Author's Note: Hello world! This is something I've been wanting to do for a long time now, but have never gotten around to actually doing so. This is the first fanfic I've ever gotten around to publishing, so I hope it's not too bad. Your reviews and comments are much appreciated as they might help me in the writing process. Thank you for checking out my story, and enjoy!
Chapter 1
6:15 AM
Trickles of light ebbed over the horizon, illuminating the previously desolate night sky. Rays of light pierced the window of the dingy apartment and settled upon an old wooden windowsill. A television inside threw its last remaining images against the wall, which filled the room with a colorful glow before the sun absorbed what little light was left. Sunlight fell upon a small, slender creature sleeping on a couch in front of the TV, illuminating her dust colored fur and tinged it a color of amber. It washed over the small mammal's face and she woke with a start. The rabbit's bright purple eyes opened slowly as she took in her surroundings. She yawned and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
Officer Judy Hopps was not used to waking up so off schedule, yet she'd make an exception this one time. To say that yesterday had been exhausting would be an understatement; a couple extra hours of sleep was just what the doctor ordered. Rising from the couch she sleepily made her way over to the windowsill and looked at the sunrise. In the early morning not a soul was around and the streets below were quiet, reminding her of countless other calm mornings back in Bunnyburrow. The hiss of a pipe from one of the many that lined the walls of the room interrupted her thoughts. She turned around and as she did, a lean, red fox had entered the room.
"Wakey, wakey!" He knocked on the wall next to him. "Morning, Carrots," the fox said with a small, sly smile. He wore an untucked green tropical shirt, khakis, a loose-fitting tie, and a sarcastic look. "I imagine you enjoyed your 5-star Wilde Presidential Suite?" He leaned against the door frame he came out of.
Judy let out a grin before assuming a mildly annoyed expression. "Oh, it wasn't bad," she examined her small rabbit nails. "But I ordered extra pillows from room service and they, ah, never arrived." Judy gave him a look.
The fox shrugged. "What can I say? A fox needs to sleep in comfort."
"In that case I'd like to speak with your manager," said Judy looking less annoyed and more amused.
"Fine, but I should warn you, he's devilishly handsome and charismatic."
Judy rolled her eyes. His ego couldn't get any bigger. "Nick, please."
Nick, the fox, gave her one of his trademark grins before straightening up and moving into the room.
"How long was I out for anyway?"
"Well, let's see." Nick held up his paws and started counting on his fingers. "I'd say you were out for about..." He scratched his muzzle as he looked up at the ceiling deep in thought. "8 hours... 23 minutes and 13 seconds exactly," he proclaimed with a snap of his fingers looking, (as always), immensely pleased with himself. "Unless I forgot to carry the 1..." He frowned.
Judy was impressed. "Not bad, Slick. How'd you know that anyway?" She asked.
"Oh, I just watched you while you were sleeping." Nick replied not missing a beat.
"Wait, what?!" Judy shouted indignantly feeling embarrassed.
"Hey, it's my apartment." Nick said with a paw on his chest and a face of pretend hurt. "You better be glad that I was so kind hearted as to take in a poor little homeless bunny and nurse her back to health from that devastating cut on her leg." He gave her a shrug.
Judy sighed. He certainly wasn't lying about any of that.
After being lifted out of pit they'd fallen into by several ZPD officers, Chief Bogo inspected Nick and Judy with a grunt. After informing them that there was an ambulance waiting outside, he quickly took control of the scene, directing his officers to search for and arrest any of Bellwether's cronies still inside the Natural History Museum. Nick, with Judy clutching onto his side for support, hobbled their way outside where an ambulance was parked next to the museum's main entrance. Judy decided to happily ignore the fact that the ambulance was undoubtedly here for her–at least, to recover what would've been left of her. Seeing the vehicle, Nick brought her over to one of the EMTs standing idle there, an otter, to get some attention for her injured leg.
The otter directed Nick to bring Judy into the back of the ambulance. The vehicle was intended to accommodate mammals of all sizes and as a result, was enormous compared to the fox and the rabbit. Nick had to lift Judy up into the ambulance before climbing up himself. Once he was up, Nick brought her over to a conveniently sized seat and sat her down, allowing the EMT to inspect her.
"A deep gash, but nothing too serious," said the otter. He had removed Nick's handkerchief that was wrapped around her wound, and rolled up Judy's jean leg to take a closer look at her injury. "We'll patch this up and then it's best you stay off that leg for a few hours."
"Thank you," said Judy as he scurried towards some oversized cabinets to grab the needed supplies.
Suddenly, a thought popped into Judy's head. "Wait!" The EMT tilted his head back slightly, acknowledging her.
"It's nothing... serious, is it?" Judy asked with a hint of anxiety. "I mean my leg will be fine, right?"
The otter gave her a reassuring smile. "Whatever you cut your leg on left its mark alright. If you're asking whether or not you'll be able walk again, we'll just need to wait for the swelling to calm down. That's what's causing the pain when you put weight on it." The EMT resumed his search through the cabinet.
"You okay Carrots?" Nick asked after being silent for some time. "I didn't take you for a worrier."
"I know, but it still hurts." She sighed looking at her injured leg. "Only when I stand on it of course, but I'll live I guess. You can't blame me for being the slightest bit worried."
"I guess you're right."
Judy looked over at Nick. He was staring out the ambulance doors at the police cruisers and barricades that were now set up around the museum entrance. She could see, (and hear), Chief Bogo inside shouting orders at officers to secure the area and collect any evidence they might find. Nick was watching intently, a focused look on his face, yet he was being awfully quiet. No witty remarks at her expense or a smug expression on his face? Something was up.
"Something on your mind, Nick?"
"It's nothing Carrots," he replied without looking at her, paws in his pockets. "Just admiring the scene, that's all." A smirk had returned to his face, but Judy could see right through it. She swore she heard a hint of guilt his voice.
"Nick, if something's bothering you," Judy touched his arm. "You can tell me." She remembered the way he opened up to her on the Sky Tram and right now he looked as if he needed to again. "Really, you can."
Nick sighed. "Carrots, I..." He paused to check if the EMT was listening in before lowering his voice.
"Look, when we were back there and we did our little 'performance', did you ever at some point feel... afraid?"
Judy was taken aback by the unexpected question. "Afraid? No, never! We came up with that together, I knew that it was just an act. There was never any danger to begin with!"
Nick's eyes remained downcast, his paws never leaving his pockets.
"Well, when I was pretending to go 'savage' and when I saw the look on your face, I..." Nick couldn't finish.
"Nick, please." Judy implored. "You don't have to feel sorry about anything. You've saved my life and then some. Talk to me."
Nick studied the metal floor of the ambulance. "Well, when I saw that look of pure... fear on your face," He said continuing to avoid looking at Judy. "I genuinely thought that you were terrified of me, stupid of me, I know," he admitted. "But when I realized that, I–I felt disgusted with myself. Disgusted that someone saw me for what they feared I was, nothing but a snarling, vicious predator."
"Oh, Nick you know that's not true." Said Judy firmly, gripping his arm. "I told you, I'm not afraid to be around you, and I don't care what kind of animal you are. You've done more for me than any other prey has done in this city and I'm glad to have you as a friend. You don't have to beat yourself up over nothing."
Nick closed his eyes for a moment and weighed what Judy had said. She watched him with concern in her eyes. After a few seconds he reopened his eyes and glanced at her with a relieved smile on his face.
"Thanks Carrots. I never should've doubted you again. It just helps to have a little… validation sometimes, ya know?"
Judy could agree with that. After today's events she had all the validation she needed to remove any doubt in her mind that she wasn't a real cop.
"Thank you for waiting so patiently." The otter EMT had returned carrying a bottle and a medical bag. "Why they store the small-sized bandages in the overhead compartment and expect me to be able to reach it, I'll never know." He grumbled. "Anyway, before we can bandage up that cut we'll need to disinfect it." Judy's nose recoiled slightly at the sterile scent of rubbing alcohol as the otter screwed open its plastic bottle.
"Now this may sting," He warned, removing the bottle top. "So please, bear with me."
Judy shot Nick a nervous glance. He gave her an encouraging nod. The otter dabbed a bit of cloth with some of the rubbing alcohol and began to work over the wound.
She was immediately hit by a searing pain. "Nick!" Judy gasped.
Nick bent forward and clutched Judy's paw as she felt her wound cry out in pain.
"It's alright, just a little longer." He comforted her.
Judy gritted her teeth as the EMT cleaned the flesh and fur immediately surrounding the wound, before moving onto the larger portion of the gash. Her eyes watered as the otter introduced more of the affected area to the rubbing alcohol. The otter couldn't help but feel sorry that the rabbit had to endure all this pain. He quickly finished with his disinfection and bandaged up Judy's leg, all safe and secure.
"There, it should be fine now," said the otter giving the bandage one final tug. "Now as I mentioned, it's best you refrain from using that leg for the time being. Once you feel that the pain has cleared up you are okay to remove the wrappings. Some sleep couldn't hurt either," said the EMT as he packed his supplies back into a bag. He looked at her. "You look positively exhausted."
"Thanks," Judy replied with a sarcastic look. "I feel plenty exhausted."
"We good, Carrots?" Nick asked letting go of Judy's paw and straightening out his back.
"Yeah, never felt better." Judy said wiping away a few tears from her eyes, while giving Nick a confident smile. She meant it too. Despite all the whirlwind that had occurred, Judy felt extremely satisfied over what she and Nick had accomplished together. No one could have guessed that a fox and a bunny could work side by side, and yet, here they were!
"That's honestly great to hear, Carrots." Nick began to stroke the top of her head.
Under normal circumstances Judy would've batted away any mammal who tried to pat her head or do anything of the sort. Just because someone considered her to be 'cute' did not give them the right to treat her like some stuffed plaything. Despite feeling so strongly, Judy couldn't bring herself to wave Nick off. She felt strangely comforted as Nick continued to stroke her head. When Nick finally pulled his paw away Judy was almost sad to see that he stopped.
"Well, anyway..." He began abruptly. "It's been great, it really has, but all good things have gotta come to an end eventually. So anyways… see you around, Fluff!" He patted Judy's head with finality and started walking away.
"Wait!" Judy snapped her head around to face him. "Where do you think you're going?"
"Oh me? I think I'll go take a nap." Nick yawned. "It's starting to get late isn't it?"
"You're right, but... my leg!" Judy exclaimed. "I'm not supposed to put weight on it and I–" Judy came to a realization. "–I've got no place to go for the night! I moved out of my apartment after resigning from the ZPD, I can't get to my parents' truck from here, and–" She slapped her furry forehead. "–I can't check into a hotel or anything 'cause I didn't bring any cash, and I doubt they'll accept blueberries!" She buried her face in her paws. "Gah! Such a dumb bunny!"
"I see someone is beginning to see things my way." Nick said triumphantly.
"Oh, shut it Wilde!" She retorted. Judy struggled to find a solution to her problem. "...Maybe I'll ask Chief Bogo if–"
"Or," Nick placed a paw on his chest. "You could ask this gentleman of a fox here if he'd be willing to help out his little cottontail friend."
Judy gave him a surprised look. "You'd... do that for me?"
"Still a dumb bunny I see. Look, Carrots, after all we've been through helping you out is the least I can do. You honestly thought that I'd just leave you here on your own?"
Judy was quietly stunned. "No... thank you. That means a lot to me actually."
"Of course it does." Nick agreed. He pointed at Judy. "Grateful bunny," Then at himself. "Generous fox."
Judy rolled her eyes.
"Excuse me, sir?"
Judy's ears perked up and Nick turned toward the sound. The EMT had scurried back to Nick. "I believe this belongs to you." He held out a clear plastic baggie.
"Ooh, yeah. Thank you, I almost forgot." Nick took the baggie from the otter before inspecting it. Inside was Nick's old red handkerchief, wrapped up for sanitary purposes. The very same one he'd held onto since he was a kid for some strange reason. Its red material almost made it easy to overlook the small stains of blood that the square cloth had absorbed.
"I'd wash it for you if I could." Said the otter. "I could tell that handkerchief might hold some value to you."
Nick nodded silently in agreement, his gaze fixed upon on an embroidered 'N.W.'. "Yes, it certainly does."
"Well, best I can do is wrap it up and return it to you. Safety reasons, of course."
"Yup."
Nick took one last look at it before safely stowing it away in his back pocket. Turning to Judy he clapped his paws.
"Alright, where were we? Oh right," Nick extended his arms. "Shall we get a move on?"
Judy nodded and Nick lifted her into his arms. She was fairly light and her fur was soft and fluffy. Nick could almost imagine he was carrying a stuffed rabbit toy, minus the fact that it was breathing and looking up at him with expectant purple eyes.
"So, where to?" Asked Judy.
"Oh, I know a place." Answered Nick mysteriously making his way out the ambulance door and carefully clambering down to street level.
Somewhere in the back of Judy's mind a voice told her that she should probably tell someone where she was going, but she waived it off. As long as Nick took her someplace where she could rest for a few hours, she'd be fine. They carried on, leaving the flashing police lights and sounds behind them. As Judy looked ahead she could see the crowd of onlookers that had slowly begun to gather, huddled behind the police barricades. Nick maneuvered them easily through the crowd despite some of the stares they received, and soon they vanished into the empty streets of the night.
All this came to mind as Nick patiently waited for Judy's response.
"Hello–oo? Earth to Carrots!" Nick waved a paw in front of her face. "You there?"
Judy snapped herself back to the present.
"I... Uh... Humph!" She finally said crossing her arms. "I guess you're right." She admitted. "But I don't appreciate being watched liked that!" She snapped, shooting him a dirty look.
Nick held up his paws. "Relax Fluff, I was just messing around. I was out of it just like you were."
"Good." She said sounding relieved. "It's just... weird to have someone else watching you while you sleep." She muttered to herself. "Especially if I'm a bunny and that 'someone' was a fo–"
"Oh, and by the way." Nick interrupted, the look on his face dangerously smug. "The way your nose twitches while you're dreaming is absolutely adorable."
She saw red. "I am NOT adorable!" Judy fumed rising from the couch, fists clenched. "I am a police officer of the Zootopia Police Department, valedictorian of my class, issuer of 200 parking tickets before noon, I handcuffed a savage jaguar to a lamppost for goodness' sake, I saved your sorry tail, and I-!"
"Settle down there sweetheart. Former police officer, remember? I saw it on the news."
"I–Aw, crud." Judy remembered, settling back down in her seat. "I'll need to speak with Bogo about that."
"What? Just can't leave it alone, can you?"
"Nope." Judy agreed. "I guess I just don't know when to quit."
Right on cue, Judy's phone rang. "That's my phone! Oh, where did I put it?" She checked the couch and under the cushions. She lowered herself to the floor and peered beneath the couch itself. "There you are." She spotted her phone illuminating the dark underbelly of the couch. She reached out a paw and barely snagged it. "Gotcha, now who is calling...? Oh it's Chief Bogo!" Judy exclaimed.
Nick gave her a thumbs up and walked out the room.
"Chief?" She asked answering the phone. "Chief it's me."
"Officer Hopps, I hope you are well." Bogo answered gruffly.
"Yes Chief I'm fine, and–officer?" She scratched the back of her neck. "Yeah, about that, I–"
"It's alright Hopps. I'm calling just to check in on you. I asked the EMTs about you and they said a fox carried you off." He delivered that last sentence with a hint of disapproval.
"Fox? Uh, yes Chief. That would be my friend, Nick Wilde."
"A fox as a friend? The same fox that's been following you around this whole time? The one who reportedly almost ripped you to shreds? Consider me surprised."
Judy felt a twinge of annoyance. The first time Bogo encountered Nick was not a positive one. He tried to stick up for Judy's sake, but not after giving Bogo a piece of his mind beforehand. Bogo obviously still distrusted foxes.
"Yes, that fox." She replied a bit angrily. A slight scowl came across her face and her ears lowered. "That, 'fox', who by the way," she continued "Has been the most helpful to me this entire time. More helpful than any prey that I met along the way. And no, he did NOT almost rip me to shreds!"
"Hopps." The dangerous tone in his voice made Judy realize that she was stepping out of line. She held her tongue.
"Hopps, I'm only inquiring about your fox friend because we need both of you down at the station for questioning. Don't worry," Bogo assured her. "You haven't done anything wrong."
"Questions about what?" Judy asked, her ears perking back up.
"You and Mr. Wilde are key witnesses to the Night Howler Conspiracy and your testimony would be of utmost use to resolving this case." Bogo said matter-of-factly. "In other words, the ZPD needs both of you here as soon as possible to shut this case. And Judy," Bogo sounded a bit more serious.
"Y–yes chief?" She answered hesitantly.
"Upon your arrival there will be a vacant position waiting for you here." He said with expectancy in his voice. "Now I know you're not supposed to be taking orders from me, but I'd ask you to please consider returning to your post."
"Of course Chief." Judy replied abruptly. "And I don't have to consider anything. I couldn't just give up on my dream so easily."
"That's good to hear." Said Bogo. "Well then, stop by the Station later today and we can start filling out the paperwork to reinstate you to the Force. Don't tell anyone else I said this, but–" He lowered his voice. "I'm personally looking forward to working with you again. On better terms this time around, start things fresh, understood?"
Judy was taken aback by the sincerity in Chief Bogo's voice.
"Yes sir!" She replied. "I won't let you down!"
"That's great, but frankly, I don't care." He said, although more playfully than angry.
Judy grinned.
"Just make sure you bring that fox friend of yours along with you, yes? I'll be speaking to you later." He hung up the phone.
"Oh, thank goodness." Judy said as she flopped onto the couch. The uncertainty in the back of her mind had dissipated. "I still have a job!" She happily exclaimed.
"Well how 'bout that?" Nick replied out of nowhere.
Judy shot up and turned to face him. He must've snuck back into the room when she wasn't looking.
"Sounds like you'll be Flopsy the Copsy once more." Nick said humorously. "Either that or a meter maid again, but seeing as though you handled a savage fox so easily, I think a promotion is in order."
"Har, har." Judy said sarcastically, crossing her arms.
Nick smiled in reply before gesturing toward her leg. "It's about time we took off that bandage don't you think?"
"Right." Judy agreed, remembering the EMT's advice. She ran a paw across the white fabric, glancing at it. "It was starting to get a bit itchy."
Nick sat down on the couch next to her and patted the cushion. "Leg up Carrots, c'mon."
Judy willingly obeyed and hoisted her leg onto the couch allowing Nick to reach her bandage.
"That otter did a pretty good job." Nick remarked as he tugged on the bandage. "Nice and snug."
"He sure did." Judy agreed. "Must be why I'm feeling better already."
Nick gave the cloth one final pull, frowning. He turned to look at Judy. "I don't wanna freak you out, but..." He raised a paw and wiggled his digits. "We gotta do this the old fashioned way."
Claws hung out from the tips of his paws. Deadly sharp, black as night, the sight of them would've struck fear into the hearts, (and throats), of many a bunny. Judy couldn't help but wince slightly at their sudden appearance, natural instinct no doubt. Fortunately, Nick was too preoccupied with cutting the bandage off to notice her reaction.
"Thanks for the warning."
"No problem, Carrots. I know how jumpy you bunnies are."
Judy gave Nick her best glare.
Noting her silence, Nick looked up and met her gaze. "What? I have a friend that's a bunny. I'm allowed to say that now, right?"
Judy sighed. "That's not how it works, Nick!"
"Right." He lowered his eyes. "My bad."
He resumed his task, using a single claw to dig into the dirty bandage and tear the fabric. Judy looked on with the slightest bit of unease. After all, he was a fox and she was a bunny. It was only natural that she'd feel the slightest bit nervous with her natural predator so close to her, claws unsheathed...
No. She tossed aside those feelings. That was the fear in her mind talking, not her conscience. The fear reminded her of all the bad experiences she had with foxes, that incident with Gideon Gray for example, back when she was nine. Although she now forgave him for that, if she ran a paw against her left cheek she could almost feel the three scars that were left there. Her flesh may have healed, but those scars still existed in the back of her mind. After meeting Nick for the first time it was almost tempting to label him just like her parents would: a sneaky, conniving, untrustworthy fox. Unfortunately, some of those descriptions would turn out to be true, but after spending enough time with him, Judy could see that Nick was only playing up those expectations that people had of him, and that on the inside he truly cared about things. She recalled the look in his eyes as Nick described his Scouts uniform, proud at first, then distant and depressed as he told the rest of his story. That was the Nick she'd come to realize, the Nick who on the inside was kind, courageous, and above all else, helpful. "If only the rest of society wasn't so quick to judge." Judy thought. "I know I did."
"...And there we go." Nick announced. "Bit of a toughie that was." He lifted the bandage away unveiling the scar on Judy's leg. It was a long scar that had indeed healed quickly. Judy couldn't help but feel slightly disgusted at the dried blood that had matted her fur.
"Ugh." She remarked looking at her stained fur. "Nothing a little soap and warm water can't fix I guess." Speaking of which, Judy realized, the rest of her body felt grimy and dirty as well. She could use a warm shower right about now.
"Um, Nick?" Judy asked hesitantly. "You wouldn't mind if I used your shower for a bit, would you?"
Nick, who was now reclining on the couch, barely stirred. "Not a problem, Carrots. I'm your host for the time being, so what's mine is yours." He gave her a toothy grin. "And besides, you're starting to stink up the place–no offensive. You know, we foxes and our sensitive noses and all."
"Oh." Judy said awkwardly. "Right." She stood up. "Um, and the bathroom is...?"
"To your left." Nick pointed with a paw.
"Got it." Judy walked inside and closed the door.
Like the rest of Nick's apartment, the interior of the bathroom wasn't all that impressive. Judy was more impressed by the fact that his apartment had a bathroom at all. Her old little apartment didn't. White tiles covered the floor. The walls of the small room were painted a faded light green with small pipes running alongside the ceiling. Towards the right hand wall there was a sink and mirror just the right height for a fox, (or for a bunny such as herself). To the left of that was a toilet and towards the back wall was a modest shower with easy enough to understand knobs. A small window lay on the wall opposite the mirror, allowing the morning sun to seep into the room.
Judy approached the mirror, not having seen herself in nearly a whole 24 hours. The reflection that gazed back at her was slightly haggard, with bits of fur skewed in different directions, evidence of yesterday and her less than ideal slumber on Nick's couch. She wore the same pink plaid shirt and jeans that she left Bunnyburrow in, with a tear running alongside her right pant leg. Her bright purple eyes were just as wide as ever, and her ears perked with curiosity as she examined herself.
"Not the worst I've ever looked." Judy admitted to herself, remembering the time in the Police Academy when she hit the showers completely caked in mud. That had been a pain to wash down the drain. She brushed a paw down along the backside of her ears from base to tip, frowning as she noticed the tufts of fur sticking out from her black ear tips. With that, she decided to get on with it and undressed. Kicking off her clothes and stepping into the shower, she heard a knock on the door.
"Carrots!" Nick shouted through the door. "If the hot water doesn't kick in just give it a minute! Okay? It's a bit finicky!"
There was a pause.
"Heh, finnicky... I should talk to that little guy... " His voice faded away.
Judy could only roll her eyes as she turned the shower knobs, allowing water to pour forth from the shower head. Jumping from the sensation of icy cold water, she twisted the knobs until she was met with the welcome embrace of warm water. The shower was a perfect place for her to organize her thoughts, so as she scrubbed away yesterday's dirt from her fur, she thought about what needed to be taken care of today.
First things first, she should probably MuzzleTime her parents as soon as possible. Even though they might see the reports on ZNN, Judy wanted to make sure that her parents heard the story from their own daughter first. Second, she needed to recover her parents' pickup truck from where she and Nick had left it, which shouldn't be too hard to do. Lastly, she needed to stop by the ZPD with Nick in order to give their statements and speak to Bogo to see about getting reinstated. With this list of things to do all laid out her mind, Judy couldn't help but smile as she rinsed herself off and stepped out of the shower. She had a clear plan now, and that made things a whole lot easier.
Standing there dripping on the white tile, Judy could not help but notice a small oversight on her part.
"Nick?" She shouted so he could hear. "Do you have a towel I can borrow?"
"Cabinet under the sink!" Came the reply through the door.
Opening the cabinet Judy was greeted by the sight of various cleaning supplies, (all barely used, to Judy's dismay), before finding an orange bath towel folded rather sloppily. Grabbing it with her paws, she draped the towel over her shoulders and began to dry off her back. The sight of herself in the mirror gave her pause. Wrapped in the orange towel, Judy could almost imagine that she was looking at herself as a fox–albeit a vertically challenged one. She grinned and pulled the towel over her head and rabbit ears like a hood.
"Grrr..." She tried making a ferocious face while holding two paws up as if they were claws. Despite her best efforts, all her faces ended up less intimidating than she'd have liked. "Nick could probably do a better job." Judy thought as she dried off the back of her head and face. "Scratch that–he already has."
The towel was plush against her cheek. It turned out that a fox really DID need to live in comfort. "But why orange?" She asked herself rubbing her face against the soft fabric. "Maybe he just likes the color of his own fur. That sounds about right." Her nose might not have been as sensitive as Nick's, but taking a deep breath of the towel she could make out the smell of citrus scented soap, her own natural scent she presumed, and–
She felt heat rise into her cheeks as she pulled her face out of the towel.
–and... the unmistakable musk of a fox.
Of course, Judy could only assume that's what it smelled like. Not like she personally knew what Nick smelled like, then again, there were a couple times where she caught a whiff of something, whenever the two of them were seemingly about to die, and no doubt it was from Nick. Judy now also realized that he had lent her his personal bath towel, not a spare one like she expected.
"I guess he really... does care." She thought to herself. Her reflection was blushing in the mirror.
Judy felt embarrassed that a male friend would so willingly lend a female such as herself their own bath towel, with their scent still on it no less. Back in Bunnyburrow she shared with her siblings all the time. Food, clothes, towels included, but that was between family. Family she knew her whole life. The thought of experiencing something so personal to someone that she wasn't supposed to left her awkward and confused.
Judy shook her head to clear her mind. "It's okay, it's okay. Nick will never know that you accidentally smelled him like that. He just happened to have only one towel, what can you do?"
She frantically dried herself off as fast as she could. She didn't want to be in contact with Nick's towel longer than she needed to. After quickly buttoning up her shirt, rolling up her the legs of her jeans so the rip in them wasn't noticeable, and brushing her fur, Judy stepped out the bathroom, refreshed and ready to start the day.
Nick hadn't budged from his spot on the couch. With Judy gone he took advantage of the situation and assumed the couch potato position. He held a TV remote in his right paw as he lazily flicked between channels, unsatisfied by what each had to offer. He imagined Judy sleeping in the spot where he was now lying down. His couch may be good for lounging, but it probably wasn't the best for sleeping on, Nick thought a bit guiltily. He could practically feel the springs through the fabric beneath his paws. Then again, it wasn't his fault that Judy crashed on his sorry excuse for a sofa. The dumb bunny had been so exhausted that by the time he closed the apartment door behind him, she collapsed on the couch without as much as a 'goodnight'. He'd have offered her his bed if she asked, but seeing as she was already fast asleep, he undressed and settled down for the night.
Waking up this morning he asked himself if it was all real. That the bunny his mind had been agonizing over for such a long time now was in the room right outside his door. True to his word he didn't watch Judy sleep the whole night, but for a few minutes he peeked at her lying there on the couch; her tiny chest rising and falling with every little breath before the sunlight woke her up. This bunny... Why did she stir emotions in him that he had tried so hard to suppress? How was she able to penetrate the walls he'd built around himself that had remained impenetrable for so many years? Thinking about all the hows and whys started to give Nick a headache, so he stopped.
"What's important is that she's here." He thought to himself. "Even though I thought she'd never want to see my sorry face again." He grimaced as he recalled the moment when Judy approached that podium. He couldn't have known what she would say up there, but if he did–would he have reacted any differently?
Nick's thoughts were interrupted by the rattle of a doorknob and the creaking of hinges. He clicked off the TV, sat up, and turned around. Out of the bathroom came Judy, dressed in the same clothes she wore yesterday, a refreshed look upon her face.
"Oh, Carrots," Nick said, happy to see the rabbit look less fatigued. "You didn't have to dress up just for me!"
Judy scoffed, folding her arms against her chest. "As if!"
"Kidding."
"Well I would've brought a change of clothes if I knew I would be staying overnight." Judy plopped herself down on the couch next to Nick, feet dangling off the edge.
"Watching anything interesting?" She asked gesturing towards the blank TV screen.
"No, not really." Nick sighed. "I was actually thinking about–"
A loud rumble emanated from Nick's stomach, interrupting him.
Nick looked down at his gut. "I think I'll let my stomach do the rest of the talking from now on. Yes, I was actually thinking about getting us some breakfast! Good idea, don't you think?"
"We-ll..." Judy began. "I mean I'm a pretty light eater. Honestly, I could just eat a little something out of your fridge and I'll be fine. Anyway, I got this list of stuff I wanna–"
Nick froze up at the mention of the word fridge. He was by no means an expert cook, and he knew for a fact that all he had inside his fridge was some leftover takeout and a few loose soda cans. Basically, nothing edible for his rabbit guest. Judy got off the couch and sauntered over to the kitchenette portion of his apartment, talking all the while. Her destination: the measly mini-fridge that sat in the corner.
"Uh–You know what?" Nick interjected, interrupting Judy mid-sentence.
Judy frowned. Clearly whatever she was talking about was something important. "What?"
"I just remembered something." He announced. "All guests who stay in a Wilde Presidential Suite are entitled to a complimentary breakfast! So why don't we go and get that now?" He pointed a paw at the apartment door.
Judy seemed a bit annoyed. "But I was just telling you about my plan-"
"Hush, hush Carrots, all in due time. My guest, my treat. Besides, why don't we get you some coffee to help perk yourself up? You rabbits must love coffee."
Coffee. The thought of its rich aroma and creamy taste lodged itself into the bunny's mind. Her will crumbled.
"Hmm." She said, paw on her chin. "You know... I'm starting to like the way you think, Nick."
"Of course you do, I'm me after all." He gloated.
"Shut up," Judy chided, socking him gently in the arm. "Make it decaf, and you've got yourself a deal."
"Done." He was thankful that his hustling skills had kicked in at just the right moment. If Judy had looked into his desolate refrigerator, he would've felt very embarrassed. Nick rose from the couch and stood up. "Ok, just wait here a minute, Carrots. Gotta grab something, I'll be right back."
Without waiting for an answer, Nick headed towards his small bedroom and shut the door behind him. It was a bedroom in the most literal sense. There wasn't much to the room at all. The walls were covered in yellow, aging wallpaper that had begun to peel away in some places. The ceiling was stained with ancient water damage. An old bed occupied the right-hand wall, a wooden dresser sat in the back, and some cardboard boxes took up the left side of the room. Lastly, a window hung over the head of Nick's bed. Not much, but it was all Nick had at the moment.
Nick walked over to his bed and got down on his paws. He reached out under the bed, and from beneath it he retrieved a metal lockbox. Resembling an oversized lunchbox, it was closed with a small padlock. Reaching into his pocket, Nick pulled out a tiny key, inserting it into the lock. Twisting the key and unlatching the padlock, he opened the box to reveal the contents inside.
Cash. Rolls of it. Each one consisting of various denominations, wound together with rubber bands, filled the lockbox. The total amount was something Nick couldn't remember off the top of his head, but he was sure that he'd written it down somewhere the last time he counted.
Scooping up the first roll he laid eyes on, Nick loosened the rubber band and peeled off a few bills. Once he figured he had enough to cover breakfast for the two of them, he shoved the loose bills into his pocket, shut the lockbox closed, locked it, and stashed it back under his bed.
Nick got up off the floor and opened his door, re-entering the living room area where Judy was waiting patiently on the couch.
"Okay, ready to go now." He headed towards the apartment door.
"You lead the way then." Judy hopped off the couch and set after Nick.
Nick unlocked the door and held it open, signaling Judy to walk through with a paw. "Bunnies first." He bowed his head and waved her on through. Judy rolled her eyes.
"Since when have you cared about other mammals as much as yourself?"
"Since a little bunny tried to put me away for tax evasion."
With that, the fox and the rabbit made their way down the three flights of stairs leading to the apartments' main lobby. Emerging on the sidewalk outside, Nick, with Judy alongside him, set off for the little coffee shop he knew that was just a few blocks from where they stood. He had a hunch that she'd like the place, and as the two of them made their way down the street Nick couldn't help but grin. He wasn't sure why, but he felt elated to be out and about with his rabbit friend. It was something he hadn't felt in a while.