We are often of greater importance in our own eyes than in the eyes of our neighbor. —Aesop

.

He tried not to laugh as Judy leapt out of his bed. "Going somewhere?" he asked.

"Nick, I have to take this call, and I can't let them know I'm in your apartment."

"How are they going to know it's my place rather than yours?"

"I have plushies on my bed."

"Oh, darn, I forgot to pack mine when I moved in last week."

She shook her head. "I'll come right back after I talk to them."

"So I don't get to join in the Muzzletime?"

"Not yet." She kissed his cheek and ran back to her apartment, the phone still ringing. Then he heard her voice through the wall, "And please don't say anything they can overhear."

"Oh, all right," said Bucky.

"We can't even have a conversation among ourselves?" Pronk complained.

Nick chuckled quietly.

Then Judy shushed all three of them and must've touched her phone because the ringing stopped. "Hi, Mom and Dad."

Nick put his ear to the wall so he wouldn't miss anything.

"Judith, we saw you on the six o'clock news."

"Gee, that's great, Mom." Nick could picture her big fake smile.

"Um, Jude the Dude, you told us you were in the Rainforest District this weekend."

"Well, I was. Briefly."

"And, Young Lady, you said you had the weekend off. And now we find out you were uncovering corruption and murder in the Canal District!"

"Well, I wasn't supposed to talk about the case till we, I mean I cracked it."

"Uh huh." Nick could picture the skeptical look on Mrs. Hopps's face, probably a lot like Judy's skeptical look. "And is that Nick Wilde your partner 'Nicky'?"

"Well, yes."

"Judy, you made us think he was a girl!"

"No, Mom, I just didn't tell you he's male."

Mr. Hopps said, "And he's a, well, he's not prey."

"Yes, OK, he's a fox. But, Dad, you play cribbage with a weasel."

"And he cheats like the dickens."

"And you work with Gideon Grey."

"Yes, Dear, but we're not…."

"Yeah, Mom?"

"Well, I saw the way you looked at him during the press conference."

"You did?"

"And the way your ears stood straight up when he was talking."

Nick hadn't noticed, but he'd been focusing on the reporters and photographers.

"Judy, I know you're a big girl now and you've got your own life you live in the City, but you're still our little girl. And it's one thing to be friends with a fox and another to…."

"Yes, Dad?"

"Judy, I'm sure he's a very nice young mammal, but, well, for one thing, have you considered—?"

"Oh, Mom, please don't go there!"

"—you'll never be able to have kits together?"

"Sweet cheese and crackers, Mom!"

"Oo, she played the grandmother card!"

"Pronk, not now!"

"Who's Pronk?" Mr. Hopps asked.

"My eavesdropping neighbor. Well, one of them."

Nick stifled a chuckle.

"Nick's not a bad guy, Mr. and Mrs. Hopps," Bucky chimed in. "Sarcastic as heck, but you get used to it."

"Judith, you have incredibly thin walls for the kind of rent you're paying."

"You want me to come over and insulate 'em?"

"No, thank you, Dad."

Her mother asked, "Judy, are you two an item?"

"Me and Pronk?"

"No, Dear, you and Nick."

"Well, yes."

"And you didn't tell us when you visited the weekend before last?"

"We weren't an item yet."

Her dad said, "Don't you think this is moving kind of fast?"

"Yes, Dear, you've never had a serious boyfriend before. And I can see how you might be attracted to Nick. The bad boy type. And he's very handsome for a fox."

"Bonnie!"

"Stu, I'm just trying to see it from her perspective."

"Mom, Dad, listen. Nick and I are in love."

"You weren't even dating a week ago!"

"Yeah, Mom, OK. But he was my best friend a week ago, and for weeks before that."

"Sometimes when a male and a female are friends, they can mistake their closeness for other feelings."

"Yes, thank you, Mom."

Nick cleared his throat. "So, Mr. and Mrs. Hopps, good to meet you."

"Jude, is he in your apartment?"

Judy sighed. "He's in the room next door. The one Bucky and Pronk don't live in."

"You're living together?"

"No, Dad. I mean, not like that. We're neighbors."

"Jude, I think you'd better come home."

"Dad, I'm grown up. You can't just make me move back."

"No, I meant both of you."

"Both of us?"

Her mother sighed. "Your father's right. You two had better come visit us over the weekend."

"Um, thanks, Mom, Dad."

"Yeah, thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Hopps. What should I pack?"

"Overalls would probably be best."

"Dad, don't tease him."

"Who's teasing? The County Fair is this weekend."

"Yes, we've got a booth and everything."

"We could use an extra set of paws."

"Dad, Nick is a city boy. He's not exactly agriculturally inclined."

"Don't be silly, Fluff. You know I love produce."

"Bonnie, he calls her 'Fluff.' "

"Is that sweet or condescending?"

"I'm not sure."

"It's sort of both."

"Shut up, Pronk!"

"Well, we'd better go. Judith, we'll text you later in the week."

"No taking on any big cases in the meantime, OK, Jude the Dude?"

"I'll try, Dad."

The Hoppses all said goodnight to each other. Nick was tempted to join in but this time resisted, as did the Antler Boys. But as soon as Judy said, "You guys…," Pronk asked, "So is that a hopeful sign that they want to meet him?"

"It could be. On the other hand, they may figure the best way to sink the relationship is to have him face her ginormous family."

"Guys, please, it's difficult enough dealing with my family without—"

"You don't have to tell us."

"Yeah, Pronk's mom was even worse than yours."

"I didn't think it would be that big a deal. OK, so we're different species. It's not like we're that different."

"Yeah, we both have antlers and hooves."

As Bucky and Pronk continued, Nick could picture Judy with her head in her paws. He slipped next door and silently picked her up. She nestled against him and he carried her back to his bed, where they could have some relative privacy.