A/N : Tomorrow I'll be off for full 16-hours on train, so I forwardly apologize if tomorrow's happen to slacken a bit. And if this story hits 2-digit favs, I might add a special chapter. You know, that kind of milestone awarding xD
The suspect had been apprehended.
It took heck of efforts to outwit the sneaky arctic fox armed with handgun. They came up with risky plan ; Judy trusted Nick with her tranquilizer so that she appeared to be unarmed. While she bluffed, Nick would sneak and pacify him. Nick heavily objected since that it set Judy on the dangerous one and offered substitute, but the plea fell to deaf ears as Judy already rushed down the hall.
Nick had to focus in following her scent, since that Judy was way faster than him. Of course he needed to move fast but ensure himself to make it quiet, knowing that vulpine generally had enhanced hearing, albeit not as good as bunnies.
He took a deep breath once the hall ended and split into two way of stairs. The fox hid behind the wall, sneaking a glance. He could see the culprit and his partner move in circle, attempting to take one another in surprise attack. The vulpine rummaged his pocket swiftly and took a coin. He tossed the coin up high then reached for his gun, readying himself.
Whenever Judy heard the clinging sound, she took a quick glance on the stairs and confirmed the next move. She stopped moving. It would of course rouse the culprit's suspicion since that the rabbit halted after looking at certain direction.
But that was what she needed.
Before the arctic fox could follow her gaze, in instant, her adrenaline kicked in as she made a flurry sprint, closed in a blur of grey and tackled the surprised culprit. Sure it wasn't enough to bring him down because of their size difference, but only because Judy didn't put her entire strength ; she was just the decoy and she wouldn't want to end up rolling together and losing Nick's chance to shoot. The thief countered, his claws lashing on her arms and threw her off. The bunny rolled and gracefully landed on her feet, cupping her bleeding arm but keep her fighting stance. Her eyes went wide when her opponent pulled the gun.
Just as the arctic fox aimed at her, a stinging pain on his knuckle rushed as he dropped the firearm, yelling in pain. Nick had shot his own gun in order to disarm him right at the moment. Before the culprit could recover, Nick brought his other paw holding the tranquilizer and growled in fury as he shot him thrice, making sure the dose brought the white fox down.
Nick leaped off from the stairs, which happened to be almost four meters high. He cared nothing but his partner. After properly cuffing the thief and secured the evidence, he went at her in brisk .
"You're hurt." Nick rushed to his vest, fished small first-aid kit, and hurriedly began to fix her wound. He ignored the stinging pain on his aching leg from crazily running non-stop on his toes to eliminate the stepping sound, and to add it, landing from the stupid fall he put himself into.
"I live." Judy strained to roll her eyes sarcastically, and let the quiet fox to tend her arm. Since that she couldn't look directly at his eyes, Judy was uncertain, but she knew Nick and she was sure he was panicking out.
"Nick, that's just a bruise." Judy said in flat expression, unaware of whether to put it on playful manner to light up the air or a feigned admonishment to get him quipping back at it. But his only reply was a light frown and his paws worked up to bandage her arms.
When he was done, a sigh escaped him and he brought his paws on her shoulder, stern look right on her eyes.
"Keep doing this and you won't make it alive." Nick shook her harshly, hoping for the words to strike through the back on her mind and be her forever reminder. But Judy kind of neglected the fact that the fox was worried sick and slapped his paw off.
"I won't worry much, because I have you and-"
"I trust you?" Nick finished for her, hissing lowly. Judy was taken aback at his sudden change of behavior. "Aren't that basically your line?" he balled his fist, adding her bewilderment when he let out a vicious snarl. The vulpine cop hoped that he could bring up joyful memories in his mind to mend his emotional outburst, seeing that his partner became visibly uncomfortable because of him.
But he couldn't.
There was an uncomfortable feeling lingering inside. Be it anger, frustration, desperation, confusion, all mixed behind his already depleting limit of patience.
"You indeed trust me, but I don't trust myself! How can you be so careless?!" Nick blurted out, his arms thrown in the air. "If somehow… if I fail to comprehend the situation…" he couldn't bring himself to finish his statement ; he was broken already. He fell and landed on his rump, head hung low staring at the ground. "I don't want to imagine it…" he whispered, barely audible.
"Nick," Judy did what she could do to comfort him, rubbing her paw gently on his forearm. One thing she could never stand was seeing her partner broke down. "Nick, it's okay. I'm totally fine, see?" she offered a smile – both terribly knew it was a forced one – and when she thought that wasn't enough, the bunny hugged him. Nick sighed, feeling the indescribable internal struggle in him. He didn't even think to hug her back, his arms staying limp.
"Don't ever…" Nick began, bringing his paw on hers. "Don't ever jeopardize yourself. I have enough."
"We are walking on perilous way, Nick," Judy pulled back while giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze, physically reminding him of their duty as police officers. "There's no going back on it."
"Try a little safer approach?" Nick made a whimper but quickly covered it with a small smile.
"No promise on that." Judy sighed.
"You like to try everything, don't you?" Nick grazed the side of his snout tenderly, an unconscious act of lessening the growing desperation.
"I like Try Everything," Judy replied, mentioning the song title. She frowned at his troubled face, hoping that sooner or later Nick would joke of something to lighten their gloomy conversation. Well in fact she actually had pulled one, but there was no chuckle following her jest. "But my inner self agrees on that statement anyway, so yes."
Stillness. Cold silence.
"Then try," Nick warily said after swallowing a lump of uneasiness. "If it's not for you, then try. For me." he flinched when the words flung, especially the last two, sounded hopeless.
She clearly heard the cracked voice. Her ears flattened instantly, paws clutching her chest. That had her realizing that Nick had let his mask off, his usual confident and charming feature worn off, in spite of his self-blaming and protective nature over her safety.
Nick lived as solitary mammal for years, in almost all the time of his life managed to control his own emotion, never let them see they got to you, and almost never failed. The fact that Judy herself broke the record meant a lot to Nick, that he, one who sworn to live in the low life just as how others see how foxes were, began to trust someone again.
Nick was capable to protect himself, avoiding harm in his ways. Call it selfish, but he survived.
Soon that he opened a path of friendship, or something more, whatever happened to Judy would affect him as well. That was something inevitable he couldn't deny, and more importantly, something he had no power over it.
He was no longer that perfect reinforced fox. A mere feeling changed it, breaking the impenetrable defense.
He couldn't bear to see if something happened to her.
"I'm sorry." Judy fought back her tears. She gently put her paw at his chin, lifting his face up, exposing his despair filled eyes. With a choked breath, the bunny hugged his neck, sobbing in his fur.
This time, Nick hugged back. He was certain he needed it.
"I'm sorry." Judy repeated over and over, and it ended when Nick hushed her softly. He brought her closer, arms wrapping and tail shielding.