A/N: Zootopia is my favorite thing in the world right now! WildeHopps, too, obviously. The idea isn't original, just written for fun based on how I think Nick and Judy's dynamic would be like if they started dating and my headcanons/what the directors have mentioned about Nick's mama. Nick's mom doesn't have an official name, so I gave her one, based off Maid Marian from Robin Hood lol. This is dedicated to my biggest Zootopia/WildeHopps buddy, yogirlonfire, who is also always the proofreader of these drabbles haha. Thanks for all the fun talks, my friend!
When Judy felt her partner rest his chin atop her head, between her perked ears, the undeterred bunny continued to type away on a case report without skipping a beat. Her typing never faltered, not even when the fox's arms comfortably draped around her shoulders. She was rather accustomed to him being nosy and reading over her shoulder.
It was when her boyfriend nuzzled his snout into her grey fur that Judy started to get suspicious. Normally, she was the affectionate one. When Nick returned her affections, that either meant he was trying to butter her up or fluster her. Or he was in a genuine, rare affectionate mood, but Judy almost always ruled that out.
"If you're trying to distract me, it isn't working," Judy quips distantly, her full concentration still fixated on her computer screen.
"Do you want to meet my mom? Say.. tonight?"
...Okay, now it was working.
Judy's focus wavers, her paws hovering above the keyboard, stunned into silence.
Nick didn't open up to her about his home life very much, and Judy had learned to be patient and never pry. She knew he trusted her, and knew he'd gradually tell her more when he was ready. He never shared anything all at once; it was always in sparse, sporadic offhand remarks that the attentive Judy was left to piece together.
Overall, all she'd gathered was that Nick's mother still lived in Zootopia, and he still kept in touch by calling her every night. She presumed that Ms. Wilde was a single mom, because going off what Nick had vaguely mentioned, one way or another his father hadn't been in the picture for a long time.
At her speechlessness, Nick continues. "She wants to have you over for dinner. How about it, Carrots?"
For Nick to bring up his mother so blatantly and of his own accord.. well, it was special. He obviously loved his mom dearly, and for him to willingly want her to meet someone so important to him... Judy was honored. For a moment, all she can do is smile at her computer screen.
"I'd love to."
That night, as Judy's trying to decide what to wear, she enlists the help of her fashionista friend and sends a quick message to Fru-Fru.
[TXT:] Nick wants me to meet his mom. thoughts?
Before she can even set her carrotphone down, it's already buzzing with a prompt response.
[TXT:] OMG! 🙀🙀🙀 ITS SRS!
The enthusiastic message elicits a smile from the bunny, long silver ears straightening in a heartened manner. It was nice to have the affirmation that it wasn't just wishful thinking on her end.
[TXT:] you think? what should I wear? I don't want to be too dressy and have it be overkill, but I don't want to be too casual either..
After a moment of thought, Judy sends a doubletext.
[TXT:] and before you say it, no leopard-print jeggings. 😹
After Fru Fru helped Judy decide on high-waisted ivory pants with a tucked-in royal blue halter top, she received a text from Nick saying he was outside the apartment complex to pick her up. After sending a quick "on my way!" Judy steals one last glance at her reflection in the mirror. She smooths her long ears back and gives a deep intake of breath. "You can do this. It's just meeting his mom," she tries to encourage herself, putting on a smile. "What's the worst that could happen?"
"SHE COULD HATE YOUR GUTS!" Her neighbor, Bucky, yells through the thin wall separating them. Judy's ears droop.
"Well, look who's dressed to impress," Nick impudently comments after an admiring once-over when Judy hops into the passenger seat.
"Har, har," she intones dryly, buckling her seatbelt. She softens once the fox leans over to quickly peck her cheek, not bothering to hide her bright smile as she turns to face him. "So... your mom knows about me?"
Nick's auburn ears lower in the only sign of embarrassment that he otherwise masks as he averts his gaze to the road, making a turn to pull back onto the road off the curb. "Well, yeah. She's known who you are for a long time... she knew I wouldn't have joined the Police Academy if there weren't someone special giving me a push." He lifts his shoulder in a half-shrug, feigning nonchalance. "You made me wanna be different... better."
Judy's smile widens, and as she holds a paw to her chest she can feel the flutter encasing her heart. "Aww.."
The observant bunny catches his fleeting sidelong gaze, and the small smile flickering across his muzzle before he turns away to hide it under the pretense of checking for cars as he steers into a turning lane. "You bunnies.. so emotional."
"Nervous?" Nick queries as he leads her up the steps to a small apartment.
"What? No!" Judy spouts a little too defensively, absently loosening her tight hold on his paw. Truth be told, she was beginning to feel a little anxious. What if Bucky was right? What if Nick's mom was one of the many mammals who looked down on interspecies relationships?
The cunning fox peers down at her with his signature cheeky smirk. "Then why is your nose twitching?" He knew her too well.
"..." Her brow furrows as she scowls up at her boyfriend, but as she opens her mouth to retort, Nick knocks, forcing her to keep mum. Sly fox.
Her frown promptly alleviates, replaced by a cordial smile, once the door opens to reveal an older fox with slightly graying fur and the same beautiful emerald eyes as her son.
"Oh, you must be Judy!" Ms. Wilde exclaims, opening the door wider and ushering the duo inside. "Please, come in, come in. Aw, aren't you just a doll. She's even prettier than you described, Nicholas."
Judy blinks big amethyst hues, her smile growing as she peeks up at Nick to gauge his reaction. He exchanges glances with her out of habit before catching himself and looking away. "Aw, thank you, ma'am."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Judy, please call me Mary. I bet you two are hungry, I'm sure you've probably had a long day at work. There's dinner on the table, please make yourself at home!" Mary shuffles forward to embrace her son, then also envelops Judy into a hospitable hug that dispelled any prior doubts and made her feel right at home.
"Thank you.. the pleasure is mine." Judy glances around with fascination as Mary leads them past the parlor, her curious gaze lingering on a framed photograph of Nick as a young kit. It was clear to see that Nick was the woman's pride and joy; various pictures of him were decoratively strewn about the walls.
"You haven't been getting enough to eat, Nicholas Piberius Wilde," Mary was reprimanding the grown fox with a firm pat to his stomach. "We need to put some meat on these bones."
"Nice to see you, too, Momma."
Ignoring her son's sarcasm, Mary instead takes note of Judy's observant glances and beams proudly. "He was so adorable, wasn't he? Nicholas was eight in that picture."
"Momma, she's hungry, I'm hungry, can we just..." Nick waves a paw in the direction of the kitchen, disgruntled.
Rather than heeding the fellow fox's words, Mary's bushy tail swishes pleasantly as she saunters over to grab a frame off the nearby dresser. "Just take a look at this, Judy, dear. This was a month after Nicholas was born, he was just the sweetest thing..!"
Judy's ears straighten with rapt attention as she stands on her tiptoes to peer around the lady's shoulder at the outstretched photo of Nick as a newborn cub, fuzzy features brightening with endearment. "Awww, how adorable!"
"Okay, yes, very cute, can we /please/ eat?" Nick demands impatiently, only to be disregarded by the cooing women.
"Oh! Do you want to see his senior pictures? He made such a handsome high school graduate!" Mary whisks the rabbit down the hallway without waiting for an answer, and the latter giggles at Nick's elevating discomfort.
"Momma, seriously?" Nick complains, resting a paw over his ginger brow with intermingling embarrassment and frustration, not bothering to follow so he can save face.
It's only once they're out of earshot that Mary withdraws another collection of pictures, smiling fondly as she compares Nick's bright smile as an eight-year-old to his guile smirk in his senior pictures (to which Judy /does/ agree that he looks quite handsome). "Nicholas was a bit of a rebel in high school. He just got involved with the wrong crowd, and I think it affected him for a long time... he always acted like everything was okay, of course, but a mother can tell when her child isn't happy," Mary sighs, her smile a tad more bittersweet.
Judy softens with earnest care, listening intently as she regards the elder with soft violet hues. Mary continues after a moment, meeting the shorter's gaze with a sincere smile. "Judy, you're good for him. It does a mother's heart good to see her son /truly/ happy for the first time in years. You make him happy; he's never spoken so highly of anyone before. You're the first girl he's ever brought home." She clasps the bunny's paws and gives them a sincere squeeze, jade irises alight. "Thank you. I'm so glad he's found himself a keeper."
Judy revels in the kind words, eyes shimmering with a sheen of touched tears. Meeting Nick has had such a positive impact on her life that she can't imagine spending her days without him at her side; he helped her dreams come true and continues to help her prove herself everyday. He's done so much for her that it's heartening to know she's been able to return the favor. "That means so much... I'm really lucky I met Nick, ma'am. Thank you.. he means the world to me."
"Are you two yakkity-yaks ready to eat yet?" Nick calls down the corridor, unknowingly interrupting the heartfelt conversation.
The duo giggle, and Mary happily pats the rabbit's paws before relinquishing them and leading the way to the kitchenette. "Sorry for talking your ears off, dear. I made soup if you're hungry, and there's plenty, so help yourself."
Once they join the male fox once more, Nick arches his brows at his girlfriend and, behind his mother's back, waves his paws about in a frenzy of incomprehensible hand signals. She had no clue what they meant, but judging by Nick's inquisitive expression, she presumed he wanted to know what she and Mary had talked about.
Judy just smiles smugly, as if to say wouldn't you like to know? Nick squints at her momentarily, perceptively appraising her. By now they knew each other so well that words weren't needed at times.
After a moment he just chuckles in resignation of his defeat and slings an arm around the slender rabbit's shoulders. "You fit right in, Carrots."
Judy's heart warms, as as she leans into the sidelong hug, she peeks up at him with a mischievous undertone to her smile. "So... Piberius, huh?"
Nick's dark ears momentarily shoot straight up in surprise before flattening against his ginger head. "...Don't even start, Judith Laverne." And Judy suddenly regrets answering her parents' Muzzletime call in Nick's presence days ago.
But Mary's next words are the ones that make them both freeze.
"So when am I getting my grandkits, Nicholas?"