"Pillow Talk"
A Zootopia Story
Nick Wilde exhaled.
The tobacco smoke glowed in the faint moonlight before tangling in the ceiling fan and dissipating.
"I didn't know you smoked."
"Naturally," Nick said, his gaze remaining fixed on the slowly rotating blades as the bunny to his left fidgeted. "I only do it under… specific circumstances."
"Like when?" she asked innocently.
Nick rolled his eyes. "Like when I'm lying naked in bed after, um, vigorous activity. Usually with something cute wrapped around me."
"Har, har," Judy replied, shifting once more beneath the covers. "Don't call me cute."
"Actually, I was talking about these darling carrot print sheets," the fox said with a smirk, wincing as the rabbit playfully swatted his shoulder. "But for the record, after tonight, I think I've more than earned my 'bunny word' privileges."
He took another long drag, the smoldering ash serving as a beacon in the dark as clouds swallowed the moon.
"Can I try one?" Judy suddenly asked, her voice a timid squeak.
Nick let out a startled cough, nearly swallowing the cigarette. "Absolutely not."
"Come on," Judy whined, gently nudging him. "You don't have to light another one, just give me a puff of yours."
"That's not the issue," Nick said, disposing of the butt in an empty snack bowl on the nightstand. "You don't need to start smoking."
"Why, because I'm just some cute, doe-eyed little bunny who can't handle adult things?"
"No, Judy, because it's a bad habit," Nick snapped. "Another one I should've dropped, apparently."
For a few long moments, the silence between them was thicker and heavier than the gradually fading aroma of the smoke.
"This made things weird, didn't it?" Judy asked.
"What, the cigarette thing, or…?"
"Well, that. But mostly the… 'specific circumstances' leading up to it."
"Ah, the vigorous activity," Nick said, fighting the urge to reach for his pack. "Honestly… kind of?"
"Sorry," she groaned. "It's my fault for rushing things. I just… couldn't control my impulses. As usual. Typical emotional bunny."
"Don't sweat it, Fluff, it's not like you cuffed me to the bed," Nick chuckled. "Besides, weird or not, it was still fun, right?"
"Yeah," Judy sighed. "I just keep feeling… I don't know. I'm afraid this is going to wreck the good thing we had going."
"Carrots," Nick said, finally turning to face his partner, her tear-clouded violet eyes stabbing into him like a knife. "Look, I'm not the best at… emotions, but I'm going to lay all my cards on the table, just so there's no confusion: I'm crazy about you. Heck, you changed my life. So no matter what happens, I will always stand by you, whether it's as your partner, your friend, or… y'know, something more. Because even after all the crazy stuff we've been through, there's nowhere I'd rather be."
The rabbit threw her arms around Nick's neck and buried her face in his chest right as the tears began to stain the gray fur on her cheeks.
He held her close and stroked her ears until the laughter and sobs subsided.