A/N:
Sword: Everybody down! Officer Sword, and you're all under arrest!
Pen: You took her to see Zootopia, didn't you?
Er, kinda. I wanted to see it too.
Sword: Don't make me tase all of you!
Pen: And you're going to say you have a story for it, aren't you?
Your foresight never ceases to amaze. Yes, we do. We couldn't help ourselves and wanted to write while the movie and its details were fresh in our minds. Zootopia and all related material belongs to Disney. The story, Sword, and Pen belong to me. So without further ado, please enjoy.
Sword: Freeze, suckers!
Nosey Neighbors
Judy bounded to the parking lot packed to the brim with cars and concert goers leaving the stadium, all the while still dancing and humming Gazelle's songs to herself. A few people on the way out caught her dancing, joined in for a moment or two with her, bumping booties and waving arms in sync, then found their car and left. Nick eventually caught up to her at their car and they climbed in.
"That was amazing!" she said, relaxing in her seat as they left the parking lot. "Thanks for taking me."
"Anytime, Carrots," he said, taking the exit back to the heart of Zootopia. "I figured you'd like it. You're always playing that one song over and over and over on patrol."
She shrugged and pecked his cheek. He froze up momentarily. "I appreciate it. Thanks for buying the tickets."
"My pleasure."
She waited a few moments, drumming her thighs to the song's beat in her mind. "Only, you told me a friend of Gazelle's got us in." The passing streetlamps highlighted Nick's guilty features as he realized his mistake. "So how did you get them?"
"Okay, fine, you got me," he said. "I bought them."
"With?"
"Money. That's how these type of transactions usually work." Judy raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "I have money left over from the old days. Didn't think I was suddenly broke, did you?"
"I had a hunch you weren't," she said. "Maybe you should put that money to better use."
"I do." They entered the city proper and he slowed at a stoplight. "I'm looking for a nice apartment. And I thought I'd make our first date memorable."
She turned to him. "First? We've gone out before."
"Sure, yeah, for dinner or something," he said. "I mean, our first big one."
It had been memorable and she enjoyed it fully. "Thanks again," she said, touching his paw and smiling. He returned it and she gazed at the passing closed restaurants. "Speaking of dinner, I'm starving." Judy pointed out a food stall still open and they grabbed a quick bite to take back to her apartment.
Once in her place, Judy heated up her take-out carrots while Nick grabbed some utensils from a drawer and sat on her bed, chewing his food, sipping his drink, and giving a thoughtful appraisal of the apartment. "You know," he said, bouncing on the bed, "you should get a new place at soon as you can." He held up a glob of his mashed, dull fruit to the wall, comparing the identical colors. "Not really the best place."
"You got that right," a muffled voice said on the other side of the wall, startling him.
"I like it," she said, taking her carrots out. "It's got a quaint charm to it."
"So does boarding school," he said. But he dropped the subject for a while as they ate on her bed and discussed the concert. Judy avoided discussing work, as Nick had been teaching her that it was "important to separate work and fun." Still, at the back of her mind, a few theories about a recent string of thefts worked themselves out to their conclusion.
Speaking of work- "Did you see Chief Bogo and Clawhauser at the concert?" she said, laughing. "How they were dancing?" Nick shook his head and she stood up, trying to imitate their moves. "The chief was really getting into it, like this." She swung her hips wildly, knocking over a chair, and he chuckled.
Thump! Thump! "Keep it down!" one neighbor said. "There's no room for dancing in here!"
"Sure, there is," the other said. "She's small. Let her have her fun."
"I'm tired and I got an early shift," the first said and they dissolved into a low argument.
Nick smirked. "I guess the wall is only a physical boundary?"
"They're alright," Judy said, sitting down and finishing her food. "Sometimes." Leaning back, Nick polished off his drink and tossed it overhead into the trash. Then he studied her for a few moments. "What?"
"You know, I've been thinking," he said.
"Uh-oh."
"Hear me out first, Carrots," he said, flicking a drop of fruit at her. "So, your neighbors aren't exactly the best. And I've yet to find a permanent living situation."
She paused mid-bite. "What are you getting at?"
"Why not get an apartment together? It would make carpooling to work a lot easier." He grinned and set his empty food container on the floor, sombering and folding his paws across his chest. "How 'bout it?"
"And be party to your ill-gotten gain?" she asked teasingly.
"Nah, I'll only use my salary." She squinted her eyes. "My cop salary. Honest," he said, holding up his hand.
The idea sounded appealing. A larger apartment and a roommate she got along with. Even better that it was Nick. She wouldn't mind living with him and dug around at the remains of her carrots, hiding the faint color in her cheeks. "I'll think about it."
"How come?" a neighbor asked. "Sounds like an easy choice to me."
They both glared at the wall and Nick pounded on it, shaking some dust loose. "Mind butting out?"
"I'm just saying, it's simple," the neighbor said.
Nick rolled his eyes and Judy reached for her phone. It was getting pretty late. But when she hopped off the bed and grabbed her phone's charger, she spied her alarm clock and a wicked idea crossed her mind. "Hey, Nick," she said casually. "It's kind of late. Do you want to spend the night?"
His eyebrows shot up and he traced her head jerks to the radio. He quickly caught on and followed her lead. "I'd love to."
She cycled her alarm clock's radio to a smooth jazz station and rejoined him on the bed. She reached up, cupping his cheek, and they leaned in for a short kiss. Then they paused, waiting for a response from the neighbors. Nothing, but dead silence. Judy knew they were listening in though.
"Want to join me?" she asked, lifting up the bed's blanket.
"Of course," he said. She drew back the blanket and they waited again. This time, she heard someone shushing someone else on the other side.
"Ooo! Your hands are cold," she said, puffing her cheeks and swallowing a laugh.
Nick walked over to the radio and turned it up. But not before saying, "Well, let me warm them up." The music drowned out any more noise they made and they lay in the bed beside each other. She curled into his chest and he draped the blanket over them before wrapping his arms around her.
He pressed his lips close to her flattened ears. "Night, sly bunny."
She pecked his lips, then lingered, mumbling into them. "Night, dumb fox," she said, nuzzling under his chin. She felt a happy murmur in his throat and gave a one-note giggle. Judy closed her eyes and snuggled into the warmth, soon drifting off to sleep with Nick.
"Wow," one of the neighbors kneeled in his bed and pressed an ear to the wall, listening to the wailing, romantic sounds of a saxophone. "They're still going!" he hissed to his roommate on the other side of the small room.
The roommate, pillow pressed to his face, glanced at his alarm clock flashing a piercing red 4:30 A.M. in the dark. He flopped over in his bed, cursing the thin walls, burying his head in his pillow, and grabbing another to cover his ears. "Rabbits," he muttered into the pillow.
A/N: So originally, this was going to have a bit more of an explicit ending, but we reeled it in.
Sword: *glares*
Uh, this was fun, huh? Been a while since we've written with new characters and all…Turned out to be a little shorter than I originally thought it would be. I guess we'll chalk it up as another strabble. Haven't done one of those in a while either. Anyway, all you people out there, thank you for reading and please let us know what you thought of it.
Pen: Heh, looks like your number's up.
Sword: I'm arresting you!
For what?
Sword: Obstruction of romance! You too, Pen!
Pen: Yeah, rig- Ow! Don't tase me! En garde!