Judy stretched, waking up from her peaceful sleep. As she wiped away the gunk from the corner of her eyes, she tried to sit up. It wasn't happening. She look over to see Nick was sprawled out, his left arm pinning her to the bed. Unlike when she'd seen him sleeping the once before, he seemed to always be taking up more space since the injuries. She accounted it to the casts and comfort.
Speaking of comfort, she didn't want to get up. Even with her parents using Nick's place again, she hadn't been able to resist sneaking in to his room after everyone else fell asleep. Nick didn't mind; he'd been asleep. But it was like he knew she would be there, because when she got next to him he'd moved and curled up around her. The thought made her ears burn; it was amazing how quickly she'd decided that was her spot.
She didn't want to, but she pushed on his paw trying to get away. Her parents would wake up soon and definitely would want to use the shower. She couldn't let them see her curled up to Nick. It wasn't that there was anything inappropriate going on; she slept in pajamas and he never went to bed without shorts. But seeing their daughter burrowed under a lot of red fur would likely give them a heart attack.
She managed to extricate herself without too much of a hassle. She had to wiggle a bit, and luckily it didn't wake up Nick. At one point he muttered something incomprehensible and curled up tighter to the empty space, and it made Judy want to laugh. Despite being cocky and hidden when he was awake, he couldn't be like that when he was asleep. Judy found herself wishing he'd be more natural when he was awake; she knew that he wouldn't be, and she could handle that. It wasn't that he lied or kept secrets from her- he was just more hidden than she was used to.
Regardless of that, Judy could handle it. It was amazing how they'd gone from working in conjunction to becoming partners and friends. And from there… well, that thought made her smile. If Nick didn't want there to be more, he wouldn't have let it happen. He wouldn't lead her on if he wasn't willing to put his all into it. But he was still hesitant, and Judy wasn't sure why. She'd explained that she wasn't afraid of the impact on her job. She'd been handling the stares and comments well enough. Nick had something in his past holding him back, and she wasn't sure what it was. She wanted to, though. She hoped he'd let her know.
Judy went to the bathroom, making sure to be quiet as she relieved herself and thought about a shower. She decided against it and went into the living room. Nick's couch had been pulled out and both of her parents were on it. Janice was in the chair, and Joshua was on the window sill. He'd been the only one who was still awake when she'd snuck in with Nick, and he'd only chuckled. Josh was always sticking up for all their siblings; if they wanted to do something, he'd defend their choices. Even when they were wrong and ended up causing trouble.
The coffee maker lit up as she started it. Judy knew her internal alarm was still earlier than her parents' and she hoped it wouldn't be a problem. She sniffed the air, enjoying the aroma as the coffee slowly seeped. Judy hopped up on the small stool she used before pulling out mugs for everyone; Nick had a surprisingly large arsenal of cookware, especially considering the fact that Judy hadn't ever seen him entertain guests.
She jumped and hit the island as the alarm went off. She looked left to see Janice bolt up straight, her eyes open wide. A moment later the others woke up. It all happened so fast Judy couldn't stop it. She then heard a crash and a sound similar to a groan and a grunt as it shut off. She put her paw to her chest, breathing. Looks like Nick would need a new alarm clock.
Her father rubbed his eyes. "Coffee? What… what time is it, Judes?"
"Um… 5:30, I think. Unless Nick changed his alarm."
Josh moaned. "Why would anyone have an alarm that early?"
"He's a cop, Joshie." Judy looked at Janice who was rubbing her sleepy eyes. Very few of her siblings had the nerve to call him that. She wanted to giggle.
Judy's mother sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Either way, we're awake. Is that coffee I smell?"
"Yeah. I was about to start some pancakes, too." She turned back to the cabinet, grabbing the few pans she'd need before she turned to the pantry. Their grocery stock up had been for a lot more than just some general supplies. Nick had almost been out of pancake batter. Judy remembered how he'd used his injuries to take advantage when he got out of the hospital. It was part of the reason why she was keeping him on bed rest now.
She heard a weird sound on the floor and looked towards her parents. They were looking mortified towards the dark entrance to Nick's bedroom, where she could faintly see something moving. She watched in silence as Nick somehow drug himself with one arm out of the doorway, his body looking like something out of a horror film. "Sorry about the alarm," he said quietly as he stopped moving.
Josh got down carefully and went to check on the fox. "Still breathing," he noted. "But I think he went back to sleep."
Judy laughed at the obvious statement. "Of course he would," she said. "He can't do mornings unless there's coffee and food involved and he has about thirty minutes to get vamped up."
Janice stood behind her brother, looking at the fox on the floor. "Should we… do something?" Her eyes reflected the coffee light in the darkness. "That looks uncomfortable."
Judy shrugged and decided she was tired of the darkness. She went a few feet to her right and hit a switch, wincing as the light turned on. At least the kitchen had light and the living room had some kind of light. Nick definitely didn't look comfortable, but he was asleep and she didn't want to bother him. It was her day off and he was supposed to be resting and healing up.
"You saw where the bathroom was last night. If you want a shower or anything, go ahead." Her parents looked at her with raised eyebrows but no words. She ignored those looks and kept on getting everything ready.
"Shouldn't we ask him first?"
Judy looked at her sister. "If you want to wake him up to do so, go ahead. I doubt he'll be very coherent though." Josh just stepped around the sleeping fox and into the bedroom, taking Judy's advice.
Her parents climbed out of the sofa-turned-bed and looked at the mass on the floor before making it to the island. Judy had the coffee ready and gave each a mug.
"Judy, you seem to know where everything is," her mother observed. Judy didn't want this, not first thing in the morning.
"Yes, mom, I do." Judy caught her father's eye and looked towards the fox again. "I'm his partner and we've worked on cases here. Since he's been healing I've been making sure he doesn't run around and get hurt more. And even though you don't like it, we're in a relationship." Nick snorted and rolled a bit, causing Judy to giggle. She looked back at her mother. "See? He's harmless."
A squeak got her attention. She looked back over to see Janice fearful as could be against Nick. She couldn't deal with her new cage. "What do I do?!"
Judy felt a twinge of jealousy. She knew how Nick could be in his sleep, but that wasn't fair. "Just stay calm. You'll get a chance to escape, I think." She turned to her parents as she mixed some batter.
Stu looked mortified and her mother was shocked. Her father stammered a moment before his words came out. "What exactly just happened?"
"I don't know!" came the fearful squeak. "I tried to ask him something but he rolled over. I tried to push his shoulder to get his attention and he just grabbed me!"
"Calm down," Judy reminded her. "He won't hurt you. He's pretty clingy in his sleep. Just relax and wait for an exit."
Her sister nodded, breathing deeper to calm down. Josh whistled as he jumped past. "Looks like both my sisters are going for a cuddle."
Judy quickly looked at her parents and their shocked eyes. "What's he mean, Judes?" Her father looked confused. In her mind, Judy weighed her options. Stay silent, change the subject, come clean, argue. So many options, but it'd be discussed at some point now that they knew. She decided to get it out of the way.
"You took the couch and she took the chair," Judy said as she waved to her sister. She finished the batter and turned back to the stove, starting to pour some into the skillet. "And Josh had the window. So where do you think I slept, exactly?"
She heard something drop and looked back at her mother. She had been adding sugar and dropped the spoon on the counter. "Judy, that's… you didn't do… that, right?" Judy felt her ears turn red as her father quaked. He was more emotional than his wife, and Judy knew this was about to be dangerous. Her own ears were burning hot at the thought.
"Mom, I don't even want to think about how that'd work. That's not the kind of relationship we have." She turned back towards the stove, keeping her balance on the stool that she had brought in a few days before. "To be honest, neither of us is sure what's going to happen with this. That's just… no. We just cuddle, that's all." Her ears were burning in embarrassment but she looked over fondly at her fox. He was hers, after all. He'd said that. Sort of.
She heard a collective sigh of relief behind her. Across the room Josh laughed. "So, how is it, Janie? You don't look like it that's bad."
There was a small giggle. "He's… warm."
Judy didn't want to look at the sight at the floor. She'd gotten past the small jealousy, but now her mind was trying to comprehend what her parents had brought up. She shook her head hard, knowing her ears had to be flying around. That wasn't anything to be thinking of. She finished the pancake and set it aside. "Yeah, he is. Anyone want some kind of berries in their pancakes? I think there's some blueberries and blackberries over here." She opened the fridge to look inside, making sure she was remembering right.
"Both sound fine to me," her mother said. There was an agreeable grunt from her father and Josh just shrugged. Janice didn't reply.
"Don't fall asleep down there," her brother said. Janice squeaked.
"I'm not! It's just… I was scared of him at first. Mom and dad always warned us about them. But it's hard to be scared like this. It's like he's… protecting me." She looked at Judy. "Is that how it feels to you?"
Judy didn't speak. She worked on the pancake, making sure she wanted to admit what she was about to. She made her decision.
"Yeah, it is," she said. She looked over at her sister. "I think he's always trying to protect me, even though he doesn't have to. It's one of the reasons I love him. He's crazy and sarcastic, but he always puts me first and he's always there for me." Her ears burned a little as she finished.
She knew her parents were going to freak out. She didn't look at them, expecting them to speak up. Before either could, Janice crawled away from Nick as he grunted and rolled over. He murmured something, but it was unintelligent. As he did so, he landed on his tail and immediately growled, trying to get off of it. His eyes blinked open, exhausted and in pain. After a minute they locked on Judy's and she sighed.
"Good morning, Nick."
He grunted and nodded. He looked up at the rabbits standing above him. "What's going on?" He realized where he was and shook his head. "Carrots, you didn't drag me around again, did you?"
"No, Nick. You did that yourself. Now go brush your teeth; you have terrible morning breath and you know it." He groaned, using the couch to get up before shuffling to the bathroom, his casted leg bobbing as he jumped his way over. "And use your crutch for once, the downstairs neighbors will complain soon."
There was a small chuckle as the thumping continued. "Let them see how I look and I bet they won't," came his snarky voice. After that, she heard the door shut.
Josh made it to the table, motioning for a mug. His mother handed him one as he poured himself a cup. Judy finished the pancake she was working on and set it aside, pouring another. She sprinkled in blackberries as it began to cook.
"So… are we not talking about that?" Judy turned to glare at her brother.
"About what?"
"That. You know, that little scene. Everything." Judy glanced at her parents. Her mother was slowly stirring her coffee and her father had a faraway look in his eyes. Judy looked to Janice. Her younger sister was leaning against the couch, her paws over her ears. Judy could tell how red they were.
"What's there to talk about? We covered where I slept and you all saw Nick be himself." She flipped the pancake. She'd gotten better at making them; they were more filling than she preferred but Nick would eat a mountain of them if she let him. She knew what Josh was referring to, though. Her little admittance. Her confession.
Her father finally turned to look at her. "Jude… It's weird. But maybe…"
Judy didn't speak. She wasn't sure what he was about to say, but hopefully it wasn't bad.
"Maybe your mother and I are wrong."
Judy wasn't expecting that. She looked at her father in shock. Apparently her mother felt the same way, because she looked at her husband. "Stewart?"
He looked at his wife. "Judes always been a trier. She made it into the police academy and then she came to the city. She just wouldn't take no for an answer. And now she's got this wild idea to… do whatever this is." He looked back at Judy.
"Dad?"
Bonnie looked at him. "Stu, it's not normal."
"I know, Bonnie. But you just saw that." He looked back towards the open door to the bedroom. "That was… I don't know. But after seeing that… I feel like we've been wrong in thinking he's taking advantage of Jude."
Judy's eyes widened. "Wait, you what?" She stared at her mother and father.
It was her mother who spoke. "He's a fox, Judy. Your father and I thought that maybe he was pressuring you or pushing you into something." Judy was shocked at the revelation.
"Nick's not like that." Her voice was steady, but she was hurt from that thought. How could anyone think Nick could be like that?
"We didn't know, sweetie," her mother replied, her nose quivering as she touched Judy's paw. "Your father and I just want you to be safe."
Judy didn't know what to say. She was still in shock at the revelation. Nick would never do that, not to her. That was beyond cruel for them to think. She wanted to say something, but she didn't know what to say.
"Carrots, don't burn breakfast!" Judy looked back towards the wall. On the other side was the bathroom where Nick was still at. She glanced down, realizing she'd forgotten about the pancake. She flipped it, groaning. It wasn't completely burnt, but it definitely had some black on it.
"Dad, I was there. I remember you being the one who had all the fox repellent packed for Jude." Judy nodded at her brother's words.
"I know that! And I'm not saying I approve!" His paws touched the counter top as he set down his mug. "But maybe we did jump to conclusions."
Judy took the pancake and put it on a plate, setting it to the side. It wasn't ruined, but she didn't want anyone to eat it. She started another before turning to her parents. "Just give him a chance. I know it seems weird, but there's nothing bad going on. And Nick's not using me." Bonnie looked down and shifted in her seat. Her father just huffed and nodded.
Josh coughed. "Now that you've past the lovey dovey talk, can we eat? I'm hungry." Judy nodded, handing out the pancakes she'd made. Compared to at home they were a lot bigger. Nick's cookware made it easier for her to make enough food to fill everyone up.
There was a thump and Nick was at the doorway, this time with a shirt. All eyes turned to him. He glanced between everyone's gaze. "What?" There was no reply. He looked directly at Judy. "What's going on, Carrots?"
"Nothing," Judy replied. "Do you want breakfast? Or are you going to traumatize my sister some more?"
He glanced around, looking for the other rabbit. When he saw her she covered her eyes with her ears again. "Traumatize?" He looked back to the rabbit family confused. "How'd I do that?"
Josh snickered. "You gave my sister firstpaw knowledge of your snuggling ability."
His eyes widened and locked on Judy's. "Carrots?"
"Just come get some food before you put your foot in your mouth, Nick." She held out a plate.
He managed to limp over with the help of the crutch he'd brought with him from the bedroom. "If I could do that, I wouldn't need all these casts, Fluff." He began to grin at her. "You sure you're not just jealous?"
Judy sagged her posture. "Nick, just take the pancake. I'll make you another here in a second." He took it and smiled, setting it on the island to use as a table.
Nothing was said as they all began to eat. Nick got about two bites in before he coughed and turned to her. "Carrots, why did I get the burned one?" Judy looked over before realizing she'd miscounted and given him the singed one.
"Oops. I'm sorry, Nick." She turned back towards him. "I didn't mean to, really."
He waved his paw. "Sure you didn't. If I get sick, I'm blaming you." She swatted at him, managing to catch the edge of his paw before he grinned and went back to eating. Judy noticed that her little sister had managed to make her way to the island and get some food. Judy was glad that there were four stools on the far side. She gave her sister a pancake, noticing that she kept glancing at Nick.
Her mother must have noticed it too because she looked directly at her Judy's partner and spoke.
"Mr. Wilde?"
He coughed, choking on the food. It sounded weird to Judy; she'd never heard anyone be so formal with him. It was always "Nick" or "Wilde" or a nickname from his past. Although his mother did call him Nicky, which was a nice change.
"Yes, ma'am?" His green eyes looked unsure.
"If you make another of my daughters go after a fox, I'll press charges."
Judy's eyes widened as she stared at her mother. She couldn't be serious. Nick seemed to blow it off because he actually saluted her. "Yes, Mrs. Hopps. But I think I've got my paws full with the one as it is."
Judy swatted him again. "Nick!" She noticed her little sister was blushing like crazy. Her brother started chuckling and to Judy's surprise so did her father. Her mother eventually smiled a little. Judy didn't know how Nick did it. He was asleep, and yet somehow changed everything with one little thing. Just thinking how at peace he looked made her smile. She wondered how he looked when he was curled up to her, and she felt herself start to blush as well.
She reached over and stole a piece of Nick's breakfast before turning back to the stove. She'd been apprehensive when her parents had walked through the door the day before, but now she was actually looking forward to the rest of their visit.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: It is officially 4:32 AM. Yay for me. I didn't expect to get a theme song stuck in my head, but I did. After I finished the movie I couldn't sleep so I wrote this. Yay for you.
Two things- To the people who keep reviewing the story, thank you. I like to hear opinions on how realistic you think this is, how close to the characters, etc. I know that at this point they've developed into slightly different characters, but considering the length I think I can handle that. Plus, I like where the story is going. And to one PointyHairedJedi, you made my evening with your "pumping out chapters faster than Trump makes controversy" review. It reminded me of the Octomom review.
Second, I know this felt a little different. It was slightly romantic but quickly broke down to a more tense situation that was resolved. If it felt unnatural, I apologize. I used my own personal experiences with similar situations to write this, and I think it turned out well. I plan to make the next few chapters similar in nature but up the romance factor. I can assure you that Bogo won't interrupt this time.
And the whole thing with Nick's actions and Judy's words having an effect? "Actions speak louder than words", and "Sincerity is the truest of emotions" were the two sayings/themes behind that. It's not some random cliche (maybe it is, actually, not sure?) but I think the reaction was true.
Hope you enjoy the chapter!
