First things first: this chapter contains insane amounts of fluff that really push the T rating of this story. Have no fear, though; this won't be any worse than Chapter 3 of Family Ties. It'll be on par, though, so have your insulin shots ready. Second, just so we're clear, Nick and Judy are married in this one shot. Got it? Okay, good. Enjoy!
Also, a huge thanks to Birchly for letting me use their art for the cover! Go check out more on their DeviantArt and/or Tumblr!
After a Hard Day's Work
Requested by DrummerMax64
In all her life, Judy had never been happier to clock out of work. She loved her job, yes, but there were days where the workload had been almost too much. First, she and Nick had an all-night stakeout in the uncomfortably humid Rainforest District. Second, they had to chase down their perp whenever they caught sight of him, and him being a very in-shape cheetah was not helpful.
Thirdly, after they caught up with him, they had to detain him, leaving them very bruised and sore after a tussle. Fourthly, they had to fill out paperwork. Lots and lots of paperwork. It was at this moment that Judy regretted being rather careless with her driving as she had done minimal damage to a street block during her chase with the lean, spotted cat.
Finally, she and Nick were given the rest of the day off, but by the time they got home, the sun was already on its ways back to the horizon line. The only downside to that? They had work the very next day.
Not even bothering to discard her wrinkled police uniform, Judy plopped onto the couch face first, sighing in relief as the cushions slowly enveloped her in a warm, soft embrace. She still caught the chuckle from Nick, though.
"Carrots, you need to stop being so adorable; this old heart of mine can't take it," the fox joked.
"Whatever, Nick!" Judy called back, her voice muffled as her face was currently buried in the couch. "You're not that old! Heck, just this morning I only saw, what, a few patches of gray fur?"
"Har har, you're hysterical," Nick retorted dryly as he made his way to the bunny. Instead of sitting down, however, he began to carefully remove her uniform. "But seriously, though, it's gotten really hard to control myself at work these past few days, Carrots, and your constant acts of cuteness are not helping."
Judy tilted her face so that one eye could catch a glimpse of him. "Look, I know I'm drop-dead gorgeous, but with over two years of being partners together, I would think you've been controlling yourself just fine," she joked.
"You forget, Carrots, that it's winter," Nick replied as he slowly peeled off Judy's shirt. With the silver skin of her back laid bare for him, he began to gently massage the bunny, kneading his knuckles in between her shoulder blades and down her spine. The effect was almost immediate as Judy tensed for a split second and then relaxed. A long sigh escaped her throat as her eyelids fluttered.
"Right, but still," Judy contended. She had learned a lot about foxes from Nick, but whenever it came to his love for her, she couldn't help but feel flabbergasted. Perhaps it was her inexperience in the dating realm that was speaking here, but she had rarely – if at all – felt as loved as Nick made her feel. It was somewhat overwhelming, to say the least, but not unpleasant at all.
"But still, you are quite an attractive bunny, Carrots," Nick finished for her, a low growl in his throat. "That's all there is to it." To emphasize his point, he gently kissed the base of her neck as he continued to work the tension out of her system.
Judy could feel the blush rising through her body, and, mixed with the relaxing massage, she could've sworn she was floating on clouds. The heat only increased in temperature as Nick's paws slowly made their way down her back. He paused to remove her utility belt and then continued to ease the tension in her muscles. His paws ran over her clothed legs, sending a pleasant, tingling sensation down her spine. Whenever he got to her feet, however, she just about passed out – it felt amazing! Nick seemed to know all of her weak spots, for by the time he was finished, Judy felt as though she couldn't move, nor did she want to.
Nick sat beside the couch, holding Judy's paw. His thumb gently brushed her fur as he gazed at her peaceful face. Judy opened her eyes just a crack to see those love-filled emerald eyes, and another blush overtook her body. She was sure that she would never get over how Nick looked at her.
As she stared, though, it became painfully obvious that Nick was still beaten and tired. Judy tried to think of a way to return the favor as she lifted herself from the cushions. As she opened her mouth, however, the perfect idea came to mind. Her gaze turned sultry as she turned to Nick. "That was the best massage ever, Nick," she purred before leaning forward, her muzzle inches away from Nick's, "but now we have to deal with you. And with the smell of things, I think you could use a bath."
She then slid off the couch, picked up her discarded clothes items, and began making her way to the bedroom. A glance over her shoulder told her that Nick looked rather surprised and wanting. "Don't you mean a shower?" he asked.
"Nope! You need a bath, Nick," Judy shot back. "I want to be comfortable when I groom your fur."
Nick's ears perked up, though he didn't move from the spot for a few moments as to allow his brain to process exactly what Judy was implying. Once his brain stopped overheating, he quickly dashed into the bedroom, where he found Judy's clothes laid neatly on the bed. The sound of rushing water came from the bathroom, and a smile crept over Nick's muzzle. Discarding his own clothes, he quietly snuck into the tiled room and locked onto his target.
The lush, silver fur of his mate seemed to glow in the artificial light, but that could also just be his heightened ardor speaking. The bath slowly began to fill up, and the water's sound masked his approach. The grin on his muzzle widened as he silently crept up behind Judy, his paws outstretched and ready to strike.
And strike he did as he suddenly scooped Judy up off the floor before showering her face with hundreds of kisses. Her laughter was music to the fox's ears, and her body was warm against his. Holding her like this was one of his favorite aspects of their relationship, and Nick was determined to enjoy every second of it.
"Nick! That tickles! Stop!" Judy vainly pleaded. "The tub!" Any more pleas were lost to laughter.
Nick began to playfully nip at the tips of her ears and her neck, sending tingling sensations all over her body. Judy all but forgot about the tub and was only focused on the fox that held her. His coppery fur meshed with hers in such a way that heat easily traveled between them. His long muzzle allowed him to sneak past her "defenses" and steal a kiss or a nip on her most ticklish spots. His emerald eyes gleamed with a bright joy and brilliant love that he reserved for her and her alone. It was times like these that Judy reveled in the perks of having a fox for a husband.
With the tub now filled, Nick carefully stepped into the hot water, making sure not to jostle the silver bunny in his arms. He took as much care when he leaned over to shut off the faucet. Then, without warning, Nick suddenly dunked himself and Judy below the water level and just as quickly came back up for air. Judy coughed and spluttered out of confusion more than to get the tiny amount of water out of her throat.
"Nick!" she cried. Though, as the fox began chortling, Judy felt a grin creep over her own muzzle despite how "mad" she wanted to be.
Nick finally started to calm down and hugged Judy's wet body to his chest. "I'm sorry, Carrots. I couldn't resist."
"Uh-huh, sure," Judy sarcastically agreed. "Just don't be surprised if I get back at you for that later."
Nick barked out another laugh. "Carrots, please! I'm a fox, remember? You can't pull the wool over these eyes – easily, that is," he added, to which Judy nodded in approval.
"Challenge accepted, then." She nuzzled her wet face into his chest, much to Nick's amusement. "But first, let's get this bath started. Could you hand me that shampoo?"
Nick nodded as he reached over to the edge of the ceramic basin and grabbed one of the few different bottles that sat there. He glanced at the label before handing it over to the bunny on his lap. "Is this the new stuff?"
"To you, yes, but I've been using it for quite a while," Judy answered as she squeezed out a sizable dollop onto her paws. "It smells really nice, and it doesn't take forever to get out of my fur." She began to slowly massage her paws into Nick's chest and stomach, leaving behind a sudsy trail. Judy continued to lather her fox as Nick took another look at the shampoo bottle.
Granted, he didn't really know if he was looking for anything specific, and after a moment, he placed the bottle back with the others. Nick then glanced down at Judy and felt a rush of warmth slither up his spine.
Feeling a pair of eyes on her, Judy glanced up and smiled at Nick's happy face before leaning in and stealing a kiss. "Though, Nick, if you want to keep using this shampoo, we're going to have to buy more. You have more surface area than I do."
Nick chuckled. "Sounds fair enough." He planted a kiss on Judy's forehead as the bunny's paws continued to snake through his fur and distribute the soap over his body.
Judy decided that now was as good a time as any to give Nick a little taste of his own medicine. With slow, deliberate movements, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Nick's chest. Her paws gently traced wavy, sudsy paths through his coppery coat until they found the small of his back. From there, Judy began to knead her knuckles into the muscles along his spine.
The effect on Nick was immediate. His body tensed for just a split second before all of his muscles relaxed. A long, satisfied sigh escaped his lips, and as he rested his muzzle on top of Judy's head, a peaceful smile crept over his features. Nick then wrapped his arms around his bunny and melted into her massage.
Judy loved it whenever Nick wrapped himself around her. He was like a fuzzy blanket that was undoubtedly warmer and more comfortable than any other. Judy had also come to know this embrace as a safe place – as long as she was in Nick's arms, nothing would ever get to her. However, all good things had to come to an end, and Judy was starting to have trouble reaching Nick's back.
"Hey, Nick, could you turn around?" she reluctantly asked. "I'd like to reach your shoulders.'
With a squeeze and another kiss on the head, Nick complied with less reluctance than Judy would have guessed. She soon found the reason for his lack of resistance when his tail curled itself around her waist. As if it were a living thing, Judy lovingly stroked the wet n' fluffy appendage before resuming her task of massaging her husband.
Nick felt all of the tension ease out of his muscles as Judy's paws worked their magic. However, there was another kind of tension that was starting to build up as it was fueled by the bunny's actions. Nick shook his head to clear his mind – there would be time for that later.
When Judy finally finished, she stood up and leaned against Nick, wrapping her arms around his neck and placing a kiss on his wet cheek. This, of course, did not help the fox's current situation.
Judy leaned forward, placing her muzzle right next to Nick's ear. "Do you think you could help me wash up, Slick?" she asked in a sultry whisper. Nick just about lost it there had it not been for Judy suddenly dunking him under the water. He resurfaced with as much grace as Clawhauser had when charging into a box of donuts. Judy couldn't suppress her laughter as Nick splashed about, sputtering for air and flailing his arms.
"I told you that I'd get you back!" Judy exclaimed triumphantly before breaking out into a fit of giggles. "'Can't pull the wool over these eyes' my tail!"
Nick took a moment to finally get his bearings before turning towards the bunny. A mischievous gleam filled his emerald eyes – the telltale sign that his mind was up to something. With slow movements, Nick reached for the shampoo and squeezed a generous dollop onto his paw. He maintained eye contact with Judy as he slowly lathered his paws. The "tension" in the air was thick as the two mammals waited to see what would transpire in the next few seconds.
The first thing Judy noticed was how taught Nick's legs had become. This told her that he was getting ready to charge at her and probably catch her. Second, Nick was slowing down his lathering, which meant more of his thought process was going to calculating his "attack." The third thing noticed was Nick's tail and how it methodically swayed back and forth.
Of course, all of this noticing took quite a bit of time, and Judy was left unprepared for whenever Nick actually did pounce. The bunny suddenly found herself trapped in the wet and somewhat sudsy arms of her fox. She felt Nick's paws begin to roam over her back, leaving behind a soapy trail as he returned the favor from earlier.
Judy took the opportunity to nuzzle her face into Nick's chest. The scent of the shampoo did everything right with his natural scent, creating an aroma that Judy knew she'd never get tired of smelling. She was so lost in the moment that she didn't realize that Nick had stopped a little while later.
"Hey, Carrots?" he asked for what seemed to be the umpteenth time, but Judy wasn't sure. Upon seeing the bunny glance up at him, Nick continued, "Could you turn around or lean back? I need to clean your front, too."
There was something about the way he looked at her that made Judy blush. She was sure it had to do with the fact that he was aware of how much she loved to lose herself in his scent and fur – he never stopped teasing her about it.
Judy reluctantly turned around and leaned back into Nick's chest. The fox's muzzle rested in the crook of her neck as his paws gently scrubbed through her gray and white fur, making sure to get the skin beneath. As it was very similar to the massage from earlier, Judy began to feel lightheaded as her muscles relaxed, and a happy purr escaped her throat. She was sure that had she found a nice buck and married him, he wouldn't have been able to soothe her like Nick could. There was just something about how his paw pads felt, and the way he would gently incorporate his claws into the stroke.
However, all of it ended too soon for Judy. Before she knew it, Nick was already using a free paw to scoop up the water and gently pour it down her front, cleaning the suds out of her fur. His other arm was tightly wrapped around her waist, keeping her close to him. Judy pressed her body into Nick's chest, and a satisfied sigh escaped her lips.
"You know, Nick," she began as the fox nuzzled her cheek, "there is only one thing that I can think of that would make this the perfect evening."
Judy felt the vibrations of Nick's chuckle against her back, sending a pleasant tingle down her spine. "Is that so?" Nick asked.
The bunny nodded with an accompanying affirmative hum. "That is so. Can you guess what it is?"
"Why Carrots, if you think that after our time together, I'd be able to guess what you're thinking. . . then you'd be wrong. You bunnies are too emotional and complicated for even us foxes to figure out," Nick joked.
Judy was too relaxed to even consider giving her husband a playful shove. However, she did have enough energy to turn herself around and wrap her arms around the fox's neck. She leaned in and locked lips with Nick, losing herself to his embrace. His paws traced slow, gentle paths up and down her sides, sending blossoms of warmth radiating through her body that had nothing to do with the temperature of the water.
"I'll spell it out for you then," Judy purred after they broke the kiss. "The only thing that will make this evening perfect would be my favorite fox taking me to his den."
"If you're bringing up that video again, Carrots," Nick began but was cut off by Judy's quiet chuckle.
"No, I'm over that. For now," she admitted with a mischievous gleam in her violet eyes. Judy leaned forward and caught Nick's muzzle in another kiss. "So, Mr. Fox, what do you plan on doing with the poor, innocent, defenseless bunny in your arms, huh?"
Nick flashed a smile that harbored on the edge of sly, loving, and predatory – one of the smiles that was reserved specifically for Judy. "First off, you 'poor, defenseless bunny,' we're gonna get you dry; I will not have any wet fur in my den." Judy couldn't suppress the giggle that rose from her throat. "We'll see what happens after that," Nick added with a wink before leaning in and embracing his bunny with a kiss again.
Later that evening, Nick and Judy found themselves snuggled together in the sheets of their bed as they watched Zetflix. The pillows and blankets were still a little lopsided and ruffled from what had happened between the fox and bunny over the past hour, but the two mammals looked completely fine. Judy hugged Nick from the side, practically melting into his body as her muscles recovered from earlier. Nick, on the other hand, was leaning into the bed's headboard a bit more than he usually would, and his body was incredibly relaxed as his held Judy to his side.
All in all, it was blatantly obvious that both mammals were where they wanted to be for the rest of the evening.
The movie they were watching continued to play despite being rather boring in some areas. When those parts came up, Nick and Judy entertained themselves until the film could catch their attention again. As the movie neared the end, though, it was forgotten by the two mammals.
Nick slowly shifted Judy up and onto his lap, keeping their kiss intact throughout the movement. As soon as he the task was completed, his paws began to gently caress the bunny – a little scratch beneath the ears, a stroke up the back. Judy reciprocated with some grooming of her own, her paws roaming through the fox's coppery, course fur. They broke for air on occasion, but even then it was only for a second before they dived back in.
They did eventually turn the TV off after the film ended, and they eased up on their make-out session. Judy nuzzled into Nick's chest as the fox gently nuzzled the crook of her neck. While, during most other times, Judy would be lost in her fox, a particular thought was annoyingly nagging at her.
"Hey, Nick?" she mumbled, still too relaxed to do much of anything else.
"Yeah?" Nick replied before gently nipping her shoulder.
Judy felt the tingling sensation rush through her body. "Is it bad that I'm not looking forward to going to work tomorrow?" she asked as one of her fingers drew lazy circles in the fur on Nick's chest.
The fox chuckled as he placed a kiss on his bun's head. "Normally, I would have considered it to be sacrilege coming from you, but I completely feel you this time. I mean, I wouldn't want to go to work when you have such a handsome fox as myself treating you to such a glorious night."
Judy cracked a smile. "I was pretty sure it was the other way around, Slick," she joked, glancing up into those emerald eyes that she loved so much. "But you do make a point. I guess the only thing that's making work somewhat tolerable, though, is that fact that you'll be there suffering by my side as well."
Nick chuckled. "I do it for you, you know," he admitted as he carefully shuffled his weight so that he and Judy were now laying on the bed, their arms wrapped around one another.
Judy placed a kiss on the bottom of Nick's jaw. "I love you, you cheesy fox."
Nick replied in kind and chuckled. "I love you, you gorgeous bunny."
With small kisses and gentle strokes here and there, the fox and bunny slowly drifted off into a peaceful sleep, ready for whatever tomorrow had in store for them.
I'm incredibly glad that DrummerMax64 gave me a request for some R&R&C (Rest, Relaxation, and Cuddles) in a one-shot, for it was the perfect thing that I needed to help me come back from my temporary hiatus. I had a lot going on over the course of November, but now that December has rolled around, I have free time again, and I'm ready to go! Family Ties will be updating this upcoming Friday – I hope – so be on the lookout for that.
I hope you guys caught some sneaky references in there. I'll give you some hints so you can go looking for them in case you missed them:
One Hundred Kisses by Cimar of Turalis WildeHopps (this one's a bit vague and has to do with wordplay, so you'll have to really look for it)
Eric Schwartz's comic where Nick and Judy are showering together (I cannot remember the name of it for the life of me)
That Mr. Fox comic by TGWeaver that cropped up months ago that I almost completely forgot about until I started writing it in here. Man, that brought back memories from when the Zootopia fandom was still young and new. . . . Why do I feel old? That was only months ago! What is going on!?
Anywho, don't forget, if you have a request, PM it to me unless you don't have an account! If you leave a request in a non-guest review, it won't be added in. (even though it may be really tempting for me to write, I'd like to keep this "professional") If you wanna know what is and isn't accepted, check out the previous chapter; the rules are all there. Also, to those of you who have already given me a request, don't worry: I'm still working on them. You haven't and never will be forgotten!
Until next time!
