Rewritten: 11/30/17
Making Some Room
"Morning Carrots," Nick greeted as he hurriedly exited his apartment building and walked straight toward Judy's car. The window was rolled down, and Judy was beaming a happy smile as Nick approached her car. "You sure got here quick."
"I didn't even call," Judy pointed out. "How did you know I was here?" she asked as Nick walked around over to the passenger seat.
"Intuition, my dear Fluff, it's like a sense," Nick explained as he got in the car. He proceeded to put on his seatbelt and send a smirk Judy's way. "Imagine me, sitting in my kitchen, then suddenly getting this urge that my Cottontail was nearing the building," Nick exclaimed.
Judy scoffed. "Or, you standing right before your living room window looking down the road and seeing my car?" she offered with a skeptical stare. Nick opened his mouth to respond but nothing came out. "I saw you running down the lobby before I could pull out my phone."
Nick sighed as he scratched the back of his head. "First of all, I'd like to point out it's not creepy," he extended his index finger pointedly. "And also, I had no idea running down the stairs from the fourth floor would be so tiring."
"You, passed those fitness examinations right?" Judy teased.
"Hardy har," Nick replied monotonically.
"More like 'hardy hardly'," Judy corrected.
Nick frowned as he slumped his shoulders. "I did confess my feelings to you right? Are we not mates—what have I done to wrong you?" he irritably whined.
Judy laughed as she reached over to Nick's shoulder and began to pat it reassuringly. "Nothing, Slick," she answered. "Am I not entitled to crack some jokes and insults like you?"
"I didn't say that," Nick corrected. "I'd just like to address that you haven't even said, 'Good morning' or 'Hey' to me." He proceeded to pout upsettingly.
"Morning Nick," Judy greeted with a chuckle. She gestured toward the front of him.
Nick looked toward the dashboard and was surprised to see a tray of coffee with a brown bag on it. "You're forgiven," Nick replied as he grabbed the tray. He looked into the bag and smiled upon seeing the blueberry brownie stuffed inside. "Yes!" he exclaimed. He took a huge bite out of the brownie.
Judy laughed as she drove away from Savanna Suites and onto their normal route to the precinct. "You ready for work?" she asked.
"Yah," Nick nodded. "Wait, why'd you get Sahara Sweets without me? Don't think I'd be up for the task?"
"No, I just thought about trying a new routine. Thought it'd be faster," she answered.
"Ah." He had no other comment. After a few moments of silence, Nick decided to start a conversation. "So, you want to plan a date?" he asked. "Sometime this week? Maybe after work?"
Judy grinned as she thought about it. "Hmm, sounds nice. Oh, can't do this Friday or the weekend. I'll be at the Burrows." Judy glanced at Nick and saw his raised brow. "For the Bunnyburrow Bake Off," she explained further, "My parents are hosting this year, so it's even more important for me to show up. Plus Gids will be participating and he me a few old kithood friends were showing up."
"Ah," Nick nodded. "So, not the weekend."
"And not next Monday," Judy added. "The new graduates are coming then. Bogo asked us to be there—'member?"
Nick nodded again. "Well, we can do this week."
Judy cringed as she slowly bit her lip. "Uh… I'll have to see."
Nick's eyes widened as he flew a accusatory finger at Judy with his free paw. "You have plans?"
She frowned. "And that's one of the insults referenced from before," Judy stated monotonically. "It's not really set in stone, I'm just… I'll be a lot busier after work."
Nick raised a suspicious brow. "Why? Bogo has after hour work for you?"
Judy shook her head. "No, not that. It's… a secret."
"And I can't know this?"
"Not yet."
Nick sighed and took another bite out of his brownie. "So… when can we have a date?" he asked desperately.
Judy sighed as she shrugged. They had arrived at the Precinct's parking lot. "I dunno," she responded. As they pulled in, she added, "We'll see. I'll let you know once I get a handle on my schedule."
"Tonight, though?"
"Nope."
Nick held back a groan as he concedingly nodded. "Alright." Now he was confused. Suddenly, she went from staying at his place to avoiding him entirely over the span of a day. They had spent half of Sunday together and Nick noted the same behaviour from her. She did look very content and satisfied with herself. Nick knew what she wanted though, he just wasn't sure if he should call her out on it. But now, with her evasiveness, he had to wonder if she was doing something in her home or somewhere else? It had to be the second option, which made Nick even more skeptical.
As soon as Judy parked the car, Nick unbuckled his seatbelt and hopped right out the car. Judy hastily followed after him. Upon entering the building, they found Freddie standing by Clawhauser's desk, talking with the cheetah. Nick said, "Oh, we should have gotten Fred and Ben some coffee."
"Yeah, you're right!" Judy agreed. "We can ask them if they wouldn't mind getting some."
"Hey guys!" Nick shouted as they neared the desk.
Freddie turned around and smiled at the two. "Morning, Wilde, Hopps," he greeted.
"Good morning," Clawhauser waved happily.
"We were just talking about coffee, and we were thinking about getting some for you guys in the morning," Judy explained. Nick remained silent as he happily munched on his brownie, finishing the sweet baked good.
Freddie smirked, "Aw, that's nice. I'd like that." He nodded happily. "But of course I'll pay you guys back for the gesture."
"I'm okay," Clawhauser said dismissively. "I already make myself a cup of joe in the morning—first thing actually." He smiled as he grabbed a box from the underneath his desk and pulled out a donut from it. "You guys may want to head over to roll call soon," he mentioned before he took a bite out of his donut.
"Right, thanks Clawhauser," Judy replied as she walked over to the right.
"Yeah, see you later," Nick said as the three departed from his desk.
"Are you on for lunch?" Freddie asked as they walked.
He nodded. "Yup," he swallowed, "Sahara Sweets?"
"Uh-huh." Nick agreed. As they walked into the hall, they saw Judy take a right down the other corridor. "Carrots, where you going?"
"Washroom," she answered as she quickly skipped off. "Save our seat!"
Nick scoffed as he looked at Freddie. "As if anyone would take it," he stated confidently.
Freddie shook his head as he and Nick continued to walk down the hall. Once they entered the room, they noticed very few officers scattered about. They proceeded to walk toward the front, where they always sat. "Morning Wilde, Wolfstein," Francine greeted.
"Morning Pennington," the two replied almost in unison.
When they arrived at the front table, Nick hopped up the first seat whilst Freddie sat beside him. "So," he began. "You and Hopps." Nick smirked as he flashed an amused look over to the wolf. "How's that going?" Freddie finished.
Nick chuckled at the question. "It… feels pretty much the same," he answered, "aside from the occasional kiss and snuggle."
"I don't know, you two were snuggling way before this," Freddie teased.
"There's just a change in atmosphere, you know?" Nick asked, whether it was rhetorical or not eluded Freddie. "It's just… nice."
Freddie smiled. "That's good."
"It's great," Nick corrected. "Saturday we spent the day with Gideon."
"Why are you already third wheeled?"
"Ha ha," Nick sarcastically replied. "She said she already made plans so I tagged along. We had lunch had Sahara Sweets and watched a movie—"
"Which one?"
"Batmammal V Supermammal."
"Oh," Freddie pouted.
"Anyways, after that Gideon had to leave for a business thing and she and I went back to my place." Freddie raised some seductive, teasing brows. "Where we just watched Breaking Bear." Nick sighed and took a sip out of his cappuccino. "The morning after she had to leave to drop Gideon off at the station. She took a long time to get back to my place—half the day in fact—and after that she finally discovered my room and we spent the rest of the day cleaning it."
Freddie laughed as he placed a paw on Nick's shoulder. "I'm so happy she did that. The few times I walked in there my nose would beg me to cut it off."
Nick rolled his eyes at the insult. "Right now, I'm just a bit conflicted with the whole 'first date'," he stated in air quotes.
The Gray Wolf raised a brow at his comrade. "Why? She doesn't want to go out?"
"Beats me," Nick admitted, "I'd like to think otherwise however." He shrugged and grabbed his warm beverage, taking a long teasing sip for Freddie's pleasure. The Wolf now developed a craving for a cup of joe. "I think she should move in with me."
Freddie's eyes grew wide at the sentence. "What?" he replied, very loudly. Eyes were drawn to the two and Freddie sheepishly smirked. "I mean," his voice fell to a whisper, "what?"
Nick rolled his eyes. "She's been miserable with her place," he added.
"How do you know that, have you ever been?" Freddie questioned him.
"Yes," he answered.
Freddie had an appalled look on his face. "She let only you over?" Nick countered with a blank expression that basically told Freddie it was the most obvious thing. "Of course, she let only you over," he rephrased.
Nick grinned. "Her place is… small. Like, really, really, small. At first, I wasn't sure if she was comfortable but when she had me over she didn't look so upset. But… after we got my place, I noticed she came over a lot and stayed some nights—" Freddie's eyes widened once more as he mouth hung agape. "—no sex!" Nick hastily added. The eyes shrunk and the mouth shut. "The point is, she's been really distant from her apartment, and I'm worried that I just took her one good chance at getting a nice one."
Freddie sighed as he scratched his head. "So your solution would be to… live together?" He was trying to wrap his head around this decision. "This is an example, of moving too fast."
The Red Fox optimistically shrugged. "Would it be?" he asked. "We've already known each other long enough, she's seen my place enough times to know where things are better than I can!"
"But, Nick, that's still a big step."
"Yeah, but I'm with her," Nick replied with a small smile. "I feel bad enough that she just cleans everything, even when I ask her not to. The least I could do, is make her feel safe."
Freddie smirked at Nick's words. "Smooth Wilde, but you may want to save that for when she's here." Nick and Freddie shared a chuckle. Suddenly, a thought occurred. "Wait, where is she?" he stated as he looked toward the door.
"Washroom, 'member?"
"Does she take that long though?"
"Could be a number two." Freddie pointed out.
"Did she eat anything?"
"She might've had some of her coffee."
"Still…"
"Alright, this is weird," Nick stated as he shook his head. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't analyze my mate's… waste removal schedule." Freddie raised a brow at the phrasing, to which Nick responded, "You know what I meant!"
Freddie sighed. "I'm just wondering, okay?" He shrugged. "So why can't she meet with you this week, again?"
"She wouldn't say."
"Oh, what if she's meeting with a realtor?" Freddie suggested.
"What?" Nick replied. "Where did you get that from?" The Wolf silently shrugged. "Fred, c'mon, there's…" Nick's voice trailed off as he considered the possibilities. It would explain a lot, he had considered. She took a long time to get to his place yesterday, so she might have been busy with the realtor. This entire week, she could be meeting with the realtor at open house sales. "Nah…" Nick dismissed with an unconvincing tone. Freddie's skeptical brow remained risen. The strand of fur was starting to freak Nick out. "Okay, maybe," Nick exclaimed. "But we don't know! That's just a very educated guess."
"Hey guys," Judy's voice appeared. They looked to their left and found Judy standing beside them. She hopped up the seat and stood beside Nick. "What's an educated guess?" she asked.
Nick mentally groaned. Why was she catching the tail end of these conversations? Bunny ears, Nick remembered, thus mentally facepawing himself. "Oh, uh, Fred thinks because of Bogo's long, evasive silence, he might get the promotion." That seemed logical.
Judy raised a brow as she leaned forward to look at Freddie. "What? How did you get that conclusion from that fact?"
"Hence, the educated guess," Nick reminded her.
"I mean, it just makes sense in my eyes," Freddie said with a cheery attitude. He looked at Nick and shrugged with a smug expression.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Judy stated concedingly as she raised her paws. She then grabbed her drink and sipped it.
"Atten—hut!" a voice rung out.
All attention was thrown toward the front of the room. A few officers whooped, others thumped their tables. Wolfstein didn't care to participate in that gruffness. By the other entrance, the door opened as Bogo walked through. He had scowl as he approached the podium. Underneath his arm, he kept a pile of files safely tucked away. "Alright!" the mere sound of his voice caused the room to silence. He always looked gruff and angry. "Before we begin with assignments, I'd like to make an announcement." All ears perked up. "Officer Wolfstein," he opened and pulled out a badge with wallet type cover. "From here on out, you are now a member of the ZPD's Detective division." He extended the badge outward, expectantly waited for Freddie to accept it.
Freddie's face lit up almost immediately. He rose out of his seat and rushed over to Bogo. "Thank you so much sir," he said as he accepted his new badge. The badge displayed Detective' on it's center. "I won't let you down."
Bogo nodded and—though most would call him crazy—Freddie swore he saw him smirk. "I know you won't," the Chief replied monotonically, "otherwise I wouldn't have promoted you." Freddie quickly shook the chief's hoof. Everyone in the room clapped, few whooped. Judy threw Nick a playful stare whilst Nick remained oblivious. Eventually, he noticed her stare and proceeded to lightly elbow the Bunny.
Once Freddie returned to his seat he whispered to the two, "Told ya."
"Alright, now, as for the patrol assignments," Bogo said loudly, "Delgato and Pennington, you're both assigned to the Howlington Community. Wilde and Hopps, Lioncoln Park region. Fangmeyer, Wolfard, to the Savanna Central Bank. Finally, Grizzoli and Clawson, you two will be around the Sahara border." He glanced up from his file. "You all can get your route assignments from Clawhauser on your way out. You are dismissed." Everyone proceeded to get out of their seats and move toward the exit. "Now, for the rest of you, there is construction throughout downtown that could—"
Judy nudged Freddie as Nick walked away. Freddie looked to her and she smirked. "Congrats, we'll see you at lunch?" Judy assumed. He nodded. With that, Judy took her coffee and followed after Nick. "What do you think of that?" she asked as they exited the room.
Nick chuckled. "Never said I was against him Hopps," he reminded her. "Just that the ZPD will be doomed if we're going to rely on just him."
Judy shook her head at her partner's claims. Despite what he would say, she knew that he was proud of Freddie. That was the Nick Wilde she knew anyway, the one who kept his thoughts inside his head. He found no reason to say them out loud. Half the time, Judy could only wonder about what he was thinking.
…
"She's only seventeen, Carrots," Nick stated as the two returned to the squad car. He noticed how hastened Judy was to beat Nick to the car. She had hopped into the driver's seat, though Nick had been driving for the entirety of their patrol so far. "Seriously?" he questioned as he entered the passenger's side.
Judy scoffed as she buckled her seatbelt. "That doesn't change the fact that she was speeding." Nick stared at Judy as she maintained her cold expression. "I'm not being cold-hearted, it's just a ticket! She can pay it off." Nick rolled his eyes as Judy drove away from the parked car in front of them. As they passed by, Nick took the opportunity to silently and sheepishly apologize to the driver. "Nick," Judy reprimanded.
Nick winced at the sudden shout but leaned back in his seat. "So, we should probably head to lunch soon, eh?"
Judy nodded. "I'm heading to Sahara Sweets right now."
Nick grabbed the walkie talkie and clicked the button. "Dispatch, Unit 9 will be having a Code 7."
"10-04 Unit 9, you're cleared for Code 7."
"Thank you," Nick replied. He set down his walkie talkie and smiled at Judy. She noticed his gaze and looked at him dumbfoundedly. "What, can't I stare?"
"First of all, that's creepy," Judy argued as she shuddered. "And second, aren't you going to check in with Clawhauser and Wolfstein?"
Nick pulled out his phone and nodded, "Right." He quickly texted the two mammals to check with their status.
Heading to Sahara Sweets, you coming?
A few seconds passed. Nope. First case, can't stop working! So amped!
"Well Fred's busy with his first case," Nick said to Judy.
Judy's face lit up. "Ooh, what's it about?"
"Uh, he's 'Working a missing mammal case'," he read. The two shared a happy grin. "That sounds fun." Nick shrugged. "I wished him luck." He suddenly got another notification, it was from Clawhauser. "Oh, Benny replied… 'Can't leave front desk, expecting some mammals to arrive who need to meet with Chief.' Well that's swell."
Judy sighed. "So it's just us?"
"And our wits," Nick nodded.
"Alrighty then," Judy smirked. "Just us." Nick was suddenly glad that his friends weren't able to make it. Now was a good chance to talk to Judy about the move in situation. Their patrol had been occupied with speeding and giving tickets. He slightly expected Freddie didn't want to come merely for that reason alone, but he knew Freddie wasn't that clever.
Minutes later, Judy was pulling into the Sahara Sweets parking lot. The two quietly exited their squad car. After entering the cafe, Judy and Nick headed toward their table near the window, like always. Once they sat down beside each other, Tina Felicane noticed the two right away and made her way over to them.
"Hello Tina," Nick greeted.
"Afternoon," she greeted the two. "This'll be all?"
Judy nodded. "Yes, sadly," she replied, "We'll just have our usual."
"With two salmon sandwiches," Nick added.
"Alrighty," Tina said as she noted down their orders in her notepad. "I'll be back with your order." She left the table and went straight to the counter.
Nick smiled as he wrapped his arm around Judy. "So I got a question."
"And I may have an answer," Judy cheekily replied.
"The I guess I should ask."
"Then there may be an answer."
"Can I ask my question please?" Nick pointed.
Judy chuckled as she threw Nick a playful smile. "Was that the question?"
"Carrots."
Judy laughed as she shook her head. "Aww Nick come on, I'm only kidding." She leaned back against his arm and sighed contently. "I'm all ears—ask away."
Nick exhaled calmly as he grabbed Judy's paw. "So, I was wondering…" he looked at her eyes and saw her genuine curiosity. That was a mammal who devoted everything they could into him. It was time the favour was returned. "Would you like to move into my place?"
Judy's expression of content slowly shifted into shock as she stared at Nick dumbfoundedly. "Wh-What? Mo-Move in with you?" she stammered, pulling away from Nick to look at him fully—she needed to see his entire face.
Her shocked response had stumped Nick's confidence a smidge, but he still smiled at her. He did find her reaction to be slightly adorable and he couldn't help but smile. Luckily, that smile was enough to boost his confidence to keep going. "Yes. I think you should move in with me."
"Oh damn!" Tina's voice rung out. The two looked over to the aisle to find her arriving with a tray in her paws. "Things are gettin' juicy," she said excitedly as she placed the tray on the table. She happily glanced back and forth between the two. "You two are together?" Tina eagerly asked.
Judy and Nick stared at her blankly.
"Oh… uh… I have another table—" she pointed jerked her thumb over to a nearby table. "I'll just be there." With that, Tina hurriedly walked away from the two.
"So," Judy spoke up in a small voice. She grabbed the coffee and sipped it for a long while. She was definitely boosting his confidence. "You want… me to move in with you?" she asked once again.
Nick sighed as he nodded. "Yes, Carrots," he replied irritably, "I do. Now can ya… say something?"
She slammed her drink onto the table and glared at Nick. "Nick, you just dropped a bomb on my lap," Judy snipped. "What even brought this on!" she questioned him.
"I know what's going on," Nick explained in a soft tone, "I know you're not happy with your home. I know why you spend all your time at my place. I know why you stay over some nights. I get why you're so attached. It was the home you wanted, wasn't it?"
"Nick…"
"Just answer me, please."
"Yes… it was…" she admitted quietly.
Nick smiled as he took hold of her paws. "That's okay. It's okay. That's one of the reasons why I'm asking this of you. I want to give you something." He started to caress her paws with his thumbs. "I want to repay you for giving me something you wanted. For giving me a job, for being my friend—my mate. I want you to be happy. I owe it to you."
"Nick," Judy shook her head. "You don't owe me anything." She lowered her head out of either embarrassment or shame.
"Carrots," Nick lifted her chin with the index of his right paw. "I owe you everything. You agreed to be my mate, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make you happy."
"Nick…" she muttered in disbelief. She cupped his cheeks and leaned forward to kiss him. They shared a moment of embrace, the pulled away. "Thank you…"
"It's no problem," Nick replied. "It's never a problem, if it's for you." His words rung through her ears and elevated her smile. "I'd be glad to share my home with you."
"And you're sure it's not too fast?" she asked as she took hold of both his paws.
Nick smirked at her and pulled his paws back. He grabbed her right paw with his left, and caressed her face with the back of his right paw. "Carrots, I've known you long enough to know that you do want this. Sure, it may be fast and we may be rushing things, but I like to think that I'm ready to have you. You've been over long enough and I trust you already—my home is open to you Carrots, always." As he slowly dropped his paw down, Judy just chuckled at his words. Nick's smirk slowly developed a slight smugness to it.
"I… I'd love to move in with you Nick," Judy responded in a near whisper.
"Great," he said cheekily, "then I give to you, the key to my heart." Nick raised his right balled up paw and extended it Judy. He then unclasped his paw and revealed a key resting on the pads of his paw.
"Wow a cheesy line," she said as she pulled back her paw. She began to pat down her pockets then proceeded to glare at Nick with a small smirk. "And my own key?" she said sarcastically, "It's definitely like I already had one and—"
"I was being sweet."
"You just pickpocketed me."
"You taking it or not?" Nick asked, deflecting the statement with a smug smile.
Judy rolled her eyes as she gracefully picked up the key. "So, roomies?"
Nick nodded. "Roomies."
…
"And that should be all," Judy announced as she finishing writing. Nick jumped up from the couch and looked over to the kitchen counter. Judy happily dropped her pen onto the pile of papers before her. She turned around to beam a smile at Nick. "I just give these to Miss Dobby and it's official."
Nick smiled at her. "Ooh, this is gonna be exciting eh? Moving day!" he cheered as he sunk back down the couch. He returned his attention back to the ZNN on the television.
"You know," Judy said as she hopped off the stool. "I'm glad you talked about this with me now, I was going to meet with realtor about this house I found."
Nick's ears perked up as he looked to Judy. Once she sat beside him Nick asked, "So you were going to move?"
Judy nodded with a chuckle. "Yeah, I found this nice two story house near downtown. Had a backyard, small lawn—"
"Ugh, lawn maintenance."
"Three bedrooms, and nice kitchen," Judy continued. "I was planning on changing one of the bedrooms into a storage room or something like that. But, today I was going to go to my realtor with my final bids for the residence—apparently there was a Moose who was fighting for the same property."
Nick smiled as he scratched the back of his head. "Wow, so… you were going to actually move?"
"Yeah, but I called my realtor after work to tell her about your offer!" Judy added in an excited tone.
"Wow… Wolfstein was right," Nick stated in disbelief.
Judy raised a brow. "Right about what?"
"I told him about my plan to ask you, and he theorized that you were planning on moving out of your place," Nick explained. He lowered his paw down to Judy's shoulder, pulling her close to his body. "He suggested you were actually on the phone talking to your realtor instead of going to the restroom. I found the idea to be totally insane." Nick had ended with a light chuckle, smiling at Judy. However, her expression was in turn sheepish and followed with a shrug. "Wait he was dead on?" Nick asked with complete shock ridden on his face.
Judy quietly answered, "Yeah, he was." Nick groaned. "I met with my realtor on Sunday and she showed me some good apartments and houses." Nick substituted her response to fill in the gap of her absence on Sunday morning. "I called her and we mostly talked over the phone to discuss the situation, but yeah… I actually signed the lease forms from the Grand Pangolin Arms too."
"What the heck were you doing on Sunday?" Nick exclaimed. "I was sleeping in!"
Judy laughed. "I'm not kidding when I say you got me last minute. I would've been signing over a two story near suburban house." Nick's expression of shock dialed down to relief, as he was comforted with the thought that Judy was glad to be with him. "I… I really am attached to your home Nick. But I was glad that you liked living here, 'cause then I knew it was well worth it!"
The word, "envy" lingered at the back of Nick's mind, but he chose to keep that silent. "So, what's the plan then? You move right away? Or is it a small things first? Or maybe slowly and gradually."
"Well, I'd like to get outta there before Friday."
Nick raised a brow. "Why's that?" The answer quickly flashed into his mind. "Oh right! The Bunnyburrow Bake Off!" Judy nodded happily. "So, I guess we should start tomorrow huh?"
Judy shrugged. "There really isn't much for me to get. The dresser came with the place, and I already sold the TV."
"What? When!"
"Last week, that's when I decided to move out." Judy casually shrugged. "It was the only thing I bought for that place. We can get my clothes and all that after work," she suggested. "It can be a one day thing."
"I suppose," Nick agreed. "You really didn't have that much stuff?" he curiously asked.
Judy shook her head. "A few outfits, and some family framed photos. But… uh, yeah, nothing else." She slid out of Nick's warmth and walked away from the living room toward the entrance hall.
"Hey, where you going?"
She pointed to the closet near the door leading into the entrance, which was parallel to the kitchen entrance. "I'm checking if you still kept those moving boxes like I suggested," she explained as she waltzed over to the closet door. She opened the closet to find a rack of coat hangers—with only three coats hung—and a stack of flattened boxes against the back wall. She smirked, "Ayy, you did listen!"
"I'm pretty sure I was just lazy," Nick disagreed, "and that I liked your idea of just leaving it somewhere so I had an excuse not to throw them out."
Judy laughed as she dug into the small closet. She pulled the boxes out from the back and dragged out into the hallway entrance, closing the closet behind. She pushed them over to the living room and kicked them over to the front of the couch. Nick sensed she was attempting to get his attention, and sighed. "I'll help, I'll help," he informed her as he searched for the remote. "I was just invested into this protest happening in Lioncoln Park." He said gesturing towards the television.
Judy looked to the television to find a mob gathered around the Lion statue, holding picket signs and chanting. "What's that?"
"Inter-species protest," Nick answered as he picked up the remote and turned off the TV. "Bunch of mammals with some stupid morals," he muttered.
Judy looked at the black, clear screen and wondered. There were mammals out in the world who always had grief against something. Of course inter-species relationships would fall within that list of don'ts. Some believed the Animal Kingdom has a system that should remain the way it is. Sometimes, Judy hoped that more and more mammals would be open to the concept of change. But, she knew that she grew up from a different perspective and that not all mammals could be so quick to accept it. Regardless of reasons, it still hurt her. It hurt then and it hurt her now. She was in a inter-species relationship of her own. Though Judy knew that what other mammals thought of her was not important, the idea of getting shunned or stared down still haunted her.
"Hey," Nick spoke up. She looked over to find him over by the stand underneath the television. He had pulled out a roll of packing tape from the drawer there. "Guess I should put this somewhere better, huh?"
Judy lightly chuckled. "Yeah. But hey, when I'm here I'll organize this mess of an apartment for you."
Nick cocked his head to the right skeptically as he approached Judy, extending the tape to her. Upon accepting the item, Nick said, "Never let them see that they get to you."
She looked Nick in the eyes. They had a small sense of worry behind them, like they were enveloped in fear though. He was worried for her. "Thank you," she whispered as she rushed to his chest, wrapping her arms around him. "With what I've grown up with, these stigmas and society's expectations have always been a thorn in my beliefs. I've always had to meet a struggle."
"That's the world for ya," Nick replied as his arms fell down to her back. He began to pat it gently. "But, if you could change my perspective then we can change others."
Judy snorted. "Even my parents?" she mused.
He always heard from her that her parents always supported the whole pred and prey book. They followed the fear and kept to the Animal Kingdom's folkway rules. "Especially your parents," Nick countered. "In fact, why don't I come along with you to the Bunnyburrow Bake Off?"
Judy's eyes widened as she pushed herself back to look at Nick. "Are you serious? You want to meet my parents?"
Nick casually shrugged. "Why not? It'll be the perfect and probably only chance for me to get to know your family."
"Okay, I think these are the purified examples of moving too fast," Judy joked. It sounded like it was to herself, but Nick couldn't tell.
"Carrots, come on," Nick pleaded, "This seems like a good time to. And besides, after what we've been through can we really take it slow?" Judy gave a conceding sigh as Nick went on. "I can try to impress your ma and pa."
Judy frowned as she turned away. "I don't talk like that," she said as she picked up the one of the boxes.
"I know, but boy do I hope to run into some mammals that do," Nick teased as he walked over to the pile.
"Maybe I shouldn't bring you along," Judy stated aloud, as if she was merely contemplating the decision. But it was clearly obvious she was overjoyed that Nick wanted to come along.
Nick rolled his eyes. "So, I guess I'm meeting your folks then, eh?"
Judy smiled, "Indeed you are, Slick." She reached for his paw and held it tightly. "You sure about this?"
"What are partners for?"
She smiled. "Partners."
…
"Hey! There he is, the Wolf of the hour!" Nick applauded as Freddie exited the offices. Clawhauser happily waved as Judy followed suit in the sarcastic applause. "We haven't seen ya since roll call!"
Freddie casually and smugly strutted over to the front the desk, holding a couple files in his right paw. "Yeah, I was kinda busy," he responded while attempting to maintain a cool voice.
"Alright Detective Swagger," Judy teased. "Can you give us the details or not?"
He pawed the files to Clawhauser and extended his arms into the air. "They mystery, has been solved." He said as he took a bow.
Everyone around applauded the announcement. Most in the precinct knew that Freddie had aspired to be a detective shortly after his arrival. Few like Francine and McHorn rooted for him. It was a long awaited event, as the Detective Program wasn't apparently available after Nick and Freddie's graduating class. So of course now, Freddie's accomplishment for his first ever official case was a huge milestone for him.
"And the mystery was?" Judy curiously asked.
"Had to find a missing cub," Freddie answered. "He's a young Bengal Tiger that went missing one late night a few days ago. Found him at the Lioncoln Park pep rally gathered around the statue centre." His smug look was high and proud, and didn't look like it was ever gonna go away. "Apparently he's a very high supporter of the whole 'Anti-inter-species relationship.'" Freddie had stated in air quotes. He noticed Judy's slight frown and sighed. "Hey, he's just a cub, he doesn't know better."
"He kinda does if he decided to run away to join this mob," Nick retorted.
Freddie raised a brow as he slightly tilted his head to the right. "How'd you know he ran away?"
Nick smirked as he crossed his arms across his chest. "Intuition, my dear Wolfstein," Nick replied cockily. The Gray Wolf maintained a look of pure unamusement, leaving Nick to shrug. "An educated guess really. I know that most cubs or kits, or whatever end up running away from home."
"Ha, guess someone has some deductive competition," Clawhauser teased.
"Alright whatever," Freddie muttered dismissively. "So are there plans for tonight or were you guys just waiting for me before you clocked out?"
"Yes to both," Judy answered.
"Hopps and Wilde have plans," Clawhauser said to Freddie, "they waited to tell me once you got here."
"Alright, so on with it," he gestured to the two.
Nick smirked as he lightly nudged Judy with his elbow. Judy glanced around the lobby and noticed the few dozen scattered officers. "Let's talk outside," she suggested as she backed away. The three followed after Judy, who led them just outside the precinct. So," Judy began. "I'm moving in with Nick," she announced as she reached for Nick's paw. She held it tightly as she waited for her friends' reactions.
"What? That's crazy!" Clawhauser shouted, "That's amazing!"
"Ahh, so you did ask her," Freddie acknowledged. "Congrats you two."
"And, we'd like you guys to help us with my move in," Judy added in an excited tone.
Their brows rose in shock as she stared at Judy. Freddie was the first to speak. "So you're saying…"
"We get to see your home?" Clawhauser finished excitedly.
"But only when you're moving out," Freddie added with a slight frown.
"You get to see it nonetheless," Judy comprised. "Plus, you guys helping will really help. It'll make it a one way trip!" she offered temptingly.
Clawhauser smiled. "Ah, I'm up for it!" He looked to Freddie and eagerly placed his paws on his shoulders, shaking the Gray Wolf aggressively. "Fred, you gotta come along!"
He chuckled in response. "What? Who said I wasn't going—of course I'm helping."
"That's great!" Nick exclaimed. He pointed to Clawhauser, releasing his grip from Judy. "You brought your car today?" The Cheetah nodded happily. Nick responded with a thumbs up and said, "We'll definitely narrow it down to one trip."
"Hang on, lemme just get my keys!" Clawhauser said as he rushed back into the building.
Nick leaned over to Judy and muttered, "He didn't think to bring it as we went outside?"
Judy shrugged. "I'm not questioning it," she simply responded.
Freddie scoffed as he crossed his arms with a skeptical look. "Well I certainly am," he joked. "Sometimes I don't get what runs through that Cheetah's head, but by God does he love it." The three shared a moment of laughter. Freddie looked to Judy and asked, "So why didn't you want to show us your place?"
Judy sighed. "You'll see soon enough."
"Aw come on, you can tell me," Freddie reasoned with her, "We're gonna see it anyways, so…"
"Exactly," Nick interjected. "So it can wait." He mimicked Freddie's gesture and crossed his arms across his chest. "Besides, we haven't seen your place yet either."
"Yes you have," Freddie countered. "You were there just two weeks ago."
Judy smirked as she innocently rose her paw. "Actually that was just Ben and I. Nick wasn't with us."
Freddie and Nick both raised a brow in simultaneous confusion.
"A moment you're not with Nick?"
"When did this happen?"
Judy chuckled at the two's antic responses. "He wasn't with us because Bogo asked him to stay late for that report he had to finish."
Whilst Nick thought back to that moment, Freddie shrugged. "Eh, I always just assumed he tagged along with ya," he explained with a simple tone. "Never really realized it I guess."
Nick frowned. "So I haven't seen your place yet?"
"Nope," Freddie shook his head. "And I'm down for you guys to visit, but don't make a date outta it."
"Third wheeling is what I'm good at though," Nick teased.
Judy elbowed Nick and rolled her eyes. "We'll have a first date, don't worry."
"He's just here, Chief," Clawhauser's voice echoed as he exited the building. The three looked to him and noticed Chief Bogo following after him.
"Ah, evening Chief," Freddie greeted. "We're clocking out now."
"I can see that," he acknowledged. Bogo scanned the three and said, "Officer Wilde." He stared at the Red Fox.
"Sir?"
Bogo straightened himself up as he looked down at the Fox. "As you are well aware, we have the Graduation Ceremony coming up this Monday." Nick nodded. "I want you to speak at the ceremony."
Nick's eyes widened as he pointed to himself. "Me?"
He nodded. "Yes, you." Bogo pointed at him. "Much like Hopps did for you, you'll also present the top graduate her badge." He crossed his arm as he narrowed his brows at Nick. "Can I trust you to do that, Wilde?"
Nick eagerly nodded as he saluted the chief. "You can count on me Chief."
"Good," he responded. He turned away and said, "Have good evening now."
"You too Chief!" Judy shouted as he entered the building. She immediately punched Nick in the arm and shouted, "Nick!" As he winced and recoiled from the Bunny, she continued to shout, "This is huge for you!"
"Congrats Wilde," Freddie acknowledged.
"This is awesome!" Clawhauser cheered.
"It's such an honour!" Judy added as she hugged Nick, who was still holding his arm in pain. "Oh, don't be such a kit."
Nick groaned as he rested his head on Judy's. He hugged her back and whispered, "Thanks to you Carrots."
She pulled away and smiled at Nick, with a faint blush trailing away from her. Nick looked at her and proceeded to use his eyes to direct her over to the right, where the street was. "Right." She cleared her throat. "Alright then," Judy clapped her paws eagerly. "You guys try to follow me," she informed the other two. "It's a long drive, but we should be there fairly quick." She looked at Nick and said, "We celebrate later."
Immediately after, the three dispersed toward their cars. The route to Judy's Apartment building had a lot of turns, and at most they found their friends lagging behind a block or two. After a long fifteen minutes, Nick acknowledged their presence when they were nearing Judy's apartment building. It seemed they eventually caught up. Both Judy and Nick were glad for that, as they were getting annoyed at losing them every so often.
Once they arrived, Judy parked her car right outside the Grand Pangolin Arms' entrance, an action Freddie and Clawhauser mimicked. The four got out of their cars and met up just before the glass doors. "The Grand Pangolin Arms?" Freddie read as he approached Judy. Nick walked back to the trunk of their car and opened it up.
"Yup, this is the place," Judy replied.
Nick whistled, gathering everyone's attention. "We've got some boxes here," he pointed to the inside. "We'll just grab them and take 'em up to her apartment." There were a few stacks of boxes, each stack had a box stuffed inside for maximum capacity. Though Judy's car was large enough to fit a mammal of Clawhauser's size, it's compensation for that came up with the small trunk. The four proceeded to grab a stack each. They were considerably small in comparison to Freddie, but he could tell it proved to be a pawful for anyone to carry all of it on their own.
They followed Judy through the lobby, the room was quite spacious, but had a severe lack of flare. The walls were a faded green, with some strange white spear-like design plastered all over it. Passing through the lobby, they could see a room that trailed off to the right, probably a large kitchen. There were a few dozen mammals scattered about, all near the dozens of microwaves and stoves throughout the room. Freddie leaned forward and whispered, "What's that? A common room?"
"It's the communal kitchen," Judy answered as they walked along. As soon as they arrived at the elevator doors, Nick stepped forward and pressed the button with the boxes in his paws. "This building… isn't exactly luxurious," Judy stated sheepishly.
Freddie began sensing the discomfort and nodded his understanding. He then looked to Clawhauser and cocked his head over to her. Clawhauser nodded back and smiled. They were starting to get the idea of her closed off attitude when it came to her home. The elevator doors opened at the four stepped in right away. "So, was this place on the market when you moved here?" Clawhauser curiously asked.
Nick whipped his body around to narrowed his eyes at Clawhauser, signalling that there was no need press. "It's fine Nick," Judy spoke up. "Yes, it was," she replied. Judy slightly shrugged. "Landlord said it's been available for a while, and I was just in a hurry to move here."
"That's understandable," Clawhauser agreed.
The elevator lift stopped and the doors slid open. Judy stepped out and walked ahead of the three, expecting them to follow after. A few steps later, they were standing right outside her room. She took a deep breath as she placed the boxes on the floor. "It's the big reveal," she muttered as she pulled out her keys. She unlocked the door and pushed it open. The two large mammals leaned forward to peek into the dim room. A moment of silence passed as Judy and Nick funneled into the apartment.
They turned around and stared the two, awaiting their reactions.
"Huh…" Freddie's voice trailed off.
Judy smirked as she rushed over to the wall, flicking on a switch. The lights flicked on and the room brightened immensely. She gestured to her entire room and shouted, "Welcome to my home!" She shrugged and muttered, "Thought that some pizazz would lessen the atrocity of this place."
"It's quaint," Clawhauser stated. His half smile only negated that comment.
Judy scoffed as she shook her head. "There's no need to lie about it," she muttered. "This is why I didn't want anyone to come over," she explained softly.
Freddie chuckled. "Hopps, we all have had some poor choices before." Nick cleared his throat aggressively, throwing himself into a coughing fit. Freddie rolled his eyes and ignored Nick's warning. "You shouldn't be embarrassed by this," he said as he looked around the room. "Sure, it's not very convenient or spacious. And it's certainly not like Nick's place—" said Fox began to cough aggressively once more. "—but it's still a home. The fact that you found it and stuck it out, speaks volumes for your perseverance."
"A lot could do that," Nick mused.
"Thanks," Judy replied. "It means a lot to hear that."
"Yeah, dude that was real sweet!" Pronk's voice echoed.
Clawhauser and Freddie raised their brows. Before they could say anything, Bucky's voice jutted in. "Shut up! You're ruining the moment!"
"But it was sweet!"
"So? You're ruining it!"
"No, you're ruining it!"
"Those are my neighbours!" Judy shouted. Much to her relief, the two silenced their shouting. "Walls are like paper," she shrugged. "Well, anyway, I suppose we should get packing?" Everyone nodded. "Great! So, Ben can take all my stuff from the fridge, Freddie can sort through my desk and get all my stuff from there and I'll sort through my clothes." Judy pulled out the packing tape from her stack of boxes. "Make sure you seal afterward."
Nick innocently raised his paw. "What about me?"
"You can help them." She turned away and walked over to her dresser, which was just below the window. She opened the drawer and began to take out her clothes and sort them into the smaller boxes. Really, Judy didn't want any of them sorting through her underwear or any clothes of the sort. The last thing she needed was more embarrassment or awkwardness. She quickly sorted through her first drawer and managed to pile it all into one box.
"Hey Judy," Clawhauser spoke up. She turned around to find him holding a box frozen waffles. "You sure have a lot of frozens in here. Did you ever eat here?"
She chuckled as she turned back to her dresser, pulling open the second drawer. "I ate some dinners, rarely any breakfasts," Judy answered as she began to fold up her unmentionables.
"What about lunch?" Freddie asked as he taped up his first box.
"I ate either with Nick or at Sahara Sweets—"
"With Nick," Freddie teased.
Judy rolled her eyes. "Point being, I never really had a reason to stay here for a lunch. 'Cept the weekends, but—"
"You'd be at Nick's," Clawhauser deduced.
She briefly turned around to narrow her eyes at the Cheetah. He winked and she chuckled. "Yes, yes, I get it, I spent all of my time with Nick."
Nick laughed. "Aww, Carrots you make it sound like it's an embarrassment," he stated with a pout. "Don't be upset, who can resist this?" Nick gestured to himself suavely with a slick smile.
Freddie scoffed. "Literally anyone," he retorted. "Except for Hopps apparently."
Judy laughed as she returned to packing her clothes. "Don't get me wrong! He has his not-so-attractive moments."
"Alright, ha, ha," Nick sarcastically laughed. "But seriously, this whole teasing thing needs to drop when we see your parents."
Freddie's ears perked up as Clawhauser dropped the box of frozen waffles into the his box. They looked to Nick in alarm. "You're already going to see the parents?" Freddie said in shock.
"Talk about taking moving fast!"
"Shut it Pronk!" Judy shouted. She turned back and sighed. "It's not exactly conventional, but it just happened with our circumstance."
Freddie turned around and leaned against Judy's desk. "Please, elaborate," he pleaded as he gestured toward Judy.
"This weekend, my hometown is having its annual bake off event, and my parents are hosting this time," she explained tiredly, "I don't want to miss out, and we think it'll be the best time to introduce Nick." Judy crossed her arms and bit her lip.
"You guys are like… moving so fast I'm only seeing blurs," Freddie commented as he shook his head. He raised his paws. "It's not my relationship, so I can't say I know any better."
"I think it's a bold move, but if you both think it's best…" Clawhauser trailed off as he returned to cleaning out the fridge.
Judy's shoulders slumped. "Not exactly encouraging."
"Leave it be," Nick advised softly.
"It's just," Freddie spoke up, "that you two just started dating."
Nick chuckled. "Yeah, but we have been together longer. You've said it yourself, in the nine months we've spent time together you all assumed we were together at some point." He looked at Freddie challengingly. "Face it, we've always had a special bond. You can practically consider us mates from the very start! So in actuality, we're kinda delayed with the whole 'meet the parents' thing."
"Nick—"
"He's right though," Judy interjected before Freddie could say anything. "After all we've been through, fast paced may not be so bad for us." Freddie and Clawhauser exchanged a glance then proceeded to raise their curious brows at Judy. "Nine months guys. We've been dancing around this relationship for so long everyone else thought it was ridiculous."
"Yeah, because you guys were oblivious," Clawhauser countered.
"Exactly," Judy agreed. "It's just… taking things slow probably isn't the way to go for us. And with the Bake Off, it just seems like the perfect opportunity." Judy looked at the two with a proud smile.
"If you think it best," Freddie conceded.
"Great," Nick smirked. "Glad we're on the same page." He picked up the packing tape from one of the packed boxes. He dropped it onto the floor, near Judy's bed. He crouched down to pick it up, until he noticed a box stored underneath the bed. "Hey—"
"You don't need to get that!" Judy exclaimed, stepping toward Nick. Her sudden jolt of a reaction caused all eyes to fall on her. "I mean…" she glanced back and forth between her friends. "Ah never mind—Nick, I'm begging you, don't take out that box."
Nick raised a brow at Judy. "Sorry but you've peaked my interest," he shrugged. Nick reached deep into the bed and pulled out the semi small box. He had no expectations as to what he was going to see, so that made the reveal even more shocking. "No… way…" he mumbled as he knelt down to the box. He reached inside and pulled out a small, stuffed Bunny Rabbit. "This is so… adorable."
Judy immediately pawed at her face in embarrassment. "You have stuff toys?" he exclaimed. The box was full of two of them. He looked underneath and smirked at the one hidden away. "And a Fox—"
She yanked the box away from Nick, then proceeded to take the stuffed toy in his paws away. She shoved it into the box and quickly sealed it up with the packing tape. Judy narrowed her brows as she warned, "Do not. Say. One word."
Nick stifled his laughter as both Clawhauser and Freddie returned to their packing, choosing to be smart about the situation. "Carrots—"
"Don't!" she advised, sticking an index finger high into the air. He had a hard time holding in his laughter, but he managed nonetheless. Despite her high and mighty exterior, she was blushing pure red and Nick could see the resemblance to a tomato. He chose not the worsen the scene for her. They both returned to packing.
Some time later, they had all finished packing Judy's belongings and were ready to take them out. "You guys take the boxes to your cars," Judy ordered. "Oh, and thanks for helping."
"No problem!" Clawhauser replied as he picked up his stack. "Thanks for showing us your place!" He walked out the door.
Just before Freddie left, Judy shouted, "Be careful with the boxes!"
Freddie nodded, "Of course Judy."
Nick stepped back and stopped Freddie, grabbing his by his arm. "Although, if The Prince Husband DVD got smashed, I wouldn't blame ya."
Freddie smirked, "Copy that."
"I heard that!" Freddie laughed with Nick as he left the room, leaving the couple by themselves. A moment of silence hung around as the two began stacking their boxes.
"You can keep 'em in the guest room," Nick spoke up. Judy looked to Nick after she placed her box on her pile. She raised a brow as he put down his box on his pile.
"Pardon?"
He smirked and said, "Your stuffed animals."
Judy's face became flushed as she looked down to her pile, staring at the box of which said toys were contained. "Oh…" she rubbed her arms as she kept them close to her chest. "Listen, I'm not like, playing with them or anything. They just… they belonged to my sister." Judy smirked. "Her name's Emma," she explained, "she gave them as a keepsake—going away present type thing." Nick smiled at the thought of a smaller Bunny, similar to Judy, pawing a toy to her. "I was gonna give them back to her when I visited for the Bake Off."
Nick nodded his understanding as he stepped toward Judy, raising a sly brow. "And the Fox?"
"My gift to her," Judy answered softly. "It's not like… that."
Nick nodded again, his smile was beaming wide and bright. "It's sweet Carrots," he replied, "that you would do that."
Judy shrugged as she looked up at Nick, cocking her head to the right. "Why did you offer for us to keep them?"
In turn, Nick responded with a shrug. "I figured that they had sentimental value, and you just didn't want to throw them away." His smile faded a bit as he scratched the back of his head. "I'd hate to imagine you giving up your things and comfort just to compensate for me. 'Cause it's our home now. Plus, I wouldn't want you thinking I had something against whatever you owned."
"Aww, Nick," Judy said softy. "That's so sweet." She stepped forward and took hold of his paws, gripping onto them in a soft touch. She pulled herself in for a hug, one which he returned. "You are just amazing, you know that?"
"You should look in the mirror every now and then," he countered.
Judy chuckled as she embraced Nick. "And as sweet, and kind, and devoted as you are, you don't have to give up so much for me." She pulled back to look him in the eyes. "This is a two-way street as well. Even if there is a discomfort, we both have to compromise—not just let each other walk all over the other. You can't just lose so I can win."
Nick shook his head as a brief laugh escaped his lips. "Fluff, I'll always have room for you. And if losing counts as a win for you, then it's also a win in my book."
With that, Judy immediately leaned forward and kissed Nick, attacking him with a sweet and warm embrace. Nick gave into the kiss, melting into her soft lips. He held her close, as she did him. They were locked in a moment of purity. It was short, nice, and comforting. It was definitely a win for the both of them. Like every moment, once they pulled away they began to hunger for the other's lips. They missed their connection; it felt so real to them when they were so close.
"You are always going to amaze me."
"Right back at ya Carrots."
They picked up their boxes, and left the room; The lights were off and the door closed shut. It was empty.
A/N: That's right, things have picked up. The next two chapters will consist of the meeting the parents arc. It'll bea good one, promise! Till then, keep in touch and please review!
Until next time,
Bleh