Day Off
The entire household was buzzing with excitement. Fru-Fru had announced her engagement a couple of days ago and Mr. Big was preparing an engagement party for his little girl, causing everyone to work extra hard. The dining hall was looking beautiful and Judy was jumping around to string the lights. Fru-Fru was on the table as she exclaimed.
"Oh, those are perfect! Thank you so much, Judy!"
"It's nothing. I wanted to do this…" she came closer to the shrew, "I can't believe you're getting married."
"I can't believe it either, but I have been waiting for this moment for so long… I've been dreaming of having the right shrew to be my husband and the perfect wedding to go with it."
"Me, too…" the bunny grinned.
"But I thought you wanted to be a police officer?"
"I do, but I also dream of finding the one for me and have that wedding… But I do want to be a cop first before having all that."
Fru gave a loving sigh and stared at her diamond ring, "Daddy was pleased at how big it was, but honestly, size should not matter when you're in love with someone…"
Judy chuckled, "That reminds me of how Nick and I had that snowball fight and he was upset that with my size, I was able to avoid his snowballs…"
Fru-Fru slyly grinned, "You and Nicky have been getting along better these past few weeks… I wonder, could it be possible you're… attracted to him?"
Judy's eyes widened at what Fru was saying and ended up blushing while shouting, "No! I mean… we're just friends! We… couldn't…" But she was feeling so flustered that she couldn't get the words out.
"Oh, Judy! You can tell me anything!" Fru insisted.
"I… I don't know what's going on, Fru… Because now that you mention it… I do see Nick as… well, handsome…"
The shrew giddily squealed.
Judy casted a worried look, "But, Fru, is that even normal? A rabbit thinking a fox is handsome?"
"Oh, Judy…" she grabbed for the bunny's finger and patted it, "Does it matter? We have come a long way since those dark days. If you truly find Nicholas Wilde as attractive as you believe he is, then why doubt yourself? Isn't that what you've been telling me as you looked forward to training at the police academy? How you didn't want listen to the mammals that thought you weren't going to make it? This is the exact same thing…"
The bunny's mouth gaped in surprise. Everything the shrew just said was true. Here she was looking forward to be a cop when the rest of the world was telling her "no", but she didn't listen, so why should she worry if she was having strange feelings toward the fox? I should at least see if something more happens between us… After all, we didn't like each other at first, but once we found out we had something in common, everything just fell into place…
She found herself saying, "It's so new and alarming, but I won't let that scare me to discover something wonderful…"
Fru-Fru smiled, Love usually is… She said, "Good for you! Now come, I must choose the floral arrangements for the party."
Judy held her paws out as Fru climbed into them.
They were in the manor's greenhouse where they found Mr. Otterton trimming the many flowers growing in the conservatory. Emmitt Otterton owned a floral shop and Mr. Big was his best customer, not to mention he was an old friend. Big allowed him to take some of the flowers that grew in his greenhouse, and in return, Emmitt would help with flower arrangements to decorate around the house.
Judy loved talking to him whenever he came to visit. They would exchange stories about their families and Emmitt made a promise that once Judy repaid the debt, she would get to meet his wife and kids since according to him, she would get along well with his wife. From what she heard about Mrs. Otterton, she believed him to be correct.
The otter saw them, "Hello, Judy! Miss Fru-Fru! And congratulations on your engagement!"
"Thank you…" Fru cooed.
"I found some flowers that might be appropriate for the party, but I want your approval."
Judy said, "I'm sure whatever you picked would be good enough."
Emmitt held out the samples and Fru examined them. She finally pointed to the primroses and declared, "These are the ones. Once again, dear Emmitt, your expertise on flowers saves the day…"
"That's very kind of you to say, Miss Fru-Fru…" he sadly smiled, "You're just like your mother…"
"Oh, thank you for saying that…" She started to cry a little while Judy handed her a tiny tissue. "Mama would be so happy now and she would have started on wedding preparations at this point."
Judy motioned, "I'm sure your mother would be very proud of you…"
Fru hugged her finger.
Nick and Finnick were in Big's office, discussing the latest scam for tomorrow.
Big firmly said, "Now remember, I don't want anything to go wrong. With Fru-Fru engaged now, I must make sure to stay around for the wedding. If you get caught, I will not bail you out."
"You're all heart, boss…" Nick muttered.
"Make the delivery to the club and keep your eyes open for both cops and my enemies."
Finnick rolled his eyes since it wasn't a concern to him.
Nick pondered on this. With Fru-Fru's upcoming engagement party, Judy had been able to keep busy, but eventually, it would be over and she would get bored again. He couldn't stand seeing the bunny being glum again. She needed to get out more. "You know, if you're worried about us being spotted, we could use an extra pair of eyes to keep watch."
"What are you suggesting?" the boss asked.
"Yeah, what are you suggesting?" the fennec fox questioned.
"You know, Judy has been in your manor for over three months now. She deserves a day off."
Big mulled over this, "Hmm… She's has proven herself a hardworking employee. In fact, it might be time to check on her process where the debt is concerned, but yes, she should have a day off."
"Great, I'll tell her myself." Nick left without being dismissed.
Finnick eyed the boss to see if he was offended. Instead, he was surprised to find the shrew was smiling.
Nick managed to locate her in the dining hall with Emmitt and Fru-Fru as they were busy setting up the flowers. They didn't see him as he heard them talking.
"The missus has been wondering when she'll get the chance to meet you too. From what I kept telling her, she has been looking forward to seeing you."
"I wish I can tell you when, but even I'm not sure when Mr. Big will let me go."
Nick knew that was his cue, "What if you had a day off?"
They turned to him in surprise, but Judy ended up smiling once she saw him and rushed over.
"A day off? How?"
He smirked, "It's all been taken care of. I told Big you should be given a day off and he agreed."
Her eyes lit up, "Did he really?!"
He chuckled, "He did. So… how would you like to come with me and Finnick to see the rest of Zootopia?"
"Would I?! Of course, I would!" In one leap, she wrapped around him in a bone-crushing hug.
Nick gave a slight yelp, but he gave in and found himself liking the embrace, maybe a bit too much… He felt his cheeks going hot until she let him go, acting giddy and hopping around in excitement when she faced Emmitt.
"I can finally meet your family and they can meet me! This is so incredible!"
Fru-Fru commented, "See? I told you Daddy was a big softie."
They kept talking, but Nick didn't hear them. He was too busy thinking about the hug Judy gave him and why it made him feel the way it did. His heart was racing for some reason and he couldn't stop thinking about Judy. What is going on here…? It was just one little hug and yet… why did it feel like it meant something more than that?
Judy had her face pressed against the window of the limo. Nick and Finnick were sitting next to her as the taller fox was smirking in amusement of seeing her so excited while the smaller fox gave no emotion. The bunny could see the Zootopia skyscrapers coming into view as Manchas drove them out of cold, snowy Tundra Town and into the hot, sunny Sahara Square. They drove around for a bit as Judy marveled at the sights of busy mammals going about their day and the businesses being active.
"Judy… take a look on your left…" Nick pointed.
She did and there it was… Zootopia's Police Department… She could see officers were getting ready for the day at hand to do assignments or patrols… A smile curdled on her lips and thought, One day… it'll happen… I just know it. She turned back to the fox, thanking him for bringing that to her attention.
He merely replied, "Hey, I've stopped trying to get you to not be a cop. Might as well go along with it."
She just smiled and leaned closer to him, causing him to feel that strange warmth he felt when she gave that hug. He still didn't have any idea why it happened, but he wasn't going to question how good it felt and let it be.
Manchas then stopped at an apartment building, and Judy got out, knowing this was where the Ottertons resided. She quickly looked back at the foxes and Nick said, "We'll pick you up at four. Big wants us back at six."
"Gotcha. See you then." She smiled once more before the limo drove on.
Finnick questioned his colleague, "I thought you told Big that Judy could keep a look-out for us?"
"Ah, but Big doesn't know Judy wants to be a cop and you know she doesn't like what we do every day, so why drag her into it? It's better this way."
The fennec fox shrugged, "Works for me. I could care less so long as we get what we deserve."
Judy spent the day with the family of otters and became instant friends with Mrs. Otterton just as she and Emmitt thought she would. The children were in their room now playing while Emmitt was watching the news, leaving Judy and Mrs. Otterton to chat in the kitchen.
"My dear, have any bunnies at home asked you out?"
"No. But there is one hare named Harold who came close. He didn't think I heard him, but we rabbits have excellent hearing. I guess he forgot about that. He was telling me that he knew other hares that would be lucky to have a hardworking rabbit such as me for a wife, but he also added lovely to the sentence, telling me he was including himself with those hares."
"He most certainly was. That's a pick-up line if I ever have heard one, which of course I have…" She smiled and glanced toward the living room, seeing Emmitt still being busy watching the news. "My Emmitt was quite the pick-up artist…"
Judy mischievously grinned, "Was he really?"
The otter giggled, "He was. And as for this suitor of yours… Do you think you could have any feelings toward him?"
Judy blushed, "Well… I… I haven't spent much time with him versus having to spend time with someone else…"
"Ahh… So, you might actually love someone else?"
"Well, I don't know… I might… but it's kind of complicated…" Judy started shuffling her feet, "I've had this conversation with a friend of mine, but maybe a second opinion would help…"
"You can tell me anything, and I can promise to never repeat it."
"That means a lot. Thank you…" She took a deep breath, "It has come to my attention that I might have certain feelings for this mammal, who's not the same species as me…"
Mrs. Otterton's eyes widened in understanding, asking, "What species is he instead?"
"A fox." she bashfully admitted.
"Really? Well, I can see how unconventional that must be, but in my experiences of falling for someone, you should never deny your feelings."
"I don't care of what the world would think, but I do care about what he thinks… What if he doesn't feel the same way I do?" Judy had a concerned look, feeling genuinely scared of the answer.
The otter took Judy's hand, "My dear, I'm afraid you're just going to ask him yourself… You won't know until you tell him how you feel."
The bunny was about to respond until a rapid knock came at the door. Emmitt got up to open it, seeing the two foxes rushing in and panting as if they had been running a marathon.
Judy rushed to them, "Nick! Finnick! What happened to you?!"
Fin glared to the red fox, "Ask. Him!"
"Hey! We were in the clear until those coyotes tried grab us!"
"What coyotes?!" Judy questioned.
Nick answered, "One of Big's rival gangs…"
"Was it the same gang that attacked us at the manor?"
"No, totally different gang… Maybe..." he panted again. "Think maybe we can get some water?"
Judy hopped up, "Oh, right! Sorry!" She rushed back to the kitchen where Mrs. Otterton held two glasses of cold water. Judy got back to the foxes sitting on the floor and handed Finnick a glass, but helped Nick with the liquid as she held to the glass to his mouth. Once he drank the whole thing, he gave a sigh of relief and complained.
"I can drink by myself, you know."
"You looked too weak to even hold the glass…"
Finnick gave off a scoff, while behind Judy, Mrs. Otterton was smiling, putting the pieces together about who the fox was Judy admired.
Judy continued speaking, "Now tell me the whole story."
Nick responded, "Well, it's not much to say. Manchas dropped us off for us to do our errand for Mr. Big when suddenly, a pack of coyotes started cornering us and we had to run for our lives. We've managed to dodge them for a bit until they found us again and we had to run here."
Emmitt questioned, "Do you still have the information?"
Finnick pulled out an envelope, "Right here."
"We were supposed to drop that off at The Mystic Spring Oasis club." Nick added.
"What's that? A casino?" Judy asked and saw everyone in the room giving uncomfortable looks.
Nick replied, "Not quite, Carrots…"
Emmitt mentioned, "It's a club for naturalists."
"Meaning?"
Nick leaned into her ear and whispered it to her. Her eyes widened and she covered her mouth in shock, then yelling out.
"Say what?!"
Nick shook his head in amusement, "Definitely a place you don't want to go to, Fluff."
"Well… I'm going to have to… seeing how the coyotes know about your rendezvous and the errand you have to do. But if I deliver the envelope instead, they would never guess a bunny doing it."
It was actually the first time she had seen Finnick smiling, "Uh…Good idea."
But Nick looked concerned, "You sure you want to do this? When you get there, Carrots, I can't promise it'll be a pleasant experience for you."
"I'll be in for unpleasant experiences when I join the force, anyway. Why should this be any different?"
"All right, but don't say I didn't warn you…"
She smiled, "Your warning is plenty."
Mr. Otterton raised his hand, "I'll come with you. You need someone to show you where it's at."
They were outside the building as Emmitt made a most disturbing confession to Judy.
"You've been here?! And you're a regular member?!"
Emmitt slightly frowned, "Don't tell my wife. But whenever I feel stress out, I come here for yoga exercises. It helps a great deal. Is it an ideal place for yoga lessons? Maybe not. But it's a nice place all the same."
Judy looked at the building and took a breath, Here goes nothing… They then went inside.
Emmitt greeted the yak behind the counter while Judy did her best to keep from looking at the unclothed yak.
Told you so… she could hear Nick's smirky grin of a comment in her head. Shut up, I know, I know… she had to tell herself. Even when he wasn't here, she could feel his presence.
"Hey, Emmitt! Good to see you!" the yak said.
"Good to see you too, Yax." Emmitt greeted.
"Here for another yoga session?"
"Not today. My friend and I have business to take care of."
"Go right ahead, then." He led them to a door and it opened, revealing a large garden area where there were several mammals undressed.
Judy did her best to cover her shock, but it couldn't be helped.
Once they found the mammal they had to pass the envelope to, Judy hightailed out of there. Luckily, Manchas was waiting for them and drove them away.
Once they had dropped Emmitt off and picked up Nick and Finnick, they headed back to Tundra Town. Nick noticed Judy was so quiet and distracted, so he asked.
"Couldn't handle it?"
She slowly turned to face him, "I thought I could… but what I saw today… there are no words to describe it…"
He smirked, "There are words for it. It's just a matter of using them."
She gave an exasperated look, "Yes, thank you. I'm well aware…"
He chuckled and in an unexpected move, he wrapped his paw around her waist and moved her closer to him, causing her to blush but also making her smile.
Mr. Big scowled at the report he was given by the foxes, but once Nick explained that thanks to Judy's assistance, they were able to get the envelope passed on after all.
The shrew smiled at the rabbit, "Well done, Miss Hopps. You'll find an extra reward in your payment this week."
Judy beamed at the news, "Thank you, Sir."
"Now on to more important matters, my daughter's engagement party is tomorrow, and I expect you all to be there. Nicholas, you will be Miss Hopps's escort."
"Huh?!" both rabbit and fox exclaimed.
"You heard me, and you will not disobey this order or else…"
"Got it, boss." Nick said.
"If you say so." Judy replied.
The shrew just grinned.