Plot bunnies...what can you do about them? Here's my contribution for Valentine's Day in Zootopia.
A huge thank you to DrummerMax64 for agreeing to edit this! Enjoy!
This was not what Nick had in mind for his and Judy's Valentine's Day. The two decided to keep it simple this year since their most recent case exhausted their time and energy. Nick and Judy would treat each other to a pleasant dinner in Nick's larger apartment and Judy would sleep over afterwards. Nick prepared the course, making a build your own pasta to cater to both their tastes. Judy brought the dessert, a cheesecake with blueberry and carrot toppings.
Their dishes were well received with Judy successfully trying certain toppings catered Nick with no judgement from him. When it came time for dessert, Judy was laughing uncontrollably at Nick's blueberry covered muzzle from eating the cheesecake doused in the said fruit. After dinner, Nick and Judy watched a movie they both agreed on: a little bit of romance for the bunny and a little bit of action for the fox. That went smoothly as well. Judy had cuddled up to Nick during the movie and in return, Nick wrapped his arms around Judy in a tender hug. It was after the movie ended when the situation arose.
"This was wonderful, Nick!" Judy exclaimed in excitement. "Your pasta was amazing!"
Nick placed a paw over his heart. "Why thank you, Carrots. And your cheesecake was such a delight! Did you make that?"
Judy became flustered and moved away slightly, tapping her fingers together. "I uh…had Gideon give me the recipe. But I did try to add my own flair to it!"
Nick chuckled. "It's all right, Fluff. I would have done the same thing too."
Judy relaxed and moved closer to Nick. They sat in silence as the movie's credits continued to roll.
Nick felt nervous at the bunny currently snuggled against him and used all his strength to not let it show. Judy had changed his life dramatically and made him realize he could be more than a just pawpsicle hustler. Without her, he would never have become a police officer and become her partner and best friend. They had been through so much together; good and bad, success and failure. Through it all, Nick had grown very close to Judy, and he knew it was the same for her.
Then, questions arose over how they felt for each other. Nick would overhear from the other Precinct One officers, especially Clawhauser, about how perfect he and Judy were together, to the point that they were constantly questioned about their romance status. He lost count how many times he saw Judy flustered when asked these things, each time prompting him to playfully tease her. Naturally, this ended up with him sporting a bruise from the bunny's strong punch. Still, Nick admitted to himself that he truly loved Judy, and as a result, tried to work up the courage to profess his feelings to her.
His previous attempts were cut short as a result of his hesitance from his past, forcing Nick to cover up his mistakes. This time, he felt he had the perfect opportunity. They were alone in his apartment, away from the rowdiness of their fellow officers and from the thin walls of what he considered to be Judy's shoebox apartment. Nick could imagine a big neon, flashing sign above Judy that was saying Now is your chance! Agreeing with his conscience, the fox took a deep breath before finally speaking.
"Judy?" He said softly.
"Hmm?"
"I-I want to tell you something." Nick felt a feeling of emptiness when Judy left his embrace.
She sat facing him, her face showing off her immediate curiosity. "What is it, Nick?"
The beauty he saw in her amethyst eyes was making him even more nervous. Rarely did Nick ever resist that look. "I-I just want to say…"
Judy's ears perked up, and a smile grew on her face. "Yes?"
Nick instantly knew what she suspected. To him, it would have been easier if Judy was the clueless, dumb bunny he constantly teases her over. It was now or never. "S-say that…"
"Yes?" Judy said more gleefully. Say it already you big dumb fox!
The anticipation was killing the both of them. They knew whatever Nick said next will have far reaching consequences. All of their memories together from their first meeting at the ice cream shop to the present was at stake. It all came down to this very moment.
"That I had a wonderful time tonight." He quickly blurted.
The smile gradually faded from her face and her ears drooped. "Oh…okay then."
Nick saw her hurt and disappointment. He could have sworn he saw tears form, but Judy turned away from him before he could get a good look. The silence became awkward between them as they sat across and faced away from each other.
"I'm going to bed now," Judy finally uttered. "Good night."
She didn't bother to hide her sadness. Nick watched Judy get up from the couch and mope off to bed, feeling helpless to do anything. The sound of the door closing finally broke him out of his stunned state. Nick slowly stretched out over the couch in despair. He could see the words on the imaginary neon sign changed to the word Heartbreaker! with a big arrow pointing down at him, and he could not deny it.
Nick covered his face with his paws and groaned. Why is this so difficult for me? It's just three words! He absolutely knew that he needed to fix this. The question was how? More importantly, would Judy forgive him, or would she dismiss his apology? Despite the uncertainty, Nick had to try. But first, he needed an idea. Scanning the room, his eyes fell upon the guitar stand next to the sofa. A light bulb went off in his head at that moment. Hope swelling in his chest, Nick retrieved the guitar.
Unbeknownst to Nick, Judy laid on the bed, crying quietly into the pillow. His continuing hesitance had hurt her more than he realized. Overwhelmed with negative emotions, Judy went straight for the bed instead of the bathroom to change out of her clothes.
Why didn't he say it? After everything we've been through?
As she sobbed, her ears picked up music coming from the living room. Judy stopped crying momentarily to focus her hearing towards the beautiful sound. She quickly determined it was Nick playing his guitar. Despite being angry at the moment, the music was actually soothing, and pleasant to listen to. Judy started to calm down, but the sadness remained. Her eyes started to grow heavy from the combination of her crying and the guitar playing. Emotionally exhausted, she eventually fell asleep.
Judy's acute hearing steadily picked up the sound of the guitar playing again, waking the bunny from her slumber. As she became more alert, the sound was louder, clearer, and much closer than before. Still sleepy, Judy groaned as she sat up on the bed and turned in the direction of the music. She slowly opened her eyes, and to her surprise, saw Nick sitting on the end of the bed playing the instrument. The moonlight shining through the window was just enough for her to see his full form. Judy glanced at the clock on the nightstand and noted the time.
"Nick, it's late." She groggily said.
"Yes, I understand." Nick calmly replied while still strumming the guitar.
"Then what are you doing?" She asked, her voice filled with annoyance.
Nick only shushed her. "Please Judy, just listen."
Still irritated by what she considered to be a rude awakening, Judy complied. Seeing this brought a huge wave of relief for Nick. With that assurance, he smiled and finished the chords before breaking into lyrics.
Well, I know it's kind of late
I hope I didn't wake you
Judy smirked and rolled her eyes when hearing those words, causing Nick to chuckle.
But what I got to say can't wait
I know you'd understand
Judy was listening but not fully alert. The music Nick was playing for her sounded just as relaxing up close, and she grew to like the lyrics.
Every time I tried to tell you
The words just came out wrong
So I'll have to say I love you in a song
Nick noticed Judy's lack of reaction. Good, I still have plenty more to say. He continued on with the second stanza.
Yeah, I know it's kind of strange
But every time I'm near you
I just run out of things to say
I know you'd understand
Every time I tried to tell you
The words just came out wrong
So I'll have to say I love you in a song
Nick then went into a guitar solo. There was still no reaction from Judy, yet it still didn't worry him. He wanted to finish the song first before thinking of what would come next. Meanwhile, the meaning of the lyrics still passed over Judy. Regardless, she was beginning to enjoy the music and had a small smile on her face. Judy made a mental note to compliment him once the song finished.
Every time the time was right
All the words just came out wrong
So I'll have to say I love you in a song
Nick put more emphasis on those three words to get the point across. This time, Judy was fully alert when she heard the last line. Her eyes went wide as saucers, her jaw dropped low, and her ears stood fully erect. Noticing that he finally got a reaction, the fox winked at the stunned bunny. Third time's a charm. As he continued playing, Judy's mind was in disarray as she tried to process what just happened.
Yeah, I know it's kind of late
I hope I didn't wake you
But there's something that I just got to say
I know you'd understand
Every time I tried to tell you
The words just came out wrong
So I'll have to say I love you in a song
Nick finished the song with another guitar hook. After the last note rung out, he laid the guitar down on the floor a safe distance away and looked back at Judy, anticipating her response. The bunny remained motionless, staring at the fox. For the third time this evening, silence occupied the room until Nick finally broke it.
"Judy? Are you in there?" Nick asked while waving a paw in her face. Still receiving no response, he slowly reached out and booped her nose with one finger. This caused it to twitch and finally brought Judy out of her deep trance. Her expression quickly changed as she now sported a wide grin and lidded eyes.
Judy raised her paw and beckoned him with one finger. "Come here."
Nick nervously gulped and obeyed, slowly crawling on all fours towards her. In a flash, he felt her paws grab him, causing him to yip in shock as Judy flipped and pinned him onto the bed with her arms and legs. Before Nick could respond, he felt her lips slam onto his. Judy kissing him was the least expected for Nick. The surprised fox struggled for a few seconds before finally giving in, joyful and hopeful that Judy was no longer angry with him. When they finally broke apart for air, Nick didn't get a chance to respond when Judy interrupted him again.
"YOU STUPID, INSUFFERABLE, DUMB FOX!" Judy cried, literally in tears.
She slammed her lips into his once again. Nick happily obliged this time as they melted into each other's embrace, caressing their paws on the other's body. For Judy, it was an overwhelming happiness to finally know that Nick felt the same way for her as she did for him. For Nick, it was an overwhelming relief that he repaired the damages, despite knowing that it could have been prevented. After a few more seconds of fervent kissing, they broke apart again and lay on the bed, Judy resting on Nick's chest and their arms wrapped tightly around each other.
Judy slowly looked up at Nick. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
He saw the desperation in her sad eyes and decided to tell the truth instead of making a joke, knowing the emotional toll he just put her through. "You heard the song."
Judy huffed. "Dumb fox." She snuggled more into Nick. "But that was a beautiful song. Did you write that?"
Nick shook his head. "Sadly, no. It was written by a coyote folk rock artist by the name of Jim Howlce. The story behind the song will make you squeal like Clawhauser."
"I bet."
Nick chuckled. "Anyways, one night, Jim and his wife Ingrid had a disagreement over the finances from Jim's music career. The story goes that as Ingrid went to sleep, she heard him playing his guitar in the kitchen. The next morning, she woke up to Jim singing the song to her. Seeing you go to bed depressed made me remember that information, so I thought the song would show my true feelings for you."
"Aww, that was very sweet of him! I'll have to listen to the real version some time."
"Told you you'd squeal like Clawhauser."
Judy lightly slapped his chest and looked back at him. "But as much as I love the song, I think you can do better."
She gave him that look again. Nick sighed at his lack of resistance. "Okay. I love you, Judy."
"There. Now was that so hard?"
He couldn't resist a joke this time. "Yes?"
Judy narrowed her eyes and slapped his chest again.
Nick laughed at the expected reaction. "Okay! Okay."
Judy giggled. "And I love you too, Nick." She lay back down on Nick's chest.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Nick," She said.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Judy," He repeated.
They remained cuddled together, not caring for what went on beyond the walls of the room. Both were happy that the sadness and anger from earlier was replaced with happiness and joy. Judy glanced at the clock again and saw how much time had passed.
"We should get to sleep now. We do have work tomorrow," Judy finally said.
Nick groaned at that thought, wondering why they couldn't have Valentine's Day and the day after off or have the holiday take place during the weekend for this year when they didn't work.
"And we have to keep this a secret, especially from Clawhauser."
He groaned even louder at that. "Wow, way to ruin the mood, Fluff."
She giggled. "Will it help if you played the song one time? I didn't quite hear the last part."
Nick looked down at her smiling. "I'd be more than happy to."
Judy got off of Nick so he could retrieve the guitar off the floor. Upon returning to the bed, Judy resumed her position on Nick. Sitting up against the headboard, the fox wrapped his arms and the guitar around the bunny. Once comfortable, Nick strung the chords as Judy relaxed into the song.
Yeah, I know it's kind of late
I hope I didn't wake you
But there's something that I just got to say
I know you'd understand
Every time I tried to tell you
The words just came out wrong
So I'll have to say I love you in a song
What is it about me with songs and Zootopia? The selection is I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song by Jim Croce. Go listen to it and read along to Nick's singing.
Jim Howlce=Jim Croce. I had trouble deciding on Jim's portrayal so I did some researching on his personality. I got some suggestions from the community: Roe deer for prey or Coyote for predator. During a documentary, Jim mentioned his son screaming in the background trying to sing during the interview. Having recalled how loud a coyote's howl can be, I made my decision. Much thanks to AlanSchezar from Ao3 for suggesting Jim as a coyote for a predator portrayal. Another reason is I learned from the documentary how money was always an issue for Jim and his family. I'm making the assumption that predator treatment was different in the late 60's and early 70's from present day.
So why this song in particular? With Nick's past open to interpretation, he may have issues in his personal life. Also in Jim Croce Behind the Music, his wife said something that instantly clicked to me, "He was a great listener, but he didn't bare his soul to many people." Does that last part remind you of a certain red fox?
Anyways, Happy Valentine's Day!