been thru, leo actually has quite an optimistic view of the world and people in general and he just really likes human interaction and being around people. he can come off as wildly eccentric and difficult to keep up with and sometimes makes it seem like he thinks he���s better than everyone and doesn’t give a fuck what anyone thinks but on the highest of keys he cares so much what everyone thinks and will probably admit that out loud tbh ftyegudhsujka

cares about his mom, sister, and little brother more than anything in the world and feels guilty as HELL about not being there while his brother is growing up

will lose his mind if u call him leonardo

connection to natalia linderman //  natalia was the good girl, and that was certainly part of leo’s motivation to corrupt her—there was something thrilling about being able to effect such change in someone held in such high esteem on campus—but that wasn’t all of it. some part of him had developed feelings, too, and it killed him that she never saw him that way. the drugs and the class-skipping to smoke weed made him feel close to her, even when she was talking about other people. he eventually began to feel guilty for what he saw as poisoning her with his way of life, and he’d been working up the nerve to tell her this until she went missing. he now lives with the fear that whatever she got mixed up in that resulted in her death could be blamed on the drugs, and more specifically, him.

tl;dr // comes from a wealthy british family whose father left when he was 15 in favor of his second family in america; weed smoker, class skipper, pretentious art boy acts like he doesn’t give a fuck but actually gives the most fucks and readily admits it; surprisingly soft but will Fight for his mom and sister; spent two months that nobody knows about in rehab last year for an opioid addiction

wanted connections/plot ideas

this will have to be discussed with me n maia but !! a boy who tori was dating six months ago (for however long before that) who seduced leo and then told him he wanted to be w him instead, and then broke up with tori when leo said no and told her he cheated on her but not with whom fytsugeuhkdij so hmu if u wanna fill that and i’ll give u more deets 👀

the two kids!!! from their dad’s second family!!!! PLEASE!!!

randomly someone he was in rehab with showing up in arizona somehow???? more likely than u think !!

a few exes from arizona + any exes from back home in london would be cute

someone with a s/o whom leo is practically in love with who does not feel the same way back p l e a s e ideally they’d be rly close friends too

stoner buds thanks

gimme some of tori’s exes/suitors for leo to fight OR even softer.....to rly like and root for

a bad influence who encourages his drug use :/

good influences!!!

whew also someone who kind of.....had an idea of what he was doing with natalia and was Big Sus about it and maybe still is !!!?????!

[janetbrown711]

"I heard from your mother again today" Lena and Eva

Two weeks had passed since the whole Mariella debacle and Eva and Lena were feeling quite happy and cozy with each other. They spent their time taking long strolls down different paths and in different sections of the underworld. Louie would even take them on boat rides (despite Lena thinking he should probably get back to work). Some days they'd play fetch with cerberus and just spend their time like that. It was fun not having secrets or staying apart from each other for long stretches of time.

It was nice.

That wasn't to say Eva wasn't a little bit homesick, but Lena always knew how to cheer her up or snap her out of it. She was perfect for her like that.

That was also nice.

Their first kiss was nice too.

They were simply strolling along in the temple, Eva on her vines (to keep up with Lena's walking), when she just decided to go for it. It was simple and sweet, but it gave both her and Lena butterflies.

It was perfect.

But perfect doesn't last forever.

They were both lying on the couch reading books with Lena's arm around Eva and Cerberus by the floor when Louie came pounding on the door.

"Come in?" Lena closed her book and set down on the coffee table.

"I'm sorry to disturb your relaxation time, but you seriously need to get to your paperwork. The dead souls are seriously starting to pile up now. Both me and Dewey are now on the job because even I can't handle this. I think a natural disaster struck a major country or something," Louie explained desperately.

"What kind of natural disaster," Lena raised an eyebrow.

"Well, looking at the corpses i would assume either another plague or famine," he guessed.

"It's famine," Eva sat up.

"How can you be so sure?" Lena asked.

"It's mother wanting me back," Eva looked at her. Lena slowly nodded.

"I did hear from your mother again today... i brushed it aside as an empty threat but i suppose you're right," Lena sighed.

"Well if Mariella keeps this death rate up all the humans are gonna go extinct and we won't get any more sacrifices, and you'll be up to your neck in paperwork for the rest of your life," Louie crossed his arms.

"Mother can't do that, can she?" Eva asked.

"Technically... she can," Lena grunted and got up, going over to a desk in the corner.

"How? Aren't we the ones in charge of actually death itself?" Eva questioned further.

"People die whether or not i really do anything. It's the souls that are the real problem. I mean, yes I kill people, but i also collect the souls. If I can't keep up the mortal realm is gonna have a huge ghost problem. We only have a few days before all the food runs out, I checked. Act fast," Louie disappeared in his usual smoke.

"I-i still can't believe she can do this. W-we should call Webby. She'd know what to do," Eva suggested.

"Mariella doesn't listen to them. We have to talk to her. Find a compromise," Lena sighed, summoning some wine and taking a long swig.

"B-but i don't wanna go! I love it here! I love you! She can't make me go," Eva ran over to her.

"I know, and i won't let her," Lena placed a hand on her cheek, "but we have to settle this, or else it's going to be all hell down here."

"Okay," Eva nodded. Lena closed her eyes for a moment, briefly glowing a shade of blue before Mariella appeared behind them.

"You summoned?" Mariella grinned.

"Mariella, cut this famine out. Llewellyn and Dewey can barely keep up and your going to kill off all life in the mortal realm," Lena demanded.

"I want my daughter back Lena, I made that very clear," Mariella smirked.

"Mariella, rules are rules. She belongs here now," Lena defended Eva.

"Well then i guess no more food for the mortals. What a shame," Mariella went to leave but Eva stepped forward and stopped her.

"Wait mother I-..." Eva stopped herself.

"Do you want to come back home with me sweetie?" Mariella brushed hair from out of Eva's face.

"On two conditions. You stop the famine and... and you let me marry Lena," she looked her mother in the eyes. Both her and Lena were stunned.

"E-eva," Mariella took a step back.

"Eva, you can't leave. It's in the rule book, and even I don't control that. Those who eat the fruit of the underworld become part of the underworld," Lena touched her shoulder.

"Well... i did only eat half of it," Eva shrugged.

"Ah ha! Half! That means she's still half mine, Lena," she seethed.

"But she's still half here. S-she can't just leave," a small crack in her voice showed Lena was about to loose her composure. Eva turned back and went to her. Lena grabbed her hands.

"What good would a wife be if I never saw her?" Lena whispered as a single blue tear rolled down her cheek. Eva wiped it away, before looking over her shoulder back at her mother.

"Well then how about another part to the compromise?" Eva suggested.

"I'm not adding. Only replacing," Mariella crossed her arms.

"Fine. Instead of marrying us, how about I stay with you half of the year, and for the other half I stay down here with Lena?" Eva offered. Mariella paused to muse it over.

"Eva, are you sure you're serious about this?" Lena held her hand again.

"Positive," Eva smiled up at her.

"Well I suppose it's a deal then. She'll spend half of her time here, and half of her time up there with you," Lena offered her hand. Mariella glanced at it.

"Fine. Deal," Mariella shook it. Their handshake was quickly surrounded by a green fire before they let go and it disappeared.

"Woah, what was that about?" Eva asked.

"Just a little something to seal the deal," Mariella said, "C'mon, lets go," Mariella started to go.

"No. I wanna finish this half with Lena... I'll go to you in March," Eva hugged Lena's arm. Mariella glared at Lena, who was giving her a bit of a cheeky grin.

"Fine... but just so you know everytime Eva isn't with me, the crops are going to grow a lot harder," Mariella huffed and disappeared. The moment she did, Eva jumped up and hugged Lena as tight as she could.

"C'mon Eva, this isn't a goodbye," Lena tried to joke.

"I know. It just feels good to still be here and with you," Eva nuzzled her. Lena smiled softly and patted her head.

"You know, your words earlier did give me the best idea..." Lena trailed off, a sly grin growing on her face.

"What? What's your idea?" Eva looked up.

"We may not have your mother's blessing... but while you're down here she has no control over you. So... how about we get married?" Lena asked.

"You serious?! Of course!!!" Eva squealed and hugged Lena tighter. Lena hugged her back. Eva then kissed her and Lena kissed her back.

"This going to be so much fun! We're going to be great wives and queens!" Eva beamed.

"Oh i don't doubt that for a second," Lena kissed her again.

"I can't wait."

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8

[im-abanana]

-The Demon and The Angel- ch.3

I was inspired, I dunno, don’t even mind me and my author block. Here’s another Fluff/Domestic Bendy x Alice One-Shot.

Summary: If you’re a dancer, pulling a muscle can be the worst thing ever.

AO3 link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/12736851/chapters/29507064

-Muscle-

“What? Com’on! It was just an innocent accident Joey, for God’s sake!” Charley kept saying for an entire hour in front of his angry boss, the cartoon’s deep and irritated voice echoing in the empty corridors as his old fellows Barley and Edgar nodded silently without saying a word, to prove their leader’s point. “We didn’t mean to push Bendy against the corner of that chair, but he started the fight! It happens, the fault isn’t ours this time.”. “It’s not true, you did that on purpose! Liars! Mobsters!” Bendy yelled back with a cracked and pissed voice, holding his aching spine with both hands and dropping heavily on his sofa, a sad and desperate pout painted on his round face. “My poor back… assholes.” he concluded, groaning. “Wanker.” the three antagonists replied spitefully, frowning deeply and cracking their knuckles, aggressive. “You want some more, sissy?”. “Stop it, I’ve had enough!” Joey snapped all of the sudden and punched the study table to shut them up, evidently tired of all that screaming and bickering between those four, taking his final decision and huffing. His creations jumped in fear and closed their mouths as they heard the unexpected thud, sitting down and listening to their dad’s scold closely. “Alright guys, first of all I don't care who started the fight, or why it happened in the first place. You all are guilty, and this means that you all are grounded for two weeks.”. At that exact moment, hearing the previous noise and the complaints that followed Joey’s last phrase, the wooden door behind the group’s shoulders swung open and a very confused Alice peeked through it. “What’s happening here? Henry just told me that- oh.” she mumbled and then smirked, spotting The Butcher Gang standing next to Bendy, the little demon pathetically laid on the reddish couch with a contorted expression. “Henry wasn’t lying then, it’s true. You idiots seriously injured each other before an important performance that, I’d like to point that out, takes place in three days. My sincerest compliments, boys.”. “Great, gang: first the demon bitch, now the wingless cunt. Where’s the pussy wolf, uh?” Barley rolled his pitch black orbs and crossed his muscular arms to his hairy chest, clearly not happy to see the fallen angel or pay attention to her sarcastic comments. “Don’t you have anything else to do, Angel? Like, I dunno, go fuck yourself for example?”. “Says the one who’s in trouble. And not really, I’d rather stay here and quietly enjoy the little show you put up for me, especially the part when Joey shames you all.” the beautiful singer of the band lifted an eyebrow with a satisfied motion, calmly sitting down next to her dancing partner and making herself comfortable. “Oh, please Joey, don’t stop reminding them how stupid and irresponsible they are just because I’m here. Don’t mind me, I beg you.”.

“Alice, not you too, please. This is not a joke, and I need your help.” their annoyed creator sank his head between his fingers, groaning out his frustration and explaining his worst worries to the tall girl, to his only beloved daughter, who was definitely the most mature of the toons: “Bendy probably twisted a muscle in his back, and if he can’t dance or even stand in three days max, we’ll be ruined. We should give the money for the tickets back and apologize to the parents, and I don’t want to do that; I know it’s late and you’re tired, I know that you two don’t get along so well, but I’m kindly asking you to prepare him some herb tea and send him to bed. I’ll deal with those three in the meantime.” the man angrily declared, shooting an icy glare to The Butcher Gang. “I hope you understand.”. “I do understand, don’t worry. I can’t say I’m happy about this job, but I’ll do it anyway.” Alice immediately obeyed to her boss’ orders, sighed out and took Bendy in her thin but strong arms, ignoring his enraged protests and trying not to drop him as the demon squirmed wildly. Oh, she wished she could indeed drop and trample over him… “Goodnight, Joey. Fuck you, Charley, Barley and Edgar. See you all tomorrow morning at dawn.” she said before walking outside the busy room and closing the door behind her, heading for Bendy’s private room. “Ehy, hands off, Angel Cake! Let me go! I’m not a kid anymore, and I can walk by myself.” the short devil screamed and kicked the air like a mad horse, offended and in a bad mood because of the stinging pain. “I don’t want some stupid tea, and I won’t go to bed just because you’re ordering me to do so.”. “Honestly Bendy, I couldn’t care less about what you want or not. You don’t want my herb tea? I’ll simply shove it down your fucking throat when it’s still boiling, at least you’ll shut up and won't wake the others that way.” the fallen angel shrugged it off and placed the dancer on his own bed, making sure not to hurt him more despite the intimidating threats. “And if you don’t want to sleep, I’ll just hit your skull with my horns and knock you out for the next… let’s say twenty-four/forty-eight hours. How does it sound, my dear?”. “… on second thought babe, tea and nap sound nice. But I prefer lemon tea.”. “That can be arranged.” Alice happily agreed to those terms with a sly grin, satisfied and proud of herself, as she opened the thick door before her.

“Ehy toots, back off this second!” Bendy cried out in pure terror as his elegant jacket was quickly removed and tossed away by force, detail that made him feel terribly exposed as his naked chest brushed against the greenish blankets that covered the comfortable mattress. He tried to jump off the bed and run away despite the ache, but found that option unattainable when Alice gently sat down on his spine, her greater weight blocking the thin cartoon. “No! Don’t touch my back, you’re gonna make it worse!”. “Trust me Bendy, I know what I’m doing. I might not be a dancer like you or a doctor, but I sprained a lot of back muscles as we moved into the new studio.” Alice patiently explained and pinned the boy down without any effort, her smaller thumbs energetically pressing against his dark skin and working around and on the knot, trying to loose it and ease the pain at the same time. She also kept a close eye on the water on the stove as she eased his pain: the most incredible thing about their rooms was that they looked like small houses, provided with a bathroom, a small kitchen and even a sort of living room. Being a star surely had its advantages. “And I never complained about it, not even once. I guess I’m stronger.”. Feeling the young woman’s fingertips massaging the sore spot with such care and self-assurance forced the small demon to let out a quiet and relaxed moan, and his blurred mind barely registered what the black haired girl just said. The tension and irritation disappeared all of the sudden, and every single fiber of his previously tense body fell limp under her lovely touch. The boy asked in hilarious submission: “W-what do you mean with that, toots? Joey and Henry did all the work when we moved here… right?”. “Wrong. Do you really think they could transport and place all the boxes, stuff and furniture around all by themselves? No, not at all. Without me and Boris the process would have been much more complicated and long. We worked as a team, as the family that we are.” the horned angel explained in composed silence, putting more strength in her precise and careful movements and pressing deeper, earning another content yelp from her calm partner. That sound made her smile a little, but the slight frown carved on her slim visage showed how concentrated she internally was: Alice knew that a single imprecise touch could damage the musculature even more, so attention and composure were the key words. “You and The Butcher Gang are the lazy ones here, that’s for sure. You don’t like working or helping the creators and the crew, I get that, but at least try not to cause any trouble or get into those violent fights ever again. Now you have a sprained muscle, and that’s bad enough for a dancer, but next time you could find yourself with a broken bone or worse, a concussion.” the stunning cartoon sadly sighed out and deeply stared into his guilty eyes, severe, sweet but assertive, almost like a maternal figure. “Don’t make things more difficult for Joey and me. It’s tough enough as it is, we don’t need other problems because of your egoism.”. The last and cold sentence hit and slaughtered Bendy’s soul to its very core, forcing the demon to look away and rest his face against the soft pillows, in pure defeat and inner humiliation. “Who am I kidding? It’s true, everything she said is true.”, deep inside the star of the show knew there was a ring of truth in those words, and that hurt. It hurt like Hell. “Alice is right. We always say that we’re independent adults, but at the end we behave like brats.”.

A respectful silence filled the room as a thousand thoughts and faults invaded the devil’s mind, the only sound the fallen angel could clearly hear was the wall clock ticking, gradual and inexorable. “Are you ok, Bendy?” Alice questioned when she counted at least five hundred ticks, tilting her neck and watching her co-worker with puzzled eyes; that kind of behavior wasn’t like him, she knew that cartoon too well to fall for it. “You’re oddly silent tonight.”. The black demon snapped out of that state of trance and shook his big head with vigor, struggling to hide his worries and speak up: “I’m just… thinking.”. “About what?”. “About stuff.”. “Could you be a little more specific, pray tell?” the raven-haired girl groaned a bit and crossed her arms, interrupting the relaxing massage and waiting for him to open up and confess what was evidently torturing his conscience. “There’s something wrong with you, you wouldn’t just shut up for entire minutes. Not that I’m complaining, but you know… I’m here to listen.”. “Oh, for Satan’s sake Alice, stop it! Leave me alone!” Bendy literally boomed at that point, feeling enraged and defensive, a visible grey blush covering his cheeks as the inky blood pumped in his veins. “Why do you care so much?”. Blinking a couple of times in confusion and disorientation, Alice replied to that nasty question with spontaneity and slight rage, standing up and yelling her answer right in his face: “Because I care about you!”. Boom, crash and burn. “Well, I do not… I…” the little demon opened his mouth and pointed an accusing finger at Alice, ready to shout back without even thinking, to insult the singer or at least preserve his dignity, but he immediately perceived his own artificial heart sink deeply in the middle of his chest and his throat dry up, like a river during a hot summer day. But worst, he felt shit about himself; everytime something went horribly wrong, someone scolded him for something he did, or even when he fucked things up, Bendy always found a way to blame someone else for his mistakes. The Butcher Gang? No, the pride was probably his worst enemy. “I’m sorry, Alice. I was unfair to you while you only wanted to help me.” Bendy whispered sadly as he realized how much of a dick he had been, staring at his knees and nervously playing with his moving and pointy tail, avoiding eye contact. “I’ll try to do better.”. “No, don’t try to do better.” the fallen angel wisely declared and forcefully grabbed both sides of his round head, turning it and literally forcing her amazed co-worker to stare into her serious pitch black irises. “You have to do better. You can do better than this, than fighting all day and cause trouble. You’re the protagonist, our leader, and we all look up to you.” she forced a tiny smile and gently caressed his left cheek as her delicate traits appeared sweeter, more sympathetic. “We all count on you, Bendy. Don’t let us down, please. I believe in you.”. We count on you, Bendy. Don’t let us down, please. I believe in you.

“Well… it’s pretty late, here’s the lemon tea you requested, big baby. Drink it before it gets too cold.” Alice smirked smugly and offered a white, piping cup to the demon, helping him up and covering his tired form with scented sheets and thick blankets, making sure he was warm and comfortable enough for the entire night. “Try to get some rest and don’t move around too much, your muscles need a break. A long break.” the fallen angel laughed mercilessly and ignored his still reflecting expression, scratching her nape and stirring as she was done preparing her injured partner’s refined bed. “If you need something or if you’re simply bored, just punch the wall beside you or talk to yourself for a while. Your voice is so damn annoying that I will surely hear it from my room.”. Despite her sincere words were still echoing in the short demon’s mind, and they’d probably keep doing it during the whole night, he managed to take the joke and grin. “Very funny, toots! You know, you surprise me, teasing your own boss, who’s even suffering, is a risky move indeed.” Bendy snickered back in front of the young woman’s audacity, admiring the brazen singer as he was admiring the most beautiful and breathtaking masterpiece inside an art museum. “Sometimes I forget who’s the devil and who’s the angel, here.”. “Look again, Bendy. Maybe I’m both, and maybe I’m not as generous or kind as I look.” Alice promptly stood up and winked endearingly, pointing at her curved horns and shiny halo with a tapered finger. “Don’t ever forget it.”. “Oh, I wouldn’t, toots.” Bendy shrugged it off, playful and grateful. “I wouldn’t.”.

[hannahberrie]

Something That Finds You: Chapter 12

Fandom: Zootopia Pairing: Nick Wilde, Judy Hopps Rating: T WC: 4104 Summary: "Love isn't something you find. Love is something that finds you."

In a time of tension in the land of Zootopia, Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps are arranged to be married as a symbol of peace and unity. The only problem? They can't stand each other (the 8 year age gap doesn't help either). A story following Nick and Judy growing up together, through all the good and bad.

Chapter Selection: [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]-12- [AO3]

While Miss Hufflethump was the living embodiment of a Sunday nap, Nick and Judy’s new instructor was a holiday firecracker. Everything about her was spritely, energetic, and intense. While Nick had been impressed with Judy’s tenacity in comparison to her size, this new instructor was even smaller and yet somehow scarier.

The lamb had arrived a week or two ago, riding in on a fancy carriage from Savannah Centre. Nick had already visited the Zootopian capital for his university studies, but for the rest of Judy’s siblings, including Judy herself, the fact that they were going to have someone from so far away staying in their home was very exciting.

Miss Bellwether was a lamb who made up for her lack of height with her loud laugh and endless eccentricities. She wore glasses, like Hufflethump, but hers were much larger and made her eyes looks that much more magnified. She was going to be their new ‘public relations assistant’, something that honestly made sense to Nick, since he was sure the only public interactions Miss Hufflethump had was snapping at Nick and Judy about salad forks and soup spoons.

“It’s all about image!” Bellwether would always say, a determined glint in her eye. “We have to make sure your image is perfect!”

“What else is new?” Nick would mutter to Judy, and she’d smile politely.

Today was no different. It was a crisp September afternoon, the kind when the air was fresh and clean and smelt of apple trees. Most of Judy’s younger siblings had returned to school, making the house slightly quieter, for which Nick was grateful. Lately, the littlest ones had taken to following him around, begging him to give them piggy-back rides or play with his tail. It was like dealing with baby Judy all over again, only this time it was worse, because there was like, 20 billion of ‘em.

The three (Nick, Judy, and Bellwether), were seated in 3 chairs on the manor’s veranda. The fall breeze wafted over Nick’s fur as he sat back in his chair, sipping some carroty punch drink and mulling an ice cube around inside his mouth. Judy was seated in a chair beside him, posture straight and stiff.

Ever since the…er…pie incident (something neither had verbally acknowledged since it happened), Nick couldn’t help but notice she’d been extra suck-up-y. She had her corset on every day (he could see her itching at it, no matter how proper she was trying to be), she always said her ‘please’ and ‘thank-you’s,’ and didn’t so much as raise a complaint about anything at all.

It was becoming more and more frustrating, to say the least. Nick missed his Carrots, even if he’d only seen her for what felt like mere moments. He missed the bunny that’d giggled at his jokes, the bunny that’d climbed mountains with him, the bunny that he’d danced with…

She was a people-pleaser, and right now, she was trying to please her parents, even if it went against the fabric of her very being. It wasn’t fair, Nick grumbled, chewing on the ice cube, They should listen to her, or at least cut her some slack.

He glanced over at the bunny beside him, but she didn’t return his glance. She was entirely focused on Bellwether, who was currently chattering away in her chair across from theirs.

“Anyway, what was I saying?” Bellwether paused, furrowed her brow. “Oh! Right! So, your parents want to make sure the public doesn’t regret this whole Unity Proclamation business. It’s really important that the preds don’t see this as some big joke, so, basically, no more public puking, okay?”

She laughed at this, her voice high and straining and sounding like it might crack, but it never did. Judy sat there, shifting uncomfortably and offering only a small, forced laugh.

“So, uh,” Nick said quickly, trying to change the subject, “What’s the plan here? I mean, what do we have to do to make sure mammals know we’re serious?”

“Right,” Bellwether replied, wiping tears from her eyes as her bleating laughter died down, “So, we’re going to be having a little tour!”

Judy hesitated. “A tour?”

“Yes, Judy, a tour. I’m gonna be carting you two little lovebirds to every district in the land! That’ll give you a chance to be shown off to the public, in a controlled sort of way. We’ll show you off, kiss some babies, and most importantly, show everyone that preds and prey can live in harmony, fall in love, sing kumbaya, you get the gist.”

Nick saw Judy’s eyes gleam at this. “So…I’ll get to see the other parts of Zootopia?” She asked.

“Yes. That’s exactly what I just said. You’re gonna have to keep up here, Judy. Anyway, before that, I’m going to spend every minute until we leave making sure that you two are completely and absolutely ready to meet and greet!”

Nick eyed her. “What does that mean, exactly?”

“It means you two are going to be the talk of all of Zootopia. We’re talking like, the biggest wedding ceremony since King Lionheart III married his second cousin.”

“That was like, 100 years ago…” Nick muttered.

If Bellwether had heard him, she didn’t pay it any attention. “Anywho,” she continued, “We’re gonna have to make sure you two are picture-perfect! The dream couple! Honeymooners! Soulmates!”

Nick and Judy exchanged quick glances. Nick wondered if Judy was feeling as weirded out as he was. Sure, he liked Judy and all, as a friend, but soulmates? That seemed a little extreme.

“Are we sure this is even going to work?” Nick asked, leaning forward, “I mean, are people really gonna buy that we fell in love with each other? Everyone knows we were arranged to be together.”

“Listen, foxy,” Bellwether said, rubbing at her temples slightly, “Your parents aren’t paying me to have decisions on politics. I’m just here to polish you up and make sure everything looks nice and shiny and romantic.”

Nick shrugged and sat back in his chair. “Fine.”

“And the first way I’m going to do this is by making sure that you two look professional. Nick, sit up and spit that ice cube out. You look ridiculous. Judy, smile. You look dead.”

Both Nick and Judy adjusted themselves, looking slightly startled to be called out.

“Now, do you love each other?”

Nick was happy that he’d ditched the ice cube like he’d been told, because he was pretty sure he would have choked on it. “W-what?”

“You’re supposed to be in love!” Bellwether sighed, looking up to the roof of the white veranda. “That’s the entire point of the whole thing.”

Judy’s cheeks were flushed pink. “We are,” she answered dutifully, “I mean…I guess…”

“Yeah,” Nick added. “We’re…ah…crazy about each other.”

Bellwether’s expression was flat. “Wow. I totally believe you guys,” she said dryly.

Nick and Judy just glanced at each other again, sheepish. “We didn’t know it’d be so…involved,” Nick replied for the both of them, “We just thought we’d have to get married and it’d be over.”

Bellwether laughed again. “Oh, no, no, no. No. You’re going to be public figures for the rest of your lives! Every eye will be on you!”

“Oh.” Nick swallowed the mounting weight of the whole situation and proceeded onward. “So…how do we make sure that people believe it?”

“By being in love!” Bellwether said simply, “Or at the very least, doing a good job of making everyone believe you are.” She glanced between them, scrutinizing their awkward expressions. “Kiss her.”

Nick didn’t need an ice cube to choke this time, he simply did it on his own tongue.

To quote Judy, sweet cheese and crackers.

Judy’s eyes widened as Nick fell into a fit of choking and clearing his throat and coughing nervously. “I don’t think that’d really be appropriate,” she said quickly.

“Y-yeah!” Nick said hoarsely. “I mean, we can just hold paws or whatever.”

“You can hold paws with anyone,” Bellwether replied dismissively, “Not someone you’ve crossed species borders and divisions to fall in love with. If you two can barely be near each other, how do you really expect anyone to believe you’re living in romantic harmony?”

“By taking our word for it?” Judy offered weakly.

Bellwether gave her a look.

Nick turned to look at Judy, who was currently looking slightly terrified. “Okay then,” Nick said, taking a steadying breath, “We’ll just…do that then.”

Judy blinked at him, and he could hear her sharp intake of breath as he swiftly leaned over his chair and pressed a kiss to her cheek, right where her gray fur met the ring of white around her mouth. There. The world, as far as he could tell, had not ended. “Mwah,” Nick added half-heartedly, trying to make Judy smile. It worked, kind of. He saw the faint flicker of one pass her face as he pulled back, and she brushed her ears behind her head nervously.

“There ya’ go,” Nick said, turning back to Bellwether. “A kiss.”

He was expecting her to congratulate them, or at least give them some kind of pat on the back, but instead, Bellwether looked appalled.

“Are you kidding me?” The lamb cried out, exasperated. “You look like you’re wishing your grandmother a Merry Easter. I need to see a real kiss! One that won’t cause hundreds of preds to fall asleep and wake up wanting a revolution.”

Nick highly doubted that would happen, no matter how good or bad their kiss was. However, at the current moment, Bellwether was staring down at them, nostrils flared, and Nick would be lying if he said he wasn’t the least bit scared of her. Like he’d said, for such a small mammal, she was intimidating.

“Sorry,” Nick mumbled, feeling a blush start to creep over his cheeks.

“Do it again,” Bellwether instructed tiredly.

Nick and Judy locked glances again. “Sure,” Nick said, and his voice sounded like it wasn’t his own.

Judy just looked at him. Instead of being slumped against her back, her ears were now raised high and alert, and her nose kept twitching. “Yeah,” she replied meekly.

The two just looked at each other for a solid 10 seconds or so, both waiting for the other to make a move first. Once more, Nick took it upon himself to finally lean in closer, cheeks burning now. He’d kissed other mammals before (okay, so more like one), but that had just been silly, teenage hormones. This was Judy, someone who he’d grown up with, someone who used to fling mashed carrots at him and chew on his ears. Someone who’d been his close friend, as well as his worst enemy. Someone who embodied a sea of different emotions in his life, a sea he found himself often drifting in.

It’s just a kiss, Nick told himself, and with that, carefully placed his mouth over hers.

Their mouths didn’t fit together perfectly. Nick had to lower his head downwards to meet her height, and yet tilt it upwards and to the side to make sure his nose didn’t bash into hers. Their kiss was stiff, muzzled pressed together just the right amount, but not too much. Not as much as a real, passionate kiss. There weren’t any sparks or fireworks or angels singing, or any of that other stuff that was supposed to happen when you kissed your “one true love.” Instead, he noticed that she smelt of timothy hay and lavender. How had he never noticed before? Her fur was soft, but not in the annoyingly fluffy way that his was, but in a slick, smoother way.

After what felt like an appropriate amount of time, Nick pulled away. He was thankful for the cool breeze wafting through the air, for he felt like his whole body was flushing hot with embarrassment. He couldn’t look at Judy and Judy couldn’t look at him.

“How was that?” Nick asked, keeping his gaze firmly directed at the lamb in front of him.

“Better,” Bellwether said decisively. “We’ll work on it.”

Nick never thought he’d miss Hufflethump, but at the current moment, he’d give anything to be in the middle of a salad forks lesson right now.

Dinner had not gone well.

After Bellwether had gone on about how GREAT their lessons had gone (Judy was still unsure of whether she was being sarcastic or not), in vivid detail, her parents and the majority of her siblings had a good laugh at her expense.

“Well, at least it’s good to know she listens to you,” her father had joked to Bellwether, which had left Judy simply steaming.

Not listen to them!? All Judy ever did WAS listen to them! She married who they wanted her to, she wore what they wanted her to, she followed every rule and speech and dance move and mannerism and fashion style and she always listened to them.

She was gripping the edges of her seat so tightly she thought her paws might fracture. Her heart had sunk and at the same time was pounding fast and hard in her gut. Worst of all, she felt like crying, actually crying, but she wouldn’t let herself, she would remain composed, she wasn’t going to break down, she wasn't.

“MayIBeExcusedFromTheTable?” She instead said in one breath.

She barely heard her mother’s confirmation before getting up and hurrying away from the table. There was a ringing in her ear and she felt exhausted both physically and emotionally. She just wanted to rip her dumb corset off and crawl into bed and take a long nap.

She’d just entered her bedroom and was right about to close the door when a certain fox slipped in behind her.

Judy jumped back, startled. She hadn’t even heard him following her. “Nick? Where did you come from?”

“My parents,” Nick said dryly, shutting the door behind them, “Are you ok?”

Judy blinked up at him, flustered. This was their first time talking directly to each other since the whole kissing thing earlier, an event she still wasn’t completely over yet. “What do you mean?” She said thickly.

“You were clearly upset,” Nick shrugged. He sauntered past her and flopped onto her bed. His brow furrowed as he looked around her bedroom, and even more so as he grabbed one of the many bunny plushes off her bed and examined it.

Judy walked over and sunk onto the bed beside him, making sure to keep a good foot or two of space between them. This caused half of her body to hang off the edge of the bed, but there was no way she was going to get any closer, on her bed of all places.

“So, what’s up?” Nick asked, tossing the bunny toy up in the air and catching it. He said it in that casual, nonchalant way of his, like he really didn’t care, but Judy could see past that now. He was far more thoughtful than he let on.

“It’s nothing,” she said quietly. Her gaze was focused upwards as her eyes intently studied the brocade designs molded into the ceiling. “I’m just tired.”

Nick rolled over onto his side so that he was looking at her. “I know that’s not true,” he said in a high pitched voice, moving the stuffed bunny’s head as if it was talking. “Tell me the truuuuuuth Juuuuuudy.”

“Sweet cheese and crackers!” Judy flushed and rolled her eyes at him. “Are you drunk?”

“Please,” Nick snorted, setting the plush down, “The only alcohol you guys have around here is carrot wine, which, by the way, is disgusting.”

“We have more,” Judy said defensively, thinking back to the family’s wine cellar. It was in an actual bunny burrow, in the basement under the manor.

“Where?”

“I’m not telling you,” Judy said with a small smile, “If this is how you act sober,” — she motioned to the bunny plush — “I don’t want to see you drunk.”

“Carrots,” Nick whined, giving her a puppy dog pout, “You’re a jerk.”

Judy gave him a wry smile and looked away again, eyes returning to the ceiling. “So I’ve heard.”

“No matter,” Nick said confidently, “We foxes have excellent senses of smell. I’ll find it eventually. But stop deflecting, I know that something’s up with you. Your little bunny foot wouldn’t stop doing the thumping thing during dinner.”

Judy shrugged. She could feel that ringing in her ear again, and her eyes were starting to sting. “I told you, I’m fine,” she said, and her voice came out so strong and reassured she almost believed it herself.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong!”

“Is this about earlier? With the—” he paused, “kiss?”

Judy blushed. “No.”

“Tell what is it?”

“Nothing!”

“So, by nothing you really mean something.”

“No! Why do you keep asking?”

“Because I want an answer I’ll actually believe?”

Judy cringed, ears stiffening. “Fine then! I’ll act for you too, then! I’ll tell you I’m fine and pretend to be so until you believe it! Is that better?”

Nick was silent, frowning. His gaze scrutinized her, pierced her. Had she hurt his feelings? Was he angry with her?  

“I’m sorry,” Judy said timidly, lowering her gaze. “I-I shouldn’t have snapped at you. I’m just…I’m so tired of pretending.”

Nick continued to say nothing. Judy thought she’d gotten to know the fox so well, but now she couldn’t read him at all. She didn’t know what to do and she was just so tired and she wanted life to be simple.

“Please say something,” she pleaded, hating the silence. “I’m really sorry.”

“It’s just…” Nick began, running his claw across her bedspread idly, “I notice things. And no offense, Carrots, but your parents are kinda terrible sometimes.”

Judy froze. Her mouth fell open helplessly, unsure of whether to be angry or defensive or in agreement with him. “What?”

“It’s just — they never seem to listen to you!” He explained, “And they get mad at you about dumb stuff, like getting sick. You never get to do what you want to do. And your idea of rebelling is just forcing yourself to be happy about doing whatever is that they want you to do!”

“That’s not true,” Judy replied quietly, though even as the words left her mouth, she knew they weren’t true.

“You know I’m right,” Nick said, giving her a stern look. “They should listen to you. Especially your mom.”

Judy looked away from him, heart torn. The teenage, hormonal side of her wanted to snap back, to disagree, to defend.

But…

Were her parents really that bad? She loved them, always would, but thinking back…

You’re a lady! And you’re too flighty for your own good! I know you’re not happy about the situation, but—

Where are your manners, Judith? Your ladylikeness? All those lessons with Miss Hufflethump and with your tutors! Did they mean anything to you?

Do you think he’d want a wife who’d be running around town at night, acting foolishly?

Well, at least it’s good to know she listens to you.

“They’ve never been proud of me,” Judy mumbled, still not looking at Nick. “At least, they’ve never told me they were. I doubt they are.”

“I think they’re proud of you,” Nick said hesitantly, “I think they’re just too hard on you, is all.”

“No,” Judy shook her head, “They’re not.” As she continued speaking, her words came out more strained, broken-sounding. Pathetic. She felt herself holding back a lump in her throat, suppressing all the hurt, frustrated feelings that she’d been holding back for years. Before she could even fully think about it, more words came spilling from her mouth, rushing, rapid, relentless.

“A while back, when you were still away, I really wanted to be a constable,” she said hurriedly, speaking quickly as if to get it all out before she lost her nerve. “I know it probably sounds stupid, but some of my brothers and cousins are, and I just thought it’d be really nice, you know? To actively help mammals and make a difference. I practiced and I studied for months and months, and I wanted it so badly, but my parents said no. They said it wasn’t ladylike. Like, all I can ever do is embarrass them. I’m an embarrassment.”

Judy’s gut clenched as she crumpled and cracked, finally breaking down into tears. She curled into a small ball as a catastrophe of different emotions engulfed her. On the one hand, it felt relieving to get all these suppressed emotions off her chest, to finally say what she was really feeling. But on the other hand, the minute she’d thrown all these buried emotions off her conscience, the weight of it all fell tumbling down, crushing and overwhelming her.

She cried and she sniffled and she wept, feeling embarrassed and ashamed.

Goodness, she couldn’t believe that she was crying in front of Nick, but she couldn’t stop. It felt so good to just get it all out of her, right down to every last hiccuping sob.

There was a rustle of her bedspread as she heard Nick swear under his breath. Before she could so much as blink, with one jerking movement the fox had pulled her head in against his chest and wrapped his arm around her waist. Her ears smushed against his torso, and she felt her body begin to reverberate with the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

Her cries died down to sniffling whimpers as her nose was filled with the scents of violet musk and spice. It wasn’t until now that Judy was suddenly and abruptly aware of just how different she and Nick were, species-wise. Nick was big. He took up the majority of the length of her bed (though to be fair, her bed was designed for bunnies), and even with her head nestled right under his muzzle, her feet barely met his.

And yet…

This felt even better than their kiss. Their kiss had been awkward, forced, uncomfortable. This was soft, soothing, warm. Nick holding her like this wasn’t something done to please someone or to practice a charade. It was real.

“If it means anything to you,” Nick said slowly, “I’m proud of you.”

“For what?” Judy hiccuped, voice sounding muffled.

“Because you’re a good mammal. You’re really nice and thoughtful and…good. You care about things. Real things. And you want to help others.”

Judy sniffed, burrowing her face closer to his chest. His heart was still beating slow and steady into her ear, one beat, two beat, three. “Thank you,” she whispered.

“On the other paw, I can’t really disagree with the annoying thing though,” Nick said, and Judy could practically hear the smirk he probably had on his face. “I have several witnesses who will testify to you pouring salt in their tea, or destroying their carrot cakes.”

Judy snorted, and hiccuped, and her hiccups turned into giggles, and her giggles into laughs. “Shut up,” she mumbled, face still nestled in his torso.

Nick chuckled before falling silent, though this time it wasn’t as tortuous as the last time. “We’ll figure this out,” he said after a moment, “It won’t be like this forever.”

Judy was slightly unsure as to what he meant by ‘this.’ Her parents judging her? The betrothal? Being forced to do things she didn’t want to do?

She thought about questioning him, but at the same time, she was so comfortable right now, and thinking…questioning…just seemed like far too much effort.

Instead, Judy chose to just nod and close her eyes, allowing herself to drift off to the sound of Nick’s heartbeat, its rhythm like a lullaby.

One beat, two beat, three…

Ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum...

The grandfather clock struck 1 am, echoing throughout the Hopps manor. Nick glanced down, surprised that so much time had passed. His mind felt slightly hazy and he was unsure of whether or not he had drifted off.

Judy had. The little bunny was still curled up against him, fast asleep.

Nick pulled away gently, cradling Judy as if she was made of glass (she wasn’t — she was tougher than that, she just didn’t know it yet). He pulled back her bed sheets and tucked her under them, smoothing her ears flat against her back. With a small smirk on his face, he slipped the bunny plush he’d been messing around with earlier into her arms, ensuring that’d it be the first thing she’d see when she woke up in the morning.

“Sleep tight, dummy,” he whispered, and with that, he quietly exited her room and returned to his.