"Well Carrots, we're home!"

Judy smiled as Nick fished into his pockets for the apartment keys, but made no reply. It had been a rough day at the ZPD. One filled with case documentation and a particularly long patrol route through Sahara Square, made worse by the fact that they somehow forgot to check the fuel gauge on their squad car so that it ran out of gas right around noon, which was nothing short of murderous because of course the air conditioner should stop working right then and there. Needless to say, the call for help was not a fun one to make, but at least the tow truck made good time in getting to them. By the time they had refueled and completed their route, the two partners were sweaty, exhausted, and more than a little in need of a good shower. Luckily, no one else was using the ZPD locker room showers when they got in, so no wait. At least that went right for the two of them today.

The door to their shared apartment creaked open as it had when the pair left in the morning, and as tired as he was, Nick still made a show of ushering her into their home with a flourish and a bow.

"After you, my lady." He winked as she passed him. Judy just shook her head.

"Never change, Nick."

Nick then closed and locked the door, and went about turning some of the lights on in the living room. Though Judy was all but ready to just beeline straight to bed and pass out, she figured she'd at least do something about dinner for the two.

"Don't worry, Carrots, I've got dinner. You sit and relax a bit, or maybe catch a few z's and I'll wake you, alright?"

Bless him, Judy thought.

"Read my mind, Slick," Judy said as she made her way to the couch.

"As a good husband should, right?" Nick called from the kitchen.

Judy recalled a time when she'd have felt bad for letting her mate do all of the food preparation for her. Back on the farm, it was always a fair 50-50 in the kitchen, and the few times she recalled her father being absent from dicing vegetables or getting the water up to boil would be when he was preoccupied with other household work, such as tractor repair or storing away the bounties of a harvest. Besides, she prided herself on her fierce independence and self-reliance. Then again, that was before she had Nick to lean on. The crafty fox had taught her a lot, not only about loosing up, but also about placing her trust in others. Which, given how they met, was more than a little strange. After all, it was Nick that taught her to "never let them see that they get to you." But as they grew closer, as partners and friends, she realized that she didn't always have to be the one doing everything and making it all happen. Suddenly, it was alright if she was having a bad morning, or needed to take it easy for a few days because she had gotten a cold after volunteering for the Tundra Town beat, because of course she did, because he'd be there with coffee and a pastry, or with his mother's own special soup recipe (vegetable broth substituting for the protein-based stock she used, but he made it work, as he always did, in the kitchen or elsewhere). And while she swore to herself never to make a habit out of not being 100% on top of her game all the time, she had to admit that it was immensely comforting to have Nick by her side, supporting her and lending his own particular strengths.

She sighed contently as she leaned back on the couch and mindlessly flipped through T.V. channels. Her eyelids drooped, and it wasn't long before sleep claimed her. After a while, Judy awoke to the aroma of cooking food as it wafted in from the kitchen. Judy's stomach soon set about rumbling, her physical fatigue rapidly giving way to hunger. She hopped up from the couch and walked toward the kitchen.

"Whatever that is, dear Nickie, it smells divine."

Nick pulled a cooking tray of food from the oven with mitts and placed it on their kitchen island, then turned to look at her and grinned as he closed the oven door. He pulled the mitts off and quickly wrapped her in a hug, kissing her head before cocking his head back toward the tray.

"Stuffed bell peppers with black beans, corn, and quinoa. And I took the liberty of tossing a quick salad as well. And I heated up some of the takeout from last night in the microwave. Go on, tell me how much you love me and how amazingly wonderful I am," he said, familiar smug grin spread wide across his handsome face. Yet behind that self-satisfied exterior, Judy could see, ever so slightly, in the way his ears didn't quite stand fully up and the just-barely-there softness in his eyes, that he was also seeking some validation that he had pleased the love of his life. Well, who was she not to oblige him?

"Instead of telling you," she began, placing her paw on her hip and jutting it out to the side as she favored him with a sensual gaze. "why don't I show you instead?"

Despite having been married to his bunny for more than a few months now, and having dated her since even further back, Nick still felt his breath catch. No matter how many times she pulled it on him, Nick knew he would always be transfixed by the deep purple of Judy's eyes, and he was sure her swinging hips would never fail to hypnotize him. Still, Nick Wilde was nothing if not sly, and soon his eyes fell to their customary half-mast as he stepped toward her.

"My little bunny's got something for me, does she now?" he growled, voice suddenly turned husky.

Judy in turn felt her heart flutter. If Nick's weakness was Judy's bedroom eyes and pendulum hips, then she definitely had to chalk up Nick's gravelly tone as a surefire way to break her down. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she found it funny that they'd internalized each other's quirks and soft spots by now, easily able to rile the other one up on a whim. That was a pretty far back part of her mind, though, because a good majority of it was focused on being very turned on.

"Y-yeah... " she sighed out as she sunk into her husband's arms and leaned up to catch his lips in a kiss - one which he pulled back from.

"Ah ah ah, Carrots, dinner first, ok? You know once we get going there's no telling when we'll be done and I don't want you to be hungry," he said, smirking down at her very pouty face.

"Nicholas Piberius Wilde, you do not get to use your stupid low voice on me like that only to tell me to eat," she replied with more than a small hint of anger as she pushed herself out of his embrace.

"Aw come on Carrots, you'll feel better after you've got some food inside of you. Besides, you know you've got me forever, so surely you can wait until after dinner," he said, winking at her before walking to their cutlery drawer and setting out the silverware.

Judy couldn't help but smile at her fox's charm, grinning at the notion that, yes, she did have the world's most handsome fox for life and beyond, though she had no intention of letting him off the hook that easily. A devilish grin crossed her face as she walked up to Nick, and the moment he turned around from the drawers and cupboards he found himself being slammed up against them, Judy having sprung onto his chest and wrapped her legs around his waist, securing herself to him with arms thrown around his neck.

"Too bad, fox, because I want you now," she whispered fiercely, her voice in a low register not unlike the one Nick used to tease her earlier. Then she slammed her lips onto his, passionately kissing the fox she so desperately loved. Nick, to his credit, was quick on the uptake, putting down the forks he held in his paw on the counter to wrap both his arms around his wife and deepen the kiss. She at first focused her efforts on merely kissing Nick's lips, softly smacking now and again to draw breath before sealing her mouth to his once more. Soon, however, her small tongue snaked out to explore her lover's mouth. There was a time, on their first few dates, when kisses were chaste and short and sweet. Now was not that time.

He's my husband, I'll kiss him however I like, she thought. Besides, his fault for being such a tease.

As seconds dragged on into minutes, Nick tried to bring the sloppy kiss to a gentle close, only to find himself pulled back in by the rabbit paw behind his head. Judy gave her fox no respite as again and again she assaulted his muzzle, and by the end of it Nick was gasping for air. Before he had a chance to recover and fire off a snarky comment, Judy spoke, a very satisfied look dominating her face.

"That'll teach you not to tease me, fox! We'll continue this after we eat, Nickie. I'm not done with you yet!"

Nick only offered a dazed grin, then shook his head to clear it before leading his wife to dinner.

After dinner, the pair retired to their shared room. Judy was still quite hopped up on the energy from their pre-meal lip locking, but she noticed that Nick seemed completely spent. With a small amount of guilt, she realized that she came home and just up and slept, while he labored to prepare two dishes and reheat a third for dinner. Sure, she tackled the dishes alongside him, but he'd definitely taken the lion's share of the evening's chores. She sighed, marveling at how good Nick was at taking care of her. Nick came out of their bathroom after brushing his teeth and swept her up into his paws, depositing her on the bed. He then joined her and pulled the covers over them, leaning his muzzle into her ear.

"So Carrots, round two?"

She could hear the weariness he tried to hide behind the hints of eagerness in his voice.

"No, Nick. Sweet of you, but you're exhausted, and you did dinner and everything. Get some well-deserved rest, my dear husband. This bunny owes you one, ok? I'll do coffee in the morning or something."

She smiled as she heard a disappointed light whine out of Nick's muzzle. Tired or not, Nick was a particularly … affectionate fox, as Judy had learned early on in their relationship, and he was always loathe to pass up the chance to demonstrate his ability for lovin', no matter the time of day or hour of night. Judy leaned over to peck his muzzle.

"Go to sleep."

Nick sighed, and rolled over.

"I love you," came his voice, muffled slightly as he pulled the covers up.

Judy yawned as she turned around as well. Scooting backwards, she pressed her little cottontail up against his back.

"Cuddle me?"

She swore she could hear his grin in the night as he turned back around, and his arms found their way around her small tummy.

"Of course, Carrots."

She fell asleep to the light whiffles of her husband's breaths.