Alright, sorry for the wait. Been busy busy busy. School mostly, which is obviously a priority. Anyways, finished up this chapter. Not too sure about it, but, eh, I think it is decent. It is a filler chapter anyway. Hope you find it appeasing!

Chapter 21: How Was Your First Day Back, Officer Fluff?!

Judith took a breath before pushing open the door to the precinct's parking garage for their patrol cars and their everyday vehicles when they were not in use. She slowly poked her head out, ears pinned behind her head for the moment as she cautiously peaked around the large door for her size.

Not seeing anyone, she extended her ears so she could listen for anyone.

Okay, coast is clear.

Breathing out a quiet sigh of relief, she warily stepped out the door and looked around further before bounding for the exit.

Why was she sneaking around, you ask? Why, because of the mob of protestors and news mammals threatening to surround her if she stepped foot outside.

She was wearing yoga pants with a hooded sweat shirt. The gym bag containing her uniform and other things was bounding off her hip at her side as she dashed for the exit. It was an unconventional way to leave the precinct, but she found it was really the only way to leave and still avoid the protestors and reporters that never seemed to leave.

Reaching the exit, which was primarily for vehicles and not foot traffic, she looked both ways down the street before flipping up her hoodie and racing across the street, wanting to put some distance between her and where she knew reporters were. She took the long route to the hospital.

It had been an exhausting day at work. She had done a lot of paperwork, but she had felt lonely, having turned around many times to look at Nick's empty swivel chair. That loneliness had been quite the distraction when combined with the many friends and officers that snuck in during their breaks to wish her well and to welcome her back.

That's another thing that had exhausted the poor rabbit doe, her fellow officers. Some that she was closer with, like Delgato, Fangmeyer, Wolford, Francine, and others, had greeted her but some of their reactions were mixed about her and Nick being together as a couple. Francine, being her open-minded self with a warm personality, said that the fox and rabbit were absolutely crazy to try and be in a romantic relationship but also said that she liked crazy and wished them well.

Wolford was a bit mixed with his feelings but ultimately decided that, although he didn't necessarily agree with the idea of predator and prey relationships, he wouldn't oppose it either. He also said that if anyone could pull off a relationship like this it would be Nick and Judy. All in all, Wolford wouldn't get in the way of his friends' happiness. That was Wolford for you. Spoke his mind, but was always honorable about it.

Judy was grateful for the understanding. Wolford and Nick had become good friends since the fox started working at the precinct and would sometimes hangout afterhours, so the rabbit was glad that the wolf had some sort of understanding.

Next up had been Delgato and Fangmeyer, who to Judy's surprise, simply said that it was no surprise that she and Nick got together. Delgato even asked when they were going to get married as a joke, which had obviously made Judy turn a couple shades of pink.

All in all, Judy was glad she had others besides Bogo and Clawhauser to rely on in the precinct. However, there were others who weren't so enthused about the relationship. One officer had even started insulting the fox and rabbit when they thought Judy wasn't nearby, but she had been.

It had been during her lunch break when she had overheard from outside the door to the breakroom a conversation between a couple officers inside.

One of them had obviously not fans of having the fox and rabbit in a relationship nor having them on the force at all. They had been quite rude and said many hurtful things, making fun of Judy and Nick and calling them sad excuses for being cops.

They had said was enough to trample upon the rabbit's already exhausted mind and emotions. Judy had been frozen outside the doorframe, ears drooping.

She must have looked pretty down because when Officer Mchorn had showed up in front of her, he had given her one of his rare compassionate looks, but when the rhino had overheard the officer in the breakroom say a few things, his expression had instantly hardened. And so, he had snorted with indignation, marched into the breakroom, and… well… shut the officer up, cheering Judy up as a result as she had stayed outside and listened to the yelps and stuttering of the mammal as the intimidating rhino officer gave them a piece of his mind.

Oh yeah, was it mentioned already that Mchorn fully supported the Wilde-Hopps relationship and would not tolerate anyone even having a negative tone when talking about the couple?

The rabbit grinned a bit at the memory as she padded down the hallway of the hospital towards Nick's room, having arrived at the medical facility.

Judy had eventually made it to Nick's wing of the hospital after some strategic maneuvering around a few lingering reporters

Once she got within a certain distance, her ears twitched a bit as she heard his voice and another familiar one talking… well more like arguing.

"Oh, come on, Finn. Lighten up, big guy. It's just a movie."

"Damn right, it's just uh movie! Dat'll never happen like dat in real life."

"Yes, daddy knows. You already said so for the fourth time now. No wait… scratch that— fifth time."

Judy grinned as she heard a gruff huff from the room as she approached.

"Well, chu can't count."

"Well someone's a grumpy little munchkin, isn't he?"

"What did chu call me?!"

"You know I think you have a Napoleon complex."

"A what?"

"When short people are grumpy and get overly aggressive when someone calls them such names such as munchkin, dwarf, puny widdle guy, etc. Tell me Finn, have you experienced any of these symptoms? Anger. Aggression. Grumpiness. Short. Big ears. Driving a hunk of metal for a van—"

"Shut it, Jabber Tongue, ba'fore I makes ya eat it!"

"Yep, Napoleon complex."

Judy paused and closed her eyes as she leaned against the wall, listening and biting her lip to keep from laughing as Finnick exploded.

"I DON'T HAVE UH DAMN NAPOLEON COMPLEX!"

A foreign voice registered in the rabbit's ear as she saw a nurse stick their head into Nick's room.

"Uh, sir, you must lower your voice. There are other patients trying to rest."

"Oh, don't mind him, he's just grumpy."

"Nick! I swear I'm goin' ta—"

"Ah, ah, ah, big guy. Step one to anger management is acceptance."

"Nick… I hope ya on morphine cause Imma 'bout to knock dat smirk of yors right off your face." The fennec fox growled menacingly.

"Alright alright. Geez, stand down. Don't get your diaper in a wad—Ow!"

"Warned ya." Finnick said with a satisfied growl.

"Sheesh, you're lucky I'm conditioned from Carrots' punches or you could have really done some damage there, big guy."

Judy shook her head with a grin and decided now was a good time to enter the conversation as she entered the room.

"You guys talking about me?"

Nick was laying in the overly large bed, as usual. Back brace on. IV attached to his wrist. An assortment of machines monitoring his health, but no matter. The doctors say tha,t besides a few things, Nick was one healthy tod.

Finnick sat beside him, arms folded as he sat back in the chair that was overly large for him. Judy still found it hard to believe that Finnick was older than Nick, but he was, though he didn't look like he had aged since he was a five year-old. Knowing him now made the memory of that day at the ice cream shop unbelievably comical. She could still picture him in that elephant costume sucking that pacifier, looking very much like a toddler.

Nick's ears perked up as he smiled as she entered the room.

"Carrots!" He greeted happily. His smile brought a warm feeling in her heart. She loved the fact that she could make his day by just entering the room.

Finnick just nodded at her, giving the slightest trace of a grin.

"Bunny cop."

Nick rolled his eyes and gave his old partner a mild glare.

"You know? She has a name." Then his face broke into a deep smirk. "And it's 'Carrots'."

Judy rolled her eyes, walking over to his bedside.

"Actually, its 'Judy', you dumb fox."

Nick smirked as he gave her a kiss and hug, pulling away to bop her on the nose. He chuckled as she wrinkled her nose in response.

"Actually, that's wrong too."

Judy raised an eyebrow, narrowing her eyes and tossing her duffle bag on a chair while her paw landed on her jutted out hip.

"Mhm. And what is my name exactly? If it isn't 'Bunny Cop,' 'Carrots,' or 'Judy,' what is my name, Slick?"

Nick smirked and leaned back confidently, paws behind his head.

"Come on, Carrots. It's obvious."

She looked at him analytically, trying to see behind his mask. What name was he thinking of? Fluff? Jude the Dude? Gosh, she hated that one. What? What was Nick up to?

"You lost me, Slick."

Nick smug look deepened and he held up a finger as if he was about to say something genius. Finnick just looked between the two, completely lost and confused. He had long since gone quiet.

The red fox raised his eyebrows.

"You ready for this, Carrots? I'm going to blow your little rabbit mind."

Judy just looked at him in confusion but motioned with her paw to keep going.

The fox continued.

"Like it is the most simple, easiest, most obvious thing in the entire world, universe, dimension—"

"Just cut to the chase, Nic—"

"'Judith!'" Nick announced, flinging his arms open wide with a sly grin a mile wide at the rabbit's stunned expression. "Come on, Carrots. Your name isn't 'Judy,' technically speaking. It's 'Judith Laverne Hopps!' Tisk tisk, I think you're getting slow, Fluff." He concluded triumphantly with his arms crossed and a smirk on his maw.

Judy blinked for a moment before the simplicity of the answer smacked her right in the face.

"Ahhhh! I should have thought of that! Geez…"

She facepalmed herself as she sat down on the bed with a groan, beginning to beat her fist against her forehead as if that would help fix the momentary lapse in wit.

Nick chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her and brought her close. Then he acted intellectual and raised a finger.

"Elementary, my dear Fluff. Elementary."

Judy snorted and looked at him with a raised eyebrow and grin.

"Shrewlock? Really? It wasn't that genius, Slick Nick."

Her boyfriend feigned offense with a paw against his chest and a frown.

"What are you talking about? Are you saying I'm not a genius?"

Judy smirked and caressed his face while leaning back into his chest.

"Am I saying that? In a way, yes, yes, I am."

Nick smiled as he lowered his head towards hers.

"Ouch, Carrots. That hurt a little."

The rabbit hummed a bit with laughter. She grinned and reached up a paw to pull his head down towards hers. She kissed him briefly before pulling away with a sly grin.

"How about now, foxy?"

Nick shrugged.

"Maybe a little better."

They smiled at each other before both heard a gagging sound and looked over to where the fennec fox was hopping from his chair and grabbing his jacket while shaking his head.

He glared at them both.

"Seriously, why chu always have to do that while I'm 'round? I'm off. Ciao."

Finnick slipped on his leather jacket and flashed out his shades and placed them over his eyes as he made his way towards the door.

Judy waved a paw.

"See ya, Finnick."

Nick smirked and twiddled his fingers at the departing fox.

"Yeah, bye bye kiddo. You'll see daddy tomorrow, right?"

Finnick turned around with a frown, pulling down his glasses to glare at the taller tod.

"Yeah, I'll see chu tomorrow. Bad dreams, Nick. Bunny cop, punch 'im for me."

Judy smirked up at Nick and made a fist.

"With pleasure, Finn."

Finnick sneered when Nick's eyes widened a bit at the fist wielding rabbit leaning against him. When the fennec fox left the room, he grinned at the yelp of pain from his old pal.

Nick rubbed his arm with a frown.

"Carrots, I know I've done a lot of things that deserve a good punching, but this is just abuse."

Judy laughed and looked at him with a grin.

"Oh, you'll be fine.'

The tod smirked and wrapped his arms around her.

"I know. So, how was your day? First day back on the job, how does it feel?"

Judy grinned knowingly at him when she took note of the slight sadness in his eyes. He wanted to be there with her just as much she wanted him to. She sighed, gripping his paw in hers.

"It was… interesting. First, I get swarmed by reporters the moment I leave my apartment. Then I get chased by the same reporters all the way to the precinct, where there was a protest going on outside. Then Bogo called me into his office for a chat. Then paperwork but got interrupted every five minutes by everyone welcoming me back. Then I had to change into more inconspicuous attire and sneak out through the garage. Ugh, wonderful, Nick. It was wonderful." She said with as much dry sarcasm as she could muster, sinking back into the embrace of her fox.

Nick grinned at her.

"That bad, huh?"

The rabbit sighed and nodded her head with closed eyes.

The fox smiled and moved his paws to her shoulders, massaging them.

He smirked as Judy began to make pleasure-filled noises as her body began to relax at the treatment.

The rabbit opened an eyelid.

"Thanks, I need this."

Nick chuckled and whispered in her ear.

"I know. I told you that we'll get through this together, so I'm doing my best to help since I can't be out there… for obvious reasons. Just sit back, relax, and allow your personal highly trained stress-reliever help you relieve some of this stress."

Judy giggled but trailed off into a moan as Nick hit a sweet spot, which he readily began to work.

The rabbit sighed.

"I love you, Nick. I don't know how-oww. I would be able to do-ooo all this without y-youuu—ohhhh. Right there. Right there. Yeah…" She purred with pleasure, eyelids falling lower as the vulpine dug his fingers into her tense muscles.

Nick smirked at the rabbit becoming putty in his paws and at her foot starting to thump involuntarily against the air as he worked an especially tense spot around her shoulder blades.

"Seriously need to get you to a masseuse, Carrots. So, what did Bogo want to talk to you about?"

Judy bit back a moan as her fox continued his ministrations.

"He wanted… ahhhh… to talk to me about a temporary—eeee… partner for when I return to the field."

She felt that twinge of guilt again, the feeling like she was replacing Nick with someone else. She made sure to tell him that it was temporary. She didn't want him to start worrying about being replacement.

Nick paused for a moment before continuing.

"I see." He said, trying to sound indifferent, but Judy heard the sadness in his voice and placed a paw on his arm.

"Nick. You know I don't like it either, you and me not together out on the job, but I need a partner or else I will be put on parking duty… which I would really like to avoid." She added with emphasis.

Nick barked with laughter

"Yeah, don't want to annoy all those parents out there by pulling their stroller over with the three wheel joke mobile. Also, who boots a stroller?" He asked with a smirk.

Judy rolled her eyes, ignoring his tease and swatting away his paws so she could reach her bag.

"Bogo wants me to pick a recruit, and told me to discuss it over with you. This is a list of names and descriptions for us to look over."

The red fox's ears perked up as the rabbit dug through her gym bag to pull out a folder.

"A recruit? Well, look at you Officer Fluff, becoming a mentor to some new-blood!"

Judy grinned slyly at him.

"Already was, Slick."

Nick blinked in slight confusion before realizing with a smile.

"Hey now, you aren't my mentor. You are my friend and partner and… Girlfriend!" He lashed out with his arms and pulled her into a tight embrace, laying kisses on the top of the giggling rabbit's head while she tried to push away.

Judy smacked his arms with a smile, pushing away from him.

"Alright! Alright. Stop it, you dumb fox."

Nick released her with a smirk, giving her a lazy salute.

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am. Your wish is my command, Fluff."

Judy's eyes flashed with mischief. She grinned with half-lidded eyes, raising her head and moving it closer to his face, walking two fingers up his chest.

"Is it really, foxy?" She asked alluringly as she slowly leaned forward towards his lips.

Nick smiled, pulling her closer.

"Why yes my darling rabbit. Say it and I'll do it."

Judy smiled and suddenly pulled back, bopping the stunned fox on the nose with a smirk.

"Then I wish for you to not eat any number of blueberries for a week."

Nick's face fell into a frown.

"Did I say 'darling rabbit'? What I meant to say was 'diabolical bunny.'"

The rabbit smirked patting the pouting tod on the head like you would a kit.

"There. There, Slick. It's just for a week."

Nick whined at the word 'week.'

"Making me not eat blueberries for a week. That's just cruel, Carrots. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Judy raised an eyebrow with a smirk, cocking her head and shrugging a shoulder.

"It's called a hustle, sweetheart."

Nick grinned, that phrase being one of many the two have burned into their lingo as a constant reminder of how they met.

"Sly bunny." He remarked, taking the folder with the list of possible candidates for his temporary replacement from his beloved bunny.

The rabbit smiled and gave him a quick kiss before pulling back and tapping his nose.

"Dumb fox."

So, please tell me your thoughts. I mostly worked on this late at night when I was feeling tired so some of the jokes might not be bla, you know what I mean? Anyways, that's all I got for now. Hopefully it doesn't take me as long to get the next chapter done. Hopefully.

Hope you liked it.

Until Next Time,

StoryCrusader.