The patrol car was filled with silence. Nick seemed focused on driving and watching the roads whilst Judy was lost in her own thoughts, sitting by his side. The patrol car used to be a lot less dull than it was but something changed in the last few weeks that muted the mouths of Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde. Well, mostly Judy. She was at fault for the absence of noise in their patrol car, eversince she started feeling "things" for the fox beside her, things have gotten a bit awkward. Before things were the way they were now, they used to chat about all kinds of things from Judy's parents to Nick's wild times on the streets. They used the radio to turn on some tunes, which they often sung along, and once a week they would stop by at Snarlbucks to get a cup of overpriced coffee, which Nick always complained about. Now, she could barely start a conversation with Nick and when Nick started a conversation, she couldn't help but answer with a short reply and revert to a state of awkward silence. They rarely turned on the radio for music now, only the police channel was on with occasional bursts of back-up requests and domestic disturbance calls. Everyday police worked was duller than she expected, but it became even duller with the constant silence in their patrol car.
Nick didn't seem to notice her change in behavior though, and it didn't bother him at all. Nick was always calm and collected, never showing anything but. Judy thought about confessing many times, and Nick's constant teasing and flirty behavior made her think he also felt the same way. However, Nick is quite unpredictable. Nick is so cynical and humorish at the same time, it's very difficult to tell whether he was cracking a joke or giving a political commentary let alone telling if his flirts were real or were simple jokes. Confessing wouldn't be easy either, after a weeks without coffee, Judy Hopps was a mess. She constantly twitched and felt weak and sleepy nearly all the time, it didn't help that late night shifts and paperwork was an everyday task for her. The Coffee withdrawal caused the usually bright and optimistic Judy Hopps to become a careless and nervous wreck.
Nick seemed to notice her internal monologue, either that or the constant twitching. The fox eyed her and said
"Hey Carrots, you okay?"
OH SHIT, she thought. NICK'S STARTING A CONVERSATION. There was to much going on her mind and her response was anything but coherent
"What? I'm fine Nick. Really? Why do you ask? I'm fine", she blurted. The words came out with a stutter that Nick certainly noticed.
"No, you're not fine. Your ears are down and you've been very quiet lately, that's not the Carrots I know." He said. "You know, I think we haven't had coffee for a while, let's go grab some at that coffee shop you like so much." The fox offered, and with a slight tint of discontent said "My treat."
Judy seemed rather surprised at Nick's attitude, Nick never liked to purchase anything at Snarlbucks , he only ever bought Iced Coffee or a cup of espresso. And even then, he paid with an expression of regret and reluctance. However, Nick Wilde was asking her to get some coffee and she simply couldn't say no
"Yeah, coffee sounds good."
Nick knew the streets of Zootopia like the back of his hand. Sure, she was the better driver but she didn't have Nick's street smarts and the knowledge of back alleys and shortcuts. Nick's knowledge had avoided them the cruel fate of being stuck at traffic numerous times, including this one. With a few sharp turns and going through several back alleys, they had avoided Zootopia's nightmarish traffic and arrived at the Coffee Shop. They parked at an empty spot between two other cars, and stepped out of their vehicle to enter the shop.
The coffee shop was quite crowded, it was lunch hour after all. Their uniforms earned them a few looks from the coffeegoers but they were used to it. Thankfully,The line wasn't very long ,and the service was usually fast. "Hey Carrots, do you wanna talk abou-", Nick's question was cut short with Hopps slightly shaking her head. "Alright, then. Let's save it for later."
When it was finally their turn, they were greeted by a honey badger who took their order.
"Welcome to Snarlbucks, may I take your order?", the badger asked
"I'll have iced coffee, thank you." He replied. "How about you Carrots?"
"Espresso."
"Well, you heard her. Iced Coffee and Espresso."
"Alright, that'll be twenty bucks.", the badger said.
Nick reached for his wallet and pulled out a coupon and handed it to the badger. The badger examined the coupon and winced his eyes. "Alright, it seems you will be paying with your coupon. Now please proceed to the next aisle to pick up your order. Thank you for coming to Snarlbucks." The badger didn't seem very pleased at Nick's coupon trick, but Judy could tell that Nick was pleased to not spend a single buck for coffee.
The two baristas, an otter and a lemur made quick work of their orders. Nick grabbed his iced coffee and handed Judy her espresso. The two partners found themselves a seat near the window and Nick still seemed curios on what was troubling his partner.
"Alright, you had your coffee, now can you please tell me what's wrong? It's been bugging me a lot.", Nick said. " You haven't been you lately, Carrots. The Carrots I knew would never order espresso on Snarlbucks, she would order one of her fancy drinks like that Green Tea macchiato or that Eastern Zootpia special mix."
"Oh, I get it. They wrote your name wrong?", he joked. Judy didn't laugh though, and Nick's sly grin turned to a slight frown seeing his partner quiet and not herself. He really wanted to know what or whom made her this way.
Judy sipped her espresso , and broke her silence.
"Nick, I've got to tell you something. And this "thing" is what has been bothering me for this past few weeks.", she said.
Nick seemed intrigued, his eyes widened and was fixated on hers. It's not everyday that Nick Wilde was truly serious about something.
"Alright, Carrots. What is it?", there was a brief pause. Nick spoke again. "Come on, I'm listening."
"Alright, alright.", Judy said. "Nick, you know we've been friends for a while right?"
Nick nodded in agreement and let his partner continue.
"At first, I thought we were just friends. Coworkers. Partners. But things got complicated, and since I spent so much time with you I just can't help but feel that I… like you."
Nick's eyes widened again, and his expression showed nothing less than shock and pure disbelief. For the first time since they met, Nick Wilde was speechless. No clever retort, No cynical jokes, No returning argument. Just, pure shock.
"Look, Nick. I know what you think and I get it, you don't like me like I like you and that's perfectly –understandab-", she can't believe what she is seeing. Nick laughed, he laughed, uncontrollably. Judy didn't know what that meant, but she saw it as a rejection, a ridicule, and an insult. She was ANGRY.
"HEY! You don't have to rub your rejection on my face, jerk!.", her voice stern and clear. It silenced Nick but he still grinned his sly grin and said, "Who told you I said No?".
"You bunnies, always so emotional. ", he japed. Judy can't help but turn red with embarrassment, she shouted and mocked Nick and it turns out he liked her after all? Yet, he never said yes either. The little stunt Nick pulled made Judy remember that Nick was still a fox who liked to play tricks and made her look like a dumb bunny, It also made her realize that this was the same fox who was brave enough to challenge Abasi Bogo who was ten times his size in a battle of words. It reminded her that he was Nick Wilde the sly fox and Nick Wilde, her friend and partner.
"Look carrots, Judy. I've got to admit, I kinda felt the same way for a while.", Nick said. "You were always kind and compassionate even when I trick you and toy with your mind from time to time. Not to mention that you're kinda hot.", that one comment earned Nick a slap from her but it wasn't because of that particular comment, though.
"Why I'm very flattered, but the slap was for making me look like an idiot in a coffee shop.", and now it was Judy Hopps that grinned a sly grin.
Nick seemed amused though, and continued to tell his story, "Well, despite all of that I didn't think you felt the same way since, you know…..", he paused." You were born in the country, you must have had a rather conservative upbringing.", he continued.
"Alright, Romeo. So are you gonna say yes or are you gonna leave me hanging?", the bunny said.
"Yeah sure, I'll be your boyfriend carrots." He said. "As long as you don't go to an overpriced coffee shop once a week."
"Alright, I'll go to Snarlbucks twice a week then", she, wittily replied.
"Sure, but don't expect me to pay for you." The fox finished his ice coffee and rose up from his seat, he handed out his arm to Judy
"Alright now, my lady. Don't want you to trip over now.", Nick teased. Judy reluctantly held Nick's arms and walked to the exit.
They seemed to gain the attention of the other coffeegoers, but Judy didn't care. She was reminded yet again that it was Nick's bravado and comical attitude that made him so appealing to her, he was unpredictable and random. That randomness brings a lot of flavor unto the relatively bland routine of her lives. She won't what anyone says, she loved him, and he loved her.
And with the matter settled, Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde went back to their daily routines, but when they walked out of that coffee shop, they walked out as a couple.
Well, that was it. I apologize for any spelling and grammatical mistakes I may have made. I also apologize for any flaws in dialogue and world-building. This is my first fic after a long break of not writing fics. If you happen to have the time, kindly write a review to give me feedback on how I can make future fics better. This was just a short "practice" I made, and I plan to write a longer multi-chapter fic in the future. So If you can spare the time, I could really use some advice.
