Some Assembly Required
Judy spoke louder than usual. "Nick, just cram that little pointy thing into the hole already."
Nick sat on the floor of Judy's apartment, mouth agape, while Bucky and Pronk laughed on the other side of the wall. A sly grin stole across his face and he waggled his eyebrows. "I'll have you know, there's nothing little about-"
Judy interrupted him when she dropped the half of the bookcase she was holding. "I swear, if you finish that sentence, you're going to be one dead fox." Bucky and Pronk laughed again, one of them guffawing so hard that Judy could hear him snorting as he gasped for air.
She pounded on the wall. "And you two over there… shut up!"
Nick looked quizzically at Judy. "Carrots, it's ok. It's just a bookcase."
"Yeah, a bookcase we've been putting together for over an hour now."
Nick stood up and patted Judy on the head. "I think you're just getting hangry."
Judy brushed his paws away. "Hangry?"
"Yeah, you know… so hungry that it makes you angry."
Judy tried to hide her smile. "Yeah, you're probably right." She sighed. "I haven't gone food shopping yet this week, so there's nothing to eat here." She brightened. "Wait, I can pick something up from that deli that just opened around the corner."
"Sounds great. I'll have the shelves done by the time you get back. Here, let me give you some cash..." He patted down his pants pockets. "Darn, wouldn't you know it? I must have forgotten my wallet."
Judy rolled her eyes before she yanked the door open. "Whatever, Slick Nick."
She slammed the door and Nick flinched. Seconds later he heard Pronk speak. "Dude, don't you know not to tease rabbits when they're hangry?"
Snowfall
Snowball in hand, Judy stealthily crept along beside the tall hedge. She could hear Nick walking on the other side, his paws crunching in the new fallen snow. Judy froze when he paused, and she tried not to shiver in the sudden silence as snowflakes gently fell around her. She heard him walking again, his pace quickening as they approached the end of the hedge. Judy raised her arm, preparing to strike, when she heard a sudden creaking noise. Too late she remembered the metal bench on his side as Nick pummeled her with a snowball.
Gifts
Judy decided to surprise Nick and see if he was up for a little window shopping on their day off. She hoped he'd show interest in something so she could figure out what to get him for Christmas.
Before she went inside, Judy noticed a tiny box near the entrance of Nick's apartment building. It was on the ground, next to a niche in the side of the stoop, and was so small it could have been a leftover piece of confetti from last month's parade. On closer inspection, she discovered it was a present, wrapped in festive red paper with a miniscule bow.
Judy was trying to decide if she should pick it up, when she spied another colorful speck several feet away next to a small doorway in the side of the building. She walked over, and sure enough it was another tiny present. Further down was another, and another. She followed the trail into the alley next to the apartment building, where she spotted Nick.
It was hard to see him in the dim light, but Judy could tell he was crouched down, his back to her as he fiddled with something on the ground. He stood up and stuffed a bundle in his pocket when he spotted her. "Hey, Carrots."
"Hey, Nick. What's with all the tiny presents?" He froze, and an odd expression crept across his face. Finally, he gave her a forlorn smile and walked past her. "Let's go sit while I tell you a story." She followed him across the street, where they sat on a bench facing the alley.
He wrung his paws nervously and looked at the ground as he spoke. "When I was in high school, there was this kid, a gopher named Rufus. He didn't have any friends, and he spent all his time reading and hiding from larger predators." Nick swallowed and glanced at Judy. "Like me, and the other hoodlums I used to hang out with." He looked away from her and stared across the street. "One day, me and the gang found him poking around an alley. He tried to hide a bag from us behind his back, so we pushed him to the ground, and I took it away. Later when I found it was full of ratty little knit caps and jackets, I just tossed it all in the trash."
Nick sighed and continued to quietly stare across the street. She couldn't see anything when Judy followed his gaze, but her keen hearing picked up some faint rustling noises from the alley. After a few moments he spoke again. "A couple days later, I turned on the news to see Rufus being interviewed by a reporter from ZNN. He was bawling his eyes out, and I remember laughing and thinking what a crybaby he was. Until he finally calmed down enough to tell his story." Nick shifted uncomfortably and paused for a few moments. "It seems he'd been spending his allowance on old clothes from a thrift store, wrapping them, and handing them out to homeless mammals. Then I realized Rufus and the news crew were just down the street from the alley where we'd hassled him, the same alley where a homeless mouse had been discovered that morning. He'd frozen to death, and Rufus was the one who found him."
Nick's breath hitched and Judy reached over to place her paw on his arm. "Nick, you… you were just-"
He interrupted her. "Lemme finish." Nick took a deep breath before he smiled wanly and placed his paw on hers. "I learned a few hard lessons that day, and I've carried the guilt with me for a long time. There are some things I can't fix from my past, but because of you, I know it's never too late to be a better mammal." As he finished speaking, Judy saw a mouse emerge from the alley. He wore a ragged sweater, and the small rodent looked around hesitantly for a few moments. The mouse pulled on a new coat before hurrying down the street and Nick spoke again. "I've never really told you before, Judy, but thank you. For everything."