Chapter Two – Day One

Legoshi had been quiet while Nick emptied the car, returning with armloads of donated items. As the sun began to set and the time for dinner drew near, he began to sniffle and squirm in the bassinet Judy had just assembled and placed him in.

The rabbit rushed over in her baggy, borrowed clothes, stroking the fur of his cheek with a finger. "You hungry?" She asked, glancing up to see Nick already reading the directions for a packet of powdered formula.

The wolf's features, soft with baby down, scrunched up. He let out a long yowl and began to cry.

"There, there," Judy scooped him up swiftly, bobbing him up and down as she made her way to the kitchen. "Nick's working on it."

Legoshi cried louder, tears starting to wet his cheeks and chin.

Nick fought against the surrealness of his circumstances. He had a woman in his apartment, wearing his clothes, holding a baby, and looking to him to help her make formula. How had he cared about oatmeal? Was that years ago now?

"Right," Nick focused on the fine print under his claws, squinting as if it would impart secret knowledge. "It says we need to boil water."

"Got it," Judy turned to look for his pots, unaware that the sleeve of Nick's t-shirt was slipping down her shoulder.

Nick saw it fall from the corner of his eye, revealing a bra strap of surprising hue, and pulled the package closer, trying to make it fill his view.

I wouldn't have taken her for a hot pink kind of girl, he mused, suddenly miserable as he wondered if her underwear matched These are going to be a long few weeks.

Judy missed his intent study and flushed face, opening bottom cupboards one by one. Legoshi howled as she found the pots, clanging them together as she withdrew one.

"Here, switch," Nick offered, holding out the formula packet. "Let me take him."

Judy nodded as the fox's fingers wrapped around the crying infant, brushing her as he plucked him up. She let out a heavy sigh, free of his considerable bulk, and got to work on the formula.

Nick examined the little boy, straightening his onesie, making sure his tail wasn't pinched at all. Legoshi's tears subsided enough for the pup to blink up at this new mammal, who also wasn't his mother. He sniffed cautiously, craning forward as he pushed his muzzle against Nick's jaw.

Nick started to lift his head away, but reconsidered. Fox and wolf biology was probably similar enough, and if it was enough to appease the baby… well….

He rubbed the side of his face against Legoshi's, and the baby rewarded him with a lick. Nick bared his teeth obligingly, and the boy started licking them enthusiastically. Nick let out a rumble he hoped sounded encouraging – his knowledge of pups extended only to the occasional cousin, and he was already well out of his depth. Fox kits didn't lick canines as a greeting.

When Judy turned around with the finished formula, she found the pair still engrossed in their introductions. Her mouth fell as Legoshi yipped almost cheerfully, and Nick responded with another low rumble.

She didn't want to interrupt the moment, but her exhale of "Wow," was enough to break in.

Nick wrenched his snout away, shaking his head for a moment, as if clearing his nose.

"How'd you know what to do?" Judy asked, holding the forgotten bottle absently.

It wasn't often Nick saw his partner in awe, and certainly never in awe of him, and he shifted in discomfort.

"While you were changing, I read the brochure," he half-lied, unwilling to admit instinct had guided much of what he'd just done. No need to emphasize their different biology – he was still a caninae, much closer to Legoshi than Judy.

The second t-shirt sleeve joined the first, dropping to her elbow, and Nick released a louder rumble without even realizing. It was a pleasing visage, his plain blue affair far too broad for the bunny's small frame, but her wearing it anyway. As if he was a boyfriend or something.

She smiled and advanced on him with the formula, oblivious to her bared shoulders on display, or their effect on her partner. Legoshi noticed her shirt's placement though and gave a small mewl, reaching out toward her. Judy retrieved him and went to pet his cheek, when he opened his mouth and took her finger, beginning to suck noisily.

"Oh buddy," her ears fell and wetness welled in her eyes. "I'm not your mama," she extracted her finger from the sharp baby teeth, cradling him close while she juggled the bottle and maneuvered them toward the living room couch.

Nick followed, lifting her blue sleeves as he went. A murmured 'thank you' was his only acknowledgment as Judy took a shaky inhale, trying not to cry.

"We'll find out what happened to Leano," he whispered.

She nodded numbly, sitting among cushions.

Nick gingerly settled down beside her, watching as she offered Legoshi the bottle. The little boy palmed her chest for a moment in confusion, until his nose and stomach won over what he remembered the comforts of dinner usually consisted of. He lunged at the bottle and began drinking greedily. Milk started spilling from the sides of his muzzle as he gave short, contented grunts.

Judy laughed, blinking back her tears. "You're a messy eater."

Nick sprung up and went for a dishtowel. "You're going to get covered in a minute," he joked, rushing back with a checkered cloth. Legoshi had milk on his cheeks and throat as he made short work of the formula, and didn't pause while Nick wiped his face. The pup closed his eyes under the ministrations, murmuring in ease.

The shirt Judy wore was indeed getting ruined, her side saturated in the distinct fragrance of artificially-crafted milk. It clung to her wetly, and Nick moved for it next, dabbing with unthinking strokes.

The smile that had started in her face froze as the dishtowel began patting her down. "Nick?" She managed, catching his eye. "I think I'm good."

He looked down at his wide palm, cupped against the curve of her chest and the baby. "Right!" He straightened, nearly jumping from the couch. "Sorry!"

She shook her head with a soft laugh, gentle and nonplussed. "I can see what you mean – this is going to be awkward!"

Nick's ears and tail plummeted, and he wanted to go find a corner to quietly die in. Great. Manhandling. So appropriate.

"Sorry," was all he said again, embarrassed. "Thought I was helping."

Judy waved him away. "No worries. Neither of us have done this before. I'm just glad you're here. That we're doing it together," Legoshi gave a satisfied burp in her arms, signaling the end of his dinner.

"Getting ready for bedtime cutie?" Judy stood up and put the baby over her shoulder.

He was not, in fact.

"What are we doing wrong?" Judy asked in misery, rocking back and forth in the doorway of Nick's bedroom. Legoshi had been crying for hours, and he continued to fuss in her arms, red-faced and irate.

"I don't know," Nick scrolled through his phone, frantically searching for answers. "We burped him, changed him, tried swaddling him – nothing's working," he sat on the edge of his mattress, fighting back frustration.

His partner mirrored his fight, ears low and chin trembling. "If he would just stop crying," she murmured, her voice cracking. She paced towards the bed and sat down, exhaustion weighing her shoulders. She reeked of milk and wet wolf and just wanted to go to bed.

Nick leaned over on his elbow, stretching an arm out and rubbing the pup's back. "You're okay," he soothed.

Judy sunk down toward him, resting Legoshi on the bed between them. The baby's cries softened and stopped as he looked up at the mammals on either side of him.

Two sets of beleaguered ears perked, and Nick and Judy held their breath, waiting for more wailing sounds of distress. Small eyelids blinked heavily, and Legoshi's hiccups subsided.

"Oh my god," Judy whispered, daring to peek over at Nick. "Is he finally getting tired?"

Nick nodded, keeping his whole body still. Whatever spell was falling over the boy, he wasn't about to move and break the magic.

Judy wasn't as wise, sitting up. "I'm going to change out of this—"

Legoshi's face scrunched up tellingly, and Nick grabbed her wrist. "Wait Judy! Stay! You'll get him going again."

The rabbit froze, staring down in horror. She rushed to lay back down, smoothing gray fur with pleading fingers.

The pup snuggled up to her, brushing his bushy tail against Nick. The pair watched in hopeful silence for several minutes as his breath evened out, and his chest began rising and falling slowly.

Nick beamed, and Judy risked trying to rise again.

The even breathing hitched, and Nick's smile fell.

"How is he this light of a sleeper?" He hissed.

Judy's mind was thinking of her own sleep. "Is he only going to stay like this if we're both here?"

Nick's eyes widened. "No way."

Judy tried to escape several more times, and each roused Legoshi closer to consciousness. She swore softly and settled down, turning to face Nick propped on an elbow.

"I just want to go to bed," she tried not to make her voice a whine, but heard the juvenile note anyway.

The fox nodded, sighing heavily. "This is fine. He obviously just needs this comfort right now. It isn't permanent."

"My brothers and sisters weren't this much work," Judy grumbled, eyeing the dried crust of formula down her front.

"They didn't have a sole parent murdered," though the words were soft, Nick's tone was sharp. "And weren't left alone in the world with a pair of strangers they had never met."

Judy flushed. "You're right. Of course, you're right," shame reddened her cheeks. "I'm a jerk."

Nick reached out and made another feeble attempt to straighten her shirt. It had become quite the nemesis during the last few hours, and he no longer found satisfaction in its size. "You're just tired. We both are," his mouth opened wide in a yawn. "Let's see if we can at least get under the covers. I'm already cold."

Judy made no protest, an evening of wails and ever-increasing dread that they'd never cease had eroded any worries she'd had about propriety.

Gingerly, they lifted the baby and shifted up to the head of the bed, drawing blankets and sheets back while he stirred. The fox and rabbit resettled quickly, their hearts racing as they waited in near panic for him to wake. They had laid down farther apart, and Legoshi whimpered, letting them know they weren't close enough. Judy and Nick obliged, practically hugging each other as they encased him in a cradle of arms and chests.

The baby cooed in half-conscious contentment.

The fox didn't meet Judy's eye, his arm over her hip. "We tell no one at the precinct about this," he muttered.

She nodded vigorously, her palm deep in the fur of his stomach. "None of their business," she managed primly. "If they're getting a full night's sleep, they're no one to judge."

Nick woke first, blinking in the dim light just starting to glow from his window. Confusion filled him as he inhaled, smelling foreign bodies in his usually vacant bed. He looked down and the roller coaster of the last 24 hours sharpened into focus at the slack features of his partner nestled in the crook of his arm. Her legs were entwined in his, one knee hitched high, and he swallowed, relieved he'd been the first to rouse. It had been a very long time since he'd shared this bed and the morning stiffness below his waist did not need spectators.

A set of snores drew his attention down, and he marveled at the baby atop her chest, drooling.

Right, he thought. I'm pretending to be a dad. The sobering realization helped soften his need, and he tried scooting back to get away from Judy's knee.

The bunny murmured in her sleep, shifting closer. Her thigh rubbed up in his as she tried reclaiming her place, and Nick couldn't help but yelp as she nudged somewhere personal.

She yawned as he pulled himself away, taking a vast amount of blanket with him. "Mmmwhere?" She mumbled, half-asleep. "Hotfur," her arm straightened in a stretch, and her eyes flew wide as her fingers filled with a handful of baby down.

"N-Nick?" Judy stammered, coming abruptly awake.

He sat up, piling covers into his lap. "Morning Carrots," he said, bringing his knees together.

Judy stayed on her back, wrapping arms around the small form atop her. "This isn't a dream, is it?"

Nick shook his head, hoping her attention was more on the baby than him. He was still trying to calm down and did not need the morning to get any more problematic. "A nightmare maybe," he joked.