A/N: Sequel to Stargazing. I felt bad for making it so short I just had to write one more to make it up to you guys and gals. After reading so many romance mangas and animes, I have finally got one in my head. Again, I apologize for the last fanfic to be too short.
Disclaimer: Zootopia belongs to Disney. Disney is me. Just kidding.
Summary: Everyone knows of our relationship now but… Why does he keep calling me 'Carrots'?! – Judy Hopps.
It's been almost 2 weeks now after the stargazing. Their relationship has been made public and it seems that no Zootopians seemed to mind about interspeciesm. SEEMED. The fact that even the ZPD now knows as well, they can't seem to stop bothering Nick. All except Clawhauser and Chief Bogo.
The officers would sometimes be happy with Nick but just can't stop bothering him about his relationship with Judy. Jealousy perhaps?
Nick would just bury his face in his arms, his ear twitching and hoping they'd just leave him alone. He got the message. They were proud but they can't seem to leave him be after the publicity.
It was even on the front of the papers when they finally decided to go out in public. "Hero bunny dating a fox cop?" it said. Everyone in Zootopia was so into the news because there's never been anything about interspecies so far. And it's been going on for the pass 30 years now.
Judy finally arrived and the officers finally left Nick alone. He sighed in relief. "Finally…" he thought.
"Nick?" she shook him.
Nick sat up straight and looked at her. "Hey, Carrots," he said sounding a little discomfort.
"Come on, Nick," she grabbed his paws. "Enough with 'Carrots' already." She wanted to hear him call her 'Judy' again. Especially now that the whole city of Zootopia finally knows about their relationship.
Nick just smiled at her weakly and rubbed her head as a respond. "No," he said playfully and bury his face in his arms again.
Her ears dropped down and she frowned at him. She placed her arms on the table as well and sit opposite him.
Nick's ears perked up and he looked up a little, noticing Judy is doing the same thing. The two met each other's eyes for a while and Nick blushed a little. He wasn't afraid to hide it. Judy looked at him, concerned, her nose twitching like a rabbit.
Nick finally gave her a gentle smile and finally sits all, feeling all energetic again. He patted her head. "Thanks for the concern, Carrots."
Her cheeks puffed up in anger at him for still calling her 'Carrots'. Nick just laughed a little because he knew that she was just trying to look scary. But even if she does, it just raise her cuteness meter.
Meanwhile, in the background, every officer is glaring… (Trying to get some humor a bit here. :p)
After work, the two were relaxing on the bench, eating pawpsicles. Judy keeps swinging her feet back and forth while Nick was casually eating his while looking at his phone.
Judy would sometimes take glances at him and giggled because he looked so… different than before. It was that or she just hasn't noticed it before.
"Um, Nick…?" she finally spoke up.
"Hm?" Nick wasn't looking at her but she knew he was paying attention. He's always good at multitasking.
"Can I ask just one request?"
He took out his pawpsicle for a while. "And that is?"
"Can… Can you stop calling me 'Carrots'? It's a little embarrassing especially now that… You know, everyone knows?"
He put down his phone and looked at her. Then he rubbed her head again. "Nope~" was his answer then he puts the pawpsicle back in his mouth.
"Why?" Her ears dropped down and she stared at him.
He just chuckled. "You'll know one day."
Judy noticed the other animals witnessing this and they were staring at the couple. She just smiled at everyone and waved. They all went back to their business. However, there are some who are quite concern with this. Not just because the couple were two different species. But prey and predator as well?
Well, in Zootopia anyone can be anything. So why not love anyone too? Right? Right?
Night came quickly and Judy was just laying down in her bed, looking up at the ceiling, thinking. "Why does he keep calling me 'Carrots'? Even when we're dating. Does he actually still think of me as a friend?" She quickly sat up and hugged her knees. "Did he only date me because he was doing it for me…?"
Judy never wanted Nick to date her by force. She wanted him to love her like for real. I mean, he did say he loved her before but… That was quite a long time ago.
She looked out of the window as she gaze into the beautiful city that was glowing at night. It was so colorful. So… Sceneric…
She breathes in slowly and lets it out. "I'm sure it's nothing to be worried about," she thought. Nick DID kiss her during the summer after all. She just decided to stop thinking about it and go to bed.
But before she does, she took out her phone and looked at the selfies she and Nick first took together. She smiled and puts it away.
She always does this before going to bed. She just enjoyed seeing how annoyed he gets. How frustrated he can be. Because she knows on the inside, he was feeling the opposite of what he showed. The fact that he called her 'Carrots' all the time, maybe he means to say something else. But just not publicly.
"That's it!" she said, realizing. "He just can't say it in public!"
"Hey, buddy!" her neighbors called. "Can you keep it down?! We're trying to sleep here!"
"Leave that bunny alone! Can't you see she's in love?!"
"You shut up!"
"No, you shut up!"
The next day
Nick was just getting his coffee, yawning. Unlike Judy, he's more of a night fox. He spends his day more during nighttime than the daytime. But somehow, he still manages to keep his job. Must be a miracle in this economy.
Just when he got his coffee ready, Judy jumped up behind him. "Hi, Nick!" she said in joy which made Nick spilled his coffee a little, still holding the cup as the hot liquid spilled all over his paw.
"Ow!" He quickly put it on the counter.
"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!"
Nick just chuckled and wiped his paw. "It's okay," he said, not even trying to hide the pain. "Didn't think you even noticed the coffee."
"Um…" Judy cover her mouth a little, trying to find the right words to hang out with him, alone.
"What's the matter, Carrots?"
"You free for tonight? Like after work?"
"If you aren't planning to spill anymore hot coffee on my paw again then yes."
She just giggled and hugged him. "I'll see you tonight then!"
Her plan was to get him to call her by her first name tonight. And she needs to make sure they were alone. She already had the stargazing plan last time. So she was for sure it wasn't gonna happen again. She needs to make sure it was a plan where no one can bother them. And she knows just the place.
Their shift was over and it was getting dark. The fox and bunny were sitting down on a bench underneath the moonlight at the park.
"Sure is nice here," Nick commented with Judy in his arms, cuddling him. He may be a night fox, but he's never actually been out before. The last time he's been out was when he was stargazing with his doefriend (doe is a female bunny).
"Now's my chance," Judy thought. She tugged on his shirt and looked at him. "Nick?"
He looked back at her, hypnotized by her beauty that was illuminated in the moonlight.
"So…" she looked down then back up to him. "Now will you start calling me, Judy…?"
His face inch closer to hers, nose almost touching with both their eyes almost shut.
Then he nuzzled her nose and said, "Not yet, Carrots~"
Her eyes opened wide again and she bury her face in his chest. "Gahhhhh!" she screamed in his chest. However, it wasn't loud at all.
Nick just chuckled and rubbed her head again. "Is that why you wanted to go out tonight?"
She looked up at him, making that adorable angry face that he loves seeing so much again. "Yes! Why can't you just call me 'Judy'?!"
He held the back of her head and slowly pulls her face closer to his. She blushed. And Nick nuzzled here again. "Maybe when I'm ready," he said.
She looked away at him, pouting.
"Please forgive me?" he begged, playfully.
Her cheeks still puffed and she frowned still not looking at him.
But Nick fixed this by giving her a kiss on the cheek which removed the frown and made her slowly face him.
"Alright. I'll tell you."
She smiled, ears back up in joy.
"Soon," he finished.
"Soon? When is that?"
"Who knows?"
"Nick!"
Nick just responded with a kiss on her head and hugged her. She blushed and her pouting became less 'threatening'.
Later that night in Judy's room
Her nose twitched, still thinking about him. She can never be mad at him. She knows that he must have his reason but what?
She just buried her face in her pillow and groaned.
"I can't believe I'm being so obssess with something like this…" she thought. She was right though. The fact that she can't stand about him for not calling her name? A little too intense. She picked up her phone and looked at the pictures they took together during the summer.
She just smiled. Her heart finally at ease whenever she looked at him smile. Whether if he was smiling in front of her, or just in a picture, it was enough to make her forget about other things.
She sighed and put her phone away and drift to dreamland.
5 days later…
5 days went by in a flash. And Judy doesn't seem to think about the reason why Nick calls her 'Carrots' anymore. There wasn't a single thought about it so far and not even she realized it. She was working hard again at the ZPD, not being all lovey dovey anymore.
Because of that, the officers also stopped bothering Nick. Sometimes they would even talk to Judy which may make Nick a little jealous. But knowing Judy, he knew that she wouldn't be that easily swept away with kind words. Not anymore.
She was loyal to her relationship with Nick and he would smile, seeing her turn every offer down. He sat up and sighed. "Guess it's time…" he thought.
He went up to Judy who looked at him back. "Hey, Nick," she said, smiling.
"Hey, um… Remember when you ask why I kept calling you 'Carrots'?"
That smile went away and she looked down, finally remembering. "Oh… Right…"
He rubbed her head and whispered closely. "Meet me on the way to the abandoned factory tonight and I'll tell you."
She froze there and watched him walk away. She just realized it has been days now and she wasn't getting worked up about her name anymore. Her heart skip a beat. It was finally time and after all those plans too.
Her ears twitch, remembering his words. His… voice… She blushed and covered her face. Her tail wagged without her control. Was she really that happy that he was about to tell her? It's not that big of a deal anymore but… She was about to get her answer finally.
"Tonight," she thought, paws clenched. "I have to be there!"
It was around 7 after work. Nick's shift was already long over before hers. Judy was already on her way to the abandoned factory. And she noticed him standing under the bridge.
It was the same place where the two got back together as friends after their first argument. The same place where Nick forgave her for misjudging him and his fellow predators.
She quickly jumped down which made him turned to her. "S-sorry, I'm late," she said, panting. He just smiled at her and placed his paws on her shoulders. She blushed and looked at him. "N-Nick…?"
His paws made down to her waist, her blush getting serious now. Her heart racing like crazy, with her ears shaking nervously.
"W-wh-what is he doing?!" she thought, panicking. But she didn't even do a thing about it.
And then, Nick grabbed something from her pocket and caressing her cheek.
"You know you love me," Nick's voice was heard but he didn't say it. Her ears froze.
"Do I know that? Yes, yes I do," said a voice that sounded like Judy.
She looked at what he was holding. It was… Her carrot pen.
He rewinded it and replayed their conversation again.
"You know you love."
"Do I know that? Yes, yes I do."
He gave it back to her, turning away. "Now you know," he said, finally.
She was confused. "Nick… I don't understand…"
He looked up at the stars and smiled. "It all started with your stupid pen. It was how I got involve in all this."
She listened to him, taking a step forward.
"Especially when that pen is literally a carrot."
She frowned. "I… Still don't get it…"
He just stared at the beautiful starry night sky and breathes the air in. "I'm saying that… I call you 'Carrots' a lot because I wanna remember of how it began…" He turned to her. "I only call you 'Judy' whenever I'm seriously worried or something."
Her ears dropped down and she looked at him. She realized it now.
"I know it's a stupid reason but it's…" Judy immediately hugged him from behind. The two stayed under the stars for a while.
She never would have thought it that way. He was just trying to make sure that he remembers everything from where it began. How they met. How they worked together. How they ended up being friends.
Every moment they had, he was trying to hold on to. All because it started with that pen. The pen that Judy used when she hustled him.
Judy let him go which gave him a chance to turn around slowly and face her.
She held onto his face, staring in his eyes. The two were lost in each other's gaze with their lips almost touching each other.
"I'm so sorry, Nick…" she whispered. "I didn't know…"
Nick just chuckled. "And you're suppose to be a cop?"
She giggled.
They placed their forehead on each other's and just looked into one another's eyes. Soon after when they were lost, they kissed, passionately.
Judy held onto Nick's face and Nick held onto her curvy back. The two taking their time, enjoying each other's company, slowly remembering what they thought was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. But now that friendship has turned into something more…
Judy slowly pulled away, breathing heavily with Nick and whispered. "I love you…"
"I love myself too, Carrots."
She just grinned, placing her head in his chest and playfully hitting him.
A/N: And there you have it, guys and gals. I really owe you all for that last one I wrote. So I made sure this one was longer and worth reading. I have to say though, it was worth it. So, another thought finally emerged itself in my head and I was already planning for another sequel.
This time, it involves… Their folks. So, let me know if you guys want me to continue. I'm currently writing it right now, so expect it by next week.
Thanks again for so much support and the likes in my tumblr. 'Preciate it. Again, full illustration of this story will be in my tumblr. Anyway, ciao. And sorry about me being a terrible artist. :P
