Authors Note: Hello! This is the first fic i've put to paper in ages, so any criticism is welcome!
The pair walk side by side down the streets of Savanah Central, the towering building of the Zootopia Police department disappearing from sight as they round the corner, neither of the two mammals saying a word to the other. Judy wrings her paws uncomfortably as she walks, clearly wanting to talk to her partner but too scared to initiate the conversation. Her lanky fox companion doesn't notice her discomfort, or if he does, he doesn't say anything.
Judy Inhales sharply, upset to see her friend and partner in such a sorry state. "Come on Nick, this whole thing is complicated, and I just wouldn't be able to do it. You know moping about it isn't going to change my answer!" she says sharply, arms crossed in indignation as the two amble around the next street corner.
Nick stopped walking immediately after hearing this. The abrupt and deliberate manner with which he ceased all movement, freezing in place, made Judy flinch. Was he really that mad at her? The russet toned fox lazily turns his head to the side, refraining from actually making eye contact. His eye lids half closed and a cocky smirk on his face, as if to say he doesn't care.
"Listen Carrots, I can't make you love me. I get that. It really wasn't that big of a deal to begin with. I'll see you at work tomorrow, Okay?" he said to his rabbit partner, chuckling as if his recent confession of love to her was so petty that it didn't warrant a serious discussion.
With that the fox continued on his way, each footstep as he walked farther away from her appearing as though it physically pained him. Judy couldn't help but stare at the fox as he made his way down the busy streets, her mouth agape slightly and her ears pressed against the back of her head. Nick made it clear that her rejection of him wasn't personal, and he didn't really care, but something in the back of her mind led her to feel that he was just putting up a front. She continued to stare at her partner, wishing he would turn around and see her there; worried for his wellbeing. He didn't look back.
…
Judy, now doomed to walk back to her apartment alone, decides to forego the process all together for now and sits down on a nearby park bench.
Exasperated with her partner's immature behavior, the bunny leans her head against the back rest.
She closes her eyes.
Content to absorb the summer heat baring down on her now.
Maybe if she was lucky it would fry her brain and she wouldn't be forced to think about her current predicament anymore.
Judy has argued with Nick before, and most of the time he would act as though it didn't bother him. He would quickly shrug off her words and change the topic as quickly as possible.
If it did bother him, then his apathetic reputation would be tarnished.
"Not this time Wilde…" she thought to herself.
"I know that this bothers you a lot more then you want to admit, because it bothers me too."
…
Hurriedly, Nick scampers up the stairs to his apartment and opens the door, rushing in and locking the door behind him before leaning up against it and sighing heavily.
Slowly he allows himself to slowly slide down the wooden door frame before finally reaching the floor.
The fox lets out a guttural moan accompanied by a lazy eye roll before repeatedly banging his head against his door. In response to the banging, he heard rapid knocking coming from the room adjacent to his. It was his neighbor, a high strung weasel who seemed to jump at every chance to quiet any noise coming from his fellow tenants in the apartment complex. Rolling his eyes again, this time slightly quicker and more out of annoyance then resignation to his situation, he sprawled himself out on the ground in front of his door, resting his head on the hardwood paneling of his room in defeat.
Is this really the most comfortable place to take a nap in self-pity? Nick looked around his small, claustrophobic room before deciding that it will do. His bed wouldn't prove much more comfortable, as hard as it was, and the floor has the added benefit of not requiring him to stand up to get to it, because he was sort of already there. The entire apartment complex was somewhat shoddy, and it was unlikely that his neighbors had much more luck getting comfortable in their own rooms, so he thought it was best to stop pitying himself and just stare up at the wall, shoving all the intrusive thoughts that accumulated in his head as he walked home to the back of his mind. What a mistake that was. The roof was decrepit, holes perforating the entirety its entirety and mold covering whatever was left.
Well, that's what he gets for buying an apartment for cheap.
Not that he had much of a choice, he had spent most of the money he had earned on duty as an officer on the shoddy little shack he currently resided in. As bad as it was, however, it beat the run down underside of the bridge that he was used to before he had joined the force. Judy had offered a spot for him on her couch, but he turned her down, unwilling to mooch off of her.
Judy…
…
The thought of the adorable bunny he had been so lucky to call his partner this past year immediately brought back the awful memory of today's events as they walked out of the Z.P.D building. The two of them had just finished a case, and were on their way out when Nick stopped in the middle of the parking lot. He had wanted to say something to her for some time now, he just wasn't sure how to say it. With the consistent crime fighting, friendly outings, and even the simple activities the two partook in together, such as texting into the wee hours of the night, well it may have resulted in him falling for her, more so then he would like to admit.
So there in the parking lot, the two stood. Judy almost seemed to know what he meant to ask her, as she stood there with a smile of slight discomfort resting upon her face. As he started speaking she quieted him slightly, putting her paw against his mouth.
"Might want to speak in hushed tones Nick, the others are right over there" the bunny spoke before gesturing slightly to their coworkers who had also just gotten off duty.
Nick smiled to himself, she wanted to keep things private and personal. She was right, this wasn't the sort of thing that needed to be professed in front of all of their friends, yet.
"Right, right…." the fox stammered, clearing his throat slightly, his right hind paw tapping tentatively on the asphalt of the parking lot.
"So?" Judy asked, her face expressionless save for the polite smile she wore on her lips.
"Well, I'm not usually one to ask this sort of thing, so stop me if this is a little too awkward fluff…"
the vulpine explained, losing his typical calm and collected demeanor.
For a moment Judy smirked, it was almost cute how the slick con-artist she had met in the ice cream shop all that time ago managed to fumble under pressure on occasion. Dumb fox….
"We've been through a lot, and I've begun to care about you…. more so then I do for most mammals. So, I was wondering if maybe you felt the same?" he said, trying his hardest to keep his nerve.
"Of course Nick! After everything we've been through how could I not feel the same?" Judy exclaimed with her paw reaching out to his, eagerly shouting her answer almost immediately after the fox finished his sentence.
Slightly caught off guard by her quick answer he continued. "Well, I was thinking, unless you had someone else in mind, that the two of us could take this whole thing to a higher level". As he said this he brought his paw to his head to visually simulate "taking it to a higher level", a smirk still sitting awkwardly on his face.
Judy's eyes widened slightly at the implication of what he had just said. She placed her hands on her hip and cocked her head to the side, waiting for him to say what he had wanted to say.
"Mmmm, I'm not sure what I'm trying to get at anymore I…" Nick spoke indecisively, almost turning away.
"Wait, yes I am, I'm sure."
"Carrots, you have been a real good friend to me. Would you do me the honors of being my girlfriend?"
Judy's world stopped for a moment, her cheeks now burning up. Was that because of the heat of the summer afternoon or something else?
"I, I'm…. sorry Nick but I really can't do that. I wish I could say yes, but I can't." the bunny squeaked out before turning her head.
"Oh, I get it, no problem." the fox assured her before continuing to walk, his cheeks experiencing the same heat as his partners at the moment.
Judy stood there, dumb founded, before rushing to catch up to him
"You know that doesn't mean we can't stay friends though, or anything ridiculous like that?" the bunny asked.
"Oh yeah, don't sweat it carrots" the red fox answered with a slight wink.
The pair walked on, not saying another word.
…
Nick continued to lay supine on his floor. He should have known that it would end up this way. Asking her in a parking lot? Real nice Romeo. Suddenly he felt the urge to bawl his eyes out like he was a fox kit again, but quickly stopped himself, refusing to stoop to such a childish level.
Determined to be an adult about this situation, Nicholas Wilde stood up, made his way to his bathroom, and vomited up his lunch instead of breaking out into frustrated sobbing. So at the very least he had that victory.
